Ulrich huffed grumpily as he watched the boy sleep in the corner. He could hear the cat purring softly as it slept on Conor's pillow. He wiggled around until he was no longer looking at them. He hated that they were treating him like a common animal, but also grateful. He was lucky the pack hadn't found him first and this way, once he was healed, he could easily run away never to be found. It hurt knowing that he had given up everything and now he was an official lone Wolf. His wolf was restless wanting to hunt something, but with his broken leg he was helpless for a while yet.

Something bounced on the bed startling him as he turned to look at the agitated cat. Its yellow eyes glowing in the dim light. It sat twitching its tail nervously before retreating to the corner to his sleeping boy. Conor grumbled as the large cat crawled across his face before settling on his chest. Ulrich watched the boy mindlessly pet the grumpy cat as he drifted back to sleep. If he had wanted the bed, he should have fought for it. Giving in without so much of a growl or dirty look, pitiful. Ulrich grumbled as he turned away. He hadn't missed the smell of fear that had washed off him even though Ulrich knew he hadn't done anything so frightening. Some dog somewhere had scared the boy pretty badly if he was simply going to cave every time Pizza simply looked at him. Not that there was much to look at.

Unlike his stunning mother, Conor seemed thin and frail. His dyed blond hair confused Ulrich. Most kids he knew that dyed their hair blonde were rebels, it was clear Conor was not like the other kids he had met in school. Ulrich grumbled as he tried to get comfortable. He wasn't sure why it was so hard on the soft bed. Maybe it was because he was in wolf form. Maybe it was because he was alone. Ulrich let out a soft whine before he buried his face in his tail. He had never been truly alone. The pack had always been with him. Now that he had turned his back on them, he was completely alone. His wolf needed a pack, even if he didn't want it. Ulrich lifted his head peering at the boy in the corner.

Just for tonight, he told himself as he limped off the bed. He crossed the room slowly before curling up by the boy's feet. The warmth of Conor's leg seeped through his fur and instantly calmed the wolf. Ulrich sighed taking comfort that for the moment, he wasn't alone. He could feel the cat watching him as he drifted off to sleep.

An alarm sounded from somewhere on the other side of the room, causing the three of them to wake up grumpily. The obnoxious ringing caused Ulrich to growl as he tried to go back to sleep. The vibration in his chest caused the boy beneath him to stiffen and the room reeked with the smell of fear. Ulrich sneezed and looked at the terrified boy as the cat purred happily in his lap. He had shifted in his sleep so that he was sleeping on top of his legs instead of beside him. Ulrich shook out his head and got to his feet, going to fetch the ringing alarm.

His hearing was more sensitive than humans and only slept with a vibrating alarm. He found the alarm on the small nightstand and brought it back to Conor. Conor's hair had fallen out of its hair tie and now covered most of his face. He still smelled of fear, but it wasn't as strong and didn't want to make Ulrich hunt something. He dropped the alarm beside him before going back to lay at his feet, his back to him. The alarm shut off and Conor quickly escaped into the bathroom where Ulrich listened to the sounds of a shower run.

He didn't like scaring people and worried that there might not be anything he could do to ease the boy's fear of dogs. Not that he was a dog. He was a wolf, though because of his age, he was still on the small size and resembled that of a solid white husky mix. He sat quietly before something crawled on top of him. In the morning light, he could see the cat more clearly and stared in shock at its massive size. It was black with yellow eyes and stood taller than most small dogs he knew. He got to his feet watching it carefully as it licked its little feline lips. It meowed at him and decided to invade his bubble space.

Cat's, as he knew them, were far more vicious than any dog he had met, and he wasn't interested in fighting the small fluffy bear. He tried to scurry away from it as it followed him lazily around the room. The bathroom door opened letting steam fill the air. Conor stepped out dressed, ready for school, giving Ulrich a place to hide behind him. Conor would protect him from the tiny bear... What the fuck am I doing? Ulrich screamed internally. Conor, the pathetic push over, was going to protect, him, the dominate werewolf from a cat?! Oh, this was going great.

"I see you have met Pizza." Conor told the feline as it purred and rubbed against him. "Pizza, this is Cake. Cake is the king of this domain." Conor told the dog as he lifted the cat into his arms. He put the large cat in his hammock chair smiling down at the fluffy god as he purred pleased. He went back to getting dressed the rest of the way for school, before turning to look at the dog by the door.

"Right dogs. Can't do anything themselves." Conor grumbled as he grabbed his backpack and left the room. He paused to look back at the white dog as he stood at the top of the stairs. Going up with a broken leg was one thing. Going down was another. Conor and he stared at each other for a moment before Conor started back up the stairs. Ulrich growled softly making the boy freeze in place. Like hell I am going to let you carry me. My pride will only bend so far, Ulrich thought as he tried to limp down the stairs. Conor stood at the foot of the stairs as he watched the dog quietly. A door on the far side of the living room opened and Conor turned to look at his mother.

"Good morning, I see you're up. What are you doing with Snowball?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen. Ulrich had paused to watch her as she worked at getting her hair put up. She was stunning in this light too.

"He's struggling with the stairs and his broken leg." Conor told her as she frowned at him. Conor glanced back at the dog and shrugged. What was he supposed to do?

"Why didn't you just carry him down?" She asked coming over. Ulrich growled making Conor scoot away from him and the stairs. Mai paused as she watched her son and sighed. He was still afraid of dogs and knew it would take time before he fully accepted Snowball as part of the family. For now, Snowball was simply Conor's ticket to complete isolation. She hopped she wasn't going to regret this decision. "Alright, then maybe he should stay downstairs for a while until he is healed, ok? Why don't you put your hair up out of your face? I like it better when I can see your eyes." She told her son as she brushed his hair back. He pulled away from her and shook his head.

"I like it this way." He told her softly as she frowned. Ulrich huffed when he made it to the bottom pausing to watch them interact with each other. The boy seemed different today, though he supposed it was because of the scary white dog named Pizza snowball.

"Well, go let him out to do his thing and then get him some food. If we leave in the next twenty minutes, we can get Starbucks before school." She told him heading back to her room. Conor nodded and led the dog to the back doors opening them up so that Ulrich could do his business. Ulrich limped out unenthusiastically into the green fenced yard. It was cozy with a few trees near the back in bloom. He loved the smell of spring flowers in the morning. He limped behind a tree where he pretended to take care of business out of sight. Like hell he was going to crap in the yard, he may be an animal, but he was still civilized. He made his way back to the deck happily as Conor waited in the dining room going through his books.

"Mom, can't you do something about the text's books? They are so behind the times it is frightening." Conor asked as he shut the door behind Ulrich.

"Why what's wrong with them?" Mai asked as she picked one up off the table. Conor rolled his eyes.

"I was in advanced calculus at our last school. They probably don't even know what calculus is at this school." Conor told her as she sighed. The other books weren't much better.

"Look, I will talk to the school. If math is too easy for you then maybe, we can put you in a different class." His mother told him as Conor put the dry food on the floor next to a water dish.

"Or I could just not go to school since they have nothing useful to teach me." Conor mumbled. Ulrich nodded in agreement before he paused. He couldn't keep responding every time they made sense or asked yes or no questions. He would get caught eventually if he wasn't careful. Though he understood Conor's lack of drive for such a pointless waste of time. He had been skipping most of his classes since they were boring and behind in his learning curve. Why waste his time learning something he already knew?

"Don't even think about mister. Graduate high school and then go to college. Online if you must. I expect to retire and live off you in a few years." His mother teased him as Conor smiled and nodded.

"Right cause that seems totally fair. You ready to go? Pizza is taken care of until I get home and let him out again." Conor told her as she sighed and pouted at him.

"Snowball is going to need to go for walks once he is healed. I have a vet appointment this weekend and you are coming with me." Mai told him grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

"Goody. I love a visit to the vet." Conor told her unenthusiastically as he left the house. "Don't do anything stupid Pizza and listen to Cake, he's the boss of the house." Conor called over his shoulder.

"That's his way of saying 'be a good boy, snowball'. He'll see you in a few hours." Mai told Ulrich with a wink. They left the house as Ulrich frowned at the door. Those two had some serious issues. He looked at the dry food in the bowl and sampled some, spitting it out quickly. No way in hell was he eating that crap. He went to the fridge and pulled it open, glad he was smarter than the average canine. He paused frowning at the meager contents inside the fridge. Nothing. Well, considering the state of the house, they had just moved in, so it was possible they hadn't been to the store yet. Though he was still hungry. He closed the fridge and limped around the empty house growing bored as he searched through the empty rooms. Eventually, he made his way back up the stairs and into Conor's room. Most of what he had was still in boxes. Cake sat up when he entered and launched himself out of his chair. He came to greet the hungry wolf making Ulrich feel like he was laughing in his face.

Cake meowed at him as he sniffed him slowly. He must have smelt something he liked because soon he was rubbing against him happily purring. Ulrich growled softly making the cat purr louder. Great, the cat was an idiot just like his master. The cat wandered away into the bathroom calling at him. Ulrich grumbled as he followed the talkative cat to his food bowl. Unlike the dry food he was served, Cake was treated like royalty with real meat dishes. Ulrich glanced at the cat as he laid down purring, stretching out on the bathroom floor. He watched him for a moment before trying some of his food.

The cat didn't budge as Ulrich helped himself to the chicken and gravy dish. Ulrich pouted still hungry, but at least something was better than nothing. He licked the cats face in thanks and wandered back into the bedroom pausing to stare at the computer. Maybe when he could change forms, he would email Hass and explain things. He sighed and hoped up onto the bed stretching out to get comfortable. Nothing to do but wait now and let his leg heal up. If he had been a normal dog, he would have died when he got run over. It was only due to his werewolf genes that he had survived at all.

He had handled the situation so poorly. If he had a chance to relive the day of the trial... No, nothing would have changed. He knew why his father had declared him as alpha. He had told him repeatedly, every time he left to go deal with something. 'An alpha looks after everyone in their pack. They keep them happy; they keep them safe.' Ulrich grumbled as his father's words drifted through his mind. What else was he supposed to do when Alois was attacked? They weren't just a pack to him. They were his friends, his family... and he betrayed them. Cake bounced onto the bed crying softly as he curled up beside Ulrich on the bed. Ulrich paused to nuzzle the fluffy cat as he drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.

He woke later when the front door closed, and the sound of keys jingled. He sat up listening to Cake complain as the lazy cat refused to budge. He heard someone climb the stairs and yipped surprised when Cake sprung to his feet as Conor entered his room. Conor smiled tiredly at the cat as it bounded off the bed towards him.

"Hey, fluffy Cake. How was the dog?" Conor asked as he lifted the cat into his arms. Cake purred happily as Ulrich watched them enter the bathroom. Conor smelled of something odd making Ulrich watch him carefully. He smelled of defeat, school, dirt and blood. Ulrich hopped off the bed going to investigate as Conor inspected his skinned knee. He sat quietly at the door as Conor ignored him tending to his cut and bleeding knee.

"School sucks, Cake. Why can't you go to school for me? You would probably fit in so much better." Conor told the purring feline as he finished his work. P.E had been a disaster. He may look skinny and weak, but he stayed in shape and took care of himself. Today had been the mile run test, like so many of his previous schools had done. He enjoyed the run because then nobody could talk to him and the sooner, he finished the sooner he could hang out by himself. Next time he would have to remember not to finish first almost twenty minutes before the next student finished. He had been tripped trying to get off the bus and fallen down the stairs hard. He sighed and glanced at the white dog sitting quietly by the bathroom door.

"Did you get that for running too?" Conor asked him as he gestured to his leg. Ulrich frowned inwardly as he shook out his head and sneezed. He wanted to make sure Conor knew he was responsible for the empty cat bowl and wandered into the bathroom licking the empty dish. He sat up and whined making Conor frown at him. "You ate Cakes food? Greedy bastard. Did you even try your food? Maybe you didn't like it." Conor mumbled as he picked up the dish and set in on the counter next to cake. A small jingle went off in the bedroom as Conor got some food for the cat, leaving it on the counter out of the dogs reach. Conor paused when Ulrich came back with his cell phone setting it on the floor by his feet.

"What kind of dog are you?" Conor asked quietly as Ulrich tilted his head confused. Most dogs he had dealt with had a sense of stupidity to them that made Conor fearful. Something behind those bright blue eyes screamed intelligence as if his previous owner had trained him well with a purpose. But if he was so well trained, why was he in the pound? What was his purpose? Conor flipped open his phone pouting at his mother's text.

"Looks like it's just us for dinner. Again. Want to go for a walk and pick something up from the corner store or would you rather order in?" Conor asked not expecting an answer. Ulrich tried to do his best impersonation of a dog eager to go for a walk. He smiled happily and wagged his tail spinning in a circle. Conor paused frowning before he considered what he said. "Walk?" He asked the common trigger word used on dogs as Ulrich spun around. He was so bored of this house and needed to get out. Things would be different once he could switch between forms. Conor pet the cat and left the bathroom heading over to his desk to grab his wallet. Ulrich was waiting at the bottom of the stairs by the front door patiently. He could smell Conor's anxiety as he put the leash on him and realized that Conor avoided touching him when he could.

They left the house and Ulrich smiled happily letting his tongue hang out. The weather was still warming up and someone was cooking a BBQ. Ulrich licked his lips as he walked beside Conor as they made their way to the convenience store a couple blocks away. Ulrich walked at Conor's pace trying not to pull on the leash as he explored his new territory. The store had an old man working behind the counter and he smiled at the two of them when they stopped outside of his store.

"Hello, don't think I have seen you before. Mind if I feed the doggy a treat?" He asked as he came over to greet them.

"We just moved in. And if he'll eat it, I don't mind." Conor told him shyly. Ulrich glanced up at him before smiling happily at the old man. What was this kids' problem? Getting nervous talking to a stranger. The old man smiled back and gave Ulrich a pepperoni stick. He ate it happily and licked the old man's face, because that's what humans seemed to like.

"Well, come in and shop around. I don't mind dogs if they are well behaved. What is the matter with his foot?" the old man asked curiously. Conor glanced down at Pizza not used to talking with random strangers. This was why he never left the house.

"I think he was in some sort of accident. My mother brought him home from the pound yesterday. He seemed eager to get out of the house, so we came here for dinner." Conor told him nervously as the old man nodded still petting the happy dog.

"Husky mix, right? Though he could possibly be a malamute mix breed too. Beautiful dog. Well, I am old, so I am going to sit behind the counter. If you need anything give me a shout." He told them going back to his post. Conor let out a sigh of relief and wandered to the back of the store out of sight. Ulrich could smell his anxiety and fear as he hid behind the shelves. He sighed and licked Conor's hand making the boy jump.

"Sorry. I don't get out much. I guess that's part of the reason mom brought you home." Conor told him as he tried to relax. A sharp sound caught their attention as Ulrich scented the air. Two unknown men with weapons of some kind had just shut the doors to the store. Ulrich pushed Conor into the far corner away from the bickering near the old man.

"Hey, there is someone else in here." One of them grunted as he moved through the isles quickly. Conor quickly undid Pizza's leash so he could have a weapon to defend himself. The man held a knife as he looked at the scrawny kid and the mutt. "One kid and his dog! Now listen, we won't hurt you if you just do as I say." The man told his partner. Ulrich stood between Conor and the man watching him quietly.

"I don't take orders from criminals." Conor told him quietly with a soft growl. Ulrich paused to look at the boy again. Who the fuck was this spineless coward who couldn't even talk to a kind old man, but was willing to fight a dangerous idiot? "Pizza, fetch." Conor told him without thinking the dog would listen. He whipped the leash grabbing the knife out of the man's hand. Ulrich leapt forward crashing into the young man as he stared confused at Conor. A gun shot fired off and both Conor and Ulrich froze.

"If you don't want the old man to die you will get on your knees now." Said the second man as he pressed a gun against the shivering victim. Conor dropped the leash and fell to his knees. "Call off your dog."

"Pizza, come here." Conor told him as Ulrich stalked over to the boy sitting in defeat. It wasn't that he was afraid to fight these men, but that he wasn't willing to risk lives. Ulrich licked Conor's face deciding he wasn't so bad before turning to face the gunman. His wolf immediately accepted Conor into his pack, which meant as Alpha, it was his job to protect him. His tiny pack of three. Cake was already a member his wolf decided.

"That's right dumb mutt." Said the first man as he got to his feet.

"Don't be an idiot. It's your fault you let them catch you off guard. Let's finish clearing out the safe. Tie them up behind the counter." The second one ordered dragging the old man back to the front. The first man rolled his eyes as he reached for Conor.

"Sure, I get to do all the hard work." he mumbled. Fangs sank through his clothes deep into his wrist. Ulrich wasn't like most dogs. He knew how to fight a human and use their awkward size against them. That and he had the strength of a large grizzly bear on his side. The man let out a startled scream as Ulrich broke the bone caught in his jaws. No one was going to touch his boy. Conor reacted grabbing the leash and tying it around the first man's ankles. He was scared now because Pizza was in full predator mode. The gunman came back around the corner with his gun at the ready as Ulrich dragged the first man in front of them using his struggling body as a shield. Conor dodged behind the shelves as Ulrich released the first man. He charged the gunman at full speed ramming him as he fired the gun at the bloodied wolf. His wolf pleasured in fulfilling their purpose, in protecting what was theirs. Conor was their human, whether he wanted it or not, Conor was pack. Ulrich didn't remember what had happened after that except that the loud police siren hurt his ears and made him want to hide. Gentle hands grabbed at his collar and led him away from the unconscious man at his feet.

"It's okay good boy. You have done your master proud." The old man murmured. It took Ulrich a moment to realize that two different sets of hands were touching him. Conor sat on the floor beside him holding his collar as the old man petted his face. The store filled with policemen and medics as they carried the criminals out.

"Alright then, why don't you tell us what happened." A female officer told them gently.

"My name is Mike Doberman. I am the owner of this store. This young man and his dog were customers when those other two broke in and tried to steal everything. If it wasn't for them, I might have lost everything... including my life. I have videos of the incident; I will be happy to give you a copy." Mike told her as the officer nodded.

"That would be helpful thank you." She told him as he wandered off to get them. She squats down and gingerly touched Ulrich's face making him try to back away from her. She paused and smiled softly. "And what are your names?" She asked. Conor glanced up at her as his grip tightened on the collar.

"Conor Torrez. This is Pizza, legally known as Snowball." Conor told her as she nodded slowly. "Is..." Conor started before getting scared again. Ulrich whined as the officer smiled sweetly.

"Nobody died here, and the only serious wound is the bite on the man's arm from the back of the store. It is clear from the dog's behavior he is only out to protect you and isn't mean or vicious. No charges will be pressed against him. But we will need a number so we can contact your guardian if we need anything else." She told him as Conor relaxed slightly. Ulrich turned to look at him confused. Did he want him to kill those bastards? Or was he relieved he wasn't going to be in trouble with the law? The penalty for a dog attack is usually meant they were euthanized.

"Damn straight no charges against the dog will be pressed! I swear, that dog and his boy saved my life and my store. They be hero's mam. I haven't seen heroes since the war." Mike grumbled as he handed Conor a bottle of water. He then took a rag and dowsed it with water, cleaning the blood off Ulrich's muzzle. "There now. A pretty boy like you shouldn't be stained with that filthy scum bags blood." Mike mumbled as he continued to clean the dog. They went back and forth with questioning until the police were satisfied.

"Do you need a ride home son?" The officer asked Conor as he shook his head.

"We only live about a block away. We will be ok." Conor told her as they nodded and left. Mike grumbled as he went around his store filling up a grocery bag.

"Here you take this. If you ever need a snack stop by, it's on me. It's good to know there are some decent young men still out there doing good in this world." Mike grunted as he held out the little bag.

"Thanks." Conor mumbled as he bowed his head. They left leaving Ulrich to sigh as they added the newest member to their pack. Conor led Pizza back home to find his mother still absent. They went upstairs to his room where he fed Pizza a couple jumbo burritos and helped himself to the cup of noodles. He glanced at his phone when his mother texted him to let him know she would talk to him later about the incident and she was glad to hear they were both safe. He sent a short reply letting her know he understood before turning back to his food. When they were done eating Conor cleaned up and dragged Pizza into the shower where he proceeded to wash him and himself. Ulrich sat patiently as the boy worked trying to figure out the scent he was putting off. Conor wrapped his arms around Pizza's neck and sat quietly as he tried to sort out his own emotions.

"Thank you." Conor told him simply though Ulrich wasn't sure why he was thanking him. They went to bed were Ulrich found his new place at Conor's feet and the three of them drifted off peacefully into sleep.