"That doesn't sound ominous at all." Brandon drawled around a spoonful of piping hot lasagna. He did notice that, as soon as his father mentioned the talk, Sean had tensed and was now fiddling with his meal. "Talk about what, exactly?"

When he didn't get an immediate response, Brandon looked around the table, feeling his hackles raise slightly at the apprehension that clung to the air.

Especially so when sour apple and bitter jasmine mingled, forcing Brandon to breathe through his mouth, as his nose burned from the Omegas' distress.

Everything an Alpha didn't want to smell. It instantly made him want to fix whatever was causing the distress, wipe it off the table and replace it with that sweet scent he'd come to like.

"It isn't...bad..." Ryker paused, seeming to mull over his thoughts before rephrasing, "It's a serious, sensitive topic. Normally we wouldn't have touched it but the situation calls for it."

Sean's spoon trembled as he brought it to his mouth, eyes focused on the table, head lowered demurely. More food spilled down the spoon and back in the plate instead of reaching Sean's lips.

Scared Omega. Distress. Comfort!

With a bit of a struggle, Brandon stopped his wolf from surging forwards, anticipating that his sudden hugging of the trembling omega would only result in more panic, not a relief from it.

"Okay..." The young Alpha looked around but didn't see a hint of confusion on Sean or his mother's expressions. Clearly he was the only one here that had been left in the dark.

Lies.  Deceit.

The beast snarled lowly, an annoyed grumble slipping past Brandon's lips, even if he pressed them together in a thin line. "What the fu- heck is going on?" Brandon amended after a scolding glare from his mom.

Adult or not, she wouldn't hesitate to learn him some manners if he failed to show a proper upbringing.

Ryker sighed, scratching through his hair as he glanced down at Sean as well. A flicker of unease settled in Brandon's stomach as he noticed the Pack Alpha's eyes glimmer with repressed anger.

But he could tell it wasn't aimed at the omega. An Alpha's anger should never be aimed at an Omega. Brandon's nostrils flared as his wolf crept underneath his skin, anxious, stressed, growling.

Clawing on the tight control Brandon had over it, threatening to rip free if he relented for even a second.

"Since you've been assigned to keep an eye on Sean and guide him around, there's no real way this secret can be kept from you." Ryker started, eyes flitting hesitantly to Sean before the Alpha sighed once more.

"But we're hoping you'll keep it from being discovered by the others..." Ryker continued before looking at the now trembling Omega.

"Sean?" The omega whimpered at the Alpha's voice before Ryker gently patted the boy's shoulder, hesitant yet reassuring. "You were the one who suggested this-"

"I didn't....Jamie did, I...I-Jamie, please-" The omega's eyes widened, brimming with tears as his breath seemed to get stuck in his throat.

Jamie? Who the fuck is Jamie?

Sean rubbed at his eyes, yawning and shaking his head a little bit before blinking. His shoulders relaxed as he slowly sat upright, eyes flitting to the clock before he sighed.

And then the scent hit Brandon. That particular scent of rain on a hot day, the scent of petrichor that made you want to inhale and sigh as it reminded of a hot summer's day, finally cooling down in the refreshing rain.

Gone was the sweet jasmine that had tickled Brandon's nostrils and instead it was replaced by a new scent. A different scent.

The scent of an unknown male. A Beta wolf.

Brandon stilled, even his Alpha seemed stunned, trying to work things out. How on Earth did Sean change his scent, hell, his entire demeanor?

Gone was the hesitation and fear, the soft jasmine that soured with the Omega's distress. Now it was a strong, instant hit of petrichor that shot in Brandon's nostrils, alerting him of the presence of the confident, if not slightly wary Beta.

"Well... that was quick..." The Omega- no, Beta blinked and shook his head, eyes flitting around the room before he noticed the meal. "Well, would be a shame to let it go to waste."

The young Alpha blinked, stunned into silence at the absurdity, the impossibility of the entire situation. There was no way to change one's nature; once you presented, you were complete. One true being.

Brandon knew some people would try and influence their presenting, would train in the hopes that the wolf would come out a Beta, or even an Alpha.

But none of those things actually worked. You couldn't change what you were born to be- meant to be.

Scientists were still working, mapping the genetics that  fixed a wolf's nature when they presented. But they had still only reached the surface of the difficult topic.

He knew some people presented as one but felt more like the other. Felt uncomfortable being an Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Omega and wanted to be anything but their presented ranking. But never had he heard of a wolf being able to successfully convert from one rank to another.

So why on earth had this man just blown that truth to smithereens?

"S-So... Sean isn't...isn't an Omega?" Brandon hesitated and Sean's eyes flitted up, still the same brilliant blue but cooler. A hint of dominance in his gaze.

"Sean is an Omega. I, however, am not." The Beta shrugged before shoveling another mouthful past his lips, humming contently. "This is really good by the way. Could I perhaps-?"

Faye smiled warmly, pushing of her seat as she took the bowl "Of course honey, you need to put some more meat on your bones anyways. You're a tad unhealthily thin."

The Beta smiled politely, licking the remains from the spoon before his eyes crossed with Brandon once more. Placing the spoon down, the Beta didn't remove his gaze from the young Alpha, lips pursing in a slightly amused expression.

"Your pup is confused, Alpha. Might wanna put him out of his misery before he blows a fuse." The Beta murmured, tapping a nail on the table as he eyed Brandon pointedly.

Ryker snorted at that, barking out a short laugh as Faye returned with another plate of food. "Thank you Ma'am."

Ryker pushed off the seat, walking around the table to squeeze the back of Brandon's neck in reassurance. "Easy pup." His father muttered in his ear, knowing that the boy's wolf was slowly but surely pressing to the surface.

He was confused, lied to and now having to deal with the sudden appearance of an unknown male right in front of his nose. Above all else, the wolf felt betrayed, lied to by their parents.

One couldn't tell how hard it was on the young Alpha, until they looked at his clenched, trembling hands. Claws digging in his skin to control the beast, to the point where small rivers of blood were trickling down.

Both Brandon and Ryker were proud that the young Alpha was maintaining remarkable control over himself. None of them would've been surprised if Brandon had shifted a long time ago.

"Can someone tell me what the actual fuck is going on?" Brandon hissed through his teeth, pushing back against his wolf with all his might.

His gums parted agonizingly slow as his canines extended, teeth changing even as he gritted them, struggling to keep his wolf back.

It wanted out. It was pissed...Felt as if it was being mocked, ridiculed in its own house...

"Brandon, this is still Sean, well, in a way. I know you're upset but this is a delicate situation to handle-" His father hesitated, gaze fliting at the Beta across from them before the boy sighed.

"Ever heard of DID, pup?"

Brandon blinked, teeth slightly visible past his lips as his wolf tried to process things.

When the young Alpha gave a small, hesitant nod, the Beta smirked slightly. "Well, that'll make things much easier then. You've met Sean before. I am Jamie."

Focusing on relaxing the hold he had on his utensils so he wouldn't snap the spoon in half, Brandon took a few deep, calming breaths as he took the time to think.

"DID, or Dissociative identity disorder. A lot of people know it as Multiple Personality Disorder before it was renamed." Jamie continued, finishing off the last of his meal before thanking Faye.

Brandon knew as much. He hadn't really researched it but he knew the basics. A psychological disorder where one main person or the host, shared consciousness with one or more fragments of themselves, referred to as alters.

Fragments of the host that shared or took over their consciousness, depending on the situation. Brandon swallowed thickly, as he had heard only a few things of the cause of DID.

None of them had a pleasant origin.

Jamie's smile turned bitter, wry as he leaned back in his seat, never taking his eyes of the young Alpha. Either Alphas. Turning his seat a fraction, almost imperceptibly so, to keep his back away from them.

It was clear from Jamie's behavior, the way he didn't turn his back on either of the Alphas, only allowed Faye behind him... that he had bad experiences with his kind.

Brandon's eyes flew back to the back of Sean... Jamie's hands, recognizing the irregularities as scars.

Whip marks.

The petrichor was sharp, burning Brandon's nostrils as it stung his eyes. A clear sign of the Beta's distress before the scent diminished, wrapped under endless layers of training and self-control.

"I didn't want to do this just like Sean, but I know a potential issue lies just around the corner." Jamie murmured, eyes flitting down to the wooden table as he rolled his head, hissing with annoyance as he had to pull his hair out of his mouth.

"I swear, one of these days, I'm going to chop that hair off-"Jamie muttered in annoyance, tugging at the strands as they dipped in his eyes, fingers curling and-

"Don't."

Brandon blinked as the soft, fragile voice had come from Jamie's lips, but it had been clear that it was Sean who said that. Soft, tender, hesitant. Pleaded Jamie not to.

A sigh slipped from Jamie as he rolled his eyes, hands reaching up to start braiding sections with an annoyed "Fine!"

The Beta's fingers worked quick, nimbly grasping at the long blonde strands, twining and twisting the hairs until the sides were braided in neat sections aimed towards the back of his head.

As he reached back, he gathered the loose hair on top, twisting and pulling until one of those side braids was looped perfectly around the ponytail.

It suited him. While most Omegas had long, well-maintained hair, Betas generally relied on shorter hair that was easier to handle. Something that wouldn't be used against them in a fight.

But Brandon knew that even with the long hair, nobody was going to mock Jamie for his hairstyle.

In fact, he was almost certain that a few in the pack would soon copy it.

"Look," Jamie started as he was finishing the last of his braids. "While I would've preferred to stay in the background and let Sean take the spotlight, I would've been forced to take over at some point."

"How so?" Brandon leaned forwards on the table, having managed to subdue his wolf once more. The beast no longer saw Jamie as an immediate threat.

He could feel the Beta's eyes on him as Jamie snorted, arching his brows. "How would you have responded if I had made an appearance in class? Or worse, if you caught us off guard and I came out of Sean's shower?"

The mere thought of an unknown male, not pack, around the vicinity of an unmated, naked Omega that was supposed to be Brandon's charge-

Protect! Defend territory! INTRUDER!!

His fingers shifted instantly, claws digging in the wooden table before he managed to get his wolf under control. But the young alpha had proven Jamie's point.

To have someone, anyone unknown coming out of the Omega's quarters without the Omega being found anywhere...

His wolf would've seen Jamie as a rogue that had abducted one of its people. It would've taken over and attacked the boy without a second thought, no matter how similar they looked.

Maybe those similarities would've stopped him in his tracks, pondering if perhaps the Omega had siblings. If he managed to get control from his wolf back, of course.

And that was a big if.

It also made Brandon focus on the fact that he knew nothing about their new pack member... members. Ryker had adopted them into the pack, yes, but there was no information handed out, nobody to come forth and warn about the sensitive subjects best to be avoided...

Jamie eyed him from head to toe, as if casting judgment on the young Alpha before he sighed. Thin fingers tapping on the wooden surface of the table as Jamie slowly continued, "I can almost smell the questions you want to ask but I'd ask you not to."

Petrichor circled through the air as Jamie bitterly added "You don't want to know." Eying Brandon as if waiting for the young Alpha to snap, to demand absolute obedience and force Jamie to spill about his past.

Instead Brandon sighed as he leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Probably best for now." The young Alpha agreed, stretching his neck as the tension had sank into his muscles.

"What can I expect?" Brandon asked instead, thanking his mother when she placed a plate of food before him with a knowing look.

It was a good idea to try and distract his wolf by giving into its desires... or forcing it in a food coma.

Jamie gracefully declined another portion, instead cleaning his lips with a thoughtful look. "Depends really. I tend to let Sean out for as much as possible but if he gets nervous or things are looking to get nasty... Well, that's where I come in."

His answer only made Brandon more curious, leading only to more questions to pop up in his head. Why on earth would Sean be the one that interacted with the pack and others if he was so nervous?

But when Brandon gently inquired about that, Jamie just snorted. "Wolves usually tend to be kinder to Omegas." His lips twisted, nose scrunching up as if he was telling a lie, even though Brandon couldn't detect a change in Jamie's scent.

"Anyways," Jamie cleared his throat as Brandon shoveled food down his throat, forcing his inner beast into submission as he listened intently to the Beta. "If Sean ever gets too nervous or feels threatened, I'll come to the forefront."

Brandon nodded as Jamie intertwined his fingers, pressing them to his mouth pensively before he added, "If people are around, I can fake being Sean but only for so long. Which is why there will be days where I'll be out, disguised as Sean's twin. Less annoying questions will be asked that way."

The young alpha was impressed. If Jamie had appeared out of nowhere, looking identical but behaving and smelling differently from Sean, there certainly would be more than one pack member that had questions.

It made sense if Jamie was presented as Sean's twin brother. But it also made Brandon curious.

"I hope it isn't... rude of me to ask. But how many..." Brandon struggled to find the words, unwilling to accidentally insult the Beta, the Omega or whoever else was sharing that body.

Jamie's eyes sparked with understanding, the blue shade warming just a fraction before it dulled. "Four, as far as I know. Well, five really but the fifth is... just a fragment."

"As far as you know?" Ryker asked with confusion, allowing his son a moment to gather his thoughts. Jamie tensed slightly, shrugging halfheartedly.

"While I'm the gatekeeper, I can only control those... aspects that I'm aware of. All of us share a semblance of awareness of one another but there are cases where all aspects are... unaware of the other's presence."

The Beta tapped his fingers distractedly on the table, a frown marring his features. "Still, even if I'm not aware of them nor share awareness, there would be... inexplainable gaps in our memory from when the other took over."

Ryker hummed thoughtfully, crossing his arms. "Gaps?" Jamie sighed at that, leaning back in his seat and looking at the Pack Alpha as he continued to explain.

"Yes. We'd find ourselves on a bus without knowing how we got there. Things moved around the room, objects missing or added without our knowhow... small things like that." Jamie shivered, "It hasn't happened yet, but not unheard of among people with our... condition."

Brandon nodded, wetting his dry lips as he tried to wrap his mind around that bit of information. "And...will I ever... meet the others?" He asked hesitantly.

A bark of laughter coming from Jamie was the least Brandon had expected. "Oh, perhaps you'll meet one of the others... but some of us you probably wouldn't... want to meet." His eyes squinted in a remarkably sweet smile "Not all of us are as nice as me."

"Oh..." Brandon muttered in confusion, deciding against prying any further in the undoubtedly sensitive subject. He was already making plans to research later on, just to make sure he wouldn't step on anyone's toes.

"All you need to know is that I'm the... gatekeeper, so to speak. The guardian of our small... community." Jamie murmured, steepling his hands together before resting his chin on top.

The Beta observed him keenly and Brandon knew every aspect of his being, of his reaction to this news, was being meticulously analyzed.

Stored away for later, to analyze and deem him a friend or a threat.

"So, you call the shots?" Brandon verified as he slowly finished up the last of his portion and waved his mother away when she went to refill it.

Werewolf or not, he wasn't a bottomless pit!

"Jamie?" Faye asked gently, holding the bowl for a moment before smiling as the Beta shook his head.

"Do you have anything sweet for the pup later?" Jamie asked instead, making Brandon's Alpha bristle for a moment before realizing Jamie wasn't referring to him. "It'll calm his nerves and distract him for a moment."

His mother chuckled, humming pensively. "Nothing too sweet though." Jamie amended quickly, eyes flitting back to the kitchen. "I knew he was eying that piece of chocolate fudge cake earlier but-"

"You'd be the one who'd have to work that off later." Faye finished Jamie's sentence, grinning as the Beta nodded. "I can whip up something... does Sean prefer any specific fruits?"

A smile curled Jamie's lips, transforming his tense features into something more... beautiful. "He's a little pup at heart...Can never go wrong with strawberries."

Brandon smiled to himself, keeping that tidbit of information for later. The youngAlpha had his work cut out for him and he already knew he'd be faced with a fewlong, sleepless nights studying up his knowledge about his new pack members.