Wolf Bite

Chapter Four.

  All North wanted was to get home in time for bedtime. And then have a drink and shower before he headed to bed himself. All Wolfe wanted was to collapse in bed after working in his garage for a while. All Maddox wanted was to beat the stuffing out of a punching bag. Or an unfortunate sparring partner. All Bane wanted was to get wasted at Phil's and then go home and hope the alcohol overdose killed his headache. Worrying over a hangover was useless due to Wolves metabolism, so he just wanted to go numb with rum for a couple hours.

  None of the four Wolves were gonna get what they wanted anytime soon, however. 

  They had managed to move the she-Wolf to the break room, which was really just the office that had been meant for Bane with a more relaxed setting, but they were no closer to a decision about what to do. Said she-Wolf was currently laying on an ottoman, watching the Wolves as they walked about the room and argued. Bane was mixing creamer into his fourth mug of coffee, still trying to get his Wolf to calm down from the fight. Wolfe was next to him, leaning against the coffee table. North was standing under the mounted television, arms crossed and eyes glinting silver as his Wolf got more and more agitated. Maddox sat in the corner by himself, arms crossed and glaring at everyone. 

  The wolves had been going around in circles for several hours now while trying to decide what they were going to do. They could report the new Wolf, but that would most likely result in a committee claiming rights and taking her away. That would also result in a spike of attention on New York and some questions about how three Alphas could not seem to catch a single Rogue. They could keep her secret but that would mean one of them were going to take in a new addition and none of them wanted to not have her in their Pack. In addition to that decision, there was the issue of the fact none of them had dealt with a newly turned Wolf before and didn't have any idea what they were in for.

  There were so many tiny details to figure out that North was starting to feel itchy and tense. It seemed to him that none of the others wanted to actually figure out what to do with the turn of events and instead just wanted to spend time bickering. Wolfe had quieted and turned more thoughtful as of recent, but the other two were still at each others throats to the point North was considering sending them outside to wrestle and get the disagreeable energy the fuck out of their systems. It was either that or North was gonna tear their heads from their bodies of they kept it up for much longer. 

  Wolfe moved from he table he was leaning against and walked over to the Wolf. A low growl filled the room as he approached. Wolfe let it go unchallenged, but North didn't miss Bane turning around and watching the Alpha very closely. Wolfe crouched down in front of the Wolf so he was eye level with her, and her mouth of razor sharp fangs and extended his hand so she could  sniff it. She stopped growling and leaned forward slightly. North wondered in the back of his mind what he would do if anyone tried to treat him like a scared dog. Probably get irritated and attack. She did not.

  Nobody in the room moved a muscle as they watched the she-Wolf sniff once or twice before twitching her tail slightly. Her eyes stayed open and she kept her gaze on Wolfe, but she dipped her head slightly. The Alpha slid his hands into her fur, massaging her ears, rubbing her cheeks, and scratching her nose. Unable to help it, the Wolf groaned happily and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. Wolfe definitely had a way with his hands. 

  "You know what we've forgotten?" Wolfe asked after a minute. His voice was low and calming. No one answered, though North made a humming sound in the back of his throat. "We've forgotten that up until recently, this was a human. Up until recently, she had her own life that she dictated. Her own future, her own friends, her own family. She had a name other than 'she-Wolf'. She was her own person with her own history who made her own decisions based on the concerns of her own life. She was normal and she was innocent."

  "She's not now," Maddox growled lowly. Bane shot him a dirty look. "She no longer has the luxury of innocence and normalcy. She's a Wolf now and that is her life."

  "Who are we to decide that?" Wolfe asked, using the same tone of voice.

  "Her potential Alpha's?" Madd snarked back, rolling his eyes. 

  "One of us is." Wolfe conceded with an incline of his head. "Maybe."

  "Maybe?" North asked, keeping his voice low so as to not disturb the mood in the room. 

  "Well. We have one lone Wolf in the room already. Is it so far to think that maybe she's as dominant as he is and won't be able to stand having another Wolf over her? Maybe she doesn't want anything to do with any of us. We don't know because we can't communicate with her." Wolfe explained. During the entire conversation, he never once stopped massaging the Wolf in question.

  "We'd be able to communicate with her if she were a Pack-member," North pointed out.

  "We just turn her into a member of one of our Pack's and we can talk with her and figure shit out," Maddox agreed.

  "So, you're suggesting we force something upon her that she could potentially not want but presently has no way of telling us so? Do you understand what you're suggesting?" Wolfe's voice took on a dangerous edge. The room froze as an icy chill set over all of the Alphas. 

  After a few minutes, Wolfe continued. "We can't choose for her. And we can't communicate with her. So, at this point, none of us has any claim over her to choose what should happen in regards to her."

  "What're you suggesting?" North asked.

  "A temporary situation. She stays at a half way house until she shifts back to a state in which she can communicate with us. We interrogate her and get any relevant information we need in regards to the Rogue and to her successfully living through a Turning. And then she is welcome to make any choice she wants in regards to her future, whether it is with us or without us. She's a Wolf now, yes, but she still deserves the free will of her humanity," Wolfe said with a small nod. The she-Wolf continued to lean into him even though he had switched from massaging her to just stroking her.

  "It's agreeable to me." North dipped his head in acknowledgement to Wolfe. Maddox grunted his agreement too.

  "Now then." Wolfe stood up and turned to face the Alphas. "Does anyone know of a halfway house we can stash her at?" 

  Bane stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Uh, technically speaking, my, um, house is in neutral territory." His voice was lower than normal and his eyes were still glinting slightly. North detected a slight hint of surprise in his behavior. He wasn't the only one. None of the other Alphas weren't expecting him to step in like that.

  "Hmm," Wolfe cocked his head thoughtfully, watching the other Wolf. "It's agreeable to me. I've no complaints to Bane housing her." Maddox whipped his head around to glare at the younger Alpha.

  "I trust him to do it," North agreed, taking a step forward. Maddox turned to glare at him as well. 

  The other three Wolves turned to face Maddox for his response. Majority rules, but respectfully, they still needed to hear his answer. He stared at the three in shock and astonishment, his jaw slack. His gaze locked on Bane. He tensed back up, eyes narrowed and jaw tight.

  "Do I have a choice?" He growled after a minute of his unblinking glare. He waved his hand dismissively and went to the coffee table.

  "So!" Wolfe chirped happily. "So, we have reached a decision for the night. Take it away, North." The Alpha turned back to the she-Wolf, who was watching the room curiously. 

  "Right!" North imitated Wolfe's cheerfulness. "Bane Wildes, do you accept the responsibility of taking in this she-Wolf? Do you understand that you will be in charge of her mental, physical, and emotional health while she remains with you and all the other crap involved?"

  Bane's response was a grunt in agreement. His intense gaze had returned to the she-Wolf and North noted that his eyes looked a little golden again. The she-Wolf, in turn, was regarding Bane with her own intent gaze. 

  'Huh.' North thought to himself. 'This will be interesting.'