Runt [ManxMan]

Chapter Nine

Dax wished he had sent Tala home when he'd seen her in his office the night before.

If he'd thought the woman was insufferable in small doses, having her pop up everywhere throughout his day was surely going to drive him insane. Was this what he was doomed to suffer through for the rest of his life? He was on edge, never knowing when to expect her next.

Strutting into his room first thing in the morning, somehow before his alarm went off—and he was one of the first wolves up in the morning, so the fact she was up before him, and already with her makeup and hair carefully done, dressed more casually than the day before, in a pair of white skinny jeans and a frilly red top paired with her signature red heals, was indeed impressive—interrupting his breakfast, popping up while he was making his rounds around the pack complex, waiting for him in his office when he went to do more paperwork. How did this woman always know where he was going to be?

He had finally managed to get some time to himself, though. It seemed, like most people in the known universe, paperwork was too boring for her to tolerate, and after ten minutes of sitting on the couch in the corner of his office and trying to entice him into conversation and receiving not even a twitch in return, she rose with a huff and left, slamming the door behind her.

Dax released a breath, muscles he hadn't realized were tense the entire time she was present relaxing, and he sank back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his face. If there was a way out of this mating, he was going to find it. At this point, he may even be willing to lose the pack merger so long as it meant he never had to see Tala again.

He immediately berated himself for the though. No, this merger was a good thing, and he could put up with Tala for the good of the pack. And he had hopes that she would calm once the merger and their mating were finalized and she no longer felt threatened that he would change his mind.

He should really take this time to work on paperwork in peace, but he stood instead, shrugging on his leather jacket as he headed for the door. He stuck his head out and checked the hallway for a particular blond with a penchant for red before stepping out of his office and heading outside. Paperwork could wait; he wanted to check on his brother.

He'd intended to check on Chase and the rogue during his rounds, but Tala's incessant presence had made him decide to wait. Chase didn't approve of Dax's arranged mating on principle, and hated Tala specifically. Dax didn't know how he was going to keep them separate once she started living here full time, but he was going to do his best, especially with Chase's skittish little brother in the picture now.

Dax wasn't sure how he felt about the kid yet. It was strange to see Chase go into big brother mode after thirteen years of seeing him as the little brother. Plus, he knew the omega was going to be yet another headache for him.

It had been difficult to teach Chase how to function in the pack, and he'd only been a rogue for a few years when the pack took him in. He at least knew the basics of being human—he knew how to shift, how to walk and talk, how to use a fork, and a multitude of other things most people take for granted—plus he knew the basic structure of a pack, even if the version he'd learned was twisted into something Dax didn't like to think about too much.

This kid though... if he'd never shifted before, he wouldn't know anything about being human. They would have to start from the beginning and teach him like a child, how to walk, how to talk, all of it. If he'd been only a toddler when they left their old pack, it was doubtful he knew how packs worked.

Even if he did, he had been a lone wolf for thirteen years, and had been a rogue for another four before that. He had spent far more of his life alone than with others. It would take time to teach him how to function among other wolves, and he would probably always be volatile, unpredictable, and Dax didn't want to deal with it.