FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 5

Mastering new powers was more difficult than Ben could have ever imagined. Every day he stayed with Kyle and Black Wolf his control grew, but so too did his animal instincts. Unlike Kyle, who seemed to be mostly in control of himself, Ben had more problems with his animal side. He was unnaturally large even though he couldn't shift all the way. He was nine feet tall half shifted, and Black Wolf estimated he would be nearly twelve feet tall when he finally learned to shift correctly. That being said, Red Wolf was hardly weak compared to the subordinate fangs and thralls.

On the third night of his stay with Kyle and Black Wolf the two wolves had left on a hunt and assigned two Fangs to keep Red Wolf 'company' while they were away. Red Wolf had been in Kyle's room resting from a training session with Black Wolf when he heard the fangs joking about a 'wussy hero' they had beaten up. When Red Wolf came storming out of the room in full werewolf form the two fangs had actually pissed themselves in fear. It was hard to tell which was the one who had beaten his face in, but Red Wolf didn't care at that particular moment. He took his fury out on them like a true wolf would, and their tail holes would be sore for weeks afterwards, even with accelerated healing. After that the fangs and thralls regarded Ben with respect and fear. They had never been disrespectful towards him before, but by the time his first week was nearly over Red Wolf had earned a reputation for being as cold and ruthless as his wolf father.

Black Wolf couldn't have been prouder of his growing protégée, but Kyle was distantly worried for his lover. The night before Ben was due to return to his 'normal life' Kyle actually cried into the now larger wolf's furry chest. "What if this wasn't right for you?" Kyle asked sadly as his mate looked at him in shock. "What if things don't work out?"

Ben soothed the smaller wolf and pet his head. Blue Wolf was known for being quick to anger, but around Ben he was always subordinate. Kyle didn't seem to mind being dominated by stronger wolves, but he was positively vicious towards lesser fangs and thralls. "Don't worry about me Kyle," Red Wolf said and pulled his mate closer. "I won't let anything happen to you or our family," he said sternly, and he meant those words. After only a week as Red Wolf the hero was wondering if he could ever really go back to being his old self. Not to mention what everyone would say about his disappearance! "I love you and Black Wolf more than anything in my previous life... I'll do what I can to protect you two."

Kyle seemed less worried after hearing his mate say those things, but it was Ben who wondered what he could do to keep his promise. A part of him wished he had never become a super hero or part of the mithril order. What if he could just be a pack member? Could he ever truly belong to both worlds or would he always be forced to lie to everyone about who he was?

That was the last night Ben and Kyle slept peacefully in their wolf father's home. In later days Red Wolf would long for a return to his first week in the pack. He would always remember it as a simpler time in his life.

...

Ben sighed as he slipped into his house through the window and promptly took a long shower. When he was clean, and had shaved off what looked like three weeks worth of beard but was really only about four days worth, he went back to his bed room and switched his power watch back on. Almost as soon as the device was turned on five concerned faces popped onto his screen. Ben carefully accepted the incoming call from Righteous Shield first. "Benjamin Sims!" the angry voice of Righteous Shield shouted from the watch making Ben flinch. A tiny growl escaped his lips, but he kept his wolf side in tight reign. "Where on earth have you been?" Shield asked in concern. "We looked all over the city for you!"

"Well..." Ben began to say as he launched into a carefully rehearsed explanation of where he had been. When he was finally finished he looked at the small holographic face of his first heroic teacher and someone he considered a close friend as well. The face looked more concerned than angry now. "... and that's what's been going on," Ben said and tried to smile innocently. "Sorry I didn't call anyone, but you did tell me to do what I thought was right to make the best decision possible," Ben explained.

"Actually, I understand your motives," Righteous Shield said, but he frowned despite his own words. "Next time don't disappear for a week without letting someone know where you're going, alright?"

"Yes sir," Ben said and smiled at his mentor. He was pretty sure that after joining the pack there wouldn't be a next time at all...

"Can you come up to the fortress? I need to talk to you in private about some things." Shield said nervously. It was surprising to see Righteous Shield acting in any way other than with complete confidence. Normally he was firm and forceful. Some of the order's members might even say he was a little bossy.

"I'll come right away," Ben said and slipped back out his window.

As a rule Ben hadn't used his power of flight since he had been inducted into the pack. All members of the order could fly, but only because they were infused with the power of the orb of light. The orb protected the mithril fortress and gave it the power to float high above the city. Ben assumed he had inherited the power of flight from his mother. He had also assumed he had gained his power of electricity from his father, but that was not true. It took Ben a while to make sure there were neither humans nor pack members watching his window. When he was sure he was alone the young man leapt into the air and punched his watch. In a flash of golden light Ben was in his old super suit; though it did look much better stretched over his large muscular body. In just one week Ben had put on nearly forty pounds of muscle just from training with Black Wolf. He secretly wondered how big and muscular he would grow, and the thought of being as big as Black Wolf made his spandex pants bulge lewdly as he flew over Angel City.

The Mithril Order Fortress was a shining beacon of light in the dark city sky. It was like a star high up in the night bathing the town in a pale white glow. Up close it was even bigger than most people would have guessed, but Ben was used to its huge shining chambers and crystal hallways. Carefully the young hero landed on the outer terraces, he was wondering if he might accidently activate the fortress security. Thankfully nothing happened when the landed, and as he made his way to the doors they slid open and a female voice sang out to him, "welcome back Electron."

Ben smiled at his old super name, but a sense of unease gripped him as he walked through the hallways of the fortress. Before he had changed the air up here had always seemed so clean and fresh, but now it smelled naked and bare. It was like someone had stripped all the life out of the place and replaced it with a queer artificial energy. The 'good' he had always sensed in this place was gone now, and replaced with a feeling of unease. "Ben!" a voice exclaimed as the young man walked into the council chamber. Righteous shield sat alone at the table. "Hurry and re-attune to the orb. I can barely sense your powers anymore."

Ben was almost scared to touch the orb, but as soon as his finger tips felt it's smooth glassy surface a familiar warmth flowed into him. The best way to describe the orb was to say it was like being hugged by a warm happy light. Unlike the false sensation of the fortress itself the orb remained a source of light and warmth, even if Ben felt like he didn't deserve that light and warmth. "Oh wow," Ben said as power rushed into his body. He felt the slight prickle of fur on his neck, but the light actually helped him concentrate and retain his human shape. It was as if it was trying to help him learn control over his new powers.

"By the light!" Righteous Shield said once the glow of the orb had died down. "I think you've grown much stronger while you've been gone," he said and put his hand on Ben's shoulder.

Instead of talking to Ben in the main chamber the leader of the order took Ben to the inner courtyard where they sat on a bench and talked about things not concerning Ben and his disappearance. Shield filled him in on what everyone was doing in his absence, and assured him that his parents knew he was back and was safe. After speaking the blond haired man turned to Ben and smiled slightly. There was a short pause while Righteous Shield seemed to study Ben with his eyes. "So what did you learn about the pack while you were gone?"

"The Pack is not evil..." Ben said quickly and paused, "but they are planning to break Victor out of prison..." Ben said sadly.

Righteous Shield hardly seemed surprised at all when he next spoke. "Hmm... So what do you think we should do?"

"Did you know there are five wolves now?" Ben asked and Shield arched and eyebrow at him.

"Five?" Shield asked.

"Yes," Ben said and shook his head. "There's Black Wolf, Blue Wolf, Red Wolf, Timber Wolf, and Saber Wolf," Ben said and quickly added an explanation of each wolf's powers. "They are seeking help in liberating their leader, Victor Fang, from the vault."

"So there are six of them including Victor, and six of us?" Righteous Shield said more to himself than to Ben. "Did you know that there are six judges now too?"

"What? Really?" Ben asked.

"Yes, There's six, each rules over a different aspect of human life, but they are all equally difficult to deal with," Shield explained. "If the pack wanted to free Victor they would need to prepare to fight each of the judges."

"I... didn't know that," Ben said softly.

"So why are you avoiding my question Ben?" Shield asked. "What do you think the order should do?"

Ben thought for a while before he replied. "We should help them," he said angrily with the slightest hint of a growl in his voice. "If it was you in the vault... I would do everything in my power to get you out! I know it sounds foolish, but the Pack isn't as bad as everyone in the order thinks! They're just a different sort of people who think differently from us! They don't have an orb of light to give them power, so they rely on each other instead. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong," Shield said softly.

Ben felt so conflicted inside. He had always trusted Righteous Shield with everything, and deceiving him like this only made him feel like a rotten two faced liar. "Listen Righteous Shield... I need to tell you something!"

"I should tell you something too," Shield said and seemed to straighten as he looked at Ben sitting beside him.

"What?" Ben asked more out of surprise than curiosity.

"When you were gone... I got into a fight with your parents... I felt so angry that they just let you wonder off to god knows where!" Shield said with a hint of anger and regret in his voice. "While we were fighting they reminded me about something I had sworn never to talk about, but I feel as though it is still important... Ben... I know you love Greg and Susan like your parents, but there's something you should know about your past... and about some of your powers."

"What's that?" Ben asked in confusion.

"It's true that you get your powers of flight from your mother, but you also have her ability to control electricity," Shield said and turned to look Ben in the eyes. "You get your super strength and speed from me... because... you're not Gregory's son... you're mine!"

If Ben's Jaw could have dropped off his face then it would have. "I'm... your son...?" He asked in shock.

"Biologically yes, but legally no. I made Gregory and Susan adopt you after she gave birth to you... You see, they were trying to have a kid for years, but after a while they discovered that some supers are sterile. In fact, many supers can't have kids at all. I offered myself as a surrogate father and they accepted! I never thought of you as my own son, not even when you joined the order... but training you... and then when you went missing." Shield touched his chest as if his heart was hurting. "Ben, if you ever got hurt or died... I.. I don't know what I would do."

Seeing Righteous Shield like this almost brought tears to Ben's eyes. "I understand," he said softly.

"Right then," Shield said and wiped his eyes and recomposed himself. "What did you want to tell me?"

After what Righteous Shield had just said Ben couldn't bring himself to tell the man his own dirty secret. "I... wanted to admit something to you... about myself," Ben said sadly. "About my relationship with..."

"Kyle Sparks?" Shield said and grinned slightly. He chuckled when Ben looked shocked. "Well son," he said softly. "I've never told anyone myself, but if you happen to like men... well... the apple didn't fall far from the tree because your father didn't go his whole life without a hot wife for no reason."

"W... What? How did you know?" Ben asked in shock.

"Why don't I show you?" Shield said and stood up, motioning for Ben to follow him. "As my son you'll find you have powers that go beyond those the other members of the order experience," he said and led Ben back into the fortress.

The two of them made their way through the winding crystal halls to the core of the fortress. At its center was the true orb of light, not the smaller extension of the orb created for recharging the powers of the order's members. The larger orb was mostly used to power the fortress, and, for that reason, it would be unwise for the order to tap into it's incredible powers. "I've never been in here before," Ben said in awe as he looked around the huge crystal chamber.

"That's because I don't let anyone in here," Shield explained. "This is the true orb, and not the extension I created for recharging our powers. It powers the fortress, but it has other powers as well," he explained and placed a hand on the orb. "Touch it," he said and Ben nervously complied.

To his amazement the orb seemed to respond to his touch. At once he was aware of something incredible! He could sense his parents on the other side of the world. Cautiously Ben moved his awareness to the two supers; he could almost sense the space around them. "They're talking about a power plant in south Africa," Ben said in shock. "I can hear them clearly!"

Shield laughed. "That's not all you can do with the orb," he said and they both pulled their hands away from it. "Do you know how I got my hero name?" Shield asked.

"You can summon a shield of light to protect people around you," Ben said and laughed. "Even comic book geeks know that!"

"I used to have three weapons, do you know what they were?" Shield asked.

"The Righteous Shield, the Hammer of Light, and the Holy Avenger," Ben said impatiently. "I read your old comics too you know."

"Did you know I haven't been able to summon the Holy Avenger in eighteen years?" Shield asked.

"That's... I didn't know," Ben said in confusion.

Righteous Shield smiled as he stepped behind Ben and put his hand on the young man's arm. "That's because you are my Holy Avenger," he said and to Ben's shock a brilliant sword of light appeared in the air before him. Shield guided Ben's hand as he reached up and took hold of the sword. The older hero stepped back as the younger hero was enveloped in a cocoon of brilliant energy. When he stepped away Ben was shining like a light bulb with the Holy Avenger in his right hand. Righteous Shield laughed and looked at his son with pride. "By the LIGHT you look awesome!"

Ben looked down at himself and realized he was wearing a mirror copy of his sire's mithril armor. It wasn't the normal suit he wore either, but the one that only appeared when Righteous Shield wielded one of his weapons of light. "I look like a super saiyan in white spandex and armor," Ben said and frowned as he looked down at himself. His bright red hair shimmered and waved about wildly as if it was on fire. Small bolts of red lighting arced across his enhanced super form. A distant part of him wondered what he would look like if he did this while he was a werewolf. The thought made him blush as he realized his whole body would look like his hair did now.

Righteous Shield laughed at Ben's remark. "I never thought about that, but I guess you're right," he said and smiled. "You can't use this power for long while you're away from the fortress, but the sword should come to your call from now on."

"How long can I use it here in the fortress?" Ben asked.

"Long enough to get a training session in if you want to learn how to use that thing," Shield offered and Ben couldn't help but smile as light enveloped the man and he emerged in a similar outfit with a shield and hammer in his hands.

The two supers took their fight outside, but not to the training ring like Ben thought they might. Righteous Shield took him to the roof and promptly jumped into the air. Ben followed his teacher's example and realized that while he was all glowy and shit he didn't have to concentrate much to fly. "This is awesome!" He said and he effortlessly zipped around.

"Indeed," Shield said and made a quick rush at his new sparring partner. It's been too long since I had another Light-Born to fight with!" He said in excitement as he brought his hammer down towards Ben, but the young super was quick to bring his own weapon up to parry the blow. An explosion of brilliant white light shook the sky like thunder. Sparks of molten white light exploded from the two weapons and rained down on the fortress below them.

Ben smiled as he pushed the hammer away and readied his own weapon. "This might be more fun than I thought...."

That night the sky rang with thunder and explosions of white light. It wouldn't be the last time in the next few weeks that the dazzling light show exploded over the mithril fortress. It was well past midnight when Ben finally got home again. He showered off and slept despite having already healed from training with Righteous Shield. After their first weapons training Shield had told Ben something he'd hardly told anyone at all. "When we're alone like this you can call me Sam," Shield had said. "It's my real name, Samson Light," he said and put his arm around Ben as they sat on the roof of the mithril fortress and rested after their fight. The two guys had talked about all sorts of things that Ben's adopted father had never talked to him about. Most of all they talked about things like Kyle and all the years Ben had spent away from his real father. The talk drug on well into the night, but eventually Ben said goodbye to his father and even kissed the man on his bristly cheek before he left to fly home.

Thoughts of his two fathers and Kyle living together with him in a big happy house filled Ben's head as he flew home that night. "Samson Light..." Ben said and sighed as he flopped down into his bed. "Ben Light... Kyle Light," he said trying the names out in his head. "Kyle Light... mmm yea... Kyle..."

...

Life slowly returned to normal for Kyle and Ben in the next few weeks. For Kyle it was like a romantic dream getting to fuck his mate every night, and Black Wolf almost always joined in the wild romps with his cubs. Ben seemed to grow like a weed after that first week. He quickly shot past six feet of height and then past seven in his human form. He put on muscle faster than any human ever could. Kyle was about 5'10 as a human, but he paled in sheer height and size to Ben and Black Wolf.

Like his new son Black Wolf also began to grow, keeping up with the new Red Wolf in both size and muscle mass. The two of them trained nearly every night when Ben wasn't busy training with his other father. Ben's wolf powers quickly matured along with his secret hero powers awoken by Righteous Shield. There were a few problems with hiding his dual natures from both the pack and the order. For one Ben quickly grew a shaggy tail that matched his rust colored hair and fur. His expanding muscular body quickly grew a carpet of body hair that Kyle swore got thicker every day. Only Black Wolf remained hairier than Ben. While Kyle had an unnaturally hairy body as well it was nothing compared to his mate and father. Ben was forced to let his hair grow out to cover his new wolf ears. He shaved almost three times a day to keep his beard off, but Kyle had given up on that, preferring to look more like his beastly sire.

Black Wolf seemed to lose his human form as he and Ben grew stronger. He seemed to change into a strange half fang-like body that was mostly wolf, but not quite totally so. After his changes had stopped the man seemed delighted to see his two wolf son's begin to mirror his new body. He would often brag to Timber Wolf about how they were surpassing the other werewolves in power and shape. Timber would only laugh though and joke about how Saber Wolf was trying to match Black Wolf in size and shape. "That Runt's not even as big as Blue here," Black Wolf would joke. "How the hell does he think he's going to match me?"

Despite his boasting and pride, Black Wolf still swore up and down that he was nowhere near as big as Victor was when the man transformed. Ben was so curious about it that he dared to ask Righteous Shield after one of their training sessions. "When I fought Victor in his Alpha Wolf form I quickly found myself unable to match his titanic strength and unending rage," Righteous Shield had said and shook his head. "I created the second orb of light to fight Victor for the judges... but I regret that action," Shield said sadly. "In doings so I weakened my original powers, but it allowed the order to take the orb out into the field and use its powers to fight the pack. Even with the light of the orb fueling our powers we were only just a match for the pack's wolves. The judges stepped in to fight off the hordes of werewolves that rose to defend their leaders. It took nearly every ounce of our combined power to defeat Victor alone."

Surprisingly though it wasn't as hard as Ben had first thought to hide his wolfish traits and activities from the other members of the order. The Judges seemed to sense the growing strength of the pack, and they started to crack down on Angel City hoping to catch the wolves as they grew in number and influence. It was almost harder to be Red Wolf than Electron, or Holy Avenger as Ben liked to call his white-armored form. He almost wished he could be Holy Avenger and not Electron, but he had his hero name, and according to the comic books he only had electric powers and slight flight, speed, and strength. In reality Ben was strong enough to pick up a bus in one hand. He could almost match Black Wolf in raw strength, and there didn't seem to be any real limit to either wolf's endurance.

As a werewolf Ben and Black Wolf were both over twelve feet tall. It made fucking in their house pretty difficult, so the three wolves started to run and rut in the park instead. The dense trees were a great place to hide from the locals who avoided the place during the night. Even the judges were reluctant to enter the trees; despite multiple claims of howls and black shapes spotted in the shadows of the park.

It was on one of those nights, when the three wolves were running through the forest, that the precarious peace between the three heroic factions was broken. Unlike the other pack members Kyle, Ben, and Black Wolf could turn into feral wolves, but they were far too large to be mistaken for true wolves. Black Wolf was the first to hear the warning howl from the side of the park where Kyle's mother and father still lived. Kyle had long since abandoned his childhood room for his lodgings with his wolf father. Despite that fact his parents still enjoyed seeing him from time to time. The howl was clearly familiar, and Kyle recognized it right away. "That's Fred Sparks," he said as he swiftly shifted to his werewolf form.

The three wolves ran towards the source of the howl, but stopped short when they encountered lights in the forest. "Enforcers," Black Wolf growled and held up a paw to stop his two sons. The three wolves were all in werewolf form by now, but even as twelve foot monsters they moved quickly and silently through the woods.

"Where'd that bastard go! I saw him leading the woman this direction!" one of the enforcers told his fellows.

The sound of someone running from the enforcers distracted the three wolves. Black Wolf silently signaled for his sons to follow him as they made their way towards the fleeing humanoid shapes. One was leading a smaller human female while a larger shape led those two. A quick sniff told the three wolves that it was a fang, a thrall, and a human female. When the three wolves finally caught up to the fleeing trio the fang called a silent stop and submitted to the three superior wolves.

"Oh my," A frightened woman said as the five wolves exchanged scents in the small moon-lit clearing. Clearly she wasn't used to seeing werewolves like this, but she did well to control herself around them.

"Black Wolf! Kyle! Ben!" the fang said in a low growl. All three recognized Fredric Sparks or Kyle's former father. He had only recently been made a fang, the thrall with him was his wolf mate judging by his smell, and the human woman was obviously his wife. The thrall was almost Kyle's age judging from his scent. Apparently daddy liked his puppies young. The thrall and Patricia Sparks both clung to the elder fang for support in the presence of the three wolves. "Control yourself Patricia, and stop tucking that damned tail in Tanner!" Fred growled roughly and nodded respectfully to his son and alpha.

"We heard your howl brother," Red Wolf said and nuzzled his mate's old father.

"It's those damned Judges!" Fred growled and looked over his furry shoulder at the tree line. "They found out about my human affiliation with the feed, and now they think we're part of the pack."

"We are part of the pack," Tanner whined.

A low growl from Fred silenced the perky thrall, but Kyle and Ben both decided they liked him despite his obvious lack of respect for his elder mate. "K... Kyle is that you?" Patricia asked and stepped forward toward her son and his glowing blue eyes.

"Mom," Kyle said in a soft growl and reared up so he could wrap his arms around the tiny woman. At nearly ten and a half feet tall Kyle was twice the size of the smaller woman, but she hugged him like only a mother could hug her son.

"Oh Kyle, they burned the house down! Why would they do that to us? We're just peaceful folks living quietly by our own means? What do they want with us?" She cried softly and her tears soaked into Kyle's dark brown fur.

Kyle growled at his mother's words and looked at his mate and wolf father. "I'll kill them myself," he said and pulled his mother back. "Stay here, stay quiet, don't move, and we will return."

Kyle was gone in a split second. Black Wolf growled at the impulsive young wolf's behavior. Kyle had never tangled with enforcers before, but Black was sure he could take them. "I'll stay, Red, go help your mate."

Ben nodded and was gone faster than his mate had left. The woods sped by like a dark blur as the Red Wolf chased his mate. After a few yards were behind himself and his wolf sire the wolf's paws stopped hitting the dirt and he flew just above the ground to save energy. In less than a minute he caught up to his mate and found the wolf stalking the edge of the forest where the enforcers were stopped. Red Wolf nuzzled his mate, but hardly surprised the young wolf who had sensed him coming well before he arrived. "Look at them stumbling around in the dark like little lost sheep," Kyle said in a soft snarl. "To think I was ever so blind..."

Ben put a paw on his mate's shoulder. "The Pack doesn't kill in cold blood," he growled back.

"No," Kyle said and snarled, "but they still deserve to die!"

Before either wolf could act a strangely familiar sound startled both of them. A loud voice shouted from above the group of enforcers. "HOLD!" the voice said as two glowing figures landed on the far side of the clearing.

"By the LIGHT!" A second female voice said in anger. "You burned down the house of our friends! You didn't have any proof that they were affiliated with the pack at all!"

The enforcers turned to the two heroes before they spoke, "Fredric and Patricia Sparks donated money and time to a pro-pack charity, and their adopted son is suspected of being involved with a pack recruitment gang," the enforcer said bluntly. "The order for their purge has been issued and signed by the High Court on the ninth hour of day 123 cycle 2192"

"A purge on innocent citizens of our city is a violation of Angel City's own laws!" The male hero shouted angrily.

"Court law is superior to Angel City district law, further explanation will not be provided! The assistance of the mithril order is not needed for this operation, but if you wish to aid in the capture and termination of Fredric, Patricia, and Tanner Sparks the Enforcer Branch of the high court would appreciate your compliance!"

"Fuck!" Red Wolf growled. "That's Proton and Neutron!" He growled.

Blue Wolf looked at his mate in shock, "Why would they be arguing with the enforcers?"

"We can't let them hurt those heroes!" Red Wolf growled.

The argument was only getting more intense while the two groups swapped words. Proton sounded furious when the two wolves heard him next. "I've known Fredric my whole life! He would NEVER hurt anybody, much less support a criminal organization. If you continue to peruse them then I will be forced to locate his family and put them under the protection of the mithril order!" He shouted at the enforcers.

"Desist in this course of action or we will be forced to terminate you," the enforcers shouted and pointed their blasters at the two heroes.

"They won't listen to us Proton," Neutron said and held her hands up. Even from this side of the forest the two wolves could see the gray bolts of electricity arcing from her hands. Beside her Proton summoned his own bolts of yellow electricity.

Red Wolf growled as he burst from the cover of the forest. He grabbed one of the enforcers between himself and his parents in his huge maw and bit the man clean in half. Kyle followed suit taking down a second man with his claws and fangs. The enforcers opened fire, but the two wolves placed themselves between the bullets and the two heroes. A field of crackling blue and red electricity formed between the two wolves deflecting most of the bullets. Maintaining the field took a lot of concentration, but thankfully their wolf father was an excellent trainer and the two wolves held it up despite the constant barrage of bullets. Two stunned heroes watched the red and brown wolves in shock. Red Wolf turned to Proton and Neutron and spoke in a low growl. "Either help or run," he said gruffly.

The two exchanged a look of shock before Neutron shook her head. "Help them with the shield," she told Proton who nodded. The female hero boldly stepped between the two wolves placing herself between them and the enforcers, but safely inside the shield of electromagnetic energy. Behind her Proton added his own yellow energy to the barrier which began to solidify enough to actually absorb the shock of the bullets hitting it.

"Aiding members of the pack is in violation of your agreement with Angel City! The High Court will hear about this Heroes!" The leader of the enforcers shouted over the sound of the guns firing at the heroes and their werewolf saviors.

"I'll be sure to put that in my report," Neutron said and held her hands out, summoning gray bolts of lightning to her hands. Above the men the clouds began to thicken and darken. The first bolt of lightning struck the ground behind the enforcers causing them to twirl and look behind them. The second blast hit the first four men in the group throwing them away from the back six enforcers and into the forest.

"Stop this at once!" The enforcer leader said and stepped forward. A third blast of lightning split the air striking the five men behind him. It didn't throw them like it did the first four, but they were still probably just as hurt as their fellows. "You won't get away with this hero! When the high court hears about this they're going to..." his threat ended as a huge black shadow descended from the other side of the forest. The man heard a low spin chilling growl and turned to look up at the biggest wolf he'd ever seen. Black Wolf didn't wait for the man to finish speaking before he chomped down and ripped the man's head off. The shield of electricity crackled and dissipated as the wolves stepped forward towards their father.

"By the light!" Neutron said as the lightning around her hands dissipated and she stepped back to join her husband.

"Stand back!" Proton said and held his hand out towards Black Wolf. A blast of yellow electricity arced towards the huge black wolf, but before it struck him a larger blast of purple lightning stopped it. The two collided with a thunderous crack and dissipated into nothing. "I know this monster!" Proton shouted. "You're Black Wolf, second under Victor Fang, and acting leader of the Pack!"

"It's nice to see you again too Proton," Black Wolf said in a low monstrous voice and smiled at the two heroes. "It is good to see you as well Neutron."

"Stop this," Neutron said and pulled her husband's hand down. "Those two wolves use electric powers," she said and frowned. "Last I heard you didn't," she said and looked at Black Wolf.

"It's a mixed blessing," Black Wolf said and growled. "I don't know how I got this power, but ever since inducting these two into the Pack I seem to have gained a strange mixture of their powers," Black Wolf said and chuckled. "I wager I have about as much lightning as you two..."

Neutron shook her head as Proton bristled beside her. "We don't have time for this," she said and gestured to the dead enforces. "We have twelve dead enforcers on our hands and we still don't know if Fred and Patricia are safe."

"They are under the protection of the Pack," Black Wolf growled.

Neutron gasped when he heard Black Wolf speak. "So they are involved with the Pack?" She said almost as if it was a question. "Our actions will have only made things worse!"

"You did what you thought was right!" Red Wolf growled and stepped forward. "It's better than hiding behind some stupid noble agreement with those murdering High Court bastards!"

"Wait," Blue Wolf said and looked at his mate and wolf father. "What if we let Patricia go with them? She won't be comfortable with a bunch of wolves like us... she can't even defend herself in case of an emergency... if we put her in a safe house it will only make the place a more appealing target to the Court."

Black Wolf seemed to think for a moment before he replied. "Blue Wolf, go get Patricia Sparks and guide her back here..."

"We can follow you through the woods if it will be easier," Neutron offered. "What are we going to do about these... dead men?" She asked.

Black Wolf growled and pounced on the bodies clawing and biting into them with an unnatural ferocity. When he was finished he looked up with blood dripping from his mouth. "They won't believe you were involved now... and trust me, they're all dead."

Neutron nodded and turned to her husband. "Let's go," she said, but Red Wolf stopped them with a low growl. "Turn your power watches OFF," He growled.

"Why?" Proton asked in anger.

"Just DO it," He growled.

Both supers complied and switched off their power watches. It didn't make their suits disappear, but they lost a measure of their power. "Don't try anything funny," Proton said angrily and followed his wife as they were led through the woods.

Kyle ran ahead of the group and met his family before they arrived. "Mom, dad," he said and nuzzled his parents. Patricia hugged him tight and Fred gave his son a lick to his nose despite knowing Kyle was higher in rank and station than himself. Kyle didn't mind though because he knew his parents both still loved him. "The enforcers are dead. They attacked the mithril order heroes who were trying to defend you two," he informed them.

"Why would the mithril order try to help us?" Fred asked.

"They must know you in real life or something like that. They said they were your friends and seemed to know you both very well, and by name," Kyle growled back. "Listen to me because I can't repeat this twice. "Mom, you must go with them for your own safety. If you absolutely MUST tell them about our family's involvement with the Pack do so, but don't mention me or Ben to them. Our identity as wolves must remain secret. If you can learn anything about their own identities do your best to let the pack know. Alright?"

Patricia nodded and hugged her son. "I love you so much honey, you be careful, please!"

Kyle wrapped his furry arms around his mom and put his wolf head on her shoulders. "I love you too mom. You be safe, and no matter what happens you better stay alive!"

Patricia wiped her tears away and looked at her husband and his young mate. "I love you too Fredric, you keep little Tanner safe, alright?" Fred nodded and put his furry brown paw on Tanner's shoulder. He shared a quick slobbery kiss with his wife before he led the thrall out of the clearing. Kyle didn't need to be told he was heading to one of the pack's many safe houses. They would be safer hiding as wolves than as humans. It was always a blow to the pack when someone close to a wolf was discovered to be affiliated with their organization. As a precaution against captivity Kyle would be forced to stay in hiding. He sighed as he watched his father leave. At least he wouldn't have to go to school anymore... not that he went to school anymore regardless...

It took a while longer for Black Wolf and Red Wolf to lead the supers to where Blue Wolf waited with Patricia Sparks. For a human the woman had seemed quite brave as she stood beside her hulking werewolf son. In truth, she feared the approaching heroes more than any man or beast in the pack. What if the order couldn't protect her? What if they turned her in to the court? She was braver than Kyle gave her credit for.

When Neutron did emerge from the tree line followed by her husband and then Red Wolf she nearly burst into tears as she ran to where Patricia stood. "Oh Patricia!" She said and wrapped her arms around the other woman. "We were so worried when we got the report! Please tell me Freddy, Tanner, and Kyle are going to be alright!"

"They'll be fine," Patricia said and looked at Blue Wolf who shrugged at his mother and the super hero embracing her. "We should be going... assuming you can still protect me that is," Patricia said evenly.

"Of course we can!" Neutron said and released Mrs. Sparks from her arms. "This way," she said and led her over to Proton. "Hold tightly on to us and we'll activate our watches. We'll have to fly, so don't let go!"

Patricia waved as she watched her son disappear in the black of the forest below her. Kyle didn't wave back, but she knew he wanted to in her heart. He couldn't show emotion around other wolves, not even Red Wolf who she also knew personally as both Ben Sims and her son's chosen mate. Once the woman was lost to their eyes Kyle gave his fellow wolves a weary glance. "Using our powers like that is more draining than I like to admit, those bullets were hardly ordinary bullets."

"They use energy casings when they hunt the Pack, the outer shells do less damage but emit a powerful drug that counters our natural healing powers. I've seen lesser fangs killed by shots a thrall could have survived," Black Wolf growled as he stepped out of the shadows. The elder wolf was wise to remain hidden from the two heroes. The three of them obviously had a violent history.

"And you let us fight them?" Red Wolf growled back.

"You're wolves now pups," he said gruffly. "A true wolf wouldn't be killed by a hundred of such bullets, much less my sons," he growled. "I want to patrol the park before we head back for the night... there might be more Court goons wondering around in our territory!"

A growl was all Black Wolf got for an answer as the three wolves silently set out to patrol the park. All three would have rather fucked right then and there to restore a measure of their lost energy, but their duty as wolves came before pleasure. Thankfully there were only local police around the area where the enforcers had been killed. Ben silently thanked god that he had seen both his and Kyle's family safely through the night.

...

Far from where Kyle and Ben were patrolling the forested park, Patricia Sparks was sitting in a lovely room with two super heroes. Neutron looked at her husband who she had told Patricia was called Proton. As soon as the Neutron was sure the three of them were alone she powered down and her suit vanished, replaced in a twinkling of light by a pair of jean pants and a soft gray blouse. "S... Susan Sims!" Patricia said in shock and then watched as Proton followed his wife's example and powered down as well. "And Greg!" Patricia added in shock. "It's not possible," she gasped.

"Oh Patsy!" Susan said and pulled Patricia into a hug. "I hate for you to find out about us like this, but what could we do after tonight?" She asked as tears came from her eyes. "We tried to get Ben to answer his power watch too, but he never picked up!"

"Wait... Ben?" Patricia asked in shock. "You don't mean little Benjamin do you?"

"Well yes," Susan said and looked at Greg who nodded. "He's our son after all, and it's only natural for the boy to have super powers! He's part of The Mithril Order too, he's Electron!"

"Heaven help me!" Patricia said as she realized something more terrible than judges, heroes, or the entire pack put together. Ben wasn't just Electron, he was Red Wolf too! She knew what Kyle had told her about hiding his identity, but if that was true than Ben and Kyle were both in terrible danger! If the judges found out about Kyle through his connection with his mother and father they might discover his connection to Benjamin Sims. If they captured Ben as his human or super hero self than they might put him in the vault or worse!

"What's wrong Patsy, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Greg asked and put his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"By all that is good and holy I believe I've seen something far worse than a ghost," Patricia said in shock, "but I guess I should tell you everything... but only if you swear on your lives that what I speak of NEVER leaves this room, not even if the High Court itself asked you on penalty of death can you repeat what I am to tell you now."

"We aren't here to question you Patricia," Susan said softly and sat down beside the woman.

"It's not about what I can do for you," Patricia said and shook her head, "we could all be in grave danger if you don't hear me out!"