Pack Run

Stepping out of the vehicle Barba walks around to open her door. Grabbing her hand he helped her out, pulling her into his arms. He stares at her for while, his eyes never wavering from hers. He feels her heart beating rapidly against her chest. Dipping his head down towards her, his lips brushed against hers. Without saying a word, he pulls away, takes her hand, and leads her toward the forest.

Looking around she sees the pack rushing through trees, howling and cheering as they did. Her son not really knowing what was going on took off after Angelous howling at the top of his lungs. The beta stopped seeing the young pup falling behind. Running back towards Noah, he scoops him up and sits him on his shoulders, running off to catch up with the others.

"He will be safe?" She asks.

Barba nodded. "They will care for him."

Content with his reply, Olivia took in the beautiful scenery in front of her. Upon the forest floor laid trees of yesteryear, fallen in storms long forgotten. The seasons have been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful. They have the appearance of driftwood, twisting in patterns that remind Olivia of seaside waves; even the color of the moss is kelp-like. They are soft and damp, yet her fingers come away dry. Olivia tilted her head upward, feeling her hair tumble further down her back; the pines are several houses tall, reaching toward the golden rays of spring. Birdsong comes in lulls and bursts, the silence and the singing working together as well as any improvised melody. A new smile paints itself upon her rose-pink lips semi-illuminated by the dappled light. Before she knows it her feet have begun to walk, body and mind both on autopilot.

Barba watched her with a new sense of adoration. In a way, this was his home. Part of who he was. And to see her so...in love with it had him short of breath. As she turned to face him with a smile, his eyes soften seeing the hand held out for him. Taking it, he leaned down for a kiss. "Let's catch up with the others."

"So, what exactly happens in a run?"

Barba thought for a moment. "Most will shift and run. Others will just seek the company of their pack mates. There might be some hunting involved." Catching the worried look on her face he chuckled. "The animal will be taken back to the house and cooked."

"I knew that." She muttered.

"This is a way for them to reconnect with ourselves. Be reminded of where we came from." Stopping them before they crossed into the clearing, he moved his hands to her waist. "I want you to see my world as it is. The good and the bad. Share everything there is about me with you. I told you a few days ago that I trusted you." Sliding his hand to the back of her neck, he leaned down. "Now I ask you. Do you trust me?"

Without missing a beat, she pulled him down for a quick kiss. "With my life."

Barba gave a shaky exhale, swallowing the dry lump in his throat. At that moment he felt himself begin to lose control. His wolf was clawing at his chest. Biting at him to be let out. That primal need to mark her was coming back in full rage. Thankfully Adhara had picked up on his distress and came to his rescue.

"There you are." Grabbing Olivia's arm, she tossed the man a grin. "Mind if we steal her for a few moments." He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. "You can have her back before the run starts."

The moment she was gone he gasped out, finally able to breathe. "Jesus." Taking in long deep breaths, Barba leaned back against a tree. He had decided to claim Olivia the proper way after having spoken to Aaron. But that had woken his other side and it was not as patient as he was. Shaking off the feeling of being overpowered, he joined the rest of the pack.

Olivia had taken a seat on a fallen tree resting against a large willow tree. Noah was seated on her lap, staring wide-eyed at everything happening in front of them. Barba laid behind her, allowing her to rest her back against his stomach. Most of the wolves were running around, chasing and pouncing on one another. Some had gathered up in a group for a hunting party. Others were simply content lounging around the forest floor.

A large multi-colored wolf approached them, dropping to his belly and crawling a few paces. Olivia wasn't sure who this wolf was, but it seemed Noah did.

"Angelous!" Noah climbed off his mother's lap. "You're so big!" He petted the wolf as if it was an old friend of his. No fear or hesitation in his movements. "So cool."

Angelous tilted his body towards Noah, nudging him closer. 'Hop on kid.'

"What's he doing?" Noah turned to his mother, giggling at being nudged once more.

"I don't know." She looked down at Barba, hoping to get an answer. "What does he want?"

'You realize they can't understand you.' Jumping down to the floor, he walked over to Noah using his head to nudge the boy over Angelous' back. Holding him still, he waited for Noah to straddle the wolf's back. Stepping back Barba gave his beta a warning. 'Anything happens to him and I will hold you responsible.'

'Don't worry Rafael, we'll watch him like our own.' Feeling the kid grab ahold of his loose skin, he trotted off to his waiting pack mates.

Olivia had been tensed the entire time. Jumping each time Noah nearly fell off. And each time one of the wolves was there to catch him before he did. But hearing him laugh and yell with the excitement caused her heart to swell. It's been so long since she had heard him as happy as he was at that moment. He was a natural at interacting with the pack. Something she needed to learn from him. Glancing behind her, she caught Barba's gaze. His eyes were almost neon yellow. Such a drastic change from his usual green eyes. Beautiful nonetheless.


Home

"You burned it last time." Aaron growled, shoving the man away from the grill.

Angelous rolled his eyes, shoving him back. "I didn't burn it. I was well done."

"With that sentence alone you should never be allowed near a grill. Back me up on this Benson." Aaron glared at the beta.

Olivia had gotten up to grab some drinks when she got caught in the middle of the bantering. "I want no part in this."

"Even she knows you're wrong." Angelous smirked.

Looking back at the beta, she raised a brow. "I like my mea-steak middle rare. Well done is just disrespectful."

Aaron snatched the tongs from the beta's claws. "You lose. Go make yourself useful and help get the food ready."

"Are they always like that?" Olivia handed Barba one of the drinks, looking back at the two men.

Grabbing her cup as well, he placed the two on a table beside him. Taking her arm, Barba walked her to the side, pulling her down on his lap, wrapping one arm around her waist to hold. "Yes, I'd say you get used to it, but they still give me headaches."

Wrapping her arm around his neck, she reached for her drink. "What exactly are we eating?"

"They are eating venison." Barba pointed at the deer being prepped a few feet away from the group. "For us and Noah, we bought steak."

"Speaking of Noah where is he?" Her eyes flickered through the lass mass of people.

"Find Angelous and you'll find him." Barba muttered against her shoulder.

And she did. Angelous wasn't hard to miss, the man stood out from the crowd. And right next to him stood her son. Angelous was showing him how they skinned and prepped the deer. To her surprise, her son was mesmerized by the process. At one point the knife was given to him. One of the males at the table guided his hand through the animal's meat. Olivia cringed at her son turning to her with a wide smile, waving the perfectly cut meat in his bloody hands.

Barba scoffed a laugh. "That boy acts more wolf than most pups we have here."

"Is that a good thing or-"

"It's good." Taking a sip of his drink, he watched her reaction to his words. "It's making it easier for the pack to accept him. And for him to learn how to fit in." He'd already seen how they treated him. Due to who's son he was, Noah already had a higher ranking than every packmate. Adult and child. He was the alpha's son. Angelous was not just teaching because he enjoyed the boy's company. He was also showing him things he'd need to learn should he ever take over. That was unless Barba had pups of his own.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" She asked. "I need to get back to work and so do you."

He sighed, laying his head back on the chair. "We do just that. Angelous has picked out four guys to keep an eye on you and Noah." Pulling her down on his chest, he kissed the top of her head. "We have an ally coming in next week. Hopefully, with his numbers, we might get them to back off."

"Who?"

"His name is Bao." Barba replied. "Younger than Aaron and I, but don't let that fool you. Bao can be a deadly opponent."

She frowned. "And he's an ally?"

"Better than having him as an enemy. Bao overthrew his father when he was 15. By the time he was 23, his pack had doubled in size. It was with his help that we have managed to win every fight we got into." Barba sensed her worry. "Liv, I'm not looking for a fight. I'm trying to settle this without any bloodshed. Having Bao here will help us do just that."

"I can always just shoot them." She smiled at the rumble in his chest from his deep chuckle.

"Let's put that as our plan B."


Living Room

Aaron stood in the hallway carrying Noah in his arms. Barba had walked in moments ago to lay Olivia on the bed. Both the mother and her son had fallen asleep moments before the nightly run. Handing the boy over to Barba, he stood just outside the door watching his friend tuck the boy in next to Olivia. He knew better than to step foot into the bedroom of another alpha, especially if it was currently occupied by his mate. "Bao called."

"And?" Closing the door behind him, he followed Aaron into the living room. "What he say?"

"He'll be here sooner than we expected." Walking towards the bar in the corner of the room. Grabbing a bottle of scotch and two glasses. "Turns out he's already had a run-in with Stabler."

"When?" Grabbing the glass offered to him, he placed it on the table in front of him. "As far as we know Stabler was in Rome, before coming here."

"Not entirely true." Aaron took a seat across from him. "We know he went MIA after he was turned for some while."

Barba nodded. "A year or two I believe."

"In that time, he was seen with a pack of rouges. Same ones that were giving Bao's pack trouble." Aaron explained.

"This was the same time Bao was here in New York." Barba remembered hearing of the young alpha visiting the city. Although the alpha was in another's territory, Bao was one of the few that others rather not engage unless they absolutely needed to. "What was he doing here anyways?"

"His mate lives in the city." Aaron replied. "Still does. Comes visits every week or so."

Barba didn't know how one could stay away from their significant other. The bond can only handle so much distance. "What happened between Stabler and him?"

"What you would expect." Aaron shrugged. "Stabler thought Bao was an easy target to take on."

Barba scoffed. "Ran with his tail between his legs back to Rome."

Aaron nodded swallowing the rest of his drink. "He found a more compatible opponent in his alpha."

"You mean one past his prime. Unable to take on a newly created wolf."

"Yeah." Looking down at his hands, he prepared himself for what his words would rise out of Barba. "There is another thing we need to speak about."

The tone in which Aaron spoke had his pressure rising. "Which is?"

"Alejandro Munoz."

"Alex? What about him?"

Reaching over the coffee table he snatched Barba's forgotten drink. "He's been voicing his concern regarding Olivia."

Barba sat up, leaning forward as if he hadn't heard the man. "What concern?"

"Olivia." Aaron tossed the scotch back, knowing Barba was probably about to snap at him. That was something he rather not do sober.

"Olivia is who I have chosen for myself." He growled angrily. "What is the problem?"

"She's the first human to live among us. Unmarked and unmated." He raised a hand to stop the outburst he knew was coming. "Rafa, she may be your mate. She may one day lead the pack at your side. Hell, she may be the future mother of your pups, but she is still a human. We all trust her, don't ever doubt that, but not everyone shares that feeling. Many have been backstabbed by humans they have trusted, us included. You will be the first to mate with a human without turning her."

Running a hand down his face he looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. "He wants her to be turned."

"It seems that way."

With a scoffed laugh, he shook his head. "I'm not doing that to her. Olivia is just getting to know me for who I am. For what I am."

"Fine don't turn her, but you need to do something." Aaron leaned forward. "If you don't want to mate just yet, then don't. But at least mark the woman. It will shut them up and calm them a bit."

"I shouldn't have to." Barba snapped. "What I do with my life is no concern of theirs. I am not putting anyone at risk with Olivia knowing or being here. My pack is content with her. That's all I care about." Standing up, he pinned Aaron with a glare. "If Alex has a problem with it, he is welcomed to come and speak to me about it."