Runt and Giant

Tim's eyes widened. He never had that opportunity before.

"Th-th-thank you so much!"

He ate greedily, relishing in not needing to stop until he wanted to. He was small, so he only had one extra serving, but it was still the most food he had ever eaten at once.

Paine eyed his mate curiously as they had breakfast. The boy ate like he wasn't used to eating his fill.

"Do you not normally get enough food, Tim?" he asked.

The young man shrugged.

"I d-don't starve, b-but in my pack the providers g-get first pick of the food. I'm small and weak, so I-I'm among the l-last fed. I've never g-gotten to eat as much as I wa-wanted before."

"How do they expect you to ever get bigger or stronger if you don't get enough to eat?"

"I'm an omega wolf," the boy explained. "I c-can't do too m-much to help the pack. It m-makes more sense to k-keep the alphas strong."

"I suppose, but that seems hardly fair."

"I'm u-used to it." Tim didn't want Paine to think of him as this wretched little creature who always needed to be taken care of. He wanted Paine's love, not pity.

Paine pursed his lips.

The two mates ate their fill and Paine cleaned up before returning to his boy.

"Okay, time to talk. Tell me about what exactly you are."

Tim nodded.

"I'm part of a species that w-we never really felt the need to g-give a name to, but lines up p-pretty well with the werewolves and lycanthropes a-and wolf-shifters of human folklore."

Paine furrowed his brow. "How did you become a werewolf?"

"You c-can either be b-born from two wolves or be bitten by one and t-transformed. My l-l-little sister Kayleigh and I were found in a crashed c-car when I was two and she was six m-months old. Our p-parents were killed, but we were alive. They t-turned us and took us in."

"You have a little sister?"

Tim nodded again. "Y-Yeah, that's why I n-need to find my p-p-pack. I need h-her to know I'm alive."

Tim wondered what Kayleigh was doing at the moment. He hoped she was okay, but even if she was she wouldn't be for much longer.

As long as he remembered, he always did everything he could to look after his little sister and keep her safe. He didn't know how much his wolf side was the cause of that, though. He figured that it was more human in nature, since she was strong-willed and could usually take care of herself.

"You have anybody else in your pack you need to get in touch with?" Paine asked. "Or just your sister?"

"M-m-mostly just Kayleigh."

Paine nodded his head. "You keep using words like alpha or omega. Do they have some sort of special meaning?"

"Uh-huh. W-w-werewolves are divided i-into three types: alpha, beta, and o-omega. Though it's m-more fitting to call them c-classes, since the types d-d-determine the pecking order."

"You said you were an omega, right? What about Kayleigh?"

"She's a b-beta."

"What's the difference among the types?"

"A-Alpha wolves are d-dominant, omega wolves are submissive, and b-betas are in between. They also t-transform differently."

"How so?"

"Om-megas like me c-can't transform w-willingly. We just t-turn into a wolf at the full moon. Betas can turn the-themselves into wolves at will, and become a m-more powerful human-wolf hybrid at the f-full moon. Alphas can become wolves or hy-hybrids whenever they want."

This back and forth continued, with Paine asking questions, eager to know about Tim's kind.

While werewolves had been known to attack humans in self-defense, it's not in their nature to want to attack or eat humans. Instead they spend most of their lives off the grid, doing what they can to avoid human contact. Like wolves they traveled in packs, which can have anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of members. The pack leaders were always alpha wolves.

No wolf, whether born or turned, chooses which type they become, and that nature never changes. It also didn't seem like gender affected the likelihood of being a certain type; there could be dominant alpha females or meek little omega males like Tim. The nature didn't completely take over their personality, being that it was from the wolf half they still had human natures and tendencies, but werewolves didn't act against their type's nature very much.

Alphas always had positions of authority, whether as providers or caretakers. They had dominant personalities and an aura about them that all other werewolves could sense. Alpha types were stronger, more driven, and proud, often to a fault. It was extremely common for alphas to fight one another to establish dominance.

A majority of lycanthropes were beta types. These wolves were more neutral, and because of that, versatile. Betas could hunt, build, cook, parent, craft, and do all types of things helpful to their packs. While some betas were more dominant than others, they tended to serve under the alphas and look after the omegas.

Omega wolves were timid, weak, and passive in nature. They were often too feeble to hunt, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't have the conviction to do the more unsightly aspects of it. Instead they would make themselves useful in other ways, like cooking, crafting, acting as messengers, or keeping records. Omegas mostly did what they could to blend in and not draw too much attention to themselves.

The wolves viewed sex and courtship in ways similar to humans, with some key differences. Like humans, distinctions were made between sex and love. The act of mating was seen as mostly a physical one, scratching an itch or fulfilling a need to procreate. Two wolves being mates was more like two humans being in love, except it doesn't build up over time. When mates meet up, they'd imprint themselves within hours and the effect cannot be reversed. Because of this, mated wolves were expected to be monogamous while non-mated wolves were not.

The types of the wolves in question also played a crucial role in sexuality. Alphas were dominant and forward in their conquests, omegas were submissive and subservient, and betas did a little of both. Alphas usually had their pick of who they could have, and got what they wanted more often than not.

Paine asked questions and learned about Tim's species for a couple hours, but eventually could tell that Tim was getting tired. He looked at the time and told his charge to get some rest and they would pick things up later. He kissed the boy's cheek.

"I'll be nearby, Tim. You're safe here, so just focus on resting and getting better."

Tim nodded. "I w-wish I could be more h-helpful," he said.

"That's why you need to take it easy and get well again. Until that time comes, I'll take care of everything. I need to provide for my mate."

The omega smiled. "Thank you. I l-love you so much."

Paine gave his mate's cheek another kiss before leaving.

*****

Tim rested for a bit until his love came back a couple hours later.

"Welcome b-back, Paine!"

The giant beamed. "Thanks, sweetheart."

He put down what he was holding and stroked the boy's face affectionately.

"Damn, I could barely focus out there today. All I could think about was how you were doing and how much I missed you. Imprinting is some powerful stuff."

Tim nodded. "You're all I-I can think about, t-too. By the way, wh-what exactly were you doing out there?"

Paine shrugged. "Basic stuff, fishing, gathering firewood. I also had to order more supplies. You need some clothes, food, and bandages."

The boy was saddened to be such a burden to his mate, but got curious about something.

"Is there a-any particular reason why you l-l-live so far out? We're mi-miles away from civilization."

For the first time, Tim saw the kind light in Paine's eyes fade just a little. It hadn't really occurred to him before, but just then he realized that his mate could be absolutely horrifying if he wanted to.

"It's not anything you need to worry about right now." He brightened back up. "How are your injuries doing?"

Tim was happy that the subject changed. "I'm f-f-feeling much better."

Paine examined the boy's multiple wounds.

"I'm new to playing doctor, but you seem to be healing up extremely fast. Your cuts are closing and it even looks like your leg will be better soon. Is that just a werewolf thing, like how you can stay half awake all the time?"

His boy nodded in affirmative. "My k-kind needs to heal fast. It's al-also helpful to stay aware at all ti-times, especially if you're h-helpless like me."

Paine brushed the hair out of the young man's face. "The only thing that isn't healing up is your eye. I'm sorry, but I think that this wound may be permanent."

Tim pursed his lips. "Okay. If that's the c-case, do you think I could see what it l-looks like?"

The giant man got a worried look. "Are you sure, baby? It's not pretty."

The young wolf nodded and Paine sighed.

"Okay, then. I don't have a small mirror, so I'll probably have to carry you."

He lifted his little boy in his huge arms and walked him over to the only mirror in the cabin, in the bathroom, the one room closed off from the rest of the house.

"It's kind of gruesome," Paine warned.

Tim nervously looked at his reflection and gasped.

His left eye was ruined. It had an ugly scar that changed the shape of his eyelid and his eyeball was foggy, milky and damaged on its surface. It was plain as day that he would never see out of that eye again.

He started crying and Paine held him lovingly.

"I know it's bad, but you still have one good eye left, and it's the most beautiful eye I've ever seen. You'll get used to it."

Tim was inconsolable. He was so humiliated that he was weak enough to let this happen to him. He turned to the mirror again and adjusted his bangs so that they covered his useless eye. He didn't want to look at it. It was another handicap, another thing that would prevent him from ever being useful. It was just another reason why he would never be a man, just a boy. A weak, worthless little boy.

Paine petted his love's hair, hating to see Tim in such distress.

"I'll love you no matter what happens, baby," he said. "Rest assured of that."

"B-b-but that's just the im-imprinting talking," the boy sobbed. "G-Given the option, you'd ne-never love a r-runt like me! I'm n-nothing but a b-b-burden!"

"That's not true!" Paine startled Tim by raising his voice a little. He softened his tone. "You're not a burden. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you because you're kind and smart. You have resolve in your soul. Even like this, you still want to go help your little sister. It takes a real man to have those convictions."

"You k-keep saying that, but just l-look in the mirror!" Tim cried. "H-how can you see me n-n-next to you and call us b-both men?!"

Paine's expression hardened again. "Size and muscle doesn't mean jack shit when it comes to being a man," he said bitterly. "If you ask me, you're more of a man than I could ever hope to be."

Tim's eyes widened. Never, not in his wildest dreams did he ever think any other man would say something like that to him, let alone a big tough black man like Paine. He was reasonably sure that there was a little bit more to Paine than he had thought, a backstory he didn't talk about. Even so, he didn't want to pry, not after his mate had been so kind to him, expecting nothing in return.

"Listen here, Tim," Paine said. "You're my sweet little boy, but that doesn't mean I think you're weak or useless. I'm glad I found you. God brought us together for a reason. I love you, and I need you just as much as you need me."

He leaned forward, and for the first time kissed his mate's lips. Both of them felt a rush at the intimate contact. It was like the kiss was revitalizing them, making them both stronger as well as happier.

Paine pulled back and was glad to see his baby boy less sad. He brought Tim back to the bed and laid him back down.

"We're not done," he told his mate. "I'm going to make lunch, but right after, you're telling me everything."

Tim nodded. After some sandwiches they were back to sitting on the bed together. Paine reached out to take the boy's hand.

"It's time to talk," he said. "What happened to you?"

"It's k-kind of a long story."

Paine got a very solemn look in his eye.

"I've got time."

Tim began telling Paine the full story.

*****

As Kayleigh neared her twentieth birthday, Tim kept getting more and more anxious. He needed a miracle.

For as long as he could remember, he and Kayleigh had been members of the Romulus pack, which moved around a bit but mostly kept to the northwestern United States. All things considered, they were treated well. Tim was met with the same pity or disdain that all the other omegas received, but Kayleigh did pretty well for herself as a beta. Things weren't perfect, but the two siblings did what they could to look out for each other and managed to get by okay.

Kayleigh always found it endearing how much Tim wanted to be the provider and look after her. Even for an omega he was feeble, but she knew that he wanted to have her back as her older brother, even if he was smaller and weaker than her. He always saw to it that she had enough to eat, even if it meant giving away some of his own meager allotments, always did what he could to help out when she had problems, and even got good at knowing when to keep his distance so that others didn't see the two as attached at the hip.

She often worried that her brother neglected himself, and for the most part those worries were not unfounded. Because of that, she tried to make it up to him and have his back, too. Considering how much the social system of werewolves hinged on power, it was no surprise that several members of the pack gave Tim a hard time. They would call him a runt or a sissy, which Kayleigh found ironic, because she couldn't think of many things more cowardly or wimpy than attacking somebody who was weaker. As a beta on the more dominant side of the spectrum, she could usually put a stop to things.

The only wolves she couldn't protect Tim from were the alphas. Their pack had about a dozen, and they all exuded strength and power. Most of them were kind and fair, but Tim made it a habit to run away and avoid interaction with them as much as possible.

Still, he saw enough to be able to reach the exact same conclusion that Kayleigh had: their pack's leader, a powerful alpha named Tanner, had taken an interest in her.

It was customary that the age of consent among werewolves was twenty, and Tanner respected that by not making a move on her, but for about a year, Tanner had taken notice of her. Over time he seemed to leer and stare with even more frequency, and eventually it became obvious that he wanted to make her his.

The two were not mates, and Kayleigh had grown to hate him, but an alpha as powerful as Tanner would usually get what he wanted. He never said this to her directly, but she heard whispers and rumors that he would sometimes boast to his friends and lackeys that he would take her when she turned twenty and use her for breeding. If she refused, she was certain that Tanner wasn't beyond threatening to kill Tim.

Her older brother was aware of this too, and was terrified of what could very well end up happening to Kayleigh. Disputes about mating could be settled with a one-on-one fight between wolves, but nobody in their pack would be willing to fight to save her besides Tim, and up against such a strong alpha he didn't have a prayer.

Their situation seemed hopeless, but a way out was presented to them on a day about two weeks before Kayleigh's twentieth birthday. One afternoon word was sent out that the entire pack was to meet up at high noon, though few knew why. When the two siblings arrived, Tim kept to the back of the crowd of fifty or sixty werewolves. Kayleigh could see that a couple dozen lycans she'd never seen before were there, and two alphas, one male and one female, were at the front, standing next to Tanner.

"Okay, everyone, pay attention, because I'm only telling you this one time," he began. "This is the Boulder pack. They were migrating and recently got ambushed by another pack, so they've suffered some casualties. They are going to be staying with us for a bit while they recover."

The Romulus pack murmured and rumbled. Most of the decisions were finalized by Tanner, and it was out of character for him to provide refuge to another pack out of the goodness of his heart. There had to be a catch.

"Naturally, we won't just be dead weight," said the male alpha from the Boulder pack. "We've got some top-grade hunters. You'll get some extra food while we're with you. We've caught bison, elk, moose, and wild boar in the past, no problem."

That was it. Knowing Tanner, he probably arranged for him to get a much bigger cut of the bounty.

Tanner continued talking to his pack.

"These are Misha and Alia. They're the brother and sister leaders of the Boulder pack. Everyone will treat them with respect while they're with us."

"Do any of you have questions?" Alia asked.

Kayleigh's friend Morgan spoke up.

"How long are you expecting to stay with us?"

"A few weeks, a month at most," Alia replied. "We need to lick our wounds, but most of all we need to stay in one place so my son Samuel can find us easier. We sent him ahead as a scout, and he needs to get back with us before we start moving again. We got sidetracked, so it will take some time for him to find us."

Tanner was clearly bored at that point. "Any other questions?" he asked sharply.

Nobody said anything.

"Good. Everybody return to your duties."

The crowd dispersed, and when it did, something caught Misha's attention.

"Everyone stop." His voice wasn't loud, but still carried as if he had yelled. Most of the lycans froze.

"You, the omega runt in the back with dark hair and blue eyes."

Tim squeaked in terror.

"Yes, you. Come closer."

Trembling, the boy walked up to the towering alpha male. He had no idea what Misha wanted, but suspected that he was in danger.

"What's your name, pup?"

"T-Tim, sir."

"How old are you, Tim?"

The omega was shaking in fear.

"T-t-twenty-one, sir."

Misha nodded.

"I see. That's good, pup. Take off all your clothes."

Tim's eyes widened. He looked around at all the other werewolves.

"Right now?"

The alpha leaned forward slightly.

"Was I unclear?"

Tim shook his head and obeyed, fighting off tears. Soon he was naked, completely exposed in front of scores of peers and strangers alike.

Misha walked around Tim, examining the boy like he was a piece of meat. He reached out occasionally to roughly touch or grope the young man's tender skin. Tim was mortified, but knew well enough to stay silent.

"Yes, you will do nicely."

He slapped a pale buttock and Tim couldn't stop himself from yelping. The alpha male returned to standing in front of the boy.

"You see, pup, I always have a boy with me. I'm a man with needs, so I require somebody to keep me company. I like small boys to have and use. My last one died in the attack and you fit the bill. You'll be my new personal companion."

Tim whimpered. He was scared he was going to pass out in horror.

Misha ruffled the young wolf's hair.

"Now, now, no need to be so frightened, pup. I take good care of my boys, and I can tell just from looking at you that you'll be a good little puppy for me. Nice and submissive."

He grabbed Tim and yanked him closer, taking the boy in a rough kiss. The omega was too weak and scared to fight back. After a few seconds he released Tim.

"You will come and join the Boulder pack tomorrow. You can say your goodbyes before then."

One single thought went through Tim's brain, powerful enough to give him the courage to speak.

"S-s-sir, I'm honored, b-but I h-have a sister in the Romulus p-pack. I n-need to be with her."