by Chris Savage
“Kidnapping is the perfect way to ensure that I’m safe,” was Casper’s reply, without looking up or changing his position.
William stepped in at this point. He looked at the wolf and felt his pain, anger, and disgust from where he stood. Casper felt William’s presence in a way he could not explain to his own self. He was indeed an alpha. His aura filled the entire room, making it totally impossible not to acknowledge his presence. Casper was forced to look upwards at the alpha.
Their faces met. And that was the most beautiful moment William had ever known. He confirmed Shane’s assertion of the wolf being a special one. He was immediately drawn to him, and wanted more than anything at that point to make him his. He wanted to know him beyond the surface, and assure him that everything was going to be okay, because he wanted everything to be okay for the young wolf. He wanted to protect him from dangers that were yet to come, and pave a harmonious way for them both. He wanted him by his side as they led the pack to become stronger than ever.
“Casper,” he called softly as he moved towards him. Shane was surprised by how soft William sounded. This had to be someone else, he thought to himself.
“What do you all want from me?” Casper asked, looking straight at William.
William instantly got the feeling of the young wolf being an ingrate. He needed him to realize that they had just saved his life.
“What do we want from you? We just saved you, boy! You have no idea the amount of danger you’re in at the moment. We may just be the only ones keeping you alive!”
“Really? Because it seems to me like you all are the ones in danger, and you’re trying to use me for something I don’t know yet. You’re not keeping me alive, I’ve been alive before you all swept into my life without notice!”
William felt his authority challenged. His face turned red as he looked at the wolf whom he’d just admired.
“You will do as told! And what you’re being told right now is to stay put!”
Instinctively, Casper half-shifted, and made his way straight for the exit to the room. Shane tried to stop him, but William held Shane back.
“Leave him,” he said to the older man. “He needs a bit of freedom.”
Chapter 6
“What now, William?” Shane’s expression was somewhat crestfallen, which was perfectly warranted, considering the work he had done in getting the wolf to the pack. But William was not in the mood to pacify Shane to any extent, as his mind was occupied with exerting his dominance as the alpha on the new member of the pack, and, as it had dawned on him, making him his mate. He shot a glance at Shane and looked away immediately, almost as if he was irritated by the question.
“William—”
“What Shane?! What?” he yelled at the older man, still not looking towards him. His thoughts were disrupted enough by the fact that the new wolf wanted nothing to do with him nor his pack, much less being his mate. He could not stand Shane asking him for directions on the next thing to do.
“I’m asking what to do, William, we can’t just sit here and let him wander around! He might just leave!” Shane’s concern was primarily because he knew what the consequences would be if the wolf decided to finally leave the pack. William would be furious again, and they would be back to where they all started, the only difference being that the wolf already knew of his identity, which would make bringing him back difficult. Shane was not ready to face William’s anger, nor was he ready to go through the ordeal of bringing him back to meet William, either peacefully or coerced.
“You can stop asking now, Shane, I’m thinking. You’d know what to do when I’m ready,” William said, establishing the fact that he could care less about Shane’s feelings.
“The wolf is not exactly waiting for you to be done thinking, William! Whatever you need to do, I suggest you do it now!” Shane was beginning to lose his patience. However, he knew fully well that William was not in his rational state of mind, so he was wise to tread carefully. He knew that the lack of rationality was a conscious decision by William, and that it was best for the success of the impending search not to give the alpha any leadership lessons at that moment.
William, on the other hand, did not turn towards the older wolf as he calmly said, “Find him, Shane. Bring him back to me.”
Shane silently left the room to retrieve Casper, with the hope of convincing him on his own before he brought him back to William. He knew that allowing William to handle the talking would most likely lead to more harm than good. For that reason he strode towards the Naltice Cabin to fetch Mark, to inject a bit of reasonability into the situation. He trusted Mark to act in such a capacity, which was one of the main reasons why he was always glad to have him as his mate. Mark was the one who could calm the raging beast in any living being, and had, in a number of occasions, tamed Shane with his unparalleled calm words.
“Where is he?” Mark asked Shane after he was briefed about the situation. “Did he leave for good?”
“Nah, don’t think so,” Shane replied. “With the way he left, he just wanted to be left alone for now, I guess. He is a smart one, that boy. He knows it’s better for him to stay. More than any other feeling, he is confused. He is confused about his identity, among other things.”
“You think he’ll stick with us?” Mark asked, trying to figure out the current state of mind of the young wolf, in order to measure how to convince the wolf upon contact.
“I don’t quite know, Mark. He knows nothing about sides at the moment. He might as well be considering staying with us for a while, as he figures out unknown things about his true nature, or his past.”
“Yeah, but you know, it’s up to us to convince him of how much of the ‘right side’ we’re on,” Mark said, trying to view things from the perspective of the lost wolf. He knew that it was well within his abilities to convince him to stay put for a while, but that would most likely not last as long as he wanted it to.
“Yeah, that’s all up to William, you know. There’s little we can do in that regard.” Shane understood where Mark was coming from, and wanted to agree with him about how the pack needed to convince him to stay. But at the same time he knew that William’s input into the whole equation was what mattered the most when it came to giving an impression on behalf of the pack.
“I think we should go get him now, we can’t have him feeling lost again. Let’s not complicate the issue any further,” Shane continued.
They both set out to the environs of the cabin and surrounding buildings, all within the territory of the Naltice Pack. Mark caught scent of the young wolf as he stepped into the area right ahead of William’s home.
“Casper!” he called out. He decided to try conversing with him from a distance, knowing that Casper could hear him.
“I know you must be pretty confused at the moment. Hell, you’re probably confused about how clearly you can hear me right now, considering the distance between us.”
Mark knew that starting from the point where Casper was confused was the best idea. His strategy was to create an atmosphere of familiarity between himself and Casper to draw him out.
“I spoke to you in the woods last night, Casper!” he continued, “I’m sure you can remember very clearly by just hearing my voice. You can probably smell me from the position you are in right now as well, but believe me, none of us in this entire region of the woods is different from you. No single one of us did not go through what you are going through at the moment.
“You know, Casper, it’s different in your case. The amount of control you have shown over your heightened strength, emotions, hearing, sight, and even your sense of smell, is nothing I have ever seen in any new wolf, ever. And believe me, I have been around for a very long time.
“This means that you have very little to do in terms of harnessing your powers and controlling your senses so they don’t overwhelm you. Every wolf I have ever seen could never stay still for one second in the first week of their first turning. You are a miracle, Casper. Everyone
here is amazed by you, and that’s why we all want to help you. Let us help you, Casper, we want to. You’re one of us. We have to,” Mark concluded, and noticed the heartbeat of the young wolf slow down as he listened closely for more reactions. His part was done.
Shane stared in absolute awe at Mark as he spoke and finished. It was as though he was meeting and hearing him speak for the first time. He fell in love with him all over again that very second. He thanked his stars for making Mark his mate years before that day.
Casper walked out from behind the building in the windy evening and towards both Shane and Mark. He had been partly convinced by Mark’s soothing words, enough for him to walk out and demand some answers in person. Both men watched Casper walk out and at that moment, Shane felt the proudest he’d ever felt of Mark.
“You both need to tell me everything,” Casper demanded as he approached them.
“Casper,” Shane said to him with a worried face. “Our duty is to bring you back to the cabin alive and safe. William is the alpha, he will answer every question you have.”
“I’d rather hear them from the both of you,” Casper protested.
“It… does not quite work that way, Casper. We do what he says. But not to worry, he has your best interests at heart, believe me,” Mark replied him. They both knew William was not going to be happy about them answering Casper’s questions, particularly questions about his past. They could not answer questions about his true nature without his past creeping in, so they decided to let it all rest and let William handle that aspect, just as he’d demanded.
The holding room was so silent that it disturbed William’s wolf hearing, although it was mostly because he was not in his right mind. He had not moved an inch from when the missing wolf ran out on him. He had not recovered from how love struck he was upon setting his eyes on Casper. He was further saddened by the wolf’s refusal to cooperate with him. He was particularly unsettled at the fact that he did not trust himself to handle the situation as well as he wanted to. A flood of thoughts ran through his mind, as he thought about the future of the pack with Casper now in the picture. He thought about Damion and his intention to wipe out all other surrounding packs and establish his dominance.
“William,” Shane called from outside the room. William still refused to move or look towards him.
“Do you have him?” he calmly asked, not looking towards Shane.
“Yes, William, we do. He’s on his way with Mark.”
“Good. Bring him in and give us the room, please.”
Shane left the room, realizing that William was in one of those moments where he did not need his advice or guidance. He walked out to meet Mark and Casper on their way to the room.
“How’s his mood?” Mark asked as Shane approached him.
“The one we don’t like to see. The uncertain one.” Shane personally preferred moments where William acted irrationally, or when he was overcome by his anger, to those ones where he could not ascertain what exactly the alpha was thinking, or planning. It was more difficult to guide him that way.
Mark looked at Casper and gave him a nod, assuring him that everything would be fine, as they both approached the room.
“Thank you, Mark,” William said, and gestured to Mark to leave the room and give them both some time to talk. Mark stepped outside and went towards Shane, holding his hands tightly, as they both hoped that the best would come of the meeting, especially for Casper, who had trusted them completely.
“What were you thinking?!” William yelled at Casper. He had decided to exert authority over the new wolf once again.
“You are in danger! We’re trying to help you here! To save you! Why is that not right by you?” William was desperate to make him understand that he needed to stay put for him to be safe. He explained to him that he wanted the best for him, and that in fact he was personally going to see to his safety, as he was romantically interested in him and wanted to make him his mate.
“You make it sound like I have no choice in this. I do have a choice, right?” Casper asked the alpha.
“If you had a choice, would you reject me, Casper?” William asked, curious.
“I do not know enough about who I am, a vital part of my past, and I’m confused out of my mind here! Perhaps you want to talk about those issues before making me your mate! What kind of leader fails to see that?” He was beginning to lose his temper already. This totally went against how Mark made it seem like it would play out.
William was beginning to get furious at the oblivious wolf before him. He felt Casper was not giving him a chance to explain how important it was for an alpha to get a mate which he selected from his pack, and how he was promised to be the alpha’s mate by his parents before they were killed by Damion. All this was unknown to him.
“Casper—”
“No! I’ve had enough of all these games, okay?! I want to know everything! Everything! Before we talk about you having me as anything! You’re hiding something, I can sense it! So be honest!” Casper interrupted him.
“Mark!” William bellowed, unable to stand it anymore. Mark appeared in the room at once.
“Watch him!” he ordered, as he stormed out in anger this time.
Chapter 7
The moment spent with William brought some things to light for Casper. He realized that the pack was something that mattered to William, and that he would do almost anything to keep it together, including kidnap a novice wolf, apparently. He also realized that despite William’s harsh and emotionless methods, Shane and Mark seemed to be completely on his side. What he failed to decide was whether they did it out of loyalty born out of fear or genuine belief in his leadership. He thought to himself, that no matter how pure the intentions of William may have been, he had no right to keep him out of the loop while he asked him to marry him.
He sat in a corner of the holding room with Mark outside at the entrance.
“Some food will be brought in!” Mark said from outside. For a second Casper was a bit thrown off at how Mark knew about his hunger the exact moment he thought of it. He wondered if wolves could read minds too.
Mark gave a little laugh from outside and said, “Don’t panic, I heard your stomach rumble. That’s how I knew.”
Casper smiled at his own stupidity. If they could read minds then William would have spoken to him without waiting for his replies. He looked at the door and tried listening to Mark’s heartbeat from inside. He felt fulfilled as he heard the beat by the second, crystal clear.
“Good one,” Mark said again, from outside the door.
At this point Casper was confused out of his mind. The door was closed and Mark was outside. How did he know what he was doing?
“I could hear you listen, Casper,” Mark said again with a similar laugh.
Casper was intrigued by two things: the fact that Mark noticed his surprise from outside the door, and the fact that he could hear him listen to his heartbeat.
“Okay you’ve got to tell me something, is there a camera in here?”
“No, Casper,” Mark said from outside again. He seemed to be having fun with the clueless wolf.
“Then how? How’re you doing all that?”
Mark opened the door and stepped in. “Okay, Casper, consider this a first informal lesson. I heard your stomach rumble the first time, then I told you about the coming food. Immediately, you were shocked at how I knew you were hungry, and as you silently expressed the shock, your heart skipped immediately, very silently, similar to the way you gasped silently. I heard that. I heard one vein twitch as soon as you were shocked at my accuracy, and that was how I knew when to answer your curious question. The same thing happened the second time when I told you I could hear you listening.”
“Wow,” was all Casper could say. He was intrigued at what Mark had told him. From that moment on, he resolved to try his best to fully harness his wolf abilities. The thought of mastering such abilities felt liberating, and he imagined having amplified sense twenty times that of a
normal human. It seemed ironic to him that days ago he was excited about starting an internship at a medical facility, and here he was fantasizing about becoming a wild animal.
Mark continued to make young wolf as comfortable as he could, knowing the importance of keeping him calm. He enjoyed the conversation, and was glad that at least Casper was genuinely interested in talking to him this time.
“So he has always been this way? Emotionally perforated?” Casper asked Mark about William. Their conversation was starting to take a mutual turn by the minute.
Mark gave a gentle chuckle at the question. “He’s not like that all the time. He’s only a bit edgy when it comes to keeping the pack united. And these past days have been particularly rough for all of us here. Keeping the pack together is a priority at the moment—”
“Yeah, yeah, a war is coming. You all have been saying that since you chased me down in the woods. I don’t see warriors preparing for battle, now do I? Whatever William is hiding, at least you should be decent enough to be honest and tell me about it. It’s worse if it concerns me and you all keep it from me. You’re making me stay here partly against my will and asking me to marry your alpha without giving me facts I don’t know about my own self!”
“Casper—”
“No I’m serious, Mark! What is it you all aren’t telling me, apart from looming wars and a wedding ceremony prepared for me in my own absence. Tell me!”
Mark felt pity for the young wolf. He knew that Casper deserved to know the truth from him, and that William had been occupied with showing his authority to Casper, resulting in his failure to address issues that really mattered to Casper, to win him over to their side. He knew that there was a limit to what he could reveal to Casper without incurring the anger of the alpha. But he also knew that the Naltice Pack was based on transparency, and that had been the most noble of William’s qualities. No matter the circumstances, William never hid things from members of his pack, and never waited before revealing issues relating to the pack to other members.