In The Company Of Wolves 2/9
In The Company Of Wolves 2/9
Author: insane_songbird
Artist: bflyw
Mixer: mangacat201
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Words: 4,700
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. I just make them howl to the moon
Warnings: werewolves, blood/violence, slash, m/m sex, medieval AU, hurt/comfort, dom/sub concepts, first time, fleeting bestiality, minor character death, mentions of homophobia
A/N: Written completely and will be updated twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays).
Summary: A war as old as time... A warrior with great honor and a young Alpha on his way to become a leader...
... with no love lost between wolf and man, will they be able to unite their strength for peace between their people? For you never know whom you can trust... in the company of wolves.
Master Post
Part Two
“I assure you, Lord Morgan, the attacker is being dealt with as we speak. This was a singular incident, and we are horrified by it.”
Jared entered the huge den that served them for gatherings, listening to the Alpha trying to pacify their guests. His breath was still a little fast and he swallowed hoping to look presentable once more. This could have ruined everything they had built so far. The trust had been broken.
Lord Morgan looked tired and sad rather than angered. “So are we. I have to hold a conference about our reaction to this attack. Jensen was - is one of our champions and this will not sit well with the king. But I assure you that I will do all I can to keep the peace talks alive… But much will ride on whether Jensen survives.”
This was Jared’s cue, and he stepped forward, nodding a small bow to the human ambassador and tilting his head sideways to expose his neck in a gesture of obedience to the Alpha.
“Jared. Any news?” The Alpha’s tension was audible in the tightness of his voice, and Jared hoped that his news would be conceived as good.
“He’s alive, but the night will tell if he can make it… The bite was deep. If he survives it will be only with help from the change.”
The human negotiator sighed, nodding and rubbing his eyes wearily. “So Jensen is dead to us one way or the other. This is bad.”
Jared could hear his father’s teeth squeak as he clamped them together. The peace was about to falter, and Jared knew that Jensen, if he survived, would want to see nothing more than peace. He ticked off possibilities in his head, until he came up with a possible solution. It was worth a shot. “What if you use this?”
Both men looked at him with a questioning frown, but the Alpha did not stop Jared from voicing his thoughts. “Well, the base for an alliance was to merge our families… what if Jensen is the sign of good will the humans owe us? The king’s daughter can stay human, and Jensen’s change would pacify the pack.”
The two elder men seemed to consider that for a while, eyes hopeful, but then the Alpha seemed to sober down. “He might be a human champion, but we wolves built our allegiances by blood, not reputation. Nothing short of royal blood mating with one of my own will forge a strong enough bond.”
Jared wanted to knock his head against the wall in frustration. But Lord Morgan seemed suddenly weirdly excited.
“He’s the king’s nephew.”
“What?” Jared’s eyes turned wide as he tried to fathom if this was a joke.
“Jensen is the king’s nephew. The king had four sisters, and Jensen is the youngest son to Donna, the oldest of the four. Is his blood royal enough for you?”
Jared knew the answer to that. Royal blood, and a champion in battle, sounded like the ideal addition to the pack’s alpha family.
“Jared, go get your sister. We have a lot to discuss.”
+++
“Looks like you are off the hook now, Jared.” Megan was looking down at the still unconscious Jensen with an intense gaze.
“I’m sorry it had to come like this.” It was genuine. He wished his sister could take her time to choose her own mate, but that wasn't how things worked during desperate times.
She shrugged, fingers brushing a strand of light brown hair off Jensen’s forehead. “It’s okay. He’s pretty handsome, and I was told that he’s a hero… well, not to us but a hero none the less.”
It seemed so superficial, but Jared knew that she needed something so make the situation seem less terrifying. He snaked an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. “He’s a good guy.”
And if he would not make it through the night, there was no need to worry anyway.
+++
Jared jerked awake and his eyes immediately flitted to the man in the bed right before him. A sigh of relief left him as he saw his chest rise and fall slowly but steadily even though he still looked deadly pale. A check of the wounds beneath the bandages showed that they were not bleeding any more. Jared was confident that as the change started to spread through Jensen’s body they would start to heal at an advanced pace.
The ridiculous amount of relief that Jared felt for the life of this stranger was unprecedented, and try as he might, it had little to do with the peace that was poised on a very high cliff right now, struggling for balance. He and Jensen had connected on a level that was very rare for Jared, and that he hadn’t thought possible with a human. He had hardly spoken three times with the man, but he knew that losing him would have felt terrible.
A part of Jared was excited at the fact that Jensen was now one of them and would without a doubt become part of the pack. That meant that he would be around, family even if the negotiations weren't anything to go by. It was exhilarating to think that they could become friends, brothers even. But the part of Jared that worked on logic told him to hold his horses. Jensen hadn’t woken up yet. There was no telling how he would react to the situation. Maybe Chris had read his nods wrong… maybe Jensen would not want to live as a wolf. The thought made cold trickle down Jared’s spine. Jensen was an exceptionally strong spirit for a human. If he decided that he would rather be dead than live as a wolf, one of the creatures he'd fought all his life, he would not hesitate.
Jared’s hand found its way onto Jensen’s arm without any active decision from his brain, and he squeezed the heated flesh carefully. The Luparius was running a fever, it was part of the changing process, but Jared couldn’t help worrying. Full moon was only five days away. Every new wolf lived through his first transformation at full moon and other than born wolves like Jared they would stay in human form a lot in the beginning until the full effects of the changes had been reached. The voluntary change of form that Jared and many others could do was a skill that only came with practice for those changed by a bite. It took time to find harmony between wolf and man, or that’s how Christian explained it. Jared himself was born a wolf, and, to him, these things came naturally. Some new wolves took years to be able to transform at will, and most would never be able to do it as smoothly as Jared and his family. It was the reason why Chris had remained human during the attack on Jensen. Changing would have meant wasting too much time.
In five days, Jensen would go through his first change, and in Jared’s opinion that was too soon. Werewolves were strong and healed fast, but that healing would only take full effect after the first transformation, and, even then, life threatening wounds would not heal overnight. The wounds from the first bite, the one that made a man into a werewolf, were special. They scarred, making it easy to discern a born wolf from a changed human and never would heal as neatly as normal injury. The only other thing that came close to that would be a silver wound. Jared had had a few of those in recent years, and he knew how painful they were.
All that came down to a few simple facts. Jensen would change in five days, and his injuries would be nowhere near healed by then. It would be a very unpleasant experience. The first change of a new wolf was forceful, and it hurt, even if the man was in great health. Jensen was not. A hurt, disoriented, new wolf could be a serious danger to himself and others.
Jared stood up suddenly, his chair clattering against the floor as it was knocked backwards. He looked once more at the still form of the Luparius before striding out of the room with a determined frown on his face. He had to speak to his father.
+++
He jogged towards the entry of the cave, heart beating faster than could be explained by the light exercise of the run. Chris was leaning against the entrance, smiling at the alpha cub.
“I heard he’s awake. Is that true?” Jared had come instantly at the news. He needed to see for himself.
“Not quite. He started stirring this morning, has been drifting in and out of consciousness for a few hours, but he’s not yet been fully awake. He blinked his eyes open a few times, but he didn't respond when I talked to him. Shouldn’t be long though.” Chris looked tired but relieved, and Jared knew exactly how that felt.
“Can I go in and check?”
Chris nodded with a smile and looked after Jared as he walked into the gloomy den to sit on the edge of Jensen’s bed. The man’s breathing was shallow and irregular, betraying that he wasn’t really sleeping anymore. The skin on his forehead was slick with cold sweat, and Jared brushed away a few strands of hair that had stuck there. His hand jerked back instantly when Jensen’s eyes fluttered open, and a low, strangled sound came from his mangled throat.
Green eyes were glassy and unfocused, and Jared knew what Chris had meant. Jensen was waking up, but he wasn’t really aware yet. He seemed to be just beneath the surface of consciousness but not yet able to actually break through. Heavy lids blinked slowly, and Jared’s hand stretched out once more, fingers stroking through wet hair soothingly.
“It’s okay, Jensen. You’re gonna be fine.”
Jared sat there for hours speaking calming words and waiting for Jensen to really wake up.
+++
It wasn’t until the second morning after the attack that Jensen was actually aware of his surroundings.
“How are you feeling?” Jared stood by the bed, trying not to start fidgeting nervously as green eyes held his gaze for a long moment.
Jensen looked bone tired despite having slept through the whole last day. His throat was heavily bandaged, as was his right arm, and, as he opened his mouth, there was only a raspy exhale of air making the Luparius frown with disdain. The healers believed that there would be no permanent damage to Jensen’s voice or airways, but the whole area was still badly swollen.
“Do you remember what happened?” Jared decided to go with questions that could be answered by a simple yes or no, getting a small nod as answer.
“You were bitten. Do you know what that means?” Jensen’s eyes slipped closed for a long moment, before he nodded once more flinching a bit at the strain to his abused neck.
Jared swallowed in anticipation of his next question. “Chris asked you if you wanted us to save you, and you did… was that right?”
There was a long pause in which Jared watched nervously as Jensen’s frown deepened and the muscles in his jaw twitched. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Jensen’s look was sad, but determined none the less. “I don’t want to die.” The Luparius’ voice was raspy and sounded like he had something stuck in the back of his throat. It wasn’t much louder than an exhale of air, but Jared understood and was instantly relieved.
“I’m glad you said that.”
There was no opportunity for any further expression of his relief, because Lord Morgan and some of the other council members entered the cave, politely asking to speak to their - soon enough former - Luparius. Jared bit his lip, wanting to stay but knowing that it would be inappropriate. He bade them goodbye and left the humans to talk.
+++
Jared didn’t get to see Jensen again until the day before full moon. One might think that being the alpha cub would give him freedom to do as he pleased, but there was a political crisis going on and between keeping the pack in check and pacifying the humans, he was pretty booked up. It didn’t help that the limited amount of time in the day that Jensen was up to visitors was used by various politicians, some of whom tried to persuade him to agree to the mating with Megan, while others seemed wary of the idea.
There were people who rejected peace on both sides. Jared himself had quite some work on his hands to keep his temper in check when those sympathising with the wolf who'd attacked Jensen started sticking their necks out. They hoped the humans would break off all negotiations over the incident, and frustrations ran deep when that was not the case.
The day before full moon, Jared decided that there were things that needed discussing, and he made time to go see Jensen. If that meant leaving Chris to keep general order, he believed that the former human had enough of a bite to keep things under control.
He ducked inside the den, eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom of indirect lighting. Jensen was on the bed as Jared had expected, but, rather than lying down, he was propped up against the headboard. His skin had regained some color and was now a pale pink rather than a sickish green. Stark white bandages still adorned his neck and arm, and his light brown hair contrasted the lightness as if it were jet black.
“Hi, Jensen. How are you feeling?” Jared stepped into the room but kept a respectful distance from the bed, now that the man seemed to have regained his strength.
“Better.” The Luparius’ voice was still croaky and raw sounding, but stronger than a few days earlier. “How can I help you, Jared?”
A small smile tugged on Jared’s lips at the directness of the man. “I wanted to talk to you about what is going to happen.”
Jensen sighed, and green eyes rolled sideways in an annoyed gesture that was quite unexpected to Jared. “I already decided, Jared. There is no need to appeal to my conscience. I am going to marry your sister. Lord Morgan already sent the recommendation to the king, and I seconded that… not that it would have mattered if I didn’t. I want peace just as much as you do.” He looked at Jared with a stern expression that lacked any enthusiasm for the match and its circumstances but the resolve was overwhelming. Jared couldn’t help a small sigh escaping him.
He nodded knowing the situation Jensen was in - having been there himself only a few days ago - and feeling a kind of kinship for the man who he had so much in common with. “Thank you. That’s great news. But I actually wanted to speak about more immediate matters.”
“Oh?” Now Jensen was the one looking surprised, and Jared smiled, grabbing a chair from the corner of the room and sitting down by the bed.
“Tomorrow is the full moon.” He let the fact hang there between them. Jensen would know what it meant, and Jared let him set the pace of the conversation.
The Luparius nodded with a stern expression. “So the change will be completed.”
“Yes.”
“I always knew this could happen. Doesn’t really help though.” Green eyes shone with stoic acceptance but Jared could smell the man’s nervousness. “What exactly do I have to expect? Anything I should know?”
Jared leaned back in his chair. There was no point lying to Jensen. They needed to trust each other, they would become family soon. “It’s gonna hurt. The first transformation is the worst. It will get easier with time, once your body stops fighting against it. You won’t be able to change at will for a while. For now it happens when it happens. Try not to stop it or force it. The more you struggle, the more it will hurt. You will be disoriented and in pain. It will not be pleasant, and there’s a possibility you could hurt yourself or others.”
A deep frown creased Jensen’s face. “Can we control that somehow? Cage me in somewhere… tie me down.”
It was a very human approach to the matter, and Jared had to warn himself not to roll his eyes or snort in disgust. Jensen didn’t know better. But he would learn. That’s what Jared was there for.
“If we did that, the wolf would freak even more, and you would most probably hurt yourself quite badly. We will do it differently.”
“How?” Jensen seemed sceptic at best.
“Even if you won’t be in control during the first change, the wolf will still have his instincts. We will use that by playing into it. I will be there with you. It would have been best if the Alpha himself could be there, but under the current circumstances that is not possible. But I am an alpha too, will take my father’s place one day. I should be able to guide your instincts into following my lead. There might be a bit of a fight, but I promise I won’t hurt you.” He smiled at Jensen reassuringly.
“How do you know you’ll win?” There was a tension in Jensen’s shoulders at the mention of a fight and Jared could see that pride forbid the man to consider easy defeat.
“There are many dominant males in this pack, and none of them can stand up to me. You will be wounded and freshly transformed. There will be no contest, believe me.” The stare Jared gave him was hard, and backed with such confidence and authority that Jensen just nodded. Jared could feel the man relaxing a little as tension started flowing off his frame. Jensen had already begun to trust him. This was a good sign.
+++
Jensen looked nervous, and Jared couldn’t blame him for that. They sat in what was occasionally used as a kind of prison. It was a cave in the underbelly of the Den that could be locked to the world above. They were caged, just in case Jensen made a run for it, but Jared wasn’t really worried. If the chemistry he had with Jensen, the human, was anything to go by, then their wolves would align well, once the initial struggle for dominance was off the table.
Wolves’ personalities could be fitted into two rough categories. There were alphas, who were mostly male and had a dominant character that wanted to control and lead. Then there were betas, who were more often than not female. They were what kept their society working. Betas weren’t weaker than their counterparts, but they were more socially advanced, working for harmony and giving in to reason and authority rather than confronting just for the sake of argument. In many ways betas were the cleverer of both, even Jared’s inner alpha could admit that.
Jensen was young and strong, an avid fighter even in human form. Once his wolf broke out it would take someone with instinctual authority to overcome such a new alpha. The Alpha himself would have been a logical choice but Jared was glad that this responsibility had fallen to him. He knew he would be able to handle pretty much anything that might happen.
“How much longer?” Jensen fidgeted where he sat on a blanket on the floor. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat that bore witness to the approaching transformation.
“Not too long. You can feel it, can’t you?” It would be Jensen’s body that would decide when they had to change. Jared as a born wolf could will the change to happen anytime, even though he could feel the pull of the moon as well.
“You mean the burning itch under my skin that makes me want to scratch off every inch of it? Yeah. I feel it.” Jared could swear he saw a light green glow in Jensen’s eyes as they flicked up to him, while he rubbed a flat hand over his arm.
“Alright.” Jared started pulling off layers of clothing laying them down neatly in one corner. Nudity was not a big thing for wolves. Changing in clothes was too uncomfortable. He told Jensen so, and the man turned a little red - a blush that made Jared bite his lip - but he undressed also, throwing his clothing to the back of the cave and pulling his legs up in the blanket to sling his arms around them.
Jensen’s flesh was pale and dusted with a light smattering of freckles everywhere Jared could see.
“I hope it won’t take much longer, because I am freezing my a…” Jensen’s words broke of unexpectedly as he gasped his whole body jerking. “Fuck, it’s coming.”
Jared nodded, feeling the change coursing through Jensen. He walked over to him then, quickly kneeling down in front of him and reaching out to draw soothing circles on Jensen’s shoulder. “Yes. It’s okay. Don’t fight it. Just let it happen. Let it take over.”
“Easier said than done.” Jensen spoke through ground teeth, pants heaving from his body eyes squeezing shut tightly. There was a deep growl in his throat followed by another violent jerk that nearly knocked Jared backwards.
Jensen’s head snapped backwards, and a pained cry tore from his throat as he fell. His head smacked onto the ground loudly as his limbs stretched and convulsed. There were several loud snaps audible as bones realigned themselves forcibly, and Jensen whined and growled, twisting on the ground in pain while the change took over his body against his will.
Jared swallowed hard and took several steps back. There was nothing he could do to ease the transition for the other man right then. So he took the time for his own smooth, painless change. It was a lot faster and absolutely quiet. He stood there watching for another minute or two, the hair on his back standing up as Jensen’s form stretched in the face and arms, tail sprouting from his behind, and fur pushing its way out like little flies hatching. It was cruel and horrifying, lacking the beauty of the change that Jared was used to and experienced himself. This was torture, and, had he been human still, there might have been tears in his eyes.
art by bflyw
When it was all over, there was a wolf, big but slender, with light grey fur that was peppered with creams and browns in a way that reminded Jared of the freckles on Jensen’s skin. It lay on its side, muscles trembling, its breath panting irregularly. There was a coppery smell in the air that made Jared’s body tense. The still healing wounds on Jensen’s neck must have broken open at the physical exertion of the transformation, and there was a tinge of red on the white coat of his throat. It wasn’t bleeding seriously, but it was unpleasant.
The wolf seemed dazed but not asleep. Its legs jerked with small spasms, and it winced every now and again. Jared stepped forward slow but unafraid. He smelled the air, registering the wolves smell - a stronger version of Jensen’s own smell.
When Jared was only a few feet away, the other wolf finally seemed to notice that it was not alone, and it gave a sharp yip as it scrambled to its feet with trembling limbs and shuffled backwards. The wolf bared its teeth with a low, threatening growl and planted its feet in a solid stance.
Jared stood tall and calm, golden eyes staring into bright green. He growled, deep and resonating, letting his authority and self-confidence slip into the sound as he stared down the new wolf. Jensen retreated another step, but his tail hit the wall, and Jared could hear the wolf’s heartbeat speed up at the realisation that he was cornered. It was a guaranteed fight, but Jared could not back off now, or he would lose all authority then and there.
Jensen growled once more and leaped forward, snapping at Jared’s nose but not pursuing the move as Jared avoided of the path of his fangs, instead using the opening to bolt. It was a clever move, but Jared’s reactions were excellent, and he threw himself sideways, knocking into the other wolf and rolling with him to the floor. He flipped back onto his feet as Jensen whined, stumbling as his right front paw gave out under him.
Jared was atop the other wolf within the blink of an eye, fangs clamping down on the back of Jensen’s neck with enough pressure to make a point but without actually breaking skin. He expected a struggle, Jensen trying to twist himself out of the hold. But there was no such thing. Instead, the new wolf stilled instantly, all tension falling from his body as he lay on his stomach as if dead. It was a response of submission, acceptance of Jared’s authority that was frankly exhilarating to an alpha like Jared.
He growled once more to make his point before tenderly letting go of Jensen’s flesh. He stood over the smaller wolf, two paws on each side of the wolf’s body and stared down at the new pack member to see if his instincts were good enough to not resist any longer.
Jensen lay still for a long while before slowly shuffling to turn onto his back, green eyes intent on Jared’s as he bared his neck in a show of ultimate submission. Jared felt heat run through his body at that display. Jensen was young and strong. He would make a formidable pack member. And he submitted to Jared willingly, with minimal struggle. It was like a drug running through Jared’s system and he rewarded the new wolf’s obedience by licking his muzzle enthusiastically. Jensen took the administrations with a pleased little whine, nose rubbing against Jared’s dark fur.
Reassured that Jensen had accepted Jared’s authority readily, the young alpha backed off from his new pack mate, leaving Jensen space to get up and urging him to do so with excited yipping and a wagging tail. Now that the rules were clear, it was time to play and see how well Jensen would adjust to his wolf body.
The new wolf hurried to get on his feet to join in with the excitement. The two wolves bounced around each other for a moment sniffing each other to memorize the smell. Jared felt happy and carefree like this, relieved that things had gone so much more smoothly than expected. Jensen seemed to adjust well, but his movements were a little stiff, and, when walking, he strongly favoured his right leg. Jared’s excitement died down a little as he remembered the severe injuries the man had endured before his transformation, and he whined low in his throat, cocking his head worriedly before starting to lick the crimson stains off the white coat on the other wolf’s neck.
Jensen seemed to savour the attention, setting his snout on Jared’s shoulder while letting that tongue clean out his wounds carefully. He winced once or twice when the licking stirred the tissue, but otherwise he seemed content to let Jared do what he saw fit.
The black and brown wolf decided that exerting Jensen would be a bad idea in his current situation, and so he settled down on the blanket still lying in the middle of the room to suggest that there would be no further running around that night. Jared assumed by the condition of Jensen’s right front paw that he would not object to that. He was right, but rather than just taking Jared’s hint to settle down, Jensen limped all the way to his pack mate and lay down right next to him, green puppy eyes looking at Jared. It was like emotional blackmail, and Jared huffed out a fond wolf-sigh before scooting closer to the new wolf, until their sides pressed together, and he could put his head on Jensen’s back, so that every breath moved the fluffy coat on the back of the other wolf’s neck in the ghost of a touch.
...next part...
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Author: insane_songbird
Artist: bflyw
Mixer: mangacat201
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Words: 4,700
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. I just make them howl to the moon
Warnings: werewolves, blood/violence, slash, m/m sex, medieval AU, hurt/comfort, dom/sub concepts, first time, fleeting bestiality, minor character death, mentions of homophobia
A/N: Written completely and will be updated twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays).
Summary: A war as old as time... A warrior with great honor and a young Alpha on his way to become a leader...
... with no love lost between wolf and man, will they be able to unite their strength for peace between their people? For you never know whom you can trust... in the company of wolves.
Master Post
Part Two
“I assure you, Lord Morgan, the attacker is being dealt with as we speak. This was a singular incident, and we are horrified by it.”
Jared entered the huge den that served them for gatherings, listening to the Alpha trying to pacify their guests. His breath was still a little fast and he swallowed hoping to look presentable once more. This could have ruined everything they had built so far. The trust had been broken.
Lord Morgan looked tired and sad rather than angered. “So are we. I have to hold a conference about our reaction to this attack. Jensen was - is one of our champions and this will not sit well with the king. But I assure you that I will do all I can to keep the peace talks alive… But much will ride on whether Jensen survives.”
This was Jared’s cue, and he stepped forward, nodding a small bow to the human ambassador and tilting his head sideways to expose his neck in a gesture of obedience to the Alpha.
“Jared. Any news?” The Alpha’s tension was audible in the tightness of his voice, and Jared hoped that his news would be conceived as good.
“He’s alive, but the night will tell if he can make it… The bite was deep. If he survives it will be only with help from the change.”
The human negotiator sighed, nodding and rubbing his eyes wearily. “So Jensen is dead to us one way or the other. This is bad.”
Jared could hear his father’s teeth squeak as he clamped them together. The peace was about to falter, and Jared knew that Jensen, if he survived, would want to see nothing more than peace. He ticked off possibilities in his head, until he came up with a possible solution. It was worth a shot. “What if you use this?”
Both men looked at him with a questioning frown, but the Alpha did not stop Jared from voicing his thoughts. “Well, the base for an alliance was to merge our families… what if Jensen is the sign of good will the humans owe us? The king’s daughter can stay human, and Jensen’s change would pacify the pack.”
The two elder men seemed to consider that for a while, eyes hopeful, but then the Alpha seemed to sober down. “He might be a human champion, but we wolves built our allegiances by blood, not reputation. Nothing short of royal blood mating with one of my own will forge a strong enough bond.”
Jared wanted to knock his head against the wall in frustration. But Lord Morgan seemed suddenly weirdly excited.
“He’s the king’s nephew.”
“What?” Jared’s eyes turned wide as he tried to fathom if this was a joke.
“Jensen is the king’s nephew. The king had four sisters, and Jensen is the youngest son to Donna, the oldest of the four. Is his blood royal enough for you?”
Jared knew the answer to that. Royal blood, and a champion in battle, sounded like the ideal addition to the pack’s alpha family.
“Jared, go get your sister. We have a lot to discuss.”
+++
“Looks like you are off the hook now, Jared.” Megan was looking down at the still unconscious Jensen with an intense gaze.
“I’m sorry it had to come like this.” It was genuine. He wished his sister could take her time to choose her own mate, but that wasn't how things worked during desperate times.
She shrugged, fingers brushing a strand of light brown hair off Jensen’s forehead. “It’s okay. He’s pretty handsome, and I was told that he’s a hero… well, not to us but a hero none the less.”
It seemed so superficial, but Jared knew that she needed something so make the situation seem less terrifying. He snaked an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. “He’s a good guy.”
And if he would not make it through the night, there was no need to worry anyway.
+++
Jared jerked awake and his eyes immediately flitted to the man in the bed right before him. A sigh of relief left him as he saw his chest rise and fall slowly but steadily even though he still looked deadly pale. A check of the wounds beneath the bandages showed that they were not bleeding any more. Jared was confident that as the change started to spread through Jensen’s body they would start to heal at an advanced pace.
The ridiculous amount of relief that Jared felt for the life of this stranger was unprecedented, and try as he might, it had little to do with the peace that was poised on a very high cliff right now, struggling for balance. He and Jensen had connected on a level that was very rare for Jared, and that he hadn’t thought possible with a human. He had hardly spoken three times with the man, but he knew that losing him would have felt terrible.
A part of Jared was excited at the fact that Jensen was now one of them and would without a doubt become part of the pack. That meant that he would be around, family even if the negotiations weren't anything to go by. It was exhilarating to think that they could become friends, brothers even. But the part of Jared that worked on logic told him to hold his horses. Jensen hadn’t woken up yet. There was no telling how he would react to the situation. Maybe Chris had read his nods wrong… maybe Jensen would not want to live as a wolf. The thought made cold trickle down Jared’s spine. Jensen was an exceptionally strong spirit for a human. If he decided that he would rather be dead than live as a wolf, one of the creatures he'd fought all his life, he would not hesitate.
Jared’s hand found its way onto Jensen’s arm without any active decision from his brain, and he squeezed the heated flesh carefully. The Luparius was running a fever, it was part of the changing process, but Jared couldn’t help worrying. Full moon was only five days away. Every new wolf lived through his first transformation at full moon and other than born wolves like Jared they would stay in human form a lot in the beginning until the full effects of the changes had been reached. The voluntary change of form that Jared and many others could do was a skill that only came with practice for those changed by a bite. It took time to find harmony between wolf and man, or that’s how Christian explained it. Jared himself was born a wolf, and, to him, these things came naturally. Some new wolves took years to be able to transform at will, and most would never be able to do it as smoothly as Jared and his family. It was the reason why Chris had remained human during the attack on Jensen. Changing would have meant wasting too much time.
In five days, Jensen would go through his first change, and in Jared’s opinion that was too soon. Werewolves were strong and healed fast, but that healing would only take full effect after the first transformation, and, even then, life threatening wounds would not heal overnight. The wounds from the first bite, the one that made a man into a werewolf, were special. They scarred, making it easy to discern a born wolf from a changed human and never would heal as neatly as normal injury. The only other thing that came close to that would be a silver wound. Jared had had a few of those in recent years, and he knew how painful they were.
All that came down to a few simple facts. Jensen would change in five days, and his injuries would be nowhere near healed by then. It would be a very unpleasant experience. The first change of a new wolf was forceful, and it hurt, even if the man was in great health. Jensen was not. A hurt, disoriented, new wolf could be a serious danger to himself and others.
Jared stood up suddenly, his chair clattering against the floor as it was knocked backwards. He looked once more at the still form of the Luparius before striding out of the room with a determined frown on his face. He had to speak to his father.
+++
He jogged towards the entry of the cave, heart beating faster than could be explained by the light exercise of the run. Chris was leaning against the entrance, smiling at the alpha cub.
“I heard he’s awake. Is that true?” Jared had come instantly at the news. He needed to see for himself.
“Not quite. He started stirring this morning, has been drifting in and out of consciousness for a few hours, but he’s not yet been fully awake. He blinked his eyes open a few times, but he didn't respond when I talked to him. Shouldn’t be long though.” Chris looked tired but relieved, and Jared knew exactly how that felt.
“Can I go in and check?”
Chris nodded with a smile and looked after Jared as he walked into the gloomy den to sit on the edge of Jensen’s bed. The man’s breathing was shallow and irregular, betraying that he wasn’t really sleeping anymore. The skin on his forehead was slick with cold sweat, and Jared brushed away a few strands of hair that had stuck there. His hand jerked back instantly when Jensen’s eyes fluttered open, and a low, strangled sound came from his mangled throat.
Green eyes were glassy and unfocused, and Jared knew what Chris had meant. Jensen was waking up, but he wasn’t really aware yet. He seemed to be just beneath the surface of consciousness but not yet able to actually break through. Heavy lids blinked slowly, and Jared’s hand stretched out once more, fingers stroking through wet hair soothingly.
“It’s okay, Jensen. You’re gonna be fine.”
Jared sat there for hours speaking calming words and waiting for Jensen to really wake up.
+++
It wasn’t until the second morning after the attack that Jensen was actually aware of his surroundings.
“How are you feeling?” Jared stood by the bed, trying not to start fidgeting nervously as green eyes held his gaze for a long moment.
Jensen looked bone tired despite having slept through the whole last day. His throat was heavily bandaged, as was his right arm, and, as he opened his mouth, there was only a raspy exhale of air making the Luparius frown with disdain. The healers believed that there would be no permanent damage to Jensen’s voice or airways, but the whole area was still badly swollen.
“Do you remember what happened?” Jared decided to go with questions that could be answered by a simple yes or no, getting a small nod as answer.
“You were bitten. Do you know what that means?” Jensen’s eyes slipped closed for a long moment, before he nodded once more flinching a bit at the strain to his abused neck.
Jared swallowed in anticipation of his next question. “Chris asked you if you wanted us to save you, and you did… was that right?”
There was a long pause in which Jared watched nervously as Jensen’s frown deepened and the muscles in his jaw twitched. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Jensen’s look was sad, but determined none the less. “I don’t want to die.” The Luparius’ voice was raspy and sounded like he had something stuck in the back of his throat. It wasn’t much louder than an exhale of air, but Jared understood and was instantly relieved.
“I’m glad you said that.”
There was no opportunity for any further expression of his relief, because Lord Morgan and some of the other council members entered the cave, politely asking to speak to their - soon enough former - Luparius. Jared bit his lip, wanting to stay but knowing that it would be inappropriate. He bade them goodbye and left the humans to talk.
+++
Jared didn’t get to see Jensen again until the day before full moon. One might think that being the alpha cub would give him freedom to do as he pleased, but there was a political crisis going on and between keeping the pack in check and pacifying the humans, he was pretty booked up. It didn’t help that the limited amount of time in the day that Jensen was up to visitors was used by various politicians, some of whom tried to persuade him to agree to the mating with Megan, while others seemed wary of the idea.
There were people who rejected peace on both sides. Jared himself had quite some work on his hands to keep his temper in check when those sympathising with the wolf who'd attacked Jensen started sticking their necks out. They hoped the humans would break off all negotiations over the incident, and frustrations ran deep when that was not the case.
The day before full moon, Jared decided that there were things that needed discussing, and he made time to go see Jensen. If that meant leaving Chris to keep general order, he believed that the former human had enough of a bite to keep things under control.
He ducked inside the den, eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom of indirect lighting. Jensen was on the bed as Jared had expected, but, rather than lying down, he was propped up against the headboard. His skin had regained some color and was now a pale pink rather than a sickish green. Stark white bandages still adorned his neck and arm, and his light brown hair contrasted the lightness as if it were jet black.
“Hi, Jensen. How are you feeling?” Jared stepped into the room but kept a respectful distance from the bed, now that the man seemed to have regained his strength.
“Better.” The Luparius’ voice was still croaky and raw sounding, but stronger than a few days earlier. “How can I help you, Jared?”
A small smile tugged on Jared’s lips at the directness of the man. “I wanted to talk to you about what is going to happen.”
Jensen sighed, and green eyes rolled sideways in an annoyed gesture that was quite unexpected to Jared. “I already decided, Jared. There is no need to appeal to my conscience. I am going to marry your sister. Lord Morgan already sent the recommendation to the king, and I seconded that… not that it would have mattered if I didn’t. I want peace just as much as you do.” He looked at Jared with a stern expression that lacked any enthusiasm for the match and its circumstances but the resolve was overwhelming. Jared couldn’t help a small sigh escaping him.
He nodded knowing the situation Jensen was in - having been there himself only a few days ago - and feeling a kind of kinship for the man who he had so much in common with. “Thank you. That’s great news. But I actually wanted to speak about more immediate matters.”
“Oh?” Now Jensen was the one looking surprised, and Jared smiled, grabbing a chair from the corner of the room and sitting down by the bed.
“Tomorrow is the full moon.” He let the fact hang there between them. Jensen would know what it meant, and Jared let him set the pace of the conversation.
The Luparius nodded with a stern expression. “So the change will be completed.”
“Yes.”
“I always knew this could happen. Doesn’t really help though.” Green eyes shone with stoic acceptance but Jared could smell the man’s nervousness. “What exactly do I have to expect? Anything I should know?”
Jared leaned back in his chair. There was no point lying to Jensen. They needed to trust each other, they would become family soon. “It’s gonna hurt. The first transformation is the worst. It will get easier with time, once your body stops fighting against it. You won’t be able to change at will for a while. For now it happens when it happens. Try not to stop it or force it. The more you struggle, the more it will hurt. You will be disoriented and in pain. It will not be pleasant, and there’s a possibility you could hurt yourself or others.”
A deep frown creased Jensen’s face. “Can we control that somehow? Cage me in somewhere… tie me down.”
It was a very human approach to the matter, and Jared had to warn himself not to roll his eyes or snort in disgust. Jensen didn’t know better. But he would learn. That’s what Jared was there for.
“If we did that, the wolf would freak even more, and you would most probably hurt yourself quite badly. We will do it differently.”
“How?” Jensen seemed sceptic at best.
“Even if you won’t be in control during the first change, the wolf will still have his instincts. We will use that by playing into it. I will be there with you. It would have been best if the Alpha himself could be there, but under the current circumstances that is not possible. But I am an alpha too, will take my father’s place one day. I should be able to guide your instincts into following my lead. There might be a bit of a fight, but I promise I won’t hurt you.” He smiled at Jensen reassuringly.
“How do you know you’ll win?” There was a tension in Jensen’s shoulders at the mention of a fight and Jared could see that pride forbid the man to consider easy defeat.
“There are many dominant males in this pack, and none of them can stand up to me. You will be wounded and freshly transformed. There will be no contest, believe me.” The stare Jared gave him was hard, and backed with such confidence and authority that Jensen just nodded. Jared could feel the man relaxing a little as tension started flowing off his frame. Jensen had already begun to trust him. This was a good sign.
+++
Jensen looked nervous, and Jared couldn’t blame him for that. They sat in what was occasionally used as a kind of prison. It was a cave in the underbelly of the Den that could be locked to the world above. They were caged, just in case Jensen made a run for it, but Jared wasn’t really worried. If the chemistry he had with Jensen, the human, was anything to go by, then their wolves would align well, once the initial struggle for dominance was off the table.
Wolves’ personalities could be fitted into two rough categories. There were alphas, who were mostly male and had a dominant character that wanted to control and lead. Then there were betas, who were more often than not female. They were what kept their society working. Betas weren’t weaker than their counterparts, but they were more socially advanced, working for harmony and giving in to reason and authority rather than confronting just for the sake of argument. In many ways betas were the cleverer of both, even Jared’s inner alpha could admit that.
Jensen was young and strong, an avid fighter even in human form. Once his wolf broke out it would take someone with instinctual authority to overcome such a new alpha. The Alpha himself would have been a logical choice but Jared was glad that this responsibility had fallen to him. He knew he would be able to handle pretty much anything that might happen.
“How much longer?” Jensen fidgeted where he sat on a blanket on the floor. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat that bore witness to the approaching transformation.
“Not too long. You can feel it, can’t you?” It would be Jensen’s body that would decide when they had to change. Jared as a born wolf could will the change to happen anytime, even though he could feel the pull of the moon as well.
“You mean the burning itch under my skin that makes me want to scratch off every inch of it? Yeah. I feel it.” Jared could swear he saw a light green glow in Jensen’s eyes as they flicked up to him, while he rubbed a flat hand over his arm.
“Alright.” Jared started pulling off layers of clothing laying them down neatly in one corner. Nudity was not a big thing for wolves. Changing in clothes was too uncomfortable. He told Jensen so, and the man turned a little red - a blush that made Jared bite his lip - but he undressed also, throwing his clothing to the back of the cave and pulling his legs up in the blanket to sling his arms around them.
Jensen’s flesh was pale and dusted with a light smattering of freckles everywhere Jared could see.
“I hope it won’t take much longer, because I am freezing my a…” Jensen’s words broke of unexpectedly as he gasped his whole body jerking. “Fuck, it’s coming.”
Jared nodded, feeling the change coursing through Jensen. He walked over to him then, quickly kneeling down in front of him and reaching out to draw soothing circles on Jensen’s shoulder. “Yes. It’s okay. Don’t fight it. Just let it happen. Let it take over.”
“Easier said than done.” Jensen spoke through ground teeth, pants heaving from his body eyes squeezing shut tightly. There was a deep growl in his throat followed by another violent jerk that nearly knocked Jared backwards.
Jensen’s head snapped backwards, and a pained cry tore from his throat as he fell. His head smacked onto the ground loudly as his limbs stretched and convulsed. There were several loud snaps audible as bones realigned themselves forcibly, and Jensen whined and growled, twisting on the ground in pain while the change took over his body against his will.
Jared swallowed hard and took several steps back. There was nothing he could do to ease the transition for the other man right then. So he took the time for his own smooth, painless change. It was a lot faster and absolutely quiet. He stood there watching for another minute or two, the hair on his back standing up as Jensen’s form stretched in the face and arms, tail sprouting from his behind, and fur pushing its way out like little flies hatching. It was cruel and horrifying, lacking the beauty of the change that Jared was used to and experienced himself. This was torture, and, had he been human still, there might have been tears in his eyes.
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When it was all over, there was a wolf, big but slender, with light grey fur that was peppered with creams and browns in a way that reminded Jared of the freckles on Jensen’s skin. It lay on its side, muscles trembling, its breath panting irregularly. There was a coppery smell in the air that made Jared’s body tense. The still healing wounds on Jensen’s neck must have broken open at the physical exertion of the transformation, and there was a tinge of red on the white coat of his throat. It wasn’t bleeding seriously, but it was unpleasant.
The wolf seemed dazed but not asleep. Its legs jerked with small spasms, and it winced every now and again. Jared stepped forward slow but unafraid. He smelled the air, registering the wolves smell - a stronger version of Jensen’s own smell.
When Jared was only a few feet away, the other wolf finally seemed to notice that it was not alone, and it gave a sharp yip as it scrambled to its feet with trembling limbs and shuffled backwards. The wolf bared its teeth with a low, threatening growl and planted its feet in a solid stance.
Jared stood tall and calm, golden eyes staring into bright green. He growled, deep and resonating, letting his authority and self-confidence slip into the sound as he stared down the new wolf. Jensen retreated another step, but his tail hit the wall, and Jared could hear the wolf’s heartbeat speed up at the realisation that he was cornered. It was a guaranteed fight, but Jared could not back off now, or he would lose all authority then and there.
Jensen growled once more and leaped forward, snapping at Jared’s nose but not pursuing the move as Jared avoided of the path of his fangs, instead using the opening to bolt. It was a clever move, but Jared’s reactions were excellent, and he threw himself sideways, knocking into the other wolf and rolling with him to the floor. He flipped back onto his feet as Jensen whined, stumbling as his right front paw gave out under him.
Jared was atop the other wolf within the blink of an eye, fangs clamping down on the back of Jensen’s neck with enough pressure to make a point but without actually breaking skin. He expected a struggle, Jensen trying to twist himself out of the hold. But there was no such thing. Instead, the new wolf stilled instantly, all tension falling from his body as he lay on his stomach as if dead. It was a response of submission, acceptance of Jared’s authority that was frankly exhilarating to an alpha like Jared.
He growled once more to make his point before tenderly letting go of Jensen’s flesh. He stood over the smaller wolf, two paws on each side of the wolf’s body and stared down at the new pack member to see if his instincts were good enough to not resist any longer.
Jensen lay still for a long while before slowly shuffling to turn onto his back, green eyes intent on Jared’s as he bared his neck in a show of ultimate submission. Jared felt heat run through his body at that display. Jensen was young and strong. He would make a formidable pack member. And he submitted to Jared willingly, with minimal struggle. It was like a drug running through Jared’s system and he rewarded the new wolf’s obedience by licking his muzzle enthusiastically. Jensen took the administrations with a pleased little whine, nose rubbing against Jared’s dark fur.
Reassured that Jensen had accepted Jared’s authority readily, the young alpha backed off from his new pack mate, leaving Jensen space to get up and urging him to do so with excited yipping and a wagging tail. Now that the rules were clear, it was time to play and see how well Jensen would adjust to his wolf body.
The new wolf hurried to get on his feet to join in with the excitement. The two wolves bounced around each other for a moment sniffing each other to memorize the smell. Jared felt happy and carefree like this, relieved that things had gone so much more smoothly than expected. Jensen seemed to adjust well, but his movements were a little stiff, and, when walking, he strongly favoured his right leg. Jared’s excitement died down a little as he remembered the severe injuries the man had endured before his transformation, and he whined low in his throat, cocking his head worriedly before starting to lick the crimson stains off the white coat on the other wolf’s neck.
Jensen seemed to savour the attention, setting his snout on Jared’s shoulder while letting that tongue clean out his wounds carefully. He winced once or twice when the licking stirred the tissue, but otherwise he seemed content to let Jared do what he saw fit.
The black and brown wolf decided that exerting Jensen would be a bad idea in his current situation, and so he settled down on the blanket still lying in the middle of the room to suggest that there would be no further running around that night. Jared assumed by the condition of Jensen’s right front paw that he would not object to that. He was right, but rather than just taking Jared’s hint to settle down, Jensen limped all the way to his pack mate and lay down right next to him, green puppy eyes looking at Jared. It was like emotional blackmail, and Jared huffed out a fond wolf-sigh before scooting closer to the new wolf, until their sides pressed together, and he could put his head on Jensen’s back, so that every breath moved the fluffy coat on the back of the other wolf’s neck in the ghost of a touch.
...next part...
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