Devil Dawgs

Chapter One:

“They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can’t get away from us now!”
– Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, Brigadier General USMC

* * * * *

"You must have drawn the short straw to get stuck do'in babysittin' duty McGregor" Brock Gryzinski mused as he fiddled with the remote controls navsat transform nodes to the surveillance drone he and Gavin Hollis were working on.

Carl didn't even glance in his direction as he continued to lean against the frame of the open front door to the Devil Dawg compounds cabin, staring into the darkness in the general direction of the ceremonial grounds: "Actually, I was volunteered so I could keep an eye on you so you wouldn't do anything stupid like try to fly a drone equipped with night-vision cameras over the ceremonial grounds while Danal and Max conduct Billy's Heritage ceremony."

"Buuusted!" JD crooned whimsically as he sat next to Jason Dunne at the table across the room in front of the french doors that led out to the back deck of the cabin.

All evening long JD had been trying to distract an ever-increasingly anxious and temperamental Jason. Having only just a few minutes ago talked him into sitting with him at the table instead of pacing aggressively back and forth in front of the fireplace, an action that was putting everyone else on edge until he had managed to calm him enough to sit with him, all the while trying to get him to discuss his bizarre and sudden mood shift.

"I can't explain it JD." Jason had groaned quietly to him when they first sat down: "It's like I know something's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."

JD had responded by taking Jason's hands in his, an action that only increased his concern when he felt how sweaty his palms were and how his fingers trembled like someone who had drunk way too much caffeine.

It wasn't just his hands either. JD had noted his entire body seemed like a rubber band drawn to tight. Tense, and strained to the point of snapping. Evidenced by the beads of sweat that poured down his forehead and by his continuously flitting eyes all about the room as if searching for something that wasn't there or just out of range of his perceptions.

It didn't help matters that Timmy had removed the two swords from the wall by the front door and was continuously slicing and swiping them through the air not ten feet in front of them.

"Do you mind young man?!" Elizabeth Dunne scolded, as her eyes stared like two daggers right at the golden-haired angelic looking Timmy Anderson: "You could seriously injure someone doing that in here." she added, by way of explanation.

Timmy twirled around once, bringing the twin swords together, before flipping them into the air to spin several times and catching them simultaneously by their handles and returning them to their resting mounts on the wall behind him. Turning back to Elizabeth, Timmy did a mixture that was somewhere in between a bow and a curtsy in her direction: "A thousand pardons milady." he crooned melodically.

Elizabeth smiled back at him: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, I just don't get why we all have to sit locked up in here when we could be watching William's transf..."

"ELIZABETH!" Carl snapped, nearly growling, instantly interrupting her, his icy stare glaring at her: "Do I need to remind you that you are here as a guest of Max's and are expected to abide by his rules?"

Carl stepped back into the room shutting the door behind him and locking it.

Elizabeth Dunne bowed her head, averting her gaze from Carl's: "Excuse me, everyone, I'm just not myself tonight, don't pay any attention to me."

"I don't know..." Gavin said, looking up for the first time from the keyboard of his laptop: "I'd kinda like to hear you finish what you were going to say."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as she now furtively looked back and forth between Carl and Gavin, not knowing exactly how she should respond, her lips moving without making a sound as she stammered nervously.

"Yeah, I don't get it either" JD chimed in, adding his voice to Gavin's: "All I've heard my entire life is Heritage this and Heritage that, what the fuck does that mean anyway?"

"Watch your mouth young man, there are ladies present" Carl fumed, turning the full force of his gaze on JD now.

"Oh, I don't mind.." Timmy snickered as he leaned over the table on his elbows with his chin in his hands next to where JD and Jason were sitting, as he smiled disarmingly at Carl: "I'd kind of like to know more about what we're not supposed to see as well."

"I think we can all guess what you're hoping to see kid." Brock chuckled, rolling his eyes suggestively.

Timmy stood up, stretched, and yawned: "Oh, did you say something?..."Timmy mocked, looking right at Brock, his bright blue eyes twinkling impishly: "I'm so used to ignoring everything you say, it's hard to tell sometimes."

Brock was just about to retort when Jason jumped to his feet, practically sending the table scooting across the floor as his chair flew back to crash against the wall behind him: "Somethings wrong!" he shouted as he moved protectively in front of JD.

Carl sensed it too! Whirling around in the direction of the door, cocking his head, his nose in the air a snarl on his lips. His hand raised in the air cautioning them all into silent, rapt attention.

Brock rose slowly, his hand on Gavin's shoulder protectively ushering him slowly behind him as he braced himself to ask the question on all their minds, when they all heard it... the rapid firing shots of rifle fire off in the distance, coming from the Ceremonial grounds.

                                                                      * * * * *

Miriam Hollis was exhausted as she pulled into the driveway of the modern ranch-style home she shared with her son Gavin.

It had been a long two weeks balancing her own work with covering for her friend and colleague Anna Whitmore at the university while she vacationed with her son Baxter. Not that she was complaining. Anna had been instrumental in hiring her years ago after she and her husband divorced. It had been years since Anna had taken any real time off and she couldn't begrudge her spending some quality time with her own boy, something she wished she could get Gavin interested in doing with her.

Normally, Miriam's work as an archivist meant she was usually very busy herself helping researchers and law students gather the necessary books and references that best detailed and suited whatever need they required. Low student occupation during the summer months, usually made for a lighter workload for her and the other staff, today, however, she had stayed over because the University had scheduled an LGBT discussion panel and she had wanted to check it out.

For quite some time now, she had suspected her son might be gay. It wasn't any one particular thing that made her feel that way. Nothing that wasn't stereotypical anyway.

No, her suspicions were mostly observational and most of that was due to his interactions with the Gundarson boy. Any person with a pair of eyes could see by the way he looked at and interacted with him, or by his body language, that what he felt for that boy was way more than just mere friendship. Additionally, his most recent attraction toward this new boy in his life, Billy Donnelly, seemed to be sparking his interest as well. Not that she blamed him, the young man had a great sense of humor, not to mention being both quite athletic and very handsome.

At least her son had good taste in boys, she chuckled to herself.

To date, she had yet to have any substantive conversation with Gavin about her suspicions, feeling that it was probably in his best interest to let him broach the topic with her, on his own terms, when he was ready, deciding instead to just make it generally known to her son that she was open-minded about sexuality and discussion's about sex in general, anytime he wanted. She consciously decided, back when he was just fifteen, and after his first encounters with Arlis Gundarson made it apparent that what he was feeling for the boy was more than just friendship, she had then felt she had to do the responsible parental thing and have the "sex talk" with her teen son.

She had tried to make the conversation as ambiguous as possible by avoiding either male or female pronouns so as not to upset or imply her suspicions regarding his sexual orientation.

Over the last couple of years, Miriam was becoming increasingly aware of how bright and intelligent her son was. Not that he hadn't always seemed above the curve intellectually, but she was growing a little concerned with his apparent lack of interest in socializing with others his own age, that is until he started hanging around Billy.

From the start she could see the positive influence he seemed to have on him, even getting him interested in working out and doing things outside the confines of his bedroom, where he normally spent most of his evenings or days off, with the only exception being his usual Sunday visits with Arlis on his families farm and working part-time for his uncle at the Piggly Wiggly.

Though she now missed her son terribly, she couldn't help but see how much he was blossoming both physically and emotionally, even to the point he was now spending a few weeks hanging out doing some sort of summer camp training with a group of Marines in central Georgia at Billy's families camp.

It was through Anna Whitmore she had met Billy's father Max once at a parent-teacher meeting at their son's high school and she couldn't imagine her son now being in more safer, culpable hands than his.

She found her thoughts drifting momentarily as she brought up the mental image she had crafted of him, standing there in the school cafeteria, where they all shared refreshments after their individual and group meetings with the principal, teachers, and various other staff; his lightly tanned skin and dark contrasting body hair, glinting over the rippling muscles of his muscular forearms and on top of his head, cut in what she had learned later was called a high and tight, the traditional haircut those men serving in the Marine Corp seemed to prefer and one she herself found most attractive and complementary to such a masculine, intelligent man.

The fact that he had worn a uniform that seemed to fit him as snugly as a second skin and the notably massive bulge in the front of those dark blue gabardine, red pinstriped trousers only served to add to and complete the overall effect of his sexual appeal.

It was another thought she found amusing, accepting she was having a hard time picturing her son "roughing it" in the great outdoors, alongside such men. But she could hear in her son's voice how much he was enjoying himself when he called the night before, enthusiastically detailing the various physical exercises and courses he was doing, even seeming to enjoy the self-defense courses, something Miriam was truly appreciative for, knowing full well her son was sorely lacking in any kind of skill set that he could use to defend himself. While she abhorred violence, she wasn't so naive as to think he might never be in a situation where he might have too.

It also didn't hurt that Billy Donnelly seemed to genuinely enjoy her son's companionship and seemed more than capable, she felt, of being able to protect Gavin if the need ever arose. At least she hoped so anyway.

All these thoughts wafted through Miriam's head as she stepped out of her vehicle and loaded her arms with the bags of groceries she had just bought at the store on her way home.

She barely took notice of the red and off-white-colored older truck that had pulled up across the street adjacent to her house. Though it had briefly run through her head that it seemed vaguely familiar, it just as quickly faded from her immediate concern as she struggled with the keys to the front door, grappling and juggling with the two bags of groceries in her arms, being more prescient.

She had no sooner won her battle with the front door latch when the first flashes of lightning ushered in the arrival of a fast-moving summer storm. She barely had the front door closed when the torrential rains and gusting winds began in earnest.

Miriam fumbled with the entrance light switch using her elbow to try and flip it before coming to the realization the power was out, which she found slightly odd since she had noticed that the street lights were on: "Probably just tripped a breaker" she thought to herself as she carefully wound her way from the hallway entrance into the living room, where she planned to cross the room and make her way to the kitchen island that separated the kitchen from the living room, when another bright flash of lightning illuminated the entire room through the double glass doors of the patio and she saw the dark shape of a man, dressed all in black standing just a few feet away from her.

Startled, she instantly dropped the grocery bags and shouted out: "Who the hell are you and why are you in my house!?" she demanded, fumbling with her purse, her fingers diving inside searching through the contents for the small can of mace she always carried inside for her own protection. Something she had learned to do over the years working on a university campus.

She barely had time to pull the small can out and aim it in the general direction of the mysterious figure before he grabbed her, snatching her by the wrist and slammed it and her against the wall, causing her to drop the can before she even had the chance to use it.

'Where's the boy?" she heard her assailant hiss, between clenched teeth, his voice an insidious mixture of arrogance and intentional, malevolent intimidation.

It was kind of hard to understand him, but she recognized the accent as German.

"I don't know who you're talking about" she managed to stammer, as her free left hand fumbled around in the darkness beside her looking for anything she might possibly use as a weapon on the TV stand, off to her side, before settling on the ten-inch long hand-carved wooden plaque that spelled out the word "peace."

"I know you have a son Mrs. Hollis, I've already searched your house, now where is he!?" the dark figure insisted as he drew closer, squeezing her right wrist even tighter causing her to wince at the increasing discomfort from his constrictive grasp.

The combination of both the adrenaline and the natural adjustment of her night vision, along with the frequent flashes of lightning, illuminated the man in front of her.

The low threatening tones of his raspy voice, left no doubt the menacing nature of his purpose here and Miriam was silently grateful for her son's absence, but now feared for her own safety.

"He's where you can't reach him you fucking bastard" she spat in his face defiantly as her fingers gripped the placard in her free hand, swinging it upward just as she brought her left knee up to kick him between the legs as hard as she could.

Four sharp "somethings", that felt like razors, raked across the top of her thigh, slicing through her dress slacks and into her flesh leaving what she knew had to be four gaping wounds, just as she whipped the peace placard against the side of his head as hard as she could, causing it to shatter and him to stumble backward, momentarily dazed and stunned.

The searing pain in her thigh caused her to scream and wince in agony as she tried to lunge away from him sideways and back toward the front door.

Faster than humanly possible, she felt the man's body slam her against the wall again with such force she was certain she could hear a couple of her ribs crack as he now held her by both wrists against the wall in a grip that was monstrously strong.

She could feel the heat of his hot breath on her face as he practically snarled into her left ear: "If he's not here, then he must be with the Donnelly brat then." The man chuckled, a deep guttural sound that sent shivers down her spine, making her flinch and her stomach churn.

"If that's the case..." he growled and snorted sinisterly as he drew back slightly, the irises of his eyes suddenly glowing an eerie, sickening, baleful red before concluding: "Then he's already dead!"

Hearing his words, fear and trepidation washed over Miriam Hollis as she began to struggle not only for her freedom but for fear and concern for her son's safety, and despite the throbbing pain in her thigh and chest, she screamed out for help, hoping against hope that one of her neighbors might hear over the cacophonous rumbles of thunder that boomed incessantly outside.

She watched in terror as the man holding her by her left wrist began to laugh insidiously as his face began to contort into a fierce, distorted, and animalistic mask straight out of a horror movie.

She could hear the cracking of bones and the gnashing of ligaments as his body twisted and contorted into a bestial shape she had thought had only been the stuff of nightmares and ancient, superstitious legends.

Miriam grew frantic, gyrating, pivoting, and tugging relentlessly against the beast's hold, yanking at her own arm, trying anything to extricate his grip on her as his snarling spit sputtering snout nipped and lashed near her exposed neck.

Despite her best efforts, the grip on her left wrist tighten, and just as she felt the bones in her arm begin to splinter, could hear them begin to crack and snap, just before she blacked out in both pain and unimaginable terror and anguish, a large shape burst through the front door, disintegrating it into a thousand shards and wooden projectiles.

The last thing Miriam Hollis saw that night, was a golden-haired giant slamming into the monstrous, disfigured shape, leaving her to slide down the wall into a pool of her own blood and all-consuming, vertiginous darkness.

                                                                        * * * * *

A vast expanse of stars twinkled in the nighttime sky, in numbers he had never seen before. Just another side effect and benefit his now expanding senses allotted him he thought to himself as he lay there on the cold stones of the dais where his father had just shoved him to the ground mere seconds ago.

He was barely aware, through the din of shouts and the rapid staccato of explosive gunfire, that he could hear his father's voice as it continually repeated and asked: "William are you okay?!"

Billy was trying to answer, but the misshapen structure of his metamorphosed snout and the large canine teeth that now filled his oral cavity, made articulating words problematic. The best he seemed to be able to manage were growls, snorts, and rolling snarls.

He could feel his father's and Danal's hands fumbling with the shackles on his ankles, could hear and feel the cold metal slip from his flesh, finally freeing his lower extremities.

Pain still coruscated throughout his entire body, centering on the medallion on his chest and expanding outward like white-hot tendrils burning not only from the center of his chest but blazing hotly in his brain, noting there was a subtle but profound difference between the two.

While one seemed to be intuitive to the changes subsuming him the other seemed responsive to those changes; one force fighting in oppositional battle, one against the other, the latter solely dependent in sustaining its ever-increasing expansion of his mounting perceptions.

Billy laid there, letting the battle rage within and around him, allowing it to grow and build until the pain became almost an afterthought, as if it were some sort of disembodied experience he could choose to disassociate himself from, yet simultaneously filled every fiber of his being.

He lay there motionless until the concerned face of his father filled and blocked his vision: "Son, are you injured anywhere?" Billy heard him say, his face now the familiar one he was use to, not the misshapen, wolf-like beast he had transformed into moments ago before the attack.

The attack! His family, his friends, his comrades, almost everyone he cared about or loved were now all in danger. It raged around him while he just lay there, letting it happen.

Billy pushed his father back with his one free hand and tried to sit up, to will his body into motion and as he did so, he could see, as if in slow motion, the bullets that darted above and beside him. He could hear them, each and every one distinctively as they struck the stone of the pylons or dinged against the twin metal doors of the Reliquary right behind him.

He turned his head to his left just in time to see a rising Danal try to dodge one such bullet as it hurtled toward his chest, he watched as he managed to pivot away, though not quite quickly enough. Billy watched it all in time elapsed progression; seeing the bullet as it cleanly entered Danal's right shoulder, throwing him back slightly just as it impacted, before it exploded out the back of his deltoid sending a bloody spray splashing all over Billy's left side.

Billy turned his head toward his father. Watched as he now moved toward the elderly man who thudded against the ground beside him. He could see the glint of reflective light as it bounced off the bullets heading directly toward his father's now exposed back.

More swiftly than he had ever thought humanly or inhumanly possible, Billy lurched forward, his right arm sweeping upward as he almost subconsciously deflected two of those bullets using the metal of the shackle that still surrounded his right wrist.

As his father's body covered Danal's and his head turned to look in Billy's direction, he could see the startled expression that consumed his father's face as he realized what he had just done, no one being more surprised between the two of them than Billy himself.

He thought exactly what his father must be thinking at that moment... no one could move that swiftly!

Billy tried to roll away from his father and Danal as he saw Hank dart to his father's aid as they re-positioned Danal behind the protective cover of the nearest stone obelisk. He turned his head to see both Atticus and Jake assuming a protective position on his other side, moving as if to shield his body with their own.

Billy threw his head back in frustration and anger and in that very instant, from somewhere deep within the center of his being, he let out a howling roar that drowned out and silenced everyone and everything within the valley of the Devil Dawg Ceremonial grounds.

All eyes, whether friend, companion or foe, fell upon him, watched as he rose up to his full height, as he stared out over the expanse of the grounds, his eye's two blazing, argent stars that pierced not only the darkness around them but penetrated each and every one of their beings, right down to their core, subsuming them with fear, dread, and amazement.

The momentary, startled silence shattered when Billy felt, rather more than heard, the cocking of four rifles behind him. He pivoted quickly to see four figures, dressed head to toe in black, standing at the top of the stoned arch of the Reliquary, some fourteen feet above them, now moving to take aim in his direction.

Four pairs of eyes, one set bright green, one pair golden yellow, and the last two a fiery orange, all glowering back at him as the one with bright green eyes barked guttural orders in what Billy was sure was German.

As their rifles slowly raised into position, their sites leveling on him, Billy stepped forward, instantly feeling the tug of the chain on his left arm, still bound to the stone obelisk to his left side.

Almost instinctively, Billy pulled from the deep well of the white blazing energy that burned within him sending it out like pulsating waves to flow throughout his body. He clasped the chain with his left hand, and with a shrug of his shoulder, he pulled it taut until it strained against the stone that comprised the pylon.

He could hear the metal practically screech eerily as the force of tension flowed down its length, cracking the stone of the obelisk where the large metal ring the chain was attached to ran through it.

No sooner than the darkly dressed figures had set eyes to their scopes, than the two-foot top section of the pylon splintered and cracked and suddenly came crashing down in a cloud of shards, debris and dust at Billy's side.

As their rifles fired their first salvo, Billy pivoted, and once again, he moved with such speed it defied description, easily dodging each of the four rounds before letting out a huge snarl and yanking once again on the thick chain sending the two-foot section of stone it was still attached to, soaring through the air in a wide arc to come crashing against the two figures with orange glowing irises.

The sound of rending flesh, splintering bones and the surprised howls of anguish reverberated and echoed across the valley before the two forms came crashing down on the stone surface of the dais, lifeless and mangled by the sheer force of the impacting stone bludgeon Billy had just wielded against them.

The green-eyed intruder howled in rage as both he and his yellow-eyed companion shifted almost instantly into their half man half Wolfen bestial forms and launched themselves directly at Billy.

Behind them, six more figures appeared momentarily at the top of the Stone arch before dropping down to the dais where they were met by both Atticus Walker and Jake Bauers.

Like the darkly dressed figures preceding them, both Jake and Atticus shifted into their bestial forms as they darted toward them to meet their challenge, crashing into them full-body as claws and teeth began to rip and slash into their opponents, blood splattering everywhere.

Before him, Billy watched as the large yellow-eyed figure landed directly in front of him, still about six feet away, as it glowered back at him, crouching down, every muscle in its muscular body coiling as its huge misshapen form prepared to hurl itself at him, snarling and snapping its toothy jaws like a crazed, rabid animal.

"He's mine..." A deep growling voice boomed from right behind the figure as he moved to the side to step around the hulking yellow-eyed figure.

Two emerald green glowing eyes bore malevolently into Billy's gaze. The somewhat large, rather handsome dirty blond-haired man who otherwise held his human guise, flipping his German army issued Heckle and Koch G36 assault rifle around to his back as he slowly strode toward him, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side: "I'm going to enjoy ripping this mongrel limb from limb with my bare hands." he concluded, with all the arrogance his position within the Kampfhund afforded him.

"I'm almost tempted to let you try Gunther" Max Donnelly chuckled as he silently stepped out of the shadows of what was left of the stone obelisk, to stand by Billy's right side.

Gunther Kline refocused his attention on Max, a sideways cocky snarl escaping between his clenched, gnashing teeth: "Two for the price of one...." he mused in his deep German accent, adding: "You can't imagine how happy that will make my Alpha!"

Behind the man, Billy could see the battle that continued to rage between the two figures as Atticus and Jake continued to battle what was left of the six others that had joined this little soiree.

As Max stepped forward, his irises began to glow a bright blue as his arms came up to fold across his chest: "I really can't see why he would be so happy to have me send one of his Beta's and Gamma's back to him in pieces, but who am I to argue" he goaded as the tension mounted between them.

With a spittle spewing growl, Gunther Kline launched himself into the air, his form shifting almost instantly into his half human half wolf shape, his extended claw-like fingers slicing through the air heading straight toward Max's throat, while his hulking companion sprung directly toward Billy.

Again, the burning tendrils of white-hot power surged outward from both Billy's mind and chest, as he leaped into the air easily dodging the massive misshapen, snarling beast, hauling the chain and the large two-foot section of stone that had, until recently, been the top of the obelisk, arcing into the darkened sky as he bounded over him, only to land safely behind him before hauling the large stone back by the chain, still in mid-air like a whip, snapping it back almost instantly, to rip through the air and crash into the startled giants back, once again, shattering and splintering bones and sinew and sending the mangled body of the monstrous beast soaring through the air to land directly into the blazing flames of the ceremonial bonfire, scattering sparks and red hot coals and fiery embers sprawling in every direction as the figure burst into agonizing flames.

Billy whipped around again, thinking to assist his father, but noting, with no small degree of pride as his father had caught Gunther Kline by the right arm and now slammed him face-first into one of the large metal doors of the Reliquary stunning him momentarily as he stammered backward right into Max's left elbow, which crashed against his upper back causing him to crash with a thud against the stone floor of the dais.

Gunther Kline shifted back to his human form as he lay on the ground, helplessly spitting up blood and weakly trying to push himself up onto his hands and knees only to have Max's foot come grinding down on his neck with just enough force to shatter every bone in his upper spine leaving a lifeless husk, belching blood from its gaping maw.

Billy stared at his father and back at the figure whose blood now splattered the surface of the stone dais, his Dad looking like he had barely broken a sweat, when a sudden wave of urgency swept over him, needling at his subconscious causing him to expand his senses outward, as every hair on the back of his neck stood up.

He watched as the two blood-covered shapes of Atticus Walker and Jake Bauers, having vanquished their own opponents just as ruthlessly, joined him and his father as his expanded senses spanned the entire valley of the ceremonial grounds.

With his newly acquired night vision, assisted by the incoming flashes of lightning that lit up the entirety of the area as the rapidly moving storm began to pelt them with large drops of warm summer rain and the cool blast of gusting winds, he could make out the figures of his comrades, Barin, Rex, Scott and a few of the others, reign bullets down on their invaders from their protective cover on every side as the rest of the men that had come to witness his transformation and induction into the Heritage, now transformed into their bestial forms, fought hand to hand with the invaders, driving them into the woods and giving chase after them.

As the light rain turned into a downpour and the wind shifted, Billy was once again assailed by the stench of something unnatural and wrong, when in the distance the sharp, high pitched scream of a woman echoed off in the distance only to fade in the cacophonous thundering booms of the now raging storm.

                                                                       * * * * *

It was good to be home, Baxter Whitmore thought to himself. It had been a lot of fun spending a week at the beach with his Mom, laying out in the sun in what he jokingly referred to as his SPF one million sunblock that his Mom made him use to prevent his pasty ass from getting a near-terminal case of sunburn he would have acquired without its use.

He had loved just sitting idly back, basking in the warm glow of the Florida sun watching the various hunky boys and men meander by, openly ogling them anonymously from the safety of his reflective front sunglasses, while he pretended to read some sports magazine he had purchased at one of the local beach kiosks.

One of the things he noted that differentiated from vacationing with his Mom over vacationing at the Devil Dawg compound with Billy and his family, was that his Mom would never ever consider relaxing the no beer or wine restriction that Max often allowed them to do, strictly supervised of course, and of course the clothing-optional freedom they had staying there. Sure, there were nude beaches around where they were, but Baxter didn't even need to guess where his Mom would fall on any hint or suggestion of that happening. Her Stygian choice of swimwear was indicative on were her views fell on public displays of nudity, remembering the stern looks she gave him when he wore a pair of slightly higher than mid-thigh trunks one day, making her opinion well known that she thought he was showing to much skin.

Baxter laughed to himself at the remembrance, wondering what she would have thought if she knew how many guys actively hit on him when he'd leave her on her own to soak up the rays as he swam in the cool ocean waters. Initially, if he was being truthful, the first couple of times he had found it rather awkward and even a little embarrassing at how blatant some of them were. But his teenage libido soon overrode that and he actually found himself sometimes enjoying the attention, especially if he found the guy to be attractive as well.

Of course, guy watching wasn't all he did while they were there. His Mom had rented him a jet ski on one of the days and he had made the most of it exploring the entire beach area and even on one occasion racing some dolphins, but the real highlight of the week-long beach romp was when he was able to talk his Mom into going parasailing behind a boat over the ocean.

It had taken some pretty intense pleading and cajoling to get her to do it. But, once up there, it was more than apparent she had as much of a blast as he had.

The second week of their vacation had been spent on his Grandparents small farm in Alabama, and while it lacked the excitement of parasailing with his Mom, it made up for with great home-cooked food and afternoon fishing with his Grandfather down by the local fishing hole or just whiling away the hot summer afternoons either horseback riding or swimming in the large pond located toward the back nine of the farm. It was secluded enough that he could have gone skinny dipping, but eschewing that idea for the most part because he never knew when either his Grandfather or his mother might show up unannounced.

Deep down though, Baxter realized, that it reminded him of the compound and most of all of Billy.

Even after two weeks apart, there still wasn't a single day that had passed where he didn't find his thoughts constantly dredging up some comparison to something he had done with him or catching himself thinking how much Billy would have enjoyed doing what he was doing at any given time.

Each and every instance that happened, he found himself missing him until it finally forced him to reevaluate that last day at the compound with him. Going over it and over it again, as if it were constantly on replay in his head, that tragic conversation they had had at the ceremonial grounds which had caused him to clam up and build a mental and emotional barrier shutting Billy out.

As the days passed, he found the age-old adage "time heals all wounds" to become more of a truism and reluctantly came to the conclusion that he might have been judging Billy a little too harshly, especially noting how he had actually come clean with what he had done with that Anderson kid, and though he didn't like the way he put it, the one thought that kept raising its ugly head was, if the opportunity had arisen, would he had done any differently?

He was forced to conclude, that for him it was more about Billy's timing and his poor choice of wording that just happened to coincide with what he had decided to reveal to Billy about himself that had driven him to near panic and caused his sudden choice to hide that part of himself away from his best friend again.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized, that Billy was just expressing himself in the same way most guys do, using the language and words they grew up hearing. It had never really bothered him before, the guys on their wrestling team and indeed most of the jocks they knew talked like that. But he knew deep down, that Billy had never expressed any kind of hatred for anyone, and what convinced him most of all, was the fact that Billy had actually admitted to having had enjoyed receiving oral sex from another guy.

"Time and perspective," Baxter thought to himself as he finished unpacking his clothes from his rucksack. That is what had convinced him to extend that olive branch to Billy this morning via means of a birthday video.

Baxter had come to the conclusion, that he owed it to Billy to do as he had originally intended, and that was to tell him how he truly felt about him. If that ruined their friendship, at least he'd know he had been honest to both Billy and himself. He had also realized that there was another person he needed to tell and he had spent their long trip home trying to think when would be the best time and the best way to broach the subject with her and deciding that the first person to know should be the one person it concerned the most, other than himself.

After putting away most of his clothes and unpacking the various things he had accumulated during their vacation, not least of which was the birthday present he bought for Billy, that he went looking for his Mom to see if she needed any help with anything and finding her in the kitchen staring into the open frig: "It seems we should have thought to stop on our way through town and picked up something to eat." his Mom mused.

As if on cue, Baxter's stomach rumbled at the mere mention of food. They hadn't eaten since lunch at his Grandparents and the four hour trip from there to home, later in the afternoon, had left them both now feeling more than a little peckish, but not energetic enough to do a grocery run down at the local Piggly Wiggly, which was probably closed since it was already about 9:30 PM.

Baxter watched as his Mom reached for her purse on the island counter and handed him a couple of twenties and her car keys: "While I finish unpacking why don't you make a run to the BK and get us something to tide us over until tomorrow Mr. Whitmore." His mother said jovially.

"Sounds like a plan to me" Baxter retorted, adding with a rapacious smile: "I could lay waste to a couple of whoppers right now!"

As Baxter opened and began to step through the garage door located right through the laundry room, he heard his Mom shout after him: "Baxter, on your way there, would you mind stopping at Miriam's and picking up my office keys, I should probably stop by work tomorrow morning and check on things before we go grocery shopping."

Baxter gave her the usual "will do" and was pulling out of their driveway when the rain started pouring it down and the sky filled with the flash of lightning.

It was one of those typical rapid summer blow overs, a whole lot of sound and fury and torrential rain for about ten minutes but had mostly subsided except for a few straggling bright flashes of leftover heat lightning as he made the turn down the road that lead to Miriam Hollis's house.

   Chapter Two:

“We were the Marines the other Marines avoided. The pariahs, the bad-luck charms. The ones no one wanted to risk being near. As if we didn't just process death. As if we brought it.”
― Barbara Nickless USMC

                                                                     * * * * *

"I am such an idiot" Carl McGregor castigated himself. This was the second time in as many weeks that he was now finding himself caught unprepared and without his sidearm to defend or protect those within his charge.

Max had even warned him that he feared for Billy's safety. But Carl never considered for a second that with close to a hundred members of the Heritage, in addition to the twelve Marines born of the Heritage, that have been training for quite some time as the defenders of the compound and potentially Billy himself, that anyone would have been foolish enough to stage some sort of offensive against them, especially on their home turf. But as it now appeared, that is exactly what seemed to be happening, as evidenced by the repeated staccato of rapid rifle fire that now pierced and splintered the otherwise typical rainy summer evening.

"Get down" Carl whispered gruffly as he shot furtive glances around the room to his charges. His first thought was to dowse the various oil lanterns that lit the great room of the cabin, but just as quickly dismissing the notion, realizing that his companions were mostly not of the Heritage, with the sole exemptions being Jason and JD, and would leave the others, who were probably already going to be at a great disadvantage if the compounds attackers were also born of the Heritage, which he had every reason to assume they were, left in the dark unable to defend themselves effectively, for all that it would avail them.

What was really confounding Carl was the fact that if they were of the Heritage, how were they masking their scent? That should have been the first warning sign that they were under assault, but even now, crouching there next to the front door, he still couldn't pick up on a single scent other than the ones he was already familiar with.

As if in answer to his query, Carl heard the heavy footsteps creak on the boards of the cabins back deck, and just as he whirled toward the twin french doors, he watched as three darkly dressed figures, armed with assault rifles, kick them inward causing Jason to snatch JD and toss him almost effortlessly toward the fireplace, near where his mother sat, before launching himself at the three mask covered men.

As Carl rushed to assist the boy, he could already feel the rage build within Jason, he could smell the hormonal and pheromone build-up that preceded the onset of a shifting and despite his and Max's best intentions, Gavin, Timmy, and JD were about to get the biggest surprise of their lives.

Carl had seldom seen such a rapid shift from a first-timer before. Nearly instantly, the strong powerful scent of an enraged Alpha filled the room as a now fully transformed Jason howled and ripped at his shredding clothes, revealing the massive swelling of his frame and musculature, the protrusion of his lower jaw and nose into a snarling fang-filled snout, gnashing and snapping at the three invaders as his huge taloned fingers ripped and raked across the nearest one's flesh practically disemboweling him in the process, his blood splattering everywhere.

It took Carl mere seconds to join the fray, though not following Jason's lead. Instead, he choose to maintain his control and resort to his extensive military training to deal with their opponents.

That was his second mistake of the evening, one he quickly realized as two other men kicked in the front door of the cabin causing Elizabeth Dunne to scream as they began peppering the room with bullets from their assault rifles.

Leaving Carl to deal with the last of the three men who had kicked in the back doors, Jason leaped through the air to land full body against the two assailants, hurling them backward as his claws batted the nearest one's weapon away with one massive arm and bit through the seconds with a growling snarl so ferocious it nearly caused it's bearer to piss himself in fear.

Both men quickly darted back through the door and ran away in full retreat into the woods, Jason howled after them, shooting a brief, baleful look, with his smoldering, icy blue glowing eyes at JD and his mother, before darting out the door in hot pursuit.

"Jason no!!!" Carl yelled after him, suddenly realizing that Jason's absence now left him the sole member of the Heritage to protect the others, and just as he now feared, two more armed men stepped through the patio doors, leveling their weapons at Carl, forcing him to yield ground and seek cover as he flipped the table in the hopes it would afford him some coverage against the hail of bullets he was certain would follow.

Carl turned his head, searching for something he could use as a weapon, or a projectile he could hurl at them. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Brock ushered Gavin, Elizabeth, and JD behind the kitchen island and snatched up a butcher knife from the kitchen counter next to the sink, and take up a defensive posture over them.

"Well, well what have we here?!" Came the booming, malice-dripping voice that Carl instantly recognized as Michael Donnelly's as he entered the room through the main door of the cabin with a smirking Kent Bauers right on his heels.

Michael chuckled malevolently as he crossed the room, directly in front of the island until he came to a full stop to the far right of the large stone fireplace.

"I always knew you were a faggot..." Michael jeered, looking to Kent who just rolled his eyes, shaking his head, before he continued: "But I never figured you for a cowering coward, pissing in his boots and hiding behind a table at the first hint of trouble."

"Brave words coming from a traitorous pussy who needs armed men to protect him from a bunch of kids and a woman." Carl quipped back, the irises of his eyes suddenly flashing a bright emerald green as he rose from behind the table to face the eldest son of his lifelong companion.

Carl's eyes immediately darted to the side when he heard a scuffle coming from behind the island and watched in apprehension as JD pulled away from Brock to come around the counter to confront his older sibling: "What the hell are you doing Mike?!" he queried, concern and angst hanging on every syllable of the words he hurled at his eldest sibling accusatorily.

"Stay out of this Pip, I've already lost one brother tonight I don't really want to lose another!" Mike spat back at him, staring his little brother down, the irises of his eyes now burning a bright blood red.

JD's eyes went wide as saucers and his skin paled as an innate sense of wrongness oozed and dripped from his brother's malevolent, shifting grimace.

He watched as the once handsome features of his brother shifted before his very eyes into the misshapen, dark bestial form that looked more wolf-like than man.

"You fucking murderous asshole!" Carl shouted as he crossed the room, his own body shifting into a creature that was best described as somewhere between wolf and man, but nowhere near reeking of the venomous malignancy that radiated off the twisted creature before him. Everything about him held the stench of vile, unnatural corruption. Carl couldn't imagine what unspeakable process had done this to him but he was certain as to who could have talked him into it.

Carl centered himself, his muscles coiling and tensing as he sought to hurl himself at the abomination before him, but pulling up short when he saw from the periphery of his vision, as JD now charged at his brother, his face contorted in anger, screaming: "What did you do to Billy you fuckin' asshole!?"

Before Carl could reach him, he watched in dismay as the monstrous form of what used to be Michael Donnelly lashed out, backhanding JD, sending him flying backward across the floor, spitting blood from a split lip before smacking against the far wall next to the front door of the cabin.

Carl raged in furious anger launching himself at the misshapen beast, slamming his forehead against Michael's, the claws of his fingers digging into Michael's deltoids, before Michael's hands and clawed fingertips raked across his back, ripping his shirt and leaving large scratch marks that cut into his skin, before hurling him backward to smash hard against the floor of the cabin.

He laid there momentarily dazed by the shear strength of Michael's counter-attack, Carl knew there was no way Michael's strength and speed were natural, whatever had been done to him, it had unnaturally augmented and increased both.

As Carl gathered his strength, spurring his body into motion, rising up on his elbows, his eyes shot upward as they caught a glimpse of a white spinning shape hurtling high through the air in a ball-like shape, the twinkling glimmer of metal shimmering from its sides as it spun above and over him until it came crashing down, feet first directly on top of Michael's shoulders, with such force it drove him down to his knees, his head slamming into the floor before him, just as the shape pivoted and flipped over Michael to land directly in front of him.

Carl looked up into the visage of an angel, a coy smile, much like that of the Mona Lisa, barely perceptible on the silky smooth alabaster skin of Timmy Anderson's face.

He watched as Timmy winked at him mischievously as his arms spread like angelic wings, the reflective glint of two twin swords firmly grasped in either hand.

Behind him, he watched as a stunned Michael's head rose from the floor, blood dripping from an abrasion on his forehead where it had impacted against the hard wooden surface. His large clawed hands slowly reached up to strike at the mysterious youth in front of him.

With ease and grace that belied his squat muscular frame, Timmy flipped forward, the heals of his feet driving up into Michael's chin and snout, with such impetus, it sent his head sailing backward, blood, and mucous splattering backward, arcing through the air.

Timmy rolled into a ball on the floor several times before shooting up high into the air, spiraling and soaring backward, curling into a ball once again right before he drove the twin blades right through Michael's two thighs and calves, sinking the sharp pointed tips of the swords inches deep into the floorboards, pinning Michael to the floor howling in pain and anguish.

Timmy squatted there, in front of him, his hands still holding the twin brass hilts, smiling wickedly back at a raging Michael, before twisting his wrist sideways, snapping the hilts off the swords leaving only the twin blades impaling him to the floorboards.

Michael's hands shot to the blades, snarling and growling like a rabid beast as the twin-edged blades scored and dug into his fingertips causing them to gush with blood as they sliced into his flesh effectively halting him from gripping them and extricating himself from his predicament.

Timmy stood up, his hands on his hips, an amused look on his face as he extended his right hand daintily and flicked his index finger against Michael's snarling snout: "Bad puppy!" Timmy chided playfully before turning to a growling, shifting Kent, still standing several feet behind Michael, next to the fireplace, and wagged his finger at him while sternly scolding: "Heel boy."

                                                                    * * * * *

The scene that greeted Baxter Whitmore as he pulled up to Miriam Hollis's house was straight out of a crime drama.

The rain had pretty much subsided as he parked his mother's car and got out to survey the area, now laden with cop cars and two emergency vehicles, lights flashing as a myriad of cops, EMT's and a horde of curious neighbor's and bystanders wandered about, speculating as to what had happened.

Baxter watched as cops kept busily taping off the area around the house, cautioning people away from the front entrance while uniformed and plainclothes cops entered and exited the domicile.

"That poor woman, what kind of monster could do such a thing?" Baxter heard one female neighbor say to another: "I heard them say they were still looking for her son, that the house is a wreck on the inside." said another.

Baxter listened intently, trying to discern and piece together what had actually occurred here as he made his way around the perimeter toward the emergency vehicles and the two ambulances on either side of the street.

He watched as one of the ambulances suddenly took off, siren wailing as it pulled out and made its way rapidly down the road.

It was then he heard a familiar voice pleading loudly: "Let me go, I have to go with her!"

Baxter pivoted toward the second ambulance, maneuvering around several spectators before coming nearly face to face with Arlis Gundarson, his massively muscular frame sitting on the edge of the second ambulance as an EMT was attempting to tend one of the many scratches and bleeding wounds that covered his fully exposed upper torso.

Arlis's face was splattered in blood as were his large hands. Several gashes to his head continued to drip crimson down his forehead and across his cheeks as he continuously fidgeted irritably while the EMT swabbed at them with gauze and peroxide, obviously trying to cleanse his wounds, some of which looked rather severe to Baxter, though not life-threatening.

Arlis continued to shrug them off as he repeatedly fumbled with his phone, growing more and more frustrated as his blood-soaked fingers interfered with the accuracy of its touch screen interface: "Why doesn't he pick up dammit?!" Arlis groaned in frustration, glaring at his blood-soaked screen as Gavin Hollis's voice instructed him to leave a message after the tone. Baxter still had no clue as to what was going on, or why Arlis looked like he had just been through hell and back, but what was clear to him was how upset and worried he seemed to be, staring at his phone and shaking his head as he pleaded with Gavin to call him back, finally concluding his message by saying: "Your Mom's been hurt and I don't know if she's going to be okay."

His voice sounded so forlorn and lost to Baxter that he was moved to push past the growing crowd attempting to join him and offer him a familiar face and voice for comfort and support.

"Arlis?!" Baxter cried out, just as a uniformed cop blocked his way, instructing him to step back.

"Baxter is that you?" Arlis shouted back, his eyes growing wide, locking with Baxter's, as he once again shrugged off the EMT working on him and stood up to take a step toward him.

A step was all he took before his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and the massive, muscular youth dropped to his knee's and nearly landed face first in the road if not for a quick-acting Baxter who caught him in his arms and lowered his head to his lap.

The EMT quickly joined him: "Do you know this boy?" he asked calmly as his gloved hands busily began checking Arlis pulse and respiration and helping Baxter flip him over on his back with Arlis's head cradled in Baxter's lap.

"Yes," Baxter responded: "He's a friend from school and a good friend to Gavin Hollis who lives here," he added quickly.

As another EMT joined them, pushing a wheeled stretcher with him, the first EMT smiled back at Baxter reassuringly: "Does he have any parents or family we can get in touch with?" he asked hopefully as he once again began to swab at Arlis's many wounds and scratches.

"He lives with his parents out on their farm right outside of town" Baxter stammered, noting for the first time the blood on his own fingers as he subconsciously stroked Arlis's sandy blond, blood-streaked hair.

"Do you have a number we can call to reach them?" queried one of the other attendants, a short, heavier set woman, who had her dark hair tied back into a tight bun on the back of her head, her large brown eyes, a sea of calm and comfort as she waited for a response.

"No..."Baxter paused, trying to clear his head as his heart raced within his chest wondering who or what could have done this to someone as big and badass as Arlis Gundarson: "He really doesn't have that many friends that I know of, Gavin is the only one he was ever really close to in school."

Baxter gulped, trying to avoid the next question, fearing what the response would be: "Are Gavin and Mrs. Hollis okay?"

The female EMT paused for a moment as her coworkers transferred Arlis from the ground to a gurney and began loading him into the ambulance: "I really can't say anything about Mrs. Hollis, but other than Mr. Gundarson, there was no one else in the house."

Baxter sighed with relief, but suddenly remembered something else, something Billy had told him a while back: "Her son works part-time at the local Piggly Wiggly, maybe he's there right now, I think his uncle is the store manager!"

The EMT thanked him for his assistance, stating she would inform the detective in charge about Gavin and his uncle as she handed Baxter a couple of wet wipes to clean the blood from his hands.

As the ambulance pulled out and Baxter looked down his body and saw the various spots of blood that sporadically dappled his clothing, he caught the glint of Arlis's phone laying in the street and bent to pick it up, noting as he did so that the last number he had dialed was Gavin's.

Baxter punched the number into his own phone, thinking he would try to get a hold of Gavin himself later, and then went to find one of the cops to turn Arlis's phone over to them.

Just as he was explaining to the detective in charge of the scene that he had found Arlis's phone and reached out to hand it to him, the phone started ringing in his hand, below the number that came up on the screen he could see the name "Douglas Gundarson" and stated to the detective, as he handed it to him, that he knew that that was Arlis's Dad.

The detective took the call and Baxter just stood there, eavesdropping on the conversation, though not really garnering any more information than he already knew, other than the location of the Hospital they were transporting Arlis and Mrs. Hollis too.

Deciding there was really nothing else he could accomplish there, Baxter returned to his vehicle and headed back home.

He didn't realize how shaken the incident had left him until he was recounting the events to his mother when he noticed how his hands were trembling.

His mother noticed too, pulling him close and wrapping her arms around him, assuring him that she was sure everything was going to be okay.

After a few moments, his Mom gently pushed him away, running her fingers through his hair as she suggested he get out of his blood-stained clothes and take a quick warm shower to calm his nerves.

Later, after he had showered and changed into something clean he picked up his phone and pulled up Gavin's number and stared at it for a moment before he hit dial, just like it had with Arlis, no one answered and Baxter left a message instructing Gavin to call him back, that it was important.

As he concluded his message he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door and turned to find his Mom standing there with her purse in hand and her car keys in the other: "Sweetheart, I think I'm going to head over to the hospital and check on Miriam, I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I know she's going to be okay."

Baxter gave her a faint supportive smile before responding: "I want to come with you so I can check on Arlis, Gavin's his only real friend Mom and he seemed so upset that he hasn't been able to get a hold of him."

"Are you sure honey, it might be a while before we actually know anything, that is if they even tell us anything at all?" His Mom cautioned, a look of concern crossing her face as she once again ran her fingers reassuringly through his short-cropped auburn hair.

"I'd rather be there than sitting here worrying, besides I left a message for Gavin myself, and if he calls I want to be where I can get him the most up-to-date information on what's happened."

Baxter frowned, looking down at his phone, before adding: "You didn't see him Mom Arlis was a mess, but all he could think about was Gavin..." Baxter paused, as his mind began to swim in visions that mirrored what he had seen that evening but substituting himself and Billy in the scenario and it sent chills down his spine.

His Mom smiled warmly back at him and cocked her head: "Then I guess we better get over to the hospital and check on both of them."

It was a short trip over to the hospital but it seemed to take forever as Baxter kept running over the events of the evening, unable to shake the image of Arlis's blood-soaked hands fumbling with his phone with trembling fingers, the way his voice cracked as he pleaded with Gavin to pick up or call him back.

Baxter recognized the emotions behind it, it was the same emotions he shared with him, except his were for Billy and it made him wonder if perhaps he and Arlis shared something else in common.

Like everyone else in school, he had heard the rumors about Gavin and Arlis, but had always assumed it was exactly that, just rumors; the kind of idle gossip so many kids his age seemed to thrive on.

They never had the nerve to confront Arlis to his face about it, because they feared what he might do. But it didn't stop them from snickering behind his and Gavin's back about it and making snide jokes, especially assholes like Blake Riley and the queen of nasty bitches Rebecca Wheeler and her gaggle of harpies.

Baxter's thoughts shifted as he and his Mom approached the hospital reception desk and his mother inquired about both Arlis and Miriam's status.

They didn't learn much since it was policy not to divulge confidential medical information about any patient in their care, but they did learn that Miriam was still in surgery and that Arlis had been treated and was waiting in the emergency room to be transferred to a room.

Baxter's Mom decided to wait in the lobby for any update on Miriam, while Baxter popped over to the ER lobby in hopes of catching up with Arlis.

His timing had been fortuitous as Arlis was seated in a wheelchair right at the nurse's station waiting for an orderly to transport him to his assigned room.

Arlis was obviously pleased to see a familiar face, though the first words out of his mouth were him inquiring whether he had heard anything from Gavin yet or if he knew anything about Mrs. Hollis's condition since no one in the ER would tell him anything.

Before Baxter could even answer him, an orderly showed up to escort him to his room, telling Baxter that he was welcome to accompany them, but it was after visiting hours and he doubted the charge nurse would allow him to stay very long since he wasn't a relative.

That was okay by him, he had just wanted to make sure the big guy was okay and perhaps see if he could learn what had happened that got both him and Mrs. Hollis in such a frightful condition. He had caught snippets from the throng of people who stood mostly around to gawk and snoop at the scene, mostly concluding that they had been attacked by some wild animal.

Later, after the nurse finished checking him in and telling Baxter he could only stay for a few minutes, he turned to Arlis and asked him what had happened.

Arlis just shook and scratched his head, telling Baxter about how Gavin had asked him to check on his Mom from time to time while he was away and how just as he pulled up in his truck he saw her entering the house, stating he had no intention of going over to talk to her having seen that she was okay and that he sat there for a few minutes as he typed a message to Gavin, intending to tell him that he was there now and his Mom seemed okay when he heard her shouting in the house at someone, just as the rain started pouring it down.

"So you know where Gavin is dude?" Baxter asked, quizzically.

"Sure" Arlis responded, adding: "He went with Billy Donnelly to some camp up past Macon and was going to be there for a couple of weeks doing some sort of training exercise."

Baxter had a momentary flash of jealousy and anger, as he silently wondered why it was okay for Gavin, who was the same age he was, to go to the compound while he, Billy's supposed lifelong best friend was barred from doing so. He couldn't help but wonder when Billy and Gavin had become such good friends since he had never mentioned him before, and that this was the first time he was hearing that they were ever anything more than acquaintances who sometimes worked together.
Baxter began wondering if they were actually as close as he had always thought they were, maybe, he reasoned to himself, that he didn't know Billy as well as he thought he did and maybe this was his plan all along and had gotten his Dad to bar him from his birthday bash just so he could hang with his new best bud instead.

Maybe, Baxter speculated, Billy had already guessed his secret somehow and was just trying to distance himself from Baxter without making too much of a scene about it or drawing attention to the fact they had been best friends for years, worrying that if it ever came out that Baxter was gay, that people might assume that he was too.

Baxter was suddenly feeling the urge to get out of there, he needed to think this all through, but he hung around as a courtesy to Arlis, who was still relating the events leading up to Mrs. Hollis's scream for help and Arlis rushing across the street only to find the front door locked as he heard the sounds of a struggle on the other side and something that sounded like a snarling animal.

It was her second scream that had spurred him to smash through the door and charge at who or whatever it was attacking Gavin's Mom.

Baxter paused him, holding his hand up haltingly: "What do you mean by who or what Arlis?" Baxter queried, not sure if he had heard him correctly or not.

"It was wild dude..." Arlis continued, his eyes growing distant as his mind's eye replayed the incident over in his head: "It was like this huge hairy beast that stood upright and had Gavin's Mom pinned to the wall but it was dressed in human clothes, I know that part for certain because I could feel the fabric as I tackled it to the floor."

It was obvious to Baxter that Arlis believed every word that he was saying, so he encouraged him to continue.

"It was strong too" Arlis whispered: "Stronger than anyone I've ever faced off against before, but it also had claws or something, because it kept scratching and digging into me as we rolled around on the floor before I managed to push it away."

Arlis paused again, shaking his head side to side as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms right before he locked eyes with Baxter: "I was almost flat on my stomach when a flash of lightning allowed me to see the fireplace poker a few feet away by the fireplace and as I reached for it, this thing bit right into my shoulder as its claws raked across my back, if it wasn't for that metal fire poker, I'm not sure I wouldn't be here now to tell the tale."

Arlis's expression grew somber as his eyes came into focus, glaring back at Baxter: "One other thing..." He paused, his voice low and ominous: "Its eyes glowed like two red coals the entire time and it snarled and growled like a big huge dog."

Baxter could hear the footsteps coming down the hallway, heading toward the room as Arlis concluded: "I can't remember much after that, other than fighting for my life and beating that thing over and over again with that metal poker until a couple of the neighbors showed up and it darted out the patio doors and over the wooden privacy fence in the back yard."

It was at that time that Arlis's Mom and Dad showed up and his attention and focus turned to his very concerned and troubled parents.

Baxter had excused himself quietly, his own thoughts now consumed with what Arlis had told him.

He had never known Arlis to be anything other than a straightforward and grounded type of guy, not someone prone to exaggeration or embellishment.

Baxter soon found himself rejoining his Mom as she sat there expectantly waiting for him to return, joined now by a rather plump short man he soon learned was Gavin's uncle: "There's been some good news son..." his Mom smiled cautiously: "Miriam's out of surgery and though she still hasn't regained consciousness, they think she's going to be okay."

As Baxter sighed his relief at the news and his Mom bid goodnight to Miriam's brother and thanked him once again for letting her know about his sister's progress.

Baxter took his mother's arm and walked her out of the hospital and out to their car.

Just as they went to get into their vehicle his Mom looked across the roof of the car with a quizzical look in her eyes: "Funny thing though..." she said, momentarily locking eyes with Baxter: "Her brother said the police report said she was attacked by a man, but the doctor told her brother that it looked like she had been mauled by an animal."

Baxter shuddered, reminded of Arlis's own assertions that whatever had attacked Miriam Hollis, wasn't quite human and nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone suddenly rang and Billy Donnelly's icon popped up.

* * * * *

Max stood there, a few feet behind the now fully transformed figure of his son, transfixed in awe of what they had achieved. Billy was beyond their expectations.

He could feel Jake and Atticus move to flank him on either side. He looked to each of them and saw reflected in their eyes, the same sense of wonderment at who and what now stood directly before them.

For fourteen generations, ever since the first Donnelly crossed the Atlantic to establish the very first Grege in what was then known as the new world and laid the very first stones to the oldest ceremonial grounds on this side of the planet, stood the culmination of Max's forefathers, who believed they could make manifest, through generations of selective breeding, a resurrected leader, in the purist of their forms. A creature of such might, like that of their Progenitor, whose progeny had once conquered the known world and built an empire so mighty and far-reaching, that remnants of it still existed to this day.

Such a being stood before him now, there could be no doubt about it. He saw it reflected in the expectant eyes of the two young men beside him.

Max turned to look at Atticus, whose eyes mirrored Jake's as he stared in reverent wonderment at his sons back, the irises of his eyes blazing emerald green as he adoringly soaked it all in, mesmerized and subsumed with the realization of all he could have ever hoped or dreamed for, embodied in the man that stood before him.

They stood there in the pouring rain together, basking in their accomplishment when they heard the distant scream of a woman.

"Carl!?" Max muttered, barely audibly, his heart skipping a beat, his stomach tightening into knots as his mind filled with dread and foreboding.

Billy must have sensed it too, as Max watched his sons body coil and tense just before bounding high into the air, to soar over the twenty-foot flames of the ceremonial grounds bonfire, higher and further than anything he had ever seen or heard possible, to land with a resounding screech of shattering stone, reduced to rubble and scattering debris upon impact, some forty feet away.

Not missing a beat, Billy's fully shifted form darted toward the path at record-breaking speeds.

Max howled his rage into the storm as he, Jake, and Atticus bound after him.

They ran as fast as possible, certain they would never catch up with Billy. But as Max and the others came around the first bend in the path, Max watched as Billy stood there in the middle of the path as one of the figures dressed in black stumbled out of the woods, fleeing the righteous vengeance being exacted upon him and his compatriots for their violation of one of their most sacred and time-honored traditions of the Heritage.

He barely had time to swing his rifle up protectively before Billy was on him. His clawed fist shattering the rifle into exploding pieces as Billy's razor-sharp claws dug into and penetrated his armored vest, to dig into his chest before hurling him through the air effortlessly to smack with a resounding bone-shattering thud against one of the trees before tumbling down to the ground in a lifeless heap.

They had almost caught up to him when he suddenly turned and once again distanced himself from them, heading directly toward the parking lot.

Mere seconds later, with Jake and Atticus trailing behind him, Max came to a sudden stop, noting Billy as he stood near one of the SUVs nearest to the entrance of the path.

To the side and directly facing Billy, two dark figures exited the woods, their rifle sites trained directly on his son. Max watched as Billy ripped the driver's side door off the SUV and used it as a shield as the figures fired repeated rounds at him.

In what could only be measured in fractions of a second, Billy launched himself at the pair, wielding the door like a battering ram as he crashed into them, smashing them to the ground.

As Max surveyed the scene as it unfolded, Billy repeatedly battered them with the metal door until their bodies were nothing more than an unidentifiable mash of blood, guts, and gore before flinging what remained of the door with such force into the woods, it nearly severed a pine tree in half.

Max stood there dumbfounded as the equally surprised Atticus and Jake joined him, their mouths wide open their eyes wide as saucers as they purveyed and assessed the carnage.

It was then, as they strode nearer to Billy, they noticed how he was now staring out toward the lake and as they cleared the low lying shrubs and underbrush that barred their vision, they saw what he was seeing.

A lone figure, down by the lake shore battling five more shifted dark figures. It quickly became apparent, they were locked in a life or death struggle, as the lone figure was tirelessly ripping, biting, and otherwise ferociously brutalizing each and every one of his opponents.

Max sniffed the air... before quietly whispering his name "Jason."

Coming to the conclusion that he didn't need their help, Max veered off, nodding at Billy before they peeled off together toward the cabin, with Jake and Atticus in tow.

As they drew nearer the cabin, Max could see through the wide-open door, his eldest son Michael apparently pinned to the floor by two metal blades and a shifting Kent Bauers right behind him staring down at a defiant Timmy Anderson, hovering almost protectively in front of a prone, but slowly rising Carl.

He couldn't make out any other figures in the room, but he could smell them, more precisely, he could smell their fear.

Max silently signaled for Atticus to swing around the back of the cabin with him, then motioned for Jake to wait for his cue before entering the front.

As he and Atticus were about to make their corner turn, Max looked back and watched as Billy shifted back to his normal form.

He stopped for a minute to watch as his son looked down his body at the silver medallion still burning into the center of his chest before raising his right hand to clasp it between his fingers and rip it from his neck tossing it to the ground before walking straight through the door of the cabin.

"Shit!" Max muttered to himself as he gave one last glaring glance at Jake, who just shrugged his shoulders and followed after him.

As swiftly and silently as he and Atticus could, they made their way toward the back entrance, each of them creeping up on the two darkly dressed figures standing with their rifles at waist height facing forward into the cabin, blocking the double door exit to the back deck.

On his mark, he and Atticus subdued the two men, knocking them unconscious with one perfectly placed blow each before stepping into the room to confront a jeering Kent Bauers.

"Good of you to join us uncle Max" he snarled through his misshapen muzzle lined with large yellowed teeth.

Kent now reeked of the wrong that was done to him. Max almost pitied him for what he must have been subjected to achieve such an abominable result.

Kent's dark, sparsely furred mottled hide undulated with the rippling striations of his unnaturally swollen muscles, his eyes glowed with a baleful sickly red.

As Max stepped into the room, he saw Carl's half-prone body still on the floor He immediately dropped down next to him, grabbing him by either side of his head and touching his forehead to Carl's: "Are you okay baby?"

Carl pushed himself up into a sitting position before Max lifted him to his feet and began patting his body surveying him for damage.

"I'm fine Max" Carl offered halfheartedly as they all turned their attention to Billy as he stood there just four feet into the room teetering on his feet as he swayed wobbly to and fro before his knees buckled and he fell into a heap on the floor.

Both Max and Carl rushed to his side, flipping him over onto his back as Carl cradled his head in his lap.

"I think he just passed out is all," Carl announced, his fingers brushing through his hair and stroking his brow.

"It happens soon after their first shift" Max declared turning to watch as Jake pulled a still dazed JD into his arms protectively, his large rough hand gently caressing his cheek as the other held him tight against him.

"Aww, ain't this cute, a family reunion!" Hissed a malevolent voice, dripping with bile coming from the twin door opening that Max and Atticus had just entered through.

Atticus twirled around in surprise as the huge, massive distorted shape, easily over seven feet tall, despite its hunched over, ape-like lumbering muscle swollen frame, squeezed through the twin portal.

Moving swiftly into action Atticus swung with all his might, his own huge fist to strike the beast against its drooling maw.

To his dismay the beast shrugged it off with a roll of mocking guttural laughter before sweeping its own misshapen arm to backhand him sending him flying backward to crash into the wall with a loud thud, knocking the breath out of him before he slumped to the floor shaking his head.

Max stood and moved to the center of the room to confront the twisted hideous creature, his hands on his hips, a deep churning growl on his lips: "Monaca!"

                                                                  Chapter Three:

"Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" [GySgt.Daniel J. "Dan" Daly, USMC; near Lucy-`le-Bocage as he led the 5th Marines' attack into Belleau Wood, 6 June 1918]

                                                                     * * * * *

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." JD didn't know how or why this line from Macbeth, which had been part of his tenth-grade literature class curriculum, came first and foremost to mind as he lay there, still stunned by the backhanded blow dealt him by his eldest brother, which had sent him careening across the room with a now throbbing split lip, but he felt himself shrinking back into the comforting, reassuring embrace of the ever stalwart and fastidious gentle giant he had come to know as Jake Bauers.

As terrifying as Jason's sudden transformation into, what he could only describe as something straight out of a horror movie and both his brother Mike's and Carl's subsequent shifts into bestial creatures, the likes of which he had only seen in movies like Underworld or An American Werewolf in London, none of that could have prepared him for the nightmarish seven feet tall monstrosity, his Dad had just identified by his mother's name... Monaca.

He was only six years old when his mother had seemingly just abandoned him, his Dad, and his two brothers. He could barely remember her face after the ten years that had passed since then, but one thing was for certain, she sure hadn't looked anything like what now stared down and confronted his Dad.

JD didn't know which he found more disturbing, the creature that was now being identified as his mother or the fact that he was just now beginning to realize, that this thing his father and others had spoken of as the Heritage, was nothing more than an allegory that obfuscated its true nature. Was this what his Dad had meant all those times when he spoke about them being old enough to claim their Heritage? That in actuality he meant to turn them into bestial monstrosities? Is this what he was doing to his brother Billy just moments ago and had done to both his older brother Mike and his friend Kent when they turned eighteen?

Pivoting his head up to look into the concerned amber-colored eyes of Jake Bauers, whose arms surrounded him in both a gesture of comfort and shielded defense, he was forced to ask himself, if Jake was also like everyone else in his life. Was Jake also one of these creatures? All the while and simultaneously knowing that he most assuredly was and that any moment he as well would transform if the need arose to defend both JD and himself.

But the biggest question of all, the one that now sent cold shivers down his spine, was this what awaited him in the future? Was there something hidden deep inside him that could cause his future self to transform into a wolf-like beast?

As JD considered the possibilities, he couldn't help but wonder, was this a voluntary thing or was it just his fate and something he would have to reconcile himself with. But even more troubling, why was it so important to keep this a secret, why wasn't it something his father prepared him for, how could he and the others keep something this momentous a secret?

While he contemplated these things, JD watched as Timmy and Carl attempted to pull the lugubrious form of his brother Billy further away from the central part of the room, leaving his Dad and the nightmare-inducing monstrosity that was his mother, to continue to stare each other down.

"What, no hug for your estranged wife Max?" JD heard his mother's ghastly, misshapen, fang filled mouth snarl at his father, with all the contempt and malice she could infuse into each and every syllable and word spoke.

JD watched as his Dad's head lowered, his eyes glaring from under his heavy brow at the bestial form of his mother, the irises of his eyes blazing a brilliant azure, his entire body looking like it had become a resolute slab of granite, immovable and as solid as the very foundations of the Earth. His Dads arms folded like twin iron bars molded across his chest, his demeanor one of absolute confidence and stoic cynicism: "If you want a hug Monaca, come and get one" his Dad crooned as his lips curled into a sardonic grin, his tone sending a sudden chilling shudder throughout his body.

His mother's gruesome visage seemed to ripple with cruel intent as she laughed malevolently: "I'll be more than happy to wipe that smug grin right off your fucking face Max, but not before mommy gives her other two little disappointments a final kiss goodbye."

With that, Monaca snapped her jaws several times leaving no doubt her murderous intent was anything but motherly, and as she turned her attention to the prone form of his brother Billy, JD watched as Carl once again transformed into his wolven shape, moving to put himself between Monaca and his supine, unconscious and otherwise defenseless brother.

"You're not going to touch one hair on their heads you fucking demented bitch!" JD heard Carl spit in defiance, his large clawed hands spread out menacingly by his sides, every muscle in his body growing taut, coiling as if to leap directly at her looming grotesque shape.

Just as his mother took one step toward Carl, JD heard the sound of a minor scuffle coming from the kitchen before observing Elizabeth Dunne breaking away from Brock Gryzinski's restraining grasp right before stepping into the main room, right past the island counter.

He watched as she ran her hands upward, gathering the loose strands of hair that had slipped free from the bun she had gathered her hair into, before shuffling her palms and fingers over her disheveled clothing and straightening her shirt: "If you don't mind Ms. Donnelly, I would like to ask just one question..." she paused momentarily as she warily confronted the bulky creature before her, almost absentmindedly adjusting her glasses: "Just out of curiosity, one scientist to another, how exactly did you solve the replicative diminishment inherent in the RNA sequence to derive a permanent and stable gene splicing?"

Monaca turned her baleful grimace toward Elizabeth, looking her up and down like she was appraising her right even to exist let alone deem her worthy of responding too: "Simply put, I bleached a virus and infused it with the genetic markers I desired to effect specified changes to the subject's genome." Monanca snarled, tilting her grotesque head haughtily into the air, sniffing arrogantly before dismissing the woman, turning her attention back to Max: "I see you're still true to form Max." rolling her smoldering red glowing eyes between Elizabeth and Carl: "You've had both of them within the last twenty-four hours and now you're letting your pawns fight your battles for your own amusement?"

"I don't know what's more pathetic--" JD's Dad interjected, his expression cold and clinical, devoid of any emotional scrutiny: "Your continuous, over-emotional feelings of inadequacy in regards to your gender or your hyperbolic need to self perpetuate your own sense of victimhood."

JD watched as a small hint of a smile curled one corner of his father's lips as the visual effectiveness of his assessment caused his mother's body to stiffen, and the rage behind her glowering eyes build almost to the boiling point. He also observed as Atticus began to rise up regaining his composure, a fact not missed by Kent who moved slowly toward him to take a position between his father and Atticus, an action that was now eliciting a growling response from Jake who also moved from his protective position behind him to a more aggressive posture in front, almost blocking his view of the events unfolding in front of him.

The tension in the room continued to build, shifting focus only when Elizabeth Dunne took a step closer to Max, but still focusing her attention on his mother Monaca: "So--" Elisabeth began cautiously: "Let me see if I understand this correctly--" once again she adjusted her glasses, pushing them up further on the bridge of her nose, before waving her right hand through the air in front of her indicating the speculative nature of her train of thought: "All you have done is create a virus that infects the host just like any other virus?"

Even to JD it was obvious Jason's Mom had struck a nerve with his mother, whose full attention was now raptly turned in her direction, regarding her now with absolute malice, which Elizabeth ignored completely, positing speculatively: "It seems to me, that all you've accomplished is to temporally infect them with a pathogen their own innate immune systems will most assuredly reject!"

JD's Dad turned his head slightly to Elizabeth, her line of thought bristling in his eyes as he considered her words, taking them to heart: "Are you saying what she has done is temporary?" his Dad queried.

Elizabeth's look acknowledged his assessment with a barely perceptible side-eye, never letting her focus venture away from Monaca: "It's an infection, one their body's own self-defense mechanisms will most assuredly combat, the real question should be whether they can survive the infection. If left untreated, it may very well kill them, they may very well be left immune-compromised. "

The growl from JD's Dad could be felt by everyone in the room: "Is that what she's done to herself as well?" he asked, the intensity behind his eyes causing the bright blue irises to glow more vibrantly.

"There is no known method to biologically change one's sex without killing them and since the lycanthropic genes only adhere to the Y chromosome, I suspect it's safe to assume she's devised a serum that temporarily and artificially mimics that chromosome as it floods her vascular system, and judging by it's, albeit physiological effects, is rapidly burning through her system at an accelerated and magnified rate."

"Meaning?" Max queried, still intensely staring at Monaca.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed, giving JD's Dad a quizzical glance: "To put it bluntly, she's Jekyl and Hyeding it right now and can't maintain this form for very long before it burns through her system, however..."

Turning sheepishly toward Michael and Kent and wringing her hands, looking at them with what JD could only describe as sympathy: "What she has done to these two may be causing them permanent or sustained damage if not properly treated, if it hasn't already."

Michael glowered at her for a second, his brow sweating profusely as he began to growl, struggling to raise up in an attempt to dislodge himself from the two sword blades pinning him by his thighs and calves to the floor: "Shut the hell up you fucking bitch, my mother has made Kent and I stronger than we've ever been !"

As if in answer to Michael's sudden outburst and declaration, Kent moved from behind him, his grotesque bestial maw nearly foaming as he snarled, leveling his malevolent seething grimace on Elizabeth as he moved toward her like a predator eyeing his prey.

JD could feel the heat from Jake's body suddenly increase, heard the deep guttural growl building and rising from deep in his chest as he gently moved from his position right in front of him to crouch like a coiled spring of massive muscle, sinew, and chocolate brown fur, the large fangs protruding from his wolfish like muzzle, snapping at his older brothers aggressive, and inexorable step by slow step advancements.

"Oh, for fuck sake Michael..." his mother admonished, her voice a distorted mash of slurred vowels through a snout to deformed to properly articulate human speech: "Quit being a fucking pussy and get up and do what we came here for."

JD didn't need to think what that something was, as his mother's virulent gaze stared intently at his brother Billy's prone unconscious form just a few feet away from him, her look unmistakably covetous, and though his jaw still ached and his head still felt woozy, JD forced himself up on his hands and knees to crawl over beside Timmy, who was still crouched down protectively guarding his sibling.

Of all the recent events that have been pummeling JD's senses and the course of his family's day to day life, he couldn't help note, that one of the most significant of those changes had been with Timmy himself. From meek and timid, scared of his own shadow mere weeks ago to a fearless brave defender crouching over his brother's helpless body protectively and confidently warding against any would-be threat.

As if in complete contrast to Timmy's calm, stalwart and confident defensive posture, the raging howls of his oldest sibling subsumed the attention of all present as he now began forcing himself upward forcing the twin blades of the impaling swords to slice through the meaty flesh of his calves and thighs in a herculean attempt of extricating himself.

The crazed, pain-induced grimace and eye-bulging glower helping to channel and focus his near-insane rage, his body shifting once again into his monstrously grotesque werewolf form, the sickly, horrific sound of the twin razor-sharp blades cutting through his flesh as he used every ounce of his strength to free himself.

Through the cacophonous din, JD could see his Dad, standing like a beacon of resolute and stolid strength leaning his head slightly sideways speaking calmly to Carl, who with a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgment, quickly turned toward him and Billy, striding over to them in rapid steps to scoop Billy up and motioning JD to follow.

JD felt Timmy's strong muscular arms encircle him, dragging him to an upright position, his almost serene-looking beautiful blue eyes conveying the urgency for motion as he half dragged, half carried him off to the side and closer to the cabin door, right before all hell broke loose.

From over Timmy's shoulder, JD watched as Jake slammed into his brother Kent just as he launched himself toward JD and Billy, in what was obviously an attempt at stopping Carl and Timmy from moving them from harm's way.

Though Kent was older than Jake, Jake had long ago surpassed his older brother in sheer physical size. But now, as their shifted forms clashed, Kent now seemed proportionally his equal, something JD was certain wasn't natural, even JD's untrained and unaccustomed eyes could see the "wrongness" that exuded from every deformed bulge and ripple of Kent's veiny, mottled blackened flesh

From the other side of the room, JD caught Atticus's movement toward Michael, who had already freed his right thigh and calf from one of the embedded blades and was now working to free his left. He could almost feel the concussive impact as the two muscular forms clashed together, Atticus driving his brother backward until he slammed sideways into the back wall with a bone-jarring thud.

From the somewhat protective cover of the kitchen island, JD observed Brock Gryzinski dart to Atticus's assistance, wielding a cast iron frying pan in one hand and a long butcher's knife in the other.

He watched as the two worked in concert assailing his older sibling, front and back, each delivering blows that would have more than disabled any normal opponent, but JD watched in trepidation, as Michael rose up, finally free from his impalement, and to JD's horrified amazement, watched as the huge gaping wounds on his thighs and calves seemed to knit together, staunching the flow of the nearly black blood that had been seeping from the gashes.

Within seconds the wounds had almost completely healed over, as Michael began to regain some measure of his focus and was now effectively deflecting the brunt of Atticus's frontal assault even scoring a few hits of his own as Atticus howled in rage as Michael's right misshapen hand raked his claw-tipped fingers across Atticus's abdomen, leaving four gaping, bleeding gouges.

To JD's relief though, he noted how the wounds seemed to close and heal right before his eyes, though at a slower rate than Michael's.

Similar events played out less than six feet away from him, between Jake and Kent, as they repeatedly gouged, raked, and bit into each other, scouring each other's flesh repeatedly only to heal over, leaving only gout's of blood dripping down their skin as evidence of their struggles.

It was the crouching movements to his left that caught JD's peripheral vision, as Gavin Hollis inched his way toward the nearly fear frozen form of Elizabeth Dunne, clasping her hand in his and pulling her back toward the relative safety behind the kitchen island, but it was the wailing howl of Brock Gryzinski that pulled his attention away, as his brother Michael now had Atticus's throat clenched between his fingers with one hand as he overpowered him with thunderous blows with the other.

Brock hurled himself through the air, discarding the frying pan as he landed on Michael's back using his freed hand to claim a handful of Michael's patches of sporadic fur around his neck as he began ruthlessly stabbing Michael repeatedly with the butcher's knife all along his upper shoulder and back, sending arcing splashes of blood spraying in all directions, forcing Michael to relinquish his focus and hold on Atticus as he grappled to gain a handhold on Brock's evasive but relentless assault.

To JD's mind, it looked almost like a cowboy riding a raging bull intent on dislodging its unwanted rider.

Atticus of course used Brock's distraction to score a few of his own blows as his talons dug repeatedly into Michael's straining, heaving belly, and chest, ripping handfuls of flesh, fur, and blood from his torso and abdomen in a shower of blood and rent flesh. But from JD's perspective, as ferocious as the bloody battle seemed and as relentless as they fought to rip each other apart, their wounds seemed to knit and weave their broken and sundered bodies back together, leaving only the splatters and small pools of blood and gore as evidence to the brutality of their attacks and assaults, that is, all except for Brock. Several deep scratches and gouges from Michael's fumbling grasp, were starting to slow Brock down, and as heroic as his defense and aid to Atticus was, it was obvious the battle was taking its toll on him, and though none of his wounds appeared to be life-threatening, it was apparent he lacked the healing stamina and strength afforded the near-supernatural nature of the other combatants.

It was his mother's nearly insane-sounding cackle that drew his attention away from the melee that played out on either side of the room and JD's focus was drawn back to the parental standoff and confrontation in the center of the room.

JD couldn't help but notice the disparate size difference between the two, his mother standing a good foot taller than his father, with a substantive body mass, that looked equivalent to twice his size, yet his Dad seemed nonplussed by this discrepancy, appearing resolute and inviolate of the ongoing battle raging around them, completely at ease with JD's mother level of threat, his gaze, and mannerisms one of near disdain, as if he felt her malevolent presence were nothing more than a minor inconvenience, barely worthy of his sustained interest, a fact that seemed to only further outrage his mother.

"Is this little family reunion boring you Max?" his mother quipped, snarling her vehemence at his father with as much contempt as she could muster verbally through her deformed, fang suffused and slavering snout: "

"What exactly do you envision happening here Monaca?" his father asked, a faint dispassionate grimace barely cracking his facial features, his mood otherwise completely unreadable.

JD stared at his Mom, stupefied by the brutality of her next words: "Why Max, I thought my message was rather clear, I'm here to destroy everything you stand for and hold dear, starting with them" she said, her massive left arm sweeping a taloned finger in his and his brother Billy's direction.

"You're our mother..." JD shouted back at her,, his hackles rising regardless of her gruesome persona and insidious and baleful accusatory tone: "What did we ever do to you?" he concluded, the emotion of his words catching in his throat almost causing it to crack. JD just couldn't believe or fathom that his own mother could foster such ambivalence, and malevolence for his and his brother's very existence.

His mother snarled at him, her jaws snapping, her monstrous fangs clicking together threateningly, her malevolent, mocking guffaw a growling retort in an outright rejection of any maternal connection he had always supposed inherent between a mother and her offspring.

Her eyes flashing a sickly, eerie red, his mother sneered: "Had I truly understood what you and your brothers would turn out to be..." She paused, taking a single step toward him, leaning forward to flex her massive shoulders and muscular arms threateningly at him: "I would have taken a clothes hanger and dug you out of my womb myself."

JD stared at her, open-mouthed and chagrined at her horrific words, his mind racing, re-imagining every memory he had of her as a small child, trying to reject the mental imagery her words now supplanted and usurped from his youthful recollections, knowing now it had all been a farce, the overactive imagination of a child who supposed a bond that never truly existed.

"Aww, has mommy hurt your wittle feelings?" she chuckled mockingly, her horrendous maw gaping sardonically into a twisted mask of repellent vulgarity: "Don't worry, mommies, come back to fix things," she said, adding flippantly: "Just think of it as a postnatal abortion. Your father did teach you about a woman's right to change her mind didn't he?!"

Revulsion supplanted any maternal memories or feelings JD had ever harbored for the creature that stood before him as Carl pulled him backward, putting himself between him and her: "Fuck you ya demented cunt!" Carl quipped, spitting on the floor as if even that small amount of acknowledgment had left a bad taste in his mouth: "I've always thought it was a mistake for Max to force you to leave all those years ago instead of just killing you outright when we caught you taking blood samples from the boys without his approval for your twisted experiments."

That revelation reverberated in JD's head, sending everything he thought was true from his childhood spiraling and coruscating into a myriad of conflicting memories. He and his brothers had all thought that their mother had just abandoned them, ditching them for some unknown reason. But now, it all made sense, realizing that this was just one more thing their father had done to protect and insulate them from the vagaries of their adolescent recollections and the insurmountable truth of her cruel intentions and indifference.

The truth was and is, their mother was a monster, not only physically, but mentally as well. This wasn't something their Dad had done to her, this wasn't the result of a relationship that turned sour, this is who she was, as a person, right down to her rotten core.

JD felt no sense of loss over this newfound revelation, what was really toiling within him was how bad he felt for his Dad, wondering how his father had tolerated this creature for as long as he had But even worse, how could his older brother Mike not see her for what she really was, why would he side with her, over his own father and brothers?

The throbbing sting in his jaw and the painful split of his lower lip where Michael had backhanded him moments ago, a stark reminder of his elder siblings' leanings in all of this, and JD was having a hard time reconciling which betrayal was worse, his mothers or his brothers? One resounding question kept burning in his consciousness, did Michael know about her sadistic intentions toward Billy and himself?

The sudden thunderous basal growl emanating from the bestial form of his childhood friend Jake reverberated and shook the walls of the cabin, instantly drawing JD back to the current situation playing out mere feet to the side of him where Jake now had his older brothers twisting and thrashing, distorted body hovering over his head.

JD barely had time to assess the situation as he watched Atticus dodge sideways away from his brother scooping Brock into his embrace as they rolled to the side just as Jake, with an incredible display of herculean effort, hurled his brother Kent missile-like at the exposed back of his brother Michael, with such magnitude and force it slammed both their body's against the large stone fireplace, filling the air around them with the sickening sound of splintering and shattering bone, the results of which left both combatants in a heap of broken and shattered limbs on the floor.

Within seconds, both Jake and Atticus yanked them up by their necks from the floor before swinging them around and clutching their exposed throats with their clawed fingers, threatening to rip their throats out if they continued to struggle against them.

Now helpless, the pair succumbed to their commands, their bodies growing limp as they struggled to heal from their broken bones.

"Useless, the pair of you!" Monaca sneered contemptuously: "Go ahead and kill them, chances are their bodies will reject the viral carrier anyway.. then again..." her husky, throaty voice cackled: "It might be interesting to see how painful that's bound to be."

JD watched as the color seemed to drain from both his brothers and Kent's faces as they stared balefully at her wide-eyed, incredulous at the thought of her callus dismissal and betrayal.

"Oh, don't look at me like that Michael..." JD's mother taunted and jeered: "maybe if we make it back to my lab in time, I might be able to stabilize your condition..." she paused surreptitiously as if it were an afterthought or consideration: "of course that depends on how long it takes Mommy to kill your Daddy and the rest of these other fools."

"How do you intend to do that Monaca..."JD's Dad interjected quizzically, the corner of his lips lifting into a slight sneer: "Bore us all to death with one of your never-ending diatribes?"

If it had been his fathers intent to get a rise out of his mother, judging by the way every muscle in her already gargantuan body swelled and rippled as she stood fully erect to her towering height, her head nearly touching the floor to the back loft, it appeared he was extremely successful: "I didn't know you were so anxious to die my darling husband.. " she growled, drool dripping from her sizable fangs as her eyes flashed a brighter, more sickening shade of crimson: "I had planned on savoring the moment by making you watch me kill your little faggot boyfriend and your precious little litter of mongrels first..."She paused, raising her massive fist over her head, clasping them together, obviously intending to use them as a cudgel: "But if you insist on going first..."

With a howl of snarling rage Monaca's massive clawed fist sliced downward directly toward his fathers head, causing JD to momentarily wince from the expected deadly impact only to be gratefully disappointed as his father's right fist shot upward so swiftly, his arm left an untraceable blur in the space between them before his right arm seemed to easily block her intended target, a fact that didn't escape his mother's notice, judging by the surprised look on her distorted, grotesquely featured face.

"Ya know Monaca..." his father Max declared as he pivoted and twisted sideways, clasping his mother's left wrist with his left hand, his body shifting effortlessly into his bestial form, his claws digging into her wrist as he swung backward: "For someone who is always bragging about how much more intelligent she is compared to everyone else..." His father's body leaped upward, accompanied by the horrid sound of cracking and splintering bone and rent cartilage as his mother's arm splintered as he twisted it back and upward, his legs locking around the back of her waist: "You would have thought you would have learned the genetic differences between alpha and beta Heritage genes..."

The howl of pain and demented rage issuing from his mother's throat as his father almost snapped her arm off as he locked his ankles around her waist and threw his right arm around her neck before securing it by clasping his own right wrist with his left hand and began squeezing her massive muscle swollen neck, compressing it with such force it seemed his mother's eyes were going to bug out of her head as she clawed and dug at Max's shoulders desperately trying to extricate herself from the tightening pressure of his ever compressing stranglehold.

"I think it's safe to assume not even Ryker Von Krause was stupid enough to trust you with a sample of his genetic makeup, so I'm assuming you used Michael's... " his Dad continued as his mothers head began to slump, the hateful fire that once burned in her eyes now superseded by absolute fear and what JD would like to think, as her sudden realization, that she had greatly underestimated her opponent's strength and abilities.

"Do you want to know why you've lost Monaca..." his Dad paused, as the lines in his face grew more intense, and the sounds of gurgling mingled with the eerie snapping pop's of blood vessels and bone: "You lost because you're a two-dimensional thinker in a three-dimensional game, strength and size is easily overcome by superior speed and skill."

With a bilious and nauseating sound, JD and the others watched in slack-jawed wide-eyed dread as his father's eyes flashed a brilliant blue, his grip tightening even more as his exposed teeth clenched even tighter causing Monaca's arms to drop to her sides as her body slumped to it's knees and Max's feet dropped to the floor, bracing his left knee against her back and ripped the Wolfen shaped head from her body in a blood-splattering display of primal ferocity.

JD just stared, dumbfounded and numb as several arcing spurts of blood spewed into the air from the mangled stump of what was his mother's neck before the body finally slumped forward to land with a wet meaty thump to the floor.

A pervasive silence subsumed the room as they all watched Max raise the now slacked jawed head level to his own, twisting it around to gaze into its lifeless dead eyes as its jaw dropped open and its long wet tongue lulled out one side of its mouth before the fire faded from his own eyes and he casually tossed it on the floor before him, announcing loud enough for everyone in the room to hear: "Consider that our divorce."

Stunned into silence, JD's eyes glued to his father's visage as he moved slowly through the room toward his other brother Mike, who glowered vehemently at him through tempestuous eyes, struggling to free himself from Jake's iron-like grasp on his throat.

"Release him" his father commanded Jake, who complied instantly, letting go of his throat and taking a step back as he did so.

The rage on his brother's face contorted his once handsome features into a vitriolic mask as he spat at their father, yelling: "You murderous bastard, you killed my mother!"

JD didn't have a clear view of his fathers face but he could see the tension building in every muscle of his body and with a swiftness barely perceptible by the naked human eye, his father's right hand shot up, then down with such impact against the side of his face that it slammed Mike face-first into the floor.

Without so much of a word by anyone else in the room, they all watched intently as Max bent over and grabbed Michael by the neck and dragged him across the floor to where their mother's corpse lay.

A sudden shiver of icy cold sent shudders down JD's spine as he observed his father shove his brother's lips against their mother's decapitated face: "Kiss mommy good by shithead, kiss the bitch that so poisoned your feeble mind that you were willing to help her kill not only me but your innocent brothers."

Their Dad paused only long enough to drag Michael's face to within an inch of his own, the irises of his eyes flashing a brilliant azure blue: "Look around you, you and Kent have almost killed everyone who has ever loved and cared about you and for WHAT!?"

Their father's voice was full of anger and disappointment: "Because your mother lied to you when you were a little kid, filled your head with delusions of grandeur knowing full well it wasn't true, manipulating you into believing you were something you were never meant to be"

JD's Dad's voice grew cold, abrupt, full of disdain: "The truth is, she used you, and whatever it is she has done to you is even now slowing destroying you and Kent, that's what she really thought of you boy!"

They all watched as Max shoved him away from him and stood up, turning his back on his eldest: "From this day forward you are no longer a son to me and furthermore, you are stripped of all duties and rank of the United States Marine Corp..." the pause that hung in the are only served to magnify his final words: "As Alpha Regent of the Devil Dawg Southern District I hereby rebuke you and declare you disperser, no longer to be acknowledged by those within the Heritage, your name forever stricken from our family history."

They all hung their heads as Max crossed the room to the prone body of his son Billy and gently lifted him into his arms and as he approached the ladder steps to the loft, hoisted Billy over his shoulder. He ordered Atticus to secure Michael and Kent until their fate could be decided by the council and without further discussion, climbed the ladder steps to lay Billy on his bed and sat by his side, stroking his hair as he kept silent vigil as his son rested and recovered from the trauma of his first shift.

It was just a few moments later, as Carl checked the bruising of JD's jaw that Elizabeth Dunne approached him, timidly relating her concerns: "I don't mean to disturb you, but I wonder if you would allow me to examine those two young men, I think that whatever was done to them is now killing them and I think it gets worse every time they shift."

It was apparent to JD by the way Jason's mother looked at his brother and Kent that she was genuinely concerned for their physical well-being. Even he and Carl could see how pale they both appeared and how much they both appeared to be sweating.

"I think it would be prudent Liz if we get them secured first before allowing you to do that, though I don't see why you couldn't after we do so," Carl stated, asking her if she would mind taking a look at Brock's wounds, to which she readily agreed before puttering off in that direction.

JD just stood there, feeling a bit disjointed and more than a little disoriented as he watched Carl drag Michael to his feet and shoved him toward the fireplace with Kent, calling over his shoulder to Atticus, instructing him of his intent to lock them up in the compounds storage shed, where they stored the canoes as soon as Brock's wounds were properly attended too.

As things in the room began to settle, JD still found himself numbly staring at the still monstrously grotesque corpse of what had been his mother. His mind drifting over the various startling revelations he had been witness to so far that evening. It was why he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt Jake's large warm hand on his shoulder: "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya." Jake said softly, genuine concern written on his face and reflected in the warmth of his eyes.

For a brief second, JD took in the image of the large man before him, noting the silly dichotomy of the flimsy apron he had wrapped around his midsection, barely hiding his nudity.

Gone was the gangling awkward boy of his youth, who laughed at his stupid jokes, or obediently gave into whatever mischief JD's brain could concoct, ofttimes sharing the punitive disciplines resulting in those actions without recrimination or blowback. The man that stood before him now was someone almost completely different yet oddly familiar and somehow comforting.

Even in the haze of his current confusion, JD still admired the incredible strength and presence of this boyhood friend turned man. His once awkward limbs now rippled with massive cords of muscle, more than he had ever thought could exist on one person, noting there was a density to Jake, a presence of being that seemed to defy description. But what he saw most of all, was an indisputable kindness and strength that radiated off him like heat from the sun, calling JD into the comfort and safeness of his arms, and that is exactly what JD found himself doing.

It seemed like it hit him all at once, waves of emotions he could no longer contain. Just as Jake's arms embraced him, drawing him to his warmth, comforting and consoling him as he almost delicately stroked the back of his head, murmuring consoling words of encouragement as the tears began to pour uncontrollably from JD's eyes.

He didn't really know why he was crying or even if it was for one specific thing. His head was swimming in a veritable whirlpool that spun his thoughts incessantly around until he felt sick to his stomach from the vertiginous myriad of nightmarish events unraveling the previous course of his life, the upheaval of everything he thought he held to be true and immutable.

He felt Jake's comforting large hands caressing his back, and thinking he never wanted to leave the security he felt in those powerful arms, and it was also in that moment that a sudden flurry of movement caught his peripheral vision that noted the arrival of Hank and Danal standing in the cabin doorway.

They both turned to face Jake's father, who stood their eyes rapidly surveying the room and the pervasive carnage wrought by his mother, and their brother's. Concern overshadowing his facial features as he was rapidly piecing the parts together like a grotesque, demented jigsaw puzzle, swaddled in blood, destruction, and betrayal.

It took Hank two rapid strides two pull both of them into his arms, kissing his son on the forehead as he ruffled JD's hair, his eyes searching their bodies for injuries even as he asked them if they were alright.

JD just clung to Jake as he briefly described the current state of events, as Hank stared glowering at Monaca's mutilated corpse. But before Jake could finish with his assessments, Hank caught sight of his eldest son Kent. Shoving past them, he stormed over to where Atticus held him, now staring forlornly at the presence of his father, recoiling in fear as Hank snatched him away from Atticus, his hands encircling his son's throat, throttling him as he lifted him off the floor, kicking his legs and pawing at his father's arms as his eyes bulged out and his face turned crimson from the flush of blood into his head from the sheer pressure of his constricting, vice-like fingers.

"You traitorous bastard..."Hank raged into his son's face, his own eyes bulging in wide-eyed fury, his irises flashing a bright golden amber as the veins stood out on his forehead, like a roadmap to his venting anger.

"ENFORCER...release him!" came the booming voice from atop the loft, as all eyes in the room shot upward at the sudden appearance of JD's Dad, Max Donnelly.

Hank just stared at him, caught between exacting his rage for his offspring's treachery and the stalwart, commanding presence of Max's continence.

Every fiber of his Dad's being spoke to the commanding nature of his father's presence perched up there on the loft looking down at them, his eyes locked on Hank's.

"This is no time to stand on ceremony Gamma. As Alpha of the Southern region I claim you as my enforcer..." his Dad paused, letting his words sink in, adding: "Now follow my orders and help secure the prisoners, their fate will be decided by the council."

JD couldn't help note the tension in the room as the wide-eyed look of surprise on Jake's face attested too, but he did hear the audible sigh of relief when Hank released his hold of Kent's neck allowing him to drop to the floor, on his knee's rubbing his neck as he gasped for breath.

Only two words escaped Hank's lips as he bowed his head to Max, two words that broke the spell of wills in the room: "Yes Alpha." Hank blurted, turning immediately to Atticus and with a nod, indicated he should lead the way as he yanked his eldest son from the floor into a standing position.

The unexpected thunderous clap of Danal's hands, nearly drove JD out of his skin, before he saw the huge grin on the elder man's beaming face, shouting to no one in particular: "It's about fucking TIME!"

Over the course of the next half hour, members of Atticus's unit made their way to the cabin. JD couldn't help but note the full riot gear they wore and the assault rifles they carried, but it was the obvious state of their appearance, knowing that they had seen battle, gashes, and tears in their clothing a testament to the ferocity in which they had fought.

The room was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic when Brock let out a loud moan as he stared into his phone and immediately declaring that he had no signal. Others checked their phones, Gavin included and verifying that none of them had service.

JD listened as Brock told Atticus that they needed to go check the communications equipment at the lodge to determine the problem. Gavin quickly offering his assistance with Carl nodding his approval, indicating that Brock might find Gavin's offer of assistance an asset.

The three headed out as another of the compounds security force showed up and indicated to Carl and a newly returned Hank that the immediate area had been secured and more and more of the guest were returning and wanting to speak to Max.

Jake and JD watched as Hank went up to meet with his father, who still sat by his brother Billy's bedside holding his hand when Carl suggested that maybe Jake should take JD and Timmy over to the campsite and maybe get them a couple of cold beers to calm their nerves, indicating there really wasn't much use for them to just stand around while he and a few of the guys who had also returned began to extricate the corpses and begin the cleanup process the interior of the cabin so desperately needed.

Timmy's disarming smile dimpled his cheeks as he led the pair out of the cabin door and into the cooler night air. JD had barely looked up to the sky to take note of the parting clouds and the full moon still shining directly over their heads, when Timmy suddenly stopped in the path in front of them, bending over and gleefully snatching what looked like a silver medallion from the ground, smiling broadly, his lilting voice cooing: "Oooo, pretty" as he studied its shiny surface in his open hand as Jake and he swept around him, to continue down the path toward the bivouac, shaking their heads, bringing a faint smile to JD's lips as he once again marveled at how strange but cute Timmy could be.

They had barely taken several steps when they heard a slight thud from behind them, causing them to quickly spin around, Jake's muscles already coiling defensively and protectively by JD side, until they both gasped, noting alarmingly that Timmy had collapsed behind them and now lay there on the ground, flat on his back.

As if that weren't alarming enough, as they quickly approached his supine body, JD could swear he saw the silver medallion glowing profusely right between it, and the skin of Timmy's clutching hand...

Chapter Four:

"Retrieving wounded comrades from the field of fire is a Marine Corps tradition more sacred than life."

--Robert Pisor.

                                      * * * * *

"Well, that was a bust!" Max Donnelly muttered to himself stoically as he pulled out of his driveway and headed in the direction of the base.

It was already well past noon and he had hoped he would have caught up with Carl by now since he wasn't at the hospital, where he had first hoped to find him. Still, he was glad to have found Gavin with his mother and that she was now awake, though still a bit groggy from all the pain medications she was on after her attack the night before.

He was also pleased that Atticus had thought to send Barin Young along with Carl and Gavin after Carl had refused to wait until Hank had talked to him, letting Max know what had transpired after the messages poured in on Gavin's phone from his friend Arlis Gundarson right after Gavin and Brock got the Wifi network back up after having been disabled by the attack on the compound during Billy's Heritage ceremony.

Max was relieved to find Barin standing guard outside Ms. Hollis's room and Max had instructed him to stay close until they were certain they had eliminated any potential residual threats.

He was also proud of how well Gavin was holding up as he stood vigil by his mother's bedside. Max assured him they would maintain constant surveillance to make sure that something like that didn't happen again.

Max had half expected to find the seventeen-year-old distraught, finding instead he was more angry than anything else. Angry at the one who had attacked her and the ones who had attacked the compound. Max noted the steely look of determination behind Gavin's eyes as he expressed his determination in holding whoever was responsible accountable for their actions. He had left with his assurances that they were already on it with Gavin's grim insistence he'd help out once he was sure his mother was back on her feet again.

While speaking to the boy, Max couldn't help but see many of the qualities that he shared with Carl, realizing Carl's prior assessments of Gavin had proven insightful. Max found it even more telling that Gavin had seemed to so readily accept everything he had seen the night before, though he was certain Gavin would have a lot more questions before all was said and done. Something his youngest son JD now shared in common with him.

As Max now neared the base, his mind continued to wander to the events following his final confrontation with his ex-wife, his handling of the betrayal of his and his new Gamma's eldest son's, his securing of his son Billy and his subsequent attempt at comforting his youngest son JD.

He had wished he hadn't been present to witness the traitorous actions of his eldest sibling or the gruesome fate of his insane mother and not least of which the true nature of the Heritage.

Max knew JD was a tough kid but having to deal with any of those things could be stressful, let alone all three, but that cat was out of the bag so to speak and there was no putting it back in now and he knew that he and his youngest were going to have to have a very long and serious conversation after things had settled down a bit and they were able to catch their breaths and try to bring some semblance of order back into their lives before he tackled that.

It seemed, at least for now, Jake was managing to keep a lid on things as far as JD was concerned, surprisingly so after his emotional meltdown when Jason had made his reappearance sometime later in the evening.

It hard to have been close to midnight when Jason wandered back into the cabin. His hands covered in blood as was his mouth and neck. Max had assumed as a result of his ferocious attacks on the compounds invaders.

He had watched on in silence, as Jason crossed the room, with concern in his eyes when he caught sight of JD. Max could have almost predicted his son's actions as he recoiled from Jason's touch when he reached out to him with his blood-stained hands.

Max had felt sorry for the young alpha, especially knowing that Jason's reactions had mostly been spurred from his almost primal need as an alpha to protect the ones he cared the most about and it was painfully obvious, emphasized by the crestfallen hurtful cringe registering emotively from his facial expressions and his body language. JD's rejection obviously hitting him harder than any physical blow.

True, Max could have interceded on Jason's behalf. He knew what the effects of a first-time shift could have and that Jason had acted on pure instinct, knowing full well that first-time shifters often struggled with the dichotomy of their two natures as both man and beast.

But with the birth of JD's son mere days away, Max knew that what his son needed now, more than anything else, was stability, and though it was clear that the two boys were in the early stages of falling in love and that they were truly drawn to each other, Max had accepted the reality of his son's situation and was forced to come to the conclusion, that right now, with all that both Jason and JD would be facing in the coming weeks and months, that what was best for both of them at this time, was for Max to follow his original plan, that being, for the foreseeable future, JD would be best served with someone more stable, someone JD already trusted and could count on.

Still, it pained Max to watch JD push Jason away, nearly shouting at him, accusing Jason of abandoning him: "You left me!" his son had shouted, backing away from Jason's outstretched hand, JD's accusatory vehemence permeating every line in his face, his body quivering in both anger and an almost overwhelming sense of abandonment.

Max and all the others around them, just watched on as Jason seemed to cringe and shrink into himself, at first wide-eyed, and stammering incoherently and then nearly collapsing into himself as JD turned from him, his eyes red and watery, on the verge of tears once again, backing up and into Jake's arms, wrapping his own around his waist, the side of his face scrunched against his bare chest: "I needed you..." JD had groaned, his words sounding forlorn, his voice cracking: "We all did..." he continued, turning his head slightly to shoot him a baleful glance full of accusation and disappointment: "If it wasn't for Jake and my Dad, we would all be dead and where were you?!"

In the end, words failed Jason, the pain on his face written in every soulful expression, his eyes staring at the floor, unable to meet JD's, self-recrimination emanating from him in every motion he took until it finally elicited his mother to cautiously and quietly guide him from the cabin.

Max knew that JD had only been speaking from the heat of the moment, but that still didn't negate the effect his words had on Jason. Max knew his son well enough, that those feelings would fade, there was a real bond between the two, both he and Carl had sensed it, and what JD was feeling now would dissipate and be supplanted and smoothed by his true affections.

It dawned on Max how so alike their narrative reflected his own with Carl throughout the years, drawing Max back to the present as he passed the base entrance, knowing he was just moments away from his destination and his hope of catching up with Carl as he made the turn down the road to the home he had bought for him during one of the most troubling times in their relationship.

As Max pulled into the driveway of the ranch-style home, that sat back a ways into the woods, it still amazed him that in the ten years that Carl had occupied the place, it had barely changed in any way.

Sure, Carl maintained the property, that was just in his nature, but in all that time, he had done nothing to personalize it. It was almost as if he had determined to keep it exactly how it was that first time Max had brought him there.

Max, of course, knew why that was. Personalizing the space would have meant he accepted it as his home, not the place Max had stuck him, tucked away from his troubled relationship and marriage with Monaca. His refusal to personalize, either inside or out, was his passive-aggressive way of reminding Max how displaced and dejected he felt.

It had become a nonverbal accusation and protest by Carl and a bone of contention and confirmation of Carl's stubborn pigheadedness. Max knew he was jealous, and he knew he had every reason to be upset, it wasn't like things had gone the way Max had wanted them to. Carl was fully aware that he had never counted on being forced into a leadership role and there was absolutely no one more cognizant than Carl how much he hated being corralled and coerced into that mold. But family, duty, and most of all, his service and placement within the Heritage had all but guaranteed and dictated his future actions for him.

As Max unlocked the front door to Carl's house and entered into the small foyer that opened into the great room, just like he had done a thousand times before over the years, somehow, this time felt different. There was a hint of trepidation in the air, a sense of finality he had never felt before.

The whole place reeked of Carl's scent, but he couldn't determine how recent that scent was. There was still a trace of both Jake and his new Gamma (Hank) proliferating the overall atmosphere of the house, though they had packed up all the stuff they had brought with them and taken it with them to the compound, having no intention of returning here after the ceremony.

Making his way through the house, checking for any sign of recent activity and finding nothing out of place, something that wasn't difficult since Carl maintained the place as spartan as he had received it. Max made his way to the master bedroom, the one area of the house, except the master bathroom, he knew would contain a proliferation of Carl's personal items.

Immediately, he noted that the picture of him and the boys, that Carl kept on the dresser on the wall facing the foot of the queen-size bed, was missing and that a drawer left slightly ajar seemed to be empty.

Max felt the increase in his heart rate as he now somewhat anxiously approached the double-wide closets bi-fold door, his hand hesitating on the cold metal door handle, his thoughts racing with the unresolved issues of their last conversation, while halfheartedly reminding himself of Carl's promise, right after he returned the two weeks prior, after a few days with Danal and the new recruits, sitting on his bed back at the trailer and promising to be the type of partner he needed him to be.

It was with that thought in mind Max slid the closet door open.

He didn't know what he was supposed to feel at that moment, as he found himself just shuffling slightly backward until the calves of his legs brushed against the foot of Carl's bed and his knees absentmindedly folded lowering him to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, starring blankly at the now empty closet interior.

Max leaned forward, his hands carding through his hair as the heel of his hands rubbed his tired eyes and his elbows rested on his knees.

Time seemed to become nonexistent, his thoughts drifting from one moment to the next. Past and present, reliving in vivid detail the events of the last few days, his mood growing darker and even more somber with each passing moment, the weight of his head resting in the palms of his hands until he caught the slightest of movement from the periphery of his vision.

Looking up, through furrowed brow, a hint of a grin forming at the corners of his mouth, Max's eyes connected with a glowering Carl, leaning against the doorjamb his arms folded over his chest.

Max studied him suspiciously, as Carl's right hand dropped, digging into his right front pocket hauling out a set of keys and tossing them in his direction.

Having snatched them out of the air Max looked down at them, suspecting beforehand that they would be his keys to the house and the trailer.

Max starred surreptitiously at the worn metallic shapes in his hand, his right eyebrow lifting quizzically as Carl's voice finally broke the silence between them: "Guess I won't be needing those anymore!"

                                                                     * * * * *

"Will you quit fidgeting like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, so she can finish dressin' yer wounds?" Atticus Walker exclaimed in a huff, growing impatient with the man he had forged a lifelong bond to, who, at that current moment, seemed unable to sit still long enough while Elizabeth Dunne rechecked the bandages that covered the worse of the scratches across Brock's right shoulder, wounds he had sustained during their short-lived battle with Michael Donnelly the night before.

Brock hissed back at him mockingly: "Well, not all of us have superduper werewolf healin' genes like you, and that fuckin' peroxide stings like the dickens."

Atticus just shook his head, running his fingers through the short hairs on the top of his head for the umpteenth time that morning alone: "For the last friggin' time, we ain't werewolves asshole!"

Brock snorted, bristling before sneering back at him: "Werewolf/lycanthrope wuz the difference? Both have big scary teeth and claws that rip through flesh like hot knives through warm butter." He emphasized the point by indicating his shoulder and rolling his eyes.

"While the latter is true..." Elizabeth Dunne interjected: "Werewolves are mythical creatures that are turned into werewolves by the full moon after being bitten by other werewolves and can't control the change, nor can they control their insatiable desire to kill, whereas lycanthropes generally have complete control of their shifting abilities and still maintain some level of conscious control over their actions." she paused before adding: "Most of the time that is."
"And we can't turn you into one of us by biting you, no matter how tempting that seems at the moment!" Atticus joked, snapping his teeth suggestively.

Both Brock and Atticus were fully aware that she was speaking about her own son's actions the night before when he lost all control over himself and went on a blood-thirsty murderous spree of anyone dressed head to toe in all black riot gear and speaking German.

And quite the spree it was too by all accounts. Hank had relayed to them later, after they had secured the compound and everyone was accounted for, that Jason came in second only to Paul Lakatos for the highest kill count; Hank giving the young Marine his due noting especially how the bulk of it had been in defense of his own father and Marshal Griffen after his son Merrick became temporarily overwhelmed and incapacitated.

Truthfully, no one had seen that one coming, and after taking his own eldest sons actions into account, Max had made it a point to personally and publicly commend and thank Paul for his valiant efforts, knowing full well, by the severity of the wounds both Marshal and Merrick had sustained, that the elder Griffen probably would not have survived if Paul hadn't interceded on their behalf.

It was also to his credit that he had refused any rest or medical treatment until everyone was accounted for and he and a number of other alphas had completed a final perimeter sweep of the entire compound grounds, a task that had taken them nearly until dawn to complete, and even then he only stood down because Max had ordered him too.

Brock finally stood up after a tired and slightly disheveled Elizabeth gave him the thumbs up, informing him he was lucky he had only superficial scratches and that none of them appeared to be showing any signs of infection, but indicating to Atticus that perhaps a day of bed rest wouldn't go remiss.

Both he and Brock were about to object when Hank over road them both, basically ordering them to go get some breakfast and hit the hay for a few zzz's, at least for the next few hours.

They had been waiting to hear back from Gavin and Carl but were satisfied Gavin had made it alright when Barin had phoned Atticus personally to say that it looked like Gavin's Mom was going to be okay and that Max had even stopped by to check in on him before taking off to go locate Carl.

Both he and Brock still didn't know what to think about Timmy, who lay there on one of the cots they had set up as part of a makeshift treatment area inside the Lodge for those wounded in the battle.

Elizabeth said that though he had a slightly elevated temperature, there didn't appear to be any internal damage or injuries that she could tell of, though none of them had been able to pry the silver medallion from his fingers, not without breaking them in the process. Something she strongly recommended against though Danal had seemed to debate the idea, not relishing the thought that their most sacred relic was trapped in the steely clutches of a comatose human.

After briefly checking Timmy's unchanged condition, both Brock and Atticus finally made it over to the bivouac and scrounged up a couple of plates full of the prior evenings leftovers, consisting of heaping piles of ham and freshly made scrambled eggs and had no sooner sat down in front of the campfire to eat with a few of the other stragglers who had yet to make it to bed, when they notice Hank leave the Lodge and head in the direction of the Donnelly cabin.

He and Brock knew he was going to check on both Billy and JD, the latter refusing to leave his brothers bedside, despite his Dad's assurances that he would be alright and that he had just passed out from exhaustion; something not that unusual after a first time shift and probably even more so considering the elevated levels of his lycanthropic abilities.

They had overheard both Max and Hank discussing it, stating that neither had ever seen or heard of anyone exhibiting such strength and speed so new to their first time shift, both wondering just what else he might be capable of in the future.

The thought still kind of sent shivers down Atticus's spine just thinking about what he had seen Billy do the night before.

His train of thought shifted, like his mood, when he felt Brock lean against him and rested his head on his shoulder, while he halfheartedly chewed a mouthful of food. The simple action and the intimate warmth of his body pressing against him, stirred memories from the night before when Brock had selflessly hurled himself at Michael Donnelly in an attempt to free Atticus from a chokehold. That action, more than any other, left a lasting and conflicting impression on Atticus; one was fear, for what he thought was sheer stupidity of his mate and the other was the realization that he could have lost Brock because of it.

A sudden and sobering thought had just occurred to Atticus, that he had just thought of Brock as his mate, not a partner, not someone with who he just shared a similar goal, but an actual mate, someone he now knew was already putting his needs above his own, who gave no thought or concern for his own well being and safety when he thought Atticus in mortal danger.

Atticus found himself becoming suddenly cognoscente of his own feelings and actions when he thought of Brock's life being in peril and how he had done the exact same thing in an attempt to protect and defend him and realizing his own actions were of fear for Brock, or more precisely.... his mate.

Atticus abruptly sat his plate down and turned to Brock, the heated emotion of the moment, compelling him to act as he took Brock's plate from his hands and set it aside before standing and pulling Brock up with him, taking his hand and dragging him toward their tent.

He ignored Brock's glowering quizzical look, his slightly perturbed, questioning annoyance by Attiucs's sudden change of priorities until he had dragged him into the tent, thrown his arms around him, pulling Brock tight against his body and smothering any protestations before he could vocalize them by crushing his lips against Brock's.

As kisses go, he knew it probably wasn't the most romantic or sexiest Brock had ever received, but what he lacked in finesse he made up for in pure raw passion, knowing he had accomplished that, by the way, Brock's initially awkward and surprised protestations melted away as his body succumbed to Atticus's fervent impulses.

Feeling Brock melt into his arms, Atticus pulled back slightly to study Brock's face, hoping to meet his gaze to better gauge his response, he was surprised to see that Brock's eyes remained closed and his lips slightly quivered as he unmistakenly swooned in Atticus's arms.

Atticus beamed, knowing, without doubt, the effect his kiss had, seeing it written in every subtle expression that played across Brock's face until his eyelids slowly parted and his lips trembled as he stammered his first response: "W-w--Wow..." was all Brock managed to say before he dove back in for more, practically grinding his lips against Atticus's and trying to suck the very breath from him.

As Atticus pulled his suctioning lips away and stared into eyes that mirrored his own heated desires, he pushed Brock away, his gaze ravishing Brock's body: "Get those fucking clothes off!" he commanded, his voice thick and full of need as he began tearing at his own clothes, tossing them aside until they both collapsed nakedly on the double-sized mat they called their bed, their arms, and legs entangling in a sea of writhing limbs as their mouths once again attempted to devour each others burning passions.

From Brock's perspective, he didn't know what had fueled this sudden change in Atticus, but he had no intention of spoiling the mood by questioning it, deciding instead to let his actions speak louder than words by letting Atticus's wet thick tongue part his lips as he pulled it into his mouth hungrily sucking the spit from it as his fingers carded through the stubble of hair on his head, pulling his mouth in tighter and his tongue deeper into his mouth.

Atticus could feel the heat build between them as his own cock expanded and engorged with the mounting desires that flooded like a tsunami over him, driving him inexorably between Brock's legs as he positioned himself between them, drawing up his thighs until they almost instinctively wrapped around his waist, wantonly inviting him in.

Brock groaned in pure hedonistic delight as he felt the massive blunt end of his lover's cock poke against his quiver as lips. He could feel the warmth of his pre-cum as it belched stickily from his piss slit, slicking the way for the inevitable plunge he both knew and hungered for.

For Atticus, it seemed as if the entire world had disappeared leaving only his mate, his lover, his heart and soul yearning beneath him, as ravenous as he was for the joining of their two bodies.

As he pushed forward, drawing Brock tighter in his embrace, his teeth nibbling at Brock's full, pouting lips, as the bloated head of his fourteen-inch monster split his rectal walls and began to sink within his palpitating depths, he could feel Brock's clutching fingers dig into his ass cheeks, trying to pull him in deeper as his heels kicked against his back, moans of intense fiery ardor consuming both their consciousness.

With the deepest of guttural grunts, pulled somewhere from deep within his chest, a fugue-like fervor overcame Atticus, his primal, animalistic desires subsuming all cognitive reason, his cock became a battering ram, bursting through any defense that Brock's hungry hole could have mustered against the sudden intrusion.

Brock gasped in both pain and pleasure, driven by pure lust for the hairy giant pile-driving into him: "Fffuck me like you mean it you bastard!" he cried out between pushing thrust, forcing each word out in staccato-like fashion with the intensity of his jack-hammering hips and thighs.

Sweat began to pour off the duo, mingling together slicking their bodies further, causing them to slip and slide in near-frictionless unison.

Brock was the first to cum, his mouth a large silent "O" his eyes squeezed shut as his cock sprayed thick ropes of sperm between their already soaking bodies.

The squeezing pulse of Brock's gulping hole triggered Atticus's own orgasm. Like Brock, his manhood erupted, practically pissing jizz deep within the undulating confines of Brock's guts, flooding him with his potent manly juices until he collapsed with exhaustion on top of him, panting for breath as his still swollen dong continued to seep fluids into him.

"Don't you dare try to pull that thing out mister!" Brock gasped between gulps of air.

"I wouldn't dream of it mate." Atticus sighed, his lips once again seeking Brock's, tenderly cementing their union: "There's no other place I would rather be!"

                                                                   * * * * *

"That one looks just like a fluffy poofy bunny on a jet ski wearing a sombrero" Timmy mused to himself, while simultaneously wondering why he was lying there, on his back in the middle of the day, when mere moments ago he was just walking along the path leading from the cabin with JD and that beautiful mountain of testosterone and muscle Jake Bauers, roughly right around midnight.

He seemed vaguely aware of spotting a shiny, pretty thing on the ground and had just bent over to pick it up, and claim it for his own when the next thing he knew, a tingly shock-wave, almost like an electrical current, had shot up his left arm and the palm of his hand felt like it was on fire.

Even now, as he lay there admiring the dizzying array of fluffy white bilious clouds that careened across the azure sky, there was still a vibrant heat emanating in the palm of his hand.

Timmy raised his left hand up to exam it against the panoramic backdrop, finding only his own pale, nearly translucent skin, glaring near creamy flawlessness back at him.

As if on cue, as Timmy studied the pulsating, slightly itchy throb of his palm, a pretty, gilded-edged butterfly with iridescent wings descended from nowhere and fluttered to rest in the center of his palm.

He marveled at the complexity of colors that seemed to dance across the surface of its wings, changing in hues that shifted incandescently in sparkling speckles as he lifted it closer to his face for a more detailed inspection.

Timmy's mouth gaped open in wondrous aw as his scrutiny revealed what appeared to be a tiny butterfly winged man with two small glowing antennae running juxtaposed on either side of his forehead, kneeling on all fours practically wiggling its perfectly sculpted buttocks while staring amorously up at him with two perfectly golden eyes that batted both playfully and suggestively, causing Timmy to giggle with delight, noting how the mere whisper of his breath caught against its delicate gossamer-like wings causing them to flutter wistfully.

Standing slowly as he cupped his left hand in his other, Timmy watched as the two-inch figure rose to its feet and blew him a kiss, blushing shyly, its lips pouting mischievously, causing Timmy to coo in rapturous delight, before pursing his lips and gently blowing on it's fluttering wings.

He nearly burst in joyous exuberance as the minuscule entity exploded into dozens of replicas, each a different color in a near-infinite display of rainbow hues.

Timmy giggled enthusiastically as they all swarmed around him, their delicate little hands pulling and pushing him to move forward, down a path hidden by a dense, fluffy cloud-like fog, that to Timmy felt like traversing the surface of a trampoline, but with slightly less bounce. In fact, everywhere, except up seemed completely obscured by the white, thick bilious mist, leaving Timmy to wonder if he had indeed died somehow and was now in heaven.

As they moved along, the mist began to part before him, spreading like wings to slowly reveal the peaks of distant mountains whose bases were subsumed in majestic clouds lit in rays of golden sun-dappled light, leaving him the impression of islands floating in the clouds.

The more they moved forward, he was sure he could hear the soft strumming and plucking of harp-like music reminding him vaguely of a more sedate and lilting symphonic version of his favorite childhood song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

As they drew closer to the soft music, the gentle rustle of water lapping against a sandy shore gave a rhythmic counterbalance to the melody.

In short order, Timmy found himself at the edge of a large calm lake mostly concealed by the thick cotton-like mist.

As he stood there at the bank of the gentle waters, he could feel the slightly cool waters ripple over his bare feet, caressing the skin of his feet and tickling between his toes.

The swarm of butterfly men all moved to swirl away from him, moving inexorably forward to dance in the air above the surface of the water, before each spiraled and twisted until they formed the outline of a large valentine like heart, hovering there for a moment before flying off in all directions just as several dolphin-like creatures pushed a gigantic seashell into view, less than twelve feet in front of him.

As the shell slowly skidded to a stop, the lower surface catching the sands below the surface, impeding its forward momentum.

Timmy just stood there frozen in fascination, while gawking at it for a moment, before it began to split slowly open, revealing its contents.

There, lying on a mound of soft rolling folds of pink shiny satin, surrounded by the pearlized interior, shifting in rainbow hues, lay prone one of the most beautiful persons he had ever seen.

Other than the entirety of his experience since he picked up that shiny metal disc, the most unusual thing he observed about the reclining figure was the similarities between them, though petite in height, and slight in girth and width, he wouldn't have dubbed it "twinkish".

There was some definite muscular development and definition. Thin around the waist but broad enough through the chest and shoulders to still be considered masculine in origin.

The face was rather oval with high cheekbones and what could only be described as a rather dainty nose poised over small, but full pouting lips.

The eyes mirrored his own, twinkling a brilliant blue, with long blond lashes, the entity's hair hung in long flowing ringlets cascading down its front and back, almost waist-length, shining like spun coiled gold, that bounced diaphanously with the slightest of movements.

As strangely odd Timmy found the whole thing, it was the chubby little winged babies that fluttered all around the resting figure, playing small stringed harps or daintily lifting coils of the figures golden tresses and combing and constantly adjusting them with their small pudgy fingers.

One, in particular, caught his attention more than the others, as it sat on the entities knee, its tiny golden-haired head resting in obvious boredom in the palm of his hand that was supported by resting its tiny elbow on its equally tiny knee, causally whipping and flipping a golden coil of hair much to the ever-increasing annoyance of the prone figure, culminating in it raising one hand in a sultry upward movement before flicking the winged infant off its knee sending it careening in a spiraling arc over the shell and into the water.

The tiny plop sound it made barely caused a ripple, brought a giggle from Timmy that changed to a gasp as the now angry baby shot out of the water straight into the air and magically produced a little golden bow and arrow right out of thin air and started firing a series of repetitive shots at the figure, which bounced of its pale skin harmlessly, but obviously annoying the entity, causing it to suddenly sit up and snatch the figure around the waist with one hand and shouting in its face: "Stop it you little fucker or I'll rip your wings off and shove 'em up your ass!"

It was at that moment the mysterious figure seemed to take notice of Timmy's presence, its eyes going wide as it quickly shoved the winged baby behind its back and offered him a beaming, eye batting innocent look that only made Timmy want to giggle harder.

"Oh hi, you've finally made it" it said in a lilting, soft musical voice that poured over him with the warmest of feelings against his skin.

Timmy finally found his voice asking the only question that was foremost on his mind: "Did I die and go to heaven?"

The entity regarded him for a moment as if contemplating the meaning of his words before responding: "Is this really your idea of heaven?"

Timmy watched as the figure turned it's head sideways to glower at the little winged scamp it had just shoved behind it noting it had now perched itself on the rim of the half shell and now stood there pissing over the side into the lake: "I guess not" Timmy responded, before adding quizzically: "Then where am I and who are you?"

To Timmy's startled amazement, the entity vanished in a puff of jasmine-scented smoke only to abruptly re-materialize two feet in front of him.

Timmy stared into its glowing eyes as it studiously scanned him up and down, with a somewhat vacuous and clinical expression painted across its beautiful face.

It was in those few silent moments, that Timmy examined the entity back, trying to assess its true nature, having already noted its hardy yet delicate features, he now found himself speculating as to its gender.

When it first appeared, he had been certain it was female, but now, a mere two feet in front of him, it appeared that original assessment to be false, as it now exhibited more than a few masculine traits as well, not least of which was the penis between its legs.

What still confused him however was how it seemed to melt and mesh between both sexes depending on how it moved or how the light caught it. Even now, as it lifted its delicate right hand up to its face and clasped its chin between thumb and forefinger before slowly moving to circle him, and making humming noises and clicks that could at times sound both approving and critical, he still couldn't confirm whether the being was male or female.

As the entity finished its circular stroll around him, it stopped where it began, looking him up and down once again, only to vanish once again in the same cloud of jasmine-scented pink smoke, only to reappear once again reposed on the floating half-shell, as if nothing ever happened.

Timmy blushed as it smiled at him seductively, its glowing blue eyes batting impishly, its head cocked alluringly before it spoke again, in words that almost physically caressed him, filling him with warmth and comfort: "You are where you have always been..." it's voice trailed off as if looking right through him but adding casually as if in response to his quizzical expression: "You are there within yourself, where you have always been and will continue to be until you are no more."

The near sardonic look in its eyes, assuring Timmy that that answer would have to suffice, as the being saw this to be self-evident and unworthy of a greater explanation.

Timidly Timmy regarded the creature, asking: "Who are you and why do we look so much alike?"

The entity laughed, its face exploding into a beaming expression of rapturous joy, it's laughter echoing like delicate crystal shards bouncing together in a summer breeze: "We have many names given us over the ages." It mused before citing a few: "Parvati, Frigga, Hathor, Eros, and Cupid are but a few..." it smiled, revealing its perfect, white pearl-like teeth framed by full succulent ruby red lips: "But in this instance, I would say Aphrodite suits best."

Timmy of course recognized the name as belonging to one of the ancient Greek deities; the goddess of love if he wasn't mistaken, one that was also very much female if memory served him correctly, causing Timmy to query: "Wasn't Aphrodite female in Greek mythology?"

The entity laughed again, its smile almost infectious as its lilting laughter: "You mortals and your primitive tribal concepts, I would have hoped that one of my own children would have evolved beyond such limitations."

Timmy chuckled: "Last time I checked I have a mother and she doesn't look or act anything like you...unfortunately" he added.

The entity sat up brusquely, waving its hand dismissively, a sneer on its lips: "No daughter/son of mine is descendant from a mortal's womb, she was merely a vessel to my true offspring!" Aphrodite sat up, leveling its gaze upon Timmy, brusquely adding: "Her tainted blood does not flow through your veins daughter/son, I assure you!"

The latter statement was made with such finality, Timmy knew it was meant to be an end to that line of questioning, but he bravely persisted, trying to understand: "Are you saying that everything that I am comes from my father's side only?"

Aphrodite regarded him, staring distantly right through him as if tracing his origins back in time to when it all began: "You, daughter/son are the progeny of myself and your sire, the mortal known as Anchises..."

There was a haunting smile that crept across the entity's face, as memories both good and bad, flooded and washed across its expressions, playing out in a myriad of conflicting emotions until Aphrodite bowed her head and softly proclaimed: "No man was ever more proud or pleased when I presented him our beloved child Aeneas."

Timmy noted the subtle mood shift from pleasant to sad as Aphrodite contemplated that memory: "It pleases me he never knew of my deception, that despite the cause and need for our child's birth, I truly held him with kindness and warmth in my thoughts."

Somehow Timmy knew that this was all somehow important and he was doing his best to commit it all to memory, not that he truly believed any of what was happening, still certain he would wake up any moment and this would have been nothing more than a dream.

As if sensing his doubts, Aphrodite's reverie came to an abrupt halt as her eyes flared a brilliant blue followed rapidly by a thunderous clap of lightning in the distance: "Tread you carefully daughter/son, though I have no presence within the Earthly realm anymore, save through my curse upon the silver you yet clasp in your hand, in this realm I still wield formidable power!"

Timmy brought his hands up defensively, concern written on his face: "I meant no disrespect, I just don't understand how any of this relates to me and the current predicament we're facing?"

The anger faded from Aphrodite's eyes as the entity once again stretched out in casual repose and smiled earnestly back at Timmy: "Our time grows short daughter/son, suffice it to say the elder beast in your realm may best regale you with the origins of their tale and your own and how my brother, the one who sleeps, used Gemini to split my divine line aided by the cruel intentions of he whose heart desires only battle and glory."

Timmy wasn't absolutely certain who the entity was speaking about, but he was sure the elder beast was that flirty old man back in the compound. The one called Danal.

Aphrodite rose to her feet as dolphins appeared around the shell and began gently nudging it away from the shallow sandy shoreline: "Heed my words daughter/son, he who sleeps divided my line by using Gemini and only through Gemini can it be made whole once again."

Timmy moved closer to the water's edge, his toes sinking in the cool sands: "What does that all mean and how does it involve me, I'm not one of them...am I? he added carefully, knowing full well what the events of the evening had revealed about the Donnelly's and those around them.

Aphrodite reached out to him and gently took his hand in her own until the shells backward motions shifted their fingers apart: "Stay close to the white wolf, his cause is yours and he will protect your progeny and all my daughter/son's..." the light in the entities eyes grew brighter, it's golden tresses shifting in the light breeze like a mermaids hair in the water, it appearing to take on and having a life and motion of its own: "When you awaken, reborn anew and the White Wolf takes council from its own kind, it is then you must find your true name and claim it and your place, it is then the White Wolf will be given challenge, but be aware, it must be you who accepts it, for it is that path and that path only that will give you a voice as their equal and allow you to claim the first half of Gemini as your own."

As almost an afterthought Aphrodite mused: "Tell the White Wolf, to build a meeting hall for his brethren and my daughter/sons who have passed the same test as your own, that such an act will restore the true balance and in the fullness of time undo the original curse against man levied by my slumbering brother, who, in his jealousy feared that man might one day rival him and all those who dare call themselves gods!"

As Aphrodite became subsumed by the closing mist, the clouds above shifted and on the distant mountaintops, a beautiful and timeless city appeared on their peaks, reminding Timmy of ancient Grecian temples.

Timmy watched it all begin to fade into cottony whiteness and his eyelids grew heavy as he felt himself drift away, he heard Aphrodite's soothing voice: "I bequeath this void to all my daughter/son's so that they may regain their former glory and take their kin beyond the heavens and the stars."

As Timmy felt his consciousness pull him away from the warmth and sanctity of the place he had just christened the Fluffy Bunny Patch, he was certain he heard the entity's final words call out to him, bringing an ear to ear smile across his face: "You better work bitch!"

   Chapter Five:

"The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.

But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another."
"Semper Fidelis"
General Louis H. Wilson Commandant of the Marine Corps Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejeune, N.C. 1978

                                                                    * * * * *

Max Donnelly stared at the keys in his hands, the ones Carl had just tossed at him, a sneer cocking the right side of his mouth before he tossed them back at him: "I told ya the other night, I think this is a really nice gesture, but this is your place and if you want the boys to have it..." Max stood up and crossed the small distance between them, taking Carl in his arms and pulling him tightly against him: "I think it's a gift best given by you personally."

Carl frowned, giving Max a scowling look, his brow furrowing slightly: "You're the one that bought this place, not me!" he insisted, not knowing if he should be annoyed or turned on by the fact Max's hands had moved down to clutch his ass, squeezing his buns as he ground his bulging crotch against his own.

Growling into his ear, his lips caressing Carl's neck, his hot breath sending goosebumps all over his body, Max taunted him: "I get it okay... message loud and clear, you've always hated this place, but that doesn't negate the fact it belongs to you..." Max pulled away from Carl to stare at him intently, forcing him to keep eye contact: "I gave Billy the trailer and my truck, so you're not foolin' me for one minute..." Max paused long enough to swoop in and plant a playful kiss on the tip of Carl's nose: "You and I both know, the only reason you want JD to have this place is you're afraid he'll move away with the baby, that is if things pan out between him and Jake as we think they will."

Carl huffed, feigning indignation as he pulled away from Max to go plop himself down on the bed, crossing his arms for dramatic effect: "I can't believe you're okay with the idea of your youngest son moving a million miles away, he's only sixteen Max!"

Max had turned to lean against the door jam, mentally noting how they had just effectively switched their original positions, causing him to smile wickedly back at Carl: "Well, for one thing..." Max noted sardonically: "North Carolina isn't a million miles away..." he said as he closed the distance between them, reaching down with his left hand to cup Carl's chin, tilting his head upward to make eye contact once again: "You know it would only be for a few months at best, that is, after Jake puts in for a transfer."

Still bulking at the notion, Carl frowned, doing his best not to sound like he was whining with his next words: "Do you know how much babies grow in just a few months, how is a teenager supposed to cope with a newborn practically all on his own?"

Caressing the side of his face, Max smiling impishly back at him: "Oh, so this would have nothing to do with you being a mother hen, just a concerned conscientious observer?" Max chuckled, musing: "You know, you're not foolin' anyone here right?"

Leaning forward, his hand slipping behind Carl's neck, Max kissed him lightly on the lips, silencing any protestations, until he felt Carl's lips yield to his own, before pulling away, still stroking the back of his head gently.

Bowing his head slightly, looking at his own hands folded in his lap: "You know it's in my nature to worry about them, don't expect me to stop anytime soon okay?" Carl moaned softly, his eyes darting furtively at Max, letting the warmth of the smile on his face center his thoughts, knowing intuitively, that Max would never knowingly allow any harm to come to the people he loved, the thought drawing him back to just two nights before, when he was certain the world he had known had ended and that he had lost the man he loved more than life itself to yet another woman.

Having watched Max mount Elizabeth Dunne had practically ripped his heart out, sure, there had been other times that he himself had been a willing participant in their extra-relational "encounters", Brock Gryzinski coming first and foremost to mind, but unlike that night, he had known Max's goal in those encounters and he had had no problem participating in it. But as he had fled the constrictive, chest tightening emotions he experienced watching Max show such a keen interest in someone else and as he found himself once again running away from facing his own prevailing sense of inadequacy, by the time he had stopped running through the woodland landscape of the Devil Dawg compound, he had come to the stark realization that his soul searching quest had led him to the one spot he had always associated as his and Max's.

He didn't know whether he had done so out of habit or out of some subconscious need, but that spot, more than any other, was the place he always found to be the most serene and calming, maybe even a little erotic considering its shared history with Max.

It was that spot, back when they were just mere boys, that after a late-night skinny dip in the cool refreshing waters, on the other side of the lake, where the stream that fed the lake waters joined the two, that he and Max had found this small clearing, right off the banks of both bodies of water, and had for the first time declared their love for each other, a declaration they had sealed with their first kiss, in this very spot.

It was also the very first place they had their fumbling first attempts at giving each other blow jobs and it was the first place they ever made love, beneath the full moon when they were just barely fifteen.

He sat there that night, his thoughts divided between what his life had been and what he had always hoped it would become. torn between three worlds, his past, present, and future. This here and now, his present circumstances, dictating and driving his actions.

Last week he had promised Max he wanted to be part of the solution, not a burden, not someone Max felt he had to protect. He remembered the effects his declaration had had on Max, the way he had looked at him, totally trusting, accepting, and taking him at his word, not to mention the incredible sex they had afterward because of it.

As he sat there, in their spot, surrounded by his fondest memories, he couldn't help but wonder if he was making the same mistakes he always seemed to make, falling into the same self-destructive patterns he always seemed to talk himself into.

For years after Max had moved him out of the house he shared with him and Monaca, he had allowed his thoughts to fester, erected mental barriers in an attempt to protect himself from caring, knowing full well he was pushing Max away, despite his repeated attempts to achieve some sort of equilibrium between his life with Monaca and the life he had always told Carl he wanted with him.

Hindsight told him, it was in large part due to his own repeated rejections that had limited Max's infrequent visitations. Despite it all, Max never did completely give up, whether it was his unyielding insistence Carl spend any and all Holidays together, as a family or the fact Max never forgot a single birthday or his stubborn insistence that Carl be there for both Michael's and Billy's births.

None of it had broken down or even cracked the mental barriers he had erected. Nothing Max did or tried got past them, that was until JD was born.

At first, it had been like the subsequent births. Carl, on one level, was happy for Max having another child, but this one was different, or more precisely, Carl had grown indifferent to it.

He had stood there the day he was born, with Max, standing right beside him as they both regarded him through the large plate glass separating them from the hospital nursery.

Max was beaming with pride, the sheer joy of fatherhood radiating off him. Carl, however, was the exact opposite, his thoughts were not so joyous, they had in fact grown dark and somber.

He found himself resenting having to stand there, resenting Max's apparent happiness at having sired yet another child with that vile woman and thinking the only reason he was forced to stand there yet again was so that Max could rub his nose in it. It was like he got some obscene pleasure at pointing out the one thing Monaca could do for him that he never could, that his misery was a form of punishment, inflicted upon him because he had the misfortune of being born male instead of female.

Standing there, looking down on that innocent newborn, had felt more like a reminder, an accusation of his own inadequacies.

But, like so many other times in their lives, when Carl had allowed his own insecurities to run amok, unfettered or restrained, his inner demons had deprived him of reason and it was once again Max that brought him back from the dark edge of that precipice. Not by shoving a butt-plug up his ass to remind him what a tight ass he could be, but by demonstrating that Carl was never far from his thoughts.

As they had stood there, he could suddenly feel the warmth of Max's hand on his neck, right where it joined his shoulder. The move had startled him slightly, his mood having painted a different scenario than the one playing out.

Still, the gesture didn't go unnoticed and despite his previous dark thoughts, he had turned his head to offer Max a wane, conciliatory smile, but it was Max's words that soon followed, that had left him speechless and once again reminding him of how blind he was when it came to Max.

"He's an alpha ya know..." Max had said softly, his eyes never leaving the sleeping infant as Carl side-eyed him, taking note of the warmth exuding from his gaze as he pondered his son, before suddenly turning his head to meet Carl's stoic gaze, his eyes glassy and full of emotion: "or at least he will be when he claims his Heritage" he had concluded proudly.

Carl had no doubt Max was right. He knew full well that Max's alpha senses were keener than his own, but it was the way he said it, that had caught Carl's attention.

He had known what the deal was when Max agreed to marry and take a wife, it was to satisfy his duty to his family's legacy, to produce an heir, an alpha to preserve his family's lineage for another generation. But more importantly, it was to satisfy his father's belief that among Max's offspring, a sort of uber-alpha wood be born to lead those of the Heritage out of the constrictive complacency that was slowly relegating their kind to eventual obscurity and potential extinction.

Like Max, Carl knew what his father Marcus had told them, substantiated by Danal, citing an ancient seer's prophecy that spoke of the conditions that must be met by his forefathers to sire an alpha amongst alphas, someone who would lead the Heritage out from an age of darkness into one of enlightenment, eventually bringing peace to the world for countless generations to come.

That is what he saw reflecting back at him through Max's eyes that day, planting a seed of hope within his own thoughts, that perhaps Max was acknowledging the completion of his vow, the one his father Marcus had sworn him to until he completed his duty to both his family and the future of the Heritage.

He had wondered if he dared take Max's acknowledgment to mean things would now change between them, that he could begin to hope again that they might build a future together.

It was what Max had said next that really threw him though: "I wanted you to be the first to know what I decided to name him."

Carl didn't know at the time why that should matter to him. He didn't see how that could possibly relate in correlation to his previous line of thought and found himself wondering if he had misread Max's intentions or was he just projecting his own desires and wants once again.

Whatever the case, the look in Max's eyes spoke volumes before he did. He was obviously proud of his decision, though he seemed hesitant as his eyes searched Carl's, eyeing him as if to gauge his response, which only added to Carl's trepidation: "I hope you don't mind or think it presumptuous but I decided to name him James David Donnelly."

The look on Max's face didn't translate into him really thinking it was presumptuous, no, the face he made then was one of being pleased with his decision, knowing he had done something for the right reasons.

Whether planned or not, it worked.

Carl had done little more than stared gobsmacked back at Max. In one fell swoop, Max had accomplished two things. The first, he had blasted through the emotional barriers Carl had erected over the years and the second, making him feel so ashamed of himself for the disdain in which he had held the birth of Max's third child, heaping upon it his own negativity, reducing it to a symbol of his own misery, much of which had been completely self-inflicted, self-perpetuating.

Max had made numerous gestures to him over the years, but this one reached right into his chest and ripped his heart out and performed CPR on it, before lovingly placing it back into his chest to beat new life into his veins, evidenced by the tears that threatened to spill over the rim of his eyes at any moment.

Barely a day had passed in Carl's life when he didn't think about the loss of his family, how a wet road, and a tired trucker who had lost control of his rig, just for a second... forever wiping out his entire family; his mother, father, and older brother.

If it hadn't been for his begging and pleading to go with Max and his Dad to the compound for that weekend and his father's reluctant approval, he would have died with them that night, on that lonely stretch of road.

At the time, he didn't know his Dad was an alpha and that his older brother was destined to be as well. It didn't alter how keenly he felt his family's loss. But two fewer alphas, in a time when alphas were becoming rarer and rarer, would only exasperate the problems within the Heritage. Max naming his own son after his own Father and Brother had moved Carl more than he had ever thought was possible at that time.

While it didn't fix everything, it did break down many of the barriers he had erected, allowing Max back in. It would still take a couple of years before Max finally handed Monaca her walking papers, but by that time, they had already cemented how they would proceed to go into the future, a future where he now found him sitting on the ground, wondering if he still had one with Max or whether it was time to call it quits and move on.

He had scant minutes to weigh his options when he heard the sound of splashing water behind him and turned to face the lake, only to find a naked Max, dripping wet as he sauntered onto the shore, quietly approaching him.

Carl didn't get up, he did however pivot to face Max right as he knelt down, attempting to be more or less on the same eye level.

"So I guess I should assume you're really pissed at me?" He asked tentatively, his attempt at a somewhat playful smile and tone failing miserably as evidenced by the not so playful scowl Carl offered him in return.

"You're not suggesting that I don't have a reason to be, are you? Unless of course, you're going to try to convince me that wasn't you with your dick in that woman!" Carl said, doing his best to keep both his tone and his emotions calm and under control.

He watched as Max bowed his head, lowering himself to sit on the ground in front of him before reaching over cupping both of Carl's hands in his own: "I know you're pissed and you have every right to be..." Max paused for a second reaching up to lift Carl's chin with his index finger, their eyes meeting: "I also know you want answers and I would love nothing more than to offer you some, but I can't...not yet."

The intensity behind Max's eyes was one Carl had seen before. Experience had taught him that this was one of those moments where Max was doing what he thought he had to do. As if it were some pre-arranged, a fixed moment in time that he had to comply with or all hell would break loose: "This is about that fucking gypsy seer again isn't it?" Carl demanded, the heat rising within him as he imagined all the different ways he would thoroughly enjoy doing terrible things to said gypsy seer if he ever met him face to face.

Max's head kind of nodded off-kilter as he pondered his response, pulling his hands back only to rest them on Carl's knees.

"Some of it is and some of it isn't..." he stated speculatively, before admitting: "The part with Liz was more about something else I'm not at liberty to discuss at the moment."

Carl had felt like Max was just blowing him off and decided to show his displeasure by shoving Max's hands away from his knees and standing up and heading toward the edge of the small clearing they were in, fully intending to put some distance between them.

Max must have realized Carl wasn't in the mood for games or half-assed answers and moved to intercept him, his hands clasping Carl's shoulders and gently tugging him around to face him.

"Carl, if there was ever a time in our lives I've ever needed you to trust me, it's now..." Max insisted, the look in his eyes so intense it sent shivers throughout his body: "More than anything I need you to remember your promise from the week before, when you swore to me that you wanted to ease my burdens not add to them and that's what I'm asking you to do now, to do as I ask, without question..."He paused again as if to gauge Carl's mood or state of mind: "I need you to be that person now Carl, I need to know you're going to do whatever I ask of you."

Carl had never seen this level of intensity emitting from Max before and though he did have a lot of questions he needed answers to, he had made such a promise to Max. So, despite his trepidation, he reservedly acquiesced, nodding his head silently, causing Max to throw his arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"I promise Carl, twenty-four hours, that's all I'm asking, and then..." Carl interjected: "And then you explain everything and Progenitor help you if I don't like the answers!"

Max had just smiled back at him, agreeing to his terms as he proceeded to lay out what he needed him to do, how he had to make it seem as if they had split up, that they weren't together. To not even tell Danal, whom he knew could be problematic, promising he would deal with him if he had to. But most of all, he had told him, he needed Carl, to as secretly as possible, convey to Atticus that he needed him to prepare his men for Billy's ceremony by secreting themselves in full camo gear and assault rifles, and to position themselves in the treetops surrounding the ceremonial grounds.

But by and far the hardest of his expectations was that he insisted he needed Carl to stay away from Billy's ceremony. He wouldn't explain further, but he could see how important it was to Max.

For weeks prior to that night, he had quietly noticed the subtle and not so subtle ways that Max had manifested his anxieties about Billy's ceremony, and there had been little he could do to ease the tensions building between them. But as he had stood there quietly accepting each of Max's commands, he could feel much of the tensions dissipate from Max's body, especially after he had tentatively agreed to his final condition. Once he had agreed to not attempt to be anywhere near the Ceremonial grounds during Billy's ceremony, it only then did Max breath a sigh of relief, pulling Carl to him, kissing him so ferociously, it damn near made Carl blush. Instead, he just returned the kiss, culminating in Max drawing him back into the clearing where they did their very best to relive their first love-making session beneath the nearly full moon hanging overhead.

Carl still held the passion of that night etched within his thoughts until it culminated in Max smacking him on the ass, bringing his thoughts reluctantly back to the present.

Max winked at him wickedly as he refocused his wandering mind: "It's a shame we don't have time to christen that bed one last time..." Max mused, adding: "But I need to stop off at the base before I head back to the compound and you have an appointment over at the college to keep!"

Carl just glowered at him quizzically as Max handed him a small sheet of paper with a handwritten location scribbled on it: "And why do I need to be..." he paused looking at the paper before continuing: "At Lab 2 at 12:00 pm?"

Max just smiled, responding playfully: "Why to have some blood drawn of course." he winked at Carl before turning away from him making his way toward the front door.

Carl didn't know what the hell that was all about, and Max still owed him a bunch of answers he had promised from the other night and Carl was determined to play along until he got them. So as he watched Max pull out of the driveway, he got in his own truck and made his way to the main road right behind him.

He watched as Max turned right, heading toward the base, before he did the exact opposite, turning left, toward town and the college, all the while speculating what Max could possibly have up his sleeve this time.

                                                                  * * * * *

"What a difference a day makes," Jason Dunne remarked darkly to himself as he sat there on the floor with several of Atticus's unit attempting to scrub blood stains from the wood floor of the cabin.

The whole room seemed comparatively vacant since most of its furnishings had been demolished or damaged during the several violent encounters the day before, apparently, most of which he had missed after the feral beast that seemed always present beneath the surface of his conscious mind had broken free.

Even now, it lay poised under the surface of his control, ready to rise up again at a moments notice in defense of him and those it sought to protect.

He could feel it mewling there, subdued and cowled momentarily into submission ever since JD's emotional admonitions the night before.

JD's rejections were what was still first and foremost weighing on his mind. He had been concerned for everyone when he felt the beast rising within him, felt its anger building to a crescendo, but it was when those darkly dressed men, armed with assault rifles, threatened JD's safety, he had lost complete control of the beast within and he had apparently changed into something he had never even knew existed outside the realm of fiction.

He realized now, after talking briefly to Max, his grandfather and his uncle Merrick it was the wolf genes inherent in his make-up, passed on to him through his father's DNA.

When the shift had happened, he had little control over it, it was like they were two separate entities occupying the same body and when he lost conscious control, he had become the observer to its actions instead of the other way around, as it had been.

The real truth was, he didn't want to stop it and it was that thought that troubled him as well, along with JD's castigations. He struggled with the dichotomy of his nature now, not knowing which was worse, the blood thirsty beast that had mauled and killed so many of the compounds invaders or the one who had released it upon them.

It was those thoughts that rolled ceaselessly through his mind as he watched Jake Bauers approach him.

"I think we need to have a talk," Jake said softly, offering Jason his hand as an assist to standing as he towered ominously above him, looking down at him with eyes full of either compassion or pity, neither of which Jason could distinguish, but acknowledging to himself, that it didn't really matter. With Max and Carl both absent at the moment, Jake was the only way he currently had in gauging or hopefully communicating with JD again, so he took Jake's offered hand and allowed him to help him to a standing position.

"How's JD?" Jason queried, glancing toward the loft speculatively, knowing that since his confrontation with him, he had taken up a vigil by his brother Billy's bedside and has been refusing to leave it.

Jake just bowed his head slightly, breaking eye contact with Jason: "Not so good, though he has finally passed out in the chair next to Billy's bed."

A look of concern crossed Jason's face as he too awkwardly tried not to make eye contact with Jake: "You'll watch over him won't you, make sure he gets enough fluids and maybe a bite to eat?"

Jake didn't really need to respond, Jason knew he would. He'd come to realize, long before the events of the previous evening, that Jake cared for JD as much as he did, and though he hated the way his inner beast chaffed at the thought of JD being comforted or turning to anyone other than him, it seemed marginally less so where Jake was concerned.

Truth be told, under the surface, he knew he kind of resented the closeness Jake now had with JD, but he also understood where that was coming from. He may be subconsciously envying Jake's history with JD, but consciously there was no way he could put any blame or shame on him for anything that had transpired.

Jason was empathetic enough to understand that what he was currently feeling toward Jake was nothing more than the most superficial kind of petty jealousy that he was experiencing, when the real truth was, no matter how dark his inner voice got, there was something innately about Jake that he not only liked but found admirable, maybe even attractive.

All of this was so confusing to Jason. It felt like his entire world had been turned upside down and he was drowning in a sea of uncertainty, but it was also wondrous and terrifying all at the same time.

Max had briefly talked to him, making it clear, that after things settled down a bit, they would sit down and cover every one of his concerns and of course the burning questions he was aching to ask.

He had thought about going to his grandfather or his uncle, but he still felt a bit of trepidation regarding them, it had barely been twenty-four hours since he first met them.

Thankfully, Jake offered him a more timely, if not comfortable option by suggesting the two of them hit the camp and get some food for themselves and maybe something that Jake could bring back for JD to have for whenever he woke up.

As they got comfortable, enjoying the hearty beef stew some of the guys had prepared and making some sandwiches from the left over ham from Billy's Heritage celebration, Jason decided to field a few inquiries he felt needed clearing up about those of the Heritage: "Jake, I'm having trouble getting my head around what the Heritage really is..." He paused momentarily, as he toyed with a chunk of potato in his stew with his spoon, while trying to properly frame his query in his head as concisely as possible: "I heard Max say we aren't werewolves but something else?"

Jake frowned at the word werewolf, his disdain for it written all over his face. It kind of made Jason smile as his expression took on almost comical proportions.

"We're shifters!" Jake nearly blurted, followed by a slight blush as he realized how aggressively he had stated it, before adding more sedately: "The technical term is lycanthrope, meaning we have wolf like characteristics."

Jason pondered what he said for a moment, recalling all the stereotypes often associated with werewolves, pressing him to ask: "So, we can't bite someone and then on the next full moon they turn into one of us?

It was Jake's turn to smile: "No dude, like that Lady Gaga song, we're born this way."

Chuckling to himself Jake anticipated Jason's next questions: "...and no, we're no more vulnerable to silver bullets as we are to regular ones, and we aren't repelled by wolfs-bane, though that ones a bit of a misnomer..." He rolled his eyes thoughtfully before amending: "Wolfs-bane can mask scents from us. We're pretty sure the guys who invaded the compound had it somehow woven into their uniforms, that's how they snuck up on us." Jake's brow narrowed, adding with a nod of his head and a tap on his nose with his index finger: "It was kind of clever actually, either that or we're just not that deviously minded."

"If that's the case, then we better start learning 'cause I doubt that this will be the last we'll be encountering any resistance," Jason said solemnly, his expression growing sterner.

Jake clapped him on the back, smiling broadly: "That's why we need more alpha's like you!"

Jason caught the glint in his eyes, knowing full well he meant every word. But it was the word "alpha" that had caught his ear, having heard Hank Bauers use the term toward Max just this morning and having heard his grandfather and uncle Merrick use it when talking to Danal the night before.

"Ya know..." Jason began cautiously, thankful that he finally had someone who he could talk to about the various questions consuming his thoughts since his own shift the night before.

"I'm not sure I understand this whole alpha, gamma, and wolf shifter thing and how it all ties into or relates to the Heritage."

Jake regarded him for a second, his eyes narrowing as he considered his response: "As wolf-like shifters, those of the Heritage follow pack structure set up by the Progenitor, who was the first of our kind, he's also the one that started and created most of the Codex, the book that was originally intended to be a guide for those like us."

Frowning slightly, carding his fingers through the short hair on his head: "My grandfather and Danal say that Billy is unlike anything they have ever sensed before, that he's different from everyone else." It was just an observation, but Jake tried to clarify.

"The hope was/is, that Billy would be like the Progenitor and the others that were the first of our kind."

Jason looked at him questioningly: "I'm not sure I know what that means." he concluded.

Nodding his head in understanding, Jake related: "At the beginning of the Heritage and for several hundred years after him, when any of his descendants went through the ceremony, those claiming their Heritage fully shifted into wolf-like creatures, though usually much larger and naturally fell into a wolf pack like hierarchy."

Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, Jason pondered what Jake imparted, trying to take it all in.

"What happened to change things?" he queried.

Jake shrugged his shoulders: "No one knows for sure..." he began, speculating: "But the most widely accepted belief is that intermixing with human females has diluted our wolf side to the point that we barely shift anymore." he paused thoughtfully before adding: "There hasn't been a full wolf-like shift in well over a thousand years."

Jason seemed to be a little confused: "So shifters haven't been around as long as the rest of mankind?"

Shaking his head, Jake answered: "The Heritage started over two thousand years ago, there are books in the Reliquary that Danal can show you that are translations of the Codex into English and also ones that relate our history much better than I can."

Nodding his head, Jason indicated he wanted to do that, his curiosity about the Heritages lineage and history beginning to subsume his thoughts.

"So, this alpha thing..." Jason posited: "How can you tell, who is and isn't?"

Jake smiled, winking a twinkling eye back at Jason: "Alphas are born alphas, it might just be easier if I just lay out the entire pack hierarchy."

Readily agreeing, Jason turned sidesaddle on the log they were sitting on, facing him offering Jake his full attention.

Amused by Jason's apparent keen interest, Jake laid it all out for him, concisely as he could: "First and foremost is the alpha" He began, adding quickly: "There is no pack without one and anyone not in a pack is considered a disperser or what others might call a lone wolf."

Jake continued to clarify: "There are two ways of being a disperser, the first and most prevalent are those who go through their Heritage ceremony but are never chosen by an alpha to be part of a pack. The second way is for an alpha to die, leaving the rest of his pack without one."

Jason interrupted, asking: "That's what Max and Danal have been talking about as being the main problem with the Codex, right?"

Nodding in affirmation Jake added: "Yes, the Codex teaches that the only way to keep inter-pack disputes or quarrels to a minimum is to limit the number of individuals within a pack. It was meant as a way to limit the ability for a large pack from just using greater numbers to overpower smaller packs and either wipe them out or add their numbers to their own increasing their ability to wage war on other packs."

Jason looked at him sternly: "Leading to a never-ending cycle of violence, with the only outcome being ever decreasing numbers and even fewer alphas."

It wasn't a question, more of an acknowledgment of the scope and potential severity of the overall problem.

Jake bowed his head, his voice growing more somber: "What makes it worse, is that alphas have been keeping their pack's small so there is less to protect, leaving what members they have to concentrate on maintaining their territories."

Jason sighed: "Meaning they only take in those that are best capable or suited for fighting or defending."

Nodding his head again, Jake silently confirmed his suspicions, adding stoically: "It also makes them potential targets by rival packs."

Jason looked up, locking eyes with Jake, a look of consternation on his face: "Is that why Max has held off having anyone in his pack?"

Jake just cocked his head sideways slightly: "Max is one of the strongest alphas I have ever met, if I were to hazard a guess, I would say he has done so to protect those around him from being targeted."

Considering Jake's observation and what that implied on a more personal level, and realizing that Max had just the night before claimed Jake's own father as the first member of his pack, Jason veered the discussion towards the nature of packs themselves: "Tell me more about the hierarchy within a pack."

Jason noted how Jake sat up straighter, composing himself slightly, an acknowledgment as far as Jason was concerned, that Jake had trepidations about his father's new status.

'Well, we've pretty much covered alphas..." He began while looking around at the various men busying themselves around them, either resting or performing various tasks: "After alphas of course comes betas." his eyes glanced over at Atticus Walker, who was giving instructions to one of the men in his unit and Jake cocked his head toward him: "If Atticus is chosen into a pack, he would be a beta."

Jason eyed Atticus up and down, studying him for a few seconds, sniffing the air and taking in his scent: "Is that why he smells different from you and most of the others?"

Jake smiled, acknowledging Jason's observation with a broad grin: "Now you're gettin' it!"

"You smell like your father, so I guess that would make you a gamma?" Jason queried, his eyes growing in intensity, leaving Jake with the awkward feeling of being sized up by the young alpha, making him suddenly feel self conscious, before answering timidly: "Yes, gammas are the pack enforcers, hunters and overall protectors of the pack."

Not missing a beat, Jason interjected: "What do betas do?"

Jake regained a bit of his composure, feeling the focus shift from him: "First and foremost, betas protect the alpha, they also see to it the alpha's orders are carried out and assist in pack operations."

Jake continued as Jason listened intently: "Like alphas, packs usually only have one beta, but some larger ones have been known to have two."

"How many gammas are there usually within a pack?" Jason queried

Jake felt the potency of Jason's gaze on him again, not exactly making him uncomfortable, just more self-aware before answering: "Normally two, but for larger packs, it could be three or four, most of this depends on the overall size of the rest of the pack."

Since they began talking about packs, Jason had noticed that the beast within him had started to become more restless, it's intensity building the longer they talked about packs, alphas, betas, and gammas... especially gammas.

Barely being able to meet Jason's gaze, Jake continued: "In older and more established packs, they use to also include the deltas, the kappas and of course omegas."

"Are there any of those here?" Jason asked. noticing that as his beast stirred, his own voice thickened and deepened.

Jake once again perused the area around them, his eyes indicating various people: "Most of Atticus's team are Deltas."

Jason sniffed the air again, studying the various individuals Jake indicated: "They are obviously fighters, but their scent isn't as pronounced as Atticus.... or yours."

Jason could feel his beast shove against his consciousness as he said "or yours" as Jake's scent seemed to permeate his senses more and more.

Almost softly, Jake answered: "Deltas are like foot soldiers or infantry they also serve as the go between's with the alpha and his inner circle."

"So the Kappas and the omegas would just be the regular members of the pack?" Jason concluded.

Jake tried offering a wane smile, but it was obvious he was growing more nervous as the air around Jason seemed to intensify, his alpha pheromones practically swirling around him, increasing in potency, making it harder for Jake to respond, so he just nodded his head, before adding: "there are plenty of kappas in the Heritage, but few ever make it into packs these days, the title omega is usually left to refer to a human mate."

Jason thought about that for a second, before inquiring: "So, humans can be part of a pack?"

Finally braving a direct glance into Jason's eyes and finding himself locked there, in the deep blue quagmire of Jason's stare, Jake's one-word response was barely audible: "Yes."

Jason was sharply aware of the various stares of those around him, he could feel it on his skin, even Atticus was shooting him side glances as if studying him intently, but there was only one pair of eyes he cared about at that moment and that was Jake's.

His beast, or wolf or whatever you wanted to call it was urging him, with considerable force, toward Jake, until Jason could take it no longer and abruptly stood up.

"Walk with me" he heard his voice say, deep and guttural, sounding nearly like a growl even to Jason, his beast leading the way as he marched toward the edge of the woods.

He didn't need to look back to know that Jake was right behind him, he didn't need to turn or cock his head askew to verify that the six feet eight inches twenty-year-old mountain of muscle strode directly down the path he lead him on.

Silently, without so much as a word exchanged between them, just the faint sound of crunching dry leaves beneath their feet as they made their way deeper into the woods, where, some two hundred yards later, they found themselves in a small moss-covered clearing, surrounded by dense vegetation. Jason suddenly stopped, turned, and glowered at Jake.

The sun hung directly overhead, washing the small clearing in radiant golden light, there was a small babbling brook off to the one side and was the only sound that disrupted the otherwise serene quiet that imbued the area.

Jake stood about eight feet away from him a blank expression written on his face as his eyes wandered around the clearing before finally settling on Jason, their eyes connecting before Jason spoke.

"I know you love JD, but what I don't know is why you never did anything about it?"

Though Jason had framed it as a question, to Jake it felt more like an accusation, leaving Jake with a feeling of unease.

From Jake's perspective it felt like Jason was peering right into the inner most workings of his mind and while a part of him, that part he kept secret from those closest to him, attempted to dig deeper into the recesses of his consciousness. Another part of him, the part he recognized as his inner wolf, bowed its head to Jason and wanted nothing more than to comply.

Timidly Jake responded: "I was afraid if he knew everything about me, he'd reject me."

Without pause, Jason speculated: "Is it something you've done?"

Jake dropped his gaze, his head bowing as his face blushed: "No, it's physical."

Of all the things Jake could have said at that moment, that was the last thing Jason expected, considering the notion bordering on the ridiculous. Jake was, by any definition, a hunk. He had the body any bodybuilder would be envious of, a face that would turn most heads, and a massive bubble butt that seemed sculpted out of marble.

Jason had even seen him shirtless one time and though he was more hirsute than Jason would normally find desirable, the man's skin seemed flawlessly blemish-free, leaving only one other consideration left on Jason's mental checklist: "Is there something wrong with your dick?" Jason queried, his gaze dropping to the prodigious mound that always seemed to stuff the material covering his crotch, no matter what he had on.

Jason knew he had nailed the source of Jake's fears as he watched Jake practically draw back into himself as if he were trying to shrink right out of existence.

Deciding to switch tactics and hopefully ease Jake's discomfort with the current topic, Jason asked: "When an alpha has made the decision to start a pack how does he go about asking or recruiting the ones he wants?"

The change in Jake's posture was almost immediate, pulling himself up to his full height, though still cautiously eyeing Jason and barely making eye contact: "Alphas seldom ask, they just claim who they want."

Jason caught the faint glint in Jake's eyes, he could almost feel the goosebumps that popped up all over Jake's skin as he shuddered for a second before he pushed him harder for the response he wanted: "That's what I'm asking..." he said, letting a note of agitation suffuse his voice: "How does an alpha stake his claim."

Jake's visible gulp made the beast within Jason perk up, forcing him to stick out his own chest and lift his chin high as the atmosphere between them intensified.

It was at that moment when the bond between him and the wolf within drew closer to being one, Jason no longer required an answer from Jake, his beast imparted its instinctual need to him, and as Jason folded his arms over his chest as he stood resolute with his legs spread shoulder-width apart, he issued his one-word command: "submit"

Jason hadn't really intended it to sound harsh, but what issued from deep within his chest came off as a deep rolling bassy growl, causing a wave of satisfaction to ripple through his wolf.

What didn't make it happy, was the fact Jake just stood there looking rather dumbfounded back at him, his eyes nearly wide as saucers, sweat forming on his forehead.

Jason's hands dropped to his side, his fist clenching tightly, his inner wolf practically snarling at what it perceived as open defiance before Jake could finally stammer: "J...J..Jason, you're only seventeen, you haven't even been through your Heritage ceremony yet."

The beast within Jason growled ferociously, trying to take control of Jason's body like it did the night before. Its intent was clear, it wanted to teach this gamma its place, it wanted to punish him, make him cower before him.

It took herculean determination on Jason's part to resist his beast, but his brow furrowed with both determination and vehemence as his eyes flashed a brilliant blue for a split second, his voice a snarling, animalistic sounding retort: "Do you think a few weeks makes one bit of difference in who I am right now?"

Jake's face was a mask of conflicting emotions, his eyes pleaded with Jason, his lips quivered as words failed him, sweat dripped down his forehead in rivulets as Jake fought for control of his own physicality.

Jason took a single step toward him, his inner wolf pounding for release within his chest, its jowls snapping and frothing as one thought subsumed all others within his consciousness, before nearly barking the word: "SUBMIT!"

You could have cut the air between them with the thickness of Jason's alpha pheromones relentlessly bombarding and assailing Jake's senses until the first sign of his crumbling resistance resulted in him dropping to one knee before Jason.

Jason's wolf howled victoriously as Jake's head turned, slowly exposing his neck and a single word escaped his lips almost breathlessly: "Alpha."

Once spoken, all resistance drained from Jake, his acceptance suffused him, washed away all other desire but to submit to his Alpha.

Jason regarded him for a moment, a sense of pride washing over him with his conquest, infusing him with a warmth and an instinctual desire to consummate his dominance: "Come here." he said gruffly, pointing to the ground in front of him, right at his feet.

He watched, satisfaction washing over him as Jake slowly, hesitantly rose and walked over to him before once again kneeling in front of him, at his feet this time.

Jason reached up with his right hand and cupped Jake's chin, lifting his face toward him gently, his thumb brushing his cheek: "How do shifters usually show their submission to an alpha?" Jason queried, locking eyes with Jake.

Without uttering a sound or averting his gaze from Jason's, Jake reached up, the tips of his fingers clasping the waistband of his sweatpants, and began slowly pulling them down.

Jason smiled down at him, pleased that today of all days, he had decided to go commando as Jake gently tugged his pants down to his ankles, his eyes never once leaving Jason's as he slipped them over Jason's feet before he tossed them to the side.

Growling softly, Jason ran his fingers through Jake's hair, nodding his own head in approval as Jake slipped lower, their eyes still locked, before bringing his thick soft lips up to kiss the tip of Jason's soft cock: "Don't stop" he groaned as Jake's lips spread around his piss slit as they slowly encircled his glans.

"All of it!" Jason moaned, wrapping his fingers behind Jake's head as he pulled him closer, filling his mouth with his thick flaccid tool until Jake's nose was buried in his course wiry pubes.

Jason held him there, his soft six inch cock completely sheaved in Jake's wet mouth as Jake coughed several times, obviously gagging on it's girth: "Is this the first dick you've ever had in your mouth?" Jason asked, knowing intuitively the answer before Jake started nodding his head, eyes still locked with his alpha.

The idea that this was Jake's first time, sent waves of satisfaction emanating from Jason's wolf as it seemed to almost beaming with pride in the purity of his conquest, making Jason's fingers tighten on the back of Jake's neck and head, as he held him firmly in place as his schlong began to erect slowly down his throat, expanding and swelling until the large plum sized glans, was stretching the sides of his esophagus causing Jake to choke and gag in earnest.

To his credit and despite his novice oral abilities, Jake didn't try once to pull back, even as the tears rolled down his cheeks and his throat convulsed trying to expel the massive eleven inch, now fully erect invading member.

Jason knew he couldn't breathe, he could tell that by the ever-increasing redness of his face and neck. Jason wasn't really wanting Jake to give him a blow job. This was more about control, his to be precise and he held himself there testing Jake's resolve, determination, and obedience, long enough that he knew that Jake's thoughts must be near panic, desperate for just one more lung full of air.

Holding his head securely, he ground his pubes against Jake's lips and pumped his large egg sized balls against his chin until he was completely satisfied with Jake's offer of submission, before slowly retracting his embedded member from Jake's oral cavity.

Once Jason's dong slipped from Jake's mouth and slapped wetly against his abdomen, sticking nearly straight up his abdominal trench, his palpitating glans a couple of inches above his navel, Jason once again stroked the back of Jake's neck and hair, smiling his approval down at a very pleased Jake.

Not missing a heartbeat, Jason whipped his shirt off and over his head, tossing it toward his sweatpants, before balling his fist up and placing them on either side of his hips before resuming his silent vigil, towering over Jake, waiting to see what his next move would be.

He didn't have to wait long, embolden by his Alphas smile and none threatening, relaxed stance, Jake did what anyone of the Heritage would have done in such a submissive and intimate position with a willing alpha, Jake boldly but cautiously ducked his head lower until his nose was right below Jason's bloated dangling balls.

Looking once again up at his Alpha and noting the somewhat cocky half grin that seemed permanently etched on his face, Jake tentatively eased his nose under his heavy ball sack, before gently lifting them with his nose until it was buried in that sweet spot just behind the testicles and right before the start of his taint.

It was here, more than anywhere else on his Alphas body, that radiated the sweet pungent scent of pure alpha pheromones.

Jake sniffed deeply, taking large hard heady breaths until his senses succumbed, driving him into a near-fugue-like state of pure, nearly drunken like bliss.

For most alphas, this was the spot that was usual reserved for his mate, but Jason's inexperience made no such distinction, finding Jake's actions and response to his most intimate scent most pleasing, even his wolf nearly mewled with satisfaction and acquiescence.

Reluctantly Jason shattered the spell of the moment by nudging Jake backward onto his haunches, and issuing a one-word command: "Strip."

Once again, Jake looked like he was hesitant to obey, shooting furtive, almost pleading glances at Jason before relenting, rising to his feet, and began slowly disrobing.

Jason looked on with curious but appreciative eyes as each part of Jake's incredible body was revealed, until only his sweatpants remained.

Shooting Jason one last desperate, hopeful glance, his reticence a last silent plea for a reprieve, before succumbing to Jason's command, shoving his pants to the ground before stepping out of the grayish pile gathered around his large feet.

Jason stared wantonly at Jake's bulging, muscle-bound and statuesque body, admiring approvingly each rippling, prominent swell of his ballooning musculature.

It was impossible for Jason to imagine anyone ever exceeding the sheer striated bulk that Jake had achieved through what had to be endless hours of workouts, but as amazing as his entire body was to Jason, it was when his eyes fell between his legs that Jason found himself sucking in his breath with a sudden gasp, instantly realizing the nature of Jake's trepidations.

What now swung pendulously between Jake's legs could only be best described as elephant trunk-like.

Completely flaccid, Jake's gigantic dong hung limply nearly three-quarters of the way down his thigh and was thicker than Jason's wrist, it's base even thicker than that.

Equally astounding was the voluminous grapefruit-sized ball sack that dangled heavily behind it.

Jake blushed furiously as Jason leered wide eyed and mouth slightly agape, incredulous at the sheer magnitude of his genitalia.

Completely limp, Jake's organ was thicker and nearly longer than his own fully erect prick.

His eyes still glued to it, Jason finally managed to ask, haltingly: "How big does that fucker get when it gets hard."

Jake was almost cringing as Jason continued to ogle him openly. He felt like curling up into a ball so tightly he half hoped to collapse into a singularity thus ending what he perceived as his complete humiliation in the sight of his Alpha.

Jake's mounting discomfort at being totally exposed to him, finally brought Jason out of his "dickmatized" state of mind: "Is this really the reason you held off pursuing JD?"

Jason's words stung Jake, compelling him to defend himself: "Do you know what my nickname was in junior high and all through high school.." He paused, not really expecting an answer, but filling in the hanging question himself: "It was Horse, everyone in school knew about this damn thing, reducing me to being the walking, talking brunt to a never-ending joke."

Jason could easily picture how bad the teasing must have been, having experienced a somewhat milder case of teasing himself for the size of his own organ.

"Yes, actually I can imagine what you went through Jake, but are you seriously trying to tell me that you actually thought that would have made any difference to JD?" Jason paused for a second, letting that sink in before continuing: "If so buddy, then you don't know JD as well as you think you do!"

Jake didn't respond, but he did take his admonition seriously, storing it away for future consideration, knowing full well that Jason and JD had already fooled around, though not certain as to how far they had gone. Clearly though, Jake had to cede that when it came to sex and JD, Jason was far better versed than himself when it came to JD's proclivities.

Like Jake, Jason decided to let the matter drop, choosing to pursue the matter at hand instead, turning his focus back to the here and now: "What's the next step?" Jason asked quizzically.

Jake blushed an even deeper shade of red, his head hung low as he turned around and dropped to his hands and knees, dipping his head until his forehead touched the ground offering his ass as a final act of submission to his Alpha.

As uneasy as this submissive position was for someone like Jake, he knew it had to be done, it was every alphas right to fully claim any member of his pack in this manner. The truth was, for most it would be considered an honor and though he had saved himself for this exact moment and for the most part had dreaded the thought of it, now that it was here, and his Alpha was someone he had already connected with and admired, he found himself nervously excited, even hopeful Jason would be pleased by his virginal offering.

It surprised him slightly when Jason knelt down and smacked him on the ass before instructing him to turn over.

Jake warily complied, looking up at his Alpha as he spread his legs, pulling his legs up to his chest until his knees tucked against his nipples on either side, making him feel even more vulnerable and exposed than before.

"I may not have much experience..." Jason posited as he scooted between Jake's spread legs and jutting buttocks: "But I do know, I prefer to look whomever I'm balls deep in, right in the eyes" he added, a cocky sneer appearing on the right side corner of his mouth as he reached down and slapped the plum sized head of his burning phallus against his virginal hole.

Jake smiled sheepishly back up at him, blushing almost shyly, imparting: "In keeping with tradition Alpha, I've saved myself for you in the hopes you will show mercy in claiming me and make your first entry as gentle as possible."

With a wink, Jason smiled broadly: "I'll do my best, but I make no promises that it will be painless."

Jake looked down at the thick, large eleven-inch cock in Jason's hand, poised right at his virginal upturned hole, drooling pre-cum all over it, before gulping then groaning: "I'm fairly certain it won't be Alpha."

Jason chortled wickedly as he rubbed his oozing piss slit into the oval tight ring of Jake's anus, massaging the viscous liquids all around it as he worked up a thick spit in his mouth a let it drip off his bottom lip right onto the bulbous head of his schlong.

Jason couldn't help but compare Jake's hole to the gaping maul that had been couch Tuck's, the first, and only other time he had fucked someone.

Stoically, he couldn't help but think of just such an intimate moment with JD, knowing full well that he was just as rectally virginal as Jake was now, but growing more and more uncertain of being the first to deflower him and make the boy he now knew for certain he loved, blossom around his manhood. Thinking secretly to himself, that in his fantasies with JD, he would have willingly sacrificed his own anal virginity in lieu of having the honor of claiming JD's. Jason couldn't help believe that after the previous night's events, that likelihood hood was growing dimmer and dimmer.

The thought had crossed his mind, as he sat there on his haunches poised to claim Jake's virginity, that he was in part doing so, because this man, more than any other, was increasingly likely to be JD's first.

But now that he was here, at the very moment he was beginning to apply pressure to Jake's tight orifice with the blunt end of his turgid pole, he came to the realization that it didn't really matter who between them who got there first with JD, what really mattered is that it would be someone who loved JD.

That, in a nutshell, was all that really mattered to Jason, resolving instead to just enjoy Jake's offering, knowing similarly that neither Jake or JD would begrudge him the experience.

Such tender, hopeful thoughts, spurred Jason forward, leaning over Jake's torso until his face hovered over Jake's while he continued to apply pressure to Jake's tight entrance with his velvety smooth but rock-hard glans.

Jake stared up at him, their eyes locked momentarily, before Jason dove in, covering Jake's lips with his own, his tongue diving past his thick full lips to suave Jake's tongue with his own.

Jason broke the heated kiss to dive down to Jake's left ear, the tip of his wet tongue caressing his earlobe as he grunted into Jake's ear: "Loosin' up Jake, open your hole to me."

Jake didn't really know if it was him or his wolf that had willed his asshole to pucker outward at that moment Jason had breathed those words into his ear, but Jake found himself wincing slightly as Jason's glans began to truly spread his rectal lips, forcing them to clasp tightly as his massive glans began to split his hole open.

Jason groaned as Jake quivered below him, his muscles growing tauter as he bore down, trying to will his hole open as he pushed his rectal muscles outward, his brow sweating, his eyes two narrow slits, his nose crinkling under the unrelenting pressure of Jason's prick.

Jake's arms encircled Jason's back, his fingertips digging into his tight, corded muscles, nearly growling as he thrust his own hips upward with all the strength he could muster until finally Jason's massive glans pierced his sphincter and drove a few inches deep within the confines of his convulsing hole.

"Mutha fuck that's tight" Jason mused as he continued splitting Jake's virgin twat, each inch parting new territory until it came to an abrupt halt, crashing into the barrier that comprised his inner sphincter.

Jason still had about four inches of solid, pulsating cock he was determined to embed inside Jake. He fished around with the blunt end of his dick aligning himself with the small narrow entrance into his lower bowel.

He knew he had found it when Jake moaned and winced in pain. Jason knew instinctively what he had to do to gain purchase past the last obstruction to his forward advances as his fingertips sought out the nubs of Jason's nipples. He rolled the mammalian protuberances between his thumb and forefinger before pinching them sharply, timing the full force of his thighs and hips to drive his bludgeoning cockhead like a battering ram against the overstretched membrane that comprised his inner sphincter, practically ripping the orifice open in his dick's wake.

Jake nearly howled in pain, before Jason clasped his hand over his mouth sinking the last few torturous inches of his invading member into the depths of Jake's rectum.

Jake's fingertips dug into Jason's taut muscular ass, clutching him desperately trying to twist his hips side to side in the vain hope of dislodging Jason's thick cock from its new territorial purchase.

Jason was having none of it, as he ground his pubes against Jake's thin anal lips and steadied his hips before he pulled back a couple of inches and until he felt the rubber band tightness of the sphincter spread again around the coronal crown of his glans before rapidly and repetitively punching the abused overstretched membrane forcing it to stretch and accommodate his turgid pole.

Bit by bit Jake's hole began to relax and what was once both uncomfortable and painful gave way to a warming sensation within Jake's ass.

As Jason pulled back further and further and his dick slit pumped more pre-cum into his velvety canal, Jason's thick organ began to grind pleasurably against his prostate, raking constant waves of torturous delight rippling up Jake's spine.

The new sensation had a secondary effect, one they both felt as their mouths once again sought each others and their tongues dueled for dominance.

Jake's mammoth trunk-like phallus began to swell and flood with blood, engorging it between them.

Jason pulled back, his hands gripping Jake's massive tree trunk-sized thighs with his hands as he watched in awed fascination as Jake's humongous organ distended and thickened beyond imagination until it finally stood fully erect up the entirety of Jake's torso.

Big couldn't begin to describe the monster that Jason ogled openly, his eyes nearly wide as saucers taking its magnificent grand scale in.

From the base to the tip it stretched nearly up to his chin and at its narrowest it was at least as thick as Jason's forearm and nearly as rotund as his bicep at its base.

Thick finger-sized veins traversed its massive girth, each pulsating as it continuously pumped blood throughout the organ.

The huge, fist-sized lavender-blue glans was topped by a piss slit so large he could have slipped his entire index finger into its depths and still have room for more.

Taken in its entirety, Jason estimated it had to be at least eighteen inches easily and was near as rock hard as his own.

Reaching down to clutch it between his two hands as he moved into a upright position, his own prick still buried balls deep in Jake's clenching hole, Jason lifted the organ upright to examine it more closely, the fingers of his hands completely unable to circumvent its diameter with inches left to spare.

Jason peeled the thin foreskin over his palpitating glans, watching the head cling to it as it tautly traversed its shiny, almost mirror-like circumference.

He smiled down at Jake, a wicked look in his eyes as he dipped his head, driving the tip of his tongue into the vast crevasse that comprised and bordered his frenulum, causing Jake to almost squeal in delight as he flicked it relentlessly before dipping into the depths of his piss slit. He didn't pursue it too deeply, but Jason was sure he could have slipped inches worth of his tongue into his urethra, a delight he decided to savior possibly in the future. With a resounding thumping thud, Jason released Jake's aptly christened horsecock and began pounding his own dick into Jake's undulating cunt.

Jake groaned ceaselessly below him, thrusting his hips like a wanton, nymphomaniac whore in heat, matching his Alpha thrust for thrust before inexorably driving them to a near rapturous mutual orgasm.

Jason was first to unleash the tidal forces of his burgeoning climax, spewing Jake's guts in a flood of seminal discharge.

Jason's palpitating and convulsing, expanding and contracting glans spurred the tsunami-like waves of rapturous ecstasy as Jake's cock nearly exploded in thick ropes of white sperm that splattered his own face, covering it almost completely in viscous, testicular goo.

Jason had to suppress a giggle, the mess that was Jake's orgasm leaving his face looking like someone had smashed it with a cream pie. made doubly comical as Jake spit and sputtered as their orgasms waned and his fingers dug and pulled at the sticky mess covering him.

As Jason pulled his deflating dick from Jake's clutching orifice and stood up and Jake wiped the bulk of his gooey mess from his face, Jason smiled down at him, offering Jake his hand, helping him to rise.

Reaching up to smooth a few stray strands of cum into Jake's hair by carding his fingers through it, Jason grinned broadly up at him before merrily announcing: "I can't think of a better way to baptize the first member of my pack." and as he and Jake dressed before he strode confidently forward toward the edge of the clearing and heading back the way they had come, a snicker passed Jason's lips, his head twisted sideways, chortling as he asked: "You coming Gamma?"

Jake Baurers bowed his head, shaking it back and forth mockingly groaning: "Very funny Alpha" before double timing after him to catch up.

                                                               Chapter Six:

“Poor boys are easier than middle-class or rich ones. Boys who've been busted are easier than boys who have not. Southern boys are easier than Northern boys. Marines are easier than Masturbation.”
― John Valentine

                                                                  * * * * *

The sun hung heavily in the western sky late Saturday afternoon. Max, Carl, and Danal had spent the last couple of hours going over the events of Friday evening with Billy, who had awakened earlier, roughly about two PM.

It had taken them a while explaining about the Heritage and even more time about the events afterward and during his ceremony.

He seemed to readily take the news about who and what the Heritage well, but was definitely having issues with his own actions after his ceremony.

Though he remembered in detail what he had done to several of the invaders, it was his revelation that it was the wrongness he smelled in his brother Mike and Kent's scent that seemed to intrigue both his Dad and Danal, while Billy seemed more disturbed and upset by how easily he had taken the invaders lives and the seeming brutality his beast was capable of.

It took all three of them quite a while and considerable effort to reassure him enough that he would learn to control the more bestial aspects of his wolf's nature.

As hard as that had been for him to take, it was his brother Mike's and Kent's betrayal and the death of his mother at the hands of his own father that he was still trying to wrap his brain around, which led to him almost insisting on talking to Mike himself. It wasn't until Carl had pointed out his younger siblings facial bruises and his split lip, which were inflicted when he attempted to confront Michael about his actions before Billy had relented, though his mood seemed to grow even more somber and pensive as he internally dwelt on and tried to process all of it.

It had been almost a relief to all three of them when they got the news from Elizabeth, that Timmy had awakened and was insisting on seeing both Max and Danal and Billy had left to check on his little brother.

Their relief lasted only as long as it took Timmy to start explaining what had transpired while he was out. While neither Max nor Carl seemed at first to take Timmy's "dreams" seriously it was the look of consternation and concern that subsumed Danal's facial features that gave them both pause as he sat there raptly consuming everything Timmy recalled and related to them, concluding with Danal taking Timmy's hand, the one in which he had picked up the silver medallion they used as the catalyst for the Heritage ceremony, to examine it closely, leaving Danal's face with even deeper lines of concern etched throughout.

For his part, after Timmy had finished saying everything he could remember about the encounter, he now seemed to lose complete interest in the topic, snatching his hand back from Danal's clasp as he said merrily, that he was starving and was off in search of something to devour, and with that he quickly departed the Lodge, making a beeline toward the bivouac.

As soon as Timmy departed, Carl turned toward Danal: "Surely you're not taking a word of that seriously?" he insisted, eyeing Danal dubiously.

Danal shot him a chilling glance: "I could stand here for hours going over the historical literature that comports with much of what he just imparted, but I don't need to..." Danal said dismissively before adding: "When he woke up, didn't Elizabeth also report that she had given him a preliminary physical assessment, and did she not say that he seemed alright except for the burn marks on the palm of his right hand?"

Carl just looked at him quizzically before responding: "I get that we don't know why he seemed to be affected by the same metal that affects us, but a burn mark hardly constitutes as any sort of confirmation that his dream or hallucinations mean anything more than he possesses an overactive imagination."

Danal shook his head disdainfully: "Perhaps not, but what I do find fascinating is the fact that in the span of half an hour, since he related what he saw and heard while unconscious, his hand has completely healed."

Carl and Max both glowered at him suspiciously as he continued: "I do hope I'm not the only one who also noticed how his scent of honey and freshly dug Earth has almost tripled and that there is now a golden ring around the irises of his eyes?"

It was at that moment Elizabeth interrupted them, presenting the silver medallion she held in one of her gloved hands to Danal and a second pair of latex gloves in the other for his use; "As per Max's request, I have taken a couple of blood samples from Timothy. Perhaps a detailed analysis might reveal more about his possible connection to the Heritage." she stated matter of factually, before turning to Max and informing him that she needed to get back to her lab with the samples she had taken from both of Billy and Timmy while they were still viable.

Max winked at her, stating almost conspiratorially: "Agreed, but please keep me informed not only about that but the other matter we discussed earlier."

Both Danal and Carl couldn't help but observe how Max's response had made her blush before she nervously turned and walked away murmuring her acknowledgment: "Yes, of course...I haven't forgotten."

While Danal just shot Max a quizzical look, Carl had no problem vocalizing his concerns: "Care to explain or elaborate what that was about?"

Max took note of the aggressive way Carl crossed his arms over his chest as his eyebrows furrowed harshly, a not-so-subtle maneuver that denoted his displeasure, knowing all too well from whence it came.

Smiling disarmingly and placing his hand on Carl's shoulder reassuringly, and meeting Carl's stern gaze head-on, Max responded: "I said I would explain everything..." he paused momentarily, carefully gauging Carl's disposition before continuing: "...And I will explain, but first, Danal and I need to have a meeting with Marshal Griffen, Paul Lakatos, and Jason."

As almost an afterthought, Max leaned in and gently caressed the side of Carl's head, before planting a quick kiss on his forehead: "I also need to check on JD and let him know what to possibly expect about tomorrow's meeting."

Carl of course knew that Max had convened a meeting with the district Grege Quorum comprising all alphas in their district, something Max had been putting off until after Billy's ceremony.

Both of them were experienced enough to know that though most would be primarily concerned about what had transpired at Billy's ceremony and what that would mean going forward, there would be those who would also expect Max to address his youngest son's flagrant violation of the code.

Realizing these things needed to take prescience, Carl reluctantly acquiesced, stating, however: "I understand the urgency of both matters Max, just so long as you understand the only reason I'm still here is because you promised to explain your actions over the last few days." to give further weight to his declaration, Carl quickly added: "I'm serious Max, I'm not going to keep being a secondary consideration any longer."

Max tried to offer him a reassuring smile, but fully knowing that at this moment in time, for a man like Carl, actions spoke louder than words: "Your patience is duly noted and appreciated..." Max replied, adding as he drew Carl next to him, his hand tenderly caressing the back of his head: "Bear with me, for just a little bit longer."

As they pulled apart, Max locked gazes with him, smiling broadly before stating heartily: "You can be such a bossy bitch sometimes..." adding quickly, with a quick smack to Carl's ass: "But you're my bossy bitch and don't ever forget it!"

Carl knew Max's humor was his way of defusing the tension between them, but he also knew that Max had to fully understand the precarious line they were traversing that could ultimately tip them in either direction if not addressed.

As if on cue, Jason, Paul and Marshal with Merrick in tow came through the front door of the Lodge.

With a nod to Carl, Max and Danal escorted them to the far end of the room, where a table and chairs had been set up temporarily to use as the makeshift conference/strategy planning area of the compound.

Carl took this as a sign that he was being left to make arrangements for Elizabeth Dunne's transportation back to her lab, not that he minded, having noticed that Barin Young had returned right before he, Max, and Danal had begun their own meeting and he was anxious to get a report from him on Gavin and his mother's current status.

On his way out, Carl practically ran into Jake Bauers, who was standing to one side of the main door with Paul Lakatos's Gamma, Dalton Becker, on the other side, both in a parade rest stance, one that was typical of guard duty.

Carl eyed the young men up and down before addressing Jake: "Where's JD and why aren't you with him?"

It was a simple enough question, but Jake's hesitation in answering it sparked Carl's curiosity, that and the way he continued to stare forward as if to avoid eye contact.

"I believe I just asked you a fucking question corporal!" Carl reiterated, noting the slight flush of Jake's cheeks and a smidgen of a wince in one eye before he stammered haltingly: "JD is with Timmy right now back at the camp."

Carl took that in for a second before getting right up into his face: "That explains where it didn't explain why you're not with him!"

It took only one sniff from Carl at that close of a proximity to hazard a guess even before Jake could even muster up a response.

"Are you fucking kidding me, does Max know what you and Jason have done?" Carl snarled at him, close to losing his temper, jabbing his finger in Jake's chest, nearly ranting: "Forget Max, does JD know you've been with Jason?"

That got a response.

Jake's eyes locked on his nervously blinking, his lips twitching as he tried to croak out an answer: "Uncle Carl, it's not what you're thinking...I'd ne...I'd never cheat, never... not on JD!"

The sweat that now formed and dripped down Jake's forehead was testimony to the emotional distress playing out all across his face and in his trembling voice.

Carl fired back his rising indignation: " Fuck that uncle shit, my nose says differently..." pausing to tap the side of his own nose before concluding: "To think, Max and I both trusted JD's care into your hands, hell, I even steered him in your direction, all because I thought you had real feelings for him and would always at least try and do what's best by him, now I see I couldn't have been more fucking wrong!"

Jake's eyes went wide as saucers at Carl's vehemence, near panic his sole expression now. Genuine fear mixed with Jason's scent, now permeating from every pore of his body, his lips fully quivering now as they attempted to move, trying to plead his own defense.

"Save it!" Carl fumed as he turned away from an obviously stricken and shaken Jake and began walking away from him in the direction of the camp, growling over his shoulder back at him: "Stay away from JD from now on, if I catch either you or Jason anywhere near him I'll cut your fucking balls off !"

                                                                    * * * * *

The sky had grown overcast as the early evening progressed, making the sky darker than would normally be the case, which only seemed to add to Carl's already dark, somber mood.

Carl was still pissed. He'd done his best to console JD over the plethora of issues that consumed his state of mind, not least of which was the perception of betrayal he felt about Jake defecting to Jason's side, something he had noted when they came back together from a hike in the woods earlier.

JD had said Jake tried to reassure him that wasn't the case, but his actions seemed to contradict his words when all Jason had to do was nod his head from across the camp where he stood with his grandfather, in the direction of the Lodge to get Jake to rush from his side and follow after him like a lovesick puppy.

It was little wonder JD was now feeling more than a little abandoned by those he had placed his trust in, and that was definitely something Carl felt he could relate to.

From JD's perspective, Jason had abandoned him, changing into a monstrous beast and leaving him in the very real danger of being killed, to go on a killing spree of his own, while his oldest brother had attacked him and his mother had threatened to kill him, ending with his own Father ripping her head off right in front of him.

Everything in his world had been turned upside down and he had turned to and leaned on Jake, who he thought was his rock, his one true constant during all of this, only to learn he was now all chummy chummy with Jason and appearing to now prefer Jason's company and companionship to his own.

Billy was being of little help in any of this, nor did Carl expect him to. Considering how consumed he was by his own problems and the demands both Max and Danal had contributed to by means of lengthy meetings and conversations that seemed to weigh even more heavily on Billy's shoulders, it was surprising he wasn't curled up into a ball somewhere hiding.

He did try though, reassuring his little brother, even giving him a hug at one point, before being pulled away for yet another conversation with Atticus and then several alphas that had stuck around since his ceremony.

The one ray of sunshine in all of this had been Timmy. More than anyone or anything else Timmy's near inexhaustible enthusiasm and warmheartedness helped stem the tide of JD's mounting mental and emotional turmoils, even to the point of eliciting a wane smile and a small giggle from him during one of his more brazen games he had concocted and coined as "How Big Is It" where he would look at various men he found attractive in the camp and make outrageous guesses to the size of their cocks by the prominence of the bulges in the crotch of their pants.

When Max's meeting with Danal, Jason and the others had finally come to an end a couple of hours later and both Jake and Jason looked on in trepidation between him and JD, as if gauging which would be worse, attempting a dialogue with JD or risking Carl's wrath, Carl had been thankful that Timmy had had the foresight to suggest that he and JD go for an evening swim and check out any cute boys who they might catch skinny dipping.

As he watched the pair walk off arm and arm together toward the lake, Carl made it a point to shoot both Jake and Jason a very icy glare, staring the two down as if to say "don't even try it." until both dropped their gaze and sat down together near the fire, occasionally shooting him furtive glances as if to gauge his resolve or their own.

It wasn't long after that, Max concluded his conversations with Danal, Marshal Griffen, and Paul Lakatos and sauntered over to him, his brow furrowed, deep in thought as he approached him.

Eyeing Carl speculatively, carding his fingers through the short hairs on the top of his head, he practically sighed: "I need a nice long run, care to join me?"

Carl didn't say anything, he just nodded and swept his hand through the air indicating for Max to lead the way.

Without another word spoken, the two of them veered off into the woods at a slow trot until they gained some distance and Max quickly picked up the pace into a full out hard sprinting gallop.

Carl did his best to keep up, matching him as best he could as they wove between the various natural obstacles of trees, rocks, and underbrush.

There wasn't a square inch of the compound that he and Max hadn't traversed like this over the years. For both of them there was nothing more freeing and mentally cleansing than a good hard run; letting go of their day to day human problems and letting their beast, their inner wolves romp and dash with reckless abandon, pacing themselves against each other, controlling their breathing until their very heartbeats reached a certain parody, an equilibrium that was simultaneously both physical as well as mental.

They ran like the wind, two men in their prime, joined together by the thrill of each other's proximity, each other's scent, and most of all, by a natural bond that had always drawn them together like two opposing magnets since the day they first met.

Here, in the wild, their beast given reign, there was never any doubt or question in either of their consciousness that they belonged together, no feelings of angst or jealousy, no pressure from external forces or expectations. Here, like this, they were just Max and Carl, at one with themselves and with the wilderness that surrounded them.

If only this was the totality of their lives, but it wasn't.

In the real world, the one created by men, they had problems, loads of them. Most were easily overcome but some mounted with the passage of time and after all, was said and done, no matter how freeing it was to give their beast reign and let the call of the wild consume them for a time, inexorably, their paths always led them back to the human world, with all their very real human problems.

As Max began to slow down, eventually coming to a stop, Carl took a moment to take in their surroundings and finding himself mildly surprised at where Max had led them.

For the second time that day, Carl now found himself facing Max in the small clearing, on the other side of the lake, in the one place in the world they had both always recognized and acknowledged as theirs, the very spot they both regarded as where it all began for them.

"I don't mean to start things on a sour note..." Max began, standing directly in front of Carl, eyeing him cautiously before he proceeded: "But did you really have to go all-in on Jake like that, the boy is devastated?"

Almost instantly Carl's hackles were up and in his current mood, he had no problem going straight for the proverbial jugular as he huffed sardonically: "Of course you wouldn't have any problem with fucking anyone you felt like fucking no matter how it affects those around you. Seriously Max, with everything that JD has been through the last couple of days, I would have thought his own Father might at least show just a smidgen of concern for the emotional state of his youngest son."

Carl whipped around, turning away from Max, folding his arms over his chest, barely able to control his anger and the growing sense of frustration with the man he had shared so much of his life with already.

He could hear Max sigh behind him before he felt his strong callused hands clasp his shoulders gently turning him back around to face him, his voice only slightly more than a whisper to his ears: "Jake did not cheat on JD."

Carl fumed instantly: "It is cheating when you have sex with someone other than the person you say you love and that person neither knows about it or has given their prior approval. It may not be that way in your lexicon of what constitutes cheating but it is in mine and judging by the way JD took it, I'm going to hazard a guess that he feels the exact same way as I do!"

Carl locked eyes with Max, his rage at Max's apparent lack of concern for his and his son's feelings in the matter, was the driving impetus that sparked the anger-infused flash of bright green in his irises.

Max boldly held his gaze, not backing down, while still not appearing as confrontational, but calm and understanding.

His voice still soft in nature but a matter of fact in tone, Max asked: "Is it cheating when a young alpha claims the first member of his pack, is it not an emotional bond that binds them both together?"

The fire in Carl's eyes died instantly replaced with one of shocked confusion before Carl finally managed to stammer: "But... Jason's only seventeen...and Jake... he's... " Carl was so confused he couldn't think straight: "How could Jake agree to that knowing how it might affect JD?" he finally concluded.

Max just held his gaze, his look unreadable to Carl as his hands came up to rest on his shoulders: "Oh, I don't know Beta, why don't you explain to me how it feels when an Alpha claims you as part of his pack." Though framed in part as a question, Max's tone was more of a declaration, a salient distinction Carl hadn't missed, as well as Max calling him Beta.

In that moment, Carl knew what he was supposed to do, he knew what almost any other member of the Heritage would have done in his stead, they'd be kneeling expectantly before Max, waiting for that final command, the one word that would forever bind them to him.

Carl wasn't just anyone however, since their youth, they had crossed a certain line by becoming lovers before they even knew of the Heritage.

Max's father had made it clear, companionship was one thing, but his son had a destiny to fulfill, he had even made this clear both before their ceremony and after it was the main reason Max had never pursued starting his own pack, he followed in his father's footsteps as did his father before him and his before him, back thirteen generations.

Marcus had no pack and had convinced Max he had to go it alone as well, but one of the things that was most troubling to Carl at that very moment was remembering how they both had sworn themselves to each other, it had been their plan right from the start. Max had made it perfectly clear he had no interest in being the Alpha Regent of the Southern District, that claim lay with the most worthy alpha in the entire district and that alpha had clearly been Bannor Griffen, Max didn't even want it.

But as events played out and their best-laid plans fell apart, unraveling the fabric of their lives until Max was left holding the bag, by being the only person who could take up that mantle. In the end, his Father had gotten what he had expected and wanted of Max all along.

Even back then, it never sat well with Carl and it still didn't until this day, this moment precisely, when Max stood in front of him, with his hands on his shoulders, having just called him Beta for the first time while staring expectantly and waiting for Carl's compliance.

Despite his desire to do so and against the whimpering pleas of his inner wolf, all Carl could manage was a two-word response, which came out barely more than a whisper: "Why now?"

The smile that spread across Max's face wasn't exactly what Carl had expected, something deep inside him told him he had missed something, something important, thus forcing him to ask: "What have you done Max?"

Max's smile just broadened and his eyes took on a glint and that special twinkle, a look that most closely resembled what he had often coined as his "cat who caught the canary" look.

He saw Carl's confusion, stifling a chuckle, Max expounded further: "I've done everything I promised my Father I would do, now it's my turn to do what I've always wanted to do..."

Carl gulped, unable to break eye contact with him as he forced himself to mumble, though he half feared what his response would be: "And what is that exactly?"

Max gave him a sly grin and a wink: "I turned over control of the Southern District to Jason Griffen, or at least it will be once he gets his last name legally changed as per his grandfather's stipulations for recognizing his lineage."

Of all the things that could have come out of Max's mouth, that wasn't one of the things Carl would have ever expected. No alpha had ever stepped down from that kind of responsibility unless it was from extreme age or physical incapacity.

Max seemed to take great delight in the total look of confusion that played out on Carl's face, as he added, beaming: "Don't worry though, I had a couple of stipulations of my own."

Carl almost feared to ask what those might be, before timidly asking: "Those being exactly?"

Without hesitation, Max responded: "That I will serve as Alpha Consul Pro Tem until Jason reaches the age of twenty-one, though he will be involved in all major decision making and that he will honor Danal's and mine request to assist in pushing the Council of Greges and the Quorum in approving and accepting that alphas be allowed to build full packs once again and that Jason would start by building the compounds security team and bolstering our defenses."

Carl just nodded his head, though still wondering what all this meant for Billy since they still didn't fully understand what he was or even how to place him within the Heritage hierarchy.

Max didn't give him long to consider, disrupting and distracting Carl's thoughts by suddenly pulling Carl into his arms, tilting Carl's head back, and staring him wickedly in the eyes: "There's one more thing..." He paused, reaching down to squeeze Carl's buns playfully before finishing: "I also procured one hundred and fifty acres of land within the compound, to be used as I see fit and to be passed down in perpetuity as long as there is a Donnelly left living."

Feeling almost dumbfounded by almost everything Max had related to him, that last one held the most angst for him, there was no way for him to know exactly Max's reasoning for wanting land within the compounds borders, but there was a small hopeful part, deep down, that still dared to dream, leaving Carl to afraid to ask the question out of fear it may not come to true.

Curling his arms around Max's waist, feeling the warmth of his body next to his own, he waited patiently for Max to elaborate.

Max pressed his lips against Carl's ear and whispered softly: "Don't you want to know what land I asked for?

Carl couldn't respond, Max was toying with him, playing him like a fiddle until all he could do was bury his face in Max's chest and dare to dream.

Max's fingers tilted his head back up to him, their lips mere inches away, their eyes staring deeply into each others before he answered his own question: "You're standing on it right now beautiful."

Neither of them hesitated, their lips came crashing together, grinding passionately until they were left breathless, clinging to each other as only lovers could, before one thought brought Carl crashing back to reality and he pushed away from Max: "Oh no you don't asshole." Carl exclaimed, a bit of fire returning to his eyes as he added scoldingly: "I ain't that easy, you still haven't explained that whole Elizabeth bullshit."

"Geez, talk about ruining the moment.." Max quipped, running his fingers through his hair as he rolled his eyes skyward, watching bemusedly as Carl's arm folded over his chest once again, his head upturned and his lips nearly pouting.

Max frowned thoughtfully: "Do you want the long, drawn-out explanation or the cliff notes version?"

Carl retorted sardonically: "All I want is the fucking truth."

Max couldn't help the slight smile that lifted the corners of his mouth. Admitting to himself how much he enjoyed the feisty and often fiery nature of the auburn-haired man before him.

Carl was never a yes man, it was one of the many qualities that Max adored about him, that and his laser-like focus that often reminded Max of the old adage about a dog and his bone, and while Carl stood there expectantly and impatiently awaiting his answer, all Max could imagine were those pouting lips wrapped around the base of his big fat cock slurping down his cock snot until his balls ran dry.

"I am so going to pound an impression of his back right on the very ground he is standing on," Max said to himself as he pictured Carl's strong hairy legs wrapped around his waist as his fingers clutched the cheeks of his ass while Max ruthlessly plowed him a new cunt.

Max looked at Carl, seeming almost flippant as he responded coyly: "As I recall after I fucked you and dumped a nice big load up your snatch that night, I lay there for a few moments relishing the idea of waking you up and doing it again when I heard Elizabeth crying."

Carl just sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, realizing Max had no intention of making this an easy conversation.

"So I pulled on my sweat pants to cover my big ol' cock so as not to frighten the children and that poor... distressed... woman..." Max batted his eyes as he contorted his face into a sad mocking mask.

"Keep it up funny guy" Carl warned, his own expression growing sterner, adding: "Forget what I said give me the readers digest version."

Max frowned playfully: "Can't we just skip it, and cut right to the make-up sex instead?"

"No" Carl shot back, adding heatedly: "Then again, if you'd like, I could go back to camp and fetch a can of gasoline and come back and torch this entire area with you in it, now that would be a real hoot."

Max's arms shot up defensively: "Alright, alright, no need to get testy babe, abridged form only then."

True to his word, Max outlined the events of that evening. He described how he had engaged her in conversation, at first, solely with the intent of getting at the heart of her current distress causing her emotional, tearful state.

It, of course, had been a culmination of things, varying from her fear of losing her son, or more precisely her son's love, yet knowing full well it had been her own fault for keeping the truth about who and what he was from him and now regretting that decision and not being able to see a path forward or how to fix the bond they had always shared.

But surprisingly she revealed that she had overheard the intimacy between him and Carl and it had only served to remind her of how lonely she had been without Bannor all those years and reminding her of him and what she had lost nearly twenty years ago with his sudden and unexpected demise.

Max had guessed but didn't know for sure, but Elizabeth finally confirmed, she hadn't been with another man, that, in fact, she hadn't had sex with another man since the night before Bannor left and that listening to him and Carl had reminded her of just how lonely she was and how unthinkable it was to even contemplate losing her son.

She knew what she had done was wrong and she wanted to make amends, but she didn't have a clue about how to do that.

Max told him how he then plainly laid it out for her, that first, she had to accept who her son was, that she couldn't control or attempt to stifle him, that it was a parent's duty to guide, to know when to back off and allow their child to make mistakes, that she couldn't protect him from all the dangers that were just a natural part of his development.

He hadn't tried to suggest that she stop caring, just to listen and support when possible, but most of all, be there for him when he needed her, kick his ass when he's wrong, comfort him when he's hurting, but most of all, let him live his life and be his own person.

She had agreed, though admitting how difficult it was to truly let go, but realizing that if she didn't, she could lose Jason entirely and that was an unbearable thought to her.

What Max related to Carl, helped him to see how that evening had been a very emotional and pivotal one that had culminated in her change of perspective regarding both her son and his place within the Heritage.

Max helped her to see, that despite the fact it was a very real possibility that Jason might very well end up like his father, that the best way to avoid making bad decisions was a balanced upbringing, that what Jason needed now, more than anything else was discipline and structure as well as love and support and that he would always turn to her for the latter if she didn't try to keep him from the other.

It was then, Max had laid out his plans for Jason to her, something he, Danal, and Marshal Griffen had been discussing at length.

He had opened up to her about how Bannor's untimely death had changed his own future, how Carl had probably paid the biggest price of all so that he could fulfill the demands made upon him by his Father and his duty to Heritage and how very different his life would have been if he had never been made the District Console and had been allowed to build his pack and share a life with Carl by his side.

For Max, the emergence and subsequent revelation of who and what Jason was and what he potentially represented was like a salve for what had been an unwanted burden that should have never befallen him.

To Max, Jason presented a possibility, one that would free Max from something he never actively sought or wanted and could potentially restore the balance that had meant to be in the first place.

It was Jason's birthright to be Alpha Regent of the Southern District.

At first, the idea frightened and even terrified Elizabeth, that what Max wanted to do, was only highlighting her worse fears. Max had assured her, the difference this time around would be that, unlike Bannor, Jason would have the benefit of being surrounded and guided by the best the Heritage had to offer, that from the start they would encourage him to build a strong and healthy pack, not just a couple of beta's and a few gammas that waged endless battles to just maintained the status quo, but a full pack with delta's and even kappa's and omega's. There was a strength in numbers, security inherent in a healthy diverse community. It was those qualities that he had learned over the years had made the military strong and he related to her how he truly felt that it was the answer to most of the problems now endemic within the Heritage.

Max had made it clear he wasn't trying to just dump his responsibilities onto Jason, that he in fact would continue to serve as Consul Regent alongside him until Jason reached the age of twenty-one, affording him plenty of time to build and strengthen his pack.

Assuring her of this seemed to help assuage Elisabeth's fears.

Max had also made it clear, that in doing this, he was potentially heading off a direct confrontation with Paul Lakatos, who, since Bannor's death and the fact Marshal had no alpha heir to his territories, was selected by the Council of Greges to assume his stewardship upon his retirement or death. Max strongly felt if Marshal would cede his territories now and name Paul as his replacement, Paul in turn could become a potentially powerful ally to Jason, especially if he felt he had a hand in the decision, something Max was certain he could negotiate.

Elizabeth had considered everything he had said but maintained a healthy skepticism, wondering why, at this stage in Max's life, after all, he has already been through, why he would do this for her son and not his own, wondering why he would give it up at all, when he could just wait and pass it on to whomever he wanted later.

Max had made it clear, that whatever Billy turned out to be, that he was certain he wasn't going to achieve his purpose leading one simple district or even a singular pack. Max believed Billy was destined to do something much bigger, stating that even if he was wrong, the worst-case scenario for Billy, was the ability to shape his own life without the restrictions that come with being a Regent.

It had been that comment, more than any other that had elicited concern from Elizabeth as she had felt compelled to note the strong emotions behind it, forcing her to query Max further, and in a rare moment of openness and candor, Max had laid bare his life's biggest regrets; how he had wished that right from the start, instead of following his Fathers wishes he had had the courage to just grab Carl and made a run for it, though bemoaning that if he had done so he would have never had the children he had now, and while one of them had not turned out so well, he couldn't be more proud of the other two.

He related how he wishes he had never married Monaca, but pursued a relationship with Carl from the very start and perhaps fulfilling his obligations to his Father and the Heritage via surrogacy instead, noting how he was certain that all three of his sons would be far better off now had he done that instead, with Carl by his side.

It was then she asked him the biggest question of all, that if he could give all that to Carl now, the relationship, home, and even the possibility of raising a child together, would he do it?

Max hadn't even needed a fraction of a second to consider, answering resoundingly, yes!

It was at that moment Elizabeth had smiled nervously and offered him a proposal that had left him dumbfounded.

As a show of good faith, for all that he had already done and promised to do for both her son and for herself, that she would be not only willing to serve as a surrogate for him and Carl, but that she had the capability to actually make sure that the baby would be a true amalgam of both their DNA.

Max had to admit, that the idea intrigued him, asking how she could make that possible. She had elaborated in very technical terms but stated in its simplest form, she could take a fertilized egg, bleach her own DNA from it, much like she had when she impregnated herself with Bannor's sperm.

She could then introduce, a second set of DNA by filtering a simple blood sample from another host and introduce that to the fertilized egg, reattach the embryo into her uterus, and simply carry it to term.

But there was a catch, one that she was almost to nervously awkward to present until Max persisted.

Elizabeth revealed that she was in the last stages of ovulating at that very moment and though she didn't want to cause any problems between him and Carl, she wondered if he would mind fertilizing the egg the old-fashioned way.

The blushing of her cheeks and the sheepish way she had asked, her eyes flitting in awkward, nervous avoidance of his own, had made Max chuckle and shake his head in amusement.

He was about to thank her for the offer but decline it, when her hand grasped his before assuring him her motivations were genuine, adding that it had been over twenty years since she and Bannor had last had sex and though she knew he wasn't Bannor, he was an alpha and she would like to experience being with one, one last time.

Elizabeth made it clear, her offer to surrogate for him and Carl wasn't contingent upon it, it was more her way of remembering what it had been like with Bannor, that in a way she felt it would be a final farewell to him.

Max didn't know whether it would be as cathartic as she seemed to think it would be, but she was offering him a chance to give him and Carl something he had come to accept as having passed them by.

Resignedly, Max had acquiesced, he doubted he would manage the passion that Bannor had shown her, but if it appeased her while benefiting him and Carl, then he would consider it a small price to pay.

As Max finished relating the events of that evening to the best of his recollection, he stared somberly at Carl, scanning his facial features for any sign or clue as to how he felt about it all, recognizing it was a lot to take in as well as to process.

As far as Carl was concerned, though he was rather stunned into silence at the moment, it all sounded so typically Max.

In truth, though he had always wanted a life much like Max was describing, he hadn't ever truly believed that they could have a child that was exclusively both his and Max's. He had never even dreamed that it could be a possibility and now, here was Max standing in front of him, telling him that not only had a procured the very land where he and Max had discovered and consummated their love for each other, but he had also arranged to eventually free himself from what he had been certain, up until now, to be a lifelong commitment, just so they could be together. On top of all of that, Max had forged a deal that would even give them a child that was truly both of theirs.

Carl had always cared for Max's boys as if they were his own, all except Michael, who, after his mother had left, seemed to be more intent on trying to prove he was something he wasn't.

He had never bonded with Michael like he had Billy and JD, but even to them, he was more like their uncle instead of a co-parent, not that Carl had minded since he never expected to be a Father himself.

Max was now presenting him with a unique dilemma as well as a choice. At the age of thirty-eight, did he now want to become a Father himself?

Carl did the math in his head, Max was slightly one year older than himself, he would probably be forty before the child was even born and they'd both be well into their fifties when their son would be old enough to go through his own Heritage ceremony.

Another thought troubled him, if they forged a life here together, that child would grow up surrounded by members of the Heritage, the likelihood of keeping it from knowing what it was, growing up here, was highly unlikely, which made Carl wonder if keeping the Heritage secreted away from children until they were of age caused more problems than it prevented.

He knew Max might argue that Michael was the perfect example of how it could go wrong, but Carl wasn't so sure it didn't have more to do with not being upfront about it.

Michael had been sold a lie by his mother, what he thought had never been the truth, it had been his acceptance of his mother's lies that had fostered the enmity between him and his Father.

Michael had grown up determined to prove Max wrong and had railed against him when he was forced to face the truth. Michael blamed his Dad for his mother's lies, that was on Michael, not on Max, and to some degree not even on Monaca.

As determined as he had been growing up that he was what his mother told him he was, that when it turned out to be untrue, Michael was equally certain that it had been something Max had done, or not done and fully blamed Max for it, instead of laying the burden of that truth where it truly lay, on himself and his mother's deceit.

Carl wouldn't want that for any child he and Max raised together, especially if he had anything to say about it.

It was Max that finally jarred him out of his self-reflective state.

"Ahem, earth to Carl!" he heard him murmur questioningly, a mild mask of concern written across his face.

"Am I still in the shithouse or do I get a pass for thinking outside the box?" he moved in closer, letting his hands clasp Carl by the hips, drawing them a little closer together, though still trying to gauge Carl's thoughts and current mood.

Carl tilted his head upward, looking deeply into Max's sky blue eyes: "You can be such an unbelievable asshole you know that?"

Max smiled down at him, the dimples in his cheeks making a mockery of Carl's resistance: "It's been said before." he cooed back at him, reaching around and grabbing the meaty globes of Carl's muscular bubble butt and squeezing them playfully, kneading them like two firm loaves of bread dough.

"If I agree to this, I want us to live right here, in a cabin that I pay for but you and I build together, without any help from anyone else, just us." Carl's tone was stern, the look on his face reflecting the seriousness of his intentions.

Max cocked his head sideways, rolling his eyes thoughtfully as if considering it, before smiling broadly, bringing the tips of their noses together, his voice deep and soothing: "I find your terms acceptable."

Carl craned his head, bringing his lips closer to Max's seeking to seal the deal with a heartfelt kiss only to have Max pivot away from him, and take up a parade rest stance a couple of feet away, causing Carl to stare at him quizzically.

Max glowered back at him, his expression unreadable, the irises of his eyes flashing a bright blue as the air around them became awash in Alpha pheromones, his scent filling Carl's nostrils causing them to flare uncontrollably.

"Before we proceed there is one more issue yet to be resolved between us."

Carl watched in trepidation as Max pulled his olive drab t-shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground followed swiftly by his camo trousers.

Max stood there in all his naked glory, his massive twelve-inch cock sticking straight upward, his bloated thick-skinned hairy balls dangling directly below it.

"Strip!" was the one-word command, that passed deep and gutturally between his thick full lips.

Without breaking the lock he had on Max's intense gaze, Carl quickly shed his own clothes tossing them in the pile with Max's, until he too stood naked, silent and more than a little nervous, fully aware how his hands hung passively, shaking slightly in full anticipation of what he was sure would come next.

Max had forgone building his on pack, it was in keeping with his role as Alpha Regent of the Southern District, but technically, Jason now served in that capacity and Max served as Pro Tem Consul, at least until Jason was twenty-one, but nevertheless, Max was now free to do more than he could before and until this very moment, Max had never dreamed he could ever have something as much as he wanted this.

Carl felt like his dick would explode when it finally happened.

"Submit!" Max practically barked at him, the irises of his eyes still burning a bright blue, the intensity of his gaze feeling like it bore right through Carl's soul.

Carl dropped to his knees before him, his knees mere inches from his feet as he leaned slightly backward and slowly twisted his bare neck, fully exposing it to Max, to his Alpha.

Quivering with anticipation, Carl held his position, waiting for Max to accept his offering, doing what came instinctually to all those within the Heritage. This is the way it had been for over two thousand years, each new generation repeating the process, fulfilling their role in the grand scheme of things.

Submitting to an alpha like Max wasn't an admission of inferiority, it was the realization of who he was born to be, an answer to the age-old quandary of who am I, what is my purpose.

An alpha gave you purpose, being part of a pack, submitting to an alpha and his acceptance meant you were now like family, it was as strong as the bond of blood, part of something bigger than yourself, more important than any singular individual.

Carl's inner wolf rejoiced within him, it hungered to show his alpha his potential, to be deemed worthy of being part of his pack. The pack was everything and only alphas made that possible.

When it came, when Max uttered the words he and his wolf had so longed to hear, Carl could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

"You are mine Beta" Max growled, his hand coming down to clasp Carl's chin and turning it up toward him.

Carl stared up at him, completely lost in the moment, knowing full well the only response his Alpha would accept or acknowledge.

"Alpha" was all he needed to say and the word slipped past his lips as easily as a duck takes to water. All that was left was a display of submission and to that end, Max towered above him, his fist on his hips waiting for his Beta to complete the ritual.

Carl leaned forward, the irises of his eyes flashing green, locked on his Alphas as his lips sought the head of Max's prodigious cock, and kissing the tip reverently, eliciting a low guttural moan from deep within Max's massive, muscular hairy chest.

Carl didn't stop there, he kissed his way down Max's turgid veiny shaft slowly, until he reached the wide swollen base, before swooping down with his tongue, their eyes still locked, and scooped his bloated furry testicles into his hungry mouth and gently began sucking the sweat and musk form his twin testes, savoring the unique pungent flavor unique to every alpha.

It was here that his Alphas scent was strongest. It filled his nostrils and subsumed all his other senses, it commanded and compelled him, it was his musk, unique to him and would always pull him back, help him find him no matter the distance, and would always reassure him where and to whom he belonged.

Alpha. Pack. Life, all were the same thing. It was what they all hungered for, it was why Atticus and his men were here and worked so hard, because, like Carl, they all hungered for the same thing, drove themselves to peak physical condition all in the slightest of hopes of being chosen, to become part of that blessed triumvirate.

Carl had waited twenty years for his chance and now that it was here, he was going to savor every moment of it.

`But Max had other ideas in mind.

Yanking his spit-covered nads from Carl's mouth, he knelt in front of Carl pushing him back by his shoulders and slipping between Carl's thighs, drawing his legs upward and over his own shoulders until Carl's furry ass crack laid splayed out before him.

"Hold your legs back" Max grunted as his fingertips pulled the twin muscular orbs of Carl's butt apart, fully baring his tight little pucker and the source of Max's current, heated desires.

Under normal circumstances there were few things in life that came anywhere near close to the enjoyment Max got from eating Carl's furry snatch, he could literally devour it for hours and prided himself on being able to practically drive Carl nearly insane with his tongue and lips alone.

But that wasn't his intent at that moment, this was different this time, he was cementing his bond as an Alpha with his newly acquired Beta. Still, he had no intention of depriving himself of a little taste, just enough to lube the way for the main event.

Carl audibly gasped when Max drove the tip of his drooling tongue into his hole, nearly losing his balance perched as he was on the back of his shoulder, his ass upturned and his thighs dangling precariously over the sides of his head.

He wanted desperately to let go of his thighs and clutch Max's head, but knew if he did so, his ass would slip down and possibly cause his probing tongue to dislodge from his palpitating hole and he definitely didn't want that.

If there was anything in this world Max had mastered, his butt munching skills were second to none.

The only thing that gave Carl more pleasure was Max's big twelve-inch pole slipping and sliding the near baseball-sized glans of his cock against his ass clit.

Carl had learned at an early age, women weren't the only ones capable of multiple orgasms.

When Max wanted to, he could fuck Carl to orgasm multiple times until his balls ached and felt like they were pumping out dust, driving him repeatedly to orgasm even if his dick dry heaved its way through it.

But this felt different, Max didn't appear to be trying to push him onto the edge of ecstasy, it felt more like he was pushing toward a goal and Carl didn't need to hazard a guess as to what that goal was.

Max was his Alpha now and he was his Beta. There would be plenty of time for some real fun later, this was about his Alpha claiming him.

It was with that thought in mind Carl had a sudden realization, this is what had transpired between Jason and Jake.

Max had been right, once again and Carl had jumped to conclusions.

Jake had merely submitted to his Alpha just as he was doing right now. Carl felt a pang of regret at how he had treated him, and Jason as well, something he would have to correct later, whenever his Alpha was done with him.

Max yanked his mouth away from Carl's gooey, spit slick slit and lowered Carl's ass to the ground, gripping his hips and suddenly flipping him over and hauling his ass up and aligning his wet hole against the throbbing head of his dick.

Max let out a long stream of spittle that landed squarely on the head of his prick. Using his hips to grind the spit against Carl's ass lips with the velvety smooth tip.

Gripping Carl's hips tightly and using it for leverage, Max paused for a second, his head cocked sideways, a sneer on his lips before ramming the entire length of his cock balls deep into Carl's quivering quim.

Carl couldn't say he wasn't prepared for it, purely on an instinctual level Carl's wolf had prepared him for it, causing him to brace himself, knowing full well, that once again, this wasn't about sexual pleasure or release, this was Max's Alpha wolf, dominating Carl's Beta.

After a few deep plunges, Max settled in, wrapping his arms underneath his armpits and clasping his shoulders while his torso stretched out on top of his back until his head was nearly perpendicular to his left ear.

Carl could feel Max's heated grunting breaths upon the nape of his neck, he arched his back and thrust his hips back as far as he could, allowing Max's hammering phallus full, complete access to his deepest depths.

Max could feel the mounting pressure in his gonads as Carl's hole surrendered not only to him but his wolf.

It was in that moment Max realized that he was becoming one with his wolf, he could feel the snarling beast within him matching his pace, blending its will with his own.

He also sensed Carl and his wolf doing the same.

It was an odd sensation, one he had felt beneath the surface many times before while having sex with Carl, but this time was different, this time he was claiming his Beta and though mere minutes ago he had felt that that was all that he wanted, somewhere in the back of his mind, he and his wolf were linking and he was suddenly aware that this wasn't enough.

Both he and his wolf wanted more.

Max eyed the soft skin of Carl's neck, saw the way it glistened with sweat, the pulse of his veins as the blood flowed through them.

Max smiled wickedly to himself. This had started out as just him and his beast claiming his Beta, but Max now understood it was much more than that and he chuckled bemusedly to himself as he now realized what it was he was going to do.

There was a part of Max that told him that Carl and his beast were in sync with him and his wolf, it was as if he could hear Carl's wolf whimper its approval in his own head as he drew back momentarily, tightening his grip on Carl's shoulders as he prepared himself for what was to come next.

From Carl's perspective, he to felt the bond that was deepening between them. He felt and heard the whimper of his wolf, echoed by his own.

But there was more to it than that, as Carl's body tensed, preparing for the inevitable orgasmic release that had tightened his gut into knots, he was certain he could hear a mix of Max and his wolf inside his head. It was only two words, but the power those words imparted within him nearly drove both him and his beast mad with desire.

"MINE" quickly followed by "MATE" whipped through his consciousness like a hot knife through butter, filling every fiber of his being as it repeated over and over again building into cacophonous orgy piercing the fugue-like fog that befuddled his mind causing him to whimper as loudly as his wolf.

Max couldn't resist it any longer as he reared up, his irises flashing bright blue, his canines expanded into near razor-sharp fangs that filled his mouth causing him to roar loudly as his wolf mentally howled two words over and over again: "MINE" and "MATE."

Completely at one with his wolf, Max dove forward driving his fangs into Carl's neck and biting down hard.

Instantly Carl's body stiffened, his eyes rolled back into his head and he began to quiver and shake as a howl escaped his lips.

Max snarled, biting down harder into Carl's neck as the taste of blood filled his mouth with the twinge of copper and saline. Max's cock felt like it was exploding as the base began to swell and engorge, expanding and stretching Carl's hole, filling it beyond capacity, stretching and filling him completely before his dick erupted into a cum pissing fury that flooded Carl's bowels full of near molten jizz.

Carl's cock erupted too, in sheer orgasmic delight, firing volley after volley of ropy sperm that splattered on the moss-covered ground beneath him.

As the base of Max's cock first began to expand within him, Carl knew what was happening. Max was knotting inside him.

Carl had heard of this before, it rarely happened these days, and only happened when two members of the Heritage had found their true mate. It was one thing to love someone and have sex with them, but it was another thing when man and wolf matched in near-perfect syncopation with another and his wolf.

That was what was happening now and the feeling of Max's knot filling him so completely and his fangs buried in his neck, permanently marking him as his mate, nearly filled Carl beyond his capacity to contain it, forcing tears of joy cascading down Carl's cheeks.

For both of them, as their orgasms subsided and faded and as their sweaty bodies collapsed together on the soft damp moss, panting and grunting, with Max's knot still filling Carl's hole, and locking them together, to them both, this only confirmed what they had always conjectured and suspected... they belonged together, they always had.

"Well, that was new" Max managed to chortle into Carl's ear between panting gasp, a contented smile spreading across his face.

Carl didn't even bother to open his eyes, he feared it would all fade away like some fevered dream, choosing instead to continue savoring the moment as Max began to gently lick at the wound on his neck.

Four words subsumed Carl's thoughts like a mantra etched into the core of his being.

They were the heart of his existence and the fulfillment of his most ardent dreams...

"ALPHA, MATE, PACK, and LIFE."

                                                                * * * * *

Timmy Anderson didn't know exactly how long he had been lying there next to JD in the two-man only cramped tent he normally shared with Gavin Hollis, but for at least the last half-hour he had been absentmindedly stroking JD's soft wavy golden blond hair as he slept peacefully beside him.

He hated seeing his friend going through so much emotional upheaval in his life, especially someone who had been so instrumental in helping him out of the dark pit his own life had been before becoming friends with him.

JD was one of a kind. To Timmy, he represented what most people should aspire to. He was trustworthy, loyal, and most of all, a completely open book.

To Timmy's way of thinking, and through their shared experiences, he thought he had come to know him probably better than most and despite the nature of their relationship now, he would always consider JD one of, if not his best friend, and though he wasn't in love with JD, he did love him nonetheless.

Timmy chuckled to himself, realizing that it probably didn't hurt that he was adorably cute and one of the horniest fuckers one could ever hope to meet.

Unfortunately, it was that very innate quality of his that had landed him where he was now, torn between two loves and feeling slightly betrayed by both.

He admired his taste however, he, himself, couldn't have chosen two more succulent hunks to fuss over, even though his personal taste steered more toward slightly more mature men, he couldn't deny that boys like Billy and JD were fun for their exuberance and enthusiasm if not for their skills and emotional maturity.

Timmy had tasted both and there was no turning back as far as he was concerned. But still, he couldn't deny the many fond recollections he shared with JD.

He had sought only to comfort and console his friend and had done so to the best of his ability, but for the last half-hour he had been lying there next to him lost in his thoughts, rehashing the current events from his own encounters.

Most of what has happened to him, he had managed to take in stride, sure it had been somewhat alarming to discover that all the guys he had fallen for, in one way or another, were actually some kind of shapeshifting werewolf-like beings who had lived alongside the rest of the known world for longer than most could remember, but he had to admit, he kind of found that only added to his attraction to them instead of the opposite.

What had truly been consuming his thoughts though, was his dream-like encounter with that ethereal loony who had called itself Aphrodite.

It had all seemed so real, despite Carl's insistence it had all been some sort of fevered dream.

The fact he had been affected by the same metal medallion that was instrumental in changing all of them into some sort of shapeshifting werebeast, should have garnered him a little more credibility than that. At least the older one seemed to take him a little more seriously, even Max seemed reluctant to dismiss everything he had told them about his acid trip-like experience.

They had both seemed very keen about the whole white wolf thing Aphrodite told him about, but as far as Timmy was concerned, he was far more disturbed by what the entity had said about him accepting some challenge for the white wolf and finding and declaring his true name and of course the whole baffling Gemini thing. That one, in particular, was puzzling him most.

It was all these things that rambled aimlessly through his thoughts and were in part contributing to his restlessness, that, and the fact that ever since he had come around, after his little "vision quest", he had begun to notice various and sometimes subtle changes departing from his usual and accustomed norm.

Part of who Timmy was, a very skilled and devoted athlete, had fostered within him a rather keen awareness of his own body and capabilities, but since his experience, he was noticing a difference in not only his sense of smell, but his vision as well and though he hadn't had the opportunity to test it yet, he somehow felt lighter, stronger, more agile and if he wasn't mistaken, after having snatched several flies right out of the air earlier when they were eating out by the campfire, his reflexes had dramatically improved.

He didn't think that what had happened to him was anything like what happened to those of the Heritage, but something within him had changed and of course, there was that gold ring that circled the outer rim of his irises that had suddenly appeared, that wasn't there before, thinking it made him even more adorable and attractive than he had been before.

Growing more restless and aided by the fact his stomach was beginning to growl again, Timmy slowly extricated his arm from around a sleeping JD and moved as silently as possible to the entrance of their tent.

He had just poked his head out to see if anyone was still up and feeling slightly disappointed that the campfire had died down to mere embers, when he caught a lone figure, dressed head to toe in dark clothing heading from the direction of the Lakatos's camp area.

As the dark mysterious figure came to a halt at the edge of the clearing that comprised the whole of the bivouac, Timmy backed away from the entrance of the tent, peering as stealthily as possible out one flap as the lone figure paused to survey the campgrounds one last time before quickly scurrying into the thick underbrush and densely populated trees of the forest.

Timmy knew that a couple of guards had been routinely posted to secure the safety of the camp and traversed its parameters frequently, but it was obvious, even to an inexperienced Timmy, that this mystery person was aware of that and had timed their departure accordingly.

His first thought had been to alert the guards or to wake someone but quickly realized that though that might catch the mystery figure unawares, he doubted it would reveal what he was up to, if he was up to anything at all.

Timmy decided it warranted further investigation, that, and it afforded him the opportunity to test out some of the changes he had been noticing about himself.

As quickly and silently as he could, mimicking the steps and actions of the mystery man, Timmy followed after him in hot pursuit.

Almost instantly Timmy's improved sense of smell picked out the unique smell he recognized as someone belonging to the Heritage, it was a woodsy masculine kind of scent that all of them had to one degree or another, the strongest coming from guys like Max and Jason, what Timmy had overheard as being alphas.

He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he knew the person he was following wasn't anywhere nearly as potent smelling as one of them, but it wasn't that far off.

It took him a while, being as careful as he could to not make a sound before he was able to catch sight of his query.

Timmy hung deliberately back a ways, trying to keep himself downwind, neither knowing whether his own scent might alert the figure or if he was capable of distinguishing him from any of the other plethora of smells that permeated the forest, deciding it was probably in his best interest to air on the side of caution.

For what seemed like an hour, they had silently played this sort of cat and mouse game, with Timmy trailing behind, just out of sight and hearing, testing and pushing his new senses to the utmost of their abilities.

The waning moon overhead, that peaked from time to time between the bilious dark clouds overhead, more than served as enough light to practically illuminate the otherwise dead of night, like it was the early dawn to Timmy's newly acquired capabilities.

Again, Timmy was clever enough to assume that what he was capable of so to was the mystery man and he adjusted his pursuit accordingly, always with the best possible stealth techniques that Hank and Jake Bauers had been teaching them in part during their course training.

Before long, Timmy began to catch the scent of motor oil and tar and soon realized that the figure had taken them to the very edge of the compound, back to the main road.

Timmy hung back, as mystery man cleared the forest line and walked to the edge of the road, before producing what Timmy was certain was a cell phone, dialing before putting it to his ear.

He couldn't make out what the figure was saying but he had noted the peculiar accent, though not sure if or where he had heard it before, but it was shortly after that a black SUV pulled up beside him and mystery man strode up to the passenger side window and began talking in earnest to whoever was inside.

They chatted only briefly before mystery man stepped back, clicked his heels, bowed his head as the SUV pulled out onto the main road, making a U-turn, and headed back in the direction it had come.

As mystery man watched the SUV depart, Timmy caught the glint of metal from the retreating taillights in the hands of the dark figure. Timmy was no expert but he knew the sight of a handgun when he saw it and he watched with trepidation as mystery man stuffed it into the back of his pants and under his shirt before casually crossing the road and heading in the general direction Timmy was standing in.

Without panic or hesitation, Timmy darted as quickly as possible to the nearest tale tree and scampered up it rapidly, until he was hidden deep within its dense foliage.

He watched silently as mystery man passed closely below him when he suddenly stopped and started sniffing the air.

Timmy pulled back, trying to obscure himself as best as possible as he regarded the dark figure through the myriad of minute spaces between the densely packed leaves.

For a brief frightening moment Timmy had wondered if he was aware he was following him or had caught his scent, but after only a few, interminably long seconds the mystery man grunted and darted back the way he had come.

Timmy remained there, hidden in the safety of the tree for quite some time, for at least long enough that Timmy was fairly certain mystery man was long gone, before climbing down and making his own slow sojourn back to camp.

He didn't know with any certainty what mystery man was up to, but he knew he was now armed and he had gone through a lot of trouble to do so without anyone else finding out.

As Timmy made his way back toward the camp, deliberately taking his time, he pondered his next actions, wondering if or who he should trust or even burden with what he witnessed before coming to the only safe conclusion he could, he needed to find Max.

                                                             Chapter Seven:

"Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there."

(Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC, April 1965.)

                                                                    * * * * *

"Well of course I sound like a babbling idiot Hank..." Danal stated, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger, his eyes red from lack of sleep: "How else would I ever get you to understand me?"

Hank Bauers smiled, patting his old mentor on the back playfully, winking at Max Donnelly and Hadrian Mumsford, who had just arrived that morning: "I'm sure that whatever it was that you were going on about seems of utmost importance to you, but I have to be going, I actually have something relevant to do." Hank retorted.

Barely shooting him a sideways glance before returning his attention back to the old book laying spread out before him, Danal waved him off with a flick of his hand: "By all means don't let us keep you from leaving as soon as possible."

Hank chuckled, before nodding at Hadrian, clasping Max's hand: "Alpha, I understand the importance of putting some distance between Billy and Baxter, but are you certain I shouldn't stick around until at least the Quorum meeting is over with, especially after what Timmy told us last night?"

Max appreciated his newly acquired Gammas concern and his reluctance to be so soon parted from his Alpha, but he knew his son Billy was growing restless and becoming more impatient.

He and Carl had already had to talk him out of just jumping in the truck he had given him to go check on Gavin. They both knew he would have made a beeline straight for Baxter first and they were fairly certain how such an encounter would pan out, and right now, they needed Billy focused on today's meeting.

Max just smiled, as he ushered Hank toward the door of the Reliquary: "I'll have Carl, Jason, and Jake there and Atticus and his team outside the Lodge standing guard, I think that is more than adequate protection."

As they stepped outside, Hank turned to him expectantly: "Alpha, it's my duty to be concerned for you and my Beta's safety."

There was no doubt to Max, that Hank had valid concerns and that part of the problem was that he hadn't even had time to properly offer his submission to his new Beta; something that customarily he was required to do within a timely manner as a show of respect.

Max just nodded his head before solemnly offering a compromise: "Do what you feel you must, but I want you on the road within the next half hour, understood?"

Hank beamed, bowing his head respectfully, before jaunting off down the steps, heading toward the path that led back to the Lodge, at a trot.

                                                                     * * * * *

"Are you about done with all this drama?" Carl McGregor asked Brock Gryzinski, who had been continuously voicing his complaints about having to re-arrange his communications equipment to make room as Carl had some of Atticus's men helping to set the Lodges main room up for the Quorum meeting later that day.

"I can't speak for everyone..." Carl continued sardonically: "But I could use an intermission right now."

Brock huffed, snorting his disapproval at what he perceived as an invasive intrusion into his space. It was a sound he had made repeatedly and it was beginning to grate on Carl's last nerve: "I don't see why you can't just have your meeting at the amphitheater of the ceremonial grounds, instead of trying to squish me and all this equipment into one tiny corner." emphasizing his point, by yet again slamming another hard shell travel case down on the floor.

Having had enough of Brock's petulant behavior, Carl just turned around, heading toward the main door of the Lodge, shouting over his shoulder: "Just get it done Gunny, if you have any more further complaints, I suggest you just write them down on a piece of paper, fold it, and shove it up your ass!"

Atticus, who had just been listening to their conversation at what he felt was a safe enough distance, leaned his head toward Carl as he passed by him, whispering: "Thanks for that, you do know I'm the one that's never gonna hear the end of it after you leave right?" before rolling his eyes skyward as Brock shouted from across the room: "I heard that Walker!"

Carl just smiled mockingly back at Atticus, responding: "We all have our crosses to bear."

Atticus just frowned and sighed forlornly: "Yeah, but some are heavier than others."

Carl just chortled to himself as Brock shouted from behind the partition they had erected to separate the comm equipment from the main room: "I can still hear you!"

As Carl stepped through the doorway, he shook his head, smiling faintly, offering Atticus a consolatory glance before leaving.

Taking a deep breath and deciding that what he really needed at that moment was a nice hot cup of coffee, he headed back toward the bivouac.

So far, the morning had gone pretty well surprisingly, considering the news Timmy had relayed to them, Danal and Atticus in the early morning hours, not long after returning to the camp after his little covert excursion.

The news had been troubling and they were all still on high alert and Max had ordered increased security, especially around the Lakatos campsite.

Max didn't believe that either the senior Lakatos or Paul were involved in anything nefarious, but he wasn't about to take the matter lightly considering the events of Friday evening, nor did he want to alert the perpetrator by doing a surprise search, not knowing whether the individual was working alone or not.

The rest of the night had been spent in Max's arms, in the loft of the cabin, where they made passionate love way into the wee hours of the morning, leaving Carl still feeling slightly euphoric most of the morning.

Even his neck had stopped throbbing, though he couldn't help but keep touching the mating bite that would now permanently mark his neck and him as belonging to his Alpha and his mate Max.

Carl was proud to bear his mark, proud to also be his Beta. He had wanted this for so long, that it still felt a little surreal to him and was probably why he was constantly finding himself absentmindedly fondling it frequently before catching himself, blushing furiously at the remembrance of the moment it happened.

It had really surprised him, that when they returned that morning to camp, Max had pulled both JD and Billy to the side and had spent a good portion of the morning explaining to both of them what had transpired, why he had waited so long, and what to expect going forward.

Both seemed to take it well, even offering Carl a few wane, awkward, blushing smiles as their father explained the purpose and permanence of the mating bite on his neck.

But the part that had pleased Carl the most was not only hearing how proudly Max explain about the pending pregnancy but in the boy's enthusiasm upon hearing that they were going to have another brother.

Both had seemed thrilled at the prospect, offering both their father and Carl heartfelt congratulations, that was until a little later, when they were sharing the news with the others in their Unit and Timmy pointed out, innocently enough, that the new baby would also, technically be Jason's brother too, since it was his mom who would be carrying it to term.

Carl could see how deleterious that observation had been to JD and Carl had used the moment to segue into doing some damage control, that he himself had helped inflict, between JD, Jake, and even Jason.

Max had offered to help smooth things over, but Carl wouldn't hear of it, saying that it was his mess and it was his to try and clean up.

At first, he sought out Jake and apologized for jumping to conclusions about Jason and him, much to Jake's relief. They chatted for a while, Jake making sure Carl knew and could relay to Max that he was still all in on the long-term plan and could definitely be counted on if the need arose, during the Quorum meeting later that afternoon.

Jake did point out and wondered if perhaps either Carl or Max would help him approach Jason about the topic since he was his Alpha, knowing full well that he would be attending the meeting that day as well and not wanting him to be surprised by what he intended to do, if the need arose.

Carl would have liked consulting Max first, but knew as far as Max was concerned, his feelings toward Jake hadn't changed at all and actually pushing Carl to make amends with both Jake and Jason earlier.

Seeing that JD was being distracted by Timmy, he agreed to meet with both Jake and Jason back at the cabin, where they could have a little privacy, knowing that the odds were, that Jason might not be that happy with what they were going to discuss with him.

In the end, though Jason wasn't happy about the state of his current status with JD, he had to admit, that whatever the outcome for JD, that he was hoping it would be what was best for JD and his soon to be newborn.

Jason made it clear, he wasn't happy about it, but he did understand, knowing currently, there was little as a boyfriend he could offer JD, let alone his child.

Carl was certain that wouldn't remain the case, even in the near foreseeable future. Jason would almost assuredly be recognized as the Southern District future Regent and with that recognition, would differ certain benefits, such as living and educational cost, all of which Carl was certain Max would not approve unless Jason agreed to a few stipulations, not least of which, Carl was reasonable sure, would entail Jason's completion of his high school education.

There were many other considerations, but in the end, Jason had to cede, that for the foreseeable future, what was best all-around, was for him to concentrate on his studies, learning about the Heritage and how things operated with his District and the security of his family, as well as the growth of his future pack.

By the time they had concluded their conversation, Carl not only felt sad for Jason, about all that was being placed on his young shoulders, and what he was being expected to put to the side, and how well he was handling it all. Leaving Carl once again being impressed with how well his mate had gauged this young man, realizing, that though Jason was only seventeen, he was handling being an alpha with more maturity than many others twice his age.

Jason had further demonstrated that maturity, by ending their conversation by instructing his new Gamma to focus his attention on JD and to make him priority number one.

Carl could see, by the broad smile on Jake's face, he needed little encouragement in that regard.

Next up had been seeking out JD and seeing if he could undo some of the damage he had caused between him and Jake. To Carl's almost immediate relief, JD seemed both agreeable and amenable to the idea.

Carl was certain Timmy had something to do with that and being one not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he was happy when he saw the two huddled together a little while later, a faint smile on JD's lips as he leaned against Jake, near the campfire with Jake's arm around him.

He even felt there was less tension between JD and Jason, even though Jason seemed to keep a polite distance from the pair throughout the afternoon. Carl's intuition told him, that for the immediate future, this was best for JD, but knew deep down inside, that though JD not only loved his lifelong best friend, he wouldn't have gotten so upset with Jason if he didn't have similar feelings for him as well. Carl knew, that emotions that ran that deep, didn't just disappear over a single incident, and with Jake's new lifelong bond to Jason, he had to wonder how those strong emotions might influence their future interactions.

While he was on his way to check the last of the arrangements at the Lodge, Carl watched as Hank appeared, running towards him from the direction of the Ceremonial grounds.

Carl paused as Hank caught up with him, silently admiring the shape of the forty-four year olds sweaty, shiny body, thinking to himself, what Hank lacked in sheer bulk, he more than made up for in definition.

Overall, Hank's body seemed very proportionate to his six feet four-inch height, coupled with the fact he knew few people who were better fighters than Hank Bauers, but also the blatant obviousness of the man being very easy on the eyes, all of which only added to his innate natural appeal.

Carl usually wasn't attracted to the smooth, mostly hairless types, Hank was one of those rare exceptions. His rather slim face and high cheekbones, offset by his squared jawline and broad set nose and nostrils, and of course, the deep amber tinged irises of his long-lashed eyes, only added to the overall effect.

The handsome, tall blond also had a very gregarious personality that made him naturally amenable, leaving Carl to believe, that Hank seldom had problems finding sexual partners, let alone gratification.

As Hank approached him, Carl duly noted the subtle nod which he instinctively knew was in deference to his status as Beta to their mutual Alpha.

On some level, Carl had been expecting this. Being Max's second in command now warranted an acknowledgment at the very least symbolically or by a direct act of submission by any future or present pack subordinates.

Carl was of course intuitive enough to realize that this was what was happening at that very moment and wasn't in the least bit surprised when Hank asked if they could speak somewhere privately.

Leading Hank back to the cabin, and noting how he now maintained a respectful two-foot distance behind him, that no sooner had they made it through the door, Carl made a beeline for the center island that separated the living room from the kitchen. Carl turned to face him, resting his elbows on the island counter and leaned his lower back against it, with his hips thrust out and patiently waited while Hank stood a mere two feet in front of him, in the traditional passive parade rest stance any Marine would have taken in similar circumstances.

"Isn't there something you should be doing Gamma?" Carl asked pointedly, glancing down at his own crotch then back to Hank's watchful eyes, knowing full well Hank was merely waiting for some signal or acknowledgment indicating his acceptance in offering to his Alpha's Beta, an act of submission.

Carl also knew what was and wasn't permitted. To date, there hadn't been time for Max to fully break in his new Gamma, meaning he hadn't mounted him yet, and since Max hadn't, then it was definitely off bounds to his Beta. Carl knew Hank would have regretfully and respectfully declined if he had asked him to.

So Carl did the one thing he could do, he left the decision up to Hank, knowing that in of itself was a form of submission, knowing full well Hank would want to do the most he could so not to appear as being reticent or holding back and possibly offending his Alpha's chosen Beta.

It was with absolutely no disappointment on Carl's part when Hank dropped down on his knees and shuffled over to him, looking straight up into his Beta's eyes as his fingers found the belt buckle to his camo trousers and unfastened it as his fingers began to fumble with the clasp and zipper.

Carl remained perfectly silent, controlling his breathing and willing his cock to stay limp, making a mental note, which he put on repeat in his head: "This wasn't about sexual pleasure, no matter how good it felt."

Hank's warm hands soon gripped the waistband of his trousers and began to gently tug both his pants and underwear down slowly until they were down to his knees.

Carl offered him a slight grunt of approval as he waited for what he knew would come next.

Without breaking eye contact, Hank stared up into Carl's deep emerald-colored eyes, a faint smile crossing his lips before pursing them together as he brought them closer to the head of Carl's fat limp cock, before placing the most gentle and reverent kisses right on his piss slit.

Deliberately maintaining a steely emotionless expression on his face, Carl knew this would spur the Gamma into an even bigger display of submission until he offered some sign of approval.

Without hesitation and maintaining his undaunting eye contact, Hank's thin-set lips parted, allowing them to slip tightly around his Beta's glans, swirling his wet tongue around it, before continuing to engulf his entire tumescent dong into his oral cavity and began grinding his lips against the very base, his nose twitching slightly as the wiry, thick patch of auburn pubic hair tickled his nostrils.

Still, Carl remained ambivalent, giving off an air of detachment causing Hank to up his game, which he did by beginning to gently suckle on his Beta's flaccid pecker, causing it to slowly erect in his warm, wet mouth.

Carl had no intention of letting Hank get him off, that wasn't his intent at all, but Carl knew he had a substantially thick eight-inch dick and he was pretty sure the last time Hank had ever sucked one was probably a little over twenty years ago when Bannor Griffen, his former Alpha had still been alive.

He didn't really know what he had expected to happen, perhaps get Hank to back off as his cock stretched its way into his throat and activated his gag reflex as its thickness clogged and stretched the membranous tissue, cutting off his oxygen.

But Hank didn't budge, even as his eyes began to water and the cocksucker tears poured over his cheeks, his eyes never even so much as flinched as he forcibly held himself perfectly still, his face flushing red as the need for oxygen began to subsume his consciousness, but still he held fast and true, his eyes never wavering as they stared deeply into Carl's.

With a shove of the palm of his right hand against Hank's forehead, Carl backed him off his palpitating dick: "That'll do Gamma." was all Carl said, as Hank got to his feet, watching intently as Carl stuffed his burgeoning organ back into the confines of his trousers and carefully zipped it back up and refastening his belt buckle.

Carl watched as Hank wiped his mouth and chin with the back of his hand before awkwardly quipping: "Sorry if that wasn't up to par with what you're accustomed to Beta..." He stammered, before confirming what Carl had already suspected: "I haven't done that for almost twenty years."

His eyes grew a little distant for a moment, as if caught up in a memory, and judging by the faint smile on his face, the recollection must have been a pleasant one, before answering the unasked query written in Carl's eyes: "Yeah, Bannor always enjoyed a nice robust face fuck after a hard workout, amongst other things." Hank concluded with an impish wink, reminding Carl how more alike so many alphas were than not.

Having accomplished what he set out to do, Hank made his apologies for the short duration of their time, letting Carl know that Max had instructed him to be on his way to retrieve Baxter and get on the road back to North Carolina before Billy was any the wiser, who they both knew was already pushing hard to head back home, knowing full well his intention was to reunite with Baxter after being separated from him for two weeks.

A disaster in the making if he had ever known one Carl noted offhandedly: "Yeah, Max is right, Billy meeting up with Baxter right now, in the confused state he's in, couldn't result in anything but trouble."

"Agreed." Hank concluded, adding: "I wouldn't want to be either you or Max when he finds out Baxter is on his way home with me."

"We'll manage," Carl stated halfheartedly, offering Hank a wane crooked smile.

Hank just shook his head: "I don't think you'd be saying that if you had seen what I saw him do the night before, it was both amazing and terrifying at the same time Beta, I definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of him being pissed off."

They hugged briefly before Hank jaunted over to his youngest son, quietly pulling him to the side and letting him know he was departing.

Carl returned his attention back to other matters, not wanting to dwell too much on what Hank had said.

The overall mood of the camp had grown slightly less strained through the rest of the afternoon, but all that changed as more and more vehicles arrived, loaded with the various Alphas and their attendees, which mostly consisted of a beta and a gamma, which was the normal, customary entourage one would expect for such an important gathering.

While he had made it a point to greet each new arrival as cheerfully as possible, he couldn't help but pick up on the overall stoic mood that seemed to hang over the compound like a dark cloud.

Even more foreboding, most seemed to be eyeing both Jason and Billy suspiciously while keeping their distance from either. Carl found himself hoping that Max and Danal would make their appearance sooner rather than later.

                                                                        * * * * *

Timmy didn't know exactly everything that had transpired within the Lodge after Max, Danal, and the others had entered to have their little pow-wow, but both Max and Carl had asked him to stay with JD while they did so, and though they didn't precisely use the word "protect", Timmy had just made the decision to interpret it as such; so when Atticus had joined them at the bivouac and solemnly stated that JD's presence had been ordered by the Quorum, Timmy had insisted on accompanying him.

Atticus didn't seem keen on the idea, nor could he explain to Timmy why they wanted him since neither he or his men were allowed to attend the meeting, Max had explained earlier, that though Atticus and his Unit were given the task of security for the compound, and were all part of the Heritage, that only pack members and their alphas were authorized to attend a Quorum meeting.

It wasn't difficult for Timmy to pick up how unsettled and nervous JD had been all day, noting a spike in the levels of his anxiety when Atticus had made the request, but when Atticus suggested Timmy wait outside the Lodge when they reached the main entrance, a sudden urge and need to protect him came over Timmy and he refused Atticus's suggestion.

Thankfully Atticus merely shrugged, offering Timmy a sly smile as he opened the door for the two of them to enter.

Timmy hadn't come by his decision lightly, JD had explained earlier that his Dad had warned him that it was a high probability that the Quorum might bring up his breaking of the "code" which JD had explained as him having had sex with a girl before his eighteenth birthday and the subsequent pregnancy that had resulted, were apparently a big no-no.

JD didn't know exactly what to expect, but his father had warned him it might result in some form of punitive action being leveled against him and that both he and Carl were duty-bound to abide by the Quorum's decisions. He had also told him, that in the eventuality of that happening, he might have a possible out for JD and that he would know it when it happened and to accept it.

"Don't worry JD..." Timmy said confidently: "I won't let anything bad happen to you." as they stepped through the door.

Timmy couldn't explain, nor did he fully understand all the changes in himself that he had been experiencing since first picking up that silver medallion and his bizarre, acid trip-like dream encounter with Aphrodite, but there was absolutely no mistaking the changes he had been experiencing since then.

Even that old guy Danal had said there was something different about him now. Max had agreed with him, but neither of them felt that they could elaborate any further, or speculate about the nature or extent of what they were perceiving, but as more and more time passed, Timmy was beginning to figure out some of those differences himself.

First of all, was the whole scent thing. Everyone in that room had it to one degree or another, that woodsy masculine aroma that seemed as alluring to Timmy as his own natural musk seemed to be to them.

Timmy had overheard more than one of the guys he trained with state he smelled like honey and freshly dug dirt and in fact, though he couldn't seem to smell that on himself, he had on Brock Gryzinski, he could even smell Brock's scent on Atticus and Atticus's on Brock.

He had also noticed that his hearing had improved on certain levels as well as his eyesight, especially at night, but what he had noticed the most of all, was his physical strength.

Last night he had attributed the sensation of feeling lighter to being possible weight loss, due to the increase of training he had been undertaking, but this morning, when he decided to leap into the lake to take a morning swim, his leg muscles had propelled him higher and further than they ever had before.

The incident had intrigued him enough, for him to slip quietly into the woods later that morning and put himself through a somewhat rigorous workout routine.

What Timmy had managed to figure out, that it wasn't the fact he was lighter due to weight loss, he was a whole lot stronger, which also made him a lot faster as well, both of which took some getting used to as he put himself through his usual gymnastic moves and exercises until he had a fair enough assessment of his new physical capabilities.

He still had no way to gauge the limits and range of these changes, lacking the proper equipment to do so, but he knew it was neither marginal nor negligible.

It was in part why he was now so confident that he could probably defend JD from most potential physical threats and judging by the rather hostile mood in the room and the very mounting stench of aggression exuding from several of those he didn't know, that when one particularly large guy, who's Timmy's nose had distinguished as having a scent very similar to Max's and deducing that he must be what the others had dubbed an alpha, had practically growled that a "human" shouldn't be allowed in the room while giving Timmy what he called the evil eye.

Timmy could see that Max was about to say something but headed him off, taking an instant dislike to the other alpha: "JD is my best friend and I'm not going anywhere!"

Both Max and Carl shot him a stern, questioning look before Timmy quickly added: "I don't care who says to the contrary, so unless you intend to try removing me forcibly I suggest you get on with whatever it is you intend to say or do."

Timmy wasn't surprised when Billy rose to a standing position right beside his father, at the head of the room, right in front of the partitions that separated the main room from the communication equipment. Nodding at Timmy, a broad grin spreading across his face. He could also see that Carl, who was standing behind Jason and Max, now had his hands on Jason's shoulders and Timmy quickly figured out that Carl was trying to stop Jason from standing and joining Billy as he faced the murmuring and grumbling crowd.

At that time an older gentlemen rose up, to stand next to the one that had first addressed Timmy. He had met him earlier when Danal had introduced him as Hadrian Mumsford back at the bivouac.

"Young man, we mean no offense to you or your kind, but this is a Heritage matter and while we commend your loyalty to your young companion, this is a discussion best left to those of the Heritage and doesn't really concern you." the one called Hadrian said calmly to Timmy.

Timmy just smiled back at him and though he didn't sense the same smug arrogance the one he stood next to gave off, Timmy couldn't help but detect the dismissive nature of his tone and Timmy wasn't having any of it, responding: "When you say this is a Heritage issue, do you mean its only for those that change when they're eighteen and hold that silver medal thingie, 'cause it changed me too when I held it."

He was looking at Hadrian when he said it, but it was Paul Lakatos who stood up and addressed him: "You're not of the Heritage, the wolf spirit of the Progenitor doesn't burn within you and you're definitely not an alpha so you have no voice in this Quorum."

Before Timmy could respond, Billy interrupted: "I'm sitting in on this council and since my ceremony, none of you have been able to tell me definitively what I am, so how can you say you know what he is or isn't?"

Timmy barely had time to crack a smile at Billy, before noticing the dark curly-haired figure behind Paul, lean forward and started whispering in Paul's ear.

Without preamble, after shooting the man whispering behind him an annoyed look: Paul exclaimed: "There are many of us that were here the night of your ceremony, yet only a handful, all of which are closest to Max, that supposedly saw you display skills no other alpha here could equal, and while I'm not accusing Max of lying, having seen no evidence of such abilities myself, some of us wonder if perhaps it was more than a little bit exaggerated."

A number of the others began to murmur loudly, some in agreement with Paul and others who found his words offensive and uncalled for, and for a few, tense seconds, the murmuring grew into loud and heated exchanges.

Max rose and raised his hand as if he were about to call order to the room when Timmy saw the irises of Billy's eyes flash white for a second as he took a couple of aggressive steps toward Paul Lakatos.

It wasn't the flashing irises that really held Timmy's specific interest, but what he saw appear around Billy as they did so, that he found intriguing, causing Timmy to absentmindedly respond, by clapping his hands merrily, while beaming enthusiastically: "Pretty white puppy!"

Timmy didn't notice as all eyes in the room turned and trained on him and upon seeing him staring gleefully at Billy, shifted to Billy and then back to him when he gushingly shouted: "Do it again!"

A quiet hush fell over the room for a few seconds until the silence was finally broken by Danal, who now stood, looking rapidly back and forth between both Billy and Timmy: "What did you see exactly young man?"

Timmy barely took his eyes off Billy, only for a second, shooting Danal only the briefest of glances, before responding: "I saw this great big white puppy standing where Billy is, though it was kind of transparent and I could clearly see Billy inside it."

Danal glowered quizzically at Timmy, grilling him further: "When you say puppy, do you mean like a real wolf or something like you saw the other night during the attack at the cabin?"

Rolling his eyes like Danal had just asked him something silly, Timmy quipped: "It was big and had four legs, a big bushy tail and sat where Billy is standing, didn't everyone else see it too?"

Danal was about to respond to Timmy when Paul Lakatos threw his hands in the air dramatically and stated: "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about, there are those amongst us who have been hearing this nonsense about Max's son Billy and how *special* he's supposed to be..." he paused for dramatic effect, his eyes scanning and gauging the room and it's occupants, before continuing: "That those around him have become so delusional, that they're hallucinating or exaggerating what they see, or don't as the case may be." He said the last part as he leveled a mocking glance Timmy's way.

Timmy could smell and sense the tension and aggression grow in the room, but at that very moment is was the strongest between Paul and Billy and Timmy was absolutely certain that any moment now, either one of them could launch an all-out attack against the other, with him and JD caught right between the pair of them.

It was in that tense moment Timmy recalled the words of Aphrodite's warning, telling him that when the white wolf is issued a challenge while taking council from his own kind that Timmy had to find and claim his true name and accept the challenge for the white wolf.

Timmy realized, much to his own chagrin, that this was that moment and that maybe it hadn't all been some dream he had imagined and that if he didn't act soon he could lose an equal voice in the council and never claim the first half of Gemini, and though he still didn't know what that meant, he felt fairly certain it was important.

It was with that in mind, that Timmy stepped in front of Billy and calmly placed his right hand over Billy's chest, effectively halting him from taking another step toward Paul Lakatos, his eyes locking with Billy's, before declaring: "I can fight my own battles Billy, please don't interfere, watch JD for me!"

Billy held his gaze for a moment and for a second Timmy felt he might ignore him before a smile spread across his face and with a wink and a smirk on his lips, Billy whispered: "Kick his ass princess!" before taking his brother by the arm and moving off to the side.

Timmy turned his head to glance at Max, nodding at him before he pivoted around toward Paul Lakatos, who stood across the room with his arms folded over his chest, glowering back and forth between him and Billy.

Defiantly, Timmy walked over to him until he stood about two feet in front of him, meeting his icy glare with one of his own before proclaiming loudly: "I don't take kindly to bad dogs who imply I'm either crazy or a liar."

Paul just grimaced dismissively back at him as the same guy as before stepped up behind him and whispered something in his ear.

Two things happened at that moment, a somewhat wicked, devious grin spread across Paul's face and Timmy was certain he picked up a familiar accent, one that he had overheard the night before when he followed a mysterious figure through the woods that had eventually lead him to the main road and had spoken with just such an accent before accepting a gun from a stranger in a black SUV.

Timmy contemplated exposing him publicly to Max and the others for a moment until Paul interrupted his train of thought, his voice a haughty, mocking boast: "I'm an Alpha boy and I only accept challenges from other alphas, but if it's a fight for your honor you want you're more than welcome to duke it out with my Gamma."

As Paul laughed, he turned around and moved back to his seat. Timmy took the moments in between those actions to shoot a furtive glance at Max, who looked at him questioningly with a stern look on his face.

Timmy both nodded his head and drew Max's sight by side-eyeing the dark curly-headed man right behind Paul Lakatos while bringing his right hand up to his chest and forming it into the shape of a gun.

Timmy could tell by the harsh intense look Max shot the man that his silent message was comprehended as he returned his focus back to Paul, taking notice, via his peripheral vision, as Carl McGregor now stealthily moved slowly toward Paul's small group.

Drawing attention back on himself, Timmy waited until Paul sat back down, arms folded across his chest once again, a contemptuous half-smirk on his face.

Timmy half bowed/half curtsied, with a wide flourish of his sweeping hand: "If your man wins..." Timmy began, his right hand now against his hip, while he regarded the fingernails of his other as his fingers spread out fan-like, before lifting his chin and nose haughtily into the air as if addressing no one of particular significance: "I will acknowledge the superiority of my betters and leave like a good little boy, with my tail tucked between my legs."

Paul chortled, a smile spreading wide across his face: "You won't be doing anything because they'll be hauling you out on a stretcher." he mused as he motioned for the massive blond giant behind him, on his left side, forward.

Refusing to be daunted or at least show that he was, by the six feet seven-inch mountain of muscle that now pounded one large ham fist into the palm of his other hand noisily while eyeing him like a hungry, angry lion ready to grind his bones to dust for the sheer enjoyment of it, Timmy retorted: "When I win, not only will you acknowledge me as an Alpha, but I'll be claiming your Gamma as my own."

Half the room burst out into laughter to one degree or another, but as Timmy locked eyes with Paul Lakatos, all he could do in between guffaws was huff: "Sure kid, anything you say."

Paul's comment garnered a few more hearty laughs from several of the other alpha's, and their beta's and Gammas.

Timmy ignored them all and turned his attention to the blond giant in front of him, barely six feet away, blowing him mocking kisses as he flexed his enormous muscles like a posing Olympian bodybuilder.

Despite his obvious size, it was clear to Timmy that the man wasn't really that much older than himself. Timmy guessed probably about twenty-one or two and judging by the high and tight haircut, yet another Marine, most of whom, Timmy had easily bested during training exercises all of last week, inwardly smiling to himself, noting that was before he under went his own transformation.

Timmy feigned indifference, wondering how long he should actually attempt to drag this out, or would a swift defeat send more of a message? He barely had a chance to consider, before Dalton Becker had made the decision for him by charging at him, his fist forming a fleshy cudgel over his head, making his intent to smash Timmy into a pulp with one blow as plain as the cute, wide button nose on his still boyishly handsome, yet ruggedly masculine face.

As Timmy sprang into the air, tucking his knees into his chest tightly, soaring highly over Dalton's surprised but angry face like a cannonball hurtling toward the large center log rafter, he giggled slightly while imagining all the fun he was going to have playing with his new Gamma puppy and amusing himself by envisioning him in an adorable pink studded collar and a semitransparent pink nylon jock sock and nothing else.

That was all the real motivation Timmy needed before his arms shot outright as he reached the log rafter, his hands catching it, spinning him around before rapidly ricocheting and rocketing him onto Dalton's upper back, where Timmy swiftly wrapped his legs around Dalton's wide, muscle corded neck and locked them in place and began squeezing tightly.

Predictably, as Dalton's arms and hands shot up to try and pry his legs from around his neck, Timmy threw his weight forward, tipping the musclebound new plaything face forward causing him to topple face-first onto the wood floor slamming his forehead against the hard surface, nearly knocking him out, but definitely leaving him more than a little stunned and even more at the mercy of Timmy's vice-like, oxygen depriving leg lock around his throat.

The room fell silent as Timmy tightened his hold, constricting his thighs even tighter, before demanding, in his most commanding voice: "Submit or I'll snap your neck bitch."

As if to emphasize his point, the irises of Timmy's eyes flashed a brilliant blue, tinged with a golden ring as the almost overpowering scent of honey and freshly dug Earth nearly drowned out any other aromas in the room.

He could feel Dalton's muscles swell and tense below him, trying in a last-ditch effort to raise himself off the floor before the oxygen deprivation robbed him of his last bit of strength and barely left him enough to raise his right hand as it tapped the floor several times acknowledging his defeat and surrender.

The room nearly erupted into cheers of jubilation as Billy and JD rushed over to Timmy as he slowly stood, releasing the hold he had on a gasping and subdued Dalton Becker.

Billy grabbed Timmy's right wrist and threw it into the air, in a gesture of his swift and easy victory, slowly turning him around, repeating the motion over and over again.

It was when they finally faced a far less cocky Paul Lakatos, that Timmy caught the strong stench of gun oil and watched in near slow motion as the dark curly-haired man behind Paul glower at him and Billy, his irises flashing a light green as he produced a revolver that barely stuck above Paul's left shoulder and took aim directly at Billy's heart.

In an action far beyond the speed of any mere human, Timmy reflexively shoved Billy to the side just as the sound of gunfire reverberated around the room, causing chaos to erupt all around them.

When the momentary furor settled and a startled Paul Lakatos whipped around only to come face to face with his Beta, Remy Deveaux, whose one wrist was held tightly in the air, with the still smoking gun aimed harmlessly toward the ceiling and his throat held in the vice-like grip of the clawed hand of Carl McGregor, it took several other Alpha's to restrain Paul from killing him then and there on the spot.

Later, as some semblance of order had been restored and Remy Deveaux had been bound, secured, and placed under armed guard with Michael Donnelly and Kent Bauers, and before taking his seat to resume the Quorum meeting, Paul Lakatos made his way over to Timmy and Billy, with a humbled Dalton Becker trailing right behind him, who almost sheepishly kept casting furtive glances at Timmy, before averting his eyes.

Paul extended his right hand to Billy, stating somewhat more sedately than he had previously: "I have already pledged myself and my pack to Jason's and your father's cause and it is with shame and humility for the grievances of my traitorous Beta, that I pledge myself and my pack to whenever you have need of it, Paul bowed his head as Billy took his hand graciously before Paul turned to face Timmy, a brief, furtive smile breaking on his otherwise stern countenance: "I also wish to apologize to you as well for doubting your claim and mocking you, clearly I was wrong Alpha and I would consider it an honor if you and your newly won Gamma would consider sitting beside me as we attempt to conduct the business that we all came here for."

Paul concluded by extending his arm and Timmy smiled impishly as he slipped his own through it as Paul escorted him over to his designated spot.

It didn't escape his notice, that Dalton swiftly moved behind Timmy and maintained a couple of feet distance directly behind him.

Timmy didn't say anything, but he hadn't really expected Paul to give up his Gamma to him, but he found he didn't need to say anything, Paul must have sensed his hesitancy as they sat next to each other and Dalton took up a position standing right behind him: "I have formerly released Dalton from my pack, he is now free to be properly claimed by you at the time of your choosing and convenience."

Timmy wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but he didn't want Paul to know that he didn't, figuring that he could just ask Max or one of the other guys later.

As the others in the room also began to settle and waited for Max to call the Quorum to order, Paul leaned his head in closer to Timmy's and all but whispered: "I am ashamed to say Alpha, that I don't know your true name?"

Timmy turned his head slightly, at first locking eyes with Paul's after hearing the way he had just worded what he said, before rolling them skyward thoughtfully as Aphrodite's near prophetic words haunted him again telling him that once in council he would have to find and state his true name.

His thoughts shifted to the beginning of their encounter when right before, Billy had called him princess and being reminded that Max had called him the same thing.

He couldn't imagine Max telling his own son about their limited encounters together let alone about the pet name Max had used, but like so much of Timmy's recent encounters, he couldn't just dismiss Billy calling him the same thing as purely coincidental.

Timmy grinned broadly at Paul, batting his eyes playfully: "My name is Princess, or at least it is now."

Paul looked at him quizzically, before bowing his head slightly: "Princess it is then."

Princess giggled as Paul shook his head and smiled back at him, a slight blush in his cheeks as the strong alluring scent of honey and freshly dug Earth filled his nostrils.

Chapter Eight:

"Marines don't know how to spell the word defeat!"

        General James *Mad Dog* Mattis USMC

                                * * * * *

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" Sir Walter Scott's infamous words ring just as true today as they did in 1808, and Carl McGregor felt the worse for his part in their deception.

Billy was visibly upset with them, meaning himself, Max, and Hank for not being able to spend time with Baxter before he was whisked away to North Carolina by Hank Bauers.

The deception, of course, was them deliberately keeping the pair apart until Baxter could undergo his Heritage ceremony. The reason, however, was far more complicated than that.

All of them, with the exception of Billy, knew Baxter was in love with him, that he had been for years. Something completely self-revealing since he hit puberty, and the boys raging hormones, and phenomenal output unmasked that bit of truth.

Baxter, confused, and unsure of Billy's feelings, hid his own, choosing not to risk their lifelong friendship, instead of just telling Billy how he felt.

And then there was Billy himself; it was clear he felt deeply for Baxter, but those feelings were as repressed as the society he grew up in, dictating what was socially acceptable, and what wasn't. Something Max and he were just as guilty of, for being overly protective, and less of a positive influence.

Billy didn't really bear any hatred or dislike toward gay people. Recently he had been even demonstrating a certain level of growing acceptance, partially, through his interactions with both Timmy, and Gavin, but also with his ever-evolving comfort with sex between him, and members of the same sex.

But that was the conundrum, sex, and love are two separate things. Baxter felt both for Billy, however, Billy ... his feelings are a Hodge-podge of things, from a sense of brotherhood, and camaraderie to friendship, and even an undercurrent of sexual attraction, with each, and everyone conflating, and obfuscating the other.

But... that would all change in an instant if the two were to get anywhere near each other.

Now that Billy has been through his Heritage ceremony, the unleashing of his beast, his wolf, had also unlocked the senses he shared with it, and they knew, that just one strong whiff of Baxter would reveal all that he had kept hidden, and Billy would be thrust headlong, and unsuspecting into a morass of pent up emotions, and desires he wasn't prepared to navigate, and hence the danger.

It would have been preferable had they been exactly like him, and Max had been. Discovering their love for each other at an early age, well before their Heritage ceremony, and acting on it, exploring each other both emotionally, and physically.

Neither Max nor he doubted for an instant that Billy loved Baxter, but as they both knew all too well, that so near a first-time change, strong emotions could spark a spontaneous one, and considering who, and what they suspected Billy to be, and with the levels of raw uncontrolled strength he has already exhibited, such a confrontation was best left until both parties were on a more equal footing.

Which now leaves Carl in the state of mind he is now.

This was an ages-old bone of contention between him, Danal, and Max. The Codex prohibits those of the Heritage from revealing their beast to those who would one day become part of it.

The reasoning was partly sound, Max's oldest son very much being a perfect cautionary example.

Michael was told at a very young age what his father was, and Michael believed he would become just like him, maybe even stronger... Michael believed to the core of his being that he would be an Alpha, just like his Dad, except he wasn't. Max even knew this before his Heritage ceremony and tried repeatedly to prepare Michael for it, but it was pointless. It only made him more determined to prove his father wrong, and when it turned out to be contrary to what he expected, he turned on his father, believing wholeheartedly that Max had somehow prevented him from his destiny, had purposely held him back in favor of one of his younger siblings, and it had helped poison his thinking.

This scenario wasn't new, it had played out like that many times before, usually ending in violent confrontations and bloodshed. Hence that part of the code, that determined the mystery of revelation was meant to be self-evident on the day of transformation, a celebration without expectation or foreknowledge to jade the outcome.

But, this was also Carl's point of contention, what Baxter knew was immaterial to what they should be telling Billy. Carl was fine with Baxter coming into his Heritage just as the Codex portrayed it should be, and he fully understood those reasons, having lived them himself. But Billy wouldn't be seeing Baxter until then, and there was no valid reason he shouldn't know what to expect, instead of letting him suffer now, thinking that Baxter was avoiding him or that they were trying to keep them apart.

This wasn't a typical coming out on your own time sort of situation, regardless of whether Baxter did or not beforehand, that cat would be out of the bag regardless, once he stood face to face with Billy, whether it was before or after the fact.

Carl was absolutely sure, that Billy deserved to know what he was facing, and they should be helping him instead of trying to keep it under wraps.

It had only nearly taken him the entire evening, and most of the early morning to make both Max, and Danal see how upset Billy was after they told him Baxter left with Hank; that they finally accepted that maybe it would be better for all concerned that Billy know what to expect, and though they both still had their trepidation's, they had all finally come to the same determination and had agreed that he and Max would meet with Billy, and try to ease his mind, especially today of all days when they were meant to be celebrating.

This now brought them to their current dilemma, with everything going on that day, and Billy playing a big role in it, he had just suddenly jumped in the truck his dad had given him and taken off.

Of course, their biggest fears had been that he was in hot pursuit of Baxter, and was well on his way to North Carolina, but the reality was, after many phone calls, and some rather sneaky tracking done by Brock Gryzinski, they had located Billy at Gavin's house, where he was currently helping Gavin, and his mom get settled back in, checking on Gavin's mom's security arrangements, before heading back with Gavin so he wouldn't miss out on the afternoon celebrations.

Since yesterday afternoon, when Princess made his big splash at the Quorum, little did he know, that it would just be the benchmark for a whirling dervish of events leading up to now.

There was a flurry of activities going on around him, with both Brock, and Princess at the center of it, barking commands, and instructions right, and left, until Carl hard nearly twirled himself dizzy just visually trying to keep up with it all.

Princess had gotten up early that morning, confiscating Max's credit card before commandeering a caravan of vehicles, and drivers to head into Macon.

A few hours later, they were back with the vehicles stuffed to the brim with goods, and for the last two hours, the grounds of the compound had become a near war zone of special projects all orchestrated by the only two humans for miles around.

One of which, was even now giving Danal what for, to Carl's amusement.

"That attitude may work on everyone else you grumpy old geezer, but I don't have any problem with bitch slapping a senior citizen..." Princess quipped, then rolled his eyes skyward a finger on his chin, quickly adding: "Maybe in your case, it should be a rolled-up newspaper on the snout."

Danal glowered at him for a moment, his arms folded over his chest defiantly: "Did I miss the memo now proclaiming you as the center of the universe young man?"

Princess smiled sardonically, retorting: "Maybe you missed it while they were changing your adult diaper, which is what you're going to need if you try, and wear that creepy ass get up this evening."

Obviously annoyed, Danal proclaimed: "That creepy ass get up as you put it, is part of our Heritage, and is the customary vestment of a Green Father, and member of the Council of Greges, and is worn to all ceremonies conducted in regards to those within the Heritage."

Princess didn't back down, responding with a smirk: "Think left and think right, think low and think high, think about all the thinks you can try, then think once again and think about this, think we'll just give that shit a miss."

Danal smiled, shaking his head: "Well aren't you just a fun-filled little lollipop of psycho."

Winking wickedly Princess giggled: "If by that you mean you'll wear something normal so we can take pictures, and not have everybody think it was just a big joke because some crazy grandpa in deer antlers and a rabbit fur speedo is in all of them, then you'd be correct."

Busting out in laughter, Danal chortled: "Since you asked so nicely, I guess I can make an exception this one time."

Princess clapped his hands happily: "I forgot my little bag of milk bones back in my tent, I'll have to give you your treat later."

Shaking his head, Carl walked away from them, wondering to himself how they were ever going to make it through this day.

                                                                    * * * * *

It was high noon, and despite the rumble in his belly, the very thought of food was the furthest thing from his mind.

Well... maybe not the furthest.

"I'd kill for a bag of boiled peanuts right now." JD heard himself say aloud, more as a way of breaking the silence that surrounded him as he sat there alone in the cabin, a persistent reminder of the chaos that was otherwise exploding all around him in a furious hubbub of activity, most of which was for his benefit, while he was left here, alone, with only his own thoughts for companionship.

As fate would have it, the thoughts roiling within his head, mirrored the bustling swarm outside.

He'd been pondering the what if's in his life, like, what if he had never gone to that stupid party that night, and drank spiked beer with his buddies, and allowing that fucking bitch Andrea Thomas to lure him into one of the back bedrooms where she practically threw herself at him, and nearly ripping his clothes off in the process, all for some puerile, and juvenile attempt at exacting revenge on what she perceived as overbearing parents.

Thoughts that made him wish he had heeded, and obeyed his father.

After all, he'd been through, there was no longer a singular doubt in his heart or head, that almost every single word or action, every perceived slight or punitive action, throughout his life, had happened because his Dad loved him, and only wanted what was best for him and his brother's.

And the night before had been no exception. Even when his Dad was forced into a position that demanded, and dictated that he must rule against him. Even then, his Dad had managed to forge a path forward for him, had orchestrated, and conducted, on his behalf, a future he would have never considered on his own, or accepted, had he not realized or seen it for what it was, his best possible choice.

It wasn't perfect, nor exactly what he would have envisioned ideal, but it was doable, it had potential, and would completely depend on both the work and effort he put into it. A second chance and a path forward just like his Dad had promised.

His thoughts lingered there as he dwelt on the events leading up to his momentous decision.

Timmy had just soundly beat and defeated Paul Lakatos's gamma, something he did to fend off a heated confrontation between his brother Billy, and Paul.

JD was still trying to come to grips with the whole Heritage thing; accept that within him, lurked the capacity to awaken an inner beast that would meld with him mentally, and physically, allowing him to change into some large wolf-like creature.

He was still learning what he could from Jake, and a couple of the others about the whole alpha/beta/gamma dynamic, and was hoping to get the chance to sit down with his Dad, and have him explain their whole family history to him, in more detail. What he had been able to piece together, that his breaking of the Code was deeply steeped in that whole social hierarchy order that seemed intrinsic to their nature.

JD had broken the chain by impregnating a girl before his change. It was never about denying him sex or sexual pleasure, it was about responsibility, duty, and honor, and not least of all, obedience.

The beast within him, who still awaited release, may now never be set free because of his actions.

Only an alpha may mate within a pack or approve one within it, that was the natural order of things, it was what the beast within them demanded of them. It was a price they all paid.

Sex, in part, is how they define a hierarchy within a pack, from alphas on down to omegas. Most are born and destined to become one or the other, but penultimately, it is the alpha's decision that matter's most.

Under normal circumstances, JD's inner wolf, though still latent, would have instinctively driven him to reject an unsanctioned mating. It would have seen it as an act of rebellion against the natural order and would have compelled him into compliance, but the combination of alcohol, artificial sexual stimulants, and the repeated seductive attempts by Andrea, and her cronies, had helped dull those instincts within him.

Even at the time, he had known and felt it was wrong, but he had allowed an awkward social dynamic, coupled by those other factors to overrule his natural instincts, culminating in his presence now at a Quorum of alphas, led by his own father, to decide his fate.

Danal, and Carl had explained what could potentially happen, his own dad being unable to even consider, let alone describe what they were certain would be demanded of him to do because of his position as Alpha Regent.

Danal had said the Codex was clear, that those who mate before their time, meaning his coming of age, and transformation, have severed the bond between man, and beast, and has forfeited his place within the Heritage. The prescribed sentence was, that his beast is allowed to whither, and ultimately die, leaving only the man, to suffer the consequences of his actions, and choices.

JD had remembered how his dad had left the room at that moment, unable to even hear it discussed aloud let alone consider it a possibility.

Even now, just replaying the memory of it in his head, brought tears to his eyes at the pain his actions had caused his father, to all those closest to him.

Once again, his father's words had proven right, when he first confronted him months ago and declared he had no idea what he had done, and concluding that he had destroyed whatever future he might have had.

Standing there, before the Quorum, he had felt the full weight of his father's words, and meaning, knew the pain, even now he was causing him as he was now placed in the difficult position to rule against his own son, his flesh, and blood.

Danal had haltingly whispered what that truly meant, that the Quorum would expect Max to reject his own son, and permanently exclude him from anything concerning the Heritage. JD would become an outsider in his own home, and even those closest to him would be forbidden to discuss anything concerning the Heritage, that most, in fact, would probably shun him.

Even the displaced, the dispersers like Atticus, and his men, still had the hope of future acceptance, and placement within the Heritage, even if it never happened.

The magnitude of it all, nearly crushing the very breath out of him.

So it came as no surprise, that after Timmy's *little* display, and things had finally settled down, that once again the topic of his breaking of the code reared its ugly head.

No less than four guys stood to speak out against him, but over half the voices in the room egged them on, and it became quickly clear to JD that his proverbial goose was cooked.

Through it all, JD just stood there with his brother beside him, with his head bowed, wishing he could have been anywhere else except there, knowing that almost everything they were saying about him was things he had thought about himself. He had known what he was doing was wrong at the time, he was guilty of disobeying his father, and not respecting his authority, something that was almost unthinkable to those of the Heritage. One simply did not disobey their sire let alone one that was an alpha to boot.

It was just plain and simply unfathomable, and indefensible to them. And as he chanced a quick side look toward his father, sitting there with Jason on one side, and Danal on the other, Carl's supportive hand on his right shoulder right behind him. He could see the hurt in his eyes, the pain of worry he had put there. That devastated him more than their accusations or recriminations.

Both Danal, and Carl had cautioned him repeatedly not to speak during the Quorum, to be contrite as possible. They knew there would be many voices raised against him, some with genuine disgust, and others who would use it to call into doubt the efficacy of his fathers leadership if he couldn't even control his own son.

They had warned him, that any rebellious words or actions during the Quorum by him, would only codify, and add weight to their accusations, and it was for that reason alone, he remained silent.

But he did have questions, the one most prescient coming to mind, was how could they hold him accountable for something he didn't even know existed?

He understood the reasoning behind them keeping what they were from little kids, who could scarcely be expected to keep such a momentous thing a secret, but he didn't exactly buy into the whole belief it would have put unreal expectations on him had he known who, and what he was. Sure, they could cite his older brother as the perfect example of why they didn't, but Michael didn't come by that conclusion by himself, their mother had planted that seed in his head when he was a little boy.

In fact, JD could argue, that the only way around the damage their mother had done to his older brother was by more exposure about who he was, not less.

He had learned a lot about the Heritage in the last couple of days, and while he understood the potential devastation the knowledge of who they were might bring if they were exposed to the outside world, wouldn't it be better, if like the humans, they raised their children openly in their own communities with only limited exposure to the outside world until they were older and mature enough to understand the risk?

There was something else he had learned as well, not all humans were a threat to them. A sentiment he was certain his father shared with him.

It was obvious how much they feared exposure to the human world, their overreaction to Timmy's presence at the Quorum was evidence enough of that, but look at what that limited exposure had brought about, strong staunch allies to their cause, with at least one unexpectedly affected by the same metal medallion that they were affected by. What more might a controlled exposure, and openness garner that they had never known existed before?

No, what JD was learning more than anything else, that despite all the macho bravado, fear gripped the Heritage, to its core. But JD knew a caged or cornered animal either cowered, and withered in fear or lashed out and made its presence, and right to exist mean something.

But all said, and done, he was still only one sixteen-year-old boy, surrounded by those who would see his voice forever silenced within their limited scope of existence.

So, he remained silent, comforted by the knowledge that there were those among these frightened beasts, that still loved, and cared for him.

Still, it did surprise him, that it was Jason Griffen instead of his father who suddenly stood, demanding to be heard, and presenting his one way out of all of this.

"As many of you know..." Jason began, his deep baritone voice commanding the attention of the room, as all eyes turned to him: "I have recently been named Co-Regent of the Southern District, a title I share with Max Donnelly..."

Jason had barely gotten those words out, when a burly, gruff-looking man in the back stood up and stepped forward, his shoulders thrown back in a defiant stance, his voice booming: "This Quorum has yet to recognize your bold claim, and I for one refuse to recognize or consider it from a boy who isn't even of age to claim his Heritage let alone speak as one of us!"

Feeling not only his authority but his very existence challenged, Jason stepped forward onto the main floor, directly parallel to his opposition, the irises of his eyes suddenly a blaze of blue fire. JD sensed Jason was only seconds away from transforming into the lycanthropic creature he had changed into just a couple of days ago, before going on a murderous, bloody spree that he had heard was unrivaled by anyone else in that room.

JD considered it fortunate that it was at that time his father rose, placing a restraining hand on Jason's shoulder, before slowly, and deliberately crossing the room until he stood directly in front of the man who had spoken against Jason.

Though they both seemed of equal size, by some trick of his perception, his father seemed to tower over the other man, and the entire room fell into a hushed silence as his father spoke: "Benjamin Frakes I do NOT require yours or the Quorums approval in naming my legitimate successor, and unless you intend to challenge my authority as Alpha Regent to the Southern District then you WILL sit down, and listen to what Alpha Regent Jason Griffen has to say to you all, or we can go to the Ceremonial grounds, and address your grievances Alpha to Alpha, as custom dictates."

His dad emphasized his point by jabbing his index finger into the other man's chest, his own irises flashing a brilliant azure, his deep voice near to a growl: "You choose which its going to be!"

It hadn't surprised JD that the man, mere seconds later, bowed his head slightly, calmly declaring: "I meant no disrespect to you Alpha Regent, but there are many of us who don't understand how from one day to the next, Bannor Griffen, who died without an heir, suddenly has one that wasn't even born until well over two years after his death."

His dad had answered by calling Jason over to him, putting his hands on his shoulders, and turning him around the room slowly in a full circle: "Many in this room knew Bannor Griffen personally, of those who knew or met him like myself, seeing, and scenting Jason now, is there any amongst you who can deny his claim?"

You could have heard a pin drop, until a single voice, that of Hadrian Mumsford spoke out: "I knew Bannor Griffen's family well, and the man himself. I would almost swear by the Progenitor that he had been resurrected, reborn or Xerox copied in some manner, and now stood before us to claim what was always meant to be his, how it has come about is immaterial, only that it is so..." He paused for a second, in what JD was sure had been purely intended for dramatic effect, before concluding: "Max's own actions speak to that truth, and I say as a Green Father to the Northern District, and member in good standing of the Council of Greges, alongside, and in agreement with my brother Danal, that we hear this young Alpha's words, and show him the proper respect he is due by both his birthright and by the authority the Alpha Regent Max Donnelly has bestowed upon him."

The surprise of the evening came when Paul Lakatos stood, after a short silence after Hadrian's words, and simply added his voice to Max's, and Hadrian's: "I second both Max's, and the good Councilor's claims. Let Jason speak, so that we may heed his words as our new Alpha regent elect."

A small murmur of agreement spread across the room as both Hadrian, and Max returned to their respective seats, leaving Jason the floor, and the ears of the Quorum.

Before he spoke, he had timidly locked eyes with JD, giving him a faint, wane smile, before he looked away, and began addressing the room: "I know the issue before this Quorum is the breaking of a time-honored tradition within our ranks about mating, and the siring of offspring being a sacred part of that..." Jason looked around the room, making eye contact with a few who made comments to that effect: "I cannot speak for every young man who later became part of the Heritage, but I can speak to the fact, that as a teenage male myself, and one who didn't have the guidance that the majority of you had regarding the code, that I can see how the implementation of it on those who do not know it's full context, could so easily disregard it."

Jason paused again, allowing those that began to murmur their descent to die down before continuing: "I myself, if not for the timely intercession of Max Donnelly could have counted himself amongst those who faced what you are now doing to JD, Max's son if he had not imparted the importance of not mating with a female until the appropriate time, and with the appropriate maturity to me."

Jason walked around the room as he spoke, his head held high as several others within the room voiced their agreement, and urged him on: "JD broke the code, there is no doubt about it, nor does he deny that he did, but he did so because as a regular teenage boy, he reacted as just that, just another teenage boy who chaffed against what he perceived, as his father's old fashioned expectations, not in defiance of a code that has existed for more years than can be remembered by most, but because he had no idea about who, and what he was, and would become."

JD couldn't take his eyes off Jason, he was putting into words exactly what he truly felt in his heart, and apparently in the heart, and minds of others as well, judging by the murmurs of agreement, and their nodding heads.

"I lack the authority to change that about the codex..." He said, adding: "I can say, I could have easily been where JD is now, and I can not, and will not be counted amongst those who now condemn him for something he didn't even know existed..." Jason took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, allowing his nerves to settle as everyone patiently waited for him to continue.

"Duty-bound as Alpha of the Southern District, I took it upon myself to study this part of the codex with the help of Danal.." He smiled faintly, nodding his head slightly toward the elderly alpha, and keeper of the Codex: "And while what this Quorum seeks by means of strict adherence to its sacred text, handed down by the Progenitor himself, I must admit I read with the veil of hope that I would find a way that would both honor the Codex, and not so harshly banish one so young from ever knowing the joy and fulfillment of being part of that shared destiny."

There were a few rumbles of disquieting descent amongst the ranks of the Quorum, until both Danal, and Hadrian shushed them into silence, allowing Jason to continue: "And while I can not, in good conscious grant JD a blanket pardon for his offense, it did come to my awareness, I can grant one of the greatest desires of my new Gamma, whose sole wish revealed a way that I, and this Quorum may find acceptable."

Right on cue, Jake stood, bowing his head first to his Alpha, and then to the general assembly, his broad cleft chin held high as he addressed them: "Upon my submission, and acceptance of my Alpha's call to join his pack, we spent many hours discussing the various things that I as his Gamma, and the first member of his pack may do to accomplish his goals. Well into our discussions, my Alpha turned to me and asked me if there was one thing in this world I wanted more than anything else, and I enthusiastically spoke my hearts desire to him, without reservation or hesitation, and he was so inclined to grant it, so long as both Danal and Max agreed."

The room fell deathly silent as all eyes followed Jake as he slowly made his way over to where JD was standing until less than a foot separated them, he reached for JD's hand, and took it in his own, cupping it between both of his, gazing proudly into JD's questioning eyes, beckoning, and imploring JD as he spoke, neither fearful or timid in his request: "James David Donnelly it is my desire as both man, and as a proud Gamma to Jason Griffen, if I might have your hand in marriage, as is customary to both man, and pack law?"

JD watched as Jake knelt on one knee before him, producing a small black box that he opened revealing the shiny gold band of gleaming gold within, the hushed silence in the room a cacophony of held, expectant breaths with only the sounds of both his, and Jake's heartbeats passing between them.

Just for a second JD's eyes sought out those of his father's, and seeing reflected there what he already knew in his heart.

Smiling faintly, his cheeks blushing profusely, JD gave the only answer that echoed and reverberated in the corridors of both his heart and mind.

"Yes!"

                                                                     * * * * *

"Come on dude, we gotta kick it in gear, I gotta wedding to go to, and I can't be late, I'm the best man!" Billy Donnelly barked at Gavin Hollis as he continued to stuff his backpack with everything, and anything he could think of that he might need during the rest of his stay at the Compound.

His mom was home now, still a bit sore from the bruises, and stitches she had, but extremely happy to be out of the hospital, and growing a bit impatient with Gavin's constant fussing.

She had practically insisted Gavin go back with Billy when he arrived that morning, not in the least bit worried about his or her own safety, not with armed guards stationed at their front, and back door. Courtesy of Max Donnelly, Billy's dad, not to mention the frequent checks by local authorities.

His mom had grown particularly fond of Barin Young, the handsome, polite Texan who just oozed southern charm, and kept his mother laughing, and feeling at ease.

Gavin was also happy Carl had paid them that visit at the hospital, and filled his mother in on what all had happened, and did his best to explain, with Baxter's mom's Anna there to help soften the blow, on the who, and what's about the Heritage.

She had taken it all rather calmly considering and actually felt her son was in safer hands than he normally would have been under similar circumstances. The fact he was still alive after what that man had told her the other night, had worked miracles on any doubts she may have had.

Just as Gavin loaded his laptop, and zipped his backpack shut, Barin poked his head in the door telling Billy that the truck was gassed up, and everything loaded, before casting a dubious glance toward Gavin then back at Billy: "If we're still gonna make that other stop on the way back we need to hit the road ASAP or you're not gonna make it in time." Barin said calmly, as Billy shot Gavin another stern glare.

"Wuh? I'm ready, okay, it's not like you didn't waste over an hour this morning finding a suit last minute that fits your big ass." Gavin hissed, brushing past Billy as he shouldered his backpack, and headed down the hallway toward the front door.

Billy snorted as he followed after him, Barin in tow: "I can't help it if I've grown so much since we started training. Dad said just going through the ceremony could cause a final growth spurt, and apparently its kicking in 'cause I can barely fit into any of my clothes right now."

Gavin chuckled, shooting him a snarky look over his shoulder: "Sure Jan, no way it could be all those Double Stuffed Oreo's you cram down your gullet when you think no one is watching."

"I do NOT" Billy retorted defensively, causing a slight humorous snort behind him.

Billy turned to glower at Barin, who just looked up at him innocently before saying matter of fact: "I've seen ya do it..." adding quickly: "Just sayin' Sir." before pushing past him to get the front door for Gavin, and him.

Despite their rocky start, they soon made good time, noting how much easier it was to move through town on a Sunday during a time that most people were either home or in church, and before they knew it, Billy had them on the main road out of town, with the only stop being Arlis Gundarson's family farm, which was luckily along the way to their final destination.

While Billy drove, Barin road shotgun, and fidgeted with the navigational controls before announcing: "We'll have only about half an hour to visit your friend before we need to be back on the road again, that is if we're gonna have the best man back in time for the wedding."

Gavin leaned forward from the back seat: "It won't take long, I just want to make sure he's okay, and personally thank him for everything he did for my mom the other night."

Billy shot him a look in the rearview mirror: "I was just kidding back there, we can take whatever time you need with Arlis..."Billy stated sincerely, adding with a chuckle: "Besides, I've never known my little brother being on time for anything, we'll be lucky if it happens before midnight."

They fell silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts, when Barin finally broke the spell, positing: "This fella of yours, he must be one big tough hombre to take down one of us, even if he was just a kraut."

Billy snorted out a chuckle, catching both of their attention: "Dude, Arlis Gundarson could almost make two of me, Jake Bauers and that guy Timmy beat the crap out of yesterday are the only two guys I've met bigger than him, and Arlis is only eighteen. I'm tellin' ya, the guys packin' some serious guns."

"Probably all that hard farm work he does all day" Gavin added, smiling bemusedly at Barin who had just called Arlis his *fella* and thinking solemnly to himself: "I wish."

"Well, no need to imagine..." Billy stated as he turned onto the dirt road that led to the Gundarson farm: "You're gonna meet him yourself in a minute or two."

Billy had no sooner pulled into the gravel area in front of the Gundarson two-story farmhouse, when a very surprised Arlis shouted a greeting, waving his arms overhead as he strutted toward them from the large barn off to the left of the house.

Gavin jumped out of the back seat of the truck and nearly ran to greet him until the two came crashing together in a huge hug.

Billy, and Barin both hung back, leaning against the side of the S150 his dad had given him, allowing the two friends a few moments alone together.

To their right, Billy, and Barin almost turned in unison as Arlis's parents came out of the house grimacing, first at them, and then over at Gavin, and Arlis.

It was Arlis's dad who spoke up first: "Don't be gettin' comfortable I want you two to grab that trouble maker ya brought here, and skedaddle pronto!."

Gavin had told Billy that the Gundarson's weren't the most sociable people in the world, under the best of circumstances, but then again, their son had just put himself in mortal danger on Gavin's behalf. Surely they understood that if Arlis hadn't been there, Gavin would now be an orphan.

Still, Billy tried to put their minds at ease: "We only stopped by so Gavin could thank Arlis face to face for all he did, and then we'll be on our way, I promise."

"We don't care what your intentions are..." Mavis Gundarson practically shrieked at them, shaking her bony finger toward Gavin accusatorily: "That ones been nuthin but trouble from day one puttin' big ideas in our son's head, and then he goes, and tries to get him killed to boot!"

Her tone was extremely agitated, and hostile, constantly shooting daggers with her eyes at Gavin.

Douglas Gundarson was no better, shouting at Arlis: "Get away from that boy, and get back to your chores Arlis Gundarson, we've already lost two whole days because of all this foolishness, and all we got from it is more misery, and a big hospital bill to go with it, all because of him!"

Billy once again tried to intercede on Gavin's behalf: "Mr. Gundarson your son is a hero, if it wasn't for his bravery, Gavin's mother would be dead right now..." Billy walked toward them as he spoke, trying to entreat them for Gavin's sake: "Let me talk to my father, I'm sure he would be willing to work something out to cover Arlis's medical bills, heck..." Billy paused, looking over to a stricken, pale Gavin, who was obviously appalled that the Gundarson's thought so poorly of him, and was now trying to forbid his friendship with Arlis.

As Billy drew closer to them, his hand stretched out imploringly as he added: "If it would help, we could all come back tomorrow, and help catch the work back up."

Arlis's dad looked down from his porch at Billy, the glint in his eyes telling Billy he was having none of it: "Boy, I don't know you or who your pa is, and I don't want to know, now grab that one over there, and get off my land before I call the law on the lot of ya for trespassin'. And never come back!"

Billy was about to give up, his temper was already starting to flare, and he didn't want to risk losing control in front of the Gundarson's, when he felt the tug on his elbow, and whirled to see Barin glaring steely-eyed back at him, caution was written on his face as he scented the air before speaking softly: "Something ain't right here Sir." was all he said, and it was all Billy needed, because at that moment he caught an all to familiar scent, and it wasn't him or Barin he was picking up radiating lycanthropic anger pheromones.

Billy whirled back at the Gundarson's as both Arlis, and Gavin began to approach them, though still about fifteen feet away.

"Stop right there both of you!" there was no doubt who Billy had meant, as both Gavin, and Arlis froze on the cobblestone path that lead up to the front of the house.

Billy snatched Barin by the arm and walked him quickly over to Arlis. He wasn't exactly sure if what he suspected was true, he wasn't even sure if he had it all figured out in his head, but he was a lot newer to this whole smell thing, and right now he needed Barin's nose to confirm something he suspected. Something that was still formulating in the back of his mind, scratching to get out, drawing closer, and closer, causing his blood to beat like drums in his ears as it drew nearer the surface, clawing to get out.

Billy stared intensely into Barin's eyes as he pointed to Arlis, whispering in Barin's ear: "What do you smell?"

Gavin shot them both a quizzical look until he saw Barin deliberately sniff Arlis before turning back to Billy, and nodding his head affirmatively, Barin's face a blank slate, devoid of emotion.

The phrase "To smart for his own good" had been one that had haunted Gavin most of his life, he knew his own mother had held him purposely back in school instead of allowing him to advance as quickly as he could have, wanting to make sure her son grew emotionally, and socially as well as academically amongst peers his own age.

One look at both Barin, and Billy was like reading an entire book, except this book was about Arlis Gundarson, his parents, and a secret he now understood they had been withholding from their son, and it was making him very, very angry, the type of angry that bereft people of both caution, and reason.

Thankfully, this time, Billy was ahead of him for a change, and just as Gavin was about to charge after both Douglas and Mavis Gundarson he found Billy's hand barring his way, pressed firmly against his chest, right over his rapidly beating heart.

"Why don't you go play some tunes for Arlis in my truck, I'm sure he'd appreciate the sound system, while I continue my chat with his parents.

Arlis looked at both Billy, and Gavin questioningly forcing Gavin to tell a little white lie: "Seems your parents want to get to know Billy, and he wants to tell them about this amazing offer they can't possibly refuse, and I'm sure that with just the right kind of persuasion, Billy might just get them to agree to a little R&R up at his families compound, and private getaway spot."

Arlis beamed back at Gavin, and then questioningly to Billy: "You mean like a vacation?"

Gavin shook his head affirmatively, smiling as normally as he could.

"Will you be there too?" Arlis queried the glint in his eye the same excitement he had seen when he took Arlis out for his eighteenth birthday.

"Of course I'll be there, we'll have such a blast, you'll never want it to end."

Gavin took an excited Arlis by the elbow and led him towards Billy's truck, just as Barin fell in line behind Billy as he returned to speak to the Gundarson's.

As Billy approached the Gundarson's porch, he could see by the look in Douglas's eyes, his mood had not improved, if anything it had worsened as both he, and his wife now watched their son climb into Billy's truck right behind Gavin, the very boy they had just ordered Billy to remove from their premises.

The fury building behind Douglas Gundarson's eyes reflected in the cadence of his voice as well: "I don't know who you think you are boy ..." he fired at Billy, his eyes shooting icy daggers right into Billy's as he approached the steps to their porch, and began climbing them, much to their dismay, and chagrin.

Billy bowed his head slightly, his own eyes cold, and methodical, peering from beneath the rim of his eyebrows: "My name is Billy Donnelly..." he hissed, just as the direction of the wind had changed, and blew against his back, his scent hitting Douglas Gundarson for the first time as Billy continued: "Perhaps you know my father, Max Donnelly..."

Almost instantly the color drained from the Gundarson's faces as they grew pallid, both of them backing up, slowly retreating into their home as Billy, and Barin followed suit.

"How dare you come into our house!" Mavis Gundarson shouted, grasping her husband's arm in search of his support, as Billy came to a standstill, squaring off with the Gundarson's, ready to meet head-on, any opposition.

Both Billy, and Barin sensed it at the same time. That moment Douglas Gundarson lost control, and like a cornered beast, he lashed out.

Barin had always prided himself on his speed, and accuracy. Unlike most, his body, though still very solid, and compact. wasn't as bulky as many of his brethren, opting instead for more flexibility, and agility, something that had always served to garner him the upper-hand in hand to hand combat situations.

He had heard about the things the others had said about Billy the night of his first change. How in awe of him they had been. But nothing could have prepared him for the sheer magnitude of force he felt radiate off Billy Donnelly that afternoon.

Douglas Gundarson had been in mid-transformation, lunging at Billy one second, claws extended, and in a flash of brilliant argent light, that emanated from Billy's glowing white eyes, now left him laying in a heap of quivering, whimpering flesh, curling into a tight fetal ball on the floor before him.

Even though the focus wasn't aimed at him, even Barin felt its compulsion, commanding his abject, absolute submission, and without even realizing he had, now found himself on his knees, head bowed to the floor, body shaking as both he, and his beast whimpered, and whined their groveling submission.

As the near tsunamic waves of force began to ebb, and Barin felt its commanding compulsion lessening its constraining hold over him, he hazarded a look at Douglas Gundarson.

Though his shirt had been rent in places, it was obvious that it had been as a result of his sudden change, and not from some unseen blow delivered by Billy. In fact, despite his constant whimpering, and his persistent, begging pleas of *please Alpha stop*, there appeared to be no other injuries, either to him or his wife, who now had curled herself into a ball in the corner a few feet away, shaking and crying, pleading for Billy not to hurt them.

Throughout it all, Billy just stood there, his hands clenched at his sides, and as the force of his will pulled back, and the compulsions faded, Barin slowly rose from the floor, haltingly, to resume his stance by Billy's side, now counting himself amongst those who stood in awe of Billy Donnelly, even more convinced than ever, that Billy was everything they had hoped he was, and perhaps even more.

Nowhere in the Codex, had Barin ever read of anyone, short of the Progenitor himself, commanding such a presence, and force of will.

As the white light faded from Billy's eyes, he bent over, offering his hand to Douglas Gundarson, entreating him to rise.

He watched as Douglas scuttle away from him, scooting across the floor to his wife, pulling her into his arms protectively, wide-eyed, and fearful as he mumbled almost incoherently his apologies, imploring Billy to just leave them alone.

Billy looked down at them, and Barin took note of his softening stance as he spoke to them: "If it was just you, and your wife, I would do that, but what you are doing to Arlis is wrong."

Unconscionable was the word Barin would have used, keeping their son from his Heritage, willfully allowing the death of his wolf was something abhorrent, anathema to all of their kind, but in some perverted sense, as Douglas explained, it kind of made a twisted sense to him.

"You're an Alpha..." Douglas practically groaned: "You have no idea what it's like for those of us who never get chosen, never know the fulfillment of being part of a pack!"

Though spoken softly, reservedly, Barin could hear the pain in his words, in fact, he shared many of his sentiments. He, and his brothers, those of the Heritage who have yet to be chosen by an alpha, yet still young, and hopeful of it happening, also knew the fear of it never occurring.

It was why so many of his kind joined the military, and though it wasn't the same, it at least made life somewhat bearable as they waited, ever hopeful some alpha would take note of them, constantly trying to improve themselves, make themselves more worthy, all the while knowing that it may never happen, despite their best efforts.

Men of the Heritage, like Douglas Gundarson, was what all of them feared they might become, bereft of alpha, purpose, and pack. In a way, Barin pitied him for what he had been through, but it was no reason to allow his son's wolf to die, he didn't have that right, no matter what he had been through.

To Billy's credit though, Barin noted, he listened patiently as Douglas laid out the all to familiar course of his young life. How he wandered aimlessly, from district to district, ever hopeful that one day he'd find his alpha.

Year after year he searched and waited until one day he landed a job near here, working as a part-time farmhand for Mavis's grandfather.

It was during that time they met and eventually grew close, that Douglas had also given up hope of ever finding an alpha, and being chosen, and with the passage of time he and Mavis had married.

It wasn't until she had become pregnant with the son that would become Arlis, that he had finally broken down, and revealed his truth to his pregnant wife.

At first, like most hearing that for the first time, she was terrified and even trepidatious about the life growing within her, but after Arlis's birth, and she had learned more about her husband, and the Heritage, they had made the decision together, that they would do whatever they could to keep him from that life.

The guilt of doing so though had hardened them. Douglas knew full well what he was depriving his son of, and it had eaten at him.

They had purposely had to avoid contact with much of the outside world, keep Arlis as close to cuff as possible, out of the fear of something just like this happening.

Billy heard their pain, he also saw in Barin's eyes how Douglas's story had affected him as well, and while he could understand, and to a point empathize with their suffering, he couldn't, and wouldn't allow them to deprive Arlis of his rightful Heritage.

For the second time that day, Barin stood in awe of Billy, not for his force of will this time, but for his compassion, that, and his ability to formulate a solution on the fly.

They had already spent too much time there, but Billy took the time to assure the Gundarson's that he wasn't trying to steal their son away, but if they allowed him to come with him, so that their son could claim his Heritage, that they, in turn, would no longer have to hide in fear of those in the Heritage finding out.

He also told them that maybe he could arrange a deal where their farm could supply the compound with fresh produce, and meats, at cost, if they, in turn, sent help to work their ailing farm.

They seemed a bit dubious at first, but ultimately realized they had little choice, knowing one way or another, Billy was leaving there with Arlis in tow.

They finally relented and even allowed him, and Barin to gather some clothes from Arlis's room, and stuff them into a backpack they found in his closet.

The look on Arlis's face was priceless when they exited the house, and Billy instructed both Gavin, and him to get in the back of the truck, tossing him his fully loaded backpack, and Barin smiling broadly ear to ear, flashing them his pearly whites, and saying in his heaviest Texas diphthong: "It's party time buckaroos!" while climbing inside the passenger seat next to Billy, right before he peeled out, watching like a dear caught in headlights, as his parents waved goodbye from their front porch.

                                                                      * * * * *

"Like I needed one more thing to do today" Princess muttered to himself, as he shoved his personal items into the duffel bag, and the rucksack Brock had given him to use when he got here.

It wasn't like he had a lot. He had only brought what was necessary, mostly clothes, some toiletries, and other sundry items, he thought might be useful, lube being chief amongst them, though he thought, sadly to himself, that so far he hadn't needed it.

Princess had gotten up with the crack of dawn that morning, even though he probably had only gotten a couple of hours sleep the night before.

After Jake's surprise proposal, and JD's equally surprising yes, and after the Quorum meeting had broken up, Max had declared it was time to celebrate the engagement of his youngest son, and they had all partied into the wee hours of the morning.

It was later on, during that celebration that the discussion of when they would get married came up, and once again, it was Max who just raised his beer can and simply stated: "Why not tomorrow?" adding that Danal was fully licensed to perform civil marriages if that's what they wanted or mating rituals if they wanted to go strictly Heritage.

After a few moments of debate both Carl, and Max said that it would probably be best, considering the current circumstances (meaning the impending birth of JD's son) that for legal reasons, it would probably be best if they had a civil marriage.

Carl explained the reasoning; the Marine Corps recognized civil marriages, and as Jake's spouse, he would be extended certain benefits, like housing, dental, and more importantly medical, and postnatal care for the child. That is, if Jake signed the birth certificate as co-parent when the baby was born, which they all knew could be any day now, and that for Jake to do so, they would already have to be married.

It was with that thought in mind, that necessity beat out any idea of a long engagement, and it had been mutually agreed, that since they were going to do it anyway, the day didn't really matter so much.

Of course, that's what sparked the discussions about wedding plans, and Princess decidedly taking the reigns, surprisingly with Brock Gryzinski onboard as co-planner.

It was a little after noon that Atticus had gotten a call from Barin stating they were on their way back with an unexpected guest in tow.

When Princess heard the name of the guest in question, he of course recognized him as being Gavin's dream guy, having heard countless times, this, that and the other about the guy from Gavin.

A blind and deaf person would know that Gavin had the hots for him, and Princess decided to give them a little nudge by moving his stuff out of the tent he shared with Gavin so that he and Arlis could bunk together.

Brock had agreed to have another tent set up for Princess, and he had them set it up a little further back, closer to the woods, where he could have a little privacy since he wasn't exactly part of the Heritage bond they all shared.

While he was moving his stuff, Princess noticed for the umpteenth time, Dalton Becker hanging around, not exactly close by, but peripherally, enough to be noticed without seeming to obvious or intrusive, which of course had the opposite effect on him.

Having just that morning, discussed with Atticus, while Brock, and he were helping to set up the various seating arrangements, and decorations for the upcoming nuptials, the more intricate details of pack hierarchies, he had garnered from Atticus, a relative understanding of how alpha's formed their packs, and while he wasn't exactly an alpha of the Heritage, Atticus had assured him that he exhibited the traits of one, and was doubtful anyone of the Heritage would question the validity of that assertion.

The day before, when he had boastfully intimated that he would claim Paul Lakatos's gamma, Dalton Becker as his own, he hadn't done so with serious intent, more as a way of rubbing it in Paul's face and goading him, just to get under his skin.

He didn't expect Paul to release Dalton from his pack, and Princess was now feeling more than a little culpable for his actions, that, and he quite frankly found Dalton to be drop-dead hunky.

In Princesses eyes, physically speaking, Dalton was only second to Jake Bauers in sheer size. At six feet seven inches of muscle-bound splendor, with his dashingly handsome, though ruggedly boyish good looks, it only augmented his short, high and tight, thick, wavy blond hair, and his clean-shaven face. Add in the cute upturned button nose, with wide flaring nostrils, and large, rather bushy blond eyebrows, he was practically made to order.

The rather large, protruding bulge, tenting his dessert camo, Marine Corps issued trousers, and the nearly painted on tightness of his muscle rippling, taut T-shirt sparked in Princess a desire to peel away the layers of offensive clothing, and reveal the truly glorious, masculine beauty of his magnificent body.

What was uppermost prescient in Princesses' thoughts at that moment, was Atticus's revelation, that part of the selection process was for those of the Heritage *presenting* themselves for selection. Atticus clarified, that the most common way of doing so, was for a supplicant to *announce* their availability by just being near the targeted alpha, while also being passively respectful of his personal space, meaning, be visible, and helpful, while not appearing to be pushy or aggressive. Something Dalton had been doing all morning, up to, and including now as he seemed to busy himself with the menial tasks within his peripheral view, while consistently shooting him furtive glances, and passively bowing his head whenever their eyes would make contact.

"Sort of like flirting," Princess had concluded, with Atticus agreeing.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Princess decided to test the information Atticus had imparted, by training his gaze directly on Dalton, who had been casually poking, and stoking the coals of the campsite fire pit, while in full view, some twelve feet away from him.

"Are you just going to squat there playing with that fire or are you gonna do something useful like help me with my gear?" Princess demanded mockingly, tossing his duffel bag on the ground before him while staring quizzically at Dalton Becker.

Scampering rapidly over to him, and hustling to snatch up not only his duffel bag, but his bedroll, and backpack to boot, leaving Princess standing there only holding his shaving kit and a small bag of items he had bought shopping that morning, Dalton stood patiently awaiting Princesses next order.

Princess smiled amicably back at him before stating: "This way puppy." before veering off toward his new tent.

Thinking Brock had done well since he could easily stand fully erect in the new tent, he had to suppress a slight giggle watching Dalton try to scrunch his way through the tent flap, bent over awkwardly, toting his stuff.

"Just set it down anywhere puppy." was all he said as he watched in comedic fascination as Dalton practically had to get on his knees to flip the backpack over his head before letting it thump to the ground.

Princess started unloading his gear, noting how Dalton waited expectantly for him to say something or at least acknowledge his presence.

Smiling to himself, Princess turned to face him, feigning a quizzical look before positing: "Well, why are you still here, go get your gear, do you expect me to do everything?"

Dalton's face nearly exploded with a toothy smile as he awkwardly fumbled with the tent flap in his hurry to comply.

Princess followed right behind him until he stood outside his tent entrance barking orders after him: "Double time it puppy, I ain't got all day to wait around on your slow ass!"

Grinning ear to ear, watching as Dalton went from a trot to a full-out run. Princess watched for a minute at his retreating form, fully enjoying the bounce of his big muscle butt as he disappear into the distance, wishing he had had the foresight to make him take his trousers off first, before realizing there would be plenty of time for that later.

It only took Princess a few minutes to unpack his gear, placing most of his stuff on one side and leaving the other for Dalton's gear.

The one exception though, he rolled out his bedroll width-wise in back, taking up most of the sleeping space, leaving no area except right against his for a second one.

He had no sooner accomplished his task when Dalton returned with his own duffel and a rucksack in tow.

Princess instructed him to toss it to the space he had left open as he lay down sideways facing him with his head propped up, watching bemusedly.

His task completed, Dalton turned to face him, his head, and chest bent over awkwardly as he tried to stand upright in the tent.

Rising to his feet, and moving toward Dalton and circling him, his eyes flowing over his body appraisingly, like a patron assessing a work of art, Princess stopped in front of him, and in a soft, but commanding voice spoke one word: "Strip."

Without hesitation, Dalton knelt and unlaced his boots before pulling them off, along with his dark tan socks. He then rose, slightly bent at the waist, and pulled his light brown T-shirt over his head, unbuckling his belt, unfastening the front of his trousers, and shucking them, and his undershorts to the ground before stepping out of them to stand completely naked before Princess, with his arms at his sides.

Of course, the first thing Princess noticed was the pendulous slab of meat between his legs, hanging limply almost halfway down his large oaken, muscle corded, hairy thighs.

Princess didn't need to circle him again to know how much he approved with what he saw. With the exception of the smattering of coarse blond body hair that permeated his forearms, thighs, chest, belly, and prodigious asscheeks, he measured up to Princesses expectations.

Instead, Princes stepped back, remembering what Atticus had told him, before issuing yet another one-word command, this time a lot more forcefully, his irises flashing blue with a tinge of gold: "Submit!"

Instantly Dalton fell to his knees, his legs spread, his belly, and genitals exposed as he looked up into his eyes, before turning his head to the left, presenting his neck, and almost breathlessly proclaiming his one-word response: "Alpha."

Princess irises returned to normal as he folded his arms over his chest, and repeated his command once again: "Submit!"

He watched with mild amusement as Dalton dropped to his hands, and knees, and crawled over to him.

Just seeing the massive, muscle bulging brute like Dalton practically grovel at his feet made Princesses five, and a half-inch cock rock hard in the tight confines of his white shorts. It made his balls tingle as his sausage sized fingers, and his large callused hands reached up, and gripped the waistband of his shorts, as he looked up into his eyes longingly, his own irises flashing a deep amber briefly, before pulling the front of his shorts down fully exposing his already drooling erection.

As Timmy, he had never had his cock sucked before, even as open as JD had been, that had never transpired between them. But now, as Princess, the first human Alpha any of them had ever heard of, he was about to experience it for the first time, and by a super stud like Dalton at that!

It was a bizarre sensation watching as Dalton bowed his head, though still maintaining full eye contact with him as he pressed his full pouty lips to the tip of his precum drooling glans, and kissed it lightly.

He had to suppress a giggle or two as Dalton pulled back slightly, a clear strand of pre-cum bridging his lips to Princesses' turgid pole.

Princess knew what was expected, Atticus had made it clear: "More" he insisted, glowering down expectantly at Dalton.

"I've never done that before Alpha, but I'll do my best," Dalton mumbled.

Princess considered that for a second before asking: "Didn't Paul make you submit to him?"

Dalton looked up at him questioningly, explaining as best he could, considering his nervousness: "Alpha Lakatos only required me to kiss his manhood sir, nothing else."

Still looking down at him, and though pleased with that revelation, nonetheless, his right hand shot out, and slapped Dalton hard across the face, shouting sternly: "That is Alpha to you, not sir, ALPHA!"

Dalton quickly bared his throat to him once again, whimpering his apologies: "Please forgive me Alpha, I meant no disrespect" he pleaded, visibly shaken.

Princess grabbed him by the back of the head, forcing his head around, and jabbed the head of his drooling cock at Dalton's mouth, forcing it between his thick lips, and ramming the full length of it into his oral cavity, grinding his balls against Dalton's chin as he began to choke on his invading member.

Holding Dalton securely in place, Princess commanded his submissive obedience by ordering him to suck.

And suck he did, haltingly at first, as it took him a few minutes to adjust to having a cock in his mouth for the first time, but soon he was gobbling his schlong like a cock gobbling whore in heat; slurping, and licking, sucking, and slobbering, his tongue a suctioning cup, flicking, and probing every inch of his Alphas rampant dong, hungrily gobbling down ever elicited drop of salty-sweet dick dribble that drooled continuously from his piss slit.

Princess clung to the back of his head, his fingers laced behind his neck as he pounded his dick into Dalton's mouth, and ground his balls against his chin.

Dalton completely surrendered himself to his Alpha's rampaging manhood, his eyes watering as his saliva dribbled down his chin, and dripped onto his hairy chest.

In a final surge of rapid-fire thrust, Princess buried his shaft balls deep in Dalton's mouth, just as his cock nearly exploded its heavy payload down his gulping throat.

Dalton moaned and whimpered as Princess filled his mouth with his pungent, thick load, savoring every gooey drop of his Alpha's cum, before greedily swallowing him to the very last spurt.

Spent, and satisfied, Princess yanked his wet dick from Dalton's slobbering mouth.

Patting him on the head, and stroking him behind the ears, Princess stood there, looking down at him, blissfully, before practically cooing: "Welcome to my pack Gamma!"

Chapter Nine:

"The Marines have landed and the situation is well in hand."

Attributed to Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916)

* * * * *

"Baxter's gay?"

The question had hung on Billy Donnelly's face like a self-reflective mirror right into the innermost workings of his mind.

A myriad of emotions playing out, as visible as the nose on his face, one after the other in rapid succession as his consciousness traversed the synaptic pathways of his memories trying to correlate and reconcile what both his father and Carl had just imparted to him.

It wasn't that he doubted their words. He knew they had no reason to deceive him; it was the fact he could now clearly see how it all made perfect sense, bringing together the missing pieces to the unfinished puzzle that had been plaguing him since right before their last stay together at the compound a couple of weeks ago.

Carl and Max had remained silently observant, allowing Billy the chance to absorb the knowledge they had given him, unsure exactly which of the many emotions and thoughts would surface first in the forms of questions they knew he most assuredly would have.

It was at one particular moment, as Billy replayed the conversation they had right after his confession about Timmy, that he remembered his choice of wording when he thought he had shocked Baxter and feared him passing judgment on him, having naively stated that he was no more a faggot than Baxter was, that he had grown pale, looking furtively between his father and Carl, before his hands shot up to his head and after his fingers had carded through his hair, to fold behind his neck as he leaned forward, exhaling several harsh breaths: "Oh...my...gawd..." Billy sighed, collapsing onto one of the stools in front of the island that separated the main room from the kitchen.

Though both Max and Carl could see how troubled he had just become, it was Carl who swerved first around the island to take up a stance by his side as his arm went over his shoulders in a gesture of comfort and support.

As Billy stared holes into the floor, self-recrimination permeating from him as his father made his way around to stand in front of him, lifting Billy's chin in his hand, forcing him to make eye contact. Billy could hardly contain the guilt that now consumed him, especially when he realized now, why Baxter had spurned him, first by not riding back home with him that day but his subsequent rejections at spending time together, right up until he and his Mom left for vacation.

"Dad...I screwed up...I screwed up bad..." He had stammered, mumbling quickly: "I sa...I said terrible things... slurs about gay people..."

Hearing himself admit what he'd done only seemed to add more weight to the offensiveness of what he had spoken aloud to him, making Billy's eyes suddenly grow wide with fearful determination: "I have to go see him... I have to explain...."

His thoughts had spurred him into action, but he felt the strong grip of his father's hands on his shoulders as Carl began to stroke his back. "I can't begin to tell you what a terrible idea that is son!" Max had said sternly, adding: "You can barely contain yourself right now, imagine how much worse it will be when you're right in the same room with him?"

Though his father's words had rung true, the constant stirring in his belly and the bestial growl clawing its way to the surface of his consciousness, still pushed at him to take action...fix what he had broken, amend what his harsh, careless words had rent asunder, that had torn away the one who had always been by his side...

It was then, as Billy's beast rose within him, gathering the strength to break free, that he caught a familiar scent, one that not only baffled him at the moment but pulled his focus back to the here and now as its familiarity both confused and reminded him of something so near and amiable, something that had always been there, just out of reach, but almost always close to hand...

The scent of sweet honey and freshly dug earth.

It was different somehow, suffused and mingled with other scents, most notably his father's, but not coming from his father...

He turned to look at Carl, his eyes narrowing as he leaned his head closer to him until his nose was nearly against his neck before taking a deep, slow, concentrated whiff of his natural musk.

His eyes closed tightly as the various smells overtook him.

They were all there, like an unfolding menu of scents, his soap, shaving cream, toothpaste, even what he had eaten for breakfast, mingled with the smell that was uniquely Carl's mingled with those of his father's. But underneath it all was that all-pervading, lingering odor, that he found both comforting and alluring, the scent of honey and freshly dug earth.

A sudden realization swept over him, the reason why the smell seemed so familiar, why it had always been so encompassing throughout his life, why it even now brought him comfort and a prevailing sense of calm...

It was Baxter's scent.

Billy drew back from Carl, twisting away from his father's grasp, to regard Carl questioningly: "Why do you smell like Baxter?"

The perplexed expression on Carl's face was only offset by his father's insistent query from behind him: "Describe what you smell Billy."

Billy had forgone the host of other odors he had discerned, even the strong pervasive ones of his fathers and Carl's recent sexual activity: "It's like wild honeysuckle and fresh wet mud mingled together."

He had watched as a big smile spread across, not only his father's face but Carl's as well before his father answered: "That is what men who crave the attention and affection of other men, smell like."

Billy had nodded his head, as his gaze seemed to drift away with the recollection of the other times he had caught that odor before, most notably with both Timmy, Gavin, and even Brock.

It seemed more muted and muddled with Carl, but with Baxter, it was more sublime, uniquely his own in some way that defied description by Billy.

Carl and Max had used the distraction of the moment to elaborate why it would be bad for Billy to go seeking Baxter out, that it wasn't just the potential threat of Billy shifting during such an emotional encounter, but that being so close to Baxter's own birthday, it might muddle or give Baxter pause that would not normally be the case, reminding Billy how forehand knowledge seldom worked out well and in most cases, like his brother and Kent, made the transition not only more difficult for the individual but for those closest to them as well.

Max had assured Billy, that he would be there, front and center to help Baxter through his ceremony and that once Baxter had *settled in* his own Heritage, that there would be plenty of time for them to sort things out.

What they didn't tell Billy, was how prevalently he was broadcasting sexual pheromones at just the mere thought of Baxter, knowing full well, that right after Baxter's ceremony, Baxter would be able to scent it himself and realize, maybe even before Billy himself became cognoscente of it, that the two of them shared more in common than either had ever been able to admit to each other previously.

While their little talk seemed to quell Billy's immediate desire to reconcile with Baxter, they knew they were going to have to remain vigilant, that where Baxter was concerned, Billy couldn't always be expected to do the rational thing all the time, again, another nod toward their own past and the difficultly others had in keeping them apart.

The difference between then and now was in that they ultimately had no intention of keeping them apart or make plans that would, in the long term, keep them from committing to each other, or at least feel they had the freedom to choose that path if they so chose to do so.

Carl actually found himself being rather grateful for the persistent rapping of knuckles on the cabin door, bringing an end to their somewhat stoic conversation and Brock's insistence that one of the best men, meaning Billy, needed to get his ass in gear, suited up and ready to go within the next twenty to thirty minutes.

Of course, that had been Max's and Carl's cue as well, since neither were properly attired for their respective roles.

As the afternoon bore out and both he and Max had adorned themselves in their dress blues and Billy likewise had attired himself in a dark blue suit Gavin had helped him pick out earlier, Carl soon found himself alone as Billy took his position as his brothers best man down in front, while Max disappeared into the Lodge, where JD awaited.

As Carl took his seat in the front right row, he took a moment to admire the handiwork of both Timmy and Brock.

They sat on the rows of wooden benches they had pulled from the Lodge, in front a large lattice-style arch had been assembled and adorned with various white flowers interwoven with strands of twinkling white lights with two brass urns on either side of it burning jasmine-scented incense.

A red carpet had been rolled down the center aisle between the rows of wooden benches right up to the arch.

It was all very simple in layout and Carl was happy to see that many of the alphas and those they brought with them, now sat peacefully, enjoying the festive nature of the occasion. A stark contrast from the day before.

Gavin came to sit next to him as he nodded to Elizabeth Dunne across the aisle where she sat in front wearing a velvety dark blue, ground length dress, with her hair, nicely styled uncharacteristically down over her exposed shoulders. Next to her sat both Marshall Griffen and his son Merrick.

Danal soon arrived, wearing a very crisp black suit, and took his place underneath the arch down on the shore of the lake, shooting Carl a quick wink.

Shortly thereafter, Timmy stunned everyone with his sudden emergence from the Lodge dressed head to toe in pure white slacks and a matching open-armed muscle T. Upon his head was a small floral ringlet composed of white daisies.

In one hand he carried a basket of white rose petals and in the other he held the pink leather lead to a silver chained leash that was attached around a large pink rhinestone encrusted leather collar, secured around Dalton Becker's bare muscle corded neck.

All Carl could do was shake his head in amusement at the sight of a six feet five inches almost completely nude muscle rippling giant, whose entire, cleanly shaven body had been covered in some sort of glittery iridescent, sparkly spray while also adorned with a matching floral ringlet around his head.

The only other article of clothing the man wore was a semitransparent, form-fitting nylon cinched pouch that fit snugly around his prodigious genitals, which somehow only seemed to accentuate each bounce and flop it made as Timmy tugged at his leash pulling him ever forward behind him as he began tossing the rose petals on the red carpet down the center aisle.

As Timmy completed his task, soft airy music began to play in the distance, accompanied by the familiar sound of synchronized marching footsteps drawing everyone's attention to the double-columned group of young men resplendent in their meticulously groomed dress blues come marching into view, with both Jake Bauers and Jason Griffen marching in cadence between them.

Jake was dressed to the nines in his own dress blues, while Jason wore a simple dark blue suit that closely resembled Billy's in style and color.

The unit marched uniformly down the center, taking up parallel positions, spread out on either side of the aisle as both Jake and Jason took up position to the right of Danal, before they all came to a halt, where both Jake and Jason turned and looked expectantly toward the main door of the Lodge.

A hush fell over the grounds, with only the soft lilting strings of violins playing Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" permeating the otherwise serene silence.

A few expectant moments passed before the door to the Lodge opened and Max slowly stepped out, regaled in all his uniformed splendor with his son JD joined arm in arm beside him to begin their slow trek from the Lodge, between the aisle of a saluting Marine Honor Guards to the makeshift arch to join with Jake, Jason, Danal and Billy.

As the music slowly faded out and Max bowed his head to Danal, before stepping back, and to Carl's surprise, taking a seat between Marshall Griffen and Elizabeth Dunne, he nonetheless took a few seconds to admire the suit Timmy and Brock had picked out for JD.

Carl couldn't think of a time he had ever seen any of the boys wearing suits and the sight didn't fail to impress him, noting, with no small degree of pride, how truly handsome they both looked.

JD's suit mirrored closely the classic look of a tux, black with a dark red cummerbund and matching bow tie. The absence of the bruises he had from the night of Billy's ceremony a testimony to Timmy and Brock's apparent make-up skills along with the near perfection of his short-cropped new haircut.

Carl tried not to let the fact Max had chosen to sit with the Griffen's instead of joining him, worry him too much, choosing to enjoy the moment for what it was, a joining of two young people in love and commitment.

The ceremony was pretty much what Carl expected, the usual exchange of vows typical of civil marriages, ending with the placement of rings on each others left hands and the final pronouncement by Danal announcing them as spouse and spouse and of course, the happy couple sealing it with a kiss, followed by the expected cheers and hoo-rahs of the gathered guest.

Carl felt Gavin and his friend Arliss slip around him to make their way to the newlyweds to add their congratulations to the chorus of others, and he decided to save his for later when he and Max would present their gift to them, but as he stood to turn and make his way up the aisle, he heard Danal call out for everyone to take their seats, that the day's festivities weren't concluded yet.

He turned just in time to see the couple move off to the side as Max rose to face Elizabeth and offer her his hand.

The color nearly drained from his face as his heart skipped a beat as Max helped lift her up, hand in hand as they stepped up to stand before Danal where just moments ago Jake and JD had stood to exchange their vows.

The stunned tightness in his chest turned from pain to rage as he whipped back around fully intending to escape this new humiliation, jump in his truck and leave it all behind him once and for all.

The mating bite mark on his neck burned against his skin, a blazing reminder of his bond to not only his Alpha but his mate and Carl felt its pull trying to hold him back like a physical tether that forever linked them together.

Each step he took, grew harder and harder, like wading through a quagmire of mud that he was now sinking into.

It was just an hour ago when Elizabeth had given them the good news, that she had been successful in combining their DNA and reattaching the embryo to her womb and seeming just as happy as they were about it, offering her congratulations on their impending fatherhood.

He had thought her sincere, felt no duplicity in either Max or her, yet here they were, now standing before Danal.

Visions of his past came flooding back to him of that terrible day Max had married Monaca.

Max had insisted he be there for that too, had promised him that they would still be together, that he had to do it for the sake of his future children.

Carl couldn't help but wonder if that was what Max was doing now, marrying the mother of his future child, securing his parental rights over him, just as he did then.

Lost in his dark thoughts, his head pitched downward as he fumed, Carl barely noticed the large shape in front of him until he abruptly bumped into him.

Carl's head snapped up, his eyes locking on a broadly grinning Billy, whose eyes twinkled mischievously back at him: "I hope you don't mind, but I asked Dad if I could have the honor of walking you down the aisle."

Staring back at Billy dumbfounded and perplexed, he allowed Billy to pivot him around and slip his arm between his own as he steered him back the way he came, straight down the aisle toward Max, Elizabeth, and Danal.

It had barely registered what was happening until it was too late and he stood next to Max who just leaned his head sideways toward him and with a cocky grin, speaking only one word in a hushed whisper, intended only for him to hear: "Gotchya!"

Max had indeed got him, as Danal proceeded with the civil ceremony once again, except this time for him and Max.

When it was all said and done and Max's lips slipped from his own after their first kiss as a married couple, Max took him tightly in his arms and whispered softly into his ear: "Let that be the last time you doubt my love Carl, it's just you and I from here on out, okay?"

Carl smiled back up at his husband, cupping his face between his hands, their eyes locked together: "I won't have to Max Donnelly, 'cause I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"

Max smiled back at him lasciviously: "Promise?"

Carl chuckled heartily: "Promise!"

* * * * *

The party that night had been epic, one that neither JD nor Jake would soon forget.

The reception afterward, inside the Lodge, had been beautifully orchestrated. Every decoration perfectly placed without being tacky or over the top. The platters of food were nothing short of works of art, the wedding cake a fabricated masterpiece of store-bought items arranged and presented in such a way as being indistinguishable from one handcrafted from scratch.

Wine, champagne, and beer flowed freely though neither Jake nor JD imbibed that much and only during a toast.

It was the first time he could recall ever seeing his brother Billy truly inebriated and both he and Jake had a huge amount of fun watching him dance and strut his stuff with everyone from Princess to Gavin to Elizabeth Dunne and even Danal.

It had been Jason and Atticus who finally had to escort his very wobbly, buzzed sibling back to his tent, fearful he might wander off into the woods on his own, after repeatedly stating toward the end of his evening, how he needed to go find Baxter so he wouldn't be mad at him anymore.

JD didn't know what he meant by that, but it was obvious it was something that was predominately occupying his mind.

The celebration was still going in high gear, when his Dad and Carl pulled him and Jake to the side, wanting to present their wedding gift to them before they too left for the evening.

Both JD and Jake had assumed they would be staying in one of the larger tents at the bivouac, but learned that his father and Carl intended to spend the night out in the woods together in a spot they both considered special to them and were insisting that JD and Jake take the cabin for the night, stating they had arranged for them to have some privacy for the evening and had left a basket of goodies that they might find useful later on, both smiling mischievously at them when they said it.

It was then, that his Dad had handed Jake a key-ring, loaded with several keys and Carl had handed JD an envelope, that he told them to open later when they were alone.

It was Carl who explained the key-ring, stating that while they knew that Jake and he would have to depart for North Carolina by the end of the week, they had decided to gift them Carl's house and the bulk of its furnishings for when Jake's planned transfer to the Albany Marine base went through, so they would have a place already set up to meet their needs and potentially that of JD's unborn son.

JD's Dad suggested they plan to stay there a couple of days to get a feel for the place and consider any changes they might want to make to accommodate their soon to be growing family and to let them know, and they would see to it they were implemented before their return a month or two down the road.

It was an extremely generous gift and offer, one that touched both Jake and himself and actually eased another of JD's concerns.

He hadn't actually given much thought about where they would live, though he knew he would probably be leaving with Jake, though Jake had never mentioned it or spoken of their potential living arrangements in North Carolina, and JD now found himself wondering if Jake had a plan already or if he had just decided they should wing it once they got there.

It was after the conversation with his Dad and Carl had ended and they had quietly slipped out of the building together, that Jake suggested they do likewise, taking JD's hand and squeezing it tightly as he eyed him nervously, the palm of his large hand as sweaty as his own.

It was as they bid their good-nights to everyone and strolled hand in hand down the path to the cabin, that JD had broken the tense and anxious silence between them, inquiring about their future plans.

Jake had pondered his query for a moment, answering: "While I do want you to go with me to North Carolina, I hadn't counted on taking you with me until your son is born and if that hasn't happened by the end of the week, I think you should stay here until it does."

Even in the dark, JD could see the sincerity in Jake's big brown eyes and took a measure of comfort from his practical decision, relieved he wasn't being as possessive as he thought he might be, considering the newness of their current relationship.

JD was about to ask what the plan would be if the child was born beforehand or right after Jake had to leave and found his response, once again, both thoughtful and considerate: "If he's born before I go, then yes I want the two of you to go with me, and though I'm not crazy about such a long trip with a newborn, I would still rather you both to be as close to me as possible."

He paused for a moment to consider further, releasing JD's hand as they continued walking, and placing his arm around JD's shoulder, drawing him closer to him: "If the baby's born right after I leave, I will, of course, be back as soon as possible to fetch both of you and take you back with me."

He quickly followed that up by addressing his as of yet unspoken question: "Just so you know, we'll be staying at my Dad's house, though we'll probably have to share the room with the baby since Baxter will be staying there too, helping my Dad pack up his stuff, while his discharge papers are processed."

That had actually eased JD's thoughts even more. The fact that he would have someone so familiar close at hand, actually seemed optimally ideal to him, plus Baxter was closer to his own age than Jake was, that, and Baxter just felt like family, another brother he had grown up with.

As they entered the cabin, the focus of JD's thoughts shifted from the practical matters concerning his impending future to the imminent one facing him now... their first night together as a married couple.

He had spent a lot of time within his own thoughts, centering and concentrating on his future with the Heritage and the birth of his son, but also toward his divided feelings about Jake and Jason. Even though he had made his choice, it didn't negate the strong emotions he still held for Jason, all of which were now adding to the angst he now felt over what might be expected on the first night of his pending honeymoon.

It was obvious considerable effort had gone into setting the atmosphere of the main room of the cabin, when they entered. Most of the previous furnishings had been removed due to the damage sustained during the battle that had happened there the night of his brother Billy's Heritage ceremony. Where there used to be two leather couches that had sat parallel to each other, there was now only one, which had been set to face the fireplace.

There was a small fire going already and candles burned softly throughout the space lending an air of romanticism and intimacy.

On the counter of the island that separated the kitchen from the main room, an urn full of ice and a bottle of champagne and two crystal goblets sat beside a small smorgasbord of snacks and treats, whose sole intent was to set the stage for a romantic liaison.

The most obvious of the decorations were the battery-operated, twinkling white LED lights that wrapped around the outer rungs of the ladder-like steps to the loft where the king-sized bed awaited them.

Clearly, JD thought to himself bemusedly, there was an expectation that they solemnize their union traditionally through physical contact.

With that thought in mind, JD crossed the room to join Jake at the island, where he was already fumbling with the champagne bottle and dripping water all over himself and the countertop in the process.

Reaching over and plucking the bottle from his hands JD mused: "I think we'll save this for later."

Jake smiled back at him, watching as JD stuffed it back into the bucket of ice chips, before reaching up and began unbuttoning the collar of his dress blues blouse.

It didn't take long before he was pealing it over his broad muscular shoulders, leaving him standing there in his white cotton T-shirt and his dress slacks, which were already starting to bulge obscenely around the crotch.

Kicking off his own dress shoes as JD worked his T-shirt over his head, Jake decided that two could play at that game and started pulling at JD's suit jacket, flipping him around as he pulled the garment down his arms, tossing it over one of the island stools before reaching around JD and fumbling with the buttons of his white dress shirt.

Both of them began to giggle like little kids as they pulled awkwardly at each other's clothes, JD nearly falling on his ass as he wrapped his arm over Jake's broad back as he pulled and tugged at each of his socks.

Before long, JD stood there in front of Jake in only his undershorts while reaching for the belt of Jake's dress slacks, only to have Jake take his hand away and pull it to his lips to kiss: "I've waited a long time for this JD..." Jake moaned, his voice thick with desire as he now pulled JD toward him, practically crashing their bodies together before adding: "I want to savor every moment of it."

Though his lips were saying one thing, JD felt there was more to it than that, getting the strong vibe that Jake was stalling when it came to losing his pants or having JD anywhere near the tenting bulge expanding from his groin.

Giving Jake the cockiest sneer he could muster, he winked and immediately dropped his underwear to stand completely naked in front of his husband for the first time, his rock-hard seven-inch cock sticking nearly straight up his solar plexus.

Closing the short distance between them, JD reached up to lock his fingers behind Jake's wide muscle-corded neck and pulled his head down to him and ground his pouting lips against Jake's, before forcing his tongue between them, to probe the hot wetness of his mouth.

Jake's powerful arms encircled him, pulling their bodies tight, practically lifting JD off his feet as their mouths ground against each other's as the urgency of their passions rose to a fevered pitch.

One thing that was immediately apparent to JD was Jake's kissing skills, though he was passionate, he obviously lacked experience and while JD wouldn't exactly call himself an expert, it was clear Jake was letting him take the lead and trying his best to mimic JD's actions in return.

Deciding to take this bull by the horns, JD reached down and grasped his belt buckle and pulled him toward the steps to the loft, and started to climb upwards. He barely made it to the third rung before Jake grabbed him and flipped him around and over his shoulder and quickly shot up the ladder to the loft, where he plopped JD down on the king-sized bed.

Shooting up onto his hands and knees, his erection bobbing against his abdomen, JD crawled to the end of the mattress and reached out to Jake's bulging fly and once again grasped his belt buckle between his fingers and began unfastening it.

To his dismay, Jake pulled his hips back slightly as his hands reached for JD's to grip them between his own.

JD looked up at him questioningly, noting this was the second time Jake had prevented him from uncoupling his belt and loosening his trousers.

Locking eyes with him briefly, before Jake's glance shifted away nervously, JD pulled his hands free from his grasp and eased back on the bed: "What the hell dude are we doing this or not?" JD blurted his annoyance showing in the tone of his voice.

Jake just bowed his head slightly, still avoiding direct eye contact with JD, before haltingly giving his response: "There's no need to rush, why don't we just chill out for a while and..."

JD interrupted him: "Are you friggin' kidding me, I'm laying here with a rock-hard boner, raring to go, naked as the day I was born and you just wanna cool your heels and what... swap sports stats, cookie recipes...wuh?"

Jake smiled sheepishly, his cheeks flushing red as a slight sweat broke on his heavy brow, stammering: "I could go get the champagne and maybe some of those snacks and we could just...you know..."

"Avoid having sex?" JD shot back, growing irritated at Jake's obvious hesitancy, sitting up on the edge of the bed before scooting back, folding his arms over his chest as he glowered intensely back at him: "Why did you marry me if you don't find me attractive?"

The color seemed to drain from Jake's face as his eyes grew wide, his face contorting into a concerned grimace: "I do find you attractive..."Jake insisted, sitting apprehensively on the foot of the bed, staring intently back at him: "There's nobody I've ever wanted to be with more than you!" he implored, his voice taking on a forlorn tone.

JD just shook his head: "Then why don't you wanna get nekkid with me, does my breath stink, do I have a booger hangin' out my nose or something?"

He watched as Jake's cheeks flushed as he averted his gaze once again, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights or a cornered animal.

Having had enough of Jake's timidity, JD brought his left leg up and pushed at Jake's bare shoulder: "Enough with the bullshit, I'm horny, it's my wedding night and your my husband, get your ass up and take those fucking pants off right now or I'm gonna rip 'em off you!"

Jake stared back at him for a moment, long enough for JD to wonder if he was in fact going to have to follow through with his demand, when Jake stirred and haltingly rose up to stand at the foot of the bed, looking apprehensively at JD as his large sausage-like fingers began to fumble with his belt buckle, loosening it before releasing the top button of his trousers and began slowly unzipping his fly.

Until Jason, JD hadn't really given much consideration or appreciation for the male body. Sure, he had lots of sex with Timmy, but much of what he had done with him was nonreciprocal. It hadn't been until he started finding himself having feelings toward Jason that he actually discovered that he did in fact find aspects of the male form to be highly erotic.

Through Jason, he had found he has a certain profound respect for masculine beauty and while Jason's body certainly fell well within that range of admiration, Jake took it to an entirely different level.

Whereas Jason fell within the scope of classic male attractiveness and attributes, Jake's body was an elevation above that. There wasn't a single part of Jake that wasn't a testimony to his masculinity, he exuded it from every pore of his massively muscular physique. There wasn't a part of him that wasn't striated with cords of burgeoning brawniness.

Six feet eight inches of pure, burly thew and honed sinew. Jake was an Olympian, milk chocolate-haired god amongst mere mortals.

As he slowly peeled his slacks down his enormous, bulging thighs, which had to be as thick as his own waist, JD couldn't help but to admire the light smattering of light brown fur that clung snugly to the center of his chest and around his abdomen.

The majesty of his pronounced rectus abdomenus and the trench it formed between his external obliques that he and his buddies had bemusedly dubbed as cum gutters, drew his attention to the thick bush of public hair right above his, as of yet, still concealed manhood.

It was there, that Jake seemed to falter once again, before turning around and letting his pants drop to the floor, followed by him sitting on the bed as he pulled his slacks off and his socks.

Now fully naked. sitting at the foot of the bed, he turned his head and upper torso around sheepishly to look nervously back at JD, their eyes connecting in furtive glances.

"Stand up!" JD said firmly, half commanding, half imploringly, his stern voice leaving no doubt he wanted to peruse the bounty that was Jake's body.

Slowly Jake rose, the full incredible glory of his ample twin ass cheeks coming into full view, protruding like two large melons carved majestically from rock-hard granite, the striated cords of muscular sinews rippling under his taut creamy skin.

JD half chuckled to himself, this was a guy who didn't spend much time shirtless let alone naked outside, his farmers tan a testament to that.

Again, Jake seemed to stare hesitantly back over his shoulder at him as he continued to appreciate his posterior view for a little while longer, that is until JD grew impatient to see the rest: "Turn around." he suggested encouragingly, his growing anxiousness to drink in the entirety of his new husband, evident in the timbre of his thickening voice.

Slowly Jake complied, his actions almost hesitant, his bowed head confirmation to JD that his reticence was more than just a shy bashfulness and was exactly what he suspected. There was something Jake was embarrassed to show him, and to JD, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what that something was.

JD's thoughts drifted to his first time seeing Jason's impressive manhood. In truth, it had fascinated him that someone as attractive as Jason wouldn't want to parade around showing off his prodigious endowments. But, JD remembered how much trepidation Jason had in revealing, let alone discuss what he surprisingly considered an embarrassing deformity.

He remembered the anger and frustration Jason had felt over Rebbecca Wheeler and the other cronies in their harpy squad having made him the brunt of jokes and made him out to be some sort of freak. But JD didn't share their sentiment, and even though he only had the one chance to share a truly intimate moment with Jason, he had truly looked forward to many more encounters where they could explore the challenges his endowments presented.

To JD's way of thinking, sex was about pushing boundaries. He had done so many times with Timmy. There were things he did with him he never imagined he would be into until he tried them and it had taught him not to be so narrow-minded about enjoying and exploring new sensations.

Jason was a perfect example of that. In all his encounters with Timmy, he had never once sucked Timmy's dick, but it was practically the first thing he had wanted to try when he saw Jason's big cock, recalling just how big and juicy it had appeared to him to be, how his mouth had watered at the thought of just holding it in his hand for the first time, the weight of it as it throbbed expectantly, the smell the heat of it, practically begging his lips to caress it, his tongue to lick and savor its fleshy turgidity and how it made him yearn to stuff it into his mouth and gorge himself on the seeping nectar of his manly juices.

Since that first time, back in his bedroom with Jason, he repeatedly relived that afternoon in his mind, playing it over and over again. His thoughts and desires had forced him to conclude, that it wasn't just how he felt about Jason that had fascinated and intrigued him into sucking cock for the first time, but he also had to admit, in part, it had to do with the alluring charm and magnitude of his manhood that had enticed and compelled him to do so as well.

Those were now the thoughts that ran through his head as Jake turned to face him and once again JD found himself even more aroused by his lurid expectations, but nothing could have prepared him for the reality of his current situation.

Gobsmacked wasn't usually in the lexicon of words that usually came first to mind to JD, but as Jake now stood directly in front of him, completely exposed, it seemed the only fitting word that could best describe what he was experiencing now.

Jake wasn't just big, he wasn't just well hung, what dangled between his slightly parted oaken thighs was best compared to monstrous.

Limp, he was almost every bit as big as Jason was completely hard. It hung pendulously three-quarters of the way down his thighs over a set of hairy balls that looked like a thick-skinned scrotum stuffed with a very large grapefruit.

Wide-eyed, JD gawked at it, doing an almost cartoonish double-take shake of his head as he tried to take it all in: "Jeezus criminy dude how the hell have you kept that thing hidden away all this time?"

Embarrassed, Jake's hands shot defensively over his humongous genitals in a vain attempt to conceal it from view.

It was a futile effort at best and JD wasn't having any of it.

Scooting quickly down to the end of the bed, JD brushed Jake's large hands away, before looking up into his red blushing face and sternly announcing: "Quit acting like such a wimp dude, I thought I married a man not some pussy!"

Jake's timid scowl shifted into a somewhat quizzical half-grin: "You're not freaked out by how big and gross it is?"

JD laughed as his right hand came up to cup the meaty, bulbous foreskin-covered glans in his palm, enjoying the hefty weight of it: "Big, yes..." he said admiringly: "Gross, never."

JD smiled up at him and leaned his head forward and planted a kiss to the tumescent, hooded knob.

Rising up on his knees on the foot of the bed, JD dropped his meaty member and wrapped his arms around Jake's broad, muscle swollen neck, and pulled his head down until their lips crashed together.

Startled, it took Jake a few moments to realize that JD was genuinely not repulsed by his *little* secret and in fact seemed encouraging if not eager for the intimacy Jake had always longed and dreamed for with JD.

For the last three years, he had stayed away, fearing JD might figure out how he truly felt about him.

Back when he was sixteen and realized he was pining for a boy three years younger than him, scared that what he was feeling would somehow find its way to the surface and he would be exposed for harboring such illicit thoughts for someone so young. He had tried desperately to push those emotions and desires away, hide them in the deepest, darkest recesses of his consciousness, never once allowing himself to consider any other alternative until he got that fateful call from Max Donnelly three months ago.

He had thought Max crazy for suggesting a potential union between them and had tried to shrug it off until Max revealed that he knew about the suppressed feelings he held for JD. That he in fact had known about them all along, but at the time realized that they weren't yet mature enough to explore them mutually and in truth wouldn't have considered it now, if it hadn't been for JD's unwitting but willful transgressions.

He hadn't foreseen JD's involvement with Jason but had related his explorations with another boy, who turned out to be Timmy. He had known back then, that what he was doing with Timmy was just exploratory and he was just expanding the nature of his sexual interest.

Jake knew the history of those within the Heritage, knew their proclivities and attractions all too well but had thought that JD might be one of those who leaned more toward females than males and had basically convinced himself that any thoughts toward developing any kind of lasting relationship with JD, was just wishful thinking on his part.

But Max's words had planted a seed of hope in Jake, one that needed very little encouragement to foster growth and had allowed Jake a slither of hope he could have his heart's desire if he was willing to put away his fears and place his trust in fate.

And here he was, married and in the arms of the one person he had always thought was beyond his reach.

The last of Jake's apprehensions and anxieties faded into oblivion as he took JD in his arms and eased him back onto the bed to lay nearly on top of him, crushing him with his full weight as their tongues darted into each other's mouths as they tried desperately to consume each other's breaths.

JD could feel the stirring of Jake's flaccid phallus and pushed at him until he flipped over onto his back, their lips never parting as they continued to explore the depths of each other's mouths.

While they continued to kiss, JD's right hand stroked Jake's inner thigh, caressing his way upward in circular motions until his hand brushed against his bloated testicles and began gently cupping and kneading them in the palm of his hand, enjoying the feel of their hefty weight.

Jake's deep guttural moans caused JD to pull back and stare longingly into his lover's eyes, almost mesmerized by the depth and breadth of the passion contained within them.

JD's hand moved up to grasp the spongy base of his stirring dong and flipped it upward until it flopped down with a loud, meaty thud against his rippling abdomen.

As he began to gently fondle his slowly expanding organ, JD watched in riveted fascination as it engorged, and pulsed to life under his pawing touch.

He tried gripping its circumference more firmly in his encircling fingers, but his digits soon parted as it swelled to ever-expanding proportions.

Limp, it had been every bit as big as Jason's hard cock had been, but the gargantuan trunk of turgid flesh continued to swell way beyond anything he had ever thought humanly possible.

JD had heard the term horse-cock before and he had actually seen one when they visited a farm during a school outing and one of the stallions corralled outdoors had gotten an erection, causing more than a few gasp and giggles from his classmates, and the thing between Jake's legs could easily be compared in both length and girth to what he had seen.

His hand, unable to fully circumvent its diameter, began, almost absentmindedly petting it like some arbitrary creature he was affectionately familiarizing himself with, stroking it repeatedly like some favored dog or cat as it continued to expand and inflate to new dimensions.

Once fully erect, Jake's humongous manhood stretch from his groin to the center of his chest. In total, it seemed comparable to a third arm, both in length and overall size.

Its massive helmet-shaped glans were nearly the size of JD's own fist, the thickest part of the shaft, toward the base, easily as big around as his own bicep.

It lay there, stretched across Jake's torso, pulsating and throbbing with a life of its own, beckoning to him to touch, caress, massage, and stroke it and JD yielded to those urges, hefting the behemoth into the air until it stood like a fleshy flagpole spouting from his furry crotch.

JD straddled Jake's lap and hugged it to him, his own cock and balls pressed tightly against it as his hands pumped it slowly until glistening pea-sized droplets of precum began to dribble from the flaring lips of his urethra.

Driven by the erotic tones of Jake's ever-increasing moans, JD pressed the tip of his tongue against the exposed frenulum and swabbed his way in slow circles to the glans orifice, where his puckered lips began to sip the pre-coital lubricant into his mouth, so he could savor the succulent manly nectar.

Jake's piss lit was easily big enough that he could have slipped his index finger into it, but instead, JD used his supinating tongue to pry his urethra open before snaking its way a couple of inches into it, capturing even more of his seminal fluids and eliciting even louder groans from Jake.

JD did his best to encircle the full girth of Jake's lavender-hued cockhead with his overly stretched lips, but could barely manage half of it. But, what he did fit into his mouth, he sucked and licked like a hungry calf feeding off its mother's udder, slurping, siphoning, and noisily feeding on the copious bounty of dick dribble ever drooling from Jake's schlong.

Growling with desire, Jake suddenly sat up. flipping JD on his back once again, kissing him briefly before licking his way down JD's neck and chest, where he teased and suckled each of his nipples, one after the other repeatedly until they began to swell almost painfully, causing JD to squirm and moan.

Pushing Jake's head away from his chest, JD sat up, grasped his face in the palms of both his hands, and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on his thick lips: "If I don't cum soon dude, I'm gonna blow a gasket" JD panted between kisses when he suddenly flipped around and scooted underneath Jake in a sixty-nine position, with Jake on top and him on the bottom.

Grabbing the back of his neck and pulling Jake's face into his crotch, JD, in turn, began licking the thick veiny shaft of his throbbing, mammoth organ in long, lashing strokes until he reached the base of his cock and his tongue began to wetly swab his bloated, hairy nutsack.

At first, Jake mirrored his actions, but soon worked his way back up JD's shaft, then flipped it upward with one hand as the other cupped his balls, his tongue licking the top side of his dick from the base to the foreskin covered tip.

Pulling the folds of skin away, pealing it back over his drooling cockhead, Jake began lavishing the exposed, leaking glans with the flat of his tongue before stuffing it into his mouth and applying an alternating suction/lapping technique that was nearly driving JD wild.

JD in turn, driven solely by lust and desire, did his best to stuff Jake's prodigious gonads into his mouth, eventually settling for one at a time, realizing fairly quickly, their sheer size prevented him from encompassing both at the same time.

Jake responded by diving deeper onto JD's pulsating seven-inch boner until it slammed against the back of his throat.

Emboldened by Jake's deepening oral manipulations, JD slipped past Jake's balls and began licking his way down his taint, his arms and hands swinging over him to grip the massive mounds of his muscular buttocks and began prying them apart as his swirling tongue sought out his hairy pink pucker.

From the very first exploratory thrust of JD"s oral appendage into his hirsute crevasse, Jake growled deeply and thrust his mouth completely over JD's palpitating schlong, engulfing it completely in the warm, wet sheath of his throat, until his nose ground against his balls, grunting hot air through his nostrils as JD's long salivating tongue dove deep into his quivering anus.

As in all things, actions have consequences and for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In this case, their relentless oral assault on each other culminated in the near-simultaneous, explosive release of their testicular juices.

Sensing their emanate orgasms, JD once again flipped their positions, driving his dong even deeper into Jake's sucking mouth as he pulled his head from between Jake's legs and grasped his thrumming phallus between his clutching fist and dove his own mouth over the tip of Jake's pulsating glans just as it released the first, voluminous volleys of jetting hot sperm into his oral cavity.

Likewise, JD's own dick felt like it was exploding in Jake's undulating throat, squirting copious amounts of his own ball juice straight down into Jake's gullet.

Gulping what seemed like mouthful after mouthful of near molten jizz from the spewing tip of Jake's erupting piss slit, JD struggled to constrain the sheer magnitude of spouting splooge, tightening his suctioning lip lock, devouring the pungent, cannoning ball sap, relentlessly until the blasting jets of his volcanic orgasm subsided into a steady, but decreasing drivel.

Sated and breathless, they collapsed side by side, each lost in their own passionate stupor.

"I don't think I'll have to eat for a week after that!" JD mused, between breaths, elbowing Jake playfully.

"That's a shame..." Jake retorted, grinning ear to ear impishly, as he flipped on his side, his torso slightly elevated, supported by his right elbow as he gripped the base of his still rock hard eighteen-inch phallus and slapped it noisily against JD's abs and chest: "I was just gonna say, there's a lot more where that came from!"

JD chortled, his hand coming up to ruffle Jake's sweaty hair, before pulling him down by the neck and planting a few tender kisses on his face and lips.

Just as Jake pulled him into his arms and sealed their mouths together, there came a thunderous knocking at the cabin door.

Wrapping himself in only a blanket, Jake practically slid down the steps to the level below, and with a stern look on his face and more than a few choice words on his lips for whoever dared to interrupt their lovemaking, he slung the cabin door open angrily only to be brushed aside by a very determined Carl: " I hate to disturb the nuptials boys, but your Dad sent me to fetch you."

JD peered down at them from atop the loft, clutching a pillow over his groin, a look of consternation on his face: "Are we under attack again?!" JD queried worriedly, his concerns mirrored by Jake's own expressions.

Carl smiled stoically, his hand reaching up to gently touch Jake's shoulder while locking eyes with JD: "It's time JD..." Carl paused for a second, his grin broadening: "Andrea just went into labor!"

Chapter Ten:

"One day, you'll get out of the Marine Corps; you'll put your uniform up, but you'll never not be a Marine."

John F. Kelly

                                        * * * * *

"This is bullshit, I wanna talk to my brother" Billy Donnelly insisted, yet again, after Danal denied his request for the umpteenth time.

"And I repeat, once again, your father's orders forbid any contact with either Michael or Kent by anyone without his prior approval," Danal stated as calmly as possible, fully aware of the mounting frustration and agitation building within the stalwart youth.

Danal was beginning to think Max had made a mistake in not letting Billy join him, Carl, Jake, and JD hours earlier when they left suddenly due to the admission of that girl Andrea Thomas to the hospital, after going into labor with Max's future grandson.

The angst Billy had felt at being told, that because of his still tenuous grip on his emotions and the fear that such an emotionally heightened event might trigger, albeit reluctantly, a shift or possibly a display like the one he had with Arlis Gundarson's parents, that he should remain at the compound for the time being.

At the time, Billy had seemed to understand the reasoning. Though right now, Danal was questioning whether that had been the right thing to do, considering the intensity of his demands at the moment.

Still, that being said, Danal kind of admired his tenacity and could easily see the same qualities in Billy that he had once seen in his father at the same age. Leaving Danal no doubt, Billy was definitely his father's son.

What had spurred this current interest in talking to his brother and Kent, was Elizabeth Dunne's revelation that she had formulated a temporary treatment that would inhibit their ability to shift, derived from the same concoction she had been using to *treat* her own son with for the last thirteen years. She had stated she had tweaked the formula slightly to accommodate the variable differences in their physiognomies, and though not a cure, would inhibit not only their shifting abilities but temporarily stem the more deleterious, life-threatening effects of Monaca's genetic manipulations, at least for as long as it took her in finding a more permanent solution.

It was Elizabeth's assertion, based mostly on a conjecture of their symptoms, that much of their aggressive behavior was due to their condition and speculated that perhaps, in such a fevered state, they were not only easily irritated but mentally susceptible to suggestion and emotional manipulation.

Of course, it hadn't helped that his old friend and fellow council member Hadrian Mumsford had agreed with Elizabeth's prognoses, adding further fuel to the lopsided debate he and Billy were now having.

During all of this, Jason stood to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, with a distant faraway look in his deep blue eyes.

Danal had noted the more somber, semi-detached mood that seemed to now subsume him. It had been subtle, but noticeable right before and during JD's wedding, but had deepened since JD's departure earlier, leaving Danal with the impression, he was only marginally following their conversation. That is until Jason suddenly interjected: "We don't need Max's approval to speak to either Mike or Kent."

Turning to eye Jason dubiously, Danal responded, with a slight rebuff in his tonality: "Young man, I'm fully aware of what Max's instructions were, I was there when he said it and as I recall, so where you."

Jason pushed away from the wall, his arms dropping to his sides as he crossed the distance between him, Billy and Danal, to stare the latter directly in the eye: "A decision he made before knowing what my mother's assessment and treatment plan would be."

Danal huffed: "That doesn't however negate his last instructions."

If Jason's previous thoughts had been distant before, they weren't now as his stare took on a laser-like focus before calmly insisting: "You're presuming I need either yours or Max's approval. Last I checked, I'm Alpha of the Southern District and I say if Billy wants to speak with his brother, I see no harm in that."

Jason didn't wait for Danal's response, he turned to his mother, after placing his hand on Billy's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance and unity: "Please gather what you need..." he began, holding his mother's anxious gaze as it flipped between him and Danal, before finally settling on him: "If Billy doesn't mind, I'd prefer he holds off long enough for you to administer your prescribed treatment."

He looked at Billy, a faint smile crossing his lips and with a slight wink concluded: "Better safe than sorry."

Billy grinned, clapping Jason on the back heartily: "Thanks dude, I'm really getting tired of people treating me like I'm some hair-trigger gun about to go off at a moment's notice."

Danal grunted grumpily behind them: "Maybe it's because of this very dismissive and cavalier attitude you both seem to share. Do I really need to remind both of you what happened just a couple of nights ago?"

Billy shot Danal a stern grimace: "Are you referring to the night my father ripped my mother's head off in front of everyone, including my little brother, right after my brother nearly took his head off?"

"No..." Danal groused back: "I'm talking about earlier when you confronted that farm boy's parents and nearly lost complete control. Do you have any idea how badly that could have all turned out?"

Not backing down, Billy shot back: "Again, you're presuming I was out of control, I knew exactly what needed done and acted accordingly. No one was hurt, Arlis is here and waiting for tonight for his long-overdue Ceremony and I procured a potential supplier for us that benefits both Arlis's parents farm and the Southern District's compound."

Danal shook his head, sighing heavily: "My point exactly. You did all of that without first consulting your father, who, despite Jason's assertion, is still very much in charge, shared as it may be. You knew damn well he was just a phone call away, but instead of spending one moment to consider the potential ramifications of your actions you just leaped head first, heedless of the consequences."

Billy bulked at Danal's words, knowing full well that everything that he had just said was true, and now found himself second-guessing his actions, even though, deep down, he knew he had been right and just as certain his father's approval was just a matter of semantics. Hadn't his father raised him to know right from wrong, to lead by example? Weren't they the ones that had spent the last couple of days insinuating that he was somehow special, different from all the others, even going so far as telling him that they believed he might be the one that would transform this Codex thing and change the Heritage forever?

How was he supposed to do all of that if none of them trusted him to even make one decision without their prior approval?

Billy turned to face Jason, noting the same doubtful glare in his own eyes as he also contemplated Danal's words, analyzing his recriminations, internalizing and processing them.

They had both spent the bulk of the day and afternoon frustratingly trying to make hide nor hair of the Latin lesson's Danal and Hadrian had insisted they learn before getting to parse through the compounds copy of the ancient Codex, whose teachings everyone in the Heritage was supposed to follow and live by, a simple task made overly complex and nearly infuriating by their insistence they learn some dead language so they could read it themselves in its original format. A slavish tradition passed down from one generation to the next, century after century.

Billy knew, that he and Jason could spend years trying to become proficient enough to read and understand the words in the book and even more time trying to interpret its content.

Atticus was twenty-one and he was still trying to make heads or tails of it and even Brock, who had studied Latin had barely made it through the first couple of chapters, mostly due to the dated cultural differences inherent throughout the text.

It was that frustration that had caused his thoughts to drift to his older brother.

He and Jason had barely spent a day and felt hopelessly daunted by the shear magnitude of the task before them, he could only imagine how other's felt, wholeheartedly believing that most must feel as defeated and foiled as they do.

Michael and Kent so much so, that they had gone rogue, seeking an easier answer until they had been seduced by their mother's nefarious machinations.

Billy couldn't help make the same comparison with Atticus's men. Billy knew damn well that the bulk of them were just as frustrated by the contents of the Codex as he and Jason were and he was equally certain that if he were allowed to speak to his brother and Kent, they would voice similar disappointments.

And then there were Arlis's parents. More precisely, Arlis's dad. A man denied the one thing all those within the Heritage craved but only a few ever found. Their place within the Heritage.

By all accounts, there were tens of thousands of them over the centuries that had wandered aimlessly hoping for the slimmest of chances that they would be one of the few chosen by an alpha to become part of a small pack and that for some reason, apparently gloamed from certain interpretations within the mysteries of the Codex, alphas had abandoned having full or large packs, maintaining instead small, fighter heavy, streamlined ones, whose sole intent was to defend against the perception that larger packs necessitated an act of aggression against other packs, penultimately leading to bloody battles for dominance over other packs and alphas for territories and control.

Danal and Hadrian had both spoken of the tenuous peace that was maintained between packs had been achieved when they limited the number of members an alpha could claim in a pack. This left most alphas to choose only the best fighters they could find to defend against any potential threat to their territory, while the rest were just left to their own devices. Packless, alone and devoid of the fruition of purpose and their natural instincts.

An idea took seed in Billy's mind, fully aware that both Jason and Danal were eyeing him, trying to read what his next actions would be.

Jason had given him the option he had sought, but doing so would be in direct opposition to one of his father's most trusted allies and friends.

No, what Billy really wanted was to unlock the mysteries of the Codex without the mind-numbing tedium of years worth of study just to be able to interpret it.

"Why has no one ever translated the Codex to English?" Billy finally asked, staring intently between Danal and Hadrian.

Danal's brow furrowed quizzically, stating hesitantly: "Because the Avus Concilium forbids any alteration of the original text, they believe it would be a perversion of the Progenitors teachings."

Jason pivoted beside Billy, following his train of thought: "What is this Avus Concilium and what gives it the authority to make such a decision?"

The color nearly drained from Hadrian's face, leaving Danal to answer: "The Avus is a who, not a what and there are only two of them."

Finally finding his voice, Hadrian added haltingly: "The Avus Concilium is the leader of the Council of Greges."

Billy cocked his head sideways, biting his upper lip as he observed Hadrian's quick, furtive side-to-side glances, as if he expected that the mere mention of this, as of yet unnamed individual, would make him pop right out of nowhere or something.

Judging by both Jason's and Billy's quizzical grimaces Danal knew he needed to elaborate: "There are two councils, one in Europe and one on this side of the world, each comprised of twelve councilors, one from each of the twelve districts."

Danal laid out the division of the districts on this side of the world: "There are four Districts in the US, three in Canada, two for Central America and three for South America. Europe is similarly divided, from Portugal to Russia, from Turkey to Scotland and everything in-between."

Hadrian nodded in agreement, adding: "Each council chooses an Avus Concilium who serves as leader either for life or until he decides to step down. At which time, a new one is chosen."

Billy and Jason looked at each other as if communicating silently, mind to mind, before turning their attention back to Hadrain and Danal: "I wanna have a chat with this Avus guy, I want him to let Gavin scan the Codex into his computer and hopefully write a program that will translate it into English without changing the meaning from the original Latin."

Hadrian's eyes went wide and Danal just shook his head several times before answering: "He'll never agree to that and even if he did..."

"Which he won't!" Hadrian interjected boisterously.

Danal shot him a stern look before concluding: "Even if he did, he would never let Gavin so much as touch any of the twelve copies because he is a human."

Billy again cocked his head, staring back at Danal dubiously: "Brock's human and he told me he was allowed to read it!"

Danal shrugged his shoulders dismissively: "Brock is joined to Atticus through the Coaptandas, a blood ritual, a lifelong bond more binding than marriage, where two become one. He is allowed because he is considered to be a part of Atticus, an extension if you will. Gavin is not."

Rolling his eyes thoughtfully a look of consternation crossing his face, Billy queried: "What if I scan it myself?"

Danal sighed heavily, he knew Billy was grasping at straws: "Even if I were to allow it, how could you possibly guarantee Gavin wouldn't read it?"

Crossing the distance between them, Danal placed his hands on either side of Billy's shoulders, meeting Billy's troubled expression with all the calm he could muster: "I'm sorry Billy, I wish I could honor your request, but Gavin isn't of the Heritage and unless you or another within the Heritage join with him, I can't see that happening."

Billy's mind raced for an answer, his head bowing in symbolic defeat as none came to him, at least not until Jason asked: "What if I just make him part of my pack..."

Danal cut him off before he could finish his line of thought: "It would change nothing since he still wouldn't be of the Heritage, the Council would only regard such a thing as a deference, an honorarium at best."

A realization struck Billy as Jason and Danal spoke to each other. Actually, it came in the form of a memory when he thought of Gavin and the first time he had noticed something different about him. Something that had haunted his senses in the early days of their burgeoning friendship, one that he had inexorably linked between him and another recent acquaintance.

Excitedly, Billy thumped Jason on the chest with the back of his hand: "Stop dude, Danal's right, your not the alpha we need..."

Jason stared at Billy quizzically, fearing that maybe Billy had suddenly popped a gasket or something with the suddenness of his current mood shift.

Billy grabbed Jason by the front of his T-shirt, taking him in tow as he pulled him toward the exit of the Reliquary. Uncertain of Billy's motives, Jason grasped his wrist and pulled Billy to a stop right outside the door: "Mind tellin' me what this is all about?"

Bubbling with near giddy enthusiasm, Billy nearly shouted: "It's Gavin dude, his birthdays on Thursday, guess how old he'll be?"

Jason carded his fingers through his hair, before scratching the back of his head thoughtfully, feeling more confused than ever: "Well, he'll be a senior this year like us, so I'm guessing eighteen?"

"BINGO!" Billy beamed, his excitement nearly infectious, though Jason still didn't have a clue how that made any difference. Still staring at Billy like he had a screw loose or something, Jason wondered if he should just play along and humor him until he came down from whatever buzz he was on.

Billy could see the skepticism written on Jason's face, knowing that he hadn't yet put two and two together.

Billy connected the dots for him: "Gavin's gay!"

The questioning look in Jason's eyes said he still didn't get it, but Billy didn't let that daunt him: "He practically reeks of honey and freshly dug dirt. Sound like anyone else we know who is eighteen and was just recognized as an alpha by those in the Heritage and given a seat on the Quorum of Alphas?"

Like a light bulb going off over his head, Jason's eyes lit up just before he grabbed Billy's arm and tugged him into motion, heading off at a jot toward the campsite: "You're right dude, I'm not the Alpha we need!"

                                                                      * * * * *

"Babe, could you please try to relax just a little bit?" Jake Bauers intoned, his hand gently but reassuringly caressing JD's back as he sat there in the hospital maternity ward waiting room, legs bouncing nervously up and down as he leaned forward, head resting in the palm of his hands, his elbows planted on his knees.

"It's either this or pacing again. Which do you prefer?" JD stated, turning to smile faintly at his new husband.

"Husband?" JD thought to himself, that was still something he was trying to wrap his head around.

Jake reached over and clasped JD's left hand in his and pulled him toward his right shoulder.

"Just lean on me for a few minutes, you have to be as exhausted as I am." He stroked the side of his partner's head as he practically cooed support in his ear: "Your dad and Carl are meeting with Andrea's father to finalize the transfer of guardianship."

JD tried to listen to what Jake was saying, but couldn't help but worry that somehow this was all going to go akimbo somehow. Knowing chaos followed Andrea like thunder in a lightning storm, he wasn't going to believe this was all said and done until he actually held his newborn son in his hands. That is if Andrea actually ever has this baby!

Some part of him, still clung to the notion that this was some sort of elaborate ruse Andrea and her crew of harpies concocted to further torment him and anyone else they could draw into their malicious machination's.

Carl had done his best to assuage his fears as far as the legal mumbo jumbo went, to the point that JD was certain that both his dad and Carl had made sure that every legal "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted. He had known Carl long enough to know that he seldom, if ever, left anything to chance when it came to the legal stuff and even more importantly, he had never known anyone that could pull a fast one over on his dad, not and get by with it. Case in point, his own current circumstances.

He was sixteen, almost seventeen in a little over a month, was about to become a father for the first time, and had just gotten married a few hours ago to his lifelong family and childhood friend. All things considered, it could be worse.

The truth was, none of that was bothering him as much as having a little human that would be so dependent on him to care for.

Carl had inundated him with a plethora of reading material about child care and he had diligently perused it all. But despite all of that, he still felt ill-equipped to the task of child-rearing, something that permeated his thoughts now with the realization, ready or not, this was happening and regardless of his emotional and mental state, his baby, his son needed him to get his act together.

One other thought now crossed his mind, as he rested his head on Jake's strong supportive shoulder, the warm heat from his body and the steady rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, he wasn't really facing this alone. Jake had willingly allied his fate to both him and his child and yet did so without ever asking for anything else in return, and despite the resoluteness of Jake's mere presence, JD couldn't help but wonder how he had earned such devotion.

Fate and circumstance had brought them together as boys and it was true he had grown to love Jake. But JD had always regarded that bond as more of a fraternal camaraderie than a romantic or physical attraction, like the one he had with Jason.

This was something different. Something evolving.

He had first truly noted it back in his bedroom, when he, Jason, and Jake had been alone together. At the time, Jason had confirmed he noticed it too and JD was now forced to realize, had they not been interrupted that afternoon, that more than a mere kiss would have transpired between the three of them.

Which brings him to a present where he was married to Jake, who had bonded with Jason, joining his pack by performing a physical and sexual act of submission.

JD couldn't help but conjecture, if Jake being a member of Jason's pack now meant that he too; was now also part of Jason's pack and if so, would he also be expected to submit to Jason in the same manner? Even more troubling, why didn't he find that thought more disturbing instead of somewhat provocative and why was it suddenly getting so warm inside the maternity ward waiting room?

One glance up into Jake's mischievous eyes and another to the growing mound in the crotch of his trousers, was confirmation enough, that what he was now feeling was mutual, forcing him to conjecture whether he was now married to a mind reader.

Jake's silent but knowing tap to his nose and somewhat cocky half-grin was all the illumination JD required. This whole scent thing with those of the Heritage was going to make a shambles of plausible deniability, especially when it came to sexual attraction and arousal. Jake wasn't responding to what he was thinking, he was responding to his sexual arousal.

As luck would have it, JD didn't have to dwell on this knowledge for long as Carl suddenly appeared through the maternity ward doors, grinning ear to ear, beaming enthusiastically at both of them: "Congratulations you're now the proud father's to a healthy eight-pound six-ounce bouncing baby boy!"

JD just stood there, wide-eyed and frozen in place, when he suddenly felt Jake's strong arms encircle him, lifting him off the floor and began swinging him around the waiting room in a whirling dervish, whooping hoorah repeatedly as he did so.

A few moments later, after Carl insisted Jake set him down, he felt Carl's arm slip over his shoulder, pulling him in snugly asking if he would like to go meet his son.

JD sensed what he was saying more than what he was hearing. For the most part, JD had slipped into this fugue-like state, where everything was both blurred and motionless at the same time. Words that once held meaning seemed so esoteric and surreal, it was like his head was completely devoid of any other content than the words baby and son.

Allowing himself to be guided through the double doors and down the hall to the nurses station, with Jake's firm grip on their clasping hands, he was still barely aware of his surroundings until a familiar voice brought him back from his time altered reality: "How ya holdin' up Sport?" his dad boomed through the din of silence that had encompassed his consciousness, like a shell of protection masked as muddled confusion.

His knees nearly buckled as the clearing haze lifted and his eyes focused on his fathers voice. If it hadn't been for Jake's hand slipping from his own to encircle his waist in a gesture of support, he was fairly certain they would have had to pick him up off the floor as the weight of reality came crashing back on his shoulders... Baby, son.

The next few minutes were almost a blur as his dad thrust some papers over the nurse's station desk as the woman behind the desk indicated he needed to sign his name in various papers that seemed to flow haphazardly under his fingertips, signing as directed.

At one point Jake stepped up and signed right above his own, where the word mother had been scratched out and the words co-parent had been written in.

The final sheet of paper placed before him ground the universe to a halt. It was just two words and a long line that followed, it also had dates on it, that seemed current and freshly scribbled. Just two words.... child's name.

In all the things he had spent months pondering and reflecting upon, all the things that had worried and weighed him down, he had as of yet, decided on a name for his son.

His hesitancy obviously showing, his father leaned into his ear and softly whispered: "If it helps, perhaps something symbolic, highlighting the union between you and the one you love?"

JD heard his father's words, and in his mind's eye embraced them, though he was certain not in the way his father intended, because two faces merged as one in his consciousness. Jake and Jason.

As if of it's own accord he watched as his hand wrote within the blank spaces provided: Jakson Donnelly-Bauers.

The clap on his back and the hearty smile on his father's face assured him he had made a good choice. He barely had time to soak that in before Jake's arms encircled him hugging him tightly, his face planted in JD's neck as he kissed him lightly on the nape of his neck before whispering his sons name aloud for the first time, in his ear.

It was Carl who brought them out of the self-congratulatory celebrations: "I can't speak for everyone, but I for one can't wait for a second longer to meet the newest member of our brood!"

JD was certain his heart skipped a beat as his father's hand, on the small of his back, gently steered him down the hall toward the actual nursery.

With Jake directly behind him, hands resting on his shoulders and his father and Carl directly toward his left, JD stood there behind the observation window staring intently from one baby to the next, trying to determine which was his.

Beaming ear to ear, eyes fixed on his own, his dad's hand came up to tap the glass dividing them and pointed to the diminutive form of his newborn son.

The infant was instantly recognizable, the swathe of curly blond hair adorning its crown a testament to his paternity.

He watched hypnotically at the rise and fall of his little chest as he slept peacefully swaddled in a soft downy white blanket.

JD was barely aware of anything other than the visage of his offspring, he scarcely noted as Carl spoke to one of the nurses tending the nursery before finally breaking their hypnotic reverie.

Carl guided them to a small room directly adjoining the nursery that had several straight back chairs and a small table containing disposable masks, gowns, and gloves.

He indicated for JD and Jake to take a seat as he and Max remained standing and adorning themselves in the personal protective equipment provided.

A nurse, similarly adorned, entered the room to greet them and let them know about his sons vitals and stats. All healthy and well within acceptable ranges.

Noting his and Jake's nervousness, she first assured them that it was perfectly normal for new parents to be timidly cautious their first time holding their child and offered them advice on how best to cradle the child, with an emphasis of supporting it's head and neck.

It was then she suggested, that a lot of first-time parents often found the bonding experience between them and their child was best done shirtless, stating that the infants often felt more comfortable with the familiarity of bodily warmth and it also allowed for the child to grow familiar with their parent's scent, since it would take the child's eyesight longer to adjust to the change in environment.

The whole scenario still seemed more like an out-of-body experience until the very moment the same nurse returned with a small bundle cradled in her arm and leaned over to pass his infant son, for the first time into his nervous, shaking, expectant arms.

From the moment his son's skin touched his, he protectively huddled him safely against his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his tiny body against his own, JD was smitten.

All sense of time and space evaporated as he stared at his son's tiny face: "He's so little" JD cooed, unable to look away from his child for even the briefest of moments, found himself mesmerized by his tiny finger's and toes, counting each one in succession.

"Actually..." His dad stated, breaking the awed silence of the other occupants in the room: "He's a good pound over the normal size for a boy."

His dad said this as if it were culled from some source of great pride he felt at his grandson's physical accomplishment. The same kind of bravado his dad had offered the first time he struck a home run for his little league team.

That memory, conjoined with the overflow of emotion he already felt holding his son for the first time, finally took its toll as he felt his eyes well up and grow glassy with the held-back tears he now struggled to constrain.

Fearful of an emotional outburst, he turned to Jake and offered up his... no, their son, passing him gingerly into the muscular giant's powerful arms.

The wide-eyed look of near panic supplanting all other emotions on his face brought an even broader smile to JD's lips.

There was something inherently humorous about the dichotomy of such a small delicate infant cradled in the powerful arms of such a shirtless lumbering muscular giant, looking so terrified to make even the slightest movement that might harm the precious bundle entrusted to his care.

But that soon faded as Jakson began to coo and nudge himself closer to Jake's chest.

"He can hear your heartbeat and it makes him feel safe" the nurse offered, smiling at them, before excusing herself, stating she would be back after they had a few minutes alone with the child.

She had no sooner left the room, than Max pivoted toward them, chest swelling, arms folding across it before declaring: "I was sure when I saw him, but now that I've scented him..." his dad paused briefly, taking a deep breath as Carl looked at him expectantly: "Looks like you've got yourself another Donnelly alpha on your hand's son!"

JD knew that should mean something, but after the last few days and his own circumstances being what they were, he was just happy, that by all accounts, Jakson was strong and healthy, and that meant more to him right now than anything else. But still, he had to admit, there was still a part of him that swelled with pride at his father's apparent, preening approval.

Too soon the nurse reappeared and took the baby for a final check-up with the pediatrician and Carl whisked them all away for a quick bite to eat.

It was there he ran down the itinerary, stating he and Max were going to go stay at his old place and make sure everything was stocked and set up to receive them and his newborn the next day when he fully expected the doctor to release Jakson into their care.

Carl didn't even bother suggesting that one of them go rest while the other stayed near the baby, knowing full well neither would leave the other alone at this juncture. Instead, he made sure they had money for snacks and reminded them both of the importance of staying hydrated through all the excitement and that he and Max would return later that morning.

The baby had been born in the early morning hours, not long after midnight. Carl assured them, they'd be back before noon and hoped shortly thereafter they would get to bring the baby back to their new home.

It was after his dad and Carl had departed and Jakson lay there nearly asleep while nursing on his first bottle of formula, that JD finally thought to ask Jake how long they had before he had to return to base in North Carolina.

Jake pondered it for a moment, before assuring JD that he was certain he could probably stall until at least Thursday or Friday, but he would definitely have to leave the following weekend.

It was with that sobering thought in mind, JD responded: "I don't want to be left here alone with the baby without you."

The serious look that overtook Jake's face assured him that he felt the same way: "I told you, we can stay at my dad's place right off base and though I will still have to work, Baxter will be there with you and even my dad a lot of the time, as he packs up the stuff he's bringing for the move here after his retirement is processed."

JD bowed his head, looking from his son to Jake, asking: "You're still planning on transferring here aren't you?"

Jake assured him that was the case, that it really shouldn't take more than a month or two to process the paperwork, especially with Max pushing for it on this end.

Jakson gurgled slightly as he hungrily suckled the nipple of the bottle JD held, causing the both of them to giggle slightly at the uniqueness of the sound.

JD caught Jake's eyes, then leaned toward him until their lips met and tenderly kissed him: "We better get or laughs in now, 'cause I don't think either of us will be doing so when this starts coming out the other end."

Jake's face scrunched up at the thought, before rolling his eyes: "I guess that would qualify under the *for better or for worse* part huh?"

JD smiled mischievously back at him before goading him: "Actually, I was remembering the part about you promising to obey!"

Shaking his head, Jake frowned and sighed mockingly: "I knew I should have written my own vows."

                                                                      * * * * *

"What an insane couple of weeks it's been," Princess thought out loud as he walked silently alone back to his tent from the Lodge, where he knew Dalton Becker would be waiting anxiously for his return.

It was going to be their last night together, the second of two before he had to depart back to Florida along with Paul Lakatos and his entourage.

Despite being his first pack member and his first Gamma/enforcer, Dalton was still a Marine and his duties necessitated his departure.

Earlier that day, when he first came to realize that Dalton would have to return to his post the next day, Princess had approached Max about Dalton transferring here and what all that might entail.

Max had assured him that Dalton was welcome to do so. That within the coming months, there were going to be a great many of changes at the compound, and they could definitely do with the manpower such changes would foster.

Just out of courtesy and because he also wanted another excuse to spend time with the handsome and somewhat enigmatic Paul Lakatos, he had approached the Alpha about the idea since Dalton served under him back on the base they were stationed at in Florida.

To his delight, Paul had been completely receptive to his suggestion, even offering to facilitate the paperwork himself, noting, that he himself would be putting in for a transfer to Lejeune in North Carolina when he got back, since he would be assuming control as Alpha of that territory in the near future.

To his surprise, Paul had asked if he might stop in from time to time and visit when he had business to attend to, either at the compound or when he had official Marine Corps duties in the area.

Though his tone had visibly seemed officiant in nature, Princess's new heightened sense of smell detected the not-so-subtle scent of arousal emanating behind the thinly veiled mask of propriety Paul always seemed to wear.

In his discussions with others, he had garnered this particular nature to Paul's personality; the stoic stern persona he adorned like a mantle when dealing officially with those of his kind. Carl had even quickly added the words pompous and arrogant and Max, smiling demurely as he waved Carl off, noting that those qualities were common amongst alphas and for him to use his own judgment and to at least try to see beyond the veneer and see the substance of the man first, before forming any decisions.

The truth was, like he had with Max, he found Paul's self-confidence, no matter how inflated, to be more of a turn-on than a turn-off. Plus, since the challenge, Paul had been nothing but charming since, even if it all seemed a bit like some stereotypical old school southern gentlemen demeanor he wore to impress him with. As far as Princess was concerned, it was working and he fully intended to encourage any reason for future encounters..

Princess's thoughts didn't linger there, as pleasant as they were, what occupied his thoughts at the moment was the discussion he had just had with Jason and Billy and their subsequent discussion with Gavin and Atticus.

They had painted quite the scenario, and all things considered he found himself wondering if maybe they were playing things a bit fast and loose. But, then again, if anyone had told him a couple of weeks ago he would be where he was now, he'd have laughed in their face and fully expected the men in white coats to show up and haul the whole lot of them off to the loony bin.

There was also this sense of urgency that seemed to infuse the air around them. It was becoming increasingly apparent that certain things had been set in motion and that they were now trying to play catch up and that maybe what was needed, was a little forward-thinking and action and less discussion and debate.

Gavin of course was now pivotal in this and after their discussion of Billy and Jason's plans, he seemed even keener than them to see it through, stating his intent was dually motivated. First and foremost, he wanted any advantage that would help him secure the safety of his mother and he was all for anything that meant he could spend more time with Arlis; who he worried might not be ready for the changes coming his way the following evening when they fully intended to activate his Heritage.

And then there was Billy's idea about Gavin himself and why they had sought Princess out, even before discussing it with Gavin or Atticus.

Simply put, they wanted Princess to attempt guiding Gavin through the same thing he had undergone, to see, if like him, the silver medallion might affect him like it had Princess. Something, that quite frankly he had pondered himself.

As Billy had related his intentions, Princess had been taken back to the time that Max had discussed *his kind* with him, in which he had noted the long shared history his and people like Princess had shared throughout history.

He had gotten the distinct impression Max wasn't just referring to all gay people in general, but a specific kind of gay man, ones that smelled of Honey and freshly dug earth. Max had intimated that not all gay men smell that way, Princess noting other's within their training unit attesting to that same notion, usually by referring to their specific scent as being alluring to them.

He had thought little of their comments at the time, but as Billy laid out his desired plan, he found those memories resurfacing and by the time they had approached Gavin, he had begun to see the possibility that he might not be the lone human that the mysterious silver medallion might change.

It was during their discussion with Gavin that Princess had recalled the first time after his change, that he had noted the same scent of honey and dirt when he had a brief discussion with Brock about securing a larger tent for himself and his Gamma. Brock had reeked of it.

That had spurred Billy and Jason to involve Atticus. They couldn't approach anything about the Heritage with Brock because of the constraining conditions of the Coaptandas.

Unfortunately, it was Atticus that had thrown the first damper on the plan, by stating Brock was way past the benchmark limit of eighteen. And though he didn't rule out them trying, he stated he actually proffered if they didn't get Brock's hopes up about it, adding, even if it were to happen, it wouldn't change anything about their current status and that the Coaptandas had already garnered Brock all the access he could ever hope for.

Still, Atticus did offer to assist them in their plan, that he and his men were duty-bound as the compounds protectors and via association to the alpha in charge of the compound, which was now Jason.

There had been something in the way that Atticus had stated it, that had caught Jason's and Billy's attention.

For Billy, ii was in the inflection of his tone. A haunting forlornness he had observed in the voice of Arlis's dad just the previous morning, except with Atticus's there was still that touch of expectancy and hope long gone from Arlis's father.

It was then, that Princess got to see first hand, their plans expand, blossom, and unfurl as Billy pulled Jason away for a few minutes, inviting Princess along for their discussion, leaving Gavin and Atticus pondering their actions from a distance.

As they gathered by the shore of the compounds lake, Billy revealed the thoughts that had just occurred to him.

He first reviewed what he, Jason and Princess to some extent, had been told by Max and Danal about the current state of those within the Heritage and what he had personally encountered with Arlis's dad.

He drew the comparison's they had all become privy to about the alpha's limiting pack growth and development so as not to appear to be overly aggressive while simultaneously limiting their choices to only a handful of seasoned fighters. This left the rest to wander aimlessly in a state both his father and Danal had labeled as Dispersers. Those of the Heritage, either by accident of birth or by death or incapacity of their alpha's, roamed the world devoid of their true, natural calling and purpose, to be part of a pack.

His own father, while the leader of the Southern District and because of his roll in such a capacity, had forbidden him to take even one pack member. It was because this position required him oversight of all the other alpha's in his District, to appear less aggressive to the sovereignty of those alpha's territories, he had to deny himself the camaraderie and fulfillment of having his own pack.

More than once, they had relayed their hope that Billy's uniqueness, of which they were still certain was developing, would change all this. The hope was that he would be able to end the division within the Heritage, to unite all alpha's into a common cause and allow them once again to forge strong healthy packs united under one common leader.

It was daunting to Billy that they believed he was such a being, but recent events had forced him to consider the possibility.

His first clue had come from his father, Hank, and Danal as they reviewed the events right after his ceremony. Each, in their own way, professing they had not only never seen anything like it, but had never read within the Codex of anyone having such capabilities, other than the Progenitor.

The second had come during the Quorum when Princess had stated he had seen the image of a large white wolf superimposed like a ghostly shell around him.

The third had been just the morning before when he was at the Gundarson's farm confronting Arlis's parents.

It was then he truly felt the presence of the wolf beast within him, still distant, but growing in strength.

He had felt it clawing inside of him, trying to get out but at the same time, it seemed to bring an inner peace, strength, and confidence that he had been able to mentally project without even trying, forcing not only the complete submission of Arlis's parents but Barin Young as well, whose reaction more than any other person's, had made him realize, that at the very least, he was not just a run of the mill alpha.

Jason and Princess had patiently listened as he recounted his experiences, adding to it, without embellishment where they could. But it was Jason who cracked first, asking what all this had to do with Atticus, Brock, and Gavin?

It had been Billy's following words that had spurred their current trajectory.

For Gavin, his thoughts hadn't changed. He still wanted Princess to try and steer him through his own version of the Heritage ceremony, which had already been agreed upon.

For Brock, it was now known, that his fate was tied to Atticus, with Billy then making it clear, that though what he was now considering could potentially alter Atticus's fate, it was Jason he really wanted to address, with Princess as an alpha, a third voice and opinion in what he was now going to suggest.

Billy had turned to Jason, placed his hands on his shoulders and locked gazes with him before confidently stating: "Jason, with everything that's been going on, the attack on our District by outside forces, the attack on Gavin's mother, the mystery of what all my mother has done, you need to be able to respond in kind with a force of your own."

Jason didn't counter, he had just stared at Billy intently, taking in his words and mulling them over in his head.

Billy continued: "I don't care if other's think we're being overzealous, I don't care about breaking the rules of some stupid ancient book we can't even read. We're under attack now and we need to be able to respond in kind!"

Jason had turned away, shaking his head: "Your dad and Danal said we need to secure our position here, convince the other Districts and the Council of Greges to join with us and assess what kind of action we should take at this time, that we can't go off half cocked."

Billy had just folded his arms defiantly over his broad chest, confident resolution exuding from every pore: "And what if those who attacked us expect us to do exactly that? We'd be sitting ducks."

Princess had spoken up then, adding his voice to the discussion: "I agree with Billy...for the last couple of weeks I've been able to thwart and best almost every one of you Heritage guys, even before my transformation, do you know why I was able to do so?

That had caught Jason's attention and Billy's too.

"I was able to do so by being unpredictable. I didn't fight the way they all do, I didn't do what was expected in the way they were taught I would."

Princess had smiled demurely at them, cocking his head slightly and batting his bright blue eyes: "I didn't wait for them to attack, I brought the battle to their doorstep, up close and personal, throwing them completely off balance, making them vulnerable and open. But most of all, I allowed them to underestimate me and used that against them."

Princess concluded by stating boldly: "Billy's right Jason, be unpredictable, do what they least expect. And by *they*, I mean not only our enemy but those who call themselves allies."

Billy hammered it home then: "I love my dad and Carl and yes, even Danal, but they all still have both feet firmly planted in the ways of the Heritage, they still think the answers revolve around that Codex and I think it's time to think outside that book, be the change we need Jason... build your pack!"

Billy made it clear, he didn't mean just fighters, he meant a full pack. Send a message so loud it would be heard on the otherside of the world."

Jason had whirled around at that moment, his irises flashing brilliant blue: "You're both right, but with your help Billy, I'm gonna go one step bigger..."

Princess smiled to himself, remembering that moment as he approached his tent, noting the faint glow of the lantern burning within and knowing who and what awaited within.

Tonight had been momentous. Change charged the very air around them. He felt electrified and full of life and purpose and he had every intention of being a part of it.

"Out with the old, in with the new" Princess muttered to himself, grinning ear to ear as he parted the flap in his tent and taking in the resplendent beauty of his naked, hugely muscular Gamma waiting expectantly for his return. Sprawled sideways across their combined bedrolls, his massive thirteen-inch erection pointing right at him in greeting, ready for his pleasure.

'Whose been a good puppy?" Princess cooed, grinning lasciviously, as he closed the flap and zipped it up, shutting out all the concerns of the outside world... at least for a couple of hours anyway.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

“The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth.”

Thomas E. Ricks

                                    * * * * *

"Quit being such a pussy!"

Gavin Hollis had this phrase playing in his head on repeat for most of the day.

It was Thursday, and it was his birthday. Officially, he was now eighteen, but right now, that seemed to be the least of his considerations. No, what was first and foremost on his mind was what he had agreed to do in just a little over an hour.

Ever since Billy, Jason, and Princess/Timmy cornered him the other night after they had some pow wow down by the lake, they had come to the conclusion that not only would they see that Arlis Gundarason would undergo his Heritage ceremony, but they had decided that because he bore some of the same distinguishing attributes that had allowed Timmy to change, that he too should undergo a similar ceremony.

Other than being gay, Gavin had never noticed any other similarities between him and Princess, but Jason and Billy assured him that because of the way he smelled (like freshly dug dirt and honey) that he and Princess had some sort of shared ancient ancestry.

At first Gavin was certain they were just talking about him being gay, but it was a chat he had later with Danal's friend and colleague Hadrian Mumsford that had added some clarity to their assertions.

Hadrian, in his somewhat seemingly addled and roundabout way, alluded to that ancient book they were always talking about, the Codex. The wizened, grey-bearded, rosy-cheeked elder assured him, that not all homosexual men shared that scent, that in fact, less than half did.

Brock had piped in and added that Atticus and several of the other guys had basically told him that those of the Heritage found the scent particularly alluring, which explained a lot as far as Gavin was concerned, recalling, with some degree of embarrassment, how several of the guys would eye him from a distance or smile suggestively, especially at the end of their daily workouts, when his scent would definitely be the most prominent after sweating all day, and while that didn't really particular illicit a positive connotation from him, it did happen to occur to him, that Arlis was now amongst those of the Heritage and if that meant he might have some possible advantage that could aid him in attracting his long time crush, then he was more than willing to risk being only the second gay guy transformed by the Heritage medallion.

At first he'd sought and hoped for more illumination from either Danal or Hadrian about what to expect, but they seemed either unwilling or unable to offer either speculation or clarity, leaving his only alternative for advice, the only other person who had experienced what he might potentially go through.

That had been a conversation he had hoped to avoid, finding Timmy/Princess fluidity of thought often a bit tedious and arduous to circumnavigate. But, in the end, he was left with little choice and had approached him the night before, right after dinner to engage him in what he might expect to happen.

Most of what Princess had to say sounded like a mushroom induced hallucination, leaving Gavin to roll his eyes in skepticism until Princess chuckled mockingly before pointing out how they were surrounded by a bunch of shape shifting lycanthropes right before the bright blue irises of his own eyes flashed a brilliant glowing azure, forcing Gavin to conclude that perhaps it was best if he just listened and kept his doubts and skepticism in check.

Gavin listened intently as Princess vividly relived his own experience, stopping only to point out events that had coincided with real world events later, such as Aphrodite's insistence he side with Billy during the Quorum and him winning the first half of a goal he as of yet still had little understanding of and what the inevitable world changing outcome the Goddess had spoken of could possibly be, though Gavin agreed that if the prize of that battle was him claiming the first half of Gemini, that it must, in some way be related to either Billy, Paul Lakatos, or as Gavin pointed out, him acquiring Dalton Becker as his gamma, which was due solely to his victory in besting him in combat, though it was unclear how any of those possibilities had anything to do with the duality that is Gemini.

They both agreed, there was something they were either overlooking or hadn't yet considered, but Gavin assured Princess, that if his ceremony lead him into an encounter with the Goddess, then he'd try to remember to ask for clarification.

Despite his previous trepidation in speaking with Princess, he found himself easily engaging in the various metaphysical speculations Princess postulated about his entire ordeal and concluding there was far more behind those blue eyes than a rapacious penchant for sexual innuendo.

Princess had a very keen sense of the space around him and his movement and interaction within it. It became evident to Gavin, that Princess was fully aware of the effect he had on others, especially those of the Heritage and he didn't mind at all if someone thought his libido overshadowed his intellect, in fact, he seemed to prefer they saw him that way and Gavin began to see a certain wisdom in his behavior. It kept people of balance, never fully knowing what he might do next, or as Gavin humorously chided him, stating Princess was predictably unpredictable.

Princess/Timmy personified adaptation, survival of the fittest and he achieved that by appearing to be the most unassuming person in the compound, vacuous and deceptively vulnerable. Even amongst those that were around him day after day, and had seen him take down opponent after opponent. Most still saw him as this naive caricature, when in fact, he was methodical and calculative, a precision instrument honed to near-human perfection. There was a confidence behind those blue eyes, one most passed off as a capricious hunger for sex, but Gavin was now seeing it for what it really was and it was why he accepted Princesses generous offer to be his guide through his ceremony, much in the way Danal was for the others.

Gavin had of course asked Billy to stand with him, or sit as the case maybe since he fully expected that what would happen would be similar to what happened to Princess/Timmy, Danal suggesting that perhaps it would be best if he did it from the safety of a bed or somewhere equally comfortable that would allow him to lay prone. Jason had suggested the cabin, but it was Elizabeth Dunne who pointed out that since they were dealing with a relatively unknown variable that perhaps it would be best done at the Lodge where she had set up a small makeshift lab and triage unit.

Considering how Princess/Timmy had slipped into a nearly catatonic state just by holding the silver medallion, the prevailing opinion was that Elizabeth's suggestion would probably be for the best, and they planned accordingly.

Both Billy and Jason insisted on being there. Princess/Timmy would be the one to place the medallion around his neck, foregoing the example Princess had set, and the near panic Danal had when it was nearly impossible to extricate it from Princesses grasp.

Gavin debated inviting Arlis, but decided against it, knowing how upset it would probably make him seeing Gavin lying on a cot in a near catatonic state for what could be nearly an entire day, that is if Princesses experience held true to form; besides, Arlis was still feeling a bit overwhelmed from his own unexpected ceremony just a few days prior.

That had been a tough one at first. Arlis didn't understand what was being expected of him and he definitely didn't like the idea that Gavin wouldn't be there with him, and though Gavin was still pissed at Arlis's parents, he found himself being actually grateful that Billy had arranged for Barin to escort Douglas Gundarson, Arlis's father, to the compound so that he could stand with Arlis as his sire as their custom dictated.

Gavin had worried the entire day that Douglas might refuse to come, but was eventually relieved when Barin Young returned with Arlis's dad in tow, late in the afternoon.

Jason and Danal had whisked Douglas Gundarson away before Arlis was even aware he was there and though Gavin had no clue as to what either of them had said or discussed with him, when they returned and Arlis saw his dad there, it had the stabilizing effect they had hoped for. Arlis had obediently done everything his father instructed him to do and though Gavin didn't get to see what happened that evening, the change in both Arlis and his father were palpable.

There was now a sense of pride in Douglas Gundarson's gaze, every time he looked at his son. Gone was the stoic, secretive authoritarian Gavin had always known the man to be, he had been replaced by a more sedate and respectful persona who listened with rapt attention and practically genuflected every time Jason spoke to him, something Gavin couldn't help notice, that most of them did. Even to an outsider like Gavin, there was no doubt how they all regarded Jason, and Billy for that matter, making Gavin even more curious than ever about this whole lycanthropic hierarchy that permeated throughout those of the Heritage.

There was something else that was noticeable as well, even in Douglas Gundarson. The furtive, cautiously hopeful, expectant stares that followed Jason and Billy everywhere they went in the compound by every single one of them.

The closest analogy Gavin could make was the time he and his mom had visited the local dog shelter with his uncle when he wanted to pick out a dog as a gift for his cousin.

The way all those dogs in that shelter stared longingly at his uncle as he made his rounds trying to pick the perfect fit for a family pet was almost exactly the way they stared after Jason and Billy and it also didn't escape Gavin's attention, that neither Jason or Billy seemed to notice this themselves, either that, or they were consciously choosing to ignore it. A fact Gavin fully intended to discuss with both of them when time and opportunity permitted.

The next day, as the moment approached and he found himself walking with Billy and Jason toward the compounds central hub, otherwise known as the Lodge, he found himself more contemplative of the various changes already blossoming around them.

Monday had not only ushered in the initiation of Arlis into the Heritage or the birth of JD and Jake's son Jakson, but it also signaled the start of massive changes in the compound itself.

Heavy machinery seemed to pour into the compound, the bivouac they had stayed at since their arrival a couple of weeks ago was now completely bulldozed over, clearing the way for a road that curved up to the top of the hill where they proceeded to flatten and extend the top until it was nearly twice the size of the parking lot at the bottom of the raven where the Lodge was located.

Brock had informed them that the newly cleared space would eventually house two double-storied structures that would serve as the compounds barracks, while the Lodge itself would be transformed into the information and administrative center for all compound activities.

Brock and Danal had assured them, that neither the front lakeside or ceremonial grounds would be altered, but the area they had been using off to the side of the ceremonial grounds to train in, would be transformed into a more traditional and structured and permanent training course, instead of the makeshift one they had been using.

Gavin had noticed Monday morning when he, Billy and Princess had made a quick trip back home to visit JD, Jake and their new baby, that construction had already begun on clearing and leveling the dirt and gravel road into the compound in preparation for paving later and they all took note of the area cleared right at the turn-off from the main road where foundations were already being cleared for a guardhouse as well as large metal fence post being secured that would eventually become the security fence that would traverse the entire circumference of the compound.

These were just the beginnings of the many changes that would develop throughout the coming weeks.

Brock and Jason had spread out the blueprints on a large conference table that had been set up in the communications section of the Lodge and had outlined all the eventual changes.

Gavin was happy that they intended to preserve the austerity of the cabin, though it was scheduled to be modernized with a the addition of a bathroom and basic plumbing and electricals throughout, but would eventually serve as Jason's home once the upgrades were completed.

The blueprints had also shown a future road that would swing passed the cabin and eventually circumnavigate the entire lake.

The area to the left of the lake would house storage and maintenance buildings and even a small armory and eventually their very own landing field for small aircraft. Brock had already secured a couple of helicopters that could be used for quick transport when needed, so the airfield was a central focus for the time being and construction would begin on it the following week.

They had all seemed the most curious about the plans for a resort that would be built into the hillside on the other side of the lake, though no one present knew Max's reasoning for this, it seemed rather grandiose and palatial for a small unit of Marine Corps recruits and a handful of civilians.

The only other large area on the plans that seemed rather incomplete was a road that would wind around the right side of the lake before forking, with one continuing to the far right end of the lake, where Max and Carl had carved out an area for their own use, with the other branch in the road leading out into the middle of a large, mostly level clearing surrounded by hills.

Brock had said that he thought that eventually Max intended this area to become a private housing area for those who worked here and had aspirations toward having or starting families.

What was glaringly obvious though, Max fully intended to expand the operations of this compound well beyond just hosting the occasional Heritage ceremony. Gavin knew this by the sheer size of the double, two-story barracks. Knowing full well, by the dimensions provided on the blueprints, that Atticus's unit would barely occupy less than half of one story in one building. It was clear, Max expected their operations to grow exponentially, and judging by the aggressive schedule of construction, he was expecting that to happen sooner than later.

Whatever Max's reasons or future plans for the compound were, they could debate it later, as Gavin, Jason and Billy entered the Lodge, where Atticus and Brock steered them toward the far end, where Elizabeth had set up her triage area.

Gavin found himself surprisingly calm as both Elizabeth and Princess stood waiting by one of the cots with both Danal and Hadrian off to one side.

Danal held in his hands a small, but ornate carved wooden box that he presumed contained the ancient silver medallion that served as the catalyst for his expected transformation.

Gavin had given a lot of consideration over what that change might entail over the last few days. He didn't expect his outcome to be the same as Princesses, who all the others had assured him was Alpha level in stature, though completely different from any Heritage alpha.

Even though he didn't expect any kind of physical transformation to result from the actions of this ceremony, Princess had assured him, it had fundamentally altered him on the inside, though he couldn't exactly elaborate on how or to what extent, only that he felt different; stronger, quicker reflexes and heightened senses.

While all those things would be welcomed changes, the part Gavin had the hardest part accepting was that like Princess/Timmy that an ancient Greek Goddess had told him that they were her direct descendants and that her blood, the blood of a Goddess, flowed within his veins.

Above all other considerations, that was the part Gavin was having the hardest part accepting. His entire life had been one devoted to study and to some degree science, or at least it's methodology.

Basically, he still held what he considered to be a healthy bit of skepticism regarding what he perceived to be Princess/Timmy's experience, still thinking it little more than a vivid hallucination fabricated by an overactive imagination, speculating to himself, that Princesses belief in what had transpired had in fact only released the last mental blocks on the full extent of his own innate and natural abilities and that he was only attributing these perceived changes as a direct result of some metaphysical divination manufactured in his own subconsciousness.

Either way, as Gavin removed his shirt and lay in repose on the cool, crisp sheets of the cot, and Danal lifted the lid on the wooden box containing the medallion and Princess carefully removed it while wearing a pair of brown leather gloves provided by Danal, Gavin braced himself for the unexpected, while simultaneously wondering if anything would happen at all.

"Seeya on the other side brother" Princess whispered, smiling ear to ear disarmingly as he lowered the silver chain over Gavin's neck and rested the cold metal medallion over the center of his chest.

                                                                       * * * * *

As curious as Brock was about Gavin's ceremony and how it would all pan out, Atticus had felt like he were intruding on something private, similar in fashion to the Heritage ceremony, where one would expect only to find those closest to them attending.

Billy's had been the exception, mostly due to the expectation surrounding it. Still, Brock had been curious about that as well and if it had been an option left open to him, he would have availed himself of the opportunity, then again, judging by the provocative look Atticus had given him, when he suggested they call it a night and head back to their tent, the bulging lump in his trousers reminded him that it had been a couple of days since he and Atticus had some private time together and if they were both on the same wavelength, then the choice between the two options really wasn't that difficult, at least were he was concerned.

As they drew nearer their newly relocated tent, Brock turned to Atticus, nudging his shoulder against him playfully: "We should grab some beers before we shut ourselves in for the evening" Brock suggested, thinking that Atticus would simply agree and they'd head over to the new bivouac and fetch a six-pack from one of the coolers.

"No need." Atticus rumbled, a capricious expression on his face, as he yelled at Barin Young, who had been standing down by the fire talking with several of the other men from their unit, ordering him to grab a six-pack, nodding his head in the general direction of their tent before ushering Brock forward, in the same direction.

That reminded Brock, there was another thing he had been meaning to discuss with Atticus. The ever-present Barin Young.

Truth was, he didn't so much mind the camaraderie of his companionship, he found the youthful Marine at times amusing, but it was more about his constant presence.

Brock was certain, even if Atticus had said nothing to Barin, that no sooner had they entered their tent, that Barin would have showed up to stand guard outside it. Sometimes Brock wondered when he found time to sleep, since he always seemed to be hovering.

He had tried discussing Barin's constant presence with Atticus, but he had merely dismissed his concerns by insisting Barin was merely doing his duty since he was now bound to Atticus and by happenstance, Brock as well.

Not that Brock was complaining about that either. He knew the main reason why Atticus was always persistent that he orally service Barin as often as possible, that other than blood, there was no richer source for Heritage DNA than their sperm. But the last week and a half had been rather lean, and necessary duties had, at times, deprived Brock of both of them. Something he now intended to rectify by spending a little alone time with him tonight, which brought a devious smile to Brock's face as he hatched his own little plan, implementing it no sooner than they had entered their cozy tent.

As Brock pulled off his boots and lay down upon the double-wide air mattress they slept on, he focused his attention on Atticus, who stood, waiting expectantly by the entrance to their shared tent for Barin to appear with the beer.

Brock smiled deviously to himself, clearing his throat, knowing it would call Atticus's attention to him.

"Excuse me Mr. Walker, but have *WE* forgotten something?" He queried, arching his right eyebrow mischievously while staring lasciviously at his still fully clothed mate.

Atticus glared back at him for a moment, pausing as if he was formulating a response, before finally shrugging his shoulders and began disrobing, all the while giving Brock some serious side-eye glances.

"Don't go giving me attitude when you know perfectly well what the house rules are." Brock taunted, smiling devilishly as more and more of Atticus hirsute muscular body revealed itself as he stripped, much to Brock's obvious delight.

"Technically, we're in a tent, not a house," Atticus mumbled defensively as he knelt to unlace his Corps issue, dessert camo boots, before slipping them off his large hairy feet.

Brock sneered back at him: "A distinction without a difference, this tent is our home..." he waited to see if that would get a rise out of Atticus before adding: "Is it my fault you haven't provided a house for us to live in yet?"

It wasn't really his intent to shame Atticus for their current accommodations, he knew full well Atticus had no control over the situation, but it didn't hurt to hammer home, that with the start of construction on the compounds barrack structures, that was intended to house those of the Heritage that lived and trained there, that he had no intention of letting Atticus think that was a viable option for them as well.

Atticus stripped off his slacks and tossed them to the side, now standing completely nude in front of him, staring back at him: "I've already talked to Max and have made certain arrangements, but if this is becoming to cramped for you, I suppose we could discuss renting an apartment or something in Macon until those plans come through."

It was the seriousness of Atticus tone and facial expression that had made Brock chortle: "I was just pullin' your chain Walker, where we live means less to me than who we are forced to share that space with is all I'm really say'in'."

Atticus's brow furrowed as his eyes bore into Brock's: "Is this about the proximity of the others during our downtime or is this about Barin?" he asked, his voice twinged with the concern showing on his face.

Brock regarded him for a moment, rather surprised Atticus had so quickly zeroed in on the core issue.

"I know you've said that you claimed Barin and I understand how that relates within the Heritage, but how does that translate with me?" Brock asked. He was basically putting Atticus on the spot and he knew it, but he couldn't help but wonder how Atticus would define what Brock and Barin shared since it was done on his behest, but more than that, since he was Atticus's mate, what were the does and don'ts, if any?

Atticus looked at him quizzically, as if unclear as to what Brock was asking and responding in kind: "Are you asking me what the limitations are?"

Brock cautiously probed: "As it pertains to sex and our overall interactions..." He paused briefly, adding quickly: "I need to know the ground rules, like whats off-limits and what are you comfortable with?"

Nodding his head, a slight grin forming on his thick lips, Atticus mused: "Technically, the only limit is the same one you have with me, at this time you can not mount either one of us..."

Brock interjected: "Because of the whole alpha thing and not being chosen and saving yourselves, just in case one comes along that decides you're worthy to be made part of his pack?"

Atticus just shrugged his shoulders as he crossed the room to plop down beside him, his large callused hand coming up to caress his cheek affectionately: "We've discussed why I chose Barin to assist us, and I certainly hope you're not concerned with me becoming jealous or worse yet..." Atticus leaned forward and kissed Brock gently on the forehead: "I hope you don't think I don't care about you because of it."

Brock smiled broadly back up at him: "I don't think that, because I'm fairly certain if you did you would have probably ripped his head off by now."

Atticus just rolled his eyes thoughtfully before nodding his head in agreement.

Holding Atticus's gaze, Brock had one final question, the most pertinent one of this whole conversation: "Just to be clear, you've claimed Barin and he's now part of you, at least until some alpha comes along or you release him, correct?"

Atticus nodded his head cautiously his face a mask of unanswered questions.

As if on cue, there was a disturbance at the flap to the entrance of their tent and Brock pushed Atticus up into a sitting position as he turned sideways facing that general direction: "Come in Barin!" He announced, bringing his hand up to Atticus's lips to caution him into silence.

Atticus just shook his head knowingly, realizing that Brock had just somehow bested him in some way as he watched Barin Young enter the privacy of their tent.

He had no sooner closed the flap behind him and held the six-pack of beer up, offering it as proof of his purpose for being there, when Brock locked gazes with him and in his most matter of fact, conversational voice, he stated: "I know it hasn't been discussed previously Barin, but the standing rule in my domicile is that no member of the Heritage, who is cohabitant with me, is allowed to be clothed in my home."

Barin's face was an unreadable mask, but Brock caught the furtive glances he shot Atticus, in obvious deference toward his team leader and the very reason for his hesitancy.

Brock snapped his fingers tersely, drawing Barin's attention back to him: "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, as per the conditions stipulated in the Coaptandas, in our home, I make the rules." Brock emphasized his point by reaching between Atticus's legs and gripping his flaccid, thick phallus and began stroking it, before adding: "In here, Atticus obeys me and by association, now so do you..." He glowered sternly at Barin before smiling impishly at him: "Strip Lance Corporal, then bring that beer over here and join us in our bed."

There was a lingering moment Brock thought Barin was about to object, but instead he just shrugged his shoulders once again and quickly stripped, snatched up the six-pack, tore one-off, and offered it up to Brock as he knelt on the edge of their mattress and waited further instruction.

Brock took a healthy swig of the proffered beer before handing it to Atticus, who did the same, and in turn, handed it off to Barin, who finished it.

"A little liquid bravery gentlemen before the real fun begins." Brock chuckled as he sat up and thrust his mouth over Atticus's, kissing him deeply, drawing the man's wet tongue from the moist confines of his oral cavity, before turning his head and doing the same to Barin.

Barin was hesitant at first, it having been awhile since he had the occasion to kiss someone, but soon finding himself surrendering to Brock's probing oral digit and offering up his own in return.

Back and forth Brock traded spit filled, succulent lip smacking wet kisses with both men, before trying to push the two together, hopeful of watching the two swap spit, thus fulfilling one of his more tame fantasies regarding the pair. But Atticus bulked and turned his head away, resisting Brock's direction, his message loud and clear. Kissing Brock was one thing, kissing Barin was another.

Brock made a mental note. No fucking, no kissing. He hoped there wouldn't be many other such limitations or this was going to go to hell in a handbag real quick and spoil the fun he had been envisioning for quite some time now.

Atticus maneuvered himself directly parallel behind him, his thick hot lips seeking his right nipple as the tip of his tongue circled and teased his taut areola and his front teeth nibbled lightly on the nub, teasing it further into an erect state while his large sausage sized fingers reached around him and sought his erect, drooling cock and toyed with it, eliciting more than a few grunts and groans from him.

Not wanting Barin to feel left out, Brock reached for his thick swollen eight-inch erection and indicated for him to flip into a sixty-nine position and began teasing Barin's drooling cock-head with the tip of his own tongue, delving into the oozing piss slit and lapping up the copious amounts of dick dribble he managed to milk continuously from the swollen glans, before stuffing the peach sized, lavender-hued, mushroom-shaped knob into his hungry, sucking mouth.

Brock didn't know who had instigated it, but he soon felt a pair of wet lips encircling his own six-inch boner and he felt the entire length slip throat deep into Barin's moist mouth.

When he managed to look down his body, he could see Atticus's large hand on the back of Barin's head forcing him up and down on his dick, fucking his face faster and faster until it felt like he was practically skull fucking the stalwart, golden-haired young jarhead.

As much as Brock wanted to succumb to Barin's oral talents, he had other ideas, ones that would push the envelope of what his mate had experienced thus far.

Throwing his arm around Atticus broad thick neck, Brock pulled his lover's lips from his nipple and covered his mouth with his own, while simultaneously pushing Barin's hungry sucking mouth from his prod, gripping the short hair on the top of his head, and guiding his mouth toward Atticus's prodigious fourteen-inch cock.

Just as he had suspected, as soon as Atticus felt Barin's wet tongue begin to swirl around the massive, helmet-shaped glans of his dick, slaving, massaging and caressing it with his spittle, he felt Atticus try to pull away from him.

But Brock was prepared. Locking his free arm around Atticus's neck as he sucked his tongue into his mouth while forcing Barin's mouth over his massive knob, until it was securely sheathed in his oral cavity.

Brock could feel Atticus struggle slightly against him, he knew Atticus was uncomfortable with this new intimacy with another of his kind, but Brock wasn't having any of it and held fast, letting Barin's oral talents work on him a few more moments before breaking their kiss.

With a voice fully laden with lust and desire Brock instructed Atticus to stand up.

Never breaking eye contact with his mate, Atticus did as instructed, until he towered over Brock and Barin, his massive maypole dangling in midair above them, pulsing and palpitating in a near feverish heat, beckoning the two of them like moths to a flame.

Almost in unison, they both dove for it, their hungry wet lips and tongues swaddling and stroking it in copious amounts of spit and saliva, from the tip of its bloated head to the two lemon-sized, hirsute balls dangling below, before Brock swooped upward and engulfed the near apple-sized glans in his overstretched and straining mouth as he guided Barin's mouth to Atticus's large gonads and began stuffing them in Barin's mouth.

Brock pulled back momentarily, commanding Barin to suck his balls until he indicated otherwise, then dove back down on Atticus's schlong and began gulping its substantial girth and length down in spurts, like a snake consuming its prey, until the entire organ was completely subsumed within his mouth, throat, and esophagus, clear down to his thorax, and he was grinding his lips into Atticus thick, course pubes.

Not surprisingly, their actions elicited pangs of grunts and groans from his mate as his hands grasped the back of the suckling pairs heads and ground them into his groin, obviously relishing their twin endeavors.

Years of training on Max Donnelly's big cock was paying off for Brock, knowing full well his oral skills were second to none.

Long ago he had learned to work his throat muscles like an undulating sheave, milking even the biggest member without once having to back off, not even a fraction of an inch. Learning early on, at Max's insistence, to breath through his nose and around the girth-some thickness of his impaling dong.

It wasn't often he got to practice these skills, since Atticus seemed to prefer fucking, usually viewing oral sex as just a prelude to copulation, but not tonight.

Brock was determined to milk his man, force him to experience the sensation of having his balls and cock properly serviced unto completion.

Those efforts soon paid off, evidenced by the increased tightness of Atticus grip on the back of their heads as they both redoubled their efforts, sucking as hard as they could in alternating unison until they felt Atticus's massively muscular thighs begin to tremble and shake as the full force of a mind-blowing orgasm swept over him.

Every muscle in Atticus's body grew taut, sweat poured down his hairy body as he ground their faces into his crotch, his body jerking and spasming as he released the first pent up juices form his exploding cock.

Brock almost regretted not being able to taste the copious amounts of sperm that rocketed down his throat, but the near growling snarls escaping between Atticus's gritting teeth, was rewarding enough, knowing that he had given his mate yet another new experience he could add to the lexicon of ones he hoped to introduce his younger lover too.

With Atticus though, he knew that patience would be the key, Rome wasn't built in a day and good lovers were made, not born to it.

As they all three collapsed on the air mattress together, panting for breath with Brock sandwiched between them, he turned and kissed Barin on the lips before pivoting to his mate and doing the same.

Brock eased backward, his arms around both men's necks, eliciting a few chuckles when he asked between panting breaths: "Whose up next boys?"

                                                                       * * * * *

"Wow, did someone get the number of that truck?" Gavin heard himself say out loud, even though he had only intended it a passing thought.

He struggled to open his eyes, feeling very much like he had an elephant sitting on his chest.

In the span of mere seconds he went from wondering not only if the medallion Princess was lowering over his head would have any effect on him at all, to speculating how long it would take for him to feel any effect if his doubts never materialized. But the moment the cold metal of the silver medallion touched his skin, it had felt like someone had whacked him with a hundred pound feather sending him careening sideways across the room until he landed where he was now, on what felt like cold, smooth stone. But even more disconcerting than that, he also felt like he wasn't alone. That he was being watched.

The bizarre sensation he was being watched unnerved him enough to cause him to flutter his eyes open, while using his hands to push himself into a semi-prone position on what appeared to be a white marble dais or altar.

"Damn Gavin, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!" he mused to himself, his own voice once again sounding slightly odd and echoic, like he was in a cavern or something.

Gavin swung his legs over the side of the altar, letting his feet dangle over the edge as he used the palm of his hands to rub his eyes and try to bring them into focus, before pushing his weight forward until his feet found purchase on the smooth, polished stone floor below him.

As his vision began to clear and the golden mist that seemed to permeate his surroundings began to dissipate and fade, Gavin came to the realization he was standing in the archway of a large Grecian style structure, with massive colonnades spanning out on either side and stretching far into the sky above him, to only disappear in the thick foggy mist that wafted above, obscuring what he was certain was the true vastness of the structure.

Though his thoughts were still muddled and he still felt slightly discombobulated, the memories of Princesses experience nagged at his consciousness. Hadn't Timmy spoken of large white structures built atop a rocky mountain off in the distance from the shore he had stood upon?

Gavin knew the imagery that had invoked upon him at the time and had been mirrored by several of the others.

Taking into account who Timmy said he had encountered previously, it was no big leap of logic to conclude that where he stood now was Olympus or at least a reasonable facsimile of it.

Scared, but cautiously curious, Gavin pushed forward, stepping through the arch slowly as he clung closely to the gilded, intricately carved framing and molding, peering around its edge as he tried taking in the contents of the vast room that opened before him.

He had barely crossed the threshold when he haltingly stammered out a rather reserved *Hello?* almost instantly regretting it when to his left the cacophonous sound of snarling growls thundered noisily in the dark obscured shadows, breaking the silence at the far end of the room.

"Who dares invade the sanctum of the Gods?" came a booming, deep guttural, masculine voice from the murky void.

Wide-eyed and cautious, Gavin backed up a few paces, withdrawing from the large shadowy figure shrouded in the thin veil of gloomy distorted shade.

Gavin could just barely make out the large hulking form as it drew nearer the edge of the divide that separated light from dark, but not even his own fearful imagination could have prepared him for the massive figure that suddenly lurched ominously into the sun-dappled rays of golden sunshine.

If there had ever been a single representation of masculine perfection hone from the hardest stone or metal it now paled in comparison to what muscular sublimity now stood merely two yards in front of him.

Head to toe, he had to stand at least eight feet tall, his shoulders broader than the widest single doorway, just one of his large, massive hands could have easily encircled the entire circumference of one of his thighs.

To date, the single, largest, most muscular person Gavin had ever seen was Jake Bauers, with Arlis and Atticus Walker coming in a close second.

None of those three men held a candle in either size or stature when compared to this humongous creature. Any mental attempt of his to do so was shockingly laughable.

His shoulders looked like basketballs, his pectorals like two massive slabs of granite. His neck alone looked as wide as Gavin's waist and corded with thick ropes of striated muscle. His forearms were as broad as Gavin's thighs and his biceps were like cable wrapped bowling balls covered in thin, overstretched gauze.

Tight golden brown curls crowned the top of his otherwise shaven head and his large thick lips sneered tightly over flawless, pearl-colored teeth. There was the slightest shadow of thick facial growth spattered across his broad chin and squared jawline and his nostrils flared widely on either side of his upturned pug shaped nose. But it was the two heavy-browed, smoldering, fiery eyes that now bore icily into him that sent the chilling waves of trepidation shuddering through his body and a thin patina of sweat to break out all over his now cold clammy skin.

A sinister, bassy, rumbling chuckle echoed from the depths of the gargantuan beast of a man if he was in fact a man at all: "Does my presence so intimidate you daughter/son that you are reduced to quiver and cower like a spineless cur before your Sire?"

The fear that now gripped Gavin, caused his eyes to cast furtively about the room for anything he might use as a weapon, while simultaneously wondering if there was even the smallest chance he could outrun this creature and as he pondered the futility of his predicament, he happened to notice the twinkling glimmer of golden metal, flashing from a gossamer-thin chain wrapped and pulled tautly around its straining neck, cutting into his flesh.

As impossible as it may have seemed, it was apparent that this hulking creature was being restrained by the merest whisper of a thread thick metal chain circumventing his thorax.

Throwing caution to the wind, Gavin straighten his back and his resolve, bolstered by the fact that whoever this prodigious titan was, his blustering bravado was all he could truly muster from his current distance.

Still though, Gavin thought to himself, it might be best not try and antagonize him further.

"I'm sorry sir, I meant no disrespect, I don't even know why or how I got here, let alone where I actually am." He stated, as calmly as he could under the circumstances.

The giant snorted gruffly, eyeing Gavin with disdain, before snidely responding: "I know who you are daughter/son and I know why you're here and who you seek audience with." he paused for moment as if to study Gavin's physical reaction before continuing: "Like the mother of your kind you seek to undo mine and he who sleeps work, but unlike your mother, I yet hold agency within your realm, my sons even now work to thwart you and all of your line daughter/son, you will not prevail against me and against the will of he who slumbers."

Gavin's brain kicked into overdrive, running through everything Princess/Timmy had said and what he already knew about Greek mythology. He was certain this entity was referring to Aphrodite, something that became obvious when he invoked the word mother to describe the one who gave people like him birth. Princess had told him Aphrodite had said she was the mother of their kind, but what Gavin didn't yet understand, was why was this guy calling him daughter/son, the implication being that if Aphrodite was the mother of his kind then he considered himself to be the father, but hadn't Aphrodite told Princess that Trojan prince Anchises was the mortal male who sired their line?

"Excuse me..." Gavin interjected thoughtfully, positing: "Aphrodite said that Anchises was the sire to my lineage, are you saying that's who you are?"

Upon hearing his question, the entity lurched forward, pulling hard against the delicate gold chain around his neck, every muscle in his body straining with near Herculean effort, his fist clenching, eyes two blazing, smoldering flames as he snarled and growled back at him.

After a few interminably long moments, that left Gavin more than a little shaken by his ferocity, the entity seemed to regain some of his former composure, though he didn't totally relax.

Visibly restraining the vehemence behind his words, the entity responded: "While what you say is truth, it is also true, that through the mortal maiden Rhea, a descendant daughter of Aeneas, I sired my sons and your line in accordance with he who sleeps blessings."

Gavin felt a gust of warm air push past him from behind him as the entity finished speaking, when he heard a light, lilting almost musical voice intone from the same direction of the jasmine-scented breeze that brushed past him.

"I think only you and he would consider rape a blessing, plaything."

Gavin whirled around to confront this new presence, instantly recognizing it by previous description, as Aphrodite.

Princess/Timmy had been perfectly correct, the beautiful creature with the golden glow that now moved slowly toward him in motions of pure, suggestive liquid grace, belied every notion of gender or sex, appearing neither male or female, yet also defying the notion of androgeny.

To Gavin, with every diaphanous movement, the creature he thought of as Aphrodite seemed to shift between the two as fluidly as light reflecting off of polished crystal.

Gavin didn't even flinch as the entity's soft and nimble fingers clasped him by the shoulder and pivoted him away from the now growling giant behind them: "Ignore Ares, he gets a little testy before his daily milking."

The entity said this while batting its eyes coyly in what Gavin could only describe as feigned bashfulness. He was slightly impressed by it being able to tint its cheeks a rosy color just to add to the obvious illusion.

Finally finding his voice, Gavin asked timidly: "You are the one Princess calls Aphrodite aren't you?"

The entity threw its head back and laughed whimsically: "I see our daughter/son has chosen their name, I do not see you as having such a problem."

Gavin thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement: "Nope, no problem at all..." he lifted his hand in a gesture of salutation, thinking maybe perhaps a more formal greeting was in order: "My name is Gavin Hollis, its a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The entity brushed his hand aside and threw its arms around him in a warm and affectionate embrace: "No need for such formalities daughter/son. Come, walk with me, we have much to discuss and little time to do so."

Gavin allowed Aphrodite to guide him down a long portcullis, putting some distance between him and the entity it had called Ares, before speaking again.

They walked together in silence for awhile, until Aphrodite slipped a hand in his and guided him to the edge of a rampart that overlooked a vast sparkling azure ocean.

Off in the distance a large, white bilious cloud seemed to float and hover on the ocean and it was this cloud that Aphrodite pointed out to him: "There is the purchase into this realm I granted your sister/brother..."

Gavin tried to recall everything Princess had told him about the small island and what Aphrodite had told him about it, but he said nothing other than to acknowledge he was aware of what the entity was talking about.

"The way has been prepared for all my daughter/sons to enter at will, but the one called Princes is the key that will unlock that door..."Aphrodite squeezed his hand firmly, drawing his attention and locking their eyes together: "Daughter/son, beseech the one called Princess to pursue the second half of Gemini, only when both are united can they unlock our daughter/son and prepare the way for the unification with the chosen mate. Tell our daughter/son, that until this happens, the path to this realm will remain blocked and none of my daughter/sons will be able to fulfill their great purpose."

Gavin looked at Aphrodite quizzically before asking: "What is this great purpose? Princess spoke of it, but didn't understand either."

The entity smiled softly, bringing its right hand up to brush across Gavin's belly as it batted its glimmering blue eyes suggestively at him: "That must yet remain unspoken, there are ears that may yet hear and grasp our grand design, leaving an opportunity that might yet vex our purpose."

Gavin sighed in frustration, realizing pursuing that train of thought was going to lead to nowhere, he decided to change course: "You said that Princess had achieved the first half of Gemini, what is Gemini and where can Princess find the second half?"

Aphrodite giggled before sweeping its index finger up and tapped him on the nose: "Gemini is not a what, it is half of a whole, split at birth, but forever tethered together...Our daughter/son has already claimed half, but the second will not be so willing and may take some convincing, but we are certain the one called Princess will prevail, though our daughter/son may need to enjoin favor with their future mate to achieve it."

Gavin scratched his head, almost to afraid to ask what he was certain was the most obvious question of all: "Who is Princesses mate?"

The entity twirled away from him, laughing gleefully as it pirouetted into a graceful bow: "Why the beast who most covets their affections, but is to proud to make his feelings known directly so soon after meeting!"

Aphrodite rolled its eyes as if what was just said was the most obvious thing in the known universe, before concluding: "Tell our daughter/son not to worry, the beast will visit soon and his intentions will become more clear as well as his link to the other half of Gemini."

Exasperated, Gavin was about to push for more details and clarity, when the entity slipped their arm through his and began nudging them back the way they had come.

"Enough of this discourse..." Aphrodite said, the entities visage growing more focused and resolute: "Our time grows short and we have tarried to long on this topic, there is more you must yet hear and take back with you."

Gavin took that for what it was, a brush off and he willed his mind to refocus, knowing there was nothing further to be gained by persisting, choosing instead to listen, even though everything that seemed to come out of Aphrodite's mouth sounded like a riddle wrapped up in a conundrum.

They had barely taken a few steps before the entity once again began to bombard him with more tales of caution and potential future portents and Gavin did his best to retain it all without eating up their time with to many questions.

"Daughter/son take heed..." Aphrodite began, the entities voice soft but firm: "I know of your fondness for one particular beast and I commend you for your selection, but caution you to proceed slowly, to achieve the outcome you desire from him, he must first find his own worth..." The entity paused, turning to him to lock gazes momentarily: "This is true for most beast and men, be patient and supportive without smothering him with affection. The time will come soon when you and he must align yourselves, choose wisely and not from a sense of camaraderie and loyalty, for that will occur with the fullness of time"

As Aphrodite began walking again, Gavin followed, contemplating the entities words as it continued: "The White Wolf grows stronger with each passing day, but you must caution him to personally stay his hand when events unfold and the opportunity to strike at the weaker of his enemies presents itself. If needs must, convince the twice-born prince that you and your sister/brother will aid in this enemies fall."

The tone in Aphrodite's voice grew darker, tinged in ominous wariness: "Be aware, even this move will push your true enemies hand and the White Wolf must tread carefully and conserve his strength, for his second challenge might prove fatal if he is not prepared."

Gavin didn't like the sound of that, but had to ask: "If that is his second challenge, what is his first?"

The entity glanced at him, but didn't stop this time: "He already knows what he must do. He, our daughter/son and the twice-born prince have started down the correct path, but you would be wise to implore him, to push the twice-born prince to stake his claim and for the White Wolf to cajole or command, if need dictates, the elder beast of his tribe to summon the leader of the twelve, for it is he that will seek to restrain the twice-born prince, and that must not be allowed to happen or the White Wolf will not be strong enough to face his second challenge, though, if our daughter/son has not yet united Gemini and unlocked the passage to the space within this realm, then the White Wolf and others, and even our daughter/son, my fall and the future of the world will be plunged into eternal darkness."

Aphrodite had no sooner finished conveying this last ominous portent, when Gavin found they had returned to their starting point.

"I fear our time is up daughter/son, your realm calls to you and I must release you to it."

Gavin could feel it too. It felt like invisible hands were pulling him back toward the altar that he had awoken upon and as he fought to resist it, he watched as Aphrodite approached Ares, who appeared not to have budged an inch from where they had left him.

He glowered between both of them, though he barely reacted when Aphrodite reached up to pat the side of his face.

Ares dwarfed Aphrodite, yet the entity seemed to be in complete control of him, evidenced when Aphrodite's hand drew back and slapped him hard across the face, drawing his fiery gaze, blazing full of venomous rage.

Aphrodite just tugged suggestively at the white linen sheet that covered his body like a toga: "Who gave you permission to cover your body!?" the entity demanded, before raising its hand once again as if to strike him another blow.

To Gavin's surprise, Ares flinched, before bowing his head and like a child caught doing something they shouldn't have, whipped the sheet from his body to stand completely naked, with his head bowed.

Aphrodite turned to face Gavin one more time and just winked at him as the entity stepped aside slightly, giving Gavin a full view of Ares naked body.

Gavin's eyes went wide in shocked amazement, even as his backward momentum brought him into contact with the marble altar.

Between Ares legs, flopping limply between his thighs was the most massive, gargantuan cock he had ever seen draped over a pair of melon-sized balls.

He was certain he heard himself gasp as he marveled hypnotically at the magnificent appendage.

It had to be as thick as his forearm, completely flaccid, the head was at least as large as his balled-up fist and the thing hung down between his knees like a fleshy, pendulous trunk.

The last thing Gavin saw clearly before a white mist subsumed him, was Aphrodite's delicate hand petting Ares's cock making it grow and expand as it engorged with blood, and as the hazy fog obscured his vision completely, Gavin was certain, the last thing he saw was Ares's half-hard dong growing bigger and longer than Gavin's entire arm.

As his consciousness slipped and he fell into the vast void between time and space, the last thing he heard was his own voice saying: "Well, that certainly explains a lot!"

ChapterTwelve:

“A Ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons.”

            Adm. David Dixon Porter, USN in a letter to

         Colonel Commandant John Harris, USMC, 1863

                                         * * * * *

"Earth to Baxter" Hank Bauers teased as he held his hand out for the three-quarters inch wrench Baxter held in his own, as he stared off into space.

Since Monday, when they got word that JD's son Jakson had been born and that Jake and he would be arriving with baby in tow later today, both he and Hank had been doing their level best to get Jake's old room set up for them.

Baxter still didn't know what to make of all this, let alone how he felt about it all. He knew what Billy had suspected about JD and Timmy Anderson, but he hadn't placed a lot of stock in it, especially when coupled with the knowledge that JD was an expectant father at the time. It just hadn't added up to him.

Being around Billy did that to him. Even when they were kids, Billy's way of approaching things was always straightforward, linear by nature and Baxter had always seen his role in Billy's life as the one to point out that though two plus two did indeed equal four, that three plus one did as well, as did six minus two. His point always being, that there was always more than one way to think about something.

"How long have you known that Jake and JD had...um, "feelings" for each other?" Baxter asked, handing the wrench over, as he cautiously met Hank's eyes.

Hank regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before answering: "I've known Jake had feelings for JD since he was about sixteen, for JD, harder to say, he's always been a bit of a wild card when it comes to his feelings."

Baxter took that in for a moment, wondering how Hank knew about Jake, or whether they had discussed it or something, and as Hank finished tightening the last bolt to the crib they were assembling, he kind of threw Baxter for a loop when he suddenly asked: "How long have you had feelings for Billy?"

There was a sudden sense of panic that surged hotly through him. He could feel the cheeks of his face flush and his pulse race and he began feeling very much like he had just stepped into a trap. Worse yet, a trap of his own making.

Unable to make eye contact with the older man, Baxter stared nervously at the floor in front of him, fiddling absentmindedly with the laces of his shoe: "Is it that obvious?" he finally stammered, his voice low and cautious.

Hank knew he had to tread carefully now, but he also didn't like the idea of lying to the young man either. The fear in his voice at being "found out" paled in comparison to the pheromonal stench of that fear: "Its okay Baxter, there's no judgement to be found here. As a matter of fact..." he paused, placing a comforting hand on the youths shoulder, before adding: "It might interest you to know, that Jake and JD weren't the only ones to get married that day at the compound."

Baxter shot him a few quick tentative glances. His innate curiosity almost getting the better of him, but his trepidation's keeping him from asking.

Smiling, while hoping what he said next would put Baxter more at ease: "Max and Carl jumped the broom right after Jake and JD, and guess who walked Carl down the isle?"

Baxter almost instinctively knew the answer, but was still to much in shock over the initial news to give voice to it.

Hank chuckled at the look of shock on Baxter's face, knowing full well the illusions he was shattering in the young mans mind: "Gotta tell ya kid, seeing Billy all decked out in that suit..." Hank whistled, while simultaneously rolling his eyes: "If I were twenty years younger, I'd be tempted to give you a run for your money for a chance to hit that."

Baxter couldn't believe what he was hearing, his eyes growing even wider when Hank whipped out his phone and showed him a picture of Billy in a snug blue suit, smiling profusely, with Carl similarly attired, walking arm and arm between two groups of seated guest.

The look of shock and dismay continued to subsume Baxter's expressions as Hank flipped through the various pictures he had taken before and after the wedding ceremonies and Baxter's previous angst seemed to slowly evaporate, that is, until a group photo showing Billy with JD, Jake, Timmy Anderson and two others.

Seeing that image made the smile fade from his face, replaced the nervous trepidation he felt before about someone figuring out his long-held secret concerning his feelings for Billy, and was almost instantly replaced with what Hank could sense was sadness mixed with... anger?

Almost snatching the phone from Hank's hand, he watched as Baxter zeroed in on the other two in the image, enlarging it and then thrusting the phone back at Hank and asking brusquely: "Isn't that Gavin Hollis and if I'm not mistaken Jason Dunne?"

The sharp, accusatory tone in Baxter's voice confused Hank, not understanding why that was so obviously upsetting him, pushing Hank to query: "Baxter, whats wrong, did I say something that upset you?"

"Upset me!" Baxter bristled, Hank detecting both anger and sadness in his tone now: "Let's see..." he paused, more for dramatic effect, tapping his chin sardonically as he rolled his eyes upward, a move that so reminded Hank of his father Russel, back when they were part of Bannor Griffen's pack: "I was told repeatedly, that I couldn't go to the compound for Billy's eighteenth birthday ceremony because you had to be eighteen to participate, well, I know for a fact that Gavin Hollis and Jason Dunne are both seventeen, the same age I am!..." Baxter was practically fuming now, the raw emotion in his voice showing equally on his face: "JD I can understand. At least he and Billy are blood related, but Max, Billy and all you others have always told me that I was part of the family, yet they let complete strangers, who are the same age as me, join in a huge family event? Not only did they leave me out of it, they didn't even bother to mention it!?"

The pain in Baxter's voice cut through Hank like a knife and he wondered how he could have been so careless. Of course he'd feel left out, especially over something so momentous.

Max and Carl had both discussed the need to distract Baxter for the next two weeks, until it was time for his own Heritage ceremony. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what would have happened if Billy was allowed to see Baxter before then, especially so soon after his transformation, which was tough enough coming to grips with, without also having to deal with the complex emotions and strong sexual under current they both felt for each other.

The real problem Hank had right now, was how could he explain it all in a manner that didn't come across as completely disingenuous?

Unfortunately, Baxter didn't give him a chance too: "Ya know what, forget it, I'm done with this bullshit." he chafed, brushing past Hank, making a beeline to the room he was using and slamming the door shut behind him.

"Damn Bauers, ya stuck your foot in that one" Hank grumbled to himself, while also wondering how he was going to handle this one. Ultimately, he decided that perhaps it was best if he just gave Baxter some space, at least give him time to cool down.

Hank did just that, busying himself with putting the crib in the spot he had picked out, near the queen size bed in Jake's old room and cleaning up the last of the mess they had made in putting it together.

His timing couldn't have been better. He had no sooner finished sweeping the room a final time when his son and JD, with baby Jakson in tow, arrived, looking a little travel-worn and more than a little hungry.

He was relieved when Baxter made an appearance to greet the new arrivals, though he still seemed a bit distant, even with them, the exception being Jakson, who he doted over right up to the time they sat down for dinner.

Though slightly reserved during their meal time conversation, with both Jake and JD detailing their experiences both at the hospital and at Carl's old house, the one they would be moving into when Jake's transfer came through, that it once again kicked off with Baxter, when JD made an innocuous statement about how Baxter should have been there to have seen the frightened look on Billy's face the first time he held Jakson.

"You're right JD..." Baxter retorted dismissively, adding: "Then again, I wasn't even welcome to the weddings or Billy's birthday celebration, so why bother with something as momentous as a child being born. After all, it's not like I'm part of the family or anything."

Hank could hear the hurt in Baxter's voice, saw it reflected in the eyes of both Jake and JD as they both nervously dropped their gaze to the near-empty plates before them, moving Hank to make a response: "Baxter, suffice it to say, that Max had his reasons for you not being at the compound during Billy's ceremony, not least of which was your own protection."

"Oh, I see... " Baxter retorted snidely: "It wasn't safe for me but was just fine for two weddings that I was also conveniently not invited too." He paused for a moment, before quickly adding: "Max told me I couldn't go to the compound during Billy's birthday bash because I wasn't old enough, yet I find out that both Gavin Hollis and Jason Dunne were there?"

Both JD and Jake looked up simultaneously at the mention of Jason's name: "Jason was there to meet a grandfather he didn't know he had and Gavin just had his eighteenth birthday I do believe." JD noted, his voice sounding empty and flat, since he knew he was telling Baxter half-truths and he was certain Baxter knew it too, as visions of his own mother's gruesome death yet lingered to remind him.

As if on cue Jakson began to make fussing noises, letting them know he was awake and apparently quite hungry.

As both Jake and JD left the table to tend their newborn, Baxter continued to stare Hank down, making it apparent he wasn't about to let this issue go.

"Listen Baxter..." Hank began cautiously: "Max is only doing what he thinks is best for you."

Without batting an eye, Baxter responded coldly: "Oh, so what your saying is Max doesn't want me hanging or being around Billy anymore. I'm not stupid Hank, I know it was Max who talked my mother into taking me away for two weeks and I know it was Max who talked you into baby sitting me for awhile. What is he hoping will happen, that he can keep Billy and I apart long enough that we stop being friends or is he afraid I might somehow seduce him and pull his focus away from whatever future Max has planned for him?"

Hank hated this. On the one hand he knew that what Baxter was saying was in part the truth, but it wasn't with Billy's future in mind, but Baxter's that Max made this call, and though it wasn't his place to second guess his Alpha, he was beginning to see that perhaps there was some truth in what Carl had suggested right before he left. Maybe it wasn't always prudent or even the best decision to keep the true nature of the Heritage a secret from those affected by it. Maybe if Baxter knew the real reason he'd feel less like an outsider, or worse yet, like he was being deliberately pushed away from those he had come to think of as his family.

Of course, the truth was, they all knew that once Baxter claimed his own Heritage, and he and Billy once again reunited on a more even keel, that they would both come to see each other more clearly and that nature, as they say, would take its due course.

There was never any doubt. Not since they'd both hit puberty. Billy and Baxter were destined to be together, and after the way Billy took the news, revealed by both Max and Carl about Baxter being gay, he was half expecting to find Billy beating on his door at any given time, insisting on seeing him.

Hank knew that knowing all of this himself did little to assuage Baxter's mounting fears and doubts.

"Maybe, if you called Billy and talked to him, you'd feel less like everyone is plotting to keep you guys apart?" Hank suggested, searching Baxter's continence for any sign that such an action could alleviate some of the discord that seemed to subsume his thoughts currently.

Baxter just shook his head, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling with mock indifference: "Funny thing about phones, for the last three weeks mine seems only capable of making calls out. Not once in all that time has Billy, or any of the others for that matter, attempted to contact me in any way, shape, or form."

He paused for a moment, glaring across the table at Hank, letting him ponder the significance of his words before adding brusquely: "So tell me Hank, why should I bother calling Billy, or anyone else for that matter?"

Hank didn't know what to say to him. Actually, to be precise, he did know, he just wasn't permitted to do so.

Of course, his silence only fueled Baxter's determination: "Ya know, I've changed my mind..." Baxter voice was infused with sardonic mockery: "I am going to make a phone call. I'm gonna call my mom and see if she can get me a one way bus ticket back home."

With that bold proclamation, Baxter rose from the table and turned to head toward the room he was staying in.

Hank sighed heavily: "You can't do that Baxter. Max wants you to wait here until your birthday."

Baxter whirled around, a fiery defiance in his glare: "Are you telling me I'm a prisoner here, until Max decides to summon me?"

That got a rise out of Hank. Being upset was one thing, being disrespectful was another.

Leaning back in his chair, on the other side of the kitchen table, Hank glowered back at him, responding tersely: "Max Donnelly has treated you like a son, out of respect for your father. He didn't have too, but he promised your dad he'd look out for you and your mother and all Max has ever done is exactly that."

Baxter continued to glare back at him, but that didn't deter Hank: "How do you think your father would react if he heard the way your talking right now?!"

Baxter winced at Hank's rebuff at the mention of his father, making him even more determined to make his point: "There's absolutely no one that knew Russel Whitmore better than me and I can assure you, he'd be ashamed of the way his son is talking about the man he not only trusted his life to, but entrusted the care for the two people that meant more to him than anything or anyone else, in this world or the next."

Hank's harsh words seemed to take the wind out of Baxter's sails, as he lowered his gaze thoughtfully.

It was a few long moments before Baxter gave him a more measured and temperate response: "That may be true, I can barely remember my dad sometimes. But he's not here anymore and I know for a fact that Max, you and the other's are keeping something from me and I'm sick of people trying to manipulate me." Baxter's eyes reflected the resolute determination behind them: "I'm done with it! I'm done with you, Max and even Billy and all I want to do is go home and figure out what I want to do going forward, not what everyone else wants me to do and if my mom refuses to get me a bus ticket, then I'll just hitch hike home, either way, I'm leaving."

Hank felt the forlornness that was radiating off of him, and he tried one last time to appeal to him: "Baxter, please try to be patient for a little while longer, I promise you, two weeks from now, after your Heritage ceremony everything will become clearer to you."

He watched hopefully as Baxter stood there, shaking his head. Hoped against hope he would see reason. But to his dismay, Baxter's resolve solidified: "That's just it Hank, I don't want any part of that anymore. I don't care about some rite of passage BS. I don't need it to confirm who I am."

"You can't be serious Baxter, your father would insist..."

Baxter interrupted him: "Like I said, my dad isn't here and what he may or may not have wanted for me is a totally mute point. I don't want it, and nothing you or Max or even my mother have to say is going to persuade me otherwise. I refuse to participate in some stupid ritual that has everyone around me acting like it should be the most important event of my life. Well, it's not and I want nothing to do with it, period!"

Baxter turned away from Hank and headed for his room, already pulling the phone out from his pants pocket to call his unsuspecting mom.

Carding his fingers through the short blond hair on his head, Hank Bauers groaned inwardly, admitting defeat, calling out to Baxter before he disappeared behind closed doors: "Don't bother your mom. I'm off duty tomorrow, I'll drive you home."

Baxter nodded his head and gave Hank a wane smile before stepping into his room and shutting the door.

Hank stood there for a moment, staring after him, with only one thought on his mind: "Boy, Max is just going to love this!"

                                                                      * * * * *

Billy and Jason sat there in the reliquary, anxiously waiting for Gavin and Princess to show up for their planned meeting, scheduled earlier, not long after Gavin woke up from his night-long incapacitation.

The tale Gavin had spun for them all, about the visions and encounters he had undergone, had spurred considerable, enthusiastic speculation from both Danal and Hadrian. By the end of Gavin's oration, both looked troubled and had grown introspective and uncharacteristically reserved, thoughtful and mostly silent, asking only a few questions, seemingly more for clarification in how it was said than what was said.

It had all seemed fantastical to both Billy and Jason at the time, but the hushed and furtive queries and looks they shot each other and the overall, almost conspiratorial whispers in each others ears and the mounting look of troubled anxiety building between them, lent to the air of mystery both Billy and Jason now felt toward the two elderly, more experienced men.

By the time Gavin had finished his initial recounting, they had all pretty much looked to Danal and Hadrian for their take on the events Gavin had described, finding many aspects of it deeply troubling, while others just left them scratching their heads. But, when neither Danal or Hadrian seemed willing or motivated to speculate or share what they thought was going on, Gavin grew visibly frustrated, turning to Billy and saying he had a few ideas of his own but needed several hours to do some research and asked if they could all meet up in the early evening to discuss his findings.

Everyone had agreed and they tentatively set a time to reconvene at seven pm in the reliquary, and that time was now rapidly approaching.

"I wish your father and Carl were going to be here for this meeting" Danal stated off hand, his nose still buried in one of the many manuscripts that laid sprawled out before him. Hadrian was meandering around the room, similarly engrossed in one of the many books he had pulled from the collections along the bookshelf lined walls of the reliquary.

Billy sat there beside Jason on the other side of the long wooden table that separated them from Danal, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the worn wooden surface: "Dad said he and Carl probably wouldn't be back until either late Sunday or early Monday."

Billy had spoken with his father earlier, filling him in on the recent events while not going into to much detail regarding Gavin's experiences. The news didn't seem to hold as much surprise to his dad as he thought it might, nor did it seem to warrant his speedy return, since he and Carl still planned on heading straight to his grandfathers estate, which was only about ten miles form the compound, as soon as they left Albany.

They all knew that Max and Carl were going to reopen the old manor house temporarily while they worked on their new house there at the compound, but it also seemed more than that. It was like his father, after turning the reigns of the compound over to Jason, was deliberately stepping back, making Billy believe his dad was testing them somehow, perhaps to see how well they acted under pressure or without him and Carl there to micromanage everything.

If that was the case, Billy thought to himself, then he and Jason fully intended to do exactly that. Run things their way, and right now, the biggest obstacle impeding their way at the moment, was Danal and Hadrian's reticence in divulging what they knew or at least suspected, and both he and Jason were starting to get very annoyed by their behavior.

Billy knew there was a lot more riding on this meeting than a fact-finding expedition. What happened here tonight could very well set the course for the entire compound, if not the entire southern regional district and he was determined that both Danal and Hadrian understood that.

What was abundantly clear to both Billy and Jason was that the Heritage was broken, and it had been broken for a very long time, and Billy especially felt that a big part of that brokenness could be traced right back to it's foundations. The Codex, and by association, the Council of Greges itself. Jason had said it best himself earlier, while they strategized with Brock and Atticus after Princess and Gavin left them to attend to personal needs and begin Gavin's research. Almost everything anyone in the Heritage knew about the Codex came, by and far, mostly from the Council. Jason's exact words were: "If the Heritage is so fucked up, then whose mostly to blame for that?"

Of course, that question lead them all directly back to square one. The Codex and the ones entrusted to translate it, the Council.

It was with these thoughts in mind Billy now stated: "I certainly hope, once Gavin and Princess get here, that the two of you plan on being a little more co-operative in divulging what you know or suspect concerning what's going on with Gavin and Princess and their "encounters."

Both Danal and Hadrian's attention suddenly shifted from their reading material to glower back at him, but it was Danal who spoke: "As the Green Father of the Southern District, I'll keep my own council on what is divulged and when young man."

Billy was about to respond when Jason abruptly interjected: "If you don't intend to be of assistance then perhaps you shouldn't be here."

Danal eyed Jason suspiciously, his brow furrowing. Billy suspected a fair amount of self restraint was being employed behind the icy blue glower boring into Jason, more so from Danal than Hadrian, who seemed rather flummoxed and growing a bit anxious at the intensity building between the pair.

It didn't surprise Billy that Danal's response was both measured and unrelenting: "What I won't be young man is bullied into compliance in matters you clearly don't understand."

"If we don't understand..." Billy interjected, a cold calm enveloping his resolve: "...then who is to blame for that, the persons seeking guidance from those entrusted to advise or the advisor who refuses such guidance?"

A voice from behind them, signalling the arrival of Gavin and Princess, mirrored Billy's sentiment: "If a teacher withholds information, is he truly a teacher or is he just manipulating the actions of those around him for his own outcome?"

Gavin stood there, looking like he hadn't rested much since they last saw him. The dark circles around his eyes augmenting the redness within from what must have been hours worth of sustained study.

Princess stood beside him, as bouncy and ephemeral as ever, but just as resolute as his new companion: "I should have brought popcorn, this is going to be fun!" he intoned wistfully as he almost floated across the room until he landed in a seat next to a now stoic Danal, eying him bemusedly as Gavin took a seat next to Billy, opening his laptop and pulling up some notes he had made earlier.

"I think, what everyone is asking..." Princess asked wistfully: "Are you here to contribute or are you just planning on being the grumpy grandpa that yells at the kids to keep off his lawn?"

Danal sighed heavily, still staring at Billy as if trying to dissect him with his eyes: "We wouldn't have spent the better part of the day pouring through the various manuscripts and books we have on the ancient gods if we weren't trying to get to the bottom of all this." His eyes darted over to Jason, adding: "Because I think that Max and Carl should be here for this little tete a tete doesn't mean I plan on withholding anything from the rightful, albeit youthful new Alpha."

Danal then turned back to Billy, giving him a stern look: "Despite your earlier impressions, let me assure you William, that just because we refrained from speculation earlier, we did so because we wanted time to confirm our suspicions before commenting out of ignorance, something all of you could apparently learn from!"

At Danal's mild reprimand Jason just cocked one eye while Billy nodded his head in acquiescence: "I apologize if we got it wrong, but if that is the case, it's because you left us with that impression to begin with."

"Perhaps..." Hadrian offered as he took a seat at the head of the table on either side of both Danal and Jason, his eyes furtively glancing between the two: "... it would be best if we all chose to forget this matter and move onto what is really prescient?"

There was silence in the room for a few tense moments as everyone seemed to weigh their options, but it was Billy who spoke up first: "If everyone is in agreement, then perhaps the one who personally experienced the event we're discussing should begin with what he's found out."

All eyes turned to Gavin as he nodded back at Billy, a feint smile forming at the corner of his lips: "Thanks Billy." He began haltingly: "Might I suggest we start with a brief history lesson about the Gods themselves, or more precisely Aphrodite."

Gavin paused for a second, scrolling through his notes as he cleared his throat before beginning again: "First of all, I read through countless descriptions from various sources, but much of what I'm going to relay is from the oldest of those sources, since his comes the closest to what we already know or suspect."

"Your speaking about Hesiod's Theogony I assume?" Danal posited, arching an eyebrow quizzically as he awaited confirmation.

"Correct." Gavin stated pointedly before resuming: "By all accounts from various Greek writers and scholars, Aphrodite was known as the god of love, sexuality, pleasure, beauty, passion and procreation."

"As Venus, the Romans attributed her as the God of victory as well." Hadrian offered hesitantly, his eyes nervously scanning the others in fear he had spoken out of turn.

"That's good to know" Gavin noted, typing the info into his computer, adding it to his list, before resuming: "By various different accounts, Aphrodite is given credit for seventeen different children, one of which Princess pointed out contradicts what Aphrodite stated themselves, but amongst those was Eros, Phobos, Peitho, Priapus, the Three Graces, Aeneas, Hermaphroditus to name a few. Eros we removed because Aphrodite told Princess that was just one of their many names, but the one of interest on that list is Aeneas, but I'll be coming back to him later"

Gavin went on to explain the history of Aphrodite. From their creation, which resulted in having risen forth from sea foam after Kronos threw Ouranos's (his father) severed genitals into the ocean. This actually making Aphrodite the oldest of the Greek Olympians. From what Gavin could tell, even older than Zeus. But, he also pointed out that Ares was one of the youngest gods, being the only legitimate child of both Zeus and Hera and a frequent lover to Aphrodite.

"Fuck buddy more like it." Princess concluded offhandedly, with Gavin nodding in agreement, stating there didn't appear to be any romantic interest between the two that he observed, though clearly having sex wasn't a problem for either of them.

Going on to briefly recount the history of Zeus's battle with his father Kronos and the subsequent victory of the Olympians over the Titans and their banishment to Hades with the exception of Prometheus. Gavin pointed out how Zeus counseled Prometheus, who was given the task of molding mankind out of clay, and who then attempted to better the lives of his creation, which brought him into conflict with Zeus. How tricking the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man, resulted in Zeus withholding fire from them. It was then that Prometheus stole it from Zeus and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk.

As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora (the first female) as a means to deliver misfortune by way of a curse to man, and as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits of camaraderie, something Zeus feared as he foresaw a time, that if left unchecked, man might grow to rival the power of the gods and thus potentially overthrow them and himself.

"Are you telling us..." Billy interrupted, a look of incredulity written on his face: "That females didn't exist until then?"

Jason also commented, just as skeptically: "Then how did they make babies if women didn't exist?"

"Maybe they didn't need to" Danal speculated, adding: "Maybe like the gods, the original men were immortal, either that, or..."

Hadrian finished his thought for him: "Maybe they didn't need women to procreate."

Gavin began typing furiously on his keyboard, taking notes: "Maybe that is something to investigate further later on or to ask Aphrodite if we get the chance to again."

"Yes" Danal agreed: "food for thought at another time perhaps, though it does beg the question, if Zeus had Prometheus create females, then what was Aphrodite, Hera and the other gods we have long thought of as female?"

"I think both. Princess and I can attest that Aphrodite neither appeared to be either male or female and both at the same time. Maybe all the gods are like that, though I have to say, Ares appeared to be most definitely male!" Gavin speculated, looking to the others for confirmation.

Princess smiled wickedly: "Judging by your description, I'd definitely be up for checking that out for myself given the opportunity."

Billy just shook his head as Gavin rolled his eyes mockingly: "I don't think you'd survive that encounter dude."

"Perhaps not..." Princess ceded, winking lecherously back at him: "But I do love a challenge."

"Well, let's hope you don't get the chance." Jason quipped bemusedly, drawing that topic to a close as he indicated for Gavin to continue.

Gavin was more than happy to move on from Princesses lascivious expositions, while simultaneously admiring the candor in the way the latter conducted himself. There was far more to Princess/Timmy than Gavin had previously thought and he mentally chided himself for not seeing that earlier on. A mistake he didn't intend to repeat going into the future.

"Moving on..." Gavin began anew: "All of that was just to set up the foundation for what transpired later."

"Aeneas?" Danal posited, peering quizzically back at Gavin, his fingers forming a steeple that partially obscured his lips.

"Yes" Gavin affirmed, adding: "Apparently, there was no love lost between Zeus and Aphrodite over this supposed curse on man. Perhaps Aphrodite saw their role as nurturer and protector being somehow diminished or attacked by Zeus's jealous self absorption."

"Do you think that's why she took the mortal Anchises to be her lover, to somehow thwart Zeus's machinations?" Hadrian queried, his eyes wide with thought-provoking speculation.

Gavin nodded his head: "Aphrodite said Princes was the door that needed unlocked so that their daughter/sons could achieve their great purpose."

"And what greater purpose could Aphrodite have other than freeing man from Zeus's curse and thus restoring him to his former glory, one that could eventually rival even the gods!?" Danal's tone was poignant, his eyes becoming laser-focused on Gavin: "I owe you an apology young man. Carl warned me how insightful you could be, but this is a true revelation and goes well beyond any previous speculation we have considered before."

"I get whats happening to Princess and Gavin is important, but I fail to see how this involves those of the Heritage and the problems we're having today?" Jason quipped, finding it hard to tie the two together.

"I think I can help do that as well." Gavin said, smiling disarmingly: "Though I might need Danal and Hadrian to fill in the blanks here and there, since my knowledge of the Heritage is somewhat limited."

Both Danal and Hadrian exchanged brief, hesitant glances before nodding their heads in agreement: "We will do what we can, though what you and Princess have revealed has potentially changed much of what we've held as true... until now." Danal offered in way of explanation: "We have always known that there was a link between your people and our own, but up until now, we have always assumed it was to repair what was broken by the Progenitor, but now, it appears it may be far more involved than we originally suspected."

Billy cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to focus: "Maybe it might help Jason and I if we understood what it is your all talking about, since I don't think either of us have a clue what that is?"

Danal bowed his head: "My pardon William, you are of course correct. Perhaps it would be best if Gavin proceeded with the recounting of who Aeneas was and how he relates to both Gavin and Princess's people with ours."

"I'll do my best" Gavin sighed: "Though I'm more than a bit hazy on the Heritage stuff myself," he concluded.

Danal smiled faintly, giving Gavin a wink: "I think between us, Hadrian and I have that covered."

"Thanks" Gavin sighed, returning to his notes once again.

Billy took notice of how tired Gavin looked, promising himself to make sure his friend got the rest he so obviously needed as soon as they tied up things here, even if he had to sit on him to get him to lay his head down for a few hours.

They all sat in silent contemplation as Gavin laid out a brief history of Aeneas that he had garnered from the Roman poet and historian Virgil's epic story the Aeneid, starting with the birth of Aeneas to the Goddess Aphrodite after having a brief affair with the mortal prince of Troy, Anchises, and imparting to everyone listening that the very name Aeneas translated to "indwelling" referring to his status of being born a god inhabiting a mortal body.

As a prince of Troy, Aeneas fought valiantly against the Greeks during the Trojan War, but as Troy inevitably fell, the gods ordered Aeneas to escape with his father, his son, and his men and they set sail and roamed the open seas until making landfall in what is now known as Sicily, where Aeneas's father Anchises died peacefully in his sleep. From there, Aeneas and his men continued their search for the home the gods promised, spending almost six years wandering from place to place until a storm, commanded by Hera/Juno, forced them to make landfall in Carthage where he met and began a year-long romance with the Carthaginian queen Dido, who so loved him, had invited him to rule by her side. But Zeus and Aphrodite had other plans and Zeus sent his messenger to remind Aeneas of his true purpose, commanding Aeneas to immediately leave in secret and continue his journey's.

Aeneas obeyed, gathering his men and once again setting sail leaving a distraught and heartbroken Dido to level a powerful curse against him, swearing he would never know the love of another woman again, right before sealing the curse by taking her own life.

Inevitably, Aeneas and his men found themselves on the shores of Latium, where he was befriended by the king of Latium, Latinus.

During his stay Latinus received a prophecy foretelling the marriage of Aeneas with his daughter Lavinia and that from their union a great empire would arise, so Latinus offered his daughters hand in marriage to Aeneas.

But the proposed union did not meet with everyone's approval, most notably her former suitor Turnus, king of the Rutuli and the queen of Latium, Amala, who stated her disapproval of Aeneas was due to Aeneas being a lover of men and unworthy of her daughters hand in marriage.

A war broke out and Aeneas's skills in battle proved to much for Turnus and he was defeated in battle and the marriage between Aeneas and Lavinia went forward making Aeneas the next ruler of Latium upon Latinus's death.

"I must stop you there Gavin and point out a few things that the Codex does cover during this time." Danal noted stoically, his brow furrowing in concentration, eyeing each of them before continuing: "The Codex teaches that indeed Dido's curse was effective, that Aeneas did become a lover of men, but not only that, so did each of his male descendants, even those born from daughters of his line, for generation after generation for close to four hundred years, up to the birth of the Progenitor himself."

"Danal, are you saying the Progenitor is a direct descendant of Aeneas?" Billy posited, a look of surprise infusing his facial features.

Looking down at the ancient book his wizened fingers fumbled with, Danal merely nodded his head in agreement.

"As are all of us in this room" Hadrian added meekly, looking up through his thick gray eyebrows eyeing the group furtively as if he had just revealed something so incredulous it defied utterance.

"I call bullshit" Princess/Timmy stated emphatically: "There's no way that many homos married women and bumped uglies with them to boot."

"Oh my dear boy..." Hadrian asserted whimsically: "Those days were not like ours. Marriages were mostly arranged and young men were fully expected to sire an heir irregardless of their sexual proclivities."

Danal added quickly: "Those societies were extremely patriarchal. Once they satisfied their familial obligations, few cared what transpired behind closed doors. In fact, it was not uncommon for husbands and wives to sleep separately, in different rooms, with the male deciding whether or not to seek out relations with his wife."

Princess rolled his eyes, shaking his head dramatically: "Oh yes, that makes it so much less eeeywwww, icky icky, gag me with a spoon!"

Both Billy and Jason had to stifle a giggle or two at Princess's comedic antics, Billy being thankful that even Gavin's expressions softened as he cracked a wistful smile.

It was Hadrian that broke the brief reverie Princess had evoked, turning his attention back to Gavin and suggesting that he continue.

"I only have a little bit more that I learned and I'm not sure how any of it relates to those like Princess and I and those of the Heritage, but for this last part, I'll be double-dipping my sources and using only what they both seemed to agree upon, that being Virgil and another Roman author known as Livy, who seemed more of a true historian than Virgil, who tended to pander more to a Roman sense of pride and patriotism."

"Astute observation." Danal denoted, giving Gavin a knowing nod of approval.

"Anyway..." Gavin continued: "after about four hundred years had passed and Aeneas's line of successors expanded the kingdom of Latina, roughly about the year seven fifty-three BC as best I can tell, the then king of the land was a guy named Numitor, who had a daughter named Rhea Sylvia. It was then that Zeus/Jupiter and Ares/Mars enacted their long term plan to grant Aeneas's line a great leader who would go onto create the greatest empire the world had ever known."

"We're talkin' about Rome here aren't we?" Jason asked, offering by way of explanation: "I just remember the name Rhea Sylvia from my history class last year."

'That's correct Jason" Gavin smiled back at him, before continuing: "It's here both Virgil and Livy seemed to differ slightly, but the end result was that Ares, with Zeus's blessing, visited Rhea and raped her, causing her to become impregnated with twin sons."

Gavin paused again, stating that his knowledge on the next part was a bit sketchy, but the best he could tell was that the king's brother Amulius saw the potential birth as a threat to his possible succession to the throne and after challenging his brother Numitor, drove him into exile and after the birth of Rhea's twin sons Romulus and Remus he ordered their deaths. But a loyal servant saved the twin boys and set them adrift in a basket in the river Tiber where they were rescued by a she-wolf who breastfed and cared for them until they were found and adopted by a shepherd named Faustulus.

Over time, both boys became natural leaders and gained many admirer's and followers before they became involved in a dispute between the supporters of both Numitor and Amulius, the later eventually kidnapping Remus, having suspected who he truly was.

Meanwhile, Romulus secretly gathered forces to free his brother, when he was contacted by Numitor who he joined forces with, after learning who he and his brother really were and they defeated Amulius leaving Numitor to take his rightful place as ruler once again.

Together, the boys set out soon after to build their own kingdom, that they intended to rule together, but fell into dispute over what to name it, ending in a physical battle that left Remus dead by his own brothers hand.

Gavin stopped there, adding only that Romulus, after mourning his brother's death, went on to name their new city-state Rome (after himself) and went on to expand its boundaries and influence in the area, thus securing Rome's place in history.

"What I haven't figured out yet, is how any of that is connected to people like myself and Princess and those of the Heritage?" Gavin concluded, carding his fingers through his hair and slumping back in his seat, looking even more tired than he had before.

"I think you're not seeing the forest for all the trees Gavin," Billy suggested.

From the moment his friend mentioned the twins, the beast within him began to stir, growing steadily restless the further along he progressed, culminating in a twisting knot in his belly, that most resembled an angry, blind rage when Gavin brought up the dispute between Romulus and Remus ending in Remus's death by his brother's hand.

Gavin shrugged his shoulders, giving him a quizzical look, asking: "What am I not seeing then?"

Billy turned his gaze to Danal, who just stared silently back at him, his expression nearly unreadable making Billy even more sure than ever, that what he was now feeling in his gut, was close to the truth.

"Romulus is the Progenitor isn't he?!" Though framed as a question, everyone in the room knew Billy was actually making an accusation.

When both Hadrian and Danal remained silently tight-lipped, Billy added: "I'm now also certain that people like Gavin and Princess are direct descendants of Remus aren't they? That's the split that happened between the two groups you, dad and Carl have been talking about isn't it?"

Danal just glowered back at him for a moment, his jaw visibly clenching and unclenching as a look of extreme concentration subsumed his facial features, before he finally spoke.

"Such knowledge is not generally known and is far more complicated than some random google searches could ever discern." was all he said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Then it's a good thing we have two Green fathers and council members here to clear things up for us isn't it?" Jason retorted sardonically, a stern intensity behind his eyes as he looked from one to the other, all but demanding a response.

Billy attempted a more diplomatic approach: "You said you were here to help Danal, then help us see the whole picture, the parts the rest of us don't know."

His words came off more as supplication than a plea. His intent one of reconciliation and trust-building between the old and the new and Billy truly hoped he'd realize this before an impatient Jason lost control of his mounting distrust with those he felt were challenging his newly acquired leadership role.

Billy almost sighed with relief when Danal bowed his head slightly, first to Billy and then to Jason: "We are first and foremost teachers and educators to those of the Heritage, and whatever knowledge we have is at your disposal."

Hadrian added a: "Here, here!" echoing Danal's declaration, before perceptively relaxing more as the building tension in the room subsided discernibly.

"Ooo, grumpy grandpa plays nice, news at eleven!" Princess mused mockingly, batting his bright blue eyes coyly at Danal, pursing his lips suggestively and blowing him a kiss.

Danal just shook his head in feigned annoyance, the cracking smile on the corners of his mouth belying his own amusement, making the others chuckle.

"Where should we begin?" Hadrian asked, addressing no one on particular, leaving it an open-ended question for everyone present.

Gavin spoke first: "Could both Romulus and Remus change into what you guys can?"

"The term is lycanthrope." Hadrian uttered softly, adding: "According to the Codex, the Progenitor first changed when in his grief, after realizing what he had done to his beloved brother, he hugged his lifeless body to his own which resulted in his first transformation."

Danal held his hand up, stopping Hadrian, continuing for him: "As the story goes, the day had started with the two celebrating their eighteenth birthday, where they both consumed their share of wine that only helped to muddle their restraint when they argued over what their new kingdom would be named."

"Yes..." Hadrian agreed, picking up where Danal left off: "According to the Codex, Aphrodite was furious with Romulus and tried to get Zeus to punish him, but not only did he refuse, he forbade her from causing him direct bodily harm as well."

Hadrian chuckled slightly before continuing: "But she was more clever than that. Instead of punishing Romulus directly she placed a curse on the silver armor Remus wore that day and when Romulus hugged his dead brother to him and his skin came in contact with the metal, her curse activated the bestial genes they both had running through their veins from having been suckled and for a time, raised by the female wolf."

Danal interrupted him, adding quickly: "It is believed that the combined divine blood from both Aphrodite and Ares, that in turn was blessed by Zeus himself, had somehow enhanced the wolf's blood running, in part, through his body and was brought to the surface by Aphrodite's curse."

Hadrian jumped back in, excitedly proclaiming: "You need to understand, the Progenitor did not change like we do..."he paused for a moment, catching his breath, his excitement overflowing: "The Progenitors change was far more primal and complete at first."

"What does that mean?" Jason queried, his eyes growing narrow as they bore into an anxious Hadrian, who seemed to shrink away from Jason's glare.

"He transformed into a large black wolf devoid of any semblance of humanity, a feral, blood-thirsty monster." Danal retorted, pulling everyone's attention back to him.

Danal waited a few moments, allowing everyone to take in what he and Hadrian had told them, before continuing once again: "It is not common knowledge amongst those of the Heritage, but it was years before Romulus regained some portion of his former self and was eventually able to shift back into the form of a man. During those long years, he killed many innocent people due to his bestial rages."

"That is until he learned to control it" Hadrian offered meekly.

"Even then..." Danal insisted: "His reign was a bloody one, fraught with many battles until he secured his kingdom."

It was Billy who asked the one question they were all thinking: "If those of the Heritage are descended from Romulus how come everyone can't shift into wolves like him or was he the only one that could do that?" which begged his follow up question: "And why doesn't it affect Remus's bloodline the same way?"

Danal just shrugged his shoulders: "For the latter I can only speculate that Aphrodite's curse only targeted Romulus and from him, his entire blood line."

Hadrian offered a different perspective: "Perhaps it was because Remus had already secured his bloodline before the curse..."

His words hung in the air for moment as they all pondered that possibility, but it was Princess who begged the question: "Did Remus even have a wife that you know of?"

Danal shrugged his shoulders again: "Not that I'm aware of, but it is known that his bloodline didn't end with him. It is even possible that he never even knew he had a child at the time of his death, but the Codex does speak of rumors of his bloodline continuing in secret after his death, which explains the uniqueness of his descendants."

"If that's the case..."Jason queried: "Then why do those within the Heritage lean toward the bisexual side and Remus's side, like Aeneas's, remain gay?"

"Better question..." Billy interjected: "Why does Romulus's line only give birth to males, but Remus's doesn't?"

If I were to hazard a guess..."Danal speculated: "I would say it had to do with the nature of the curse combined with the activation of the wolf genes in Romulus's transformation. Either way, it appears that the curse had a dual purpose, one that wasn't discerned until our young friend here accidentally came in contact with the cursed silver."

Danal nodded his head toward Princess, who rolled his eyes, beaming impishly: "Maybe Mama just likes me best!"

"That's it!" Gavin enthused loudly, his eyes growing wide at some sudden realization: "Aphrodite said they had prepared a way for their daughter/sons."

They all looked confusedly at Gavin, none of them sure they followed his reasoning.

"Don't you get it?" He asked excitedly, the answer obviously bristling to escape his lips: "She wasn't just talking about those like Princess and me, she was talking about those of the Heritage too."

Danal eyed him carefully, sensing that perhaps Gavin might be on the point of some epiphany that they had never thought to consider: "Care to elaborate?" He asked cautiously.

Gavin quickly responded: "Zeus started all this when he changed man's destiny by cursing man with giving him women and giving men over to lusting after them, distracting them from their true purpose. That never sat well with Aphrodite so she prepared a way to fix things through Aeneas's line, using her own divine blood, knowing he would eventually fall prey to Dido's curse, which would eventually correct Zeus's interference."

"She was playing the long game!" Jason quipped, smacking his hand on the table's hard wooden surface.

Like a light bulb going off over his head, Danal groaned: "Of course! Zeus must have seen what was happening with Aeneas's bloodline and tried to thwart it by sending Ares to rape Rhea Sylvia and dilute Aphrodite's bloodline with Ares's, thinking his more aggressive genes would eventually subsume hers, hence Romulus's more aggressive nature concerning his gay twin brother, which eventually leads to him killing him."

Princess stood up suddenly, the iris's of his eyes blazing a brilliant azure, proclaiming boldly: "But Mama being the bad ass, hard workin' bitch that she is, bitch slapped 'em all by cursing Remus's armor, turning Romulus and his entire line into a bunch of grumpy boy puppies who can only make other boy puppies, all who get hot and bothered every time they get a whiff of what mama's been cookin' up for 'em!"

They all stared incredulously at Princess, but his words rang true, like the sharp clang of a bell, whose blistering peal would send out reverberations rippling throughout the Heritage.

A simple quiet voice from across the room broke the silence and it came from the meager lips of Hadrian Mumsford: "But why wait so long, it's been nearly two thousand years since Romulus walked this earth?"

Princess plopped back down in his chair unceremoniously: "Maybe something else needed to happen, something that hasn't happened until now." he said contemplatively.

All eyes seemed to travel in unison until they rested on Billy Donnelly, but it was Danal that said what they were all thinking.

"She's been waiting for the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy, the emergence of the White Wolf."

* * * * *

"I could get used to this ya know" Max Donnelly cooed into his mate Carl's ear, grinding his bloated balls against the swollen puffy lips of the gooey hole that sucked relentlessly at the base of his turgid twelve-inch cock, milking the last dregs of the third load he had just shot deep within the confines of his guts.

"Mmm..." Carl mewled softly, arching his ass back toward him, granting him the deepest access he could to his undulating anus, basking in the after glow of yet another marathon, gut-punching fuck Max had pounded into his quivering chasm.

"I could spend the rest of my life with you buried balls deep inside of me Mr. Donnelly." Carl mused, wishing nothing more than to be joined like this to the man he loved, while thoroughly enjoying the cocoon-like warmth of Max's strong arms surrounding him, holding their sweaty body's tightly together, while the comforting heat of his warm breath brushed wistfully against the nape of his neck sending waves of goosebumps rippling up and down his spine.

"While I can't promise that..." Max growled deeply into his ear as he flexed his still rock hard phallus deep inside him, eliciting even more moans of pleasure from his satiated lover: "I will promise, that every night that we're together, I'll spend that time sheathed to the hilt in your pussy, right where my dick belongs!"

Carl turned his head slightly and planted a gentle kiss on his lover's lips: "I'm gonna hold you to that Max. That dick legally belongs to me now and I intend to take full advantage of that fact."

Max chuckled, letting the tip of his tongue slip past his lips to trace along the rim of Carl's ear: "Well, unless you want me to take a huge piss up your snatch you're gonna have to let me go at least for a couple of minutes to take care of it."

Easing the vice-like grip his sphincter had on the base of Max's schlong, Carl chided playfully: "I'll let ya go, so long as you promise to put it right back where it belongs as soon as your done."

Slowly withdrawing his cum streaked prick from Carl's cloying pucker, Max leaned in and planted a loud, wet smack on Carl's lips before rising up from their bed to head to their shared bathroom: "I think I can manage that." he mused over his shoulder, winking mischievously back at his new spouse.

While Carl laid there, languishing and stretching the stiffness from his muscles from the prolonged coupling he had just shared with Max, he heard the familiar ding of a new message received on Max's phone, currently charging on the bedside stand.

Flipping across the mattress of their king-sized bed, he retrieved it and began scanning it for new notices.

"Babe!?" He called out: "There's an urgent message from Hank saying you need to call him back as soon as possible."

Max had just flushed the toilet and appeared from the darkened depths of the bathroom.

With a concerned look on his face, he took the offered phone from Carl's hand and hit the call icon by Hank's name: "Wonder what this could be about?" he asked aloud.

"Well, we know the boys got there okay, JD sent me a text when they arrived earlier," Carl said, attempting to rule out any potential bad news, at least in that regard.

As Max connected with Hank and they began chatting and Max did what he usually does when he talks on the phone for extended times, walk around the room; Carl soon realized that whatever it was, it wasn't something life-altering or threatening and his mind soon began to drift as he eased back against the headboard.

His thoughts wandered over the course of events that week, from Jakson's birth to getting the boys settled into his old house and going over the various changes they hoped to make to the place before they took occupancy in a month or two when Jake's transfer went through and they could return.

Carl and JD both were hoping that would happen sooner rather than later, or at least before the new school session began toward the end of August. Max seemed fairly confident that would happen, and he, JD and Jake had preoccupied the rest of their time that week with fussing over the baby and composing a list of alterations and necessary purchases they would need to make Carl's house their new home upon their return.

When the boys had left early that morning, to make their long sojourn to North Carolina, he and Max had packed what stuff they had left there at the old house and made their way to Max's old family estate where they planned on taking up residency while they built their permanent home at the compound.

It wasn't like they had a whole lot to do here, Max had made sure his family home had been maintained since his father Marcus's death a number of years ago. Max would never allow such a place, which had been in his family since the days following the revolutionary war, to go to pot, and indeed the estate and manor house were a testament to near-pristine preservation of its austerity.

The huge brick, two-story home that sat ostensibly against a backdrop of manicured lawns and foliage, gave one the impression, once through the hand-forged metal gates and stone driveway, of stepping back in time to a simpler age now long gone.

Marcus, like his predecessors, had done his best to preserve its ambient charm while also keeping it sufficiently modernized with the latest innovations. Even the stables and the guest house had been updated without depriving it of its former colonial glory.

It also didn't hurt that Max, while they were enjoying the week spent with his new grandson at his old house, had arranged for the place to be made ready for occupancy before they arrived.

Carl had somehow envisioned them spending the better part of their first day just clearing old dusty sheets and scrubbing out just enough space for them to eat and sleep in, but to his surprise, they entered an immaculate, freshly aired residence replete with freshly cut flowers and a fully stocked fridge and freezer.

As beautiful a place as it was, to Carl this would always be Marcus's home. It reflected his temperament, his taste, not Max's or Carl's. This was all polished dark wood paneling and fabric wallpaper, tapestries, brass chandeliers, wall sconces, and shiny hardwood floors covered in eloquent ornate rugs and hand-carved granite fireplaces, all meticulously maintained by a bevy of bustling servants for a man who barely took note of their existence. Not that Marcus was cruel to them, he had just grown up surrounded by those eager to please the Alpha of the Southern District. How Max had grown into the man he is today was beyond Carl. Max never seemed comfortable with all that fuss and bother and from the start seemed to prefer doing things for himself and tending to his own needs without depending on others to wait on him.

Perhaps it was that quality that had first attracted Carl to him, though being ruggedly handsome and having a twelve-inch cock didn't hurt either.

All kidding aside, Max had been what Carl aspired to be: confident, adventurous, strong, and courageous, but most of all, from the moment they met, he and Max had just "clicked."

It was never anything either he or Max could ever put their finger on, they just "fitted" each other. It was something they never tried putting a label on, but now that he wore Max's ring and their future together seemed to finally be falling into place, as he had always hoped it would, he couldn't help but feel he was distracting Max from doing what he was meant to be doing, what he was born to do and with each passing day, Carl was growing more and more determined that he make Max understand, that from the moment he slipped that ring on his finger, that he didn't expect Max to change who he was, or keep him from doing what he needed to do. He and Carl were now more a team than they ever had been and no matter what came their way, they would face it together and come out the other side stronger for it.

Carl felt the shift of weight on the mattress as Max sat next to him, having concluded his phone call with Hank, a slightly troubled look on his face.

"What did Hank want?" Carl asked hesitantly, knowing for certain it wasn't good news, judging by Max's expression.

Max sighed: "It's Baxter, he's wanting to do a runner and Hank can't talk him out of it."

"Road trip?" Carl asked, his eyes beaming nothing but trust and support back at his mate.

"Road trip!" Max smiled, grabbing Carl's face, and smothering his mouth with his own.

Chapter Thirteen:

“I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past.”
Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC.

                                       * * * * *

"Who's yo' daddy?" JD cooed softly, smiling into the tiny face of his infant son.

Having just put him down in his crib after feeding and changing him, he stood there pondering Jakson as he reflected over the events of the last week or so.

It had only been a few hours after his husband Jake Bauers had departed that Friday afternoon on his trek back to the Devil Dawg Compound, so he could participate and support his Alpha Jason Griffen during his own Heritage ceremony the following night.

Jake had been reluctant to leave JD and their son Jakson so soon after settling in, there at Jake's father's home, but JD had insisted he needed to be there since he was his Alphas's Gamma Enforcer and his sole pack mate thus far.

His dad Hank had agreed and had enlisted JD's help in encouraging Jake to do so, knowing full well Jake wanted to, he was just afraid to leave JD and the baby alone for any length of time.

That concern had been made mute with the unexpected arrival of Princess/Timmy the day before.

Apparently, his father Max had suspected Jake would be recalcitrant, having just been newlywed and sired to a newborn, and had convinced Princess to make the journey so that JD being left alone wouldn't be quite the deterrent during Jake's brief absence.

It had already been determined that it would be too unsettling for the baby to be dragging him back and forth over such a long distance so soon after getting settled in, and though JD had been moved by Jake's devotion to his little family, JD could also see how troubling the idea of not being at his Alpha's Heritage ceremony was to him.

He had of course tried to hide it from him, insisting that Jason would be the first to understand, and while JD was certain that was probably true, it didn't negate the fact that Jake wanted and needed to attend, and nothing could have been more self-evident once JD aligned himself with Hank, especially after Princess arrived.

"Geez, who knew a troll-like Andrea could gestate such a delightful fetus like Jakson to term." Princess mused as he rejoined him at the dining room table where he sat nursing a cold glass of sweet tea while munching from a communal bowl of boiled peanuts.

"I'm fairly sure it's the only good thing to ever come out of her." JD chuckled, as he snatched up one of the nuts, adeptly splitting the shell with one hand before depositing the still firm but soften contents into his mouth, savoring the texture and the rich saline taste.

"Have you ever noticed how addicting these damn things are?" Princess queried whimsically, as he mimicked JD's actions, adding: "It sort of reminds me of the taste of cum."

JD coughed, having almost choked in mid-swallow, snatching up Princess's sweet tea and taking a swig to wash down the nutty/saline flavor from his mouth.

'Ya know..." JD stated wistfully: "You've really changed a lot over the last month... it's a good look on you, but what do you think your parents are gonna say when you go back?"

"Hmm?" Princess pondered for a few seconds, eyes rolling to the ceiling thoughtfully: "I hadn't actually considered that, but I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I do."

He winked at JD playfully: "I wonder who will faint first?"

JD frowned slightly: "You not worried they will send you away or something.. .to one of those conversion camps?"

Princess laughed as he leaned against the table, his head propped up as he rested his chin on his folded hands, the iris's of his eyes flashing a brilliant blue: "Knowing what I know now, I'd really like to see them try!"

JD marveled at his friend's newfound confidence, smiling wickedly back at him: "Not that you need it, but you do know you have a lot of people that are just a phone call away don'tchya?

Princess winked impishly back at him: "Same goes for you too stud."

"Me!?" JD queried: "I got all the help I need with Jake being around all the time now."

Princess held his gaze, staring intently back at him, but not saying a word, making JD feel far more self-conscious by the minute, before finally blurting: "Wuh, do I have a booger hanging out of my nose or sum'thin'?"

Princess continued to stare at him for a moment before settling back in his chair, directly opposite from him: "All the help you need huh?" He murmured speculatively as he reached for another nut, shelled it, and plopped its contents into his mouth, giving JD a serious case of side-eye before asking nonchalantly: "How's your sex life studly?"

JD flinched, as he shifted his gaze, trying to look anywhere else, except at the unwavering glare boring right into his forehead from across the table.

"It's fine." He managed to stammer, his voice sounding as unconvincing to him as he was sure it did to Princess, making him think better of it before offering: "It's a work in progress..."He mumbled, shooting Princess a halfhearted, furtive side-eye glance.

"Sounds like bullshit to me." Princess said mockingly: "Quit being a pussy and tell me what's really got your panties in a bunch?"

JD just shook his head back and forth slowly, wondering to himself: "Is this really the same scared guy I knew just a month ago?"

"It's nuthin' really...it's just, he's umm..." JD couldn't say aloud what he meant to say, just letting it hang in the air before Princess finished for him: "He's hung like a Shetland pony and you're to much of a tight ass, macho dickhead to give up the booty to him?"

JD's first thought was to glower back at him, but instead, he just let his shoulders slump, nodding his head dejectedly: "He ain't no pony he's a full-grown horse, how could anyone take that?"

Princess just rolled his eyes, snickering: "They can and do and so can you with a little practice and the will to do so."

'Dude..." JD quarreled: "I can't even fit half the head of it in my mouth, that alone is as big as my fist."

"Lucky bitch" Princess sneered sardonically, before asking: "Listen, do you want my help or do you just wanna sit there and feel sorry for yourself?"

"Are you being serious, after everything the guy has done for me and Jakson, the very least I'd like to be able to do is give him a halfway decent blowjob."

Princess laughed boisterously, rising from the table to stare bemusedly down at him, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes: "Jimmy Donnelly, by the time I'm done showing you what to do, you'll be doing way more than that to satisfy your man."

Despite his skepticism, JD couldn't help but still smile at Princess/Timmy's ceaseless optimism, no matter how crazy he sounded sometimes. Whatever changes his friend had undergone, it had definitely brought out the best in him, not least of which was this newfound sense of humor.

Princes grabbed his car keys and headed toward the front door: "I'll be back soon, just need to pick up a few things in Jacksonville. If you're a good boy I'll bring us back something for lunch too, while I'm at it."

JD stood there at the dining room window and watched as he pulled out and headed down the road and though he still had a smile on his lips, he couldn't help but wonder, what kind of mischief Princess/Timmy was planning.

                                                                * * * * *

The mid-day sun shone brightly overhead and twinkled reflectively off the soft gentle ripples of the pond Baxter Whitmore had his bare feet resting in while sitting on the small wooden dock located in a somewhat private, tree and shrub ensconced cul-de-sac on the back edge of Max Donnelly's family estate.

Over the last week and a half, since Max and Carl had brought him here, this seldom used spot had become his own private sanctuary, one where he had spent many hours thoughtfully deliberating the many unsettling things that had been revealed to him toward the end of his stay at Hank Bauers home in North Carolina.

For the umpteenth time he stared at the screen of his phone, reading and rereading the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:
lycanthropy
Noun
ly·can·thro·py | \ lī-ˈkan(t)-thrə-pē
Definition of lycanthropy
1 : a delusion that one has become a wolf
2 : the assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft or magic

Except it wasn't a delusion or an assumption. It was real, v-e-r-y real. They had proved it to him. Max, Hank, Carl, and even Jake. He had seen it with his own two eyes.

Sure, he had doubted at first, had thought for sure Max Donnelly, the man who had been like a father to him since the death of his own back when he was just eight years old, had completely dove off the deep end of sanity or was, for some unknown reason, playing some kind of stupid prank or joke on him, just to get him to stay at Hank's until his birthday.

He had only his own stubbornness to blame for what followed and in the end, it was Carl that had convinced Max that the only thing that was going to deter him from going home and washing his hands of the entire Donnelly family, was the unbridled, unfiltered truth. Not even Max's last-ditch effort to appeal to him about his own father's wishes; despite the sanctity of those memories he held so close to heart, it still hadn't been enough to invoke his capitulation.

Yes he had been scared. Thinking back, perhaps terrified would be a better word to describe how he had felt, when a frustrated Max Donnelly, who loomed larger than life across the table from him, his arms folded stoically across his massive chest, finally relented and allowed Carl to "enlighten" him about who they really were. As hard as that was to take seriously, it had been doubly so when Max explained that he, himself was one of them, just like his father before him.

Baxter had of course just tried to laugh it off, thinking they were just trying to pull one over on him, just to get him to comply, and like some naive nitwit he had thumbed his nose at what he was certain was some ridiculous, childish prank.

But when the iris's of Max's eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant blue and an unearthly growl, snarled from between his clenched teeth, teeth that seemed to grow bigger and more canine-like as he sat there, across from him, suddenly frozen to his seat, both gobsmacked and dumbfounded and to petrified by fear to even move, had he finally accepted it.

As frightening as that was, it was only made worse as each of them, one by one followed suit. Everyone except JD of course, who had just stared back at him, shrugged his shoulders and said: "Don't look at me dude, I'm younger than you. I got at least a couple of years before I get to add that to my list of things to worry about."

A sudden rustling to his right pulled Baxter out of his contemplation's, only to watch as Max Donnelly's hulking form approached him.

Indicating for him to stay put, Max soon plopped down beside him and they sat there in silence for a few moments, allowing Baxter to put away the specters of his past as he refocused his attention on the here and now.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your meditations..." Max began softly, his deep voice like a familiar, calming balm that washed over him, subduing the troubling thoughts within his head: "Just wanted to let you know Carl and I will be leaving for the compound within the hour or there bout's."

Baxter really wasn't in the mood to rehash his objections for not being able to attend, Max had made it quite clear that at this current time, this was the way things were done, that even if he disagreed with it or not, he was bound by duty to honor the general consensus of those alpha's within his district, arguing that discipline and order can only be maintained when everyone agrees to abide by the rule of law provided by the council.

While Max did note that as the rightful successor to the Southern Districts Lead Alpha role, that it garnered him a certain level of flexibility, that it was also equally important he wasn't seen as showing favoritism, and since everyone within a hundred miles or more knew that he was Baxter's surrogate Sire, he couldn't be seen as disregarding the rules in favor for one of his own.

Baxter did get it, he didn't like it, but Max wasn't asking him to. No, what was troubling Baxter at the moment was the same thing that had been most prescient on his mind for as long as he could remember: "Sir..." he began hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper: "How long have you known?"

Max turned his head and locked eyes with him: "About you being gay?" he queried, before adding: "I suspected as much the first time I laid eyes on you, or more precisely..." He tapped his nose and winked at him, a small smile cracking the edges of his cheeks.

Max's large hand moved to the back of Baxter's neck and did what he so often did, began gently stroking his neck and shoulders, right below his hairline: "Now when you hit puberty, well...let's just say that cat wasn't just let out of the bag, it exploded from it." his smile broadened jovially as he squeezed Baxter's neck slightly tighter: "Actually kiddo, if sexual pheromones were blood, there would have been blood and guts plastered everywhere you've gone since about thirteen."

"Eww gross" Baxter chuckled for a moment at the absurdity of his analogy, but thankful he felt no recriminations or judgment coming from his words, allaying most of the fears and trepidation he had held locked away inside his head for longer than he cared to remember: "Is that why you don't want me anywhere near Billy since he claimed his Heritage?"

Baxter had half expected his question to surprise Max, maybe catch him off guard even, but Max didn't even bat an eye nor did it alter the broad smile on his face, even in the slightest: "Of course, it is kiddo, when the two of you stand before each other again it will be on more equal footing."

Encouraged by Max's words Baxter was about to ask the one question he both yearned and dreaded to ask the most, but Max cut him off before he could ask: "No Baxter, I'm not going to answer your next question, where would the fun be in that?" Max chortled surreptitiously.

Baxter frowned slightly, feeling a little crestfallen and even more frustrated causing Max to respond: "I will tell you one thing..." He paused for a moment as his expression softened: "There hasn't been a single day since the two of you have been apart that he hasn't mentioned your name multiple times, make of that what you will." he added, slapping Baxter lightly on the shoulder before standing up, staring down at him: "I'm done stroking that massive ego of yours, get your ass in gear kiddo, we have guests you need to meet."

Looking up at him quizzically as Max practically hauled him to his feet: "Don't tell me you hired a babysitter?" Baxter said sternly, eyeing Max dubiously.

"Not exactly..." Max sneered as he guided Baxter up the path toward the manor house: "It's Hank and a couple of security guards I hired for your protection while I'm otherwise occupied"

Baxter was about to object, when Max interjected brusquely: "I don't wanna hear no shit kiddo, I should be back a little after midnight, but in the meantime, you can entertain a few lady friends of mine."

As they wound their way up toward the house, Carl and Hank emerged from the twin French doors that exited the drawing-room of the manor onto the veranda on the south side accompanied by three women, one of which he immediately recognized as his mother.

After being reunited with his mom, Carl introduced the other two women: "Baxter this is Miriam Hollis, I believe you know her son Gavin from school?

Baxter shook her hand noting the resemblance instantly: "I know her already uncle Carl, she works with my mom over at the college."

"Good..."Carl smiled back at him: "Then maybe you also know our other guest...?"

Carl didn't get the chance to introduce her, the woman thrust her hand into his and clasped it tightly: "Hi, I'm Professor Elizabeth Dunne, perhaps you know my son Jason, also from your high school I believe?"

"Jason Dunne?" Baxter queried, knowing all to well who he was and wondering why she would be here if her son was back at the compound waiting for his Heritage ceremony to begin that very night.

"Elizabeth frowned slightly, letting his hand go in the process: "He goes by Jason Griffen now," she muttered, almost dejectedly, casting her eyes down in the process and stepping to the side.

As Hank spoke with Max, Baxter leaned toward Carl, whispering in his ear: "Isn't Jason's mom going to attend his ceremony?"

Carl just shot him a pensive glance, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to the side, out of earshot: "Women are not allowed to participate in the Ceremony Baxter, it's not safe for normal humans."

Baxter thought about it for a moment, approximating and visualizing as best he could, in his mind's eye, the ceremony as Max and Carl had described it to him, resulting in him having a "duh" moment when he did. Still, he thought to himself, he kind of wished there was a way for his mom to attend his, but just as quickly dismissed that notion, realizing that maybe it was for the best if she didn't see what he might turn into. The last thing in this world he ever wanted was for his mom to ever be frightened of him, or think he was some kind of monster. He was already having a hard enough time coming to terms with the fact she knew all along what she had married into and what any child of hers would face when they turned eighteen.

He knew that thought should trouble him, but instead, it rather warmed his heart that his mom had loved his dad so much she was willing to embrace what and who he truly was, hoping that someday he could be with someone like that and instantly picturing Billy in his head yet again. "If only" he sighed to himself, just as Max excused himself and Carl, bidding them all a good evening as they departed, leaving Baxter to his thoughts and alone with a gregarious and flirtatious Hank Bauers, his mom, and two women he barely knew. Yup, exactly the way he wanted to spend his Saturday night.

                                                             * * * * *

"Jason, you're gonna wear a hole in the floorboards if you don't stop pacing." Merrick Griffen cautioned teasingly, amused by his nephew's nervousness.

Spinning on his heels toward his youngest uncle, Jason just shrugged his shoulders before raking his fingers through his longer than usual chocolate brown hair: "Easier said than done!" he retorted, adding defensively: "At least you knew fairly well what to expect during your ceremony, god only knows what kind of freak I could potentially become."

Merrick chuckled slightly: "Actually, I didn't have a clue what was going to happen, that's not the way things are done."

Of course, he was right, it was just hard for Jason to fathom how something so momentous could just be sprung on someone without prior warning.

Jason had done his best the last few weeks to put this moment as far back in his mind as he possibly could, but now that he was only less than an hour away from his rite of passage, it was all but consuming him, as visions of all kinds of horrific outcomes danced vividly in his head. What made it all the more troubling, was the closer the hour approached, the more he felt the caged beast in the pit of his belly digging and scratching to be noticed.

For days he had been plagued by visions, forcing him to relive that first night during Billy Donnelly's ceremony, when he had changed and gone on a rage-fueled killing spree of the invaders that besieged the compound.

His grandfather, Max, his uncles, and even Danal had tried to reassure him that he had helped turn the tide that night against their assailants, but from Jason's perspective and from what little he could remember of that night afterward, it had felt more like he had just been wildly out of control, leaving him to wonder, that if their enemy hadn't given him a focus for all that rage, what might he have done otherwise; worrying ceaselessly if he might have turned on his family and friends or worse yet, hurt the one he loved the most, JD.

That thought alone had chilled him to his marrow and was the chief reason he had truly backed off. JD being upset and accusing him of abandoning him that evening had been the impetus he had needed to solidify his resolve. He knew JD world turn to Jake and as much as it had pained him to watch it happen, it had been doubly so watching him marry someone else. But, deep down, he knew it had to be done. If anything happened to JD because of him, he would never be able to live with himself and at least, he reasoned to himself, he was with someone that loved him as much as he did, the added bonus being, Jake was someone else he was growing fond of at the time, and even more so, now that he was his gamma.

It hadn't escaped his notice, that JD son's name was an amalgam of his and Jake's first names, a fact that had touched him deeply but fortified his decision to distance himself, at least for a time, from seeing his partial namesake. His biggest fear, was that if he saw or held the child, he wouldn't be able to control, let alone mask his true feelings.

Despite all that, he had been really happy to see Jake had finally made it and had enjoyed sparing with him earlier to help work off some of his excess, anxious energy, at least until he had to excuse himself to take his rightful place at the ceremonial grounds, where he would stand beside Jason as his gamma and his first packmate.

Max would stand there too, along with his beta Carl, but it would be his new best friend and confidant Billy and his grandfather Marshal in addition to his two uncles, Merrick and Bryce that would escort him there and bind him to the newly reconstructed pylons before his grandfather Marshal slipped the silver medallion, forged from the armor of a long-dead Remus, twin brother to the Progenitor himself, Romulus, over his head and rest it upon his bare chest.

The sudden but expected knock on the cabin door, brought Jason out of his reverie, startling him into the present: "It's time my boy." he heard his grandfather say as he rose from the couch and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder, giving it a firm but affectionate squeeze: "Are you ready?" He asked, the broad grin on his face denoting the pride behind his aged eyes.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be." Jason retorted, his words nearly a sigh as he resigned himself to his fate.

With a nod of his head to his uncles Merrick and Bryce, they stripped him of the robe he had been wearing after his grandfather had bathed him in the lake earlier, and as he stood there naked the others stripped down to join him as was their custom during such ceremonies. Understandable, considering that if all went as expected during his rite of passage, everyone present would shift into their bestial form in deference and welcome the release of his beast and the addition of another much-needed alpha to the Heritage.

Billy slipped in front of him, opening the cabin door to only to be greeted by a smiling Barin Young and a fastidious Atticus Walker.

"Salve Fratres" Atticus greeted them, in his deep bassy Kentucky accent.

Salevete" they all responded in kind, in the solemnity of the occasion and in deference to their ancient lineage, dating back some three thousand years to their beginnings and the start of the biggest empire to have ever ruled on Earth and to the man who forged it.

With no other pomp and circumstance, Atticus and Barin turned in unison and lead their procession from the cabin, down the winding path to the start of the amphitheater, where the hundred-plus shifters in attendance chanted: "In Bestia Dimittere." repeatedly while thumping their bare chest with their right fist to the metered beat and syllabic cadence.

"Now I get it..." Billy leaned in and whispered in Jason's ear.

"What's that?" Jason queried.

"In Bestia Dimittere" Billy said, adding quickly: "It means -release the beast- in Latin."

Jason chuckled nervously: "Of course it does, from what I can tell there's nothing subtle when it comes to the Heritage."

"True dat!" Billy quipped, nudging Jason forward, steering him around the fire pit and toward the steps of the dais.

Just like at Billy's ceremony, the chanting stopped once their entourage reached the apex of the stone steps and Jason took his place between the twin pylons.

From this point, Jason knew what was expected of him, knew who would stand where and who would say what. He had been through this a couple of weeks ago when Arliss Gundarson stood where he was now as his own father slipped the ancient cursed medallion around his son's neck and it had worked its magic transforming an unsuspecting Arliss into a golden-haired giant of a beast that had taken several of them to help restrain, despite the heavy stainless steel chains that replaced the old iron ones that Billy had shattered during his initial transformation. Jason just hoped that his ceremony wouldn't affect him as severely as it appeared to have affected Arliss.

The once quiet and somewhat naive and innocent, unassuming farm boy, had become more stern and withdrawn, even from Gavin, much to Gavin's chagrin.

He would still talk from time to time to his once best friend, but something had fundamentally changed within Arliss, something that now drove him to push himself harder than those he trained with, even pushing Princess/Timmy to his limits in his relentless pursuit to be the best, and while his efforts were paying off physically, his single-minded focus had alienated him from an ever-increasingly forlorn and moody Gavin Hollis, who despite his often frustrating and futile attempts to engage his friend in their once established camaraderie, never gave up, though they could all see it was weighing on him and his temperament toward everyone, except Arliss, who didn't seem to notice or care.

Jason tried to purge himself of such thoughts as his Grandfather moved to stand in front of him, his leather-bound, gloved hands wielding the ancient amulet above his head: "Are you ready to claim your Heritage my son?" Marshal asked, his voice full of emotion and pride as his gleaming eyes stared intently into his own: "Yes Sir, I am." Jason responded, as resolute as possible, sticking his chest out, despite his trepidation, facing his fears and self doubts head-on and without hesitation.

At first, he wondered if it was going to do anything at all since he felt little more than the cold metal against his warm, bare skin, but Billy had warned him that would quickly change, and bit by bit it did.

It started as a tingle at first, something like a small electrical pulse against his skin, but soon it began to penetrate into the muscle fibers of his pectorals, where it spread like tendrils throughout his chest, changing from slightly uncomfortable to moderately painful in short order.

All the while, Jason stood there. stoically anticipating his fate, staring into his Grandfather's glowing blue eyes as his uncles, Max and Carl chanted "In Bestia Dimittere" over and over again.

Jason could feel the warmth of his gamma, Jake Bauers, standing directly behind him, his large hands squeezing firmly on his shoulders as he whispered calmly in his ear: "I've got you Alpha, just let go and let it happen."

Jake's encouraging words and his Grandfather consoling presence grounded him, steeled his determination as the pulsating heat increased, and became a smoldering fire that felt like it was melting his flesh.

Jason gritted his teeth and clutched the stainless steel chains in his hands, as every muscle in his body grew taut and began to draw against the fibers of his sinews, transforming the burning heat into a searing agony as he felt the ever-expanding spread of the flaming tendrils excoriate his nervous system, creeping inexorably toward his brain until it filled every synapse with scorching white heat.

This wasn't like his previous transformation. That had happened nearly in an instant and as painful as that change had been and as bereft of humanity that anguish had left him, this was a magnitude of order higher, well beyond his previous experience. But underlying it all, there was the persistent clawing in his belly, a presence of thought raging against his gut for dominance, fighting furiously to break through some invisible barrier that separated it from the man he thought himself to be. It was black, dark, and bestial and hurled its vehemence at what was left of his conscious control, and it was winning.

Soon, cracks began to form in his resistance, that just as quickly spread into fissures, allowing inky black fibers to grapple with the white-hot heat raging within him. It burned like the cold of a thousand blackened suns, subsuming the smoldering flames, coiling around and devouring the previous pathways searing throughout his body until it had completely overpowered and consumed them.

The chanting stopped as Jason let out a cacophonous, primordial howl as the limbs of his body began to expand and change, stretching and twisting; bones breaking and reconstituting as his skin blackened and sprigs of dark fur sprouted and covered his entire body.

They all watched as his snout extend and his jowls protruded, infused with rows of flesh rending teeth and fangs as his toes and fingers extended and twisted into razor-tipped talons.

Jason shifted, but not into the partial creature that still looked caught between man and beast. No, this transformation was more like the stuff of the legends they had all read about in the Codex.

They all experienced some form of growth during their own transformations, but Jason's body went well beyond that, his new form approximated the towering, lumbering shape of the wolf-like beast that drove the legions of Rome to repeated victories and instilled fear throughout the barbarian nations they conquered.

At six feet, eight inches, Jake Bauers was among the largest of their kind at the compound that night, but, standing directly behind Jason, staring up in awe at his Alpha's new form, he was comparable to a midget. Jason had to stand at least seven foot four inches now, the muscles of his body bloated into obscene proportions, all covered and matted in thick black fur from head to toe.

But the most startling aspect of his lycanthropic transmogrification was his pitch-black eyes, which were nothing more than two black coals, so deep and dark, that they seemed to consume the light. There were no reflective twinkles, no glints of glassy sparkle. Just two depthless voids reaching endlessly into a fathomless dark chasm.

As the cursed medallion worked its magic, more and more of Jason's consciousness blurred with that of the ferocious animal that had been locked away and contained behind his mother's science and a strong sense of social interaction that had psychologically repressed the duality of his nature.

Man and beast collided and the intersectionality of that moment, the beast within him was reveling in its newfound freedom. It felt the beckoning call of the forest, the need to run and hunt, to feel the wind rushing through its fur as the scent of nocturnal prey filled his nostrils, and the need to explore, claim and protect the preeminence of his domain, suffused him.

The creature that once was known as Jason howled at the waxing moon above as he shrugged off the chains and shackles of his restraints, ripped the burning medallion from his chest and darted down the steps of the dais, and ran toward the protective cover of the treeline in the distance, adjacent to the ceremonial grounds.

Without pause or hesitation, Jake Bauers followed suit, shifting as he darted after him in hot pursuit.

As those around him also sought to give chase, Billy Donnelly held up his hand to caution them: "Leave him to Jake and I..." Billy rumbled, his voice growing deeper and throaty as he began to shift, adding: "We'll watch over him until he calms down."

Marshal Griffen was about to object when Billy's eyes flashed a brilliant white: "I SAID.... leave him..." Billy's eyes blazed for a second, the burning glare of his will infused within his smoldering stare.

Marshal winced as if in pain and averted his gaze as an overwhelming urge to bare his neck permeated throughout him.

More sedately this time, the fire fading from his eyes, Billy's hand gripped Marshal's shoulder firmly: "I promise, I'll keep him safe and bring him back to you."

Billy didn't debate it, nor did he wait for Marshal's or anyone else's response or approval, he just turned and sped away, moving faster than anyone Marshal had ever seen before.

Now surrounded by the forest, the dark hulking figure that had once been Jason Griffen, now ran at a galloping trot, shredding and parting the underbrush as he pummeled through, taking in all the sights and sounds of the densely foliaged terrain.

His dark eyes pierced the night, and with his expanding, bestial sense, the three-quarter moon shining overhead, lit the landscape like the blazing mid-day sun.

No scent, carried by the cool evening breeze, escaped his notice as he sniffed the air incessantly, gauging the level of threat of each new woodland creature he encountered, but it was his heightened sense of hearing that caught the falling steps of the two that swiftly approached him.

Stepping into a small clearing, the beast within him growled in warning as he whirled to face his pursuant's; bracing himself as the potential threat of imminent danger raised his hackles.

The beast crouched in readiness, every muscle and sinew poised to launch him in an all-out assault to defend his territory from any would-be interloper, conveying that message by way of a low rolling snarl, through clinched fangs as first one, then the other figure stepped into the muted, preternatural light coming from above.

The larger of the two grunted in sounds he didn't quite understand. There was an air of caution about him as he slowly inched toward him, with his hand outstretched, palm up in an open gesture he instinctively knew to denote as to be non-threatening, and there was a familiarity to his scent as well.

The beast growled for his submission and grew confused and angry when the expected response failed to happen. He did what any alpha would do, he bared his teeth and snapped at him, demanding his compliance.

Poised to enforce his dominance, the beast heard the other creature, lurking at the clearing's edge, grunt to the other one facing him.

Slowly, the familiar one lowered himself to his knees and bared his throat to him.

The beast stared at them for a moment, looking from one to the other, before he snorted his approval as he cautiously approached the kneeling one and thrust his cold snout against the nape of his neck, and sniffed deeply.

Instantly the familiar scent became apparent to him. This one was his, this one was pack and the beast brushed his snout against him, and gave his muzzle a single lick of approval before rising up to his full height and turning to face the other figure, who still stood his ground, staring back at him.

Unlike his packmate though, this one did not avert its gaze, did not bare his throat to him, and the beast grew annoyed by his lack of respect and moved toward him guardedly, his head hung low, threateningly, just as intent as before to demand his submission.

As he circled around him, sniffing the air, never once taking his eyes off of him, he watched in fascination as the lone figure remained motionless and unyielding as he grew closer, his body tense and ready to pounce as he once again growled for his submission.

None came.

Incensed, the beast howled its rage and lunged at him, his razor-sharp claws fully extended his jowls snapping fiercely, intending to defend its territory, in bloody, glorious battle, no matter the cost...

                                                                       * * * * *

At first, Jake didn't know what had happened. One second he was watching in horror as Jason's massive lycanthropic form had lunged through the air at Billy Donnelly and the next, he was on the ground, his forehead buried in the damp leaves mumbling incoherently and whimpering like a scolded pup.

There had been a brilliant white flash one instant and the next... this.

As he tried to clear his head while also trying to summon the strength to push himself upward, he suddenly realized he had shifted back into human form, though not remembering doing so and as the thrumming beat of his blood rushed through his veins and vessels unabated and the incessant pounding in his eardrums lessened he became more aware of his surroundings.

He was still in the clearing, in the same location as before and as the spots faded from his vision and the fog lifted from his consciousness, he spotted two blurry figures, one standing with an eerie glow around them and the other on its knees, head bowed, much like his own, though still caught in some in-between state of man and beast.

Jake shook his head and rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand while massaging at the taut, aching muscles on the back of his neck.

Slowly, as his eyesight cleared, he could now make out that it was Billy standing, surrounded by a large, white cloudy nimbus that Jake could only best describe as a glowing mist.

At his feet knelt the still distorted, though no longer hulking form of Jason, head bowed as Billy's right hand pressed against the center of his chest.

Struggling to regain his composure, Jake knelt there watching intently as the eerie glow around Billy began to coalesce and spread down his arm like a roiling white puff of dry ice vapor to spread out against Jason's chest until it almost entirely encompassed him.

It began subtly, made more difficult to observe by the cocooning mist, but Jake could see the slow transformational effect it was having.

At first, and most notable of all, the twin black orbs that had become Jason's eyes, cleared like the dark at the coming of dawn until the blazing rings if his azure irises shown as clear and bright as the mid-day sky and though his body remained covered in thick black fur, his total mass shifted in size and stature until he was roughly back to his normal size. But it didn't stop there.

Jake had half expected, at this point, for the more bestial shape of Jason's body to shift as well, to the more expected norm they all experienced during such transformations.

What Jason had changed into as a result of his Heritage ceremony, had more closely resembled that of those more closely tied to those he had read about, nearly two thousand years ago.

What they all knew from their studies of the Codex was that from the time of the Progenitor, when those of the Heritage shifted, like the Progenitor, they completely shifted into large wolves. But, as the centuries passed and after decades of mating with ordinary human females, their DNA became more and more diluted, and their ability to shift slowly altered into what it is today.

What Jason had changed into hadn't been seen in almost fifteen hundred years, but what Jake was witnessing now, was going even further back than that. Jason was shifting into a large black wolf, just like those in the early days of the Heritage and just like the Progenitor himself.

Jake had heard many stories in the last couple of weeks from his dad about Bannor Griffen, but in none of them had his dad ever mention him having the ability to shift fully into a wolf and Jake began to wonder if this was some sort of residual effect of his mother's genetic manipulations or was it something Billy was doing to him now?

Jake had become so focused on Jason's transformation it was doubly shocking to see that Billy himself was transforming as well.

In an almost completely opposite way, as Jason shrunk to a more normal wolf size, Billy's form grew broader and taller. His limbs and torso twisting and contorting seamlessly into a more canine apparition.

The hand that once pressed against Jason's chest turned into a massive paw, replete with large cycle-shaped half-moon claws with blunt, padded toes.

Billy's shoulders narrowed as his chest protruded and a large bushy tail sprouted from the apex of his buttocks.

By the time Billy's newly formed paw pulled away from Jason's panting, fur-covered chest, Billy had completely metamorphosed into a massive white wolf, whose eyes shone with a radiant argent.

Sitting there, staring serenely down at the wolf form of Jason, Billy towered over them both; Jake estimating his seated form to be at least somewhere between seven and a half to eight feet tall, all of which was completely covered in snow-white fur. But the most amazing thing of all was those blazing white eyes.

There were no stories that he knew of in the Codex that spoke of anything like this. Even those of the Progenitor had described him as a massive black wolf with black smoldering eyes, much like the ones Jason had previous to this latest incarnation.

The Codex was somewhat vague about the Progenitor's early years, only that it took him quite some time to regain his human form, and what descriptions there were prior to that happening, recounted a period of dark bloody animalistic brutality, ending only when Romulus was able to subdue his inner beast and learn control over his form once again.

To this day, this is why all those undergoing their Heritage ceremony had to be chained and accompanied by their sire, who usually could use his blood ties and natural, paternal authority, to soothe the initial release of the savage beast that lived within them all.

Having the calming effect of an alpha on hand helped as well. No Heritage ceremony was conducted without one present. But it had been a long time since they faced anything like what happened tonight. No one could have expected or predicted what was happening to Jason Griffen, let alone Billy Donnelly.

It was then it dawned on him, by way of something Barin Young had said when recounting the events leading up to Billy discovering the Gundarson's long-held secret about their son and his subsequent arrival to the compound.

Barin had described what had transpired in detail that day and it was in that description he now recalled what Barin had said about standing there beside Billy, while he had a heated conversation with the Gundarson's then the next moment finding himself and the Gundarson's kneeling on the floor cowering and whimpering and feeling like an unyielding force was compelling him and the Gundarson's to submit.

Barin had said, there had been no verbal order, something that usually predicated such a command, just waves of compulsion that emanated from Billy which had been so strong he couldn't even remember how he had ended up on the floor with his forehead against the wooden floorboards of the Gundarson home, whimpering like a chided pup encountering his pack alpha for the first time, multiplied by ten.

Like now, as it had been then, that compulsion was preceded by the flashing of Billy's eyes. It was more than that though and Jake could still discern it lingering in the air around him, a massive pheromonal discharge that compelled his submission and that of his Alpha.

Jake's head reeled at the mere contemplation of that thought. An alpha, especially one as powerful as Jason had become and from a lineage that could be traced back nearly three thousand years, was now brought to his knees in seconds in an act of submission to Billy Donnelly, not only that, but from Jake's perspective, Billy had forced Jason's transformation from a hulking savage brute into his current and still submissive wolf form.

Gone was any hint of aggression from Jason's wolf. Jake only sensed a calm compliance radiating off him and he realized, that his own current, peaceful state of mind was in part due to a direct result of his pack bond to his Alpha, but also the compulsion to submit that came purely from Billy. Jake knew both consciously and instinctively, no matter his Alpha's will or his own, he was completely helpless against it and without even realizing it, found that both he had Jason were now offering their exposed throats up to him, and as their wills completely surrendered to the White Wolf, Jake could have sworn he heard a serene tranquil voice whisper in the back of his mind: "Welcome to my Pack brothers."

Chapter Fourteen:

“Men do not fight for flag or country, for the Marine Corps or glory or any other abstraction. They fight for one another. And if you came through this ordeal, you would age with dignity.”

William Manchester

* * * * *

The beast stood there panting, trying to catch its breath. The moon overhead, though waning, still appeared as full to the untrained eye. But the beast knew, it could feel the pull of its magnetic waves and appreciated the illumination that now allowed it to clearly see its surroundings in full, vivid detail.

As remarkable as its enhanced vision was though, it was the overpowering scents of everything around that amazed it the most. Deep, rich earthy odors that spoke and called to its primal urges even more succinctly than its keen ocular senses.

One, in particular, was driving it to near distraction and was why it was even now doing its best to avoid his contact.

Though the woods it was now traversing seemed vaguely familiar to it, the beast could clearly make out the unmistakable marking scents of an alpha. It permeated everything and was mixed heavily with the scent of many other alpha's and for a beta-like itself, that could only spell trouble if it didn't show proper respect for the alpha's territory.

This is why it ran, the beast knew it had to find the edge of the alpha's land and wait for the alpha to come to it and then it could properly show its respect and if the alpha was amiable, offer up its submission.

Like all its kind, there was one thing greater than the call of the hunt, greater than the feel of the wind whipping through its fur as it ran, perhaps even greater than the scent of some future mate. Acceptance by an alpha meant Pack. Pack meant everything. Its kind were as nothing without it. It could spend endless years wandering aimlessly, from one place to another to find such a place, to find that one alpha that would claim it, give its life purpose and meaning, a place to belong, bring order to its existence, to fulfill its inherent, primal imperative: to serve its Alpha, serve its Pack, Pack is family. One could not be had without the other and all of them, without exception, were drawn to it, their place, their purpose, their Alpha, their Pack.

This is why it ran, why it broke free from those who had chained it to some large stones.

It ran as soon as they released it from its bonds, fled into the woods and into the dark cover of night, ran as any wild thing would.

The moon had been behind some dark billowing clouds at the time, but now it betrayed it, threatened to expose it further than it already was.

In the distance, it could hear the pursuit it had feared drawing closer, and though its scent was also familiar, it reeked of alpha and the beast could not be found invading its territory.

Fear, self-preservation is what drove it now. Encroaching on an alpha's enclave was the same as challenging his dominion. Was that why it had been restrained?

The alpha that pursued it now had been there among the others. Its scent overwhelmed them all.

The beast had been too frightened to make eye contact, respectfully bowing its head as it fled into the hopeful safety of the woods. It meant no offense, it didn't even know how it had gotten there. But the alpha that gave chase, seemed to be maintaining some distance between them, leaving it the impression the alpha was either toying with it before it moved in for the kill or it was driving it from his territory for a purpose.

The beast knew, that at any time, this alpha could have easily overtaken it, but for some reason seemed content to just drive it to the edges of its domain.

Was the alpha affording it the opportunity to be respectful, to approach him with proper respect where the beast could offer up its submission and garner his acceptance and a place within his Pack?

The thought made it giddy but wary.

The beast pressed on, even if driven to the point of exhaustion it would persevere. It would not be found wanting by this alpha. It would use its last breath if needs must to procure even the remotest chance of impressing the alpha enough to secure a coveted position, no matter how minor, in his Pack.

It ran until it finally broke free of the densely foliaged treeline, miles away from its starting point, in a large clearing thick with knee-high grasses and a profundity of blue cornflowers, whose earthy, peppery bouquet filled its nostrils as it stood there, panting, just beyond the edges of the alpha's domain, catching its breath, dropping to its knees and patiently waiting to see if the alpha, who had pursued it, would show himself.

The wait wasn't long.

The beast watched, from the periphery of its respectfully bowed head, as the lone figure stepped heel to toe, in the manner of all predators, silently form the cover of the dense thicket that bordered the treeline, into the pale blue light of the waning moon.

Panic nearly gripped the beast once again as what emerged from the forest appeared more human than kindred as its body continued to shift until only a man stood before it, some twenty feet away.

Still, the air was profuse with the scent of alpha and it approached the beast with the same confidence it would have expected from one of its own kind and despite its trepidation and the raging beat of its adrenaline-fueled heart, it remained cowered and submissive as it knew it must, until the alpha towered over it, his hand reaching out until it cupped and caressed the side of its head, right below the ears.

Instantly, it could feel the warmth and the surprisingly familiar comfort of the alpha's hand permeate throughout it until it settled in its chest and subdued the raging thoughts within its head.

Closing its eyes, as its fears evaporated and the familiar connection between them quelled the raging beast within. It felt its body begin to shift and change, its talons retract as its limbs reformed and a new voice subdued the raging thoughts of the beast, who retreated within, to rest below the murky surface until beckoned once again.

"Welcome to the Heritage Baxter." Billy Donnelly said, smiling down at him disarmingly as his large callused hand continued to cup and caress the side of his face gingerly as he stared deeply and affectionately into his eyes.

* * * * *

"C'mon guys, don't everyone talk at once" Gavin Hollis chided sardonically as he continued to consider the significance of everything he had just told them.

For the past two weeks, he had been assisting Liz Dunne with her continued treatments of both Kent Bauer and Michael Donnelly; a task made considerably easier once Max approved of Paul Lakatos and his father taking Remy Deveaux back to their territory for detainment once Elizabeth had effectively neutralized his ability to shift with an enhanced version of the medication she had been giving her own son for almost fifteen years.

It had proved exceedingly effective on all three of their prisoners, and in fact, had up to recently seemed to be stabilizing both Kent and Michael's conditions from getting any worse.

But things had changed. Up until last week, she hadn't been able to reverse what Monaca had done to them. But this last Tuesday she had made a crucial advancement after she had shifted her focus from repairing the affected DNA sequences, something she was having trouble doing since she had no samples of their DNA prior to their current condition until it came to her to use their father's DNA as a template to selectively isolate the RNA sequences they had in common with their corresponding parent.

That had allowed her to narrow the parameters and repair those shared Heritage genes effectively enough that their own recumbent, self-replicating DNA triggered the cells and tissue inherent in all those born of the Heritage, that gave them accelerated healing, to kick in and begin repairing the damaged genes Monanca had infected with her virus.

It had taken a few days, but both Michael and Kent were showing signs of rapid improvement.

Most notably though, as their bodies healed, so did a lot of the damage to their minds. Apparently, Monanca's treatments had also left them more than a little susceptible to suggestion and after talking to both, Michael had revealed she had been giving him supplements much like Liz had done Jason, for the past few years. Kent, for the most part, had just gone along with what his friend had told him until he too started taking the same supplements once they arrived in Germany some two years prior.

Jason sat there silently listening to Gavin, taking everything in and doing his best to be impartial to the evidence presented.

It had been a long couple of days leading up to Baxter's Heritage ceremony and he had grown accustomed to Billy's input on everything, especially after his initial transformation and his wolf submitting to him.

Its not that he felt incapable or less like an alpha himself, if anything, he felt more so since he was the first in almost two thousand years to successfully shift into full wolf form. No, it went deeper than that.

Jason knew that the part of him that makes him an alpha, was recognizing that what Billy had become, was on a level above and beyond them all. It was also something he, Jake, Princess, and Billy were keeping a secret, at least for now, even from his father and Carl, at least until they understood it a little more.

Danal and Hadrian, of course, were entirely a different can of worms; with Billy and Jason both deciding to limit their exposure to either of them for the time being or at least until they could be certain of their discretion in regards to both the Heritage in general and the potentially problematic Council of Greges, which neither Billy nor Jason were sure they could trust.

All of which lead him to now, sitting here with Princess, Atticus, and Brock, listening to Gavin as he was invariably drawing to some conclusion Jason was certain he wasn't going to like hearing.

"Gavin I get that you and my mother think that Michael and Kent were in some ways not accountable for their own actions and while I can empathize with that, I just can't ignore what they did either, the Quorum would have my hide if I did."

"I'm not suggesting that" Gavin admonished, trying to curb the strong emotions that were driving him at the moment.

Ever since the attack on the compound and the simultaneously coordinated assault on his mother, Gavin had been devoting himself to tracking down all the specifics of the who, what, when, and where's of those behind it.

Yes, for the most part, they were fairly certain who had organized it or at least authorized the attack, but Gavin wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with and who. He didn't just want to expose them or call them out, Gavin wanted to do to them what they intended to do to him and everyone else at the compound and with Brock's help this last week or so, and what he had garnered from Michael and Kent, he was now fairly certain they could do just that.

"So, let me get this straight Gavin...." Jason glowered at him studiously: "You think we could successfully infiltrate the Von Kraus estate and take out him and his entire inner circle in one fell swoop and get out without no one being the wiser?"

Gavin smiled wickedly: "Oh, they're gonna know alright..."

Atticus jumped in, the irises of his eyes flashing a bright green: "Damn right, the Wardogs are gonna know that the Devil Dawgs don't take shit from no one!"

Jason shook his head slightly, his gaze flicking back and forth between the pair of them: "Max and Danal would never approve of something like this..."

Princess interjected wistfully, smiling demurely, contemplatively looking at his nails: "All the more reason not to bother them about it."

Jason regarded Princess for a moment, wondering whether to take him seriously or not, but it was Brock that made his choice for him: "Why don't you sleep on it, Billy should be back tomorrow and we can corner him with this plan and see what he thinks as well."

Jason chaffed at that idea, not because he didn't think Billy would go for it, quite the opposite. What Jason was debating internally now was how wise would it be to put the White Wolf in potential danger clear across the world surrounded by those who wanted him dead before he came into his Heritage.

It didn't take a genius to know what a monumentally bad idea that could turn out to be.

"I'll consider it..." Jason sighed, adding quickly: "But I don't want anyone saying anything about this to Billy, he's got enough on his plate with Baxter just coming into his Heritage and all."

Princess just rolled his eyes: "Who are you trying to kid here, you know as well as we do the two of them are probably bumping uglies as we speak." Princess turned his gaze on everyone before asking boldly: "Who here actually thinks we're gonna see Billy anytime soon?"

"I don't know..." Gavin speculated: "I got the impression that he and Baxter have a lot of things to discuss and work out before that happens."

"Gotta agree there." Jason nodded, having talked to Billy for a while earlier before he departed to take Baxter home, which was why he didn't want to trouble him now.

Billy and Baxter had a lot of things to work out, not least of which were their feelings for each other, and the one thing Jason was certain both Billy and Baxter understood, that just jumping into sex would only complicate things and not necessarily for the better.

"I mean it guys, leave Billy out of this one okay?" Jason insisted emphatically, while staring Princess down, realizing he was the only real wild card in this scenario, being the only other alpha in this little ragtag group.

Princess just smiled back at him, offering only a single wink that Jason decided to decipher as the only acceptance he was likely to get, before dismissing the group for the evening, promising to reconvene sometime the next morning or early afternoon.

As they departed, Jason just plopped down in the now singular, worn leather couch that yet remained in the Devil Dawg cabin that he now inhabited along with his mother, who he was sure was still working over at the Lodge pouring over some research she hoped would help fix what was broken in Michael Donnelly and Kent Bauers, when he noticed he wasn't as alone as he had hoped to be.

"I already know what you're going to say Princess..."He sighed heavily as he sat upright on the couch to face what he knew was coming.

"If you know what I'm going to say then why make me say it Jason?" Princess scolded, his voice uncharacteristically stern, matter of fact, and to the point.

"It didn't feel like the right time" Jason offered up weakly, knowing full well how that was going to go over.

Princess moved to stand in front of the island counter separating the kitchen from the living room, folding his arms against his chest as he leaned against it, regarding Jason disdainfully: "That's not what you, Billy, and I agreed upon this morning Jason."

"I know Princess..." he sighed again, carding his fingers through the shaggy hair on his head as his thumbs set against his temples to try and massage away the headache he felt building behind his eyes.

'What are you really waiting for Jason? Billy and I both agree its time for you to act, you promised us both you were going to do what we all agreed needs to happen."

Princess's voice had grown resolute, full of confidence as he pressed Jason for a response.

"I'll do it tomorrow okay?" Jason offered, with a little more annoyance in his voice than he intended.

Princess stomped his foot, tapping his watch: "It's ten thirty-two PM Jason, more than enough time to do what needs to be done" he insisted, making it perfectly clear he wasn't going to let this drop, adding: "Max, Danal and the others are at the Donnelly estate for the evening, there's no one here to object or interfere with what we all agreed needs to happen, so quit being such a fucking pussy and do it!"

Jason stood and glowered back at Princess. He wanted to raise some sort of objections, concoct some sort of excuse that might convince both Princess and himself he could delay what his heart had been screaming for him to do since he took Jake as his gamma.

Instead, Jason just cocked his mouth sideways, something he did when he had resolved to do something he knew would be hard, but needed to be done anyway, and turned from the one, of his two friends and confidants present, and walked over to the cabin door and flung it open, where he hesitated for a moment, bowing his head in silent contemplation, steeling himself for what was to come.

Slowly tilting his head, his eyes blazing a brilliant azure blue as his body shifted effortlessly into its full wolven form, Jason, Alpha of the Devil Dawg Southern District, howled.

It wasn't just any howl, it was the howl of an Alpha summoning all those of the Heritage within hearing distance, who haven't yet been selected, beckoning them to come to him and face selection.

Princess smiled inwardly, a beaming grin on his face as they both heard the many answering, pleading howls as a flurry of movement raced toward them, coming mostly from the bivouac.

"I hope we know what we're doing" came the voice in Princess's head, causing his own eyes to narrow and flash blue as he responded in kind back at Jason's wolf: "Let Max and Danal be pissed, what will be done is done and there's nothing they can do to stop it now, the White Wolf has spoken, build your pack Jason!"

* * * * *

There it was, the sign he had been waiting for. Jake didn't actually snore, but he did have a certain rhythm to his breathing while he slept and JD had been patiently waiting for his husband to slip off to sleep ever since putting Jakson down for the night.

He still felt rather bad for brushing off Jake's usual sexual advances, feigning fatigue having to care for a fussy baby all day.

Jake took the mild reproach like he took everything when dealing with anything JD had noted, and that was always with patience and tact.

Still, it was Friday night and JD knew Jake's libidinous pattern by now. Friday nights meant no work the next day and, of course, more time to cuddle and have sex; well, their version of sex anyway.

JD had learned early on that Jake had little problem bottoming for him, in fact, he seemed rather enthusiastic about it at times and there was nothing more than JD enjoyed at this time, than being balls deep in his husband's honey pot. But, the one-sided nature of their sex ate at him, when the most he could do to reciprocate was for the two of them to face each other and as he stared into his husband's eyes, take the very tip of his gigantic phallus into his mouth, while his tongue swirled against his frenulum and dipped deeply into his piss slit, to tongue fuck his urethra, all while his hands pumped his rigid pole and stroke him to orgasm.

Jake never once complained about the limitations in their sex life and it definitely didn't seem to impede his frequent desire for it either, tonight being a perfect example. But JD had other plans this night, a surprise of sorts, or so he hoped, as he stared down at his husband as he tried to slip carefully from the bed, knowing that even the slightest disturbance would awaken Jake with a start, and JD didn't want that, he needed time to prepare and had set things up earlier in the spare bedroom down the hall to get the ball rolling on his "little" surprise.

Having stealthily executed his planned extraction with all the skill of a ninja, JD slipped from their room and down the hall and into the spare room.

Avoiding the bright overhead lights, JD cautiously waded through the familiar darkness until he made his way to the bedside nightstand, where his hand deftly found the lamp located there and flipped the switch.

Beneath him, sprawled out on the bed, just as he had arranged and left it earlier, was everything that he needed, and as JD reached for the familiar, large bottle of water-based lubricant, he mouthed a silent thank you to the benefactor of his collection.

Over a week and a half ago, when Princess/Timmy came to stay with him, while Jake attended Jason's Heritage ceremony, among the many things they had discussed was the guilt he was feeling over not being able to accommodate his husband's prodigious endowment.

He hadn't meant to bring it up, but Princess/Timmy seemed to hone right in on it, something he jokingly alluded to later by stating that he was the progeny of a love god after all. JD knew that Princess had meant it as a joke, but from all that JD had heard about both his and Gavin's experiences with the Goddess Aphrodite while under the thrall of transformation when they came into contact with the cursed silver from Remus's armor, he somehow doubted that Princess/Timmy's just arbitrarily guessing that he had a few issues with his sex life, was anything "but" arbitrary.

Either way, it didn't really matter, it was the results of that conversation that lead to Princess/Timmy being moved to "help" him by first purchasing everything he now had laid out before him on the bed: "C'mere big D!" JD murmured under his breath as his hand reached for the largest of the three lifelike dildos and began smearing lube all over it's smooth, skin-like surface.

From tip to base, the large dildo had to measure a good twelve inches and was nearly as thick as JD's wrist. He had been working the last three days, almost exclusively with this one, and was beginning to feel he was approaching a level of proficiency that he might be able to tackle the real thing between his husband's legs.

Sure, this thing was no way near the size of Jake's mega dong, but this was the biggest one that Princess had been able to purchase at the sex shop in Jacksonville.

After thoroughly slicking up the latex phallus, JD slid it to the floor, and using the large suction base to adhere it to the smooth wooden surface beside the bed, JD reached for the other "gift" that he had been training with daily.

Princess had called it a "spreader" and there wasn't a more apt description than JD could think of. Well, maybe except for torture device from hell. But as much as JD hated it, Princess had been correct, it was helping. Something JD had noted for the first time the other night when giving Jake's dick his usual treatment, during which time he realized, that if he wanted to, he could have slipped the entire fist-sized head of Jake's massive schlong into his mouth, something that was completely unthinkable just days before, prior to his daily training with the "spreader."

The metal device worked simply, it consisted mostly of two metal bars with extended mouthpieces that curved along his jawline and fit between his upper and lower teeth. On both sides of the bars were screw-like posts that had calibrated knob-shaped adjusters that allowed him to control the amount of separation.

At first, it had been slow going, but despite the pain, it often caused, each day he had been able to exceed the previous until he was able to do what he was going to do now.

JD bent over, his jaws fully spread by the harnessed contraption strapped securely around his head and lowered his mouth to the tip of the large slick head of the floor-mounted dildo, and thrust his face down until nearly half the damn thing was lodged deep in his throat.

There were the usual few seconds of gagging sputters, but JD soon mastered his throats contractions and continued to work his mouth downward until he had successfully encompassed the entire dildo right down to its big fake balls.

Satisfied his throat was ready, JD sat up and whipped around, as his fingers tugged at the base of the extra-large, three-inch circumference black buttplug he had stuffed up his hole since shortly after Jake had left for work that morning.

With a mild grunt, JD pushed the large plug free of his puffy, stretched anus, tossed it aside, and placed the bloated lips of his loosened hole against the tip of the large dildo, before plunging downward with his hips until his palpitating sphincter spasmed against its base.

A week and a half ago, JD would have never thought anything he was doing now was possible for him. But Princess had convinced him otherwise and had purchased a bevy of toys in ever-increasing size increments, that had allowed him to expand his capacities at his own determined pace.

The rest, his own natural libido had pushed him to do. The fact was, he was getting to really enjoy the anal stimulation and had frequently brought himself to orgasm just sliding the big head of the largest dildo against his prostate at just the right angles.

Between the two, the oral had been far more work than the butt stuff. But JD was determined to become proficient at both. Jake deserved no less than he himself gave and from everything JD could discern, there was little Jake wouldn't do in bed if he thought it brought JD pleasure.

There were several occasions that week, where JD had almost slipped and utilized his increasing skills, in fact, it had taken him a considerable amount of willpower to hold back, but he had made a plan and he was determined to stick to it.

Tonight would be the night. He had spent most of the day plugged with the biggest of the buttplugs and had even spent over an hour practicing his oral skills after setting Jakson down for his after-lunch nap.

He had planned it all carefully, making sure Jakson was fully engaged that evening and not allowed to nap until they set him down about half an hour ago. Knowing by experience, Jakson would probably now sleep for at least three or four hours before waking for his nightly bottle feed and diaper change. JD had pushed for his and Jake's early bedtime, so that he could lull Jake asleep, affording him a little time to loosen up, before putting all his hard work into practice.

Satisfied he had indeed loosened up enough, JD carefully cleaned, put away his training toys, and snuck back to their room, where he just as carefully slid back into bed beside his still resting husband.

JD sat there for a moment, staring down at the peaceful slumber of his handsome mate, pulling the covers back to reveal his naked torso and admiring the near perfection of his massively muscular physique.

Laying there, on the left side of the bed, with his legs slightly splayed and his right arm thrust underneath the pillow that supported his head, Jake's magnificent body lay fully exposed for JD's mounting libidinous perusal.

With little preamble, JD lowered his head until his moistened lips gently kissed the eraser-sized nib of Jake's right nipple, allowing the tip of his tongue to snake out and flick it lightly several times until his actions elicited a groggy, guttural moan.

JD didn't hesitate, as he slid up Jake's body until his lips slipped over Jake's, his tongue darting to spread his husband's lips and penetrate the inner depths of his oral cavity, where it flick wantonly against Jake's own, while his right hand sought his husbands still limp phallus and hefted it up to flop against his abdomen.

As his fingers nimbly fondled his large tumescent tool, they worked their way down to cup and fondle his equally massive lemon-sized balls. His fingers gripped them firmly at the base, right below his now expanding shaft, to encircle them in his fist and began pulling them down tautly as his tongue continued to probe Jake's mouth.

Jake made a move to sit up and wrap his arms around him, but JD thrust his hands aside and shoved against his slab-like pecs, forcing Jake to lay flat against the mattress: "Don't move Bauers, I'm in control here!" JD growled lasciviously, eliciting a lustful groan of submission from his stalwart companion.

Now that he had him where he wanted him and also had his full attention, JD slipped his tongue from Jake's mouth and began to slide down his body, stopping only to trace the circumference of his areolas on his descent downward.

Finally reaching his targeted goal, JD flicked the wet, drooling tip of his tongue against Jake's exposed frenulum as his fingers contracted more tightly around the base of his gonads, pulling until Jake's semi-erect cock waved like a drunken man weaving in the wind before JD's hungry lips captured the expanding glans between his suction lips.

Smiling wickedly to himself, while watching up Jake's body as he settled back, his eyes closed as he usually did while JD milked his shaft, JD enacted the first of his surprises by spreading his lips widely and stuffing the expanding diameter of Jake's helmet-shaped glans into his oral cavity and began sucking in earnest.

Just as he expected, Jake's eyes flew open in surprised amazement, his large callused hands shooting to the sides of JD's head to grip it tightly as JD continued to lower his mouth downward until the head of his big fat cock was grinding its way into the tight confines of JD's throat, while corkscrewing the ever-expanding schlong into his esophageal depths.

JD knew he wouldn't be able to maintain this for long, his practice toy, though bigger than most human males, its wrist-thick circumference could only be marginally compared to the full, thicker than a coke can diameter of Jake's burgeoning dick.

After just a few moments, JD's overstretched lips, with a loud pop and a smack, slid free from the now rock-hard, throbbing eighteen-inch marauder, that dropped with a loud wet smack as it thumped solidly against Jake's chest.

"That was fucking amazing!" Jake bristled excitedly, between panting breaths, as he stared wide-eyed down at JD in apparent awe of his torrid accomplishment.
"You ain't seen nuthin' yet studly." JD hissed sardonically as he slid his right leg over Jake's torso until his thighs straddled Jake's abs.

JD inched forward, teasing Jake's lips with the head of his drooling seven-inch boner, repeatedly pulling it away as Jake's lips continuously tried to capture it between them: "Nuh-uh big guy, tonight ain't about me, juz' lay back and relax and enjoy the ride." JD cooed impishly as he gyrated his hips suggestively against the throbbing slab of meat between his widespread thighs.

Jake smiled lecherously and did as suggested, laying back and letting JD take the reigns.

While using both hands to tweak and fondle Jake's sensitive nipples and occasionally swooping down to nibble and tease them with his teeth and tongue, JD continued to rub Jake's enormous shaft between his taint and muscular ass-cheeks in ever-increasing arcs of his upwardly thrusting hips until his efforts centered around his continuously seeping cock-head.

Jake moaned repeatedly, sighing deeply his approval with various grunts and groans, his large meaty hands coming up to grip and caress the firm round globes of his ass as JD positioned the tip of Jake's wanger against the velvety moist folds of his virginal orifice.

Slowly, deliberately JD pushed the oozing, blunt tip of Jake's dick against his hole until he felt it part the slightly puffy ring with his palpitating manhood.

Nearly holding his breath, in bated anticipation, a low guttural growl escaped between Jake's lips as the massive fist-sized head of his dick prodded and popped passed JD's overstretched sphincter and filled his premoistened love canal with his throbbing, drooling knob.

The sudden invasion of Jake's enormous endowment sent ripples of pain radiating from JD's taut sphincter and he gasped for breath as he bore the brunt of his steely protuberance.

Jake didn't move. He fought his natural instinct to thrust deeper into his mate, as JD struggled to will his hole to loosen and accept the invading member, by rocking his hips back and forth slightly until the pain began to slowly abate, allowing more and more of Jake's colossal pecker deeper access to his strained, but quivering quim.

Between sucking heated breaths and clenched, gritting teeth, he steadied himself by placing his gripping hand's palms down upon Jake's slab-like pecs. JD continued to push harder, forcing Jake's meat into deeper depths, until it hit the narrow barrier of his inner sphincter.

There, JD's resolve faded, as the pain grew to intense to proceed. Jake grunted his acceptance by flexing his blood-engorged shaft making it jump and throb inside of him as he gently began to unsheath.

Jake's actions had two effects, the first being an easement of the pressure that JD had felt mounting at the entrance of his lower bowels, the second was an intense wave of pleasure as Jake's shaft and glans raked against his prostate sending waves of unbridled ecstasy coruscating up his spine, an ecstasy shared by an overheated Jake who was experiencing his own virginal loss, in pure rapturous joy.

The cumulative effect for both of them pushed them over the physical edge and into the abyss of unimaginable sensory overload, causing both of them to erupt in fervid exaltation as their carnal coupling reach its apex.

Sperm spewed from Jake's meaty monster, flooding JD's guts, salving his aching, tortured channel in blistering ropes of seething, viscous ball juice.

Even before the first smoldering blast of jizz splashed against his prostate, JD's own seven-inch cock exploded in a torrential rain of showering cum, shooting high into the air before drenching them both in his salinated nectar. Cords of stringy splooge splattered repeatedly against their sweaty flesh, inundating and baptizing them in passionate, licentious bliss.

As the waves of ecstasy faded into gasping moans of spent euphoria, they collapsed into each other's arms, their lips crashing against the others as they sucked the heated, panting breaths of their conjoined elation, while basking in the waning afterglow of their torrid copulation.

JD kissed his husband, staring down deep into his locked, glassy gaze: "Not bad for a beginner, huh?" He queried jovially, in-between gasping pants.

"It'll do in a pinch" Jake chuckled, followed by the loud smack of his beefy palms against JD's upturned, cock filled ass.

* * * * *

A silent, but expectant pall hung over the Devil Dawg compound, as the small throng of its current occupants clustered nervously around the front of the cabin of the new Alpha in residence there, all in response to his haunting howl that reached deeply into their beings and drew them there like a clarion call, beckoning them to him.

Patiently they waited, hopeful but trepidatious. For some, this was their first call to an Alpha for others just another fearful anticipation of rejection. Then there were those few that had waited for years for just such a chance and wondered if this might be the moment that they could, at long last, fulfill their purpose and be chosen to this Alpha's pack.

Most still feared rejection, experience teaching them the harsh bitter lesson, that Alpha's only selected the best amongst those within the Heritage, and many doubted they fit that bill, anticipating as always that the number of those chosen would be small, as tradition now dictated. Yet, they all still hoped, it was in their nature to desire to be part of a pack. So, silently they waited, all eyes glued to the cabin door, hoping against hope, that this night might be their time.

To their surprise, the fair-haired one called Princes emerged from the door, eyes full of warmth and understanding, dressed head to toe in his usual simple white, open-armed muscle T-shirt and skin-tight white stretch pants brandishing a simple sheet of paper he whipped to eye level in a flourish of dramatic pomp and circumstance.

In a voice like silken cloth, that just flowed effortlessly from his rosy lips, Princess spoke to them: "Welcome one and all, it has fallen to me to speak to you on behalf of the Southern District Alpha."

He paused for a moment, more for effect than not: "As I call out your name, please enter the cabin single file and line yourself by the island wall and quietly wait for the Alpha's further instruction."

Without further adieu, Princess began reciting the names one by one, and to no one's surprise, all ten members of Atticus's security unit had soon passed through the cabin door, leaving only a handful of stragglers, who had remained after Baxter's induction the night before, as well as Atticus, Arliss, Brock, Gavin and Arliss's father, who had just been visiting as he worked out the details with Max and Jason about his farm supplying the compound with fresh meats, dairy and produce in an agreement he had made with Billy Donnelly a few weeks earlier, prior his own son's induction. Douglas Gundarson had decided to stick around for the night to spend some time with his son, something they hadn't been having much time for, since Arliss's training with Atticus's unit took precedence.

For a time Princes stood there, seeming to peruse and double-check his list as both Atticus and Arliss looked on anxiously, chomping at the bit, in hopes their name might yet be called.

Princess folded his paper and stuffed it into the waistline of his pants, his eyes rolling skyward as his thumb and forefinger stroked his chin as if something might have slipped his mind.

The sudden snap of his fingers elicited more than a couple of startled glances, before impishly batting his eyes at the rest of them before speaking: "Gavin Hollis and Arliss Gundarson would you please join the Alpha?"

Without hesitation Arliss practically jumped forward in his haste toward the front door, only stopping at the last minute to turn and stare back at Gavin, who hadn't budged an inch from the spot he was standing on.

Gavin stared back at Arliss for a second, then turned to face Princess: "Why would he want me in there, I'm not part of Heritage?"

Princess lips spread into a broad, mischievous grin, before answering jovially: "He's not the only Alpha here tonight now is he?"

Gavin rolled his eyes sardonically in response, folding his arms stubbornly across his chest, his mouth poised to make a snarky remark when Arliss interrupted him: "For cryin' out loud Gavin, get your ass in here."

Shooting Arliss a questioning leer, Gavin suddenly just shrugged his shoulders and trotted over to join him before disappearing into the cabin together.

Princess watched after them, his smile fading into a small grin, before he to, trod toward the door until he stood silhouetted in the door frame: "Well...?" Princess smirked back over his shoulder: "What are you waiting for, a special invitation or something?"

Both Brock and Atticus exchanged expectant but happy glances as they moved in unison to join the others, and Princess patted them on their asses as they passed around him as he reached for the cabin door to swing it quarter ways shut before poking his head out and calmly stating to those few remaining outside: "Wuh, no more takers?" he asked as they simply stared back at him incredulously.

Princess sighed heavily in mock exacerbation: "Are all you Heritage guys always this dense? ...Hut, toop people I ain't got all night, its way past my bedtime, and poppa needs his beauty sleep."

With the last of the stragglers pushing their way through the door, Princess swung it shut and flipped the lock, sealing everyone inside, before turning and crossing the room, grabbing both Gavin and Brock by the hands and tugging them along with him to stand in front of the fireplace where he flipped his arms around his companion's shoulders, in a bro hug, before whispering in their ears: "I wish I'd thought to bring some popcorn, 'cause this is gonna be quite the show."

At first, they all stood there in silence, facing toward the opposite side of the room, staring grimly where Jason stood, with his back to them, peering out the french doors and out toward the lake, naked as the day he was born.

"Atticus Walker, step forward!" Jason's voice boomed, practically reverberating off the cabin walls.

Instantly doing as he was instructed, Atticus Walker crossed the room to the other side, to stand just a few paces in front of Jason, stoically awaiting his next command.

But Jason remained silent for a few moments more, his back still turned to them, as he gathered his thoughts, before speaking in slow measured tones.

"I know that many of you have expected that you would someday be standing before Billy Donnelly, that it would be he who ended your dispersement by welcoming some of you into his pack."

Jason hesitated briefly, letting his words sink in, before turning to face them and resuming his planned oration.

"As Alpha of the Devil Dawg Southern District, I can now assure you, that this will not be the case."

I low murmur spread throughout those gathered, as they looked disconcertingly to one another for answers before Jason drew their attention back to him, by raising his hand and quelling them into silence once again.

"I can assure you, this was not a decision made lightly, he and I discussed it at great length and came to the conclusion, that he is called in another direction, and must, at this time devote himself to other matters."

An air of forlornness filled the room, full of sighing disappointment, as they all began to once again, feel the weight of their displacement within the Heritage, envelope them once again.

A sudden loud clap from Princess's hands pulled their attention away from Jason, to regard him suspiciously as he stepped forward a single step, waving his hand toward Jason in one broad stroke: "Hear the man out before jumping to conclusions!" Princess admonished, his irises flashing blue for an instant as his presence commanded the room.

"Take it away bossman, let 'em know what's behind door number two." Princess rumbled merrily, bowing with a flourish toward Jason.

Without so much as cracking a smile or missing a beat, Jason continued: "Before he left today, Billy tasked me to do what he can not at this time, and with Princess's help, they convinced me to do what no other district Alpha has done in recent memory..." Jason paused, to catch his breath, knowing full well the implications of what he was about to say: "As Alpha of the Southern District it is now my intent to build a pack like none have seen in over an age!"

Murmurs once again gripped the room before Jason once again quelled them into silence: "I do this because I must. Because outside forces from across the seas have attacked and challenged us and it is my intent to answer that challenge by forming a pack the likes of which the world has not seen in untold generations."

Jason's iris's flashed a brilliant azure blue and as his will filled the room, subsuming all other thoughts and dispelling all of their doubts, his hands clenched into fist at his side as he turned the full force of his will on Atticus Walker: "Submit son of the Heritage and become one with my Pack!"

Atticus trembled for a moment, as Jason's will flooded over him, stronger than any Alpha's he had ever experienced, and felt himself move. As if compelled by their own volition, his feet began to shuffle forward, delivering him to the Alpha's call.

With barely a foot separating them, Atticus's knees gave out and he dropped to the floor to kneel before Jason, his eyes cast downward as his head turned, offering up his own neck as he awaited apprehensively for what he knew must surely come.

He didn't have to wait long. Jason's second submit confirmed his intention, leaving Atticus but one recourse.

Before all present, he turned to look up into the Alpha's blazing eyes and slowly raised his right hand to cup the Alpha's phallus in the palm of his shaky hand as he bent his own head to press his trembling lips to the Alpha's manhood and kissed it as a show of respect, submission, and acceptance into his Alpha's Pack.

Their eyes still joined together, locked in primal rapport, he felt his Alpha's hand caress the side of his face before lifting his chin and commanding him: "Arise First Beta, take your place by my right side."

The joy that flooded Atticus's heart, beamed brightly on his face, as he practically leaped into position, his head held high, barely able to contain his elation in his newfound pride.

Jason summoned Barin next, repeating the same actions as before, but the look of astonishment on Barin's face when Jason declared him First Gamma Protector was one Atticus would never forget.

One by one Jason summoned all ten of Atticus's unit, exceeding by several, what any other Alpha would have taken in as Pack.

There were few surprises, as Jason placed them all, Atticus agreeing to himself with each and everyone, and growing more and more impressed with his Alpha's astute assessments, as each, in turn, took their place behind him, respective of their placement.

Besides Barin, Atticus had been pleased that Jason had chosen Scott Taylor as his Second Gamma Protector, knowing how hard and long he had fought to get where he was, just for a chance like this. He knew Scott would serve his Pack with selfless conviction, and devote himself tirelessly, like Barin, to the protection of their Alpha and his Pack.

With the connection already building between them, binding them all as brothers, it wasn't that surprising when Atticus found himself missing his Alpha's First Gamma Enforcer Jake, who couldn't be here to rejoice in their induction.

As the last of his unit joined them and like the five before him took his place as a Delta Centurian, a Pack rank not seen in over a thousand years, Atticus believed their Pack complete. But to his continued astonishment, in an evening full of unexpected surprises, Jason summoned Arliss Gundarson, whose father's face glowed in near jubilation as his son stepped forward and followed suit to rise as Jason's Second Enforcer.

This was an honored position, one seldom given to one so young and inexperienced, but Arliss's rapid, single-minded focus in training and duty, had revealed that he had the heart of a lion and a ferocity in combat that had only grown by leaps and bounds since his arrival and subsequent inclusion into the Heritage.

As First Beta of his Alpha's Pack, Atticus knew it would fall to him to complete Arliss's training and forge him into the best Enforcer he could be, knowing from his progress already, that shouldn't be beyond his grasp. Noting whimsically to himself, that the boy was like a barreling freight train and almost as equally unstoppable once he had a head of steam.

Atticus watched as the blue fire faded from his Alpha's eyes and thought once again that this signaled an end to the evening's proceedings only to be fooled once again.

They all watched as their Alpha crossed the room to the few men left standing, where they had stood just moments ago, three of whom were near-strangers, who had come with Arliss's dad, who had explained the week before, that they were dispersers like himself, that he had encountered over the years, during his wanderings, before meeting Arliss's mom and settling down. Thinking as they all did, that they were beyond selection due to their ages, the youngest amongst them just shy of forty.

After Arliss's induction, and realizing the need to procure workers to replace him, and as the ever-increasing demands of his farm grew, Douglas Gundarson had reached out to the few he still knew of and invited them with the promise of work and a place they could at last call home and at least, upon occasion, be around their own kind.

It was a small repentant offering Douglas had made, for almost failing his son, and nearly depriving him of his Heritage.

As Jason approached them, they all bowed their heads respectfully, almost visibly trembling in his presence as he took a stance before them, less than two feet away.

The gasp that filled the room when Jason's iris's flared again and the room flooded with Jason's will as the command "Submit" once again reverberated off the walls.

All four men, Douglas Gundarson included, instantly dropped to their knees, exposing their torsos as they twisted their heads collectively as one, baring their throats to the young Alpha.

As the second command faded and they had each pressed their lips against the Alpha's manhood, Jason ordered them to rise and in the boldest move yet declared them all Kappa's a Pack rank not heard of since the long-gone days of Rome.

It suddenly dawned on Atticus what was happening right before him, and he stared at Jason in complete awe and reverence, barely daring to even consider what every bit of his senses was now telling him.

Jason was no ordinary Alpha. Only the first of their kind built full Packs; only those who wholly surrendered to the soul of the beast aspired to build such communities, in a time when Alpha's forged armies to protect both Pack and lands.

They all watched in startled wonder as Princess clapped his hands, in joyous celebration, as their Alpha began to shift and shimmer until what stood before them was nothing more than the long-lost stuff of legend.

The grey wolf Alpha howled, as his voice sang within their heads: "Join me my brothers, and let's chase the moon across the heavens!"

Chapter Fifteen:

“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.”
Omar N. Bradley

                                          * * * * *

"Are you paying any attention to me or am I just talking to hear myself talk?" Danal Cornelius fumed, doing his best to keep his growing frustration under control while both Max and Carl continued to lay the cement blocks to the foundational support walls of their future residence at the Devil Dawg Compound.

As Carl meticulously cemented the blocks into place, Max turned to face his old friend and mentor to regard him surreptitiously, with just a hint of annoyance flickering across his countenance: "What would you have me do Danal, put them over my knee, send them all to bed without supper?" Adding stoically, but far more realistically: "I'm not even sure if that's even a possibility anymore, they are a lot stronger than they are letting on and both Carl and I agree, that alienating them now would be far more detrimental than good, at least they're still open to discussion, even if we disagree with what they are doing, and I'm not as sure as you are that that is the case."

Carl finished scraping the last of the excess mortar from the block he was working on and interjected observationally: "Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago we were all saying how others were interpreting the Codex was the biggest problem currently with the Heritage and something needed to change?"

Carl knew exactly how to goad Danal and this was no exception, as Danal's response grew more irate: "Discussion is one thing, to completely disregard entirely is another!"

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing right now?" Carl stated flatly, the heat of the mid-day Georgia sun and the rising humidity wearing down his own patience.

Max interjected before Danal could retort, with what Max was sure was a sardonic rebuttal that would only irritate his mate further: "Why don't we see about having a meeting with the boys later and figure out if they are at least willing to sit down and have a discussion about the changes they've enacted?"

Danal stiffened his back and shook his head: "I've tried repeatedly to get them to understand how their reckless pack expansion is going to set off a chain of events that will more than likely lead to an escalation of aggression and hostility from other alphas in our own Quorum let alone those in other districts, but they refuse to listen to reason."

Carl chuckled sardonically: "And I bet you were ever so diplomatic and *reasonable* when you did so, huh?"

Seeing the proverbial writing on the wall, and before Danal could further incite a battle of wits with his mate, Max moved to stand between them, blocking them from each other's view, while holding up a cautionary hand to Danal: "I said I would arrange a meeting for tonight, why don't you and Hadrian come to the Lodge at nineteen hundred hours and we'll discuss all this then, okay?" Max's tone left no doubt that he considered the matter closed.

Danal glowered at him for a moment before responding: "While I'll be there promptly at seven, I'm afraid Hadrian won't be attending."

It was the way Danal had said it that made Carl query: "And why will Hadrian not be in attendance?"

Danal's grimace was both somber and dower as their gazes locked: "Because he left a little while ago. We both thought it best if the council was apprised of what's going on here instead of hearing about it vicariously."

Max shot Danal a heated look, his arms folding over his chest: "And you purposely waited until after the fact to inform me of this decision counselor!?"

It was the way Max had said *counselor* that first truly alerted Carl that things were drawing dangerously close to a full-on confrontation and though he found himself fully agreeing with Max, he had to admit, he had concerns about the boy's brash decision to have Jason exceed the normal, long adhered to protocols, established millenniums ago by a then, newly formed Council of Greges in western Europe, which had only sought to bring an end to the ceaseless infighting between various over reaching alphas. It was a tenuous peace at best, but one that had worked for well over a thousand years now.

Many had attributed the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman empire as the cause for its collapse, and while that was partially true, and a contributing factor, the Codex painted an entirely different picture, one in which the incessant infighting between packs, each seeking to expand and establish themselves in a bid for power, did so by vicious and brutal trials of combat, that left many of their kind wounded, maimed or dead, just to fill the void in unifying leadership left behind in the wake of the Progenitors absence.

It was with that thought in mind, Carl insinuated himself into their conversation: "Maybe what we really need to do is to summon a Quorum and let Jason and Billy explain their reasons to all the pack alphas in the District before word of mouth takes that possibility out of our hands and they just start showing up, one by one, demanding answers."

Both Max and Danal turned to face him, each staring at him intently, a look of mutual consternation only thinly veiling the thought-provoking possibilities his query invoked.

"I knew there was a reason I married you and made you my beta..." Max winked back at him, breaking the mounting tension between him and Danal.

Danal, still skeptical, though keenly aware that Carl often had a more nuanced subtlety to his machinations, inquired thoughtfully: " And what do you hope that will achieve, other than the potential hastening of raining absolute chaos down on all of our heads?"

"I would have thought that obvious old man..." Carl smirked insidiously, adding: "Max said it already, the boys are holding out on us, there's more here than meets the eye, and by putting them in the hot seat, I think we stand a good chance to see what kind of hand we've actually been dealt here..."

Smiling devilishly, Danal interjected and with a twinkle in his eyes, finished his train of thought for him: "Confronted by a room full of angry, questioning alphas, they'll either have to put up or shut up and we'll have our answers either way, and we'll be better prepared before representatives from the Council randomly show up and take control of the situation away from us."

"You two are incorrigible" Max chuckled, shaking his head side to side in feigned indignation, though secretly admiring his mate's astute and cogent plan, even if it was off the cuff.

Jason and his son, as well as that little vixen Princess/Timmy, were holding out on them. He was certain of that, and if this is what it would take to get them to realize they weren't alone in this, then this was their best chance at getting that message across to them, plus, it had the additional benefit of highlighting Carl's innate capacity to continuously impress him with how astute he could be; something that never failed to turn him on, as evidenced by the growing boner in his pants.

"Sounds like we have a plan, gentlemen!" Max proclaimed, pulling Carl into his arms as Danal veered off, back toward the camp, phone in hand, already making the arrangements.

"Do you think we should call it a day and head back to give him a hand?" Carl mused halfheartedly as he melted into Max's sweaty embrace.

Max smiled lecherously into his eyes as his fingers fumbled with the fly of his pants releasing his raging, twelve-inch erection and slapping it against Carl's bare belly, splattering it with the copious amounts of precum leaking from its prodigious tip: "I think you should get on your knees and suck this dick and get it nice and wet before a pummel that beautiful ass of yours into the ground!"

Carl smiled jauntily as he slid down Max's hirsute body, moaning erotically: "I love the way you think Max Donnelly!"

                                                                       * * * * *

The late morning sunlight broke through the window blinds in rays of bright, defused light that cascaded across the room in strips of luminous radiance, while the smell of musky gym clothes mingled with traces of grilled cheese sandwiches and the tomato soup Baxter Whitmore's mother was preparing for lunch.

It wasn't often they got to eat lunch together during normal weekdays, but Baxter's mom had taken this Friday off so she and her new besties, consisting of Miriam Hollis and Elizabeth Dunne, could go outfit shopping. A decision both his mom and Elizabeth had made after pushing Miriam into a date the following night with none other than Hank Bauers.

Ever since that fateful evening, a couple of weeks ago, when he and Hank were left alone while Max and Carl went to attend Jason Griffen's Heritage ceremony, both Hank and Miriam seemed to really hit it off, and by the end of the evening, it became almost embarrassingly obvious that the two had made some sort of connection, demonstrated by their not so subtle flirtations with each other, something both his own mother and Elizabeth Dunne seemed actively encouraging, by way of constantly steering the duo back together at every turn.

Baxter had never been so red-faced embarrassed as, while Hank had excused himself briefly to go check on the security guards, his own mother had actually told Miriam she should "hit that while the gettin's good." and Elizabeth seconding her recommendation, followed by both women unabashedly extolling his physical attributes, not least of which, they observed sordidly, the sizeable bulge in his trousers.

In all his seventeen plus years, he had never heard his mother talk like that before, and it left him wondering, what else he didn't know about his mother, and almost equally sure, he didn't really want to know the answer to that particular train of thought. Not that he would mind her actively putting herself out there and maybe going on a few dates herself. It had been years since his father's death and he was certain his dad wouldn't have wanted or expected her to spend the rest of her life alone, and with the way things were going with Billy, Baxter was beginning to see the world through a different pair of eyes, not least of which was his mother's future happiness.

Regardless of what happens with Billy, and with his final year of high school set to begin in less than a month, he couldn't help but dwell on the fact, that in a little over a year, he would probably be starting college and his mom would be left here, in their house, alone.

With what had happened to Gavin Hollis's mom and his potential absence in her life for long periods of time, this was becoming a reoccurring concern for him, and one he strongly felt needed addressing, sooner, rather than later.

As if on cue, Baxter heard his mother call out for him, saying lunch was ready, with him then and there making the conscious decision, that now would be as good a time as any, to have a little heart to heart with his mom. But like the best-laid plans, he hadn't counted on Elizabeth Dunne showing up right as they sat down to eat.

"I'm not disturbing your lunch am I?" She asked his mom as she swept into the kitchen, dressed more casually than he had ever seen her before, in soft pink trousers and a cream color short sleeve, loose-fitting blouse with matching handbag and shoes.

The blouse looked a little too large for her frame he thought to himself, that is until his mom asked her if that was one of the new maternity outfits she had talked about earlier, that she had picked up when she and Jason's uncle Merrick had hijacked him from his busy schedule to go back to school clothes shopping earlier the last week.

Jason could hardly refuse, since he was outgrowing all his previous clothes since his Heritage ceremony, something he had noted about Billy as well, and wondered if that was something he was also going to have to contend with, down the road.

He couldn't help but let his thoughts drift back to the night of his Heritage ceremony when he saw Billy for the first time in over a month. He couldn't believe how much he had grown during that time, not just in height, but in muscle mass as well. Side by side, he and Jason were quite the stunning pair, and if he hadn't known better, he would have sworn they were cut from the same cloth.

All their lives, he and Billy had pretty much matured physically at the same rate, with Billy always being a little larger and thicker than himself. But that was over now, Billy had to be at least six foot two by now, maybe even a little taller than that, while he, himself still pretty much topped out at five foot eleven, though Max had assured him that would probably change over the course of the next year or so.

Just another one of those changes sparked by his Heritage genes. Not that he was complaining. It certainly looked good on Billy.

It had been scary at first, terrifying actually. But with Billy sticking close to his side, as much as possible, he felt he was dealing with it fairly well, considering.

"So what do you say Baxter?" he heard Elizabeth Dunne query, nudging him slightly with her elbow as she sat there next to him, eyeing him dubiously.

Baxter didn't have a clue what she was talking about, his thoughts had drifted elsewhere and he hadn't actually been following their conversation.

"About what?" He retorted quizzically, trying to reorient himself while feeling more than a little lost at the moment.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes: "Teenage boys. What is it about this age that makes them so oblivious to what's going on around them?" She seemed to ask, to no one in particular. But his mom responded nonetheless: "It's not what Liz, its whom!" his mom chortled, smiling demurely before winking at him mischievously.

Baxter could feel his cheeks flush red with embarrassment, knowing full well who she was talking about, and still not comfortable talking about it with his mom, let alone with an almost complete stranger present.

Thankfully, Elizabeth steered the conversation back to their previous discussion; looking Baxter right in the eye, repeating the question she had asked before they both made a small sidetrack to torment him a little about his love life.

"I was just asking..." She began again, holding his gaze stoically: "If you don't think it was high time your mother dusted the cobwebs off and agrees to go out with Merrick Griffen?"

Baxter just stared back at her for a moment, not being sure he had heard her correctly, while simultaneously being elated at the prospect. Like himself, Merrick Griffen was a beta, and not just any beta, one from a very prestigious, elder family lineage and the brother to his own father's alpha, and not bad looking to boot.

"Stop Liz..." his mom bristled dismissively: "He hasn't even asked, yet."

It was the way she said *yet* that had Baxter convinced: "Geez, it's the twentieth-century mom, what's wrong with you asking him out?" he queried.

Baxter knew his mom, and he also knew exactly what buttons to push. Most people may think she was just some stereotypical, milk toast librarian, but more fool them. His mom was actually one shrewd, intelligent, and determined lady.

"I don't know..." his mom said wistfully, obviously running just such a scenario around inside her head, weighing her options and otherwise just mulling it over.

"What's to know?" Elizabeth practically demanded, hauling her purse up from her lap to sit it on the table as she opened it and began fumbling around inside, until she produced her cell phone, and began scrolling through it.

In less than five seconds and before his mom could protest further, Elizabeth Dunne hit dial and held the phone up to her ear, all while smiling wickedly back at his now exacerbated mother.

Baxter couldn't help but beam ear to ear as the person on the other end of that call answered within the first two rings.

"Hi Merrick, it's Liz.." she began ingratiatingly, before getting down to brass tacks: "I know you and your father are at the compound for the weekend for that big pow-wow Max has called for this evening, but I was just wondering what the rest of your weekend schedule was looking like?"

As they conversed for a few moments, with Elizabeth mostly listening and making a few studious scowls in between uh-huh's, her expression suddenly shifted, as she held Baxter's mom, stern but questioning gaze, a look that did a complete one-eighty, when Elizabeth stated quite succinctly into her phone: "So, you are free tomorrow night?"

Instantly, his mother began waving frantically, shaking her head, mouthing no, over and over again as the color practically drained from her face.

"Good!" Elizabeth concluded gruffly, amusement twinkling in her eyes as she grinned sardonically: "You have a date tomorrow with a certain someone we discussed last weekend..."

Baxter's mom's jaw dropped as her eyes practically bulged out of her head, staring daggers at Liz Dunne's head.

"Yes..." Elizabeth said jubilantly, barely containing a chuckle or two: "You can pick her up at about seven PM and don't be late, you get only one chance to make a good first impression so don't screw it up!"

As Elizabeth hung up, still smiling smugly, Baxter's mother Anna glowered back at her, bristling: "Why did you say that to him, he's going to think I'm some sort of self-centered psycho?"

Elizabeth waved her off dismissively: "My dear, all men think that anyway, partly because its true, but mostly because its all part of what they perceive as some sort of feminine mystique."

"You make it sound like some crazy kind of game" Baxter stated gruffly, not really sure what to make of it all.

Elizabeth reached over and patted his hand reassuringly: "That's exactly what it is, we decide what man we want, then we get their attention and then we coax them into pursuing us, and when they have us right where we want them, we spring the trap and the hunter becomes the prey, all while we make them believe they caught us. Men are such simple creatures really."

"My mom's right, that sounds psycho." Baxter concluded brusquely.

Elizabeth cocked an eye at him, her brow arching, a faint smile drawing the corner of her lips: "Is it anymore psycho than letting some handsome, eligible alpha chase you through the woods before you let him catch you, right before you submit to him?"

Baxter's face blushed red again before stammering: "It wasn't exactly like that."

Elizabeth chuckled and winked at him: "Keep telling yourself that dear boy and maybe you'll convince yourself its true."

Outwardly, Baxter frowned at her summation, but internally, both he and his beast pondered her words before being forced to conclude, that maybe there was some hint of truth to it after all.

                                                                    * * * * *

Okay, this was getting monotonous, Princess thought to himself, as neither he or Jason had successfully landed a direct hit against a much faster Billy Donnelly, yet again.

They had been sparring for nearly an hour, using the time right after the others had called it quits for the day, and made their way back toward their new campsite for a quick dip in the lake, followed by their evening meal.

This wasn't the first time they had done this. In fact, it was becoming a bit of a trend for them, this being the only time they had alone where they could fully open up and test their true physical potentials without the others taking note.

Ever since they had convinced Jason to not only build a full pack but take on any newcomers as part of it, word of mouth had spread quickly and within a week, Jason had already added five more members to his numbers from the stragglers who just wandered in, each with a similar story of having heard there was a strong young Alpha in the area building his pack and all were welcome to present themselves for his consideration.

Of course, that brought a whole new set of problems, not least of which was Danal and of course Max, Billy's father.

They weren't naive, they knew they were going to catch flack for it, but their hope was to add enough to their numbers before they had to face down not only those two but the Quorum and eventually the council themselves, the latter being their biggest concern.

They were fairly certain they could win over the Quorum and was why they had so readily agreed to meet with them that night when Max had suggested it a few days earlier. They knew Max had done so at the behest of Danal, they also knew they were now working within a limited time frame, having come to that conclusion when they noticed the absence of Hadrian Mumsford.

Truth be told, they were actually very pleased with themselves, that things so far, were going just as they expected and had planned for.

Princess couldn't help but smile to himself at that thought, despite his and Jason's current predicament with Billy.

The three of them, along with Gavin, Atticus and Brock had gone over and rehashed again and again what they had discussed with the others, after Gavin's transformation.

The one thing that stuck out more than any other, the one they felt was the most prescient to their concerns was what Aphrodite had cautioned Gavin about concerning Billy possibly facing some danger that could bring about his demise if they weren't ready. What was really frustrating and vexing Princess, was that it all hinged on him finding this other half of Gemini, especially when he didn't even know what the first half was that he supposedly already had.

Princess was leaning more toward it being something obvious, knowing how literal Aphrodite's prognostications had been thus far. It was Gavin who kept pointing out, that the actual definition of Gemini meant twin or duplicate, or two of the same thing. But both Danal and Hadrian had cautioned that it could be two equal but opposing halves, suggesting that Aphrodite just meant that Princess had recently gained his own Alpha status but has as yet reached his full potential and was why Aphrodite had pointed out to Gavin that he needed to accomplish this if he was going to be able to be equal to some task or opponent they had yet faced.

This was why they were now taking extra time to train, both he and Jason. If there was something or someone out there who could best or threaten Billy, then they needed to be ready to face it, which was extra frustrating since neither Jason nor his own best efforts, considerable as they were becoming, were any sort of match for what Billy was capable of.

Which begged the question, how was he or Jason supposed to protect Billy from something that could bring his downfall if they couldn't even best Billy with their combined efforts?

Princess knew instinctively, that he was missing some key component here, and if he didn't figure it out soon, they could be caught left holding the proverbial bag at the wrong time.

Anyway, apparently he wasn't the only one who had had enough for the evening as Jason suggested they head back to camp so they could get ready for that evenings deliberations with those who showed up for the scheduled Quorum, which Princess was actually looking forward to, since a certain, handsome alpha, had texted and informed him that he planned to attend and hoped they would be able to spend some time together both before and after the meeting.

"Uh-oh.." Jason mused, jabbing Billy in the side playfully: "He's got that far away look in his eyes again."

Jason rolled his eyes upward and pursed his lips suggestively.

Billy chortled, throwing his arm around Jason's shoulder in a show of mutual camaraderie: "Do you mean that special look he gets when he thinks about a certain someone who's been texting him telling him how much he's looking forward to seeing him tonight?"

"One in the same" Jason taunted as they both winked at him suggestively.

"Paul and I are just friends" Princess asserted, but adding quickly, with an impishly devious, crooked smile: "Though I do have to confess, I wouldn't mind a few rounds of hide the salami with someone a little more seasoned than the two of you."

Both Billy and Jason clutched dramatically at the center of their chest, feigning pain: "Do you hear that Jason, how will we ever live with ourselves knowing that Princess would rather spend time with someone he barely knows over us?"

Jason pressed his forehead against Billy's shoulder, sobbing mockingly: "What ever did we do to deserve such heinous treatment, Billy?"

Princess/Timmy turned from the giggling duo, shouting over his shoulder haughtily as he headed back toward camp: "I don't have the time or the crayons to explain it to either of you."

It was just good-natured ribbing and banter and Princess knew it, but he had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing Paul Lakatos again despite the circumstances of their initial meeting and his subsequent behavior leading up to Princess having to make an example out of Paul's former and now his Gamma, Dalton Becker.

An hour later found Princess rejoining the others, after bathing, eating and otherwise refreshing himself, standing outside the Lodge with Jason and Billy, greeting various guests to the compound, along side Max and Carl.

It was at times like this, that he truly appreciated the heightened senses he acquired during his own transmogrification when he came into contact with the same cursed silver that metamorphosed those of the Heritage.

It never failed to amuse or delight him, how much those of the Heritage were sexually affected by his proximity.

Brock had helped clarify those particular phenomena, by telling him and Gavin recently that those of the Heritage found the scent of people like them alluring. He also explained that at first, he had thought that meant any man who was gay, but Atticus had informed him it only pertained to those descendant from Aeneas's line and that not all gay men shared that lineage.

It was also at this time he had made the same connection, having previously noted the difference in scent between himself, Gavin and Brock from those of the Heritage. That scent of freshly dug earth combined with the sweet fragrance of honey.

So, as he stood there greeting the various alphas and their entourages, it became a secret source of entertainment, how much his natural musk heightened their libido's; demonstrated usually by one or more of them prolonging the simple physical contact they made just by shaking hands, which was usually followed by some gushing appraisal of his personal appearance and more times than not, a remark about the wonderful aroma of his cologne, something he never used.

During this time, Princess found himself growing ever more expectant of Paul's arrival and slightly remorseful when Max and the others decided that enough people had arrived and that they should proceed inside and take their places as the appointed hour of their meeting drew nearer, and to Princess's dismay, there was still no sign of Paul, at least as yet.

It wasn't until they had made their way in and taken their seats and Max stood with Jason and Billy to offer last minute advise, when Princes caught sight, from his peripheral vision, of the ruggedly handsome Paul Lakatos making his way through the Lodges main doors. Though it wasn't surprising that Paul wasn't unaccompanied, it did rather startle Princess, that lumbering protectively behind him, was the familiar shape of his Gamma, Dalton Becker.

There was no mistaking the six-foot-seven, blond haired, amber-brown eyed, muscular giant, but what he found perplexing was accounting for his presence. He had just talked to Dalton the day before, something they did a couple of times a week while he awaited the approval of his transfer to the Devil Dawg Compound, something Max had assured him was still in the works and confirmed by Brock, who processed most of the Compounds day to day administrative duties, and Dalton never mentioned anything about accompanying Paul to the Compound for the night.

Likewise, Paul's text had mentioned nothing of him bringing Dalton or even indicating in any way, since their last encounter, that he still maintained any kind of contact with him after losing him to Princess at Jason's confirmation meeting, when he had erroneously doubted Princess's Alpha status and Princess had challenged him when he did the same to Billy.

Princess/Timmy couldn't help but think fondly back on that day, and the subsequent enjoyment and pleasure he had derived from his acquisition of Paul's only accompanying gamma.

Even now, just seeing him there, strutting proudly behind Paul Lakatos across the room to take up Paul's usual spot to the far right, made his loins quiver in anticipation of this meetings conclusion, when they could reunite, if time and opportunity permitted. Why else would Paul bring him, if not to broker some sense of trust and reconciliation between them? The idea of which, only broadened the smile that subsumed Princess's face.

If this truly was some sort of gesture on Paul's part, it was definitely having the desired effect on Princess, who beamed even brighter, when Paul's searching eyes finally made contact with his.

Their gazes locked and Princess nearly swooned when his handsome face lit up and he grinned and winked at him auspiciously.

Princess basked in the glow of that smile until he caught a glimpse of Dalton behind him, glowering nothing but pure vehemence back at him, his eyes two burning orbs of rapacious, unmasked enmity.

The look sent shivers down Princess's spine at first, accompanied apparently by a surprised look of shock on his face, causing a somewhat confused Paul to turn his head behind him to confront the cause.

A few short stern words from Paul caused Dalton to lower his baleful gaze to stare at the floor. But the moment lingered in Princess's thoughts, even after Max called the meeting to order.

It took him a few moments, but Princess knew he had to focus on the matter at hand, there would be time enough, after the meeting, for him to deal with his Gamma and if need be, put him in his place.

There was no cause for such a reaction and no matter how fondly he had thought about his Gamma, as an Alpha, he could never allow his affectations to cloud his judgment. Something he was quickly learning through his interactions with those of the Heritage and most of all the life lessons he had learned from dealing with his family. He had spent his life, thus far, trying to win the respect and love of his parents, to only be met with cold disdain and a callous disregard for his feelings, he would not tolerate such behavior from one of his Pack.

The meeting proceeded around him and Princess pushed the incident to the side, for the moment, focusing his full attention on the matters at hand and the growing unease and tension he felt slowly mounting in the room.

As was the case in his first encounter with the Quorum of district alphas, it was clear that nearly half the room or more, led once again rebelliously by Benjamin Frakes, the very same alpha who had previously challenged Jason's claim as Alpha Regent of the southern district, stood in opposition to his current Pack status.

"Let the *boy* stand and face us, let him account for his actions Max Donnelly, it's clear to all of us who is now running things around here and apparently that isn't you, as we were led to believe it would be." demanded the large, burly man, whose thick coppery beard hung nearly halfway down his rather bulbous belly, to the resounding, grumbling jeers all around the room, as he stood there, chest puffed out like some proud prancing peacock, putting on a show meant solely to impress and sway any onlookers and garner their shifting loyalties to his cause.

Princes just sat back, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his legs one over the other while he smiled smugly, knowing full well they had expected this reaction and had discussed their own response should it go the way they suspected it would.

Danal had been the key. Hadrian's absence was their confirmation, but what neither of them realized, they had their own expert strategist. In fact, they had two, Gavin and Brock.

Atticus, Barin and the others had also played their parts, filling them in on which alphas would probably be the most vocal against them and who might lean more toward being reasonable.

Benjamin Frakes was tops on their list of dissenters. Atticus had encountered him before, when his grandfather had sought Frakes permission, as alpha of their region of Kentucky, to stand as sire to Atticus's Heritage ceremony, since Atticus's parents had died in a car accident and his own father, his grandfather's son, was unable to do so.

Benjamin Frakes had refused, stating that fate had decided Atticus's future when it deprived him of his sire and he saw no reason to challenge its decision.

Luckily, Atticus's grandfather was old friends with Danal and had brought Atticus here and implored him to exert his authority as Green Father of the Southern District and conduct Atticus ceremony without Benjamin Frakes approval.

Danal had consulted Max and he had only one condition for allowing it to go forward and that condition was that Atticus would agree to join the Marine Corp. directly afterward. Something that had proven fortuitous, since Atticus's grandfather died shortly there after while Atticus was still in boot camp.

It was that singular event that had set the course for Atticus's life. It had pushed him to work as hard as he did to get where he was today, and it was alphas like Benjamin, who held so much sway within the Heritage, who callously used it only to secure his own purchase of territory and power, with little or no regard for those his selfish, thoughtless actions affected and deprived of the one thing they all desired most, a Pack to belong too.

It's why Princess sat there now, enthusiastically enjoying the show, knowing full well the outcome once they played their hand.

Right on cue, Jason stood up, brushing Max's hand away as he sought to hinder any further escalation, even as half the room boisterously continued to egg Benjamin Frakes on, fueling his already overinflated opinion of himself, enough so, that he defiantly stood his ground as the new Alpha Regent slowly, deliberately crossed the room until he stood a mere two feet in front of him.

Princess/Timmy looked over to Billy, seated the row down from him, who smiled slightly back with a knowing nod of his head.

Princess noted peripherally and with some degree of satisfaction, that everyone in the room's eyes was glued on Jason, everyone save one.

Danal Cornelius stared vigorously at Billy Donnelly, the intensity of his scrutiny playing out across his usually unreadable, dispassionate face. It was clear what he was expecting to play out, what his actions had planned for, what his machinations had set in motion, just as assuredly as he drew each expectant breath in anticipation of his plan's triumphant culmination.

Princess/Timmy smiled bemusedly as he thought to himself: "Not tonight old man, this is not the show you were expecting, that will be reserved for another time and will be one of our choosing, not yours or Max's."

He didn't need to see when the moment happened, the loud thump, followed by the deepest, slavering growl he was sure had ever been uttered between these walls, told him all he needed to know.

Still, Princess rose, to peer disdainfully over the shoulders of those in front of him who had risen expectant of a challenge they were sure would be issued by their young Alpha, only to all fall deathly silent, in wide-eyed shock and awe at the large black wolf that now stood snarling, teeth bared and growling, with his large front paws on Benjamin Frakes heaving chest and his large spittle dripping fangs near his throat.

The absolute look of terror on Benjamin's face, was well worth the price of admission as far as Princess was concerned, as he and Billy both pushed their way through the silent throng and made their way to Jason's side, where Princes knelt beside the horrified, trembling and shaking Frakes and said coyly: "I'd submit if I were you, he doesn't look like he's in a playful mood tonight, that, and I don't think he's that fond of you."

The black wolf growled again snapping his large jaws suggestively close to Benjamin's exposed throat, its blazing azure eyes spiking in glowing brilliance.

Nearly babbling incoherently with fear, Benjamin sputtered his acquiescence, begging Jason's wolf to spare him repeatedly until the large black wolf stepped off his chest.

But the show didn't end there. Jason's large wolf turned to the group behind him, to the throng of men that had mostly supported Frakes previous stance mere seconds ago, but who now shuddered and took a collective step back as the black wolf snarled at them, baring his fangs ominously in their direction.

The only real surprise of the evening for Princess and Billy came via Paul Lakatos, who pushed his way forward until he stood only a few feet away from the large black wolf.

With bated breath they all watched in trepidation as Paul fell to one knee and bowed his head before proclaiming: "Alpha Jason, noble Regent of the Southern Devil Dawgs, I here by pledge myself, my Pack and my territories to you!" Paul looked up, to gaze into the wolf's glowing eyes and fearlessly pledged: "May you never find our service wanting Alpha Regent."

Paul's actions seemed to spurn the others into action as one by one all the other alphas followed suit until all that was left was Max and Danal, the latter glowering studiously, behind the rim of his bushy eyebrows, his sight glued directly to Jason's wolf.

Max just shrugged dismissively, before sitting down, stating casually: "I have nothing left to offer other than what I've already given."

That left Danal, who now pulled thoughtfully at his short beard, eyeing Jason cautiously: "It seems we've got our work cut out for us Alpha if we're going to be prepared for what most assuredly will come."

It wasn't exactly how they had imagined it, but Danal's acceptance, faltering as it may have seemed, was proof enough, for the moment, of his intended cooperation.

The rest of the evening passed fairly quickly, especially after Jason shifted back to his human form, as all the alphas clamored around him, vying for his attention, grilling him excitedly for his future intentions for their district and what part they would each play in it.

Their plan was a simple one for the moment, to fortify the compound and to increase their ranks by issuing a call to all those formerly displaced by the Heritage and offer them the one thing all those of the Heritage sought, a place within their Packs, with all able fighters to train here at the compound and prepare for what the future might throw at them.

Princess's favorite moment of the evening happened slightly after dark when the moon first peaked above the distant hillsides and all those of the Heritage stripped down and joined Jason outside and upon him shifting once again, joined the black wolf Alpha on a glorious run through the woods of the Devil Dawg Compound.

                                                                         * * * * *

Saturday morning found Gavin Hollis and Princess sitting side by side at the new bivouac, with Gavin absentmindedly poking the campfire coals with a stick, trying haphazardly to urge enough warmth from the still smoldering embers, to produce enough heat to boil the water in the large metal pot they all used to make coffee.

"Sorry, I'm not being very good company at the moment" Gavin apologized, fighting back yet another yawn, before concluding: "I'm not really a morning person and I'm barely human until I get at least one cup of coffee in me, to get the ol' engine churning."

Princess just smiled nonchalantly back at him, mindful of the fact that he himself wasn't really being much of a conversationalist that morning, his thoughts still subsumed with the events of the previous evening, or more precisely, by a certain Paul Lakatos, as well as his Gamma Dalton Becker.

He had hoped to connect with both of them before the end of the night, but Jason's choice to lead them all in an evening jaunt deep into the woods of the compound, had dashed those hopes and after waiting patiently here at the camp, well after midnight, he had finally abandoned that idea and turned in.

He had secretly hoped that at least Dalton would join him in his tent after the run, but upon rising that morning and noting otherwise, he had made his way to the campfire, where he found Gavin, lethargically stabbing at the smoking coals, trying to reignite their former heat without actually spending the energy to gather some more wood and stoking the flames anew.

Having grown impatient, Princess watched as Gavin loaded the pots hopper with coffee grounds and thrust it back inside, even though the water was nowhere near hot enough to make the effort worthwhile.

He was about to offer to gather more wood, when Brock made his way out of the tent he shared with Atticus and lumbered his way over to them, before plopping down on Princess's left side.

"Rough night?" Gavin asked, noting the stiffness of his movements; his nose actually telling him the potential reason why.

Princess smiled coyly and batted his eyes at Gavin, while tapping the side of his nose with his index finger: "I think we both know what aches Mr. Gryzinsky."

Brock just shook his head dismissively: "I get it..." he grumbled: "You both have super-duper senses just like them now."

"No need to be snarky dude" Gavin retorted: "At least you got some last night, that's more than either of us can say at the moment."

"Arlis still not biting huh?" Brock mused, trying to take the heat off of himself for the moment, while nudging Princess conspiratorially with his elbow.

Princess shot him a cautionary look but then realized there was no real point pretending. They were the only three of their kind here amongst all these Heritage men and if they couldn't discuss their problems with each other, openly, then who could they talk too?

"Gavin made the mistake of telling Arlis that he fooled around with Billy a little bit." Princess said, matter of fact, but without a hint of judgement in his voice.

Gavin's gaze stayed locked on the tip of the prodding stick he held tightly in his hand: "I was taught that honesty is the best policy and at the time Arlis said he understood and that it was okay, but..."

"No need to explain bro... people can be so judgemental and possessive at times, they ain't no different." Brock concluded.

Princess just sighed and rolled his eyes, a mild annoyance in the timbre of his tone as he interjected: "Do you two actually not get it?"

Both Brock and Gavin turned to glower at him questioningly before he added: "I get that Brock might not be able to sense it, but you don't have that excuse Gavin..." Princess paused for a second, looking questioningly back and forth at both of them, before explaining further: "He's not jealous of Billy, at least not in the way you think!"

"Then whats wrong, I thought the way we smell and all was supposed be a turn on to these guys?" Gavin queried, genuinely at a loss, thinking his revelation had killed any possibility he might have ever had of being with the one person he could ever imagine being with.

Princes chuckled slightly, shaking his head and reaching over to grip Gavin's shoulder in a show of support: "Gavin, its not you, it's him..."

The confused look on Gavin's face said it all and Princess decided to put him out of his misery.

"Gavin, he's a virgin, how do you not get this?" Princess mused, locking gazes with Gavin's: "In his eyes, you've been with an Alpha and not with just any Alpha but THE Alpha. Did you ever stop to think about how that would make him feel? He's not passing judgment on what you've done..."

Gavin's eyes lit up, full of realization and hastily concluded Princess's words for him: "He's worried about how he could possibly measure up to that and is why he's throwing himself so gung ho into working harder than anyone else on the team."

Gavin smacked himself on the forehead: "I'm such a friggin' dunderhead, it so simple, a child could've seen it."

"One did." Brock taunted, beaming sardonically from ear to ear at Princess, who just leaned back, smiling impishly: "Ya know Brock, I sometimes envy the people who've never met you."

They were all having a good chuckle after that, with Gavin's mood noticeably growing lighter, when Princess caught, out of the corner of his eye, the familiar shape of his Gamma, Dalton Becker, standing roughly about forty feet away from them, downhill from where the new camp was, leaning against a tree, right on the edge of a small grassy clearing that separated the wooded area they were in from the compounds parking lot.

Even from that distance, they could all make out the stern expression on his face as he stared right at them, or more precisely, Princess.

'What's his problem?" Brock queried, with more than a hint of stoicism in his voice.

"I don't know" Princess conjectured, standing up: "But I'm about to find out!"

As Princess drew nearer the gamma, the overpowering scent of anger suffused the breeze blowing mildly in his direction. Everyone of his senses cautioned him as he boldly strode forward, closing the gap between them.

Princess watched, as he approached the giant blond, as he moved away from the tree he was leaning against, his hulking frame growing taut as his fist clenched repeatedly by his side, his stance one of pure aggression.

Behind the gamma, and still, some distance away, having just exited the Lodge, Princess noted Paul Lakatos heading in their general direction, just as Princess moved to stand directly in front of Dalton, fully intending to get to the bottom of his insubordinate behavior.

Without so much as a word, the gamma's eyes flashed a brilliant amber as his right hand, shifting, with near razor sharp talons extended, swept toward his midriff in what could only have been an attempt to disembowel him.

If it hadn't been for Princess's years of honing his body to respond reflexively, instead of now having four-slice marks through his favorite white, sleeveless sweatshirt, he'd be clutching four gaping wounds across his abdomen.

Momentarily startled by the gamma's hostile actions, Princess was caught unawares of the swinging roundhouse kick of his thoroughly enraged opponent, which caught him soundly against his chest hurling him backward, through the air, to land unceremoniously skidding across the grass. leaving him fully exposed in the small clearing.

Though he was aware of the shouts sounding out from the camp and from behind him, Princess ignored them as his full attention zeroed in on the now fully shifted, raging gamma charging toward him. Timing it just perfectly and leaping last minute into the air, he soared heels first into the muscular giants solar plexus, effectively knocking the air out of him just as his knees shot up to catch the beast right beneath his gaping maw.

The force of the blow hurled the gamma's head back as Princess fingers dug into the golden fur around his thorax, using it as a hand hold to swing upward, allowing his momentum and weight to swing the gamma off balance, resulting in him landing with a resounding thud, right on his back.

Eyes blazing a brilliant azure, Princess/Timmy landed squarely on his chest, the impact of which once again drove the breath from the gamma's lungs as he dropped knees splayed, pinning the beast's arms.

Princess thrust the steely tips of his fingers around his expansive neck, locking them with a vice like grip that bereft his sizeable opponent from drawing a single breath.

"SUBMIT!" Princess commanded, fully expecting his Gamma to comply or face the consequences.

Princess couldn't imagine what had overcome Dalton to behave in this manner, but he was equally determined to get to the bottom of it and reclaim what was by right, his.

He was vaguely aware of the rapidly approaching footsteps from directly behind him, certain that it was Paul rushing to his defense, but for the second time that day, he was caught unprepared as two powerful arms locked around his rib-cage and with the same force and strength he usually only encountered while sparring with Jason and Billy, was hurled off to the side, and sent rolling across the grass.

Princess regained control and sprung up, his eyes blazing once again, as he glowered back at Paul Lakatos, who hovered protectively between him and the now shifting and gasping Dalton.

Brushing the dirt and grass from his clothing, Princess confronted the alpha: "I am so going to kick every square inch of your ass, if you don't explain right now, why you are coming between me and my gamma!?"

Paul held his left hand up defensively, his voice calm and soothing: "I mean no disrespect Princess, but he is not your gamma, he is mine, and while his actions merit punishment, that punishment is mine to dispense, not yours."

Princess continued to glower at Paul as the blue fire intensified behind his eyes, even as every perception he possessed cautioned him that something wasn't quite what it seemed.

As Princess considered the course of his next actions, Atticus and Barin came running to a halt beside him, followed shortly by Brock and Gavin.

"What the fucks going on here?" Atticus demanded, looking from Paul to Princess and back again, concern for Princess clearly showing in his actions as well as rising anger for the alpha standing defensively in front of the brooding gamma, still gasping for breath.

"This is none of your concern beta, this is between Princess and I" Paul stated, in his usual matter-of-fact tone, that most perceived to be haughty and dismissive.

Atticus was having none of it.

"You are in my Alpha's territory, everything within it is definitely my concern Lakatos." Atticus shot back, adding quickly: "Princess is a guest and a close friend of my Alpha, and from what I have seen, you and this gamma were attacking him, unprovoked I might add."

Atticus's tone left no doubt whose side he was on, but Paul remained resolute, but clearly no longer physically aggressive.

Paul nodded his head: "Princess I formally apologize for both mine and my gammas actions. I should not have laid hands on you, I only did so out of fear for my gamma's safety."

The fire in Princess/Timmy's eyes faded as he took a step toward Paul: "That's just it, I don't get why he attacked me in the first place?"

Princess had more to say, not least of which was to inquire why Paul was asserting that Dalton was his gamma once again when that was clearly not the case.

What kind of game was Paul playing at? Princess thought to himself, knowing full well, that while he may not be completely versed in Heritage etiquette, he was fairly certain things didn't operate that way.

Once again, the hulking gamma's eyes blazed amber as he tried to shove his way past Paul, his face a contorted mask of anger, his lips twisted into a snarl as he practically growled: "You violated my brother, you corrupted him, took him away from his Pack, from his family!"

His vehemence didn't hit him as soundly as his words, as a sudden, creeping realization struck Princess harder than any of the gamma's previous physical blows. This carbon copy of Dalton was his brother, not just his brother, his twin.

Princess was left stunned by the revelation, speechless even. How could he have missed it, Dalton had told him he had a brother, had even told him he also was part of Paul Lakatos's pack, but he never dreamed he meant an identical twin.

Princess was still trying to process it all when he felt the tug of Gavin Hollis's hand against his arm as he leaned in and nearly whispered: "Dude, this is the other half of Gemini, this is what Aphrodite was referring too."

Indeed, Princess agreed, recalling the goddesses dire warning about himself and the White Wolf falling and the entire planet being plunged into darkness if he didn't reunite and join with Gemini.

There were a lot of other things Aphrodite had said as well, but the one that now prevailed in his mind, as he stood there staring at the ruggedly handsome, sandy-haired Paul Lakatos, as he commanded his bristling gamma to stand down, that Aphrodite had told Gavin that he would have to secure the unwilling second half of Gemini by winning over his equally reticent future mate.

Princess sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, wondering how in the hell he was ever going to accomplish that and was about to have Atticus gather Jason and Billy together for a quick con fab when the phone in his pocket rang, nearly startling him out of a years growth.

Princess fished it out of his pocket, surprised that it still remained intact after the previous events and sighed again as his fathers name flashed on the chiming phone.

Princess turned from the group and stepped away as he answered hesitantly and waited for the familiar, droning voice of his paternal parent to respond.

"Timothy..." began the cold sterile disembodied voice on the other end.

"Yes dad, whats up, I'm right in the middle of something." he responded haltingly, hoping to make this as quick and painless as possible.

"You need to come home, we've just got the news, your grandmother Ericson has passed away."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."

George Washington, first Commanding General of the United States Marine Corps.

                                      * * * * *

"Why do I keep doing this to myself?" Baxter Whitmore muttered under his breath as he peered around the corner of the main inter-sectional hallway of Daugherty high school, down the side corridor where his and Billy Donnelly's lockers were located.

They'd only been back to school for two weeks and already he was finding that the enhanced senses he acquired after his Heritage ceremony was yet again causing him to second guess the nature of his and Billy's "relationship."

Of course, the fact that Melissa Talbot had her back leaning against his locker while Billy stood leaning stiff-armed, with one hand placed mere inches from her left shoulder, with only a few inches separating the two of them, while she smiled demurely up at him as Billy regaled her with another one of his battle victories accrued during his summer training exercises at the Devil Dawg Compound while simultaneously alternating between maintaining eye contact and letting his vision drop sporadically to take in the heaving bounty of her breast, that could be leaving Baxter with the impression that Billy was being less than honest when he persistently asserted there was nothing between them, while simultaneously insisting that they were just friends.

Then again, as he ofttimes found himself doing recently, much of the slack in clearly defining the parameters of their relationship lay squarely on his own head.

It had been more than a month since his Heritage ceremony and that fateful night they spent in the woods together.

A fond memory, for the most part, that even now brought a smile to his face and blush to his cheeks.

But, that was then, this was now, and irrespective of Billy's insistence, the confluence of sexual hormones radiating off the both of them at the moment, was testimony enough to warrant Baxter's continued suspicions and doubts.

"Screw it" Baxter grunted to himself as he straightened his back and squared his shoulders, forcing himself to round the corner and make his way to the duo and his locker.

"Hey, there you are." Billy thrummed as he straightened up and took a step back from his previous position of leaning uncomfortably close to Melissa, just mere seconds ago.

"Where else would I be?" Baxter muttered woodenly, offering Billy a rather cold, icy side eye as he began fumbling with the lock on the door of his locker.

If Billy was aware of his less than warm reception, he didn't show it, his eyes still locked on Melissa as she moved away from the row of lockers and made as if to move down the hallway, looking over her shoulder, offering up another faint smile as she did so: "Catchya later big guy and thanks again."

From Baxter's perspective, the big beaming grin that suffused Billy's face as he watched after her only cemented his already declining mood, which of course Billy only added to when he turned back to him, and gave him a quick quizzical look, before veering off to jaunt down the hallway, shouting loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear: "Wait up Melissa, I'll walk you to class." leaving Baxter staring dumbfounded after them.

Baxter did his best to forget the encounter all during his fifth-period algebra class, and was for the most part successful, since today's lesson was more interactive than usual. But, unfortunately, his sixth-period literature class left his mind to wander, despite his best efforts, when the teacher assigned them to read a couple of chapters from some eighteenth-century Victorian writer that was boring under the best of circumstances.

He was barely a few paragraphs into the first chapter when his mind began to drift, as it often did these days, to the one topic that seemed to consistently preoccupy his thoughts of late. Billy Donnelly.

Once again, he found himself trying to reconcile his dark mood, by trying to lay the blame of some sort on Billy's normal, outgoing, jovial temperament, by ascribing ulterior motives to his actions. Billy had made himself quite clear, fairly early on, at the beginning of the school year, that he and Melissa were just friends.

He didn't try to deny that he found her sexually attractive, which would have been pointless considering who and what they were, but he had no intention of pursuing that interest until things were resolved between the two of them. Which to Baxter's perspective was him effectively saying, that if it wasn't for him he'd be all over her in a heartbeat.

This was what grated Baxter's somber mood the most since the fault for that could be laid squarely on his own shoulders. First, for thinking that, and secondly for allowing it to continue unabated or addressed.

He found himself drifting back to the night of his Heritage ceremony, right up to the point where Billy had left the cover of the woods at the Devil Dawg Compound and walked up to him, while Baxter was still in his bestial form, and spoke soothingly, in his Alpha voice, drawing him back to his human form.

Baxter remembered what he felt the most at the time, not just about him being physically exposed before his oldest and dearest friend, his brother and companion, but the kind of vulnerability that was now brought about by his newly expanded senses.

But that night, for the first time, there was a difference. His enhanced senses also afforded him a level of scrutiny he had never known before either. To the extent that he was exposed to Billy, Billy was in turn exposed to him.

It took him awhile to figure out and assimilate what it was he was perceiving. Some of what he was registering seemed conflicted and muddled. But, right from the start, overlapping every other emotion, every primal, hormonal discharge, was this all-pervading sense of genuine concern, protectiveness, but most of all... love.

Billy loved him.

There was a depth to that love, layers manifested in a myriad of ways, that would take time, perhaps years to figure and sort before he could hope to comprehend it all. But, the one thing that really caught his attention, was the level of Billy's physical attraction to him.

First and foremost, it differed from his own.

In the titular depths of his own psyche, were his more bestial desires lurked, uninhibited by societal convection and familial expectations, Baxter had always pictured or imagined a concoction of both lurid and romantic scenarios playing out, and in each of these, one theme prevailed.

Each involved Billy sweeping him off his feet and taking him, either romantically or rapaciously. Billy always took the lead while he, Baxter, always played the role of the supplicant, the object of his desires and affections.

But like all cheap, tawdry dime store romance novels, the reality was something less capricious.

There were subtleties and nuances to the complexities of Billy's emotions and desires.

Billy had grown up in a dichotomous reality where he could both love Baxter deeply, but do so without the expectation of physical intimacy.

That was the part Baxter struggled with, not just then, but every moment since.

While he was staying with them, the week before his ceremony, both Max and Carl had spoken to him on numerous occasions. In each of those conversions they had tried to allay any of his fears, but it was one conversation he had with Carl that helped shed light on the similarities between his and Max's relationship early on, compared to his with Billy.

The biggest difference of course is that neither he nor Billy had ever crossed the line that would have changed their relationship from a deep, fraternal friendship to a sexual one.

Carl had attributed that to the fact that Max's father Marcus had insisted on a more one on one educational approach, relying heavily on tutors and male centrist private academies.

Their natural libidos along with the relaxed, familiar comfort they felt for each other, assisted in crossing the narrow divide that separated the difference between curiosity and attraction, fairly early on.

Though Baxter and Billy held much the same feelings toward each other, their social structure and peer-induced expectations and pressures, had inherently placed biases toward openly expressing themselves the way Max and Carl had and it was that distinction that was now the crux of Baxter's hesitancy.

That night, naked and alone in the woods together, Billy had led them on their first run together, after successfully instructing Baxter through several shifts between his human form and his bestial one.

They ran for well over an hour, dodging and weaving through the rugged terrain, allowing their beast to revel in the natural order and flow of things. Where the sights, noise and smells of everything around them practically assaulted their senses until they were nearly intoxicated and overwhelmed by the raw, animalistic allure of it all, until Billy finally halted their run, ending it on the far side of the lake with the both them diving simultaneously off a large rock outcropping, right into the cool, refreshing waters of the lake.

It was at this point they shifted back, splashing and playing just as they had always done, ever since they were boys.

Shortly after, as they made their way to the shore and collapsed practically on top of each other, with Baxter's head resting on the side of Billy's chest as they stared up into the starry expanse, lit by the light of the waning moon with Billy almost absentmindedly stroking his hair, did the familial comforting gesture spur Billy to finally ask: "How long have you known?"

At first, Baxter thought to feign ignorance, but caught himself, realizing, that with their proximity there was no real point in trying to stave off this conversation any longer: "I think I've always known, but I wasn't really sure until we were about twelve..." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts from that time period before adding: "That was when I first started having certain kinds of dreams."

"About us?" Billy asked.

There was no judgment in Billy's voice. It was a simple enough question, one that Baxter had been asking himself over and over for years.

Perhaps it was the calmness of Billy's soothing voice or the gentleness of his touch, or perhaps a combination of many factors, those two included, but Baxter just lay there, basking in the warmth of Billy's body and the tranquilizing thrumming of his steady heartbeat, that Baxter couldn't find it within his own to deny Billy anything but the unvarnished truth: "It wasn't sexual at first..." he hesitated for a second, wanting to be clear about the distinction he was drawing: "Most of the time it was pretty much like this, except...sometimes..."

His words drifted as he pushed himself up into a seated position to turn and look his long time companion squarely in the eye, as if doing so would convey the words his heart wanted to speak but his lips now struggled to speak.

He felt Billy's hand clasp over his own as he pushed himself up on one elbow as he turned sideways to face him, his gentle gaze consuming his own as he finished his words for him, framed in the form of a question: "Did you ever imagine us kissing?"

Baxter didn't need to speak the words for Billy to know the answer, it was spoken with the tightening grip of his fingers interlocking with Billy's hand and the furtive glimmer of his unyielding gaze.

For the briefest of moments, Baxter felt the tension build slightly between them and when Billy finally moved, Baxter's heart nearly skipped a beat as his first thought was that Billy was moving in to do just that. Instead, Billy rose to his feet dragging Baxter by the hand with him: " I have something I need to show you."

Before Baxter even had the chance to consider his actions, Billy was tugging him toward the woods once again, leading him deeper into the cover of the dense surrounding foliage until they came to a small clearing.

Still holding hands, Billy guided him toward the center where a large flat slab of rock jutted from the ground, neatly encompassed and trimmed by much smaller stones. Instantly, Baxter recognized where they were.

He and Billy had found this spot together while hiking, not long after Baxter got the news his father had died and Max had brought them all here in the hopes to lift their spirits by allowing them to commune with nature.

When they found the big stone slab, deep in the woods, Billy suggested they build a monument in memory of Baxter's dad, an action and idea so thoughtful to a grieving Baxter, that it had solidified the growing bond between them into one, that for both of them, had taken them beyond the boundaries of mere friendship.

They had solemnized the occasion by carving his father's name at the top of the stone and adding their own at the bottom, forever linking and joining their presence together, in that moment, with his father's memory and his too short of time here on Earth.

They had sworn and forged a solemn vow here that day, one that promised they would always be there for each other, that they would always be more than friends, more than brothers and they had sealed it by cutting the palms of their right hands with a sharp hunting knife, clasping their palms together, gripping each other's hands tightly, allowing their blood to mix before they buried the knife together, at the base of the stone and covered it with rocks, swearing they would never allow anyone or anything to come between them.

They stood there now, the memory of that distant moment playing across Baxter's mind's eye and distilling a sense of calm serenity within him that continued unabated even as Billy slowly moved him backward at arm's length before he stepped atop the flat stone like they had done together so many times before in the past.

Baxter looked up at him questioningly, but holding back his unspoken queries, as Billy cautioned him playfully into silence by pressing his index finger to his own lips and lightly shaking his head from side to side, even as his gaze continued to lock with his own: "I need to show you something." Billy said softly even as the irises of his eyes shifted into a muted but steadily intensifying argent ring: "Don't freak out or nuthin'..." he cautioned even as the air around him seemed to begin to shimmer and thicken.

There was little that could have prepared Baxter for what he witnessed that night. From what he had garnered from his talks with both Max and Carl, what happened next should not have been possible, or at least not something that had occurred from one of their kind in over fifteen hundred years or more.

At first, he thought Billy just intended to shift into his bestial form, the same one, similar to what he had changed into when he pursued him after his own initial change earlier that night back at the ceremonial grounds, and indeed, by all appearances that was exactly what was happening, but it didn't stop there.

As the seconds ticked by and the intensity of the atmosphere around him coalesced into a silvery mist that seemed to cocoon Billy's growing, expanding mass, Baxter watched on in slack-jawed amazement as the massive shape of a large white wolf seemed to exude from Billy, radiating outward until it sat there in front of him, nearly eight feet tall, with two blazing white stars for eyes.

At first, Baxter doubted his own perceptions, mistrusted what his eyes showed him, what his nose could scent, doubting even what his ears could clearly hear as the large White Wolf inhaled and exhaled.

It all seemed so surreal, even other worldly, that is at least until Billy rose up on all four legs and took a single step toward him.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, perhaps as deep as natural instinct goes, he knew, in that moment, that what stood before him was not just Billy. It was even more than just the Alpha predator that had pursued him earlier. This was the apex of their kind, the penultimate incarnation made manifest and it exuded pure, raw, unadulterated strength and power, power that was just as real as the nearly iridescent shimmer of reflective moonlight glinting from the motion of his ever-shifting thick white fur.

At first, the large wolf just stared passively at him, as if allowing him time to take it all in. But soon the hulking beast made steps toward him until his large, pinkish brown snout butted almost playfully against Baxter's chest as it slowly began to sniff him before it started to rub its cheeks and jowls against the sides of his face and neck, its soft fur tickling him as he marked Baxter with his bestial scent.

Baxter recalled reading somewhere, that wolves did that with those they considered to be part of their pack and Baxter took the beast's willing proximity to run his hands through his thick soft fur while enjoying the sensation of the beast's snout almost caressing the exposed flesh of his neck and shoulders.

It was the snort, followed by the deep, low controlled growl that caused Baxter to stiffen and his fist to clutch against the persistent push of the White Wolf's muzzle into the nape of his neck that made him pull back.

Baxter knew what the wolf wanted. His own beast practically whimpered within him, urging him excitedly to bare his throat in a show of absolute submission.

But the voice of a memory, summoned unbidden, in recollection of a conversation he had had with Carl, came bubbling to the surface and haunted the moment with portents of the past.

Specifically, Carl's and Max's.

He recalled how Carl had told him of the deep abiding love they had for each other, which led to them expressing it physically when they were barely fifteen and well before they even knew of their fate and their Heritage.

But what Baxter remembered the most, was the years of pain that early expression of that love had caused them both, when Max's path had changed from the one they had imagined together.

Because of who Max was, and what would be expected of him, he had been forced to forsake the future they had planned to forge together and in the whirlwind of events that immediately followed the death of Bannor Griffen, their entire world had been turned upside down and both Carl and Max were compelled to forgo their own hearts desires and succumb to the duties thrust in their laps.

Max became destined to be a leader amongst Alpha's and with that role came great responsibilities and burdens, not least of which was the alteration of their previously planned future.

As the sole Alpha heir to the Southern District, Max penultimately had to surrender his own personal wants and desires and give into the needs of the many, which invariably led to his marriage to a woman to legitimately produce an heir of his own. But not just any heir. His father Marcus had increased the level of pressure by revealing that from Max's progeny, that potentially a great Alpha would be born. One destined to either change the Heritage for the better or bring about the end of them all.

The weight of that memory now hung heavily on Baxter's shoulders.

He loved Billy and the actions of the great White Wolf before him not only called to his own wolf, it tore at his heart and sought to not only claim him as his First Beta but to do so as his...mate!

The air around them reeked of the White Wolf's intentions, it merely waited calmly for his simple act of submission, signaling his desire to be bonded together forever.

Baxter's heart thumped with the exaltation, as he felt it beating within his chest, thrilled at the vision of a future life spent with the only person he had ever wanted to share his own with. This was the moment he had always hoped for, that filled his dreams and made his soul ache with the sheer want of it.

All he had to do, at that very moment, was embrace it, succumb and surrender like he'd done a thousand times before in his dreams...

Then why couldn't he move? What prevented him from baring his neck? What stopped him from throwing his arms around the White Wolf and drawing him close and committing himself to the only person he had ever wanted any kind of future with?

That question still haunted him, even now, as the bell sounded, signaling the end of his last class of the day and sending the room into a flurry of activity as everyone around him exploded into a cacophonous fury of action.

                                                                       * * * * *

"You're a life saver Barin" JD enthused, truly thankful that the young handsome Texan had taken on the duties of babysitter while JD attended school.

'It's not like I'm hollerin' down a well or nuthin." Barin responded, with the usual, casual shrug of his shoulders: "Back at the compound, most of the time I feel like I couldn't hit the floor if I fell outta bed or knock a hole in the wind with a sack full of hammers with all the big brains plottin' and makin' changes."

JD could barely stifle the giggle he felt caught up in his chest. Something that happened frequently when he was around the young Marine; constantly amused by his Texan twang and colorful, regional metaphors.

"You and me both dude." JD concluded as he swept his son up in his arms from the blanket he had been laying on in the middle of the living room floor.

A quirky grin spread at the corners of Barin's mouth as he watched Jakson gurgle happily as JD blew loud flatulent kisses on his chubby little belly: "That'n there's gonna be a handful once he gets his leg's under him." Barin offered, adding by way of explanation: "He's as bright as a new penny and ya best keep on eye on 'em at all times cause he's faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind."

"I think those are more words than I've ever heard you string together in all the time I've known you Barin."

Both Barin and JD turned simultaneously with the sudden appearance of Princess/Timmy behind them, framed in the front doorway with his arms laden with shopping bags and a beaming mirthful smirk on his face as he eyed the duo preening over his favorite baby.

Almost instantly Jakson began to squirm in JD's hands as his small arms thrust outward toward Princess, his bright blue eyes lit up and his chubby cheeks spread gleefully, all the while cooing and making happy blubbering noises until Princess tossed his shopping bags on the coach and deftly snatched Jakson from JD's arms.

All JD could do was smile and shake his head, all the while silently thinking to himself "Yet another Donnelly man smitten by Princess/Timmy's charms," as Princes swung around the room, baby extended in the air, to the delight of a giggling Jakson.

This was becoming a daily occurrence, ever since he made it back a few weeks ago when he and Jake had decided, right after Princess's grandmother's funeral, that instead of hauling them both back to North Carolina, that JD and the baby should stay here, get the house as ready as possible before JD had to start back to school.

That had been a little over three weeks ago, and at the time JD hadn't really wanted to be parted from Jake, but in the end, it was Jake who had convinced him, with it ultimately coming down to Jake convincing him, that with all the things going down the way there were in Princess/Timmy's life, as his best friend, he needed to be here, where he could be in a better position to be available for him should he need him.

It had been hard to argue against that, and despite the brave face Princess/Timmy often wore on the surface, underneath it all, JD knew, from personal experience, the value of just having someone you know you can lean on in difficult times, there when you need them. Through the last months, Timmy had been that for him, and the affection he had always felt for him, was still there, regardless of how many changes they had both undergone from that time till now.

He didn't think he'd ever forget the look of surprise and delight on Princess/Timmy's face when they all showed up, the entire Donnelly clan, at the funeral home in Valdosta, the day of his grandmothers funeral, with Jason, Brock, and Gavin in tow.

It came as no surprise however that Princess was already accompanied by Dalton Becker.

What had astonished them, was that Paul Lakatos had stuck by his side since he got the news of his grandmother's death. That, in fact, he had been the one to escort Princess/Timmy home and had stuck by his side since which made for a few awkward moments between Dalton and his identical twin Alton. Thankfully, they both seemed reconciled enough to behave at least superficially cordial during the funeral processions.

Of course, there was also the added bonus of the social discord their entourages presence seemed to cause amongst Princess/Timmy's parents and extended family; something that didn't truly come to a head until a couple of days later, at the reading of his grandmother's last will and testament, when the first real shock since her sudden death over shadowed that seminal event.

It seemed, that granny Ericson wasn't that pleased with her three daughters constantly jockeying for her favor by tearing their siblings down behind each other's backs, in the hope of shutting each other out for a greater portion of potential inheritance; which, as it turned out, was even more sizable than even their greedy little minds could have considered.

JD hadn't been present for the will reading, but the absolute look of shock, mixed with anger on Timmy's parents' faces when they finally joined them back at the large, two-story plantation-style home his grandmother lived in, which subsequently then served as a gathering place after the family meeting with Granny Ericson's executor, that things hadn't gone exactly as they had hoped for. But, the beaming ear-to-ear grin on Princess/Timmy's face, told another story entirely.

Though Granny Ericson was survived by three daughters, she also had four grandchildren, Timmy being only one of them, as he explained later as they all huddled together in the dining room as the three daughters bickered loudly in the great room located toward the front of the manor.

JD couldn't recall Timmy ever expressing any particularly fond memory of his grandmother and in fact, no one was more surprised than Timmy and his other three cousins when she left the bulk of her financial wealth to the four of them, which her executor informed them worked out to be roughly four million apiece, after inheritance taxes of course.

As for the rest of her estate? It had been her expressed desire that the first amongst her grandchildren to produce a male heir would inherit all holdings and properties left, provided they chose to live in the traditional family home.

"Guess that leaves me out" Princess/Timmy had chuckled jovially nodding in the direction of his three female cousins, one of which was already married and in the early stages of her first pregnancy.

Jason, who had, for the most part, remained rather reserved and quiet throughout their entire visit, merely shrugged his shoulders after taking a sniff in the air before turning and winking mischievously at Princess: "It's a girl, so you've still got a chance there stud!"

There were several snickers before Princess silenced them all with a stern look and a stomp of his foot: "Shhh, you morons, don't be giving my parents any ideas."

The memory of that moment elicited a fond smile from JD as he continued to watch Princess/Timmy delight his son with his playful antics.

It wasn't long afterward, that he, Barin, and Princess sat at the adjoining dining room table, with Princess bottle feeding a contented Jakson while the three of them discussed more current events.

"So, on a scale of one, to down to your knees are you excited to see that hubba hubba hubby of yours this evening?" Princess taunted, causing JD's face to blush furiously as both he and Barin smirked back at him from across the table.

Boldly glowering back at the pair of them, JD straightened his back and folded his fingers on top of the table in front of him: "It's been almost a month since we've seen each other so I'll just leave the details of our reunion to both your degenerate imaginations."

Barin just shook his head, smiling as Princess giggled, before making note of the bags he brought with him, left sitting on the couch: "Don't get your panties inna bunch, that's why I'm here, I'm gonna fix you and Jakey a nice spaghetti and meatball dinner before Barin and I head out for the compound and that meeting your dad called for this evening."

"Please don't tell me Dad and Jason are going to expect Jake to be there?" JD practically bristled at the thought.

Barin shook his head from side to side: "Don't fret that none, Jason already put the kibosh on Jake reporting to the compound until this weekend."

JD relaxed a bit after hearing that news while also noting the playful wink the stolid Texan gave him.

In the short time that JD had gotten to know the young Marine, he couldn't get over how quickly and easily the unassuming man had just slid into their lives.

In truth, without him, JD didn't know how he could have ever managed juggling school, getting their home ready, while simultaneously caring for Jakson.

JD wasn't naive either, he knew Jason was primarily behind Barin's continued, persistent presence. A selfless action that he added to the growing list of things he could attribute to the Alpha.

No, JD thought to himself, this was more than Jason just trying to be a good, responsible Alpha. This went deeper than that, something else JD was becoming painfully less and less naive about, which only added to the growing sense of remorse and loss he felt when he was anywhere near him.

For some time now, ever since that fateful night Jason shifted for the first time and the precarious veiling web of secrets that singular action caused to unravel and expose surrounding the circumstances of his family and the Heritage; after all the dust had settled, his gut began to tug once again at his heartstrings.

There was no doubt in him at all that he loved Jake. The mounting anticipation and growing excitement at the mere thought of their reunion bore testimony to that, as well as the bloating lump barely constrained behind the fly of his jeans. But, he was also becoming keenly aware, that no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he still felt a strong attraction, both physically and emotionally for Jason.

What further troubled JD, in the various times they were put in awkward situations that necessitated mutual proximity, he was acutely aware of the weighted social distress that burdened and seemed to forcibly limit Jason's interactions with him, something that further complicated Jason's relationship with his Gamma Enforcer, and JD's husband, Jake.

There were many reasons for JD to feel anxious about Jake's homecoming, but these kinds of thoughts and realizations only served to strengthen his resolve, and as troubling as it may be, he had already come to the conclusion that pretending there was no problem wasn't going to address or resolve it.

His father had forced him to face the difficulties impending fatherhood was going to bring and it wasn't until he embraced and faced it head on, was he able to start the first steps of the journey he was now on.

He couldn't imagine a life without his son and Jake in it now and Jason had played a large part in his acceptance of that fate by showing him nothing but support, even at the cost of his own happiness.

JD realized that now. It had come to him slowly, in bits and snippets, but there was no denying it.

A little over a week ago, right after settling Jakson in for the night, he found himself caught between dozing and daydreaming while relaxing on the couch trying to feign interest in some stupid show on Netflix when his thoughts had drifted back to the time, the day after Jake and he had reconciled at Carl's urging, that he, Jake and Jason lay on his bed back in his old room and the three of them seemed poised on the precipice of physically exploring an option none of them had previously considered.

It had jarred him out of his doziness as he pondered the significance of the memory's sudden resurgence and he couldn't help but wonder, if not for the untimely intervention and the cascade of events that had shattered that moment, where might it all have led them too?

Ever since that thought seemed stuck in his head, and he couldn't help but dwell on what his husband might think or how he might react to it.

On the one hand, he and Jake had sworn that night in the backyard, before the events with Jason and his mom, that going forward, there would be no more secrets between them.

On the other hand, Jake was Jason's Gamma Enforcer, and though he knew it wasn't quite the same, technically, he and Jason had already interacted physically. Of course, Jake and Jason both would argue that was more about an Alpha establishing his dominance and claiming a key member to his Pack, but it still didn't negate the physicality of the act in JD's mind.

JD felt the niggling of an idea forming in the back of his mind, one he fully intended to approach Jake with before considering it further, and as he put the matter aside and took Jakson from Princesses arms, to rub and pat his back, he watched bemusedly as Princess gathered his groceries and dragged Barin into the kitchen to begin preparing Jake's homecoming meal.

                                                                    * * * * *

"Are you just gonna sit there and stew or do you wanna talk about what's troublin' you?" Gavin Hollis asked as they pulled out of the local Burger King drive-thru, before stuffing an onion ring in his mouth and chomping it down hungrily.

Baxter took a swig of his medium iced coffee, trying to clear his dry parched throat and to stall while he tried to clear his head and gather his thoughts.

Clearly, he wasn't okay. In fact, he was far from okay, he felt like an emotional, jealous mess. But the real stick in his craw, this particular mess was one of his own creation, and as much as he wanted to blame Billy in part for it, the real, unmitigated truth was, he couldn't. This was all on him.

Gavin was pretty certain he already knew what the problem was. He pretty much witnessed the whole thing and as he tried to coax Baxter into discussing it, he made a quick mental note to give Billy a swift kick in the ass later, if for no other reason than being as dense as a London fog.

Steeling himself, Gavin lamented his lack of experience in the affairs of the heart, especially since he was still dealing with his own, between him and Arliss. Inwardly, he bristled, that this was more along the lines of a Princess problem. Noting mentally, that Princess was far better than himself at all this romance stuff.

Science and technology were more Gavin's field of expertise and if that was all he had to draw upon, then he'd probably fair better if he approached this matter a little more methodologically, by reviewing what he knew already.

Just a few minutes ago, right after he had exited the school after the last class of the day via the side entrance where the student parking lot was located.

It was there that he saw Baxter standing, with a distressed look on his face as Billy drove off without him.

Gavin knew that this in and of itself was unusual since Billy and Baxter always rode together. Even before Billy had the truck his father had gifted him, they either doubled up on Billy's motorcycle or rode the bus together, which initially caused Gavin to think that they must have had some sort of falling out, which in turn caused him to approach Baxter to see if he was okay.

Even though Baxter seemed reluctant to discuss it, it would have been clear to anyone that he was upset, something that Gavin had trouble grasping, was that it could have been deliberate on Billy's part.

Billy was many things, and he had his good days and his bad ones, but one thing was always consistent, and that was his steadfast loyalty and camaraderie with Baxter. But, Gavin couldn't deny the fact that Billy had just driven off, leaving Baxter standing there like some forlorn, abandoned, sad-eyed puppy staring balefully at his retreating truck as it drove off without him.

Gavin didn't really know why he had stuck his nose into all this. Billy was more his friend than Baxter was. But he had gotten to know Baxter a little better since his induction into the Heritage and even sparred with him a few times during training sessions at the compound.

Gavin was even somewhat familiar, though just as perplexed as Billy by Baxter's odd refusal of becoming his first pack member. His first Beta to be precise, though Gavin suspect Billy had the ulterior motive of making that a stepping stone to claiming Baxter as his mate, something else almost everyone found confusing, since every enhanced sense they possessed revealed the burning desire, no matter how suppressed, they both held for each other.

Yet, Baxter remained unyielding, maybe even a little distant and shut off, even though they still hung out together, almost as much as they always had before and Baxter had remained amiable, no matter how forced it seemed upon occasion.

At one point, Carl had even tried to approach him, but Baxter had just insisted everything was fine and indicated that he just wished everyone would leave the matter and just let it drop.

Knowing all this by first and second-hand means, it had been Gavin's first instinct to do just that and just move along and get in his own car and make a beeline home. But, something inside his head nudged him toward Baxter and before he knew it, found himself asking: "Did Billy really just drive off and leave you standing here?"

Baxter didn't even look at him, still staring off into the distance in the general direction Billy had taken: "He's giving Melissa Talbot a ride home." was all he said, so softly it was almost imperceptible.

Bells and whistles didn't need to go off for Gavin to realize how profoundly that action was now affecting Baxter, which only confirmed what Gavin already knew and had known for weeks.

Baxter Whitmore was putting on an act. That in truth, he cared a lot more for Billy than he was letting on, and trying to quell those feelings was eating and eroding away at him from the inside out.

Gavin did the only thing he could think of, and had taken Baxter by the arm and guided him toward his parking spot: "Why don't you just catch a ride with me today?"

It was more of a statement than a question and Baxter offered little resistance, his thoughts and concerns clearly elsewhere.

Now, as they turned onto the main road and Baxter sipped absentmindedly at his ice coffee, Gavin decided to just rip the kid gloves off and go straight to the heart of the matter: "Why are you doing this to yourself dude?"

Baxter's eyes just dropped to the floorboards, pausing for what Gavin felt was an interminably long time before responding meekly: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Gavin thought about it for a second, nearly biting his tongue to stifle himself from giving a stern retort, when an idea struck him: "Ya know what, it's a hot miserable day and I could use a swim."

He didn't wait for Baxter to agree or not, he just made the turn off to the road that led down to the same special spot he had once taken Billy. The same place where he had finally found the courage to face his own internal problems and revealed them to a receptive and accepting Billy.

Gavin secretly hoped, if given half the chance, especially in his current state and mood, Baxter might find the same courage he had and finally open up.

Like himself, maybe what Baxter needed was someone a little more detached like Billy had been for him, thinking, that sometimes the simple sympathetic ear of a stranger or casual acquaintance was better than the potentially judgemental one of a close friend or family member.

Once they got there, Baxter was reticent at first to join in, but after about fifteen minutes of watching Gavin enjoying the cool refreshing waters of the Flint River as the heat of the afternoon sun beat down on him as he sat there watching, with only his feet dangling in the river, Baxter finally broke down and stripped down to his skivvies and jumped in.

At first, they just swam together, but inevitably it turned into a taunting, playful camaraderie, full of the usual juvenile jabs and boastful banter and the inevitable issuing of prideful challenges leading ultimately to an issued challenge, that culminated in a simple race toward the shore, where the only prize to be won was the bragging rights garnered by the victor.

Baxter won, of course, being the better athlete by far, but, as Gavin noted, it wasn't as embarrassing a loss as it might have been a couple of months ago. Gavin owed that fact to the six weeks plus training he had voluntarily undergone at the compound. That, and of course his own physical enhancement due largely in part to the same exposure to the silver medallion that brought out the bestial side of those of the Heritage.

Gavin had even taken up combat training with Princess, who had taken it upon himself to give special consideration to those not of the Heritage but were still part of the Aeneas/Remus bloodline, even including both Brock and Elizabeth Dunne. Though the medallion had no effect on either of them, even Gavin's burgeoning, but still stunted senses, could detect the same scented similarities they shared; what those of the Heritage called an alluring honey and freshly dug Earth odor, that was prevalent in all four of them.

The odd thing though, first pointed out by Princess/Timmy one quiet evening as he ran Gavin through a particular meditation exercise intended to help him focus and hone his newly acquired/enhanced senses, there were those among the Heritage that had the same, though muted, scent.

Baxter was one of them.

There were others too, Carl being one, as well as a couple of the Marines in Atticus's unit, but neither he or Princess knew if that held any particular significance, though Princess did speculate, that perhaps it just meant they leaned more toward the homosexual side than the others, most of whom didn't seem to actually have a preference when it came to sex. Billy, Jason, and even Gavin's love interest Arliss definitely seemed to fall into that category.

As they both hauled themselves out of the water and plopped down side by side together as they slowly caught their breath, Gavin plotted his course of action, deciding to be as bold and upfront as Billy had been that night with him, just a couple of months ago: "Why are you pushing Billy away when its so clear you love him?"

If his question surprised Baxter, he didn't show it. Gavin had expected some sort of denial or deflection but his response was actually quite illuminating: "Because I'm not strong enough to go through what Carl did with Max."

Gavin's retort wasn't well thought out, he reacted instead of considered: 'Billy's not like that, and Max is nothing like his father Marcus."

At first, Baxter just hung his head silently as Gavin stared at him, but with one deep exhale, Baxter's head turned to lock eyes with Gavin's: "If he's not like that, then why is he with Melissa Talbot right now instead of me?"

Gavin didn't let that bit of deflection dissuade him: "Seriously, you rejected him the night you claimed your Heritage because you thought he'd eventually dump you for some girl and after weeks of you pretending there's nothing other than friendship between you, you get jealous because he shows some minor interest in someone who has no problem letting him know they ARE interested in him?"

Shaking his head vigorously, Gavin glowered at Baxter: "That's not only sad, it's also pretty fucked up." he concluded.

Baxter didn't hesitate, presenting what he was certain would be proven true, evidenced by his actions: "You know who Billy is, you also know what he is, there's absolutely no way Billy isn't going to be expected to mate with a female and produce an heir..."

Baxter's voice trailed off, growing to a mere whisper and breaking eye contact with Gavin as he stared down into the shifting waters of the river: "The sheer thought of it is ripping my heart right out of my chest."

Now that, Gavin understood, as he instinctively brought his arm up and placed it around Baxter's shoulder in a show of sympathetic support: "That explains why you haven't been going to the compound as much, but why have you been hanging around with him at school?"

Baxter exhaled gruffly: "I haven't. It's Billy, he's just there all the time, acting like nothing happened, like we're somehow the same friends we were last year, expecting me to ride with him every day to and from school. And then, today happened ..."

Gavin didn't need to guess what happened, he had seen Melissa sitting in the passenger seat of Billy's truck as he drove off, leaving Baxter behind to stare after them, but he did want clarification on one point, however: "Did Billy just leave you or did you refuse to ride with them?"

Without even looking up, Baxter answered: "How could I sit in that back seat and watch how she looks at him?"

Up until then, Gavin had been approaching this the way Billy had approached him that night, but after hearing Baxter's admission of jealousy it was like the spirit of Princess/Timmy welded up within him and took control.

Gavin shoved Baxter into the river.

Caught unsuspecting, Baxter broke the water's surface spitting and sputtering: "What the fucks wrong with you?" he shouted balefully, glaring up at Gavin, who just stood there with his arms folded over his chest.

"Oh, boo fucking hoo!" Gavin snapped sardonically: "Ya wanna know what I think?"

Baxter drew himself up onto the surface of the dock, dripping water everywhere as he glowered back at Gavin, the irises of his eyes flashing green briefly: "Not particularly, no!" he retorted, with no small degree of anger in his voice.

Unperturbed, Gavin held his ground.

A month and a half ago, nerdy little Gavin would have been intimidated. Baxter was almost half again his size and most certainly physically stronger, but Gavin wasn't that guy anymore.

This Gavin had trained hard and learned a lot about self-defense. That, and knowing his own exposure to the same metal that had transformed Baxter had also altered him as well.

"Too fucking bad, I'm going to tell you anyway..." Gavin jeered: "You think I don't know who and what Billy is?" Gavin paused for a second closing the distance between him and poking Baxter in the chest: "Well dipshit, the medallion seems to have given both Princess and myself a special ability even you Heritage guys don't have. When Billy gets angry or is consumed by strong emotions, we catch glimpses of the White Wolf that others don't see, Princess and I both have learned not to let on when it happens."

Baxter's eyes narrowed as he stared back at Gavin: "If that's the case, then you would know what I'm saying is true."

Gavin gave him a confused look, not quite understanding what he meant by that, but Baxter soon connected the dots for him.

Baxter explained, that two days before his ceremony he had gone for a walk in the early evening to clear his head and as he made his way back he heard voices coming from the study that Max was using whenever he and Carl had guests.

On that night, he overheard Marshal and Merrick Griffen talking to Max and Danal. He didn't hear every word of what they were saying, but he heard enough to get the gist of it.

As Alpha of the southern district and the only other alpha other than Marshal, of their family line, they wanted Danal and Max's help in finding a suitable mate for Jason to produce an heir with, and suggesting that it might also be appropriate to begin the hunt for Billy as well, that finding a female decedent of Aeneas, that fit their age range, could prove to be difficult, with Marshal adding that at least things had worked out so his grandson was no longer pursuing a relationship with Max's youngest son JD since his duty to his family necessitated he sire an offspring that could potentially succeed him.

In his defense, Baxter did say that Max had stated that both Jason and Billy were old enough to make their own decisions but had reluctantly agreed that perhaps things did work out for the best for JD, stating that he couldn't ask for a better son-in-law than Jake Bauers.

To Baxter, the overall message was clear. Alphas were expected to sire heirs and that was the one thing he couldn't do for Billy, and reminding Gavin, that even Max, who had a relationship with Carl before he became an Alpha, let alone for the southern district, caved under the pressure and expectation to produce offspring and subsequently put his relationship with Carl on hold to do so.

Gavin considered his words thoughtfully, hearing the raw emotion in Baxter's voice as he related what he had overheard, but everything Gavin had ever experienced and learned through his own interactions with Billy, kept drawing him to the same conclusion, one he shared freely with Baxter.

"I can't really speak to what's happening with Jason, I do know how things ended with JD still haunts him, and maybe Billy will be pressured into mating with some girl, but there is one thing a do know for a certainty..." Gavin paused to gather his thoughts and to once again capture Baxter's eyes with his own: "I know that not a single day went by that he didn't talk about you, or bring your name up in conversation..."

Baxter tried to look away, but Gavin drew him back by grasping his hands in his own and squeezing them tightly: "Did you know he had nightmares about you while you were away, that in those dreams you were swept away beyond his reach and forever lost to him?"

Baxter's eyes widened hearing his words, giving Gavin the impression that Baxter must have also had similar nightmares.

Gavin steeled himself, honing right into what he felt was the crux of the problem and offering the only advice that merited consideration: "You're not foolin' anyone Whitmore, you love Billy Donnelly and you'd be the biggest idiot in the world if you didn't at least give him half the chance to have a say in the matter."

Baxter hung his head again, the weight of Gavin's words hanging heavily on his shoulders. He was right of course, but did that even matter anymore?

The fear of what he felt was inevitable had made him reject the White Wolf wishing to claim him that night in the woods, but it was Billy who had led him there, it was Billy and not his beast who welcomed him into his Heritage, and it was Billy who ran through the woods with him beneath the moonlight and made him feel freer than he ever had before in his life, and despite being an Alpha, he never once, not even in the weeks that followed, tried to pressure Baxter into anything more.

The truth was, Billy gave him the space to make his own choices and Baxter had chosen to protect his own heart at every turn, even today when he offered Baxter a ride home, which he rejected outright upon seeing Melissa there in his vehicle as he pulled up, even after she offered to take the back seat.

Gavin had pegged him correctly and he realized he was now at a crossroads.

One path lead in the direction he had been forging ever since the night of his Heritage ceremony. The one where any potential future with Billy inevitably shriveled up and could be forever lost to him.

The other, by and far the riskier path, the one where he would be expected to put himself out there, expose his feelings as well as his fears in the hope that somehow, against all odds, he and Billy might forge a future together, all while dodging the possible expectations of others who held sway in their lives.

In the end, it boiled down to a question of integral honesty, spurred on by the feisty, unconventional urging of Gavin Hollis, who had the foresight to see the growing chinks in his resolve: "Go for it dude, what do you really stand to lose that you won't lose anyway by not trying?"

Baxter forced a wane smile, giving him a peripheral glance and a shrug of his shoulders: "Oh, I don't know, my pride for one thing.." he offered halfheartedly.

"So nothing at all!" Gavin smirked jovially as he pushed Baxter playfully toward the shore and where their clothes were, as Baxter wondered silently to himself, how in the world was he ever going to find the courage to broach this topic with his lifelong best friend, after so recently shooting him down.

                                                                         * * * * *

"So Barin, tell me what you really think about Paul Lakatos." Princess asked as he flashed his ID card at the handsome gate guard that now motioned them through, allowing them to continue their journey to the compound, down the newly paved main road that would lead them directly to their destination.

Both Barin and Princes had received Jason's group text announcing a mandatory meeting at seven PM in the main conference room of the administrative office that had formerly been known as the Lodge.

A lot of changes had happened in just a little over a month, the paved road and guard gate counting low on the list.

Barin eyed Princess dubiously before shrugging his shoulders noncommittally: "When I first met 'em, I thought he was more prickly than a barrel full of fish hooks.."

He paused as if to gauge Princesses reception to his analogy, before continuing: "But that night Billy went through his first change and we were attacked, he proved he wasn't just all hat and no cattle. I reckon like any alpha worth his salt, he'd charge hell with a bucket of ice water for one of his own."

Princess smiled, inwardly enjoying the colorful colloquialisms that garnished Barin's perspectives and observations. Often finding his Texan baritone diphthong rather soothing.

If there was one thing that could be said about Barin, among his many attributes, was his total lack of presumption. What you see is what you get. A quality that was rather scarce amongst his kind, at least on the level of the Heritage hierarchy most would place him at.

From what Princess could gather, it was rather rare for someone of Barin's somewhat diminutive size to attain the level of Gamma Enforcer in a pack. But Princess had trained and sparred with him himself on several occasions, and there was absolutely nothing diminutive about Barin's ferocity, speed, and level-headedness.

There was a depth to Barin most overlooked and from Princesses perspective, that almost always worked to ones advantage.

"Don't ever change Barin and thanks for your honest appraisal." Princess stated, adding: "You're right you know, Paul is a bit of a preening peacock of a man, but I think, beneath the mask, he shows everyone, there's a fiercely devoted and passionate man."

As Princess concluded and pulled into the parking lot of the Devil Dawg Compound and parked his Jeep, Barin turned to him, just as he opened the front passenger side door: "I'm sure the fact he's hung like a horse ain't whats really snapping your garters." Barin mused playfully.

Princess turned to bat his eyes and smile coyly back at him: "Why Mr. Young, I do declare, I've never heard tell of the like before."

Barin just snickered as they made their way toward the Lodge.

Princess hadn't been expecting a large gathering, but there were some notably absent faces considering the urgency of Jason's request.

He knew that Jake wouldn't be making it, since he had just arrived at his and JD's new accommodations and Jake hadn't even had time to unpack and settle in after being separated from JD and the baby for almost a month, while he awaited his transfer papers to go through back in North Carolina.

He himself knew how that was, as he still awaited Dalton's paperwork to process so that he to, like Jason, could be reunited with his own gamma enforcer.

Chief amongst the absent, were Max, Carl, and Hank. Three people he would have thought necessary considering Jason's summons.

There was one other key person in abstention. Billy.

His absence concerned Princess the most but decided to inquire about that later, after he got settled in around the conference table, to join the meeting that was already, by all indication, about to begin as Jason started by welcoming their arrival, before actually moving on to more pressing concerns. Which as it turned out, was addressing Billy's absence.

Jason cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him: "First off, I guess everyone's noticed that Billy is missing this evening, but I assure you, he's fully aware of what we're going to discuss but private, personal matters prevent him from being here right now."

Princess was about to say something, but Gavin, who was sitting next to him, elbowed him slightly as he leaned close and whispered into his ear: "He and Baxter took off into the woods for some *alone* time."

The wink Gavin gave him did almost as much as the *alone* had the moment it passed his lips.

His meaning of course was quite clear, and though it left little to the imagination, it was welcome news considering the alternative they had all been forced to endure for well over a month.

Watching the two of them pretend like everything was okay between them, was quite off-putting. Made especially true by their obvious sulking behavior ever since Baxter's Heritage ceremony.

It was as plain as the noses on their face, that something had transpired between them that night, something they were clearly trying to downplay as they unrelentingly persisted in presenting themselves as nothing more than just two good friends, when everyone else around them could easily pick up on the increased respiration and spiking hormonal discharges every-time they were in each others proximity, which to Princess, seemed about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle, proving that denial wasn't just a river in Egypt.

It occurred to Princess, that perhaps Billy and Baxter weren't the only pair that seemed afflicted with that particular condition, noting the still restrained body language between Gavin and Arliss while also noting a similarity between Paul and himself, something he decided at that very moment to resolve sooner, rather than later, by perhaps enticing Paul with a weekend-long visit at his newly acquired apartment.

Jason once again captured his momentary, drifting attention by having Atticus and Brock summarize the plethora of activity and changes the compound was undergoing.

Other than the previously observed guard gate, electrified fence perimeter, and the singular entrance road now being fully paved, Atticus made note that, after the successful construction of the three foundations for the future two-story barracks being built atop the hillside to the right of the compound entrance and just juxtaposed to the Lodge; that they had actually started framing in the first barracks and were projecting completion by the first week of October.

Danal shook his head with approval, stating that with their growing numbers, being able to house those men needed to be a priority before the cold winter months set in.

Brock assured him that they were allocating manual resources from amongst their own to assist in the construction in addition to sending help to the Gundarson farm, which Douglas Gundarson had now pledged its resources fully to his Alpha. Even Arliss's mom had been so pleased with the turnaround and activity that she had taken it upon herself to spending her days making baked goods like breads and pies, which she sent back daily with one of the workers, much to the delight of the compounds growing inhabitants.

With a nod from Jason, Atticus proceeded to spread out a large map of the entirety of the compounds nearly seven hundred and fifty acres (not including the fifty Max had finagled for his own private use) on the large conference table for everyone to peruse as Atticus indicated various areas that were either currently being worked on or would be within the coming months.

Atticus indicated that in addition to the Lodge being updated with electricals and plumbing, so had been Jason's cabin while emphasizing that great care was taken in not compromising its timeless austerity even with the addition of necessary improvements to the exterior to build space for an interior bathroom, an updated kitchen as well as heating and cooling.

Princess was already aware of the road that had been carved out, that extended from the Lodge parking spaces, past the cabin, and out and around to the far left side of the lake, where a small airfield, big enough for a helicopter had been roughed in as well as the foundations laid for several large pole building constructions that would eventually house the various vehicles, armory and supply warehouses for the entire compound.

"What, no Walmart?" Gavin chided mockingly as Atticus concluded his update, eliciting a snort from Danal, followed quickly by a knowing, playful wink.

Princess continued to study the map with a small degree of fascination before pointing and asking about the red outlined area that seemed to completely encompass the opposite side of the lake: "Why is this entire area highlighted in red?" he inquired, directing his question to Jason, but it was Danal who answered: "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Max, since he has appropriated everything circled in the red margins."

Jason leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table as he did so: "Billy asked his dad and Carl why they specifically wanted all the lands comprising the opposite shore of the lake and all they did was smile and say, that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"Those two definitely have something up their sleeve, but they are being completely mum about it," Danal noted, though managing to sound uncharacteristically optimistic about it. Leaving Princess to wonder if he knew more than he was letting on.

Having concluded his compound updates, Atticus nodded to Jason, who continued to sit silently for a moment as if in contemplation, a trait Princess had come to discern about the new Alpha whenever he was about to delve into something potentially troublesome. This time was no exception.

Jason began, by slowly standing and scanning each of them gathered around the large rectangular wooden conference table: "I began this evening's meeting by stating Max and Carl couldn't be here tonight..." His voice trailed off as he stepped behind his chair, turning and gripping the top firmly as he stared off into the distance for a moment, gathering his thoughts: "What I didn't state, was why..." He continued, adding, almost reservedly: "They are entertaining an important guest who didn't wish to be seen entering the compound and possibly compromising his mission here by unintentionally announcing any affiliation to the Devil Dawg's, should the compound be under scrutiny."

As if on cue, Danal explained further: "A couple of days ago, Brock received and relayed a message from Lt. General Bastian Hartford that he would be arriving and would meet up with Max at his family estate last night, and stating he had a few important things to discuss pertaining, but not limited to the events which culminated in the attack on the compound, as well as Monaca Donnelly's participation."

Brock smiled at Gavin, joining in the conversation: "Seems your discovery of Major Drummond's participation in selling out Michael and Kent to the Kampfhund was only the tip of the iceberg to his treachery."

Gavin just rolled his eyes, sighing: "I think that surprises no one."

Danal clarified what Brock had implied: "Under interrogation by the general's personal agents, who also happen to be part of the North Eastern Devil Dawg District and the general's first Beta and Gamma Enforcer, who were able to *entice* the major to reveal that his apparent co-operation with the Kampfund was merely a ruse, that he was in fact playing them against us in some sort of Machiavellian scheme to destabilize the central European and North American alliances."

Princess got a sudden twinge in the pit of his stomach: "Then the logical question is, who was really pulling the strings?"

Jason plopped back down in his chair, drawing everyone's attention back to him: "That's just it, he didn't know who the person he had as a contact represented, seems the only thing he actually cared about was the color of their money."

Without hesitation, Princess queried dubiously: "Why do I get the feeling that the general's presence here has to do with more than just this *little* revelation, he could have just emailed us this info. What's so important that he would take the time to make a personal journey here?"

"Look at you asking the big boy questions" Brock taunted, smirking playfully across the table at him.

Princess huffed then locked gazes with him: "Ya know Brock, you're the reason God created the middle finger." with Princess taking that opportune moment to demonstrate what he was saying, by gesticulating back at him.

Completely ignoring the sparring banter between Brock and Princess, Danal explained, that while the general's aides were doing a comprehensive and exhaustive search of Drummond's apartment, they came across a burner phone he often used to conduct personal transactions under an assumed identity and in one of the correspondences that he had tried to delete, there was an acknowledgment of receipt and subsequent payment for some information Monaca Donnelly had given him to transfer.

Drummond wasn't given a name to go by, just a postal number to a secure private account and when they traced that account, it had simply been assigned the label Quirinus.

Gavin looked up from his laptop to glower at Danal at the mention of that word: "I've come across that name before."

Danal frowned and nodded his head: "I bet you have. Quirinus was part of the holy trinity of the Roman Gods consisting of Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus, who was also known as the God of the Roman legions."

"I admit, that sounds oddly coincidental, but I fail to see any connection between that and what we've encountered." Princess posited, while mentally sifting through everything Aphrodite had related to him.

Shrugging his shoulders Danal stated: "Maybe not for us, but it was a name that caught the general's attention."

Jason spoke up again, taking charge of the conversation: "According to Max, the General has been looking into a top-secret Pentagon project that he's caught whispers of here and there for the last couple of years, guess what the project is called?"

None of them had to imagine. It was written on all their faces.

"Now, that is more than a co-winky dink." Princess sighed heavily.

"Yes, it is..." Jason concurred, adding: "And the general has asked for our help in checking it out."

Princess considered it for a second before asking the obvious question: "Why would he request our help, surely he has more experienced people than us to handle that?"

"That's just it..."Jason said, matter of fact: "All his operatives are of the Heritage and most from his own pack."

Gavin looked at him, slightly confused by his response: "Why would that be a problem for him? I would think they, of all people, would be more familiar and adept at finding out if anything happened to not be on the up and up."

"I would have thought that obvious..." Danal interjected: "If the Pentagon has operatives in play, as he suspects, then the risk that they might recognize one of his people increases exponentially... that, and the fact that we have someone here, who is of the Heritage, who is familiar with the Alpha Regent of the district where the suspected location of this project happens to be available, while also being experienced enough to handle most situations."

Both Danal and Jason turned their gazes on Barin, who looked trepidatiously between the duo, before haltingly proclaiming: "Why do I suddenly feel like a long tail cat in a room full of rockin' chairs?"

Jason smiled disarmingly, for the first time that evening, slapping Barin on the back: "Pack up cowboy, looks like you're on the first plane out, and back home to Texas.

Chapter Seventeen:

"Geez... I can't believe how much junk I have." Baxter Whitmore said, chiding himself bemusedly out loud as he stuffed the last of his folded clothes from his dresser drawer into one of the cardboard boxes his mom had given him to help him pack his stuff with.

Even though he was in a good mood and had been for over a week now, he still felt a twinge of guilt and remorse over leaving his mom on her own.

Baxter knew she would be alright. Actually, he was pretty sure she was going to be better than alright now that it seemed she and Hank Bauers were becoming a thing. At least he hoped so. It had been so long since he'd seen her smile and laugh this much and Baxter knew that had more to do with Hank's frequent calls and visits than she was willing to admit to.

Being afraid his presence might cramp their budding romance had partially been one of the deciding factors in taking Billy up on his offer.

Baxter laughed to himself, a thin smile stretching across his face. "One of his offers" he nearly giggled, one of his many, persistent offers.

Not that Baxter required that much encouragement on that front, he wanted this probably just as much as Billy did; he'd only been holding back because he was afraid to leave his mom here, on her own. Especially so abruptly.

Baxter had imagined they still had at least another year together, in which he could help mentally prepare her and hopefully ease her into living on her own once he went away for college.

"I bet I know who put that big smile on your face!" Baxter heard his mom chuckle teasingly as she entered his room.

Baxter's eyes caught her own for a brief second before flitting away, his cheeks blushing profusely at the implications her words invoked.

"Uh-huh, I knew I was right" his mom taunted playfully as her hand reached up to stroke his left cheek affectionately, with the warm palm of her hand.

Baxter pulled her into a brief hug before quickly returning to the last of his packing.

He could have told her she was wrong and teased her back by letting her know what he had actually been thinking. But, while he didn't mind her teasing him, he didn't want to put her on the spot about her own burgeoning romance, not until he was certain of where it was heading.

"You do realize I'm just going to be down the road most of the time don'tchya'?" Baxter stated, adding: "You can stop by anytime you want to, I'm sure Billy won't mind."

"Like hell I will" his mom declared stolidly: "You two need some time alone together, at least until you get your bearings."

His mom stopped fussing with the box she had been organizing and sat on his bed looking intently up at him before reaching out and clasping his right hand between her own.

"Listen to me Baxter..." She began, her voice full of motherly concern: "Loving someone and living with them are two separate things..." Baxter felt her hand pull him toward her until he sat down next to her, knowing full well, this was her lecture voice and what was expected of him right now, was just to sit, listen and hear her out.

"The best advice I can offer you is actually harder than it sounds..." She began, squeezing his hand to emphasize the seriousness of what she was about to impart: "Above all the highs and lows that love may bring, always remember one thing matters more than any other..."

"It's a little late for a birds and bees talk mom, Max did that years ago." Baxter taunted, more out of nervousness than anything else. Knowing full well his mom knew snarky was his default defense mode, especially when a conversation was steering in a direction that made him uncomfortable.

"Don't be silly" she chided softly, letting go of his hand and smacking his thigh, before continuing, unperturbed by his attempt at deflection.

"Being lovers is incredible and wonderful, especially in the beginning..." She stopped for a moment, as her gaze glossed over for a second, staring off into space. Her face was a mirrored mask of some distant memory, reflecting something both sad and joyous and yet self-contained and known only to her.

Baxter surmised she was thinking of his father in that moment, and took her hand once again in his, jarring her back to the present with a smile and a nod before she continued: "I guess all I'm trying to tell you, son, while love and romance are important, there is one thing that will preserve that love throughout all your time together..." she smiled wistfully at him, her eyes twinkling as she concluded softly: "Be his friend Baxter and allow him to be yours. A lover can make you feel a great many things, both good and bad, but a friend, a true friend, will always sit and listen and do their best to understand."

Her words didn't fall on deaf ears. In fact, considering the events over the last few months leading up to this moment, he kind of wished she had told him this long ago because recently, love had been making his life and Billy's a roller coaster ride.

She was right about the friendship thing, it was a new friend, one he didn't even realize he had until recently, that had helped steer him in the right direction, by making him see how love and jealousy had been blinding him to the glaring truth that everyone else could see. Everyone but him; and if he could have had and heeded his mom's advice, perhaps he could have avoided all that pain and disappointment, by just being a friend, one who could just sit and listen.

Baxter hugged his mom again and thanked her, promising to do his best.

After giving him a light kiss on his cheek she turned and headed for his bedroom door: "Lunch will be ready soon, finish packing so you don't keep Billy waiting."

Baxter scratched his head and called after her: "He texted a couple of minutes ago and said he was getting ready to head over.

His mom didn't pause or miss a stride, but he could almost picture the smile on her face as she hollered over her shoulder: "Then I guess I was right to set the table for three then." before disappearing down the hall and leaving Baxter alone with his thoughts.

While closing the last of the boxes he had packed and was taking with him, he couldn't help but reflect on the events leading up to this moment, which truly began the previous Friday, just a few hours after his one-on-one conversation with Gavin Hollis, when they were down by the Flint river.

That afternoon had ended by him coming to the momentous decision, due to Gavin's timely intervention, that all his problems stemmed from him just trying to protect himself from potentially being rejected by Billy, without even discussing with Billy how he might feel. All based on one singular action Billy made, the night of his Heritage ceremony, that lead them both to their private spot.

That night he and Billy had discussed their feelings for one another, culminating in Billy asking him if he had ever imagined them kissing.

For Baxter, that had been a pivotal moment, one left hanging and full of expectation; left unanswered as Billy took his hand, rose and instead of kissing him, as he had hoped and expected, Billy used that moment to reveal his full bestial form as the White Wolf.

The realization that Gavin forced him to see, in that moment, Billy was opening himself up completely to Baxter.

In Billy's mind, that was the most intimate and trusting thing for him to do. It meant more than some mere kiss.

Gavin allowed him to see, in the moments leading up to Billy revealing the White Wolf, Baxter had just revealed his deepest secret by basically admitting he was gay and Billy had just responded in kind, by divulging his most intimate secret.

It wasn't Billy's fault Baxter had other expectations.

Worse yet, Baxter had then responded by basically sulking for the next two weeks, leaving Billy to grow more and more confused and concerned, while wondering if revealing the White Wolf was more than Baxter could handle.

Talk about crossed wires.

This wasn't Billy's fault, and it had only taken Gavin to practically club him over the head with it, to get him to see, and admit that.

Baxter knew he owed Gavin big time for that and even more so when he practically insisted Gavin drive him immediately to the compound that evening so he could try and fix what he had broken.

The drive there had been arduous, with each second seeming to pass by in slow motion until they finally found themselves in the main parking lot by the Lodge.

Gavin had barely brought the car to a stop when he leaped from the vehicle and began looking around expectantly, sniffing the air for Billy's unique scent.

As fate would have it, he didn't have to search at all. Brock stepped out of the Lodge, with the intent to greet them both, but before he got a single word out, Baxter interrupted him and practically bellowed: "Where's Billy?" at a now startled Brock, who in turn, just silently pointed in the direction of the cabin with a confused look on his face.

Thinking back, he knew how rude it must have appeared, but he was a man focused on his purpose and he wasn't about to let anything as trivial as good manners, or shut cabin doors for that matter, keep him from that purpose.

The look on Jason's, Atticus's, Danal's, and even Billy's faces were nothing short of surprised shock when Baxter suddenly burst into the cabin unexpectedly and unannounced.

Nor did they look less so, when he rapidly crossed the room and snatched Billy by the hand, and nearly dragged him from the cabin, shouting sternly over his shoulder as he did so: "He's busy tonight and NOT to be disturbed!"

"Mind tellin' me what this is all about?" Billy had queried as he tugged him toward the edge of the woods behind the cabin and began stripping off his clothes.

Baxter had only shot him a devious smile and growled as he started to shift into his bestial form: "Strip and follow me if you wanna find out Mr. Donnelly." then took off at a galloping lope into the woods.

The sun hung just below the ridge of the hill across the lake. It wasn't completely dark yet, but under the cover of the dense foliage of the woods, normal visibility was low in the deepening shadows of the twilight.

Baxter didn't need to see, to know that Billy was hot on his heels. He could feel and hear every footfall they made, every breath that they took, as he guided them knowingly toward their destination.

Again, as they had previously, upon arrival to their special spot, at the far end of the lake, first Baxter and then Billy dove into the cool autumn waters and began their usual game of pushing, splashing, and dunking, until they had enough and climbed out of the water to lay naked, side by side, on the cool grass to catch their breaths.

They lay there quietly for a while, listening to the crickets and bullfrogs as their melodic courtship songs gently proliferated all around them, almost in tune with the thrumming of their beating hearts.

Lost in the silence of their own thoughts, they each stared up into the darkening, evening sky until the first faint glowing stars began to twinkle back at them.

Baxter knew that Billy was waiting for him to speak; holding back patiently for him to break the long silence between them. Not just the silence they were experiencing in the moment but the one erected by Baxter since the last time they found themselves there.

The silence of unspoken feelings and emotions that had been held back and suppressed due to his fear of the irrepressible *what if's* that drummed ceaselessly within the darkest, doubting recesses of his consciousness.

Baxter was trying not to delude himself; to falsely believe that he had somehow mastered those doubts and fears. It hadn't escaped his notice, that he may always experience those things. But what had come to his current awareness, was that no one, neither himself or Billy could ever say they were free from those things... well, maybe everyone but Princess, Who, over the short time that he had gotten to know him, seemed particularly adept at adapting to each and every situation with ease.

Never had he ever known someone who had so completely changed in such a short amount of time.

Then again, Baxter surmised, maybe he was just better at dealing with it than most. Something Baxter had now fully intended to embrace, beginning with the singular most important decision that faced him in the here and now.

With that thought in mind, Baxter rolled over until he was facing Billy, who still lay there quietly staring up into the evening sky as Baxter laid his head on Billy's chest and draped his arm over his abdomen.

As opening gambits go, this one wouldn't go down in history as one of his best, but as Billy's left arm rose to encircle his back and his large callused hand came to rest upon his should and began softly massaging him, he wouldn't count it amongst his worse decisions either.

"Baby steps" he assured himself as he cautiously began running the tips of his fingers along the line of Billy's abs, stroking the soft tuft of wispy hair down to his navel, and back up toward his sternum repeatedly, each time dipping a little lower down Billy's treasure trail until he was nearly touching his pubic bush.

They had cuddled many times as boys over the years, usually after some roughhousing or sparing together to hone their wrestling skills. But this was an intimacy unfamiliar and foreign for both of them.

Baxter could tell by the increase in Billy's heart rate and the quickening of his respiration, both of which Baxter shared with him; that his touch was having as much of an effect on Billy as Billy's touch was having on him.

It had also occurred to Baxter, that though there were many occasions when the two of them had seen each other naked, he had never seen Billy aroused, and that too was changing right before his eyes, as his line of sight was consumed with the expansion of Billy's phallus.

Baxter watched in expectant wonder as it came to life, stretching out over his strong muscular thigh at first only to slowly engorge and bloat until it flopped over his solar plexus and began its inexorable expansion up his belly.

As riveting as the moment was and as much as he desired to reach down and clasp Billy's engorging cock in his hand and heft the meaty weight and heat of it, Baxter instead sat up and turned his head to lock eyes, timidly at first, with Billy's.

Baxter swallowed deeply, as Billy's hand slid down his side until it reached the protruding mound of his right buttock and caressed it firmly between his long, strong fingers.

He nearly lost himself in the intimacy of that touch. It sent shivers of pleasure radiating from where ever their skin made contact and spread like ripples across his excited flesh.

He had longed for just such a moment to transpire between them; for so long it seemed like an eternity of waiting had passed, but he didn't come here to lose himself in carnal pleasure, there would be time for that afterward.

Baxter mustered the last of his will, drawing deep from the well of his resolve, to push the words that would inform his intent, build a bridge between the divide that he had forged between them, and hopefully mend what he had broken.

"Billy?..."He spoke softly, his name almost faltering on his lips, even as he forced himself to maintain eye contact: "Will you show me your wolf again?"

He didn't know if Billy would or could understand what it was he was asking of him. The last time, Billy's intentions and motives were clear. It radiated from the crystal clarity of the light that shone from Billy's eyes.

That light had reached deep down into the core of his being and touched the most primal part of him and his beast. It had been as clear as the clarion peel of a church bell on a Sunday morning and he, in an act of cowardice and self-preservation, had turned and run from it.

What Billy was offering him, at that moment, had left him incredulous and awestruck by its magnitude, and like a frightened child, he chose to hide from it instead of accepting the challenge such a thing would exact from him.

The truth was, he wasn't ready then. He first had to taste what it would be like without him, or worse yet, see him in another's arms.

Even then, he had waffled and it wasn't until Gavin practically smacked him across the head with it, that it had finally sunk in.

For Baxter, there was no life worth living that didn't have Billy in it.

He didn't ask to be the White Wolf of legend, he didn't choose the harsh path that lay before him, especially one with all that title entailed.

All Billy had done, was turn to the one person he had always envisioned there by his side, the companion that would stick with him through thick and thin. The only one he had ever entrusted to have his back.

Billy had offered him his place by his side that first night he came into his Heritage and Baxter had walked away.

This time, however, it was Baxter asking, and he could only hope that Billy wouldn't do what he had done.

Baxter continued to stare hopefully into Billy's eyes as a faint smile began to spread across his face.

As the first hint of a silver glow flickered around the ring of Billy's irises, he watched in expectant trepidation as Billy slowly rose to his feet and began to back away from him.

His gaze never left Baxter's as he mounted the large rock they had once carved his father's name into and stood proudly erect as the light behind his eyes flared into brilliance and his body began to shift into something, somewhere between man and beast.

It wasn't until he reached the pinnacle in that form, looming nearly seven feet tall, that Baxter began to feel the pull of Billy's Alpha pheromones at his senses.

It was like that of a large powerful magnet pulling at a light piece of metal and it took every ounce of Baxter's strength to resist the urge to cross the short distance between them. If it had been his will alone, he would have completely surrendered to it. But he wasn't alone in that instant, his own beast held him back, practically snarling at him to wait for the right moment, and as that war within raged to its apex, Billy once again was surrounded by a billowing mist of shimmering argent.

The intensity of will pummeling his senses from the glaring glow of Billy's eyes nearly made his legs buckle, but he held his gaze and allowed Billy's essence to infuse every pore of his being. And as the mist coalesced into the purist of white, shimmering fur covering the biggest wolf he was sure the world had ever seen, Baxter finally yielded his will and sank to one knee and bowed his head in deference as he waited anxiously for the one word that every fiber of his being hoped the White Wolf would speak to him.

The passage of time had become insubstantial and indeed it was further marked by the deafening silence that befell the terrain around them.

The bullfrogs had quit croaking, the crickets stopped chirping. Even the rustle of leaves grew silent as if everything around them now bore silent witness as the White Wolf moved soundlessly toward him until it stood, towering over him, less than a foot away.

Baxter stayed frozen, even holding his breath until his lungs ached for oxygen and the sound of his own heartbeat became a cacophonous thumping in his ears, and when he was certain that he would pass out at any second, he felt the faintest whisper of breath brush against his right cheek as a large cold snout nudged against his ear, followed by the gentlest of prompts, spoken mind to mind: "Submit."

Baxter's heart felt like it was going to leap from his chest as his arms flung sideways, baring his naked chest, and with the greatest sense of pride and joy, Baxter turned his head sideways and offered the Alpha, his Alpha, the tenderness of his throat.

It was in those almost eerie few seconds, whose passage seemed interminable to Baxter, that he half expected the sharp pangs of razor-sharp fangs sinking into the soft flesh of his neck, somewhere between his earlobe and his thorax. But, instead, he felt the gentle touch of Billy's fingers softly trace that space between, before cupping Baxter's face between his hands and turning it up, chin high, to once again lock gazes.

Baxter caught the last embers of silver glow fade from Billy's irises, replaced by the warmest smile and the twinkling reflection of his own face in his now bright blue eyes.

For the first time that evening, Baxter felt lost there, not knowing what to do next, that is until he bowed his head slightly, as Billy caressed his cheek and brushed his fingers through his hair, that he then caught sight of Billy's now tumescent cock hanging down over his plump egg-sized balls. It was then that his beast urged him to show their Alpha proper respect, by kissing his manhood.

Baxter didn't know as much as he should about the Heritage, but he was well aware of this custom, and seeing as he was still kneeling there in front of Billy, he craned his neck to put him in a better position to do just that.

But, before his lips could touch Billy's dick, he felt Billy's large hands grip his face between them and pull him away.

The disappointment on Baxter's face must have registered to Billy and Baxter interpreted the growing smile on Billy's face, at first as mocking, causing Baxter to turn his head away in blushing embarrassment, only to find himself hauled to his feet by Billy crooking his hands under Baxter's armpits and practically hoisting him effortlessly into a standing position.

Baxter's first instinct was to squirm away, but Billy held him fast by gripping the back of his neck with one hand while the other swooped around his waist and pressed against the small of his back.

"Stop..." Billy chided, pulling Baxter in tightly against him: "I'm not saying I don't appreciate what you were about to do" he continued, his face drawing nearer Baxter's own: "I just didn't want that to be the first thing we do together."

Hearing his words and feeling the warmth of his naked body pressed tightly against his own, had the desired effect, as Baxter turned his face upward toward Billy's, just as he smoothly inched closer until their foreheads touched and the tips of their noses rubbed together.

Baxter hadn't allowed himself to think that what happened next, could or would ever transpire between them, as Billy slowly brought their lips together and delicately kissed him.

As kisses go, Baxter had no real basis for comparison and couldn't help but wonder if he was meeting Billy's expectations, when it suddenly dawned on him. Billy had told him everything about what had transpired between him and Timmy. He had even disclosed what he had done for Gavin one afternoon, but in everything that he had acknowledged from his encounters, none of it included kissing either of them.

It suddenly dawned on him, not only was this Baxter's first kiss, but it was Billy's as well. That sobering thought melted the last of Baxter's resistance and he melted into Billy's arms and parted his lips to allow his probing tongue to enter.

The world could have blinked out of existence as far as Baxter was concerned that night, as Billy lowered them to the mossy-covered ground as his lips and tongue continued to unabashedly explore the furthest depths of Baxter's mouth. Their dueling tongues entangled in a duet of passion, hunger, and need, while their hands explored each other's bodies in a way they had never allowed themselves to do before that moment.

There had been many times in their young lives they had appreciated each other's bodies, but it was always done under the thinly veiled guise of mutual admiration for the hard work they had done to achieve those ends.

Baxter's mind practically swam with the remembrance of all the times Billy had complimented his big bubble butt and had jokingly cautioned him not to bend over in the showers. This moment now altered all those times he had recalled it as just simple jock banter, and now he realized it for what it really was, a socially awkward attempt at complimenting him without drawing too much attention to himself or his motives for making such an observation.

Those that didn't know Billy the way he did now, might judge him to harshly, but Baxter now saw it for what it was. It was a confirmation that Billy found him just as attractive and desirable as Baxter found him; it was just their situation and the environment they grew up in, that kept them from acting or acknowledging their mutual attraction for each other.

That was the biggest void that was separating them and as all those old walls melted away into obscurity, so did it now give rise to the heat of their passion for one another.

Baxter could only best describe it as a dam bursting, as Billy's lips and tongue explored the nape of his neck, culminating in his hot, fluttering breath pressed snugly against his ear: "I want you, Baxter, I want you to be mine, not just now..."

Billy's words faltered as Baxter pushed him away slightly. Not out of arms reach, but so he could look Billy in the eyes when he said: "Stop talking and take me, I ain't goin' nowhere!"

The grin that had spread across Billy's face, was one that would forever be etched in Baxter's mind, as indelible as the sun in the sky during high noon.

It was a perfect blend between love and lust, with just a hint of "be careful what you wish for."

It was a look Baxter was certain he would see many times over and over again and he couldn't wait to count them all amongst his fondest memories.

Billy wasted little time after that, utilizing what little experience he had garnered, to thrust himself between Baxter's powerful thighs, even as Baxter's ankles sought to lock around Billy's waist.

Positioning himself between Baxter's spread eagle butt-cheeks, Billy rubbed the pulsating head of his prick against the velveteen ring of Baxter's virginal anus, smearing the copious amounts of pre-cum already drooling from his piss-slit, until it was slickly moistened.

Just for good measure, Billy spat into his open palm and reached down between them to smear the gob all around the glistening glans of his prick before repositioning it at Baxter's rectum.

"Do it!" Baxter had groaned while doing his best to will his hole to open and receive his Alpha's rock-hard member into his now quivering chasm.

Baxter had read many times, in various erotic stories, about how painful that first penetration could be. He had even taken to fingering his own hole during some of his more intense jack-off sessions and while Billy's cock was considerably larger than any of his fingers, Baxter's limited foray's into self-pleasuring his hole and massaging his own prostate, he knew exactly how pleasurable penetration could be.

When Billy thrust into him that first time and his hole spread open to accommodate his thick girth, instead of the pain he had read might happen, Baxter felt nothing but pure ecstatic pleasure as Billy's phallus filed him, like a tight glove over a hand.

He felt the intense heat and the pulse of Billy's heartbeat through his throbbing manhood, as inch by inch it spread his hole further open. It was only after Billy reached the three-quarter mark that Baxter felt the blunt end of his invading member hit against the tender membranes that comprised his inner sphincter, nor did he allow it to hinder Billy's progression.

In almost perfect synchronicity, Baxter thrust his hips upward just as Billy nudged forward. Together they breached the last barrier of Baxter's rectal defenses, culminating in Billy's schlong fully embedding itself deep within him.

So intense was the moment, they both paused there to catch their breath.

"Goddam, your hole is so tight!" Billy moaned into his ear, his breath coming in ragged, throaty huffs.

For Baxter, it was the sensation of fullness, the feeling of completeness he had barely noticed was missing until having experienced it.

Having Billy sheaved within him, to be so completely connected to one another, defied description, and Baxter never wanted it to end.

At that moment, at that time and place, he felt like they had become one. Two halves of a whole, inexorably linked and joined together in an amalgamation of flesh and intermingled limbs working in unison toward a rapturous and glorious goal.

As Billy began to move within him, aligning his thrust to near perfection with Baxter's clutching hands against the taunt flesh of his pumping ass, they both soon lost themselves in a cavalcade of heightened fervor.

Billy rose up until he could stare into Baxter's eyes as his pummeling hips pounded relentlessly into Baxter's nearly convulsing hole.

For Baxter, it felt like a thousand tendrils of coruscating electricity, from one central point, radiating throughout his entire body and making its way up his spine until it reach the base of his reptilian stem where it finally exploded into a raging inferno of argent light that subsumed him so completely, he couldn't tell where he ended and Billy began.

Baxter soon learned, he wasn't alone in this vast ocean of ceaselessly expanding light. It started faintly, as if coming from a great distance, and it not only touched his mind but that of his beast as well, pulling them together until both sides of his nature melded and fused. It was then he found his own voice and projected out the one word that unified them: "Alpha!"

Instantly, Baxter's consciousness erupted with a sharp, penetrating presence, and for the briefest of moments, he was seeing himself lying on the soft mossy ground back at the compound, while a cock, not his own, released a tsunami of hot jism into him.

The bizarre sensation abruptly ended when the presence in his mind triumphantly declared: "Mine!"

Reacting solely on instinct, Baxter and his beast, acting as one, turning their head and baring their throat and only managing one deep breath before he felt Billy's fangs gouge into the soft tissue where his neck joined his trapezius.

In that singular instant, Baxter's world came into complete focus as the strands that would form the unbreakable bond between an Alpha and his mate were forged.

He felt a serene sense of peace wash over him that simultaneously soothed the savage beast within him; who merely sighed contentedly and welcomed it as willingly as he did.

It wasn't as simple as him being Billy's and Billy being his. It was more than just a mating bond that conjoined them together. Down to his core, he knew that Billy was his Alpha and he was Billy's Beta, but not just any Beta.

Just as Billy was more than just another Alpha, the link between their consciousness still thrummed and pulsated between them and revealed a truth of sorts, that as Billy was THE Alpha, he now, by blood and a shared mating bond, was now THE Beta.

He still didn't quite grasp the full extent of what that all might yet entail, it was a confusion he now got and shared with Billy. One thing he did know, was that together, they would figure it out.

He had been lost in those thoughts and basking in the afterglow of the shared link he now had with Billy when he felt the palm of Billy's hand cup the side of his face: "Baxter, your eyes..."

There was no alarm in his voice, but the query begged the question: "What about my eyes?"

"Your irises now have a silver band around them."

Baxter stared into his bedroom dresser mirror, still debating whether he liked the new silver ring around his irises or not.

"It brings out the green in your eyes." his lover Billy mused, leaning against his bedroom door frame, with his arms folded over his chest, as he ogled him suggestively, before crossing the room and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Did ya miss me?" he mused, as he wrapped his arms around Baxter's waist, pulling him closer as he began gently nuzzling the healed bite mark on his neck.

Baxter pushed him away playfully: "It's only been a couple of hours." he taunted, rolling his eyes in mock consternation, as he pivoted and snatched up one of the boxes he had packed and shoved it into Billy's hands.

"Yeah?..." Billy groaned: "But it seemed a lot longer than that." The look on is face was becoming an all to familiar refrain, Baxter thought to himself. It was the look of a predator targeting his favorite prey.

"Fun time later, move boxes now!" Baxter insisted though it was just as hard for him to keep his hands off Billy as it was for Billy for him. The only thing stopping him from indulging that particular delight was the thought of his mother walking in on them, making Baxter shudder as he too grabbed a box and ushered Billy toward the door, adding, as an afterthought: "Maybe we can play later after we get my stuff moved into your place."

Billy shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head in response, looking disappointed: "No can do Bubby, got a call from Jason, we gotta get this shit secured at *OUR PLACE* and beeline it to the compound PDQ, companies comin'"

Baxter's first response was to smile at the *our place* reminder, but quickly shifted to a minor annoyance and reproach: "Don't call me Bubby."

Ever since that first night together, the previous Friday, it was like Billy was on this fishing expedition for a pet name for him and of all the ones he'd been trying on for size, this one seemed to be the favored contender, especially after he realized that it annoyed Baxter. Then again, he thought to himself, it was a whole lot better than Bubbles, which of course was his way of drawing attention to his favorite body feature, Baxter's bubble butt.

Bubby, of course, was Billy's amalgam for Buddy and Baby, slightly less offensive than most of the others, and apparently the one he was just going to have to learn to live with.

"Do I dare ask who?" Baxter queried stoically, sighing slightly as his plan for a quiet evening of unpacking, pizza, and hot torrid sex evaporated.

Billy lowered the tailgate to his truck and helped Baxter load the boxes they had just brought out.

"Why, our favorite Texan and a few interesting new friends he's made..." Billy paused for a second as if considering something important that had slipped his mind, before suddenly smacking Baxter's ass jovially and winking at him: "Jason said he told him he's fairly certain he's found Princess a likely candidate for the *Misterhood.*"

Baxter chuckled slightly at the inference, wondering who the hell had come up with that handle and concluding it was probably Princess/Timmy himself. Say what you will, Baxter mused silently, shaking his head, he sure had a flair for the dramatic.

* * * * *

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" Matt McCormick mused as he hung close to his boyfriend Blake Wiley, while taking in the pristine crystal clear waters of the lake located in the shallow valley of the Devil Dawg Compound, or the DDC as the locals generally referred to it.

Matt was still feeling a bit discombobulated after their long flight from Lubbock Texas, where it had been decided by Blake and his father's District Alpha, Maynard Sinclair, that he, Blake, Dr. Ventrov as well as Coach Myers, should accompany Barin Young back to Georgia.

Alpha Sinclair, an imposing man in his own right, had spent considerable time talking to Barin as well as someone by the name of Max Donnelly, where it was concluded that they were better equipped at figuring out what had been done to Matt and the others. The Alpha had even gone as far, at first, to insist that Hatch and the others be taken as well, but it was after Blake's father assured the Alpha, after Coach Myers testified, that as far as he knew, the effects on the others would be temporary and that Blake's father would stay behind and keep a close eye on them, that the Alpha had finally relented, dubbing it a huge *cluster fuck.*

Matt was pretty sure it had more to do with how they would explain to the other boy's families why and where they were being detained and then sent away, that really changed his mind.

The one good thing that had come from it all, at least as far as Blake was concerned, was that Alpha Sinclair had declared their area a new territory and had appointed Blake's dad as the new Alpha in charge of it.

He had even offered several of his newest inductees into the Heritage, for Blake's dad to choose from to add to his newly formed pack.

At the time, though Blake seemed really happy for his dad, he also seemed surprised and a little confused by the action, explaining later to Matt, that it was traditional for Alphas to only select a handful of the best of the best, so as not to appear as overly aggressive to other alphas and their territories.

The way Blake had explained it, made it sound as if something recently had happened, that had changed all that, or at least had loosened the previous restrictions.

It was later when they had settled for a quick meal, while they waited for transport, that Rob Wiley had told them, in hushed tones, that where they were going was a very special place and for Blake to stay on his toes once they got there.

Blake's dad had drawn them in close, telling them that just the month prior, Alpha Sinclair and his beta had attended a meeting at the southern district compound where the new young alpha there had shocked them all by fully shifting into a wolf, something they all thought their kind had long lost the capacity to do.

The excitement in Rob Wiley's eyes as well as the amazement written on Blake's face, bore testament to Matt, that this was something that wasn't only rare, but virtually unheard of, with Blake expounding later, that something like that hadn't happened for well over a thousand years.

There wasn't much else Blake's dad had time to discuss with them, mostly just cautioning them to stay close and as alert as possible. He didn't think they were in any danger and that the young Marine accompanying them had in fact had his Heritage ceremony at the compound in Lubbock just a few years ago before he joined the Marines and that he was now a Gamma defender to the same alpha who could fully shift.

"You can take a man outta' Texas..." Rob Wiley had boasted bemusedly: "But you can't take Texas outta' the man. He's a good egg, so stick close."

Blake's dad had little more to offer before they were all herded into various vehicles and shuffled off to a military airport not far away.

Goodbyes had been sparse and quick and in just a few hours later, they were now standing in a newly paved parking lot, by a beautiful lake, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, wondering what the hell they had gotten themselves into.

As if, by way of the universe answering, two men, followed by another pair, exited the long, oblong-shaped, log cabin-style building just to their far left and made their way toward their group.

Soon, hands were being shaken and names exchanged as Matt learned that the first pair's name was Brock and Atticus, the first being human if Blake's nose served him correctly, and Matt was finding out it almost always did, and the much larger one, who Matt didn't need anyone to tell him, was of the Heritage.

Matt had always thought that Coach Myers was the pinnacle in size and musculature, but the one called Atticus sure could have given him a run for his money on both accounts.

The other pair, following slightly behind them, were obviously older, roughly about Blake's dad's age.

Matt didn't need Blake to tell him the large, darker-haired one was an alpha, the man practically reeked of authority, which was affirmed when the one called Atticus introduced them.

"This is Alpha Regent Max Donnelly and his beta Carl McGregor."

The words had no sooner passed Atticus's lips when the Alpha veered off and made his way to the rear door of the vehicle still holding Dr. Ventrov, which he opened, only to glower down at its sole, sulking occupant.

"Get out!" He commanded, in a voice Matt couldn't help but notice raised goosebumps all over his skin.

"Yup, definitely an alpha." Matt silently observed to himself as he watched Dr. Ventrov slowly pivot in his seat and raise himself, hands still bound in front of him, until he was facing a much larger, very intense, and intimidating Max Donnelly.

What truly surprised Matt was the arrogant, smug look on Dr. Ventov's face as he stared defiantly up at Max: "I know who you are Max Donnelly and you should know, I'm not some small child that frightens easily."

The words had barely left his lips when the iris's of Max's eyes flashed a brilliant blue and his powerful arm shot out so fast, Matt's eyes could barely track the motion, and backhanded Dr. Ventrov so hard across the face, it sent him crashing to the ground sideways, leaving only the concussive sound of the smack reverberating in its wake.

'I don't recall giving you permission to speak omega, or do they not observe proper protocol in Ukraine?" Max stated, his demeanor and voice striking a perfect balance between measured self-control and total discipline.

Two things happened next, that Matt did not expect. Dr.Ventrov rose up on his knees and began laughing. Actually, it sounded more like a somewhat demented cackle, but the real surprise was when Matt made out the same type of ripples in the air he had only noted once before and that was back at Coach Myers's house when he had used his special ability to try and control the Coach.

Matt subconsciously found himself taking a step forward and was just about to shout out a warning to anyone who would listen, when Max Donnelly reached down and snatched a very surprised Dr. Ventrov by the scruff of his neck and began dragging him down toward the lake.

No one, including Matt, made a single move to stop what was happening, only watching intently as Max reached the water's edge and shoved Dr. Ventrov head first into the still waters, yanking him up only long enough to growl in his ear: "If that's the best you've got, color me not impressed!" before slamming his head back underwater.

Matt found himself sniffing the air, trying to catch any remnants of the pheromones Dr. Ventrov was trying to project, and finding they lacked the intensity and the more complex, though subtle differences between his own capabilities and what Dr. Ventrov had attempted to do, leaving Matt to wonder if that was why Dr. Ventrov had recruited him instead of someone of the Heritage and who might be more sympathetically aligned with whatever he hoped to achieve.

Blake, after telling him about himself and those of the Heritage, that night they spent together before being sent here, had said that Matt was special in his own right, that he wasn't like other humans. He didn't seem to know exactly how and why, but said it had more to do with the way Matt smelled; like honey and freshly dug earth. Which now made Matt wonder if this was why Dr. Ventrov had recruited him specifically.

Those thoughts and what Max was now doing to Dr. Ventrov, had so distracted Matt, that it had barely registered that others had joined their little gathering.

"I'd prefer you didn't drown our guest before we even get the chance to interrogate him Max." came the deep bass, even-toned voice directly behind them.

Matt turned and regarded the three individuals, who slowly made their way from a small path beside the Lodge, that Matt could see trailed back into the woods to a small log cabin in the distance.

The voice belonged to an extremely handsome young man, that couldn't be any older than himself, but had a look behind his deep blue eyes that belied his age. His gaze was sharp and focused and he spoke with an air of authority that was simultaneously foreboding and somehow reassuring in its undertones.

The fact that he was so disarmingly handsome to boot didn't hurt either.

Beside him walked an older woman, whose hair was pulled back into a bun. She was dressed in black dress slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a white linen lab jacket.

She was a rather plain but handsome woman, whose large glasses seemed permanently affixed to the tip of her nose as she glanced studiously over them at the scene playing out down by the lake.

To her right was this stunning, boyishly golden-haired Adonis, adorned in loose-fitting white active wear.

The thing Matt noticed the most about him, was the way he moved, relaxed, yet poised with what seemed a perpetual mischievous grin on his face. In more ways than one, his movements seemed almost catlike to Matt; both fluid and graceful.

It was the latter whose face exploded in a mirth-some toothy grin when his gaze fell on Matt and caught him staring back: "Ooo..." Matt heard him enthuse, glancing over at Barin: "You found another one of us!"

Matt watched as the golden-haired one unzipped the fanny pack he had attached to his hip and pulled out, what Matt was sure was a cookie, and handed it to a grinning Barin: "Congratulations, you've earned a treat."

Barin took the offered morsel and stuffed it into his mouth, grinning profusely as he did so, which was followed by a pat on his head and a "Good puppy!" before the golden-haired one flounced away from him and practically skipped his way over to Matt and stuffed his arm through his and pulled him away from Blake.

"Is that one yours or are you just trying him on for size?" He asked, causing Matt to blush furiously before stammering while darting a quick glance back at Blake, who just beamed an amused smile back at him.

"He's my boyfriend" Matt finally uttered defensively.

"My names Princess, what's yours...and puhleez tell me it's Angel because you so look like you just dropped right out of heaven?" Princes bristled jovially, as they came to a stop a few feet away from the group and Princess started looking him up and down like he was appraising him.

'There's something different about you..." He began, while he tapped his index finger against his chin before continuing: "I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's okay, I'm sure once you go meet mama she'll soon sort it out."

Matt didn't have a clue what Princess was talking about and was about to inquire who mama was when their attention was abruptly drawn back to the lake.

Max had stopped dunking Dr. Ventrov in the lake's waters and roughly hauled him unceremoniously by the collar over to their group and dumped him at the handsome new arrival's feet.

"Just making sure our guest has properly greeted Jason, he's all yours... for now." Max declared, as he folded his arms over his chest and continued to glower down at Dr. Ventrov menacingly.

Jason squatted down and eyed Dr. Ventrov dubiously as Dr. Ventrov pushed himself up on is knees, still coughing and hacking up lake water with a bit of defiance still lingering in his eyes, his focus still on Max.

"You'll learn nothing from me and when the one I serve finds out where I am, you'll all rue the day you were born!"

Princess giggled, drawing Venrtrov's attention on him: "Who talks like that?.. *Rue the Day?* sounds like something a comic book villain might say."

"I am not the one you need to fear imbecile, but I am certainly going to enjoy watching my benefactors humble all of you!"

"Actually..." Elizabeth Dunne chimed in, pushing the rim of her glasses up to sit on the bridge of her nose: "I think we have more than enough information to figure out the scope and nature of your experiments."

Dr. Ventrov's eyes narrowed as his face twisted into an angry grimace as he noticed for the first time, that she had one of his tablets tucked between her arms.

"Those files are encrypted and only I know the password!" He spat bitterly.

Unperturbed, Elizabeth noted dismissively: "We happen to have two rather ingenious young men here that I think more than capable of breaking whatever encryption you might have used...." Elizabeth paused for a second, purposely reaching down into the satchel she had tucked to her side and produced several pill cards she regarded for a second before peering over the rim of her glasses at the now surprised look on Dr. Ventrov's face: "Besides, if all else fails, we always have these" She said, waving the cards at him, before concluding: "I'm willing to bet my expertise in genetics as well as my state of the art labs back at the University, that we'll unravel whatever mysteries that lay dormant within these pills."

The fury that was building up within Dr. Ventrov suddenly erupted into action as he launched himself at Elizabeth.

Unfortunately for him, her son Jason was considerably faster and already two steps ahead of him, blocking him from getting anywhere near his mother. Within seconds, he was being securely held between Atticus and Barin, each restraining one of his arms as they bent him forcibly back down on his knees before their Alpha Jason.

For the first time, Ventrov turned the full force of his ire toward Jason, his face a twisted mask of fury...that was until his eyes made contact with the young Alpha.

The difference was like night and day, as all the defiance and rage melted away, leaving only wide-eyed astonishment.

To Matt, it almost looked like Dr. Ventrov had just seen a ghost, or at least the equivalent.

'What black gypsy magic is this?" He finally managed to blubber, still pulling to free his arms from Atticus and Barin, but noticeably now trying to back away, something that didn't escape Jason's notice either as he ventured another step forward, more out of curiosity than to further intimidate.

The confused horror in Ventrov's eyes was as palpable as his racing heartbeat, even to Matt, as he continued to try and squirm his way out of Barin and Atticus's tight grip.

Almost gibbering, a mad look subsuming his eyes, Dr. Ventrov mumbled repeatedly: "This...this isn't p...posible, I watched you d..die, I saw it for myself." Ventrov kept sniffing the air as if trying to prove there was some sort of deception or illusion behind what his eyes were telling him.

Playing a hunch, Jason stepped forward, closing the distance between him and the frightened doctor until he was practically squaring up to him, bringing his face within inches from his own.

"I came back to exact vengeance on those who dared raise a hand against me!" Jason growled, his eyes turning a baleful black that bore right into the doctor's own.

To everyone's surprise, Dr. Ventrov fainted, followed by the sour smell of urine, leaving no doubt the good doctor had also just pissed himself.

Atticus and Barin dropped him to the ground, with Barin giving his limp body a couple of prodding kicks to confirm his current condition.

As they all stared on, wondering what had just happened, Princess finally broke the uneasy silence: "Well, he was no fun, he fell right over."

Max chuckled and reached over to ruffle Princess's hair as Carl just rolled his eyes before barking orders, telling Barin and Atticus to lock the doctor up in their makeshift jail down by the lake.

Atticus sheepishly looked between Max and Carl, before inquiring: "What about our other two prisoners, do you think that won't be just a little cramped, there's barely room for the two of them?"

Carl didn't respond right away, obviously hoping to differ that to Max and looking at him expectantly.

Fortunately, Jason took the lead and the matter out of their hands.

"My mom was just updating me on their status before our guest arrived.." He began, side-eying Max and affording him the opportunity to interject, but Max remained stoically silent, though all eyes were still on him.

Finally, Max huffed: "They are of no concern of mine anymore, I've washed my hands of the pair of them." With that said, Max turned and walked away, followed quickly by Carl, who just shrugged his shoulders before veering off to follow after him, leaving Jason in the awkward position to make the decision instead.

"I took the liberty of having Brock purchase two locking neck collars, each capable of delivering a strong enough electrical jolt to fell a horse." He said, adding by way of explanation: "My mom assures me, her treatments have rendered them incapable of shifting at this time, as she continues to try and undo what was done to them by Max's ex.

Having heard her voice mentioned, Elizabeth interjected: "They are about 80% back to normal and we have every hope of undoing most of the damage done to them."

Jason nodded to his mother, thanking her for her help before concluding: "My mom has concluded that much of their previous behavior had a lot to do with what was done to them and that both have shown strong signs that they're repentant for the way they were compelled to behave."

It was Princess who asked the one question they were all thinking to themselves: "You're not suggesting that we just let them go are you, not after what they did, that just seems a wee bit reckless if you ask me?"

Jason offered him a weak smile, stating: "It's my call Princess and no, we're not exactly letting them go."

Princess's eyebrow raised quizzically, asking: "Then exactly what are *WE* doing precisely?"

There was a bit of defiance in Princess's voice and there was no small degree of snark behind that *WE*, but none of that seemed to deter or phase Jason.

"After they are collared, they will be free to roam anywhere within a miles radius, if they stray beyond that, the collars will activate and shock them unconscious. Both collars also have a tracking device that can monitor their whereabouts at all times, from here at the Lodge, and if the collars discharge it will send out an alarm alerting us to it."

Princess just shook his head for a moment, before smiling impishly back at Jason: "Do what ya want Jason, but I'm tellin' ya now, I want front-row seats and a bag of popcorn when Billy and JD find Mike and Kent are meandering about the place freely and on their own."

Matt didn't really know what or who they were going on about, but he was sure it sounded a lot like trouble, but before he could give it much further thought, he felt Princess slide in beside him again, hooking their arms together once more as he steered him and Blake toward what looked like a camp sight, located not far from the Lodge.

"Lets see about getting you two fed and settled in before I take you on a tour of the compound."

Princess's mood seemed to shift as quickly as the direction of the wind as he was now practically bristling with enthusiasm. All smiles and southern charm. Quite the juxtaposition considering all that had just occurred just a few moments ago.

"Is it always like this?" He heard Blake ask, with Matt thinking pretty much the same.

Princess's smile broadened dramatically as he practically beamed: "Why no, it's usually a lot more exciting!"

Chapter Eighteen:

"You know Princess, if you'd just keep your mouth shut, no one would know how stupid you can really be." Danal huffed, his growing exasperation at the youth's persistence etched in every craggy wrinkle of his expressions.

'Projecting much grumpy grandpa" Princess/Timmy mused, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling devilishly as he sat there, with his head propped up between his two hands, his elbows resting squarely on the top of the Reliquary table.

Danal eyed him indifferently, in a thinly veiled attempt at appearing as if Princess's continued presence, despite his best efforts, wasn't starting to get to him.

"For the final time..." Danal leered back at him from across the table: "The Ceremonial grounds are for Heritage use only."

Danal emphasized his words by slamming the book shut that he had been scouring through for the last few hours and turning to Max and Jason in the hopes of some show of support or affirmation.

Jason just shrugged noncommittally: "We just got the pylons restored in time for the next scheduled event, I personally don't see any problem with Princess's request so long as it doesn't conflict with that."

Max looked up from the copy of the Codex he and Jason had been reviewing as part of Jason's continued education, something both he and Carl had been taking turns doing in the hopes of catching Jason and Billy up concerning all things Heritage.

Neither Princess nor Danal could tell if the annoying grimace glowering back at them was aimed at either of them or a reflection of his otherwise soured mood at the obvious absence of his son Billy. Something, as of late, that was occurring with more frequency since he claimed Baxter as both his mate and his Beta.

That had been over a week ago and getting Billy to focus on anything else was growing increasingly frustrating, not just for him, but for everyone else who sensed a mounting urgency gnawing away at them.

Now really wasn't the time for the pair of them to be behaving like a couple of love-sick pups.

As if reading his mind, Carl nudged him gently as he attempted to skirt around him with the armful of scrolls he had been gathering for future reference and leaned down to whisper in his ear: "I texted him, they are just running a little late, they'll be here shortly."

Max smiled over his shoulder, his beefy right hand easing in behind his mate, grabbing one of his firm butt cheeks, squeezing it affectionately: "I knew there was a reason why I married you."

'Because I'm the only one who could ever put up with you for more than five minutes?" Carl taunted impishly, giving Max a playful wink before scampering away to dump the contents of his arms squarely on top of the table.

"Ya know old man, might I remind you, we keep saying that things need to change, but here you are, once again arguing that something as simple as Princess and those like him, performing their own ceremonial rite of passage, is breaking with tradition." Carl scolded, meeting Danal's questioning glower with one of his own.

"Are you suggesting that I'm being obstinate and just clinging to some antiquated rite of passage out of some sort of misplaced, slavish devotion to custom?" Danal posited, his right eyebrow raising quizzically.

'Yeah, pretty much." Carl mused as he scrunched his face and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ooo, grumpy grandpa just got served!" Princess giggled as he crossed around the table and threw his arms around Danal, hugging him closely: "If it would help, you could officiate and spout a bunch of mumbo jumbo in Latin all dolled up in your snazzy witch-doctor costume."

Danal just hung his head, shaking it side to side: "I'm probably going to regret this, in fact I'm absolutely certain I am..."

"See, that wasn't so difficult now was it?" Jason stated cavalierly, a rare smile crossing his usually stolid visage.

"Hold up there Princess." Max cautioned: "Is it your intention to start chaining your inductees to the pylons as we do?"

Princess/ Timmy paused for a moment, a look of consternation crossing his face: "That's a valid question, since both Gavin and I just sort of passed out."

"I would describe it as more of a transcendental projection of consciousness." Carl suggested, adding: "On both occasions, while almost all of your autonomic functions remained intact, both yours and Gavin's sensory perceptions seemed as subdued as your consciousness."

His interest piqued, Jason asked: "What exactly does that mean, are you sayin' they couldn't feel anything while they were under?"

Carl shrugged his shoulders again: "Elizabeth ran several tests for physical stimuli and on both occasions, neither Princess nor Gavin showed any signs they could feel, see, hear or smell anything while they were...how shall I put this? Separated from their bodies."

"They were like an empty husk," Danal concluded, trying to break it down succinctly as possible.

Princess sighed heavily, as he slumped over the table, propping his torso up stiff-armed: "That's another mystery I've yet to figure out."

"Jason regarded him speculatively: "Care to elaborate? All this has been nothing but rather bonkers to me."

Princess offered him a casual grin and a quick supportive nod: "Mama said that she had prepared that island for those like me and Gavin to use, that there would be a need for it, but what possible use can it serve if we can't actually go there?"

"To be fair Princess..." Carl responded: "Aphrodite said that with the stipulation that you would find your mate after uniting the two halves of Gemini."

Princess groaned, rolling his eyes skyward: "I get that, but how will that help either myself or anyone like me access the island, even more confusing, why would we want to, if we can only do so in our heads?"

"If I may..." Danal queried, his right hand absentmindedly stroking his greying beard: "In Greek mythology, there were numerous times the Gods would draw temporary strength from each other to accomplish difficult tasks or to weaken a rival."

Biting his lower lip, as his face contorted into a mask of concentration, Princess speculated aloud: "I'm fairly certain Dalton and his twin brother Alton are the Gemini mama was talking about and it might be possible that Mr. Hunky Mchunky britches could be the front runner for the stud of the year..."

"Well, there's only one real way of finding out for sure..." Jason offered: "We need to make sure our newest arrival Matt knows exactly what to ask mam... err, Aphrodite... when and if he goes on his little vision quest."

"The sooner the better." Max concluded, drawing their attention back to him: "Make no mistake, we've ruffled a lot of feathers and stirred a few pots the last couple of months and we'd be stupid not to think, that at some point, there's not gonna be some serious blowback heading our way!"

* * * * *

"I ache in places I didn't even know I could ache" Matt McCormick grumbled as he plopped himself unceremoniously down on the ground next to Gavin Hollis, who sat next to Baxter Whitmore watching as the others there with them, this particular Friday afternoon, continued to spar with one another under the ever watchful scrutiny of Max Donnelly and Atticus Walker.

When he and Blake had first arrived, just a little over a week and a half ago, he never realized that part of their stay here at the Devil Dawg Compound would also include a strict regimen of exercise and hand-to-hand combat training. While he was still trying to adjust to the rigorous physical toll it was exacting, he couldn't help but notice how much Blake seemed to revel in it.

Even now, as he propped himself up on one elbow, nearly exhausted, wiping the sweat from his brow with one of the towels Baxter had brought with them, Blake continued to grapple with Barin Young as Atticus continuously shouted instructions from the sidelines at him.

Despite the size difference, Blake, being a good five inches taller and having about a quarter more bulk to Barin's five foot eleven inches, the more wiry Barin, was considerably more agile, striking with such speed and precision, it was sometimes difficult to visually track his motions.

Matt couldn't recall ever seeing someone move as fast as he did. That is, with one notable exception...

"Hiya boys, takin' a break?" Princess/Timmy taunted from directly behind them as Dalton, JD, and Jake trailed slightly behind him, making their way toward their position.

As both JD and Princess squatted down beside them, JD carefully positioned his son Jakson, who was still in his baby carrier, down in front of him, while Dalton and Jake veered off making their way over to join Atticus and Max.

It wasn't long before Atticus had them both partnered; Jake with Arliss and to Matt's surprise, Dalton with Coach Myers, who prior to that, had just been sitting idly on the sidelines silently taking it all in.

"I thought Atticus didn't like pairing us humans with someone from the Heritage during these combat exercises?" Matt queried, distinctly recalling Atticus had told him, that Matt could only spar with either Gavin, Brock, or Princess.

"That's just it..." Gavin interjected: "Liz's preliminary analysis showed that he's been infused, on the cellular level, with Heritage genes." he explained, adding: "Her test couldn't quite determine where he fits in on the Heritage scale though. Even Max's keen alpha senses haven't been able to pinpoint that yet."

"He's a gamma..." Baxter noted, as a matter of fact, his voice trailing off to a soft whisper as the silver ring around his green iris's flashed briefly, causing a visible shudder to ripple through their small group, before the light faded and Baxter turned his head toward them, smiling warmly: "Protector if I'm not mistaken."

"You've gotten a lot more interesting since you and Billy started boinking." Princess chuckled slightly, winking at Baxter lasciviously.

"Having sex with Billy seems to have that effect on people." Baxter concluded with near clinical detachment, looking first at Princess then at Gavin, causing the former to lower his gaze and blush, while Princess continued to stare back at him keenly, in a momentarily brief respite, before exclaiming: "Congratulations! Game, set, and match Baxter Whitmore."

"Haven't you heard Princess? Reading is fundamental." Baxter stated, a small wisp of a smile cracking the corners of his lips, sending Princess into a small fit of giggling as Gavin sighed and rolled his eyes.

Matt was still trying to discern what the trio was talking about, when a flurry of commotion followed by several deep growls caught all their attention, just in time to witness Chuck Myers deadlift a squirming Dalton Becker over his expanding muscular frame and hurl him almost effortlessly, into the air, only for him to come tumbling down hard against the ground, skidding and rolling until he finally came to a stop nearly thirty feet away.

Almost instantly Dalton jumped to his feet and began to shift, his already large, massive limbs and frame expanding until he stood fully erect, a nearly seven-foot giant of snarling fur, fangs, and claws; eyes blazing a brilliant amber, the beast, that was just seconds ago Dalton Becker, growling ominously as it began its enraged, slavering charge toward an equally bestial looking, red-eyed Chuck Myers.

Matt had barely let out a gasp of shocked surprise when seemingly out of nowhere, Billy Donnelly stepped between the two charging figures, his arms extended in a warding caution toward both of them.

Matt didn't know exactly what happened next. There had been shouts, gasps, and growls reverberating within the valley that was shouldered and reverberated by the woodland hills that sprawled all around them. But, what he could recall, at the apex of the moment, right before the two snarling beasts were about to converge on Billy's position, there was a blinding flash of brilliant argent and the next thing Matt remembered was trying, with extreme effort, to lift his head from off the ground, from where he had seemingly prostrated himself flat against the moistened grass.

Managing with great difficulty, Matt looked around him as he tried to clear his head. Two lone figures still yet stood erect, Billy Donnelly, who was still on the exercise field, and Baxter Whitmore, who remained slightly off to Matt's side.

As his vision and head began to clear, Matt noted the kneeling figures interspersed around him.

Gavin and JD were face down, while Princess knelt on one bent knee facing in Billy's direction.

All around him, similar actions played throughout. Max, Billy's father, knelt on one knee, just like Princess did, as well as Jason Griffen. Everyone else was face down or bent over with their foreheads touching the ground, just as Matt had found himself to be, mere seconds ago.

In a hushed, preternatural silence, Matt watched as Baxter slowly crossed the field to join Billy, his right hand coming up gently to cover the spot over Billy's heart, as their heads tilted toward each other, eyes locked until their foreheads touched affectionately.

That singular action seemed to break whatever hold that had subdued them all and to Matt's continued astonishment, a chorus of forlorn howls began to peel in the distance, coming in all directions, only to be echoed by all those of the Heritage gathered on the field, and as abruptly as it had all started, it ended, with Baxter and Billy walking off together, arm and arm as Max and Atticus sprung those around them into action, tending to the still prone figures of Dalton Becker and Chuck Myers.

Matt felt the warmth of someone's hand on his shoulder, even as his eyes sought out Blake. He turned his head to catch the angelic face of Princess beaming brightly, his azure blue eyes twinkling: "See, I told you things get pretty exciting around here!"

Still feeling discombobulated and ever so out of place, Matt was still trying to formulate a comment, when Princess thrust his arm over his should and steered him away from the group, and back toward the compound.

"It's time we had a chat Matt, there's so much you don't know yet and I think it's high time we catch you up to speed, especially about your future and the wondrous path that lies before you!"

* * * * *

JD was pissed!

Well, actually, he was more than just pissed, he was furious and outraged.

The day before, Jake had informed him that because he had to spend much of his week at the Marine base during normal business hours, at least until he was permanently assigned to the DDC (Devil Dawg Compound), he needed to, at the very least, start spending his weekends there to help his Alpha train and ready all the new recruits in his pack to combat readiness.

JD knew that Jason had been expanding his pack, with Princess verifying that it was becoming almost a daily occurrence that someone new was showing up at the main gate seeking out the new young alpha in the hope of joining his pack.

In addition, both Jason and Atticus were constantly being inundated with other regional alphas just showing up in hopes of checking out what it was Jason was doing and what he was hoping to achieve.

Apparently, Princess told him, there were a lot of alphas that had grown discontent with the limitations placed on them, with most agreeing, that they too felt that there was a growing threat looming in the horizon from the eastern European packs.

It wasn't uncommon knowledge that the eastern packs were often openly dismissive of their western counterparts, but the once semi-open channels of communication between that side of the world and theirs were rapidly drying up.

Plus, there were always rumors. Little intel tidbits and gossip coming from once well-established pack leaders suddenly stepping down, being replaced or disappearing altogether, as well as an increase of Council of Greges sanctions and edicts against those they felt were *straying from the path* highlighted and propagated within the teachings of the Codex.

As an example of this growing unrest, his own father had made it clear, that within recent history, what had been attempted against his brother, though common in bygone eras, wasn't something that had been attempted in centuries, especially here in the west.

Their European counterparts had always been far more touchy, especially about territorial rights, and this was the main reason why those in the west basically had been ignoring, what was clearly now a growing dissolution of stability that had thus far endured for centuries. Give or take a few indiscretions here and there.

Keeping all that in mind and doing his level best at trying to understand current pack politics and fully agreeing with his husband and Alpha Jason's decision to try and be prepared for just about any contingency; it had come to him as a complete shock, that after the surprising event at the training field involving his brother, it had subsequently followed, upon return to the campsite, after finally getting his son Jakson to settle down, that he was now confronted with the sight of his crazy, murderous brother Michael and his equally guilty accomplish, roaming around free. Worse yet, learning that Jason had ordered it!

'Tell me you didn't know about this?" JD demanded, handing Jakson over to Barin, who cooed with delight at the silly faces Barin instantly started making at him.

Jake held his hands up defensively, eyes growing wide at the level of vehemence being aimed in his direction by his irate spouse.

"JD, please, just calm down, and let's discuss this..." Jake stammered, cautiously taking a step toward him.

"Fuck that! Did you know?" JD blurted both his tone and tightening muscles leaving little doubt he was probably seconds away from escalating his words with action.

Jake continued to approach him timidly, his voice low, calm, and as non-threatening as he could make it: "Jason thought it best if it came from both of us..."
JD didn't let him finish; his anger spilled over into rage: "I'm not fucking married to Jason asshole."

JD's declaration halted Jake in his tracks and a look of genuine concern subsumed his expressions as JD closed the distance between them and jabbed his finger in Jake's chest and shouted in his face: "Pack everything up and load it back in the vehicle, we're leaving!"

The look on Jake's face mirrored the conflict warring within him. Torn between his service to his Alpha and his duty to his spouse. His hesitancy and internal deliberation only added fuel to the raging fire that was consuming the one person he loved more than life itself.

But, Jake was bound by blood and oath to serve his Alpha and his pack, and now he was faced with the impossible decision to choose between the two and knowing full well, that the two were one and the same as far as he was concerned. JD might as well have just asked him to cut his own heart out.

Mustering his strength and as calmly as he could, Jake tried to offer him an alternative course of action, one he desperately hoped his irate husband would consider, that also just so happened to coincide with what had been the original plan Jason had suggested over the phone when he told him about his decision concerning the temporary accommodations for Michael and Kent.

At the time, it had sounded like a good plan; the two of them breaking the news to JD, with Jason explaining how he had come to this decision, which in theory, would have alleviated some of the pressure he was now experiencing and hoping to avoid.

But, sometimes even the best of plans turn into a complete cluster fuck, and for Jake, he was now the epicenter of this particular maelstrom, leaving him with little recourse other than to just try and salvage at least a portion of it, by suggesting: "I didn't tell you because Jason thought it best that it came from the both of us. He wanted to explain his reasons to you personally."

At first, he thought that maybe JD was considering what he had just said; the expression on his face was almost unreadable and for the briefest of moments he was hopeful...

"Ya know what?..." JD said, his tone icy and cold: "Forget what I just said, Jakson and I will just hitchhike back home ourselves and you can just stay here from now on, we'll make do without you."

JD didn't bother to see the effects his devastating words had on Jake, he just whirled around, thinking to just grab his son, his backpack, and the carry all he used to store what he needed to tend his child.

But, at some point, his dad and Carl had slipped in unnoticed behind him.

Carl now held Jakson in his arms and his dad stood directly in his path, less than three feet away, glowering back at him, with his arms folded across his chest.

The stern look and the dominant stance weren't new to JD, he had seen it many times before throughout his short lifetime, and it always preceded a lecture about how he had just fucked up. This time was no different from the others. Except for this time there was an unexpected twist.

Much to JD's chagrin, his dad started slow clapping, his keen, sharp gaze drilling right into his gut before confidently exclaiming: "Congratulations sport, you've just shown me what an idiot I've been."

His dad's words confused him since he had been certain, prior to this moment, that if anyone would have understood the rage he felt, it would have been his father. After all, wasn't his dad the one that had banished Michael from his sight, and disowned him for his egregious attempt at both patricide and fratricide, all in one night?

Didn't the man that stood before him now, to protect those he loved, kill the very woman that had given him and his brothers birth?

"Don't look so shocked son. It's always been a matter of time before my own words and deeds would come back to haunt me."

His dad stepped forward and placed a large hand on is shoulder, kneading it gently, capturing his eyes with his own. There was no anger or accusation in his words, no hint of anything except perhaps remorse: "Do you remember, not long ago, when I held you in my arms while you finally accepted the consequences of your previous actions that culminated in the birth of your son?"

JD didn't answer verbally, just merely nodded his head in silence as he simultaneously felt the knot in his stomach suddenly tighten further as he also felt the waves of emotions his father's words and his own memories of that night invoked.

He had felt lost. Like he had been all alone in a world that was rapidly crashing down around him, threatening to bury him in the rubble of his own bad choices.

That night had humbled him. It humbled him because his father's mere comforting presence had finally gotten it through his thick skull, that he wasn't alone, that he would never be alone, despite his actions, despite his bad choices.

That night had taught him the importance of family and the power of a father's love for his child.

Max's hand tightened on his shoulder: "Look around you sport, see the consequences your words have had on those who care more about you than they do about themselves."

His dad's words weighed heavily on him as he raised his head to look around him and caught sight of his own beautiful son, gurgling contentedly in Carl's comforting arms.

He turned slightly, taking in all the faces that stared back at him, each a mask reflecting the unsettling unease they felt.

But it wasn't until he pivoted toward Jake, that he truly saw the devastating ramifications his angry words had on the man he had sworn a vow to love through better or worse.

Jake looked defeated, his eyes unable to even look at him, in either fear or dread of what he might do or say next.

This wasn't a man who could ever consciously betray him. This was the man whose every action focused on protecting and providing for him and his son... their son.

All the anger that had welled up inside him, had festered in the deepest recesses of his consciousness, shattered into a thousand shards at the realization at what he had just done.

He felt his father's hand slip from his shoulder and gently nudge him toward his husband, an action barely needed as he rushed toward Jake and wrapped his arms around him, pulling and squeezing him tightly against him, his face buried against his chest, muffling the words his trembling lips could barely mumble: "I'm such a dick, Jake, please forgive me."

If he had expected anything else, that to fell to the wayside as Jake's powerful arms embraced him, his soft, deep voice a gentle rumble in his ears: "I'll always be here for you JD, you and Jakson."

They stood like that for a moment before he eased himself away from Jake, as he tried to regain some semblance of his composure.

Looking back at his father, who now stared off into the distance to where his brother, Michael, and Kent sat, around a small campfire they had made, bowing their heads and doing their best to avoid the scrutiny of his father's gaze. JD turned back to Jake: "I need to talk to Jason... alone..." He added, still bristling over the Alpha's decision to allow such a threat to the safety of himself and his family, to wander around freely: "Please stay with our son and don't let either of those two assholes anywhere near him, okay?"

"I'll guard him with my life," Jake vowed, taking Jakson from Carl's arms and securely holding him against his chest.

Jake didn't need to put it that way, JD had no doubt he would do exactly that. But as he veered off and made his way down the path toward Jason's cabin, the implied potential violence against any would-be threat of their son as opposed to the dichotomous gentility of the way he gingerly cradled Jakson protectively, brought a smile to his face, one that slowly waned the closer his approach to the Alpha's cabin took him.

Ever since the night his older brother attacked him and his own mother threatened to kill him, there was a part of him, deep within the recesses of his ID, that he had compartmentalized and shoved to the side, leaving a deep-seated, lingering sense of betrayal and abandonment. Not only from his brother and mother, but from the one person he had just started to open his heart to. One, up to the moment of his transformation into a large hairy, dark, primal beast, he was absolutely sure would've stood by his side and faced anything thrown their way.

Everyone, Jason included, had tried on multiple occasions to alleviate his feelings of abandonment, and consciously, while he could discern the logic of their reasoning, he was always left with a needling voice of doubt that no amount of reasoning could wash away.

He had done his best to suppress it, tried as hard as he could to put his best foot forward and at least be as amiable as possible when around Jason. But, no matter what, he still feared and distrusted his own feelings, since it was those very same feelings that had nearly gotten him killed.

JD was self-aware enough to know this wasn't all about what he currently felt about Jason. Up till now, it seemed his whole life had been one series after another of bad choices, all of which he had made based on how he had felt at the time. Jason was just one, in a long line of people he had trusted and put his faith in, only to either be betrayed or abandoned later on.

His mother had been the first, leaving when he was just a toddler, and her continued absence throughout the rest of his life, until that fateful night, when she had threatened to kill him and was only thwarted from doing so, by his dad. And of course, there was Jake, back when he was thirteen, which was when Jake stopped visiting and had ceased almost all communications after years of them being almost inseparable.

Luckily, Jake's reasoning, as silly and stupid as JD found them when he finally confessed his love for him, those very reasons had sounded so much like the Jake he had always known and remembered, that he could overlook whatever trepidation he had fostered.

Then of course there was Andrea...though he didn't exactly ever trust her, or any of her friends, he had wanted to, which had ultimately allowed her the opportunity to take advantage of him.

And of course, there was Michael, his older brother. The Mike he encountered the night his mother died, was nothing like the one he had known growing up. The Mike he remembered was the typical older brother, teasing and taunting, but always presented as just playful brotherly banter, but underneath, there was always the support and the feeling of safety and trust that was only rivaled by his dad and Carl.

The truth was, as much as those others had hurt him, somehow, what happened that night, when Jason transformed and left him and the others there to face what JD had been so certain would be their untimely death; that singular action had broken something inside him.

These thoughts raced through his mind as he raised his hand to knock on the cabin door. He fully understood that Jason's reasons for allowing his murderous brother free reign to roam around as he pleased, was only part of the fuel that fed the anger that drove him to this confrontation.

It was only a few seconds before the door swung open and he was greeted by a grinning Atticus Walker; whose smile faded quickly as he stepped aside to allow JD entrance into what was once his childhood home away from home during their frequent stays at the compound while growing up.

JD surveyed the interior until his vision focused on the reason for his presence and the source of his current ire.

Jason sat at a round table off to the right, directly in front of the double french doors, bracketed by Danal and Brock, with the chair directly across from him, pulled out and slightly askew, indicating that Atticus had occupied the spot until his interruption.

One look in his direction, and the wane smile that had begun to form at the corners of his mouth upon seeing him, dispersed just as quickly as their gazes locked.

Jason rose from his seat and without breaking eye contact, he instructed the others that they would take a brief recess and asked them to clear the room so that he and his *quest* could speak in private.

Brock was the only one to make comment as they all made their way toward the door, with the gunny sergeant grumbling: "Even a blind man could have seen this one coming." as he maneuvered around him to make his exit.

JD waited a moment, trying to maintain his composure as Atticus pulled the front door shut behind him, leaving them alone.

Debating how best to express his grievances, without sounding like a raging lunatic like he had with Jake earlier, he was slightly caught off guard when Jason, who had moved around the table and now leaned his ass against it for support as he continued to regard JD with what he could only describe as a calm, but stoic demeanor.

"Judging by the way you're looking at me right now, I'm guessing you're not here for a social visit."

Instantly, Jason regretted the words that had just escaped his mouth as well as his futile attempt at levity.

Before JD could hurl the scathing retort he knew would be forthcoming, Jason threw his hands up defensively: "Sorry about that, you should know by now that humor is my first defense when I'm put on the spot."

"Humor is supposed to be funny..." JD retorted, adding: "Do you hear me laughing?"

For the first time, Jason dropped his gaze to the floor, avoiding the accusatory glare meant to bore right into his skull.

"No, I don't suppose I do.." Jason offered sheepishly, but quickly added in his own defense: "As of late, there doesn't seem like there's anything I do that meets with your approval."

JD did chuckle then, more out of irony and anger than any sense of humor, and it was solely intended to mock the only other person within earshot, before giving his icy response: "What did you imagine would happen when I saw the person that nearly took my head off and tried to assassinate my entire family? Did you think that I'd just shrug my shoulders and start singing *Que sera sera* and just let bygones be bygones?"

"Don't be ridiculous JD, it was never my intent you find out like this." Jason shot back, adding: "I thought I had more time to break it to you. Michael and Kent have been holding up by themselves out in the woods since their release, I had no idea they had made their way back to the main camp-sight until moments before you got here."

JD just shrugged his comments off, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as he zeroed in on what he perceived as the one glaring flaw in his self-defense and actions: "Oh blah, blah, blah Jason. Ya wanna know what you could have done to avoid all this?" JD fumed, his hands clutching into fists at his sides as his anger boiled over: "You could have just left them locked up for the rest of eternity and thrown away the key!"

JD paused for a second, trying his best to reel his anger in, though arguably with limited success as he concluded with the deepest cut of all: "The Jason I thought I knew before that night, would have never allowed this, or that to happen in the first place. Then again, I guess this just proves, that what I thought we once shared, was nothing more than me yet again believing that someone actually gave a rat's ass about me, and ya know what? From where I'm standing, this whole Heritage thing is nothing more than dog eat dog and I for one, want nothing more to do with it!"

His fury mostly spent, JD turned with the thought of making a quick exit, leaving Jason to play at whatever games he and the others were concocting within these four walls.

Right now, all he wanted to do, was to hold his son and get Jake to take them as far away from this place as they could get; silently vowing to himself, that it would be a cold day in hell before he and Jakson ever stepped foot in this place again.

"So that's it huh?" Came Jason's somber voice from behind him, just as his hand reached for the doorknob.

JD froze for a second, silently wondering what more could possibly be said.

"What about your dad and Carl?" He asked, his voice thick with emotion: "How about Billy and Baxter?"

JD's shoulders tensed slightly, knowing full well where this was heading.

"What about Jake JD, does he get a say in this or are you done with him too?"

There was no anger in Jason's voice. No spite or mockery intended, at least as far as he could tell and if he wasn't mistaken, and judging by the timbre of his voice, there was something he was holding back, some point, that even now he struggled with; as if once spoken, it could either be wielded against him or bridge some narrow divide.

It did give him pause and was just enough to pique his interest: "Is it your intent, as Jake's Alpha, to use your bond to keep Jake from me?

JD had turned to confront Jason, his defiance subsuming every word of his query, certain of Jason's intentions and motivations. But, one look at the forlorn Alpha, revealed a different story, but it was his response that gave JD further pause.

"I think the real question is, how will Jake feel once you badger him into asking to be released from his bond with me, knowing full well the only reason you're doing so, is to lash out at me for something I'm not even guilty of."

Jason didn't even give JD time to formulate a response, the shocked look on his face denoted that nothing constructive would come from the deep well of untold pain locked behind the fragile barriers he had erected around his heart and the carefully manufactured outrage, that kept the two of them at a distance.

But Jason had grown weary of pretending that everything was alright. That JD''s heart would eventually heal and at some point, they might actually reach a time and place where he and JD might at least be friends once again.

It was in this brief span of heartbeats, that during one candid confession by Brock, about how Max had helped him by forcing him to admit he was gay. He had learned that Max had begun his process of healing by making Brock read a passage written on a plaque hanging on the wall of Max's old office back at the Marine base in Albany.

*Verum Tuae sui* or translated into English *to thine own-self be true.*

While Jason was certain that there had been more to the story than Brock had admitted, the axiom, as well as its message still held true.

Jason knew the things JD believed about him weren't true and because of what had happened to him and all the doubts that night during Billy's Heritage ceremony left hanging heavily on his mind and in his heart, Jason had suppressed his own feelings, his own wants, so as not to further burden JD.

Plus, the way JD had clung to Jake the next day, coupled with the trauma he had suffered, Jason had made the rushed and hasty decision to sacrifice his own happiness for the comfort JD derived from the reassuring and familiar solace found in Jake's arms.

But he was tired of hiding the truth and Jason was now determined that the lie upon which JD had constructed this barrier between them, did nothing but harm for the both of them.

JD deserved the whole truth, not just his skewed perception of it, and Jason's truth was, he was sick of shouldering the lugubrious yolk it had become. If in the end, it settled nothing between them, upon revelation, at least he had done his best to put things to right.

Jason didn't let JD respond. He laid out all the reasons that had led up to his decision to grant minimal freedom to Michael and Kent; carefully detailing as best he could, the conclusion of his mother's exhaustive testing and her subsequent, professional opinion.

The truth was, Michael and Kent were just two more, in a long line of people, manipulated and coerced into doing Monaca Donnelly's bidding.

"As much as I want to share your desire for retribution JD, as Alpha Regent of the Southern District, I sometimes have to wear a different hat, much like the one your father had to wear when you stood before the Quorum," Jason stated, attempting to explain the reasons for his actions.

"Yeah, yeah... the needs of the many speech, I've heard it before from my dad." JD huffed, doubt, clouded by residual anger, still muffling his reasoning. But, as JD turned once again as if to leave, Jason tossed out one more tidbit for JD to mull over.

"JD wait... I never told you the whole truth about why my beast tore out of the cabin that night..."

Jason's words sounded like a plea to JD. Annoyed, he turned to confront him once again but came up short of hurling more vitriol at him as his gaze fell upon him.

He didn't know what he had expected to see after pivoting around; imaging a cocky alpha, stringing him along by dangling some metaphorical carrot just out of his grasp, but what he actually saw, was the personification of that once timid boy on his front porch that one fateful night, the one who feared his response after revealing his intentions by stealing a single emboldened kiss.

The feelings of that evening pushed their way to the forefront, brushing aside the thinly veiled trepidation of his lumbering heart.

Those memories still haunted him and for months now, had come to feel foreign and distant: "Okay....I'll bite." JD bristled cautiously: "What could have possibly driven you and your beast from the cabin?"

"Rage" Jason answered, his gaze dropping to the floor again.

JD shook his head in disbelief, reminding himself and Jason that this was nothing new. Rage was par for the course for a first-time shift, that's why they always bind them to the pylons at the ceremonial grounds during their Heritage ceremony.

Jason stammered for a moment as if still bulking at the notion of saying something that once said could never be taken back and it was really getting on JD's last nerve.

"For fuck sake Jason, either spit it out or I'm leaving... for good this time!" to emphasize his point JD reached for the doorknob again and gave it a tentative twist.

"The rage didn't come from the shift JD, the shift came, because that night, at that precise moment, I caught the scent of something that pushed me over the edge, but not out of anger..." Jason paused, his head shaking from side to side for a second as he peered up at JD from below his brow, the irises of his eyes glowing faintly... his words left hanging somewhere in the space between them.

JD tried to pull his eyes away, but his feet felt transfixed to the floor as Jason slowly stood erect, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as a metaphysical battle seemed to be waged within him.

"The scent spurred the change, out of a need to protect and then to exact vengeance on anyone near it, friend or foe, both it found to be indistinguishable...." Jason's words grew thicker and deeper as if he were trying to control a snarl.

"I ran JD, because I could barely contain it and I needed to get it away and focus its rage on those deserving of it, not on the innocent ones I left behind in the cabin."

JD's mind swam in confusion, reeled at the thought of a bestial Jason rending everyone in the cabin to shreds and worse of all, because of some scent.

The question formed on his lips before he could even fathom the ramifications of asking it: "What kind of scent could possibly bring about the carnage you describe?"

Jason remained silent, breathing heavily through his nose in short staccato snorts, glaring back at JD from across the room.

Impatient for the answer, JD anxiously blurted out: "Answer me...what did you smell Jason?"

With a sigh, the struggle within Jason to contain the impact of speaking the one word he had been keeping from him for months now, slipped with a gulp and a whisper, leaving him helplessly exposed and vulnerable against its unfettered utterance... "Mate."

* * * * *

"So, on a scale of one through infinity, how much do you miss me?" This had been the question Talia Brooks, his best friend since first grade had asked him, when they face timed earlier that day, during one of his homesick bouts of micro-depression he still suffered from time to time.

All in all, things hadn't really been that bad, even with the rocky start upon their arrival when Billy Donnelly's dad had practically scared the crap out of all of them when he manhandled Dr. Ventrov the way he had. Not that Matt thought he deserved any better, but Max's intensity and sheer raw power, had peaked the meter on his growing and ever-expanding senses.

For the rest of that weekend, things ran a bit differently as he and Blake did their best to fit in, as well as get better acquainted with their surroundings and the various people who frequented the DDC.

Blake, in particular, seemed enthusiastically keen on the physical training and self-defense courses available to them and had spent much of their initial time participating as much as possible or as much as his body could withstand before exhaustion set in and he was forced to recuperate.

Matt, on the other hand, spent more time with Gavin and Princess, though as their stay progressed, he and Baxter Whitmore seemed to hit it off best; sharing many similar interests in music as well as a near-slavish devotion to reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; even sharing Willow as their favorite character.

All of that had been fine, even a bit exciting, but when that first weekend came to an end and almost every one they had been bonding with had vacated the place, to head back to their respective homes, due to having school the following day, that the first couple of weekdays following, dramatically altered their opinion about their current living arrangements.

Both he and Blake, absent the companionship of their new friends, felt less like they were on some new adventure and more like they were existing in a cage of their own choosing.

Luckily, the one called Carl had taken noticed and assured them, that their current living arrangements were only temporary as they were merely waiting for their school records to catch up with them, before settling them into more stable accommodations.

It was that first Thursday afternoon, they found out what those *accommodations* would be.

Billy and Baxter showed up unexpectedly and even before Blake and Matt could make their way back to the camp sight after Carl pulled them from their training exercises, located next to the Ceremonial grounds, the duo was already loading their personal gear into the back of Billy's truck.

As it turned out, the arrangements Carl had made, were for Matt and Blake to move in with Billy and Baxter, who had two spare rooms in their trailer.

Billy had just winked at them when Carl explained they would each have their own room, and neither Blake or Matt saw it necessary to correct him, on either their relationship or their future sleeping arrangements.

That had been over a week ago and while his and Blake's room wasn't as sizeable as either was accustomed too, it perfectly suited their needs, and Billy and Baxter couldn't have been a better choice for roommates, even if they themselves had chosen them.

School, on the other hand, was considerably different. The most notable being, its size.

Blake and Matt came from a small, sprawling rural community and while Albany was no major metropolis by any means, it did have a thriving river culture, a university, and a military base to help boost its population.

It did help already having a few familiar faces and it didn't take long for either of them to find their niche at the new school.

Billy and Baxter had even gotten Blake to sign up for the school wrestling team, while Princess had all but insisted Matt try out for gymnastics, and while he was certain his tryout for the coach had been, at best, a marginal disappointment, there was no one more surprised than Matt when the coach had agreed to take him on in his first-year fundamentals course.

Considering Matt was a senior, he was more than certain Princess/Timmy had somehow used his status as the team's star athlete, to influence the outcome of the coach's decision.

That was one of the first things Matt learned. Princess/Timmy was like a force of nature; unpredictable, energetic, and unyielding in his exuberance. The epitome of the phrase *yes we can* or in his case, more singular in translation.

He was also one hell of a ruthless taskmaster, but one that garnered respect because of the results.

While that was noticeable at school in the gym, it was greatly amplified on the training field at the compound. Everyone sought his personal instruction and anyone he took under his wing improved their combat skills by leaps and bounds...quite literally.

Princess/Timmy was a whirling dervish of ferocity, that even the upper echelon of those comprising the Heritage, struggled to contend or hold their own when facing off against him.

It was toward the end of October, just a few scant weeks after his and Blake's arrival, and after a particularly grueling training session that autumnal Friday afternoon with Princess, that the latter, who had barely broken a sweat after nearly an hour's worth of exhaustive sparring with Matt, which left him nearly gasping for breath and already feeling the first vestiges of what he was sure would be a residual stiff ache in just about every muscle in his body, just plopped himself, unceremoniously down beside him and with the most mischievous Cheshire cat grin subsuming his handsome cherubic features, just blurted out: "How do you feel about taking a little family trip tomorrow evening?"

"Family trip?" Matt queried, between gasps of air, not sure he understood the question correctly since he knew that his dad, mom, and older brother Brian, were still back in Kansas, having talked to his brother, just moments before he began his session with Princess/Timmy.

Princes threw his arm around his shoulder with one hand and patted his chest with the other, still beaming broadly: "Why yes sis, I think its high time you pay your respects to Mama, and ya know what?"

Matt didn't have a clue what he was talking about, but decided to humor him anyway with a simple monosyllabic response: "Wuh?"

Princess winked at him, as the iris's of his eyes flashed a brilliant azure blue, twinkling like two stars in the evening sky: "I have a feelin', Mama's just gonna love you!"

Chapter Nineteen:

"Mmm... that's nice" JD moaned, as he lay there with his knees pulled up to his chest while Jake gripped his buns firmly while his long wet tongue probed the depths of his asshole.

As his head rose momentarily to look down at his husband greedily eating his hole. Jake looked up and smiled lasciviously, the lower part of his face looking like a glazed doughnut from all the spit he had been tongue fucking into JD's tight pucker.

"I got something that would feel a whole lot better!" Jake teased, his golden eyes brimming with enthusiasm at the thought of mounting him.

Normally, JD did most of the fucking. Jake's massive horse cock precludes any kind of frequency in their usual routine. But still, there were times, when Jake took his time and put in the needed effort to loosen him up enough to even make the attempt, that it became even remotely possible. Times like tonight.

JD knew, or at least it gnawed on the fringes of his consciousness, that part of the reason he was prepared to offer himself up this way was because of some nagging sense of guilt he was dealing with ever since his encounter with Jason the week prior.

There was no denying it, Jason's revelation had been a bombshell. One that kept exploding over and over again, despite his best efforts in distracting himself ever since.

That afternoon had shaken him to his core by the implications of the Alpha's confession and the dower, bristling intensity of his gaze, yearning for some validation, yet simultaneously fearfully vulnerable and emotionally exposed... and JD had bulked.

He had spent the last couple of months thinking this man had abandoned him, as well as the others during their and his hour of need, only to hear now, that assertion had been fundamentally wrong from the start.

What was he supposed to do now?

That was the burning question that ate at him, and it had been, with that singular thought in mind, the reason he had responded with all the snark he could muster: "You fucking dumbass!" followed by him pivoting on his heels and briskly exiting the cabin.

He didn't look back that night. There was no way he could look Jason in the eye after that. Not with the jumble of conflicting thoughts and feelings wreaking havoc in his head.

Penultimately, JD had come to the conclusion, he didn't know what to do with the information; certainly, the reasons he had concocted previously no longer applied, but that did nothing to change his current situation. He loved Jake, he had married him and now shared joint custody of his son with him.

Jake was his constant in this world. He just had to look, at any time, into those big amber-hued eyes and feel loved, desired, and safe, and let's face it, that big huge muscle butt, that even put Jason's to shame, was now his own personal playground.

Yet... why was he left with the needling impression that something had fundamentally shifted?

All that could wait, however, because right now, JD could feel the massive blunt end of Jake's gargantuan dong pressing tightly against his wet hole, and JD needed to relax so that he didn't rip him open with it.

This was usually the toughest part, willing his hole to open. Normally JD would have prepared himself. Using one of the dildos Princess had bought him to loosen up with, but Jakson had been fussy all afternoon, almost from the time he got home from school until Jake made it home from work.

Jake always seemed to be able to get Jakson to settle down, whereas, from JD's perspective, he seemed to like demonstrating, repeatedly, how loud he could wail.

Jake had offered the most reasonable explanation. JD was an alpha, or at least he would or could be, after his Heritage ceremony, and their son was an alpha too. He was just making sure his sire knew that Jake insisted.

Seemed plausible to JD, so much so, he had taken to howling with him every time he got that way.

That wail closely resembled the one he was gritting his teeth to hold back at that very moment as the widest part of Jake's glans coronal ridge, popped past his pucker and began sliding a good eight inches into him, before Jake caught himself.

'Sorry about that.." Jake groaned: "Just got a little carried away."

The smile beaming across his face suggested otherwise, but JD decided to let it slide (so to speak).

JD had been horny all day and right now Jake had what he knew would scratch this particular itch

"Get your ass in gear Bauers and fuck my butt, before the kid wakes up and decides we're havin' to much fun without him."

JD meant that too. It was like the kid had a sixth sense or something that alerted him to their happy fun time and deciding: "Oh no you don't!"

JD was already keeping mental notes, determining that when Jakson was old enough and started bringing his own love interest around, he'd remind himself of all the times Jakson cock blocked him and Jake and he'd do his best to return the favor.

As fucks go, this one measured above the usual; mostly because JD really liked his ass eaten, and Jake was quickly becoming an expert at it.

Jake had already become proficient enough, that he could keep JD hovering close to the edge, for as long as he wanted. This explained how much closer he was right now, as Jake's fat knob raked repeatedly over his tormented prostate, eliciting a continuous loop of grunts and moans from him.

At the best of times, JD could manage to take about half of Jake's massive schlong. But it was usually quite painful for him to get there.

Jake knew this and had taken to focus his efforts instead on pummeling his ass clit with his bloated glans.

"Keep that up and your gonna make me blow my load..." JD managed to squeeze between his gritted teeth, reaching up to squeeze the nubs of Jake's large erect nipples. Something JD knew all to well, had a similar effect on Jake that he was having on his assault on JD"s prostate.

Jake yelped at the additional stimulation and smiled wickedly down at JD: "That's the plan, Mr. Bauers!"

In response, JD tugged on Jake's nipples like he was milking a cow: "If I'm gonna blow so are you Mr. Donnelly!" JD shot back, determination suffusing every muscle of his face, knowing full well they were both hovering on the precipice of pushing each other into that blessed void of carnal release, and each equally determined to make the other make that blissful leap first.

Some might say what they were doing was nothing more than a power trip or a childish game of one-up manship. But for JD and Jake, it was their life's story. They were always competitive as kids and even into their early teens, and while it didn't define their current relationship, it was still a part of who they were when they were together, and neither he or Jake saw any reason to change what worked for them, in or out of the bedroom.

"Fuck oh fuckitty fuck fuck..." JD nearly growled: "I'm gonna blow dude!"

For an instant, they locked eyes, and in that instant, JD saw the moment Jake lost his own control as his body shuddered and he could feel the hot wet blast of Jake's sperm squirting like a water canon into his lower bowels.

Neither of them could claim victory however, because just as Jake released his own seed deep inside him, JD's dick erupted like an exploding volcano sending torrents of jism flying in every direction, coating the two of them in the profundity of his ejaculation.

Dripping in jizz, the two of them collapsed together. Jake's monster cock still throbbing inside of him as their sweaty bodies shuddered as they both gasped for breath.

After a few quiet moments silently basking in the euphoric afterglow of their mutual orgasm, Jake was first to separate his body from the tangle of their limbs; sitting up with his feet dangling over the left edge of the bed and turning back to smile down at JD: "Sorry babe, gotta take a leak real quick."

JD just stretched and smiled back at him contentedly as he rose from the bed, and headed toward the bathroom door: "Would you mind checking on Jakson while you're up?" JD queried, still somewhat selfishly reluctant to disturb the warm, comforting sanctity of their shared king-size bed.

"Anything for you studly" Jake retorted jovially as he veered from his bathroom trek and walked, still naked, out their bedroom door and headed down the hall to Jakson's nursery, all the while, JD enjoying the jiggle of Jake's muscular bubble butted ass-cheeks as they shift side to side as he ambled away from him.

The sudden silence in the room made JD's thoughts drift back to his earlier ruminations about Jake, Jason, and himself, hold up in his old bedroom that night Jason's mom came for dinner and how right before the incident that inexorably set them on the path they now were on.

The one thought that stuck in his mind from that night, prior to the incident with his mother, was the now wasted potential of what that incident had robbed him and Jason from exploring that evening.

He knew he hadn't imagined it, that Jason had actually been as turned on and keen as he had been in the idea of approaching Jake with their mutual attraction toward him.

At that moment, while Jake was relieving himself in the bathroom down the hallway, they had actually agreed to explore their shared feelings if Jake was amiable to the idea.

Looking back, it had seemed a whimsical, momentary fancy, brought on by the persistent lust they also shared for each other, but had only partially explored.

That night at Jason's cabin, when he had forced himself to turn away from Jason after his admission, not because he didn't believe him, but because, if he was being truthful with himself, Jason's confession had finally made him realize what it was he had been feeling himself ever since that night in the coaches office.

In all the time that had lapsed between that moment, right up until that night at the cabin, JD hadn't been able to define what it was that had initially drawn him and Jason together.

That ended though, the moment Jason spoke that hauntingly singular word that brought into sharp focus, the meaning of his troubled, disquieted feelings.

The absolute truth that smacked him in the face that night and has since muddled his cogitation, was the clarity of conjoined recognition that so troubled him up till now.

He loved Jake. There was no doubt in his mind or heart about that and he could never do anything that would jeopardize what he now had with him. But he could also no longer deny that there was a bond between him and Jason as well, one he hadn't been able to put a name to until Jason spoke that fateful word: *Mate.*

As he lay there listening to Jakson coo and giggle through the baby monitor, as Jake gently chided him for still being awake, his thoughts once again shifted back to that night in his room, when he and Jason had mutually agreed they both found Jake desirable and had decided to test the boundaries of that attraction once Jake had returned from the bathroom.

He had been certain that night, that Jake would have shared in that desire and if not for the unsettling events that had robbed them of that opportunity, who knew where that might have led.

With that contemplation still stuck in his head and Jake's deep gruff voice, rasping what had become the familiar refrain of "Hush little baby don't you cry" wafting through the baby monitor as he attempted to lullaby Jakson back to sleep, that an inkling of a thought wriggled its way to the forefront to beg that most persistent of all unrealized fantasies..." what if? "

What if they hadn't been interrupted that night? What if things had panned out the way they had hoped and even cack-handedly plotted in the spur of the moment?

"What if..?" JD thought to himself, as he reached for his phone and excitedly clicked on the icon next to Jason's name his fingers quickly typed and sent a singular query: *Can you come for dinner Saturday around sixish?"

JD's stomach roiled in knots as he sat there expectantly looking at the screen of his phone, the anticipation mounting as the seconds ticked by.

"Who ya callin'?" Jake asked as he suddenly appeared in the frame of their bedroom doorway, smiling quizzically as he moved toward him and climbed back into the bed.

JD swallowed deeply, choking back the nervousness he suddenly felt: "Not calling..." He responded, tilting his head toward Jake and planting a kiss on his lips, before adding: "Just texting a message.."

He didn't get a chance to finish what he was going to say, when the soft ding of his phone alerted him to an inbound text.

Furtively, JD glanced at his phone, his eyes lighting up at the three-word response glaring brightly back at him: "I'll be there."

The die-cast, JD turned toward his slightly confused husband, after setting his phone down on the nightstand next to their bed, and cuddling up next to him before positing his simple query: "Guess who's coming for dinner?"

* * * * *

"Men!" Princess/Timmy grumbled as he plopped himself down on the log that sat around one of several fires that comprised the temporary campsites for most of the growing number of men joining their not so little ragtag group.

It was only late afternoon and most of the men were still out by the ceremonial grounds training with Jason and his beta Atticus Walker.

Normally, the man that sat next to him, Max Donnelly, would either be there assisting them or helping his mate Carl McGregor work on the cabin down by the far end of the lake. But, Carl and Brock had taken off earlier and headed to Macon to pick up some much-needed supplies and weren't due back for yet another hour or so.

"Trouble in paradise Princess?" Max queried somewhat distractedly, his gaze still fixed on the two lone figures that sat juxtaposed to their own position, around a similar campfire about sixty feet away from them.

Princess/Timmy didn't need a map to find what direction Max's thoughts were taking him.

Sighing somewhat dramatically, Princess/Timmy shrugged his shoulders, as if metaphorically testing the weight of the burden he had been struggling with ever since Paul Lakatos and his gamma Alton Becker had shown up for an extended stay.

"Well..." he began slowly, trying to be cautious with how he presented his current dilemma: "I've just spent the better part of the day plying my considerable charms on Mr. Hunky..."

Princess let his voice trail off as he glowered back at the porch of the Lodge, where Paul yet stood talking to Danal and Gavin.

Early in their conversation, they had mutually agreed to send Dalton and his twin Alton out to train with Jason and the others, hoping the two could settle their differences through a combined, albeit arranged, robust workout, while the two of them were left to spend some quiet time together.

"Let me guess..." Max interjected: "He said no again didn't he?"

Princess/Timmy frowned and met Max's eyes for the first time since he sat down next to him: "Not in so many words, but the end result is the same." They were of course discussing Paul surrendering Alton over to him so he could reunite the two brothers, thus fulfilling Aphrodite's foreboding prophecy.

Max's eyes, as usual, didn't reveal the thoughts behind them, but the faint grin lifting one corner of his mouth did: "Shall I hazard the reason for that refusal?" he asked, glancing first over at Paul and then back at him: "You took one of his two gammas and with everything else that is going on, he's hardly in a position to lose the other without putting his packs security at risk until he can find suitable replacements."

Impressed, Princess/Timmy smiled coyly, before waving his right hand in the air dismissively: "There is of course the little matter of also having just lost one of his beta's as well." Princess/Timmy declared as he rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically again, before glancing back at Max, batting his eyes while a look of feigned innocents subsumed his expressions.

Max sniffed the air in Paul's direction, a smile forming on his lips: "You shouldn't be so dismissive of your charms Princess, they aren't going as unnoticed as you might believe." Max concluded tapping his nose before a wicked grin spread across his face and he winked back at him: "Then again, he's not the only one feelin' it though, is he?"

There had been a time, not so long ago, that Max's inference would have brought a blush of embarrassment to his cheeks, but not today.

Shrugging his shoulders, Princess/Timmy dismissed his observation: "Maybe I should just try plan *B* instead." he speculated aloud.

"And plan *B* would be what exactly?" Max queried, knowing full well that if he really thought it was an option he would have already deployed its use.

Princess/Timmy just squared his shoulders, in a show of slight defiance, as if to bolster his own resolve. instead of possibly deploying a plan he was already certain would fail or at the very least damage the repartee he already had with Paul.

Still, he offered somewhat meekly to a quizzical Max: "If I can't persuade him, maybe Matt could..."

"Don't even think it!" Max interjected forcibly, cutting him off before he could complete his sentence.

For the first time in quite a while Princess/Timmy did blush, genuinely embarrassed he had even suggested it to Max in the first place.

"I don't know what the kid's limits are as of yet, but I doubt seriously he'd have time to work up to what you hope to achieve before an alpha like Paul caught on to what was happening."Max scolded him.

Princess/Timmy's shoulders drooped defeated: "I already knew it wasn't a good idea, but desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures and Momma already told Gavin we were running out of time."

Max softened his expression, knowing full well that a big part of Princess's concern was for his son Billy, who Aphrodite had revealed, that if Princess hadn't united Gemini before the first true test of his sons abilities, he would most assuredly die.

That sobering thought now stirred the beast within Max's gut, knowing full well that fate seldom left important things to the whims of chance and that at this very moment, he might be right in the center of a crossroads, whose divergent paths may lead to certain inescapable outcomes.

Max had spent the better part of the afternoon pondering what he should do about his oldest son and the oldest son of his gamma. He had read Elizabeth's report and knew that what Jason had already set into motion, based on that information, was probably his best course of action. But JD's response had triggered the protective side of his nature, especially for his youngest, who was himself, now a father.

For years Max had fought against the poison of lies his now-dead wife had supplanted into the youthful, trusting mind of his eldest son Michael and through Michael, was spread to Hank Bauers son Kent.

The two were always inseparable, even when apart they constantly kept in communication with one another, and when they became teenagers, Max was just as certain that friendship had crossed the line into something else. But Michael's ultimate failure at achieving the one goal he had been promised by his mother would happen, had driven the final wedge between them when Michael became certain Max had done something to deny him his birthright.

After his Heritage ceremony, there were no words Max could have spoken that would have undone the damage his wife's meddling had left in her wake. Her seeds of derision had taken hold deep in his young psyche and bore the dark fruit she had planted and had hoped to harvest for her own selfish ends.

He had hoped driving her out of their lives, after catching her taking samples of all three of their son's blood, would have afforded him time to ease Michael into accepting that his mother's words had been lies; that she had deceived him. But Max's words were always met with the doubtful skepticism Monaca had sewn in his son's head. From a boy Michael's age, mother was just another word for God to his inexperienced and trusting perceptions, and he had clung to her words and promises, wore them like a shroud of defiance whenever Max tried to correct the damage she had done.

Michael's dilemma had been one that had played out before amongst those of the Heritage, it was why they kept the true nature of who and what they are away from their sons. It was why not revealing that nature until they were mature enough to handle the knowledge, had become one of their most stringent rules.

Not everyone shared that belief though. His mate Carl being one of them. It was just the night before, they had once again debated the issue, where he reasoned, that it was Monaca's lies about what Michael would become that had warped his perceptions, not the knowledge of what he was.

It wasn't the first time Carl had argued that those of the Heritage shouldn't be keeping the knowledge of their lycanthropy away from them but use the time instead to help them accept the inevitability of it.

Max frowned as he once again stared off into the distance and glowered toward his oldest son, sitting with his back to him, his head bowed and shoulders hunched as if he could feel the weight of his father's gaze and the judgment that came with it, laying heavily upon him.

It was Carl's final words on the topic last night that haunted him now, that if Michael, as well as all of his sons, had known who and what they were, right from the start and from his own lips to their ears, could have possibly preemptively negated any possible lies Monaca could have concocted later.

There was a part of him that wanted to believe Carl, but there was also the fact that no matter the debatable efficacy of Carl's suggestion, he couldn't help but feel his oldest son Michael would have still chaffed at the knowledge, that in a household full of alpha's, he was the only beta.

Pack hierarchies, without the perceptible corresponding hormonal exchange between Pack members, which served to assure one's placement and duties within that hierarchy and the natural acceptance it afforded, could not be measured in words that could be so easily expressed to a small child.

The underlying reality for Max was, that without that hormonal bond, most boys would rail against the idea that they were anything other than alpha and would probably drive themselves to ruin trying to prove that they were or could be and that despite Carl's belief to the contrary, Michael served as the quintessential embodiment of that outcome. It wasn't like Max hadn't tried to mitigate the damage Monaca had done by telling his oldest son he was a beta and that nothing he could do would change that.

It could be argued, Max reasoned, that in itself could have also served as a catalyst that sent Michael spiraling headlong into proving his father wrong, by spending his entire youth pushing himself to be the best at everything he set his mind to doing.

All his efforts proved nothing more than he was an exceptional beta, potentially one of the best Max had ever encountered. If only Michael had just chosen to accept it. There was no shame in the part one plays in their capacity within the hierarchy of Pack dynamics and had Monaca not poisoned Michael's mind, he had no doubt, with the kind of determination Michael exhibited, no matter how off the rails he had veered into, that he would be, at this very moment, proudly serving as a beta in some Pack.

"Ground control to Max..." Princess/Timmy's lilting voice rang mockingly in his ear, drawing him back into the moment: "I thought I lost you there for a minute."

"Don't you have a ceremony you should be preparing for Princess?" Max responded gruffly, even as the beast within him stirred a fiery flame of expectant exaltation within the pit of his solar plexus, as a needling of inspiration took form within the persistent machinations of his consciousness.

"Just waiting for Carl and Brock to get back, though I'm not so sure Matt isn't ready to bolt at any minute." Princess mused thoughtfully.

"Well, I can't help you with that..."Max shrugged: "But I may be able to offer some assistance with your other problem."

Princess/Timmy's eyes lit up as he practically beamed with jubilation back at Max.

Max held his hand up cautioning, halting Princess/Timmy from expounding on his excitement any further.

"No promises Princess, but why don't you go check on Matt while I give this some more thought."

Bristling with renewed enthusiasm, Princess /Timmy twirled around several times before darting off in the direction of the ceremonial grounds, where Max knew Matt and his boyfriend Blake worked out with the others.

At Princess/Timmy's exuberant departure, Max combed his fingers through his hair as he contemplated the depths of his resolve for what he was about to attempt.

Straightening his back and smoothing the wrinkles in his olive drab t-shirt, Max thought to himself, as he shuffled one foot after the other in the direction of Paul Lakatos: "No time like the present Max, you can do this!"

* * * * *

"You look as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rockin' chairs" Barin Young taunted from the doorway of Jason's cabin, where Matt and Blake had spent the better part of an hour trying to bolster his confidence and suspend the last of Matt's disbelief in what he was told to expect in the culmination of this evenings proceedings.

"Don't pay him no mind." Blake's comforting voice assured him as he reached for Matt's hand and squeezed it reassuringly: "You look fine. Fit to meet a goddess."

Matt didn't know if what he said was true or not, and he still had his reservations about this whole "goddess" thing. But with Blake by his side, Matt felt he was more than ready to face anything, just so long as Blake was there with him.

Earlier, Danal and Princess had laid it all out for him. Told him exactly what to expect as far as the physicality of it all.

Danal had said, that he and Princess had decided to try something a little different from what had been done previously, as both Princess and Gavin had clasped the ancient silver medallion in their hand, which spurs the change that they both expected to happen. Proof of which, he had seen for himself with both Princess and Gavin flashing him their glowing irises.

Princess had told him, not long after they had arrived, about the other ways he could be affected. A slight increase in strength, agility, and endurance as well as a heightened sense of smell. He had also implied that there could be other side effects, perhaps unique to himself depending on placement within their new hierarchical scale.

Princess was an alpha. Not the same type alpha Jason or Max were, but an alpha nonetheless.

Gavin seemed less defined, with no one actually being able to determine exactly where his placement might fall. Brock had suggested, that since they weren't of the Heritage, maybe their hierarchical classification was scalable, depending on their own personal drive, ambition and dedication.

Either way, Matt couldn't possibly conceive of himself as an alpha. He knew instinctively he could never match that level of intensity and drive that Princess just seemed to exude naturally.

Gavin was smart and if anything, Matt was willing to believe that the experience had only served to help him focus that intelligence by supplying him with heightened senses he didn't possess before.

None of those things, in of themselves, bothered Matt. No, what persistently troubled him, was what he might expect having been *modified* by Dr. Ventrov's experiments.

Elizabeth Dunne, upon completing his physical evaluation had concluded Dr. Ventrov had indeed infused portions of Heritage DNA with his own, though it seemed limited to certain hormone and pheromone-producing glands.

Elizabeth had actually brought in a few volunteers for him to test his abilities on, all while under the watchful eyes of Max Donnelly, Danal and Jason Griffen and to some degree, Princess, who seemed less interested than the others, having explained later on, that he was more concerned with his human side than the other.

The truth was, he actually found himself preferring Princess's take to those of the others, all of whom, to one degree or another, viewed him rather suspiciously.

"They're just afraid that you'll somehow be able to make them fetch your slippers or role over and bark on command." Princess had mused loud enough for all those around them at the campsite to hear him clearly enough.

"I would never do anything like that, even if I could." Matt had assured him, and the others who had stopped long enough to take note of what he and Princess were discussing.

"But they don't know that." Princess had leaned in and whispered in his ear, adding: "Lets keep it that way for now, shall we?"

These memories and others coursed their way through Matt's mind as he, Blake, and Barin now made their way to the ceremonial grounds.

Matt had worried earlier about making his way down the cobblestone path in the dark, but he was relieved to note that one of the changes they had made during the week prior to this evening's event, was to install near ground-level lighting on either side of the path, which was just bright enough to illuminate his way but not enough to disturb the natural evening ambiance.

Not knowing exactly what to expect by way of attendance, he had once again been relieved to find only a handful of the people he had been interacting with since he got there.

Both Billy and Baxter were there, the latter being especially welcome, since other than Princess, Baxter was the one he was finding himself gravitating toward as far as friends go, which helped since he and Blake were now residing with him and Billy.

Brock and Atticus were also in attendance as well as Gavin, who seemed to be minus his usual companion Arliss Gundarson.

Jason sat up front with his mother, alongside both Max Donnelly and his mate Carl.

He could see them all rise as Barin guided them around the right side of the blazing bonfire located at the center of the semicircular amphitheater and up the steps to the dais, where both Danal and Princess stood side by side.

Matt was delighted to see that Danal was dressed casually instead of in, what Princess had described, as his voodoo witch doctor costume.

Princess, on the other hand, was regaled head to toe in stark white, right down to his matching sequined sneakers to the long, bilious white scarf, draped around his neck and shoulders.

"Welcome one and all." Princess declared as Matt and Blake came to a standstill just a few feet away from what appeared to be a long white table stretched end to end between two stone pylons.

"Salve fratres" Danal enunciated loudly beside Princess, causing all those in attendance to stand and respond simultaneously: "Salvete."

Blake had warned him that in Heritage ceremonies the common language to speak was Latin, which had given Matt yet another reason to worry, having little to no understanding of the language and fearing he wouldn't know what to do or when to do it if that held true for his own ceremony. But, Princess had assured him that it would be kept to a bare minimum during tonight's proceedings since they weren't of the Heritage.

The formal greeting aside, Danal stepped forward and indicated that it was time for Matt to take his place on the altar.

With Blake's help, Matt mounted the white table, which had been adorned in a velveteen-backed white fur that spanned the width and length of the table.

Once prone, Princess stepped forward carrying an ornate slender wooden box and held it out toward Danal, who opened the box's lid, revealing a shiny, but very old medallion.

It was then he noticed the tight leather gloves Danal was wearing as he reached down and gripped the chain connecting to the medallion and lifted it high in the air over his chest.

"Matt McCormick do you willfully submit to the judgment of Remus's silver?" Danal's voice boomed for all to hear.

Blake as well as Baxter and Billy, had told him the true story of Romulus and his brother Remus and how the silver breastplate of Remus's armor had been cursed by Aphrodite, which caused those of the Heritage to change into their bestial forms when they first touched it, at the age of eighteen.

They also explained how Princess had been the first of Remus's bloodline to ever come in contact with the cursed metal, as far as they knew, and the effect it had on him as a consequence.

It was still hard for him to conceive, that Princess, Gavin, and himself were direct descendants of a long-dead man who had helped forge the Roman empire.

"I do this of my own free will Green father" Matt responded as they had rehearsed earlier when both Danal and Princess ran through their agreed-upon ceremonial rites.

"Who stands to ward over you as you embark upon your journey?" Danal queried, his voice carrying throughout those attending.

"I do!" Blake declared boldly, giving Matt a reassuring wink before taking his place on the right side of his head.

"I do as well" Baxter Whitmore proclaimed as he climbed the steps to take his place on the left side of Matt's head.

Matt had not expect this, but was happy to see Baxter smiling down at him, even as Blake gently stroked his hair.

"Thanks" Matt whispered to him garnering another smile from Baxter: "What are friends for if they don't have your back?"

With no one else stepping forward, Danal had Blake and Baxter lift Matt's head as he lowered the medallion's chain around his neck until the worn but ornate shimmering circle of silver metal rested squarely over the center of his exposed chest.

As he lay there, pondering the weight of the medallion against his skin, each second that passed added to the doubts that had plagued him ever since Princess first brought up the topic of him sharing a lineage with that of a long-dead Remus, and just as he was about to sit up and put an end to this whole charade, Matt felt a massive surge of pure golden energy wash over him, pulling at something deep inside him, that Matt could only describe as his soul, for lack of a better term.

His first instinct was to fight it, but both Princess and Gavin had cautioned him not to resist, both describing it as he was now experiencing and advising that he just surrender to it and allow himself to be transported into that other plain of existence that bridged the gap between this world and another.

The overall effect felt much like the somewhat disorienting moments before drifting off to sleep while daydreaming, right before you jerk awake and for a few seconds, not realizing where you are; and that's what Matt did, except this time, he wasn't were he expected to be, back at the Ceremonial grounds, but instead, Matt found himself very much alert, sitting up and staring off, over an ornate marble railing, perched high above, overlooking the bluest ocean he had ever seen.

A soft warm breeze gently caressed the exposed flesh of his arms, neck, and face as Matt slowly pivoted around, only to be confronted and dismayed at the huge, greco roman structures looming far into the sky above, up the side of a tall mountain, whose top was obscured and hidden by white billowy clouds.

Gavin had tried to explain the grandeur of Olympus to him; for that, Matt realized, must be where he was right now. But it had been, just as he said, beyond true description in either scale or splendor.

"Talia would crap her pants if she saw this!" Matt thought out loud as he shifted his weight from the marble dais he had been lying on, sliding over the side until his feet touched the marble floor.

As he made a few twists and turns, trying to adjust his reeling senses, Matt began to discern the faint sound of a forlorn melody, that sounded like it was being played on some sort of harp or similar style instrument. Either way, it gave him something to focus on, since he found the tune, oddly haunting and familiar.

As he pondered and searched his distracted brain, he shuffled his feet cautiously toward the source of the song.

Princess/Timmy had said that Aphrodite seemed to have a fondness for Britney Spears and while he was no expert on her complete repertoire, the tune being played, though familiar, didn't sound like anything he had ever heard Britney sing.

Matt soon found himself standing underneath a large ornate arch that opened into a grand room containing some equally grand furnishings; most notably, the bilious flowing, gossamer-like white drapes, that moved and swayed with the rhythm of the air currents wafting into the room on the far left side, from a long wrap around balcony, that stretched around one side and to the back columned wall.

It was from somewhere in here, obscured by the drapes, that the familiar song was being played.

"Is somebody in here?' Matt queried hesitantly, his voice sounding small and fragile compared to the enormity of his surroundings, but the tune carried on, unabated as Matt dubiously moved toward it's source.

As Matt drew nearer, a certain refrain in the melody stuck out to him, and like a light bulb going off over his head, he instantly recalled where he had heard the tune before. It was back in Kansas, that night at Coach Myers house. Though now absent the compelling voice that urged him to utter the word *submit*, the melody was definitely the same, and called out to him, as it had that very night, and just as his hand was about to brush away one of the silken, sheer drapes, the melody stopped as a large hand shot out and snatched his left arm by the wrist with a firm iron-like grip.

"How fortuitous daughter/son, that Aphrodite is detained elsewhere..." a deep booming voice full of bile and disdain precluded the massive shape of a ruggedly handsome muscular giant, that towered over Matt as he stepped from behind the curtains, still tightly squeezing his already aching wrist.

"Let me go!" Matt stammered, finally finding a modicum of courage as he attempted to extricate his arm from the brooding hulk of a man's grasp.

The behemoth only laughed. It was a snarky, insidious forced sound, devoid of compassion and empathy, which ended by him abruptly tugging Matt closer and twisting his wrist even more painfully.

Matt was in a near panic as the pain in his wrist increased to the point that he was sure that at any moment the bones would begin to splinter and break.

Frantically, Matt began to twist and tug, pounding his free fist against his tormentor's chest as he summoned the only true defense he felt he had; the power Dr. Ventrov had infused him with.

With every ounce of strength remaining to him, Matt began to hurl his pheromone-laden commands at the being, seeking to amplify it with verbal commands, just as he had back at Coach Myers house.

"Release me asshole!" Matt practically screeched, fortifying his command with wave after wave of hormonal compulsion and for a moment the constriction around his wrist lessened, right before the giant, eight-foot-tall Goliath lips parted into a hauntingly cruel snarling sneer: "I am Ares the God of war child, it will take far more than mere parlor tricks to subdue me."

Ares began to laugh heartily as his grip around Matt's wrist redoubled, causing Matt to drop to his knees in sheer agony, all pretense of overpowering Ares with his abilities evaporating as he nearly passed out in pain.

It was in this moment, somewhere caught between consciousness and fainting, that Matt became aware of the presence of two others, each still holding one of his hands as he yet lay prone on a wooden table back at the ceremonial grounds.

The one he noticed most, at first, was Blake's, whose gentile, but tight grip, infused him with concern that radiated from his palm to Matt's and almost brought a whimper from Matt's throat, as he wondered if his spirit or whatever it was, that had been transported to Olympus, died there, would he also die back in the real world? Instinctively, he somehow knew, that the body could not exist without the spirit.

Matt didn't know if Blake could sense what he was feeling, that he feared for his own life, the one he might never get to share with Blake, as they had both dared to imagine after all was said and done.

This alone pained Matt more than anything else and it nearly caused him to give up hope when a second sensation surged warmly through his left hand, the one Ares now held captive and threatened to shatter at any second.

But the warmth didn't come from the pressure of constriction building up due to his capture's grasp. No, this was a silvery glow of soothing grayish tendrils that began to seep into his muscles and tendons, and spread upward, past his wrist and up his forearm, through his shoulders and neck, and straight into his brain.

Matt clung to that silvery warmth as it seeped steadily into him, building and compounding in intensity as it did so, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, a comforting and familiar presence began to suffuse him.

Softly at first, Baxter's voice reached out to him, steadying and fortifying him until the fear of unconsciousness faded and drew Matt back to his current predicament.

His panic was gone now, replaced by Baxter's presence in his mind: "Focus Matt, channel what I'm sending you into the palm of your hand and hold it there..." He urged calmly.

Matt could almost picture Baxter's reassuring smile beaming down at him, as he sought to guide and comfort him simultaneously.

Neither Princess nor Gavin had said anything about being able to communicate between this place and the real world, leaving Matt to believe that this must be somehow unique, even for the others.

Matt was someone who never looked a gift horse in the mouth and he did exactly what Baxter instructed him to do and focused all his will into pushing and holding back the trickle of energy flowing between their bond and focusing it into the palm of his hand.

Unfortunately, or as fate would have it, Ares seemed to sense something was now different, which caused him to pull Matt closer as his searing brown eyes tried to pierce right into his skull: "What new trickery is this daughter/son, does the White wolf seek to console you in your final moments?"

Matt didn't answer, but he could feel the beads of sweat, from his intense concentration, begin to slide down the sides of his face as Baxter's will seemed to subsume his own for an instant as Matt used everything he had to hold back the swelling damn of energy pulsating in his left hand.

With a resolute confidence Matt could only ever dream of achieving, Baxter spoke through him to Ares, peering up at him from underneath his scowling brow: "The world is outgrowing its use for beings who call themselves gods, but even among your own pantheon, you were always considered to be a pathetic loser!"

Instantly, upon concluding his menacing message, Baxter shouted out in Matt's mind: "NOW Matt, let 'em have it!"

Lurching forward, Matt's captured hand thrust against Ares's rib-cage and was proceeded by a voluminous expulsion of a silvery, blinding bolt of crackling energy, that discharged and smoldered the flesh under Matt's hand, so violently, it sent Ares hurling backward until he came to a resounding thud against one of the massive stone columns behind him.

Matt stood there, frozen to the spot, staring in disbelief at his own, still extended hand, as Ares collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Sounding exhausted, Baxter could only manage one more word to Matt before the link between them severed: "RUN!"

Without hesitation, Matt pivoted and darted in the opposite direction, mustering the last reserves of his adrenaline-fueled excitement, to put as much distance as he could between himself and Ares, who even now stirred to an upright position.

Matt glowered over his shoulder anxiously, as a low snarling growl issued from somewhere deep in Ares gut, right before he launched himself in Matt's direction.

Distracted as a new panic began to well up inside him, Matt barely noticed in time the presence of someone else, now barring his escape.

Almost sliding to a halt and barely avoiding crashing into them, Matt suddenly found himself face to face with possibly the most beautiful being he had ever seen before.

"Has my pet been misbehaving daughter/son?" came the titular query, in a voice that hovered somewhere between masculine and feminine.

Instantly Matt deduced who it was, by both Gavin's and Princess's descriptions.

"Aphrodite?" was all he seemed to manage, with Ares still barreling toward their location, with a seething, fiery blaze smoldering behind his enraged eyes.

'Do not fear daughter/son, for even now Ares reaches the end of his tether ."

Aphrodite had no longer made the proclamation when Ares's forward momentum suddenly ceased, with such rigidity, that it looked like it could have nearly snapped his neck.

It was then that Matt noticed the delicate golden chain wrapped around his neck, which branched out like a leash and secured him to a large, load-barring central pillar.

"Pay him no mind my dear, it seems you have gifts I was unaware of, to have left your mark upon the flesh of even a lesser god-like Ares," Aphrodite noted, a faint smile slightly forming at the corners of the entity's mouth.

Matt follow Aphrodite's gaze, which had zeroed in on a hand-shaped, black mark burnt into the skin covering the right side of Ares's rib cage.

"There are not many who could inflict such damage on an immortal, did your sister/brother aid you somehow?" Aphrodite asked quizzically.

Matt was a little confused and even more so as the Goddess looked around, scanning the area as if expecting to find some hidden companion.

Haltingly, Matt reassured the Goddess: "I'm here alone Ma'am, as far as I know."

The full weight of Aphrodite's gaze fell upon Matt as if drilling right through him, before stepping back away from him with a stern dower look of both concern and annoyance.

'You are not accompanied by your sister/brother, your opposite though same?" The entity grilled him as if put off by the absence of this *other* they spoke of.

The confusion must have read on his face, as Aphrodite clarified further: "I do not speak of the sister/brother by birth that you have, but the broken one, who you desired for so long though concealed their true nature from you until recently when they could resist you no longer."

Aphrodite said this as if he would have some clue as to whom it was they were talking about.

Nevertheless, Matt scoured his brain for an answer, dismissing everyone he could think of.

Aphrodite said it wasn't his biological brother and Matt remembered that Princess had told him, those of the Heritage could not travel here, only someone descended from the line of Remus and Matt couldn't think of anyone, with the possible exception of Hunter, who might fit the bill.

But Hunter hadn't desired him prior to Matt influencing him, nor did he seem that particularly broken now that he and his brother Brian seemed to have become glued at the hip.

Of all the people he could think of, who weren't of the Heritage, but he had desired for a long time was...

"Do you mean James Hatcher?" Matt asked incredulously, realizing that was the only possible person Aphrodite could have possibly meant, though, with one problem.... Hatch wasn't gay, he hated gay guys.

Aphrodite's gaze softened momentarily as they brought a hand up to caress Matt's cheek as he struggled with the significance of Aphrodite's words.

"Are you saying Hatch is gay and I was supposed to bring him with me?" Matt bristled, as his mind raced to grapple with the ridiculousness of that entire scenario.

Aphrodite's faint smile broadened: "Who else could compel our daughter/son to accompany you here?"

Matt was about to posit a litany of reasons why he couldn't do that when Aphrodite suddenly grabbed his upper arm and began tugging him toward the direction of his entry point.

"You must leave immediately, time grows short and it is imperative you and your sister/brother return before the setting of the next full moon!"

Aphrodite's words and voice sounded urgent and Matt wanted to do nothing more than to ask the myriad of questions that not only he had, but those that Princess and the others had spent days drilling into him to ask. But the Goddess was having none of it, practically giving him the bum rush back to his starting point.

"Heed me daughter/son, you must abide by my wishes, for the fate of your kind rest in the balance."

Aphrodite's eyes began to glow and Matt felt himself drifting back into the silvery void that separated this world from his own.

"We must heal your sister/brother, so that they may break Zeus's curse and thus preserve the future legacy of all mankind."

Aphrodite's voice began to fade as Matt's body was pulled deeper into the void, but he was sure the last thing the Goddess said was: "Impress upon Princess not to tarry, for the sire of the White Wolf has prepared the path forward!"

As Matt felt himself pulled back across the void and into the familiarity of his own body, one troubled thought echoed in his mind: "Of all the people in this world to choose from, to save all mankind, why did it have to be James fucking Hatcher?"

CHAPTER TWENTY:

"What a difference a day makes," Princess/Timmy thought to himself, as he finally collapsed on the queen-sized bed in his childhood bedroom.

He wasn't exactly physically exhausted, in fact, he felt pretty keyed up, all things considered.

The night before had been a roller coaster ride of mitigating circumstances. All of which had, in rapid succession, played out like some sort of danse macabre.

It had begun, oddly enough, with him enumerating and commiserating his frustrations with solving the dilemma charged to him by the goddess Aphrodite, with Max Donnelly.

He had reached the end of his patience and his wits with Mr. Hunky McHottie as well as any hope of securing and reuniting his Gamma with his twin brother Alton, who, up till late last night, was still bound, as a Gamma enforcer, to said Hunky McHottie.

Max had said to leave it in his hands and Princess had almost all but forgotten about it because of the surprising and equally confusing and troubling events following Matt McCormick's ceremony the previous evening.

They had spent hours afterward when Matt practically shot up from his prone position on the make-shift dais they had concocted for the event, and immediately threw his arms around Baxter Whitmore and began profusely thanking him for saving his life.

During the ceremony, and indeed almost from the start, they could all sense that something wasn't quite right.

Those uneasy feelings became even more exasperated when Baxter suddenly clutched Matt's left hand in both his own and the silver ring around his iris's flashed a brilliant silvery hue as he stared blankly into the distance as if seeing something, that was invisible to all others, but himself.

As unsettling as that had been, it was the pheromonal stench of primal fear that radiated off Matt, that troubled them the most, with Danal being so concerned that he suggested they try removing the glowing medallion from Matt's chest.

It was Billy who had stopped them from doing it, demanding they all step back as he climbed the steps of the Reliquary and positioned himself behind Baxter, closed his eyes, and placed both his hands on either side of Baxter's shoulders.

To everyone present, it seemed that the pair were somehow conjoined in some sort of metaphysical communion that allowed them to bolster and strengthen the bond between them.

In essence, to Princess, it appeared as if Baxter was siphoning or absorbing unseen energies from Billy and pouring them into Matt, with Baxter acting as a tempering conduit between them.

It wasn't until later, after Matt's reawakening and after he had time to gather and compose his thoughts, they learned that Baxter had actually mentally breached the void between this dimension and the one where Olympus existed and touched Matt's mind with his own and had somehow been able to focus the combined life force energy he gathered between him and Billy and focused it into a weapon he could discharge through Matt's hand, against the entity known as Ares.

At least, this was the story they presented, though Princess was certain there was more to it than either Billy or Baxter were currently revealing.

For quite some time, Princess, Jason, and Billy had discovered they could communicate, with some degree of concentration, mentally between each other, so it came as no surprise that Billy and Baxter shared such a bond. But it was an altogether separate matter that Baxter had been able to mentally piggyback from our dimension to the one containing Olympus mentally through his physical contact with Matt.

Aphrodite had told him, in no uncertain terms, that those of the Heritage could not physically cross between this realm and theirs, that it would kill anyone of the Heritage who tried.

Princess didn't voice those concerns during their meeting afterward, but it didn't stop him from formulating his own observations; the key component being, that technically, Baxter didn't physically cross the realms, Matt had described it as more of a mutual possession/cohabitation of his body.

Just that tiny bit of revelation spoke volumes to Princess, chief being, that the Heritage curse Aphrodite had placed upon them was a physical one, not a mental barrier. It also revealed, what Princess hadn't already concluded due to lack of evidence, that Olympus was indeed a physical realm, as real as their own, though governed by a separate set of physical and he suspected spiritual rules.

Both of these tidbits, were valuable pieces in the overall puzzle that was slowly taking shape in the back of his mind, leaving Princess convinced, more than ever, that he needed to solve the riddle of Gemini as quickly as possible.

Even Aphrodite's reluctance in just speaking out exactly what it is that he was meant to do, now seemed to impart an ulterior motive for doing so. Perhaps, he speculated to himself, there was some element of faith involved in all this. Not so difficult a thought, since they were supposedly dealing with beings who existed on some higher plain than their own and had for untold ages ruled as god-like beings over mankind during the most formative years of their civilization.

Aphrodite had alluded to that finding, inferring that reuniting and joining with Gemini would bridge and prepare the way for him and those like him.

Perhaps what Aphrodite was literally telling him, was that joining with Gemini would open a pathway for him to cross from this world to the island she said she had prepared for him and his sister/brothers.

That would be great, but what yet remained hidden from Princess, was the reason why this was necessary, and how would this benefit those like him going into the future, that would be tantamount to saving all of mankind? Not least of which, why did she need some homophobic bigot from rural Kansas to achieve this goal?

Clearly, there was a lot more he needed to figure out, but right now, he was unable to devote all his concentration to it, especially since there were two studly twins currently showering in his bathroom.

The thought of their two wet muscular bodies slipping and sliding against each other as they bathed together was distracting enough, but his very active libido envisioned them soaping each other's muscular, taut flesh with their large callused hands, massaging frothy suds all over each other before rinsing it away with the watery spray of the shower nozzle cascading down their naked, muscle striated skin.

Princess had availed himself of Dalton's ample physical attributes on more than one occasion and now that there were basically two of them, he saw no reason he shouldn't double his pleasure, now that he had taken Alton as his own Pack gamma enforcer, rounding out Dalton's gamma protector status, thus expanding his Pack, to the three of them.

The personal cost to himself for achieving this outcome, had been negotiated by Max Donnelly and not only served his own purposes but garnered Princess his desired goal, providing he accepted one, not-so-small caveat. Princess had to agree to an engagement to become Paul Lakatos's mate; or at least he thought that's what it all meant, though he was still a bit sketchy on a few of the finer points of their agreement.

The deal had actually been rather simple, Paul would take Michael and Kent as part of his Pack in exchange for Alton, but only if Princess agreed to accept Paul as his mate, with the time and date of that happening, to be determined later.

His first thoughts, at the time, had been to reject the offer outright, but Aphrodite's assurances that in acquiring Gemini, he would also find his future mate; coupled with the fact that Paul clicked every one of his personal turn on buttons, practically made the choice for him. Besides, he didn't agree to a specific timetable. As far as he knew, they could be engaged for years, or at least until they got to know each other a little better.

As he lay there lounging, enjoying the muted sounds of water coming from the bathroom, Princess silently thanked himself for having the foresight to suggest to his parents that they take up temporary residency at his grandmother's estate to prevent one of his greedy aunts from taking up squatter rights. That is until the fate of their ancestral home could legally be determined.

It wasn't like Princess ever expected to meet the stipulations of his late grandmother's will, which would entail him finding someone to make a baby with, let alone a boy, but he did receive a fair amount of devious pleasure dangling that potential carrot over his parents head.

Either way, it garnered him free reign over his childhood home in their absence. Of course, staying there also helped Dalton, now that his transfer to the Albany Marine base had been approved and the new school year had started.

Still, there was something about living at the compound that felt more like home to him than any other place, even though he still saw and hung out with pretty much the same people at both places.

Maybe it was the sense of freedom he felt there that enticed him the most, so much so that he had even considered asking Jason if it would be possible, once he graduated high school if he might be able to build his own modest cabin there for him to occupy whenever he was able to visit. Not that sleeping under the stars or in a tent wasn't fun, but the cool autumn nights and the looming threat of winter would greatly curtail whatever enjoyment he received from roughing it in the great outdoors.

The sound of the shower shutting off, pulled Princess from his reverie, to focus his attention on the bathroom door as he now anxiously awaited the twin brothers to emerge.

The burgeoning bulge in his tight, thigh-high shorts, an ardent testimony to the underlying intent behind his current actions.

It was one thing to think he was reuniting Gemini, in accordance with the goddesses decree, but he would be lying if he didn't admit that there was a carnal side to his intentions this evening.

It had been quite a while since he had time to enjoy Dalton's physical attributes and now he would be enjoying double that pleasure, if indeed they were identical in every way.

The last time they had coupled it had been Princess who did the fucking, but tonight, with two blond muscular giants to service him, his thoughts, as well as his hole, itched excitedly at an alternative prospect.

Dalton was the first to step from the bathroom, smiling instantly when he saw his Alpha sitting with that certain come hither look in his eye. It helped that he was unabashedly naked and his big cock already began plumping up as he crossed over to him to stand by the side of the bed next to him.

Alton on the other hand, stood there silently standing in the door frame clutching a damp towel around his waist, head bowed, like some skittish virginal bride on her honeymoon.

Princess of course knew exactly how to handle this situation, as he leaned forward appraising him up and down with his eyes and otherwise enjoying his nearly flawless muscular body: "Lose the towel and haul your ass over here PDQ gamma." Princess said, with just a hint of authority in his voice.

Hesitantly the nervous gamma did as instructed and quickly made his way to stand opposite his brother, on Princess's other side.

Not one to stand too much on tradition and ceremony when dealing with those of the Heritage, Princess instead brought his hands up between their bodies and cupped their bloated balls in either and began gently squeezing and fondling them until he achieved his desired effect. Two thick veiny thirteen-inch twin cocks bobbed and weaved in front of his face as Princess stared admiringly at them.

Soon, passion overrode reason and sensibility, as Princess leaned forward and alternately stuffed the glistening heads of their dicks into his hungry mouth until both of them were squirming in place as he suckled them into full rock-hard, pre-cum drooling erections.

It didn't surprise Princess how quickly Alton adapted to the situation as he dropped to his knees between them and began taking turns stuffing the entire length of their beefy pricks down his throat and snaked his long tongue out to suave their balls until they practically dripped with his drooling spittle.

The gasp and groans steadily emanating from both of them, were like music to his ears, as he increased the pace of his manipulations before finally spitting them out for the final time and rose up between them to stare up into their glazed-over, lust-filled eyes.

He kissed Dalton first, slowly letting his tongue slip between his expectant lips, before pulling away and turning and moving up onto his tippy toes to reach Alton's pouting lips.

Alton was hesitant at first and it wasn't until Princess reached around a clutched the cheeks of his firm, round bubble butt and gave it a hard smack with one hand as the other probed the cleft between the twin orbs, that he relented.

With a gasp, Alton's lips parted and Princess wiggled his wet tongue between them and filled Alton's mouth, probing deeply as his lips sucked at the startled giants.

Feeling more than warmed up, Princess pushed the two aside and plopped back on the bed: "Undress me...slowly." He cautioned, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation of four large hands gingerly removing his clothing.

Once naked it was Dalton who lay beside him and began gently licking his nipple with the very tip of his tongue, followed by Alton, who proceeded to mirror every one of his brother's actions as they jointly explored Princess's body with their hands, lips, and tongues.

Princess had to admit, that for a novice, Alton seemed fairly adept and enthusiastic at taking instruction and soon, along with his twin brother, had Princess clutching the back of their heads as their tongues swirled around his own swollen genitals, eliciting numerous grunts and groans of approval to issue past his clenching teeth.

"Okay, that's enough foreplay you two" Princess scolded playfully, reaching down between them and grasping their girthy cocks in both fists and tugging them toward him: "I'm in the mood to be spit roasted by two horny gammas, and if I don't get that within the next thirty seconds, there's gonna be hell to pay on the training field tomorrow!"

Dalton instantly sprang into action, moving toward the nightstand and whipping out a large bottle of water-based lube, squeezing out a long trail across the length of his swollen member before tossing the bottle to the side and motioning his brother to squat above Princess's head as he clasped Princess's ankles and hauled his legs into the air and placed the business end of his palpitating pecker against Princess's quivering hole.

Within mere seconds, Dalton had orchestrated exactly what his Alpha had wanted and watched with satisfaction as his twin brother drove the full length of his cock balls deep into Princess's mouth as he simultaneously slid the full length of his own prodigious phallus to the hilt in the human Alpha's clutching gash.

Almost instantly, Princess was transported into that euphoric state he often achieved through rough, aggressive manhandling sex.

Dalton had often proved he could dish it as well as take it when either mood struck his Alpha's whim and Princess couldn't help but note that Alton seemed to almost instinctively, intuitively pick up on his twin's vibes as they both pummeled his holes with precision and purpose.

At one point, and barely missing a stroke, Dalton had grunted "Switch" and the pair shifted effortlessly and in near-perfect unison, drove their rock-hard pricks back into him.

It was during a second such switch, that the niggling of an idea formulated into coalescence in his otherwise sex-addled brain; appearing unbidden as if plucked out of some timeless void where it had remained hidden until the right moment presented itself.

In his mind's eye, the image of both twins laying on either side of his body, with his legs raised and both of them driving their meaty cocks in tandem and occasionally, simultaneously into his upraised hole spurred him into action.

As if compelled to do so, and seemingly, not entirely of his own volition, Princess barked out the instructions to his gammas, who just as quickly took their positions and began trying to stuff both their big cocks into his already loosened anus.

It took some effort and several attempts, but soon, the duo was seesawing into him, and as the pressure began to build, Princess noticed a warmth began to funnel into his gut forming a glowing ball of radiant heat that pulsated throughout his body, from one central core point.

Princess lost himself in the sensation, his focus centering on the mounting energies building in his gut, until it nearly consumed every one of his passion-infused senses, which would later explain how he failed to detect the presence of a fourth person entering the room, until a snarling, lust infused growl permeated throughout, from the other side of his childhood sanctuary.

Through glazed, squinted eyes, Princess's gaze traced the sound haphazardly back to its source, only to find Paul Lakatos filling the frame of his bedroom doorway.

Barely cognizant of his actions, subsumed by the burning passions that now drove his primal desires, Princess reached out to Paul, beckoning him into his arms in the hopes of completing the circuit that fused their vision together in an unbreakable tether of hunger, wants, passion and needs.

For what appeared to be an interminable amount of time, Princes felt that Paul was resisting the alluring pull that subsumed them both, until a deep guttural growl began to rumble throughout the room, issuing from the deepest primal core of Paul's being.

With a flash of brilliant blue, Paul's iris's lit up and his bestial utterance preceded the rending of his clothes, as he ripped them from his body in mere seconds as he closed the distance between them until he stared wantonly down into Princess's eyes, naked as the day he was born.

Princess had never seen Paul so much as shirtless before, but couldn't help but groan his approval at the towering muscular specimen glowering lustfully down at him.

Paul was every inch the Alpha he could have expected him to be, a quasi-resemblance caught somewhere between the mature austerity of Max Donnelly and the youthful vitality of Jason Griffen.

His blond golden hair was cut high and tight, shown like a halo backlit by the ceiling light directly above him, adding to the near-divine illusion of masculinity perfected beneath the striated tautness of his muscle-swollen skin.

Princess yearned to touch him, to draw him into his arms and be consumed by the totality of his passions, knowing full well, that such an action, the joining of their two bodies, would somehow complete them both, forever joining their two beings into an inexorable chorus of unity and endless potential.

With a grunt, Paul seized Princess's ankles and spread his legs further apart, just as Dalton and Alton ceased their incessant thrust and instead now used their meaty phallus to pry his hole further apart until Princess felt like he would most assuredly be split in two.

Even in the foggy depths of his current mindset, fueled only by an insurmountable yearning to carnally seal the bond between them, that radiated from the very same grinding heat that continued to build in both size and scope from the central core of his being; for the first time, Princess let his gaze slip from Paul's hungry, consuming eyes, down his heaving chest and broad shoulders, to finally take in the ribald, raw majesty of his swollen and fully engorged manhood.

Princess had noted many times the bulging mound of hidden flesh beneath Paul's trousers and had imagined the potential size and scope of what he might find there, but the massive, gargantuan throbbing beast that protruded from his hairy groin, surpassed his wildest imaginings.

From pubic bush to glistening piss slit, it appeared as if a fully adult human male's arm stuck up between his legs.

Thick as a Pringles can with a near-fist-sized glans crowning its glory. All Princess could do was gulp and stare at it and marvel at its expansive dimensions.

In total it had to be at least sixteen inches in length and throbbed continuously like it had a mind and will all its own.

Spellbound, all Princess could do was whimper as Paul lowered himself on top of him, as the massive blunt end of his schlong slid between the twins palpitating peckers, using them as a guide and wedge to the entrance of his already overstuffed hole.

Paul's lips barely brushed against his own, as his head slipped to the side and his heated breath whispered gently against his ear: "Mine!"

Princess barely had time to register the word before Paul, in all his primal glory, drove the full length of his prodigious endowments, hilt deep into Princess's fleshy sheath, juxtaposed by both Dalton's and Alton's own girthy members.

Instantly, the balled-up core of energy that had been building within him, began to spread out like uncoiling tentacles, slowly expanding throughout his central nervous system.

It was just a trickle at first, not nearly enough to push him over the edge, but sufficient enough in suppressing his consciousness and allowing the elemental forces caged within him to guide his next, instinctive action.

Princess turned his head and offered the growling beast nipping at his nape, the full vulnerability of his bare neck.

Paul pulled back slightly, his lips parting into a wide snarl, exposing the lengthening extrusion of his bestial fangs, before swooping downward and chomping into the exposed flesh of his throat.

Princess had heard, several times from others who had experienced a mating bite before, what to expect. But nothing could have prepared him for the explosiveness he now encountered.

That trickling ball of energy slowly weaving its way throughout his body, now erupted, like the three cocks now exploding inside him simultaneously, unleashing torrent after torrent of white-hot heat inside him; and all Princess could do, allowed it to consume him and whisk him far and away into a sea of swirling bluish light...

Princess didn't know how long he lay there basking in the afterglow of the moment, as well as enjoying the gentle, comforting breeze that washed over his naked skin, but it was the unmistakable sound of water breaking softly against a sandy shore that made him suddenly sit upright with a start and take stock of his current surroundings.

Princess shot to his feet and twirled around several times, trying desperately to make sense of his surprising change of venue.

He mentally retraced his steps leading up to the moment Paul bit into his neck... Princess's hand shot up to his throat as his fingers adeptly traced the puffy outline of his recent mating bite. It was still moist from Paul's spittle and the slight, lingering sting of where his fangs penetrated, which reassured him that he hadn't imagined that part at least, though he couldn't exactly attest the same about his current predicament.

This was the Island, he was sure of it! The very same island he had first appeared upon right before his meeting with the entity calling itself Aphrodite.

"Do you yet doubt what your senses tell you, daughter/son?" Princess heard from behind his shoulder, in the same lilting, sing-song voice he recognized as the Goddess's own.

Princess twirled to face the entity, a broad smile bristling ear to ear, greeting him warmly.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked, adding quickly: "How is this possible without the medallion?"

The entity just shook their head and chortled whimsically: "That was the point of finding Gemini and reuniting them, like the brothers of old were, before Zeus and Ares's devious plans poisoned the mind of one and caused his actions to split their line asunder."

Before Princes could even posit his next question, Aphrodite pressed a finger to his lips silencing him: "One brother's line has nearly conquered the world, imagine what might have been achieved had both survived?"

Princess/Timmy smiled knowingly, as a sudden realization struck him: "The Brothers united was your plan all along wasn't it?"

The Goddess teetered on a giggle, batting their eyes mischievously: "Conquering the world was never our intention, we sought only to restore the balance that Zeus's curse robbed from man, forever changing his fate if left undone."

Not sure he fully grasped the meaning of the Goddess's words, Princess pushed for clarity: "Zeus's curse, how would the twins have broken it?"

It wasn't like he understood the full nature of this curse that Aphrodite spoke of, but, he had noticed that direct questions seldom lead to direct answers where the entity was concerned.

"Do you not see?" Aphrodite queried a hint of annoyance in their voice: "They were thrice blessed, the blood in their veins being that of two gods and sanctified by Zeus himself. Separately they could sire nations, but together, combined, they could restore the balance bereft their kin when Zeus bid Prometheus to yolk them out of fear for what man might yet achieve."

"That being?" Princess asked cautiously, wishing more than anything that Gavin was here with him right now, he being far more knowledgeable about Greek mythology than anyone else he was close to, or trusted for that matter. But the question foremost in his thoughts begged asking "why would Zeus, the king of the gods, fear man?"

A cold smirk suffused Aphrodite's face and the lilting tone of their voice shifted into one commanding attention: "Zeus foresaw man rising above the need for gods and feared his own, inevitable dissolution."

A shiver ran down Princess's spine with the cold starkness of Aphrodite's words. But he also felt a twinge of sadness inherent in the less subtle meaning behind the Goddess's chosen words.

Has Aphrodite grown weary of their own existence?

The question gave him pause to consider, but before he could frame his concerns into a question, Aphrodite grabbed his shoulders and squeezed lightly, announcing abruptly: "Our time is at an end, you must heed me and return to your mate, for I have fear, in his reckless frame of mind, he may expose his true nature to the local villagers where you dwell."

"Omigawd, PAUL!?" Princess practically screamed aloud, what must he be thinking? Princess pictured himself laying there on the bed, back in his old room, in what must appear to be a near vegetative state, and poor Paul desperately trying to rouse him.

Nearly panicking, Princess/Timmy entreated the entity: "Please send me back, Paul must be losing his mind right now not being able to wake me."

Aphrodite tilted their head questioningly: "Wake you?"

To Princess's consternation, Aphrodite began to chuckle: "This is not like our last visit, the curse of the metal did not draw your spirit to me, you are here in whole, transported of your own accord when the trinity of Gemini and your mate unlocked the potential I bestowed within you to traverse the divide between your world and this one, just as I foretold you."

Princess's eyes grew wide as saucers as he began groping himself as if it would verify the veracity of the Goddess's words or make a lie of it, before boldly declaring: "I'm actually here!?"

Aphrodite just shrugged and stared blankly back at him. As if any of this was the most natural thing in the world to be happening.

"How do I get back?" Princess pleaded as the true meaning of Aphrodite's caution about Paul painted an entirely different scenario that must now be playing out back at his house.

In answer, Aphrodite knelt and scooped up a handful of sand and placed it in Princess's: "Like the sifting sands pouring through your fingers back to the ground, clear your mind and let your essence drift back from whence it came."

Doubtful but desperate, Princess closed his eyes and tried blocking out the island and its beach and sands and pictured himself back in his room, in the comfort of his bed.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening, just a slight knot building in his groin, but Princess focused his attention completely on that sensation and centered his thoughts on building the same energy he had felt before, but try as he might, without the aid of the twins dueling phallus's, his will alone felt insufficient to the task. That is, until he felt the warm tingle on his neck where Paul's mating mark was.

Princess shifted his focus, centering it wholly there and finding a slender golden ethereal thread that projected into the deepest recesses of his consciousness.

Almost instantly, it acted as a tether that spanned this plain of existence with the physical realm he was born to.

With his mental hands, Princess reached out and clutched it like a rope, thinking to haul himself from where he was now, back to where Paul and the twins were. But the moment his mind joined with the link, his head nearly exploded with the deafening howls of his mate calling out to him.

Instantly, a bluish swirling pond split the void and drew him back along the golden tether as his own mind called out to Paul's, seeking to calm his raging, bestial thoughts.

One word rang crystal clear back to him, suffused with concern, relief, and unbridled passion: "Mate!?"

Even before it had completely registered that he was back in his room, he felt Paul's powerful arms surround him, squeezing him tightly, engulfing him completely, in a way he had never thought himself capable of before.

In that moment, measured only by the span of a few heartbeats, Princess felt the flood of his mates bond wash over him, filling him with a sense of such completeness, he wondered how he had ever existed without it, and through their mating bond, he poured the contents of his heart and soul, in equal measure, back to the man he would now and forever call his mate.

He didn't know how many minutes had passed, as he yet clung to Paul's embrace and the comforting warmth of his body against his own, but he gradually sensed the presence of the two large figures hanging back beyond the threshold of his bedroom doorway, silently standing vigil, their faces lit up with golden-eyed contentment and mirthful, almost juvenile smiles at the sight of the duo clinging to each other.

Paul broke the silence first as he pulled away slightly, staring into the sea of Princess's bright blue eyes: "What happened to you, one moment you were here, in my arms receiving my mating mark, and the next..." Paul's arms shot up in a dramatic arcing circle before returning to embrace him: "An poof, just like that, you were gone, vanished into thin air."

Princess smiled slightly, burying his face in Paul's bare chest and deeply breathing in his deep musky scent: "Maybe we should go downstairs and make a pot of coffee, this is going to take some explaining."

* * * * *

"Just keep it cool, keep it casual," Jason Griffen thought to himself as he pulled down the side road that lead directly to Jake and JD's new home.

It was Saturday, and normally Jason would be knee-deep in the mounting bureaucracy and endless meetings that resulted from all the momentous changes they had been implementing back at the compound.

Not that it really bothered him, it was all part and parcel of his, Billy's, and Princess's overall plan.

Of course, what they were attempting came at a personal cost and his was the ceaseless parade of paperwork involved in the smooth operation of running any growing organization. And that's exactly what they had become, at least on paper anyway.

At least it wasn't like he was alone in all this. He had Max's expertise and Brock's endless talent for juggling and multitasking multiple things and situations at one time, at his beck and call.

Of course, there was also his beta Atticus, whose boundless energy and devotion to both him, his Pack, and their cause, made even the most mundane and repetitious of daily drudgery, tolerable.

Even now, with everything that was going on back at the compound, Atticus had been the very first to push him into taking this evening off for himself. If anyone understood what this evening meant to him, it was his beta.

Even before he left, Atticus had already taken charge of arranging transportation and accommodations for Barin and Chuck Myer's return to Kansas, to negotiate the Hatcher kid's visit to the compound.

Chuck was familiar with his family and felt that he was certain that wouldn't be an issue. The real problem was going to be getting James Hatcher himself to agree, though Chuck had ideas about that too.

Jason had been spared the details, not being sure he actually wanted to know considering the way Matt and Blake had described him.

Jason's other concern was Danal, who, over the course of the last few weeks, since Hadrian departed, had grown more and more withdrawn, and at times downright contentious with all the changes undergoing; constantly questioning and urging them to slow their pace.

Carl had shone some illumination on Danal's concerns, stating that his old mentor feared that word of what they were doing, void clarity of why they were doing it, could be taken or seen in the wrong way and could draw undue attention from those that might see it as a threat, either to their own territories or their authority.

His decision to reveal that he could fully shift had shaken things up quite a bit, and had given many pause in what to make of it, but Danal warned, that caution wouldn't last long and after the initial buzz spread around from pack to pack, he feared other alphas might consider his mere existence a challenge and the fact he was building a large pack, like in the of days of old, could cause a backlash they could not easily afford and might have avoided or lessened if they were taking a more measured, timely approach.

But he, Billy, and Princess, forewarned by the goddess Aphrodite that their time was short, had made the choice to proceed like each day was their last chance to prepare for an uncertain future.

Max's meeting with his Pentagon contact had affirmed their fears that something was going down with the various packs in Europe. That someone or a group of someones was pulling the strings over there but had as yet shown their true face. One thing was for sure however, who or whoever saw Billy Donnelly as a threat and come hell or high water, with or without Danal, the Council or anyone else support or approval, they were determined that what happened the night of Billy's Heritage ceremony would never be repeated again. Surprise, chance, and a good deal of luck had seen them victorious that night, but truth be told, had they been properly prepared, it would have never happened in the first place.

Even now, they were working on a plan that would send a clear message, that any future incursions would meet with an equal response.

But tonight, those thoughts were being set aside. Tonight was about building and repairing bridges, and as Jason pulled into JD and Jake's driveway, he was determined to leave the outside world behind and allow himself to relax and see where the evening and fate, might take him.

* * * * *

JD had just removed the three steaks from the fridge and was about to take them out to Jake, who was out on the back porch checking the potatoes and corn they had started earlier on the grill when he caught sight of Jason's black SUV pull into their driveway.

A twinge of nervous excitement mixed with a smidgen of trepidation, temporarily caused a slight elevation in his respiration as he hurriedly scuttled across the kitchen and out the back door to drop the steaks off to his husband: "Jason's here." he noted, trying to sound a little more casual about it than he actually felt.

A simple smile cracked Jake's face, followed by a not-so-innocent wink: "Best not keep him waiting then..." Jake took the tray containing the steaks from JD's hands and skewered one before plopping it on the hot grill surface: "We wouldn't want our Alpha to think we're being inhospitable now would we?"

Jake's persistent inclusion of him in Jason's pack was just one of the many endearing qualities JD loved about him, though, from JD's perspective, nothing had ever been mentioned, let alone affirmed about his status as being someone married to a pack member.

Jake had dismissed his doubts when he pointed out what Brock and Atticus had gone through just so Brock, a human, could be considered eligible to read the Codex, but Jake had countered that not only was JD born of the Heritage, that marriage itself conferred, at least in part, a role within the pack hierarchy, citing his own mother as well as Baxter's as proof, stating that they fell under pack protection as something that he referred to as an omega.

JD had looked the word up later online, noting that such a status did at least exist in wolf packs, but also noting that an omega classification was considered the lowest of all within a pack; usually consisting of the sick, the weak, and infirm or elderly.

At the time, when he read that, it had angered him slightly, since none of those things either described him or the women JD knew who had married someone of the Heritage. Arliss's mom sprang to mind. There was nothing weak or infirm about that woman. Everyone that had the occasion to help gather or transport goods from the Gundarson farm could attest to that women's fortitude. Like her son and husband, the woman was a workhorse, as well as one hell of a pie maker, one of which sat on the counter and would serve as their dessert after dinner, which he procured by way of payment for helping Gavin and Arliss the day before, at the farm, after school, while Mrs. Gundarson babysat Jakson.

JD barely made it to the front door and opened it before Jason rose a hand to knock on it.

It was awkward at first, seeing him framed there in their doorway, dressed casually, but still managing to look stylishly handsome. The stonewashed denim jeans and the dark maroon button-up long-sleeve shirt fitting him perfectly and showcasing his broad muscular shoulders were a perfect look for him.

"You cut your hair," JD noted nervously, for lack of something better to say that wouldn't sound as out of place as the sudden heat building in his groin as the sight of him did.

'Yeah..." Jason answered demurely, a blush flushing his cheeks as he combed his fingers through his hair: "It was getting a little to bushy to manage properly" he concluded, cautiously taking a furtive glance into JD's eyes, as if trying to gauge whether the new look met with his satisfaction.

It did. Though you'd never know that judging by his typical JD response.

"Get your ass in here..." JD retorted, stepping aside and clearing the way for Jason to do just that: "Ain't nobody here got the energy to massage that massive ego, at least not until we get some chow down our necks first."

Jason's eyes lit up with merriment as he chuckled deeply, extending his arm as he did so: "Lead the way." He suggested as JD just rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance, before pivoting and leading Jason out to the back deck, where he and Jake had already set their patio table up for their outdoor dining pleasure.

Jake had prepared a bevy of the usual cook-out cuisine... pasta salad, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and of course the obligatory southern-style baked beans as well as the freshly grilled steaks cooked medium rare, and just now being pulled from the grill.

"What, no sweet tea?" Jason teased, as he sat down where JD indicated and plucked his paper napkin up, and unfolded it in his lap.

Jake reached over to a small cooler by the table and plucked out three ice-chilled beers and tossed one in Jason's direction: "Compliments of Uncle Carl."

It still befuddled Jason, that someone like Jake and many others that served their country and could be called upon at any minute to give up their lives in service to that country, at the delicate age of almost twenty, was still considered too young to buy a beer.

Jason popped the top and raised his can to the others, who did likewise: "To Uncle Carl and all the men like him, who see us for who we are, not what others would pretend us to be."

They all clicked their cans together and took a deep swig, before settling into their meal and a quiet late afternoon, early evening of stress-free fraternal camaraderie and familiar friendly banter.

Later, as a slightly cool, autumn chill compelled them indoors, and all the mess from their evening meal had been addressed and squared away, they gathered around on the floor between the sofa and the fireplace in the living room.

JD sat, casually leaning against Jake, as Jason sat directly across from them, just a couple of feet away.

Cradled in his right arm, Jake held Jakson as he finished bottle-feeding him his last meal of the evening before putting him down for the evening.

As they talked, JD couldn't help but notice the side-eye glances Jason frequently shot Jakson's way, when it suddenly dawned on him...

"Would you like to hold him?"JD asked, turning slightly to scoop Jakson from Jake's arms, before scooting over to Jason and carefully placing the gurgling infant in his arms.

Normally, with someone new, JD would automatically instruct them on how to correctly hold a baby that size, but Jason's left hand gently scooped the back of Jakson's head and neck as the rest of his arm formed a natural support for his tiny body.

To JD, it appeared as if Jason did so out of pure instinct and it gave him pause to consider if that might be a natural impulse any Alpha might have; that innate need to protect and provide.

Jakson, for his part, had stopped gurgling and blowing mucous bubbles, to stare directly up into Jason's eyes. It almost looked like he was studying him; determining whether this was someone he could trust or not.

"How's if feel to hold the youngest member of your pack Alpha?" Jake asked, his eyes beaming with pride at the sight of his and JD's son swaddled in the protective arms of his Alpha.

It was at that moment Jakson made a sound they hadn't yet heard before. It was lower in register to his usual cooing or blubbering, but could almost be construed as a build-up to a good cry, yet the intense way he started up at Jason, didn't convey he felt any distress. To JD, it looked almost like he was trying to communicate something to Jason.

Just to be sure, JD offered to take him back, but Jason just smiled and held his hand up to wave him off, a huge smile subsuming his face: "It's okay, he's just letting me know he's an alpha too."

That wasn't news to either Jake or JD. JD's dad, Max, had told them, the first day he held him, that their son was an Alpha. What surprised them, was that they had never mentioned that to Jason or anyone else for that matter.

It was in that familial moment, as JD watched Jason and Jakson make faces back and forth at each other, that watching them do so, coupled with the way the light outlined Jason from behind, in the dimly lit room, that a sudden flush of arousal washed over him.

JD knew it for what it was, he had experienced it multiple times while watching his husband Jake and their son interact playfully.

All that strength, barely contained beneath the surface of their skin, coupled with the gentle, playful demeanor and manner in which they interacted with his nearly helpless child, was a huge turn-on for JD, indicated by the sudden flush of his cheeks and the growing heat in his loins.

Jake had once told him when something similar to this moment transpired between them, that he found the scent of JD's arousal during such times, an aphrodisiac he could hardly resist.

That unbidden thought no sooner ran through his head, when he suddenly realized that it was just as likely that both Jake and Jason could now sense his current physical state.

Something that Jason seemed to confirm a second later when he looked up at him with the same longing he had in his eyes that night back in his room when his mom had come with him for dinner.

That night had also been the last time they had any kind of real intimacy.

JD broke eye contact with Jason and looked back over his shoulder at his husband, who just smiled warmly back at him, before swooping in to take Jakson back from Jason: "It's well past this little one's bedtime."

Jake rose with Jakson in his arms and skirted his way around the couch, before slowly padding his way back to Jakson's nursery, leaving JD and Jason to stare after them as an awkward silence fell between them.

JD was about to say something, if for no other reason than to break the pall that had fallen over the room, but Jason abruptly stood up, his gaze uncomfortably avoiding his own: "I guess I should probably be heading out, it's getting late."

The hesitant stammer in his voice, though barely detectable, was a clear indication to JD that Jason was just trying to stave off either of them from doing or saying something that might spoil what had, up until that moment, been a pleasant evening.

It was a welcome change of pace from where they had been for the last couple of months, and it was clear Jason didn't want to jeopardize what ground he had gained this night.

JD was searching for just the right words that would make Jason reconsider when he felt Jake reenter the room: "Sorry Alpha, no can do, you've had at least three or four beers tonight and we can't have you getting behind the wheel of a car and just driving off."

Jason just harrumphed and rolled his eyes dismissively: "I think I know my limit Jake, besides, my mom's house ain't that far away and I promise not to try and drive back to the compound tonight if that will ease your conscious."

In answer, Jake just held out his hand: "Like I said Alpha, not happening. Hand 'em over!"

For a moment, the pair just stared at each other, as if gauging each other's resolve, when Jason, with a shrug of his shoulders, reached into his jeans pocket and gingerly pulled out and laid his car keys in the palm of Jake's hand.

"Have it your way Gamma, you are the Pack Enforcer and what kind of Alpha would I be if I didn't at least try and set a good example."Jason posited, a look of amused acceptance supplanting his facial expressions.

Having resolved to follow his Gamma's instruction, Jason looked around and eyed the couch, and moved cautiously, as if to stake his claim.

"Why don't I see if I can clear some stuff out of the spare bedroom so you don't break your back on that old lumpy couch?" JD offered helpfully, thinking he was just following his husband's cue.

As he crossed the room to make his way around Jake to head down the hallway that led to the spare room, Jake reached out and grabbed his arm with his free hand, halting him in his tracks.

"We could do that..." Jake said, as he casually tossed Jason's car keys in his hand a couple of times before turning his head sideways to lock gazes with JD.

Jake winked cockily, a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth and a mischievous look in his deep, golden amber-colored eyes: "Or maybe..."Jake said suggestively, imparting a quick glance in Jason's way: "Maybe our Alpha would be more comfortable sharing our new king-sized bed and making this evening even more memorable than it already has?"

Jake's open-ended invitation sounded like more than a suggestion, but when he threw his arm around JD, completely ignoring the surprised look of astonishment on his face, and steered him toward their room herding him toward it, there was little doubt, in either his or Jason's mind, he wasn't settling for anything less than complete compliance.

JD leaned in and quietly whispered into Jake's ear: "You never cease to amaze me, Mr. Donnelly."

Jake didn't even skip a beat in his response, squeezing JD's shoulder playfully: "You ain't seen nuthin' yet Mr. Bauers...not by a long shot!"

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Updates and Announcements: February 26, 2023

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Devil Dawg Donnelly's: Revelations

Updates and Announcements: February 26, 2023

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