Chapter 9
Lots of Potential
“This is bullshit,” I said, furiously packing my belongings as Adam kept his gaze averted. “Why did you even bring it up to them?”
“Dude, I panicked. They said I couldn’t qualify for another year if I couldn’t find another half-turn to live with in Norwich. You know how convoluted the system is.”
“And you brought me into it without asking if it was cool with me—which it’s not! I spent weeks doing all that work, and with one stupid phone call, you threw everything into chaos.”
“You’re really gonna be selfish about it?”
My face grew hotter, and it took everything I had not to shove the half-turn through Darryl’s window. “Selfish? I’ll have you—”
“Okay, okay,” Adam interrupted. “What else am I going to do, Cody? I need you. Please.”
“Go live with your parents. Take Austin with you.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not? Every time anyone brings up your money or your parents, you get all weird.” I narrowed my eyes. “Did you get caught in another lie?”
Adam sighed. “Listen I—I may have embellished a few things.”
“You mean your parents aren’t rich?”
“It’s complicated, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It’s probably not that complicated. You’re just being sleazy.”
Adam bit his lower lip and looked away, and what I thought was an act turned into tears.
“I’m sorry,” I said, now feeling terrible. That was a look I knew all too well when talking about parents. “So, there’s no one you can live with or get assistance from?”
“If there was, the last place I’d live is in that roach-infested shithole apartment with that asshole.
” His mood shifted as he gave a sly smile, leaning in closer.
“Which is why when I heard you were moving to a nice little town away from it all, I got kind of jealous. When the guy over the phone gave me that ultimatum, I knew you wouldn’t say no. We’re friends, right?”
“I barely know you.” I folded a torn pair of briefs and shoved them into a suitcase. Most of my underwear bore the battle scars of Roscoe being a little too rough. “I don’t understand why they make us jump through so many hoops.”
“Half-turns, man. Humans don’t want us around. We’re always horny, and if we don’t have sex, we get all ragey and stuff.”
“I feel that kind of rage right now, actually,” I half-joked, folding more of my clothes. The good thing about Roscoe not really wearing clothes was I didn’t have to pack them. The only thing he really wore was that funk-covered orange hoodie, and I wasn’t going to touch that thing.
“I’m serious. You haven’t been half-turn long enough to know. I’ve been like this since I was sixteen, but the real shit only started happening like six months ago. It’s making Austin act weird. He keeps sniffing me more, too. He says I reek, but he can’t stop smelling me.”
“What’s with that? I catch Roscoe sniffing my dirty clothes all the time.”
“We’re like catnip to a werewolf. Wolfnip? Werewolfnip?” Adam snapped his fingers. “But getting back on topic here. Are you really gonna make me break my kuu and live in Stonebrook? I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens.”
After a brief pause, I slumped forward.
“I really don’t like you,” I whispered, barely audible. “You’re such a manipulative shit. No wonder you have Austin as a kuu mate.”
“What was that?”
“Fine,” I said. “It’s going to be cramped with two werewolves, and I don’t know what this place is gonna look like.”
Adam looked around. “Dude, you’re living in an unairconditioned shack with no rooms and two werewolves. I’m sure whatever they give us will be bigger than this.”
“Yeah, but at least I can sit on the porch or on the beach, which makes it bearable. What am I going to do in Norwich?”
“Walk in the woods.”
“You mean the supposedly haunted woods?”
Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m sure they’re not really haunted.”
“I’m being facetious. If you and Austin end up arguing all the time, take that shit outside. I don’t want to listen to it.”
The half-turn flinched before looking down at the floor. “We don’t really argue. I usually just end up agreeing to anything, and Austin knows what he’s doing to get his way. He’s been getting me to do some weird shit, but every time he starts, I just let him do whatever he wants.”
“That’s really awful, man. Why the hell did you choose that guy anyway?”
“It’s not like it’ll last forever,” Adam said.
“And to answer your last question, let me show you something.” He paced through the room and snatched his backpack from the corner, unzipped one of the front compartments, then pulled out a dirty, folded envelope.
“I keep this to remind myself that he used to be kind of cute… and he played the dumb blond card really well.” He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper from the envelope and handed it to me. “Recognize this?”
“Oh lord.” I began reading Austin’s sex resume. “‘Ex military can protect, am better than other werewolfs. Just look at me.’” We both broke into laughing fits. “Oh my God, it looks like a twelve-year-old wrote this.”
“It gets better.”
“‘Can fuck you til you cum, ask for demonstrashon.’” I wiped a tear from my eye. “This poor guy.”
“Read the bottom.”
“‘I’m a loner, have a past, don’t ask about it.’”
Adam gave me a sad smile, and the atmosphere of the room turned somber.
“He wanted me to ask about it.” He grabbed the resume and held it up.
“I don’t know if it was a cry for some kind of attention, but I picked up on it.
Maybe I shouldn’t have. They really fucked him up in the marines, but I think there’s more. ”
“What happened?”
“Werewolf things. Same story, just a different set of circumstances. They heal really fast, but they aren’t immortal.
Those evil assholes used Austin as a crash-test dummy, testing the effects of dirty IEDs, chemical attacks, you name it.
The poor guy was so toxic and radioactive sometimes that they’d have to put him in solitary confinement until they could decontaminate him.
“There aren’t that many werewolves in the military, and the ones that are there usually join out of desperation and stick together like family.
He was really close with the only other werewolves on base, but they disappeared one day.
Austin doesn’t know the details—or he doesn’t want to tell them, but there were rumors of a new nerve agent that could kill werewolves and not humans.
I guess they wanted to be prepared if a rogue country decided to weaponize us.
He’s convinced that’s what happened to them. ”
“I’m surprised more countries aren’t using werewolves as weapons.”
“I’m not. They’re dangerous and hard to control, and the world obviously thinks it’s a terrible idea, hence the Petrone treaty.
Austin was never going to war, and he kind of knew what he was getting himself into.
He must have had a really fucked up past to think the marines was a good idea.
But yeah, after his pack went missing, he packed a bag of stuff and peaced out.
I don’t think the government has actually been looking for him, because they would have found him by now.
But Austin’s always been really paranoid, and I don’t blame him.
So, I accepted his kuu more out of pity than anything, and the rest is history. ”
I gave him a doubtful stare.
“I have a thing for big hot blonds, okay?”
“Well, now I feel terrible for calling him a piece of shit.”
“Don’t. He’s not a likeable person, but I thought I’d give you some context for the next time he does something shitty to me.”
“That’s not really an excuse,” I said, sitting down on the couch a few steps from the hammock. “Just because he had something bad happen to him doesn’t mean he gets a pass to make someone else’s life miserable.”
“I’ll hold out until I turn, and then we’ll both be free.”
“Isn’t there anything you guys like about each other?”
Adam hummed. “I mean, the sex is pretty good, even the kinkier stuff. He’s huge, so he’s pretty hung, and you know I like me some big werewolves.” He looked away. “He also cries.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t know that I hear him, but he cries just about every night in his sleep. I’m torn because I feel sorry for him, but damn, he makes it so hard to even feel that lately. He’s miserable, and I’m just an easy target.”
I thought back to Austin and Roscoe the other day. Their rivalry was hard to pin down, but they both seemed to enjoy the others’ company.
“Maybe this little fuck-up with the government might be a good thing,” I said, zipping my bag closed. “The city is an awful place for us to live, and maybe Roscoe will be a good influence.”
Adam laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Hey, don’t write the guy off. He surprises me sometimes, and he treats me a hell of a lot better than Austin treats you.”
Adam’s laughter turned to stone silence.
“They both seem to like each other. At least I think they do.”
“Darryl doesn’t,” Adam said. “I think it’s more alpha mentality than personal.
After he went full werewolf, Austin got huge and started fights with Darryl every chance he got.
In case you haven’t noticed, Darryl’s pretty chill and super friendly, but you don’t want to fuck with him.
There’s something weird about the guy. He has this gravity. I can’t explain it.”
“I really like Darryl.”
“Stand in line. He’s pretty cool, and I was really jealous that you were living here with him.” Adam’s smile shifted. “I should probably apologize to him for the other night.”
“Being a half-turn sucks. I’m sure he understands.”
“I want to be carefree like them,” Adam said, plopping on the couch next to me.
“I just want to go back to being human,” I said. “Who the hell starts turning at twenty-two? I thought my life was finally going somewhere.”
“It is going somewhere.” He placed his hand on my back. “To half-turn hell for a while.”
“I wonder why some people turn while most don’t. No one in my family was a werewolf as far as I know.”