Page 9 of The Bull's Head

“So do I,” Alp replied. “We all do. It wasn’t one person’s fault, and there is way more than enough blame to go around.” He patted Teddy’s arm. “But you? You and Ivan aren’t at all responsible.”

“Neither are you,” Teddy insisted.

“I am to a degree,” Alp admitted. “If I had been content to stay home like my siblings, I never would have been brought here. They would never have been able to experiment on me.” He straightened his shoulders. “But then I never would have met Mal, and we—all of us—never would have stopped Hyde. My therapist says I need to count wins, not losses, because I came out alive and helped everyone. It’s hard, and I know that, but I have to believe her.”

The people who made Wald their home were incredibly resilient. Against the worst odds, they forged a bond. From what Teddy could see, the kids all looked to Mal as their First, and to Alp as his mate. No one cared that Alp was a male, only that he gave hugs, kisses, and would read stories to them.

Teddy was surprised when Alp settled onto a couch, mug of cocoa on the table beside him, and opened a book that he began to read into a microphone.

His voice, mellifluous and soft, warmed Teddy as he told a story about a boy, his shifter friend, and the world they were forging, where everyone was cared for and loved and had a place to call their own. It made Teddy ache to think of such a thing.

“Alp?”

“What’s up?”

Teddy drew in a breath. “Would it be possible to pipe sound out to Callum’s pen? I think your stories would mean the world to him.”

Alp sat a bit straighter, a mega-wattage smile on his face. “Really?”

Teddy nodded. “I’ve seen how the kids react, and I think maybe if Callum heard you telling a story, they might make him realize that it’s not Hyde in charge anymore. It might quell his fears somewhat.”

“Sure, we can do that. Only….”

“What?”

“No one else can get near Callum right now. They usually have to tranquilize him before they can do anything near the pen.”

Teddy was horrified, even though they’d said as much before. Now, after meeting Callum, Teddy didn’t want that for him. “You tranquilize him?”

“What choice do we have?” Mal asked, his anguish clear. “When they tried to go out there, he reacted so violently, they were afraid he’d hurt himself. It’s for his protection, as well as the people who need to be there.”

It sounded wrong, but Teddy couldn’t deny the truth in Mal’s words. That probably went a long way to explaining why Callum was still so terrified.

“You know that what you’re doing probably scares Callum to death.”

“Yeah, but I have no idea what else we can do to keep everyone safe.”

That made sense. He’d hate for Callum to hurt someone in fear, or to end up injuring himself. “I understand.”

“Is there any way you could run the wireless speakers out there? Devereaux could show you how to set them up.”

When Alp was showing Teddy around, he introduced him to far too many people, which would take time to learn about. One of them was Andrew Devereaux, the self-described tech genius who was upgrading all of the systems in Wald. With his flaming orange hair and two different colored eyes, he was someone Teddy would remember. He listened intently as Andrew told his story. When he’d heard of Wald, he immediately offered to come, because he’d done all he could with his old pack’s systems and now there was a chance to do a whole new setup to his specifications, not someone else’s system that he’d had to keep upgraded.

Now? He was the man responsible for the WiFi that Wald used. He also built the computers he was teaching the kids to operate. He truly seemed happy with being part of training the next generation of shifters to be in tune with the world that existed outside of Wald. Teddy also believed that the special needs of the people here made it a challenge Andrew hadn’t been getting elsewhere. It made Teddy ache slightly. He wanted to do something with his life, but he had no idea what.

Alp stood and wiped his hands on his pant legs. “Okay, I have to go help out in the kitchen so we have lunch ready after the kids are done with their morning classes. Today we’re having regular meatloaf for the carnivores, and some veggie loaf for us non-meat eaters, plus mashed potatoes, corn, and apple cobbler for dessert.”

Teddy’s stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten last night. “Is there anywhere I can find some carrots?”

“Sure, there’s a big bag of them in the pantry. Anyone in the kitchen can show you where they’re stored.” Alp grinned. “Going to take some out for Callum?”

“If that’s okay.” He didn’t want to cross any lines or break any unwritten rules.

“You don’t need to ask. If it helps Callum feel safe and comfortable, and if it gets him to shift, we’re all for it.” He kissed Mal. “Will you be in for lunch?”

“Depends. Will you have time to eat with me?”

“Yup.”

---