The Other Animals

Chapter 11

Nikolai pressed his lips against Oliver's on the porch of his small rambler, neither wanting to let go even after spending hours with one another- it fueled Nikolai with a newfound drive to rally his pack. The meeting would be tonight, he decided. No exceptions.

He pulled off of the side road that led to Oliver's house, following the winding gravel road that soon turned into a simple dirt path, leading him deeper into the forest towards the pack house. As he got closer, he could sense his border guards watching the vehicle carefully, making sure it wasn't a human who had wandered in the wrong direction.

The front yard of the pack house was full of young children in wolf form rough housing, some older adults running or resting in the grass. It was a lively Wednesday afternoon, it seemed. Parking at the side of the pack house, Nikolai stepped out of his truck and slammed the door shut, which garnered many looks his way. The return of their Alpha was always an event many paused to witness, even for just a moment. A few overzealous pack members came up to him, asking questions about the sudden presence of a human scent on their Alpha, to which Nikolai put up a placating hand.

"There is a meeting tonight at eight thirty, I will explain what the situation is and take any further questions," he informed with a stoic expression on his face. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Nikolai muttered as strode into the pack house. The Alpha immediately slouched into his office, sitting down at the dark mahogany desk as he stared at the stack of papers in front of him. All he could think about was the little human, always amazed at how fragile they seemed. He was also afraid he himself would hurt the man, completely oblivious of his own strengths compared to that of a human's. Nevertheless, those soft doe eyes and fluffy hair had burned their way into Nikolai's memory, and he knew they were never going away.

After sending a notification through the pack communication system about the meeting that night, he decided that rifling through this stack of paperwork was an effective strategy in keeping himself focused, so that's precisely what he did for the next five hours until the pack meeting. Nikolai's eyes were burning, his back cramped up from sitting in one position for far too long, and the other man still wouldn't leave his mind.

A few minutes before the meeting, a knock resounded from the wooden door of Nikolai's office, to which he granted their permission to enter with a gruff come in. Jackson was the one who appeared through the door, shutting it behind him as his eyes took in the mess on top of his friend's desk.

"Jesus, is this the result of one of your workaholic moods?" He asked with a grin, plopping down on one of the leather chairs in front of Nikolai's desk, picking up a small blue stress ball from the side to squeeze absentmindedly as he leaned back in his chair.

"Pre-meeting nerves, I suppose."

"Are you telling the pack about Oliver and the rogues?"

"Yep," Nikolai confirmed, with a sarcastic pop at the end, just now comprehending the mess of papers on his desk, which no more than five minutes prior looked like a well organized array.

"I have to say, I'm a little surprised. I was expecting you'd wait at least another week," Jackson said, throwing the ball high above his face and catching it.

"Well, I was going to- until I found out today Ruvik had gotten to Oliver."

Jackson caught the ball, meeting Nikolai's gaze tensely as he sat up straight in his chair and leaned forward with a serious expression. "What do you mean, Ruvik had gotten to Oliver?"

"The night before, on his shift. Ruvik came in with some guys, Mickey and Todd most likely, and started making remarks to Oliver about how he isn't one of us, and wouldn't be one of us. Then he grabbed Oliver's wrist so hard, it's black and blue now."