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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 11

Ben was driving back up the road to home two days later when he made his way through the last turn of the road before the Den and felt a surge of alarm at seeing a pair of strange, white vehicles in the driveway. One was clearly a construction truck, the tool rack assembly built into the bed of it being rather distinct, along with the logo on the driver's door reading 'Grey Bay Construction'. There was a matching van parked next to it and a series of trash cans already full of fresh wood scraps set outside the front door. Ben got out of his car and hurried inside, feeling a mixture of emotions.

Inside, the racket of power saws and hammering were nearly deafening as they came down from the upper floor, forcing the werewolf to cover his sensitive ears to protect them. In the living room, there were two queen-sized beds with the covers taken off, resting against a bare wall. Fearing the worst and seeing no one near, Ben moved over and took a whiff of the nearest one to find Kyle's scent all over it. The other, however... *OUR BED?!?* the alpha thought in outrage, recognizing his own scent as well as that of Steve.

There was only one person home, so Ben searched around, quickly finding Kyle working at the kitchen table on his laptop, wearing a strange, cordless set of headphones over his human-formed head. Ben went to yell at him, but between the noise and the headphones the beta was wearing, Ben elected for a light kick to the wolf-born's foot. Kyle looked up, saw the seething rage on his alpha's face, and cowered. Ben shifted his right ear to his shoulder while still covering the left with his left hand, pointed at Kyle savagely with a grim expression, then at the back door. Kyle, realizing he was in trouble, instantly obeyed, holding the door for his alpha as Ben hurried outside. He waited until Kyle closed the door and took off the headphones by dropping them down to hang around his neck.

"What have you done?" Ben asked in the manner of a parent who's child had just wrecked something valuable, his ears still ringing and painful from the din inside the house.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but they got here later than they intended," Kyle said sheepishly.

"A surprise? Yeah... I'm surprised all right! What the Hell is going on in there?" the alpha snapped.

"Well it was your idea," Kyle said, wilting. "I thought you'd like it."

"Like what? What are you talking about?"

"A big joined bedroom so we can all sleep together," Kyle explained.

"NOW?!?" Ben exploded. "We just talked about that two nights ago night, for crying out loud!"

"Well yeah, but you said you liked the idea, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Kyle..." Ben said, feeling numb from shock, "You can't just do something like this that affects the entire household without talking it over with us first!"

"If I'd done that, it wouldn't have been a surprise," the wolf-born said logically with a shrug.

Ben just stared at him, a tick developing under his left eye as the muscles spasmed violently under the skin. The fact that Kyle had a point was entirely beside the fact, but the alpha wasn't able to form complex things like words due to the emotional turmoil he was experiencing. It took a moment for his brain to unlock enough to speak again. "Kyle, you can't bring STRANGERS into our home! What if someone came in... Wolf-formed," he finished in a whisper.

"Oh, no," Kyle said dismissively. "The foreman of the company is one of Berke's pack mates, so it's all good. He has a few close employees who know about him. In fact, one of them's a keeper. He only has helpers with him today who are in on the secret, so it's perfectly fine."

It was anything but 'fine', but all Ben could do was frown in confusion. "Why would one of Berke's pack be helping us?"

"Well, Wallace had to get his alpha's permission first, of course, but Wallace told me that Berke wasn't holding a grudge and business is business, so it's okay for them to work on the Den."

"Well that's generous," Ben admitted with a raised eyebrow, surprised that the bigoted alpha knew one of his wolves was working for the homosexual guy who'd defeated him only a few days ago and was allowing it. "But how the Hell are we going to pay for this?"

"Mom and Dad are covering it," the beta said simply. "They're notorious procrastinators when it comes to getting gifts for the holidays, so I told them what I'd like and they agreed to pay for it as long as none of us are expecting any other gifts from them. Besides, this way they'll get a room to themselves when they come to visit next week."

Ben groaned, but said nothing. Finally he sighed. "Well how am I supposed to stay inside? It's too cold out here and too loud inside," he said with annoyance.

"Oh, come on," Kyle said, leading the way around the house to the construction van.

*'Grey Bay Construction'... Definitely a werewolf name for a company if there ever was one,* Ben thought to himself.

Kyle opened the back of the van and reached into a box to pull out a second set of the strange headphones he had on. "They cancel out noise... Really good for werewolves because of our sensitive hearing."

"Yeah," Ben said, taking the headphones from him. "I noticed." He saw the guilty, puppy dog look on the beta's face and sighed explosively. "Fine! I'll play along, but they better have this finished by tonight, because I'm not sleeping on the couch!"

"That's fine. There's nothing except insulation and wood inside the wall and it's not 'load-bearing', whatever that means, so they just need to finish removing it and fill in the spaces where the edges of it were."

"Good," Ben said heavily. "But keep an eye out for everyone to let them what's happening when they get here so that no one has a heart attack coming up the road the way I nearly did."

They donned the headphones and headed inside. Kyle returned to the kitchen for laptop in order to move it to the living room to carry out his alpha's orders, while Ben went upstairs to check on the project. He entered just as the last part of the wall's two-by-fours were being removed by the four-man construction crew. Ben had to admit that with the wall gone, the two rooms made one was rather large. There would be plenty of room for three queen sized beds with enough space to get around them along the foot and sides, so long as they pushed the heads of them up to the back wall opposite the doors into the merged room. A large man with a black beard saw him and came over, removing his own protective ear wear as the saws wound to a stop.

"We're finishing the removal now, then we can cut up parts of the old wall's paneling to fill in the gaps in the walls. As for the flooring, we'll use the leftover pieces you guys have from the original project. We should be done before midnight."

Ben's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You're willing to work that late?"

The man nodded. "The Burshans are nice people; it really sucked having them move away like that, but where their alpha goes, so too do the rest."

"Nice people even though they have a gay son?" Ben asked in regards to Kyle.

"We don't make an issue of sexuality anymore... Alpha's orders," Wallace said firmly.

Ben nodded to cover for his confusion at the remark. "Thanks for being willing to do this, especially on such short notice... As well as what happened between our... Wait, they're okay with this?" Ben asked, glancing at the other workers as he realized that the man had been using werewolf terminology openly. "I mean us talking about our... You know."

"You mean your packs?" asked a Hispanic man on the construction team with a grin.

"The guys are in the know," the bearded man said. "Name's Wallace. That's my long-time friend Hector," he said nodding to the man who had spoken, "His brother Jorge, and my pack's keeper Ferris," he said, indicating the scrawny redhead Ben had seen with them the night of the challenge. Ben shook their hands. "Well Berke was never one to make waves on things other than moral issues. Truth is, he's not a bad guy, once you get to know him."

"Not a bad guy? He tried to split up Luke and Ken, then tried to take my mate on the side," Ben said coldly. "I'd hardly call that the actions of a 'nice guy'!"

Wallace sighed, looking ashamed with what had happened. "I think he thought he was helping them get on what he considered to be the right path. Berke's a Baptist and has a rather narrow idea of what constitutes morally acceptable behavior. He's prejudiced, yes, but he means well. I think he just holds onto too much of his father's sermons." He saw Ben frown. "He's the 'son of a preacher-man', as the song goes. Anyways, you won't get any more trouble from us in your choice of lifestyles," he said. Ben frowned inwardly at the uneducated phrasing of that remark, but let it go. "Berke has flat out forbidden the pack from any homophobic stuff, and he's a man of his word, so gay bashing and homophobia are taboo in our pack from now on."

Ben was shocked to hear that, and took a moment to recover. "Well... I'd rather there be peace between our packs; there's already enough turmoil around here without starting another feud."

"Berke will be glad to hear that," Wallace said. "He never asked for all of the stress of being an alpha, but when you're as strong-willed and powerful as him, it's hard not to end up in charge. I'm sure you'll have one less pack to worry about from now on... I'll go one further and give you some advice: Watch out for James. He's sadistic and power-hungry. He won't stop until everyone's licking the ground he shits on."

Ben cringed at the mental image the foreman's words invoked. "I'll keep that in mind," he said dryly. "But thanks again for doing this on such short notice and making it a rush job."

"No problem; I'd rather support the werewolf community first whenever I have the choice, and we aren't holding a grudge, so it's all good. Also, business is slow in the winter so these home renovation projects keep us fed during the off season."

"Well, don't let me keep you. I'm sure you want to finish this and head home at a somewhat civilized hour."

"About three more hours and we'll be finished here. You should be able to have your beds back by midnight at the worst."

Ben nodded and left them to their work, marveling at just how different things seemed to be for the pack. They apparently already had one less rival pack to contend with. And deep in his heart, the alpha knew that this victory would most likely be the easiest of them all...

*****

True to his word, Wallace and his crew were finished in record time. Ben had to admire their speed and skill with their work. Once they had cleaned up and left, the new larger bedroom looked rather nice. It was slightly oblivious that the room had once been two separate ones, but that was mostly because of the two doors that led into it. Luke arrived home from his job and was surprised.

"You okay with this?" Kyle asked him sheepishly.

"I wish you'd talked this over with us first," the higher ranking beta said with an exasperated expression, "But it IS kind of nice. Now we won't have to have you waking us up to ask to join us for the night. I don't think Ken will mind, either, if that's what you're thinking. This'll make it easier for us all to all have fun together, too."

"I can't wait," Kyle said, wagging his tail eagerly. With the threat of loud noises gone, he had changed back to his wolfed-out form. Ben was tempted to change as well, seeing as how he much preferred his wolfman form to the human one he'd live with all of his life, but as he was still somewhat new to having claws, he elected to stick to his blunt human fingers so that he wouldn't slash up the mattresses when they went to move them. "Our first group mating," Kyle said eagerly, his tail wagging happily.

Luke murred and pulled Kyle in close to kiss him, their hands running over each other's bodies slowly. Luke's passions surged, triggering his transformation, and he moaned in pleasure as he changed. Kyle unzipped Luke's coveralls and reached down into them to squeeze Luke's reforming malehood, pulling it out of the uniform just as Luke shuddered, and a jet of precum shot out of the tapering point to splash onto Kyle's t-shirt. The lesser beta let out an exclamation of pleasure and dropped to his knees quickly to swallow the mechanic's tool, making him snicker in mirth as he did so when the mental description of that popped into his head. Lust overrode humor, however, and he began to devote himself to making his pack mate feel good.

Luke's transformation finished, and he sighed in bliss as his member was expertly pleasured. The scene was too hot to ignore, and Ben's lusts arose at the sight of his betas having fun. *Fuck it,* he thought, moaning lustily as the scent of canine musk in the air grew thicker, unzipped his pants, and pulled his hardening human-shaped penis free to stroke himself as he watched. As the alpha pleasured himself, watching the other two wolves enjoy each other, his own erotic passion brought out the beast in him, triggering his own metamorphosis into a wolfman. As Ben masturbated, watching Kyle slurp down Luke's hard shaft, he shuddered as the feelings in his penis intensified, the phallus growing more and more sensitive as it turned red and pointed. He stepped forward slowly, feeling the power in his leg muscles intensify as he moved forward while his body flowed from one form to another.

He reached them and pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside before slipping out of his pants, letting them drop to the floor. Luke reached over to brush a hand across Ben's left nipple, causing the alpha wolf to sigh in bliss as a blast of pre shot forth to land on the side of Kyle's head, who murred at the sensation. Luke leaned over to Ben, and the two began to kiss passionately as Kyle worked on his fellow beta's shaft. Luke ran his clawed hand gently over Ben's torso, being careful not to cause damage with his claws.

Ben moaned when Kyle swapped dicks to take the alpha's cock-tip into his proto-muzzle, and bucked into the warm wet mouth eagerly as Luke kissed him passionately. The pleasure only increased when, after a bit of moving them around slightly with his hands on their hips, Kyle got the two other males lined up side-by-side and pressed the ends of their penises together before slobbering away on them both. Luke and Ben groaned and moaned in euphoria from the double stimulation of the other phallus rubbing against his own combined with the oral attention from Kyle. They pistoned alternately, feeling their warm wet lengths grinding against one another, using Kyle's drool to make them nice and slippery. Kyle used his one hand to keep the dicks lined up properly as he licked around and over them while he masturbated himself with the other hand. He did his best to swallow the copious amounts of precum the other two shot into his muzzle, but it was too much for him to take in and some of it dripped freely from his mouth to pool upon the floor at their feet and his knees.

It wasn't very long before Ben came, being the first to lose himself in the incredible feelings washing over him. He growled lustily as he came, spraying burst after burst of wolf sperm into his beta's willing gullet. Luke smelled the ejaculate and came as well, adding his own sperm to the mix that overflowed the lesser beta's mouth to run like a river to the floor. Kyle moaned in bliss as his penis twitched in his hand and began to soak the legs of his superiors in his essence. They swayed slightly in place, losing themselves in the throes of their orgasms for several minutes...

There was the sound of the front door opening and Jessica came in, took one look at the tableau, and flinched away in revulsion. "Really Guys?!? In the living room?!?"

Kyle turned to the woman, looking guilty. "It was in the heat of the moment," he said between orgasmic shudders.

"We're almost done," Luke said with a frown of annoyance at the woman's attitude.

"Next time keep it in the bedroom," the woman snapped irritably, then began to make her way upstairs when she saw the mattresses and paused with a foot on the lowest step. "Wait... Why are there beds in the living room? And now that I remember, what's with all the scrap lumber in those trash cans outside?"

"You didn't check your phone? I sent you a text," Kyle said, causing the keeper to shake her head.

They explained the situation, making her frown. "So you get an idea from someone else and tear the house apart because of it?" she asked in an exasperated tone. "Kyle! You need to stop being so impulsive all the time! You're just lucky they did it in a day and your parents are willing to pay for it!"

"Back off, Jessica!" Luke snapped angrily. "It was a surprise for us, okay? It all worked out fine, so lay off of him!" he said, pulling up his pants roughly, Ben following suit.

"Fine! Now clean up this mess! It's disgusting!" the woman said harshly, then stormed her way upstairs.

Ben growled at that, his chest swelling with anger, but it was Kyle who shouted a response. "You don't have to be such a bitch about it! It's just sex!"

Luke looked at the floor. "I'll clean this up... After all, I'm the one who initiated what caused it," he said heavily, heading to the kitchen for cleaning supplies.

Kyle stood up, his tail tucked between his legs and a sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry I caused us trouble, Alpha."

"Don't be," Ben replied in a determined manner, then softened his manner as he took the beta in his arms and kissed him. "That was hot. I can't wait to see how you do when there's only one person for you to focus your attention on," he said, kissing the beta, who cheered up and wagged his tail eagerly.

"I'm looking forward to it," Kyle agreed enthusiastically as Luke returned with a roll of paper towels and some spray cleaner...

Once he was finished, they moved the bedding back upstairs with Jack's help once he arrived at home, then the biracial man called Steve to ask him to swing by a hardware store for some strong wire on the way home, telling him the reason was for a project without saying anything specific...

*****

Steve sighed as he paid for the spool of wire and headed home, wondering what Jack could possibly want with it. *He'd better pay me back for this, I don't have a lot of money left,* he thought tiredly to himself, then wilted with shame. *I need a better job.*

It was clear that Steve made the lowest income in the house. It was Ken's tips that put him ahead of Steve, making the head beta feel bad. He knew that it wasn't a competition, but his ego felt wounded to be the lowest earner of the pack and their keepers. *Maybe I could try office work like Ben...* He thought to himself as he got into his old blue Subaru Forester and headed for home.

*Has it only been about a week and a half now?* he wondered to himself. *Things are so different now... I'M different from the way I was a week ago. Margo and Peer noticed,* he thought, thinking of how his coworkers had commented in his increased confidence. *I feel a lot more self-assured than I did before, that's for sure. And with my wolf and human sides merged together, I feel... I don't know... Tuned into the world more... More in synch with everything around me. It's kind of nice, in a way. I can tell that my wolf is happy to not be separate anymore. I always hated that... Feeling like I was two different people, yet not really so at the same time... Never really understand it the way I do now... It was always so confusing to me before.

*Everything's so different now. I just wish that Jack and Jessica could be happy for us, instead of acting like they're waiting for a bomb to go off. Jack is so worried about how Ben and I have unified with our inner wolves, and Jessica acts like everything Ben does is a mortal offense. I don't want to boot them out of the house, but unless they stop acting the way they do, I can't see how it can work with them living with us with now that things are different. They moved in with us to keep us together and happy, but that's not typical for keepers. They act more like parents than anything else, and we're all adults. They need to accept that things are changing now and we don't need them to play substitute alpha anymore. We have Ben to keep discipline now and they need to accept that and adapt themselves to the change...

*I DO wish Ben wasn't quite so arrogant, though... Man, he sure changed a lot when he stopped resisting his instincts and unified with his wolf. It's nice in some ways, but there's been a time or two when I've wished he would tone the bossiness down a bit. I know part of it is because he's such a strong alpha personality, but I also think there's more to it than that. It's like he has to be the center of everything... Like he's overcompensating for something. I admit I don't know very much about him... Maybe we should all get together tonight in the living room and share our personal histories... FUCK! We never even told him about werewolf history! He has a right to know where we came from!*

Steve sighed in disgust. *It's like we've been running full speed down a steep hill ever since he came along, we haven't even had the time to educate him properly... But at least we're a real pack in the eyes of the community now. No one can look down on us for not having an alpha anymore. Now we'll be equal to them... And before long, WE'LL be the dominant pack in the area! People will look up to us then and we can finally put an end to all of the chaos around here. To be honest, it's embarrassing to have such a lack of order around here. It's a wonder disaster hasn't struck already! I swear, we might as well be in a constant gang war, what with the way everyone acts. I'm sure we're the laughing stock of the global werewolf community!*

He sighed in disgust, then felt hopeful. *But Ben wants to change all of that. He wants us to all get along and end all of the feuding... I know he can do it. With his military background and being the strongest werewolf around, he only needs to get the packs to submit to his authority and things will settle down around here... He seems like a strategist... I bet he's already planning out his next move. Everyone will see that the bickering is pointless and we'll finally have peace. I'm looking forward to it,* he thought as he pulled onto the road that led to the Den.

*We'll all need to be strong to make that happen. Ben will be relying on us to help him fulfill his goals. We'll need to be ready, because not everyone will go along with his ideas willingly. Lester, Monica and especially James will fight him on it, so he'll need to get them to submit first. I don't know what Angela will do... As for James...* Steve's thoughts darkened. *It'll be a miracle if he gives up willingly. James wants to be Head Alpha, and he hates competition. Ben will have the hardest time getting James to submit, IF he ever does. If not, then I don't know what will happen...*

He arrived home, got out, and noticed the lumber scraps filling the trashcans. *What the Hell? I though Jack had to work today.* Feeling confused, he went inside. "Hello?" he called out. He knew at least three of the pack were already there from their vehicles parked outside, as well as the senior keeper.

"Upstairs," Kyle called down. "Did you get the wire?"

"Yeah... What for?"

"Come up and see." Steve felt nervous. Kyle was well known for going with whatever idea popped into his head. Fearing the worst, Steve made his way to the second floor to see Kyle standing there, his tail wagging rapidly. "Come on," the lower beta said, grabbing Steve's hand and pulling him into the lesser beta's bedroom. The head beta entered and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The room was well over twice as wide as before and the beds of every pack member were all now inside of it, lined up in a row while Ben and Luke were arranging their things in the newly remodeled double room.

"Kyle, what did you do?" Steve asked, feeling stunned.

"I got the bedrooms renovated so now the whole pack can sleep together the way we're supposed to." His tail faltered with uncertainty as he wilted. "Don't you like it?"

"Well... I, uh... It's okay, I guess. Just unexpected," Steve said with difficulty.

"Surprises are meant to be unexpected," Kyle explained simply.

"Yeah... I guess. How did you pull this off so quickly?" the head beta asked, feeling stunned and confused.

"Well, Mom and Dad are paying for it and Wallace did the actual renovation. It was just a wood wall full of insulation with no electrical or duct work in it, so it was easy to tear out and fill in the gaps."

"Wait... Wallace?!? Why would Berke's head beta want to help us?"

Ben, frowned. "I thought it was the thin blonde guy or the multi-color haired woman who was his head beta."

"Misty's his mate and Dennis is his third highest ranking beta, he's only with Berke because he's unemployed at the moment, from what I've heard," Steve explained. Ben told them what Wallace had told him. "That's generous," the head beta said with raised eyebrows. "I thought he hated homosexuals. I wonder if your beating him and making him swear off homophobic displays made him change his attitude?"

"Maybe," Ben answered thoughtfully.

"I'm home," Ken's voice said wearily from downstairs as the front door opened and closed.

"Everyone's up here," Luke called out.

Ken stomped his way up the stairs slowly in a way that Luke knew to mean that his mate was very wore out from work. Sure enough, When Ken reached the top, he looked dead on his feet. Kyle, oblivious, rushed forward. "Ken! You have to see! You're going to love it!"

"No, Kyle!" Ken said wearily. "I'm exhausted!" He shoved his way past Kyle, heading for the bedroom he shared with Luke. "I had some brats throwing food at me every time I walked by, the dinner rush was a nightmare, my feet are killing me, I want to go to sleep, and where the HELL is the bed!?" he finished loudly in annoyance, throwing his arms out from his sides, having opened the door as he spoke to find that the critical piece of furniture was missing from the room he shared with his mate.

"Keep it down up there!" Jack's muffled voice came from his workroom on the first floor where he was teaching Jessica more on the ways of keepers, once she had arrived home from work, the training being something he refused to let the werewolves watch.

"Sorry," Kyle called down through the floor.

"The bed's in here," Luke said gently, to his mate.

"What?" Ken asked, feeling a mixture of frustration, exhaustion and confusion. He was in no mood for games. He looked in through what had been Kyle's bedroom door and saw what had been done. "What the fuck? What happened?" he asked, feeling stunned as he saw the renovation, his mouth hanging open and his tired eyes wide.

"Surprise!" Kyle said, his tail wagging furiously in excitement.

"You did this?" Ken asked him, pointing at the missing wall with a shocked expression marred by fatigue.

"Well yeah; I mean this way we can all sleep together like a proper pack. Don't you like it?" he finished, sounding hurt as his tail stopped wagging with uncertainty.

"I'd appreciate it more if I wasn't so sore and wore out," Ken replied grumpily.

"Come on," Luke said. "Let's get you into bed. I'll give you a massage."

"I'll help," Kyle said.

Ben and Steve gave their good night wishes to the worn out waiter, then left him in the care of his mate and Kyle. "We'll secure the beds together later," Ben said once they had closed the door behind themselves. "For now he really needs his sleep. I'd like for us to train some more, but it's too dark and cold outside, not to mention that the snow makes it hard to keep our footing."

"What about the basement? We can see if we can make some room. It won't be as much as we'd get outside, but it would be more comfortable," Steve suggested.

"Good idea," the alpha said with a nod. "Let's do it now, if you're up for it."

"Sounds good to me," Steve said, following his mate to the kitchen so they could take the stairs down to the basement. Once there, they began to move boxes and various possessions out of one corner of the basement to make a training area. Partway through, Steve paused and looked at his mate. "Ben? Can I ask you a few things... Personal things?"

"Sure," the alpha said, still working. "I suppose we should actually get to know each other better, seeing as how we're mated to each other. What do you want to know?"

Steve took a deep breath. "Well first, I want to let you know that I don't mean to offend you, but I really need to ask..." He hesitated, unsure how Ben would react.

Ben turned to him, looking serious, but open-minded. "Go ahead," he said. "I know there's things you've held back from saying, but I don't want any secrets between us."

The beta sighed. "Ben... Are you happy being the way you are now? You know... So dominant? I mean... It's kind of like you feel like you have to be the center of attention," Steve asked hesitantly, his tail held low against his legs nervously, but not tucked up between them.

"I do feel that way," the alpha told Steve, surprising him. Ben sighed and leaned back against the wall, near the air duct. "You need to understand something about me... My dad didn't want me. He made that clear in the way he refused to ever make time to be with me. He poured every ounce of himself into his job and left me to be raised by a series of temporary foster fathers on all of the bases we lived on over the years. He never said it," Ben said, looking down to the floor sadly, "but I'm pretty sure I was an accident. He never meant to be a father, but I guess he refused to make my mother get an abortion, so he was stuck with me, especially after she died before my fifth birthday. I barely remember her at all. She always seemed kind of sad... By the time I was old enough to remember her, she was barely around because of having to be in and out of the hospitals all the time. I think Dad resented being forced to care for me on his own."

Steve stared at Ben in horror. The way he spoke, so matter-of-factly, it was clear that he believed it.

"Does your family care about you?" Ben asked.

Steve nodded. "We don't really get along, but we still love each other, yes." Steve refrained from talking about the family troubles he'd been having of late, but mostly because he didn't want to think about that at the moment. This was a time for Ben's troubles, not his own.

"Then you're lucky," Ben said softly.

Above, listening through the air duct, Luke and Kyle remained quiet, saddened by what they were hearing. The pain in their alpha's voice was hard to miss, even with the distortion of his voice as it drifted up from the basement to be caught by their sharp hearing. Ken heard the voice and felt himself shrugging off sleep despite his fatigue, wanting to hear what the alpha was saying.

"Is that why you feel the need to be the center of attention?" Steve asked gently.

"Part of it, yes," Ben admitted with a nod. "I want to be the center of attention, that's for sure. I want people to value my input and hang off of my every word. I want to be the most important person in the room and to have everyone look up to me. Both parts of me want that. The human, because I never felt like I was anything more than a burden and an inconvenience to everyone around me, who hopes to be someone special, someone who matters; the wolf because I feel compelled to be the biggest, baddest predator around, answerable to no one and master of all I see. My alpha ego demands it and my human need to be valued craves it. I know that it makes me look like an egotistical asshole, but that's the way I am. I don't mean it that way, but it's who and what I'm meant to be."

"I don't think you're an asshole," Steve said softly.

"I know... But I'm sure that there's people who think I am one... But still, I don't want to be a tyrant. I want to use what I have and the way I am responsibly. I can use it to help make peoples' lives better. I meant what I said. Once I'm Head Alpha, this region will settle down and the packs will start acting in a safe and responsible manner...

"As for my behavior, I suppose it comes from the way I grew up. Service people behave different from civilians. They tend to be more blunt and to the point... At least the ones I grew up around, for the most part. I tend to be bossy from a combination of that and my alpha ego, I guess. I don't mean it in a cruel way, but that's how I think and act. The unity between my human and wolf sides boosted my confidence and assertiveness to new heights, from what I can tell. But I can still feel... I can still love... I still care about the feelings of others, even though I'm not the best at setting aside my attitude long enough to show it very well."

"You're doing pretty good right now," Steve said with a small smile.

"Better than I used to," Ben admitted with a heavy heart.

"Well with the way you grew up, being treated like that... I can't imagine what it does to a person."

"It makes them consider suicide," Ben answered gravely, staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

"What?" Steve gasped, unable to believe that someone as self-assured as Ben could say or even think of such a thing.

"I tried," the alpha admitted sadly, "but I was too scared to go through with it." He chuckled with grim humor. "I thought it made me a coward because I didn't have the guts to do it."

"...I'm glad you didn't," Steve said thickly as he recovered.

"So am I," Ben said gently, meeting the eyes of his mate. "Yes, I'm an arrogant, self-aggrandizing jerk obsessed with being in control... But I also care about people and want to be a good person. I don't want to go back to the way I was; hating myself... Just existing... Wondering every day why I even bothered to go on... I like feeling confident; I'm even kind of proud of being arrogant, in my own messed up way. I like it because it helps me to believe in myself; to love myself and see that I have value even if no one else does or even cares to try to see it or even try to feel the same way about me. I'd rather be a cocky, power-hungry asshole who cares, than a miserable coward who hates himself for not having the courage to blow his brains out... I'd rather die than go back to being that person," he finished with a deadly serious tone of voice, the conviction clear in his eyes. "And now, being a werewolf and an alpha... I understand why I'm alive..."

Ben stood up, tall and proud as his alpha ego came to the fore. "From everything I've learned so far, this region is a mess and I'm going to clean it up! The wolves here should be working together towards common goals, not bickering and attacking each other like a bunch of low-lifes! They're too worried about each of their packs being the one in charge, and let a direwolf run amok unchecked while they squabble! It's time they had someone whip them into shape and end their pointless feuding! If they don't like it, then tough! This is about more than their precious need to play king of the hill! They need to understand that their actions have greater ramifications! They'll endanger all of our kind if they keep this up, and that will mean the end of all werewolves! They'll doom our entire species because of their own petty interests if they're left unchecked! It's going to stop! If they don't like it, then they can leave and take their pathetic, small-minded desires with them! It's time the werewolves around here grew up and started acting responsibly!"

Steve stared at his mate... No, his alpha, with hope and a measure of awe. If only there had been a leader like him in Omaha, his old pack might still be alive...

Ben relaxed as his ego faded down to embers in concern. "Steve?" he asked apprehensively as worry crept back into his heart. "Please don't say anything about this to the others... They need me to be strong... Strong enough to protect them. I don't want them to think that I'm weak. I need them to believe in me for their sake as well as my own. I want to be a strong, self-assured alpha they can believe in."

"I won't say anything," Steve said, his voice thick with a mix of pride, love, compassion, understanding and sadness. "I promise." He took his mate into his arms and hugged him close, showing Ben how much he cared for him by simply holding him.

Upstairs, Luke, Kyle, and Ken were all silent. They didn't see Ben as weak. They respected him even more now for his vulnerability. They looked at each other, silently making a pact between them to never speak of this, knowing that it would hurt their alpha to know that they now knew of his inner pain, which he had kept hidden from them.

On the first floor, Jack and Jessica looked at each other sadly as they sat within the workroom. They too had heard the conversation through the duct. To Jack, it gave him a newfound sense of hope that Ben would remain a good person, rather than descend into a power-mad brute like James. *All he wants is to be loved and to make the world better. That's hardly the mindset of a tyrant.*

*Maybe I should ease up on him a bit," Jessica thought to herself, biting her lip. To hear from Ben himself, without his knowledge, that his arrogant, dominating personality was in part a means to help himself avoid becoming suicidal once more spoke to her in a way she had never thought anything could. *Alright Ben,* she thought. *I'll try not to be such a bitch to you from now on. I probably won't be very successful at it... But I'll try.*

In the basement, however, Ben and Steve had no clue that the rest of the house had heard them. "Tell me more about yourself," Ben asked, wanting to know more about his mate.

Steve shrugged. "Well, I'm originally from Omaha, have both parents and an older brother by almost two years... They're... Rather conservative, religiously speaking. Needless to say, the idea of having a homosexual in the family is far from their ideal. I always hated how judgmental Protestant faith was and walked away from religion. I'm basically agnostic these days. I got accepted at the U of N in Omaha, where I had my fateful encounter with a werewolf that made me one too. Then everything was ripped away from me by that direwolf..." he added sadly. "After I recovered, I left Nebraska, never to return if I have any say in the matter. I wandered aimlessly and found myself here in Bellingham. I sniffed around until I smelled werewolves and introduced myself, but folks here aren't very accepting of outsiders. I was in the new age store where Jessica works when I ran into Kyle, who was the first friendly wolf I met. He took me in, I met Ken and Luke, and we all ended up as pack mates. I like reading, sci-fi and fantasy, and action movies with lots of bad kung fu. I prefer red meat to white... Oh, that's right, I used to be a vegetarian, too."

Ben snickered. "A Vegan werewolf?"

"Just a regular vegetarian," Steve chuckled, shaking his head, "but I had to give it up after I was turned. Werewolves HAVE to have lots of meat in order to survive, and once I realized it was a matter of life or death, I had to re-evaluate my principals. It was rough at first, but I learned to accept my changed nature. That's pretty much most of me," he said, leaving out certain things... Like the troubles he was having with his family. "What about you? What do you like?"

"Well," Ben said as he moved another few boxes, "I like beef primarily, sci-fi is good, horror movies and video games that are horror or sci-fi/fantasy oriented. I also like RPGs like D&D and Pathfinder. I guess I like being outside more than inside now. It used to be the other way around, but I guess now that I'm half animal I like open spaces more than small enclosed ones."

"That's natural for werewolves. I liked getting out some as a human, but as a werewolf I need a lot of time outside now in order to feel happy."

Ben nodded in agreement at that, and they turned their focus to clearing the corner. Once they were finished, the two werewolves felt like a few hours of sleep were in order and headed up to the remodeled bedroom, letting themselves in quietly. Ken was snoring slightly, the sheet tucked up around his waist as he slept on his back with Luke laying on his side on the outside edge of the joined beds, laying next to him in briefs. Kyle's bed was now in the center portion, and he laid there nude on his stomach. Ben stripped nude with Steve doing likewise, then they got into their portion of the elongated sleeping arrangements to spoon up together, Steve facing the wall and Ben cuddled up close behind him. After Ben had drifted off and began snoring, Steve looked into the mirror mounted on the wall when he heard movement, and saw Kyle sit up to stare at Ben's back sadly. Steve caught Kyle's eye, saw the sadness there, and knew that he, at least, had heard everything. They exchanged a sad look before Kyle put his finger to the end of his proto-muzzle to indicate silence, making Steve nod slightly in agreement, then the lesser beta cuddled up close to Ben and hugged the alpha from behind...

And refused to let go all night long...

*****

It was lunchtime and the dinner was packed full of dock workers enjoying their mid-shift break. The place was a bit small, but had decent food... Especially the pork chops. As the large, burly man sat there, munching away on his food, Berke was lost in thought. *It's been over a week now and I still can't get over it,* he thought to himself gravely. *Dad always told me that fa-... Gay men were weak good-for-nothings that flaunted morality. I thought that it was true... How could a gay man beat me? ME of all people? I'm one of the toughest guys around! I could be Head Alpha if I was willing to put up with all of the crap that goes along with it! A lot of people sure want me to be in charge... I'd sure make a better choice than any of the other alphas... Well... The ones who've been around for a while, at least... That Ben guy is a real wild card... Wallace said Ben was as eager for peace as I am, so that's something, at least. It shows he doesn't have his head up his own ass the way the other alphas do. Too many alphas... All trying to be the boss, it's a wonder there haven't been all out wars over it. The full moons are bad enough, but at least the others are willing to wait until then to fight it out.*

He scoffed. *It's nothing more than a multi-sided Mexican stand off. I don't want the responsibility, Angela only cares about pleasure and being queen wolf of her own pack, Monica and Lester would love to murder each other, given half a chance, and have tunnel vision in regards to each other so bad that they can't think of anything else, and James? He's the worst of the lot! Nothing more than a sadist who acts like he owns everything and everyone around him. It's disgusting the way he treats his pack, let alone the keepers. Doesn't that idiot understand that the keepers are the only reason we haven't been discovered by the humans yet? I may not want to be Head Alpha, but I'll be damned if that lousy shit stain gets the crown!*

Berke's thoughts went back to the fight he'd had with Ben. *I can't believe he beat me so easily! He made it look effortless...* Berke pictured the end of the battle and felt a twinge in his chest where Ben had stabbed him with his hand. *Where the fuck did he come up with a move like that? I'm lucky I'm a werewolf, otherwise I'd be dead right now. And afterwards? He could've pushed for more after he beat me, but he didn't. All he wanted was for me and mine to leave him and his pack alone and lay off the bigotry. Well, that and for me to acknowledge his superiority. He has to be the strongest-willed wolf I've ever met... Maybe I should meet with him, find out what his plans are. All I know is that I don't dare make an enemy of him. He's too strong and I have enough enemies already.* He sighed heavily. *Why is it like this? Why can't we all get along like other werewolf communities do? It's embarrassing... Too many strong alphas all in the same area, I guess, all vying for dominance... If something doesn't change soon, we're going to make one mistake too many and then it'll be all over for all our kind. This won't stop here; it'll spread throughout the world if we're not careful and get our collective act together.*

Just then, someone joined him at his small table. He didn't look up from his food, but he didn't have to. His nose told him all he needed to know. "Get lost, James," he said tiredly. "I'm not in the mood."

"Is that any way to talk to a friend?" James asked casually.

"We're not friends and I'm not in the mood for another pissing contest, especially in public," Berke growled lowly so that they wouldn't be overheard by the other patrons. That he had nearly caused trouble with another werewolf in Wal-Mart had become a source of embarrassment for him. The way the human child had seen them had woken the burly alpha up to what he was doing, making him angry with himself. He had thought that he had more sense than that, but apparently not. He had made a promise to himself to keep his wolf even more in check while in public from now on.

"So what?" James asked, looking around with a scowl of contempt for the humans who surrounded them. "Who gives a flying fuck about them?"

"I do, and if you had any brains in that thick skull of yours, you would too."

James looked furious, but took a moment to calm himself down. "So a little bird told me that you got your ass handed to you by some worthless faggot who hooked up with the omegas," he said snidely, changing gears.

"Don't use that word," Berke said coldly in a tone of warning.

"What word? Faggot?"

Berke glared at him, the hand holding his fork clenched so hard that the utensil bent within his large fist. "Never use that word again. It's disrespectful."

James stared at his rival with a stunned expression. "You're kidding, right?"

"I've sworn off homophobia," was all the larger man said. "Me and my... People," he said, rewording the description of his pack in light of the mixed company that surrounded them. "It's taboo for us now."

"Some fag beats you and you bend over for him like an omega?" James retorted bluntly, disgust clear in his voice. "I always knew you were weak!"

Berke growled in spite of himself. "You don't know Jack shit! If you'd been there, you'd understand what he's like. I was beaten fair and square after I challenged him and so I show him the respect he's rightfully earned. That's not a concept you're capable of understanding, I know, but that's the way it is; showing respect isn't weakness."

"I always knew you couldn't cut it as an alpha!" James sniped, leaning in close. "All that muscle and a gruff attitude isn't enough to be a real leader! You're too lazy to be deserving of a position as high as yours. Me? I AM deserving!"

"You're some petty tyrant with delusions of grandeur," Berke said, not looking up from his meal. "You as Head Alpha? Don't make me laugh. You can barely rule over that pathetic lot of hooligans you boss around, you treat your keeper like a slave, your omega like she's a sex slave and a punching bag all rolled into one, and you want everyone to respect you without earning it? You're an idiot."

James' face went red at that and his facial hair started to grow out.

"Control yourself," Berke said coldly, glancing up at him, "You letting it slip out," he warned, returning his attention of his food

James closed his eyes and pulled the power of his wolf back in; the hair receding. "I won't be talked to that way! You'd better learn your place, Berke, if you know what's good for you," he said grimly.

"I know my place, but it's not under you. Ben may be my better, yes, but you're not."

James faltered at that. "And just what makes this wannabe so special?" he asked snootily.

"He's not an idiot, for starters," Berke said, cutting up the last of his third pork chop.

James bristled at that. "You must be a special kind of stupid to think I'll let you talk to me that way! You want a piece of me? I'm not afraid!" he growled, earning a look of worry from a man at the next table.

"I'm not getting into this with you, James, especially not here in public," Berke said so quietly at only the superior hearing of werewolves could make it out over the din. "You really want to blow our cover to humans just to soothe your wounded ego? Congratulations, you just reached a new depth of stupidity."

James had to fight hard not to change and attack Berke right then and there. He held himself back with extreme effort. "I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of anyone!" He saw the human at the next table staring at him with an expression of shocked worry. "Mind your own fucking business!" he snapped, causing the man to gather up his food and scramble away to somewhere safer.

"Brilliant," Berke grumbled. "That's maintaining the cover real nicely." He sighed, looking James in the eyes the way the other alpha found infuriating. "You don't get it. The pecking order around here is about to change drastically... I can tell. You'd better learn to show some respect to others if you know what's good for you."

"I refuse to bow to anyone! You! Angela! The Keepers! Even that pathetic little upstart!"

Berke shook his head sadly. "Forget it. When it comes to Ben, you're way out of your league."

"I'm not afraid of some faggot," he snarled. "He'll soon know his place!"

"Enjoy the view from under his foot," Berke said, eating the last of his eggs to finish his plate.

"I'll show you! I'll show all of you! I'M the one in charge around here and you'd all better get used to it! You can't all ignore my superiority forever! And as for this 'Ben', he'll soon learn to stay down where be belongs! I won't surrender to anyone!" James snarled, then shot to his feet.

"Just do me a favor," Berke said levelly. "When Ben grinds you into the dirt, have someone record it so I can watch it later. I could do with a good laugh."

James swelled with indignation, but said nothing. Instead, he turned and stormed out like a petulant child.

Berke just snorted in disgust, finished his coffee, and motioned to the waitress for his check...

*****

James stormed over to his car and got in, slamming the door behind him. His hands squeezed the steering wheel tightly as his claws emerged and he felt his teeth swelling in his mouth. It took a lot of effort to get himself back under control. Feminine arms reached for him timidly from the back seat, trying to wrap around him affectionately. "Not now!" he snarled, knocking them away savagely.

"I'm sorry," Crissy said meekly from the back seat. "You look upset and I wanted to make you feel better. I didn't mean to make you angry."

"I've told you time and again! Your job is to sit there and look pretty. When I need your cunt, I'll let you know. The rest of the time, you keep your mouth shut and mind your own business!" James snapped.

Crissy hung her head submissively. "I understand, Alpha. I'm sorry I made you angry. I love you."

James frowned at that, looking her over. "You look fat," he said with disgust. "No dinner for you tonight."

"As you wish, Alpha," Crissy said gently, submitting to his will out of devotion, crossing her arms over her torso in shame of being overweight despite the fact that the ribs were showing under her anorexic skin beneath the halter top he insisted she wear along with the short skirt and high heels despite the bitter cold. Her job was to look pretty... To show everyone that James was a hansom, virile man who drew only the most beautiful of women to him.

Yet she knew she was far from pretty... James told her as much often, but James only spoke the truth, so she knew it was her fault that he was forced to be stuck with an ugly cow like her. She did her best to make it up to him by doing everything he said. He was her alpha, her entire world and reason for living, and she loved him for making her strong enough to please him, for taking her as his bitch, as he loved to call her, and making her a werewolf.

She could never repay him for what he had done, but Crissy was willing to die trying. That was what her purpose for living was, despite what the keepers said. They just didn't understand; they couldn't see just how wonderful James truly was. She would never desert him because he needed her and her love for him was absolute. She willingly submitted to everything he did to her, the things that others claimed were cruelty. Crissy knew the only reason she was omega, the only reason she was struck often and used by the pack, was because he had told her that it was to toughen her up and make her stronger. Crissy believed James because he had no reason to lie to her. She believed in him and was eager to prove that she was strong enough to endure anything thrown at her...

She wanted James to be proud of her.

James was oblivious to her musings, lost in his own thoughts as he watched Berke leave the dinner and head back across the road to his shitty job of serving humans by moving all of their shit around for them. "You must really be stupid to think I'd fall for that," he said coldly to his enemy, watching the rival alpha enter the warehouse. "Trying to goad me into wasting my time with some worthless omega who has the nerve to think he has the right to be an alpha? Well I'm not falling for it. I'll take care of this 'Ben' when I'm good and ready. And once I've beaten him into a stain on the ground... We'll settle things between us!"

James started the car and took off, ignoring Crissy's pleas for him to turn up the heater because she was cold...

*****

It was Friday evening a few days later, and Ben had the pack outside, sparing in the cold to help increase their endurance and get them used to fighting in the snow. When the moon rose full, the ground would be cold and slippery, so Ben wanted the betas, and himself as well, to know how to fight properly in it, knowing that they were all learning this on an instinctual wolven level as well as a human intellectual one. When they changed into their primal wolf forms, the knowledge of how to fight in the snow and cold would be ingrained into their minds and instincts, helping them to defend themselves better than before; at least for those who had already experienced the power of the full moon. As for the alpha, he admitted to himself as to being rather nervous about it. Ben was resting from his latest sparring match against Steve when the sound of snow crunching underfoot alerted them that they were no longer alone. They looked up in alarm, due to being in their wolfed-out forms, to see a group of people walking towards them calmly, roughly seven in all, with an African American woman with frizzed, lion-styled black hair in the lead.

Steve walked over to Ben's side. "Monica? What's she doing here?" he asked with concern.

"She's one of the Clampett vs. McCoy alphas, right?" Ben asked quietly.

"Hatfield vs. McCoy; the Clampetts are the family from the Beverly Hill Billies show," Steve corrected softly, forcing Ben to mask his embarrassment over the blunder.

As the group drew up and Ben's pack gathered close, sensing possible trouble, the woman in the lead put her hands on her hips and looked Ben over appraisingly. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate with medium brown eyes under pencil-thin eyebrows, a broad, wide forehead, a tiny nose that was so short and wide it looked almost as though it would barely change shape when she manifested her wolven powers, thin wide lips painted bronze by her lipstick, prominent cheekbones and a small, rounded chin above a thin neck. She was dressed in a unzipped, fur-trimmed white winter jacket and black shirt that was so low-cut it was practically illegal. Black jeans and white, fur-trimmed snow boots completed the look along with an understated, tasteful application of makeup. Her pack was an eclectic mix of men and women of different races and fashion styles, the oldest being a middle-aged woman and the youngest a lad who looked to still be in high school, based upon his youthful appearance.

Ben supposed that some men might find Monica attractive, if in an almost elfish way, as continued to stand with her hands on her hips and surveyed Ben and his pack with an air of amused curiosity. "Can we help you?" Ben asked, staying wolfed-out since there was no need to hide his nature from the woman. He felt an instant dislike for Monica, who had invaded his land, the territorial nature of his wolven instincts coloring his mood darkly.

When the woman spoke, it was in a sultry, yet nasally tones that reminded Ben of the late Eartha Kitt, only slightly deeper-voiced. "So you're the one, are you? The man who survived a direwolf and now wishes he was an alpha."

"I AM an alpha," Ben replied coldly, offended even further by the she-wolf's condescending tone.

"Well you DID survive the dire," she said slowly and thoughtfully, beginning to walk around him in a leisurely pace, the snow crunching under her boots with every step, as though eyeing a piece of furniture she was trying to decide if she liked enough to buy. "Quite impressive... However, that is far from enough to justify such a claim. Being an alpha is about more than mere victories over dumb animals and muscle-bound brutes who are too lazy to lead," Monica drawled, finishing her circuit around Ben to stand before him. "There's already more alphas around here than necessary. Lester will be dealt with soon enough, James will undoubtedly make a costly mistake that will remove him from the picture, Angela will eventually submit and as for poor old Berke," she mock-pouted, "well... He just hasn't been the same since you managed to squeak out a win against him... I'm going to give you some friendly advice: Don't get in my way."

Ben frowned in annoyance at the woman's ridiculous posturing. "That's it? Just 'don't get in my way'? Lady, you have a lot of nerve! You come into our personal territory uninvited, unannounced, and start handing down edicts like you're the queen of Egypt and I'm supposed to be impressed? Save your breath and scram! I'm not interested in catering to your ego!"

Monica's simpering smile faded as she became angry. "You need to learn your place, little man-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Ben snapped. "How dare you talk to me that way! I owe you absolutely nothing! If you can't handle more competition, then that's not my problem! Take your edicts and shove them up your ass for all I care! I'm not impressed and I have better uses for my time than to waste it listening to your pointless monologuing! If you want to put on a show, go find someone who's interested in listening to it, because I'm not!" he finished coldly.

Monica snarled furiously. "I'll teach you to respect your betters!" she growled, transforming as she spoke. Part of Ben's awareness noted that he'd been right about the nose; it hardly needed much of a physical change to go from human to wolf.

"If I ever meet one of them," Ben answered firmly as his alpha ego swelled, "I'll take it under advisement."

Monica roared and lunged at him. Ben wasn't a male chauvinist. He could admire and respect a strong woman, but Monica was nothing more than a gang leader trying to play kingpin, as far as he was concerned, and he felt no qualms about using force to defend himself. This was clearly a challenge, and the alpha instincts in Ben rose to meet it without quandary, not caring what gender his opponent was.

She slashed away at him, using basic, animalistic swipes of her claws. Ben was forced back, surprised at the woman's speed and ferocity. *She's fast AND vicious!* Ben thought. after a few seconds, his intellect realized what was happening, which only made his instinctual side furious. If this she-wolf thought she could bully him into submission through a display of speed and fury, she was about to learn that Ben didn't surrender to such tactics.

Unlike Berke, who was designed for power over speed, Monica was the opposite. She understood her limitations and knew that if she was to be victorious, she would need to end the fight quickly. Ben tried to back away to get some room to maneuver better, but the female alpha didn't give him the chance, bearing down on Ben to hedge him in as she tore away at him with her wicked claws, slashing him again and again, drawing blood with each wound. The male alpha did his best to ignore the pain of the injuries she inflicted on him with her assault. She lacked the power to make any of them deep enough to be a serious threat to him, but if she kept this up, the blood loss would begin to take it's toll on him.

*Fuck it!* he thought, and moved in closer, evading and countering her blows as best he could while giving some of his own. To her credit, Monica took as good as she gave, and as they fought, her light, fast, and furious blows matching his own slower, stronger and more methodical ones, the battle soon became a test of endurance. Ben tried, but was unable to score a critical hit; Monica was rather agile and managed to dodge his better strikes, ones made to precise vital spots or executed using his superior strength. Whatever else she was, Monica knew how to make the most of what she had. She got in a lucky shot, stabbing her claws into his side and just barely missing the kidney. Ben buckled slightly from the pain, but remained on his feet as she attacked him again with her claws.

Finally, Ben realized he'd never win playing fair. In battle, as in nature, the winner was the one who used everything they had to succeed, and an honorable death was worthless compared to a less than honorable victory. It was one of the lessons several of his instructors over the years had taught him; one his wolven instincts agreed with. War was not about honor or glory. It was about surviving to fight another day. This wasn't an actual battle to the death, but Ben could not afford to lose this challenge. He weighed his options and decided to choose a tactic that would be fast, simple and have a psychological impact.

Recalling one of the cheaper, yet most effective maneuvers he had been taught, the male alpha stepped forward with his right foot...

Pinning Monica's left foot firmly, yet painlessly to the ground beneath it.

She reacted the way most people would in that situation, letting herself become distracted by the move, panicking, and focusing on freeing her foot from his...

It was the wrong thing to do.

Ben took advantage of her momentary distraction to slug Monica hard in the stomach, still pinning her foot in place, and drove the breath out of her, then followed it up with a series of punches to the face and stomach. He released the woman's foot as she started to sway, stunned by the barrage, then grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet. Shocked, her eyes bulging, she stared at him in a mixture of fear and shock, her airflow restricted without being entirely cut off...

And Ben stared at her with all of his will, showing the female alpha that he would never submit to someone like her. She struggled, fighting back with her own will, but the attempt was feeble compared to Berke. She barely lasted twenty seconds before she flinched away. With his victory complete, Ben put the woman down and let go of her throat. Monica slumped forward, gasping and coughing harshly, hands on her knees.

Ben stood over Monica, waiting for her to recover. Once she had stopped coughing, she looked up into his eyes for only an instant before she dropped her gaze. "That's... Impossible!" she wheezed. "No one is that strong-willed! What the fuck are you?" she spat as much from fear as from impotent fury.

"Stronger and more deserving of the title of alpha than you!" Ben snarled, half in pain from the still-healing wound in his side, and half in anger at her for picking a fight solely to try to bully him into submission so that she could continue to act like a feuding warlord unimpeded. "I'm only going to tell you this once, so pay attention! My pack is off limits to you and yours! If any of you come after any of us, I'll beat you into a coma, woman or not! I am your superior from now on and you'll do well to remember that! Your pack is still yours, as is the title of alpha, but you have no right to try to order me around, so don't ever bother trying again if you know what's good for you! Do you understand?"

Humiliated, her alpha will broken in comparison to his, Monica could only nod silently in submission.

"Good," Ben said, his alpha ego feeling the surge of victory once more. "I'm not sadistic or cruel, but I refuse to submit to anyone! I'm top wolf around here and will stand for nothing less. Now take your pack and get off our land!" Ben ordered firmly, dismissing her by turning his back on her.

Monica stared at his back, feeling a combination of fury and shame, but her wolf had been beaten and knew it's place, so she walked away with what dignity she could muster, retreating from the sight of her shame along with her pack, who could only stare back at Ben, feeling stunned.

Once she was gone, Ben slumped, moaning in pain and clutching his injured side.

Steve caught him before he fell. "Come on, Alpha, let's get you inside."

Too injured and full of pain to argue, Ben let them help him back to the Den. They entered the kitchen to find Jessica looking up from making herself some lunch. "What happened?" she asked, seeing the blood covering Ben.

"Monica showed up," Ken told her. "She challenged Ben. He beat her, but she impaled him with her hand."

"I always hated that bitch," the keeper muttered. "Set him down and clean his wounds," she instructed, heading to the workroom for the healer's kit. She returned a few moments later and examined Ben's wound. "It's deep, but healing. You're lucky werewolves can regenerate themselves."

"Yeah," Ben wheezed. "I'm really liking the fact that I'm not dying right now. Fuck this hurts!" he snarled in agony.

"Here," Jessica said, opening a vial of a reddish liquid. "Drink this. It'll help with the pain."

"Please tell me I'll make a full recovery," Ben nearly begged, his face white from pain and panting heavily, his tail rigid and body trembling from shock. "I'd rather not end up crippled or with limitations from this."

"You'll be fine; I've seen worse," Jessica said gently. "Now drink this one," she said, holding up another vial that was full of a slightly greenish yellow fluid. Ben downed it, wincing at the horrible taste. "Sorry it goes down like used vomit, but the ingredients lose potency if I add things to improve the taste."

"I know, but if it helps me heal up faster-" he stopped then at a stab of pain as his insides continued to knit themselves back together. "Oh fuck!" he growled, gritting his teeth. "Guess now I know what I did to Berke."

They waited about a half hour for his wounds to close more fully, then bandaged the injured alpha up and put him to bed. As Steve was easing him for some well earned rest, he smiled and kissed Ben on the lips gently. "I'm proud of you, Alpha."

Ben sighed. "You don't think any less of me for beating up a girl, do you?"

Steve smiled at that. "Monica's many things, but a lady ain't one of them. I'm glad she finally got her comeuppance. You were challenged and didn't back down, so there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"The funny thing is that I feel the same way. I was just worried I was starting to turn into a nasty person."

"You're not nasty, Ben. You did it to establish your position and defend both us and our territory. That's something any wolf can understand."

"Good," Ben sighed, closing his eyes. "But part of me wishes I'd clawed that bitch's titts off."

Steve laughed at that and Ben tried to as well, until a spasm made him think better of it. Steve stayed by his side until Ben fell into a deep slumber, his body beginning to truly recover from his second battle between alphas.

As he began to drift off, Ben couldn't help but to dwell on his victory and think one thing deep inside of himself on an instinctual level...

...Two down, three to go...

*****

Due to the nature of Ben's wound in his side, it took him a few days to recover fully. Work on Monday was difficult, but he passed off his injury to his coworkers as a pulled muscle during a workout. It wasn't until Tuesday evening that he felt up to resuming the pack's training officially. "Don't worry, Alpha," Ken told him. "We've been practicing what you've already taught us while you were recovering."

Ben nodded in approval at that and they resumed their training in earnest. Ben had to admit that they were getting better with each passing day. By Moon Night, they should all be ready.

Solstice eve came that Friday night, and they all gathered together for a large dinner of ham and turkey with all the trimmings, then sat down to chat. Celebrating solstice, Jack explained, was more a time of dawning hope as the light began to return to the world, serving as a time of reflection, enjoying what you had and looking towards the future while enjoying the company of loved ones.

Too eager to wait 'til morning, they began opening presents just as midnight struck. Ben discovered that everyone had given him clothes. Normally he hated receiving such bland, non-entertaining gifts, but with his larger size, the polo shirts, slacks, socks, shoes in the style of his older, smaller ones, and the new winter coat and scarf were welcome additions to his wardrobe. His tail wagged eagerly to display his appreciation of their generosity.

As they went to open the cards he had given them and pulled out the twenty dollar bills he had given to each of them, however, Ben felt horribly guilty as to the poor quality of his gifts. "Sorry, everyone," he said sheepishly, his tail going still and drooping as his spirits fell. "I don't have a lot of money to work with lately and I'm still getting to know you all..."

"This is perfectly fine," Jack said with a smile. "We understand that you're still new around here. The fact that you thought of us is gift enough."

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Money's the gift that keeps on giving, so it's fine by me." The others voiced their agreement.

"Thanks," Ben said, his tail beginning to wag tentatively once more as his conscience was eased.

Ken received a new iPod and a few iTunes gift cards; Luke a new set of work boots, a renewal to his Hot Rod magazine subscription, and a few new tools; Kyle a new graphics card and precision mouse for use in his web designing; and Steve got a boxed set of the complete series of Babylon Five on Blu-ray. As for the keepers, Jack was gifted several hardback books, including the original version of Dracula.

"Hmm, this COULD come in handy for research on vampires," he said thoughtfully. "Of course there's no guarantee that even half of this is accurate," he finished slowly, leafing through the book.

Ben laughed. "Good one," he said.

Jack looked at him with a no-nonsense expression. "What makes you think that I'm joking? Vampires are just as real as werewolves."

Ben faltered, looking stunned. "Wait... Are you serious?"

"Very serious," Jack replied in a no-nonsense manner.

"Lovely," the alpha answered, looking slightly pale.

"Well if there's any around here, I've never heard of them," the keeper said consolingly.

"That doesn't really help," Ben told him weakly, his tail tucking up under his chair nervously.

Jessica made an exclamation of happiness as she pulled a long black dress out of a garment box. "Oh guys," she cooed, "you shouldn't have!"

"We saw you eyeing it at the mall last month," Luke said, "so we all chipped in to get it for you."

"Oh I hope it fits," she said, running a hand down the length of the fabric.

"It does," Kyle said flippantly. "I snuck into your closet to get your dress size."

The woman froze, her face bearing an expression of horror. "You didn't!"

"We had to," Ken told her. "You don't just ask a lady what her dress size is."

"If ANY of you ever tell anyone what it is, I'll swear I'll rip your tongues out!" she said in a dangerous tone of voice, a grim expression on her face.

"We promise," Steve said with a sincere smile.

Jessica squealed with joy. "Ooh! I'm going to go try it on!" she said excitedly, then dashed upstairs, giggling like a school girl as she went. Luke groaned and shook his head at that, but said nothing.

Jessica came down a short time later with her hair up to model the dress for them. It was a tasteful garment that was simple and sleek; hugging her thin body in a way that screamed 'statuesque'. "Oh ho!" Steve said with a wolfish grin. "Robert doesn't stand a chance against that number," he teased.

Jessica blushed furiously and grabbed her left shoulder with her right hand, looking deeply embarrassed. "Shut up!" she said nervously.

"Who's Robert?" Ben asked, frowning in confusion.

"A special gentleman keeper," Ken replied slyly, "that our lovely lady here has been checking out as often as she can."

"I have NOT been checking him out!" the lady in question protested, sounding aghast.

"Oh yes you have," Kyle singsonged, wagging his tail rapidly in pleasure as he sat near the tree.

"Shut up!" Jessica said, throwing a pillow from the couch at him.

"Careful!" Jack exclaimed in annoyance as he saw the pillow bounce off the werewolf's shoulder. "You'll hit the tree! Some of those ornaments are irreplaceable!"

"Sorry," Jessica mollified, then sighed. "Well, I don't want to risk it getting dirty," she said, looking down at the dress with a thoughtful expression. "Thank you all for the lovely gift," she added primly before heading back up to her room to take it off.

"Touchy," Luke muttered as the woman's door closed behind her...

It was about a half hour later when Kyle's phone beeped and he read the text message he had received. "Hey! Mom and Dad are just about here! They just got into town!" he exclaimed excitedly, his tail a blur of motion as his body quivered with excitement.

"It's about time," Jack said, rubbing his tired eyes.

Ben, meanwhile, tried to repress a feeling of dread. *What if they don't like me?* he wondered, some of his old anxiety resurfacing. It was one thing to dominate the local wolves, but to meet the parents of one of his betas was unnerving. He knew better than to try to dominate them. They weren't from the region and it would be disrespectful to them, so Ben resolved to keep his alpha ego in check.

Steve saw him trembling slightly and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to offer his support. "Don't worry, Kyle's parents are nice people. Just please don't try to get them to submit to you."

Ben shook his head quickly. "No, that wouldn't be right," he said, reaffirming aloud what he had already promised to himself silently. "I'll treat them as equals."

"I'm sure they'll like you," Steve said soothingly.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, a car pulled up to the Den and a man and woman got out, both human in appearance. Kyle scrambled to the door, threw it open, and pounced in the woman, hugging her eagerly. "Hi, Mom."

"Hello, Kyle," the woman said, her voice sounding tired.

"Hi, Dad," the beta said, hugging his father tightly.

"Good to see you, Son," the man said, also sounding rather fatigued.

To Ben, it was clear that Kyle was their son. He had his mother's bone structure and eye color shading, while he got his nose, when it was human-formed, and hair color from his father, as opposed to the woman's light brown hair. Both looked thin and athletic, which also matched the muscular configuration of their child. The man had a beard and mustache that flowed as one to his collarbone with short hair and dark green eyes, while the woman's curly hair reached to her shoulders and her own green eyes were slightly pale.

"You both look tired," Kyle said, his tail-wagging easing to a stop. "Was it that bad a trip?"

"Six hours we were kept waited in that damned airport waiting for our connection to board," the older man growled in annoyance. "Absolutely ridiculous! I've never faced a delay that bad in my life!"

"Let us go bring your luggage in," Luke offered.

"Thank you, Luke," the woman said with gratitude despite her exhaustion. The beta took Ken and Steve outside to help bring in the senior wolves' things.

Jack and Jessica came forward after Steve to greet their guests, then the couple turned to Ben. "Alpha," Kyle said, "This is my mother Elizabeth and my father Greg."

"Nice to meet you," Ben said, shaking their hands.

"So," the man said to Ben, getting a good look at him, the woman doing likewise, "you're the one who done went and beta-ed up my boy?"

Ben felt humor war with nervousness and uncertainty within him, and it showed clearly on his face. "Umm... Yes?" he finally said hesitantly.

The woman chuckled. "Don't be so nervous! Kyle's said nothing but good things about you." She covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. "Oh... Sorry about that... It's been a long trip."

"Why don't we let you get to bed," Jessica offered kindly. "We can talk later."

"Good idea," Greg said thickly, fighting hard to avoid yawning as well.

"Come on," Kyle said as the rest of the pack brought in their things, "we have your old room made up for you."

"I want to take a peek at the renovations first," Elizabeth said. "I want to make sure they came out all right. With a rival pack member, it's always best to double check."

"Mom," Kyle whimpered, "it's fine! They did a good job! Besides, Wallace said that Berke wanted peace between our packs."

"Did he?" Greg asked in surprise. "Interesting..."

They made their way upstairs and showed them the renovated double room. "Wow!" Greg said with interest. "They really did a good job. It looks very nice."

Ben looked a bit apprehensive. Elizabeth saw the expression on his face and was amused. "Is something wrong, Ben?"

"Are you, uh... Okay with us all sleeping together like this?" he asked nervously.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Greg asked casually. "Packs are meant to be together and while our own pack has separate beds, they're all in adjoining rooms in our home. It's only natural to want to be as close to your pack mates as possible while sleeping," he said offhandedly. "All we ask is that you close the door and keep the volume down to a dull roar when you're mounting Kyle."

Ben looked at them like someone had just dropped a bowling ball on his foot. Elizabeth chuckled at that. "We know Kyle's gay, we accept him as such and have a rather liberal view on sex. It's perfectly fine by us if you mate with our son; as his alpha, it's your privilege. Now if you'll excuse us, my husband and I are due for a nice long coma after that horrible trip. We'll see everyone in a few hours."

"Goodnight," everyone said to them, Kyle coming up last for a hug from his mother.

"I see what you mean," she whispered quietly into his ear. "He IS very hansom."

Kyle chuckled at that as he let her go, then the couple entered their room and closed the door behind themselves. It was already late and everyone was tired, so they all elected to go to bed for the night.

As the pack settled into bed together, Kyle cuddled up close to Ben. "I knew they'd like you," he said happily before he drifted off to sleep. The alpha let his breath out slowly, relieved that Kyle's parents hadn't instantly hated him for claiming their son as his beta...

*****

It wasn't until the following morning that Greg and Elizabeth felt rested from their journey and joined everyone in the living room. Greg turned to Ben with an interested expression. "So you managed to fight off one of the fang clan with nothing but a tazer and sheer determination, huh?"

Ben frowned. "Fang clan? What's that mean?"

Elizabeth frowned in annoyance as she looked around. "You haven't told him about our history? He has a right to know."

"It's been... A bit hectic around here of late," Jack hedged, feeling embarrassed.

"History is very important," Greg said firmly. "He has the right to know... To understand where we come from."

"Well we're from Transylvania, right?" Ben asked.

To his shame, everyone began to laugh at that, causing the alpha to feel put out. Steve noted the change and realized that his mate's feelings were being hurt. "Stop," He said loudly, "everyone stop. It's an easy mistake to make, what with the way they make movies about us." Everyone calmed down as Steve squeezed Ben's hand supportively. "No, Ben, not Transylvania; we're actually from Greece."

The alpha recovered and frowned with confusion. "How are werewolves from Greece? What does Greece have to do with anything?"

"It's all connected to a man called Lycaon," Jack explained. "He was the first werewolf, along with his sons. From what I've been told, he lived long ago when the gods of Olympus still roamed the earth openly much of the time, and the word lycanthropy comes from him. As the story goes, Lycaon was one of the worst people to ever live; what morals he DID have were rather questionable. He was a notorious womanizer and had fifty sons by numerous women, most of whom gladly followed in the footsteps of their father. Lycaon was bold and reckless, and decided to thumb his nose at the gods in a most unique fashion. He took one of his sons, a kind-hearted lad named Nyctimus, and killed him, then cut up his body, had it cooked, then after inviting Zeus, father of the gods to his home for a meal, served the remains to him, including the blood."

"That's disgusting," Ben said dryly.

"Well, Zeus was not amused. He realized rather quickly what had been done and in his fury, destroyed Lycaon's home and placed a curse upon him and his sons that turned them all into wolves; Then, feeling pity for the lad, Zeus restored Nyctimus to life and left. Nyctimus forgave his family for their cruel act and set out to find them. Once he did locate them, he found that they had become wild beasts who were endangered by ordinary people everywhere they went, so he began to protect them from harm and keep them away from humans for the safety of everyone. Over time, the wolves began to become domesticated and the curse began to weaken, until they started to regain some of their humanity and could slowly begin to change back into human form. The instincts of the wolves they had been cursed to become were still there, but became controllable. Not all of the family were so disciplined, however. Those who learned how to control their instincts and live more as man than beast became what are now called the claw clan, while those who chose to let their instincts rule them became the fang clan. The two are now known as werewolves and direwolves respectively."

"Interesting story," Ben said.

"There's a bit more to it, actually," Jack added. "Nyctimus knew that if Zeus ever discovered that the curse had been weakened, he would come back to destroy the wolves, so he began to learn magics that could keep his family safe. He is the origin of the keepers. As for modern day werewolves, the family of Lycaon had the ability to pass on the power of the wolf to the children they sired, or to those they bit who were able to survive the infection. As new werewolves are either born or created, new keepers rise up to keep them safe. Every werewolf has a keeper, someone who loves them, to keep them safe and protected from harm. That is how it has been since ancient times."

Ben shook his head. "Greek gods are the ones responsible for werewolves? That's a new one by me."

"That's the legend," Elizabeth said, then paused at the frown on Ben's face. "Is something wrong?"

"That name sounds kind of familiar... I know I've heard the name Nyctimus before..." A look of realization dawned on him. "That's where! He showed up in my dream, the one that I had after Ino gave me that sleeping potion!"

"You met him?" Jack said, having never heard this before, leaning forward in his chair eagerly. "You actually met Nyctimus?"

"That's what the guy called himself," Ben said, then told them his dream journey in detail, even including the part were the wolf had tried to tempt him into becoming a direwolf and his rejection of that dark power, along with his reasons for doing so. None of the pack had heard this before either, and by the time he was finished, the betas were all looking at him with an even greater level of respect than before. Kyle turned to Jack with an expression that clearly said 'I told you so'.

The Burshans seemed the most relieved. "If that's how you feel, then I believe that you'll make a fine alpha," Elizabeth said. "I also want to thank you for not trying to assert authority over the two of us."

"It wouldn't have been right," Ben said simply.

"It would very well have been within your right," Greg said. "You're an alpha, but we're merely betas."

Ben shook his head. "That still doesn't make it right, as far as I'm concerned. You have your own pack and a life elsewhere. I won't steal you away from your own alpha, nor will I try to dominate the people who are so generous as to let me live in their house. It would be tacky, to say the least."

"You're a good man AND an good wolf. I have no qualms about you being my son's alpha. He's said nothing but good things about you."

Ben's wolf-formed tail began to wag at the praise as everyone took a moment to mull over all that had been said.. "Alpha?" Luke said, catching his attention. "Are we going to train today?"

"Well since it's a holiday, I was going to give you all a day to just enjoy yourselves," Ben told his pack.

"But we need the practice," Kyle whimpered. "It's only about two more weeks until the full moon. We need to get every bit of training we can squeeze in before then."

Elizabeth looked thoughtful. "I'd like to see your training for myself," she said slowly.

"Are you sure about that?" Ben asked her. "I tend to be pretty tough on them."

"We know that the reason you're doing this," Greg said, "is to make them strong enough to defend themselves, so don't feel the need to hold back on our account. We want our son and the rest of his pack to be able to stand up against the others. I'd like to see just how much Kyle's improved, to be honest. I tried my best to raise him right and help him to become strong, but he never seemed able to overcome his limitations. Granted, I was never exceptionally strong-willed enough to give him proper motivation," the older wolf admitted with embarrassment.

Ben rose and cracked his neck. "Alright, guys," he said. "You heard them. We'll train outside again. Let's go."

The betas weren't very happy to be forced out into the cold and snow, but complied all the same. "Can we at least keep our shorts on?" Kyle whined.

Ben glanced at Elizabeth and blushed slightly. "Yes," he said curtly, causing the she-wolf to giggle to herself at the alpha's embarrassment.

Once they were in the clearing, Ben turned to them. "You know the drill; strip and change." They all did so, then lined up before him. "Steve and Ken, spar together. Luke; you and Kyle today. I'll trade in when someone gets too tired to continue."

They began, Ben and the Burshans watching. Elizabeth watched her son with amazement at how much he had improved. *He's gotten so much better! My little pup is finally able to stand up for himself. If it hadn't been for Jack and Jessica watching over him, I never would've let him talk me into his staying here in Washington. I always worried for him, but Kyle looks so much stronger and more confident that I've ever seen him before.*

Greg did not say or think anything as he watched his son fend off his pack mate, but he felt a surge of pride in his son and knew that letting him stay behind in Bellingham had been the right thing to do.

After about two hours, Ben called a halt to the training and they all went back inside to heal up and rest. As Kyle cleaned the blood off of himself at the kitchen sink, he noted his father watching him with a slight smile. "What?" the younger wolf asked.

"I can see just how much stronger you've become. I'm proud of you, Son."

"Thanks, Dad; that's good to hear." Kyle's tail became a blur at how happy he was...