Zander's beautiful, reddish fur was saturated in fresh and dried blood from nose to tail nub. From the pelvic area down, his body was destroyed. A leg was dangling by a mere strip of ligament, flesh fading into muddled colors from decay. Flies festered over the deep wounds. His long-haired tail was mostly gone, sliced clean through. A stench of urine and feces overpowered the scent of an alpha's rut. Zander could no longer control his bowels; his bladder had popped like a balloon. Teru imagined him trying to run with the pack, dragging his lower half behind. By mortal standards, this should have killed him on impact. Yet, he was like this for days, determined with his last breath to see Teru before crossing over.

Death itself must've been on his heels as the werewolves whisked him away through the wilderness, evading its claws to collect his soul for the heavens.

It was no wonder everyone in the Jeep could sense this while driving. A werewolf's aura was strong in the first place, once being kings of the forest when their population was larger. With four wolves, one with a rutting scent that spread for miles, and Zander's soul hanging unnaturally by a thread, you'd get every living thing fleeing away as far away as possible.

Zander, panting heavily, opened his eyes wildly to find a specific person. He whined, not able to move his head. He was done. This was it. No more running. The werewolf was in his final moments, on top of brown leaves, some wildflowers, and newly green leaf buds collected by the others to help him be comfortable.

Lila, Jacky, and Tae-soo stood around their dying family member. Wasting not a second longer, Teru didn't hesitate to kneel next to Zander. He stroked his big head and rubbed the spot behind his ears. His puppy-dog eyes flitted to Teru's belly.

"They're fine," Teru assured him. "We are fine, and you'll be fine, too."

Zander let out a long, wheezy breath, glad to hear this.

"I can't fathom what you went through to stay alive. We need to go running together when you're better, okay? There's a lot I need to learn from you."

Why am I crying? He'll come back to life soon.

"I guess I'll be the only human left in the pack. Do you think one of my pups will be more human than vampire?"

Zander replied, letting out a gruff that was more like choking. A stream of blood leaked from his soft nose...

...before suddenly snarling at him, trying to lunge at Teru.

Omega. Must mate. Wait. He bears pups. Can't mate with him. Must find mate. Must go. Must find, Zander's wolf said, distraught.

Kieran was ready. He lifted Teru swiftly multiple feet away from Zander. The incoming wave of rut wasn't as potent as before, but enough to want to breed even in his deplorable condition. The wolves barked to get him to calm down, do not struggle. Zander wouldn't listen, convulsing from his attempt to stand up. Something black and bloody slipped out from his behind, probably an organ.

Teru swallowed the puke that went up his throat. He brushed his hand through his hair, not knowing what to do to get this situation under control. Zander would not want the pack's head omega to remember his last moments as a mortal like this-a typical alpha lost in his season, too weak to go against it.

He recalled what Tae-soo had said earlier:

"Teru, you are our leader, but being an omega puts extra burdens on you when an alpha within the pack goes into their season. It means you have to be extra forceful and strict, to overpower their instincts and make them see you as more than a tool to empty their balls."

His inner omega was pissed.

Like, utterly and really pissed.

There were going to be times when Kieran couldn't be there, to protect him from every danger that came along.

Teru needed to fucking grow up.

His inner dominant side was squirming to show itself.

He let it.

The omega nipped at Kieran's hand to let go, his wolf ears lying flat against his head. His overly sweet, pregnancy pheromones contaminated the flowery scent of a dominant omega. It didn't matter. They all halted immediately, including the betas. Oh man, if it wasn't for the pups in his belly, he'd shift into a werewolf, too. His teeth ached to bite into their necks to show superiority.

Don't back down.

You're the omega in this pack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teru's tiny act of defiance was enough to surprise Kieran, letting go. The scratch on his hand was gone instantly.

Teru went forward, on a mission to put them, specifically Zander, in his place. At first, Kieran reached out quickly. He ended up not stopping his partner and monitored every movement that everyone did around Teru. And if Teru couldn't manage, he'd intervene.

The rust-colored wolf, Zander, snarled at his mate. How dare he fucking attempt to take Teru, dying or not! It made his own alpha boil, wanting to end his life right now and lick the blood off his fingers triumphantly. He barred his fangs in response, feeling his guarding flare up. The heavens only knew what would happen if he entered full guarding mode, a state unfamiliar to him. If his earlier display of feral behavior was any indication...Fuck.

The air smelled of tempting flowers and sweet sugar. How could it not be the most gorgeous scent in existence? Kieran almost fell into the lovely scent, wanting to sit back and cover himself with it. Wear it like a badge of honor.

Almost. He couldn't lose focus now.

Zander was motionless, frozen on the leaf pile, inhaling deeply.

The pack's leader moved into a confident stance, staring daggers at each wolf until resting on Zander. He purred deeply at him in a unique tempo that Kieran could not understand. He assumed it was to demand respect.

Kieran had to rub his eyes.

Teru wasn't standing there anymore.

Ryoma was. It was the same, prideful omega that stepped off of the jet plane before being chained to Abaddon for the next three years. An alpha that wasn't an alpha.

When he blinked, Teru had returned.

Their auras were exactly the same, mother and son.

Pride was beaming inside, thrilled that his destined mate could handle himself so well, to control a werewolf pack that were enslaved for so long.

"Brother, has he ever...used this ability on you? In bed?" Blaise said in his ear, ruining the moment.

Kieran didn't want to discuss this, not to Lust. It happened once when Teru was in heat after they marked:

Teru removed his finger, ass wiggling as he veered backward, inches from Kieran's face. He offered the homemade treat to the alpha for being a patient boy.

"Eat," the omega in unrestrained heat instructed him.

Kieran growled. His rut waited at the starting gates, anxious to begin running at full speed. He shuddered when he felt the primal need to escape from under this omega's thumb and claim him, wanting to bite that nape again.

Those details would forever remain between the pair only.

"You know, if your feisty dom omega wants to practice on me, I'd be willing to experiment if he can make me do-OOF!"

The last image Kieran wanted to conjure was Teru dominating Lust in such a way. The thought was one of the most repulsive things he's ever had the unfortunate pleasure of imagining, pushing his younger sibling in disgust.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh, it was just a playful suggestion."

Kieran said a string of curses in his native tongue, things that would make the worst of sailor mouths speechless.

Blaise ignored the nasty insults and stretched his limbs as if he was preparing to run a marathon. "Well, I guess it's my turn since he's gonna kick the bucket at any second."

"I don't think...you should get involved," Lucas whispered slowly without using his voice, arms crossed and leaning weakly against a tree. "We have...a deadline."

"Perhaps, but wouldn't life get boring if you don't try new things? It won't take long. I've never turned a werewolf before. What an interesting fact to add to my repertoire."

"Later, let's also talk...about your suggestion to fuck...my friend, Lust." Lucas's eyes were dark, angry about a joke meant to ruffle Kieran's feathers. For once, Kieran agreed with him. A line had been crossed.

Blaise smiled, fangs shining, and approached Zander. "That we should, Chastity. That we should."