Chapter 2: New Home
As I run past the man I feel his arms take hold of me pinning me to him as he picks me up.
"Let go of me! My father will kill you!" I scream. I kick at him but he holds me tightly. "He's the Alpha!"
The man kneels down and I feel my feet touch earth. He continues to hold me tight. Eventually he loosens his grip not enough to free me just enough that he can look me in the eye.
"Your father is gone." The man tells me.
"No!" I yell at him. I swing as hard as I can punching the man in the chest. "I don't believe you!" I didn't see Daddy but he is a strong wolf! An Alpha! No way he is dead!
I feel the tears run down my face as I look around. Fire, rubble, and death... everyone is gone. I fall into the man sobbing. I can't fight any more. My pack is dead. The man picks me up again carrying me to his car.
"What's your name little guy?" He asks. I have a hard time making words through my tears.
"B... Bray... Brayden." I stammer gripping his shirt.
"Hello Brayden... I'm Alpha Aaron... I'm gonna take care of you." He says.
I just cry. I can't say anything. He tries to put me in the back seat of his car but I pull myself up so my arms are around his neck.
"No! Don't leave me! Please Alpha!" I don't know why... maybe because he is Alpha... or because he promised to care for me but I trust him. I'm scared. He can't leave me alone. What if they come back?
"Shhhh buddy... you're gonna be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you." He hugs me patting my back.
"Don't leave me!" I beg holding him tightly.
"Ok. Ok... I won't leave you... I have more to do here tho. Can you walk on your own Bray?" I nod and he sets me down. I grip his hand tightly. "Gather the elders and the adults." He says to the other man. We walk to the field on the south end of our land. A few of the adults were gathered. I recognize them but the only one I know by name is Mr. Richard.
"Evening." The Alpha says to the group. "I would like to discuss the future of your pack." I am hidden behind him. He pulls me in front of him with his hands on my shoulders. I hear my pack gasp when they see me.
"Brayden! Come here boy!" Mr. Richard calls. I look up to the Alpha. He may be an elder in my pack but the Alpha is now the ranking wolf. "Now boy!" His tone scars me and I subconsciously back into the Alpha. He squats down to eye level with me.
"Go ahead Brayden.. they want to make sure you're ok." The Alpha says.
"But you said you won't leave me! You'd take care of me! Please Alpha!" I'm drawn to him. Probably because he's Alpha. Daddy said the pups are drawn to him because he is.. was Alpha.
The Alpha sighs and stands up.
"You have three options. One you move south and join my pack." I see the adults are not fond of that option. A few of them even growl. "Two I can leave you to fend for yourselves. Without an Alpha you will become Rouge. Or I can send a few of my pack to protect you and help you rebuild. I will protect your pack until Brayden comes of age. I will raise him and teach him to be a strong Alpha. When he turns twenty I will return him to you as your Alpha."
"Why would you do that? No Alpha takes in another Alphas pup! How do we know you won't just kill him so he can't challenge your pups?" One of them asks.
"I have no mate... no pups... he will be returned to you before that becomes an issue. If I wanted to kill the boy I would have by now. It is your choice but I won't leave him to die with you should you refuse my help." The Alpha says.
The adults talk to each other a while. I feel myself getting tired. I am dizzy. I guess I haven't fully recovered from the attack. I stumble backwards and the Alpha catches me picking me up. I rest my head on his shoulder.
"We accept your terms... Brayden is our Alpha... train him will." Mr. Richard says.
"I plan to." The Alpha responds. I fall asleep as he carries me away.
●○●○
I wake up in a big bed. I sink into the middle. I sit up and look around. Where am I? Daddy? Momma?... Oh... I remember what happened and start to cry.
"Hay hay hay... come here pup." The Alpha runs in pulling me into his arms. "Shhh Bray... you're safe... I got you."
"Alpha?" I look up to him.
"Yea Bray I'm here." He responds.
"Is momma dead too?" I ask.
"Yea pup... the only adults left are the ones you saw yesterday." He tells me.
"Bellas gone too... I'm all alone." I cry as he holds me rocking back and forth.
"You know... my family's gone too... we can a be family if you want... the Alpha orphans." Family he wants to be my family. I hug my new Alpha. "You can call me Aaron if that helps." He says hugging me back.
"Ari." I say. He laughs.
"Alright pup... just to you I'll be Ari." He pulls away and tosules my hair. "Come on... they're serving breakfast at the pack house."
I jump up and take his hand as he leads me to the pack house. This place is massive. Houses line a street ending at a mansion Ari calls the pack house. Woods surround the houses. Wolves walk around casually. The pack house is full of people.
"How big is your pack?" I ask amazed by the number of people here.
"A little over 600... this is the largest pack in north America... possibly the world." My jaw drops. Ari is the most powerful Alpha in the world and he took me in!
"Wow!" I gasp.
"Yea." He laughs. "I guess that can be a little overwhelming... eat up pup."
Ari loads a plate for himself and me. We sit at the table and I feel all eyes on me.
"Everyone is staring." I whisper.
"Yea... they always stare at me." He says. I'm not sure its him they are staring at.
"Why?" I ask. He is there Alpha... if it is him they are looking at they should respect him but it looks more like they are sizing him up.
"I'm 19... you don't prove yourself a true Alpha until your 20... they are trying to figure out if I am really Alpha." He explains.
"But you are!" I can feel his power. It is like Daddy but stronger. He is an Alpha.
"Yea... I know... the pack however demands proof." He sighs. "In a few months there will be no doubt."
"Sooo... what do I do now?" I ask. I know he's Alpha and probably has alot of work to do.
"Loads of pups around... you can go play." He says.
"But... I don't know them." I whisper. Ari lowers his face to mine.
"You can't get to know them hanging around me." He whispers. I look around. I don't want to leave him. Ari laughs as he stands up. "Come on pup let's go."
We end up in a kind of game room full of toys and games and TVs.
"I gotta work Bray... you can stay here or pick something to take to my office." Ari says watching me. I look around the room. "Really?" He asks as I come back to him with a stack of Doctor Seuss and coloring books. I nod. "Alright let's go." He takes my stack and some crayons. I grab his free hand as he leads me to his office.
I set up a nest in front of the couch in the office. A few pillows and a blanket wound up fitting me perfectly. I drop my books in the nest and settle in. Ari is sitting at his desk. I open up one of the books and begin flipping pages. After a while Ari stops working.
"Can you read pup?" He asks looking up from his papers.
"Yea... well... kinda... Daddy taught me lots of words." Ari laughs
"Read one to me." He says.
"This one my favorite... it makes you sound funny." I open the book. "F..o..x so..ks (it comes out more like soaks.) B..o..x K..n..o..x (the K was not silent in the reading.)" I begin to read. Ari smiles.
"You know you can't read Suess without a proper fort." He stands up and walks over to me. He pulls the cousins off the sofa making a fort with them and draping a blanket over it. "Now!" He says crawling in. "Give me that book." I jump in after him. Culing up to his side I hand him the book.
"Fox socks box Knox. Knox in box. Fox in socks. Knox on fox in socks in box." He continues to read the book as fast as he can never stumbling over the tongue twiters. "Fox in socks, our game is done, sir. Thank you for a lot of fun, sir."
I hear clapping from outside our fort.
"So Little Aaron can read!" A man's voice says. Ari climbs out of the fort. "Guess you just can't read reports on your pack. You limited to kids books boy?"
"No Beta James. I can read just fine... and its Alpha." Ari says.
"I know what you are Aaron... I'm trying to help you boy. Alot of people question your leadership. You need to earn the title of Alpha. Do it before you turn twenty. Earn the respect of your people now and they will love you forever." The man puts a hand on the back of Ari's neck. "I love you boy... you are ten times the Alpha your father was... but you are young and will be challenged until the day you prove yourself... these next few months will be trying. You don't have time for stories with pups!" Ari looks down at me.
"Sorry Ari." I say looking at my shoes.
"No! Don't be sorry pup." He kneels in front of me. "I'm not... I want to be an Alpha that cares fore people. One who leads well, with love. One who knows his people. One who is respected and loved... not feared!" I think he was talking more to the man than me. He stands up and faces the man pulling me to his side.
"I took this pup on. He is my responsibility. Mine to raise. My work will be done. I know what's going on in the pack! I know the people question me! I know near by packs are poised to attack! I know we are in danger! There will be war soon! But panicking and reading files won't change that! It won't prepare me for what is to come!" Ari turns away running a hand through his hair.
"I can't control what they do James... they are a few days out and we will be ready. I've pulled everyone back close to home. Patrols are set double. Pups are kept in the pack house. Warriors are on the ready. I will lead them. I will protect our home. I AM Alpha! Soon enough the pack will see that." Ari leads me out the door.
"Goodnight Alpha." the man says as we leave.
Ari leads me to the stairs and we ascend the staircase. He takes me down a hallway and stops in front of a door.
"I need you to stay here in the pack house, Brayden... Mrs. Jones is just down the hall if you need anything." He says.
"But Ari..."
"Don't question me pup!" He cuts me off. I flinch away from him. He drops to one knee. "Hay... I'm sorry Bray... I'm trying to protect you." He puts a hand to the back of my neck dipping his head down so our foreheads meet. "I'll be here if you need me. Just get Mrs. Jones and I'll be here in minutes. I'm not leaving you Bray."
He opens the door and puts me in the bed. He tucks me in and bids me goodnight.
"Thank you, Ari... Night." He pauses at my doorway a moment as I say this then he leaves closing the door.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone