The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Mystery Train

Suddenly a gray-brown rush blasted through the outside wall of the clearing grasping claws into the dirt ground as debris fled the force. The animal's features came into view and it became clear that it was a dark brown wolf with vicious claws and dagger-like teeth.

Neither flinched at the spectacle, nor seemed to pay any mind to the snarling beast that lay before them. The woman's eyes flashed yellow, blue, and purple all at once as she inclined slightly forward.

Then the wolf then sat back, and in another swirl of brown fur the wolf was replaced with another tall man standing at a fighting stance. Had anyone been there to see this in the little clearing they might have been astonished, they might have been terrified, but all who saw had expected this and took it to be as natural as changing clothes.

The man revealed had dark brown hair heathered with lighter sections that were most concentrated towards the sides and front of his stoic face. He was immediately the tallest of the three and the largest in terms of body density as well. His muscles swelled under his black long sleeves and his gray joggers. Around his waist he had tied the red and black checkered shirt he'd been wearing earlier; rendered useless by the heat of running through the forest. On his handsome face he wore a glare accented by reddish orange eyes that pierced through the slightly cloudy day like the sun.

"Alpha," The first man nodded. "Were your instincts correct?"

"Yes." The man said in annoyance. "My mate is near."

The woman's eyes flashed a deeper blue before being quickly replaced with the calm steel gray that matched the first man's.

"And she's... human?" The woman asked slowly.

"He." The alpha corrected. "And yes. He's human."

"How?" The woman risked asking the question. Everything about the Alpha said that he was not to be messed with, and yet she had to know.

"I don't know," The alpha sighed. "It doesn't seem to make sense... but-"

"But now that you've seen him..." the man trailed off.

The alpha nodded. "Now things are complicated."

"What are you going to do, Alpha?" The woman asked.

"I don't know." He rubbed his chin. It was an anxious movement, but no nerves were present in his stance. "This is an.... extraordinary circumstance."

"It's awfully dangerous to be the mate of an Alpha," the man said. All in the circle knew the truth of the statement.

"But..." The Alpha began. "My mother is relentless. She'll accept no other answer besides his being found. My wolf is insistent– I don't know that even I could defy him."

"Oh, Eli!" The woman called eyes flashing blue as she was drawn forth in a fit of emotion.

The alpha glared at her but didn't ask her to retreat. She didn't dare touch him.

"Omega, remember who you're speaking with." The other man reminded her. It wasn't a statement of anger, more one of great concern and caution.

"I'm sorry, Alpha" the woman let her head fall in shame. "But you speak as if you haven't got a choice. As if it's all decided."

"It is." The alpha shrugged.

"But what about-" The woman began, but stopped herself. "I'm sorry Alpha, forgive me for speaking out of term, but it doesn't sound as if you love him."

"He doesn't," the other man stated plainly, eyeing his alpha with a knowing look. "At least not yet, but he will."

The woman grunted uncomfortably, and shook the man back onto the task at hand.

"What are your orders, Alpha?" The three figures stood in the clearing tensely. The two attendants waited eagerly for their leader to instruct them. The woman fiddled with her black sleeves, but the man looked his alpha straight on.

"We're not in our own territory." The tallest man explained. "The Tibik-kìzis pack are our allies... at least they were my father's. I can't think of any reason why they'd target my mate, but-"

"But they might." The second man finished and the alpha frowned in agreement knowing it was true. Werewolves were notoriously power-hungry, they were also very loyal-- but the new alpha owned no loyalties.

"I'll have to stay in the area, keep an eye on things."The alpha explained.

"We'll all stay." The man stated.

"I wouldn't ask you to spend so much time away from the pack." The alpha argued.

"With all due respect, you might become a little distracted with your mate, and if an enemy decides to attack you, there won't be a pack to go back to." The man reasoned. "I only speak for myself, but I'm not going anywhere, not until we return to the pack with you and your mate."

"...And I as well." The woman agreed slightly less resolutely.

The alpha looked down. He was never one to deal well with positive emotions or gestures of affection, and he wasn't sure what to say. His leadership of the pack was new, and the gesture read as it was intended; an acceptance of his leadership in the pack.

"I..." The alpha paused, eyes trained to the afternoon sun. "It'll be night soon. I think they're probably far enough for us to follow safely. I can sense him moving away. I'm going to watch the house."

"Alpha, are you sure that's wise?" the woman asked, eyes flashing purple.

"Alpha, your scent won't be on the human yet. There's no reason to assume he's in any danger, that's a measure we can take later on-- but he's probably safer than he'll ever be again as it stands.... werewolves hanging out in Belford might even raise some suspicions." The man suggested. "Not to mention if you're seen by civilians..."

"I'll be careful."

"Perhaps if you stay and one or both of us go on-" The man began. "Then it isn't the alpha, and if someone comes looking they'll just find a beta and an Omega alone."

"No. I'm going... I–"

"Want to see him again?" The man's stern face cracked into a smile.

"No." The alpha said gruffly with a scowl as if he resented the insinuation. "My senses are the strongest of the three of us. I might as well get some use out of them. Besides, neither of you have seen him yet and you aren't familiar with his scent. I'll need to find him again regardless. "

"Of course."

"He's definitely from the town?" The woman asked. "Perhaps he lives on the outskirts and we can remain in the cover of the forest."

"We'll make that decision when we find out where he's going. For now I can sense him heading into the center of the town." The alpha agreed. "If you're going to come with me, we can't be seen. I'll take you to the edge and then we'll need to shift back."

"Lead the way." The man gestured.

(A//N) Comment your favorite animal below!