“Miles.” Naomi nudged the sleeping werewolf, making him groan in protest. “Come on, we gotta go. Council's waiting.”
Council? Oh, right. He had to get registered. Miles yawned, sitting up and stretching, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes in a vain attempt to wake himself up a bit more. “Coming...”
Naomi huffed. “Sure.” She pulled him out of bed, ignoring his squawking as he tried to cover up. “Please, I've seen you in boxers before. Just hurry up and get dressed, we're gonna be late for the appointment.”
Really, Miles didn't see why the appointment had to be so sudden. He'd already been woken up once last night with Naomi telling him his appointment was at five in the morning the next day. Who the hell makes an appointment at five in the morning anyway? He already had a bad opinion about this council. “Please tell me you at least made some coffee...” He half yawned throughout speaking, sluggishly picking out some decent clothes to wear.
“As soon as you get dressed, I'll let you have your coffee.”
Ice cold... holding his coffee hostage...
Miles sighed and dressed in a dark button-up, with a simple tie and dark jeans. When in doubt, go semi-casual. He didn't know if this was going to be like going to the DMV or something else. Whatever, he was dressed and now he could get his coffee.
Naomi glanced over him, arching her eyebrows as she handed over a thermos. “You clean up nice.” Her eyes caught on his hair and she hummed, her face scrunching up. “Wait a sec, hold still.” She dampened one of her hands and held the back of his neck, brushing her barely wet fingers through his hair, trying to tame it. Miles swallowed, wrenching his head from her grip and clearing his throat.
“Didn't you say we had to hurry?”
Naomi nodded, grabbing her keys and dragging him out of the door. He... he didn't really know why he got nervous. He didn't feel anything for Naomi, not like that at least. But here he was, his heart jumping into his throat and his palms sweating when she got up close to him and played with his hair.
She just did a 'mom-friend' thing, though. And that's all she did, just clean him up because his hair probably looked like he'd lost a fight with a comb. He let out a breath, sipping his coffee which was slightly more bitter than he usually liked but drinkable. He felt like she was all over the place, Naomi was acting like a sibling he had a dire rivalry with at one minute, then the next she was doing these weirdly intimate things with him.
Then there was Shawn... his mate. He still felt very adamantly about strictly friendship with Shawn, despite whatever the myths say about mates and what they're supposed to be. Shawn was his best friend, and Shawn being anything more than that just made him uncomfortable. He couldn't gauge how the wolf felt about him, just as a safe place, no super strong emotions with Shawn other than missing him being nearby, and feeling relaxed around him.
Miles sipped his coffee slowly, nursing the travel mug as he thought. He felt like he was in some teen drama about werewolves...
Naomi pulled the Jeep to a stop, parking in front of what looked like a normal government office, though it was nondescript, no signs or anything to identify it. She stepped out, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she waited for him before setting off toward the structure. She looked uncomfortable, sort of like when he saw her at the convention center, trying to shrink herself into a smaller space almost.
Miles watched Naomi, trying to pick up what was bothering her, but he had to stop when they entered the building. The inside of the building was something out of a fantasy movie; small pixies and fairies were whizzing to and fro, all dressed in tiny suit dresses and carrying handfuls of tiny paperwork, people at desks waving their hands to materialize pens and contracts from thin air, towering, pale beings that Miles couldn't even put a name to practically gliding from office to office. He tried not to gape, doing an awfully horrible job at doing so if Naomi's annoyed expression was anything to go by.
The Alpha walked him up to the front desk, where a plain looking woman was sitting, dressed in a pinstripe suit and her violently red hair pulled up into a bun. She looked up when Naomi approached and her bored face formed into a giant smile. “Naomi Chae, why haven't you come by to see me? It feels like it's been forever.” She reached over her desk to pull Naomi in a hug, which the Alpha seemed to reciprocate, a small smile on her face that seemed relaxed and calm, a complete opposite to how she seemed entering the facility.
Naomi huffed a little laugh, rocking back on her heels when she was released. “I've been busy, Z, Alpha stuff.” She nodded her head over to Miles. “Speaking of, I need to get him registered, and we have a meeting with Disalvo at five-thirty.”
Z focused her attention on Miles, then, smirking at him in a sort of way that made Miles feel like she was looking into his very soul. “Miles Jacob White, hmm? He's a cutie.” Miles stared, feeling his skin flush, Z giggling when Naomi glared at her. “Ooh! I made him blush, extra cutie!”
“Z, don't pick on him.”
Z just laughed, waving off Naomi's scolding. “I'm just teasing him.” She held her hand out to Miles, fluttering her eyes when he politely took it in a shake. “Zenia Driva, psychic and secretary for the Council.” She winked at him. “And you're Miles White, werewolf and giant nerd who plays video games online.” She tilted her head. “You also have a thing for blue eyes and-”
“Z!”
Zenia snickered and released Miles hand, turning to the giant planner on her desk. “I'll let Emmett know, go ahead and take him to the registration office. Say hi to Marilee!”
The psychic set them off with a wink and Miles glanced over to Naomi, running his hand through his hair. “Does she always do that?”
“Yes.” Naomi sighed, sounding annoyed. “She only does it the first couple times, it's the only entertainment she gets around here.”
They walked down several halls of the building, the place feeling more and more like a giant labyrinth the further they went. It must've been enchanted somehow, because there was absolutely no way that the building he saw from inside was this big. After what felt like an hour they found a small office, the open door labelled 'Department of Supernatural Identification'.
Behind the desk inside there was an older woman, maybe in her late forties, with a shoulder-length bob of gray-streaked black hair. She was dressed a lot less formal than everyone else he'd seen working there, just in a simple, polka dot dress that seemed fairly casual for where she was. She glanced up when they walked in and grinned upon seeing Naomi. “I thought you were too good for a pack, Naomi.”
“Shut it, Marilee.” Naomi snapped, yanking Miles forward. “And I never said I was too good for a pack.”
Marilee hummed, nodding along even though she definitely did not seem to believe the Alpha. “Sure. Whatever you say.” She turned her attention to Miles, then, flipping open a thick binder that had several labels throughout it listing various different supernatural species. She landed on 'Lupine' and settled her sights on the young werewolf. “Full name, Date of Birth, and time of your change?”
“Oh, um, Miles Jacob White, June 23rd, 1991, and about two weeks ago so... August 18th.” Miles watched Marilee write all this down, then jumped when she whipped out a camera and got out from behind the desk. “Uh...”
“Go over against the wall where the 'X' is. We need a picture for your ID Card, it'll have to be updated every 5 years, more if you become an Alpha or an Omega.” Miles followed her instructions, trying not to look too confused. He felt like this should've been something... not normal like this, he felt like he was at the DMV.
Marilee set the camera on a tripod as Miles stood up against a wall with a gray background. She fiddled with some levers and buttons on the device, then took the picture. Miles was blinded by a bright, red light, his eyes burning for a couple seconds afterward. Well, that definitely wasn't a normal camera...
Marilee went back behind her desk and started clicking about on the computer, typing and glancing back and forth between the screen and the open binder. After a couple seconds, a card printed out below the desk, along with a sheet of paper that she filed at the back of the binder. “Here's your temporary ID, the official one will be sent to your Alpha's address.” She smiled as she cleaned up her desk again, clearing away the binder and clicking away whatever program she had open on her computer. “Enjoy your meeting with Emmett.”
With that, they were leaving out of the office, Naomi escorting Miles further into the building, until they got to an elevator where they waited for whoever this Emmett Disalvo was. Miles, meanwhile, examined the card; the picture looked like a normal Miles, aside from the glowing amber eyes, which would explain what the red light did. The information on the side read his name, birthdate, a basic description of his appearance, along with his ranking which read 'Beta', his Alpha which read 'Naomi Leigh Chae', and the top corner labeled 'Werewolf'. It’s expiration date was five years from today. Miles wondered what exactly he'd need the ID for... would he be stopped by the werewolf law enforcement and have to show his card? Maybe there were Supernatural specific clubs...
Naomi elbowed Miles in the side, making him straighten up just a second before the elevator opened, revealing a hulking giant of a man, at least six foot-seven, built like a brick wall. He would've been scary looking, if it wasn't for the massive grin baring his straight, white teeth. “Naomi! Beautiful as ever, I see.” The man boomed, his low voice rattling the ground under Miles feet. The large man yanked Naomi into a huge bear hug, actually lifting her off of the ground. Miraculously, the Alpha just laughed, rubbing the man's back as he finally set her down, his great hand ruffling her hair. “How many years has it been, dear? You've grown so much since I've seen you.” He glanced over to Miles and his grin widened. “And you've earned yourself some responsibility, as well.”
Naomi shrugged. “I didn't want another case like before. He was turned by that rogue that's been causing you a headache.”
“Yes, I've heard.” He settled his gaze on Miles, his great smile dropping finally. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, young man. Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens more than we'd like to admit...” He sighed. “We have no idea what's causing it, either. A lot of the time an Alpha that we just confirmed to be perfectly healthy and sane will go on a rampage the next week.”
He paused a moment, frowning, staring off into the distance for a couple seconds, before he regained his composure, straightening up and holding his hand out to Miles for a strong, firm handshake that left Miles' hand aching. “How rude of me, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Emmett Disalvo, the head Lupine Councilman. I've been leading the case for the rogue Alpha's that have been running rampant for the past several years.” He nodded back to the elevator doors. “We can go up to my office to discuss what you saw of the one who turned you, I'll have a sketch artist come up to get a detailed description.”
They all climbed into the elevator, Miles surprised they were all able to fit in the confined space with Disalvo's mass. Miles watched, fascinated, as the elevator rose, the sun breaking through the glass back wall and showcasing the landscape around them. This was definitely not visible from outside.
“The perks of being a Council member, Mr. White.” Disalvo muttered, laying a hand on Miles' shoulder as he gaped.
No kidding... If Miles didn't absolutely love his job now he'd think about getting into the Supernatural Government.
“Hmm... he looks like, but... no he couldn't be...” Disalvo muttered to himself as he watched the sketch artist – a person with a pixie-like build and glasses, who was apparently a psychic who directly took the image from Miles head to sketch. “That's impossible.”
“Who is it?” Naomi asked, her voice soft and concerned like Miles hadn't ever heard it before. She seemed distressed that Disalvo was upset about something. He wondered, what with how they greeted each other when they first met, what exactly the two were to each other. Maybe he was the friend Naomi was helping out with the Werewolf Cop thing...
The sketch artist paused, glaring up at Miles, his lips twitching into a smile. Oh, right... Mind reading... Miles focused back on the image of the Alpha and the sketch artist was back to work, blowing out a strained breath.
“It looks like... Nikolas Young.” Disalvo raised his gaze to Naomi, frowning deeply. “But he's been coming in everyday, seemingly in a perfect state of mind.” He stroked along his full beard, a deep rumble that must've been him humming filling the room. “Right down to the scars, as well... and his wolf had always been rather massive... everything fits up to this rogue being Nikolas except the fact that he is still sane.”
Naomi leaned over, looking over the picture as the artist turned it around to face them. “Are you sure? When was the last time he came in?”
Disalvo picked up his phone, muttering as he asked questions through the line, then nodded. “Young called in today? Personal reasons, he said? Okay, thank you very much, Mrs. Driva.” He hung up, looking up to Naomi, his deep frown looking odd on his face. “Naomi, I need you to check on him, see where he's at, where he's been heading, everything. I need you to be an extra set of eyes on Nikolas.” He then turned to Miles. “And Mr. White, if you ever run into him again, I want you to come to me immediately. Even if I'm not available, let Mrs. Driva know at the front that you have a message for me.”
Miles nodded, though he really hoped he'd never run into the Alpha again. They said their goodbyes, Naomi giving Disalvo another giant hug before they returned to the elevator. The sun had now settled across the city in even golden hues, it was probably sometime around seven by now. He wondered how Shawn was doing...
Naomi let out a huff, and Miles glanced over to see the Alpha frowning, staring over the city. He wondered if she knew this Nikolas guy... Miles reached out, cautiously settling his hand on her shoulder, then finally pulled her into him in a sort of awkward, sideways hug when she didn't move. Naomi hummed, leaning into him, her rabbiting pulse calming slightly.
The rest of the way home was quiet, Naomi completely different than how Miles had ever seen her. It was weird, riding with Naomi and not hearing a single quip from her, no sarcastic comments and no talk about training or anything. Just... silence. It was unnerving, really.
“I'm gonna go do some research.” The Alpha muttered when they got home, her expression flat and indecipherable. “You should check in with Shawn, if you can. Let him know to keep an eye out for that man.”
Miles watched Naomi retreat upstairs to her room, flicking out her phone and calling someone just as she turned the corner. Miles huffed and wandered to his office, locking the door and pulling up Skype to call Shawn.
Yes! He's online! Miles immediately perked up, sitting up straight and clicking maybe a little bit too excited on Shawn's username.