Shadow Effect - 35. Chapter 35

Tyler carried the containers holding Austin’s dinner with both hands. A colossal steak, three ears of corn, an entire head of roasted cauliflower, and two baked potatoes. Corbin told him and Elijah that this was a typical meal for the twins.

His mate.

Tyler was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact. It wasn’t a joke when he told Elijah he was scared. He was. Not just at the thought of losing his dick to sharp teeth. He shuddered. No, he was scared of the uncertainty that clouded his future. What if they never found a way to reverse what happened? How the hell was he supposed to explain all this to his family?

He couldn’t exactly bring Austin home and say, ‘Hey Mama and Papi! Meet my mate, Austin. He’s a shifter stuck between human and wolf’. Nope, not going to happen.

“Tyler, wait!” Giles commanded, stepping past him to stand in front of the door. “Stay back from the bars, and I can smell agitation coming from inside. They might be hungry, but the sedatives are out of their systems, so whatever reactions we see will be as real as it gets, understand?”

He glanced at Elijah. His friend’s brows furrowed, his lips pressed together in a worried frown. What Giles wasn’t saying was they still didn’t know if the twins were feral or not. The next few minutes would be their litmus test.

Suffice it to say; the next few minutes were a true shitshow. As soon as they entered, the calm, groggy hybrids were gone, replaced with snarling, menacing, sharp teeth-snapping wolves that looked human.

Tyler nearly shit himself. His ass clenched, and his gut spasmed with fear. How he held onto the food containers, he’ll never know. His hands must have frozen; muscles locked onto the hard plastic.

Giles pried the containers from his grasp and set them down on the ledge in front of the pass-through Corbin used to slide their food and whatever else they needed into their side of the enclosure. He did the same with Ashton’s containers, which Elijah handed over. If the agitation was caused by hunger, the twins should be clamoring to get to the food.

Instead, they ignored it. That wasn’t encouraging.

One of the twins, he wasn’t sure which one, grabbed the bars, pulling on them, growling that same sound they made earlier, the one sounding suspiciously like ‘mate’. At least Corbin’s self-taught welding skills seemed to be holding up.

“Boys, back away slowly. Get out of here now, but no sudden moves,” Giles instructed. He remained standing in the middle of the walkway, his presence holding the twins at bay. As Tyler started to shut the door behind him, he heard Giles address the twins.

“Settle,” he said in a firm, low voice.

Tyler watched Austin and Ashton struggle with the command before finally ceasing their growling. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it had to be a good sign, right? He closed the door and looked at Elijah.

“What the fuck just happened?”

“I don’t know, but I think they might be feral?” Elijah’s voice shook with fear.

Tyler couldn’t help it. Tears pooled in his eyes, blurring his vision before overflowing and wetting his cheeks. He pulled Elijah close, latching onto him like a lifeline before his whole body began shaking.

“What are we going to do, E?”

“I don’t know, but let’s see what Giles says before we jump to conclusions.”

Tyler nodded and pulled himself away. Suddenly, there didn’t seem to be enough air for both him and Elijah, at least not when they were that close together.

Giles stepped out of the barn, looked at them, and nodded toward the house. Tyler trudged the short distance, feeling like cement bogged down his feet.

Once they were inside, Giles pointed to the chairs. “Sit.”

Tyler felt like he was back in high school, called into the vice principal’s office, about to get busted. They sat together on Corbin’s couch. He reached for Elijah's hand, needing the touch.

“First of all, don’t look so down. It’s not the best situation, but it’s not as bad as you think. I know you’re wondering if your mates are feral, and the answer is yes. But-”

Tyler’s head whipped up to look at Giles, hopefully.

“But… they aren’t fully there yet. I’m pretty sure they would be if Corbin hadn’t rescued them.”

Tyler shot Corbin a look of gratitude.

“What exactly do you mean? ‘They’re not fully there yet’?” Elijah asked.

“They have several traits we associate with ferality. They display wild behaviors, especially when it comes to you two. However, they also respond to my commands. Feral wolves lose all sense of proper pack behavior. Ashton and Austin aren’t there yet. I’m certain it’s because they’ve been exposed to humans for the past, what is it, eight years? Truly feral wolves are usually cut off from all contact, regardless of species.”

Elijah nodded.

“I think with a lot of patience and taking things one step at a time, they will gain your trust and lose the wildness that is their current default setting,” Giles assured them.

“How do we do that?” Tyler asked.

“By doing exactly what you did today. Sit with them, play your guitar, talk to them, or read a book out loud. Do whatever you have to, but do it every day. I promise it won’t take long to see a difference.”

“Thank you, Giles,” Tyler said. “We were scared there for a few minutes. So, how the hell are we supposed to get them back to Montana? We can’t stay here. They need to be where Sebastian and Donvan can assess them and see if they might be able to help. Didn’t he say they’ve made a little bit of progress?”

“I’m not sure if they can call it progress,” Elijah replied. “But they have managed to alleviate some of the changes in a few other hybrids. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“I think you need to hold off for the moment and wait for your friends to get here,” Giles suggested. “They’re arriving later tonight, yes?”

Tyler saw Elijah glance at his phone, checking the time. “I’ll text Ben and see how much longer.”

Elijah’s phone pinged a few minutes later with an answer. “They’re about three hours out.”

“Good, go get something to eat, and after, go back to the barn,” Giles instructed. “Tyler, bring your guitar and play for them. I think it will help. They shouldn’t be left alone. I’ll head back to my pack and send a few guys over in the morning to help re-socialize them. They calmed down when I shifted, so I think the best thing right now is to expose them to shifters as much as possible. Eight years of only having each other have taken a heavy toll. I’ll also send my pack doctor to see what he recommends.”

Tyler had to choke down the food Corbin placed in front of him, a smaller version of what they’d brought out to the twins. Before Giles left, he suggested they keep their voices low and calm in the barn. Tyler wasn’t sure if he could do it. Doubts and fears were pushing at his psyche, tempting him to bail on the entire situation. How was he supposed to handle having a half-feral hybrid wolf-shifter as an integral part of his life?

“E? What happens if one of us decides we can’t do this? That it’s too much?”

“I’m not sure. I vaguely remember Ben saying something about rejected mates, but I don’t remember the consequences. We can ask him when he gets here.”

Tyler grabbed his guitar, took it out of the case, and pocketed a few extra picks before following Elijah to the barn again. The food containers were empty and sitting on the ledge. Tyler wondered if Corbin had just as difficult a time getting them to remember to do that as Mama did getting everyone to put their dishes in the dishwasher. He was never having kids. Too much damn work. However, it was a promising sign. Feral wolves wouldn’t care about things like that, would they?

The twins’ heads went up as soon as they entered and immediately took up that low growly sound.

Elijah shut it down quickly. “Hush,” he declared calmly. “Go sit down, and Tyler will play for you. You growl at us and no more music, got it?

To Tyler’s surprise, the growling ceased, and the twins sat on the floor in front of the bars separating them. He grabbed the chair Giles left and pulled it close, but not close enough for either of the twins to reach him through the bars.

When one swapped places with the other, he noticed the eye color. Blue, right eye. It was Austin, jockeying to be closer to him. Tyler felt a tug in his heart. He quickly strummed a few notes, ensuring the instrument was in tune before launching into some of the music he wrote for various school projects.

The twins remained calm. Tyler took an occasional break, during which they assessed each other inquisitively. Austin’s eyes were clear and bright, but there was still a hint of something wild behind them. Scary, but not frighteningly so. It was sort of like discovering a spider crawling up your arm. There was the initial shock, then the realization that it wouldn’t hurt you. You could panic if it were a black widow or brown recluse. No, this was like seeing a wild animal off in the distance, knowing there’s always a chance it could give chase.

He was grateful for the safety of the bars between them, yet at the same time, he felt the pull to soothe Austin. One sideways glance at Elijah told him his friend felt the same way.

Just as he was about to start another set, Corbin came over, and the twins gave a low whine. Corbin was familiar and, therefore, not a threat.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Your friends are here. I’ll sit with them while you go catch up. I brought a book to read. It’s getting late, and they usually are asleep by now, so I think after all the excitement today, they might nod off pretty soon.”

Tyler got up slowly and took a step toward the metal bars, not close enough for Austin to reach him, but close enough that he saw his mate’s nostrils flare as he inhaled deeply as if memorizing his scent.

“I’ll be back in a little while, I promise.”

Elijah made the same promise to Ashton, which seemed to appease them for the moment.

Ben and Zev were waiting in the kitchen. Immediately upon seeing Elijah, they sandwiched him between them, wrapped their arms around each other, and squeezed until Elijah cried mercy!

Zev laughed and loosened his grip.

“So, Sebastian tells us you’ve gotten into a fine mess. I swear, we can’t trust you humans any more than I can trust Ben not to fart after killing three whole containers of baked beans by himself!”

“Hey!” Ben retorted. “Not my fault. I told you they were Sandi’s special homemade recipe that she only makes a few times a year. How was I supposed to know she wanted to freeze them?”

“Three pounds of beans. Three fucking pounds, you damn pig! You deserved every minute of gastrointestinal distress you brought upon yourself.”

“Christ, that sounds painful,” Elijah laughed, breaking up their argument before it could go any further.

“Zev made me sleep in the guestroom for two nights. A little harsh, don’t you think?”

Tyler started chuckling. “I think you’re lucky he didn’t make it a week.”

“Only reason I didn’t was because I was horny.”

Elijah covered his ears. “La, la, la, la, la! I don’t want to hear it. I heard enough when I was the one staying in the guest room!”

“We told you you could join us,” Zev teased.

Tyler outright cackled, picturing his formerly uptight, sexually confused friend invited to a threesome. “I would’ve loved to have been a fly on that wall!”

“Why be a fly? You could’ve joined us too,” Zev said with a wink.

All four laughed at the mental picture.

“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Ben asked as they settled down.

“Not much to tell,” Elijah stated. “The twins are our mates. They’re half-feral, and we must figure out how to safely get them back to Montana.”

“Whoa, back up!” Zev exclaimed. “Half-feral? How does that even work?”

Elijah sat at the kitchen table, and the rest followed suit. He explained the events that had occurred throughout the day up until now.

Zev found his voice first. “Let me get this straight, well, not really, but you know what I mean. Giles seems to think that because the twins weren’t completely isolated, even though the only contact was human, they’ve managed to retain part of their humanity and not become all-out feral?”

“That’s about the gist of it,” Elijah confirmed.

“Haha, you said gist,” Zev laughed.

Ben smacked the back of his head. “Idiot. Gist is not the same as jizz.”

Tyler snorted. He couldn’t help it. Zev and Ben reminded him of the two old men from The Muppets, Statler and Waldorf. “You two are incorrigible,” he said, still snickering. “Remind me again, why are you here?”

“I’m asking myself the same damn thing,” Elijah chuckled, shaking his head.

“Duh!” Zev answered. “You need our help to get your boys back home.”

“Yeah, there is that,” Elijah agreed. “It’s not like we can pack them up in the back of the van and haul them off on a ten-hour drive. Any suggestions?”

Zev got serious. “Honestly, I only see two possible ways. One, we find an air-conditioned vehicle big enough to transport them, sedated, for ten or more hours. Two, we have Sebastian charter a plane and transport them sedated for two or three hours. Obviously, the air option will lessen the time we’d need to drug them, but at the same time, it’s more dangerous. If the sedation fails on the plane, two agitated hybrids at thirty-thousand feet might not have a happily ever after.”

“No matter what, arranging it will take a few days,” Ben added. “Hopefully, the two of you can make some headway with your boys in the barn. We’ll help. Giles is right. Exposure to the two of you, plus shifters, should help them come around.”

“I’ll call Sebastian and get his opinion on the transportation issue,” Zev said. “I guess we need to see if Corbin is okay with us hanging around for a couple more days.”

“Do you want to tell them the latest, or should I?” Ben asked.

Zev smiled as though he was standing on the top platform of the Olympic podium. “Right before we got here, Sebastian called with some big news–”

“They found a cure?” Elijah interrupted.

Zev shook his head. “No, we wish. Almost as good, though. His contacts came across your boy, Trevor. By the time they realized it was him, he was dead.”

“What!” Tyler and Elijah exclaimed together.

“Yep.” Zev continued. “They discovered him at a hospice center. He had some sort of fast-moving brain cancer. It attacked his nervous system. When the team accessed his records, they saw that from the time of diagnosis to his death was less than three weeks. The documentation indicated he was in extreme pain. His doctors tried everything, but all the nurse’s notes remarked he was suffering. They had to restrain him for the last couple of days due to severe contortions and spasms.”

Next to him, Elijah gasped.

What?” Tyler asked.

Elijah didn’t say anything.

“Yo! Cat got your tongue?” Tyler snapped his fingers in front of his friend’s face. It worked.

“It was Kage,” Elijah declared.

“What do you mean?” Ben asked.

Elijah bit his bottom lip, hesitating. Tyler nudged him.

“Kage told me something. He said he could cause harm, like giving people cancer or instigating a heart attack. He believed it was something evil. I told him it didn’t mean he was a bad person.”

“Are you saying Kage somehow gave Trevor cancer?” Zev asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Elijah replied. “Kage mentioned he could do it with merely a touch. Before he died, he must have grabbed Trevor and caused his cancer. The asshole probably ignored the symptoms until it was too late. Kage killed him. I’m sure of it. It was his revenge.”

Tyler stood up. “If you ask me, he got what he deserved. Good riddance. I say we put all thoughts of the bastard behind us and focus on our future.” He tilted his head toward the door, wordlessly letting Elijah know he’d be in the barn. Knowing Trevor was dead was enough for him. Now, a pull inside of him drew him toward the door, closer to Austin. Elijah gave him a quick nod, his way of saying he would be out there as soon as he could. Tyler guessed he was feeling the same pull.

Corbin was reading Stephen King’s Cujo. Tyler laughed. Of all the books he could have chosen, he picks one about a rabid, killing-machine dog. Austin and Ashton seemed to be enjoying it. Their heads came up when Tyler opened the door.

He could instantly tell which was Austin. His mate wouldn’t take his eyes off him while Ashton focused on the door, looking for Elijah.

“It’s okay. He’s coming,” Tyler reassured the restless hybrid.

Corbin put the book aside and stood up from where he’d been sitting cross-legged on the floor. “I’ll have to bring in a few comfortable chairs if we’re going to be keeping them company for a while.”

Tyler nodded. Right now, he didn’t care where he sat, but he was sure his back would have a different opinion later on.

“Umm, Ben and Zev are trying to figure out the best way to get these guys to Montana. They may need to stay a couple of days if that’s alright with you. Everyone agrees that Austin and Ashton need to be around us and other shifters. No offense. You’ve done a great job taking care of them, and I can’t thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me. I wish I could’ve done more. If I’d known, I would have tried to contact someone. I feel awful. It never occurred to me they were in this state because of some horrible experiment. I guess I read too many of these types of books growing up,” he replied, lifting his dog-eared copy of Cujo.

“Corbin, don’t beat yourself up over it. You couldn’t have known. Me and Elijah will always be indebted to you.”

Austin and Ashton made whining noises as if they had agreed. They still were emitting a low growl, but none of the crazed behavior they displayed before. It gave him hope.

Tyler caught their attention and decided to try something. “Music or book?” he asked, pointing to his guitar leaning against the barn wall to his right and then to Corbin, who was still holding the book on his left.

Austin bumped Ashton out of his way as he shuffled over, so he was on Tyler’s right. His lightly furred arm reached between the bars, and his gnarled fingers pointed in the direction of the guitar. Ashton let out a disgruntled chuff, but he, too, shifted to Tyler’s right.

“Well, I guess I know what they think of my reading choice,” Corbin laughed.

Tyler saw the twins pull back their upper lips, exposing their sharp teeth. He had no clue if that meant they were mad about what Corbin said or if it was their way of smiling. This shit was so tricky to decipher.

“What reading choice?” Elijah asked as he entered the barn.

Ashton’s teeth-baring lips pulled back further, revealing even more teeth. Seeing how it coincided with Elijah’s arrival, Tyler would go with it was their way of smiling. He took it as a good sign.

“Cujo. I don’t think they were really into it,” Corbin lamented half-heartedly. “I’m going to find something more comfortable for you two to sit on. I’ve got a futon in one of the spare rooms I’ll drag out. It’s better than the floor.”

“Cujo, huh? Not my first Stephen King choice, but it’s not bad. Let us know if you need help with the futon,” Elijah offered.

As soon as Corbin was out the door, Austin and Ashton started pacing. It seemed like their agitation was gearing up to the next level again. Tyler grabbed his guitar and plucked out a few notes until they settled a bit.

He played for a while, letting Elijah help Corbin when he returned, dragging a futon by one end. It was much more comfortable having his back supported while he played. It was close to midnight, and Tyler’s playing reflected his fatigue. Everyone’s eyes started to droop.

Austin and Ashton finally settled down and moved to the other side of their enclosure, where their beds were. Tyler put away the guitar, and Elijah opened up the futon so it was flat. The barn was air-conditioned, and Corbin had left a couple of blankets. It was a tight fit, but as tired as they were, it didn’t matter. He and Elijah were fast asleep within a couple of minutes.

Tyler woke to the sounds of shuffling and soft chuffs and whimpers. As he became aware of his surroundings, one of the twins released a stilted bark. Someone was dreaming. He wasn’t sure which twin. He wished Donovan was here to give them a thorough exam. Other than growls, all the sounds they made were an odd cross between human and wolf.

The sun was up, but not too far, so it was still early. Tyler headed for the bathroom Corbin pointed out last night, and when he returned, Corbin and Ben were there with everyone’s breakfast.

“Zev is with Giles,” Ben informed them. “He just showed up with a few of his pack. I think they’re talking about strategy. Sebastian is leaning toward flying but wants to wait a few days, see if they calm down after some intense exposure therapy.”

“By exposure therapy, do you mean you’re going to turn into wolves?” Corbin asked.

“Yep, multiple times, from what Giles is saying,” Ben replied. “We think if the twins see us shifting non-stop, it might trigger something in them. Hopefully, it will coax their wolves into submission and allow their human side to dominate again. Sebastian might be onto something.”

“Can— uh, would I, umm, I mean, do you think I could w-watch?” Corbin stuttered, looking at Tyler.

“Don’t look at me. I can’t go all furry.”

“Yet,” Ben countered. “You can’t go all furry yet. Don’t forget. You have a shifter mate.”

Tyler blanched, not fully understanding.

“What do you mean by that?”

Ben gave him an odd look, not pity, more like the look you give someone afraid of heights just as they are about to jump off a platform and zipline a hundred feet in the air over a forest. He placed the containers of food for the twins on the pass-through ledge and slid it as far as he could. The boys must’ve been hungry as they rushed over to get it, grasping the containers in their twisted grip. Their fingers allowed them to hold on, albeit awkwardly.

“I forget you’re new to all this, just like I was. Have a seat, eat your breakfast burrito, and I’ll explain what I can.”

Elijah looked curious too. Tyler didn’t think his friend knew much about the shifter mating process either. Although he surely knew more than himself.

Ben confirmed as much.

“Elijah, I know we explained a little bit to you when you were staying with us in Montana, but I don’t think we explained what’s involved when the mating is between a shifter and a human. Zev and I were the first mixed-pair mating in Caleb’s pack. Silas said it wasn’t common but not super rare like shifter-elemental matings are. No one in the pack knew much about elementals until you told us about Kage.”

Tyler felt Elijah stiffen slightly at the mention of Kage. He moved his hand until it gently pressed against Elijah’s leg. He felt a slight pressure in return.

“When a shifter discovers their mate is human, it’s necessary to introduce them to our world. It’s up to the shifter and sometimes their Alpha to determine the best way to do it. I was already aware of their existence, so it didn’t matter. A human always has the choice of whether or not they want to accept the mating. If they choose not to, the two go their separate ways. Just like traditional shifter matings, if the mating bond isn’t sealed, neither party will ever truly be happy in any relationship. Unbonded pairs have a high chance of depression and anxiety, which is why it seldom happens. Are you with me so far?”

Tyler nodded.

“If the human accepts the mating, they must complete the bond. That is accomplished by what’s called ‘claiming.’ The pair has sex, and the shifter bites his mate, which allows him to inject a small amount of his DNA into his mate. Semen reinforces it. This process completes the bond. Now, there’s also another option, and that is for the shifter to turn his mate. It’s much riskier and involves the same steps. In addition to the shifter biting the human, the human would also bite the shifter. That starts the process. The human will shift, but it takes a while. It took me almost two days. So, it boils down to this; for a human to turn into a shifter, there must be an exchange of spit, blood, and semen.”

“It sounds complicated,” Tyler remarked.

“It’s not—nature sort of takes over. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go all fur-faced, but when Zev sank his teeth into me, I couldn’t help myself. I haven’t regretted my split-second decision at all. Whatever happens, just remember you always have a choice. Get to know your mates as best you can right now. All you can do is take it one day at a time.”

Tyler knew Ben was right. He was now part of a world that, up until a few months ago, existed only in books and movies for him. He was still unsure if he would ever fit in, but he knew he had to try.