Cordelia finds the entirety of her pack sleeping in Kyle's living room and it's all she can do to laugh. Now that she thinks about it-it's just like when she kisses him. It seems it's just like Xander to struggle, tell her no, and give her exactly what she wants anyway. Finding him at the center of her pack, at the heart, where he belongs, feels like coming home. She can't even remember the strength of her rage. Why his denials had ever bothered her when it's so inevitable.

Xander Harris belongs with them. To the Pack. But most importantly; to her.

And he can't escape that, no matter what he wishes or how he denies them. Cordelia shoves Jonathan from where he's been leaning against Xander's shoulder and takes her rightful place on his lap. Jonathan grumbles from where he lands against Amy, but doesn't wake. Cordelia snuggle her face into her mates neck, enjoying the peace of having her whole pack gathered around her. Safe from harm where she can easily protect them all.

Right where they all belonged.

x

Giles is cleaning his glasses. They have become something of a touchstone to him. A way to safely ignore the world and calm down enough to face the present. He has never cleaned them as often as he has since becoming Buffy's watcher.

He had not been taught how to deal with teenagers. It is so very hard to ignore that they are children when they constantly behave as such. They are still yelling. Speaking over each other so rapidly that he can't make out a word any of them are saying. Most people, when presented with such a conundrum would come to the conclusion that the only way for all of them to be heard would be to take turns speaking. Being teenagers, they have instead taken to attempting to scream above the others.

They are giving him a headache. Just as he is about to interrupt in the hopes of calming them down, and figuring out just what is so important that they feel the need to squabble, the door slams open.

It is Cordelia Chase. It's also quite the entrance, but he does not know what else he expected from Sunnydale's new Primal. He doesn't know enough about the phenomena or the original cheerleader to catalog any difference in personality. The scholar inside of him mourns the wasted opportunity. Primal's are fascinating. He had spent all of the day before searching for more volumes on the subject. Especially after Cordelia's win over Buffy. He still did not know what to make of such events.

The others had fallen silent at Cordelia's appearance. She ignored them, her eyes on young Xander, who had the dubious honor of having been claimed as Cordelia's mate. Nothing in any of the lore Giles had read had ever mentioned anything about Primal's having mates. But the Cheerleaders laser like focus on the boy left little doubt that she, at least, wholly believed her claim to be valid.

"I missed you this morning." Cordelia all but purred, stalking towards Xander.

"Get away from him!" Willow shrieked, physically hauling a surprised Xander behind her. "I won't let you turn him into your slave! I read all about omegas, and how they're beaten for stress relief and considered servants at best."

"What?" Buffy demanded, stepping in between the Primal and her friends."Our truce is over and done with if you try to turn my friends into your slaves!"

Cordelia snorted,"Please, as if a real alpha would need slaves. My Pack obeys me because I keep them safe. As the alpha it is my right to demand obedience. The only one who doesn't have to is my mate. And why would he have to? It's not like he'd ever work against me."

"Since when did you guys have a truce?" Xander asked, confused.

"Since last night." Buffy said, "I've been trying to tell you Giles, Cordelia and I sort of fought but then we agreed to reschedule a rematch and hunt Vampires instead of fighting when we want the same things. Then me and Angel got jumped by these weirdo Vampires last night. He had to spend the night in my room."

Xander choked, "In your bed?"

"By my bed." Buffy corrected. Her eyes going alarmingly soft as they tended to do whenever she spoke of this mysterious 'Angel'. Giles did not approve of their relationship. He was not blind, and he could see very clearly where their growing closeness would lead. His instincts informed him that the affair would not end well, but those very same instincts were even more insistent upon the fact that Buffy would not listen if he tried to warn her away.

Giles sighed. No one noticed.

"Yeah, yeah." Willow said," I'm very happy for you , it sounds very romantic. If we could please focus on the part where Cordelia is trying to turn Xander into her slave!"

"I'm doing no such thing." Cordelia replied with a roll of her eyes, attention still for the most part on her mate."If I was I simply wouldn't have let you leave when you woke up."

Willow turned to Xander," What is she talking about?"

Xander blushed, "Um...Amy sort of kidnapped me after school yesterday?"

"What?" Willow yelped.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Apparently Cordelia went to fight Vampires or something and told her to find the pack. I guess since I smell like Cordelia I'm pack or something? Amy sort of hugged me and refused to let go. So she kind of dragged me along to meet the rest of them. And we sort maybe fell asleep watching Star Trek."

"I did like finding all my pack in one place." Cordelia said, smiling the bright beam that usually drew the attention of her peers. Whether or not Xander was conscious of it, the way his back straightened and his expression softened meant he relished in the attention."I can't wait till you realize you belong with us."

"If we could please focus on the Vampires that attacked Buffy last night?" Giles interrupted, before the teenagers resumed being children and further derailed the conversation." If you could please describe them Buffy.

Giles was not blind to the tension present between Willow and Cordelia as Buffy relaid the details of her attackers, but he rather wanted to be. He did not wish to alienate Cordelia when she could be such a source of good for humanity with the right guidance. But he also did not wish to hurt Willows feelings by welcoming someone who had been so very unkind to her. The situation was of course, further complicated by Willows feelings for Xander, and Cordelia's claim of ownership over him.

"It sounds like you must be hurting the Master for him to send the three after you." Giles said, happily clinging to the good news. It had been quite a while since he had received any. Cordelia's Primal state could still go either way, depending on her actions."We should focus on weapons training."

That, at least, was something he could do.

x

Amy feels amazing. The world has never been so warm and beautiful. She stretches next to Jonathan and enjoys the resulting sex scent as her due. She doesn't know why she can't effect Kyle the same way. But most boys seemed to react to her slightest shrug. Which probably had a lot more to do with her tube top and sheer over shirt then her face, but Amy didn't mind. She was going to let Cordelia dress her everyday. She had even gotten to sit at the popular table and everything, since Cordelia wasn't ashamed to be seen with her when she could pick out the get up. She didn't get why Jonathan and Kyle hadn't taken their alpha up on the offer as well.

But she was quickly figuring out that they actually seemed to enjoy being pack more than the perks that came from being friends with Cordelia Chase. Amy didn't get why they didn't just enjoy both.

"Is he still there?" She asked, nudging Kyle.

Tor had been following Amy with his eyes all day. Then he had actually physically stalked her to her pack. And proceeded to follow them when while they walked to the park and waited for cheer practice to be over.

"Yup." Kyle confirmed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. They inhaled together, enjoying the bitter jealous scent that wafted off Jonathan. How Jonathan couldn't tell that Kyle had no interest in her she didn't know. It was like he wasn't using his nose at all.

"He was pack before wasn't he?" Jonathan asked, blatantly looking towards Tor and making startle all the way back into the tree he's so 'cleverly' been hiding behind.

"What happened?" Amy asked with interest. Her alpha had explained that her first pack had been forced by hyena spirits and that they had left her, the only one who stuck around had been Kyle. And Jonathan had asked to be turned. But she wondered what their take had been on the affair. She couldn't understand why anyone would give up the power of being a Primal.

"They didn't like alphas strength." Kyle said, matter of fact."It scared them."

Jonathan nodded, "To be fair Cordelia is terrifying. I just think having a scary alpha is a good thing."

"A very good thing." Amy agreed, with a wriggle that made Jonathan smell particularly horny. He was so easy."What do you think he wants?"

Kyle snorted,"Who cares?"

It wasn't like the human could hurt them. The only things that could touch them were vampires and other demons. And their noses would give them plenty of warning. It was part of what made Amy so happy she'd agreed to be turned.

She felt safe.

A feeling that only increased when she scented her alpha.

x

I am getting tired of trying to force this fic to follow my pre-established story line. Updating takes forever and the chapters feel wrong. I am just going to let it do what it wants and try to avoid plot holes.