Chapter 8

Jason Bouchard stared at the dead wolf lying at his feet. Mitch had been a good Beta, strong if a little headstrong. Jason shifted his gaze to Charlie who had a shell-shocked glaze in his eyes. Charlie had gone back for Mitch after their aborted attempt at retribution. Thomas shook his head as he looked at his dead pack member.

"Damn fools." His words were tight, clipped. He didn't like losing a pack member, especially not like this.

"What the hell were you two thinking Charlie? You go onto another packs land, attack someone who may or may not be a pack member. Then, two against one you fuck it up and one of my pack gets killed." Thomas was incredulous. While his pack was a wild and wooly bunch, they knew better than to do something this moronic.

"The Benton pack is not to be trifled with. You know that! Jason and I will take care of them. God Damn it, now you've just made it worse. We're lucky they haven't already showed up wanting blood." Thomas ran his hands through his hair. It had been a hell of day yesterday only to be topped off with this nightmare today.

"I'm sorry Alpha, we just thought, I mean with them challenging Jason the way they did that they needed to be taught a lesson. Mitch and I figured ... well ... you know ... we could help with that."

Thomas looked to Jason who still had his eyes locked on the dead wolf.

"Jason."

The younger Bouchard looked up into his father's eyes. Thomas could see that Jason's wolf was close to the surface, that after yesterday's debacle his son was on the ragged edge. Mitch had been a friend. One of the Betas that was closest to Jason. His loss, coupled with the disgrace yesterday could prove too much for his son to bear.

Jason regarded his father as the war within him took place. Yesterday he had been put in a position of helplessness the likes of which he had never known. He hated the feeling. It was alien to both of his aspects. Jason's wolf roared for release, to go and exact its own retribution on the blond headed dog who had caused him to lose so much honor in front of the Benton's.

The opposite was true for Jason's human aspect. Jason's logic dictated staying as far away from the Benton's as possible. He had no love of the fear he was exposed to yesterday. The thought of it finding him again made his skin crawl.

As he stood there, body trembling from the emotional war being fought in his head and heart he closed his eyes. In his minds eye he saw his wolf come for him. Instead of fighting it, he bared his neck, in that instant giving up the balance, giving up all control to the wolf within him. As Jason's human half was devoured by the large brown wolf, it howled in his mind, reveling in the fact that it was now free. Free to do what must be done, free to exact its revenge. And most importantly, free to claim that black haired bitch as its own.

Thomas watched Jason, saw him struggle with his emotions, thought he understood the man's turmoil. He knew it would take Jason some time to come to grips with what he experienced yesterday but he had faith that Jason would come through it and be stronger for it.

He was half right.

Jason's eyes opened to slits and he regarded his father. Contempt and loathing built with each passing moment. The tension grew between the two men. Jason noted how his father's stance stiffened, his body transmitting his emotions. It was fear, fear of his own son as the glimmer of recognition shown in his eye.

In the next instant Jason had shifted and was hurtling toward his startled sire.

'Rogue.' The word hung in Thomas Bouchard's mind for a moment, its full depth not understood until that instant, watching the humanity fall away from his son's eyes, replaced by something feral and bloodthirsty.

The Rogue knew he could take this pathetic excuse for an Alpha. He was old and already feared him. The battle was half won already. He misread that fear.

Thomas had felt fear for his son, not for himself. For as the rogue flashed forward Thomas knew what he had to do.

The older man shifted before Jason got to him. The rogue sailed over him to land hard on his side, off balance after missing the man's chest.

Thomas reached out with his thoughts, hoping beyond hope that he may still be able to reach his son.

'Jason, JASON! Stop this, gain control son; don't let the wolf consume you!'

His thoughts encountered the rogue's. They couldn't be deemed thoughts really, more a jumble of feral emotions and imagery.

Jason lying on his back, the blond dog's boot at his throat.

The coiling fear wrapping around his soul.

Utter disdain for his cowardice.

Pure malice toward his once father and Alpha.

Thomas moved fast, dodging the Rogue's snapping jaws and latching onto him by the scruff of the neck.

The Rogue howled as the Alphas canines sank deeply into the thick muscles at his neck. Trying to subdue him, trying to kill him.

Thomas's emotions were a tormented maelstrom. He was sure he could reach Jason, pull him back over the precipice he seemed to have toppled over.

Jason was slightly larger than Thomas. Even with the feral strength provided by giving up total control to his wolf, Thomas had a lifetime of experience proving himself as Alpha. It made all the difference.

While the rogue tried to use brute strength to overpower the Alpha he left himself open to attack and the wiser Thomas struck swiftly. Shifting his weight, using the rogue's own strength against it he threw him off balance bringing him to his back with the Alpha's fangs closing tightly around his neck.

Thomas pleaded with his son to relent.

'Jason! JASON! YEILD! You can get through this! Come back to us!' Thomas's voice in the rogue's mind was pleading, desperate.'

'You yield old man, your time is past, our pack is dying, this is all your fault, you weak fool.'

The rogue's hind legs tore into Thomas's chest and soft underbelly. He felt the pain course through him as the rogue struggled for survival, still believing it could win.

Hope fell away from Thomas in that instant. His son was gone, lost to the feral beast that had utterly consumed him.

Thomas's jaws closed, fangs biting deeply into the rogue's neck, his blood filling Thomas's mouth with the coppery taste of his life essence. The rogue struggled, a deafening howl of pain issuing from it as he thrashed under the Alpha's fatal bite. As Thomas stood there, the body of his son still twitching in his grasp, their struggle ended as quickly as it had begun.

A deathly stillness settled over the scene. No animals moved, the wind seemed to pause as Thomas stood over the dead rogue, his dead son.

Releasing his hold on his fallen progeny, Thomas raised his head to the heavens as he shifted. Kneeling there in the dirt, covered in his only son's blood, Thomas screamed at the world. A long, broken, desperate cry that held sorrow and remorse for his fallen son, desperation at his loss and fury at being the one to end the life of his only heir.

Charlie watched his Alpha, heard the man's soul shatter as he screamed over his dead son's body. Felt his Alpha's pain as his hands curled into Jason's fur and he buried his face within his blood-mated coat.

"How could we have come to this?" Charlie's words were a broken whisper that cut through the silence.

Thomas stood slowly, his eyes seemingly not wanting to focus on a world without his son. Finally, they found Charlie; the gaze froze the young man where he stood. The depthless black orbs that regarded him were totally foreign. They elicited a deep foreboding in the young man as his Alpha's stare drew out.

Thomas looked at the weakling before him, he was filled with contempt.

'Pitiful.' Thomas's thoughts were cold, distant. He fought the desire to rip the man's head from his body and end his useless existence. There would be time enough for that. For now he needed this fool and all the rest.

Charlie watched his Alpha pull back from the brink, the gray of his eyes taking hold from the blackness that had been there a moment before. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Call the pack together Charlie. This evening we will mourn the death of my son, the death of our pack's future. Come the dawn we shall mourn no longer. Tomorrow we shall plan how to right the wrongs that have been done to us. To take what is ours, and exact a full measure of revenge against those that have harmed us."

His Alpha's words were icy. They caused Charlie to shiver out of reflex. The Alpha noticed this and his stance softened once again.

"Go Charlie, it will be alright, the pack will overcome this loss and we shall be stronger for it."

Charlie nodded once and ran off to tell the pack of what had occurred, what was to be done. He couldn't shake his sense of dread however. The Alpha was obviously heartbroken.

'Could he too have... ' Charlie shook the thought off remembering all of the times that the Alpha had protected them, guided them. 'The Alpha will see us through this.' This thought strengthened Charlie for what had to be done. He only hoped it was enough.

Standing in the waning light of the day Thomas Bouchard stared one last time at his beloved son's broken and bloodied body. The pain of this toppled the scales of grief that Thomas had lived with for so long. Images of his greatest losses flashed through his mind.

The emptiness left in his soul when his beloved Sonja was taken from him all those years ago, of the heart wrenching betrayal and abandonment of his sister Faith. All of the mistakes and trials of his long life became just too much to bear.

With a resigned sigh the soul of Thomas Bouchard drifted away. His final emotions those of hope, the hope of seeing his beautiful Mate again. The hope of apologizing to his son for all the mistakes he made raising him alone.

The hope of finding Faith, of telling her that here at the end, all the malice all the anger all the darkness they had shared fell away and he now only wished to find ... peace.

The wind picked up as the Rogue Alpha rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck. Adjusting to his new singular place as within his body now that Thomas had given up the last vestiges of himself. It was an odd moment for the Rogue Alpha, after a lifetime of balance with his human half being alone within his own thoughts was a new experience.

Rage burned through reason and caring until there was nothing left but the smoldering need for blood, for mayhem ... for vengeance.

Alexander and Jenabel were greeted by half the pack as they stepped into the Alpha's home.

"It seems dinner will be crowded." Jenabel whispered to Alexander.

He smiled tentatively and pulled her a little closer.

"Ah, just in time." Sophie pulled them both into a quick hug before ushering them to seats at the table.

Alexander was quiet during dinner. It reminded him of the mess hall when he was in the military, noisy, full of laughter and overlapping conversations. He watched Carl as he made a point to talk with everyone, both adults and children.

'It's obvious he cares so much about these people. How does it not become a burden?'

Alexander understood what it meant to lead, to be responsible for the well being of those in your care. But his experience was limited to the battlefield. This was an entirely different thing. Carl took a personal interest in everyone in his pack. Cared for them, helped to guide them and watched over them.

He leaned close to Jenabel, his lips a few inches away from her ear. The feeling of his warm breath on her neck made had her breath catching.

"How does one become an Alpha? Is it passed down father to son, is there a vote of some kind?" As an afterthought he added. "Are there female Alphas?"

Jenabel turned and smiled at Alexander. One of the things he would need to learn was that whispering was fairly pointless in a room full of Weres. The table had gotten quiet, aside from a hushed giggle from Willow.

Carl, seeing Jenabel's quick nod to him provided the answer.

"Alexander, who is Alpha of a pack, is not decided by a vote. The title can be given from a father to a son, or a daughter for that matter. It can also be conferred to someone not of the Alpha's blood. This happens, but rarely. In the last hundred or so years only one or two have been elevated to Alpha that were not of the same bloodline. Pack hierarchy is well defined. Alphas lead their packs. Yes, an Alpha can be male or female, though male Alphas out number females by about five to one."

"The next rank is Beta. They are the ones who, in the past, were the soldiers and protectors of the pack. This has also changed in the past century. You will find many Betas are accountants, business managers and attorneys, who through such position still work to protect the pack. Omegas are the general population of the pack and in the end they are the backbone of any long standing pack. While these ranks have existed since our earliest histories, depending upon the pack, there is very little separation between them."

"As you can see, I don't insulate myself from anyone. For me the pack as a whole is my charge. Everyone has their own jobs to do but none is more important than another."

Alexander couldn't help but smile at the obvious pride Carl had for his pack. He loved them, they were as much a part of his life as his family and he would move heaven and earth for any of them no matter their station.

"So the transition from one Alpha to another is by decree or by a blood bond only?"

Alexander felt he was missing something so pushed the question.

Brad answered for his father.

"The pack looks for a strong Alpha. One who can manage the needs of the pack, ensure its safety and prosperity. Anyone can challenge the Alpha to single combat. If they win they become Alpha. In the past this fight was to the death, in some, well many, packs it still is. Here it is not required, either may submit. However, it is up to the victor to decide if mercy is to be given."

The others at the table were quiet; each seemed lost in their own memories on this subject. It was Willow who broke the silence.

"How, many times have you been challenged Alpha?"

Willow's parents rolled their eyes at their precocious daughter's question. It was something they all knew about but rarely discussed and hardly ever with the children.

Carl gave Willow a smile to soothe her. He picked up on her anxiousness at her parents' and the other's sudden tension.

"It's okay Willow. Alexander probably would have asked if you hadn't. I've been challenged four times over the last sixty years. I became Alpha when I was thirty years old. Some Alphas are much younger, others much older when they take on the title and the responsibility. I took it on when my father passed away." Carl paused as he felt Sophie's hand take his.

"Of the four challenges three were to the death. The fourth, he was young and a newer member of the pack. There is no honor in killing someone who can learn from their mistakes." Carl's body was tense, the challenges he had faced were some of the most painful moments of his life. But it was important that Alexander know as much as possible about their life and this was integral to who they were.

Alexander watched the older man for a time, seeing the strain of being Alpha pass across his face. 'So much responsibility, so much riding on every decision.' Alexander wondered how anyone could willingly take on such a burden.

As quickly as the tension came it passed. Carl smiled and gave Sophie's hand a thankful squeeze.

"There are trials in everyone's life, be they human or Were. We get through them, grow and become stronger in doing so.

The rest of the dinner passed with a jovial air. The members of the pack felt energized by Alexander's presence. They had all witnessed his defense of Jenabel; all understood it for precisely what it was. One of their own finding their mate was a joyful thing. That it was the Alpha's daughter only heightened the excitement.

People left slowly after dinner was over. Some lingered to talk with Carl and Sophie. Others introduced themselves to Alexander, gauging the soon-to-be newest member of their pack. All of them went away with the sense that his addition would add much to their collective futures.

Willow stopped and gave Alexander a lingering hug before bounding out the door, her parents shaking their heads at the young girls enthusiasm.

"I think someone has a crush on you Alexander." Jenabel's statement was playful as she watched Willow scamper out the door. Alexander smiled down at his mate becoming lost for a moment in her emerald eyes.

"What about you Jenabel, do you have a crush on me too?" His eyes were hungry as he whispered the words to her. She found her body moving closer to his, needing to feel him against her.

They were interrupted by her mother.

"Alexander, this is Karen and John Halston, Amy's parents."

Alexander turned to Sophie and was immediately wrapped in Karen's arms.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for rescuing Amy, I don't know what we would have done if..." John gently pulled his wife away from Alexander with a smile.

"Sorry about that, it's been a very eventful few days. I'm John, and we would both like to thank you for what you did for Amy. She is fully recovered and none the worse for wear." As he said this, a small girl peeked between her parent's legs.

Alexander bent down, as he did so the girl jumped into his arms.

"Thank you Axander." They all smiled at the missing letters of his name.

"It was my pleasure Miss Amy."

He stood and shook John's hand as the three of them made their way home.

"More fans it seems." Jenabel seemed to take great delight in teasing him this evening. And in more ways than one.

Alexander was going to respond but Carl interrupted.

"Let's go into the den. There is a lot to cover and we might as well get to it."

Carl led the way as Alexander and Jenabel followed, their hands intertwined.

The five of them sat around the small room, a fire gently smoldered in the fireplace. Jenabel and Alexander sat in a plush leather love seat. Her legs flung over his as her head rested on his shoulder. Alexander's fingers played gently in her hair.

Carl seated himself next to Sophie. He noted the happy grin on her face as she watched their daughter.

Brad leaned up against his father's desk watching them all.

Taking a moment to look at his daughter, Carl could see the obvious joy she took in simply being close to her mate. He knew how she felt but also knew the dangers and decided to start Alexander's education on that subject.

As Carl started, Alexander gave the man all his attention. No matter how distracting Jenabel could be, he needed as much information as possible to ensure he could keep her.

"One of the driving forces of our kind is to find our mates. Each of us is born with the inherent knowledge that somewhere out there is the match to our own soul."

"Not all of us find mates. Some spend their lives in the search to no avail. Others come together as pups and spend their entire lives together. What usually happens is that between the ages of twenty-five and fifty mates are drawn to each other."

Carl paused to take his wife's hand before continuing.

"I found Sophie almost thirty years ago when I was just shy of sixty years old. Karen and John Halston's parents were neighbors, the two of them became inseparable from the time they could crawl out the door and find the other."

"Once or twice a year, packs will invite neighboring packs to events so that the members can be exposed to as many potential mates as possible."

Alexander noted the sad shadow that fell across Jenabel's face. She saw his look and smiled.

"It's nothing Alexander. My brother Cross, he's been actively searching for his mate since his first moon change at fourteen. He has always believed that he would have to find her, that she needed him in some inexplicable way. It has meant we rarely see him. Even when he was young he would disappear, then in a day or two, Dad would get a call that he was at another pack."

Alexander pulled her close. He understood what Cross must feel now that he felt as he did for Jenabel. Carl picked up the conversation again.

"So yes, finding our mate is right up there with protecting our children and our pack, it is a defining force in our lives. Once we find our mates, we are pulled to complete the bonding with them, usually during the next full moon. We share a part of ourselves and accept a part of our mate."

"What you're feeling now is the pull to complete the mating. However, it is not quite that straight forward for the two of you."

Carl watched as Jenabel curled closer to Alexander.

"As you are not fully Were yet, if you and Jenabel tried to complete the mating bond it could possibly kill you. With your Were gene being latent for so many years we just don't know what the outcome would be."

Alexander interjected.

"So it's not like the movies, you don't bite a human and they become Were?" Alexander still didn't understand fully what Carl was trying to tell him.

"No Alexander, a person can't be 'turned' into a Were. You are either born Were or not. Matings of the type our wolves require of us are deadly to humans. We all believed that Jenabel was feeling the mating pull toward you but this is something that could not have been if you were human, as we had believed."

Jenabel buried her head in Alexander's shoulder remembering the pain of believing he would never be hers. Alexander pulled her closer, feeling her whirling emotions.

"But luckily that wasn't the case." Carl smiled as he said this, very grateful that Jenabel still had the opportunity to claim her mate.

"However, until you complete your first moon change, become fully balanced with your wolf, there is still a danger that if you tried to complete the mating bond it could kill you. So, until that happens, you and Jenabel need to..."

Carl's words trailed off, he wasn't usually embarrassed about such subjects but seeing as it was Jenabel his fatherly instincts won out over his Alpha traits.

Jenabel whispered softly against Alexander's neck, completing her father's statement.

"We can't ... join Alexander. We have to fight the urge. If I claimed you accidentally, which, considering how badly I want you is a very real possibility, you could die. So we have to be very careful of how far we let our ... urges go."

Alexander could feel if not see the heat of her blush against his skin.

"I understand." Alexander's statement came out a bit too harsh. Everyone in the room understood why. Fighting the need to complete the mating would have been struggle for any of them.

Alexander shook off the erotic images of him and Jenabel that had been flashing through his mind due to the topic. He still had a thousand questions and little time to ask them. One kept coming up from that deep dark place in our psyche that always questioned his own self worth.

"Do you have any idea why one of your kind would abandon a child to a human orphanage?"

Carl was not surprised by the question. Dmitri had focused on this part of Alexander's history and its ramifications as well.

"To my knowledge it has never happened before. I can only guess that whoever your parents were, they felt you were in mortal danger and believed the orphanage the only safe place for you."

"Our children are treasured Alexander. We, as a race are very small in the grand scheme of things. Children are the greatest of gifts as each and every one of them is quite literally part of the future of our kind. It is ... inconceivable that someone would take the risk of leaving a Were child with humans, let alone consigning them to be wards of the state."

"Our laws are very strict regarding such things. We have to keep our existence a secret. If it were to come out, especially now with the level of technology and communication that exists today, that Weres existed we would most assuredly be hunted, caged and studied. This is something none of our kind would ever be able to survive."

Sophie, with a squeeze on Carl's hand broke into the discussion.

"I would have to believe that it was your mother's decision Alexander. I have thought a great deal about this, trying to understand how any of us would put one of our cubs, and our people in such jeopardy. The only thing that makes sense is that your mother was separated from her mate, that she herself was in some kind of danger and this was the only option open to her. I know that it may be hard for you to see past the abandonment, but speaking as a mother I can only assume that a scenario such as this led to her leaving you."

Tears were running down Sophie's cheeks as she said this. The emotion of it, the utter desperation a mother would have to have to leave her child this way was too much for her to contain. Carl wrapped his wife in a strong hug, feeling her sorrow, for both Alexander and his mother, through their bond.

The room was quiet for time as everyone got their emotions under control. Once everyone seemed calmer Alexander kept the questions coming.

"Yesterday you said that there was a danger I could go "rogue" without having the proper balance when I shift. From everything I've heard that seems to go against this balance. It almost makes it sound like my wolf aspect is dangerous or even ... evil." This had bothered Alexander. Being with Jenabel and Willow in their wolf forms, neither had struck him as anything but amazing, pure, if wild, manifestations of the two humans that he knew.

Carl was once again surprised at how much depth Alexander gleaned from the smallest of comments.

"Our wolves are reflections of ourselves and vise versa. If someone is honorable, good, then those traits are carried by our wolves as well. We have but one soul Alexander. I am Carl Benton, Alpha of this pack no matter what form you see. My Mate, my Family, my Pack, all of them, that's what I live for. That never changes."

"When I mentioned going rogue yesterday, it was in the context of your wolf not wanting to relinquish control once it had it. Our kind go rogue, give into the basest of our feral emotions for many reasons. In your case it would be simply a lack of understanding. For others, fear, pain, desperation, loss, all of these emotions can push our human spirit to give up our share of the burden completely. When this happens the wolf takes over. Depending on the reasons for our human soul giving up, the rogue that is left may simply shift into a wolf and disappear into the forest. However, if some great tragedy or loss is the cause, the purely feral nature of our wolves may be uncontrollable. In cases such as this, sadly, we usually have no choice other than to put the rogue out of its misery."

Alexander could understand this. He had seen it in combat a few times. A soldier would see just too much death, too much savagery, be exposed to the depths humanity can sink to and be unable to cope. They would retreat so far into themselves that there was no possibility of finding or wanting to find, their way back.

Jenabel hugged him close. "That won't happen to you Alexander. I know it won't. You're strong and we'll teach you everything you need to know." Her words were forceful, spoken with a conviction that Alexander took great comfort in.

Looking up from Jenabel's eyes he saw the other three were watching them with smiles on their faces. Alexander could feel the blush start to rise on his cheeks. It was so different for him being around people who actually cared about him. That wanted him to be happy and would help in anyway they could to ensure it. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to be here with Jenabel, her family, and the pack forever. He still had a long way to go before that would be possible, starting with one important detail.

"How do you shift? This morning I saw a ... vision, a large blondish brown wolf. It seemed to know me, to lend me its strength. I reached out for it but he would not come to me. He seemed wary. While I could feel his power, knew that it was my wolf aspect that gave me the ability to defend myself, he still seemed hesitant."

The four Weres were surprised by this revelation. It took cubs years to be able to actually see their wolves in their minds, to attain that level of connection.

Brad broke into a wide grin before answering him.

"This is excellent news Alexander. When we shift we ... call forth our wolf. We move toward them, they move toward us. We meet in the middle and join. When this happens in our minds the physical shift happens. It usually takes the cubs a long time to get to the point where they can actually see their wolves in their minds eye. Willow has only recently been able to find the balance and will the change. For the younger ones they have little control, like Amy when the tree destroyed the house. It was pure instinct that, sensing her fear, her wolf came forward to help and she shifted. That you did it naturally means you are farther along than any of us dared to hope."