Just another lap... Miles thought to himself, panting, his feet brutally digging into the dirt as he ran. He was extremely on edge today; most of Shawn's clothes he'd borrowed had lost their scent, he still hadn't heard anything from Naomi after three days, not even a response to his text, and they were out of avocado at the store.

 

Miles loved avocado.

 

It was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

 

So, running, running seemed to help most of the time. Expect this time it just... made him feel worse for some reason. He kept getting glimpses of that one scent again, copper and mint tinging the preserve around every quarter of the track. It was bugging him, he felt like his privacy was invaded, the one last safe spot he had.

 

He squeezed the glass bottle in his hand a little tighter as he caught a second of that same scent again. He slowed to a stop, craning his head around to catch a direction for it. He had to find it. It was driving him crazy.

 

Miles ventured into the thicker, less well-kept part of the preserve, the largest part of the forested section of the area. He rubbed his nose as he followed the scent, the copper scent getting stronger.

 

A branch snapped, maybe about twenty feet away, the sound followed by what sounded like a tree limb cracking and falling to the ground. Miles, stupidly, chased after the sound, creeping closer to the source of the copper scent. It was so strong now that Miles had to cover his nose, the scent making his eyes water.

 

“Hello, Miles.”

 

Miles yelped, jumping out of his skin as he spun around, coming face to face with a tall, muscular man, looking on the older side of his thirties. He wore a friendly smile, accentuating dimples through his salt and pepper stubble. He was looking over Miles with interest, hazel eyes flickering over Miles from head to toe. It was... a little creepy.

 

“Um.” Miles muttered, backing away from the man as much as he could. “Do I know you?”

 

The man shrugged. “In one form.” He hummed, following after Miles, matching each of his steps forward with a step backward from the werewolf. Miles swallowed, cursing when he felt his back hit something. “I know you, though. Been keeping a close eye on you.” He grinned. “You know, Miles... I could make you great.”

 

Miles felt his heart thud in his chest, his wolf perking up, anxiety flooding his system as he processed the man's words. He... couldn't be talking about what Miles thought he was, could he? Miles held his hands out of view of the man, focusing as much as he could spare to shift his free hand into claws. If this guy was who Miles thought he was... he had to get away. “I'm not quite sure I follow...”

 

The man chuckled. “Oh, I think you do, Miles.” He reached out a hand to press against Miles chest, and it was everything Miles had in him not to start screaming. Miles' vision went red, his jaw and fingertips burning as they extended, he could taste blood as pain blossomed in his gums. It was similar to what it felt like when Miles shifted wrong with Naomi, except he was completely out of control of the shift, this man pulling his wolf from Miles.

 

Gotta... get away. Miles tried to jerk away from him, only to have his back scratched by the tree he was pinned against. Distract him somehow... think Miles...

 

Miles heard a sharp screeching sound, like a knife against glass. Glass... the bottle, he still had the glass bottle! With as much force as Miles could muster, he swung the glass into the man's head, slumping in relief when it shattered, making the man back off with a shout. Miles didn't give the man any time to recover, taking off toward the trail entrance.

 

It took some time for Miles' stride to even out, his limbs feeling like they weren't his own. That man was able to force the change for him... just like Naomi was able to...

 

Miles' heart stopped when he heard a growl from behind him, followed by a roar that made the earth beneath his feet tremble. He didn't look back, pushing himself past the discomfort to run faster. He cursed, hearing the loud, undeniable thumps of what he knew was the Alpha behind him, each foot fall getting closer and closer to Miles.

 

“Miles!” Miles gasped, jerking his head up to see Naomi standing ahead in the trail, mask covering her face and smoke rising from her hand, which was holding a canvas bundle. She whipped out a lighter and lit whatever was inside the bundle and reeled back to throw it. “Duck!”

 

Miles dove into a slide, watching the bundle whiz by above his head, the smoke making his eyes sting and the air feel a little heavier. He popped back up onto his feet, hearing the bundle impact into the Alpha behind him, hearing a pained roar and the foot falls stop. “Come on, come on!” Miles grabbed Naomi by the arm and lead her out of the preserve, running down the street toward his house.

 

“Wait a second, I gotta...” Naomi pulled her arm from Miles hold and reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of something that had a very strong, floral scent that overtook every other scent around them. “There, that'll throw him off of our scent.” She sighed, carefully rocking the bottle back and forth, trying not to spill any of it.

 

“How did you know I was in trouble?” Miles asked, looking over to Naomi as they slowed to a walk, only about a block from his house.

 

Naomi shrugged. “Alpha's intuition.” She ruffled her hair, looking ahead. “I just got into town a little while ago, I knew the Rogue was here as soon as I crossed city limits.”

 

Miles hummed, he figured that was another werewolf thing that Naomi determined was too personal to get into depth with. He frowned when he recalled what had happened with him. “So... I have some questions about him...”

 

“I figured.” Naomi muttered. “Are we too far from your place? I can get my ride later, but right now I need some caffeine. We can talk while you make me some coffee.” She grinned at him. “You do owe me, now.”

 

Miles felt like he owed Naomi a lot. This was, what, the third time she'd come to save him? He led Naomi into the house, padding over to the coffee machine he never used. He was a simple man with coffee, just make it drinkable and not bitter and he's happy, he usually avoided the extra to-dos with coffee by using the single cup capsules. He reached into the top cabinet to get some ground coffee and filters.

 

“So.” Naomi drawled, settling into one of the seats at the table in the kitchen. “You had questions?”

 

Miles hummed, bringing down two mugs from the cabinet. “Yeah...” He finished prepping the machine and flipped on the switch, turning and leaning against the counter as it brewed, facing the Alpha. “First, that Alpha out there... he was able to do what you've done, sort of... pull the wolf from me, make me change? How?”

 

Naomi clicked her tongue, letting out a deep sigh. “I was a little afraid of that...” She brushed a hand through her hair, leaning back. “So, as your Alpha, I'm able to control your wolf. Granted, it's not much, it's more so... easing him into coming out, if he's comfortable enough to do so. No other Alpha other than the one that claimed you has the ability to do that. That rogue being able to get your wolf to respond at all means that my claim didn't fully take.”

 

Miles heart halted, his breath catching in his throat. “But... but you claimed me.”

 

I can make you great...

 

The words rang in Miles head, bouncing around his skull with a dark resonance that made him feel nauseous. That Alpha still had control over him. That same Alpha who wants Shawn.

 

“I did.” Naomi muttered. “I just didn't do it soon enough; the bite had already taken by the time I got there.”

 

“But... that means he has control over me, right? He can... make the wolf do what he wants, right?” Please, please don't let him be right.

 

“Not if I can help it.” Naomi stood up, grimacing as she did, looking like this was the last thing she wanted to do. “We stick together for long enough your wolf will form a better bond with me, causing him to lose whatever connection he has.” She squeezed his shoulder, giving a tight smile. “We act as a functioning pack and he'll have no way of getting to you.”

 

A pack? But... “You don't want a pack.” He remembered that very clearly, the disappointment from Naomi's very quick shut down that day still fresh. “And, you said it takes years to form a pack? Would it really be a pack with just the two of us?”

 

Naomi shrugged. “I can change my mind. You let me worry about the semantics of it.” She paused for a moment then nodded to the coffee machine. “Just some milk and a little sugar in mine, I'll go freshen up.”

 

With that, Naomi was wandering off into the house, from the sounds of it going everywhere except for the wash room if he was hearing her footsteps correctly.

 

So... they were going to be a pack? Miles stared down at the coffee mugs, trying to figure out what the hell his life had become. Also, what it was going to become with trying to form enough of a bond with Naomi to become a pack? Could they even force a thing like that?

 

“This is going to be awkward.” Miles muttered, dumping two spoons of sugar into his own mug and grabbing the creamer from the fridge.

 

“I can hear you!” Naomi shouted, coming back into the kitchen with one of Miles' shirts on, her hair tucked under one of his beanies. She watched him fill his mug about halfway with creamer and wrinkled her nose. “That is disgusting.” She bit out, before snatching the pot from the machine to grab her cup.

 

“So, um. Where are you going to be staying while we're getting our wolves all buddy-buddy?” Miles said, conversationally, not bothering to ask about her blatant disregard for his privacy in taking his clothes and such. Whatever, he could deal with it, maybe it'd help with the bonding process, having his Alpha's scent with him. Miles poured the last bit of coffee into his mug and took a sip.

 

“Oh, I'm staying with you.” Naomi looked up as Miles choked, sputtering on coffee and grabbing a handful of paper towels as hot liquid burned through his throat and nostrils. “Figured that was obvious.” She shrugged, acting like this was going to be the simplest thing in the world for them.

 

This wasn't going to be just awkward anymore.

 

This was going to be so awkward Miles was going to be praying for the ground to open up and bury him into the core of the Earth.