"I DON'T disagree with you, Mother, Clarissa is a very beautiful woman. But I'm not going to date her."
Zev didn't bother trying to hide the frustration in his voice. Honestly, how many times would he have to tell his family that he wasn't interested in their setups? He leaned his large frame against the back of the leather couch and rubbed his palms over his eyes. He was exhausted. Sleep rarely came to him, and when it did, he remained partially alert, terrified of losing his humanity while he was unconscious. He was barely hanging on as it was; this intervention was the last thing he needed.
His Grandma Mae's voice broke into his thoughts. Her frustration with Zev had reached such a high level that she was willing to question him, her Alpha, a practice unheard of in her generation. Then again, maybe it wasn't just her frustration; maybe Zev's attempts to bring their pack into modern times had been more successful than he'd realized.
"I don't understand this, Zev. You're thirty years old. Your grandfather and I had already been married for close to a decade by the time we were your age. It's not natural or healthy for one of our kind to remain alone."
As if that was his cue, his Grandpa Walter jumped into the conversation. Had they drawn numbers in advance so to determine the order in which to beat up on him?
"I realize you feel we're intruding on your privacy, son, but any shifter with eyes can see the problems you're having, and the reason is plain. Shifters are deeply sexual beings, but the…." Walter paused and swallowed hard, as if it pained him to continue the sentence, "… the women you've been using to meet your physical needs are half-souls. They aren't enough to bind your humanity, especially for this many years. You're a strong man and a strong wolf, Zev, the strongest I've seen in my lifetime. But no shifter can outrun his nature, not that I understand why you insist on trying. Whatever the reason, if you don't tie with a shifter soon, your human side will be lost."
Did his family members actually think they were telling him something he didn't already know? Their only error was underestimating his strength and determination. Though the idea of meeting his sexual needs with humans—or half-souls, as shifters called them—repulsed his family, they were certain he'd been making a practice of it. How else could he have lived with both his human and wolf sides intact for three decades? They couldn't fathom a shifter living that long without sharing at least some physical bond.
Well, they were wrong. Zev hadn't tied with anyone—human or shifter—in his life, whether they believed him or not. But for how much longer? Returning from the change was becoming more and more difficult, with his wolf clinging to its form, not wanting his human to take over. And the longer the wolf remained in control of their body, the less likely it was that the human would be able to find his way to the surface again.
"There's no point in denying it, Zev. We know what you've been doing, and we don't judge you."
Zev's father was sincere. Gregory Hassick was still uncomfortable with the idea of a shifter engaging in sexual acts with humans, but over the years, he'd learned to live with his son's oddities without looking down on him. After all, since Zev had begun his Alpha training, the Etzgadol pack had grown steadily, even more so since the young wolf had taken over as pack Alpha. And Zev had had equal success with the family business, which now earned an annual gross income that was more than double what it had been before Zev had taken over.
"Move your hands away from your face and look at us, Zev. This is serious. You cannot continue to choose this lifestyle. Your body cannot survive it." Gregory Hassick's voice was tight with worry.
Zev dropped his hands to his sides and opened his amber eyes, knowing they were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. When was the last time he'd truly rested? He combed his fingers through his straight brown hair and resisted the urge to yell. His family loved him. He knew that. And this conversation, no matter how misplaced, was a reflection of that love.
"How many times do I have to explain this, Father? I'm not choosing this. I hate being alone. I haven't tied with any human women. I want to claim my mate more than anything."
Lori scooted closer to him on the couch and took his hand. The new egalitarian pack structure Zev had put in place was helped tremendously by his strong sister. She led the pack females by example, and they all admired her. But having power within the pack didn't change Lori's nature, her need to protect the family, to keep it strong. She couldn't go against their elders, which was why Lori had agreed to take part in this little family gathering. But neither would she speak against her brother, so she remained silent and tried to lend Zev support with her actions.
"Everyone wants a true mate, Zev," Gregory told him. "But very few shifters get them. The rest of us fall in love and feel completely satisfied with our chosen partners. Your mother and I have been happy together for well over half of our lives without the mating bond. Please, it's time to let go of childish fantasies and accept your fate. You haven't been blessed with a true mate, but you can still live a full life. Just tie with Clarissa or one of the other females in the pack. What can it hurt to try? Best-case scenario, you find this true mate you insist exists. Worst-case scenario, you have more regular companionship and a proper tie."
Zev couldn't hold back the growl in his chest. He was tired of their constant refusals to acknowledge the existence of his true mate and their never-ending setup offers. His parents had long ago stopped pretending the offers were about dinner and a movie. Were his parents honest with these women about the purely sexual role they were
expected to play in his life? Probably not. Nobody outside of his family knew the truth. Hell, even those within his family denied it, despite the fact that he'd been clear with them for years.
"Clarissa isn't my true mate. And I'm not interested in her companionship." He spat out his response, his tone expressing disgust with the very idea of their brand of companionship.
"Why not, Zev? Are her breasts too small? Is her hiney too big? Just talk to us, and we can help you. If the females in our pack aren't satisfactory, we'll find a female in a neighboring pack for you so you can make a physical tie."
He winced. Now his other grandmother was engaged in the game. Had any other man ever faced an eighty-year-old woman offering him his choice of tits and ass? Dear God, please make it stop.
"I'm gay, Granny Betty. Any breasts at all are a deal-killer, and I haven't ever paid attention to Clarissa's, um, hiney."
The diminutive gray-haired woman threw her hands in the air.
"Our kind can't be gay, Zev. It just doesn't work that way. A male shifter needs to tie with a female shifter in order to bind his humanity, and the female needs to accept that tie from the male in order to release her wolf. This is basic preschool information, dear."
Zev dropped his head on top of his large hands, which were crossed over his knees. Yeah, he was very familiar with their kind's version of the birds and the bees. Every shifter's soul straddled two bodies: the wolf and the human. Women were naturally connected to their human side, but their wolf side was locked away, unable to find the freedom to run. Males, on the other hand, had free rein of their wolf from childhood, but their hold on their humanity was tenuous. The only way for a male shifter to retain his human form was to tie to a female shifter and absorb a portion of her humanity. Likewise, in order for a female shifter to retain her sanity she had to free her wolf from its cage, something that could be done only by accepting a male's tie.
So, yeah, Zev knew the basic facts, but he'd long ago rejected the idea that they were absolute. Because to believe that would be to believe that he was unnatural, which couldn't be true, since he'd been
blessed with the most precious gift nature could offer a shifter: a true mate.
Of course, he had told his family the reason he hadn't tied was because he was waiting for his true mate. His male true mate. The first time he'd said the words to his parents, they'd been shocked. Gregory yelled so loudly at his son that the windows literally shook, and Anita stood in the kitchen and cried. When Zev refused to back down, despite his parents' protests, their feelings on the subject morphed into disgust, and they barred him from ever mentioning the issue again.
After several years passed without any female shifters in their son's life, Anita and Gregory started to worry. They were too embarrassed to tell people about what they called Zev's "condition," but not knowing what else to do, they eventually relented and spoke to their own parents. All four of Zev's grandparents insisted that they'd never heard of such a thing, and it couldn't be true. So after that, Zev's family grudgingly lived in a state of denial, refusing to acknowledge the possibility that he could actually be gay.
Sitting in his parents' living room and fending off setup attempts made Zev realize there was a downside to empowering his pack to speak their minds—now he was forced to listen to them. Maybe he'd have been better off leaving things as they'd always been. Then nobody, and certainly not a female, even if she was an elder and a relative, would dare speak to the Alpha in such a condescending way.
Zev dismissed the thought as soon as it entered his head. He was glad his family cared, glad his grandmother felt confident enough to question him, and glad members of his pack felt confident enough to share their feelings. The pack was stronger for it, even if it meant Zev had to endure this emotionally debilitating family intervention. He raised his eyes and responded to his grandmother.
"I will not seek companionship with anyone other than my true mate. You know only shifters without true mates can choose a life partner. A mated wolf can be tied to his humanity only by his true mate. So having sex with Clarissa or any of the other females in the pack won't get the job done anyway. And despite what you think, I do, in fact, have a true mate. Our souls are connected at the heart; that's not
something a shifter can mistake. I can feel the bond all the way down in my bones."
Oh, Zev had been confused at first, sure. The feelings he had didn't make sense in the context of what he'd been taught. But no lessons, not even those that explained the very fabric of his kind's makeup, could override the single most important truth that coursed through Zev's body: the awareness of his true mate. So before he'd reached his second decade, Zev had already accepted the idea that he was gay, despite the fact that it went against everything his pack thought was natural or even possible.
Zev looked at his Grandpa Hugh and Grandma Betty, imploring them to help. They were the only true mated pair in the family, and one of the few true mated pairs in the history of the pack. Surely they understood the power of the bond. It was absolute. Zev could no sooner satisfy the need to tie with his true mate by tying with another shifter than he could satisfy the need to breathe air by inhaling water.
Hugh squeezed Betty's hand and looked at his beloved grandson sympathetically.
"If you have a true mate, Zev, then you have a duty to her. She needs you in order to release her wolf or she will lose her mind. What if you're abandoning your true mate, Zev? What if you haven't found her because you're not willing to keep an open mind about females?"
Zev rolled his eyes, too frustrated to care that it was an incredibly childish and disrespectful gesture. He often wondered whether his family would believe he was gay if he told them he'd long known the identity of his true mate. Maybe then they'd stop writing off his refusal to sleep with shifter females as some stubborn philosophical exercise.
But no matter how much Zev loved and trusted his family, he wasn't willing to take that risk. Nobody would believe Zev if he identified Jonah as his mate, and the human would be perceived as a threat to the pack structure. The easiest way to eliminate that threat would be to eliminate the interloper. The basic principles of their kind were so ingrained, and so fundamentally based on the need for shifter males to tie with shifter females, that he feared harm could come to his
mate if the pack knew the identity of the man destined to tie with their Alpha.
No, Zev couldn't risk his mate's safety. The only way for him to acknowledge Jonah's role in his life would be to first tie with him. Then the mating bond would be complete, and nobody would be able to dispute their relationship. Or his sexuality.
"If my mate were anywhere within ten miles of here, my senses would pick that up. Blind dates aren't how we find our true mates. But if you're so concerned that I'm abandoning my mate, I'll make you a deal. I promise to meet with whomever you want, on a platonic basis, to see if she's my mate, and in return you promise that when I do find my mate and make the tie, you'll support the mating in every way."
The relief in his parents and grandparents was palpable. All six of the tense bodies sitting around him relaxed, and smiles took over their faces. His sister squeezed his hand and winked at him. Zev was certain she'd known his mate's identity nearly as long as he had, though neither of them had ever spoken the words out loud.
"Of course we will, dear. A mating is a blessing." His mother's pretty face shone.
"Even more so when it's for the Alpha, because it unveils the heart of our pack," his Grandpa Hugh added with a wistful look on his face.
Zev knew the older shifter was likely remembering his own mating, when Grandma Betty had joined him in leading the Etzgadol pack as the Alpha female. Of course, it'd be different with his mating. Lori was already the Alpha female, and Jonah clearly couldn't take that role. But there was no reason to point out those details now.
"You and your mate will be supported by us and the entire pack." His father's deep baritone voice left no room for debate. It was certain and sure. A vow.
Zev rose from the sofa, straightening all six feet seven inches and pulling back his broad shoulders.
"Then we have a deal. I'll tie with my mate when the time comes, and you'll stand behind us. No matter who she"—he looked pointedly
at the faces of the seven people he loved most in the world, other than the man missing from the room, of course—"or he is. Good night."
And with those words Zev turned and walked to the front door, ignoring the growls coming from behind him. They'd given him their word, and it would bring unforgivable dishonor on their ancestors to go back on that vow, so he knew his family would keep their promise. As for the rest of the pack, it'd be a challenge, a possibly insurmountable challenge, even with both past Alphas and the current Alpha standing together.
A tie between two males threatened to disrupt everything the pack had been taught about a female's connection to her human side and a male's connection to his wolf side. And, as if the idea of two males accomplishing a tie wouldn't be enough to cause widespread panic, Jonah wasn't just a male. He was a human—a half-soul—not a shifter. And everyone knew that a shifter couldn't tie with a half-soul.
But when the time came, the pack could either stand with Zev or find new territory. The Etzgadol pack land had belonged to the Hassick family for ten generations. And with his grandparents, parents, and sister by his side, Zev was guaranteed that he'd be able to continue that legacy. Even if it meant doing it while building a new pack to lead. And Zev knew if that's what it'd take to be with Jonah Marvel, he'd do it without a second thought. He'd do whatever was needed to claim and keep his true mate.
Chapter 2
"ZEV HASSICK, get back here right this instant!"
Zev wagged his tail and raised his nose in the air. He was tracking the most wonderful scent. A combination of freshly mowed grass, lemons, and mint, the scent made his belly feel all warm and tingly inside. Zev trotted through the trees, barely noticing his surroundings. His entire being was focused on that scent. He wasn't sure how far he'd gone or how long he'd been running when he noticed he could no longer feel the crunch of leaves and the snap of twigs beneath his paws. He looked around and realized that the trees were gone. He stood at the edge of a clearing that faced a playground. Children were swinging and sliding, adults stood and talked, but what about that fresh, cool scent?
Zev scanned the area with his eyes and nose until he isolated the spot. It was halfway across the clearing, next to a bench. Sitting on a red, white, and blue striped blanket was a human baby. Zev locked his gaze on that child and whined. He wanted to get closer, wanted to smell and lick. But there were so many humans around, and his parents had always told him to stay away from the half-souls, especially if he was in wolf form.
Zev raised his head and tried to howl in frustration, but his vocal cords were too new, too fresh to make that noise. He was just over a year old, and this was his first shift. It'd take some time yet before he'd completely adjust to his wolf body. Dropping to the ground on his belly
and resting his chin on his front paws, Zev whimpered and kept his gaze locked on the human baby.
He knew the humans couldn't see him where he lay, surrounded by brush and plants, but it sure seemed as if the baby knew he was there, because eyes as black as night were staring right back at Zev. Then, before he realized it was happening, the baby raised himself onto unsteady feet and began toddling toward him. With the grown-ups engaged in conversation, nobody noticed the little tyke, dressed in a blue one-piece cotton jumper and no shoes, making his way over to the trees. Zev hopped back to his feet and wagged his tail furiously, making soft yipping sounds as the source of the scent came closer and closer.
When the baby stepped out of the clearing and into the brush, Zev jumped on him and knocked him down on his backside. Deep black eyes opened wide in surprise, but the human didn't cry, he just reached his small hand out and petted Zev's fur. The wolf cub whined with joy and pressed himself against the human baby, licking his neck and rubbing against his body. Zev wanted to mark himself with that lemony scent. It smelled so good and right.
Now that he was right next to the baby, Zev realized that what he'd thought was a bald head was actually covered with white-blond hair. Hair so fair and fine, it hadn't been visible from across the park. Zev tilted his head to one side and carefully appraised his new friend. He'd never come across a person with hair that white or eyes that black. It was an unexpected and intriguing combination. The human wrapped both arms around Zev's neck and squeezed him tight.
"Jonah? Jonah, where are you?"
Panicked adult voices pierced the air. Zev looked toward the clearing and saw people frantically searching for his new friend. Jonah. That was the baby's name. Zev's tongue made a long swipe up Jonah's face, and the human giggled loudly.
"There he is, Kevin! Look, over by the big tree."
The humans were pointing toward them, and Zev knew it was time to go back to his den. If the adults got any closer, Jonah wouldn't
be blocking their view and they'd see him. But Zev didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave Jonah.
Half-souls aren't safe, Zev. Don't forget to stay away from them. The words he'd heard over and over again from his pack elders rang in his head. After one last lick and nuzzle to the human baby's neck, Zev turned and ran back through the trees.
"WHY can't I go to that school, Mommy?"
Zev pointed to the pink house with the brightly colored sign in front—Sunshine and Moonlight Nursery School. He longed to step through the doors, always had, but as usual, his mother sighed and answered his question without even turning her head.
"Zev, lovey, I've already explained this to you. I realize the picture of the beautiful moon on that sign calls to your wolf, but that school is for half-souls. We need to stay with our own kind so you can learn the right things and shift and play. The half-souls don't understand the meaning of the moon, Zev; they just thought it'd make a pretty picture."
Zev whimpered and sat back in his seat. He pressed his hand to the window as if that could somehow bring him closer to the white-haired boy playing inside that pink house. It wasn't the colorful sign that called to Zev's wolf. It was Jonah. The pink building was Jonah's school. Zev knew that because he'd tracked Jonah's scent to that place.
It'd been three years since he'd seen Jonah in the half-souls' playground, and in that time, Zev had shifted and found Jonah's den and his school. He always had to stay just on the periphery, under the cover of trees, and he could never watch for long because his parents didn't like his wolf's tendency to wander. Of course, they'd like that tendency even less if they realized where Zev went when he wandered, but that didn't stop Zev. He had to track his human friend, had to know where Jonah slept and ate and played.
Sometimes, when Zev was really lucky, Jonah would catch his eye and smile. On a few occasions, the little boy had even managed to
sneak away from the adults and over to Zev. Jonah would immediately wrap his golden arms around Zev's neck and stroke his fur, and Zev would lick his friend, molding his body around the small human.
Zev thought that if his mother would only send him to the Sunshine and Moonlight Nursery School then he'd get to talk to Jonah and play with him in his human form. He just knew they'd make the best of friends, even though Jonah was a half-soul.
He furrowed his brow when he thought about the distaste in the elders' voices when they used that word. Even when the humans were customers in their shops, the pack only barely tolerated them. He knew his kind was supposed to distrust the half-souls, keep their distance, but Zev didn't understand why, and he just couldn't do that with Jonah. The white-haired boy was his. Zev's wolf knew it instinctively, and Zev's human agreed. Maybe when he grew bigger, he'd be able to find a way to play with his friend.
ZEV looked up from the huddle and turned his head to the other side of the field. The group of humans wearing bright red jerseys were all listening intently to their coach. Well, all but one. Jonah's black eyes were aimed straight at Zev.
This was the first time Jonah had seen Zev's human. The six years since his wolf had first met the blond boy had passed without Zev ever having had the opportunity to introduce himself to his friend in this form. But now the time had finally come. Both boys played soccer in the Etzgadol City League. They were on different teams, of course. Zev's team was all shifters. He was sure the pack would have forced them to play in an all-shifter league, if there were such a thing. But the shifter population didn't have enough boys in his age group to make up a whole league, so the pack formed its own team in the Etzgadol City League.
When Zev had learned of the integrated league two years earlier, he'd immediately developed what his parents called an "almost maniacal obsession" with both soccer and baseball—not coincidentally, the two sports in the Etzgadol City League. He'd never bothered with
other sports because he'd seen no point. The only reason to participate, as far as Zev was concerned, was the chance to play with his human friend.
Zev's wolf had taken the brochure for the soccer league to Jonah months ago. At first, the human boy had seemed confused by the gesture. He'd just taken the paper out of the wolf's mouth and stuffed it into his pocket before commencing with their usual greeting—a hug from Jonah and licks from Zev.
The second time Zev brought the information, Jonah had flipped through the brochure, looked into Zev's amber eyes, and asked in a hesitant voice, "You trying to tell me something, Pup?"
The final time, Jonah had just laughed as he tackled Zev's wolf to the ground. "Okay, I got the message, Pup, I talked to my dad and he said I could play soccer."
Zev was so happy he yipped and licked Jonah all over while they wrestled on the ground. He'd long since stopped being a puppy, at least in size. His human was much larger than other children his age and his wolf was the size of a full grown dog. He'd grow bigger in time, but even at his current size he was no pup. And although that word was a schoolyard taunt among his kind, he enjoyed hearing it from his Jonah. It sounded tender and sweet.
After that day, whenever Zev came to visit Jonah, the boy snuck over to the woods at the edge of his yard and brought his soccer ball. "My dad bought me this ball. Wanna play?"
Their games never lasted longer than ten minutes. Zev had to return to his den before his parents became too angry at the length of his absence, and Jonah had to go back to his yard before his father became too curious about what he was doing. But they had fun together, with Jonah kicking and Zev blocking the ball with his head and tackling the boy with nonregulation moves that always caused giggles and rewarded him with hugs and strokes of his fur. Now Zev's human was standing on a soccer field with three minutes left in the game, during which, for the first time, he had been able to look at his Jonah through human eyes.
Zev's team, the Fury, had been undefeated all season. Shifters were generally stronger than humans, even as children, so one of the two shifter teams had always been league champion. The games against human teams were really just warm-ups for the main event: a shifter versus shifter playoff. But it was different against this human team. The Storm had beaten every other human team all season long and had come close to defeating the other shifter team. After being with Jonah on the field for nearly fifty minutes, Zev and every other player on his team understood the reason for the human team's success: Jonah was an incredible player.
The blond boy guarded his goal with a speed and agility normally reserved for shifters. His coal-colored eyes scanned the field, taking note of every player's location, and he always found a way to place his body in the perfect position to block goals. Jonah was such a skilled player, in fact, that the only two goals scored by the Fury had taken place when Jonah was on the sidelines resting and another player stood in the goal. Zev had scored both of those goals.
"We're only up one point, guys. It's time to get serious with these mutts."
Zev growled low in his throat when he heard his teammate, Brian Delgato, make the insult. He never liked hearing his pack insult the humans, but with Jonah on the receiving end of the taunt, Zev's hackles were truly up. The other shifter boys were so focused on the game, they didn't realize Zev's anger was aimed at one of their own rather than at the opposing team.
Brian, Zev, and Toby took the ball up the field as the clock counted down. Toby passed to Brian, and he made a final effort to score a goal. Even with his eyes locked on Zev, Jonah was able to jump to his left and deflect the shot. The whistle blew and Brian stomped off the field. The rest of Zev's team ran over to the sidelines, happy with their victory, even if the score was tighter than they would have liked. A few boys on Jonah's team wiped tears from their eyes, sad their season had ended. Jonah and Zev remained on the field, watching each other from their respective spots ten feet apart.
Zev's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. He'd never questioned his reaction to Jonah. He'd been lured to the human for as
long as he could remember, so it seemed as normal to Zev as running and eating. But now that he was seven years old, he was starting to realize that his draw to the boy was unusual, and not just because Jonah was a human. Even other shifters didn't seem to need each other in the way Zev's whole being told him he needed Jonah.
"My name's Jonah. What's your name?"
That voice, which Zev had heard giggle with his wolf for years, was finally speaking to his human. As if pulled by a magnetic force, Zev stepped toward the other boy. Jonah flipped his white-blond hair off his face and met Zev halfway. When they were close enough to feel each other's breath, Zev answered.
"I'm Zev."
Jonah's black eyes looked intently at Zev's brown hair, streaked with mahogany and auburn highlights, and at his amber eyes. Zev cocked his head to the side and stood perfectly still, allowing Jonah to appraise him. His own instincts caused him to want to lean forward and smell the boy, circle around him in greeting, and maybe even lick him. But even at his young age, Zev already knew that type of behavior wasn't welcome or understood by humans, not when he was in his human form. Zev's wolf, of course, had always behaved in exactly that manner with Jonah.
"You're my friend. Right, Zev?"
No statement uttered anywhere had ever been more true.
"Yes, I am." Zev nodded earnestly.
Jonah smiled and took the brown-haired boy's hand. "Wanna meet my daddy?"
Pleased all the way down to his toes with the contact, Zev wrapped his fingers around the human's and let himself get tugged toward the adults on the sidelines. In a few years, they'd be too old to touch this way. But for now, Zev noticed the humans didn't think there was anything unusual about two little boys holding hands, and he was willing to put up with reminders he knew would come from his elders about how important it was to keep a distance from half-souls.
Chapter 3
ZEV walked out of his parents' house and over to his truck, dropped his head against the door, and took in a deep breath, letting the fresh air cool his lungs. Standing up to his family once again and garnering their support for his future mating was all well and good, but none of it meant a thing if his mate didn't return and accept his place in the pack beside Zev. If Jonah didn't come home soon, Zev wasn't sure whether there'd be a Hassick male available to lead the Etzgadol pack.
He looked up at the sky. The stars were beautiful out here. They sparkled above him, showing the spirits of those who came before. Come back to me, Jonah. Our spirits are intertwined, and my body cannot endure without its other half for much longer.
He felt the pain deep in his bones, the urge to shift and run. But he pushed it back, grateful that, at least for now, his human could still exert his will. His wolf was tired of waiting for his human to find their mate and the wolf wanted control of their form so he could go find Jonah and claim him. But their mate was long gone, well out of scent distance, and the chance of Zev's wolf finding him before running into hunters or vehicles was slim.
Zev knew that unless he claimed his mate the time was fast approaching when his human would no longer be able to control his wolf. When that happened, the fear driving the intervention his family had staged that night would become a reality: Zev's human would be forever lost. And without his human's wisdom to limit him, Zev's wolf would likely end his life trying to find his mate.
"PLEASE, Dad. Other pack cubs my age are starting at the Etzgadol Middle School this year too." Twelve-year-old Zev Hassick pleaded with his father, desperately hoping he could convince the man that his only son wasn't too young to leave the shifter school and become exposed to humans on a daily basis.
"Zev, we've gone over this. There are very few shifters who send their kids to the city school until high school, and the ones who do are, um, activists."
Zev was losing this argument. Again. And he didn't have any more time. School would start next week, and this was his last chance to convince his parents to let him transfer from the pack school to the Etzgadol Middle School. It was the only hope he had of spending eight hours a day with his Jonah.
"Toby's going to the city school, Dad, and he comes from a good family. You've known Mr. Harrison since you were a cub."
"Yes, I've known Tobias's father for many moons, and Jeremiah's a good man. But his mother… well, Leah's… unusual, Zev. She's not from these parts. You know Jeremiah met her when he was away studying and being hosted by the Miancarem pack."
Zev refused to back down. He kept his posture straight, his head raised, and his eyes on his father's face. He didn't like the way his father and the other pack males disregarded Mrs. Harrison. For that matter, he didn't like the way they seemed to dismiss the importance of all the women in the pack.
"Mrs. Harrison is a strong wolf, Dad. She was very well respected in her old pack, and they were devastated when she left. Toby told me that when they go visit his grandparents, the Miancarem females still come to greet his mother and beg her to return."
Gregory Hassick folded his newspaper and set it down next to him on the couch. He tilted his head to the side and appraised his son. Zev knew what his dad was thinking. How many times had he been told that he was different, different from other shifters his age, different from any shifter his father had ever known?
Even as a very young child, Zev remembered hearing his parents say that he had found his wolf more frequently and for a longer duration than they had previously thought possible. Most shifters didn't make the change until they'd been in their human skin for at least five years, but Zev had spontaneously shifted not long after his first birthday. Even when they started shifting, young boys rarely managed to maintain their wolf form for longer than a few minutes, but Zev shifted for hours at a time. Not only that, but the discomfort associated with bones moving and reshaping never seemed to plague Zev. His parents seemed proud of Zev's unique nature when it came to strength in shifting. He'd often heard his mother brag to her friends that her boy was such a strong shifter that he needed space to run, and his father would usually follow those statements up with assertions about what a wonderful leader his son would make someday. But despite all the praise, Zev recognized his parents' concern about what they perceived as his tendency to wander.
Shifters were social animals, always keeping close together, playing, eating, and sleeping with their pack. Zev was popular with his peers and adored by his elders, so his parents didn't understand why he often wandered off alone, changing into his wolf skin and disappearing into the woods. What his parents didn't realize, what he always kept hidden, was that he didn't leave to be alone. He left to go play with Jonah.
Deciding to focus on what he knew mattered most to his father—Zev's destiny to lead his pack—he gave one final shot at his attempt to attend the human school.
"The city school is bigger than the pack school, Dad, at least twice the size. Their teachers are younger; they understand technology and have a better grasp of the outside world. Things aren't like they were when you were my age. I'll need to learn all sorts of new things in order to be a good Alpha and to run the ceramics business."
Zev immediately saw the change in his father's expression. It was as if he'd finally heard a logical reason to allow his son to attend a school filled with half-souls. Zev was the latest in a long line of Hassick Alphas. Their family had produced the strongest males in the pack for generations, and it hadn't escaped Zev's notice that his father was pleased to have sired not only the future male Alpha, as was clear
from Zev's display of strength since his early days, but also, it seemed, the future female Alpha. Zev's twin Lori was developing into a strong young female, a leader among her peers. It was unusual, but not unheard of, to have sibling Alphas, and the honor associated with this accomplishment overrode any potential issues from the pack's Alphas not tying with each other.
"Okay, Zev. We'll try it. I do agree that the elders teaching at the pack school are quite far removed from all the changes taking place in the world. And it will be important for the Etzgadol pack to have leaders who are ahead of the pack." Gregory laughed at his own joke.
Zev's wolf was practically bouncing with joy, but his human managed to portray a happy but not overly enthusiastic exterior. He couldn't let his father know how fundamentally important that decision had been. After all, nobody could ever know about Zev's attachment to a human. He got up from the couch and walked over to his father, giving the big man a loose hug.
"Thanks, Dad." Carefully calculating his next move so it'd seem unrehearsed, Zev turned toward the hallway, then looked back over his shoulder at his father. "And don't worry; I'll keep a close eye on Lori."
Gregory's eyes widened, and Zev knew his father hadn't considered Lori's attendance at the human school. It's not that Gregory would intentionally treat his children inequitably, but Lori was a female and therefore he automatically considered her vulnerable. Plus, no elder thought females had a need to learn the more modern methods they taught at the city school because those teachings wouldn't help a female run a den one day.
Zev stood still and let his father process the situation, hoping the desire to keep Lori with Zev would be enough to sway things in his direction. After all, besides being litter mates and friends, Zev and Lori would one day need to lead the pack as a unified team, so encouraging their close relationship would help the greater good. Plus, Gregory had every reason to trust that Zev would take care of his sister.
Gregory grunted his acquiescence and picked his newspaper back up. Zev hurried down the hallway, closed his bedroom door, and collapsed onto his bed, a radiant smile on his face.
"Come on in, sis, I know you're waiting in there."
Lori opened the door of the Jack-and-Jill bathroom that connected their rooms.
"Well?"
"He said I could go."
She sighed and glared at her brother. "Of course he said you could go, Zev. You can be incredibly persuasive, and if he'd said no, you'd have probably managed a jailbreak. But what about me? Can I go to the city school too?" Lori bit her lip and shifted from foot to foot, her anxiety apparent. So much so that Zev felt bad about teasing his sister.
"Yes, you're coming too, Lori. Go call Toby and give him the good news."
Lori squeaked and jumped on top of her brother, giving him a big hug. Then she ran through the bathroom into her bedroom. Zev figured she'd be talking with Toby for hours. He was Zev's closest shifter friend, and it was only a matter of time before he became Lori's boyfriend.
Zev wished he could call Jonah and tell him the good news, but his human didn't have that kind of relationship with the other boy yet. They'd been playing sports in the same league for several years, and it hadn't escaped Zev's notice that he wasn't the only one who made sure to arrive excessively early to every game his team had against Jonah's. The two boys used that time to run around together, playing and laughing. Zev's heart soared when it seemed that Jonah enjoyed the time he spent with Zev's human as much as that he spent with Zev's wolf. For reasons Zev wasn't yet capable of understanding, he needed Jonah to like both parts of him.
Although Zev's human couldn't call Jonah on the phone, Zev could still share his joy about going to Jonah's school. He'd just have to do it in wolf form. Zev opened his bedroom window and shifted so quickly that his clothes dropped to the floor without ripping. It was a handy trick and one he'd never seen another shifter accomplish or allowed another shifter to witness. Then Zev jumped out his bedroom window and ran through the woods, hopeful that Jonah would be playing outside or looking out his window so Zev's wolf could celebrate with his human.