The Last Lycans

Chapter 5 : The Alpha Problem

Yu looked around; the perch of Jin's tall back had this advantage of giving her a great view of the now seven men that were making their way home. They did refer to themselves as a pack but they didn't seem to fit the description...

''How many other members are in your pack?'' the girl asked.

''You met everyone; it's just the seven of us!'' Jimin explained with a smile.

She had seen many packs of wild wolves, despite not mingling with them, and this didn't look or feel like a pack.

Firstly, they were only seven. A pack needed as much members as possible for safety.

Second, they were all the same age. A normal pack had elders that cared for younglings as well as adult hunters and fighters.

Third, there was no female. A pack needed an almost equal amount of male and females, for... multiplication purposes...

The question burned her tongue and she couldn't hold it back, so Yu asked bluntly ''Are you guys really a pack? You just look like a random bunch of rogue males...''

Her question made the boys chuckle.

''We're a bit different from your typical pack; but we're a group of wolves that live together and protect each other.'' Hoseok said with a smile. ''We're more like brothers.''

Yu tilted her head to the side in interrogation.

''We're not actually related, we're all orphans who got adopted by the same man. Mr Bang took us in despite being a human, he had a soft spot for wolf cubs... His sister was in love with a wolf and she died in childbirth, along with her child... Wolf pregnancies are very risky and difficult on the mother's body when... so many wolves end up orphans early in life...'' Jin explained calmly.

His story gave Yu a feeling of nausea and it made a lump grow in her throat.

''If it's so dangerous, why do wolves even mate with humans?! It's senseless!'' Yu exclaimed, her sudden agitation almost made her fall off of Jin's back.

''They don't really have a choice. The wolf gene is related to high testosterone levels for purposes of survival. Such an increased amount of male hormones in the feotus's system will generally lead to them to develop as male... That makes female wolves rare and highly sought after.'' Namjoon explained in the tone of a teacher.

The pack's weird composition was starting to make more sense now, but there was still a missing piece to the puzzle.

''Who is your alpha?'' Yu asked bluntly.

Silence fell on the group and everyone immediately seemed uncomfortable. Did she say something bad?

''We don't have one...'' Hoseok explained calmly.

''How can you not have an alpha, someone has to be in charge?'' Yu pondered out loud.

''We decided to wait before deciding on a leader, so we're sure it's the right decision.'' Jin explained calmly.

''Picking an alpha isn't hard, just fight and choose the strongest...'' Yu said in a matter of fact tone.

''Becoming an alpha is different from the way it happens in nature. There is a ritual involved where the pack has to pledge its loyalty to the chosen alpha...'' Hoseok said.

''We're not dogs who need a master...'' Yoongi said coldly.

''An alpha isn't a master, it's simply a leader. It's a matter of practicality and cohesion. Gaining alpha-hood makes the leader more powerful and more apt to protect the pact.'' Namjoon replied with a dark glare at Yoongi's reaction.