Page 1 of Shifter Situations

Prologue

Briggs

Five Years Ago

I couldn’t fucking believe I was moving.

Traveling from North Fork, West Virginia, to Nashville, Tennessee, was only about six hours. But it was five and a half hours too far away from my brother.

It had been Bay and me for the last five years. He was the only family I had left, and I didn’t want us to grow distant because we couldn’t see each other regularly.

That was my biggest fear when it came to this new change.

What was I supposed to do without my brother?

I called him as I neared my destination, needing to vent and bitch. Really, I just wanted to know that he was going to be okay on his own.

As soon as he answered his cell phone, I greeted him by grumbling, “It’s fucking bullshit, Bay. That’s all this is.”

He sighed, most likely massaging his temples. “First, the Supreme Alpha asked you to move to Nashville to keep an eye on the local faction alpha. You should be grateful for that kind of responsibility.

“Second, you need friends, Big. I can’t be the only friend you ever have.” His chuckle pissed me off.

“You are my brother,” I admonished. “That makes you my friend by default. I have other friends. I don’t want new friends. I don’t want roommates. Living with you is comparable to living in Hell. What if these guys are worse?”

“You’re so fucking grumpy. I hope your new roommates love that charm of yours as much as I do.”

“Get fucked, Baylor.”

“I did,” he popped back. “As soon as you drove away.”

I groaned, thankful that the GPS started talking over his descriptions. Missing out on the banter would take some getting used to. I craved a familiar face already.

“I’ll call you later,” I lamented. “I’m about to pull up to my new prison.”

“Get happy, Big. Or get fucked. But definitely call me back if your new roomies are hot.”

“They’re dudes, Bay.”

His wheezing laughter rolled through the speaker of my phone. “Damn. That double sucks for you, huh?”

“Bye. Baylor,” I grouched as I hung up on him.

My new home for the foreseeable future was in an upscale neighborhood outside of Nashville’s city limits. The large brick and stone sign read Union Estates.

All the houses had lush green yards and brick mailboxes that matched their exteriors. Luxury vehicles were parked in driveways and along both sides of the streets.

There were a few cars around my destination, but I couldn’t tell if they belonged to my new roommates or the neighbors.

I parked my truck on the road as I eyed the front of the house with distaste. I’d thought moving to Tennessee meant that my old Ford pickup truck wouldn’t appear out of place, but gods… I was wrong. I should have washed it, at the least.

At the most, I could have driven it off a cliff and gotten a newer one.

I grabbed my duffel bag out of the cab, leaving the few boxes I had in the bed for later. I’d gotten rid of a lot of my shit before I left my apartment with Bay.

My ears perked up at the muffled conversation behind the front door as I dragged my feet all the way across the front lawn. The voices sounded familiar, and I wasn’t sure if I liked that or not.

I also wasn’t sure if I should knock or just walk right in. I mean, I did live here now, but it felt wrong to barge in. I stood on the porch, trying to decide what I would do, when the door swung open.