---Marcus' POV---
Snow fluttered past my face, nearly blinding me as I had the wind blowing it in my eyes but I simply narrowed my eyes in a glare. I grinned wickedly and caught Dimitri's fist in my hand before throwing him over my shoulder and sending him skidding through the small layer of snow.
"Ah! Damn you, you bloody animal!" He snarled venomously, though the smile on his lips betrayed him. I chuckled deeply and relaxed from my defensive stance and shook my head. "That was the lamest attempt to punch me, Dimitri. I expected more from you."
Dimitri's brown eyes glared from under his black hair as he stood back up, brushing the sludge off of his muscular frame. "Easy saying coming from the guy who has been Enforcer for the past twelve years. I just started training."
"So?" I asked, effortlessly dodging his kick before I stuck my foot out and tripped him up. Dimitri huffed again, glaring up at my 6' 5, maybe more. I didn't bother checking anymore after the last growth spurt. Dimitri shoved himself up again, slowly circling me to try and find a weak spot.
"So, you've had all those years to train yourself and learn everything about Pack Law. Damn, you've build one hell of a reputation for yourself and you know it." The guy praised, making me smile slightly while I caught that glint in his eyes just before he charged. With a heavy sigh, I punched him in the gut before moving my hand up in one fluid motion and slammed it against his throat.
I walked over to the huffing man as he dropped on his ass, gasped and rubbed over his throat, trying to catch his breath. "And your point is? Just because I am your superior doesn't mean that you can use these flimsy attacks Dimitri. In a real situation, you would've been dead and you know it."
He nodded, wheezing softly before I reached my hand out and pulled him back up, playfully smacking him on his back. "Use your brains during your training and you'll be fine."
As I looked down at him, I grinned before tilting my chin to his unruly mop of hair. "And for gods sake, get a hair cut. Half the time you're too distracted with your hair hanging in your eyes to watch what I'm doing."
Dimitri grinned before looking behind me. I glanced with him and nodded respectfully at the Alpha of our rather unusual pack. We were Pack Law, Enforcers that made sure that all the other packs upheld the werewolf rules. We are the first to interfere when an Alpha's power has gone to his head, rogues being a nuisance or whenever there was a breach of pack law.
My eyes instantly flashed upwards when the Alpha called out. "Marcus, I need you to take the new guy and go to the ASPCA center. Amelia called about a wolf." I nodded, knowing which center he meant and quickly nudged Dimitri to follow me.
"A wolf?" Dimitri asked in confusion, following me on his first mission outside. "Like, a real wild wolf?" I shrugged as we got to the garage, the lights flickering on at our arrival. "It's possible. If that's the case, we retrieve the animal and set it loose on pack territory."
I grabbed the keys of one of the minivans, checking to see if we had a transportation crate in it, just in case. "And it could be a rogue too, right?" A warm smile crawled over my lips, glad that the rookie was interested enough to ask questions. Sometimes there were pups that made you wonder if they were forced to come here.
"Yep." I replied, waiting for the garage doors to open as Dimitri quickly sat in the car. "We made some contacts with the ASPCA; according to them, we're the owners of a wildlife rescue center that gladly accepts any wolf they come across."
Dimitri nodded, a grin spreading over his own lips as he kicked back for the ride. "Smart thinking, they're human right? So they won't suspect if the wolf is a werewolf or a wild one. They call us, we come in to retrieve the wolf...but what happens if it's a rogue?"
I sighed heavily, my fingers tensing on the wheel. Rogues are a sensitive topic and I had to make sure the kid wasn't going to make any prejudice mistake in the future. "Rogues are what they are because they have no pack. Werewolves need packs to survive."
The forest flew past as I sped to our destination while I tried to explain it as best as I could. "We go there, check the condition of the possible rogue out. If it's gone feral, we have to put it out of its misery. If not, we can rehabilitate it and find the right pack for the wolf."
Dimitri frowned, brown eyes darkening slightly as he narrowed them. "Does it happen often that you come across a rogue that, you know...can't be saved?"
"More than I'd like." I grunted, focusing on the road instead of the memories that flooded through my mind. What's done is done; at least the poor bastards didn't need to suffer anymore.
The rest of the ride was silent, filled with heavy anticipation. When we finally made it to the center, it looked like Dimitri was pumped and nervous at the same time. Knowing that it could be a hard time for the rookie, I patted him on the shoulder and shot him a reassuring smile before leading him into the vet's section of the ASPCA center.
The stench of chemicals, blood and the fear of the animals slammed in our faces, proving too much for the inexperienced Dimitri as he took a step back, shaking his head with a snort. "You'll get used to it." I reassured, trying my best not to curl my nose up at the stench.
Amelia spotted glanced up and smiled warmly, standing up from her desk. "Thanks for answering our call so quickly." She greeted professionally as she quickly guided us to the back, though I was a bit surprised that she wasn't leading us to the recovery room.
"So, how did you come across this wolf of yours?" I asked politely as Dimitri looked around curiously. Amelia curled her nose up in disgust before she spat out. "Dog fighters. I don't know how they got a hold of him since they refuse to talk without a lawyer present."
My jaw clenched in anger before I took a calming breath, instantly sharing looks with Dimitri as he followed my example and nodded once. Seems like this was a rogue, judging from the scent that was barely clinging on Amelia.
"How the hell did a rogue fall in the hands of dog fighters?" Dimitri questioned as we came to a halt near the surgery room. I shrugged; "Must've trapped him." was my reply as I prepared myself, my hope already non-existing.
If the rogue had been used in dog fighting, there was no doubt in my mind that they turned it into a vicious and mindless animal instead of the proud wolf it used to be. I sighed regretfully before I pushed past the swinging doors.
And came to a grinding halt as the rogue's scent slammed into me, a scent that made both Dimitri and I whimper through the mind link we shared. The scent of honeysuckle was heavy in the air as it circled around us.
I felt ice-cold rage rush over my spine as my wolf started to snarl venomously, my protective instincts kicking in. Honeysuckle was the typical scent of a werewolf pup and as I stepped around the vet, I had to close my eyes and swallow heavily to force my wolf back.
Dimitri was scowling at the floor, looking anywhere but the pup as his anger and disgust flooded the link. How dare they? How dare those humans to toss a pup into a fighting pit?
Steeling myself, I slowly lowered my eyes to the surgery table, where the vet just finished stitching the pup up, spraying antiseptic on the stiches.
Compassion overwhelmed me as I looked down at the small, emaciated fluff of matted fur that was sprawled out on the table. My eyes were glued on the pup as the vet closed the anesthetic, tapping the wounded pup gently on the corner of its eye before he nodded to himself and removed the intubation tube from its jaws.
A small cough escaped the pup, my wolf instantly wanting to comfort it. The pup was a soft brown, silver and black fur covering its back and lead down to its fluffy tail. I sighed heavily and dared to ask for the injuries and condition they found him in. Amelia pinched her lips in a tight line.
"How did you even find him?" Dimitri bit out, gaining a raised eyebrow from Amelia before she replied.
"We got a call from the location surprisingly. Apparently the younger brother of the perpetrator, a boy named Mike, called us with information on the dogfights and more in particular, the wolf pup. Officers interrogated him and he's cooperating smoothly. He only wants to see the pup again."
I kept that piece of information for later and nodded. "Our officers arrived on site and had to break the fight up. The pup was attacked by three other dogs, two pits and one Tibetan Mastiff."
Dimitri cursed, drawing the attention of the humans. "It's his first call, new on the job." I informed Amelia, sending Dimitri a warning look. We couldn't reveal the pup or ourselves so we had to keep our cool.
The vet turned around and I nodded grimly at Adam. He had seen me before when I picked up wolves and rogues alike and he was the only one from the center that knew of our kind; one of the rogues had shifted back during the operation as it died under his hands.
Adam had been extremely confused but made a vow to never reveal our kind and in return, he would aid every rogue that was brought in accordingly. As he caught the meaning behind my look, the anger in his eyes turned to rage as he softly petted the greyish brown fur on the pup's ear.
"Well, the pup is lucky to have survived its ordeal; one of our officers thought it would be kinder to euthanize on site but they perpetrator's brother pleaded with them to save the pup." Adam sighed deeply, reaching for the wrap to form a tight cast around the pup's hind leg.
As his hands lifted the paw gingerly, I got a flash of the pup's stomach, feeling my wolf's anger flare up again at the countless of scars and stiches running crisscross over the tender skin. My eyes narrowed as my stare grew more calculating, trying to put an age on every scar I spotted.
"Let's see...broken hind leg, torn scruff, several bite and tear wounds spread all over his body. Lost the tip of his right ear due to an infection. Emaciation due to malnourishment to the point of starvation, dehydrated- do I need to continue?"
I shook my head, winching as Dimitri turned on his heels and slammed the doors open. A deep sigh escaped me as I pinched my nose. "To be honest, I can't blame the guy for reacting this way." Adam spoke while Amelia rushed after Dimitri.
Rubbing a hand through my hair, I groaned softly before nodding and motioned to the pup. "Can we take him with us or does he need to stay another day?" I watched as the man removed his gloves and went about scrubbing his hands as I stayed with the pup.
"Normally I would suggest to keep it here for observation." Adam started, glancing at the doors before whispering, "But you guys know more what he needs than I do. There is something you need to know though."
I narrowed my eyes, watching the man tense before he scratched at his chin. "Look, the boy that was in charge of the pup, Mike? He mentioned to me that they've had the pup for over two years, but as you can see, it still looks like a four month old pup."
My heart stopped. Everything in my body came to a grinding, painful halt as the repercussions of that single sentence became all to clear. The seriousness of this case and the crimes committed against this pup just went to a whole new level.
"He's an Omega." I whispered in shock, having to lean back as I stared at the limp little pup. Adam blinked before following my gaze, shaking his head as if denying my statement could turn back time .
Omegas were a rare but extremely valuable occurrence in our world. Though usually tiny and slender, these wolves could defuse a pack of highly volatile, testosterone filled males with ease. They spoke to our protective instincts, partially due to the fact that they kept that innocent honeysuckle scent of their juvenile form, along with the pheromones that tickled any wolves' protective instincts.
But, I knew of reports where some wolves reacted completely opposite. Though their instincts felt the urge to nurture and protect, their human side despised the idea and went against it, resulting in a mentally unstable werewolf.
And it seems like this pup got very unlucky. My eyes hadn't betrayed me, though I wished the obvious truth was a lie; this poor pup had scars that surpassed two years of abuse by the dog-fighters.
"But," He slowly said, "Aren't Omega's worshipped in your world?" My feet slowly carried me to the little pup before I hesitantly, gently brushed my hands underneath him and picked it up.
My wolf wanted to cry and whimper as I barely felt the pup lying in the palms of my hands. So tender, so fragile, I felt that all I had to do was close my hands and the pup would be shattered.
"Yeah." I got out in a thick voice while I sent a mental message to our Alpha, to prepare the pack for a new addition. His mind colored with confusion before I sighed deeply. "Forget it Alpha, I doubt there's a way to prepare the others for our new family member. We'll be back in an hour or two."
I just really hoped the others could control themselves; I doubted the pup was ready for fifteen protective, overbearing wolves anytime soon.