A/N Since a few of you asked me to update, I couldn't say no. So here is an update :)
Quinn couldn't walk. He was in complete mental and physical shambles in front of Lyle and me. He was muttering under his breath while fiddling with his pocket knife he always kept with him. I decided to just carry him since he wasn't very large. He was a year younger than us and only came to about 5"8 in height, which was far shorter than Lyle and I. Although, something told me he could take care of himself in a fight if it came down to it. He's incredibly smart, so he wouldn't have such a sassy personality if he couldn't deal with the consequences.
As we walked down the stairs with a babbling Quinn in my arms, Lyle continued to ask me various questions with a voice of worry. It was a tone he usually reserved for me and our parents, so it was odd to see him concerned with someone he just met.
"Lyle, he'll be fine," I tried to settle his nerves as we made our way through the pack house. People gave us strange looks but didn't dare say anything. Most glanced in confusion, then turned away quickly.
"He's just so... small," Lyle whispered to me, eyeing the other wolves cautiously.
We made our way down the first floor, dodging passing people. I glanced down to the small boy in my arms, acknowledging that he did look more vulnerable than normal. We were almost out of the house, nearing the exit when Hayden entered. He was about to make a snarky comment when he saw Lyle, but snapped his mouth shut when his eyes landed on Quinn.
His eyebrows knit together. "Who the fuck is that?" Lyle looked annoyed at Hayden's question and with the interruption.
"Aren't you like fucking his brother and you don't know who he is?" Lyle hissed at the Delta, making Hayden blink down at the boy in my arms.
"Joseph has a brother?" Hayden questioned with slight confusion. Lyle let out a frustrated sigh, pushing Hayden out of the door frame so we could walk through. Hayden followed us, much to Lyle's dismay. "What happened to him? Like why are you carrying and why is he acting like he's high?"
Lyle and I just kept walking, me in the lead to walk to a nearby clearing. "None of your business, Hayden. Now fuck off," Lyle sneered. Hayden hesitated, glancing at me with eyes full of confusion. I didn't bother to express any emotion back because he wasn't my main concern at this point.
I sighed as we started walking through the trees. "It's nothing you have to worry about, Hayden," I said in a softer tone than Lyle, of course. Hayden looked conflicted, but Lyle seemed pleased with my words. Hayden decided to turn around and head back to the house.
After a few more minutes of walking, we found a clearing toward one of the borders. I knew not many wolves ventured over here, so it was safe for what I had planned.
I placed Quinn down on the grass, leaning him against a tree. His eyes were completely glazed over as if he was in a trance. Lyle was quick to rush over to him, cupping Quinn's face in his hands.
"Is he part wolf?" Lyle asked, staring into Quinn's half-lidded, glowing eyes. I crouched down next to the incubus, studying him.
"Yeah, his father was half wolf. It seems like our Alpha energy was enough to wake his wolf. That's why he's so glazed... he's having an internal battle with his wolf," I explained as I watched my mate tenderly care for my friend. I lost my train of thought for a moment to fall even more deeply infatuated with Lyle.
"Are we here to walk him through his first transformation?" I nodded, finally focusing back on the situation. "Okay, let's get some of his clothes off then," Lyle ordered, starting to lift the boys shirt off. I waited to feel jealous, but it didn't come. Apollo was too enamored by Lyle's selfless concern for the boy he just met.
I reached into Quinn's pocket, taking out multiple pocket knives, which shocked me that I didn't know was there. They were all slightly different and hidden in various places on his body. Most appeared to be throwing knives. They were all completely black besides a golden symbol engraved on the handle of each of them. It looked like a chariot and a sun, but I didn't focus on them long in order to focus on the task at hand.
Lyle and I managed to strip the boy to his boxers. By that time, Quinn had become slightly more lucid, muttering bizarre stuff about not wanting us to molest him.
"Quinn, I'm going to walk you through this, okay? First you are going to have to stop pushing your wolf back. You have to give into him, then shove him forward. Can you do that?" Quinn looked hesitant, finally having more control over his body as he listened to my words. He stood up, stumbling to the middle of the clearing.
"It's going to hurt for a moment. It's going to hurt like hell. But the more you resist it, the more you are going to prolong the pain," Lyle said in an oddly gentle tone.
Without another word, Quinn began shifting, screaming out in pain for a moment before he finally relinquished his control over to his wolf.
The wolf stood proud and tall in front of us before turning in circles to analyze his surroundings. The wolf did not smell like a wolf at all; in fact, he did not have a scent at all. This was however, not the part that left Lyle and I stunned.
"Holy mother of goddess!" Lyle shouted, stumbling closer to me. "He's fucking huge, and he's literlaly glowing!" These observations were both correct. Quinn's wolf was bright gold that matched his knives. His coat was literally glowing in the setting sun and his eyes were both snow white without a speck of color in them. He also stood at an impressive size, taller than me in my wolf form, but slightly smaller than Xander and I combined.
I stared at the wolf, who as soon as he noticed me, stared back with an intensity that overwhelmed me. He slowly approached me, but I did not budge. Lyle pressed himself into my side as the wolf leaned down to our level.
You are Apollo. The wolf spoke to me. I squinted my eyes, confused on how he was able to identify my wolf so quickly.
I am. Apollo replied, seeming just as spectacle.
You are the first child of Artemis. The weird statements made me feel uneasy. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around Lyle and pressed him closer to me.
You seem to know a lot for just waking up from a deep sleep-state. Who might you be? I don't remember you from any of my previous lives. Apollo was extremely cool-headed, which was slightly surprising given the situation.
This is my first life, so you wouldn't know me. My name is Asclepius, given to me by my creator. Unlike you, I was not created by Artemis. However, I understand that you are going to be the next in power. I can sense your strength, so you have my full support. And with that string of mysterious comments, the wolf bowed in front of me, showing his respect.
Welcome, Asclepius. Apollo spoke simply. The large wolf disappeared and was replaced by a naked Quinn. He stared at me blankly, but looked much better than before.
Lyle rushed to hand Quinn his clothes, who looked thankful, not like he really had a reason to be ashamed of his body. He had prominent abs and a well-sculpted body. He had the body of a demi-god.
I watched in silence as Quinn dressed, while Lyle asked questions about how his body was feeling.
"I feel fine now. He settled back into my brain and seems content now," Quinn shrugged, but I could tell he was uneasy about the situation. He glanced at my blank stare before turning back to the concerned Lyle. "What did he look like?"
Lyle stiffened for a moment. "What?"
Quinn squinted his eyes. "Well it's not like there was a fucking mirror, and he kicked me to the back of my own fucking brain," Quinn sassed easily, reassuring me he truly was feeling better.
Lyle pursed his lips, hesitating before answering. "Big. Bigger than Blaze," he paused, "and bright gold with white eyes. Nothing like a wolf I've ever seen before. Not even hybrids." Quinn did not seem pleased with this answer. He glanced at me, obviously hoping I'd tell him that my mate was exaggerating. My face expression didn't change, confirming his worst nightmare.
He stood there in silence for a moment as a wave of emotions passed over him, ranging from horror to pride to disgust. He settles with a twisted look of just plain discomfort before turning back to me with a serious look.
"You know why, don't you?" he accused me, but I wasn't offended since it was true. I nodded, eyeing him carefully for his reaction. "Would you like to enlighten the rest of the crowd?" His sassiness wasn't new but there was a hint of anxiety there I had never heard before from him.
Lyle put his hands on his hips as he gave me a pointed look. He was waiting impatiently for me to answer Quinn's question. I sighed before finding the words to explain my complicated theory. "Your wolf claimed he wasn't created by Artemis, which means he was created by another god," I started, but Quinn was quick to interrupt.
"Other gods? Like another Greek god?" I nodded and watched his face contort even more.
"Apollo told me that his hosts were usually demigods because they were able to hold his full wolf," I continued, staring blankly into his brown and white eyes, trying to gauge his reactions. I bit my lip slightly, a nervous habit I've always had, before continuing. "You said you don't know anything about your one father?" Quinn's face paled as he registered my words.
"Ah, no. My grandparents never mentioned him or showed me pictures or anything. The only thing I have left from him are my knives. My grandfather gave them to me when I moved to the witch covent. He said that my father wanted me to be able to protect myself..." Quinn's typical comical attitude was nowhere to be found. His eyes glossed over a bit as he stared down at one of his knives still next to the tree.
I glanced at Lyle, who was impressively quiet for once. "Quinn, you should probably avoid shifting in front of people," I commented, breaking Quinn from his trance. "As of now, you still smell human. Even as an incubus, you've suspiciously smelled mortal. This is something demigods usually have, no scent." Quinn slowly nodded, the reality was crashing on him.
Lyle gave me a look, one that conveyed many emotions, but mostly sympathy for my friend. And I guess his new friend. Part of me wondered if his sudden affection was due to the incubus kiss. Maybe he was feeling a connection to him due to the transfer of energy? I tried not to dwell on it because we had a bigger situation to handle.
Quinn made his way to the tree and retrieved all his knives, carefully replacing them on his body. He lingered on the last one, analyzing the same golden crest I was before.
Lyle sent him an encouraging smile and we began leading him back to the packhouse. I felt bad for forcing him to feed and then this all happened, but I knew he wouldn't eat unless we forced him. I wondered momentarily if maybe it was the guilt fueling Lyle's current attitude.
"I think... I think I'm hungry?" Quinn spoke softly as we approached the busy house. It broke me a little on the inside knowing that my sassy and confident friend suddenly sounded so confused.
Lyle glanced at me before placing his hand on the small of Quinn's back. Lyle's hand was large compared to the back it rested on, somehow making Quinn look even smaller. "Werewolves eat a lot to sustain energy. We need a lot of protein. A lot of meat. Why don't we get you back into Blaze's apartment so I can make you a burger? Have you eaten food before?"
I stopped for a moment, letting the two boys walk into the house without me. There was an odd familiarness about Lyle's tone, and it wasn't until his most recent words that I realized it. I've always considered Lyle an Alpha because he trained as one and is going to be one. Yet the way he acted today, it made me realize what I was forgetting. Lyle wasn't only born to be an Alpha, he was also born to be my mate: born to be a Luna. The way he cared for Quinn today was the way a Luna would act. He created a level of comfort I was unable to do. He understood emotions where I felt conflicted. Lyle was an Alpha, that was not in question, especially after seeing him talk to Hayden today, but he was also a Luna. Artemis knew us all too well, not like we'd admit that.
Finally, I walked up to my apartment, opening the door to reveal Quinn sitting at the counter while Lyle cooked. Lyle was explaining to Quinn how to cook meat properly, and Quinn looked like a helpless puppy listening carefully.
"You want to make sure for chicken or turkey that the inside isn't pink. That means it's not fully cooked. For beef, it can be eaten raw, but I doubt you'd want to eat it like that. In general, people like it to have a brown layer around the edges and then pinkish toward the middle," Lyle explained, pointing at the two burgers he had out. One was turkey and the other was beef. I always kept both because I preferred turkey, but Lyle liked beef.
Lyle snapped his head to me, making me realize I've been just standing by the door unmoving. "Are you going to stand there all day?" I blinked for a moment before joining him in the kitchen. I pulled out some strawberries and then some carrots.
"Though meat is what you'll crave, you have to eat fruits and vegetables too. And starch, like pasta," I explained, placing the food in front of him.
Quinn pursed his lips, nodding at my words. "I've had a few fruits once and a while. I don't think I've ever eaten a full meal before, though," he confessed, twiddling with his fingers.
"Ugh! I love food," Lyle moaned as he seasoned the burgers. "You are seriously missing out. Though I'm sure drinking up sex pheremones is delicious and all, your tastebuds will thank you after a nice meal." Lyle's smile was bright and reassuring. Quinn visibly relaxed to these words.
"You'll still have to feed your incubus side," I warned Quinn, already knowing he wouldn't like this. Lyle waved my words off.
"Let's focus on one meal at a time. Now let me teach you the art of seasoning!"