Page 52 of Happily Undead in Dark River

I couldn’t help smiling at Ghost. “Don’t sweat it, Big Guy. Not your fault. I attract trouble like bees to honey.”

Someone muttered, “Amen” behind me, but I ignored them. I did give Brody the stink eye though. “You shouldn’t have run off like that. Ghost is right though. You have a responsibility to your Pack.” I talked a good talk, but there was no way I wouldn’t do the exact same thing in his position. Which was why I wasn’t Alpha of Anything.

Annie appeared, with Colton on her heels. She barrelled up to me and wrapped me in a hug. I hadn’t realized we were at the hugging stage, but I went with it. “Thank god you are okay, again! I swear, if you were my Mate, I’d lock you in my room and never let you out. You’ve given me grey hair and I only just met you!” she accused angrily.

I laughed, but when I looked up at the Elders lining the steps in front of the Meeting House, all the mirth left me. Nell looked pissed, but it seemed to be for the people next to her, and a little bit for her grandson. Thank god. If looks could kill, Nell’s wrath would flay me alive.

Her eyes landed on me and she gave me a small smile. Then they landed on Nico and she full-on grinned.

“Nico, you honor us with your presence,” she purred, and I didn’t know whether I should chuckle at the saucy gumption of her, or be a little jealous at the way he was smiling back. I took the higher ground. He was old and he was going to have a history with the fiery matriarch of Brody’s Pack.

“The honor is mine, Matriarch.”

“Nell, please.”

Nico nodded his head in assent and stepped closer to me, resting his hand on my spine. “You too? My, my child. You have quite the collection,” she cackled. “To be young and horny again. I think I might be a tad envious of you.”

Brody shuddered. “Matriarch, please. We should get down to business,” he said sternly, but Nell just winked at me before all mirth left her face.

She nodded, and let out a sigh. “We have spoken to the boy,” she indicated Colton, who was hiding behind Ghost and Annie. Someone herded a small flock of sheep into the town square. “They are unable to shift back.”

She looked at me, and I shrugged. I wasn’t overly perturbed about the people who were going to sell me to my enemies permanently being sheep. Karma was a bitch. I didn’t know how I did it, so I didn’t know if I could undo it. It felt a little like Brody’s Alpha power, and I said as much. Brody went over to study his former pack members, speaking to them quietly. Finally, he just shook his head softly.

“I can make them submit, but I can’t keep them trapped in any form for a long period of time. It’s… unnatural.”

I really had nothing to add to that. “I can try and make them change back if you want me to? It didn’t do anything to Colton and he was standing right beside me.”

Brody looked between me and them. “The issue is that they show no signs of being in there. It is like they are really sheep, not a shapeshifter in the form of a sheep. There’s no higher intelligence in their little sheep brains.”

I wanted to snort, but I didn’t. I had to remember that these bigoted, torturing assholes were probably someone's sons, husbands, fathers. I held out my hand, not sure why except that it would look more impressive. “Return to your asshole human forms.”

Nothing happened. I tried again, trying to push that power from my chest. “Shift!” I boomed. Seriously. It was impressive. So impressive, that everyone but Brody shifted. Even Nell and the Elders.

Oops.

Brody stared at me. “Well, this is interesting, isn’t it?” Then he looked at the men who’d changed back from sheep. They looked fine, except maybe a little shaky. Walker helped secure them all in handcuffs until they were kneeling on the grass at Brody’s feet. An assortment of animals stared at me, and I felt awkward as fuck. “Can you make them shift back, please? I’m starting to freak out,” I whispered to Brody.

He looked at his Pack, and a flash of worry passed through his eyes. He was worried he wouldn’t be able to make them shift back. To be honest, I was a little worried too.

“Shift!” he projected, and my skin rippled. So much power. One by one they shifted back, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank fuck. I didn’t know how I’d be able to explain to the Canadian authorities that an entire town of people had disappeared, but we had a really awesome zoo here now, complete with lions, tigers, and bears, oh my.

I watched Ghost transform from his Snow Leopard back to a man, and he gave me a pouty look. I lifted my hands, hoping my expression said, ‘hey I was only doing what I was asked’.

The problem with a mass shifting? Everyone lost their clothes. I was basically standing in the middle of a nudist colony. Luckily, the people who shifted into smaller animals just picked up their discarded pants and put them back on. But those who shifted into bigger animals had shredded their clothes. That was a lot of wang flapping in the breeze, and no one seemed to care. I looked over at Tex, who just grinned at me. He had grown up human, he understood that a hundred people didn’t just stand around naked, but fortunately for him, he couldn’t see all the pasty skin. I looked at my feet and tried not to look guilty. Nell was staring at me like I was the antichrist or Cthulhu or something equally as horrifying. She slid her dress back over her arms like she hadn’t just been naked before the world. Probably wasn’t even the first time this week. I really needed to lose these human sensibilities. “Are these the men who attacked you, Alpha Mate?”

I looked at the kneeling men, all shooting venom in my direction. “I don’t know. I was blindfolded. Is one of them named Clint?”

Brody pointed to an older man, his beard streaked with grey. “Speak,” I said, using my new found Wizard of Oz voice.

“Fuck you bitch,” he growled, and I grinned. “Yeah, he was definitely one. Now make that one say I have STD’s and that I like to bite kids,” I sneered as I pointed to the guy next to him.

Under the intense gaze of his Alpha, the guy repeated my words. I flipped him the finger; probably not very regal but immensely satisfying. “Guess Colton still gets to go home to his mama, unlike you pricks.”

I pointed at Lulu and Colton’s Dad. “Him too. Not going to lie, I think I’d get some satisfaction in tearing out his throat.”

Judge let out a hum behind me. “I second that.”

Both Nico and Walker gave him a quelling look. They had no standing here. This was the Pack’s system of justice, not ours. Well, maybe it was a little bit mine now, as Alpha Mate and everything.

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