"Even a Man Who is Pure in Heart" - CHAPTER THREE
The first thing that struck him as they neared the town was the virtual tsunami of scents that wafted through the car. Jensen felt like his nose and brain were shifting into overdrive just to catalog and separate the different smells. The peppery scent from the woods was still there, but there were so many others mixed in. He didn’t even realize that he’d leaned his head out the window to catch a deeper inhale until Jared chuckled at him.
“It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?”
Jensen grunted in affirmation before he flared his nostrils and breathed deeply once more. The town of Tilbury Falls itself seemed fairly small. There seemed to be maybe only a dozen blocks of buildings that made up downtown, all centered around a gorgeous gothic town hall that was at least a hundred years old. The streets directly around it were lined with old brownstone brick stores with dates in the 1800’s all marked in their gables.
His mom would have called the town ‘quaint’. In the five minutes since they passed the city limits he’d seen a dozen antique shops and just as many café’s. There weren’t as many people as he would have imaged on the streets, but when they did pass one or two … he scented them and realized he could immediately tell if they were wolves or humans.
“Most of the humans here have no idea what kind of town they’re in. They’re usually tourists stopping through for the shops or food. Any human that takes up residence usually knows what they’re getting into. We try and discourage those that don’t.”
Jensen finally pulled his head back inside the car.
“Less chance of something bad happening?”
Jared’s gaze flicked over to him for a brief second.
“More like less chance of us being exposed.”
Jensen nodded and slouched down further into his seat. The longer they drove through town, the more he noticed gazes turning his way. He could make out people scenting him from all the way across the street.
“So … everyone smells different, huh?”
The other man chuckled warmly.
“Yeah … it’s kind of like your wolf thumbprint. How you can tell who’s who and were they’ve been.”
Jensen nodded and licked his dry lips.
“So, they can all smell me? Smell that I’m a stranger?”
Jared cleared his throat and turned the truck out of the downtown area, heading towards the west of town.
“Yeah.”
“That’s why you didn’t want me to come into town on my own?”
“Yeah. I mean … it’s not like the old days, when a lone wolf would have been killed on the spot or something. We’re actually civilized now, you know. No matter what popular entertainment likes to tell you. It’s just better when there’s already a member of the pack present. Less apprehension that way.”
He would be a liar if he didn’t admit that Jared so flippantly speaking about someone being murdered didn’t send a pit of cold fear straight down into his gut, but Jensen still found himself trusting him. He just hoped it was the right call to make, and that he wasn’t being deluded by the absolutely delicious smell of the man. And speaking of his scent, Jensen was desperately curious about something.
“Hey, Jared?”
There was a quick flick of eye movement at this question, but Jared’s gaze never really left the road before them.
“Yeah?”
Jensen pursed his lips in thought for a moment, then figured ‘fuck it’ and just outright asked.
“What do I smell like?”
Jared actually sputtered and blushed a little, which was highly amusing.
“Uh … we … we don’t actually usually ask other people that.”
Not the answer Jensen was expecting.
“Why not?”
There was still a heated flush to Jared’s face, and he refused to meet Jensen’s eyes.
“It’s just … I don’t know … it’s just not done.”
Jensen shrugged his shoulders absently and leaned back against the headrest.
“Hmm… well … you smell like cinnamon and nutmeg. Makes me think of my Gran’s spice cake recipe. It’s nice.”
There was silence in the cab of the truck for several moments. The buildings of the town had given way to woods, with the occasional house thrown in. Jensen closed his eyes and briefly contemplated his Grandmother. He’d lost her long before the tornado. She’d been the last grandparent he’d had, and quite honestly … his favorite.
She’d always called him her ‘little jewel’ because she had loved his green eyes so much. He lost count of the times she would sit him down and tell him that he was destined to be something special. Something wonderful. He wondered what she would have thought about his life now. What he was going to become in a weeks time. A monster.
“You know how grass smells fresh and clean after a spring shower? Like mother nature has just washed away the grime of the world … and there’s this crisp, sweet new start to it all?”
Jared’s soft rumble had broken Jensen from his musing, but he considered the man’s words a moment before he spoke.
“Yeah?”
Eyes glued resolutely to the road before them, Jared smiled … just a little.
“That’s how you smell.”
Heat immediately flushed across Jensen’s face, and he knew without even looking in the side mirror that he was blushing something fierce. It suddenly seemed like way too intimate a conversation to be having with a virtual stranger. He watched, though, as Jared’s nostrils flared slightly … as if he was taking in more of Jensen’s scent. Without even thinking about it consciously, Jensen reciprocated in kind. Grabbing a deep inhale of that warm, spiced scent that tickled his gums and sent a pleasant curl of something straight down to his belly.
They didn’t really speak again until the truck rumbled up an old dirt road that ended in front of a giant two-story Victorian home, painted a bright sunny yellow. Jared killed the engine and then shifted to face Jensen.
“Here we are. Home sweet home.”
Jensen eyed the house as he slowly opened the door and hopped out of the cab. The trim was white with splashes of electric purple accenting some of the more ornate decorations. The double doors at the entrance were purple as well. A large porch wrapped around the entire lower level of the house and there were hanging baskets filled with flowers just about everywhere a hook could be attached. It was … nice.
“The flowers are all the girls doing … I have a black thumb, seriously.”
They shuffled around the back of the truck to let down the tailgate. Jared hopped up into the bed and they slowly worked the motorcycle back out of the truck.
“Girls?”
Jared nodded and grunted as they finally got Jensen’s old girl back on terra firma.
“Yeah… the pack jokingly calls this the Frat house … but we refer to it as the singles bar.”
A soft laugh caused Jared’s broad shoulders to shake just slightly and Jensen swore he could feel an accompanying shiver all the way to his toes. He wasn’t sure what the hell was happening here between himself and this giant of a man … but he wasn’t going to argue. Couldn’t really … he didn’t have anything else going for him at the moment.
“Basically, it’s just a giant house filled with unmated wolves.”
The wording brought Jensen up short just as he was reaching into the bed to snag his backpack.
“Unmated?”
Jared coughed and shrugged his shoulders.
“Unattached, really. Mated and unmated are just really old concepts that don’t seem to be able to disappear from our vernacular.”
Jensen nodded and turned his attention to the house. His nerves were starting to reek havoc on his stomach. He could scent at least half a dozen werewolves inside, a strange mixture of spice and fruit and flowers that made his internal organs twist a little. A huge, warm hand suddenly patted softly between his shoulder blades.
“Come on … it’s going to be alright, I promise.”
With a quick nod to cover his nerves, Jensen silently trudged after Jared up the path and stepped to the front door. When the neon purple door was pushed open, a wave of sound washed over them. There was a large group of people laughing and carrying on somewhere inside, and the waft of grilled meat that accompanied the noise made Jensen’s empty belly gurgle.
Jared laughed.
“Let’s get you something to eat, huh?”
When they crossed the threshold of what appeared to be the formal dining room, everything went silent. Dozens of eyes were instantly on him and nostrils were flaring wide to breathe him in. The barrage of scents was heady and overpowering to his senses. It was suddenly too overwhelming … too much. His bag hit the ground with a loud thunk and Jensen could feel his upper lip curling in a snarl, gums burning with a need to do something he hadn’t figured out yet.
Two of the men seated at the table jumped to their feet and the motion had him skittering backwards until his back slammed into a wall. There was a low, deep growl echoing across the room and it took him several seconds to realize that it was emanating from him. It’s like his brain was shutting down it’s ability to focus. All he could think was ‘cornered, cornered, cornered, out numbered’.
“Jensen! JENSEN!”
His gaze snapped to Jared for a brief second, and in his distraction, one of the others stepped closer. The man was short, but solid, with dark hair that fell about his shoulders. He smelled like leather and soap.
“Jared… what the fuck, man? Thought you said the kid was a newbie?”
Jensen’s jaws ached from being clenched so tightly, and he tried to follow the conversation between the two men, but his brain felt like it was trudging through molasses.
“He is! Only three weeks old!”
The shorter man stepped forward a little more and Jensen braced his feet apart in a wide stance. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing anymore … his body seemed to be reacting all on it’s own.
“Well he’s got a hell of a lot of mojo working for just a pup.”
A different man surged gracefully up from his seat at the table and slowly walked forward. Dark haired with piercing blue eyes, but a light scent of wisteria and snow … it was a calming smell and Jensen liked it immediately. Not as much as Jared’s, though.
“Three weeks ago? At the full moon?”
Jared nodded in Jensen’s peripheral vision and the blue eyed man tilted his head in thought. Jensen had the sudden urge to edge towards Jared and keep this other wolf away from him. Somewhere in his rational brain, he screamed at himself to stop acting like this. To get control of himself. The new animal inside of him completely ignored his requests.
“Wasn’t that a blue moon? Last month?”
Blue eyes’ voice was soft and soothing and Jensen appreciated its subtle timber.
“Yeah, I think so… does that matter?”
“Not sure … never met someone bitten on a blue moon before.”
The shorter man with the long hair took a step closer to Jensen and he felt his shoulders drop in preparation to lunge.
“Fuck, son … calm the hell down.”
Jensen snarled at him, and the other man paused his movement. Without taking his eyes off Jensen, he directed his words to Jared.
“Didn’t y’all just come through town? Helluva lot more wolves on the streets than there are in this house.”
Jared took a cautious step closer to Jensen and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Yeah. He was fine. Jensen? Jensen, can you look at me, please?”
His request went ignored. Jensen felt too twitchy and on edge to comply to the other man’s words … no matter how much he may have liked him.
“Well he’s reacting to something, dammit!”
A new, gruff voice joined the conversation.
“I think that may be my doing.”
An older man stepped out of the side door that led to the kitchen. He was in jeans and a faded flannel shirt with slicked back hair and a beard more gray than auburn. White hot rage suddenly slammed through Jensen’s nerves and an ungodly noise reverberated from his chest. Even his vision seemed to go a little red around the edges.
“Jim! What’s going on?”
Jensen didn’t even register Jared’s voice, he was too focused on the newcomer. His skin itched like it was begging to be peeled off and he leveled his body to prepare for an attack.
“Got yourself an Alpha there, Padalecki … that’s the problem.”
There were several gasps around the room and more people jumped to their feet. Beside Jensen, Jared froze.
“An Alpha? How is that even-”
Three things happened almost simultaneously. First, a younger blonde male burst through the door exclaiming his greeting, which in turn set Jensen into motion. Second, the older man, Jim, yelled at Jared to ‘put him down’. And finally, just as Jensen was surging towards the cause of his irritation, a massive hand grabbed him roughly at the back of the neck and slammed him bodily to the floor.
Chaos erupted all around them.
“Fuck!”
“Keep him down!”
“Dude! What’s up with the Justin Beiber look-a-like?”
“Shut up, Chad!”
“What do I do? What do I do?”
The hand that gripped the back of his neck had Jensen’s face smashed against the floor. When he started to get his hands beneath him and push up, Jared’s full weight dropped down onto him, bony knees digging in to Jensen’s upper arms. Jensen snarled and spat and tried to turn his head enough to snap at Jared’s arm. Everything inside of him was screaming DANGER!DANGER! And telling him that being held down this way only led to death. He couldn’t quiet the voice of instinct inside him. Couldn’t bend it to his rational will. For a brief moment … he considered himself lost.
“EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!”
The power behind the voice and the words themselves brought everything to a halt in the room like some kind of hilarious cartoon freeze frame. There was a shift of movement and a strangled grunt proceeding two knees appearing in Jensen’s direct line of sight. The older wolf, Jim, had knelt down by Jensen’s head. Jensen growled and struggled at the man’s nearness. Everything telling him it was bad. The voice that poured into the silent room was oddly soft and kind, in contrast.
“Put him in his place, Jared.”
“But I-,”
“You brought him here … he’s your responsibility … now … Put. Him. In. His. Place.”
Jensen snapped his teeth loudly at the words, but the next second the fingers at his neck pinched cruelly, almost like a bite, and a deep growl resonated from the large man pinning him to the ground. Jensen tried to fling his weight backwards and free himself, but that damn giant hand slammed him to the floor again and the responding growl was down-right hostile. Jared was pushing all his weight onto him now, and sparks of pain were flaring to life in Jensen’s joints and spine.
Then, just as instantly as the animal instinct inside him had flared to life … it relented. A high pitched whine keened from Jensen’s throat and his body collapsed beneath the larger man holding him down. Jared released a deep sigh of relief, and Jensen had the strangest urge to expose his belly to the man. The word submission rang out in his head, and against his will, tears began to form in his eyes.
He was no better than a fucking dog. The way he had acted … like a mindless, stupid animal. His family would have been shocked and disgusted. A painful sob wrenched from his throat, and it took him several seconds before he realized he was chanting ’just kill me… please just kill me’ in a broken whisper. Jared sucked in a sharp breath above him.
A weathered and callused hand stroked softly across his head. Jensen’s hair was soaked with sweat, and he could feel it sticking to his forehead … but Jim didn’t seem to notice. Simply continued his soothing petting motion and speaking calmly to the room.
“Don’t hold this against him. Don’t blame him. Whoever did this … whoever changed him … was very powerful. Likely an Alpha themselves. Maybe trying to create their heir … or even the ideal mate. Seems there was a lot of power bleed into the bite … and on a blue moon, to boot. That always makes things a little crazy.”
The sound of shuffling reached his addled mind, and Jensen realized that nearly all of the occupants in the room had copied Jim’s example and settled on the floor around him. He could even feel a decidedly female hand rubbing circles on his calf, trying to soothe him. Jared’s weight was a heavy presence on his back, but the man had backed up a little and it wasn’t as much uncomfortable anymore as it was … a security.
“Been a long time since I’ve met an Alpha that wasn’t natural born. It’s a rarity. His wolf is new … untested … but with a heap of power to back it up. A puppy with the strength of an adult … and no upbringing to learn how to tame it. This is going to be hard on you, kid … this isn’t an easy life you’ve been forced into.”
Jensen’s voice was rough and broken … his throat felt like sandpaper. He wanted to scream, but could only manage a whisper.
“Used to it.”
Jim grunted an affirmative response. The older man’s hand moved down to cup Jensen’s jaw lightly.
“Most of you wouldn’t know, because you’re all natural born … but a changed wolf … the animal that appears … it’s usually a direct reflection of the strongest personality traits of the human it was before. I’d say you’ve had a pretty rough life, kid … and I doubt you would disagree with me.”
A strangled sound of distress bubbled up from Jensen’s throat against his will. He clamped his eyes closed, and tried to ignore the tears he could feel leaving tracks down his face. The large hand that had been gripping the back of his neck loosened and moved to rest between his shoulder blades. This day had just become the icing on the fucked up cake that was his life in a nutshell. For the hundredth time in the last two years, Jensen wished the tornado would have taken him as well.
He was done. He was just so completely done.
Jensen welcomed the retreat of adrenaline with open arms, allowing it to drag his body down into exhaustion so that he could slip away into blackness.
