Lone Wolf Ranch - 12. Chapter 12

Connor slowly opened his eyes. Shamus and Katty were looking down at him with concern written all over their faces. He lifted his head and looked around to find Danny in Carol’s arms with wolf Ronin standing beside them.

Connor turned to Shamus and said, “Well, I guess I’m not going crazy. That, or I’m still dreaming?”

Katty burst out laughing while Shamus replied, “No, you’re not crazy, nor are you dreaming.”

“So, Ronin’s a werewolf?” Connor asked no one in particular as he turned to stare at the grayish-brown wolf.

Shamus shook his head and said, “Not a werewolf, a shapeshifter. There’s a lot I need to explain, and there’s still work to be done. Are you ok with finishing the day’s work and then we’ll sit down, and I’ll explain everything? Or do we need to head to the house now?”

Connor looked around and said, “I’ll finish my work.” He then looked Shamus in the eyes, saying, “Then you’ll answer any questions I have.”

It wasn’t a question, and Shamus knew it. He nodded and helped the boy to his feet. Shamus then turned to Ronin and asked, “Can you shift back?” when Ronin whined, Shamus looked at Carol and said, “Help him into your Durango and take him to the main house, please?”

Connor’s head snapped to stare at her when she said, “Yes, Alpha.”

Danny asked, “Do I go wif Mama or Cawnew?”

Carol put Danny down as she said, “You help Connor with the horses, baby. Mama has to talk Ronin through shifting back ‘cause he hasn’t done it very much, and he’s upset right now.”

Danny nodded as he said, “OK Mama.” He then turned and grabbed the reins of Mac Tíre and Brandy and led them over to the trailer.

Katty grabbed Scout and Blaze, and Connor walked with her, leading Fenrir. He gave her a sidelong glance, then bit his lower lip, thinking. Finally, he said, “You’re one too, ain’t ya?”

Katty stopped walking and looked at her cousin. She chewed on the inside of her cheek a second, then said, “Shamus told us not to tell you anything until he talks to you, but I guess I’m not telling you if you figured it out, right?”

Connor nodded, then turned to the twins and said, “You guys, too, huh? Hitting puberty late means you’re a werewolf?”

The twins nodded as Katty said, “Shapeshifter. Get werewolf out of your head.”

They had come to the trailer where Emmet was securing the horses inside the trailer. When Connor looked at him, he said, “Nope! I’m the oddball here.”

Connor turned to find Shamus watching all the cousins as they loaded their horses into the trailer. The look on his face told Connor that his Granda regretted not having told him sooner. Once he had secured Fenrir and Mac Tíre in the trailer, he went to the older man.

“Are you okay, Granda?”

Shamus smiled at the boy, ruffled his hair, and said, “You’re worried about me? I was just worrying that you got too much of a shock when Ronin shifted.”

Connor blushed and said, “Well, that makes twice today that I’ve fainted.” His eyes got big as he realized what he said. “Um, I guess you knew that’s what happened this morning? In my room?”

Shamus let out a laugh as he said, “Of course, I knew that’s what happened. I was standing there when you did it.”

Connor’s eyes bulged as he asked, “That was you in the doorway?” Then he thought for a moment and added, “And it was Katty and Ronin in the yard, huh?”

Shamus nodded as he replied, “Correct on all three.” Shamus looked around and saw that everyone was ready to go. He opened the truck door and, as he got in, he said, “We’ll talk all night about it if you want. For now, let’s get these horses back and get some dinner, OK?”

Connor lifted Danny into the booster seat, then climbed in beside him. As Katty drove them to the main house, Connor asked, “We’ve got just as many to do tomorrow, right Katty?”

She started to answer when Shamus interrupted with, “Use the Johnson brothers to help you tomorrow, Katty. I’m taking Connor into town to take care of a few things.”

Katty nodded as Connor asked, “What things?”

Shamus replied, “We’ll be dropping by the school, the bank, the MVD, and a few other places.”

Connor thought for a moment, then asked, “MVD? You mean the DMV?”

Shamus smiled and explained, “In Montana, it’s the Motor Vehicle Division of the Montana Department of Justice, but yes, I think it’s called the DMV in Colorado.”

Connor said, “But I’m only 14. I can’t drive yet.” Then he looked at his cousin, thought a bit, and asked, “Can I really get my license at 14?”

Shamus nodded at Katty, who explained, “You can get your permit at 14 years and 6 months if you’re enrolled in the school-based driver's education program. Or at 15 without it. The licenses are graduated as to when you can drive and who can ride with you. After the first year, it becomes a full license.”

Connor had been distracted by the conversation and didn’t realize they had pulled up to the stable at the main house. After he helped Danny out of the truck, they worked with Katty, Emmet, and the twins to unload, groom, and feed the horses. The cousins were leaving their horses here tonight as they would need them again tomorrow.

As Connor, Danny, Katty, Emmet, and the twins entered the kitchen, Shamus told them they had ten minutes to get showered before dinner. Connor headed to his room, followed by Danny. Katty and Emmet headed to the downstairs shower while the twins headed for the bedroom across from Connor’s. Connor was drying Danny when the twins knocked on his open door.

Rory sat on Connor’s bed as Regan flopped down in the desk chair. They were both silent for a moment, then Regan asked, “You didn’t say much when I said I think I’m gay. I hope it don’t bother you.”

Connor smiled and said, “I was worried you guys wouldn’t like the fact that I’m gay. I guess we both have nothing to worry about, huh?”

Rory asked, “And the stuff we said about messin’ around? You don’t think it’s weird that we do that stuff with our brothers and cousins?”

Connor ran the towel over his hair just enough to get the worst of the water out, then looked at his cousins and said, “It depends on how far things go. As long as no one’s being forced. I guess I don’t see a problem with it, though.” As he finished speaking, Connor reached into the drawer for clean boxer briefs. He stopped, looked at the twins, and asked, “Everyone eats naked?” When they nodded, he tossed his underwear back in the drawer, and they all headed for the dining room.

As they entered the dining room, Shamus directed Connor to sit at his right hand. Ronin was sitting opposite Connor, with Katty and Emmet beside him. Danny sat in his booster seat, beside Connor, with the twins on Danny’s other side. Carol sat in the far-end seat, closest to the kitchen.

Shamus looked around the table, then said, “To the gods and goddesses who have blessed us with this beautiful day, with this meal, and with friends and family, we give thanks. We are truly grateful for this day, for this food, and for those who share it with us.” Connor started to ask a question, but Shamus said, “That’s for another time. Tonight, we will explain other things.”

Connor nodded and took the serving platter from Shamus. He put a steak on his own plate, then a small one on Danny’s before passing the platter to Regan. As the food was passed around, Shamus looked at Connor and said, “I heard you talking to Katty and the boys, so I know you’ve figured some things out. The truth of the matter is that everyone at this table, apart from Emmet, is a wolf shifter.”

Connor looked around the table, and his eyes paused on Carol for a moment, then on Danny. He turned to see Shamus nodding his head as he said, “Carol and I have talked, and we think she’s related to my nephew’s missing son. And yes, when Danny gets to his 14th summer, he’ll go through what you’re going through.”

Connor turned to Danny as the boy said, “Yeah, I get to be a wolf after I go through pooper-tree!”

Carol coughed, and Shamus laughed. Connor thought for a minute, then realized what he meant. “It’s puberty, little buddy. It’s when a boy turns into a man.”

Danny nodded and said, “Like you and Wonin are doing, huh.”

Connor nodded as he cut Danny’s steak. “Yeah, little buddy. Like Ronin and I are doing.” He turned to Shamus and asked, “You said we’re wolf shifters. Are there other types?”

Shamus swallowed, then said, “There are many types of shifters. We identify our types by the animal our shifted form resembles, but we are not that animal; just like we look like humans, but we are not human.” The confused look on Connor’s face made him try again. “You are a shifter. You are not a wolf, nor are you a human, even though you can look like either.”

Connor nodded his head thoughtfully as he took another bite of his dinner. He looked at Shamus and asked, “Ma and Da never mentioned this to me, so I have to assume they’re not shifters. How am I one if they’re not?”

Emmet spoke up, asking, “You’re a freshman?” Connor nodded, so he continued. “So you haven’t talked about genetics yet?”

Connor said, “I’m in advanced classes. I’ve had the basics of Mendelian genetics. Does that help?”

Emmet rolled his head from side to side as he said, “Yes and no. I’ll try to make it simple. If two shifters mate, their offspring will almost certainly be a shifter. If a shifter mates with a human, the chance of their child being a shifter is only 5 or 10%, but there’s a very high chance the child will be a carrier. If two carriers mate, their child will most likely be a carrier, with about a 5% chance of it being a human or a shifter.”

As Emmet explained, Connor ate. When Emmet finished, Connor continued to eat as he thought. Finally, he looked up and said, “It sounds like shifters should have gone extinct years ago. That, or become racist and only mate with other shifters.”

Emmet was about to reply when Shamus said, “We can go into details another evening. If everyone is finished eating, I’d like to take this conversation to the den.”

Everyone stood and followed Shamus to his den. When Connor walked in, he thought it looked more like a library. The two windows and two doors were the only place on the walls that didn’t have bookshelves. Connor could see that the other door went into what looked like a large office. He sat when Shamus pointed to a chair in the center of the room. Danny started to join him when Shamus told him to join the others on the floor.

Shamus went into his office and returned with an ancient leather binder. He handed it to Connor, saying, “This is your family tree. In there, you’ll find everyone we know: your Ma, your cousins, your uncles, me, my Pa. Look and tell me if you notice anything.”

Connor opened the book and looked through it. As most people would, his first action was to find himself. He then followed the line backward to Shamus. As he did, he noticed significant gaps. He looked at Shamus and said, “The only Shamus I found was born in 1542, but where are you?”

Shamus slowly nodded as he said, “That’s me. I’m Shamus Fergus O’Faolan, born in County Cork, near Kanturk, in the spring of 1542.”

Connor remained silent for a minute, then said, “I’m confused. You’re saying you’re almost 500 years old? Are you saying I’m going to live 500 years?”

Shamus nodded. Connor sat, trying to process everything. Several times he started to ask something, then stopped and shook his head. After a few minutes, Carol said, “You’re taking this better than Dan and I did. His dad had no clue, but my grandma knew. Her grand-daddy was a shifter, and she knew. We thought she had been drinking when she first mentioned it to us. The next afternoon we were out at the river for a swim. We laid down in the sun to dry, and Dan fell asleep. The next thing I know, there’s a wolf curled up next to me.”

Connor looked up at Shamus and asked, “Carol called you ‘Alpha’?” Shamus nodded. Connor studied his hands for a moment, then asked, “You say I have to take over the ranch. It isn’t the ranch; it’s the pack, isn’t it?”

When Shamus nodded again, Connor panicked, saying, “I’m not ready to take over a pack. I don’t know anything about anything. I’m only 14 years old. How am I supposed to…”

Shamus knelt in front of the boy and took hold of his hands, shushing him. When Connor was calmer, Shamus said, “Unless something happens, you should have twenty or thirty years to learn what you need. The gods typically send the next Alpha long before the current one is due to die.”

Connor sat and got control of his breathing, then nodding his head, said, “I suppose I can be ready by then.” He looked around at his cousins, then down at Danny. He looked at Carol and asked, “Shamus said something about you being family?”

Carol smiled and explained, “After Grandma told me about my being a shifter, she took me to meet her granddaddy, Cormac Fylan. He said he was born in 1846. He was six when someone grabbed him from the line at Castle Garden. Six hours later, he was headed west on one of the orphan trains. He ended up in Rapid City. I met him in 2017, and he looked like he was in his thirties.”

Connor’s eyebrows almost touched in concentration as he tried to understand what Carol was saying. Shamus noticed and tried to explain, “My brother and his pack left Ireland in 1852. His youngest son, Cormac O’Faolan, went missing while they were waiting to be processed. The immigration officials and police didn’t care about the child of an immigrant, and Brenden had his mate and pack to worry about. They traced Cormac’s scent the next day and lost him at the train station.”

Connor was nodding as he listened to the story. He reached down and pulled Danny into his lap, then asked, “What happened to Brenden and his pack?”

Shamus replied, “They were supposed to join us here, but after Cormac went missing, Meave, she’s Brandon’s mate, wanted to stay on the east coast. They settled in northern Maine. Their pack has seven shifters and nine carriers right now. And two females that will start shifting next year.”

Connor looked at Carol and asked, “Are you going to go to Maine? Meet your family?”

She looked from Connor to Danny, then looked Connor in the eyes as she said, “I’ve thought about it. I’d love to get away and get my mind off Dan until I heal. I don’t know if Danny would let me take him away from you, though.”

Before Connor could reply, Danny smiled at her and said, “I towd you. Papa said Cawnew is gonna take cawe of me until I’m big. I know you gotta go away for a while, Mama. Papa said it’s OK.”

Carol stared at Danny, shocked by the second message from her dead husband in as many weeks. She turned to Shamus, and when he nodded, she turned back to Danny and Connor and said, “I’ll leave after breakfast tomorrow. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll be back. That’s a promise. You be good for Connor, ok pup?”

Danny jumped from Connor’s lap and hugged his mother as her eyes filled with tears. He whispered, “Papa says you gonna find a new mate and stay wif him. It’s ok, Mama. I be ok wif Cawnew.”

Carol looked up to see Shamus shrug as he said, “If I were you, I’d trust your first mate. Delay your start by a few hours so we can make things legal for Connor and me to care for Danny.”

Carol nodded, kissed her son, and headed off to pack her things. Danny climbed back into Connor’s lap like nothing had changed. He knew he was safe, and he knew his Mama would be safe and happy where she was going.

After hugging Danny, Connor looked at Shamus and asked, “Are you going to teach me how to shift? Or do I just wait until it happens?” He turned to Ronin and asked, “And why couldn’t you shift back this afternoon?”

Ronin looked at Shamus and, seeing his nod, lowered his eyes and explained, “I was trying all day to make you mad, so you’d shift. It backfired on me, though, and when you knocked me into that cow shit, it made me so mad I lost control and shifted. I’m sorry, Connor. I don’t resent you, and I’m hoping we can be friends. I was just tired of having to keep it a secret. Can you forgive me?”

Connor could see the sincerity on his cousin’s face, and he could understand the frustration. He bit his lower lip as he thought about all the insults, then he said, “I can forgive you, Ronin, not for your sake, but for my own. I can’t allow myself to hold onto resentments. But I meant what I said about Danny. I forgive you, but it’ll take me a while for us to be friends. I hope you understand.”

Ronin lowered his head even more as he mumbled, “Yeah, I do. I get it.”

Connor then asked, “Still, I understand the emotional overload caused your shift, but why couldn’t you shift back?”

Shamus explained, “An emotionally triggered shift is almost as bad as a forced shift. It’s hard to shift back, especially for pups like you two. I’m willing to bet that Katty still has the occasional emotional shift,” He glanced at her, and she nodded, “and I bet she still struggles to shift back from them before she calms down.”

Connor was nodding as he listened to the explanation. He then asked, “That makes sense, but what do you mean by a forced shift?”

Katty answered this one, “If your Alpha tells you to shift, you can’t refuse. There are very few conditions when you can refuse an order from your Alpha. Those stupid movies got that part right.”

Connor thought for a second, then realized which movies. That brought on another question. He turned to Ronin and asked, “What happened to your clothes when you shifted? I didn’t see any laying on the ground.”

Everyone laughed, then Ronin said, “None of the movies have ever gotten that one right. The same magic that lets us shift takes care of the clothes. And don’t ask me to explain it more than that ‘cause I don’t know how; it just does.”

Shamus cleared his throat and said, “Back to your question, I can teach you how to shift, or Ronin or Katty can do it. I know more about it, but they can relate to you better, so it’s up to you.”

Connor looked at his cousins, then at Shamus. He chewed on his lip, then said, “Maybe Katty can try, for now. As long as you’re close by in case I mess it up?” He asked, looking at Shamus. When he got a nod, he added, “Oh, and you never said what other types of shifters are there?”

Shamus held up his hand and counted on his fingers as he said, “In my life, I’ve met several types of big cats, like panthers, lions, tigers, and such. I count those all as one type, although they tend to keep themselves separate. Most of the bears I’ve known resembled grizzlies. I’ve met eagles, condors, and turkeys, and there’s a book based on the flock of women who ran an orphanage in England during the 1940s. Shifters tend to be predators, but I’ve also known deer, boars, and sheep. The canine shifters are usually wolves, but Arizona has a few packs of coyotes. I also know of a den of foxes in Virginia and another in Scotland.”

Connor was wide-eyed as he listened to Shamus listing these creatures he had always thought were myths. His curiosity piqued, he asked, “Are the other things I’ve heard of real too?” Shamus’ face said he didn’t follow, so Connor explained, “Vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, dragons… all of the supposed mythical creatures. Are they all real?”

Shamus looked around at the room full of pups and smiled. He had never gone into these issues with the others, but they had never asked. He turned back to Connor and said, “Some are real, and some are legends, but most of the legends are based on some truth. Supernatural beings, as humans call us, tend to keep separate. We do business with the vampires, but we don’t socialize with them, nor do they with us. Same goes for witches and fairies. I was friends with a dragon back in Ireland, but that was almost two hundred years ago.”

Connor looked around and saw that his cousins were just as amazed as he was. He was about to ask another question when Shamus clapped his hands and said, “Alright, all of you head upstairs. I already told your folks you’d probably be staying. Keep the noise down, and remember, all of you need to be up at dawn, so don’t stay up too late.”

All the pups stood to head upstairs, with the twins and Emmet leading the way. Connor had to wait for Danny, so he was the last up. He was almost to the door when he noticed Katty having a quiet conversation with Shamus. He assumed it had to do with tomorrow’s work. When he reached the top of the stairs, he found all four of his male cousins waiting outside his bedroom.

As Connor looked each one in their eyes, they all lowered their eyes, refusing to meet his gaze. Emmet finally spoke for the group. “We’d all like to crash in your room if that’s ok? Just hang out, talk, and watch Katty teaching you how to shift.”

Regan quickly added, “We’ll understand if you say no. We just… well, we just…”

Connor was startled when Katty’s voice came from behind him, saying, “They just want to be close to you now that you know you’re one of us and you’re going to be Alpha someday. It’s the pack mentality.”

Connor shrugged his shoulders and said, “I guess it’s ok. As long as no one laughs when I can’t shift.”

No one answered, but they all filed into the bedroom. Connor took Danny into the bathroom, where they both brushed their teeth. After this afternoon, Connor wasn’t surprised when Katty came in and sat on the toilet. She was followed by the twins, who shared the bowl, then Emmet and Ronin came in and followed suit. Connor and Danny were the last to pee, then Danny ran and jumped onto the bed.

When Connor came back into his bedroom, everyone was standing, waiting. He looked around, then said, “Well, make yourselves comfortable, geesh.” He turned to Katty and, as the twins flopped onto his bed on either side of Danny, he asked, “What do I do first, teach?”

Katty scowled and said, “First, you relax. I can smell your stress.” Connor took a few deep breaths, then she continued, “Okay, if you don’t mind, Ronin is going to shift as I explain what’s happening.”

When Connor nodded, Ronin stepped forward to stand between his cousins. He took a few slow, relaxing breaths, then closed his eyes. Katty explained, “Like I told you, for now, you need to relax and focus. Ronin has relaxed, and now he’s in his mind, picturing himself as his wolf.”

Connor had been watching and nodding, but when she said he was picturing himself as his wolf, he asked, “How can I picture myself as my wolf if I don’t know what my wolf looks like?”

Katty rolled her eyes and sighed, then said, “You can’t picture yourself exactly; you just try to connect with the wolf that’s inside you. Imagine your body as a wolf. Paws instead of hands and feet, a wolf’s muzzle instead of your human mouth, razor-sharp teeth instead of these worthless human ones.” She was watching Ronin and said, “See? He’s started shifting.”

Connor looked and realized he could see the hair growing on his cousin’s body. Thick canine hair in shades of brown and grey. His human hair was shortening and changing color to match his wolf hair. Like earlier in the day, Connor could see his arms changing into legs and paws. He saw Ronin’s face stretch and become the muzzle of a wolf and watched, amazed, as his cousin’s human teeth enlarged and sharpened into the long, sharp weapons of a wolf. He was soon standing over the wolf he had seen that afternoon. The wolf that had been outside his bedroom window just before dawn.

He looked at Ronin and asked, “Can you understand me in this form?” Ronin nodded and gave a short yelp. Connor turned to Katty and asked, “How do you communicate when you’re in wolf form?”

Katty replied, “Another thing that vampire movie got almost right. We communicate telepathically. What they got wrong was the who. We can choose to talk to those near us, our entire pack, our Alpha, or our mate. Pretty much any combination of those.”

Connor looked from Katty to Ronin, then asked her, “So he can talk to you right now? Telepathically?”

Katty shook her head and said, “No, only those in wolf form. We can’t communicate cross forms, except with the Alpha. And he can send any of us a message at any time, regardless if either of us is in wolf or human form.” Katty paused to think about what she had said, then looked at Connor and asked, “Did that make sense? I confused myself, even though I know what I meant to say.”

Connor nodded and was about to reply when he heard Shamus in his mind saying, ‘What she’s trying to say is that I can talk to you like this, and I can talk to Ronin. I’m in human form right now, but I can do the same when I’m a wolf.’

Katty grinned at the surprised look on Connor’s face, then she said, “Ok, now it’s your turn. Relax.”

Connor heard her say relax, but his body did the exact opposite. His breathing and heart rate jumped as he realized she wanted him to shift. He looked at Ronin, then back to Katty, then observed, “This afternoon, it seemed like it hurt him, but this time it didn’t.”

Katty giggled and said, “Or you can have a panic attack.” She put her hand on his shoulder and said, “An emotionally forced shift can be painful. A shift you initiate isn’t painful at all. Take a few deep breaths and relax, then close your eyes and imagine yourself as a wolf.”

Connor did as she said. He closed his eyes and took as deep a breath as he could, then held it for a second to help himself slow down. He blew his breath out through his mouth and inhaled through his nose three times, then he thought about what it would be like to be a wolf. To have an incredible sense of smell, to have amazingly sharp eyesight, to be able to hear a twig snap from a mile away. Wolves could run all day and not tire. Wolves could take down animals three times their size. Connor felt a tingle, so he opened his eyes to see if anything had happened. What he saw confused and surprised him.