***
Troy went so quiet it almost seemed as if he was sleeping. Jeremy knew better. He could sense the tension inside his brother. Apart from the struggle his body was going through because of his premier-shift, Troy clearly had a lot on his mind. And as a werewolf, Jeremy could easily feel the anxiety pouring off of his brother. Since he hadn’t had his shift yet, Jeremy couldn’t link up their minds and read Troy’s thoughts. All he could therefore do was hope that his brother would trust him enough to tell him what was on his mind. He wished…
“I’m sick.” Troy blurted out suddenly. Jeremy knew better. But he remained quiet. “I have been for years. It’s a monthly ailment. Does our father or mother have any such disease?” He raised his head and looked at Jeremy with eyes filled with curiosity.
“No, they have no such…”
“Then why do I… how about you?”
“What you have is not a disease, Troy. It’s…”
“Oh, it is.” Troy gave a short laugh devoid of humour. “It started when I was fifteen. It’s never stopped since then. Mary, the warlock who was my guardian, always gave me something…a potion, to cure me. It worked like magic.” Troy shook his head slowly. “Some of the warlocks used to tease me mercilessly about my ailment. They said I should simply call myself a woman because just like women, not only did I unfailingly have my monthly, but I also had all the accompanying cramps.” He muttered.
Jeremy had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He wanted to kill someone… “Troy…”
“You said I could talk to you about anything.” Troy rasped.
“I meant it.” Jeremy answered softly.
“So if I have a problem, you could help me sort it out, right?”
“I would do everything in my power to sort it out, Troy.”
“Good. Then could you please ask the warlock, Deloris, to help me?” Troy looked at Jeremy with beseeching eyes. “I’m sure she can put something together to help. Please. It hasn’t gotten this bad before because Mary always gave me the potion as soon as the flushes and the cramps started. Please, Jeremy.”
“Troy, what you’re experiencing is your wolf. It wants to come out?” Jeremy said gently.
“What?” Troy whispered, staring at Jeremy with confused eyes.
“You need to have your first shift, to become one with your wolf.”
“No, you don’t understand…”
“Listen to what I’m telling you. You are not sick.”
“I’m in pain, Jeremy. This wolfy thing wouldn’t cause me pain, would it? I mean you guys don’t look like you’re in pain or anything.”
“It’s always painful the very first time, I’m not going to lie. But you will get the hang of it soon. By your fifth shift, you should be fine. You’re…”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Troy jumped to his feet. “Are you people normal?”
“Depends on what you call normal. We are werewolves. That’s our normal.”
“Well, I can’t do it.” Troy started pulling on his shorts. “I mean you lot are clearly okay with turning into animals at will, but I’m not okay with that. I’m human, and that’s how I’m going to stay.”
“You don’t mean that, Troy.” Jeremy sighed. He could feel himself losing control of the entire conversation and he wasn’t amused at all.
“Wanna bet?”
“You can’t escape it.” Jeremy got to his feet too and watched his agitated brother.
“Oh, you mean you won’t help. Just great.” Troy threw his hands up in a sign of frustration. “And you call yourself my brother. Those warlocks, no matter how wicked they were, would never have left me to suffer like this.”
“Don’t you dare compare those monsters to us.” Jeremy growled. “I’m saying whatever you’re feeling is inevitable and must be allowed to run its course. I know you’re scared but trust me, this is going to happen whether you like it or not. Don’t act like a whimp because of a little pain that you have to endure to become your true self. You have to take it like a man. No one can or will stop it.” It was only after he stopped his tirade that he noticed the look on Troy’s face. Troy didn’t only look terrified, he looked helpless and disappointed. “Shit, Troy…”
“Can we go back now?” Troy mumbled, pulling on his t-shirt. He looked so dejected Jeremy wanted to kick himself. “Family sucks.” He whispered.
“Troy…”
“I really don’t want to hear another word from you right now,” Troy muttered as he started back on the trail they had taken, leaving Jeremy feeling like an ass.
When they got home, Troy had gone directly to his room without a word, leaving Jeremy to explain everything to Gloria. And his mother’s words after his narration…
“For your own sake, I pray you learn how to be tactful and sensitive before you begin to deal with that grandchild of mine.”
…had made Jeremy feel even worse.
*
“When I called to check up on Troy that evening, Mum said he was sleeping,” Jeremy told the people in the room. “She gave me the same story this morning and this afternoon. Strange don’t you think? Imagine my shock when she dropped this bombshell on me this evening.”
“No mother can stand by and watch their kid confused and in pain,” Deloris murmured.
“Err…you did watch Cami have her premier shift didn’t you?” Stan asked Deloris.
“No, I didn’t.” Deloris shook her head. “I couldn’t.”
“Well, she still had to go through the pain.” Stan drawled.
“I think you’re missing the point.” Paige said. “This is not all about pain. Mama G only wants to prepare Troy because he doesn’t really understand much.”
“But she will only be postponing the inevitable, Paige.” Jeremy rasped. “She’s coddling him. He’s not a child anymore. This is already long-delayed. She needs to allow it to happen for fuck’s sake.”
“Enough, Jeremy.” Philip rasped, taking his seat again. “This is my call. As the alpha and Troy’s mate, I need to decide.”
“And what’s it going to be, boss?” Stan drawled. “Ease the poor boy into this whole new world by allowing him to get used to the idea first, or allowing him to shift now to enable that starving dick of yours get some well-deserved workout?” Troy’s wolf was bound to make Philip’s work easier because it wouldn’t be able to resist the mating pull. And they all knew it.
Apart from Ryan who giggled at Stan’s words, everyone waited for Philip’s answer with serious faces.
“What do you think?” Philip asked gruffly. “And don’t think it’s because of that idiotic second reason you stupidly gave but…boy’s gotta shift.” He shrugged, the glint in his eyes showing how much he was enjoying the idea of the shift.
Stan and Jeremy gave roars of delight and bumped fists whilst Joel and Deloris groaned. They knew there was going to be hell because Gloria was going to explode.