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Theo
“How did you escape? What was he doing with all of you?” I am horrified by what she is telling us. That someone is creating shifters, and not natural shifters- I didn’t even know it was possible.
“During feeding, the door to my cell was left ajar. I could hear some commotion, so whoever oversaw meals must have been distracted. I ran. I don’t know how I made it out into the woods, and then once I was in the woods I ran until I found a stream to run in.”
“But, why would someone do this?” I ask.
“He was- or I should say is- creating an army of shifters. Those that are not fierce enough, or are his experiments, like me, are put into a zoo,” Rebby says.
I look at Tristan, shock evident on his face. “Shifter army? Why? What need would he have?”
Rebby shakes her head, “I don’t know. I just know he has a shifter who is helping him. A true shifter. He stayed in his wolf form every time I saw them together.”
“My brother is going to need to talk to you. This could really mess up shifter-human relations. Plus be totally unethical!”
“Do I have to? I didn’t like what I saw of him when we were back at the Lodge.” Rebby bites her lip, looking side to side.
“James is...”
“A full blown Alphahole?” Tristan puts in his two cents, and Rebby nods her head in agreement
I glare at him for a minute then turn back to Rebby. “My brother can come on strong and domineering, but he really does care.”
“Cares enough to throw your future at someone you clearly don’t like,” Rebby mutters. She crosses her arms and the red-blooded male in me comes to attention as it accents her breasts- nice, plump breasts if the look I got earlier was anything to go by.
Down boy! This isn’t the time to think about romance. I shift a bit uncomfortably, trying to think of all the things that are sad or disturbing to get my wolf and second head out of the gutter. “I can see where he is coming from. He does need to secure the packs, and marriage alliances are the best way, but it is outdated.”
“Outdated? Try ancient,” Tristan grumbles under his breath, but loud enough that I can hear him.
“I don’t want to talk about that. I will have to deal with James and the fallout from refusing him, eventually. Right now, we have a bigger issue at hand.” Turning to Rebby, I ask, “How did you end up on the Reserve and not have them follow you? If they are at all smart they would have picked up on you using the creek to hide your scent.”
“Oh, well, that part is easy. Once I got to the road I ran until I saw the drive. I thought maybe I could find help or shelter or something. The gate was really easy for something as small as me to squeeze through. Anyone they sent after me was too big.” She is quiet for a minute. “I imagine that if you hadn’t found me and if it hadn’t rained that night, they would have sent a small shifter.”
“What kind of shifters are we talking about? You obviously are a mix of shifters. Is that what they all are?” Tristan asks.
Rebby nods her head. “In the cage across from me was an octomonkey. He had the head of a monkey and the body of an octopus. Besides his ability to climb the walls, I don’t think they saw a use for him, so he became part of the zoo.
“There was also a skunk with wings, a songbird with a lion’s head, and so many others. I think those were his beginning efforts. After a few months the larger shifters started to appear, and they were not caged for the most part.”
“What kind of large shifters? I think the largest I have heard of is a lion,” I ask.
She shakes her head. “A lion would be simple compared to these. The lower body of an elephant with the upper body of an ape, the body of a jaguar with the head and skin of a rhino, and the body of a lion with the head and wings of a falcon.”
We sit in silence. I can’t fathom these creatures or how they are made. Where did he get the people? Who is he? So many questions, and Rebby is our only clue.
“How about we talk about something else for a little while? I assume I will have to tell this all over again when your brother gets here, right?” Rebby asks.
“Yeah, he will want to hear it all, from the beginning. So, what do you want to talk about?” This is where James and I differ. He would have to take charge and steer the conversation, where I am okay letting Rebby take the wheel, let her feel like she is in control for a while.
“Um. How do the packs work?”
“Kind of like a big family and a corporation are merged together. We all are there to protect each other, to share in each other’s lives. But we also squabble like siblings. To keep things running smooth, the shifters are broken into packs by region. Each region is run by an Alpha. That Alpha has his Beta- or second- who helps him, plus a few other key players. Each Region answers to my brother; he is the GrandAlpha.”
“Wow, that is a lot of responsibility. So, who is this chick he wants you to marry?” Rebby asks, looking up at me through her lowered lashes.
“An old girlfriend, and the sister to the Eastern Region pack’s Alpha. We broke up years ago, before college, and for a reason. You saw her- could you spend more than ten minutes in her company without cringing?” I ask.
Rebby giggles, “She does have a grating voice.”
“You could say that again.” Tristan shivers. “She grew up in Maryland, and she never sounded like that until the first year in college. Thankfully Theo, here, got some sense knocked into him before things got too serious.”
I grind my teeth at the memory. Wolves are monogamous, but somehow Brittany thought that she had the world’s largest get out of jail free card when it came to our relationship. Lord knows I am no Boy Scout, but when I am with a woman, I am with only her until we go our separate ways. I never did tell James or Tristan why we broke up, or why I avoid her at all costs. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t want her name sullied.
“So, if he wants this alliance so bad, why doesn’t he marry her?” Rebby asks.
I look at Tristan, then to Rebby, debating how much to say. Tristan beats me to it though.
“He can’t. He mated her sister and they were a total mess. He is now stuck paying alimony and unable to have a relationship with anyone else.”
“That is harsh. Just ‘cause he had a relationship with her that didn’t work out, he can’t see someone else?” Rebby looks at each of us, her mouth open.
“It’s how wolves and many shifters work. When we mate, we mate for life. Our animals demand monogamy once we form the mating bond. The only thing that can sever that bond is death. So, as miserable as James is now, he was more so with Angie.”
“Harsh! What happens if you mate an abuser? Are you stuck with them?” Rebby looks at me curiously.
“The packs will deal with the abuser, which sometimes can mean death. But no, you don’t have to stay with them. Just . . . having romantic relations with another person will be almost impossible.” I look down at my hands.
“Ah,” is all she says, and I have a feeling she sees through me and understands what I did not say.