Mika's Pack - 3. Piccolo

“So, Piccolo...you've met Mamma Wolf and Bella, Chance, Travis...and I'm assuming that Mikael has grunted at you by now; since he never goes anywhere without Travis," Liam mused, wrapping his arm around Mika's shoulder and pulling the small wolf against him. "Now it's time to meet the rest."

Mika swallowed. Why did that sound so ominous? "What does pick-olow mean?" he asked, completely butchering the word and causing Liam to laugh.

"Tiny." He danced away from Mika when it looked like the smaller wolf might take a swipe at him. "Don't worry, Piccolo, Lovel likes your size," he added with a snicker while Mika flushed. "Now let's go check out the Den."

"Den?" He questioned as he followed the taller wolf down another hall.

"Mhmm, It's where we all hang out when we're not all off doing wolfy things or working." He paused in front of a double door and gave Mika a wide grin that had the raven-haired wolf reconsidering his actions. Maybe he should have stayed at home with Master Luca instead he was here. "Here we are." Liam pulled the two doors apart while Mika stepped up and peered inside.

The room was large, that was the first thing that Mika noticed. Big enough to host at least thirty people. A bar was stationed in the back of the room along with a closed off little section that held a pool table. In the middle of the room was a large, black leather couch with matching love seats. In front of the couch rested the largest TV Mika had ever seen—the device spanned from floor to ceiling and was a good fifty inches wide. Scattered throughout the room were beanbags of different colors. He was so enamored with the room that he missed two fluffy heads popping over the head of the couch. He did, however, notice when he was suddenly tackled to the ground and twin pairs of grey eyes blinked at him through masses of black hair.

"Well, lookie here, Dee. Who do you—" the first twin started.

"—reckon this is? I've got no clue, Dar." the second twin finished, as they both cocked their heads down at Mika. "Smells quite lovely, don't you think, Dar?"

"Yes indeed, Dee. Quite lovely indeed. Think Alpha will let us keep him?"

Liam snickered as he looked at the frozen wolf that the two slender teens had straddled beneath them. "Alright guys, let him up so I can properly introduce you." They immediately jumped off, letting Liam pull the startled wolf up.

Mika blinked, taking the time to look over the two wolves. They were both about five-three and shared the same caramel skin color. While they were more slender than the wolves he had seen so far, Mika knew that it was merely because they hadn't hit puberty yet. He had a feeling that the two would tower over him in height and bulk in no time. The oddest thing about the duo was a pair of black collars that connected the two together.

"Mika, these are the twins Dante and Darek. Twins, this is Mika…Lovel's mate." He grinned again when their eyes widened and they seemed to look at Mika in a new light.

"Does this mean he won't—" Dante started.

"—be such a hard-ass any—"

"—more. Yes, but just think, now he's going to be having—"

"—SEX!" the fourteen year olds said together before collapsing in a heap of giggles.

The entire time, Mika felt like he had been watching a tennis match the way the two of them switched back and forth, finishing each other's sentences.

Suddenly, Dante stopped laughing and stood up, staring out the window. The next second, the teenager was rushing towards the window, dragging his still laughing twin by the collar. Mika was amazed that he didn't choke. Dante plastered himself against the window and a growl began to build up in the back of his throat.

"Is…is he alright?" Mika whispered, inching backwards towards the door. He definitely should have waited until Lovel returned to do this.

Liam, who had wandered over towards the bar to dig through the small fridge that sat next to it, looked over at twins with a small shrug. "Yeah, you know how it is with the teens, instinct and hormones getting all mixed together. Those two are the results." He gestured back towards the two.

Darek had finally noticed what his twin was doing and was trying to keep him from climbing out the window to growl at whatever poor animal that had unfortunately wandered up to the property. "Dee, stop it, or else! Mom told you not chase anymore animals!" He had hooked his arms under his brother's armpits and was trying to pull him away from the window.

"Shouldn't you help him?" Mika suggested, turning back to Liam only to find that the man had somehow managed to find enough ingredients to rapidly piece himself a huge sandwich and was shoving a piece of turkey in his mouth.

Liam shrugged and swallowed the piece of meat, grabbing his sandwich and making his way over towards the couch. "They'll be fine. Hey, you want to play some Mortal Kombat®?" he asked Mika while switching on the game.

Mika shot him a confused look, but stepped back into the room once the game had started up. "What's that?"

"You know, the PS2® game."

"What's a PS2®?"

The three wolves froze in place and then turned to gape at Mika with equal looks of horror. Dante and Darek rushed over towards Mika, each taking an arm and dragging the now terrified wolf towards the couch to pull him down.

"Where the hell have you been living that you don't know what a PS2® is?"

"England, in a small manor on an island called Tresco."

"Never heard of it," Liam said with a small shrug.

"You don't have an accent," Darek noted, giving Mika a curious look.

"I wasn't born there. Master Luca and I didn't move there 'til I was nine years old. It was a very secluded place. The only way to get there was by air or sea. It has a very small population," he explained as he hesitatingly took the controller that Dante shoved into his lap. "What, exactly, do I do with this?"

"The controller is what you use to play. This here is the analog stick and you use it to move the character around. What did you do if you didn't play games?" Darek wondered aloud, his eyes locked on the screen as the first round began.

"Oh, I read a lot and watched Master Luca paint and learned music. Occasionally, when Master Luca saw fit, we'd take trips all over London to plays and art exhibits," he replied absently as he tried to figure out the controller. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"That sounds boring. Now, you have to select the person that you want to play with," Dante explained, having already chosen his character.

"It was very entertaining. And why do you guys wear a collar?" he countered as he selected one of the female characters. He flushed as the first round started up, revealing Liam's character to be clad in a scandalous blue outfit that barely contained her breasts.

"Because Dante forgets, and sometimes he wanders off. Lost him for three days once," Darek answered.

"What now?"

"You press the X button to kick, the O button to punch, the triangle to block, and the square button to dodge," Liam tutored as Chance appeared in the door way. A relieved look formed on his face. "Hey Chance, come join us." He patted the seat next to him and the little blond wolf hurried over and sat down beside Liam just as he KO'd Mika.

"What happened?" Mika asked, frowning at the large red letters.

"I won. Don't worry, you'll get better, piccolo. It was, after all, only your first fight." He gave Mika a small smirk, causing the other wolf to bristle and turn back to the game with a newfound determination.

Twenty minutes later, the four wolves were engaged in a serious one-on-one competition with Chance cheering Mika on.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Liam yelled as Mika got in the finishing hit.

The little wolf began jumping up and down in excitement grinning from ear to ear.

"How did I lose!?"

"Don't worry, Liam, you'll get better," Mika teased with a small snicker.

Liam pouted and sat back down on the couch with his arms crossed just as the phone rang. "Chance, could you get the phone?" he asked, his pout dropping for a second.

The blond wolf nodded and stood up, heading into the hall.

"So, how'd you get so good in such a short amount of time?" Liam questioned, turning towards Mika.

"Well, you got pretty predictable…" He squeaked and moved out the way when Liam swatted at him.

"I am not predictable!" he said, standing up and giving Mika a playful growl, then lunging at the small wolf.

Mika squeaked again and took off around the couch with Liam in tow. He jumped behind Chance when the unsuspecting blond entered, startling the poor wolf. He looked between Mika and Liam, brows furrowed in confusion. "Um…"

"Who was on the phone?" Liam asked, circling him to get to Mika, who was trying to use the blond as a shield.

"Alpha wants to talk to Mika," he replied, slowly inching towards the side. "Phone's in the hall," he told Mika, receiving a smile in return as the wolf made his way out of the room, effectively avoiding Liam.

Mika entered the hall and, upon spotting the phone, walked over to it. "H-hello?" he asked softly.

"Tesoro."

Mika shivered. Lovel's voice sent tingles all down his spine.

"Have you been introduced to the rest of the pack yet?"

"Yes, they're rather…eccentric." Eccentric was putting it mildly. He was pretty sure that the twins borderlined on insanity and Liam...he didn't even know where to start. Chance seemed to be the only semi-normal one. He didn't know if he would survive meeting the remaining few pack-mates.

"I see you've met the twins."

"I never thought anyone like them existed." Let alone two of them...he was almost scared to meet their parents. Would they be just as crazy?

"They are something else, I'll admit that." He heard Lovel say. He heard a light chuckle before the wolf on the other line seemed to sober. "Mika, I'm calling to see if I can possibly talk to your friend Luca again."

"Master Luca," he corrected. It really wasn't all that hard to remember, so he didn't understand why his mate couldn't remember to refer to Luca by his honorific. Maybe he had a problem with titles…

"Yes, Master Luca. Is it possible for you to get him to call me?"

Mika took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on Luca's presence in the back of his mind. He felt the mental link open and warmth spread throughout his entire being. “Master?”

“Is something wrong Mika?”

“Nothing…at least, I don't think so. Lovel wants to speak with you.”

“Very well, I will contact him now and speak with you later.”

“Okay.”

"He says he'll call you." Mika said into the phone. He didn't bother wondering just how Luca would manage to get into contact with Lovel because he had learned over years not to question his master. He always had the answer to everything. "He's calling now, so I'll see you when you come back...bye." He quickly hung up the phone and spun around, only to nearly knock Chance over.

The blond wolf backed away, flushing in embarrassment. "S-sorry."

"It's okay," Mika told him, offering Chance a small smile, which he shyly returned.

"They started fighting over the game again and I didn't want to get in the way, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to take a look around the property?" he offered in a voice full of hope.

"That would be nice," Mika replied, smiling again and feeling nice and safe, at the very least. He wanted to put off meeting the rest of the pack until Lovel was there. That way, he was less likely to be tackled and dragged around like some new pet.

"Great, I'll show you were the pack runs on the full moon." He led Mika out the front door and down the stairs, taking a small gravel trail to the left that led off into the woods. "This is the only road that leads to the trail that, in turn, leads to the lake. We normally go around the lake and deeper into the forest, where we're most likely to find some wildlife," Chance explained as they reached the end of the trail.

Mika gasped softly once the lake had come into view. It was beautiful. The water was crystal blue and clear. He could see all the little fish swimming around. The trees circled around it and created somewhat of a sanctuary for the lake's inhabitants. At the edge of the lake, there were large, flat rocks protruding out into the open water. The ledge was just high enough that, if Mika wanted, he could sit there and dip the tips of his toes in.

"That's the same way I reacted the first time I saw it, too."

"How long have you been here?" he asked him curiously.

Chance flinched. His hand went up to his hair and he began lightly tugging at the golden strands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ask anything too sensitive…"

"No it's…it's alright. I've been here for two years now." He released the hold on his hair, the hand dropping down to rest at his side. "It wasn't easy at first, but Alpha Lovel and everyone else have helped me so much." He walked towards the lake, kicking off his shoes as he went down.

Mika followed behind him, watching the wolf with a frown on his face. "Can I ask what happened?" he wondered tentatively as he moved to sit next to Chance, who had taken up a place on the rocks.

Chance glanced over at Mika before turning back to the water. The silence stretched on for so long that Mika thought he wouldn't answer.

"I'm…not like other shifters. I was born a runt," he began softly, capturing Mika's full attention. "In this form, I don't have sharp senses like other shifters. It's more like I'm merely a human who can turn into a wolf."

Mika's eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt the trembling wolf. He just reached out and grabbed his hand as he spoke.

"The pack I was born into, they didn't…they didn't like my oddities. Even from a young age, I was always picked on and teased relentlessly."

"That's horrible," Mika responded as he tightened his grip on Chance's hand.

"As I got older, it got worse. To the point that I was subjected to full-out beatings from the pack. The alpha never did anything about it and my father justified it by saying that it would supposedly help me become a man." He took a deep breath before continuing. "But, one moon cycle, they took it too far and attacked me viciously. I managed to get away...and, I'm not sure how, but I ended up in this city. Alpha Lovel found me and took me in." He could still remember the terror he had felt when the attack had happened. He could remember teeth tearing through his flesh and the metallic smell of blood filling the air. He could recall unbearable pain that he had endured. "They used to love pulling on my hair as punishment. They said that boys shouldn't have long hair but…it always reminded me of my mother, so I kept it this way no matter what they did." He lifted a piece of the long, fringed hair into view, gently tugging at the tip.

Mika pulled him into a hug as tears threatened to spill. He could feel the pain coming off Chance in waves. He was glad that the blond had managed to find a new pack. The poor wolf didn't deserve any of what had happened to him. No one did. "I'm glad you're okay now," he said as he pulled back to look at him. "It must have been hard not having anyone all the time. At least I had Master Luca to take care of me when I needed it most."

"Master Luca?" Chance wondered aloud. "I've heard you mention him a lot, but I didn't want to invade your privacy." He gave Mika a curious look.

"Master Luca he…well, I'll tell you how we first met..."

"Mom! We're home," Mika called, opening the front door and stepping into the hall. He kicked his shoes off and tossed his backpack on the floor near the coat rack. He wandered through the living room towards the kitchen when he didn't receive a response. "Mom...?" He called again. He pushed the kitchen door open and was assaulted with the smell of blood. He took a cautious step into the room when he found bloodied paw prints scattered across the floor. The prints led to the island in the middle of the kitchen where he could see black hair spilled against the cold tiles. He walked towards the counter, his steps slow and shaky.

"Mom…" A sob tore from his throat once he cleared the counter. There, lying in a puddle of blood, was his mother. Her face was frozen in fear, empty dark blue eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Her throat had been torn out. "DAD!" He shrieked, running from the room. His father burst into the room. He took one look at his mate and then scooped Mika up, pulling the trembling mass against his chest. He backed away from the scene, his eyes locked on his mate. He froze in place when they heard a low growl behind them. Slowly, he turned to face the threat. A large grey wolf was blocking the entrance of the kitchen, blood dripping from his snout. Michel lowered Mika back to the ground, pushing his son behind him.

"Mika…when I give you the word…I want you to run out the back door and don't stop. No matter what you hear, do not stop until you reach the house on the other side of the woods."

"But—"

"No buts, Mika, just do it." The wolf's shoulders bunched in preparation for an attack. "RUN!" Michel jumped, shifting in mid-air as the wolf launched itself at them.

Mika ran towards the door, throwing it open and rushing out into the night air. He could hear the two wolves snarling and crashing around the kitchen. He looked back just in time to see the two wolves come crashing out the back door. He turned back only to be side-swiped by another wolf. A scream tore from his throat when the claws dug into his sides, holding the seven-year-old in place. A hot breath trailed across his cheek and he whimpered, trying to move away. The wolf was ripped off of him and his father took its place. He nosed Mika to his feet and nudged him towards the woods again before turning back to the large black wolf.

Mika turned away just as they launched at each other. He ran as fast as he could, leaving the sound of fighting animals behind. He broke into a small clearing just as a lone howl echoed overhead. Then, he was pinned to the ground and teeth were clamping down on his shoulder. He cried out as blood soaked his shirt. The more he moved, the deeper the teeth dug into his flesh until he gave up, lying still beneath the beast.

"You should never play in the woods after night." A soft, whispery voice spoke from the shadows directly in front of them. "You never know what's lurking in the shadows."

Mika lifted his head just in time to see a pair of glowing amethyst eyes before passing out. When he woke back up, he was lying in a large bed in a room that he didn't recognize. He tried to sit up only to wince at the pain in his shoulder.

"Don't move." His head snapped to the side and he found the same glowing eyes from before attached to a form that was seated in the darkened corner, hiding the owner from his view.

"W-who a-are you?" he stuttered out, slowly trying to inch backwards on the bed.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You may call me Luca; you're in my home," he replied softly.

"Where's my Dad?"

"…I'm sorry. I got there too late to save him."

Mika burst into tears, sobs wracking his small body. A moment later, he felt the bed dip, and he was pulled onto Luca's lap. He buried his face in the man's shirt.

"Shh…shh, don't cry, little one. Your father died saving you. He wouldn't want you to cry."

"B-but I-I'm all a-alone now." He sobbed harder.

"You're not alone," Luca said, rubbing his hand up and down his back in a soothing manner. "Your father and mother are watching over you, even if they aren't physically here."

"They were m-my on-only family," he whispered once his sobs subsided. "What happened to the other wolves?" he asked, staring up into the glowing eyes.

They flashed a bright blue before returning to the eerie purple."They will not be hurting anyone else. This I promise you."

Mika staggered with relief, relaxing into Luca. The man's smell was pleasing. It was incredibly sweet, almost like he lived in a bakery.

I've also taken care of your parents. They...they will be buried within the week," he added softly, causing Mika to tense up. "After that...well, I can look for a shifter pack that will take you in or..." He trailed off.

"Or what?" Mika asked, staring into his eyes.

"Or you can stay with me."

"With you?" he asked, looking away from him.

Luca nodded, then moved the small wolf-pup from his lap, tucking him back into the bed. "You don't need to answer me now. Why don't you think about it once everything has settled?" he suggested, running his fingers through Mika's black locks.

Mika gave a small yawn and nodded, settling down into the covers. "Later…"

"Good night…everything will look a little better in the morning," Luca whispered as he stood and left the room.

"After that following morning, we had my parents' funeral and I just…never left Master Luca's side. We moved and he's been taking care of me ever since," Mika explained, giving Chance a small smile. "Master Luca became my family."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really. Master Luca was right. My parents are still watching over me," he admitted, standing up and brushing the dirt from the bottom of his jeans. "Now, enough of sad stories. Let's keep looking around." He held out his hand to Chance.

The blond wolf took the offered hand after he pulled his shoes back on, and was pulled up with little effort. "You're right. Come, there's still more to see."

They both turned towards the trees when they heard a twig snap under someone's foot. They waited tensely for whatever it was to come out of the trees and released the breath they hadn't known they were holding when Lovel stepped into view. He had a strange look in his eyes as he watched the two small wolves. The look barely lasted a second before he walked towards them with a smile on his face.

"I thought I heard the two of you out here," he said, pulling Mika into his arms once he was close enough. The dark haired wolf blushed and shot Chance an embarrassed look.

"Welcome home, Alpha," Chance greeted, smiling lightly. "I'll go back to the house since you're here."

Lovel nodded at him and watched him walk up the trail before turning his attention back to Mika. "Did you enjoy meeting the pack?" he asked in amusement, wrapping his arm around Mika's waist.

"Yes, it was very fun. We even played the PS2®, and I beat Liam," he replied, leaning against Lovel and allowing the wolf's strong masculine scent to wash over him. He smelled like the forest did after the morning dew had set. Fresh, and of pine cones. Mika cocked his head so that his nose brushed against Lovel's throat and inhaled. There was something else in his scent, something that called to his basic instincts...the kind that made him want to roll over and bare his stomach to the man.

"Really?" Lovel asked, laughing lightly as Mika's nose tickled his neck.

"Yes…" he murmured, too distracted by Lovel's scent. He pulled back slightly and brought up a finger to trace the wolf that had been inked onto the bronze man's skin. It was a picture of a wolf's head thrown back in howl with a gothic number four etched right next to it. Lovel shivered when he started tracing the four and magic began pulsing from the number. Surprised, Mika pulled back looking up at Lovel in question.

"It's the Alpha mark. We inherit it by magic when we take over a pack. There are five ruling packs in this city and about eleven smaller packs that live around those five territories. We're assigned the numbers depending on how large our pack is. Right now, we're the fourth biggest pack in the city. This mark links us all together," Lovel explained.

"Oh…" he replied. His attention drifted back to the tattoo and he traced along the intricate lines. "I like it." He sent Lovel another smile, causing the bigger man to press a quick kiss against his cheek.

"I'm glad. Because, when we mate, you'll get your very own mark right here." He brought his hand up and traced Mika's slender neck. He could feel his inner wolf in the back of his mind shifting with the need to mark. When he had come back and found his mate's scent leading into the forest, he followed it. He hadn't expected to hear Mika confiding in Chance about his family. He had felt the urge to go and scoop the small man up in his arms and lock him away from the world, were nothing else could hurt him. And at the same time, he wished he could hunt down the ones that had caused his mate such pain in the first place. "Come on, Tesoro, I will show you the rest of the grounds and then we'll head in for dinner. You will love Mamma's cooking."

The vampire ducked in and out of alleyways, walking at a brisk pace. He was being hunted. He could tell. He could practically feel the eyes watching his every move. He pushed through all the warm bodies as he fought his way through the crowd. For once, they didn't even offer the temptation to bite that normally came with being surrounded by so many humans. He finally cleared the street and sighed in relief once his coven came into view. He'd be safe there, nothing was stupid enough to— His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he was pulled into the dark alley faster than any human eye could catch. A cool hand covered his mouth and another wrapped around his throat as he was pinned to the grime-covered wall.

"I always said don't play in the night…"

His eyes widened as he stared at the creature holding him captive.

"Don't scream."

He nodded his head, his eyes growing even larger as he stared into the amethyst orbs.

"You…"