This is a very important chapter, I'll say that. My goal is to make you tear up from reading this, and I hope someone will. Age and Humphrey are about to take their Alpha tests, and their girls aren't exactly happy about it, but it has to be done to stop Blood. Hayley truly loves Age, and so does Kate with Humphrey, and well…read…

Better Than This

Chapter 10

It's All For You

Humphrey sat and waited in the canyon for the Alpha trainer and for Age. With him was his beloved Kate, the one wolf he'd do anything for. Kate was lying on her stomach, and Humphrey was on top of her, his head resting over hers. Kate sighed and rolled over onto her back, causing Humphrey's head to roll and land on her neck.

"Kate…is something wrong?" He asked concerned for her.

"Humphrey, do you see what is about to happen to us? You're standing here, waiting to become an Alpha, and the whole lesson we taught the pack will just evaporate. I love you Humphrey, and I'm thrilled you're becoming an Alpha, that's a huge accomplishment, but do you realize what it'll do to you? You'd have to give up all the fun and spare time with your friends, and you'd probably never get to see me, all Alpha schedules are different. But, that's not the worst of it, the worst part is…the loving, sweet Omega that I fell in love with will disappear, and he'd be replaced by a…rare, tough Alpha with no personal time on his paws. I'm worried he'd forget about me…" Kate's heart sank lower and lower as she spoke to Humphrey. He was also concerned for Kate; he knew fully well what becoming an Alpha would do.

After all, once you are an Alpha, there's no going back; a duty to the pack is taken once you pass the test. He was also aware that himself taking on this role would limit his spare time and he'd rarely get to spend any real time with Kate, except on his off duty days. "Kate…I don't want to become an Alpha honestly. Just the other day I said that I was your Omega and that'd always be the way things are. But this is far beyond anything we can control, the pack needs all the Alphas they can get to track down this killer, I have the skills Kate. I really need to ease this guilty conscious of mine and serve my pack in a just way." This was all Humphrey could truly say, it was like Blood was forcing him to do this.

"Wouldn't you feel even guiltier knowing that you died for nothing, that some homicidal maniac killed you and stole you away from me?" Kate asked him hoping the answer was what she had thought it was.

"Kate…" He said and picked his head up over hers, and then stared straight down into her eyes, they were watering, and Humphrey couldn't look away, his heart wouldn't let him. "This is for the pack, I'd do anything for you and I swore I'd always be there. When I come back, I'll give you anything you want, just name it, I will not say if I come back, the thought of not coming back to you is too much." Humphrey was sincere with his thoughts, and Kate knew what she wanted.

"Humphrey…when you come back, I want pups." Humphrey got the shock of his life in that moment. They had only been together for a matter of days and she was already looking to start a family, but like he had said, Humphrey would give her anything.

"Yes Kate…when I come home…to you…I will give you those pups. I shall not wait a second when I do, if this is my last promise, I swear it." Humphrey dropped a tear to the ground, and Kate picked up her head and pulled Humphrey into a kiss, this was unlike any kiss they had before. Kate didn't want to pull away, his maw was locked into his and she felt him smile as her lips were with his. Humphrey was in bliss, indeed he was smiling, but only for the satisfaction that he had finally given Kate everything that she ever wanted. He made a promise to finally make them husband and wife, the old fashion way, but he didn't care, this was what they wanted and the time arrived sooner than expect. A voice called out to Humphrey and Kate from somewhere nearby. Kate broke the kiss to see that it was Age, and his new love, Hayley.

"Hey cousin, having fun?" Age teased. Humphrey and the rest of the group had a good laugh about it after, and a few minutes after pointless chit-chat about Blood and the search, Hutch came down into the valley.

"Alright, who's first between you two?" Hutch asked in his deeming Alpha voice. Humphrey and Age looked at each other, and then Humphrey gestured to let Age go first. Age smiled and nodded at his cousin, and then walked in front of Hutch. "Alright Age, this is a very simple test. Usually, Alphas are trained over the course of the winter with hard exercise, and physical labor, but since you're new here, and you skills seem to be prompted enough, all Winston instructed me to do was…you have to beat me in a fight." Hutch declared, Age shot back and shook his head.

"But Hutch…you're one of my friends, I can't hurt you." Age complained, really not wanting to hurt one of his new and surviving friends in his new pack.

"You have no choice my friend, I didn't like it either, but Winston is the boss." Hutch said in a sorrowful tone and began to circle Age in attack stance.

Age wanted to back out of this so suddenly, but he knew he didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. He also started to walk in a smooth circle around Hutch, copying his movements in order to confuse him. When the instincts of his true blood side kicked in, all was seen ahead, Hutch already stood no chance. As soon as Age's senses enhanced and he caught wind of Hutch movements, the reaction was natural. The area around them, to Age's vision, was suddenly filled with blurry lines, and all he could really make out was his opponent and feature around the landscape to help him win. He was able to read the way Hutch moved, and determined that Hutch would straight out charge him and lunge with his teeth. Age stopped his movement, growling at Hutch, and as predicted, Hutch charged. ( I got a PM asking what Age saw while he was using his full blood wolf half, so this is what it looks like)

His pure wolf blood boiled within his veins and poured into his reflexes and senses. The world around him slowed down, Hutch, to Age's sight, was running in slow motion, the ground lighting up wherever it was he was about to step. Age followed the movements across the canyon plain until the light stopped, indicating that Hutch was about to jump, Age swerved out of the way using his lower half to swing his body under the air borne Hutch, and then flipped over on his top and bit down on his neck. He drew blood and threw Hutch to the ground, he didn't move, but the bite wasn't fatal, and just like that, Age's test was done, he'd beaten Hutch.

Hutch got up from his defeat and rubbed the spot where Age bit his neck, he then groan and laughed. "Damn it Age, any harder and you would've killed me. Not only are you way faster than I thought, but you got some hell of a control on that jaw of yours." Hutch complimented Age.

"You alright bud?" Age asked his friend. Hutch nodded and looked over at Humphrey and Kate, but Hayley was looking away, she seemed disappointed.

"Humphrey…" Hutch called to him, and he perked up, "Since this bite is probably gonna put me out of commission for a few hours, your test instead will be this, last longer against Age than I did." Humphrey froze in place; he had to face his cousin!

Without much of a choice, Humphrey walked out to the center and took his place across from Age. He whimpered at his test, but Age wasn't allowed to go easy on him. Humphrey wasn't entirely sure to do as he waited for Hutch to get off to the side, his neck fur beginning to stain. "I'm sorry Humphrey, this isn't what I wanted." Age yelled to his cousin, and got in his fight stance. Humphrey nodded and took up his own stance, and then they began to circle one another. Before anything happened, Kate walked over to Hayley and found she was turning away because she didn't want Age to see her crying.

"Hayley…what's wrong with you?" Kate asked trying to sound sweet. Hayley only pointed to Age, and then to Hutch.

"If he can do that…then he'll never be left alone. Alpha everywhere will want to try fighting him, he'll never have anytime for me." She cried through her tears. "It'll be almost like we never met, and the peripheral wolf I met will just…"

"Disappear…" Kate finished for her, she nodded and continued crying as they heard Age and Humphrey begin to fight.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" She asked Kate.

"Because, I had the same feeling when I talked to Humphrey about becoming an Alpha; yes, at first you're worried you'll never be with the one you love again, but then you realize something…" Kate said and the growling was still heard behind them.

"What…what do you realize?"

"You realize that…no matter what they are on the outside, and to other people, they'll always be the one who you fell in love with on the inside." Kate explained to Hayley, and she wiped away one of her tears.

"You're right Kate, you really are. I can't believe I didn't see that on my own…" Hayley smiled and then was scared by a howl escaping Age's lungs from behind her.

She and Kate turned around to see one of Age's paws bleeding and Humphrey lying on the ground, the wind knock out of him. He wasn't unconscious, but there was the clear fact that he wasn't gonna get up without help. Kate ran out to him and picked him up under the chest and lifted him into a sitting position, while Hayley ran over to Age and started licking his bleeding paw.

"Humphrey, how'd you do that cuz?" Age asked, astounded at Humphrey; he managed to gather some breath and answered,

"I don't know, something just snapped and I went on a rampage."

"Well it was good enough for me…" Hutch said and walked over to the four wolves. "Congratulations, Age and Humphrey, you are both official Alphas of this pack. The search for Blood begins tonight at dusk, don't be late."

"I love you honey, good job." Hayley said to Age and they kissed. Hutch walked away to be treated and Kate and Humphrey just snuggled on the spot.

Late that night, Age and Humphrey's worst fear came true, it was finally time to join the search for Blood and his rigorous booby traps. The group was ordered to move off, but Age stopped them. They were ordered into three divisions, three Alphas to a group, Age's group contained himself, Humphrey and Hutch, as the other two groups ran off into the woods, Age stopped to talk to Hayley who, along with Kate, watched their loves leave.

"Hayley…I…if I die tonight, I want you to know a few things." He began, and she already started getting watery eyes. "If you hear any rumors…any at all…that I've been killed, you make sure you find out if they're 100% true or not. I don't want to live, and find out you killed yourself over a lie." Tears streamed down her face, and she nodded. "And if I come back, I will ask you to be my mate…" Hayley's ears perked up and her tears stopped. "I would rather love you, and have you in my life while still living, then have you forever in a void where I can't feel anything."

"I'll be waiting Age, forever, even longer if I have to…" She said and her tears returned, and Age was the one who pushed his lips up against hers. The feeling of kissing her was more tranquil than pleasing her the night before, and it was time they parted ways. "I love you Age, come back, please…" She begged.

"If I do, it will only be because I can't stand being without you for another minute…I love you too." Age whispered to her ear, and they hugged one final time.

"Age, we have to go…" Hutch insisted. Age stole one last look at Hayley, and the along with Hutch and Humphrey ran off into the forest, just as the sun was setting.

Love always triumphs, that's all I'll say. Kate and Humphrey had their teary moment at the beginning of the chapter, and that's all for now…until next time.