This story is fictional, I'm sorry (actually I'm jelous) if it resembles your life in any way shape or form. Constructive criticism is welcome. If gay relationships offend you, then "How did I manage to start reading this story?" is a good question to be asking yourself. However you're still welcome to read it!
This story is owned solely by Gaco and may not be copied by any means by any unlicensed individuals, groups, or organizations.
Copyright 2020 Gaco. All Rights Reserved.
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Chapter 17
It took three days for Bryce to allow us back into the den. Most of the guys weren't happy, but I understood his reasoning. Seth could have left traps, or he could have mutilated Brandon's corpse. There was a corpse. The police were likely watching the place after my truck was found out front. Vampires. Wolves. I didn't even know how to react to the chaos that my life had become.
I had three days to sit in the boring, dingy hotel room to think. Meanwhile Bryce was away handling everything alone, with no backup. I had three days to worry he may not return each night from whatever the hell it was he was doing. Bryce was busy. I knew that was the logical reason he wasn't responding to my text messages hours after I sent them. That knowledge, however, definitely did not placate my wolf.
Zeke and I spent most of the time those three days cuddled up together. Zeke still hadn't shifted out of his wolf. I could still see the intelligence behind those amber eyes, but no matter how much we coaxed and prodded he refused to shift back.
"It's good to be home." I said when I flopped into Bryce's bed after finally returning to the house.
The moment I laid down I knew this was not the original bed that was here my first day in the house. Bryce's scent permeated every fiber of the bed he had. By the time we had left to visit the Monticello Pack my own scent had begun to sink in as well. I sighed in aggravation.
"How much shit did he fuck up in our home?" I asked, sad eyes going to Bryce.
"Too much." He replied simply, walking over to join me.
A few moments later we heard the distinctive sound of paws and claws bounding up the stairs to the third floor. Bryce quietly began to growl.
I smacked his chest with the back of my hand and glared back at him.
"Let him stay." I said softly.
Zeke's wolf came into the room, head held low and his appearance skittish. It had been four days since he was last human. Four days since Seth attacked our den with an unknown pack of wolves. Four days since one of our own was lost. Zeke was here to witness it and it had left him scarred -- not physically -- from what we could tell physically no one ever laid a finger on Zeke. Mentally, however, Zeke had sunk so far into his wolf that even Bryce was getting worried he might not come back.
"Come on buddy." I said, patting the bed next to me.
There was plenty of room on the California king size bed. While my wolf was driving me to have the sex with Bryce we hadn't enjoyed in days, another part of my wolf, and even my human emotions, knew that Zeke needed us even more than we needed to mate. Soaking our bed with our combined scents could wait.
Zeke jumped up on the bed with us, laying down between me and the edge of the bed. Bryce huffed deeply into the back of my neck and I knew he was frustrated. I could his agitation like fingernails digging into the back of my skull. Zeke was part of our pack though. Our family. It was worth it. My hear ached for the anguish he was still going through, forcing him to escape it in the fur of his wolf.
I wiggled back into Bryce and threw an arm over Zeke before kissing the top of his furry head, right between his ears, which elicited a low rumble from Bryce.
"Calm down Bryce." I growled right back.
"Come back to us Zeke." I said softly to him, my tone conveying the depth of emotion I imagined he was feeling.
Somehow, I knew if we didn't reach him soon then he would never shift back to human again. Instinct. Something inside me told me whatever happened to Zeke that fateful night was worse than anything that had happened to John and Jackson. Maybe even worse than what had happened to Brandon. I decided to test the waters if my hunch was correct.
"Did I ever tell you about one of my best friends growing up? My best friend in elementary and middle school?" I asked to no one in particular while stroking the fur on Zeke's back.
Zeke's ears perked so I knew he was listening.
"No." Bryce said after a moment.
I took his hand and squeezed to give me strength, my heart shuttering in my chest as anger, regret, and sadness warred within me for dominance.
"We had been best friends from third to eighth grades. We hung out all the time. I had absolute trust in him. Growing up, I was always pretty small for my age, and was always about a year younger than everyone else in my grade on top of that." I said. "He wasn't just a friend. He was also a protector of sorts. He kept the bullies away and watched out for me."
I could tell Bryce wasn't sure where this was going. Though, I had no doubt it was clear from my tone it wasn't going anywhere pretty. I appreciated it when he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around me, giving me the strength to continue.
"After we reached high school, he became distant and we never spoke. He pretended not to know me in the halls. I supposed we just drifted apart. Or maybe I wasn't popular or rich enough for his new friends. Perhaps when I came out, somewhat, he was afraid to be seen with me. I'm honestly not sure why we lost contact." I continued "In twelfth grade, when I had already started college classes and didn't have contact with anyone at the high school any more, I randomly got a message from him online. It had been a long time since we hung out, but I was ecstatic that my friend was talking to me again."
Bryce huffed out a frustrated sigh. He was no doubt able to sense my nervous and uncomfortable energy. He placed a very soft kiss on the back of my head. I stroked Zeke's head, my eyes unfocused and thoughts turned inward for a moment before I continued.
"We talked for a few weeks online. My sexuality came up at some point. Everyone in school knew by then. I wasn't ashamed, but wasn't flamboyant either." I sighed. "Anyway, we talked about porn, talked about hanging out again, talked about hanging out and watching porn together. One day he came over and we jerked off separately. That happened a couple times before he suggested I suck his cock."
An angry deep rumbly growl came from Bryce. Zeke's ears were pinned back, pretending not to hear the conversation. I could tell he was still awake, however. I could hear his heart racing, telling me my assumptions were likely correct.
"I don't remember if it was the on the first time we'd begun messing around together, however, eventually, he suggested having sex." I was shaking myself at this point in the tale. "I was still a virgin. Sucking his cock was a first for me. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know what I was getting into. He suggested he fuck me. He was my best friend at one time, and we seemed to be having fun, plus I trusted him. Eventually I gave in and agreed."
"Tom..." Bryce was squeezing me tight at this point. His forehead pressed against the back of mine.
"It hurt when he first pushed into me. I pretty much expected a little pain. I asked for time to relax. Asked for him to wait." I ignored Bryce's offers to quit sharing. "He didn't stop though. He sped up. The pain was incredible. All I had had for lube in my room was hand lotion. We were so unprepared. I began to try to push him off but still he kept pushing deeper. He was taller than me, stronger than me, weighed more than me. I was defenseless and unable to fight back."
I squeezed the shuttering wolf in my arms because then I knew for sure. Maybe not exactly what happened to Zeke, but I knew enough. I knew why he didn't want to come back.
"Eventually I did get away. I kicked him in the balls and pushed him off of me. He wiped his cock on my sheets and left angry. Blaming me for ruining the fun we had going." I growled. "Honestly, it wasn't the physical pain that hurt the worst. It wasn't what he did that carved my emotions to bits. It was the fact that he had been my friend. My best friend, someone I had trusted implicitly, someone I cared about did that to me. My ability to trust is what was truly injured. My faith in friends."
A thought occurred to me. Zeke appeared unharmed when we found him that night, but he was absolutely covered in blood, soaked to the bone. The only body in the house was Brandon as far as I knew. I squeezed Bryce's hand tight hoping he'd give me strength.
"Brandon." I spoke his name and Zeke went absolutely stock still, he wasn't even breathing anymore.
"John and Jackson say they were knocked out within seconds." I said, finally working it out completely in my mind. "They wouldn't have been able to rip out his throat. That's why he was in the basement when the house was being attacked. His throat was your version of a kick to the balls. His blood covered his up scent on you. In you."
I tightened my grip on Zeke when he began to attempt to struggle and run away.
"You protected yourself from someone you thought you could trust, pup." I said softly. "You stopped a monster from hurting you."
"You saved yourself from probably a lot more by ripping out his throat." I continued, holding his writhing wolf to my chest. "Don't suffer alone anymore pup. Please."
Suddenly I had a bawling mass of sixteen year old boy in my arms. One who no longer knew who to trust. How to trust. What to trust. I felt Bryce shift so that he was holding both of us at the same time as we cried together. Over what happened. Over what didn't happen. Over what could have happened.
At some point we must have fallen asleep like that because the next thing I knew I woke up to sunlight shining in the windows. Zeke was still human in my arms, only now under the covers with me. Bryce was no longer in the room but I could still scent him in the house.
I rolled onto my back thinking about what I would do to Brandon if he were still alive. I could practically feel the rage building inside wanting to unleash. It's probably for the best that Zeke gave him a quick death. I would probably have hated myself for doing some of the things I was considering. Were he still alive, however, I wouldn't hesitate for a second. My wolf wanted blood for Zeke's suffering.
I looked back over at Zeke and saw that he was awake and watching me.
"Morning." I said tentatively, my anger and hatred gone in an instant.
"Hi..." He responded quietly.
"You feel up for some breakfast?" I asked. Knowing the answer to the question I really wanted to ask - `Are you ok' would be a resounding no.
"What were you thinking about just now?" He asks softly, eyes focused on my own.
"I was thinking about what I would do to Brandon if I had had the chance to get my hands on him. I would have torn his flesh off. Slowly. Starting with his delicate parts first." I said in a deep low growl.
Zeke's eyes were wide, maybe even in awe.
"When I first turned towards you, your eyes were glowing red." He said quietly. "I've never seen a shifter's eyes turn red before. My wolf thought you could bring the house down on us if you got any more angry."
I laughed. "I'm just a weak, newborn, aphrodisiac scented nobody. I doubt I could destroy anything even if I tried."
"Yeah." Zeke said, but it didn't sound like he was agreeing with me.
"So... Food?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"Uhm..." He looked down the bed his blanket covered body.
"Could I get some clothes?" he asked weakly.
`I should have thought of that.' I berated myself.
"Yeah one sec." I said, rolling out of the bed on Bryce's side.
I headed around to my dresser to look for some sweatpants and one of my shirts that might fit him when I noticed folded clothes in a chair by the door. Bryce had already thought of it for me.
"Looks like Bryce brought some of yours up." I said with a smile.
"Thanks." He said with a sad smile. "You guys have really looked out for me... Took care of my wolf."
"It's what packs do." I said somehow sure of myself. "It's what packs are SUPPOSED to do."
I ruffled his hair, forgetting for a moment he was no longer in the body of the small dark brown and black wolf I had spent so much time with for the past four days. He smiled up at me anyway, apparently enjoying the contact.
"See ya downstairs." I said as I threw on some of my own clothes and headed down to the kitchen, leaving him to get dressed on his own in privacy.
The smell of bacon and biscuits coming from downstairs lured me into the kitchen.
"Hand over the bacon and no one has to attempt regrowing any limbs!" I growled deeply as I entered.
"JESUS FUCK! Tom!" Justin exclaimed, jumping back from the stove holding the spatula like it was a sword to block an attack.
"You.." He panted. "Christ you scared the hell out of me man."
"Jumpy?" I asked with a smile before I realized we all had a reason to be jumpy. Two traitors to our pack.
"Sorry." I said somberly after I thought about what I'd done.
"It wasn't just that." Justin said, turning back towards the bacon frying on the stovetop. "You sounded like..."
"Like a psycho?" Bryce said, entering with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Sure. That." Justin muttered.
I quirked an eyebrow at Bryce who just shook his head at me in a way that meant he didn't want to talk about it with so many ears around.
Zeke ambled down the stairs at that moment looking between me and Bryce, before noticing Justin placing cooked bacon on the counter top. Without making a sound he walked up to the counter and took several pieces when Justin was turned, quietly backing away with a small smile.
I gave him a conspiratorial smile and was glad when he came to sit next to me as we waited for Justin to finish breakfast.
"What are you guys... Zeke! Welcome back dude. Is that..." He looked down to the countertop next to himself and noticed the places where bacon was missing from the plate and just shook his head with a half smile for Zeke.
"You OK?" Justin asked and I cringed.
Zeke just nodded silently staring off into the distance for a bit. I reached over and squeezed his arm.
Justin noticed the byplay and flicked his gaze from Zeke, to me, to Bryce before getting a smirk on his face.
"You two sure have been hanging out a lot lately." He arched his eyebrows suggestively.
Angry menacing growls tore from my and Bryce's throats before we even knew what was happening. Zeke seemed to find something interesting on the countertop to inspect. My gaze bored into Justin's eyes in a challenging stare that should probably have gotten an angry snarl or smackdown from him were it not for the look of absolute fear in his features I noticed.
"Ok. Ok." He said looking back and forth from me to Bryce, his hands up placatingly. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."
Bryce came up next to me at the island and took my hand in his, softly stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.
"Calm down, pup." He whispered in my ear too quiet for the others to hear. "He's not going to hurt Zeke. He's safe. The pack is safe."
It took a minute or two but eventually my wolf stopped showing me images of ripping into Justin with tooth and claw. Protecting Zeke from harm. I leaned into Bryce's side and let out a long breath I hadn't known I was holding.
"Food's ready." Justin said, breaking the silence.
Justin passed around plates to Bryce, me, and Zeke before making one for himself and a couple at empty place settings. After we had only taken a few bites I heard more footsteps coming down the stairs.
Alexi, Jackson, and John gathered around the island and began sleepily digging into their own food.
"What are the plans for today, boss?" Justin asked looking to Bryce.
"Tom and I are going to meet up with your friend, the gunsmith." Bryce said, sounding like he and Justin had already discussed what guns we would be buying for the pack.
"Ah. Right." Justin said. "I better go call him then and let him know you're coming."
Bryce merely nodded and went back to eating breakfast.
After finishing our meal, Bryce and I cleaned up our own mess and headed to the garage to hop into his car, which is somehow back to looking brand new.
"Wow that was quick, considering everything else that is going on." I said tentatively, inspecting the cleanup.
Bryce just nodded and gestured for me to get into the car. Once buckled in he turned to me and took my hand, giving it a squeeze.
"With everything going on, I decided identifying marks like big ass shifter claw gouges and dents should probably be taken care of quickly." He answered.
"Yeah..." I responded. "Good call."
As we pulled out of the driveway I looked around and noticed that everything looked back to normal. You wouldn't know that our pack was nearly destroyed just a few days ago.
Bryce took my hand as we headed towards downtown and I tried to think more on where we were going and less about how Seth managed to convince a bunch of wolves to attack a known shifter den.
"Alpha Johnson was right." I said softly after turning to Bryce. "Seth is a cancer. Now we need to kill it before it kills us."
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