If Jane thought that becoming leader of the Rizzoli pack was strenuous enough, she's not going to appreciate her Ma reminding her that all wolves should try and find a mate. The Wolf AU that no-one asked for, but we all secretly wanted. Rizzles of course.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but wouldn't it be cool if I did? Nah but seriously I'm just borrowing them for this little story. All mistakes are mine.
Jane smiled as she lounged on the small hill that overlooked her pack's den. As the Alpha watched her family, she couldn't help the pride that bubbled up in her chest.
The Rizzoli clan had been through a lot as of late. Jane had only recently become the leader of the pack after earning the title by challenging and defeating her father. That alone was tough. But it had to be done.
Her father, Frank, was a poor excuse for a pack leader. He was lazy, dishonest and betrayed the trust of the pack. It was agreed that he had to go. The only problem was that no one was strong enough to challenge him.
It was only when Jane came of age that she stood up to her father. The fight itself took a toll on everyone, but especially on Jane.
Not only was she to fight her father, but it was most likely to be a fight to the death. She had no choice but to fight the wolf who had sired her and raised herself and her siblings. The wolf she would always love, regardless of what he did.
Jane shook her head. No, she couldn't think like that. He meant nothing to her now, and meant nothing to her family.
She remembered looking down at her father's beaten and bruised body, her own body barely being held up by shaky legs. Bringing her snout close to his ripped ear, she growled.
"Leave, and don't ever come back."
She could still remember the hopeful and thankful look he had in his eyes as he dragged his body up and scurried away, never to return.
Jane sighed as she shook her head again. That ordeal had happened over eight months ago, and since then her pack had been moving from strength to strength.
She watched her two brothers play fight in the middle of the clearing that led to the dens. Her youngest brother by four years, Tommy, was trying to get out from under Frankie, the eldest of pair by two years, who currently had him pinned to the ground.
Frankie was truly Jane's brother, for if it weren't for the fierce loyalty and intelligence, then it was surely due to his black fur, which was only a few shade lighter than Jane's own jet black fur. The Beta had always admired his older sister and was happy and proud of her when she took her rightful place as leader a few months ago.
Tommy, while nowhere near as sharp as Frankie or Jane, more than made up for it with his own kind of intelligence. The brown furred Alpha was a fast learner when he put his mind to it, though that wasn't often. He was never the type of Alpha who could lead a pack, a fact he had resented in his younger years. But as he matured, he grew to accept that while he was not the destined leader of the pack, he was a valued member of the family and would always be as such.
Jane chuckled as she watched their mother intervene when the brothers started to get more violent with each other.
The Rizzoli matriarch was quite the presence. With fur a lighter shade than Tommy's, the Beta's nature was one of a caring and loving one, though that didn't mean she couldn't be overbearing. While Angela only had the best at heart for her pups, she managed to get on their nerves when it came to their personal lives. Especially during mating season.
Jane cringed as she imagined what new ways her mother had devised to finally find her only daughter a mate. Not just any mate, but one fit for a pack leader.
The Alpha lowered her head to try and make herself as small as possible, in hopes that her mother wouldn't see her.
Turning her head, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed the other members of her pack.
Many believed that only wolves of the same blood could form a pack, her father included. Those who allowed any random stranger into their pack was asking for an uprising and their leadership to be challenged. Only those who were to mate with a wolf within the pack were allowed to live near a pack. If not, it would be wise to hightail it out of the area.
But the Rizzoli's never believed this, and over time they had formed strong bonds with a number of outsiders, all of which had since become valued members of the pack.
The first to join the Rizzoli pack was an older wolf, Korsak, who had saved Jane's life when she was still young. She had been practising her hunting skills late one night and hadn't even realised that she was many miles away from her pack. Just as she turned to head in what she hoped was the right direction, she was ambushed and pinned down by the most terrifying beast she had ever seen.
He leered down at the smaller wolf as she tried to break free of his hold. Slowly, he leant down and breathed in her scent, before his muzzle peeled back to reveal chipped yellow fangs.
"Like lavender and fear."
Jane couldn't help but gag when his putrid breath hit her nose. She cautiously turned her head and started up at her attacker, and felt her heart stop when she properly saw him.
She had heard legends of him, a monstrous wolf believed to be a werewolf due to his colossal size and thirst for blood, but had never really taken heed of the warnings. She had always assumed that he had been hunted and killed, what with his habit of going near the humans and killing any he can find. At least he looked like he had been hunted, what with the scars on his face and body, along with the patches of missing dark grey fur. He even had scars around the right side of his face that looked as though it had been burned with a torch. But his most chilling feature was perhaps his pale blue eyes that held no life in them. 'Dead' was the only way she could describe them.
She closed her eyes as she stopped struggling and accepted her fate. She could only hope that he would be merciful to the young Alpha.
Just as he opened his mouth to bite and snap her neck, he was suddenly ripped away from her by a flash of grey.
When Jane gained her bearing, she looked to see her saviour in the exact position she was in only seconds ago.
Without hesitation, Jane lunged at the beast, biting into his neck before he could claim another victim.
The beast let out a ferocious roar before it tried to throw Jane off its back. The distraction allowed the other wolf to scurry out from under the beast and sink its teeth into the beast. The two wolves continued to attack the beast until it fled, but not before it roared something or other about revenge.
As the two wolves caught their breath, Jane looked over at the other wolf who risked its life for her.
By his scent, he was an older Beta, but his skills suggested that he was more than capable against even the youngest and strongest of fighters, his expert skills making up for his lack of stamina. He had light grey fur, which looked almost white in the moonlight.
"Are you okay?"
It took Jane a moment to reply. "Yeah, I'm good."
"That's a relief," the older wolf sighed as he stretched. "Doubt I could of kept fighting for much longer, at least not at my age." He chuckled.
Jane couldn't help but chuckle as well. "No, I guess not."
Both slowly turned towards the forest where the beast had made his escape.
"What was that?"
"Hoyt," the grey wolf shuddered. "I can't believe that we came face to face with him and lived."
"Neither can I," the Alpha admitted. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why save me?" She couldn't help but wonder why the older wolf would risk his life for a stranger.
He sighed again, "No idea." Turning back to the young wolf he gave a small smile, "Regardless, you more than repaid the favour when you saved my life as well. The name's Korsak."
"Jane."
It happened years ago, but she still remembered it like it was yesterday. She couldn't help the slight shiver when she thought of Hoyt. She hadn't seen or heard of him since that day, which was a relief. She really didn't fancy listening to anymore lectures from her mother about wandering off, mainly due to being an adult now and so having the right to do whatever the she damn well liked. As long as it's not too dangerous, she didn't want to give her mother a heart attack.
Korsak had become an honorary member of the Rizzoli pack, despite Frank's disdain. Once Jane took over the pack, the Rizzoli clan welcomed a few more into the pack.
The next to join was a young Beta named Frost. The dark brown wolf was found by Jane only a week after she had become pack leader. He had just lost the hare he had been chasing when he'd had collapsed from exhaustion and starvation. Just as he felt the life drain away from him, Jane had spared him some of the hare she had recently caught. After eating enough to regain enough energy to stand, Jane led him through the forest to her pack so that he could rest.
Since then, he had become her second in command alongside Korsak. While the two Betas bickered a lot, they had over time develop a level of respect for one another and took their roles as Jane's second in commands very seriously.
Another outsider who was now part of the Rizzoli clan was a tan coloured wolf, Susie. She was bright, if not a bit eccentric. She had been wandering alone in the wilderness when Jane came across her. The second that Susie caught the Alpha's scent she had cowered, fearful that Jane would kill her for approaching her territory. To save herself from her impending doom, she had begun to beg for her life, claiming that she had just narrowly avoided death at the hands of her own pack.
She began to sprout out all kinds of reasons why she should be spared, until she noticed that the large Alpha had stopped approaching her and was studying her. The tan wolf had assumed that she had managed to convince the mighty Alpha that she was indeed worth saving.
Jane was just surprised that one wolf could speak continuously for a whole minute without pausing to breathe.
Only a week had pasted after Susie had joined the pack when a smaller wolf had been spotted lurking near the den.
Lydia was a pale blonde wolf who, as it turned out, was the very same wolf who Frank had been 'close with' in his last remaining days as pack leader. Not only that, but it was soon discovered that Tommy had also been 'close' to her. But the cherry on top?
She was pregnant.
Jane could handle Lydia's pup being her nephew or niece, but half sibling? Hell no.
Her instinct was to reject Lydia, let her deal with her own mistakes herself. But Lydia was adamant that the pup was Tommy's, and strangely enough so was Tommy himself.
Jane was convinced that the pale blonde Beta was lying, but even she couldn't help the small smile twitching on her lips when the pup was born and was confirmed to be Tommy's son. Tommy Junior was a delightful addition to the pack and was loved and adored by all the other wolves. Lydia was also a great addition to the pack, though Jane would probably never admit it. While the pale blonde Beta could be sweet, she could be, well, slow.
Jane chuckled as she watched Lydia give TJ quick bath with her tongue, much to his dismay. While Lydia could get on her nerves at time, even Jane would admit that the pale blonde Beta had a certain naive charm about her which was sort of endearing. At times.
Yes the nine of them made up a large pack, and while the many personalities could at times clash - though to be fair it was the Rizzoli's themselves who clashed and quarrelled the most - Jane wouldn't have it any other way. Even if she did at times get the occasional headache.
"Jane?"
Speaking of headaches.
"Jane there you are! I wanna have a quick word with you-"
"Save it Ma, I don't want to hear it."
"But Jane," the older Beta sighed, "you're the leader of the pack! You need to start-"
"-thinking about my future, I know Ma!"
"Then why won't you at least consider finding a mate? And don't you dare give me that 'my priory is the pack' mumbo jumbo."
Jane cringed, that excuse was beginning to wear thin.
Angela sat beside her daughter and nudged her side with her snout. "I ain't saying that you're gonna find a mate straight away, and I ain't saying that it's gonna be easy. But you have to put yourself out there and find someone. I've got too much love for just one grand-pup."
Jane couldn't help but smile at that. "Don't worry Ma, when the time is right, I will ensure that you will have all the grand-pups you desire."
"You better," the older Beta chuckled, "but that doesn't mean that I can't try and speed things along." With that she began to nudge Jane with her snout a little harder than before.
"Ow! Cut it out Ma! Fine, I'll go on the hunt for a mate now if you want!"
She hadn't meant it, but the look in her mother's eyes suggested that it didn't really matter.
Jane sighed as she rose from the ground. No nap for her today it seemed. She tried to ignore her sniggering brothers who had obviously overheard the whole 'hunt for a mate' conversation. She would normally go over there and teach them a lesson or two, but she really didn't want her mother to nag her about finding a mate and being nice to her brothers in the same day.
She stomped up to Frost and was slightly riled up to see an amused look on his face. Just as she opened her mouth for a rather rude remark, he cut her off with a chuckle.
"Don't worry, I'll hold the fort while you search for a mate." He said with a wink.
Jane huffed and gave a nod as she stalked into the woods to search for a mate.
It had been two and a half hours since Jane had left the pack to search for a mate and she had finally reached her limit. Why couldn't everyone just let her find a mate on her own? She didn't want to pressure anyone into being her mate simply because she was a pack leader. She could find that special someone on her own. All she needed was her charm, her wit and her intelligence. Also, being a dashing Alpha with raven fur was a great bonus.
The clearing she had just stumbled into made her mind grind to a halt, and all the thoughts in her head left her, as she couldn't help but admire the beauty around her.
The bright sun dazzled through the leaves of the tall trees, which gave the shaded clearing a calm and tranquil atmosphere. Crickets could be heard in the tall grass which had a variety of shades, from straw-like yellow to a rich green found only during spring. To the side was a stream which was home to all kinds of animals, like fish and birds. In the very centre of the clearing, patches of grass was missing, along with pathways in the grass which lead to the clearing, as though it had been walked on thousands of times.
While Jane was no expert, she was convinced that this would be the perfect spot for humans to camp.
Or to hunt.
Not wanting to stick around to see if her guess proved to be true, she crossed the steam and ran through the trees.
She only slowed when she heard a loud and sudden noise.
Lowering so her stomach touched the ground, she crept through the long grass to investigate the sound that had caught her off guard.
Through the grass she could see another clearing, although this one was much larger than the previous one she had come across. At a closer look there didn't seem to be anything of any interest, except a steep hill. While she wasn't much a climber, the raven-furred Alpha couldn't deny her interest was piqued when she heard the distinct sound of snarling and fighting.
She could just imagine what her Ma would say if she was here. She would give her a disapproving look and probably say something along the lines of "curiosity killed the cat."
Jane grinned.
'Then it's a good thing that I'm a wolf.'
When she reached the top of the hill - despite how ridiculously steep it was - she had the most gorgeous view of the vast forest and the mountain landscapes in the distance. While she would never explore that far of the forest, she could still admire the sights.
A snarl brought her out of her thoughts and she looked down the other side of the hill to see what all the commotion was about.
Two wolves where circling one another, as if daring the other to attack first. They were very different in appearance with one of the pair having dark, well-groomed brown fur, despite being a wild animal. The other was scruffier in comparison, with matted light brown fur and a few scars on his body.
'Probably from previous fights.' Jane thought as she sniffed the air in their direction. She detected their scents straight away. Alphas.
They were probably fighting over some Beta to mate with, though she couldn't see anyone else around.
"You don't deserve her!"
'I was right. This should be good.'
The scruff ball chuckled at the other wolf's outburst. "And what? You think you do? You're nothing more than a toff who can't win a fight."
'Wait,' Jane thought, sitting up, 'what kind of accent is that?'
The 'toff' - which apparently was an insult as the well-groomed wolf looked slightly peeved by the remark - came to a halt and glared at the scruff ball, which put an end to the little sparing circle they had created.
"That's rich coming from a dingo! You're not even from around these parts!" The toff exclaimed with a smug look on his face.
Before the scruff ball could come back with another biting insult, a soft voice broke through the tense showdown.
"Actually, did you know that dingoes, which originate from Australia, are classified as a subspecies of the Canis Lupus, otherwise known as the grey wolf. Also-"
"That's nice dear." The toff sighed with a roll of his eyes before focusing back on the scruff ball.
Jane turned to the owner of the soft voice, and felt her heart stop. Because right there before her, was none other than an angel. A wolf angel. If they exist. Except they must do because Jane decided that she was in the presence of one.
The honey blonde wolf angel sat primly just a few feet away from the sparing Alphas; a front row seat to the fight that determined who was to be her mate. Her soft fur was impeccable, and when she moved it flowed as though like water in a steam. One small sniff and Jane's nose was almost overcome with the honey blonde's scene. Though she had never smelt anything like that before in her life, she recognised the scent in an instant.
'She's an Omega.'
It's true what they say, you never mistake the scent of an Omega, even if you have never met one.
Jane breathe in the dazzling Omega's scent again and couldn't help the dreamy, far off look on her face. 'Sweeter than honey. How didn't I notice her before?' She sighed.
She was brought out of her daze when she saw that the honey blonde Omega had noticed Mr Toff's eye roll when he dismissed her little fun fact, and had let out a dejected sigh as she kept silent like he wanted her to.
Rage began to build within Jane as she turned back to the two Alphas. How dare he treat the beautiful Omega that way. How dare he treat anyone that way! Worst of all, Scruff Ball seemed to agree with him as he didn't bother standing up for the spectacular Omega. Rather, he looked at her apathetically, despite the fact that she was actually defending him and his dingo-ness, whatever that was.
Jane couldn't understand why they felt that it was so damn necessary to treat the lovely Omega like shit, and to her face, for no apparent reason. Yet despite this, it appeared that the two males were fighting over who got to be her mate. Disgusted didn't even begin to describe how Jane felt about this.
"Come on mate, she wants a rolling stone, a free spirit, a lone wolf if you will. See what I did there?" Scruff Ball asked with a shit-eating grin. Jane didn't like what he did there. Then again, she didn't like anything about Scruff Ball.
"Please," Mr Toff sighed, "what would she want from a dingo runt such as yourself? Besides, I heard that you were raised by humans. They probably got rid of you when they realised how pathetic you really are!" He sniggered.
"Oh!" The stunning Omega leant forward in an excited manner, "Is that where you get your accent from? Was one of the humans Australian?"
"Yes," Scruff Ball grumbled, "but that doesn't mean anything!" He turned to Mr Toff and growled before he began to stalk towards him, Mr Toff following suit.
"Garrett, Ian, come now, please don't fight. It's not necessary." The honey blonde Omega sighed as she approached the two Alphas, who didn't even bother to acknowledge her. "Garrett," she turned to Mr Toff, "I told you, I did love you once, but after you strayed and found another mate? You betrayed my trust, and I strongly doubt that you can earn it back again."
She turned to Scruff Ball, who had that shit-eating grin again, and sighed once again. "Ian, while it has been lovely being courted by you, I just feel that we are too different to really work. You are always away doing goodness knows what, and I need stability in my life. You understand, don't you?" She asked with a small, hesitant smile.
Mr Toff - or Garrett, apparently - smirked at the other Alpha's huff of annoyance. Scruff Ball, or rather Ian, glared at Garrett, "I don't know what you're smirking at, she doesn't want you." He growled.
Garrett sneered at the other Alpha. "So? She'll come to her senses soon enough when she realises what a useless runt you are."
Ian began to flare up. "She-"
"-who's she, the cat's mother?"
Jane hadn't really meant to get involved in their little spat, but the look of pure hopelessness on the elegant Omega's face spurred her into action.
Also, she always found it fairly satisfying when she caused heads to turn.
The two Alphas glared up at Jane, but her focus was on the enchanting Omega, who looked up at the Alpha on the hill with interest and a hint of awe in her eyes.
Happy that she now had everyone's attention, Jane began her graceful descent of the hill. All the while praying, if wolves even did pray, that she wouldn't stumble and look like a complete dipshit. It seemed to work, as she landed a few feet away from the three wolves and began to approach them like a badass.
'I've still got it' Jane thought with a smirk.
"Can we help you?" Garrett glanced over at Jane, not bothering to hide his disinterest.
"Oh no, don't mind me." Jane sighed nonchalantly, "I was just about to catch the prey I had been stalking for the past so many minutes, until the commotion over here scared it off." Okay, so it may had been a lie, but the other wolves didn't know that. "I decided to see what all the noise was about-"
"-and stick your snout into other's affairs it seems." Garrett sneered.
Ian began to snigger, until he stopped abruptly. When Garrett turn to him to see what was wrong, he saw that Ian was sniffing the air around the newcomer, before he began to cower slightly.
"Well," Jane began, "after seeing your little sparing match, I realised that this was just two whelps messing around. It was only when you opened your muzzles did I feel the need to intervene."
As she stalked forward, she noticed that the scruff ball Ian had started to back away from the raven Alpha, while Garrett seemed to be preparing himself for another fight. 'Or a real fight,' Jane decided, 'that little spat was a poor excuse for a fight.'
"I just don't get why you felt the need to treat the lady here with such little respect-"
"-I did no such-"
"-and the lack of dignity she clearly deserves." Jane continued, as though Garrett had not even said a word.
Piqued by the newcomer's bluntness, Garrett raised himself and flared his teeth with a ferocious growl in an attempt to intimidate the female Alpha. Suffice to say, she was far from intimidated; mildly amused was more accurate.
Undeterred by Garrett's little growling fit, Jane stood paw to paw with the dark brown Alpha and smirked down at him.
"Are you sure you wanna fight me?" Jane growled down at him.
She saw a flash of fear in his eyes, but it fled just as quickly as it appeared and rage took its place.
"How dare you! Do you know who I am? I don't have the time to waste with a whelp like you. I-"
"Whelp? Really?" Jane rolled her eyes before adding, "Let's just keep this as short as we can. Apologise to the lady and get lost."
It was almost impossible to keep up the badass facade, what with the look of indignation on his face that made him look constipated.
Ian continued to cower, hoping to avoid the female Alpha's wrath. It had taken him seconds for her scent to dominate his nostrils, and he recognised the scent instantly. This Alpha was a pack leader, and though he wasn't sure which pack, he didn't want to stick around and find out. While he really did want to mate with the Omega, he didn't really fancy getting caught up in a fight. He was just hoping to scare off the Toff, not fight and risk getting hurt. He slowly crawled over to the Omega, in the hopes that the female Alpha wouldn't hurt him if he was in close proximity to the Omega.
The honey blonde Omega, on the other hand, was intrigued. This handsome Alpha had quite literally swooped in to rescue her from this unfortunate situation. The Alpha's charm was an added bonus, too.
Just as the two females shared a glance, Garrett decided that it was the perfect moment to lose his cool, much to the raven Alpha's annoyance.
Throwing himself towards the female Alpha, Garrett went for her throat. While she was caught off guard, Jane just managed to duck the raving wolf's attack and moved to put some distance between them.
Undeterred, Garrett threw himself again at Jane, though this time she was more than ready for him. As he pounced, Jane dodged his fangs and landed near his side, where she lunged towards him and sunk her teeth into his hind leg.
Garrett howled in pain and spun around towards Jane, only to turn back in the opposite direction when Jane's paw connected with his face. The raven Alpha didn't allow the other Alpha a moment to right himself and she lunged once again at him, causing him to yelp out in pain.
Knowing that he could not win the fight, Garrett began to back away from the female Alpha, and towards the audience of two who were close by. Jane stalked toward the wounded Alpha, her cold eyes hardening and muscles tensing with every step she took.
It was only when he stopped backing away did Jane pounce once more, but Garrett had rolled out of her way in the nick of time, and she found herself snout to snout with the breath-taking Omega. She didn't have time to register the look of terror on her beautiful face, as she caught a flash of movement in her peripheral vision. Lowering herself to the ground, she ducked under Garrett as he leapt at her, causing him to fly above her and land awkwardly on a fairly large rock.
Garrett whimpered pitifully as he watched Jane approach him; her hackles were raised and she bared her fangs as she growled viciously. Her eyes were black with fury, and in that moment, the young Alpha truly feared for his life.
Once the raven Alpha reached him, she lowered her head until her glare was level with his eyes. "I suggest you run home, right now." When the male Alpha made no attempt to move, Jane released a ferocious roar, terrifying those who heard it to the bone.
Jane watched as Garrett scampered away, with Ian following closely behind him. She had complete forgotten about the other Alpha, what with his avoidance of her and her rage. She had to admit that it was smart of him to stay away from her, as there was no doubt that he would have suffered a similar fate to Garrett.
Jane snapped out of her musings when she suddenly remember about the fourth participant of the whole ordeal. The Omega.
Languidly, the Alpha turned her head towards the Omega and found her sitting a few feet away. It seemed as though she was trying to make herself look as small as possible, and when the two made eye contact, the Omega was quick to advert her eyes and lower them away from the Alpha.
Jane looked on in concern, and began to calmly approach the honey blonde Omega. She scrunched her brow in confusion when she noticed that the other wolf cowered with every step she took. The closer she came to the Omega, the more she shook in fear.
Once Jane reached the honey blonde wolf, she stood over the crouching body and leant down to sniff her. The Alpha's confusion rose however, when she noticed that the Omega had flattened herself to the ground. But what the Omega did next floored Jane.
The Omega slowly moved her head towards the Alpha's front paws, and cautiously sniffed them. Then, she gently licked the top of the paw closest to her before she lowered her head again.
Jane sighed sadly as she recognised the meaning of the gesture and the reason why the Omega bared her neck in submission to the Alpha.
'She's scared of me.' Jane thought despondently.
The Alpha leant down towards the Omega, hesitating when she noticed the other wolf flinch, and softly nuzzled the Omega's ears with her snout.
Jane chuckled when she heard the other wolf giggle at her touch, and she just couldn't stop herself from gently licking the honey blonde wolf's ears. It was only when she began to nibble on them did the Omega pull away and look up at her. Her bright hazel eyes were beautiful to say the least.
When the raven Alpha finally gathered her wits and snapped out of her daze, she smiled down at the other wolf. "You must forgive me, but I didn't quite catch your name." Even Jane had to congratulate herself on how smooth she was being. 'Nothing beats the Rizzoli charm.' Jane chuckled to herself.
The honey blonde Omega gazed up at Jane, before she bashfully lowered her eyes and licked her lips. "M-Maura." She swallowed before continuing, "I am from the Isles pack." She whispered timidly, as though she was afraid of Jane's reaction to this new piece of information.
Jane recognised the name, well sort of. She knew that they were high on the food chain, and had connections with many packs. The most well-known pack they knew was probably the Doyle pack. Led by Patrick 'Paddy' Doyle, they were currently involved in territorial disputes with other packs, and they were all out for blood. The trick to surviving was to stay far away from them at all costs, which Jane was all too happy to do. To associate herself with the Omega - who was rumoured to have been sired by Paddy Doyle himself and given to the Isles to raise - was just asking for complications and dangers to rise in the future.
Normally, the raven Alpha would walk away, and not bother sticking around where trouble would surely follow. But for reasons she could not fathom, she couldn't walk away from the beautiful Omega, who was currently looking at the ground in an attempt to not make eye contact with the Alpha.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Maura from the Isles pack, I'm Jane, leader of the Rizzoli pack." This only caused Maura to shake more in fright, which only caused Jane's confusion to grow.
The Alpha sat down in front of the Omega, and watched her flinch once again as she asked, "Why are you afraid of me?"
"I-I don't w-want you to h-hurt me." Maura replied honestly.
The tremor in her voice broke Jane's heart.
"Why would I want to hurt you?" Jane asked curiously.
This caused the honey blonde Omega to look up at the Jane with a mix of confusion, trepidation and undeniable fear in her eyes.
"I-you, are you not going to, well, you know," she stopped abruptly and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "The o-other Alphas were fighting to decide who would m-mate with me, and as you s-scared them away, that, in a way, makes you-"
"-the winner?" Jane finished. The small nod from Maura confirmed her suspicions. Maura was petrified of her, hell, she couldn't even speak without stammering. Jane assumed that Maura was trying to prepare herself for the moment that Jane would pounce on her, mount her and claim her as her own. She even had her neck on show, as though inviting the Alpha to mark and claim it.
Jane didn't doubt that Maura had many good reasons to be afraid. She was faced with a large Alpha who had more than proved her worth in a fight, and who had went from calm to enraged in a matter of seconds. Add to that the fact that being an Omega, it was expected that she would have all manner of wolves throw themselves at her, and only the strongest wolf would beat the rest. Maura probably expected the wolf to claim her to have been some monster of a wolf who would have only seen her as a fuck toy and a pup dispenser. Jane growled under her breath at the thought.
Unfortunately, this caused Maura to cower more and a small whimper escaped her as she tried to make herself as small as possible in front of the Alpha.
"Well," Jane began, "I think that, as your champion, I should have the honour of escorting you home. If that's alright with you, that is." She quickly added.
Maura looked at Jane warily, as though waiting for Jane to suddenly snap and show her true colours, before slowly standing up in front of the Alpha.
"I don't exactly have a home."
Jane was surprised at this, and it must have shown as the other wolf was quick to explain why she didn't have a home. "My parents were rarely at our den whilst I was growing up, and they didn't try to stop me when I left the pack because the loneliness became too much and I-" Maura stopped when she choked on a small sob at the back of her throat.
"Hey now," Jane whispered softly, "I promise I won't hurt you. You have my word as a gentleman." The Alpha bowed flamboyantly before the Omega, causing the other wolf to giggle.
Instead of rising to her feet, Jane moved to lay down on the floor and smiled up at Maura, causing Maura to smile back.
Jane couldn't help but admire her beauty. From her gorgeous smile to how the setting sun seemed to make her honey blonde fur to glow angelically. She couldn't describe how she felt for the Omega, but 'awestruck' was a start.
She decided then and there that she wanted to see that smile every single day for the rest of her life. Being the reason for that smile would be an added bonus, obviously.
In hindsight, what she did next wasn't very tactful, but she had been known to blurt out things at the most unfortunate of times. Besides, Maura's beauty was quite distracting.
"Stay with me." Jane blurted before she could stop herself.
That was a mistake. Instantly, Maura's smile fell and the look of anxiety and fear rose on her face once more.
'Nice work moron! Quit floundering and fix it!' Screeched the voice of Angela in Jane's head. Jeez, even in her own head, she couldn't escape her Ma's wrath. Rising to her feet, Jane tried to fix the situation.
"I-I don't mean as in 'now you're mine' no, not at all. I mean that, well, it ain't right that I leave you out here in the wilderness, 'cause, you know you don't have anywhere else to go. Or at least that's what you said." Jane said hurriedly, desperately trying to explain what she meant. Heaving a loud sigh, she tried again. "Look, my pack has this crazy habit of letting all kinds of wolves from all walks of life in. Hell, there's more 'outsiders' in our pack than Rizzoli's really." Jane chuckled to herself.
"I wouldn't want to intrude." Maura said quietly, almost to herself.
"Nah, not at all. It would be an honour to have you in our company." Jane smiled, "so, what do ya say?"
Maura lifted her eyes and couldn't help the small chuckle when she saw Jane's big brown eyes staring imploringly back at her.
"Very well, I accept."
Her chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh when a massive smile took over Jane's face.
Jane smiled as she lounged on the small hill that overlooked her pack's den. As the Alpha watched her family, she couldn't help the pride that bubbled up in her chest.
Not a lot had changed over the past month, but the biggest change was definitely Maura's induction into the Rizzoli clan. From the moment they met her, everyone adored Maura and welcomed her with open arms and loving hearts.
They all accepted her, quirks and all. Maura had never felt so loved in all her life.
The first few days had been awkward, especially when Angela very loudly reminded Jane of the reason why she went into the wilderness in the first place. The whole 'Janie-finally-found-a-mate' extravaganza was fairly amusing, until Jane noticed that Maura had started shaking again, still anxious about the idea of being forcibly mated.
Jane had offered Maura her den for her to sleep in, which she reluctantly accepted on the condition that Jane also slept in the den and not outside in the cold. Jane agreed, but wanted a quick word with her Ma on 'correct etiquette around guests', or something to that effect.
When she had returned from the definitely-not-quick chat with her Ma, the Alpha found the Omega huddled up in the corner of the den, whimpering. It was when she approached the honey blonde wolf did she realised what was wrong.
Maura was having a nightmare.
Jane did the only thing she could think to do, which was to try and wake her up as gently as possible. The now-common look of fear in Maura's eyes gave Jane a bad feeling that the nightmare involved herself. But it broke her heart when Maura tried to scramble away from her, as though she thought that Jane was going to attack her. Jane sadly looked on as the Omega cowered and whimpered, before she lowered her head in submission to the Alpha.
To Maura's surprise, Jane didn't claim her or mated her by force, but instead gave her a sympathetic look before moving towards her.
Maura closed her eyes and prepared herself for the inevitable, until she felt something soft brush up against her side. She couldn't hold back the look of surprise on her face when she realised the intimidating Alpha had settled down beside her, nor could she help the little squeal when Jane began to nibble at her ear.
Jane had spent the rest of the night at the Omega's side, and when she awoke, Jane was once again awestruck by Maura's beauty. The sunrise caused her honey blonde fur to glow, as though it was brighter than the sun itself. But the calm, peaceful look on Maura's face was what took the Alpha's breath away.
It was in that moment that the Alpha realised that she might have fallen in love with the honey blonde Omega.
Jane sighed as she came out of her reminiscing. Those first few days seemed years ago, despite being only a month ago. In that one month, Jane and Maura had become closer, much to Jane's delight. No longer did Jane have to be careful about what she said in fear of offending Maura, and the awkward pauses between conversations became a comfortable silence where the two wolves could indulge in each other's company. But while their friendship had grown, so had Jane's feelings for the Omega.
At first, Jane was terrified at the thought of losing her friendship with Maura simply because she couldn't control herself around the Omega. But after a while, the Alpha decided that, no matter what, she would be there for Maura, as a friend or, hopefully, something more.
But that of course wasn't good enough for some. Namely, her mother.
"Janie!"
Jane flopped onto her back, hoping against hope that her Ma wouldn't notice her in the tall grass. It seemed she underestimate her mother's keen sight as about fifteen seconds later she found herself staring up into her Ma's dark brown eyes that were almost identical to her own.
"Janie! Didn't you hear me hollering your name? I wanna to speak to you about Maura."
"What about her?"
"I wanted to know if has her eye on someone, perhaps a wolf from our pack?"
"How should I know?" Jane huffed.
"Well you're the one closest to her, I just thought that maybe she told you, you know?"
"Well she hasn't." The younger wolf muttered, looking away from her mother. She must had zoned out for a moment, because when she turned back to her mother, she found her rambling about who would be the best mate for Maura.
"...and while I did see Tommy look fairly interested in Maura, he of course has Lydia and TJ. But Frankie on the other hand-"
"-What? No, Ma, not Frankie!" Jane almost screeched.
"Why not?" Angela asked, a look of faux innocence in her face as she tilted her head slightly.
"They, they barely know each other! And Frankie ain't good enough for her, you know? And Maura, oh Maura deserves the world! Especially after the piss-poor upbringing she had 'cause her parents couldn't give a rat's ass about her 'cause she wasn't 'biological theirs' or some shit." Jane growled.
Angela smiled at her daughter, chuckling as she watched the Alpha grumble under her breath. Her Janie was so in love but she wouldn't admit it.
Deciding that Jane had been riled up enough, the older wolf sat beside her eldest offspring and sighed. "You do realise that moping around ain't gonna solve anything right? If you love her, go get her. What's stopping you?"
Jane looked at her Ma in shock. She couldn't believe that she had seen that the Alpha was madly in love with the Maura. "W-what? But how..."
"A mother always knows." Angela said with smile.
"It doesn't matter anyway," Jane sighed, "she could never love a wolf like me."
"Why not?"
"She's too good for me."
"Maybe so," Angela laughed, "but I doubt that she thinks you're not good enough for her."
"What do you mean?" Jane asked, not bothering to hold back her confusion.
"Please, she adores you! You should see her face when she watches you leave, you would think she'll never see you again! And you must've seen her face when she sees you coming towards her. It's as though she's watching a magnificent sunrise, and she can't figure out where to focus on, 'cause it's all so beautiful to her. You're scared that she might not love you like you love her? Take a leap in the dark, it's risky, but sometimes you have to risk it all to get what you want, what you need."
The Beta snorted in laughter at the dumbfounded look on her daughter's face, before nudging her side gently. "She's in your den, so now's probably the best time to speak to her. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're not disturbed." She said with a wink.
"Ma!" Jane whined, but she still rested her head on Angela's shoulder in a silent thank-you, earning a few licks behind her left ear.
As Jane reached her den, she noticed that Maura had seen her approaching and had begun to fuss with her fur in an attempt to look her best for the Alpha. When Jane entered the den, she was surprised to find that her Ma had been right about the way Maura marvelled at the Alpha.
'Hopefully it ain't the only thing she was right about.' Jane thought.
"Jane, hello! I was just about to eat some of the hare you caught a while ago and I was wondering how much you want of it?"
"I don't mind, have as much as you want." Jane chuckled at the look of shock on her friend's face.
"But you caught it! It's only fair that you have the majority of it, if not all of it!" Maura protested.
"Then what will you eat?"
"I can hunt for myself-"
"Answer me this, how many hunts have you been on since you joined the pack?"
"Twenty." Maura replied.
"Okay," Jane's smile slowly shifted into a smirk, "and how much prey have you caught?"
Jane barely heard Maura's mumbled "None."
"And how much prey did the pack lose out on because you can't stalk like a normal wolf?" Jane asked before she could stop herself. If she had said this to any other wolf in the pack, they would have either laughed it off or, if it was one of her brothers, challenged her to a fight which they would definitely lose. But Maura wasn't aware of Jane's sense of humour and had obviously decided that Jane was mocking her for being incompetent.
Jane watched as the Omega folded in on herself, so as to make herself appear as small as possible. Then, without looking up at Alpha, Maura haltingly whispered, "I'm so sorry Jane, I-I'll try harder next time, I swear. Please don't get rid of me, I really like it here. Please, I'll do anything, I promise."
Jane could feel her heart breaking all over again. Didn't she promise Maura that she wouldn't hurt her, and yet here she was, making the honey blonde wolf feel like shit.
'You're suppose to be telling her how you feel! Hurting her feelings ain't gonna make her fall in love with you, dipshit!' The voice of Angela boomed in Jane head, and she was pissed, evidenced by the more-than-colourful insult. Again, it's just best to avoid her wrath.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so cruel." Jane sighed as she moved to lay down on Maura's left, giving a small huff when the other wolf wouldn't meet her eye. "I think that it might be best if you didn't go on any hunts for a while." Jane began, but her voice petered out when she saw the look of hurt on the Omega's face. But before Maura could open her mouth to rebuke her, Jane continued, "I think that instead you should be given hunting lessons, 'cause all pups learn to hunt from their parents but I'm assuming that your parents neglected to teach you. So I was wondering if you would like me to teach you everything I know so you can hunt with everyone else." Jane rambled, before looking away from the curious look Maura was giving her.
"Why would you do that for me?" Maura asked quietly, so as not to break the peaceful moment between them.
'Because I love you Maur.' Jane instantly replied in her head, shaking it slightly in a poor attempt to push the thought to the back of her head. Now probably wouldn't be the best time to admit her feelings, especially after she insulted the Omega. "You're my friend Maura, and I would do anything for you."
"Really?" Maura asked with a small, hesitant smile.
"Really and truly."
While Angela had been disappointed and annoyed that Jane hadn't told Maura of her love for her, she was quite pleased of the whole 'hunting lessons' idea. She had made Jane swear that she would go easy on the Omega, though Jane was adamant that she was going to be patient with Maura anyway.
However, Jane was pleasantly surprised to find that Maura was a fast learner who didn't mind being pushed to her limits and found that she enjoyed a challenge. Unbeknownst to the Alpha, Maura was actually enjoying the attention she received from raven wolf and had fallen in love with Jane over the course of the three months she had known her. The hunting lessons she received during the second and third month only confirmed her beliefs that Jane was the best mate she could ever ask for.
Jane was everything she ever wanted in a mate, and she had to admit that there were some moments during her lessons where she would indulge in little fantasies about Jane. Her favourites were the ones where she imagined the Alpha patiently teaching their own little pups how to hunt and howl at the moon.
It was in these moments that Maura knew she wanted Jane. All she had to do was wait for the perfect moment to make her move. Like a predator stalking its prey, a skill which she had, coincidentally, mastered over the last couple of months.
Now she just had to put her skills to use.
"Maur? Maura! You keep zoning out on me, what's got you so distracted?" Jane asked, the slight frustration evident in her tone.
"Pardon? Oh, I am sorry Jane, I was just, well, lost in my head for a moment. Again, I am so sorry Jane I-"
"-it's alright Maura," Jane interrupted with a chuckle, "I understand that this is your last lesson, and that you're more than capable of hunting all types of prey, either alone or as part of a group, but I just want to see your pounce. You down for that?"
"Yes, I am 'down for that' if you are Jane." Maura said with the most adorable smile is that Jane had to forcibly hold back her squeal. Because Jane does not squeal. No. Never.
Clearing her throat in an attempt to snap out of her Maura-induced daze, Jane nodded her head. "Good," she said in a gruff voice.
It was after her fifth pounce on the pretend prey that Maura had a brilliant idea. "Jane," Maura began with a huff, "I cannot keep using the hare as my prey, I have practically mauled it the point of all recognition." She wasn't exaggerating. The Omega had destroyed the dead hare - which she caught herself, thank you - to the point that it was just a lump of fur covered in blood. Even Jane had to admit that it was a lost cause by now.
"Yeah, you're right, but what else can you pounce on? It'd take forever to find another hare or something bigger-"
"-I can think of something to pounce on." Maura said with a wolfish grin, which looked all the more intimidating on an actual wolf's face.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?"
The Alpha's words died on her tongue as she watched the honey blonde Omega stalk towards her, just as Jane had taught her to do. Even Jane had to admit that it was a real turn on to see the Omega approach her as if she was an innocent little bunny, who was about to get a nice view of Maura's mouth and strong jaw.
Maura was only a few short inches away when she leant in towards Jane's ear and whispered a playful, "you," before she made a lunge at the Alpha.
Jane found herself staring up at the gorgeous Omega with a goofy smile, which only grew at the heavenly laugh that came from the wolf on top of her.
Before she could lose her confidence, Jane nudged Maura's snout with her own and pressed their noses together in a canine kiss. The look of surprise and pure happiness on Maura's face was so beautiful, Jane couldn't even begin to find the words that did Maura's beauty any justice.
"Maura, you're the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. You're warm, kind, caring, intelligent and by far the most beautiful wolf I have ever had the privilege of meeting. I never realised that I was missing something so important in my life until I met you. And, well, I was wondering if, no, I'm hoping that you would allow me the honour of courting you and to one day become each other's mates." The Alpha said in a rush, all the while avoiding Maura's gaze.
Barely a second had passed when Jane heard a teary but incredibly joyful, "Yes."
The jubilation Jane felt in that moment was overwhelming to say the least. She felt as though she could howl to hundreds of moons in a single breath, or tackle a ginormous mountain bear all by herself. But instead of leaping to her feet to proclaim to the world that Maura, the absolutely fabulous Omega, was her mate - or soon to be mate, whatever - like she really wanted to, Jane relaxed on the grass and smiled as Maura snuggled her snout into the crook of her neck and sighed in content. The Alpha closed her eyes as she embraced the comforting weight of her Omega on top of her. She finally found her other half, her soulmate.