It was a short-lived Keystone Kops skit. Joseph ran over and slid on a patch of mud. Harris overran the young pup, ending up in the bushes. They both closed on him and, as Clayton stuck his nose in the rabbit hole, Harris tripped over Joseph and landed on the Alpha heir.
Clay, flattened by a large male, yipped and scrabbled to get out. Joseph managed to grab him before he got loose. Scratched and muddy, they hauled the protesting youngster to their Alpha's office.
Stephanie looked them up and down and a ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Close the door and drop him."
Clay hit the floor and circled the room, looking for a way out.
"Clayton, why didn't you come when I called?
He paused, scratching at the door. [Grasshoppers.]
"Not a good reason. You'd get back to fun faster if you come when I call. Come here."
The wolf pup turned, looked at her, and growled. "Now."
[Harris, bring him to me.] She shifted to wolf as Harris grabbed her son. [Put him on the ground.] Stephanie put her teeth on his neck and Harris stepped back.
Clay squirmed and she tasted blood. [Mama.] he whined.
[If you stood still it wouldn't hurt.]
Clay huffed but stood still. He was stubborn, but learning. [Will you go to the panic room if I let you go?]
No quick answer. He was debating what it would cost him to defy her. [Harris. Joseph. You will escort and assure the Alpha heir goes to and into the panic room.] Stephanie did not target her send but allowed it to be widely broadcast so that the whole pack knew what was going on. They all knew, and understood, that they were to grab and return him if he got away.
A couple of the adolescent males who had helped him get away had already been punished for disobeying her order. The kitchen staff had also been told not to give him any further treats until he started minding her. She had frightened one of the younger females when she started to buckle to his wheedling.
They all needed to follow her orders and she was asserting her dominance in a different way. A wolf pack needed a strong leader or it descended into uncertainty and chaos.
This was thought to be part of the origin of rogue behavior; the last thing the packs needed at this juncture.
Clayton made no sound, no noise. Stephanie moved quickly and bit his nose, growling. [Go to the panic room. Inside it.] She released her hold and he slunk away, thinking his mama was mean. He was gonna come in...
Harris and Joseph were coming with him to make sure he went to the room. Down the stairs, down the hall. Around the corner. The door was open. He smelled Phillip going in.
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His Alpha believed Clayton would hesitate in the doorway and had told him to grab the pup by the scruff and drag him in. Then slam the door. The Alpha heir was to spend half an hour in a room filled with Sampson's scent. At which point Sampson was to go in.
If Clay growled, or attacked him, Sampson was to knock him down and hold him until he stopped, bite his nose, or cuff him beside the head - depending on circumstances.
He couldn't even take comfort with Phillip, who had covered himself in his mate's scent and been told not to intervene.
As expected, Clay stuck his nose in the doorway.
Phillip grabbed him and tossed him into the room, slamming the door before the pup landed.
Clay bounced, turned, growled, and launched himself at the door. He shifted to human and grabbed for the door handle.
Phillip blocked him, leaning back against the door so the pup couldn't open it. He glanced at the digital clock up on the wall. Eight forty-two.
Half an hour. It already seemed like forever. Clay was yanking on the doorknob, using his entire bodyweight to try and open the door, grunting with the effort.
It was annoying.
Eight forty-three.
Luna, he was stubborn.
Another male would have cuffed him and thrown him across the room by now. What should he do? The pup liked him and he didn't want to do anything to hurt their relationship. But... Eight forty-four.... he had to learn respect as well. How would he treat them, when he became Alpha, when he had been spoiled?
Yes, Phillip saw things that others didn't. While his mate was Beta, he was still treated as a lower ranking wolf. The others, being somewhat dismissive, would talk about things in his presence or tell him things they wouldn't bring to Sampson or their Alpha. Since he also took care of the lawn and grounds he also saw things, either overt or covert.
Sigh. He grabbed Clay and tossed him back across the room.
Clayton yelped when he landed, then shook himself, growled, and charged Phillip.
Phillip, like all other males, had some fighting experience, some training. He stood his ground against the small pup's charge and batted him sideways when he got close enough.
Still mad, the pup launched himself at Phillip again, to the same effect. And again. And again. Eight fifty.
"Clayton, stop it." Clay looked at him and grumbled. "You have to learn to mind your mama. Everyone else does."
Clay huffed and turned his back, heading for one of the couches. Jumping on, he started to curl up, sniffed, and got off.
He sniffed the other couch, growled, checked the chairs, the beanbags, the clothes on the floor. "Yup, everything."
Continuing to growl, he walked over to on of Sampson's shirts, lifted his leg, and peed on it.
Phillip winced. It was the shirt that Phil really liked to see on his mate.
Clay then shoved a mess of clothes out of the way, clearing a space. He turned a circle three times and laid down, curling his tail over his nose.
Nine oh one.
It was nine twenty six when Phillip went to the door to let Sampson in. Clay cracked an eye and set up a low growl. Sampson sighed and turned to kiss his mate. Phillip, the more demonstrative of the two, grabbed Sampson, slid his hands around to his butt, and pulled him against him. The kiss got a little deeper.
The growl from the corner got a little louder.
With a pat on Phil's behind, Sampson pulled away and regarded the pup in the corner. A sniff. "Selene. What did he piss on?"
"Your green shirt."
Sampson closed his eyes and counted to ten. Then twenty.
He walked over, picked up the saturated item, and dropped it on top of the growling pup. "Mate, I don't think..." Bristling, Clay jumped up, shook off the shirt, and bit Sampson's leg.
Sampson snarled, shook the pup off, and started his shift.
Clay saw what was happening, yelped and scrambled to hide behind Phillip's legs.
Sampson chose intermediate form - a furred bipedal form sporting claws and a muzzle with long canines. It took practice and experience to maintain the form. The young had real difficulty with it. Some, actually, never got the hang of it and could only take wolven or human form. Phillip felt the pup also changing form behind him, to his more vulnerable human form.
Sampson strode across the room and grabbed Clay by the arm. His mate seemed fearful of what he might do and protective of the pup. The command was gravelly, "Get out." Phillip hesitated. "Now."
Clayton whined. [Mama.]
Stephanie heard her pup's call and started to move, stopped, steeled herself. She went back to what she was doing. While he might get some slight injuries, Sampson wouldn't hurt him badly.
Alone in the room, Sampson picked the Alpha heir up, clutching him to his chest. Sampson walked to a couch and sat as Clayton set up a growl and started to shift back to wolf.
It was two hours later that Sampson called his Alpha into the panic room.
Stephanie took a deep breath and dismissed Sharilyn. She walked out of her office, down the hall and the stairs to the panic room.
Phillip was sitting just outside the door and he looked up as she approached. [Alpha, I...] She waved him to silence.
They entered the room, which was a mess and smelled of urine.
Clayton was sprawled on Sampson's lap, asleep.
[He could only growl and whine so long.] Being that alert and keyed up was exhausting. [You owe me a new shirt.]
Stephanie smiled. [Indeed. Thank you, Sampson. I can take him.]
[I think it would be best if he woke up here, too.]
[You may be right. Alright. Phillip, you may join your mate.]
Phil came in. Sat beside Sampson and lifted Clayton's back end into his lap. A slow, sleepy growl escaped the pup, who quickly fell back asleep.
Stephanie smiled as she closed the door on the three. Phil had laid his head on Sampson's shoulder.
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Tina growled under her breath. He was here again. At the bar. Not paying attention to her though he would know she was in the building.
Damn. Sure, it was a public place but it felt like he was encroaching on her territory. She glanced that way and sat down with the guys. She decided, right then and there, that he was not gonna run her out of her place.
She kept an eye on him and saw him order and drink his second beer. She went up to get the next round.
