บท 8: Chapter 8: Sleeping with Wolves
The day after the hunt Chase was asked to help with preparing the feast from the game the hunters had managed to bring in. He was thankful he wasn't asked to help prepare the meat, he wasn't sure if he would've been able to handle that.
There was a large outdoor kitchen with a nice seating area behind the manor that Chase hadn't explored yet. When several of the pack members who would be cooking alongside him showed him around he looked at everything in awe.
There was a large stone oven, several different grills, and other cooking surfaces that Chase admired as he was given a quick tour. After he was familiar with the area he was tasked with collecting cooking utensils from the manor’s kitchen to be used for preparing the feast.
As he was waddling out of the kitchen with his haul of cooking supplies he almost literally ran into Morgan who made a small surprised sound as he looked up from the sheet of paper in his hand. Chase looked at it curiously as Morgan stepped back a few paces.
After a small pause, Morgan spoke, “Would you like some help with that?”
Chase smiled and shook his head. “It's okay, I don't want to interrupt you.” He shifted, hefting his armful up as it started slipping.
Morgan stared at him steadily for a second before he folded the paper he’d been looking at and tucked it away in his pocket. He lifted some of Chase’s load and nodded for him to lead. “You’re not interrupting, I was just looking over the schedule I made for you for next week,” he explained, following when Chase hesitantly started leading.
“Oh?” he prompted, curious.
Morgan nodded. “It’s pretty much back to your usual schedule but I have you working with the pups a little more than usual.”
Chase smiled. “That’s okay! The kids are all really cute, I don't mind helping out with them more.”
“Good,” Morgan said, a smile in his voice.
The two of them stepped out the manor’s back door and delivered the supplies that quickly got distributed to the cooks. Chase followed the instructions from one of the cooks and started preparing some of the meat for another.
They worked quickly to get stuff started while other pack members started gathering in the seating area, several playing games with each other. Chase looked up to watch a game of catch between two teenagers, watching as the frisbee soared through the air.
He was about to look away when one of the teenagers kneeled on the ground.
As he watched in confusion the teen started moving forward and it was like the world slowed down as they moved, morphing into a humanoid wolf before turning into a full wolf.
Chase let out a surprised yelp as he stumbled backward, running into Morgan who caught him and gave him a curious look.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning Chase around to look him over. “Did you burn yourself or something?”
“They just,” Chase started, trailing off as he motioned in the direction the wolf was now standing, frisbee held triumphantly in its jaws. “They just turned into a wolf,” he whispered, staring. He knew he sounded insane but he didn't care much.
Morgan looked in the direction he was pointing and smiled. “Ah, catch. I miss those days.”
“But they—” Chase whimpered, looking up at Morgan with wide eyes. “They just…”
Morgan hummed, nodding. “I’m surprised you're just now seeing a shift,” he said, looking Chase over. “Is that all? You didn't hurt yourself?” He looked Chase over again, nudging his arms so he could check him.
“How are you so calm?” Chase asked hysterically. “That kid just turned into a wolf!”
Morgan hummed again, grabbing Chase’s shoulders and running his hands down his arms briefly. “We all do,” he replied. “You’re seriously not hurt?”
“Not hurt,” Chase said distantly, looking over at the wolf and watching as they shifted back into a human, cheering and waving the frisbee excitedly.
His fingers inched towards his pocket where his worry stone sat, feeling heavy in his pocket as his confusion fermented into distress. “You’re… werewolves?”
“Wolf shifters,” Morgan clarified, finally stopping his frantic searching. “Or just wolves if you'd prefer a shorter term.”
“Wolves,” Chase echoed. Suddenly the large dogs, the book, and the weird words; they all made sense. They weren't just weird like he initially thought. They weren't human, they were a society of wolf beings.
Chase looked at everyone uncomfortably. He didn't know what to do with the information he was presented with so he did what felt the most right; he ran.
***
There was a timid knock on Chase’s bedroom door and he was silent for a moment before sighing and granting whoever was on the other side permission to enter his domain.
Morgan peaked past the door, visibly relaxing when he saw Chase curled up on his bed, wrapped tightly in a blanket.
“You left before the feast was ready,” Morgan said, stepping into the room. In one hand he had a plate with food from the feast adorning it, the other still wrapped around the doorknob.
Chase shuffled on the bed and gave Morgan an uneasy look, eliciting an awkward laugh from the man. “We don't bite,” he said before scrunching his nose up and amending his words. “Usually. We don't usually bite.”
Chase watched the man approach, coming over to where Chase was sitting to set the plate down on the bedside table. “May I sit?” he asked, motioning to the spot on the mattress beside Chase that was bare.
When Chase nodded minutely and tugged the blanket tighter around himself Morgan sighed, sitting down and turning to him a little bit. “Chase, if you don't talk to me I won't know how to help.”
Chase frowned, looking at the plate before studying Morgan a bit. When he finally spoke he looked away from him. “Why did you buy me?” he started. “Why did you bring me here?”
Morgan hesitated, looking unsure. “No one deserves that life, I wanted to give you a good one.”
“But why me?” Chase pressed.
“You’re special,” Morgan hedged. Chase was frustrated at his responses but before he could say anything else Morgan was speaking again. “No one is different,” he promised. “We’re all the same as when you met us, you just now know we’re not human like you initially thought.”
Chase sighed, looking at the floor. “Why didn't you tell me before?”
“I didn't want to scare you off,” Morgan shrugged. “Though I might've done just that by not telling you,” he grumbled to himself.
Chase frowned. “I was startled but you didn't scare me off. I just don't know how to handle this right now. It explains some things but I don't know the first thing about… uh…”
“Wolf shifters,” Morgan supplied.
Chase nodded. “That.” He shuffled slightly, letting his grip on the blanket loosen. “I need some time to adjust,” he said quietly, hoping Morgan wouldn't get upset with him.
Morgan nodded, looking determined. “I’ll clear your schedule for the next week, I’ll have you working here instead.”
Chase nodded. “Thank you.”
“You're part of the pack now,” Morgan chuckled. “Your comfort matters too.”
Chase didn't know how to respond so he just nodded, reaching for his plate. Morgan took that as his queue to leave and Chase relaxed slightly, letting go of the blanket entirely when Morgan left the room and closed the door.
His plate looked delicious and he silently thanked Morgan for caring enough to bring him a share. He thought as he ate.
If Chase could get his hands on that book he’d seen in the library it might help. He’d have to ask Morgan if he could use the library while he was housebound.
He’d do that in the morning. Until then he’d have to figure out how to deal with his racing thoughts. He pulled his worry stone out of the blanket where it had gotten wrapped up, rubbing his thumb along its surface idly.
He could vaguely hear the pack outside, cheering and laughing raucously.
‘Wolf shifters,’ he thought, pushing his food around a little. ‘Why can't anything be normal for a change.’
He sighed and sucked in a deep breath, mentally planning his course of action. He’d ask Morgan for library access, maybe even ask him about wolf shifters a bit, and he’d figure out how to handle his new reality.
Easy, right? He let out a small determined sound and set the stone aside, picking up his plate to finish his meal.
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