King of the Wolves || Book 1 (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 2:

Mark woke up to a dull tingling sensation slowly traveling over his body, a deep warmth resting in the pit of his stomach... a feeling he knew all too well.
He quickly sat up, groaning from the sore pain that shot through him - he hadn't fully recovered from his injuries just yet.

"Oh you're awake?" Jack appeared in the doorway holding a cup of brown liquid, Mark becoming more aware of the bitter smell in the air. "I assume you don't want any coffee?"
"Coffee?" Mark repeated, narrowing his eyes a little as if he was silently saying "what the heck is coffee??"
"How about I just make you a cup and you can try it?" Jack replied and before Mark could say anything else Jack had left the doorway.

Mark let out another groan as he slowly but surely pulled himself to his feet. He was a little unstable but he used the walls to help keep himself steady as he walked to the doorway. Mark had to admit the building had a cozy feeling, a fire was burning in a hole in the wall, a large bed took up most of the room, and some box was showing moving pictures and voices... he had seen one of these boxes before but had no idea how it worked.

"Oh look at you, already on your feet," Jack said with a smile as he walked around the corner and saw Mark. "Come over here and sit, I made you a cup of coffee to try." Jack walked over to the bed and sat down all while Mark was still trying to take in his surroundings.

"No I... I need to get going." The uncertainty in Mark's voice made Jack frown.
"Is something wrong?"

Mark gulped as he tried to think of how to word the situation... shaking his head as he mentally decided it was a bad idea to try and explain to a Human.
"I just need to leave. I must speak with The Great Elders..."
"Well you can speak to them after you try some coffee. Now come sit." Jack patted the bed besides him as if to encourage Mark further.. which surprisingly did in fact work.

Mark hesitated, honestly debating on just turning and running out the nearest exit he could find. But the calm blue eyes of the Human coaxed him closer and the Wolf took a seat next to him.
"Thank you for the clothes by the way," Mark mumbled, he had woken up wearing loose gray pants and a pink long sleeved top that were obviously not his.
"It's all I had in my closet that would fit you," Jack replied as he handed Mark the cup of coffee. "I'm just glad I was able to find something to... cover you with..."

Mark thought he saw a bit of a flush coming to the Human's pale cheeks but he decided to pretend like he hadn't. Instead he turned his focus to the cup of coffee, sniffing it and scrunching up his nose at the bitter smell.
"You Humans drink this stuff? It smells like a rotten tree!"
Jack bursted out laughing, "Oh my gosh I've never heard something so silly before!" Though Mark was being serious so he didn't understand why Jack said that, the Wolf's head tilting slightly.

Jack paused as he watched Mark's head tilt, "You really are like a big puppy.."
Mark's cheeks puffed out, clearly instantly agitated. "I am not!"
"Oh hush now and drink your coffee," Jack laughed as he took a sip of his own drink.

Mark brought the drink to his nose again, sniffing it before taking the tiniest sip and then spitting the liquid back into the mug. "That tastes horrible!" Mark set the mug down on the table while shaking his head, "I will never drink that stuff again!"
"Oh you're so dramatic," Jack teased as he continued to drink his coffee.

By now the warm feeling had grown stronger, it was harder to ignore. "Jack I have to go..." Mark repeated as he stood. "I'm not going to be safe for you to be around in a couple of hours."
Now it was Jack's turn to tilt his head like a confused dog, "What do you mean?"
Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stood. "You know about Rut don't you? Since you seem to know everything about Wolves."

Jack's face blushed a red color which told Mark he knew exactly what Rut was. "I- uhh... umm..."
"Okay don't hurt yourself trying to figure out what to say," Mark replied quickly. "I felt it this morning... I only have a couple of hours at most. In a state of Rut I won't have any control over myself and without any other Wolves nearby I might target you. That's why I need to return to my home and try to find survivors. They know what to do to keep me contained."

Jack knew all about the breeding cycles of the Wolves, Alphas having Rut which left them in an uncomfortable rage. Typically they only last two to seven days with a painfully high desire for lust. And according to what Jack knew, Rut could even be painful.
"Mark what if there's no one-"
"Then I'll just travel East until I can't anymore... there's a massive forest that way, shouldn't be any humans around for miles."

Jack frowned, he felt bad for Mark. Mark had just watched his family and friends be slaughtered in front of him and now he had to flee from the only shelter he had just to keep the random Human he met safe. Though it showed Jack that Wolves weren't as heartless as he used to believe.
"Mark... let me at least come with you," Jack said as he too stood. "I can help you look for survivors. But then I'll leave the second you tell me to, I just... I don't want to leave you by yourself Mark."

Mark actually grinned, maybe there truly were some good Humans out there.
"Fine. Only because if I say no I think you'll just follow me anyways," he chuckled which made Jack laugh too.

Jack picked up Mark's mug before walking into the other room, "Just wait there for a little bit, maybe watch the tv some? I need to clean these mugs then get properly dressed and then we can go!"
Mark sat back down and looked up at the weird moving picture box. He didn't find the object to be very entertaining, and every time something loud happened the Wolf flinched slightly like he expected someone to jump out of the object and attack.

Luckily it wasn't long before Jack was ready to leave, the Human now in long sleeves, jeans, and a jacket. "Alright, lead the way puppy!"
Mark rolled his eyes, about to say another grumpy comment about him not being a puppy but he held his tongue as he led Jack into the forest.