Family

21

"Welcome to Werewolf 101. I will be your professor, Mr. Paul." Paul says, and I roll my eyes.

"I'm not calling you Mr." I tell him.

"Attitude towards your teacher? For shame little brother!" He says before laughing. "Seriously, Si, I thought we should start with you telling me why Alpha Scott thinks you need these lessons."

"He didn't tell you?" I ask.

"He said you need them. Nothing more." He says, and I nod.

"You can't tell mom and dad... or Jay... let's just say it's between you, me, and Uncle Scott." I tell him, and I can see he looks concerned but eventually nods.

"Fine, but I will be talking with Alpha Scott if it's that bad." He warns, and I shrug. Uncle Scott already knows.

"The other pups don't like me. They push me around and pick fights. Uncle Scott thinks if I learn more about wolf culture, I'll be able to handle them better." I explain, and my big brother growls.

"I'm so sorry, bub." Paul says, pulling me into his lap for a hug. "I didn't know." He nuzzles me, and I squirm. My whole family does that, and I still find it odd. "Give me names, and I'll talk to their parents. That is not acceptable!"

"Stop acting like a momma bear! Uncle Scott is letting me handle them myself, so chill!" I growl as he tries to nuzzle more. "Will you knock it off? Why do you guys do that?"

Paul looks surprised by my outburst and pulls away a bit.

"We really have neglected you when it comes to wolf culture education... I guess we just forgot because Lee already knew, and we were more concerned with keeping you safe and healthy... lesson one, scent marking."

Paul sets me on a chair and walks over to a bookshelf with a lot of colorful baby books.

"I smell like poppa!" Is in big letters on the cover.

"You can't be serious." I say, and Paul chuckles.

"Just give it a shot."

"'Good morning, pup!' Says poppa wolf as he wakes me up with a morning hug. 'Morning poppa!' I smile back." The book starts, and I groan.

"So what did you learn?" Paul asks when the story is over.

"That werewolf books are cringy and cheesy." I answer, and he chuckles.

"Come here, pup." He says, and I allow him to set me in his lap, wrapped in a big hug. "What you should have learned is that wolves rely upon smell in most social interactions. The poppa wolf made sure his pup always carried his scent, which helped the boy when he was lost. The lady who found the pup brought him home because he smelled like his poppa. Now, there's more to it than helping you if you get lost. We smell like our family. It helps our wolves stay calm and helps us to feel like we belong. It's an act of love, and in a big family like ours, we are all trying to show our love more than the rest, so we tend to cuddle more."

"I like the cuddles... but it still seems odd sometimes. Like whenever I shift, dad licks my ears and neck... isn't that odd?" I ask, and he chuckles.

"Parents always do that with young pups. You need to smell more strongly of your parents, especially when they let you run off on your own. Every pup whines about it, but it will never change. Sorry, bub." Paul explains. "Mom still tries to get a few licks in on us older ones."

"Why is it always the neck? You all nuzzle a lot." I ask.

"The neck is a strong source of scent, and you only let someone you trust at such a vulnerable spot. Allowing someone to transfer their scent to you at the neck is an ultimate sign of trust, family. Outside of us, the only person who should get that close to you is your mate." He tells me, and I blush.

"How... how do you find your mate?" I whisper embarrassed to ask. I hear about mates, but I don't actually know the rules or how it works.

"You get a heck of a lot older than 9 for starters." He says, blushing himself... "You have to be 18, then... you see them, and it all clicks... they smell amazing. Your heart races. Your wolf howls for them... it's like your heart is complete with them."

"Aren't you 18?" I ask, and he sighs.

"Yup... but I haven't found her yet. She might be in another pack or under age... I'll give it a year or two before I ask permission to join a hunt." Paul answers, and I'm confused again.

"A hunt?"

"Different groups will tour various packs around the country to 'Hunt' for their mates. The Alphas have a deal where people in the hunts are allowed to stay in the other packs... it's a way to try and find your mate that is rather effective." He explains.

"Oh." I respond, unsure what to say.

"When you're older, you'll be in my spot. Deciding when to join the hunt is a big deal. It means you are ready to commit... and usually to become a father..." he pauses there, face turning red again as he looks at me. "But we aren't talking about that. You'll have to ask dad about becoming a father."

"How's come finding your mate means you'll be a dad, though? Is it like you meet them and then boom! Pups?" I ask, confused, and he starts fidgeting in his seat.

"Lesson over for today. Tomorrow, I think we will talk about the importance of play fighting in a pack dynamic." Paul says before running out.

With a sigh, I head home. I thought he was supposed to answer all my questions...

"What's wrong, pup?" Dad asks as soon as I enter the house... well, Paul did say I should ask.

"Why does finding your mate mean you'll become a father?"