Part 7

Wolf Pack Party

Hunter had to give Sebastian credit. The guy hadn't made any apologies for going after what he wanted from moment one, even when Hunter was bleeding out, he hadn't hesitated to pull his mate back from the brink of death. In the back of his mind, Hunter knew he was going against a very deep seated instinct in keeping Sebastian at arm's length, but he had always walked alone.

Following Sebastian down the stairs, he could hear music and the excited chatter of voices. Along the entrance to the main stairwell hung a sign that hadn't been there before that read, 'Congratulations.' The bulk of the group was hanging around the kitchen and the back porch clamoring for food and a few of the guys turned to see Sebastian stop at the bottom of the stairs. Hunter stopped as well when Sebastian started speaking.

"Dalton. Warblers. Pack. I'm proud to introduce you to my mate. Hunter Clarington." Sebastian had changed his emotive tone like the flick of a light switch. Only someone with an ethereal, emotional connection to the man could tell what was really going on. Hunter had a front row seat to that turmoil. The words he'd used in the shower had shredded Sebastian and now when Hunter tried to read his mind, Sebastian seemed to be aware of the intrusion and thrust an image of himself sitting in the shower in a puddle of failure into Hunter's mind. The message was pretty clear, 'you are not welcome in my thoughts.'

Whatever Sebastian's emotional state, he never flinched and showed any of it on his face or in his actions. It would have been nice to press further, but both men were being ushered around the room by the pack. Everyone seemed to want to shake their hands and pat them on the back. Especially Sebastian, the amount of praise the other wolves were silently laying on Hunter's mate, was humbling. Even at the Academy, he'd never made friends like this or garnered this kind of loyalty. Maybe in another life he would have been tempted to fall in love with Sebastian Smythe, but this one put the man in far too much danger.

"Hunter right?" Hunter looked away from his mate and at a cheery blonde guy who looked as though he just walked out of a surf shop. A quick sweep through the blonde's mind revealed a shocking amount of Nutella-based thoughts. Hunter stopped immediately, sweets weren't really his thing.

"That's right. Hunter Clarington. It's nice to meet you." Hunter nodded, though for some reason his eyes kept drifting back to Sebastian who hadn't looked his way once. A quick assessment of his mate's thoughts revealed nothing. Again, the man was shutting him out somehow. Damn, Sebastian was good at deflection.

"Oh we've met…well sort of." The blonde kept talking, "I mean I found you guys that day under the tree. You were all bloody and stuff and I swear I thought you were dead…" He blinked as if he'd just realized his impropriety, leaving an awkward pause between them. "I'm Jeff." The guy grinned sheepishly.

"He's Jeff. I'm Nick." Another pack member butted in and Jeff hooked his arm around the shorter newcomer. This wolf had dark hair, and Hunter regretted the gentle probe of Nick's thoughts because he was assaulted with even more Nutella cravings. "And we're going to get in the pool!"

"But you have to wait twenty minutes after you've eaten to swim." Jeff argued.

"Dude!" Nick gave a Jeff a knowing look and Hunter felt as though the two might often finish each other's sentences. "We haven't eaten yet. We're golden!" That explained a lot. Hungry wolves had hungry thoughts, but wasn't chocolate poison to dogs? Was Nutella chocolate?

"I'm so hungry though." Jeff put a hand on his stomach, "all I saw ready was vegetables."

Nick made a face and the thoughts of elaborate cakes were replaced with Nutella covered vegetables. Were all Pack Dalton wolves this silly? "I'll join you." Hunter was feeling more and more like an outsider. "Are there extra suits?"

"In the pool house." Jeff nodded. "The Pack isn't always here, but the Warblers spend most of their time here. We'll show you!" That was the second time Hunter had heard the word 'Warblers', but was pulled away towards the pool before he could ask what that meant.

The water in the pool was heated and the swim was a welcome break from everything. Pack Dalton seemed very welcoming and one by one they made their way to Hunter to say hello. He read a few of their minds. Most of them were happy for Sebastian. One wolf was skeptical that gay wolves could mate for life the way normal mates did, but it wasn't even a complete thought. Moreover, the pack seemed unflinchingly loyal to one another and that included Sebastian.

Through the glass of the sliding door he could see Sebastian in the center of a game room playing darts with another man and entertaining everyone. Hunter had been resting against the side of the pool with his arms lazily anchoring him, but pushed his body upwards to sit on the side of the pool with his feet in the water so he could watch Sebastian. That damn wolf hadn't looked his way even once. Why not? Wasn't he supposed to be the center of Sebastian's universe? And why was his mate so smiley with that guy? Was that other wolf after his mate?

The temptation to move closer and start reading minds was unnerving. But that would mean facing all the things he'd pushed away in the shower. It would mean accepting Sebastian, and Hunter couldn't do it. There was an uneasy feeling in the center of his chest. As if his inner wolf was staging a massive protest at being so far away from its mate. It took a lot of concentration to get the beast inside him to calm down, but Hunter managed it. He'd been practicing control over his beast for years. Until that day with Sebastian, he'd never once fully shifted. The realization that he could was pretty amazing all by itself and, after the run, Hunter had never felt so at ease. Accepting Sebastian in that moment had been so effortless, so fulfilling. Now that he'd outwardly rejected it, all he wanted to do was get it back. Hunter close his eyes and told himself over and over again, that wasn't an option.

"Trouble in Paradise?" Bare feet and legs slid into the water next to him, but the voice he already knew. It was Kurt.

"What makes you say that?" Hunter finally turned his head towards the other man.

Kurt's answer was a knowing chuckle. "You were raised human right?" When Hunter nodded, Kurt continued, "newly mated wolves are notoriously possessive, not to mention amourous. I remember Blaine didn't let me out of his sight for weeks after he marked me. But you two aren't even in the same room. It's a sign."

"It hasn't been exactly easy." Hunter admitted and that was really an understatement. Sebastian seemed so sure of Hunter. In just a few days, his mate had unraveled everything he thought he knew about the world and his future. If Damien hadn't tried to recruit and then kill him, he would still be in the Academy leading a very regimented and quietly restless life.

"I can imagine." Kurt agreed and then smiled sadly, "does he appeal to the wolf or the man in you?"

"Both." Hunter surprised himself with his quick answer and he realized it was very true. Sebastian had a way of reaching Hunter's wolf that he didn't know was possible. The change and run through the woods had been elating and one of the most carefree moments of his life. The sexual encounter was still very fresh in his mind and Hunter wouldn't have backed down from that experience even if he thought he could. Even now, Hunter would be lying to himself if he thought he wasn't attracted to Sebastian. "What do I do?"

"Wolves can be stubborn, but someone has to be the bigger man...or wolf. The sooner one of you swallows your pride and reaches out, the better." Kurt stood up from the side of the pool, "there's plenty of steak left if you're hungry."

The truth was that Hunter was starving. Making his way into the kitchen he began scrounging for a plate and whatever food was handy and didn't look overcooked. Kurt had told him to apologize in so many words and Hunter wasn't sure how to go about doing that. It was at that moment Hunter spied the liquor cabinet and abandoned the food plan altogether in favor of a bottle of clear liquid that read "180 proof".

"There's the lucky man!" Jeff was in a swimsuit and had a towel wrapped around his neck like a cape. Nick was with him and had a red strip of cloth tied around the top of his head. "Come on! It's Warbler time!" The two wolves dragged Hunter, liquor bottle in hand, through the kitchen and down into the far side of the game room where they sat him on a musty sofa.

"This is my life now..." Hunter mumbled and took a long pull from the bottle. It burned, but he dealt with it and watched a select group from Pack Dalton assemble like a squad of cadets in front of him. As one, they all began humming in harmony and from the back row, a man started singing. In all his life, he'd never been serenaded, but it damn sure looked as though he was being flash mobbed or something.

Hunter recognized the song; it was Glad You Came, by The Wanted and the Warblers were singing the hell out of it! It was at that moment Sebastian moved to the front of the group and Hunter realized who was singing! His mate could sing!

"My universe will never be the same. I'm glad you came…" Sang Sebastian and then the boys in the room scattered, still singing and dancing in unison. It was the most incredible thing Hunter had ever seen. The next lyrics of the song were all lost on Hunter. All he could see was Sebastian, the way he moved, his voice, his command of the situation around him. It was all too much for Hunter and he fell under his own spell, smiling as he watched the show.

By the end of the song, the boys were tired and grinning, many of them taking in large gulps of air. And Hunter stood up looking for his mate. "That was amazing Sebastian." Hunter smiled, "I didn't know you could do that."

Sebastian smiled in return, "there's a lot you don't know about me." He left the rest unspoken but let the thoughts drift between them, 'if only you were willing to learn.' And he turned to chat excitedly with the other boys.

Suddenly there was a sea of people between him and his mate as the party got into full swing with loud chatter and laughter, food, fun, and games were busting out all over the place. Hunter looked at his bottle as if it were his only friend.

Half the bottle and several hours later, the celebration seemed to be winding down. Most of the boys who had sang alongside Sebastian were still there and finding places to curl up wherever they got tired. The real nail in the coffin was when someone decided to put on a movie and dim the lights. That was a recipe for a roomful of sleeping boys if Hunter had heard one.

It only took one scan of the room to find Sebastian curled up on a pallet on floor and one more sip of his liquid courage before Hunter got up and walked over to his mate. In most situations, he would have already thought through everything he wanted to say. Here, he had no words. So he simply got down on the floor behind Sebastian and curled up as close as he could without touching the man.

A sleepy, green-eyed wolf rolled over a moment later and extended an arm out, tugging Hunter over. It felt so good to be this close. All night Sebastian had been muting the connection between them and blocking his thoughts. Hunter realized that he missed that trust. He'd been alone so long, how could he be so addicted to the kind of surety the mating bond gave him already? Part of him despised feeling so dependent, but the larger part of him, the one currently in charge, didn't care. "I'm sorry." He said slowly, and let his emotions run down the bond.

Instead of an answer, Sebastian gave his mate a long, slow, kiss, indulging in biting gently at Hunter's lips, capturing the top one and letting it go softly before he pulled back and looked Hunter in the eye. "The wolf will always seek out its mate." Was all he said and then curled up, resting his head on Hunter's chest. The next words were spoken as a thought that flowed as freely as if Sebastian were whispering in his mate's ear. "Let me fight Hunter. I know you don't want my help, but I have to do something. Let me show you I'm worthy of being your mate. Please? Give me a chance?"

There was a tidal wave of emotion as felt Sebastian let the stranglehold he had on his emotions go, and it almost overwhelmed Hunter. Apprehension, need, longing, and relief, all rushed in at once. His hand came up to thread into Sebastian's hair and in that moment it seemed as though they were really together, and maybe Sebastian was someone he could put his faith in. Maybe. "Okay." Thoughts drifted upwards from his mate as well. 'Sweet Mother Wolf help me.' And he held onto Hunter a little tighter who answered Sebastian with a hug of his own. The sleep Hunter drifted into was the soundest he'd had since the last time he slept so close to his mate.