Chapter Text
Cool air swept up orange leaves scattered them over the rain-slicked road. Luke, as a wolf, padded around in circles, his heavy tail swinging. Reggie was stretched out asleep under an alfalfa plant. It wasn’t even warm enough to go without a jacket, but they acted like it was the height of spring.
For once, they weren’t at Julie’s. Flynn’s family had a nice house, perfect for Luke’s pack, except that it was already occupied by an irritable, territorial old husky, all nights except this rare weekend, when her parents and her older brother took the old animal up to an animal hospital upstate for an operation. Flynn had managed to escape the trip: not least because they couldn’t fit both her and husky in the backseat.
“So, Vampires,” Flynn set down a tray with half a dozen full glasses of cranberry juice. “Real or nah?”
Willie frowned, “I have no idea.” Willie wore a light blue cotton shirt, shorts which were at least two sizes too big for him and no shoes. That seemed to be the uniform of LA shifters: something that you could shed or put on with a moment’s notice.
“What?” Flynn sat down opposite him. “How can you not know?”
“Vampires are a little silly,” Willie said. Reggie rolled to his paws and shook himself before passing them on the patio and heading indoors, claws clicking on the hardwood flooring.
“You’re a werewolf,” Julie reminded him, leaning over to take a glass of juice.
“I’m a werecoyote,” Willie corrected, “And it’s a wild idea. I mean, turning into a vampire when one bites you?”
“That’s not how werewolves work?” Julie asked.
“No way! You have to be born a werewolf,” Willie said, “and even if it did work like that, Vampires are really out-there. They live forever, they only eat blood? That’s nothing like a werecreature. I’ve never seen anything close to that.”
“Well,” Flynn took a sip of her drink, “have you been looking?”
“Stop badgering Willie,” Reggie said. He wore a long graphic shirt which was actually Flynn’s father’s and red shorts.
“You’re always asking him stuff,” Flynn pointed out.
“Why is that, by the way?” Julie asked, eyebrow raised. “Did you fail werewolf school?”
“I actually got straight A’s,” Reggie grinned around his glass of juice. He scratched the long scar which bridged his nose.
Flynn rolled her eyes, “She’s not talking about puppy training.”
There was a small thump of the spare chair, and Luke’s big head came into view. He leaned his front paws on the seat of the chair looked around the table.
“Don’t shift into human form,” Willie advised. “You’re still healing.”
Luke managed to look miffed even with a wolf’s facial muscles. His tail wagged half-heartedly.
“Here,” Julie cleared the tray of glasses and took a full glass of cranberry juice. She poured it into the bottom of the tray and set it onto the chair for him.
Luke licked the back of her hand with his scratchy tongue and began to lap at the cranberry juice. He only got a few laps in when he suddenly lifted his head, ears turning. Willie and Reggie also snapped upwards.
The gate creaked and a wolf padded into the garden. The animal was huge and grey with a honey undertone to his thick, dense fur. His tail was low and he carried something black in his mouth.
“Alex,” Willie peered at him. “What’s that?”
Alex set the black soft object onto the grass.
“Bobby again?” Reggie asked. Alex growled lowly as an answer and slunk past them, disappearing into the house. Luke followed him.
Willie picked up the soft object and unfolded it. It was a small circular pendant, wrapped in a scrap of t shirt material. He turned it over in his hands.
“Who’s Bobby?” Julie asked. “Is he another werewolf?”
“You’re close,” Reggie said. “Here’s a clue: He always used to lift his leg up when he peed.”
“You do that too, Reg,” Alex said. He walked in pulling a shirt over his head.
Reggie laughed, “Well…”
“I’m confused,” Flynn said.
“Bobby is a weredog,” Luke said. He wore a blanket tied like a robe with a curtain rope around his waist. He moved haltingly, leaning heavily on the wall. “He used to be part of our pack.”
“How does that work?” Flynn said. Luke sat down heavily in his chair. “I assumed all the were-things were wild animals.”
“He’s from an old lineage. In this case, difference between a dog and a wolf is just semantics,” Willie said. He approached the table. “Though it’s true that they are far less common that the rest of us.”
There was something in his tone that made Julie frown, “Is it bad to be a weredog?”
“Not really,” Alex said. “But Bobby was always sort of…”
“Creepy,” Reggie admitted. “People used to call him Hell Hound.”
“Is that why he’s not in your pack anymore?” Julie asked.
Alex looked at Reggie, who looked at Luke. Luke sighed, “I don’t really know why Bobby left. He was… difficult. He was very angry. Right before he left, he was getting in brawl after brawl. He lost a couple back claws, so he was always limping. We asked him to stop antagonising everyone, and he just lost it. Broke the bond and ran off.”
Julie watched his face. Luke was easy to read, and the sadness in his brown eyes was sharp. He ran a hand through his dark, curled hair.
“Maybe he’s changed his mind?” Flynn suggested.
“You can’t just change your mind,” Luke said, firmly. “You don’t get to come back from something like that.”
The rest of the werewolves seemed to agree—Alex’s face was a little grey, and a muscle in Reggie’s jaw bounced as he clenched it. Willie cleared his throat and set the little pendant down on the table. It was the size of a coaster, with a little ring at one end which suggested it was supposed to be worn around the body. Carved into its surface were lines of some kind of text and overlapping circles like the phases of the moon.
“Well, I doubt he’s here to make amends,” Willie said. “I’m not sure why he’d need a black magic symbol for that kind of trip.”
“Black magic?” Reggie echoed. “Like Covington?”
“Worse, maybe,” Willie wrapped the scrap of shirt around his hand. “I don’t even recognise this one.”
Flynn reached forward and snapped a picture of it. It felt like plain old wood in her hands. If she had seen it at a garage sale, she wouldn’t have blinked an eye. She set it down again.
“I didn’t peg Bobby for a black magic guy,” Reggie said. “It’s been so long since we saw him last.”
“He’s going to be hell to catch,” Luke sighed.
“Catch?” Julie frowned. “Why would you catch him?”
“He’s bad news,” Alex sighed. “When you’re self-exiled, you’re not supposed to return to that pack’s territory, like, ever. He can definitely smell us, he knows we’re here. It’s like he’s saying: you’re not worth bothering about.”
Julie leaned backwards, “Sorry, Alex, but you guys don’t own LA. It’s a city of, like, twelve-million people. And anyway, why do you guys have to catch him? Can’t your, uh, werewolf government…?”
“Shifter Consortium,” Willie supplied. He looked at the floor.
Alex flinched back slightly. Luke shifted his weight slightly, eyebrows drawing together.
“What?” Julie asked.
Reggie scratched his scalp, “Well…” He glanced at Luke.
“The consortium will send a squad after him,” Luke said, stiffly.
“A squad,” Flynn leaned forward. “Like, I’m going to assume that’s not a friendly thing.”
“When you break pack, you have a year to find another pack,” Willie said. “I know it sounds harsh, but there are packs which will let you join to tide you over. You can be in more than one at a time, even. It’s an important rule to pretend moon madness. After a year, your risk is extremely high.”
“Moon madness,” Julie echoed. Her and Flynn shared a look. That term was pretty self-explanatory.
“That rule is mostly for werewolves,” Reggie interjected. “Weredogs are probably less prone to it.”
“Even though he’s a weredog, someone must have been willing to pick him up,” Alex said. “He’s been turning away offers. Avoiding people.”
Flynn straightened up, “Hold on, hold on. He’s not in a pack right now? How do you know?”
“No pack scent,” Alex said.
“How long,” Julie frowned, “has he been without a pack?”
Alex glanced at the other shifters. Leaves drifted over the rain-slicked garden. Flynn leaned forward, her elbows on the table.
“If he didn’t join a pack since he left ours…” Luke said, finally. “Three years.”
*
“Julie!” Ray Molina called up the stairs. “Flynn is here! And your friend—uh…?” He turned around, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh,” Alex said, tilting his head, in an oddly doglike gesture. “I’m in her music class.”
Flynn elbowed him in her ribs, “He means your name.”
“Oh!” Alex straightened up, “Uh, of course. Um. Um. I, um.”
“Alex,” Julie supplied, appearing at the top of the stairs, swinging her messenger bag over her shoulder. “Dad, this is Alex.”
“Right, Alex,” Alex smoothed his hair back, flushing a little. “How did I forget that?”
“It’s pretty early in the morning,” Ray said. He gave Alex a reassuring smile. Alex wilted a little, but he nodded.
“Well, it’s not getting any earlier,” Flynn said. “So, we gotta go. Come on, Jules. Bye, Mr. Molina!” She pushed the front door open.
“Have a good day at school!” Ray called and closed the door.
The morning sun fell warm and soft across the quiet suburban road. Alex padded behind the girls; his hands deep in his pockets. He scanned the road and lifted his head, sniffing short and sharp. A car passed, sprinkling them with dark puddle water.
“Sorry,” Alex said, sheepishly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to any, like, proper adults.”
“What about your parents?” Flynn asked. Immediately she regretted it.
A sour expression flashed across Alex’s features, almost too quick to catch. He wrinkled his nose, “Um, well…”
“Sorry,” Flynn said, quickly.
“No, don’t be, it’s alright,” Alex perked up a little, “Well, actually—in the wild wolves stop caring for their young at six months. So, they’re really good by that standard, you know? Like, pretty phenomenal.”
Somehow, that didn’t make Flynn feel any better. She hunched her shoulders and struggled to think of anything productive to say. Alex lifted his head and swept a glance over the quiet neighbourhood. He took long, deep breaths.
“So, this Bobby guy,” Julie said, voice full of false cheer. “Did you know him long? When did he join your pack?”
“Oh, well, the pack started when we were eight or nine,” Alex said, without looking at her. “So probably around then? Bobby never quite fit in, though. The three of us were always together, but Bobby was usually somewhere else.”
“Because he was a dog?” Flynn asked.
“Something like that,” Alex said, and his voice trailed off.
Julie waited for him to continue. She tried to follow his gaze but couldn’t see anything but the same normal trees and bushes. “Do you smell him?”
“It’s…” Alex’s voice had a sightly rough quality, like a growl. “Difficult. With the rain.”
That wasn’t a No.
The tension in Alex made it had to talk casually, and besides, the werewolf was far too distracted. Julie and Flynn tried to discuss school, but it felt like a dark cloud of anxiety followed them.
He kept stopping randomly, and scanning the area, like a hunting animal. His pale eyes kept snapping to movement on the other side of the road and occasionally he would go completely tense and still, like a taut string. Only his eyes would move. It was disconcerting to see such wolfish behaviours in what looked like a human.
By the time they reached school, some of the fear had rubbed off on Julie. She found herself adjusting her jacket carefully and glancing over her shoulder. The same stream of students collected in the broad stone steps outside the school, the same bell rang through the old speakers—but it felt harsher, somehow, more ominous.
“School is safe,” Alex said, although he didn’t sound sure himself. “Bobby won’t want to attract animal control.”
“That’s something,” Flynn folded her arms. “Never thought I would be thankful to be at school.”
Alex scanned the crowd yet again, and then his eyes seemed to sharpen. He straightened up suddenly and turned his full attention on the two of them. “I need to tell you something, and I need you to take me seriously,” He said.
“I always take you seriously,” Flynn smiled.
Alex gave her a look that was so desperately earnest, she took a step back. “Sorry,” She said. “I’m listening, I mean it.”
“You too Jules,” Alex’s eyes snapped to her. “I’m serious. You can’t take this situation with Bobby lightly.”
“I wasn’t,” Julie said.
“I know, it’s just…” Alex sighed. “I love how much you guys trust us, and I love how fearless you are. We would never hurt you, but—but… We’re… We’re not human. At the end of the day, I mean, after everything, we’re predators. Carnivores. Me and Luke and Reggie and Willie, we’re still wild animals, no matter how much tail-wagging we do. If it ever comes between protecting one of us or protecting yourself, choose yourself. Okay?”
Julie stared at him.
“Okay?” Alex prompted, again.
“Okay,” Julie said. Flynn nodded.
Alex relaxed. “Okay, alright. Well, enjoy your day at school. I asked Reggie to come pick you guys up.”
Julie bid him goodbye, but she couldn’t get herself to leave the step she had been standing on as he walked away. She watched him go, something tense and fluttering in her heart.
*
It was surreal to return to lessons after that conversation, but the monotony of regular school quickly distracted Julie. She had forgotten her history homework, and the teacher chewed her out, which left her cheeks hot and a thick fuzzy embarrassment sticking to the insides of her throat. In the next class, there was an equation she couldn’t make head nor tails of, and it spent her all lesson to find out that she had just written it down from the board wrong. By lunchtime, Julie had been beaten down into feeling like Regular Normal Girl again.
Flynn dropped her packed lunch next to Julie and sat down, “Who’s Covington?”
“What?” Julie blinked quickly, setting her sandwich back down. “Where did that come from?”
“Well, you guys were discussing him at the weekend!” Flynn said. “I couldn’t find a good opening to ask!”
“I thought you knew,” Julie said. “He’s an evil sorcerer—or he was, actually. I hit him with a poker when he was in snake form and apparently that was enough to kill him.”
“He was a weresnake?” Flynn’s eyes shone.
“Not a cool one!” Julie said. “He was actually super creepy, I hear.”
“Shame,” Flynn sighed, “Snakes are bad-ass. So how does the pack know him?”
“He attacked them,” Julie pulled the plastic straw from the side of the juice box and pierced the foil. “You know what he did to Luke already. Reggie and Alex were trapped in some kind of magic private club area which was filled with purple smoke. Willie said Covington probably put them under some kind of spell. We don’t know what he was keeping them there for, but he wanted Luke there too.”
“That is creepy…” Flynn said.
“Right? I’m glad I could stop it.”
“But it does mean that magic is real,” Flynn said. “So my question about Vampires wasn’t actually that silly.”
“I hear you. I thought they were real for a bit too.”
“Thank you,” Flynn smiled. She leaned backwards, her hoop earrings winking in the cafeteria lighting. “You know, I hope this is all over before the fall formal.”
Julie stopped mid-sip.
Flynn looked at her flatly, “You didn’t forget, did you?”
“Um…” Julie felt her face heat. “I was going to ask Luke, but…”
“Come on, Jules,” Flynn sighed, dramatically. “You’re too hesitant with stuff like this. It means you end up with no date because everyone interested in you has already paired up. Our school lets you bring someone outside of class, too! We already bought plus-one tickets!”
“Fine! Fine,” Julie folded her arms. “I’ve still got a week. I’ll ask him.”
Flynn’s smile flashed, “Atta girl.”
*
After school let out, Julie and Flynn stood apart from the stream of students and waited. Julie could already feel the morning’s anxiety encroaching on her again, but she managed to fight it off by continuing an argument with Flynn over which of the characters in Colour Sunshine was the cutest. Flynn was just arguing the charms of Stadler, when Julie spotted Alex making his way through the crowd towards them.
“Alex!” Julie grinned, “I though you said Reggie was going to walk us home?”
“He is,” Alex said. “I’ve still got to leave to make my date with Willie. But there was a special request put in.”
Julie noticed Alex had two blue dog leads wrapped around his forearm. She followed the leads with her eyes, and at the other end were two humongous, unconvincing ‘dogs’. Reggie panted softly, his long pink tongue hanging between his sharp canines. Luke leaned against him, tired but excited.
“This is a bad idea,” Julie muttered. “They’re so large. Won’t somebody be suspicious?”
Alex sighed and shrugged, passing her the leads. It spoke to an argument he must have been having all day. He left, disappearing into the crowd.
“C’mon, Julie,” Flynn elbowed her, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Huh?” Julie frowned, then she startled, as if she had just read Flynn’s mind. “No way!”
“This is perfect,” Flynn said, “Nobody’s around… You’ve got Luke all to yourself…”
“Are you kidding me?” Julie put her hands on her hips. “I’m at school! We’re undercover—I’m not asking a dog to prom with me!”
Luke straightened up sharply, his large ears pricking up. He glanced between the two of them, and Julie could sense he was physically restraining himself from wagging his fluffy tail. Reggie’s big eyes flicked across Julie’s face.
“Oh my god,” Julie slapped her hands over her face. Her skin was hot and a prickly embarrassment itched at the back of her throat. “Can we just pretend that never happened? Well, we can talk about it later. I’ll do it properly, I promise.”
Luke looked at Reggie sharply, who immediately began to nod. Luke nodded as well, his long muzzle splitting into a doggy grin. Julie scratched his head, between his big soft ears, even while she still felt like shrivelling up.
“Well…” Flynn cleared her throat, “Should we head off?”
Flynn took Luke’s lead, and Julie took Reggie’s. The boys padded dutifully between them. Luke’s bandages were spray-painted orange, in semi-stiff cast, but he hardly limped anymore. Luke’s tail wagged.
Walking with two huge ‘dogs’ in LA invited polar responses. Some people glared at them from across the street, practically dripping with venom. Some people even jostled them as they brushed past. Having a big dog in a dense city was like an invitation to dislike.
Children loved them, though. Toddlers yanked on their minder’s hands and belt loops, craning out of kangaroo pouches and strollers to ogle at the two of them. Older children sprinted right up to them and tugged on Reggie’s large ears before their parents could scoop them back up, apologising profusely. Luke was utterly charmed by it. The wolves were so large they were eye-level with most eight-year-olds, even when standing on four legs.
By the time they reached the suburbs, reactions of both kinds were scarce. It was late and the world was darkening. The bottoms of the yellow-leaved trees glowed like live wires in the shards of dusk sun. It was getting a little cooler, and Julie tugged her jacket a little tighter around her.
Luke stopped so sharply that Flynn stumbled. She grabbed the corner of Julie’s jacket and pulled her back slightly.
“What is it?” Julie asked. When Flynn shook her head, Julie’s dark eyes dropped to Luke.
Luke stared at Reggie, ears turning forward slightly and then flicking back. Reggie shifted his weight. His bright eyes cut across the dark suburbia. A low, rumbling noise reached Julie’s ears. It took her a moment to realise what it was—Reggie was growling.
Reggie took a few steps forward, tail rising and ears sticking straight up. His growl was deep and sharp, like engine.
“There,” Flynn murmured, a hand tight around Julie’s elbow. Julie took a second to see it too.
A dark dog stood in the road ahead of them, still as a statue. His body was tight and well proportioned, his back sloped to a low, hanging tail. Only one ear stuck straight up—the other one was missing. All of him, from his sleek paws to his finely sculpted snout, was a deep brown, almost black. Even his eyes were dark, and in the gloom, it was impossible to tell where he was looking or if his eyes were even open. His face was nearly featureless.
Reggie snarled—and his entire face changed. His muzzle furrowed and his black lips drew back, revealing a full set of bright white canines. His head bowed and he made a lurch forward, a feint. The leash went taut in Julie’s hand.
The dark dog was still. He was more like a deer than a wolf, startled and hanging in the moment just before bolting. He didn’t seem to notice Reggie’s snarl. Nothing in his posture or body language suggested any kind of response. Yet, his whole body was tilted towards them.
The leash went slack and then taut again as Reggie feinted another lunge. He was growling loudly, and his teeth parted, as if he wanted to bark. His ears kept flinching backwards before he corrected them—and Julie realised with a queasy feeling that Reggie was struggling to keep being threatening and not to fall into defensive displays.
The dark dog’s eyes dropped to Reggie.
Julie only knew because the animal’s smooth head tilted down slightly, and she felt the weight of his gaze leave her.
Reggie took another step forward, yanking Julie’s arm. His fur was bristling on the back of his neck and his tail stuck straight out.
The dark dog stayed for another moment, before he turned his head. It was a sharp dismissal. The animal ran like a wolf, smooth, loping silently across the cement. His right back leg lifted slightly as he ran, betraying an old injury. Auburn flashed over his dark fur when the streetlight caught him.
Then, Bobby leaped over someone’s garden wall and vanished.
A weight seemed to leave Julie’s chest, replaced quickly with a cold feeling. She breathed out, tugging Reggie’s leash. Reggie’s growls died away, but he couldn’t seem to relax, fur still standing on end. Julie ran a hand through the prickling fur, and Reggie brushed up against him. Every muscle in his body was taut and tense.