Chapter Text
Neil wanted to scream when Andrew told him no horses. He wanted to scream when Andrew told him no guns. He wanted to light Andrew on fire for not taking him straight to his boy after tellin' him he was hurt bad.
Instead, he followed Andrew on foot through the woods and tried and failed to listen as Andrew spoke. His mind just kept going in circles of Jeremy's hurt. Bad. Jeremy's hurt. Bad. You weren't there for him, you didn't keep him safe, you don't keep anyone safe, long wolf howl, Jeremy's hurt. Bad.
"Neil. Neil. I can't take you to him until I know you understand."
"I understand," Neil lied instantly, but Andrew shook his head and grabbed his jaw, squeezing harder than he'd ever been with Neil before.
"Listen to me, Neil," he snapped. "I'm putting a lot of people at risk right now, so if you don't listen, I'm not letting you see him."
Fury exploded and spread up inside Neil 'til it spilled out like lava and he shoved Andrew and swore viciously. "You try to keep me from my boy and I'll kill you, Andrew," he threatened, but aside from two stumbling steps backward, Andrew was unmoved.
"If you don't convince me you're not a threat to him, killing me is the only way you'd have a chance at seeing him," he answered, jaw clenched and eyes hard. "Now shut the hell up, and listen to me." Nothing about him seemed vulnerable, despite the complete nudity he hadn't even pretended to mind or the copious amounts of blood covering his body, especially his face. Initially, it had distracted and worried Neil. Now, he couldn't think about how it happened; he was too busy fighting off mental images of Jeremy looking similar. What happened? How did he get hurt? Why was Andrew taking him into the woods when surely Jeremy was still at the farm?
"I ain't never been a threat to those kids, and fuck you for thinkin' otherwise," he seethed.
Andrew's face morphed into a plea, and he begged, "Listen to me, Neil. Just listen. He needs you, but you have to understand, first."
Neil's breath came in fast and he clenched his jaw to keep his mouth closed and nodded. Andrew looking so desperate was shocking enough to Neil that it calmed his anger. His words were an additional balm. Neil needed to focus. Andrew wouldn't do anything to put Jeremy in danger. He wouldn't do anything to hurt Neil. He just needed to listen. Andrew continued walking and he started all over again. Neil forced his mind to focus on Andrew's words as his feet followed.
"You told me once that your dad was afraid of wolves." Neil looked up at Andrew and frowned. "And that he hunted wolves when you were a kid, and that wolves aren't native to the area anymore." Neil nodded and Andrew swallowed and stopped to put a hand out to point out a big root that Neil would've tripped over.
"All those things are true." Neil felt his body grow cold and wondered where in the world Andrew was going with this.
Andrew took a deep breath and his voice almost shook as he said, "But he wasn't hunting regular wolves. He was hunting werewolves."
Neil paused and looked at Andrew. A small, tiny part of his brain sang that it made sense, but the rest of him felt like clawing Andrew's face right off his head. "If this is your idea of some kinda joke, Andrew, it ain't funny," he said in a trembling voice. He weren't sure if it were in anger or fear.
Andrew shook his head. "It's not a joke, Neil," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
Neil stared at Andrew, at the way his eyes flashed in the dim light of of a waning gibbous moon, and thought of the amber eyes on that big wolf on his porch those months ago. "Werewolves ain't real," he whispered as he thought about the special bullets in his gun, left back by the goat barn, and in the other guns around the house. He thought about the moon shinin' bright on the farm as he double-checked the house was all locked up every time they had a lockdown night. He thought about how Andrew was gone for every single one of 'em, and how he never said he weren't dangerous, just not a danger to them. Neil thought about the way the friendly barn cats never cared for Andrew, even if the discerning, choosy dogs liked 'im just fine.
"They are."
Neil looked at Andrew's face again. "So what," he spat, "you tellin' me you're some — some half-dog?"
Andrew swallowed and took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf, yes," he said.
Neil's mouth dropped open. For all that he had guessed it, he ain't thought Andrew would say yes. "That wolf…" He breathed.
Andrew nodded. "Yes. That was me, on your porch. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have come that close. I just wanted to be near, but I lost track of time. I shouldn't have —"
"And when you was in my horse barn?"
Andrew huffed. "Listen, we can go all over these smaller details later, but we really should get to the important stuff, okay?"
Neil swallowed. His kid needed him. "Alright," he agreed.
"What's important to know is that werewolves are real, and I am a werewolf, and I wanted to tell you for a long time, but I'm — not the only one, so —"
"Aaron's one too, ain't he," Neil interrupted, and Andrew froze. "And — I'm guessin' some or all of Coach's…family."
Andrew grinded his teeth and waved Neil onward. "Let's keep going," he said, and continued to walk. "I need to show you something."
Neil followed him on and Andrew continued talking. "Werewolves aren't inherently dangerous, okay? If you have a pack, and your alpha is a good one, you're fine."
"An alpha."
"Yes, like a leader of the p—"
"I ain't dumb, Andrew; I know what an alpha is."
"Right. Anyways… When you have a good leader, and you have a…a tether, you're fine. A tether is a connection we use to keep us in touch with our human side. It can be pretty much anything, and it can change. But if you lose either, it can be difficult to hold on to that humanity. That's when we're dangerous."
"You're joining' Coach's pack," Neil realized. He remembered Coach telling him Andrew and Aaron were here to see is "family life" was for them. He frowned. "You and Aaron. Y'all ain't already got a pack?" Neil put it all together and started pickin' up what Andrew was puttin' down. Without a pack, were Andrew and Aaron dangerous? "Andrew, what's happened to my boy?"
"We have a pack," Andrew rushed out. "We are a pack. It's me and Aaron, and used to be Nicky, before he came back here. We moved here to be with Nicky again once Aaron got a spot at the hospital close by. We've been here to see if we wanted to join the pack, instead of staying just the two of us. Neil, before I tell you anything else, I really need to know where your head's at right now."
But Neil couldn't think past Jeremy. "If one of you hurt Jeremy…" he trailed off, and Andrew shook his head.
"No! No, god no. Aaron and Abby are with him right now, and —"
"He needs medical attention?!" Neil shouted.
"Neil, I swear, he's okay. He's hurt, and it's pretty severe, but they've got him, okay? I need you to take a breath and trust me. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to him."
"But somethin' already did, Andrew, and it sounds like it was y'all's fault!" Neil exploded.
Andrew winced. "It wasn't," he argued, but there was no conviction to it. "It was an omega — a feral one, and —"
"The fuck is an omega, Andrew?" Neil all but shouted.
"I'm trying to tell you! An omega is a wolf that doesn't have an alpha. No pack. And while, sure, wolves can be okay for a while without a pack, it's not great. But as long as they have a tether, it's alright. When you lose your tether, though, if you don't commit to a new one, you start to lose yourself. You go feral. Think of it sort of like rabies, except rabies itself will kill you from dehydration eventually. When you're feral, you're just feral until you get taken out by something."
Neil covered his mouth to keep a sob inside it. He took a breath, swallowed it down, and then asked, "Are you — you tellin' me a rabid — a feral werewolf hurt my boy?"
Andrew stumbled, and then continued walking. "Yes," he affirmed, and the pure venom in his voice sent shivers down Neil's spine. For the first time, Neil believed Andrew was dangerous. "A wolf who was, we're pretty sure, the last of a pack your dad nearly wiped out completely. A large pack, that used to live here, when you were a kid."
Neil swallowed. "Where is the…wolf now?" He asked, needing to make sure the thing that hurt Jeremy was dead, a threat eliminated.
Andrew took a few more steps, then nodded on ahead. "Right over there, by that tree," he said quietly.
- - -
Neil sprinted before he even looked. He saw a lump of fur on the ground and raced straight to it, not knowing if it was alive or dead, and not caring. He didn't try to be sneaky — he didn't have anything but the knife clipped to his boot, anyway, since Andrew insisted no guns (which now maybe made sense, Neil thought wryly), so sneaking wasn't worth it. He grabbed that knife without faltering for a second in his stride and plunged it straight into the body of the massive wolf, his own body crashing into it as well when he couldn't stop his momentum. With a wordless cry, he pulled the knife out and stabbed the creature again, and he did it again and again, screaming as he did. He stabbed the animal until he was exhausted, all of his rage and fear and adrenaline burned out. The animal never moved, clearly long-dead, and blood seeped from its body as Neil sobbed and cried against it. He felt Andrew standing behind him silently, and when the emotion had drained out of him completely, Neil dropped the knife to the ground and sniffed.
- - -
"Where's my boy, Andrew." It weren't a question, and Neil didn't phrase it like one.
Andrew crouched down beside him. "I have to tell you something important, first."
Neil turned around and looked at Andrew, and whatever his face looked like seemed to hit Andrew like a freight train. He jerked forward, then held himself back at the last moment. The censorship hurt, and Neil couldn't help but make a sound at it, but though Andrew closed his eyes with a pained expression, he didn't move.
"One thing you need to know about werewolves is that our bite is…contagious, I guess. I mean — when we're wolves," he added, gesturing to the very, very dead body behind Neil. "If we bite someone as a wolf, and they survive, they — they're going to turn into a werewolf, too."
Neil's breath caught. "O— okay," he nodded, blinking rapidly. "Okay. So — Oh. He… he got bit, then, didn't he," he guessed, dread growing in his stomach. He swallowed it down and nodded to himself some more. Andrew swallowed tightly. Neil controlled his breathing, thoughts racing as he tried to make everything be okay, tried to figure out how to fit his new life together. As long as it included all his kids and Andrew, Neil didn't care if some of them — if they were— if they… "Okay. That's — that's alright. So, he'll be a…a werewolf. And your pack can accept him, and give him an alpha, and show him how to make a, um, a tether, and he'll be alright. He can be okay." Neil looked at Andrew, begging with his eyes. "He'll be okay, Andrew, won't he?"
Andrew nodded. His eyes were clouded by emotions Neil couldn't read, but he didn't make Neil wait for his confirmation. "Right," Andrew reassured him. "He'll be okay, Neil. Abby and Aaron are positive. But he's going to be a werewolf. I just…wanted to prepare you for that. To make sure that you, you know. Would be…"
Neil frowned when Andrew trailed off, and impatiently snapped, "Make sure I'm what?"
Andrew screwed up his face and huffed, "That you don't want to kill us, Neil."
Neil's stomach bottomed out and the breath in his lungs couldn't leave his body fast enough. He physically recoiled from Andrew. Hollowly, he asked, "…What?"
Andrew swallowed and looked away. "I believe that you wouldn't. I know you're not your father, and I know you hated everything about him. I wasn't ever worried. …But you were very afraid of me when I was on your porch. And if your fear of wolves could lead you to hurt one or all of us…" he shrugged. "Then I won't let you anywhere near them. Especially Jeremy."
Neil felt like he'd been sucker-punched in the gut. How could… Neil licked his lips. In a trembling voice, he desperately fought to keep an even keel and lost at damn near every word. "Coach promised a long time ago I wouldn't have no problems from his family, long as they didn't get no problems from me. And as — as long as it ain't y'all's fault that wolf come here and hurt Jeremy, it still stands. From where I'm stand in', it sounds like it weren't." He took a breath and admitted, "I can't believe… It hurts real bad you'd think even for a second I'd hurt Jeremy just 'cause'... Or you, or the rest of y'all. Like that ain't my kid. Like you ain't my sweetheart. Like y'all ain't been at my house damn near every other night for…" The hurt choked him up and gave him that bruised feeling in the back of his throat. His nose felt hot, and his eyes burned. The lack of trust cut deep.
"Neil," Andrew murmured, but Neil just stood. He wiped his nose on his arm and didn't meet Andrew's eyes.
"Take me to my son, Andrew," he demanded quietly. He held out the knife, handle-first. "Take this," he added when Andrew sighed and stood up. "It's all I got on me. You know, so you don't think I'll cut my boy's throat right open as he heals from a feral dog bite."
Andrew swallowed, but silently took the knife, and then he said, "Come on. I'll take you to him."
They walked in mostly silence not to the mansion, as Neil reckoned they'd go to, but to a small little hunting shack on Wymack's property Neil'd only seen in passing once and thought abandoned. It looked abandoned, that was for certain.
Andrew told him he'd carried Jeremy there — apparently, he was much faster when he wasn't walkin' at a human's pace, and also grew stronger the closer the full moon got — and then run all the way back to Neil's farm to get him. At some point, he'd shifted into a wolf's form, and that was why he was naked as the day he was born. "They'll have some spare clothes inside," he told Neil, as if Neil cared a lick for it. All he was worried about was Jeremy.
When they came upon the little cabin, Wymack come outside and put his hands up.
"David," Andrew warned, but Coach still tried to talk to Neil first.
"Neil, hold on —"
"I don't care that you got a tail, Coach, and I don't care that I don't got a weapon on me. You best move outta my way right now so I can get to my kid, or so help me god, I will do my damnedest to hurt you." Wymack looked to Andrew, then back to Neil, who was prepared to fight to the death, and then he sighed and backed away.
"He looks a lot worse than he is," Coach warned him. "Like Andrew, here." But Neil didn't care. He walked through the door and immediately saw Jeremy on the bed.
Coach was right: he looked awful. Jeremy's hair was matted to his head by sweat, leaves, dirt, and a little blood. His skin was pallid, his breathing a little shallow as he rested. His shirt had been taken off, and he was covered in injuries varying from minor to severe-looking, and blood covered his side from a giant bite that looked frightfully familiar to Neil. He glanced back and saw the several bite marks on Andrew's torso, then looked up and met his eyes. Andrew swallowed and nodded, answering Neil's unspoken question. Yes, he'd been bitten by werewolves, too, even though he was one. Before Neil could even think to open his mouth, Andrew turned away and grabbed clothes from a shelf in the corner of the room.
Neil pushed past Miss Abby and brushed his hand over Jeremy's face, heart in his throat. "Is he awake?" He asked quietly, but Miss Abby shook her head.
"Not yet, but it's just a waiting game at this point. He's going to be okay."
Neil swallowed. He looked between her, Jeremy, and Aaron, who by then had moved to talk quietly to Andrew, and his words came out scratchy and uneven as he said, "Thank y'all for savin' him." Emotion was heavy in his chest and stomach and throat as he imagined his boy in pain, probably scared, and definitely confused. He would never be able to thank them enough for saving Jeremy.
Miss Abby's face softened even more and she smiled quietly at him. "Oh, honey, that wasn't us. Andrew —"
"Abby." Andrew's curt voice had her smile faltering as she looked over at him, confused.
Neil looked between the two and frowned. "What?" He asked. "What?" He demanded when nobody said anything. Neil grabbed Jeremy's hand gently and waited, staring at Andrew.
When Andrew said nothing, Aaron spoke up. "Andrew killed the wolf who bit him."
Neil blinked. "What?" He asked stupidly.
"Aaron," Andrew's tone brooked no argument, but Coach piped up instead. Neil assumed he must be the alpha of the pack, since when he started talking, Andrew just sighed.
"I realized something was off," Coach told Neil from the doorway. "I called everyone to go check it out, told Andrew to stay close to your property like he always does. He let us know Jeremy was missing, that he had to find him first, and then he'd be right out." The older man sighed and looked to his player on the bed. Neil followed his gaze and rubbed his thumb over Jeremy's fingers. "Aaron found Jeremy by accident. He was upwind, so he didn't smell him, and when Jeremy saw him…"
Neil thought about how big Andrew was as a wolf. If he'd never seen them before, it would've been terrifying. Hell, he had been terrified. Neil swallowed hard. "He must'a been so scared," he whispered. His lip quivered and his eyes stung, but he clenched his jaw and forced himself to breathe.
Coach nodded, and Aaron looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry," he said, quietly but clearly. "We had no idea Jeremy was past your property, and senses are so much stronger as wolves; I —" Andrew put a hand on his shoulder, squeezed, and let go. Neil said nothing.
Coach carried on. "He was scared, understandably. He ran, and Aaron didn't want to make him think he was being chased, so he circled around, trying to keep an eye on him without being seen, himself. Naturally, he let Andrew know."
"The howl," Neil realized. Finally, he remembered the kids, alone in the house he'd left and not returned to for so long. "Oh my god, I need to call the house."
Miss Abby immediately handed her cellphone over to Neil.
Laila picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"
"Laila, it's me," Neil answered, and she breathed out, "Oh, thank the stars."
"Are you guys okay?"
"We're alright, just, you know. Nervous. What's goin' on?"
"Everythin's alright, I just wanted to make sure y'all was okay."
"Yessir, we're alright, but Neil, Jeremy still ain't come back yet."
"I know; he's with me," Neil said. And then he told a blatant lie to his kids for the first time ever. "He banged hisself in the dark, so we had to take him up to see Aaron and Miss Abby. It was slow goin', gettin' up the hill. Sorry I ain't called earlier."
"Oh no! He gonna be alright?"
"'Course," Neil reassured her. "He'll be right as rain in no time. We might stay the night up here, just to keep an eye on 'im, make sure he ain't hit his head or nothin' though. Y'all lock up and go on to bed, alright? I'll call again if I got any updates."
"Oh. Um, alright…" The hesitant fear in her voice made Neil swallow thickly.
"Laila?"
"Yeah?"
"Y'all gonna be alright without me for the night?"
There was a long pause, and Neil closed his eyes. Fuck, his kids really did love him and trust him to keep them safe.
"Um… I — I think so," she responded. "Yeah. Yessir. We'll be alright. You — you stay with Jere, and I'll handle everything here. Don't you worry none."
"I ain't worried if you got it handled," he reassured her. "You're in charge, alright? Tell the others. I'll call 'fore I come back, just so you don't shoot me for breakin' in," he added in a teasing tone, hoping to lighten the mood.
It worked well enough, for she giggled a bit. "I ain't gonna shoot you," she scolded, though there was still a bit of laughter in her voice when she did. "Y'all be safe."
"Y'all, too." Neil looked down at Jeremy so he didn't have to look at anyone else, and the sight of his son made him emotional enough to call Laila's attention before he hung up. "Hey — I love you guys."
There was another pause, though not a very long one, and suddenly three voices were audible as they all said variations of, "Love you, too, Neil,"'s. Neil laughed and hung up, quietly thanking Miss Abby for her phone.
"Okay," he cleared his throat, and looked at Coach. "Thanks. Where were we?"
"The howl," Aaron sighed. "It was me. I was telling Andrew I found Jeremy. I didn't realize there was an omega nearby to hear it." He turned an apologetic expression to Neil. On a face so similar to Andrew's, it was almost heartbreaking and harrowing to see. "I didn't know, Neil, you have to believe me. I'm so sorry. I —"
"You was tryin'a keep 'im safe," Neil acknowledged. "I cain't blame you for that."
Coach spoke up next. "Andrew obviously came running, and when he saw the omega attacking Jeremy, he started fighting. He killed him, and as soon as Aaron said it would be okay to move him, brought Jeremy here."
"And you just — just left him here?" Neil asked, wondering if Jeremy had been awake during that. Sure, Coach would've been there, but the thought of his boy feelin' scared and hurt without one of his parents was horrific. Did anyone hold his hand? Did anyone push his hair outta his face and tell 'im he'd be okay? Did anyone tell jokes to distract him from the hurt?
"I didn't have a choice," Andrew finally spoke. His voice cracked, and it made Neil wonder if it hadn't been hard on him to leave Jeremy, too.
Andrew swallowed, then clenched his jaw as he made challenging eye contact with Neil. "The reason I haven't been allowed to tell you about all this is because of your father. We didn't know — or, the pack didn't have a way to know for sure if you would attack us. Remember, I was going to ask for that when I join the pack next week?" Neil nodded, and remembered that conversation with new eyes. "Well, I couldn't keep what happened to Jeremy from you, obviously, and I never would have no matter what. But I also had to make sure you didn't have issues with werewolves before bringing you to them. It's one thing to trust you with my life. I couldn't risk Jeremy's, and I wouldn't pull a doctor away from him to come and tell you what you only should've heard from me." His eyes begged Neil to understand.
And he did. When Neil looked into Andrew's eyes across the room, he didn't just see his sweetheart. He saw his kids' pa, who would risk his own life exposing himself to make sure his kid would stay safe. He saw his kids' pa, who would throw away his and Neil's relationship by keeping Neil away from Jeremy if it meant Neil would want to hurt his kid. It was his kids' pa, who made the choice to leave his hurt son to haul ass across Wymack's land so that son could stay in the hands of two doctors even though he wanted to stay with him. Neil swallowed tightly. He loved Andrew so much.
All at once, the reality of the last — what, hour? — came crashing down on him. He was so tired. His whole heart felt raw, exposed, frayed at the edges. He felt like he was falling apart.
"Andrew," his voice broke, and Andrew was there in a second, wrapping Neil up in his arms silently and squeezing him tight. At his touch, Neil broke all over again. He wrapped his arms around Andrew's strong shoulders, buried his face in his neck, and sobbed.
"I know," Andrew murmured to him. "I know." And he said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." And, "I'm here. I've got you, baby, I'm with you. You can let go."
The others came and went as the night wore on and early morning started to take over. Not Aaron or Miss Abby, though — they always stayed, taking turns resting on the small couch and checking on Jeremy. Andrew murmured tiredly at one point that he asked Matt to go on to the farm, just to be safe, and rest near the house out of view of the pups. Neil wondered if he'd always called the kids pups and it'd slipped past his noticing, or if it were a slip-up Andrew usually caught. Renee brought food and drinks to the cabin, as it didn't have none, and Neil realized he was thirsty as a dog in the desert when he finished his second water bottle in a minute and reached for a third. Neil stayed in Andrew's arms or touching him somehow, while also staying near or on the bed they had Jeremy resting in.
Sometimes, Jeremy thrashed like he were havin' a nightmare, and Neil itched to wake him up and soothe his fears, but Andrew held him fast and promised him it were normal for a bit wolf, and that his mind weren't havin' no nightmares. It was just the changin' in his body and blood and soul.
"Were you a bit wolf?" Neil asked at one point, touching the scars on his stomach.
Across the room, Aaron tensed noticeably, but Andrew stayed calm and shook his head. "Not in the way you're thinking," he said. "But…remember that guy I told you about, that day in the pasture?"
Neil nodded after a moment, remembering when Andrew told him about a teacher of his. Drake Spear, his name was. Neil had looked him up afterward and had been severely disappointed to discover him long dead. He'd deserved to suffer for what he done to Andrew, and a house fire just weren't enough suffering in Neil's opinion. Neil blinked. "He was a —"
"Yeah," Andrew nodded. He reached for his back pocket only to remember there were no cigarettes in these borrowed clothes, and huffed in irritation.
"Oh," Neil breathed. "I'm sorry."
Andrew shook his head shortly. "Don't be," he said flatly. "It doesn't help any."
"I know." Neil took his hand and held it. And they waited in quiet some more.
When the sun peeked up over the horizon, Neil borrowed Allison's phone to call home again. "Hey," he said softly when Jean picked up. "I's just callin' to check in and remind y'all that I'm up at Coach's place, so y'all'll have to do the chores without us this mornin'. Matt should be swingin' by soon, and I bet you could sweet talk 'im into helpin' if you feel like makin' extra breakfast."
"Is Jeremy okay?" Jean asked, voice small.
"He's alright," Neil said softly, lookin' over to where Jeremy was still sleepin'. "He's catchin' up on all the sleep Miss Abby wouldn't let 'im have last night. Y'all get through the night okay?"
"It was fine," Jean answered after lettin' out a relieved sigh.
"You get any sleep at all, kid?"
A sniffle. "No," he admitted. "All I could think about is how it's my fault he got hurt, and I ain't even got to say sorry yet."
"It ain't your fault," Neil corrected, a bit sharp. "It ain't your fault at all. It just happened. Don't you put this on your shoulders; it ain't your burden to bear. You hear me? Jeremy'll tell you the same thing when he gets back home."
Jean sniffled again and then said, "Yessir."
"Good. Y'all go on and get chores done, then. I'll be home later today at some point, but I'll call and check in if I get any updates for you, 'kay?"
"Yessir." There was a pause long enough that Neil thought he might've hung up, but then Jean said, "Love you."
Neil smiled. "I love you, too."
When he gave Allison back her phone, he sighed and let his head fall back. "These kids'll be the death of me, I reckon," he groaned.
Allison snorted. "That's why I never wanna have any pups of my own. Sounds terrible, always having to worry about other people. I mean, I have enough of that with the pack. But my pups? That I'm responsible for, because I had them? One day, I'll have Dan and Matt's, maybe Aaron's, maybe Kevin's, maybe Renee's. Why would I add more to that list, you know? No thanks. Plus, for now, I've got yours."
Neil snorted. "They ain't your pups, though."
But Allison just shrugged. "No, obviously, but they're Andrew's. At least, that's how he sees them. And he's pack. Or — about to be. The second he is, all of us are gonna officially feel that way for them, too." At Neil's confused expression, she snorted. "Pups in the pack are everyone's pups. When Dan pops out a bunch of pups for Matt, they'll legally and biologically be hers and Matt's, of course, but in the pack, they'll be just as much mine as hers. Just as much Andrew's, and David's, and Renee's. So, sure, Andrew isn't pack yet officially, and we all love your kids like they're our own anyway, but once Andrew and Aaron join the pack next week, you'll notice it. They'll feel like our pups."
Neil looked over at Andrew, who had finally passed out, and hummed thoughtfully.
Jeremy woke up just before lunch when Neil brushed hair away from his face. It was startlin' to see him wake up so roughly when as long as he'd known him, Jeremy had always been a gentle waker. This Jeremy woke up gaspin' like a fish outta water, wide-eyed and flailing. Andrew put himself between Jeremy and Neil and put his arms on Jeremy's shoulders, holding him back gently without pressin' him down.
"Jeremy — Jeremy, it's Neil! It's Neil and Andrew; it's just us. You're safe," Andrew reassured him, grunting as Jeremy fought the restrictive boundary.
"Jean," Jeremy rasped. "Where's — Jean?"
Neil's heart melted and he tapped on Andrew's arm to make him move. Andrew didn't actually remove himself as a barrier, but he did scoot on over to let Neil get closer. "He's alright, Jere," Neil soothed. "He's at home. He's safe, too."
Jeremy stared at Neil with all the hope in the world and asked, voice full of dread, "The wolf?"
Neil glanced at Andrew, then leaned forward and murmured, "That scary wolf is dead, alright? He's dead. Andrew got 'im, kept you safe. Jean is safe, too, at home. With Matt and the girls."
Jeremy started tryin' to speak, but his words came out garbled and hard to understand. Seconds later, his eyes fluttered closed and he went limp. Neil lurched forward, but Andrew held him back as Miss Abby, who'd woken once Jeremy woke up, moved forward to take vitals. "Totally normal," she promised Neil. "The transition really is rough on humans, and he'll sleep a lot for a while."
Neil brushed his cheek again and sighed. "Well," he sighed. "That was…intense."
"He needs to see him," Andrew muttered.
Neil knew who Andrew meant, but shook his head. "I ain't bringin' the kids over here," he insisted. "And I ain't lettin' them see Jeremy 'til he knows everything and — and decides if he wants to keep it quiet. Y'all gotta decide what's gonna happen, here."
Andrew nodded. "I know," he sighed. "I'll talk to the pack; we'll get it figured out. This is why David's only ever taken in adults before — easier to keep things to ourselves, I guess."
It made sense, but it struck fear in Neil's heart. "He's gonna accept Jeremy, though, right? Y'all ain't gonna leave him without a pack when he's just—"
"Never," Andrew growled, hand rubbing Neil's back. "He's my p— Everyone loves him. They will accept him. We'll make it happen. He will not be packless. Either the pack accepts him, or I don't join. It'll just be me and Jeremy if it needs to be."
Neil swallowed and nodded, and after his conversation with Allison earlier, he had caught what Andrew hadn't said. "Your, uh…pup?"
Andrew's hand stilled. He looked at Neil cautiously. "It's what we call our kids," he explained unnecessarily.
"I figured," Neil teased, lip twitching.
Andrew huffed. "You don't mind?"
"That you call 'em pups? I mean, I keep imaginin' you an' Aaron comin' outta your momma lookin' like a pair of golden retrievers, but…" he shrugged. "It don't bother me none."
Andrew rolled his eyes. "I meant that I see them that way," he explained, resuming the back rub. "Like they're…mine. I know it's just been you and them for a long time…"
Neil furrowed his brows. "Andrew, I told you if you wanted to be my sweetheart, you had to be their pa, too."
"Well, yes, but —"
"I wasn't playin' about that. Those kids look up to you. They need you. They love you."
Andrew swallowed and looked away, clenching his jaw. Neil leaned over and kissed his shoulder softly, then rested his head on it. No other words were said for along time.
Jeremy would be allowed to return home on Sunday, which was good, on account of Neil was pretty sure the walls in Coach's house all had dents from where he'd been bouncin' off 'em all day, ready to see Jean. They'd moved from the little hunting shack on Saturday evenin', and the move took such a toll on Jeremy that he passed out 'fore they even got him back in a bed. Andrew carried him to a room and stayed with him while Dan drove Neil home to announce the news and put eyes on his kids himself.
("Sorry for lying to you about catching the wolf a while back," she grinned as she drove.
"Aw, that's alright," he laughed. "I s'pose I'm glad you didn't kill or relocate 'im, after all.")
The kids all smothered Neil with hugs when he got there, and he laughed and apologized and comforted and talked for well over an hour. "He'll come home tomorrow, I reckon. I have a feelin' Aaron's only keepin' him tonight so's he can practice his doctor stuff. But he'll be tired, and prolly a little grouchy, so you cain't do all this with him when he comes home, alright?"
They all agreed to be more calm with him and when Neil noticed Jean wiping at his tears, he gave him an extra hug 'fore leavin' again. "Y'all want me to send Matt over to sleep on the couch tonight, or'd you rather be alone?"
The kids looked at each other and seemed to agree simultaneously. "We don't want 'im sleepin' over," Laila spoke up a little hesitantly. "It's only…he ain't you or Andrew, you know? He don't — we like 'im plenty, he's great, but —"
"But he ain't our daddy or our pa," Cat cut in, less tactful.
Neil laughed. "I understand," he promised.
"Oh, you won't tell 'im that, though, will you?" Laila fretted. "I don't wanna hurt his feelings."
"Matt would understand, I reckon," Neil insisted, "but you ain't gotta apologize for speakin' up when you got a boundary, 'specially not one about keepin' you feelin' safe. That bein' said," he finished when Laila still looked fit to be tied, "I won't tell 'im what you said. Alright?"
Relieved, Laila breathed, "Thanks, Neil, I 'preciate it." She leaned in and hugged him real tight 'fore he left.
Neil drove his own truck back up to the house on the hill despite knowin' that he'd be 'bout as useful as a screen door on a submarine. It didn't seem to bother Jeremy none, though, as he grinned when he saw him walk into the room.
He'd taken the news of his new…condition…about as well as Neil could've expected, and he was rather afraid of the comin' moon, and also afraid of hurtin' anyone. Despite now both bein' werewolves, Andrew and Jeremy were still fairly different in their ways. Jeremy and Neil listened, fascinated, as Andrew and Coach explained the differences between born and bit wolves.
Apparently, as a bit wolf rather than a born one, Jeremy couldn't shift whenever he wanted, only on the full moon. Apparently, silver bullets — the ones Coach had always insisted Neil keep loaded for his own peace of mind (which now seemed awful silly of him to Neil) — could kill Jeremy as a wolf, but any bullet could kill him as a human. He'd be more apt to growin' strength and speed and such, but he wouldn't ever get strong or fast as a born wolf. His senses were stronger now, but would be much stronger on the full moon when he was a wolf. He wouldn't be expected to follow all the cultural practices — because apparently, there were many — as a born wolf.
At this point, brought up by Coach, Andrew cleared his throat and thunked down a chunk of soft wood about as big as his palm on the bedside table. Everyone looked at it, and Aaron inhaled sharply but didn't say nothin'.
"Um," Jeremy started, but Coach spoke up.
"Andrew —"
"No pup of mine is going to go without," Andrew insisted sharply. Jeremy's eyes went wide and he stared at Andrew, then Neil. Neil smiled at him softly and nodded. "Explain it to him, David," Andrew demanded.
They all looked to Coach, who hid his smile and said, "Well. Born wolves are given a block of wood when they're pups, to carve wolves into them." Neil straightened in his chair, brushing against Andrew's arm as Coach continued talking. Andrew didn't look at him. "They can work on them as long as they like. But when they meet their soulmate, and they're sure that person is their soulmate, they give the wolf to them. It's symbolic: handing over the biggest piece of yourself, putting your wolf in their hands. It's a very serious matter."
"Oh, like the one Andrew gave Neil that he keeps above his door?" Jeremy asked, smilin' over at Neil and Andrew.
"The what?!" Nicky screeched over Jeremy's cooing.
"Aw, Pa, I ain't known y'all were soulmates!"
Andrew's ears were bright red when Neil turned to look at him, eyes wide. "We — soulmates?" He breathed.
Andrew nodded and hummed. "I told you I wanted to be around you," he shrugged, the fakest casual movement Neil ever did see.
Neil leaned harder against him and pressed their arms together tight. He wanted to tackle Andrew to the ground, maybe ravish him a little, but instead he just teased, "It's a helluva lot more serious-soundin' than 'sweetheart'."
But Andrew shrugged again. "Maybe," he acknowledged, "but to me — when it comes to you — it means the same." He smirked. "Plus, I like the way you say 'sweetheart'."
Neil wanted to kiss the hot blush right off his face, but as they were in a room full'a people, he refrained.
The next day, though, as Neil stood hand-in-hand with Andrew, he watched Jeremy walk up the porch steps. The other kids waited on the porch and Jeremy explained that he was a little sore in the ribs but otherwise okay, and then Cat broke first and hugged him. She was careful, and Jeremy laughed and hugged her back tight. Laila went next, and then everyone went quiet as Jean stepped forward.
Jean took another step forward and Jeremy smiled shyly. "Hey, Jean," he breathed. When Jean froze, he asked, "Any chance you wanna come over here and let me hug your neck?"
Jean slowly thawed and a hesitant smile grew. He took the remaining two steps and hugged Jeremy gently about the waist while Jeremy wrapped his arms around Jean's shoulder. They held on a long time, and Neil leaned his head on Andrew's shoulder as they watched like a real-life movie before their eyes. They whispered apologies and reassurances to each other, and Neil noticed Jean's hands tighten on the back of Jeremy's shirt.
Eventually, though, Andrew must've decided Jeremy was up too long. "I know you all want to talk with Jeremy," he spoke up, "but Jeremy really does need to rest."
They decided not to tell the kids anything for the moment, to give Jeremy time to adjust and get officially joining the pack out of the way in a few days. With that decision, the only thing left to do was to make a late lunch and eat supper together as a family for the first time since Friday morning. Jeremy sat next to Jean, even scooted his chair closer so their arms brushed each other any time one of them reached for anything, and the whole family had a blast watchin' Jean's face turn redder than a brand new fire truck.
It was decided by Andrew, Neil, and Jeremy that Jeremy would join the others at school the next day, and decided by Coach that evening when the pack came over for supper that he would not be joining the others on the court the next day. Jeremy tried to argue, but Coach gave him a look and Andrew gave him the same one at the same time. When Jeremy wilted under the weight of that gaze, Andrew then turned to Coach and stared him down. Right there at the table, said, "Don't do that again, David. Not yet."
"Okay, who wants to explain to me why all the horses are named the way they are?" Nicky cut in when the table got a little too quiet to feel normal.
Cat took the bait, leaving Laila and Jean to stare between Andrew and Wymack. Dan pulled Laila into a conversation, but Jean wouldn't be swayed. He murmured quietly to Jeremy, clearly a question of concern, but Jeremy only smiled at him and shook his head, sayin' something calming back. Jean relaxed just a bit when Jeremy nudged their shoulders together and said somethin' else with a hanger-mouth grin.
Later that night, after Andrew and Neil made a mess of the hay loft in the horse barn, Neil panted and traced fingertips along Andrew's stretch marks while Andrew scritched at Neil's scalp, where he was resting his head on Andrew's chest. "What was goin' on with Coach earlier?" Neil asked.
Andrew made a growly, grumbly sound and said, "It's an alpha's job to keep their pack in line. It's the pack's job to obey. David was using his power and strength as an alpha to get Jeremy to submit. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't like it."
Neil hummed. "How come? If he's gonna be your alpha anyway, right? Just a few days…"
Andrew nodded. "But he isn't yet. And…" He paused, and Neil kept his face down, hearing the embarrassment he was clearly struggling with. At long last, Andrew said, "I never thought I'd have pups."
Neil heard what Andrew wasn't saying: that he didn't want anyone else raising them. That he just got them and was reluctant to start sharing them. That he didn't like anyone imposin' their will on his pup.
Neil pressed a kiss to Andrew's chest. "You're a good pa," he whispered.
Andrew scoffed so loud it almost hurt Neil's ear, pressed up against Andrew's chest as he was. "I asked for almost anything other than 'Pa'," he complained.
"No, you said you'd rather the kids call you 'Sire' than Pa, and the kids said hell no," Neil laughed. "I ain't picked it; don't be cross with me. You was almost Momma."
Andrew made a strangled sound at that. "What, am I supposed to start tucking them in at night?"
Neil laughed so hard several of the horses startled.
A few days later, Andrew woke Neil up with soft fingers tracing up and down his belly under his sleep shirt. Neil took a deep, sleepy breath and exhaled contentedly, wiggling farther back against Andrew's body. He felt Andrew's hardness against his backside and made a pleased sound when Andrew's palm flattened gently against his tummy. Andrew rumbled against him and Neil leaned his head against the pillow when he felt Andrew's lips gently press up and down his neck. Andrew inhaled him deeply under the ears and rumbled some more.
"Mmm, better watch it," Neil mumbled with a sleepy smile. "You start wakin' me up like this and I'll get to struttin' around like a banty rooster." Neil only knew Andrew laughed 'cause he felt his chest shake against his back. It made him smile proudly anyhow, but he moaned quietly when Andrew started in on mouthing up and down his neck, fingers pressin' against his skin harder. Neil rolled his hips back against Andrew's length and bit his lip when Andrew grunted and pushed against him right back. "What's got you so randy this mornin'?" He breathed.
"Full moon tonight," Andrew rasped. "Brings it out in us."
It was like the lights in Neil's heart switched right off. He froze and sighed sadly. "Oh," he said, the word feelin' like it ached comin' out. "You just lovin' on me some 'fore you gotta go?"
Andrew hummed and kissed his neck chastely, reading the loss of Neil's mood. "Actually, I was thinking I might stick around until the kids get home from school."
Neil blinked. He looked over his shoulder and saw Andrew peering down at him, head propped up on his hand while his fingers stroked Neil's tummy like they was pluckin' guitar strings. "What?" Neil asked in surprise and not a little bit'a hope. He rolled over to face Andrew, their legs naturally tangling together while the hand Andrew'd had on his stomach slid easily to his back. "You — you're stayin'?"
Andrew shrugged, but Neil saw even in the early mornin' light that a blush was creepin' forward on his cheeks. "There's no need for me to leave. This close to the full moon, I sometimes get a little antsy, and I lose partial control of my form. That's why I always had to be gone during the day, too. It'd be weird if I suddenly grew a tail in front of you, don't you think? But…you already know everything; there's no need to hide it, now, right?" With that, he paused and then looked at Neil cautiously. "Unless you don't want me here, obviously. I would understand. I can —"
Neil lurched forward with an elated laugh, pushing Andrew onto his back as he pressed kisses to his mouth. Their cocks — Andrew's fully hard one, and Neil's gettin'-interested one — pressed together and brought out noises in both of them as Andrew pushed fingers into Neil's hair to steer his head just how he wanted it. "Of course, I want you here," Neil breathed, then groaned as Andrew's hand slid down to squeeze his backside.
"Fuck. Ah, Neil. We can't do this right now," Andrew groaned, and gripped his hips to still them.
"Okay," Neil accepted, stilling immediately. Disappointment made him ask, "How come?"
"Jeremy," Andrew reminded him. "His hearing's the best it's gonna get as a human today. If he's awake, he can definitely hear us."
Heat flooded Neil's face and Andrew snorted at him as he dropped his forehead to Andrew's shoulder and whined. "Why'd you let me jump on you like that?!" He accused, and Andrew huffed a laugh through his nose.
"I didn't expect you to attack me," he defended himself.
Neil groaned some more but rolled off of him, pushing their hips away from one another, and they both rolled to their sides and mirrored one another, heads propped up by their elbows. Andrew grabbed Neil's other hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing kisses to the thin skin coverin' Neil's veins, and then sniffed his wrist long and deep. "What d'you do that for, anyhow?"
Andrew hummed, kissing it again. "It's a scent gland," he explained. "You have others, all over your body: the crown of your head, your neck by your collarbone, behind your ear, behind your knee, your inner thighs." He rolled his eyes when Neil wiggled his brows up and down at him. "The arch of your foot, too. It's a wolf thing; scent is important to us. Your scent, in particular, is important to me."
"On account of me bein' your soulmate?" Neil asked, feeling smug and victorious.
"Yes."
Neil hummed and brought Andrew's wrist to his nose, too, and inhaled deeply. He damn near broke his nose, smashin' it against that wrist, but he didn't smell nothin' past Andrew's normal skin smell and the soap he used in the shower. "I got nothin', but at least you don't smell like wet dog," he teased.
Andrew showed his teeth and Neil did it right back at him 'fore he snorted and leaned forward to press a kiss to Andrew's lips real quick. "So, you gonna be lusty and anxious all day long, then?" He raised a brow. "I reckon you'll be about as useful as tits on a bull, then, huh?"
"No," Andrew answered, amused. "I usually just walk perimeters around the property today while you work. Scent the area. Keep an eye on you. Hunt while you eat lunch. That sort of thing."
"You mean you stick around?" Neil asked, surprised. "That's mighty dangerous," he commented. "What if I'd'a seen you?"
Andrew snorted. "You didn't, though," he pointed out. Before Neil could continue, he added, "I'm good at staying out of sight."
Neil snorted right back. "Sure, 'til you lose track'a time and stay a big, giant wolf on a man's front porch."
Andrew blushed. "Give me a break," he muttered, "it was my first moon knowing where my mate was. I had a really hard time with it."
Neil softened at that. "What about that first time?" He asked, remembering how they met. "How'd you get into my barn, anyhow?"
Andrew huffed at himself. "It was a loose board; I just pulled on it," he answered. "And I had gotten hurt. Stepped on what I'm pretty sure was a silver bullet casing. Something you must've fired previously out on the edge of your property at some point. It got lodged into my paw, and my instincts overruled reason. I just followed where my wolf brain told me I was safest and ended up here. But then I couldn't walk anymore, so…I had to shift back and hide, and hope it wasn't the wrong choice. Obviously, I hadn't realized my wolf was leading me to my mate."
"That's why you was so ill?" Neil breathed. "The — the silver?"
Andrew nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "It was a front paw — a hand," he held up his hand and showed Neil a scar just on the lower outside corner of his hand. It looked awful, even now. Like a serious burn. "It was lodged up in there pretty far, and I had to bite it out. It scarred me up pretty good, obviously, but I had to get it out; I couldn't wait for Aaron."
Neil felt guilt tear through him. "I'm gettin' rid'a those damn bullets today," he swore.
"Don't," Andrew shook his head. "Keep them. If a random wolf you don't know ever comes back this way, you need to be able to protect yourself, just in case anything's ever stopping me from doing it."
Neil didn't even like to think about it, but before he could answer, Andrew looked up at the ceiling. "Jeremy's awake," he said. He leaned forward and kissed Neil one last time, then patted his hip. "Let's start on breakfast."
They moved to the kitchen and met Jeremy there, and Neil let the kid ruffle his hair as he passed just 'cause he was taller than Neil, now. Turd. "How you feelin'?" He asked.
Jeremy shrugged. "Good, I guess," he answered. He made a face. "I heard you and Andrew smoochin' 'soon as I woke up. Gross," he said even though he was smiling fondly. Andrew popped him gently upside the back of the head. "Aw, I's just teasin', Pa," he whined, rubbing his head even though Neil knew Andrew hadn't hit him hard enough to hurt.
"No teasing about mates," Andrew intoned quietly.
"Oh, okay," Jeremy nodded. He turned back to Neil and added, "I feel like I got all this…pent-up energy I don't know what to do with." Slowly, he glanced at Andrew and admitted, "And I'm — I'm real nervous about tonight. Like, is it gonna hurt?"
Andrew looked him straight in the eyes and said, "It'll hurt tonight. The first shift is hard. But we'll all be there, if you want, or if you just want me and David, that's fine, too." He cleared his throat, then, and added, "Or, you know, if you'd rather just David, I'd und—"
"No," Jeremy said quickly, shaking his head. "No, I want you to be there. You won't — you'll stay with me, right? I can do it if you're there, I know I can."
Andrew swallowed tightly and Neil turned to the frying pan to give them a moment together without his nosy eyes on them.
"I'll stay," Andrew promised.
"Thanks," Jeremy blew out a big breath, not even realizing how much that request had meant to Andrew. He sat down and yawned as he waited, and Andrew moved to the coffee pot.
Neil looked over at him. "Should we keep Jeremy home from school today?"
Andrew considered Jeremy and then nodded. "Probably for the best," he admitted. "Not because he'll be in pain, or anything, but because he'll probably be anxious and antsy all day long. No point in causing problems at school. What do you think, Jeremy?"
Jeremy looked up and nodded, fighting off another yawn. "I agree," he said. "Plus, I'm tired as all get out. I reckon I could sleep another wink or two."
Neil nodded. "Alright," he said. "We'll have you pretend to feel off, though, or all the kids'll wanna stay home." He paused and then admitted, "I have no idea how I'm gonna convince the kids Jere's alright durin' a lockdown night with him not bein' in the house."
"I was thinking about that," Andrew nodded with a frown.
"I think we should tell them," Jeremy piped up. "A little bit, at least."
Andrew hummed and Neil listened quietly, as he ain't had a horse in the race. "Depends on what you're planning to say, I suppose," he acknowledged. "We can't tell them anything about the pack without the pack's permission, and since we're not pack until tonight, we can't exactly make requests like that until we are."
Jeremy chewed his lip thoughtfully and suggested, "Well, what if we only tell 'em about me 'fore I go out tonight? That — that we fibbed about last weekend, and I really got bit by a werewolf and that I'll be turnin' tonight? And — that Andrew's with me to make sure I'm okay?"
Andrew shrugged. "I'm okay with that," he nodded. "They don't need specifics for now, and if the pack says it's okay, then it's okay to tell them more after we're pack."
Neil nodded, satisfied, but Jeremy asked, "What about Jean?"
Andrew's lips twitched. "What about him?"
Jeremy blushed. "He — well, he's my mate."
"You're sure?" Andrew asked while Neil tried not to coo.
Jeremy nodded. "I'm sure," he said stubbornly. "Even now, I know where he is, that he's dreamin', that he wants me close."
Andrew hummed. "You'll need to work hard on your wolf, then, pup."
Jeremy nodded. "Can I see yours?" He asked hopefully.
Neil almost turned to go get it, but Andrew answered, "No." When Jeremy made a whining sound, he explained, "It shouldn't look like Neil's; it should look like Jean's. It should look like you. Tonight, after the ceremony, go sit in front of the water and look at yourself from every angle. Memorize how you look. Tomorrow, after you sleep it off, start your work on it. I can give you tips if you need."
Jeremy huffed. "Yessir," he said glumly.
When the kids came down with doin' farm chores, Neil made an exaggerated sound of concern. "Jeremy, you alright? You look like the north end of a southbound pig! You ain't gettin' sick, are you?"
Jeremy blinked sleepily at him and then Andrew. After a moment, he said, "Oh! Yeah, I'm…I'm wore slap out."
Laila, ever the mother hen, peered at him. "You do look a little green around the gills." Neil pressed his lips together so he didn't laugh. She put her hand on his forehead but hummed when he didn't feel warm enough for concern. "You feelin' poorly?"
"A — a little bit," Jeremy stuttered. Neil thought they ought to teach the boy to lie better.
"Why don't you go on back to bed," he cut in decisively. "You stay home today. I'll bet it's just you fight in' off last weekend still, but. Ain't no use in you gettin' anyone else sick if it's somethin that'll catch. Laila, I'll write a note for him if you don't mind deliverin' it to the front office?"
"Yessir."
They did the morning chores and then finished dressin' for school and ate breakfast. Jean, of course, ducked back up the stairs to check on Jeremy one last time before Laila impatiently honked the horn. Only when the car was gone did Jeremy chance coming back down the stairs.
Jeremy did, in fact, catch some more sleep, so Neil and Andrew stayed out of the house to avoid botherin' him. Andrew headed off into the woods to do some runnin' or somethin' for a bit while Neil methodically changed out every silver bullet for regular ammo, and crept back into the house to put 'em all in a separate box into the gun safe in his room.
When he went back out, he met up with Andrew, who was fiddlin' with his buttons as he walked back toward the porch. Neil paused his hands and bit his lip before he suggested, "Why don't we help you get rid'a some of that extra energy you got?"
Andrew's eyes darkened and he trembled, closing his eyes as his nostrils flared for a second. When his lids opened back up, those hazel eyes flashed and he curled his fingers 'round Neil's belt loops and pulled him in by his hips. "I can think of a few ways to do that," he acknowledged. Neil laughed breathlessly as he then grabbed Neil's hand and all but dragged him toward the hay loft. They spent an hour or two up there, hands and mouths all over one another. Andrew ravaged Neil with a fire he'd never shown before and Neil arched into him every chance he got, gasping' and moanin' like a man bein' paid. Andrew brought him to the edge and pulled back several times, and only made him come when Neil begged, laughin' the whole time, for a break.
Panting like dogs under the summer sun, Neil collapsed on top of Andrew's sweaty body and groaned. "You wore me out," he accused.
Andrew smirked lazily, like that mouth hadn't just been doin' sinful things to Neil's nether region. He trembled exhaustedly at the sight of it, and Andrew snorted. He gathered Neil up in his arms and pressed his nose to the top of Neil's head 'fore he sniffed it and said, "I was thinking…"
Neil made an encouraging noise, and he continued. "You and Jeremy have only ever seen werewolves in bad situations, you know? I don't want you guys to be afraid of us. Especially not tonight, for Jeremy. So maybe… When Jeremy wakes up, I think we should go into the woods, and — let you guys see me as a wolf."
Neil propped his chin on Andrew's chest to stare up at him in wide-eyed amazement. "You mean it?"
"Yeah," Andrew answered, lookin' nearly as surprised as Neil. "Yeah, I — I don't want Jeremy to be scared tonight when he's surrounded by wolves, and especially with Aaron right next to him, since…you know. And me and Aaron look a lot alike as wolves, so I thought if he could sort of practice with me, maybe he wouldn't be so scared. And also, then at least he'll be able to recognize me once he's shifted, before the bond sets in."
Neil hummed. "How does that even work?"
Andrew shifted awkwardly. "Honestly, I don't really know," he admitted. "Once our mom died, I became Aaron's alpha. It just sort of…set in. I don't know how to explain it. I just feel it. When Nicky joined, I stayed the alpha. Even now, I'm Aaron's alpha. But…" He shrugged. "It wasn't a conscious choice, or anything. When I join David's pack, I won't be the pack alpha anymore, obviously, but I'll still be an alpha. I don't actually know how it happens. David will explain it, obviously. All I know is the whole pack will surround us and David will officially accept us, and then some kind of bond will set in, where we'll be connected. I don't know if it'll be overwhelming, but I assume pretty much everything will be for Jeremy. At least tonight, if not for a while."
Neil nodded. "That makes sense. But…me?" He hadn't expected to really see any wolves, himself, on account of him not being one.
Andrew trailed fingers up and down Neil's spine. "You're my mate," he explained. "My pack is your pack. That means that, sure, you're not a wolf, but you are still pack."
Neil's brows furrowed. "How can I be pack if I ain't a wolf?"
Andrew shrugged. "The same way the pups will be the pack's pups even though they aren't wolves. Or, well. Most of them," he amended, and Neil snorted. "Similar to how the kids are ours even without biology or adoption. Sure, they're not technically yours, but I don't think anyone who knew you guys would think that. With wolves, it's less abstract, because we have the bond and the mind link, and we all follow the same alpha, but it's…not all that different, I guess."
"I'd like to see you as a wolf again," Neil admitted. "Long as you don't get all huffy if I freak out a little at first."
Andrew leaned up to kiss his head. "I won't," he promised. "Just don't shoot at me again." Neil rolled his eyes.
When Jeremy woke up, they did just as Andrew wanted. Jeremy thought it was a great idea, and Neil made sure not to bring any weapons — just in case. Andrew led them to a small clearing in an otherwise dense cover of trees in the woods and helped Neil spread out a blanket so he and Jeremy could relax on it. When he started unbuttoning his shirt, Jeremy threw up his hands over his eyes.
"Whoa! What're you doin', Andrew?!"
Andrew paused and then snorted. "If I don't take off my clothes first, they'll shred when I shift," he explained. "And then, I'll be naked when I shift back. It's pretty normal to undress before shifting."
Jeremy squawked. "You mean I gotta get nekkid in front of everyone?!" Then, "You mean everyone'll be nekkid in front'a me?!"
Neil laughed and patted his back.
"You don't have to do anything," Andrew said firmly. His eyes flashed, even if Jeremy couldn't see it, and the growl in the timbre of his voice was impossible to miss. "If you'd rather I get undressed in the trees, you tell me that. And you better tell the rest of the pack that you don't want that, either. They will respect your comfort, or they'll get their asses kicked." By me, he didn't bother sayin'. They all heard it, anyhow.
Jeremy nodded and said, "Um, yessir, I'd rather not see everyone nekkid as a jaybird. 'Specially, uh, you and Coach and Coach Kevin. And Miss Abby!"
Andrew snorted. "Understandable. I'll go over to the trees and be back once I've shifted." He stepped away, then paused. "Hey, pup."
Jeremy lowered his hands and peeked between his fingers, dropping them completely when he saw Andrew was still clothed. "Yessir?"
Andrew held his gaze as he said sincerely, "Thank you for telling me."
Jeremy nodded, and Andrew walked off. Neil patted his back when Jeremy blew out an embarrassed breath. "Seems silly to say it to all'a them," he acknowledged.
"Why?" Neil asked. "'Cause they're adults? Jere, if they weren't wolves, I bet they would think it's weird to get naked in front of a teenager, too. If you weren't a wolf, they would never undress in front of you. It ain't weird."
"Yeah," Jeremy acknowledged. "But now I just keep thinkin', they're gonna see me nekkid, you know? Even if it's just Andrew and Coach."
"Why don't you bring extra clothes?" Neil suggested. "That way, you can wear clothes while you shift, and you can put more clothes on when you shift back. It'll be okay if you tear up some old farm clothes you cain't wear to school, anyhow."
Jeremy brightened at the suggestion. "Hey, that's a good — whoa."
Neil looked in Jeremy's direction and tried not to gasp as a big-ass wolf slowly walked forward. It slunk low to the ground with its ears back and tail 'tween its legs, clearly tryin'a be non-threatening, and failin' miserably just on account of its sheer size. Once it got closer, it laid down and crawled on its belly toward them. It stopped right on the edge of the blanket and put its head down on its paws.
Jeremy breathed, "Pa?"
The wolf's ear flicked in his direction, and its eyes looked at Jeremy, too, but it didn't move its head. It licked its nose and then stilled, lookin' back to Neil.
Neil stared, wide-eyed, right back. The wolf was huge — probably nearly head to Neil's shoulders when it stood up tall. It was mostly gray and had cream and a rusty brown kind of color mixed in like it went to a salon for some highlights to look extra pretty. Its belly was more white than anything else. Its paws were massive, its claws sharp and strong. Neil swallowed. And then the wolf's tail thumped softly on the ground. Neil looked into its eyes and saw those beautiful eyes he knew so well. As a wolf, more amber than the earthy honey-green-brown mix Neil saw most days. But familiar enough.
"Andrew," he said quietly. His voice cracked a little, but he still knew it was true.
The wolf — Andrew — whined and crawled forward just a little more, so his front paws left muddy half-prints on Neil's blanket.
"Can you…understand me?" The wolf licked his nose again and Jeremy laughed in surprise.
"Can we pet you?" He asked with a grin, and Andrew's ears flicked and he licked his nose once more.
Neil decided to test it out, and he slowly leaned forward and reached to scratch between his ears. Andrew allowed it, and Neil breathed to Jeremy, "He's so soft."
"Really?"
"Can Jeremy pet you, too?" Neil asked Andrew, who grumbled but licked his nose. "Come feel," Neil urged Jeremy.
Jeremy did, and he laughed in wonder. "Whoa," he breathed. "Softer'n our dogs, that's for sure."
"You stealin' our dogs' pet shampoo and usin' it, mister?" Neil asked Andrew suspiciously and he and Jeremy laughed when Andrew huffed at him.
"We oughtta get our pups some doggie conditioner, or they'll get jealous'a Andrew's pretty coat," Jeremy joked. They cracked up, and laughed even harder when Andrew grumbled and snapped his teeth at the air playfully. Neil laughed and leaned over to press his face into Andrew's neck.
Andrew shifted around, then, and both Neil and Jeremy froze in surprise at the sudden movement. But Andrew was just movin' to lay on his side, soakin' up the dappled light through the trees.
They relaxed in the sun for a good while, letting themselves get used to Andrew in his giant form. They petted all over him until he decided he was done — that was terrifying, as one moment he was layin' on his side with Jeremy and Neil scratchin' all over his side and belly, and the next, he was on his feet, shakin' his coat out and snappin' at the air to tell 'em to stop. When Neil and Jeremy had froze, he licked their hands to let 'em know he weren't cross, and then started walkin' away. He paused, looked back, and huffed.
"I think he wants us to follow 'im," Jeremy murmured. Andrew licked his nose. "Yeah. He wants us to follow 'im."
Neil gathered the blanket and they set off, following Andrew all over the woods. He led them back to the huntin' shack, then walked to the big ol' house on the hill, then moved on and walked 'em back to the clearing, where he barked at them to freeze and ducked behind the trees again by hisself.
A minute later, he emerged, buttoning up his shirt. "How was that?" He asked, stopping a few feet from them, as if they might fear him.
Neil stepped forward and picked a leaf from his hair, then took over buttoning him up. When he was done, Neil smoothed his hands over Andrew's shirt and patted his chest. "You're a handsome wolf, I s'pose," he answered, and kissed his cheek. To his delight, Andrew blushed.
When the kids got home, they all asked after Jeremy, who'd gone to take another nap. Jean pouted but gave in at Neil's insistence that they let him be, and they all dispersed to do some chores, then work on homework 'fore supper.
"Do we even need to have a lockdown anymore?" Neil asked Andrew quietly at one point, but he shrugged and nodded.
"It doesn't hurt to lock the animals up, just so they don't get spooked," he reasoned. "Once the pups get used to us, and as long as we don't sense anything nearby, it's not a problem. But tonight, I'd recommend you keep the kids inside. Especially now that we don't have to stay off your property. I mean — unless you still want us to."
Neil hummed. "Y'all ain't gonna hunt my cattle or chase my cats if I say you can, are you?"
Andrew rolled his eyes. "No," he promised. "But it would make me feel better to be allowed to come and guard the house."
"From what?" Neil asked, wrapping his arms around Andrew's waist and kissing his cheek. "Ain't no more rogue wolves out there, right?"
"Omegas," Andrew corrected. "And no, but… My wolf still wants to protect you."
Neil made a pleased sound. "Well, if your wolf wants it, I s'pose I better let it."
Telling the kids at supper was…not quite as easy as Neil had let himself hope. For starters, they didn't believe it 'til Jeremy lifted his shirt and let them all see his bite.
Laila gasped. "You said you hurt your ribs!"
Jeremy winced guiltily. "Well, they did hurt," he said hesitantly.
"You were — bit?" She asked, sounding tearful. "Really? Bit? By a great, big wolf?"
Jeremy nodded, swallowing. "A werewolf," he said. "Yeah. But — but Aaron and Miss Abby fixed me right up, and I healed fast 'cause now, I'm one, too! So I really am okay."
"But you'll turn into one?" Jean asked quietly.
Jeremy sat back down, bodily turning to Jean. "Yeah," he answered honestly. "Only when the full moon is up, though. Otherwise, I won't be able to. Andrew's gonna take me out to a cabin they got on their property, and keep an eye on me there."
"He gonna chain you up like in the movies?" Cat asked, a little too eagerly.
Jeremy looked at Neil and Andrew for a split second before he said, "Yeah. Just — just this first time, to make sure I don't cause no problems, is all."
"Neil, you ain't goin'?" Laila asked, worried for her brother.
Neil shook his head. "Andrew knows what he's doin," he said calmly. "He's known a werewolf before, and knows what to do. I'm stayin' behind to make sure the farm stays quiet."
"You ain't gonna hurt Jeremy if he comes this way, right?" Jean demanded, standing from the table. "You cain't, Neil; I won't let you!"
"I would never hurt any'a y'all, and you know it," Neil answered calmly, looking up at him and holding his gaze.
After a tense moment, and after Jeremy gently touched Jean's hand, Jean sat back down and sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"That's alright," Neil answered, nodding. Jeremy looked smug as all get out, grinnin' like a possum who done found a patch of sweet potatoes. Neil kicked him under the table.
"I want Neil to stay behind, anyhow," Jeremy reassured them. "Someone's gotta keep y'all in check while I'm gone. Laila spoils y'all too much." Laila scoffed but Cat and Jean grinned at each other, mischievous and guiltless. "Plus, I'll only be gone tonight. We'll be back in the mornin', and you can all pester me about it then."
"After he wakes up," Andrew cut in. "He'll be tired."
"'Cause of trauma?" Jean asked. When everyone looked to him, he shrank in on himself. "My health teacher says our bodies cain't handle pain, not really, so that's why when you get sick or hurt or have a surgery, or even when somethin' scary happens, you're s'posed to sleep as much as you can. 'Cause'a the trauma. Tuckers you out."
"No, Jean, not because of trauma," Andrew reassured him confidently. "He'll just be tired from staying up all night, wanting to run under the moon."
Jean looked relieved, and Jeremy scooted closer to him.
Jeremy and Andrew left after helpin' them lock everyone up. The girls and Jean smothered him in hugs and reassurances, and last-minute requests not to break out and eat 'em all (Cat, of course Cat). Jeremy went to Neil last, hugged him tight, and his voice trembled as he asked, "You promise I'm still your kid after tonight?" in his ear. "And I can — I can still stay here? I ain't gotta go live with Coach?"
It was the question of a scared little boy, and it just about broke Neil's heart. He pulled away and grabbed Jeremy's shoulders to hold him steady. "Ain't nothin' you could ever do, or could happen to you, to change that you're my kid," he said sternly. "I don't care how big your teeth are, how fast you run, how furry a butt you got. You're my kid, and I love you."
Jeremy leaned in and hugged him again, even tighter this time. He sniffed and buried his nose in Neil's hair, inhaling him just like Andrew did. "Love you, too, Daddy," he mumbled. "Thanks."
Neil squeezed him back, clapped his shoulder, and said, "Any time. Now — go on with Andrew and learn how to be a wolf. Get you a pack, and an alpha, and don't y'all eat up all the good game out in them woods, you hear me?"
Jeremy laughed as he pulled away, eyes a little watery. "Yessir."
"You got your extra clothes?" Neil asked next, despite seeing the small bag over his shoulder.
Jeremy twisted his body so it was in full view. "Yessir."
"Alright. Be good. Be safe. I'll give you a biscuit when you come back in the mornin' if you sit pretty." Jeremy snorted and walked off the porch so Neil could see Andrew off with a little bit'a privacy.
In the end, Neil's first full moon knowin' what was goin' on was pretty…normal. The kids stayed up even later than usual, wondering what Jeremy was doin', and makin' up silly what-if scenarios — what if he got out only to step in a snare and get his paw caught, causing Andrew to have to find and free him; what if he was a better hunter as a human than a wolf and went hungry all night; what if he looked like a silly puppy on account of how young he was — and itchin' to go see if they could hear anything.
At one point, Laila asked, "I wonder if he ain't the only one. Like, I know the one who bit 'im was a bad one, but what if Coach knows other werewolves? Maybe that's why he tells us to lock everyone up — is it always full moons? I ain't never noticed, but now I wonder."
"You'd have to ask him," Neil shrugged. "I cain't rightly say."
When they finally went to bed, Jean was the last to go up. When they were alone, he sat down in his chair with his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees. Shyly, he confessed, "I think Jeremy might be sweet on me."
Neil smiled. "You reckon?"
Jean nodded. "I — the other day, he said gettin' hurt was one of the best things ever happened to 'im, 'cause it made him realize how he felt about things." Jean tightened his arms and peered up at Neil. "And he — he keeps…tellin' me I smell nice. He says other things, too, but he's been sayin' that a lot the last few days."
Neil hummed. "Well, you know I ain't one to gossip," he lied, "but that does sound like somethin' someone who's sweet on someone else might say."
Jean covered his face with his hands adorably. In all of his quiet, reserved personality, sometimes it was easy to forget he was still so young. "Do you think… Would it be alright if we — if…" He took a deep breath, sighed it out in frustration, and blurted out, "Am I allowed to go steady with him? Only, I think he might ask soon, and I — you let Cat and Laila, so…"
Neil rested his chin on his hand as he waited for Jean to stop babbling so he could answer his question. When he finally ran outta steam, he said, "Jean, I got five rules for y'all datin' anyone. One, you only pick someone who treats you good. Two, you don't bring no one over to the farm without my say-so. Three, I don't wanna see y'all canoodlin'. Four, you still be respectful when and if you get cross with each other. Five, you put yourself first and make sure any limits you got, you tell 'em, and you make sure they're respected. That's it. It ain't nowhere in them rules that I gotta be the one to pick 'em."
Jean bit down on his smile to try and hide it, but it wouldn't be tamed and it spilled out around his teeth anyway. He got up, shyly announced that he'd be goin' to bed, and left Neil downstairs by himself. When all was quiet in the house, Neil silently stepped outside onto the porch, sat on the swing, and waited.
Late into the night, a chorus of howls joined together in the distance. Neil wondered if he'd've noticed it if he were inside, or if it'd've woken him up. He reckoned it wouldn't have, as surely the wolves ain't gone without howlin' once this whole time. Maybe he'd heard it and dismissed it as a coyote; who knew?
Even later, breachin' the early mornin' hours, Neil saw a giant wolf headin' his way in a calm sort of trot. It saw Neil, paused, and then picked up the pace just a little. Neil watched it nose open the porch door and slink in, walkin' right up to Neil and sittin' in front of him. Andrew panted a little, and rested his big ol' snout on Neil's thigh.
"Who's a good boy," Neil cooed at him, scratching behind his ears. The wolf growled and Neil laughed before he bent over and kissed his furry head. "Hey, you," he murmured. "You get yourself a pack and an alpha?" Andrew licked his nose. "Good. Jeremy do alright?" Another nose lick, and Neil sighed in relief. "How come you ain't runnin' with him? Figured you'd be followin' him around." It took only a second to realize Andrew had no way of communicatin' his answer and he snorted at himself. "Right. Never mind. Jeremy's alright, though?"
Andrew licked his nose, then stood. He shook out his coat and left the porch, runnin' right back out. Neil watched him go, bemused at his sudden departure, and decided it just might be time for him to hit the hay.
The next morning, Neil woke up with arms wrapped around him and sighed. He had quickly gotten used to this, and couldn't imagine startin' a day without it. He decided he'd miss it if it ever happened.
Andrew was fast asleep when Neil got up and puttered around, gettin' dressed quietly as he could. When he walked out to the kitchen to start in on breakfast — Andrew had told him to cook extra today, as Jeremy would surely be ravenous when he woke — he was surprised to see through the kitchen window two heads bent close together out on the front porch swing.
Neil started preparin' breakfast as quiet as he could, and it didn't seem to disturb Jean and Jeremy at all. Neil was about to go wake Andrew for breakfast when two arms slid around his waist from behind and a warm body pressed against his. Neil jumped, surprised at how quiet Andrew could be when he wasn't tryin'a pretend he was human, but Andrew held him tight and rubbed at his belly. Andrew's nose went, predictably, straight to Neil's ear as he took deep inhales of his scent. "Mmm. Good morning," he rumbled.
Neil's toes curled at the satisfied timbre of Andrew's voice. "Mornin'," he sight. He nodded to the window. "You seein' this?"
Andrew hummed in satisfaction. "Good," he nodded. "A wolf belongs with his mate after a full moon."
Neil laughed. "How come?"
"It's when we're most vulnerable," he answered. "When we're weakest. Our senses are the least powerful. We're the most tired, hungry, depleted. Mates can be trusted to have our backs no matter what, and to always protect us. Other than pack, we usually only see our mates the day after a full moon. Many wolves don't even work. It's always bothered me that Aaron doesn't ask for the day off."
Neil made a sympathetic sound for Andrew's stress over his twin. He looked out to his boys. "You think they're actually mates? Or is this young love?"
Andrew shook his head. "A wolf can't mistake the feeling of a mate for anything else," he answered. "Not even a new wolf. It's…nothing else feels like your mate. You're…pulled to them. It's stronger than anything else."
A little touched, Neil leaned over to turn his head and kiss Andrew's cheek. "I don't reckon humans have soulmates," he said, "but if we did, I think you'd be mine, too. Either way, I sure am glad I'm yours."
Andrew cupped his jaw and pulled him back in, and Neil ignored the awkward angle and let himself be kissed, slow and gentle. There was still a lot to be done for the day. They would have to tell the kids they were taking the day off from school. They needed to feed the critters and turn everyone out. They needed to cook more so the pack could make their way over. They would tell the other kids everything. Jeremy and Andrew would go off with the pack to solidify their bond, and though Neil didn't know it, yet, Coach would be by to talk to Neil about officially joining the pack — as a human member, he would laughingly reassure him when Neil would blanch.
But for now, Neil went back to cooking, Andrew taking up the space next to him to help. And when Jeremy and Jean leaned tentatively closer to let their lips meet in a shy, chaste kiss, Andrew slid their fingers together and squeezed.