Born Wolf - 5. Chapter 3.1

Doug Camra stood with his arms folded across his impressive chest and watched the Dean's packing their belongings, shoving what they could into suitcases and holdalls. The South Sea pack’s newest, youngest enforcer stood by his side, looking for all the world like a stiff breeze would blow him over. Physically there was nothing Doug had in common with his new recruit, other than their shared height. Kurt Smith looked like he hadn’t had a hot dinner in a long time. He stood there in bare feet scuffed with dirt and grime and a thousand little cuts from running in the forest. But he’d brought that little shit Koby in right enough. Doug smiled in his head, watching the younger wolf move around the lounge of the house on the balls of his feet.

Doug had married into the pack, but he’d gotten to know Kurt better than most. His eldest daughter was apparently the boy’s only friend. Koby’s father appeared behind the boy from the kitchen and Kurt whirled and snapped at him, causing the little man to squeak and run. Doug chuckled and waved the boy over to where he stood.

“Yes?” Kurt seemed not to know how to switch off. Even as he stood there Doug could see his mind whirring, his senses all on full alert. He might not be able to see the boy’s ears twitch in this form, but it was obvious what he was doing.

“Calm down Smith.” Doug held out a supplicating hand before clapping him on the shoulder. You always had to give Kurt plenty of warning you were going to touch him. “You scared them plenty good already. We’ll give them another half an hour and then run them off the territory.”

About then Carson Davies arrived with the bloody figure of Koby Smith over one shoulder. He dropped the boy onto the floor and spat.

“Fuck, I gotta go take a shower. I can’t wait to get rid of the stench of these people.” Carson wiped his hands on his jeans. “You guys alright to finish up here?”

“Yup, go on home bud.” Doug clapped Carson’s hand in his own and watched carefully as the two younger enforcers nodded at each other. Kurt did not look too stable, his eyes flicking back and forth from the two older enforcers and the figure getting up. “You can relax Kurt. No one’s going to challenge you now.”

Kurt’s tawny eyes narrowed, and the boy looked suspicious.

“You heard the alpha. You’re an enforcer now. One of us. You probably won’t get a council seat since your dad is already on it, but it’s not like you’ll be going anywhere soon.” Doug rolled his shoulders. “Come on people, time’s a wasting.” He shouted at the cast out Dean’s, before turning back to Kurt. “How’s the wrist?”

Kurt held out the bite for inspection. It was still sore, the muscles bruised, but the wound had closed up even though the skin was raw.

“Not bad. Tanner will be pissed about you pulling rank. Dumb shit doesn’t know when he’s beat. You watch yourself, you hear?”

Kurt nodded.

It was a part of pack justice humans, should they ever learn of it, would never condone. But in wolf terms beating someone up and running them off the territory meant just that. Koby could still walk, though he had sprained fingers and part of his face was puffed up and swollen as well as another half dozen injures. When Doug felt they’d given the traitorous idiot’s time enough to pack their belongings, he and Kurt jumped into his truck and drove behind them until they reached the big motorway that marked the edge of the formal territory. All the way they drove close; giving the Dean’s no time for let up for stops. The headlights were up and blinding all the way.

Doug had never warmed to the Dean’s or their son, but even if they’d been firm friends it wouldn’t have mattered. Once the alpha passed judgement, that was it. Wolves being forced to leave the pack were rare, especially in such a stable environment. But in the world of werewolves the punishment fit the crime. Had Koby been in any way defiant, or had he tried to justify his actions he would now be dead. It was simple. Werewolves didn’t have prisons, or a convoluted legal system designed to waste money. The alpha was the law; all of his decisions were reported up to National Council to keep record of. That was it. When you got a good alpha, the pack all pulled together to make sure they kept him.

On the drive back Kurt was still sitting bolt upright in his seat, his muscles twitching.

“Kurt relax.” When he got no response Doug sighed. “Hey, put on the radio buddy. It’s a long drive back. You hungry?” Kurt nodded hard. “You can smell where the jerky is, help yourself.”

Kurt was ravenous, and destroyed about half the stash in the glove box inside thirty seconds.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, gimme one of those!” Doug took the dried meat strip from Kurt without taking his eyes off the dark road in front of them. “You were very brave today. That took guts what you said in there.”

“Um…”

“What’s the matter Kurt? You not sure of your decision?”

“It’s not that.”

“What then?” Doug cursed himself for nearly snapping. “Sorry bud. Come on, it’s been a long day and I’m dead tired, bear with me a little.”

“What if he doesn’t want me anymore? After what…what happened?”

“Oh little brother.” Doug smiled in the dark. “If he smells what’s coming off you, none of that will matter. You’ll drive him nuts.”

Kurt swayed a little when he got out of the truck once they’d reached home. Doug was a little worried about him for a minute, but he seemed to recover.

“Hey Smith?”

“Yeah?”

“Start taking better care of your human body dude, someday you’re going to need it. Go sleep.”

Kurt nodded, and Doug watched him until he’d gone inside. He drove the truck around the end of the cul-de-sac to his own house, pretty much opposite the Smith’s. Jene was waiting up for him when he got back, and Doug was not surprised.

“Hey baby girl.” He kissed the top of her head, wondering when she’d grown up and stopped being little. “You worrying about your old man? That’s sweet.”

“What have you done with him?” Jene’s voice was scared and hollow and Doug frowned at his daughter.

“Beat him up and ran him off, why?”

“Oh daddy how could you?” Doug nearly whimpered to see his daughter was crying. He bundled her up in his arms straight away.

“Honey, I don’t understand. Your grandfather sentenced him. It was only right.”

“I can’t believe he’d do that to Kurt. I can’t stay here.”

“Kurt?” Doug held his daughter when she tried to pull away, “Sweetness, why would you think I’d done anything to Kurt?”

“I went to go and see him and he wasn’t there and Barbara said Grandpapa had called a council and I-I…so where have you been?”

Doug stood and cracked his back. He wasn’t as young as he once was. Someone was going have to teach the new recruit to drive.

“He came with me to run off the Dean’s. Learning on the job.”

“Job?” Jene echoed as though she could barely believe it.

“Yeah, Degan made him an enforcer. Happy now I see.” Doug hugged his daughter and realised all over again she was a grown woman. God, how had that happened? “Bed. Come on, it’s three in the morning and I’m beat.”

*

Tahryn couldn’t sleep. He had refused to switch back to his human form. He spent the little that was left of the evening curled up on the sofa with Chaska. His sister’s fur was three shades paler than his own, almost butter coloured, and she had wrapped her fluffy tail around him and licked the top of his head. Mehran and Isla had stripped his bed, washed the sheets and cleaned until the room no longer stank of Koby’s shiny, aggravating presence. But Tahryn had refused to go up there. Mehran worried and tried to convince her immoveable older brother, but Chaska had growled at her to leave well alone and sent the younger two to bed.

Whelan Spencer had come home smelling of rage and fire and stayed long enough only to tell them had Koby and his family had been banished and run off the territory. Tahryn had barely heard him. His mind hurt.

Something inside me is broken. Tahryn was aware of his thoughts watching him in the same way one would watch an unfamiliar dog. Something inside my head hurts and I don’t know how to fix it.

He couldn’t bear to be touched. But when he’d first shrugged off his sister he found he hated being alone even more. Tahryn shivered under his sister’s pelt. His brain was running in circles so fast he was dizzy and confused. Images of Kurt, remembered and imagined, twisted and distorted in his mind until they were Koby, and then until they were something in between that was cold and icy and blue and made him shiver all over.

Eventually he slept. He must have, because he woke from an unfocused dream of running and the scent of smoke to find himself human and lying curled and cramped on the sofa. A blanket had been put over him, not the one from his bed. The wool smelt of the sweet almond scent of his sister. There was an underlying current, similar, but older, spicier, wiser. His mother.

Tahryn had been nearly eight when his mother died. Enough time had passed that he’d lived longer without her than he had with her, but he was old enough to remember her clearly. The space where his mother used to be was filled with Isla, who had arrived in the world as his mother had left it. Tahryn had needed to be strong for his sister. Little Mehran had been three, not able to understand. Tahryn had been their protector while his father mourned. He’d cried, late at night and in the dark of his room, but he’d been strong. He hadn’t missed her, like needed her missed her, in years. Not since puberty and liking boys and being a wolf had calmed down. Now Tahryn buried his face in the blanket that smelt like the only women in his life he loved, and cried. He didn’t know what having his mother here would do for him, but he was sure, sure in the way you only can be of family, if she was there everything would have been somehow better.

He was going to have to find a way to get over this somehow; he just had no idea how it was going to happen. Humans spoke to counsellors. There wasn’t anyone for a hundred miles equipped to deal with his problems in a professional capacity. It wasn’t only the rape. Tahryn swallowed hard and had to fight the urge to throw up again even when he said the word in his head. The presumption that Koby was a little submissive who wouldn’t lift a finger had come back to bite him, and bite him hard. All wolves acted on the assumption others were honest. Dominant personalities were too strong to be anything else. Those who were submissive tended to enjoy the role. Why and how had Koby managed to hide his true colours? Or was the boy so twisted up inside he thought what he’d been doing was for him? For his benefit, that Tahryn would somehow be pleased enough to reciprocate Koby’s actions.

Koby had acted like he owned him, like Tahryn was his. For the first time the big blond boy saw a window into how Kurt had felt the first time he’d stroked his fur, unthinking that his actions could mean anything other than comfort and greeting. Did that make him as bad as Koby? Tahryn shook himself physically to banish the thought. He was nothing like Koby. Koby had been all shiny and hard and twisted inside. If what his father said was true, he wouldn’t have to worry about Koby anymore.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to take another shower.

*

Chaska Spencer woke to find her back warm, someone breathing in little pants right by her ear. She stretched, checked with one hand that she was still wearing panties, and rolled over. It was one thing being naked around family when it was a meet, but quite another to be woken up by a big wolf who was your older brother when you were nude. Chaska didn’t make a habit of sleeping with no clothes on, but her body did silly things sometimes. It was more surprising to find Tahryn snuggled up against her in his human skin, naked as the day he was born, the blanket having slipped from his clenched hands.

Tahryn snuffed, making funny little woofing noises in his throat and Chaska paused before she covered him with the blanket. She could see what had driven Koby mad with desire, though she preferred other delicacies herself. She had to appreciate that her older brother was beautiful. Tahryn’s skin no longer showed the evidence of his cleansing. Werewolf genes had dealt with that. Chaska remembered with a whimper the sight of her older brother, strong and secure and confident, scrubbing at his skin like it was some kind of disease. Her older brother had been through the emotional wringer, and he looked it. Though werewolf healing could do wonders, it couldn’t erase the lack of sleep or the hours of tears that showed in the dark circles around his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted and for a long moment Chaska thought about leaving her brother to sleep. She draped her duvet over her brother and yelped when his arm came out, grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

“Tay…” She whispered his cub name, the one she and Mehran had used before they could pronounce him properly. “It’s time to get up.”

“No it’s not.” Tahryn’s voice was sleepy but cognisant. He was awake.

“Yes. It’s morning Tay, we have to get up.” Tahryn didn’t answer but burrowed closer into her side. “And you might want to get rid of that.” Chaska gestured to her sibling’s impressive morning erection. “How’d you end up in my room anyway?”

“I don’t like mine anymore,” Tahryn whimpered and wrapped himself firmly in the duvet, “It’s not safe.”

“Well you can’t sleep in here with me buddy. What’ll I tell all my string of night time callers?” That statement made Tahryn leap up, pin her down and begin sniffing loudly. “Oh get off you big blond thing. I didn’t ask when you lost yours, so you don’t get to sniff for mine.”

“But you’re my sister!”

“And?” Chaska took the opportunity to roll him out of bed, at least he’d forgotten about being miserable. “If you don’t play nice, I won’t make breakfast. Come on, shower time bro.”

Chaska lingered outside the bathroom while Tahryn showered. She didn’t trust her brother’s little happiness, nice as it was, because it seemed like the kind of veneer that crumbled easily with no one around to help. When Tahryn emerged dripping and wrapped in a towel the same colour as the sun Chaska dived in for her own fast as hell shower. Wolves weren’t generally very high maintenance, and Chaska managed to rub shampoo into her hair and shave her legs and armpits in a record three minutes. She arrived steaming in her damp sleep shirt with her towel in a turban while her brother still stood and dripped.

She decided the best way to stave off Tahryn’s inevitable breakdown was to keep him busy. While Tahryn went downstairs to turn on the oven Chaska dived into his room and found jeans, socks, a rubbish indie band t-shirt and hoodie for her brother. She grabbed a pile of clothes for herself and dashed back downstairs. Flour, eggs, milk; butter in the pan. Tahryn got dressed and ran his fingers through his hair, pouring coffee and juice as first Isla and then their father arrived to the scent of Chaska making pancakes.

“Is it Saturday?” Came their little sister’s sleepy yawn. She was still wearing bunny slippers and pyjamas adorned with little puppies. Chaska always though the bunny slippers a little too ironic.

“No sweetie, it’s Tuesday. You still have to go to school.”

“But pancakes?” Isla took the juice from her brother and kissed Whelan’s rough cheek.

“Don’t look a smiling wolf in the mouth Isla.” Whelan said sniffing his coffee. “Go get your sister.”

“Dad?” Tahryn’s voice sounded far away and sort of confused.

“Hmm?”

“Why is Kurt Smith peeing on our fence?”

The way in which he’d phrased it made their father look up from the paper. Chaska left her pan and walked over to where her brother stood, looking out of the window into the garden. Sure enough, the big shaggy black form of Kurt Smith was lifting his leg against the end fence post nearest the tree line, the wet splashes on the opposite post showing he was halfway through his task.

“He made a bid for you at council last night after he hauled Koby Smith in.” Whelan spoke the words in the same way he would ask his son to ‘pass the maple syrup’ and ‘please don’t eat with your mouth open.’ Tahryn and Chaska both turned to stare at their father. “Pancakes…”

“Shit!” Chaska ran back to her hob in time to rescue the batter which was smoking gently and flipped the pancake over.

“Dad…” Tahryn’s voice was sort of lost. He was staring out of the kitchen towards the forest with a confused expression. “What sort of bid?”

“What d’you mean, that Kurt brought Koby in?” Chaska asked, placing the stack of pancakes on the table. Even though Kurt had vanished into the woods, she had to physically pull her brother from the window. Chaska pushed a fork into his hand before he began to inhale his food in the usual manner.

“Just that. Willis was explaining what had happened when Kurt burst in with Koby and threw him on the floor. Degan made him an enforcer for the pack. He made a bid for you Tahryn, but he wants to talk to you before its official.” Whelan didn’t look up as his spoke, but kept his eyes on the stream of golden-brown maple syrup that was a pretty close match for the colour of the black wolf’s eyes. “I assume he’s marking our fence to let everyone know he’s thrown down the gauntlet.”

Tahryn stared at his father.

“He did what?” Chaska surprised herself by shouting, “How can he possibly think this is a good time to-to-to…” Chaska stopped, watching her brother’s expression, “Tay? Are you alright?”

Tahryn fled the kitchen, and Chaska followed him to the downstairs loo in time for her brother to upchuck his breakfast. She put her hands either side of her brother’s face and pulled back his hair. Her nose wrinkled at the acrid scent. It didn’t take long; there wasn’t much to come up. Chaska flushed the toilet as Tahryn bent over the sink and rinsed his mouth.

“Dare I ask?”

Tahryn shook his head.

“You should stay home today.”

“No.” Tahryn sighed heavily but turned to his sister and Chaska saw the look of desperation in his face. “No. As normal as possible OK?”

“You’re the boss.”

Tahryn smiled at her and looked like he was anything but.

*

Nose high and tail in the air Kurt trotted through the forest. He’d done what his father said he should to stake his claim on Tahryn Spencer. The force of his feeling had surprised even him. His… emotions had crept up and sledgehammered him around the back of the skull when he’d heard what Koby had done. Had done to his…well, to the boy he wanted to make his mate. Degan Canon had smiled at him like he’d done the right thing, and made him an enforcer to boot. Kurt didn’t know if Tahryn was going to feel anything like even talking to him after the way he’d left things on the hill.

Kurt let his mind unfurl as he tracked in the woods. Human emotions were all well and good but hard as teeth to understand. There was breakfast to catch, which was far more important. Kurt moved like a shadow when he wanted to, feet falling soft and silent in the long dead leaf mulch of the floor. He avoided sharp stones which would make him slip and twigs that would scare off his prey. It was still early, still good hunting time, and Kurt was a little hungrier than just a rabbit.

He found tracks before he scented the animal, little cloven hoof prints in fresh earth, the hot blooded scent of a creature snuffling through the undergrowth for sweet roots and good green shoots. Kurt’s ears pricked up and he scented the wind. South west. He skittered away from the tracks, pacing out a huge semi-circle which brought him to a point about twenty yards from where he’d been standing, but facing the other way. Now the air was thick with the sounds and scents of the little muntjac deer. They were small animals, about two and half feet high with stubby antlers and short legs. For a hunter as experienced as Kurt, they were easy prey.

Few other wolves could claim his level of hunting experience. Sure, his kills as a pup had been mice and voles and river rats, but he’d learnt young, very young. He had been catching his own breakfast since he was five. He’d taken down his first deer the same day Jene had had her first change. He’d been ten. Kurt waited until the deer was facing him, in the worst position to run and duck out of his way, and sprang on the animal. She tried to turn under him and Kurt used the angle to sink his fangs into the soft flesh of her neck. Warm sweetness flooded his senses, and Kurt snapped the deer’s neck, fangs crunching down through muscle, bone and cartilage. The whole incident was over in sixty seconds.

Kurt tore into the side of the deer, going for the tender muscles of the abdomen and the ones on the inner thighs first. After some digging and ripping he extracted and ate the still warm liver and kidneys. He thrummed with pleasure at his success and his feed. The big black wolf dragged the carcass with him towards the scrubland which separated the woods from the school. In his little hollow he dumped the deer and switched into his human skin before covering his kill with a thick layer of leaves. It would make a good lunch.

“And when did you last eat something that was cooked?”

Kurt sprang up and around snarling, naked and blood stained. Willis was standing there, hands on hips, watching him. Kurt cursed himself for being too distracted by his thoughts and the scent of blood not to notice the pack beta creeping up on him.

“Calm down Kurt,” Willis smiled with his lips closed and half turned away. It was a movement that would leave him open to attack. It showed he trusted the younger wolf not to do it. “It was just a question.”

“Um…” Kurt gulped and wiped the blood from his face and chest on his hands, “Maybe Thursday.”

“Before that?”

Kurt shrugged in response. He had no idea.

“You look feral Smith.” Willis handed him his clothes from the floor of the hollow, “Get dressed. Shower time. You cannot show up to class looking like that.”

Kurt walked with the bigger man towards the school buildings. The coach let him in the back way, and turned on the water so he could wash himself down. He didn’t stay to watch, just directed Kurt to soap and towels and told him to come and find him during free period. Left to his own devices, Kurt took a last heady sniff of the blood on his hands before he began to wash himself, ignoring the soap to preserve his own scent.

Tahryn’s house had smelt of him. Kurt was finding more and more that he needed the deep spicy scent to stay focused. He felt alive; his heart was thudding in his chest like an engine. He’d killed something and he’d laid a claim on Tahryn Spencer, told the world he wanted the other wolf to be his. It was shaping up to be a good morning. Kurt sent a hand with splayed fingers questing south, not deviating from the path down his hairless chest until he wrapped strong digits around his cock. He’d been hard since he’d made the kill, blood lust and hope combining together to make him less headstrong. Kurt thumbed the narrow head of his cock, his fingers closing around the shaft, and leant back against the wet tile walls as he stroked himself.

Soon, soon he would be with his mate. Soon he would not be doing this alone. Kurt groaned and shuddered as the images sprang into his mind. Tahryn’s big chest, his skin like fire against Kurt’s own, his hands wrapping around them both, stroking them in tandem to their breathing. Sharing everything, every sensation and burst of pleasure, he would share it all with his mate. He wanted Tahryn enough to be blind to the undertones of his vision, wanted in that moment to feel those big hands wrapping around him, the hardness to press against his opening. His teeth gritted as he panted, imaginary-Tahryn working against his tight sphincter in his head as his own hands brought him off expertly. Kurt came with a low growl, sinking against the tiles as his legs gave way and he spurted sticky wetness across the stone floor.

Kurt panted, on his knees, and the little voice inside his head like a snake stole in at that moment to whisper in his ear.

On your knees, just like you will be after he claims you.

No. Kurt shook his head, trying to dispel a thought that was his own.

You want him to take you. Some dominant wolf you are.

Kurt snarled, snapped at nothing, and let the afterglow of his orgasm slip away as he shut off the shower, wiped the floor of his emission, and dried himself haphazardly with the towel. He dressed in moments, not caring how he looked, and banged out into corridors filled with human students.

Wolf or not, even the nose blind got the hell out of Kurt’s way when he glowered like that, even if his anger was all for himself. His mind waged war on itself as he walked. Every human emotion he had told him his fantasy had been just right. He wanted, oh so wanted, to be taken by the big blond wolf with the ice blue eyes. Taken and dominated in a way that made the rest of his mind and all his instincts want to throw up, rebel, and rip the offending part of his mind out before it caused more permanent damage. Kurt couldn’t submit to anyone like that. His position in the pack was too fragile to face that kind of submissive behaviour. And what if Tahryn wasn’t willing to stand up for him, to claim him back? Kurt would become what Koby had always been on the brink of turning into. The pack chew toy, something to be ridiculed and used.

Kurt’s instincts wanted to wrap around his neck and strangle his brain he was so repulsed by his own thoughts. He had always been a dominant wolf. From the time he could stand he had knocked down every single man or beast who had tried to challenge him for rank. Kurt knew he would make a rubbish alpha, not enough patience or people skills, but he was an enforcer now. He had a staffing as well as rank, and he was not willing to let that go without a fight.

But then he saw Tahryn moving down the corridor towards him and his heart tried to jump out of his chest at the heady scent of the big blond wolf.