Guardian - 27. Two steps forward, Three steps back

Come to find out, Scott had broken every wall in his house either with his fist, throwing others into them, or kicking them in. Just in the short few hours before sunset, Gabriel was able to get the man to spill it; surprised he even got that far and almost decided to stay out of the room come nightfall. No good. Scott ended up picking him up like a sack of potatoes and walking right upstairs to the bedroom. He threw the teen gently on the bed.

“Stay in here.” There was no please, not even a questionable tone behind it. Scott’s firm demand was something the boy was getting used to.

“You know, I was told by Tasha that Orion wanted me out of the picture because he wouldn’t control himself. Are you the same way?” Scott was stripping of his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxer briefs.

“I can handle my alpha tendencies; it’s the pack I don’t trust. I’ll come up to see you sometime.” Gabriel sat up on the bed, moving to the foot of the bed.

“You know when I first saw you, you didn’t look like you had a mane,” Gabriel couldn’t help but comment. Scott was at the door when he turned to the boy.

“As an alpha, I can mix up my feral and lupine form at any given time. I could take my lupine form if I wanted to. Tonight you’ll see my lupine form.” His words made Gabriel think about who he was really talking too. Scott’s voice was soft, cooling from the harsh and stern tone he always used. Gabriel hopped off the bed and walked to him, the man watching him as the teen went to him. If he was right, the Jarkla would possibly grow a few more inches, maybe end upbe a few inches shorter than himself. Gabriel reached up to hold the man’s face and pulled him down for a kiss. Scott let him, letting it linger a bit. It was the second kiss that was tender today. Gabriel was defiantly making leeway.

“Wake me up if I fall asleep will ya,” he mumbled, letting the man go. Scott chuckled and ruffled his short hair.

“Maybe,” he murmured. Gabriel shrugged. It was better than his usual ‘No’. He let Scott leave, the door closing but not locking behind him. Gabriel sighed and stripped himself of his clothes. He was itchy thanks to the hair cut, so we decided a quick shower would be nice.

He spent only about five minutes in the shower to get rid of all the hair. Afterward he stood before the sink staring at his hair. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he frowned. His hair was so bland. He ran his hands through it and he triedto mess around with it to see what he could do. He hadn’t had his hair this short since he was thirteen. He ruffled it and scratched his head, getting annoyed. Sighing he quit messing with it and looked for an extra toothbrush. He found one in the drawer and went ahead and used it. As he brushed his teeth, he leaned in to look at his eyes. He stopped brushing when he saw a very faint lavender color around his iris. He slowly rinsed his mouth, leaning even closer to look at it again.

“Hey Seren?” he said, worry in his voice.

Yes little angel?

“Is it possible for a Jarkla that hasn’t bonded, to get lavender eyes beforehand?”

No. You always get them after the bonding. Why?

“Because I swear to god I have lavender in my eye color right now.” he said, still staring into the mirror. It was very small but he could see it. In his right eye, there was a very small circle of lavender around his pupil and what seemed to be a thin stripe swimming through the sea of hazel.

Impossible. You couldn’t have the color until you did something that only a bonded Jarkla could do. Even with a slight bond you still don’t have that capability. It’s unheard of.

Well it wasn’t now. Gabriel wasn’t lying, and there was no way Seren was either. He leaned back and huffed.. It made no sense.

I’ll consult with some of the others. Perhaps they can shed some light. Will you be ok?

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Let me know if you find anything,” he muttered, walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He needed to pass some time and voted on trying to find something to watch. He put on some slacks and a white undershirt and hopped in the bed. Grabbing the remote he began to click through channels. He did it for a while until he stopped at a commercial. He sat up.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He remembered the movie that his old friends would talk about with Michael J. Foxx playing a teenager that was bitten by a werewolf, gaining the title Teen Wolf. He never thought he’d actually see a new TV series that followed it. Well at least that’s what he was thinking. He quickly went to the channel and groaned. It wasn’t going to be playing until 11 pm. Damn. He slouched in the bed and just kept it on the channel, watching whatever came on. The boredom soon caused his eyes to droop and sleep overtook him.

In the deep wilderness bordering Scott’s house, his pack gathered. Most came out in towels and placed them to the side as they waited for the moon. Young Neil went to join the alpha when he finally made his appearance. The young pup sat with him until the moon began to gaze down at them after the sun finally set over the horizon. At once, the grunts and howls of their transformation began. Scott was the last to morph, and even as the alpha blood coursed through his veins, several wolves including Tank surpassed their alpha in sheer size. Scott had allowed his full lupine form to hold. He was sleek and built for speed and agility. His long hair did create a mane around his neck and it traveled a good bit down his back. His fur wasn’t coarse like most others but soft. He was black of course, with no markings at all unlike his brother who had flecks of silver, grey and white. Scott made no movement from where he was, watching Neil beginning to wonder around. The she-wolves kept a close eye on the wolf pup as the alpha looked back to the house. Tank gave a deep howl calling the pack to a group hunt. The beta went to his alpha.

“Will you be coming sir? You haven’t taken part in a pack hunt in a few months.” It was true. Scott hardly went on pack hunts and normally let Tank lead them all. He gave a wave and kept his head turned.

“Go on without me. Take my nephew with you, see to it he doesn’t go near the house.” Tank gave a nod at Scott’s response and made sure Jake was part of the hunting party. After a few hours, Scott left his pack’s festivities and went back to the house, moving fast so that he wasn’t seen by the humans that also occupied some of the neighboring houses. He went in the back door, hearing the stillness of the house and the buzzing noise of voices. He figured it was the TV as he moved up the stairs on all fours. He opened his door slowly and peeked in to see the light of the TV flickering on the sleeping form in the bed. He snorted but a smile was on his muzzle. He walked over quietly to the edge of the bed and stared at the sleeping teen. Gabriel’s hair was all over the place despite the shortness of it now. His chest rose and fell slowly, the shirt he wore rucked up and showing his smooth stomach. The sheets covered him to just below his hips, the slacks riding low to show just a small trail of stomach hair developed under his belly button. Odd, Scott never noticed that before. He brought his attention back to the face. Gabriel had told him to wake him, but Scott didn’t want to. He walked over to the other edge and got on the bed. He was still tall, but only gained about four inches in his change. He curled up and ran his black claw down Gabriel’s cheek bone.

The teen stirred, rolling over to face him. He mumbled something that Scott didn’t catch. He leaned up on his arm and stared at him as he slept. Throughout the time the teen had been with him, Scott swore that what he said previously to Jake was true. He wanted to know everything there was about him. How his life was, what happened. How did his parents treat him? Thinking back to when he was cutting his hair, the boy sounded upset even mentioning them. Were they the beginning of this downfall?

Scott also wondered what the teen would want in exchange. He would let his nephew go, but he doubted the young wolf would leave. He came along because he wanted to protect Gabriel. But who was protecting who now? Scott never had this with Amaya. She would always ignore him, say nothing and simply do as she was told. They never talked or spoke. It was his jealousy of her connection with Warvick that lead to the other wolf’s death. At times when he thought about it, he regretted it. Then when he learned of Neil, he just wanted him dead. He didn’t want to be reminded of what he had done and wanted to be rid the evidence. However, he continued to think about it, to fully wonder about it. There was that possibly that the pup was his. His one flaw was that he was paranoid. Paranoid that his pack would raise up against him, that Tank would overthrow him and get rid of him. That he would get banished and be a loner. Not that Scott didn’t think he could get by. He was alone a lot during his growing up and would welcome it.

He wondered about leaving sometimes. Letting Tank just have the pack while he moved away and just never looked back. He was young and stupid when he so viciously took the position of Alpha from the line of the Moon Pack and now, that line had diminished and ended. Here he was, a proud and wealthy member of the Rosario family and he could barely handle a pack. He used the hatred and fear that others felt for him against them, to keep them at bay. He killed recently to reiterate that he could and would take a life.

When Gabriel grumbled in his sleep and whimpered softly, Scott’s attention went back to the teen. He watched the eyes flicker open and saw the young Jarkla look up and stare at him. He wondered what he saw. Scott’s feral form was much more ‘fat’ than his lupine. This was the reason his father didn’t bestow the alpha-ship on him and instead gave it to Orion. This blasted form that stripped him of everything that was rightfully his. He watched him move his hand and felt the soft fingers on his muzzle as he scratched it. Scott almost couldn’t help himself as his tail gave a slight wag.

“Guess you proved me wrong…you really do have a mane.” Scott beamed, secretly gloating at the boy’s comment. Gabriel was surprised at how soft the fur was, letting his hand run through the fur on Scott’s neck and chest. The man looked like a wolf, but then again looked like a man. Fur covered his entire body. He could see the bushy tail when it wagged. His thighs looked human, even his knees. It was when it came to the ankle did it look like a back paw, giving Scott that extra height. He remembered what Jake and Jason looked like, and spying on Orion and the others, he could remember their form. Though he never fully took his time to really look at them. Scott’s shoulders were patched with thick fur and his hand was almost like Gabriel’s. He place his palm against Scott’s. Obviously his hand was larger, and was covered in fur, but he had distinct paw pads on each of his fingers as well as his palm. Gabriel looked back at Scott’s face, looking into the now golden iris of his eyes. He couldn’t help it; he reached over and lifted the werewolf’s lip to look at his teeth. Scott didn’t mind the prodding to be truthful. He was letting the boy explore for several reasons of his own. As his wolf, in this calm state, the Jarkla’s curiosity relaxed him more. He felt him move closer, running his hands over his soft fur.

“You know, I never really got a good look at Jake or Jason on that night you found us. I’m kind of surprised you’re even letting me do this…I used to tell Orion I liked him better as his wolf when he would piss me off. I still can’t wrap my thoughts around you though.” Gabriel tended to talk more to himself when the other person in the room either couldn’t talk back, or wasn’t even living. Hell, he had talked to his food before and that was a strange thing to explain when people overheard him. Scott rolled on his back, adjusting his tail as it rested between his legs now, Gabriel actually moving to scratch his stomach and chest. It felt good, and Scott’s foot paw showed that when he hit a certain spot and the foot would kick from the ankle down. Gabriel laughed softly.

“I always wanted a dog. My parents were going to let me have one.” His tone was becoming a whisper. “Until I came out to them. After that, well things never really went my way.” He moved and rested his cheek on Scott’s chest. He remembered talking to Orion, but the man was human when he did that and spoke back. “I don’t like talking about my parents since they hit me over the head with something and left me to die.” Scott looked at the teen and moved his arm to rub his shoulder, running his claws gently over his back in a pattern.

“I was glad to get away kind of, but I wanted to go back, just to finish school you know? I wanted to graduate, maybe get into college, and get away from my parents. Then this happened.” He gave a loud sigh. He hadn’t even told this to Orion. Maybe Scott was a lot like him? Or vice versa. Scott moved his other clawed hand to run them both through his hair.

“I never really talked to Orion like this. I mean sure we had moments. He opened up to me; I kind of opened up back. After going into your thoughts; all I’m asking for isn’t to send Jake back, or to not kill or anything I asked for before. I’m just asking to talk.” He moved his head, lifting up to look at the wolf. Scott was slightly upset that Gabriel even mentioned his younger brother. Gabriel moved up, the wolf releasing him.

“After this, will you talk to me?” Gabriel asked. Scott growled softly. Even now the boy wanted to test him. He hated to talk, hated to even reminisce on the past. Gabriel frowned and grabbed the man’s muzzle, crossing the line even more. Scott continued to growl, sitting up but Gabriel crawled up to stop him. The werewolf gruffled, staring at him.

“You won’t answer? Fine. I’ll just continue. My parents didn’t love me after I told them I was gay. I secluded myself from my friends and acted like I didn’t need them. At fourteen I already felt like I was doing things as if I was out of the house. My parents didn’t talk to me, and when they did it was hardly what a kid would want. You want to know why I’m the way I am. It’s because I’m afraid of getting close to people. And now, here I find myself trying to get close to people and with every fucking twist and turn more shit is thrown at me and yet I’m able to adjust. Every day I battle myself, saying and asking ‘What will happen Gabe? What is going to throw you for a loop?’ I know I can’t have a normal teenage life. I know that now. But this, this stupid war that you guys started. It’s hurting everyone around you. It’s hurting me. And deep down, you know for a fact it’s hurting you. Think hard about what I’m asking you. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hating your only brother? I wish I had one. Maybe he’d accept me for who I am, and if he didn’t, I would work with him, to take me as who I am, and not what I am. For whom I will be, and not what I will become.” After his speech, Gabriel was an emotional wreck. He could feel the tears, hell even his voice choked. He got up and pushed the werewolf away.

It was weird to him. He felt at home and comfortable with wolves, with any animals really. It was the Jarkla inside him, but also, Gabriel didn’t want to judge people just by what he heard. He wanted to do decide for himself. He was wiping his face, feeling the tears leaking out. He tried not to choke out his sobs. Scott moved from the bed to stand, walking toward him. He stood behind him but didn’t move. As he reached out to touch him, a resounding slam at the front door sounded. Instantly Scott crouched. He used his hearing to listen in as he heard several pairs of boots clicking on the floor.

“This is the house, but I don’t see any wolves. You sure that contact was right?” Hunters. They had to be. Scott growled softly and pushed Gabriel into the locked room as the teen tried slightly to refuse..

“What’s going on, who are—“ A soft growl told the teen to shut up as Scott joined him in the small black room. He pushed on something before he closed the door and the doorknob flipped to the inside. Scott shut the door and stayed crouched in front of it as the men went through the house. He listened intently on the group.

“Shit, looks like no one is here.”

“Maybe they are all outside?” Scott was distracted when he heard Gabriel muttering behind him.

“See! This is exactly what I mean. More fucking drama! Are you kidding me?!” The wolf looked un-amused at the teen. He saw him perfectly in the dark as the teen looked disgruntled. He gave a huff, trying to quiet the teen down. They were on the stairs now and entering the room. The TV was still on.

“The TV was left on, maybe there are a few in here.”

“Search the area.” Scott moved back from the door, turning and grabbing Gabriel as he brought him into the deep corner. He couldn’t take them all, and Gabriel’s safety was what he was worried about. Gabriel didn’t know what was happening, but he felt Scott’s emotion. He knew what the wolf was doing. He wrapped his arms around him, trying to calm his breath. Whoever was out there put Scott on edge. He listened in, hearing Scott’s breath but he began to hear their voices.

“Someone was defiantly here. This towel is damp so they must have been in the shower, that also looks like its just been used.” Well no shit.

“That could have been from this morning though. Look for anything that’s hidden. Rumors have it that the guy who owns this house has a lot of secret rooms.” Damn them, Scott thought. Who was the person to rat him out? It was the howls that broke the silence that caused Scott’s heart to skip. Shit! The pack was returning. He had been gone for too long. He began to growl as the sliding door opened and screams were heard. The slaughter began.

“They’re coming in!” A hunter exclaimed. Shots were fired and he heard the snarls and howls. No, the idiots they will be killed! Scott knew that the pack hadn’t dealt with hunters that much, and if they rushed in head on, most would surely be killed. He heard Tank’s snarl and a slam on the door.

“Shoot it!! Shoot it damnit!” One of the hunters yelled.

“Alpha!” It was Tank. He had to take that moment. Grabbing Gabriel’s arm, he went to the door. The man opened it to see Tank and a few others keeping the hunters at bay.

“Once we’re out, get out! Regroup in the woods!” he snarled at his beta. He pulled Gabriel and that’s when it happened.

“A kid! They have a kid!” Gabriel looked to see the men with the guns and he didn’t have to be dragged by Scott, he ran. He ran with the wolf, soon his hand was in the Alpha’s as they made their way through the house. Shots continued to sound in the air but it was Gabriel’s cry that caused every wolf to panic. He was shot in the thigh and the teen felt it burning.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he cried out. Scott turned and something snapped in him, but the hunters that had chased them, couldn’t believe what they saw. Gabriel grabbed the wolf’s mane when he turned, his eyes red and looking for blood. He gave his own snarl at the wolf. It was happening so fast. “Leave me, take the pack and leave. I swear I’ll find you. Get Neil out of here!” Scott felt the demand in the words and almost went against them. It was the shining lavender in the teen’s right eye that made him think otherwise. His pawed hand opened and he released the teen’s hand. Scott looked hurt and he licked the teen’s face and made like a bullet out if the room. He called out to the pack and they were quick to leave. Crashing through the windows, they left, and Gabriel was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when the remaining hunters moved to surround him. The leader lowered his rifle and stared at the boy who gripped his leg, the blood seeping from the wound. Gabriel’s eyes were glaring at them, narrowed and very angry.

“You know, if my life were to ever become a fucking movie, I don’t think the audience would ever get bored.” He muttered. His right eye had more lavender in it and his hand even began to glow a very luminous purple. Gabriel didn’t notice it, but the men did.

“What the hell are you?” the leader asked.

“Right now, I’m pissed off. You shot me,” he said. The glow stopped and Seren had quickly joined him in his thoughts.

What the fuck just happened? The whole abyss just flashed. Gabriel what is going on!

Perfect fucking timing, Gabriel thought to him as he continued. Listen, some humans showed up and they started firing and killing the wolves and one of the fuckers shot me and don’t ask me how I did it, but I told Scott to leave me and he did. He actually did Seren, the boy quickly thought to him as he stared at the hunters before him.

“You were with the werewolves but you’re not bitten. For a moment there your hand was glowing.”

“My hand was glowing?”

You hand was glowing?!

“Holy fuck just shut up for a moment!” Gabriel exclaimed, struggling to stay up. Seren what the hell, he screamed at the old Jarkla.

You’re seriously asking me? I’m clueless right now! He said your hand glowed? As a Jarkla we do have healing abilities but again, not until after the bonding. How are you reacting this way?

“I swear to whatever god that’s up there, I am never going to have a normal day in my life.” He looked back up to see the guns pointed at him. He didn’t like the feeling. Hell he didn’t like the feeling of the bullet in his leg. “Since you shot me, can you just take me to a hospital so I can get this stupid bullet out of my leg?” The leader of the group moved in closer.

“First you tell us who you are,” he demanded. The teen’s jaw clenched.

“Gabriel Kingsly.” One of the hunters lowered his rifle.

“You’re that missing kid.”

“Yeah well I’m not missing anymore. Go ahead, turn me in. Just, after I get this bullet out.”

“But why were you with them?” Another demand. Gabriel opened his mouth but Seren’s words quickly stop him.

They cannot learn what you are Gabriel .The Hunters aim on getting the Jarkla because they know the wolves will come to them if it is in their possession. If they learn what you are, you will be nothing but their prisoner.

Fuck my life, Gabriel thought. He closed his mouth.

“I don’t know. I was just in the room and then it came from nowhere.”

“But it hasn’t bitten you?” He questioned.

“No.” Play it safe. Gabriel watched as they all finally lowered their weapons.

“Burn the house. You can come with us Gabriel. We’ll get that bullet out of your leg and turn you over to the authorities in the morning.” Gabriel frowned. Scott would lose his home. No doubt the man had enough money to buy another house. He limped out with the men as they helped him into one of the vehicles waiting outside. They went ahead and wrapped his wound to keep the pressure and Gabriel once again, felt his life leaving. He searched the words, and focused on Scott. ‘I swear I’ll come back to you, just wait. Don’t do anything stupid please.’ He hoped it made it to him. He continued to focus and smiled when he got a response back.

You don’t do anything stupid puppy. He smiled and leaned against the window after being strapped in. The drive began and it was an intense silence. The leader, who was driving, started talking.

“You’ve been missing for a long while Gabriel. Been staying here the whole time?” He tone caught and held Gabriel’s eyes when they clashed with the man’s dark brown.

“Just a few weeks.” Gabriel looked away. He tried to focus on the wound but he noticed that his leg didn’t hurt as much. Being partly bonded with Tristan seemed to help. Maybe the wolf felt it, like how Gabriel had felt his pain when he was hurt, no wait. He didn’t feel it. Well maybe it worked differently.

“Been on the road?” He was digging, and Gabriel knew it. He would have to tread lightly.

“Yeah.” Single answers were his best friend. He smiled only a little. This was reminding him of conversations he and Scott would have sometimes.

“Didn’t like where you were?” he continued. Gabriel’s lips pinched in a line. This guy didn’t give up.

“Not really.” He looked up at him, urging him to change the subject. “So are you taking me to the hospital?” He questioned.

“No, I am taking you to my home. We can take out that bullet for you as I said before.” Not good. Gabriel didn’t make it obvious that he was nervous.

They might know already if they saw you glowing. I can’t believe that happened. How did you do that?

I don’t know, he thought back, I was just angry that I got hurt. I mean I’ve gotten angry before.

Pretend to sleep, we must speak.

Easier said than done. Gabriel leaned his head on the window and closed his eyes, but a sudden swerve made him jerk up.

“Sorry about that, rabbit.” He wasn’t stupid to know that was a lie. Gabriel looked at him and tried again. Again something jerked him awake, this time it was the guy who sat next to him whose leg ‘slipped’ and hit his.

“Sorry.” Gabriel wanted to reply with ‘Bullshit’ but refrained. He adjusted himself in his seat and tried one more time.

“You tired?” Gabriel’s jaw clenched as he looked over at the same guy who kicked him.

“Yes, I am actually. You don’t mind if I sleep some do you?” He had to try and not sound like he was annoyed, but he didn’t do a very good job. The man beside him glanced away and then back at the teen.

“We’ll wake you when we get there.” Thinking he could actually sleep now, Gabriel rested his head and closed his eyes. It took forever, but he finally left the living.

 

Once in the Abyss, I rushed to find Seren pacing as his dragon form while Merrick was crouching in the tall grass. I waved at the wolf as he stood and came to greet me. I got a cold wet nose on the cheek in greeting, scratching him behind the ears before he rose away from my reach. Seren saw me.

“This never happened before. Never has a Jarkla been able to do anything before the bonding.”

“Well obviously there must be something wrong with me,” I said dryly at him. I just happened to be the odd ball didn’t I? Seren roared at me.

“This isn’t the least bit funny!” I gawked at his exclamation.

“Do you see me laughing Seren? I’m just as freaked out as you are!” He continued to pace and I groaned. “Would you stop that, pacing makes me uncomfortable.” He stopped to just look at me.

“I wish I knew more on what is happening.”

“I would like to know what the hell just happened back there,” I said. Seren began pacing again and I just stood by Merrick as he watched him too. I turned to the lupine. “Does he do this when he freaks out?” I asked. He gave me a nod. I sighed. “Seren, what am I going to do about this? What kind of tests can they do to check if I am the Jarkla?” That got him to stop. Seren sat down and brought his scaled hand to his face, rubbing his nose.

“They can use animals against you. If you talk to them, or they flock to you, it can be a bad sign. You cannot rule the will of animals and because of that they can be your downfall.” I threw my hands in the air.

“What can I do? They said they would take me to the police station tomorrow. They can’t house me if they know I’m missing.” I tried to fight the conversation.

“What had Scott said when you asked to go outside?” He stared at me as I remembered what he mentioned.

“That I’m still a missing kid and he wanted to wait. Fuck. That’s what they are going to do aren’t they?”

“Yes. I can’t believe you told Scott to leave you. He could have carried you!” It was at that moment I realized my mistake. I inwardly cursed and began pacing myself. Why had I been so stupid?

“I can escape. They are human like me right? I can get away.”

“Not without being bonded. You have no powers, how can you honestly think you can get away from them. They have guns and arrows. Don’t think they won’t shoot you again.” I wanted to throw something at him.

“Well what do you e—“

 

 

Gabriel was forced so hard from the abyss that his heart actually felt like it was going to explode. He grabbed his chest and took in a breath, staring at the leader’s face. The door was open and he was digging his hand into the wound. It was that moment he felt the pain and he gave a soft cry.

“Ow! Fuck what the hell?” he screamed at him, the man pulled away.

“I have been doing that for the past few minutes. You take a long time to react.” Oh shit. He swallowed and quickly called for Seren’s name. Please tell me that I don’t lose all feeling in my body when I’m in the abyss, he said to him inwardly.

This one is smarter than I thought. Normally people shake you thinking you’re asleep and that jogs you more. They know now Gabriel. It’s no doubt they know. No one can withstand the slightest of pain without suddenly waking up to it.

Explain comas smartass, Gabriel muttered to him

Point taken, but you did wake up. Come up with something, see if it slides.

“Guess I was really tired then.” Gabriel could feel Seren’s face-slap.

You’re doomed.

Thanks for the load of confidence you useless dragon, Gabriel thought. He felt as if he was quoting How to Train your Dragon. He’d only heard of the movie, but other teens had used that phrase from it so much, it just clicked with the teen. Plus, it was very gratifying to say, considering that’s what Seren was.

The man removed his hand and moved to help Gabriel out of the car. They were in the middle of nowhere. He saw the woods everywhere and even a lake. He could see some lights in the far distance. Where were they?

“Where are we?” Gabriel dared to ask.

“That’s not important,” he said, grabbing Gabriel’s arm and pulling him to the front door. Gabriel swallowed and at that spilt second, he heard Scott’s voice.

That old Jarkla should have warned you about them, and about opening your mind to others.

Hey now, I didn’t get to that part.

Was that really happening? Gabriel had people talking in his head. He really was going insane. You can hear him Seren? Gabriel asked, his thoughts thinking about Scott and instinctively looking around in the darkness. The hunter noticed Gabriel’s sudden glance around.

“Waiting for someone?”

Stop making him think that we are out here puppy.

Yeah, listen to him. You’re making your escape harder.

Holy shit would you both shut up! Gabriel screamed in his thoughts, creating his own headache.

“No, just hearing things. I feel dizzy.” The teen finally answered the man. It wasn’t a lie. Gabriel did feel very light-headed.

“You’ve lost blood which might be the factor. Once we get inside we’ll set you down and you can rest, after we take the bullet out of course. You’ll be under.” Gabriel looked at the man as he limped with him.

“Are any of you even trained to do that?”

“My wife is a surgeon.” The man had an answer for everything didn’t he?

“Well, that’s convenient,” Gabriel mumbled. He heard the man chuckle.

Once they got inside the house, Gabriel was lead to the kitchen where the man’s wife was. She was surprised to see Gabriel and looked to her husband.

“He was mixed up with them. Can you attend to his bullet wound?” She looked to see Gabriel’s leg, the blood having leaked out of the bandage that was wrapped around it. She smiled.

“Sure thing, take a seat, I’ll go get a few things.” Gabriel was slightly more comfortable with her smiling words, but he was still uneasy. He sat down and relaxed his leg as they propped it up. She came back with a few tweezers, a knife, some thread and a syringe. Suddenly he felt his stomach in his throat as he jolted a bit from the chair, a few of the men having to catch him.

“Whoa tiger, what’s the matter,” the husband asked.

“I really hate needles, do you have anything else that will numb it?” The woman looked at the boy and then her husband before replying.

“We could give you liquor but that would thin your blood and make you bleed more.” He frowned.

“I’ll just take it.” The woman laughed at Gabriel’s muttering response.

“You won’t last. Don’t worry; it’ll just sting for a moment.” Gabriel doubted she understood his loath of needles, but in order to take it, he looked away and tried not to panic as she got it ready. A few looks passed back and forth and two of the guys were there to help hold him in case he freaked out. It was no doubt that he did. Once the needle was stuck in his skin he cried out and grabbed the bottom of his chair. Outside, Scott and a select few of the pack had followed the cars as they drove away. They heard his cries and went on alert. At once Scott was sending messages to Gabriel.

What happened? Pup are you alright? What are they doing?!

“I hate needles. I hate needles. I hate needles.” He was crying. He wasn’t even sure where his phobia of needles came from, but he hated them with a passion. Outside, Scott sighed and the members began to chuckle.

What is in the needle?

“Pain…killer...” he muttered. Scott groaned. You’ve got to be kidding me, the man thought. The other wolves cackled some.

You are a little puppy.

He murmured at the teen. Gabriel wanted to hiss at him but considering it was mental, he refrained. His eyes were shut and he began to feel the numbness as she tested the area. They began probing the wound and Gabriel found himself staring at the blood. It took about an hour before the bullet was retrieved and she began to stich his wound. He grunted as the pain killer began to fade off. One of the guys brought him a glass of water and he drank it down fast.

The wound was dressed and they helped him to the couch. Gabriel groaned. He remembered he was still just in some slacks and his white undershirt. At least, he was in slacks. They were torn now and the woman walked over with some shorts.

“Here you go.” Gabriel gave her a smile as he took the shorts.

“Thanks,” he said, getting up on his own and looking for the nearest bathroom to change.

“Just down the hall and to your right,” the woman called out as he limped around. Once in the bathroom, he closed and locked the door.

“Scott, can you hear me?” he whispered.

Yes.

“Seren are you still there?” Gabriel questioned.

Of course.

“Great, so now I have you both in my head. What the hell am I going to do? What if they do know what I am? What’s the possibility of getting out?” His thoughts were silent before Seren began to talk first.

Well, I suppose that now, we’ll have to communicate like this. It won’t be good for you to ‘pass out’ and have another incident where they are testing your body’s reflexes.

Which brings this up. What makes you think that they won’t test him while he sleeps?

Scott brought up a good point, and Gabriel listened as the two began to bicker.

What do you suggest then Mr. Paranoid? That he stays up all night?

That’s a start. And don’t call me that.

You can’t kill me so I’ll call you whatever I want.

“Would you two not argue in my head please?”

Quiet puppy.

Don’t tell him to be quiet. You are not his guardian

I just want to let you know, that if you were alive, I’d be ripping you into shreds right now.

Try me big boy! You’re the reason he came to me in the first place so bring it!

“Fuck, would you both shut up!” Gabriel hadn’t realized how loud he was until a knock on the door took him by surprise.

“You alright in there?” The voice sounded worried, but he could hear the undertone of curiosity beneath it.

“Yeah, just…got a headache,” he muttered. He splashed some water on his face and sighed. “I’m going to try and stay up. Scott’s right Seren, and I can’t take that chance.” He heard the man sigh in his thoughts.

Want me to help you stay up?

I can do that.

I’d probably be better company.

They just couldn’t stop, and Gabriel was getting tired of it. Their bickering back and forth alone would keep him awake. He didn’t bother replying as he changed and grunted, his thigh still throbbing from the pain. He opened the door to see the man.

“I never properly introduced myself.” Weird how he’s standing outside, Gabriel thought to himself, hearing a scoff from Scott and a chuckle from Seren. “I’m Heath Urban. My wife’s name is Kimberly, but call her Kim.” He extended his hand. Gabriel, still a bit weary, extended his hand and shook it.

“In the morning we’ll take you to the station. You should get some rest.” Heath’s smile was hardly reassuring. The man had salt and pepper hair and one of those mustaches that just screamed “creepy old man”. He looked to be in his late forties, maybe even fifty. His wife looked younger, which he thought was strange. Maybe she just had good genes.

“I don’t think I can. I am in a bit of shock still. You don’t mind if I stay up do you?” he asked, his brow raised a bit at the question. Heath continued to smile.

“I don’t mind. Kim made the couch for you to rest on. The others are in the extras rooms, so we don’t have one for you. If you are staying up, you don’t mind if we talk do you?” That’s what Gabriel was afraid of. Talking. Shit, he thought.

You better not open that blabbing mouth pup. You tend to talk too much.

He isn’t that stupid!

Thanks for the wonderful back up, the teen sighed in his thoughts. He closed his eyes.

“I guess we can. Do you have Advil? I could use some.” Heath smiled and began to walk to the kitchen as Gabriel limped behind him.

“Sure thing. We have Bayer as well.”

“Either is fine. Anything to stop a headache.” Gabriel muttered.

See now he’s calling us a headache.

If you were in my head, I’d have a headache too.

They were like kids. Heath handed him a glass of water and some Bayer pills as he took them almost greedily. “Thanks,” he said in a soft breath. The hunter went on into the living room, the teen following him shortly after. Gabriel had some trouble sitting but he was soon relaxing. Heath took the other couch, the TV on the news as it was repeating from the morning.

“I wanted to ask how you learned about the werewolves. You seemed to be unaffected when that tall black one was dragging you away. It was in that room with you. Did you know before what they were?” Right down to business wasn’t he? Gabriel studied the man.

“I was just making my way, they offered to house me for a few days before I continued. I didn’t know what they were, but I wasn’t scared. When we heard something crashing into the house, he tried to protect me.”

“He? You mean the werewolf.” It hit a nerve.

“Yes him. Like I said, I didn’t know. I was sleeping when he came in I guess. I woke up when you smashed through. I was a little scared but he moved to protect me. I wasn’t afraid after a bit but you started to kill them and I didn’t know how to react.” He was trying to be truthful yet hide the obvious as well. Gabriel wondered how many were killed in the ambush.

Four. Many were mostly injured.

How about Tank, Jake, and Heather? Gabriel asked him.

Tank has a few bullet wounds, nothing that won’t heal. Heather was with Neil back in the woods. Jake suffered from a few arrows but he’s fine.

Scott’s answer kept Gabriel at a soft ease as he stared at the man who continued to study him.

“They are monsters young man. And you should stay away from them. They’ll find you a good family, no doubt tomorrow, or return you to your parents.” Gabriel had a feeling that this man wasn’t going to let him leave unless he promised something. Call it intuition.

“You want me to never speak of them don’t you? Since it could open you up for killing people.”

“They are not people, they are monsters.” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak.

Do not speak more about it Gabriel. You are riding on the fence as it is.

It was the first time Scott used his name, and his mouth shut before words came out. He hated playing these games.

“Right…monsters. I won’t say anything.” He ended up muttering, but Heath’s glare became more intense and Gabriel became more uncomfortable.

“I hope you don’t. It would be sad for them to find your body.” A threat. Gabriel’s eyes met his. “Such an odd coloring in your right eye. Do you have heterochromia?” Gabriel reacted as his hand went up to his eye. Had the color spread more? Shit, he was acting like it was new. Hell he didn’t even know what that is.

“What is heterochromia?” Gabriel asked.

“Heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris” This guy was too smart to deal with. Gabriel was barely running on sophomore knowledge.

“Oh…I never really noticed,” he said, trying to pass it off. The silence continued and it became too tense for Gabriel’s comfort. He secretly wished one of the wolves was with him. The sudden pitter patter of small claws hitting tile caught his attention as a small yorkie came running. At first the dog was going straight to Heath, the man about to welcome the canine. But in an instant it turned instead and jumped on the couch and joined Gabriel. He swallowed, slightly worried as the dog sniffed his leg and then crawled over to give him a lick on the check. Great, now he had to play stupid with the dog.

Not necessarily little angel. Try reading its mind. You should be able to send mental thoughts to the dog.

I can’t, the boy complained. My head hurts too much, he grumbled in his thoughts.

Oh. Well perhaps you will have to play dumb then. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.

Seren sounded reassuring, and just talking to him kept Gabriel from going into a panic.

“Cute dog,” the teen finally said, petting the dog as it curled in his lap.

“Yes. He doesn’t really like strangers but he really likes you. I’ve never seen him do that.” God damn it all, Gabriel grumbled in his thoughts, his eyes closing. He wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose but that would show his disgruntled mood.

“Dogs always liked me. I tried to convince my parents to let me have one. Never got one.” Telling the partial lies could help him gain some respect from the man. But the threat still worried him. Would he really kill him? Or maybe kill a look alike and make it seem like it was him. Just thinking about it made him think of movies and how the villains would do things. Would this guy have the power to?

“Did you run away?” He was trying to dig, and Gabriel felt if he just gave simple answers, it would end and he’d be left alone. Petting the dog, he answered.

“Yeah.” Saying that your parents hit you over the head with something and you woke up with no memory of what happened and in the middle of a highway on the side of the road, probably wasn’t going to be the best answer. Seren actually laughed about it now, how the boy thought about it. Scott, having heard the real deal, just stayed in the background.

“If I may ask, why?” He wasn’t sure whether to speak truthfully or just make it up. He was tired and only sighed, his eyes staring at the dog that rested in his lap.

“I was a burden. They hated me. So I left. Even when I was turned over in Helen, the police had called them but never got an answer. So I was going to go to a boy’s home.” Gabriel gave a shrug. “I’m too old to adopt, so I don’t really care. Been on my own since then.”

“And you ran into them?” Gabriel knew what and who he meant.

“They took me in. But now you are going to turn me over to the police and I guess I’ll just deal with that boy’s home won’t I?” Gabriel turned to look at him.

“I suppose. I do have two sons and a daughter myself. My daughter is not able to conceive, and she lives close by. If you want, I may introduce you.”

“You want to keep an eye on me don’t you?” The teen couldn’t help but murmur. The chuckling laugh the old man gave told him yes. Damn this guy just had all the answers didn’t he? Sometimes I really think my life is a fucking movie, the teen blurted in his thoughts.

If it was a movie, I would never get laid.

Holy shit had Scott made a funny? Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh himself.

“To be honest, yes. You saw something that most do not, and yet you seem oddly calm about it. My daughter knows what I do, but she hides it well. You could possibly join in the family business.” Gabriel got a sick feeling at the implied question.

“I’d rather not. But I’ll keep your secret. I don’t have people to tell anyway,” he said. Heath leaned back in the chair and stared at the boy. Gabriel couldn’t help but think about the man before him. Granted he never met people so blunt before, but still it was odd.

“You would do well if you did. I shall retire now.” He didn’t say goodnight, the man just left. Gabriel got comfortable and frowned. His eyes on the TV now. The stillness was numbed by the buzzing of the TV but the house was creaking, possibly because of the old age. He heard the sounding keys of an alarm. Damn, even now he couldn’t escape.

“There goes the escape plan.”

Alarms?

“Yeah. I just heard it. He might try to get his daughter to adopt me. How will that settle?” he murmured, the dog looking up at him with a tilted head.

Not well. I’m going to retreat back and get ready. If anything I’ll gain custody.

Gabriel actually chuckled. He thought it was kind of funny actually. Scott going to get ‘guardian-ship’ of him from a legal stand point.

I heard that.

“Call Orion.”

No.

That actually wouldn’t be a bad idea. Seren chimed in.

No one asked you.

“Call him Scott. If they get involved, this could get bad.”

I’ll gain you back either way. My brother will just take this as an opportunity to hold you in his possession again.

Gabriel could hear the snarls in his voice, as well as the anger. The boy frowned and sighed. “Do you remember what I told you?” When silence was his answer, Gabriel bit his lip. It was a few more moments before Scott responded.

Yes.

“Will you trust me please on this?” he whispered. Outside, Scott was pacing in his lupine form, the other members watching their alpha stalk and snarl. He was upset and though he wouldn’t admit it, scared. Scared of losing him. Sure, he stole him, was mean, hurt him even. The boy poured everything out on the table tonight and it was driving Scott utterly mad. He gave another roar and slashed at the tree he had been leaning on. More silence rang through the mental link until he heard Gabriel’s voice again. “If you don’t, I will. I can easily create a mental bond with them too.” Scott gave a snort to the soft threat.

You would have both of us in your head and not be able to get us out.

The wolf pointed out. Gabriel frowned. He had a point. More silence followed and finally Scott’s eyes went to the now darkened house.

Fine. Do not make me regret it puppy. You will not like the outcome.

Gabriel didn’t believe the threat; in fact he found it hard to even get upset with threats from Scott since he was so used to hearing them.

“Send Jake back with the message. I’ll keep in touch. Seren, any news on the whole glowing thing?”

Nothing. The man, when he noticed your eye, the sudden changes might be sparking your defenses. That’s why it’s starting to show. It is a possibility but we’d have to look into it.

“Noted. I’m going to sleep. Like, really sleep. I’ll talk to you guys in the morning.” His words almost sounded slurred as he let his eyes close. He couldn’t stay up, not like he wanted to. His headache was still pounding and his temples burned. He got more comfortable and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Leaning against the wall, shielding himself from the living room, was Heath. He had overheard the soft talking the teen did and smiled softly. A mental bond. He heard him well enough. This kid had to be what the wolves went to. He would need to contact his daughter. This boy would be staying near him and under a tight leash. He turned around, truly heading to bed now.

Come to find out, Scott had broken every wall in his house either with his fist, throwing others into them, or kicking them in. Just in the short few hours before sunset, Gabriel was able to get the man to spill it; surprised he even got that far and almost decided to stay out of the room come nightfall. No good. Scott ended up picking him up like a sack of potatoes and walking right upstairs to the bedroom. He threw the teen gently on the bed.

“Stay in here.” There was no please, not even a questionable tone behind it. Scott’s firm demand was something the boy was getting used to.

“You know, I was told by Tasha that Orion wanted me out of the picture because he wouldn’t control himself. Are you the same way?” Scott was stripping of his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxer briefs.

“I can handle my alpha tendencies; it’s the pack I don’t trust. I’ll come up to see you sometime.” Gabriel sat up on the bed, moving to the foot of the bed.

“You know when I first saw you, you didn’t look like you had a mane,” Gabriel couldn’t help but comment. Scott was at the door when he turned to the boy.

“As an alpha, I can mix up my feral and lupine form at any given time. I could take my lupine form if I wanted to. Tonight you’ll see my lupine form.” His words made Gabriel think about who he was really talking too. Scott’s voice was soft, cooling from the harsh and stern tone he always used. Gabriel hopped off the bed and walked to him, the man watching him as the teen went to him. If he was right, the Jarkla would possibly grow a few more inches, maybe end upbe a few inches shorter than himself. Gabriel reached up to hold the man’s face and pulled him down for a kiss. Scott let him, letting it linger a bit. It was the second kiss that was tender today. Gabriel was defiantly making leeway.

“Wake me up if I fall asleep will ya,” he mumbled, letting the man go. Scott chuckled and ruffled his short hair.

“Maybe,” he murmured. Gabriel shrugged. It was better than his usual ‘No’. He let Scott leave, the door closing but not locking behind him. Gabriel sighed and stripped himself of his clothes. He was itchy thanks to the hair cut, so we decided a quick shower would be nice.

He spent only about five minutes in the shower to get rid of all the hair. Afterward he stood before the sink staring at his hair. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he frowned. His hair was so bland. He ran his hands through it and he triedto mess around with it to see what he could do. He hadn’t had his hair this short since he was thirteen. He ruffled it and scratched his head, getting annoyed. Sighing he quit messing with it and looked for an extra toothbrush. He found one in the drawer and went ahead and used it. As he brushed his teeth, he leaned in to look at his eyes. He stopped brushing when he saw a very faint lavender color around his iris. He slowly rinsed his mouth, leaning even closer to look at it again.

“Hey Seren?” he said, worry in his voice.

Yes little angel?

“Is it possible for a Jarkla that hasn’t bonded, to get lavender eyes beforehand?”

No. You always get them after the bonding. Why?

“Because I swear to god I have lavender in my eye color right now.” he said, still staring into the mirror. It was very small but he could see it. In his right eye, there was a very small circle of lavender around his pupil and what seemed to be a thin stripe swimming through the sea of hazel.

Impossible. You couldn’t have the color until you did something that only a bonded Jarkla could do. Even with a slight bond you still don’t have that capability. It’s unheard of.

Well it wasn’t now. Gabriel wasn’t lying, and there was no way Seren was either. He leaned back and huffed.. It made no sense.

I’ll consult with some of the others. Perhaps they can shed some light. Will you be ok?

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Let me know if you find anything,” he muttered, walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He needed to pass some time and voted on trying to find something to watch. He put on some slacks and a white undershirt and hopped in the bed. Grabbing the remote he began to click through channels. He did it for a while until he stopped at a commercial. He sat up.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He remembered the movie that his old friends would talk about with Michael J. Foxx playing a teenager that was bitten by a werewolf, gaining the title Teen Wolf. He never thought he’d actually see a new TV series that followed it. Well at least that’s what he was thinking. He quickly went to the channel and groaned. It wasn’t going to be playing until 11 pm. Damn. He slouched in the bed and just kept it on the channel, watching whatever came on. The boredom soon caused his eyes to droop and sleep overtook him.

In the deep wilderness bordering Scott’s house, his pack gathered. Most came out in towels and placed them to the side as they waited for the moon. Young Neil went to join the alpha when he finally made his appearance. The young pup sat with him until the moon began to gaze down at them after the sun finally set over the horizon. At once, the grunts and howls of their transformation began. Scott was the last to morph, and even as the alpha blood coursed through his veins, several wolves including Tank surpassed their alpha in sheer size. Scott had allowed his full lupine form to hold. He was sleek and built for speed and agility. His long hair did create a mane around his neck and it traveled a good bit down his back. His fur wasn’t coarse like most others but soft. He was black of course, with no markings at all unlike his brother who had flecks of silver, grey and white. Scott made no movement from where he was, watching Neil beginning to wonder around. The she-wolves kept a close eye on the wolf pup as the alpha looked back to the house. Tank gave a deep howl calling the pack to a group hunt. The beta went to his alpha.

“Will you be coming sir? You haven’t taken part in a pack hunt in a few months.” It was true. Scott hardly went on pack hunts and normally let Tank lead them all. He gave a wave and kept his head turned.

“Go on without me. Take my nephew with you, see to it he doesn’t go near the house.” Tank gave a nod at Scott’s response and made sure Jake was part of the hunting party. After a few hours, Scott left his pack’s festivities and went back to the house, moving fast so that he wasn’t seen by the humans that also occupied some of the neighboring houses. He went in the back door, hearing the stillness of the house and the buzzing noise of voices. He figured it was the TV as he moved up the stairs on all fours. He opened his door slowly and peeked in to see the light of the TV flickering on the sleeping form in the bed. He snorted but a smile was on his muzzle. He walked over quietly to the edge of the bed and stared at the sleeping teen. Gabriel’s hair was all over the place despite the shortness of it now. His chest rose and fell slowly, the shirt he wore rucked up and showing his smooth stomach. The sheets covered him to just below his hips, the slacks riding low to show just a small trail of stomach hair developed under his belly button. Odd, Scott never noticed that before. He brought his attention back to the face. Gabriel had told him to wake him, but Scott didn’t want to. He walked over to the other edge and got on the bed. He was still tall, but only gained about four inches in his change. He curled up and ran his black claw down Gabriel’s cheek bone.

The teen stirred, rolling over to face him. He mumbled something that Scott didn’t catch. He leaned up on his arm and stared at him as he slept. Throughout the time the teen had been with him, Scott swore that what he said previously to Jake was true. He wanted to know everything there was about him. How his life was, what happened. How did his parents treat him? Thinking back to when he was cutting his hair, the boy sounded upset even mentioning them. Were they the beginning of this downfall?

Scott also wondered what the teen would want in exchange. He would let his nephew go, but he doubted the young wolf would leave. He came along because he wanted to protect Gabriel. But who was protecting who now? Scott never had this with Amaya. She would always ignore him, say nothing and simply do as she was told. They never talked or spoke. It was his jealousy of her connection with Warvick that lead to the other wolf’s death. At times when he thought about it, he regretted it. Then when he learned of Neil, he just wanted him dead. He didn’t want to be reminded of what he had done and wanted to be rid the evidence. However, he continued to think about it, to fully wonder about it. There was that possibly that the pup was his. His one flaw was that he was paranoid. Paranoid that his pack would raise up against him, that Tank would overthrow him and get rid of him. That he would get banished and be a loner. Not that Scott didn’t think he could get by. He was alone a lot during his growing up and would welcome it.

He wondered about leaving sometimes. Letting Tank just have the pack while he moved away and just never looked back. He was young and stupid when he so viciously took the position of Alpha from the line of the Moon Pack and now, that line had diminished and ended. Here he was, a proud and wealthy member of the Rosario family and he could barely handle a pack. He used the hatred and fear that others felt for him against them, to keep them at bay. He killed recently to reiterate that he could and would take a life.

When Gabriel grumbled in his sleep and whimpered softly, Scott’s attention went back to the teen. He watched the eyes flicker open and saw the young Jarkla look up and stare at him. He wondered what he saw. Scott’s feral form was much more ‘fat’ than his lupine. This was the reason his father didn’t bestow the alpha-ship on him and instead gave it to Orion. This blasted form that stripped him of everything that was rightfully his. He watched him move his hand and felt the soft fingers on his muzzle as he scratched it. Scott almost couldn’t help himself as his tail gave a slight wag.

“Guess you proved me wrong…you really do have a mane.” Scott beamed, secretly gloating at the boy’s comment. Gabriel was surprised at how soft the fur was, letting his hand run through the fur on Scott’s neck and chest. The man looked like a wolf, but then again looked like a man. Fur covered his entire body. He could see the bushy tail when it wagged. His thighs looked human, even his knees. It was when it came to the ankle did it look like a back paw, giving Scott that extra height. He remembered what Jake and Jason looked like, and spying on Orion and the others, he could remember their form. Though he never fully took his time to really look at them. Scott’s shoulders were patched with thick fur and his hand was almost like Gabriel’s. He place his palm against Scott’s. Obviously his hand was larger, and was covered in fur, but he had distinct paw pads on each of his fingers as well as his palm. Gabriel looked back at Scott’s face, looking into the now golden iris of his eyes. He couldn’t help it; he reached over and lifted the werewolf’s lip to look at his teeth. Scott didn’t mind the prodding to be truthful. He was letting the boy explore for several reasons of his own. As his wolf, in this calm state, the Jarkla’s curiosity relaxed him more. He felt him move closer, running his hands over his soft fur.

“You know, I never really got a good look at Jake or Jason on that night you found us. I’m kind of surprised you’re even letting me do this…I used to tell Orion I liked him better as his wolf when he would piss me off. I still can’t wrap my thoughts around you though.” Gabriel tended to talk more to himself when the other person in the room either couldn’t talk back, or wasn’t even living. Hell, he had talked to his food before and that was a strange thing to explain when people overheard him. Scott rolled on his back, adjusting his tail as it rested between his legs now, Gabriel actually moving to scratch his stomach and chest. It felt good, and Scott’s foot paw showed that when he hit a certain spot and the foot would kick from the ankle down. Gabriel laughed softly.

“I always wanted a dog. My parents were going to let me have one.” His tone was becoming a whisper. “Until I came out to them. After that, well things never really went my way.” He moved and rested his cheek on Scott’s chest. He remembered talking to Orion, but the man was human when he did that and spoke back. “I don’t like talking about my parents since they hit me over the head with something and left me to die.” Scott looked at the teen and moved his arm to rub his shoulder, running his claws gently over his back in a pattern.

“I was glad to get away kind of, but I wanted to go back, just to finish school you know? I wanted to graduate, maybe get into college, and get away from my parents. Then this happened.” He gave a loud sigh. He hadn’t even told this to Orion. Maybe Scott was a lot like him? Or vice versa. Scott moved his other clawed hand to run them both through his hair.

“I never really talked to Orion like this. I mean sure we had moments. He opened up to me; I kind of opened up back. After going into your thoughts; all I’m asking for isn’t to send Jake back, or to not kill or anything I asked for before. I’m just asking to talk.” He moved his head, lifting up to look at the wolf. Scott was slightly upset that Gabriel even mentioned his younger brother. Gabriel moved up, the wolf releasing him.

“After this, will you talk to me?” Gabriel asked. Scott growled softly. Even now the boy wanted to test him. He hated to talk, hated to even reminisce on the past. Gabriel frowned and grabbed the man’s muzzle, crossing the line even more. Scott continued to growl, sitting up but Gabriel crawled up to stop him. The werewolf gruffled, staring at him.

“You won’t answer? Fine. I’ll just continue. My parents didn’t love me after I told them I was gay. I secluded myself from my friends and acted like I didn’t need them. At fourteen I already felt like I was doing things as if I was out of the house. My parents didn’t talk to me, and when they did it was hardly what a kid would want. You want to know why I’m the way I am. It’s because I’m afraid of getting close to people. And now, here I find myself trying to get close to people and with every fucking twist and turn more shit is thrown at me and yet I’m able to adjust. Every day I battle myself, saying and asking ‘What will happen Gabe? What is going to throw you for a loop?’ I know I can’t have a normal teenage life. I know that now. But this, this stupid war that you guys started. It’s hurting everyone around you. It’s hurting me. And deep down, you know for a fact it’s hurting you. Think hard about what I’m asking you. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hating your only brother? I wish I had one. Maybe he’d accept me for who I am, and if he didn’t, I would work with him, to take me as who I am, and not what I am. For whom I will be, and not what I will become.” After his speech, Gabriel was an emotional wreck. He could feel the tears, hell even his voice choked. He got up and pushed the werewolf away.

It was weird to him. He felt at home and comfortable with wolves, with any animals really. It was the Jarkla inside him, but also, Gabriel didn’t want to judge people just by what he heard. He wanted to do decide for himself. He was wiping his face, feeling the tears leaking out. He tried not to choke out his sobs. Scott moved from the bed to stand, walking toward him. He stood behind him but didn’t move. As he reached out to touch him, a resounding slam at the front door sounded. Instantly Scott crouched. He used his hearing to listen in as he heard several pairs of boots clicking on the floor.

“This is the house, but I don’t see any wolves. You sure that contact was right?” Hunters. They had to be. Scott growled softly and pushed Gabriel into the locked room as the teen tried slightly to refuse..

“What’s going on, who are—“ A soft growl told the teen to shut up as Scott joined him in the small black room. He pushed on something before he closed the door and the doorknob flipped to the inside. Scott shut the door and stayed crouched in front of it as the men went through the house. He listened intently on the group.

“Shit, looks like no one is here.”

“Maybe they are all outside?” Scott was distracted when he heard Gabriel muttering behind him.

“See! This is exactly what I mean. More fucking drama! Are you kidding me?!” The wolf looked un-amused at the teen. He saw him perfectly in the dark as the teen looked disgruntled. He gave a huff, trying to quiet the teen down. They were on the stairs now and entering the room. The TV was still on.

“The TV was left on, maybe there are a few in here.”

“Search the area.” Scott moved back from the door, turning and grabbing Gabriel as he brought him into the deep corner. He couldn’t take them all, and Gabriel’s safety was what he was worried about. Gabriel didn’t know what was happening, but he felt Scott’s emotion. He knew what the wolf was doing. He wrapped his arms around him, trying to calm his breath. Whoever was out there put Scott on edge. He listened in, hearing Scott’s breath but he began to hear their voices.

“Someone was defiantly here. This towel is damp so they must have been in the shower, that also looks like its just been used.” Well no shit.

“That could have been from this morning though. Look for anything that’s hidden. Rumors have it that the guy who owns this house has a lot of secret rooms.” Damn them, Scott thought. Who was the person to rat him out? It was the howls that broke the silence that caused Scott’s heart to skip. Shit! The pack was returning. He had been gone for too long. He began to growl as the sliding door opened and screams were heard. The slaughter began.

“They’re coming in!” A hunter exclaimed. Shots were fired and he heard the snarls and howls. No, the idiots they will be killed! Scott knew that the pack hadn’t dealt with hunters that much, and if they rushed in head on, most would surely be killed. He heard Tank’s snarl and a slam on the door.

“Shoot it!! Shoot it damnit!” One of the hunters yelled.

“Alpha!” It was Tank. He had to take that moment. Grabbing Gabriel’s arm, he went to the door. The man opened it to see Tank and a few others keeping the hunters at bay.

“Once we’re out, get out! Regroup in the woods!” he snarled at his beta. He pulled Gabriel and that’s when it happened.

“A kid! They have a kid!” Gabriel looked to see the men with the guns and he didn’t have to be dragged by Scott, he ran. He ran with the wolf, soon his hand was in the Alpha’s as they made their way through the house. Shots continued to sound in the air but it was Gabriel’s cry that caused every wolf to panic. He was shot in the thigh and the teen felt it burning.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he cried out. Scott turned and something snapped in him, but the hunters that had chased them, couldn’t believe what they saw. Gabriel grabbed the wolf’s mane when he turned, his eyes red and looking for blood. He gave his own snarl at the wolf. It was happening so fast. “Leave me, take the pack and leave. I swear I’ll find you. Get Neil out of here!” Scott felt the demand in the words and almost went against them. It was the shining lavender in the teen’s right eye that made him think otherwise. His pawed hand opened and he released the teen’s hand. Scott looked hurt and he licked the teen’s face and made like a bullet out if the room. He called out to the pack and they were quick to leave. Crashing through the windows, they left, and Gabriel was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when the remaining hunters moved to surround him. The leader lowered his rifle and stared at the boy who gripped his leg, the blood seeping from the wound. Gabriel’s eyes were glaring at them, narrowed and very angry.

“You know, if my life were to ever become a fucking movie, I don’t think the audience would ever get bored.” He muttered. His right eye had more lavender in it and his hand even began to glow a very luminous purple. Gabriel didn’t notice it, but the men did.

“What the hell are you?” the leader asked.

“Right now, I’m pissed off. You shot me,” he said. The glow stopped and Seren had quickly joined him in his thoughts.

What the fuck just happened? The whole abyss just flashed. Gabriel what is going on!

Perfect fucking timing, Gabriel thought to him as he continued. Listen, some humans showed up and they started firing and killing the wolves and one of the fuckers shot me and don’t ask me how I did it, but I told Scott to leave me and he did. He actually did Seren, the boy quickly thought to him as he stared at the hunters before him.

“You were with the werewolves but you’re not bitten. For a moment there your hand was glowing.”

“My hand was glowing?”

You hand was glowing?!

“Holy fuck just shut up for a moment!” Gabriel exclaimed, struggling to stay up. Seren what the hell, he screamed at the old Jarkla.

You’re seriously asking me? I’m clueless right now! He said your hand glowed? As a Jarkla we do have healing abilities but again, not until after the bonding. How are you reacting this way?

“I swear to whatever god that’s up there, I am never going to have a normal day in my life.” He looked back up to see the guns pointed at him. He didn’t like the feeling. Hell he didn’t like the feeling of the bullet in his leg. “Since you shot me, can you just take me to a hospital so I can get this stupid bullet out of my leg?” The leader of the group moved in closer.

“First you tell us who you are,” he demanded. The teen’s jaw clenched.

“Gabriel Kingsly.” One of the hunters lowered his rifle.

“You’re that missing kid.”

“Yeah well I’m not missing anymore. Go ahead, turn me in. Just, after I get this bullet out.”

“But why were you with them?” Another demand. Gabriel opened his mouth but Seren’s words quickly stop him.

They cannot learn what you are Gabriel .The Hunters aim on getting the Jarkla because they know the wolves will come to them if it is in their possession. If they learn what you are, you will be nothing but their prisoner.

Fuck my life, Gabriel thought. He closed his mouth.

“I don’t know. I was just in the room and then it came from nowhere.”

“But it hasn’t bitten you?” He questioned.

“No.” Play it safe. Gabriel watched as they all finally lowered their weapons.

“Burn the house. You can come with us Gabriel. We’ll get that bullet out of your leg and turn you over to the authorities in the morning.” Gabriel frowned. Scott would lose his home. No doubt the man had enough money to buy another house. He limped out with the men as they helped him into one of the vehicles waiting outside. They went ahead and wrapped his wound to keep the pressure and Gabriel once again, felt his life leaving. He searched the words, and focused on Scott. ‘I swear I’ll come back to you, just wait. Don’t do anything stupid please.’ He hoped it made it to him. He continued to focus and smiled when he got a response back.

You don’t do anything stupid puppy. He smiled and leaned against the window after being strapped in. The drive began and it was an intense silence. The leader, who was driving, started talking.

“You’ve been missing for a long while Gabriel. Been staying here the whole time?” He tone caught and held Gabriel’s eyes when they clashed with the man’s dark brown.

“Just a few weeks.” Gabriel looked away. He tried to focus on the wound but he noticed that his leg didn’t hurt as much. Being partly bonded with Tristan seemed to help. Maybe the wolf felt it, like how Gabriel had felt his pain when he was hurt, no wait. He didn’t feel it. Well maybe it worked differently.

“Been on the road?” He was digging, and Gabriel knew it. He would have to tread lightly.

“Yeah.” Single answers were his best friend. He smiled only a little. This was reminding him of conversations he and Scott would have sometimes.

“Didn’t like where you were?” he continued. Gabriel’s lips pinched in a line. This guy didn’t give up.

“Not really.” He looked up at him, urging him to change the subject. “So are you taking me to the hospital?” He questioned.

“No, I am taking you to my home. We can take out that bullet for you as I said before.” Not good. Gabriel didn’t make it obvious that he was nervous.

They might know already if they saw you glowing. I can’t believe that happened. How did you do that?

I don’t know, he thought back, I was just angry that I got hurt. I mean I’ve gotten angry before.

Pretend to sleep, we must speak.

Easier said than done. Gabriel leaned his head on the window and closed his eyes, but a sudden swerve made him jerk up.

“Sorry about that, rabbit.” He wasn’t stupid to know that was a lie. Gabriel looked at him and tried again. Again something jerked him awake, this time it was the guy who sat next to him whose leg ‘slipped’ and hit his.

“Sorry.” Gabriel wanted to reply with ‘Bullshit’ but refrained. He adjusted himself in his seat and tried one more time.

“You tired?” Gabriel’s jaw clenched as he looked over at the same guy who kicked him.

“Yes, I am actually. You don’t mind if I sleep some do you?” He had to try and not sound like he was annoyed, but he didn’t do a very good job. The man beside him glanced away and then back at the teen.

“We’ll wake you when we get there.” Thinking he could actually sleep now, Gabriel rested his head and closed his eyes. It took forever, but he finally left the living.

 

Once in the Abyss, I rushed to find Seren pacing as his dragon form while Merrick was crouching in the tall grass. I waved at the wolf as he stood and came to greet me. I got a cold wet nose on the cheek in greeting, scratching him behind the ears before he rose away from my reach. Seren saw me.

“This never happened before. Never has a Jarkla been able to do anything before the bonding.”

“Well obviously there must be something wrong with me,” I said dryly at him. I just happened to be the odd ball didn’t I? Seren roared at me.

“This isn’t the least bit funny!” I gawked at his exclamation.

“Do you see me laughing Seren? I’m just as freaked out as you are!” He continued to pace and I groaned. “Would you stop that, pacing makes me uncomfortable.” He stopped to just look at me.

“I wish I knew more on what is happening.”

“I would like to know what the hell just happened back there,” I said. Seren began pacing again and I just stood by Merrick as he watched him too. I turned to the lupine. “Does he do this when he freaks out?” I asked. He gave me a nod. I sighed. “Seren, what am I going to do about this? What kind of tests can they do to check if I am the Jarkla?” That got him to stop. Seren sat down and brought his scaled hand to his face, rubbing his nose.

“They can use animals against you. If you talk to them, or they flock to you, it can be a bad sign. You cannot rule the will of animals and because of that they can be your downfall.” I threw my hands in the air.

“What can I do? They said they would take me to the police station tomorrow. They can’t house me if they know I’m missing.” I tried to fight the conversation.

“What had Scott said when you asked to go outside?” He stared at me as I remembered what he mentioned.

“That I’m still a missing kid and he wanted to wait. Fuck. That’s what they are going to do aren’t they?”

“Yes. I can’t believe you told Scott to leave you. He could have carried you!” It was at that moment I realized my mistake. I inwardly cursed and began pacing myself. Why had I been so stupid?

“I can escape. They are human like me right? I can get away.”

“Not without being bonded. You have no powers, how can you honestly think you can get away from them. They have guns and arrows. Don’t think they won’t shoot you again.” I wanted to throw something at him.

“Well what do you e—“

 

 

Gabriel was forced so hard from the abyss that his heart actually felt like it was going to explode. He grabbed his chest and took in a breath, staring at the leader’s face. The door was open and he was digging his hand into the wound. It was that moment he felt the pain and he gave a soft cry.

“Ow! Fuck what the hell?” he screamed at him, the man pulled away.

“I have been doing that for the past few minutes. You take a long time to react.” Oh shit. He swallowed and quickly called for Seren’s name. Please tell me that I don’t lose all feeling in my body when I’m in the abyss, he said to him inwardly.

This one is smarter than I thought. Normally people shake you thinking you’re asleep and that jogs you more. They know now Gabriel. It’s no doubt they know. No one can withstand the slightest of pain without suddenly waking up to it.

Explain comas smartass, Gabriel muttered to him

Point taken, but you did wake up. Come up with something, see if it slides.

“Guess I was really tired then.” Gabriel could feel Seren’s face-slap.

You’re doomed.

Thanks for the load of confidence you useless dragon, Gabriel thought. He felt as if he was quoting How to Train your Dragon. He’d only heard of the movie, but other teens had used that phrase from it so much, it just clicked with the teen. Plus, it was very gratifying to say, considering that’s what Seren was.

The man removed his hand and moved to help Gabriel out of the car. They were in the middle of nowhere. He saw the woods everywhere and even a lake. He could see some lights in the far distance. Where were they?

“Where are we?” Gabriel dared to ask.

“That’s not important,” he said, grabbing Gabriel’s arm and pulling him to the front door. Gabriel swallowed and at that spilt second, he heard Scott’s voice.

That old Jarkla should have warned you about them, and about opening your mind to others.

Hey now, I didn’t get to that part.

Was that really happening? Gabriel had people talking in his head. He really was going insane. You can hear him Seren? Gabriel asked, his thoughts thinking about Scott and instinctively looking around in the darkness. The hunter noticed Gabriel’s sudden glance around.

“Waiting for someone?”

Stop making him think that we are out here puppy.

Yeah, listen to him. You’re making your escape harder.

Holy shit would you both shut up! Gabriel screamed in his thoughts, creating his own headache.

“No, just hearing things. I feel dizzy.” The teen finally answered the man. It wasn’t a lie. Gabriel did feel very light-headed.

“You’ve lost blood which might be the factor. Once we get inside we’ll set you down and you can rest, after we take the bullet out of course. You’ll be under.” Gabriel looked at the man as he limped with him.

“Are any of you even trained to do that?”

“My wife is a surgeon.” The man had an answer for everything didn’t he?

“Well, that’s convenient,” Gabriel mumbled. He heard the man chuckle.

Once they got inside the house, Gabriel was lead to the kitchen where the man’s wife was. She was surprised to see Gabriel and looked to her husband.

“He was mixed up with them. Can you attend to his bullet wound?” She looked to see Gabriel’s leg, the blood having leaked out of the bandage that was wrapped around it. She smiled.

“Sure thing, take a seat, I’ll go get a few things.” Gabriel was slightly more comfortable with her smiling words, but he was still uneasy. He sat down and relaxed his leg as they propped it up. She came back with a few tweezers, a knife, some thread and a syringe. Suddenly he felt his stomach in his throat as he jolted a bit from the chair, a few of the men having to catch him.

“Whoa tiger, what’s the matter,” the husband asked.

“I really hate needles, do you have anything else that will numb it?” The woman looked at the boy and then her husband before replying.

“We could give you liquor but that would thin your blood and make you bleed more.” He frowned.

“I’ll just take it.” The woman laughed at Gabriel’s muttering response.

“You won’t last. Don’t worry; it’ll just sting for a moment.” Gabriel doubted she understood his loath of needles, but in order to take it, he looked away and tried not to panic as she got it ready. A few looks passed back and forth and two of the guys were there to help hold him in case he freaked out. It was no doubt that he did. Once the needle was stuck in his skin he cried out and grabbed the bottom of his chair. Outside, Scott and a select few of the pack had followed the cars as they drove away. They heard his cries and went on alert. At once Scott was sending messages to Gabriel.

What happened? Pup are you alright? What are they doing?!

“I hate needles. I hate needles. I hate needles.” He was crying. He wasn’t even sure where his phobia of needles came from, but he hated them with a passion. Outside, Scott sighed and the members began to chuckle.

What is in the needle?

“Pain…killer...” he muttered. Scott groaned. You’ve got to be kidding me, the man thought. The other wolves cackled some.

You are a little puppy.

He murmured at the teen. Gabriel wanted to hiss at him but considering it was mental, he refrained. His eyes were shut and he began to feel the numbness as she tested the area. They began probing the wound and Gabriel found himself staring at the blood. It took about an hour before the bullet was retrieved and she began to stich his wound. He grunted as the pain killer began to fade off. One of the guys brought him a glass of water and he drank it down fast.

The wound was dressed and they helped him to the couch. Gabriel groaned. He remembered he was still just in some slacks and his white undershirt. At least, he was in slacks. They were torn now and the woman walked over with some shorts.

“Here you go.” Gabriel gave her a smile as he took the shorts.

“Thanks,” he said, getting up on his own and looking for the nearest bathroom to change.

“Just down the hall and to your right,” the woman called out as he limped around. Once in the bathroom, he closed and locked the door.

“Scott, can you hear me?” he whispered.

Yes.

“Seren are you still there?” Gabriel questioned.

Of course.

“Great, so now I have you both in my head. What the hell am I going to do? What if they do know what I am? What’s the possibility of getting out?” His thoughts were silent before Seren began to talk first.

Well, I suppose that now, we’ll have to communicate like this. It won’t be good for you to ‘pass out’ and have another incident where they are testing your body’s reflexes.

Which brings this up. What makes you think that they won’t test him while he sleeps?

Scott brought up a good point, and Gabriel listened as the two began to bicker.

What do you suggest then Mr. Paranoid? That he stays up all night?

That’s a start. And don’t call me that.

You can’t kill me so I’ll call you whatever I want.

“Would you two not argue in my head please?”

Quiet puppy.

Don’t tell him to be quiet. You are not his guardian

I just want to let you know, that if you were alive, I’d be ripping you into shreds right now.

Try me big boy! You’re the reason he came to me in the first place so bring it!

“Fuck, would you both shut up!” Gabriel hadn’t realized how loud he was until a knock on the door took him by surprise.

“You alright in there?” The voice sounded worried, but he could hear the undertone of curiosity beneath it.

“Yeah, just…got a headache,” he muttered. He splashed some water on his face and sighed. “I’m going to try and stay up. Scott’s right Seren, and I can’t take that chance.” He heard the man sigh in his thoughts.

Want me to help you stay up?

I can do that.

I’d probably be better company.

They just couldn’t stop, and Gabriel was getting tired of it. Their bickering back and forth alone would keep him awake. He didn’t bother replying as he changed and grunted, his thigh still throbbing from the pain. He opened the door to see the man.

“I never properly introduced myself.” Weird how he’s standing outside, Gabriel thought to himself, hearing a scoff from Scott and a chuckle from Seren. “I’m Heath Urban. My wife’s name is Kimberly, but call her Kim.” He extended his hand. Gabriel, still a bit weary, extended his hand and shook it.

“In the morning we’ll take you to the station. You should get some rest.” Heath’s smile was hardly reassuring. The man had salt and pepper hair and one of those mustaches that just screamed “creepy old man”. He looked to be in his late forties, maybe even fifty. His wife looked younger, which he thought was strange. Maybe she just had good genes.

“I don’t think I can. I am in a bit of shock still. You don’t mind if I stay up do you?” he asked, his brow raised a bit at the question. Heath continued to smile.

“I don’t mind. Kim made the couch for you to rest on. The others are in the extras rooms, so we don’t have one for you. If you are staying up, you don’t mind if we talk do you?” That’s what Gabriel was afraid of. Talking. Shit, he thought.

You better not open that blabbing mouth pup. You tend to talk too much.

He isn’t that stupid!

Thanks for the wonderful back up, the teen sighed in his thoughts. He closed his eyes.

“I guess we can. Do you have Advil? I could use some.” Heath smiled and began to walk to the kitchen as Gabriel limped behind him.

“Sure thing. We have Bayer as well.”

“Either is fine. Anything to stop a headache.” Gabriel muttered.

See now he’s calling us a headache.

If you were in my head, I’d have a headache too.

They were like kids. Heath handed him a glass of water and some Bayer pills as he took them almost greedily. “Thanks,” he said in a soft breath. The hunter went on into the living room, the teen following him shortly after. Gabriel had some trouble sitting but he was soon relaxing. Heath took the other couch, the TV on the news as it was repeating from the morning.

“I wanted to ask how you learned about the werewolves. You seemed to be unaffected when that tall black one was dragging you away. It was in that room with you. Did you know before what they were?” Right down to business wasn’t he? Gabriel studied the man.

“I was just making my way, they offered to house me for a few days before I continued. I didn’t know what they were, but I wasn’t scared. When we heard something crashing into the house, he tried to protect me.”

“He? You mean the werewolf.” It hit a nerve.

“Yes him. Like I said, I didn’t know. I was sleeping when he came in I guess. I woke up when you smashed through. I was a little scared but he moved to protect me. I wasn’t afraid after a bit but you started to kill them and I didn’t know how to react.” He was trying to be truthful yet hide the obvious as well. Gabriel wondered how many were killed in the ambush.

Four. Many were mostly injured.

How about Tank, Jake, and Heather? Gabriel asked him.

Tank has a few bullet wounds, nothing that won’t heal. Heather was with Neil back in the woods. Jake suffered from a few arrows but he’s fine.

Scott’s answer kept Gabriel at a soft ease as he stared at the man who continued to study him.

“They are monsters young man. And you should stay away from them. They’ll find you a good family, no doubt tomorrow, or return you to your parents.” Gabriel had a feeling that this man wasn’t going to let him leave unless he promised something. Call it intuition.

“You want me to never speak of them don’t you? Since it could open you up for killing people.”

“They are not people, they are monsters.” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak.

Do not speak more about it Gabriel. You are riding on the fence as it is.

It was the first time Scott used his name, and his mouth shut before words came out. He hated playing these games.

“Right…monsters. I won’t say anything.” He ended up muttering, but Heath’s glare became more intense and Gabriel became more uncomfortable.

“I hope you don’t. It would be sad for them to find your body.” A threat. Gabriel’s eyes met his. “Such an odd coloring in your right eye. Do you have heterochromia?” Gabriel reacted as his hand went up to his eye. Had the color spread more? Shit, he was acting like it was new. Hell he didn’t even know what that is.

“What is heterochromia?” Gabriel asked.

“Heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris” This guy was too smart to deal with. Gabriel was barely running on sophomore knowledge.

“Oh…I never really noticed,” he said, trying to pass it off. The silence continued and it became too tense for Gabriel’s comfort. He secretly wished one of the wolves was with him. The sudden pitter patter of small claws hitting tile caught his attention as a small yorkie came running. At first the dog was going straight to Heath, the man about to welcome the canine. But in an instant it turned instead and jumped on the couch and joined Gabriel. He swallowed, slightly worried as the dog sniffed his leg and then crawled over to give him a lick on the check. Great, now he had to play stupid with the dog.

Not necessarily little angel. Try reading its mind. You should be able to send mental thoughts to the dog.

I can’t, the boy complained. My head hurts too much, he grumbled in his thoughts.

Oh. Well perhaps you will have to play dumb then. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.

Seren sounded reassuring, and just talking to him kept Gabriel from going into a panic.

“Cute dog,” the teen finally said, petting the dog as it curled in his lap.

“Yes. He doesn’t really like strangers but he really likes you. I’ve never seen him do that.” God damn it all, Gabriel grumbled in his thoughts, his eyes closing. He wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose but that would show his disgruntled mood.

“Dogs always liked me. I tried to convince my parents to let me have one. Never got one.” Telling the partial lies could help him gain some respect from the man. But the threat still worried him. Would he really kill him? Or maybe kill a look alike and make it seem like it was him. Just thinking about it made him think of movies and how the villains would do things. Would this guy have the power to?

“Did you run away?” He was trying to dig, and Gabriel felt if he just gave simple answers, it would end and he’d be left alone. Petting the dog, he answered.

“Yeah.” Saying that your parents hit you over the head with something and you woke up with no memory of what happened and in the middle of a highway on the side of the road, probably wasn’t going to be the best answer. Seren actually laughed about it now, how the boy thought about it. Scott, having heard the real deal, just stayed in the background.

“If I may ask, why?” He wasn’t sure whether to speak truthfully or just make it up. He was tired and only sighed, his eyes staring at the dog that rested in his lap.

“I was a burden. They hated me. So I left. Even when I was turned over in Helen, the police had called them but never got an answer. So I was going to go to a boy’s home.” Gabriel gave a shrug. “I’m too old to adopt, so I don’t really care. Been on my own since then.”

“And you ran into them?” Gabriel knew what and who he meant.

“They took me in. But now you are going to turn me over to the police and I guess I’ll just deal with that boy’s home won’t I?” Gabriel turned to look at him.

“I suppose. I do have two sons and a daughter myself. My daughter is not able to conceive, and she lives close by. If you want, I may introduce you.”

“You want to keep an eye on me don’t you?” The teen couldn’t help but murmur. The chuckling laugh the old man gave told him yes. Damn this guy just had all the answers didn’t he? Sometimes I really think my life is a fucking movie, the teen blurted in his thoughts.

If it was a movie, I would never get laid.

Holy shit had Scott made a funny? Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh himself.

“To be honest, yes. You saw something that most do not, and yet you seem oddly calm about it. My daughter knows what I do, but she hides it well. You could possibly join in the family business.” Gabriel got a sick feeling at the implied question.

“I’d rather not. But I’ll keep your secret. I don’t have people to tell anyway,” he said. Heath leaned back in the chair and stared at the boy. Gabriel couldn’t help but think about the man before him. Granted he never met people so blunt before, but still it was odd.

“You would do well if you did. I shall retire now.” He didn’t say goodnight, the man just left. Gabriel got comfortable and frowned. His eyes on the TV now. The stillness was numbed by the buzzing of the TV but the house was creaking, possibly because of the old age. He heard the sounding keys of an alarm. Damn, even now he couldn’t escape.

“There goes the escape plan.”

Alarms?

“Yeah. I just heard it. He might try to get his daughter to adopt me. How will that settle?” he murmured, the dog looking up at him with a tilted head.

Not well. I’m going to retreat back and get ready. If anything I’ll gain custody.

Gabriel actually chuckled. He thought it was kind of funny actually. Scott going to get ‘guardian-ship’ of him from a legal stand point.

I heard that.

“Call Orion.”

No.

That actually wouldn’t be a bad idea. Seren chimed in.

No one asked you.

“Call him Scott. If they get involved, this could get bad.”

I’ll gain you back either way. My brother will just take this as an opportunity to hold you in his possession again.

Gabriel could hear the snarls in his voice, as well as the anger. The boy frowned and sighed. “Do you remember what I told you?” When silence was his answer, Gabriel bit his lip. It was a few more moments before Scott responded.

Yes.

“Will you trust me please on this?” he whispered. Outside, Scott was pacing in his lupine form, the other members watching their alpha stalk and snarl. He was upset and though he wouldn’t admit it, scared. Scared of losing him. Sure, he stole him, was mean, hurt him even. The boy poured everything out on the table tonight and it was driving Scott utterly mad. He gave another roar and slashed at the tree he had been leaning on. More silence rang through the mental link until he heard Gabriel’s voice again. “If you don’t, I will. I can easily create a mental bond with them too.” Scott gave a snort to the soft threat.

You would have both of us in your head and not be able to get us out.

The wolf pointed out. Gabriel frowned. He had a point. More silence followed and finally Scott’s eyes went to the now darkened house.

Fine. Do not make me regret it puppy. You will not like the outcome.

Gabriel didn’t believe the threat; in fact he found it hard to even get upset with threats from Scott since he was so used to hearing them.

“Send Jake back with the message. I’ll keep in touch. Seren, any news on the whole glowing thing?”

Nothing. The man, when he noticed your eye, the sudden changes might be sparking your defenses. That’s why it’s starting to show. It is a possibility but we’d have to look into it.

“Noted. I’m going to sleep. Like, really sleep. I’ll talk to you guys in the morning.” His words almost sounded slurred as he let his eyes close. He couldn’t stay up, not like he wanted to. His headache was still pounding and his temples burned. He got more comfortable and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Leaning against the wall, shielding himself from the living room, was Heath. He had overheard the soft talking the teen did and smiled softly. A mental bond. He heard him well enough. This kid had to be what the wolves went to. He would need to contact his daughter. This boy would be staying near him and under a tight leash. He turned around, truly heading to bed now.