Chapter 6: Knowledge
"Have the young truly forgotten so much." The Alpha whispered and Derek found himself looking up in confusing.
"What do you mean?"
"You have embraced your wolf, fully." The man said circling behind him. Causing Derek's neck hairs to stand, "It used to be more common amongst are kind. Rare, put common enough all knew it was possible." The man sounded sad.
"Our strongest wolves, used to be able to reach such a close bond to their wolves that they blended, able to work together at all times not just under the pull of the moon. But we have grown weaker, because of in fighting and hunters. The older ones that held the knowledge killed off before they could pass it along. We cut ourselves off from other packs in fear of being attacked, so we don't communicate and share anymore. And now so few know of it or are capable of achieving this, mostly now only Alphas have the ability." Alpha moved back into his line of sight.
"Which leads to the young trying to attack and kill them. Believing they will only get this strength, this gift, if they kill for it." He moved away from Derek and sat back down.
"Your wolf hasn't changed, Derek." The man gave him a smile, "You can just feel and understand him better. As for your control, have you not sought out help from your own Alpha?"
"My Alpha?" He asked.
The man gave him a weird look.
"I don't have an Alpha." He said.
The man tilted his head and Derek watched and the Alpha smelled the air, "Yes, you do. I can smell him on you as well as sense you pack bond. It is weak, but there."
"Wh..." He started but snapped his mouth shut. The only Alpha he knew was Scott, but they had never been a pack. Scott had refused to join him when he was an Alpha and after he lost his own Alpha power he wanted nothing to do with the younger man's pack.
"How?" He asked, barely noticing it was said aloud.
"What do you mean how?" The Alpha asked.
"We…" He started, "I.." he took a breath, "We were never pack, he never joined me and I never joined him." He tried to explain.
The Alpha threw his head back and laughed.
Derek fought down a growl.
"Yes, the young truly don't remember enough." The man said as he stopped laughing though the large smile never left his face, "You and him may not have saw each other as pack, but your wolves did. What ever happened between you, your wolves either sensed the need to bond or felt the desire to do so."
Derek dropped his head and cursed his mother, not for dying, but not for teaching him everything he needed to know. He was never meant to lead, never meant to be an Alpha so she didn't teach him how to make a pack, how to seal a bond, or how to add to it.
He had thought he had figured it out when he changed Boyd, Erica and Isaac, but now he was getting the feeling he hadn't learned as much as he thought.
He looked up at the pack, his eyes finding the Alpha, who was still watching him.
"Can you tell me more?" He asked, "About pack bonds and how they are formed. I was never taught, and my Alpha," Wow, that was weird to say, "He is new and young, he doesn't know this stuff anymore then I do." He heard a growl from amongst the pack.
"How young?" The Alpha asked, something off about his tone.
Derek's defensives went up, they wouldn't attack Scott, would they?
"Why?" He asked.
The Alpha rose, his eyes flashing red. Derek gulped but held his ground.
"The young have no respect for our ways, they kill," The man growled in Derek's face. "All for POWER."
Derek took a step back, he knew his eyes had changed, the urge to submit to this more powerful wolf was heart pounding. His instincts battled, one side demanding he submit the other telling him to defend Scott. He growled deep in his throat, catching the Alpha's attention.
The man took a step towards him, Derek throw up his hands, "Wait!" He shouted
"Scott didn't kill anyone." The Alpha stopped growling and took a step back, his eyes fading back to human brown.
"Inherited?" Someone asked.
Derek almost nodded, almost lied, because he was worried, this Alpha seemed protective and against Alpha's like Deucalion who only killed for power. What would they do about a True Alpha? The Alpha's gaze was locked on him and he could feel the man's power washing over him.
"True Alpha." He whispered out.
The room fell silent.
"Really?" The alpha asked.
Derek nodded.
The man smiled, "I have only ever met one. You are lucky." And Derek felt like he could breathe again.
"I'll help you," The man went on, "I'll teach you, and you can return to your Alpha and teach him. Maybe then the knowledge will get passed down." The man moved back to his spot on the floor, "Join us."