Running with the Pack - 10. Chapter 10

Doctor MacRae paced in his office as he reviewed the test results for Ethan Scott. Over the past several days he had run every analysis he could think of. Everything indicated his patient was nothing more than your average healthy human. He managed to get Aiden Jacobs to come in to have blood drawn so he could run a few unconventional tests. Subjecting Ethan’s blood to samples from various lycan including his own, none of the samples caused the blood effects common in the turning process; none that is, except one. Each time he ran the test with Aiden’s blood, the lycanthropy virus immediately took hold and spread. While that was extremely puzzling on its own, it at least got him off the hook of going to the alpha and asking to run tests to see if there was something wrong with the man’s son. Just the request would have been viewed as a major insult on the alpha and his family. With one question answered about the pair’s ability to complete the mating, it opened up several others as to why Ethan was immune to every other lycan.

The doctor considered logging into the Lycan Council’s medical database to see if anything even remotely similar to this had been reported in the past. He knew if he did, the council would know there was some type of anomaly at the pack. He did not want to do it without consulting the alpha first because it could cause the council to start poking around as they would want to investigate. Calling over to the pack office, he was told he could come right over to meet with the alpha. Gathering up his notes, he headed out.

A short time later he was knocking on the door to John Stockdale’s office and waited untill he heard the command to enter.

“Doctor, it’s good to see you. What can I do for you today?”

The physician dipped his head in respect to his leader before his eyes dropped to the papers in his hand. Clearing his throat as he returned his focus to his leader. “Hello, Alpha. I have something unusual here regarding the human I examined, Ethan Scott. I wanted to discuss it with you before I tried to do any research in the Lycan Council medical system.”

This puzzled John. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Running all the regular tests on him, he definitely was not infected with lycanthropy when he was bit. As we’ve suspected, it didn’t cause the turning process to start and there is no evidence of the normal changes in his blood.” He paused hoping the powerful man would not get upset. Seeing the alpha was waiting, he continued. “I didn’t want to run any tests on the wolf who bit him unless I had more reason to. Instead, I did a few unconventional tests subjecting Ethan’s blood to samples from random lycan including myself. There was only one among the test subjects able to cause the process to begin and that was the young Mister Jacobs. I guess that would prove beyond any doubt they are true mates.

“While immunity to us is extremely rare, it is possible. The Lycanthropy virus does have a very slight genetic difference in each of us that will pass some of our traits onto someone we bite. It’s unheard of for a human to have such a selective immunity to it where potentially only one lycan in the world could turn him. None of the other doctors I discretely spoken with have heard of something like this. I also ran several additional tests just to make absolutely sure he is human. One of the doctors I contacted works in a genetics lab and fast tracked Ethan’s sample for me. There’s nothing in his DNA to suggest he’s anything other than a healthy, late teens human. So our young friend is a bit of a mystery.”

“Thank you for finding a way to do the tests without involving my son. Just the appearance that he is anything less than a fully capable wolf could cause a problem for not only him in the future, but also for me.” The alpha paused as he considered his options. “I know it cuts you off from some research data, but if you would, I’d like you to keep the council out of this for as long as possible. If they get wind of it, they might try to either take Ethan to study. Or eliminate him fearing his immunity is a threat to our kind. They’ve done it in the past when an immunity to Lycanthropy has been encountered. To be honest, I don’t feel like dealing with that obnoxious group of bureaucrats just now.”

“I understand, Alpha. There’s also an issue with the two that so far has only affected their sleep if they are away from each other. Time will tell if it remains that way.”

“What do you mean by sleep issues?”

The doctor went on to detail the problem Ethan and Aiden had described. “Like the immunity issue, I’ve never heard of a lycan and human developing a pre mating bond that caused something like this.” Ian paused to let the alpha consider what he had said.

John felt he knew the answer but needed to ask anyways. “One anomaly I could probably just write off, but with several do you think Ethan posses any risk to the pack?”

Ian considered that question before he shook his head. “No, Alpha, I don’t. Although everything at this point is conjecture and I can’t really be sure of anything. Based on the blood and genetic tests saying that he’s a normal human, I can’t see him presenting a problem or risk. If you add Aiden definitely being his mate and the only one that can turn him, it seems the boy was meant to be with us or at least with the Jacobs boy.”

“For now, try to continue your research off the radar of the council. You are sure these other doctors you have spoken with won’t go running to them?”

“They’ll keep this secret and only one is a wolf. He has no love for the council’s medical board. Another is a tiger and two are bears, including Caleb Alexander.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Keep me informed if you happen to find anything new.” The alpha shook Ian’s hand before walking him out of the office.

Sitting back in his chair, John lost himself in his thoughts. “What are you Ethan Scott?”

******

After a week on the job, Ethan was turning into a great help to Rafe, Joe, and Casey. He learned quickly what they would need before they had to ask for it. It felt good to be working hard and earning his pay without resorting to other means. When the crew returned home, Zach and Ryan would come running and try to drag him into doing something with them. Even though he was twice the age of the youngest, it was fun having someone treat him like a brother. Even Jack got involved from time to time, though at fifteen he tried to act above it all sometimes. He too liked having Ethan around.

After talking to his parents and Aiden, Casey moved back into his apartment at the pack house across the hall from his friend. They all knew that Ethan was safe and getting comfortably settled in at his parent’s home. He could be there for Ethan, without having his parents back to knowing every time he went out on a date.

Since Jack Tucker was old enough to shift, he was training in wolf combat and tracking. Many times, he would shift into his wolf after dinner to see what he could track near the house. He might not have been able to do much in the face of a real threat, but he liked to think he was doing something to look after his new human brother. If he found Ethan sitting in the yard after Aiden had visited, he would run up to his new brother in his sandy colored wolf and get him to scratch his ears. Once or twice he even brought a ball for Ethan to throw, but only when he knew no one would see.

Aiden came over for at least a little while each night to spend time with his pup. He really wanted to move Ethan in with him, but he did not want to push things faster than his mate could handle. He knew it would take some time after being rejected by his family and all the time alone to be fully comfortable and safe with him. As much as Aiden hated being apart, he knew being with the Tucker family was the best way to help heal Ethan in a way he could not. Aiden settled for being there as much as possible and making as much of a family for Ethan as he could. A restless night’s sleep was well worth seeing his pup happy with his new family.

With the weekend ahead, neither of them would have work for the next two days. Aiden arrived on Friday night at the Tucker’s to find Ethan playing video games with Jack, Ryan and Zach. He watched from the doorway for a moment before Ethan looked up with that beautiful smile directed at him. Zach jumped up from the floor and ran over yelling, “AIDEN,” giving him a fist bump.

Aiden ruffled the youngest Tucker’s hair. “Heya, squirt. How you doing today?”

Ethan handed the controller to Ryan and walked over to his boyfriend to hug him. “Hey there, handsome.” He got on his toes to give Aiden a light kiss.

“How would you feel about going out for dinner and a movie?”

“Sounds great. Is there a theater in town I haven’t noticed? Or that one we walked past in Parker?”

“The one over in Parker. I have no clue what’s playing, but it sounds like a fun date night.” Aiden had a Cheshire cat smile.

Leaning in for one more kiss earned them a chorus of “Ewww’s” from the three boys. “Let me go get changed and we can head out.”

After he had, the couple walked into the kitchen to let Rafe and Mary know they were heading out. Getting nothing more than smiles and nods from the two, Ethan joked. “What? No be home by midnight? No asking Aiden what his intentions are? No showing him a collection of shotguns or silver bullets?”

“If it was Casey coming over to pick you up I might do all those things, but I think Aiden’s mostly harmless.” Rafe’s teasing earned him a playful growl from Aiden. “Besides, I know full well what his intentions are and no amount of shotguns, rifles, or silver bullets would ever come between him and you.”

Walking out to the Jeep, they got in and headed to Parker. Aiden decided to take his pup to a nicer place and steered towards the Italian restaurant in town instead of the diner like Ethan expected. The food was very good; the company was much better. At the movie, neither one paid it much attention and sat in the back cuddling and occasionally making out. The movie finished around 11:30 p.m. and before heading back to the Jeepster, they stopped at an ice cream shop—one of the few businesses still open. Each getting a cone, they strolled over to a bench, and stared at the stars. The night ended with Aiden walking his mate to the door and leaning in for a goodnight kiss.

******

The next morning, Aiden showed up wearing gym shorts and a tank top. They were both a little tired since sleep was troublesome for them still. Aiden was happy to be greeted with a hello kiss.

“Morning, Pup. How would you feel about going for a run with me?”

“Usually the only running I did was to try and get away from someone, but I guess we could.” Ethan’s tone expressing he was a little unsure this was going to be fun.

“I need to log some time running for the academy. I think you’ll have more fun than you think and you get to be with me.” Aiden confidently joked. “As wolves, we enjoy running through the forest. Even though you can’t shift yet, I can share some of that joy by running as a human with you.”

Ethan quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt before Aiden drove over to his apartment and parked. Grabbing a backpack from the rear seat, they walked a short distance past the pack meeting hall. About fifty yards from the building was a park like area with a few benches, a covered area with picnic tables, and a path that led into the woods. Aiden dropped the pack on a bench as he showed Ethan how to properly stretch.

“So, why would a bunch of wolves need a running path?”

“Sometimes people want to go running in their human form so the pack built a cross country track that loops through the forest. It comes out of the woods down there by those far benches and loops back to here. It also helps for the wolves that are on the high school cross country team. They don’t have to go into Parker to use the track at the school for training.”

“Cool. How long of a path is it?”

“It’s two and a half miles. Most people do two or three loops.” He put on his backpack and smiled down to Ethan. “You ready?”

They started out at a nice easy pace, running side by side. Well into the forest and beginning to head back towards town, Aiden told his mate to try and pour on more speed. Ethan ran faster, like he used to when he was trying to get away from danger in Richmond. He could hear Aiden behind him but he did not dare look back. Aiden teased some. “You can’t get away from me, Pup. I’m right behind you and not letting you ever get away from me.” Ethan poured on the speed. He was pulling away, but still could not get too far from Aiden. They were both laughing as they came out of the forest and slowed down until they neared the bench they started. Sitting down, Aiden pulled out a couple bottles of water. “You’re a good runner, Pup. You’re fast.”

Ethan sat panting a little. “I always had to be fast when I was running before. That was fun, especially you chasing me at the end. I bet that would be great running with you in your wolf or with me as a wolf too.”

“I won’t lie. I can’t wait to run with you as wolves. That will hopefully happen in time if you decide that’s what you want. If you think you are up for one more lap, I’ll shift into my fur. That’s if you’d like me to.”

Smiling, Ethan nodded. “Yeah. I think I can handle one more lap.”

“This time, run at my side. Don’t run from me or my wolf will give chase. He won’t ever intentionally hurt you, but his instincts will be to chase and possibly tackle.”

Aiden stood and stripped, handing Ethan his clothes to put into the backpack. Once naked, he got down on all fours and let the shift take him. Ethan watched in fascination as the long soft fur began to cover Aiden’s body. The fear he felt the first time he had seen the transformation was replaced with awe at watching his boyfriend’s body reform itself from a human to a wolf. He could not resist running his fingers through the wolf’s dense fur.

Leaning into his mate’s hand, he guided it to his ears which Ethan happily scratched.

“I kinda wish there was a collar and leash in your backpack. I never had a pet before and would be fun to take you for a walk like this.” Ethan was chuckling as he teased.

Aiden playfully growled and acted like he was going to hike his leg over Ethan’s shoes.

He wrapped his arms around the wolf’s neck and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry for the leash comment.” The two took off running side by side again, Ethan’s hand often brushing Aiden’s body.

As they neared the point where the trail was at its deepest in the woods, Aiden moved in front of Ethan and brought him to a stop. Raising his nose, the wolf picked up a scent on the breeze and issued a low growl while staring into the brush. Ethan, not knowing what was going on, stayed as close to his boyfriend as possible.

Two grey wolves walked onto the trail. They were not nearly as large as Aiden’s black wolf, but this was two against one. The closest seemed to be more aggressive; the other’s tail was down and its ears were flat against the sides of its head. Both bared their teeth.

Aiden’s growls grew louder. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his ears rose, panning forward and straight. He held a slight crouch with his tail straight out behind him. He looked ready to pounce.

The grey wolves tried to move to each side of Aiden so he could not easily defend against them both. The pair showed their teeth and kept their heads low.

Ethan was scared, not knowing if these were lycan or non-shifter wolves, but suspected the former. He scanned the area for anything he could use as a weapon and saw a branch nearby about the size of a baseball bat. Ethan grabbed it and raised it ready to swing.

The two wolves lunged at almost the same time, coming at the couple.

Ethan swung the branch with as much force as he could while aiming for the nearest grey wolf. The branch crashed down on its head momentarily stunning it, giving Aiden a chance to take on the second without issue. Not wanting the one he had hit to get back into the fight he took another swing when it tried to get up, wanting to make sure it stayed down. This time though it caught the branch in its mouth. Before the wolf could do anything, Ethan kicked hard with his foot as he pulled the branch away, again hitting the wolf on the head. It stumbled back as he connected with it one more time, causing it to fall to the ground, dazed. He readied for another swing if it moved again.

While Ethan was dealing with one wolf, Aiden took hold of the front leg of the other he was fighting and bit down hard, twisting it. With a loud snap, the bone could be heard breaking. The wolf howled in pain giving Aiden a moment to make sure Ethan was alright. Finding the blond had already dealt with the second wolf, he saw his pup taking a swing at the wolf he had just injured.

There was a blue glow in his eyes, similar to the amber that lycan eyes flash, but this glow was steady. The sun was occasionally hitting Ethan’s face through the trees, so perhaps it was just those brilliant eyes reflecting the light.

The two greys took advantage of Aiden checking on his mate and decided it would be a good time to run off with their tails literally tucked between their legs; one limping on three legs and the other stumbling in a daze.

Once it was safe, Ethan’s eyes returned to their normal brilliant blue without the glow Aiden thought he saw. The wolf guided his human out of the forest; his ears continually moving as he listened for additional danger.

As Ethan sat on the first available bench, Aiden jumped up with paws planted on both sides of his mate sniffing him all over to check for injuries. Once satisfied, he shifted back to human and quickly dressed.

“Are you okay?” Concern filled his face before it turned to pride. “Here I thought I was protecting you and you end up taking out one of the wolves all by yourself.” Aiden beamed proudly at his pup. Since he was not sure he had seen it, he decided not to say anything about the blue glow Ethan’s eyes had following the fight. It had to have been a trick of the light, but he would watch to see if it happened again.

“I’m fine. I was just scared not knowing what was happening and if they were both going to go for you at once. I didn’t really think about what I was doing.” Ethan paused to catch his breath. “Were those wild wolves or…?” He did not want to finish the question after the first attack on him.

“They were lycan. I know them both. They’re friends of Michael. I’m guessing they’re mad that asshole’s still in jail. I can’t believe they ignored you’re under the alpha’s protection.”

******

Back at the apartment, they took turns showering. Aiden changed into everyday clothes; Ethan just had what he wore to run in. He was about put them back on when Aiden reached into a drawer. “I think I’ve got something that’ll fit you unless you want to go back to the Tucker’s and change before the pack meeting.”

“Umm… We’re not even close to the same size, but I guess I could try. I wish one of your used jockstraps would fit me.” He batted his eyes innocently.

Aiden pulled out a pair of shorts he’d worn when he was younger and never got around to throwing out. They seemed a little long on Ethan and he needed a belt to keep them up. He also gave his pup a T-shirt he grabbed off the floor, it definitely seemed a little large.

Ethan gave it a quick glance before sniffing it. “Is this any cleaner than the shirt I had on?” Smelling the shirt again, he decided he did not care. “It smells like you. I like it.” He held the shirt to his nose and inhaled deeply before pulling it over his head.

Aiden sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him indicating he wanted Ethan to sit with him. “Just so you know, wolves tend to like having their scent on their mate. It is kind of a marker that you’re taken.” He gazed into the smaller boys eyes. “So you like the way I smell?” He could not contain the big grin that spread across his face.

“Mhmm. I told you that before. I kinda wish I could have gotten to your armpits before you showered. I bet they would have smelled good and tasted even better.” He turned bright red in embarrassment.

“Next time, we’ll find out before I shower and you can do what you want with them.”

Not being able to hold himself back, Aiden leaned in for a fierce kiss, only pulling back when they both needed oxygen.

“Wow.”

“Sorry, Pup. I kind of lost control for a moment.”

Aiden was surprised when Ethan moved to straddle his legs and pushed him back onto the bed, placing hands on both sides of his head. His pup lowered himself and kissed him with equal passion. Always being the more dominant one, Aiden was not used to being on the receiving end of something like this but for some reason, he did not want to question it and decided to enjoy it.

Once Ethan broke the kiss, Aiden gazed up into his pup’s blue eyes and saw that faint glow again. Nothing like he saw in the forest, but it was definitely there. Stretching up for one last kiss. “We’d better be careful or we’re going to start something I won’t be able to stop.”

“Part of me doesn’t want you to stop, but I know I’m not ready for it either.”

Ethan collapsed on top of Aiden who wrapped his arms around him. He liked how his pup’s nose inched over until it was at the crook of his arm. They relaxed that way for a little while with Ethan listening to the sound of Aiden’s heart. The alarm on his cell phone went off alerting Aiden it was time to head to the weekly pack meeting.

******

Walking hand in hand they made their way over to the meeting hall. Aiden approached his two friends upon seeing them. Happily bumping fists and saying, “Hi,” all around, he suddenly took on a darker appearance.

Trevor eyed his friend. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“We went for a run this morning on the forest loop. Midway through the second lap, we ended up with some unwanted company.”

Casey, figuring he knew the answer but asked anyways. “Was this company the four legged variety and was it less then friendly?”

“On fours and definitely not friendly. It was Michael’s bitch boy Chris along with Tyler. Chris left the fight limping on only three legs, and thanks to my mate, I’m sure Tyler still has a hell of a headache from the beating Ethan gave him.” Aiden explained while beaming proudly at his pup. “Ethan took Tyler out of the fight all on his own when they both tried to come at us at once.”

“He took out someone in their wolf form? By himself?” Trevor stared at Ethan in awe. “I wonder if Michael put them up to it or if they decided to do it on their own, not that Chris is smart enough to act on his own.” Trevor thought out loud. “Kind of surprised at Tyler since he’s not that stupid, even if he does follow Michael.”

“I’m not sure if I was the target or Ethan, or if it was just a scare tactic.” He turned to reassure his mate. “If I wasn’t, they knew they had to get through me to get to you. After what you did, they might think twice before trying anything else.”

About that time, Michael surprised the group by walking in followed by Chris, Tyler, and a few others that were close friends with him.

“I thought he was still in jail.” Trevor nodded his head towards their common foe.

Shortly after the alpha started the meeting. Aiden locked eyes on Chris with a hard glare. After a few seconds, Chris backed down and averted his eyes as he tilted his head ever so slightly in submission.

Once the meeting was over, Aiden left Ethan standing with the Tucker family and walked over to Chris and Tyler flanked by Trevor and Casey. Putting himself nose to nose with Chris he growled. “You ever pull a stunt like that again and you won’t be walking out of the forest. You want to fight, you challenge me. You and your friends ever try to attack my mate and I will put you in the ground. Do I make myself clear?” Instead of the normal quick amber flash, Aiden’s eyes had taken on a solid amber glow pulsing with anger. He stared down Chris who looked to the ground, tilted his head, and bared his neck. Aiden turned his glare to the others who saw the steady intense glow and immediately bared their necks in submission as well. Walking back to Ethan, his eyes returned to normal as he wrapped his arm around his pup.

“Dude, I’ve never seen your eyes or anyone else’s do more than a quick flash. They were glowing the entire time you were staring them down.” Casey spoke quietly with a hint of amusement. “I think Chris might have pissed himself from the way you looked.”

The alpha, talking to Rafe and Mary, could easily pick up the anger rolling off Aiden. He waited until he was finished speaking with the older lycan before turning his attention to the younger one. “Everything alright, Aiden?”

“Yes, Alpha, I think it is now.”

“Care to fill me in on what just happened? I don’t think there‘s enough Febreze in the territory to cover the scent of your anger.” He waved his hand exaggeratedly as if clearing a bad smell. “And just so we’re clear, when I worded that as a question, it’s really just my polite way of saying I want an answer. Whether you care to fill me in or not.” The alpha stood with his arms crossed and waited.

Aiden respectfully tipped his head. “Ethan and I went for a run on the track this morning. We ran into two from that group at the midpoint in the forest. It wasn’t a friendly meeting. I don’t know if I was the target or not, but I suspect it was my mate. Fortunately, Ethan wasn’t harmed. He actually managed to take out one of them with a branch right as they tried to attack us. I just let them know if they wanted to challenge me to do it to my face and if they tried attacking my mate again, they might not leave the forest next time.”

“I know your mating and protection instincts are running very high, but don’t take pack law into your own claws. Which two attacked?”

“Chris and Tyler.”

“Rafe, I want to see Chris and Tyler in my office now.” The alpha commanded his enforcer.

******

A few minutes later, Rafe knocked on the door and waited. “Enter,” was called from inside.

Opening the door and clearing his throat while looking at the two younger wolves, he nodded for them to go inside the office. Following them in, he closed the door and stood near it with his arms folded across his chest. Chris moved to one of the chairs in front of the alpha’s desk, preparing to sit down. Tyler stood trying to not draw attention to himself.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to sit.” The alpha growled. “What’s this I hear about a fight in the woods?”

Chris quietly spoke under his breath. “Damn faggots went and told on us.”

The alpha’s voice dropped low into a threatening tone. “I will not ask a second time and you will NOT refer to anyone in this pack like that.”

Tyler shook in fear at the alpha getting angry and answered first. “It was supposed to be a joke, just to mess with Aiden, but his human picked up a branch and began swinging at us. Things got a little out of hand after that and we were just trying to defend ourselves.”

“That’s right, Alpha. The human started the fight.” Chris’s voice thick with contempt for the human.

Glancing over at Rafe, the alpha nodded. The enforcer walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with the couple. Before going back into the alpha’s office, he told Aiden to have a seat outside. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to him.”

Aiden was not happy about it, but nodded.

Once back inside, Rafe resumed his guard stance near the door.

Ethan looked around the alpha’s office in wonderment. The space was quite large like you would imagine for some corporate CEO in a penthouse office. To say it was masculine would be an understatement. Dark cherry wood shelves lined two walls. Books, awards, and pictures of people and wolves filled them. The carpet was also dark and felt plush to stand on. One corner on the wall with the entrance had a leather sofa with chairs and a table, while the other corner of that wall had a small conference table. The desk, imposing as it was, sat centered on the back wall. Four paintings of men that resembled the alpha hung on the wall behind it with windows flanking them.

“Ethan, I need you to help clear something up if possible.”

“Yes, sir, if I can. I mean yes, Alpha.”

“Would you tell me exactly what you remember happening in the woods?”

“Aiden and I were running on the track with him in his wolf shape. He stopped me and was sniffing the air and then started growling. Two grey wolves walked out of the brush on each side of us about ten feet or so away. They had their heads down, teeth showing, and growling. I saw a branch next to me and picked it up in case I needed it. They both charged us at the same time. I swung the branch, hitting one of them when it got close enough at the same time the other was fighting with Aiden. I swung a second time to keep the wolf out of the fight and it bit the branch so I kicked as hard as I could into its head while pulling the branch back towards me. I know I hit it one more time to keep it out of the fight. I think Aiden broke the leg of the other wolf. When Aiden turned to check on me, the two wolves ran off.”

“Thank you, Ethan. Would you please wait outside?”

“Yes, Alpha.” He exited the office, took a seat next to Aiden, and explained what happened in the office.

The alpha glared at Chris and Tyler. “You’re still claiming that he started the fight?”

“Yes, Alpha.” Chris’s voice was slimy in his attempt to lie while Tyler stood shaking, looking less sure of things.

The alpha could smell fear rolling off Tyler. He could also tell from Ethan’s voice and scent he was telling the truth. Any fear he had was from getting called into the office with the two attackers let alone the alpha.

“We seem to have a problem then since he’s giving no indication whatsoever that he’s lying. You two, however, are giving off more signs than I care to point out.”

Chris sounded defiant. “Alpha, you’re gonna take the word of a human over us?”

“Yes, Chris. That is exactly what I’m going to do. Since Ethan’s a guest here and since he was actually able to keep one of you two out of a fight with his mate, I’m going to let him decide your punishment.” The alpha had a smug look on his face.

Rafe opened the door and motioned for the pair to enter the office.

“How’s the arm, Chris.” Aiden sneered.

Chris glared back and rubbed the arm that still hurt, but was at least no longer broken.

“Ethan, I don’t mean to put you on the spot here, but since the attack in the forest was against you and your mate—as well as the fact that you effectively won a fight against a wolf—I am going to allow you to choose their punishment. Normally in a case like this, it would be anything up to twenty lashes from a strap in front of the pack to time in jail.”

“Sir, I can’t do that. If it’s my choice, can we just let it drop at this point?”

“Are you sure you want the matter dropped?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Aiden was a little unhappy his pup was offering to let them off the hook, but also proud. Knowing they had both gotten a good beating also helped.

The alpha glared at Chris and Tyler. “You should feel lucky. Personally I wouldn’t have let you off.” His voice dropped once again and almost had a growl to it. “You and your friends might want to keep in mind that Ethan is my personal guest here. Anything you or your friends, including Michael, do against him is a direct challenge to me. Do I make my meaning clear?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Get out.”

As they turned to leave, Ethan stopped the one Aiden had not spoken to. “Are you the one I hit?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry I hit you and only did what I thought I had to. I hope your head’s okay.”

“It still hurts like hell, but I deserved it. Thanks for being cool about it.” Tyler tipped his head slightly before making his way out of the office.

Once the two were gone, the alpha turned towards Ethan. “I’m sorry for doing that to you, but I had a feeling that would be your response. By our laws, even if Aiden was the target of the attack, a human was involved and would require stiff punishment. You being generous like that might help things out in the future no matter if you stay human or become a wolf. They defied my orders about respecting you, so they will get assigned some type of community service. They’re not getting off free from this.” The alpha’s tone softened a little. “You two can head out now and thank you.”

Just as they were almost through the door, Ethan turned around and walked over to the alpha and wrapped his arms around the big man. “Thank you, sir for allowing me to be here and also for the generous gift of the clothes.”

The alpha just patted his back while looking at a smiling Aiden. “You’re very welcome.”

******

Michael questioned his friends about what happened in his dad’s office. They told him everything including Ethan letting the matter drop without any punishment for the two.

“Maybe he isn’t so bad.” Tyler glanced between Michael and Chris.

Michael looked at his friend like he had grown a second head. “He’s a fuckin human and Aiden’s little pet. He needs to be taught a lesson for coming here.”

Some of Michael’s friends nodded in agreement, but they would have agreed with most anything Michael said since he was the alpha’s son and they were more afraid of him then they were his father.

“When he isn’t expecting it, he’ll get a lesson he will never forget. And so will Aiden for bringing him here. See if he ever tries to embarrass me again after I’m done.” Michael’s eyes took on a dark look as his friends wondered what he was planning.