What We Are

Chapter 1: Village Feast

The Axel Werewolf Pack resided near the mountain ranges of New Oasis state in a place called the Red Village. It was hard to miss—anyone would know the second they stepped foot in Red Village as most of the structures were made of exposed brick which gave an almost muted red hue throughout the entire place, hence the name.

In the Red Village, greenery grew anywhere and everywhere—the roads were covered with it, the houses surrounded by it, and their livestock feasted on it.

The animals in the large forest connecting their village to the river were plentiful.

In his werewolf form, Dean was able to pick up the location of a deer nearby, its hooves noisily clomping on the dirt ground.

Dean could feel his other Pack members watching from a distance. Packs had the advantage of taking down prey with the force of their whole group, but today they had insisted that Dean have the first action while they stood by, ready to move as soon as it was time.

The Head Alpha of the Axel Pack was one with his surroundings. Years of hunting ensured that his paws soundlessly brought him closer to where the deer was munching on a berry bush. His body was tucked low to the ground, stalking closer with the help of tall grasses concealing him from the deer's sight.

It was daytime, and while Dean was practically invisible during the night, the deer could easily spot his stark black fur against all the greens and browns illuminated by a sunny day.

All it took was one look in the werewolf's general direction, and the deer galloped away.

Dean's wolf legs moved fast even in the slippery, uneven terrain. He gained momentum, sight solely on the deer trying to escape through the thick groves of trees.

Dean knew this forest like the back of his hand. He knew when to take a turn to avoid a dip of land, and he knew the deer was trying to lose him by climbing up a steep incline, hoping its lighter weight can propel it up faster.

It might've worked for other predators, but not for Dean. His legs shifted into a steady position, and with one large leap, Dean landed directly on the deer's back, wasting no time before sinking his large teeth into its neck.

The deer thrashed under his weight, repeatedly trying to thump its antlers on Dean's head. Dean only clamped his jaw tighter, his muscles locking to keep the deer in place.

A brown and grey form appeared in Dean's peripheral vision, followed by a loud crunch which ceased the last of the deer's struggles.

It was Iman in front, his werewolf form just as large Dean's. The other alpha had chomped on the deer's face, jaw moving and teeth tearing through meat right down to the bone.

Dean gave one last fatal bite and released his hold. The deer's ripped-open head fell heavily onto the leaf-covered soil, bleeding out. Iman jumped out of the way to avoid being hit by its antlers.

Two other werewolves came up to them. Pearl's white, grey-dotted fur looked spotless in a forest of mud and shrubs. As she stalked towards her fellow alphas, Dean could swear she had on a smug look, like she's happy the two of them managed to take down a deer without her help. Beside her was Finn, a beta wolf only slightly smaller compared to the three werewolves he was with.

Iman and Pearl worked together to drag the deer down from the incline, using their mouths to bite and pull at its antlers and limbs.

Dean was the first to return to his human form, his fur and snout disappearing, face coming back to normal. The whole thing took no longer than a minute, practically painless now that he's used to shifting. Once he was standing on his human legs, he didn't bother climbing down before he removed the sack strapped across Finn's wolf form. The beta shook out his grey fur before copying Dean's actions and shifting back.

Dean unzipped the green sack. He had a thin layer of dirt sticking to his skin and specks of deer blood in his mouth, but he paid those things no mind, pulling on one pant leg after the other.

Nobody would really care if they walked back to the village naked, but Dean wanted to spare the young ones.

"This'll be a hit at the Feast tonight," Finn said, gesturing to the dead deer as he rummaged through the sack for his own bottoms. He pulled out a pair of long shorts and tugged those on, both of them opting out of shirts and underwear. "I thought you'd want to bring it back while you were still in wolf form."

"He's concerned that the kids will be afraid of him," Pearl's voice butted in. She stood naked in her human form, hands on her hips and with no ounce of shame that her toned body was on full display. She and Iman have successfully pulled the deer onto the ground where they could have more room to maneuver it.

"S'not it," Iman said to Pearl, spitting out the deer remnants from inside his mouth with a grimace. Like Dean, Iman's human body was covered in bits of forest. "Dean just doesn't want to feel like he's boasting having the only pure black wolf form in the whole Pack."

"Lucky for us he's not arrogant like you." Finn chucked the sack downwards.

Iman caught it, smirking at Finn and extending his arms out to the side to expose more of his taut physique, a ray of sunlight making his chest glisten. "I've got every right to be arrogant, Finn Ledger."

Finn scoffed. Dean paid no mind to the two as he hopped down to stand next to Pearl who has taken the sack from Iman, pulling out her own shorts and tank top. "Since you've got every right to be arrogant, you can carry this deer back by yourself, Iman," Pearl told Iman with a too-sweet grin.

Finn came up behind Dean, handing him one of the ropes they had brought. The two of them got to work tying the deer's legs together for easier transport as Iman complained, "See, now that's just unfair. I didn't see you putting in any effort to help us catch it."

As a human, Pearl didn't look half as dirty as the rest of them; proof that she barely did anything but shift and run. She wasn't even sorry. "I'm still a bit tired from last night. Lina and I have been trying."

"Trying to disturb the whole village and waking everyone from their peaceful slumber?" Dean huffed, wrangling together the deer's ankles. He had to tilt his head up to raise his eyebrow at Pearl.

"Pearl didn't even have the decency to start trying until after she and Lina were locked inside their own house," Finn recalled with a shake of his head, stance mirroring Dean's and hands skillfully tying off the rope faster than Dean.

Pearl let out a patronizing sigh. "When one of you finally gets a mate, you'll understand."

Iman groaned dramatically, zipping up his pants. "Please don't start with that. We have the whole night to hear that sort of thing from the Village Elders. My grandmother talks non-stop about suitable matches for me and Dean."

Dean stood and dusted off his hands, snorting at Iman's words like it was a reflex. "They've been much more pushy this past week."

"You're Head Alpha," Finn pointed out monotonously. "Everyone's holding their breath just waiting to see what kind of mate you'll have."

"Not that I'm required to actually have a mate," Dean reminded the group, similar to how he reminded the two Village Elders who've approached him the last few days. "I don't see why they're so invested in my private life."

"Everyone's invested. I have no doubt that all eligible werewolves and humans will try shooting their shot for a chance at being your mate. There might even be some sort of bet going on." Pearl moved until she stood beside Dean. She was only a few inches shorter than Dean's six-foot-two self.

"I've already banned bidding of any form to happen in the village."

Finn shrugged at Dean. "Doesn't guarantee they won't do it discreetly."

Despite Pearl's earlier sentiments, she grabbed hold of the deer's front legs and made to carry it while Iman automatically grabbed its hind legs.

"Let's get a move on. This deer carcass isn't as light as you think." Iman's overreacting of course. Being a werewolf—an alpha at that—he could have easily hauled the buck by himself if he so wished.

"I thought you had a lot to be arrogant about?" Dean said, just to be annoying. They all started walking back to the village with their bare feet and about 200 pounds of dead deer.

One could easily get lost in such a vast forest, but all four of them have long ago memorized the way home. It took about twenty minutes. Some ten minutes into the journey, Finn and Dean had taken over carrying the deer. The time was filled mostly with bickering between Pearl and Iman before the span of trees thinned out, signifying that they've reached the outskirts of their village.

Two other alphas came over once they spotted the group emerging from the forest. The twins, Raine and Dwayne, were only eighteen, but Dean's seen the two during training sessions and they were progressing nicely.

"Hey, Raine! Dwayne!" Iman waved before the twins could reach them. "Think you can bring this over to your pa? I'm sure he can do this deer more justice than anyone else in this village."

Raine delighted at the sight of the deer. "We'll take this off your hands," She told them before she and Dwayne moved to take over Finn and Dean's positions, their combined strengths able to take the weight of the deer.

Dean flexed his fingers and gave the twins a grateful smile. "Tell Mr. Monty thanks." The twins said their goodbyes and heaved the carcass towards their home, the sight of it catching a few eyes.

A hand clasped Dean's shoulder. Pearl smiled lazily at him and squeezed. "I'll see you boys tonight. Be sure to shower, you all stink."

"You don't smell like daisies either, Flourice," Dean called out to her retreating back.

Pearl shot him an obscene gesture without turning around, his Head Alpha authority be damned.

"I need to go, too. Mom's been bugging me about the weeds infesting her garden. Might as well pick those off before I clean up," Finn told them. He's sweating buckets even without a shirt, his chest damp and his freckled neck slightly red from the heat.

Iman immediately jumped at the opportunity. "Can I walk you home?"

Finn ran his dirty hand over his deflating hair, giving Iman an incredulous look. "I can walk to my own house, thanks." It wasn't mean, but it was a dismissal nevertheless. Finn turned to Dean. "I'll catch you at the feast."

The two alphas waited until Finn was a distance away. Dean shot Iman a look.

Iman smiled sheepishly. "Not good?"

Dean sighed heavenwards and started the trek to his house. He and Iman happened to live beside each other, at the other side of the village. They took the less formal path, walking on the grassier parts which were more forgiving to their feet than the hot concrete.

"You've known Finn for years but you still forget that he doesn't like being coddled by alphas," Dean told the alpha next to him, nodding in greeting at the few villagers they passed.

Iman wasn't making any effort to do the same, too busy feeling sorry for himself. "I'm not trying to coddle him. I'm trying to be nice. Why can't he see I'm being nice?"

"Constantly poking at him isn't being nice."

"I've been trying to tell Finn that I want to court him," Iman admitted in a lower voice. Gossip spread faster than wildfire in their Pack, after all. "He keeps thinking it's a joke. He says I'm playing around and that I'll find an omega soon enough. Can you believe that?"

"You don't want an omega," Dean said matter-of-factly. "You want Finn and his stubborn self because you're a child who gets bored easily."

"He's stubborn, I'm stubborn. Our fights can only lead to plenty of make-up sex." Iman wiggled his eyebrows, ignoring Dean's blatant insulting.

"Finn doesn't even want you to walk him home, but yeah, he'll climb into bed with you. That makes sense."

Alphas weren't limited to choosing only omegas to be their mate anymore. The rules of who one can mate with as a werewolf have eased gradually over the centuries, their society now supportive of pairings such as an alpha (like Iman) and a beta (like Finn) undergoing the mating ritual.

For Dean though, it wasn't as simple.

He was Head Alpha of the Axel Pack, and it's up to him to carry on tradition and produce an Axel heir. The Village Elders have been bugging him to really try and find a suitable partner.

By suitable partner, they obviously pertained to an omega so the risk of miscarriage was significantly lesser.

Iman nudged Dean. "You know Finn the best. Got any advice?

"Try not to be an asshole," Dean shrugged.

"Dean, come on!" Iman knocked their shoulders together, harder this time. "I'm serious. I was planning to announce at tonight's Feast that I'm going to court him, but... Well, he'd probably tear me to pieces if I did."

"And you're sure you want to court someone who won't hesitate to do just that?"

Iman got a dreamy look on his face. "I don't mind at all. I like that about him."

They both stopped near the road leading to their houses. Dean used his stern look. "I have to know you're serious about courting him before I give you advice. I also need to guarantee that you won't lash out with your pride if he says no." Dean treated Iman like family, but Finn was like his own brother.

Iman crossed the space above his heart with a solemn look, noting the sudden intensity of Dean's words. "I'm serious about Finn. I won't lash out if he rejects me, I respect him too much to take away his freedom." He smiled hopefully at the Head Alpha. "Help me?"

Dean narrowed his eyes, searching for any indication that Iman was lying. Once he was satisfied, Dean exhaled. Finn might hate him for this, but Iman wasn't that bad. "Finn doesn't like to be coddled, but he won't say no to you bringing meals for his parents or doing chores for them. Once you get his parents' approval, not much else will stop you. Except, of course, Finn himself."

Iman's grin was so wide it looked like his face would tear. "You're the best, Dean!" He brought Dean in for a quick, one-armed hug, their bodies still too grimy for anything else. "You're a true one, you know? I'll repay you somehow."

Dean shook his head. "You can start with a shower," He told the other alpha, pushing him away.

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First Sundays in the Red Village were reserved for the Axel Pack Feast. It's the only time alphas felt pressured to go hunting and bring back food for the rest of the Pack.

While the Feast may have started for the sake of merriment and reassurance that the Pack provided for its members, it also transformed into an official date where courtships were announced and when couples (directly or indirectly) presented as a mated pair.

Their whole village of about three hundred families also had humans living within the premises. For a while now, mated werewolves and humans have been allowed to live together under one roof.

Werewolves and humans alike gathered in the Village Square. There's six long tables, each taking up most of the event space. Dean watched families bring in their own contribution to the Feast. Majority of the dishes were made from whatever animals the werewolves managed to catch in the forest or in the river—spicy marinated chicken, roasted pork chop seasoned with herbs, pan-seared catfish, oven-baked trout. There's vegetable dishes like salads, charred bell peppers, and braised greens as well as baskets of fruits all grown from the countless family gardens spread throughout Red Village.

Elton Monty came with his human wife, Rowena, and their children, Raine and Dwayne, carrying two large casseroles of ground venison and braised venison roast with potatoes and carrots; all made from the deer Dean and his friends had brought.

As Head Alpha, Dean was expected to give the welcome speech. He had to stop paying so much attention to the delicious dishes coming in long enough to focus on the matter at hand.

Monthly Feasts weren't so much a formal event that Dean had to stress about what he was going to say. He's already done enough speeches in the past that he's confident in his ability to give one on the spot. The microphone had been set up for him in the middle of the stage, and everybody was paying attention.

Dean gave the brightest smile he could muster. "Good evening. As usual, I'd like to thank everyone who's given their efforts in order to make this month's Feast possible. Thank you as well to everyone present this lovely evening, I'm glad to see you all here." His voice echoed through the speakers on all four sides of the space. "In our Pack, we do our part in giving back to every bit of kindness shown to us. My family started this tradition of Village Feasts in the spirit of celebrating family, friendship, and community, and we continue to foster those values until today." Dean raised his glass from the refreshment table, everybody's glasses raising in acknowledgment. "So tonight, I hope you all take the time to unwind and relax as we rejoice in another blessed month for the Red Village and the Pack."

The live music kicked in, and the festivities began.

Everybody took a little bit of whatever dish caught their eye, the laughter and enthusiastic chatter leaving the cold night air with a warm, friendly atmosphere between all werewolves and humans.

It's on nights like this that Dean felt the most proud of being Head Alpha.

He made small talk with whoever he happened to bump into, knowing nearly all of the village people by name. Dean asked families how they were getting along, inquired about the younger werewolves and their training, even told jokes here and there which probably weren't that funny but he was always met with polite laughter.

His friends have left him alone for the better part of the evening, doing their own bit of mingling. Dean caught Pearl's eye, her arm wrapped around Lina's waist in a loving manner as the omega was in a rather excited back-and-forth with a family of three. Pearl smirked at Dean and winked.

Someone sidled up next to Dean, and he had to fight off the frown attempting to show on his face. It was Roland Fraser, dressed in a linen shirt and long shorts with sandals on his feet, one hand carrying a beer bottle and the other clutching the handle of his walking cane. "Roland. It's nice to see you again," Dean said conversationally.

Roland tipped his head up. "The Village has done well this month," Roland Fraser spoke slowly, his missing teeth making it harder to pronounce words.

"Yes," Dean couldn't help but agree. "The summer crops are growing nicely, we have lots of bounty in the forest, and the young pups are doing well in their training and studies." While he ticked off these things, Dean had an inkling that it was all for naught.

He was right. Roland wasn't actually interested in village talk. "You should have someone," The man told him, not responding to a single thing Dean just said. "To share these responsibilities with—a Pack Luna."

Roland Fraser had known Dean since he was a boy, he helped mold Dean into the Head Alpha he was today. Yet even years of bonding with Roland wasn't enough to keep Dean roped in this particular conversation.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, I'm being called over. I'll see you around, Roland. Take it easy with the beer, yeah?" Dean quickly slipped away before Roland could stop him, making a beeline straight for Finn who happened to be nearby.

The beta didn't even look up from the stew he was ladling into a paper bowl. "Which Village Elder was it this time?"

"Fraser. Again."

Finn nodded sympathetically, his brown fringe going over his eyebrows. The beta placed the serving spoon down and used a plastic fork to stab at the meat. "I think it'd be easier to just tell them about whoever it is you're already seeing."

Dean blinked, taken by surprise. "What?"

Finn casually scooped a piece of vegetable from his bowl into his mouth. "You keep sneaking off these days, you don't tell any of us where you go, and you come back late. It's only logical for me to think that you're already seeing someone."

Thank goodness nobody was nearby to hear Finn's words.

"I'm not—" Dean's insistence was cut off when Finn turned his body to stare directly at Dean with a look on his olive-colored eyes that said who do you think you're lying to?

Dean had thought he was doing a great job at being so careful.

But Finn wasn't his right hand man for nothing. "I... It's not that," Now Dean really was whispering. "I'm not seeing anyone, I just... I like spending time with them."

Finn didn't seem all that convinced, but he was pleased that Dean didn't try to lie to him about the sneaking off to meet someone part. Dean might've tried harder if it were anyone else that caught him, but again, Finn would be able to sniff out Dean's lies a mile away.

"Ah. Taking your time then? Being a proper gentleman?"

Dean rolled his eyes in faux annoyance. Deep down, he was panicking a little. "Look, just don't make it a big deal, and don't bring it up. Not even with Pearl or Iman. As my second-in-command, you're morally forbidden to say anything."

"Fine, fine." Finn swallowed the mouthful of food he had and waved the hand holding his plastic fork. "Don't tell me any details, I don't want the Village Elders to wring anything from me."

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TRIGGER WARNINGS (applies to whole story, not only this chapter): mental disorders, death and grief, self-harm, mentions of homophobic slurs, mentions of s****l abuse and molestation, graphic depictions of violence and gore, pregnancy and abortion. Read at your own risk.