Forrest Durant felt like beating his head against the wall. The only problem was he wasn’t sure it would help or just damage his head. He definitely needed to let his bear out and go for a run before he did or said something he didn’t really mean or at least shouldn’t say out loud because it would be hurtful to the people he cared about. Maybe the freedom that came with roaming the woods would help his mood.

He knew what was wrong.

The desire for a mate and family grew stronger each day, and being around Ben and Ivy didn’t help. Even after being mated for two years, they constantly touched and kissed each other. Forrest was happy for them, but he was also envious of them. He wanted what they had. He wanted a mate and hopefully a cub or two and the waiting for them to come into his life wasn’t helping his mood.

Forrest ran his hand through his long hair. At thirty-one, he was beginning to think he would never find the one woman meant for him. It didn’t help that his bear was being a butthead about the women Forrest had dated. He knew his bear also wanted a mate and cubs, but the beast stubbornly refused to accept any of the females, and it was growing more irritable each day.

As a result, Forrest hadn’t dated in months. He needed to get laid.

Forrest closed the file he had stared at for the last hour and logged off the computer. He stood and rolled his shoulders. His muscles were tight. He sighed. His mind was definitely not on work.

He looked around his office. The walls were closing in on him. He needed to get out of there. He needed to be out in the woods.

He walked out of his office. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Ivy Anderson, the office manager, looked up from her paperwork. “Where are you going?”

“For a run.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “In the middle of the day?”

Forest turned and looked at her.

“I was just asking. As soon as you leave, one of your brothers will come in here looking for you and they’ll expect me to know where you’re at.”

Forrest rolled his eyes. “I’ll be in the woods behind the shop.”

Ivy threw her hands up in surrender. “Just be careful.” She noticed his normal carefree smile was absent.

“Always am,” said Forrest. He went out the side door and walked around the building and straight to the woods behind the shop.

When he and his brothers decided to start a custom restoration auto shop, they knew they wanted the shop to be outside of town and surrounded by trees. They were lucky when they found this land. With almost one hundred acres they were able to build the shop just off the main road, and then build three houses on the opposite end of the land. The houses were spread far enough apart to give each brother privacy but close enough to create a sense of a small community made up of extended family. The layout was similar to what their parents, aunts, and uncles had created, but with a few modifications. The biggest being an underground bunker that was fully stocked. If the hunters found them, the brothers could access the bunker through a series of tunnels from the houses, as well as a couple hidden entrances in the surrounding area. One way or another they were going to protect each other and their mates and cubs.

The three houses weren’t a priority but the brothers knew, or rather they hoped, they would quickly find their mates and start families, and they wanted everything ready for their mates. They had joked about finding mates and then be chasing cubs around the shop in three years.

It didn’t happen.

Five years later none of them had found their mates and it was starting to take a toll on all three of them.

Forrest walked into the woods and quickly found the path leading to a small shed they used to store their clothes when they shifted and ran in the woods. Thanks to a spell Ivy had cast two years ago, they no longer needed the shed to store their clothes.

Now, when they shifted, their clothes and everything in their pockets disappeared and magically reappeared when they shifted back to human. It saved time stripping out of the clothes and later redressing. It also saved money replacing clothes that were destroyed due to a fast shift to their bear form.

Opening his senses, Forrest knew he was alone, but then his brothers were at work. He called to his bear. The black bear pushed forward, eager for the chance to stretch its muscles and run off some of its excess energy and tension.

Forrest welcomed the bear.

In the blink of an eye, the man disappeared and the black bear appeared in his place.

The bear shook itself and lumbered over to its favorite tree. Standing on its hind legs, it rubbed its back against the rough bark. The bear made chuffing noises as it used the giant backscratcher to relieve the itch.

After a few minutes, the bear dropped to all four paws and took off at a lope. If followed the path for several feet before suddenly veering off and making its own path through the trees and brush.

*****

About two hours later, the black bear slowly made its way to the edge of the creek that ran through the property. It looked around and sniffed the air. Satisfied nothing out of the ordinary was lurking in the shadows, it walked over to the edge of the water and drank. Its thirst satisfied, the animal turned and went back the way it came.

Forrest urged his bear to go back to the shop, but the animal ignored the man. It turned and followed the creek for about two hundred feet and stopped. Lifting its nose up, it sniffed the light breeze. It chuffed at the strange scent. A couple of seconds later, it cocked its head sideways and sniffed the air again.

The bear walked toward a small clearing. It stopped at the edge of the trees and sat down on its haunches.

In the middle of the clearing, a small gray and black coyote struggled to get out of a tangled mass of clothes and a backpack. Its struggles only worked against it, making the animal even more entangled in the straps and material. The coyote growled several times before it finally gave up and fell onto its side. The animal let out a low, pitiful whine.

Forrest’s bear made several low chuffing noises as it got up and walked into the clearing. It stopped a few feet from the coyote, sat down, and stared at the coyote pup.

The young coyote lifted its head. It let out a long low growl as it renewed its struggles with the clothes and straps.

The black bear snorted. The air around it shimmered and Forrest took the animal’s place. “Would you like some help or are you going to keep growling at me?” He raised an eyebrow at the small coyote who was obviously in need of help.

A low whine replaced the growls. The coyote put its head on the ground as it watched the man through narrowed eyes.

“I take it you’re new to shifting?” asked Forrest. He squatted to make himself appear less intimidating.

The coyote blinked and made a pitiful whine.

Forrest nostrils flared. He drew in several slow and steady breaths. “Your parents should be here to help you with your first shift.” A surge of anger toward the young coyote’s parents rippled through him before he could stop it. “Are they somewhere close by?”

The coyote cringed and whined.

“I’m not upset with you. I’m upset that you are out here alone. You should have your family with you when you first learn to shift. If they were here, you wouldn’t be tangled in your clothes and backpack straps.”

The coyote made another low whine.

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. But first I need to untangle you from this mess. So don’t bite me. I’m a huge wimp when it comes to pain.” Forrest waited a couple of seconds. When he felt the young coyote was calm enough, he moved closer.

The coyote stared at him, but it held very still.

“Let’s get you out of this mess.” Forrest gently removed the backpack and then untangled the shredded t-shirt that had wrapped around the coyote’s legs. “Your shirt has had it. I hope it wasn’t your favorite. I remember the time I accidently shifted with my clothes on. I was wearing a ZZ Top t-shirt that my older brother had given me for my birthday. It was my favorite shirt. I was really into their music. But after I shifted, there was nothing left of it but a pile of rags. I cried for several days, and of course, my brothers teased me, not only for carelessly shifting with my clothes on, but also because I cried about the ruined t-shirt.” Forrest tossed the remains next to the backpack. He picked up the jeans. “Looks like they survived.”

The coyote rolled onto its stomach. It put its head on its front paws and stared at Forrest, acknowledging him as the alpha.

“Okay, first rule. Never shift with your clothes on. The clothing gets turned into rags and you get tangled in them. And when you shift back you don’t have anything to wear. So shifting while dressed is a huge no. Don’t do it. Got it?”

The coyote raised its head and yipped.

“Now, we need to get you to shift back to human. I don’t know any coyote shifters, but the process has to be similar to what happens when I shift into my bear. First, you need to relax. I know it’s tough. Think about something that makes you really happy.” Forrest waited for his words to sink into the frightened coyote.

The animal looked at him and lifted its head.

“Okay. I need you to concentrate on your human form. Call it forth and don’t fight the change. Just let it wash over you.”

After several agonizing minutes, the coyote receded and a teenage boy sat in front of Forrest. The boy looked up at him. “That hurt! I’ve never hurt that bad before. Not even when Bradley Short tackled me in football, and he’s twice my size.”

Forrest tossed him the blue jeans. “The first time is the worst. It gets easier the more you shift. And soon you won’t even think about the process when you do it. What’s your name?”

The boy stared at Forrest. “Are there other freaks like you and me? I mean people who can turn into animals?”

Forrest wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cuss. “Why are you calling us freaks? Is that something your parents said?”

“My parents are dead.”

“I’m sorry. My parents are dead too, so I know what it’s like not having them around to answer the questions you need answered.” Forrest watched the boy push his light brown hair out of his eyes.

“It’s no big deal. They died when I was little. Honestly, I don’t remember much about them, just what Audrey tells me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m Seth…Seth Martinez.” He held out his hand.

Forrest shook the boy’s hand. “I’m Forrest Durant.”

Seth’s eyes widened. “As in Durant Customs? Oh man! That’s so fucking cool!”

“My brothers and I own the shop. You’re actually on our property,” said Forrest.

“Shit! I didn’t mean to trespass. I just had to find a spot where no one would find me. I had better get home. Audrey is going to kill me.” He picked up his backpack.

“Hold up. First, who is Audrey, and why would she want to hurt you? Is she the one who said you were a freak?” Forrest stood up. He needed answers before he let the boy go anywhere, especially since he was a shifter with no one to guide him through the changes he was dealing with both mentally and physically.

“Audrey is my aunt. She’s been raising me since my parents died in a car wreck. And no way has she has never called me a freak! She loves and cares about what happens to me, but she isn’t like me. I mean, she doesn’t turn into an animal.” Seth’s dark brown hair fell back into his eyes.

“Why would she want to kill you?” asked Forrest.

“She’s not really going to kill me, but I bet I’m grounded for the rest of my life. I skipped school this afternoon, and she’s really big about me doing good in school. So she’s going to be really upset because I skipped all my afternoon classes.” Seth shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. I only missed three classes. It’s not like I skip school all the time.”

Forrest nodded his head. “Yeah, that would make your aunt mad. My brother, Wes, found out the hard way just how mad parents can get when they found out he was skipping school. It made a huge impression on me. I went to school and didn’t skip because I was scared to make them that mad at me.”

Seth turned in a circle looking at the ground. “Hopefully I can come up with a good excuse before I get home. Where are my fu—”

“Don’t even say it. Does your aunt know you cuss like a sailor?” asked Forrest.

Seth shook his head.  “She would probably wash out my mouth with the nastiest tasting soap she could find.” He kept turning in circles looking for something.

“Maybe you shouldn’t cuss. Because one day you’re going to slip up and do it in front of her.”

“I guess,” said Seth.

“What are you looking for?”

“My shoes. I managed to kick them off before I started changing.”

“Shifting. Before you started shifting,” corrected Forrest. “I think your shoes are over there.” He pointed to a pair of neon yellow running shoes.

“Wow! I didn’t think I had kicked them that far.” Seth was grinning when he looked at Forrest. He walked over and picked up his shoes. “I promise I won’t trespass again,” he said as he put them on.

“So, if your aunt isn’t the one calling you a freak, who is?” It made Forrest angrier than he wanted to admit. Shifters were not freaks. Sure having an animal inside them made them different from humans, but shifters were not freaks. They were special.

Seth looked up at Forrest. “I call myself a freak. For months, I’ve had this weird sensation as if something was lurking just under my skin. The past two days, it has felt like it was crawling around closer to the surface. I was afraid if I shifted at home, it would have scared Audrey. I didn’t want to do that to her.”

“Why didn’t you tell her about what you were feeling?” Forrest picked up the remains of Seth’s t-shirt. He rolled the pieces into a ball and tossed it to Seth. “Put this into your backpack. When we get back to the shop, you can throw it into the trash. I get you a t-shirt from the stock.”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t tell her. I wasn’t sure how she would react.” Seth stuff the destroyed t-shirt into one of the side pockets. “How can you shift back to human and have on your clothes?” he asked as he fell into step beside Forrest.

“It was a gift from a very special witch. Shifters aren’t born with the ability to shift and have their clothes disappear and reappear. Normally, we have to strip, and find our clothes when we return to human form. But the spell she cast changed that.”

“Witches are real?” Seth’s eyes grew wide.

“Witches are real. And like shifters, there are good ones and bad ones,” said Forrest.

“Does she fly around on a broom?”

Forrest chuckled. “I honestly don’t know, but I wouldn’t ask her. You know what I mean?”

Seth shook his head.

“She’s a witch. If you make her mad, she might turn you into a toad or something worse.” Forrest had trouble keeping a straight face.

“I didn’t think of that. Asking a witch about brooms is a bad idea,” said Seth. His forehead wrinkled. “What are you going to do with me?” asked Seth. He fell into step with Forrest.

“When we get to the shop, we’re going to call your aunt and tell her where you are and that you’re safe because she’s probably worried sick about you.” Forrest looked at the boy walking next to him.

“Great! Audrey will be happy I’m safe, but she will know exactly where to find me. You realize you’re going to be responsible for my murder.” Seth readjusted his backpack.

Forrest stopped and stared at Seth. “How am I going to be responsible for your murder? I’m not the person who told you skipping school was a good idea.” He wasn’t sure if the teen was joking or not.

Seth glanced at his side where Forrest had been walking. He frowned when he didn’t see him and spun around to look behind him. “What are you doing back there?”

Forrest raised an eyebrow. “How am I responsible for your murder?” he asked again. “You’re the one who cut classes this afternoon. Besides you said she probably would ground you for life.”

“You’re going to tell Audrey where to find me and there’s a lot of sharp machinery in your shop that she could use to dismember my body. She might decide that’s a better idea.” Seth crossed his arms over his chest. “Your phone call…your shop…that makes you responsible.”

“You’re the one who skipped school. That means you’re responsible, not me. You played, now you have to pay the piper.” Forrest shook his head as he grinned.

Seth frowned. “What the heck does that mean? Pay the piper? Why would I want to pay the piper?”

“Really? You don’t know what that means?” A surprised look spread across Forrest’s face.

Seth shook his head.

Forrest rolled his eyes. “What are they teaching in schools these days?”

“No clue.” Seth shrugged his shoulders. “I try not to pay much attention.”

“Let me guess. Your report cards are another problem, aren’t they?” Forrest felt like throwing his hands into the air. Maybe he should give his Aunt Audrey a medal for putting up with the kid.

Seth’s face slowly turned red. “It’s not my fault the stuff they teach is boring. If they taught things I was interested in, I would make better grades.”

Forrest just shook his head. He remembered a time when he thought school was boring too. Maybe it was just a kid thing.

Seth looked away. He kicked a couple of rocks that happened to be in front of him. “I’m afraid Audrey won’t understand what’s happening to me.” He looked at Forrest. “What if she can’t handle my being different. I can’t lose her. She’s the only mom I’ve known.” Seth turned, but not before Forrest caught the glimmer of tears in the boy’s eyes.

Forrest sighed. Seth wasn’t worried about what his aunt would say about him skipping school. He was worried his aunt wouldn’t accept him being a shifter. “If she loves you, you don’t have anything to worry about. She will accept you as you are.”

“Are you sure?” Seth’s voice was filled with hope.

“I’m sure.” Forrest hoped he was right about Seth’s aunt. But he knew from experience just how bad humans could react to the thought of shifters. Most couldn’t handle the idea that a person could turn into an animal. He prayed she would not be one of them. “Let’s get to the shop, get you a t-shirt, and then we’ll call your aunt together. After that, I’ll take you home.”

“Will you stay while I tell her about what I am?”

Forrest nodded. The sour scent of fear drifted through the air. “I’ll help you tell her, that way if she has any questions, she can ask me.”

Seth smiled. “Thanks. I’m worried she is going to freak out because I’m a freak.”

Forrest rolled his eyes. “Would you quit calling yourself a freak? Neither of us are freaks, so stop calling yourself one.”

Seth shrugged. “If the label fits, then we need to own it.”

“Whatever! Let’s get to the shop before my brothers send out a search party for me.” Forrest gestured to the path in front of them.

“Would they really do that?” Seth’s eyes widened.

“Yeah they would. I’m the youngest and sometimes they forget I’m an adult too.” Forrest smiled. He knew his brothers loved him, even when they picked on him. He hoped Seth’s aunt would understand and love him after she found out he was a shifter.