Mine, Chapter 14 -DVD Commentary

[darkangel_0410]

For candy_belle who requested DVD commentary for Chapter 14 of Mine, here. Hop you like it, hun :)

We're almost there, boss, Alex informed Randy as they made their way through the woods. Two black wolves with white paws ranged on either side of the group, loping around them in easy circles while they headed toward the clearing where the meetings always took place.

Maybe twenty minutes, Chris added, scratching Jay's ears when the wolf ran in and head butted his side. Jay licked his hand and dashed over by Justin, play snapping at the newborn and then barking when the newborn jumped a little.

Justin smiled slightly and briefly petted Jay before he even realized what he was doing. Jay barked again and then pricked up his ears and ran off towards Adam.

Good, Randy told him, sounding slightly distracted. How did the hunting go?

This is a good example of the pack connection; it's a psychic one that let's the Alpha talk to any of his pack, mind to mind, and, in turn, let's them talk to each other. It works almost the same as a mate bond, but on a different...wave length, I guess you could say. While the mate bond has a empathetic angle to it, there's none of that with a pack/Alpha bond.

Not bad, Chris answered glancing over to where Justin and Evan were walking in between him and Alex. Better then I thought it would, to be honest.

We tried to get them to at least try to hunt by themselves, Alex put in.

But they wouldn't even consider it, Chris finished, mentally shrugging. We weren't really surprised; they're both submissive and it's going to be a while before they'll even think of going out on their own.

I should point out, for anyone who isn't familiar with the rest of this story, being submissive doesn't automatically mean you can't or don't enjoy the hunt; regardless, they're still predators. It just means they're not as aggressive as dominants and that they don't really like being on their own too much. No pack animal does, really, but even submissive vampires -which ,I should also point out, doesn't happen very often- tend to cling to their Makers for longer than is considered normal.

Alright. Matt and Jeff are here. Let them know about Jeff, please? Randy asked. I need to go; I'll see you in a minute.

This is the last story I ever wrote where the Hardys were involved; I used to be a massive Hardy fangirl back in the day -them and E&C are the reason I fell back in love with wrestling- and this was a last ditch effort to remind myself of why I loved them so much. Needless to say, it didn't work; I hope for nothing but the best for noth of them, but after everything that's happened involving them, I can't get back on that 'ship.

Chris sighed and made his way closer to the newborns; putting him at Alex's side in case Alex needed him during the walk.

“Hey, we talked to Randy,” Alex said, interrupting the silence. Justin and Evan both looked over their shoulders instinctively and then looked sheepish.

Alex grinned and went on: “Matt and Jeff are there.” He left it at that, hoping to lead them into it, rather then just shoving it all in their faces at once.

“What're they like?” Evan asked suddenly, looking worried. He didn't really want to meet any more people then he had to tonight.

“Matt's OK; he's the same age as Adam and Jay. He's a little intense, but -” “A little?” Alex interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “That's like saying Mike's kinda smug; when we all know Mike's a smug bastard.”

“Matt's like most dominant wolves, he's fine until you disrespect him, and then he'll make sure you learn your lesson,” Chris went on, ignoring Alex except for the half smile on his lips.

“The one you really need to know about is Jeff. He's different,” Chris told them after a pause. “Most wolves are very tactile; you've noticed that from just seeing us together the past few days.”

“Except for Matt, Jay and Randy,” Alex went on after the newborns both nodded. “Jeff hates being touched. Even Randy will only touch him once in a while. Jay's his best friend; has been since Adam and Jay joined the pack.”

“He won't even talk to anyone besides Matt,” Chris picked up, his voice level and serious. “I doubt he'll Change, either.”

“What happened?” Justin asked, unable to imagine anything that could change someone's personality as drastic as Jeff's seemingly had.

“A few years ago, he was out for a run and he fell asleep in a field by the southern border,” Chris explained. “Jeff used to always go off by himself; he used to like the solitude. Well, he was sleeping and three vampires found him.”

“Jeff's not a fighter; he didn't stand a chance,” Alex said and his voice held the same dead quality as the other day. “They just toyed with him and he was barely alive when Matt found them a couple hours later.”

Poor Jeff, I just couldn't resist tormenting him, I suppose. I couldn't really get into it here, but Matt tore apart the vampires when he finally managed to get his hands on them. An eye for an eye and all that -which is something the wolves in this 'verse are very firm believers in.

It wasn't your fault, Chris told him firmly, putting his hand on Alex's back. It wasn't you. You would never hurt someone that way.

Now, Alex added harshly, the revulsion and anger that didn't show on his face were filling his mind and Chris let him feel how much he loved him. Fifty years ago, I would have been worse then they were and you know it! I really was a monster and I still -

Chris stopped and backed Alex into a tree, stopping their walk. Evan and Justin halted abruptly, staring in shock at the sight of Chris pinning Alex to a tree. Adam and Jay noticed they weren't moving and circled back to see what happened.

You're not a monster, Chris snarled, his face in Alex's so that they were nose to nose. You didn't know better. You were stuck with someone who was a monster for almost fifty years before I came along. Before I was even born.

And even after all that time, you were still there under that layer of cruelty and blood and depravity that you wore like a second skin.

I saw the real you that day you showed at John's work, remember? Even before I saw you, I could feel you there, watching me. And I wasn't scared, I wasn't terrified; if you were a monster, do you think I would have fallen in love with you? Do you think I would have taken you for my mate?

You. Are. Mine, Chris growled, his eyes black. Mine. And you are not a monster.

More evidence of Chris's complete faith in who Alex really is; I wrote this without being completely clear about Alex's past -I had a few key points, but that was it- and I can't tell you how many times I had to come back and reread parts of this just to make sure I hadn't inadvertently Jossed myself.

Alex stared into Chris's eyes before nodding slowly and baring his neck to Chris.

You've been hanging out with the wolves for too long, Chris told him, sounding amused. Now that Alex had stopped blaming himself for things he couldn't change, he was calmer as well.

And maybe he had been with the wolves for too long as well because the sight of Alex's bared neck was enough to make him forget where they were.

We need to go to this meeting but, later, I'm going to remind you who you are, Chris promised, nibbling the side of Alex's neck.

Alex took a deep breath and clutched his hands on Chris's hips. If it wasn't for you, I would've destroyed myself. I needed you more then you ever needed me. I love you.

Chris softened; neither one of them were very romantic, so to hear Alex say the words -even though he knew they were true, even though they showed each other everyday that they were true- it made Chris feel them even more then normal.

I love you, too. And you saved me just as much as I saved you. Never doubt that.

In all honesty, I can count on one hand the number of times I've written Guns fic where they say an actual 'I love you' to each other like this. Not that they don't, but it hardly ever seems like a good fit for them -boys, in general, are less inclined to talk about their feelings unless someone's making them and the Guns, especially Alex, seem even more reticent than normal. Plus, I've always thought actions speak louder than words; it's easy to give lip service and say you love someone, but acting like it is a different story completely and one that's more telling. But with all that, I felt that it was a good fit here and that Alex needed the reassurance that yeah, he may have done some bad things but that wasn't who he really was and that Chris knew it.

“Is everything OK?” Justin asked nervously. “Yeah, everything's good,” Chris answered, dropping a quick kiss on Alex's mouth before moving away from him. “Let's go.”

Justin and Evan exchanged looks before Evan shrugged and followed after the older vampires. Justin stared after them for a minute, wondering what could have scarred his onderwyser badly enough that it was still affecting him years later.

Randy watched the vampires break the trees, his stomach relaxing at the sight of Justin walking towards him.

“That's him, huh?” Matt murmured, smiling. Jeff whined a little and pressed against Matt's legs at the sight of the unfamiliar vampires heading for them.

“It's OK, Jeff,” Randy said softly. “They won't hurt you; I promise.” Jeff looked up at his Alpha and wagged his tail before turning back to face the vampires.

Jay burst through the trees right behind his pack-mates, with Adam behind him. He sent up a howl at the sight of his best friend. Jeff joined in, his ears pricked up and his tail wagging. He strained forward, eager to run.

“Go ahead, Jeff,” Matt told him, grinning at his brother's excitement. “I'll keep an eye out.” With those words, Jeff ran at Jay both of them barking happily. They play wrestled for almost ten minutes while everyone else greeted each other.

Matt, for all his faults, even in rl he always tried to look out for Jeff and it's one of the things that first drew me to the Hardys. I tried to have that come across here.

Matt smiled at the careful way both newborns greeted him after paying respects to their Alpha. “Not bad,” Matt complimented them, amused. “I'm not quite high enough up to warrant it, but I'll take it.”

“Of course, you will,” Adam said as he came up to them after Changing. “You always did; even if it meant getting stuck with everyone's sloppy seconds.”

Matt growled and there was a scuffle that ended with Adam sitting on top of Matt's back and grinning. “Get off of me,” Matt huffed, just as amused as his friend. Adam bounced on his back a couple times before getting up.

Let's be fair, Adam, technically you're the one who ended up with sloppy seconds considering that Lita was with Matt first... Oh, not what we're talking about? My bad.

Jay and Jeff walked back over, Jay on two legs and chatting to Jeff.

“See, that's Justin and the small one is Evan,” Jay explained, scratching Jeff's nose and the top of his head. Evan just rolled his eyes; he had been called something along those lines for as long as he could remember. It hardly ever bothered him an more.

Even in rl, I'm pretty sure Evan's used to being called the small one, lol. Sorry, dude, blame genetics, not me.

Jeff whined a little anxiously, his eyes darting to his brother before he looked at the newborns. Very carefully, they greeted Jeff the same way they did his brother.

Did you see that? Jeff asked his brother gleefully. I knew I was fucken awesome.

“You've been spending too much time listening to Mike when we're here,” Matt said out loud, rolling his eyes.

Just then five wolves burst through the trees, barking and play growling at each other.

“It's almost time,” Randy said, looking up at the sky and watching the sun sink lower on the horizon. There was an underlying growl in his voice that sent shivers down Justin's spine.

Randy's nostrils flared, picking up Justin's scent. He inhaled deeply before closing his eyes. Every muscle in his body was tense and every nerve in his body was screaming for him to drag Justin off into the woods or all the way back to his house.

He took another deep breath and brought his wolf under control. He couldn't afford to lose control, especially tonight.

The mating heat can suck, especially when you have to be responsible for tons of other people. Poor Randy.

“Everyone is going to come up and sniff you; even the pups,” Chris said softly, his voice even and reassuring. “It's tradition,” Alex told them as the rest of the pack wandered into the field. “It's supposed to be so they'll recognize your scent if they come across it some where, but for you, it's only a gesture.”

“You have to keep your mouth shut tonight,” Chris warned Evan and now his voice was stern and he put a touch of his power behind the warning. “When the moon is at it's height, a werewolf will change, no matter what else is going on. Their tempers are shorter, their control is shakier and they're meaner.

“If you say something and it's taken as an insult, they will correct you -and not as gently as we have been. You're best bet is to keep your eyes on the ground until everyone has gone past. They go in order of the hierarchy; the pups will go first. The last ones will be myself and Alex, then The Three -and Jay- then Ted and Cody. Randy will say something about welcoming you to the pack and ask if anyone objects.”

I imagine being a werewolf on the night of a full moon is like having really bad PMS; you're moody, pissy, crampy and you want to rip off anyone's head if they so much as look at you the wrong way. And if you have to, you have no problem smacking a bitch for giving you an attitude. Hell, you kind of look forward to it, just so you can make someone else as miserable as you are in that second. The difference, of course, is that once they change, a werewolf feels better and we have to suffer through almost a week of it. Jackasses.

“There's a chance someone will,” Alex said seriously. “If that happens, there will be a fight to see who wins. Randy will ask for a volunteer to be champion for each one of you. Then whoever objected will fight the first champion and whoever wins that will determine if you stay or go. Then -if they're still standing- they fight the second champion and the same thing happens. Got it so far?”

Justin and Evan nodded, their eyes wide. It had seemed so simple when Randy had first told them they were staying.

You can't forget, most wolves and vampires hate each other. Chris and Alex being part of the pack is unprecedented and even with that, not everyone else is happy with it. An Alpha's word is law, though, so they have to deal with it. Adding two more vampires to the mix is almost definitely asking for trouble.

“Alright, once everything's done, you'll both go sit on the left side of Randy. The left side, OK? We'll be on his right side; Ted closest to Randy and Cody will be sitting in front of Ted. It'll go like that until you get to me, and Alex will be standing in front of me and to the left a little.” Chris explained, trying to put the newborns at ease.

“Why is Cody sitting and Alex isn't? Is it because Cody's a wolf?” Evan asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“No, it's because Cody's submissive and Alex isn't; Jay'll be standing as well,” Chris answered patiently. “After the fight -if there is one- you'll go sit on Randy's left side, and then the meeting will go on about general pack business and this time about Griffin. Randy will decide what to do about him and then he'll carry out whatever punishment he decides on.”

“OK, come on,” Alex said, walking over into the middle of the clearing where Randy was already standing. Justin looked around quickly; he could see how antsy the weervolven were. Even Ted seemed to be filled with nerves almost jogging in place while he waited for Randy to start the meeting.

Riley said something to Mike making him laugh before he went over to stand by the rest of the pack, leaving Mike staring after him thoughtfully.

Adam rubbed a hand up and down Jay's back absently, talking to John who was smiling a little and nodding.

“You'll stand here,” Chris said, turning the newborns so that they were facing the front and the rest of the pack.

“Alright, we're going to go stand over here. Just remember what we told OK?” With those last words Chris and Alex both took their spots next to the others.

The first few minutes were a blur to Justin; he was so nervous, he couldn't hear anything that Randy was saying. Eventually, he was aware of children passing in front of him, looking up at him curiously.

He risked a glance at Evan who was smiling at a little boy who was poking his leg. “He feels like we do when we're not wearing our fur.” He whispered to his friend as they went past.

It managed to relax both of them and they were able to pay attention to what was going on around them easier.

I really liked the idea of one of the pups realizing that Evan and Justin were kind of like they were, at least when they're not running around on all fours, lol. Randy's pack knows better than most that not all vampires are evil, but the image wouldn't leave me alone.

Soon the kids gave away to adults, most of them hurrying through the ritual. “Good job,” Matt said softly when he leaned in to smell Justin's shoulder. Jeff barked softly in agreement, wagging his tail briefly.

“Almost done,” Riley whispered cheerfully a few minutes later. “Just a couple more and then it'll be over.”

“See, it's not hard keeping your mouth shut is it?” Alex asked, smiling. “You're almost there.” Chris reassured them.

John was the first of The Three to walk past and he stopped and stared at Evan for long enough that Mike ended up shoving him so he would move. “Stop fucken drooling already,” Mike muttered, rolling his eyes. John growled at him. “Fucken save it.” Mike advised him, dragging him away from the newborns.

“You guys are doing really good,” Jay told them quietly as he leaned in between them. “Not long now and you'll be stuck with us forever.” “Nice, Jay. Could you make it sound any more like a punishment?” Adam asked, placing his hand on Jay's lower back to move him along.

Cody smiled at them but it was obvious to Justin that his mind wasn't on them -at all. “Y'all are doing good.” Ted assured them with a distracted smile, his mind on his mate.

“Does anyone deny Justin and Evan admittance to the pack?” Randy asked, his voice loud enough so that it carried to everyone there.

“I do,” A male voice said. “Me, too,” Another one added. “Ah, Max and Jeremy,” Randy said, amused. He wasn't surprised; Max and Jeremy Buck were two of the younger wolves who had been the most vocal about Griffin. He had planned on teaching them a lesson, it was nice of them to volunteer themselves for part of it.

“Are you sure about this?” Randy asked, almost pleasantly. The brothers glanced at each other but nodded firmly. “Yes; what do we know about them? Nothing. So why should they be allowed to join.” Jeremy sneered.

It was borderline mutiny since they knew Randy had to approve before anyone was even brought in front of the pack, but he let it go for now.

An Alpha's word is law, but adding new people to the pack does endanger everyone, so I figured that the rest of the pack should at least get a say in it. Randy has the power to over rule them, though, to make them listen to him, but it didn't come to that here.

“Who will stand for Justin?” Randy asked even though he already knew the answer.

“I'll do it,” Alex said, after glancing at Chris and when Chris nodded he went to stand next to Randy. He was grinning; his fangs gleamed in the moonlight and his eyes reflected the light like cat's might.

Max paled and stepped back before he could stop himself. “He can't fight,” Max protested, sputtering. “He's mated!”

Randy raised an eyebrow; he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was the Bucks' Alpha and he would protect them with his life, but he had never liked either one of them so it was hard for him to feel sorry for them right now.

“Yes, he's mated, but our laws don't say you can't fight if you're mated,” Randy explained calmly. “They only state that you can't fight if you're submissive. Since Alex isn't submissive, and just less dominant, as long as Chris says it's OK, I don't see a problem.” Randy said, smiling inwardly.

“I don't have a problem with it,” Chris answered when Randy looked at him questioningly. “I know Alex is up to it.”

I really liked this part, actually -the whole fight scene, but especially that little part. I wanted to reiterate that Alex might choose to submit to Chris, but he's in no way submissive; he's had decades to hone his control, refine it, but that doesn't mean he can't fight or doesn't like to. He knows what he's capable of, so he keeps a tight lock on himself and Chris helps him with that, but in the right situation, he's as ready to fight as any wolf would be.

Randy nodded. “Who will stand for Evan?” Once again Randy posed the question, even when he knew the answer. “I'll do it,” Mike answered, smirking as he sauntered over to his Alpha and stood next to Alex. “Got nothing better to do tonight anyway.”

Now it was Jeremy's turn to look scared. But backing down wasn't an option in either one of their minds, so they had to go on with the fight.

Randy had a pretty good idea who would whine about the vampires joining the pack and he planned accordingly; I never figured out how to make it come across any clearer, but Randy's a devious fucker in this. He has to be, of course, his main goal is to keep the pack safe even when they act like jackasses and idiots. He hand picked Alex and Mike; Alex because he knew part of the reason Max and Jeremy would protest was because they were afraid of vampires and ike because Mike's the best fighter that he could pick without anyone saying it was unfair.

Alex and Max circled each other, each searching for an opening. Alex actually saw three or four but he let it go, waiting for the younger man to make the first move.

Max darted in, trying to use his speed as a weapon. And it might have worked -if he were more experienced. As it was, he barely managed to clip Alex in the stomach before Alex moved away from the hit.

But Max smirked, acting as if he scored a major hit. Alex narrowed his eyes, annoyed. The next time he dashed in Alex caught him with a knee to the stomach and followed it with a forearm to the back of his head when he doubled over.

He let Max stumble away from him, the thrill of the fight singing in his blood. Alex punched him in the face, hearing a satisfying crunch when he broke Max's nose. In seconds there was blood pouring down his face, which scared Max even more; it was obvious he thought Alex was going to go crazy at the sight.

He was safe, though. Alex couldn't lie, the sight of it did twitch his stomach a little; he wasn't dead, after all. But he was long past the point where a little blood would send him into a frenzy. Alex was pleased to see that the newborns also held fast, even though both were reacting to the scent of blood on the air; their fangs were extended, the tips resting on their bottom lips and gleaming in the moonlight.

Lucky for Max Alex is way past the point where someone's broken nose would send him into a feeding frenzy. I did amuse myself by picturing Shelley tearing Max apart with his bare hands while I was writing this, though.

How long are you going to play with him? Chris asked, slightly amused when Alex delivered a flurry of punches to Max's ribs and then hitting him with an uppercut.

I'm just about done, Alex assured him, side stepping an awkward spear attempt by Max. He grabbed Max and tripped him, sending him face first to the ground.

Alex was on him in a second; forcing Max's head to stay down and twisting his right arm up until his hand was practically touching his own shoulder blade.

“I give,” Max spit out, his voice pained. Alex waited another minute before releasing the hold and standing over the younger man. Max moved, sitting on the ground and showing Alex his neck until Alex turned around and went back over by Randy.

I wanted Max to have to submit to Alex, not just pass out, which would have accomplished the end of the fight, too, but to submit, to admit that Alex was stronger, more dominant. It makes him hate vampires even more and helps set things up for when they talk to Wade later on.

“Fucken show off,” Mike muttered, smirking at his friend. “Now, I've got to one up you.”

If Randy heard them, he gave no sign, but judging from the grin on Ted's face he had heard them perfectly.

Oh, boys -always arguing over who's dick's bigger. It always comes back to the dick, am I right?

“Thank you, Alex,” Randy rumbled, the wolf even more in his voice then it had been even a little while ago. Alex glanced up at the sky and noticed that the moon was over a fourth of it's way to where it would be the strongest -when it was directly above them.

Alex showed Randy his neck and then made his way back to his spot in front of Chris. Chris smirked at him and placed a hand on Alex's hip, squeezing briefly before letting go. But Alex got the message loud and clear. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a gleam in his mate's eyes that had nothing to do with blood lust.

Alex shuddered and struggled to pay attention to what was happening.

Watching Shelley kick ass always gets me excited, too, Sabin.

Mike and Jeremy were circling each other; Jeremy was definitely the better fighter of the brothers, but he was no match for Mike. Mike was taking pot shots at him; a couple to his ribs and few to his face.

Jeremy growled and lashed out with his claws, catching Mike off guard. He looked down at the four thin lines of blood dripping down his chest. He heard a low growl off to the side of him and he knew without looking that it was Alex, voicing his displeasure at Mike getting cut open.

Mike looked back at Jeremy and smirked again, but this time it was cold and Mike's power flared, making Jeremy pale even more. “You stupid fuck,” Mike said flatly, flexing his fingers as his own claws sliced out. “You just made it almost impossible that you're going to walk out of here.”

Mike advanced on the smaller man, punching him in the face and then raking Jeremy's chest with his own claws, going a lot deeper then he had when he sliced open Mike.

“You know the rules, Jer,” Mike taunted, cutting open his face with a well timed swipe. “The second you use your claws and draw blood, it becomes a fight to the death -unless someone gives up.” Mike stomped on Jeremy's leg, breaking the bone.

Jeremy tried to crawl away on his hands and knees but Mike was having none of it. “The words, Jeremy,” Mike told him, his voice cold and his power running over Jeremy's skin. He tore open Jeremy's back, making him scream in pain. “Or I swear to fucken god, you leave here in a fucken casket.”

When he still didn't say anything, Mike kicked him in the ribs sending Jeremy over onto his back, whimpering in pain. He leaned down and wrapped his hand around Jeremy's neck, making sure his claws cut into his skin.

“The words,” Mike repeated, lifting Jeremy up in the air until he was standing straight again, Jeremy's toes barely touching the ground. “The words, Jeremy. And this is your last chance,” Mike warned him, squeezing his neck.

“I give,” Jeremy wheezed out. “I submit.”

“That's what I like to hear,” Mike said cheerfully. He walked over to where Max sat in the grass, clutching his arm and staring up at him in terror. “You might want to take care of him.” Mike told him, casually dropping Jeremy in a pile next to his brother.

Mike walked over to Randy, baring his neck to his Alpha. “Good way to make a point, Mike,” Randy murmured, smiling. “Good job.” Mike smirked again, but it was his usual one this time and he felt the pride his Alpha had in him.

I absolutely love this side of Mike -he knows his power, his strengths and he plays up to them accordingly. He stalks Jeremy, taunts him and makes him submit. He knew going in that it was unlikely Jeremy would be able to beat him. Jeremy gave Mike the exact opening he needed to drive that home. And he did it; sure, he showed off a little while he was at it, but that's just who Mike is.

He went to go stand in between Adam and Chris. “Now who's the fucken show off?” Alex muttered, grinning at Mike. Mike grinned back at his friend before pointing to his chest, which was covered with blood -his and Jeremy's. “You fuckers aren't going to attack me, are you?” Alex just rolled his eyes and Chris snickered.

Seriously, I love writing the two of them bickering like this. It makes me smile every time.

“Before we move on, I want everyone to know that I'm bringing Griffin out here; the only way you're excused is if you have pups and you don't want them to witness this.” Randy warned, his words innocent enough that the pups wouldn't know what he was talking but everyone else understood the words loud and clear.

Over the protest of the older pups, parents had them say goodbye to their Alpha before being marched home.

“John, Adam, go get Griffin,” Randy ordered, motioning for Justin and Evan to sit on his left side.

“As you all know, Griffin was excommunicated from the pack for hunting and killing human women,” Randy went on as Adam and John dragged Griffin out from behind the tree's on the other side of the clearing; he was gagged and his hands and feet were wrapped in silver chains.

“He will be executed tonight, in front of everyone. I want everyone to understand that this is what happens when you break our oldest laws. Humans are not prey; they're not deer out grazing for us to pick off one by one.

“Almost all of us are at least part human,” Randy said, and he put his power into his words. Griffin whimpered and tried to move away from it, but with his hands and feet bound, he couldn't go anywhere.

“And even if we weren't, they don't deserve to be hunted down like that. And if that's not enough to convince you, think about this: they out number us almost seven to one. If they decide to come looking for us and decide to hurt us, they will succeed. And we will be wiped out as if we never existed.

“And if that still isn't enough to convince you; understand this: I will deal with anyone who breaks that the law the same way I will deal with Griffin tonight. Unless it is in defense of yourself, your mate's or family's life -or the pack- there is no excuse for what he did.”

My head canon always made it seem like humans knew about werewolves and, for the most part, were content to leave them alone; like Randy said, wolves and humans intermarried a lot, so there was always an awareness about werewolves. But he's right, too, about the rest of it. Humans breed -for a lack of a better word- easier than wolves do; Randy's pack has a lot of kids and teenagers in it, but that's not really common. We also have a long history of trying to destroy what we don't know or what scares us. Chris Rock has this joke about how he's never seen an actual Native American family at a Red Lobster, but it's true -they had something we wanted, so we wiped them out; we destroyed an entire race of people, a culture, that had existed for hundreds of years. I'd love to think that we've evolved since then, but I doubt it; there's no doubt in my mind that if this actually happened, we would destroy them, completely and without a second thought for it.

With those last words, Randy went over to Griffin and gripped his hair; his face was set, blank. He would get no pleasure from this, but it had to be done to protect the pack -and the humans who lived all around them.

His claws slashed through Griffin's neck, the muffled cries audible to everyone gathered. They sliced through skin, muscles and tendon before Griffin bleed out, leaving Randy almost cover from the chest down in blood. He finished the job grimly, holding Griffin's head so everyone could see it before he dropped it on the ground next to his body.

Randy turned and faced the pack, his skin red and his eyes green and glowing. “Understand?” He asked softly, his voice quiet, but no less powerful because of it.

Almost as one, the pack dropped to their knees and murmured their agreement and after a minute those closest to him did the same. Standing there, he had never felt more the Alpha -or more alone.

I'm really proud of that last image, tbh; to be an Alpha is to be alone. By necessity people have to simultaneously fear, respect and love you; people are afraid to get close to you, because of the power you have and you have to always be alert, protect everyone around you. They love you because you keep them safe but at the same time, no one really knows you; you can't show weakness because if you do, someone will take advantage of it. They can't help it, it's in their nature. And I thought that last paragraph illustrated it pretty well.  

Comments

[candy-belle.livejournal.com]

meeep!!! ooohhh the commentary is awesome!!! *massive hugs* love the additional colour it gives to the story and the way it deepens the understanding of how hard it is to be alpha *pets Randy*

[darkangel-0410.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it :) Yeah, being an Alpha always seemed like a huge amount of pain for very little pay off to me. Better to be a beta, I'd think.

[candy-belle.livejournal.com]

totally loved it :) god yes being Alpha is a pain in the arse :S yup Beta or Gamma would be cool, omega sounds horrid in some packs while others sound okish.

[darkangel-0410.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could be an omega, no matter where it was -I'm not fond of being ordered around by people, whether it was nicely or not, lol.

[candy-belle.livejournal.com]

exactly!! being an omega (even in nice packs where they don't abuse you) would be hard *shudder* I'll stick to being in the middle thanks.