Phillipe Read online

  “But the couples’ photos will look unbalanced,” Jules complained.

  “Then tell Bryce to wear a dress,” she shot back.

  “Hmm. You think he’d look good in mauve?” Jules wondered as Brock and Remy chuckled.

  “What the hell is mauve?” Phillipe asked.

  “Hell if I know,” Jules answered. “But apparently it’s the color of my tie for the wedding.”

  “Well, it sounds like you’re in good spirits and everything is under control. Brock, how’s Gia doing?”

  “You saw her at the party, all smiles and rosy cheeks,” he sighed. “That’ll last another week or two and then it’s going to be nothing but complaining. Swollen ankles, can’t see if her shoes match her outfit, shoes not fitting, nothing fitting.”

  “And this is why I don’t want kids,” Jane said.

  “How does Bryce feel about that?” Jules asked.

  “Until he proposes, or something, I don’t think he gets a say,” Jane replied.

  “Jules,” Remy said. “Stop harassing Jane or she’s going to go furry and kick your sorry ass from here to Sunday.”

  Jules was grinning. “Yes sir!” Of course they all knew that in bear form Jane was about half the size of Jules.

  “I’ll swing by one day,” Tara said. “I’ll bring her a little home-spa basket and we’ll chat girl stuff until she forgets her discomfort, for a while.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” Brock said.

  “That’s not going to get in the way of planning your wedding?” Jules asked.

  “Oh, Gia will love to help pick out table centers or whatever,” Brock said. “If we could get married twice she’d be all over that.”

  “Phillipe, anything to report on your end?”

  “Work is fine, bills are being paid, Mom called today, told me to say hi to everyone, and everything is fine with our friendly neighborhood wolf pack.” It was a half lie buried in a pile of truth and Phillipe hoped it would slip past his clan chief. He didn’t want to answer any questions tonight.

  “Good to hear. Last thing before we shift then. Brock must announce his plans to run for another term as mayor, or to step down at the end of the term, and the announcement must be made in the next fourteen days or it will be a moot point and he’ll lose the option of running again.”

  “How does Gia feel about all this?” Jules said. “That lady has some strong opinions.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Brock said. “On the one hand, she loves managing my company for me, and I travel less as mayor, so that would keep me close to home for another four years. On the other hand, she’s tired of me being called away at all hours and answering pressing phone calls and e-mails.”

  “Will that change when you go back to being CEO?” Remy asked. “You were a workaholic before the election.”

  “I was a workaholic before Gia,” Brock replied. “At least as CEO I can put my foot down and turn my phone off and make my own damn hours. No evening press conferences or special appearances unless I want them.”

  “It would mean a different sort of spot light on the clan,” Remy said. “You’re publicly out, people are going to pay attention to you whether you’re in business or in politics – but business might be less messy. And you worked out your full term, or are planning to. So it’s not like the Human Order chased you out of office.”

  The debate went back and forth for a while with everyone except Phillipe putting in their two cents on the matter. Phillipe just sat back and watched. He didn’t want to say anything because he was hoping none of this would even pertain to him in a few months. But he didn’t want to say anything about moving until it was closer to being a sure thing.

  “Okay, that gives me plenty to think about,” Brock said. “Remy, is this a choice I can freely make, on my own?”

  What he was really asking was ‘do I need to run my choice past you before announcing it?’ and ‘is there a choice you’d rather I not make?’

  Remy nodded. “This is your choice. Whatever you decide the clan will back you and we’ll deal with whatever consequences come of it as they come. Now, is there anything else?” No one spoke up. “Then it’s time. I can feel the moon calling and we’ve already waited longer than we should have.”

  They fanned out, piling their clothes on chairs. They could all feel it, the tug deep inside. It got worse if they tried to resist it on the night of the full moon. Phillipe had heard his clan mates, and Patrick’s family, talk about shifting as something enjoyable, a release even, from the stress of human life. For him there was nothing special or particularly deep about the experience. He changed shape, that was all. He plodded through one existence much the same as he plodded through life, just waiting for each task to be over so he could move on.

  He found a barrel that smelled of food and rolled it away from the others. He didn’t feel like wrestling for it tonight. He pried the top off and settled down to enjoy his meal. Behind him the others talked, as much as bears could talk, and scuffled with each other. He ignored them.

  When the moon was low enough in the sky that its power waned, they started shifting back. He waited for them to start, not wanting to draw attention to himself by being the first, and then shifted back. He dressed with his back to them.

  He was checking his phone for messages when Jane touched his shoulder. He looked down at her.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Fine, why?”

  “You just seemed a little stand-ofish tonight.”

  He shrugged. “Just work. No problems, just a lot of dealing with people, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know. Take care, okay?”

  He nodded. “Sure thing. G’night.” He turned and walked away. It used to be that the two of them poked at each other until they were casually swearing at each other, but after she lied to him about the werebear she had stashed in her apartment, covering her lie with a rant about how he and the rest of the clan weren’t respecting her, the friendship between them had become strained.

  He wasn’t sure he missed it. He was just going to have to say good bye anyway.

  Brigid rushed home from the university. It was still early enough that there wasn’t too much traffic or too many delays, but she knew she’d still be the last one ready. Everyone else in the house had jobs which meant they could schedule days off – university lectures went on with or without her, and with exams getting close she couldn’t afford to miss class.

  She parked the car and dashed inside. “It’ll take me two minutes to change!” she called as she passed the kitchen. Her mom was pulling a roast out of the oven.

  “Hurry dear, I could use some help with the food.”

  “Where’s Michelle?”

  “Already down at the center.”

  Brigid changed and ran a brush through her hair and joined her mom in the kitchen. She knew better than to argue, especially on a full moon. There was too much to do to waste time arguing. The pack was waiting. But oh, she felt like arguing, she felt like yelling at her mother. After all, her schooling was important so why wasn’t Michelle home helping with the goddamn food?

  She took a deep breath. Calm down Brigid, you know it’s just because you’re running short.

  While her mom worked on the roast, she packed the pies and focused on smiling. Patrick came in with their father and they loaded everything into the family van.

  “We could take our own cars,” Patrick said as he buckled into the backseat.

  “Nonsense, this saves on fuel and space for parking,” Katherine said. “We don’t mind driving you.”

  Brigid and Patrick exchanged a look but said nothing.

  The building where the wolf pack met was nearly triple the size of the bear clan’s warehouse. Of course the pack was twice the size of the clan and wolves needed a lot more room to run. The place was already busy with people setting up tables and chairs and putting out food. They had a huge potluck dinner every full moon, and each family was responsible for a part of the meal.

&n
bsp; Human spouses and children, sometimes even grown children, were welcome to join the pack for the meal and the meeting that was held at the same time. Brigid and Patrick quickly found pack mates their age to sit with so they wouldn’t have to put up with their parents for a few hours.

  Dinner was always the same: roast, meatballs, kielbasa sausage, perogies, potatoes, salad, steamed veggies, garlic bread, and a broccoli and pasta salad. They had pie and cupcakes for dessert. Always the same, every month, with the same people making the same dishes to bring.

  Brigid didn’t mind. She enjoyed the food and the familiarity, even if her parents and their friends were constantly trying to set her up with ‘nice young men’. Patrick didn’t agree with her, she’d heard him complain more than once. All this community and tradition was wearing on him.

  Everyone was invited to share during the meal anything that put the pack at risk, rumors of the Human Order, concerns, or triumphs, anything they felt like sharing. Patrick stared at his plate the whole time, not even joining in the applause when the Alpha’s daughter announced her engagement.

  After dinner, Brigid volunteered to help tidy up. They had to move quickly since the sun was already setting and they would soon need to shift. In the kitchen she bumped into her second cousin, Julie. Julie was nineteen and had gone through a rough time a few years earlier when she hadn’t made the change to wolf. She seemed to be doing better now and she was giggling with a young man Brigid had never seen before.

  “Hey Julie, who’s this?”

  “Oh, this is my boyfriend, Victor.”

  “Boyfriend? Must be serious.”

  She giggled. “Definitely.”

  Victor held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to turn around and out anyone. I know most of you keep this whole shifter thing secret.”

  “Thanks,” Brigid said, accepting the out stretched hand.

  “Well,” Julie said. “We should go. We’re taking some of the little ones to Sylvie’s place for the evening, going to throw a movie on.”

  “Okay, have fun.”

  “As long as it’s not Frozen,” Victor said. “I could go a lifetime of not seeing that movie again.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Julie said.

  He kissed her, and Brigid turned away, blushing. She wandered back out for another load of paper plates as people were packing up and the werewolves were setting up for the shift. It was busy and homey; everyone had their job, their role to play. She liked this place, liked her pack, but she was lonely. She did her best to hide it because she didn’t want her mom and the pack busy-bodies trying to set her up on dates, but seeing Julie with Victor made her heart heavy.

  She’d dated on and off since high school. She had her first semi-serious boyfriend at fifteen and best friend at the time had said, “You have the best parents ever, mine won’t let me date until I’m seventeen.” It hadn’t stopped her friend, but she’d had to keep it on the low down and she got in trouble every time she got caught even phoning a boy. No, my parents never had a problem with boys or dating. Wolves are too communal, too interested in family and extended family, to put limits like that on anyone.

  Lately she’d been between relationships more often, and for longer than she’d been in relationships. She was wolf as much as she was human, and she didn’t like being alone, but she was tired of passing fancies and random flings. She was in her mid-twenties. She wanted to settle down and be comfortable with someone.

  Someone like Phil maybe. She paused, hands full of plates and forks. Now where did that thought come from? Phil is Patrick’s friend and you know how Patty is about you flirting with his friends. And besides, Phil’s a bear. No one would bat an eye at you dating or marrying a human, but a werebear? It’s never been done. And he’s not interested, so what does it matter? She dumped the plates, ignoring the way Victor and Julie whispered and giggled together in the kitchen.

  When the cleanup was done, and the human family members had left, the werewolves gathered with their Alpha, Louis, and his wife, Sylvie. All the talking had been done during dinner so all that was left was to undress and shift.

  Brigid shifted quickly, not because she was embarrassed, but because life was simpler as a wolf and she needed that distance from her momentary confusion. She stood on all fours and sneezed. All around her pack mates where shaking and snuffling and rolling, trying to rub the last of the tingles out.

  She followed a group of wolves deeper into the building at an easy lope that brought them quickly to the other end of the building. The front wolf stopped short and the next one barreled into him. Soon there was a pile of wolves rolling around on the floor, play fighting. Brigid had stopped in time and stood back watching them, her tongue hanging out in a wolfish grin.

  The pile shifted over and someone rolled into her. She bent down with a mock growl and leaped into the pile. The building was full of so many sounds: howling, yipping, barking, growling, toenails on tile or cement, bodies hitting walls and floors as they wrestled.

  Brigid escaped the pile, shook herself off, and went in search of other fun. Like the werebears, they hid meat all around the space, so she followed her nose and wound up wrestling someone, she thought it was one of the Wilson boys, for a steak. They ended up ripping it in half and retreating to their separate corners to devour their prize.

  With the food gone, Brigid went off again. The whole evening was like this, going from wrestling match to race to chasing game to food. Somewhere near the pile of clothing a few of the wolves were napping in a pile, noses tucked beneath tails. Brigid stopped, contemplating if she wanted to join them, but someone bowled into her, sending her tumbling.

  Two more wolves came up, obviously chasing the one that had hit her. They were older than her and this one, quivering at her side, much younger. Brigid stood, placing herself between them and their target. She pulled her lips back, bracing herself.

  They eyed her, sizing her up, and then moved into position to intimidate her. She knew she couldn’t hold them both off.

  Two young wolves barreled past, racing between Brigid and the other two wolves, oblivious to what was happening. They circled a few times, yipping and playing, and then took off again. It was enough to diffuse the situation and the two wolves walked off, their body language conveying boredom and arrogance.

  Brigid nudged the young wolf to her feet and walked her to the pile of sleeping wolves. Here she would be safe, protected by the elders of the pack with the other younger ones ran wild. Brigid was too restless now to lie down so she took off again, hoping to run off her restlessness.

  When dawn neared, they all returned to the front and shifted back, dressing quickly. She looked around for the three whom she’d stared down but couldn’t place them. Most of the wolves in her generation were grouped together in small bunches. She shrugged. So a game got out of hand. No one got hurt. I’m not even sure who I was protecting. If it happens again I’ll look into it more.

  Patrick was sitting on the front steps staring at his phone when Phillipe pulled up to the curb. There were already two cars in the driveway which meant the whole family was home. Patrick sitting on the step was another good indicator of a full house.

  “How bad?” Phillipe asked as he crossed the lawn.

  Patrick shrugged, not looking up. “The usual. Michelle’s outgoing and charming and successful and seeing this wonderful guy. Brigid is so fucking brilliant I could puke. And I’m the sullen failure. Why don’t I just ... I’m not even sure what they’re suggesting now, but I know it’s not something I want to do.”

  And that was the heart of their friendship. Their parents looked at them and saw failures, looked at them and tried to change them, to ‘guide’ them. Patrick’s parents at least gave him enough privacy that he had been able to stomach living at home, but Phillipe knew how close his friend was to walking out. We’re both ready. Just a few more months and we’re out of here.

  “Well then let’s get out of here. Jason
’ll be pissed if we’re late for the LAN party tonight.”

  “You have to go inside first,” Patrick said.

  “Why?”

  “Mom wants to talk to you about that dinner.”

  “Okay. I’ll make it quick. Get your shit in the car.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  Chapter 3

  Katherine always cooked a lot of food, her entire family were shapeshifters, after all, and they tended to eat more than average. Now with Phillipe coming over for dinner it looked like Christmas dinner for twelve in her kitchen even though it was the last week of November. She put the finishing touches on the ham, sliced it, and snuck it into the last available spot on the table, which she’d covered with one of the nice table cloths. She surveyed her work: ham, buns, salad, vegetables and pasta in cheese sauce, and meatballs. If she had left overs for work tomorrow, she’d be lucky.

  The doorbell rang and she hollered, “Someone grab that,” as she reached for the stack of plates waiting to be set out.

  Brigid heard the doorbell too and set her text book aside. She stretched and hollered back, “I’ve got it.” Phillipe was Patrick’s friend but Patrick probably had his headphones on again, or he was in the shower. Seems like he never hears anyone hollering for anything these days, she thought. She opened the door and found herself staring at a broad, muscular chest. Her heart fluttered and her gaze lazily made its way up to his face. “You made it,” she said.

  He was smiling down at her. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “I wasn’t sure since it took you forever to get your butt down here.”

  “A month isn’t forever. We’ve all been busy.”

  “Tell me about it. Mid-terms are just around the corner.”

  “Smells delicious in here.”

  “Be sure to tell Mom that. She’s been worrying over dinner all afternoon.”

  “She didn’t have to do anything fancy.”

  “I tried telling her that but you’re company, so…” she shrugged. She stepped back and let him in.