Another Half

June 2010

“You look like shit,” Sergio said when he opened the door for Rex. Sergio looked around and behind Rex.

“Shut the fuck up,” Rex replied, pushing past him.

“Who fucked you up? I hope the other guy looks worse. Or was it a girl? Shit, Rex. Was it a girl?” Ax said. He turned to the small refrigerator.

Rex collapsed in a red hotel chair by the ceiling-to-floor window that overlooked the city. He couldn’t wait to get back to Azul’s green lushness.

Ax gave him an ice pack wrapped in a towel, and Rex put it on the goose egg on his head. “Anyone got some Tylenol or whatever for this headache?”

Ax sat on the bed close to Rex’s chair. He cracked open a cold beer and gave it to him along with two pills. Rex greedily washed the pills down with the entire can.

“I guess you didn’t find your mate,” Sergio said after he closed the door. He remained standing nearby.

“Oh, I found her alright. But apparently, she was already taken.”

Rex made no effort to hide the bitterness he felt. Sergio and Ax had been his two best friends since they were toddlers. They were a tight-knit group of friends and for a good reason. Their respective fathers had grown up with Rex’s father and had gone on to become, and still were, his Beta and Gamma. It seemed this friendship was generational since Rex’s grandfather had something like that, too, and Rex couldn’t be more grateful for their companionship and loyalty.

As he had walked back to the hotel room, Rex had thought that telling his best friends what had happened the previous night would be the most humiliating experience. But after telling them everything up to where he passed out drunk under a bush, Rex realized that this was nothing to going home and telling his father that Rex had just lost their pack’s next luna. He wouldn’t blame his father if he chose one of Rex’s cousins as the next alpha. An alpha without a luna was weak alpha, and Maverick’s nascent plans of conquest were proving that this was common knowledge.

“Dude, it’ll be alright,” Ax said. “Maybe she’ll come around and realize that there’s no competition between you and the dumb ass–what’s his name again?--she left with.”

“Maverick,” Sergio said. “His name is Maverick. I’m pretty sure his family owns a hardware store in Blue Ponderosa and a bar—”

Sergio stopped when he saw Ax glaring at him.

“You’re not helping, asshole,” Ax hissed at him.

Sergio shrugged. “What happened to ‘Know your enemy,’ Mr. Future Gamma? I’m just providing informa—”

“This is not the time, Mr. Future Beta,” Ax said. “We’re not at war–”

“Not yet, we’re not,” Rex said standing up suddenly. He stared out at the city.

“Wait, you’re not seriously thinking about going to Blue Ponderosa and warring over her, are you?” Sergio said. “You’re father would not–”

“Yes! I’ll help you go and beat up this shit’s ass!”

“You’re not helping, dumbass!” Sergio said glaring at Ax.

“I’m not going there. They’re coming to us,” Rex said, an undercurrent of urgency in his voice.

He told them in as much detail as he could remember the conversation he overheard between Maverick and Rick after waking up.

“Fucking hell,” Sergio muttered. “Your dad is going to–ah, fuck, my dad is going to beat my ass for not being there for you.”

Ax put his face in his hands. “This is not good news. I know our pack’s nowhere near ready for war,” he said quietly. “We were going to bring up plans to you and your dad to up our defenses and get better training for the elites. Shit, this sucks balls.” He raised his head. “Did they say when?”

Rex put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “No. I think that they’re as unprepared for war as we are.”

And it was true. Rex thought the last wolf war in the Azul Valley had taken place during his grandfather’s tenure as alpha. All five of the Azul Valley packs had been at peace for several decades. The packs had learned to coexist and share the small, college town they more or less surrounded. But rumors about a war-mongering pack in the next valley over had begun to unsettle the Azul Valley packs. Still, apparently, none had done much to prepare for possible hostilities.

Ax stood from the bed. “So we prepare. Right away. We start as soon as we get home.”

Rex nodded. “Sooner. I want to hear about your plans on the way home.” He looked over at Sergio and nodded. “We all should.”

Sergio took out his cell phone. Rex knew he was calling the pilot to get their plane ready for take-off.

“Hey,” Ax said, putting his hand on Rex’s shoulder. “What are you going to do about?—y’know...”

Rex sighed heavily. “For now, nothing because I don’t know what to do. I never imagined I’d be–”

Don’t say it, Nakon advised. It still hurts us so don’t.

“I guess right now I have to focus on protecting our pack, so at least there’s that,” Rex said.

“From the sounds of it, I don’t think there’s anything you could have done to prevent it,” Sergio said after hanging up. “It's thirty minutes until take-off, by the way.”

Rex nodded. “That’s what Nakon says. Apparently, she keeps her wolf on a ridiculously tight leash, but Nakon was still able to contact her. Caroline went last night for that one reason alone,” Rex said, his voice finally lowering to a whisper.

Sergio and Ax stared at him, appalled.

“Tight leash?” Sergio said with a growl. “That’s fucked up.”

“Fuck. Some people don’t deserve to have their wolves,” Ax said.

*****

Author’s Note:

If you like this story so far, feel free to vote for it. Also, any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Rio