Author's Note: Hello wonderful readers! I've got a new chapter for you :) This one gave me some trouble but I finally finished it! Hope ya'll enjoy~
To Wishfull-star: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your review as always!
To nagareboshi1249: Aw, I'm glad I can give you something to look forward to! I'm always happy to hear that my stories can bring someone joy :) I hope you enjoy the update!
To 94Insane: Yep, Shanks has definitely messed up and it was quite satisfying to write Makino smacking him XD I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
To Guest: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I will definitely be finishing this one and hope to have it done soon ;) Just a few chapters to go, actually!
WARNINGS:
- Angst, lots of angst
- Mentions of death
- Shanks being...difficult
At Shanks' urging, Luffy made his way to a couch placed against the far wall. Thankfully, it was fairly large so he wouldn't have to sit right next to the red-haired lycan. Benn remained standing and closed the door to the office softly, creating a barrier between them and the rest of the pack house. Luffy was just grateful he wouldn't be alone with Shanks.
As the alpha walked towards him, Luffy got his first good look at the man (at least, while he was in his right mind). The red hair was obvious and, though it appeared somewhat tousled, framed his otherwise handsome face. He had three scars running over his left eye, giving him the appearance of strength. Luffy's gaze fell to where the lycan's left arm was supposed to be.
…how had that happened?
"Well, why don't we start with this…" The wolf stated as he sat down on the other side of the sectional (thankfully giving him space), "My name is Shanks, also known as 'Red Haired' Shanks because of my hair color…obviously. It's nice to see you again, or officially meet you, I suppose."
Luffy just stared at the man as he chuckled sheepishly to himself. He glanced over to Benn who motioned for him to say something back.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy…" He managed while wringing his hands together in his lap in an attempt to calm his nerves, "N-Nice to meet you."
Shanks smiled fondly at him and Luffy could tell that he began to suppress his scent even further than he already had, likely noticing how scared he was.
"Have you had a chance to meet everyone yet?"
Luffy nodded.
"Yeah…everyone's been really nice."
He wasn't entirely sure what to do when Shanks started to make small talk with him, asking about how he liked Lucky's food or if he was pleased with his new room. Luffy figured the man was trying to help him feel more comfortable talking with him, but dancing around the things he really wanted to ask about just seemed to draw the conversation out and made things awkward. Thankfully, Benn halted the strained conversation with a well-timed clearing of his throat.
"Ah, sorry pup. Guess I got carried away there. So…what questions do you have for me?"
Luffy shifted his weight on the couch and huffed, trying to decide what he wanted to ask first.
"Are you the one who turned me into a werewolf?" He finally asked, prompting Shanks to nod.
"I am, though that was a long time ago…you probably don't remember what happened."
He shook his head.
"No, I don't. I just get scary d-dreams sometimes, or when y-you…" Luffy trailed off, heart rate increasing the more he thought about their initial encounter at the Happy Rabbit. Shanks frowned at his stuttering but seemed to understand that he was thinking of that incident. "My Dad said you've been after me for a long time. Is that true?"
Shanks sighed and brought his hand up to his face to brush a few strands back behind his ear. As he'd noticed before, the lycan didn't seem to like Dragon much. His eyes hardened at the mere mention of him.
"What did Dragon tell you about me?"
Luffy shrugged.
"Not much…we didn't have a lot of time together before he…" He couldn't quite finish his statement as emotions bubbled up inside him. It was still difficult to understand why his Dad had given him away. Shaking his head, Luffy tried again. "He just said you guys were dangerous and that I needed to stay away from you."
"I see." Shanks replied, taking a moment to close his eyes in thought, "Luffy, do you know much about the relationship between a sire and pup?"
He shook his head, answering honestly. Ace and Sabo had told him about what it meant to be a 'sire', but not much else.
"How about imprinting?"
"…what's that?"
"It's…hmmm." Shanks began, interrupting himself with a short huff, "Looks like it may be easier to start with the basics."
Luffy could feel steam billowing out from his ears as Shanks tried to explain lycan 'nature', sires, and pups to him. It was all a bit…complicated.
"-and that's why…Luffy, you okay?"
"I…don't think I get it." He admitted with a tilt of his head. Shanks blinked at him before turning to look at Benn, appearing confused. The beta just sighed and walked towards them so he could kneel in front of Luffy.
"Here's what you need to know, kiddo. Shanks is the one who turned you into a lycan, your 'sire'. Because he's the one who bit you, your instincts see him as…well, essentially a father figure. The ties between sire and pup are naturally very strong, but it's even stronger in your case due to your age at the time." Luffy straightened up at Benn's words, trying to follow along as best he could.
Shanks shuffled a bit in his seat, but Benn ignored him and continued to speak.
"Basically, your wolf side was convinced that Shanks was your father, and the same thing happened to him regarding you. This is called 'imprinting'. It's known to happen in cases with children being turned, which is part of the reason it is typically forbidden. It forces connections that aren't necessarily real in that moment."
Luffy hummed softly and glanced at Shanks. The lycan stayed very quiet throughout his beta's explanation.
"I believe that, in your case, those feelings and instincts lessened significantly as you grew up with Dragon, but Shanks…"
"That's enough, Benn." The man interrupted, causing the gray-haired lycan to go silent. "I think he understands now." Nodding respectfully to Shanks, Benn stood and returned to his post at the door. For his part, Luffy was still reeling from what they'd told him.
'So…at one point…I believed he was my Dad?' Luffy mused, eyeing Shanks carefully. '…and he thought I was his son? How does that even work…?' It was difficult for him to fathom since he had no memory of Shanks except for fractured pieces of visions that could barely be called memories.
"But…you're not my Dad." Luffy said slowly, making Shanks' expression fall. He looked upset…like he'd somehow hurt his feelings. Though, seconds later, the alpha quickly plastered a fake smile on his face that seemed very out of place.
"We'll see. Now, as much as I'd like to keep talking with you, Luffy, it is getting late. Benn, would you please show him back to his room? We can continue this tomorrow."
"Of course."
Luffy stood at Benn's urging but was confused why he was being rushed out of the room. He still had so many questions!
"W-Wait, I-"
"Do as you're told, Luffy." Benn whispered to him with a stern look that silenced him quickly. With jaw clamped shut and tail dragging on the floor, he glanced back at Shanks as they left the room.
The red-haired lycan seemed troubled and had his hand resting under his chin. He also noticed, however, that the man's scent was spiking swiftly and his eyes had started to glow that eerily familiar silver. Suddenly, Luffy didn't mind that he was being told to leave the room.
Something told him he didn't want to be around Shanks when he was angry.
The walk back to his room was quiet. Luffy hugged himself as they turned too many corners to count. Had he made Shanks angry somehow? It seemed like he only got more and more confused the longer he stayed in the alpha's pack house.
"Sorry about him." Benn suddenly stated, startling him out of his thoughts, "He's…very possessive over things he sees as his."
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked, glancing out a window as they passed. The sun had set so only the shadows of trees were visible. Given how quiet the pack house was, he assumed most of the lycans were either out patrolling or asleep.
"He's considered you a part of the family for a long time now." Benn continued with a huff, "It hurts both his feelings and his pride as your sire to hear you say he's not your father."
"But he's not!" Luffy shot back, tail fluffing up in irritation, "I only have one Dad, and it's not him!" Benn huffed again and stopped walking for a moment.
"We know that. Shanks is the only one who still hopes you'll accept him in that role."
Luffy was taken aback by the sadness in Benn's expression and tone. His tail quickly fell back down to the floor.
"Though, honestly…I think he's aware that isn't possible." The lycan continued, tone soft and full of regret, "He just isn't ready to acknowledge that yet."
With that, Benn continued walking, prompting Luffy to resume his steady trot behind him. When they finally reached his room, the beta told him good night and locked him in, leaving Luffy alone once again. Suddenly exhausted, he flopped down onto the bed face first and groaned.
Everything was just so confusing…
Thankfully, it was Makino who woke Luffy the following morning. Her soothing scent helped him forget how stressed he was about his current situation. Just like the day before, she waited patiently for him to shower and get dressed before leading him out to the commons, this time for breakfast.
The curly-haired one, Yasopp, was there along with Lucky Roux who appeared to be serving up some sort of sausage casserole.
"'Morning, kid! You hungry?" Yasopp called when they entered the room, smiling widely at him. Luffy swallowed the saliva in his mouth and nodded, tail wagging aggressively behind him. Makino giggled at his response before motioning for him to make his way towards the table the older lycans had chosen.
Lucky wasted no time sliding a plate full of food over to him, causing his stomach to growl instantly.
"Eat while it's hot!"
Without hesitation, Luffy began to shovel the eggs into his mouth, prompting a quiet reproach from Makino for him to slow down.
"Take your time or you'll choke." She added with a fond smile while bringing a napkin up to his face to wipe some crumbs away. Luffy blinked in surprise at the action while Makino froze, as if realizing what she had done. The corners of her mouth trembled for a moment before she quickly placed the napkin back down on the table and stood to her feet. "E-Excuse me for a moment. Please, enjoy your breakfast."
Luffy watched her leave with big eyes, unsure what he'd done wrong. He felt his ears and tail droop. Makino was so nice…had he offended her somehow?
"Don't worry about it…she's not mad." Yasopp put in, noticing the change in mood. Beside him, Lucky had stopped smiling and began wiping grease off his hands with a towel that had previously been slung over his shoulder. For his part, Luffy wasn't so sure.
"She looked pretty upset to me…"
"I think she just needs some time to get used to ya." Yasopp continued, grin returning, "After all, it's not every day your husband brings home a possible new-"
He grunted when Lucky elbowed him in the gut, interrupting his statement. After coughing for a moment, Yasopp managed to complete his sentence.
"-uh…member of the pack! Yeah, can be a bit of a change…"
Luffy eyed the two as they chuckled awkwardly, clearly trying to hide something. He couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with Shanks thinking he was his son. Humming to himself, he slipped another bite of sausage into his mouth. Maybe Makino had the same thing happen to her?
"Ne, do Shanks and Makino have any kids?"
Yasopp and Lucky froze at his question and sent nervous glances to each other. Luffy felt his expression fall as the lycans' brows furrowed, sorrow clear on their faces.
"No…no they don't."
"…not anymore." Yasopp muttered quietly, just loud enough for Luffy to hear. He bit his lip and quickly apologized for his question, not liking such haunted looks on the generally jovial lycans. As if sensing his regret, they both swiftly returned to their smiley selves and pushed his plate closer.
"Enough of this downer talk, have some more food! There's plenty to go around!"
About an hour later, accompanied by a guard (as always), he searched the pack house for Makino. She had yet to show herself to him since breakfast and it really bothered him. If he'd done something wrong or brought up bad memories somehow, he wanted to apologize. After asking around, he ended up back on the porch where he'd encountered Benn the day before.
Looking to his right, his eyes landed on Makino who sat reclined on a bench with her eyes closed and a small piece of…something, clutched tightly in her hands. It looked like fabric, possibly clothing.
Biting the inside of his cheek, Luffy carefully approached her with ears twitching nervously.
"Um…Makino?" She looked up abruptly at his voice, revealing moist eyes. Luffy felt his tail droop further at the sadness on her face. He'd really hurt her… "I-I'm so-"
"No, no, it's okay! Please don't apologize!" Makino interrupted, standing to her feet, "You've done nothing wrong, dear."
"But…I made you cry." Luffy managed, gaze falling to the floor in shame. The female lycan had been nothing but kind to him and the last thing he'd wanted to do was upset her. Makino muttered something under her breath and, without warning, pulled him into a tight hug. Though surprised by the action, he allowed himself to rest his cheek against her shoulder.
"I should be the one apologizing…I shouldn't have left you alone." Luffy sighed contently as the woman began to gently stroke over his hair and ears. "Please forgive me, dear. None of this is your fault."
"But then…why are you so sad?" He asked while pulling away. The lycan sent him a tight-lipped smile and tugged him down onto the bench. Without a word, she held the small fabric bundle out for him to see.
Luffy leaned forward to examine it, noting the size was too small for even a toddler. Was it…a piece of baby's clothing?
"Many years ago…I, no we, lost our child." Makino explained in a small voice, making Luffy's eyes widen, "Having you here, it b-brings up memories and emotions I haven't had to deal with in a long time. I'm sorry, Luffy…I didn't want you to have to see me like this, not when you're dealing with so much already."
Luffy wasn't sure what to say and simply sat in silence, choosing to hold Makino's hand instead of speaking. After a few minutes, she squeezed his hand and delicately pulled hers away.
"Thank you, dear. I do feel better now."
"You're welcome." He replied, still feeling unsure of what to do, "Um, can I do anything to help?" Makino shook her head.
"No, I'm okay. But thank you for your concern! You're very sweet."
Luffy couldn't help but grin a bit at that, warmth bubbling up in his chest. Makino really was just like how he imagined a mother to be.
"Tell me…has Shanks spoken to you yet?" She added, making the corners of his mouth fall. He explained what happened the night before and Makino clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Unbelievable. You wait here, I'm going to go get him. I think it would do both of you some good to really talk things through."
Before he could reply, Makino got up and left, prompting his guard (who'd stepped back to allow them space) to approach him once again.
"You want a drink or anything, pup?" The lycan asked suddenly, drawing his attention. Luffy nodded and soon had cold sparkling water tossed to him. Unsure what else he should be doing, he sipped on the drink and waited.
Makino strode through the pack house with purpose, going straight to Shanks' office where she knew her husband was holed up. Though she'd intended to give him space (which she knew he hated) to figure out where he'd gone wrong, clearly he needed a push to actually face Luffy.
They didn't have time to let Shanks meander around the main issue at hand and, frankly, it was cruel to Luffy to continue to keep him in the dark.
She didn't bother knocking and walked straight into the room, startling her husband who was hunched over a stack of documents at his desk.
"Makino, what-"
"You need to sit down and talk to that boy!" Makino all but hissed, hands clenched tightly. Shanks blinked at her for a moment before falling back into his chair with a sigh.
"I tried to, but-"
"He told me what happened." She interrupted, frown deepening, "Nothing good will come of this whole mess if you can't face your fears and really talk to him. No matter what he says." Shanks pinched the bridge of nose but his expression told her he knew she was right.
"Might I suggest a hunting trip?"
Shanks looked up at that.
"What?"
"Take him up the mountain. Spend the day with him." Makino continued, "We both know you don't have much time before Whitebeard and the others arrive…use it wisely." Shanks gazed into her eyes, expression softening the longer he lingered on her.
"Yeah…that's a good idea. Thanks."
Makino turned around and showed him her back, not wanting to reveal her trembling bottom lip to the man she was angry with.
"You're welcome. He's on the porch when you're ready."
Just as Luffy tilted the sparkling water back to finish it off, a familiar scent caught his attention, and it was getting stronger. He quickly straightened up and held the empty can tightly in an attempt to steady himself. A few seconds later, Shanks rounded the corner. True to her word, Makino had brought the alpha to him. The guard to his left bowed respectfully to the man.
"Hey, Luffy! Sorry about last night…I bet you're confused."
He nodded and stood to his feet, not liking how both lycans appeared to loom over his much smaller form.
"Anyway, Makino had a good idea and I want to hear what you think about it."
"…okay." Luffy replied, shuffling nervously in place. For his part, Shanks also seemed a bit unsure of himself and kept reaching up to scratch at his red hair.
"My territory extends all the way up to the top of Mt. Amelia, even to the far side." Luffy followed his gaze to the lush cliffs that seemed to stretch up to the heavens. "There's good hunting to be found there and the view from the top is second to none. What do you say I show you around?"
Luffy gulped, suddenly understanding what the alpha wanted to do. He recalled doing a small amount of hunting alongside Ace and Sabo, but they'd done pretty much all of it. When presented with a small animal to kill, he'd chickened out. Ace had to be the one to finish it off. He also hadn't mentioned his inability to control his forms.
"Um…I can't turn into a wolf." He admitted, making Shanks' eyebrows raise, "Ace helped me before."
"You mean your true form?"
Luffy nodded and focused on the floor where his tail laid limp against the planks of the porch. He heard Shanks hum, as if in thought.
"Well, if you'll let me…I can also help provoke the change."
Luffy tensed up, recalling how Ace had done it. He really didn't want to allow Shanks anywhere near his neck, especially with his teeth. He'd seen what they could do to people.
"It should be pretty easy, honestly." Shanks continued, "Since I'm your sire, I should be able to do it without touching you."
"Really?" He asked, looking up so he could see the older lycan's face. The man had a serious yet contemplative expression there that caused a slight wrinkle to form on his forehead.
"Yeah, but only if you'll allow me. I won't do anything without your agreement first."
Luffy looked the man over, searching for signs that he was lying or trying to deceive him, but he seemed like he was being truthful. Of course, he wasn't the best at discerning stuff like 'truth' and 'lies'…but he at least appeared genuine.
'And maybe this way I can finally get some answers.'
"Okay…let's try it."
Shanks smiled at his response.
"'Atta boy! What do you say we go now? Still plenty of light left in the day and there's a cabin up there we can stay in if we need to."
"…if you think we should."
"Great, let's go!"
Luffy followed the excited alpha around the pack house as he alerted his men about their excursion. He caught Makino's eye from afar as she watched them closely, nodding to him with a small smile of encouragement. He returned her grin with his own. If she thought this was the best way to get answers, he would do it no matter how scared he was.
Once they found Benn and Shanks put him in charge, the two left out the back, descending the porch stairs until their feet found grass. Luffy sniffed the air as they approached the forest, enjoying all the interesting smells that wafted from the trees. Shanks stopped in a clearing just short of the trail that would lead them deeper into the woods.
"This should do. Are you ready?"
"I-I think so." He managed, trying to stop himself from trembling. Though his lycan side seemed to trust Shanks, he was still wary of the man who'd hurt Ace and Sabo so badly. Shanks' smile faded slightly at his response but he still sat down in the dirt and motioned for Luffy to join him.
"Then let's do this."
Suddenly, the lycan's scent spiked, making Luffy's ears instinctively go back against his head. He folded in on himself, submitting to Shanks before he could even think not to. The savory scent enveloped him like a cloud of gas, but seconds later, it retreated, leaving him gasping for air.
When he opened his eyes, his view was different than it had been. He barked in surprise, lifting up one of his jet-black paws.
"And…there you go. See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Luffy lifted his gaze up to Shanks' and backpedaled a bit. He had no idea when the lycan had changed, but he now sat in his true form as well. He was much larger than him and even Ace, with red fur and large claws. His scars remained, allowing Luffy to see the similarity between this form and his human one. Interestingly enough, his missing arm translated to a missing front leg as a wolf, but this didn't seem to bother him.
"You okay, Luffy?"
"Y-Yeah…sorry, just surprised." He answered while trying to stand up. Under Ace and Sabo's tutelage, he'd improved a little, but not that much. Shanks chuckled when he tripped and flopped down onto his side with a yelp.
"Clumsy little thing, aren't ya?"
"It's just been a while, that's all!" Luffy shot back while scrambling onto all four paws. "Ace and Sabo said it takes time!"
"It does, but hopefully things will go a bit quicker with me here." Shanks responded, standing up to his full height, "Come on, let's see how far we can get before we start to get hungry."
Makino found herself back on the porch with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. It had been a few minutes since Shanks and Luffy left and she could smell her husband just beyond the trees. He seemed excited about the hunting trip and hopefully it would be just what the two of them needed.
He couldn't avoid having that conversation with Luffy when it was just the two of them.
"Are you sure this was a good idea?"
She glanced to her left at Benn who was lighting a cigarette. Though the beta seemed calm, she could tell he was worried.
"You know Shanks would die before allowing any harm to come to Luffy."
"Yeah…but his mental state leaves something to be desired."
Makino sighed and turned back to the forest. She could tell they'd moved on towards the mountain given the retreating scents.
"This time is important for them. Luffy needs to hear Shanks' reasons for what he did and my husband needs to face his fears…he needs to accept that that boy is not his. Never was and never will be." She felt her hands shake slightly but she steadied herself. "Our child died fourteen years ago and Luffy can never replace them. Shanks has to accept that and let Luffy go."
Benn blew out a puff of smoke.
"Then let's start praying…our boss has a lot of pride. It won't be easy for him."
Makino cracked a smile.
"I have faith that Luffy will get through to him. He's a special boy."
Meanwhile…
Ace grunted as he carried a full bag of broken glass and other remnants of the fight out to the trash can located behind the Happy Rabbit. It was already pretty full so he just placed the bag next to it. With nothing else to do but wait and 'recover' until Whitebeard was ready, he and Sabo had started to get the bar cleaned up as best they could.
Unfortunately, it would take some time to replace all the broken glassware and alcohol.
'Expensive too.' He thought with a huff as he made his way back inside. Sabo was on a stool working to remove a pair of torn curtains. Needless to say, it would be quite some time before their bar would be ready to open again.
"Need some help?" Ace asked, drawing his brother's attention. Sabo shook his head and bundled the wrinkled cloth into his arms.
"No, I'm okay here. Maybe you can find our broom and see what you can do about those remaining pieces of glass?"
Ace waved his hand in silent agreement before looking around for their only broom. He located it by the front door, propped near the last window he'd swept under. Just as he grabbed the handle and began to sweep glass away from the front entry, he heard a sudden and unexpected noise: the engine of a car.
Frowning, he glanced out what used to be a window and saw a compact SUV making its way down the dirt path that led to their bar.
"Oi, we've got company." Ace called to Sabo, prompting his beta to step off the stool.
"Customers? It's the middle of the day!"
"I'm not sure…but stay alert." He added while placing the broom back against the wall. Sabo joined him as he stepped over the threshold and out onto the porch. It was possible some humans had wandered down their road and gotten lost, it had happened before. Ace crossed his arms and watched the car park.
He could make out two forms but no other details given how tinted the windows were. After turning the car off, the two exited the vehicle and Ace couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
One of them was just a kid, maybe around Luffy's age. What were they doing at a bar in the middle of the day?
"Can we help you?" Sabo asked politely as the two walked forward and stopped at the bottom of their porch stairs. Ace examined them closely as they approached. The adult was clearly human and had dark hair but striking golden eyes. He was dressed all in black and had a large 'something' strung across his back. A guitar maybe? The younger one had green hair, of all things, and looked a bit like a delinquent with his earrings. Needless to say, they all but screamed suspicious.
'Who are these guys?'
"Forgive the intrusion…my name is Dracule Mihawk, and this is my son, Zoro." The human stated firmly, "We are looking for Monkey D. Luffy and believe you two may be able to help us find him."
