Zeke

"Where's Kenny?" I questioned as I got to Valerie's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me and told me he was playing tag with some kids. The ceremony has been over for about half an hour. Most of the pack went into the house. I had to talk to the new pack members before I began hanging out with Valerie. She attempted to pull me into the house, but I stayed rooted to the porch. "Is someone watching them?" I wondered.

She motioned the all the little kids running around. "They're fine. It's not like anyone is gonna attack" she said, waving me off. I stiffened and caught Kamdyn's eyes. "Zeke? What's wrong?" Valerie asked.

Shaking my head at her, I mind-linked Kamdyn. "What's the damage?" I questioned.

We didn't want to make it obvious to the pack members. Today was supposed to be a celebration, not a battle. "West patrol is down. No fatalities. Major injuries. One rogue down. Three unlocated" Kamdyn said monotonously.

I told him to go find the rogues and send other people out. "Valerie. Get the kids inside" I demanded.

She didn't question me as she rushed down the porch and began telling ushering kids into the house. I stayed outside, looking around at the forest for any suspicious motion. "Zeke" Valerie called me over. I scanned the forest again before going over to her. She was looking around at the group of kids that had gathered on the porch. "Zeke. He's not here" she said in a panic. I looked at the kids. "Kenny's not here!"

Narrowing my eyes, I took in a deep breath. "I got his scent. Stay here" I demanded, looking sternly at Valerie. She pursed her lips and gave me a single nod before I ran off. Regardless of having a month to tell him, Kenny still doesn't know about werewolves. Luckily, there have been no incidents where he's seen someone shift. So we never had to explain it. But now, he's missing.

I didn't have anyone with me as I followed Kenny's scent. The warriors were hunting for the rogues. I was looking for my kid. "He's just a kid" I heard a female voice. I was off of our pack territory. I slowed down my running. Watching the floor for any twigs that might snap, I carefully got closer to the voices. "Are you sure that's the right one?" she asked. I saw a flash of her long black hair.

The woman was talking to a man. The man was completely bald and had Kenny thrown over his shoulder. The kid had duct tape over his mouth as he pounded on the man's back. "This is him. I'm sure of it" the man stated, adjusting Kenny on his shoulder. I could tell that Kenny was attempting to say something from under the duct tape. But no one acknowledged them. Suddenly, three more people appeared. "Let's get out of here before someone finds us" the man demanded.

Five people. I could easily take five people. The real question was if I could take on five people without Kenny getting hurt. That wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I quickly mind-linked Nick my location before I darted towards the group. I kicked down the man holding Kenny, before I grabbed the kid from him. "Kingsley" someone sneered.

I swung Kenny around my back, so I was giving him a piggy back ride. Running as fast as possible, I tried to get Kenny away from them. Of course, I was faster; so it only took a minute or two. I set Kenny on the floor and carefully peeled the duct tape off. "Bubba! They're coming!" he exclaimed. Glancing behind me, I spotted the group.

I held back a curse and placed Kenny onto my back again. They began shifting. Luckily, Kenny was facing away from them. I picked up my speed. They were faster in wolf form. They would catch up. Our territory was still too far. Without thinking, I tightened Kenny's arms around my neck. "Don't let go" I demanded.

My bones snapped and reformed. I clenched my jaw, holding in any groans that threatened to come out. I pushed myself to continue running as I shifted. A minute later, I was on all fours. Instead of bringing Kenny to safety, my wolf decided we needed to kill the group. I shook Kenny off my back. He slid down and landed on his feet. He didn't seem scared of me. "Bubba!" he shouted, pointing his finger.

I turned and dodged the female wolf. The five wolves all surrounded me. I growled. And for once, I was the first to attack. I went straight for the wolf that I knew was the bald guy that was holding Kenny. The guy had half a throat left after I spat the other half out. One of the wolves tried to run away. I easily pounced on him and broke one of his legs.

The other three all attacked at once. I felt a few claws get me, but I relished in the pain. I killed each of them. My fur got crusty from the blood. I licked my teeth, tasting the blood of the rogues. "Bubba" Kenny reached out for me.

"Kenny! Don't!" Nick demanded running towards us. I growled at the Alpha. He got closer to Kenny. I jumped in between them, sneering at Nick. He held his hands up in surrender. "He's not safe here, Zeke. Let me take him home" I nipped at his hand when he reached out. Fortunately, he pulled back fast enough. Growling, I bared my teeth at Nick. "He's gotta get home" Nick reminded me.

I nudged Kenny. Without a word, the kid climbed onto my back like it was a normal thing to do. I growled one last time at Nick before sprinting off to the pack house. "Kenny!" Valerie exclaimed as she spotted us. Kenny slid off of my back and ran to my mate. "Caroline. Take him inside" she demanded, keeping her eyes glued to me. I couldn't stop the growl that escaped my lips when Caroline picked Kenny up. As Kenny cried out for me, she rushed into the house. I narrowed my eyes and pounced forward.

Valerie blocked my way from the house. "Don't!" Valerie exclaimed. However, she wasn't looking at me. Turning around, I saw one of the warriors holding a syringe that was filled with wolfsbane. "Zeke" my mate brought my attention away from the warrior. "Zeke. You gotta shift back" she said softly.

"Valerie. You're gonna get hurt. He's-"

"I'm fine" Valerie snapped, cutting Nick off. People made a circle around us; mostly warriors. My mate continued to get closer until she was standing arm's length away. I kept my eyes on her hand as she slowly reached out for me. "Kenny needs you. But he can't see you like this" Valerie's hand gently rubbed my head. "Come on. Shift" she mumbled. My bones cracked and shifted. Once in my human form, I attempted to stand. But my legs gave out. "I got you" Valerie wrapped an arm around my waist.

She helped me walk into the house and up the stairs, leaving the stunned Alpha and warriors outside. "Go shower. I'll check up on Kenny" I nodded my head and stumbled into our bathroom. Everything felt different. My body was numb from the shifting. But my feelings were also different. It's indescribable. It felt as if all of my emotions were heightened, and my anger was brought down a notch. I felt normal. 

After my shower, I walked into Kenny's bedroom. He was already tucked into bed and Valerie sat next to him. "Hey, Kenny" I said softly, coming to his bedside. He stood got out from under the sheets and jumped into my arms. My shirt was becoming damp as he started to cry. "Don't cry. You're okay" I rubbed his back as he clung to my neck. It took a few minutes, but he eventually stopped crying. I laid him back down and Valerie tucked him in again. "Kenny. Did you know about werewolves?" I questioned.

He nodded his head. "Simon is a werewolf" he told me. I let out a sigh of relief. At least we wouldn't have to explain what a werewolf is. We just have to explain that he is a werewolf. But that can be put off for a little while. "Are you gonna sing, Bubba?" Kenny asked innocently.

I nodded and laced my fingers with Valerie's when she tried to walk out of the room. She usually wasn't in the room when I sang Kenny to sleep. It was kinda routine for her to leave, and I would put him to sleep. But I didn't want to be away from her at the moment. "Stay" She nodded her head and stood behind me as I began to sing the lullaby.

Once Kenny was asleep, we snuck out of the room. We barely got into our bedroom, when I pressed my lips against Valerie's. I completely forgot about her horrible ability to hold her breath, so she had to pull away and catch her breath. "What was that?" she questioned breathlessly. Grinning, I lifted her up. Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist and my hands rested under her butt.

I slowly walked towards the bed. "I shifted" I muttered. She looked at me with her head cocked in confusion. "I shifted and I didn't get wolfsbane shot into me to shift back" Mates seriously have an amazingly strong power over each other. I suddenly felt guilty for not telling her about the rogue situation. It was obvious that I knew an attack would occur. And she's the Beta Female. She should be included in stuff like this. "About the rogues" I started slowly. My mate shook her head at me and told me that she wanted tonight to be happy. And she was right, of course. It was late. We were all safe, and we should just sleep happy knowing that we weren't hurt. "You are one amazing person, cariad"

Valerie beamed at me. "I know" she said cockily. Rolling my eyes, I dropped her onto the bed and deadpanned at her. "I guess you're pretty awesome" she dramatically sighed.

Crawling onto the bed, I raised my eyebrows at her. "You guess?" I repeated. With an glint in her eyes, she nodded and continued to grin at me. "Well, then. I guess you're sleeping in Kenny's room tonight" I threatened.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You wouldn't"

I really wouldn't. After tonight, I don't think I could even argue with her. I thought that it would be impossible to shift back without wolfsbane in my system. But Valerie got me to shift back. "You're right" I caved. I pressed our lips together. This kiss was more heated, more rated-R. "I love you. But you really suck at holding your breath" I stated as she panted for air. Valerie stuck her tongue out and I licked it. She cringed and attempted to move away from me. "You were just licking my tongue!" I pointed out, feeling offended by the way her face scrunched up.

Valerie shook her head at me. "That's different" she muttered.

"How so?"

She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it and decided not to argue. Instead, she changed the subject. "I like your wolf. Very attractive. You have soft fur too" she informed me as she began running her hands through my hair. I grinned and thanked her.

We stayed there for a few minutes. Her back against the bed, and me holding myself up with my elbows. "Come on, jerk. I'm tired" She pushed me off and began to change. I sighed and threw my shirt at her. It landed on her head. She scowled at me, but wordlessly slid on my shirt. We both got into bed with her cuddled into my chest. "Goodnight" she uttered before leaning up to kiss my jaw.

I pulled her closer to me, breathing in her scent. Valerie instantly fell asleep. "Sweet dreams" I said softly. I looked at her peaceful expression as she slept. Her blonde hair scattered behind her. She was absolutely gorgeous, and she was all mine.  

_______________

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it"

-Confucius

Life Lesson by A.J.! Don't let anyone tell you that you're not beautiful. Don't let anyone judge you by your looks. Don't let people insult your appearance. Because it doesn't matter. Looks don't last forever. 

Humans are like candy. No one cares about the wrapper. We just want what's inside.

Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz

~A.J.