So, he wasn't just a warrior after all. Jett knew there was something different about him from the moment he saw him. Why Sakdah decided to keep him a secret until now was beyond him, though. The alpha was short in size, yes, but it was easy to tell his strength just by how the man stood, and the look in his eyes.
"You two met?" Alpha Sakdah questioned. He was a lot taller than his son. He knew the man to be quite a pain in meetings. He only liked to talk about his pack, and that was only when he needed something. But that was the only time that Jett really saw him. The Reverence Pack kept to themselves, even when they were going to school in the same place as them. The children kept to each other and rarely befriended anyone other than the ones that were in their pack.
"He and his warriors aided me in our attack on the hunters when they came to my territory," Jett explained. He wanted to keep looking at those dark eyes, but they had started to avoid him for some reason. They were soft when he first came in. Now the man looked tense and closed off.
"Him and his warriors?" Sakdah looked suspiciously at his son."Yes," Shiro nodded. "After we saw the hunters in the city, we started the hunt to track the rest of them down. We followed them into the Valor Pack's territory."
"They were in the city?!" Nir asked. "How come we weren't told of this sooner? Do you know how many innocents could have been harmed because of those demons?!"
"I assure you that there was no harm done to any of the citizens," Shiro bowed his head respectively.
"What happened?" Roger asked. "These guys all but skipped over my territory.""I wish I could say the same," Nir grumbled. "They killed five of my warriors."
Jett sighed at that. It was always a sad thing when a warrior was lost. He wished he could have helped more.
"They must have traveled through the city to get to my territory then," Jett said. "Unless they tried to get into your territory in the east, Sakdah?"
"Surprisingly not," Sakdah answered. "My condolences for your warriors, Alpha Nir. I'm sorry for not coming to your aid sooner."
Jett knew that they wouldn't. That was why he hadn't bothered to try and ask, himself. The relationship that everyone had with the Reverence Pack was more of a peace treaty. They wouldn't harm you if you didn't harm them. They liked to stay neutral, and preferred not to help unless it was absolutely necessary.
They weren't always like this. Jett had heard that there was a time when they were much more helpful, but it wasn't a time that he could remember. And he didn't think they would go back to those old ways.
Until he met Shiro, that is. The young man came at the perfect time. If it weren't for him, Jett would probably be trying to recover from silver bullets and fighting for his life in a whole different way than yesterday. If Shiro was going to be the next Alpha, he was excited for his reign.
There was something else about him that Jett just couldn't put a finger on. Those dark brown eyes held something in them that Jett wished he could see. He thought he felt something when they shook hands too. But it went just as fast as it came. He couldn't even process it.
"When did you notice them, Shiro?" Jett asked. The man sat quietly as his father spoke. Jett had already heard Sakdah talk about everything under the moon, though. He'd much rather listen to the smooth voice that could lull him to sleep.
"They were at a supply store that some of our warriors were by," Shiro said. "Once they saw all the guns and smelt silver, they notified me. We used the silver scent to keep track of them."
"And you took care of all the ones in the city?" Roger asked. His bushy eyebrows were raised in shock. "Why didn't you ask for our help? Or tell us that they were there?"
"I'm sorry for not communicating," Shiro said. "We didn't have much time, and we needed to act fast"
"I'm more surprised you were able to handle them all without anyone in the city knowing," Nir shook his head. "You train your warriors well, Sakdah."
"Of course," Sakdah puffed up his chest. "My son's been learning to battle his whole life."
"Oh, I remember," Roger chuckled. His red eyes were shining as he relived a memory. "Munni loved to show off his little grandson. I remember seeing you ride on his wolf as a child. You were much more jovial back then."
"I remember those memories fondly as well, Alpha Roger" Shiro smiled at him. "It's an honor to see you again. As well as you, Alpha Nir. My condolences for your lost warriors. They died an honorable death protecting their pack. May the Spirit of the Moon give them peace for their honor."That was another strange thing with the Reverence Pack. When everyone always called her the Moon Goddess, they referred to her as the Spirit of the Moon. It seemed like a mouthful. But Jett had to say, it sounded much more graceful when Shiro said it than when his father did. It sounded more genuine as well.
"Thanks to you, there weren't anymore casualties," Nir spoke. "I have you and Jett to thank for that."
"There's no need to thank me," Shiro put a hand up to stop him. "We are allies. And it is our duty, all of us, to protect this city. I was simply doing my duty."
It was true. With BlackCreek city being right in the center of all of their territories, they each had a part in protecting it and maintaining peace. Jett was glad that someone was keeping their eyes open in the city that day. Everyone else had been so concerned with the forest, since that was where they were mainly, that they all completely forgot to check on the city.
Jett watched Shiro as he sat through the meeting. Everything the man did was controlled. Each and every movement was done perfectly. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded like pure gold. He spoke so respectively to everyone about the hunters as they all made sure that everything was alright in the land.They all debriefed each other on what had happened the day before. All the hunters were dead and taken care of, Jett made sure of that. He had his warriors bring all the dead bodies to a burial site just so he could count them to be sure just how many were killed on his territory. He apologized to Nir for not saving any for him to seek justice. But Nir was a practical leader. He was glad that they had all met their demise.
They were going to have to raise their defenses for a month or two. There could easily be more coming for revenge. They, of course, liked to call it justice for their fallen friends.
Jett called it an excuse.
He usually hated meetings like this, especially on a Sunday morning. They were long and boring. But he was surprisingly disappointed when the meeting had come to an end. He wanted to hear more from Shiro. The man was fascinating when he spoke. His mannerisms reminded him of royalty, in a way. But it was never enough to make him seem pompous or snobbish. He was very much a humble Alpha.
"We hope to see you again, Shiro," Alpha Nir said. He looked much happier than at the beginning of the meeting. "I look forward to your leadership."
"You'll have to tell us when the ceremony is," Alpha Roger was the next to shake the man's hand. "You raised a fine boy, Sakdah."
"Thank you," the Alpha put a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "We should be going now. There's much work to do."
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Shiro bowed. When he came back up, his eyes fell on Jett's again. There was a split second where he swore they got darker.
"It was a pleasure fighting with you," Jett put his hand out to shake. He wanted to feel his touch again. There was something about the first time that made him curious.
"It was an honor," he ignored his hand this time and bowed again.
That was strange. But Jett wasn't quite used to dealing with the Reverence Pack. It could just be a cultural difference.
Even though he shook the other twos hands...
Jett wouldn't let it get to him. He shook the thoughts out of his head. He was simply happy to see the warrior that he had been able to fight with.
"Hey Shiro!" He yelled down the hall to get his attention. They had already started to walk away. Jett was happy to see the man turn around one more time to look at him.
"Happy Birthday," he told him. It seemed like he took the young man by surprise when he said it.
"Thank you," Shiro smiled. It was the second smile he had seen from him that day that actually reached his eyes. The only other time was the night before when he had thanked him for guarding the cabin for them. Jett liked the shine that those dark eyes had when he smiled like that. It was absolutely breathtaking.
He watched as the two started walking away again. Shiro made for such an interesting alpha. He was smaller than average, and most alphas were bulky so as to intimidate their enemies. But Shiro wasn't that way at all.
He was definitely more of a diplomat than his father. He was so happy that Alpha Sakdah's reign was almost over. That guy was so stuck up. Shiro acted nothing like him.
"I was wondering what happened to that boy," Roger sighed from beside him. They were all outside the building now, watching as the Reverence Pack departed first from the meeting.
"Who was that?" Alex came up to all of them. His human form was different from his wolf form. While his wolf's fur was black, his human half had brown hair. He was a muscular man who loved showing off to all the men he could get his hands on. Jett laughed every time he thought about when his second would eventually find his mate. His previous affairs were sure to cause some issues."Shiro," Jett answered. "The next in line of the Reverence Pack." It was Valors turn to guard the place for the meeting this time, and Jett made sure to bring his best out. He didn't want there to be any problems occurring while they were talking. And he was sure that Nir's warriors would be ordered to guard their territory extremely well after what they had gone through."I thought he looked familiar," Blake came up to them. His blue eyes contrasted with his short dark hair. The delta had been fighting with them after they made sure that the packhouse was secure. "His scent is so faint, though. And an alpha that small?"
"I wouldn't underestimate him," Alpha Nir said. He was awaiting his car. "Munni taught him everything he knew."
Jett remembered Elder Munni. The man was a breath of fresh air when it came to the Reverence Pack. Everyone in the town, and even the other packs knew him. He was always concerned with the community, and helped everyone who needed it. He loved to give advice to everyone who asked as well. And, for someone from that pack, he was surprisingly a jovial man. Jett's fondest memories of him were the times that he helped him train. Even though he was old, he was still a very skilled warrior.
"I heard that he met his wolf at the age of ten," Roger said. "Munni was so proud when he talked about it all those years ago."
"Ten?!" Jett looked at him incredulously. Thirteen was usually the earliest that werewolves could shift. It was more likely to shift later than that age rather than earlier.
"That's what Munni had told me," Roger shrugged. "I could believe it, though. Even as a boy, he was as sharp as a blade."
"You should have seen him fight those hunters," Alex told them. "He caught so many of them by surprise."
"I wonder what happened," Nir pondered out loud. His dark blue eyes were trained on the empty street that the Reverence pack had drove on. It seemed like Jett wasn't the only one who was curious about Shiro. "After Munni passed, he just disappeared. I wasn't sure if I would ever see him again until today."
"He changed a lot," Roger said. "That's for sure. He used to be the happiest child I knew."
Jett stayed silent as he listened to the two old alphas share their stories. The more he learned about this stranger, the more he wished he knew. He was different than anyone he had ever met. It seemed like he had come from another timeline with how he acted towards all of them. Instead of acting like any normal 18-year-old, he acted like he was in a royal family or something. Even for an alpha that wasn't normal.
Those guarded eyes were etched into his mind. The only way he could describe it was cautious. His actions were met with the perfect movement, and his words meant to make a point without disrespecting anyone.
He was like a prince.
A prince that Jett really hoped he would see again soon.
"Modesty. Humility," his grandfather said. "These were the words that shaped how a good leader should act. Not just in how they dressed, but through what they said as well. And a leader that is not humble can never truly understand what their people are going through. You cannot change this pack for the better if you do not understand the issues that the people are going through.""But what about bravery and respect?" Shiro asked. He loved these lessons, but sometimes they didn't make sense."Those are important traits to have, Shiro," his grandfather smiled at him. The wrinkles made his smile spread over his whole face. "But you must remember that it takes bravery to be humble. Modesty is a sign of respect."Shiro wished that he didn't remember so vividly sometimes. Being able to remember someone who he could not see any longer gave him a pain that had not dulled since he was thirteen.But he had to remember. For memories of a person was what kept them alive. And his grandfather woul
"Why do I have to go with you?" Alex whined. His face was smushed against his fist as he rested it on the armrest in his car."Because I need someone to keep me sane while I wait for him," Jett said. His best friend provided some much needed comedy for the day. Jett had been up to his elbows in work as the pack raised its defense around their territory. So far there was no sign of any of the hunters' friends. So, either they wiped out an entire town of them, like he had thought before, or their friends were just waiting for the right time to strike.It had been two days since they came. Jett wasn't going to put his guard down that easily. He knew plenty well just what the Noble Pack had to go through. They were actually planning funeral services for their warriors next week. Nir had invited him personally to it."I hate driving up here," Alex said. For a big muscly dude, he loved to pout. It looked hilarious on him. Like a giant lap dog upset that he couldn't go outside and play."It'
"Why was he following us?" Geo mind linked with him."I'll explain later," he told his beta. He didn't know the full reason why he had been tailing him so far away from their territory. He just had a hunch that he'd rather not focus on at the moment.All it would take is one slip of the mind and he could catch onto their bond. Shiro couldn't have that. That would only cause more problems. Problems that could potentially ruin his future. While the Spirit of the Moon might be mad at him for going against nature at the moment, he could take her punishments for it. It wouldn't be for too much longer.And he had been training his whole life for this.He was glad that Geo didn't try to press him. He must have known that something had happened yesterday. Shiro would thank him for his patience later. Right now, they brought his car back to the pack house. They never took his car where they were going."This place is always so beautiful," Tammy looked out the car window at their home. "I wish
"That's not possible," Jett told his sister."To be mated to another Alpha?" Bree laughed. "Trust me, Jett, it's very possible. It just means that he'll have to be brought to our pack, since you're the leader of Valor. That definitely makes you the strongest.""Oh fuck!" he started pacing again. "I didn't even think about that!""Why is this an 'oh fuck' moment?" Bree was still laughing. She had no idea just how much of a problem this was.Jett had waited six years for his mate, hoping that he could find the one that he could spend the rest of his life with. They could grow old together, and help teach one of Bree's sons how to lead when they wanted to retire. She had two at the moment, and they were really tiny, but they were the next in line to take his place when they got old enough."Because he's not just an alpha, Bree," he started pacing more."Jett, you're so dramatic sometimes," his sister tried to suppress her giggles. "Will you just tell me who it is already? I'd like to mee
"Strength is all in the mind," his grandfather told him. "It doesn't matter how you look at the end of the day, or who you are. Strength comes from within.""How will I know that I am strong then?" he asked him. His grandfather was so much taller than him. He never felt like he was growing at all with his grandfather standing next to him."You will know you are strong when you must use that strength," he said. "And it is only then that you will be able to realize just how much of that strength you have.""Shiro, are you even listening to me?!" Tammy snapped him out of his thoughts. They were at lunch at the time."You were talking about how worried you were about your finals tomorrow," Shiro said. He had been distracted quite a lot lately. But he would not let his mind grow stagnant like it wanted to. He had to stay sharp."No, Shiro," Tammy pointed at him. "I'm worried about you and your tests tomorrow.""It would be best that you worry about yourself, Tammy," Shiro shook his head. "
"Shiro!" Geo's voice came in his head. He sounded alarmed. "Where are you? I can't find you anywhere!""Something came up," he told him, still running for home. "Grab my back pack from the bench by the forest. It has my keys in it.""What happened?""I'll tell you after school," he said. "I'm heading home early for the day."He broke of communications with him after that. His mind was too shocked at what had just happened. And the pain from leaving his mate like that was rippling through him. He used it to fuel himself to run faster.It wasn't until he got onto their territory that he noticed a familiar scent. If it were any other circumstance, he would be happy to find her here. At the moment, though, all he wished was to hide in the deepest hole that he could make.She still found him, though. Hiroko was always good at knowing when something was wrong. She ran right next to him, not saying a word to him. He knew that she could smell the scent that Jett had left all over him. He knew
Oh, how he wanted to punch something.No, not something. He wanted to punch himself."Why are you back up here again?" Bree asked. "What happened?""I'm a fucking idiot," he paced on the roof again. "That's what happened.""What happened?" Alex climbed up there with them. "Did his girlfriend come over?"It looked like Blake was climbing up as well. Great. He might as well just have a damn party on the roof at this point!"No," he rubbed his face, his body moving faster than before as he walked back and forth along the peak of the roof."What did I miss?" Blake asked."Jett found his mate," Alex said. "Long story short; it's Shiro, he was supposed to talk to him today about it; and now it seems he's fucked up.""Wait," Blake looked shocked. "No one told me that he found his mate! When was this?!""Why are you all up here?!" Jett snapped at them all. He was already losing his mind, and all of his friends were too busy celebrating the mate that had just ran from him."I mean," Blake poin
"Okay," Bree said. "The last people we need to ask is Manny and his wife.""Can we please just figure this out already?" Jett hit his head against the dash of the car. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with all of this. He just wanted to call the number and get it over with already."I mean," Blake said from the back seat. "We already know they're going to want to go. Both of them love parties!""We need to know for sure," Bree argued. "This is the first party we've ever gotten invited to from the Reverence Pack, and I'm not going to mess this up!""Oh, come on, Bree," Alex rolled his eyes. "You know Jett was the only one invited. They're just trying to be polite and tell him that he could bring us along.""Can't we just give them a rough estimate and leave it at that?" Jett asked."You are so cute when you pout," Bree ruffled his hair. It reminded him of when they were both just siblings rather than leaders. "Look Jett, I know you so desperately want to talk to him again, but t
"Why is it so cold in here?" Shiro shivered, sinking into the covers more."Because that's the only way that you'll let me hold you," Jett chuckled, pulling him closer. They had been practically living in that bed the whole week. Shiro wasn't used to laying around all day. It made him restless, which made him not being able to leave the apartment all the more frustrating.Jett did keep good company, though. He always seemed to know when something was wrong, or when he was upset. They had talked a lot that week they had been together. It was mainly about things like their past and their family and friends."I'm too used to having a whole bed to myself," Shiro huffed, giving in to the man who was holding him tightly. "I like to sprawl.""Then sprawl on me," Jett pet his hair. He loved when he did it. It was a relaxing feeling. "I don't mind.""It's not the same," he complained grumpily."You're really cute when you act grumpy like this," Jett laughed."No, I'm not," he frowned. He hated
Sleeping was so nice. He never had to deal with his father yelling at him when he was asleep, or all the worries that he had about Shiro as well as the rest of the pack problems. He didn't have to deal with hiding himself from everyone. He could simply be himself in the black pitch void that was his slumber. Sometime, when he was angry and couldn't find a way to get it to go away, he'd just sleep. Was he really getting rid of the problem? No. It would still be in the back of his head. But that was how life was. That was how his life was at least. Sleeping was just a better alternative to punching someone in the face.Having a completely soundproof room, with curtains that could block out the sun as well as the heat, he could sleep for days in that room of his. It was his cave and his safe place. And he needed it the most right then.How on earth did Shiro contain the symptoms of the curse? He was only half way through the month and it was already eating him up. He supposed it was karm
He woke up calmly. It didn't feel like he needed to do anything. He was merely hungry. That was always a good reason to wake up. But his body didn't want to get up. It wanted to stay in the comfort of the bed he was in. If it weren't for his stomach screaming at him, he may have laid their a little longer. He enjoyed the snug feeling that it gave him. It was as if he had gotten tucked in. Hiroko used to do that for a while, after his grandfather passed away. The small action helped sooth him in many ways.When he finally opened his eyes, he slowly began to take in his surroundings. He was in Hiroko's apartment. The one that she had always used whenever her cycle for the curse came. She had prepared it for him before her departure. She would help with the Luna duties until the day before Shiro was supposed to come back, as she had another trip that father wished for her to go on. But her apartment was stocked with everything that one would need when they underwent something like this.
He couldn't believe this. Jett hadn't even known that this was a way in which you could bypass this stupid curse. It raised more questions on top of the ones thjey already had. How many people did this? How did they figure this out? Why on earth was this pack trying to bypass this curse?Well, historically, every pack had tried to find a workaround to it when they first got it. They had worked with witches, demons, just about every magical being. Nothing worked. If anything, it made things worse for a while. This trick must have been something that only the Reverence Pack figured out. But he couldn't imagine mates letting the other go through so much pain alone. Just the thought of it made him hurt."Don't do anything stupid, Jett," Alex told him. "This could be life threatening.""I'm aware," he told his second. Alex always got worried about him when he got in this mood. "I just need to find him.""You want me to try and get the warriors to help?""No," Jett parked the car on the sid
"And you guys didn't find anything?" Alex asked over the phone. He was talking to the member of the Dynamic pack that had been assigned this case."They had all but disappeared the past three days," he said. "And the night that you were talking about was so dark, we couldn't catch a whiff of anything."Alex sighed. For the past four days they had been doing nothing but trying to find clues about what was going on in that pack. The first day of Summer had come and gone as if nothing was happening. But there had to be something going on.Because why would they all have disappeared from the city? Why would Shiro's ceremony get canceled? And the fact that Geo wasn't texting him as much was only putting him more on edge about the situation. He didn't like this one bit.And here he thought that he would only have to wait two weeks. Alex huffed a laugh. He was never lucky when it came to a mate, he shouldn't have been surprised. It just hurt that Geo wasn't even talking to him. And he was on
He was on cloud nine. Even with all the work that he did in his office, the kind that would bore him to tears but always needed to get done anyway, he could close his eyes and still be right back in that part of the forest.That laughter. It was addicting. He had never heard something so purely joyful in his entire life. The man was amazing like that. It had taken him a little to get the real him out of the serious man that he had been, but once he did, he could tell why so many people still remembered him to this day. Even the way that he talked changed. Instead of always being respectful, or speaking like he was a royal prince, he talked like he was actually from this time and not the 1800s or something.He also couldn't get over how easily he disappeared in that fog. He could hide in it and Jett wouldn't have a clue as to where he was. Then he would spring out of thin air and pounce on him. He had no clue just how happy the man could be just by doing that. It was as if Jett had bro
He was still living in that moment. The one where they played in the woods and laughed until their stomachs hurt. He didn't even know what they were laughing about, but it made him happy every time he thought back to it. He couldn't even be annoyed with how much extra work he had been given or the fact that he still had not heard from his father about important matters. None of that seemed to matter to him as much at the moment.The rest of his pack seemed to notice his smile and relaxed demeanor. When they asked him about it, he merely told them that he was given a day of rest in which he could meditate. They believed him, for they hadn't gone a day without seeing him working on something. He made sure that Geo had his rest, as well as all of his council members. Jin was the one who worked quite a lot. It was difficult getting him to rest. But Shiro knew that he had a reason. He had to help his father and battle his own issues that he was going through. Sometimes, work helps with tha
He didn't think he was cut out for all the mate stuff. It felt amazing having his touch lull him to sleep, and what had happened the night before will be etched into his mind forever. He was sure that his mind would use it as ammo whenever it tried to rebel against him again. His scent was lovely, and soothed him to the very core. It was an earthy smell that reminded him of times when he would roll in the dirt when he had first transformed into a wolf. He always seemed to bring out that part of him: the child that he had pushed down a long time ago.+But now he didn't think he was cut out for this because of one thing:He was stuck.Why did the Valor Pack have to be the strongest? Why did those strong arms have to hold onto him so tightly? He was thinking about trying to be polite and making him something to eat for when he woke up, but that didn't seem to really work out. Every time he moved in the slightest, those heavenly arms would pull him closer. He was glad that he could heal s
Shiro: I can't leave my territory right now. But I can talk over the phone.Jett: Not good enough, Prince. This has to be in person.Shiro: Where do you want to meet?Jett: How about that shed of yours right by my territory lines? Is that safe enough?He impatiently waited for a reply. Dr. Bailey had told him to get some sleep to get his wounds to heal faster, but he just couldn't. He was restless as his soul threatened to pull him all the way to that man. He needed some answers. But, more importantly, he needed to see him. Because the last time he saw him was when he had those cold eyes. The ones that he had when he was looking at him as if he was an enemy, rather than a mate. That wasn't the real Shiro. And Jett needed to finally see him with that mask of his off.Shiro: That's safe. No one typically goes near that one unless it's for purposes such as when we went to your territory to help with the hunters. I have some chores to do, but I'll meet you there.Jett: Chores? After what