Born Wolf - 13. Chapter 6.3

“You know, I always wanted a brother.”

“Really? The one I have doesn’t do much for me.”

“Chaska! That’s cruel.”

“It’s fine, he knows I don’t mean it.” Chaska turned to look at Jene Camra and smiled, “I love Tay, he’s great. I just can’t believe that my ‘big brother’ is all grown up now and mated and everything.” Both girls turned to watch the big sand coloured wolf rolling on the floor with the little blonde shape of his middle sister. His big pink tongue lolled on the grass as he let Mehran jump all over him. “OK, so maybe he’s not exactly grown up…”

“No kidding.” Jene handed a stack of plates to her pack-sister and began to transfer all the drinks from the trolley to the low table. Underneath was a selection of water bowls, all freshly filled. The warmer weather made pack meet barbeques an even better idea than they had been in the chilly months, and now, though it was dusky, it was warm enough for Jene to stand in her grandfather’s back garden in jean cut offs and a v neck t-shirt. Taking Kurt shopping had its benefits, and now Jene’s wardrobe boasted an impressive selection of new clothes she had bought while out with her best friend. Over the last month, Tahryn and Kurt’s game of stay close and go away had given her a lot of contact with Tahryn’s next eldest sibling, and now Jene hung out with Chaska whenever they met. Chaska was deeply sensible for an attractive eighteen year old girl, and Jene found her very easy to get along with. The oldest girl in a family without a mother…it was no wonder she’d grown up fast. Jene could sense the alpha female in her, and knew it was going to take a stronger wolf than any in the pack to try and tame her. When Chaska smiled it was like she was plotting to run the world.

“Come on pups!” Chaska called to her siblings and the whirl of blond fur separated, crunched, and materialised into the naked heavy-breathing forms of Tahryn, and then, a full minute later, Mehran. The younger girl was still on all fours, sweat dripping off her.

“Does this ever get easier?” She asked once she had stood up straight.

“You’re already much faster than you were about three months ago. You’re getting better.” Mehran stretched as her sister spoke, and Tahryn used it as an excuse to tickle her lean stomach.

“Meanie!” She grabbed at him and lost. Tahryn chucked his naked sister over his shoulder like a fireman and laughed as she began to hit his back with her smaller fists. “Let me go you big oaf!” Chaska threw a t shirt and a pair of skimpy yellow shorts at her sister. Tahryn caught the clothes which were aimed at him.

“Get dressed. You need to go and get the rest of the food from Kurt’s house. You can’t go out naked.”

Tahryn slipped into his jeans, looking somewhat surfer-godlike with his tan skin and blond hair. Mehran grumbled and dressed too, swiping her hair from her eyes.

“Do we not have enough food yet?” She surveyed the dozen platters of sticky chicken legs and marinated ribs hungrily.

Jene smirked.

“You have any idea how much food forty werewolves eat? When one of them is your brother?”

“Hey.” Tahryn frowned and rubbed his ridged washboard stomach, “I do not eat that much.”

“No sweetie,” Chaska smiled at him with an evil glint, “you don’t eat that much, for a horse. Now git. The nice lady wants to you to go get devilled eggs and potato salad.” Grumbling, Tahryn and Mehran left to collect supplies as more pack members came in through the house rather than the side gate. Jene watched Carson Davies kiss his wife’s hair and get brushed off. He glowered and stomped off like a scolded puppy. Aliza came in behind him and she and Jene raised sceptical eyebrows at each other.

“Kurt and Tahryn aren’t the only ones having trouble in paradise then.” Chaska chipped in.

“Seems not. Oh hey Mary. Let me get you a chair.” Jene grabbed a sturdy plastic lawn chair from the back decking and set it within reaching distance of the food and drinks tables for David James’s heavily pregnant wife. “My god, is the little one still not wanting to come out?”

“No.” Mary sighed as she sat down. “He’s four days overdue and I am tired of him.” She looked exhausted, but smiled. “I don’t mean it like that of course.”

“Nine months without fur,” Chaska shuddered, “I am never having cubs.”

“You’ll change your mind hun,” Mary nodded to her husband as he returned with a big glass of water, “I never wanted kids when I was your age either.”

“You think it’s a boy?”

“Noakes reckons so,” David smiled and kissed his wife’s hair. “But he couldn’t get a very clear picture. It’ll be a surprise.”

“Well it can only go one of two ways right?”

They all failed to mention the scary Kurt-shaped third option. Jene glanced about the quickly filling garden and figured she better go and find her grandfather. Leaving Chaska to the drinks she skipped up into the house and followed the rich scent of her grandfather, a scent she always associated with leather polish, to his back office.

“You’re sure?”

There was near silent pause.

“And it definitely wasn’t one of our pack?”

There was a short sharp growl.

“Grandpa?” Jene knocked on the door, but her alpha would know she had been eavesdropping. “Oh, hi Kurt.”

The big black wolf huffed, all his attention on her grandfather.

“Take Doug and Carson with you and be careful. Bring him in here, as uninjured as possible understand?”

Kurt sat, curled his tail neatly and barked once.

“Good boy.” Kurt smiled in his wolfish way and brushed against Jene’s leg as he trotted from the room.

“What’s going on Grandpa?” Jene walked into the study properly and began to gather Kurt’s fallen clothes.

“Kurt scented a strange wolf in the woods behind the houses after his driving lesson. No one has contacted and petitioned for sanctuary so I sent him, Carson, and your father to check it out.”

“Oh.” Jene began to fold the clothes her grandfather handed her as he got undressed. Her grandfather had been a powerfully built man in his prime, but now much of the muscle had lost its tone and shape, “Carson and Layla are arguing still.”

“Really?” Degan Canon stretched his back, popping his spine, “I’ll speak to her and see what’s up.” There was a series of soft popping noises and Jene bent automatically to stroke her grandfather’s soft grey ears. He yapped happily.

“OK. I’ll leave it with you.” Degan wagged his tail and then sniffed at his granddaughter’s crotch. He frowned and whined.

“I’ll tell you who I fancy when I’m good and ready. Come on, it’s meet time and everyone will want to see you.”

*

Kurt ran. He knew the two bigger enforcers ran on his heels. He knew he should let Doug take the lead; he knew he was supposed to be learning. But he was the best hunter in the pack, no one knew the forest like he did, and Kurt had been very angry when he had scented a strange wolf as Carson had dropped him off after the lesson. It was not a strong scent, which meant the strange wolf was probably in human shape, but it was still plenty strong enough for Kurt to track. The scent was full of reds and greys and the ideas of hunger and loneliness. Whoever this wolf was, he was not a happy wolf at all.

The big black wolf tracked the fence line of a field of rather frightened sheep, leading the silver grey wolf of Doug Camra and the slightly larger brown and dun coloured Carson Davies along the track the other wolf had left. They moved fast, the trail was not yet cold and was heating up, they were getting closer. They wolves were close to the edge of the pack lands. The intruder who had arrived had obviously come in to the central hub and then back out again. Perhaps he was running away. Kurt stopped dead when he saw the house. It was a small building, probably only three rooms, and it was rented out as a holiday cottage in season. Doug tucked his tail and flattened his ears. Apparently Degan had been trying to buy it from the owner as a good spot for resting and switching away from town, without success. Kurt snarled. The scent of the scared wolf emanated from the house, and sure enough, there was a light on, and a car parked on the narrow gravel driveway.

Doug pushed his flat head against Kurt’s shoulder and thrummed. Kurt’s ears swivelled and he to sniffed deep of the other wolfs fur. Being connected to a pack brother was heartening, it gave them strength. Carson put his head over Kurt’s back and huffed. For a moment the three wolves of the South Sea pack just stood still and silent in the evening dusk and reaffirmed their connection. Kurt broke the contact, he woofed softly and began to make a direct beeline across the fields for the house with Doug and Carson following.

The scent of the strange wolf grew stronger and stronger, but stayed human-weak, as though the wolf wasn’t very strong. The front door of the house was open and Kurt saw a hallway filled with a meagre collection of cardboard packing boxes. A new wolf wanted to move into a territory without permission? He was too stupid to live. Kurt growled low and flipped his ears flat back against his skull. Tail switching back and forth in annoyance, he skulked into the house. Behind him, the silver grey wolf stopped to sniff at the other rooms, Doug had gone around the back to guard the other door. Kurt pushed into the main room to see a pale red headed man of about thirty packing some books into a box. He apparently hadn’t noticed there was a four foot high wolf in the room with him.

Kurt snarled, it was a sound meant to chill the blood, and from the petrified face of the man as he whipped around, it had worked. He smelt of fear and human chemicals. What kind of wolf used industrial soap voluntarily? Kurt snapped his teeth and showed his fangs.

“Oh crap!” The pale red headed man dropped to the floor, books collapsing in a mess around him. He pressed himself back towards the book shelf as Kurt advanced, still growling, head lowered and looking like he was ready to attack. He snapped his fangs again, feet from the strange werewolf’s feet, causing the man to collect himself up into a ball.

“You have invaded pack territory.” Doug had switched back to being human and stood, hands on hips, behind Kurt. “What did you think was going to happen?”

“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry…” The man was shivering now, his eyes never leaving Kurt as the big black wolf paced around him. “I d-d-didn’t know…”

“How could you not know?” Doug snarled at the same time as Kurt. “Territory is marked and claimed. Do you even know where you are?”

“I-I-I c-came into t-town for the t-t-teaching post. I o-o-only rented the h-house y-y-yesterday.”

“Kurt lay off him. He ain’t running.” Kurt stepped back and sat, but kept his eyes fixed on the strange smelling red haired outsider. “What’s your name boy?”

“D-Deoran. C-can you p-put some c-c-clothes on?”

Kurt barked, and Doug exploded in laughter. Carson had obviously gotten bored of waiting outside and the back door opened to reveal the big mechanic in his naked hairy glory.

“What kind of wolf are you?” Kurt huffed when Doug spoke, and Carson murmured the question again.

“Not a very good one.” It was the first sentence the man, Deoran, had gotten out without stuttering and Kurt barked to show that the conversation had gone on long enough.

“Right. You’re coming with us to see the alpha. He’ll decide what to do with you. We’ll take your car since you don’t really look capable of running that far. Kurt?”

Kurt swivelled one ear and whined.

“You wanna drive bud?”

Kurt shifted in a blink and fixed the strange wolf with his most acid stare.

“Sure thing.” He took the keys from Doug, who had unhooked them from the wall by the back door, “Wear more clothes…pathetic.” Kurt stepped over the frail looking wolf and went out to the car. The estate wagon had a back half full of boxes, which were easy enough to remove. He started the engine as Doug and Carson lead the red haired man out between them. He cowered, and not just through fear. He smells as submissive as Koby… Kurt thought, and then mentally kicked himself. He started the car and tried to erase the name from his mind. The small werewolf sat in the back next to Doug and Carson got into the front with Kurt.

“Try to not to wreck the car Kurt.”

“He wrecks cars? Should he be driving?”

Kurt snapped instantly at the man, eyes flashing in the rear view mirror.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Better.” Kurt snarled, and pulled out of the space in a haze of gravel.

The drive was uneventful, except for Kurt’s insistence at driving as though the car was a wrecking ball. Carson managed to keep them out of trouble, and Kurt only clipped one bollard, and only gently. They pulled up in the cul-de-sac right outside the alpha’s house and the three pack enforcers showed no shame in walking their captive in still totally nude. Kurt sighed on returning back to the meet, the wash of mixed scents of his pack brothers and sisters, the happy warmth of welcome and acceptance. He desperately wanted to go and be with his friends, apparently he now had more than one if you counted Isla and Chaska and Mehran, and rub against his mate. But business came first. Doug went to fetch Degan while he and Carson stood watch over the cowering wolf in the hallway. He rubbed the love bite on his neck and Carson turned to look at him.

“You and Tahryn getting along better I take it?”

Kurt almost snarled at him. The bruise had been on the other side when they had been driving and Carson hadn’t seen it. Kurt knew the bruise would stand out very loudly from his pale skin.

“Yeah. We are.” He paused and rubbed the back of his head Tahryn especially seemed to like the contrast of the shorter hair at the back and the long at the top. “Thanks.”

“You deserve it bud. Here he comes.”

Kurt and Carson both straightened up automatically as Degan Canon came around the corner, followed by his son in law. The big grey wolf narrowed his eyes and walked into his office. Kurt pushed the man, Deoran, ahead of him, and shifted as he walked into the office. Degan changed with much crunching of bone and muscle, and pulled on a pair of slacks that hung over the back of his chair.

“Sit,” the command was not aimed at Kurt, and Deoran collapsed into a puddle in a chair, his legs wrapped up around himself. Kurt stalked up to the chair and laid back his ears but didn’t growl. “Explain.”

“I-I-I c-came for the t-teaching job. Maternity c-c-cover at the school. E-E-English.” He paused to swallow. “I d-d-d-d-didn’t know there w-was a local p-p-pack until I-I-I c-c-c-came to lo-o-o-ok around t-t-t-t-town.”

Kurt snarled. Liar.

“Your scent was found by one of my enforcers in the woods close to here. No one’s nose is that badly broken." Degan did not look pleased. Kurt remembered being subject to the piercing gaze. Degan Canon could look at you like he could see through to your soul and Kurt quite liked not being on the receiving end of that voice.

“That’s why I was leaving.” Kurt made sure he looked at the red haired man when he spoke without stuttering, it was obviously a nervous habit. He sniffed at the man and snorted. Deoran whimpered softly.

“Kurt you’re scaring him.” Degan spoke softly.

Kurt barked. Good.

“You didn’t think to contact National Council before you moved? You move a lot I take it?”

“T-t-the last time I s-s-spoke to them t-t-they said anything s-s-south of L-L-L-London was alright.” Kurt rolled his eyes and sat down with a huff. God this guy was just not bright. He waited for Degan to pass judgement.

“You wish to take a teaching position at the school?”

“N-n-n-not permanently.” Deoran replied, still watching Kurt with half an eye.

“I assume you are not running from anyone?”

“N-n-no sir.”

“Fine. Back off him Kurt.” Degan stood and rolled his shoulders. “Temporary sanctuary, you are expected at every pack meet on a Friday evening. Luckily you’re here in time to get acquainted. Follow me.”

Kurt stayed in his fur and followed the new temporary pack member closely, even though Degan had told him to back down. He didn’t growl though. The older man seemed totally petrified of him, had been when he was human too, and that was vaguely intriguing. Kurt listened with only half an ear as Degan introduced their newest temporary pack member. Kurt woofed quietly at the word temporary. He’d better be. Finally happy there were enough people watching Deoran, Kurt turned to find Willis, Carson and Doug waiting for him, sitting on the grass in their human forms.

“You did well Kurt,” Willis held out a hand to him and Kurt stepped forwards.

“That was some tracking on such a weak scent.” Came Carson’s rejoinder. Kurt felt the love from his fellow enforcers and pack brothers as they held out their hands to him. Kurt stepped into the centre of the little circle they had made and pressed his long muzzle against first Willis’s chest, then the others as they ran congratulatory hands through his fur. He yapped happily. He sniffed again at Carson and frowned.

With a crunch, Kurt was human and looking at his fellow enforcer from a crouch. There was an odd smell on him, his own scent, his wife, and something else new and curious. His brain worked it out just before he spoke.

“You do know your wife is pregnant, right?”