One

Chapter 4

"Hey, what do you think you're doing pup?"

Brandon blinked tiredly, mind a haze as for a moment, he didn't understood where he was. As he blinked and shook his head, his father chuckled, teasingly ruffling through his hair.

"Man, this reminds me of when you were just a little pup." Ryker snickered with a shake of his head. "Aren't you a bit too old to be falling asleep on your books?"

Sleep on my books?

Brandon yawned and glanced down before realizing what happened. He groaned, wiping his sleeve over the book and hoping it wasn't absolutely soaked in saliva.

"I didn't mean to, just... was more tired than I thought, I guess."

The pack Alpha scoffed, closing the massive book about mental diseases and debilitations. "Hell, if I had to start this brick, I'd snore too." He helped his son clean up the scattered books and notes that had slipped on the floor.

Brandon groaned as his neck, shoulders and back protested once he stood up.  While he was used spending hours studying back as a pup, or working on pack paperwork, it had been a while since he had snoozed off.

But, as Brandon glanced at his notes and gathered them all orderly, he knew it was worth it. He had found a lot of interesting facts, brushed up on his knowledge while satisfying his Alpha needs to help and protect the pack.

His wolf was placated, at least for the moment, knowing it was putting in all this effort to help a pack member. It growled happily, puffing up at a job well done.

A decent Alpha would ask for their pack's help to satisfy his needs. But a great Alpha would put the pack's needs first, would satisfy their own needs by helping the pack.

Brandon knew that many Alphas saw it differently. They saw themselves as top dog and would use their position to get what their beasts wanted.

They would justify their actions by blaming it on their Beasts. Whatever they wanted or needed, they simply took it. Brandon had heard the horror stories of Alphas running rampant, holding pack membership over people's heads to get what they wanted.

And if they didn't get what they wanted, they took it. With or without consent.

"When is Sean... or Jamie going to be introduced?" Brandon asked, cracking his neck to loosen up the tense muscles there.

Ryker hummed thoughtfully, analyzing the notes Brandon had made throughout the evening... and well into the night.

Meticulous research on how DID affected both the afflicted and their surroundings. How to help, how to cope, small and often useless tips.

The most important thing Brandon learned was to view all the aspect, or alters, as their own person. Which meant that even if Brandon was sweet on Sean, he'd have to remember he wasn't looking at Sean so to speak.

"It's all up to Sean, really. Jamie is fine whenever but, like he mentioned yesterday, they're trying to keep Sean their main... persona."

He nodded, already anticipating the dread within the poor Omega. Luckily there weren't too many Alphas born within their pack, but Brandon assumed that every additional Alpha already was one too much for the pup to handle.

Plus, being introduced to the pack would be relatively intimate and physical to some degree. It was in their nature of being part wolf, after all.

Any new arrival would be introduced to the pack in general but everyone would come to greet Sean in person.

Usually, this meant a simple touch like a handshake, a shared intake and swapping of scents. To imprint the inner beast of whom was pack.

The young Alpha already cringed at the very idea of anyone leaning in to rub their jaw glands against Sean. The poor Omega would drop distressed pheromone bombs by anyone reaching out to simply shake his hand.