Chapter 10

3rd POV

"Welcome home son!" Jenna cries as she nuzzles deeply into her son's neck.

"Aww mom!" Kodi cries, happy to be with his parents once more, but not really appreciating the amount of affection being displayed in front of his sled team.

"Come on kid." Ralph says with a wide grin, "that's a sweet moment."

"Enjoy it," coos Dusty. Kodi does indeed enjoy it, nothing beats the warm embrace of a mother, even if his friends are standing a few feet behind quietly chuckling about how 'adorable' he looks.

The mail team has just been relieved from their duty by their human and was allowed to roam around for the rest of the day. As soon as the crowd of people received their mail they had dispersed and this was when the small family reunited with their traveling son in front of the post office.

Finally Jena moves back and Balto steps forward. "It is good to have you back home safely son," beams the proud father.

"Thanks dad." Kodi says as he bobs his head while his tail wagged a bit. Though he doesn't embrace his son like his mother, the young husky hybrid can still see the love within his father's eyes.

"What about me?" a voice suddenly pipes up.

Kodi grins widens when he turns towards Aleu who smiles back at her brother, but before either of them could say anything more they hear a high pitch whistle.

"Wow," Kirby says after he finishes his whistle, "what a hot-"

"Hey!" Kodi suddenly snaps at the eldest dog, "that my sister!"

"Oh," instantly Kirby's goofy smile vanishes as he rubs a paw against the back of his head as he looks away, chuckling nervously. "Sorry."

Kodi rolls his eyes as he turns back to Aleu. "Just ignore him, we all do whenever he thinks he met 'the one'."

Aleu giggles at the word as Kodi walks forward and rubs against his sister affectionately. "It's so wonderful seeing you again Aleu."

"It's great seeing you too Kodi," Aleu says as they step back and look at each other, "I have so much to tell you."

"Oh?" Kodi quirks an eyebrow. "Well I have something to tell you." He looks at his parents and uncle, "all of you really." He then returns to giving Aleu a teasing smile. "And I bet it's more interesting than your story."

Aleu puts on a face of mock surprise. "Really?" she asks in a supposedly innocent voice. "So getting adopted into a wolf pack and becoming their alpha isn't shocking to you?" Aleu busts out laughing as she watches Kodi's grin instantly changes as his jaw drops and gapes at his sister.

Dusty's eyes are bulging open as well and Kirby's jaw has dropped open in complete surprise. Ralph only arches his own eyebrow before shaking his head. "By this point I don't think there's anything that this family can do that can surprise me."

This comment gets a chuckle from Balto, as he too wonders what other crazy adventures the rest of his children are getting themselves into.

"Well...uh..." Kodi tries his best to speak again, but this revelation was a little too much for him to fully comprehend. Becoming the leader of a wolf pack never occurred to him.

Aleu laughs at the look on her brother's face. "Don't worry Kodi, it took days for papa to accept it as well."

Kodi continues to stare aghast at his sibling before turning his stunned gaze to his parents. His mother's small grin shows her agreement with the statement while it also mingled with some motherly worry. Balto merely gives a brief nod of his head, both confirming what their daughter had said, along with some of their own reluctance in recognizing the truth in her statement.

The mail team in turn slowly look among themselves in both wonder, confusion and light concern. Is there a special way that they are supposed to greet Aleu now? A formality that they have to perform? And if they did insult her in any way would they be thrown to the wolves? Literally?

"Um...greetings...Alpha?" Ralph starts out slowly, unsure if he is doing this correctly. He shudders in fear and worry when Aleu rolls her eyes, but relaxes when she answers him. "Just call me Aleu, unlike my brother, you don't have to treat me like royalty."

"What?" demands an undignified Kodi.

Balto just shakes his head before head butting Kodi, catching the husky off guard and gaining his attention. "Okay son, now that we know what Aleu has been up to, what is it that you wanted to say?"

"Oh," Kodi slowly looks away, not meeting anyone's gaze. He isn't sad, but he is defiantly nervous as he releases a chuckle and rubs the back of his head with a paw, "yes...about that..."

Jenna tilts her head as she watches her offspring closely. "Kodi, is there something wrong?"

"Uh..." Kodi continues to be tongue tied, looking between Balto, Jenna and Aleu as if he was prey that is backed into a corner by predators.

Dusty then walks forward and surprises the small family as she rubs her side against Kodi's body and licks his face. That was far too much affectionate for two dogs to be more than just friends. Apparently the surprise is that Kodi and Dusty are together now, possibly as mates.

Instantly Kodi's parents gave each other a look, almost as if they are communicating through their eyes alone. They've only known Dusty briefly, but in that time they have come to know her as a respectful husky who is also strong and kind. Furthermore, if Kodi decides that Dusty is an ideal mate, then they should trust their son's decision. Besides, the two young dogs are already on the same sled teams, even if they have complaints there isn't much that they can do about it.

Kodi must have seen what was transpiring between his parents and becomes nervous again. His anxiousness proves to be contagious for Dusty soon feels herself becoming quite as well, suddenly questioning herself for her recent actions. "Sorry for not telling either of you this earlier," Kodi says with an apologetic gleam in his eye, "but it just...we couldn't..." Finally he sighs as he looks at the husky by his side before saying with a big smile. "I love her and I couldn't go another day without being with her."

Dusty looks away, seeming to be blushing beneath her fur while her eyes shine with happiness.

They are silent for a moment before his mother beams at the couple. "Well its lovely you found a mate Kodi." She then turns to Dusty, "and it's wonderful to have you with us now Dusty."

The young husky gives a timid smile, but in actuality is overjoyed that her mate's family has accepted her.

Aleu however felt a stirring inside of her. She is happy for her brother, she truly is, but for some reason this causes a sudden pang within her, one feeling of loneliness. She frowns lightly to herself and tries to banish the emotion. She has no need for it, besides she isn't alone, she has her family and her pack, what more could she need?

She knew the answer though, and it is the presence of a male...one who could love her. Keep her warm. Keep her safe. A presence that she could retreat to, find strength in, tell her secrets to and to be generally cared for while she in turn cared for her.

She briefly closes her mind and allows her imagination a moment of respite, just to ward off the unwanted feeling within her. She can picture warm soft fur rubbing against her. Her head rubbing against his side, feeling unbelievable amounts of muscle holding strong against her nuzzling. Looking up into the male's face…his midnight black fur...the warmth of his breath warming her...the blazing blood red eyes staring back at her and into her very soul. A dark creature that offers her protection and-

Aleu quickly jerks her head back and releases a small gasp at what her own mind had imagined. She just pictured herself being mated with Omega. She feels her cheeks warming and she fights hard to keep herself from looking down at the ground despite the fact nobody present noticed her flustered state.

Despite the inner turmoil though, deep down she knew the response to her answer. So far ever since she and her wolf pack have returned she has only ever confided her feelings, her past and her thoughts to two things; her family and Omega.

He knows everything about her, he has an impressive body mass and he even seems to be suffering from the same sadness that had plagued her when she had first learned of her wolf heritage. Despite that though he is willing to stand tall and strong, ready to fight, ready for the attack; just like her when she felt she was alone in the world.

Only unlike her he has an ally, her and she is willing to do whatever she can to help make him feel better. And despite her doing her best to see reason, she felt pulled towards him despite his specie's oddness, in her eyes they just make him more interesting, a mystery that needs to be further investigated and learned about. In turn she will also help him to feel welcome in his new home. Maybe that would cause him to consider…

She shakes her head again.

No, he probably wouldn't want that. So far he has shown little signs of interest in her and the emotions she is feeling could all be one sided. She could feel like this for him but there is no guarantee that he is feeling this way for her. She has a crush, a simple liking towards him and nothing more.

Besides, he is of a different species, he would most likely want someone of his own kind. Someone far better than me…

At this she looks back up and is surprised with what she sees next.

Kodi has a confused look on his face as he gazes at something beyond Aleu.

Curious, the she-wolf looks behind her and sees a human male.

She was about to dismiss him when she notices something...off about him. Most humans would usually glance at the dogs before looking away and continuing on with their business. This one however, he is keeping his full attention on her and her family.

He is clothed in a long grey cloak that covers his legs down to his knees, is wearing thick boots. He has black fur barely peeking out from under the coat, a young face and green eyes that seem captivating. They are truly set solely on her family, but within there is no malice or anger that she usually sees in the few humans that are suspicious of wolf hybrids. Yet his eyes looks almost...sorrowful.

There also seems to be a sort of…aura the male is radiating. His arms are crossed as he stands there, seeming to be as solid as stone, doing absolutely nothing. That didn't stop the strange feeling washing over Aleu though, a feeling that isn't uncomfortable, yet wasn't welcoming either. It is as if there is a little voice speaking into her ear; telling her that this human is different.

That isn't the oddest thing though for his eyes...they look...familiar. She squints a little, trying to look further into the green orbs, trying to retract whatever secret is hidden there. At that moment the human looks directly at her and...time seem to freeze. Everything got quiet as she look on at this human and his eyes, his sad, soul cringed eyes. So familiar, but also so alien at the same time.

Suddenly he jerks back as if he has been stuck, immediately breaking eye contact with Aleu. He then turns around and walks away, not glancing back at her for even a second as he continues down the street.

She is filled with the sudden urge to follow him. To comfort him. But why? She doesn't even know who he is. And yet...

"Uh," Kodi's voice brings her back to reality and she turns to look at him. "Who was that?"

"He looked...mysterious." Dusty says hesitantly, seeming to have a troubled time trying to think of ways to describe the experience.

"If by interesting you mean creepy then I agree with you." Ralph speaks up next.

"That wasn't normal," Kirby agrees. "Even by human standards, that has to be seen as strange."

Aleu doesn't say a thing. What can she say? Should she defend the human? But how and why?

"Yes." Balto says in a protective tone as he continues to watch the male walk away with a rather hostile look that reminds Aleu of when her father first set his gaze upon Omega. "There have been some...changes since you last been here."

"Like that human?" Kodi questions.

"Yes." Jenna answers, who looks uncomfortable talking the current subject, "his name is Perseus Jackson."

Aleu instantly is on alert upon hearing these words and turns to her mother. "Perseus Jackson?" She asks to ensure she heard correctly, "That's Omega's human companion!" She couldn't help but note the irony that she was just thinking of the wolf-creature in question not too long ago.

Balto gives a small smirk as he looks at his daughter. "They share a lot in common, don't they?"

Aleu made to answer, but stops and closes her mouth. Her father has a point there and that scared her for some reason. Is that why he looked so familiar? Is Percy suffering from the same loneliness that Omega is? She remembers how defensive he was when her father accused his human of trouble making, perhaps that loneliness is where the loyalty was born.

"Um excuse me." The father turns back to his son and his friends who looked beyond confused. "who is Omega? Or Perseus for that matter?"

"It's a long story," Balto says as if this would wrap anything up.

"We have time," Ralph voices as he sits down, "next mail run isn't due for a few days."

The others in the team nod their heads as they put all their attention on Balto and his family, patiently waiting for an explanation.

Balto finally sighs. He didn't want to dampen this reunion, but seeing his son's resolve, and knowing that the mail team will hear about it eventually, it might be for the best that he tells them here and now.

"Alright." He says as he looks up at the team, wondering where to start since this is the first time he had to explain the strange happenings that have been occurring in Nome recently. "It began several days ago, close to the start of last week." The old hybrid begins. "As far as anyone knew it was a normal day, sunny skies, working humans and no accidents or disasters to worry about."

Kodi actually had to work hard to keep a smirk off of his face. This is starting to sound like one of the many ghost stories that his uncle Boris had told him before he and his siblings went to bed when they were pups. The look of amusement fell from his face however when he notices his mother and sister. Both of them aren't smiling, in fact they look solemn; his mother trying to keep her eyes from looking at the ground and Aleu suddenly found the pebble by her front paw to be interesting as she rolls it back and forth across the floor. The females are the strongest in the family, seeing them suddenly looking worried doesn't make Kodi feel better, in fact it set him on edge.

"Aleu had just returned from the wilderness." Balto continues, "and had told the dogs that she and her wolf pack have come to stay in the forest-"

"What!?" Kirby suddenly interrupts as he shoots up to his feet. "There are wolves here!?" He suddenly begins to look around as if expecting a feral animal to come charging at them at any moment.

Kodi coughs and gains Kirby's attention. He then raises his paw and says, "I'm part wolf you know." Kirby then calms down before sinking down to the floor again, smiling meekly as he chuckles lightly to himself.

After the brief interruption, Balto restarts his story. "As I was saying, not long after Aleu's return we received word that a new human had arrived in town, one that is different from the others."

"Perseus Jackson." Dusty guesses.

"Yes, him," Balto acknowledges with a nod. "He has forsaken the company of his species by secluding himself to the forest, doesn't socializes with anyone in the village and he is just...well, every time people have seen him he just looks depressed."

"So?" Ralph asks. "Every litter has an oddball and from all our traveling we can safely say that not all humans are the same."

"True," Agrees Balto. "But this Jackson fellow also has the smell of a wolf about him."

"What?" Kirby demands, "but that's impossible right?"

"Ordinarily," Jenna voices. "But I came within close proximity of him myself and there is no doubt about it; he has the scent of a wolf."

"But that can't be mom." Kodi voices in disbelief, "in order for someone to smell like a wolf they have to be a wolf or live among them since birth."

"Which furthers adds to the mystery." Balto continues. "And not only that but...well, we had yet to see it for ourselves but with everything that has been happening it could be possible."

"What?" asks a slightly mystified Dusty.

"There has been talk that he could growl," Jenna answers.

"Growl?" Kodi asks, wondering if he heard right.

Balto releases a puff of air before nodding grimly, "I know this sounds crazy son, even I am having trouble believing it, but after everything that has happened I wouldn't be surprised if this was true."

Hesitantly the dog team look among themselves, silently asking the other a simple question; do they believe it? In all honesty, none of them would even entertain the thought, it just sounds too fantastic to even consider. But this is Balto that is speaking to them, the soundest minded wolf they have ever met, a hero for crying out loud. They would believe anything that he would say, but this may actually be pushing the limit.

Still...his mate and his daughter Aleu haven't been voicing any objections so does that mean they too believe in what is being said?

"Well...things have...changed a lot I suppose." Kodi begins slowly, unsure with what to say, "But all in all...that doesn't sound too bad."

"That's because you have yet to have heard of his animal companion." Balto tells his son.

"Animal companion?" asks a perplex Ralph, "like what? A dog?"

"Or a wolf?" Kirby asks lightly and tries to laugh but it came out humorless and fearfully. His attempt of lightening the mood failing miserably.

"It's...a" Balto looks out of the corner of his eyes towards Aleu, hoping that she could help a bit.

Aleu for her part isn't quite sure with what it is that she should say. Despite her few encounters with Omega they haven't gotten close to speaking about his species. She also didn't really feel right with talking about him right now without his permission, but still this might be for the best, in this way Kodi and the others will know of his existence and maybe she can be able to convince them that he isn't dangerous.

She takes a deep breath before speaking. "We don't know yet, even he isn't sure what exactly he is." She answers truthfully before rushing along, "but still he's friendly and he-"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kirby suddenly interrupts, "is he a dog? A cat? A bird maybe?"

Aleu nervously licks her chops before stating, "as far as we know...he might be some breed of wolf."

"The people here allows him to have a wolf for a pet?" Dusty asks, astounded by such a thing.

"Not exactly," Balto answers, "so far it seems that the people aren't aware of the wolf's-"

"Omega," Aleu suddenly speaks up with a bright fire of defensiveness in her gaze, "his name is Omega."

"Yes, Omega" Balto agrees, giving his daughter a sideways look after her sudden outburst. "As I was saying, the town's people haven't seen him yet and so far we are still deciding whether to tell them or not."

"Either way it's risky," injects Ralph. "The humans would surely panic upon seeing a full grown wolf living among them."

"That's not all though," Aleu says hesitantly. "You see Omega isn't exactly a...normal wolf."

These words made Kodi's stomach drop. "What do you mean by not a normal wolf?"

Aleu finally shakes her head in frustration. "Look maybe it's best that you see him yourself," she says in an annoyed voice. "I honestly don't know where to begin talking about him."

"That is probably a good idea," supports Balto. "I'm still having trouble understanding what it is that I saw for myself."

"Not making us feel any better dad." Kodi says, speaking truthfully considering the rest of the mail team have suddenly become a bundle of nerves.

"Omega is fine," Aleu tries to tell her brother with a smile. "He is actually quite nice and once you get to know him I'm sure you two could be good friends."

"Friends?" Kodi questions. "Yes, friends with a wolf whose mere mention puts a glum look on our parent's faces would surely be interesting."

Before his sister could respond, Balto steps in. "Look," he says. "Let's not discuss such things now, alright? I'm sure Kodi and the team here are tired from their journey, the last thing they would want is to hear premature ghost stories."

"Yes please," Kirby all but whimpers as he lies on the ground with wide eyes and his tail tuck close to his body.

"Alright then," Balto says with a grin. "Follow us to the boat, I'm sure a nice quiet meal with your uncle will replenish your strength Kodi."

After a round of agreement from everyone present, the dogs and hybrids begins to walk out of town, heading towards the outskirts.

Aleu engages with her father and mother in conversation while Ralph and Kirby started whispering and chuckling to each other, possibly coming up with various pranks they could pull off while they are in Nome.

Dusty has maneuvered herself so that she could be closer to her mate as she presses close to him and rubs her head a little under his chin. He likes the gesture, but he is sure he felt her shiver and he knew why.

"What do you think of what your parents just said?" Dusty asks him when she pulls away but stays close to his side.

"I don't know." Kodi answers as his brows furrow while in deep thought. "They always been so reasonable and smart, they wouldn't let anything like this bother them unless it was serious."

"It certainly sounds creepy though." She tells him as she lightly shivers, prompting him to lick her muzzle and causing her to look up at him with twinkling eyes.

"Don't worry Dusty," he tells her in a reassuring voice, "everything will be fine."

She makes a small humming sound and they fall silent, basking in each other's warmth as they walk. Only a few seconds later does Dusty speaks again. "You didn't tell them," she says bluntly.

Kodi gives her a cheesy smile. "Well I was nervous."

"Nervous about our relationship." She amends while casting him a doubting look. "Makes me wonder how you're going to look trying to tell your parents."

"I will," he says firmly before adding, "soon."

"Do you think they approve of me?" she asks with concern in her voice.

In answer Kodi licks her again with a bright smile. "Of course they do, I can tell...you have nothing to worry about."

"Alright," Dusty says with obvious relief. "Still...will that change after you tell them?" She thinks for a moment before saying, "should we tell them?"

Kodi nearly trips upon hearing those word and turns his stun face towards his love. "Of course we should tell them," he answers defensively. "They're my family and they should know."

"I know, know," she reassures him. "But with this...oddness happening, do you think they can handle the news?"

"I'm sure they will," he tells her reassuringly. "Besides," he leans in lick her again before finishing. "Sooner or later, I think it'll be obvious to them what this big 'surprise' is."

Updated: 03/31/2018