Everything returned back to normal, for the most part. It was clear from Jamie's posture, shoulders dipped down, a softer hint to his Petrichor scent and the general relaxation throughout his body, that he trusted Brandon more.

It was something the young Alpha was extremely proud of. To have earned, perhaps re-earned the trust after pushing Sean too far on their first run.

Brandon wasn't going to put himself in another position where he had to beg for forgiveness, yearning to earn the trust back.

This time, he wasn't going to lose it again.

Especially not after learning part of their horrific past. No, Brandon was going to do his absolute best to make sure that, from here on out, Sean, Jamie and the rest of the community only had positive interactions with any Alpha.

Realistically speaking, Brandon knew that was impossible. After all, the pack was only human ; they were bound to make mistakes.

Anyone who had a bad day, was sleep deprived or overall grumpy could snap at the wrong moment, at the wrong place.

And normally, that wouldn't be an issue. Normally, a flared up temper would be met with surprise, sure. But most, if not all of the time, both parties understood and apologized, more so the annoyed person who snapped.

Yet Brandon refused to believe it was okay to expose Sean and Jamie to such a reaction. At least, not without seeing an Alpha's response to it.

They wouldn't have any experience with Alphas apologizing for their wrongdoings, if they had been in the hands of Corrupted.

Corrupted didn't care if they did something wrong, because in their eyes, they never could do wrong. Their actions were justified through their warped sense of thinking, the loss of humanity and their animal instincts were primarily focused on need, need, need.

The need to dominate, to be in charge, to have someone subservient to themselves. Someone like that would never apologize for their actions.

In fact, they would blame the victim. Blame Sean, Jamie or Royal for any perceived wrongdoing. For being punished, being abused. The Corrupted would twist and corrupt their victim's mental sanity until it was nonexistent.

They'd never apologize.

But the Alphas in the pack would. And seeing how Sean had already been shocked simply by observing how kind and gentle the Alphas could be with the rest of the pack... Brandon could guess how the pup would react to an Alpha apologizing in person.

Plus, he had a pretty good feeling with most of the Alphas in the pack. They had already proven themselves by giving Sean the space he needed.

They had read the Omega's body language and understood that he was afraid. Terrified of being near anyone ranking higher than him.

Which was a rather absurd concept within their pack. To their understanding, the highest ranking creature was not the Pack Alpha.

It was the Pack Omega.

After all, Omegas were created due to the presence of a gestating Alpha. While an Omega's wolf tended to be much weaker, softer willed compared to the rest of the pack, the same couldn't be said about their nature.

Omegas were strong, physically and mentally resilient. They had to be since before they were born, turned and survived the transitioning process.

Nature had created them to be capable of soothing an Alpha, soothing their mates and pack.

A weak-willed, feeble creature that flinched at the shadow of a leaf caught in the breeze, would not be able to do so.

That outdated thinking was only reserved for the old packs. The Purists, who thought to know better.

It was stunning how wrong they were.

Omegas aren't weak. Brandon had seen first hand how his mom had stepped into a fight. Willingly risking injury, stepping between two raging Alphas and preventing things from turning lethal.

He remembered the days and nights were she had worked side by side with Ryker. Processing paperwork, pack finances, the insane process of feeding an entire pack of hungry mouths.

Faye made it seem easy. There were days were even Ryker struggled with the paperwork. All Faye had to do was step in the room, take the papers out of his hands and press a kiss to his forehead.

That was already enough to calm the Alpha and allow him to think straight.

Brandon knew that, if his mother were to ever dump her job in his lap... He'd be crying out of sheer frustration, overwhelmed by all of the chores, before nightfall.

And the young Alpha recognized that same resilience in Sean. Even when the Omega was afraid, no, terrified. Haunted by his past.

He had still withstood an informal introduction. Had allowed others to touch him, which was a miracle in itself, after learning about their past.

Even when the young Omega was shaking apart from nerves and stress, fear clouding his scent. He had remained there in the clearing.

Sure, he had sought out some comfort by leaning closer to Brandon. But the Omega could've easily decided that it was all too much.

He could've fled. Could've fainted as his mind sought out momentarily reprieve from the stress and fear. Sean could've even shifted, allowing his wolf to take control over the situation.

Yet the boy had stood firm on shivering legs. Had faced the pack head on, even with all the trauma they had experienced.

And that was a fact that the pack understood. They may not know the specifics of Sean's past, nor did they know his DID.

What the pack did know, was that this new, unmated Omega, yet to be introduced, stood there in front of them.

Terrified yet refusing to flee. Refusing to submit to his abundantly obvious fear.

Sean and Jamie may not know it, but Brandon knew for certain that they had earned the pack's respect.

Brandon hummed in thought, pursing his lips at the memory. He could only imagine what Sean must've felt in that moment.

After all, besides the crimson bleeding into their eyes, there wasn't a visual difference between Alphas and Corrupted.

Brandon briefly thought that the closest he ever been to such a sensation, would've been when the Lycan made his introduction to the new Alpha pups.

In Sean's case, meeting the pack would be the same as if Brandon was forced to meet an entire horde of Lycans.

The young Alpha shivered at the very idea, the fear and respect still deeply ingrained into his memories. And impression that had lasted from his childhood up till now.

And that was a brief interaction with a single Lycan.

Being forced to spend years with Corrupted, he could only dread the scars both physically and mentally, created within the community.

Which was why Brandon was pausing in the hallway leading to Sean and Jamie's room. Conflicted, as he wanted to introduce Jamie to some of the pack, yet also wanted to give them the space and time they needed.

The decision was made for him when voices echoed through the hallway and Gabriel paused, surprised to see his brother there.

"Here to invite Jamie over for a run?" Brandon questioned, making his brother nod as the Beta came to a halt beside him.

"Yeah, there's a few of the pack wanting to go on a run, so I figured I might invite Jamie, or Sean. Spread their scent and slowly introduce them to others."

Brandon smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Great minds think alike, I guess." He smirked, nudging his brother when the Beta proudly puffed out his chest.

Gabriel snickered, giving Brandon a playful shove. "I figured it would be easier on them if they were introduced to a handful of members at a time, instead of overwhelming them with the entire pack in one go."

The siblings gave each other a pointed look. They knew exactly how at least Sean would react, if he were to be presented to the entire pack.

If the young Omega was forced to meet everyone, he'd more than likely faint on the spot. If Jamie didn't take over, revealing their condition to everyone present.

Brandon knocked on the door, surprised when he heard Jamie call out "Come in!" instead of opening the door, as usual.

With slight confusion, the young Alpha opened the door, finding Jamie writing in his journal. "I could hear you guys down the hallway." Jamie answered the unspoken question that lingered in the air.

"I mean, we weren't trying to be sneaky anyways." Gabriel chuckled, stepping into the room as Brandon tilted his head curiously.

His eyes flitted from the vaguely familiar journal, that he had seen in Sean's hands, before looking up at Jamie.

Catching the young Alpha's confusion and curiosity, Jamie sighed and motioned towards the journal as he continued writing.

"I don't know all of the Alters, nor do I know if they have the ability, or willingness to co-con."

"Co-con?" Gabriel blinked, his lack of understanding shared with Brandon.

Motioning to himself, Jamie explained, "Sean and I co-con. It's short for Co-conciousness. Think of it as one of us in the driver's seat, the other in the passenger seat. Even though you're not controlling were you're going, you're still aware of what's happening."

Understanding dawned on Brandon, his eyes once again falling on the journal. "So with the Alters that you don't have a connection with... you're unaware if they take over?"

The Beta nodded, finishing his sentence before capping the pen and turning to the siblings in his room. "It can create gaps in our memory. Sometimes it's obvious when they take over, because you wake in a different place, find items in your room that weren't there before."

"It happened on a few rare occasions and I'd rather be prepared than..." Pursing his lips, Jamie was thoughtful for a moment, trying to find the right words. "take unnecessary risks. Keeping a journal on me so, if someone takes over, they can be kept up to date."

Dipping his fingers in his pockets, Jamie retrieved a small sliver of paper before showing it to Brandon and Gabriel.

Brandon accepted it, Gabriel approaching to read curiously over his brother's shoulder.

"You're in a safe place. Some people don't know you yet. If you read this, ask for Pack Alpha Ryker, Pack Omega Faye, Alpha Brandon or Beta Gabriel. These people are safe and can be trusted. Don't leave the pack."

Brandon returned the note, feeling oddly proud that he had made it on such a short list. Especially given the knowledge that he had only been introduced to two Alters, yet was deemed safe enough for the Community to decide any new Alter could reach out to him.

"If I were to switch while shifted, things would be a bit more complicated." Jamie stated before motioning to the siblings. "But I'm sure that either of you will be present and can guide whoever fronts."

Gabriel nodded while Brandon hummed thoughtfully. Normally he'd ask what to expect from any other Alters, how they might react.

But given how neither Jamie or Sean could communicate with the others like they did with each other, all of them were caught off guard in that aspect.

He said as much, making Jamie grimace with a nod.

"I only know of one, besides Royal. Royal doesn't reach out, nor has he fronted since he first Presented. We've made a separate diary for him, if he ever comes back."

The mention of Royal made Brandon feel an odd mixture of both sadness and anger. Anger because he remembered what Jamie had revealed, anger at the implications of what Royal must've experienced.

And then sadness, knowing that Royal had willingly pushed back into the darkness. Shut himself out, safely in the dark and refused to come out.

It made Brandon dread to even think of how long Royal had been missing. Hiding in their inner world, where it was safe.

Plus, he didn't think it was right to ask how long either Jamie or Sean had to suffer under the hands of the Corrupted. That was something they should share on their own terms and conditions.

Not to sate a young Alpha's curiosity, no matter how morbid it was.

No, Brandon wanted to earn the right to know more. Wanted to be trusted enough that either Sean or Jamie deemed him worthy enough to be told without prompting.