A/N: I am back to writing this story and I am hoping to have a chapter written a week with everything I have going on with my ghostwriting business. I am going to be focusing on getting this story completed before moving on to the next story. After this story is complete I will most likely focus on getting Brotherhood completed. I am going to be working on one story at a time until they are completed. So other stories will be on hold until I get the story I am focused on completed.

On a side note: what did you think about Fire Country? Did you watch it? If not, you need to. Max Thieriot (Clay) is amazing in it and I am really hoping it does get renewed for another season. I am totally biased though because I will love whatever this man can watch it on TV or on ParamountPlus. And my Chicago PD people, how did you feel about 10X03? I am still not over it yet and I don't think I ever will be. Thoughts?

Chapter 11

It had been two weeks since word had started to build about the allusive white wolf within VA Beach. Every time the guys heard a new person talking about it, their stomach twisted up in knots. They were all worried that someone would be able to connect it to Clay. Clay didn't seem worried at all and that only infuriated the guys even more. He didn't seem to be taking the threat seriously. To the guys it wasn't just that there were people talking about a white wolf, it was that if that got out to someone from back in California, they could mention a white wolf they saw up there at some point as well. All of that could connect back to Clay with him being one of a few new SEALS that lived in both locations. To Clay it all seemed so far-fetched and impossible, but the guys had seen the impossible happen plenty of times and it wasn't something they were willing to risk.

"How are you not taking this seriously?" Jason snapped, his anger getting the best of him.

They were all within their cage room and the guys had been trying to get Clay to agree to not going on any runs in wolf form for a while until things cooled back down. Jason couldn't understand why it was such an issue for Clay to not go out in wolf form.

"I am taking it seriously, but I'm not going to change my life because a bunch of people want to gossip like high school girls. I'm not ignoring a massive part of who I am for anyone." Clay said back, completely exhausted from this conversation. They didn't understand what it felt like for him to be in wolf form. They didn't understand that being in his wolf form was how he was able to feel at peace, to release stress. His wolf had saved him and he never wanted to go without being in his true form.

"We're not saying you have to, but you also have to be careful. If you keep going out in wolf form someone is bound to see you either shift or they will try and catch you. The last thing we need is someone getting attacked by a white wolf." Jason tried to explain. He didn't think this would be that hard of a conversation. It was simple to him, too many people were talking about a white wolf, that meant the white wolf needed to disappear. He wasn't expecting for Clay to have this much of an issue with this.

Before the conversation could go any further the door to their cage room opened and Blackburn walked in. It was rare for Blackburn to come into their cage room and it instantly had everyone on edge that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Ray asked before Blackburn had a chance to speak.

"First, we have an op that we need to go over." Blackburn started.

"Ok, but that's not why you came here." Jason countered instantly.

"Upper Brass has just gotten word that there are wolf hunters in town. The police reached out to all federal agencies as well as the military to give us the heads up. The police have managed to arrest a few of them, and they were from completely different parts of the world. A dozen omegas have already turned up dead. The hunters all said the same thing, they were here for the white wolf. They have a photo of a white wolf with sky blue eyes in what looks like False Cape State Park. " Blackburn said, as his eyes softly traveled over to Clay.

"That's not possible." Clay softly said and Jason hated the doubt that was laced within his voice.

This was exactly what Jason had been scared of. Someone had been watching for a white wolf and they were ready to snap a photo as proof that it existed. Now there was a photo of Clay out there in the hands of hunters that were determined to kill him. Clay couldn't believe this was happening. He had been careful, he had always been careful. He didn't sense anyone around him, he didn't hear anyone around him. He would have heard someone breathing, walking, taking the photo, but he hadn't. He had grown so comfortable being in that area that he didn't think anyone would be able to get a photo of him. He thought he had been careful. The fact that he hadn't been as careful as he believed was something that Clay was going to be keeping to himself. He wasn't going to be giving the guys any more ammunition then they were already going to have. Not that Clay thought they would need anymore with this piece of intel now.

Blackburn handed Clay his cell phone with the photo on the screen as he spoke. "They sent us a photo to be on the lookout. Everyone has been given orders to try and capture the wolf and bring him in to be protected from the hunters. Every federal agency, police force, state police, literally everyone within a position of power will be looking for this wolf to take into custody."

Clay took the phone and looked at the photo. It was him, but it wasn't a recent photo. This was one from when he was eighteen in California. Clay remembered this day because it was when Ash came down and made a big show of wanting to be around him and be his father. He had asked Clay to show him his wolf form. He acted proud to have him as his son. Clay knew it was all a lie now.

"This was taken in California when I was eighteen. Ash had showed up and made a big deal of telling me he was sorry for abandoning me after my mother was killed. I was excited to finally have someone in my life, to have family. I showed him that I could shift and he explained to me that my mother could as well. He said he was proud of me and I bought it. He was just using me though to make himself look good. He'd drag me around to all of these events and use me being within the Navy as a leg up to make more money. At first I didn't think much of it, I thought he was bragging about me, but then I realised that when I needed him, he was never there." Clay explained, doing his best to keep the hurt from his voice.

When Ash had shown up in his life Clay thought that everything would be better. That he would get to have a parent, a father, in his life and all of his problems would go away. Only whenever he needed Ash, he was never there for him. When he had gotten into a bad car crash six months after Ash came into his life, Ash swore he would cover his medical bills that the Navy didn't cover. That he would also make sure his rent was covered so he could put the money into repairing his car, only for Ash not to hold up to his word. Clay had fallen behind on rent and had to be evicted, because he couldn't catch up on the back rent plus pay for his medical expenses. He had to spend a month in a shelter until he was able to save up to finally get a place. The place he did get was a piece of shit, because he couldn't get a decent place with an eviction on his record. It was just another way that Ash had screwed him over in his life.

"Are you saying that Ash reached out to the Hunters?" Ray asked, with hurt edging his voice. It was one thing for your own parent to hate you, but another to send people after you to kill you.

"I'm saying he is the only one that had this picture. He most likely called them to kill me. He's always hated that I wasn't an Alpha, or a traditional Alpha I guess I should say. He believes I'm an Omega and that makes me a threat to his reputation. If I get killed, suddenly he's the grieving father that had an Apex white wolf son that was brutally killed." Clay said with a small shrug. He was used to Ash doing this type of stuff, he was honestly surprised it took this long.

"Alright, what happens now? How many Hunters are in town?" Jason asked, very worried about Clay's safety and what all of this will mean for him.

"We don't know how many. The Hunters that have been arrested, they aren't giving anything up. The Upper Brass will be releasing a memo to everyone that when they are not working it will be strongly advised that they are looking for the white wolf and to try and get him into protective custody. The Upper Brass wants to speak with him and determine the best way to keep him safe." Blackburn began to explain.

"I don't need anyone's fucking protection." Clay growled and the guys knew this wasn't going to be easy for him. Clay hadn't been as bitchy as he had been when he joined the team, but he wasn't open with them either. He was still keeping his walls up and not letting anyone get close to him. He didn't want to connect with them and if they brought up protection, even in the slightest way, Clay got defensive and immediately shot it down.

"And I am not saying that you do. What works in our favor is that no one outside of Ash knows that it is you. The Hunters don't even know otherwise they would have found you by now. Ash gave them your photo, but for some reason kept your identity to himself." Blackburn started.

"It's more fun this way. He gets to have Omegas being killed, while keeping me on edge. A straight kill isn't fun for him." Clay easily stated. He knew that Ash would want this to be dragged out. That he would get joy in knowing that Clay was being kept on edge and at risk of being exposed at any given second. He wanted his money's worth and he wouldn't be able to get that if he was killed right away.

"He's a fucking asshole." Sonny growled, pissed that Clay's own father was the cause of all of this.

"What works in our favor is that the Upper Brass doesn't know who the white wolf is. No one but us have seen Clay shifting. The best course of action would be for Clay to not draw attention to himself, which means no more running in wolf form. You will have to stay in your human form Clay until the heat dies down." Blackburn ordered and Clay had expected it, but it hurt so damn fucking much to hear it. He loved being in wolf form, he spent a lot of hours in the day in wolf form when he was home. His wolf was a huge part of him and he always made sure that his wolf got to have equal time out just like his human self got.

"Fine." Clay gave in, knowing that he couldn't go against Blackburn's orders. That didn't mean he was going to be happy about it though.

"This should hopefully pass over soon and then it will be safe for you to be in wolf form again. For now, we will all be vigilant and keep an eye out for any Hunters. We can also keep an ear to the ground for any further details on the white wolf. Right now, we have an operation that needs our attention." Blackburn ordered.

The guys all headed out and made their way to their war room. None of them were happy about the Hunters being here or that more people were now looking for the white wolf. It was only putting Clay in even greater danger and they didn't have his full trust yet. He was still guarded and defensive with them. He wasn't going to tolerate them checking in all of the time and trying to get him to not go anywhere alone. It was a shit show and none of the guys knew how it was going to play out. All they could do was take it one day at a time and hope that Clay was able to get through this without any problems.

Once they were in their war room, the guys all took their normal seats as Davis and Mandy moved over to the front of the room as Mandy got started.

"We are heading to La Paz within Bolivia to capture a high valued target with deep ties to the Santa Cruz Cartel."

"Since when do we care about cartels?" Sonny asked.

"Since the Santa Cruz Cartel is also supplying large quantities of heroin into the States. Only the heroin is ninety percent pure and not every drug dealer is cutting it right. Overdoses have increased thirty-two percent over the past eighteen months. On top of that, the Santa Cruz Cartel is part of a main supplier for military grade weapons to home grown terrorist within the States. This is something that has been building for the past few years and the FBI have been keeping an eye on them. They want us to capture the target so they can try to flip him to finish mapping the supply chain so they can shut it down fully." Davis started to explain.

"Due to the dangerousness of the location that the target is being held within, the FBI reached out to the CIA in the hopes that we would send a team with more experience in. My boss felt like it should be given to a Tier One Team and the Upper Brass agreed." Mandy concluded.

"I don't have to tell you gentlemen how dangerous for the country it has been with having heroin this pure. Even children as young as twelve have been overdosing and dying from the cut. Dealers turn the heroin into candy and sell it to children, some don't even know they are getting drugs. If we can start to put a dent into the supply chain, then it's worth the risk." Blackburn added.

"Fuck, drug dealers used to have a code, morals. Now it's like the wild west." Sonny said with a shake of his head.

"They don't care anymore, that's the problem. They just want to make money and economically speaking, if they can get a customer hooked at a younger age they will have more years to get money out of them. Especially if they are kids with rich parents." Ray commented. He hated that this was happening. Children had the right to be free to be safe while at school and at home. They shouldn't have to deal with shady drug dealers looking to destroy their lives all so they could make more money. It was disgusting and something that needed to stop. Ray was all for helping to make that happen.

"Who's the target?" Jason asked.

"Reyes Del Rio. He is highly dangerous with over a hundred kills to his name. He is the leader's right hand man and he won't be easy to apprehend or flip. Currently, there is nothing that any Government Agency can find that they can use to motivate his cooperation." Mandy answered.

That's not our problem though. Bravo is to apprehend him and then hand him over to the CIA, they can work with the FBI to try and get him to flip." Blackburn stated.

"So where is he?" Clay asked, looking to get started on where their target was. He suspected it wasn't going to be all that simple to grab him up. With him being the cartel leader's right hand man, he wasn't going to be out in the open. He was going to be protected and kept within a secure facility of some sort.

Davis spoke, as she put up photos of the facility on the big screen. "He's being held within an underground facility. Satellite imaging shows there are twenty tangos within the facility guarding it. Reyes will be within the facility, he almost never leaves it unless he is given orders."

"You got a map of the place?" Jason asked.

"We have blueprints and it is a highly secured facility with motion sensor lights, cameras with night vision and all of the doors have alarms with thumbprint entry." Davis stated.

"Wouldn't want to make it easy." Trent commented sarcastically as he sat further back in his chair.

"We do have a piece of tech that will break the locks and shut off the alarm for you. If you cut the power to the facility then only the back up generator will be able to run emergency lighting. All of the cameras and motion sensor lights will be deactivated." Davis supplied.

"But once it goes dark, everyone will know something is up. There's gotta be a secret escape tunnel or something too." Ray commented.

"There is a tunnel entrance, right here." Mandy said, as she pointed to a spot roughly a hundred yards away from the underground facility. "However, there are no lights within the tunnel. It's completely dark." She quickly added.

"So placing one of us at the tunnel wouldn't work in our favor, because they would see the flashlight. Plus, our NODs won't work if there's no light at all. There's no light to enhance." Ray said, not liking this even more.

"We have to figure it out. Davis, can you get us that map?" Jason asked.

"I'll go grab it right now." Davis quickly agreed.

"I will go and check to see if there is any update on intel. The CIA has someone watching the facility from afar, maybe Reyes will come out for a job." Mandy said, before she headed out as well.

With them being gone and it just being the guys Clay asked the question that had been bothering him. "Is Reyes an Apex?"

"Not that I am aware of. What makes you ask?" Blackburn asked, as he moved around to the front of the room.

"Their exit tunnel is in complete darkness. Even if all you had to do was walk straight you would still be unsteady on your feet, plus there could be rocks that you could trip over. But a wolf, we can see in total darkness, even rocks or roots. It's like night vision on steroids. The tunnel would be nothing to a wolf."

"You can see in the dark?" Sonny couldn't help but ask.

"It's stronger when I'm in wolf form, but ya, I can see. It's like looking through NODs. My point though, how is our target supposed to travel through a pitch dark tunnel without being able to see. We have to assume he's not bringing a light with him at the risk of being spotted from the other side." Clay said, trying to get things back on track.

"He's got a point. He has to guide himself through somehow." Ray said, not liking this now.

"We won't know until we are able to apprehend him. The tunnel is an issue, but I only really see one solution to it. Clay is gonna have to man the entrance to the tunnel on his own. He's the only one that will be able to hide out and see without needing a light." Jason stated. He wasn't happy about the idea of leaving Clay on his own though. If Reyes was an Apex, Clay would have to try and fight him off and he barely won the last fight. Jason didn't think he was ready to go up against an Apex right now. He needed more training on his Alpha abilities, but they didn't have a choice.

"It's not safe for him to be in the tunnel on his own." Blackburn instantly said.

"We don't have a choice. Any of us are a liability in that tunnel. Clay is the only one that stands a chance. If Reyes comes down the tunnel, Clay can radio it in and we can haul ass to get there." Jason said.

Clay didn't say anything, because he was too annoyed with them once again assuming he needed protection when he didn't. He was more than capable of defending himself and it was really starting to piss him off that everyone thought he needed to be wrapped in a bubble. Clay pays attention as they all come up with the rest of the plan, but he isn't able to fully be involved with the sting of knowing he was being treated differently once again. When Jason found out and then the guys that he was a white wolf, part of him was relieved that he wouldn't have to sneak around their backs to hide it. Only now he was hating that they knew because they were getting even more protective of him and he was starting to feel like he was being suffocated. Things were better when no one knew what he was because then he could be just one of the guys and not some trophy they felt the need to protect and hide away. Clay didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he couldn't keep going this way. After this operation he would have to figure out what he wanted to do and part of his mind couldn't help but think maybe transferring to another team would be better. A new team that wouldn't be connected to Bravo and where no one would know what he was and treat him differently. He couldn't think about that right now though, he had an operation to go on and if this was going to be his last one with Bravo, he was going to make sure he went out on a good note.

XXX

The guys all sat at their makeshift poker table looking over at Clay. He was once again off by himself reading. Only this time he seemed to be keeping even more distance from them. Their conversation before getting this operation hadn't gone over well. They knew Clay was sensitive about his omega traits, but they didn't expect for him to still be so raw about it around them. They didn't expect for it to be any form of a big deal for him to not be in wolf form where people could see him. They thought they would have gotten some trust with him now, some understanding, but the more they tried to get to know him and show him that they were there for him. The more he pushed them away. It was like they couldn't do anything right with him. Everything they tried they seemed to be pissing him off and the guys didn't know where to go from here.

"How are we ever going to build a bond with him if he's never around us?" Sonny complained as he looked over to see Clay reading.

"His Pack was more introverted Son, I told you. It's going to take time before we ever get anywhere with him." Trent said with complete understanding to his voice. He knew it was hard on the others, but they needed to give Clay time to come around to the idea of them being in his life.

"It still sucks. He needs to get used to having a Pack, it'll only make him stronger. Plus, if he is going to take over as Bravo One in the future then he needs to build a bond with us." Sonny countered.

"He will come around. We just need to keep showing him that we are there for him and we're not seeing him any differently. A lot of people have hurt him in his life, that has been made very clear. We need to give him time to see that we're not going to do the same." Jason said. He wanted Clay to be more involved with them as well, but they had to let him come to them. He was also sure that their discussion before they got their new operation was also not helping. Clay really didn't seem to like the fact that he wouldn't be able to be in wolf form either. Jason knew they needed to talk about it so he could better understand why it was so important to Clay to be able to run in wolf form. He was hoping to have that conversation before they arrived at Bolivia, but now it was looking like it was going to have to wait until afterwards. Jason was just hoping that this operation went smoothly and no one got hurt. It was already going to be difficult with Clay having to be on his own guarding the tunnel, something Jason was not happy about, but they really had no other choice. All he could do was trust in Clay's skills and hope for the best.

XXX

Clay was standing at the entrance of the tunnel within the shadows. He was ready for whatever could come his way and he was feeling confident within his skills. He didn't know if their target was an Apex or not, but he suspected that he would be, afterall, having this tunnel with no lights as your escape plan would only work if you could actually see through it. Even with his enhanced sight he was struggling to see within the total darkness, there was no way that a normal wolf shifter could make their way through this tunnel without any lights.

"Bravo One to Bravo Six, be advised, no Jackpot." Jason's voice said over their coms.

Clay knew that their target was most likely making his way down the tunnel towards him. He moved further into the tunnel and just around a small alcove so he could hide out of the way and hopefully their target wouldn't spot him. Clay was a bit concerned with him being smelled, but he was hoping that their target would associate the scent of an Alpha with the rest of the team behind him. The wind was going in that direction so there was a good chance that he could remain invisible to their target. Clay heard him approaching at a run, but he knew that he had been spotted when the footsteps slowed down to a brisk walk before they started to make their way towards him.

Clay prepared for his attack, he knew this was going to be different from the last time he fought an Apex, because this time around they were in their human forms and that meant he had the advantage. The second Reyes was close enough, Clay was striking out with a sharp right hook. Reyes easily blocked it and threw his own punch that Clay quickly blocked. Reyes followed it up with a kick to the back of Clay's thigh, and that he wasn't prepared for. He stumbled a moment before he was able to get his footing back. Reyes was better at fighting than Clay had expected and he no longer held back. They both landed blows to the other as they moved around the tunnel. Clay was doing his best to ignore how Reyes was making him feel. His Alpha presence was a lot stronger than he had expected and his wolf was struggling with not submitting and giving into the strong Alpha.

A strong punch to Clay's jaw had him seeing stars and he was knocked down to the ground. Reyes took complete advantage of the moment and he quickly straddled Clay's hips before he wrapped his hands around Clay's throat in a deadly grip. Reyes lowered himself closer to Clay's face as he spoke. "That fake Alpha scent doesn't fool me Little Omega. I had heard there was a white wolf running around Virginia Beach, but I didn't think the bitch would be in the military. I should be thanking you though, now I don't have to travel all the way there just to kill you. It's a shame I have to end this so quickly, I would have loved to draw this out and spend time with you chained to my bed."

Clay wasn't able to say anything back due to the tightness around his throat. He could barely breathe. He had moved his hands up to try and pull Reyes' hands from his neck, but with Reyes being this close he felt like he couldn't move. He was completely overpowered by Reyes' prescenes and it was something that Clay had never experienced before. Not even when he was growing up and surrounded by Alphas. He had never felt like this and it terrified him that he wasn't about to get this Alpha off of him. Even his wolf was scared and trying to hide from this Alpha's presence. Clay could see spots dancing in front of his eyes and he knew it would only be seconds before he was passed out.

Just because Clay was about to pass out, the weight of Reyes was pulled from him and lights were all around him. The second his throat was free Clay was coughing, rolling over to his right side to try and catch his breath.

"You alright?" Sonny asked, worried as he pointed his flashlight towards Clay.

Clay squinted at the light and looked past it to see Jason and Ray had Reyes down on the ground as they got the cuffs on him. Reyes had a deadly smirk across his face and Clay knew this was far from over. Trent bent down and placed his hand on Clay's shoulder as he tried to get a good look at him. "Clay, hey, you ok?" Trent asked, as Clay hadn't answered Sonny.

"He good?" Jason called out.

"I'm good." Clay managed to get out, but his voice was thick from his sore throat. He pushed himself up though and back onto his feet. The last thing he wanted was for the guys to get overprotective of him, they were already too protective of him.

"You sure?" Sonny asked, not really confident in Clay's answer.

"I'm good." Clay said, as he spat out some blood onto the ground before he started to make his way towards the entrance of the tunnel where their exfil was set to be. He knew the guys would follow him and he was hoping to be able to get some time alone once they got back to the plane. He could feel his body trembling from the effects of Reyes' wolf and he just needed some time to try and get his own wolf back under control.

XXX

The guys made their way over to Clay who was sitting on the cot that they left out just in case one of the guys were injured in the field. Clay wasn't too badly injured. His throat will be sore and it will bruise and hurt to talk for a few days, but he will recover. His knuckles and face had some bruises on them, but again nothing that his body couldn't heal. His whole body was trembling though and they knew it was going to take some time before he was able to calm down fully. Jason went and grabbed his blanket as they all headed over to Clay. Once he was there, he wrapped the blanket around Clay's shoulders before they all sat down around him. Clay was instantly able to smell Jason all over the blanket and as much as he wanted to hate the scent, he couldn't help but breathe it in. Jason's scent was amazing and it was starting to help calm him down.

"Talk to us Sunshine, how are you feeling?" Jason asked gently. It was taking everything in him to not reach out and touch him, but he knew that Clay wouldn't be open to touch right now.

"I don't know what happened. I've never reacted that way before. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move. It was like he consumed me. Even growing up I've never felt like that before." Clay answered with a shaky voice. His eyes travelled over to where their target was sitting. He was chained up to the bench gagged with a hood over his head. "I can still feel him."

"You're ok. He can't hurt you. I know it's hard, but focus on us. Focus on how we feel. I can feel the power and darkness within him too, but it's not affecting me because I can feel the guys. I'm using our connection to focus on how they feel and not how the target feels. Focus on us Sunshine." Jason explained.

"You can do it Spense. We're right here for you. We're your pack, we are always going to be here for you." Ray said with strength to his voice hoping that Clay would finally take this step and connect with them. He had been keeping his walls up very high with them and as much as they understood it, it also frustrated them. They wanted to help him and it seemed like Clay was determined to keep them out.

Clay knew he had been keeping the guys at arms' length. He didn't want to rely on someone, because then you were opening yourself up to being hurt, to being disappointed. He never wanted to be vulnerable, because he had seen first hand what happened when you were. At the same time though, he felt like he couldn't breathe because all he could feel was their target. Clay was willing to do anything though to try and make himself feel better. Clay closed his eyes and tried to feel the guys.

"Follow the warmth." Jason guided.

Clay didn't really understand what Jason meant by that, but he focused on them and after a moment he could feel a tingle of warmth around him. He focused everything he could on that small tingle and soon it became a flood of warmth that wrapped itself around him. It was unlike any feeling he had ever experienced before. It was not only warm, it felt safe. Clay couldn't remember the last time he felt safe. He was used to always having to be strong. Always having to be waiting for the next attack to come. He was constantly on edge, even in his own apartment he couldn't relax fully. Clay was not prepared for the emotions that overtook him. His eyes teared up and he couldn't stop a few of the tears that escaped and rolled down his cheeks. Clay felt a hand on either cheek and he opened his eyes to see that Sonny and Jason had reached out to wipe the tears away as he spoke.

"Sorry."

"It's ok Sunshine. This is the first time you are feeling what it feels like to have a pack. You're connecting to us and that can feel very emotional and overwhelming." Jason warmly explained.

"Safe. It feels safe." Clay admitted as he fought to get his tears under control.

The guys knew without Clay having to say it that this was the first time he was feeling truly safe in his life. It was a fact that made all of their hearts hurt for him. Jason was the first one to move, wrapping his arms around Clay as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. The guys all joined in, wrapping their arms around their youngest brother and giving him all of their love and comfort that they could. Clay didn't fight against it, he soaked it all in and allowed himself to feel safe finally. It was a good ten minutes before his tears started to slow down and he moved back, breaking the group hug. He wiped his cheeks with the edge of the blanket as he spoke with a great deal of pain within his voice that had nothing to do with his injured throat.

"I was there when she was killed. She sensed someone coming and she hid me in this crawl space in the coat closet. She told me that she loved me and to remember to keep our special secret. I heard them fighting and when it got quiet I came out expecting to see her. Instead I found her dead body, missing her head in the living room."

"You were there for it. I'm so sorry Sunshine." Jason said with a great deal of remorse. He reached over and placed his hand on Clay's knee, unable to keep his hands to himself. Not when Clay was in so much pain.

"I was so stupid. I called Ash. He was barely around, but I knew him as dad. I thought he would swoop in and make it all better. Only that night we were on a plane going to West Africa. He took me to an Aid Camp where my so-called grandparents were." Clay continued.

"So-called?" Trent asked.

"He called them my grandparents and I called them Grandma and Grandpa, they never corrected me. But they weren't his parents, they died before I was born. And I knew they weren't my mom's parents. They died when she was an infant."

"So you have no idea who they were? They were just nice people that took a kid on?" Sonny asked, not liking where any of this was going.

"They were nice people. They were both doctors and worked for the Aid Camp. We spent two years traveling all over West Africa helping people that were hurt by the Rebels. Ash dropped me off and then I didn't see him again for thirteen years when I was eighteen and in Boot Camp."

Jason didn't like that these two strangers had taken Clay on. He was relieved that they were good people and took him in, but still, it should never have happened. Ash should have been a father and taken care of his son, that had found his mother horrifically murdered. He needed love and support, not a war torn country with strangers.

"I am assuming something happened to them for you to end up in an orphanage." Jason stated knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"A night raid by the Rebels resulted in all of the adults being killed and most of the children to be captured. I ran and hid and in the morning I started to head to the nearest village. I was placed within the orphanage there. I was seven and I slept in a room with fifty other male wolves all between the ages of two and seventeen. That first night one of the omegas had their first heat was raped by twelve of the Alphas in the room. He was twelve. They did it every month he got his heat and after six months he hung himself one night. A few of the other Omegas killed themselves before their first heat to avoid it happening to them. Some would have a mating bond forced onto them only for their Alpha to make them sleep with whoever they wanted and still had sex with the other Omegas. Some accepted it. Some would sleep with whoever willingly because it was easier to have the control over knowing they would take what they wanted anyways."

"Where were the fucking adults?" Ray asked, pissed and disgusted that these children had been through something so horrible.

"Getting in on it all. The one guy had mated with thirteen other Omegas all under fourteen before I even got there. All of them were either killed by him or they did it themselves to escape. He never cared, just moved on to his next victim. We were on our own. There was never much food, we often had to eat garbage just to stay alive. We didn't go to school, instead spent our time working and giving them the money. If we didn't make enough we would be beaten. Never the Alphas though, they got to do whatever they wanted and it was on the Omegas to make sure everything was done."

"How long were you there till?" Sonny asked.

"Seven years. The older Omegas would talk to us all the time and tell us what it felt like before our first heat would hit. They would tell us how to make it feel good for the Alphas, how to make the sex go faster. That if we did it willingly, then they wouldn't force a mating bond and we would have some semblance of freedom. The night before my fourteenth birthday I started to feel different. I knew what that meant and I knew what would happen come the following night. I couldn't do it though. I kept telling myself that I could. That even as bad as the orphanage was being out on my own would be worse. I couldn't do it though and maybe that's because I'm actually an Alpha. I don't know. All I knew was that I couldn't stay and go through any of it. So that night when everyone was asleep I snuck out and ran for as long as I could."

"You should never have been in that position to begin with. Where did you go?" Jason asked, furious that Clay had to go through any of this. It wasn't fair and it never should have happened.

"Nowhere in particular. I went into the wild basically. I ran until I came across this cave. It was empty and far enough away from the village that I thought I would be safe in it. The whole area was at war and there wasn't anywhere safe for me to go. I figured I could at least hide in the cave until my heat passed and then I would figure something out."

"That had to be terrifying though. To be going through your first heat completely alone and in some cave. There was no telling who could have found you." Sonny said sympathetically.

"It wasn't ideal, but I got through it. The weirdest thing happened though. I woke up the next morning in heat, but I wasn't alone. There were ten Grey wolves all around me. They weren't looking to hurt me though, they were guarding me."

"They were protecting you. Maybe they were able to smell that you were an Apex." Jason commented.

"I think so. I didn't know it at the time, but after my heat had passed, I started to feel weird. I had felt weird all day, everything seemed to be brighter and louder. I couldn't figure it out, but I thought it was a side effect of my first heat, so I didn't worry about it. That night I started to shift for the first time. I thought my heat was bad, but it was nothing compared to that. I didn't understand what was happening at first. My bones started to snap, one at a time and then reform in a new shape. It was agonising and it took hours. It was morning when it started and by the time it ended it was well into the middle of the night. At some point I passed out, because when I woke up I was in wolf form. The wolves were still there, guarding the entrance to the cave."

"What did you do? What was it like?" Sonny asked, amazed still that Clay could be in wolf form like he was breathing.

"It was confusing at first. I had no idea what was happening to me. An Apex was never talked about. I didn't even know what I was until I got Stateside and could do some research. I knew not to talk about it. I knew I wasn't normal and that didn't always mean a good thing. It was weird, but I also felt complete. Like a piece of a puzzle finally slipped into place."

"What did you do?" Ray asked this time.

"Not much that first night. My whole body was sore and I was not very good at being a wolf. I had to learn how to walk. All of my senses were heightened so I had to work on censoring them out. I expected to return to normal come morning, but I didn't and I didn't know how to turn human again. I actually spent six months in wolf form before I finally figured out how to shift back." Clay said with a small smile.

"Six months? You were a wolf for six months?" Sonny asked, shocked.

"I was. The wolves stayed with me and they taught me how to track and hunt. I would roll around in mud and dirt to make my coat blend in more. Honestly, it was the best time of my life. I loved every second of it. When I was able to shift back into human form, I was only in that form for a couple of days before I shifted back. Over the next four years I spent a total of maybe six months in human form."

"You really love it eh?" Jason asked warmly.

"I do. When I am in my apartment I'll spend most of it in my wolf form. I love it and my wolf likes to be out. He doesn't like to be cooped up all the time."

"Which is why you not being able to go for a run is hard for you." Jason said with complete understanding.

"My wolf is a part of me, he's a huge part of me. I'm in wolf form every day. I go for a run every day, sometimes twice a day. There have been times where I've spent all night out in the woods."

"What's it like? Do you feel your wolf? Does he take control?" Sonny asked, as they were all very interested in how it was for Clay.

"I always feel him. We can't talk to each other or anything like that, but I can feel his emotions. He has all of my memories and I remember everything when I'm in wolf form. When I'm in wolf form he doesn't take control exactly. I still know what is going on and I can decide what happens, but I do let him drive, if that makes sense. It's his instincts and desires that I put to the forefront over my own."

"And it doesn't hurt anymore to shift?" Ray asked.

"Not anymore. It took about a dozen shifts before it stopped hurting."

"And you can stomach whatever you eat in wolf form?" Trent asked, amazed by all of this.

"I can, but my wolf can't stomach a lot of foods that people eat. I can't eat dairy or much fruit or vegetables. I tend to stick to meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes and berries. I can eat a bit of bread if it's wrapping meat. The same can be said for what I drink. I can drink alcohol and water, but I can't have milk or juices, soda, etc. I can eat raw meat and it doesn't bother me in human or wolf form. Though, I tend to only eat raw meat in wolf form because it's tough to chew."

"Wow, that's crazy." Sonny said, still shocked by all of this and he didn't know if he would ever get used to this.

"It's amazing though." Brock commented.

"It is, but it's hard at times. I can't share it with anyone. I mean, I know you guys know and I can talk to you about it, but you don't understand what it's like to go through it. It's hard to describe the feeling and there's no one I can run with." Clay explained.

"I get that. We can understand the concept, but only you know what it feels like to be running in wolf form. I wish I knew. It sounds like an experience that everyone should get to have." Jason said. He would have loved to be in wolf form, even just once, just so he could experience it.

"It would be fucking amazing to do it." Sonny agreed.

Their conversation was put on pause as Blackburn made his way over to them. He didn't look happy, but considering everything that had happened in the past couple of days they couldn't blame him.

"I got new intel on Reyes. After what Clay said about him potentially being an Apex I started to dig into his bloodline as best as I could. He is a Black wolf and from the family tree he is from an ancient bloodline that goes all the way back to the war with the White Pack."

"And is he an Apex?" Ray asked.

"He is. He didn't shift, but I know that feeling." Clay answered and there was no doubt in his mind that Reyes was an Apex.

"We have nothing to confirm that he is and Reyes is not admitting to it. In this case, not being able to prove it is best. We don't need the Upper Brass discovering there is a black apex wolf in their custody. The greater issue, Reyes is making threats about his pack coming here for the white wolf. He knows it's Clay." Blackburn said with an edge to his voice. This was the last thing they needed on top of everyone else in Virginia Beach looking for Clay.

"He probably knows the same way I know about him. There's a feeling when you are around one. How long is he going to stay quiet about it?" Clay asked, because now there was a real threat of the Upper Brass discovering he is the white wolf.

"I don't know. If I had to guess, I don't think he's going to talk. He seems to be more interested in killing you himself and he can't do that if you are taken to some secure facility by the Government. He's also not going to reveal that he's an Apex, because he knows what will happen to him if he does. The greater threat is that he knows who you are and his Pack is already going to VA Beach. They left once word got out about a white wolf within the Hunter community." Blackburn said.

"So now Hunters and a Black Wolf Pack are looking to kill him." Jason said, not impressed at all and it was only making him more worried about Clay. This was getting to be extremely dangerous and now there really was no telling when the truth would come out, because it was definitely coming out at some point.

"The threat is compounding and I'm making the call that Clay doesn't live within his apartment until the threat has been neutralized. It's not safe, anyone can find you there. You need to live with someone on the team to ensure your safety." Blackburn stated before he raised his hand stopping anything that Clay might have argued. "I don't want to hear any arguments. You have too many dangerous people looking to either kill you or capture you. You need to be with someone so if someone does attack, we will know about it and you have backup. I would be ordering this if it was anyone else on the team that was being threatened. I don't care who you live with, but you need to decide."

Clay didn't want to live with someone, but he did understand that it was too dangerous for him to be at his apartment right now. This was the moment where he needed to decide if he was going to let the guys in and become a member of their pack or he was going to continue being a pack of one. He could feel what his wolf wanted. His wolf had been without a pack for too long, forced to be on his own for too many years. His wolf wanted to connect with them. His wolf wanted the safety, comfort and strength that the guys were offering. Clay had spent so many years denying his wolf's greatest desire and he couldn't bring himself to do it again. To hurt his wolf one more time because of his own insecurities.

"Anyone want to adopt a wolf?" Clay asked with a small smirk.

"I can speak for us all when I say that we all want to adopt a wolf, Brother." Ray said with a warm smile.

"I think the safest place for you to be is with me. With me being a Black Wolf, if Reyes' pack shows up, I might be able to control them." Jason offered, he was really hoping Clay stayed with him though because he was enjoying the time they were getting to spend with each other. He felt connected to Clay and he was sure that had something to do with them sleeping together that one time. He wanted to spend more time with Clay and have the chance to get to know him on a deeper level. He was going to be the one to take over Bravo once Jason stepped down and Jason wanted to make sure that Clay was ready for it.

"Are you sure?" Clay asked, not wanting to put Jason at risk.

"Completely. The safest place for you to be is with me." Jason said with complete confidence in his voice.

"It's settled then. When we land, Jason and Clay will go to his place and grab some things. I will make sure that the CIA keeps Reyes isolated so he can't make any calls. And for now until we have the Hunters handled, Clay has to keep staying in human form. With some luck, we can get the Hunters out of the city and the interest in the white wolf will go down." Blackburn said.

"You don't really believe that though." Trent commented.

"No, I think it's only a matter of time before people discover the truth. All we can do is prepare for that outcome as best as we can." Blackburn said with sympathy within his voice towards Clay.

"It's ok, I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth would come out. I had hoped it would take longer, but there's nothing I can do about it now." Clay said with a small shrug. He knew eventually the truth about him was going to get out. There was only so long he would be able to hide being a white wolf. He had hoped that he would be further in his career and older, but now it was being taken out of his hands and all he could do was be ready for when shit hit the fan.

"We have your back Brother. We're not going to let anyone lock you up to be a weapon or forced to breed." Sonny promised.

Clay could see the determination within all of their faces. He had grown up on his own without a pack, but now he wasn't alone. He had a Pack right here in front of him and they were all ready to defend him and be there to make sure he got to live his life how he wished to do so. It terrified Clay to know that they were all prepared to fight and die for him, but he was going to do everything that he could to ensure that didn't happen. He had a pack now and he wasn't going to lose them, no matter what.