In the days since the trio had gotten back to the pack lands, the pack warriors had been pushed to their limits in training exercises. Everyday the warriors would train from sunrise to sunset. It was harsh, but Alex wanted them prepared for anything, especially the younger members who had not experienced actual combat.

Kai rarely trained with the warriors and instead did his own routine. He knew that he should be bonding with the pack more, as they were still wary of him. However, he had his own intensive training to do and he could feel his body changing. He didn’t know how, but ever since he returned to the pack he had felt weird.

The instances that happened before the trials and when Alex stayed over frightened the Omega. He hadn’t felt his wolf in nearly a decade and the sudden appearance of him was jarring. Even more so because Zifa was different than Kai remembered him.

In both interactions, Zifa had blue eyes, not the emerald green ones that the wolf used to have. He also seemed bigger to the Omega. Kai didn’t know what was going on and he didn’t really have anyone to ask either. His father was missing and his mother was dead. He also knew that nobody in the pack really knew his father very well considering he was an outsider. 

Kai tried several times to call his wolf out, but each time ended in a huge headache and left him so fatigued that he couldn’t even move. Several days in a row, Kyle had come to find Kai passed out on the ground outside of his cabin. Usually, the Beta would just pick the Omega up and carry him back into the cabin, but one day Kyle had enough.

“What the hell is going on Kai?” Kyle asked after the Omega had woken up.

“Ugh please Kyle, don’t start. I’m just tired.”

“Yes, I get that but tired from what? Talk to me Kai, please,” Kyle begged the Omega. He loved his cousin like a brother and seeing him like this was hard. 

Kai let out a sigh before answering, “I have been trying to communicate with Zifa, but I can’t seem to. I am so out of practice.” Kai said with a laugh before continuing, “something is different about him. He feels different than I remember.”

“How so?”

“He just feels bigger, stronger even. I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“Maybe Alex can help you. Even though you don’t like it, you two are still fated mates and the connection is still present. His wolf might be able to call out to Zifa.”

“Honestly, I am afraid. I know it could help, but what if my wolf is angry and lashes out. I mean he has been trapped in me for ten years.”

“It will be fine Kai. Alex will know what to do and if he doesn’t his wolf will.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, scaring the two men. 

“Are you expecting company?”

“No,” Kai said, getting up from where he was sitting and walking over to the front door. He opened it to find Isaac, the young warrior who was being a jerk at the vampire meeting. He had his head down and looked extremely uncomfortable and withdrawn.

“Hey… sorry for disturbing you but can we talk?”

Kai stood there shocked for a moment before moving over and motioning for the young warrior to come in.

***

The three of them were not sitting around Kai’s island counter each with a cup of tea. None of them had enough courage to speak up for several minutes and the awkward silence was starting to get uncomfortable. 

Finally Isaac spoke up, “I wanted to apologize about the other day.”

“It’s fine, I understand the pack’s views on rogues and you are young. Your need to protect the pack is strong, even if a little wayward.” Kai said softly before asking, “How old are you anyways?”

“I just turned eighteen last week,” Isaac said, moving uncomfortably in his seat before continuing, “actually, besides apologizing, that’s why I wanted to come talk to you today.”

“Hmm? Why is that?” Kai asked, surprised.

“I know who my mate is. I can already feel the connection but they are an omega.”

‘Oh,” Kai said in response. The young warrior then quickly looked at Kyle. It finally dawned on him why Issac was so uncomfortable. Kyle was not only his superior but was also closely related to the Alpha. Conversations like this could go badly, depending on the pack's views on certain societal matters. Kai looked at Kyle before turning back to Isaac, “Kyle won’t say anything. It is safe to talk about stuff here. Right Kyle?”

“It’s nobody's business but your own. I am not going to repeat anything I hear to anyone.”

Finally the young boy’s stiff body deflated. The pent up stress that he was carrying left his body immediately.

“He’s also a boy,” Issac whispered. 

“Oh,” Kyle and Kai said at the same time, realization finally hitting both of them. Omega’s were a rare sub-gender and fated pairs with them was often seen as morally inept, but male-male pairings were often seen as even worse in shifter communities.

“I’m afraid. My father is on the council and he isn’t very approving of those kinds of relations.”

While Kai is an outsider to the pack, he knew that the culture within the pack was still similar to what it was ten years ago, if not worse. At first, he started getting angry at Alex for being a disassociated leader before realizing that he wasn’t to blame fully. After the rogue war and the death of Alex’s parents, the pack implemented some rules that had given some political power to the council, making them less like protective overseers and more like a governing body.

“I am not sure what to do. I don’t want to reject my mate, but at the same time I can’t really stand up to my parents. I could be disowned or worse kicked out of the pack,” Isaac said, the fear evident in his eyes.

Kai was silent for a second before asking, “how do you feel about the situation? How do you feel about being paired with a male omega?”

Isaac looked shocked for a moment before saying, “I’m not sure. I used to think the same as my father, but the connection is so strong. I never thought about guys like that before. I don’t know.”

“You need to really think about it. You came to me for an obvious reason, but I am not going to sit here and tell you what to do. You have a decision to make and whatever you choose to do will have consequences. I am biased, but what I can say is that if you choose to reject your fated mate, they will die.”

Isaac’s eyes widened before saying, “but what about you? You are fine.”

Kai laughed at the notion that he was fine. Everyone just assumed that since he was an assassin and strong willed, that he was okay, but to be honest most of the time the Omega felt immensely lonely. Oftentimes he hid behind a persona, but behind that he was just some Omega in over his head. The only reason he wasn’t scared is because he wasn’t afraid of dying. He had already been so close to that edge several times, that at this point death felt like an old friend.

“I am different. I was lucky. I am only alive because I was able to stop the rogue transformation, but if your Omega turns he will be put down by the pack. I have seen it done in other packs and with the stigma this pack has around rogues, it’s not even a question.”

“But…”

“But, standing up to a society that thinks that you are wrong is a hard thing to do. You are so young and all you know is what your parents and the pack have taught you. I understand the immense pressure that you must be going through. It's a tough choice to make, but it’s one that you have to make. Just know that there are people who will stand behind you.”

Before Kai could say anything else, Isaac burst into tears. He then immediately put his head down on the counter and covered his face with his arms. Kai looked over to Kyle who just shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re absolutely no help, you overgrown mutt,” Kai said before walking over to the young warrior and wrapping him up in a tight embrace. Immediately Isaac turned towards the Omega and nuzzled his face into his shoulder and embraced him back. The sobs and tears now soaking through Kai’s clothes.

Rubbing the boys back, Kai said, “you can come see me anytime you want okay?”

Isaac didn’t respond but Kai could feel him nod.

***

Kai and Kyle were now sitting around the island drinking fresh cups of tea. Isaac was passed out on the couch, tired after crying so much. 

“That boy is going to go through such a rough time Kyle,” Kai said, looking fondly at the sleeping youth.

“Yeah, I feel for him.”

Kai gave Kyle a knowing look. He knew Kyle went through something similar to this when they were younger, but the Beta had not given him the full details of what happened. He could only puzzle together some parts of the past with the limited knowledge he had.

“Don’t look at me like that. You know I was lucky with my situation.” Kyle said, his voice not matching the words he had just spoken. From what Kai knew, Kyle fell in love with someone during the period in which he was escaping from Nikolai. Kai didn’t have any knowledge as to who, but from the information that he was able to gather, it would have been an unacceptable pairing for the pack.

“Lucky?”

Kyle just groaned, “listen Kai, I really don’t want to talk about this. It’s old history. I am married with children now.”

Before Kai could respond, another knock came from his front door. 

“Seriously, more company?” Kai said before getting up and answering the unannounced visitor. It turned out to be Alex.

“Hey, can I come in?” Kai just moved over so that the Alpha could enter and as he did so his eyes took in the situation. Kyle was still sitting at the island and Isaac was softly snoring on the couch. Alex grew wary, “why is that brat here?”

“He came to apologize and then fell asleep on my couch. The little brat has no manners. Actually, he kind of reminds me of someone I know.”

Kyle couldn’t help but laugh at the last bit, fully comprehending the weird parallels between the brat and his situation and the history that Kai and Alex have.

“Whatever,” Alex said before walking over to the island and sitting down, “I came to talk to you but it looks like you are already busy.”

“Is it about Nikolai?”

“No… It’s…” but before the Alpha could continue speaking there was another knock on the door.

“Dammit, how many people are coming to visit me today?” Kai said to no one in particular. He hadn’t even moved away from the door since letting the Alpha in so he turned around and opened it. Shock immediately hit him as he saw who was behind the door. Shock turned into recognition. It was a vampire.

QOTC: Okay, so this chapter is mostly fluff but I wanted to include a chapter that gave some diminsion to the pack considering I have not done a great job in terms of establishing setting and secondary character development. I have mostly focused on the main characters and their relationships with each other, rather than establishing outside connections. Anyways, Isaac is a character that I wanted to write because he symbolizes not only a parallel to Kai and Alex's story but also gives new hope to the social conditions of the pack. This leads me to my question, who is your favorite side character so far? I really like Tasha, although she isn't around much, but my favorite so far is Blemmyes. BTW I teared up a little writing Isaac and his situation. I want to protect him so bad even if he is a little brat!