I fell down more rabbit holes, and work was a pain. Still, here's the next installment. The diner mentioned really does exist, but I've taken the liberty of opening them for breakfast on a Sunday. I hope they don't mind the overtime!

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Chapter 15

Connor

When they landed, Shamus said that he wanted some time alone with Connor, so they arranged for Danny to spend the next two nights with Aiden's family. When they got home, Connor quickly pulled out some leftovers, and the two sat at the kitchen table to eat and talk.

"I'm impressed with how you're adjusting to things. Are you having any problems?" Shamus had asked the boy.

Connor thought as he chewed, then said, "No problems, but several questions." When Shamus nodded, he went on, "When Katty was explaining things, you dodged the issue of why shifters aren't extinct. Care to go into that one first?"

Shamus took a deep breath and said, "This is going to be a long conversation. Should we head to the living room or the porch?" After they had relocated to the overstuffed chairs on the front porch, Shamus explained.

"Most shifters live in small packs, dens, or prides, depending on the type of shifter. Traditional packs don't allow members to intermarry with humans or other shifters. Those packs tend to be the more rural ones led by the oldest Alphas." When Connor gave a surprised look, Shamus laughed and said, "You saw the family tree. I'm just under 500 years old, but the average lifespan for an Alpha is closer to 800 years. My Da will be celebrating his 1200^th year come next spring."

Connor was amazed at the lifespan, but wasn't going to be distracted. He raised an eyebrow and said, "We'll have to go to the party. You still haven't explained why we're not extinct."

Shamus laughed and said, "The long lifespan is part of it. We don't need as many shifters born as often as humans do. Although our family pack is small, I'm sure the numbers will increase now that your generation has six shifters."

Connor counted in his head, then thought for a second. Finally, he nodded and said, "Madison. That's why we need to go get her next spring."

Shamus grinned as he nodded and said, "You're quite bright, I'll give ya that. Still, your generation is heavy on boys. I might have to call Brenden and suggest some breeding."

Connor stared at the older man, shocked at what he thought he had heard. Shamus shrugged and said, "If you look closely at the family tree, you'll notice that the shifters I'm talking about are your sixth, seventh, or eighth cousins. If you do the research, you'll find that most humans in town are fourth or fifth cousins, and they marry. What I'm suggesting isn't as bad as you think."

Connor shook his head and said, "No, but you're talking about arranged marriages, right? That's so old fashioned and so unfair."

Shamus was shaking his head before Connor was finished. He explained, "No, I'm not talking about arranged marriages. I'm talking about breeding. There's a difference, but before I explain, I need you to understand that you're an Alpha, and as such, there are things you'll know about that you can't share with your cousins. If you can't accept that, our conversation ends, and you'll have to figure things out on your own once I'm dead."

Connor bit his lower lip as he considered his answer, then he looked Shamus in the eyes and said, "I understand. I might not like it, but I can understand and agree. I won't say anything to them."

Shamus nodded once, then said, "My wife, Maggie, was a shifter too. We had two sons together, Tiernan and Charles. Then I lost her when a Canadian pack tried to take over in 1902. You've met Tiernan. His little brother, Charles, was your great-great-grandfather. They both fell in love with and married human women, but to continue our bloodline, Tiernan mated with a lovely little wolf from Clonmel. She bore him a son, but as fate would have it, that boy also fell in love with a human. I'll save us the time and not go through all the generations, but you can look the details up in the book if ya like. The short of it is that Donna and Sarah are sisters from that same pack in Clonmel. Da arranged for them to come to introduce some new blood into our pack."

Connor interrupted, asking, "But Aaron and Aiden are carriers, not shifters. If their marriages were arranged, that was a gamble, wasn't it?"

"Aye, boy, you are payin' attention. When Donna came over, the plan was for her to be my mate. Simply to care for me and try to add new shifter blood to our pack. When Aaron met her at the train station, it was love at first sight. I didn't want to fight with the boy, so they married and had Aiden and Clinton, both carriers. Sarah came over to help Donna, and before long, she had fallen in love with Aiden. She came to me when the boy was thirteen and told me she wanted to stay and wait until he was old enough to marry."

"Like Katty told you, the odds of Aaron or Aiden fathering a shifter are about one in twenty. Aaron and Donna came to me 16 years ago and asked if I would mate with Donna so she could give the pack a pup. They said they were too old to raise a baby, so they talked to Clint and Sarah, who raised Katty. Ronin is, like you, a miracle pup, as he is the natural child of Aiden and Sarah, but the twins are actually Tiernan's." When he saw Connor's troubled expression, he added, "Don't judge anyone for what they did to keep their pack strong. You may have to take similar actions at some point in the future."

Connor shook his head as he said, "Keeping their parentage from them won't keep the secret. Emmet explained the genetics to me. They all know the odds are extremely low that their parents are really their parents."

Shamus nodded as he said, "Knowing it's unlikely and knowing it's untrue are two different things. If they ever ask, we've all agreed to tell them the truth. Until that day, we keep up the fiction."

Connor took some time to consider everything, then asked, "So you'll be wanting me to have babies with Katty? Or Madison?"

Shamus replied, "Since Katty's mine, it would be best if she bred outside this pack. You, Ronin, and Madison are fourth cousins. Once you're all a bit older, it would really help the pack if she gave you both a litter of wolf-born pups." When Connor looked confused, he added, "Sorry, I didn't go into that. If you mate while you're in your wolf form, the female can stay in that form and have pups in 8-10 weeks, just like wolves. Once the pups are weaned, she can shift back to human. The pups grow as wolves until they reach one year, at which time they'll shift into the form of a teen human, basically doing the reverse of what you're going through now."

Connor sat, stunned at what he was hearing. "If Ronin and I both have pups with Madison, who would she marry?"

Shamus smiled as he said, "Whomever she loves. You've told me you're gay, so you'll be finding a male mate, right?" Connor nodded. "Well, when you find your mate, he'll have to have our world explained to him. After he knows, you and Madison can have a litter of pups, and you raise them with your mate. She can do the same for Ronin."

Connor asked, "What if she doesn't want to have pups with us?"

"Well, in the past, I would've told you that it's your responsibility as Alpha to make her submit and do what's best for the pack. I've grown to see the error in our old ways, so I'll say that you just need to convince her, as best you can, that she should do it."

Connor looked thoughtful as he said, "Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll fall in love with a shifter. So, I have to arrange breedings to increase the number of shifters in the pack. What other things do I need to know about as Alpha?"

Shamus burst out laughing and, once he had calmed down a bit, said, "We can sit here for the next month straight, and I couldn't share it all. It's best if you keep asking your questions. Just allow me to slip off topic from time to time to catch you up on things that are related." Connor seemed hesitant to ask, so Shamus said, "Out with it, boy. You won't offend me with your questions. How else are you going to learn?"

Connor asked, "You said your mate was killed in a takeover attempt? I thought you said that Alphas were born to the role?"

Shamus answered, "We are born to it, but just like with humans, conquest has always been the easy route to expanding your circle of influence. If you can't expand your pack by breeding, you can attack a neighboring pack and kill the Alpha. Once he's dead, that pack belongs to you. That includes all the shifters, as well as all their property. In the past, it happened quite often. Other than some pack takeovers during the Second World War, Cameron's attack on us is the last one I've heard of."

Connor quietly asked, "Will you tell me about it? What happened?"

Shamus shrugged, then said, "Jacob Cameron brought his pack to Maple Creek in the 1880s. He was always jealous of our cattle operation, and in the spring of 1902, he jumped Maggie and me as we were coming back from town. He was in his biped form, and he grabbed Maggie and drug her into the woods, knowing I'd give chase. When I caught up to him, his two sons were..." Shamus paused and took a ragged breath, "Well, they were making sure my Maggie was dead. I lost it. I went bipedal and slaughtered the three of them. I'm not proud of the fact that I killed them, but I'm not ashamed of it either. They had murdered my mate, and they were about to do the same to me."

Connor put his hand on top of the older man's as he said, "You did what you had to do. I hope I never have to do anything like that, but if I do, I hope I can be as strong as you." Shamus gave a slight smile and a nod. Connor then asked, "You said biped form. What's that?"

Shamus grinned as he answered, "An Alpha's greatest weapon. Shifters have two shapes. They can be their animal form, or they can be human. Alphas, and some Betas, have a third option. They can be a hybrid, a combination of both. Most wolf hybrids have human legs, a furry torso and arms, and a lupine head. Basically, a wolf biped form is the stereotypical werewolf from the old horror movies."

Connor couldn't control his excitement as he asked, "Can I do that yet? Can you teach me?"

Shamus replied, "It's getting late. How about you and I take a run out to the new house tomorrow? There's a few things I'd like you to see, and while we're there, I'll see if I can get you shifted to your biped form."

Connor sighed, "I guess." His eyebrows came together, then he asked, "You said you killed the Alpha from Maple Creek. Did you take over his pack? Do we have land in Canada?"

Shamus smiled and said, "You don't miss a thing, do you? His great-grandson was already his Alpha designate, so when I killed Jacob, Zack became Alpha. I met him when I went to take over the pack. He wasn't much older than you back then, but I decided to let him live. I had already killed too many, and the boy was innocent of any wrongdoing."

Connor squinted and asked, "Alpha designate? Is that what I am?"

Shamus shook his head as he explained, "Until I name you as such, you're just an Alpha in waiting. I need to talk to Da and Gran before I make things official with the Council."

Connor sighed and said, "It seems like every answer brings on more questions. Will I ever learn all of this? Or am I going to be asking questions for thirty years?"

Shamus laughed as he said, "I'm almost 500 years old, and I still ask questions. Did you miss the part where I said I needed to talk to Da? Smart people think they know the answers, while wise ones know when to ask someone for help."

Connor glanced at his hands nervously, then quietly asked, "Can I ask what you need to talk to your Da about? It sounds like it has to do with me. And what Council?"

Shamus patted the boy's knee as he said, "It has everything to do with you. When you were born, I could smell the Alpha, so I assumed I was destined to die young and you were to be my replacement. When I saw your wolf form was so large, I started wondering. I tried to call Da, but he's busy helping the Hennessy pack move to Maine. They're the pack from Clonmel I've told you about. And as to the Council, there are two. I was talking about the Council of Wolf Shifters; most people just say Wolf Council. That's the group of five Alphas who advise Da. Did I not tell ya, my Da's the Alpha for all wolf shifters?"

Connor's chin dropped, and he stared, open-mouthed, at Shamus. When he recovered slightly, he asked, "So your father is in charge of every wolf shifter in the world? How did he get that job? Who picks this council? Who makes the rules? And more importantly, where do I find a copy of them so I can follow them?"

Shamus let out a belly laugh as he explained, "Just like you, Da was born into the role. The Wolf Alpha, as they call him, nominates members to the council, who then have to be approved by more than 60% of the world Packs."

Connor waved his hand, looking for more information, so Shamus went on, "The other council is the World Council of Shifters, usually referred to as the Council of Shifters. They are led by a shifter, just like the Wolf Council. For the last 800 years, it has been King Set Anubis."

Connor knit his eyebrows and asked, "A King? We're ruled by a King?"

Shamus grinned and shook his head as he replied, "Not a King as in royalty, no. Wolves and other canine shifters call our leaders Alpha. Other shifters use other terms, and since Set Anubis is a lion, he is the King of his pride." Shamus paused in thought, then asked, "Have I missed anything you've asked?"

Connor's eyes darted about as he thought through their conversation. Finally, he shook his head and said, "I can't remember anything you haven't answered, but it's late, and if we're running tomorrow, I should get some sleep. One last question for tonight. Do you have to die for me to become Alpha? Or can you just step aside?"

Shamus' face took on a very serious look as he explained, "Legend tells us that, many centuries before I was born, a King, near what is now Gaborone, attempted to step aside, as you've said. His Designate was not as prepared as they had hoped. A neighboring pride attacked the young King, killing him and the retired King and taking over the pride. That King's name, Sehlolo, has come to mean disaster in the Sotho language. No one has tried since."

Connor sat silent, deep in thought. He didn't know if he believed in the legend, but it didn't make sense to have rules based on one instance centuries ago. If that were the case, there would be no more war, as every country had, at some point in history, lost, and having lost, no one would risk another. As he considered everything he had heard, another thought came to mind.

"I know I said that was my last question for the night, but who is your Beta? From what I know of wolves, I'm assuming the term means second in command?"

Shamus grinned as he said, "This game of one more question could go on all night, but I'll humor you and answer this one, then it's off to bed for you, pup. For shifters, a Beta, or Prince for our feline cousins, is an assistant to the Alpha. In smaller packs, we have one, while some of the larger packs have as many as six or seven. There's also the rank of Delta, or Enforcer. Their job is to protect the pack, enforce pack rules, and lead the hunters if there is a war. I've never had a Delta, and everyone in the pack is a hunter, but of course, we're a small pack, and we need very little. Now, get your ass to bed. We'll have all tomorrow to talk."

After a nice hot shower, Connor examined his body in the mirror. Two weeks ago, he had found his first pubic hairs. Now his dick had doubled in size, and he had a full bush of pubic hair along with a happy trail that led up to his navel. There were several tufts of hair in the center of his chest, and he had two nice patches of hair under his arms. If he were to see himself in the locker room back home, he would assume the body belonged to a short 17-year-old. Sadly, Shamus' prediction that he would need new clothes was not coming true. Connor had not grown one inch taller, and while his muscles were more defined, his chest and arms were no larger than before. Still, he liked what he saw.

Climbing into bed, Connor absentmindedly played with himself as his thoughts wandered. Soon, he was quite erect and realized that he had been thinking of the American Indian boy from the Last Stand Ranch. He was enjoying the feel of his foreskin gliding over the head when he got an idea. He quickly thought about his wolf form and soon was lying on the bed, curled up, licking his own balls. He soon found he very much enjoyed this new way of masturbating, or was it oral sex, and after licking himself clean from the mind-blowing orgasm, he drifted off to sleep.

Sunday morning, Connor realized how much he enjoyed sleeping with his cousins, and his... was Danny his son now? Well, whatever he was, last night was the first night he hadn't slept while holding the little pup, and it wasn't a feeling Connor liked. He got to his feet and, putting his front paws out as far as he could reach, arched his back as he gave a low, moaning yawn. He considered shifting to use the toilet but decided to bolt down the stairs and head outside. His plans were thwarted by the back door. Try as he might, he couldn't get the doorknob to turn without his hands. Finally, he surrendered and shifted, running into the bathroom on the main floor to relieve himself.

When he walked back into the kitchen, Shamus snickered and asked, "Problem?"

Connor glared as he replied, "Yeah. I would think you'd have a dang doggy door."

Shamus shook his head as he chuckled and asked, "And how many six-foot doggy doors do you think I can find? You do the online search and tell me when ya find one."

Connor huffed, then said, "I guess I see your point. Still, it would be nice to be able to run in and out in wolf form." He glanced around, then asked, "Should I cook breakfast?"

Shamus replied, "Only if you are starving. We're meeting a friend for breakfast, and then we're heading to the new house."

Connor nodded, then ran upstairs to get dressed. Soon, he was driving towards town. Once they were on the main road, he said, "Last night, you avoided my question. You told me what a Beta is, but you didn't say who yours is."

Shamus chuckled and said, "Aaron is my Beta, and before you question it, remember that our pack is all about the ranch and the businesses. Who better to assist me than an attorney?"

Connor thought about it and realized Shamus was right. Still, it seemed odd, so he asked, "So the fact that he's not a shifter doesn't matter? I thought the pack was only shifters?"

"I've never excluded non-shifter family from the pack. In my experience, having carriers who serve the pack can be a great asset. I hope you'll look at Emmet when you're considering your choice for Beta. Not that I'm saying he should be the one; I'm just saying don't overlook him. Of the five here, he's the smartest."

Connor thought about it, then said, "Every one of my cousins is smart, and each is knowledgeable in different things. Katty and Ronin seem to be very well versed on the daily operation of the ranch, while Emmet is more book smart. The twins seem to have an uncanny ability to read people and work with others."

Shamus smiled at the boy's accurate evaluation of his cousins' abilities. This short conversation, along with Shamus directing Connor where to drive, took up the entirety of the short trip, and soon Connor was parking the Ram in the diagonal spot in front of the diner. When he saw the name, he burst out laughing.

"Really? Wolfers Diner? Does this belong to the pack?" Connor asked between giggles.

Shamus replied, "No, but the owner is a friend of the pack. They serve good food at good prices. Now stop giggling. I want to introduce you to a friend."

Shamus headed for a booth where a man about Connor's size sat waiting. As they approached, he stood and offered his hand, saying, "Top of the mornin' to ya, Shamus. To what do I owe the honor of breakfast on this fine Sunday morning?"

Shamus shook the offered hand as he said, "Drake, I'd like you to meet my great-grandson, Connor. Connor, this is Drake Fraener. Drake has done all the work on the house so far. You can choose whomever you like to finish it, but Drake would do a great job for you. Drake has an apartment in the basement, and I do have to insist that you honor his lease."

Connor shook Drake's hand, then glanced at Shamus and said, "If he's to live in my basement, I assume he knows about my love for dogs?"

Shamus and Drake both burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the other diners. Drake was the first to recover the ability to speak, so he said, "Yes, Connor, I'm well aware of the recent changes in your life." Connor noticed the emphasis on the word changes and grinned.

As they sat, Connor saw the waiter head towards them. The teen looked tall, but to Connor, anyone over 5'8" seemed tall. He guessed the boy was about 6'. His wavey brown hair was about finger length on the top and trimmed short on the sides. When he got to the table, Connor noticed his emerald green eyes behind the `Clark Kent' glasses. Connor tried to ignore the fact that this boy was hot, in a sexy geek sort of way. There had to be a four- or five-year age difference.

The waiter smiled and said, "Good morning, gentlemen. My name is Wyatt, and I'll be your server this morning. I notice you're not looking at the menus, so should I assume you know what you'd like?"

Shamus replied, "Good morning, Wyatt. You must be new here. I've never seen your face."

"Yes, Sir. My family moved here last month. I started here yesterday."

Drake said, "Well, welcome to Havre. If you'll bring us three of the western omelets with hash browns, double sausage, a side of bacon, and a stack of pancakes, that will get us off to a good start."

Shamus nodded and added, "And a pot of coffee and a quart of milk."

Connor smiled up and said, "And orange juice, please?"

Wyatt quickly noted the requests, then smiled and turned for the kitchen. Once he was gone, Shamus leaned toward Connor and whispered, "He's a cute one. I saw ya looking."

Connor blushed from his ears to his nipples. Connor was so intent on staring daggers at Shamus that he didn't notice Wyatt approaching as he said, "He's cute, but he's too old for me. I bet he's in college. Besides, who says he's into guys?"

Connor jumped when Wyatt said, "Here's your coffee, milk, and OJ." As he sat the glasses, cups, and carafes on the table, he winked at Connor and whispered, "I'm not quite 19, so I'm only a year or two older than you. I say I'm into guys, and I'd be happy to get to know you if you like."

Connor was sure his blush reached down to his knees as he stammered, "Sorry I was talking about you like that. I'm not as old as you think. I turn 15 in January." He paused a second, then quickly added, "Not that I'm not interested, but I doubt you would want to date a guy that's still in high school."

Wyatt smiled and nodded, then said, "You might be right. I don't know if we will date, but I can always use more friends. I'll give you my number and leave it to you."

Connor smiled, saying, "We own a ranch southeast of town. Maybe you can come ride horses or something."

Wyatt flashed a smile and said, "I've never ridden, but I'd love to learn. It's a date." and headed to the kitchen.

As they ate, Connor's attention was split between the conversation at the table, and the cute waiter rushing from table to table, filling coffee mugs and water glasses and serving plates of food. A few times, Wyatt caught him looking and winked. The first time, Connor quickly turned away, but the next time, he boldly returned the wink, getting a cute giggle as the waiter carried dirty dishes to the kitchen.

The meal finished, Drake said, "I can give both of you a ride. It would be so much quicker."

Shamus shook his head as he said, "Thank you, no. I want to run there with Connor. I'd like to show him some places on the way. We'll meet you there around one."

Drake walked down the street as Connor and Shamus got into the RAM. As he started the engine, Connor asked, "You said the new house is about 30 miles from town?" When Shamus nodded, he continued, "So it's going to take us four hours to run 30 miles?"

Shamus shook his head and explained, "From our house, it's more like 25 miles, and I don't want to push you too hard. Once you're used to running, you should be able to handle that distance in just over 2 hours. I'm assuming you should be able to match me, and I can sprint at just over 70 mph for a few seconds. I can run for about three hours averaging 20, and if I need to run a long distance, I can keep up a pace of 12 mph from sunrise to sunset. Your cousins can't quite match those numbers because they're smaller, so when you plan pack runs, you need to allow for their speeds to be a bit lower."

Connor had barely parked the truck when Shamus tapped his shoulder and said, "Tag, you're it." Connor was still giggling as the older man jumped from the truck and took off at a run, shifting as he ran. Connor leapt from his side of the truck and stumbled over his own feet as he tried to decide whether to shift before running or try Shamus' trick. Finally, he took of at a sprint, shifted on the run, and turned on the speed, determined to show his Alpha that he could keep up.

Thanks to Rudy, Phi, and all of my other patrons who have supported my work. Special thanks to Wyatt for his constant encouragement and help.

If you'd like to join us in Discord, share your thoughts on the story, or just buy me a cup of coffee, you can do so at my Patreon page. In the near future, I may post side stories there that are only available to patrons. Short stories that give background. Things like the day Naiche's mother died.