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Chapter Three

Slamming the door to his apartment with enough force to make the wall rattle, Alex couldn't help himself as he growled to no one in particular while the anger beneath his chest welled up faster than he could choke it down. Throwing the small, leather bound case he had been holding down onto the floor, as he didn't have a couch or sitting place save the work desk by the window, Alex headed for his room with a single minded determination to try and cool off before he did something of questionable intelligence. Going over his bed, Alex ripped out of his dress clothes, kicked off his alligator shoes, and then slumped himself face first down onto his bed.

It took several minutes for him to cool his anger but once he did the wolf shifter began to let out a series of sobs and whines into his pillow loud enough to escape into the front room.

To say that today had thrown a monkey wrench into his plans would have been like saying that an engine blow out on a plane flying thirty thousand feet into the air was a 'minor' setback.

The words of the bank owner still painfully resonated inside of his head making Alex really grateful that he had composed himself so well as to not make a scene while in the bank office. The owner hadn't so much as shot down his proposal as to flat out refuse him for the loan based on the fact that his business was seen as a 'risky liability' that could end up losing them out on the majority of their investment if things didn't turn over well. The fact that Alex had a well outlined business plan complete with his own gross income charts on hand to show how he had everything mapped out, not to mention that he was even willing up to take a fifteen percent interest rate on his loan was enough to change the mind of the man. The older human had been sincere with him about denying him the loan but it still stung in his chest that he had come to such a hurdle this soon in his plans.

Because he had banked with one of the largest banks in the city and ultimately the region, Alex knew that no other bank would try and take a gamble on him for such a large loan, not for something like what he had planned. He could try and go to a smaller bank and try to apply, but realistically it would end with the same result, the feeling in the pit of his stomach said so anyway.

What he wanted was so out of the scope of imagination that most humans wouldn't take a chance on him and his dream because there didn't seem to be a foreseeable profit at the end of everything. Honestly, Alex wasn't trying to go into the business just to make money. His place was going to be something for the shifter community to have as a keystone to gaining a better handle on the future to come; their own little oasis amidst the shifting seas of changing politics and societal overviews thrown into chaos by wavering human perceptions and unsteady shifter/changeling relations.

Blinking and feeling his body starting to shift without his permission, it was times like this that he honestly missed going out and being able to run through the forests surrounding his home town whenever he got overly emotional. The most ideal thing he had in the city to being a wooded area was the local park, which was constantly filled with humans and their pets.

Human laws as they were, no shifter was allowed to take his feral like form inside of the city during the day without having to pay a two thousand dollar fine for disturbing the peace. The fact that most shifters were just as humane in their other forms as their human like ones was paid no never mind since humans tended to get nervous around a two hundred and fifty pound animal running around.

But they loved to go to the zoo and try to touch all over us, Alex thought vengefully as he breathed in and out slow enough to keep his body from morphing of its own volition and failed miserably.

Watching as dark brown fur spread all over his calves and upper thighs, Alex grunted as he could feel his bones start to grow even more dense then they already were as his muscles thickened to handle their new weight. Licking over his teeth, Alex felt the sharp points of his canines drop down from between his lips before he could stop them as the first signs of his muzzle began to push from the front of his face.

The fur on his chest and abdomen thickened rapidly turning into his rich pelt while at the same time his pectorals broadened as his bones moved around beneath his skin to accommodate for his enlarging internal organs. Down below, Alex looked to see the heel of his foot pull up so that he hind legs could form fully enough for him to walk around on either all fours or two legs just as his spine lengthened so far that his tail slipped out from the tip of his spinal column to swing dejectedly between his thighs. Turning back over onto his front, the wolf shifter grunted as he felt his pelvis start to widen so that his lower regions could support his new change in physique while at the same time the tips of his fingers lengthened so that his claws could form fully and rake across the sheets of his bed.

Making up in his mind to just screw everything and pay the fine since going for a run was the only thing going to calm him down right now, Alex swung himself around to place his elongated hind paws onto the floor just as his face was pushed out fully into its lupine state. His ears had already made their way up onto the top of his head as his whiskers were taking their place on side of his muzzle just as a small ringing caught his attention.

Somewhat startled, Alex's dipped his head down to the floor where his pants were underneath his feet and then shuffled them around with his moistened nose before listening to the shrill ring again. Snagging the hem of his slacks with the tips of his fangs, Alex lifted himself back up and then fished through the pockets so that he could pull out the annoying device and see who he was going to get the pleasure of barking at. Gleaming gold orbs read the number on the front but nothing registered as to who could have been calling him.

Deciding to ignore it, Alex was about to drop his cell and his pants back onto the floor when something told him to answer the call.

Never one to ignore his instincts, the wolf shifter flipped the front end open before bringing the small gadget up to his ears, which had to remember were up on top of his head now.

"Herrow?" The rough growl complimenting his voice made Alex sound like he had a cold, but that was the price of talking with a narrowed muzzle made for howling.

"Mr. Crosse?" The person on the other end was male and young from what Alex could guess as his hearing picked up the smooth, almost purring voice at the other end.

"Yeah?" Coughing, Alex tried again as he cleared his throat and worked to retract his muzzle back into a semblance of a human mouth. "I'm sorry. Yes, this is he."

The person seemed to breathe a sigh before speaking. "That's good. I was afraid I dialed the wrong number. Now then, this is David Croft; we met earlier today when I introduced you to the bank owner, Mr. Harding?"

Alex's tail flicked back behind him in confusion as he thought back and tried to remember the person in question. Like trying to recall a face in an old photograph he came up with a blank at first; he never did have a good grasp for recalling faces since scents were always better for wolf shifters to recollect anyway. So like any good person, he played it off,

"Yes, I believe we did. How can I help you today?" Not wanting to be curt, Alex really hoped this guy was calling him for something important because he really wanted to go for that run.

"I was thinking that I could go about helping you out today." The man purred once again making a shiver of desire run up through the wolf shifter's spine before ending at his tail which snapped to attention behind him.

"A-alright. How can you help me?" Trying not to look down, Alex was almost sure that the funny feeling between his legs was that of his sheath starting to swell.

"I'd like to put you in touch with someone who will give you the money to start your business."

Whatever feelings Alex thought he might have been having at that moment were flushed down the proverbial toilet as his heart leapt into his throat and held firm before being shoved back down into his chest with a thick swallow. The insinuation of the possibility that he could still make his dream come true was enough to get Alex whining happily as his tail slapped the air behind him thus at his bedding in its restless wavering.

Calming himself down, Alex opened his dry mouth to try and speak. "H-how...how can you...?"

Croft chuckled before finishing Alex's thought for him. "I know several shifters and changelings who would love to be a part of your vision and wouldn't mind funding the seed money to get everything started, provided that you are willing to negotiate some terms and conditions of this business venture."

Big, fat silver warning bells went off in Alex's head as he heard and then listened to the subtext behind what the other man was saying.

"Just what kinds of 'terms' are we talking about here?" The growl in his voice was hard and unforgiving as Alex's muzzle reflexively pushed out from his face once again before he could stop its shift.

"Please don't assume that this is some kind of an attempt to hustle you Mr. Crosse. The person I want to put you in touch with is an upfront businessman who has worked with other shifters and the like for a long time trying to get them started in the business world. I can honestly say that, if given the opportunity, you won't regret going to see the person in question, though I know it may sound wrong coming from someone you don't even know."

"You're right. It does sound wrong, but I can tell that you aren't lying out right."

"Hmmm, that's a relief. Now then, I'd like to schedule you a meeting with the person I have in mind this Wednesday at around 7 p.m. at Salisbury Restaurant downtown. Would that be okay with you?"

Maybe it was the way Croft was speaking that had Alex's senses almost reeling in pleasure as he listened to the other man or maybe it could have been the prospect of getting his recreation center up and running despite his previous hindrance, but Alex ready to accept everything without a second thought.

There was just something - safe - about the way the man on the other end came off towards Alex that had him almost rolling over on his back in acceptance.

"That would be fine, but you haven't named the person in question who I would be meeting. Is there some reason for that?" Never let it be said that wolf shifters weren't a cautious lot, Alex thought silently.

"The person's name is Jonathon Archival Maverick II."

***

You could have knocked Alex over with a feather at that point.

It took him a full minute for him to process the information as his triangular ears twitched nervously on top of his head and his tail pointed straight down between his legs like a dead weight. Alex could barely believe what he had just heard but as the name funneled around inside of his head the wolf shifter felt like a satyr had kicked him in the gut twice over before knocking him down and jumping on his spleen to do a tap dance.

His father...

The beta of Alex's family's pack, underneath his father Jonathon Archival Maverick I, the alpha, and whose position Alex was supposed to inherit once he came to age after his grandfather stepped down to retire. The know-it-all wolf who had tried to manipulate Alex's life into a steady doctrine that could be edited whenever the older man liked and the person who became the initial reason that Alex had run away from home just so that he could prove to the older wolf shifter that he could live his life the way he wanted without help from the pack and the family fortune.

This was some kind of perverse nightmare and as Alex sat himself down onto his bed, his shaky knees not being able to handle the stress, he brought one paw like hand up to his face and rubbed over his snout in... perplexity.

It seemed that life had dealt him the Joker from the deck and as he stood holding it before his mind's eye, Alex wasn't sure what to do.

"Hello? Mr. Crosse?" Anger replaced incredulity as Alex began to pull his black gum lips from over sharpened teeth in a vicious lupine snarl.

"Did he set this whole thing up? Did he put you up to this!? Did he!?" Raising his voice and the hackles of his scruff, Alex felt the rage inside of his mind take almost full control like a physical hand gripping at his heart and crushing it to a pulp.

A reddish haze was dropping over the wolf shifter's vision making him less rational with every second as suspicions and conspiracies thundered into Alex's mind with cyclonic like force. The only thing stopping Alex from punching the wall in front of him was the tiny voice of reason screaming in the vast sea of his ire that maybe, just maybe, Croft didn't know about the kinship between himself and Jonathon Archival Maverick II.

"E-excuse me? What are you talking about?" Croft sounded both confused and somewhat put-off by the anger being thrust at him so that was a plus for the voice of reason still drowning in Alex's head.

"Did he put you up to calling me just so he could have me come to him on my knees to beg him for his help!?" Alex's ignored the little strings of drool sliding around his lips down and onto his lap, right along with the sharp points of his claws digging deep into his paw pads.

The small drops of blood that welled to the surface along with the sticky, wet copper like scent caressing over Alex's nose wasn't helping things and just got ignored all the same.

"N-no. I was the one who called him to tell him about your turned down proposal by the bank owner. I didn't even tell Mr. Maverick your name before he said he wanted to meet with you. Is there something I should know about regarding you and Mr. Maverick?" Instantly, Alex's rage calmed down until it became a trembling pool of mistrust and skepticism while reason found its way onto the dry shores of his consciousness.

His father was too smart for that.

He had to have known that it was his son, but then again, "How did you describe me to Mr. Maverick?" Alex's words were sharp and carried a bite only matched by his own fangs sinking into flesh and bone.

"I told him that there was a young man here who wanted to start a business solely for the benefit for shifter and changeling kind. Mr. Maverick didn't have to hear another word before he implored me to set up a meeting between the both of you."

Alex could feel the sincerity of his words and that trembling pool dried up to leave behind puddles of disdain and self-contempt towards himself and his previous furor.

"Alright then, I'm sorry about before but I... have history with Mr. Maverick. I thought that...never mind. Please tell him that I am willing to meet him at Salisbury at the appointed time."

"That sounds wonderful. I'll call and let him know."

"Could I could ask you for a favor?" He knew this would sound odd, but at this point Alex wasn't really caring since all Croft could do was either say yes or no.

"Yes. What is it?"

"Please don't let Mr. Maverick know anything more about me, be it my outburst or my physical appearance if he questions you. I'd like to make an impression on him that will destabilize some of the past precedence that both he and I have for one another." Hoping that he could trust Croft's discretion, even after his previous eruption of growls and snarls, Alex placed his cards on the table and waited.

"I'd be more than willing to, if perhaps I could ask for a favor on my own?" The wolf shifter made a questioning noise in his throat at that point.

"Whether or not your business with Mr. Maverick comes to fruition, I would like to ask you to dinner this Friday. Would that be acceptable?"

Again time seems to go on strike and Alex's heart goes back into his throat as his pulse quickens with the beat of a ceremonial drum during a festival. Forcing the misplaced lump in his neck back down into his stomach, Alex couldn't help but smile at the implications.

"Isn't this a little strange to be asking someone out who you don't even know?"

"While I would normally say yes, I found you to be someone that I am especially attracted to and would like to see if the two of us could become something more than casual acquaintances. That is, if you wouldn't mind going out with me." Alex's tail decided to lift up again and go from zero to Mach 1 at that point.

"You aren't trying to solicit sex from me by any chance, are you?" Caution, thy name is Alex.

"Not at all, while I won't say that physical favor was something too far across from my current thoughts, I will admit that having you in bed with me does sound like an agreeable position for you, doesn't it?"

Alex refused to look down as he felt his cock try to rise up and answer that question.

"You don't even know me. Why in the world would you...?"

"Because I think that a pup like you would be someone I could find myself coming to maybe care for in more ways than one, Alex." That purring again had Alex's heart almost trying to drill a way out of his chest or maybe the strange feelings radiating through him were the butterflies in his stomach ready for takeoff.

"A-alright. I-I would be more than happy to accept your offer for dinner Mr. Croft." Alex didn't even really recall what the man looks like but for some reason, the scent of a thick herbal like odor wafted into his nose and the wolf shifter was more than sure that it wasn't coming from inside of the apartment.

"Hehe, call me David." Alex nodded into the phone while panting before he could stop himself as that husky thick voice lit a trail of fire straight through his spine all the way down into the pit of his loins.

It was only after he came to realize that Croft, David he meant, couldn't see his response that Alex spoke up again. "I-I would like that too...I think...uhm...yeah...a-after everything is through. W-we can...you know...dinner..."

Can you say, love sick puppy?

Alex realistically knew that he shouldn't have sounded both as desperate and pathetic as he did then but he couldn't help it. This was going to be the first date he had in the last three years of living in this city, the only other ones he had been on were in college and they were... absolutely nothing to write home about. Alex then came to realize, as he listened to David chuckle on the other end of the line, that didn't even know if this man was a shifter or not, not that he wouldn't date him if he were human, but that would have made for some conjugal problems down the road when he got his business up and running.

That thought hit him like a ton of bricks and Alex fell back onto his bed as he wondered what in the hell had gotten into him. He hadn't even been in the man's presence, save once today that he could barely remember, and already he thinking about mate hood? Alex would have given anything for old lady Chancy to come out of nowhere and throw some cold water on him.

An eruption of laughter on the other end of the line brought him out of his daze like state.

"Well that will be excellent then. I have your number so I'll call you back Friday morning around this time and then we can go from there, okay Alex?"

Alex swallowed thickly again as he tried to find his voice. "Y-yeah. I-I...uhm...sure..."

Come on brain, come back to down to earth and tail stop wagging, you damned traitor, the wolf shifter thought as he felt his restless body shiver in anticipation.

"Alright, well I hope all goes well for you then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." The two men both hang up at the same time and as Alex look down at the cellular device in my bloodstained hand he had to wonder just what the future was going to hold after tomorrow.

"Screw it! I've got a date!" The howl that comes from his throat is so loud that it makes fixtures move around some and people tap broomsticks down from the floor up above.

Rolling around like a pup and yipping happily, Alex stretches to his full seven foot height on his king size mattress before a piece of reality slaps him in the face, "Oh shit! I've got a business meeting with dad tomorrow!" It was then Alex rolled straight off of his bed onto the floor with a heavy thump.

Chapter Four

Wednesday came around as it always did and Alex found himself pacing around the length of his front room with only a t-shirt and a pair of slacks on. The thought of going into a restaurant and trying to negotiate his plans with his father weighed so heavily on his mind that his body had locked itself into his half wolf form and the result of that was that a good portion of his fur was covering the entire floor in small piles.

On the one hand, this was a good situation to be in Alex thought, because he knew his father and would know everything his sire would ask when he tried to grill him on in order to test his resolve about handling his business. On the other hand, this was the biggest disaster since the first shifter decided to come out to the human population. Okay, maybe not that bad, Alex decided, but pretty close in his opinion. Going over to his front window and looking down at the world below, Alex thought about his family and their history.

The Mavericks were old money, back from when someone up in Alex's family tree had first started doing business on the black markets selling shifter medicines to humans. Though his great grandfather had turned the money over to something more legal, not to mention profitable later on after a fall out with other clans way back before the Mavericks had really established themselves as the biggest pack in the territory, most had come to know the Maverick family as being financially savvy and would often go to them for loans to start business ventures for themselves and their clans.

Now in saying that, it would have sounded like Alex would have asked for a portion of the family's wealth just to try and start the groundwork for his own business venture, but he knew the pack too well for that. While the Maverick's could be generous in their own right, they were also known to be quite...unscrupulous when it came to getting a return on their investments. Much of the reason why his family's pack had become so prosperous was because many clans owed a severe debt to the Mavericks that had to be paid back by servitude and/or double the interest of the investment.

Not that they were some kind of Mafia or anything like that, none of the other shifters or changelings that owed the Mavericks ever complained or tried to get out of the debt that they owed. It was just that, if his grandfather worked to get a piece of land for a group of dryads to settle down on then a third of the land had to be used to make into a winery or they had to grow cash crops that would be split 60/40 with the Mavericks. It sounded somewhat steep but it meant that the wolves had a dual reason to keep anyone from trying to muscle in on the tree dwellers so there was an added layer of protection that came with the investment.

It all got more complicated the further you went into the depths of just how deep the Mavericks' hands went but that's why his grandfather was still running things and why his father wanted Alex to learn as much as he could about their family's way of life so that when the eldest Maverick stepped down Alex, or rather Jonathon III, would already understand the workings of the family.

Not that he already didn't already understand the rules of how things worked in; it was just that something about the way things were run set wrong inside of Alex's gut. Everyone seemed happy and lived up to their ends of the bargains, but...

Shaking his lupine head, Alex looked down onto the floor to see his shedding everywhere and snorted out loud in disdain. Rolling his shoulders and then popping his back, the seven foot wolf shifter settled himself down onto his rear before letting his tail slap at the floor in disquietude.

Taking for a moment to think about what it might mean for his family to have a say in how he ran his business, Alex could only imagine some of the things that might go on to keep things afloat. Just the thought of his place being a day labor pool for his family to come and try to pick out employees to mold and influence made Alex's scruff rise and his ears fold back onto the top of his head.

His family was good people, but they were manipulators and would sometimes put aside morality for the sake of lucrative business ventures, especially if it was something that could be turned into a tangible resource.

All through his life, Alex could remember having spent his younger years learning from everything from the local witch coven about how to brew herbs into salves to the normally obstinate dragon kin about how to perform various spiritual and metaphysical practices that would have normally have been impossible to learn if he were to travel the world twice over. It had seemed odd when he was a pup and now that he was older, Alex wondered just how deeply his grandfather had impressed upon those around their territory to educate his grandchildren in the various arts and crafts of the changeling world.

While his brothers and sisters, he was a werewolf after all so it wasn't that big of a surprise that he was the oldest pup of four, were still young enough to believe that this was just how things worked, Alex being the oldest at twenty-six, the second oldest being his sister Miranda at twenty-three, had a gut feeling that this wasn't how things normally worked themselves out.

However, nobody complained...so he could have just been overly suspicious and somewhat cynical towards the working of his pack, but still...it was all just too simplistic.

And the thought that he was about to learn just how sophisticated things really were made his irritation rise to new levels.

He was not going to be used.

Sitting there in his room with the waning sunlight streaming from between the curtains, Alex promised himself that he would do whatever it took and go back to every bank in the country if his father tried to pull some underhanded ploy off on him.

It was then that a little voice of rationalization happened to put in its two cents and add that maybe, just maybe, his father would do something sincere and let him run his own place without much interference out of a simple familial love and respect for him.

Of course that little voice got a role of the eyes as Alex knew his dad better than that. This was the same man who had tried to put him in every sport possible in high school while grilling him at night about the need to be the best at everything he tackled in life. Memories of being with his friends and having to show off just how much he could both dominant and outsmart the others because his dad's eyes always seemed to be on him, judging him, made Alex drop his head in his paws and groan.

There had never been any kind of physical or verbal abuse about not being the best but the distinct feeling that he was letting down his family always made Alex regret not upholding the Maverick name whenever he was out in public. His mother wasn't so bad with her grooming; the older wolfess had been a spring breeze to the older Maverick's sirocco like presence whenever she had opened up her arms to him and let him into her bosom of serenity.

Millie Esterase had married Jonathon Archival Maverick II some thirty years ago after the two had met on a cruise somewhere off the coast of their hometown. It hadn't been so much a romantic liaison as it had been that Millie was running away from home and stowed away on the first thing that had been smoking. With nothing but her suitcase full of clothes and knowledge of how to fix machinery, her family having been mechanics and all around tinkers of gadgetry, her great grandfather had even made the first electric pair of fur clippers, Millie was determined to start a new life for herself in a place far away from home.

Alex chuckled to himself as he looked between his fingers at the reddening sky, keeping track of the sun's movements, as he thought about just how much he and his mother were alike in demeanor. If they didn't like something, they didn't bother throwing a fuss, they simply found a way to change the situation or either change their location so that they could grasp a better understanding of the problem at hand. Usually that position being several hundred miles away where they could have enough space to sit and really contemplate how to handle the new development.

Millie, for her part, gently coaxed Alex into doing things as she recognized much of herself in her son and knew that he wouldn't stand for anyone trying to force his hand on something. That might also have been the reason why, after his father had come home and started talking about having him meet prominent young female wolf shifters in their community, Alex had found a few hundred dollars wrapped into a small bundle and tied off with a rubber band next to some changeable clothes with his passport laid out on his bed next to a familiar looking suitcase. To this day, his mother was the only one who knew exactly where he was and made him keep monthly tabs by calling to speak to her and his siblings.

The younger pups not really understanding what all the fuss was about were really hurt when he had left so abruptly but had taken it well whenever he called home. They were still a pack after all and the need to bond with each other, even if it were only vocally, was still as strong as ever.

This was also the reason why Alex was having such a hard time stomaching just how much he loathed having to go and speak to his old man this evening. It might have sounded juvenile but Alex hadn't spoke to the older Maverick in the last eight years and he was still stubborn enough to not want to do so, even now.

Bullhead, yes he could admit so, but he had good reason to be.

What kind of father set their children up with a complete stranger even in this day and age? This wasn't the darker ages anymore when family lineage was thought to be important enough that the bloodlines had to have been kept so-called pure by having children selectively paired off with one another. What had made his father even think, even for a single second that he would willingly go along with this idea? Brushing aside the fact that he was gay and liked to spend more than his fair share of time with those of the same sex, after school practice with the guys on his track team usually turning into full on jerk off sessions, it was just wrong to put a complete stranger into the mix of his family's affairs.

And of course, choosing to be a gay wolf shifter had been a particular subject of debate that Alex had gone over with his dad that hadn't been met with a great amount of acceptance. More so, the older Maverick had pushed aside his dalliances with the same gender off to youthful exuberance and that no one in the Maverick line had ever been homosexual before, so in turn Alex was just going through one of those 'teenage phases' and would soon find himself a nice girl to pup with.

Apparently, his dad and grandfather hadn't talked a lot about the oldest Maverick's youth filled summers, way back when.

Though he wasn't as spry as he once had been, Jonathon Archival Maverick I was someone who Alex kept great confidence in and had told everything he had ever dreamed off to. The gray haired wolf shifter always listened with an air of sovereignty to him and spoke only when Alex had asked for his opinion, much to his appreciation. While Alex was sure that the century old wolf would have helped him with his business, hands down, no strings attached, Alex wanted to show his grandfather that he could do things without always having to run to the family for help.

Now as he slowly got up from the floor and made his way to the bathroom, Alex sighed as he thought about how much he was going to have to bite back his pride during this meeting today. Letting his body slip back into his human shawl, Alex reached into the tub and turned on the shower before grabbing his rag and soap, hoping in then starting to scrub himself down.

***

Six thirty-eight on the nose found Alex walking into Salisbury wearing the best suit he had, which alternatively had been what he wore to the bank of Tuesday.

Auburn hair brushed back and the tips of his nails filed down, that having been a tradition with his family forever when conducting business, Alex went up to the rose cheeked woman eyeing him casually behind her podium before taking a breath.

"Hello. My name's Alexander Crosse. I'm here for a dinner reservation at seven with Mr. Jonathon Archival Maverick II." Knowing his father, the man was already here and probably sitting somewhere in the back so that he could watch everyone who came in like a wolf stalking a deer in the woods.

The pale haired woman scrolled down her unseen guest list before tapping a finger and then turning back to look at him. "Oh yes, here you are. Mr. Maverick is already here so let me walk you over to him."

Alex nodded and watched as the woman stepped down from her stand, being only five foot two inches tall, and then followed after her to where his father was seated for tonight.

The younger wolf caught the older man's scent before they got within a few feet of his table all the way to the back of the room and when both he and his sire looked to one another the mix of expressions on their faces would have made the most perfect Kodak moment. The older man was dressed in a mean looking black business suit that had to have cost close to a grand and with his long waves of black cut neatly on his head, his grey eyes perched in the sockets of his regal looking face, Jonathon Archival Maverick II was a true sight to behold, the vision of the perfect beta male and modern businessman.

"Here you are sir. A waiter will be with you shortly so please enjoy yourself tonight." The woman turned on her heel and then walked off, a little faster than would have been thought to be normal as she sensed the tension in the air.

"Hello father." Alex kept himself cordial even as his face spoke volumes about not wanting to be here tonight before he sat himself down across from the older Maverick.

Jonathon Archival Maverick II folded the paper he had been going over down onto the table and then set it aside before taking a good look at the son he hadn't seen in eight years. Words escaped him but thankfully he was saved from having to say anything as someone walked over to them and then grabbed Alex up into a strong hug.

"Huh? What? MOM!?" Alex yelped as he was squeezed into the folds of his mother's chest before being rained on with kisses onto the side of his head.

Awkward didn't even begin to describe how Alex felt as he found himself in the presence of not one, but both of his parents while the patrons around them looked to their table in disbelief and some disdain.

When Millie had finally settled down from showering her pup in overly loving affections, the brunette tenderly released him and sat herself down next to her husband who was still staring, completely flabbergasted.

"Close your mouth dear, we're in public." Instantly Jonathon I shut his mouth and then coughed into a fist before turning to speak.

"This is not what I had been expecting tonight." For someone who was used to dealing with shifters and changelings, the older Maverick honestly seemed surprised for the first time in a long while.

"Yeah, life can be indeed full surprises, now can't it?" Alex muttered while crossing his arms over his chest petulantly.

"Now Jon," Millie calling Alex by her nickname for him. "Your father didn't know that you were the one who wanted to do business today, so cut him some slack and don't slouch." A mother is a mother no matter how old her children and instantly Alex did as he was told.

"Did you know about this Millie?" Jonathon II asked as he looked at his wife in incredulity.

"Knew what dear?" The sunny smile on her face beguiled a woman who was a better poker player than anyone in the family.

"You know what I mean. Did you plan this?"

"Darling, the only thing I planned was what suit you were going to be wearing tonight. If I recall, you were the one who wanted to come out this far to try and set up a new business this far west. And it was you who wanted to make this a family vacation by brining everyone along with us." Millie looked to the waiter who came over with a smile after speaking.

The waiter looked between everyone and handed the family their menus before being asked to come back in a little bit by Millie.

"Wait a minute, did you say everyone? Do you mean to say...?" A sense of dread welled up inside of Alex's heart as he thought about what would come from his mother's mouth next.

"Yes honey, your brothers and sister, a few of your cousins and even your grandfather is here in the city. Your father thought that it would be good to have everyone get away for a while and so we all hopped onto a plane and have been here ever since Monday. The ride was nerve-wracking for your sisters but everyone's been having fun since we touched down. Oh I can't wait to tell everyone that you're here. Maybe we can even come and stay with you for a bit."

"NO! No, no no...I-I mean, my place isn't that big and you really couldn't squeeze everyone in there, so it would probably be better for you guys to stay where you are. You'll be happier there and maybe I can come to visit sometime before you guys leave. Yeah..." The last thing Alex wanted was for his mother to see how he was living.

"Ok. Well maybe. Now, let's decide what we want for dinner before the talking business." Millie looked down into her menu but Alex was firmly aware of the fact that his mother's hawk like gaze was beading in on him.

Shakily opening his menu, the youngest of the Mavericks looked down at the food items and then next to the prices before whistling quietly. Most of the food was close to a three figure price and Alex was sure that this would be the last time he made a stop here. Not so much because he couldn't afford it and not to say that some of the things weren't delicious sounding, but a wolf could get spoiled dinning here and forget what it was like to actually be able to go out and hunt for your food.

Millie saw the look on her son's face and then, "Oh don't worry Jon. Your father is going to be paying for everything; after all, this is a business dinner and we both want to hear about your business, so let us spoil you for tonight." Alex looked into his mother's eye and then to his father who looked like he was trying not to grumble and complain while darting his sights over the food selection.

"A-alright. If I can be so bold; are you really interested in hearing what I have planned or is this gonna turn into a 'dad knows best' thing?"

Ante up Maverick clan because the cards are hot, Alex thought as he looked to the older male Maverick with a steely gaze.

"I'm more than ready to hear your proposition. Though, I will admit that this is, not what I had been expecting, I'm more than ready for a new business undertaking in this city." Jonathon I spoke with all the authority Alex was used to hearing and nodded his head before opening his mouth to retell his vision.

The next ten minutes were spent with Alex discussing his vision on how he wanted to buy and then restore the building that he had in mind while his parents listened with rapt attention. Jonathon did much of the talking during the discussions and grilled his on just how he planned to handle not only the building reconstruction but management and employment for the shifters he needed to help him with his project.

That was where the first hiccup came.

"While your plans are well thought out, do you know anything about handling employees; which I assure you, is different than handling contracts and finances." Jonathon asked before sniffing the air and looking to see their steaks coming around.

"T-that's something I was going to work through once I had everything situated with the building. I was going to specifically look for shifters and changelings in the local community to try and promote the business through word of mouth rather than advertisement." Alex could feel himself drawing into a corner as his father looked at him over the steaming plate of bovine meat that the waiter had placed in front of him some minutes after they had ordered.

"Well that's good and all but it leaves you out in the open as far as not having the staff to run your operation. It would be a waste for you to have a building but nobody to manage it when you weren't there." The older Maverick said before taking his fork and knife and cutting into his dinner.

"I was planning on living there, so management wouldn't be something too hard to handle." Alex knew the words were wrong before he even said them and clenched his eyes in embarrassment before looking at his parents.

"Living there? Just how big is this place?" His mother did the talking that time.

"It about the size of an average grocery store with both an upstairs and a downstairs; from the records I pulled, it had been some kind of club way back when and left abandoned after the era ended. On file, the owner had passed away some years prior so the building itself is owned by the state because of back taxes owed." Alex hurried on as he wanted to get off his planned living arrangements.

"That's good. If no one has interest in it then that means that means that the initial value will be lower than average. Is this place in a good neighborhood?" Millie sliced through her meat and then popped a piece of beef into her mouth before chewing slowly.

"Yes it is. It sits between two streets and surrounding them are nothing but open space. My guess was that the entire area had been residential and then someone got the idea to buy everything out, tear it down to rebuild it back up but then stopped for some reason. I can't make heads or tails of that." Alex was still confused by that, even though he had gone through all the channels to get as much information as he could from both the local shifter and human population.

"Is the area cursed?" Ever the pragmatist his mother.

"No, from what I gathered, someone had a lot of money but over exerted their wallet and went broke trying to afloat when the economy got rocky. You'll have to come with me to see the place before you can really understand because I'll just end up confusing you until you have a look around for yourself."

"Alright then, we can go after dinner. And Jonathon, don't think this means that you can get out of my earlier question." The older male Maverick warned before taking a large bite out of his well prepared steak.

"Now dear, if push comes to shove, Jon can always have someone from back home come over and work for him." Millie's calm persona was always such a gift during times like these.

"T-thanks, but I'm sure I can find someone to work for me on my own. I-I mean, I know some of the local shifters around here and I think they would like to help out." Okay so he knew two shifters from work but they would only help with the building if he got his company the contract.

That still counted though... right?

"Uh-hum... now like I was saying... I'm sure that you could ask Anthony and Devin for help." Millie stated while completely ignoring her pup's attempt at blustering. "Oh by the way, they wanted me to tell you that they were fine and that they've gotten engaged."

That caught Alex off guard.

Sitting back against his chair, Alex thought about Anthony McAllister and Devin Macintyre. The first being a scrawny little sorcerer who had the brainpower to rival Einstein at the peak of his career and the other being a seven foot tall dragon kin who bench pressed cars at fifteen. The mere idea of the both of them being together was so profound that it actually took Alex a second to come to grips with it.

"Anthony and Devin...getting married...together...with each...? What will they think of next?" It came out before he could stop it followed in turn by his mother's laughter and his father's quiet grunt.

"Well it's not that big of a surprise is it? I mean, even before you left they were always close to one another. Eight more years of still being close and these things happen. You've been invited to the wedding, by the way." Millie smiled to herself while watching her son's reactions.

"Wow...Anthony getting married. That's so cool. Hehe, guess I'll have to call them once I get everything settled."

"Oh don't' worry, they're going to be coming here this weekend."

"Excuse me?" Alex nearly dropped his fork at that.

"The both of them have decided to follow your example and start a new life someplace far from home. I suggested that they come with us on our vacation but both of them had to square things away with both of their families so they'll both be arriving here on Sunday." Alex just stared at his mother for a second before opening his mouth to try and say something and failing miserably.

There were times, like now, when he really forgot about her manipulative nature and thus when Alex listened to what she had to say next, he could have seriously been knocked over with a feather, again.

"That's why I'm so glad you've decided to start up a business here, Jon. Anthony has wanted to try and work on both teaching some of the arcane ways of his clan to the younger generation for the longest time after graduating college and Devin's been trying to find a place where he can labor as a professional work out instructor for months now. The both of them became certified in their specific fields just this month so everything works out perfectly. It all just makes sense for you three to come together and pool your talents to try and help each other, don't you think?"

Alex placed one arm on the table and then his chin into his palm before gazing at his mother. The fact that Millie had made it into a question only made the fact that he could almost see the proverbial hook in his mouth all the more clearly.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Alex wanted to just hear what he knew so that he could justify the indignation rising in his chest.

"Well...possibly. Arm off the table, Jon."

"Alright. Fine. You win this hand, mom."

"I'm guessing by the fact that you two are done means that we'll be investing in our son's business, darling?" Jonathon II asked now that he could finally get in a word edge wise.

Mother and son looked at the eldest male at the table before turning back to each other and then flushing. Both of them had completely forgotten that the older Maverick was even there.

To say the least, the rest of dinner was more like a reunion than a business meeting as Millie explained what had changed back home while Alex, or rather Jonathon III, had been away.

All in all, things turned out better than Alex had expected.

When his father paid for the bill and the family left for their car to head for the building site, Alex having to get a ride with them since he admitted that he had gotten to the restaurant on the bus, the youngest Maverick could actually feel a newfound sense of advancement towards his dream as it stood within his grasp.