I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.
*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story Enraptured.
Werewolf Rights
"Uncle Tonio?" Logan asked looking up from the big oak table where he was doing homework. The largely muscled werewolf looked over at the small boy from his laptop and smiled, asking him what he wanted. Logan, squirmed and went suddenly silent his uncle's encouraging smile and wise eyes pushed the words from him. "Do you…and daddy and mommy…do you…murder people?" The boy's cheeks were flushed and he looked both concerned and ashamed.
Antonio went wide eyed, looking surprised at his little nephew who was watching the older wolf intently. "What makes you ask that?" Antonio probed carefully, sitting back and crossing his arms. Logan suddenly blushed deeper and shrugged, picking up his pencil again and looking down at his work. Ignoring, he always ignored when he was uncomfortable with the situation, a learned behaviour from some of the pack adults.
The older werewolf watched the younger one worriedly for a moment and then stood; Logan kept disregarding him now as if either embarrassed or upset by his own question. Tonio finally came to stand behind him and set a hand on his shoulder, reading the information in front of his nephew, a social studies project.
"What is this for?" Tonio asked and picked up the book looking it over. He was reading and presumably understanding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With a raised eyebrow he waited for an answer. It seemed more like something he had pulled off of Jeremy's study library shelves but then again he was eight and comprehending at a high school level. None of them knew whether to be scared or happy about that.
"For ethics class, one of my middle school courses, we have to read through this and pick one thing we want to take a stand on. Do you give the mutts you catch a trial? Are they all equal before the law? Do you only kill people for the most serious crimes?" he asked and pointed at a line in his book, "Like it says here?" he continued. "Do you torture them? You're not supposed to do that," the little boy continued, standing up on the chair and facing Antonio almost eye to eye with the extra height.
After much discussion between Elena, Clay, Jeremy and the school they had decided to let Logan take a few upper school classes. First he would take some middle school courses and see how he fared and then try high school. They might end up moving him up quite a few levels in the end but they still weren't sure. Separation from his twin was one thing they didn't want and Kate wasn't ready to be moved. It wasn't as if Kate wasn't smart but she was happy where she was. The choice remained. Separate them and make sure that each child received what they needed individually or keep them together because of their sibling bond and pack bonds?
"First of all…," Antonio said, going back to the discussion at hand, "…we do not murder people and second of all you know exactly what your parents do. They catch mutts who commit serious crimes and punish them. We have explained this to you and Kate too," he said, abruptly scooping up the boy who latched onto the man's neck even if he felt he was too old for this. Antonio carried him to the squishy arm chair they reserved for serious talks and settled down placing Logan on his lap where they could speak.
"But what if they have families? What if they have kids, Uncle Tonio? What if they're not bad at all and mommy and daddy don't know?" he asked, concern flooding his eyes. Tonio sighed and for a moment could picture Clay in the exact same position, but of course Clay would not have asked these kinds of questions. It had always been in Clay's nature to accept death and not justify it, especially for mutts. Only the pack taught him when death was acceptable or not and he only followed protocol because he had promised first Jeremy and then Elena that he would.
"Your mom and dad, as well as Jeremy and I, always check to make sure about all the mutts. No one dies who does not deserve it and no one who has kids or a family dies. Sometimes they are very bad people and we need information they won't give us so we do persuade them to tell us," he confirmed. Logan watched Antonio for a moment before he got off of his lap and stood in front of him with crossed arms looking defiant.
"It says in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that everyone is a human and that all humans have rights. Mutts are humans and you kill them. That's not right. You're a murderer." Antonio was so shocked at these words that he only stared at the boy now. Finally Logan gave him one last look before he stalked off upstairs with his book clutched to his chest now. Still Antonio sat there not sure what to make of his nephew. Well, he wasn't wrong. They did technically murder mutts but only the awful ones. He knew Logan was smart enough to understand that, but how much did they really want him to understand? At times like these he really wished Logan was more like Kate who just accepted. The wild child was what they called her and it brought a smile to the man's face to think of her now.
Logan was clearly old enough to understand the human laws but not to see beyond them and their implications. The rules of the human world didn't fit into the supernatural world, they couldn't. There were too many differences and alternate considerations for that to be the case.
"Where's Logan? I was going to get him all riled up before bed," Reese's voice came from the doorway. Antonio looked up to see Reese there with a huge grin plastered on his face and Kate piggy backing him and looking wildly happy. Antonio explained that he had gone upstairs upset so the young werewolf may want to leave him alone which immediately made Kate gasp. Straightaway she ordered Reese to drop her and took off upstairs after her brother. "What happened?" the Aussie wolf asked and crossed his arms, leaning against the door to listen to one of his mentors explain. It wasn't often he had to question them or demand an answer for their behaviour which he was thankful for, but when he did it reminded him that they weren't gods and they didn't know everything. No one did even if he liked to think he did sometimes.
Kate took the stairs two and a time and raced down the hallway now feeling her brother's sadness. It hit her like a tidal wave. She was always in tune with feelings but her brother's feelings were especially close to her most of the time. She knew when he was upset or angry or happy. She knew her brother better than she knew herself. Without bothering to knock she flung the door open and saw her twin on the window seat with his arms wrapped around his legs looking distressed.
"Kate, how can we trust everyone when they hurt people? What if we do something bad and they do to us what they do to the mutts?" Logan asked without even looking her way. He knew it was her the moment he heard her footsteps. Who else would come charging after him? Kate. It was always Kate and it would always be Kate.
She crossed the room with quick and almost silent steps and climbed up beside him, sitting in front of him with one hand on his knee watching his eyes. This she had learned from her mother. When she talked to Noah or others who were angry or upset, Elena would always watch their eyes and always maintain physical contact with them. Kate knew her brother's eyes always told you his deepest feelings, his story and so he would never lie to her.
"We're their family, Logan. They would never hurt us." Kate said with conviction. Logan bit his lip and looked at her certainly. Up until now he had completely trusted in his family. He felt what he knew as pack bonds and he was absolutely sure he could trust them to take care of him. He wondered how this changed his views when he knew Kate was right. If they did do something wrong someday, were they not by law required to kill or hurt him or his sister? Did the rules apply to them or not? Did their mother being the Alpha even matter?
He did know one thing for certain. He didn't care who tried to hurt his sister because they wouldn't get the chance. He'd make sure of it. Kate was his to protect and he would do his job. He knew the wolf in him would agree with this. He might be very young and not as aware or able to feel his wolf yet, but he knew the wolf was there and it wouldn't be too long before the wolf showed himself.
Kate had no answers for her brother but to trust in their parents and pack completely. She could not understand the implication of these rules but only the parameters set before her by her parents. They were pack and no one would ever hurt them, especially their family. Understanding Logan's point of view was difficult and upsetting in a different way for her.
Logan sat with Kate until they were called for supper. Before then Reese and Antonio had both tried to talk to Logan, but Kate had refused to let them in and both older werewolves had felt it better if they left the two alone. Shortly after though, Nick and Noah had come back followed closely by Jeremy and both kids knew that Jeremy would not just leave it alone. The former alpha was technically their grandfather and one of their primary caregivers whether their parents were around or not. He wouldn't let them sit in their room being angry or moping so the twins had no choice but to obey and come to supper when they were called.
Jeremy watched as the children walked into the room sensing something was immediately wrong. Normally they were running for the table or shouting and teasing one another but rarely had they looked so sullen and downcast. Or he should say Logan looked sullen and downcast, but Kate looked angry and defiant. Fire blazed in her eyes and she turned that look on them all before sitting down. With a raised eyebrow the former alpha looked at his best friend who seemed frustrated himself. It was odd for Antonio to be in anything but a good mood so the man knew there was definitely something wrong. He wished he had been able to confront Antonio before dinner, but as soon as he walked through the door supper was announced and everyone was at the table.
"We got your favorites guys," Noah beamed.. Jeremy watched as Logan nodded and sniffed the air. Even if he couldn't quite use his sense of smell yet, he went through the motions. Kate only glanced at the food and then her brother before crossing her arms.
"It looks good, thank you both," Jeremy said and began taking pasta from a take-out container. "Logan and Kate, hand over your plates so we can fill them up," he requested softly now. Kate's hand went down to grab her plate as Noah and Nick picked up containers to distribute food but Logan stopped her.
"No," he growled, stopping everyone's chatter and turning all the older werewolves' attention towards him. "No," he growled again and then stood on his chair to make himself taller and, he hoped, more impressive. "I'm not eating another morsel of food in this house until you stop murdering and torturing mutts," he said looking directly at Jeremy with crossed arms. He knew who was in charge here. His mother might be the alpha but Jeremy was the former alpha and he still had a lot of control.
"I told you we aren't doing that Logan," Antonio said, looking at Jeremy who watched the young boy unsurprised. Jeremy had suspected this day might come, but he hadn't figured it would come so soon. Logan had always been more aware of the world around him and more interested in the human plight. The older werewolf figured it would be years before the twins figured out what really went on with mutts though. Yes, they knew that mutts were punished by their parents and that some mutts were killed but apparently in the boy's mind it was murder.
"Yes," Jeremy said, answering the boy's silent question. "Yes, sometimes mutts do need to be killed, but that is not what your parents go out every day to do. Elena and Clay always give them multiple chances and are always as kind as they can be in that regard." the man said. Logan seemed surprised at this and then looked at Kate who was entranced.
"Besides, normally the mutts murder people and do bad things anyway," Reese supplied, shrugging now. Noah nodded to this as well. It was true and if the twins understood one side of the matter, they should understand all of it.. Jeremy's gaze went from Reese's to Nick's. The man certainly had not expected this. Reese opened his mouth to speak again but Nick set a hand on his arm silencing him. It wasn't their place. Elena and Clay were already going to be furious enough when they learned what the twins knew so it was better for the boys to keep out of it.
"You torture them? Make it painful for them so they have to tell you stuff. That's wrong. My book says so," Logan proclaimed. Kate looked confused now from her brother to her grandfather. She wasn't even sure she knew what the word torture meant but it obviously involved pain and it made Logan upset so she should be upset too.
"Logan. What human laws say and what werewolf laws say are two different things because humans are not werewolves and vice versa. I suggest you concentrate on the human laws you are doing for homework and when you are older we can discuss werewolf laws more in-depth," Jeremy said, picking up the container he was getting ready to scoop food from again and holding up his hand for Kate or Logan's plate.
"No. I am old enough to understand because I am old enough to ask the question. You always say that. I'm never eating again until someone tells me what I want to know," he said definitely. Kate looked at her brother wide eyed and then at the food. She loved food. Could she really take up common cause with her brother about something she didn't understand if it meant giving up something she loved? She was spared the answer to this when Logan jumped off his chair and set a hand on her shoulder with a smile. Don't worry his expression said.
"Logan Nicholas Danvers, you have two choices. Eat and we will discuss this later or refuse and go to your room and stay there until your parents come home," Jeremy said in a soft but firm voice. Logan nodded and turned from the room, heading into the hallway and up the stairs. Moments later a door could be heard shutting. "Katherine, your plate, please," Jeremy said now as the little girl turned back to him. Obediently she picked it up and handed it over.
Supper was a silent affair as usual with conversation starting only after coffee had been issued and desserts set on the table. "How did this start?" Jeremy asked as he took a sip of the caffeinated drink. He had been careful to eat slowly and with his eyes he asked Antonio to do the same so the boys and Kate could help clear and they could talk in peace. Nick had finished his dessert as well but he sat listening to his father and Jeremy with one ear and keeping his other attuned to the conversation in the kitchen. The boys could handle Kate and her questions but sometimes she needed Uncle Nick to step in and take over in his own special way.
As they spoke downstairs, upstairs Logan was pacing in his room fuming and trying to ignore his hungry stomach. One of the rules was that you never went to bed hungry as a werewolf, but no one had covered if that werewolf refused to eat. It wasn't right and Logan knew it. He was sure deep down that what was happening was wrong. He also knew the North American Pack had been here for centuries and doing things mostly the same way. That was until Jeremy came along. Ever since they had learned they were werewolves Logan had been asking questions of all kinds including about their heritage and why everyone in the world was not a werewolf.
Logan paced for what seemed like hours only sitting when he became tired but then bouncing up again as soon as the issue started to get to him. He was so distracted he didn't hear the sound of his parents' vehicle or the discussion that went on downstairs as Logan yawned tiredly upstairs. He only knew his parents were home when they knocked on the door and opened it stepping inside. Instantly his impulse was to go to them and hug them. He always missed them but he made himself stay exactly where he was.
"Sweetheart," Elena began, sensing how distressed her son was. "Jeremy told us you were upset," she said and Logan nodded. They smelled ok to him and there wasn't any blood or anything else on them. Did he really expect there to be though?
"How about we talk buddy?" Clay said and Logan nodded again and inched back a few steps sitting on his bed with his hands folded in his lap. Body language was very important in the pack. To fold his hands in his lap meant he was open to what they had to say but, if he took a different route and crossed his arms, which would be defensive. He was upset but he was still willing to hear his parent's out and to give them the benefit of the doubt, for now.
Clay glanced at his mate as they took a seat in the room, Elena on the desk and Clay backwards in the desk chair. They could sense one another's distress about the situation as well. They were used to their children bombarding them when they came home, Kate had at least, and wanting to know every detail. This is the first time one of the children was seriously upset though about a situation they really shouldn't know about.
"Tell me everything. Don't lie. I want to know what you do. I want to know if you torture mutts. I want to know if they are scared of you," Logan said, looking directly at his father now.
Clay stared back at him with an unreadable expression and then looked at Elena. Too young was all she could think. He was much too young to be asking these questions and know the answers. In Clay's eyes she saw the same caution but it was also mixed something else. Clay was, in the end, always a teacher and so Elena could guess his thoughts on this. If Logan knew this much they should tell him everything and that might fix the problem. Maybe he had been all for telling the kids what they were and maybe he wanted them to know that a werewolf life was not an easy one, but was this going too far. In a split second she shook her head slightly at Clay who nodded. They would appease him now and discuss how much they should tell him later on.
"Logan. What we do we do to protect everyone in the pack. If we didn't then mutts might…," Elena hesitated and glanced at Clay now. She didn't want to scare the boy, but she couldn't outright lie to him. It might ruin his trust in them and the pack forever.
"They might come here and some of them aren't nice. If we don't do what we do then no one is safe. Understand?" Clay asked. Logan's brow knitted then as he thought and then nodded, but they could tell he had many more questions.
"Yes, but do you need to torture them? Do you do it for fun?" he asked now. Clay almost growled but he kept it inside. If it had been the boy's or anyone else asking they would have gotten a growl but not his son. Elena quickly held out a hand to Clay though, and fielded the question.
"No, Logan. We don't do it for fun. It's hard and it makes us very upset but we don't do it often. We only do it when we need to information to keep you and everyone else safe. Only on the baddest and meanest mutts and even then we're nice," she assured though it was lie but the little werewolf couldn't tell. Logan looked at his father and then his mother and nodded seeing the truth.
"What if I went bad? Would you hurt me?" Logan asked in a low voice. In second Elena was up and had the boy in her arms, shaking her head and hugging him tightly. He felt safe and loved in her embrace and suddenly the world fell back into place. He was safe and no one would hurt him or Kate. No one ever would.
"Never, sweetie; we would never hurt you or your sister or anyone in this pack. You're safe because we keep you safe. One day you'll understand but please, trust us for now," she assured. Logan nodded and hugged her back and almost purred when he felt his father's loving touch on his shoulder before he was scooped up by the bigger werewolf and tickled.
Laughter rang through the house then and Kate looked up smiling from her drawing and jumped to her feet. Logan was going to be ok and she could put his questions to the back of her mind. She knew she didn't have any cause to distrust anyone in her pack, ever. Maybe someday things would get scarier because she knew there were bad things in the world but here everything was ok again.