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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 19

Ben awoke a few hours later to a sensuous kiss as someone took his penis into their mouth. He moaned in interest, smiling dreamily as he opened his mouth slightly wider and stuck his tongue out to lick at the tongue and penis in his mouth... But all he encountered was thin air. Confused, he opened his eyes to find that there was no one kissing him or slipping their shaft into his mouth, or even anyone in front of him at all.

He was laying on his side at the end of the bed, facing out towards the wall and away from everyone else. *What the...?* he thought, then realized he was, in fact, feeling two of his packmates kissing as well as the simultaneous sensations of both giving and receiving a blowjob. He rolled over to see Steve laying on his side, facing away from him as Luke knelt before him, being kissed by Marcus from behind. His pack, like he, himself, were all in their wolven forms, engaged in an orgy of tender passion, and he watched them for a moment, savoring the view and sensations before he went to join in. From the positions of the two higher-ranking betas and the sensations in the alpha's mouth and penis, it was clear the mechanic was getting a blowjob. Ben shuddered as he felt a phantom tongue lick his spine above the tail.

"Oh fuck," he said softly. It was so hard to tell who was doing what to who at the moment and he couldn't care less. The sensations of the five other werewolves, whom he loved more than anything, making love to one another flowed into the alpha, allowing him to experience everything being done from both the giver and the receiver simultaneously. Ben was shocked at the strength of what all he was feeling and had a moment of concern that he would lose himself in the sea of sensation, but he felt the solidness of his own core self and knew that no matter what, he could indulge himself safely without any harm to or division of his psyche.

*We must all be fully projecting to everyone else right now,* he thought privately, keeping his sense of concern and caution solely to himself so as not to disturb his pack. *I can feel what Marcus, Luke and Ken feel without touching them... that must mean the bond has fully settled within them like it did for me, Steve and Kyle...We should be careful with this... But it IS a lot of fun,* he added mischievously. He wasn't too worried. As Wyatt had explained it, the bond was voluntary and if he began to feel overwhelmed, all he needed to do was to close in on himself to regain his mental footing. *He DID say not to overindulge in it too much, but being like this sometimes would be alright...* He saw Ken rise up, see him, and smile as he pinched his own nipple.

Ben murred in pleasure and heard Kyle gasp, then felt his own pleasure increase as his nipple grew in sensitivity to Kyle's reaction to the shared stimulus. *Fuck!* Ben gasped within his head. *We're actually feeding off of each others' pleasure! This is way too hot!*

"Sorry we didn't physically wake you, Alpha," Ken said gently, "but we thought it would be fun to try to wake you up through the bond. Guess it worked." He smiled, seeing how much pleasure Ben was experiencing.

Ben smiled back, blew him a kiss, then when Ben felt Kyle's hand wrap around Ken's penis and begin to stroke him, the Asian man closed his eyes. Ben looked down at his mate, who had his ass just sitting there, begging for attention, especially when he felt his mate sense his wakefulness. Ben moved close and licked the meaty globe of his mate's ass and felt as though he was licking his own butt as he did so. He nibbled lightly, longing to give into the fetish he shared with his mate and sink his teeth into the plump posterior. He felt it as an intense desire that radiated out through the bond, and Steve, sensing his desire, shoved his ass towards Ben's muzzle eagerly.

"Do it!" Luke said breathlessly, followed by a moan of eager anticipation from Marcus, so he opened wide and sank his fangs into the squishy flesh of the head beta, growling lustily as his fangs broke through the skin and a small amount of blood seeped into his mouth before the beta's healing powers kicked in to stem the flow and keep him from bleeding too much.

"Ow!" Ken exclaimed, and they felt him retreat from the shared sensations in self defense as Steve, Luke and Marcus moaned in savage bliss while Kyle hissed in pain, but braved the storm of the shared sensation. Ben growled, feeling the burning in Steve's flesh as his fangs broke the skin, then he pulled out and lifted his head. "You okay, Ken?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah," came the reply, Ken's voice containing a hiss of phantom pain. "I think I'll skip the biting from now on... It's definitely not my thing."

"Sorry," the alpha said, slightly guilty at causing his beta discomfort. "I promise we'll warn you in advance next time."

"Thanks," Ken said, before they felt his presence slowly reenter the sharing of sensations. "Sorry we didn't wake you, but we thought it would be fun to try waking you with the sensations of sex."

"That's okay," Ben said gently. "I promise I'll warn you next time I bite someone of it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Thanks, Alpha," the Japanese wolf said with relief.

"I fucking loved it!" Marcus said. "Makes me feel alive!" he said with a snarl of passion.

"Me too," Steve added huskily.

"Ditto," Luke said with a gasp as Steve did his best to swallow the second beta's penis whole.

"Kyle?" Ben asked. "You okay?"

The wolf-born replied with a non-committal sound. "It's okay, I guess."

"Don't feel the need to share in things you don't like," the alpha said gently. "We'll understand."

"Thanks," Kyle said softly as he felt Ben lick the blood off of Steve's ass.

With the issue resolved, they returned to their love-making as Ben joined in. He shivered along with everyone else when Marcus lightly raked Steve's back with his finger claws.

"Not bad," Steve said, "but it's really more like this," he said, reached back, and as he repeated the motion on Ben's back, everyone convulsing with the strength of the sensations flowing through the alpha's body as he snarled in bliss from the attention.

"Oh shit!" Marcus cried out softly, blown away by the higher sensitivity to the clawing that they all got from Ben. He panted, taking several moments to restart his brain. "Why was it more intense that time?"

"Ma-" Luke gasped, still shivering, "maybe it has to do with the physical sensitivity of the person it's done too... Maybe since Alpha Ben reacts more strongly to being clawed, then we all feel it more than when Steve gets raked."

"Ooooh," Ben cooed. "We're going to have SO much fun finding out who feels and gives the strongest reactions to what." He felt each member of his pack react with sexual eagerness, anticipation and lecherous humor to the idea. His own horniness spiked, his mostly erect shaft oozing precum, and he buried his muzzle in Steve's ass to eat him out to prepare him for mounting. Once Steve was ready, Ben moved into position and thrust deep inside him, then humped him rapidly for several moments, the pack, including Ben himself, sharing the sensations of the mating until he felt Steve's desire to hold off and faltered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his pace slowing.

"I want you to mount Marcus," the head beta said. "I want to watch and feel you take him." He looked to his fellow beta, who was staring at Ben with a slightly hungry look in his eyes, and everyone felt Marcus' butt twitch eagerly in anticipation.

Ben growled in lust and pulled free of his mate. "Get him ready for me, Kyle," the alpha growled lustily as he felt Marcus' desire to be taken as if it was his own.

The wolf-born beta complied eagerly, swabbing out his mate's posterior with his tongue in preparation of the alpha's entry as Ben moved forward on his knees once Steve had moved aside, and when Marcus felt ready, he moved around at the alpha's silent direction, using Ben's hands upon his body to guide the beta down onto his right side, his left leg bent up towards his upper body to allow better access to his ass.

Ben entered him slowly until he was most of the way in. "Kyle," he said softly in a near whisper, "sixty nine with him."

The wolf-born complied eagerly, moving into position and swallowing his mate's tool as his own was taken into the warm, wet proto-muzzle of his beloved. He sent out an emotional calling to Ken and lifted his tail away as he adopted the same pose as Marcus.

"Really?" Ken asked.

Kyle pulled off Marcus and turned to him with a smile. "Lowest beta or not, I'll always let you mount me," he said tenderly.

Ken moaned and jumped his pack mate, driving into him with an eager, reckless abandon, Kyle pulling out of the sharing most of the way as he felt the pain of the Asian's unprepared entry, then rejoined the sharing once the pain had faded a few seconds later.

Luke moved around behind Ken and massaged his ass. "Wanna be in the middle?" he asked, kissing his mate's ear. Ken only nodded, so Luke claimed his ass eagerly.

Ben felt them all fucking and didn't want his own personal mate to feel left out. "Steve," he said, lifting his tail away.

The head beta groaned with need, but leaned down to eat his alpha out some before rising up and driving his phallus home.

With that, the pack opened themselves up to one another as much as the bond allowed, and they all moaned, sucked and humped, sharing the bliss of feeling every penis in the pack surrounded by a warm, welcoming orifice. They made love, each sharing all they felt, both physical and emotional, with everyone else and reveled in never having felt more together than they were now. Marcus lost himself first, filling Kyle's maw with wolf sperm, only to be immediately followed by Luke, then Ken, setting off a domino effect as the orgasm of one set of that of another, until they were all spasming in the throes of sexual release.

As the orgasms began to slowly fade, they collapsed into a huge pile, panting from exertion and murring happily in euphoria and love until, one by one, they fell asleep once more...

*****

Ben stared in horror as the life drained out of the face of his beloved wolf-born packmate, the sadness and shock leaving Kyle's face as it lost all expression, the light going out in his eyes as the severed head laid there, oozing blood into the snow. Feeling furious, he threw himself at the direwolf, not caring what happened to him as long as he made the monster pay for the death of the gentle, loving, pale blonde-furred werewolf. The creature lashed out, knocking him onto his back. He looked up in time to see Luke's life come to an end, the spinal column severed by the direwolf's claws. Ben saw the horrid thing rise up, glaring down at him with a demonic grin of savage glee and bloodlust burning in its blood red eyes as the thing rose up on its hind legs, then came crashing down on top of him, crushing his chest flat, before the jaws of the horror lunged at his face-

"BEN!!!" Steve shouted, shaking him hard. Ben's golden eyes snapped open, and he lunged forward with a snarl at the figure before him, desperate to defend himself, as Luke and Marcus grabbed the alpha's hands from either side of him to stop the alpha from hurting his mate involuntarily.

"Alpha! No!" Luke yelled.

Ben froze and looked to him in shock. Then his eyes searched frantically until they found Kyle, sitting on his knees and looking at the alpha with an expression of fear. Ben felt a surge of relief, then turned back to see that it was Steve before him and suddenly felt sick at what he'd nearly done. "I'm sorry," he whispered, shame and fear of what he had done driving away the feelings the nightmare had stirred up within him.

The door burst open to reveal the keepers, who looked worried. "What's happening in here?" Jack asked.

"I, uh..." Ben said nervously, still feeling jittery, his flared tail thrashing in agitation, "I, um... Had a nightmare," he said lamely, willing himself to calm down.

"It must have been a bad one," Jessica said, looking at him with wide-eyed concern. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I... I will be, yeah," the alpha muttered in a distracted manner.

The pack felt as though a wall had formed between their alpha and themselves and grew worried, but said nothing. The keepers could tell that something was wrong with Ben, but when he refused to talk about the dream after several minutes of trying, the wolf dismissing it as a horrible nightmare and nothing else, they let the matter drop and went back to their own beds.

As the pack climbed back into bed, not wanting to hurt Ben by trying to force him to talk about what he had dreamed, Ben stopped Steve and Kyle. "I want to sleep next to Kyle," he said softly.

"Okay," Steve said gently and masking his confusion, taking the outside half of their bed as the alpha and the wolf-born beta laid down side-by-side. As the lights went back out and they settled down for the night, Kyle shuddered, feeling a sense of dread, then was surprised when Ben pulled him close into a spooning position and hugged him tightly, trembling slightly as he did so.

In that moment, Kyle trembled as well. *He had the same nightmare I did,* the beta thought to himself with despair...

*The one where I die...*

*****

Ben awoke in his wolven form the following morning to find that he was the last one in bed. Curious, he reached out through the bond and felt, weakened by distance, the minds of his packmates coming from below. He sniffed the air to verify with his nose what the bond told him and detected the scents of his packmates mixed with the delicious aromas of cooking ham, bacon, eggs and buttered and jellied toast, as well as orange juice and milk. He drooled in hunger as he rose. Through the bond, he could tell that none of his packmates seemed upset, and was glad. The last thing he wanted to do was to freak them out with his nightmare.

The terrible dream had been exactly the same as the first time, which he found disturbing. He closed himself off, not wanting to make them uncomfortable with his doubts, steadied him mind, then dressed and made sure he was outwardly calm before he thought of heading downstairs to join them, hoping no one would try to ask him about the nightmare. Ben shuddered, feeling deeply disturbed... The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it to anyone... Especially Kyle. He shook himself mentally, wanting to think about something, anything, else.

*Okay,* he thought, beginning to strategize his day as was his habit by glancing at the clock to see that he had almost four more hours before he had to be at work... And felt a sudden shock as he realized how little time there was to prepare for something more critical.

"SHIT!" he swore to himself, got dressed and hurried downstairs. He entered the kitchen where they were all eating an early breakfast and noted that they looked to him with concern, having felt his sense of urgency as he drew close.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked with worry.

"I realized that we have very little time to prepare Marcus for Moon Night."

"Moon Night?" Marcus asked with confusion.

"The full moon," Kyle explained. "On that night, we change into what's called the primal wolf. It's like a more lupine form than this," he said, indicating his wolfed-out form. "It's kind of like a two-legged wolf."

"You mean we can go further than this?" he asked, looking down at himself in interest.

"Yes," Ben said. "But when that happens, our instincts rule us and are at their hardest to control. We just do whatever pops into our heads at the moment, which makes us dangerous to the general public. Because of that, there's a special place where we gather and the keepers seal us in until the following morning when the full moon's power ends and we change back to our lesser, easier to control forms."

"That sounds kind of scary," Marcus said with a shiver, then felt the love and support of the pack wrap around him, easing his fears.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Kyle said soothingly, radiating comfort to his mate. "It just makes it too risky for us to be wandering free. We could hurt someone by accident, so the keepers protect us from hurting others and the world from us. It's only one night a month and despite the risk, Moon Nights feel wonderful. It's when we feel the power of the wolf most strongly... It's actually quite a beautiful experience."

"It won't hurt, will it?" Marcus asked nervously.

"No," Ben said with a smile. "In fact, it feels even better than going wolven does."

"Really?"

"Trust me," Ben said in a pleasurable growl. "If you don't feel the need to cum when you change, then we'll all be really shocked," he added, then kissed the beta passionately. He pulled away reluctantly. "But one thing primal wolves do is fight, so we need to see how good you are at combat and squeeze in as much of the basics as we can. We'll grind as much into you as possible and hope for the best.

We'll stick together for Moon Night anyways. This'll be my first moon as Head Alpha and I'm not sure how we'll be treated, so let's stick together for safety."

"Right," the betas said, Marcus feeling relieved at that.

"It's too cold and dark to train outside, so let's go to the basement." He grabbed a plate of food quickly, then led the way down to the indoor training area they had set up. "Luke, you're the most alike to Marcus physically, so you and he will spar. Start slow and work to upwards as his confidence increases."

"Yes, Alpha," Luke said, removing his clothes.

"Do I really have to fight?" Marcus asked, starting to feel nervous. He didn't like the thought of getting hurt or hurting others, despite the strange sensation of eagerness to prove himself that radiated from within, his inner wolf wanting to show his worth to the pack. Risking his own safety for a thrill was one thing, but beating someone up? It seemed a bit much.

Ben sighed, feeling the beta's inner conflict. "The life of a werewolf is filled with danger and violence. We kill when we hunt for prey to eat, and we kill to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Death is a part of our lives, as is physical violence. When the full moon rises, you need to be ready to fight off anyone who attacks you. Even we fight from time to time, so you need to be able to handle it and give as well, if not better, than you receive. But there's more to it than just that. You're a member of the pack of the Head Alpha of the region. As such, we're held to a higher standard than other packs, and I, personally, cannot abide weakness in my pack. You HAVE to get good at fighting for our sakes as much as for your own. The other packs will be testing our strength and we all need to be ready to face any challenges thrown at us."

Marcus could sense that Ben meant it when he'd said he refused to allow weakness in his pack. as head Alpha his pack HAD to be the strongest one around, and as that knowledge came to him, confirmed by the feelings he received from Ben through the pack bond with the strength of the alpha's pride, that he felt a strong motivation to make his alpha proud. Ben WOULD NOT accept weakness from any of his pack. His alpha ego refused to allow it, no matter how much he loved them all. Marcus sighed with a slight sense of resignation and removed his clothes so they wouldn't get roughed up in the fight. "Okay, then... Nothing personal, Luke," he said as he stood naked before his pack mate.

"Same to you, Marcus," Luke said with a grim half-smile before they readied themselves.

The mechanic lunged forward, stopped before him, and took a swipe at Marcus' chest. The new wolf, unused to fighting, couldn't react fast enough, and snarled in pain and shock as his skin was sliced open in three roughly horizontal lines across his pecs, Luke just far enough away that the pinky claw barely failed to make contact. Luke backed away, sensing that Marcus would need to get used to being injured in a slow and gradual manner.

Marcus stared at his own body in shock, watching as the slashes healed themselves. It hurt, but the pain was fading along with the actual wounds. Once they were closed and the burning pain faded away, only the blood was left to show that he'd ever been injured at all, the new wolf's confidence began to grow. "Cool," he said softly. He heard Luke snarl in challenge, lifted his head, and felt the power of the wolf stir more strongly within him in answer; his canine battle instincts beginning to control his thoughts and behavior. He felt stronger, fiercer, and stepped forward to face his opponent, growling as he took a swipe at the other beta.

Luke could've blocked the attack, clumsy as it was, but chose to let it through to boost Marcus' confidence further by taking a swat to the shoulder that made it burn like fire. He snarled in reaction, and lashed out with his good arm...

As they began to spar in earnest, Ben circled them slowly, noting Marcus' technique. *Sloppy and instinct-driven, like the rest of them in the beginning... We'll have to give him a crash course on how to fight more effectively. He's letting the wolf side have too much control...* He sighed, closing everyone else out. *If only we had more time,* he thought for the thousandth time since ascending to the position of alpha. It was cruel timing that had caused Marcus to become a werewolf so close to the full moon. Ben himself had gotten a full month to prepare himself. Marcus, however, had less than a week to ready himself for what was to come.

One good thing about Marcus was that he had no specific weaknesses like most of the others had possessed when he'd first begun training the pack to fight more effectively. He was more balanced in demeanor during combat like Kyle had been in the beginning, and still was now, only with skill to back it up, so the new beta's training wouldn't need anything special. But like Luke, Marcus was a physically balanced fighter. Ben and Steve were stronger, and Kyle and Ken faster, but the two other wolves had both in equal measure. There was a good balance of speed, agility, strength and endurance in them that the others lacked, requiring compensation for the areas they were weaker in. The stronger wolves needed to be able to adapt to being slower than the swifter guys, while the faster wolves need to adjust for the lack of power their stronger pack mates possessed. Ben knew that with enough training, the beta would become a fine addition to his pack. He watched with a possessive pride as he saw Marcus get in a good hit that drove Luke to his knees, eliciting a loud snarl of pain.

Footsteps and a familiar scent heralded the arrival of Jack, who was looking extremely annoyed; the alpha hearing the pounding of the human's heart in his agitation by using the techniques he had picked up from the California pack. "Are you crazy?" the keeper asked in an angry, yet subdued tone. "I have to work today, for crying out loud! Can't this wait?"

"The full moon is three days away, Jack," Ben told him firmly. "We need to get Marcus as ready as we can. If it wasn't so cold outside, we'd take the training there, but this HAS to happen now. Every moment of training we can squeeze in is vital for his safety come Moon Night. I'm sorry to wake you, but this is very important."

Jack sighed, understanding in spite not being pleased. "Just warn me next time, alright?" he asked in a tone of suffering. Without waiting for an answer, he trudged back upstairs, muttering darkly to himself as he went.

Ben had them spar for an hour, giving Marcus pointers on how to improve his fighting skills, before he had them break off to get some rest. All in all, Marcus was fairly good and took instruction well, so Ben had hopes that if Steve, Kyle, Luke and Ken could keep up on the training, Marcus would be in slightly decent shape for Moon Night, though his training would naturally take more time than they had available to be completed.

Ben also knew that Luke had held back a good deal so as not to break Marcus' confidence. There was no point in the new beta sparring and training if he felt that he would never be able to measure up. They all wanted Marcus to believe in himself, so the pacing and severity of his training was important. With Ben, who had already possessed a sound education in the martial arts from his various mentors over the years, it had been different. While he had received the best training he could get from skilled and experienced military soldiers, Marcus was a civilian, and the beta had no combat experience under his belt other than some wrestling training. It could be useful, true, but would not be nearly enough to help him hold his own once the barrier went up and their instincts ruled them for the night.

Ben changed to his human form, showered, ate a bit more and got ready for the day. "It still sucks that I'm the only one working today," he grumbled as he dressed, Steve keeping him company as he did so.

"Sorry," the head beta said with a shrug. "It's just the way my hours were set this week; also, Luke and Ken are technically still supposed to be in Japan, so they don't have to be back to work 'til next week."

Ben growled at the injustice of the situation, wishing he could blow off work; but after a bout of 'food poisoning' so that he could learn about being a werewolf, then a 'concussion' when he was recovering from his battle against James, who they still new almost nothing about even after his death, the alpha needed to play nice and show that he still was willing to show up for work in order to keep his job. "I'll rely on you to cover most of Marcus' training. He doesn't have any weaknesses, and with his build, the same regimen we've used with Luke will work for him, so stick with that. Cover the basics first, then if he gets them down good enough, work on the more serious stuff. The better we can make him by Moon Night, the better."

Steve nodded, then stood upright, his back rigid, and saluted.

"Really?" Ben said with a strained smile.

"Yes Sir, Sir!" Steve said with a grin, then kissed him shamelessly.

"You are very," He kissed Steve back, "very," he added, then gave him another kiss, "lucky I love you." He kissed his mate one last time.

"I love you too," Steve replied with a grin.

With that, the alpha took his leave, driving away as Marcus and Kyle stood on the porch to see him off. "That piece of junk really runs?" Marcus asked in amazement.

Kyle winced. "Oooh... Never, EVER say that to his face! ...Let's just say that Alpha Ben's not very cutting edge when it comes to technology and leave it at that."

Marcus chuckled as they headed back inside to find a rather tired-looking Jessica pouring herself an insulated tumbler's work of coffee as Luke and Ken rinsed the dishes in preparation for being run through the dishwasher. "Give her some space," Kyle whispered. "Jessica's not a morning person."

"I heard that, you jerk," she grumbled.

"Sorry," the wolf-born said gently in reply. "But at least I didn't call you a gross, icky girl," he added with a grin. "You know, since you're the only one here."

"You're so lucky I don't have my whistle on me," Jessica said in a dark tone married by grogginess.

"Yeah," Marcus said, "Leave her alone. Women are beautiful," he added. "And you ARE a real looker," he said to her, flirting shamelessly.

Steven, who had just came in behind them, stopped dead in his tracks, as did everyone else. "Dude!" Ken exclaimed, looking shocked. "You like women?"

"Yeah," Marcus said with a shrug, "I'm bisexual."

Jessica swallowed a mouthful of coffee slowly as she took that in. "Well, don't get any ideas," she said carefully, but kindly, feeling mildly flattered while seeing that his interest needed to be squashed down for both their sakes, "because I'm not really attracted to werewolves. I like them as friends and family, but not for anything more than that. Still, thank you for the compliment," she added with a sincere smile. "It's nice to have at least ONE of you appreciate the delicate beauty of a lady," she finished sweetly, batting her eyes coyly at them all, and ignoring the snort of shock and disbelief Ken gave her.

"Delicate my ass!" Steve retorted good-naturedly, earning him a dirty look from the keeper.

"Gross," Luke said in a half-joking, half serious manner, staring at Marcus and Jessica.

She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Bad wolf! No heterophobia!" she said sharply, only half in jest.

"Well it's not my fault you're a het-case," the mechanic retorted shamelessly, saying the syllable 'het' so that it rhymed with the word 'bet'.

"Het-case?" Marcus asked in confusion.

"He means heterosexual," Ken added. "Don't mind Luke, he doesn't play nice with the straights," the Asian wolf said with an exasperated glance at his mate.

"Hey," Luke said. "I only tease with her. It's not her fault she only likes guys, instead of liking women like a normal person." Jessica retorted by sticking out her tongue at the bigoted wolf.

"Yeah," Ken added slyly. "I mean you'd have to be some kind of disgusting sicko to like women."

Marcus paused, the comment sinking in. "I'm bi, remember?" he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"Yeah," Ken replied flippantly. "So you're a sicko, too."

"I'm NOT sick!" Marcus snapped, growing angry. He was still touchy about sexuality despite accepting his bisexuality. Also, there was something inside him that saw that the Asian man was challenging him somehow, testing to see how much he could get away with. His wolven instincts were trying to goad him into action as he started to lose his cool at being insulted. He growled warningly as that instinct started to take over.

"Whatever you say, Sicko," Ken said dismissively, turning back to the dishes.

Marcus bristled, feeling deeply offended. He growled again. "Do it," Kyle whispered. That was all it took. Marcus lunged for Ken and started hitting him repeatedly with fists and claws, both for the insult and for the challenge behind it, determined to make sure that Ken learned that Marcus wasn't going to let himself be walked all over. The wolf in him spurred him on, wanting to make the other wolf understand that Marcus was to be respected, and was willing to teach through force, his adrenaline spiking as he indulged his aggression.

Luke backed away quickly to avoid becoming involved in the tussel as Jessica grew furious at the werewolf version of a squabble. "HEY!" she snapped. "NOT IN THE KITCHEN!"

Marcus couldn't care less. His inner wolf drove him to put Ken in his place, and won't stop until the other werewolf understood that. "STOP IT!" Jessica said, wishing she had some kind of powers like Mitchell did. She hadn't yet learned any skills for controlling wolves except the whistle, so she was nearly powerless to get them under control at the moment. "STOP BEFORE YOU BREAK OMETHING!!!" she yelled, her voice the only means of control she had available at the moment and feeling helpless.

Steve, Kyle and Luke watched on, letting Marcus and Ken settle the matter themselves and interposing themselves between the scuffle and Jessica, half to protect her from harm and half to prevent her from interfering. Marcus finally slashed Ken on the top of his bare left shoulder deeply, causing the Japanese wolf a fair deal of discomfort. He yelped in pain and cowered, his tail between his legs. "OKAY, OKAY! I'M SORRY!" he said. Marcus snarled in his face, then stared him in the eyes, his inner wolf guiding his actions, and feeling determined to make sure Ken knew which of them was superior.

Realizing what was happening, Ken tried to resist, to fight back with his will against that of his packmate, but after a few seconds, realized that he couldn't win. Marcus was stronger than him in every way and he wilted, dropping his gaze and feeling hurt. "Never make fun of my sexuality again! Got it?" Marcus growled, feeling victorious, but not yet letting up.

"Alright, I promise," Ken replied in a dispirited manner, then sniffled. *I'll always be the omega, no matter what Alpha Ben says,* he thought, feeling sad at the revelation. He didn't like being the weakest member of the pack, and had hoped that Marcus would prove to be weaker than he himself was, despite Ben's placing of the new wolf above him. Ken had hoped that he would've come out on top at least once, but with Marcus' victory over him, it was clear to Ken that he was the weakest wolf of the pack, the knowledge driven home rather painfully.

Kyle, however, was too busy feeling aroused to care, and developed a slight stirring in his shorts as he saw how strong a wolf his mate was; pride accompanying the surge of lust and making him fight to avoid releasing his musk in reaction. This wasn't the best time for mating... But later, perhaps, he could show Marcus how pleased he was to have such a powerful mate for his own...

Marcus calmed down, snorting to release his anger as he sensed the fear and sadness of his packmate. Experiencing Ken's shame and sadness through the bond, he relented somewhat, though the wolf in him still felt the thrill of victory, and he leaned in to kiss Ken on the head, the lowest beta cringing for a moment until he recognized the gesture for what it was and relaxing slightly.

"I love you, Ken, but I don't like being teased like that. I'm still getting used to liking guys and when you implied that I'm sick for being different, it hurt. Just promise me you won't say things like that to me again, okay?"

Ken saw and felt that it really did bother Marcus, so he felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it as more than just some friendly teasing... Mostly."

"Yeah," Steve said, "but the problem with you, Ken, is that you never know when to stop."

"True," the Asian man said, his mouth twitching as he was forced to see the truth in the head beta's statement. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely to Marcus, his better.

"Apology accepted," Marcus replied softly. And with that, the matter was settled and Marcus' first actual challenge from another wolf was met and defeated.

"Are you guys finished already?" Jessica asked with an edge to her voice. "Next time you want to duke it out, do it outside! You're both lucky nothing got broken! ...Here," she added, shoving a roll of paper towels into Marcus' hand. "You started this, so you clean up the mess."

"Fair enough," the wolf admitted sheepishly, taking the towels from her and beginning to wipe up the blood and spilled dishwater that had gotten everywhere from the fight.

"And for the record, Marcus," Jessica added as she let the matter go and tried to act more civilized than the wolves, "thank you again for the compliment, but even if I DID date werewolves, it looks like I might already be taken," she added with a nervous smile.

"Oh ho!" Steve replied with a grin, "are things getting serious with Robert?"

"Maybe," she hedged, looking rather pleased with herself. "Our dates have gone well enough, and when he found out we were back early, he invited me out for pizza tonight."

Steve and Kyle gave wolf whistles, enjoying the irony of doing so, and she blushed. "So have you mated yet?" Kyle asked innocently.

Jessica looked at him aghast. "I am NOT going to answer that!" she said in a mortified tone. "A lady never kisses and tells, unlike you guys who give each other blowjobs in the living room."

"We're not apologizing," Luke replied with a grin which Kyle shared, making Marcus raise an eyebrow in interest.

"Well don't you guys dare give me grief for dating another pack's keeper!" Jessica stated firmly. "It's not like I have a wide range of options to pick from... Of course, Robert IS a pretty nice catch..." She shook her head. "Now if you all will excuse me," she added airily, handing her empty tumbler to Ken, "I need to go unpack." With that, she left the room with all the dignity of British royalty.

Luke snorted after she left, but said nothing. He looked to his mate, sensing that Ken was hurting inside, saw his posture, and through the bond, his inner pain. Saddened, he went over to comfort his mate as Ken put the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher, avoiding looking at Marcus. "Can you give us a minute?" he whispered softly to Marcus as the other wolf finished cleaning up the spilled liquids. Marcus nodded and left with Steve and Kyle, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen.

Luke could also hear the inner turmoil of his mate in his slightly erratic heartbeat as he drew near. "Come here," he said, taking the man he loved into his strong arms, feeling Ken shudder with sadness as he was held. "You know I love you, right?" Ken nodded, sniffing, "and I don't care what rank you have in the pack. I love you for who you are as a person, not how strong a wolf you are."

"I know..." Ken pouted, "but I'd hoped that Marcus would turn out to be weaker than me... I guess I'll always be stuck as omega."

"You're not an omega, Ken," Luke countered softly.

"Yes I am, the only reason I'm not called that is because Alpha Ben hates the idea, but I AM an omega, no matter what he says," Ken replied sadly. "He's not the only one, either."

"Even if you were, I'll never treat you like one, okay? I may be a more dominant wolf than you, but I'll never walk all over you like some packs do to their omegas. I promise."

"I know... You guys don't do that and it means a lot to me. The only person who puts me down is Alpha Ben, and that's only really in regards to food or when I mouth off to him, so it's nowhere near as bad as it could be. At least he cares about my feelings."

"We ALL care about your feelings, Ken, even Marcus. Look how he acted after he dominated you... He showed you that he cares."

"Yeah... I can't stay mad at him after that... It just sucks being the weakest wolf, is all. It's more than just the way I tease people too much. I'm just too timid... Even Kyle is tougher than I am."

"True, but there's more to being a wolf than being tough."

"Yeah, but it's one of the more important things."

Luke privately agreed, but said nothing, holding his mate close and easing the Japanese werewolf's disappointment as best he could...

*****

After a while to let Ken brood over his loss and begin to recover, Steve took them all outside as it was another unseasonably warm day. Clouds had begun to cover the sky, making it overcast and heralding a coming snowstorm that was several hours off, judging by the scent on the wind, so they had time to get in at least SOME outdoor training. "Alright then," he said, turning to them. "First things first. Marcus, come here," he ordered firmly, yet politely.

"Yes?" the newest beta said, stepping up to him.

"Before I begin training you, we need to know how things stand between us. I don't like the idea of an unknown, so you and I need to make it clear to each other and the rest of the pack how things stand between us. Let's see how dominant you are."

"Really?" Marcus asked in shock.

"The sooner, the better. We all know how we stand in regards to each other, but you're still an unknown. It's nothing personal... I still love you, but I don't want uncertainty of rank coming between us. Prepare yourself." And after Marcus had braced himself mentally, Steve began to try to stare the new wolf down.

As Kyle, Luke and Ken watched intensely, eager to see who would win, Kyle was torn. He liked having Steve as his head beta, as he knew and trusted him. However, his love for and pride in his mate made him also wish that Marcus would prove to be stronger. Among the three of them, there had never been much competition before, and they had accepted the rankings Ben had assigned them without question or jealousy. Kyle himself had never cared what ranking he was. He would've settled for the position of omega if that had been what their alpha had determined for him, but in the end, he had seen that Ken's lack of foresight and poor judgment made him more of an omega than Kyle. Steve, now that he was once more restored to his confidence, made an ideal head beta. Marcus, however, was still a bit of a mystery, as he had yet to truly harness the power of his inner wolf. This challenge of wills would help them to see just how strong his will really was.

Steve and Marcus poured every ounce of willpower they had into their eyes, each trying to overpower the will of the other and make them back down. A minute passed and still they stared, the rest of the pack watching intently, quivering in uncertainty, until Marcus, his eyes twitching as he began to feel more and more uneasy, couldn't take it anymore and dropped his gaze. Steve growled in satisfaction, his postition as head beta secured. "Good. As your head beta, you have to follow my commands when Ben isn't around. Understood?"

"Yes, head beta," Marcus said softly, feeling disappointed.

"Hey," Steve said, softening his demeanor, grabbing Marcus in a brotherly bear hug and squeezing him close. "You did very well. Your will is pretty strong, even if it's not a match for mine, so don't be hard on yourself, okay?"

Marcus nodded as he was let go. "I thought I'd had you at first," he said somewhat dispiritedly, "but your will was too strong."

"Thanks... And for the record, I refuse to lose my status. I want it too much to let myself lose. But don't worry, I'm pretty easygoing and won't boss you around very much. To me, the status itself is all that matters, not the power it gives me over others. I only get assertive when I have to."

"True," Luke added in agreement. "Steve never bosses us around unless it's needed. Don't worry, Marcus, we still respect you."

Marcus felt the love and acceptance of them all radiate out to him, and knew that they were being sincere, so he relaxed and accepted his defeat with good grace. "Thanks, guys," he said with a smile that grew stronger as they gave him ones of greater strength, bolstering his mood further.

"The solidarity of a pack," Steve said, "comes from each wolf knowing his standing in relation to everyone else in it. Alpha Ben taught us that."

"Well if that's the case, then who's next?" Marcus asked, feeling recovered enough to go again.

"Now?" Luke asked.

Marcus shrugged. "Well why not? Let's get it out of the way so there's no uncertainty."

"Alright," Luke said. "Let's see which of us is stronger." He faced Marcus and stared at him with all of his strength. Marcus stared back, giving it all he had. Steve, Ken and Kyle watched on, Kyle still feeling torn. He wanted his mate to do well, but didn't want Luke to lose his status either. He twitched nervously, tail thrashing nervously and hoping that no matter what happened between his packmates, there would be no hard feelings.

They stared at each other, not even blinking, for well over two minutes before any sign of weakness began to appear. In the end, however, Marcus couldn't hold up, and dropped his eyes in defeat. "Damn!" he whispered to himself in disappointment. The mechanic had been unmovable in his determination and had proven to be the more stubborn and aggressive of the two, much to the younger wolf's chagrin.

"Hey, no hard feelings, okay?" Luke said, patting his shoulder, "we're still friends, right?"

"Yeah," Marcus said, still feeling disappointed.

"Don't feel bad... I still respect you. It's just that I wanted the status more, is all, just like Steve refused to lose his status. I'll do my best to not be a jerk to you, okay?" He hugged Marcus tightly, letting his love for the newest of his packmates radiate forth to ease Marcus' sadness over his defeat. He felt the younger, and now lesser, beta slowly come to accept his loss gracefully.

"Fair enough," Marcus said, trying hard to let go of his disappointment and finding that it was hard to hold a grudge. He'd given it his best, but in the end, Luke was the stronger of them. His inner wolf wasn't completely happy about it, but accepted the loss with dignity.

"Now our turn," Kyle said, stepping forward. He had wanted to wait, to do this privately, but realized that as long as there was doubt, Marcus wouldn't find piece. The sooner his status was solidified, the better, and the sooner he would recover and learn to find happiness in his status, should it be as lowest beta.

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked. "I mean isn't this all going a little fast?" he said, realizing that challenging everyone in a single day might be pushing things a bit too much, despite his inner wolf wanting to know for certain whether or not he was stronger than his mate.

"This has to be dealt with eventually, and the sooner, the better," Kyle answered with a shrug. "Besides, I'm kind of curious to know if I'm stronger than you or not," he added, showing that his instinctual side felt the same way as Marcus' did.

"But... What if I win? I don't want to hurt your feelings," Marcus said gently.

Kyle smiled and kissed him. "It's okay. I've been a wolf my entire life so I'm used to it... Besides, dominance has never mattered much to me one way or the other. I won't harbor any hard feelings against you if you beat me."

Marcus frowned. "I don't need pity, Kyle," he said in a snippy tone, looking put out. "I don't want you handing me a victory to make me feel better!" he finished, his inner wolf feeling offended at the notion of his mate not taking the challenge seriously and wanting an honest outcome.

Offended at the accusation, Kyle snarled and swatted him across the face, drawing blood with his claws as they cut open Marcus' cheek. "Don't say something like that!" he said sharply, sighed as the moment of anger passed, then gently took his mate's chin in his hand and looked him tenderly in the eyes before Marcus could become angry for the attack. "Please don't sell me short. If I just let you win, then it would be meaningless... I want to do this right, so don't you dare hold back, because I won't!" he told the other wolf, showing with his eyes that he meant what he said.

The cuts healed up on Marcus' face and as he saw the sincerity in the eyes of his love, he knew that Kyle would do as he said. He braced himself and bore down with all of his will for the third and final time, determined that this time he would win, no matter that it was the one man he loved most he was doing this to. He saw the power, the fire in Kyle's eyes and didn't flinch, his wolven instincts focusing his mind on doing as best he could to overpower the will of the other wolf. They both began to tremble, and Marcus realized that this was the closest of all the battles of will he had taken part in. He knew that Kyle wasn't holding anything back, and did the same, wanting the result to be an honest one. They stared for two minutes, then three, before the first crack in will appeared, Kyle's eyes starting to twitch. Marcus poured every ounce of strength he had into his eyes, and it was too much. Kyle dropped his gaze, trembling in reaction as they both broke into a fit of panting. Deep inside, Marcus felt triumphant. He had begun to worry that Ken would be the only wolf weaker than himself. Kyle, conversely, felt only a sense of acknowledgement without the slightest trace of jealousy. His wolven instincts couldn't care less who was in charge, but had wanted to give it his all as test of his own power. Now the matter was settled and he let it go without bitterness, as was his way.

With the last of the challenges settled, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "So that's it then," Steve said firmly, "we all know our rankings. Ben is the alpha, with me as head beta. Then Luke, Marcus, Kyle and Ken as the lowest beta in that order."

They all nodded, accepting their roles in the pack hierarchy without bitterness on the part of most of them. In Ken's case, the realization that he was the bottom of the heap was still rather saddening, but he did his best to learn to live with his status. The only anger he felt was for himself for not being stronger... It was impossible for him to hate any of his loves for proving themselves to be stronger than he himself was, and knew that they all felt the same in regards to the betters of each of them. It was the way wolves were when the pack was bound by love, with each of them harboring little resentment. Ken was starting to come to terms with his status after his loss to Marcus despite his disappointment in himself, and now was doing his best to accept his role with dignity. His only qualm, besides his sense of mild shame for not being a stronger wolven personality, was in being called a beta, which no longer felt appropriate to him. He said nothing, however, keeping his feelings to himself and not letting the others feel what he did.

"Alright then," Steve said, turning to Marcus. "Let's teach you as much as we can on how to fight as a werewolf," he said to the third beta.

Luke and Marcus squared off, and began to spar again as Steve used what their alpha had taught him to guide the training...

*****

By the time the day came to an end, Marcus had shown a good deal of promise. He had a fair number of the basics down well enough that they felt a bit of confidence that he could stand on his own come Moon Night. Ben arrived home to find Ken sitting alone on the porch, looking resigned. "Ken? What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Ken looked up to Ben's sternum but refused to gaze any higher. "I lost," he said heavily. "Marcus challenged me and I lost. He challenged everyone to stare downs and Kyle was the only other one who lost to him."

Ben sighed and sat down next to him. "Ken... I didn't make you my lowest beta to be-"

"That's just it," Ken said, interrupting him with pain and resignation in his voice. "I'm NOT a beta... I'm an omega," he said, hanging his head.

"Ken..." Ben said softly, "maybe you are technically, but-"

"But nothing, Alpha. I AM an omega and it's time we all recognized that," Ken said firmly in a respectful tone.

Ben sighed heavily. "I don't like the idea of an omega... Someone who gets treated like shit all the time just because they're not as strong or dominant as anyone else in the pack. I won't let you be a punching bag for the rest of us!" he finished firmly.

"No one treats me that way... Except when I mouth off to someone, like I did again today to Marcus when I called him sick for liking girls as well as guys and he clobbered me, then stared me down." He sighed and looked up into the overcast sky. "Let's face it... I'm not the best when it comes to sound judgment. I should be a keeper right now, not a werewolf. It was my own fault I became what I am now, because I did then what I've always done; push people just to see how far I can get before I get popped. Becoming a wolf hasn't changed that in me... I don't think anything will ever change that, to be honest. Even when I was human I always felt inferior to everyone around me. I guess that's why I tricked Koji into changing me.... I had hoped that I would get stronger and wiser, but all that happened was that I changed species and almost nothing else. I'm still as stupid and weak as when I was human..." He began to cry, feeling ashamed of himself for his weakness.

Ben was touched at that and took Ken into his arms, holding him close. "Kenchi," he said, using Ken's full personal name for the first time, "I've never seen you as weak or stupid. Thoughtless and ignorant of the feelings of others every now and then maybe, but NOT stupid or weak. You lack discipline and have a very hard time controlling what you say... Now it kind of makes sense to me. You want to feel strong, so you test the breaking point of those around you, wanting to see how far you can go. In a strange way, it's understandable. You seek power by taking it from others in a way that's not meant to be cruel, but comes off as thoughtless. And if it's something you continually strive for, then it's also understandable that you can't stop yourself from doing so. I only made you the lowest rank because of that. Not to shame or humiliate you, but to try to help you see that you need to take others' feelings into account more than you do."

"But I'll always be like this," Ken said thickly. "I can't help it... It's like an addiction I don't WANT to give up! It's as much a part of me as my hair..."

"I see that now... So what exactly are you saying?"

"That I'm your omega, not one of your betas... It's time we all stopped pretending. I know you call me a beta because you care about my happiness and that means more to me than you can ever understand, even with the pack bond; but we all need to be honest... I'm an omega and that's all I'll ever be fit to be. I don't want us to be different from other packs. I want us to be a true pack, and every pack has its omega. Besides, some omegas have it better than others. With me as your omega, the other packs won't look at us as oddballs the way they have been. I've run into other wolves since you became our alpha and named me a beta. They look at us as strange because we break tradition. They've told me that we weren't a real pack and that I was acting above my station for being a beta instead of an omega. They all look down on us because we don't follow the rules of the way traditional packs work and think less of us because of that.":

Ben was shocked. "Who said that to you?" he asked harshly.

"The betas of other packs. Some of them come to the restaurant for lunch sometimes, and they've given me dirty looks for not being a proper omega. EVERYONE knows I'm just an omega... And as long as we don't have a proper pack structure, the other wolves will never really respect us. We need to honor the ways of our kind. All packs are led by an alpha, and with an omega under all the betas. I need to learn to accept my rightful place and you and I both need to stop fighting it. With me as your omega, no one will ever question our validity as a proper pack again."

"You'd do this for us?" Ben asked, feeling a plethora of emotions, primarily sadness, gratitude and a small amount of shock.

Ken nodded. "I'd do it if it means no one would ever question us as a proper pack again, or question your role as Head Alpha. I'd do it for you and for my pack."

Ben saw that Ken meant it. He would humble himself for everyone's sakes, especially his alpha. The sacrifice meant more to Ben than anything ever had. He brought his hand to the back of Ken's head, reading his heart through the bond and getting an emotional understanding of what the lesser wolf wanted. Ken's mind was made up and he refused to be anything other than an omega from now on. Ben also understood that to try to change Ken's mind would be disrespectful to the spirit of what the Japanese wolf was doing. To him, it was a matter of honor. Ben's instincts told him that this was both proper and the way it had to be, for Ken's peace of mind as well as for the reputation of the pack.

He snarled possessively as he grabbed Ken's hair tightly in his hand, taking ownership of him. "So be it, Omega," he growled fiercely as e manifested his wolf, letting out a growl of command to Ken's inner wolf to come forth as they both changed to their wolven forms. Once their proto-muzzles had fully extended, Ben snarled lustily and claimed Ken's mouth with his own, driving his canine tongue deep into the omega's maw as he felt Ken's heart swell with joy as he embraced his proper role within the pack. The role of the omega was to submit to the will of his superior packmates, so Ben established his authority aggressively, feeling grateful, slightly sad, and a deep sense of rightness of treating Ken, his omega, the way that was proper. He felt an intense stirring in his loins as he dominated Ken, knowing what to do next.

Ben had put this off for far too long, and was determined to make up for lost time. He reached down and grabbed Ken's groin possessively, growling into the omega's mouth. He let go of Ken and stood up, then reaching down, hauled the Japanese wolf to his feet. "It's long past time I bred you," he growled huskily, then pulled him along as he entered the house and led the way upstairs, Kyle and Marcus staring at them with interest and confusion from the couch where they were cuddled together, watching TV.

They entered the pack's bedroom to find Luke reading a mystery novel. "Out," Ben ordered firmly.

"Alpha?" Luke asked in confusion.

"I said out," Ben repeated more firmly. "I want to breed my omega in private."

"Omeg-?" Luke asked, then stopped as he saw Ken smile and nod. Confused, he complied quickly, closing the door behind him, the other door, Kyle's old one, was already shut tight.

"What do you want, Ken?" Ben asked firmly of him. "I want you to enjoy this as well."

"I am your omega, Alpha," Ken said firmly, his eyes no higher than Ben's lower chest in recognition of his official status. "Use me as you will... As is proper. Treat me like a true omega."

Ben saw that Ken meant it, that treating him as property was truly what Ken wanted right now, so he growled in a possessive way, acknowledging the lesser wolf's desires. "Strip slowly. Show off your body to me," he commanded, stepping back for a better view and leaning against his tall dresser as he waited for the show to begin with a slight smile on his muzzle, his ears erect and tail twitching from side to side lazily in anticipation.

Ken did so, loving how dominating Ben was behaving. While it had hurt to lose potential status to Marcus, Ken had known from the time that Ben had first stared down Luke at the dinner table weeks ago that the now alpha wolf would always be superior to him. Now they were making it official, and all the omega wanted was to please his alpha. He unbuttoned his shirt, rubbing it over himself like a dancer in a strip club, showing only peeks of the somewhat hairy wolfed-out body beneath. He teased for only a few moments before he slid it off, revealing his lean, athletic torso covered in body hair, his normally smooth skin bearing a thin wolven proto-pelt of hair in the form of dark human hairs. He unbuttoned his pants and turned around before he slid them down and lifted his tail away to show his ass covered in white cotton briefs. Ben stepped forward to grab his butt cheeks in both hands, squeezing the meaty globes through the fabric of his underwear. He played with them some before letting go and stepping back. "Turn sideways," he ordered, "I want to see that bulge of yours in profile."

Ken did as ordered, getting off on the show he was providing. He'd had secret fantasies of being a gay stripper, a profession his family never would have allowed, but had dreamed of having all those hot guys drooling at the sight of him, and this was as close to that as he'd ever gotten. He turned and posed, his normally human-formed penis a respectable five and a half inches hard, now seven and three quarters long while wolfed out with its furry sheath which made quite the bread basket in his underwear. He was rewarded with a growl of satisfaction from his alpha. "Finish," Ben said firmly, so the omega slowly slid the briefs off, then turned away to show his smooth, naked ass once more as he held his tail away to provide an unobstructed view before he turned around to show the tip of his canine shaft peeking out the end of his sheath.

"Get down on all fours," the alpha commanded. Ken dropped to hands and feet. "Now crawl over here." He did so, coming close. Ben growled lustily, removing his shirt, then looked down. "Take off my shoes," he ordered, tossing his shirt aside. Ken ripped open the Velcro straps on the footwear, Ben hating shoes with laces, then pulled them off. "Now each sock." Once Ken had the first one off, Ben spoke again. "Sniff it." Ken did so, moaning at the rank smell of the sock before he cast it aside. "Now the same with the other one." Ken's head was swimming for the intense smell by the time he tossed it aside. "Take my pants off." The omega reached up and unbuttoned them, a wet stain forming over the fly as he did so, then slid them down slowly to reveal the alpha's drooling penis, already exposed most of the way from its sheath. Ben stepped out of the pants and kicked them away until he was totally nude.

Ken moaned and opened his mouth, approaching the alpha's shaft... But a snarl of warning stopped him cold. "When I want your mouth open, I'll TELL you to open it," Ben said firmly.

Ken complied obediently; then when Ben bore down on his groin, Ken was hit by a wave of musk. The alpha, however, didn't stop until the musk coated his groin liberally, making his crotch feel swampy with his essence. He grabbed Ken roughly by the back of the head and proceeded to grind the omega's face against him, rubbing his genitals lewdly all over the lesser wolf's face until he was soaking in the alpha's musk. Ken moaned blissfully as he was drenched in the alpha's secretions, getting a natural high off of it. "Fuck yeah," Ben growled, seeking that Ken was literally soaked in his musk. "Look at me," he said.

Ken did so, and Ben saw that the omega's eyes were slightly dilated from the effects of the musk. "Open," he ordered, and when the Japanese wolf opened his mouth, the alpha shoved his dick down the waiting throat until Ken choked on the meat in his maw, before letting him up for some air. He shoved in again. "Suck it!" he snarled, getting off on the power Ken was giving him over the lesser wolf. Ken didn't HAVE to do this... What made it so special for Ben was that Ken WANTED to do this for him. It made him fall in love with his omega all over again as he became more and more aroused. He'd never felt so powerful, and knew that his power was only due to Ken's willing submissiveness. It filled his heart with pride and his instincts told him just how proper this truly was. Now no one could ever say that his pack wasn't a real one again.

He went at it for several minutes before he pulled off, reached down to pull the omega to his feet, then shoved him towards the bed. Ken landed against it face down, crawled up onto Steve's part of the bed and lifted his tail away, eagerly presenting himself for his alpha.

Ben stalked forward, growling lustily, and after he climbed up behind Ken, unceremoniously rammed his cock up to the hilt in the waiting ass in a single, vicious thrust. Ken snarled in pain, and Ben let him have a moment to heal and adjust before he began to brutally pound away at Ken's ass, pummeling the omega's insides ruthlessly. The alpha laid down over his omega's back and bit the back of his neck, drawing a small amount of blood as he performing the mating bite, growling possessively as he plowed the omega for all he was worth. Ken winced that that, finding the pain distracting and uncomfortable, but bore through it in order to please his alpha. Ben tied Ken quickly, then after a dozen more strokes, orgasmed inside of him, shooting wad after wad of creamy wolf jizz deep inside of the omega's body.

The alpha growled rhythmically as he came. 'Mine!' 'Mine!' 'Mine!' every growl said, making Ken shiver in bliss at the utter possessiveness of the growls. He had fully come to terms with his status, his inner wolf feeling the correctness of his position in the pack. He now understood his place and took joy in the rightness of how it felt. He no longer saw being an omega as a sign of shame, but as his destiny, and he embraced it with all his heart, feeling complete in mind, body and soul.

Ben let go of Ken's neck and licked the wound he had made until it was healed up. Then he shocked the omega, making him gasp, as he grabbed him around the torso and rolled over carefully onto his back, ending up face up on his own portion of the bed with Ken laid out over top of him. He reached down with both hands, taking Ken's swollen knot in his left hand paw and the upper part of the shaft in his right, then started masturbating him rapidly. "Blow your load, Omega, and howl your status for all to hear," Ben ordered in a savage, husky snarl. "Come for your alpha," he finished in a deep, animalistic growl. Then he bit Ken on the back of the neck again, reopening the healed wounds of the mating bite.

Ken's eyes rolled into the back of his head as Ben resumed his growling of ownership while humping his still spewing cock up the omega's ass. Ken rode the alpha's hands eagerly, never feeling more aroused in his life, his moans increasing in pitch and urgency. When he finally shot his spunk, he howled in joy, announcing his status as omega to everyone who could hear him and sounding his joyful acceptance of his role in the pack.

Ben howled as well in acknowledgement and acceptance, as did the other four members of the pack, three of them downstairs...

But Luke's howl came from just beyond the closed bedroom door, marred by orgasm.

"QUIET!" Jessica snapped from downstairs.

"SHUT UP!" Ben retorted, ending his howl. "STOP RUINING THE MOMENT!" He sighed in disgust. "Bitch," he muttered. Then he started to chuckle as he recalled Luke's nearby howl. "Just couldn't resist," he said loudly towards the door, "you slutty mechanic, could you? Next time it'll be YOUR ass I claim!" A lustful moan of pleasure was the only reply, the scent of his orgasm coming from under the door. "Make sure you clean up when you're done out there."

"Y-yes, Alpha! ...Ah fuck!" came the gasped reply between orgasmic spasms.

Ben returned his attention to Ken. "Next time," he growled huskily in the omega's ear, "I'll let him watch."

"Oh fuck," Ken whispered, the notion arousing to him even more.

"Ken... Omega..." Ben said gently into the lesser wolf's ear, wrapping his arms around Ken's chest and hugging him tightly. "You've made your alpha so happy. I'm proud of you. I can tell that few would have the courage to accept the role of omega with pride and joy the way you have done. It makes me love you all the more for your sacrifice. What you're willing to do for your pack makes us all the better for it, and you should be proud of yourself. I love you so much, Omega..."

"I love you too, Alpha," Ken whispered, a tear of happiness rolling down his left cheek.

"I'll make you a promise. Any food you buy with your own money is yours. Mark it as your property and anyone who steals it from you will answer to me. We will always take your feelings into account, and if you ever feel unloved or unhappy, tell me. I'll make it up to you. You may be my omega, but I love you and want you to be happy."

It was a deal few omegas were ever given, and that made Ken love his alpha even more. "Thank you, Alpha... That means so much to me."

"You're our omega... NOT our doormat. I refuse to ever let you be treated like one."

Ken started to cry, feeling happy, loved and complete. Ben held him close, kissing and licking him gently until he was finished, his dick still stuck inside the Asian's butt. "Alpha? Can I ask you something...?"

"Of course," came the gentle reply.

"Do you... Do you not find me very attractive?"

Ben sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Ken... I really don't mean to hurt you, it's just that I have very narrow tastes when it comes to men I find attractive. You're very handsome, but not exactly my type, if I'm going to be honest. I don't mean to be cruel about it, but that's the way I am. I'm sorry that I'm such a narrow-minded asshole. I don't mean to hurt your feelings. I DO love you, though." He radiated that love outwards through the pack bond, letting Ken feel how much Ben loved him, as well as how guilty the alpha felt at not being more attracted to his omega.

"I know," Ken said with a sigh. "It's okay, I understand. Until I joined the pack, I wasn't really into white guys, but Luke is something special, I don't care what he looks like, I love him. After a while, I started to develop a taste for other white guys besides him and started mating with the others of the pack. Maybe something like that can happen for you in regards to me... Not the personal mate part, of course, but the rest...?"

"I hope so... You deserve better than the way I've been treating you. I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay... I really do get it. But... What changed? You seem more interested in me now than before... It started before our trip to Osaka."

"Honestly?" Ben asked, getting a silent nod in reply. "The beard... I like you better with a beard."

"Really?" Ken asked eagerly.

"Yeah... It makes you feel more macho to me, in a way... More rugged."

"Then I'll keep it. Luke likes it too, but if a beard will make you more attracted to me, then it stays."

"Thank you for that," Ben said softly. "I love you, Omega."

"I love you too, Alpha," Ken said...

And they laid there together, Ben kissing and licking Ken's ears, neck and the sides of his head tenderly as they basked in their love for one another as pack mates...

*****

They came downstairs to the living room awhile later to find the pack staring at both of them with mixed emotions while Jack and Jessica noted the pack's reactions with concern. "Mind explaining what we're missing?" Jack asked with a slight edge of annoyance as he stood next to the left-hand couch, Jessica standing behind the middle where the two couches sat side-by-side, the pack themselves seated on the couches themselves.

Ben looked to Ken. "They'll understand it better if it comes from you. This was your choice, so I think they'll only accept it if you're the one to explain what's happened."

"Yes, Alpha," Ken said with a nod. "Jack, Jessica... Please hear me out without interrupting. This is important."

"What's he done to you?" Jessica asked bluntly.

"Stop it!" Ken snapped. "That's exactly what I mean!" He sighed with disgust.

"Jessica," Jack said consolingly, "let him have his say."

"Okay," she replied, her jaw clenched as she realized she most definitely wouldn't like what was coming.

Ken took a deep breath. "Firstly, I've been thinking this over for longer than I care to admit, and recent events have forced me to admit something to myself that was hard to accept at first. In the end, though, it was MY choice to make and I made it on my own. Alpha Ben had nothing to do with the decision I came to... I'm an omega," he admitted calmly with mild resignation.

"What?" Jessica said, then turned to Ben. "You son of a-"

"STOP IT!" Ken yelled, glaring at the woman. "I SAID THIS WASN'T BECAUSE OF HIM, DAMMIT! STOP TRYING TO BLAME HIM FOR EVERYTHING YOU DON'T LIKE THAT'S HAPPENING AROUND HERE! ALPHA BEN DIDN'T HAVE ANY PART OF MY CHOICE TO ACCEPT BEING AN OMEGA, SO STOP BLAMING HIM ALREADY!!!" he finished, his face going red and tail bristled, his fangs bared as he growled in time with his breathing. His body was tense from anger, trembling slightly as he glared at the woman with contempt for the way she was acting.

Jessica stared at Ken with shock. He was the last person she would ever have thought likely to lose his temper with her, seeing as how well they got along. "Ken..." she said softly, feeling too numb to say any more.

He sighed as he got his temper under control. "Let's face it; I'm an idiot who couldn't avoid saying something that'll get him beat up if my life depended on it. I've got the weakest will of everyone in the pack and almost zero discipline. I'm an omega and that's all I'll ever be fit to be. Lance and his cronies like to eat at the restaurant once a week, as well as some of Monica's pack. Every time I pass by their tables, they say that our pack isn't a real one because we don't have an official omega, even though everyone knows I'M the omega and they've bad-mouthed Alpha Ben and all of us as well because of the fact that I'm being called a beta. The alphas may think of us as a valid pack for the most part, but by not having an omega, we're breaking the traditional pack structure and that makes some of the betas not take us seriously. We need to be a real pack in the eyes of everyone... And with me as the weakest wolf among us, I've decided that we need to stop kidding ourselves about my official ranking. I'm an omega and I've made peace with it. Don't ever call me a beta again because that's not what I am."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, looking at him sadly.

Ken nodded, the fur in his tail laying down as his agitation faded. "I appreciate everything you guys do for me. Even though I'm the weakest, you all treat me with respect. Thank you for that. But I've made peace with the fact that I'm the omega, so please don't ever call me a beta again. If my being omega makes other packs respect us properly, then that's the way it needs to be."

Kyle stood up, walked over and hugged him. "If that's what you really want, then okay. But we'll still treat you with respect, no matter what your title. You're one of us and we love you, Ken. We could never be happy putting you down all the time like other packs treat their omegas. That's not how we are."

"Damned right it's not," Luke said, standing up and walking over to hug his mate tightly.

"This is my fault," Marcus said dispiritedly, feeling guilty and dropping his gaze to the floor.

"No it's not," Ken countered firmly, yet gently. "I've always been a weak personality. Even when I was human I acted exactly the same as I do now. All you're dominating me did was force me to admit a truth I hadn't wanted to accept. But you know what?" he asked, looking at Marcus' chin in respect of the superior wolf's station, "I'm actually happy. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now that I understand my proper place in the pack, I don't have to be ashamed of being weak anymore or trying to measure up to everyone else. Now I can just be me, rather than worry about needing to prove myself all the time."

"Does this mean you're finally going to start watching what you say?" Steve asked with a smile.

Ken scoffed. "You really think I'm ever going to stop laying into you all? Please! You should know me better than that!" the omega said with a smile. "How else am I supposed to overcome my boredom than by giving you all as much grief as I can?"

Luke hung his head. "You're hopeless," he said in a tone of defeat. "Alright, Smart Ass," he said with a smile, lifting his head, "but don't think we won't still keep beating you up every time you mouth off to us."

"Yeah, I know," Ken said with a grin.

"So it's settled," Ben said. "The only real change around here is Ken's title. Of course, whenever we're in public, we'll need to treat him a bit more harshly to maintain appearances, but the rest of the time we'll treat him as we always have." He turned to the omega. "Ken... Thank you for your sacrifice on behalf of the pack. It means a lot to all of us."

The betas voiced their agreement, all smiling at Ken and honoring his wishes.

"Furthermore," Ben added, "just because Ken's our omega doesn't mean it's okay to mistreat him. Disciplining him when he acts up and shorting him a little on food is one thing, but I WILL NOT allow him to be abused or starved. Anyone who steals the food he buys for himself or abuses him will answer to me, got it?"

"Yes, Alpha," the betas said.

Ben turned to the keepers. "Well, do you have any objections?"

Jack sighed. "I'm not entirely pleased, but since you're willing to treat Ken respectfully and he DID choose to be an omega of his own volition, then I can't really object."

Ben turned to Jessica, who looked disappointed. "I really hate wolf politics," she grumbled. "Ken?" she asked, turning to him. "Are you REALLY sure you want to do this?"

The Japanese wolf nodded. "This is something that always was, but I only just recently learned to accept about myself. It's okay, Jessica. I want this and we all need it. For the first time, I'm not uncertain about my place in the pack. It's okay... Really," he added with a smile.

The woman sighed with resignation. "Alright then. If you're sure, then I'll support your decision." She turned to the rest of the pack. "But if ANY of you start mistreating him, I swear I'll blow my whistle hard enough to shatter your ear drums!" she stated grimly.

The wolves paled at that and agreed quickly.

Just then, the sensitive ears of the wolves picked up the sound of a car driving up to the Den through the snow. Kyle walked over to the newly replaced living room window, looked out and wagged his tail furiously. "Robert's here," he sing-songed, turning to Jessica, who looked horrified, her eyes bulging.

"SHIT! I'm not ready!" the woman blurted as she dashed towards her room in a panic. "Stall him! Just... Just... Just stall him!" she said, holding up her hand in a gesture of panic before she vanished into her room.

A minute later, there was a knock at the front door. "Who is it?" Kyle sing-songed gleefully in an over the top feminine voice.

"Real funny, Kyle," Robert's voice came muffled through the door. "Can I come in already?"

"Hmmmm, I don't know... What WOULD the other keepers think of you fraternizing with a coworker...?"

"Will you just let me in already?" Robert asked in a clear, unobstructed voice as he appeared behind the werewolf. Kyle yelped and spun around in shock to see the keeper standing there, glaring at him with mild annoyance. "Come on! It's cold out here!" Robert said, huddling in on himself, hands buried in the pockets of his winter coat as he stood there, looking rather miserable.

"Don't DO that to me!" Kyle snapped, his tail and hair bristled in agitation, before he took a claw-filled swipe at Robert's face... Only to have his hand pass right through Robert as though he was a ghost.

"Then let me in already!" Robert said with a frown of annoyance.

"Fine," Kyle said, turning back to the door and opening it to reveal the real Robert, his projection vanishing as the door opened.

"About time," Robert grumbled coming inside and rubbing his arms as Kyle shut the door behind him.

"Wow!" Marcus exclaimed, looking at the human with shock. "How did you do that?"

"Through neuromancy," Jack explained.

"What's that?" Marcus asked, tilting his head.

"Mind magic, basically," Robert explained. "In my particular case, I can make a mental projection of myself that can speak, see and hear everything around my image. It's not a real, physical copy, as you saw from Kyle's attack... By the way," he added to Kyle, then flicked him painfully on the ear, making the wolf yelp in pain. "Don't EVER take a swipe at me like that, even if it IS a projection."

"I only did that because I knew it was only an image of you," Kyle said defensively. "Your projections don't carry a scent, remember? Besides, it's your fault for scaring me," he added with a pout as he rubbed his stinging fuzzy ear.

"So you're like Professor X, then?" Marcus said, looking awestruck.

Robert chuckled. "Not exactly. I can't read minds nearly as well as he can and besides, I still have my hair," he added, waggling his ponytail with his hand for emphasis. "So you're the new guy, huh? Robert Bershallo," he said by way of greeting, walking forward to offer his hand.

Marcus took the offered hand with a smile. "Marcus Silvers," he said, then sighed when he saw the human's mouth twitch. "Yeah, yeah, a werewolf named Silvers, I get it."

Robert chuckled. "Well, it IS a bit ironic," he said, then saw Marcus' nose twitching. "Go ahead and sniff me over. It's a good idea for you to have my scent, anyways." Marcus, having permission, began to snuffle the human, memorizing the way he smelled and working his way downwards until Robert put a hand under his chin to stop him, lifting his head upwards. "Whoa! Stay above the equator there, Buddy!"

Marcus stood up, blushing. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"It's nothing personal, Marcus," the blonde-haired keeper said kindly, "but I'd rather not get THAT well acquainted with you," he finished with a humorous smile. "I'm strictly a ladies' man."

"Disgusting as that is," Luke chimed in teasingly.

"Hey!" Robert said, pointing a finger at the wolf. "I'll have you know that I'm one of the most gay-friendly straight guys around! I always vote in favor of the gay community on every law and initiative that comes up on the ballots, so cut me some slack," he added, still smiling slightly.

"Fair enough," Luke said airily with a shrug.

Steve saw Robert glance around for a sight of Jessica. "She'll be out soon, IF SHE GETS OFF HER ASS AND STOPS KEEPING HER DATE FROM WAITING FOR HER!" he finished loudly.

"Shut up!" Jessica shouted through her closed bedroom door.

Robert chuckled. "It's okay," he added, looking nervous despite himself. "I'm not in a hurry, or anything."

"Good," Ken said flippantly, "because she's taking forever in there."

"Settle down, Omega," Steve told him gently, making Ken look slightly embarrassed.

"Omega?" Robert asked, looking at Ken with confusion. They explained the change in Ken's status to the human and the reasons why, with him listening closely. In the end, he nodded, looking a bit saddened. "I've heard Angela's boys saying as much to each other on occasion. I've tried to talk to them, but while they respect me, it's clear that they and some of the other wolves of the area don't like the fact that you were breaking with pack tradition... Maybe... I don't know... Maybe this will make them take you guys more seriously."

"Have the other packs really been talking about us that much?" Steve asked. "I mean Dudly came into my work to get some gas last week and he was giving me this odd look, like he couldn't figure out how to feel about me or how to treat me. I asked him what was wrong and he got all embarrassed and said it was nothing, then refused to talk about it."

Robert nodded. "From what Melissa and Ferris have said, the other packs have been having a similar reaction. Perhaps with Ken officially being an omega, the uncertainty will come to a stop."

Ben snorted in disgust. "I should've been told about this before!" he said sourly.

"You have enough on your plate to worry about," Jack told him sternly.

"If people are talking about my pack behind my back, I have every right to know about it!" the alpha fumed, his tail thrashing and fangs visible in his agitation, his breathing slightly heavy.

"And what would you have done?" Jack asked, knowing the answer already.

"I would've gone and had a little chat with their alphas about respect!" Ben answered grimly, his tail bristling as he bore his fangs more openly.

"And that's EXACTLY why we didn't tell you!" the keeper replied. "Beating up others for not showing you respect would only create more turmoil around here. I thought you wanted things to be calmer around here, not go back to being chaotic!"

Ben snarled at the human, his posture going rigid. "This is different! My pack deserves respect! It's bad enough they were treated like garbage before I came along, but I won't stand for them being looked down on anymore! They deserve better than that!"

"That's why I became Omega," Ken said. "Now that we're following the proper pack structure, they'll stop thinking that way."

Ben snorted in disgust. "I still should've been told about this. It affects my pack and I have every right to know what people think about us!" Deep down inside, part of him had thought 'me' instead of 'us', but he loved his wolves deeply and the desire to protect them overrode his selfish desires, putting them before himself.

"So you could use your typical, heavy-handed approach?" Jack asked. "Forget it," he added firmly, shaking his head.

"Fine then," Ben said with a growl of annoyance, looking thoughtful. "Then how about this..." he turned to Robert. "You tell Melissa about Ken's status as omega and have her work it into a conversation with Monica, maybe while some of her higher ranking betas are within earshot so they'll knock it off with the trash talk. And you can talk to Angela the same way. Will that meet with keeper approval?" he asked curtly, feeling resentful for being kept out of the loop, being treated like a child, and having his pack treated so disrespectfully by the rest of the community.

Robert stared at the Head Alpha, not liking his attitude. He knew Ben was clearly upset, but the aggressive way the wolf was acting was a bit off-putting. "Can you at least say please?" he said with a frown.

Ben sighed, realizing he was being rude. "Please..." he said sincerely. "And for the record, I'm sorry. I just don't like secrets that affect my pack being kept from us. We have a right to know these kinds of things."

Robert nodded, mollified by Ben's apology. "True, and apology accepted. I'll talk to Angela tomorrow and try to make sure that Lance at least is around to hear me talking to her."

"And I'll get a hold of Melissa for you," Jack said, "and have her pass along the news to Monica and her pack."

"Thanks," Ben said as he calmed down. "I'm sorry to act like a jerk, but I don't like the other wolves talking poorly about my guys," he added, looking around at his pack and seeing them all looking touched by his concern for their reputation.

Just then, the door to Jessica's room opened and she came out with conservative makeup and dressed casually in a simple yellow shirt and jeans. "Ready," she said with a smile. "Sorry I kept you waiting," she said to her date.

"Worth every second," Robert said with a smile of his own.

"Well have fun," Kyle said, going over and hugging her, then surprising Robert by going to hug him too. "Mate with her," he whispered in the human's ear, making the keeper erupt into a fit of coughing as he blushed furiously.

Jessica's face darkened as she strode over and snatched Kyle's canine ear in her fingers and drag him away, ignoring his yelps of pain.

"Mind your own business!" she hissed in his ear, feeling both angered and mortified.

"What?" he whispered back. "I just want you and your mate to be happy together."

"Then stop pushing and stay out of our sex life!" Jessica whispered back sharply.

"Kyle," Ben ordered sharply, "Come here."

Kyle, ears flat against his head and tail tucked between his legs, walked sheepishly over to his alpha, who put an arm around his shoulder to keep him by his side. "Stop making trouble," he said aloud, then added in a low whisper. "It was sooo much fun to watch."

Jessica glared at Ben with narrowed eyes, missing the whispered words, yet knowing he had said something she knew she'd punch him for if she had heard him. He tried to smile innocently at her in an unconvincing manner. Disgusted, she rolled her eyes and turned to Robert.

"Let's go, shall we?" she asked walking over to join in. "Before I kill them," she added in a low, dark tone.

They left quickly and got into his Civic, then drove down the road that led to the highway. "Sorry about all that," Jessica said with a sigh.

"It's fine," Robert said good naturedly. "Katie was all over me after I called you to set up this da-... Night out," he said, blushing again.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a date, Robert. No need to beat around the bush about it. This is the third date we've been on, so let's enjoy it and not let nosey werewolves throw us together faster than we want to do this."

"So... We're 'officially' dating now?" he asked with a smile.

"We are," she said with a smile of her own, leaned in kissed him gently on the lips. "But I'm starving, so let's get a move on."

"Your wish is my command," he replied cheerfully, pulling onto the highway...

*****

The pack was downstairs training in the basement when Berke and Wallace arrived. Jack led them to the basement door, but Ben's sharp nose had smelled them as soon as they entered the house. They came down the steps as Marcus scored a good blow against Steve, making the larger beta growl in pain and favor his left leg, the front of his upper thigh bleeding as he clutched it. "Watch the groin, there," the head beta grumbled.

"Stop!" Ben commanded, and Marcus backed off, looking apologetic.

"Sorry... Got a little carried away there," Marcus said apologetically.

"Not bad," Berke said in his deep voice, eying over the new wolf with appreciation and a slight stirring in his pants as he saw how handsome the younger man was.

"Thank you," Marcus said, unsure of how high to look.

Berke chuckled. "I'm an alpha, so look no higher than my chin," he said gently.

"Yes, Sir," Marcus said, feeling slightly more comfortable as he brought his gaze to the proper height.

"Marcus, this is Alpha Berke and his head beta Wallace. Wallace here is the one who redesigned our bedroom and Berke is my brother. This," he said to their guests, "is Marcus, my newest beta and third in rank under betas Steve and Luke, with beta Kyle and omega Ken under him," he said with a touch of pride.

"Omega?" Wallace said in shock, looking at Ken, who kept his gaze lowered respectfully.

Berke looked first to Ken, then to Ben. "I thought you didn't want an omega," he said thoughtfully.

"Alpha?" Ken asked.

Ben nodded. "Tell them what you told us... As well as why," the Head Alpha said.

Ken dutifully told the visitors his decision and the reason behind it. "...So it was MY choice to become omega. Now no one can say we're not a real pack," he finished.

Wallace frowned. "Well, I know WE haven't been saying anything bad about you guys," he said firmly. "After all your alpha has done for us, there's no way we'd speak ill of you."

Berke growled lowly. "It must be Monica and Angela's betas saying that shit. I'll go have a talk with Monica; we live not too far away from each other."

"Robert said he'll talk to Angela and her pack," Ben said with a nod.

"Can't imagine that you took the news on that too well," Berke said, looking at Ben's nose.

"I didn't," Ben replied grimly. "I won't have people talking about us behind our backs like that," he added with a growl and a thrash of his tail to vent his frustration, still feeling bitter about how his pack wasn't being treated fairly.

His older brother understood exactly how Ben felt. The pack was a reflection of the alpha, and if people were bad-mouthing a pack, the insults hit the heart of that alpha on a rather personal level. "Monica's reasonable... Especially now that Lester is gone. She'll bring her pack under control," he said.

"Good," Ben replied. "I'd hate to make a scene over this, but I hate a lack of respect even more."

Berke nodded, knowing exactly how his little brother felt; if he had been the one in Ben's shoes, he'd have already gone to the offenders' homes and roughed them up some to teach them to show respect, the way any aggressive alpha wolf would.

Wallace was exchanging scents with the new kid, so Berke walked over to join them, committing the young wolf's scent to memory. "How old are you, Kid?" he asked when he was done.

"Twenty two, Sir," Marcus answered promptly.

"He's showing some promise," Ben answered with possessive pride.

"Well, he's only been one of us for a few days..." Berke said thoughtfully, "So we'll leave him be this moon. I won't make any promises for the future, though. I'm sure some of my guys would like to test his strength."

"I'm not afraid," Marcus said boldly. "Bring 'em on!"

Ben's pack winced. "Marcus!" Ben said sharply. "Don't be rude!"

"And don't say things you can't back up," Berke added, not liking the kid's cockiness. "What you've just said constitutes a challenge."

"A challenge?" Marcus asked, his eyes widening for a moment before a firm expression came over his face. "Alright then, if it's a challenge, then let's make it official."

"MARCUS!" Ben barked, growing angry.

"Come on, Alpha!" Marcus pleaded, "I'll never know how good I am until I try, right?"

"Well he has guts, if not the brains to keep them in check," Berke grumbled. "Are you challenging me, Pup?"

"You?" Marcus asked, taking in the size and strength of the burly wolf and paling. "Well... Um..."

"Relax," Berke said. "I won't be your opponent. Wallace? Teach this pup some respect. That is," he said, looking to Ben, "if there's no objections."

"Alpha Ben, please!" Kyle whimpered. "Marcus can't fight yet! He's not ready!"

"I am too!" Marcus said, feeling put out by his mate's over-protectiveness.

"No objections," Ben said to Berke after a few moments of deep thought, "but since this is happening in my territory, I have a rule."

"Go ahead," Berke said with a nod.

"No serious damage that will take more than a day to recover from. Marcus needs to be well enough for Moon Night to hold his own and not slow us down."

"Fair enough. If Wallace starts to go too far, I'll step in to stop him if needed."

"And that goes for you too, Marcus," Ben said coldly to the young wolf. "Keep this civil."

"Alpha, please!" Kyle begged. "It's hardly fair to put someone who barely understands his power into a situation like this! If he was more experienced-"

"He needs to learn a lesson about not shooting his mouth off!" Ben stated firmly, glaring at Marcus, who looked embarrassed. "He also needs to understand just how outclassed he most likely is, and this will be an appropriately humbling experience for him. At least it's someone who cares about him, to a degree, who's about to hand his ass to him."

Marcus felt his jaw drop. "But I've learned so much! I can take him!" he said, looking at Wallace, who glared at Marcus with annoyance.

"Don't be so sure about that," the offended beta said coldly.

"Just follow Ben's rule," Berke told his head beta. "Nothing he can't bounce back from by tomorrow."

"Right," Wallace said with a nod.

"Just be careful," Kyle pleaded with his mate.

"Hey relax," Marcus said with a cocky smile. "With all the training I've gotten, I can't lose."

His packmates all winced, even Ben. Marcus might as well have asked 'what could possibly go wrong?'. Ben sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be pretty. He turned to look Wallace over as the beta stripped down until he was nude in order to keep his clothes from getting damaged. *Not bad... I'll have to fuck him sometime,* he thought, liking what he saw... Then when the beta wolfed out and the Head Alpha saw what his own beta was up against, he winced. The similarity in physical build was close, but with a subtle difference that Ben's keen eyes noticed; Wallace was somewhat leaner than Marcus, but he possessed just as much muscle. The Head Alpha saw that Wallace would have a slight edge over his opponent, and if he knew how to make use of it-

Wallace lunged, beginning the match and breaking Ben's train of thought, then threw a punch at Marcus' face, which he blocked... But the follow up blow to the stomach came almost instantly afterwards, and the alpha saw his beta double over from the blow before Wallace backed away to be fair and let Marcus recover.

Ben winced. *Yeah...* he thought to himself in a resigned manner. *I thought as much.* Marcus tried to hit Wallace, but the slightly faster wolf used his better agility to his advantage, dodging the new wolf's attacks and countering... And poor Marcus never managed to land a single blow on him during the entire fight as Wallace scored with fists and claws several times while successfully dodging every attack Marcus made against him.

Finally, Wallace socked Marcus hard in the side of the head and sent him slamming into the cinderblock wall, his head thunking off the hard stone surface lightly, but with enough force to knock him for a loop. He stumbled, feeling dizzy as his head rang while his pack winced in sympathy at the blow, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

"That's enough, Wallace," Berke said sharply, but hadn't needed to; his beta could see that the fight was over and was already backing down.

Kyle went over to check his mate and saw that the injury was, for a werewolf, minor. "You okay?" he asked gently.

"No, I'm not," Marcus pouted. He looked up to see Ben standing over him. "I'm sorry," he added, wilting in shame over his humiliating defeat. He'd wanted to show everyone how much stronger he was, but he'd never stood a chance against Wallace's superior experience.

"Now do you see, Marcus?" Ben asked calmly. "The power of the wolf is useless if you don't know how to harness it properly. Next time you mouth off to someone, make sure you have the skill to back up your boasting."

"Yes, Alpha," Marcus said with a tone of shame and defeat.

Ben offered his hand, which the beta took slowly, and was helped to his feet, then pulled into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson, Marcus, but I promise you that I won't rest until you're better than Wallace and almost anyone else," the alpha whispered in his ear.

Marcus pulled back, saw that his alpha meant what he had said and nodded, feeling mollified by that. "Thanks, Alpha."

"Hey," Wallace said, coming forward to offer his hand with a smile of sympathy. "No hard feelings, okay?"

"Yeah," Marcus said, trying to take his defeat with dignity despite the burning humiliation he felt inside, and shook hands with good grace.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Marcus," Ben told him gently. "You only started your training yesterday. It'll take time for you to get good at fighting."

"Skill takes time to develop," Berke added. "Take it from someone who knows."

Marcus sighed and nodded, realizing that he'd expected too much from himself.

"I'll order my pack to leave him alone come Moon Night... Give him a few more weeks to get better. I can't promise that the others will leave him be, but I'll talk to Angela and Monica and ask them to go easy on him."

"Thanks," Ben said. "In all fairness, he became a wolf at a pretty lousy time of the lunar cycle. I had a whole month to prepare, unlike poor Marcus."

The new beta shrugged, seeing the wisdom in that, but still wishing that he'd done better against Wallace.

"Trust me," Berke said, stepping up to them, "if anyone can make you stronger, it's my little brother." He shocked Marcus by yanking Ben to him, giving him a bear hug and kissing him passionately, grinding his human-formed mouth against Ben's proto-muzzle.

"What the-...? But you're brothers!" he exclaimed.

"Adopted brothers," Ben said out the side of his muzzle while still kissing Berke.

"Yeah," Berke said, smiling at Marcus with golden eyes as he let go of Ben and grabbed the newest addition to his brother's pack, "Love is love." He leaned in and kissed Marcus passionately, growling in appreciation into the beta's proto-muzzle. Marcus grew erect and squirted a small jet of precum onto Berke's crotch. Berke felt it hit and broke the kiss with a 'tsk'ing sound. "Now why'd you have to go and do that, huh? Now I'm going to have to make you deal with the mess you made." He put his large hands on the beta's shoulders and pushed downwards. "Get down there and clean up after yourself."

Marcus looked to Kyle, feeling guilty, but his mate only smiled. "Go ahead," Kyle said to him, so he turned back to the large alpha and began to lap away at the crotch of his jeans, licking away the spilled precum and feeling the firm penis under the denim begin to stir in interest.

Just then, Wallace's phone rang and he growled in annoyance at the interruption. "Yeah?" he snapped, angry at the fun being halted.

"What? Oh! ...Yeah. Fuck! Hold on." He covered the phone with his hand, looking to his alpha. "We're forgetting Heather's birthday party. Misty's pissed that we aren't there yet."

Berke groaned. "Shit! I forgot..." He turned to his brother. "I blame you for this. I didn't mean for this to be a sexual visit....

Well," he mollified, his mouth twitching within his dense, short-trimmed beard, "okay, MAYBE a little, but I should be there for my beta's birthday."

Ben nodded. "It's okay... Just bring all your guys over soon so we can get better acquainted," he added, pushing his groin out slightly and eliciting a stare of sexual hunger from Wallace at the display, a bit of drool escaping from the corner of the beta's mouth.

"Count on it," Berke said, walking over, grabbing his brother in a bear hug and grinding their mouths together, adapting his kissing once again to compensate for the different facial structures of his human-formed mouth versus Ben's proto-muzzle. Ben growled in appreciation and began dry-humping the larger wolf eagerly despite knowing he had to leave.

Berke snarled, his pants growing tighter, and the larger werewolf all but dropped the Head Alpha as he backed away quickly, wrestling his inner wolf back under control. "Ooh... You dirty little..." the burly alpha said with a chuckle, his eyes glowing gold. "Don't make me wreck my pants, now."

Ben smirked shamelessly. "Then start wearing looser clothing when you come visit," he said with amusement. "As a matter of fact, bring an extra pair of clothes over we can keep here for you, just in case... Or rather, for WHEN it happens. I want to see you hulk out some time."

Berke shuddered. "Please stop," he literally begged, fighting to keep his mouth from changing forms.

Ben chuckled. "Okay, I'll behave."

"Nice to meet you, Marcus," Berke said, growling slightly with suppressed desire. "I'll make you cause a bigger mess next time, I promise," he added, making the newest member of the community murr hungrily. "Let's get out of here while we still can," he said to his own beta.

"Right," Wallace said in a strained voice as Berke headed upstairs with a rapid pace, the steps creaking under his weight. The visiting beta took a last, hungry look at their hosts... And nearly lost it when Ben slid his hand lewdly down the front of his shorts, his body swelling slightly in lust as it tried to change forms.

"Wallace!" Berke barked from above.

"C-coming," the beta said after a last glance at them, making a silent promise with his eyes to the Head Alpha that they WOULD mate sometime soon before he hurried after his own alpha.

Once they were both gone, the pack burst into evil, lust-fueled laughter. "Oh man," Ben said. "We are going to have SO much fun when they come over," he said aloud.

"Definitely," Luke said with a hungry stare at the steps leading up to the first floor.

"Alright, guys," the alpha said. "Let's get back to training."

"What?" Kyle whimpered. "After all that, I'm horny enough to hump anything!"

"HEY!" Ben barked. "I know how you feel, but we need to train Marcus more before Moon Night and that HAS to take priority. We'll mate later, alright?"

The pack nodded, seeing their alpha's wisdom.

"Ken," Ben said sharply. "Marcus needs experience against faster opponents, so you spar with him. He needs to learn how to adapt to the fighting styles of other people."

"Yes, Alpha," the Japanese wolf said as he and Marcus moved to the center of the training area and squared off...