Teo was lost in his thoughts. He felt so peaceful, just sitting on a stump, at the brink of the meadow around Alex’s house. It was sunny today, and he happily sunbathed with a light smile on his lips. He had a feeling that today was gonna be a good day.

He knew there was no need to be cautious right now, Alex wouldn’t be back until a few hours later. So Teo moved to sit by a nearby tree, leaned on it, and closed his eyes. 

There’s no need to do anything today. The warm shine of the morning sun helped him slowly fall into the comfortable depths of slumber. 

Teodor’s surroundings were so calm, it was like the forest was permitting him to comfortably sleep. And he was very grateful, because today, he was dreaming of his mate again. He was seeing Alex, smiling, a calm look in his eyes.

He had these dreams often. But, before he got to know what Alex looked like, these dreams had a faceless person in them. He didn't even know their gender, so it was very vague. It looked like a cut-out, but he still felt the very real connection. That's the one thing that didn't change. 

Now, that these dreams feel so real, the worst thing is waking up from them. And realizing that, Alex doesn’t even know he exists. That he might be smiling at someone else like that. That he might…..have….. someone else. 

Teo opened his eyes. He didn’t know how much he’s slept, but he guessed not that much, by the fact that none of his limbs were that stiff yet. 

He rubbed his eyes, to get rid of any sleepiness left, and some movement piqued his interest. He noticed a couple of weasels, not that far from him, playing with each other, and chasing one another. Jealousy hit him. He chuckled out of disbelief. I’m so pathetic. 

A couple of pitiful little weasels, and he was honestly jealous. He knew that there was just so much that he had to do to be hopefully accepted by Alex, and the fact that he’s a.....human, made things even more difficult. Even his pack wasn’t pleased when Teodor told them about the possibility that his mate was human, just from the instincts that lured him into human territory. 

He was kind of weirded out as well, but from the first time he saw Alex, these thoughts never came to his head again. It was like they completely evaporated. There was, though, the fear of not getting accepted by the whole pack. There were individuals (mostly older folk) that didn’t support him going to bring his mate, because it would go against a lot of immemorial traditions.

Teodor sighed. He rubbed a hand on his face. Will he even like me? He started studying his hand. He had bony fingers and big knuckles. He’s always had smaller hands than other kids his age. Others picked on him sometimes, also because he had his body to match his hands; short. He may be average by human standards, but he’s a shortie by the werewolf ones. 

If he wasn’t the son of the pack leader, he would lose all the respect he had. Maybe, he would be even banished. Teo thinks about that often. 

His father's pack is one of the strongest in the area, and he does everything to prove his drive and capability. The pack must be perfect, and there's no room for useless members in his father's mind. 

So every small, weak, or otherwise disadvantaged person, would be slowly pushed out of social circles, and not able to do any work of importance.  And when they turn the age of adulthood, usually 18, they would be banished from the park's territory. 

Those are the rules. The higher wolves can only banish other wolves when they become ‘self-providing’, whatever that means.

Not caring at all that it’s completely clear that they would die alone. And they do. Most of the time, the ‘explorer’ wolves, who circle around the pack borders, would find the corpses of these banished wolves. They usually starved to death, or have been brutally killed by a wandering bear or a large lynx. 

Since the first time Teo saw a situation like this, the emotionless face of his father, and the young boy, who had a foot deformity, getting yelled at, and almost beat up, by the people he was supposed to trust, he never saw the pack the same. Teo will never forget the face of terror the boy had on his face. A few days later, he was found, half-eaten by a wolverine. 

He didn’t even have a funeral. The explorers said that they covered his body with dirt to mask the scent of blood, but that was it. His body was left there, to rot.  

Since then, Teo has sworn to himself that when he becomes the next pack leader, there will be no more fear. No more senseless suffering. His pack will become a pack worth praising. It will be the place everyone sees as a welcoming community. The old laws and guidelines will vanish the second he’s handed over the role of the ruler of the pack. 

I will make a difference. He was sure of that. 

A sudden frightened scream from a bird nearby diverted Teodor from his thoughts. He whipped his head up to the right and instantly heard Alex’s voice. He’s here already??  He quickly hid in the shadows and waited for his mate to show up. But it has to be around 9 right now. What?? Teo recognized the time by looking at the position of the Sun above. It wasn’t even all the way in the middle of the sky, so something unusual must’ve happened.

Teo saw Alex’s figure, and his heart started pounding faster. Partly by the excitement of seeing him again, and partly because of this anxious feeling he couldn’t get rid of. It was like he somehow smelled that something happened in the air. And, sure enough, Alex’s crying face was the first thing Teo saw of him. Alex stumbled his way to the house, letting out sniffles and ugly coughs. 

Teodor had to physically stop himself from coming to him. The massive urge to comfort him and make him feel better almost got the better of him. It was like he was experiencing the sadness too, his heart hurt just by watching this unravel before his eyes. 

However, he had to stay where he was. Alex isn’t ready to meet him yet. Especially in this situation. So, Teo had to wait outside, and occasionally watch Alex’s tear-struck face through the windows, and hope, with all his might, that he somehow gets better.