RECAP:
Carl, Rick, and Daryl tell the rest of the Flock their idea about the virus being aerial, and they might all be infected as they start setting up camp. They make a fire and huddle together in silence, Lori staying away from everyone as much as she could, silently fuming. T-Dog is on watch with Rick, and Carol has the pups sleeping by her. Maggie and Glenn stay close to her family while Daryl tends to the fire. When Rick and T-Dog come back to get warm, Maggie clears her throat.
"I've been thinking, and I've spoken with my dad and Beth too." She grabs Glenn's hand and pulls it close, "Glenn and I are Courting, and when we Mate, the Packs will merge. That could be soon or not for years. We could die at any time out here. I want to merge the Packs now, so if something happens my family will be safe."
"You know we wouldn't leave one of you behind." Glenn rubs his thumb over her knuckles, scenting her behind her ear.
"I know." Maggie smiles, "But it's still a formality I want to cover as quickly as possible. And Rick," She turns to the Alpha, "I want you to be our Prime. You've proven that you're capable of taking care of us; all of us. The Greene's will follow you."
"Alright." Rick nods, "Let's get some sleep, I'll take first watch."
…
The following day, everyone goes back to the cars, grabbing blankets and canned goods for breakfast. Daryl leaves to hunt after they take the gas from the remaining vehicles, including the Theta's bike, and put it into a car along with the gas cans. He sees his Packmates off before he leaves, scenting Glenn and Maggie and nodding at Rick as he fades into the forest.
"When you get back," Rick tells the two Alphas, "we'll Merge the Packs officially."
"We'll be back soon, don't worry." Glenn clasps hands with his Prime before they leave. It takes a few hours for them to get back with enough gas to move all three vehicles, and Rick keeps the Packs busy by searching through what they had managed to throw into the cars before fleeing the farm. Carl and Sophia help Carol with sorting the clothes, Hershel and Beth check the medicine, T-Dog sorts food, and Daryl helps him when he returns. They find a pack of playing cards to entertain themselves while the Theta guts their food and Rick stands watch. Lori was keeping to herself, reading a novel she found from somewhere.
Everyone perks up at the sound of an engine; Daryl and Carol keep the pups back until they see the little coupe Glenn and Maggie were driving pull up close to them. The group starts packing everything up, Daryl putting the furs he managed to save from the farm and the new ones into his saddlebag. The two Alphas fill everything up, and they gather around the small fire Beth was tending, cooking the meat the Theta had brought the group. Once everyone has had their fill, they give the remaining meat to Lori, and Rick looks at the Greene family.
"Are you sure? Last chance for us to be a Flock instead of a Pack." Maggie smiles at the Prime's concern, glad she had chosen him to lead.
"We're sure." Maggie takes a deep breath, "How are we going to do this?"
"Well that's up to you." Rick says, "Do you want to do it Traditional or New-School?"
"New-School." Hershel says, "You're Pack is a New-School isn't it? We'll follow those customs from now on then."
"Follow whatever ones you want, just know if anyone is harmed in the Pack BECAUSE of them…."
"I understand."
"Alright." Rick motions for the three of them to sit down, "We have to go by ranks when we Merge Packs instead of just adding to it or forming one. So, I go first, then Daryl, then the pups, then the others. We'll start with Maggie, the Hershel, and lastly Beth."
The three Greene's get into order, and Rick kneels in front of Maggie, "With you we're going to have Glenn go between me and Daryl because you two are courting, that ok?"
Once she nods, Rick rubs his glands until his hand is saturated, then offers her both his neck and hand. He was leaving the choice up to her, not wanting to assume her comfort level with him. The female Alpha purrs and reaches forward to rub her glands against Rick's, gasping with each deep breath at his smell. The amount of comfort and easy peace wasn't overwhelming as it coated the steel-like strength of the Alpha and was peppered with pleasure and confidence.
The smell reminded her of her family gathering together on the fourth of July when she was young. Of sitting on her daddy's shoulders while Shawn sat on her pregnant stepmother's lap, Otis running back to them after lighting a light fountain, and Patricia hands her a new sparkler while reminding her to keep it away from Hershel's hair. Some of their neighbors cheer as the colors explode with a sharp whistle. It reminded her of safety and a time of peace, and she wanted to bury her face in his neck and just let the world fall away.
It was with great reluctance she pulled away with a whine and tears in her eyes. Rick smiles and croons softly while wiping away a lone tear as it falls. The thin rope-like bond settles in their minds, and Rick moves on to Hershel, offering the same choice to him that he had for Maggie. The Elder takes Rick's hand, rubbing his own oils against Rick's glands. Their bond is thinner than even the female Alpha's, but Rick has no doubt it will grow as the others will. Beth shifts nervously as the Prime approaches her but settles a little when he again offers the choice. She grabs her daddy's hand for comfort but allows Rick to rub his hand against her glands, offering him the same.
Glenn scents Maggie first, but Daryl follows Rick's lead in offering the choice. All three of them take the hand, seeing the way the Omega shakes a little as they shift a little closer to him. Carl and Sophia hug all three and rub their glands together, not really giving them a choice. But as an Omega and a pup, it's well-received. Then Glenn returns to scent Hershel and Beth, offering them the choice before Carol and T-Dog welcome the new Packmates with their own scents. When Lori approaches, like she was also going to scent them, Rick flashes his teeth at her. Maggie stands quickly now that the small ceremony is over and pulls her family up as well.
"What? I don't get to participate in group activities now?" She asks.
"You have to be Pack to help Merge it with another." Glenn stares her down, "And you made it clear where you stand in that regard."
"I'm still apart of this group." The Beta argues.
"Only until the cub is born." Carol says softly.
"If there is one." Maggie scoffs with her arms crossed, "Or did you forget that you sent Glenn and I into town to get you abortion pills?"
"Hershel is there any way you can tell if there's a cub inside her?"
"Rick-!"
"A pregnancy test at this point, until she starts to smell like it at least." The Elder says.
"We'll stop into the next small town and grab as many as we can." Rick ignores the Beta as she keeps attempting to catch Rick's attention. "If she's not, we let her go there. Might give her a chance."
…..
They pack up the cars and find their way to another town. It was much like the one close to the farm. They check the closest store, a Walmart, and the pharmacy and come back with at least sixteen tests. After clearing it, Carol takes her in that bathroom while Rick shows Carl and Sophia to the small book section to gather as many as they can in a shopping cart. It could be something for everyone to do while driving or give them something to start fires with.
T-Dog and Glenn were outside taking their things and putting them into one of the two Chevy Express vans they found to haul everything in and moving the gas from the jeep to them. The second van had three rows of seats behind the driver and passenger seats and fit the Pack inside. They park them inside the outdoor garden section, moving all the dead plants away to make room. Hershel will drive the supplies van with Lori to keep a medical eye on her if the tests return positive.
The rest of the Pack was gathering blankets, warm clothes, and anything else that might be of some use. They decide to camp in the garden department and eat whatever they can find that hasn't spoiled yet. They find some kitchen appliances that people had left on the shelves, not thinking they would need them, and bring over the most oversized pots they can. Maggie heads over to the food section with Hershel, and they bring back carts of canned goods and non-perishables. Daryl helps Beth gather the metal racks from the gas and charcoal grills and fit them onto the most significant fire pit they find. Any wooden shelves they can break go into the pile, and Daryl lights it up with lighter fluid and a match.
They throw some potatoes, onions, and peppers that had grown from the remaining mush of other vegetables and the last of the meat into one of the pots with some of their water for a thin soup. Daryl claims two jars of peanut butter and eats with his fingers, sharing a little with Sophia when he catches her staring at it. They eat candy and drink flat soda and beer, and when Carol and Lori come back with sixteen positive tests, they share with their Gamma for her cub.
Rick takes watch, making sure the metal gates that sectioned off their part of the store were down completely and latched, killing the few Walkers that managed to get inside and catch on it. Carl and Sophia were playing in one of the other aisles, Carol watching them with an amused and secretive smile. The Alpha almost asks what they were up to when he hears a dragging noise. The others all look up, tense, but laugh when the pups start dragging tents out from their hiding spots; Sophia was trying to keep the tents up with broomsticks inside, and Carl's had poles sticking out from where they were put in wrong. Rick walks over to them, chuckling at their pouting, and scents them thoroughly with purrs. His pup smiles and purrs back, preening in the attention, while Sophia smiles bashfully. The pups go and get more tents until everyone has one, and the Pack helps them set them up correctly.
When everyone is settled, and the Pack is curled up in front of the fire, licking the last bits of sugar from their fingers, Carl gets up and moves over to Daryl, who was poking the fire and adding little bits of charcoal and wood to it.
"Who's Mingus?" The Omega freezes, yanking his hand back when it heats up, and stares at the pup. Everyone is silent, watching as Carl points to the inside of Daryl's forearm, "His name's tattooed there. Who is he?"
"My cousin." Daryl grunts, settling on his heels, "He was the only other Omega in my family, and when he presented my uncle shot him; right in the middle of his first heat."
Carl gasped, as well as a few others, but Daryl just shrugged, "It's how I was raised; Traditional. No bitches but your own."
"No, that's not Traditional, Daryl." Hershel's brow was tense, "That's a Polkrato Pack. I didn't think there was any left in the states; most of them are in small tribes in the southern parts of Russia, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa."
"I thought you were New-School?" T-Dog asks.
"I am." Daryl clears his throat and looks at the fire, "My cousin Mingus was about three years older than me and he presented late. When I presented as an Omega, my old man almost shot me too. Merle convinced him I'd be better off a Breeder for another Pack."
"That sounds like Merle's a piece of-"
"The only thing that saved my life." Daryl cuts Maggie off. "It bought him enough time to find my mother's brother, my uncle Jesse's a Beta, and take me to him. We moved to a New-School area and Jesse took me in as Pack, even payed off my dad when he came looking for me. Merle went to jail a year later cause one of the Alpha's from the old Pack that my dad had almost sold me too tried to take me back, and Merle killed him. That's where he was when this all started going down, still serving his time with some probation."
"Is your dad where all your scars come from?" Sophia asks. Daryl nods and pulls his shirt off, showing the other tattoos and raised skin on his back and abdomen. He points to his collarbone where a word was tattooed in fancy letters, another, smaller word rest above one of the scars.
"Norman was my mother's name." He runs his thumb over it briefly, then points at the other one, "Lemmy was my nephew."
"Merle had a kid?" Glenn asks.
"Yeah, wasn't really his kid but he raised 'im. My old place it was everyone for themselves, even the pups. Lemmy was this little runt with ADD and a limp cause he broke his leg and it never healed right. Merle took him in, raised him up, took him with us when we moved to Jesse's. Kid died of pneumonia and Merle fell off the wagon hard." Daryl points at the little winged devil on his bicep, "This is his; Mingus and mom are on my back."
"Do you miss him? Merle?" Carl asks while the Omega puts his shirt back on.
"Sometimes." Daryl grunts.
"He was cool." Carl smiles sadly, "Hopefully we find him again, alive."
"Carl." Rick calls softly, "Take Sophia to her tent, then go get ready for bed."
"Ok dad." Rick turns to the Omega while the pups get ready for bed.
"I'm sorry."
"Merle could've come back, he didn't. Not your fault." Daryl grabs his knife and stands up, "I'll take first watch, ya'll head to sleep."
"Wake me when you're ready." T-Dog pats the Theta on the shoulder before heading to his tent. Everyone heads to bed. Carol climbs into the tent with Sophia, Hershel, and Beth, taking the two side by side, Maggie goes into the one close to them, and after a minute, Glenn follows, and Rick scents Daryl before following Carl into theirs. Lori was still struggling to put her's up, glaring at everyone that just passed her by and didn't help. Daryl watches her from the corner of his eye without offering her help or advice but also makes sure she doesn't go to try and go wake someone else up by sneaking into their tent or trying to force someone else to help.
"There a reason you're watching me instead of keeping an eye out for Walkers, Omega?" she scowls when she sees him looking.
"Watch your mouth sunshine." Daryl rumbles, "Or did you forget yer the Gamma and only here still because of Carl? I rank higher than you by a lot now too."
Daryl didn't pull rank often; only when it came to the other Omegas and pups had he pulled rank before. But watching the way the Beta's face turned red with anger was worth it. He looks at the pile she had put struggle into and almost laughs. "That's not a camping tent, it's a patio cover. Ya'know the ones they use for outdoor events and what not? Ya need the big metal poles that dig in the dirt to use that. The camping tents are over there."
He points to the aisle and watches the way she bristles in anger and embarrassment. She starts walking over there but pauses when she passes Rick and Carl's tent. Daryl's by her side and pulling her away with a low growl before her fingers can touch the zipper. The answering growl from inside the tent tells them that Rick's not fully asleep, not yet. He shoves her past the aisle where the tents would be and towards the metal fence, pulling his knife from his waistband and putting it in her hands, aiming it at the rest of the building. "Stay put, you're on watch until I can grab ya the right things since yer useless around this shit. Stay away from the tents or you're sleeping on the other side of the gate."
She's still there when he comes back and sets the camping gear on the ground away from the rest of the group. He takes his place back and raises an eyebrow when she just crosses her arms and glares at him. "What?"
"You're not going to put the tent up for me?" She gestures at the cloth.
"Hell no. Why would I? I ain't yer Mate and you ain't Pack either."
"I'm pregnant."
"Not my problem. Grab a blanket and curl up in the corner if you don't want to put up your tent."
"Stupid Knot Clencher." Lori scowls as she struggles to pull the tent out of the package. Daryl tightens his hands on his crossbow and tries to ignore the slander she throws at him. "Don't know why the Knotters won't keep a better leash on their Breeding Bitches."
A low snarl makes both of them look at the circle of tents. Rick's eyes glow with an angry gleam, completely black, no maroon. His eyes were turning red; that's how pissed he was at the Beta. When she goes to stand, the Alpha bares his teeth, showing elongated canines.
It wasn't uncommon Before when fights would break out between Alphas for their nature to push through a little the angrier they got; the angrier, the more feral. Scientists believed that while Betas evolved from chimps and apes, Alphas and Omegas evolved from wolves. Betas became homosapiens, and Alphas and Omegas became lycanthropes. Over time the two species crossbred, and the Beta gene was absorbed. It reappeared as a recessive gene for Alpha/Omega pairs, a disfigurement like having two eye colors or missing a toe. As they evolved, they took on the sapiens physique and the rest of the Lycan biology. Their eyes changed colors, and their canines shrank except when threatened or angry, like how a dog's hackles raised. It was why Alphas rutted with knots and Omegas went into heat with slick. Alphas are Lycan males, and Omegas are females. Mixing that with sapiens biology was how second genders came to be. Alphas had a sex gene of XYY (males like Rick)/XXY (females like Maggie); Omegas had one of XXX (females like Carol)/XYX (males like Daryl). Betas only had two sex genes, XY (males like T-Dog)/XX (females like Lori). The lack of a third sex chromosome is what causes the glands to not fully develop.
Daryl knew that if Rick's eyes went completely red, he'd rut. He needed to get Lori away from him before he attacked her. The Theta moves with confidence, knowing better than to show anything else. Rick might have great control over his instincts, but if Daryl shows he's scared or wary of being near Lori, Rick will see her as even more of a threat to his Packmate.
"Calm your ass down Alpha." Daryl snorts. He watches Rick leave the tent and zip it closed as he grabs the Beta and yanks her on her feet, dragging her to his own tent to the corner furthest away from the others, behind the last aisle. He points to it and speaks to Lori even though he keeps his eyes focused on the Prime now at the gate, watching the dark store with intent. "Get in, zip it up, don't let him even hear you breathe. Imma calm him down before he guts you and feeds ya to the Walkers."
He hears her do as he says as he goes back, keeping a distance when he sees the pointed tips of his ears, along with the stubble growing on them. "The hell you thinking, sending yourself into a rut right now? Over a slur from a Beta that don't mean shit to the Pack?"
Rick looks at him, and Daryl forces himself to keep eye contact. He keeps going, "I'm not a pup; I don't need you coming to my rescue like I'm your's. I've handled worse than Lori, trust me. Got that Alpha?"
"Yes Theta." Rick rumbles. He runs his hands through his hair and scratches at his ears as they start to round out again. His eyes fade back to blue, and his canines shorten into his mouth. "Shit, Daryl I'm sorry."
"You're protective. She's a Gamma with a Pack she ain't a part of and ya just merged the Packs." Daryl grunts, "It's fine. But next time you try to fight my battles for me I'll kick your ass."
"I'm counting on it." Rick smiles, "That's why you're the Theta. Keep me in line."
"Come here." Daryl walks over to the Alpha and shaves the hair down on his ears with his knife. Packmates groomed each other sometimes; maybe not something as intimate as shaving but still. Rick stays entirely still, turning when Daryl finishes one of them to do the next, not wanting to read further into it than he might.
When both ears are shaved as much as they can be, Daryl starts picking his way through Rick's hair, holding his blade with his teeth. The Alpha freezes, shocked. This was grooming; Daryl was grooming him. It was a big step for the Omega, showing Rick just how much Daryl trusted the Alpha. He leans his head down a little bit so the Theta can reach the knot in his hair that the Omega was trying to get to. Daryl rumbles his thanks, and Rick shudders, laying his forehead on the shoulder in front of him and gripping onto the man's waist. Rick would never get used to the sound of an Omega rumbling, of Daryl rumbling. It was like a purr and a growl, vibrating his whole chest. Rick rumbles back as the Omega cuts the clump of hair out and runs his fingers through the tangles, looking for more. The Alpha purrs when Daryl's nails scratch at his scalp, and the Omega pauses before doing it again, harder. Rick arches his neck up a bit, pushing his head into it and rubbing against Daryl's glands, purring louder. They stand there, not moving while Rick breathes, then Daryl checks again for any more hints of a rat's nest.
When he finishes, Daryl steps back, clearing his throat and refusing to meet Rick's eyes. The Alpha smiles a little at the display but doesn't say anything, shifting on his feet and watching the dark isles light up sometimes with movement from a stray Walker. They had already put out the fire, and they seemed to be in the clear as long as they didn't make a lot of noise.
When the light doesn't go off after a minute, Rick rumbles. A herd. Then another light comes on, closer, and Rick turns to see Daryl already waking people; Glenn and Maggie start putting the equipment up. They take the pots and fire pit to van one and pile it in with the other supplies they found in the store they would take with them. The tents are taken down and moved into the van. Everyone piles into the second van just as the herd passes it in front of the gate. Loud snarling and growling are almost enough to drown out the sound of the thin metal shaking like a maraca. Rick waits until everyone is in, including Lori, before helping Daryl with the last of the supplies, moving it to fit around Daryl's motorcycle, which they had stuck in the van as well. Rick would have suggested leaving it, but the bike was Merle's, and he still felt too guilty to even suggest it to Daryl. Plus, it could be good for scouting later.
The rattling chains made more Walkers join the party at the outside gate, and Rick ran to van two to make sure everyone was inside while Daryl climbed into the driver's seat of van one. The whole Pack and Lori were seated in the second van except Rick and Daryl. Rick opens the passenger door and holds on to the outside while Glenn drives to the back gate, where fewer Walkers are gathered. He hops down and slams the door shut, pulling out his gun and shooting the two closest Walkers before shooting the lock. He throws the gate open, and Glenn floors it; Daryl pulls up and swings the door open. Rick climbs onto the driver's side, and the Omega hits the gas, the door slamming Rick into the hood with a grunt as it hits a Walker.
"RICK!"
"I'M GOOD! KEEP GOING!" They drive a little longer before Daryl pulls on Rick's shirt. The Alpha bends his knees carefully and turns a little to see Daryl almost entirely on the passenger side. One hand was on the gas, and the other was steering, but his bottom half was over the console; he just had to sit up more. Rick sits on the corner of the seat and moves one leg to the gas pedal. His foot brushes Daryl's fingers, and the hunter sits up, Rick's thigh just below his chin as the Omega keeps his eye on the road. Rick scoots over and brings his other leg inside as Daryl sits up completely. The Alpha takes the wheel with one hand and slams the door closed with the other. Once both were situated and breathing heavy, Daryl snorts and bites the skin at his thumb while leaning against the window, staring at Rick.
"What?" The Alpha asks, a little nervous.
"Adrenaline junkie?" The Omega smirks, looking down at Rick's lap. He sits in his seat sideways with one leg crossed over the other, his hands tucked into his armpits now. Rick barks out his own snort and looks down too. Yep.
"One of the more unorthodox reasons I became a cop." Rick shrugs. Daryl laughs from his belly, head thrown back and tears in his eyes. Rick smirks, preening a bit. He liked the other man's laugh; it was deep and more like a nose-breathing cackle. It made him want to laugh too. They follow Glenn as he pulls into a driveway with a fenced-in backyard and detached garage. They pull in behind the fence and pile out of the cars, Rick takes Carl into his arms to scent him, and then they get closer to the house.
"Think there's anything in there?" T-Dog asks, "We can't all barge in, guns blazing, if there's a lot in there. Give 'em time to sneak up on us."
"We'll need to come up with a way to communicate with each other without yelling at each other; hand signals, knocks." Rick says. He bangs his elbow on the door to alert the Walkers inside to move or make some noise. "Some kind of formation for clearing houses, especially if we have to keep jumping from place to place."
"Merle and I would whistle when hunting if we split up; bird calls too." Daryl says, readying his crossbow, "I can teach ya'll later. Right now whistle once, long and high, if there are Walkers you need help with, and two short ones if a room is clear. It'll have to work for now."
The group nods. Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and Rick head in first. They leave the others outside and try the new formation, checking every room, closet, and behind every door before they go back outside. Maggie and Carol had closed the gate while Hershel checked the garage, and now they were setting up the tents inside it. It would be safer there than in the house. Rick has members go in and grab every blanket they can to cover the windows like Morgan had done before. The Prime often worried about the Alpha and his son who saved him, to begin with. The Walkie had died the day after the CDC, and with everything that had gone on, he forgot. He couldn't charge it even at the farm because the adapter was still at the station and in the police cruiser he'd left on the side of the road.
"So…" Maggie and Glenn came up behind the Prime while he was looking through the books. He looks up at them with a raised eyebrow, and they kneel.
"Maggie-" Glenn whispers before she cuts him off, "We were wonderin' how long you were going to hang on the door while drivin' and so we kept checking on you, and we saw Daryl bent over while you were getting in the seat, almost made Glenn swerve off the road. Then we saw ya'll laughing and thought you saw the van dance around… there gonna be two courting' pairs soon?"
Rick just chuckles at the female Alpha; the sound eases the tension from Glenn. He scents the Alpha with a hand on his shoulder. "No. His hand was still on the gas petal. I don't think I'm ready to court anyone; the timing's wrong and the last time I tried a relationship with someone, I ended up an abused, suppressed Alpha for almost twelve years with no ties to any Packs except my work partner and my son."
Rick shakes his head, "And even if I was, it takes two. Daryl's still wary of Alphas some, and I doubt he sees me as Mate material. I mean look at me, I'm pathetic and barely hanging on. The only thing Alpha about me is my scent and will to protect my pup. I haven't popped a knot even in rut since before Carl was born."
"Rick…." Glenn could smell the almost non-existent self-worth Rick was imitating, as could some of the others if the looks they were getting were anything to go by.
The scent disappears as Rick takes a deep breath and smiles, picking up a book and skimming the summary. "Hershel has first watch, get some sleep."
Rick scents the two Alphas and nods goodnight to the others, climbing into his tent and laying down next to Carl's sleeping form. He scents his pup and purrs, settling in and shielding Carl from the door, closing his eyes until his breathing evens out. This would have to do for now, and in the morning, they would train to survive the winter.