Trophy (L.S)

Two

The rumbling of the engine did little to deter the young alpha's focused attention outside of the truck's windows.

His father had a meeting with Albert that day, and he decided to tag along so that he could watch the wolves within the fence line while his dad talked to the human who ran the place.

"Harry, my boy, make sure you stay close to me, alright? Daddy's gotta keep an eye on you."

The little boy nodded, his curls bouncing up and down at the sudden movement. "Okay," he hummed in agreement, still not really paying attention as the gravel road soon opened up into wide fields.

As soon as the truck pulled up the driveway and parked right near the front gate, Harry immediately unbuckled and threw open the door.

His father shook his head fondly before chuckling slightly. "We've got to talk to Albert first, then you can see all of the wolves; I promise. Maybe Al can show you their nests, yeah?"

The young alpha huffed, even stamped his foot on the ground impatiently, as if he were about to throw a tantrum, but agreed and followed his father towards the man's house anyways.

Albert was waiting for their arrival, sitting on one of his handcrafted, patio chairs as he smoked a cigarette, a half-empty glass of beer on the little table right next to him.

The human gestured for the alphas to sit down on the bench across from him, and he beamed once they did.

"Good morning, Mr. Styles, it's a very nice pleasure to have you come up here for a visit," he greeted before he took a long drag, blowing the smoke out in a long exhale.

Harry eyed the man curiously; sure, he's been up here before to see the rolling fields, but he never really remembers talking to the short, stocky man very much.

His father and the human had started to strike up a conversation right away, but the young alpha didn't pay attention to any of it; too busy staring into the fence line, a few wolves chasing each other around a small pond in a heated game of tag.

Des looked down at his son, a smile on his lips as he ruffled the boy's curls teasingly. "Pardon him, he just wants to see the betas," he chuckled slightly when Harry didn't hear the question that Albert directed towards him.

The man laughed along too before standing up from his seat. "Well come on then, we can get a closer look?" He asked as he stuck his hand out for the young alpha to grab onto, the boy's father following along behind with a fond smile and shake of his head.

The owner of the field led his guests towards a small building that looked like it were a shed, but upon closer inspection, Harry could see that the side of it was glass so one could look inside the building without having to go around.

Albert paused as he pulled Harry to a stop in front of the glass, bending down so he was eye-level with the young alpha. "You can go up there and touch the glass, they can't see or hear you, it's a one-way view."

The boy's father stood right next to the human, watching as his son finally got the courage to go up to the glass to peer inside each and every section. "So this's their nests?" He decided to ask as Albert stood back up.

He nodded as he pointed out the few signs taped up onto the glass. "Yep, they all have separate nests; I have basic information taped to their assigned space," he finished explaining as he stepped forward to one of the nests on the top layer, grabbing the sheet there before gesturing for Des to join him.

The father grabbed onto his son before he got too far ahead and lifted him up so that he could see as well.

"This one is named Fennec, like the fox."

Harry looked through the glass, getting bored rather quickly when he saw that the wolf inside was sleeping.

They did that for a while, looking through each and every nest, besides the ones that were empty because the wolves were outside, until Harry started to squirm in his father's arms.

Des put him down, watching as his son glued himself to one of the nests with interest. He bent down to look himself, and he smiled at the sight: there was a pup who seemed to be causing trouble for the white female who watched over him.

Albert seemed to notice the family's interest and smiled. "That's Momma Jay, she's one of the wolves that keeps getting pregnant but usually miscarries," he explained.

But Harry wasn't looking at the female that would've been too old for him anyways, he was watching the small, brown pup that rolled around in the bedding instead.

However, Albert continued because Des was actually listening. "The pup, nicknamed Blou, was actually delivered to us by a trapper from up north who managed to swipe him from his den. We paid good money for him, but we're waiting to see if he'll grow more; he's a bit on the scrawny side so his meat won't bring us much profit."

Harry was tapping on the glass now, trying to see if it'll get the pup's attention, but it didn't work. With a pout, he watched as the small wolf batted at his mum's muzzle.

The boy's father looked towards his human friend pointedly. "How much would it take to keep the little one off of the list?"

Albert hummed as if he was thinking. "He wasn't going to be put on for a few years anyways, Blou's much too young. But if you're interested, I can make sure that he won't be put off during the fall."

Harry strolled over glumly, having heard the discussion since it regarded the beta he was interested in. "Daddy, I don't want you to buy him out for me; besides, he might not even be here by the time I'm allowed to go on the alpha hunt. I want to catch my future beta fair and square like everyone else."