OZ
May
In a futile attempt to escape, I rolled away from the monster, waking just in time to fall off the side of the bed and land butt-first. I sat on the floor, panting and leaning against the mattress as I rubbed my neck with the pads of my fingers. My claws were out, but I hadn’t shifted all the way.
I’m okay. I’m free. No one’s here. Only me.
I drew in a deep breath. I’d promised Elton, my therapist, I’d try the grounding technique he’d taught me, so I’d better give it a shot or else he’d be disappointed when I saw him next week.
Five things I could see. The bed, my grandma’s crazy quilt, the nightstand, the bedroom door, and the window. I did not see any monsters.
Four things I could feel. The top sheet, my boxers, the hardwood floor, and the mattress. I could not feel any metal bars or shackles.
Three things I could hear. My breathing, the ceiling fan, and my heartbeat. I did not hear anyone begging me to kill them.
Two things I could smell. My sweat and the dust under the bed. I did not smell any blood.
One thing I could taste. I licked my upper lip. My sweat again. I did not taste the monster’s flesh.
I shuddered. Fuck. Elton needed to give me a different grounding technique to try. This one wasn’t helping.
After my shower, I got dressed and decided to go help with breakfast prep. It wasn’t like I had anything else to do at 5:00 a.m. Maybe Alpha Rafferty would be around later, and I could ask him about a job.
The thought sent my heartrate skyrocketing again.
The pack ran two businesses, a construction company and a security company.
I was a licensed electrician, but for some reason I hadn’t been able to make myself tell even Elton about my background, much less Alpha Rafferty.
I knew they’d let me work for them, and I wanted to work, but my badger kept shutting me down.
I’d been at Wonderhaven for a month, and I was bored out of my mind.
Elton had taken me to the library and a coffee shop a couple of times, and I hadn’t freaked out being outside the grounds.
I was sure the pack would let me borrow a car if I asked, but I couldn’t think of anywhere I wanted to go.
I should ask Elton for some suggestions.
I left the apartment, making sure my door was securely closed and locked. If I saw Alpha Rafferty this morning, I’d tell him I was an electrician. I’d do it. My badger snarled, but he’d live. It was time. I had a long recovery ahead of me, and sitting on my ass wasn’t helping.
I headed for the stairs at the end of the hall.
I didn’t take the elevator, ever, even though I was on the third floor.
The apartment complex consisted of two buildings in the shape of an open “L”.
The larger building faced the street, blocking the public’s view of the second building and the grassy common area, pool, and obstacle course.
The entire complex was protected by a high fence plus security cameras and motion sensors. I felt safe here, mostly.
After the rescue, when we’d learned we were in Houston, the Hunters had offered everyone either a bus ride to TWIST, a Wonder rescue organization outside of San Antonio, or a temporary room in Wonderhaven, an apartment complex owned by the local wolf shifter pack.
Most people who’d chosen Wonderhaven had only stayed a day or two, just long enough for their loved ones to come get them.
I, however, hadn’t left. After thirty-six hours or so of denning up in the apartment I’d been allocated, taking multiple showers and sleeping with the entire contents of the kitchen’s knife drawer in bed with me, I finally let Elton, who was the alpha mate of the pack when he wasn’t working as a therapist, lure me outside for a meal in the communal dining hall.
Rafferty, the pack alpha, had assured me I could live here rent-free as long as I liked, with the only requirement being I attend weekly therapy sessions.
Conveniently, Elton had an office on the ground floor of the building I lived in.
I’d been given the option of going to a therapist not affiliated with the pack, but in those early days I hadn’t been ready to venture outside the grounds of Wonderhaven, so I’d been happy Elton and I had gotten along so well.
Two weeks ago he’d helped me contact my family.
They’d flown to Houston that same day. Of course, they’d wanted me to return to Milwaukee with them, but my badger had insisted we remain in Houston.
I wasn’t too interested in returning to the place I’d been kidnapped, so I was happy to go along with my badger’s wishes.
Mother still questioned my decision every time we spoke, but at least Mom, Dad, and my siblings didn’t give me grief about it.
When they’d shipped my clothes to me, they’d included my grandma’s crazy quilt so I’d have something of home here.
The morning air was cool as I walked the path to the main building, and I sniffed appreciatively.
Back in Milwaukee they were still having snow flurries, but my badger and I were enjoying the warm spring.
I would’ve loved to shift outside and try out the pack’s obstacle course, but I wasn’t sure the wolves were ready for my badger form. Maybe after they got to know me better.
Marlee, who was in charge of breakfast and lunch on weekdays, smiled when I entered the big commercial kitchen off the dining hall. “Hey, Oz. You’re up early.”
I shrugged and scanned the countertops to see what needed doing. I’d inadvertently given the nickname to myself when the Hunters had asked who I was after the rescue, and it was growing on me. A new name for a new life.
Marlee was used to my silence by now. She pointed at the coffee pot. “Help yourself. I just pulled some cinnamon rolls out of the oven. Could you ice them, please? And help yourself if you’re hungry.”
I nodded and went over to the sink to wash my hands.
Even if I didn’t go back to being an electrician, there was plenty to do around Wonderhaven.
Yesterday I’d assisted Homer, who was in charge of groundskeeping, trim the shrubbery around the buildings, and the day before I’d helped some kids in the rec room reconnect their gaming console to the TV.
Everyone had been appreciative, and no one acted like they thought I was weird or an interloper. Contributing to the pack felt nice.
Thirty minutes later, when I was in the middle of peeling a huge mound of potatoes, Veronica and Joaquim came in for their shifts.
Kitchen duty was rotated among pack members with few exceptions.
Even the older kids took a turn, as long as their schoolwork was finished first. I’d never spent any time with a wolf pack before, so I wasn’t sure if this one was typical, but I liked the communal aspect of it.
My family visited each other often, but we didn’t live together.
The majority of the pack ate breakfast before 8:30 a.m. on weekdays.
When the rush was over, Marlee told me to fill a plate and take it to the dining hall.
A few stragglers lingered, but there were plenty of empty tables, so I sat by myself.
I needed a bit of quiet after the hustle and bustle of the kitchen.
I hadn’t seen Alpha Rafferty, so either he hadn’t come for breakfast this morning, or I’d missed him.
He generally ate dinner with the pack, so I could catch him then.
“There he is! See, Harrison, I told you!” Cassandra and Harrison, a brother and sister duo who shared an apartment on the second floor of my building, wound their way through the tables toward me.
Cassandra waved, and Harrison smiled as he trailed in her wake.
What could they want? They’d been friendly when I’d run into them a few times in the stairwell and here in the dining hall, but it wasn’t like we were friends.
They each slid into a chair on the opposite side of the table from me.
They appeared similar in age, moving with athletic grace like most wolf shifters, but their red hair and green eyes made them stand out among the pack.
I had no idea if they were related by blood to any of the others or not, and I didn’t care enough to ask.
“Hi, Oz. We were hoping to catch you this morning.” Cassandra radiated excitement. Come to think of it, I’d never seen them shift. They smelled like wolves, but it could be their shifted forms were some breed of small terrier instead.
Pushing my mostly empty plate away, I raised my eyebrows, glancing between the two of them.
“Yeah.” Harrison grinned at me. “You’ve been here at Wonderhaven a while now, and we know you’ve been helping out and stuff.” He waved toward the kitchen. “We wanted to see if you were interested in a job.”
I stilled, cocking my head. My badger went on alert but didn’t have the same negative reaction he did when I thought about applying to be an electrician.
“We work for Lupine Moon Security.” He waved his hand up and down, indicating my body.
“I haven’t heard what type of shifter you are.
” He waited, subtly sniffing, as if my shifted form would be more identifiable this morning than when we’d met before.
I just stared at him. “Right, but you’re a big guy either way, and we wanted to see if you were interested in becoming a personal protection agent.
” He and Cassandra sat straight in their chairs, gazing into my eyes so intently I could almost see their ears pricked forward.
My badger perked up, chittering in excitement. I scrunched my eyebrows. He wanted me to take this job? I didn’t want to be a bodyguard, did I?
Cassandra held up a hand. “We have an urgent need for someone for a week or so, because most of us have been temporarily reassigned for a special project, and we need someone to take over the regular jobs. If you like it, we can put you on permanent rotation.” She shrugged.
“But if you don’t like it, you don’t have to stay after that. ”