Slow Shift by Nazarea Andrews (best summer reads of all time txt) 📕

boy into his arms, to sooth away the goosebumps on his arms, to chase away the shadows in his eyes. He holds himself very still, so he doesn’t take what isn’t his. “He was a kid, a fucked up, jealous kid.”

Tyler jerks. “Jealous?”

Chase laughs, his eyes sorrowful and amused as he pushes past Tyler and drags his bag onto the table. “You’re really oblivious, big guy.”

~*~

Aurora hates Ryan, and she is a sharp cutting voice on the other end of the line, demanding he stay away from Chase, demanding Chase stay away from him, all ferocity and fury.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Chase says, grinning.

Aurora grits her teeth. She doesn't know. She doesn’t, and she doesn’t know how to keep him safe from the fear building like a scream in her throat.

“Chase,” she keens, high and helpless.

Lucas intervenes, taking the phone and saying, “Darling girl, tell me.”

“He hurt him. Chase doesn’t talk about it, but Ryan hurt him and he’ll do it again. That’s what they do.”

“Who?” Lucas says, gentle.

A continent away, in her dorm in Cambridge, Aurora shudders. “People like him. People like Mia.”

Lucas is silent for a long moment. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Like you took care of that orderly?” she asks, her voice a secret between them, sweet and vicious, and Lucas smiles.

“Yes, darling girl. Just like that.”

~*~

Chase is sitting in a booth at the diner with Caitlyn, almost asleep, when Tyler walks in. A pretty brunette follows him, holding his hand, and Chase stares at that, like if he stares long enough, it’ll make sense.

Or maybe it’s just that he can’t bear to see the pity on Tyler’s face. He knows damn well the ‘wolf can smell his distress, hear the wild beat of his heart.

“Chase,” Caitlyn murmurs and he turns into her, into her sweet smile and knowing eyes, away from Tyler and his pretty dark-haired girl.

“C’mon,” Caitlyn says, “Let’s get out of here.”

He follows her out and he can hear the brunette asking, “Tyler? Who was that?”

Chase doesn’t know what Tyler says. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to know.

~*~

“You can’t ignore me forever,” Tyler snarls on the far side of his door. Lucas gives him an arch look and Chase ignores him, highlighting another paragraph in his Psych textbook.

He’s very good at ignoring Reids, when he wants to.

“Did you know he’s dating?” Chase asks.

Lucas doesn’t answer, but then—Chase thinks that guilty look in his eyes is probably answer enough.

~*~

It takes three weeks for Tyler to pin Chase down, and by then he doesn’t even feel bad anymore, he’s just—he’s furious.

He’s furious because Chase dated other people and Tyler never treated him like a pariah, furious because Chase won’t even listen to him, just pulls away, furious because it doesn’t mean anything, ended before it began, because she wasn’t Chase.

He’s furious when he shoves into Aurora Black’s lakehouse and finds Chase laying on the couch, smelling of vodka and misery.

“You asshole.”

“We’re not doing this,” Chase says, sitting up. He wobbles and Tyler wonders how much he drank, before he remembers how pissed he is.

“Look, you want to date,” Chase says abruptly, “Fine. Go date. I’m not going to stop you.”

“You’re just going to stop talking to me,” Tyler spits, “You’re going to take away my Pack.”

Chase flinches but he doesn’t deny it, doesn’t defend himself at all.

“I—that was a shitty thing for me to do,” he says, “And I’m sorry. Ok? It just surprised me.”

“I’m not fucking dating her,” Tyler snaps, “I took her out to let her know it wasn’t gonna work out. I was breaking up with her.”

“Why were you even with her to begin with?” Chase demands.

Tyler snarls and pulls him off the couch, shaking him and shoving him against the wall. Chase’s hands are defensive against his shoulders, but they’re warm and pulling him closer. Tyler presses into his throat, presses the words there, like a secret, “Because I can’t be with you.”

~*~

Chase makes a choked noise and starts to pull away, and Tyler whines, holds him impossibly tight.

He closes his eyes and nods, letting out a breath slowly as he pets the werewolf shaking in his arms.

“Ok, Tyler. Ok.”

~*~

“Why are you so fond of Aurora?” Chase asks curiously, in October. They’re Skyping with her and she’s vanished for a moment, and Lucas looks bored and impatient, but dazzled.

“She’s like you, Chase. Powerful, brilliant, and rare.”

Chase looks skeptical. “I mean, I know she’s awesome,” he starts.

Lucas laughs. “Pup, she’s a Medusa. She is as rare as your untapped magic, and just as powerful.”

Aurora sits primly back in her desk chair and arches an eyebrow. “And when were you going to share that information with me?”

~*~

He sits against the Standing Stones, the power of them a warm press against his back,. Part of him wants to sleep, wants to curl up and wait for the moon to drift across the sky and let him snooze.

He hears a wolf howling and smiles, because the Stones are pulling at him, always pulling at him, but he still dreams of his wolves.

His black wolf lopes into the clearing and snarls, as he is so apt to do, always distrustful of the magic that’s so foreign and alien on the air, the way that same alien touch wraps around Chase. But he noses at Chase, sniffs and snuffles, until Chase arches away and Tyler rumbles happily.

Mine. Pack. Friend. Love. Mine.

It comes in a jumble of sense and feeling. Chase startles, jerks away from Tyler with a wide-eyed stare, but the black wolf is settling down, his eyes gleaming and happy.

Chase never knows what to do with Tyler, but a nap sounds right. He closes his eyes and doesn’t think about the way he feels safe when Tyler presses his nose against the back of Chase’s neck.

Far away, he can hear the familiar howl of Lucas and the haunting echo of a scream that makes him think, Aurora.

~*~

October fades into November, and Caitlyn kisses him on the cheek before she leaves Harrisburg, promises