Chapter 1
"I don't like this."
"Reggie," my voice was warning, but only slightly. "We talked about this, remember?"
He "hmph"ed at me and stared down at the cabin that belonged to Roy's pack.
"They'll take care of you. Theresa and Grant are staying over the break, and they're both great. You'll get along well with them, I'm sure."
"I'm not worried about that," Reggie said, and then his brow scrunched up as he looked me in the eye. "What if... what if your master is mean to you? What if you get hurt? What if they don't let you come back?" And then, in a voice that was pathetically small, he added, "What am I gunna do without you?"
It was nearly heartbreaking.
Slamming my face into his chest, I hugged him tight. "You'll be fine, and I'll be fine, and then, when I get back, we'll be fine together. Alright?"
He hugged me back but made a grumbling sound in disagreement.
"It's just a few days. I'm going to be fine, I swear."
More grumbling sounds.
I sighed. "Look, we don't have a choice, alright? Even if we did, I'd still go because I need to. They have answers for me."
"Can't you just go without?" he mumbled over my head.
I laughed once. "I wish. But there's still so much I don't know..."
"I can help you with that," he retorted.
In a way, he was right. We'd only been a pack for less than a month, but I trusted him wholeheartedly. Reggie knew as much about me now as Roy did--more, actually. He knew where I came from and how I grew up. He knew I needed help navigating werewolf life and culture.
He knew a lot, and I trusted him.
But he still couldn't tell me why I was a werewolf. How my mom had escaped. How she'd managed to hide us all these years, or how I'd been kept from the change all this time.
He didn't know everything. And, though I doubted Clyde did, he would still be able to get me some answers, at least.
Still tangled in the hug, I pulled back so I could rub my forehead against his chest. My scent clung to the material of his shirt, something he and Roy both explained to me was comforting for pack mates. And, over the past month, I found they were right. Scent was so much more important to me now than it had been before. Roy's scent, Reggie's scent, Grant's scent, Ranger's scent, Theresa's scent--they were all different, and only one of them was officially my pack mate, but all of their scents comforted me. It was like having them there, without having them there.
And Roy told me it was even more important to wolves that weren't alphas, particularly when it came to their alpha's scent.
"It makes them feel... safer. Like they're being cared for, even when you're not around," he'd advised.
And I'd yet to catch Roy lying to me. With how Reggie grinned, I could tell Roy was, yet again, speaking in truth.
"You'll be okay, and I'll be okay. And then, when the break is over, I'll be back and we'll be an okay pack together, okay?" I coaxed.
He huffed a reluctant laugh. "Alright, alright."
"But, remember: you'll only be okay if you don't cause Theresa and Grant any trouble while I'm gone, okay?"
He huffed, miffed this time. "Fine-fine-fine. I'll... behave."
I broke our hug so I could pat him patronizingly on the head. "Good boy."
He snarled without malice, three sets of fangs flashing playfully as he crossed his arm--pouting.
"You're a mean alpha, you know that?"
"The meanest," I agreed. "Let's go greet your temporary pack!"
He huffed again as we walked up the porch steps to the cabin and knocked on the door.
Theresa opened it, smiling in that slightly diffident way she had. It seemed like a way to keep at arm's length, some form of self-defense. It wasn't until after I had been with my own pack for a couple of weeks did I understand that.
Subtlety wasn't really my forte. It was, however, Roy's. And his pack shared an understanding for it as well.
Secretly, I was hoping some of that would rub off on Reggie this week. He'd been better behaved since he and I packed up, but he still didn't know when to let certain things drop. Or how to control his expression.
I was worried that it'd be the end of him one day.
Luckily for both of us, I'd made a pretty damn good impression on all the teachers here while I was Roy's shadow. All the teachers took note that Reggie and I were a pack, and they certainly noticed that Reggie was actually trying in class now. Both of those facts had worked in his favor these last few weeks, and they'd let a lot of his more... rebellious mannerisms and vernacular slide because of it.
It wouldn't last forever though.
During my time at Clyde's, I was hoping Theresa and Grant could give him some pointers. Maybe sand off his rougher edges that I had yet to tend to.
"Hello Jay," Theresa greeted formally.
I rolled my eyes at her, ignoring her formalities and wrapping her up in a hug. It seemed to surprise her, but she returned the hug just as quickly.
"It's good to see you, T," I said.
I knew Theresa wasn't sure how she felt about the nickname I'd given her. But, until she said I couldn't, I'd keep using it. I understood the need for formality with other werewolves and vampires, but she ought to feel comfortable with her friends.
In this hellish life, we all deserved at least that much.
"Likewise," she said. The words weren't warm, but when we stopped hugging, I could see the smile in her eyes.
I grinned.
"Thanks for helping me and Reg out, we really appreciate it," I told her.
"Of course," she said, and meant it, which was a surprise.
I knew she hadn't minded taking Reggie in for the week, but to hear her say it out loud was something else.
Usually she wasn't so... careless, she would say.
Nobody here really liked being vulnerable.
Behind me, Reggie was craning his neck to get a look inside the cabin, his curiosity rampant.
I elbowed him in the gut lightly. "Rude. Say hi to T first."
"Uh, hi Theresa." His eyes darted to mine and then back to Theresa's face. "Thank you for letting me stay here with you and Grant."
I wasn't sure if it was his politeness, his sincerity, or his being compliant that shocked Theresa, but she was clearly shocked by his response.
Which was also shocking. Usually, T wasn't so easy to read.
"You're... you're very welcome, Reggie. Any friend of Jay's is a friend of ours," she said, clearing her throat mid-sentence.
I felt a zing zip down my spine, and the scent in the air changed ever-so-slightly.
Reggie didn't look at Theresa, his eyes were roaming the inside of the cabin, and Theresa didn't look at Reggie either, her eyes were on me, but I could sense something in the air. Something small and delicate.
I grinned.
"This'll be a great vacation for you guys, I just know it."
Theresa frowned slightly, catching on to my hidden meaning. If Reggie heard it, he ignored it expertly, his eyes stuck on roaming the cabin.
"Well, come in," Theresa said, stepping aside from the doorway.
"Nah, I gotta bounce. Just came by to drop off Reg and say adieu and all that," as I spoke, I grinned viciously at her. "You three have a good break, alright?"
Now Reggie looked at me, frowning with his brows furrowed. "You're leaving already?"
"Sure, but I'll be back. T and Grant are gunna take real good care of you, I know they will," I didn't say that with any irony though. I knew that, no matter what, the two of them would stick with Reg.
"Okay," he said, and then pulled me into one last hug.
Again, I rubbed my forehead against his shirt, rubbing more of my scent off. I'd only be gone three days, but that would feel like an eternity to both of us. We'd already grown so accustomed to being near each other. Sure, he could always visit the den if he missed me too much--we'd managed to find a cave on the outskirts of Vuk's Academy grounds and had made it homier--but it still wouldn't be as good as being in my presence.
Or, at least, I knew thats how I felt.
Secretly, I'd stashed one of Reggie's shirts in one of the suitcases Clyde had sent for me. I say "secretly" because Reggie was the only one who knew about it. Apparently, pack bonds made at Vuk's were seen as illegitimate at every vampire's manor. Items found from pack mates at Vuk's would be discarded if a vampire found it at their manor.
And Reggie already had so few shirts as it was...
I knew I had to be careful about the shirt and the scent it gave off, but I couldn't go without ANY Reggie for three days. Just the thought of it made my heart ache.
"Be good, okay?" I urged.
"Yes mom," he joked.
"If he misbehaves, just ground him," I told Theresa as I pulled out of our hug.
She smiled kindly at me. "I'm sure that won't be necessary."
"If you do ground me, I'll just chase my tail," Reggie said.
"Yeah, and probably wreck a room in the process. Anyhow, I'll see you guys in a few. Thanks again, T!"
Picking up my suitcase, I sauntered off quickly. Something in me told me that, the longer I lingered, the harder it would be to leave.
It felt awful, knowing I was walking away from Reggie and that I wouldn't see him for three days. Some voice--an instinct, maybe--told me I was abandoning him, which I protested against with all the logic I could muster.
It was only three days. He'd be fine with Theresa and Grant. Roy had agreed to this, too. Everyone left if their master's house called. It wasn't my choice. Besides, he'd be here when I got back. There weren't any classes to attend during break, they'd just be cleaning school grounds. Reggie could do that without causing problems or getting himself into a mess. It wasn't like he was a kid, he was practically a grown man, he could handle himself.
The arguments circled over and over and over in my head, like a shark circling a surfer. Though, I wasn't sure if I was the shark in this analogy or the surfer.
I hated this.
Being a werewolf was so much more complicated than just not killing people on full moons. Buffy had made it seem so easy!
I sighed, making my way to the drive of Vuk's.
Out here, there was a huge hubbub. Werewolves getting into cars, bowing to dhampir butlers who ranked higher than them, looking respectful or fearful or disdainful as they were shuffled into black, sleek vehicles.
I, myself, wasn't sure what to do or how to feel. This was my first rodeo, and I had no idea what was expected of me.
"Jay!" I heard someone call.
When I turned, it wasn't another student, and it wasn't a dhampir.
It was a man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit and looking rather dapper amongst the madness. He grinned at me openly, clearly pleased to see me.
I knew that wolf, and I knew that face.
"Clyde," I greeted as I walked over to him.
"Good to see you Jay. Seems like you haven't been in trouble recently," he said it like it was a compliment.
I shrugged. "I aim to please."
He grinned wickedly. "So like your mother," he commented quietly before gesturing to a blue limousine. "Let's go home."
I stared at the limo.
"Where do I sit? In the trunk?"
He laughed, heartily. Showily, I thought. "How funny! No, you sit in the back with me, of course." He leaned in and spoke softly to me. "Don't make too big a deal of it. Other houses don't treat their wolves so generously, and they hate our master for it. Just get in and we'll talk on the way."
Right.
Sir Earl was a strange one. The first vampire I'd ever seen who didn't put on a show of smiles and politeness while planning your death. He'd been blunt, disinterested, and rude.
All in all, he seemed like a much better guy than any of the vampires I'd met so far.
I didn't trust him, but, I have to say, I'd take him over any other vampire yahoo I'd met.
Clyde opened the door for me.
I got in.
"Wonderful," he muttered and then scooted in beside me.
As soon as the door was closed, he muttered, "God, I fucking hate this place."
I couldn't help but laugh.
Yeah, I wasn't entirely sure if I should trust this wolf or his master, but still.
He was a man after my own heart.
