Desperation

Chapter 1 “Patrick O’Leary, son of Christopher and Catherine O’Leary. Both parents are shifters. Three older siblings and a younger one, two human, two shifters. No health issues. Graduated high school, decent grades, entered the work force. Eight jobs in ten years. Twenty-eight years old. Seven months until that changes.” “Six months, actually.” Theo looked up from his file and Patrick blushed. “Yes, of course. Six months until birthdate. Wolf is an average sized Timber Wolf, shades of grey, amber eyes. Control has matured. Overall a decent report.” “Thank you, sir.” Theo set the folder down and leaned back in his chair. “So, why leave New Orleans? There’s a sizeable pack there and we’ve heard few complaints.” By ‘we’ he meant the Council of Alphas. “No problem with the pack,” Patrick said. Theo was, in many ways, just like his previous Alpha. He just seemed more intimidating at the moment because he was actively scrutinizing Patrick. “Just needed to put some distance between me and my family. Overbearing parents, over-achieving siblings – I was feeling lost. I’d like to find my own way, have my own life. Your pack came highly recommended.” “And you came to me with two letters of recommendation.” “Two, sir?” He cleared his throat, hating the way his voice threatened to crack like he was fourteen again. “Yes. Your alpha, of course, and the local werebear chief.” “Oh, Remy, yeah. I didn’t know he was writing a letter for me.” He wasn’t sure it was proper to refer to a clan chief or pack alpha by their first name in a formal interview like this but he’d never heard Philippe or anyone else call him anything different. “He considers you a hero.” “I was helping a friend, nothing more. He did the same for me.” “I’d heard the pack was unnaturally close to the werebears in New Orleans.” “I knew Philippe before either of us started shifting. We weren’t going to let ‘race’ come between us.” “No, of course, of course. Well, everything seems in order. We’ve made arrangements for you, only temporary of course. As you said, you’re here to live your own life.” He slid a folder across the desk. “There is a schedule of mid-month meeting dates. The meetings are held here in the pack hall, except in the summer when we have full moons out in the park. You’re to attend every meeting for six months. After that, if you need to miss a meeting for work, all you have to do is let us know. You will not miss full moons.” “I understand.” “One of our families, the Brants, has agreed to take you in. Their address is in the file as well. You’ll have a place with them for three months. That should give you enough time to find a job and your own place. If you’re not on your feet before the end of that three months, I’m sending you back.” “Yes, sir.” Three months wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. It was longer than he wanted to couch surf but at the same time he knew he’d be under pressure to get a job that paid enough to make the rent and keep him fed. “I’ve also included a list of emergency contact information, mainly senior members of the pack and such, and information on job openings and housing. It will get you started in your search.” “Thank you.” “Now, if you have no questions of concerns …” “Uh, I have too much stuff to really haul it with me in one trip, so …” “Label it and leave it just outside my office. No one will touch it. You can come back for it later.” “Thanks. I think that’s everything. “Then I’ll need to get a few things done before I go home. I already put in eight hours today at my day job.” “Of course. Thank you.” Patrick grabbed the folder and backed out of the office. The alpha’s office took up a small corner of the pack hall and while it was nothing fancy it was intimidating. Theo too was nothing out of the ordinary, a middle-aged man in casual business clothes, and yet when he looked down his nose at Patrick, Patrick felt all of six-years-old again. He closed the door and then stood there staring at it, waiting for his heart to slow a little. The few times his Alpha in New Orleans had laid out discipline, he’d felt the same way. “Did you need something?” Patrick jumped. The desk just outside Theo’s office had been empty when he’d come in but now it was occupied by a young brunette with blonde highlights in her hair. The two colors were close enough that they could have been natural. She glanced up from the paperwork she was sorting. “Cat got your tongue?” Her voice was cool, crisp. “Just overwhelmed.” He felt his cheeks heating up again. “Uh, do you know where I can find a cell shop?” “Down Main Street,” she said, eyes already back on her papers. “Anything else?” “No, I think I can figure it out. Thanks. I’m Patrick, by the way.” “I know.” “And you are?” “Kendra. If you’ll excuse me?” “Oh, of course. Uh, thanks for the help.” He went to the door, tucked the file in one of his bags, and stashed the boxes with his electronics behind Kendra’s desk. When he was ready to leave, he went out into the chill evening air. It was early March. Back in New Orleans, the rainy season was ending and the temperature was starting to creep up. This far north there was still snow and slush on the ground. Lots of it. He turned his collar up, pulled his phone out, and started walking. The map on his phone got him to the business district and he quickly found a cell shop. He’d been advised by a few people before leaving home to get his cellphone number updated to a local Montana number as soon as possible. “You’ll be on a tight budget,” his former Alpha had explained. “You don’t want to pay roaming charges.” It was sound advice. He had to pull out the folder from Theo in order to give the kid at the counter his address, but a few minutes later he had a new phone number, a new SIM card, and his bill was all set to come to his new address. See, no problem. I’ve got this all under control. He picked up his bags again and started walking. Stevensville, Montana was not a large city, with a population sitting around two thousand people. Of those, close to a hundred were shifters. The pack hall was in the Northwest corner of the city, near the Fort Owen State Park. Main Street ran north to south nearly down the center of town. The Brants lived in the southeast corner, in a little bundle of townhouses just off 11th Street. Stevensville was just over a mile, taking in just the town proper, north to south, so even with the errand, and his baggage, it didn’t take Patrick long to get to his new home. And he hadn’t even broken a sweat. Of course, the cool breeze helped to keep him from overheating. There was a car in front of the address he’d been given so he went up to the door and rang the bell. His wolf-sharp ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching the door in a light, hurried pattern. The person on the other side of the door was female and roughly his age. She was dressed in ripped jeans, a loose tank-top that hung off her skinny frame, clinging to her breasts, and an oversized cardigan sweater that slouched off her shoulders and bunched at her elbows. Her hair was shoulder-length, pin-straight, and dark brown with streaks of blonde. She was chewing gum and she stood in the doorway, apparently giving him the same once-over that he was giving her. He wasn’t dressed for the weather, but he hoped he wouldn’t disappoint. “And you are?” she finally asked, giving no indication of the opinion she’d formed of him. “Uh, I’m Patrick O’Leary. I’m hoping I have the right place. I’m looking for the Brants. Theo sent me.” She glanced over her shoulder and hollered, “Mom! He’s here!” She looked back at Patrick. “You might as well come in.” “Thanks.” He bent down to grab his bags. By the time he had everything in the door, he was alone in the entry way. He shrugged and shut the door, not wanting to let in any more of the cold, swirling air then he had to. A slender woman with the same dark brown hair but a more mature face came around the corner, drying her hands on a tea towel. She smiled. “You must be the transfer from New Orleans.” He nodded. “Patrick.” “Yes, that’s what Theo said. I’m Karen Brant. You just met my daughter, Heidi. My husband should be home any minute now. I’m afraid we don’t have much space but there’s a fold out downstairs. I’ll show you down so that you can get settled. Your ears are bright red.” “Oh, yeah, they got a little cold on the way over.” “How did you get here?” “I walked.” “From the pack hall?” “Yeah. It’s not far.” “In this weather? Wearing that?” He shrugged. “It’s a lot warmer in New Orleans. I’ll be fine. I mean it’ll warm up soon.” She made a face. “You’re going to need a heavier jacket, and a hat, and gloves. The snow won’t be going anywhere for at least four weeks, and it’ll be two weeks at least after that before it’s gone.” “You’re kidding, right? It’s March.” “Yeah, it’s only March. Welcome to Montana. I’ll give you a lift in the morning and you can do some shopping. You might want boots too.” “I – uh – don’t have a lot. I mean, money wise. I was hoping what I had would do until I got a job and everything.” “Well, it’s up to you, but werewolves can get frost bite so be careful. Come on. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.” They went down the stairs and she clicked on the light, revealing a small, mostly open space with a television and a couple of couches. “The white one pulls out. There’s bedding under the stairs. Heidi tends to hang out down here, so she’d appreciate it if you could fold the couch up every morning and not leave a mess of clothes everywhere. There’s an extra hamper in the laundry room you can use while you’re here. I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.” The basement was tiny compared to the one in his parents’ home back in New Orleans. Under the stairs there was a cabinet they used for a linen closet. There were two doors along the back wall. One led to the furnace room which doubled as a laundry room and tripled as storage and pantry space. The other door, since Patrick was alone and had some time to look around, led to a small office space with a filing cabinet and a computer. The main space was open, broken up only by outdated furniture and a few telescoping posts for holding the house up, but the couches and entertainment unit took up most of the space. There wasn’t even a coffee table down here. He brought out the hamper and tucked it in the corner between the fold-out and the entertainment unit. The bedding he piled neatly on one end of the couch. He tucked his bags against the wall. “Guess I’m living out of a suitcase until I can find my own place,” he muttered, looking around. There were no shelves or drawers anywhere. He wandered back to the laundry room and found a few hooks on the wall, probably for hang-drying clothes that would shred in the dryer. “At least I can hang my dress shirt so it’s not a wrinkled mess for job interviews.” There were heavy footsteps on the stairs, so Patrick shut off the laundry room light and shut the door. There was a middle-aged man waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He was dressed in slacks and a casual dress shirt, no tie. “Patrick?” he asked. “Yes,” Patrick said with a nod. The man held out his hand and Patrick took it. “I’m Robert. Rob. Glad to see you made it into town safe. You find everything you need?” “It’ll do. I mean it’s short term, right?” “Right. You just let me know if there’s anything.” “I was hoping to find a spot to set up my computer or my gaming system.” “Oh, we don’t have a lot of space for stuff like that. And I’m sure you’ll be too busy finding a job and a place of your own to waste any of it on garbage like that.” “Of course.” Patrick forced a smile. “It can wait until I get my own place. What about a wi-fi password? For my phone? So that I can email my parents and search for a job.” “Heidi can get you all set up with that. Supper’s ready. Why don’t you come and eat with us? We’d love to hear a bit about New Orleans and the pack there.”