Dean’s POV
"I hope you picked your words carefully, Whitehall. Because they will be your last," Sam boldly stated in full defiance of the elder Whitehall's opinions. In the world of the Lycans, respect is earned by the show of strength. To look an elder in the eye is to rescind the respect owed to such an elder, hence a show of confidence in your ability to overpower him in battle. “A challenge, I see.” Whitehall grinned as his pupils constricted, as if to murder Sam with his glare alone. “Too bad you won’t live to regret this show of stupidity, feral pup,” he added, ready to put Sam in his place. “Are you both done disrespecting the council?” Dean began with his eyes closed while slowly tapping his finger on the table. “If so, I suggest you retract your fangs and we proceed as civil men.” Dean stopped tapping abruptly, and his eyes opened with a fierce glare. The aura exuded by Dean, what werewolves call the ‘true scent of an Alpha,’ gripped both Whitehall and Sam into submission. By instinct, they both bowed, and their bloodlust vanished as if it was never there. Elder Edward smiled at this display. He knew that Whitehall was right—Dean was lacking and failing the pack in comparison to his father. He understood that Dean could fix up and dedicate more time to the clan, but that would unconditionally mean ignoring whatever it was Dean took as more important. Edward's fear was that Dean would lose the essence of being an Alpha, but this display of Dean had proved to him that that would never be the case, and he was now reassured of the clan’s future. “Sam is your name, little pup?” Edward spoke in a low, calm tone. Sam, whose instincts were in overdrive, responded sharply, “Yes, Sir.” “While I understand your keen friendship with the Alpha and your willingness to defend his honor, I will not allow a pup such as yourself to disrespect an elder who has dedicated his life to the progress of the pack. There will not be another opportunity for you, beyond this.” “I... I understand. I retract my previous statements,” Sam responded as he took his seat. Edward flashed a look at Whitehall, who clenched his fists, then nodded before taking his seat. “Moving on…” Dean continued after Whitehall had taken his seat. “Whitehall, have the scouts stop searching the woods and order them back to base. The new sires would have moved on to a new hunting ground. The scouts do have their scent, right?” “Yes, Alpha,” Whitehall responded promptly, the effect of Dean’s presence still lingering on his instincts. “We’ll split into two teams once the scouts are well rested. Greenbelt Park and Clove Lake are likely to be their next hunting grounds. Get the men prepared; we hunt tomorrow,” Dean concluded as he rose to his feet and started for the door. --- Dean could never explain it, but ever since he lost his mother, he never felt at home or at peace wherever he went. Part of him still longed and hoped for her touch and kisses. She was his world, and everything revolved around her, the only one who understood him and took care of him in a place as violent and dangerous as the Blue Moon pack. He had once entertained the thought of using black magic to raise his mother from the dead, but Sam had managed to talk him out of it, reminding him that he could never grant her true peace if he tethered her soul to this earth against nature’s will and, more importantly, that he was being a selfish son of a bitch. He was really grateful for Sam. “Alpha,” a member of the pack said, walking up to where Dean and Sam sat at the bar. Dean turned around to find a young man bowing slightly to him in a show of respect. “How old are you?” Dean asked curiously. “I turned seventeen a few weeks ago,” the boy answered, unable to hold Dean’s gaze. Seventeen. The werewolf world was not a merry-go-round; people got hurt and killed, and quite frankly, Dean wasn’t sure he was okay with a seventeen-year-old boy in this kind of life. “And your name, son?” “Klaus…Nicklaus Wells, Alpha.” “You’re Whitehall’s son.” “Hmnph.” Sam hissed slightly as he took a sip from his glass. “Yes, sir, I am.” The boy responded, not sure if he was in trouble or not. “Relax and pay no heed to him. So, why are you here, Nicklaus.” “Well, sir, I am the leader of the scouting unit, and I’m here to give my report if you’ll allow it,” Klaus spoke, ever so politely. “I asked that you and your team be given time to rest. We don’t go out for another hour; you should be resting.” “We have taken all the rest we need, Alpha.” “We?” “My team and I have been standing ready ever since we returned on your orders. There’s no way we can rest easy knowing the safety and security of our entire pack is at stake.” “I like you more than your father,” Dean noted, giving the boy a friendly pat on his shoulder. “Come find me and share a drink with me after this situation has been settled.” “Yes, Alpha.” Klaus reacted with excitement in his eyes. “So, let’s have it,” Dean requested. Dean listened to Klaus go over every single detail of their search with the utmost attention. He also listened to his heartbeat and pulse to determine if the boy was lying or leaving important information out. “Trust only in what you know,” his father’s voice rang in his head. Dean was not a pessimistic or skeptical person, but he had learned the laws of the werewolf world the hard way, and if he wanted to stay alive long enough to find his mother’s killer, he had to be cautious and remain one step ahead of everyone. He already knew everything the boy reported to him, but he didn’t cut him off or send him away. Strangely, he enjoyed the boy’s sense of duty. “Alright then, thank you, Klaus. I’ll keep your suggestions in mind as we execute our plan.” “I’m honored, Alpha,” Klaus smiled as he began to retreat. “One more thing, Klaus.” “You’re riding with me,” Dean told him. “We leave in fifty, gentlemen. Get hungry,” he announced to the rest of the room. There was an uproar of cheers and glasses clinking in the bar. “Poor boy has a crush on you,” Sam teased, finally draining his glass of whiskey. “What?” Dean asked, confused. “Nicklaus Wells. He’s as gay as you are straight.” “Huh, good for the kid. I couldn’t tell,” Dean confessed. “What? You want him wearing a T-shirt that says, ‘Hey, I’m gay’?” “What? No, I never said that.” “It’s fine, you don’t have a gaydar anyways, and even if you did, it would probably be broken.” “You are a lowkey asshole.” “Oh gosh, such accusations, whatever shall I do?” Sam rolled his eyes. Dean giggled before responding,“You are still salty about what happened with Whitehall.” “I shouldn’t have lost my cool. I just hate it when archaic judgements interfere with modern intellect. You are doing your very best despite the circumstances. If Whitehall or any elder cannot see that, then they ought to retire and not hold you back.” “I am truly blessed to have a best friend like you. I appreciate everything you have done for me, and in the light of this, I’ll ask that you do not transfer aggression to the poor boy.” “Look, over there, he is still staring,” Sam nudged gently towards Klaus’s direction. Dean turned around to find Nicklaus staring in his direction before quickly averting his gaze when their eyes met. “You are keeping quite the eye on him.” Dean noted. “You don’t need to worry. Whitehall is Whitehall and Klaus is Klaus. I always treat people based on their merit.” Sam gave a light smirk while cracking his nec “Awwn, he is becoming less of an asshole,” Dean teased. “Dick.” “Alright. Come on then, Sam, rally the men. Let’s go over our plan one last time.” --- The wild breeze of the night air running through his hair as they sped down the highway was one of the things Dean loved the most about hunting with his pack at night. There were many other things he enjoyed about hunting, but for the most part, the drives to their destination were always a thing of joy for him. He had isolated the next target locations for the troublemakers to be Greenbelt Park and Clove Lake. Now all he had to do was catch them. Seeing as he couldn’t be in two places at once and needed to put an end to the situation, he split his forces into two, one led by Elder Whitehall, who chose Clove Lake, and the other led by himself, headed for Greenbelt Park. One way or the other, this ends tonight. Dean's thoughts must have reflected on his face, as Sam gave him a reassuring look as if to say, "I’ve got you, brother." Their trucks pulled up at the designated spot, and every member of Dean's team disembarked. There were thirteen werewolves in total assigned to the hunt; Elder Whitehall got eight of them, and Dean got five, including himself. “You two, find a safe place to camouflage the vehicles. We don’t need anyone wondering why there are two empty trucks abandoned on the side of the road.” “Yes, sir,” they replied, jumping in the trucks and driving away. “Well, what are you waiting for, men?” Dean asked rhetorically. “Happy hunting.” Dean was leading the pack as they blitzed through trees and vegetation on their way to where they heard their pack member howl. It was their signal for when the culprits had been found and were on his trail. It would seem Elder Whitehall drew the short straw again. The park wasn’t as thick as he expected it to be. During his time away, he had followed many trails into deep forests and jungles in pursuit of his mother’s killer, and Greenbelt Park paled in comparison to all of them. But then again, it was a park; what did he expect? “Finally, I’ve got his scent. How about you, Sam?” Dean asked as he vaulted over a fallen trunk in the swiftest of motions. “Yup, got the son of a bitch.” “Who are those closest to him? I’m still a little unfamiliar with their names.” “Andy and Matthews.” “They’re good fighters?” “They are a safe bet. Don’t worry your pretty little head, boss man.” “Hey, Klaus,” Dean called out. “Good job keeping up so far, kid. We’re gonna kick it up a notch a little. Do well to catch up,” he added before he triggered his partial transformation mid-air and widened the gap between them. Klaus and the rest of the pack could only watch as their Alpha and Sam moved through the park like it was nothing to them. They moved like they were one with the park, like they had memorized the patterns and knew where everything was at all times. Dean was the first one to spot Andy and Matthews. They were locked in battle against seven werewolves, one of whom Dean had his scent. He used a tree trunk as a platform and propelled himself straight into the fray. “Hello there,” he announced as he slammed one of the werewolves’ heads into the floor. It tried to struggle but the sheer strength of Dean was enough to pin it down. “I see you’ve taken good care of my pack members. We are here to return the favour in full. Isn’t that right, boys?” Dean roared as his followers began peering out of the shadows, partially transformed with their eyes glowing red. “Holy shit. It is an Alpha.” One of the remaining wolves cried out, pissing himself at the realization of their current predicament. “Tonight isn’t your lucky night.” Dean pressed down on the werewolf’s head and it fainted from the pressure. The other’s looked in fear at Dean’s display of strength. “We are fucked.” Another of the wolves cried out “That’s the right choice of words,” Dean responded as he lifted his left hand into the air. “GET THEM!”Vivian’s POVAfter the ordeal with her father and seeing him in such a defeated state, the urgency of the whole situation dawned on her heavily. They both knew she had limited time together, and the battle at Shadow Rock had heavily affected her father’s timeline. It was now more important than ever to start preparing for a new Alpha so the clan would not be exposed and left leaderless after her father’s passing. She wished they could just give it to Ty and move on, but laws are laws, and they had to undertake the trials. She had just left the hospital as her father was still recuperating. She had not had a good rest in a while, and with what just happened this morning, she doubted she would be able to fall asleep. Sarah was waiting for her outside.“How is he holding up?” Sarah asked.“He is strong. He will recover from this, but his time is really limited, and this stunt he pulled off to display strength definitely did no favors to his health,” Vivian responded.“Yeah, but you have
The emotions of werewolves are extremely heightened depending on the situation surrounding them, especially due to the effect of their animal instincts. This is particularly difficult for new sires to manage because of the sudden change in lifestyle they are thrown into. Dean capitalized on this as he and his followers chased after the whimpering new sires. The remaining six were struggling to escape, but any turn they tried to take was cut off by a member or two from Dean’s hunting team. Fear coursed through their veins as they thought of impending death. They ran hopelessly, bumping into one another and pissing themselves, until they saw Dean at the final exit point, standing casually and waiting for them. They stopped abruptly and soon realized they were completely surrounded by Dean’s hunting party.“What a brilliant idea to run away. I’m sure no one has ever thought of that before,” Dean spoke sarcastically, maintaining a sly grin. A murmur of deep voices, accompanied by low gro
Sam insisted on driving the truck towards the pack hideout, despite just leaving the hospital. Dean didn’t argue because he knew that once Sam set his mind on something, it was very difficult to change it. This was coupled with the fact that Dean felt slightly embarrassed for keeping his guard up in the hospital. The reception was extremely warm, and the professionalism shown was unlike any other hospital he had been to where they treated werewolves. He also saw several werewolves from different and rival packs being treated, making Crescent Gold hospital more of a neutral ground.As Sam inched closer to the pack, Dean’s demeanor became colder. He always found that he lacked a certain enthusiasm whenever he saw the lights of the base from afar. It wasn’t always like that. Once upon a time, he’d have his head out of the car window, howling and screaming as soon as the same lights, which he now looked upon with disdain, came into view. He was much happier back in the day, a perfect kid
Vivian’s POV Vivian had spent most of the day sleeping; her shift had been a bit stressful. The incident with her dad had happened the day before. After her breakfast with Sarah—if she could even call ice cream in the morning breakfast—they had gone their separate ways: Sarah heading to the Shadow Rocks while Vivian had headed home. The meal and the talk they had helped a lot, and the rest of the day had gone essentially uneventfully aside from one update. She checked her phone for the time; it was 5 p.m. The meeting was meant to start at 6. She had enough time to make it, but only if she started preparing immediately. The meeting was for the council leaders, and as the next Luna and the daughter of the current, yet absent due to injuries, Alpha, she was privy to join the meeting, and her contributions were valued. They had decided to move up their plans for the trials for the new Alpha, and as such, decisions needed to be made. They had to plan the specifics of the trials: the loc
Vivian’s POV The meeting ended on a high note, with everyone pleased at the progress attained. It was easy to forget that just a day ago, there had been a brutal fight right outside these doors, leading to the injury of their leader. Vivian was glaring at Valentine; it was all his fault, and she knew he had more planned. She thought of all the ways she could make him suffer. She did not have Ty’s combat abilities or skills, so she knew she could not come close to beating Valentine in a fight. But her time in the medical field gave her knowledge about things that were harmful to werewolves. She knew their weak points and mixtures of chemicals that could leave them in a dilapidated state. With her role in the hospital, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to… “Vivian…” Draco called out to her, interrupting her train of thought. He had seen the look she was giving Valentine, though Valentine was oblivious to it or at least blatantly ignoring it. “Come over here for a second.” She sighe
It had been a few months since Dean got his last solid lead on his quest to find his mother’s killer. The last time he had received a lead of this caliber, he found himself all the way in Mexico, tracking down a skilled assassin who was, unsurprisingly, a werewolf. It had been one hell of a rollercoaster: tracking and chasing after him for weeks, rescuing a Nigerian ambassador’s daughter from his clutches, saving a cheating wife whose husband had put a price on her head, and eventually battling him on a beach in Cancun in the middle of the night. Regrettably, it was another dead end, as the assassin gave him no leads whatsoever. He had returned home once again without answers to the question that weighed heavily on his soul. And now, by a stroke of lady luck, a solid lead had landed right in his lap.Dean had gone through Nicklaus’s report on scouting out the Red Claw pack. There were no discrepancies of note, and overall, it seemed like infiltrating their ranks shouldn’t prove too d
Dean sat quietly, looking at Elder Edward. His mind began to wonder if the elder intended to trap him. Were there others hidden? Had his powers weakened since he wiped his scent? His eyes darted around the room, but no matter how hard he looked or sensed, he could only see and sense Elder Edward. What was this old man thinking? What more did he have in store for him?Elder Edward took a deep breath and began, “An Alpha is a very special type of werewolf. The Alpha spirit is born incomplete. It has the tendency to sacrifice everything without a care for itself, for its main goal. Whatever it decides that goal to be; conquering to showcase its might, preserving the pack, passing on the mantle to the right successor, or seeking revenge for a loss, it's in its nature. That's why it needs balance. It needs that spirit which is born to help it find peace, that spirit it will always be intertwined with for eternity. It needs its Luna.”Dean burst into laughter, cutting off the elder. “So, yo
Ty’s POV"And now for a breakdown of the rules," Gyrich boomed. He was the commentator selected to follow the events of the tournament. He’d run through the rules, terms of engagement, participants, dos and don’ts—basically every piece of information required to understand and follow the tournament. It was as much for the spectators as it was for the participants. Neither party received the information beforehand, preventing anyone from effectively setting traps to sway victory to any side. Ty probably could have convinced Lily to tell him about the stages and even some of the secrets, but this was bigger than just winning in the public eye for him. He needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of becoming the Alpha beyond all reasonable doubt and beyond any obstacles that might come his way. Nothing but an absolute victory would suffice, and as such, he had decided to allow the odds to be stacked against him. He was certain Valentine would definitely have informed Damien about eve