A fuller update

 

Okay, so I promised to tell you what exactly am I up to. Well, I’m happy to tell you I finished the first book in my new, fairy-tale series. I’ll tell you more about this series in another post. For now, I’ve finished the story about The Prince and the Frog. I still need to do edits on it before it is ready to be sent to publisher. Meanwhile I’m already deep in Reality Series world as the characters are pressing me to tell their story.

So that’s what’s on agenda next for me. Reality series #4 Jack’s story. It’ll take some time to have it done I think, because there are many plot lines that need to be included. Jack’s romantic problems will be the least of the trouble the pack will be facing. There is the escaped fey who had been leading the human and paranormal trafficking ring – we haven’t heard the last of her, I assure you. And then there are all the other problems that surfaced in the short Halloween story (yeah the short story that proved not so short ) So there is that missing cuberow girl, another cuberow who’d joined the pack, a bunch of teenage cuberows who’d attacked Jason and his friends on Halloween… Yeah, a lot of cuberow shifters! Oh, and of course there is the owl-cat. I believe he’ll become a very important member of the pack. So anyway, a lot to figure out and so I foresee finishing this book will take some time.

But that’s not all that I have in mind. After I’m done with Jack’s story I’m finally going back to Bigwell! Ollie and his friends have been bugging me for some time to tell their story. Unfortunately their is a complicated one. I wish it was as easy as a simple matter of one wolf trying to take over the packs. Well, on the surface it is but then that’s just the surface. Well, at least I know there are two stories forming in my head. First – Tony, Oliver’s Selkie friend is going to get his happily ever after – after a ton of trouble of course. The next story isn’t so obvious. The characters haven’s been introduced yet and the only thing I’ll tell you is that one of them is a wolf who’ll be joining Henway pack with Tilda. He’s her best friend from Ashworth pack and decides to come with her once she’s forced to move.

So yeah, that’s these two series for now. After that I’ve got about three other fairy-tale stories and a bunch of other stuff circling in my head. It’s too early to decide what’s going to be first.

So yeah, that about sums up my plans for the earliest future. I’m still waiting for the first round of edits for “The Warrior’s Light” which is supposed to come out late June. Meanwhile there’s the boring “real life”. My night job (sounds funny. I’ve got a night-job in real-world and writing is my day-job ) some DIY projects for my cat. Figuring out my finances… and a ton of other stuff that isn’t half as exciting as writing.

But it is time for me to get ready for my working week. See you when I have enough time to write that post about my fairy-tale series!

Captive or Captor #11

As he got on his bike and started towards the house Marek felt a sliver of excitement building within him. Oh, he wasn’t stupid, he knew when someone was bullshitting him and the man he’s just spoken to was doing exactly that. But the man was also telling the truth as odd as it seemed. And he knew things about shifters that not many humans knew. Like the thing about smelling out lies, and how close a shifter had to be to do that. The longer they’ve spoken the more convinced Marek was that the man who claimed to be an online activist was indeed the missing Lowell Hayes. Marek could only hope he was right.

What had surprised him was the fact that the man didn’t lie about being an online advocate for shifter’s rights. Marek suspected that with the man’s father having the exact opposite viewpoint it might have been the reason why Lowell was living in the estate, away from his family. The politician wouldn’t want an unruly son undermining his authority.

Having reached the driveway to the Pack Leader’s house Marek parked his bike and turned around to wait for the man following him. The suspected Lowell wasn’t far behind. Soon, he too was parking his bike and getting off it. Marek wondered in passing how the man escaped the fire and where he’s been all this time. But it was not the time to ask. They’d have enough time for it later, if the man proved to really be who Marek thought he was.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name…” Marek addressed the man once he removed his helmet.

“It’s Logan. Logan Caldwell.”

“I see.” What was it about people who changed names trying to keep them as close to the original one as possible? Marek wasn’t sure where he remembered that little fact from but it further convinced him he was right when it came to the stranger’s identity. “So, Logan, please follow me and we’ll discuss this job I told you about.” The man nodded and Marek turned to lead him into the house. They passed several members of his pack on the way to Marek’s office and they all eyed the newcomer with distrust. Marek couldn’t really blame them. Some pack members had had some horrific experiences with humans who hated shifters.

They reached the office and Marek sat behind the desk gesturing for his guest to sit on the opposite side of it. Marek had to give the man credit, he looked pretty well composed for someone who’d just walked into a wolf’s den – metaphorically and literally. Not many humans would feel at ease when in a middle of shifters’ pack but Logan-Lowell did pull it off.

“As I said,” Marek started getting straight to the point, “the job I’ve got for you will be a difficult one.” He paused and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk, the tips of his fingers touching. “Our pack sometimes accepts shifters who had been rescued from really bad situations. We’ve recently accepted a tiger-shifter who had been held captive in a basement for a long time.” Marek paused and tried to gauge the man’s reaction. There it was, the tiniest hitch in the man’s breath. If Marek wasn’t looking so closely he’d have missed it. Marek smiled inwardly and continued. “The problem is, even after being rescued the young man wasn’t acclimating to freedom very well. And then, through a mistake of our own, I admit, we made the situation worse.” Yep, the man’s hands clenched when he heard Marek’s admission. The Pack Leader was getting more and more convinced that he had the right person.

“Worse how?” the man asked when Marek didn’t say anything else for a while.

“I won’t lie to you.” Marek’s expression turned dark as he thought about poor Patrick’s state. “It is really bad. But I think it is best if you see it for yourself.” Marek stood up and indicated for Logan to follow him.

“But I don’t understand. What would my job be?” the man asked even as they passed the long corridor and reached the back door. Marek hesitated. They left the house and crossed through the garden to the enclosure that had been built for Patrick. Logan-Lowell followed after Marek obediently even though a frown marred his face. They stopped before the enclosure and as soon as the man saw the huge tiger inhabiting it a soft gasp escaped him.

“Your job, Logan Caldwell, will be to help Patrick revert from the feral state he’d in. Do you think you can do it, Logan? Or should I call you Lowell? Because you are Lowell Hayes, aren’t you?”

A quick update

Hi everyone.
I've neglected the blog except for the blog story, lately. It's time to make up for that. I plan a longer post during my week off - which starts tomorrow, but for now just quick update.
I got my newest cover yesterday. It's beautiful. Like always Harris Channing did a great job! You can almost see Ulr's mischievousness! I'm working on a (surprise surprise!) new series. I know I ought to stop with new ones all the time and concentrate on the ones I've already started, but what can I do... Muse a capricious mistress. :D Anyway, I'm working hard to finish my current WIP. Fortunatelly I've been feeling better lately and have more energy for writing as well as everything else.
I also have big plans for the upcoming week - transform my garden: My brother is supposed to make a DIY raised planter-bed which would allow me to repot all my veggies from small pots they're in. I ordered a grow-bag from amazon for my tomatoes and have a special grow-bag growhouse to assemble to protect the plants from neighbourhood cats. (one have already dug a hole in one of my flower-pots) Also there's a garden-set of a table with chairs and umbrella coming soon, I'll need to put it together as well.
Then, I got the leather scraps I ordered and my special little project of creating a steampunk belt-bag is calling to me. Also, I need to take my cat tot the vet, have him registered and get him a flea treatment. I need to go shopping. I need to call my friend. I need to clean the house. I need to...
Yeah, so a never-ending list of things to do is getting longer but hopefully I'll squeeze some time for writing in there somewhere :D
And for updating my blog.
Hopefully....
So wish me luck!

Captive or Captor #10

“So,” the stranger said sitting across from Lowell without waiting for invitation, “I hear you’re a journalist looking for information on my pack, is that right?”

Lowell wasn’t stupid. He knew when he was facing an alpha, and this man was definitely one. But the knowledge didn’t help. If he admitted to being a journalist, the alpha would run him out of town. If he denied it however, he’d need to explain what he was doing here. And if there was one thing Lowell was certain about, it was that he couldn’t tell the truth. Oh, he was from naive, he knew his father would be on the lookout for him. Also, the man would do anything to incriminate Lowell and get out of any charges. There was no way Lowell could give his real name to the man before him. Not knowing what else to do, Lowell decided to go with his gut feeling and lie his ass off.

“Actually, I’m not,” he said calmly. “Although if that’s what your people thought, then it explains why they weren’t very forthcoming.

“Not a journalist? Well, then I’m even more concerned. Why are you inquiring about my pack? We don’t take kindly to people prying into our business!” the man said with a low growl. Lowell had a quick random thought, wondering about the man’s accent, but he quickly dismissed it.

“The truth is,” he said, “I came here looking for a job. I thought maybe I could find something with the local pack.”

“It’s a bit unusual, isn’t it? A human looking for a job in a shifter pack?” the man asked suspiciously.

“While that might be normally true, my situation is rather complicated.” Lowell paused and thought for a minute about how to continue. The best lie was one that had a grain of truth in it. Shifter’s ability to literally sniff out lies aside, it was easier to remember your fibs, when they were as close to the truth as possible. Lowell knew, that a shifter could only smell lies, when they were really close to you, sniffing with their nose to your skin. The minute changes in a person’s scent could only be detected from such a close distance. Staying as close to the truth as possible though, was still in his best interest. So he dug back into his past reviving the online identity he’d created in his activist years. To his knowledge his father never knew about it. “I used to be a rather well known online activist for shifter’s rights,” Lowell said. “In recent years I haven’t been doing much of that due to my personal situation. I still managed to anger some pretty powerful people who are out to get me. I am in a bit of a pickle really. I can’t go to any o the places where they’d look for me. So I decided to hide somewhere the people looking for me would never think to check.” Lowell paused, letting the man consider what he said.

“Why hide in a shifter pack then. Wouldn’t they think that’s exactly where you’d hide?” The dark haired man asked.

“No, that’s just it. I am known as the very human shifters’ rights activist. That’s what gave me the edge over shifters fighting for the same cause.” That and him having been the son of a well known politician, Lowell thought. It was long time ago, though. In his online activities he had never revealed his true name. He was known as MerelyHumanVoice19. He knew there were still people in the community who remembered him and his efforts.

“And so you want to bring risk to my pack by hiding here?” The man still sounded suspicious. Lowell decided to ease up a bit. He sighed then said.

“While I don’t think you’d be in any danger, I can understand your concern. You were simply the first pack I encountered in my travel. I thought it couldn’t hurt to try.” Lowell finished and took a sip of his beer. The man watched him closely for a long time. Finally, he asked slowly.

“Would you be willing to let me smell you?”

“You mean you want to sniff out the truth?” Lowell laughed. “Sure, why not.” He shrugged even as his heart picked up. He never had anyone but Purr sniff him and he wasn’t sure he was going to like it. It seemed to intimate, to close to cheating on Purr, in Lowell’s opinion. But it might have also been his only chance of getting closer to the pack and discovering what happened to Purr.

The man got up and gestured for Lowell to do the same. Lowell did as asked and the man stepped closer to him. He was big, towering over Lowell’s slim frame. He grabbed Lowell’s chin and tilted his head to the side, before lowering his nose to the crook of Lowell’s neck.

“You seem nervous,” he murmured into Lowell’s skin.

“Yeah,” Lowell’s chuckle had a nervous edge to it. “I’m not used to having a shifter with big, sharp teeth so near my artery.”

“Fair enough,” the man stated, then asked “What is your online identity?”

“I’m known as MerelyHumanVoice19.” Lowell’s answer was firm.

“Why are you in hiding?”

“I’m running from some really powerful people, I don’t want them finding me.”

“And why did you came to my pack?” on this question Lowell hesitated.

“I...” he swallowed loudly then answered “I want to hide among shifters and your pack is first I came across.”

The man released him and stepped away, his expression betraying nothing. Lowell sighed with relief. Having the shifter at his neck was more uncomfortable than he thought. He could feel his skin beginning to itch and he brought his hand to the place the man sniffed in a protective gesture. It’s been necessary, but he never wanted any other shifter than Purr around his neck!

“Fine,” the man said. “I do have a job to offer, but I’ll warn you, it’s not easy.”

“That’s fine,” Lowell answered trying to contain his excitement, “I don’t mind. I can work hard!”

“Well, that’s good then, because this job will be difficult in more ways than one.” He then turned around and said over his shoulder. “Follow me, we’ll discuss this further in the Pack Leader’s house.”

Captive or Captor #9

Lowell had to admit his defeat. Going off like he did without a plan or even a clue on how to gather intel had been a bad idea. He’s been sitting in the bloody pub for hours, nursing his pint, not wanting to drink more as he rode his bike. He had tried asking some discreet questions, had tried to befriend locals. It didn’t work. Everyone in the pub was tight-lipped when it came to the local pack. Lowell reckoned it was to be expected. The pack must have not want to advertise their sanctuary status. Add to that the prejudice that could still be found against shifters and the lack of forthcoming was understandable. It didn’t mean Lowell was going to back off. No, he decided drinking the last of his beer. He was going to withdraw and regroup, come up with a better plan. With the decision made he went to stand up and leave. 

The front door to the pub opened and a man strode in. From the first moment he saw him, Lowell knew he was looking at a shifter. The man simply had that aura of danger around him, the barely restrained wildness. Lowell had learnt from his experience with Purr that it was something inherently natural for shifters. The man nodded to a few patrons and Lowell noticed some glances exchanged that held more meaning than a simple greeting. So there were more shifters in the pub, go figure. The newcomer had to be someone of position in the pack since the other very obviously deferred to him. Lowell was fascinated. Purr had been alone for a long time when Lowell had found him. He had no clue about working of a pack, and so Lowell was mostly ignorant too. He did remember some things from his time in the Shifter Equality movements, but they were basics. Shifter packs were structured mostly like some traditional human tribes from times of old. There was a clear chain of command with Alpha – the pack’s Chief, and his second Beta, or Betas. There was sometimes also a Council of Elders, but that was the extent of Lowell’s knowledge. 

The man’s gaze zeroed in on Lowell and he started towards him with a purposeful gate. Lowell felt a sliver of unease creep up his spine. The man was huge, well over six feet tall and with wide shoulders. He was very well muscled and seemed as if he could break Lowell in two without even breaking a sweat. Lowell thought that Purr might look similar given a year or two. Lowell’s darling tiger was already tall and muscular but he clearly haven’t reached his full potential. Being locked in a basement without nearly enough sunshine, exercise and proper nourishment was partially to blame for that, the other part was Purr’s young age. 

The man came closer and Lowell could see his dark-brown, nearly black hair and hazel-coloured eyes. Lowell had also a great view of the man’s scowl. He swallowed loudly and waited for the man to approach him. It was obvious that the conversation they were about to have wasn’t going to be pleasant

Captive or Captor #8

* * * * *

It took Lowell nearly three weeks to get out of the hospital and get to the village in which shifter sanctuary was situated. Throughout it all Harry, the man who helped him conceal his true identity was very helpful. Lowell thought he could never repay the man for his kindness.

After being released from hospital, with much help from Harry, they went to the old gardener’s house. Lowell was lost. He had no money, no way to access his accounts, nowhere to stay. Hell, he didn’t even have any clothes! Harry was a life saviour. He clothed Lowell and took him in to his small apartment. Apparently the old man lived alone, having been divorced for decades and his children all grown up and having families of their own. With the gruff old man’s help Lowell managed to access his PayPal account and withdraw some of his savings by sending them to Harry’s bank account. The old gardener then took it out of his account and gave to Lowell, who now had a nice sum in cash.

Harry was also helpful in locating the village where Purr had been placed. With his help Lowell managed to buy an used motorbike and embark on a journey to find his lover. Lowell was forever grateful to whatever force was looking after him, that the investigation which resulted in Purr’s rescue had been kept quiet by the police. It made it that much easier to assume his new identity.

Lowell finally reached the small village where the sanctuary for abused shifters was supposed to be located. He hoped that the information they managed to gather was right. It wasn’t like the shifter pack advertised themselves. Protecting victims of abuse meant keeping their location quiet and Lowell and Harry had to go to a lot of effort to find out where Purr was being kept.

Lowell got of his bike, removed his helmet and looked around. He was in a parking lot of a pub in a middle of small village. Running a hand through his hair to give them some semblance of control Lowell took a deep breath. He didn’t really think it through, how he was going to find his lover and what would happen next. The only thing he knew was that he needed Purr, he needed to be close to his tiger. That need drove him here, but it also made him rush without a real plan.

Lowell sighed, shook his head and decided to go in for a pint. He hoped he’d be able to find out more about the local pack and its leader. Hopefully the man would be reasonable and Lowell would be able to convince him that he meant Purr no harm. With that in mind Lowell pushed the heavy wooden door and went into the pub.

* * * * *

“Alpha, can I have a moment?” Robert’s voice interrupted Marek’s concentration on the pack financials.

“Yes, what is it?” Marek looked up pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache forming. Dealing with financial matters was the least favourite of his Alpha obligations. Robert walked in closing the door behind him. Marek thought his friend and beta looked as haggard and tired as he felt. After their mistake with Patrick they both blamed themselves. It didn’t help that the tiger shifter was still in his animal form and as feral as ever. He had to be sedated and then moved to a hastily built enclosure on pack grounds. Then they had to give him small doses of sedatives with his meals so that he didn’t hurt himself trying to escape.

“I wondered if you had any news from Anna?” Robert asked, and Marek wasn’t surprised that they had the same thing on their minds. Robert was doing all he could to find Lowell Hayes, their only chance at restoring Patrick’s sanity. Unfortunately, he had no luck in his search. It seemed that the politician’s son disappeared into thin air. Now their only hope was Anna. Marek knew if anyone could find a cure for Patrick it was his genius friend. Still, she was yet to find something useful. Marek knew, logically that medical research took time but he felt they didn’t have much time to spare. With every day the trapped tiger grew more and more restless, and the last few days he even refused to eat some of his meals. Marek was growing more concerned with every passing day.

“Unfortunately, no. And the last time I called her, she told me in no uncertain terms that I was to stop badgering her. She had to work if she was to help Patrick and if I kept calling her, she couldn’t do that.”

“I see.” Was Robert’s only answer.

“And how is your search going? Any leads?” Marek asked even though he knew, if his friend found something he’d have told him already. He wasn’t surprised when the Beta shook his head.

“Nothing. It seems that the fire damage was more extensive than we thought. It spread throughout all of the living wing of that mansion and it took fire brigade hours to put it down. Apparently they are still sorting through the mess looking for Hayes’s body.” That was more or less what Marek expected, still he grimaced, displeased.

“Did you try questioning the staff? Is it possible that the kid wasn’t there when the fire broke out? That he run away having seen the assault team, fearing consequences?” Marek knew he was grasping at straws but one had to have hope right? After all, hope dies last. But Marek knew, in his country there was another proverb about hope and he felt it might be more accurate in this situation: Hope is the mother of fools.

“Do you really think that, if what we guessed is true and Lowell was Patrick’s fated mate, that the kid would run away instead of coming after the tiger? I mean, I don’t know much about the bond and how it affects a human in a mating, but surely he would feel things similar to a shifter, right? He wouldn’t be able to just leave?” Marek sighed at Robert’s questions. The mother of fools indeed.

“I know, but I just had to ask. We need to check every possible lead, you know? There isn’t much else we can do for Patrick,” Marek explained. Robert’s sigh mirrored Marek’s own and the man looked away.

“I know, Marek. I thought the same thing. I questioned everyone who was at the scene when the fire broke out. They all said the same thing. They hadn’t seen Lowell since he closed himself in his room to write. He would spend hours upon hours in his room and everyone knew not to disturb him. Someone from the staff tried pounding on his door when the assault team arrived, but the man wouldn’t answer, and then that person got ushered away. Unfortunately, nobody on the team listened to them when they claimed Lowell was still inside.”

“Well, it’s not like they knew there was about to be fire. The only danger they could suspect was of the man escaping and he wouldn’t be able to do that closed in his room like that.” Marek had to give the men on the assault team justice. It hadn’t been the first operation they led, and Patrick the first abused shifter they rescued.

“You’re right of course,” his beta said. “But the point is, there isn’t much of a chance that Hayes survived. We need to acknowledge that and prepare for the worst.” Marek knew his friend wasn’t any happier about it than he was. He opened his mouth to say something, but a knock on his office door interrupted him.

“Come in,” he said and frowned as Fabian walked into the room uncertainly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Alpha, but there is a stranger in town asking all sorts of questions about the pack. Muriel called, she thought you should be aware of it.”

“She was right. The last thing we need is some stupid reporter trying to pry into our business. We don’t need publicity, we need to be left alone to do our job!” Marek said seething. It wasn’t the first time someone from the press tried sniffing around. The pack members and human friends in the village knew not to tell them anything.

“What do you want us to do about him, Alpha?” Fabian asked, nodding in agreement.

“Nothing, I’ll deal with him myself.” It would do him good, too. Maybe getting into a fight with some sensation hungry reporter would help relieve some of the tension and get rid of upcoming headache. “Where is he?” Marek asked striding out of the room and passing Fabian.

“Still in the pub, from what Muriel said. He’s been nursing his pint of lager for the last hour asking all kinds of questions.”

“Not very good at his job then,” Marek stated and Fabian snorted in response.

“Clearly!”

“Very well,” Marek said as he left the house, clapping Fabian’s shoulder. “Thanks for telling me. You don’t need to follow me. I’ll take my bike.” Not waiting for response Marek went in direction of the garage. He felt anticipation of a fight. It was quite some time since he got into a nice old-fashioned alteration. Ever since he became Alpha nobody was willing to go against him in any way. It was pretty sad that even a prospect of having words with a reporter was getting his blood pumping. Pretty sad indeed.

Captive or Captor #7

Marek became suddenly aware of silence behind him and he turned to look at Patrick. Cold shivers of dread run along his spine as he saw Patrick’s feral gaze fixed on Robert.
“My Master is not dead.” The words were quiet, barely more than a whisper yet they were still more a growl than real words. Marek suddenly remembered where he’d seen such a stare. It was in a documentary about tigers. That was how a tiger looked just before pouncing on his prey. And Marek had a really bad feeling Robert was about to become prey. Marek’s friend had to have no self preservation whatsoever because he continued spouting off the same stupid shit.
“Sure he is. There was a fire and police thinks he burned in it. Got what he deserved in my opinion.” Marek watched it as if in slow motion. He turned to Patrick, opened his mouth to try to calm the situation, reason with the shifter, but it was to late. There was no reasoning with the beast that suddenly took over.
“Master!” The howl turned into a growl, then a roar as Patrick’s body contorted and twisted taking on a full tiger form for the first time. The roar was full of roar and anguish and Marek had a sudden thought that they made a huge mistake. Patrick became a tiger in a matter of seconds, the fastest shift Marek had ever seen, and he stood up, his tail swishing behind him. Marek caught a glimpse of feral animal eyes and was suddenly certain that they indeed horribly misjudged the situation. Marek used his superior speed to run out the room, knocking his friend aside and locking the door behind him. He was just milliseconds faster than a huge body of tiger who hit the door and started clawing at the piece of wood separating them.
“What the fuck?!” Robert shouted scrambling up from the floor. “What crawled up the crazy fucker’s ass?” Robert asked dusting off his jeans and scowling at the door. Marek tried very hard to keep onto his patience.
“Stop talking and grab that dresser from over there.” He tipped his head to the side indicating the piece of furniture decorating the hallway. Robert kept scowling but obeyed and in a matter of seconds had the dresser pushed against the door letting Marek step back. The tiger kept at the door for a few more minutes, then sounds of a room being demolished could be heard. Marek relaxed marginally and stepped back from where he kept the dresser pushed against the wooden door. Without a word he turned and pulled his mobile from his pocket. He went into his contact list and scrolled through it as he marched down the hall, Robert hot on his heals.
“Seriously, Marek, what’s with the kid and huge temper tantrum?” the oblivious man asked. Marek gritted his teeth but held back his anger. It wasn’t Robert’s fault. Well, at least not all of it. They misread the situation and Patrick was now paying for it. If only they tried to talk to him a bit harder. Pressed the kid for information earlier. But it was of no use now. They had to deal with the situation they had on hand now, and they had to do it ASAP.
“It’s not a temper tantrum, Robert. The kid just turned for the first time and it hadn’t gone well. First shift is never easy on anyone, but this is not all. I suspect Patrick has just gone feral.” Marek said still scrolling through his contacts. Where was the stupid number when he needed it?
“Gone feral?” Robert’s voice was dubious. “But it only happens to a shifter who had lost his bonded fated mate, the kid didn’t... oh!” Yeah, it seemed that lightbulb finally went off in the man’s head.
“Yeah, oh! He was constantly asking about this master. Defending him. Just now, he was angry that we took him and he wasn’t there to protect the guy from his father.” Marek gritted through his teeth as he finally found the right number and dialled it.
“You think...” Robert didn’t finish but he didn’t have to. In the light of circumstances the situation seemed pretty obvious now.
“That this Lowell Hayes is Patrick’s fate mate, that they bonded and the whole keeping-Patrick-prisoner was more to keep the kid safe from Hayes’s father than anything else? Yeah, that’s what I think!” Marek’s voice was full of anger at their incompetence. Robert went to speak again, probably to ask what they were going to do, but Marek waved him off as someone finally picked up the damn phone.
“Anna?” he asked and hearing confirmation he switched to his native tongue. “I need your help. We’ve got a serious situation with a young shifter who’s gone feral. Yeah, just now,” he answered her question then continued “But here’s the thing. He’s the one who was stuck mid-shift, the one we talked about? Yeah,” he answered another question, then, “No, we don’t know for sure his mate is dead. He’s presumed to be dead but no body has been found. No, I don’t fucking know how to do that!” Marek noticed they reached the front living room and some of the people gathered there were looking pretty uneasy. “Hold on!” He said to Anna then addressed the gathered shifters. “We’ve got a feral shifter on first floor. Two of you go guard the door, two more go outside and stand under the window. You know which one.” He snapped and people went to obey his command. They were enforcers of his pride-pack and knew their duties even if they didn’t need to do them often.
“Sir?” a hesitant voice spoke from the back of the room. Marek looked and saw Fabian, young enforcer who joined the pride after his parents disowned him for being gay. Fabian looked wary and Marek made a real effort to seem calmer. He didn’t blame Fabian for his reluctance. It was a well known fact that Marek reverted to cursing in his native tongue when the situation was really dire or if he was truly enraged. Or if he watched matches of Polish football team on the telly. That was his secret weakness.
“What is it Fabian?” He asked in the calmest, most encouraging voice he could manage.
“Is it... Is it Patrick, Sir? Is he feral?” the young man asked and swallowed. Marek noticed a real concern in the young man’s voice.
“Yes, unfortunately. It seems that we haven’t been given all the information and the man Patrick called his Master was indeed his fated mate.”
Fabian frowned before asking another question.
“But then why wouldn’t he call him that? Why would he call the man his Master?”
“Who knows?” Marek sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It is possible, if Patrick hadn’t been brought up among shifters, that he didn’t know this Lowell was his mate, didn’t know what a mate is. But if he felt the connection he needed to give it a label and chose one that was familiar to him.” Marek shrugged. “We might never know. Right now it is important that we try and help him. Try and bring him back from the feral state he’s in.”
“Is that even possible?” another one f the enforcers, guards, whatever you wanted to call them, asked.
“I’m not sure. But I’m on the phone with a specialist now, and she might know more. She’s been studying the phenomenon of shifters ferality for years now. If anyone can help Patrick it’s Anna. Now, I want two of you to go grab dart guns and go join the two groups guarding Patrick’s room.” He finished and went back to his call. “Yes Anna. Yes, I’m sorry, had to speak to my guards. No...” as he went to his office and continued the conversation he hoped that Anna could help Patrick. It would be too cruel that the poor shifter who suffered so much went feral without experiencing some real life. Marek finished his phone call with Anna, reassured that she’ll come as soon as possible and he went to call his contacts on the police. As he dialled the familiar number, he hoped against hope that Lowell Hayes was alive and could be found quickly. That was the only person who could get to Patrick in his feral state.