A Boy Among Wolves

Chapter 7

Danny

"Dad's gonna be so pissed," I groan to myself as I come out of the woods and head to my car. I'm way ahead of Bryce and his family. I hope Bryce and Theo work it out tonight, but more importantly, I hope Theo's ok. He was saying some dark stuff just now.

I climb in my blue jeep and head home.

Brenden's Dad would have probably headed home as soon as he could. wolves tend to give parents respectful space when dealing with their kids; something about a pack mentality. So I'll just have to deal with Dad.

I keep going back to what Theo said. "Worthless trash." That's what he called himself.

"Does he really think that about himself? Has he always thought it, or was it Bryce that said it," I think to myself as I pull onto my street? I can only hope that Bryce said it in the heat of a fight, but I'll still have to ask him.

I see Dad standing on the front porch waiting for me. "Fuck," is all I say, and I know he heard me.

As I climb out of the car, I'm hit by a smell I don't get very often. He's nervous...or scared, but why.

I know better than to make eye contact. I drop my head and act like the subordinate wolf I am. He's the alpha of the family, and I disobeyed his orders.

Dad just sighs, "Danny, look up."

I do as ordered.

"I told you not to go into the woods. What were you thinking?" He says quietly and takes a seat on the porch swing. He pats for me to sit. I join him. This is the spot we have all our father-son chats. My brother has a lot of the same memories.

I think for a second. He'll know if I'm lying, so I go for the closest thing to the truth I can manage. "Theo's my friend....and Bryce hurt him, so he ran. I know it wasn't safe, but that's why I told Brenden."

"Theo's....your friend?" He asks in an even tone.

"Yes.....yes. He's my friend," I say back.

"Danny. I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to just tell me the full truth," he says, and he pats my leg. I nod, and he takes a breath before asking, "are you gay?"

I'm shocked by his honesty at first, but I just nod. "And Theo knows?"

"No....just you and Brenden," I say quietly. "You care that I'm gay?"

Dad just looks at me and then puts his arm around me. It's an awkward fit, seeing as over the summer, I passed him in height. "I don't care if you're gay. Just be safe and happy. I don't like that you're interested in a human....you know our rules."

I nod. We have 5 simple rules to stay safe.

1. Don't kill or eat a human. (It expands our powers and abilities, but it also draws attention, and we have to worry about hunters)

2. Don't shift in front of a human. Unless absolutely required. (It's never been required before).

3. Never bite a human.

4. If you fall for a human and want to reveal our world. You have to tell the alpha first.

5. If you're seen. Report it right away.

"Good. I've only met the kid once....as a human anyway, he seems like a nice kid. He's got some issues based on what he was saying tonight," says Dad cutting into my train of thought.

"I know. He's had a rough life...but he's nice. I don't have to act on my feelings," I say quickly. Theo needs friends and people who care about him more than anything else.