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Author’s note:

This is a direct sequel to the previously published story Runt and Giant. That story is required reading before this one.

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“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tim asked his husband for the umpteenth time.

Paine rolled his eyes.

“I’m not even going to answer that anymore. Clearly you aren’t listening to me when I tell you.”

“I know, it’s just…rough out there. Especially since you’re attached to…well…”

His voice trailed off, but the large man knew what the small boy meant. In their cabin, they were equals, but back in the Romulus pack, Paine was a complete outsider and Tim was at the very bottom of the totem pole.

Paine’s twenty-ninth birthday was on February 20th, which was right around the corner. It also happened to be the day after a full moon, which was quite the coincidence considering that his husband was a werewolf.

The two had met, imprinted, and fallen hopelessly in love over the course of about a week less than a year prior. During that time, they were both indirectly and directly responsible for quite a few changes in Tim’s old pack, Romulus, all for the better. Despite that, most of the heavy lifting wasn’t done by either of them, so they weren’t the ones recognized for it.

Since then, the only contact they’d had was when Tim’s sister Kayleigh visited them on Tim’s birthday, and two other times just for lunch. But Paine didn’t want his baby boy to be so distant from his family, which is part of why he decided that for his birthday the two of them would live with the pack for a few days.

The idea of an estranged omega and a human few in the pack had even heard of visiting for any length of time was ludicrous, completely unheard of. It would never have come to be if it weren’t for the fact that Kayleigh and her husband Samuel were the two leaders of Romulus since the events of last summer. They were able to convince their pack that it would be okay.

Tim really did miss his little sister, but he was nervous that he would return to the pack and regress back to the feeble little runt he had been for most of his life. The boy was an omega and because of that quickly learned he was best seen and not heard. He grew insecure, submissive, and developed a stutter throughout his childhood. He’d only recently begun to shake off those habits by living with Paine for several months. What would his mate think if he was brought back to the beginning so easily?

Paine knelt to match Tim’s height and cupped his husband’s face.

“Listen, and listen carefully.” He looked right into Tim’s powder-blue eyes. “You’re so much stronger than you think, and if you ever feel overwhelmed, I will always be there for you. Kayleigh and Samuel have authority and I’ll protect you with my life. I want to know everything there is to know about you. You’ve lived my life, so I want to live yours. Please, babe, give me a smile.”

The youth felt his eyes mist up, but smiled shakily.

They shared a kiss before Paine straightened up again.

“Let’s get going. We have quite the hike ahead of us.”

*****

Kayleigh worked dutifully, but over a few hours she started getting concerned. The warmest part of the day had passed and Tim and Paine hadn’t arrived yet.

Her life had changed drastically since she turned twenty. Her husband was the pack’s highest ranking alpha, but she had also gained a motherly sort of authority and the other pack members grew to see her as co-leader. It was a lot of responsibility to take on so suddenly, but Kayleigh Vance wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge. She adapted, learned, and grew up a little in the past few months. But no matter how much she had changed, she knew she’d always share a bond with her older brother.

The young beta woman smiled in spite of herself. She had changed a bit, but her brother completely came out of his shell. In her three visits she watched him evolve from repressed and meek to more confident and open. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him so happy. That was part of why she’d been hesitant to accept Paine’s offer. She didn’t know her brother-in-law all that well, but even so it was apparent that he would sooner die than do something that would be damaging to Tim’s well-being. That was why she accepted and convinced Samuel to also get on board despite some misgivings.

“Kayleigh, ma’am?” a quiet voice behind her asked.

She turned around and saw one of the pack’s omegas.

“Yes?”

The other wolf fidgeted slightly. It was in her nature as an omega to get nervous around an authority figure, however kind and fair their authority may be.

“Your brother just got here. He’s at the omega camp, and he’s with a…really big human.” The two leaders had assured them all that Tim’s mate was harmless, but his size and power was intimidating nonetheless.

The beta sighed slightly in relief.

“Thank you for telling me. You can go back to what you were doing.”

The omega nodded and scampered away.

Kayleigh istanbul travesti walked over to where the omegas lived and sure enough saw her brother and his husband. She hugged them both, though hugging Paine felt like hugging a mountain.

“You guys make it here okay?” She turned to Paine. “I hope Tim didn’t slow you down too much.”

Her brother pouted and Kayleigh ruffled his hair, giggling. He was so small and slight most people found it hard to believe he was two years her senior.

She looked around and saw several omegas, mostly pups, looking at them curiously, though all of them were hiding behind something. Clearly Paine’s presence had an effect on them.

“You both must be freezing. Let’s get you warmed up.”

*****

The three of them spent a couple hours in the tent Kayleigh shared with Samuel, catching up over a small fire. Throughout that time a few other lycans stopped by briefly, like Kayleigh’s husband and her friend Morgan. If there were any alphas in their pack that Tim should be comfortable around, it was them, but she couldn’t help but notice the way Tim twitched slightly and leaned against Paine just a bit upon initially seeing them, even if all following conversation was normal.

He had made a lot of progress, eight months prior he would have run away the moment he smelled the alphas approaching, but it was apparent that he was still afraid of them to some extent. Tim wouldn’t be able to sleep at all if he was near them, even if he was with Paine. And Paine clearly had a similar effect on all the omegas in Romulus. This made the temporary sleeping arrangement obvious.

“You two should stay with the betas. It’s a little crowded, but I’m sure you’ll make do.”

Paine was quick to reassure her. “We will.”

A few minutes later the two mates were walking to the clearing where the betas, the majority of the pack, slept. There were dozens of structures, some made of sticks and branches, and even some modern tents either purchased or stolen from human society. Paine already knew this, and decided their shelter would meet somewhere in the middle. He’d done his research, and learned how to make a sort of teepee out of thin logs and a huge tarp he’d bought. It was big enough for both of them to fit snugly and they’d be able to have a small fire inside.

Paine set up their temporary home and Tim knew he was too weak to be much help, so there wasn’t much for him to do besides talk to his husband. There was a point where Paine left to get some firewood and he decided to be of some use and unpack their sleeping bag. He was focused enough to not be paying much attention to his surroundings and was completely blindsided when he almost ran into a beta walking by.

The omega squeaked and almost fell over, but the beta caught him in time.

“Whoa, bud, didn’t mean to startle you.”

Tim caught his bearings and it registered to him that he had never seen the lycan in front of him before.

This beta was a man who looked to be perhaps a year or two younger than Paine. He was of average height and build, with ginger hair and freckles across his face.

The lycan squinted a bit at him. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you with the other omegas?” His tone of voice was less threatening and more curious.

Before Tim could force out an answer the beta looked closer and nodded in understanding. He crouched down a little bit before speaking again.

“Oh, you must be Kayleigh’s brother. The resemblance is uncanny. So, you’re staying here?”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Both wolves turned to see Paine coming back with firewood.

The human was on edge the moment he saw who he assumed to be a beta wolf talking at his husband like Tim was a child. The human adjusted his posture slightly so he looked stronger as he approached.

“Tim, who is this?”

The omega blinked a few times before it clicked what Paine was really asking.

“Oh! Um, I just ran into him a moment ago. I don’t even know his name yet, but thanks for catching me,” he turned to the beta. “I almost fell on my face.”

Paine would always be impressed with how sharp Tim was. He caught on and made the situation calmer with just the right words.

The beta smiled and nodded. “I heard that a human would be visiting as well. Nice to meet you two, my name is Ike.”

The mates returned the greeting before Paine spoke again.

“When did you join Romulus, Ike? If Tim doesn’t recognize you it must have been only a few months ago.”

“Yeah, I joined last November. Why are you two sleeping with the betas?”

“Kayleigh asked us to. I guess there was more available space here,” the human said.

“Ike, sir, which tent is y-yours?” Tim tried his best to speak normally but was crestfallen that his stutter came back at the end of that question.

Ike pointed at a tent at the edge of the clearing with a medic flag next to it. “Right over there.”

Paine cocked an eyebrow. “Are you a doctor?”

“I’ve never been to medical school, istanbul travestileri if that’s what you’re asking, but I have been training in emergency care for years.”

The beta looked up at the sun and back to the two visitors.

“It’s almost dinner, so I’ll get going. Welcome to Romulus.” He transformed into a wolf and ran off.

Paine knew they would be out of place no matter which group of lycans they ate with, so he brought some rations they could eat in their tent. He’d of course be able to get food from the wild, he’d been doing so for years, but it was too late in the day by then. About an hour later the mates were eating instant ramen in their teepee, sitting close together by their fire.

Tim blew on the broth in his cup and took a sip before looking at his mate.

“Paine…I don’t know about this.”

“About what?”

“Well, about everything. You saw me back there. I stuttered. I haven’t done that in months.”

“Oh, you mean after you did everything else right? You don’t have to worry so much.”

The boy leaned against his man a little.

“It’s just…it’s a lot for me to take in.”

“Babe, I know you better than I know myself. Maybe Tim the omega wolf is still a little skittish, but Tim the man is a perceptive, secure person. I’m proud of how far you’ve come.”

The lycan took another sip of broth.

“Thank you for saying that. That helps.”

The rest of the evening was more cozy. Tim and Paine slept soundly, knowing they would be fine as long as they were together.

*****

Morgan was almost done with her nightly prowl when she caught a faint whiff of lycanthrope blood.

Without a second thought she followed the scent. The odor got stronger until she found the source.

Each of the three wolf types had a certain aura surrounding them. The way they looked, smelled, breathed, everything in their demeanor broadcasted to all other wolves what type they were. The young boy she found passed out against a tree had so much aura of omega that Morgan felt like she was choking on it. He smelled more omega than Tim, more omega than any other lycan she had ever met.

She approached and saw the kid had a few broken fingers and long claw marks down the side of his torso. He had lost a fair amount of blood already.

Morgan needed to get him help before it was too late.

The alpha female shifted into a hybrid, carefully took the tiny little pup in her arms, and ran to the infirmary.

*****

Ike was pulled from his slumber by his tent getting jostled and the voice of one of the alphas.

“Ike, we’ve got an emergency situation!”

His eyes snapped open and he went to his tent’s entrance. Morgan was carrying an omega pup Ike didn’t know.

“What happened to him?”

“I have no idea, I found him like this. Can you patch him up?”

“Absolutely,” he assured, putting on his clothes hurriedly.

“Good. I’m going to see if I can track his scent. Maybe we can find who or what did this to him.” They exchanged a nod and Morgan ran off.

Now that the two were alone in the tent Ike was better able to examine his new patient as he worked.

The kid was tiny, he couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. But as the beta removed the tattered clothing and cleaned the pup’s wounds, he was able to notice something else about him.

This little omega was drop-dead gorgeous.

Ike could only describe him as a boy made of pure gold. His skin was the color of honey and his hair was bright blond, curled into ringlets that went past his shoulders. When examining his eyes, he saw they were a clear amber shade.

Though male, his body was astoundingly feminine, so soft and curvy. His skin was smooth and very warm, even in the chill of the winter’s night.

Ike was a bisexual male in his late twenties who had been sexually active for half a decade, and this boy was the most attractive person he had ever seen by a country mile.

It was also unusual the way the omega’s aura was affecting him. As much as he didn’t want it to, his wolf half made him generally view omegas how some might view young children: ignorable at best, in the way at worst. Ike tried to repress it, but it came out sometimes, like when he met Tim the day before. But with this omega, he felt like he was personally responsible for the golden child’s safety. It wasn’t a feeling he had ever experienced before.

The sun was just starting to crest the horizon when his patient finally opened his eyes. Slowly, carefully, Ike sat him up.

“Where am I?” His voice was like a little flute, sweet and bright.

“You’re in the infirmary of the Romulus pack. I patched you up and you should be good as new in a couple days.”

The pup rubbed his forehead with one of his small hands.

“Oh. Well, thank you sir.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s what I do.”

He sat down in his chair.

“Can you tell me about yourself?” Ike felt the need to know everything about the golden omega.

“My name is Shiloh. travesti istanbul I just turned twenty yesterday. But everything else is…kind of fuzzy…” He furrowed his brow and looked closer at his caretaker.

“Who are you, sir?”

Ike introduced himself to the omega wolf. A moment later, he heard the sound of a horn, indicating that the day had started for the lycans in Romulus.

The beta got out a spare deerskin and handed it to Shiloh.

“We should get going. This is something our alphas would want to know about.”

*****

As usual, Paine woke up about a half hour before Tim and spent the time in between cuddling his mate.

Eventually the horn at the center of camp blew and he nudged the little wolf awake. It took a moment for Tim to become more lucid.

“Good morning, How’d you sleep, baby boy?” Paine asked.

Tim rubbed his eyes before replying.

“I slept…really well, actually.”

He meant that, too. For most of his life Tim didn’t get as much sleep as he needed. Besides the way his species were faintly aware during sleep, the stresses of living in his pack as an omega took its toll sometimes. But ever since he first met Paine that problem had disappeared. He felt so safe in his mate’s arms that he was able to fall asleep easily.

So easily, it turned out, it didn’t even matter that they were in the pack again.

Paine grinned. “That’s really nice to hear.”

The two of them ate breakfast and got dressed in their tent. Paine put on the big coat and hiking boots he wore the day before.

“Are you going somewhere?” Tim asked.

“I wanted to take a walk, do some fishing. Will you be okay being alone for an hour or two?”

The young man wasn’t crazy about the idea, but he had brought a book. If he just stayed in the tent and didn’t bother anyone, he’d be okay. Probably.

“I…yeah, sure.”

The giant man gave the omega a kiss before he left with his rod. A minute later the small lycan opened one of the flaps in the tent that served as windows and read his book by the cold light of the morning sun.

*****

Ike led Shiloh to the leaders’ area and couldn’t help but glance over at the omega every few seconds.

He was wearing nothing but the little moccasins and loincloth he’d been found in and the deerskin Ike had given him, which was far too big. One bare shoulder and two legs were exposed to the cold air but he didn’t appear bothered at all. The golden boy seemed more concerned with staying very close to Ike, as if he was hiding behind him.

“Is something wrong, Shiloh?” he asked eventually.

“Hm? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just a little nervous. I don’t know anyone else around here.”

The beta thought of asking more questions but instead just decided to keep walking.

He managed to catch Samuel and Kayleigh before they started their duties and the four of them went into their tent to discuss this new development.

Morgan had already told Kayleigh that an injured omega was found in the area and there was no scent trail leading to anything interesting. Considering how little additional information Ike had, the conversation didn’t take long. Shiloh still couldn’t tell them any more about what happened beyond what he’d already told Ike. Kayleigh did seem to take interest in the fact that Shiloh knew he’d turned twenty the day before. Considering that their species had twenty years as the age of consent, there was the possibility of grooming, maybe something even more sinister.

There wasn’t much to be done, so Samuel just told Ike to bring Shiloh back to the infirmary for the time being. The omega was still injured and needed sleep to heal.

The beta did so and told Shiloh that he would be back before lunch.

“Get some rest, okay?”

“Yes sir.” the boy replied. He got on the little patient’s bed and laid on his stomach. Ike couldn’t help but notice how given the way Shiloh laid down, the deerskin shifted and he could clearly see the omega’s buttocks, barely covered by his loincloth. He paused for a moment, staring, before he realized what he was doing and left, making sure to close the tent’s entrance behind him.

*****

Samuel Costanza was preparing his fishing equipment, something he hadn’t needed to do in a while. But Tim’s husband Paine had asked him the day before if they could have a private conversation. They decided they’d at least be productive while they were at it.

He’d met Paine all of one time, and the two never even had a conversation before. It was bizarre that the human had asked to meet with him specifically.

Despite their nonexistent relationship, the lycan did have a good amount of respect for him. Samuel was the one responsible for beating Romulus’ old leader Tanner in a fight and getting him banished, but later learned that during the following full moon, Paine had soundly defeated Tanner and drove him away for good. The human had strength and a good heart, that much was clear.

There was little ice in the river, so they could just cast off and wait for something to bite. Samuel was the one to break the silence.

“What did you want to talk about, Paine?”

There was a pause before he answered.

“It’s about lycans, but I don’t feel comfortable asking Tim or Kayleigh about this.”