#awaal

Groaning, I sat up and drew my hands over my face. With a deep sigh, I got up and trudged out of my room and down the hall to the bathroom. Delirious and I had been up until 1 in the morning watching movies. I hadn’t expected to be up so soon afterwards. 

However, on my way back from the bathroom, something tingled in the back of my mind. At first, I ignored it. On my way back to my room though, I passed the staircase leading upstairs. Instinctively, my attention was drawn to the top. I paused at the bottom steps, still feeling a strange buzz in my mind. Part of me wanted to go back to bed but another part knew I was awake now. There would be no sleep until I could figure out what was wrong.

So, I slowly made my way up the stairs. Delirious’ room sat at the top. However, knowing he was even more irritable than me when being woken up, I tried to be quiet to avoid waking him. As I passed his room, my eyes were drawn to the next door down. Suddenly, it made sense why I was awake. Even from here, I could hear the small sniffles coming from the room next door.

As quietly as possible, I made my way to the door and reached for the handle. Surprisingly, the door was already cracked open. From beyond, I could make out the quiet heart-wrenching sob that I hated so much.

Before I could even think about what I was doing, I pushed open the door. A quiet creak in the hinges caused the sniffles to stop immediately. Across the room, a figure sprouted from the bed frame. I froze unintentionally when a pair of iridescent green eyes burst into existence. It had been a while since I’d seen Ohm’s eyes without the bandana Delirious gave him. No matter how many times I saw them, they still stopped me dead in my tracks. There was a challenge in those green eyes- a warning. Heeding that warning, I straightened and leaned casually against the doorframe without approaching any further. Surprise flashed in the eyes burning through me as I spoke.

“Still awake huh?”

“Cartoonz.” Ohm whispered as though he’d just realized it was me. He paused for a moment. “How did you…?”

I shrugged and folded my arms. “My Ohm senses were tingling.”

Ohm narrowed his eyes caustically. I resisted the urge to shrink. After 7 years, it wasn’t often that I found Ohm intimidating but this was one of those exceptions. The irony lay in the fact that I could hear him stifling a sniffle in the silence that followed. My feet moved of their own accord at the sound. Within seconds, I found myself at the edge of his bed, looking down at the small burrito sitting beneath me. Ohm stared up at me, his eyes still heated. I could just make out his face under the faint glow of moonlight from a nearby window.

Without a word, I reached forward and gently brushed the back of a finger across his cheek. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes fluttering shut briefly. As much as I enjoyed the contact, the fact that my finger came away warm and wet made me do a full body cringe. Ohm stayed eerily still as I straightened.

“I knew it.” I whispered without a thought. Through the darkness, I could barely see Ohm’s teeth flash as he grimaced and turned away. I wanted to slap myself as I watched him curl self-consciously into his blankets.

Careful not to sound like I was sighing, I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The smell of rotten strawberries filtered into my nose as I did so, making me frown. Not only that, I noticed as I glanced down that Ohm’s blankets looked different. Even in the darkness, I could tell the top blanket was paler than the rest. Reaching down, I touched the outstretched cloth and found that it was fuzzier than I expected. I repressed a groan.

Of course he didn’t take that well. I grumbled, admonishing myself for speaking without thinking once again in this situation.

Sighing lightly, I sat down on the edge of the bed at a respectful distance. I could feel Ohm shift a little behind me. However, I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and confirm that as I folded my hands in my lap.

“Given you have the blanket, I’m guessing you don’t wanna talk about it.”

Silence. Which was answer enough.

I nodded a little. “You know you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. Your secrets are safe with me.”

For several moments, neither of us spoke. I could hear the sound of rain hitting the roof outside and the quiet hiss of the wind through the trees. Ohm’s sniffles were quieter and farther in between as time went on. I simply waited, my eyes flickering around the room. Things were becoming a little clearer in the darkness. I could just make out Ohm’s desk on the other side of the room. One of the pictures was laying flat on top of the dresser. From past experience, I knew it was one of the few pictures Ohm had of his favorite brother.

“How did you know?” The question drew me back abruptly from my thoughts.

“I told you-” I started with a smile only to be cut off by Ohm’s voice.

“Seriously Toonz.” I paused, unsure of what to say. This kind of thing had happened before once or twice but I still wasn’t entirely sure I had woken up because of Ohm.

“I don’t know. Something just felt off.” For a moment, he was silent. I resisted the urge to turn back as I heard him clear his throat.

“It was my family.” He said, voice barely above a whisper. His next words delivered a painful blow to my gut. “The day they tried selling me off.”

“Ohm...” Tension crackled through the air. He didn’t say anything, but I knew a warning when I felt it.

That explains the blanket. I thought to myself as I turned to look at him. 

Ohm was still curled up in the blankets. Green shimmered through the cracks of his eyelids. Anything from his eyes down was covered by the white fuzzy blanket which he had pulled up tightly around his shoulders. Part of me wondered if it still smelled like his brother, the one who helped him escape. Another part wished I could’ve met that brother and thanked him for helping bring Ohm into my life.

“You didn’t have to say anything if you were uncomfortable.” I chided him lightly. Ohm curled deeper into his blankets, his eyes closing fully. When he spoke, his voice was muffled.

“I rarely hide anything from you these days Toonzy. What’s one more thing to add to the list.”

“Thank you.” I half-whispered. That earned a confused arc of an eyebrow from Ohm as he glanced up at me. “For trusting me I mean.”

Ohm considered me for several moments. In any other circumstance, prolonged eye contact didn’t bother me. In fact, it was always the other person that looked away first whenever I made eye contact with them. 

There was something different about Ohm though. A certain intelligence and power I could see wreathing just below the surface. Looking into his eyes was like looking up into space and wondering if you’re actually upside down, looking down into the depths of the universe. His eyes made me question everything I knew about myself. I couldn’t bring myself to look away though. There was something alluring about that kind of existential questioning. Ohm made me question myself and my actions but, in doing so, made me want to be a better person. Whether I wanted to be better because of him and for him was a question I was finding myself wrestling more and more often these days.

My thoughts were broken as Ohm shifted and a hand was produced from under the blankets. Ohm dropped his gaze as he reached for me. Just before his fingers could touch my shirt, he hesitated. For a moment, I figured he’d draw back like usual. This time was different though. This time, he reached out and hooked his fingers in the hem of my shirt and fisted the material in desperation. As I watched, his eyes grew a little duller and more watery as he silently clung to me. My heart threatened to burst with warmth.

Ever so slowly, I reached back and pried his fingers from my shirt. He let go easy enough but now I could feel him shaking. Careful not to move too fast but without staying apart any longer than necessary, I stood and turned to face Ohm, his wrist still in my hand, and laid down on my side across from him. I propped my head up on one hand and allowed the other to rest with Ohm’s in between us. 

A soft sob racked his body as he squeezed his eyes shut. I frowned, my thumb rubbing little circles over the soft spot on Ohm’s wrist. That only seemed to draw a soft whine from somewhere deep within his chest. The sound drew me closer until I was looking up into what little of Ohm’s face I could see from mere inches away. I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. I knew Ohm was a stickler for personal boundaries but this felt like one of those times that I had to press them.

So, I shifted even closer until I could throw an arm around the burrito that was Ohm and draw him close to me. Soon, his face was against my chest. I could feel his warm breath even through my shirt as he let out a shallow gasp. For that singular moment, I was afraid I had gone too far.

My anxiety was thrown aside as Ohm clutched at my shirt. He buried his face into my chest and sobbed. This cry was nothing like before. He didn’t hold back. Suddenly, the flood gates were thrown open and my shirt was drenched in snot and tears. I didn’t mind though because, as time wore on and Ohm’s body grew tired of exuding so much energy, I could feel him relaxing bit by bit until his breathing evened out and his hands were loosely curled in my shirt. It was almost enough to make me cry as well. 

Ohm never trusted anyone. He had no reason to trust anyone. Anyone he’d ever met betrayed him in some way. To know that someone who never trusted anyone farther than he could throw them trusted battle-scarred prick and local asshole me was by far the greatest achievement I’d ever received in my life. That was enough for me to stay. Enough for me to fight through his hardened exterior, to soothe his traumas and open up my arms to him. Enough for me to say “I’m here for you and I will always be here for you”. Enough for me to stay up at 4 in the morning, watching over him as he slept peacefully probably for the first time in a while. And almost enough for me to finally get up the courage to tell him I loved him with my entire heart and soul. But not quite enough.

Moo’s Perspective:

The next day

   Mornings weren’t exactly my favorite things in the world, but they were when I woke up like this.

  The moment I opened my eyes, I came face to face with a mop of fuzzy brown hair. Something firm and warm lay wrapped up in my arms and I couldn't help relishing in the presence as I buried my nose into the crook of the neck in front of me.

  Brian’s mellow honeydew scent doused my scent glands and I let out a content sigh. His scent was one of my most favorite things in the universe. The mornings like this where we woke up in each other’s arms were mornings that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

   My heart swelled as I felt the body in my arms shift and sink further into my embrace. In response, I threw a leg over Brian's hips and squeezed him lightly. He gave me an incredulous groan and slowly turned his head back towards me. I watched as he took in a deep breath and let it out, the first sign of him waking up.

   “Good morning sleepy head.” I murmured into his neck. Brian squirmed a little in my grasp and groaned again.

   “I don’t wanna wake up.” The werecat grumbled sleepily. I sighed.

   “Does that mean you’re not going to help me make breakfast?”

   One brilliant blue eye cracked open to look at me before he turned away and muttered a muffled, “Hell no.”

   I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a dick.”

   Brian smirked and snuggled up against me even further. “I know. That’s why you love me.”

  For a moment, the werecat in my arms said nothing else. I took the chance to admire the stubble across his jaw. The wheels in his head seemed to turn as he squeezed his eyes shut and pursed his lips. I smiled when his cerulean blue eyes opened again and he rolled over in my arms to face me with a smile.

  “You know, I could make it up to you if you stayed with me for the morning.” He whispered conspiratorially, a familiar glint in his eyes. I smirked down at him and chuckled.

  “That sounds tempting… But-”, I quickly released him and rolled over to sit up. “I’m not sure I can spend the entire morning in bed with you.”

  There was a pause and then a quiet, “Two hours.”

  I turned to see Brian lying in a burrito of blankets. A pair of blazing blue eyes glared up at me from over the brown comforter.

  “One hour.” I countered. Brian's glare intensified and he seemed to think for a moment.

  “One and a half.” He paused. “That’s enough time, right?”

  I smiled lightly. “Alright. Half hour. Take it or leave it.”

  The sheets shifted as Brian sat up and scowled at me. “One hour. Take it or leave it.”

   I smirked and turned my body to face him completely. “Ten minutes. Final offer.”

   He paused before letting out a defeated sigh. “Fine…”

   I chuckled before lying down next to him again and tucking myself under the blankets. The werecat stayed sitting, his blue eyes glaring down at me.

  “Did you know t’at you’re also a dick?” Brian grumbled.

   “Yep. That’s why we get along.” I replied smoothly. He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy mop of hair.

  “Ten minutes huh? T’at’s definitely not enough time though.” He muttered under his breath.

   The idea of what he was referring to hit me as soon as he said that.

   Suddenly, I became an awkward, embarrassed mess as I tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Sure, Brian and I had done that plenty of times before, but it was still a fairly new concept to me that Brian was my boyfriend. Technically, we could have "us" time whenever we wanted.

  Even now though, I felt the small haunting twinge of insecurity in my chest that kept me from acknowledging what he was suggesting.

   “Brockward”, Brian sing-songed from his spot above me.

   I blushed at the nickname and looked up to see the werecat watching me with a sympathetic smile. He understood what was going through my head and, somehow, that warmed my heart enough for me to ignore my insecurities.

   “Shut up.” I huffed, burying my face in the blankets.

   It didn’t take long for Brian to lie down again and pull the blankets away from my face. I glared at him as soon as our eyes met. He simply smiled and threw an arm around me. His warmth seeped into my chest and tinged my fingertips as we drifted in and out of consciousness for a while.

   Admittedly, we stayed in bed longer than 10 minutes, but the hallway was quiet, which meant that no one was awake anyway. I’m not sure how long I spent trying to convince myself to get up and go cook breakfast for the pack, but it was ten in the morning when I twisted around to look at the clock on the bedside table.

  With a sigh, I rubbed my hands over my face and slowly peeled myself away from the comfort of Brian’s arms. He let out a low growl of displeasure and tried to pull me back as soon as I made the slightest move.

  “Brian. You know I gotta get up.” I muttered. The werecat opened one bleary eye to glare at me.

  “It hasn’t been ten minutes yet.”

  “It’s definitely been longer than ten minutes babe.” I muttered fondly.

  Brian's expression dropped for a moment before he broke out into a lopsided grin. “You called me babe.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried to pull away again as heat crept up to fill my cheeks.

  “Are you sure it’s been ten minutes?” Brian whined. I let out an exasperated yet amused groan.

  “Yes. It’s been ten minutes.”

  Brian lifted himself up and leaned over me far enough to see the clock and then some. He paused for a second to glare at something. Then, before I could suspect anything, he dropped down on top of me and sprawled out across my side in an effort to hold me down.

  Before he could fully pin me, I wiggled out from underneath him, threw the blankets off, and jumped up from the bed. I turned just in time to side step my clumsy attacker as he reached out to grab me. Brian barely saved himself from face planting onto the ground with his arms out stretched.

   I chuckled lightly as he retreated back into the blankets and scowled at me from his burrow.

   “Outsmarted yet again. I think that’s 4-0 this week in my favor. I’m doin’ pretty good.” I patted myself on the back as I walked over to one of the dressers in my room to pick out some clothes.

   “Oh whatever. It was 5-2 in my favor last week, so I figured I’d give you some pity points.” The burrito across the room grumbled. I turned to raise an eyebrow at him as I threw on a new shirt and some pants.

  “What’s that? Someone doesn’t want pancakes for breakfast? That’s alright. More for the rest of us.”

   “Hey! T’at’s not fair! At least make me one.” Brian whined adorably from his place on the bed.

   I crossed my arms and glared at him. “What’s the magic word?”

   Brian sighed and scooted down further into his blankets. “Please.”

   “There’s a good boy.” I cooed as I walked over to him. He gave me a disgusted look just before I kissed him lightly on the forehead. “I’ll make one pancake just for you.”

   “What if I wanted two?” The blue eyed demon asked with a quirked eyebrow.

   “Then, you should’ve asked for two.” I responded easily.

   “And yet no one believes me when I say you’re a bigger dick than I am.” Brian grumbled as I moved towards the door.

   “I’m only nice to them ‘cause they say please.” I winked at him and walked out the door, a baffled cry following me out.

   With a self satisfied smile, I made my way to the bathroom before heading downstairs to make breakfast.

  At first, I was tempted to make the pack oatmeal or cereal and leave that out for them. That was normally my go-to on days that I took Brian up on his offer or when I simply felt too lazy to do anything besides watch TV.

   However, I figured that I couldn’t go back up to hang out with Brian after fighting so hard to leave and make breakfast. Plus, I had promised him a pancake.

  So, I decided on making a full course meal.  I liked making big meals from time to time because they gave me time to focus on nothing but cooking for a while. I could space out as long as I wanted. No one else was up to interrupt me either.

   Looking through the fridge for my ingredients, I felt grateful that there was supposed to be a grocery run later that day. We were running low on some things.

  Luckily, with a quick glance through everything, I deducted that there would be enough food for breakfast and lunch that day before we were in trouble.

   Perhaps that was one of the downsides to living with so many people. Cooking for ten grown men never failed to be difficult, especially because their diets were so diverse. Not to mention they were all picky mother truckers. I still enjoyed my time spent making food in the kitchen though.

   I grabbed an apron from the pantry and, after some preparation and dish-washing, began cooking. The smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes slowly permeated the air. Everything finished cooking about twenty minutes later. I snacked on the bacon as it finished and put everything else on a plate to put in the oven which kept everything warm while I waited for the others to wake up.

  “That smells amazing.” A familiar scent wafted into the kitchen under the thick aroma of bacon.

  I turned to see Vanoss standing in the archway that led to the stairs. His raven locks looked ruffled, as if he had just woken up, but his all gray outfit seemed fresh and a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. His dark brown eyes were fixated on the stove in front of me. I let out a pleased hum and turned back to continue my work.

  “Why thank you. I try.”

  There was a huff of laughter before I heard the wood floor beneath us creak and the air next to me shifted. I glanced sideways to see a pair of tan, muscular arms stretching out towards me.

  A smile danced across my lips as I set down the spatula I'd been using, wiped off my hands on my apron, and turned to hug the alpha.

  Despite Evan being slightly shorter than me, I got the distinct impression that he was the one in charge here. Originally, when I first met him and we decided to become a pack, I was intimidated by the idea of being a subordinate to anyone. After all, that was why I hated my original tribe.

  Evan was different though. It was his tradition to keep the pack healthy by seeing to each individual’s needs. This was a perfect example of that.

  No matter what, Evan always hugged the first person he saw in the morning. Whoever that person was depended on when he woke up but, generally, I was the first one he saw. On the other hand, members like Nogla or Panda, who slept at random hours of the day, rarely got these sorts of hugs.

   I enjoyed the tradition though and Evan was a good friend. In general, he was a tad overbearing to the unfamiliar eye with his muscular arms and resting bitch face. Evan acted tough whenever there were pack matters to attend to or whenever we were out in public, but he was actually really sweet. No one would ever realize that he was the most mischievous and childish one out of all of us or that he gave the best hugs.

   In reality, he was just a buff teddy bear.

   After a moment, Evan let go and leaned back to look at me curiously. “What were you just thinking about?”

   I smirked. “I was thinking that you act scary but you’re really not as intimidating as you pretend.”

   The alpha glared at me and spun on his heel so that he was facing the fridge.

  “I take back my statement about the food smelling delicious. It smells like pooooooop.” He shot back, popping the “p” at the end of his sentence as he opened the fridge and pulled out the milk.

  “Sometimes, I swear you’re a child in a grown man’s body.” I snarked.

  “And what if I am?” Evan gave me a mischievous wink before dancing around the island counter and sitting on the other side with his half full gallon of milk in hand.

  “Hey!” I pointed the spatula at him just as he took the cap off and put the jug to his lips. He stopped and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

  "You better not be drinking that straight out of the carton.” I growled. Evan looked down at the jug before slowly turning his chair so that I couldn't see what he was doing.

  “Noooooo… Who would do such a thing?” He responded innocently. I watched as he raised the gallon of milk to his mouth and took a huge swig.

  “That is disgusting!” I yelled.

  “That is mahogany!” A horribly high pitched voice shouted from the stairs.

  Evan jumped a little and looked sideways towards the sound. I rolled my eyes and smiled as Scotty came around the corner of the fridge to stand in the kitchen. His tawny hair had been swept neatly to the side of his forehead and his blue eyes were brimming with curiosity as he glanced between me and Evan.

  “Who’s disgusting?” He asked in his normal voice while grabbing a muffin from yesterday’s breakfast off the counter.

  “Our fearless leader over here is chugging the milk straight from the carton.” I informed him with a flick of the spatula in my hand.

  Scotty rose an eyebrow at Evan who had restarted his mission and was gulping down the last half-gallon of milk. I watched in astonishment as the milk quickly disappeared.

  As soon as it was empty, Evan slammed the empty jug on the counter and made a loud, sarcastic “ah” sound. Scotty laughed and reached across the counter to give the alpha a high five. I smacked Scot lightly on the shoulder. He gave me a guilty smile, but not before receiving his high-five.

   “I swear you guys will be the death of me.” I muttered.

  Evan belched loudly in response and received yet another high five from Scotty. I was so focused on the two in front of me that I didn’t notice that Panda had come wandering in from the living room on the other side of the kitchen. He stared at the alpha in surprise before also giving him a high five.

  “Don’t encourage him!” I reprimanded them.

  Panda and Scotty both gave me an apologetic look. Evan, on the other hand, looked so smug that I had to resist the urge to reach across the counter and smack him.

  “You’re going out to get another jug tonight.” I ordered, pointing the spatula at him again.

  “We already had plans to go shopping today so-” He shrugged nonchalantly.

   I rolled my eyes and turned back to my task of making breakfast with a smile while the other three began talking and joking with one another.

   When I was sure that almost everything was done, I pulled out the food that had already been cooked from the oven. Slowly, I began maneuvering all the food over to the counter in a buffet line arrangement.

  At some point, Marcel appeared next to me and began gathering plates and silverware for everyone. I smiled and shoulder checked him. The alpha gave me a smile in return.

   “Where are Mini and Wildcat?” I asked him as we worked.

   “I think they’re both still sleeping." Marcel responded in a soft tone under Panda's laughter. "Mini still smelt sick when Evan and I got home last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays in bed for a while longer."

   I nodded. “I was wondering how he was doing. He’s in Tyler’s room though, isn’t he?”

   Marcel chuckled. “Is that even a question? They may have their fights but you know as well as I do that they come back together eventually. We both know how protective Tyler gets whenever Mini is sick or injured.”

   I sighed. That didn't really answer my question, but the alpha had a point.

  “Yes, I know. They just worry me sometimes.”

   Marcel let out a sympathetic hum as he turned to place some plates on the island counter.

  I couldn't help but notice that we were both worried for different reasons. Mini's three day disappearance last week had shaken the pack in more ways than one. However, most of the pack was more worried about the beta's physical health because of his cold. After Craig told them that he and Tyler had been fighting beforehand though, everyone sort of accepted his vanishing act. I knew better than that.

  “So, I assume you won today’s round of tug-of-war with Brian.” Marcel spoke up. I rolled my eyes and smiled, trying my best to push my worries to the back of my mind.

  “Is that even a question Marcel?” I responded in a mock version of his voice. He chuckled and shook his head.

  “What’s the score this week?” The alpha asked with a sideways glance at me. I smirked.

  “4-0.”

  “My man!” Marcel raised a hand to give me a high-five. I indulged him with a smile, my heart warming at the familiarity.

   Once we set out the plates, Marcel and I filled them with food for everyone that seemed to be awake at the moment. We made sure to set aside food for Tyler and Mini, who still had yet to make an appearance, and Brian.

   After everyone got a plate, we all sat down at the table to eat and join in on our usual banter. It was slightly less noisy without Nogla or Terroriser yelling at everyone, but we still maintained a bit of noise between all of us.

   “Speaking of which,” I piped up from my spot at the table, “when are Lui and Nogla supposed to be back?”

   “I think they said they hoped to be back by today.” Scotty responded around a mouthful of food.

   “Yeah, that’s if they don’t get into trouble again.” Panda commented, eliciting chuckles from everyone at the table.

   “Well, hopefully Lui will be reasonable this time.” Marcel replied before letting out an overly exasperated sigh. “Probably not though.”

   Everyone shook their heads and smiled at the memory of the last time Lui and Nogla went out on their own.

  Apparently, the pair had stopped by a store to get some stuff for the house and the shopkeeper there had been extremely rude to them. So, as a prank, they put glue all over the man’s chair so that he got stuck to it the moment that he sat down. It had been Lui's idea, or at least the other half of him, but Nogla didn't stop the shapeshifter.

  Both demons came running home with humans on their tails. Evan had been furious until he realized that the humans weren’t hunters. In fact, after he listened to Lui and Nogla’s side of the story, he started laughing and, just like that, all was forgiven.

  However, I knew that the event still bothered him. Evan held himself responsible for the actions of the pack as well as their safety. Being discovered by the humans of Panlyog was one of his biggest fears. Letting his pack members interact with humans without his aid came next in line as another one of his biggest fears.

   Even now, I could see Evan's shoulders tensing at the mention of Lui and Nogla. It probably didn’t help that, not only did he have two members out in the field, he also had a member sick with a self-inflicted cold. Yet, somehow, today, he managed to look more anxious than usual. I made a mental note to check on him later.

   When everyone finished their breakfast, we all played rock-paper-scissors to see who would have to clean it all up. To my relief, Scotty and Panda lost out to cleaning the kitchen. Sometimes, I ended up losing so I would have to cook and clean, which was a task that I wasn’t up for most days.

   Leaving Scotty and Panda to complain about doing chores while Marcel and Evan watched movies, I headed upstairs to find out what the others were doing. My first priority was to check on Mini and Wildcat.

  I knocked on Tyler’s door first. When no one responded, I knocked again. Still, no one answered.

  Ignoring the feeling of anxiety in my chest, I moved onto Mini’s room and continued knocking there. It didn't take long for a response to come this time.

  From the other side of the door, I heard a noisy thump, accompanied by a frustrated growl. After several heartbeats, the sound of claws scraping across the door frame grated on my ears. The sound persisted and I glanced down only to see the door knob slowly turn: once… twice… three times. I tried to open the door from my side, but it was locked.

   Bewildered, I waited until the door finally swung open to reveal a very tall, very pissed off tiger. The smell of angry alpha stung at my nostrils as the giant white and black feline stalked forward.

  Instantly, my beta instincts kicked in and my body began producing a calming pheromone to ease the intimidating alpha who’s shoulders stood as tall as my chest, his neck fur bristling.

   There was a moment where the tiger stood in the doorway and didn’t make a move. Then, the scent of anger mellowed and I was finally able to catch Mini’s sweet honey scent drifting out from the room behind the tiger. It smelled stale.

   “Sorry Brock.” Tyler muttered in a voice that sounded nothing short of animalistic. In fact, his voice didn’t even sound like it belonged to him at all.

   Concerned, I cleared my throat and asked in an uncertain voice, “What happened?”

   The tiger scowled, his blue eyes blazing. It took everything in my power not to shrink away from him.

   “I came to see Mini last night. We both fell asleep in there but, this morning, he was gone.”

   Lifting one of his massive paws, the white tiger revealed a half shredded piece of paper stuck in between his claws. I reached down to pull it off in a single motion, careful to avoid the sharp talons staring at me with an intimidating glint.

   In Mini’s handwriting, the note read: “I’m going to see Kryoz and Smii7y. Hopefully they  can tell us what’s wrong with us. I’ll be home soon.”

   “‘Hopefully they can tell us what’s wrong with us.’” I read the line aloud. The tiger in front of me turned his head away.

  “Tyler. Does this mean what I think it does?” I inquired uneasily. The alpha snarled nervously and glared at me out of the corner of his eye. “You’re stuck, aren't you?”

  The flicker of doubt and fear in Tyler's eyes should have been expected, especially since I'd seen it just last week. Normally though, Tyler was strong and he never allowed anyone to see his fear.

  Perhaps their counterparts are changing more than we thought. I thought to myself forlornly.

  Recently, both Mini and Wildcat had started getting stuck in their animal forms. It doesn't sound that bad from an outsider's point of view, but every demon knows how bad it is to be stuck in animal form. Not being able to change back into a human is dangerous for everybody involved. Getting stuck means that a person is reduced to their most basic instincts, which are to hunt and to kill.

  I'd heard many stories about demons getting stuck and, eventually, going feral. For a Feral demon, all self control goes out the window. There had been entire cities wiped out and thousands of people massacred over the years because a demon got "stuck" and decided to kill everyone.The worst part of it was that it normally didn't matter if the demon was facing a friend or a family member. A stuck/feral demon would kill anyone in their way if given the chance.

  Personally, I'd never seen anyone go feral nor had I met someone in danger of going feral or getting stuck. That was until I met Mini and Tyler. Neither of them were at the dangerous stage yet, but it was bound to get there at some point, especially if they continued getting stuck as often as they were.

  Being subgenders only made their current situation more dire than anything else I could think of. Their subgender counterparts, the alpha and beta DNA in them, were keeping them from transforming back into human form.

  Mini and Tyler were very secretive about their recent issues and they had agreed not to tell anyone in the pack. I was good friends with Craig though.

 Months ago, when Mini and Tyler's problem with getting stuck first came up, Mini hadn't been able to hide the truth from me. He told me everything that had been happening and it was only last week that he told Tyler that I knew. I had enough sense to realize that Tyler was still uncertain how to feel about my involvement.

   After several long moments of tense silence, Tyler shook his massive head.

  “Sometimes, I think you’re too good at your job.” He growled.

   “How long?” I asked curtly. A low rumble vibrated the air around me.

   “Since this morning. When I woke up, I was all cat, no claws.”

   “So you were stuck before you even woke up?” I asked, slightly taken aback. Tyler cringed and sat back on his haunches, his black-striped tail lashing back and forth.

  “I know. It’s bad. Plus, I got stuck in that stupid room all day. I couldn’t calm down enough to open the door and I couldn’t yell for help in case anyone started asking questions.”

   “So, Mini must have woken up to this,” I made a gesture at the tiger, “and decided to leave for help.”

  Tyler flicked his ears at me irritably but nodded nonetheless. I heaved a sigh and tilted my head back to look at the ceiling above me.

  It made sense that the beta was visiting the two rogues who lived on the outskirts of our territory. Smii7y had spent years studying subgenders. If there was ever a demon who knew about the subgender gene and it's complications, it would definitely be the young panther. Even if he didn’t know what was happening, Kryoz, Smii7y's mate, would probably be able to figure out how to reverse the transformation temporarily. Still...

  “There was a reason we weren’t going to go to them.” I muttered, glancing down at the white tiger still seated in front of me.

   “You’re telling me.” Tyler growled, his voice sounding better, more human, the more time he spent outside of Mini’s room. Silently, I prayed that no one else would smell him or come upstairs to see him as he was.

  Part of me felt terrible for leaving the pack in the dark. We didn’t tell them for fear that they would panic. However, these incidents were getting more frequent by the days.

  In fact, last week, when Mini disappeared for three days, it was because he had gotten stuck and refused to come to the pack for fear of hurting them. He turned up sometime during the night of the third day, hungry and down with a cold. Neither of us told Vanoss or the rest of the pack the truth behind why he disappeared. We simply made up a lie that Mini and Wildcat had gotten into a fight, which was only half of what actually happened.

   I shook my head and ran my hands over my face. Mini and I had agreed not to tell anyone in the pack that him and his boyfriend had been having issues with their subgender counterparts. This time though, they hadn’t seen Tyler's obstruction coming, which made it worse.

   “Evan can’t find out.”

   Tyler's blue eyes looked up at me gravely. “I know.”

   I folded my arms and shook my head. “It would be easy to just walk out without a word if you didn’t wreak of angry alpha.”

  A warning growl rumbled from the tiger’s throat, to which I rolled my eyes.

   “So, you can’t turn back at all?”

    Tyler shook his head. “I tried once I realized what happened this morning. I still haven’t been able to reverse the shift though.”

   “Try it now.” I suggested.

   The white tiger closed his eyes and shifted on his feet. He stayed like that for several heartbeats, but nothing happened.

  Letting out a low growl, he shook his head. “It’s no use. He won’t let me.”

   I nodded. “I kind of figured. Do you know what he wants?”

   The tiger sighed. “He wants what he always wants.” His blue eyes pulsed anxiously as he glanced around. “I have to find Mini.”

   I watched the tiger carefully as he stood and shook himself roughly. “Ya know, I’m not sure that that’s a good idea. You could end up getting him stuck as well.”

   Tyler blinked and hummed considerably before shaking his head. “As long as he doesn’t fall asleep or transform, he should be safe. Being around each other is how we survived before. Plus, maybe the tiger will  release me or maybe Kryoz will have a solution to shift me back.”

   I let out an uneasy growl as I considered the truth in Tyler's words. The only thing that made me hold my tongue was the chance that the situation could turn from bad to worse. Mini and Tyler had yet to get stuck at the same time, but it was only a matter of time. It was only a matter of time until they...

   “It’s about the only choice we have.” Tyler grumbled. I swallowed a ball of nerves building in my throat and nodded slowly.

   “Unfortunately, I think you might be right." I conceded.

  Tyler noticed my look of concern and turned his head away. He was hiding just as many fears as I was. I could see them swirling through his eyes as he stared at the window down the hall.

  "The problem is, how are we going to sneak you out past the others?” I asked in an effort to distract him. The tiger blinked before turning an inquiring gaze towards me.

   “Are they even awake?”

   I couldn’t help but smile a little at Tyler’s obliviousness. “Yes. I made breakfast so they all came down to eat besides Brian. Everyone's awake… even Panda.”

   The tiger’s eyes widened a little. “Wow. So I’m missing the party."

   I nodded. “Yeah, pretty much… I made some food for everyone. Your meal and Mini’s are in the oven still.”

   Tyler watched me with subdued gratitude, the tip of his tail flicking lightly. I cleared my throat and glanced away, shifting my weight on my feet awkwardly.

   “Anyway, you need to get out of here and find Mini without Vanoss finding out.” I mused. The tiger rumbled considerably.

   “I could always jump to the trees.” He suggested after a moment.

   “From what? The roof?” I asked in disbelief. Tyler nodded his striped head.

  “Why not?”

   I gaped at him for a moment. “Are you serious?”

   “Well, yeah. I saw Scotty do it one time. I could probably do it.”

   I rolled my eyes. “That’s just stupid.”

   “Do you have a better idea?” Tyler countered with an impatient look.

   “You could climb out the window?” I replied, uncertain. He glared up at me, disbelief swirling in his blue eyes.

   “You mean scale a 90 degree wall from two stories up? In this form? I doubt I could make it without breaking something let alone crawl my way out of the window.”

   I shifted on my feet. “Well… at least a two story drop with a little bit of support could be better than a three story drop straight out of a tree.”

   The tiger sighed. “You do have a point … I guess.”

   “It’s about the only choice we got.” I muttered as I walked down the hallway to the window Tyler had been staring at moments ago.

  With a few deft movements, I unlocked it and pulled it open. The sound of heavy paws on hard wood floors followed behind me.

   “Are you sure this is safe?” Tyler asked as he poked his giant head out of the window.

   I shrugged. “Probably not. Oh well though, right?”

   The tiger fixed me with his dubious blue eyes. “Welp. Here goes nothing.”

   I shifted out of the way to allow the tiger past.

   Tyler was already tall in human form and his tiger form was no exception. His shoulders clipped the top of the window as he pulled himself up onto the windowsill.

  I watched the tiger take a deep breath before he slowly started shimmying himself out the window. The sounds of his claws scraping across the side of the house grated on my ears. He only got to his hind legs before they bumped against the top most window and stopped him from getting out the rest of the way.

   “Tyler?” I asked worriedly, stepping forward only to realize that the only thing I could really offer at this point was emotional support.

  The tiger’s tail lashed violently, narrowly missing my face. Then, with some sort of twist and a dedicated snarl, Tyler’s striped hindquarters disappeared out the window.

   I rushed forward to look over the edge and caught the moment that the tiger landed in the grass, on his feet. A sigh of relief escaped my lips before I could really think about it.

  There was a low, distant growl from the tiger as he lifted and rotated each paw experimentally. Once he made sure everything was in its rightful place, he turned his head to look up at the window where I sat.

  He waved his tail a little and flicked his ears at me saying, “I’m fine Brock. Thank you. I’ll be back.”

  With that, he shook himself one more time and trotted off into the forest. I waited until his black and white tail disappeared before reluctantly turning back towards my room.

  I wanted to follow him to see what happened next, but I knew I couldn't. I had to stay behind and cover for them.

  Briefly, I checked the stairway to see if anybody had noticed Tyler's scent and felt my knees go a little weak when I saw no one there. With a small pat on the back for getting Tyler out without anybody noticing, I wandered towards my door, my body already searching for some sort of stress reliever.

   As soon as I opened the door, I was rewarded by the smell of happy werecat. Brian stood dancing in his underwear in the middle of the room, mumbling the words to some song that he was listening to on the TV.

  The sight was so familiar and comforting that I couldn’t help but double over with a breathless chuckle. The stress from Wildcat's incident, combined with Brian’s sweet honeydew scent, made me dizzy and, after a moment, I realized I was about to fall. I sat down roughly on the floor before my body could fail me and leaned back on my hands.

   Brian rushed over, a worried expression imprinted on his face as he crouched down in front of me.

  “Are you okay?” He asked, his hands already reaching for my face. I nodded distractedly as my wave of vertigo subsided.

  “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy."

   “You're stressed." Brian growled, his fingers gently brushing my cheeks despite the stern look in his eyes. "It’s Vanoss again isn’t it? What'd that asshole do this time?”

   I shook my head, smiling internally at the ongoing feud between Evan and Terroriser. “Actually, it’s not really his fault. I’m worried about Mini is all.”

   “I’m sure he’s wit' Wildcat in one of their rooms. He’ll be fine.” Brian responded confidently as he retracted his hand.

   For a moment, I considered letting him continue to believe that. However, I knew it would only create anxiety if anyone went into Mini’s room or Wildcat’s and found that no one was there.

   “Actually, Mini went to Smii7y and Kryoz’s place. Wildcat followed him out.” I informed the werecat, trying to hide my unease as I realized that Wildcat’s scent still faintly clung to my clothing.

  Luckily, Brian didn’t seem to notice the smell of angry alpha clinging to me or drifting in from the hallway. He even shrugged off his faint look of surprise at discovering that Mini and Tyler weren't home.

   “He probably went to see if they had cold medicine, right? Plus, even if I wasn’t right about ‘em being here, I was right to say that they're together. Doesn’t that account for somet’in’?”

   I pursed my lips a little before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right.”

   Brian smiled gently before leaning forward to kiss me on the forehead.

  “Good. Now, stop worrying so much. Come dance wit’ me.” He suggested with a contagious grin.

   I rolled my eyes and chuckled despite myself. “If anything, I’d much rather watch you be a dork than be one myself.”

   “I t’ink you’re a little late on stopping that one BUT, suit yourself.” He quipped as he bounced out of my reach. With an amused huff, I got up and walked over to the bed to sit down.

  As it turned out, Brian had been getting ready to go downstairs to find me before I came up to see him instead. He explained this to me amidst getting dressed and dancing.

  At some point, he grabbed a hair brush and began singing into it. He didn't know all the words to the song that was playing and he was definitely off key, but the sight alone warmed my heart and allowed me to push my worries away. For the moment being, it was just me and him. There were no mysterious alphas or trouble ridden subgenders to worry about. It was just me and the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

  After his song finished, Brian turned off the TV and left the room, still in his underwear. He came back after a while, still dancing to a song that only he could hear.

   “Between you and Mini, Marcel is going to end up getting gray hairs.” I commented as he walked in.

   He paused mid-stride and pointed to himself, as if to say, “Me?”.

   “No the ghost behind you.” I grumbled sarcastically.

  To my reluctant amusement, Brian turned to look behind him. He even went so far as to look under his arms and feet for the imaginary ghost. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

  “Yes you! Who else would I be talking to?” I questioned in mock exasperation.

   Brian shrugged. “I dunno. Why are we giving Marcel gray hairs though? I t'ought that was Evan and Nogla’s job?”

   I chuckled. “Yes, but if you two keep wandering around the house in your underwear, Marcel’s bound to catch you and lock you outside.”

   "He'd have to catch me first." Brian responded smugly.

   I rolled my eyes. "I'd be willing to bet that he'd catch you within five minutes if you went down there right now."

   Brian’s blue eyes narrowed mischievously. “Challenge accepted.”

  Just before he could turn to run out the door, I reached forward and caught him by the wrist.

   “I wouldn’t do it today." I warned the werecat. "He’s already gonna be angry if he finds out that Evan chugged the last of the milk.”

   Brian turned to look at me with a baffled expression. “Evan did what now?”

  I smiled and shrugged tiredly at the thought of Marcel finding out.

  “T’ere was a half gallon in there…" Brian mused before abruptly crouching down to look directly into my eyes with intrigue. "How long’d it take?”

   “I think it was around 15 seconds.”

   “Good lords that guy’s a beast.” Brian commented, clearly impressed. I smiled while he crawled into bed behind me.

   “That’s one way of putting it.” I muttered.

   A small sigh of laughter resounded through the air. I turned to look at Brian only to realize that he was curling up on the bed, ready to fall asleep again.

   “Are you seriously taking another nap? You probably just woke up from last night’s ‘nap’! And you just got ready to go downstairs.” I uttered in amusement and disbelief.

   “I know, but now I just wanna curl up with my Brocky-boo and fall asleep again.” Brian protested, reaching his arms out for me.

   I rolled my eyes and leaned back to lay on his exposed stomach without letting myself get too comfortable. “Fine. I’m not gonna fall asleep though cause then I won’t be able to go to sleep tonight.”

  Brian let out a content sigh and I knew from experience that he didn't mind.

   One of the many enjoyable things about Brian was the rumble produced through his body when he purred. This phenomenon usually occurred when he slept, but that seemed to be an effect of me sleeping next to him. Brian only ever purred when he was happy and content.

  Once again, my room was coated in the smell of happy werecat which chased away the acrid scent of my stress and Wildcat’s anger.

   I could feel Brian just starting to drift off when, suddenly, there came celebratory shouting from downstairs. I lifted myself drearily from the stomach pillow I’d been laying on and looked around in confusion.

   “What was that?” Brian muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

   I shrugged and rubbed at my eyes. “I have no idea. Either someone just got roasted or Nogla and Lui-”

   As if by design, I was interrupted by a heavily accented voice yelling about something concerning his wings. Brian chuckled.

   “I'd go wit' t'e last one. Nogla and Lui must be home.” He commented. I chuckled and got up from the bed.

  “Most likely. Which means we should go welcome him back before he runs up here and finds you in your tiddywiddies.”

   Brian laughed and kicked at me playfully. “Well t'en go distract him so I can get dressed.”

   I giggled as I headed for the door. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll tell him you aren't dressed just so he can get his camera out and take some pictures.”

   “Ye better not!”

   “We’ll see.” I responded mischievously. A plaintive whine of “babe” followed me to the door. “Just get dressed ya big goof.”

   With a smile, I wandered downstairs and to see what the commotion was about. As soon as I turned the corner into the living room, something white and feathery whacked me in the face. I let out a yelp of surprise and stumbled backwards.

   There was a collection of exasperated groans who muttered "Nogla" as I regained my balance and reached up to rub my face. Within seconds, those voices cut themselves off with yells of astonishment.

   “Nogla! Your wings!” Vanoss barked from behind a giant white appendage.

  I couldn’t see the raven haired shapeshifter over the white feathers and the blinding smile given to me by the 6 foot something angel-like creature standing in my path, but I knew he was there.

   Nogla’s wings shrunk closer to him as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his green hoodie.

  “Hi Moo! I’m back!” He greeted me enthusiastically.

   “I see that.” I chuckled with a last futile rub at my burning nose.

   “Sorry ‘bout t'e nose. I forget how cramped it gets in here.” He admitted with a nervous smile.

   “You would think that after three years of living here, he would figure out how to keep those things in check.” Marcel commented loudly to Evan, who I assumed was standing next to him.

   I chuckled as Nogla let out an indignant "Hey!" and turned to face the two of them. Luckily, they jumped out of the way just before Nogla’s wings could clip them again.

   “Ye two fookers are just jealous t’at ye don’t have t’ese majestic wings.” Nogla retorted, his wings flaring a little.

   “Uh-huh. T’at’s definitely it.” A familiar voice popped up behind me. I turned a little to see Brian standing behind me, fully clothed and with a smile.

  Nogla turned with a grin just as Brian gently pushed past me to give him a hug. I smiled fondly at the two while they traded murmured greetings.

   Sometimes, I had to remind myself that Terroriser and Nogla had basically grown up together. They lived together for most of their teenage years before they met any of us. That’s why Nogla’s unique accent tended to cling to Brian whenever he spoke.

   Giving Nogla and Brian some privacy, I glanced around the other half of the living room to see that Panda and Scotty were already sitting down. It took me by surprise when I glanced over and saw Mini casually sitting on one of the couches, eating a sandwich. He watched our scene unfold intently. Therefore, it didn’t take long for our eyes to meet.

   Somehow, from that one look, I knew that he hadn’t made progress that morning. He looked tense and a little disturbed for a moment before the emotions were washed off his face and he turned back to participate happily in a conversation between Scotty and Panda.

   “Where’s Lui at?” Brian was asking as I turned back to the group still standing at the edge of the hall way.

   “He wanted to say hi to some people not too far from the border, so I decided to go on ahead.” Nogla responded.

   Brian nodded. “Let me guess, he wanted to say hi to his girlfriend.”

  The two friends chuckled as they migrated to the couches where Marcel had joined the other three in watching a movie.

   Immediately, my attention went to Evan who was still standing where he had been when I first walked in. Coincidentally, he was already looking at me, his brown eyes tinged with worry. I walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

   “Ya good?” I murmured softly under the renewed noise of the household.

   His eyes didn’t leave me for a good while. The shapeshifter didn’t say a word but, being within such close proximity to him, I could feel his anxiety. I knew why he was anxious even if he didn’t tell me.

   It was our one indisputable rule that none of the members of the pack should go anywhere without another person, especially if they were in the human city.

  Lui was strong and smart in lots of ways, but I knew that Evan worried about him a lot. He was concerned for every member but, to the humans, Lui and Nogla were extremely valuable. Nogla was so unique that any human would want to kidnap him just to study him and there was still a strong desire for shapeshifters on the Market. Evan kept a close eye on the whereabouts of the two just in case he had to save them when they got into trouble. Lui being on his own violated a lot of our rules.

   “He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself.” I reassured Evan, squeezing his shoulder gently.

  The tense alpha simply gave me one of his sad, concerned puppy dog looks before he looked away. I sighed and followed him to the couches to sit down with the others.

   Despite the overall tensions in the pack that Nogla was undoubtedly aware of, he maintained his hyper demeanor. In fact, he tended to be more hyper after missions, if that was even possible. Today seemed to be no exception.

   Nogla told us all about his adventures quite animatedly. Half of us paid attention, but the other half, including Marcel, were too invested in the movie to really pay him any mind. Unfortunately for them, Nogla only increased in excitement and noise as he continued to talk with Vanoss and Brian.

  Eventually, Marcel let out an overly exasperated sigh and sunk down dramatically against the couch.

   “Hey, uh, Nogla? I think you deflated Marcel.” Evan commented with a grin.

   “Legit he has not stopped talking since he got back.” Marcel grumbled.

   Nogla glanced up with a confused look. “Who? Me?”

   The rest of us gawked at him while Marcel yelled, “Yeah! You!”

   A dorky smile swept across Nogla’s face and he glanced down shyly at the bag of candy he was now munching on.

  “That’s just ‘cause I just like ya guys. Ya know…” He trailed off incoherently. I resisted the urge to swoon over him while Brian piped up beside me.

   “I think it’s got somet’in’ to do wit’ t’e eight bags of M&Ms I just ate, but I dunno. I like being wit’ ya guys.” He said in a hyper voice, his accent more exaggerated to imitate Nogla.

   Everyone laughed for a moment and then faded out at as they focused on the movie. Nogla continued chuckling and then, in a quiet voice, he murmured, “I actually like M&Ms.”

   There was a collection of “Oh my Gods” and laughter. Nogla looked at us innocently and continued chewing on his food.

   Mini chuckled, following it up with a weary, “I don't think that was the point Nogla but alright."

   “I love that man.” Brian said in between huffs of laughter.

   For the most part, we spent the rest of the day laughing, poking fun at each other, and watching movies. It wasn’t until later that night that we remembered that we were supposed to have gone grocery shopping.

   Marcel was the first to notice after he went to get a bowl of cereal and found that there was no milk.

   “Who the fuck finished off the milk!?” Came the cry from the kitchen.

   My eyes flickered over to Evan who had suddenly found a profound interest in whatever movie we had put in earlier that evening. I chuckled as Marcel came stomping in with a bowl of cereal without the milk.

   “We had a half gallon last night! How the fuck do you assholes finish all that in one day!?”

   “They chug it.” I muttered quietly with a significant look at Vanoss. Scotty and Panda giggled from across the room.

   “Alright! Who wants to go shopping?” Evan suddenly shouted, standing abruptly.

   “I’ll go.” Scotty responded eagerly. Evan nodded in appreciation before asking again.

  Perhaps it was a trick of the light or my imagination, but I saw a flash of apprehension appear in Scotty’s face for a split second before it disappeared. The incident was so fast that I wasn’t even sure if it actually happened.

  Brushing it off, I glanced over to see Marcel raising his hand as well.

   “I’ll go. Without me, you’d probably forget something… again.” He muttered with an accusatory glare at Vanoss who, to his credit, looked slightly guilty.

  Last time we went shopping, Marcel asked for a candy bar to be brought back with the other groceries. Of course Evan forgot.

   Clearing his throat importantly, Evan continued on. “Anyone else?”

   “I’ll go.” Brian responded from his spot beside me. “I could use some exercise. Plus, I have yet to kick Scotty’s ass in a race.” He added, pointing at the panther across the room.

   “Bring it on, borther.” Scotty replied with an excited grin.

   “I’ll go with too, I guess.” I conceded when Evan glanced at me with a questioning look.

   “That should be enough then. We leave in five minutes.”

   Everyone nodded and the patrol that was to leave dispersed in different directions, some to the bathroom, some to find shoes.

   It only took me a moment to notice that Mini had also disappeared with the others. The smell of that mornings breakfast seeped out from the kitchen. I followed it to find Mini humming to himself while he checked his phone and waited for his food to finish heating up.

 As I walked around the counter and took a seat on a bar stool, I noticed that his gaze was resolutely focused on his phone. His glasses clung to the end of his nose and his silver topped hair looked ruffled, as if he hadn't taken a shower in a few days. The beta didn't look up at me even when I cleared my throat to get his attention. I shook my head.

   “You and Tyler are so much alike, it’s not even funny.” I muttered.

   Mini shrugged. “Probably an effect of living together for so long.”

   “True… You coming with us?” I asked over the sound of the beeping microwave. Mini finally glanced up at me with a frown. Even the blindest person on Earth could see the anxiety and despair in his blue gray eyes as he sighed.

  “No. I have to wait for Tyler. He should be home tonight… Hopefully...” He trailed off, his fingers twitching idly before he turned to open the microwave and retrieve his food.

   I eyed him carefully out of the corner of my eye. Tyler staying out longer had to mean something. If anything, it most likely meant that Kryoz was trying to reverse the transformation or that the panther and his mate were still studying the alpha.  

  “Did Kryoz say how long it would take?” I asked softly.

   Mini looked up at me with vaguely baffled and uncertain eyes, his irises pulsing with fear. I saw a brief look of anger and regret pass his face as he turned away again.

  “He said he wasn’t sure." Mini admitted, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "I’m worried… For many reasons. And, it would be nice to go into town but, even without my issues with Tyler, it would be hard to go without being noticed. You know what happened last time.”

   I recoiled slightly from the memory. Honestly, I had forgotten about the incident with the humans but it only made sense that Mini hadn’t. He was very aware of what other people thought of him.

  "We would protect you.” I reassured him with an apologetic look as I walked closer to sling my arm around his shoulders. “It’s not like many of the humans are up this late anyway. I don’t think it’ll take very long to get what we need either.”

   Mini reached an arm around my waist and squeezed me gently. He still looked exhausted, but I could tell the contact was already helping him. A small smile touched his lips before it disappeared once more.

  “I know. I just don’t feel up to it at the moment. Plus, I need to wait to talk to Tyler… alone.” Mini pointed out with an ambivalent expression. I rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and sighed.

  “I can respect that…” In an undertone, I murmured, “Just don’t get too lost in your head Craig. We want you to be healthy… Physically,” I let go of him long enough to point at his chest, “And mentally.” I finished with a gentle tap on his cheek.

   He nodded and smiled sweetly. “I know.”

   “Good.” I ruffled his hair slightly and patted him on the back. “As long as you know. Take your time while we’re gone. I know you and Wildcat could use it. I'll see you two nerds later.”

  I chuckled as Mini gave me a scandalized look. A gentle huff of laughter and a quiet “Thank you” followed me out of the kitchen as I headed outside to meet the others.

  Vanoss stood the furthest from the front door, looking down at his phone in his human form. Marcel's white pelt shone silver under the dim moon light a few feet away, its color accentuated by the fluorescent green and purple stripes pulsing through his fur. Scotty was nothing but a shadow as he circled the stocky tiger on silent paws. Brian sat observing the two demons as they staged a mock fight, his brown and black hair rippling with excitement.

   I shifted into my werecat form as well, only mildly unsettled by the snapping of bones that echoed through my ears. Even though I preferred slow shifting, I sometimes wondered what it would be like to shift within seconds like a shapeshifter. Slow shifting was less painful though and I relished in the sensations that my new skin brought as my transformation finished. I spent a moment admiring the dirt between my claws before turning my attention to Vanoss.

   As expected, the alpha was watching me with a patient expression on his face. Once I made eye contact with him, there was a loud click and suddenly everyone was at attention. Evan scanned our faces individually before nodding in approval.

   “Alright! Is everyone ready?” He asked. There was one unified click of affirmation before Evan began his own transformation.

   When I shifted, I never thought of myself as graceful or poised when I finally landed on all fours, but Evan made his shift look almost majestic. The way the golden fur of his leopard form slipped out and his eyes burned brighter as they shifted to accommodate his shift was something straight out of a movie. Of course, I would never say it out loud but I knew the others were thinking something along the same lines as they let out small huffs of appreciation or amusement.

  Once his paws touched the ground, Evan shook himself and set off at the head of the group with the rest of us following close behind. I fell into step next to Brian as the group trailed out into the forest.

   “Well hello there gorgeous.” The werecat rumbled seductively, his spotted tail gently flicking my shoulder.

   I rolled my eyes and followed Marcel’s fluorescent purple-green tail through the bushes.

Notes:

So, I hope you guys enjoyed. Some notes for this chapter: On the topic of subgenders: As stated in the notes at the beginning of the chapter, subgenders were made in a laboratory by humans who wish to undermine the influence of the demons in their world. This means that, not only are they studying demons and figuring out how to kill them, they are also trying to take away every demon's rationale and logic by making them dependent on specific things, like sex. By definition, sub genders are demons who are hard wired for reproduction and, therefore, must find a mate in order to avoid going insane (Insanity being defined by losing all sense of humanity and thought which turns demons into slaughterers of entire civilizations in most cases). In a way, by creating subgenders, the humans have turned those demons into a mutilated form of livestock, animals unable to think critically and retaliate against their captors. Of course, the process isn't complete so sub genders can still think for themselves and they only have rare moments where they can't control their instincts (i.e. during ruts and heats). This is the history of how subs were created.

On a less serious note, I want to address the phrase "all cat and no claws". When Tyler says this, he is referring to his mind. The term "no claws", as used in this phrase, has no relation to his physical claws. Essentially, this phrase means that, by giving up his body to the demon inside, he's lost all intelligence and rationality and therefore has "no claws" to defend himself. It's a common saying among felines. Little fun fact for you guys~