Sleepwalker Wolf

Can't Shift

Valery

   Travis pouts through dinner after I sit in my own seat. He calms down when I leave his hand on my thigh after Sandy brings out an apple crumble and vanilla ice cream for dessert. He'll be fine tonight when I let him convince me to sleep with no panties on.

   Dinner passes much like lunch, full of laughter and conversation. This is what I had always wanted as a child. A real family that opened up a place for me in their lives instead of trying to mold me like over used clay to fit in. I've been forced to join sports teams, given reading lists, and even forced to join a family's theater troupe.

   I'll have to talk to Travis tonight about staying. Stan will understand and Carry, well, I'll figure out what to tell her when the time comes.

   As everyone clears dishes off the table, Walter asks, "Travis, Valery, can I see the both of you in the study when the dishes are done?"

   Travis and I glance at one another before we both nod. Nerves grip me. Walter is a tough nut to crack. Is he going to tell me I'm not welcome here or that I'm not good enough for Travis? It's a little late for that. Travis did say I could leave if I wanted even after, but he described it like going through withdrawals. Fighting your instincts and leaving your chosen partner leaves the body weak. You get sick easily for the first few months before things settle.

   I won't leave Travis and I hope Travis won't leave me, but if he has to choose, will he choose me over his family?

   "Sweetness," Travis warns, splashing a little soapy water from the sink at me. "I can see the negative spiral your mind is going down. Stop it. It'll be fine."

   Putting another dish away, I purse my lips and drop my eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry, it's just that, normally when I got placed in a new family as a kid it was a waiting game to see how long it would last until something went wrong. It's hard to break out of the habit."

   After he pulls out the stopper from the sink, Travis grabs my hand and pulls me into his arms. "I promise, nothing is going to happen. The real approval you needed was my mother's, which you have, because my dad loves her and can't stand to see her upset. So now you're really stuck with me."

   I let out a single wet laugh. "Good."

   Almost forcefully, Travis guides me through the downstairs living room and to two doors in an alcove in the back. One was Walter and Sandy's bedroom, the other I assume is the study. Travis knocks and waits for a gruff, "Come in," from Walter.

   The study isn't entirely what I expected. An oak desk with pictures littered across the top, some of Travis and his siblings as young children and some that look like Walter and Sandy from before they had children. The twins look exactly like him. Bookshelves and a filing cabinet frame the left and right walls. A bay of windows fill the back wall with a cushioned window seat below. Sandy's scent wafts heavily from that area and I knew she relaxed in here when Walter did any bookkeeping for their business.

   "You wanted to see us, Dad?" Travis inquires while pulling me to sit on the other side of the desk from Walter.

   Walter steeples his fingers, resting his elbows on the top of the desk. It's not open body language, but not closed off either. He's waiting to hear what we have to say.

   "Valery, I'm sure you can guess we all know your... oddity. Being the age you are and having never shifted is a little concerning."

   I try to swallow past the heartbeat in my throat and fold my hands in my lap. This is it, I'm defective so I'll be getting the boot. My babies could end up as broken as I am.