Chapter Text
“I can’t have people questioning the orders of a superior officer.” If Godfather could have barked it, he would have. As it was, the man was staring down Nate as though it were his fault. “And if you have a performance complaint regarding subordinates,” he snapped at Schwetje, “that has to go through the proper channels.”
“Sir,” Patterson spoke up, “if I may?” Godfather nodded. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was Fick that stopped a danger close artillery strike near his men.”
“That was the incident I’m referring to, yes.”
Patterson cut his gaze over to Nate and smirked. Nate’s brows furrowed together, wondering what the Alpha werewolf was up to.
“Well then,” Patterson continued, “I don’t understand why a reprimand, and a public one at that, is being issued.” Now everyone was looking at Patterson. “Fick’s Bravo Company’s Alpha.”
Nate froze. He was no such thing. For one he was human. For another thing, Brad was their Alpha wolf over in Bravo, while Patterson took care of their sister company - aptly named Alpha.
“Is that so?” Godfather looked to Nate for confirmation but when Nate opened his mouth, Patterson talked right over him.
“He is. Which means he has full domain over all Bravo werewolves. And he also has the right to question orders as it relates to his wolves.” They all knew the rules. Bringing werewolves into the military fold meant a lot of them.
“But that’s not-”
Patterson’s eyes cut to Schwetje - or Encino Man as the men called him - effectively shutting him up. “You were endangering the pack. Fick has the right and the responsibility to act.” He looked back to Godfather. “Furthermore, skuttlebutt says the complaint against Fick also includes allowing his men to question these same orders?”
“It does,” Godfather confirmed.
“And were these wolves?”
Nate huffed air from his nose, a smirk coming to his face. At least now he knew what Patterson planned. “They were,” Nate confirmed for himself. Lovell and Doc were the pair to put down Encino Man’s ridiculous idea, and they were both werewolves.
“Acting in defense of their Alpha is also not a punishable offense. Nor is Fick required to restrain them from doing so.”
“They were all out of line!” Griego shot back. “They need to-”
The second Griego took a step towards Patterson, Barrett swept in between them and snarled, teeth barred. Patterson smirked, putting his hand on his mate’s arm and pressing gently. “My point exactly Gunny.” His smile was anything but friendly. “You don’t threaten a wolf’s Alpha.”
Godfather was working his jaw back and forth. “Alpha Patterson is right.” He didn’t have any choice but to agree. Still, Nate could admit it was satisfying to see Bravo’s CO and his pet Gunny sweat. “Alpha Fick holds final say over the Bravo wolves, which means he can overstep fellow officers if he needs to.”
“Sir?” Schwetje attempted.
“The matter’s settled.” Godfather cleared his throat, moving on to the rest of what the officers were there to discuss.
Once the meeting was over, Nate watched Schwetje walk off in something of a daze, his Gunny following in a tiff. McGraw - who the boys had taken to calling Captain America - appeared practically terrified of Nate then, rushing off back towards Bravo-3. “You know,” Godfather spoke, drawing his attention, “it might have been easier if you had informed Battalion of your position with the wolves.”
“Sorry, sir,” Nate replied quickly. “It’s a new thing.”
Godfather nodded. It wasn’t as though he could say anything about it. Alpha positions among a company could change at any given moment. They weren’t exactly required to inform anyone up the chain of it either, even though it was considered good protocol. But it was a grey area in the rules for certain.
Nate hurried off then, Mike at his side, to catch up with Patterson and Barrett. “Alphas,” Nate spoke up, drawing their attention. “Captain, I don’t understand. Why did you lie to Godfather?”
“I didn’t.” Patterson smirked.
“But I’m not Bravo’s Alpha. Brad is.”
It was Barrett that replied, “It used to be. Somewhere along the way, you became theirs Nate.”
“But I’m human.”
“Doesn’t matter. You should know that.”
Patterson added, “It’s really not surprising. Wolves often look up the chain for an officer they can call Alpha. It protects them better in the long run than an NCO could, even a wolf as strong as Colbert. Given their options, I think it’s pretty obvious why the wolves would latch on to you.”
“You understand us, Nate,” Barrett said with a grin. “Don’t sell yourself so short.”
Nate’s brows furrowed, watching the mated pair walk off. “I don’t know about that,” he muttered in regards to knowing about wolves. He sure thought he did, but… “Wouldn’t they have said something?” he asked Mike. “I mean if they really see me as Alpha, wouldn’t they tell me? How do the Alphas of our sister company know before I do?”
Mike shrugged. “Maybe it’s just an observation, Nate. They see you becoming Bravo’s Alpha but they ain’t made it official yet.”
Nate thought it over and nodded. That was certainly a possibility. It wasn’t as though his men had gotten much in the way of rest since the invasion started. Here at the airfield would really be the first time. Perhaps they would talk about it and tell him? Hell, did they really even want a human as an Alpha like Patterson and Barrett seemed to think?
“I should go talk to Brad.” Nate wanted this settled.
* * *
“Brad,” Nate snapped, finding the werewolf was still under the humvee. He was pretty sure Brad had been there since that whole business with the kids being hit the previous day.
“Sir?” Brad poked his head out, brows lowered.
“I need to speak with you.” Brad glanced back under the humvee and Nate grunted, “Not under the damn humvee either.”
Brad looked really confused then. He wasn’t used to Nate speaking that way, at least to him, so Nate understood. At the moment though he didn’t really care. Brad crawled out and followed away from the vehicles.
“This far enough?” Nate inquired.
Brad looked around, noting the position of all the wolves no doubt, and nodding. “There’s enough activity to mask… whatever this is about.”
“It’s about why Alpha Patterson just told Godfather that I was Bravo’s Alpha.”
Brad’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “He did what?”
“I thought it was a ploy to save my ass. But he insisted that you all saw me as Alpha.” Nate crossed his arms. “So I need to know if that’s the case. And if so, why no one bothered to inform me.”
Brad frowned. “I guess it just happened.”
Nate raised an expectant brow.
“Look, I don’t have to explain to you the way pack works. I’ve been their Alpha, but the moment I started showing deference to you…”
It all made sense of course. Brad had passed along power whether he meant to or not. Still… “I’m human,” he argued.
Brad smirked much as Barrett had.
Ignoring the look, Nate pressed, “So you didn’t realize the pack started to look to me as Alpha?”
“Sorry, sir,” Brad replied. “Hadn’t noticed.”
Somehow Nate doubted that but he’d let it slide - at least for the time being. “Well, I’m not about to take your position away. I’ll use it if necessary to protect the pack, but you’re the Alpha, Brad.”
He walked away before Brad could reply, not wanting to know what it would be. There was something Brad wasn’t telling him and it made Nate prickle with nerves.
* * *
Apparently Brad never bothered to pass on the memo. While on watch that night with Mike, three of the team leaders made themselves known, all wolves of course - Lovell, Pappy, and Poke.
“We heard what happened with the Captain today,” Poke began.
“We wanted to apologize,” Pappy added. “If you thought we weren’t clear about you being our Alpha an’ all.”
“And you are,” Lovell was quick to assure. “Just as much as Brad is.” Lovell shifted uneasily under Nate’s stare, looking away in a very submissive gesture.
Poke continued, “An’ we wanted to make sure you knew we had your back. If Encino Man tries to fuck you over again, we’ll-”
“Hold it right there.” Nate stood, stepping closer to them. “Whatever happens between the Captain and myself, doesn’t concern any of you.” He gave them a long, hard look. “Stay out of it,” he ordered, for as much their own sake as his.
He walked off down the berm, though he stayed close enough to overhear them talking to Mike.
“Gunny, we were just trying to-”
Mike cut Poke off. “LT doesn’t want any of this messin’ with the platoon. He sure as hell doesn’t want anyone taking sides.” Nate had to give Mike credit; he knew most of his feelings without ever having to say them. “Shit’s on the Alpha and he wants it to stay that way.”
Did you really have to call me that? Nate thought. He had no idea how to feel about any of this.
“Pack ain’t like that,” Pappy insisted. “An’ you an’ Nate, you’ve been pack from the start.”
“None of the other officers are wolves either, sure,” Lovell added, “but you were always different. We thought you knew that.”
“We do,” Mike confirmed because it was true. The pack had come to treat Nate and Mike as one of them, just as they did the human enlisted men like Ray or Garza or Lilley. It was hard not to notice it. “That’s different than being told you’re Alpha. Give ‘im time to adjust.”
All three of them visibly sagged a little but they murmured their agreement. They hesitated, looking off into the shadows where they could no doubt see Nate easily. Even so, they respected his desire for space and wandered back the way they’d come.
“Y’know,” Mike mentioned as he heard Nate approach, “whether you like it or not, I believe you’ve been adopted.”
“They should have a wolf as Alpha, Mike. It’s not right for me to take that from them.”
Mike studied him and Nate shifted. His Gunny always saw too damn much. “So is it the part that you’re not a wolf, or that you might fuck up?”
Nate snorted.
Mike grinned and looked away. “Nate, you’re a good officer. You care ‘bout the men you lead. Maybe that’s a fault… you carin’ too much. But it’s a good problem to have in my opinion.” He looked back up at Nate. “Nothin’s changed. If anything, look at it as an opportunity to protect the men better… protect the pack.”
Nate nodded slowly. “Yeah… You’re right.”
“Course I am. Now get over here and keep me company would ya? Gets cold when that wind blows like that.”
Nate chuckled, shaking his head as he nudged Mike’s shoulder with his knee. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
* * *
Brad glared over at Ray. Between his conversation with Nate the day before and the false alarm with the supposed "tanks" last night, he had been jerked back to the reality of their situation. There was no time in war for personal feelings. Which was naturally part of his problem at the moment.
“You went and opened your big mouth.”
“Me?” Ray waved him off.
“Then why, pray tell, have the other wolves been treating Nate as an Alpha since we stepped off? Why do other Alphas notice this? Why is Nate coming to me asking about it? Hmm?”
“Dude. You act like the pack’s stupid.”
Brad glared at him again, to no effect. Ray had been - for good or ill - pack to him for a long time. Which meant he could read Brad like a book. Wolves like Pappy and Kocher who had served beside him in Afghanistan were just as bad.
“Homes, you seriously need to get your shit together,” Ray continued. “If you think Nate’s not gonna find out about-”
“Shut it, Ray,” Brad growled. “It’s my business.”
Ray scoffed, not even phased by the wolf. Normally admirable in a human, with Ray it was just annoying. “Whatever you say, Fido.”
Brad had half a mind to shift and pounce the little shit. Maybe it would scare him straight for a bit. But Brad had far too much control for that. They weren’t in a camp where he could just shift at will. Battle meant no shifting unless given permission from the CO.
Smirking, Brad realized perhaps it wasn’t so bad that Nate knew he was an Alpha now. They could override a CO’s order when it came to the wolves. Maybe he’d go ask about some shifting time for the pack while the battalion was still stationary.
* * *
“Shifting?” Nate hadn’t expected that when Brad said he wanted to talk.
“Only for a little while. We don’t know when we’ll have the opportunity again and I don’t want anyone getting restless.”
It was a fair point and they hadn’t gotten any general warning in regards to moving on. “Alright. I don’t have a problem with it.”
Brad’s face lit up. It was a rare enough occurrence that Nate couldn’t help but smile back. Rather than let Nate radio though, Brad tipped his head back and howled. Nate had studied the differences in the howls - each company having their own - and he recognized it as a simple rally cry.
Sure enough, every wolf in the company gathered around, wondering what was going on. Brad announced with a smirk, “Time to shift, boys.”
There wasn’t a single wolf that wasn’t excited to some degree and Nate smiled as he watched them all. It was seamless, the way they shifted from one form to the next.
Walt was a leggy grey wolf now, dancing around in circles, trying to entice the small grey wolf that was Christeson into a game. Trombley was rather small himself, looking more coyote than wolf, sticking to the edge of the group.
Nate had learned all their wolf forms, from Kocher’s rugged timber wolf to Doc’s lean tawny frame. Poke was, hilariously enough, a Mexican wolf, and Q-tip may have picked up his nickname for more than just his hair with the way his arctic wolf stood out from the brown earth.
They ran around each other, play fighting or racing. Lovell shot by, followed closely by some of the Bravo-3 wolves he didn’t know as well. Chaffin was harassing Budweiser - as though that didn’t happen enough being in the same humvee - while Stinetorf and Leon chased each other in circles.
Pappy and Rudy, a red wolf and tundra wolf respectively, started scenting immediately. The mated pair were nothing besides professional when it was required so Nate didn’t see any harm in allowing them time together.
It was something the wolves had fought to convince military advisors of, that mated pairs could work together in combat roles. There were a lot of hurdles to jump through, but in the end you could be certain that any mated pairs serving together were a force to be reckoned with. Patterson and Barrett proved they could even thrive in officer positions.
Brad was the last to shift, making sure everyone else was alright before doing so. His sleek black frame was impressive, and a stand-out among so many attractive looking wolves. He looked up at Nate, those same blue eyes watching him.
“Go on,” Nate encouraged after a moment. “Have fun.” Brad, however, stubbornly refused and sat next to Nate’s feet, instead choosing to watch the goings-on.
“Well that’s a mess,” Evan commented, coming to stand at Nate’s other side. He was looking amused despite his words. “You weren’t kidding when you said over half the company were wolves,” he noted. “This puts it into perspective.”
“That’s what happens when you have elite units. Wolves tend to gravitate there. Especially recon. They’re built for it.”
“I can see the advantage.”
“Take Brad here.” Nate plopped his hand between the wolf’s ears, Brad’s head sitting higher than his hip. “Lean, mean fighting machine. Powerful. Silent. Perfect for getting in and out undetected.”
Brad had his chest puffed out a little and Nate chuckled, fluffing his ears. Brad grumbled at that, glaring up at him with no effect.
“So I hear you got named Alpha,” Evan mentioned. “How’d that happen?”
“Beats me,” Nate replied. “Apparently they like me.” He smiled over at their reporter.
Evan had been nervous about being imbedded with them, especially when he learned how many wolves there would be. Yet there he was now, having stuck through it all and riding with a majority wolf vehicle. He probably hadn’t realized yet that he’d been adopted by the pack.
“Go get it!” Ray yelled, tossing a tennis ball into the fray. A few wolves scrambled over each other to get after it, only to find more tennis balls flying by.
Brad groaned audibly, hanging his head. Nate just knew he was thinking something in regards to warrior spirits and wolves not being dogs. And there were probably a few colorful names for Ray being bounced around as well.
Despite really being two packs - each platoon having their own hierarchy - the company functioned largely as a unit. Therefore it wasn’t strange to have both platoons mingled together in play as they were. Nate supposed the fact Bravo-3 had all looked to Brad as an Alpha - while Kocher was his Beta - meant that those wolves would be his responsibility as well then.
It was all rather surreal.
“Lieutenant.”
Nate held back a groan. He should have known their activity wouldn’t go unnoticed. Nate had simply hoped it would go unchallenged after what just happened the day before. He turned towards Encino Man and Casey Kasem, even as he chided himself for calling them such in his head.
“Sir?”
“What’s going on here? We’re under strict orders-”
“With all due respect sir, as Alpha I decided to give the wolves time to let their energy out. We wouldn’t want them to lose control out there in the middle of a firefight, would we?”
Schwetje looked as though he wanted to argue. Instead he just muttered, “You have a point,” before walking away. No doubt Griego had put him up to it, probably hissing at how Nate was overstepping.
Brad nudged Nate’s hand to draw his attention. Brad was looking at him rather proudly, giving Nate a firm nod before trotting off to be with the other wolves.
“Well, you’ve got his vote of confidence,” Evan noted.
Nate smiled softly, watching the shadowy wolf move. “Yeah. Guess I do.”
For whatever reason that made him feel warm inside. Nate had wanted Brad’s trust from day one, knowing the wolves would follow but also simply desiring his respect. Apparently, Nate had it, and he swore he wouldn’t do anything to let Brad, or the pack, down.