The Pack: Mating

Chapter Two

Kyle opened his eyes to a thrum of power underneath his skin. He looked at the others, Tor, Heidi and Rhonda, and he could see that they all felt it too. And then there was that amazing scent rolling off of the man next to him. Kyle pressed into it, murmuring. It smelled like alpha and strength and home. There was something else in the air, though, underneath all of that…prey!

Kyle turned around, dimly noting that the others followed. Lance was sprawled across the ground where he had tripped and the sight was just so pathetic that he had to laugh. But instead of his usual throaty laughter, what came out was a high, tense cackle that seemed to fit him like and old skin. The others joined in, all but Xander, who just turned and smirked.

It was the smirk that did it, really. Years afterwards, Kyle would swear that history would have been different had it not been for that little twitch of facial muscles.

Lance ran. The laughter increased.

Inside, Kyle was boiling, his own rage stirred up by that of the primal. How dare he be so calm when Kyle was a conflicted mess. In fact, how dare Xander BE at all! How dare the outsider be alpha? That was his rightful place. He had earned it.

With a snarl, Kyle launched himself at the still smirking Xander, intending to prove who was alpha once and for all. Xander let himself be thrown to the ground, and began to wrestle a bit, thoroughly enjoying himself. Kyle's thoughts whirled. He was an imposter, not good enough for the pack, and outsider…He tried to pin Xander, but the larger boy was also stronger and just reversed the situation.

Kyle lay pressed into the floor of the Hyena House as the others watched and he knew that he would have to find some way to prove himself again. They would never follow him after this.

"You smell amazing," said Xander, nuzzling into the joint between his shoulders and neck, "like sunshine and warmth and submission and home." He gave the area a few playful nips.

Home. That was what Xander smelled like.

Wait—submission? He DID NOT smell like that, no matter what Xander 'son of the town drunk' Harris said. Kyle ignored the voice urging him to tilt his neck and just relax, that alpha would take care of him. That alpha would make everything good again. He began to struggle against Xander's hold. The bigger boy just smirked again.

"Come on, Kyle," he said, wiggling into a better position. Kyle groaned. "You know you want to. All the cool kids are doing it." Heidi and Rhonda cackled. Tor just looked confused. Kyle's eyes pleaded for an intervention, but Tor remained steadfast in his avoidance.

Xander's head dipped back down to his shoulder joint. "Give in," he said, "I'll keep you safe." As much as he wanted too, Kyle couldn't fight the little voice any longer. Every time Xander spoke it got louder, and right now it was shouting. He slumped. Xander smiled in victory.

"You're mine now," he said, "all mine," then bit down as hard as he could on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle gasped as he was flooded with pain and an odd feeling of belonging. Goddammit, if Xander was kidding around about this…

Xander was still smiling as he stood up, and extended a hand to help Kyle. Kyle took it without thinking. Xander would take care of him. He belonged to Xander.

Tor whined at the back of his throat. Kyle watched as he went up to Xander. What, was Xander going to give him the whole dog and pony show too? Was that all it was, a welcome to the pack gift? He bit back a snarl. He had no right to be angry. He'd lost.

But Xander didn't throw Tor to the ground or speak to him or fight him. He just walked up and bit him on the neck, just a little mark. He did the same for Heidi and Rhonda too.

It looked like he was special then, or at least the only one who hadn't been able to instantly adapt to Xander freaking Harris as alpha. Kyle resisted the urge to go to Xander, then gave in as the other boy extended an arm towards him.

God he was pathetic.

"We should go," Kyle whispered into Xander's neck, right where the scent was strongest. "The bus is leaving soon."

"Screw the bus," said Xander, but slowly pulled away. He led them all back through the halls and into the open air. It smelled so much better here, so much freer. Kyle scented the air and smiled at Xander. He smirked back.

Cocky bastard.

The walk back to the buses was uneventful as Kyle reflected on what had happened in the Hyena House. He felt lighter now, as if he'd let go of a weight he'd carried for years. He felt stronger too, more powerful and more awake, like he'd been asleep since he was a child.

Ahead of him he could see Xander, but more than that, he could feel him. It was like he had a Xander-detector in his bones or something. It was always there, humming away, letting him know if Xander was close. It was more than just keeping track of the alpha, too. He didn't know how he knew that, but he did. This was something deep and dark and he felt it had to be related to the bite on his shoulder and the smell of home.

They were at the buses, and Principal Flutie was standing out in front, tapping his watch. Kyle smirked a bit at that, and Xander looked behind to share in the joke.

His Xander-detector thrummed with joy.

As they climbed on board, Kyle could see the two little bitches who hung off of Xander looking his way, their eyes wide with concern. He hadn't broken their toy, promise. The redhead was whispering something thing Buffy's ear. He would bet a kidney they were talking about him.

Xander flopped into an empty seat, and pulled Kyle down with him. Kyle squashed the side of him that yelled that he was a person and not a possession, with thoughts of "alpha, good, strong."

The other three managed to squeeze into the seat directly in front of them. And so, all students finally accounted for, the bus took off, and with it, Kyle's feelings of safety. He got motion-sick at the best of times, but right now he felt like being on the moving bus was actually making his soul sick.

He whimpered softly, but apparently not softly enough, because Xander heard him.

"What is it?"

Kyle curled in tighter and tried to tell himself that soon he would get off the bus and he could lie in the grass and not move.

"Kyle?"

His alpha was asking him something. He should answer his alpha.

"What's wrong?"

"Hurts," said Kyle, through clenched teeth. "Feels wrong."

"What feels wrong?"

"Being on this big abomination of a thing while it moves," he said, only dimly realizing how odd that sounded. "I get motion sick sometimes."

Xander nodded and wrapped an arm around Kyle's shoulders. They ignored the mutterings around them. There would be a time for dealing with those later.

"Concentrate on me, Kyle," he said, and Kyle tried to comply. He let the scent of alpha-strong-home wash over him, and it helped, even if it didn't make it all better.

But it seemed to have helped enough, because now the bus was pulling in to the Sunnydale High parking lot, and stopping, thank God and all the powers that be. Kyle breathed out his nausea and stood on shaky feet. Xander watched him closely, and that knowledge alone allowed him to walk off the bus.

Heidi, Tor and Rhonda gathered around him in the parking lot, speaking low words of comfort. Xander was a solid presence at his back, and he basked in the feeling of family.

Buffy and her minion were still glaring at him, so he took the time to send her a snarl back, his eyes glinting green just a bit. That sent them packing! He smirked and turned his attention back to Xander and the pack.

"Where now?" said Kyle, breathing deep.

"Anywhere but here," said Xander.

"Sounds like a plan," said Tor, already gearing up to go.

"But Kyle," whined Heidi, "I left my stuff inside."

Kyle shrugged. He didn't really care either way.

"Shut up!" snapped Tor. "Alpha said we're leaving."

"Leave her alone," yelled Rhonda.

Xander looked at Kyle and raised an eyebrow. Kyle flushed. Sometimes his pack could be a bit immature.

"We have time for a stop," said Xander, magnanimously settling the issue without addressing the dissension in the ranks. Tor seemed to think that whatever Xander said was the law, and the girls were just happy to get their own way.

Kyle didn't really need anything inside, so he was perfectly happy to be dragged along by Xander. Well, most of him was perfectly happy. He was carefully stomping on the rebellious bits that insisted on shouting about public places and homophobia. Instead of listening, he just smiled as Xander pressed him up against a locker.

"You're doing it again," said Xander.

"Doing what?"

"Smelling way too damn good," Xander breathed into the side of his neck.

Kyle just barely managed to keep himself from moaning.

"You're all mine," said Xander, nuzzling the bite he'd made earlier.

"And you?" said Kyle. "Are you all mine too?"

He held his breath in anticipation. His Xander-sense was driving him off the wall with its purr. Xander pulled back to answer, only to be interrupted.

"Xander?" It was the redheaded one that followed him around. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Xander growled low in his throat as he pushed off of Kyle and the wall. "Hold that thought," he said as he walked over to the intervening harpy. She led him into another hallway for some 'privacy', and Kyle let his head fall back against the wall.

…Only to whip it around double quick as Buffy Summers, in all her glory slammed him against the wall.

"Alright mister," she said, "answer quick and I'll let you keep your ribcage: what did you do to my Xander?"