Chapter 3: Collared

It was 11:00AM, and Jamie was still trying to smother herself into her pillow. Unfortunately, despite the existential crisis she was currently suffering through, Jamie had no intention of dying so easily and giving the pack more reasons to talk. And God did they talk.

Three days had passed since her disaster of a Shifting Ceremony. Yet, if anything, the pack only got louder, wanting her parents to give them answers, an explanation, anything at this point about what it meant for the pack.

Jamie didn't exactly blame them; this wasn't exactly normal, but could they not back off for a moment? They weren't the ones who had their life turned upside down, shifted for inches to the left, with everything burning down on top of that.

There was enough vitriol with what was coming out of their mouths about her to keep that fire going. No one would shut up about her...her canis syndrome.

There was no rhyme or reason to it. It seemed to hit randomly, and you never knew who had it until they shifted and ended up…wrong.

The last case had been in the Eastern pack only last year, but their Western pack had been lucky to only have two cases in the last twenty years. It looked like that luck ran out though.

It sucked. A lot. Everyone had expected a wolf, not a purse dog–Yeah!? Well Jamie did too!

She was supposed to be a wolf. She didn't have to be big or powerful. She could've worked around that–but no. She had to be the size of a bag of chips and was probably just as impressive as one.

It wasn't something to be proud about; it wasn't something to celebrate. Everyone made sure she knew that.

Already they were calling her cursed, and Jamie couldn't help but agree. What else could it mean when all she had wanted was to finally be able to shift and run?

God! She wasn't even a POODLE poodle, she was a TOY poodle, which was arguably worse since she was instantly demoted from dog to yappy dog. Everyone could run circles around her in that form.

"…knock knock."

"Go away." Muttered Jamie, still buried in the pillows. "Can't you see I'm trying to ignore the world? You're included in that. You don't have best friend benefits, Sarah."

"Uh, yeah, no. I'm not leaving you like this. It's depressing. You didn't leave me alone after my breakup with Tommy," she pointed out.

"This isn't a breakup, and that was in first grade. AND he was a punk. You dodged a bullet with that."

"What I'm trying to say—" Sarah tore the blanket out from under her, making Jamie fall of the bed and look up at her, completely unimpressed with the other's tentative smile. "Is that I'm your friend, even when things suck."

"Oh, I think we're beyond sucking at this point." Jamie sighed, dragging herself back onto her bed, knowing better to try and crawl back under the covers and continue her pity party. "They don't shut up. You know how your senses are dialed up for a little bit after your first shift? Everyone seems to have forgotten that and I keep hearing all this—this sh*t about me. Cowards can't even say it to my face."

"The last thing you need is to get into a fight. This won't be like before with choking out Brandon. You'll literally their out their throats."

"…Stop that. I'm trying to have my midlife crisis, but your faith is too reassuring." It was nice that Sarah still believed she wasn't any lesser for her shifted form, but she was one of the few who seemed to think like that.

Even her parents had been keeping their distance and while that hurt, Jamie knew it was to try and keep the situation under control. To keep anyone from doing something stupid like try and attack her.

The first time someone had Canis Syndrome they'd been torn up by their pack. It was…gruesome. Jamie could take care of herself, but it was still a problem–one that seemed like it wouldn't stop with how all anyone in the pack did was talk and talkandTALK.

"Just…is there anything I can do?"

"…You're gonna have to have an absolutely bomb shifted form between the two of us to make up for mine."

Sarah smiled widely, and Jamie found the sharp edges of her soul softened slightly. At least she wasn't completely alone in this.

It–it definitely wasn't expected, or wanted, but she could figure it out, yeah?

"Jamie…"

"Mom! Hey, thanks for letting Sarah in. I guess I just needed someone to kick me out of my headspace. So, what's the plan for this?" she asked, standing up from the bed.

Her mother looked as much of a wreck as she did. Rumpled clothes, bags under her eyes, and…they looked red from crying.

Jamie hadn't been driven to the point of tears, but she had been very numb the past couple of days. Her mother was the same, so she didn't understand why she'd been crying.

"The plan…the plan is that you're going away sweetheart."

The words didn't register for a moment, because surely they couldn't have come from her mother's mouth. Jamie stared, waiting for the punchline, but her mother looked like she was about to start bawling and with a sinking feeling, she realized this was not some messed up joke.

"Go–what do you mean by go?"

"Jamie, sweetie, it's dangerous for you to be here. I know you've been hearing the pack talk but it's–it's not safe for you. We got in contact with the Northeastern pack. Their alpha's coming to pick you up in an hour. You'll be joining their pack."

Screw a rug being torn out from under her. They took the god*mn floorboards.

"What?"

Jamie looked at Sarah, then back at her mother, but no, from the expression of shock on her friend's face, she hadn't misheard.

This wasn't like going over for a playdate. Becoming part of another pack took background checks, negotiations, and approval from the alpha. It took time to arrange; it took time to finalize.

That meant her parents went back behind her back, that the three days she was alone wasn't them calming the pack. It was them trading her away.

"You sold me."

"Sweetheart–no."

"Oh, don't try and sugar coat it. Don't try and give me useless platitudes! What else is this!? Suddenly I'm not family, not pack, because I've got Canis Syndrome?!"

"Jamie, you are family! We're doing this to protect you! Before, you were safe! There was no one who'd try to take you out, but everyone saw your shifted form! They know all they need to do is challenge you to a shifted fight and swallow you whole! You can't even outrun them for god sakes!"

"…Get out."

"Jamie—"

"You said family," she scowled, taking a step back. "You didn't say pack. Get out, or am I not even allowed to bring my things with me since you're, you know, kicking me out?"

Her mother took a step back, swallowing the lump in her throat before walking away. Jamie tried not to think about why that hurt so much.

"Sarah, help me get my things."

"Jamie–oh my god, Jamie–"

"Sarah, my things…please."

"…Yeah. Okay, yeah. Move away from your closet. You–you need to show everyone who's boss in that new pack. Can't go looking like a drowned rat. Go shower, go."

Sarah forced her out of her own room, but Jamie was thankful for it. She didn't think she'd be able to do this by herself, and her parents obviously weren't going to help.

Time blurred, and when she came back to, she was already outside with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder and Sarah crying into her shoulder loud enough for the both of them.

Her parents were waiting by the dirt path, unable to even look at her.

The sound of an engine was enough to break Jamie from her funk, and she gently pushed Sarah back by her shoulders.

"They're coming. You have to go."

Packs and shifters could get rather touchy if there were too many members of another pack gathered. They'd think you were trying to start a fight and as much as Jamie could use a fight, she wouldn't start one with everything happening. Certainly not with her friend in the crossfire.

"What? No–no they can't make me."

"I'M making you. Last thing I need is for my only friend to get pulled into stupid pack politics and get in trouble by mouthing off to the alpha to watch out for me."

"Come on," sniffled Sarah. "We both know I'd mean that in them being taken out by you."

"Then you should know that no matter what I'll give 'em hell. Go, don't make me fight you now. I can still take you in a fight."

"Bet. I'll–I'll see you again, right?"

"Definitely. Now go."

Sarah thankfully left just in time because once she was gone a small, limo like car pulled up and the driver stepped out.

He was handsome. With mussed up brown curls, hazel eyes, and a sharp jaw. All that, paired with a nice smile and an air of power left no guessing to just who the alpha was.

He greeted her parents then looked passed them to her.

"Jamie, right? And you're all ready to go too, perfect. I'm Logan Foster. I know you'll fit in great with the rest of the pack," he told her backhandedly, like she just ready and raring to go and leave her pack and everything she knew behind. As if her parents didn't look like they were being torn apart by this.

No, all he did was smile at her like she was glad to leave.

She hated him already.