Chapter 1: Lost Wolf

A/N: I swear I'm working on the other stories! I actually have new chapters for most of them that I'm going to upload, it's just this plot bunny wouldn't go away and suddenly I have like five / six chapters written and thought maybe I should share it with ya'll. I haven't forgotten my other stories though, I promise!

Nick frowned as he looped further away from the Dalton campus. The metallic twang of blood cut through the air, causing him to pick up his pace, tracking further into the woods, fearing what he would find. His wolf senses had already established the scent associated with the blood as being human, but underlying the smell, he could detect the faint scent of a wolf which caused him concern. He knew it couldn't belong to one of his Pack; he had left them all in the sprawled around the Common Room, finishing homework or reading. Even Sebastian, their Alpha-Leader, had been absorbed in correspondences with this father regarding the Pack politics.

Entering the clearing, he realized with dread that there had been an attack. Blood splashed the trees and a pool had gathered beneath the crumpled body in the center of the clearing. Nick did not recognize any of the scents floating around the clearing, but he could tell that it had been one of his kind – a werewolf – from the trampled patterns in the grass and the distinctive underlying scent of wolf which his instincts could easily detect.

Gathering closer to the unknown figure, Nick could hear the faint catches of breath, as well as labored heartbeats which caused him to frown. The amount of blood would have left any human completely bled out and dead. The faint breathing patterns he detected from the figure could mean only one thing.

He came closer still, pausing to ensure that the victim was still unconscious and unlikely to attack. Although an Alpha in his own right, Nick knew that a panicked wolf needed the calming authority of the Alpha-Leader to be stopped from trying to protect themselves. He also knew that if the prone body was an Alpha, he may attack if he felt threatened in any way.

Kneeling, completely certain that the boy (Nick could tell he was around the same age as himself) was going to remain unconscious for the time being, he inspected the wounds, some of them already starting to heal which only further affirmed what Nick knew to be the truth. His stomach plummeted when he saw what he had feared, a savage and raw bite to the arm which continued to bleed freely.

Knowing the reason the boy had survived, Nick gathered him as gently as possible into his arms, trying to sooth the whimper of pain the unconscious boy made at being jolted as Nick rose to his feet. He knew without a doubt that the boy in his arms was a Beta, the lack of instinctual aggression and the resounding need to protect echoed in his bones as he made his way back to the Pack as quickly as possible; fully aware that Sebastian would be quite interested in this turn of events, especially with how close it occurred to the Pack's territory.

Making his way into the Common Room, he ignored the looks of the other Pack members, instead laying his charge, clothes still torn and bloody, onto a couch. Once ensuring the boy was settled, he lifted his eyes and made contact with Sebastian, who had put aside his paperwork, moving closer to the prone body Nick had brought in.

Lifting his eyebrows in concern, Sebastian addressed the Alpha. "Who is this?"

Shaking his head, Nick sat back on his hunches. "No idea. I found him about a mile out in the woods. There was an attack."

Drawing in a concerned breath, Sebastian turned to address the rest of the Pack. "Wesley, get the first aid kit and see if he needs treatment. David, scout out and see if you can pick up any trails for the rogue who did this. Jeff," The Beta, who had approached the prone figure and was carding his fingers through the other's hair to comfort the still whimpering boy, snapped to attention. Sebastian provided a small smile and continued, "Jeff see if you can't rustle up some clothes for our visitor. What's left of his outfit is going to need to be cut away for Wes to work." Nodding the blond wolf whispered something comforting to the other Beta before leaving the room.

Once the room had cleared, he turned to Nick. "Explain."

Climbing to his feet, he moved away from the couch and addressed his Alpha-Leader. "I just found him unconscious. There was so much blood, Seb. I knew then he had been bitten; there was no way he would have survived otherwise."

Sebastian frowned and seemed to be considering Nick's words carefully. "And you're sure he's turned?"

Now Nick frowned. "What do you mean, the bite is kind of obvious and the scent of one of us was unmistakable."

Shaking his head, Sebastian muttered something to himself but before he could respond, Wes bustled back into the room with the first aid kit. "Alright, out you two," he said, gesturing to the doorway. "The poor boy doesn't need an audience while I try to clean him up." Jeff appeared with the requested clothes and offered them to Wes silently, his gaze already drifting back to the unconscious Beta, biting his lip in concern.

"Can I help?" the blond asked, addressing Wes, who looked surprised. Jeff had never been interested in medicine before.

Wes nodded, gaze meeting Sebastian's as he and Jeff moved towards the other wolf. Sebastian beckoned Nick from the room, his face neutral but Nick could sense that Sebastian was deep in thought. Once out of the Common Room with the door shut tightly, he stood starring off into space.

"Jeff seems really attached to him," Nick observed to his Alpha-Leader, trying to understand the confusing dynamic the Beta was throwing off.

"There are many reasons for that," Sebastian replied turning to face his second. "Jeff sees a kindred-spirit in the Runt. It's rare for there to be male Betas; nature is very particular about the personality traits and Jeff has only encountered a few in his life-time, and none as young as your rescue. Male betas tend to be killed before reaching the age of maturity."

Surprised, Nick stared at Sebastian. "Could that be why I found him after being attacked?"

Before Sebastian could answer, a distinctly Wesley curse and a shriek of fear which could only belong to Jeff echoed from behind the closed door. Without thinking about it, Sebastian burst through the door, and strode back into the room, taking in the situation with a sweeping glance. The unknown Beta was huddled in the corner in a pair of boxer-briefs, facing out, his face twisted in a snarl, and visibly shaking. Wes and Jeff stood off a bit, trying to calm the scared wolf down, while trying to maintain the air of being non-threatening. Sebastian could smell the fresh odor of blood, and indicated to Nick to check on his Pack mates while he dealt with the aggressive stranger.

Not seeming to care about the warning the unknown wolf offered as he strode closer, Sebastian didn't even flinch from the low menacing growl the boy was giving off. He had been right in his observation that the boy was a runt, not standing more than five feet, eight inches, with a solid build, a small tapered waist but with muscles flexing underneath taunt, lightly tanned skin. His own green eyes narrowed in concentration, he made eye contact with the boy and held in his surprise when he made eye contact with golden honey-brown eyes. Those eyes alone, as much as Nick insisted that the boy was a Changed wolf, indicated otherwise. The honey color indicated that this boy was a born-wolf; no human could have eyes that unnatural color – there was something almost feral in them.

"Relax, Runt," Sebastian ordered, as he stepped closer, noting that the boy's eyes flickered to the two Alphas and the Beta behind him quickly before returning to his primary target. He released calm and soothing feelings in the boy's direction along with the authority he possessed as Alpha-Leader to have the boy submit.

"S-S-Stay away," the boy stuttered, eyes flashing darkly, as Sebastian ignored the command and stepped forward again. He had to control the situation because it would do none of the Pack any good if the boy transformed into a wolf while still in the Common Room. They had to keep a low profile in the human school. He saw the slight twitch just as the boy darted away, heading with quick and light steps for the Common Room door and what he hoped was freedom.

With a growl, Sebastian allowed his longer limbs to carry him forward and stop the unknown stranger from proceeding beyond the Common Room. He wrapped himself around the struggling boy, ignoring his shrieks, pleas and demands to be let go, instead waiting for the boy to calm down, he continued to exude the same feelings of calm and need to submit. He was quite surprised when the body in his grasp suddenly became dead-weight and without thought he lifted the runt up and placed him back on the couch. The other Pack members came forward then, Wes once again continuing his check-over.

"What happened?" Sebastian demanded, once Wes moved away from the boy and began to put away his first aid kit.

"Tired himself out," Wes supplied, turning to regard his Alpha-Leader. "Between the beating he took and the raw strength he needed to push Jeff and I away, not to mention to resist the feelings of submission you were exuding, I'm not surprised. It took a lot out of him to keep himself off his back to you. Jeff, Nick and I had problems and the feelings weren't even directed at us."

Sebastian frowned, and stored that information for later. The runt seemed to be a bit of an enigma. "What did you learn before he went ballistic?"

"Nothing," Wes shrugged.

"His name is Blaine," Jeff offered into the silence. Three heads whipped around to stare at the Beta, who seemed to shrink into himself a bit.

"How do you know?" Nick asked gently, sensing Jeff's unease. The beta tried to stay under the radar as much as possible, not comfortable being the only one in their pack so far; the others would be introduced as the Alphas mated and eventually Jeff would leave them for the Pack of his own mate.

"He told me," Jeff supplied. "When Wes went over to the sink to get some clean water. I guess he recognized I was a Beta too."

Sebastian frowned, settling himself down into one of the high back chairs and regarded those of his Pack present. Before he could answer, David burst into the room. The scout's body quivered in excitement at the hunt, his expression indicating that he had been able to track the attackers, at least partially. He came forward and looked at the others.

"I followed them as far as the Lima Territory," he informed Sebastian in quick tones. "I didn't want to intrude on Burt Hummel's territory without permission, but it looks like they headed into the heart of Lima." The alpha glanced down at the unconscious boy. "Did I miss anything? Did he wake up? Do we know who he is?"

"His name is Blaine, and that's all we know," Sebastian stated quietly. He glanced around at his Pack. "Everyone head up to bed, I'll keep an eye on him tonight and we can reconvene here in the morning. At least it's Saturday and we don't have to worry about classes tomorrow."

The others nodded and headed out, leaving this Alpha-Leader to contemplate the unknown wolf in silence.