Chapter Text
Jared had never considered himself a very proud or boastful Alpha. He had lived his life how he had wanted, in the city, close enough to the trappings of his wolf pack. He had a decent career that had afforded him a lap of luxury he never coveted much until he had done his annual vacations with his best friend, and fellow brother Alpha, Vincien Genaro—-"Vince", for short. One month out of the year, Vince would stay two weeks with Jared, then Jared would turn around and stay two weeks with Vince. The year before, during Jared's stay at Vince's, he had to skip out the first week because of a family emergency, thankfully bringing him back to civilization. He likes to joke where he lives is "civilization" because where Vince and his mate, Moira, live with their four-year old pup, Beatrice...there are four-to-five different eras of wolf pack life going on at the same time. None have quite caught up to the modernization of the city/urban life Jared's is accustomed to, so when he's out there with Vince, he manages to stay indoors, never going out too often. Well, except into town several miles beyond one of the main wolf pack communities known as, The Ferae*.
Moira is Ferae, an Omega, but Vince isn't. Moira doesn't want to live too far from family, still part of her old pack's world; Vince just wants his mate to be happy as his old pack is no longer around. The only "family" Vince has is Jared, so when Jared can't make it to his home, he does feel slighted.
Jared always knows that when he's out where Vince lives, he'll grow bored. And without being able to use his laptop or even his cell phone, he fears the world will end and he will surely die because of it. This time, Vince has promised that when Jared comes for his vacation, his stay will be just as it is at home in the big freakin' urban city. Jared feels terrible that he can't be honest with his brother Alpha, but he trusts in Vince enough to know that he will be taken care of and treated respectfully—-just like he's a part of Vince's new pack. Moira, on the other hand, has a different take on her mate's brother Alpha. She knows just how selfish and sexiest Jared can be; Vince blows it off like it's an "Alpha-thing" and that Jared has this manner about him that's two-parts asshole and three-parts charmer. It's really tough to hate Jared. Moira has warned her mate too many times that if Jared keeps refusing to change his ways and settle down, karma will kick him square in the ass. Moira's fear is that, like always, Jared will eek by unscathed while an innocent victim gets caught in his own mess, taking the brunt of the fallout—-mainly, she doesn't want Vince to get hurt or get trapped in Jared's web.
The minute Jared's off the Exit walkway off his plane at the small International airport, wheeling his aluminum carry-on by his side and adjusting the thick strap of his Khaki satchel over his chest, he sees the white printed placard showing his full name [ including his middle one ]. Christ...had Vince gotten him a driver...AND a limousine to come pick him up? Jared was beyond touched; his vacation was already off to a proper start.
"I'm Padalecki." Jared approaches the tall, beefy crew-cut blond, wearing a battered cowboy hat, and points toward the name, then his own chest.
"oh...heya!" A huge hand is sent over the top edge of the card. "...m'Duncan...Mr. Padalecki." He nods his head as a matter-of-factly, then releases a side-smile. "I'll be drivin' you to Cala Farms." A pretty mouth with perfect, white teeth flashes bright.
"...c'mon..." Jared rolls his shoulder as he hands over the extended handle of his aluminum case to "Duncan". "...I have a few more pieces coming through Baggage Claim." As he walks alongside Duncan, he gets a strong whiff of Alpha, but it's laced with an edge he hasn't felt before when with other Alphas—-he actually finds the appearance of the fellow brother Alpha to be quite attractive and arousing, which he's never sensed before. He had only ever felt this way when searching for easy lays with Betas or on the prowl to court and woo Omegas. He had been close to plenty of Alphas but none he had considered he'd want to wine and dine, take back to his condo to nuzzle and "play" with, then see where the night took them. As they stand near the turn-style for the luggage, Jared glances down at the casual wear Duncan embraces; he would've assumed that a "driver" to a limo would be dressed in a suit of some type, like a uniform. Duncan is in well-worn jeans, dusty cowboy boots and a plaid button-down, cuffs undone so the sleeves could be rolled to the elbows. There was a nice flex of muscled forearms, and the denim hugged the curves of the ass a little too well. Jared writes it off as "something in the air", or something about this place that makes him feel like he's out-of-place, out of sorts. Maybe his scent is off-kilter because now...now he's got a strong odor of Omega, coupled with a layer of heat...and his dick twitches. God-damn...that ass was so damn tight; he knows that hole will be sweeter to pluck. Duncan doesn't look in any way "virginal", but he does emit a sense of inexperience—-a little too eager and excitable.
They grab for the rest of Jared's bags and leave the Baggage Claim area to exit into the parking lot.
Jared had prayed for a limo, maybe even a swanky luxury Cadillac or Lexus, but what he gets is a dented, rusty farm truck that hasn't seen a lick of moisture in weeks; apparently, it doubles as a "cab" so they will have to store Jared's luggage in the truck bed. Jared is about ready to toss everything in, but Duncan stops him, putting an index finger to his lips, motioning to the fleece blanket covering a shape of a body curled behind the driver's side at the front of the truck liner. Jared raises his eyebrows as he watches Duncan mimic "napping" by sticking palms together at the side of his face, pretending like he sleeps, closing his eyes. They both quietly haul each bag into the bed. Jared can't help it; he's curious to who could be under there as all that's visible is dirty blond strands and a peek at a pale neck/nape. He climbs into the cab after Duncan sits behind the steering wheel. Jared places his satchel down, holding it steady with his knees, then belts himself in.
Duncan revs the engine, then glances at Jared. "I hope ya' don't mind a bit of a detour. I promised Jen I'd drop him off." He makes a slight gesture with his head to the back where the sleeping form had been dozing.
Jared narrows his gaze. "I'm on vacation—-or didn't Vince tell you?" ...yeah...he's getting prepared to flirt, possibly seduce the Omega when he's pelted with a different heat. This one of another Alpha. It throws him off Duncan because this scent is strong...virile; it makes his gut clench with the power. Before he realizes it, Duncan has reached out to touch his leg, having responded with a few words that Jared never hears, then he's overwhelmed with a stronger scent of Omega. This has to be Duncan again—-oh, yeah...this is not going to be like all those other times Jared had visited Vince and Moira's.
New blood meant new adventures.
*Note : [ fer-ay ; full name : ferae naturae - nature (wild) animals ; no one can claim property ]
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Jensen darts awake from his quick power nap, needing to catch some rest as best he can as he rides in Duncan's truck; the destination is a few miles outside of The Ferae compound, to Cala Farms development, but Jensen will be getting out much earlier. He flips onto his back on the sleeping bag roll, bending to tuck his arms behind his head as he stares up at the moving skyline; the hum of the truck engine lulls him into a haze of his own thoughts.
The Ferae are ripe with offspring this coming seasonal change. They were tapering off a tame Winter into a harder Spring which promised a brutal Summer; these are the fertile months of the pack when mates feel freer and emotions run high on the spectrum—-beyond plain happiness and love. They were ecstatic and passionate. It will be like young lovers with the promise of a bright future. Come the end of Summer into Autumn, the other end of the spectrum is felt...sorrows and depressions will set in. Deaths will be at an all-time high late Autumn into the middle of Winter. Mates begin to ache from being parted and there will be the agony of too much loss, an overwhelming sense of grief that numbs the soul...
...such is the life of a member of The Ferae Pack...
Jensen had lived too many seasons not to become familiar with the ritual, knowing its twisty-turns by heart. He's nearing his twenty-seventh Spring, and he's the oldest of his pack status, Alpha Bearer [ or Bearer, for short ]—-he is also mateless and heatless. It is rare for a Bearer to make it past twenty-five, much less two years beyond to encroach on year thirty. He had lost too many of his brethren this past Winter, though it had been the warmest in decades. Those that did make it to Spring, not dying in birthing and not succumbing to sickness or wasting away to nothing from neglect, clung to each other as their quantity dwindled inside of an already-eroding ancient wolf culture.
Jensen is proud to be Ferae, prouder still to be an Alpha Bearer, or...an Omega with Alpha tendencies wrapped around a Beta core. But there were those that see him as nothing—-invisible—-like he had never been born. Of the ones who believed that thought...was Jensen's own father Alpha: the only worth a son like Jensen can offer him is to bear nothing but Alpha offspring. His father Alpha would hope that the mate Jensen chooses is strong and a great champion of The Gridiron. A warrior of the ancient Ferae arena who can best Jensen and is fertile enough to breed healthy pups. Alpha Ackles would expect nothing less.
In the meanwhile, Jensen does his utmost without his father's knowledge to take care of those Ferae he watches over. Even though he is Alpha Bearer, he still has royal blood in him, just like his two siblings. He is not a direct descendant but he's of the few who've survived this long and carries the genetics of the royal court, which has not existed in two hundred years. He plays "dignitary"...a celibate life he leads to do his missionary work to tend to the Ferae—-the remaining Betas and Omegas, not to mention the few Alpha Bearers left that he has taken under his wing, treating them like the brothers and sisters he's never had.
Duncan is one such Alpha Bearer, probably the longest bond Jensen has ever kept closest to his heart, that hasn't been marred by death or serious illness. He shares a dwelling with Duncan, often times sharing the same room, or bed, when they needed to shelter other pack members. Jensen loves Duncan as he would assume most siblings do; he wouldn't know. His own siblings are forbidden to talk to him or even acknowledge his very existence. Jensen has no romantic notions toward Duncan, although he knows the young Bearer has looked at him with a gleam in his eyes that most mates do. Jensen knows it's nothing more than affectionate worship, and that Duncan has found his own mate to court him, best him and then breed with him, when the time is right.
The truck comes to a stop. Jensen throws off the fleece blanket, slipping arms through the knapsack straps and carries a large green khaki duffel. Duncan lets the truck engine idle as he opens the door, sliding off the driver's seat to walk over and talk with Jensen.
Jared can't help himself; he casually relaxes an arm across the benchseat to peer through the dried mud-covered cut-out window at the back of the cab. He doesn't have much of a view of the sleeping passenger, who is now very much awake, but he does take notice of the shoulder-length tri-colored hair, much like his own brown mane—-this one has light browns and light blonds. What he's more intrigued by is how Duncan is reacting, hugging as if this moment were a long goodbye, kissing lips and then all over the face to merge brows. Jared can tell the other man is equally affected, even dropping what was once in his hand to hold Duncan tight. And as he had pulled away, he had caressed a cheek, then had picked up what he had set down, walking off down the side of the road.
Jared is a little unsettled because he feels as if this had been an emotional send-off for Duncan; the young man watches as the other grows smaller in the distance. Jared turns back around when Duncan pulls up to the door to yank on the handle. He can tell Duncan doesn't want to look anywhere, just uses a sleeve to wipe at his face and uses the ceiling bar to hoist himself back inside.
Jared lets the silence fill the cab before his curiosity eats at him. "Don't mean to be forward, but...who was that guy to you back there?" He opens his mouth to say more but the deafening quiet keeps him hushed.
Duncan finds it tough to talk through his tears, so he simply drives and wipes at his face with his shoulder joints. Pretty soon the truck pulls into a populated area, once Jared knows very well. Duncan takes a right turn off the main highway and drives toward the small town. He makes a left turn, beginning to approach the monochromatic homes of the low-cost housing developments—-one such is where they are headed, Cala Farms. Jared fidgets as he knows they will park in Vince and Moira's driveway or park out front off the street in front of the house.
Duncan brings the truck to a stop, having made a bee-line for a spot off the street in front of the huge front-yard. He lets the engine idle as his hands grip the top curve of the steering wheel. "I wasn't being rude, back there, when you asked me who that guy was. I, uh...he's like a brother to me...like my own family—-close family. Because of who we are, and what the most recent turn of events have brought about aroun' here...i's getting more difficult to part ways—-even briefly. Sometimes never knowing if we'll see one 'nother again." He bows his head low. "Especially when he does this stuff for the pack villages around here."
Jared can tell how passionate Duncan feels, not just about people, but who he is inside of his pack and his purpose or duty. It's about this time that Jared discovers the Omega isn't prepared for reality—-too little inexperience and too much emotion. To be that dependent on another being, unless a mate, seemed detrimental to Jared. "Thank you for answering, but you don't have to tell me a thing." He extends an arm to lay a hand on Duncan's arm, and he feels a jolt or an electrical current of familiarity—-like he should know Duncan, understand who he is and what he's gone through. Weird...to feel that vibration with an Omega.
Duncan breaks into a smile. "No...I want you to know. Any family of Dr. Genaro is a good friend to us—-my pack." He means The Ferae, but mostly on the side of the compound where the Betas, Omegas and Alpha Bearers live.
"Speaking of..." Jared opens his door, sliding right off the seat.
Vince nearly bolts off the porch steps as he makes a mad dash toward Jared. It's been much too long since he's seen Jared face to face. "...oh, god...you made it—-finally here!" The Alpha bends low to grab his brother Alpha low around the waist and hefts him high in the air, then slinks his lean body down his own meatier one so he can land on his feet again.
The tall, thin dark-haired female, one or two steps behind her mate, comes at Jared with arms crossed under her bosom. "He's been pacing with his damn phones, expecting Duncan to call, saying you hadn't made it or...you were delayed in flight."
"...I'm here." Jared furrows his brow, only because Vince is holding him like it's been thirty years. "...m'here, man...told you I would be." He can feel his brother Alpha shaking a bit, emotionally wrought with on-edge excitement and no longer having to worry. Vince draws away from him, still allowing Jared to keep one arm around his shoulders so he can one-arm hug Moira, kissing her cheek. "Still beautiful as ever, Moira."
Moira rolls her eyes, pushing on Jared's chest as she tucks her arm into Vince's right elbow, holding onto her mate. "Flatterer." She looks at Vince, who has his head bowed, then shifts her eyes to Jared. "You're still just as han'some—-quite a hit with every Beta and Omega you meet, I hear."
Jared looks at Vince in outrage. "You told her?" He can't believe his brother Alpha would confess about his activities while he and Vince had been out at night in the city, the last time they had been together.
Vince shrugged his shoulders, leaning into Moira. "I couldn't help it. She wormed it out of me."
"...wow..." Jared shakes his head in silent pity. "...you are so whipped, man."
"eh...maybe I am." Vince lifts his chin to point to Jared. "It'll be you soon, so I wouldn't start with me."
Jared swivels to find Duncan has been unloading his luggage. "...jesus...I could've done that."
Duncan waves away the concern. "Don't worry. You're the guest. Like you said...you're on vacation."
Moira kisses Vince's cheek, patting his chest. "...come with me, Duncan..." She steps behind her mate to hold out her hand. "I'll make you a sandwich, and a drink, to have before you head back on out. We'll let these boys carry the bags inside."
Duncan takes the offered hand, letting his own arm be wrapped by his sister Omega as they walk away together.
Vince watches Moira leave with Duncan. The minute they're in the house, he twists to face Jared. "No." He's already playfully pushing at Jared, though he's being serious. "You cannot have him. He's off limits."
Jared chuckles, putting his hands up in his defense. "What? I said, and did, nothing."
"Liar. I know you..." Vince folds his arm together as he stares Jared down. "...an' I know that boy—-just leave him be, Jay. You don't have to fuck everybody you meet."
"It's a bit more than fucking an' knotting for me, Vin." Jared's having a difficult time getting the sight of Duncan's backside out of his mind; it's a nice comfort to keep tucked away when he's being denied access...until he can get his prey alone.
"Duncan's a good one," Vince talks on as if he hasn't heard a word from Jared. "An' besides...he's already got an Alpha courting him."
"...'courting'? As in—?'" Jared is stunned by the use of the old school word; it's odd that thought he hears that an Alpha is already after Duncan, it doesn't deter him in the least from pursuit.
"No...not the way we would think. He's had meetings—-chaperoned ones—-with the Alpha and soon...well, he'll have to prove how worthy a mate he can be." Vince picks up two bags, leaving Jared the rest. "Why so much stuff, man? I know you're not a clothes-whore, nor do you have strange phobias 'bout not being surrounded by your stuff."
"...Birthday and Christmas presents, in one bag."
"...christ, Jay...you gotta stop spoiling us. You know you don't have to bring presents whenever you show."
"...simmer down." Jared pats Vince's shoulder from behind him as they cross the threshold. "It's mostly to get on Moira's good side, and make up for not being here for Bea." His head actually darts around, waiting for the moment his favorite tiny munchkin barrels down to jump into his arms, but it's fairly quiet.
"Beatrice is at a play-date." Vince's puts down the bags in a safe corner for the time being. "I would've been halfway to work about now, after dropping her off." He could see Jared giving him a concerned look. "I leave Moira some peace and quiet 'til noon. They bring Bea back home 'round one or so."
"Cool." Jared settles the luggage in his hands down, out-of-the-way against the wall. He rubs his palms together in delight. "I miss my little nugget." It's true; Beatrice is probably one of the few 'pups' he can stand being around that doesn't act out like most rowdy 'pups' do.
Vince turns to stare at Jared. "Not enough to arrange for a visit at the end of the year, instead of waiting 'til now."
Jared can hear the frustration, Vince knowing a little of why his city-dwelling brother often bowed out of coming way-out here in the boonies to vacation. "I know...I know..." He holds up his palms, unable to come to his own defense. "I have no excuses to say, except I truly did lose track of time because of work. My candidate this time around...decided not to tell 'bout his, uh...other wife and three mistresses..."
"...holy shit..." Vince mumbles as he shakes his head, not knowing how Jared could withstand all that bullshit and manage to spin it to work in his boss' favor.
"...yeah, what a political clusterfuck that was. So..." Jared scratches at his scalp, making a partially squinting face as he tucks his hands under armpits and stands his ground. "I liked this guy's platform and message, but just utterly clueless when it came to females. Even the ones on staff and interning in his offices."
"...wow..." Vince puts a hand, flat to his chest, to make himself seem shocked. "...you mean there's someone hornier and smarmier than you?"
"...yes an'—" Jared pauses, twists his head like he hears something weird. "—seriously? smarmy?"
"okay...maybe that was too harsh, but...c'mon..." Vince shrugs his shoulders, tucking his hands away in the front pockets of his trousers. "...it's ironic that you choose to work for slimeballs like this guy when your own sexual social life has been equally questionable."
"hey..." Jared holds up an index finger to stress a point. "I never lied or cheated, having one mate and three Omegas on my jock at once."
"true, true...you hungry?" Vince walks up to Jared, pressing the meat of his palm into Jared's left shoulder, fingers curling over the strong bone. "Moira and I were just about to make ourselves some lunch."
"uh, yeah-yes...sure." Jared lifts his gaze to follow up the main staircase. "I have the same room as last time, right?"
"No." Vince shakes his head as he adjusts his trousers and pulls at his button-down shirt.
"oh..." Jared lifts one lone eyebrow in curiosity.
"It's been a long time since you've been here, Jay." Vince shifts around to lean on the wall and start explaining a few things to Jared. "Bea's no longer in her nursery. We have a brother and sister Beta twins who are here to take care of Bea, the house and...now that Moira's carrying again..."
"She's carrying?" Jared's eyes go wide in stunned shock.
"yeah, I know..." Vince smirks a little as he swipes down his cheek. "...barely four months. She hardly showed with Bea—-not until the 6th or 7th month."
Jared gives out a half-smile, elbowing Vince in the ribs. "Do you know what you're having?" He remembers how overjoyed his brother Alpha had been at the prospect of having a girl 'pup'; it would just be the icing on the cake for Vince to have a son next.
"...yup." Vince nods his head, but zips his mouth shut, saying nothing else.
"Soooo—?" Jared waits to be told the good news.
"Isn't it just enough that we're pregnant again?" Vince wrinkles his forehead as he asks Jared a rhetorical questions. "Lets not make it a huge deal."
"Vince...what is it?" Jared thinks the silence means they don't want to jinx the pregnancy. "Is she okay?—-the 'pup'?"
Vince has bowed chin to chest, but he can't help the wider smile that breaks out over his face. "There's more than one?"
"oh, shit...twins..." Jared almost punches Vince in the nipple, but does manage to get him in the tougher portion of his breast plate, actually hurting Jared's hand
"—yes..." Vince bounces his head on his neck like a bobble-head.
Jared's still not convinced there isn't something going on that prevents them from revealing too much information all at once. "Wha's the problem?"
"It's not—-anything...it's really her pack—-her old pack." Vince turns to connect gazes with Jared, dipping his head to make sure his brother Alpha understands. "The one I now work for, by the way."
"...yeah, how 'bout that. I couldn't believe when you told me The Ferae Pack let outsiders in?" Jared twists to lean his left shoulder on the wall. He had made sure he absorbed all the information from Wikipedia and its ilk before landing, so he wasn't completely clueless about the ancient wolf pack he would be living near. Jared basically crammed a college semester's worth of knowledge in six hours of his connecting flights.
"...just on a limited basis. And those that do have clearance to enter at any time are mainly those in the science or medical fields." Vince dug into his pocket to take out his I.D. badge for the hospital, then passed over the "visitor" badge Vince had arranged for, allowing Jared to accompany Vince on his rounds on both sides of the compound. "Now we have the ability to actually be 'in' their lives, see how they truly live and make certain they don't all die off."
"...jesus..." Jared hadn't known that the reports of them slipping into non-existence had been true. "...I've been reading 'bout them. I had some idea they existed but were something forbidden to talk about since they were so sacred or treated with such...I don't know what to call it other than the wolf packs who modernized looked down their noses at them. Been kind of curious to what their culture revolves around."
"The Alphas live primitively—-huts instead of homes, mud instead of grass. The Betas and Omegas live separately, partially civilized, but still stuck in a by-gone era. Alpha Bearers are a separate status, though 'Alpha', they live with the Betas and Omegas, almost like their bodyguards."
"Excuse me?" Jared wasn't sure he heard correctly because the two words didn't really "fit" together. "—who did you say?"
Vince had known this would strike Jared's fancy. "...Alpha...Bear-ers..." He enunciated the words.
Jared tilts his head in slight bewilderment. "Tha's not—? Is that when a—?" He isn't sure he can say the words.
"Exactly what it says..." Vince nods his head, even though Jared keeps wanting to shake his head in disagreement. "—Alphas who bear offspring."
Jared averts his eyes, only to bring them back to widen them. "Whose offspring?"
"An Alpha's? They can only mate with an Alpha." Vince stares hard at Jared, knowing full-well he's told his brother about this part of the Ferae Pack. "I've told you 'bout this pack status before."
"No...no, you haven't, Vin." Jared lets out a stuttered laugh. "I'd've remembered something like that." He narrows his gaze, insisting this has to be a tease on him; Vince likes to do this kind of stuff with his advanced medical degree hanging over Jared's head. "You're pulling my leg."
"No." Vince isn't smiling or smirking. "I'm not joking."
"...tha's jus' not possible." Jared rubs at his chin, looking down at the hardwood flooring.
"What?" Vince can't wait to hear this tidbit of Padalecki knowledge.
"...an Alpha knotting an Alpha..." Jared furrows his brow as he looks to Vince, scrunching his face like he smells a bad odor. "I mean...tha's gotta be weird, huh?"
"For us, in our wolf packs, sure. But for The Ferae...no." Vince frowns a bit. "Why can't Alphas mate? An' not just inside The Ferae Pack."
Jared almost chokes on an outright laugh. "One of them would fuckin' die, Vin."
"no..." Vince slowly shakes his head in disagreement. Apparently, Jared had been trolling Wikipedia for quick splashes of knowledge again. "...not necessarily."
Jared is dying to be proved wrong. "Explain to me please...all over again—-since you recall havin' told this to me once before...an' pretend like I'm stupid."
"...that won't be difficult." Vince mutters as he smirks from one side of his mouth.
"har-har..." Jared shoves at Vince's shoulder. "...how can an Alpha bear offspring?"
"...look...at their base—-their core...they have the outer-shell of a Beta..." Vince shakes his head at the face Jared makes at him. "...stop it—-I'm being serious here..." He snortles as he sees Jared put on his serious face. "...they have the reproductive system exactly like an Omega, with some additional parts that make them Bearers...and they have underlaying Alpha characteristics they can't help but let out."
"But—-why?" This makes no sense to Jared, unless it was a whole cultural revival, that Omegas actually stem from Alpha Bearers. "Was this some attempt to obliterate the Omega status altogether?"
"The Ferae Wolf Pack stems from a few generations of Norse Vikings. They epitomize what it is to be Alpha. They're brutish and violent, which is why they are kept separate from the Betas and Omegas. Alpha Bearers used to be the only ones who could withstand being mated with Alphas, but the more the Alphas attempt to evolve and break out of their raw natures and instincts, they've been able to find a certain...taming of their pure wildness...their feral natures...they've begun to mate with Betas and Omegas...and even outside of their own pack."
"What? Will the Alpha, like, kill or eat their own mate or pup?" Jared goes still as Vince doesn't laugh with him. "...christ, how the hell do these, uh...Alpha Bear-ers survive?"
"Some of them don't." Vince pushes off the wall to continue on down the foyer hall to step into the wide-open kitchen archway, going right for Moira. He grabs her hip, sliding a hand over her softly rounded belly, then kisses the side of her face, nuzzling her hair. His mate is watching Duncan eat heartily as she sits at the head of the rectangle table.
Duncan is seated to Moira's right, happily chowing down and drinking a tall glass of chilled lemonade. "You took the day off, Doc?"
"No." Vince shakes his head as he goes into the fridge to pull out the marinating chicken strips. "I'm goin' in later, after lunch. The other physician is covering my shift."
Moira reaches out to touch Duncan's forearm. "Duncan was just telling me 'bout the latest loss in Oloko Village. He dropped Jensen off for the funeral, and a few other things that have to be done to appease the troubled waters."
Jared moves to lean on the island counter, watching the discussion carry on between the three people. He hears that "name" again—-thinking "Jensen" is the "Jen" Duncan had mentioned.
"How was the family?" Vince grows a bit somber as he talks, his mind whirling with thoughts. "They were pretty bad when I got there to pronounce mother and 'pup'."
Jared goes tense, his shoulders locking. Did something happen with an Omega birthing?
"eh...the reports sent to Jen mentioned so dissension, but he knows once he's out there...things will settle down." Duncan takes a long sip, swallows, then wipes his wrist over his mouth. "Mainly, her Alpha's not doin' so hot, but he's pleased he got to hold his son a few hours."
"yes..." Vince was fiddling with some burner knobs so he could turn on the grill to the left of the stove-top. He uses a fork to start laying the chicken strips on the crossway grill marks. "...he's good pack. I'm sure he knows not to take this into his own hands. I'm sure it'll be a relief once they see Jen."
Duncan nods his head, a sweet smile filtering over his good-looking features. "He'll stay there a few days after the burial. Make sure the Alpha doesn't turn 'round and harm himself or tries to go in search of the men who took his mate's life."
"Losing a loved one like that, so horrifically...I can't imagine." Moira slides a hand over her eyes, still mortified by what she'd been told, after reading the papers and seeing all the glossed-over news reports.
Vince can detect the deep interest in Jared's face. "...'hunting' accident."
Jared knows this is "code" for an innocent [ human ] killing a pack member on purpose. "How far away are humans again?"
"50-60 miles, in any direction. But that doesn't stop them from hunting us pack like 'sport'." Vince turns down the grill heat a little once the sizzling starts and the smoke fills the air; he reaches above his head to turn on the overhead exhaust fans. "It's why we live in clumps inside one house. Any chance of a pack member on their own...it's just callin' for their vicious cruelties."
Moira crosses her arms over the table, sipping at her own smaller glass of lemonade. "She'd been warned plenty of times not to go out there alone. But..." She shrugs her shoulder, hating how sometimes she was confined to certain areas of her own town. "...she got cabin fever, an' I really didn't think she wandered too far off the village's property like the humans claim."
"...a cold-blooded killing..." Duncan mutters with a bit of fire under his throat, shaking his head as he closes his eyes and says a quick, silent prayer. Once he reopens his lids, he points severely in the air with his index finger. "It's the Gridiron, I tell ya'. Ever since they opened it up to the public...humans think they got a right to come down here whenever they feel like."
Vince shakes his head adamantly in disagreement. "The Grid is as ancient a custom as your own courtship, Duncan."
"I know, but..." The huge arms cross over the massive chest wall. "...can't the Alphas find other means to make money...like we do?"
Vince snorts loud with the shaking of his head, knowing that "the Alphas" Duncan's refers to stem back to Jensen's own father Alpha and...you instinctively had to know that you never simply asked anything of those Alphas without requesting to be "seen". "The High Alphas of the Ferae Pack will do whatever the hell they want, when they want, screw all consequences."
Moira shakes her head, combing fingers through her long bangs to tuck them behind her ears. "It's why I refuse to live inside the wall, and be near that...only going to visit my elders of my old pack there. I try not to stay too long."
Vince looks across at his mate, making sure Moira caught his gaze. "I don't want you there any longer than a few hours."
"ooo...I gotta get movin'." Duncan places his napkin on his plate, slurping at the last of his drink. "I'm supposed to be back at the offices to pick up Mr. Shefford, drive him back home."
Moira shoots upright to wrap cookies in a papertowel. "Dessert for the road, Duncan." She also scurries to the fridge to find him a bottled drink with electrolytes. "Keep yourself hydrated, being out in the sun so long." Moira combs through the short hairs, petting the soft cheek. "...take care, sweetie."
"...thanks, Moira." Duncan looks down at the tips of his boots, a blush filling his face. "...Doc...an', uh..." He seems to have forgotten the first name of Dr. Genaro's friend.
Jared pushes up to splay his hands on the edge of the island counter. "You can call me 'Jared' or 'Jay'...Duncan."
Duncan almost does a polite bow, then holds his "food gifts" from Moira to his chest. "...all right then, Jared...have a good vacation...maybe we'll see one another again."
"...yes..." Jared bites the inside of his cheek to stem his want to say something more profound and memorable. "...lets hope..."
Moira walks out with Duncan to the front foyer of the house.
Vince makes sure Duncan and Moira are not around, then leans over to say to Jared. "That Alpha Bearer you don't think exists..."
"uh-huh..." Jared lifts his chin, waiting for Vince to prove to him they're real.
"—-that's exactly what Duncan is, man." Vince nods his head while Jared shakes his own, then Vince reaches out to clamp a hand around Jared's shoulder to pat him on the back. "Just thought you'd like to know that. I'll be over here at the stove-top grill in case you got questions."
Jared stares with jaw slack, then blinks fast to try and wrap his head around the thought of two Alphas fucking and one getting pregnant with a resulting 'pup'. Frankly, his mind is completely blown away.
==&&==&&==&&==
The closer he gets to the guardhouse, near the front gate to the Ferae Wolf Pack compound, the more Vince regrets offering to bring Jared with him. He does want his brother Alpha to understand he hadn't been sitting on his ass at home, waiting to be "beeped" for housecalls and that the work he was doing actually had made several, if not a majority, of the differences in the wolf pack already.
Jared knows how hard Vince had busted his ass to get his medical degree, so it's awesome and thrilling simply to have the ability to shadow his brother Alpha and able to see him in real action. But as they slowly had driven up to the compound, Jared wasn't certain this had been a good idea, mainly because he didn't want to end up Vince's "nurse" or his medical assistant, running around while Vince barked orders. He climbs out of the antiqued ambulance—-a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor limo-style endloader—-Vince drove them around in; Jared is going to see about upgrading his brother Alpha to a newer model, so Vince and Moira can have more reliable transportation. But, from the look of the sparse collection of cars in the parking lot, nothing appeared to be any newer than the 1990s. He supposes most of the villages and communities were self sufficient and independent, only needing a trip out of town to gather major supplies; not many flashy newer vehicles were needed. Especially if one had two good feet to walk with.
Jared keeps a slower pace behind Vince, walking with him to the shack the guards are housed in, right at the main front gate. Vince does most of the talking, familiar with each guard. They're allowed entrance through a smaller metal doorway off to the side of the fenced-in area.
"Do you have a preference of which side of the wall to see first?"
"...huh?"
"This 12ft concrete wall keeps the Alphas from picking up the scents and heats of lower pack statuses. Ferae Alphas can be...violent without provocation when it's non-Alpha. With each other, it's like one big circle jerk." He doesn't mean a real one, just that the Alphas get along better with each other and they are rather jovial in their camaraderie. "I'm usually treating them for minor cuts and bruises...broken ribs and bones...up to knife or sword wounds...a random bullet wound by a guard."
Jared thinks he should've prepared better for being here, or maybe the other side of the wall was the better choice. "Is this where the Gridiron comes in?"
"Yup." Vince reaches out to touch Jared, get him to focus on him so he doesn't miss this information. "I also need to warn you that Alpha don't wear much clothing. Or none at all, at times. They aren't shy, is what I'm trying to say."
Jared shoots back in a bit of startled awareness. "Soun's like they almost wanna take care of themselves. You did tell me you spend more of your time on the other side of the wall, with the Betas and Omegas."
"They attempt to but even they know when they have to see a doctor or just a medical professional. They have a terrible time trusting other Alphas, not of their own pack." Vince clears his throat. "...an' don't forget that I also tend to the Alpha Bearers, along with the other pack statuses."
Jared shuffles his shoulders like he should be cut some slack. "Why don't these Bearers stay on the Alpha side?" He's not trying to be antagonistic, but he's curious why they would rather stay on a particular side, far from Alphas.
"They don't scent as 'Alpha' to a Ferae Alpha. There would be, uh..." Vince tries to look for the right words to say what he means. "...one of them, or both, would be dead."
"Seriously?" Jared can't believe that an Alpha could be that violent.
"No joke."
Jared has a thought pass through his mind. "You mean to tell me...sweet, docile Duncan can kick some Alpha ass?"
Vince pauses, shrugging one shoulder. "He's getting better. He used to be scared of his own shadow 'til Jensen took him in."
"Jen-sen? I keep hearing this name...who is that?"
Vince wrinkles his brow. "You did see him, right?" He has some idea Jared wasn't that oblivious on his ride from the airport. "—in the back of Duncan's truck?"
Jared goes completely still, briefly. "He was asleep when we got in the truck, then—-lets just say I didn't see much of him, but I did witness an intense exchange between Duncan and this, uhm...Jen-sen..."
"oh, well..." Vince knows how Jensen can be with keeping to himself and those around him, not really welcoming to strangers. "...tha's Jensen for you. Give you the shirt off his back—yet, he won't give himself a break. He works as tirelessly as I, and the other doctors do. See..." He twists a little to keep talking to Jared as they take the long walk to the entrance of the Alpha side of the wall. "...Jensen's a descendant of the royal pack of Ferae, but...they don't acknowledge him or honor his birthright in the High Alpha court."
"Why not?"
"To them, he's not pure—-or I should say, a true Alpha, one that will carry on the royal bloodline."
Jared's body goes tense, for some reason he feels like he wants to defend this "Jensen". "Is he an Omega?"
Vince shakes his head. "...no...he's Alpha Bearer, just like Duncan."
Jared lets out a soft chuckle; he's gone from knowing none to knowing two already. "...jesus, man...how many are there?" What intrigues him is how they can scent like so many pack statuses at once, making his "status radar" seem broken or like it's malfunctioning.
"Not enough. The Ferae Pack are a dying wolf culture in their own right. Most are like you...modernized to the human culture. The purer packs live in wolf form with occasional human transitioning—-mostly to protect themselves from hunters and poachers. Wolf fur and meat...an' various other interesting body parts—-like teeth and claws—-are ending up as expensive accessories on humans more and more. Your more rich and bored, I suppose."
Jared is silent for a minute or two. "...like the one who killed the mother and 'pup'?"
"Yes. Most of the surrounding tinier packs around here look up to the Ferae because...it's as close to true wolf as they can get. Jensen plays at being a royal dignitary, going into these small villages to put a 'face' to the Pack. God knows Jensen's father and brother Alpha would never think to consider making alliances with these packs. They would rather keep to themselves, safe behind these walls."
Jared likes hearing this about Jensen; how he still thinks of himself as needing to protect and keep his pack members safe. As they near the barbed-wire fence, Jared wonders exactly what he's about to face. He can't help but notice Vince is a bit more fidgety, keeps turning back to say something, but shakes his head and trudges on through. Once they're beyond the entrance gate, the overwhelming stench wafts over: a combination of wet Earth, fertilizer and day-old dampness.
Vince hands Jared a medical face mask, with elastic straps to hook around his ears, as they attempt to find their way toward the infirmary's front doors. Jared hears Vince release a sigh at the prospect of not many patients to see. The Ferae Alphas were not known for waiting around, so Vince devised a way to fast-track the minor ailments nurses and physician assistants could handle, so that when he arrived all he had to deal with, on rounds, were the serious cases.
They reach the nurse's station, Vince wanders around the counter to step behind the desk area to make a straight line toward his In Box. The nurse manager in charge easily strolls up to him, catching Vince up to everything that's going on at the moment and what will happen later on in his shift. Jared stands against a wall, just watching the slight bustle of activity; he barely sees a sign of any out of the ordinary pack that would tell him this could be Ferae Pack. He pushes off the surface, heading to Vince as he notices him making his way over to an end counter.
Vince gathers some files and his briefcase, turning to Jared. "Why don't you go exploring, take a tiny tour of the area." He's slipping out of his light jacket, letting one of the elastic straps of his mask hang off one ear.
Jared is aware that he's being dismissed because Vince knows he'll grow bored in under only a few minutes. He isn't sure he can stand the smell outside. Jared knows he won't be attacked as they will scent him as a strong Alpha, but wearing the mask might make him appear like a pussy. He suffices staying inside the building, holding his mask in his hand, then going around to look out random windows out onto the Alpha community. From the outside, Jared knows this place has to be two or three floors tall, trying to emulate as much of a real hospital as it could: having a small operating room, and a recovery wing. He figures this building must have a rooftop, and maybe he can get a bird's eye view from up there while wearing his mask in secret. As he leaves the main infirmary area, much like an emergency room, he goes exploring to find a set of Fire Exit stairs that will lead him to the top of the building. Jared takes three flights of stairs to pass through a door, already propped open. Seems like some of the staff come up here for lunch breaks, smoke breaks and, uh...actual sex breaks—-something about being around all these feral Alpha pheromones and energy, not to mention the stress of the working environment, sometimes just being plain bored out of their minds. Jared tries to find an area to be by himself in, without disrupting or disturbing the every day rituals he seems to be coming up on.
His first step is to look over the whole area of the Ferae Alpha community, which is impressive in its size. While the sheer volume of Alphas living in their own environment is imposing, how they chose to live is not. Everything is kept in a hut or some structure made out of sturdy wooden poles with thick muslin fabrics strewn over and across to give the feeling of enclosure. So much smoke and fire, a heavy gray cloud hovers over the air. Jared can detect a bit of organization, like a town or a village, sustaining on its own, but it looks ill-fitting and out-of-place. Their decision to remain stuck in a certain time period of their past doesn't make the Alphas look proud, just more stubborn and unable to modernize, or civilize, themselves for the benefit of survival. They conform, only enough to still have their freewill, but they keep warring within to stay as true to their dying culture or domesticate themselves much like their mated Betas, Omegas and Alpha Bearers had done years ago. Living as the Alphas do was a situation that cultivated sicknesses and disease.
The Ferae Alphas had strong immune systems, so they were never in grave danger, but they had started to slowly kill their own pack population; the lower pack statuses had good immune systems, but had different body chemistry that made them vulnerable, susceptible to viruses and deaths from airborne bacterial infections: medical conditions that can be treated by modern medicines and science.
At some point, the High Alphas had to relent, finally opening their doors to outsiders, not just humans but other wolf packs.
Jared starts wandering around the rooftop, his gaze squinting to catch sight of anything interesting or out of the ordinary. He does manage to stumble upon a popular area on the roof, where spectators had a rare view of the Alpha training facility for the Gridiron. This was the only part of their community that made practical sense of their want of wearing togas and short gowns that reached mid-thigh, and their other ways of being half-dressed in appearance. Some Alpha are in full dress, with leather straps to hold practice swords and knives. Some prefer the higher risk of full nudity, talking all the dirt on their perspiring bodies, turning it into mud streaks. Some cocks are fully erect with knots swollen; others are only half-hard, trying to fight off another Alpha. Since they are among their brethren, it isn't beyond consideration that they would casually stroke themselves while watching fellow Alphas practice in battle. A few random Betas [ smuggled into the Gridiron ] are kept in secret areas to bring the Alphas sexual relief, either by sucking them off, helping them masturbate or offering out their wet willing holes. This is not done without consent; these are Betas who want to serve the very popular and highly respected Alphas of the Gridiron, both men and women.
Jared finds himself sticking around a little longer before he heads back inside. The strong odors are permeating his face mask, though, almost attempting to make him used to the intense scent. He knows instinctively these were the old ways of his wolf ancestors, but times have changed to such an extent that it's too much for his sensitive nose.
"Stay here long enough..." comes a husky voice interrupting Jared's thoughts. "...you'll grow accustomed to the smells."
Jared whips his head around. "How long?" He pushes off the red-brick railing, pulling off one of the straps around his ear.
"Give it a year...at least." A puff of nicotine smoke is blown into the air, figuring the alternative is must nastier.
Jared swishes his head from side to side. "eh...m'only here for three weeks." Maybe.
The dark-haired man shifts off the wall he had been leaning on, taking a drag of his cigar as he approaches Jared. He's dressed in t-shirt and jeans with track shoes, a white lab coat covering all his clothing. He holds out a hand. "Kane. Christian Kane. They call me 'Chris'. I'm one of the attending physicians here."
Jared takes the strong, stocky hand, looking the outfit over. "Really? You certainly don't look like any doctors I know." Vince must be one of those rare breeds who still likes to dress nice, but casual in the sense of still wearing button-downs and ties with Khaki trousers.
"yeah, well..." One shoulder shrugs in exasperation. "...here, you can't be too big for your britches or the Alphas sniff you out. They'll refuse treatment, and, either they'll suffer a slow creeping death or they'll take whatever they have and infect other Alphas they happen to live with."
Jared folds his arms settling them on the railing to lean on. "They do know there is a better way to live, right?"
"oh, sure...sure they do. They're just stuck in their ways...pig-headed jackasses that they are." Christian snorts out a hard laugh with the shake of his dark head. He twists in profile to show his hair is pulled back into a clasped pony-tail.
"I'm Jared...Padalecki." As he proudly lifts his head on introduction, Jared scents Alpha. "I'm from Dr. Genaro's old pack."
==&&==&&==&&==
TBC...