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Tristan
Waiting! My wolf hates it. I know that what James has said is true. If he gave us the location, then I would shift and run as fast as I could. But it grates. I stop pacing and look at James. “I can’t stand this. I need to run, do something. I’ll be back when the team is here.”
“I’m coming with you,” Theo says and glares at his brother. “Don’t try to stop us. We will stay in the Reserve.”
James looks as if he is going to say something, then waves his hand at us. “Go, I will talk with Arlin. And I need to send Jennika home.”
“Good luck with that.” Theo gets quiet. “Where is she? I thought she would be right here.”
“She went for a run herself while you two were out losing Rebby,” James says and Theo growls. “I know you tried, but it’s the truth. If you can track her for me...I have a few things to deal with before we storm the compound.”
Finally, something we can do besides sit here. “Sure. We will find her and send her your way.” I pull my shirt off, throwing it onto one of the log seats, then strip my jeans off. I might have use for my clothes later on and shifting hurts enough without clothes on.
Rolling my shoulders and head, I stretch as I call my wolf. Slowly my human consciousness moves to the back of my mind as my wolf takes over. I fall to the ground as my body stretches, bones break and remold themselves, and long hairs pop out all over my body. My nose and jaw lengthen, and, with a shake of my fur, I start to run.
I can hear Theo shifting behind me and know he will catch up. But right now, I need the freedom that my wolf gives me, and to work off some of the energy that is rolling through me.
––––––––
REACHING THE FORT AND seeing our camping gear scattered has me coming back to myself and I shift. Plopping down on my bag, I cover my eyes. Was it really just yesterday that Theo found Rebby? Just this morning that she shifted? How did she get under my skin so fast? And what about Theo? We have never let a girl get between us, always honored the unspoken guy rule to not poach on another’s turf. But Rebby speaks to my wolf and I find myself wanting a happily ever after with her.
“Acorn for your thoughts?” Theo says as a hard, small projectile hits my lower anatomy. I pull my arm away from my eyes and glare at him.
“You know that area is just as sensitive to shifters as humans. Couldn’t you have aimed a little higher, like my stomach?”
“Nah, that wouldn’t be as much fun.” Theo plops down on his sleeping bag. For anyone but shifters this tableau would look odd. Two guys laying on their sleeping bags, naked as the day they were born. But we have grown up together and I couldn’t count how many times we have seen each other naked, whether it was baths as toddlers, skinny dipping as teenagers or the many times we have shifted together. Plus, it just is more comfortable without clothes.
“This sucks.” I throw the acorn at Theo and smile when it bounces off his ass. Serves him right.
“Which part? The waiting? Losing Rebby? Or my asshole brother hiding things?” Theo snarls.
“Well, all that, but I was thinking a little more long-term sucks.” I look up at the sun filtering through the leaves. I have always loved how the green of the leaves pops against the blue sky. No matter how I have tried, I can never get that perfect color combination to come out in art.
“Rebby?” Theo asks with a slight growl to his voice.
“Yea, and by that growl I can tell it will be a problem.” I look over at Theo. “You have feelings for her?”
Theo sits up, arms resting on his legs. “Yeah, my wolf wants her. Hell, I want her. I can see ever-after with her. How is that, when we just met?”
I sit up, legs outstretched, looking out into the forest, not wanting to have this conversation but knowing we need to. Theo won’t want to, that is for sure. He isn’t one to talk about his feelings. “We always said friends before girls, but we have never had to really put that to the test. My wolf wants her, too.”
“What do we do? Both walk away? I don’t know if I can do that.” Theo’s wolf is close to the surface, as is mine.
“I don’t think I can either. What about what Rebby said at the diner?” It has been in the back of my mind since she said it, but we haven’t had a chance to talk about it between the two of us, and for the next while this might be our only time.
“What about it? It’s not done. We couldn’t...”
“Theo, why couldn’t we? If we both love her and want her, and she wants us... Just because the other shifters don’t do it, doesn’t mean that we can’t.” I don’t look at him, letting the other man process his thoughts.
“I don’t know about it. I mean, I have heard about it in books and comics, but living it? It would be weird.” I can hear in Theo’s voice that a part of him is intrigued about the idea.
“Hey, I don’t know how it would work. And it would be work, balancing all of our needs, but we could have something great. And we did leave the pack, so we start our own little pack...” I let my words trail off, knowing that with Theo it is best to let him come to his own conclusions.
After a few minutes he looks at me. “Maybe we could try it, but no swords crossing!”
I throw the handful of acorns and small pinecones I had been piling in my lap to keep my hands busy at him. “EWW! That is just... No! We would each have our own time. Sorry, I don’t think I am into voyeurism, either.” I stand up, dusting myself off. “We should pack this all up and put it into the truck. Don’t want to leave it out here for the true animals to destroy.”
“Yeah, and we may not get back here...” I can hear the unspoken “ever” in his voice.
“Hey, we will be back. Everything will work out.” I grab my bag and backpack, not bothering to roll the bag up. “Maybe James has some news for us.”
“Sard it!” Theo exclaims, throwing his sleeping bag down on the ground. “We forgot about Jennika.”
“James is going to kill us. You go find her; I’ll get as much to the truck as I can and then send someone for the rest.” I set everything down so that I can figure out how to carry it all back on my own.
“Won’t be good enough for him,” Theo grumbles as he quickly shifts and runs off.