Chapter 7 #2
“I’m afraid not, but one that’s likely to get a lot of press.
Fourteen in the Pacific Northwest in last three months.
More spread throughout the country and beyond.
All various acts of torture, maybe to get the victim to admit to a crime.
All killed military style. There is some evidence they were forced to shift.
Undoubtedly for proof we are evil.” It was rare that Dad drank so early in the day.
When he grabbed his whiskey, I noticed his hand was shaking.
“Fuck,” I hissed, every muscle instantly bristling.
Beck shook his head. “What the fuck do these assholes want from us?”
I knew the answer. Extinction.
“At first, given the randomness of the kills, there was no real pattern, but that started to emerge about three weeks ago. I don’t mind telling you that pack leaders are getting nervous.” Dad tried to brush it off, but all three of us simmered from anger.
There was a communication system shared by packs, boosted into being nationwide during the last year. Mostly out of necessity based on the attempted sanctions within Congress.
“I thought things were getting better,” Beck muttered.
“We all did.” Pops broke into a smile. “Don’t you dare say a word in front of your mother. You know she can’t stand having pack politics discussed at the dinner table. On to the subject of the evening. How’s that new massage therapist?”
With my eyes narrowed, I offered my brother a look that any wolf pup just born could decipher the meaning of. “A pain in my ass.”
When our father laughed, he could light up a room even more than his massive and very masculine presence already did. He began placing the steaks on the plate. “You have learned by now after living with your mom and your sister that women are created by God to get under a man’s skin.”
“Then why get married and have a family?” Beck winked when he asked the question. There was nothing in the world our father liked talking more about than his family.
And the woman he’d been smitten with as a teenager.
As expected, Pops got the faraway look in his eyes, the wistful smile one reserved for our mother.
“Because there’s no point in living without having a special woman in your life.
The only true happiness a wolf can manage is after a woman enters his life.
That’s something for you boys to keep in mind. Your playboy ways need to end.”
Beck grabbed the platter before I had a chance, already heading to the door. “I think Mom needs these in the kitchen.”
“Traitor,” I hissed over my shoulder.
Pops laughed once again, waiting until Beck had left. “I’m glad we have a chance to talk alone.”
“Uh-oh. Here comes the lecture as directed by Mom. I am trying to become more patient regarding my injury. I have that woman to thank for it.”
“That’s good to hear, but not what I wanted to talk to you about. Samantha mentioned you’re having nightmares.”
“Are there no secrets inside this family?”
“You know how much your sister cares about you. She’s worried.”
I knew the reason why, the subject almost never even mentioned any longer. As before, I bristled even though I wasn’t angry with Samantha or my father. I continued to be furious with myself.
“Yeah, I’ve had a couple since the injury. No big deal.”
“Except you believe you were sleepwalking.”
Maybe I was a little furious with my baby sister. I’d told her about the dreams in confidence. “That’s not just a shifter phenomenon.”
“Not at all. However, it is your body telling you that you need to pay attention. I have some advice that I hope you’ll consider.”
“Let me guess. You’re on board with this chick who just waltzed in. She’s such a…” Temptress. Every action, every word out of her mouth, every brush of her hand through her hair was way too tempting. On top of the brutal nightmares, my daydreams were equally disturbing, but in a more erotic way.
“Very much so.”
“What do you know about her?”
He decided to grab his drink, no longer eager to provide answers.
“Why do I have a feeling you were in on this with the coach?”
“He might have mentioned the idea seeking my approval; however, he didn’t seek her out with you in mind. You need to listen to her.”
“There’s something about her that’s… not quite right.” I was careful with my choice of words.
“How so?”
“She’s hiding something,” I said while images of her face continually pushed into the forefront of my mind. “Something she wants no one to discover.”
“What else?”
I wasn’t certain what my father was getting at. I blew out hot air, puffing up my cheeks as I did. “There’s a weird kinetic connection I feel around her. Like nothing I’ve felt before.”
“Really?”
Was Pops smiling?
“Yeah. I don’t know. We spar. I act like an asshole. She gives it right back to me. My blood boils and we do it all over again. She reminds me a little bit of the stories you told me about Mom.”
He gripped my arm, squeezing. “Like I said. Women are special. Look, I’ll talk to the coach, but my advice has nothing to do with the hot new woman in town.”
“Why do I have a feeling I should be sitting down?”
“You need to shift.”
I was so surprised by his recommendation I could sense I was doing nothing but gawking at him. “What?”
“You heard me. You haven’t shifted since the incident.” His expression turned completely fatherly.
Which caused me to look toward the forest. Of course my father meant well, but bringing up the most painful period of my life had nothing to do with the fucking nightmares of ripping apart small animals. “I’ve shifted since then. Several times.”
You couldn’t put one over on my father. He had the memory of an elephant. “I’m not criticizing you, Ford. You’ve had your reasons to shove aside your heritage. However, refusing to acknowledge your wolf had led you to experiencing some cracks in your perfectly shutdown world.”
There was no sense in arguing about whether I was closed off to the rest of the world or not. “You really think doing so will help.”
“I think embracing your wolf is a necessity, son. He’s not going away. He needs his time and you need his experiences and his strength.”
“You make it sound like I’m sick.”
I’d be damned if he didn’t want to skip answering.
“You’re not sick, Ford. You’re a wolf. No amount of wishing can alter that.
As an added benefit, doing so might help heal your injury at a faster rate as typically would occur.
Now, come on. Let’s get inside before we face your mother’s wrath.
Just give what I told you some thought.”
“Alright. I will.” Embracing my wolf. Maybe I did blame him. If he hadn’t wanted to show off, then maybe…
Then maybe she’d still be alive.
* * *
I stood behind the closed French doors, staring at the luminous full moon in the sky.
With every month’s cycle, I always took a few seconds to laugh.
There was still a massive percentage of humans who believed shifters only transitioned in the light of the full moon and that when they did, they were hungry for human flesh.
When I was a kid, my parents had tried to hide me and my siblings from ridiculous werewolf propaganda.
They’d wanted to protect us. However, we were forced to face the truth of what we were.
And given kids would be kids, after that, we watched every ridiculous werewolf movie we could get our hands on.
We’d even compared our personal attributes to those of the fictional characters.
The only aspect the movie studios had gotten right was about our boosted physical attributes.
We were also taught that we couldn’t openly display our incredible speed or tremendous strength if there was a chance that humans were around.
That’s why packs had tended to stay together.
For safety, security, and so we could be ourselves.
Even as we integrated more and more into human communities.
Maybe my father had a point about the reason I wasn’t healing. While wolves sustained injuries and even endured illnesses much like humans, we typically healed at three times the rate. My injury had remained in limbo.
I lifted the glass of whiskey, not bothering to pay attention to what I was doing.
Maybe Pops was right and the nightmares were my wolf’s way of finding his own peace.
The sip of bourbon had no flavor, none. I stared at the liquid, mulling over the thought.
There was a distinct reason why I’d avoided shifting for twelve years and Pops knew that.
Granted, more time had slipped by than I’d given thought to.
The pain from what had occurred held a permanent location in my heart.
Where I’d locked it away, refusing to deal with the agony or the realization the events of the night had permanently altered my life.
Just like my wolf. I’d been punishing him for that horrible night, treating him as if he was to blame for everything.
My father’s words had remained a heavy weight.
Perhaps it was time to face the demon in myself.
I placed the glass on the coffee table, slowly removing my clothes.
While the area surrounding my house wasn’t the ideal location for shifting, I didn’t plan on spending but so much time running through the trees, pretending to hunt when doing nothing more than burning off steam.
With my clothes off, I headed outside to the back deck.
The air was brisk for an early April night, the light breeze providing various enticing scents of the forest. From moss to old wood, fresh dirt and even the sweet stench of copper from a recent critter kill, my senses were almost immediately on overload.
My wolf was already awake, scratching at the surface while I stepped farther away from my house. Every noise was amplified, crickets and the rustle of rabbits and deer through the underbrush. Soon, they would be running for their lives, fearful the big, bad wolf was in a hunting mode.