just as much as he does. There will come a time when weight will be placed upon the color of his eyes, but you mean just as much. You cannot make red without orange. Do you understand?”
We both nodded, though we had no idea what he was talking about.
Joe cried.
We went to him.
Kelly touched his cheek.
I kissed his hand.
“There is no one like him,” our mother whispered. “But there is also no one like each of you. You are all special in your own way. I believe in you.” She looked down at Joe, a tired smile on her face. “I believe in all of you.”
IT WENT LIKE THIS:
Joe grew.
I found my tether.
I shifted.
The pain was exquisite, and I
am wolf
smell
smell everything
run fast run fast run run run
hunt i want to hunt and
father wolf
mother wolf
joe laughs he’s laughing he says you’re so pretty carter you’re so pretty
i’m not pretty
i’m amazing
kelly says
wow
kelly says
look at you
kelly says
you’re so big
kelly says stop licking me carter stop licking me stop licking
i don’t stop
i never stop and
The day came when Dad took Kelly away.
“You don’t have to worry,” Mom said. She sounded like she was trying not to laugh. I glared at her, but she kissed my forehead and ruffled my hair.
“Why is Carter worried?” Joe asked when she went back inside, leaving me on the porch. “Kelly’s with Dad.”
“Because it’s a big day,” Mom said as I paced back and forth.
They were gone for hours. By the time they came back, I was about to crawl out of my skin.
Kelly was grinning.
I ran down the porch and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Did you do it?” I demanded. “Did you figure it out?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah. But it’s a secret.”
I scowled at him. “I told you mine!”
He laughed at me.
Dad was watching the two of us. He looked like he was going to say something but shook his head instead. “Who’s hungry?”
But before he could follow us into the house, a man appeared. I didn’t like him. He made my skin itch.
“Osmond,” Dad said.
Osmond glanced dismissively at us before looking back at Dad. “We need to speak.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow? We’re about to have dinner.”
“It needs to be now.”
Dad sighed. “All right.” He looked at us. “Go inside. I’ll be back shortly.”
I watched them walk away.
“Let’s go!” Kelly said from the porch.
That night there was a knock at my door. It opened slightly, and Kelly stuck his head in. “Stop jerking off.”
“Fuck you,” I whispered, loud enough so he could hear but not so loud that Mom or Dad could.
He snickered and stepped into my room, then closed the door behind him. He came to the bed, motioning for me to scoot over.
“You have your own bed,” I grumbled.
“Yeah, yeah, move your fat ass.”
I hit him in the face with a pillow.
He laughed before lying down next to me, stretching out his arms and legs. I heard his back pop before he relaxed, leg over mine.
I waited.
He said, “It’s you.”
I could barely breathe. “What is?”
“You know what.”
I did, and I wanted to howl and shake the house to its foundations. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, dude. I’m sure.”
“Oh.” Then, “Why?”
He turned his head to look at me. His eyes glittered in the dark. He said, “Why am I your tether?”
“Because you’re my brother.”
“So is Joe.”
“You were here first.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’ve known. For a long time.”
“But you never said anything.”
He shrugged. “I thought it was obvious.”
It made me nervous. Nothing so monumental had ever made me feel so small. “Tethers can change.”
“It won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
He said, “I do. It doesn’t matter what happens. If I get a mate—”
“Ew.”
“Shut up. You know what I mean.”
“That’s pretty gay, dude.”
He thumped me on the chest. “Don’t say that. It’s not nice.”
“Right. Sorry. I….” I was at a loss for words.
“Is that okay?” he asked quietly. He sounded unsure.
I couldn’t have that. “Yeah. It’s okay.”
We were quiet for a little while, just breathing in and out.
Then he said, “Tether bros. That’s what we are. Couple of tether bros.”
And it was like we were little again, only the two of us, and we were laughing, laughing, laughing, trying to keep our voices down but failing miserably. Dad walked by the door and paused, and we covered each other’s mouths with our hands. His breath was hot against my palm and it was gross, but I didn’t pull away.
Dad moved on.
Eventually we got ourselves under control.
I was drifting off to sleep when Kelly said, “It was always going