Chapter 2 TWO

"I quit," Andrei said matter-of-factly, just as Brent had told him he'd have to work twelve-hour shifts for the next few weeks while he drank martinis and went surfing. Brent hung up the phone and turned to his friend Martin before he could protest.

Martin had been his closest friend in the area since they were sophomores in college.

"Nice," Martin mumbled between cigarette puffs. "Stick it to him! "

Andrei smiled and stroked his thick brown hair. It had recently been cut close, a look that suited Brent and his stupid company, but Andrei had never liked it.

"I think I'll grow this out," he said.

"You're a cool dude," Martin said.

They drank for the rest of the night, squabbling about Tom's ridiculous situations and Martin's problems with his ex-wife. By the end of the night, they'd both decided to go back to the slogan they'd lived by in college. Don't get upset. Make your point.

This meant thinking outside the box in Andrei's case. The city was teeming with people of all walks of life. The areas were populated by everyone from strippers to shifters. Tom had always been a closed-minded and judgmental person, wrinkling his nose in disgust even when a shifter offered to buy them drinks. Andrei, on the other hand, had always been strangely drawn to these enigmatic beings.

He logged onto Facebook before falling asleep when he retired for the night in the bedroom Martin had given him. His feed was littered with ads for a dating app for men to meet other male shifters. The app was called "ShiftMyShaft," and it was a huge success. He was surprised to discover that his friend Andrei had already joined and was posting pictures of himself, his shifter husband, and their new baby!

It was shocking to see how deeply ingrained this new way of life was. Andrei had no idea that male shifters were capable of impregnating other men. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he realized what it was. Perhaps what he really desired was a family that did not follow the majority's rules and regulations. People who were judgmental, like Tom, didn't have to be the ones who decided what was acceptable. Everyone had different desires, and nothing could have been clearer than Andrei's desire for a wolf shifter at the time.

He clicked on the link he saw on his Facebook page, which took him to the ShiftMyShaft website, where he tentatively created an account. He could have used Facebook to find friends who had already joined the site, but he chose not to. This was to be his personal secret. If he liked it, that's great; he can tell the rest of the world about it. And even if he didn't, no one would know the difference. Still, succumbing to his temptations would feel good. What did it matter if they were too dangerous for a liar like Tom? Every shifter he'd ever met was stunning. And as he perused the site, he realized that the shifters looking for men like himself were no different.

Andrei's heart pounded as he flipped through the shifter men photos. He was looking for a specific feature about them. Something he knew would irritate and enrage Tom. Finally, the baddest man he'd ever seen smirked at him, his long dark hair framing his face. He wore a leather vest and a well-groomed goatee. In addition, he was ripped. He had the kind of body Andrei could only fantasize about. It was the polar opposite of Tom's chiseled muscles. Instead, he appeared to be capable of severing a man in half without even trying.

Andrei realized he'd been staring at the picture for a long time, and that just looking at the man had made him tough. This was the shifter he attempted to hook up with. He set about finding his most rebellious-looking picture for his profile, settling on himself flipping off Tom while dressed as a mock biker for Halloween. It would have to suffice.

He typed his message nervously.

Urgent. A connection is required. Meet at the downtown shifter club? Fangs. Tonight at 6:00 p.m.

Even if the tough guy didn't respond, he'd be in the right place to find a hook up. Fangs was teeming with the kind of unsavory creatures that made Tom's skin crawl. It was the ideal location for him to exact his vengeance.

Andrei got to work on dressing himself. It was nearly 5:00 p.m., and he needed time to drive across town to get to Fangs by 6 p.m. He chose a tank top that showed off his perfect biceps; not bulky and intimidating like the shifter's, but still formidable. Hopefully, it will suffice for him.

"Are you going somewhere?" "Martin inquired as Andrei whizzed by.

"I'm getting my vengeance," Andrei explained.