in time to see a bright light hovering over where his pants lay shredded on the ground. The light formed into a human with mousy brown hair that curled around a perfectly shaped head. His shoulders and back were corded with muscle all the way down to a pert ass that begged to be squeezed.
“Fa! Mongrels!” The stranger called out and punched the closest wolf in the nose. It let out a loud whelp and backed away. The stranger kicked at another, catching it in the ribs and sending it sprawling across the street. Then he turned and twitched a button nose at Finley. His eyes were bigger than a normal human or a shifter in human form, and they were a dark, glossy brown, looking at him intently. He growled, and his nose squinched up into adorable little wrinkles only seconds before he leaped forward, grabbing the wolf between them by the ear. When they went down in a tangle, Finley snapped out of the trance the stranger had put him in and lunged for the legs of the human-form wolf beside him.
The wolf transformed into his beast before he hit the ground, but instead of attacking, he scrambled out of the way and rushed off. Several others followed him. When Finley turned to see if his father needed help, his father stood there with his head held high, regal in the afternoon sun.
“Well, that was something.” The stranger caught Finley’s attention with a melodic voice.
“Who are you?” Finley stood up.
He huffed. “Really, Fin?” He seemed so familiar, but Finley knew he’d never laid eyes on him before.
Donner, back in human form, put his hand on Finley’s shoulder. “It’s Ferdinand.”
“What?”
“Your father speaks true, my prince.”
“This is not even happening.” Ferdinand could shapeshift. He could take on human form. It felt like he’d been lied to his entire life. “Da? Did you know about this? Know he could do this?”
“No. But I suspected he was no ordinary mouse.”
Finley threw his hands in the air. He needed time to think about this. He stormed over to the car and got in the passenger side without another word.
Chapter Four: Ferdinand
Sitting in the back seat of the car was a bit uncomfortable, and not only because his bare ass was sticking to the leather. Finley’s reaction to his change was unexpected. Of course the change had come in the heat of a battle, but that was how the magic worked. He’d been trapped in mouse form entirely too long, but since he was finally free, maybe they could actually talk. He needed his Fin.
He needed to be needed by Fin was more accurate.
Either way, the silent treatment Fin was dishing out would have to end sooner or later. Ferdinand sighed and leaned his new human-shaped head against the window. He hoped more of his abilities had been restored, but only time would tell on that. First things first... he had to get Fin to talk to him.
Chapter Five: Finley
When they arrived home, Finley stormed through the house and straight to his bedroom. He considered going to the third-floor playroom, since that was where he normally hung out with Ferdinand, but it wasn’t nearly private enough.
As he suspected, Ferdinand followed him. “Fin, stop. Talk to me.”
Finley flung himself on his bed. He tucked his hands behind his head with elbows jutting out and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t have anything to say.”
“You could start with why you’re mad at me.”
“Why?” Finley sat up and glared at the traitor. “You lied. This is a lie. Keeping this from me...” He dropped his head back to the mattress. “It’s a lie.”
“It’s not. Trust me. If I could have told you or even transformed sooner, I would have.”
“Trust you? How do I know—”
Ferdinand interrupted him by dropping on top of him and planting a kiss right on his mouth. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long damn time.”
“Oh yeah? Since when?”
“Since you busted out of puberty and turned into a fine young man.”
Finley pushed him off, and Ferdinand slid to his side on the bed. “Why didn’t you?”
“Told you. I couldn’t.” He ran his fingers across Finley’s brow, pushing his lanky bangs out of his eyes. “That’s better.”
“It’s not better.”
“Who would want to be a mouse, when they could be this?” Ferdinand gestured over his body. “I was stuck until the time of need. I always thought it would be Donner’s time, but apparently, it was yours.”
“What does that mean? Time of need?”
“I don’t know