Dollhouse

Chapter 1

Taito pictured above.

It was the feeling of rain constantly hitting his face in a steady stream that alerted his consciousness that he had spent the night outside. The young man still refused to completely awaken at this point, simply turning his head to the side to avoid the brunt of the rain continuing to trickle into his eyes. However, the heavens were not content with this, as only moments later his beta's voice was ringing in his head, demanding to know where he was. The young man sighed, sitting up fully and dragging a hand down his face. He knew the only reason he was still alone was because the rain made it difficult to track his scent this far into the forest surrounding their territory. He thanked whoever was listening for that small mercy, before begrudgingly answering Matt, his beta, and letting him know he would be back soon. The young man stretched, relishing the satisfying pop of his spine aligning. Wasting no more time, he turned to his right and began the trek home, deciding against sluggish movements as his discomfort was not at the forefront of his mind. His clothes stuck deliciously to his person, revealing the natural physique every male wolf was blessed with once they came of age. His muscles bulged with the simple action of walking, his eight pack now on full display for any wandering eyes. His was a warrior pack, so years of training had perfected and sculpted what nature had already blessed him with. His closed cropped midnight black hair was heavy with rain, his strong jaw clenched in irritation. He transferred to a light jog, the idea of a nice hot shower more appealing the longer he moved through the rain-drenched forest.

It was considerably darker when he burst from the forest, his beta and third in command swarming him immediately. He shrugged them off, not listening as they tried to catch him up to speed on what he'd missed during his impromptu day off. Once he got inside the pack house, Mary, the beta's mate, wordlessly offered him a towel, a knowing glint in her eye as she went back into the kitchen to talk to the cook, Tabitha. The young man smirked, gratefully drying himself as best as he could, making a beeline for his room. Of course, Matt and Ramon, his third in command, followed along after him, not caring that he began to strip as they continued to ramble.

"Taito, you need to stop pretending to ignore us. The rouge problem has been handled for now and they're relatively peaceful. Now you still have paperwork to do, as well as some other things you need to take care of." Ramon stated blandly, completely ignoring the resolute slam of the bathroom door. Matt sighed tiredly, flopping onto the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

"One day he won't be able to avoid us. Who elected him again?" Ramon rolled his eyes but shot a smirk Matt's way.

"He'll get it done when he gets out of the shower. He can only put it off for so long." Matt pouted but sighed, silently agreeing with Ramon.

"Let's go eat. The idiot will do his work with or without us and I'm starving!" Both men stood to their feet and headed back downstairs, appearing in the kitchen to look for leftovers from lunch.