We all watched from the other side of the room, waiting as the pack slowly approached the doorway, hesitant to enter with the new scent permating the room. I watched them approach and back away again and again, taking whiffs of the air and gazing inside the room before finally, one of them ventured inside.

I smirked softly, watching as the young she-wolf glanced at Kyle before beelining it to where Erina was standing, huffing and sniffing at her clothes and hands. It had been her mother and her as a little pup that had helped Erina through the hardest moment of her life.

Seeing that nothing happened, the pack slowly trickled inside, those already imprinted sniffing and greeting Cedric, Erina and I while the rest eyed Kyle warily from his position on the couch. A few approached to give him a hesitant sniff, but none of them really seemed keenly interested in him.

My arms slowly slid to my sides as I noticed one of the last wolves enter the doorway, shoulders scraping against the hatch as it squeezed its massive bulk into the room. The pack's enforcer was huge and known to be volatile at best, though none of the wolves under his care genuinely acted out.

Still, I eyed the wolf warily as I averted my gaze when it glared at me, a low snarl building in its throat with hackles rising. He had been brought to us as a youngster, trapped by humans and abused until he grew too big and too aggressive to handle.

In fact, I recall he nearly killed his last human handler... We never knew what the man was up to but police had responded to pained cries and snarls, finding the mangled man slowly bleeding out besides a splintered wooden mace, the wolf bloodied and pacing in agitation.

It had made its dislike for human contact, in specific males known very clearly by attacking any male that ventured in its territory. Hell the first few times I had entered the enclosure myself, it had charged at me and dealt several bites and scrapes until eventually it learned that the pack and I were safe.

So seeing this wolf venture into the room with bristling tail and hackles fully up was less than reassuring for anyone in the room. Especially Kyle. My nose might not be able to sniff out how weak he was but a wild wolf's life depended on that.

They would know within seconds that Kyle was easy killing, if he were a prey animal.

"Cedric..." I warned softly, glancing at the man to make sure he knew my intent. He nodded softly, pushing Erina to the side and crouched slowly, not even blinking as several of the pack approached to lick at his throat and cheeks.

A sudden yelp made us all jump, including the pack. One of the other wolves had been sitting by Kyle's side, sniffing and leaning over the boy with curiosity. Now it was squished on the floor, tail quivering in fear and tucked tightly against its creamy belly with whimpers slipping from its muzzle in an attempt to sooth the massive wolf on top of it.

Kyle was blinking rapidly, edging himself back as far as he could and letting out a soft whine when he pressed too much on his hands. I went to approached but stilled as the wolf snarled sharply, snapping its teeth at my approach.

The youngster curled its tail even tighter and slowly crawled away from the black and grey wolf while Kyle's eyes widened in worry when the enforcer approached him.

Slowly, almost hesitantly so, it sniffed at Kyle's trembling hands, tail wagging stiffly above its back. A paw landed on the seat between Kyle's legs before the wolf pushed up, towering above Kyle in all its might. And yet, it was extremely gentle and cautious as it sniffed Kyle from top to bottom, hackles slowly relaxing.

Kyle groaned slightly as the wolf dropped down on his legs with a huff, settling in with a grumbling yawn and laying its head on Kyle's chest. I watched as Kyle's lips twitched into a bitter smile, hands trembling terribly as he raised them slowly to place against the wolf's fur.

"Wuss."

I blinked, awed as the enforcer merely grumbled at Kyle's tease and nuzzled against Kyle, growling warningly at anyone coming too close.

"Well... guess they clicked." Cedric murmured, unable to hide the awe and respect in his voice as he slowly stood up, watching the massive wolf laying in Kyle's lap like, well, a lap dog. Though I wouldn't dare call that specific wolf any kind of dog.

"What's his name?" Kyle inquired softly, gazing down at the golden eyes in his lap, watching his every move with great attention. He smiled and gently petted through the coarse fur, untangling it as he went.

I chuckled softly, shaking my he ad. "None of the wolves have names unless they've bonded with someone. I still can't believe he picked you." Kyle blinked up in confusion before glancing at the rest of the cowering wolves as I explained him, "That is the Pack's enforcer and he has a mean streak a mile wide. We don't know the details of his past, only that he was abused and has a passionate hatred for anything male."

Kyle seemed shocked at that but didn't once stop petting the wolf. He did shuffle his weight slightly, groaning under his breath once more before giving the wolf in his lap a soft shove. "Dude, move your fat ass off my legs! I can't bloody feel em anymore."

Instead of responding aggressively, the wolf yawned almost mockingly so and stretched out on his side, squishing Kyle even more until he managed to slip off his legs and squeeze behind him. Yet even in this mockingly relaxed state, I could tell it was ready to leap over Kyle in a moment's notice.

"So, would you like to do the honors?" I asked as I approached slowly, sitting on the floor near Kyle's bench to sooth the warning growls that were rumbling through the wolf behind him. He hesitated, blinking back at the wolf as he shuffled his weight in a more comfortable position, huffing when the wolf instantly placed its head back in Kyle's lap.

"Uhm... I don't know... I'm terrible with names. Perhaps later on, when I actually know the pup?" I huffed with laughter as even Cedric and Erina joined in. "Only you would have the gall to call that wolf a pup." Cedric snickered.

There was no response from Kyle as he smiled tiredly and played with the wolf's fur. I smiled to myself, a smile shared with Cedric and Erina as this was exactly what we were hoping for. Though I hadn't imagined Kyle bonding with him, it would take his mind off of his situation. The wolves had an uncanny ability to sense when our emotions were troubling us and they would interact, intervening at the time we desperately needed them.

"Who's your bonded then?" Kyle asked curiously, watching as I glanced to my side at the creamy white and grey wolf that laid there casually. Its female was right beside it and when they both stood to shook themselves out, Kyle nearly rolled his eyes as the pair curled their tails nearly over their backs at the approach of one of the younger wolves.

"Of course you'd bond with the Alpha male." He grumbled, making me smirk, "And female." I added, watching with a grin as Kyle glanced again before shaking his head. "Seriously? You need two wolves for yourself?"

My grin widened even further, hands petting the female as she pressed in my hands, presenting any itching skin for me to scratch at. "Hey, I didn't choose them. They chose me. I can't help it that both of them decided that they wanted me but then again, these two are always following in the other's trail, so it wasn't that much of a surprise."

Kyle rolled his eyes with a huff once more, though I could see the smile that curled his lips before he glanced back at the wolf in his lap. It was watching him quietly, following his every move as it laid behind him, head and paw resting on Kyle's hip in a possessive way.

"Shadow."

Grey ears perked as the wolf huffed, causing Kyle to chuckle slightly and ruffle through its fur. I smirked, shooting a glance at Cedric; interacting with an animal like Shadow himself was already helping Kyle to relax, even to the point where he was pushing himself to flex his hands and ignore his injuries.

My heart thumped in my chest as a spark of hope filled me. Slowly, step by step we would travel this road to recovery. And it was one mighty road filled with bumps, twists and diversions. I knew despite how easy this seemed for Kyle, there would be rough days ahead where he'd break down once more.

We all had traveled that road and struggled at certain points where others seemed to excel and shoot ahead. For now, I was happy that Kyle had some reprieve but I knew that his suffering hadn't ended, nor would it suddenly disappear.

Being rejected left a physical, emotional and mental mark on both yourself and your wolf. Sometimes it even ended with the death of one, perhaps both parties. It all depended on the strength of the person and the support they got from their family and friends.

Kyle had been incredibly strong so far, mustering the courage to push ahead and keep on going without anyone guiding or helping him. Now that he had the pack behind him, I knew that he'd have a set back because now he could actually let go, knowing others would catch him.

I've seen it happen countless of times and sadly enough I'll see it countless times more. Rejections wouldn't stop from occurring but at least we could prevent the rejected from spiraling out of control. And quite possibly save their lives.

Gods, I really hope so...