Chapter Text
Lone Wolf
Chapter One
“‘What am I?’”
“‘You’re mine.’”
“‘But why would you want me? I’m not like you.’”
“‘You are like me in the ways that count, sweetheart. As for the rest, I want you because you’re meant to be mine. You are mine, I am yours, and nothing will ever separate us again.’”
The dreams were always the same; they had been since Jensen Ackles had been eight years old. At first he didn’t fully understand them because the words as well as the depth of emotion that came with them were far too advanced for his child’s brain to understand.
As he got older though, when he could no longer hide his dreams from his parents or his pack, Jensen began to understand that while everyone told him that they were merely dreams, they were actually far more than that. By the time he was 12, he knew that the dreams, which had continued to progress from simple words to more vivid images and feelings, were supposed to lead him to someone very important.
By the time Jensen was 14 though, the dreams began to get more intense, and, at times, even a little frightening. The feelings he would wake up with were terrifying, often painful, and he would wake up in a cold sweat, with vivid images in his head that wouldn’t leave him until he grabbed a notebook and used his meager drawing skills to get them onto paper.
He wasn’t certain what the symbols were or why he was seeing them. He didn’t know whose body they were being painfully scrawled on, but he knew in his heart that these images, these symbols, along with glimpses of deep dark eyes flecked with blues and golds and soft dark hair would one day complete him.
For 24 years Jensen had been having these dreams, hearing the same soft voice, catching glimpses of a shy, dimpled smile, and seeing the symbols that confused him. For the last 15 years, however, he had tried to ignore the dreams and deny the emotions that always followed them. He had found himself instead following a darker path and while the dreams never completely stopped, they had a hard time getting through his own rage and often uncontrollable Alpha emotions. And then last year something changed. He woke up seeing those same damn eyes only now they were filled with tears. That voice, deeper now, was screaming in confused pain. Jensen sat up in bed, fully awake, and knew it was time to find those eyes, that voice, and those odd symbols.
That was how the 32 year old 6’1” leanly built Alpha ended up stepping out of his Jeep in front of a bar in Cody, Wyoming one night. The cool November air reminded him that Wyoming was not like California or Texas or Florida or any state that he’d been to in the 15 years since he’d left this one.
Returning to Wyoming was not his first choice. He’d sworn to never step foot in this state again after he’d basically been forced out of his pack in exile. The wolf in Jensen could sense his tension at being back even though his home, the land his pack still resided on, was almost 100 miles away from Cody. It was still too close for Jensen, but with every damn dream lately, every damn time he saw those eyes and those symbols, he would wake up almost smelling a scent that the Alpha in him knew he needed to find. And somehow Jensen knew that he would find that scent in Wyoming, back home so to speak.
Flipping the collar of his black leather jacket up to ward off the cold burst of air, Jensen ran his fingers back through short dark blond hair. Sharp green eyes looked around, taking in the details of his location as he’d learned to do years ago when it became obvious that despite the fact that werewolves and humans existed side by side, and no one could tell just by looking at him that he was a wolf, he still seemed to attract the wrong kind of attention; of course that might have been because for several years he was well known for fighting or brawling whenever the chance was presented.
Losing his pack, his family, and his home at 17, choosing exile over the rule of an Alpha he didn’t respect, Jensen knew he’d chosen his fate but it still pissed him off how it had happened and what it had ultimately cost him.
“Water under the bridge, Ackles,” he reminded himself, sighing in disgust that he was once again dwelling on those thoughts when he’d decided a long time ago to start fresh.
Even before he’d been exiled, he had been a free spirit who didn’t like all the pack rules, but he had followed them because he’d respected the then pack Alpha. When the leadership of the pack had changed, Jensen had chosen exile and the label of lone wolf over being ruled by an Alpha who cared more about his own status than the good of the pack. Jensen had almost convinced himself that he’d long since given up caring for others.
He lived as if he cared only about himself and that was the way he liked it even if it often left him feeling cold and uncompleted. He’d also given up trying to find his mate, the wolf that he’d been raised to believe was destined to be his, the one that these dreams were supposed to be leading him to.
That had finally changed and now Jensen was determined to track down the source of the images, the sometimes overwhelming emotions, and the symbols. The symbols were unlike anything he’d ever seen, and he’d finally tried to learn more about them, but he only confused himself more. According to old lore, they were part of a spell, something meant to bind the wearer of the symbols.
Jenson still considered himself a lone wolf and lone wolfs didn’t mate; they had no interest in settling down or starting a pack of their own. They fucked when they wanted, they knotted whom they chose, and they moved on without strings or attachments. That was how Jensen had been living his life since the age of 17, uncomplicated and unattached. He had become accustomed to living this way and couldn’t imagine changing it. He thought he would learn what Wyoming held for him, catch a glimpse of the source of his dreams, and then move on without anyone being the wiser that he was back in the state of his birth.
That night he decided he wanted alcohol, sex, and then more alcohol to numb the feelings that had been making him on edge since he crossed the border into the state. The wolf in him was on edge as if scenting danger but the Alpha in him, the side of him that he’d been battling more for control the last couple months, was pawing to get out and claim, but that was not something Jensen was willing to do…yet.
However as he stepped into the crowded, badly lit, too loud bar, and the scents and sounds hit him, both wolf and Alpha immediately knew he’d found what he’d been searching for. The source of his dreams was here…somewhere.
Stepping up to the bar to motion for a beer and a shot, Jensen’s eyes roamed the bar; he could easily tell the difference between humans and wolves, just as he knew those wolves would be scenting him and hopefully using common sense and avoiding him.
He noticed the strippers on the stage and was about to pull up a seat to enjoy the show when his sensitive ears picked up on something happening on the other side of the packed and crowded bar and dance floor. He stood and looked around, trying to find the source of the trouble. “Son of a bitch.”
“Hey, baby! Come over here!”
“Damn! You look better than those skanks on the stage, honey. Bet you’d look even better with a few less layers on!”
“Come sit on my lap and show us how good an Omega you can be since you smell so damn hot.”
“Pretty little Omegas like you shouldn’t be here. If I was your Alpha, I’d show you where you should be.”
“Yeah, well you’re not my Alpha so get your paws off me and tell your pals to do the same!”
The loud, crude male voices were clearly Alphas while the other voice, a younger male, was definitely an Omega, an Omega who clearly was in over his head and didn’t understand the pecking order. Jensen knew that most Alphas held to the old beliefs that Omegas should be obedient and silent unless spoken to.
An Omega, especially a young man, alone in a crowded bar filled with over compensating jackasses was asking for trouble, and as Jensen continued to turn slowly, trying to find the Omega in question, he picked up on some other things that piqued his interest before something else hit him.
He’d been around plenty of Omegas in his life. It seemed like you couldn’t take a step without seeing one; they were more common these days than Betas. While most of the ones Jensen had come across were only too willing to turn their asses up for a knot, he knew that not all of them were that way. Something about the scent of this one, the soft spoken young Omega who, he realized, was even now trying to escape the crowds by heading for back door, had his nerves prickling in a way that had never happened to him before.
Jensen tossed back his shot and gave a final look to the stage before heading towards the table in the back, a table full of sneering and laughing Alphas. He could see their lifted lips, part smirk and part warning to stay away. He shook his head, telling himself he wasn’t going to get involved. He was just curious, curious about the Omega and the way his own emotions had started to stretch beyond his already thin control.
The attention he was drawing wasn’t obvious to the young Omega in question who was currently struggling to push his way toward the back door. He knew he’d never make it to the front given the way some of the cowboys in the bar were starting to look and act; they looked like they’d sooner join in than help him.
“Goddamn Mike. This is the last time I trust him,” Jared Padalecki grumbled under his breath, nearly choking on the smell of Alpha. He now realized he’d been set up, that his so called friend hadn’t sent him to a Beta bar but a bar that catered to Alphas, and not just human Alphas, but Alpha wolves as well.
It was that realization that had told the 6’4” Omega that he needed to get the hell out of there and fast because while human Alphas were arrogant and demanding enough, it always seemed worse when the Alpha was a wolf because there was just something about Jared that seemed to bring out the worst in those types.
Jared wished just once he could be treated like he was normal and not just an Omega. He knew that was why Mike had lied to him and sent him here, because Mike was an Alpha and Jared had refused his knot when they had first met. Jared knew he was supposed to be flattered if an Alpha paid attention to him but Jared wasn’t by any means; he knew what Alphas wanted with him and mating for life wasn’t it.
At 24 years old, he’d been bounced around between family members for the past 12 years. His mother had died when Jared was four, and he’d initially been taken by his maternal grandparents; there really hadn’t been another option since he’d never even met his father or that side of his family.
The shy, bright, young Omega had tried to grow up normally, but it was difficult since he was basically shunned or mocked because of a mistake his mother had made. Jared hated that he was different, and when it became clear that he wasn’t a Beta but an Omega, that had been the last straw for his grandmother. She’d basically given up on him and tried to sell him to the first Alpha she could find, wanting someone, anyone, to take her disappointment of a freak grandson off her hands.
Jared had been 12 when that happened, and he had run away. It hadn’t been his smartest decision since he hadn’t made it far before he was nearly caught and raped by a gang of teenagers who were lured by his Omega scent. Fortunately, he had been rescued by a well-meaning cop and returned to his grandparents.
His grandmother didn’t really want him back, and so he moved from relative to relative until he was old enough to get out, to try to make his own way in an Alpha dominated world. He knew it wouldn’t be easy since he had a hard time making friends due to trust issues and something else that really marked him a freak.
The strange symbols and tattoos that littered his back, shoulders and stomach were things Jared had learned to accept. He didn’t understand now any more than he had as a child why his grandmother had insisted on scarring him or marking him. All the young omega knew was that whenever anyone saw the symbols they began to treat him weird or just stopped talking to him.
He’d lost friends all through his grade school years, middle school, and high school over the symbols. The moment anyone saw the marks he began to be treated like a pariah. In the case of college it had gotten even worse; he was kicked out of the dorms and given some lame excuse, but Jared knew the truth. His eviction had happened only days after his roommate had seen the symbols while he was changing his shirt. He had subsequently dropped out of college and hit the road.
Now it was just a matter of finding a place that felt like home to him. It wasn’t Oklahoma anymore and nothing on the East Coast had felt right, so he’d driven until his junk car had given up on him two months ago, 50 miles outside of Cody.
He’d walked until he had been picked up by a friendly Beta who took pity on the broke, in more than one way, Omega. She’d given him a room in her home, a job waiting tables in her diner, and advice on who in town to avoid. Jared was grateful for her help as he waited to see if his car could be fixed. Otherwise, he was stuck in Cody until he could earn enough in tips to buy another used piece of crap since Wyoming hadn’t felt like home to Jared either…especially since the other night.
Jared had spent the other night locked in his bedroom with a dresser in front of the door out of fear of his nice friendly Beta landlady’s overly aggressive Alpha son. He’d decided that he wanted a fast knot and apparently the Omega in the spare room would suit.
As the Alpha had repeatedly thrown his weight against the door, the terror had built until Jared was nearly sobbing. He realized that everyone, even the few friends he’d made here, were right. He was just a stupid Omega, and that meant his purpose was to give an Alpha, any Alpha, pleasure…but Jared had been brought up on his mother’s fairy tales, believing that just the right Alpha was out there, searching for him, and he should wait to meet that one before letting himself be knotted.
His mother’s stories were tales of a woman who had given herself to her true love, Jared’s father, in the hopes of finding just that kind of love only to be sent away by his family because of who she was. She had never again looked for true love, but she had held out hope that someday her son would find what she had not. Jared had also wanted this, but now he was losing hope of ever finding that special mate, especially since recently it seemed like his heats were getting stronger and harder to suppress with pills. The dreams he’d coped with since he was a baby were coming back stronger too.
Jared had hidden his dreams from his too religious, anti-Omega, anti-wolf, family. Only his mother, before her death had known about them. He had explained, as best he could at the age of four, about the flashes of deep green eyes, the glimpses of dark forests and wolves, that somehow always made him feel safe. Growing up, the dreams never scared him. He could hear voices, he always saw those green eyes, but never the face they were a part of; the only living creature in his dreams was a huge silver wolf and while that should’ve terrified him, it didn’t.
When he was small, he had believed that he could talk with, somehow communicate with, the wolf. In the dreams, he and the wolf understood each other perfectly, but it hadn’t been like that in several years, as if something had changed that Jared didn’t understand. In fact, for a long time, the dreams had felt distant, disconnected, and he thought that maybe he was finally outgrowing them. Then suddenly, the other night when he’d been so terrified by the Alpha trying to break into his room, he had suddenly felt something touch his mind; he could almost sense a hand on his face, almost hear a deep, low voice soothing him with promises of safety.
Of course Jared knew it was just wishful thinking, his overactive imagination in a moment of panic. It couldn’t have been a dream since he’d been too scared to even close his eyes during the whole ordeal in case his self-made barricade didn’t last, but the voice had served to calm him and his damn body’s desire to cave in to the Alpha’s demands.
Jared had left the house the very next morning. Since then he had been sleeping on floors of the few friends he had managed to make in Cody, anyplace he could find. He had spent the last two nights with Mike, a seemingly friendly Alpha who cooked at the diner. Mike had propositioned Jared when he first started working at the diner, but he had seemed to take it in stride when Jared had politely declined. It had been Mike who had suggested he go to a Beta bar to blow off steam and possibly get laid without the risk of ending up with a knot in his ass. Jared had accepted the offer; in fact he hadn’t suspected a thing…until he stepped into the bar and realized his mistake. Now he just wanted out.
He’d managed one and a half beers before a bunch of assholes began hassling him with the usual crap. Jared knew he mouthed off, not a typical Omega thing to do, and probably not the smartest choice given his surroundings, so when he began to get dizzy and his chest tightened from too much Alpha scent, he decided to slip out the back door if only to try to clear his head.
Jared had just stepped into a darkened hallway that he hoped led to a back door when a small twinge of pain from one of the larger symbols on his upper back made him stumble a little. He paused to regain his balance before seeing the welcome EXIT sign.
“Thank God,” he muttered, stepping out into the chilly night air. He knew that sleeping outside tonight was going to bite, but he wasn’t going to go anywhere near Mike or else he’d punch the Alpha in his face, and he certainly wasn’t going to go beg for his old room back, so he’d make do someway.
The sudden increased burning on his back, the odd buzzing in his head, as well as a sudden dizziness and odd taste in his mouth, distracted Jared so he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. He heard the door close behind him and let out a sigh of relief to be out of there, away from too many Alphas all looking for one thing.
Rubbing a hand over his arms, it took Jared all of two seconds to remember that he’d left his damn jacket inside the bar. He would have to go back for it or else do without his only heavy decent coat. He was in the process of debating whether to risk going back inside the bar or risk freezing when large strong hands suddenly grabbed him by his upper arms and shoved him hard against the wall of the bar.
“What the…mmhm?!” Jared’s reaction time was off but he managed to catch himself before connecting face first with the wall. Before he could turn to fight, something was shoved into his mouth to muffle his shouts for help and a hard body shoved him forward, pinning him against the wall.
“Told ya inside how good you smelled, baby. You shouldn’t have blown me off cause, you know, I might’ve been willing to show ya a good time if you’d been a little nicer to me and my pals, but now? I’m just gonna fuck and knot this hot ass to remind you of your place.”
The gruff, cruel voice growled in the struggling Omega’s ear even as the Alpha was yanking Jared’s arms roughly behind his back. He quickly and tightly tied his wrists together at the small of his back before beginning to rip at his clothes.
“Omegas like you make me sick. You think you’re too good for what you’re meant for. You think you have rights like real people; just cause they made laws that say you do, don’t mean I have to follow them,” he growled, licking his way up a straining neck until he grabbed a handful of dark hair that brushed his frightened victim’s shoulders and jerked it back to expose his neck. “Gonna mark you, baby. Gonna knot this ass and then leave you here for my pals to fuck after my knot goes down.”
Jared’s eyes widened as it sank in what was happening; he could feel rough hands tugging at his shirt while also trying to get his jeans opened. He tried to fight back but found that his attacker was both bigger and stronger than he was; he tried to scream past the rag in his mouth, but a massive fist pounded into his head until he heard himself whimper. He gave up fighting but continued trying to speak around the gag, begging the Alpha not to hurt him, not to rape him, but he felt his stomach rolling as one of those hands got his fly down enough to dive inside his jeans to begin to fondle him while the other hand worked to yank the denim down.
The frightened Omega was stunned, hurt, and cold. He felt sick as realized that his luck at managing to avoid situations like this had finally run out. He didn’t want to be raped; he didn’t want some cruel and faceless Alpha to knot him or mark him. He couldn’t help trying to struggle again only to get shoved hard into the wall.
“Hold the fuck still, slut!” the Alpha growled, working to get his prey’s jeans down while kicking his legs apart. Suddenly there was a crashing sound behind him as the board he’d shoved through the door handle was broken when the door itself exploded outward under a violent kick. The attacker found himself staring into narrowed hot eyes and the local tough guy knew that this was more than just another Alpha seeking a piece of sweet Omega ass. “Back off, wolf. This slut’s been asking for it since he came in tonight, so I’m giving him what he wants.”
The scent of scared, no terrified, Omega overwhelmed the odor of sour garbage as Jensen stepped out the door. In fact, he couldn’t smell anything other than the frightened, struggling boy who was trapped and pinned by the would-be rapist.
Forcing his attention back to the other Alpha, Jensen’s eyes went to slits while his lips curved into a sneer as he let the door close. “Let him go,” he ordered, voice dropping lower than even his usual deep, hard tone as something continued to pull at him. “Let him go and get the hell back inside or I will kick your ass. He’s not yours.”
“He ain’t nobody’s so that means like any Omega, he’s fair game.” The Alpha was big, at least 6’6”, which put him five inches taller than Jensen. He was also broad and had huge hands that were currently wrapped around the panicked boy’s throat to hold him still. “You’re not from around here. You don’t get a say in what happens to random little Omegas who think they can parade around smelling like this one does and not pay a price. So you go away and leave me to my…huh? What are you…argh!!”
A ragged scream was torn from his throat as Jensen moved so quickly that he was a blur, grabbing the hand that was slowly choking the boy, and twisting it until he felt something break. He growled as he jerked the Alpha away from what the wolf inside Jensen had decided was his.
“It’s assholes like you and your buddies inside who give Alphas a bad name, jackass.” Jensen felt his blood boiling, his temper skimming the surface in a way that it hadn’t since he’d been a teenager and looking to fight every chance he got.
Normally Jensen didn’t give a damn about other Alphas or how they treated Omegas, even tending to overlook obviously nonconsensual acts such as this one. He’d learned to mind his own business most of the time, but tonight was different. Tonight it was like the scent, the emotions, and something much deeper had his control wire thin and it snapped when he heard a muffled scared whimper.
“There are plenty of willing Omegas inside that bar looking to fuck so take my advice and go play with one of them; leave this boy alone,” he growled and gave a hard shove that took the other man back toward the bar. He smiled thinly when he caught the rage being aimed his way. “You don’t want to do that, mister.” Jensen read the body language and was prepared when the enraged Alpha lunged at him.
“I’ll take his ass! I ain’t being made a fool of by no uppity little Omega who thinks he can waltz into a bar filled with Alphas and not turn his ass up to us!” The big man was even more furious now that his night of fun had been interrupted. Now he planned to take his fury out on this stranger and then really pound the boy’s ass; he decided he might even drag the kid home for the weekend to use him. “You don’t know who you’re messin’ with, boy! Your kind ain’t welcome here anymore than his is. Fuckin’ wolves should to stay where…ugh!”
Jensen easily dodged the lunge. He was built lean and was agile, so he could’ve avoided the fight but chose not to. “So you’re not just a rabid Alpha with antiquated beliefs, but you’re a racist Alpha jackass with antiquated beliefs that no longer hold sway,” he sneered, catching the man’s arm to twist it behind his back and using a handful of greasy hair to slam his pock mocked face into the door. “I told you not to piss me off. I told you to back off the Omega. And as for me not knowing who I’m messing with? I don’t give a fuck, but you will by the time I’m done.”
The control that he’d been struggling with for weeks was gone as Jensen let go and pummeled the other Alpha into the filthy alley. He deflected the few blows the man managed to throw him and just managed to wrestle control back from his inner wolf before it could do what it wanted.
Slamming the man against the back door of the bar with enough force that something in the door bent, Jensen’s arm went flat against his throat, green eyes glittering dangerously. “I could kill you right now. I could break bones that would never heal right or…I could hurt you so you’d never be able to use your knot again…but I’m feeling generous right now. I’m giving you one more shot to get the hell outta my sight. Don’t ever let me see you or your buddies near this boy again or else I’ll rip your damn throat out,” he snarled, fighting the urge to do that anyway as he gave another shove and stepped back. “Leave.”
The alpha was gasping as he fell back once the arm let up and he stumbled, scrambling to his feet and deciding that he knew when to run. “T-take him then!” he gasped, spitting blood and a few loose teeth out as he bolted for the mouth of the alley. “Ain’t no Omega worth this!”
Jensen usually agreed with that sentiment and he might’ve this time if the scent of this one wasn’t overwhelming him and making the wolf in him go haywire.
A sound from behind him had him turning, sharp eyes easily spotting the shaking, pale-faced Omega who was struggling to get up. He’d apparently fallen in his haste to escape, but ridiculously long legs seemed to be shaking too badly for him to stand, and with his hands still tied behind his back, he couldn’t find a way to pull himself up.
In all his years Jensen had never reacted to an Omega like he was reacting to this one. Whether it was the fear he was scenting or the sweet smell of innocence he wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, the need to scent, to claim was getting harder to ignore; Jensen wasn’t fully aware of his actions as he moved toward the boy.
Jared’s head was aching, his vision was blurry from pain and tears, and he swore his heart was about to beat out of his chest. When he’d heard the second voice, deep, gruff and hard, speak, he thought that perhaps he’d been saved. When the other guy, an Alpha unlike Jared had ever sensed before, jerked his attacker away, he tried to move, to make a break to get away or find help, but his legs had been shaking too much and he’d lost his balance when he tripped over some garbage.
His shirt was shredded, his jeans were open and riding low on his hips, and his hands were still tied behind his back. From his spot on the ground, he’d watched through blurry eyes as the two Alphas fought. He felt something coiling in his belly every time the new guy spoke; why did the guy seem somehow familiar? When the Alpha had turned and locked eyes with him, Jared felt like he’d been punched in the gut by the force of the deep green eyes that seared into his.
The eyes caught the Omega’s attention but before he could do more than make a muffled sound, he was being yanked to his feet. He thought the guy would untie him; he thought he was safe from assault – after all, this Alpha had chased off his attacker. Jared thought he was saved until he found himself pinned once again, this time against a cold metal trash bin at the back of the alley with the Alpha’s hard body pressing against him. Jared started to squirm, to try to make some noise to beg his would-be savior to let him go, but he suddenly froze as he felt warm breath wash over his neck.
“Mmmhm! MMMHH!” Jared tried to scream, helpless under the hard firm body that was bending him over, but what terrified him even more was when his savoir now attacker buried his nose against his neck to sniff him deeply, taking in his scent.
Jared was used to being scented but not like this. In fact, he’d only been scented like this once and that had been by a werewolf in college. Just like that first time, one of the symbols branded on his back started to sear, causing him to squirm in pain rather than in an attempt to escape. The Alpha didn’t know that though, and his fingers tightened on Jared’s shoulder to hold him still.
“Don’t move.” Jensen’s voice had dropped to a low growl as he sniffed the frightened boy, closing his eyes at the scent and also the effect it was having on him. The need to claim was so strong that he wasn’t sure he could fight it; he wasn’t sure he wanted to fight it. “Mine,” he growled against soft skin that he could easily see himself marking with his teeth even while his one hand moved around to lay flat over the skin exposed by the earlier attack. “Mine…”
TBC