Feral | ✓

FERAL: chapter five

I loved my pack. Really, I truly did, but if there was one thing I could happily go my whole life without having to do, it was handle pack disputes.

One of the first lessons I learned after becoming beta was that many of the issues we faced in our pack didn't come from outside groups, but rather they were internal conflicts. Most of the time they were small problems that could be easily remedied; however, wolves were short-tempered creatures who weren't always able to see reason.

In those cases, it was typically Foster who handled it. He was a social butterfly and everything seemed to roll off his back in comparison to Gray and I. It was an attribute I was often jealous of growing up, but as I grew older, my jealousy diminished. I doubted I'd be able to put up with half the problems he did.

Gray knew of my dislike for small pack disputes, but that didn't stop him from assigning me to handle them. I figured it was his way of "punishing" me after learning about my lie. I understood his reasoning, yet that didn't make my feelings change.

As I stood in between Mrs. Hastings and Mr. Rogers, two neighbors who have complained about one another more times than I could count, I was already beginning to feel my mood sour.

"That is my property!" Mrs. Hastings screeched.

I closed my eyes and inhaled, trying to remind myself that this was only temporary. I could deal with the two of them. I was the beta of this pack.

"Mrs. Hastings, please calm-"

"No it's not, bitch! You've had an issue with me ever since I joined the pack!" Mr. Rogers yelled from the other side of me.

"Mr. Rogers-" I turned to the man.

"What?! She's the one with the problem! The old hag threw her trash all over my yard!"

I bit back a growl in frustration as the two continued to argue. The two families had been at war for two years now. Every time we solved one problem, they came up with another. Gray was reaching his wits end with the two of them and was seriously considering kicking one or both families out the pack and I was right there with him.

"Stop!" I growled out. They turn and look at me with wide eyes. I was never one to yell but this was ridiculous. "Both of you are grown adults! This petty 'feud' has been going on for what? Two years? Unacceptable!" Their eyes fell to the ground. "You're adults- act like it. Next time it won't just be a slap on the wrist."

The two shot each other silent glares but after a moment, they manage to mumbled out apologies. I mentally sighed. I knew this wouldn't be the last of their fights, but it wouldn't be my problem anymore. It would be Gray's when my report landed on his desk.

I began to leave and make my way back home. After dealing with other peoples problems all morning, I still had to go check the borders.

"Gaius!" Someone called out.

Stopping, I turned around and Gray's mate, Quinn, cane running up to me.

"Luna," I greeted her. The two of us weren't that close so it didn't feel right to refer to her by her first name.

"Oh, hush with that," Quinn waved me off. "Gray tells me you've met your mate, congrats!"

A laugh escaped my lips before I can stop it.

"If you heard it from Gray then I'm sure you're aware of just how much he despises my mate," I told her with a knowing grin.

Quinn laughed at that. "Yes, Gray's had a few...words about the whole situation but I haven't heard anything bad since he's been here, so I assume everything's going well?"

I nodded as we continue to walk. "Some small minor hiccups, but no attacks."

Quinn smiled. "That's great." We stopped at my apartment and she grips my hand. "I hope everything works out for you, Gaius. Really."

Quinn backed away and I watched as she left. The goddess couldn't have picked a better mate for Gray. Quinn was loved around the pack and she made up for the areas Gray lacked in. An example was the pack elders, they hated Gray with a passion and vice versa, but they loved Quinn dearly. Ever since they had met, Quinn's always been the one to handle the meetings involving the elders.

The pack kids loved her too. Their daughter, Layne, was three and I assumed that also played a part in the reason why.

Kids.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of having my own some day. Being an only child, I knew just how lonely it could be growing up- even more so after Mom died. If I ever had kids, I knew I wanted at least two of them. The idea of having a family of my own had always been one of my dreams and I expected it to remain just that; a dream.

Now it's starting to seem possible.

A smile made its way onto my face as I opened the door to my home. It quickly fell when I walked in and noticed the mess that had replaced my once clean house.

Stuffing from pillows littered the floor, the T.V. laid knocked over and probably cracked, bite marks covered the arms of the couch, anything that was laying on the kitchen counter or living room table before I left was now on the floor or destroyed.

A growl pulled me from my horror-induced trance and I turned around to find the prime suspect in the destruction of my home sitting innocently beside a plate that had been full this morning and now appeared to have been licked clean. Red eyes glanced down at the plate and then up at me again before another growl filled the room.

Clearly, I didn't lay out enough food.