When I woke up in the morning, it was to the feel of a smaller, warm body in my arms and soft hair tickling my chin. My eyes blinked open, and I drowsily took in the room. Yesterday came back to me, all the ups and downs involved, and I realized I’d curled Evan tightly in my arms. I tightened my hold on him reflexively, only to loosen up when he squirmed a little.

“Evan?” I called softly. Was he awake?

Evan hummed at me with a little noise in his throat, then a yawn. He went to stretch, but I was holding him too closer, spooned against his back with my thighs pressed against the length of his, and my knees in the bend of his own, so that he couldn’t really move much unless I did first. Seeming to realize the position we were in, his body went still.

“Max?” he said just as softly.

I pressed a kiss into his hair in response. Evan squirmed, and I wanted to hold him in place so he wouldn’t move, but he just turned his head to look at me over his shoulder.

“Good morning,” I said, smiling at him. “Did you have a nice sleep?”

Evan blinked at me, and then his whole face flushed red. He whipped his head around quickly and lay back down, his whole body going lax and obedient.

“…It was fine.”

I grinned into his hair, deciding I liked this. But then thoughts of yesterday barged into my head, and not the good parts of yesterday. I frowned to myself as I wondered how things were going over there. My anxiety started to grow and I was itching to go back already, but I couldn’t just leave Evan.

“What’s wrong?” Evan must have felt my body stiff, and when he asked, his voice sounded a little tight.

I sighed and made myself relax so I wouldn’t worry him.

“Nothing. Just that it’s morning now.”

“Oh.”

We both looked toward the window. We were in the woods, and the trees were fairly thick, even around the cabin, but there was enough space between the foliage for sunlight to pass through.

“We need to get back, don’t we?” Evan murmured, his voice quiet.

I squeezed him a bit in my arms, knowing I would have to let him go and not wanting to.

“Yeah. The sooner the better.”

With another sigh, I slid my arms out from around him and moved off the bed. I looked down at myself and wrinkled my nose. We both got pretty mess up last night and we just slept like that. Semen had crusted over my lower abdomen, and I scratched at it.

“Wait here for me.”

I glanced at Evan, who hadn't moved yet, then stepped out of the bedroom. I went to the kitchen and looked around. When I found the beer, I’d also found some big water bottles. It was probably for drinking, but we could use it to wash up, and I would just have to apologize to the owner of the cabin. Maybe leave some cash behind in compensation because I didn’t even know whose it was.

A minute later I was walking back into the bedroom with the bottle of water. Evan had gotten up and was sitting on the bed. His knees were curled, hiding his cock, his face slightly flushed as he tried to close his buttons. He was doing it with one hand, though, so he wasn’t faring that well. I smirked at him being shy after last night, but I didn’t mention it.

“How does your arm feel?” I asked, sitting beside him on the bed, not even bothering to hide my nudity.

Evan looked over at me and blinked, then turned his head away, his face burning.

“Um, it aches a bit, but not anything too bad.”

I nodded and got back up, leaving the bottle. I went to the living room. On the couch, I found the strips I’d torn off his shirt, and the medical kit on the floor just in front of it. I picked up both and went back to the bedroom.

Evan was watched me as I walked into the room. I set the kit in easy reach, then opened it and pulled out some gauze. Then I reached for the bottle, and turned to Evan.

“I’m going to unwrap this, okay?”

He nodded, staying quiet as I got to work. I stripped the gauze from yesterday, going slowly so it wouldn’t tug on the skin. He’d bled a little last night so it was soaked through. The part that touched his skin looked to have stuck a little, and no matter how gently I did it, Evan still winced as I pulled it off.

“This looks okay,” I said with a sigh.

It would have been really bad for Evan if the injury got infected. I pressed on either side of the wound, ignoring Evan’s whimper even as my heart squeezed a little. Pressing a little more got some blood to drip out of it. I picked up some cotton balls and wiped it away. The smell coming off it was healthy, and my worries died down.

“When you get back home, have a professional look this over,” I instructed. “It’s not infected yet, but it’s not completely impossible, so better safe than sorry.”

“I know,” he said softly, giving me a sweet smile when I looked up at him. “Thank you, for worrying so much.”

My eyes flitted away, and I scoffed at myself internally for feeling a bit embarrassed.

“No problem,” I muttered.

I reached for more gauze from the kit, and picked up the same solution from yesterday. I soaked the solution in some cotton swaps and cleaned the outside of the wound. Evan stayed completely still, only making a few small noises of protest. Once I had it cleaned, I started to rewrap it. Only when that was done, did I take some more gauze, and the water to soak it, then wiped the both of us clean from last night’s mess. I glanced at the bed, but decided there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I would have to leave quite a bit of cash in compensation.

When we were all cleaned up, I helped Evan get dressed, then dressed up quickly myself. My shirt was missing a few buttons, but it wasn’t so bad, and I left my jacket wrapped around Evan so he could hide the rip in his shirt and his injured arm.

“I think I can guess where we are now that it’s morning. If we walk out of the woods with the sun to our left, we should make it to the town.”

“Isn’t it a little far?” he asked, but he didn’t really sound worried.

“It is,” I agreed. “We would get there faster if we were in our shifted forms, but we’ll have to walk the whole way. If you feel tired, I can just carry you.”

Wouldn’t mind it, either, and actually, we might go faster that way. As reluctant as I felt to leave him, I knew I couldn’t linger. I needed to make sure my pack, and especially my parents, were okay.

“I can walk on my own,” Evan said, his face flushing again as he looked away from me. “But, do you think we can take the water? I’m feeling a little thirsty.”

“Of course,” I agreed readily.

I remembered neither of us had eaten much yesterday, and Evan had even less than me when he needed it the most. Once we had everything cleared, we picked up our trash, I left some cash where it was sure to be found, and we left the cabin.

The walk to town was a long one, as expected. I stuck close to Evan’s side, glancing over at him every so often to make sure he was okay. I carried the bottle for him, handing it over whenever it looked like he was a little short of breath. We chatted a bit on the way about inconsequential things, and I got to learn a few things about Evan.

Like how he was a teacher, and he taught at a school near his pack grounds that had both pack and human children. It wasn’t anything too strange, considering the area his pack came from was pretty populated and close to a forest. A lot of packs lived that way. I told him a little bit about my carpenter business, but mostly, he told funny stories about his kids. With the way his face would light up when he talked about them, even with his face a little flushed and sweat dripping down his forehead, I could tell he liked his job.

At the pace we were moving, it was nearly an hour by the time we did make it into town. I’d been by several times so I took over leading for us.

“Can you get home on your own?” I asked Evan worriedly. “I could take you…”

I frowned as I thought about it. If I had to take him home, I would delay going back even more. It was the last thing I wanted, but I had to look after Evan’s interests before my own…

“You don’t have to worry to that extent,” Evan said with a chuckle. “I’m an adult, I can take perfectly good care of myself. And I don’t think I have to worry about someone attacking me with so many humans around.”

I nodded, though we could only hope that those damn Betas wouldn’t be so stupid as to expose all of us so carelessly.

Evan winced, then smiled sheepishly at me. “Um, I’ll probably need some money, though, if you can spare it? I’m a little far from home and I don’t have any money on me…”

I didn’t hesitate, pulling out my wallet and giving Evan what I thought would be enough. His expression was shocked, and I folded his hand over the bills.

“Take this and put it away. If what I have falls short, I have my card with me, I’ll just use more.”

My parents had an account where all the funds for the pack were kept. Everyone contributed, and both my parents had access to it. Because I was next in succession, I carried the card everywhere with me, though I did have my own separate bank account where I kept some personal funds. I could use either one as I pleased, but funds taken from the pack’s account that weren’t used for something that benefited the whole pack would have to be refunded. I wouldn’t even think of using it, but I wasn’t sure how much I still had left in my own account. I was still waiting for some funds to come in.

Evan didn’t argue with me, and I directed him to where he needed to go. Eventually, we had to split up because we were heading in different directions, and I went home.

It was hours later when I got back. The pack grounds were completely separated from human settlements, so as soon as I crossed through, there would only be pack. The moment other pack members saw me, excitement spread all over the place. I wasn’t even paying attention to any of them, rushing to my parents’ house. I had my own place that I’d built and furnished myself, even knowing I would have to move into the main house once I took over succession. My house was a little one-story that was good enough for a bachelor, but not suitable for the pack Alpha, not with how large the pack was.

The news travelled faster than I did, though it was probably all the housing that alerted everybody. By the time the main house was in view, a big, brick red three-story building with several windows and balconies on the upper floors, the front door had already burst open and people had flown out. My Omega father was among them, and some of the few pack members we’d gone with to the gala, but not all of them.

“Max!”

My Omega father’s face was full of anxiety, and when he set his eyes on me, the look immediately turned to relief. He ran the distance between us, and I picked up my own speed, the two of us meeting in the middle in a tight embrace. He was slightly shorter and smaller than I was, and I engulfed him in my arms, feeling relieved as well to see that he was okay. His body was trembling, and I rubbed my face against the side of his until he properly calmed down.

“I’m okay, Dad,” I murmured against his neck. “Sorry I’m late getting back.”

He laughed and pulled away, his hands cupping my face. “It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re here. I was worried when you suddenly disappeared. I didn’t want to leave, but I came back in case you showed up even before we did. We just arrived early this morning.”

I nodded, looking over him critically. His eyes were red, and when I looked closer, I could see the tear marks on his face that meant he must have been crying.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, feeling guilty.

He just patted my cheek, smiling tiredly up at me. “I won’t lie, I was a little worried you’d died and I had no idea. We didn’t see you and there was no way to find you. We looked for the whole night…”

I nodded, gently patting his shoulder to comfort him. They probably hadn't gone too far to look or they would have found me without much trouble. Though when we stepped out of the cabin that morning, I’d noticed both mine and Evan’s scent had pretty much disappeared. A bunch of shifters searching in frantic worry would have missed scenting anything last night.

There was also that short time when I’d gone back to look for them as well, but I hadn't found them. It was because of that that I understood his worry, and I didn’t bring it up.

“I was standing outside when it happened, and when I walked in, it was to see the Betas attacking. I saw one of them running outside after an Omega, and it didn’t seem like someone else noticed so I followed.”

“Was the Omega all right?” he asked immediately, a little worry in his eyes.

I nodded. “Yeah. He got attacked twice and got a little injured, but he was fine. We were pretty deep in the woods at a cabin, and we decided to just spend the night there. If I’d known you were looking for me, I would have come back sooner.”

It might not have been the best for Evan at the time, but he could have gotten proper help faster. I didn’t really regret not going back, though, and that was where the guilt rose from.

“Is that what that is?” Dad said, sniffing my clothes. “Where is he?”

“I sent him home. He said he’s Whit’s son.”

“He has an Omega son?” he asked, immediately knowing who I was talking about, looking confused.

“I thought the same thing.” I started to look around, my anxiety coming back when I didn’t see the face I wanted. “What about Father, where is he? Is he injured? Is that why he didn’t come outside with you?”

There was no way he wouldn’t come out to see me the moment I got home after last night.

I felt a hand clench tight around my arm, and I looked down at Dad. His expression had changed, and it made my heart clench. He seemed to have aged a few years right in front of my eyes, and for the first time, I noticed just how haggard he looked. Grief lined his face, and with me standing in front of him, it could only mean one thing.

“Dad…” I breathed out, waiting for him to tell me I was guessing wrong.

His expression only got sadder, and tears filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Max. Your father… he was murdered last night. When we couldn’t find you, I was so worried you’d shared the same fate…”

I couldn’t hear a thing he said past that my father and Alpha was murdered. It had been my biggest worry last night, but it was confirmed now. He was really dead.

Devastation washed though me, and my eyes misted with tears. For the first time in my life, I felt shaken. I wanted to fall down to my knees and cry along with my dad, but I knew that I couldn’t.

Above everything else, I was now the Alpha of the pack. I’d always known I would be the successor, since my parents didn’t have any other children besides me, I’d also already proven myself worthy of the position over other Alphas in the pack. And the weight of that title now sat heavily on my shoulders for the first time.