Homestead Pack Shorts - 1. Mending the Hurt

Colton looked back, back to when he knew he was angriest. Back to when he hated himself the most. He had made so many new friends in Homestead. Dylan was amazing, a fellow lycan nerd like himself. When they had met, they fell into fast friendship that had very few issues. Yeah, Colton though he was great looking, but he wasn't the one his heart decided on, and that was all that mattered. So, add him to the spank bank and move on. They were close to the same age, but Dylan had been a lot bigger. To learn he was Solaris was the biggest shock.

"You mean solar Lycans are real?" he had blurted out.

"Yeah. I mean and grandpa are ones." Dylan gestured to Alpha Alan.

That was another thing that confused him. How could a pack have three Alphas? The answer was Alpha Jon was the leader, the others advisors and voices for their own people as this new pack accepted any Lycan. Lupus, Lunais, Solaris.

"Wow. You must think I'm an idiot." Colt's face flushed.

"Heck no. I didn't know I was a Lycan until...well, until Pop founded Homestead." Colton saw the unease and didn't press.

Colton got along well with the Alphas and Pat, Jon's husband and mate. An openly gay couple as mates was a stab in the eye of the traditionalists, but no one would dare say anything without fear of retribution. Jon had proven himself against a very powerful Alpha and fought for the territory he now claimed. Him alone would detur even the most vocal, but when you added in that his mate's father was a former Alpha, one still very formidable, and that Jon's father was the Solaris equivalent of an Alpha...no one said one word.

Yet when Colton got there after his Hunter training, he knew he was once again a bit of a pariah. In the East Coast Pack he wasn't well thought of. He had been turned, not born, but he had not taken the wolf form of the one who turned him. No, he became a coyote. A small set back when he was a decently built young man. Yet the trainers pretty much snubbed him and made it plain he was only there because they could think of nothing else to do with him. He learned how to shoot, but he wasn't great. His hand to hand skills were good as he was faster than most, but he felt he should have had more power physically. When he had been human he was strong. Husky kid that he was, he was on every sports team that would have him. When he was bitten, he didn't get much stronger, and he dropped a ot of the weight. He got fast though.

What he did excel at was tracking. No one could get away from his nose. He seemed to find any item anywhere, as if he knew exactly where it was before hand. It was something deep inside him. It was also the only time the trainers praised him. It was what got him a spot within Homestead as a Hunter.

Meeting Jonathan Davenport had been nerve fraying at first. He had seen Alpha MeLeod when he was brought into the pack for training, and the man scared him greatly. He was huge, his eyes were cold, and rumors had it that he was doing what he could to weed out anyone not a Canis Lupus without appearing to. Jon was different. First thing was, instead of suits and a huge office, Colton met him when he was swimming in the creek near the camp.

"Pop, this is Colton. Our newest Hunter. The one Tommy recommended." Dylan had picked him up from the airport.

Jon swam over and got out, wearing a pair of boardshorts and shaking his shaggy hair. "Welcome to Homestead. Call me Jon." Colton stood in awe of the man. He was a hunk, no mistaking that, but he instantly put Colton at ease when he stuck out his hand. Jon's smile was ease and open. This was not the type of Alpha Colton expected.

"Sure...Jon. Thanks for accepting me into your pack."

"Hey, when I heard about your skills in tracking and when Tommy called me up and vouched for you, I figured you would be a good fit." His smile changed with his scent. One of sorrow. "I also heard how they treated you there. You won't get that here. Just don't be a mondo douche, and you'll be fine."

Colton laughed a bit. "Yeah. I'm more of a quiet guy. A bit of a loner."

"That won't last long. Dylan won't let it." Jon's foster son nodded emphatically. "So, you get all settled in?" Colt nodded. "Good. Unless Dylan has anything for you, relax for the day. Get your legs back under you." Jon saw the bit of confusion. "Dylan's my Enforcer and leads the Hunters along side my Pop, Alpha Travis."

"Well, having a walking mountain as your Enforcer makes sense." That had gotten a chuckle.

Time passed, and he found a niche in Homestead. Jon had been right. No one treated him like an inferior person. Maybe a bit lower ranked in the Hunters, but that was only natural. Yet they differed to him when tracking during pack hunts and other times. They listened when he said it was the wrong path and never laughed when he said he felt it in his gut. Ever so slowly he had opened up and showed everyone there that he was a gentle soul with never a bad word about anyone with cause. Still, he lacked any real friends other than Dylan.

Then Quintin came to the pack. There was a compact source of sexual frustration. He was guarded, aloof, handsome, and from the reports he was a service man who had been abused by his lover who had turned him against his will. Colton's heart went out to him immediately, but he kept himself away as Colton knew he could give the wrong impression. Colt was a bit of a flirt, and while he found Quintin appealing, it would not be welcomed.

Quint was older by half a decade, but he didn't seem it. He had a good heart, a quiet soul, and just needed a friend. It was almost comical the time Colton met him. It was at Dylan's engagement party, which included a lot of the pack's couple hundred members. The numbers had overwhelmed the werelynx. His animal was small like Colt's, which was another source of appeal. When they had been together in their lunar forms, Colton did not feel inferior next to him. Quintin accepted him as he was, even with the casual flirting.

Then came Zeke. Colton had a huge boner for that walking sexy bear. Colton liked beefy men with a rugged air, and Zeke was that through and through. Yet his heart was all Quint's and Quint's was his. No denying those two were going to end up together.

Then the Amos incident happened...

...Colton shook his head as the group broke up. Zeke was standing there looking like hell, and Colton could feel his pain. Their connection was something strange to the coyote. It was an emotional connection, something that acknowledged all that they were and meshed very well. "Zeke, do you need to sit down?"

"God no. It feel great to stand." Zeke eyed the other Lycan. The one Colton was blatantly ignoring. "I...could stand over there. Give you two some time to talk."

This new Lycan was a bear, like Zeke, but he was a brown bear, not a polar bear. He was tall, though not as tall as Zeke, with brown hair, a heavy brow and close cropped brown hair. He wore a tee shirt and jean shorts showing off a pair of Doctor Who socks. Zeke could almost feel the tension between them and just stepped over to lean against a tree. There could be only one bear whom Colton would be like this around. Michael. One of Ashton's friends, and the one who told Colton to stay far away from Ashton for his own good. The one that Colton was absolutely nasty to and felt so guilty about it.

Colton's eyes were on the ground for more than a moment. He could not look at Michael. When the first gun shot went off, Zeke got up and started walking. "Zeke..."

"I got this. You need that. I'm fine enough to go by myself." The bear didn't wait for an answer.

Colton looked at Michael for the first time in years. He looked so good, so handsome. He felt tears in his eyes. "I'm probably the last person you want to see. Or expected to see."

"Colton, you couldn't be more wrong." Michael's voice brought back a lot of memories for Colt.

"What do you mean?"

"When Amos called up Ash for help, we all went. Just like normal. When I saw what they were doing, and why...I had to go along to keep them from really hurting...Zeke's his name?" Colton nodded. "He socked Ash really good as few times, but Amos got him subdued. I went, knowing that you would be around soon. I...wanted to see you."

Colton blinked a few times. "Is this revenge for me being so shitty? Getting my hopes up and then laughing at me."

"No, and you know I'm telling the truth. I could never lie to you."

"Why? Why would to want to see me?"

Michael's brow furrowed. "To see how you were. Ash treated you like shit, turning you against your will, and then filling you with such anger. I understood why you lashed out. Hurt, yes, but I understood. When I saw the Alphas and the Enforcer, I knew who they had to be and why they were here. I showed them the back trail up here, and the Enforcer mentioned you in passing to the other walking mountain." Despite himself, Colton smiled.

"That's Alan, Dylan's grandpa. Solaris."

"What? They exist? No...getting side tracked. I told them I would show them the trail if they brought me along. Theye didn't know I was part of Ash's crew, and I wouldn't blame Zeke for ratting on me. I wanted nothing to do with hurting him or seeing him hurt, so I volunteered to go get supplies. Then we came here."

"How can you stand there and not hate me? I stand here and hate me for what I did to you."

"Because...I wish I was the one to turn you." Michael looked down at his feet. "I wanted to be the one to kiss you first. I wanted to be the one you adored. The one who, after letting you know what and who I really am...the one you gave yourself to."

Colton just blinked. He had to have heard that wrong. "Michael..."

"That's another thing. You're the only one who ever calls me Michael."

"It's what you asked me to call you. So you don't hate me?" Michael looked up and shook his head. "And...you like me? I mean...like me, like me?" There was a small nod. "Even after all these years?"

"It's been four years. Not like twenty. And yes."

"How? I'm...nothing special."

"That's a crock of shit and you know it," came Zeke's voice. He was coming back with Quintin and the rest. "You're an awesome friend, Colt, and one person I know I can always count on to have my back when Quint isn't around."

"You're one of my few friends in Homestead," said Quint. "You knew just when to crack some joke or drop a complement. You would take a bullet for any of us. Heck, you took on Amos, and that's a durned stupid thing to do."

Colton was tearing up.

"Dude, you've been like a brother to me since you got off the plane," said Dylan. "I've never had a brother, but you filled that role in minutes. Since then, I never felt the lack. To quote my Pop, you're one mondo awesome little dude." Jon laughed at the very cheesy surfer lingo.

"See?" asked Michael. "You found a home and a family and friends who see that you're worth more than a hundred Ashtons. I...would like to get to know you again. To know who you have become. To see if...we're possible. I..."

Colton shut him up by leaping into his arms and kissing him. It was a touching scene, made more so since Zeke felt Colt's emotions. It was as if the anger and rage melted away, replaced by love and light. It poured out of the couple in waves.

When they parted, Michael was smiling an adorable grin. "I take it that's a yes."

"Duh. I have...liked you for years. Even with your dorky socks." Michael's eyes squeezed shut and he blushed deeply as he laughed silently. Colton looked back at the group. "Jon, can we keep him? I always wanted a bear of my own." Michael was shocked that he would address the Alpha like that.

"Hmm...you'll have to feed him and take him outside for potty, but I don't see why not. That is, if you wish to join Homestead."

"Well, I have to finish college first. That's one more year. After that...yeah. That should give us time to see if this will really work out." Although he knew in his own heart that it would. Colton had always been THE One for Michael. No one else had come close.

"When you're done, Homestead will be waiting," said the Alpha.

"I will be waiting," said Colton.