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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 6

Ben sat on the couch in the living room, deep in thought, replaying the encounter with Jack in his mind. As he did so, he became aware that he was now a much different person than the one who had entered that room. When Jack had challenged his fitness to lead the pack, the wolven side of him had become angry. But when the human had begun to suggest that Ben would abuse them just to feed his ego, he had gone from angry to furious. To imply that he would hurt them for pleasure or ego gratification was offense to both the human and the wolf within Ben, and their angers had fused together. *That must have been when it started,* he realized.

That anger had grown stronger and stronger the more the keeper had pushed him, but Ben, both man and wolf, wanted to show the human that he had been wrong. Ben didn't need to abuse anyone to prove how strong he was. He knew he was strong, and the only thing he needed from other people was for them to acknowledge that strength and submit to it. He had no need to bully others because he understood that his power was so strong that anyone who was even vaguely aware of it would recognize it for what it was. For Jack to have claimed that he would be so insecure as to repeatedly demonstrate his authority through violence against those who were weaker than him was repugnant to Ben.

That wasn't the kind of person the human or the wolf within Ben wanted to be. They both wanted to be strong, and they both wanted others to acknowledge that strength, true, but not to inflate their combined ego. ...Well, they did, but not in a cruel or malicious way. To be honest, they knew the difference, and it wasn't one that everyone could understand.

Bullies used their strength against those who were too weak to fight back. Half because they lacked the courage to fight back against a foe of equal or greater strength, but also because their egos were fragile things that needed constant reinforcing through repeated violence against weaker people. They did it to feel superior to others, even though the very mindset and methods they used were actually their weakness. If they could understand that their power came entirely from outside of themselves, and their violence was motivated by the intense fear of losing that power, they would see that they really had no power at all. That was why bullies were weak. They didn't have power of their own; they had to steal it from others.

But for Ben, it worked differently. He knew for a fact that he was strong. He didn't have to prove it to himself by trying to make himself look stronger than everyone around him. He had the confidence in and understanding of his own strength and power that no bully could ever truly comprehend. To Ben, his power was real, tangible, and he had no need to boost his ego by abusing others. He had no need to steal power away from others because he already had all the power he needed. His ego did demand that others acknowledge his power, true, but he did so through force of will and showing them his power, rather than by taking it by force from those too weak to fight back. The only thing he had to do was prove his power to others. Luke and Kyle understood. They had felt it. Jack understood that power as well. He had withstood that power, yes, but he had seen it and understood its depth. It wasn't as good as submitting as he should have done, but that was a battle for another time.

Ken would need to submit, of course, because Ben's newfound ego demanded it. He couldn't properly lead if his superiority wasn't recognized. It would make for an unstable pack dynamic. The pack was unstable enough as it was. They were all too busy trying to treat each other as equals that there was no discipline whatsoever. Ben had only known them for a day and a half, or so, but the instability of the pack's social structure was hard to miss. To humans, it would be the equivalent of a group of overly polite people all encouraging each other to be the first one out of a burning building until it collapsed in on top of all of them. No. They needed structure, guidance, and most especially, a strong leader to inspire them. Each wolf needed to know his place in the pack, unlike the muddled mess they were now. That would need to change if they were ever to become effective together.

Ben didn't want to do this merely for the sake of his ego. He wanted to do it because he genuinely cared about them. He wanted them to be strong and comfortable with their power, rather than submit for the sake of not making waves with those they thought to be stronger than themselves. He began to develop his plan, knowing that in the end, they would all be stronger for it.

But first things first. Ken would need to submit to his dominance, and so would Steve. Ken would be simple enough, of course. But Steve was another matter. Ben honestly loved his mate. He wanted Steve to be the strongest of the pack after himself, both because he saw the potential in the other wolf, the potential that Steve himself didn't recognize, but also because despite the deep-seated fear within him in regards to direwolves, he was the strongest of the betas. He was holding himself back without realizing it... Or maybe he did. There was a deep, underlying fear within his mate, and Ben wanted to know what, exactly, it was. There was something else, however, something that he wondered if Steve would understand...

He shook his head, coming out of his musings and wishes. He glanced over at the door that led into Jack's study. *It's so strange,* he thought. *The Ben who walked into that room is not the same one who came out. I'm a completely different person now. I can feel how much I've changed. I feel no doubts about myself anymore. No hesitation. I am now confident in my power and know that I can hold myself back when I need to. I really wanted to slash him to ribbons for the insult and challenge he made to me, but I didn't. I held myself in check. My discipline is much stronger than I thought it was. And when I realized that, the last barrier between man and wolf crumbled. I am now whole. When that happened, the person I had been, no, the PEOPLE I had been ceased to be and the creature I am now was born. My mind and attitude are completely different from before. The wolf in me became what he knew we both wanted to be, and the human found the strength and self-confidence he had always wanted but never had. He was so afraid that the power would consume him until he faded into nothing but a raving beast. I can tell he's glad he became what I am now... But that's not really true. I AM him, just as I am the wolf who was annoyed at his reluctance. We are now a single mind and heart, free from doubt and fear. Together, we are whole. And now 'we' are 'me'.* He chuckled.

*I am still Ben Summers. I remember learning to swim, the first time I was beaten up in school, the name of the first man I ever kissed. The old Ben isn't dead, he just became someone better. Someone he never thought he could be. The only true changes are in my attitude. I finally believe in myself. And with that, no more thinking of myself as a split personality. There's no need to keep the human and wolf separate anymore.*

He looked at the door again. Jack was awfully quiet in there. He took a few sniffs of the air, and caught a combination of two scents coming from the room beyond. One, provided by his human memories, was the smell of booze. The other, the identity of which was provided by his canine instincts, was the stench of intense fear. Ben had to fight hard not to laugh, not out of cruelty or any malicious intent at all, but he somehow found it very funny that Jack was drinking to try to overcome his fear. "You dirty little faker," he said quietly to himself. "I knew you were somehow suppressing your fear. All right my friend. We'll just pretend that I don't know you really were rattled by my power. But one day you'll have to submit. I meant everything I said to you. You're my friend, my keeper. I love and respect you... But one day you'll have to submit to me. That's the only way it can ultimately be. Eventually you'll come to understand that subservience and slavery are drastically different things, as far as I'm concerned."

He got up and walked to the front door, wondering where everyone was. He walked down the steps to the walkway at the end of the porch stairs and was about to let forth a howl of summons when he saw that he didn't need to. His pack and Jessica were walking up out of the darkness. "There you are," he said.

Jessica groaned. "Can we come home now? My feet are killing me!"

"I offered to carry you," Kyle said.

"Every time you do that, I nearly get beaten black and blue by your tail!" she retorted. Kyle scoffed. "Jack said he wanted some alone time with you to have a talk."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we hashed things out. You might want to go help him into bed. I'm pretty sure from the smell that he's too drunk to get there under his own power."

Jessica frowned in confusion. "Jack hardly ever drinks..." She glared at him, or rather, at his neck, depriving him of the chance to stare her down. She needn't have bothered; he'd tend to that later. "What did you do to him?" she asked sharply, making him bristle before he calmed himself down.

"He's fine," he answered, once he got himself under control. "He tried to goad me into killing him to test how far he could push me, but I never even touched him. He's just winding down after a stressful encounter," he lied, slightly, to ease her fears while helping Jack to maintain his dignity. The pack needed to believe he was as strong as an alpha, so Ben didn't try to shatter the illusion for them. "We came to an agreement and I took him as my keeper."

"What else did he talk to you about?" she asked suspiciously.

"You'll have to ask him about that. Now quit arguing and go see to him," Ben said firmly.

Jessica paused, taken aback, and eyed him suspiciously. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Jack helped me achieve harmony. The human and the wolf are now one within me and as such, my personality seems to have changed. But I'm still Ben. Go check in on Jack," he added. "I think he's about t-" he said, listening behind himself, then stopped with a wince of sympathy. "Yeah. He just fell out of his chair."

Jessica swore under her breath and headed inside to tend to her cousin.

"Ben?" Steve asked nervously. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ben answered, looking to each of them. None of them seemed to be tired, which fit his plan. "Come on," he commanded, and led the way out into the woods. They wouldn't be gone too long, and Jack was in no condition to care... Well, perhaps it would give him a small measure of relief if Ben was away for a bit, and what he had planned wasn't for Jessica to say anything for or against. This was a matter for werewolves, not humans. Everything he was doing was guided by instinct. Ben was more in touch with the primal wolf instincts than most werewolves, and those instincts were guiding his thoughts and actions from now on. He knew what he was doing was the right thing to do.

He led them further into the woods to a clearing they often used. The night was punctuated by alternating light and shadow from the shifting clouds and the waning gibbous moon behind them. Ben stopped and turned to them, ordered them all to strip naked as he removed his shorts until they were all properly naked as beasts like them should be, then regarded each of them. "Jack will be fine. I never hurt him, but after he saw my power, he wanted some alone time to mull over how I told him how I plan to use it. When he pushed me, trying to drive me to kill him, he actually helped me. When I proved to myself, and to him, that I can restrain myself and not let my rage consume me, the last of my fears and doubts were broken down, and I achieved harmony. The human and the wolf within me are now one. As such, my confidence has increased and my attitude has shifted. I'm sure you already realized how different I am from before."

"It's kind of hard not to," Kyle said meekly.

Ben snorted in amusement. "True." He turned to the Japanese man. "Ken. Come here."

Ken was nervous, he trembled, but did as he was told. He liked to joke and push people, but Ben could see he had no spine. He was the closest thing to an omega the pack had.

Once the lesser wolf stood before him, Ben stared at him. "Look at me," he ordered.

Ken stared into Ben's eyes, locking their gazes together. As he did so, he felt the power of the wolf before him and gasped in shock, his mind reeling at the power behind those eyes. He began to tremble in terror and dropped his gaze almost instantly, trembling so strongly that it almost looked like he was having a seizure. "Shhh," Ben said gently. "Calm yourself. I want your obedience, not your fear. Only fear me when I discipline you and know that the only times I will do so shall be whenever you have done something wrong and known it was wrong when you did it. I am not cruel. I do not believe in beating anyone as a matter of course. I will discipline you when needed, but I will not abuse you. Breathe, Ken. Breathe long and deep, and calm yourself."

Ken was shocked to hear someone so powerful say such things. It went against everything he had learned. But deep inside, it gave him hope, and he did as he was told; breathing slowly and deliberately until his trembling stopped. He was confused, but no longer terrified. "Look at my chin," he was ordered, and he did so, seeing a gentle smile full of strength and compassion that mixed with the pride in the set of his muzzle. "I will protect you. I will make you strong. You are my pack mate and I love you." He was doing this on purpose. They needed to understand that their fears of being dominated by a powerful alpha would not mean the end of them as a pack, or that they would be doomed to a lifetime of cruel beatings to keep them in their place. He was showing them what a REAL alpha was like, or at least the only kind of alpha he considered to be worthy of the title. Ken's chin trembled and he started to cry. Ben let him. His tears weren't ones of pain or fear. They were tears of hope. After a few minutes, he got himself under control. "Rejoin your mate," he was commanded gently, and he did so, sniffling as he went.

Ben turned his gaze, but he didn't have to. Steve had anticipated the summons and he stepped before his mate. Without a single word, gesture, or any indication at all, Steve knew what was expected of him. He lifted his eyes to those of the werewolf before him. He shuddered as he saw the power in Ben's eyes, and began to tremble despite himself.

He wanted to look away. Part of him screamed at him to do so, but he didn't. In fact, he couldn't... Simply because Ben didn't want him to. Feeling a deep, instinctual understanding, he stared back for as long as he possibly could, lasting well over a minute before his will finally ran out and he dropped his gaze, panting with exertion. Ben didn't pant. He wasn't even strained from the effort. Steve understood then why Ben had wanted him to go as long as he could. Ben wanted him to test his own strength and understand just how deep it went. He lifted his gaze tentatively, daring to go as high as the stronger wolf's nose.

"Look into my eyes," he was ordered, and he dared to meet Ben's gaze again. This time was easier. There was no intent to dominate in those glowing golden eyes this time. There was only love. Ben stepped up to him, looking upon him with pride and love. "You did it exactly the way I wanted you to. You've made me proud to call you my mate." He took Steve into his arms and kissed him deeply, their muzzles interlocked. Steve yielded as much out of love as out of respect and submission. Ben broke the kiss and pushed him backwards gently with a hand on his chest. Steve moved back to his spot and knelt with the others. Part of him was pleased to see that he had aroused his mate. Ben's erection glistened in the clouded moonlight, which cleared to shine from behind him. The effect wasn't something the alpha had planned, but it made for a striking image as he stood there, naked, proud and erect. A savage and lustful beast silhouetted against the glowing moon.

"Everything I said to Ken," he told them firmly, "Applies to each and every one of you. I am your alpha and I am here for you. I will fight for you. I will die for you. I will protect you and make you strong. We will become a pack that all will envy. I will teach you to find the strength within each of you that you cannot see is there. We will compliment and protect each other. I demand your submission and obedience, but I do not believe in cruelty. I will harm you only when you do things you know are wrong, and I will love you with all of my heart. You are my pack and I will always be here for you. Who is your alpha?"

"You are," they said, one by one, each speaking with love, respect and obedience.

"Then come forth and pay your respects," he commanded.

Steve came first, sensing what Ben wanted, and knelt before his alpha, then sniffed at the powerful werewolf's groin before giving the erect phallus a long, slow lick from the base to the tip. Ben rewarded him with a squirt of precum along the length of his muzzle. Sensing that Ben was done with him for the moment, Steve moved back into position.

Ben chose carefully. He looked to Luke. Honored, the beta came forth and repeated the ritual, sniffing, then licking, before the alpha anointed his muzzle with precum. He backed away, and Ben turned to Kyle, who came forth to honor his alpha, followed by Ken as the lowest of rank.

As Ken pulled away, Ben surprised him. "You are all my betas. This pack needs no omega. We're better than that," he growled. Then he spun Ken around, who knowing what was wanted of him, got on all fours, lifted his tail away and presented himself. Ben descended on him and shoved his precum-slickened phallus into the lowest beta, leaned over him to clamp down on the back of the neck in the mating bite, then humped him rapidly for several minutes, being careful not to penetrate too far in order to keep from tying with him, before releasing him. Ben moved to Kyle, reversing the order in which he went to them, establishing the ranks he knew they were most suited for, and mounted the lesser beta in the same manner. He released Kyle and turned to Luke, who submitted willingly.

Steve was already in position, but Ben went further. After all, the alpha's mate was supposed to get some kind of special consideration, so he pushed in as deep as he could, humping rapidly. Within seconds, his knot had inflated, and when he tried to pull out, both of their bodies resisted. He went wild with need, and humped Steve hard and fast as his furry balls drew up tight, then he lifted his head and howled to the night, letting the world know that an alpha was present. The betas all remained silent, knowing that this was their alpha's triumph and not something to be shared. They respected his power.

He came down from his orgasm several minutes later, and everyone waited patiently for his knot to shrink back down. In the back of his mind, he realized that his mate had been correct. Knotting someone felt incredible, and he no longer had any negative feelings about his canine shaft. In fact, he started to love it. He pulled free and stood, the others following him to their feet as he took a deep breath, the betas mirroring him...

And they howled their existence to the world...

*****

The pack returned to the house to find Jessica standing on the porch, looking furious. Ben sighed and motioned for the pack to wait behind. He walked up the porch steps to stand before the enraged woman, who trembled with fury. "What the fuck did you do to him?" she asked, and he bristled at the challenge in her voice, but kept his temper in check.

"I showed him my strength, my power. I let him know what he would be dealing with from now on."

"You did more than that!" she snapped. "He was nearly babbling. You better not have broken him! I thought you didn't want to be a thug, but I guess I should've known better than to hope-"

Ben snarled in her face to silence her. "I didn't break him. All I did was show him the full extent of my power. He'll recover. I don't want a slave. I want my keeper to be strong and capable! You know nothing about me! I'm not the same scared, broken and lonely man you first met! I found my power, and I'll tell you what I told him. The sole focus of that power is to protect my pack. I love them. They became the family I never had and always wanted. I will die to protect them! But I need your help and I have no intention of stealing them away from you and Jack, nor do I intend to abuse them! They deserve better than that, and if I have to die to keep them safe, then I'll do so gladly, if that's what it takes! I don't expect you to get it, but that's the way it is now!"

Jessica stared at Ben in shock. "What the hell happened to you? You're acting like a completely different person!"

"I found myself tonight. Jack helped me to do so. I'm not afraid of myself or what I can do anymore, and I know I'm not a murderer. The fact that Jack is passed out in his bed right now, rather than a mutilated corpse is proof of that." He sighed. "Jessica, I'll make the same promise to you that I made to him. I'll protect my pack and make them strong. I'm willing to work with you keep them safe, and during the fullness of the moon, I will keep them safe and together as a pack."

The woman looked at the werewolf as if seeing him for the first time. "I..." she hesitated. "You really mean that?" she asked.

"Yes. We will work together to keep them safe, happy and together. But Jessica... I'll warn you now. Never try to dominate me. I won't stand for it. I'm the alpha here, not you. In matters that relate only to werewolf stuff, my say is the last, but I'll work with you on everything else."

"Alpha?" she asked, then the blood drained from her face.

"Calm down!" he ordered. "I'm not a bully or a tyrant. I don't need to beat the shit out of them to cater to my own insecurities. I'm stronger than that and I love them too much to be cruel to them. I don't work that way."

He saw her relax, then waved in the pack, who came up to the house, looking tired. "Let's get to bed. Tomorrow is Friday and I need to get back to work before I lose my job."

"I have to work tomorrow too," Luke grumbled.

"I'm kind of in the same boat as you, Alpha," Steve added. "I've been skipping out on work too much and my boss is kind of pissed at me."

Ben led the way into the house. "I'll need a ride back to my apartment," Ben said. "Seeing as how you all effectively kidnaped me, I don't have my car to get me there," he added with a slight chuckle.

"I'll do it," Steve offered. "Besides, I'd like to see where you live."

Ben nodded at that with a smile, then looked around at his pack, all of whom looked at him with respect. Of them all, only Steve met his gaze. Luke kept his gaze no higher than Ben's nose, Kyle no higher than his chin, and Ken no higher than his chest. Good; they understood their places now. Knowing what he had to do to achieve his goal, Ben closed his eyes, took the power of the wolf, and pulled it inwards until it was gathered in his chest, triggering the transformation back into his human form. Now that his status was secure and the pack was beginning to stabilize, he no longer needed the continual manifestation of his power to maintain the status quo. Changing back felt strange to him, like he was becoming smaller... Lesser. It felt pleasurable, but in a way, disappointing. He was still the alpha, but he felt his power lay down inside of him, like it was settling down for a nap.

When he opened his once more hazel eyes, he still felt strong and confident, but no longer as savage and dominating as he had been since he had accepted his true nature. For the moment, he didn't need that part of himself. He noted the change in his demeanor with a 'hmph' of interest. Then the exhaustion of the day began to catch up with him, and he yawned. He opened his eyes to see the pack had followed his lead and returned to their human forms. As he looked at them, the part of him that had once been human was surprised. None of them looked like werewolves, but he supposed that that was the point of their human shapes; to allow them to blend into the world at large and interact with it.

Now that the dominance of the alpha was stored away, they looked at him as near equals, each able to meet his gaze without flinching away. Good. He wanted their respect and obedience, but not their slavish devotion.

He yawned again. It had been a long night. "Let's get to bed. After work, I'll stop by my place and pick up some things, then come back here." He turned to them. "My place is here with my pack," he added with a smile. "We belong together," he finished gently.

Kyle let out a human whimper of dismay. "That means even less food than before!" he whined. "Now I'll never get enough to eat!"

"Oh stop whining, you puppy," Ken teased. "At least you won't get fat."

"I won't get fat," Kyle countered with annoyance. "And don't call me a puppy!"

"But you're such a cute little puppy," Ken cooed, like he was talking to a baby.

Kyle snarled, his wolf surging forward as his temper grew.

"Knock it off!" Ben ordered, exerting his influence. The two stopped and turned to him, going submissive.

"Yes, Alpha," they each said.

"Ken," Ben told him. "I'm too tired to deal with this," he said firmly, letting his annoyance show without manifesting his wolven power. "Just stop picking on him and go to bed."

"Yes, Alpha," the Japanese man said, heading directly to the room he shared with Luke, his mate close behind him.

"Good night everyone," Ben said.

"Good night, Alpha," they each responded.

Kyle made his way to his own room. Ben hoped he wouldn't begin to feel lonely, now that he was the only member of the pack who was still unmated. He let Steve take him by the hand and lead him back to the room that they would share from now on. They settled into bed, naked in the dark, arm in arm. "Is Ken always like that?" Ben asked.

Steve scoffed. "You have no idea," he said with a pained expression.

Ben sighed. "I guess he'll need to be disciplined more often than the rest."

"He's kind of used to it," Steve answered in an offhanded manner, as though mauling Ken was a frequent occurence. "He's such a smart ass that his mouth keeps landing him in trouble. To be honest, if you don't have to discipline him at least once a week, I'll be surprised." He felt Ben sigh wearily after a few quiet moments. "You okay?"

"Has it really only been two days?" the alpha asked, sounding stunned. "Everything's happened so quickly. Three days ago I didn't even know that werewolves even existed and just a few hours ago my personality was completely different; nearly the opposite from the way I am now. Now that I'm in harmony, I feel like a totally different person than the one I used to be. I like the new me, but everything has happened so fast. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it."

"The important thing is that you've accepted yourself as you are and found harmony within yourself between man and wolf. An experience like that can have some pretty profound consequences. It's only natural to feel the way you do. When I first became a werewolf, it was so shocking that I spent the first few nights crying about it. I thought I'd never have a normal life again and I'd have to live out in the woods for the rest of my life like some crazy old hermit."

"How where you changed?" Ben asked.

"I was in college and there was a frat party. I found this really hot guy, we got really drunk together, and started making out in a closet. He started growling and I thought it was really hot, so I told him not to stop. He asked me if I liked to do it like an animal and I was so turned on that I said I wished I could always do it that way. He seemed surprised and asked if I meant it. I said yeah, he turned me around and started fucking me. I begged him not to stop, calling him a sexy beast, and suddenly my shoulder was in fire. He got so worked up that he'd bitten me. Luckily, I survived and became a werewolf. He got into so much trouble for that," Steve said slowly, remembering those days with amusement.

"That's how it happened for me. It was a really rough adjustment at first, but I was taken in by his pa-..." He stopped, his voice locking up with emotion. He sniffled, the memories too painful to bear as he was forced to recall what had happened in the end, his body beginning to tremble.

Ben took him into his arms and held him. "Steve, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry..." Steve answered thickly with effort. "It's just... I don't want to remember that... What happened..." He sobbed as the pain overtook his heart.

Ben let him cry himself out, holding and comforting him until the beta regained his composure. "Steve," Ben pressed. "What happened? You used to be part of another pack?

What happened to them?"

Steve shuddered in fear. "Please stop," he begged. "Please don't make me talk about it. It hurts too much to remember. I can't-... I just can't."

"Shh," Ben soothed. "I'm sorry that it hurts you, but I really need to know. I want to know what hurt you so badly. I want to understand."

"I don't want to remember. I know you love me and that you want to help me, but every time I start to remember..." Steve stopped and swallowed hard. "If you really want to know, ask the others. They already know about it, and it's okay with me if you want to ask them. But please don't make me relive that night. It hurts too much."

"Okay. I won't make you talk about it. It's just that I love you and I want to help you to become strong again. I can tell you once were strong, but not anymore. I want you to be strong again. For me, for yourself, and for the pack."

"I know," Steve said softly.

"Let's get some sleep," Ben said.

Steve rolled over and pressed his back to Ben's front, the later getting a slight stir of pleasure at the warm body that pressed against him so sensuously with eagerness. He rested his chin on Steve's shoulder and caressed his arm gently as he breathed in the masculine scent of his mate that was polluted with fear. Ben stayed awake longer than Steve, wondering what had broken the wolf in his arms and robbed him of his strength.

He resolved to find out...

*****

Ben let himself into his apartment with Steve close behind, feeling as though he was stepping into another world, or at least a museum, of sorts. Steve's canine curiosity came to the fore, and he started sniffing around eagerly. The scent was a mixture of the old and new Bens, fading traces of his human scent being replaced by the newer, muskier canine scent of his new werewolf nature. One thing, however stood out. "Don't your friends ever visit?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. Be's scent was the only one in the apartment.

Ben sighed. "I never had any really close friends. Other than me, you're the first person to set foot into this apartment since I moved in two years ago, not counting maintenance."

Steve frowned at that, but understood. Ben had not felt comfortable around others. But now that he was an alpha, the power of his wolf would help to boost his confidence and make him more outgoing. Steve was certain of this as before he had received the gift, he had been almost cripplingly shy.

"Here," Ben said, handing over his phone. "Put your number in there while I get ready for work." Then he smiled. "I want to be able to call my mate later."

"Okay," Steve smiled as Ben walked down the hallway to the bathroom. "Thanks for the clothes, by the way," he said behind him. "To be honest, I'm starting to wonder if my own things will even fit."

"It happens sometimes. When a person has a strong wolf, their human form gets a bit bigger to compliment it," Steve said. Once Ben had awoken that morning and saw himself in his human form in the mirror at the pack's house, or the 'den' as they liked to think of it, he had expressed surprise that his human form was now slightly bigger, somewhat more muscular, and a fair deal hairier than before. It wasn't something that happened to all werewolves once they first changed, but that showed just how powerful his wolf was.

Even in human form that power was evident. The side affect of this, of course, was that he'd gone up a size or two in clothing, and his old human clothing was now much tighter on his body and his shoes no longer fit as he'd gone up two and a half sizes in footwear. Lucky for him, Steve was only slightly smaller, even in human form, than him, so he had borrowed some of his mate's clothing to get by on until he could go shopping on the weekend.

He had also grumbled about how scruffy and overgrown his beard had become. "Get used to it," Steve had told him gently. "Our hair grows much faster than that of humans, so you'll need to groom yourself at least twice a day, more if your hair-growing genes are more active than most werewolves." Ben had only sighed at that with annoyance. He'd adjust to the new routine in time, Steve knew. It had taken him time to get used to all of the changes as well; especially having to give up being a vegetarian. As a human, Steve had been unable to condone the cruel practices of slaughterhouses. But once he had become a werewolf, and meat had become the necessary mainstay of his diet, he had been forced to change his standards as they would only have lead to starvation if he hadn't.

Steve heard the electronic whine of a beard trimmer start up in the bathroom, and turned his attention to the iphone... Which wasn't an iphone. The front was covered in a full miniature keypad, so packed with buttons that it was nearly impossible to press only one. "What kind of phone is this?" He called down the hallway, raising his voice slightly to carry over the sound of the trimmer.

"A TracPhone," Ben said. "You need help working it?"

"No, but why not get an iphone?" he asked, half in confusion and half in amusement.

"I'm not the kind of person to spend all day chatting over the phone and the plans for those fancier phones are too expensive to be worth the effort for me. That phone you're holding only needs minute cards added every three months. I'll take seven dollars per month over fifty for my phone bill any day of the week."

Steve shook his head sadly at that, but worked the phone easily enough. He saw that it at least had a camera, then grinned to himself mischievously. Looking to see if the coast was clear, Steve snuck into the kitchenette, pulled down his pants and boxers, then took careful aim and snapped a pic. He looked at the image and smiled to himself, then pulled up his shorts and pants. He wondered how long it would take Ben to find the picture. He was a fast typist and had a good memory for numbers, and he went beyond the alpha's instructions and entered the numbers for the Den, the cell numbers for each pack member and the keepers, then the work numbers for all of them as well.

Ben came down the hallway just as he finished entering the last number. "What took you so long?" he asked with a frown. "Did you have trouble figuring out how to work it?"

"No, I just added all the numbers you'll need to keep in touch with all of your pack and keepers. That way you can reach any of us easily."

Ben smiled at that and moved up to embrace him. "My thoughtful Beta," he said as a small portion of the alpha personality stirred. "My clever mate... I love you."

"I love you too, my mighty alpha... My studdly mate," Steve said, stroking the alpha's ego.

Ben growled in approval and arousal, then kissed Steve passionately as his sex drive stirred. He lifted his hand to caress Steve's face and paused, his eyes wide with surprise when he saw that his claws had sprouted without his consent. He stopped and pulled back slightly, watching in worry as the claws retracted back into human fingernails on their own. "What happened?" he asked with concern. "I didn't trigger the transformation."

"It's fine," Steve told him soothingly. "It happens automatically whenever we get aroused. Our passion makes the wolf come out on its own. It's natural for us."

"Can I keep it from happening?" Ben asked with worry.

Steve nodded. "It takes concentration, but you can repress the wolf and still be horny. It's just not as much fun," he teased, making Ben scowl lightly. "My advice? Don't let yourself become aroused in public. Masturbate if you know you'll be out in public for several hours to help take the edge off... Maybe more than once, if you want to be on the safe side."

Ben sighed. "I better get going if I'm going to make it to work on time. My boss is not going to be very happy with me as it is. She'll be really pissed if I come in late today. You work at a gas station, right?"

Steve nodded with a grimace. "It's not a great job, but it helps pay the bills and grocery expenses. See you tonight," he said with a final kiss, before he let himself out.

Ben grabbed a frozen meal... And then a second one, taking two salisbury steak tv dinners out of the freezer to tide him over at lunch, then left for work...

*****

He arrived on time and was stopped by Barbara calling him into her office. He steadied his nerves as he entered and closed the door at her 'request' as he rephrased it to sooth his irked alpha pride. He couldn't afford to lose control, so he reigned in his instincts as he turned to face his manager.

"Ben, if you're going to be out sick, you need to call right away, not wait a day to tell us you can't come in to work."

He sighed and told her the lie he had come up with. "To be honest," he said, knowing he was doing the almost exact opposite, "I spent an entire day stuck either in bed or at the toilet. When I wasn't spewing from one end or the other, I was sweating with fever and in pain with stomach cramps. I suppose that's what I get for trying to treat myself out." The woman flinched at his vulgar description, clearly not wanting to know. "I'm sorry I didn't call the first day, but it hit me really hard."

"You look pretty healthy for a man who was bedridden with food poisoning," she said suspiciously. "In fact, you look taller... larger than before."

"I started working out a few weeks ago," he said, having thought this through. "Is it already starting to show?" he asked, molding his face into an expression of surprise.

"Somewhat, yes," she answered slowly.

"I'm sorry it happened, but don't worry. I think my record speaks for itself. I mean how many times have I called in sick in the three years I've worked here?" he added, knowing it had only been once before.

She seemed mollified by that. "Alright, but next time you get sick, call in anyways," she ordered, making the alpha in him bristle. He forced it down with effort. "That's it," she said, dismissing him.

As he left her office and headed back to his desk, Ben reflected that it was very fortunate he could control himself. *Besides,* he told himself consolingly, *she's not worth the effort to dominate.*

Ben sat down at his desk and logged onto his computer. He jumped when his phone rang, startling him. It took effort to keep himself from shifting forms, and he calmed himself with effort before he answered it. It was a client who had questions on her loan, and he helped her work through them with patience before he ended the call. As he hung up, he glanced down at the phone, then turned the volume down to near minimum on the ringer, and the next time it rang, he didn't react in panic.

As the day drug on, he began to learn how to adjust to his stressful work life without the threat of losing control...

*****

After work ended, He took a moment to log onto his bank account and saw that even though it was still a week before his next payday, he had enough money left to get by on and do what he needed to. He left work and drove to walmart to do some clothes shopping. It wasn't cutting edge stuff, but Ben had never cared about fashion and he needed a few new sets of work clothes. He bought the cheapest pants and shirts he could, then looked for shoes that would fit. His shoe size had jumped from elevens to fourteens, so he hunted out a cheap, passable pair that were extra wide. In truth, he was actually a size thirteen and a half, but had always liked shoes a half size larger for the extra comfort they provided, and found a passable pair that while not in the style he preferred, would be close enough until payday when he could hunt for a better pair.

As he made his way out of the shoe department, he stopped to find his way blocked by two men and a woman. The man in the middle was large, burly and beared with nearly black hair and deep brown eyes that lacked any warmth to them. He stood there, his arms crossed before him, wearing a dark blue, undecorated t-shirt and jeans over lumberjack boots. The man to his one side was a light blonde with a beard and the kind of pale blue eyes that were nearly made of ice. The expression in them was even colder than the color of them as he hovered at the other man's left side in a horizonal striped brown and black shirt with jeans and brown sneakers over his thin frame. The woman stood to the far right, built lean and athletic, her hip thrust out to the side with the same attitude that was on her face and brushing long, multi-brown colored hair that was clearly died that way way from her light brown eyes. She was wearing a black halter top, an obscenely short matching skirt that was snug to the body, and knee-high black leather boots with zippers along the outsides. She was smacking gum in a bored fashion with ruby lips and dark eye shadow as she looked Ben over with a similar expression on her face, as though she thought he wasn't worth the time. Then she glanced down into his cart, took one look at his choice of clothes, and wrinkled her nose with distaste at his choice of attire.

Ben bristled at that, in fact, at all three of them, then he acted on reflect and took a whiff...

Werewolves. All three of them.

The expressions on their faces, full of contempt, made the alpha's instincts stir, and he glared at them, meeting the eyes of the man in the center levelly; they were nearly similar in height. "What do you want?" he asked rudely.

The eyes of the male wolf flared golden with suppressed rage at that, but Ben wasn't impressed. "So you're the one, huh?' the burly man said in a deep, rumbling baritone that sounded more like a bear than anything else. "You're the one who had the balls to announce yourself last night." He said it as a statement, rather than as a question. Ben knew what the other wolf meant. His howl of declaration had traveled for miles. The man came forward. "The name's Berke. Remember it."

"Ben," he answered, not backing down. "Yeah, I've heard of you," he said coldly, hating the werewolf by reputation.

"Word has it that you got lucky and survived being hunted by a dire."

"It was tenacity, not luck," Ben corrected him, making Berke growl in resentment for being corrected.

Berke looked around, frowning. "Funny, I thought I smelled that worthless cur Steve around here." He hadn't realized that it was the lingering scent of Steve on the borrowed clothes Ben was wearing that he smelled.

Ben snarled before he could stop himself, his eyes flaring gold. "Watch your mouth! That's my mate you're insulting!"

Berke looked at Ben with utter disgust. "Another lousy faggot, huh?" he said, making Ben snarl as his fangs began to emerge. He fought back his instincts, knowing that this wasn't the place to let them run free. "So those worthless mutts found someone with a spine. Well don't snap at me, mongrel! I'm not some gutless puppy who'll tuck his tail between his legs the first time someone snorts in their general direction."

Ben's anger spiked sharper. How dare this piece of shit talk about his pack that way! "I don't give a flying fuck who you are, you filthy homophobe! I'm not weak or stupid enough to give into narrow-minded prejudices!" Ben began to pour his power into his eyes, showing the fool who and what he was dealing with.

Berke growled, his eyes flashing gold in response to the challenge, pushing back with his own stare and power.

"Mommie!" a young girl called out from nearby. "Look at their eyes!"

Alarmed, Ben and Berke snapped their eyes closed. Then they opened them again, they were the hazel and brown human eyes that glared into each other.

"Emma! Don't be rude," the girl's mother said sharply, glancing at the four people with a worried expression. Some instinct, borne of survival, told the woman to take her child and leave as quickly as possible.

"This isn't the place for something like this," Ben told his newfound enemy bluntly.

The other werewolf growled in annoyance. "Eagle Rock, two am. Bring those currs with you. They need to see what a cocky attitude gets arrogant little punks like you. Let's go," he said to his betas, and the three left with glares of contempt.

Ben calmed himself, grabbed his cart, and made a beeline for the registers. He had little time to prepare...