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#3 of Pack Mentality

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Pack Mentality

Summary: In the years after his escape from his family's pack, Tobi has learnt to survive on his own. The only problem is that in this day and age, a wolf without a pack is a walking target. With no alpha to protect him, Tobi spends his days looking over his shoulder until he runs into an old friend. It's a far from happy reunion as Tobi releases just how much danger he's in. This new pack invites him with open arms. Unfortunately, they don't care whether he's interested in staying or not.

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Chapter Three

Sleeping Arrangements

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Tobi felt utterly dazed as he was half carried, half dragged into the blinding lights of the manor hallway. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the last of the static. He managed to get his feet under him and stumbled along with the man named George who still had a firm grip on his upper arm. There was a heavy scent of cooking food, rich and powerful. Despite Tobi' current situation, his stomach growled in response to the delicious smell.

He was taken back through a drawing room and through two more corridors, the last opening out into a massive dining room. George let go of him so abruptly, he nearly fell. His hand reached found the side of the archway. He used it to prop himself as he gathered his bearings. The dining room, or rather, dining hall was an incredibly long room with a high ceiling displaying intricately decorative cornicing.

The floor was a plush deep red carpet. There were windows on either side of the room though they were currently closed off by thick curtains. In pride of place was a long timber table currently covered with dishes, glasses and cutlery.

Several flowers cut straight from the garden had been laid in the centre along with napkins and water jugs. Tobi was struggling to count all the chairs. The huge table seemed to seat at least thirty or forty people. Several people were already seated at the table but no one looked up at him. Most stared resolutely down at their empty plates without saying a word.

"Come, why don't you sit with us?" Tobi shivered at the sound of that melodic voice as Anton came up behind him. He couldn't find his voice as a strong hand took him gently by the back of the neck and pressed him forward into the room. His was brought to a comfortable looking tall backed chair. He practically fell into it as it was pulled out for him. A woman with tight braids and deep sorrowful brown eyes looked up at him before quickly flicking her gaze elsewhere along the table. He swallowed nervously. To his great trepidation, Anton sat next to him.

Holly was guided down the other end by Lorena. She gave him a worried look but didn't get a chance to say anything as they passed. Three wolves, two woman and a man were bringing dishes in and laying them out. Fresh baked bread rolls and heaped spaghetti with tureens of fat meatballs were placed up and down the table. His mouth watered. When the last dish was placed down, they too found seats.

"Friends, I hope we have all had productive days. We are thankful for the food we have been prepared for us tonight as always. We have a new guest with us tonight. Say hello Tobi," Anton said, his voice carrying like a storm wind. Tobi waved meekly. He wasn't sure if he relieved by the lack of hostility or not. There was no anger or jealousy in the eyes of the wolves around him, some even looked bored but it was the looks of worry, pity and fear that he saw flicker across the expressions of a fair few people that made him very nervous.

"Let's enjoy," Lorena called happily and everyone picked up their cutlery and began to serve themselves. It was very orderly. There was no pushing or shoving. Tobi was hard picked to guess the ranks of the wolves around him. People served each other and themselves without complaint. It was a stark difference to the squalling rabble that often broke out with his old pack. The rules here were obviously very well practiced.

"Do you like Italian food Tobi?" Anton asked him, those piercing blue eyes burning into him. He didn't wait for him to respond, just as Lorena had done. The man took Tobi's empty plate and began to pile it with spaghetti, meatball and the rich red sauce.

"Yes. I love Italian food," he found himself admitting, still feeling a little shell shocked. He hadn't meant to say it, the words just sort of blurted out.

"We do to. Big fans," Anton purred, placing his plate back down. Tobi picked up his utensils. They shook slightly in his hands and it took a while to properly get the spaghetti onto his fork. To his immense relief, a quiet babble of talk started up and the clacking of cutlery helped break up the bizarre silence. He took a bite of his food and nearly groaned.

"Good, isn't it?" Anton said, apparently transfixed by Tobi. Tobi suddenly found it very difficult to get his mouthful of food down. He hurriedly took a sip of water.

"It is," he said woodenly.

"Maria, Jarred and Issy are all well-trained chefs." The alpha said languidly. The man finally turned to his own food and started to eat. As Tobi ate slowly, he got a good look around the room. The diversity of people in the room was rather staggering. There was a nearly even split of men and woman and each had their own look to them. There was no particular race or colour that dominated the others. Some people had the kind of beauty that belonged on a billboard or modelling the latest fashion. Other people were so utterly mundane that Tobi never would have looked twice at them in line for his morning coffee.

He had never seen such diversity in a pack before. Nathan had been so stringent in what he wanted. He wanted his soldiers big and his females dark and curvy. Tobi was neither of those things. He was scrawny, pale and small. He was fodder to train the other hunters, something for them to chase, something to catch...

One of the old scars on his calf twinged at the memory of long fangs and squealing excited howls. His stomach turned over and he went for his water glass again, forcing down a few more painful mouthfuls of water. He looked down the table again. Holly was difficult to make out, George's hulking form blocking her from Tobi's view.

"Staying long Tobi?" asked a shrewd voice. Tobi looked across the table. The speaker was lean man in his late twenties with straw coloured hair. His face was relaxed but his eyes were unkind, dark and beady looking. A few people glanced their way. Sweat collected between Tobi's shoulder blades as he felt the alpha's keen gaze on him. Why were they playing this game with him? They all seemed to know he wasn't leaving, that there was no alpha coming to get him.

"A few days," he forced out, meeting the man's eyes steadily with his own. He wasn't going to be that little rabbit. Not anymore. At least, that's what he told himself. He wasn't brave enough to look back at the alpha though. He cursed himself for that weakness. He carried on eating, no longer able to admire the taste and just choking it down so he could get this insane dinner out of the way.

"What do you do friend?" The man was apparently persistent. An annoying quality considering the current situation.

"Do?" Tobi ground out.

"I'm a carpenter and builder by trade," the man said proudly. Tobi fought down the urge to retort with a 'good for you' and said instead;

"I worked primarily as a hairdresser." The man smiled. It thinned out his lips and brought his high cheek bones into prominence. Tobi thought it made the other male look a bit like a snake.

"Oh," snake man said smugly.

"We already have one of those." He stated this with apparent satisfaction. Keeping his expression calm, Tobi gave a little nod.

"Well yes. This is a decent sized town. It would be rather ridiculous if you didn't have a hairdresser in residence." A woman to the right of the straw haired man gave a snort into her plate of pasta. He thought he had scored a point on the asshole when a smooth laugh nearly made him drop his fork.

"Now boys, I think we can agree that there is always room for improvement," Anton purred and the sound of his voice made Tobi want to swallow his tongue. The other man huddled down in his chair. He tried to keep his relaxed face but Tobi could see a twitch start in the man's eyelid.

Tobi went back to eating.

He became uncomfortably aware as the night dragged on, that finishing his plate wouldn't be enough allow him to leave. As people had finished eating, they sat back into their chairs and spoke quietly with their neighbours. There were no phones, books or tablets out and no one left the table, not even for a few minutes to use the restroom. It was very clear that they all seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal.

No one else had attempted to engage Tobi in conversation and he sat uncomfortably, tearing one of the napkins to shreds in his lap. Every now and again the man masquerading as a king would turn sharply and his scent would carry to Tobi's nose.

It seemed to sink underneath his skin and behind his eyes. Tobi wanted to bite and be bitten, to taste the coppery blood in his mouth. His canines lengthened of their own accord and he had to fight to stay still and not catch the man's eye. He was sure he failed on several occasions

Finally, finally, Anton stood up.

"Thank you for joining us tonight. Sleep well my friends," he purred. Lorena stood from her place and came around the head of the massive table to stand by her mate. Tobi sat and waited as the room began to clear. Wolves dipped their chins or offered their throat to the alphas before excusing themselves and retreating through different doorways. Tobi finally caught sight of Holly but before he could make a move towards her a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Come, why don't we have George show you where you will be sleeping?" Lorena purred. She motioned with an elegant hand and the hulking figure of the tall man came towards them. Tobi swallowed hard and made to go but she caught him by the arm and turned him back around.

She reached for him, placing her hips on his hips and tugging him gently forward. Her thumbs slid under his shirt and ran a scorching touch along his skin. He sucked in a sharp breath. Her scent made his head spin. She placed her soft lips against the shell of his ear and said;

"It really is wonderful to have you here. I know you'll fit right in." He wanted the bury his nose in her neck and breathe more of her in. By the gods, none of this was fair. He had only just managed to scrape his freedom. He had fought so hard for it and he felt as though he was losing it here and now in the presence of these two people.

What pissed him off and frightened him most was that a part of him wanted to so badly. He took hold of her wrists and gently extracted her hands from under his shirt. He knew she had let him and there was an amused twinkle in her eyes as he stepped back. Whereas Anton's were a piercing pale electric blue, her eyes were a deep dark blue and glinting, like staring down into the deepest abyss the ocean had to offer.

"Good night alphas," he said in a tight voice. He had worked to damn hard. He wasn't just going to fold for these people, even if every muscle in his body want to. George had stood, ever the silent menacing presence and led the way from the dining hall when Tobi fell into step behind him. He followed the man through an endless twisting and turning rabbit warren of tight corridors and old rooms, the age of the building seeming to bleed through the further into the manor they went.

There were less windows down this end of the massive complex. The timber floor was dark but weathered in the centre from decades if not centuries of taking the tred of those who lived here. There was a lingering scent of wood polish, dust and wolf in every space.

Again, Tobi fought down the urge to walk backwards or constantly look over his shoulder. He could hear nothing distinct but it was as though the walls were whispering. George marched on without a word or glance. Tobi wasn't sure the man would stop if Tobi didn't follow. Maybe he would but he wasn't about to test the behemoth. Finally, they edged up a narrow stone staircase with a questionable banister and into a carpeted hallway. Doors lined the walls on both sides and there was a sudden great sense of hush, as though he was walking through a library... or a morgue.

He's feet were practically soundless on the thick cream carpet. George stopped at the fourth door on the left. His mammoth hand wrapped around the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open. He nodded to it.

"Uhm, thank you," said Tobi awkwardly. George made a noise that could have been a grunt. He stood, statue still. Taking the rather unsubtle hint, Tobi went inside, feeling much more like he was dealing with a prison guard then a butler. The polished wood door closed behind him and he was not thrilled to hear a click and scrape of a lock. His eyes went straight to his back pack which had been leant against the wall.

In everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten that he had left it in the sitting room. He rummaged through it, his stomach twisted as he realised everything inside had been neatly folded and repacked. Someone had obviously checked his bag. It was insanely invasive but not surprising. Experience told him that trust between wolves was hard earnt. A stranger entering pack land could be carrying anything.

He straightened up and looked around. He gave a low whistle. He had to admit, the room was beautiful. It reminded him of an old fashion bed and breakfast with its soft patterned pale orange and white wall paper, tall wooden bed complete with oddly frilly pillows, hanging light fixtures and heavy curtains. There was also a small neat looking writing desk in the corner, a tall dresser and two bedside tables. Someone had even put a vase with a few sunflowers on the writing desk. How thoughtful.

He could see a door to the left and padded over to it. Cool white and black square tiles met his feet as he appeared on the threshold of a rustic looking bathroom.

Well.

If nothing else, his prison was wonderfully furnished. Tobi sighed and decided to get some sleep and work out what to do next tomorrow.

After turning off the lights, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed under the covers. For all their frilliness, the pillows were quite comfortable. He stretched out under the heavy covers and lay there for a while, staring up at the dark ceiling. He rolled over, trying to ignore how horribly quiet the room was. No wind, no rustling, no sound of footsteps or distant crickets.

The place was as quiet as the grave.

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END