Chapter 16

Scott was exhausted. Not just his body, but his mind. He had learned a lot of new information tonight and his head pounded from trying to process it all. He had tried to compartmentalize it all. Focus on the missing kids and the feral wolves. But things like the fact that vampires were real kept pushing their way to the forefront of his mind. Add in different types of wolves and two new hunters in town and he felt overwhelmed.

He placed his helmet on his bike handlebars and headed towards his front door. Already thinking about how a hot shower and sleep might be just wanted he needed. Then he spotted the other cars in front of his house and sighed.

He recognized Mason's red car but not the truck parked behind it. He hurried his steps and opened the front door. He was expecting something bad, a fight for example. It was just the kind of day he was having. He was not expecting to walk into his living to find, Mason, Corey, and Liam cuddling on his couch. Corey's head in his beta's lap, while Liam dozed off playing with the chimera's hair. Liam looked up at him when he walked it and Scott was about to shush him, not wanting to wake the other two when his hearing picked up his mother whispering to someone in the kitchen.

Remembering that Liam had been with the twins, which explained the truck. He wondered briefly as he spun around towards the kitchen, what happened to their bikes. His mother was sitting at the counter whispering to Ethan while Aiden was behind the stove cooking what smelled like pancakes. How the hell had he missed that smell?

The twins both looked at him when he entered. Scott wasn't sure how to react to seeing them again. He opened his mouth tempted to yell at them, for leaving, for coming back, for just about anything when he felt something inside him snap into place.

The impact to his breath away and he stumbled.

"Scott?" His mother cried out, he heard her get to her feet and rush toward him.

He held up his hand, "I'm okay...I think." He looked past her and at the twins, "What was that?" They two ex Alpha's were staring at each other, Aiden looked completely stunned, mouth open and eyes wide, while Ethan had the biggest grin Scott had ever seen.

He growled, feeling annoyed they weren't answering him.

"Pack bonds." Ethan said quickly, jumping to his feet, moving towards him.

Scott was tempted to growl again, because that explained nothing. Thankfully Liam appeared at his side, and his beta who wasn't one for keeping his mouth shut asked, "What the hell are pack bonds?"

Aiden snorted, "The connection between either an Alpha and his pack or packmates to each other." Somehow Aiden had gotten over his surprise and had gone back to the pancakes he was making. Still Scott could tell older boy was unsure and cautious. It was strange that he had never seen the overconfident wolf act that way.

"Why don't we all sit down?" His mother asked. Scott almost laughed at how quickly Liam and Ethan obeyed her. His mother might not be a wolf but it seemed being a mother gave her some sort of special power over him and his friends. Not just the teenagers, the sheriff and Argent both obeyed her when she used that tone.

He was reaching for a seat next to liam, when Corey scent caught his attention. He sighed and pushed the chair towards the empty air next to him. It was pulled a little further back and then suddenly Corey and Mason appeared. Scaring the crap out of his mother and the twins. Both wolves eyes changed electric blue and they growled at the chimera and human. Scott cleared his throat and gave the due a 'don't' look. They quickly stopped but kept looking at the other two boys with interest.

While Corey and Mason had some kind of silent argument, Scott took the next empty seat and dropped down. His mother smiling at him. A second later Mason sat down and Corey pinked cheeked sat on his lap.

He heard Liam cough, probably covering up a chuckle before he asked, "So, pack bonds?"

"Has Scott ever gone all Alpha on you?" Ethan asked, "like ordered or roared?" Liam nodded.

"You felt it right?" The older wolf asked, "not just heard it, but you felt it deep inside. And your wolf reacted. It knew what to do. Right?" Liam nodded again. "That's the bond. It's like a thread of magic that connects a pack. Scott, the Alpha, is connected to every member of his pack, and they in return are connected to each other. It why pack members scents change when they are accepted into a pack or exiled. It's also how when one of your pack is in danger you can feel it. Scott better than anyone."

"Wow." Mason and Liam said together.

Scott however felt frozen in place.

He had known the others reacted when he used his 'Alpha' power. Isaac had mentioned it after Scott had freed Malia. The blonde had been freaked yet excited when he announced he had felt Scott's roar and it had given him a boost to break free of the bear trap he had been stuck in. They had only mentioned it once and Scott hadn't really thought about it until something similar had happened with Liam.

That wasn't what had him locked in place though, Ethan was talking about him being able to feel his pack, or at least that he should be able to. But Scott didn't. At least he didn't think he did. He couldn't think of a time he had 'felt' one of his pack in danger, and given that they were almost always in danger he should have felt something. Or maybe that was why? They were always in danger, maybe he had been able to feel it but had grown used to the feeling? Was that possible?

"McCall!" His head snapped up and he locked gazes with Aiden. Who had at some point dropped a huge stack of pancakes on the table and sat down next to his brother. While Scott hadn't noticed the pancakes everyone else had. He smiled as even his mom was eating one.

"What?" He croaked out realizing he had zoned out.

He cleared his throat, "What?" He tried again.

"You were freaking out," Ethan said gently, "we could feel it."

"Smell it." Liam coughed.

Scott frown, "You can feel me?" He asked the twins. Both who nodded.

"But I can't feel you, or the pack, you said I should be able to feel them? But I can't." He felt panic started to build again, maybe it was him. He always thought him being an Alpha was mistake. He wasn't one to control or order people around, let alone his friends. He had met a good number of Alpha's in the last few years and he wasn't like any of them. Deucalion and Peter wanted control, they expected their pack to obey and submit to them, no matter what. Derek, was less extreme but wanted the power that having a pack gave him. Scott didn't want any of that.

"Scott!" This time it was his mother who shouted his name.

"Sorry." He said when came out of his thoughts and noticed his claws were digging into the table.

"Scott," Aiden said, surprisingly gentle, "You probably can't feel us because you don't know what you are looking for. You weren't born a wolf, so you never had a pack or Alpha to show you what it's like. And you became an Alpha on your own, unexpectedly, so you never had anyone to walk you through what that means. You just need someone to show you."

"We can do that." Ethan pointed out.

Scott dropped his head, letting it hit the table with a thud. It was just more he needed to learn about. He was already drowning with everything going on and now it seemed he needed to learn more. He took a breath and picked his head up.

"So you're pack?" He asked, he noticed Aiden flinch, "That came out wrong. " He quickly corrected, he didn't want them to think he didn't want them in his pack, "I had already talked to Malia, " He saw the questioning look in the other's face the name, and sighed. He couldn't remember if the twins had left before or after he had freed her, "and Stiles about you guys. That's why I wanted you to meet me here, so I could figure out if you wanted to be pack still and well, how to do it."

He shrugged, "But I guess it already happened?" Aiden seemed to relax after his explanation, it seemed to cocky wolf had been worried Scott would refuse them.

"Yeah." Ethan said smiling.

"How come I've never felt that before?" He asked looking away from Aiden and at the man's brother.

"Probably because you were still so new. You have had time now to come into your power. Now that you have started you own pack, you are getting strong and growing more aware of your power." Ethan explained. "I'm betting you have started becoming more connected with your wolf recently and probably brushed it off. Right?" Scott hesitated but nodded.

"What else have you been feeling?" Aiden asked.

Scott bite his lip, how did he put into words the ache he felt in his chest. How it felt like something was missing. He couldn't look at the twins, he felt too awkward and self-conscious.

Somehow his eyes ended up on Corey, who just cocked his head to the side and gave him a confused look, "Like somethings missing." He mumbled, Corey's eyes widened.

"Has anyone left town?" Aiden guestoned, not seeming bothered that Scott wasn't looking at him.

"Derek." Liam said, though

"Isaac." His mother voiced.

"Peter." Mason pointed out, which got a frustrated growl from Scott.

"Does not joining count?" Corey asked a guilty look on his face before he looked away from Scott. Unable to resist Scott followed the chimera's gaze to the twins.

Who looked at each before Ethan spoke, "It could. If Scott see them as pack." Scott was tempted to drop his head against the table again.

"Damn Scott," Aiden whistled, "no wonder you feel like something is missing, you pack is a mess." Scott growled at the wolf, but didn't lift his head. "And," Aiden carried on despite the warning growl, "if you already viewed us as pack, which Ethan guess caused we felt the draw to come back here, it would explain why you had an extreme reaction when our bonds connected."

He wanted to ask how he supposed to fix it. Derek, Isaac, and Peter, had chosen to leave. Corey and Jordan didn't want to be pack and Scott wouldn't force them. Plus he was pretty sure he had already connected to Theo but the other chimera wasn't here so he couldn't ask.

"Okay," He muttered breathing out through his nose. He picked his head up off the table and looked at the twins,"do you two have a place to stay?"

"We found an apartment, but haven't signed anything yet." Ethan started, "we wanted to make sure you wanted us here first." Aiden finished.

"You're staying,." Scott said, "but you guys have to be willing to listen to me. I can't have you running around causing problems."

"Scott," Aiden said sounding amused, "You're our Alpha. We have to listen to you. And we won't be causing problems because we want a pack. We need a pack." Scott's throat felt a little dry and to admission. Had they felt the same ache he had? Now he felt guilty about not letting them join before.

"Oh," He said grinning at Aiden trying to lighten the mood, "You guys get to tell Lydia and Danny." Aiden groaned but Ethan smiled.

"Everything else we will talk about late-." He cut himself off with a groan. Everyone looked at him.

" Liam you caught the twins up on the ferals?" His beta nodded. Scott looked at Corey and Mason, "Did you guys tell them about the two hunters you met at the school."

"No." Mason said sheepishly, "We kinda fell asleep before they got here." Scott's mom laughed.

He looked at his packmates, "We have two new hunters in town. They seem okay, and Argent is going to keep his eye on them. We also have a vampire," The twins gasped, "and Jeremy, Stiles's friend is in the know. The vampire is his friend, I think, Stiles said something about the vampire having a thing for Jeremy." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I think that's everything.' He looked back at the twins, "Just try to avoid them until I can get us all in the same room for introductions." They nodded. He looked at Mason and Corey, "You guys too." Mason nodded easily, Corey however looked unsure, he met Scott's eyes and Scott knew this wasn't about Corey not wanted to avoid trouble, but his unease with following Scott's orders.

"Please?" he asked the shy chimera. "Okay," Corey whispered.

Ready for this to be done, he went to push away from the table only for his stomach to growl. Ethan shoved a plate in front of him and held his gaze until Scott sighed in defeat and started eating the pancakes. Laim, Mason, and Corey left while he ate. His mom wandered off to her room, telling Aiden if he could cook he could do dishes. The ex alpha didn't seem offended and started clearing the table.

"The quiet one," Ethan said, when it was just the two of them, "he's the one refusing to join." Scott groaned and dropped his head backwards against the back of the chair.

"He had a messed up pack, before." He told the older boy. "His old Alpha Theo, who is another person I think is pack, but I hadn't realized, is complicated. He acts like he doesn't want to be in the pack. But him and Liam are close and he keeps hanging around. He even helped me out the other night. Before...he,...well he wasn't nice. He was power hungry, " He heard Aiden snort from the kitchen, and there was a muttered, "aren't we all." Which Scott chose to ignore.

"He killed them. His pack." He looked up at Ethan. "Corey and a girl, Hayden, they came back but with everything that happened, it left Corey fearful and untrusting. He knows I'm not going to hurt him. But I think the idea of joining another pack, giving someone that control over him again, scares the hell out of him. But he's in love with Mason-"

"The human?" Aiden asked walking over and sitting down next to him. Scott nodded.

"Who is also Liam's best friend. So he stays. He comes to pack meetings and helps out when it's needed but-"

"He won't join." Ethan finished sounding sympathetic.

"He isn't the only one." Scott said, because why the hell not, he had already started talking might as well get it out. "Jordan, one of the deputies. He smells like pack. But I don't think he wants to be. He only comes aroun-" shit, he thought stopping himself.

"He only comes around?" Ethan asked. Scott's eyes shot to Aiden, then feeling guilty, he finished his sentence, "he only comes around because of Lydia." Aiden's eyes turned blue and Scott saw him taking a couple breaths to calm down.

"Are they a couple?" Aiden asked.

"They're complicated." Both twins raised an eyebrow. "He likes her, she likes him. He's a cop, she underage. She's a banshee and he's a hellhound. Like I said they are complicated."

"You have a hellhound in the pack?" Ethan asked sounded awed.

"Not if he won't join." Scott pointed out.

"Right." Ethan agreed.

"Look I'm tired, you two head- wait if you haven't rented an apartment yet where are you staying?"

"Motel."

"Hotel." They answered in sync.

Scott might have believed them, it was possible after all to mix up a hotel and motel, if they hadn't glared at each other.

"Stay." He said, pushing away from the kitchen table. He made his way into his room. Pulled his blanket off and opened the door across the hall. He threw his blanket on Isaac's old bed. Then he went to the hall closet grabbed a couple spare blankets and carried them to his room.

After he was done he grabbed a pair of sleep pants out of his dresser, tossed them onto his blanket went back down stairs.

"Come on." he told the two other wolves. Ethan had that happy look on his face again while Aiden looked ready to protest. Scott ignored him and headed back up the stairs. Grinning a little when he heard both men following him.

He pointed them towards his room.

"Don't break anything." He said. He heard a snort, and assumed it was Aiden. He walked into Isaac's room and closed the door. Too tired to shower, he changed and crawled into bed. His wolf whined when he laid down on Isaac's old pillow, the blondes scent barely clinging to it. He missed his friend. He sighed and turned his head so that his nose was away from the pillow. The last thing he did before falling asleep was to send his mom a text telling her the twins were in his room.