Title: The Troubles
Authors: Heidi and Cindy
Rating: M

Disclaimer: If these were our characters, we wouldn't be wiping noses for a living.

Notes: This is the third story in our Werewolf Anthology. Story 1-With Open Eyes, Story 2-One Hand, One Heart, One Life. There are 2 more stories after this one.

Summary-A new life does not come without perils.

"While in the history of the Lycan culture there have been many instances of an inept or cruel rule being overthrown by popular dissent, revolution, or even subterfuge, only one was ever driven by something as simple as the love of one mate for another.

-From "A History of the Westerville Pack and the Anderson Family" by David Thompson of Westerville

Kurt woke slowly, stretching in contentment, but keenly aware of the soreness in his body from the activity of the last several days. Smiling and snuggling back down into the downy pillows and comforter, he turned to look over at his mate. The sun was slanting through the windows and hitting the riotous curls on Blaine's head making them glow like a halo around him. Kurt's eyes softened as he gazed at the man he was now sharing his life with and he resisted the urge to reach out and gently touch the sculpted planes of his face. He couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten so very lucky.

Yeah, he was a healthy teenage boy who knew what sex was in the abstract and he'd gotten off a few times, more since he'd met Blaine, but he'd never imagined it could be like it was with the man sleeping peacefully next to him.

That first time, when they'd woken up after the ceremony, had been nothing short of magical to him. In Kurt's mind, it hadn't been sex. Blaine had reverently made love to him. He'd never been touched or kissed in such a way and it had made his blood sing in his veins. Every time after that, even when they were ripping each other's clothes off, somehow Blaine had made Kurt feel that he was special and loved. Kurt's contented smile grew even wider as he saw his mate's eyelids begin to flutter and he watched as Blaine slowly awoke.

"Hi." Blaine murmured his voice still husky with sleep and his eyes drowsy.

"Hi yourself," Kurt responded. "It's morning."

"So, I see." Blaine nodded, his eyes drinking in his mate's beautiful body. Kurt was like every dream and every fantasy he'd ever had come to life. Unable to resist, Blaine leaned forward and captured Kurt's lips in a lingering kiss.

"As much as I would love to continue that, "Kurt said pulling away. "Today I'm going to make breakfast." He knew if he didn't get out of bed now, they would end up staying there all day as they had the last two.

"Or we could stay here," Blaine suggested with a roguish waggle of his eyebrows which had Kurt giggling before he assumed a mock stern expression.

"Blaine, as much of a romantic as I am, even I know that we can't live on love alone. Now, pancakes ok with you?" Kurt asked slipping out of bed and pulling on a pair of pajama pants.

"You don't have to do that, Kurt." Blaine didn't want to start their lives out like this; Kurt feeling like he had to be the 'wife' in their relationship.

"I want to. We're mates. It's my job to take care of you," Kurt insisted.

"Kurt, we're partners. You're not the subservient one in this relationship, regardless of what others might assume. As much as some people may not see us as equals when we're out in the real world, in our home, it's a partnership that's equal."

"You've been taking care of me since we met, Blaine. I want to cook you breakfast because I like to cook," Kurt said sitting down next to his mate and taking his hand. "But you have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that… to know that I'll have a safe place in the world where I'll be listened to as an equal and treated the same way."

"You'll always have a safe place if I have anything to say about it Kurt. I love you," Blaine said simply.

"I love you too," Kurt said leaning down to kiss his mate. Maybe breakfast could wait after all.

More than an hour later, Blaine sat at the table watching Kurt work, something he discovered he enjoyed doing. He knew his mate was pleased with the fully stocked kitchen, which they had yet to really take advantage of, because of the smile on his face as he dug ingredients out and began to assemble things on the counter. He wondered yet again how he got so lucky to find Kurt. There were times he'd been worried that he would either be alone for life or be mated to some subservient wolf he would grow to hate, and yet somehow, here he was with this perfect man. Someone was obviously watching out for him.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Kurt asked as he sat their plates down on the table and dug into the breakfast of pancakes and strawberries he'd made.

"I know we've talked about this once before, but there are some things I need to explain to you about my father. Okay?" Blaine knew he should have done this sooner, but time had just seemed to run out before the mating ceremony.

"Okay." Kurt said frowning in concern, but ready to listen when an unexpected knock startled them both. Blaine immediately got up and went to the door. A sour look came over his face.

"Speak of the devil." Blaine muttered, schooling his features and opening the door.

"Good morning Father. And to what do we owe this unexpected surprise?" Blaine asked, unhappy with the rude interruption.

"I came to see how you were doing," Drake didn't bother to hide the way his eyes roamed over Kurt's form. Blaine fought the urge to step closer to Kurt and growl possessively at his father, especially when he saw that his mate was obviously uncomfortable with Drake's presence.

"We're fine. We were just sitting down to breakfast would you care for some?" Kurt answered his new father-in-law as pleasantly as he was able to. Even if he didn't care for the man, Kurt still felt obligated to be respectful.

"I wasn't talking to you, boy." Drake glared at Kurt.

"Excuse me?" Kurt couldn't believe the rudeness of Drake Anderson.

"Blaine, really. You must do a better job of controlling your mate. You know it's unacceptable for him to address an Alpha so casually."

"I was getting ready to discuss your expectations with him when you arrived Father," Blaine said stiffly.

"We've only been mated for a very short time after all, and, forgive me for being so blunt, but we didn't exactly spend it talking. You know the effect the mating has, sir."

"Well at least you've done something right then," Drake said with a smirk. "Very well… I'm willing to give you a little leeway right now, but not after."

"He's my mate, Father. I'll handle any issues which may arise with him just as you expect me to," Blaine asserted. He hated how he had to treat the man he loved like a second class citizen because of his own father.

"See that you do Blaine. He needs to understand exactly what his place is. We can't afford to have any mistakes." Drake ruled his pack with an iron fist and wasn't about to let a mere breeder like Kurt Hummel undermine that. People who tried to cross him had a bad history of going missing or ending up dead in 'accidents'. "Remember, punishments are doled out swiftly in this pack. I would hate to see him punished by an elder because you are unable to keep him in line."

"Yes, sir," Blaine replied between clenched teeth.

"Good. Then I will leave you two to talk." Drake sauntered out of the cabin with a smirk on his face.

"Okay, Blaine. What the hell is with your father? I mean I know you said he was bad but that… that was ridiculous," Kurt whirled on Blaine the minute his father's car had pulled away. He was, understandably Blaine felt, seriously pissed off.

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about," Blaine sighed. "You know things in the pack aren't exactly great and changes will be made, but for right now, you have to be careful around my father. He's old fashioned in thinking that mates are to be seen and not heard. He fully expects you to heed my word and do what I say and not argue with me. If you act out, he will expect me to punish you swiftly and firmly. It puts us in a very difficult position. I refuse to treat you that way, but there are so many people depending on me to fix this mess that, until we have everything in place, I can't go against him openly. I have to protect them. I'm all they have and it's my duty. We'll have to be very careful how we act in public Kurt…"

"I understand that you're playing a very tricky game with your father right now," Kurt interrupted, clearly livid with the whole situation. "I had caught on to that much just from the conversations we'd already had, but does your father really think I'm just going to roll over for you because we're mated?"

"Yes… he does," Blaine said quietly.

"So I'm to be some sort of bowing scraping subservient … baby factory when your father is around?" Kurt demanded. "That's what my life will be now?"

"God no Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed. "I would never ask that of you."

"You didn't Blaine. It's what he expects though isn't it?" Kurt pushed. Blaine sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. This was not how he wanted his honeymoon to go.

"Yes," he admitted at last.

"Then that's what I'll be when he's around," Kurt stated. Blaine's eyes widened in shock.

"Kurt no! I don't… you can't…" Blaine stuttered. "I wasn't quite ready to declare myself yet, but I will not see you humiliated, nor will I see you put yourself in danger."

"Don't you think that should be my decision Blaine? I can play a role around the man just as easily as you can and obviously have had to, especially if it is for the good of the pack and your protection," Kurt challenged.

"Kurt you don't understand," Blaine replied clearly agitated. "If we do this, we will have to be flawless. He is dangerous and he will not hesitate to destroy you if he perceives you as any sort of threat to him. He's done it to others before."

"Then we will put on the performance of a lifetime around him. If I'm going to do that however, I think I deserve to know exactly what's going on, and I mean everything, not the abridged version I got before the mating ceremony. Don't you?" Kurt said, crossing his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow. Blaine sighed running a hand through his hair.

"I was going to talk to you about this today anyway, but just please understand that there are others involved besides me, so I can't tell you everything," Blaine said. "That doesn't mean I am agreeing to this though, just so we're clear."

"Hmph, we'll see about that," Kurt muttered. They'd fight about it later, and he would get his way. He almost always did. "Start talking then."

"Four years ago, when Grandfather died, my father became Alpha. Almost immediately he began making changes. You see, he'd allied himself with a group of ultraconservatives in the pack who were not fans of my grandfather. They felt he was too liberal… that he had allowed mates too many freedoms and was moving too far away from the old ways," Blaine began.

"The old ways were barbaric Blaine. He was right to move away from them," Kurt pointed out.

"I couldn't agree more. My father unfortunately does not. He and grandfather did not get along. Father has reversed pretty much every law Grandfather made to protect the weaker members of the pack and instituted other laws which almost completely remove any rights they had. I was only thirteen at the time. I had no idea how to stop him, but I hated what he was doing," Blaine said.

"God that's horrible," Kurt said. "Didn't anyone stand up to him?"

"Of course they did… at first. Then people began to disappear, or die suddenly. I couldn't just sit by anymore. I started getting people together working in secret trying to find a way to right all of the wrongs he's committed. You were right when you said I've been playing a role. Since I was fourteen I've done everything I could to convince him I was his dutiful son. I had to make him think that I'm weak… that I'm not a threat, just biding my time until I was recognized as an adult and could challenge him. Some of the things I've had to see him do…" Blaine shuddered.

"Oh Blaine," Kurt said, pulling him tightly to him as his mate took deep breaths trying to calm himself

"I'm sorry you've had to deal with this."

"I've done what had to be done Kurt. Thank god I've not been completely alone at least. There are others whom I've gotten to help me. The Warblers are somewhat more than just a show choir. We do what we can to protect the pack and to try to right some of the horrors my father has perpetrated. It's not been easy though," Blaine responded.

"And the burden of it has fallen upon you," Kurt asserted. "You're their leader. He's your father…"

"I'm the Alpha and this is my pack, even if I don't have the title yet. What choice do I have?" Blaine asked. "There's more though. You need to understand just how… vile he is, just what he's capable of. Last summer, just before Will approached us with the alliance proposal, a spy we have in my father's inner circle found out something that just… God Kurt it makes me sick to think of. Apparently Grandfather had informed my father that he was not going to pass the Alpha title to him but give it to me instead. Grandfather died two days later, before he could make it official. I think Father had him killed and made it look like a heart attack."

"Oh my God. His own father? Blaine if he'd kill his own father then…" Kurt murmured his eyes wide with revulsion.

"No one is safe. We've been trying to find evidence to take before the council and have Father removed, but he's been very careful. I thought about challenging him, but I couldn't because I wasn't considered an adult. I… Kurt that's part of the reason I was so adamant about sticking to this agreement, because now I'm considered an adult. Now I can challenge him if things get worse or if we run out of options with the council," Blaine admitted looking guiltily at Kurt.

"That's… that's why you mated with me?" Kurt asked in a very small voice.

"I said it was part of the reason baby. I never expected to fall in love and holy hell I fell hard for you… I love you so very much. You mean more to me than anyone. If you asked me right now to walk away from this pack and this whole mess I would do it… for you. Please believe me," Blaine said earnestly, for once letting every emotion he was feeling show on his face.

"I do and I would never ask that of you," Kurt said softly, laying his head on Blaine's shoulder. "So what happens now?"

"Now I continue to gather support on the council to have him removed and try to find proof of what he did to Grandfather. If things get too much worse for the pack or if he becomes a threat to you, however, I'll have to find a more expedient option. For now, I'll continue to play the loyal, obedient son," Blaine replied.

"And I'll be your dutiful little mate," Kurt said his voice determined.

"Kurt…" Blaine began.

"Blaine Anderson, you said you consider me your equal. If you can do this, then so can I," Kurt insisted. Blaine studied him for a long time taking in the stubborn glint in his mate's eyes before sighing and throwing up his hands in defeat.

"Fine Kurt. We'll do it your way, for now, but if push comes to shove… if I feel it's gotten too dangerous for you… you will allow me to get you away from here, back to Lima without protest, until I remove him from power."

"Fine," Kurt agreed. "But I don't like it. My place is not in Lima anymore. It's here with you."

"I love you Kurt," Blaine said pulling his new mate into his arms.

"I love you too Blaine, although I have to say this certainly is not how I expected to spend the day," Kurt said chuckling mirthlessly.

"I'm sorry. It's not what I wanted either. I had intended to take you to our new home and have at least a few more days of peace before we had to deal with all of this," Blaine sighed.

"We can still do that. Put this aside for now and enjoy our time together. Let me be your shelter against the storm for a change," Kurt said. Blaine looked up at his mate with wonder in his eyes.

"You're amazing. Do you know that? I lay all of this on you and instead of freaking out like I expected, you're taking care of me," he said, grateful that Kurt was so willing to stand with him as he dealt with the mess that was his life and pack.

"What can I say? I'm just rather fabulous like that," Kurt smirked. "So we're going to the house then?" He was anxious to start setting up their home, joining their things together.

"Yes love, let's get dressed and we can go home." Blaine said, happy that, despite everything, Kurt was still willing and even eager to start their lives together.