Okay, let’s see. We’ve covered Relations with humans. We’ve discussed why you shouldn’t mess with Vampires. What’s next? Ah…yes, Relations amongst Lykos. Let’s start with this fairly obvious rule: Know Your Place within the Pack. This is a very important rule that one must not disobey. We’ll see why in a bit.

In the summer before my sophomore year, while I was still dating Javier, Nikola decided to pay a visit to Leland. Apparently he wanted back in our pack, or so I was told by my pack mates at the time. His career had gone pretty well, he’d gotten sponsored by many companies across the United States, including Under Armour, Nike, Ridell, and Hanes. He actually played for the San Francisco 49ers. He played for a city that was an hour away from Leland and San Tomas. I wondered why he was trying to stay so close to me. It struck me as interesting that he would stay so close to his Alma Mater. However, I had a feeling what he was doing. He was trying to stay close to me. After all I was his superior and our wolves were very close. It made sense that he'd want to stick close to his original pack.

“Conversamos sobre esto, Gabi. Si regrese acá, yo le pelee. Él necesita comprender donde él pertenece. Si necesario, le muestro.”

“Me recuerdo. Eso es el problema, Javi. Creo que sería quizás un mayor problema que eso. Creo que él quiere convertirse en un alfa lobo. Conoces que necesitamos hacer. Si él somete o él pelea, presta atención a sus acciones. Él es más inteligente que él se permite conocer.”

“Yo comprendo, Gabi. Ojala que él no haya mordido nadie. Si él ha, yo le haré pagar. No puede convertirse en un alfa.”

“No convertirá. Pues, él puede si él te mate. Yo siento más fuerte. Creo que Nikola ha mordido alguien. ¡Dios Mío! ¿Qué ha hecho?”

“Pues, quizás tenemos un problema. Él tiene mucha tenacidad para un beta. ¡Alfonso! Venga acá.”

Alfonso was a very well built lycan standing in at about six-foot-eight, three hundred twenty-five pounds on a good day. Most of that mass was muscle. He worked out as much as the average American goofs off on their computer. He was the envy of many a man in the pack. “¿Sí, maestro?” He asked.

“Mira el nuevo quarterback en los 49ers. Él es un licántropo. ¿Comprendes?” Javi replied.

“¿Por qué necesito mirarlo? ¿Es él de nuestra manada?”

“Era mi novio viejo. Él estuvo mordido por mi lobo. Entonces él es mi puta aún. Entonces, él es mayor que tú, pero necesitamos que él esté contenido. Él no puede estar permitido morder más personas que él ya ha mordido.” I replied to the question.

He looked at me in shock, “Le convertiste, ¿por qué?”

“No es necesario que tú sabes. Ve, ve y mírale.”

****

“Ah, Alfonso. Welcome to my house. I must warn you, I have a few guests…” Nikola answered the door. He opened it widely and stood in line with the door in a welcoming gesture.

Alfonso nodded his house as he entered. He took one whiff of the air and what he smelled did not please him. “You know, I really hoped that I wouldn’t have to do this, Nik. What happened to the aspiring quarterback that gave our pack such pride? You’ve fallen far, my friend. I had really hoped that the rumors of you trying to start your own pack weren’t true. I still don’t understand why you would break up with Gabi. It’s time you understand your place Among The PACK!” Alfonso finished with a loud growl as he changed.

“Ah yes that…fine. If it’s a fight you Want, IT’S A FIGHT YOU’LL GET!” Nikola changed and his Russian heritage truly showed in his wolf. The Siberian Grey standing in front of Alfonso was massive. He stood in at about fifteen hands—I figure using horse measurement system is appropriate considering we’re dealing with extremely large animals—weighed in at probably a quarter ton and was a very light amber grey from the bridge of his snout to the tip of his five foot tail. However this didn’t faze Alfonso, this wolf, a Mexican Red with a height of 18 hands, weight around 665 pounds. The Grey was the first to attack. He lunged for the throat of the much larger animal. However it was too easy of a shot. Alfonso took a swipe at Nik and Nik went through the wall of the house. He rolled three times across the grass before getting back to his feet.

He snarled fiercely “I’ve met bitches who hit harder, you prick.” He charged at Alfonso yet again, this time his flank. The grey leaped and bit into the hide of the red. Al yowled in pain. He spun around and returned the favor catching the flesh covering Nik’s ribs. The wolves separated and the circled each other.

“¿Crees que por tomando primer sangre que eres más fuerte? ¿Tratas de enviarme tan fuerte eres?”

“Ah so the brute speaks. No I believe that first blood gives one the psychological advantage over his opponent. Remember you are the one who changed in my house. You are the one who felt it necessary to engage in combat in order to ‘show me my place.’ I don’t need to fight in order to show you how strong I am.” Nik snapped.

“Entonces la falla cae a mí. ¿Eres loco?”

“I don’t believe you have any right to judge my sanity, Alfonso. How many lykos have you put in their place or their graves?”

“None of your business, beta. Now either you fall back in line or I make you my bitch…” Alfonso looked down, “rather I return you to your rightful place as Gabriel’s bitch. So…what shall it be, puta?”

“I will not return to that pack. You’ll have to kill me. I will not submit to Javier’s rule any longer. I have found my own path.”

Then Javi, jumped behind Nik and clamped down on his neck. Around which he said, “It isn’t your place you beta bitch. Understand one thing. You are not an alpha. Nor will you ever be an alpha wolf. You are a part of my pack and it will stay that way. If you don’t want to be Gabi’s mate then understand that you will be the pack bitch. An omega of the lowest order. A cum-dump for the entire pack. Every full moon.” He let go of Nik and the defeated beta looked up at his confirmed alpha flat on the ground, “Now which will it be? Cum Dump or Gabi’s mate?”

“If I must and if Gabi will take me back, I will be Gabi’s mate again.”

***

“WHAT?” I shouted in surprise with Nik’s naked human body splayed out face down in front of me, “¿Cómo puedo ser su novio cuando ya soy tu novio? Javi.”

“No eres mi novio. No más. Pues eres mi cónyuge aún. Los lobos no les importan cuantos cónyuges ellos tienen. No en la manera que los humanos les importan.”

“No tu es incorrecto sobre esto. Los Lobos tienen un cónyuge por todo de la vida. Es porque ellos son muy leal a sus cónyuges. Si quieres que yo deba tener Nik para mi cónyuge, pues no me importa que tú eres mi alfa, o que tu mi cónyuge ahora. Me convertiré en un solo-lobo. No necesito una manada. Soy más inteligente que el lobo medio.”

“Estarás matado. Sin dudo estarás matado. No me fuerces ponerte en tu lugar. Soy tu alfa y mi palabra es ley.”

I looked at my current mate and down at my old one and almost chuckled at the absurdity of what he was asking me to do. He was asking me to break up with him to be with my ex. Just to put Nik in his place. That was extremely out there. However an alpha is only as strong as the size of his pack, or rather the devotion of his subordinates.

“Debemos preguntarle, ¿no?” I asked pointing to the nude man at my feet.

“Déspiertalo.”

The man at my feet was out cold. I looked at him and kneeled down to his side. I pet his hair and spoke into his ear softly, “Nik, honey it’s time for you to wake up.”

Nikola stirred slowly at first. Then he jolted awake as he realized his own nudity. “Wh-where are my clothes?” he asked.

“Ripped to shreds in the Entryway to your home. Where we fought briefly before you were dominated by Javier.” Alfonso but in.

“I feel so exhausted, why do I feel so exhausted?”

“Domination takes a lot out of the betas. It’s kind of the point. By taking away the refreshment from the change we make betas want to change less often. This is a way of keeping betas from becoming overzealous in their use of their wolf. It helps keep order in the pack.” Javier replied, adding, “This wouldn’t have happened had you stayed with Gabriel in the first place. You revolted against your wolf and thus you acted out of character and tried to elevate your status. Let me remind you of what happens to a wolf and a lyko out of sync.” Javi then took out a photo from his pocket that showed a dire. Nik looked at me. His eyes showed me how scared he was.

“Nik, I have to ask: Does any part of you still love me? Did you ever love me? Or was it all a lie?” I asked him sincerely.

“Loving you has been the only good decision I’ve made over the last five years. Gabi, I’ve been an idiot. I’m truly sorry about the way things ended. If you’ll have me, I’d be willing to give ‘us’ another shot.” Nikola responded to the question with conviction.

“Sappy, but a good first try. Understand that you’d be tearing me away from the highest position in this pack that I’ve held in years.

“Understand, also that you’d be still my bitch and will never top in your entire life…well me at least.” I finished.

“Gabi, I think you forget: I love you. My wolf loves you. Unconditionally. I will gladly bottom if it means that I can be with you for these seven hundred years that you gave me the chance at.”

“Setecientos años es un compromiso largo. ¿Estás listo para eso?”

“A thousand years is too short for our love, dear. I’m sincerely sorry for breaking it off. That was extremely dumb of me.”

“That it was. However if this truly is your wish, if you really wish to become my life mate you need to change. There is a ceremony. We must complete it in order to establish A) our place in the pack and B) our relationship.”

“Like lycan marriage?”

“Well more like betrothal. A lycan marriage is much more fucking. It’s an hour and a half of fucking in front of your pack-mates.”

“Well what’s this ceremony then?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see…”

***

Nik only got in this situation because he tried to make his own pack instead of sticking to his original pack. He wasn’t an alpha and shouldn’t have tried to make himself into one. I guess my point for this entire part of the book is: Don’t try to be what you’re not.