Agent Alpha

It was sometime later when Analise finally awoke from beneath their hospital bed. Every muscle in her body ached painfully and she was sleeping on the cold tile floor. The only warmth she felt was coming from the body curled up behind her.

She blinked a few times, unsure if she were Analise again or that animal that was lurking inside of her. It had been a terrible experience and no one had bothered to explain that part. Turn into a wolf, they said. It'll be fast and painless, they said.

Fucking liars. I should gut every last one of them

she found herself thinking darkly.

Analise frowned slightly.

Gutting

people was not her usual internal threat of choice. Usually she promised to punch someone in the face or kick them in the balls. Something a little less... gory.

She let out a small, pathetic sigh at her plight and to her surprise, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her, pulling her closer into the warm body. Her eyes thrust widely open as she realized that not only was she apparently sleeping with someone under the bed, they were both naked.

Rhys. Oh god... What the hell happened?

Letting out a gasp, she tried to roll over and push away as quickly as she could. Instead, she merely let out a gasp. Her muscles were far too painful for anything as acrobatic as rolling, apparently, and pushing was definitely out of the question. Rhys's deep cobalt blue eyes blinked open in confusion. He settled his eyes instantly on Analise's, resulting in more confusion before propriety set in and he slid back slightly, reaching the same arm that had embraced her up and over the bed to retrieve a blanket for her.

"Did... Did we..." Her eyes were still as wide as quarters as she brought arms across her chest.

"Mate?" He answered in perhaps the least romantic way possible as he tugged the blanket down and started draping it around her. She was visibly quite grateful for that. "I don't think so," he answered quietly. It was clear that Rhys was exhausted and probably could have used a few more hours of sleep.

"You don't

think

so?" She repeated incredulously.

He offered her a tired chuckle. "Wolf fell asleep sometime after yours finally did," he answered quietly again. "I didn't even realize I shifted back," he added curiously. That had never happened before, but he decided not to tell her that. He eyed her cautiously. "You ok?"

She blinked a few times in disbelief, adjusting the blanket for modesty. "I..." Shepherd just let it go and sigh apathetically. The obvious answer was no, no she wasn't ok, but then, there really was no point in belaboring the issue any more. "They said it wasn't going to hurt," she finally answered.

Rhys frowned. "I've never seen a turn go that badly before," he told her, rolling to his back and resting his head on his arm as he stared absently at the bed springs. "Looks like you're both incredibly stubborn and persistent. Guess I already knew you were like that."

"They also said I'd be in control the entire time," she continued in the same quiet voice.

Rhys chuckled a bit. "Yeah... doesn't really work that way."

Analise was not sharing his humor in this. "How does it work? There's no way in hell I'm letting that happen again."

"I don't advise that," Rhys warned, his humor feigning slightly. "She'll rip you apart to get out." He let out a sigh and turned to look at her slightly. "You want to get out from under here?" Analise was shivering, probably from the cold floor, but her eyes were locked on his with an intense demand for information.

The question snapped her back to her surroundings. "Yeah... I... where are our clothes?" she asked out loud.

Rhys smirked again. He wasn't sure why he was enjoying this side of her so much. It was likely because she seemed so naïve and ignorant. That definitely wasn't a trait he thought he'd see from her, but she carried it well enough. He had half expected her to shrug off her lack of knowledge and pretend she had expected all of this. It was then that he realized he had grossly misunderstood her.

Analise wasn't arrogant, she was confident and intelligent. If she was a man he wouldn't have questioned it at all. In a woman, he hadn't been expecting that combination.

Rhys slid out from under the bed and then peered under, offering her a hand. One hand remained tightly clutched to the hospital blanket for propriety and the other hesitantly reached out to accept the help.

She winced as she finally slid out and propped herself up. Muscles she didn't even know she had were on fire for just the slightest of movements. Her eyes casually drifted over to Rhys before she instantly snapped her gaze away again. "Jesus, Rhys!" She reprimanded slightly. He, obviously, was not at all shy about nudity.

Rhys chuckled again as he tugged on his worn blue jeans. "Clothes are a human thing," he explained. "Uncontrolled shifting has a way of... well destroying them. But I'd get used to it, if I were you. I think our wolves are friends," he added through a grin. Analise was sure to hate that part.

Analise was beet red from embarrassment and offered him a sour look. "Fantastic," she offered dryly. "What other fun surprises to I have in store? I mean, uncontrolled shifting just sounds lovely."

Rhys padded over and scooped her up, replacing her in the bed, before moving over to pull a side chair over. Analise tugged her knees up into her chest as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "You are sharing your body with a female wolf," he explained gently. "If it helps, she's just as confused as you are right now, I'd figure."

"That doesn't help," she answered flatly. "How do I kill it?"

Rhys was horrified. "You don't," he answered sharply. "And you best not repeat that again."

She sulked slightly in reply. "I don't want to be an animal," she offered almost pathetically.

"Well neither did I." The words were out of his mouth before he really thought about it. "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter either. Don't mean you have to kill her just because she's not convenient," he added through a deep frown.

Analise blinked a few times, "Sorry," she offered, genuinely so. "I... I'm sorry. That wasn't very nice I guess..."

Rhys shrugged and rubbed his face. "You're going to have to figure out how to get along," he advised seriously. "And keeping her locked away all the time isn't going to work. She needs let out every now and then."

"So... It's like... a pet?" The poor woman was extremely confused but the question caused Rhys to smirk.

"Not exactly," he replied. "More like a sister, but if pet works, you may as well try it." Analise leaned her head back and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, Rhys just studied her in silence. "His name is Aru," he said finally. "My wolf." Rhys shrugged, adding, "I've never told anyone that, though, so I'd appreciate if it stayed between us."

Analise opened her eyes and cocked a curious eyebrow at him. "Then why are you telling me?"

"Might help," he offered. "Besides, Aru likes your wolf and she was receptive to him being around. That's not real common for him."

Analise looked confused again and shook her head slightly. "Wait, is this some weird third person conversation. I'm lost." Rhys chuckled and shook his head in reply but Analise continued before he could articulate. "Look, Rhys, you're a really nice guy. Obviously attractive -"

"Oh obviously?" He answered though the grin and a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, look, I'm a mess -"

"Oh I know," Rhys interrupted. "I've been seriously considering killing you a couple times, if you'll recall."

She opened her mouth to retort and paused. "This is the strangest conversation I've ever had," she finally admitted with her standard dry humor.

"Look, if it helps, I really am talking for Aru and your wolf. See, part of the way this works is through compromise. You remember that, don't you? Team work?"

"Oh yes, our magical temporary arrangement to facilitate catching the bad guys," she answered. Rhys was decidedly enjoying her dry humor. Most everyone he knew would never prod him so much, though Harvey was known to on occasion.

"Well, you and her are going to have to practice that idea," he advised. "Life will be easier on you both if you do."

Analise sighed heavily and resumed leaning her head back against the wall. "You said Agent Peters is here or was I hallucinating that?"

Rhys frowned at the change in subject. "Yeah him and a guy named Carter," he answered. It was back to business, it seemed.

Analise nodded. "Carter's fine. Peters is trouble," she answered almost cryptically. "What did you tell them about me?"

"That you were assaulted and beaten. Hospital records have you recovering in ICU with no visitors until you officially wake up," he responded, getting up to fetch his shirt and boots.

Analise frowned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ok. Move me out of here today and let Carter know. And I'm going to need to see my medical records and all my files too," she added.

Rhys flashed her a stern frown. Which caused Analise to appear contemplative. "You know... this is really strange but... I feel like I should be saying please but every time I'm about to, something tells me it's the wrong thing to say..." A sense of alarm crossed her eyes. "Seriously, what the hell is going on with me? You said I'd be the same person."

"Yeah but a little more aggressive," he answered with a sharp sigh. "And you just tell that "something" that that's yet to be seen," he added, nearly growling.

"See... now I'm wanting to bite you," she told him with an appropriately place eye roll. "Definitely

not

something normal me does. I think you better go and send in that doctor of yours for me to yell at before I start acting on that urge," she said with the same dry humor.

It was enough for Rhys to crack a smile. "Agent Peters has been holed up in an office for the last week reading your reports," he told her. The amused smirk slid into a real and genuine concern. "That's what I thought," Rhys said through a sigh. "... I can tell them that you didn't ever wake up," he offered seriously. He knew what that would mean for her. Her entire world would be over if she faked her death.

Analise shook her head and forced a smile. "He's too sharp for it," she answered as confidently as she could. "Let me worry about those two," she concluded. "but uh... it might not be a bad idea to get those girls away from here. He doesn't have any reason to believe that your family is involved in this, but if he's been reading my notes..." she didn't finish her thought, though she didn't have to. The four girls who they had rescued were still in danger.

Rhys nodded and left the room. Brody was sitting outside the room and looked up at Rhys apologetically. He was about to say something when a young woman who couldn't have been out of her teens stormed down the hall on a war path. Unlike Brody, Starla's eyes were locked firmly on Rhys's. She was confident in this for longer than Rhys was expecting and he cocked a curious eyebrow at her as she stomped forward and slapped Rhys had across the face.

The blow did nothing to him, but Brody was out of his seat holding Starla back before Rhys had scarcely blinked. "They were just trying to help!" She shouted furiously at Rhys. "You're siding with that wolf hunter over your own brother? Over Brod!? What the hell's gotten into you!"

"I'm sorry," Brody kept blurting out as he tried to get the little ball of anger under control and out of the hall way. The ruckus echoed down the hallways for quite a ways, leaving Rhys to watch in the general direction while scratching his head.

Isa stepped up behind him then, walking ever silently and purposefully. Rhys turned to regard her, but mostly, he was interested in her take on this. To his surprise, Isa did not have her usual supportive expression on. "News of the turn has spread," she reported in a tired voice. "It is unlikely we will turn another human for many years."

Rhys frowned. "It was pretty bad," he admitted in his standard General Rhys voice.

"The failure was yours and hers," Isa replied solidly. "It was not ours. She is a High Alpha."

Rhys's frown hardened and he approached Isa in an aggressive fashion, backing her instantly into a wall. "I can't be everywhere at once," he snapped angrily. "You're telling me that the four of you couldn't figure out how coach a human through a turn? With, what? Fifty such turns under your belt in the last few years? Who's bright idea was it to lie to her about the control issue? Or the pain? You seem to know so much about High Alpha's, Isa. What did you think something like her was going to do when she realized you were lying to her? Or were you counting on her resisting until she tore herself apart?"

His eyes would have burned through hers if they could. There was no apology on Isa's face. It had been she who had advocated killing Analise. He wasn't terribly surprised that she would make one final pass at it, though it did disappoint him a bit. He pulled away before she could answer, turning to walk down the hall toward Harvey's office. "Get her some clothes and get her moved to the main hospital."

Meanwhile...

"You told me I would be zee dominant female," Clarise hissed at Harvey from behind the office door. Her light blue eyes were scalding hot as she glared furiously at Rhys's younger brother. "I did not leave France just to be subordinate to you American wolves!"

"No, you left France to marry me," Harvey countered firmly. "Are you telling me that this is just a ploy to position yourself?"

Clarise was silent.

"She's not going to stay long," Harvey stated as if it were the gospel truth.

Harvey could almost hear Clarise rolling her eyes. "Don't be absurd," she scoffed. "She will stay for Rhys."

Harvey chuckled. "I doubt that."

"How can you be so blind!" She hissed emphatically. "Can you really not smell her pheromones? It is disgusting!"

"Obviously they have you females all worked up," Harvey offered through a chuckle. "They won't work on Rhys, though," he said dismissively.

Clarise slammed her fist on his desk in anger. "Stop your senseless hero worship, Harvey! He is not immune to her just because he is your brozer!"

"Of course not," Harvey answered calmly. Harvey shook his head sadly as he offered her a pleasant smile. "Let me explain something, Clarise. Rhys isn't some run of the mill Alpha male. This world is full of examples of those and look what's happened. How many packs were hunted to extinction because of what the average Alpha male did? Your own pack was destroyed because of it."

"What are you saying?" Clarise asked incredulously. "Your pack went into hiding razer zan fighting like-"

"Like a bunch of rabid fools," Harvey finished for her. His light hearted tone was starting to evaporate. "In an era when the large packs are being exterminated and the future of our race is reduced to gypsy rogues, my brother listened to the needs and wisdom of his pack rather than asserting his dominance on us like some tyrant and what happened? We're the only pack in the world that saw actual growth after the decree went out. We're one of the few American packs that aren't on the FBI's watch list. Hell, the FBI is

here

and they haven't found us."

Harvey leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "He should have killed her the second she showed up. It's what any other alpha would have done. It's what Isa wanted him to do. Instead, he convinced the werewolf hunter to defend us. That's never been done before. Ever. In the history of our existence, no wolf has ever talked a hunter down, let alone convinced one to fight on our behalf instead. Don't you get it? There's nothing average about Rhys at all."

A tense silence fell between them. "He is not a High Alpha, Harvey. You are delusional if you honestly believe zat."

Harvey simply shook his head sadly at her. "Come on, Clarise. You're smarter than this. Do you actually think I have any respect for the High Alphas at all after everything that's happened?" Harvey chuckled again. "High Alphas have an important role in our society, no doubt about it, but to assume that they should be our ultimate leaders who aren't to be questioned is antiquated. If our race's history has shown us anything, it's that the humans always win in any conflict with them. We can win battles, but the war is always theirs and they wipe us out for our efforts. Why then, would anyone have thought kidnapping their daughters was going to end any differently? It was the council who decreed this action. It was High Alphas and almost everyone followed them blindly to their doom."

"No, Clarise, the time of the High Alphas is over. Rhys just spat in their faces when this little experiment of ours actually worked. He's no High Alpha and thank god for that."

Clarise rolled her eyes slightly, though it was obvious that she was starting to consider Harvey's position. "And don't you zink zere will be consequences for zat?" She countered. "Besides, you are again being too generous. From what I have heard, zis was Isa's idea, not Rhys's"

Harvey shrugged. "Doesn't mean he had to listen to her. He's in charge, not her. I had the idea to kill Analise when she refused to turn but he didn't go with it. Besides, just because Isa had the idea for it doesn't mean she was the one who had to make it all happen. It was mostly Rhys." He let out a bit of a concerned sigh. "As for the consequences... yeah, I think there will be. Something about all of this; the rogue pack coming and kidnapping those girls, the FBI showing up... there's even a rumor that one of the women in the strays we can't find is Analise's sister... something doesn't feel right."

Harvey was quiet for a moment. When he did speak again, it was with an authority he almost never used. "And when something does happen, it will be our little High Alpha werewolf hunter who's going to go take care of it. Rhys won't let her go alone. When she leaves, and she

will

leave, Rhys will be leaving with her."

Clarise looked surprised at this, now starting to see where Harvey was headed. "You just got done convincing me zat we need him..." she started.

Harvey looked over at Clarise. "What we need to do is demonstrate to Rhys that the pack is safe in our hands. I've known the man for almost a hundred years and only in the last month have I ever seen him delegate any of his responsibility. This is the first time he's ever trusted me to do anything without him, and I just fucked it all up," Harvey reported, his tone slightly sad again.

"But see, Clar, you're used to taking care of yourself and we need someone like that around here." He smiled gently at her. "I wasn't lying to you when I promised you'd be the alpha female. You just got to be a little more patient is all. That, and, make nice with Analise so Rhys trusts you enough to hand things over to you when that time comes."

Clarise didn't know what to say. Most of her anger was completely gone. She looked over to Harvey almost apologetically, but with a degree of wonder as well. Harvey had offered her the world that she had wanted. While all of these men had been literally chasing her tail for the last fifty years, it was Harvey who had bothered to learn anything about her or what dreams she may have for herself. He was so casual with her, as if the desperation that had set into all the males had somehow skipped him.

Now she was realizing that he was far more insightful than she had ever realized. He sat across from her grinning in his country boy way, offering her a set of pearly white teeth and adorable dimples. Apparently, he was also offering the alpha female status she had always wanted.

But Harvey didn't realize the full scope of it. Clarise had told him a little about her pack; about how almost all the French werewolves were wiped out after the country human girls started to go missing. France's legal system was just different enough that they had no trouble treating the were's like animals. Horrible things had been done to them at the hands of the humans. Clarise's experiences were painfully similar to Analise's from the opposite side of the same fence.