Unwilling Ch. 01

The air was crisp and cool, but it would get even colder once the sun set fully. Harry was helping the tourists build a stable campfire in the frequently used pit, while Darwin managed the five tents they needed. A perfect, calm, pleasant evening. But wouldn't it be great to share this with Jared? The handsome, tanned, grinning face appeared before Darwin's daydreaming eyes and made him tense instantly. How he hated the haunting that man had put upon him!

Snarling, he put up the last poles and tugged the canvas over the naked framing, his face contorted in concentration and disapproval over his state of mind. Damn that sexy wolf, damn him!

"Darwin, you're growling."

Harry's voice was hushed and strained with effort to not laugh. Darwin grunted and fastened the canvas, then rose from his crouch and stared at the finished tent grudgingly. "No, I'm not. See? I'm good. No, I'm perfectly fine," he huffed, and waved his hand dismissively at his friend. "Go cook dinner already. I'll be there in a minute."

He didn't need to look back at Harry. He could hear the smug grin in his voice when Harry murmured, "Alrighty, try to chill a bit. We'll be home tomorrow evening; you'll just have to get by with little ol' me until then."

Darwin whirled around, ready to smack Harry, but the bastard was already jogging back to the campfire, giggling madly. Darwin could even hear him tell their customers a story about a difficult relationship, and bit down another growl. He didn't miss Jared, goddamn it! He hated that guy! He really did, didn't he? It took him another five minutes to calm down enough to join them.

By that time, the pre-prepared bean stew was already simmering a bit and the conversations seemed to flow easily. Darwin sat by quietly, occasionally poking the coals with a stick while he listened to the story of two of the adults about the day they had first met. The lulling voices lured his mind to drift off and back to Jared.

He remembered the feeling of his body rubbing against Jared's vividly. He could hear his moans echo through his brain, could feel the ghost of the spray of hot water against his breast, the tightening of his muscles the moment he had--

A hand clapped his thigh in a friendly manner. His jaws clicked closed in shock over the sudden touch that ripped him out of his daydream and made him realize that he hadn't heard a damn word the woman next to him had said. When he saw Harry mouth a 'Thank you' out of the corner of his eyes, he was quick-witted enough to smile and say, "Thank you," even though he had no idea what he was thanking her for.

The woman didn't seem to notice the clueless expression in Darwin's face and just nodded, smiling. Harry on the other hand seemed to fight a hard battle against a laughing fit trying to break free from his mouth.

Dinner was hearty and filling, but the hike always tended to take it out of the tourists. It was about nine pm when they all retired to their tents, leaving Harry and Darwin alone with dirty dishes and their hushed conversation about the best route for the next day's hike.

Finally they were done, and both boys leaned back and groaned softly.

"So, what was I thanking that lady for before?" Darwin asked, scratching his belly lazily.

Harry grinned. "She told you how much she hated her husband when she first met him, and that you shouldn't worry so much that your friend gets you riled up so easily. It means you have a big heart, ready to develop great amounts of feelings."

Darwin slapped his shoulder and sighed. "Good thing I didn't hear that earlier. I'd have said something impolite," he grumbled, but couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Big heart, huh?" he echoed. It did sound nice, at least on second thought.

Harry threw another log into the blaze and watched Darwin carefully. "So, enlighten me. What is it with you and Jared? You look like arch enemies stalking each other, but you smell like heavy porn every time you meet."

Darwin's face wrinkled instantly, and he just shook his head. "I don't know, to be honest. I hate him. I mean, I really hate him. I want to scratch his eyes out of his gorgeous face every time he looks at me." Wincing at his own words, he let his head fall forward, slumped down and tugged at his black hair. Harry was his best friend, and he was pretty perceptive. He probably had already realized how infatuated Darwin was with Jared, waiting for him to discover it for himself. Damn sneaky bastard. "Shit. I can't fall in love. Shit," Darwin muttered.

"Because of your Alpha?"

Harry knew a lot of stories about Darwin's life that no-one else had ever heard, not even his adoptive dad. But even Harry didn't know the whole extent of it all, only censored bits and pieces. He knew, though, that the Alpha of the Banes City pack abused Darwin on a regular basis. He had seen the bruises, the broken bones, the cuts and the dark rings below the eyes of his friend, the paleness in his face, and the way he dressed when he wanted to keep his pain a secret from Harry.

First, Harry had suspected his adoptive father to be the reason, but he had dismissed that idea as soon as he had met George personally. Darwin's father was confined to a wheelchair after having suffered an apoplectic stroke and was barely able to talk or move his right hand. The love for his little adoptive boy had been written all over his elderly face when they had dinner, and Darwin had smiled and laughed in a way Harry had never seen before.

Later that evening Darwin had broken down and told Harry between sobs that his Alpha was crazy. That he was the source of Darwin's regular injuries, 'testing his dominance' as Darwin had put it. That Darwin would die if the high-ranking werewolf ever found out that he was submissive. He had made Harry promise to never tell a soul of this, and Harry had been shaken enough to agree, if reluctantly.

Harry had kept his promise all through their first year at BCU. But now there was Jared, who seemed infatuated with Darwin. Harry had seen those kinds of googly eyes frequently when he still lived at home, because it was the way his parents watched each other. He couldn't understand how Darwin could not realize the besotten state Jared was in, but on the other hand, telling Darwin before he discovered it himself would only make him deny it more.

"You don't understand," Darwin muttered, still tugging his hair. "It's not the love that is the problem, it's Jared. He's not submissive like you. I can't play the dominant part if we end up in a relationship. And if I can't play the dominant part, someone will find out, and that means HE will find out."

Harry poked the embers around a bit with his stick and mumbled, "Have you ever thought about the possibility that Jared might be an Alpha himself?" Darwin flinched and straightened his back at that thought. "Wouldn't a relationship kind of solve all your problems at once if he were?" Harry suggested after a few seconds of silence.

Darwin didn't answer at first. Yeah, what if Jared was an Alpha?

Every werewolf knew the distinct difference between a dominant and an Alpha. Dominant werewolves were powerful, intent on climbing the ranks in their pack, and thoroughly obsessed with control over their environment. They tended to be compulsive checkers, loved to be able to boss their underlings around, and tested their boundaries on a daily basis. They also had strong protective instincts towards their pack and tended to get unbalanced if they had nobody to care for. They needed submissives like they needed air to breathe, and they needed their pack to stay calm and content. A dominant without a pack went feral within weeks, most often changing to their animal form and forgetting all about their human side.

Alphas were a whole different thing. They were born with the instinct to rule, highly independent and unwilling to bow their heads to another werewolf. Alphas could survive on their own, they didn't need a pack or submissives to stay balanced, and they were so adaptive that they could live all alone near humans without ever becoming feral or dangerous to anyone.

That didn't mean an Alpha would be happy living without a pack and all alone. Every werewolf needed a pack to be able to relax fully. But the biggest problem every Alpha faced was their total inability to get along with others of their rank. They were pretty adept at controlling themselves and their need to rise to the top of their pack, able to blend in and play a role, but the mere existence of another Alpha in their home ground their nerves on a daily basis, finally leading to fights to the death.

Being an Alpha didn't automatically mean you got a big, strong body and high charisma though.

They came in all forms and shapes, from soft, small women to big, obese men, and most often the ability to become Alpha didn't even run in families. They were nature's roulette game, and if their pack's reigning Alpha didn't force them to leave at the age of 18, they also had a right to believe they were supposed to take over the pack.

It was entirely possible that Jared was an Alpha. But it was a more probable scenario that he was just a dominant werewolf trying to make Darwin his interim pack.

Sighing, Darwin let go of his hair. "I don't like this. I should go and find out if he is an Alpha, but I honestly don't think he could help me. I'd just get him killed," he grumbled. The thought of endangering Jared made his chest tight and his insides queasy.

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, fine. I'll try to find out." When Darwin shot him a hard glance, he lifted his hands and grinned. "I won't tell him anything, I promise. Just let me work my magic, okay?"