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Broken Pieces

Chapter Six

By Roofles

On the second floor of the doghouse stood PB and Reese.

When unfamiliar wolves meet, there is a custom to intimidate the other. However, this wasn’t the first time the two had. Growing up at the same time together in the pack, they became something akin to brothers. Not of the same litter but of the same group of cubs raised together by the wolf pack.

Even with Reese being two years older than PB was, he’d been put into their group along with his estranged brother Bale after what had happened to their litter. After what he had done to them. The Alpha at the time didn’t see any issue with this, not worrying if Reese did something again.

While a time-honored tradition that was bred into and a part of their very genetics, on an instinctual level, it didn’t diminish how they felt for one another. Wolves took the old proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” and made it a part of their identity and culture. These cubs were raised together. They fought one another, showing dominance or submission so the adults could pick out who would be pack leaders and who would be workers. According to the current Alpha's wishes, some were even single out to be used to produce more cubs. They loved one another as brothers and sisters, sleeping in the same pile to grow that familiar bond.

Nuzzle, touching, sniffing, even licking, depending on the age. To increase that pack bond.

And though Reese and PB couldn’t be farther apart, they were still pack brothers.

Or so Reese had wanted to say. To greet PB with open arms and welcome him in.

Life couldn’t be so kind, and though Reese's thoughts told him to, on that instinctual level, he couldn’t greet this man before him as anything other than a stranger.

Standing there now, PB didn’t look like the same man or wolf Reese had known. And as Reese’s nose twitched, he could barely smell the person he once had been. PB didn’t have that rich natural musk that wolves identified each other by. His fur looked tattered, worn like a sock that had been washed one too many times.

This wasn’t a confrontation between wolves. Or even a greeting between friends! This… Reese didn’t know what this was. How to feel. How to think at this moment. PB felt like a stranger standing there. Without ears? Without a tail? One could hardly even call him a wolf.

He looked like a battered, beaten stray mutt that had somehow ended up in wolf territory.

Reese’s ear flicked, his tail lifted, and PB instantly got what he was saying to him. The words a canine could convey to another without ever speaking the words. PB couldn’t fold his ears back or lower his tail in submission in return, and Reese felt that to his core. The divide between the two of them. What life had done to PB and how it stripped him of his status as a wolf.

He could never be welcome amongst wolves or canines again, looking as he did. After what that Alpha, Reese’s father Mauler, had done to PB in front of them all.

And how it was, in a way, Reese’s fault. No matter how much time passed. Some scars could never fully heal.

The ragged-looking nutty, brown-furred wolf could not meet the strong gaze of the current Alpha of the pack. Two wolves, who couldn’t be more different, stood in the new pack house.

Two wolves that had been and were everything to Alan. One that had been a light to Alan and the other a shadow, their roles reversed, and it was clear as day to the two of them then and there. The smell alone in the room said it all.

Even with the human gone, PB could smell Alan all over this room that belonged to Reese. Just like everything else here did, as right as Alpha. PB was the foreigner now, looking in on their relationship.

And neither of the two knew what to say or do at that moment.

Alan had headed back downstairs to check on Salt and Pepper. Wanting to make sure the hurricane that was PB’s pups didn’t take them away with it. Alan found both teenage wolves buried under the seven puppies, bouncing on them as they claimed victory over the two who weren’t allowed to fight back.

And Alan had to laugh at that, quickly coming to their rescue.

“Now, now. Be nice.” Alan tried to chide the pups but couldn’t help but smile. They were little brown bundles of fur. They looked so innocent with their bright eyes that looked so much like how their father once had.

It pulled on his heartstrings in ways he hoped he’d never have to experience again.

Barreth stood nearby, ensuring Salt and Pepper behaved before gladly stepping aside and letting Alan take charge. Within seconds, Alan had all the puppies around him and was ushering them out the back door to play. Alan followed after, with Salt and Pepper closely behind. Barreth joined them, glancing up at the ceiling above before shutting the door. At least this way, the Alpha would have some privacy.

Reese would handle things from here.

All Barreth's job was to keep Alan busy and occupied, involved as little as possible in what was happening in what everyone called “pack business.” The human was kept out of it as much as possible. Barreth was just glad Alan seemed to understand the situation. The human in question made this a very easy thing to accomplish, as if Alan knew to stay out of it. Or maybe he just wanted not to get swept away by the drama.

Wolves, in their way, could be very dramatic creatures.

“What are you doing here?” Reese just asked, facing towards PB, who still couldn’t fully look at him. The minutes had dragged on to the point Reese, as Alpha, had to make the first move. PB would’ve stood there frozen to the ground otherwise.

PB shuffled his feet uncomfortably before Reese. Even as pack brothers, the two hadn’t seen each other in over twenty years. To show up like this hadn’t been what PB had wanted, and if he weren’t desperate, he’d have locked himself and his family away from this newly formed pack. Kept them away from anything to do with these wolves again.

Wolves weren’t meant to be alone, and PB had hoped a family would keep such primal urges at bay. That wanting need to be around his kind. But, after everything, he had to return here. Wolves weren’t meant to be alone.

“Unable to escape.” Reese gritted his teeth, unable to say the words aloud, trying not to let his disdain show as he stood there with his head held high before PB. As much as Reese felt for PB, what little he could, Reese still had a job and duty to do as Alpha.

No matter how much he despised the mantel he’d been forced and tricked into wearing.

“Well?” Reese asked, saying the words aloud. He couldn’t read PB’s expressions as he could with the other wolves in the pack. Able to communicate half the exchange with body language alone.

“Reese…” PB gritted his teeth, the dentures in his mouth digging into his gums as he fidgeted with his hands, unsure of what to do with his fingers that were too few. “I…”

This was still PB in the end. A wolf who had it all one day, only for it to be taken the next. Reese had envied PB more than he could ever admit back then. PB had everything Reese had wanted growing up. To him, the life PB had been chasing after was better than standing there now as the new Alpha.

It was hard to say.

Hard to admit.

That this? All of this? It had been a mockery of what PB had been chasing after all those years ago. A place to call home. Reese, in his way, had latched onto PB’s hopes and dreams, wanting to be carried away with them to the place he and Alan had seen beyond the horizon. To be there even if he couldn’t join them.

And when that dream didn’t become a reality, Reese got his hands dirty to create it himself. To make such a place that, maybe, Reese could have what PB did one day. And when he had it? When that miracle came true? Reese was afraid of only one thing.

To lose it. To lose him. And to lose this home, he had bloodied his hands to get. A dream that hadn’t been his but one that Reese had earned, nonetheless.

“This isn’t, at all, how I planned for this to go….” Reese sighed with a shake of his head, resting against the desk and staring at the carpet now. PB lifted his head enough to look at the other wolf then.

Though Reese couldn’t read PB, as a wolf, PB could read Reese. Read the body language the other wolf gave off. Every twitch of his whiskers, every shift of his ears, and even the position of his tail spoke words to the other wolf.

And PB was shocked to see Reese, of all wolves, looking as he did. Disheartened and worried, confusion was written on his face, if only briefly. To think that Reese could show such a side. A glimpse behind the monster his father had tried to create.

“Who’d to think you, out of all of us, would be the first to have pups?” Reese almost laughed, nails digging into his desk as he heard it.

Reese’s ear flicked as he heard it. Heard the sounds of this foreign wolf’s pups in his territory. Reese could hear the noisy pups out in the backyard. The sound of Alan’s voice joining them. Alan with pups. It still made Reese’s chest tighten, butterflies dancing in his stomach as his nails gripped the desk tighter. The sound of Alan’s laugh, of his voice out back with puppies.

Pups that weren’t Reese’s. And that only made his hackles rise.

So many thoughts ran through Reese’s head as he looked out the back window. It was tinted, but he could still see Alan playing with the puppies and arranging games for them to play together. It mostly involved chasing after Salt or Pepper. Alan getting the two brothers involved even now.

This human, who should be the estranged one from them all, was Alan, that brought these separate families together. Jumping in to help pull one of the rascals off Pepper’s tail after biting down on it. Watching as the human got on the puppy before letting him run off after the others. Laughing and playing here together…

Like one big happy family…

Reese had wanted to invite PB over, eventually. It had been one of the big goals he had in mind over the years. Not to keep PB and Alan apart but to make a life so incredible, so amazing that Alan would never want to leave it. A life so perfect that when PB showed up at his door like this, he would be the one envying Reese for a change. Instead of the other way around.

That had been Reese’s selfish plan. To ease his guilt over it all. That he didn’t steal Alan away but that the human had… chosen him over PB. Something that meant so much to the wolf. That Reese had earned Alan’s love and faith in him.

“A family.” And it wasn’t Reese’s pups Alan was playing with and caring for. It was this other wolf. A wolf that should’ve been green with envy! This wolf had somehow won again…

And seeing PB here now only reminded Reese of this.

And he hated PB, at that moment, for it. For ruining this for him. Ruining the idea he had in mind. He couldn’t rub PB’s face in it when he was distressed like this! Couldn’t get on him when he was so blue and melancholy. Reese couldn’t brag that he had won! Not when he stunk. The other wolf stunk of it. A mixture of fear, guilt, and agitation that was hard to read on PB’s scarred beat up face.

But smells never lied. And Reese glared at the wolf for it. For making him feel this way. For giving Alan the thing, he couldn’t. For taking away his chance to show off. And feeling guilty for thinking these dark thoughts.

Seeing him in person only made it harder.

PB didn’t have the ears he once had. Reese could still remember them perking up at every sound. They were oversized, and people picked on PB for them. Sometimes Reese did too. Other times he defended his pack brother from the others… And that long tail! It was the envy of every wolf. However, PB had never learned to control it, and it would wag at the slightest provocation. Back then, he was like a dog when he had these traits, just another thing Reese envied him for.

Seeing him now? After so very, very long… It was hard to feel anything other than pity and, in a way, disgust for what had happened to the once bright-eyed, perky-eared, long-tailed wolf.

A scarred muzzle, dull eyes, nubs for ears, and tailless. Tailless! It tugged even on Reese’s heartstrings seeing him like this. What Reese had done to Bale in return hadn’t been enough after what PB had gone through. Even if PB hadn’t been the best wolf, he was still a canine. The man before him now couldn’t even be mistaken for a dog.

And as much as Reese hated him for ruining this moment for him, he had to let it go.

And so, he chose to choose the role of Alpha before him now instead of a long-lost pack brother. Or friend. Like always, Reese would do what he needed to do to protect the only thing he truly had left. A dream that wasn’t even his own.

“What can I do… for you?” Reese let his shoulders fall, easing his body language, so it wasn’t as aggressive as he felt inside. “How can I…” make this better. Make this right? For you to forgive me…? “Help?”

Such words Reese didn’t know how to convey. His feelings had always felt foreign to him. Like they belonged to someone else, where others could enjoy something, Reese would spend hours analyzing how he was supposed to feel about it, how they expected him to feel about it. How they felt… How to feel normal, like everyone else.

They made it look so easy. Reese could only envy them for it.

“I… I’m not here for Alan.” PB started with, just as how he had with Alan.

PB had been working on it since he left the gated community he called home up north. The second he had piled all his pups into the van and driven down here, PB had been working on what to say and do to get Reese’s help. Not even owning a license, PB had just hoped he wouldn’t get pulled over.

PB hadn’t expected to see all… this, though.

Reese was so much larger than his memory of him had been. He felt like a god amongst wolves compared to what PB saw in the bathroom mirror at home. What little he could see. Reese was tall, pushing past seven feet. His fur was so lush, rich, and full and…

“You have a… lovely home…” PB ended up just saying, as he had been taught to do back home. To try and fit in with the neighbors, the community board, and those in that gated community. To be polite, docile, and harmless. “It’s more than I….” Expected for you to have.

But he couldn’t say those words. Reese wasn’t his pack brother. He was an Alpha first, and PB feared what to say or do. In such a home that… smelled like home.

Not like the place he belonged.

Not like the place he had caged himself into.

Reese had earned this. Fought for it, PB was sure of. And standing there before him was the wolf every man and woman in any pack would kill to be.

PB was standing there himself, envying Reese as he’d been since he was a kid. Most people envied Reese. He was the picture-perfect wolf amongst wolves. The man every single Alpha wanted to be, for his children to grow up to be. Reese was the embodiment of years of controlled breeding, and it showed. Strong, dominant, powerful, with the strength to back it up. Reese’s looks were also above average, and PB knew men and women alike would throw themselves on the floor before him in hopes of bedding such a wolf. To be chosen as his mate.

Reese was everything his father had tried to make the rest of them out to be.

The very thought made the fur on PB’s shoulders begin to rise.

Reese quirked an eyebrow, sniffing his aggression before PB eased up.

“I’m not here. For Alan.” PB repeated himself, trying to remember the speech he had prepared. He was sure, if he said it enough, it would eventually, one day, be true... “I’m…” He faltered, biting the corner of his lip as he looked away from Reese.

PB hated this. Hated it so much it hurt inside. A dull ache that was beginning to scream as he clutched at the fur on his chest.

“I’m…”

Why couldn’t it be him standing there? How did it come to this? How were their position, their roles, reversed like this? PB was the one that had the dreams of a future! Not Reese. Reese had been lazy, sulking each and every day in the pack. How… How did Reese get everything PB had wanted?

It wasn’t fair. How did Reese, a fucked-up psychopath like Reese… get a happily-ever-after?

PB wanted to ask that but knew it would get him nowhere. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore…

The good die young. Life couldn’t even give PB that, though. He was still alive to suffer.

“What are you here for?” Reese asked once more, keeping his voice void of any emotion. His ears were lazily standing on his head, his tail wasn’t moving, and his body language showed little interest. All to mask his emotions from showing.

“Gristle is missing.” PB licked his suddenly dry lips, trying to get this over with. He had no one else to turn to. No father, no mother. PB had no one other than his Uncle.

And now? He didn’t even have that.

“Gristle?” Reese had to say the name, thinking it over. “Uncle Gristle?” He laughed softly, a deep growling sound as he shook his head. “Gristle is a big boy, PB. I’m sure he’s gone missing several times over the years apart….”

And the way Reese said the word “years” made PB flinch.

It was true. PB hadn’t thought about getting into contact with him or any of his old pack brothers. It had been too hard. Every time he tried, PB would break down from the overwhelming pressure. His anxiety wouldn’t let him pick up the phone and dial Reese, even if he had his number.

Such things PB had left to his Uncle over the years. For Gristle to take care of anything that demanded his direct involvement. Even getting a credit card down at the bank had been with the older, graying wolf’s help.

Gristle might’ve been shorter than PB, but the wolf got things done.

Without him here now, PB was struggling to say what he needed to say. Gristle would always push PB aside, step forward, and handle the problem. No matter how big or small it was. PB didn’t have that support right now when he needed it most.

He was all alone with his pups.

PB dared to look away from Reese, to look out the window to the backyard. He could barely make out the shadowy bundles of fur running around in the backyard. They were playing with different kinds of toys. From frisbees and chew bones to tug-of-war ropes. Several pups were on one side, teaming up with Alan against one of the other two wolves. They had to be around sixteen. Just teenagers. They clung to Alan as if he were a member of the pack.

And PB’s heart went out seeing that.

Alan was so good with his pups. With the two teenagers. He was the perfect father figure for them all. And here PB was, unable to even say what he had come here to say. PB was a poor excuse for a father and a failure as a wolf.

“They’ll be fine,” Reese grumbled, following PB’s gaze outside. “Alan is… far better, with them, than I ever could be.”

Reese rested back against the desk, folding his arms over his chest as the two looked out the window, watching them all play.

“He is, isn’t he?” PB said under his breath. “He’s incredible.”

“Makes for one hell of a babysitter.” Reese agreed softly. “He is. Incredible.” Reese repeated PB’s words aloud so the other wolf could hear them. That out of everything Reese had now, one stood out amongst the rest. Above everything else. His greatest, prized possession.

“It usually takes a whole pack to raise a litter….” PB’s voice was so disheartened that even without ears, Reese could read it on the other wolf’s face.

“Usually. He makes it look so easy.” Reese half-laughed. “Though, he doesn’t have a wolf’s stamina. When it gets too much, I make the two play games or watch something.” Reese nodded towards the two beanbag chairs and the TV set up there. “Salt and Pepper know their place. They’re good… members of this pack.”

PB could smell it. Each beanbag chair smelled of one of the two wolves. Salt sat on the left one. Strangely, the smaller wolf took up, the larger of the two beanbags. In contrast, Pepper would take the smaller one. PB could practically picture it if he closed his eyes, sniffing the air for their distinct odors.

Pepper would struggle in his chair, fussing with the small controller in his hand as he growled at the TV. Salt would lounge back in his, having an easier time of it. The two gaming late into the night as Reese worked at the desk. Sometimes the wolf would even sleep on the nearby sofa, taking a break PB was sure after a long day.

Other smells came to his nose. The smell of tea. A mixture of beef strip dog snacks and a couple of other canines mixed into it all. It took PB a moment to conclude that they were dogs. Or at least one of them was.

“Clem is still around?” PB asked, opening his good eye slowly. He still wasn’t looking at Reese. Just watching in the backyard from the window.

“He sticks around with Togo these days… He’s a husky. A college friend Clem roomed with.” Reese somewhat explained as he walked over to look out the other window. The two keeping a good arm’s length from each other.

It was hard to say what would happen if they got any closer.

“Humans, dogs, and wolves… Alan is more of a gregarious person than I remember him being.” PB mused softly. “He used to be so dependent. Clingy. Unable to do anything by himself.” PB rubbed his arm, finally looking away. “He couldn’t do anything without….” Me.

But PB couldn’t finish the words.

He walked over to take a seat on the sofa. It hurt to stand for too long these days. His bones ached if the weather was too cold. They hurt if he overexerted himself. He was just skin and bones.

Alan was out living this new life. Meeting all these people. Growing, changing as a person, and here PB was… That person Alan had once been. A shut-in that couldn’t talk to those outside his extremely small social circle. Afraid to risk talking to anyone else.

Even those he used to know.

“He’s working on it….” Reese said, feeling inclined to talk about Alan’s social life being a major part of it. “He’s seeing a therapist about things... Still…” Reese's voice was still emotionless, but PB could pick up his annoyance with the simple flick of one of Reese’s ears. “Are you?”

Reese asked, glancing over at the wolf. PB looked away quickly.

“I… trying. I tried; I mean. Too. To see one. I tried to see a therapist. It’s just so expensive! And…” It took several attempts for PB to say. “I just… couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t?” Reese almost scoffed but held back enough for PB to ignore it. PB was used to others looking down on him about it. “What about, what’s his name?” Reese asked, rolling one hand as if searching for their name.

PB knew Reese was aware of PB’s husband's name. The wolf was still belittling him in his way. It was hard to tell if Reese was doing it on purpose or if that was just the kind of guy he was. Most things the jet-black furred wolf said or did was hard to understand. Reese was always an enigma, even to those closest to him.

PB barely knew Reese twenty years ago. He didn’t know this wolf standing there before him now. Not a single damn thing. PB knew how lucky he was to get this far. To be able to talk to an Alpha of a pack. The fact Reese was one didn’t surprise him, though.

Reese had been bred to be one. And instinct was hard to deny.

“Daniel.” PB finally said his husband’s name. “Daniel Higgs.”

“Right. Right, Daniel.” Reese practically gagged, saying the name. PB just glared at him. “Human. Five ten. Roughly a hundred and ninety pounds. Blue eyes. Brown hair.” Reese said with that same monotone voice, mentally reviewing the information he had on PB he’d been looking at since his arrival. Pulling out his file as PB was held up outside and stashing it away before Alan had come up the stairs. “A reporter for the Daily Bacon.” The wolf just looked over at PB.

PB shouldn’t have been as shocked as he was, gapping at Reese.

“What? Dig through my trash too?” PB struggled to stand back up, grunting as he pushed himself to his weary feet.

“If necessary.” Reese just looked back out the window. “Gristle kept me up to date on the need to know. If that makes you feel better.”

“Gristle,” PB growled his name.

“The fact he is missing isn’t that surprising….” Reese just frowned. “You do know what Uncle does for a living?”

“He doesn’t do that anymore!” PB snapped at him. Reese didn’t even flick an ear from the sound. “He promised me he quit that line of work. He was helping me….” PB struggled. “Gristle is a good man! He was going to help Alan and me….” The tears burned in his eyes as he choked on the words.

“Was,” Reese said the word harshly. “That was before he found you in the hospital.” The wolf glanced over at him, still facing out the window. “Without the pack insurance? Who do you think has been paying for your medical expenses?”

PB wasn’t sure how to answer that.

“Rehabilitation. Drug therapy. Numerous surgeries. Dental and eye care? And can’t forget,” Reese tapped the side of his head with a clawed finger. “You met Daniel from physical rehab, didn’t you?” Reese just went on, not allowing PB to catch up.

PB covered his chest with his arms, looking away as Reese laid his life out like this.

“I know what I need to know to protect my… pack.” Reese still struggled to say the word. “That doesn’t mean… I didn’t try and help. Gristle and I worked something out. I sent him money, so he could help… take care of you.” Reese gritted his teeth. Gristle had been the one to give Reese PB’s medical folder. And that was how Reese had known where PB had been this entire time.

Gristle had been the third wolf, the go-between, for Reese to keep tabs on his old pack brother.

“Figures you’d become an Alpha to a pack of wolves.” PB just shot back, masking how uncomfortable he was with anger. It was his go-to these days if he didn’t break down first. Anger. To lash out. To try and push others away before they could hurt him again.

“It… didn’t start this way.” Reese sighed, resting a hand on the wall and his forehead against the window, still looking down. It was about that time for the dogs to get home, and sure enough, within the next minute, Clem and Togo were walking out the backdoor to join up with the others.

Clem was swarmed by a ravenous vortex of brown fur, fangs, and claws that swept him out into the yard to gnaw like a rawhide bone. Togo and Alan just laughed as the boxer struggled against the pups.

His ear flicked. Reese could barely make out what they were saying or talking about. Reading the canine's body language enough to know that Alan had invited them to a late-night BBQ. Or some kind of food. Reese hoped it would be a BBQ, though. Alan made the best BBQ sauce.

It was getting late. Later than Reese had planned to stay up here. The sun had already set, and the lamps out back were being lit. Alan had gotten several tiki torches and set them up during a luau he had held for Clem’s last birthday. They had neglected to be taken down. At least they helped keep the insects away.

Reese wanted nothing more than to ignore PB and go down there and join everyone else. Those who he liked to think of as his real family.

But he couldn’t. Work prevented that. To make sure everyone was happy and safe, he continued to work. To deny him the happiness this life was supposed to give him.

“You’ll stay here.” Reese finally said, standing straight up and looking at the other wolf. PB's jaw slacked at that, unsure what to say. “You and your… pups. You’ll be under watch, but it’s safe here. I’ll make sure of that.”

PB took a second to work his thoughts out before clenching his fist tightly.

“I didn’t ask for your help!” PB shouted back. “I’ve seen what your help brings….”

Reese’s ear flicked at that, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as PB continued.

“I don’t want your money. Or care. Or anything from you anymore! I need…. Gristle needs! THE pups need help!” PB's whole body shook as he tried to find the right words. To express how he felt.

“Do you think Gristle could’ve handled it all by himself?” Reese gave a hallowed laugh at that. “Grow up, PB. That isn’t how the world works. Wolves don’t get such luxury. I was just… trying to make things easier for you.”

“What? You think that’ll make up for what you’ve done?” PB let that anger speak for him once more, unable to sit down and talk to someone like Reese as he would Daniel or Gristle.

Reese quirked an eyebrow, looking at the other wolf for a long-drawn-out minute before he turned to face him. The simple act made any bravado PB had to evaporate instantly. The nutty, brown-furred wolf shrank in on himself, shivering as Reese took two steps forward.

Then Reese took a step past him.

“What happened in the past… was inevitable.” Reese closed his eyes, one hand clenching into a tight fist. It was shaking so badly that PB worried Reese would punch him. “You just couldn’t let sleeping wolves lie.” Reese snarled, low and dangerously. “You just couldn’t be happy with what you had. You had… everything. Everything. And you still wanted more. You wanted the Alpha’s acceptance of your mate… Heh…” His voice was low and deep, growling them out. “And I’ve had to clean up that mess ever since.”

And Reese turned on him. The action knocked PB back onto the sofa, cowering against it as he tried to sink into the cushions away from the angry wolf growling at him.

“You have NO idea what I’ve done for you. None. Your selfishness…. Who you hurt. About what you’ve done to him!” Reese pointed an accusing finger at PB. Reese was shaking now, pure fury radiating off him like heat. “What he’s been through because of your stupid, dumbass mistake that everyone! Everyone… told you not to do.” Reese bared his teeth. The fur along his neck was standing up as his jaw tightened. Anger wafted off him, and the smell made PB wet himself in fear. “But you just couldn’t. You just had to ask for more. You just had to want more!”

And Reese's hands slammed down on the sofa next to PB’s face as Reese tightened it once more into a fist, clawing at the fabric.

“This is how the world works, brother.” Reese snarled the word out against his ear, making PB shiver. “If you weren’t my blood….” Reese pulled back, breathing heavily as he clenched his hand so painfully tight he could smell blood on his nails. “If you weren’t my brother… if you weren’t Alan’s friend… I’m not sure what I would’ve done to you. For hurting him.”

And Reese turned his back on him, adjusting his suit and smoothing his fur. He took another deep breath, letting it out, hoping the quell the boiling anger inside.

“I will find Gristle. But. I am not doing it for you,” Reese glanced back at him. “I will help Gristle because I owe our Uncle that much. He has helped me over the years. Helped me escape the pack just as he was planning to help you… It’s about time I repay my debt to him.” And Reese headed for the stairs. “Don’t keep Alan waiting. He has a surprise BBQ planned for you and your pups. Act. Surprised.”

Reese stopped at the stairs, glancing back at the wolf.

“Do not. Hurt him again, Peanut Butter. Brother or not. I will not let you get away with it again.” And Reese left PB to cry on the second floor as he went to the living room.

Two wolves were there waiting, standing guard. They were most likely positioned there by Barreth.

“Alpha.” They stood tall but kept their heads bowed respectfully, not even looking at Reese as they submitted before him.

“Break out the store of meat. Let the others know. We have… new members to the pack.” Reese just said, walking between the two. “We’ll have a BBQ in celebration.”

“Sir?” One of them dared to ask, sniffing the air. They could smell the runt’s scent, and it made them growl. “The meat storage? That was in case of emergency. To use it for someone like that-,”

“Enough.” Reese's words alone made the wolf falter and stop. “He isn’t to be touched. His litter is now mine.” Reese glanced at the two, flashing his fangs. “If a single strand of fur is missing on them, I will have the culprits hide to keep my mate’s bed warm. Warn the others. The litter and their… father is off-limits. They belong to me. And no one touches my property….”

And with that, Reese headed out back. Pretending everything was fine in front of Alan as he was greeted by his mate once more with open arms.

Reese always enjoyed that. No matter how little time had passed between the two, Alan would greet him with open arms. Just happy and thankful to be around him. And no one would take that from him, ever again…