A New Breed

Caesar stands tall on two legs, his dusty gray fur still matted but not as badly. His crimson eyes glow like glow sticks as he meets each and every alpha's eyes. He lifts his lip, revealing his extended canine teeth. His ears are perked up, listening. He is on alert. "Caesar," I call softly. His massive head turns to me, his crazed eyes softening lightly when he meets my eyes. I smile gently, nodding once.

"This is Caesar. Caspor's wolf. As you can see he smells the same as a Feral. Even has the eyes of a Feral. But were he truly Feral, he would have attacked by now." Mikael steps forward, keeping his brown eyes on Caesar's red ones. "Do you mind if I draw some of your blood? I would like to test it to see what makes you different." Caesar looks to me, silently asking if it is safe. I smile, nodding encouragingly. He growls, almost like he was hoping I would say no, but holds his left arm out regardless. Mikael pricks his arm with a needle and fills the small vial attached to it. When he is done, he retreats back to Heather's side.

"Will he attack," Michael asks, still watching Caesar. I roll my eyes. "Do you attack when you feel threatened," I retort. He looks at me fleetingly, understanding the point. "Unless you do something that triggers him, he will not attack you," I reassure them. Ismael scoffs, sneering disdainfully. "He is still a monster." I growl lowly at him, warning him to shut it. "You've allowed your very doom to walk in your front gate, Dawn. This is why women shouldn't rule a pack." I frown, raising an eyebrow. "How is he any more dangerous than, let's say, an ignorant alpha stuck in his arcane ways?" Ismael snarls at me, getting Caesar's attention.

"I wouldn't do that, were I you," Bear warns. Ismael snarls at him before lunging towards me. Before he can make contact with me though, Caesar has pinned him against a tree in a blur of movement. "I tried to warn his dumb ass." I chuckle under my breath as Caesar snarls at Ismael, his teeth dangerously close to the enraged alpha's face. "Caesar, I'm alright. You can release him," I say softly. I approach Caesar slowly from the side where he can see me, my hands up so he knows I'm no threat. His snarls and growls slowly die down, his lip dropping back over his teeth. I breathe a sigh of relief before Caesar throws Ismael a few feet away, his body slamming against a tree with a dull thud. I pinch the bridge of my nose, inhaling deeply.

Caesar lumbers over to me, and I can hear him sniffing carefully. I open my eyes, meeting his bright red ones. He leans close, inhaling my scent, before stepping back, satisfied that I am safe.

"That thing is a monster," Ismael grinds out as his mate helps him up. "You provoked him. He's nicer than I am. Consider yourself lucky to be alive, Ismael." He glowers at me but doesn't push it. But I can see him stewing. If he were a cartoon character his head would've turned into a steam whistle already.

"Shall we head back inside now?" I gesture towards the house. Rolando and Siobhan are the first to tear their eyes from Caspor where he now stands looking anywhere but their eyes. "Tigger let the kitchen know we are ready for dessert please. I'll be right in." She smiles and nods, turning on her heel sharply. I approach Caspor slowly, making sure to keep my breathing steady. "Caspor? Are you alright?" His head shoots up and I can still see some lingering crimson in them. "I could've killed him. I would've if you hadn't intervened." I can hear the anguish in his words. He doesn't want to kill anyone. He just wants to live a life of peace. "I know, Caspor. But you didn't and that's what matters. Ismael should've known better than to try to lunge like that." I put a hand on his shoulder gently, surprised to find him trembling slightly. "Caspor, everything will be fine. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" He inhales deeply before nodding. I smile gently at him. "Good. Now, let's head inside shall we?" He offers a small smile as he nods, following slightly behind me when I turn to head back inside.

When I get inside, my eyes widen at the chaos in front of me. Voices are raised, eyes are flashing, and teeth are bared. "What the hell happened here," I demand. Tigger hurries to my side with Misty in tow. "Ismael opened his mouth." I groan, leaning my head back to stare at the ceiling. I inhale deeply before exhaling. "Sooo tedious," I sigh. I shout to get everybody's attention, growling back at Ismael when he growls at me. "You claim him as a pack member and allow him to attack me. I demand you surrender him to me." Aiza and Leo nod beside him, growling softly when I roll my eyes. "I claim him yes. But technically he is not officially my pack. As far as the laws are concerned, he is a Rogue and as such free to do as he sees fit should he feel threatened. The fact that you lunged at me and triggered his response is your own fault." He growls at me, fury blazing in his eyes. I do not flinch as he clenches his fists and moves towards me. Caspor and Bear both move to defend, halting when I raise my hand. "However, should you recklessly and stupidly attack me, he will not step in and I assure you, I will have no trouble putting you down. So I would think carefully before you make your next move."

He growls but steps back, resuming his spot between his mate and Leo. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now then, we still have the matter of the missing alphas that returned feral. Have any of them been apprehended?" Rolando steps forward, his eyes troubled. "We found what we think is one of them stumbling around our territory. He wiped out my patrol when they found him but we have him in a secure cell now." A shiver runs up my spine at the images flashing through my mind. "What about any others?" He shakes his head mournfully. I sigh, having already suspected as much.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to come have a look at him," Mikael requests. Rolando smiles and nods his agreement. "Good. We need to figure out how and why these alphas are going Feral. That being said, we also need to know how to fight them off seeing as the bastards apparently climb now. Therefore, I have called a certain team of experts in to assist with that." Bear furrows his eyebrows in confusion as he stares down at me. "Paulette, would you please bring our guests in," I ask a nearby maid. She smiles brightly and nods once before hurrying off.

"They are the creatures our kind shun. Hybrids of a hunter and a wolf. All predator. And they spend most of their spare time hunting Ferals." Leo growls deep in his chest. His younger brothers were taken out by hunters and I can understand his reluctance to work with anyone having anything to do with them. When Paulette returns, she is followed by three new faces. Two men, both standing well over six foot something, and a petite young female that looks like a cross between a demented fairy and Alice Cullen. She smiles brightly, revealing sharp teeth, as she hugs me tightly. I chuckle, hugging her back gently before nodding to the two men. "This is Ryver, James, and Mari. They hunt Ferals specifically." Ismael snarls. "You ask us to work alongside these...abominations? These things shouldn't even exist!" I raise a cool eyebrow. "The same could be said of certain alphas, Ismael. Do not push me. If you do not approve, then you're welcome to leave."

He snarls at the clear dismissal but grabs Aiza, dragging her after him as he storms out. "Oh and, Ismael," I call after him. I hear his footsteps halt. "Take your lapdog with you." Leo snarls at me, his fists clenched at his sides. I raise an eyebrow, stepping aside to allow him and his mate to pass. "I thought you and Leo had an agreement," Bear mutters beside me. "We did. Wynter feels something off about him though and I'm inclined to trust my wolf," I reply. He nods once. I smile kindly at the remaining alphas. "Ashton have the Elites show the alphas and their Pair Bonds to their rooms please." He nods once before disappearing through the doors. "While we wait for them to come back, I'd like to make a proposal. The hybrids obviously cannot travel amongst all of our packs and train them efficiently. And they do not prefer to split up. Even if they did, they would still he stretched thin. That being said, if any of you would like to host it, I suggest we temporarily join the packs together on one territory and train them all as one. Obviously we can offer Ismael and Leo the same but I sincerely doubt they will consent." I can see the alphas look to their Pair Bonds, all of them having silent conversations. "We can discuss it further in the morning," I relent as the Elites file in. The alphas all follow them out to their own rooms on the third floor again so I am between my visiting alphas and any intruders. I dismiss the Elites and check all doors and windows, locking any that were not locked, before heading upstairs. I slip into my room, closing the door gently behind me, and heading into my bathroom to remove my makeup. I still when I hear my door open and close again, reaching down to pull the knife out of my boot that's always kept in it. I ease myself out of the bathroom to see a large figure on the other side of my bed, digging through my dresser drawers. In a flash, I tackle the intruder, holding my knife to his throat before registering who it is. "Bear? What the hell are you doing creeping into my room like a teenager," I ask. I stand up, pulling him up with me and sheathing my knife back in my boot. He smiles sheepishly at me, a soft blush tinting his cheeks. "I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd come in here." I sigh, chuckling softly to myself. "You didn't have to sneak in for that, goofball. But I am tired so let's head to bed. Goddess only knows what's in store for tomorrow." He nods, stripping down to his underwear and crawls under my Hazbin Hotel blanket, holding it up for me to slip in next to him. I sleep at an angle, half sitting up, so I open my arms, smiling when he lays against me, his head on my chest. I wrap my arms around him, settling into a comfortable position, before drifting off to the sound of his snores.