“Thanks for rescuin’ me,” Simon mumbled, half of a pulled-pork sandwich in his mouth. The weather was beautiful and clear, but the air had a bite to it when the wind picked up. Still, everyone insisted on sitting outside, and since I was the only one without any fur, I wore a few layers. 

“You’re lucky I’m good at sucking dick,” I replied, suggestively wiping the barbeque sauce from my lips. 

Simon stopped chewing. “You sucked both of ‘em off at the same time?”

“Sure did. You owe me now.”

“Austin, eat your brisket,” Adam said, taking a bite of a burger. The werewolf did as instructed, tears in his eyes. It was strange behavior because he didn’t seem to be crying, but the tears never stopped. “I’m having a hard time believing any of what you just said.”

“I’ll have you know, my oral skills are legendary.”

A black Mercedes pulled up along the curb, and Willa emerged from the back seat. Simon and I grew tense as we waited for Mosavi to join her, but the car pulled away instead. A gust of wind kicked up fallen leaves on the sidewalk, tousling her straightened hair while nearly lifting her surprisingly cheerful mauve dress. It seemed as though she never left the house with so much as a lock of hair out of place. 

“It’s my favorite half-turn,” she said, genuinely surprised to see me, even though we’d been coming here more often lately. “It’s a lazy day today.”

“Where is everybody?” I asked, noting the empty tables around the patio. Austin’s head hit his empty plate, and he began snoring. 

“Sleeping. I’m surprised you werewolves have the strength to be out and about.”

“I feel fine,” Adam said, poking Austin, but the werewolf didn’t react. 

“I’m exhausted,” Derrek muttered. “How long does this last? I don’t wanna feel like shit the entire trip back home tomorrow.”

“Barely a day.” Willa hiked her dress and climbed over the bench, sitting next to me. She eyed Simon still furiously stuffing his face in between yawns. “I have never seen a werewolf put away so much food before.”

“Why’s everyone so exhausted?” I asked. 

“The ward I used last night drains a bit of power from each werewolf to keep the witches away. It merely feels like a bad hangover.”

Simon’s head drooped mid-chew before jerking back awake again. 

“Why don’t you make yourself some hair of the dog, Simon?” Derrek asked, flicking a potato wedge at the older werewolf’s face. “It’ll wake ya right up,” he continued, mocking Simon’s accent.

Simon snatched the wedge and popped it into his mouth. “Don’t waste food.”

“Darius told me to stop off at the station and let Simon out, but he mysteriously vanished.” She turned to me. “No one knew he was even there to begin with.”

My face grew hot as I felt the others’ eyes on me.

“Legendary blowjobs. Right,” Adam said smugly, lifting Austin’s head before sliding the dinner plate out from under him. 

“Okay fine. I did a little bit of manipulation.” I punched Simon’s arm. “Stop antagonizing the mayor. Dumbass.”

“How is Austin?” Willa asked, her demeanor growing more serious.

“He’s still not able to go to the bathroom on his own,” Adam responded, petting his sleeping kuu mate’s head. “I’m such a terrible person.”

I shook my head. “If you were a terrible person, you would have left him like that instead of taking care of him.” 

“But I don’t want to take care of him, and that’s why I feel terrible.” He folded his arms on the table and rested his head. “I’m a werewolf now, but I can’t even enjoy it.”

“He might be able to do basic tasks on his own as soon as the drain wears off,” Willa said. “But he’ll still not be able to do much more than that without you. Darius mentioned you were going to pursue a wilder alternative to curing Austin.”

“And I bet he sent you here to talk us out of it,” Derrek said. 

“He did, but I don’t have to agree with my husband all of the time. The truth is, this magic isn’t binary. There are many ways to tap into it, and the one who knows everything about elder magic would be the very being responsible for it.” Willa paused. “But, let’s not go about summoning a prince of hell to get those answers.”

“What do you think about the ferals?” I asked. “We’ve had a few encounters, but we still don’t know much about them.”

“That’s outside of my knowledge as well, I’m afraid. Everything I do for Austin from here on out will only be temporary. The magic Adam used should have never had this effect, even with the corrupting influence of the coven. Magic was the catalyst but not the cause of all of it, nor will it be the solution. Austin has locked himself behind his own source of power, and he refuses to resurface, so no amount of therapy will work either.” She sighed and reached across the table to rub Austin’s ears. “This is beyond anything we know, but I’m not ruling out the ferals. There’s also the risk to think about.”

“We know how to ward against those witches,” I said. “The ferals gave us those stones I used last night.”

“The witches aren’t the risk. If Austin stays too long, he’ll become feral and won’t return. There’s also a chance that whatever pack finds him out there will prevent him from going back. Not only that, werewolves feel at home in the woods, more so than they do in civilization. If Austin is reluctant to break through this spell, it might be impossible for him to come back once he’s out there and can forget his past.”

“They can do that?” I glanced at Simon who had fallen asleep sitting up, drool dripping from his hanging tongue. “Can they actually make you forget your past?”

“It’s very common, and it’s why ferals rarely return. The moment they come back to their old life, there’s always an emptiness that can never be filled. They would never fully adjust to life among the town, but that’s not a bad thing. They keep the coven from becoming too unruly with their own unique knowledge. It’s why I’m not averse to you seeking them out, but it will be up to you all whether you want to take the risk. He’s your packmate.”

“Would he be happier out there for good?” Adam asked. “Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to leave him with the ferals.”

“This isn’t a get out of jail free card, Adam,” Derrek said. “You won’t be able to leave him out there, even if you want to.”

“Why’s that?” he asked. 

“You’re a werewolf now, and you get all of the weird shit that comes along with it.” Derrek yawned again, barely able to keep his eyes open. “If you do decide to dump him there, Austin’s gonna have to be aware enough to agree to leave the pack.”

“Do you still really want to leave him?” I asked. “I know you planned on it before, but you guys seemed to be getting closer lately.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore.” Adam’s ears fell. “I just want to be happy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt happy.”

“Then this might be good for you and Austin to experience together,” Willa said. “You both may learn new ways to cope with your problems.”

“No way,” Adam said. “I’m not going out there. What if they don’t let me come back?”

“I’d take him, but he’s not listening to me anymore,” I said. “You’re the only one that can do it.”

“But—”

“Or have a mindless werewolf following you every minute of every day, for the rest of your life,” Derrek interrupted, his tone growing more impatient. “That’s not a life for either of you.”

“You don’t need to decide right now,” Willa said. “Give it time, and see if the problem resolves itself.”

Adam averted eye contact, his posture fearful and submissive. When he was half-turn, it was hard to pick up on his feelings, but now it was much harder to hide. He was like a lost puppy, and even if he was an adult, he was still really young. 

Derrek’s scornful gaze softened, and he wrapped one arm around Adam, pulling him close. 

“I’ve been too hard on you, and I’m sorry,” he said softly, rocking the smaller werewolf from side to side. “We all fuck up, and we’ll keep fucking up for the rest of our lives. You seem like you don’t care, but I know you do.” 

Adam didn’t respond, laying his head against Derrek’s chest with his eyes closed. 

I stood up and stretched before shaking Simon awake. “Let’s go home.”

---

The Next Day

Derrek’s ride pulled into the driveway, and the werewolf slipped a burly arm through one of the straps of his bag while holding the handle of his guitar case. 

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

“And I wish you guys would move back to the beach. Being away from the ocean is stressing me out.”

“You have been a tightass lately. Kinda wish you would go back to being a beach bum that gets high all the time,” Simon said, smooshing me between him and Derrek. “Is Adam gonna say goodbye?”

“We had a long talk last night, and it’s going to be rough for a while.” Derrek pulled away and stepped out onto the porch, nodding to me. “You’re gonna need to give him some extra attention.”

“He’s really upset with me, isn’t he?”

“Kind of, but you guys’ll get through it. When he wakes up, I think the two of you should go somewhere to talk alone.” Derrek rubbed his hands together as he turned toward the car. “The first thing I’m gonna do when I get back is get stoned and lay on the beach—and maybe destroy someone’s ass. We’ll see how the day goes.”

“Call us when you get there,” I said, giving Derrek one last hug. 

“Sure thing.”

The werewolf trotted across the yard, tossing his bags and guitar case in the backseat before opening the passenger’s side door of the oversized SUV. He gave the man driving a flirty smile before saying something I couldn’t hear. The human’s eyes widened when Derrek shut the door. 

“Hope he’s got lube in his bags,” Simon said, standing next to me. 

“I’m sure Derrek doesn’t fuck everyone he meets.” 

“He has this weird way of talking people into it without sayin’ much. I knew a human guy once who was straight as a board. After an hour surfing with Derrek, they disappeared somewhere, and later on he was limpin’ back to his hotel with one of Derrek’s towels around his waist.”

“I’m calling bullshit.” 

“I swear, it’s true! Surfers go to the beach to ride the waves, but they always end up ridin’ Derrek.”

“Was he really as carefree as you said he was earlier? That doesn’t seem like him at all.”

“Yeah, he was a lot more fun before…well, you know.”

I opened the door and we stepped back inside. The toilet flushed and Austin crept through the hallway toward the living room. 

“Austin?” I asked, waiting for Adam to emerge, but he wasn’t following. “Did you go to the bathroom all  by yourself?”

He didn’t respond, tears welling in his emotionless eyes  as usual. After staring at nothing for a solid minute, he finally sat down on the sofa. 

“Maybe he’s getting better,” I said, turning to Simon who grabbed a plate of cold bacon from the table. “What are you doing?”

“A little test,” he said, holding the plate in front of Austin’s nose. “Ya hungry big guy?”

The blond werewolf’s stomach growled, and Simon sat the plate in his lap before backing away. We observed him for about five minutes, hoping he’d start eating, but he showed no interest.

“Nope. He’s still fucked. No werewolf can resist a plate of bacon.”

“Well, he’s going to the bathroom on his own. That’s a start.” I stood behind the sofa, rubbing Austin’s ears. “I sure hope they can help him.”

“He’ll either snap out of it, or he’ll end up stayin’ out there. Nothing we can really do.”

“We were just starting to get close.”

“That’s somethin’ I’ve been wondering about. How close did you guys end up gettin’?”

“He was opening up about everything, showing some real emotion.” I let out a slight chuckle. “He even said he was in love with me. That’s something you’d never expect to hear from Austin.”

“Ahh,” Simon said in his usual tone. “I figured as much.” With a smile, he padded toward the kitchen with me following. He opened the cabinet and grabbed the half-empty bottle of habanero sauce. “I’m gonna make him something special fer breakfast.”

“Simon, no,” I shouted. “We had a long talk about it, and we came to an understanding.” I snatched the bottle out of his hands. “Can you just say what’s on your mind instead of trying to kill people with hot sauce?”

“I’m makin’ breakfast.”

“You already made breakfast.”

“Second breakfast.” He grabbed the bacon grease-covered frying pan and a large bowl. “I’m in the mood for hoecakes. Ever have those?”

I pushed myself between him and the stove. “I’ve noticed a pattern here. Every time you’re upset you eat.”

“Yer wrong. I ain’t upset.” His stomach growled as he gently pushed me aside. “I’m hungry.”

“Do you love me?”

Simon’s eyes shifted, but he kept his face forward. “That’s a loaded question.”

“Really? Seems pretty straightforward to me.”

“We should just enjoy the day,” he said, turning the burner to medium. “It’s real pretty outside.”

My face got hot, and I quickly backed away from the conversation. That did come off a bit forced, and I kind of understood why he avoided answering. Things would get awkward regardless, and I wasn’t sure how I’d react to it. To save face, I quickly changed the subject. 

“What the hell is a hoecake?”

---

Later that evening we all gathered around the fire pit, and Austin gazed silently into the flames with Adam in the chair next to him. 

“I can’t take this anymore,” Adam said, breaking the silence. “I want to get him to the ferals tomorrow, but I don’t know where they are.”

“Neither do we,” I said, looking over at Simon. “We still have Austin’s beer in the garage refrigerator. We might be able to attract them if we have something to trade that they like.”

“Uhh…”

“You drank all the beer, didn’t you?”

“Derrek helped!”

“What else do they like?” Adam asked. “We’ve got those porterhouse steaks in the freezer.”

Simon slinked forward in his seat, showing all the signs of a dog that had just chewed up an expensive duvet. Adam and I glared at him. 

“Sorry! I get hungry when I feel stressed.”

“—and happy. And sad. And horny,” Adam added. “Maybe you could talk Willa into another barbeque discount.”

Simon’s ears perked up. 

“You’re getting nothing,” I said. “ In fact, you’re not even allowed to help us carry it into the woods.”

“What if we don’t find them tomorrow, and we have to sleep out there?” Adam asked. “And Boss Hog decides to have a midnight snack?”

“I ain’t gonna eat any of it.” Simon gritted his teeth. “Could I at least eat the French fries? They don’t keep well.”

“We’re not ordering fries,” I said. 

“They come with the meal. Yer gettin’ the meal ain’t ya?”

“We are getting meat.”

“No soda?” Simon asked. “Remember how much they liked the bubbles?”

“It’ll go flat by the time we find them. We’ll pick up some two-liters at the store.” The bit of drool hanging from Austin’s mouth made me remember something else. “We should get a few bags of white cheddar popcorn, too.”

“We’ve got like five bags of that stuff in the pantry.” Simon immediately turned to Adam and shook his head. “What?”

“We do?” I asked. “I didn’t see any.” 

“Simon hides them, but I smelled one of the open bags on the top shelf behind the oatmeal.”

I shot Simon another glare. 

“I know we talked about my junk food problem, but it’s just popcorn.”

“What about all the Little Debbie’s in your closet behind those old-people discs?” Adam asked. 

“I don’t know what yer talkin’ about.” Simon nervously cleared his throat. “And they’re called records. Why were you in our closet?”

“Because you have that weird sex stuff, and I was curious.”

“Alright,” I said, clapping my hands together. “We’ll have barbeque, and all of Simon’s junk food to trade. That’ll save us a trip to the store.”

Simon let out a dog-like whine. 

“And you’re no longer allowed to go grocery shopping without me.”

“I am four times yer age, young man!” Simon protested. 

“We can’t be blowing our budget on food we don’t need. I know werewolves are pretty resilient, but eating all this stuff can’t be good for you.”

“I’m as healthy as a horse!”

“And you weigh about as much as one,” Adam chimed in, looking down at the lawn chair Simon sat in. “Every time you sit out here, those legs bow so much it makes me anxious.”

Lately, I hadn’t been noticing the weight gain, but now that it was front and center, it was all I could see. It wasn’t like I was grossed out or anything; in fact, his extra girth was really nice to cuddle with at night. 

Simon looked down at his gut and gave it a pat with both hands. “Almost ready for winter.”

“Do werewolves hibernate?” I asked. 

“This one does,” Simon answered. “Mmm, I can’t wait. Hot chocolate. Turkey. Cookies. Oh!” He stood and pointed to his crotch fluff. “I just got an idea you might enjoy, Art.”

“Where are you going?” I asked as he ran to the door. 

“I’m feelin’ festive all of a sudden—and horny.”

He opened the door and disappeared inside. 

“I guess that’s my cue,” I said, about to stand and follow Simon, but Adam put up his hands.

“Wait. Can we talk for a little bit?”

“Sure.” I lowered myself back into the seat. “Are you okay?”

“I haven’t been able to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I remember what I did to him. He was acting so sweet, and I don’t know what came over me.”

“What happened, exactly? How did you end up in the woods?”

Adam’s ears fell. “Well, I was feeling kind of weird, and something lured me out there. Austin took off his costume and followed. I think he knew I was about to turn, so we wasted no time. Have you ever had swollen gums?”

I nodded, remembering my first night as a half-turn. 

“The only thing that helped ease the pain was sex. Austin didn’t stop, either. It was kind of weird the way he changed, like he was doing this stuff out of instinct. Our bodies were completely in sync with one another, and after I finished turning, I heard a woman. She asked if I wanted to do what you could do, and she told me how to do it. Everything after that was fuzzy except the moment I grabbed Austin’s dog tags and everything went white. He wailed, Art. It was like I’d stabbed him or something, but the voice kept telling me this was what he wanted.”

Adam patted Austin’s head, and the larger werewolf’s tail swayed a bit. That was the first reaction I’d seen in a while. 

“Do you remember anything after that?”

He shook his head. “Just fragments of what seemed like a dream. Fire. Crosses. Voices. Then when I was out of the woods, I realized I wasn’t dreaming.” Adam looked up at me and wiped his eyes. “Derrek told me what you did. I never had a friend that would let me borrow his shirt, let alone risk his life for me.”

“You’re like my little brother,” I said, scooting my chair next to him. “You can be a real pain in the ass, but I still love you. I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Either of you.”

“I always thought you were this lame nag, always bossing us around.”

I smiled, waiting for him to finish what he was saying, but he just looked at me. 

“But?”

“But what?” he asked. “You’re a lame nag, always bossing us around.” I let out an annoyed groan, and he wrapped his thicker arm around me. “But I still love you, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you either. Big brother.” He pulled away and scratched his head. “Would you even be considered a big brother now that I’m taller than you? You’re the new pipsqueak of the house.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, jumping out of the chair when I heard Simon yell something incomprehensible from inside.

He screamed again, and I dashed through the door, nearly colliding with him as he frantically flailed about. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to grab his arm to calm him down, but he kept running in circles, covering his crotch.

“Bad idea! Baaaad idea!” He ran into the bathroom and turned on the tap, shoving his half-hard dick under the faucet. It looked like he had painted it with red and white stripes using gel food coloring. “Oh my God! That’s worse!” He pulled away and ran back into the bedroom, leaving behind a strong scent trail of peppermint.

“What the hell did you do, Simon?”

“I wanted to make ya a candy caa-aane.”

“You poured peppermint oil on your dick, didn’t you?”

Simon nodded with a whine. 

“Are you a complete idiot?”

“Ye-e-e-eees!” Simon cried out with tears in his eyes. “It won’t stop burnin’! Help!”

“Get in the shower, I’ll go grab the dish soap.”

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter