Carnet's POV

"Your file didn't say anything about you being a red wolf." the Alpha was the first one to speak. My head tilted to the side, my ears flicking up and twitching. A red wolf? I mean I knew I had red fur but he said 'red wolf' like it meant something.

"Red wolf?" I echoed.

"Yes, I gather you've heard of the fabled white wolves, they signify a new beginning, starting anew, purity and completion. Red wolves are similar, the meaning behind them is different but the appearance of one is just as important if not more so," he explained and I frowned. I'd never heard of a red wolf in the books of werewolf history I'd read, I'd heard of the white wolf, how spiritually important they were, how the birth of one heralded a new age for the werewolves, a chance to turn over a new leaf and begin again, to forgive and come together, to rejoice in the good fortune that was certain to come.

There were also stories about black wolves, how they heralded mystery, and power, warned of strict leadership, sophisticated and elegant, but also sadness and anger, even mass loss, the birth of a black wolf signalled hard times, the unknown and upsetting.

What would a red wolf bring? I'd never thought much of my fur colour in wolf form since red was an uncommon but natural occurrence amongst wild wolves, which is what we called wolves in nature. Most if not all werewolves had that generic coat colour that you associate with a wolf, that grey, white, black and brown coat, the timber colour. Of course, everyone looked a little different, some crept into almost being all black or all white but never completely. When they were they were deemed either a white or black wolf, grey was in between so there was no such thing as a grey wolf in our society. It was our lore our history, the fabled white wolf, and stories of the happenings surrounding white wolves fuelled the beliefs, you'd struggle to find a werewolf who wasn't a believer.

Brown wolves were more common, they were strong and reliable, solid, resilient, and dependable, and they give a sense of safety and security, appearing solid and unbreakable. They also warn of loneliness, sadness and isolation. The impressive and notable alpha's in history had almost always been brown wolves, the symbolism almost reflected what an alpha would be, they were the strongest, they looked after their pack, and they protected the weak. Being an alpha could be lonely though, stressful and the position could isolate you from the rest of your kind, the responsibility was immense and you were treated differently.

If I really was a red wolf then what did it mean? Why have I never heard of it before? It was a terrifying but also intriguing thought, what did my birth signal for the werewolf world? The fated wolf always played a big part in the happenings following their creation, I hoped I wasn't a red flag, worry filled me but I was curious, I never felt like I had a deep burning purpose, that my existence would affect so many. I was just me, son of the Beta from an insignificant pack, sure we were known for our strategy but the feats from other packs were much more impressive, smarts weren't something werewolves were very proud of, fighting prowess, strength and power were admired much more than intelligence.

"But why do I have a tail and ears?" I asked them all, sitting up as the position was hurting my back, having to look over my shoulder at them.

"It's called a partial shift, like shifting it is a great stress reliever for you and your wolf. You were both quite stressed but your previous condition tells me you've been ignoring his feelings." the doctor accused me and I frowned. Had I? I mean I'd wanted to roll onto my back and submit to the Alpha many times since I'd met him, I'd not done it though, I was too embarrassed and I didn't think me doing it would be well received.

I looked over at the Alpha, his intense silver eyes already on me. I laid on my back, letting out a low whine, baring my neck to him.

A growl rumbled from his chest, his dominance spiking, the smell swirling through the air. He took a step closer to the doctor's table I was laying on, leaning over me. I whimpered, exposing my neck, even more, closing my eyes and keeping very still. His large frame blocked out the light from the room, casting a shadow. I could feel him getting closer and closer, and then his breaths ghosted over my bared neck, his nose running along it as he inhaled, another growl sounding through the quiet room. Whenever our skin brushed my nerves expelled a burst of sensation, almost like an electric shock but softer and having a longer burn.

He seemed to get even closer, his lower half starting to climb onto the medical table. "Satish, control yourself." his Beta told him, the sound of rustling clothes as he got closer. At that, I peeked open my eyes seeing the Alpha snarl at his Beta, his face leaving my neck for a moment to bare his teeth in a back-off gesture, a warning. He continued to push himself up onto the table, his body looming over my own. I risked opening my eyes a little some more, seeing his powerful shoulders and chest, his dominance rolling over me in waves. His legs settled in between my own, his head lowering to my neck once more. His nose brushed against the sensitive skin, running along my jaw and down my neck, his forehead gently headbutting my shoulder with a short growl.

I whined in response, my wolf seemed closer to me, like most of the barriers between us were gone, was it because my tail and ears were out? I mean he was a lot more in control when I was a wolf, it was similar, I felt what he did, almost as if his wants and emotions were my own, it was difficult to differentiate. Due to this, I knew what the Alpha wanted, the shoulder nudging, he wanted me to roll over again, my animal wanted it as well, but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

He growled again, deeper, grunting when he nudged my shoulder with his head. I whimpered, my ears pulling back and I gently placed my hand on his chest, pushing a little. His body radiated heat along with the obvious power it held, I could feel the strength of his body beneath my fingers, it only made the need to submit worse. He got the idea and lifted his head so our eyes met, it was the first time, and it was so close. I could see every fleck in his silver eyes and the soft ring of grey around the iris, the intensity was unexplainable, like hot flames singeing my eyes. He stared and from how close we were I couldn't escape it, I was unable to look away. "Alpha," I whispered, no strength in my voice, it was so quiet, like an echo but he heard it. His eyes seemed to glow more like light was being reflected off of them, his dominance blanketed me, from his eyes and presence, how close he was, he was all I could smell, all I could see, all I could feel. A weight pressed me down onto the doctor's table, I don't think I could move off of it any time soon, it was like an invisible presence kept me pinned. My body shivered and trembled from his intense gaze, my breaths coming out shallow and fast, my lungs tightened from nerves and something, something foreign to me, something unknown.

"Carnet." his deep timbre rumbled back and a shudder wracked my body, my eyes fluttering closed, the sound of his voice caressing my ears, I found I liked his name on my lips. I gasped when I felt warmth grasp onto one of my delicate ears, his hand was playing with one of them, he rubbed the thin cartilage between his fingers and the other ear lowered, the other stuck in his grasp. I whined at the feeling of the touch, the sound long and pleading. Thankfully he let my ear go and I sighed in relief. Instead, his fingers carded through my hair, tugging at the soft curls, I let a pleased hum vibrate in my throat, my eyes hooding and almost closing at the nice feeling, I nuzzled against the hand and heard a soft chuckle in response. The Alpha knelt back, sitting on his heels as he continued to play with my hair, his face softening a little, his dominance slowly abating to somewhat manageable levels.

I cautiously sat up, my tail free once more and it slowly wagged, the Alpha didn't seem to mind my changed position. I rested my head heavily on his palm, my eyes falling closed completely, showing him trust and submission, leaving me in his hands, figuratively and literally. I practically felt his body loosen, his body seeming less tense and I heard a deep sigh before he pulled back his hand. I held back a whine, my eyes opening again, the Alpha smiled softly at me before getting off of the doctor's table, it creaking with relief being free of more weight than it should have.

I saw and heard the doctor and the Beta sigh with relief, their shoulders loosening as the Alpha resumed standing on his two feet, seeming calm and collected once again. I carefully turned on the doctor's table, slipping off the high platform, my own feet finding the floor again, my tail swished slowly in slight nervousness, my ears to attention and twitching at any sound, immediately seeking it out. The Alpha was in front of me, his tall and thew frame towering over me. My head ducked instinctively, keeping my eyes at a respectable level, my knees even now itching to bend in his presence, despite the fact I'd just submitted to him. My wolf seemed calmer though, tension wasn't thrumming through my body as much and even if the urge to submit was still there it was a little subdued.

"Your wolf wanted to submit?" the doctor gathered and I bobbed my head slowly a few times an affirming sound coming from her.

"Good thing you didn't completely before, my wolf is easily riled by such acts, especially in front of others." the Alpha's deep voice rumbled out. I two was glad I had refrained from giving in to my animal's wants, if I'd submitted to him during the first day of the Luna Choosing god knows what would have happened, and in front of all those people. I'm feeling embarrassed just thinking about it.