Rebuild All Your Ruins

By E. M. Holloway

Book 2 in The Sum of its Parts

With things in Arcadia Lake finally settling down, Puck begins to think about expanding his pack. Then he gets the news that the hunter community is determined to get Hugo Durand out of jail. Fortunately for Puck, someone else seems just as determined to keep him there. Unfortunately, his mysterious ally doesn't seem to care if Puck and his pack are caught in the crossfire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781329999893

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Rebuild All Your Ruins

Rebuild All Your Ruins

The Sum of its Parts: Book Two

E. M. Holloway

for everyone who wanted more

Chapter One

The whole thing starts innocently enough, on a snowy Saturday afternoon while they’re all just lazing around the Schneider house. Puck asks Connor how many people are in a typical werewolf pack, and he says, Usually somewhere around a dozen. I’ve heard of ones with as many as twenty.

Wow, we’re tiny, Puck replies, looking around the room. It had felt crowded just a moment before. He’s never had many friends. Now there are five people in his bedroom, which might be a record. His best friend Jason is a familiar sight, of course, since they had been having sleepovers since kindergarten. But four months previous, Puck never would have imagined that there would be not one, but two, gorgeous girls sitting on his bed. Sophie is Jason’s girlfriend and the most beautiful, badass high school girl that Puck has ever met. Next to her is Delaney, whose physical beauty is only rivaled by her formidable brain. While Jason is still confused about how he wound up in a werewolf pack, and none of this had been news to Sophie, Delaney has taken her new life in stride.

Then there’s Connor, the only one of them who was a werewolf from birth. He’s their resident authority even though Puck is the alpha. The pain over losing his own family hasn’t stopped him from supporting his new pack or his new alpha. Puck’s life has been turned upside down in the four months since Connor walked into it, but he doesn’t have any regrets. The pack is amazing, and he would do anything to protect them.

Is that bad? Jason asks, uncertain.

Connor shrugs. "Typically, the bigger the pack, the stronger the pack. So it’s not good. But we’re building a pack from scratch. You can’t just turn everyone you see."

Puck opens his mouth to ask how many had been in the Henley pack, but shuts it quickly when he realizes how hard that question would hit Connor. He just doesn’t want to know that badly. So instead he asks, How do you pick new members? Do you wait for other wolves who want to join?

Some do it that way, Connor says, and shrugs again. Some packs travel. Some don’t. Some turn their own wolves, some don’t. Every pack is different.

So we just have to figure out how we’re going to do it, Delaney says.

At the risk of sounding . . . I’m not even sure how this is going to sound, Sophie says, but I’m not sure we should wait for others to come to us. We’ve got something of a strange situation here. She winds her fingers through Jason’s. I’m not sure we’d get the sort of people we would want.

Connor frowns slightly and gives Puck a sideways glance, but the teenager says calmly, No, she’s right. We can’t take anyone who’s already a wolf. They would never bow to a human alpha.

Not just the human thing, Sophie adds. It’s an age thing. People who travel alone are almost always adults. They wouldn’t give way to a teenager, werewolf or no.

So we should look around the area, Delaney says, tapping her fingers against the table.

Puck frowns. Are you guys sure you want to do this? Make the pack bigger? It’s all well and good to be stronger, but the way we are now . . . we all respect each other, we fit well together. If we bring in anyone else, we could upset that balance.

Jason fidgets uncomfortably. Things are better now, even good, but the change was still a lot of trauma for him. He thinks of Delaney as well, but she seems to be going about this practically. Maybe that’s her way of dealing with it. I . . . He blows out a breath. I don’t know that my opinion can actually be trusted, he says, just throwing that out there on the floor with everything else. If nothing else, he can bow out of the conversation.

Connor sighs. There are days when he really wishes he could punch Owen in the face. "What happened to you wouldn’t be the way we would bring anyone else in. If we decide to. We’d give them all the facts and then give them a choice."

Did you know, Puck says suddenly, that most teenagers brains’ haven’t actually developed to the point where they can accurately weigh long-term consequences?

Connor just looks at him silently, which is his way of saying that he has no idea what to do with that statement. Jason, who’s more used to Puck’s sudden jumps in logic, says, So, are you saying we shouldn’t do anything right now? Or, uh, he continues, since that would also be a decision with consequences, that we should ask someone else?

Maybe we should ask someone with an ounce of common sense, Delaney says, somewhat acerbically.

She obviously doesn’t mean it seriously, but Puck gives her finger-guns and says, Good idea. Then he raises his voice. Hey, Dad? Dad, can you come in here for a sec?

Yeah, just give me a minute, Deputy Schneider calls out from the other room.

That works. Jason feels relieved, although Sophie’s mouth is just opening and closing silently, as if she can’t believe this is really happening. Jason gives her hand a squeeze.

Connor recovers quickly. Do I need to point out that I’m not a teenager?

No, Puck says, but you’ve also never been just a regular human, either. So your perspective is skewed. Besides, if we start making more werewolves, my dad will know anyway, and he’ll feel better if I talk with him about it first.

Tom arrives then, leaning on the door-jam of Puck’s room, a mug of coffee in one hand. Do I even want to know what you little miscreants are up to now?

Dad, I am shocked and hurt by that assumption, Puck says, pressing one hand over his chest, but since you ask, we’re talking about whether or not we should expand the pack. You know, make more werewolves and such.

Tom folds his arms over his chest. Well, I guess the first thing I would want to know is why you’re considering it.

Excellent question. Puck looks at Connor.

Connor lets out a sigh. The more members a pack has, the stronger it gets. And it’s not just ‘safety in numbers’. Each member’s strength increases, particularly the alpha, with more additions. It’s a ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’ sort of thing.

Tom moves the rest of the way into the room and sits in Puck’s spare desk chair backwards, resting his arms on the back of it. Is there a reason you, as a pack, need to be stronger? He’s obviously concerned. I thought things were pretty well settled.

The man has a point, Delaney says, nodding.

Puck pulls one knee up to his chest, considering. I guess maybe it’s sort of an ‘in case something else happens’ thing? The Durands can’t be the only family of hunters. Or another pack might try to take our territory – does that happen? he asks, directing this question at Connor.

Connor looks uncomfortable with the questions. It happens. The way things used to be, it would have never happened here. The Henleys have held this territory for generations and we were always a strong pack. He looks away for a moment, shaking off the loss. If the packs near us are stationary and steady in size, we could be fine. But it’s likely that the average age and unusual make-up of our pack do make us look weak. That could make us seem like an easy target, or it could make us seem like we’re too weak to bother with. It’s hard to say. He doesn’t know much about the neighboring packs anymore. And don’t forget, some betas will want to . . . He has to stop and take a breath. Will want to kill Puck just because that will make them an alpha.

Tom chews on this for a few moments. It seems to me like you guys don’t feel safe. But that may just be because you’ve all gone through a lot. That makes you need a bigger security blanket, as it were.

So what do you think the reasonable thing to do is? Jason asks.

Tom looks around the faces in the room, all looking at him for guidance, which is a little terrifying. He thinks things through carefully before speaking. "I think that if things get out of hand again, it would be a good idea to get more powerful before the fact. Because I don’t want what happened a couple months ago to happen again. He reaches out and squeezes Puck’s shoulder. And if that means adding a few members to your pack, then so be it. I don’t see anything inherently wrong with the idea."

The others all instinctively look at Puck to see what his take on his father’s words was. Puck lets out a slow breath and then nods. Okay. I’m fine with having a security blanket. Uh, made of werewolves. Or whatever. And I think you’re right – when we’re being challenged is not the time to find out we’re not strong enough. But we’re going to have to be careful about who we choose, and I don’t know how we would go about that.

I would go with the same way you would pick out anyone you’re going to spend a lot of time with, Tom says. Start with people you can stand. And then see if they would make good friends. He pretends not to notice the looks that Connor and Jason are giving each other. They’ve come a long way from the circling and snarling they used to do, but they’re never going to be buddies.

"There’s got to be some basic criteria for the sort of person who would want to be a werewolf," Delaney says.

People who want to become stronger, Puck says, remembering the days just after he had gotten free from Owen, how he had regretted not accepting the bite.

You mean people that actually need it for some reason? Sophie seems somewhat skeptical.

Well, yeah, Puck says. The Bite heals, right? So maybe we should look for people who are sick, or maybe physically disabled in some sort of way.

Connor leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Only to some degree. Our bodies can’t fix everything. Some forms of blindness or deafness, other sorts of physical defects. He looks down at his hands for a long moment before speaking again. The others let him have a moment to gather his thoughts. It’s a good idea, but more than that, I think we want people who are lonely. That’s why this works. We’ve made this a family. We want someone else who needs and wants that.

So maybe we should just take a closer look around school, Delaney suggests. See who the loners are. I mean, some of them we know, but . . .

Some people are just invisible, Puck finishes for her, nodding. And we want the invisible ones. Because the obvious loners, they’re happy being alone. They put it out there for everyone to see. We need the people that nobody else has noticed.

Do any of you know a guy named Devon? Connor asks. Your age, maybe a little younger. Tall, gangly, curly hair. His dad is a mechanic.

There’s a moment of blankness on everyone’s face. It persists on Delaney’s and Sophie’s, but light dawns on Jason when Puck says, Oh, wait, yeah. I think he sat behind me in biology last year. Devon . . . starts with L.

Levesque! Jason says. "I think he tried out for football but got cut. He’s quiet. Really quiet."

I still can’t place him, Sophie says. Do we share any classes this year?

I think he might be in our history class. Puck sounds somewhat doubtful. But yeah, I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever heard him speak except maybe a few times he’s been called on in class. How do you know him, Connor?

His dad fixed up the car I bought after I moved here last month. Since I didn’t have anywhere to be, I would hang out in the garage. It would have been nice to learn a little something, but his dad was a jerk and wouldn’t talk to me. Devon seemed okay, though. Like you said. Quiet.

That makes him sound like our kind of guy, really, Puck says.

Deputy Schneider clears his throat, and everyone looks over at him. "Okay, guys, I have one more thing to say, and I don’t want you to answer this right now. I want you to really think about this over the next couple of days. These ideas you have about going to people who are sick or lonely are good ideas. But it also means that you’re targeting people who are emotionally vulnerable. People who will have a hard time saying no, even if you explain the drawbacks. So you need to think real hard about how you’re going to avoid taking advantage of these people. How you’re going to make sure that they understand. How you’re going to make a decision on who ‘deserves’ to be in the pack and who doesn’t – and how you’ll reject people that you don’t think will fit in, without causing more harm than good. This is going to be a very delicate sort of thing to do. And let’s not forget, and I hate to be the one who brings this up, but nobody else has, so I will. You don’t even know for sure that any of you can turn anyone, since none of you werewolves are an alpha. So there’s the possibility that you’ll decide together someone should join, and promise that to them, but then not be able to follow through."

Trust me, I hadn’t forgotten, Connor mutters.

They all nod in response, faces serious, and Puck says, Yeah, we . . . thanks, Dad. We’ll be careful. I promise.

~ ~ ~ ~

Puck comes in from shoveling the driveway with red cheeks and a running nose. He’s halfway through his second mug of coffee by the time he glances at his phone and sees that he has both a missed call and a text from a number that’s familiar, but not assigned to anyone. He opens it to find the message: ‘This is Alex Durand. I need to speak with you as soon as possible.’

His first reaction is panic. Had Alex somehow overheard the conversation they had had about adding new pack members? Is she calling to tell him that they’re not allowed to do that? That hunters will come after them if they do? After a moment, he pushes the panic down in favor of logic. Not only does Alex have no way to know about that conversation, Puck is technically allowed to do whatever he wants.

So he finishes his coffee, blows his nose, then calls her back. Hey, Alex, he says, in a tone that’s probably much more cheerful than she appreciates. What can I do you out of?

Puck. As usual, Alex sounds like she bit down on a lemon. I wanted to let you know that one of my cousins is in town to . . . investigate . . . what happened to Hugo.

Can’t he just read about it on the internet like everybody else?

The internet didn’t talk about the involvement of werewolves.

Okay, that’s fair, Puck says. I appreciate the head’s up.

He wants to speak with you.

Well, that’s nice. Puck takes a moment to pour himself another mug of coffee. But I don’t really have any interest in speaking to him. I’m sure you and Sophie can give him an accurate account of the events that led up to your father’s arrest.

I can, and I have. He wants to speak with you.

I’ll take it under advisement. Puck hangs up, and dials Sophie. She picks up on the second ring, and she’s laughing as she says hello. What’s so funny?

The look on my mom’s face, oh my God, Sophie says. What the hell did you say to her to piss her off like that?

That I didn’t particularly care if her cousin wants to talk to me. Anyway, I’m sure as hell not trekking over there in eight inches of snow. What’s really going on?

Sophie’s eye roll is practically audible. Apparently everyone is pitching a fit because how dare my mom allow her father to be arrested for doing hunting stuff. Mom’s cousin Frank was nominated to come check it out. Mom’s already told him that if Hugo was stupid enough to try to murder a cop, she’s sure as hell not going to stand between him and the arm of the law. And Frank’s perfectly satisfied by that, but nobody else is.

Frank’s an okay guy?

Frank’s actually hilarious, Sophie says. "He and my mom trained together, back before my mom transitioned? And Frank keeps fucking up the pronouns and then falling all over himself apologizing, and trying to compliment my mom on how ladylike she looks and then realizing that’s probably offensive and apologizing for that. His heart is in the right place but he’s already looked like he wants to die of mortification about fourteen times, and he’s been here two hours."

Puck gives a snort of laughter. I meant about hunting stuff, but okay.

I know what you meant. Yeah, Frank’s a real stand-up guy. But the going narrative in the hunter community is that Hugo got railroaded, and Mom let it happen to get back at him for past slights.

I wouldn’t call several decades of abuse a ‘slight’, Puck says.

Me neither, but then you also have to consider that half these guys are transmisogynists who think that Hugo had every right to treat my mom the way he did, and in fact a lot of them think he should have been even more severe, since he apparently didn’t whip her into shape hard enough.

Puck thinks this over. So . . . we’re gonna fuck with ‘em, right?

Oh yeah. Big time.

Tell your mom I’ll come visit with her cousin Frank as soon as the roads are clear. Which probably won’t be until tomorrow, given the weather.

Okay. Oh, one more thing. Frank doesn’t know you’re the alpha.

He doesn’t? Why not?

Well, Mom’s worried about how hunters in general would respond to the idea of a human alpha. I mean, you’re still human, but you’re also kind of not? So she just didn’t mention it. I mean, he knows you killed Owen, but like we did, he assumed that Connor is the alpha now.

Got it, Puck says. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.

He hangs up and goes into the living room to find a large gray wolf curled up on the sofa. When did you get here? he asks Connor.

The wolf lifts his head and yawns, showing his impressive teeth, before shifting back into a human shape. About an hour ago.

You couldn’t have come help me shovel?

I could have.

Puck makes a face at him like a mature adult. Go put some clothes on before you freeze and then we can play Call of Duty.

Sure.

~ ~ ~ ~

The snow stops sometime overnight, and the roads are clear by mid-morning. Puck spends the morning baking, because he loves to make a good impression, and arrives at the Durand house with chocolate chip cookies. Connor is still at the Schneider house, sulking because Puck didn’t want to bring him along. Durands and Henleys just aren’t a good mix.

The door is answered by Eleanor, someone who Puck has never been able to get a good read off of. She’s quiet, reserved, almost formal most of the time. Sophie seems to love her just as fiercely as she loves Alex, but she’s got a laser stare and set jawline that make her look harder than she probably is. Jason is terrified of her, but to be fair Jason is also terrified of Alex, who doesn’t frighten Puck at all.

Good morning, Mrs. Durand, he greets her cheerfully. I hear my presence has been requested.

Eleanor gives him that laser stare, then nods and allows him in. It’s not Mrs. Durand. My last name is Nazario.

Oh, I thought since Sophie was – I’ll just apologize for my heteronormativity, shall I?

Good idea. Take off your boots.

Puck divests himself of his winter wear – the Beetle’s ancient heating system only works sporadically – and follows her through the house. It’s a rather cozy scene for a discussion about murder. There’s a fire in the fireplace and the sliding back door overlooks the pristine snow in the backyard. Frank Durand doesn’t look like much of a scary hunter, either – he’s wearing a brown sweater and jeans and a smile. He shakes Puck’s hand and accepts his offer of a cookie.

So, Puck says, determined to start this conversation on the right tone, who are you reporting to?

Frank blinks, a little taken off guard by this opening gambit. "Well, I’m not really reporting to anyone – "

Let’s make a few things clear, shall we? Puck asks, and he sees Alex’s face break into a grudging smile. He suspects that she’s spent some time telling Frank exactly how badly this is going to go, and is amused to be proven correct. You seem like a pretty chill dude. Alex has already explained to you what happened. Which means that the only reason you pushed to meet me and have me go over the same damned thing is because someone is pushing you. I’d like to know who that is, so I can cut out the middle man, and explain to them directly that Hugo Durand is in jail because he tried to murder a deputy sheriff and I have evidence that proves it stacked up to my eyeballs.

After a moment, Frank sighs. Okay. He takes a drink of his coffee. It’s not just one person. It’s a lot of people. You have made a lot of people very upset.

Puck gives a shrug. I stick to my strengths.

Alex snorts into her coffee.

Since we’re being candid, I’ll explain our concerns, Frank says. A lot of what we hunters do is illegal, or at the very least in a gray area. When werewolves or sorcerers get out of hand and we have to kill them because imprisonment is not an option, we then have ways to defend ourselves from the legal consequences.

Yeah, I know all about the morally-gray-legally-grayer aspect of the supernatural, Puck says. So what’s your point?

A hunter being arrested while executing his hunter duties is a matter of concern for all of us.

"Sure