They watched the sunset in silence for a long while. But it soon began to grow chilly, and Fox didn't have enough clothing to combat the dropping temperature, so he moved to leave.
"One last question," Evander said, just as Fox moved to get up. Fox paused and looked at him. Evander's expression was curious, brows slightly furrowed and mouth set in a thoughtful line. "Why did you go out of your way to give me food on Halloween?"
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but... it seemed sad. Your pack having fun while you patrolled alone. I thought it would make you happy if I gave you a bit of what everyone else was enjoying," Fox told him.
Evander's brows furrowed a little more. Fox couldn't tell if it was in disbelief or confusion. Maybe it was a mixture of both. Because why on earth would a lone wolf seek to please an Alpha, with no expectation of a reward?
"You're such a mystery," Evander murmured, seemingly to himself, even as he continued to stare at Fox.
"So are you," Fox countered. He held the Alpha's gaze for a moment, waiting. When it seemed like Evander wasn't going to ask anything else, Fox crept over to the edge of the roof and carefully climbed down the side of the house.
He made his way over to Ahren's house. He didn't see the Alpha outside, but he had no doubt that Ahren had kept an eye on things from inside. He tested the front door handle and found it unlocked.
Inside, he could smell dinner cooking. A fragrance of spaghetti met his nose, and his stomach growled to announce its hunger. Fox toed off his shoes and headed into the kitchen, where he found Ahren stirring a pot of tomato sauce.
"How'd it go? I imagine something good came of it if he didn't chase you back over here," Ahren inquired.
"It went fine. I understand him a little better, but he still confuses me. And I hope that maybe he understands me better, too," Fox replied. He took a seat at the dining table.
"Do you feel like he'll truly get off your back now?" Ahren asked. He strained the pasta in the kitchen sink. Fox pondered for a moment.
"I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe."
Ahren hummed and stirred the pasta and tomato sauce together. He divided it up into portions, dishing two servings out onto plates and storing the rest in containers for later meals. Ahren came over to the dining table and set a plate down in front of Fox.
Instead of taking his usual spot at the other end of the table, Ahren pulled out a chair next to Fox. Fox registered the amount of space between them, and then studied Ahren's face. He seemed unperturbed and calm as he dug into his food.
Fox ate his food without commenting on the new seating arrangement. Unlike when he ate with the loners, he wasn't nervous about eating close to Ahren.
After they finished dinner, Ahren spent some time in his office and offered Fox free range of his books. Fox picked out a book that sounded interesting and settled onto the living room couch to read. One of the few pastimes Fox ever allowed himself, if only to help keep his mind sharp.
When a few hours had passed, Fox's eyes began to feel dry in a way that signaled he needed to go to sleep soon. He bookmarked his spot and headed to bed. Fox brushed his teeth in the guest bathroom, and when he emerged, he could see Ahren prepping his bed for the night, his door open in another invitation. Fox waited, however, watching, until Ahren turned and noticed him standing out in the hall.
"Coming?" Ahren prompted with a gentle smile. Fox needed no more persuasion. It almost concerned him how easily he moved forward and joined Ahren in his room. Ahren pulled back the covers and settled into his spot.
Out of habit, Fox stopped by the window and took a look at the surroundings outside. He assessed the state of the sky. It was a soft but intense yellow, which told him thick clouds had formed over the last few hours and blanketed the sky. Fox gazed at a distant streetlight and spotted faint snowflakes fluttering down in the light. He further studied the street and could see the slightest dusting of white.
"Everything okay?" Ahren asked. Fox turned away from the window and climbed into Ahren's bed.
"It's snowing," Fox told him. Ahren hummed and pulled the covers over them.
"How bad?" he asked.
"Just a little," Fox said.
"That's good. But then again you never know, winters here are crazy sometimes," Ahren replied. A streak of anxiety rose in Fox's chest. He worried about fending off the cold. He curled up under the covers and turned on his side, his back facing Ahren.
When Fox woke the next morning, he found himself tangled with Ahren again. The Alpha had slid down the bed a bit, just enough so his head barely rested on the bottom of his pillow, and his arms hugged Fox's waist while his forehead was tucked against the nape of Fox's neck. Ahren's legs were bent up enough so that Fox was basically sitting in his lap, and their legs were resting angled between one another. Ahren's thigh pressed dangerously close to Fox's groin.
Fox wondered if Ahren secretly wanted to service him again. He didn't understand why else the Alpha would cuddle so close to him in his sleep.
Fox carefully pried himself from the still-sleeping Alpha and eased out of bed. He made his way downstairs and started Ahren's coffee maker for him. Fox didn't like coffee, so he poured himself a glass of water and took a look at the snow's progress outside.
Fox's eyebrows rose. He'd been expecting a few inches of snow at least, but there were easily seven or eight blanketing the ground. The leaf-barren deciduous trees stood like white statues across the field, snow clinging to each branch. Bits of green from the coniferous trees peeked through, but mostly everything was white. The brightness of it all caused his eyes to sting for a second, and he closed his eyes to let them adjust.
Well. So much for not freezing his tail off today.
Fox had a feeling that he and the other lone wolves would be put to work shoveling and spreading salt on sidewalks. Fox sighed and finished his water.
A few moments later, Ahren came downstairs. He had fabric lines on one side of his face, and his hair was a little messy. "Morning," Fox greeted.
"Morning," Ahren replied. He noticed the coffee maker was heated up already and he gave Fox a smile of appreciation.
"Hungry for eggs and bacon?" Ahren asked, opening his fridge.
"Yes please," Fox responded. Ahren went to cooking, and Fox waited patiently at the dining table, resting his chin in the palm of his hand and keeping his eyes closed, residual sleep still tugging at his eyelids.
A handful of minutes later, Ahren set their plates down on the table. Fox blinked his eyes open as the smell of breakfast wafted up his nose. "Thank you," he murmured, picking up his fork to dig in.
The two ate together in comfortable quiet. Towards the end of their meal, a thought crossed Fox's mind. "I was wondering..." he began, and Ahren looked up from his plate.
"Why do the loners have to eat scraps? Why can't they eat what everyone else eats?" Fox asked. He already had an inkling of the answer, but he wanted a decent explanation.
"It's another hierarchy thing. It lets them know they aren't on the same level as pack wolves. And for Leyra, it's a method of reducing food waste. Whatever is leftover gets eaten instead of thrown away," Ahren answered. Fox was all for not wasting food, but he wished the system to do so was different.
"I feel like it would be better if they were fed good food. I know some of them would probably take advantage of it, but I know some would feel a lot better if they had something warm to eat. And relatively fresh," Fox stated.
"I know. I've been wanting to make some changes like that, but there's a few hoops I have to jump through, and not all of them are easy. I need to think about what the pack would be happy with and what they would throw hissy fits over. I need to think about what's safe for them and what's unsafe for them. And, like you said, I need to decipher which lone wolves would use decency to their advantage, and who would genuinely appreciate it," Ahren replied. "And that can be a challenge on its own. We've had more than a few loners who really know how to act."
Fox was brought back to the conversation he had with Evander. He pondered for a moment, unnecessary guilt brewing in his chest. "Do you... do you think I'm manipulating anyone?" he whispered.
Ahren reached over and brushed his hand over Fox's hair. "I don't."
"How can you tell?" Fox wondered.
"A number of reasons. Lone wolves who are good at acting always manage to slip up at some point. But you never have. And there's been plenty of times you could've been disingenuine, but you've always been good. I know you have a good heart, Fox," Ahren assured him. Fox raised his gaze up to meet Ahren's eyes. The Alpha watched him with such gentleness, and maybe even a bit of admiration. Fox's cheeks flushed.
He thought about all the secrets he had yet to tell Ahren, and he thought about all the trust Ahren had given him anyway.
"I'll give you another truth," he said. Ahren perked up a bit, curious. "I already told Evander about this, so I think it's only fair that you know, too."
Fox proceeded to tell Ahren about his parents. He gave a little more detail than he gave to Evander, but only because he knew Ahren had the kindness to not exploit his vulnerability. He told Ahren about what kind of pack his mother had belonged to, a tight knit community that didn't like the idea of straying from traditions. Fox's father had swept his mother away with ideas of exploring new lands, discovering new cultures, meeting new creatures. He had completely swayed her so much that she didn't give any thought toward her home and her family. She wanted more. She wanted him. She let herself believe that they could live a happy life together, just the two of them, and whatever pups they managed to have.
But dreams like that were not so easily achieved, as Fox's mother soon found out. Not long after she and Fox's father left their pack, he began to make reckless decisions, and often went out on his own without her. She ended up being left behind in their small house. She kept trying to cling to Fox's father, to keep him close and not end up alone. But he was not in love with her the way she thought he'd been, and not nearly as deeply as she was in love with him. When she realized this, she tried returning to her pack, knowing it would be difficult raising a newborn pup by herself, but her pack turned her away. She had made her decision, and now she had to live with its consequences.
Eventually, little by little, Fox's father disappeared. And it was just the two of them, Fox and his mother, surviving life together.
Until she got sick, and left Fox all on his own.
Ahren listened in silence, his eyes never leaving Fox's face. When Fox finished, he reached over and brushed the back of his index finger over Fox's cheek, as if wiping away an invisible tear.
"Thank you for sharing this with me," Ahren said. Fox intended to nod, but he found he was only capable of staring at his empty plate.
"Alpha Rishima is going to have me shovel today, isn't she?" Fox queried, changing the subject. He didn't want to dwell on the past for long, nor did he want Ahren to think he was willing to share anything more.
"Most likely. Do you want to help shovel our driveways first?" Ahren replied. Fox shrugged, as if he had any real say in the matter.
Ahren got up and placed their dishes in the kitchen sink. Together they headed to the front door. Fox reluctantly slipped on his jacket and shoes. Ahren frowned at him, taking note of his obvious under-dressing.
"You don't have a coat, do you? Or gloves, or boots?" Ahren noted. Fox shook his head.
"Here," Ahren said, and rummaged through the closet by the front door. He pulled out a thick puffer coat, a pair of work boots, and a pair of winter gloves. He held them out to Fox. "These are extras I haven't worn in a while. They might be a little big, but it's better than nothing."
"Thank you, sir," Fox said, gratefully accepting the winter gear. He tried to hide his eagerness as he slipped on the new clothing. Ahren's clothing was only one size too big. It was good for the coat and gloves, but he needed to cinch the laces tight on the boots to keep them snug around his ankles.
After the two of them finished getting dressed, they headed out into Ahren's garage. Ahren opened the rolling door intended for vehicles and picked up two shovels. He handed one to Fox, and together they traipsed out onto the driveway and began to shovel the pounds of snow away.
The frigid air nipped at Fox's nose and ears, stinging them red, but the rest of him remained warm under his clothing. Beneath his pants, Fox let out his wolf fur as an added layer of insulation over his skin. The shoveling soon proved to be a workout on its own, which kept him pleasantly toasty.
Gradually they worked their way down the driveway, and then eventually to the pathways leading to each of the Alphas' houses. At some point in the morning, Rishima, her mate, and her pups emerged from their house. The pups bounded out the front door in full wolf forms and immediately set about romping in the snow. Rishima and her mate worked together to shovel their own driveway.
Later, Leyra, Sunshine, and Evander emerged from their houses and did the same. When all the driveways were cleared of snow, Rishima motioned for Fox to follow her. Her kids were still busy running around in the fields behind their house, and her mate stayed behind to keep an eye on them while Fox and Rishima climbed into her suv.
"Will I have to shovel all the sidewalks by myself?" Fox asked her as she pulled out. Fox noticed Evander heading in the direction of the lone wolf bunkers, while Ahren met up with Leyra.
"No, my Betas will be helping too," Rishima told him. Fox quietly released a breath of relief. If he had to shovel the entire town on his own, he'd be exhausted before lunchtime.
"Not the other loners?" Fox questioned.
"Evander is going to have them clear the trails between the sectors. A few of the more behaved ones will help you in town. My Betas will focus more on the areas you're not allowed to go near, like the schools and spots close to the border," Rishima explained. Fox nodded to show he was listening.
Rishima drove them to town hall, where a group of Betas were already waiting. Trucks with snow plows attached to their grills waited in a line in the parking lot. Rishima divvied out directions to each Beta and to Fox. Once everyone had their designated area assigned to them, some Betas started up the trucks while others grabbed shovels with Fox.
Bit by bit, sidewalks and roads were cleared of snow. Fox slipped into a mindless rhythm in his task, hardly paying attention to the pack wolves who shuffled through the snow around him, either running errands or getting to their jobs.
A few hours into his work, Fox straightened up and stretched out his increasingly aching back. He took a break to catch his breath. He looked around at the progress so far and the progress yet to be made.
Throughout his work he had vaguely noted the presence of teenagers and pups enjoying the snow. Fox had made it over to the edge of town closer to the housing sector, and here, as he rested for a moment, he watched a group of teenagers wrestling in the snow amidst a cluster of trees; they weren't too far from a park. One teenager in particular merely watched the group as he leaned against a tree. Occasionally, he lifted a cigarette to his mouth.
A familiar scent reached Fox's nose, and almost directly after, he heard an equally familiar sound. A soft, confused whimper. Fox darted his gaze around his surroundings and spotted Benjamin, some ways down the road Fox was currently shoveling. He watched the Omega for a minute. Benjamin stood still on the edge of the road, dressed in his own brown winter coat and black winter boots, but every few moments he would look around as if he didn't recognize where he was. Soft sounds of question continued to slip past his lips.
Concern arose in Fox. He glanced at the teenagers. They were the same distance away from the Omega as Fox was, yet they didn't seem to notice or hear him. Fox didn't want to leave Benjamin alone in case he was experiencing something that needed attention, but these teenagers didn't seem like they would be of any help.
Fox cautiously made his way over to Benjamin. He kept an eye out for Betas, but most of them were far enough away they wouldn't notice what Fox was doing.
As Fox grew near to the Omega, Benjamin looked up at him. No fear swam in his eyes or tensed his muscles, only confusion.
"Are you alright?" Fox asked him. "Where is your escort?" Benjamin's brows furrowed a little more.
"I remember you," he said. His voice sounded off, as if his mind was somewhere else, not fully present.
"Do you need help?" Fox asked. "I can bring you to Alpha Rishima."
Benjamin's gaze teetered away from Fox and focused on the group of teenagers in the distance. A moment passed, then Benjamin inhaled and made another soft sound of confusion. Fox looked over his shoulder at them. Wariness stung his nerves as he remembered that no one had yet found the culprit of Benjamin's assault, no one even had a clue as to who might have done it. Foul-smelling plants had covered up any scents, and the drug-like plant that had been in Benjamin's system made it hard for him to dredge up any helpful memories.
It could have been anyone. "What else do you remember?" Fox asked quietly, a dangerous edge to his voice. He hadn't intended it, but he couldn't help it. Omegas suffered just as much as lone wolves, sometimes.
Benjamin grasped Fox's coat sleeve, snapping his attention back to him. Fox met Benjamin's eyes, which were now wide and alert. "Gas masks."
"Gas masks?" Fox repeated. Benjamin whimpered and tilted his head down.
"No faces, no scents... gas masks, and... stone," he whispered. He made a helpless and saddened whine. "I wish I knew who did it."
Fox's heart ached. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
"I... I need an Alpha," Benjamin croaked.
"Okay. I'll take you to Rishima," Fox assured him. Benjamin continued to cling to Fox's coat sleeve as Fox began to guide him back to town hall.
They had to pass by the group of teenagers on their way. A majority of them kept wrestling in the snow or throwing snowballs at each other, and they hardly paid the scene of a lone wolf walking with an Omega any mind. The one leaning against the tree, however, latched his gaze on Fox with a focused intensity.
The boy had black hair, short in the back but long enough on top to fall over his forehead and obscure his equally dark eyebrows. Dark eyes watched Fox with distrust, but something else laid hidden within them. A leather jacket, a pair of baggy black jeans, and a pair of thick platform boots was all that kept him warm, and his cigarette continued to burn between his fingers as he held it off to the side.
Instinct whispered to Fox. The boy's gaze was not as hostile as it should have been, for a pack wolf watching a lone wolf and an Omega together. A strange keen interest and calculation seemed more apparent, and it rubbed Fox in all the wrong ways. His nerves faintly burned beneath his skin, the slightest singe.
Why were they not confronting Fox about being so close to an Omega?
Fox could feel his hackles begin to sprout from the back of his neck. He forced them back down, not wanting to reveal his unease to anyone. He hurried Benjamin along.
On their way there, Fox could feel eyes on him yet again. They didn't belong to the black-clad boy, however. Fox warily glanced around him and spotted the few other loners who'd been tasked with shoveling in town. One was a woman with a shaved head, one Fox recognized from his meals at the bunkers, and one was a scrawny man Fox hadn't paid too much attention to. They were stationed a few blocks away from each other, two Betas keeping watch over them both.
Lone wolves weren't often stationed in town for their labor, Fox being the only exception, so naturally they kept an eye on their new and unfamiliar surroundings. They spotted Fox and the Omega who clung to him within seconds.
The loners stared at each other, two focused on one. Their equally astonished and hostile gazes bore into Fox. Fox knew exactly why. Why did little goody two shoes get to be so close to one of the pack's Omegas?
The two Betas keeping guard noticed the loners' distraction. They turned towards Fox and noticed Benjamin right next to him.
"Hey!" one of them called out. It was one of the women Fox vaguely recognized from the morning Star had been discovered missing. She abandoned her post on the corner of the street and marched up to Fox with an accusing glare on her face. "What are you doing?" she spat.
"He asked for an Alpha. He was alone and I was worried he needed help," Fox explained. He lowered his head and tucked his shoulders up a little, hoping that the submissive posture would ease some of the Beta's vexation.
"It's okay, Thalia. He's helping me," Benjamin helpfully stated. He didn't sound as dazed as he had earlier, but he still didn't sound well. The Beta, Thalia, looked sharply at Benjamin in shock.
"He's not holding you hostage?" Thalia searched around Fox's side to see if maybe he was holding a weapon against Benjamin.
"No. I'm... I'm not feeling well, and I need an Alpha. I couldn't find someone I trusted enough to escort me to one," Benjamin replied. Fox held his breath as Thalia leveled a harshly skeptical expression on him.
"I guess he has helped you before..." Thalia muttered. Fox hadn't been aware of who all knew about his good deed with Benjamin back in September, and it startled him a little, hearing about it from a stranger.
"Please..." Benjamin groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and tilting his head down as if he had a terrible headache.
"Alright, alright, fine, but no detours, you hear me?" Thalia barked, pointing a warning finger in Fox's face.
"Yes ma'am. Straight to an Alpha," Fox confirmed. Thalia made a cutting gesture of dismissal and returned to her guard spot. Fox figured the only reason she wasn't going with them was because she had a bigger threat to keep watch over.
Fox glanced at the loners again. They had watched the entire interaction, and their expressions were even more appalled than before. It was obvious what they were thinking. How on earth did a lone wolf get away with an Omega unscathed?
Fox grasped Benjamin's hand and hurried him along again. He didn't like all the attention he was drawing to himself.
Several blocks later, they made it to town hall. Fox brought Benjamin up to Rishima's office without any preamble and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, Rishima opened it. She took in the sight of Fox and Benjamin standing in the hall. "Why is Benjamin with you? Benjamin, where is your escort?"
"I'm sorry, Alpha, I... I wanted to have some time to myself, and I left home without my escort. I promise, it was only supposed to be for a few minutes. But... my head hurts, and I feel confused, and for a while I couldn't figure out where I was," Benjamin explained. His voice was just soft and pitying enough that Fox could see Rishima's shoulders visibly loosen. Alphas could never stay truly mad at Omegas.
Rishima reached out and cupped Benjamin's cheek. "You do feel a little too warm. Come inside and rest. I'll give Sunshine and Meredith a call."
"Thank you, Alpha," Benjamin replied, his tone fatigued and relieved. He looked up at Fox with grateful eyes and released his hand, trudging into Rishima's office.
Rishima waited until the Omega was behind her before easing the door closed beside her. She stood as a barrier between Fox and Benjamin in the remaining space of the doorway.
She studied Fox, who waited with an uncomfortable visage.
"I know," he said, before she could begin reprimanding him. "I know I'm not allowed near the Omegas, but he was alone, and he looked the same way he did when I found him the first time, and... I didn't want him to get hurt."
Rishima sighed. "You need to be more careful, Fox," she told him. Fox nodded, although he only partially understood. Rishima's brown eyes searched across his face, curious and pensive.
"Was I supposed to have left him on his own?" Fox questioned, soft with respect but hinting at slight offense. Rishima drew in a breath.
"I am an Alpha. But I am also a mother. If it had been one of my pups on their own, experiencing something they couldn't get out of, I would want someone to help them. Even someone like you," she said. Fox drew his eyebrows together.
"Ahren believes there's a lot of good inside you. And, lately, I've begun to believe it, too," she continued. A glimmer of unexpected hope arose in Fox's heart.
"I'm angry about what happened to Benjamin, and the fact that there are people in my pack who I can't trust. It's so strange how one of those people isn't a loner," she went on. Her words left Fox feeling stunned, his head buzzing faintly. "I know not everything true meets the eye. I worry for the safety of my pups, my Omegas, and everyone I love. I need as many people on my side as I can get. Can I consider you as someone who is on my side?"
Fox's lips parted a fraction, but it took a moment for his mind to process everything Rishima had just said. Had she really just admitted that she held trust within Fox?
"Alpha Rishima," Fox began, his shoulders settled in certainty and his voice leveled with honesty, "I have seen my own fair share of suffering in my life. I know how horrible it is, and I know if there's any way I can try and prevent it, I will. I don't like all the wickedness I've bore witness to, and I don't want to bear witness to any more. To answer your question, yes. I am on your side."
Rishima smiled at him. It occured to Fox that this was the first time Rishima genuinely smiled at him. It gave him a funny feeling in his lungs, earning the approval of an Alpha.
"Good. Now get back to work. And for the love of the stars, be more careful when you try to be helpful," she said. "You may be my only fly on the wall."