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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Extra Chapter - Clash of the alphas

Written by Argouru (argouru.sofurry.com) and Trickster_D

_ Authors' Note: This story takes place shortly after the beginning of Chapter 17 of Lykos - Lone Wolf, and after the second story arch of Lykos - Wild Things _.

"...and that's the story of the time I was so drunk I nearly donated blood and caused some kind of international crisis or something," Richard concluded his improbable anecdote with a long and sonorous fit of laughter, before his playful black irises looked into the rearview mirror. "Oh, come on, I know you were a tough audience, but I was hoping for some kind of reaction!"

Wyatt stared back at his father with a dorky grin. "Sorry, dad, it's just that I heard that story I don't know how many times... And, you know, Patrick can't really hear you. Besides, he and Drake are quite busy right now," and he nod to his left with his head: the two betas were sitting next to him on the back seat of Richard's station wagon, and were busy exploring each other's larynxes with their tongues, at least judging by the passion and the enthusiasm of their making out. After a few seconds they broke the kiss and stared in each other's eyes, stroking their beards and caressing each other; they were bonding in a way that was possible only for two werewolves belonging to the same pack. They looked like the most tender, loving couple in existence... And the funniest thing was, they weren't even boyfriends.

"Awww, look at them!" Richard mused. The headlights of his car shone over a signpost saying 'BELLINGHAM - 12 MILES' "They make quite the cute couple, huh? Are you sure you're okay with your boyfriend being that intimate with Patrick?"

Wyatt shrugged. "As if sharing has ever been a problem..." He suddenly grabbed Drake by his t-shirt and pulled him close, frenching him with hunger and desire just above Patrick's prominent musclebelly. The deaf bear, a little dumbfounded after having been deprived of his cuddling partner, look down at them, and a wide, blissful smile appeared on his friendly face.

Richard scratched his bearded chin, as if he was considering his son's objection. "Yeah, I guess that's true. When I was attending Grand Mesa I had eleven boyfriends at the same time. And I mean that literally, in case you're wondering. Like, in the same room together." The man sighed in delight, looking at the dawn starting to blossom against the canvas of the horizon. "The sex was awesome... But not as awesome as the sex I have with your mother. Well, most of the time."

Wyatt's eyes bulged. "Dad!" he roared, interrupting the kiss immediately.

"What?" Richard replied, with a grin that would've put the Cheshire cat to shame. "I mean, we were all part of the same pack, just like you three are! There's nothing wrong with that, right? And besides, it's not like I blame you, both of them are very handsome... If only I were ten years younger, I'd certainly ask you to let me sleep with them."

"DAD!" Wyatt repeated, now practically screaming: his face was red and shiny like the skin of an apple, and his irises were so golden and burning it looked like he was trying to set his father on fire. Drake, in hearing the words spoken by his boyfriend's dad (not to mention employer) had lowered his eyes in deep embarrassment; Patrick, on the other hand, was unaware of the ruckus, but still hanged his head and produced an appropriate penitent expression. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING?!"

"Yeah, maybe I'm serious when I say that I want to have sex with young men half my age," Richard went on with a cheerful levity in his voice; he didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that Wyatt had just shouted at him. "Or, who knows, maybe I'm just messing with you because you've been smooching like horny teenagers on the back seat of my car for the past four hours while I drive in the middle of nowhere with no one to keep me company." The smile he addressed the three werewolves via the rearview mirror was dazzling.

Wyatt glanced down at the car mat, his cheeks puffed up. "...good point," he conceded.

"I'm glad we're seeing the things in the same way!" Richard exclaimed jovially. He turned right in a smaller road, leaving the highway behind. "Okay, we're almost there. Remember the last time we came to Bellingham together, Wyatt? You were still a small puppy then, right?"

The young alpha crossed his arms on his chest, as if he was trying to build some defenses against his father... but he did answer anyway. "Yeah, I do remember something, but it's very vague... Although, there were other young wolves, three of them. And the youngest one was a lot like me, even if he was a little older... I remember having fun," he said, in the tone of someone who thinks that admitting something good was worthy of a severe punishment.

"Yep, they are the Burshans," Richard replied. "We are headed to their old house, even though right now they don't live there anymore... Well, except their youngest son, the one you remember a little about. He lives there with his pack and his keepers."

"You mean he became an alpha, too?" Wyatt asked, suddenly curious about his long-lost acquaintance.

"Nah. Apparently his alpha is pretty new... Just one moon old," Richard replied.

Wyatt let out a wolf whistle. "Nice. Female or male?"

"From what one of their keepers told me, they are a strictly male pack," was the man's response.

Drake snickered. "Oh, so they're like Clyde's pack. Or Marco's. Or the twins'" The bearded young man couldn't repress a fit of laughter. "Come to think of it, we know a lot of gay packs, huh?"

"Hey, wanna see the photos of my gay pack when I was in college?" Richard intervened. "I still have them home somewhere."

"Dad, for fuck's sake, stop!"

"What? The car?"

"Oh, I'm so going to tell everything to mom the moment we get home..."

Whistling merrily, Richard turned into a driveway and parked in front of a large two-floored house The outside was made of wood paneling that gleamed invitingly in the sun, welcoming visitors to the large, spacious home with snow that covered the sloped roof in a thin layer of white; with a large walk-on porch at the top of a dozen wooden steps and surrounded by snow-covered land bearing a variety of trees, all denuded of their leaves by the harsh cold of winter which serves as a small portion of the woodlands that stretched out in every direction of the remotely located dwelling.

A large circular driveway held several vehicles including a silver Honda CR-V, a blue Subaru Forester, a pair of covered shapes that seemed to be motorcycles, and, of all things, a rather dented and abused blue Honda Accord that looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it in a fit of rage, sparing only the windows, mirrors and lights, seeing as how dented up all of the panels of the poor vehicle were. "Aaaaand we're here!" Richard exclaimed, climbing out of his own car. He breathed deeply, letting in the cold, pleasantly crisp air of a January morning. "Ah, I love the smell of the north!"

Wyatt jumped out of the car and stretched his limbs, much like a cat; he yawned without even bothering to cover his mouth, showing a set of pointy fangs. "Why couldn't we take the plane?" he whined. "I feel cramped."

"Because I paid for your plane tickets last week to go to that convention in Arizona," Richard replied. "And weren't you the one always complaining about flying?"

In the meantime, probably having heard the engine of the car (or maybe Wyatt, since he couldn't keep his voice down to save his life), someone had stepped out the front door of the house: a man whose African roots had been tempered and trimmed by some Western blood, giving him light brown skin and a somewhat enticing and peculiar face. When he saw and recognized Richard, his previously suspicious brown eyes lit up in a friendly way. "You arrived, well... earlier than I expected!" He said, holding out his hand so that Richard could shake it.

"Yeah, sorry for that, I miscalculated the traveling time, apparently," Richard replied, giving him a toothy grin. "Boys, this is Jack, he's one of the keepers around here and my client for the job. Jack, this is my second-born, Wyatt... and they are two of his betas, Drake and Patrick. I hope you don't mind the fact I brought them here."

The blond-haired alpha bowed his head in respect. "It's always a pleasure meeting a dedicated keeper."

"Oh," Jack seemed surprised by the way Wyatt was talking to him... And also embarrassed and pleased. "Um, nice to meet you, too. Even if the situation around here has somehow gotten a bit better, it's good to see such an easygoing alpha. I am..."

Someone darted outside the front door, interrupting him. It was a guy in his early twenties, with short dark blond hair and cheeks peppered with stubble; his green eyes immediately singled out Wyatt, staring at him with an intense and focused expression. The two lean and muscular young men started pacing one around the other, as if they were two birds busy in some kind of mating ritual, their faces lost in concentration and their noses sniffing wildly.

"You kind of smell familiar..." the blonde man said, wagging his suddenly sprouted tail in uncertainty. "Like I've smelled you before..."

Wyatt, except for his golden eyes and the pointed fangs, was keeping the wolf more at bay, but the temptation of letting him come out was becoming more and more intense by the second. He wanted to run alongside the unknown and yet somewhat familiar young man in front of him, play with him in the woods, laugh, wrestle with him and roll on the ground... As if they were just happy, innocent puppies. "Yeah, I... I remember you!" The alpha suddenly hugged the other wolf and placed his head against his neck to sniff on his bare skin as closely as possible. "It was so many years ago..." he murmured with a sweetness in his voice that was almost painful.

Drake, in the meantime, was staring at his alpha with a puzzled expression on his bearded face: he had seen his alpha meeting other lycans in the past, but that was the first time he had been so... wolf-like in his behavior.Well, they are both wolf-born, after all, he thought, looking at Wyatt nuzzling his face against the warm skin of the other man. _And they haven't seen each other in years, so I guess that's the natural way for them to bond again._Unsure on what to do, he looked at Jack, who was staring at the show in front of him with the face of someone who was a bit more used to that kind of behavior. "U-um," he murmured. "Jack, right? I am Drake, and the big guy here is Patrick. Even though, mh, Richard already introduced us, and..."

Jack beamed him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. So, are you a pack of three?"

"No, but we couldn't bring everyone... The girls were busy and Chance - which is the youngest of us - had some very important upcoming tests to study for, so..." Drake briefly explained.

The keeper nodded. "I see. Well, the wolves in the Den right now are three too, speaking about coincidences. Even though..." his expression became bitter and sullen, and Drake realized that the topic was most certainly a delicate one, and decided not to press him; the beta scratched the back of his head, trying to find something else to say.

"Um... M-maybe we should, y'know, take a walk around the house, me and Pat... My legs are still shaky for the trip, and..."

Jack nodded. "Sure. Now that I think of it, the alpha of the pack should also be around..." The keeper fell silent for a moment. "He's a good guy, but... he may seem a little difficult to approach at first, so keep that in mind should you see him."

* * * *

Ben walked back to the Den, making sure his pants were zipped up. Too many damned markings to refresh, he grumbled, acting irritable from the cold. Pulling one's dick out in cold weather was not a fun experience, especially when repeated several times to refresh the dozen or so markings of urine he had on the edges of the property to show that this part of the forest belonged to him and his pack.

As he approached the Den, he saw a man standing in the snow, stretching. He was someone Ben didn't recognize by sight or smell. Growling as his territorial instincts rose up, he stalked towards the stranger, a fellow werewolf judging from the smell. "Hey! What are you doing here?" The man continued standing there, ignoring him. Growling, Ben stormed towards him. "HEY! I'm talking to you! Don't ignore me!" Still, the stranger took no notice of him. "What are you, fucking deaf or something?" the angry alpha snapped, finally reaching the man, putting a hand on his shoulder and spinning him around to face him. "I said," he growled, "Are you deaf or something?!"

The rather handsome man stared at Ben's mouth as he spoke, then looked up into his eyes for only a moment, seeing the anger there, before dropping his gaze, smiling nervously and nodding his head.

Ben's mind derailed. "What?" he asked, his fury deflating rapidly.

"Excuse me," another equally handsome man said, walking over. "His name is Patrick and for the record, he actually IS deaf."

"What?" Ben repeated lamely, his eyes and mouth wide in horror as the blood drained from his face. "Oh shit. Fuck! I'm sorry, really!" he blurted, hoping he was guessing that the man could read lips, making sure to take care in forming the words as correctly as possible with his human-formed mouth. "I didn't mean any offense." Smooth move, idiot! he chided himself inside his own head.

Patrick's reaction was quite unexpected: the deaf bear enveloped Ben into a warm, tight, amicable embrace, wrapping his beefy arms around the muscular and athletic body of the alpha. Ben's body tensed for a moment: in his brief experience as a werewolf, after all, no other lycan from another pack had been that friendly towards him right from the start. Although, there was no way a heartbeat couldn't lie, and Patrick's was sonorous and powerful, and yet incredibly gentle. "Sorry for that again," Ben explained in his gruff voice, once the hug was over. Well, he certainly smells nice... he thought to himself, then cleared his throat nervously and spoke aloud. "You alright?"

Patrick beamed at him and nodded, so that the other could know that no offense had been taken. After a couple of seconds, he seemed to realize something, and fished out of the back pocket of his pants a small notebook with a black cover and started browsing through it under the confused and still slightly wary eyes of Ben. Finally, Patrick found what he was looking for and placed the opened notepad in the alpha's hands.

Ben looked at the words on the page, accurately written in a rounded and elegant style. "Hi, my name is Patrick, nice to meet you! As Wyatt or Drake have probably already told you, I am deaf, so I wrote these lines in advance to introduce myself more easily. If you want to talk to me, be sure to look at me when you do so: I can read lips quite well. I also know sign language, even though the packmate who usually translate it to the others for me couldn't be here, unfortunately. Of course, you can write on this very notebook, if you want to! I like when people do that, because that way I'll always have something to remember them. I hope we'll be good friends!" At the end of the page, in place of a sign, he had drawn a small, stylized muzzle of a wolf playfully sticking his tongue out.

Ben closed the notebook and slowly gave it back to Patrick, like it was made of spun glass. "I... don't know what to say. I feel like a huge idiot right now," he told the bear, who shook his head and still smiled at him.

"Don't worry, it's not like you could know," the bearded, rugged man next to them said to him in an understanding tone. "You must be the alpha of the pack who lives here. I'm Drake, by the way, it's a real pleasure." His hand was strong and callous, and he looked into Ben's eyes with no trace of fear nor doubt.

"I'm Ben," the alpha replied. Seriously, who are those people?, he asked himself. His alpha ego and instincts were making him feel suspicious: for what reason there were strange, unknown wolves in his rightful territory? What did they want? They didn't seem intentioned in challenging his authority, and they weren't from Bellingham anyway... So why were they there?

Drake cleared his throat. "By the way, I'm sorry that we arrived like this... I mean, I know you're the alpha of the pack here, so having random werewolves popping up in your territory must be weird, to say the least." He scratched the back of his neck, looking properly apologetic. "I am kind of new to the whole wolf business. Although, not as new as you... And don't take that as an offense, quite the contrary! I mean, just by looking at you I can tell you you're an alpha."

Actually, I'm head alpha, Ben thought, his chest swelling a bit in pride. He didn't say that, though, because there was no point in bragging, and Drake probably didn't even know anything about the way Bellingham packs worked anyway. "Thank you," he replied, nodding briefly. "So you weren't born as a wolf?"

Drake gave him a small smile. "No, and neither was Patrick here," he squeezed the big bear's hand gently, and the two exchanged a tender glance. "Wyatt was, though."

Ben, who remembered reading that name on Patrick's notepad, nodded. "One of my betas, Kyle, is a wolf-born, too," he explained.

Drake snickered. "I know, he and Wyatt were busy hitting it off on the front door, and..."

"What?!" Ben growled, baring his lengthening teeth. His face grew into the proto-muzzle typical of the Bellingham wolves, and his eyes blazed golden. Was one of these wolves trying to take his precious beta away?

Drake looked at him wide-eyed. "Sorry, bad choice of words... Apparently they met each other when they were puppies and they are rekindling that old bond. Also, what the hell happened to your face? It looks... weird. Say, can I touch it?"

Ben shifted his golden eyes on him, forgetting his fit of rage at least partly in favor of some confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

Drake shook his head. "I know, it was a weird idea..."

Ben kept his eyes on him, and Drake didn't flinch or looked away. Of course, Ben wasn't trying to dominate him, but Drake was still staring into the golden irises of the alpha without hesitation, and Ben appreciated that. "Be my guest," he conceded.

Drake traced the contours of the proto-muzzle with unexpectedly considerate fingers, caressing the manly short beard of the alpha. "It's certainly different from what we have. I wonder how it would feel to kiss it." After a second, he seemed to realize what he had said, and his cheeks reddened under his beard. "Sorry, I was just thinking out loud."

Ben gave him a magnetic, toothy grin. "Are you gay, Drake? Do you find me attractive?" he asked. After all, Drake was on his rightful territory, teasing him innocently a bit wasn't going to hurt anyone.

"Well, I like the girls of my pack, too... But yeah, since after the bite I started liking men, and to be honest I love that. As for your second question... Yes, I think that you're a hot and handsome wolf," Drake nodded, displaying his feelings with complete honesty. "Although, Wyatt is my mate, I wouldn't do such a thing as kissing someone who isn't part of the pack without his consent."

Ben shuddered. He found both of the wolves rather handsome and his libido started to rise up, but put the brakes on it, unsure if it was appropriate at the moment despite Drake's honest and open display of interest. "So you really don't grow proto-muzzles, huh? Show me."

Drake, a bit nervously, let loose the power of his inner wolf and felt its power well up within him as his body transformed. Once he was finished changing forms, he stood there nervously, hand going to the back of his head in the habit he had acquired whenever he wasn't sure how to react.

Ben leaned in, tilting his head slightly in the canine gesture of curiosity and reached forward with a clawed hand. "May I?"

"Go ahead," Drake said nervously. "I mean, you let me do so to you."

Ben, being careful with his claws, touched the flat, non-muzzled mouth of Drake with interest and what appeared to be a hint of sadness. "Must make it hard to give love nibbles," he teased gently, pulling his hand away once his curiosity was settled.

"Why do you have a muzzle?" Drake asked.

"According to my head keeper Mitchell, the ley lines of the area affect the power of the wolf and make it manifest a little more strongly here in Washington. In addition to growing proto-muzzles in our wolfman form, we also tend to be a bit more aggressive and animalistic in behavior. It's a bit worse for me than most because my instincts are stronger than those of most wolves, making me more dominating. I feel it's fair to warn you that I tend to get a bit egotistical: I don't really mean anything by it, but most people can see me as rather abrasive and overbearing. But don't mind me, I haven't meditated yet today."

"You meditate?" Drake asked with interest.

"I HAVE to meditate. My instincts are so strong that they can control my behavior pretty easily if I'm not careful, so if I start getting insufferable, just chalk it up to that," he said with a wry smile.

"That's understandable, I guess... I'm still rather new to being a werewolf," Drake replied with a nervous smile of his own.

"Not as young as me," Ben said. "I mean look at me, not even two months a wolf and already Head Alpha of the region." Just couldn't resist bragging, could I? he thought to himself with mild amusement.

"Head Alpha?" Drake asked.

"It just means that I'm in charge of all the wolves in the area. They all answer to me and I serve as a settler of disputes and act as intermediary between us and the keepers."

"Oh, okay then," Drake said. I guess things work a little differently around here than they do back home, he thought. "Well, if we are bragging about things we've done, I killed a direwolf during my very first moon!" he then added, even if the thing didn't really sound that great compared to something like 'Head Alpha'.Better not tell Talia such a thing exists, he pondered, even though after her pregnancy Wyatt's sister had mellowed considerably.

"So you killed one too, huh?" Ben said; but when he spoke, it was with a haunted expression.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked.

Ben sighed. "Not long ago we had a rogue alpha try to take over the area. He challenged me to a battle and during it, he lost control and started to turn into a direwolf. I didn't have any choice except to rip his heart out before he turned all the way. I know it was the right thing to do, but I don't like having done it. The last thing I ever wanted to be was a murderer. He was a cruel and selfish man who was willing to expose all our kind to the world if we didn't make him Head Alpha, and his death would've come one way or another, but still... I mean hunting prey for food is one thing, but killing a person? I wish I hadn't had to do it."

Drake lowered his head a bit, an uneasy expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Ben, I didn't... I didn't mean to reopen such a fresh wound. The direwolf I killed, I did that to defend my pack, but, well... I didn't know who he was, and I still don't. But knowing who that person was, even if he was a horrible human being... It must have been really hard." He sighed, before raising his bearded face again. "I dunno if you're a cuddle type, but want another hug? It's the least we can do to make you feel a bit better."

"I'd like that," Ben said, hugging Drake tightly without hurting him and feeling grateful for the extra support. "The sad part is that I know I'm going to have to do it again sometime soon... After all, the direwolf who turned me is still out there somewhere and we can't find it."

"W-wait," Drake released the hug to look at Ben's face, dumbfounded. It was like he had just witnessed some otherworldly event, or the landing of a UFO. "R-repeat what you just said, please. I'm not sure if I got that part right."

Ben looked him in the eye, not to dominate, but to show how serious he was. "I was made a werewolf by a direwolf. I was out for a late night walk during the full moon before the last one and a direwolf attacked me. I drove it away with a tazer, but not before it bit me. After that, I became a werewolf. I guess I'm lucky that I didn't end up a direwolf too... Although it might explain why I tend to be more aggressive and dominating than some wolves... Or it could just be me and not the influence of my sire. Still, that thing needs to be tracked down and killed. It can't be left running wild."

Drake stood to attention. "Have any ideas on where it might be? Want some help trying to find it? I'm quite good at that, I have a good teacher." He knew that probably their brief visit was not going to be enough for something like that, but he was feeling a connection of sorts between the two of them... In a sense, Drake could say he could understand Ben, at least a little. They were both unsure about what constituted an ideal werewolf, even if the Head Alpha seemed a bit more adamant about his beliefs. Also, he's the second wolf I met during the past two weeks to have been sired by a direwolf... What are the odds of that? he thought.

"Thanks, but the keepers have tried everything they can to find it without luck. Apparently the direwolf is getting help in concealing itself. According to Mitchell, it's what he calls a dark keeper."

"D-dark keeper?" Drake repeated. Man, I still have so many things to learn in order to be a good wolf... he thought. He turned towards Patrick. "Have you heard about them, Pat? Dark keepers?" But the bear shook his head, too.

"I know, I didn't realize that they could exist either. I mean, who would WANT to help something like a direwolf? I guess there's all sorts of crazies out there," Ben said darkly.

Drake shivered... and not just for the horror. "Um, it's way colder than in California, now that I think about it... Would you, well, show your house, Ben? I'm sure it's a great place for a pack to live," he grinned, showing pointy fangs. "And I promise I won't try to kiss you, as I said me and Wyatt are an item, so..."

Ben let himself return to his completely human shape, feeling a slight surge of disappointment that Drake didn't want to kiss. Well, he thought, I should be fair and get Steve's permission first if I'm going to mess around with anyone. Besides, Drake has a mate of his own, anyway. "My head beta Steve is also my mate, and I agree with you on that matter about respecting my mate's feelings." The alpha gave Drake a quick smile. "You know, I think we can get along together... as long as you explain to me why you three are in my territory." with that, he began leading the way back to the Den.

* * * *

When the three wolves turned around the corner of the house, the show in front of their eyes was nothing short of unusual: Wyatt and Kyle were still hugged to each other, whispering things in their ears and occasionally nuzzling and sniffing the bare skin of their necks. There was nothing sexual about that, of course... But it still looked like an incredibly private moment.

As Ben, Drake and Patrick approached, Ben felt another surge of disappointment when he finally laid eyes on the last member of Drake's pack. After meeting two handsome, burly and hairy guys, Ben had imagined this 'Wyatt' would be like them. Instead, the blonde wolf being mildly affectionate with his beta was nearly the opposite, and Ben felt his smile fade into disappointment.

Oh, fuck, he thought. They have a twink. The young man appeared to be of college age with a thin, wiry build. Well, possibly a hipster, Ben mollified, taking in the appearance of the man as Kyle and Wyatt heard the crunch of their feet on the fallen snow.

As the three climbed the steps, Ben nodded in greeting. "Wyatt," Drake said, "This is Ben."

"Nice to meet you," Ben said shaking hands with the thin blonde youth. "Welcome to our Den."

Wyatt smiled, looking at him right in the eyes. "Nice place you have here."

"Thanks," Ben said, hiding the fact that Wyatt was not being respectful of his ranking.

He turned back to Drake, who seemed to look at him expectantly. Ben realized he should have been polite. Wyatt may have been a twink/hipster who didn't respect his superiors, but he seemed nice enough. "Nice pair of betas you have here, Drake. You should be proud."

"What?" Drake asked in confusion. "Oh! Umm... No, I'm just a beta," he corrected in a hesitant voice, his hand going to the back of his head nervously. "Wyatt's our alpha, not me."

"What?" Ben asked, turning to look at Wyatt with a frown of confusion. "You?" he asked bluntly. "You're the alpha?!" _This kid?! He's way too scrawny to be an alpha, and just look at the way he carries himself!_Ben thought, noting the devil-may-care body language and expression on the blonde kid's face, an expression that was rapidly fading to be replaced by an expression of resentment. "No way," Ben said.

Wyatt grew annoyed. "Yes, I AM the alpha. Drake and Patrick are my betas. Why? You think I don't have what it takes to be an alpha?"

"Well, no offense," Ben said kindly, "but yeah. I mean, you don't exactly have the bearing of an alpha, to be honest."

Wyatt crossed his arms on his chest and stared back. "And what exactly the 'bearing of an alpha' is, mister? Should I look like a porn actor from the 80's, just like you do?"

It wouldn't hurt, Ben thought. He didn't think Wyatt was ugly, but the kid was DEFINITELY not his type, unlike the betas of the visiting pack, along with the rather handsome adult who was standing beside Jack. Said adult stepped forward, placed a hand on Wyatt shoulder and gripped quite tight.

"You are Ben, right?" the man addressed him in a jovial manner. "You should excuse my son, he doesn't know when to shut up. I'm Richard, by the way. Jack was telling me about what you did for this region, it's good to know that even a new wolf like you is so eager to help our kind." His black eyes went a bit unfocused and lost in the distance. "You know, it kind of reminds me of when me and another four wolves tried to create a superhero pack during the Nineties... Those were the days!"

Everyone stared at Richard for a moment, unsure on how to react to that.

"Sounds interesting," Ben said. "Reckless, but kind of cool." He pictured burly wolves in form-fitting spandex, a secret fetish of his, and felt a slight stirring in his pants at the image that formed in his mind's eye.

Wyatt looked at Ben with wide eyes. "No, dude, really... You shouldn't take dad seriously, he's..." Richard's grip on his shoulder intensified, making him yelp.

Ben gave him a wry smile, shifting his stance as he felt the stirring in his pants once again at the thought of muscular wolves in tights. He cleared his throat and refocused on the present reality, rather than a possible fantasy, no matter how fun it was to imagine. "You seem to have a good father..." Unlike mine. "You should respect him... pup." Ben sighed. "Look, I don't mean any offense, Wyatt, but as Head Alpha of the region, I take my role very seriously. Being an alpha isn't just about having a title and getting your betas to do what you say. It's a very big responsibility. You are responsible for the behavior of the wolves under you, must maintain discipline among them, and fight to protect them when need be, and from the look of you, you're not the strongest wolf of your pack, the way an alpha should be. Being an alpha isn't a game."

"Ben," Jack said with a wince, "don't be so hard on the boy. I'm sure he makes for a very competent alpha."

"I beg to differ," Ben answered with a frown.

In quite the unexpected way, it wasn't Wyatt to answer, but Drake. He still looked Ben in the eyes, apparently not caring a bit about the difference in role. "I'm sorry, Ben, but you don't know Wyatt. Maybe he looks flippant, and maybe he's a bit of a smartass..."

"Hey!"

"...but I can assure you that he's strong, and responsible and disciplined. And most of all, he loves us betas so much... You have no idea of how good he is. So please, never say he's not good at what he does." The tone of the beta was firm, but very gentle.

Ben, not looking impressed, stared at Wyatt. "What? You need your betas to step in for you?" He shook his head. Although, Drake seems very sincere... Maybe there's some truth in his words. "Listen, how about a sparring match? That way you can show me how worthy of your title you are."

"Ben!" Jack exclaimed. "Don't go causing trouble! These are guests, for crying out loud!"

"I'm not talking about doing that NOW, Jack," Ben retorted. "And only if the pup here agrees."

Wyatt gave him an angered look... but there was also something unidentified in that stare. Like he was relieved of having being recognized worthy of at least a chance to prove himself. "Bring it on, Al Parker!"

"See?" Ben exploded to Jack and Kyle. "HE knows who Al Parker is, why doesn't Ken?"

"Because Ken's from Japan," Kyle said with a weak smile. "He's not that well versed in American porn culture."

"Ken?" Drake asked.

Jack turned to their guest. "He's another member of the pack. He and his mate Luke, along with my cousin Jessica, are in Osaka. Ken's great grandmother just passed away, so they went there for the funeral."

Wyatt looked at the keeper. "I'm... I'm sorry for your loss." He then turned around to face Ben again. "And I'm sorry for having been an asshole. I'll gladly accept your challenge, Ben... If anything, I'm the kind of guy who fights his own battles." He sounded proud and sincere in saying that, and even Richard seemed convinced enough of the truth of those words to let his son's shoulder go.

Ben nodded. "I apologize if I sound cruel or condescending, Wyatt, but I have somewhat rigid standards of what makes an alpha. I know you mean well, but being alpha is a serious thing and I just want to make sure you understand all of what that means. We'll spar later. For now, I don't know about all of you, but I'm fairly hungry and my mate Steve has been making breakfast, so here's hoping he made enough for everyone."

"He did," Jack said with a nod. "I told him that we'd be having guests."

Ben growled in annoyance. "Why didn't -I- know we were having guests?"

Jack shrugged. "I forgot to tell you, I guess. I thought I had. Sorry about that."

Ben growled again as he led the way inside, their guests sharing glances with each other, sensing that there was some tension between Ben and Jack, for all their friendliness towards each other.

"I'm sorry," Jack said. "Ben likes to be the one in charge... It comes from being such a dominant wolf and he still forgets his place sometimes."

"I heard that," Ben grumbled from the doorway into the kitchen.

"Does he always act that way?" Richard asked Jack softly.

Jack nodded with a heavy heart. "Don't think too poorly of Ben. It's just his nature to always be in charge. It comes from having such strong dominative instincts. He's not cruel or anything, it's just that his personality can be... Well... A bit abrasive at times. He means well."

Richard shrugged. "Heh, don't worry, I'm quite used to that kind of behavior. My eldest daughter has a very similar personality... I guess that's the reason why Ben and Wyatt were going for each other's throats before. They are both good guys, but they are not two people who should share the same room together. Or the same city, probably."

Jack nodded. "Your daughter? Damn, one of Ben is QUITE enough for me, I don't want to even imagine a female version of him!" he said with a smile. "He's a good friend, but takes some getting used to, as well as a LOT of patience. From the way he's acting, I think he hasn't meditated yet today. I'll remind him after breakfast."

Richard smiled. "Meditation? Great idea. Our head keeper hasn't ever had enough patience to teach that to young wolves... Well, to be honest she doesn't have enough patience for anything. So, in place of that, I made my kids learn how to play an instrument... At least it gave them some sort of discipline, even if it's not enough, considering the show Wyatt put on outside. I'm sorry for that."

"I'm the one who should apologize. Ben was acting rather unreasonably. I should've told him that we'd have visitors. I guess his territorial instincts are affecting his manners. I'm sorry that he gave Wyatt such a hard time, as well."

The dark-haired werewolf shook his head. "At least they seem to have found some common ground, even if it will involve them beating each other..." He didn't seem that preoccupied at the prospect of his son and the Head Alpha sparring, probably because as a werewolf - and a fellow alpha - he could understand the situation a bit better than Jack could. It really was a matter of being a good leader, both for Ben and for Wyatt, even if their way of fulfilling that role were different and apparently incompatible.

Jack looked uncomfortable. "I'll see if I can talk Ben down. Challenging Wyatt is rather extreme. I mean you're our guests and all. I don't want there to be strife between us."

Richard gave him a slight pat on the shoulder. "Nah, don't worry, Jack. Wyatt may look like an arrogant kid, but he's still my son." His eyes burned gold for a split second. "He knows how to hold his own, believe me. Let the youngsters have their fun, while we adults work!"

"Well I wouldn't call Ben 'young'. I mean he IS in his thirties," Jack said with a smile.

Richard shrugged. "I'm almost fifty-one, he IS a young pup compared to me. And besides, he's been a werewolf for a month or so... He is a youngster." The man couldn't help but shiver a bit. "Although, if he's that dominating like that after such a short time, I wonder how strong he'll be in a couple of years..."

Jack looked worried. "Ben is... Different from most wolves. I don't know if it has to do with him having been sired by a direwolf, but he is far different from any werewolf I've ever met... Especially when he fights. Your boy might be in for the battle of his life, despite this being a mere sparring match." He saw a look of mild concern on Richard's face and spoke quickly. "Don't worry, Ben won't take things too far. He DOES have discipline, but the way he fights... I've never met a wolf who can fight the way he does. Wyatt may have bitten off more than he can chew..."

Richard smiled. "Don't underestimate my son. Wyatt may not look like the biggest or the strongest among wolves, but he can handle himself just fine. I'm sure he'll do quite well against your Ben," he said, his chest puffing out slightly in pride. Then his stomach growled. "I'm starving. Can we continue this later?" he asked, fighting hard to avoid drooling on the floor at the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.

"Yes, of course," Jack said with a smile, leading the way into the kitchen.

Inside, Ben was helping another wolf set up the table. The man was tall, muscular without being over proportioned, and had a short beard and nearly buzz-cut hair of a medium brown, with electric blue eyes set into a face of Czechoslovakian heritage that looked upon their guests with kindness and welcome. "Hi, I'm Steve, head beta of our pack. Nice to meet you all."

"Meat?" Wyatt asked with a grin, looking longingly at the plates of sausage patties, scrambled eggs, pancakes with syrup and butter, milk and orange juice and French toasts.

"Yes, there's ham, too," Steve said with a smile, catching Wyatt's meaning and turning back to the stove. "I wasn't sure what all you would like, so I made toast and pancakes. I can make up some eggs in other ways too, if you'd like."

Richard shook his head. "Don't worry, you already did so much for us... No need for you to work more, really."

"Alright, then" Steve said with a jovial smile over his shoulder.

As they came close and Steve set the plate of ham slices on the table, Jack made the introductions. "Steve, this is Richard, his son Wyatt, and Wyatt's betas Drake and Patrick."

Steve shook hands with them all and looked to Wyatt with a smile. "So you're the alpha, huh?"

"Yes," Wyatt said slowly, expecting to be mocked again.

"Good for you," Steve said with an enthusiastic nod.

Wyatt was relieved. "Thanks. It's nice to meet someone who doesn't judge someone based on appearances," he said with slight edge in his voice, glaring at Ben.

Ben, however, missed the glare as he stared at Steve as if to say 'Seriously?'

Steve glanced at his mate with a slight frown, but didn't ask what that was about. He sighed heavily instead. "Enough chatting. I can tell we're all starving, based on the grumbling in your stomachs. Please, help yourselves."

As everyone sat down to eat, the food looked and smelled wonderful and everyone helped themselves. Steve's cooking was very good, and everyone savored the meal with gusto, especially Ben, who seemed to feel that he was entitled to the largest share of the meat. No one, however, was as bad as Kyle, who acted as though it was his mission in life to inhale the entire table's worth of food. He went for a third plate of food when Steve grabbed his wrist with a growl of warning, the lesser beta's fork hovering over the ham.

"Don't be greedy! Leave some for our guests!"

"But I'm still hungry," Kyle said with a canine whimper.

"You can eat again later," Steve said firmly. Ben eyed the display without interfering, letting his betas handle their own conflict.

Kyle wilted, pulling back his fork as Steve let go of his arm, then when Steve looked away, Kyle tried to sneak some ham again. Steve, seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, turned back to him quickly and snarled in a wolven manner at the greedy little beta, scaring him so badly that he fell out of his chair and landed on the floor as the chair dropped onto its side.

"Go lay down!" Steve ordered harshly. Kyle whimpered in a canine manner, so Steve snarled savagely again, baring his lengthening fangs. Kyle scampered away quickly and ran upstairs. Steve growled in annoyance and returned his teeth to human form before he picked up the chair, put it back and turned to their guests. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Kyle always thinks with his stomach. Didn't mean to cause a scene there."

Jack sighed heavily, as though used to this sort of thing, but said nothing as he ate at a more sedate pace than the wolves.

Richard's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Steve change back, noting the odd way Steve's mouth had moved as it had changed forms... as though it had wanted to start stretching outwards from his face like a muzzle. "Um... I heard about that. It's true that different wolves from different regions have their differences, although I didn't think they were that prominent."

Wyatt pointed a fork towards him. "That's because you haven't seen lycans from this part of the country in their wolfed out form yet." His hand then shifted towards Ben. "Now that I think of it... You know an alpha called Berke, by any chance? Big, brutish, built like a powerhouse, not to mention a fucking homophobe? A friend of mine told me you gave him the beating that fucker deserved, is that true?"

"Wyatt, please, some manners!" Richard pleaded in an exasperated tone.

Ben looked at Wyatt thoughtfully. "Careful, that's my big brother you're talking about," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Big brother?" Wyatt looked at him with his eyebrow raised. "We're probably talking about a different Berke, here... He won't touch a gay guy with a five foot pole, let alone letting one of them call him 'Big Brother'."

Ben smiled fondly. "Berke's a changed man. He was dealing with some personal issues..." He sighed. "Don't let him know I told you, but Berke's problem was that he was straight until he became a werewolf and it turned him bi. He was the son of a bigoted minister who was a major opponent of gay rights and Berke had a lot of messed up teachings ground into his head. He couldn't handle liking guys, so he, by his own admission, made the mistake of turning his own self-loathing against gay and lesbian people. After I defeated him, he saw that gay folks aren't weak or inferior like his father always told him we were, so he reevaluated his beliefs and tried to turn over a new leaf. He stopped hating homosexuality, started treating us with respect, then he... Well... He came to me for lessons on how to show the guys of his pack some affection. Now he loves sex with guys. Trust me, I should know," Ben added with a fond smile. "He even went as far as adopting me as a little brother; half in gratitude and half out of the fact that he wanted a sibling he could still be close to, unlike his biological human brother out on the East coast, and I never had any siblings at all. He really is a lot different from the way he was before, so give him a chance."

Ben saw Drake stare at him in shock. "What? It's not like either of us will get pregnant," Ben defended. "Although it sure is fun to try..." he added with a wistful smile.

"I'm not even going to touch that one," Jack said, waving his fork in the air in emphasis with a strained expression that made it look as if he'd rather not dwell on it personally, but didn't want the conversation to stop on his account.

Wyatt, in the meantime, had stared at Ben summarizing the last months of Berke's existence with a slightly open mouth and the fork hanging limply in his fingers. After a while, he just chuckled a bit. "So, wait... You made Berke crave the cock? That's what you're saying?"

Ben looked at him with the same angered, no-nonsense look. "Yes, but..."

Wyatt started laughing hysterically, not unlike a hyena. "Oh man, that's the most hilarious thing ever! I HAVE to call Clyde right now!" He took a smartphone out of his pocket and started pushing at the touch screen frantically. "Come on, stupid musclehead, answer... Hey, Clyde! It's W... Yeah, I know what time it is. What do you mean you had a rough night? Who cares, listen... I'm in Washington right now, and there's a guy here, you HAVE to talk to him... No, it's not one of Joy's jokes. Why should Joy be here, she lives in Arizona! Listen, just talk to him, 'kay?" Wyatt pushed his phone into Ben's hands, mouthing to him 'Tell him about you fucking Berke in the ass!'

"Are you serious?" Ben asked. "You want me to humiliate my brother?" he said, looking at the phone in his hands. "Fine, I'll talk, but I'm not going into detail." He held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, who's this?" a rather masculine voice asked through the phone, sounding rather husky and virile despite being slightly slurred by grogginess.

"My name's Ben. I'm the new Head Alpha of the Bellingham region. Clyde, is it?"

"Yeah, that's me. You have a nice voice... you into guys?"

Ben's eyes widened in shock. "Umm.. Yeah, I'm gay. I have a mate, but well, we can be open, with others, I mean..." Ben said. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! he wondered to himself in shock. _WHY THE FUCK WOULD I SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO A COMPLETE STRANGER?!_But there was no denying that there was something in the other wolf's voice that stirred yearnings within the alpha, a strange and powerful animal magnetism. He glanced over at his mate, but all Steve did was grin at seeing his embarrassment. "So, uh, you know Berke, huh?"

"...not one of Joy's jokes my furry balls. Tell Wyatt I'll spank his scrawny ass next time I see him."

"That doesn't answer my question, Clyde," Ben replied in a rather no-nonsense and commanding tone, wishing this whole ordeal was over and confused by his interest in a guy based on voice alone. He was starting to get sick of the whole situation. "Do you know him, or not?"

"...yeah, I do. He's a fucking bigoted homophobe and I nearly beat him shitless last year. Why?"

"Well..." Ben scowled. "Wyatt wants me to tell you that I fucked him in the ass."

"Wait. Are you that guy? The new alpha?"

"Yeah, that's me. And don't worry. Berke isn't a homophobe anymore. He's gotten a lot better and accepted his bisexuality. He won't be causing the gay community any more trouble, and if he does, he'll have me to answer to, especially now that we're adopted brothers. But for the record, he's a changed man."

A long, sexy, loud noise resonated through the speaker. "So, uh, what's he like?" Clyde asked with sly interest.

"In what way?"

"In the sack. Is he a good screw? I've always been curious about him, but every time I so much as looked at him, he scowled in my general direction. I wouldn't mind seeing what he's like, if he's changed as much as you say he has... Kind of makes me want to take a trip out there to find out for myself..."

"I'm... Not going to go there. If you want to see what he's like as far as sex goes, you'll have to settle your curiosity for yourself."

"All right then, it's a date," Clyde said, sounding like he was giving a wolf grin through the phone.

"What?" Ben asked in shock. "That wasn't exactly what I meant..."

"Too late," Clyde said with amusement. "I need to finish up a few projects around here, then I'll fly out there for a visit as soon as I can swing the time. If you're the Head Alpha of a whole region, I think we should meet anyway. Just be sure to have your butt ready... I know mine will be."

Ben sat there numbly, looking like someone had suddenly broken a bottle over his head. "What the fuck just happened?" he asked softly, lowering the phone slowly. He lifted it back to his ear. "Umm... Okay," he said slowly.

"Out of curiosity, how do you look like? Are you like Wyatt, or more like that new mate of his?"

"The uh... The second one," Ben answered, blushing. "What do you look like?"

"Perfect! As for me... You sound like a guy who likes his men manly, and I can assure you I'm the manliest around. See you soon, stud... Hey, I want to say something to Wyatt."

"Sure, here you go," Ben said numbly, handing the phone back to the young alpha in a daze.

"Hello?" Wyatt asked.

"Hey, do me a favor... Sneak into his closet and get his clothing and shoe sizes for me."

"Why?" Wyatt asked suspiciously.

"So I know what gear to bring with me. Does he really look like Drake?"

"Yeah, kind of," Wyatt said curtly, feeling put out and jealous.

"I'll make it up to you. Thanks," Clyde said.

Not the way I wish you would, Wyatt pouted to himself. "Fine, but I'll hold you to that."

"Hey, it's me," Clyde said. "I always keep my word." Just then, he moaned into the phone. "Well, good morning to you, too..." he said to someone who was apparently with him. "I need to go... My boys want some loving. See you later. Text me the measurements once you get them." With that, Clyde hung up, leaving Wyatt with mixed feelings.

"You alright?" Ben asked, seeing the uncomfortable look on the young wolf's face.

"I'm fine," Wyatt said curtly as he hung up and pocketed his phone.

Sensing that it wasn't something the young man didn't want to talk about, Ben decided to change tactics. "So," he asked. "Do you know any other wolves from around here?"

"Like that drugged up loser Angela?" Wyatt asked bluntly.

"Wyatt!" his father said sharply. "That was uncalled for!"

"Oh come on, Dad," the young alpha exploded. "You should have seen her at last year's convention! She was always strung out all the time on wolfsbane, she's a drug addict! That's no way for an alpha to behave!"

"Actually," Ben said. "She's cleaned up her act." He sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you about this too, but never, and I mean NEVER, tell her I told you this," Ben ordered sharply, making Wyatt bristle slightly until his curiosity overrode his contempt for Ben's domineering behavior.

"Angela was under a lot of emotional turmoil. She tried to come out to her sister as a werewolf, but her sister freaked out and jumped out a high window when she panicked. Angela blamed herself for her sister's death and the pain and guilt were so deep that she took to drugs to try to forget. From what I've heard, she never pushed drugs onto anyone else, but stopped caring about anything. She's finally learned to start coping and has sworn of the drugs, and now that she's clean, Angela had started to bring her pack back under control. She made some mistakes, yes, but now she's trying to make up for them, so cut her some slack, alright?"

"Her sister..." Wyatt replied, lowering his eyes on his serving of ham. "I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't know she had such a past. I guess I too shouldn't judge people that I don't know very well, huh?" He added, raising his irises again to look into Ben's eyes with a slightly aggravating stare, like he was trying to imply: yes, I'm talking about you, in case you're wondering.

Ben chose to ignore the look. Wyatt still had yet to prove his worth as an alpha, so he wasn't about to go easy on the kid anyway.

Richard put down fork and knife, carefully cleaned his short beard with the napkin and got up from the table. "Well, time for me to go. Thanks for the lovely meal, Steve." He addressed a warm expression of gratitude to Ben's head beta, who smiled at him. With a casual gesture, Richard threw his car keys to a slightly surprised Jack. "A good portion of the herbs you asked for are in the trunk. It wasn't easy to convince our head keeper to give them to me, mind you... I'll go search for the rest now."

The keeper stared back at him with an astonished expression. "Are you sure you don't want to get some sleep? Didn't you just drive from California to here?"

The dark-haired werewolf shrugged. If he was tired, that certainly couldn't be told by looking at him. "I'm the kind of guy who likes to get his job done as soon as he can, Jack... No need to waste time." Jack nodded and walked outside the kitchen to get his precious herbs from the car; meanwhile, Richard stared at his son. "Wyatt, behave like a true wolf should. I know Ben is very similar to Talia, personality-wise," Wyatt winced in hearing his sister's name. "But that doesn't mean you two can't get along."

He then looked at the head alpha, straight in the eyes. "Ben, please, forgive my insolent son. Even if he's been a werewolf for his whole life, he still has so much to learn." Ben stared back, quite fascinated by the look in the deep, dark irises of Richard and the emotions he could read in them: friendliness, respect, and most of all the fact that he was treating him on equal terms, one alpha to another. And even if the head alpha ego inside Ben, made stronger by the lack of daily meditation, was urging him to dominate Richard, he managed to keep it at bay. I guess I can recognize someone like him as an equal, since he's not from around here. He has his territory and I have mine, like two proper alphas should."Oh, and... should you feel like letting an old guy like me in your bedroom when I come back, I'm sure I can show you a couple of tricks..." He winked lewdly, and even if Ben easily managed not to blush nor to show any other kind of emotion, he was actually pleased by the open display of appreciation from Richard... who, despite his claims of being an "old guy" didn't look a day older than thirty-five anyway. He felt a slight stirring in his pants as he started to wonder what Richard was like in the sack.

"DAD!" Wyatt screamed, sputtering crumbs of toast.

Richard looked at him with a wide grin. "Don't worry, Wyatt, I'll let you and Ben have it away first!" And with an amused laughter he left the kitchen.

Ben stared at Wyatt. "Just so that you know, he was completely wrong," he told him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I..."

"Between you and him, I'd choose him anytime."

Wyatt lowered his grudge-filled eyes on the table. "...whatever..."

Well, at least I found a way to make him shut up. Good, the head alpha mused with a slight smile. He liked Wyatt well enough, but didn't really find him anywhere near as attractive as Richard.

Steve in the meantime, probably trying to bring the conversation back on a more civilized track, was looking at Patrick, who was busy wolfing down his scrambled eggs with an expression of pure bliss on his face. "You're called Patrick, right? I see you like the food! It's always good to meet a chowhound!"

Drake, who sat next to the bear, touched him on the arm. "Patrick, Steve was talking to you," he said after getting his attention. "You should probably show him the introduction you prepared."

The small notepad was passed to Steve, who looked the words written on it in silence. Ben's mate, after having finished reading the message, walked to Patrick and hugged him from behind, brushing their bearded faces together, a gesture to which the deaf bear replied with a surprised and happy smile.

"Was Patrick born a werewolf?" Ben asked.

"No," Drake answered, shaking his head. "As I told you outside, he was born human like me."

"Was he always deaf?" the Head Alpha asked with concern.

"Yeah," Drake replied.

"I thought becoming a wolf would've fixed his hearing."

"I thought so too at first, but I guess the power of the wolf can't fix everything," Drake answered in a slightly sad tone before they resumed watching Steve and Patrick get to know one another.

Ben smiled as he saw how well they were hitting it off and knew they'd end up fooling around together soon enough. Hmm, Ben thought. If he uses sign language, I bet he's really skilled with his hands... They are both so gentle and handsome, Ben thought, looking at them over a glass full of orange juice. If I haven't already had Steve, I guess I'd love someone like Patrick as my mate. He gulped down the cool, sweet liquid, before going back to his considerations.Maybe I can let the two of them have some fun while I take Drake, and Wyatt and Kyle can rekindle their old friendship through some good old sex... Wait, am I really thinking about having an orgy with three wolves I've met less than an hour ago? The image of a dark beard and a charming smile darted through his brain for a moment. Yeah, not to mention Wyatt's dad... And that mysterious Clyde at the phone, with his hot voice. Why am I meeting so many hot guys since I've become a werewolf? Not that I'm complaining, of course. Then he sighed in resignation. I think I'm turning into a man-whore... Or in my case, a wolf-whore... Oddly, he didn't feel nearly as guilty as he thought he should.

The plates were soon cleared and they heard whimpering from above. Steve sighed. "Should we let him come back down now?" he asked his mate.

"Well, there's no more food to steal..." he began, then, looking thoughtful, got up and quickly went to a cupboard, opened it, and pulled out an opened box of milk bones. He opened it to glance inside, rather than shake it. If he'd done that, Kyle would've been before him, begging, before he could blink. He sighed in relief, seeing that none were missing. He re-closed the box and put it back, then turned in time to see the reactions of their guests.

Curiously, the most intense reaction came from Patrick: he looked at Ben wide eyed and scribbled something on his notepad. Was that a pack of dog biscuits?

"Yeah," Steve began, then stopped himself, tapped Patrick's shoulder to get his attention, then started over once the deaf werewolf could see what he was saying. "Yes, Ben and Kyle love them, but Kyle has a bad habit of stealing Ben's and not replacing them. Kyle's a good guy, but has absolutely zero discipline when it comes to any kind of food."

Drake snickered at Wyatt. "It's like when we gave Chance that dental chew for his birthday."

The alpha raised his gaze at the ceiling. "Well, yeah, but that was supposed to be a mock gift... Except he started munching on it anyway."

"You mean you never tried milk bones?" Ben asked, quite surprised. "I thought you were a wolf-born, pup."

"Yeah, that's why I chase cars and I bring the newspaper to my parents by carrying it in my mouth," was Wyatt's snarky reply.

"See?" Ben said, waving a hand at Wyatt, "Someone who gets it!" he added, then smiled to show that he was teasing the young alpha.

"Ben, please stop it," Steve said with a smile. "Sorry about that," he added to Wyatt with an amused expression.

"Heh, never mind. But I think mom will kill me should I even dare to suggest something like that..." He smiled a bit. "Unless I tell her they are for Moira's dogs." He got up on his feet. "Um... care to give us a tour of your house, Ben? Seems like a cozy place to live in."

"Sounds good," Ben said as everyone got up. "Kyle!" he called out. "You can come down now."

They heard footsteps on the stairs a moment later, and shortly after that, Kyle came into the kitchen, looking sheepish.

"Come here," Steve said. Kyle moved up to him nervously and when Steve hugged him and kissed his temple to show he had no hard feelings, the lesser beta relaxed.

"Alright," Ben said. "From the kitchen, he said, walking backwards as he talked so Patrick could follow the conversation, "we have the laundry room," he added as they passed through the room, "Jack's workroom is in here, where he makes up all of his potions, powders and such; but I don't think he'd want us going in there without his permission. You know," he teased, "I keep expecting to hear another voice in there one of these days going 'Yes, Master'", he added, doing a convincing impression of Igor.

"Wanna swap him with Moira? She's a shriveled, hate-fueled old bitch who doesn't give a fuck about anything," Wyatt replied in an amused tone. "She can also kick the crap out of basically anyone, unfortunately..."

Ben winced. "Sounds like a horrible combination in ANYONE, if you ask me."

"You betcha. And she's also the head keeper of the region, so she's like you. Except a keeper. And a woman. And old as fuck. So not really like you, to be honest." Wyatt pursed his lips at his own failed attempt as a simile. "Although... You told me you have other keepers apart from Jack, right? We do have Ian and Lea, Moira's grandchildren, although they are still keepers in training."

"Well," Ben replied. "There's Jack's younger cousin Jessica, but she's still a trainee. She went with Ken and Luke to go pay their respects to Kioko in Osaka. They won't be back until after the weekend, though, so I doubt you'll get to meet them this time. Maybe next time you guys are up this way, though. Oh, there's also Mitchell," Ben added, a mixture of conflicted feelings clouding his face.

The guests noted the Head Alpha's reaction, but it was Steve who explained.

"Mitchell is a nice enough guy, but incredibly powerful for a keeper. He basically challenged Ben to a fight and Ben lost." He saw the bitter look on Ben's face and continued quickly. "But it was a very close fight. Ben almost had him."

"No I didn't," Ben grumbled. "He all but..." He looked up at their guests and realized he didn't want to look weak in front of them. "Well, yeah," he said, looking grim. "I DID almost have him. The dirty cheater made sure it wasn't a fair fight though, knocking me all over the place with telekinesis. It was a fixed fight from the get-go."

"Anyways," Steve added, "after that fight, Mitchell took over as our head keeper, since he didn't have an official pack of his own to keep. He's not a bad guy, really, but he believes in strict discipline and control over our animal instincts. He can be tough, but fair, and he really does care about us."

Drake scratched his head. "Yeah, Moira is like that, too." Wyatt glared at him. "What? It's true! Remember when she walked inside the barrier to help us? She was with seven primal wolves and a direwolf, and she looked like she was taking a walk in the neighborhood... That woman scares me, really."

"Well if you want scary, you should see the head keeper of the region, Ino."

"She can barely move," Ben said dismissively. "I can tell she's strong, but not much of a threat."

Steve looked at his alpha with a nervous expression. "Never tell her something like that, if you want to avoid a lot of pain," he said with a shiver.

Ben went to protest, then saw just how serious his mate was and let the matter drop.

"Anyways," Ben added, moving onwards. "There's the living room, then we can look outside or check out upstairs," he said, offering them a choice without any suggestive undertones despite his curiosity about how good Drake would be in bed.

"Well, we've already seen the outside, right?" Drake replied, in an innocent-sounding tone.

"I didn't," Wyatt replied. "Too busy sniffing on Kyle here." He pinched the other wolf-born on the ass playfully, making him yelp. "But yeah, I'd prefer to check upstairs too."

Steve's mouth fought off a smile. "Alright then," Ben said noticing it, then led the way upstairs. "We have the bathroom here, the guest bedroom there, the spare room over there, and the pack all sleeps in here," he said, opening a door on the other side of the hallway. Inside was a large single room with three queen-sized beds secured to one another, side-by-side, making them into a long, single bed for the five wolves to share. The scents of stale musk and spilled cum permeated the room.

Wyatt, Drake and Patrick sniffed the place in unison. "Mmmmh..." the alpha murmured, his teeth extending into fangs. "Nice. Bet you haven't washed the sheets recently, huh?"

It smells just like your room when we bond, alpha, Patrick wrote on his notepad, and everyone could notice that his handwriting was kind of shaky.

"Yeah, too bad Chance is not here, he'd go mad just by sniffing this," Drake joked.

"I love the way our room smells," Ben said huskily. "You really feel the love and togetherness in the air," he said, his eyes turning golden. He brought his hand to his slacks and groped himself through the fabric.

Wyatt glanced at him. "Would it be a problem, should we add some Californian scents to the mix?" He too was clearly rock hard, and he massaged the obvious bulge in his pants without a second thought.

"I'd like that," Ben replied, his lust rising as his mouth and nose started to slowly shift into a proto-muzzle.

Drake came closer to him and caressed his short beard. "You know, Ben..." he whispered in a gruff, enticing voice. "Since our alpha has given us the green light, I think I could satisfy my curiosity now, feeling how good it is to kiss that sexy muzzle..."

Ben murred in interest, then glanced over to Wyatt, silently asking for his permission to play with his beta.

Wyatt gave him a Cheshire grin so similar to that of his father. "As long as I can have fun with Kyle a bit... Although, he's my mate, so treat him well."

"Definitely..." Ben said. "Guys, let's show our guests some hospitality," Ben growled huskily as he moved in close to Drake and pressed his bulging groin against Drake's straining crotch. "Come on out, you Big Bad Wolf," Ben said to Drake in a growling whisper full of lust. "I wanna play..." He leaned in and licked at Drake's mouth with his canine tongue as his proto-muzzle finished forming.

Drake grinned. "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your brains out..." His eyes shone gold, and his new, longer canine tongue plunged into Ben's mouth, caressing his lengthened fangs, while his hands, contorting and twitching and sprouting fur and leathery pads, wrapped around the head alpha's handsome face.

Ben's hands clenched and unclenched several times as the claws and paw pads grew in, fur beginning to cover the backs of his hands. He felt a painful pressure in his backside, and lowered his pants some to let his growing tail hang freely while his ears grew pointed and fuzzy. He shuddered as a near-orgasmic spasm poured through him, radiating out from his groin as his body grew larger and more muscular.

"I love transforming," he growled lustily, pulling away for a second. "It always feels so fucking good." He dove back into Drake's mouth, lapping sensuously at the inside of the flat-faced wolf's mouth.

Drake groaned and moaned, enjoying the licking session. "Y-yeah, tell me about it... Fucking love feeling my cock becoming that of a beast..." And that was exactly what was happening in his pants: the skin on his dick loosening and the mushroom-shaped head disappearing into the fleshy, furry tube... But that was only momentary, because in seconds a wet, pointed tip protruded from the newly-formed sheath, red and pulsing with powerful blood.

Ben humped away, the pair lost in a world of their own, though the sounds and smells of the other wolves making out heightened the experience for them. "I can feel my dick changing... I love how it looks and feels," he said, the sensitivity of his morphing anatomy growing by leaps and bounds as it began to emerge from his sheath, pulsing as a splash of precum soaked the inside of his pants.

"And how it smells and tastes, don't forget that..." Drake murmured, the nails of his toes honing into points and developing into curved, deadly claws. He lowered his mouth on his partner's ear. "I want to suck your cock so bad... Please, fill my mouth with your powerful alpha cum..."

Ben growled in lust, the animalistic instincts that were always a part of his awareness taking over. He reached down as his feet finished changing, pulling down his pants and kicking off his shoes so he could stand barefoot on the floor, having abandoned the use of socks outside of work, due to the toe claws ruining them all the time. His changing penis hit the air, releasing a powerful wave of musk. "Yeah," he growled. "I love the way my dick smells... And the way my musk fills the air..." He backed away slightly. "Get down there, beta. Suck my fucking alpha cock." The shaft began to ooze musky precum onto the floor in a steady trickle.

"Yes," Drake replied, kneeling down. He gave a perfunctory lick to the red, big shaft in front of his face, from the base to the tapered point, and was rewarded with a long, pleasant shiver, and a spurt of pre. "Smells heavenly, Ben..." he replied in a dreamy tone, his golden eyes looking up at the alpha.

"Fuck yeah," Ben growled, reaching down to pull off his polo shirt and tossing it away until he was fully, properly naked like the beast he was should be. He watched Drake nurse from his canine shaft, running his hands over his torso lewdly as the body hair filled in until the skin just barely showed underneath. "Suck my fucking cock," he growled, sounding and acting just like his favorite porn star Zak Spears. His tail arched in pleasure as the beta worked away on his throbbing wolf meat.

Drake, seeing Ben undressing, started to do the same, even though the kneeled position made that slightly more difficult. He wrestled with his pants for a bit, before discarding them and letting his enormous bushy dark grey tail swing free in the air. The jacket and t-shirt were next, and the pierced nipples glistened on his chest that was rapidly being covered with a thick, sexy pelt of hair. The beta even ripped away the scrunchie keeping his hair tied into his trademark ponytail, letting his long hair fall free on his shoulder and back. "With real pleasure," he whispered, before taking the musky, fleshy tube into his mouth, massaging it with his tongue.

Ben snarled in pleasure as his body grew, both in height and un musculature, until he was six and a half feet tall and covered with well-defined muscles like a professional athlete, the transformation reaching its end as the power of the wolf finished manifesting.

As if it was waiting for a cue from the alpha, even Drake's body started shifting and growing, his muscles ballooning like that of a huge football player and he himself reaching the same height of Ben. They were hot, sexy and virile, the epitome of masculinity, and their own manliness was magnified by each other's presence, by the fact that they were enjoying their bodies and having sex.

Ben's tail thrashed around and he saw the movement of Drake's own tail, which was slightly larger and more luxurious than his own. "Nice tail... Can I get under it?" he asked. He bore down on his groin, sweetening the offer with a copious amount of musk right near the beta's nose, hoping the answer would be yes, but not wanting to force the beta to do anything he didn't want to.

Drake raised his face again: his eyes burned with desire, and his beard was plastered with Ben's pre. He looked like a man lost in the desert who had just found the most remote oasis. "You know what's the thing I love the most about werewolf sex, Ben?" he said, with a manic grin on his face. "The knot... Tie me, stud."

"Fuck yeah," Ben growled savagely, baring his fangs in lust. He reached down and took Drake by the upper arm, lifting him to his feet. As Drake stood before him, the alpha growled again, this time in appreciation. "Fuck... You're as big as I am..." He spun Drake around and shoved him towards the bed, the need to mount him overriding the alpha's sense of tenderness.

As Drake's upper body landed on the bed, a small puff escaped from his lips. When he turned around to stare at the alpha, his eyes were blazing in furious and unquenchable need. "Come on, fuck me as hard as you can!" he growled, into the gruff voice he was usually able to produce when horny. "If you really are head alpha, show it to me! Dominate me with your dick!" It was like Drake's wolf was challenging Ben to do his worst.

Ben chuckled darkly. "Better know what you're asking for, beta!" He snarled, accepting the challenge that Drake was offering with his ass, and his dick twitched in the air, shooting a powerful volley of precum that landed up Drake's torso like a slash mark.

The beta's face lowered towards his own chest, smelling the manly, salty, powerful odor of Ben's pre, enjoying every molecule of it. "That's all you can do, huh? You're all words and no meat, Ben! Use me, treat me like a fucktoy! Come on!" Drake was enjoying the act of playfully taunting the other immensely, and couldn't wait for the moment Ben would finally decide to penetrate him.

Ben snarled fiercely flashing his fangs. Drake was really challenging him! His alpha ego flared in response to the challenge, knowing that this was serious. It would be a true battle, but one settled by sex, rather than by violence. He growled menacingly, moved forward, and in a single, savage thrust, buried his dick to the hilt in the beta's ass, not caring how painful it would be to Drake and that his lycanthropic healing powers would help him to recover from the rough assault on his sensitive insides.

He snarled fiercely again in the beta's face as his fuzzy balls slapped sharply against Drake's ass, then without any ceremony, began to fuck him harder than he'd fucked anyone before, even his own mate, who loved rough mountings. "You're such a fucking smart-mouth!" he snarled. "This what you want? Huh? I'll pummel you ass so hard you won't be able to walk right for a week, healing or no healing!" He snarled, battering away with the strongest, most forceful thrusts his body could produce, nearly sending Drake skidding back across the sheets and away from him, if not for the bruisingly tight grip he kept on the beta's legs.

Ben was powerful, fierce, insanely strong willed and an alpha to boot, but that was of course a battle between two wills... And Drake, even if he knew he couldn't win, wasn't going to make things easy. At least, he would've tried to be the best power bottom ever. "You call this fucking?" he replied, managing to maintain a straight face despite the pain and the pleasure exploding through his body. "I'm barely feeling anything!" Drake bared his fangs, feral and dripping dense saliva over the sheets. "Aren't you supposed to be the strongest wolf around? The most powerful? Huh?"

Ben roared in fury at that, and somehow found a new level of power welling up within himself, his alpha ego refusing to lose. He began to fuck even harder, addling length as well as power to every thrust of his hips. "Shut the fuck up, beta! Mind your place!" he said huskily, leaning forward and shoving his tongue down Drake's throat to silence him.

Fuck! the Head Alpha thought to himself. _He's like an alpha version of Ken..._Then it hit him. For all that Drake protested that he was merely a beta, he had the power and drive of an alpha himself. It was... Interesting, to say the least, and in the back of his mind, he wondered why a wolf that powerful would submit to someone like Wyatt. The rest of him, however, couldn't care less. He was determined to force Drake into submission, and fucked him with all of his might as he kissed him.

Drake tried to force the proto-muzzle away at first, but after some seconds he decided that the kiss was too pleasurable for him to fight, and decided to play along, trying at least to force Ben's tongue to submission, and hoping the other would notice. Fuck, playing the power bottom part is so hot... he thought. _I can be as dirty mouthed and forceful as I want while having a dick in my ass... Best of both worlds..._Although, in the back of his mind, there was a small yet insistent voice asking him what it would be to pound Ben's juicy, furry butthole. Drake, however, didn't listen a bit; he was too busy feeling his anus pounded with a force that would've broken a normal human into two like a wet tissue, while kissing his partner with anger and burning need.

Ben fucked with reckless abandon, knowing that Drake was strong enough to take it. His own anus quivered as the human part of him wondered what it would be like to be fucked by a wolf as powerful as this... then his alpha ego squashed the idea flat. There was something odd about this particular wolf, as though he had yet to truly tap into the fullness of his power the way Ben had done. To allow a wolf as strong as this to dominate him was not only ill-advised, but would damage his status as Head Alpha. As curious as he was, he knew he couldn't afford to risk it. He settled for what he had, noting the way Drake was trying to control the kissing, and growled at him as they kissed, telling him to settle down and mind his place. Enjoying the challenge of trying to break a wolf to his will through sex alone.

Drake, however, still wasn't ready to be tamed. His tongue doubled his effort, the lone warrior left him to defend his body and his mind against the rising tide of Ben's power; he knew deep inside that Ben, even if his ego was probably screaming and roaring, was enjoying the sex immensely, and didn't want to let him down. Wanna teach me my place, head alpha? he thought, and smiled inside a bit. Keep going, but I'm not giving up that easily.

As Ben fucked Drake, he could tell that as far as dominance went, he was getting nowhere. The untapped power of the beta was too strong to submit this way, and Ben could see that letting that power go unchallenged, undefeated, would not just be bad for everyone, it could be disastrous. Drake had no idea just how powerful he truly was, and if he thought he was the strongest around, it could affect his mind and personality in dangerous ways. Ben realized he had no choice. This wolf HAD to be put in his place.

He opened his golden eyes, and as Drake met his gaze, Ben poured every ounce of his will into his stare, determined to beat the wolf in Drake into submission as he continued to assault the beta's ass and mouth with his body, making it into a triple attack of domination.

F-fuck, Drake though. The eyes of the head alpha were burning like twin explosions, powerful and obliterating. H-he's so strong... So powerful... The wolf inside his soul urged him to fight. If you manage to stare him down, you will be the head alpha, the creature told him. Drake shook his head internally. _No... He's too strong for me, I can feel it. And I have no right to try and rob him of his title anyway._So the beta nodded, closing his eyes and letting Ben have his way with him as he pleased, as his superior position allowed him to.

Ben stared into Drake's eyes, determined to win. Then he saw the struggle in Drake's mind, as though he was almost arguing with himself, then the beta closed his eyes in surrender. Ben growled deeply, feeling the thrill of victory like never before. That was the single strongest wolf he had ever met, but in the end, Ben had proven to be the stronger of the two. He wasn't a fool, however... He could tell that Drake had surrendered by choice rather than by force, but he took what he had gotten as he felt his knot begin to slowly swell.

Mmmmh... The delicious, painful bliss of the knot forming inside of him was a unique and incredible sensation every time. Fuuuuuuck, so great. He's so much bigger than Wyatt..._Although, of course, having sex with his own alpha was still the best sensation ever. And indeed, the feeling of being used, of being penetrated and stimulated anally was wonderful, despite his wolf's internal protests. _I can't wait to feel his cum everywhere inside me. Being marked by another powerful alpha... The sensation was making him incredibly horny, and his slick erection dribbled spurt after spurt of dense precum.

Ben decided to get a little rougher and began to rhythmically fuck Drake with his knot, yanking the slowly swelling lump on his shaft out before slamming it back in, growling lustily into the beta's mouth as he pummeled his tailhole.

Drake moaned inside Ben's proto-muzzle, feeling his own knot swell. Y-yes, I want to cum too, so bad... Spray myself and even Ben with my cum... Even if we belong to different packs, even if we live in different states, right now we are one and the same, linked to each other like only two werewolves can be.

Ben humped fiercely with abandon, then yanked... Only to find that he could no longer pull free. He went wild then, humping Drake's ass with blinding speed, then lifted his head and howled in victory as his orgasm hit... And he sprayed wad after wad of yellow wolf sperm up the beta's ass. He looked down at Drake. "CUM!" he growled in command.

And Drake did cum. He sprayed his furry chest and belly with ropes of sticky, dense spunk, while joining Ben in his howling. It was so wild, so free and so awesome, the best sex he had had in... well, in days, but still, it had been so great and totalizing, and the head alpha had been the strongest partner he had ever had. He murred, a shaky hand rising to claw Ben's arm, ever so gently, not to draw blood or anything... He just wanted to tell him that being fucked by him had been great, even without saying a single word.

Ben's reaction to the light clawing shocked him. The Head Alpha snarled fiercely, his eyes bulging as the claws drug lightly over his hide, and he puffed his chest out into the claws. "MORE!" he growled, the word so overshadowed that it was barely intelligible.

Drake, despite being still deep into the intoxicating afterglow, managed to produce a crooked grin. "A-apparently... I found s-something... Y-you like, Ben..." He repositioned himself as much as the cock still buried deep in his ass allowed him to, and brushed his claws all over the head alpha's chest, playing with his fur and especially around his sensitive nipples.

Ben growled. "Fuck yeah," he snarled yet again, the words barely recognizable. He let Drake rake him over for several minutes, basking in the pleasure that added to the sensations of his ongoing orgasm, then plopped down onto him as his orgasm began to fade, and ground their torsos together with a lewd cackle, plastering the beta's cum over their hairy chests and stomachs like a dog wriggling in the grass. "Fuck yeah," he repeated, finally starting to sound less feral.

With a last shudder, Ben's orgasm drew to a close, and he laid on top of Drake, licking his fuzzy ear affectionately. "That was so fucking hot... Your alpha is so lucky to have you for a mate..."

Drake closed his eyes, happy for the compliment. "Promise me that you'll mate with Steve with such passion, next time... He'll fall in love with you so many times again... And I think I love you too at least a bit, now. I hope you don't mind that."

"I love you too... And as a friend. I take pack bonds very seriously, so don't worry about me trying to steal you away from your loves. A pack is everything to a wolf and I'd never get in the way of that."

Drake nodded in response. "Now I understand why you're head alpha, Ben. I hope I was at least half as good as you were."

"Sorry about dominating you like that. I hadn't intended to, but it was important... Someday you'll understand why."

The beta nodded again, but this time he looked a bit perturbed. "I... I know, Ben. I'm a beta, and you're an alpha. It's only natural for you to dominate and for me to be dominated... Nothing to be sorry about."

Ben sat up, their torsos literally peeling apart from Drake's sperm, and looked Drake in the eyes gently for a moment before the beta dropped his gaze. Ben wanted to tell him more, to explain the real reason why he had done so, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him now. Drake might not be ready to know the truth about himself and the Head Alpha didn't want to do more harm than good. He decided to mollify the wolf under him. "Well, you sure gave me a real challenge, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. You did very well for yourself," he said.

Drake gave him an amused smile. "Hey, even if I'm a beta, that doesn't mean I have to be conquered that easily, right?" He turned his head to kiss Ben again, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on the proto-muzzle. "I guess it would be like that, kissing a primal wolf..." he said, and that made something stir inside him. "I'm so glad I can feel something like this..."

"Well if you're this sexy wolfed out, I can only imagine how incredible you are in your primal form," Ben said. "Man... I can't wait for the next full moon... I want to feel that power again... I still can't believe how powerful I am like that... And the way I look... It was quite a sight to see..." He stopped suddenly, looking deeply bothered by something. "I can't help but wonder what I look like when I'm fully manifested," he said instead, looking away with a slight trace of nervousness, as though he didn't want to talk about himself. "But you..." he said, looking back down at Drake. "You must be really impressive."

Drake let out a small, cheerful laugh. "Well... Yeah, I guess a dark grey, eight and a half feet tall werewolf with enormous muscles can be considered 'impressive', huh?" The man grinned in a playful way.

"You sound like your primal form is the same as mine... except the coloring, of course. I'm black with dark grey and dark brown undertones..." He sighed wistfully. "I wish I could grow out my wolf fur whenever I wanted to, but I'll just have to settle for Moon Nights like everyone else does."

Drake pet the head alpha's back gently... And this time, without using the claws. "It would be good, right? Never having to leave the primal form. Being able to discard our human bodies altogether, living free and wild forever into the nature, with no other concern in our heads and hearts than feeding and mating and loving each other..." He sighed too. "Although, we shouldn't be that greedy, Ben. At least we have something wonderful like that, even if it's just once a month... Think of all the humans... They'll never know how we feel like, and this always strikes me as deeply unjust. I'd love... I'd love for everyone to be able to feel what we can feel, really."

"Me too," Ben said with a small smile. "I wish we could change all the way whenever we want to, but I can see how dangerous that would be. If we give over too much to the wolven side of ourselves, there's the danger that we might lose the ability to turn back... Plus, I'm only speaking from the experience of a single moon. I need more of them to draw a better comparison... The next one is over a week away." He started to wonder what it would be like to share a full moon with Drake and his pack, before his instincts screamed at him that being inside the same barrier with Drake might have been a very bad idea, so he left the thought unsaid.

They heard a moan from their side, and looked over to see Steve and Patrick making out on Luke and Ken's portion of the joined bedding. "Say," Ben asked. "Is Patrick really good with his hands?" he asked slyly.

Drake sighed, this time in subtle bliss. "You have no idea, man... It's like he knows EXACTLY how to give you pleasure. He's the sweetest lover ever." His grin became a bit wicked again. "You should try him, Ben... Even though, of course, I'd love for you to fuck me that fiercely again. And again. And again."

"I will, on both accounts. Besides, you still haven't gotten to feel what it's like to get a blowjob from someone with a proto-muzzle," he said with a grin. "Thank you," he said, kissing Drake. "I really enjoyed this. We'll definitely have to hook up again sometime in the future."

"Hey, it's not like we live that far away from each other..." Drake murmured, winking.

"Sounds like a plan," Ben said...

Meanwhile, Wyatt and Kyle were going at it pretty heavily themselves, pacing their lovemaking to make it last.

"Mmmh... Kyle, who knew that we would've ended up in bed, when we had met each other as puppies?" Wyatt growled huskily into the beta's ear. He was enjoying the moment immensely, especially because Kyle was so hot, with his slender, extremely toned body and his splendid blonde fur.

Kyle murred, feeling very happy. It was almost like having a mate of his own... He squashed that thought down, not wanting to depress himself. He wanted to fully enjoy this experience.

"I can feel the tension in your body, Kyle," Wyatt said to him, suddenly sounding a bit worried. "I can feel it in your heartbeat and the rhythm of your breathing, they changed a little... Is something bothering you? I want you to feel as good as possible, Kyle, and if you have some lingering thoughts, you'd never be able to enjoy it fully."

Kyle sighed. "What's it like?" he asked hesitantly. "What's it like to have a mate of your own?" He glanced over at his pack mates, both of whom were lost in passion with Wyatt's betas. "Before Alpha Ben came along, I didn't feel so left out," he said so softly that only Wyatt could hear. "I know they always try to make sure I don't feel left out, but it's like I'm the fifth wheel in the pack... Literally. Without a mate of my own, it gets hard sometimes... Sorry. I don't mean to be a buzz-kill, but I'd really like to know how it feels to have a mate of your own."

Wyatt looked at Kyle in his eyes, golden irises into golden irises. He wasn't trying to dominate him, quite the contrary. "Oh, Kyle..." he murmured, letting out a long, liquid sigh full of sadness. "I want to do something for you. Right now, and until we finish making love to one another, I will be your mate, through and through. We'll love each other and trust each other completely, we'll know each other's smell and taste and we'll become one being. I'll show you how it feels to have a mate, how wonderful it is... And even if it will be just for a moment, you will be loved more than you've ever felt. Is that okay for you?"

"Really?" Kyle asked, brightening. "Is that really okay? I mean you already have a mate of your own," he said hesitantly.

"Really," Wyatt replied, with the most reassuring smile he could produce. "And besides, my mate and your alpha are going at it pretty roughly..." He stared at Drake being pounded savagely by Ben and his expression became a manic grin. "So why not? Remember when we were puppies, so many years ago? Remember how we played, how happy we were? I want you to feel that happiness again... with me."

Kyle buried his proto-muzzle against Wyatt's neck and murred. "I'd like that. I just hope I do a lot better at this than at playing," he teased, remembering how bumbling he had been as a puppy, so clumsy and uncoordinated. He hoped that growing into adulthood had made him more competent in his movements. The last thing he wanted was to be a sloppy screw.

"You'll do great," Wyatt undressed himself, revealing his perfect, ripped body, and his throbbing erection. "That's why I want you to be the one who guide me. I want to make you as happy as I can, 'cause I'm your mate. Tell me what do you want to do, Kyle." Of course, they were still an alpha and a beta, but Wyatt was sure that Kyle would have remembered what his place was.

"Well," the beta said, guiding Wyatt to the middle portion of the bed, and guiding the alpha to lay on his back upon it. As Wyatt did so, the scents wafted up out of the mattress, Kyle's own being the strongest. "I just want to paint you," he said with a grin.

"Paint?" Wyatt began, then moaned as Kyle began to bathe his feet in saliva as he licked Wyatt's toes, then proceeded to work his way up the golden alpha's body, painting him in his saliva.

"F-fuck... fuck yeah..." Wyatt murmured, enjoying the treatment so much his eyes rolled back in his head. It felt so intimate, so close... And so hot at the same time, like Kyle was marking him with his peculiar, unique aroma, like they really were mates and that wasn't just a momentary fantasy. "Oh, Kyle, paint me... Please..."

Kyle murred, his tail wagging lazily as he worked his way up the thighs, then teasingly skipped past the genitals to work his way up Wyatt's lithe torso to his neck, paying special attention to the nipples as he went, before moving all the way up to his head, bathing the alpha's face in slow, loving licks before he dove onto the flat mouth of the dominant wolf, who was treating him as a near equal, thrusting his canine tongue into that open mouth with eagerness.

Wyatt was taken aback by the act of being "painted", as Kyle had called it. Sure, even if his packmates, like any good wolf, loved to lick each other, this... this was on a completely different level. When the tongue completed its job and slithered inside his mouth, however, Wyatt quickly wrestled the sensitive organ to submission and started sucking at it possessively, so that Kyle would understand his place.

Kyle didn't mind in the least, knowing his place, and gladly submitted to the alpha's control as he reached down and took the tapered rod of his temporary mate into his hand gently and began to caress it, being mindful of his sharp claws.

Wyatt made out with Kyle for long, intense sweaty minutes. He's so eager to please, and he has so much love to give... he thought, feeling a hint of sadness seeping through a microscopic crack in his bliss. I hope he'll find a mate... No, I WANT him to find a mate._Both Kyle's lips on his mouth and his hand around his cock were so passionate and considerate at the same time, that Wyatt thought it was a real pity that he couldn't take him away from Ben and make him one of his betas. _As much as Ben gets on my nerves, he's clearly a great alpha and he loves his betas dearly, and the last thing I want is to go around stealing wolves from good packs... Not to mention that he'll most probably kill me should I try to pull a stunt like that. No, the moment the two wolves were sharing was destined to remain like that: nothing more than something wonderful and fleeting.

The golden alpha grabbed Kyle's stubbly chin with two fingers and made him part their lips as gently as possible. "I know I told you to be the one in charge," he murmured. "But I think my doggy prick is in serious need for some painting, you know..."

Kyle bared his fangs in a happy smile. "I was waiting for you to say just that... my mate. Apparently he was taking the fantasy very seriously, trying to get as much pleasure and love as he could before it was over. "The Bellingham wolves are well known for giving amazing blowjobs... Let me show you what this," he added, tapping the side of his proto-muzzle, "is capable of." he lowered his still open mouth and wrapped his sexy lips on the pointed tip of Wyatt's alpha dick.

His tongue played with the urethra for some seconds, and received in return a warm spray of pre that made the alpha moan in pleasure. "Just keep going," Wyatt murmured to him. "Such a good mate you are, so gentle and passionate..." Those words made Kyle's chest swell a bit in pride and happiness. Even if we are not really mates, even if Wyatt is just telling me this to make me feel better, it's still nice... His pack is lucky to have him... Even though NO ONE could compare to Alpha Ben. He chuckled inside of his own head. Of course I'm biased, it's only natural for me to feel that way. After that, he devoted himself to making his mate feel as wonderful as possible.

Mmh... Fuck, he IS right, that muzzle really comes in handy for blowjobs, Wyatt thought, his tongue instinctively lolling out of his mouth. _It's kind of like getting one as a primal wolf... Not exactly the same, but close enough._But still, it feels so good... Wyatt sinked the black claws in Kyle's hair, being extra careful not to puncture his skin by mistake. "So tell me, Kyle... Is there something that particularly pleases you? Something you've always wanted to do with your mate and your mate only?"

"Well..." Kyle hedged. "I really like being mounted a lot. I've never really thought a lot about how the sex would be special with a mate... I've always focused on the emotional aspects... But there is ONE thing I've wanted to do... I'd like to be mounted the way humans do it... You know, facing each other."

Wyatt nodded. "That's a very intimate way to fuck... Perfect for mates. If you want to feel good and make your partner feel good, there's no better way than to look each other in the eye. Now lie down on your back." The alpha was pleased by the simple, yet poignant request of Ben's beta: he really was just like he remembered it, a bit awkward and clumsy but with a big, gentle heart. "Don't worry, Kyle... I'll make you feel SO good..."

Kyle complied with a shiver of excitement. None of the other guys wanted to mount this way, feeling that it would give Kyle's instinctual side mixed messages. If he'd had a true mate of his own to shower with the majority of his affection, there would be no need to be reserved, but with Kyle as the only single member of the pack, the mated wolves didn't want to give him the wrong idea, regardless of how much they all loved him. Being able to mount like this was a rare treat these days, so he eagerly complied, whimpering slightly with need.

Wyatt positioned himself so that his pointed dick could press against Kyle's quite exposed pucker. His erection was slick and glistening with precum and ready to penetrate the delicate muscles of the beta's anus; considering how ready he seemed, it was going to be quite easy to slide inside of him. Before that, though, he wrapped his head around Kyle and nuzzled his face against the proto-muzzle. "Would you want us to make out while I fuck you, Kyle? Or just look at me? I promise I won't try to dominate you, I just want you to enjoy this moment as much as you can." He really did sound like the caring lover full of attentions Kyle had wanted for himself since he had become the fifth wheel of his pack.

Kyle's answer was to grab the back of Wyatt's head and bring him in for a kiss, staring into the alpha's eyes as they made out with a boldness that surprised the beta. This was so amazing! Wyatt was so tender in the way Ben sometimes could be, but not often enough for Kyle's taste. He loved his alpha very deeply and wouldn't give him up for anything, but Wyatt's sweetness was both refreshing and endearing. He kissed with gusto, wrapping his legs around the alpha's torso to draw him closer, releasing his musk with the urgency of his libido spurring him onwards.

Wyatt started to push against Kyle's ass bit by bit, still very gently, while murmuring gentle words of encouragement in his furred ears in the hot, quick pauses between one kiss and another. "You like this, huh?" he whispered. "You'll like it even more in a bit... Now relax, okay? Let me in..." He thrust with just a little more decision, and he could feel the tip of his dick sliding inside the beta's body. "Oh, yeah... Now we'll become one, mate..." he said, before resuming the make-out session. His hips pushed forward, plunging his canine erection inside Kyle's ass inch after inch.

Kyle cried out in bliss as he was penetrated, inch by inch. "Oh yeah... Fuck yeah... Mount me... Tie me... I want you to cum inside me..." He panted, staring into Wyatt's kind eyes and saw how lucky Drake was to have a mate like this. His body relaxed, easing the way for the alpha's penis, Wyatt's precum lubing the way.

Wyatt wrapped his hands around Kyle's face, his leathery pads pleasurably caressing his skin. "Sssssh," he said, with the sweetest smile on his face, tidying a sweaty strand of the beta's hair behind his ear in a tender gesture. "Don't force yourself, Kyle... Let our bodies talk." He thrust expertly inside the beta's body, knowing how to stimulate the right spots. "Right now we are a single being, there are no boundaries between me and you. My happiness is your happiness." He lowered his head again to enjoy the strange, and yet incredibly familiar sensation of kissing the proto-muzzle. Making Kyle feel good was wonderful, especially because the beta was so responsive and receptive.

Kyle, however, couldn't resist asking a question. "You like my muzzle? I like it," he petted Wyatt's smooth mouth with his knuckles gently. "Pity you don't have one too. But... You still look cute anyways," he teased with a grin.

The golden alpha smiled back. "I love it, Kyle. To be honest, I love everything about you, but that muzzle you have... That's completely different from what I've ever seen in another wolf, and being kissed by you feels so good." The smile evolved into a grin. "And well, I'm your mate, right? Of course I look cute! A wonderful guy like you can't expect anything less." He kept thrusting inside of him, reaching a slightly faster rhythm, while he still murmured sweet, tender words to his partner. His glorious, bushy tail swapped the air behind him with elegance, like liquid fire.

"Oh, Wyatt..." Kyle moaned. His own pointed red shaft quivered and throbbed, sandwiched between their bodies, making their abs sticky with precum. "C-can I tell you something? Something I've been wanting to tell to someone in quite a while?" His eyes were so large and watery that Wyatt felt something warm and vaguely painful stirring inside him, like he was staring at an abandoned puppy that no one had wanted to give a home to.

"Sure, Kyle... What is it?" the alpha murmured, kissing him on his flushed cheek and thrusting inside him at the same time.

"I... I love you, my mate..." Kyle whispered; his face crumpled, and tears finally trickled out of his eyes. Damn, I feel so stupid... Wyatt is trying to make me feel better and all I can do is crying like a baby...

Wyatt's canine tongue lapped the tears gently from Kyle's face, making sure not to miss any of them. "I love you too, my mate. And to show you that my feelings are pure and sincere, I..." He accelerated the rhythm of his pounding, until half a minute later, with a blissful and broken howl, he felt the base of his cock expanding into a true knot, sensitive and bulging. "Here, I tied you. T-that's the proof of my love for you."

Kyle grabbed the sheets with his clawed hands, tearing holes in the blue cloth and not caring about that in the least. Wyatt's knot wasn't as big as Alpha Ben's, but for a splendid moment it felt so right and so perfect inside of him, as if his body had been incomplete until that moment and Wyatt's dick was the last piece of his own personal jigsaw puzzle. On a whim, he wrapped his muscled legs even more tightly against the ripped body of his partner, and pulled him close to make out with him with even greater passion. Please, Wyatt... Cum inside me as soon as you can... He desperately pleaded. If you keep going like that, if you keep loving me like that, I don't... I don't know what I might end up doing. I might beg Alpha Ben to dominate you and make you one of us so that I don't have to let you go. I know it's impossible, and that Alpha Ben would punish me just for having thought something like that, but... He yelped in sorrow and agony and tried to use his tongue, his hands and his whole body to express his burning, painful desire to Wyatt.

Five minutes later, however, Wyatt was still jostling his knotty prick inside Kyle with reckless abandon; he couldn't help it, the beta's ass was so cozy and tight around his dick... Although, of course, he couldn't last forever, and with a long, blissful shudder he finally started pumping stringy yellow cum into his body. Kyle, in feeling the familiar sensation of his anus being coated by fluids, relaxed a bit, and his own orgasm hit him some seconds later, spraying his and Wyatt's chests and chins with rich, spicy wolf juice. The alpha collapsed over him, sighing in ecstasy as his dick still pumped the last spurts of sperm. "I hope... That I've been a good... Mate..." he murmured, his lips teasing a pointed ear.

Kyle lifted his irises at the ceiling over him; in that confusing and oddly pleasurable afterglow they kept shifting between the green of his human form and the shining yellow of the wolf. "Thank you... I don't know how c-can I... Repay you, Wyatt," he yipped in a quiet sheepish tone.

Wyatt looked at him straight in the eyes, and his stare was so powerful that Kyle was convinced for a moment that the alpha was bent at dominating him and at bending him to his will. "There is a way, Kyle... Find a mate of your own, as soon as you can. I'm sure the perfect wolf for you is out there, waiting."

Kyle lowered his eyelids, enjoying the touch of Wyatt's hands and the sensation of his knot inside his ass as long as it could last. "I will. I can't wait to feel again like I'm feeling now, Wyatt..."

As they laid there, Kyle reflected on his behavior and felt ashamed of himself, concentrating on keeping his body from betraying his feelings. What was I THINKING?! he wondered to himself. Have Alpha Ben dominate him? He sighed mentally. I really want a mate of my own, but Wyatt belongs with Drake... Besides, he has a pack of his own, and it wouldn't be fair to Drake to steal his mate away from him just so I won't be lonely... It would be cruel. I just... Have to be patient, is all. Someday I'll find my mate. I mean, I'm only twenty three, for crying out loud! I still have decades left to find him. He leaned up to lick the side of Wyatt's face, half in gratitude and half in silent apology for how he had almost acted.

On the portion of the bed usually reserved to Luke and Ken, in the meantime, Steve and Patrick were having a great time. Each of the three couple was, in fact, behaving in a completely different way from the others: and so, instead of battling for domination like Ben and Drake, or having a tender - even overly so - moment like Wyatt and Kyle, Ben's head beta and the deaf bear were just bent at making each other feel as good as possible... And very few werewolves could compete against Patrick in that particular field: his natural empathic abilities, greatly magnified after his change, allowed him to know how stimulate and pleasure his partner; of course, since Steve was part of a different pack Patrick couldn't "read" his body with the same easiness as he could with Wyatt or Drake, but his meaty fingers still moved all over the big head beta with eagerness and elegance, hitting all the right spots and making him moan in ecstasy only by being touched.

How does he do that?_Steve managed to think while panting, his tongue hanging limp from his proto-muzzle. Patrick was busy teasing and tickling his nipples, and it was amazing how something that simple could bring such pleasure to the body of the head beta. _It's like I'm an instrument and he knows how to play me, even though he has seen me today for the first time in his whole life... Wow. He opened his maw, and Patrick's tongue dexterously slithered inside. F-fuck... I-is he bent at making me cum this fast? T-this is kind of unfair, I want this to last as much as I can...

Steve enjoyed the kiss for several minutes, but as he felt himself start to get close to cumming, he pushed Patrick off him gently. "Slow down there, Speedy. I want this to last a little while," he said with a smile.

Patrick looked up at him with a smile that was as naughty as it was sheepish. The deaf bear had never been one to waste time, so holding back and taking things a bit slow wasn't exactly his style. It was a bit difficult to mate with a person he couldn't communicate properly with, and part of him wished that his packmate Angela was there to translate for him, but Steve and his pack seemed to be strictly gay, so maybe having a girl present during their mating would be awkward.

He paused as he sensed the feelings of his packmates in the room. Wyatt was feeling mostly happy, but with a trace of tender sadness that seemed directed at Kyle. As Patrick hadn't watched them talking, valuing their privacy, he found the trace of sadness perplexing.

As for Drake, Patrick was a little worried. His packmate seemed to be suppressing a sense of hurt feelings. While it was clear his fellow bear was enjoying the encounter overall, something was bothering him. Patrick wondered if it had to do with the stare down they had undergone. It had been hard for the deaf bear to miss, what with the intensity of the emotion. He had frowned, wondering why Ben had stared Drake down. He had sighed, wondering what this overly aggressive alpha was up to. Was he somehow trying to steal Drake away from them? Ben better not be trying to, if he knew what was good for him. Patrick wasn't one for excessive violence, but would fight for his packmate if needed, despite knowing that Wyatt would be the first to fight back.

"You okay?" he felt Steve ask, the vibrations in the head beta's chest readable to the deaf bear. He looked up and smiled nervously, not wanting to make trouble. 'Sorry about Ben,' Steve mouthed silently. 'He is a good guy, but too aggressive sometimes. Sorry he dominated Drake,' he added, then sighed and looked at his mate with a glance of resignation, as though this was normal for the alpha.

Patrick shrugged and let it go. He knew Drake well enough by now to know that his packmate would never leave them for complete strangers, even if they were handsome. He felt sad that their stay was going to be so brief, but the next time they came this way, Patrick knew he'd definitely want to tag along... Perhaps Angela could come too, assuming none of the guys made any progress on learning sign language by then. He rather hoped they did. It would be nice to have an actual conversation with them, despite his enjoyment of writing.

Suddenly realizing he was being rude, the deaf bear resumed his efforts to please his bedmate. He licked Steve's shaft, feeling the fellow beta moan in pleasure. "Hey" he felt Steve say, tapping him on the shoulder, and looked up to read his lips. "Wanna sixty nine?"

Patrick brightened, nodded eagerly with a closed-mouth grin, and they scrambled around into the appropriate positions. He sighed as he felt Steve's unusually-shaped mouth wrap around his penis, and let out a monotone moan of bliss as he took Steve's canine shaft into his mouth. As he sucked away, he shuddered at irregular intervals from the attention he received, and felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the way Steve was pleasing him. It almost made him wish he could form a muzzle whenever he wanted to too, even if it was only a blunt, inch-long one.

Patrick, however had a weakness that he didn't care to conceal. He had never been one to hold back and take things so. The sooner he orgasmed, then better, as that meant that he could orgasm again afterwards all the sooner. He could tell that Steve was one to want to go slow, but the deaf bear was unable to restrain himself, especially with a talented mouth and tongue like Steve's. Before he knew it, Patrick felt his balls tighten, his musk grow thicker in the air, and he growled in pleasure as he came, filling his host's muzzle with his creamy essence.

He never heard Steve's whimper of frustration, but the head beta took it in good grace and stopped holding back, humping the deaf werewolf's rather skilled mouth rapidly until he came, crying out in joy as his shaft spewed the contents of his testicles into the eager maw of his guest. He sighed as his orgasm continued, feeling slightly cheated, but still happy. I guess he hates to wait, the beta thought to himself with resignation.

Still, Steve felt a wave of happiness and reached up to gently comb his finger claws through the thick brown fur of Patrick's wolf tail. He brought the tip of it to him and kissed it playfully. He felt Patrick squirm against him in a way that he thought might mean that he was amused, then felt his own gray timber wolf-furred tail receive the same treatment. He sat up once his orgasm ended to see Patrick smiling at him, the deaf bear's lower face covered in sperm. He noted that his proto-muzzle DID feel slightly goopy around the lips, and sitting up, began to lick Patrick's face clean.

"That was nice," he said, pulling back enough to let Patrick see what he was saying. "Brief... But nice." Patrick looked sheepish and embarrassed as he gave a goofy grin, looking like a child who had been caught doing something he liked that others didn't. He shot forward quickly and kissed Steve with passion for several moments before he pulled away with a slight frown warring with his smile. It was odd to be with someone who he couldn't sense anything from. He sighed. If only Steve and his pack could sense things from each other the way he and his own pack could...

He brightened as he realized something. If the pack could all create their own bond, then why not other packs too? He sat up, looked around, then scrambled off his bed and dug into his pants before pulling out his notepad, flipping to a blank page, and wrote quickly before he took it over to Wyatt, tapping him on the foot.

"Stop!" Wyatt giggled as his beta touched the ticklish spot on the underside of his foot-paw. "What's up," he asked. He tried to sit up, but being tied with Kyle made it rather difficult. He took the notepad and read what was written. "Really? You think they'd want it?" he asked with raised eyebrows. Patrick shrugged.

"Hey guys," he said to them, "Patrick wants me to tell you about something we can do." He tried again to dislodge himself from the beta's ass, but his knot was still a bit too swollen for that. "...well, that will probably have to wait for a couple of minutes more, I guess..."

Ten minutes later, after everyone was free to move again, Wyatt instructed the other five wolves to sit on the bed forming a circle; they were all naked, of course, but the thing certainly wasn't going to bother them. Wyatt brought a hand to his forehead in quite the dramatic gesture. "Um, where do I start?"

"The beginning might be a good idea," Ben mused with an amused grin on his proto-muzzle.

"Thank you, smartass," Wyatt retorted while rolling his eyes. "Okay, let's see..." he pointed at the pudgy bear sitting on his left. "At first, it was all thanks to Patrick. You see, he has always had this weird, you know, ability to sense other people's emotions... like cold reading, if you want. Like he could read other people's auras, or some other vaguely New Age-ish concept..."

"Umm... There's a point in there somewhere, right?" Ben asked, butting him short. "Care to summarize it, or were you planning on marrying your own voice there?" he added with a grin.

Wyatt stuck out his canine tongue in his direction. "Anyway, after the bite Pat realized he could feel our emotions too. I mean, the emotions of us pack members; he could read us with the same ease as reading our lips. At first it seemed surprising, until I realized that, well, a bond like that exists naturally between packmates, especially from the betas towards their alpha... So we found a way to exploit said bonds, in a sense."

"So it's like some kind of telepathic link?" Steve asked with a furrowed brow.

"That could be rather useful," Ben said slowly, lost in thought. His betas could see the wheels turning in their alpha's brain, the strategic nature of the man seeing the advantages of such a bond. "How does it work?" he asked.

Wyatt shook his head, sighing. "Yeah, forget about mind reading, guys. That's keepers' stuff; I'm sure that Mitchell guy you have can do that easily, huh? Moira can read inside you like you were a book, and what she reads usually doesn't please her..." He shivered, even though he tried to keep a tough facade.

Kyle shook his head. "The only mind readers around here are Robert and Melissa, but neither of them are very strong. Mitchell's a kinetic... Tele and similar stuff." He sighed. "Ino, our head keeper, is trying to get us some new keepers with stronger abilities, but since she's occupied with the funeral for her older sister, it'll be a while before we get any new keepers. But you were saying..."

"Yeah, um... It's more emotion-based than anything else, really. I won't say that you'll be able to feel exactly what another member of your pack is feeling, but... you get the idea," Wyatt smiled and wrapped his arms around his betas' broad shoulders, pulling them a bit closer. "It's an awesome way to feel closer." The three exchanged some quick glances, looking like close friends and lovers at the same time.

"So it's kind of like knowing HOW they feel, rather than exactly what they're thinking?" Steve asked, trying to understand. "Like knowing that someone is happy, but not what, exactly, they're happy about?"

Wyatt seemed to reflect on those words for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, Steve, you got the idea. Let me give a quick demonstration on how the thing works... No hard feelings, Ben, okay?" The young alpha beamed a predatory smile and jumped over Ben's head beta and mate, before starting to make out with him passionately. Steve, albeit surprised by the tongue being forced inside his muzzle, quickly reciprocated the kiss. A loud moan escaped from Drake's lips, and everyone could see his own dick - not to mention Patrick's - starting to poke again out of their respective furry sheaths. The deaf bear panted a bit, while Drake absent-mindedly pinched one of his pierced nipples; they were clearly aroused, even if until a couple of seconds before they were completely calm and quiet.

Ben gritted his teeth as he watched Wyatt pounce on his mate. The visiting alpha hadn't asked for his permission, and he felt his claws itch slightly, wanting to be used. He restrained himself with effort, then paused when he glanced over to see Wyatt's betas reacting to the kiss they weren't a part of as though it was happening to them as well. "What the...?" he asked, shock overriding his anger. "What's going on with you two?"

Wyatt stopped sucking on Steve's face and looked at Ben with an impish grin. "Sorry, big guy, but y'know... It had to be a natural reaction. See what happened to those two?" He hinted at Patrick and Drake, who had started to fondle and kiss one another, their slick cocks pressed together between their bodies.

"They shared your horniness?" Kyle asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"Not to mention my desire to make out with a hot bearded guy," Wyatt nodded at him. "And they are acting according to said desire, as you can see." The alpha nuzzled once against Steve's cheek before recomposing himself. "Of course, this is not a form of mind control or enthrallment, far from it... The impulses can be resisted easily, but when it's something so pleasurable, I mean..." Drake and Patrick looked ready to fuck each other, but Wyatt separated them and forced them to sit back again on his sides. "Even if it's not telepathy, it's still very useful, and I'm not just talking about the fact that it makes group sex even more awesome... Feeling each other's presence inside your heart in this way really makes you feel part of a pack. Makes you feel more closer than ever." Wyatt gave the three Washington wolves a simple yet sincere smile. "That's why we want you to be able to feel the same way... Well, Patrick apparently does."

Ben sat there silently for a moment. When he spoke, it was in a soft, reserved tone that spoke of old, buried pain. "You mean it makes you feel more connected to others? Less isolated... Less alo..." He stopped, realizing that he'd almost said too much. Steve hugged him from the side as Kyle whimpered softly, petting Ben's knee. The California wolves could tell from the haunted look in the Head Alpha's eyes that he carried a heavy burden within himself. Ben looked to his betas. "Is this something you guys would want?"

"Is it something YOU want?" Steve countered.

"Alpha..." Kyle added gently. "Let's do it. I like the idea..." And I KNOW you need this, he added silently within his own mind.

"Is it controllable?" Ben asked. "Can it be turned on and off, or at least the level of what's shared be strengthened or lessened at will?"

Wyatt moved closer to Ben, walking on the mattress on all fours as if he was a big cat. "Let me give you a demonstration of how the bond feels." The younger alpha wrapped his defined arms around Ben and pulled himself closer, so that their chests touched each other. Wyatt placed his head on the other alpha's shoulder and sighed contentedly. "Can you feel it? My heartbeat through the skin of your chest?" he murmured. "Beating into yours, as if you had two hearts? That's what it feels like, that bond. Of course, it can be controlled, and you can even cut your packmates out if you so want, but... Feeling their heartbeats inside of you is one of the most amazing things you can experience, believe me." Wyatt untangled his arms a bit and stared at Ben's feral face with an amused grin. "I hope you don't feel less macho because a puppy like me has hugged you." He shut up for a moment, before adding in a more mellow tone. "You looked like someone in dire need for a hug, Ben."

"It's fine," Ben said dismissively. "Thanks, though." He didn't like sharing his pain in front of others, and more importantly, didn't want to look weak in front of his betas. "Alright then... How do we do this? You made it sound like the alpha is the core of this 'pack bond' thing, right? And how can we make it happen?"

Wyatt tilted his head on the side. "Well, yeah. Even though, it's not like the feelings of the alpha will be stronger than those of the rest of the pack... We're just exploiting an existing link in order to create a different kind of bond. Now take each other's hands and create some sort of small circle... Or a triangle, since there's three of you. You'll have to be focused on each other, so close your eyes and try and feel the others through the palms of your hands. Ben, you said you usually meditate to keep your instincts in check, so you should already know how to cut the world off and just focus on the inside of your body, right?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah... I have really aggressive, dominant instincts, so I have to meditate every day to keep them from controlling my behavior." He sighed, closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath.

"Good," Wyatt went on. "Steve, Kyle, try and synchronize the rhythm of your own breathing to match Ben's. Let him guide you. You should reach a point where not only your breaths, but also your heartbeats are like one."

Steve and Kyle concentrated, using their keen senses to detect the breath and heart-rate of their alpha. Slowly they began to synch up, and in a sudden shock, like a rubber band snapping into place, their heartbeats became one, beating in perfect unison, their rates of breathing matching perfectly as well. In that moment, it was as if each of them had three bodies, not one, and they reached a level of interconnectedness that each of them found both shocking and soothing at the same time.

Slowly, as the bond settled into place, Ben opened his eyes and experienced a slight sense of puzzlement that was coming from two places outside of himself. He looked to see his beta's staring at him in a slightly puzzled manner.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked them gently.

"I just thought it was my own eyes that opened for a moment... It's nothing," he said, leaning in to kiss his mate gently on the end of his proto-muzzle. As he did so, Kyle gasped. "You okay?" he asked, breaking off the kiss and feeling that Kyle was slightly amazed at something.

"I felt... I don't know... Try kissing again." Steve kissed Ben a second time as Kyle tilted his head. "That's weird... Kind of fun, but still weird. The other two members of his pack looked at him. "Let me try something," he said, kissing Steve passionately, their muzzles interlocking.

Ben gasped. "Oh fuck! I can feel them kissing!"

Wyatt glared at him. "Yeah, for approximately the next three minutes. Who said the thing was finished? You really think that to make something like this permanent you'd just have to breathe together in a nice little circle?" The young alpha looked pretty pissed off. "Now stop making out like horny teenagers and go back at meditating!"

Ben snarled slightly, not liking the way Wyatt was bossing him around. _I'm the Head Alpha around here!_He thought. "Fine! What more is there?" He asked curtly, returning to his meditative state, and thumping his tail hard against the mattress to vent his frustrations before he resumed his focus.

Steve and Kyle sighed as they returned to the meditative state. "Sorry," Kyle said softly. "We got caught up in the moment."

Wyatt shrugged. "Heh. It took us some time too to reach the perfect harmony, and we were five at the time, so it was a bit more difficult. I remember when the girls had started making out like crazy because of the..." The young alpha blushed furiously. "Okay, never mind that. Just... Go back to focusing on Ben's breathing, okay?"

Steve made a face at the mention of girls making out, and Patrick saw it, his suspicions of Steve and his pack only liking other guys. He sighed and let it go. Poor Angela... Who would likely be left out of the group mating if she came along...

After Wyatt was sure that the three Washington wolves were back at breathing in harmony, he went on with his explanation. "Okay, now you're one on a human level, but to make the bond last you'll have to let your wolves do the same. Ben, focus on the feelings you have towards your betas; Kyle, Steve, I want you two to do the same, both towards Ben and to each other. Let your wolves be together and share the bond they naturally possess; in other words, don't think but feel."

They nodded silently, and let the power of their inner wolves radiate outwards in the same way they did when they transformed, but instead of stopping at their bodies, they extended out into the air around them, the power spreading outwards like a radiating warm light until it touched the power of the other two werewolves. For a moment, it felt strange as they felt their power brush against that of the others, but then, like wolves who had been cautious until they recognized a friend, spread further, melting together and reaching inwards until they each felt the power of their wolven nature touch the core of the being of the other two. When that happened, they felt a strong inner connection within each of them... A sense of wonder and curiosity as they touched the very center of the being of their packmates. It was warm and gentle...

And for the first time in his life, Ben no longer felt isolated at alone. For the first time, he felt a true and deep connection to someone else. Part of him wanted to cry, and he felt the love and compassion of his betas wash over him, soothing away the pain they had always known he had carried. He took a deep shuddering breath, which the betas shared, and basked in their love, offering his own to each of them in return. For the first time, he no longer felt like a lone wolf.

Steve and Kyle experienced a sense of wonder at the bond, and as they had felt the pain that their alpha had never shared with them, they made a silent promise to always be there for him... A promise to make sure he was never alone. Mixed in with that, was a sense of joy and wonder as they two long-time friends and packmates sensed new depths to one another, and felt their love for each other as packmates grow even deeper and stronger. The three basked in the emotions of one another for several moments until Steve spoke up.

"I think we're there... Is there more to it?" he asked Wyatt, still keeping his eyes closed.

None of the three could see the young alpha smile, of course... but Drake and Patrick could feel the joy soar in their hearts too. "Just enjoy the moment," Wyatt simply murmured at them.

The three sighed and basked in the love and strength of each other for some time...

* * * *

Kyle stood on the back porch, staring out into the woods as he watched their visitors run back up to the house. The California wolves had wanted a bit of alone time together and gone for a run on their own, half to burn off some nervous energy that most werewolves seemed to get from time to time.

As the three came up, the blonde beta eyed them suspiciously. "You guys didn't pee on any of our marker trees, did you? 'Cause those are OUR trees."

Wyatt looked at Drake and Patrick with wide eyes. "Dude, gross! We don't pee on trees. People invented toilets for that, you know?"

"That's not why we pee on them..." Kyle said in a matter-of-fact tone, seeming slightly disappointed that his fellow wolf-born didn't understand such a simple concept. He sighed. "We mark them so that others will know the boundaries of our territory. Everybody knows that!"

Wyatt shrugged. "Until a year ago I lived in the same house with another three alphas; it's not like I had cared that much about having my own territory in the first place..."

"Well, at least you've never pissed on the door of your bedroom..." Drake mused.

Kyle lowered his ears and tail, averting his gaze. "The keepers told me to stop doing that," he admitted timidly. "But now we all share the same bedroom, so it would be all..." he trailed off, seeing the shocked looks on the faces of his guests. "What?"

Wyatt slapped his hand on his face. "C-can we stop talking about piss and change the subject, please?" He looked around. "Where are Ben and Steve, by the way?"

"Ben's taking a nap to prepare for the match against you and Steve ran out to get a few things from the grocery store. He'll be back soon."

Wyatt's face darkened slightly. "I can take Ben," he said.

Kyle winced. "Don't be so sure of that," he replied hesitantly.

"Hey, 'Al Parker' deserves to get a little humiliation. I mean, who does he think he is, anyway? I like you, Kyle, but your alpha's still a bit too much of a jerk for my taste!"

Kyle sighed. "If you understood him the way I do, you'd probably think differently about him." He sighed. "You have to swear that none of you will EVER tell him what I'm about to tell you!"

"Okay," Wyatt said, seeming puzzled by the sadness on Kyle's face.

Kyle looked up into the sky. "Alpha Ben doesn't know that we know this about him... He was talking to Steve in the basement and we overheard them through the ductwork. He's... Alpha Ben is kind of complicated. He... He used to be a much different person than he is now."

"How so?" Drake asked.

"He used to be suicidal."

The California wolves were shocked. "Ben?" Wyatt asked. "Suicidal? I find that pretty hard to believe! I mean the guy's so arrogant that..."

"He's arrogant now, yes, but he wasn't always like that," Kyle interrupted gently. "He and his dad didn't get along. His mom died when he was little and his dad was never there for him, so Alpha Ben basically grew up all alone. When he game out as gay to his father, the jerk abandoned him entirely. He never talks about it, at least not very much, but I think that the reason my alpha always needs to be the center of attention is because he feels like no one wants him. He kind of pushes himself off onto others and tries to be the one in charge because he doesn't want to be cast aside... It's like he HAS to be acknowledged as much as possible. And when he gets put down or dismissed, it makes him angry and sad... I think that's what made him not want to live anymore."

"Fuck," Drake said softly.

"So Alpha Ben became determined to make sure his opinion always counts... He decided to become Head Alpha of our region... But he did more than that. It's like... It's like he can somehow make the people around him better somehow. I mean look at alphas Berke and Angela. Berke gave up his homophobia and Angela no longer buries her pain in drugs. He's really brought us all together."

Wyatt smiled at that. "But he's still a jerk."

"Yeah, I suppose... But that's just because he's a rather aggressive wolf. He's the strongest alpha that ever was and wants to be acknowledged, so he CAN be a bit heavy-handed at times... But he's really great. Despite the way he acts, he really cares about people. I can tell he cares about you too, Alpha Wyatt. He wants to make you stronger. Let him... You won't regret it."

Wyatt shrugged. "I suppose I could give him a chance. But someone should really tell him to stop behaving like a standoffish asshole all the time... People tend to like those who show a bit of their tender side from once in a while, you know?"

"He HAS a gentle side, but he doesn't show it very much. He grew up on Military bases, so I think that colored his personality and makes him seem kind of harsh, I guess."

"Yeah, I know that he has one," Wyatt patted over his own chest. "You can't make your heartbeat lie for you, after all. When I hugged him before, I felt it... His need to be close to someone." The young alpha let out a cocky grin. "Well, it just means that's what I'll ask him to do if I win the match: to be a bit more gentle towards everyone around him!"

Kyle shook his head sadly. "You won't win. It's a nice gesture you want to make, but my alpha won't lose." Wyatt could see that Kyle wasn't bragging. He honestly felt that it was an eventuality that Ben would be victorious.

The alpha, nonetheless, smiled at him. "Having so much trust in your alpha is a great thing, Kyle. Never lose that... But remember one thing: even if I'm weak, I won't lose. Believe me when I say that." And Kyle, likewise, could feel the sincerity with which Wyatt had pronounced those words; he was like a young tree in the middle of a storm, bent by the fury of the elements, but refusing to be broken with all of himself.

Kyle shifted from foot-paw to foot-paw nervously. He saw how confident Wyatt was and really liked him, but knew nothing about how good a fighter the blonde alpha was. He sighed, not knowing how the fight would turn out. It seemed that the outcome of the match itself would be anyone's guess. He decided to switch gears as he heard and smelled Steve's car approaching.

"Steve's back, you guys hungry?"

They all nodded eagerly, so he led them back inside...

* * * *

It was a slightly cool day, not bad for a Washington Winter, and as Jack stood on the back porch, he couldn't help but sigh. "Are you sure you're alright with this?" he asked Richard, glancing from his guest to the werewolf's son, who stood in the near distance upon the snowy ground as Ben stretched in preparation. "I mean, he's your son, and Ben... Is Ben," the keeper finished with a look of mild disgust at the situation.

Richard gave the keeper a funny grin; it hadn't taken too long for him to find the herbs that Jack needed, and he had managed to be back to the Den during the afternoon. "They are both alpha werewolves, Jack," he simply replied. "I know it probably sounds weird to you, but... That's kinda what we do. We are half-beasts, after all. And if Wyatt wants to have a sparring match with another alpha, I'm certainly not going to stop him... It's been three years since he established his own pack, he's mature enough to take full responsibility for his choices. And I can enjoy the show of two alphas beating the crap out of each other every now and then," he ended his brief lecture with a dangerous smile full of pointed fangs, as if he was trying to prove the point further.

Jack shuddered. "I hate this. Why must you werewolves be so violent? There's no need for this when you can simply talk things out like civilized people. I just... I just don't like seeing people get hurt, even if they have the ability to recover the way you can. It just seems so needless to me."

Steve sighed. "Jack! Stop acting like an overprotective mother! Ben will be fine and he won't rough Wyatt up too bad, so relax!"

"Easy for you to say," the human grumbled.

"Come on, there's no need to be this nervous!" Richard exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. "Although, Jack... You know that old story about the frog and the scorpion crossing a stream, right? Making our claws talk is just part of our nature, of who we are. I know some keepers have more difficulties in accepting this than others, and I don't blame you for this: it just means that you deeply care about your pack..." The man gave Steve an amused look. "So if he acts like 'an overprotective mother' sometimes, it just means that he's worried about you, Steve." He sighed, letting out a small, white cloud that quickly dissolved into the winter air. "Just let those two dogs play for a bit, Jack. I'm sure they'll get tired soon." He didn't seem worried at all by the fact that one of said dogs was his son.

"I feel like Danny Glover," Jack grumbled.

"Who?" Kyle asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"An actor. One of his best known lines went 'I'm getting too old for this shit!'," he finished with a sigh.

"You're nowhere near that old," Steve said with a chuckle.

"Certainly not as old as me!" Richard intervened, even if he didn't look a day older than thirty-five.

Meanwhile, several yards away, the alphas were about to square off. Ben cracked his neck in a way that sounded like someone sitting on a bag of popcorn, making Wyatt wince at the sound. "Alright, Kid. Let's set a ground rule: No aiming for the eyes or groin, and keep this civil. I don't want to end up killing you."

Wyatt shrugged. "I see you have no intention of treating me like a real opponent, huh?" He stared down at the ground, looking disappointed and even a bit sad. "Please, Ben, don't... don't hold your strength back." He suddenly raised his eyes and planted them squarely into Ben's. "I want to challenge you. Alpha to alpha."

Ben gave Wyatt a serious look. "Well... If you really feel that way, then so be it. I should warn you that I've gotten some of the best combat training there is. If you want a REAL fight, then I'll give you one. Just be ready to accept whatever happens." He took a deep breath and let out his inner wolf as he stood there in only a pair of shorts, wanting to have his movement as unrestricted as possible. He shuddered slightly as the change finalized and opened his golden eyes, then took a fighter's stance, looking mostly like a boxer in style, what with the positions of his feet and fists. "Ready when you are," he said as his body tensed in preparation.

Wyatt took off his glasses and tossed them at Drake, who grabbed them without saying anything. "Yes, I really feel that way," he replied. He took was wearing only a pair of shorts, and his lean but toned physique started to inflate and define itself very slowly as the power of his wolf poured out. "Since I was thirteen my older sister beat the crap out of me, every night. She wanted me to become stronger, to be able to take over her as the alpha of her pack one day... But because of that dark and extremely distorted form of love, I decided to rebel and create my own pack. Maybe I haven't received a proper combat training, sure... But I know what it feels, to be treated like dirt and to be underestimated by your opponent. Just this once, I want to be considered an alpha, nothing more and nothing less." He too assumed a fighting stance, even if his was way rougher and less elegant (and certainly less effective) than Ben's. "I don't care if I lose, Ben... If both of us will do our best, I won't have any regret."

"Alright then... Show me what you've got." Ben said, then stood there, ready and showing that he clearly wanted Wyatt to make the first move.

The young alpha took a deep breath and exhaled through his nostrils, trying to find some inner balance. Okay, he's bigger than me and he said he had had combat training, so he's clearly stronger and more disciplined, he reflected. I guess that I should try and do the same I did with the direwolf... Although, I hope that Ben won't throw me his poop too. Wyatt took a half step forward, then suddenly darted right towards his opponent. He's clearly underestimating me, he thought. _I should use that to my advantage, too..._Of course, he wasn't trying a real full frontal attack: he was more than ready to dodge any kind of blow Ben would've tried to land on him.

The young alpha dug his toe claws into the snow and kicked off. He charged forward, seeing Ben's eyes widen slightly in surprise as he rushed forward, then passed the larger wolf and slashed out at Ben's left side with the claws of his left hand, ripping open the big wolf's side before he could defend himself.

He's fast! Ben thought with shock as Wyatt skidded to a halt several yards past him. Even faster than I thought he'd be! he added, clutching his side and wincing in pain as he turned to face his opponent.

"Something wrong, Old Man?" Wyatt asked with a cocky smile. _Maybe I can beat him after all! Some training if I can tag him so easily!_The young alpha felt his confidence increase as he saw the bearded werewolf clutch his side protectively as his healing powers began to close the shallow wound.

Ben chuckled. "Not bad, but let's see what you've REALLY got." Fuck! he thought to himself. If the kid's THIS fast I won't be able to keep up with him in the speed department. It's okay though... I just have to remember my training. He went into a meditative state, focusing his mind to control his instinctual impulses.

Okay, I'm faster than he is, that's for sure, Wyatt reflected. I was hoping that he would've gotten angrier, though, considering his personality... An infuriated and less lucid opponent is easier to win against. "What?" he replied, taunting Ben. "Why don't YOU show me what you can do, this time?" His grin intensified, and the young alpha hoped he was looking impudent and insolent enough. "Bring it on, old man!" After all, he still needed to ascertain what kind of "training" Ben possessed.

"Fine!" Ben said as the wound in his side finished closing up. He strode forward to the kid, assuming a boxing stance, and swung at the side of Wyatt's head, which Wyatt ducked easily. Ben made a few more jabs, waiting for an opening. When the young alpha knocked Ben's forearm aside, the larger wolf followed with a near simultaneous fist to the blonde alpha's stomach, making Wyatt gasp in shock, before Ben punched him in the face, sending Wyatt sprawling. He stopped then, letting the younger alpha recover.

Wyatt got back on his feet, panting slightly. The second punch had split his lower lip open, and even though the regeneration had closed the cut almost instantaneously there was still a rivulet of blood on his chin, that he wiped away with the back of his hand. "Yeah, that's what I was talking about!" he exclaimed, showing his pointy teeth to his opponent.

He's good, he thought. Even though he usually has a hair-trigger temper, he's incredibly focused when it comes to fighting... Without that training his wolf would probably be too uncontrollable, but I guess the discipline helps him greatly in keeping it in line. He felt oddly exalted in realizing that: he was finally fighting against someone who was actually a real challenge.

Wyatt darted forward once again, mirroring his first attack: he was fully expecting Ben to realize it and be confused on how to react: he was hoping to trick like before or he was doing it on purpose to try a frontal attack this time? The young alpha abruptly stopped his run and used the residual energy to spin around and try and kick Ben with his clawed foot-paw. It was a very risky move, full of gaps, but he didn't care: that was his way of fighting, after all, and he wanted to be true to himself during that match.

Ben was slightly shocked, but when he saw what Wyatt was doing, recovered with just enough time to block the kick. He stopped the blow with his forearm and drove his other hand hard onto Wyatt's upper back, sending him sprawling again to the snow. "Not bad, but a kick telegraphs too easily. Only kick when you're sure it'll connect," he said by way of instruction. He actually liked Wyatt's spirit and decided to help him improve himself, adding some training into the match to help Wyatt become stronger and more skilled.

Wyatt picked himself up again and perfunctorily swept the snow from his shorts with his hands. "Thanks for the advice, old man!" he replied in a mocking tone, even though he actually appreciated the effort. Well, he IS more expert than me when it comes to fighting, he pondered. I guess there's nothing bad in learning a bit from him... And I can also try to surprise him while he's busy lecturing me. "Come on, your turn now! Show me one of your best moves!"

"Alright then," Ben said, and getting in close, let loose some of his better punches and kicks as he waited for the opening he wanted. When Wyatt let a foot in place too long, Ben tried to distract the younger wolf with a swipe at the face while he brought his foot down, but Wyatt, sensing something was up, anticipated the move and avoided the foot-trap.

"Gotta do better than that," he said with a grin.

"Fine," Ben said, starting to enjoy himself as the match continued. There was an odd, quirky likability to Wyatt that Ben found endearing, but was still determined to give the match his all. He unleashed a fury of fast punches that Wyatt countered with difficulty, then as the blonde wolf threw a punch, Ben grabbed the extended arm and drove his other fist in under it, catching Wyatt hard in the side and making him off in response.

"Come on!" he said, "Stop making this fight so one-sided." He wanted Wyatt to be able to give as good as he got.

Wyatt seemed stricken by those words. "Sorry," he said in a serious tone. Now that their bodies were talking, he could definitely understand how and why Ben had managed to become an alpha is such a short amount of time: many werewolves relied too much on their beastly side, but Ben - on the other hand - was taking full advantage of his experience as a human, even though (at least from what Kyle had told them) he most probably didn't regard his past in a very positive light. I guess he's just a guy who knows what he wants and fight with all of himself to get it, the golden furred alpha thought, cracking his fingers. Come to think of it, we're not that different from each other...

Wyatt darted again, but this time he tried to outflank his opponent. Despite his lithe body, he had quite the amount of stamina, and his speed hadn't decreased a bit since the beginning of the match. Ben tried to keep up with him, but he was right: there was one thing Wyatt was better than him, and it was sheer speed. Only kick when I'm sure it connects, right? he thought, before kicking the bigger alpha on the side.

The kick came faster than Ben had expected, but he blocked it with his upwards folded arm. Good... He's learning. That kick was a lot less clumsy that the first one._Part of Ben marveled at the duality of the situation. It was as much training session as serious match, and he found himself enjoying it. Wyatt's energy was rather infectious, and the challenge was as interesting as the desire to help the kid become a stronger, better fighter. He had a lot of potential... _But he's too cocky and sure of himself.

Ben changed things up, adding some kicks of his own. He didn't expect them to connect, but a kick could be used to help control an opponent's reactions, and he wanted to drill that into Wyatt's head. The young wolf's first kick had seemed meant to connect, yet had been sloppy. The second was much better, yet still designed more to damage than distract or control.

"Come on, Wyatt. Push back, make me go where you want me to. Kicks can be a means of control. Don't just use them because they hit harder than fists."

Wyatt took the advice to heart, fighting with focus as he used his hands and feet to manipulate Ben, driving the bigger wolf back. He could see that Ben was enjoying himself, and that made the fight more fun. He smiled grimly as he let loose with a series of punches and slashes, tagging Ben with his faster blows before the larger alpha could react.

In the near distance, Drake watched his alpha fight, feeling a new level of appreciation for him. _If I didn't know any better, I'd think Wyatt was getting stronger!_His wolf-formed tail wagged in pleasure. Meanwhile, deep inside, he could feel his inner wolf watching the match closely and liking the change in his mate. If Wyatt wanted to be his alpha, then the wolf in Drake wanted said alpha to be strong.

The match continued for several minutes, both alphas giving and taking some good blows. As Steve watched, he felt impressed. Wyatt's not that bad. He knows how to take advantage of his greater speed, but Ben's experience is a good counter for that. I'm not really sure who will win this one. He wasn't worried about either of them. Both of the two seemed capable and, mostly, level-headed. As long as Wyatt doesn't get too full of himself, he might just end this in a tie.

Richard was following the fight with the face of someone who's having the time of his life; he glanced at Jack, who still looked like he was developing a huge stomach ulcer, and his toothy grin intensified. Wyatt is doing quite well... He's still mine and Cordelia's son, after all, he said to himself. And after all, he's barely a pup. He idly wondered what would've happened should he had challenged Ben... _Maybe I should... But not necessarily here. The bedroom would be an even better ring._He couldn't help it: whenever he found a man or a woman he liked, trying and seduce them was an almost insuppressible instinct. After all, it's been a while since I had sex with an alpha who isn't my wife!

Patrick, as always, was almost unnoticeable despite his size. Standing next to Drake, he watched the sparring match unravel in front of his eyes; he wasn't worried, though, because he could clearly feel what was lying inside his alpha's heart. Wyatt was having fun, and - even though the emotions of those who weren't part of his pack could only be guessed, more than outright understood - Ben was enjoying the fight too. They were not opponents, but more like partners in a dance composed of blows and fists; watching them exchanging hits was amazing, and Patrick found himself hold his breath in more than one occasion. [/i]This is completely different from that time with the direwolf[/i], he thought. This is what being a werewolf should be, how it should always be.

Kyle's tail twitched from time to time, wincing slightly as Wyatt would get in a good hit, then feeling exhilarated when his own alpha would strike a solid blow of his own. The two seemed evenly matched, and as much as he wanted his alpha to win, he didn't want to see Wyatt lose, either. He felt somewhat torn and antsy, not knowing how to feel. Come on... Come on... he thought, not entirely sure who he was cheering on inside his own head.

Jack watched the battle tensely, wincing as one of the wolves would shed the blood of the other. Dammit! This is so childish! I know Richard's trying to be helpful, but watching this sort of thing has never been easy for me... At least Ben's not getting too carried away like he did with Berke or James. He's actually staying in control, the human thought, feeling a trickle of relief.

Wyatt tried another punch and Ben blocked it, grabbed his arm, and yanked the younger wolf forward, slamming his forehead into Wyatt's face. The blonde alpha backed away as Ben released him. "What the... Are you crazy?" he exploded. "What kind of werewolf headbutts someone?!"

"Any move that works," Ben said with a grin.

"Alright then," Wyatt said, wiping the blood trickling from his nose away with the back of his arm. "Let's wrap this up, Parker!"

"Fine by me, Petey," Ben replied with a grin and a wagging tail, turning the porn reference into a comic book one.

"Huh?" Wyatt asked, looking confused.

"You know," Ben said, starting to feel awkward as the joke fell flat. "Peter Parker... Spiderman?"

"You okay?" Wyatt asked with a worried look. "Did you hurt your brain when you headbutted me, or have you always been this confused?" he asked with a slow grin.

"Cute!" Ben snorted.

"Aww! You're sweet," Wyatt teased.

"Okay, tough guy," Ben said as he became serious. "Let's end this." He cracked his knuckles.

"Stop doing that!" Wyatt said, cringing. He shuddered, then took a deep breath and focused. I'm faster than him, so all I need to do is get in a good hit... He shot forward, using all of his speed, and when Ben suddenly left himself wide open in a deliberate manner, doing so at the last second, Wyatt faltered. He hesitated, the motion the forward thrust of his right hand claws at Ben's face becoming uncertain, the older alpha reached up to grab his arm, yank him in for another headbutt, only to turn it into a bite to the neck at the last moment.

Wyatt, reacting the only way he could, shot his left hand claws forward, aiming low in a stabbing motion...

They came to a stop, bodies slamming together and coming to rest against one another. Ben growled in warning, his closed mouth at Wyatt's throat with fangs pulled back, then paused as he felt Wyatt's claws sticking into his stomach. He could bite if he wanted to, but Wyatt would still gut him in retaliation...

It was an old-fashioned Mexican stand-off. Neither could make their attack without being attacked seriously in return... If they did try to end it, they would kill each other simultaneously. The match was a draw.

Ben and Wyatt realized what had happened and both felt a sense of shock. Wyatt hadn't planned it that way, but in going for the implied gutting, had snagged himself a tie.

"Shit!" Ben garbled, his speech impeded by a muzzle full of Wyatt's throat. He felt another twinge in his abdomen. "Ummm. Wanna ca' it ewen?" he asked.

Wyatt looked at him the best as he could, considering that Ben's face was basically against his neck. "It's not like we have that much choice, right?" he replied. He felt a bit disappointed, but overall very happy. We both did our best, he thought. It's only natural that our match ends like this. The young alpha smiled. "You know, even if you're an old man and you look like a sleazy porn star, you're an awesome fighter!"

Ben sighed. "Fanks for wubbing it in," he slurred in mild annoyance around Wyatt's neck. "Okay, on fwee... One, twoo, fwee," he said, letting go of Wyatt's neck as he growled in stinging pain as Wyatt pulled his claws out of Ben's stomach. He worked his jaw as he kept a protective hand over his injured stomach. "For the record, Al Parker was a classy guy and a porn legend! Have a little respect for gay history."

Wyatt grinned at him. "I'm sure you're better than him in bed, though," he joked, before offering his outstretched right hand. "So... friends?" he asked, in quite the hopeful tone.

"Sure," Ben said, shaking his hand as the packs, visiting father and keeper relaxed.

"Great!" the young alpha replied, while his left hand massaged his stomach. "You know, I'm starting to feel quite hungry after the match... Who's on for some meat?"

Steve chuckled, glad that the match had ended in a draw... Then he realized that the relief was coming from Kyle instead. He paused for a moment at that, and Kyle, sensing his head beta's confusion, turned to him and gave a sheepish smile. "Well, Let's go eat," he said, leading the way back inside.

Richard saw his son come up the steps, looking somewhat disappointed in himself and wanted to comfort him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder in a fatherly gesture and ruffled his already unruly hair with his free hand. "You did great, son," he murmured in a proud tone. "That was no easy opponent."

Wyatt turned his head towards him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Dad."

"You looked like me at your age," Richard went on. "Well, okay, I was better, but whatever."

The young alpha grinned back. "Don't ask me why, but I knew that you would've said something like that..."

They entered the kitchen and sat down at the table as Jack and Steve began to get out some cold cuts the beta had gotten from the store to make grinders. Steve sighed. I can't wait for spring when the hunting will get better."

"Tell me about it," Ben replied heavily, wincing as he sat down, the claw wounds to his gut still healing. "We haven't bagged anything good since that deer two weeks ago."

"You guys hunt?" Drake asked with interest.

"We hunt as a pack, yes," Steve answered, "but now that it's deep Winter, the prey has gotten scarce. We haven't had a good kill in a while now, so we're mostly living off of store-bought meat."

"We hunt, too," Richard intervened. "Well, Cordelia does, usually... My wife, I mean. She's the one who has the instinct of a hunter. Her ancestors have been werewolf since the Middle Ages, when they still lived in Germany and hunted for deer in the Black Forest."

"How did they see in there if it was black?" Ben asked with a smile of amusement.

Jack just sighed in intense suffering. "Just eat your sandwich," he said testily, dropping the plate before the alpha.

"Make me a second one," Ben spoke in a tone of mild command as he picked up the food set before him.

"AFTER our guests get some too," Jack added, turning to glare at him for his rudeness.

"Fine," the Head Alpha replied in mild annoyance.

"Sorry about him," Jack said to their guests.

"No big deal," Richard replied. He looked at Ben and gave him a lewd wink. "I like a man who knows what he wants..."

"Oh? In what way?" the Head Alpha asked with a raised eyebrow as the last of the pain in his gut faded away.

Wyatt's father smiled back. "Well, I'm just suggesting that if you really want a sandwich we can go and make one, y'know... You and me together." He laughed at his cheesy and raunchy double-entendre, while looking at Ben with an air of mild interest.

"Oh, really?" he said with a sly smile and a raised eyebrow, clearly looking interested as his eyes took in the handsome face of their guest and a slight trace of musk rose into the air.

Wyatt made a disgusted face. "Dad, for fuck's sake, stop flirting with my friends in front of me!" He got up from the table with an enraged gesture. "I need to go to the bathroom, and you should be ashamed of yourself!" And having said that, he left the kitchen in a hurry.

Jack didn't seem too keen on what Richard had just said. "I'm not sure if I get what you meant with that..." he murmured, staring at Wyatt's father with a quizzical expression.

The man shrugged. "I thought it was kind of obvious... Ben is an alpha, I am an alpha, he's very handsome and I'm not really that bad. I think you can imagine how this is going to end..."

"Richard!" Jack shouted, his eyes bulging. "You are a married man!"

Richard sighed. "Who likes men at this table?" Everyone except Jack raised their hand. "Sorry, Jack, you've been outnumbered."

Ben frowned to himself at that for a moment. To be honest, he had no clue as to what Jack's sexual orientation actually was. The human was like a locked safe on the matter of his dating life. The Head Alpha knew the man was single, but as Jack showed no inclination towards one sex or the other, or even having shown any sexual interest in anyone at all, it was a complete mystery as to what kind of guy he was. Ben snorted and let the matter go. He eyed Richard over again, his interest rekindling.

"So?" the man asked him with a sly smile. "You still haven't given me a straight answer, Ben..."

"Yeah, I'd be willing to give you a roll in the hay." Ben answered with a sly smile.

Drake looked at Ben and Richard in shock. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"What?" Ben said with a shrug. "If Wyatt's your mate, then you spend a lot of time with this stud. Haven't you ever wanted to fuck your father-in-law?"

"What?!" Drake blurted, blushing furiously. He turned to Patrick for help, but the deaf bear was too busy laughing to be of any use, the wolf's hand pounding the table for emphasis as he cackled to himself, his fist making the contents of the table rattle rhythmically.

"Well... I uh..." His hand snapped upwards quickly in reflex as he began to rub the back of his head nervously. "A-are you really serious, Richard?" he asked to his boss.

The man raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Why are you and Wyatt always doubting of what I say? When I told you in the car that I'd love to get some fun with you and Patrick I wasn't lying, but I won't do that out of respect for my son. Ben, however... He's an alpha just like me. I really don't see any problem about that, right?" And he winked again at the Head Alpha of the region.

"Just don't challenge me and we'll get along swimmingly," Ben answered with an honest smile.

"Why should I have any interest in challenging you?" Richard replied with a good-natured expression. "We'll just respect each other just fine, right?"

"Good," Ben said, his eyes traveling down to where Richard's shirt collar let show a small amount of chest hair and experiencing a shifting in his pants at the thought of fucking the man.

"We should go before my son's back, then!" Richard exclaimed, pointing with his head towards the door of the kitchen.

"If Wyatt wonders where we went, tell him we went for a walk," Ben told his pack. "And you," he said to Kyle, who instantly assumed a submissive posture, "Don't eat my food, or you'll have these for dessert!" he added, brandishing his claws.

"Yes, Alpha," Kyle said submissively.

"I'll make sure," Steve added, glancing at his greedy fellow beta.

With that, Ben rose from the table quickly and led the way out the back door and to the garage with Richard close behind. He let him in and turned on a small electric space heater to warm the room up. "It'll be warm in a few minutes," he said to his guest.

"Why wait for so long?" Richard replied, before pressing his body against Ben's and kissing him deeply. His hands caressed the back of the Head Alpha's head, and his already semi-erect cock brushed against Ben's leg.

Ben chuckled. "Your son's going to be furious about this."

"So we won't tell him," Richard said with a smile. "I mean, why should be the only one to get all the fun with you?"

"I like the way you think," Ben said, leaning forward and pressing the end of his proto-muzzle to Richard's lips.

"Mmmh... It's the first time I've kissed a muzzle like the one you have," the dark-haired wolf said, licking Ben's lips seductively. "It's... quite exotic." He let out a gentle yet deep moan, and his eyes shone gold. His limbs grew stronger, his hands and feet developed claws and a big tail - rivaling that of Drake in size - slithered out of his pants. "What do you have in mind, stud? I could go either way, really," he murmured in a lascivious whisper, stroking his hand-paw against Ben's erect canine prick through the fabric of his pants.

"Well... If your alpha ego can handle it, I'd love to fuck that ass of yours.... Bury my knot up inside you. Would you like that? To feel my dick scraping away at your prostate from the inside?"

Richard let out a little chuckle and looked at Ben straight in the eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Ben, but... you're still young. One day you'll come to understand that a concept like 'alpha ego' is meaningless, as long as you gain other people's respect. Want to know my motto? It's 'What's fun is good'... And I think that your big dick up my ass will be sooooo much fun!"

Ben chuckled. "Well, I'm a pretty aggressive wolf with only a single moon behind him, so it's still taking some getting used to."

"If you want to know my opinion, you're doing great," Richard told him, and for a moment he sounded exactly like a father telling his son that he was proud of him. He then turned around and peeled his pants away, showing his compact and furry butt. "Now fuck me, stud. Give this old man some pleasure."

Ben was touched at the compliment for a moment before the need to fuck drove out all else, so he unzipped his pants to let out his glistening shaft. He lined up the tip up to the offered hole and after a squirt or two of precum to lube the way, drove into him roghtly.

Richard took it like a man, without even wincing. "Yeah, that's what I wanted..." he whispered. It's been a while since I let someone fuck me in the ass, y'know? Feels good to try that again from time to time." The werewolf squirmed, so that the cock inside his butt could get buried even deeper, and let out a sigh of contentment. "Did you do the same with Wyatt? 'cause I highly doubt you let him top you."

"Kyle mated with him. I took Drake... He's..." Ben groaned. "More my type."

Richard licked his lips. "Oh, yeah, I know what you mean. Having him around every day at work some days is almost too much... But I'd never touch him, of course, Wyatt would hate me forever for that."

Ben chuckled. "The last person I fucked was Drake, so you got the same dick in your ass that he last got. It's not the same, but still hot to think about, right?"

"Indeed!" Richard replied with a lopsided grin. "And it feels very good, so I'm certainly not complaining." The man sighed. "But there's something in that boy... Man, I really don't know how to describe it. I'm speaking from the point of view of a wolf-born, so take my words with a grain of salt, but... I think there are some humans who were basically destined to become werewolf, and you and Drake are two of those humans. I don't know if you understand what I mean..." The man moaned, the sensation of the big dick inside his ass massaging his prostate started to make his own cock gush copious amounts of canine pre.

"Drake... He's something else. Something to keep an eye on. Be careful with him. I don't think he'll lose control, but he has no idea what he is."

"What is he?" Richard asked, feeling slight confusion.

"I dominated him when we mated. I hadn't intended to, but it was necessary... Drake isn't there yet, but I can tell that once he comes into his own, he's going to wind up as a strong alpha in his own right."

Richard nodded. When he talked, his tone was once again that of a father... a father worried for his own son. "Don't... don't tell Wyatt anything about that, please. It's a favor I'm asking you, from an alpha to another alpha."

"I promise," Ben said, then sighed, the pace of his humping slowing. "As one alpha to another, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you really need to know this... Even without testing the strength of his will, I can tell one thing about Wyatt. For all his good intentions and effort, he's only a beta playing at being an alpha. I don't understand his reasons why and don't want to stir anything up by asking him his motives, but it's something you need to be ready for. Eventually a strong alpha will challenge Wyatt... And then he'll know the truth. I only hope he can learn to live with it once it happens."

"I'm sorry, Ben," Richard replied. "But you don't know my son as well as I do. He may not be physically strong, or look the part that much, but Wyatt is an alpha. Do I have to remind you that he drove you to a tie less than one hour ago?" The tone of his voice was perfectly calm and controlled despite the canine dick ravaging his ass. "And you're not the only one either. But I'm sorry, I didn't want to taint this moment with idle chatter... Right now, I just want to feel you spray your alpha cum inside me, Ben."

Ben had wanted to say more. To say that he had hoped that Wyatt was able to change and become stronger. That physical skill in combat wasn't enough to make someone a strong alpha, but he realized that Richard was too firmly convinced in the greatness of his son. It was obviously due to his alpha ego. Part of Ben hoped that he was wrong about the young blonde werewolf... Someone that he was starting to think of as a little brother of sorts.

The Head Alpha stopped trying to talk and began to fuck the man in earnest, giving the older wolf long, powerful strokes of his shaft. It was good that Richard was willing to bottom, as Ben would never have been able to let himself be the one mounted by an alpha he had just met. His brother Berke was one thing, but as much as he liked Richard, the older wolf was a strong alpha in his own right, and Ben's wolven instincts were not yet secure enough to feel comfortable with being on the bottom. That was a privilege only his mate and perhaps his other packmates would experience besides his big brother. He humped away silently, focusing only on the sensations of Richard's tight anal passage squeezing his wolf meat.

Finally, the knot began to form, and he toyed around with forcing it in and out of Richard's ass until it became too large. He slammed it in one last time, and growled in bliss as it fully inflated. "Fuck yeah..." he said in a lusty growl of pleasure. "I fucking knotted you."

Ben dropped down over the man's hairy back, wrapped his arms around the man, and took his drooling shaft into his hands, squeezing the knot in one hand and stroking the length before it with the other hand. He humped hard, using the strength of his hips to pummel the older wolf's ass eagerly, letting Richard know that it was a MAN that was fucking him.

"Ooooh, yeah..." Richard started drooling a bit, and droplets of saliva trickled into his bushy black beard. "I missed being knotted, y'know?" He groaned loudly, his tail trying to wag despite being sandwiched between the two bodies. "Feels fucking awesome."

Ben panted in his ear, licking it. "Oh fuck yeah... You know how fucking wild you drove me with that superhero image of you? Makes me wish we had the costumes..."

"Next time I drop by I'll bring some lycra suits with me, then..." Richard teased him. "With appropriate holes for the tails and the shafts, of course."

Ben's panting became erratic at the thought, and he lost it, spraying his seed deep inside Richard's body at the image of them as sexy wolven superheroes, humping away in their costumes. He let out a strangled, gurgling sound as he repressed a howl of triumph as he blew his load. "Oh, fuck yes! That'd be sooo fucking hot!" He gave into his passion and bit down on the back of Richard's neck in appreciation.

"D-damn..." the man half-exclaimed, half-moaned. "I love a wolf who knows how to use his fangs... Keep going like this and I'll surely..."

Ben snarled in a playful manner as he humped way, fantasizing about fucking the stud beneath him in spandex. It had always been a fetish for him, and the Head Alpha could remember always being fascinated by tights covered bulges, the stretchy fabric molding perfectly to a man's well-toned ass. He trembled, feeling his orgasm continuing, but wanting Richard to cum as well. He continued thrusting, his knot grinding against the back of the other alpha's prostate.

"Y-yeah..." Richard murmured. "Yeeeeeeeeeah..." The whisper turned into a deep bellow and his cock started spraying thick, stringy spurts of yellow wolf cum all over the garage floor. The man had to bite his lip to fight the instinct to howl in pleasure, while his climax went on and on.

"Ah, fuck yeah!" Ben growled huskily as he let go of Richard's neck, "Blow your load all over the floor!"

Richard kept pumping his alpha spunk outside with a satisfied smile on his face. "Yeah... I love being messy when I make love..." The dark-haired man turned around and kissed Ben on his proto-muzzle. "Thank you, stud. It's been a while since I had so much fun with another man."

"Don't you mate with the guys in your pack?" Ben asked, shuddering as another orgasmic wave swept over him. "Oh, shit," he groaned.

"Yeah, fill my ass with some wolfy cream..." Richard growled in bliss. "And yeah, of course I mate with them... But doing it with another alpha is always the best."

"It DOES make things interesting," Ben speculated. "My brother is the only other alpha I can fuck around here. The other two are women... But I also like mating with my betas, too."

"What about your omega?" Richard asked after a pause. "Isn't he any fun?"

"We don't have an omega," Ben answered. "Omegas, to me, are a sign of weakness."

Richard smirked back. "You and Wyatt are more similar than you'd probably want to admit... He doesn't believes in omegas too, you know? And for him, all his betas are on the same level, even the two pups who follow him like shadows."

"For me, it's about respecting my packmates. The role of omega sounds pretty heartless, so I could never ask Ken to humiliate himself for our sakes. He may be a smart-mouth we need to beat up sometimes, but we all love and respect him. I refuse to allow him to be anyone's doormat."

"I see," Richard replied with a nod. "As for Wyatt, well... you should probably ask him why. Maybe you'll understand why he's an alpha a bit better." He looked around, finally realizing that his sperm was virtually everywhere around the garage. "I think we should go back to the others as soon as we can... But first I'll help you clean this mess, okay?"

"Let's use this stuff Luke bought for cleaning up after working on cars," Ben said, grabbing a bottle from the shelf. "This will kill the scent of our mating. Can't have your son smelling you and freaking out, right?"

"Good idea," Richard chuckled, lathering himself up with the soap before rinsing himself off at the sink in the garage and drying himself with a towel Ben handed him...

* * * *

It was a short while later, and as Richard was inside settling up the payment for the herbs, Wyatt was standing outside, right on the doorstep. He exhaled long, white breaths of condensed vapor, looking at the snow around with a pensive look; when he heard the door opening, he barely lifted his eyes. "Oh. Hey," he murmured.

Ben closed the door behind himself. "Hey... Your dad suggested that we talk." He came over and leaned in the banister. "He said we should talk about omegas."

"Why?" Wyatt asked, looking at him with an expression of confusion.

Ben sighed, took a deep breath, and told him about Ken and why Ben wanted to treat him as a beta, rather than an omega. "So what about you? How do you feel about them?"

Wyatt looked down at the snow around his shoes. His hands were clenched into fists, his nails sunk in his skin. "I hate the idea," he confessed, his voice trembling. "When I decided to challenge my older sister, me and my current packmates were basically the omegas of the pack... That was before Patrick and Drake, though. But when I managed to force my sister to let me go, I promised myself that I would have never, ever treated one of my pack members in such a way. For me, all my betas are as precious as my whole life... I would die myself before hurting them."

"Same here," Ben told him firmly. "I love Ken and want him to be happy. I want him to know he's not a doormat, or anything, that's why he's a beta too. I don't want him being treated like scum, and calling him Beta will let him always know that we value his feelings. We want him to know he deserves respect too."

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah... And happiness." The younger alpha sighed. "Shouldn't that be the basis of every pack, Ben? Having a place that you can call 'home' and 'family', no matter what?"

"Yeah..." Ben answered softly. "I... They mean more to me than they can ever understand." He stared off into the woods with a haunted look in his eyes. "My mom died when I was young and my dad never wanted me. He always pushed me away, so I was basically alone all my life, as far as family goes... When I met the guys and they took me into their pack, it was like I finally had a family. Growing up alone hurts... It does more to a guy than you can ever know..."

Wyatt raised a trembling arm, unsure on what to do... but then placed a hand on the wide shoulder of the other alpha. "I can't say I know what it means not to have a family, since mine is even too loud and intrusive... I mean, you met my father, right? But... I can't imagine living without my pack. It'd be like having my heart ripped from my chest." Wyatt stared again at the immaculate snow near the line of trees. "Y-you know, Ben... You said that Berke is your older brother, and since you never had a family, would you... um, would you like to have a little brother, too? Even if he's quite clumsy and a bit of a smartass, I mean..."

"Really?" Ben asked, staring at Wyatt in shock. "That... That sounds nice." He sighed. "I owe you an apology. I haven't treated you as well as you deserve. I guess I have unreasonably rigid standards on how an alpha should present himself, but even without formal training, you brought me to a draw. That's pretty impressive. With some formal training, I bet you can be an even better fighter than you already are. Tell you what... Next time you guys come this way, assuming we don't come visit you first, I'll give you guys a few new tricks to use in a fight. Sound good?"

Wyatt looked at the fellow alpha with a huge smile of relief on his face. "Sounds great!" The boy placed his head against Ben's shoulder. "I should owe you an apology, too. Even if your personality is a bit too... let's say forceful, your heart is firmly in the right place." Wyatt sighed, letting out another huff of white vapor. "You know, I've always wanted an older brother like you, Ben... Someone strong I could have fun with and could talk to about anything. So... Thanks for granting my wish."

"Sure thing, Little Brother," Ben said with a smile, walked over to Wyatt and hugged him tightly. "I know I come off as an asshole, but it comes from being raised on military bases. I guess I have a kind of over-the-top machismo thing going, but like you said, I really do care about other people. The only reason I gave you such a hard time is because I want you to be strong enough to protect your pack. I judged you based on the first impression, which was not only unfair, but complete inaccurate. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Well... I did the same thing, Big Brother, so... Let's just forget the past, okay?" Wyatt smiled again. "After all, I am also to blame: I know I'm a huge smartass who acts like someone bigger and stronger than he is, but... That's just because I grew up with an older sister who routinely beat me shitless. It's nothing but a coping mechanism, and so, you know... I'm happy you were able to look past the appearance, Ben. I appreciate that, a lot."

"You're welcome," Ben said with a smile, "Although... That also means that Berke's your brother now too." He saw Wyatt's eyes go wide. "I know you have to leave soon, but if you want, I can give him your number so you two can talk. He really has changed for the better."

Wyatt nodded after a while. "Yeah, I guess I can give him a second chance. After all, as you said... he's my older brother too, now." He let out a brief chuckle. "Wow, I gained two new relatives all at once!"

Ben laughed as he let Wyatt go. "I guess so," he said. "It sucks that Luke and Ken weren't here to meet you guys, but there's always next time. I think they'd both like you guys. I'm also considering attending the next convention. Sounds rather interesting."

"Well, I hope we'll see each other before the next one, since it's next year!" Wyatt exclaimed. "But yeah, barring the occasional huge asshole, the WolfCon is a blast! And I wonder who of your packmates you'd choose for the Battle of the Betas..."

"Battle of the Betas?" Ben asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Haha, yeah!" Wyatt replied with an amused grin. "Well, let's just go inside and I'll explain everything to you, okay?"

"Yeah, it IS pretty cold out here," Ben said, leading the way back inside, with his new little brother close behind...

*****

Kyle sighed as he followed their guests outside. "It sucks that you all have to leave so soon," he said, feeling sad to see their new friends, as well as Alpha Ben's new little brother, leave so soon. He turned to Wyatt, feeling grateful for what the golden alpha had done to ease his loneliness. "Thanks for everything," he added, wagging his tail.

Wyatt leaned over and kissed Kyle on his lips. "Next time we'll see each other, I'm sure you'll have the most wonderful mate with you, Kyle," he whispered tenderly in his ear.

Kyle sighed, liking Wyatt's enthusiasm, but not entirely hopeful, "You never know," he said in a convincing manner.

Steve hugged Patrick and kissed him passionately. "I had a lot of fun. Maybe next time we meet, I'll know a bit of sign language. Get on your packs' collective case too. They should all know how to have proper conversations with you."

The deaf bear smiled back, content and happy like a kid. Thank you, Steve, he wrote on his notepad. You are an awesome guy with a heart of gold... And your breakfast this morning was delicious! Patrick grabbed one of Steve's hand in his own and made him rub the bear's prominent belly. Can't wait to try something else cooked by you next time!

"Thanks," Steve said, touched by the compliment and wagging his tail in pleasure. "I'm a MUCH better cook than Ken. For a waiter, he can burn ice cream like no one's business. I know he'd like you, not to mention Luke. Say, give me your number. That way we can text each other."

Sure!_Patrick scribbled his number on the same piece of paper and added another small wolf face with his tongue sticking out in a corner. _It's always good to find new friends. Thanks, Steve.

Meanwhile, Ben hugged Drake. "You're going to be a really strong wolf. Just never forget your pack, okay? Pack is everything to a wolf."

Drake, as always, scratched the back of his head. "Um... Okay? I mean... I could never forget Wyatt. He's... He's the world to me, Ben." The bearded young man smiled, and the expression of his eyes was one of absolute honesty and happiness.

"Good," Ben said. "Always make sure those you love know how much they mean to you. I know it seems confusing now, but someday you'll understand."

Ben turned to Richard and hugged him close, but resisted the urge to kiss him in order to avoid hurting Wyatt's feelings. "You know Wyatt and I are adopted brothers now, so that makes us family now too."

"Really?" Richard asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yep," Ben said, then leaned in close and whispered in a low tone, "so thanks for the incest, Dad."

Richard grinned back. "Can we still fuck while clad in spandex next time, Son?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Ben breathed, suppressing his horniness with effort. "I'm really looking forward to that, Dad." He licked Richard's ear once before letting him go.

Ben turned to Wyatt last as Steve let go of him, ending the hug they'd just exchanged. "You're a real credit to your pack. I look forward to seeing you again soon, Little Brother."

"And I can't wait to have another sparring match with you, Big Bro!" Wyatt exclaimed.

"Since when the two of you are getting along so well together?" Steve asked, even if from the look of his face he clearly seemed happy and relieved.

"Well we're brothers now, so it's natural we get along. Besides, there's nothing like a good match between alphas to get and give respect to one another."

"ANOTHER brother?" Steve asked, his eyebrows raised. He looked Wyatt over with a newfound respect. "Good," he added with a sincere smile.

"Next time we should do something with Berke too, right?" Wyatt asked, looking up at Ben. "It'd be cool having both my big brothers here!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd love that," Ben said with a smile.

Richard, in the meantime, was shaking hands with Jack, who looked back at him with a bizarre stare, as if he didn't know exactly how to react. "Thanks for the hospitality, Jack. I hope the herbs I brought you will be useful!"

"Thanks," Jack said. "They'll really help make my healing potions more effective. However," he said to Ben, "They are only for emergency situations, so no snatching them for a speedy recovery from a training session, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," the Head Alpha said, waving his hand dismissively.

Richard opened the car door on the driver's side and slid inside. "Come on, guys! We'll have to travel all night again, no time to waste!"

With that, the California wolves made their way down to the car.

The Washington wolves began to make their way back inside as the California wolves started to climb back into the moving van to leave.

"Hey, Little Brother," Ben called out, just as the young alpha was about to close the passenger door.

"Yeah?" Wyatt said, pausing as Ben stood just inside the door of the Den, his hand on the door itself.

When the Head Alpha spoke, it was in an expressionless face with a deadpan tone. "I fucked our Dad." With that, he closed the door on the horrified expression on Wyatt's face.

Wyatt turned to Richard. "DAD!!!"