“Well, I sort of knew that something had happened. It was like watching things in a dream. I tried to get away, but my step-dad locked me in the shed,” said Lewis.
“Good grief!” said Patrick and Ginny almost at the same time.
“Well, think about it. One minute you’re arguing with a teen and the next minute he starts getting bigger and finally shifts into a huge wolf. My stepdad had grabbed his belt and wrapped it around me and put me in the shed. They were scared to death,” said Lewis.
“So what happened after that?” asked Luc.
“Well, they called someone and the next day, the door opened and this old man stood there. He called me by name and told me to come out. Once I was out of the shed and had a drink of water, he told me to shift back. Think about being a two legged beast and not a four legged beast. Five minutes later, I sat shivering on the grass and he threw a towel over me,” said Lewis. “And that is how I first met Buster.”
“Oh my god,” said Sam. “Did he take you home?”
“No, but we went on a long trip that summer and I learned to deal with my dual nature. Buster had been called because he was the closest family member that would come near my mum. My Dad had died in an accident and my grandfather Henry was nowhere to be found. The rest of the family told Buster that if I died, it wasn’t any great loss,” said Lewis.
“That was rotten of them,” said Kevin.
“Agreed, but think how things were back then. My mom was raising a stink and they didn’t even know I existed,” said Lewis.
“Okay, I can see that. We’ve had a few like that in the family. Troubled teens dumped on us. That’s why the prenuptial agreement got written. It doesn’t stop it, but it certainly helps,” said Kevin.
“So how did that long trip go?” asked Patrick.
“I met my half brother Mark and his mom Jane. Both shifters. I met a few other family members and Buster and I spent a lot of time out in the woods. He’d been living pretty wild in some old cabin and when summer was over, he dropped me back at my mum’s house,” said Lewis.
“Did you see much of him or the others over the years?” asked Angie.
“Buster came by at least once a year and Mark came to visit once. That didn’t work out too well as my mum overreacted. Otherwise, I didn’t see any other shifters,” said Lewis.
“How lonely,” said Andrew. He’d been watching Lewis and his interactions with the rest of the family. “So, how do you feel about finding that you have more cousins than you can shake a dog bone at all in one spot?”
“It’s a bit mind boggling. My lumber company has fewer people in it,” Lewis said with a smile. “I like it though.”
“How do you manage?” asked Lisa. It was the first time she’d spoken all evening.
“We work hard. I’m the only shifter, but the men are strong and determined,” said Lewis. “We get the work done and take turns going on vacation. It’s also remote enough that if I need to shift, I can and no one knows.”
Lisa nodded. She and Peter lived on the edge of town so that when things got too much for her she could shift and run.
“Sam told us about how you two met. I’m surprised that you recognized Buster’s scent after all these years,” said Luc.
“To be honest, I have a blanket of Buster’s back at my apartment. When he disappeared a while back, I went to his cabin. The blanket was one of the few things that was salvageable. The wildlife had gotten into the cabin. So, I took it home. He’s the only real family I had in so many ways and that blanket was a way of keeping a piece of him. Especially after my mum sent me packing when I turned legal age,” said Lewis.
“Well, I can’t wait to go through all the stuff that we have of his,” said Ginny. “There are so many people I don’t recognize. Do you speak Metis?” she asked.
“A little. Buster didn’t speak anything else when we were in the woods. I grew up speaking English, and had to learn it quickly,” said Lewis.
Ginny nodded.
*
Hours later, the last of the people headed home. Ginny and Patrick gave Lewis a hug as they left. Angie and George were off to a hotel with Sam and Lewis. Luc waved from the front door and then turned to check on Meg and the babies.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
“Yes. This was a very long day,” said Meg. She had just finished nursing Elliot and put him in with Linsey to sleep.
“I agree. What do you think of Lewis?” he asked.
“I think he is going to have a very difficult time going back to Canada,” she said. “He relaxed and was enjoying all the family dynamics.”
“Yes, he was,” said Luc.
“Plus, he’s in love with Sam,” said Meg with a smile.
“Are you sure?” asked Luc.
“Yes! When we were cleaning up, Ginny, Marie, Angie and Ysabel were chatting and wondering about the two of them when Lisa walked up. She said we were missing all the pheromones Lewis was pouring out,” said Meg.
“Is that why Ginny came out and bumped into Lewis?” asked Luc.
“Yes,” she said.
“What does Sam think about Lewis?” asked Luc. He had obviously missed more than just a bit of what had gone on in his own living room.
“Well, she likes him a lot. However, I think the both of them have been holding back to see how he reacted to all the family. You know you lot are not the easiest to get along with at times,” said Meg with a smile.
“Yeah,” he said thinking about Duke. “We can be a little rough to get use to.”
Meg nodded. “Come to bed. We can snuggle while the babies sleep,” she said.
Luc nodded. He dropped his clothes, shifted and curled up around Meg.
Wolf snuffled his mate’s neck. She smelled of their pups. He sighed. “My Soft One,” he thought and then drifted off to sleep with her cuddled to his neck.
*