Page 15 of Strays
The next morning, the slow torture begins again.
We do everything we can to stay busy, to make time pass and to give the humans fewer chances to mess with us. Filing evidence logs. Updating case databases. Helping inventory gear in the back room.
At the end of the day, I’m just glad it’s one less to wait. We repeat the same thing the next day. And the next. And the next.
The phrase “our nyra” is part of our vocabulary now. At the station, we keep our mouths shut, but at home, it’s all we talk about.
I know Shane and Jay are trying to manage their expectations, same as me, but it’s hard, and most of the time we slip and talk like she’s already ours. And with that hope comes a whole new set of fears. One night, Jay voices the worst one over dinner.
“What if she really is our scent-mate, but her family doesn’t accept us?”
We all go quiet.
The truth is, no family wants their daughter bonded to a stray pack.
But for once, thinking about my fathers and Lydia brings me comfort. Because after they scented each other, nothing could keep them apart: not my mother’s heartbreak, not the life they’d built, not me, their baby in her arms. Nothing stopped it.
“It’d be hard for her to go against her family,” I say. “But if she’s really ours, no one can keep her from us.”
Shane and Jay nod, solemn.
It’s not ideal, coming into someone’s life already causing trouble, but we’ve never been ideal. And there’s nothing we can do about it.
Eventually, the two-week mark hits, and it’s finally time for the Full Use-of-Force Review Board hearing.
I should feel relieved. Not only have we managed to avoid another incident like the one with Moles, but we’re halfway through our four-week wait. And after the board clears us, we’ll finally be allowed back in the field, away from this suffocating station.
But I know something is off the minute we walk in. Preston Moles smiles at us like he’s been handed the punchline to a joke we don’t know we’re in. From the way Jay and Shane are holding themselves, I know they feel it too.
Our hearing is scheduled for eleven. By ten-thirty, we’re already seated in the briefing room. Lieutenant Johan from Internal Affairs arrives first, followed by the department’s legal counsel and the medical evaluator. The psychological representative comes in next. And then, of course, Captain Balls.
When I look at him, I know exactly what’s wrong. The grin on his face, the way he’s all chummy with the others, it tells me everything: he’s worked them. This isn’t a hearing. It’s a setup.
I feel something heavy settle in my chest, pressing on my lungs. Balls looks straight at us, and his smile stretches even wider. We’re trapped. The son of a bitch cornered us, and there’s nothing we can do to escape.
If the board rules against us, we’ll get suspended. That’ll delay the match meeting by eight weeks after the suspension.
Eight. Fucking. Weeks.
Getting overruled by Commander Eneas in our favor bruised Ball’s ego, and this is how he plans to get even.
Lieutenant Johan opens the session, voice formal and cold. “This Use of Force Review Board is convened on March 7th, 2025, at 1100 hours, regarding officer-involved shooting 25-0734, which occurred on February 21st, 2025, at Saint Marie High School, Greenster District.”
He continues reading the same report we already know by heart. “Involved personnel: Officers Kory Larsen, Jayson Larsen, and Shane Larsen, designated as Aegis Unit, assigned to Greenster PD Station Nine, under the command of Captain Stewart Smith.
“This board will determine whether the use of lethal force by Officer Shane Larsen was in accordance with departmental policy, including decision-making under stress, threat perception, and tactical response.”
He glances briefly around the room.
“Present today: Lieutenant David Johan, Internal Affairs; Peter Lane, Departmental Counsel; Dr. Elizabeth Morsel, Medical Evaluator; Dr. Jacob Puzinky, Behavioral Health Unit; and Captain Stewart Smith, Command Representative. The involved officers are present with department representation.”
He shuffles papers, then adds, “All relevant footage, written reports, dispatch logs, and post-incident medical and psychological evaluations have beensubmitted and reviewed. We will begin with a formal recap before entering the questioning phase.”
The air in the room is thick. I can smell it: our stress, our restraint. We’re all pushing calming pheromones into the air, trying to regulate each other, but it’s not enough. Not with Balls sitting across from us, gloating.
Lieutenant Johan continues.
“On February 21st, at 0913 hours, Greenster PD Dispatch received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired at Saint Marie High School. Patrol Units 204 and 217, from Greenster Station Two, were the first on scene. They confirmed an active shooter with hostages and requested tactical backup. Aegis Unit responded, arriving at approximately 0937 hours.
