Van
Slowing to a halt at the edge of the woods, Van shook out his fur one last time. The shift and run had revitalized him, pulsing energy into his veins like a serum. For those glorious minutes, he'd let his beast free and fly through the trees. Everything else blurred together into the background of his mind.
It's been too long since we've done this, his wolf panted, happy as a puppy. I definitely want to do this again before we go back into the field.
Agreed, Van told him. It would be good for the team to get out and run together.
What about Zoey?
Van froze. What did she have to do with a team run? Why did she factor into it at all?
I'm not ready to figure out that puzzle, he growled to his wolf.
He stepped behind the tree where he'd stashed his clothes and crouched to shift back to human form. His claws retracted first, shrinking into his knuckles with impressive speed. His shoulders cracked next, snapping back a little; knees and legs morphed next, followed by arms. His fur slowly thinned throughout the process until he was left with bare skin. It was the one part of the shift that he didn't like... having to remove and put clothes back on at both ends. It would be so much more convenient if one's clothes just morphed with the shift, disappearing and reappearing.
After the last joint snapped into place, he slipped into his clothes and stepped out from behind the tree. Stitch emerged from the house onto the back patio as he crossed the lawn.
"How was your run?"
Van rolled his shoulders and titled his face towards the sun. "It felt really good, man. I can't remember the last time I was able to run so freely. The euphoria was so high that I almost let my lycan out."
Stitch cocked an eyebrow at that. "Everything okay? You seem... very care-free, which is a bit concerning."
"I'm fine," Van said with a dismissive way. "...just rejuvenated from the exercise. What's up? Where's Zoey?"
"She's with Bug and Goggles," Stitch answered, jerking his head towards the patio door. "I wanted to talk to you about her."
Here we go, Van huffed to himself.
"What about Zoey?"
"She's weak," Stitch said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "She hasn't had any kind of physical training since she went to Midnight, and her mental strength is only a step better than that. I haven't been able to connect with or even sense her wolf at all. I'm concerned that she might not have the fortitude to accept the rejection even if we set up the perfect conditions for her."
That made Van pause. They all knew that Zoey wasn't the strongest, but the depth of her weakness was concerning. Stitch wasn't a lycan, but he was still sharper than most wolves. As a medic, he knew ways of connecting with other people's wolves even when they didn't want to be found. If he couldn't connect with Zoey's wolf, there was definitely something wrong.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"If she's open to it, I'd like to work with her on some training," Stitch offered. "I think she's just so used to keeping her wolf down that she's scared to let go. If I can build up her self-confidence and strength as a human, her wolf should feel more secure in coming out."
"That's a good thought," Van mused, running his hands through his hair. "Do you think she'll do it? She seems to trust you."
"I think she's open to at least trying. I'll make sure we're someplace private so she doesn't feel the pressure of performing for others. She said she was at the top of her training class before finding her mate, so I'm hoping I can trigger some muscle memory. We'll see."
Van slowly paced along the edge of the patio. Training Zoey was a good idea: it would make her stronger and get her used to the team. In addition to that, it would give him an excuse not to spend too much time around her.
Jerk, his wolf huffed. You don't want to spend time around her because you want to spend time with her.
Shut it, he growled back.
"Okay," he said, turning back to Stitch. "I'll let you talk to her about training. Let me know what she says and if you need me to do anything."
He didn't miss the shadow of a smirk that twitched on Stitch's mouth.
"Of course, Van. I'll be sure to include you... if needed." Stitch let the full smirk out as he retreated back into the house. The guy had too much of a romance complex hidden behind his training.
Van sat on the patio steps and stared at the woods. Of all the missions he'd planned and executed, none had been so delicate as this one. Even when an entire family's lives were at stake, he'd never felt so confused, helpless, and backwards as he did now. Yes, he'd dealt with females plenty of times during various missions; but they hadn't been imprisoned for years in the worst pack on the continent. Females usually did one of two things when his team arrived: swooned and gushed or fought for their lives. Zoey's state of half-fear, half-acceptance was a battleground that he didn't know how to handle.
"Pastry for your thoughts?"
Van looked up as his dad emerged from the house with a plate of the pastries from breakfast. He half rose from his seat in respect for the alpha but sat down again when Alpha Lucas waved him off.
"I'm here as your dad, not your alpha."
Van waited until his dad took a seat next to him and grabbed a pastry off the plate. "Can I ask you something, Dad?"
"Of course."
"When you and Mom sent my team to watch your friends' visit to Midnight pack, did you know that they were going to rescue their daughter on their way out?"
Lucas shook his head around a bite of pastry. It took him a moment to chew and swallow. "No, we didn't. We knew that they were going to visit their daughter, but we thought it was just a visit. They were concerned because they hadn't heard from her in a while, which is why they went to see her in person. We were surprised when they called to ask if they could bring their daughter to us for protection."
"...because we're lycans," Van added.
"Yes," Lucas agreed. "Your mom and I had no idea that it would turn into this. When they arrived and told us about Zoey's mate bond being half-broken, we knew that we were the only ones capable of helping without endangering anyone else."
Van took a bite of pastry as this info settled into his mind. It had all happened quite quickly, from deciding to pull Zoey out of Midnight to knowing that only lycans could help her break her mate bond.
"I know you're not happy about your team being grounded," Lucas murmured after a minute. "But we chose your team because you're the highest tactical team that we have. I have full confidence that you boys will figure out all of the details and execute everything to perfection. I wouldn't have grounded you if I'd thought there was anyone else who could do it."
"I know that now, Dad," Van answered, resting his elbows on his knees. "The hardest part is that I'm the only one from the team who doesn't like the slower pace. Even Snuff said he's okay with the slower pace.... thanks to the lab work he got from you."
Lucas shrugged. "He was going to get antsy with the slowest pace of planning Zoey's meet-up, so I gave him a little something to do so he'd play nice."
Van smiled to himself. "...and it's that kind of wisdom that make you the best alpha this pack has ever seen."
"You have your own wisdom, son. Part of me is still sad that you'll never have the chance to show your full potential as the alpha, but I respect the life path you've chosen."
It wasn't quite saying 'I'm disappointed in you,' but it was just close enough to remind Van all that his parents had done to allow him to pursue his military career. They'd never spoken of it, and he wouldn't do anything different if he had the chance, but he knew that they'd sacrificed something special for him.
"Do you think we'll be able to pull it off, Dad? I mean..." He huffed a breath and stared out at the back yard. "Midnight pack is nasty. They'll do anything to keep their own in line, so I'm worried that they'll try something crazy to get Zoey back."
"In order for them to try something," Lucas countered, "they'd have to know that she's here. We're doing everything in our power to make sure that never happens. You boys will keep her safe until it's time to meet with her mate, and even then I'm sure that you'll do everything necessary to protect her. You've watched Midnight for years. They won't do anything you're not prepared for."
"I hope you're right," Van mused, taking another bite of pastry. "The unpredictability of those people gets under my skin. They're obviously willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, but you can't fully predict what that something will be."
"Son, let me give you some advice." Lucas wrapped an arm around Van's shoulders. "Don't waste time trying to control what you can't predict. You'll be far better off preparing for what you do know rather than worrying about what you don't."
Van swallowed the last bit of the flaky pastry and brushed the crumbs from his fingers. "I know, Dad. This just feels like a much bigger responsibility, so I don't want to mess up in any way. Someone's future is at stake."
"...which is how I know that you'll do just fine," Lucas assured him, tightening his hold a little. "Look: you're forming a plan, right? Focus on what you boys do best, one step at a time. Everything else will fall into place. I have the greatest confidence in you."
"Thanks."
For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence. Lucas polished off another pastry, and Van studied the grass under their feet. He had some more questions for his much-wiser dad, but it felt ridiculous to talk to ask about 'girls' at 27 years old.
"What was it like?" he finally blurted out. "...when you met Mom?"
A smile lifted Lucas' lips, and his eyes sparkled a little. "Sparks and fireworks. In a moment, it was as if all other air had been sucked out of the room. Everyone disappeared, and only she remained. I don't even remember if I said hi before I claimed that she was mine."
"Rude," Van teased, elbowing his dad in the side.
"The mate bond forces an instant connection, but it takes time to build the relationship around it. Look at Zoey. She has a connection with someone, but there's no foundation supporting it. Some wolves live in separate bedrooms the first few months just to give themselves the space to get to know each other."
Van had the keen inkling that his dad was trying to set him up with Zoey, but he wasn't going to argue. He'd only brought it up because he was curious, not because he wanted Zoey to be his mate. He didn't want a mate, but he couldn't deny the strength of the connection his parents had. They supported each other much like his team did, but their loyalty to each other ran much deeper.
"Well," Van said, turning the conversation away from anything romantic, "it's safe to say that the sparks between me and Zoey are called friction, not attraction."
Lucas cocked an eyebrow but didn't contradict him. "Let me know if you need anything from me in the planning process. I'm happy to provide you with whatever you need."
"Thanks, Dad. Good talk."