Wolf's Pet

A lone figure stood outside the compound, watching the sky, waiting. His muscled body stood out in the light of the moon. He looked like the proverbial statue of David.

Carr looked up at the moon, half full, one week left until the Wolf Moon. There was so much to do, so much they still didn't know. The bright light in the sky was mesmerizing to his wolf who wanted to howl. He wanted the world to know his frustration. This was his pack, and he would protect it, whatever it took.

His concentration was broken by the sound of trucks on the road. He knew who it was. He strained to see the lead vehicle coming down the winding roadway. He could just barely make out the female figure in the passenger seat. He felt her joy and sent her his own.

She could see the silhouette in the moonlight. She knew it was Carr. She couldn't wait for the truck to drive on the meandering road. "Pull over Trey." She barely waited for the truck to stop before she pushed open the door and leapt out. She didn't even bother to take off her clothes before she shifted. She had to see him now.

He saw the blond wolf cutting across the open rocky ground, making a bee line for him. He smiled and shifted quickly. The chocolate brown wolf ran to meet her half way.

She heard his howl of greeting and returned it wholeheartedly. She hated being away from him and hoped it never had to happen again. But now she was back, and she'd make sure he knew she had missed him terribly. It seemed like it was taking forever to run across this field but soon enough she was skidding to a halt in front of her beloved mate.

They stood for a moment, staring into each others eyes. He moved first and slowly approached her, rubbing his face against hers. "I've missed you so much love. This place just isn't the same without you. I promise never to send you away again."

His words in her mind almost brought her to tears. She licked his face all over. She had dreamt of this for two whole weeks, and she was going to be sure that her homecoming left an indelible print on his mind, and his body. A gleam entered her eyes, and she playfully ran around him, dropping to her elbows and wagging her whole body. Her wolf wanted to play.

Two could play at that game. He smiled to himself and took off at a dead run towards the woods. He glanced behind and saw the blond wolf doing her best to keep up. As soon as he hit the tree line he slowed to allow her to catch up. He stopped behind a tree and waited. He saw the flash of bright colored fur and jumped out in front of her, startling her to a stop.

Her sides were heaving as she tried to catch her breath, her tongue lolling. He rubbed his body all along hers. He turned to move behind her and his nose picked up her scent, cedar and lilac. He bent down to lick at her wetness.

The blond she-wolf let out a surprised yip and ran to his right.

He growled as he grabbed hold of the scruff of her neck. He was done with playing. His green eyes were filled with lust as he looked at the love of his life.

She immediately rolled on her back, exposing her neck and belly to her mate, her Alpha. She lay still, waiting for his acceptance.

He slowly moved along her body, his nose probing her fur, moving from her neck to her belly. Of course she knew he would never hurt her, but wolf instinct was strong, and he had to prove his dominance, and she her submission.

His tongue flicked along her wet folds and she slowly turned onto her stomach and raised her hips, her face to the ground. His tongue pushed deeper, tasting her for the first time in two weeks. He stopped for a second to howl his pleasure to the moon.

In the distance they could hear the howling of the other reunited mates. This might be their last chance to spend time alone. Tomorrow Xylon said he would have a demonstration for them. And then, all hell would break loose, he was sure. Tonight was for his mate. He belonged to her.

Danielle and Rebecca were walking through the compound, enjoying their new found freedom. There was so much activity tonight with the pack members returning from the mountains. They watched friends greeting each other with back slaps and hearty laughter. A scream made them whirl around, just in time to see Jessica leap into Bryant's waiting arms. They both giggled and blushed as Jessica wrapped her legs around her mate's hips and covered his face in kisses. But when they started tearing off their clothes the women turned away, not wanting to see too much. They weren't used to all the nudity that went on in the pack.

"Maybe we should go back to our room." Danielle turned to look straight ahead at Rebecca, trying not to look around. She didn't want to look like she was staring. But it was hard not to. She let out a shriek when a grey wolf rushed past her, knocking her off her feet. She was just about to hit the ground when a strong arm caught her and pulled her into a hard body. She looked up into the most beautiful dark brown eyes. She blinked, imagining he was a dream and she'd awaken to laying on the ground in a heap. But he was still there. He had a wide grin and a shaggy mop of black hair that fell over his eyes. She slowly reached up and pushed a lock of hair away from his forehead, smoothing it with the palm of her hand.

"Are you OK?" He gazed into her hazel eyes and knew she was his. He inhaled slowly and deeply and then let it out, not wanting the scent to leave him. He couldn't believe it. Here she was, in his arms. He leaned in closer and felt the scent washing over him, vanilla and strawberry. He closed his eyes and savored it, his face buried in her neck. Neither of them moved.

Rebecca was stunned by the sight of the handsome Werewolf holding her friend in such an intimate way. She knew they'd never met, they'd barely been out of their room in the Omega quarters since they'd gotten here. She was just about to say something when she heard the most amazing voice. She looked towards it and was dumbfounded to see an almost exact double of the man holding Danielle.

"Bro, this isn't Dancing with the Stars. You look like you're doing one of those Tango moves. Let up man. You're gonna scare her." Trey laid a hand on Troy's shoulder to get his attention and heard a low growl emanating from his brother's chest. He slowly backed away and brought his hand down. "No worries Troy, she's yours." It was then he noticed the woman standing next to him, staring from him to Troy. He caught the scent of vanilla and apple and smiled.

"Are you twins?" Rebecca still couldn't believe how much they looked alike. The only difference was the red line across his throat. Was it a scar? Other than that she couldn't make out any differences at all. He even had the same unruly lock of hair over his eyes. She absent mindedly reached up and pushed it out of his face and then immediately dropped her hand and looked at the ground, embarrassed for being so forward.

Trey's hand caught her chin and slowly brought her face up to look into his. "I'm Trey. The guy doing the dance move on your friend is Troy, and yes, we're twins." He couldn't believe their luck, to both find their mates at the same time, and at such a young age. They weren't even one hundred yet. So many in the pack hadn't found mates at twice and three times that age. He couldn't look away from her hazel eyes as her scent overwhelmed his senses. "And you are?"

"Um, I'm, uh..." Rebecca couldn't get the words out. She just stared into his beautiful dark brown eyes.

"Her name is Rebecca and she's my mate's best friend so you better never hurt her Trey." Lila had a big grin on her face. This was wonderful. Nathan had been worried Rebecca would find a mate away from the pack. They were good friends, Lila had become good friends with her too and didn't want her to leave either. "Rebecca I'm so happy for you. I can't wait to tell Nathan you've found your mate. And I see Danielle has too. This is wonderful."

"Mate?" Rebecca and Danielle said the word at the same time. They looked at each other and the men standing so close they could feel the heat emanating from their gorgeous bodies.

"Nathan come here and meet Rebecca's mate." Lila was looking over their heads to her mate who was unloading the trucks.

He ran over and took in the scene, Rebecca and Danielle's confused expressions and the silly grins on Troy and Trey's faces.

A loud howl was heard in the compound. All movement stopped for a moment and then there was laughter and smiles all around.

"What was that? Why does everyone look so happy?" Rebecca was looking around at the smiling faces surrounding them.

"It was the Alpha. He's with his mate." Trey looked lovingly at Rebecca. "The Alphas being apart is always stressful for the pack. Knowing they're together lets everyone know things will be OK again. I know they will be for me." He reached out and gently stroked her face.

"OK lovebirds. Let's get these trucks unpacked and then you can all get to know each other better." Lila was the Alpha Bitch's second, and since Lee was busy with the Alpha, it was her job to make sure things got done around here. She wasn't going to let a little thing like finding their mates interfere with that. At least not for the moment.

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Xylon and Jeff were making the final preparations as Carr entered with his Betas. Alistair and Rhys followed a few minutes later. The remainder of the Council were close behind. Once all were assembled Xylon nodded to the security guards who brought Kyle into the observation room. He was still in the specially made straightjacket that could contain him in either of his forms. He was no more compliant than at the beginning, throwing himself against the walls and fighting every step of the way.

"You know I heard some of the Wilson Betas talking, and they said Kyle had always been the quiet type. Guess they haven't seen him lately." Cole couldn't imagine having a friend who turned into one of these things. He really hoped Kyle would be able to go home.

"If this works, maybe he'll return to his old self. Just pray we get it right the first time." Xylon didn't look forward to multiple test trials. He hoped his laboratory's results were correct and repeatable. If not, it was back to the drawing board. And he really didn't think they'd have time for more testing anyway.

"Unfortunately, the best way to introduce the agent to turn off the Dire Wolf gene is by aerosol. Not the easiest to apply, but the other methods just didn't seem to work at all, or not as well. I really don't know how you'll do this outside of a controlled environment like this." Xylon seemed almost apologetic.

"Let us worry about that Xylon. Let's see if it works first." Carr was getting impatient. He wasn't used to dealing with scientists. He didn't like all this waiting around for tests and experiments. He was used to just acting.

Kyle was staring at them through the window, daring them to do something. He snarled and growled and hurtled himself at the window. The Council members jumped back when he hit the pane.

Cole and Brett exchanged amused glances. Guess it had been a long time since those Council members did much other than sit in their chambers. They were nothing like Alistair and Rhys who still acted like Werewolves.

A commotion at the doorway got everyone's attention. "I should be there. He's my son. I want to speak with Carr, now." Morgan Wilson's voice reverberated through the hallway.

Carr walked to the door. "We didn't ask you to come because we just weren't sure what would happen and wanted to save you any more heartache than you've gone through already Morgan."

"I appreciate that, but I prefer to be here with my son." Morgan looked at Carr, not breaking his gaze until Carr nodded his approval. They walked back to the observation room quietly.

"Go ahead Xylon." Carr leaned against a wall and kept half his attention on Morgan.

Xylon pushed a button that released the substance into the room holding Kyle. Everyone watched intently.

Kyle could feel the difference in the air but couldn't see or smell anything. What was it? He had to escape. He had to get away. He threw himself into the door, but it didn't budge. He looked through the window with hatred etched on his face. These inferior Werewolves couldn't over power him. He wouldn't let them. He would fight them to the death. He continued to throw himself with all his strength into the walls and door. He didn't notice the wounds he was inflicting on himself, he didn't care.

Carr watched Morgan Wilson closely. He saw the grief on his face as he watched his son trying to fight. He saw him wince when the first blood splattered on the window. He saw him turn his head when Kyle pounded his bleeding head into the window.

Jeff kept on eye on the stopwatch in his hand. If this is how all of the Dire Wolves were going to react he didn't know how they could get this to work. In the open they wouldn't be able to concentrate the gas or keep them in one place long enough for them to take in enough of the gas.

Kyle finally ran out of steam and stood in a daze in the middle of the room. He was gasping for breath which only served to bring the gas deeper into his lungs. After a few minutes, his eyes rolled back and he passed out, falling to his side.

Morgan ran to the window and looked at his son laying on the floor, not moving. "Is he alive?" He couldn't take his eyes off his son. He felt tears forming and was glad Carr was the only other Alpha here. Torrance and Campbell would never let up if they saw him break down.

"He's alive. This will take some time. We have to be patient." Xylon wished Morgan Wilson hadn't shown up. They had purposely not asked him here for this very reason.

After an hour of watching Kyle laying on the floor in a heap most of the Council members had left the room. Those remaining had taken a seat, except for Morgan who stayed at the window, watching his son's every breath.

Two hours later Kyle was moaning and starting to move. Everyone moved to the window to get a closer look.

"How did he get that straightjacket loosened? We're not going to be able to fix it now. I didn't notice that when I looked earlier." Brett was mad at himself for not paying closer attention to that when they might have done something about it.

Cole cocked his head as he looked at the form laying on the floor. "I don't think it loosened, I think he's smaller."

"He is smaller, less muscular. Maybe it's worked?" Morgan sounded hopeful.

Kyle coughed and opened his eyes. He looked around the room, at the blood covering the walls, and felt the pounding in his head. What the hell was going on? Where was he? He looked at the window and saw his father's worried face. He smiled at him. "Father, what-what happened to me?"

"Kyle, you've been sick, you haven't been yourself. You're going to come home with me soon though. I promise." Morgan looked elated as he spoke to his son for the first time in months.

The door opened and Jeff walked in flanked by security guards. "Kyle, I'm a doctor and I'm going to help you." He nodded to the security guards who carefully removed the straightjacket and helped Kyle to a chair.

The guards still carried the tranquilizer darts, ready to act at a moment's notice. If they were slow to act, the doctor would die. They'd seen what these Dire Wolves could do. They didn't want to see it again if they could help it. But even they could see that Kyle was different, calmer, smaller.

Jeff treated Kyle's wounds which were already healing. It was interesting though that they hadn't started to heal until he'd woken up. Jeff would make sure to add that to his notes for future reference. His body looked like a normal Were now, not a Dire Wolf. He was smaller, with normal musculature, and a much calmer demeanor.

"What was wrong with me Doc? I feel like I've been sleeping for a year. What happened to my head?"

Jeff couldn't believe the difference. But then again, since Werewolf cell structure changed so readily because of their nature, then it would make sense that genes would be turned on or off just as quickly. "You were changed genetically. Do you remember anything about it? About how it happened?" Jeff tried to sound nonchalant about it. He didn't want Kyle to know how important his answers really were.

"The last thing I remember is going on a hunt with Gary and Paul and the Betas from the pack. I couldn't keep up with them, and I was really winded. Gary had oxygen with him and let me take some whiffs of that. And to tell you the truth, that's the last I really remember. After that, maybe there's bits and pieces, but more like a dream than anything else." He watched as the doctor took a couple tubes of blood from him. "What's that for?"

"We just want to make sure you're healthy. We're going to send it to a special lab. Just to make sure you're OK." Jeff smiled at him and patted his shoulder. The wounds on his head were fully healed. So his healing was back to normal. Jeff turned to the window and gave a thumbs up sign to Carr.

"Morgan, go ahead and see your son." Carr watched Wilson rush into the room and embrace his son. "We need to figure out how we're going to use that gas. Obviously we're not going to be able to give them a mask and tell them to inhale. We need to look at those maps again." Carr walked out of the room with Cole and Brett following on his heels.

"Xylon, good work. Thank your employees for me and the Council." Alistair smiled at his co-council member as he followed Carr out the door. Now he could start thinking of how he would save his mate without getting killed in the process. In the scenarios he'd done in his head he always ended up disemboweled by Gary and Paul.

Rhys put an arm over Alistair's shoulder as they walked out. He couldn't imagine what Alistair was going through with his mate at the mercy of a megalomaniac Dire Wolf.

"Your mother will be happy to have you home. That is, if you want to go home?" Wilson was hopeful he'd want to come home. But if he didn't, he would respect that as well. His son hadn't found a mate in their pack which was what led him to leave in the first place. If he still felt his best chance was to go elsewhere, he would make himself understand.

"I was afraid to ask if I was welcome. Yes, I want to come home. I'm sorry I left. Gary lied about a lot of things. I don't remember a lot but what I do remember, I'm ashamed of." He bowed his head and began to cry.

Morgan pulled him close and hugged him tight. His mate would be happy to have their son home. And so would he.

"Let's get Kyle to the hospital huh?" Jeff and the guards were waiting for them at the door.

Kyle and his father, the Wilson Alpha, walked arm and arm through the hospital, flanked by Kyle's security guards. Kyle was talking animatedly with his father when his attention was drawn away. He stopped mid stride and looked into the open door they were passing. The pale figure in the bed didn't look up. Kyle waved Jeff over. "Doctor, what's wrong with her? She looks so sad."

Jeff was taken aback for a moment. "Cheryl has had a very traumatic week. Let's get you to your room."

"But she looks like she could use a friend." Kyle couldn't look away from her. He started to move towards the room.

"Kyle, what are you doing? She's been banished from this pack. As soon as she's well enough she'll be sent out on her own." Morgan tried to pull his son away from the room, but he wouldn't budge.

Jeff could see the tell tale signs. There would be no keeping Kyle from Cheryl. But would Cheryl respond? "I don't think you'll be able to keep him from her." Jeff looked from Cheryl, so frail in her bed, to Kyle, a look of amazement on his face.

Morgan let go of his son who immediately went to her bedside. He took her hand in his and smiled down at her. He leaned forward and inhaled deeply, cloves and orange. She was his. He would help her recover. Kyle looked up at his father. "She will come home with us." His father nodded.