Page 54 of Feral Werewolves

“The analogy, it’s spot on,” I said. “Sure, here we are, the werewolves, demanding that women be given to us for sex because otherwise, we’re a violent threat. It’s exactly the same thing as those guys writing those nine-page manifestos about how men snap when they don’t get laid and then opening fire on a grocery store and killing ten people or whatever. Yeah, it’s bullshit. It’s also, like, fact.”

She got up from the rocking chair. “What do you—”

“Listen to me, you would not be here if you didn’t see it, too,” I said, getting up. “People need connection. I’m not saying men are owed pussy, or that women should be consigned to giving it to them—”

“Except we are. Except, here I am—”

“I know,” I said. “I fucking know, believe me. But it’s fact. When people—men or women—are denied meaningful connections with other people, when they don’t have people to love, they do get violent. They get awful. And that’s why everything is a hellscape out here.”

She blinked at that, thinking it over. “Are you trying to convince me to stay by saying this?”

“No,” I said. “No, that would be a shit reason for you to stay. You don’t owe us anything, Clementine. I don’t want you here out of obligation. Stay for love. You feel it. I know you do. If you feel it, stay because of that feeling.” I stepped closer to her.

She tilted her head back, looking up into my eyes. “You going to kiss me?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

She closed the distance between us, capturing my lips with her own. I slid my hand into her hair, cupping the back of her skull.

We kissed and kissed.

When we broke the kiss, I thought I saw movement, out there, on the road, but I squinted and it was gone.

Well, anyway, it was probably only a matter of time until someone knew she was here. We couldn’t hide her forever. Maybe making a stand sooner was better than later, in the end.

kestrel

I HADN’T SPOKENto Griff in years, not up close. He was usually off in the distance, sending out his texts and emails or up on top of the roof at that compound of his, speaking into the tinny sound system that would get feedback and start screeching, making his announcements.

Back after we first took over this farm, Griff had come out here personally and told us he was going to let our claim stand. It was a big deal, because part of the reason that wolves submit to a big boss wolf is that he’s supposed to provide protection.

You do what he says, and then—if someone comes and kills a bunch of wolves and takes over your house—the big boss wolf kicks them out and gives you back your house.

Admittedly, we hadn’t left anyone alive to give the house back to…

But point being, from the perspective of others, we’d been in the wrong and Griff could have punished us. He could have killed us.

He didn’t.

By all rights, we shouldn’t have kept this place, but somehow, we did.

Anyway, it had been since that day, when Griff had come out here, that I’d seen him up close and personal or shook his hand.

I was not prepared when he showed up at our door the next day.

I was out repairing a fence in the chicken coop. It wasn’t really possible to keep predators (foxes, coyotes, even stray dogs) from getting in and eating the chickens, truthfully, but I did like to try to make it more difficult for them to find ways in, so I was working on putting in new chicken wire.

Paladin found me, and he wasn’t nervous, not like the last time when he’d come out to tell me that the guys were there. I remembered he’d barely been able to get words out, that he’d been shaking like a leaf.

He was still and solemn, nearly grim when he arrived. “It’s Griff. I hid her under my bed. But I thought the other day that someone might have been out in the road, when she and I were talking on the porch.”

I got to my feet. “I told you, didn’t I? I said that she couldn’t be out there, and you said you’d bring her in—”

“It’s Griff,” he said. “So, it’s probably fine. He brought his mate along. I think we can cop to it with him, tell him what’s happening. The danger here is not from Griff, not right now, it’s down the line when someone overthrows Griff.”

He was right. He was smart like this, though I hadn’t seen him like this in a long time. Was he okay? I looked him over, concern all over my face.

He shied from that, and then he did start to tremble.

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