Page 30 of Virtually Guarded

“Thank you,” I said.

“Wait.” Ren shuddered and motioned to the side. “Xavier, private, please?”

“We’ll be right back,” I said to the others, and followed Ren away from them.

He dropped his voice to a whisper. “They’ll see. I didn’t…I couldn’t talk about it before, but that’s why I’m losing it right now. Xavier, everyone’s going to see me shift. Before and after. Like the pack.”

“Like the…Oh. Shit.” His wolf was male. Somehow, my brain hadn’t connected that with what might happen when he shifted in front of others on hunt night. No wonder he was so on edge. Hopefully no one would react, no one would harm him for being who he was, but I couldn’t make any guarantees.

Except for one. “The Boston wolves. I know them. If we explain before you shift, they aren’t going to have an issue. Even if we don’t explain, they might be surprised, but that’s all. They’re good people. Good wolves. They won’t hurt you.”

“And everyone else?” His voice rose, and he gestured around the yard. “Six hundred-plus werewolves, Xavier, including at least two from the pack that started all this.”

That gave me another idea. Enzo Pereira not only hadn’t been involved in Ren’s assault, but he’d punished those who had been. He knew Ren’s wolf form was male; he’d seen Ren’s first shift back to human form. For that matter, so had Arian. Ren didn’t want to see them, didn’t want anything to do with them, but they might be allies in protecting him from anyone who might harm him.

“Ren, listen.” I crouched so I was on eye level with him. “I promise you, I will not leave your side during the hunt. You’ll have to shift before I do, but I will stay right next to you, and Jamie, Garrett, and Felicia will be there too. We won’t let anyone near you. I’d like to let the Anax know about this, and he could let others know you’re afraid so they can either steer clear of you or help keep an eye out for any problems. Would that be all right?”

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. No sound came out. He was heading around the corner from fear to full-blown panic.

Without touching him, I held out my hand and lowered myself to my knees. “Ren. Breathe. I’m here. I promise, no one will hurt you tonight. I won’t let them. The Anax won’t let them.”

I started to ask again if I could tell the Anax about Ren’s concerns but stopped myself. Panic screwed with a lot of things, including, for some people at least, the ability to speak. Ren appeared to be one of those people, and if I asked him a question he couldn’t answer, it might make the panic worse. So I waited, even though I felt the Boston wolves behind us getting antsy, even though so many others were filing out onto the lawn.

Finally, he nodded. “Tell him. Please.”

Before I could say anything, the Anax’s voice in my mind startled me. I quickly turned my attention to what he was saying. Xavier, once you shift, stay near Ren. Watch for issues, but Ren will need you the most tonight, and you have my permission and instruction to stay with him.

Anax, thank you. Ren is afraid of people’s reactions after he shifts. His wolf—

He cut me off. His wolf is male. I didn’t even think. Who are you hunting with?

Jamie Pasquale, Garrett Saucier, Felicia Norwood.

They’ll help protect him. He paused. Stay close to him, and ask them to do the same. Make sure he shifts away from others. With this many wolves running around, and most of them not knowing each other, hopefully no one will even notice him. If there are issues, reach out to me. If I’m not nearby, I’ll get someone to help.

Thank you, Anax, I said again.

You’re welcome. Tell Ren he is safe here. I’ll make sure of it.

Relieved, I bent to speak close to Ren’s ear. “The Anax just told me to stick with you tonight. I still have to be one of the last to shift, but as soon as I’m in wolf form, I’ll be with you. And he said he’s going to make sure you’re safe. We’ll shift where others can’t see us, and everyone else is going to be occupied with their own hunting. They might not even pay attention to you.”

He nodded and ran his tongue over his lips. “Okay.” His voice was crackly, and his shaking grew worse.

“Is it okay to hunt with the others?” I glanced over my shoulder. The three Boston wolves still stood where we’d left them, not looking toward us but clearly waiting for an answer. “The Anax says they’ll help keep you safe too.”

He nodded again. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Let’s join them, then.”

I stood and helped him to his feet. He was trembling so much he stumbled as he took the first step toward the others. I didn’t want to carry him in front of them. That would have attracted more attention. But I put my arm around him and held him close to me, which seemed to steady him a little.

“Thank you for inviting us to hunt with you,” I said, keeping my voice low, when we reached the others. “We would be pleased to join your group. Ren’s a little worried about shifting.”

“My wolf is a guy,” Ren blurted. He cleared his throat as Jamie, Garrett, and Felicia stared at him. “I’m trans. You know that. Apparently being a werewolf is gender-affirming. My body is the factory-issued model. My wolf’s body is male.”

“Wow, really?” Felicia sounded intrigued. “So when you shift, you’ll be a male wolf.”

I looked down at Ren, whose eyes were wide. “Um, yeah.” He sounded surprised. “And when I shift back to human, I’ll be this.” He gestured at himself. “Um, it caused problems. With the pack that had me after I was changed?”