I do not own the characters of The Outsiders. I only own this idea and the characters I have created for the purpose of this story. Reviews are appreciated. I love to know what you think.
"Come now, Darrel. There is no need to raise your shackles at me. Quite a young Beta you are, but you are a pure bred." explained the Alpha as he and the Beta all but moved in circles around the other, their lips drawn back a bit and their eyes blazing their unnatural color.
"There are plenty of reasons to raise my shackles at you, you're lucky to still be on your feet. You are within Curtis territory, might I remind you, and without permission as it is." replied Darry as he clenched his hands into fists at his sides, the knuckles turning white with restrain.
"There is no needed permission when there is no Alpha to fully scent the borders. You're living in a territory divided. You are practically the last of your own Pack, your bloodline has all but come to an end, killing off the wolf that lives inside of you. Your brothers don't seem to be wolves, it must have skipped a few generations. None of your little 'Pack' seem to be wolves, it's all full of human blood. Why haven't you expanded your Pack?" the Alpha had the nerve to ask as the two circled each other, eyes locked and claws itching to come free.
"I would never put my own brothers or the gang in the amount of danger that comes with being a wolf. They're in enough danger being associated with one, you really think I want to up that level for a sadistic satisfaction of power?" Darry growled out, his eyes briefly flickering to a steel blue, before back to their natural color. He knew he was being challenged, but with his brother's lives on the line, as well as his friend's lives, he wasn't about to turn tail and run. The Alpha's lips drew back to reveal his newly shifted fangs, his canines having come down into lethal points, a deep growl building in his throat. As an Alpha he was used to obedience from every wolf below him, from Beta to Omega to Pup, from Bitten to Born. This could either end badly or the tension could lower to where they could both go their separate ways without a mark being left behind, the oldest Greaser didn't think it was going to end that way.
"My. My. Such a backbone for a lone wolf. I'll give you some time to consider your options here, Beta. You can either expand your Pack and fully claim your territory, or lose it all by the next full moon. When that moon reaches its crest, that marks your final chance of coming to a decision." the Alpha warned him as he brought his hand up to swipe a claw across the arc of Darry's cheek, the claw slicing through the skin with ease in a small movement. The younger wolf didn't so much as flinch at the wound to his cheek, keeping his eyes locked onto the Alpha.
"Curtis! You about finished up? We need to get you back on the roof and get this train rolling again so we stick to schedule!" Treyton called out from outside the building, his voice easily meeting their ears.
"Just finished up! Allow me to show you out, Alpha." Darry said calmly to the older wolf, hoping the venom in his voice came across exactly how he intended it to.
"I can see myself out. Take some time to take my offerings into consideration. I really don't want to have to spill much blood on this matter." the Alpha said once more before his back was turned to the Beta and he walked from the building, Darry's instinctual growl filling the air around them as he watched the wolf's retreating form.
(Time Lapse)
"Darry? You're back early – earlier than usual. You're usually here after Ponyboy and Johnny are back from the library – not before." Two-Bit said in confusion from where he was sitting upside down on the chair, a half empty beer bottle on the floor by the chair.
"We finished the roof earlier than expected, all that's left now is just the finishing paperwork which can be taken care of tomorrow. Boss let us all out early today." He replied to him as he slid his jacket off and hung it up onto the rack, heading towards the bathroom to take care of the still throbbing and not healing cut on his cheek. The door to the bathroom swung open just as he stepped to it, Dally making his way out only to stop short and grasp the older Greaser's chin to turn his head to the side in order to examine his cheek.
"Why aren't you healed? You can do that, right? You do have rapid healing?" asked Dally in curiosity and concern, the concern an unusual trait with him, as his eyes raked over the cut.
"Yes, all Shifters of any breeds have an excessive healing factor. We can and do heal at a faster rate than humans, except for when it comes from somebody of a higher rank. Omega's can't heal from Beta's as fast and Beta's can't heal from Alpha's as fast. If any of them ask, especially my brothers, I took a right hook that caught me off guard. That's the story we're sticking to." The wolf explained as he ducked passed Dally in order to get into the bathroom to get the cut cleaned up.
"Is it time to involve your brothers yet?" Two-Bit asked from the living room where he was pulling himself up into a sitting position in the chair, his heart hammering in his chest, sounding like a dull roar in the wolf's ears.
"This early in with the new Alpha in town? There's still a fifty-fifty chance of their lives on the line here, of both of your lives on the line. This early in, there's a chance that they'll be killed. There's also a chance that they'd be able to help. But I'm not taking the chance of losing them, or the bigger chance of losing all of you. They don't get brought into this until it is absolutely necessary." Darry said firmly, his eyes flashing to a steel blue briefly.
"And if that Alpha makes a bigger advancement?" Dally asked as he and Two-Bit now stood just outside the opened door of the bathroom.
"He already has, Dally. This little cut is just to back up the threat of his reason for being here." he explained as he finished cleaning the cut, hoping that cleaning it would be able to speed up the healing process.
"What is his reason for being here? Why did he specifically come after you?" Two-Bit asked as he moved out of the way to let the wolf passed.
"An ultimatum. There is no Alpha of this territory, that rank died off when the crash happened. I have until the next full moon to either expand the Pack and use that to pick up the rank of an Alpha, since there is power in numbers. Or I turn the territory over to him and his Pack and submit to him as an Alpha. Ponyboy and Soda would either have to agree to being Bitten or they'd be killed on spot." He explained to the pair, his wolf raging beneath the surface of his body at the mere thought of them getting hurt. He would rather have his own blood spilled than theirs.