Levi yawned as he rolled out of bed, sunlight streaming through his blinds in bright little bands.
Rolled was the correct term, really. He thudded to the ground, making a thumping sound as he impacted the floor. No roosters and no alarm clocks, Levi woke with the sun.... eventually. He sprawled out on the carpet, humming to himself as the carpet scratched at him. That was the good stuff...
He made himself climb to his feet, though it took some doing, and wandered into the hall. He stepped towards the kitchen, peering into the guest room as he did so. Jace, Rhea, and Baxter were still sleeping, even though it was past noon. They were in something that could only be described as a pile, and all the spare blankets he had were piled on top of them. The room looked a dull grey blue, illuminated by the light reflecting off the far wall.
In the kitchen, he found coffee was already brewing, filling the air with that strong, familiar scent. Derrick was sitting at the bar, writing furiously on a little notepad and glancing back at the dossier spread across the tiled surface every few moments. He had healed well over the past five months, and, though he would have lingering back pain and be more prone to bloody noses, the surgeons and doctors that he had been taken to once the Bureau had caught up to things assured them he’d have full range of motion.
In the aftermath of what was now being called “the Redding Plot,” Derrick had been promoted three times in the span of two weeks, despite being laid up in a hospital bed the entire time. Senior Field Agent, Northern California. An innocuous job title, but one that put millions of dollars of government assets at his disposal, along with more than a dozen field agents and their support staff.
He seemed to enjoy the work, if his furious scribbling was anything to go by. He intended to make sure Inspector Lorraine spent the rest of his life in prison... as soon as they found him.
Once Levi had fled the San Francisco pack house, Reinhart on his heels, Lorraine had paralyzed Baxter with a quick-acting cantrip and fled. No one had seen him since. The man knew the Bureau’s operations too thoroughly to be an easy mark.
“Good morning,” Levi said, though it was very much not morning anymore.
“Coffee is on,” Elizabeth called from the living room.
Levi’s new house was really more of a bungalow. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and living room. It had been built in the 70’s, remodeled in the 90’s, and untouched since.
It was perfect.
A quick step out his front door would put him twenty paces from the warm sandy Santa Cruz beach. There were plenty of people who would have killed for a similar home, and the Santa Cruz pack had given it to him, just for being theirs.
Levi poured himself a mug of coffee. Elizabeth, Julia, and Mark were still in their pajamas. Elizabeth and Mark were playing an intense game of Connect Four, the game stood on his coffee table, as Julia spectated, giving encouragement and bad advice to whomever she deigned needed it at any given moment.
“Baxter is still asleep,” Levi commented between sips.
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. She neatly dropped a little yellow chip into her game and Mark groaned in defeat as she stood, walking past the kitchen back down the hall. Levi grinned over the lip of his mug.
He moved into the living room and plopped himself down on the couch. It was a nice couch, real faux-leather! And only two previous owners. Julia and Mark joined him, making Levi bounce as their weight was added to the cushion.
“Three,” Julia said.
“Two,” provided Mark.
“One!” Derrick suddenly shouted from the bar.
“Happy birthday!” They exclaimed at once.
Levi laughed as Mark and Julia hugged him, squirming.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” he said, trying to shove them off of him. And then Derrick leapt onto them, and they all groaned, because dammit he was a big bastard!
When, at last, Levi had freed himself, he was dismayed to find Mark and Julia had latched onto his ankles. You know, like children. Levi stepped towards the hallway, dragging them on their bellies across the carpet as the pair laughed.
Everyone had spent the night, like they were just kids, to celebrate Levi’s 24th birthday. It had been Elizabeth’s idea, of all people, and he had been incredibly touched by the suggestion.
The front door opened, and Carlo stepped in backwards, paper bags in his arms. They were labeled with the logo of the nearby organic grocer, and he stumbled towards the bar. Derrick had tossed his things to one side, making space for the goods.
Will trailed him afterwards, holding a plastic clamshell container holding a big green birthday cake that said “Happy Birthday, Levi” in big curling letters on top. He slid it onto the counter just as Rhea and Jace came running out of the hallway.
Baxter stumbled out of the back a short while later, scratching his tummy and yawning while Elizabeth gave him a disapproving glare.
“Tony couldn’t make it,” Carlo confessed with a sad smile. “Buuuut,” he continued, dragging the word out, “I brought bratwursts, ribeyes, corn, and beer!”
“Woo beer!” Baxter roared, suddenly awake.
“I’ll take a Guiness,” Derrick said, reaching his arm over Rhea to reach into one of the paper bags.
Will walked up to Levi. Levi grinned down at the kid. Will punched him right in the belly, making him give an “oomph.”
“Happy birthday,” the teen said, a smile teasing at his lips. “I tried to get them to write ‘loser’ instead of ‘Levi’ on the cake, but Carlo wouldn’t let me.”
“That’s because Carlo is a good doggy, and you are not,”
Will punched him again, and he deserved it. He laughed and wheezed at the same time.
It took a while for everyone to get clothed and for the food to get prepped, but they slowly trickled out front, where the sea sat ahead of them. Spring was on its last legs, and the very beginnings of the summer heat were already upon them, but the cool wind from the ocean and the pure blue sky made the day a beautiful one. Rhea, Jace, and Julia started running out towards the water, already laughing. Jace’s limp was barely noticeable. Baxter turned the propane on and sparked the grill as he shot the shit with Carlo. Elizabeth was fussing over Will, trying to get the kid to pull his hood down, assuring him that there was no one around to notice his ears.
Levi stepped down off the porch and let his toes sink into the sand. He leaned his back against the wooden railing, watching the seagulls dance in the breeze. Derrick leaned next to him and handed him a Guiness. Levi didn’t much care for Guiness, but he didn’t exactly hate the stuff. He popped the bottle cap off with just his thumb. Derrick caught the cap in midair, then tossed it in the trash behind them.
“You’ve been keeping busy,” Levi teased.
“It’s a lot of work,” Derrick admitted. He didn’t sound like he minded. “There are so many people that just need some help. I never realized there were so many... and they’re all so different. It’s amazing, just how strange the world truly is.”
Levi grinned at nothing in particular, watching Mark walk out towards the trio running around on the beach.
“Tony...?” Derrick said, letting the words linger in the air for a few moments. Levi gave a soft sigh.
“He’s not doing great,” Levi said. Tony was dying, in fact. Pancreatic cancer. Some days, he was fine. Other days... “But Carlo and I are picking up slack for him. I don’t exactly have a job, so I’ve got free time to help with pack business. But he’s an old man, he’s been living a busy, dangerous life for a long time. I think he’s satisfied with... with the life he’s lived.”
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Derrick put a big hand on Levi’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“It’s nice to feel needed,” Levi said, his smile returning.
“He seems like a good man.”
“He is. I’m learning a lot about myself. About what it means to be a Lycan. I’m learning to accept it, that it’s not the end of the world, or my life. That it can be... good.” Tony was teaching him that it was okay to change, to grow. And that his pack, tied to him by blood and by the moon, wanted him. Wanted to know him, and love him, and spend time with him. It was a good feeling.
“First round of bratwursts is done!” Baxter shouted.
Levi and Derrick made their way back onto the porch.
Once everyone had eaten their fill they moved inside. First, cake. They stacked way too many candles on the cake because, according to Will, the omens said they probably wouldn’t burn the house down that night. “It’s me,” he had added. “I’m the omens.”
They sang Levi “Happy Birthday” because intellectual property laws were stupid, and no one could stop them. No one sang “cha cha cha” between the lines. They all ate way too much sugar, except for Jace, who insisted he was on some kind of Keto diet (even though he had a bun with his bratwurst). Finally, they piled themselves on the couch and the floor, throwing down pillows and blankets. Two bowls of popcorn and one bowl of kettle corn were prepared, before everyone settled in.
Elizabeth, Baxter, Jace and Rhea were all in what could only be described as a stack on the right side of the couch, two blankets draped over them. Mark and Julia sat on the floor; their backs leaned against the couch. Will was leaning against the back wall, pretending not to be interested in the film. Derrick was on the right side of the couch, feet up on the coffee table. Levi and Carlo sat next to one another on the opposite end, knees touching, because every werewolf was physical by nature.
Man, his life was so weird now...
They watched The Wolf Man, because of course they did. A 1941 classic of werewolf cinema, filled with old-fashioned dialogue. A surprisingly emotional film.
When the credits rolled, around 8pm, everyone started to filter back out into the world. First, the group from San Francisco. Baxter and Elizabeth wanted to be on the road before they started feeling the tug of the moon, and Jace wanted to get Rhea home at a decent hour. Apparently, she had an exam in the morning at a community college, and Jace was insistent that it was his duty as her brother to make her be responsible. She smacked him upside the head for being so “dutiful.”
He hugged them as they left, one by one.
Will came up to him and gave him a quick one-armed hug before scampering to the car. Levi shuddered as he saw the flash of a black hound where a teenage boy stood.
Mark and Julia left next and, as they climbed into the car, Levi was pretty sure he saw Julia give Mark a kiss on the cheek. Mark seemed giddy as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Carlo was next. “Don’t forget to send me that health insurance packet for Brian and Donna,” he said, nudging Levi with his elbow. “I’ll see you in the morning. Please, do not be late. I get weird looks standing in the woods by myself, the cyclists always think I’m homeless.”
“That’s because you don’t know how to dress yourself,” Levi admonished.
Carlo cocked an eyebrow, then looked Levi up and down. The bastard winced! “Glass houses, my friend.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Levi chuckled.
And then there was Derrick.
“Where to next?” he asked the man. Derrick leaned against the railing of the porch, watching Carlo’s Audi drive back up the road. “Back north?”
“East,” Derrick said. “I’m being dispatched to Utah, of all places. Something about Mormon werewolves. Don’t ask.”
“Done,” Levi said, because curiosity was a dangerous thing, and he didn’t want to burst out laughing at the idea of proselytizing werewolves in little neckties. “And what about California?’
“I’ve got a few good men up north. Seem the good sort. They’ll keep an eye on things. Redding is in an uproar about the death of their alpha, but no one seems inclined to take revenge. I’ve made sure of that.”
“... Thank you, Derrick.”
Derrick glanced over his shoulder, a tiny smile on his lips. “No need to thank me. I told Arthur I’d keep you safe, didn’t I?”
Levi put a hand on the man’s shoulder. Derrick straightened and stood. He clasped Levi’s other hand in his, giving it a firm shake. The man’s grip felt made of stone. “Stay out of trouble, mutt. But, if you need me, just give me a call.”
“Sir yes sir,” Levi sniggered.
They broke contact, Derrick starting to walk down the porch.
“Derrick,” Levi called after him.
The man paused.
“You’re a dickhead.”
“Bite me, snoopy,” Derick snorted, hopping into the giant blacked-out Yukon that was his work vehicle.
“You wish!”
He heard Derrick chuckling as the engine of his SUV started up. The man’s vehicle rumbled up the road, and Levi was alone.
Levi pulled the cover onto the grill. He cleaned off the patio table, then wiped it down with a rag. Inside he grabbed all the blankets and pillows off the floor and the couches and threw them in the washing machine. He put the leftover cake in the fridge, then, because it was full of paper plates, he took out the trash. He ran the dishwasher. He vacuumed the popcorn kernels off the carpet in the living room.
And then he sat, heavy, at the foot of his bed. It had been a good day.
“I’m doing alright for myself,” he said to no one. It was disconcerting to recognize that he’d developed the habit of talking to himself, now. Having someone living in his head for that long had left its mark, scars like the ones on his hands.
He looked down at his forearm, flipped it over. Inked into his skin, a few inches under his pulse point, was a single, pink rose, the ink still bright and shining. It was a new thing, a special thing, just for him. He traced the lines with his left pointer, admiring the gentle swell and swoop of the art. He sighed, and brought his arm up to his face, giving the rose a tiny kiss.
He ignored the stinging in his eyes.
His phone felt heavier than normal, like it was made of lead. It weighed him down, and lifting it felt like a monumental thing.
Deep breaths.
After a few moments of hesitation, he pressed his fingers to the cracked screen, watching it light up under his touch. He scrolled through his contacts for a while, then sighed and went to the top of the list. He pressed the call button.
The phone rang once. Then twice. Then a mechanical voice answered.
“We’re sorry, the number you are trying to call has been disconnected.”
Levi flinched. He tried again, feeling his eyes burn.
“We’re sorry, the number you are trying to call has been disconnected.”
Again.
“We’re sorry-”
Again.
“-has been-”
Again.
“-disconnected.”
A few long moments passed.
He slumped in his seat, head hung low. His breathing was shaky as he held the phone up to his ear, speaking to nothing and no one.
“Hey, Arthur,” he said softly. “Not sure... not sure when they shut your line off. I guess it’s been a long time since anyone paid your phone bill.” His words felt scratchy in his throat, tongue heavy.
“I don’t know,” he continued. “I was... I was hoping to hear your voice. That’s okay though. Hey, listen, I’m about to do something, and it might be stupid, but I’m going to do it anyway. I just... wanted to let you know that I still think about you. And that I hope you’re doing well... Uh... Give me a call back, when you can. I’d like to know how things are up there on the moon, okay spaceman?”
The tears dripped into his lap, leaving black splotches on his jeans.
He scrolled back through his contacts, aimless, eyes struggling to focus. He’d deleted the man’s number a long time ago...
Deep breaths.
That was okay. He still remembered it.
He tapped the number in, his fingers feeling clumsy, his heart racing in his chest. He hit the call button.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
“Hello,” said a voice. It was strange, really, how the voice sounded. Like something from a different life, a past life, an echo to a different person. A boy, sitting in the back of a pickup truck, looking up at the stars. “You have reached Doctor Joseph Gutierez. I am unable to come to the phone right now, please leave a short message regarding the reason for your call and I will reach out at my earliest convenience.”
The phone beeped.
“... Hey dad,” Levi mumbled into his phone. He felt like an idiot. Of course he didn’t pick up the phone. Stupid, stupid. “I uh, just wanted to... I don’t know, to talk, I think. I-”
There was a click and a clatter from the other end of the line, a few grunted Spanish obscenities... and then breathing. Just breathing.
Deep breaths.
“Levi?” came his father’s voice, sounding terrified. “Levi, oh my God, is that you?”
Levi’s words caught in his throat.
“Oh, Levi,” his father said, and he was sobbing against the receiver. “Oh, it is so good to hear your voice. Please, please, say something. Talk. Please.”
Levi licked his lips, finding his mouth suddenly too dry. Too dry, clumsy, because his father was begging to hear the sound of his voice, and he didn’t know how to process it. “Hey dad. Hi. Hello.”
They cried together, on the phone, for several minutes.
“I’m sorry,” his father croaked.
“Okay,” Levi said.
And that was that. Another monster slain.
Here’s to many more.