Runt and Giant

The alpha male kissed the tip of her nose.

"That's fine, dear. Whatever problems you have, I'll help you."

Kayleigh smiled. "Okay, then. In that case we need to talk." She looked around and, as expected, saw Tanner a moderate distance away. Even from that far, she could tell that he was furious.

"We need to talk somewhere private."

Samuel nodded. "I'll pitch tent where we can be alone. Nobody will be able to listen in."

His mate ginned. That smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Kayleigh was ecstatic that she was with her mate, but also knew that their meeting had opened up a whole new can of worms. Things just kept getting more complicated.

*****

Morgan had been following the scent of the mystery human for hours, tracking the smell in her wolf form. The trail went to the big river around a mile from their campground and followed the river for quite a distance, almost 15 miles. Considering the timeframe of when she found the clothes, this meant that the human went this entire way to the drop-off location and back at night, and they wouldn't be able to maneuver as well without a wolf form.

At long last, she could see smoke in the distance. She reverted to her human form and approached curiously. She got closer and saw that the smoke was coming from a cabin not too far from the river. Somebody was waiting for her on the front porch: a huge dark-skinned human male who was as built as any alpha. He stood up when she got close.

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Morgan, would it?"

She nodded.

Paine looked at her. She was tall, maybe 5'11", and had brown hair in a pixie cut. She looked exactly as Tim had described.

"What are your intentions for following my trail?" He asked, with an intensity Morgan was not expecting.

"I followed your trail because it would lead me to a missing member of my pack, a small male omega named Tim."

He folded his arms. "Did Tanner or Misha send you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. Nobody 'sent' me. I told Tim's sister Kayleigh, but she's the only one."

The human nodded. "Sorry if I'm not the most welcoming, but Tim has been through a lot and I wanted to look out for him."

"Where is he?"

"He's inside." The giant man walked up to Morgan and extended his hand.

"My name is Paine Holt. I've been giving shelter to Tim for the past four days."

Morgan shook his hand and followed him into the cabin.

"Tim, you were right on the mark. Morgan's here."

The she-wolf could see Tim on a huge bed. He had several half-healed injuries.

"H-Hi, Morgan! I'm s-s-sorry you had t-to go so far out of th-the way."

Morgan wasn't really friends with Tim, but she saw enough of him when she was with Kayleigh to tell that he was a nice kid. She could also tell that he was at least a little scared of her, due to her being an alpha.

"It's okay. Kayleigh has been worried sick about you. What happened?"

The human named Paine interjected. "Before we get started, you must be hungry. Want some food?"

She saw that he had prepared tacos, something Morgan hadn't eaten in years.

"Sure."

Paine pulled up two chairs to the bed and the three of them ate while Tim talked about what had happened. Morgan was shocked. She knew that Tanner was a heartless pig, but it was still extreme. She could see the number that he had done on the boy: multiple cuts and bites, a broken leg, and a scratched out eye that he was constantly brushing his hair in front of.

The human picked up the story after Tim was done telling his part.

"I was out to fish a few days ago when his body was swept in by the river. I took him in and have been taking care of him since. By my estimation, he should be okay to walk in a few days."

Morgan nodded. "That was very kind of you, Paine. We'll get him back to the pack as soon as possible."

"Well, here's the thing about that," the human said, suddenly more serious. "We don't have to make this decision right now, but I want to make it clear that I have no intention of just letting Tim return to the pack."

The alpha female furrowed her brow. "Why not, exactly?"

"I think Tim should tell you why not."

She turned to the boy, who suddenly had a huge smile on his face.

"Morgan, h-he's my mate!"

Her jaw dropped. She looked back and forth between the giant human and the timid little lycan.

"That's impossible. Werewolves are only mates with werewolves."

Paine shrugged. "I'm new to the whole 'werewolf' thing, but we're definitely mates. We've both fully imprinted on each other."

"It's true!" the omega said happily.

Morgan was taken aback by the development.

"That is definitely...unexpected."

Tim nodded. "Yeah, but th-that's not the issue r-right now. How's K-Kayleigh?"

"Aside from stressing out about you all the time, she's fine, but Tanner has kept a close eye on her ever since you went missing."

"What d-do you think we should do?"

"Other than letting Kayleigh know you're not dead, I'm not sure."

"Whatever the plan is, Tim's not leaving until his leg heals," Paine said firmly. "And he's certainly not going anywhere unless I'm going with him. I think that the best thing to do right now is for Tim to lie low until he's good to walk again."

Morgan nodded in agreement.

"B-but what about Kayleigh?" The boy protested.

"Kayleigh will be fine," the she-wolf assured him. "You're not the only one looking out for her. Besides, it's not like you'd be much help right now anyway."

Tim huffed. "Fine."

Morgan stood up.

"I'll go back to our pack, and I promise that the first thing I'll do is tell Kayleigh you're alive." She turned to address Paine. "You shouldn't lower your guard. If Tanner catches wind that Tim isn't dead, things might get ugly."

"I'd die before I let that happen. Nobody is hurting my mate ever again."

She looked at the two of them one last time. It seemed impossible, but the human and wolf acted just like all the other mated couples she'd met. She said her goodbyes and left the cabin.

Paine got on the bed, exhausted after being awake for over twenty-four hours. He yawned.

"Baby, I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"By all m-means," the little wolf said.

"Yeah, but I think I'd fall asleep quicker if I was holding you."

Tim laughed. "Okay."

Paine drew the young man into his arms. He kissed his mate's forehead. Tim's face was against the giant's chest and he could hear his man's heart beating.

"I'm so happy I found you, Tim."

Tim nuzzled the broad chest of his love. "I'm h-happy, too."

Within minutes, both men were asleep.

*****

Morgan had made it back to the camping ground and was looking for Kayleigh when she was approached by Tanner.

"Where have you been all day?" he asked.

The she-wolf folded her arms. "That's not really any of your business, Tanner."

The alpha male scowled. "I'm this pack's leader. Talk to me with some fucking respect."

The things Morgan had learned that day made her lose what little respect for Tanner she ever had, but she knew better than to say that.

"I was simply going for a walk. I wasn't neglecting any duties, so I'm not sure why you're so curious about it."

Tanner glowered at her.

"You're lying. What have you been up to?"

Morgan could feel him start to turn up his dominant aura. Some of the stronger alpha wolves could amplify their presence, exude strength and power, and Tanner had gotten proficient at it. His energy made her want to submit, obey and tell him the truth. Someone like Tim would buckle and give in immediately, and even a beta such as Kayleigh would have a hard time resisting him, but since Morgan was an alpha herself she could fight it.

"I've done nothing that you need to worry about. This conversation is over."

The alpha male glowered at her, but eventually conceded defeat and left.

Morgan looked around a bit more, and eventually found her friend, but to her surprise Kayleigh was with an alpha male that Morgan had never seen before, and he had his arm around her waist in a very intimate way.

"I have a lot to tell you," she told Kayleigh.

Kayleigh glanced at the man she was next to. "I've got some stuff to tell you, too."

*****

Paine awoke with his baby boy still cuddling against him. He looked at his mate, marveling at the young man's beauty. His pale skin and dark hair contrasted nicely, and his soft, vaguely feminine features were angelic. It made him feel a lot of things, feelings that he was not used to being directed at another male, but to his mild surprise he didn't mind in the slightest. Still, he needed to take things very slow with someone so pure and innocent.

He leaned in and lightly kissed Tim's eyelids. He peppered kisses all over the boy's face, his forehead, temples, cheeks, nose, everywhere. His love started waking up, and he had a big smile on his face.

"Hey, sweetheart," Paine said.

"Hey, P-Paine." After some hesitation, he leaned in, and for the first time, initiated a kiss. It was a light peck on his lips, but that was more than the boy had ever done before.

"I l-love you so much," Tim said. "You m-make me feel s-so good."

"I want you to feel good, baby. I love you. I didn't know I could love anything as much as I love you, Tim."

He hugged the boy and stroked his body.

"Maybe things are moving fast because of the imprinting, and I've never thought of a male the way I do about you before this, but if I were to fall in love with a man, I'm glad it's you."

They cuddled a bit more before Tim gathered the courage to ask what had been on his mind since the previous afternoon.

"Paine?"

"Yes, baby boy?"

"Do you...do y-you think you could t-t-tell me about yourself? Wh-what's your life b-been like? How l-long have you been living out in th-the woods?"

The giant man let out a sigh.

"I was hoping that question would come later. Or never."

"Do you not w-want to t-tell me?"

"In all honesty, no, but it's not fair to hide something like that from the love of my life."

He pulled Tim up so that they were face-to-face.

"I'm ashamed of my past. I hate the person I used to be, and I want to forget it forever, but I can't. Still, it's for the best that you know."

Tim was shocked. Paine was such a kind, tender person, but he clearly looked back on the way he was with disdain.

"As you've likely noticed, I'm extremely tall and bulky. I've always been athletic, and in my youth, I discovered that football was my calling. You know about football, right?"

Tim nodded. His kind mainly lived in the wild, but it was helpful to have some knowledge of human culture, just in case the need arose that they blend in.

"I was really good. I was the star of my high school team, got a college scholarship purely from football, and after graduating, was drafted professionally. The odds of that were microscopic, but it happened. I wasn't just drafted, though. I played. I was getting recognized for my talent. I was living the dream life, with fame, wealth, and reverence. The only problem was me. No matter how good it got, I never felt happy."

There was an awkward pause before Paine continued.

"It sucks when so much is given to somebody who is never satisfied. I pretended that I was happy, but you can't find meaning in life through material things. You have to find it in other people and yourself, and I hated everyone, myself most of all. It was like a sick twisted joke. How much more could I ask for? I had a great body, money, notoriety, women throwing themselves at me, everything I ever wanted, but I couldn't enjoy it.

"Naturally, I did what any narcissist with depression and insecurities would do: I lashed out. I became a pain to be around, selfish, apathetic, and quick to anger. I had so much hatred in my heart. I was a bully because I didn't want to believe that I was living my life the wrong way."

Tim was dumbfounded. The person Paine was describing sounded absolutely nothing like the man he had fallen in love with. They sounded more like Tanner.

"I'm so ashamed to admit this, Tim, but if I had met you back then, I would have hated you. Who you are is everything I was not. You've had the odds stacked against you your whole life. You're small and weak, you've been bullied, you're timid and submissive, but somehow you still find joy in life. You have a purpose with your sister. You help others and expect nothing in return. You...you know how to be happy."

Paine's eyes got shiny.

"I would have been so jealous of you, and I'm a little jealous of you now. Your life isn't easy, but it's more fulfilling than mine ever was."

Tim had no idea what to say.

"My mental state kept getting worse. I tried everything to fill the void, alcohol, drugs, fancy possessions, sex, but nothing worked. I was too proud to admit that I was the problem. But then something happened one night that changed everything.

"I was coming home from a club with a girl I planned to bed. I can't remember what her name was. I can't even remember what she looked like. We were walking to my place, she was talking and I was pretending to listen, when we came across a man with a gun. He told us to give him our wallets. One thing you need to know about me was however tough and I confident I acted like I was, I was a coward through and through. Any real man would have been thinking about how he would protect the woman they were with, but I was only thinking of myself. Then I did the worst thing I've ever done. I...I..."

Paine was crying at that point. Tim could have never imagined his mate looking so anguished, so vulnerable.

"I pushed the girl, this girl who was half my size, in between me and the mugger. He panicked and fired. She was killed."

The boy's jaw dropped.

"I did the next thing without even thinking. I lunged at the guy when he was still shocked and put him in a headlock. It was something I could have done from the beginning but didn't because I was a selfish bastard. Then I broke his neck. In the span of about ten seconds, I had killed two people: one indirectly and one directly."

Tim could hardly process what he was hearing. Paine, his sweet gentle giant, had killed people like that? It didn't even seem real.

"I needed to cover my own ass, so I called the police, saying the mugger shot the woman and I killed him in self-defense when he tried to kill me. That's what it looked like, so I got off scot-free. But I knew I was guilty. I knew I had done something terrible.

"Things got really bad for me after that. Still a coward, I decided that the only thing that would fix my problems was if I killed myself. I almost did, too. My brother Ray decided to pay me a visit and walked in to me with a gun in my mouth. I almost threw my life away."

Paine was crying hard at that point.

"But I didn't do it. I couldn't for two reasons. The first was the act of serendipity that was Ray coming over to stop me. Ray never visited me. I had pushed him away just like I had everyone else in my life. I asked him why he came, and he said that he just got a feeling. I know in my heart that that was God telling me I couldn't die yet.

"The other reason was something Ray told me. He told me that committing suicide would solve all my problems, but wouldn't help anybody else at all. It would be one last selfish act to end a selfish life. If I wanted to make things better, I had to live.

"So I gave it all away. I donated all my possessions and a majority of my money and quit my job. I moved out here so I could have some time alone, time away from everything my life had been for so long. That was about two years ago. I've lived out here in the sticks ever since."

He was done talking, confessing his sins, and that was when Tim did the last thing Paine ever expected: he gave Paine a kiss and told him that he loved him.

"Really? Even after hearing all that?"

The boy nodded. "You've left th-that person behind, P-Paine. You're a g-good man now."

"Are you sure you don't just think that because you're imprinted on me?"

"Yes," Tim said firmly. "You've been n-nothing but kind and loving to me. Even before the imprinting, you n-nursed me back to health and t-took care of me. I love you, Paine."

More tears fell from the giant's eyes. "I really don't deserve you, Tim. Now do you understand why I think you're more of a man than me? I'm the pathetic coward, not you."

"You shouldn't t-talk like that. Nobody's perfect. W-we can always improve, a-and that's what y-you've been doing. I'm p-proud of you. I love you."

Tim snuggled up against Paine.

"Hold me."

Confused, the man wrapped his arms around his mate.

"Cry, Paine. C-cry until you c-can't cry anymore. Y-You'll feel better."

Paine recognized his own words and smiled weakly.

"I love you so much, Tim."

He cried, holding his precious baby boy in his arms.

*****

Samuel tracked down Tanner, Kayleigh not too far behind.

This is crazy, she thought.

Once he found the alpha he asked "Are you Tanner?"

He looked annoyed. "Yeah. Who's asking?"

"My name is Samuel Costanza, an alpha from the Boulder pack."

Tanner narrowed his eyes at Samuel. This was the guy who was getting all lovey-dovey with Kayleigh earlier. More obstacles kept being thrown in his way. No matter. He would crush Samuel, just like how he crushed Tim.

"I would like to challenge you, Tanner."

All the wolves listening stopped what they were doing to listen closer. Samuel was proposing a challenge, a battle to settle disputes against two lycans. The stakes could be very high indeed.

"Why, exactly? You got a problem with me?"

"I do, actually. I believe you are unfit to lead the Romulus pack."

"Is that so?"

Samuel really was angry at Tanner. Kayleigh and Morgan had told him about everything their pack's leader had done. This challenge wasn't just a personal manner, taking Tanner down a peg would be doing an act of public service.

"Damn right."

As expected, Tanner got pissed off.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? What do you know?"

"I know enough to say that I would be a better leader for the Romulus pack than you could ever hope to be. A better suitor for Kayleigh, too."

Samuel needed to choose his words carefully. He needed to get Tanner mad, but not be so obvious about it that he suspected something. He needed Tanner to accept this challenge.

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve, tiny. How about you put your money where your mouth is?"

Samuel was expecting that insult eventually. Alphas tended to be bigger than average, but at 5'9" Samuel was on the smaller side, about six inches shorter than Tanner. This was something that Samuel could use to his advantage.

"I'd love to do that, Tanner. Here's my proposal: we have a one-on-one fight, the first one to get knocked out or admit defeat loses, and the loser gets banished from both packs."

Tanner raised his eyebrows. Banishment was a serious, permanent sort of thing. Why would this guy risk that?

He looked at Kayleigh. Her twentieth birthday was right around the corner. He almost had her, but his lust for her had practically taken a backseat to his pride. He had come too far. There was no way that anyone would stop him from getting what he was after. Samuel was just another roadblock.

Tanner eyed the other alpha male. This guy was a runt. He looked more like a beta. He could take him, easy. Then he would be gone and he'd have Kayleigh all to himself.

"Sure. I accept your offer."

Everything was going according to plan. Samuel nodded gravely.

"I'll see you at dusk."

He, Kayleigh, and Morgan had formulated this plan earlier. It was a simple plan, but very effective. It just hinged on two things: Tanner accepting the challenge, and Samuel being able to beat Tanner in a fight. The other two told him enough about how Tanner worked for that first part to come easy. That just left the other half.