Christmas Tree. 4/4
Christmas Tree. ~ The J2, AU, Christmas, Werewolf, birthday gift, fic
Description: NC-17. Werewolf Jensen and Jared, a Christmas Tree. "In the end it was a Christmas Tree that saved Jared." A strange lone werewolf finds its way to the home of the Wolf-Pass Pack but how can Alpha!Jensen save a starving and dangerous Were who wants nothing to do with his own kind? Jared finds salvation by the light of a Christmas Tree.
Warnings: Explicit werewolf sex, werewolf knotting, intent of suicide. Mentions of:- Mpreg, Past abuse, dub con and underage.
Beta: The generous
meus_venatorwho did an amazing job in minimal time because it was an impulsive decision with a ridiculous deadline. That said, it is partly her own fault for planting the seed of a werewolf knotting fic in my head in the first place. All mistakes remain my own, especially the grammar, because I decided that was what mattered least in the time frame. (Sue me, I’m a grammar rebel)
Length: ~22,000 words
Disclaimer: This is fiction, pure fantasy folks. Nobody here belongs to me and they’re not likely to get in my van for candy a side of beef any time soon
Part 4
JENSEN
Jensen snapped his eyes open with a jolt. The perfume that woke him was thicker than anything he had ever known, heavy with the call of sex and heat and mate and it fogged his mind with a surge of pure lust. A needy howl travelled the night air and he was suddenly full of energy and intensely alive. There was no thought before he dashed into the night and his shift was fast and smooth. His paws hit the snow running and his wolf took control with exhilarating instinct.
The Pack woke with him. The intensity of Jared’s heat whipped up an abnormal sexual energy and manifested in frenzied need. Chad and Milo whimpered with the shared passion and Chad pinned his mate to the bed to take what he needed. Katie and Genevieve whined their distress. Christian growled with the uninhibited response of a strong, single alpha with the right to win the affection of an unmated Omega in heat. He shifted barely seconds after his Pack Alpha. His instinct superseded his loyalty and he chased to gain ground on Jensen.
Even as his muzzle lengthened and his fur formed, Jensen was ready for Christian’s challenge. His front paws sprang unthinkingly into the leap which would clash him into his second-in-command and land them both on the soft blanket of snow. Another howl across the black distance had Christian fighting hard against his Alpha’s dominance and Jensen clamped his jaws into the soft fur of his neck. They wrestled for their claim, coating their fur in the blood of their wounds, staining the powdery white ice, until Christian rolled over and tipped his neck in submission. There wouldn’t be anger or argument in the morning, it was the rough and tumble of wild survival and Christian could no more prevent his actions than Jensen. It gave credence to Jensen’s leadership and proclaimed his fitness to take a mate. He loped into the woods without a backward glance. The Pack would take care of Christian.
He didn’t analyze the intensity of the heat that beckoned him. It represented the basis of his very survival, the desire for continuation and the promise of companionship. There was no doubt that Jared moved toward him with as much zeal as his own, the taste of the younger Were grew stronger in every breath he inhaled.
There was nothing special about the patch of ground where they finally skidded to a halt, in sight of each other. It was a patch of nondescript forest with mixed organic debris and snow on the floor. A green canopy filtered the starlight above them and the aroma of pine and earth and rabbit surrounded them.
Jensen caught breath, enthralled by the vision of a perfect face and unusual markings. Jared’s wolf was lean but well proportioned and thick with the softest, dark coat. His eyes blazed with bright intelligence and arousal and something more that Jensen couldn’t discern.
“Jared, Jared, Jared.” His inner voice chanted.
Another howl rent the air and his own wolf joined in. Jensen stood still and let Jared circle him. The younger wolf snuffled and huffed, approached him with a few skittish steps and then backed away. “Do you want this? Will you have me?” Jensen thought he knew the answer. He asked with all the confidence of Alpha and was shocked by the snarled rebuttal and the tip of Jared’s claws against his snout. He cocked his head and pricked his ears and threw a sharp rebuke at his mate.
Jared stopped still for a moment and whined while he lowered his head and his paw pressed against his ear in distress. He backed up further, shaking his muzzle and overbalanced sideways, into the snow. Jensen was on him in a moment, back legs firm to the ground and front paws resting on Jared’s shoulder demanding his mate’s submission and the curve his neck. He was rewarded with the sound of a high lusty whine but the Omega resisted him, snapped his teeth and rolled, and despite Jared’s exquisite allure, Jensen could interpret the refusal. Somewhere in his heat-crazed mind he retained memory of Jared’s inability to hear the wolf voice. He backed up and nuzzled at Jared’s throat before giving the faintest growl and a playful nip to his ear. Jared’s tail thumped with delight and Jensen untangled himself long enough for Jared to right himself and run away.
There was a curl of disappointment in Jensen’s stomach as he watched Jared’s paws scrabble over the rough, frozen ground but then the younger wolf slowed and glanced over his shoulder. The Omega gave a yip and a wriggle of his hips and doubled back to lick a hot, wet stripe over Jensen’s snout. Jensen returned the lick and Jared leaped back with the lift of all four paws from the ground, his hazel eyes sparked with sex, mischief and determination.
In that moment Jensen thought he understood, Jared was demanding that his mate court him, to prove himself worthy. Jensen would have to earn his right to breed with Jared. There was nothing more spoken by Jensen, he chased with deliberate slow pace, allowing Jared to get away, to hide and tease and pounce. The scrape of his teeth and fall of his paw were little more than foreplay and the effect was electrifying and delicious. Jensen had knotted in meaningless couplings with other Weres but this was the first time he’d ever felt this primal, joyous, connection. He was desperate for penetration, his cock stood unsheathed, hard and dripping and yet he wanted to wait, he needed to make it right and perfect for Jared.
Jensen didn’t know how far they chased or how many times Jared stumbled, the Omega finally slumped with his tongue lolling and his breath steamed wisps into the night air. He rolled in the snow, belly up in submission and invited Jensen in with a needy whine and the full curve of his neck.
Jensen cuffed at him with a the soft pad of his paw, coaxing him to crouch on all four paws with his hole presented, flexing and wet with fluids. Jensen could no longer hold back, he mounted Jared and gripped his front legs tight around him. He penetrated the tight furled muscle with a powerful, smooth push and bottomed out with the click and grind of Jared’s hips. They howled together, joyful and unfettered and Jensen lost himself to sensation, rutting fast and hard into the hot, slick channel. The Alpha bit into Jared’s shoulder as his knot forced a wide path through the clenching pucker of muscle. He heard the satisfied whimper and felt the tight strain as his mate came, spilling hot, white fluid that melted into the snow. He couldn’t stop his own ejaculation, he released his first wad of rushing hot seed into his mate, claiming him with a yip and a howl. “So good, so beautiful, so mine, mine, mine.” he chanted as he nuzzled into the silky fur and pliant body. They moved together finding a comfortable compromise as the knotting continued, tying him to Jared, filling him, breeding him with Jensen’s seed for hours, squeezing one body-shaking orgasm after another from Jared’s over-sensitized flesh.
Jensen licked and worried at Jared’s fur, keen to demonstrate his affection and Jared tiredly returned the action. When the knot finally slipped loose, they collapsed, sated and fatigued and Jensen curled protectively around his strangely silent mate.
Jensen woke with the first weak rays of daylight. His whole wolf ached and he was cold and alone on the messy, icy-cold ground. Jared’s tracks wound upwards and his scent followed the same trail, without his heat. Jensen’s heart squeezed, an Omega’s heat will last up to a week or until fertilisation has occurred. Could Jared have become pregnant from their first mating? He couldn’t think clearly, the whirl of possibilities started in his head, along with the knowledge that Jared had rejected him as soon as his heat had ceased. It was a devastating discovery for him.
JARED
Jared poured more water from the pot by the fire. He stood in the tub and tipped it over his body, he scrubbed soap over his skin and rinsed again. When the water cooled he threw a blanket over his bare shoulders and sat curled on the squishy chair by the hearth. He stared into the shimmering flicker of the flames and he shivered despite the warmth. He glanced to the cabin door locked from the inside and braced with a solid table against it. He checked again that all the window shutters were securely sealed. His hand rubbed absently over his raw, scraped stomach but the grazes and nips that bore the burden of proof of his coupling [mating, the faint voice in his head corrected him] were already healing.
He was freaking out. He wanted to throw the cabin open, to run to Jensen, to bury himself against him and stay there for the rest of his life or to flee in the opposite direction, to lose himself far away and deep in the cold wilderness, but those ideas weren’t realistic. His wolf had retreated and his heat was gone and he had no clue if its brevity was a result of the long time use of wolf suppressants or if something more had happened, something that would reshape his very existence.
His large fingers spread over his hollowed belly and he hummed. If there was even the slightest possibility of new life he would stand his ground. There would be no repeat of the agonizing, internal clawing of death before life took hold. It was his ugliness and his worthlessness and he would not let that extend to the shining glory that was Jensen’s hereditary bounty. He knew he would protect this living gift with his last breath and regale it with stories of their night of passion, of the affection and intimacy that sparked its very being.
He uncurled his legs and stood, he forced himself to make a bowl of instant oatmeal. He didn’t taste its goodness but he knew he had to eat. He held the smooth cylindrical pen that smelled of Jensen and opened the empty, lined notebook. He scrunched his face in concentration and started a journal with the events of the night. If this was the best he ever had, then he wanted to capture all of the feeling, the lust, the need, the comfort and completeness of it. Three pages were torn from the book before he was satisfied that he had achieved some reflection of his experience. The writing forced him to analyse his emotions and he pushed back the nagging wrong that scraped and hissed from the depth of his memory. He knew his lust had been consummated in the soft body of his wolf but couldn’t help the feeling that his human had somehow stayed with the wolf in its passion, that it had lent its consciousness to that form.
He made a nest of blankets on his bed and cuddled deep into them. His fingers sought the music player that he had placed close, the night before. He snugged in the earpieces, skipped to the next, unknown track, and pressed play.
Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ flooded over him.
“When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?Tears fell like bitter rain over his lashes but he couldn’t bring himself to stop the music. He gave in to his exhaustion and slept.
The loud rattle of the door knob and battering of knuckles on wood woke him in late afternoon and he heard Sam’s voice, laced with frantic concern. “Honey. Are you in there? Jared? It’s me, Sam.” Footsteps crunched as she circled the cabin trying each of the shutters. She stopped by the window nearest to the bed. “Jared, Hon. At least let me know you’re alive in there.”
“Go ‘way.”
“Jared, please.”
Jared pulled his knees into his chest and rested his head on them.
“Jared. Do you know what Jensen is doing right now?”
His pulse quickened in panic, Jensen would be with his pack, boasting about Jared’s weakness and calling the vet to buy medication. He covered his ears but he still heard.
“We don’t know either, Jared, because he went home and shut himself in his room and none of his Pack, not even Milo, can get him to speak. There’s probably plenty of reasons why you’re freaking out but you will both have to come out sooner or later.” She paused, listening for his reply. “You know you can talk to me, Jared.”
“Please go.”
“Okay but, just so you know, I’ll be back. I’m not going to let you mope and make yourself ill.”
He heard her steps receding and the truck pulled away.
Jensen, [his mate, his Alpha] had shut himself away? His stomach turned with nerves and he didn’t know what it meant. There was nothing similar in his experience, this Alpha was utterly different to his previous Pack alpha [yes, previous alpha, small ‘a’ because he didn’t have to go back and Sheriff Hodge wouldn’t allow it to happen]. He wrapped his blankets tighter around him and stared at a point on the floor, without seeing. He skipped the MP3 back and replayed the last track.
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you”
He pictured the bright home of the Wolf Pass Pack and wondered about the confidence their Omegas possessed. He thought about the way Jensen let them socialise outside their home and he recalled Genevieve’s bubbly smile when she ran home from her work at the library. Then there were the soft touches and easy banter that the Pack displayed when they welcomed the carol singers under the light of their Christmas Tree. He wondered if he could ever be fixed, if he could ever be good enough to have what they had.
JENSEN
The Pack had been waiting when Jensen arrived home. They grinned widely at him. Chad, Milo, Gen and Christian were ripe with the stink of sex and hugged each other close, with touches of affection.
Chad had made a cheeky comment about noisy sex and Jensen clenched his fist and planted it on Chad’s chin, without a single word. In the stunned aftermath Katie, Gen and Milo had looked around for Jared and realized that he wasn’t with their Alpha. “Christ!” moaned Chad.
“Boss?”
Alpha?”
Their shock gave him the time to slam his bedroom door and turn the key.
He heard them, all of them, and he knew it made him a bad Alpha and a poor leader but he couldn’t bring himself to face their questions. He didn’t need their pity. He knew he should be ashamed of the rejection but he didn’t care. He only craved his mate but his mate didn’t want him.
It was Christmas Eve. He heard Steve and Misha return home and it was the first time he hadn’t welcomed members of his Pack home. He heard the hushed whispers of Katie and Christian trying to explain something which they couldn’t possibly know. When Steve’s temper exploded and he threatened to find Jared and teach him a lesson, Jensen relented and emerged from his room. He stood at the top of the stairs and they all turned to look at him. “Nobody follows him, nobody hurts my mate. I will kill anyone who harms him. Do you understand me?” his voice was liquid steel and dripping with intent.
Wide eyes and worried faces stared up at him. He straightened and gritted his teeth. “It’s Christmas. We should appreciate our time together. Who’s cooking? I’ll help.” He ran a hand through his hair and added, with a growl, “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Holiday crackers were pulled and jokes exchanged, but the atmosphere around the table was strained. Every time Jensen looked up, at least one of his Pack were gazing at him with concern. He was operating on automatic and was relieved when everyone huddled together to watch a movie. He excused himself to go and sit with his laptop, in his study, scrolling useless pages on the internet and listening to music.
When the telephone rang he answered without delay, there was no point in ruining the movie for the others.
“Hey, Son.” His father’s voice resonated on loudspeaker.
“Oh, Pa, I’m sorry, I should have rung you, Christmas and all that.”
“Well, we’re both busy Alphas. We’ll have a long chat on Skype tomorrow. Your Ma is going to make sure all your cousins say hi and remind you that her Christmas pudding tastes best.”
Jensen forced a laugh, grateful that his Pa couldn’t see his face.
“I have to play Santa a little later but I wanted to talk to you about that young Were you were fretting over.” His father’s tone changed and he recognized the sympathetic overtones that he adopted for stressful news.
Jensen’s breath caught in his chest. His father continued to speak. “I asked about, did some research and I found some data and a couple of vets with an interest in cases that seem similar.”
“Thanks, Pa.”
“There’s not much to thank me for Son. I was going to wait until after Christmas but the last time we spoke I could hear you pining, all the way through this ether connection. I know you well enough to think you like this Jared a whole lot. Sometimes it’s best to rip the bandaid off quickly, get the pain over with, so you can move on.”
His guts clenched. “Why would I need to move on? Is it infectious? Is the pack at risk?” He wondered why the prospect bothered him less than a life without Jared.
“How about you get comfortable? I’ll start at the beginning and see if the situation fits?”
Jensen settled on his deep, squashy, easy chair. “Shoot.”
“Do you remember back in the 90’s a pharmaceutical company produced a suppressant for the inner werewolf? It was aimed at high-fliers and ambitious werewolves so they could move into the City without the hassle of their wolf needing space and freedom. Their children could grow up ‘normal’ in human schools, without the stigma of being a werewolf.”
“They had adverts.” remembered Jensen “Bright and shiny, like tampon adverts, they showed children happily playing with each other and then revealed that one was a werewolf but nobody could tell.”
“There was uproar among the Packs.” Alan Ackles added, “They implied there was something wrong with our kind.”
“It was withdrawn, wasn’t it?” queried Jensen.
“Officially they stopped production but it wasn’t because of the fuss. It lost its license when independent medical trials revealed serious side effects. Unfortunately, production is still underway in other countries and there’s a black market for it.”
“What does this have to do with Jared?”
“If he’s a City wolf, then his parents would have been in the target market when suppressant use was at its peak. There were a lot of parents who weren’t prepared to give up their pups’ human façade. They bought on the black market and continued to use them. While their pups took the drug they never shifted, couldn’t go into heat, never produced wolf scent and weren’t bothered by the overload of City life on their wolf senses.”
“Why would an Alpha allow an unsafe drug to be used on the pups in their pack?”
“A lot of City packs are no more than a single set of mates with pups, much the same as a human family. Some thought it worth the risk and there was nobody else to argue against it. As long as the suppressant was stopped during puberty, it seemed to be safe. Parents weaned their pups off at about fourteen years old and it posed no difficulty unless the pills were suddenly withdrawn, when there was a minor risk of short-term aggression.”
Jensen’s brows knitted. “So you’re saying that even if he took suppressants, they don’t cause any problems. Why mention it?”
Alan Ackles went silent for a minute, as if gathering his thoughts. “You mentioned the possibility of abuse and told me that he was an Omega who hadn’t been in his wolf form until recently.”
“He told Sam he wasn’t used to it.”
“Jensen, I am one of the biggest supporters of Werewolf Society but, just as there are some badly flawed people, we are not without our rotten apples.”
“I know Pa.”
“There are a small number of Packs, controlled by sick individuals. Am I right in assuming that Jared is an attractive boy? That he looks young for his age?”
“He’s beautiful.” The words caught in his throat.
“There are a few Alphas with nasty perversions. One of the popular ones is a penchant for keeping young humans for pleasure and service. Of course, keeping a human like that is illegal and can lead to lifetime imprisonment or a sly shiv in the stomach. What isn’t illegal, and will often pass as domestic business, is the acquisition of a pretty Omega who is kept on suppressants. For all intents and purposes they remain human and an Omega is easier to mould into submission.”
Jensen wanted to throw up, or punch somebody, or both. “Oh God.” He said weakly.
“Does that ring true for your Omega, Son?”
“He had nothing, he was shy with humans but terrified of us. It fits doesn’t it? You said the suppressants were safe until puberty, what happens if they’re used after that?”
Another silence and Jensen closed his eyes and his nails dug into his palms.
“Those situations Jen, the Alpha isn’t looking for a long-term mate. Once they pass the pretty stage they’re disposable, so it doesn’t matter about the effects.”
“What effects?”
“As you know, the werewolf brain is split into two main divisions. In a pup the suppressants ensure that the wolf portion of the brain doesn’t develop. The synapses disconnect. Whole areas of wolf instinct and ability are left dormant and degenerate. If the suppressants are removed during puberty then the there is a rapid burst of brain development and the wolf brain catches up. As long as suppressants are never used again they become normal, functioning werewolves.”
“If the suppressants aren’t removed? What then?”
“The wolf suffers permanent brain damage. It gradually loses the ability to communicate and learn. It doesn’t develop proper co-ordination, it can’t shift properly and is a poor hunter. It becomes a problem. It is a pup in a wolf’s body and it will play like a pup, with none of the care that comes with the danger of a full grown wolf. It can quickly become frustrated, lose control and destroy someone it is playing with.”
“No, Jared is fine. He can pull back.”
“His human form will be perfect, more human than any other Were but you told me yourself, his wolf is incompetent, he’s deaf, mute and clumsy.”
“So there must be a solution. He can continue with suppressants and stay human, he wouldn’t miss his wolf.”
“Over time the suppressants will destroy what little wolf function he has left and, when the wolf brain dies, so does he.”
“What do the vets say? How have they treated others?”
“If the Alpha doesn’t kill the Omega then the Pack turns it out. It dies of starvation or, if it is picked up stray, the authorities will assess risk to the population and its quality of life. The condition is generally diagnosed at autopsy or by the vet, who will put it down humanely.” Alan paused. “Jared would be sedated, there would be no suffering.”
The words dropped from his father like it was a mundane fact, a recipe for cookies or advice on a financial investment but it wasn’t. This was about a sentient being, his mate, his future and just maybe, his pups and there had to be a solution, any solution. He wouldn’t accept this, wouldn’t let it end before it had started. He could claw his way back from Jared’s rejection, even covet him from afar, as long as his mate was safe and happy, but he couldn’t accept his death. He would kill anyone who came to extinguish his light and that made Jensen the dangerous animal. He sweated and his nails drew blood from his curled flesh. “What if it can be proven that the wolf isn’t dangerous? What then?”
“Then you have to consider its quality of life.”
“How do you mean?” Jensen gave a slight, wolfish whine.
“Well, take the heat for example. Omegas are driven by the need to create and nurture. The wolf will still go into heat, but it has the mental age of a pup. There is no way of communicating with it, so consent cannot be ascertained. Will it even understand what is happening to its body? The Omega becomes an outcast with no prospect of a mate.”
Jensen dropped the phone. His father’s voice continued from the speaker but he didn’t hear the words. What if Jared hadn’t consented? Did he even understand the game they played? Did he creep away, sullied and confused? He ran to the bathroom where he heaved his evening meal into the toilet. He sat on the cold, tiled floor with his hands over his face. “Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod.”
Milo crept in and came to sit beside him. He proffered the phone to Jensen. “I told him you’d call back.” he said.
“Were you eavesdropping, Milo?”
The Omega dropped his eyes and colored. “I heard it ring, I was going to answer it but you picked up first. I didn’t mean to listen but we are all so worried about you. ”
“Milo!”
Milo shuffled close to stroke his back “I wouldn’t have stayed but he’s wrong, they’re wrong. Maybe Jared’s wolf is damaged but he does have intelligence and control. Think about it, he would have jumped at the gorge the day we chased him and he shook his head for ‘No’, you cannot deny we both saw that! He faced us down until we left and you know a starving pup could not have resisted food like he did. He stopped before he hurt Sarah and I am sure, I am certain, he chose to mate with you. He made googly eyes at you throughout the carol-singing. His desire leaked pheromones even before his heat struck.”
Jensen sniffed and allowed Milo to pull him from the floor and lead him back to the chair in his study.
“Are you saying you think there is nothing wrong with Jared?”
“No! You need to look at it differently Jensen. You’re the physical therapist! You’ve explained to me how, when certain parts of the brain are damaged, other areas can take over the task. For instance, right-handed people can learn to write with their left hand and stroke victims can relearn speech and motor control, because other areas of the brain can compensate.
Realization dawned, Jensen’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Jared’s human brain compensates when the wolf brain can’t complete the task! It was Jared’s human, who considered jumping when the wolf couldn’t cope with the situation.”
“And it was probably the human brain which pulled him from Sarah and worked out that raiding garbage and keeping a distance from town, was safer.”
Jensen punched the air. “He can be fixed Milo. I can develop a rehab schedule for him. I can fix him.”
“For that you’ll have to talk to him, Alpha.”
The air was sucked out of Jensen in a moment. “I, I’m not sure Milo, last night, what we did, I’m not sure now if he gave his consent. As soon as his heat subsided he ran away from me. I was so certain he was my mate I hardly stopped to consider that he couldn’t communicate. Pa was right about that.”
“So, are you saying that Jared didn’t have any chance to escape from you?”
“No! I mean yes he did. He fought me at first and batted my nose, I stopped, I thought he would walk away, but then he came back to me. He licked my nose and wagged his tail so I followed.”
“And he didn’t whup you again?”
“No.”
“Alpha, will you ever learn to listen to yourself? Of course he can communicate. He didn’t need psychic speech to tell you what he wanted and you heard every word he said.”
Jensen calmed and Milo smiled at him. “Do you think so?” the Alpha asked, but he already knew the answer.
A steady hand patted his shoulder. “The things that Jared has been through, there’s a lot more than physical damage to fix. Top of the list to mend is Trust. The best person for that job is his mate.”
Jensen allowed himself to join his Pack for a movie marathon of The Grinch and Polar Express but his mind raced with possibilities.
The Pack welcomed Christmas Day, on the twelfth strike of midnight, by throwing snowballs at each other, in the yard. The elegant Christmas Tree lit their game. Jensen shook snow from its branches and took shelter from cold missiles behind it and the angel at its peak stood silent and still with its wings outstretched and halo shimmering. In the midst of his Pack’s laughter Jensen stopped, he looked and actually saw the tree. It suddenly became clear to him, what he should do.
JARED
The sun rose on a dull Christmas morning. It had been a complete day since running from Jensen and nobody had come to drag him away or pour poison into him to end a possible pregnancy. The Wolf Pass Alpha [His mate, supplied the whisper of a thought] had respected his decision to walk away, even as he hid in shame, from his Pack. Jared wondered why the very absence he had wished for, felt like emptiness.
He pushed his doubts aside and rubbed a hand over his belly as he said “Happy Christmas” aloud to it. If there was even the tiniest possibility that there was a scrap of life within him, he was determined to celebrate this very first Christmas with it. He searched through the cupboards to find a bag of coffee, some sugar and creamer and then warmed water to make a thick, sweet drink. He kept the cabin locked but he stacked the fire high and let it blaze. He reached for the snow globe on the mantelpiece, wound its key and sang to the verse, he shook the glitter-water to watch snow fall on the tiny cottage with its tree. When the tinny tune ended he reached for his MP3 and scrolled through the list of songs. He settled on Fairytale of New York, curled his feet under him on the soft chair, picked up a knotty lump of pine and began to whittle and shape it with his penknife.
The sound of Sam’s truck broke his concentration. He placed the tiny wooden penguin on the coffee table with the sandpaper he was using to smooth it. He peered through the sliver of a gap in the shutters to watch his visitor. He was shocked that Sam would take time to visit him on Christmas Day. The passenger door of the truck slammed in tandem with Sam’s and Jared’s heart thudded against his ribs. He adjusted his angle to glimpse at her companion but the deep, powerful voice left him in no doubt. “Apparently, this is the place to be on Christmas Day. Heck Yeah! Now you can stay in there and mope or you can get out here to take your share of the turkey and there ain’t nobody gonna hurt you. I can promise that because I am the law in this town.” Sheriff Hodge’s laugh boomed across the camp site.
Sam joined in with his laugh. “Ignore him. You do exactly what you want but we are setting the table for Christmas Dinner and you are welcome to join us.”
Aldis collected all the picnic tables together and balanced them to a semblance of the same height using an assortment of rocks and twigs while Sam spread white linen sheets for table cloths.
Another truck crunched through the snow and squeaked to a halt. The scent of its occupants was strong and familiar. Jared unlocked the window shutters and opened them a fraction to watch Jensen, Chad and Christian manoeuvre a perfectly shaped fir tree, in a gaily patterned pot, to a position near the makeshift dinner table. More of the Wolf Pass Pack arrived shortly after that and Jared forgot his fear to watch in fascination, as Genevieve and Katie unpacked fairy lights, delicate ornaments and golden chains to hang on the tree. They slapped away hands that would help them, in favour of their own perfection. Around them, place settings took shape with napkins, place mats and sparkling glasses. Jensen ran a thick cable from the back of the Rangers’ truck and lent a hand to lift or carry, wherever his help was needed.
Jared opened the shutters fully, to stare at the Alpha’s form as he flexed and worked. He studied the way Jensen’s hand carded through his mussed gold-brown hair and how he chewed on his lip when he concentrated on a task. For a moment Jared forgot himself and Jensen straightened and glanced in his direction. They found themselves looking directly at each other. The lines around Jensen’s eyes crinkled, his eyes sparkled with fun and his lips curled into a wide, genuine smile. Jared ducked back behind the cover of solid wall but his own lips quirked up and he blushed.
Sam finished dressing the table with sprigs of holly and pine cones. Milo’s arrival as he pulled up, was greeted with a cheer and a round of applause and the smell that accompanied him was probably the best Jared had ever known. There were the thick meaty notes of beef and turkey, the sharp citrus and sweet of honey-roasted vegetables, the crisp oil of roast sweet-potatoes and the spice of nutmeg and cinnamon. He closed his eyes and inhaled the heaven of it. Sturdy boxes of foil-wrapped food were unloaded by werewolves with grumbling stomachs, hungry groans and smacking lips. He was startled from his trance by a knock at the door. He peeked at Sam and Jensen who stood there with wide, expectant grins. Jensen twisted his head and leaned back so that they could see each other through the window He held up a golden-shiny object. “We need the tallest Were in the Wolf Pass Pack to place the angel on the tree. It’s a tradition,” he said in mock seriousness.
His hand trembled as he moved the table that braced the door and unbolted the locks but he didn’t know if the cause was nerves or anticipation. He took the last tentative step over the threshold and Jensen slipped a reassuring hand over his, to steer him to the Christmas Tree. Aldis, Sam and members of the Pack all smiled at him but they kept their distance, being careful not to crowd him. Jared stood on tiptoe to place the angel at the pinnacle of the evergreen and Jensen connected the last wire to flood the glow of pastel lights over the tree. It bathed the scene in a soft rainbow which reflected from the snow and shone over Jensen, his mate, his Alpha. [“Lights will guide you home.” Jared's mind supplied the lyric and gave it meaning. ]
Jared stood back to admire the view. He brushed his fingers over the smooth needles and tipped his head up, to look at the angel atop the tree. He let himself relax into his mate’s steady, circling arms and he felt the gentle caress of Jensen’s long fingers tangling through his hair. Jensen's warm breath huffed on his ear. “You are beautiful. I want you to put the angel on top of our tree every year, I want to celebrate every year with you and one day I want to be able to share all the wonder and love of Christmas with pups of our own. Whatever it was that happened to you, we can fix it together.”
Tears slipped over Jared’s lashes, he turned into his mate’s embrace, burying his face in the strong, comforting scent. He nuzzled at Jensen’s neck and when Jensen chucked fingers under his chin to guide him, he licked his lips and slid them over the open and expectant pink mouth for a short, wet and gentle kiss.
He looked into the moss green eyes that blinked with full, thick lashes and he saw the anxiety and vulnerability of an Alpha, his Alpha, who had put all of himself on the line, on Christmas Day, with every possibility of a public humiliation. He traced his fingers over the proud jaw and across the freckled nose.
“I think I’d like to try.” Jared answered.
A breeze blustered through the campsite. The Christmas Tree shook and chimed with the sway of a dozen hanging bells.
In the end, it was this Christmas Tree that saved Jared.
~Fin~
Time-stamp:Coming Home
Description: NC-17. Werewolf Jensen and Jared, a Christmas Tree. "In the end it was a Christmas Tree that saved Jared." A strange lone werewolf finds its way to the home of the Wolf-Pass Pack but how can Alpha!Jensen save a starving and dangerous Were who wants nothing to do with his own kind? Jared finds salvation by the light of a Christmas Tree.
Warnings: Explicit werewolf sex, werewolf knotting, intent of suicide. Mentions of:- Mpreg, Past abuse, dub con and underage.
Beta: The generous
meus_venatorwho did an amazing job in minimal time because it was an impulsive decision with a ridiculous deadline. That said, it is partly her own fault for planting the seed of a werewolf knotting fic in my head in the first place. All mistakes remain my own, especially the grammar, because I decided that was what mattered least in the time frame. (Sue me, I’m a grammar rebel)
Length: ~22,000 words
Disclaimer: This is fiction, pure fantasy folks. Nobody here belongs to me and they’re not likely to get in my van for candy a side of beef any time soon
Part 4
JENSEN
Jensen snapped his eyes open with a jolt. The perfume that woke him was thicker than anything he had ever known, heavy with the call of sex and heat and mate and it fogged his mind with a surge of pure lust. A needy howl travelled the night air and he was suddenly full of energy and intensely alive. There was no thought before he dashed into the night and his shift was fast and smooth. His paws hit the snow running and his wolf took control with exhilarating instinct.
The Pack woke with him. The intensity of Jared’s heat whipped up an abnormal sexual energy and manifested in frenzied need. Chad and Milo whimpered with the shared passion and Chad pinned his mate to the bed to take what he needed. Katie and Genevieve whined their distress. Christian growled with the uninhibited response of a strong, single alpha with the right to win the affection of an unmated Omega in heat. He shifted barely seconds after his Pack Alpha. His instinct superseded his loyalty and he chased to gain ground on Jensen.
Even as his muzzle lengthened and his fur formed, Jensen was ready for Christian’s challenge. His front paws sprang unthinkingly into the leap which would clash him into his second-in-command and land them both on the soft blanket of snow. Another howl across the black distance had Christian fighting hard against his Alpha’s dominance and Jensen clamped his jaws into the soft fur of his neck. They wrestled for their claim, coating their fur in the blood of their wounds, staining the powdery white ice, until Christian rolled over and tipped his neck in submission. There wouldn’t be anger or argument in the morning, it was the rough and tumble of wild survival and Christian could no more prevent his actions than Jensen. It gave credence to Jensen’s leadership and proclaimed his fitness to take a mate. He loped into the woods without a backward glance. The Pack would take care of Christian.
He didn’t analyze the intensity of the heat that beckoned him. It represented the basis of his very survival, the desire for continuation and the promise of companionship. There was no doubt that Jared moved toward him with as much zeal as his own, the taste of the younger Were grew stronger in every breath he inhaled.
There was nothing special about the patch of ground where they finally skidded to a halt, in sight of each other. It was a patch of nondescript forest with mixed organic debris and snow on the floor. A green canopy filtered the starlight above them and the aroma of pine and earth and rabbit surrounded them.
Jensen caught breath, enthralled by the vision of a perfect face and unusual markings. Jared’s wolf was lean but well proportioned and thick with the softest, dark coat. His eyes blazed with bright intelligence and arousal and something more that Jensen couldn’t discern.
“Jared, Jared, Jared.” His inner voice chanted.
Another howl rent the air and his own wolf joined in. Jensen stood still and let Jared circle him. The younger wolf snuffled and huffed, approached him with a few skittish steps and then backed away. “Do you want this? Will you have me?” Jensen thought he knew the answer. He asked with all the confidence of Alpha and was shocked by the snarled rebuttal and the tip of Jared’s claws against his snout. He cocked his head and pricked his ears and threw a sharp rebuke at his mate.
Jared stopped still for a moment and whined while he lowered his head and his paw pressed against his ear in distress. He backed up further, shaking his muzzle and overbalanced sideways, into the snow. Jensen was on him in a moment, back legs firm to the ground and front paws resting on Jared’s shoulder demanding his mate’s submission and the curve his neck. He was rewarded with the sound of a high lusty whine but the Omega resisted him, snapped his teeth and rolled, and despite Jared’s exquisite allure, Jensen could interpret the refusal. Somewhere in his heat-crazed mind he retained memory of Jared’s inability to hear the wolf voice. He backed up and nuzzled at Jared’s throat before giving the faintest growl and a playful nip to his ear. Jared’s tail thumped with delight and Jensen untangled himself long enough for Jared to right himself and run away.
There was a curl of disappointment in Jensen’s stomach as he watched Jared’s paws scrabble over the rough, frozen ground but then the younger wolf slowed and glanced over his shoulder. The Omega gave a yip and a wriggle of his hips and doubled back to lick a hot, wet stripe over Jensen’s snout. Jensen returned the lick and Jared leaped back with the lift of all four paws from the ground, his hazel eyes sparked with sex, mischief and determination.
In that moment Jensen thought he understood, Jared was demanding that his mate court him, to prove himself worthy. Jensen would have to earn his right to breed with Jared. There was nothing more spoken by Jensen, he chased with deliberate slow pace, allowing Jared to get away, to hide and tease and pounce. The scrape of his teeth and fall of his paw were little more than foreplay and the effect was electrifying and delicious. Jensen had knotted in meaningless couplings with other Weres but this was the first time he’d ever felt this primal, joyous, connection. He was desperate for penetration, his cock stood unsheathed, hard and dripping and yet he wanted to wait, he needed to make it right and perfect for Jared.
Jensen didn’t know how far they chased or how many times Jared stumbled, the Omega finally slumped with his tongue lolling and his breath steamed wisps into the night air. He rolled in the snow, belly up in submission and invited Jensen in with a needy whine and the full curve of his neck.
Jensen cuffed at him with a the soft pad of his paw, coaxing him to crouch on all four paws with his hole presented, flexing and wet with fluids. Jensen could no longer hold back, he mounted Jared and gripped his front legs tight around him. He penetrated the tight furled muscle with a powerful, smooth push and bottomed out with the click and grind of Jared’s hips. They howled together, joyful and unfettered and Jensen lost himself to sensation, rutting fast and hard into the hot, slick channel. The Alpha bit into Jared’s shoulder as his knot forced a wide path through the clenching pucker of muscle. He heard the satisfied whimper and felt the tight strain as his mate came, spilling hot, white fluid that melted into the snow. He couldn’t stop his own ejaculation, he released his first wad of rushing hot seed into his mate, claiming him with a yip and a howl. “So good, so beautiful, so mine, mine, mine.” he chanted as he nuzzled into the silky fur and pliant body. They moved together finding a comfortable compromise as the knotting continued, tying him to Jared, filling him, breeding him with Jensen’s seed for hours, squeezing one body-shaking orgasm after another from Jared’s over-sensitized flesh.
Jensen licked and worried at Jared’s fur, keen to demonstrate his affection and Jared tiredly returned the action. When the knot finally slipped loose, they collapsed, sated and fatigued and Jensen curled protectively around his strangely silent mate.
Jensen woke with the first weak rays of daylight. His whole wolf ached and he was cold and alone on the messy, icy-cold ground. Jared’s tracks wound upwards and his scent followed the same trail, without his heat. Jensen’s heart squeezed, an Omega’s heat will last up to a week or until fertilisation has occurred. Could Jared have become pregnant from their first mating? He couldn’t think clearly, the whirl of possibilities started in his head, along with the knowledge that Jared had rejected him as soon as his heat had ceased. It was a devastating discovery for him.
JARED
Jared poured more water from the pot by the fire. He stood in the tub and tipped it over his body, he scrubbed soap over his skin and rinsed again. When the water cooled he threw a blanket over his bare shoulders and sat curled on the squishy chair by the hearth. He stared into the shimmering flicker of the flames and he shivered despite the warmth. He glanced to the cabin door locked from the inside and braced with a solid table against it. He checked again that all the window shutters were securely sealed. His hand rubbed absently over his raw, scraped stomach but the grazes and nips that bore the burden of proof of his coupling [mating, the faint voice in his head corrected him] were already healing.
He was freaking out. He wanted to throw the cabin open, to run to Jensen, to bury himself against him and stay there for the rest of his life or to flee in the opposite direction, to lose himself far away and deep in the cold wilderness, but those ideas weren’t realistic. His wolf had retreated and his heat was gone and he had no clue if its brevity was a result of the long time use of wolf suppressants or if something more had happened, something that would reshape his very existence.
His large fingers spread over his hollowed belly and he hummed. If there was even the slightest possibility of new life he would stand his ground. There would be no repeat of the agonizing, internal clawing of death before life took hold. It was his ugliness and his worthlessness and he would not let that extend to the shining glory that was Jensen’s hereditary bounty. He knew he would protect this living gift with his last breath and regale it with stories of their night of passion, of the affection and intimacy that sparked its very being.
He uncurled his legs and stood, he forced himself to make a bowl of instant oatmeal. He didn’t taste its goodness but he knew he had to eat. He held the smooth cylindrical pen that smelled of Jensen and opened the empty, lined notebook. He scrunched his face in concentration and started a journal with the events of the night. If this was the best he ever had, then he wanted to capture all of the feeling, the lust, the need, the comfort and completeness of it. Three pages were torn from the book before he was satisfied that he had achieved some reflection of his experience. The writing forced him to analyse his emotions and he pushed back the nagging wrong that scraped and hissed from the depth of his memory. He knew his lust had been consummated in the soft body of his wolf but couldn’t help the feeling that his human had somehow stayed with the wolf in its passion, that it had lent its consciousness to that form.
He made a nest of blankets on his bed and cuddled deep into them. His fingers sought the music player that he had placed close, the night before. He snugged in the earpieces, skipped to the next, unknown track, and pressed play.
Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ flooded over him.
“When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?Tears fell like bitter rain over his lashes but he couldn’t bring himself to stop the music. He gave in to his exhaustion and slept.
The loud rattle of the door knob and battering of knuckles on wood woke him in late afternoon and he heard Sam’s voice, laced with frantic concern. “Honey. Are you in there? Jared? It’s me, Sam.” Footsteps crunched as she circled the cabin trying each of the shutters. She stopped by the window nearest to the bed. “Jared, Hon. At least let me know you’re alive in there.”
“Go ‘way.”
“Jared, please.”
Jared pulled his knees into his chest and rested his head on them.
“Jared. Do you know what Jensen is doing right now?”
His pulse quickened in panic, Jensen would be with his pack, boasting about Jared’s weakness and calling the vet to buy medication. He covered his ears but he still heard.
“We don’t know either, Jared, because he went home and shut himself in his room and none of his Pack, not even Milo, can get him to speak. There’s probably plenty of reasons why you’re freaking out but you will both have to come out sooner or later.” She paused, listening for his reply. “You know you can talk to me, Jared.”
“Please go.”
“Okay but, just so you know, I’ll be back. I’m not going to let you mope and make yourself ill.”
He heard her steps receding and the truck pulled away.
Jensen, [his mate, his Alpha] had shut himself away? His stomach turned with nerves and he didn’t know what it meant. There was nothing similar in his experience, this Alpha was utterly different to his previous Pack alpha [yes, previous alpha, small ‘a’ because he didn’t have to go back and Sheriff Hodge wouldn’t allow it to happen]. He wrapped his blankets tighter around him and stared at a point on the floor, without seeing. He skipped the MP3 back and replayed the last track.
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you”
He pictured the bright home of the Wolf Pass Pack and wondered about the confidence their Omegas possessed. He thought about the way Jensen let them socialise outside their home and he recalled Genevieve’s bubbly smile when she ran home from her work at the library. Then there were the soft touches and easy banter that the Pack displayed when they welcomed the carol singers under the light of their Christmas Tree. He wondered if he could ever be fixed, if he could ever be good enough to have what they had.
JENSEN
The Pack had been waiting when Jensen arrived home. They grinned widely at him. Chad, Milo, Gen and Christian were ripe with the stink of sex and hugged each other close, with touches of affection.
Chad had made a cheeky comment about noisy sex and Jensen clenched his fist and planted it on Chad’s chin, without a single word. In the stunned aftermath Katie, Gen and Milo had looked around for Jared and realized that he wasn’t with their Alpha. “Christ!” moaned Chad.
“Boss?”
Alpha?”
Their shock gave him the time to slam his bedroom door and turn the key.
He heard them, all of them, and he knew it made him a bad Alpha and a poor leader but he couldn’t bring himself to face their questions. He didn’t need their pity. He knew he should be ashamed of the rejection but he didn’t care. He only craved his mate but his mate didn’t want him.
It was Christmas Eve. He heard Steve and Misha return home and it was the first time he hadn’t welcomed members of his Pack home. He heard the hushed whispers of Katie and Christian trying to explain something which they couldn’t possibly know. When Steve’s temper exploded and he threatened to find Jared and teach him a lesson, Jensen relented and emerged from his room. He stood at the top of the stairs and they all turned to look at him. “Nobody follows him, nobody hurts my mate. I will kill anyone who harms him. Do you understand me?” his voice was liquid steel and dripping with intent.
Wide eyes and worried faces stared up at him. He straightened and gritted his teeth. “It’s Christmas. We should appreciate our time together. Who’s cooking? I’ll help.” He ran a hand through his hair and added, with a growl, “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Holiday crackers were pulled and jokes exchanged, but the atmosphere around the table was strained. Every time Jensen looked up, at least one of his Pack were gazing at him with concern. He was operating on automatic and was relieved when everyone huddled together to watch a movie. He excused himself to go and sit with his laptop, in his study, scrolling useless pages on the internet and listening to music.
When the telephone rang he answered without delay, there was no point in ruining the movie for the others.
“Hey, Son.” His father’s voice resonated on loudspeaker.
“Oh, Pa, I’m sorry, I should have rung you, Christmas and all that.”
“Well, we’re both busy Alphas. We’ll have a long chat on Skype tomorrow. Your Ma is going to make sure all your cousins say hi and remind you that her Christmas pudding tastes best.”
Jensen forced a laugh, grateful that his Pa couldn’t see his face.
“I have to play Santa a little later but I wanted to talk to you about that young Were you were fretting over.” His father’s tone changed and he recognized the sympathetic overtones that he adopted for stressful news.
Jensen’s breath caught in his chest. His father continued to speak. “I asked about, did some research and I found some data and a couple of vets with an interest in cases that seem similar.”
“Thanks, Pa.”
“There’s not much to thank me for Son. I was going to wait until after Christmas but the last time we spoke I could hear you pining, all the way through this ether connection. I know you well enough to think you like this Jared a whole lot. Sometimes it’s best to rip the bandaid off quickly, get the pain over with, so you can move on.”
His guts clenched. “Why would I need to move on? Is it infectious? Is the pack at risk?” He wondered why the prospect bothered him less than a life without Jared.
“How about you get comfortable? I’ll start at the beginning and see if the situation fits?”
Jensen settled on his deep, squashy, easy chair. “Shoot.”
“Do you remember back in the 90’s a pharmaceutical company produced a suppressant for the inner werewolf? It was aimed at high-fliers and ambitious werewolves so they could move into the City without the hassle of their wolf needing space and freedom. Their children could grow up ‘normal’ in human schools, without the stigma of being a werewolf.”
“They had adverts.” remembered Jensen “Bright and shiny, like tampon adverts, they showed children happily playing with each other and then revealed that one was a werewolf but nobody could tell.”
“There was uproar among the Packs.” Alan Ackles added, “They implied there was something wrong with our kind.”
“It was withdrawn, wasn’t it?” queried Jensen.
“Officially they stopped production but it wasn’t because of the fuss. It lost its license when independent medical trials revealed serious side effects. Unfortunately, production is still underway in other countries and there’s a black market for it.”
“What does this have to do with Jared?”
“If he’s a City wolf, then his parents would have been in the target market when suppressant use was at its peak. There were a lot of parents who weren’t prepared to give up their pups’ human façade. They bought on the black market and continued to use them. While their pups took the drug they never shifted, couldn’t go into heat, never produced wolf scent and weren’t bothered by the overload of City life on their wolf senses.”
“Why would an Alpha allow an unsafe drug to be used on the pups in their pack?”
“A lot of City packs are no more than a single set of mates with pups, much the same as a human family. Some thought it worth the risk and there was nobody else to argue against it. As long as the suppressant was stopped during puberty, it seemed to be safe. Parents weaned their pups off at about fourteen years old and it posed no difficulty unless the pills were suddenly withdrawn, when there was a minor risk of short-term aggression.”
Jensen’s brows knitted. “So you’re saying that even if he took suppressants, they don’t cause any problems. Why mention it?”
Alan Ackles went silent for a minute, as if gathering his thoughts. “You mentioned the possibility of abuse and told me that he was an Omega who hadn’t been in his wolf form until recently.”
“He told Sam he wasn’t used to it.”
“Jensen, I am one of the biggest supporters of Werewolf Society but, just as there are some badly flawed people, we are not without our rotten apples.”
“I know Pa.”
“There are a small number of Packs, controlled by sick individuals. Am I right in assuming that Jared is an attractive boy? That he looks young for his age?”
“He’s beautiful.” The words caught in his throat.
“There are a few Alphas with nasty perversions. One of the popular ones is a penchant for keeping young humans for pleasure and service. Of course, keeping a human like that is illegal and can lead to lifetime imprisonment or a sly shiv in the stomach. What isn’t illegal, and will often pass as domestic business, is the acquisition of a pretty Omega who is kept on suppressants. For all intents and purposes they remain human and an Omega is easier to mould into submission.”
Jensen wanted to throw up, or punch somebody, or both. “Oh God.” He said weakly.
“Does that ring true for your Omega, Son?”
“He had nothing, he was shy with humans but terrified of us. It fits doesn’t it? You said the suppressants were safe until puberty, what happens if they’re used after that?”
Another silence and Jensen closed his eyes and his nails dug into his palms.
“Those situations Jen, the Alpha isn’t looking for a long-term mate. Once they pass the pretty stage they’re disposable, so it doesn’t matter about the effects.”
“What effects?”
“As you know, the werewolf brain is split into two main divisions. In a pup the suppressants ensure that the wolf portion of the brain doesn’t develop. The synapses disconnect. Whole areas of wolf instinct and ability are left dormant and degenerate. If the suppressants are removed during puberty then the there is a rapid burst of brain development and the wolf brain catches up. As long as suppressants are never used again they become normal, functioning werewolves.”
“If the suppressants aren’t removed? What then?”
“The wolf suffers permanent brain damage. It gradually loses the ability to communicate and learn. It doesn’t develop proper co-ordination, it can’t shift properly and is a poor hunter. It becomes a problem. It is a pup in a wolf’s body and it will play like a pup, with none of the care that comes with the danger of a full grown wolf. It can quickly become frustrated, lose control and destroy someone it is playing with.”
“No, Jared is fine. He can pull back.”
“His human form will be perfect, more human than any other Were but you told me yourself, his wolf is incompetent, he’s deaf, mute and clumsy.”
“So there must be a solution. He can continue with suppressants and stay human, he wouldn’t miss his wolf.”
“Over time the suppressants will destroy what little wolf function he has left and, when the wolf brain dies, so does he.”
“What do the vets say? How have they treated others?”
“If the Alpha doesn’t kill the Omega then the Pack turns it out. It dies of starvation or, if it is picked up stray, the authorities will assess risk to the population and its quality of life. The condition is generally diagnosed at autopsy or by the vet, who will put it down humanely.” Alan paused. “Jared would be sedated, there would be no suffering.”
The words dropped from his father like it was a mundane fact, a recipe for cookies or advice on a financial investment but it wasn’t. This was about a sentient being, his mate, his future and just maybe, his pups and there had to be a solution, any solution. He wouldn’t accept this, wouldn’t let it end before it had started. He could claw his way back from Jared’s rejection, even covet him from afar, as long as his mate was safe and happy, but he couldn’t accept his death. He would kill anyone who came to extinguish his light and that made Jensen the dangerous animal. He sweated and his nails drew blood from his curled flesh. “What if it can be proven that the wolf isn’t dangerous? What then?”
“Then you have to consider its quality of life.”
“How do you mean?” Jensen gave a slight, wolfish whine.
“Well, take the heat for example. Omegas are driven by the need to create and nurture. The wolf will still go into heat, but it has the mental age of a pup. There is no way of communicating with it, so consent cannot be ascertained. Will it even understand what is happening to its body? The Omega becomes an outcast with no prospect of a mate.”
Jensen dropped the phone. His father’s voice continued from the speaker but he didn’t hear the words. What if Jared hadn’t consented? Did he even understand the game they played? Did he creep away, sullied and confused? He ran to the bathroom where he heaved his evening meal into the toilet. He sat on the cold, tiled floor with his hands over his face. “Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod.”
Milo crept in and came to sit beside him. He proffered the phone to Jensen. “I told him you’d call back.” he said.
“Were you eavesdropping, Milo?”
The Omega dropped his eyes and colored. “I heard it ring, I was going to answer it but you picked up first. I didn’t mean to listen but we are all so worried about you. ”
“Milo!”
Milo shuffled close to stroke his back “I wouldn’t have stayed but he’s wrong, they’re wrong. Maybe Jared’s wolf is damaged but he does have intelligence and control. Think about it, he would have jumped at the gorge the day we chased him and he shook his head for ‘No’, you cannot deny we both saw that! He faced us down until we left and you know a starving pup could not have resisted food like he did. He stopped before he hurt Sarah and I am sure, I am certain, he chose to mate with you. He made googly eyes at you throughout the carol-singing. His desire leaked pheromones even before his heat struck.”
Jensen sniffed and allowed Milo to pull him from the floor and lead him back to the chair in his study.
“Are you saying you think there is nothing wrong with Jared?”
“No! You need to look at it differently Jensen. You’re the physical therapist! You’ve explained to me how, when certain parts of the brain are damaged, other areas can take over the task. For instance, right-handed people can learn to write with their left hand and stroke victims can relearn speech and motor control, because other areas of the brain can compensate.
Realization dawned, Jensen’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Jared’s human brain compensates when the wolf brain can’t complete the task! It was Jared’s human, who considered jumping when the wolf couldn’t cope with the situation.”
“And it was probably the human brain which pulled him from Sarah and worked out that raiding garbage and keeping a distance from town, was safer.”
Jensen punched the air. “He can be fixed Milo. I can develop a rehab schedule for him. I can fix him.”
“For that you’ll have to talk to him, Alpha.”
The air was sucked out of Jensen in a moment. “I, I’m not sure Milo, last night, what we did, I’m not sure now if he gave his consent. As soon as his heat subsided he ran away from me. I was so certain he was my mate I hardly stopped to consider that he couldn’t communicate. Pa was right about that.”
“So, are you saying that Jared didn’t have any chance to escape from you?”
“No! I mean yes he did. He fought me at first and batted my nose, I stopped, I thought he would walk away, but then he came back to me. He licked my nose and wagged his tail so I followed.”
“And he didn’t whup you again?”
“No.”
“Alpha, will you ever learn to listen to yourself? Of course he can communicate. He didn’t need psychic speech to tell you what he wanted and you heard every word he said.”
Jensen calmed and Milo smiled at him. “Do you think so?” the Alpha asked, but he already knew the answer.
A steady hand patted his shoulder. “The things that Jared has been through, there’s a lot more than physical damage to fix. Top of the list to mend is Trust. The best person for that job is his mate.”
Jensen allowed himself to join his Pack for a movie marathon of The Grinch and Polar Express but his mind raced with possibilities.
The Pack welcomed Christmas Day, on the twelfth strike of midnight, by throwing snowballs at each other, in the yard. The elegant Christmas Tree lit their game. Jensen shook snow from its branches and took shelter from cold missiles behind it and the angel at its peak stood silent and still with its wings outstretched and halo shimmering. In the midst of his Pack’s laughter Jensen stopped, he looked and actually saw the tree. It suddenly became clear to him, what he should do.
JARED
The sun rose on a dull Christmas morning. It had been a complete day since running from Jensen and nobody had come to drag him away or pour poison into him to end a possible pregnancy. The Wolf Pass Alpha [His mate, supplied the whisper of a thought] had respected his decision to walk away, even as he hid in shame, from his Pack. Jared wondered why the very absence he had wished for, felt like emptiness.
He pushed his doubts aside and rubbed a hand over his belly as he said “Happy Christmas” aloud to it. If there was even the tiniest possibility that there was a scrap of life within him, he was determined to celebrate this very first Christmas with it. He searched through the cupboards to find a bag of coffee, some sugar and creamer and then warmed water to make a thick, sweet drink. He kept the cabin locked but he stacked the fire high and let it blaze. He reached for the snow globe on the mantelpiece, wound its key and sang to the verse, he shook the glitter-water to watch snow fall on the tiny cottage with its tree. When the tinny tune ended he reached for his MP3 and scrolled through the list of songs. He settled on Fairytale of New York, curled his feet under him on the soft chair, picked up a knotty lump of pine and began to whittle and shape it with his penknife.
The sound of Sam’s truck broke his concentration. He placed the tiny wooden penguin on the coffee table with the sandpaper he was using to smooth it. He peered through the sliver of a gap in the shutters to watch his visitor. He was shocked that Sam would take time to visit him on Christmas Day. The passenger door of the truck slammed in tandem with Sam’s and Jared’s heart thudded against his ribs. He adjusted his angle to glimpse at her companion but the deep, powerful voice left him in no doubt. “Apparently, this is the place to be on Christmas Day. Heck Yeah! Now you can stay in there and mope or you can get out here to take your share of the turkey and there ain’t nobody gonna hurt you. I can promise that because I am the law in this town.” Sheriff Hodge’s laugh boomed across the camp site.
Sam joined in with his laugh. “Ignore him. You do exactly what you want but we are setting the table for Christmas Dinner and you are welcome to join us.”
Aldis collected all the picnic tables together and balanced them to a semblance of the same height using an assortment of rocks and twigs while Sam spread white linen sheets for table cloths.
Another truck crunched through the snow and squeaked to a halt. The scent of its occupants was strong and familiar. Jared unlocked the window shutters and opened them a fraction to watch Jensen, Chad and Christian manoeuvre a perfectly shaped fir tree, in a gaily patterned pot, to a position near the makeshift dinner table. More of the Wolf Pass Pack arrived shortly after that and Jared forgot his fear to watch in fascination, as Genevieve and Katie unpacked fairy lights, delicate ornaments and golden chains to hang on the tree. They slapped away hands that would help them, in favour of their own perfection. Around them, place settings took shape with napkins, place mats and sparkling glasses. Jensen ran a thick cable from the back of the Rangers’ truck and lent a hand to lift or carry, wherever his help was needed.
Jared opened the shutters fully, to stare at the Alpha’s form as he flexed and worked. He studied the way Jensen’s hand carded through his mussed gold-brown hair and how he chewed on his lip when he concentrated on a task. For a moment Jared forgot himself and Jensen straightened and glanced in his direction. They found themselves looking directly at each other. The lines around Jensen’s eyes crinkled, his eyes sparkled with fun and his lips curled into a wide, genuine smile. Jared ducked back behind the cover of solid wall but his own lips quirked up and he blushed.
Sam finished dressing the table with sprigs of holly and pine cones. Milo’s arrival as he pulled up, was greeted with a cheer and a round of applause and the smell that accompanied him was probably the best Jared had ever known. There were the thick meaty notes of beef and turkey, the sharp citrus and sweet of honey-roasted vegetables, the crisp oil of roast sweet-potatoes and the spice of nutmeg and cinnamon. He closed his eyes and inhaled the heaven of it. Sturdy boxes of foil-wrapped food were unloaded by werewolves with grumbling stomachs, hungry groans and smacking lips. He was startled from his trance by a knock at the door. He peeked at Sam and Jensen who stood there with wide, expectant grins. Jensen twisted his head and leaned back so that they could see each other through the window He held up a golden-shiny object. “We need the tallest Were in the Wolf Pass Pack to place the angel on the tree. It’s a tradition,” he said in mock seriousness.
His hand trembled as he moved the table that braced the door and unbolted the locks but he didn’t know if the cause was nerves or anticipation. He took the last tentative step over the threshold and Jensen slipped a reassuring hand over his, to steer him to the Christmas Tree. Aldis, Sam and members of the Pack all smiled at him but they kept their distance, being careful not to crowd him. Jared stood on tiptoe to place the angel at the pinnacle of the evergreen and Jensen connected the last wire to flood the glow of pastel lights over the tree. It bathed the scene in a soft rainbow which reflected from the snow and shone over Jensen, his mate, his Alpha. [“Lights will guide you home.” Jared's mind supplied the lyric and gave it meaning. ]
Jared stood back to admire the view. He brushed his fingers over the smooth needles and tipped his head up, to look at the angel atop the tree. He let himself relax into his mate’s steady, circling arms and he felt the gentle caress of Jensen’s long fingers tangling through his hair. Jensen's warm breath huffed on his ear. “You are beautiful. I want you to put the angel on top of our tree every year, I want to celebrate every year with you and one day I want to be able to share all the wonder and love of Christmas with pups of our own. Whatever it was that happened to you, we can fix it together.”
Tears slipped over Jared’s lashes, he turned into his mate’s embrace, burying his face in the strong, comforting scent. He nuzzled at Jensen’s neck and when Jensen chucked fingers under his chin to guide him, he licked his lips and slid them over the open and expectant pink mouth for a short, wet and gentle kiss.
He looked into the moss green eyes that blinked with full, thick lashes and he saw the anxiety and vulnerability of an Alpha, his Alpha, who had put all of himself on the line, on Christmas Day, with every possibility of a public humiliation. He traced his fingers over the proud jaw and across the freckled nose.
“I think I’d like to try.” Jared answered.
A breeze blustered through the campsite. The Christmas Tree shook and chimed with the sway of a dozen hanging bells.
In the end, it was this Christmas Tree that saved Jared.
~Fin~
Time-stamp:Coming Home