Half-Blood Curse

9 - Road Trip

When Lucas woke up, he was sprawled out in the back seat of an unfamiliar pick-up truck. Maestro's cat carrier was on the floor of the cab, but the cat himself was stretched out on the center console, enjoying his freedom. Sonia sat stiffly in the passenger seat, arms crossed, with such a strong aura of rage that it crackled in the air. The stranger drove. In the daylight, Lucas could see him more clearly. His hair was a peculiar shade, as if it had dark orange undertones. His face was wide and he had a thick square jaw. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He sat easily and seemed at ease in the car despite Sonia's prickly vibes. Lucas blinked in surprise when he got the distinct impression that he was a feline shifter. Tiger, perhaps.

Since when can I differentiate between different types of shifters? Lucas absentmindedly rubbed his wrist where his missing charm used to be. The charm that pulled away all of his excess shifter energy was gone now. Did he have instincts hiding inside of himself that he didn't even know about? He didn't remember having that skill as a teenager before he made the charm. Had his shifter side changed since then?

"Good morning, alpha." The stranger said.

"Kiss ass."

"What was that, wiccan?"

"Nothing, kiss ass," Sonia said sweetly.

The shifter gowled, but Lucas saw the way the corners of his mouth curled upwards. Sonia did not look particularly amused.

"Where are we?" Lucas pushed himself upright. The time on the dashboard said ten thirty, and the stranger had just said it was morning, so Lucas had been asleep for several hours. He looked out the window and saw rolling fields. "Have we been driving since last night?"

"Yes, alpha."

"Call me Lucas, for the love of god."

"Alright, Lucas," the shifter was quick to agree, and Lucas felt his shoulders relax.

"What's your name, anyway?"

"Joseph Howinger. I've been a solitary shifter for seven years, since my wife died. I joined her pack when we married, and when she died, they told me I was no longer welcome."

"Why?" Lucas asked. Even Sonia seemed intrigued, softened by the mention of his loss.

"Some shifters are more desirable as pack members than others, but I was too strong to lose my spot the natural way. The alpha cast me out, instead."

"Why didn't they want you?"

Joseph scowled. "The alpha's brother wanted my spot as first beta, but I wouldn't give it up just so he could have his pride. He was going to have to fight me for it. He would never be able to beat me. When Finnie died, my original tie to the pack was gone, and the alpha released me from my pledge of loyalty."

Lucas furrowed his brow in thought. Joseph glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"It wasn't a blood-link," Joseph explained. "There are levels of bonds inside a pack. A mate is obviously the first priority. Mate and children. Then there are those you make pack through blood. There is a closeness there, and trust. It can be broken, but almost never is. It's an honor."

Lucas felt his heart clench. "I forced you to. I told you to say yes or die."

"You're strange, but strong," Joseph shrugged. "It's no hardship being your pack. I think it might even be fun."

"But I still forced you."

"There is always a choice, Lucas," Joseph said. "You think you made me choose between death or servitude, but it was more like death or friendship. Death or honor. I would have died trying to kill an innocent woman. There is no honor in that. It was an easy choice. Besides, if you really want to undo it when we finish getting you to Chicago, we can discuss it then." He sounded reluctant to say the last part, but it did more to make Lucas relax than anything else.