Only

Eighteen

Shadow

"Kai, sit," I managed to growl out as I sat on the edge of the recliner that was facing towards Ash. I knew Ash wasn't a threat or the enemy. But my wolf was suggesting otherwise. He didn't much like having an older wolf around Kai. Kai was vulnerable as an omega, an older wolf could force him to submit against his will. Bad things could happen to him within a blink of an eye. And I would have to kill anyone involved.
To avoid that disaster I would rely on my instinct and keep Kai very close. Even though I was pissed at him, I still cared, a lot. And I worried about him when another adult wolf was around.
Omegas got treated one of two ways. They were killed by their own out of embarrassment for the wolf pack as a whole. Or they would make them their pack bitch. A slave in every way. I would never allow that to happen. I've seen good people turn savage over an omega. So even though rationally I knew Ash would never. I couldn't take the chance.
"Stop It," Kai hissed, his face tomato red as his eyes darted back and forth between me and Ash. I snarled. Why was he looking at someone else? I tried shaking off that part of me that was all animal.
"Come here," I commanded my claws digging into the arm rests as I resisted using them. My whole being was vibrating with rage as I tried not to look Ash's way, not wanting to see the disapproval in his eyes. He was a mentor of sorts to Kai and myself. Kai thought this was embarrassing for him, but i felt the same way. Once I've calmed down my wolf I knew I would feel shame at how I was acting. But I needed Kai close to keep him safe. I dared another wolf to take from me, an alpha. I'd rip them to shreds, regardless who they were.
I could practically feel Ash shaking his head as his voice reached my ears. "Just shameful," he said. Kai looked like he had been fighting an inner battle but the moment our eyes connected he was scrambling to sit by my feet, a whine at the back of his throat that stopped once I placed a tight grip on his shoulder. When he relaxed, so did I, as I started stroking the back of his neck and head like I had when we had played videos games that afternoon. He had pulled away in anger the last time. This time he leaned into my touch.
"Let me be very clear boys," Ash spoke with a firm voice. "This is never going to work out." He barely finished his sentence before I was growling a deep rumble of a growl.
"I won't let you hurt him or send him away," I barked out. "I'll kill everyone in the -"
Kai gripped my wrist as his eyes connected with mine for a split second, a warning shining through. Ash may be like a mentor to us, but talk of killing the pack was a sure way to get killed. It would be Ash's duty to tell our alpha.
"Think you idiots!" Ash jumped up and thundered out, which made me jump up too and Kai as he held onto my arm as if hoping to stop me from wolfing out. "It's just me and look how you two are acting," he shook his head and fell back down onto the sofa as if exhausted. "Imagine how both of you will respond when the alpha simply comes into the same room as either of you. Kai, you'll be a whimpering mess on the floor. Shadow, you'll probably be dead in seconds from challenging him or kicked out. Which as an alpha you'll be automatically turned away. Only allowed to finish school and forced to move elsewhere. So what are your plans?" His eyes stayed on me as if he didn't want to set me off by acknowledging Kai.
"Kai pretends to be alpha, I pretend to run away before they can smell me and know the truth," I answered. Kai would be busted as a fraud the moment they smelled me and realized the truth. It was easy to fool teen wolves. Not so much adult ones. Each alpha had their own smell. And once they recognized mine, they smell me on Kai instead of smelling alpha wolf coming from him as they've have so far.
Ash shakes his head. "You would ruin your life? Not finish school? We could call in another alpha to bite Kai-"
"Never," I hissed as I shoved Kai behind me.
"Hey stop that!" Kai stumbled and when he got his balance he tried to move away from me but I reached out and held onto his wrist as I stared down Ash.
"Any other ideas because that's not happening,"
"We can pass him off as a beta," Ash suggested, "it might not work, but if Kai can stand in front of the alpha, look him in the eyes without shaking we can pull it off. And you'll have to behave also, which seems to be the real issue here," he chided me. "You think what you feel is real. You're just an ignorant child. Poor Kai, he's your bestfriend and you're taking advantage. Your wolf is so pumped up from this power you have over him," Ash allowed his annoyance to shine through as he slowly stood up. "Kai," he addressed Kai finally and I did everything I could to rein in my wolf. Ash's words scared me. My body went slack as I slid back into the recliner as Kai stepped away from me and looked towards Ash.
Was this all just a power play for me? Maybe I didn't really love Kai, maybe my wolf was the one in control and I was blinded to the truth.
"Im sorry but you'll need to practice with Shadow on denying him if you hope to stand up to the alpha. You need to practice looking into Shadow's eyes."
"I think he's the one alpha I can't do that with. Do you know anyone else?"
"Enough, Kai. There will be no one else," I said in a monotone voice to avoid getting enraged at the thought. "You'll join my pack, you hate it here. We can finish school elsewhere, the year just started. We have one left."
"No Shadow, I won't be your plaything! Ash is right, you're just using me. You act like you're obsessed with me," he stood in front of me now, looking down as he jabbed his finger into my chest. "But you fucked around with Blue just fine." Ah, so he was jealous.
I gaped up at him. "You idiot you were with Claire! How can you stand there and point fingers. I do care!" I cared a lot. It killed me inside to know how easily he could disregard me. Blue and I never fucked around. After that quick make out outside of school I let my feelings for Kai only be known to Blue. But I wasn't about to spill my guts and let Kai know that sure I had physical control over Kai but he had an emotional hold on me. I couldn't think about anything else that didn't involve him. But he so easily went along his days without me. As if we hadn't spent the last how many years stuck to each others side.
"Neither of us care like that. You're right, I fucked Claire because I'm not gay. Or your bottom bitch. You fucked around with Blue because you are gay And it was so easy for you to move on. We aren't some couple now. We're just friends, who got cursed, maybe not even that after how you've been treating me."
I looked at him with raised eyebrows in shock, so different from the Kai that was begging at my feet moments ago. Ash came in here and started pushing his narrative off on us and for a moment we believed. But no, Ash just didn't understand. He came at a bad time and saw us on our worst behavior is all.
"How you want me to treat you," I reached out and gripped his wrist as he leaned closer unconsciously as he had yelled at me. I placed his hand on my knee as I leaned forward. Our faces were nearly touching and I think we both forgot about our guest in the room as we stared into each other's eyes. As I watched the gold flecks in his eyes, the way he licked his lips as I looked down at them, how his chest was rising and falling rapidly. "You like me like this, admit it Kai," he seemed to shutter with want as I whispered his name close to his pillow soft lips. I reached up another hand and caressed his cheek. His eyes widened as he looked into my face; down at my lips. He wanted me like I wanted him. It was frustrating that he couldn't just admit that. That he lies to himself that this is all because of his wolf. Sure it definitely set things in motion. But deep down I felt as if this was the path we would have always ended up on. Ash was wrong. We both were taking advantage of what happened to us, both using it as an excuse to act the way we want to deep down inside.
"To save myself from any more of this, I can confirm this is definitely not one sided," Ash broke in and Kai tried to spring away, but I now had a grip on the back of his neck, pulling him down to his knees infront of me as I glared at Ash over his head. "Please don't start fucking, I'll leave," Ash announced as he stood up and started for the front door. "You have five hours to practice standing up to an alpha and learning self control. Utilize it and I'll meet you outside the pack cabin so don't go inside before you talk to me." And with that Ash was nearly jetting out the house, muttering about horny teenagers.