Shaggy winced as he watched the space between Levy’s eyebrows twitch. It was amazing that such a physical expression from her actual body was present in the game world. She was seated across from him at the deli, her arms crossed in front of her. A well-manicured nail tapped away at her dark skin as she studied Shaggy like a naughty child. Shaggy, for his part, remained quiet.

He had long since returned from his chat with the aging government spook. The drive back with Agents One and Two had been uncomfortable. But this was a whole other level of strained. She had listened to the plan. Taking in the parts where he had to be arrested, sent to jail, and then shuffled off to another maximum security prison. Shaggy also explained the consequences if he didn’t do what Obadiah wanted. The spook hadn’t said it outright, but Shaggy was certain the old man could cause them a lot of trouble. After he had finished, Levy sat back in the chair and glared at him harshly.

Through his Pack Link, Shaggy could feel his pack sharing his wife’s feelings about this particular mission. They were all feeling a distinct mix of annoyance and aggravation. Although it felt like Rita and Ephemara were particularly pissed at him. Shaggy was sending them calming reassurances as he tried to maintain eye contact with Levy.

Soon her finger stopped its tapping, and Levy leaned forward. Shaggy did his best to ignore the tight purple shirt she was wearing as glared at him. But he was sure his eyes darted down a few times. Levy showed no sign she saw him looking, though. Seemingly intent on gathering all of his attention. She raised a finger and pointed straight between his eyes. Shaggy didn’t see a spark of magic though, so he thought he was partially in the clear.

“You, my dear husband, are bullshit.”

Shaggy scoffed and quirked an eyebrow as he looked around the slim finger in his face. “I never asked for this.”

“Oh, of course you didn’t. This is just a hyper-reactive game that continually throws things at its players. So we find ourselves ready to kick back and enjoy some downtime. But, no! You go off and somehow stumble upon a super-secret spy mission. Full of corporate intrigue and undercover work. Meanwhile, your poor wife and your litter of pups are going to be left here to… what? Worry about you at all times?”

“No. I’m sure you and the Pack will have plenty to do getting this neighborhood setup. Consolidating power won’t be easy, but I think you lot can handle it. If things get too hot, though, you can contact the guys. They’ll offer support when they can.” Shaggy explained, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh sure. Scaring the locals and beating gangsters into submission. Who hasn’t done that before?” Levy scoffed.

“I’m sorry. Are you jealous that I get to go to prison?”

“YES!” Levy screamed, throwing herself against the back of her chair and pouting. “Why do you get the exciting spy job?!”

“I should’ve expected this,” Shaggy muttered to himself. “Look, hun, I’m not going on a field trip. I will be locked down in the super-powered wing of the Austin Penitentiary. Which means they’ll slap a suppression collar on me and throw me in with the other cons. That’s not considering what happens if they send us to Super-Max. The forums are full of horror stories about that place.”

Levy clutched her hands in front of her chest and wailed sarcastically. “Oh no! You have to go play on Super Hard Mode without powers! Boohoo! Please, Shags. That sounds like an absolute blast. Meanwhile, me and the Lackeys will be here…playing City Manager.”

“Levy, you are going to be setting up our base of operations. Constructing businesses, making contacts, hiding our rackets. It sounds awesome in its own way. Sure, I get to go play spy. But you? You get to make yourself Queenpin of the neighborhood.”

Levy’s carefully sculpted eyebrow curved up in interest at Shaggy’s words. But she turned her head aside and folded her arms again. As she settled into her chair, she was the picture of nonchalance. Shaggy blew out a sigh as he realized he had her hooked. All he had to do now was reel her in.

“The magical Queenpin of our hood with a pack of werewolves as backup. Doing favors for people, negotiating with businesses, silencing competitors? It’ll be a blast. Besides, according to Obadiah, I won’t be gone long. Just long enough to find out where this Duke is doing his work and who he’s doing it for. I’ll be back in time to help cement our power around here.”

Levy was nodding along with him as he finished speaking. A familiar twinkle in her eye. But she caught him smiling at her and immediately changed her expression. Pouting again, she whined.

“But why can’t I go with you?”

“Love, you are a Sorceress. You’d go to a completely separate wing of the prison. Not to mention, Obadiah only has an exit strategy for me. I don’t even know how we’d get you out.”

“Bah! We’d find a way.”

“And while we were doing that, someone would come along and attack our guys here. The pack and the Lackeys could probably handle things. But I would feel better if you were here.”

Levy chewed her lip for a full minute before she finally sagged in her seat and threw her hands in the air.

“Fine! I’m not happy about it. But maybe playing Queenpin will brighten things up for me. Don’t be surprised if you get back and no one respects you anymore. Because respect is the name of the game. And if you ain’t here to receive it, you ain’t going to get any.”

Shaggy rolled his eyes and his wife’s theatricality. “Thank you, Levy. You’ll see. I’ll be in and out before you can even miss me.”

“Just what every woman wants to hear.” Levy smirked. “Now, how are you even going to be arrested, anyway?”

“I’ll turn myself in tomorrow. Obadiah is going to…”

Shaggy trailed off as his pack link sent warning signals through his brain. He felt his eyes widen and Shaggy had enough time to jump to his feet before his entire pack invaded the deli. They came rushing into the main room one at a time, taking positions behind Levy’s chair. The drow sorceress grinned as she figured out what was happening and stood up. Pressing three fingers against her lips, she blew him a kiss as she walked by his pack.

“Looks like you have more people to convince, dear. Good Luck.”

Levy sauntered away as Shaggy bit back a growl. He could feel his pack’s annoyance with his decision. But he was also sure they had felt/heard his arguments. Or as much of them as the system would allow. He stood poised behind the table, staring at all nine members of his pack. Even Seth and the Bug Brothers were here, glaring at him. The link was just as strong with them as it was with the others, and Shaggy could feel their annoyance at being seemingly abandoned.

Shaggy rubbed his forehead as he searched for the words. “Look, I’m the boss he-”

“No!” Ephemara interrupted him, clearly displaying that he wasn’t using the right tact.

Stolen story; please report.

“It’s not that dange-”

Rita interrupted this time. “No!”

Shaggy sighed loudly and instead opened up fully to the pack link. The constant hum of his pack was always present in the back of his mind. But he tried not to dwell too deeply within it. It was like swimming within a vast fast-moving river. It could be fun, but if you tried to swim upstream, you’d be screwed. He closed his eyes and let the stream of consciousness take him.

He could feel his packs worry for his safety. Their concern that he had lost his marbles. Tom’s worry that he was going to die and leave them without a leader. Ephemara’s concern over what would could happen to him in prison. Cekrass worried what would happen to the pack without its male. All nine members of his pack had legitimate worries about his safety and the safety of their pack. Shaggy sent warm memories and soothing thoughts to them all.

The river that was the pack link slowed, and they each communicated through it at once. It was a different kind of experience for Shaggy. Not intrusive or overly embarrassing. But somehow platonically intimate. They shared their worries and concerns in silent conversations as their bodies stood stock still. Some concerns were easier to allay than others. But Shaggy couldn’t truly explain to his NPC pack why he, a player, would be fine. Even if he died in prison, according to the forums, he’d just respawn back in his cell. There wasn’t even a Deathville for prisoners.

Shaggy didn’t know how long he stayed submerged in his Pack’s river of consciousness. But when he opened his eyes, only Rita and Ephemara were standing across from him. Both women still looked worried and Shaggy could tell his assurances had only solved bits of the problem. But after mentally explaining so much, he didn’t know what other words to use to say the same thing.

Rita snorted at that thought, and Shaggy winced as the Pack Link vibrated in his mind.

“Boss, you can only say you’re going to be okay so many times. We get it. But that doesn’t stop us from worrying. We’ve got a good thing going here and we’re a powerful pack. Do we really need to be jumping through hoops for some geriatric cyborg?”

“Yeah, boss.” Ephemara added. “Fuck that old bastard. We’ll be fine.”

Shaggy nodded. “I know we would be. But by doing this, I do Nova a favor and he gives us breathing room. Sure, we might be fine without his help. But if I do this, I know we’ll be fine. We’ll have space and time to grow. Get our roots deep into this community. Then we will push out to other areas.”

He sat back down at the table, and Rita and Ephemara joined him. Together, they went through every step of the old man’s plan. Looking for holes. From getting arrested, to stepping back out of the prison to take the bus to super-max. Shaggy assured both women that he wasn’t going to ever step on to that bus. But they wanted a plan in place, just in case. Rita even went so far as to ask if he could delay turning himself in long enough for them to scope out the Austin Penitentiary.

“Rita, it will be fine. Obadiah’s mini-spooks will be there to keep an eye on things. All the pack needs to do is stay in the neighborhood and help Levy.”

“And I’m telling you, Shaggy. I don’t trust the cyborg as far as I can throw him. I want at least Vick there providing oversight. He can be the pack’s insurance policy.”

“Fine. Rita, if you can find a spot to put him, then get him there. But tell him to stay quiet and not to do a damn thing unless I give the signal, okay?”

Rita gave him a tired smile as Ephemara nodded happily. Shaggy pressed his advantage to explain that he wanted the rest of the pack helping Levy. They attempted to argue, but he put his foot down.

“Look, I don’t know the shit I’m stepping into. The last thing we need is to risk everyone for Obadiah’s little mission. So once I’m away with Duke’s gang or whatever. Y’all pull Vick back and have him help here. I want this neighborhood locked down tight. Help Levy with whatever she needs and try to gather some underlings of your own. Nothing overt. Even with the cops not giving us the business, I don’t want what we are doing to be obvious.”

“What are we doing, boss?” Ephemara asked.

“Creating an underground criminal network, Ephe. Which means I need all of the pack to start stretching their legs. Find opportunities, exploit weaknesses, and collect payments. We already have a few shops kicking up to us for protection. Make sure those shops are well-guarded and that they pay up.”

“You’re talking like you are going to be gone a while, boss. I don’t like it,” Rita growled.

“This is just in case this little job takes longer than expected. Besides, I’d have you lot doing this even if I was here. Now, is there anything else you two want to bring up?”

Both women shared a glance before they shook their head. Shaggy sighed and nodded as Levy appeared behind the Deli counter, clapping her hands together.

“Good. Then that means that your little meeting with your concubines can be concluded.” Levy said jokingly as she walked around to the main floor.

Ephemara smirked and Rita rolled her eyes as they both stood. They chatted briefly with Levy before they both excused themselves and retreated downstairs. Shaggy blew out a long breath and relaxed into his chair.

“That looked intense.” Levy giggled.

Shaggy rolled his eyes as he opened them. “It was an experience, that’s for sure. I didn’t even know I could dive that deep into the pack link.”

“Is that what y’all were doing? It looked like you were having a mental duel and each member of your pack backed out one at a time.”

“It was a telepathic communication of some sort. Very intense and highly effective… for some.”

“Yeah, your two leading women didn’t seem keen to let that particular bone go.”

Shaggy chuckled to himself and looked into his wife’s eyes. Her playful banter was relaxing after throwing himself into the pack link. Although he still couldn’t tell if she was kidding. But before he could ask her to elaborate, she looked away and coughed.

“It’s time to hit the hay, love. Should we sleep in-game? I wouldn’t want you to be late for your early morning arrest.”

Shaggy nodded. “Yeah, although I’ll have to shoot an email to work to let them know.”

“Calling in to work to play a video game? Scandalous.”

Shaggy snorted and rose to his feet. He took Levy’s arm as he opened his menu and started mentally typing up an email. It wouldn’t be the first time he took a day for himself. And Levy was always on him to delegate more duties to his staff. They were good people and they could handle the business for a day or two while he played villain. What was the point of starting and owning your own business if you didn’t get to enjoy yourself sometimes?

He had the email written and sent by the time they made it to their little log cabin. Shaggy didn’t realize how tired he felt until he collapsed into their bed. He felt a shift as Levy joined him after she turned off the light. She curled up next to him as he sighed and laid on his back. Levy’s soft breathing lulled Shaggy into his own restful sleep and before he knew it, he was being woken up by the game’s internal alarm.

Shaggy flailed at the nonphysical button for a full minute before he remembered he was still in-game. With a mental push, Shaggy shut off the alarm and looked around. Levy was gone, her side of the bed half made up. Her subtle reminder for him to always make the bed after he got up. Grumbling, Shaggy fixed his side of the bed and quickly got dressed. But as he went to put his credit chits and sticks back in his pocket, he thought better of it. Instead, he grabbed the small pile of money and hurried downstairs.

Soft chuckles emanated from his and Levy’s kitchen, so that was his first stop. Levy was there, serving up a digital breakfast to his pack. All except for Vick. Shaggy scanned the pack link and found the sharpshooter quickly moving away from their neighborhood. Rita and Ephe were feeling smug, so he assumed they had sent Vick off to investigate the prison he’d be going to. Shaggy shook his head and kissed his wife good morning. After a quick breakfast and some casual conversation, Shaggy handed all his money to Levy.

“Don’t go spending it all in one place.”

“Ha ha,” Levy replied sarcastically. “Like we don’t have thousands more in the terminal. When are you going to the police station?”

“Better to do it now. Getting me processed is probably going to take a while.”

“And you’re sure Obadiah set things up right?” Rita asked.

“As sure as I can be, Rita. Look, this is going to take a bit of trust. I have to believe that Nova wants this Duke character and the HLO more than he wants to screw me over.”

“A fair thought.” Ephemara remarked.

Shaggy nodded and turned to look at Levy. She was smiling, but he could see a sadness in her eyes. If he didn’t know that sadness was because she couldn’t join him, he would’ve comforted her. But instead, all he did was place a long, heartfelt kiss on her lips and then started to leave. He felt his pack get up to follow him, but he spun and put a hand up.

“Hey! Stay… stay… good puppies.”

His back was pelted with breakfast rolls and bagels as his pack booed his joke. He quickly made his exit and hurried up the tunnel and through the deli. Shaggy winced as the sun hit his eyes and he brought a hand up to shield himself. As his eyes adjusted, he turned eastward and started walking. The nearest police station was a few blocks outside their neighborhood, so he had a bit of a walk ahead of him. But it seemed to take no time at all. Before he knew it, he was standing outside a police station, fighting off memories of the last time he had done something like this. Shoving Officer Xelthub from his mind, Shaggy walked up the steps and into the police station. Unsure of how things were about to go.