NATE

I drag my feet back to the desert floor, which gives me several looks from Dad, but I just can’t bring myself to care at the moment. The air has cooled off since the sun’s gone down, and I can’t help but wonder if Vanessa is nice and comfortable. I huff another breath.

“This is a suitable spot to rest for the night right, Sammy,” Dad questions, and I mouth Sammy and scrunch my eyebrows up at the nickname. I’m thrown for a loop as Dad suddenly grabs me before slamming my back into the ground. I grapple along his back, trying to find any presence but ultimately failing.

“Well, it looks like somebody has gotten rusty while relaxin’ in the desert,” Dad taunts, and I let loose a growl that I notice has the others backing away. “You pups are so scared of him, but I’m sure if you knew more about his reactions, you’d realize he’s untrained, wet behind the ears puppy that couldn’t save his life if the situation called for it.”

He grabs me back by my locs and drags me to my feet, and that’s all I can take. I sweep my leg out, temporarily unbalancing him and using the distraction to leap away from him. “No offense, Sir, but I’ve had to take him down. He has enough skills to knock several of us on our asses,” Jamie interrupts. I smirk at his words but keep my sense and focus tuned to my dad.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t explain the fear in each of you.” My dad stalks in front of the five, three if you discount Samuel and Jamie, shifters. “Who would like to make a wager?”

“What kind of wager,” the one with cinnamon tinted skin asks, causing my dad to nod. Suddenly I realize this wasn’t a lesson for me, but for them, it’s a tactic he often used when we all got too rowdy in the house. I keep my face blank and focus on calming memories of Vanessa’s scent. Samuel has already demonstrated that I can feel his emotions. Until I know for sure if this transferred or not best to be on my best behavior.

“I bet nearly everything that terrified you all think about my son is not a Bobby trait,” he claims, and just their looks of astonishment make me want to laugh. “What are your names before we continue onward?” They all look at each other, though none are in a hurry to speak up first before. “Please, not everyone at once.”

“I’m Cameron,” the one from before speaks up first.

“Good. Now you two knuckleheads.” He stares them down. I can practically see the one vibrating in anger at my dad’s words, if only because he’s around my eldest brother’s age.

“Lukas.”

“Cayden.” They repeat one after the other, and if not for the apparent difference in their scents, I’d think they were related. Hmm, maybe they grew up close together?

“Great, now does James also need a lesson or is staying on Nate's ass enough for you to know what makes him different. And no, I’m not talkin’ about your anger issues, Nate,” Dad states pacing in front of the others as though giving a lecture.

“I don’t have anger issues,” I grumble but back up a little bit more before I plop down onto the sand.

“Now name the number one thing about Nate that scares you.” He stands in front of them with his arms crossed.

“His strength,” Cameron calls out. Shit, they noticed that I shift uneasily when I see that he’s eyeing me.

“Fair enough. Maybe I’m confused, but do Bobbies have strength like he does?”

“Whatcha’ mean?” Cameron’s face scrunches before he shoots me a glare. Jeez, it’s not my fault; my dad’s an ass.

“Nate, come show the boys what I mean,” he demands, causing me to stand up and cautiously walk in his direction. “Don’t worry,” he chuckles, “I ain’t gonna attack you at the moment.” He throws me a rock, and I toss it between my hands for a moment before raising an eyebrow at him. “Crush the thing.”

I roll my eyes before moving my grip around until I can get a firm grasp of the rock just right and squeeze my fingers into a fist. Dust slips out through the cracks of my fingers like when mom would put food through our mesh strainer, a messy process, but still, progress is being made.

Eventually, I release my hold, and the once firm is rock crumbles into dust with only a few chunks left. I hear the curses that the shifters make and roll my eyes. I let my gaze wander and see Jamie eyeing the dust in my hand with a calculating glint in his eyes. He strides forward before stopping right behind the other shifters.

“He has the strength similar to a shifter,” Jamie muses out loud.

“That’s right. Can you tell me the difference between Nate and us,” my dad insists, and I cut my eyes at him, the confirmation that he is indeed a shifter, drawing my attention. A shifter. It explains a lot about my childhood, but I still have more questions than answers.

“He needed more time to apply the right kind of pressure to break the rock,” Lukas adds.

“That’s right. Do you know what that means?” My dad once more questions them before crouching down.

“So he’s weaker than us big weepie. He’s still your kid, and everybody knows hybrids can be faster, stronger than regular shifters,” Cayden argues.

“True, but my genes don’t work like that,” I inform him.

“And what the hell does that mean, he’s your father.” He stands and stomps over to me but stops a good meter away, if only for the glare that my dad gives him.

“My father sure though I like dad fewer syllables, his genes don’t affect mine,” I explain. Trying to say in the most roundabout way possible that we’re not related, though, from the understanding blooming across his face, I’d say he gets it.

“He’s not your father.”

“He’s not my biological father, totally different thing,” I correct, getting to my feet once more having the feeling he’s about to irk the shit out of me.

“What’s the difference?” He questions with confusion marring his expression, and I decide to explain this in a way he’ll understand.

“He’s raised me for as long as I can remember, taught me right from wrong, what it means to be a man, how to fuckin’ survive. If that’s not what a dad does, please, someone correct me. I’d love to know.” I strut around, making sure not to stop in front of the asshole who dared to question our relationship for something as simple as not sharing blood.

“Alright, now as agreed upon, you all owe me favors, now go to Samuel and set up a watch schedule,” Dad demands. There are a few grumbles, but nobody refutes his words, I guess they do have some smarts in their heads. I go to walk with them but stop as I notice him still sitting in the dirt, glaring at his hands. I glide back towards him, but he doesn’t start talking until I sit back down.

“How long, um, how long have you known?” His words are soft and breaking up, pulling at my heartstrings.

“A while,” I tell him, not wanting to go into details about that particular day.

“Is that why you left?”

“What! Goddess no, you’ve always been my dad; no lack of shared blood will change that.”

“Damn straight,” he whispers, giving me a watery smile. “Then why did you leave?” He finally looks at me as I do my best to ignore his gaze.

“Does it matter? I mean, we’re reunited isn’t that the most important thing,” I ask, trying to stand up, but he grabs hold of my wrist, keeping me hoisted to the ground.

“Nate.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, that’s tough, I need to be able to tell your mother something when she gets here, and you’re off chasing your witch,” he states, waving a hand, dismissing any arguments I have. I open my mouth, ready to defend my choices. They’ve kept secrets as well, I’m not alone in that department, but I look upon his face and can’t keep up the charade any longer.

“A year,” I briskly state instead of the million other things I’d rather be doing.

“What?”

“I’d been a Bobby around a year before it all became too much.” I pause and take a deep breath, attempting to gather my courage to tell him why I run from all my family, our family, that night.

“Go on.” He grabs my hands, restraining me but also grounding me enough to speak again. I remember the day in the living room that changed everything.

My eyes are glued to the TV playing Call of Duty against Kim and D. Obviously; I was winning as D kept shoving me away, trying to knock my controller out of my hand.

“Brat,” he growled, “don’t think you’re winnin’ this round with your cheatin’ ass.” One minute I was near bawling, and the next, I was almost groaning from the pain echoing throughout my stomach. I tried to correct my momentary grimace of pain, but they both had already noticed. “Shit, I didn’t hurt you, did I,” he asked.

“Nah, just in pain from your poor gamin’ skills,” I lied, though I know he’s not fooled in the least. I’m shaking at the prospect that he figured out that I was one of those... things. That I’d become a Bobby, but he never questioned me, and I refuse to admit to what happened. So it all works out, I guess.

“Uncle Nate, Uncle Nate,” a high-pitched voice screams as a tiny figure bum rushes into my side, and I feint with the motion, and it just makes her squeals that much higher. I drop the controller to grab her and tickle her sides. “Mama’s too busy to do my hair, can you make me pretty,” she pleads.

“You’re already pretty, I tell her, already feeling her hair and deciding how I’ll style her curly coils this time around. You’d think doing my niece’s hair was not on the list of things I have to worry about.

“I know that, but pretty please, or otherwise Daddy will have to, and he never knows what he’s doing.” She looks at me with her big brown eyes, and of course, who am I to deny that. I huff an exaggerated breath that has her running off to collect her hair box.

“Man, she’s got her claw hooked into you real good,” Kim teases, but I bump her off the couch and laugh at the heated glare she sends my way.

“Has anybody seen Zuri,” a woman walks into the room with her hair held up in a bun and her clothes covered in black car grease.

“She ran off to gather some stuff, she convinced Nate to do her hair once again,” D informs her.

“Oh, that’s not necessary, Johnny’s gonna get it.” She states, but I can see the relief washing over her face. Sadly, Johnny doing his daughter’s hair is always a hot mess waiting to happen.

“No trouble at,” I assure her. Zuri comes running back into the room, ignoring her mother’s call of ‘walk Zuri’ and throws a pillow on the ground before she plops down. I lean down and collect a comb, brush, and grease for her head. Gently I part her hair into sections and detangle and twist the sections before I work to twist her hair into a little faux hawk. As I’m finishing up, I once more smell something delicious causing drool to pool inside my mouth.

I lean down and not for the bang of the door closing, I’ve bitten into Zuri’s little, fragile neck. I quickly finish her hair and claim not to be hungry as mom comes in announcing dinner. She gets this crease between her eyebrows while eyeing me that I pretend not to see.

I pull her into a hug, drawing her close and taking the chance of breathing in her scent and am glad when all it does is slow my racing heart. I quickly flee upstairs and wait until the house quiets down and sneak out the window with a duffle bag packed full of things that won’t go noticed as missing in my room.

“After that, I just never turned. I realize that I could have come home in retrospect, but I just couldn’t take the chance that I’d somebody, I guess.” I stare down at my dad’s hands, which still have a firm, gentle grasp of me.

“I’m sorry that you went through that,” he states, causing me to bring my head up and stare into his eyes, which are red and glossy, but his face is dry, which I cannot say about my own. “Now, we’re going to sit with the others; hopefully, anybody who was eavesdropping is wise enough to keep their trap shut.”

He glares over my shoulder, and I don’t have to look to know that most, if not all, their heads we’re suddenly facing anywhere but our direction. Amateurs. I shake my head as I get up and prepare to stay out of the way of their dinner preparations.

I lay on my back, enjoying the view of the stars above with the heat of the nearby flames crackling nearby. I tilt my head and become hypnotized by the small embers that break away from the main flames, dancing through the air before slowly fading away into nothingness. Someone clears their throat, and I sit up to spot Samuel coming my way.

“You’re not hungry,” he ponders. I shake my head and am ready for the conversation to be over this.

“I ate earlier, you can ask Jamie.” I know most of the meat was smoked or cooked earlier. Sudden; y a small weight lands on my stomach causing me to exhale all oxygen in one huff. I glare as I watch Cameron stalking away but don’t have time to say much as I reach out to stop the animal crawling along my chest to escape.

“Go ahead and chow down on that nobody here will judge you for your dietary needs.” Samuel pats me on the shoulder before walking back over to where the other shifters have piled up. I find my dad’s gaze, and after seeing his crooked smirk, I trust that nobody will openly attack me while eating at the very least. I sink my fangs into the rabbit’s stomach and relish as the warm blood comes up and squirts out around my mouth. The rabbit keeps squirming, but I don’t slacken my grip.

“Jeez, dude,” Lukas comments, “I didn’t realize you were such a messy eater.” He laughs, and the others quickly join in on picking at the mess I’ve probably made of myself. I glare at Samuel, but he just shrugs his shoulders.

“We’re pack, no matter what, we stick together.” He states this glaring at everybody in the immediate vicinity, and yet I feel a rush of happiness and amusement that’s not my own. I shake my head and continue on with my meal. Pack, huh, we’ll just have to see about that.