The Prodigal and the Pac

Part One: The Sinclairs

Zack said nothing after Connor walked into the room. Connor viewed the scene on the sofa. Eddie and Billy were now sitting up, having seen their dad walk in. Zack was frozen in fear, like a deer trapped in headlights.

"It's okay Zack. No one here is going to hurt you."

Connor watched the boy lean forward, as if preparing to make a break for it. He sighed with frustration. This was not going to be easy. And his sons' inability to keep their dicks in their pants for half an hour was not going to make things easier. "I thought I told you boys to behave."

Eddie smiled with what he hoped was an innocent smile. "Sorry dad. We just couldn't help ourselves." Connor shot him a parental look that told him without words to shut it. Zack's eyes widened when he realized what Eddie had said.

"Dad? DAD?" Connor could see the panic in Zack's eyes. Both Eddie and Billy heard his heart racing faster and faster.

Billy lay his hand on Zack's leg, hoping to calm him. "It's really okay, Zack-"

Zack interrupted him before he could continue, pushing Billys hand away. "This was a set up! I can't believe I fell for this! I can't believe I had sex with you-both of you!"

Zack stood up and started frantically looking around for his clothing. Connor shook his head. He needed to take control of this situation before it went completely off the rails. "Ok, enough! Everyone get dressed. This will all go a lot easier if you all aren't naked. Zach, this wasn't a set up or a trick. I know you don't trust me, and I get that. But I think we have some important things to talk about."

"I'm leaving, unless you plan on keeping me here. Am I a prisoner or something?"

"Of course you are not a prisoner! Please, all I'm asking is for you to give us a chance to explain some things. Zach, I promise, you're perfectly safe here. No one here would ever harm you. What happened at your dorm room was inexcusable and I am deeply sorry for scaring you."

Zack hesitated a moment. He looked into the older man's eyes, and couldn't see the lie. He seemed genuinely sorry for what had happened. Yet Zack couldn't forget that beneath the surface of this attractive man was a dangerous creature. "I know what you are, sheriff."

"Yes, I'm a werewolf. Billy's a werewolf, so's Eddie. We are all werewolves. But I promise we won't hurt you."

Zack was taken aback by the sheriff's blunt admission, and the realization that the two guys he had just had sex with were also werewolves. He turned to look at Eddie. "You are?"

Eddie spoke. "Zack, I was the one you saw last week in the woods. I'm sorry I scared you." Zack shook his head in disbelief.

"Ok, Eddie, Billy, go in the kitchen. Give us the room."

Both boys grabbed their clothing and left. Zack was pulling on his jeans when he saw the sheriff take his sidearm out of the holster and place it on the sofa and stepped back.

"I'm going to put this here, okay? Would you feel better if you were armed? Would you give me the chance to explain? Take it. If I start shifting, you can shoot me. That's how desperate I am. I am begging you, Zack."

Zack looked from the sheriff, to the gun, then back. "Are there silver bullets in there?"

Connor let out a low laugh. "Regular bullets work just fine when we're human."

Zack nodded, pulled on his shirt, and sat on the sofa next to the gun, but not touching it. Connor went to the other side of the sectional, giving Zack plenty of space. He sat down. "Thank you, Zack."

"So what is it you need to explain to me?"

For a moment, Connor's breath caught in his chest. He was surprisingly emotional. It was time. He began. "I'd like to tell you a story, about myself, and about my sons. Will you listen?"

Zack nodded, and Connor continued. "Werewolves have packs, and packs are led by an Alpha wolf. My father was an Alpha, and so am I. Me and my sons, we are our own little pack. That's because when I was about your age I had to leave my old pack behind. It's a long story, and one I don't like telling. It's a painful part of my past. After I left, I had to start a new life, and I wanted children to carry on our heritage. Unlike what you might have seen in the movies, the only way to become a werewolf is to be born one. I didn't have or want a mate, but I did have resources. I was fortunate that when my father died, I inherited the means to live independently of any pack, and to pursue my own heirs."

"I had a friend who was a doctor, a specialist who worked with couples struggling to have kids. Hell, she wasn't just a friend. She was my best friend. She was older than me but we had a special connection. Her name was Ellie Byrne. Ellie knew that I wasn't interested in women, but wanted children. She agreed to help be a surrogate. I had two children with her, Edward and William. I can't express how grateful I was to have her in my life. After Billy was born, something changed. We sort of lost touch. A phone call here, a letter there, then nothing. I thought, at the time that she just wasn't interested in motherhood, and dropped out of my life. Turns out, I was wrong."

As Connor spoke, Zack couldn't help but notice a sadness in his tone that he had not noticed before. The man's voice was low, but carried a note of genuineness that he found convincing. He continued.

"What happened in your dorm room, that moment where I almost lost control, that was not normal for me. Let me explain what it is to be a werewolf. You see Zack, we have this primal force that lives inside us. It's always there, but gets stronger when the moon is fullest. That primal force is our wolf. It gives us strength, it heightens our senses, and gives us insight into things that normal people don't have. But it's a wild animal, and we have to always keep it under control. What happened in your dorm room was an unusual reaction that I didn't understand at the time. All I knew was that my wolf went crazy. It wanted you."

"Not exactly providing words of comfort here, Sheriff."

He laughed. "I can understand that. But my wolf wasn't trying to hurt you. Our wolves are part of us, but they are also separate beings. We share our lives with them, and they share their gifts with us. When I saw you, my wolf communicated a feeing, a possessiveness about you that made no sense me. There was something about you Zack. In fact, Eddie had already figured out that there was something special about you. We could sense it, smell it. We feel it when we touch you."

Zack shook his head. "But there isn't anything special about me."

"You are wrong, Zack. I looked into you, your past. I'm sorry, I know it's obtrusive."

"Don't feel too bad. I tried to do the same thing to you. They have this thing called social media now. People air all their dirty laundry. You should try it."

Connor smiled a melancholy smile. "Well, digging into a person's background is more effective when you are a cop. I found out some things about you. I know about your family, and that you were adopted."

Zack was quiet now, his tension starting to rise again. Connor knew that he had reached the moment of highest danger. He pressed on.

"When I was doing this research, I learned about the accident that killed your birth mother. I requested the records from the scene of the accident. I know this was an invasion of your privacy but I had to be sure that what I was starting to suspect was true. I recognized the car from the scene, and I recognized some other things from the crash photos. Your mother was my friend, Ellie Byrne."

Zack was breathing quickly. He felt a tightness in his chest. A name, after all these years: a name.

"Ellie and I were close. She loved me, and I loved her, but not in the way she needed. She gave me two sons. I believe that, without my knowledge, she had a third child for herself. That third child is you. I know this may be hard to believe, but you are my son, Zack."

Zack said nothing for a long time. Eddie and Billy, who had been listening from the kitchen, slowly made their way back into the edges of the living room. Connor could feel the turmoil in him. Finally Zack spoke. His eyes were full of tears when he said, "That was the biggest bunch of bullshit I have ever heard."

"I promise you it's true."

Connor reached across the space between them and Zack flinched away. Connor held up his arms, palms up. "Zach, listen to me. I know this is hard to believe. But you have stepped into a world where things are not always rational. You now know that werewolves are real. Is it so hard to believe that your birth family might be right in front of you?

Billy spoke from across the room. "When we touched earlier, you felt something. You said that you didn't feel like a stranger to us. That's because you aren't. You are a part of our family.

Eddie spoke. "You are so special, Zack. I knew it the first time I met you. I know you are my brother, and you are a part of this this pack."

There was silence. Zack looked over to Connor. He could see the older man looking back at him with eyes that seemed to believe all the crazy things he was telling him. "The pack," said Zack. "That's where this all falls apart, isn't it?"

Connor said nothing, and Zack continued. "If I was your son, if I was your family, I'd be a werewolf too. You said you have to be born into it. And I'm pretty sure I'd know if I turned into a giant hairy monster once a month."

For a moment, no one said anything. Connor looked at Zack, then at his sons. "I don't have all the answers, Zack. I was cut off from my pack early. There are many things I don't know."

"Can I leave now?" The words hung in the air.

Eddie took a step forward. "Zack..."

Zack's voice was starting to rise, and unmistakable note of panic filling his words. "I want to leave, please. I want to leave now!"

Connor shook his head. "Of course you can leave."

Without a word, Zack stood, walked to the door and opened it. Before he could leave, Connor called out to him. He stood and crossed the room, moving slowly to Zack. Then he pulled out a small envelope and held it out to the boy. "This is for you. And I want you to know you can come back here anytime you want."

Zack said nothing. He took the offered envelope and walked out the door. Connor watched as he got into his car and drove away. He never looked back. Billy walked up to his father and wrapped his arms around the larger man's neck. "What do we do now, Dad?

"Lets give him some time. Give him space to think things through. That's all we can do."

"Dad, I think you are wrong."

"Why?"

"We don't have time. When we were together, I could sense...something. I think it's his wolf. It's weak, barely there at all. And I think it's fading."

Connor thought for a moment. He couldn't sense anything from Zack, but Billy always was a the most sensitive of them. His heart felt like it was going to break. "I don't know what to do, son."

Eddie walked over, and joined them, wrapping his arms around his family. All of them were lost in their own thoughts.

******

Part Two: Zack

I drove back to my dorm.

I tried not to think too much about what had just happened. It was another one of those emotional whiplash kind of days. I mean, I started the day so happy, excited to be spending time with a cute boy. Then there was the crazy threesome. But then it all went to hell and now I was driving home with all these thoughts crashing around in my head. I felt sick.

I got to my dorm and the roommate was out on a date. I was glad. I didn't really want to be around people. I took a long hot shower, washing the smell of sweat and cum from my body, and tried not to think about the most mind blowing sexual experience of my. life. Tried not to think about the word brother. Or family. Or father.

It was early, but I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers over my head. I knew I wasn't going to sleep. My mind was racing. I checked my phone. There was a text from Eddie. I didn't read it. There was another text from a number that wasn't in my phone. It said, "Its Billy." I didn't reply. I didn't want to talk or think. I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want anything to do with that creepy werewolf cult or whatever the hell they were. I certainly didn't want anything to do with Connor Sinclair.

And the more I tried not to think, the more I thought. The more I thought, the angrier I got. How dare he tell me he knew my mother? What sort of manipulative bullshit was that? He runs a background check and suddenly knows all about my tragic past? Fuck him. Fucking Sinclairs. Fucking werewolves. Who the hell does he think he is?

I thought about the envelope he gave me. I hadn't opened it yet. I knew it going to be some sort of mind fuckery. But the longer I lay there, the angrier I got. I wanted to see exactly what his last ditch gambit looked like. I got up and found the envelope and ripped it open. There was a photo inside.

I put the photo on my desk, and turned on my desk lamp. I sat down, and let myself examine the photo. I could tell it was old. The edges were blunted, and it had that slight tint that old photos get after a while. There were two people in the picture, a man and a woman. The man I recognized. He was clean shaven, less muscular, twenty-odd years younger, but still sexy as hell. It was Connor Sinclair. He had his arm around the woman. The woman. I knew her name: Ellie Byrne. I was entranced as I studied the image. She was beautiful, this smiling stranger. Her hair was the same shade of auburn as mine. Across her nose was a sprinkling of freckles, so much like mine.

I love my adopted family. They are genuinely good people. But no matter how great a life an adopted kid has, they still think about their birth parents. Who they were, what they were like, what sort of life they had planned for you. I mean, I always knew my birth mother was dead, so I didn't imagine that she was going to come back into my life or anything. And any fantasies I had about my birth father one day appearing where the stuff of childhood. You grow out of that stuff. Why the hell was this getting to me? Why the hell was I letting Connor Sinclair fuck with my head?

I thought about tearing up that photo. I could tear it up and I throw the picture into the trash can. Reject this manipulative gesture by someone I didn't for a moment think was actually my birth father. I had it in my hand, but I couldn't do it. My eyes were drawn to the two people in the photo. Two strangers, as far as I was concerned. But there was some part of me, some childish, desperate part of me that what wanted to all to be true. Instead, I put the photo in my desk drawer before crashing back on my bed. I don't think I had ever felt so confused and alone.

******

Part 3: Connor

Later that evening found Connor alone in his home office. The boys were out for a run and he elected to stay behind. He had started a fire in the fireplace, not that he was cold, but it gave him something to do. He sat down at his desk. It was bare except for an unopened bottle of Tyrconnell single malt whiskey, and a glass. He checked the time. It was just after eight. No more stalling. He was doing this for his son.

He took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. He pulled out a gun locker, and opened it. He reached inside and pressed a small latch, that released the firearm from the false bottom underneath. In this shallow compartment was a burner phone and a small piece of yellow paper with a single phone number written on it.

He took a minute to organize his thoughts. He needed to shift some gears in his brain before making this call. When he felt he was ready, he punched the phone number into the cel phone. It rang just a few times.

"Hello," a familiar brogue answered. Connor hadn't heard that voice in over two decades, yet he'd never forget it. "Is this Seamus?"

"It is, and who might you be?"

Connor took a deep breath, and replied, "This is Sean, Sean Gallagher."

There was a moment of silence from the other end of the phone before the voice spoke again. "So you're alive, are you?"

"Yes, I'm still alive."

He said, "I figured as much. You are Connor Gallagher's son, after all. And how'd you be gettin this number?"

"I have my ways."

"To be sure. Your needs must be dire, to be calling me after all this time."

"I just need answers to a few questions, then you'll never hear from me again"

"A bargain. Ask your questions then."

Conner paused again, then took a deep breath to steel himself before continuing. "I recently found out that I had a son that I didn't know about. He was not raised in a pack."

"You? A son? Are you sure, lad? Didn't think you climbed that particular tree."

Connor felt a growl rising in his chest. "I have three sons, and a pack to protect them, old man."

The older man was unimpressed. "Grand. Miracles do happen, apparently."

He knew taking the bait with the old man would be pointless so Connor controlled his anger and powered on. "One of my sons was not raised in the pack. He's over 18, but he's never shifted. I can't sense his wolf, but another pack member can, but only faintly. What do I do? How do I awaken his wolf?"

There was a long silence from the other end of the phone. "I have heard of such things. If the wolf doesn't rise with the first blush of youth it may never rise. A muscle that atrophies simply dies away."

"Then there's nothing to be done?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

Connor sighed in frustration. "Don't play games, Seamus. If you know, then tell." There was a long silence, and Connor's anger was starting to get the better of him. "Don't do it for me, then. Do it for the grandchild of Connor Gallagher. Do it for the memory of the man who was supposed to be your best friend, if the guilt will let you."

"Yes, guilt. While you are parsing out the guilt be sure to keep plenty for yourself. You earned it."

"I know what I did!" Connor shouted back.

Damn it. Control...control...control...

Connor took a breath, then continued. "Will you help or am I wasting my time?"

Connor heard a sniff of disdain. He almost hung up the phone, but finally the other man spoke. "It's possible. If the wolf is there, if it's just dormant, but not gone. You can try to arouse the wolf within, do things that will rile up the wolf inside the boy. And it needs to be done by an alpha. The wolf, not the man. It has to be the wolf."

"An Alpha wolf can wake up his wolf."

"Perhaps."

"Thank you."

"Wait, Sean-"

But Connor didn't wait. "Thank you Seamus. I won't call again." He hit the disconnect button.

He opened the phone and removed the sim card, snapped it two. He tossed it, and the paper scrap with the phone number, into the fire. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, then Connor Sinclair, who was once a young man named Sean Gallagher, sat in silence, sipping the drink, and drifting back to memories dark and painful.