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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 Five

Night Time Wanderings

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The town was quiet and lovely. In any other circumstance, Tobi would have liked to explore it. As it was, they had both rather lost their enthusiasm for the idea. As they wandered distractedly down the main stretch, Tobi wondered if there was any point at all in getting anything.

They had talked a little longer and it was obvious that Holly didn't think it was possible to make it out in human form. That meant leaving his backpack here. He would need to anyway. It would be far too much of a giveaway if he tried to leave the estate with it. He half heartedly asked if maybe it wasn't to late for him to just get on a bus like Holly had told him to do the day before.

"You've met the alphas. I have no doubt they have already given your photo and information to any transportation places and the police."

"No uber here?" he said half-jokingly.

"Oh, there is. One driver. He's pack," she said drily.

"Thought I'd ask," Tobi sighed.

"It's an easy way for the pack to get their teens in and out of places or parties with humans without arousing suspicion. There is a combined school on the edge of town. There's a decent number of kids there," Holly explained. Tobi nodded. It really was a lovely forest country town. Hanging baskets of tiny white and purple flowers dangled from many of the shops' canopies. The few lamp posts were old fashioned but apparently lovingly tendered. None of the ones he saw had broken glass or missing bulbs. The gutters on the side of the road were very deep, telling him they got a lot of rain in the storm season.

They passed the one and only supermarket. From the outside, he could tell from the different coloured brick it had once been two buildings and the dividing wall had been taken out on the inside. Next to it was a bakery that seemed to be doing a roaring trade. It was small with at least eight people inside. The wafting smell of warm bread and sweet rolls made his mouth water. Further along was an equally tiny butcher.

"He does more specialty meats like venison, goose and rabbit. That sort of thing. He makes the most amazing sausages," Holly said, following Tobi's gaze. They walked on, Tobi using the pretty shops as a distraction from his anxiety.

They passed a post office, a quilting and art supplies shop, a second-hand book shop, two cafes and Thai take away restaurant. Many of the little shops were converted houses or had a flat upstairs. It bothered Tobi more than a little to realise that this place was exactly what he had always imagined as the ideal home for himself. This had been when he was still trapped in Nathan's pack.

He had fantasied running away, starting up a little hairdresser in a tiny town where werewolves never went. He imagined living above his shop, a perfect dull happy mundane life. And yet, even here, in this picturesque town with its overflowing flower pots and well-kept shop fronts, there was a feeling that something wasn't right. It was strangely easy to spot the tourists moving about with their homemade ice creams and shopping. They looked carefree and relaxed.

The occupants of the shops were not so relaxed.

It wasn't that they were afraid or that they avoided meeting his eye when they caught him looking. No, it was the strange sort of resignation on their faces that made him uncomfortable. A chilling thought occurred to him.

"Can the humans leave? The ones that live here full time, I mean," Tobi asked. Holly winced.

"No." Tobi looked at her sharply.

"No?"

"From what I understand, if they have too much contact with the pack, the alphas don't permit them to go. If they keep to themselves and keep their kids away from it all, on rare occasions they are allowed to leave or visit outside the area," she sighed.

"So, they are as much prisoners as we are?" he whispered. She nodded.

"Yes. It is a very large prison and there are no physical walls but this place is a prison none the less. There are a few who don't mind it, even chose it but not all. There are, of course, people who stumbled on the pack's identity by mistake and have been forced to stay under the threat of death. With the police so deeply involved and well paid for it, there isn't anyone they can tell," Holly said as they walked past an antiques shop. Tobi shook his head, amazed.

"It's hard to believe," he admitted.

"Hopefully you won't be here long enough to see the proof of it," she replied. It was getting close to lunch time. They had been walking slow, meandering down side street to see the suburban houses. Some were obviously contemporary which others were crumbling with age.

"Let's get something to eat." Holly took them back to a café. Tobi couldn't help but notice it was the same woman from the other day. She gave them both a slightly frightened look and hurriedly went back to cleaning the table she was at. Was this normal here? People constantly walking around on eggshells?

This was so alien to Tobi. Whilst some human population knew of shifter society it was a closely kept secret and the majority of the human population had no clue shifters were real outside folk lore. Werewolves often had their contacts but to have an entire human town under pack control was... insane.

Holly was at the counter. She seemed unbothered by the woman's skittishness or perhaps just used to it. She ordered them some toasted sandwiches and coffee and went to a free table. Tobi sat down with her.

"So, it will have to be after dinner. If you don't turn up for dinner, they will know something is wrong."

"I'm pretty sure the behemoth locks my door at night," Tobi commented drily. Holly snorted.

"I assume you mean George. Yes, he does mine too at the moment." Tobi raised his eyebrows.

"They know I'm close to you so they aren't taking any chances," she grumbled.

"Then how do I get out?" Tobi spluttered.

"Leave that to me. There is someone who owes me a favour and I'm going to cash it in. Wait for me, I'll unlock your door and take you out through the servant corridor. Once we are outside, turn wolf and run. Don't look back." She said all this very fast and very quietly. They lapsed into silence as the woman brought their food and drinks. Tobi often her a polite smile but she skuttled away without meeting his eyes. Tobi sighed and started on his toasted sandwich.

--

"Did you enjoy your tour around the town Tobi?" Tobi nearly missed the chair he was about to sit down on. He sprung to his feet as the smooth velvet voice of Anton sung out his name. Tobi tried to rearrange his face into a more neutral expression as the man came towards him. They were back in the dining hall for dinner. It was no less awkward then the night before with most of the people there ignoring or avoiding Tobi.

"I did. It is a lovely town," Tobi said steadily. The man's blue eyes locked with his and Tobi forgot to take in oxygen. Bound in place by that gaze, he stood ridged as the alpha stepped into his personal space. He could smell Lorena on Anton and see, just under the collar of his finely tailored shirt, several claw marks. He certainly didn't seem bothered by it. If anything, he held an extra air of smugness to his stance.

"Come, sit. I wanted to have a talk to you," Tobi felt his muscles clench with fear. He wanted Anton to leave him alone. He felt like the more time he spent with the man; the more chances Anton would have of finding out his intentions.

Unless... he couldn't already know, could he? The man quirked a smile, one canine showing. He gestured to the empty chair. Tobi sat.

"So, tell me about your pack? They must be missing you," Anton sat right next to him, his proximity making Tobi's skin tingle. He tried to edge away from the man, almost falling out of the chair for how far he was leaning. He wasn't sure how to play this game. If he said he was a key part of the pack then it would make no sense as to why they would allow him here unattended...

"I'm not an overly important member of the pack. It still took a while to get the leave cleared though. I don't imagine they are panicking too much," Tobi explained uncomfortably. He wished the man would at least fucking blink.

"Your pack is either very foolish or very strong. Are they strong, Tobi?" Anton purred. Tobi refused to let his hands fiddle with the table cloth. He met those electric blue irises head on even as his eyes tried to water in response.

"I would say my opinion on the matter would be highly biased, one way or the other. Wouldn't you agree alpha?" He had to grind out the words with real effort. It was like staring down a charging bull elephant. His muscles were starting to ache with just how tightly and violently he was clenching himself together. It was as if, if he relaxed, his very soul would be ripped out of chest by this man.

Anton smiled.

"I suppose it would be. It's a shame you won't be staying for the full moon. It is a time for bonding. We could have gotten to know you better," he sighed. Tobi couldn't help but let his eyes narrow.

"Pack bonding time. I wouldn't want to intrude," he said flatly.

"Do you bond with your pack Tobi?" Anton shifted further into his space. Tobi held his breath.

"I, well, not as much-" Anton pressed closer until his lip were brushing Tobi's ear. He shivered.

"Is that why you smell absolutely nothing like other wolves?" the alpha growled. Tobi leapt to feet but thankfully, this was also the same time that the door flung open and three people walked in laden with dishes, distracting most people from Tobi's retreat.

"Sit down darling, it's time for dinner." Lorena called over to him. Vibrating with nervous tension, Tobi retook his seat. Thankfully, Anton seemed to think he had won whatever game he had invented and was now content to ignore Tobi as he turned back to the main room.

"Friends and loving family, thank you for coming to dinner. Let's enjoy and be thankful," he said. Tobi was served his food, a heaping of mashed potato along with corn cobs and a large helping and lamb stew. It could have tasted like chalk and Tobi probably wouldn't have been able to tell. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the horrible suspicion that Anton knew of their escape plan for that night.

He had wanted to warn Holly but just as the night before, they were separated in their seating arrangement and once the food had been eaten, Lorena had dismissed everyone and George had come to escort him to his room. The massive man was as ever the silent guard and showed him into the bedroom with little more then a nod. The moment Tobi walked inside and the door closed, he heard the lock scrape into place.

What followed were some of the most uncomfortable and nerve-wracking hours since his escape from his old pack. He had no idea when Holly would come for him. There was nothing to do but wait. They had come up with the idea of wrapping his phone and wallet in a bandanna that could be tied around his neck in wolf form. That way he would at least have some money whenever he stopped at wherever. Ears straining, he was unable to relax. He just wanted this to be over with, one way or another.

It was about midnight when the lock clicked.

Tobi leapt to his feet. He tensed as the door slowly slid open. Holly's pale face greeted him. She placed a finger to her lips and nodded. Tobi scooped up the bandana and followed her. They crept stealthily down the corridor. It was almost pitch black with the heavy curtains closed. For once he was grateful for the noise cancelling carpets that swept down the hallway. Still, every stride away from his room caused another layer of tension. It grew on him like vines. He felt sluggish, unco-ordinated and heavy, all the time expecting the next door they passed to be the one that swept open the reveal the sentry, a figure in his mind who was ten feet tall and faceless even as wolf.

Only when Holly raised a hand to press on a section of wall did he notice she was wearing gloves. She was clearly trying to take precautions not to leave her scent in more places then were usual. The panel swung silently inwards on well-oiled hinges.

The passage inside was another hallway with a slightly lower ceiling. He followed Holly inside. There were no statues of people or ornate sculpture down this passage. The walls were bare and the carpet was more well-worn. Clearly, they had entered the servant's corridors. These were just as maze like as the rest of the manor house if not worse as there was no artwork to act as landmark. They could have gone in a wavering loop and Tobi wasn't sure he would have been able to tell. It smelt of dust, aged timber, hinge-oil, moth balls and dried flowers. He tried to breathe through his mouth. His nose was starting to itch.

They descended some particularly narrow stone steps. Holly went sideways and he imitated her, careful not to rub up against the walls and leave a scent mark. The steps had a worn-down curve in the middle which told the silent story of thousands of footsteps over many decades. Distantly, he wandered if this place had always belonged to the wolves or if they had bought it. Finally, finally, after what felt like an age and just before the claustrophobia set in, they came to a stop in front of a heavy looking timber door. Holly took out an aged key and slipped it carefully into the lock. It opened with a satisfying clunk.

The smell of cool night air nearly made Tobi weep. Holly looked around carefully before giving a nod. They stepped outside. The scent of potting mix and manure was strong. They had apparently come out in what was the gardener's corner. The cobblestone path led to a large tool shed. Several wheel barrows were tipped up against an old brick wall and several neat rows of disused pots lined up against the wall of the manor. A large hedge blocked off this worker area from the outside eye. Holly led him to the gap in the hedge. The gardens were quiet. Crickets chirped and the occasion frog sung up but the trees were still, undisturbed by any breeze.

"I... I can't go any further," Holly whispered. Tobi looked at her sadly. He knew they had to say goodbye but he still didn't like it.

"I have to get this key back and go back to my room before they suspect anything," she said softly. Tobi nodded.

"I understand, thank you for everything," he murmured. They risked the hug, Tobi squeezing her tight.

"Go," she rasped. He pulled away reluctantly. He passed her the bandana. They gave each other one last smile before Tobi allowed himself to shift. His wolf form was just as odd as his human one. His pelt was a wash of creamy white and pale grey all except his paws which were black. In a dark forest, it gave him the illusion of being a ghost floating over the ground. She bent down and carefully tied the bandana around his neck.

"That should hold," Holly said as she straightened. She gave him a weak smiled. Tobi leant forward and gave her cheek a lick then turned and began to trot away.

His fur was bristling. He tried to stay calm because the scent of fear was strong even with no breeze to carry it. The sweat let off by the pads of his paws would lead a trail straight to him. It was difficult to separate that animal part of his brain, especially as his senses took in his surroundings. The scent of wolf was everywhere.

He followed the road for a while, knowing the stench of tarmac and cars would mask him a little. Once he was far enough away for the windows of the main house to fade to the size of postage stamps, he broke into a loping run. He only had a few hours to put as much distance as possible between himself and the alphas that would perhaps be coming for him. Surely, he would have at least and hour or two before he could expect anything amiss.

That was what he thought until a loud blood curdling howl broke the night's silence.

It wasn't a seeking howl or a bonding howl.

It was a hunting howl.

Without thinking, Tobi broke into a full gallop, fear spiking through him as well as a gunshot. He pelted hard down the road for several long minutes before he was able to reign in his terror and regain some control. Paw pads throbbing with pain from the rough road, he dodged off into the grass. He could go a little further until he went into the forest...

At the turn onto the main road was a figure.

Tobi propped to a standstill in a few short strides, flattening himself in the long grass. The figure standing in the middle of the road was enormous. Oddly, at first glance he wasn't sure that it was a wolf. In the low moonlight, the beast was tall and short furred, more dog like then wolf. It looked well-muscled; ears longer than it should have. Tobi thought the animal looked like a giant Doberman. He knew logically that shifters could really be any species. He had just never seen one like this before.

Without being told, he knew this was the black sentry, the guardian of the roads and manmade pathways out of the town. The animal stood statue still as it looked up the road. It hadn't seen Tobi yet and Tobi had no interest in getting any closer.

He edged back and entered into the forest. He felt better in the forest where there was thick undergrowth to help hide him. It took close to fifteen minutes of solid travel for his fear to dissipate a little. The trees were so thick here that hardly any light broke through. The howl didn't come again and yet Tobi found himself looking back and around almost constantly.

He had a strong sensation that he wasn't alone in this forest.

Nervously, he slowed his pace, needing to quieten his own steps if he were to hear anyone else's. Walking on paws of cotton, Tobi crept from one patch of shadow to another. He was sure or almost sure that the animal stalking him was still close. Here, deep in this forest, they seemed to be circling each other.

Surely Tobi was getting further away from the manor house and the pack and yet with every soft ebb of wind the pack scent lingered. He was fairly sure the creature pacing did not know exactly where Tobi was. He was not large or strong but he was, as a result, quiet as a zephyr of air. It would be only by his lingering scent that the other wolf followed.

It was a slow queer game of cat and mouse where no-one could move quickly without making enough noise to give themselves away. Tobi was sure he was ahead of his pursuers but by how far he didn't know. There was no wind to carry scent. Only the creeping in his coat and the half movement through far away trees told him he wasn't alone.

He paused often, staying low to the ground and barely breathing, listened. Twice he heard the footfall of a larger animal. The pelt of the animal must be black or muddy brown because when Tobi searched the depths of the forest behind, he only every glimpse the inky broken shape. Never a full creature, maybe a shoulder, part of a tail of the slightest gleam of an eye.

He was so transfixed on what was coming from behind that he nearly fell into an enormous hole. His paws slid of damp loose earth, his weight lurching forward. He managed to catch himself on some thick tree roots. The hole had been made from a huge ancient tree as it had fallen. What was odd was just how steep the sides were. Disguised by leaf litter and broad-leafed ferns, Tobi may not have noticed it had he been running.

He crept carefully around it, hackles half raised. In his blunder, the animal behind had gotten closer. In his nervousness Tobi began to trot and also stumbled into another narrower and deep hole. Definitely suspicious now, Tobi changed directions and headed west, cutting a line across the downward side of the hill.

Once he had gone quite a way, he turned back north. The further he went, the more unstable the ground seemed to be. There were holes everywhere, often hidden and lightly covered over with moss. Twice, Tobi caught the glint of metal. Barbed wire was strewn through several low scrubby heather. To a passer-by it would have seemed like litter.

To Tobi, it was becoming clear that this edge of the forest was boobytrapped.

He stopped, unsure. It wasn't impassable. He was sure. There must be safe paths through it all but in the dark and hard pressed by pursuers, it was too easy to be blunder. If he injured his legs or cut himself deeply enough to leave a blood spur then he was as good as caught. He could try to cut towards the roads but there he would find the sentry. Tobi rocked on his paws, ears flickering back and forth. There were still sounds, way behind. He turned back the way he had come, dodging up between the boulders.

He realised that he should have planned this better, should have studied a map. He had no idea how far he needed to go before there was another road. He had made the terrible assumption that these wolves were the same untrained pack he had grown up with. He had assumed their instincts were dulled but the animal that stalked him was no inexperienced hunter. Not when it could go just as silently as Tobi could and still be twice Tobi's size.

His heart gave a great leap in his chest as he passed over the crest of the hill and saw an empty road down below. Before he could jump down, his eyes picked up movement on the other side.

There was another, even louder howl and from the depth of those trees, a wild aura.

He could feel her frenetic energy. It was like a ravenous hyena, loud and grating along his nerves. She would be the first to the kill, the first to her teeth to the animal's throat and pull on the slick tendons until it suffocating in its blood. Tobi recoiled, his muscle protectively locking together in reaction to the rageful energy. He couldn't go that way, couldn't face Lorena.

With her in front, the sentinel behind and Anton stalking the forest around him, Tobi exits were closing off.

There were no other options left to him.

--

He had been seeking his prey for over an hour. His blood was hot in his veins, need driven high by the hunger of his mate. Anton felt the wicked presence of the she-wolf as Lorena took the pack limo to edge of town and shifted to wolf form to work her way back towards him. The distance Tobi had covered was impressive.

If the pup had gotten even another half hour head start on them, Lorena would probably not have been able to head him off. He had followed Tobi's trail but without the usual ease that came from tracking a clumsy werewolf. This one had experience with moving quickly and silently. Anton caught sight of the ghostly white pelt and knew his quarry was still ahead. He was separate by the overlapping hills of rough granite and fern brush. By the time he picked his way through, Tobi had vanished again.

Carefully, he searched for the trail again, almost sure the pup had not continued on north. He could see the road from this little ridge and felt Lorena's closeness. As he felt her in his mind, he knew Tobi must have turned back. The pup was clever. It took Anton awhile to find Tobi's scent and it curved in a slow spiral as to not accidently run into himself.

It was headed back to the manor house.

He raced the track towards home, paws carrying him along a well memorised path. He broke out from the last of the trees and shifted, eyes scanning the garden.

Anton froze.

The young man was sitting by the pond closest to the house, silver hair glinting ethereally in the moonlight. He seemed oblivious to Anton, staring up at the night's sky, his body relaxed. Anton stepped closer, drinking in the sight. His foot brushed a pile of leafy debris and Tobi looked over at him.

"Good evening," Tobi said politely. Swallowing down a mouthful of saliva, he strode toward the reclined figure.

"You are outside of your room. It is very late Tobi," Anton murmured, unblinking blue tidepools consuming the face of the wolf in front of him.

"Was I not supposed to be outside my room? No one told me I couldn't go for a walk?" Tobi said casually. They both studied each other, poised.

"We ask that visitors and young ones stay in their rooms. It is unsafe to walk the grounds at night," Anton said, his low voice almost a growl.

"Unsafe? What, pray tell, makes the ground unsafe with alpha like you around?" Tobi had learnt to play the game well and in such a short time. Anton leaned in and despite his best attempts to control himself, Anton saw the wolf's pupils shrink and heard the breath accelerate.

Up close, the evidence of the wolf's run was clear. Tobi's cheeks were flushed, sweat damp on his forehead. Though he looked relax, his sweet scent was laced with fear and adrenaline.

"The forest is old. I wouldn't want you to get lost."

Tobi tried not to flinch as the alpha sat beside him, heat radiating off the man.

"Ah, well perhaps that can be the agenda tomorrow. Holly can show me the forest," Tobi said, his tongue thick in his mouth. He froze into stillness as Anton took hold of his chin, tilting his face up to meet those intensely blue eyes. He tried not to think about how he wanted to flex into that touch.

"We can make a day of it," the alpha promise darkly. Tobi swallowed. Up close and increased by his sweat, the scent from the alpha was starting to make him dizzy.

"Let's get you back to bed." Tobi had little say in the matter as a strong hand clamped down on the back of his neck and he was steered towards the house. He didn't know why Anton wasn't calling him out on his escape attempt but if the powerful grip and scent of the man was anything to go by, this was only the beginning.

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END

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