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Chapter 5: Why

5 Months Ago

He lied alone in his den and etched doodles in the dirt with his claw, but he was unaware of this action, as his thoughts weighed heavily elsewhere, to a time when simplicity melted into complexity and life as everyone knew it changed forever. He did not know what to think on the day that his leader abolished the Alpha Law; truth be known he still didn't know what to think, but in the pit of his stomach, he felt betrayal clash violently with anger. He and Winston were always close friends, even when differences of opinion surfaced, but he sometimes doubted his friend's ability to make good decisions; and this was, in his mind one of the worst decisions that he and Eve could have possibly made. When Winston's grandfather elected to disallow alphas from marrying omegas all those years ago, he did so for good reason. An alpha's genes were pure, with generations of courage, strength and cunning. An alpha was the backbone of the pack, the vital structure which held it all together, but omegas were none of those things. Omegas were lazy, childish, and irresponsible. If these polar traits were to mingle, heaven only knew what the future might hold for the pack which he so dearly loved. Weak alphas made them a target for those who may seek to destroy them, and if alphas were giving birth to omega pups, or even alpha pups with omega traits, soon enough, the pack may find itself in a position of collapse.

He sighed and lowered his eyes to the dirt, and once he realized that he had been doodling, he huffed once and lazily erased his drawings with his paw.

What was he supposed to do? He loved Winston like a brother, but the direction in which he foresaw the leader taking them could only lead to annihilation. How could he claim to love his pack if he allowed it to be molested by politics?

The sound of a throat being cleared drew his eyes to the front of the den, and when they fell upon Victor, a small smile came to life upon his lips.

"Ah, good evening, Victor," he greeted as he slowly rose to his paws, "what brings you here?"

Victor entered his den and paused before him.

"Business, old friend," Victor replied as he took a seat.

"At so late an hour?" Hutch inquired as he, too, eased back onto his haunches.

"Unfortunately this matter could not wait for a more convenient frame of time," Victor said through a sigh, "it is of the utmost importance."

Hutch nodded slowly.

"Okay, so what is it?" he asked quizzically, "is something wrong?"

"Something is wrong," Victor replied, "very wrong, and it is up to us to stop it."

Hutch's eyebrows furrowed.

"Has the job gotten to you already?" he joked, "you're not making much sense."

"This is serious, Hutchinson," Victor urged, "now I need you to listen to me and I need you to listen very carefully."

Hutch was growing more and more confused by the minute, but he nodded intently.

"Okay."

"I trust that this information will remain between you and me," Victor began, "because if word gets out to the wrong wolves, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Victor, what did you do?" Hutch asked concerned.

"Nothing yet, but I need you to swear to me that no matter what I say, it won't leave this den."

Hutch hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Okay, Victor. You have my word."

"Good," Victor replied, "now listen carefully."

Hutch nodded as Victor cast a glance over his shoulder then turned back to him once more.

"You know that as a judiciary official my first duty is to serve the rights and interests of the citizens of this pack," Victor began, "and my second is to base my judgement off of the laws written out by our leaders, but how can I possibly enforce and abide by a law which is detrimental to the citizens of the pack?"

Hutch cocked his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the desegregation of alphas and omegas, Hutchinson," Victor answered.

Hutch turned his eyes down to his paws as he thought.

"I've always considered myself a tolerant man, Hutchinson," Victor explained, "but this allowance of interbreeding between the social classes can only end badly for us."

He paused for a moment to gauge his friend's reaction then continued.

"Have a bit of foresight, and what do you see?" Victor asked rhetorically, "alphas and omegas were separated for a reason; and you recall that not too long ago, if alpha parents gave birth to omega pups, they were encouraged to drown them. This was sick, but necessary, and here's why. Since this practice was done away with, omegas have become increasingly more common and the mentality that sloth is an acceptable style of life is spreading like a virus throughout the pack. The genes and traits which define the alphas for what we are are steadily becoming corrupted by this exact same mentality. Think back and you'll see that this was happening even back before Winston desegregated our classes. Now Kate and Humphrey are married and next in line for leadership. It's only a matter of time before they have pups, and when they do, what will the next change be? Do you see the imminent pattern here? Alphas have already been stripped of their rights several times in order to accommodate to the increasing omega population. With an omega co-leading this pack, we alphas might as well kiss the liberties we enjoy with our positions goodbye."

Hutch opened up his mouth to offer a response, but Victor continued before he could speak.

"And that's not all, Hutchinson," he continued, "that's really only the beginning. If the omega influence is allowed to continue to grow in this pack, pretty soon we won't have any alphas left at all. Who wants to be an alpha and put in the work when there's somebody else there who'll simply hand you your share of the pie for free, no questions asked, no strings attached? The alpha is steadily dying off with each generation. And what happens when there are no alphas left? The pack falls apart."

Hutch remained silent for a moment to be certain that his friend had finished his rant, then spoke.

"I can agree with most of what you're saying," he began slowly, "truth be known, I'm not too happy about the decision myself, but I don't know what you or anybody else intends to do about it. This was legal legislation passed by the High Alphas, so there's nothing that can be done."

Victor cleared his throat.

"That's actually what I've come here to talk to you about," he said through a long breath.

Hutch furrowed his brows and cocked his head.

"What is?"

"The High Alphas of this pack have done nothing but hurt it since the day they assumed their positions of power," Victor explained, "sure they averted a war with the East. Honestly that's about the only notable bit of good they've done, but even that act put us down the path to further decay. Alphas and omegas shouldn't have been allowed to marry, and the famine faced by the East pre-unification will now find its way here. We're growing too large. The food supply can't support all of us for much longer. What's bad now will only become worse if something isn't done to change this, and that is exactly what I intend to do. Of course, I can't do this without your help."

Hutch was taken aback by what his old friend had said and he had to take a moment to process everything he had just been told.

"You mean getting rid of Winston," he replied dryly, "and the omegas."

Victor nodded.

"I have drawn out plans for revolution," he began, "if it all goes according to plan, there won't be very many who get hurt, but if we are met with resistance, we have to do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of this pack."

Hutch furrowed his brows.

"You do understand the risk you're taking in telling me all of this, right?" he asked, "everything you've just said is enough to have you put away for the rest or your life."

Victor nodded.

"Yes, but I don't think I've got anything to worry about," he replied, "because I think that part of you believes I'm right."

"But what you speak of is mutiny," Hutch reminded, "how could you expect me to take part in something so evil against my own pack, my own flesh and blood?"

"Because of the good we will do for it once those impure of blood and of heart are removed," Victor reasoned, "the wolves of this pack are supposed to have a voice as well, and lately the only voices that have been heard are those of the minority. It's about time that we the people got our liberties back."

Hutch lowered his eyes.

"But why does it have to be me?" he asked, "Winston and Evelyn are two of my best friends. How could you possibly expect me to betray them?"

"Since you're close to them, they trust you more than anybody else in this pack," Victor replied, "without you and the invaluable information you can provide, a lot more wolves could wind up getting hurt."

Hutch scoffed.

"But if this is supposed to be for the good of the pack, then why would there be a need for people to get hurt?"

Victor placed a paw on Hutch's shoulder.

"Hutch, listen, I know you're a brilliant wolf. Only wolves of your caliber can be Betas, but the instincts that warn of an insidious plot on my behalf are not necessary." He paused. "You know that I am a man of justice, and a voice for the people, but sometimes in order for change to occur, there has to be some small form of sacrifice. Even angels must sometimes get a little bit of blood on their wings."

Hutch was still hesitant about this, because the last thing that he wanted was to see anybody get hurt, but if what they speculated about the future became reality, then there would be a lot more blood on their paws- because they had their opportunity to change things for the better and they didn't.

Victor could tell that his friend was having a difficult time coming to a decision, so he stepped forward and gently placed a paw on his shoulder.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," he stated calmly, "when you've made up your mind. You know where I'll be."

Hutch only nodded then watched as Victor turned and slowly made his way out of the den, and once he was alone, he sighed. What was he going to do?

A&?

At first, when Hutch agreed to become involved with this sinister operation, he came in under the guise that Victor's intentions were indeed for the good of the pack, and everything that he did, he did because he believed deep down in his heart, that the success of this revolution would breathe life and hope into this park- something which had been absent for far too long.

However, Victor was a clever serpent with a forked tongue which could spin the most sinister yarns of deception, and a cruel mind which could plant the seeds of the darkest ideas into the most pure of hearts. In the five months since his recruitment, Victor had slowly brainwashed him, and now, Hutch was no different than any of the others. Though he still made himself believe that somehow he was.

All of his pent up anger, frustration, and hatred had been slowly and formulaically exploited, and now the manipulation had finally brought to fruition the man that Victor envisioned when he initially recruited him for this mission. However, for the first time in his life, he feared the monster he had created.

In so many ways, he and his informant were exactly the same now, but in so many more, Hutch was his better; and if he ever figured this out, it wouldn't be long until his promised Beta would challenge him for his position. If and when this day came, he knew that he would not stand a chance, and he would see his final day. And so raised the question: "What should be done about Jack Hutchinson?"

The answer was simple. After all, the best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one, but the circumstances were far too complex to simply do away with him.

Hutch was still an invaluable asset to his plan. Getting rid of him now would be next to suicidal, but keeping him around would ultimately lead him down the same road. So there was only one thing to do.

He had to keep a close eye on Hutch and monitor his every move. If ever he felt threatened by his informant, he would have to do what was necessary in order to preserve his position and his life, but if everything went smoothly and Hutch aided them in the successful coup of the Central Pack, he would be sure that Hutch was taken care of in a dignified manner which would be fit for a hero.

In the meantime, it was business as usual. Tonight, they would run a drill, even though the actual event was still at least two weeks away, and they would run this drill every night up until such time as designated to begin their assault on the pack. Victor's plans had been made, the board had been set, and his strategy would surely lead him to victory. All that was left to do was to assure the perfect execution of these raid drills, and he could set his plan, which had been months in the making, underway.

A&?

A silence was shared between them as they each sat across from one another and ate their various preference of caribou meat. To Humphrey's right, Kate had began to work on the meat closest to the bone, while he took a slower approach to his eating. Miles, on the other hand, had barely touched his meal.

Humphrey considered asking him what was wrong, but thought better of it, as he had a decent idea as to why he had been so quiet. Still, the silence brought a thickness into the atmosphere the likes of which seemed to choke him, so finally he broke the tension with a quick clearing of his throat.

"So, Kate," Humphrey began, which caused both Kate and Miles to lift their attention to him, "did you even chew that meat?"

This caused Miles to chuckle, but Kate's face turned red beneath her fur.

"Shut up, Humphrey," she growled, "remember I'm eating for more than myself now, you know."

Humphrey smiled and chuckled once.

"I know that," he replied with a smile, "just thought I'd give you my daily dose of chaos."

Kate took a moment to finish chewing another chunk of meat she had ripped off the bone, then swallowed it.

"Even when I'm injured, you can't spare me of your teasing, can you?" she asked him playfully.

This caused Humphrey to chuckle.

"Nope," he replied confidently, then turned his eyes over to Miles, who had locked himself away in a silent reserve once more.

Humphrey noticed that as time wore on, and as the drunken alpha grew more sober, his posture grew worse and worse. Now he sat with his forelegs spread slightly wider than his chest, and slouched so that he sat even lower than Humphrey. Kate noticed this as well, and even could detect the sickly nature of his face. She could tell that he was not well, and could only assume that it was a result of his recent lack of alcohol. The only really sad thing was, he had probably only been over for about an hour. She had no idea that his dependence on the berries was so high. She wrestled with the idea of picking his mind for a moment; then after said time had passed, she spoke.

"You feeling okay, Miles?" she asked him slowly.

Miles lifted his head to her.

"Not really," he answered bluntly, "truth be known, I feel like dog sh*t."

Kate, under a close eye from her mate, rose carefully to her paws.

"Well, is there anything that we could get for you?" she offered

Miles shook his head.

"No, I'll be okay," he replied, dryly, though he felt as though, at any moment, he would vomit, "besides, what I want is why I feel like this anyway."

Kate moved over and placed a paw on his.

"Miles, it's okay for you to still have berries for now," she said sympathetically, "we don't expect you to just quit, cold caribou. We consulted with Amina before we made our decision and she urged us to ease you off of the berries, because simply quitting right now could lead to potentially life-threatening withdrawals."

"Well then I'll ease off of them," he replied in a slightly venomous tone, which caused Kate to retreat slightly "but that would entail not eating them every second of the day, right?"

Both Kate and Humphrey met his rude remark with resentment, but they allowed it to pass, because they had expected irritability on the behalf of their addiction-diseased friend. However, his spell of bitterness invited tension into the den once more as Kate took a seat beside her mate, and as it has done before, continued to build until the awkwardness caused Humphrey to speak out of discomfort once more.

"So uh, Kate," he began which caused all eyes to turn to him once more, "how's your leg?"

"Better now," she replied flatly, "still hurts, but the fall didn't damage it worse."

"Well, that's good," Miles chimed in.

Both Kate and Humphrey nodded slowly and yet another silence was invited into the den. Kate's level of discomfort grew until she turned her head down and began to meticulously peel whatever little scraps of meat she could find off of the bone she ate off of earlier, and both of the males in the den took turns breaking and then mending averted eye-contact.

"So... I'm gonna be spending a lot of time with Miles," Humphrey admitted, which caused Kate to quickly lifted her head.

"Do what?" she asked him, unsure if she had heard right.

"Uh-hem... Humphrey has uh, volunteered to devote his time to helping me get sober for you and your pups," Miles replied in Humphrey's defense.

"Oh, that's good," Kate said with a smile, though inside she felt anger stir, "it'll be nice to have some moral support, but how come I wasn't invited?"

Both of the males turned to each other and cast awkward glances as they searched for an answer. After all, they couldn't tell Kate the truth. Humphrey made him swear to keep it a secret, because he wanted to surprise his mate.

"Well, in your condition, I don't want you out and about too much ya know?" Humphrey reasoned, "If we have another incident like today, it could end with an entirely different outcome, and I don't want to risk your safety."

In the back of her mind, Kate could sense that her mate and her closest friend weren't being entirely truthful with her, but she brushed this thought aside for the time being simply because she was currently hosting a guest. However, after Miles left, she and Humphrey would definitely have themselves a little discussion, the manner of which would depend entirely upon his willingness to be honest with her.

For the time being, though, she simply nodded.

"Alright," she conceded, "but don't think that this means you can get out of visiting me, Miles."

Miles smiled despite his churning stomach.

"Of course," he replied, then looked down at the piece of meat that he had brought for himself to eat. The thought of eating, however, made him sick, so he lifted his eyes to Kate and Humphrey. "Well, I guess I should probably get going and let you two get settled in," he began as he rose to his paws, "either of you still hungry?"

"Nah, I'm good," Humphrey replied as he rose to his paws.

"Aw, Miles, you don't have to leave yet," Kate said as she, too, rose to her paws, "we're glad you're here."

"I know," Miles replied as he lowered his eyes to his paws, "but I don't feel so good, and I could really use a nap."

Kate flattened her ears and frowned, but she still stepped forward and embraced him.

"Alright, Miles," she replied, "it was good seeing you."

"Likewise," he said as he pulled away, "you want me to take that meat to the scrap pile?"

"Nah, just leave it here," Kate answered, "I'll eat it later."

Miles nodded.

"Alright, well thanks for having me over," he thanked, "and Humphrey, I guess I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

Humphrey nodded, though he cast anxious, sideways glances at his mate.

"Count on it," he replied with a nod.

Miles nodded in return then turned and took his leave. Kate and Humphrey smiled as he exited their home, but after Kate was certain that he was out of earshot, her smile fell to a frown and, despite her gimp leg, she took Humphrey's ear between her teeth then began to drag him to the back of their den.

Humphrey yelped and protested as she dragged him along then turned to her with watery eyes as she released him and stood before him.

"What the hell was that for!" Humphrey demanded indignantly as he nursed his ear.

"I am getting sick of you making plans behind my back," Kate said firmly, "I mean, I love it that you're willing to help my friend with his problem, but don't you think that I need you here, too?"

"Kate, I-" Humphrey began, but she cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted, tersely, "if you want these pups to call you their father you have to be willing to put in the time and the effort when they or I need you. You can't just run off all day and put in whatever time you can before you go to bed when you come back. That's not how this works."

"Don't you think I know that?" Humphrey replied angrily.

"Well then why is it so important that you spend every second of the day with Miles?" she snapped, "I understand that he needs your help, but he can still take care of himself."

"Because I know what kind of man I have to be for you and the pups, and I can't ever be that without him, okay?" Humphrey admitted.

Kate's face remained firm, but her voice softened, slightly.

"Humphrey, what are you saying?" she asked him.

"I'm saying I'm not good enough for you," Humphrey replied, dismally, "Miles and I made an arrangement that if I helped him get sober, he would train me to be able to take care of you and provide for you like a real male should. Without his help, I'll be useless to you as a mate and useless to the pups as a father."

Kate's frown melted away and her eyes softened.

"Oh, Humphrey," she crooned as she limped forward and embraced him in a nuzzle.

Humphrey felt his throat choke up as he returned the embrace, but he maintained control of his emotions.

"You're everything I could ever want and more," Kate purred softly as she pulled away, "you don't need to prove anything to me."

Humphrey smiled softly as he stared into her gaze, but then his eyes fell to his paws.

"It's just... I want to be able to always be there for you," he began, "to be able to care for you, to protect you, to provide for you. How could I possibly call myself a man if somebody else has to do these things for me?"

Kate gently placed her paw on top of her mate's and drew his eyes up to hers once more.

"Humphrey, you know how I feel about you taking lessons after everything we went through last time," she began, which caused Humphrey to sigh, "but if this is what you truly want, then who am I to stand in your way?"

Humphrey's eyes floated up to hers once more.

"Really?" he asked her as a soft smile was born upon his lips.

Kate smiled and nodded softly.

"You've sacrificed so much to ensure my happiness," she said to him, "I think it's about time I did the same for you for a change."

Humphrey's smile broadened and his tail began to sway slowly between his legs.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" he asked her happily.

Kate smiled and rubbed her nose against his.

"I think you could stand to mention it a little more," she teased as she pulled away.

Humphrey chuckled and then lowered his eyes down to the bones on the floor of their den.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get these bones out of here," he mused to her, "you wanna come with, and maybe take a little walk around the park?"

Kate cocked her head.

"You think it's a good idea?" she asked him skeptically.

Humphrey nodded.

"Of course," he replied, "I'll be right beside you if you need me."

Kate smiled and nodded.

"Alright," she conceded, more than willing to get out of this den for a while.

Humphrey took his turn to nod then collected the bones into his mouth and turned to Kate.

"Siyou reavy?" he asked her through the bones between his teeth.

Kate laughed and nodded then began to limp out of the den and Humphrey followed.

Life was good today, but he had no idea what evil lied on the horizon. He had no idea that soon, life for him, and for everybody in the park would change forever.