“Yes, I know who you are. I must apologize for us startling you this morning. I know how unsettling it must be finding total strangers in your room.” The werewolf seemed to smile at this. “In any case, my name is Charles Mabena.” The werewolf extended his hand and William took it. “It is a pleasure to finally meet the infamous William.”
William was about to ask what exactly he meant by that, but they were interrupted as another werewolf entered into the small clearing. It was the dark sandy blonde werewolf. William caught his scent. He had smelled this creature before. He narrowed his eyes at the blonde werewolf. The blonde seemed to recognize him as well and there was definite animosity there. William lowered himself into a ready fighting stance. The blonde realized what was going on and mirrored the action. Charles stood in between them. He looked at William and back at the blonde. He put out both of his hands in a warding gesture. The two werewolves moved to the side and began to circle each other.
As William moved, he felt the blades of grass brush up against the fur of his legs. His focus was completely concentrated on the blonde. His mind worked to try and pin down where he knew this werewolf from and why he would feel threatened by William. He inhaled the blonde’s scent once more and the memory came to him. This is the werewolf that jumped me in the forest a few days ago. He had spent some time trying to figure out why the werewolf had attacked him. It had been unprovoked and unwarranted. Now, one way or another, he was going to get some answers.
Three other werewolves crashed through the underbrush into the clearing. William identified Aceso, the other two were strangers to him. William stood frozen at the sudden intrusion. He didn’t take an ounce of concentration away from the blonde.
Aceso stood on her hind legs. She looked at the other three werewolves already in the clearing. “William, what are you doing?”
The ferocity of her tone immediately bowed his head. It was something that was automatic. Aceso ordered and he obeyed. It was an unconscious reaction to her tone and voice. It wasn’t an unpleasant realization. To other men it might seem emasculating, but here in the forest in the presence of the rest of the pack it felt completely natural. William backed away from the blonde werewolf, his tail swooped low between his legs, but it still had an arch to it. He was submissive to Aceso his alpha, not to the blonde.
The blonde stood up as well and turned his attention to Aceso. “Who asked you?”
The retort sent fresh waves of anger and animosity up William’s spine directed toward the blonde. He wanted to rip the guy’s arms off. He must have taken a step or two toward the other werewolf because Aceso raised an arm in his direction and shot him a reproving look. Under that gaze William fell silent and let the growl that was in his throat die.
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Aceso didn’t seem to want violence between them, but she wasn’t going to let the challenge go unanswered either. “I’m your alpha. Nobody needs to ask me anything.”
The blonde werewolf scoffed and turned his back on her. Before William knew it, he had taken two or three steps toward the blonde. Aceso held up her hand once more. William looked at his alpha and he was surprised to see the black, white, and tan werewolf standing next to him. She must have moved as well. William looked from his alpha to the back of the blonde. He wanted to hurt him, badly. But Aceso grabbed him by the arm and forced him down to meet her gaze. Aceso was a few inches shorter than William, but she was the alpha. William knew then that this was not the way a werewolf pack should act. William heaved a quick sigh and nodded his head low. Aceso nodded back and let go of his arm.
“We eat as a pack, that includes you, Nicolas,” Aceso said.
The blonde werewolf turned at the sound of the name. “Yeah, yeah, the laws of nature and all that crap yeah, I know. I’ve had just about all I can stand about that shit from my bitch of a teacher, all right.” Aceso walked past William and Achelois. She walked straight to the carcass and leaning on her haunches she tore into the meatiest part of the deer, the hind flank.
William knew that now he could eat. He and the rest of the pack made their way over to the carcass. Nicolas stood there for a moment watching the rest of the pack tear apart the carcass for eating. With disgust heavy in his body language, his tail was arched up in defiance, he walked over to the carcass with the rest of the pack.
William began ripping the carcass apart. The section that Aceso had torn into was her’s and it remained untouched on the ground. William tore the deer into equal parts around the choice section that had been chosen by the alpha. He plopped the ripped-up meat on the ground in front of the various members of the pack. He even tossed a rather good chuck to Nicolas, even though it was against his better judgment. Aceso wanted them to get along. This man was part of his pack. He would have to learn to cooperate and live with him.
Nicolas didn’t seem to notice how good the section was that William had given him and he scoffed at the meat lying there in the grass. Aceso ignored this and William followed suit, it was getting to be really hard putting up with this guy’s attitude already. William reached down and began ripping into his piece of the deer. He looked over at Aceso who was finishing her portion.
Their first meal together as a pack. The first of many. William found himself hoping for that. He didn’t know anyone there; he couldn’t even really say he knew Aceso. But she had saved his life and led him here, for that she had earned his loyalty and support. He knew that the road to them becoming a pack and working together was going to be a long one. But, after all this time, maybe this was the family that he had always been seeking.