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It had been a month, and the new wolf kid had yet to speak more than a few words to anyone in the pack. Something was off about the papertrail they had following behind them from the department, and both David and his father desperately wanted to know the reasoning. Their records said that they had violent tendencies, that they were unpredictable, brash, arrogant, and did not do well in a pack setting. They were a lone wolf in every sense of the word, both in their schooling and home life, and clearly wanted to remain that way. However, something about that didn’t sit right with both Shaw’s. Their eyes were constantly moving, assessing any threats that may come at them even at a pack gathering. They made themselves smaller whenever someone got too close, and could hardly keep eye contact with anyone that dared to speak to them. Despite their cold attitude and rough exterior, David and Gabe knew better. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be part of the pack, they were just afraid to get too close.
Of course, they obviously hadn’t accounted for Asher's need to help them.
They were sitting on a rock on the outskirts of Gabe’s backyard, playing on their gameboy while the rest of the pack chatted about nothing and everything all at once, catching up with their fellow members. Their parents had given up after the second time of demanding them to be polite, and completely ignored their existence afterward, deciding it would be better for them to apologize for their behavior and hopefully not draw too much attention to their child. David was watching them, ensuring that they were safe while he tried to help his father keep everything in its place. He knew he couldn’t force them to interact with anyone, but he also wanted them to know that they were pack, and that someone there was keeping an eye on them.
Apparently Asher was too.
After an hour of them being alone on the rock, Ash had nudged David with his elbow, a devious smile on his face. “Wanna bet I can get them to sit with us?”
David shook his head, putting on the most serious look he could, “you can’t force them to. They’ll come over when they’re ready.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“Asher-”
But it was too late. He was already headed toward them, the devious smile switching to a bright one as he approached. If quick movements didn’t make the new wolf flinch, David would have tackled Asher to the ground to stop him. The chance of things going horribly wrong were very high, and despite his belief that they weren’t as bad as their records made them out to be, David still didn’t want his best friend to get his ass handed to him, or to cause drama in the pack more than he already does. David looked to his father, silently asking him what to do. Gabe, who was watching from afar shrugged with a small shake of his head, nonverbally responding that he should just let things play out. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen.
“What game you playing?” Asher asked, catching their attention.
“The fuck do you care?” They snapped back. “I’m over here to be alone, so get lost.”
“Well I’m over here to invite you to our table,” he shrugged, smile remaining in place, “so why don’t you join us?”
They paused their game, attention now fully on the teenager in front of them. “You don’t want me over there.”
“Yes, we do.”
They scoffed. “No, you don’t. I could fucking kill you, you know that?”
“Okay? And? So could David, and you don’t see him murdering me. He even knows where I sleep!”
“I was kicked out of my last three packs for getting into a fight with someone. One of which I put into critical condition, and they nearly died.” They rolled their eyes, getting off of their spot. “You don’t want me to sit near you, and you don’t want me in the pack.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?!”
“Bullshit!”
“You can't call bullshit on my history. It's my history!” They yelled.
Asher shrugged, “fuck your history, I call bullshit!”
“They almost died-”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about what you did in your last pack! You’re with us now. The Shaw Pack is way fucking cooler than them anyway, so come sit with us.”
“Asher.”
“(Y/N).”
They yelled in frustration, turning away from him as they cursed, turning back around with a huff of anger. “What will it take for you to leave me the hell alone?”
“Come sit with us, and I won't say a word to you.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Fuck you.” They growled, pushing past him towards the group.
David stared in shock as they approached angrily, sitting down in an empty seat without a word. He wasn’t expecting Asher’s plan to work, and after glancing at his friend, he realized neither did he. Asher looked proud of himself, but also surprised that he had actually pulled it off. As it turned out, all the lone wolf needed was someone to piss them off enough to get them to at least sit at the table with another pack member. Anyone who had seen the argument go down began muttering about them, stating their fear for Asher when the other wolf began yelling. They all were afraid of them, and David wanted to prove them wrong. They weren’t a threat, not to them, and this was proof of that. They could have absolutely torn Ash to shreds, but instead they gave in, and he was proud of them for that. One glance toward his father, and David could see that Gabe shared the sentiment. It was going to take a lot of time and patience, but the starting seeds had been planted. They were going to be a part of the pack.
~~~~
Asher wasn’t the most liked in the school that they went to. His chaotic energy was too much for a lot of people to handle, and he understood that. He didn’t really care about that at all, nor did he pay attention to the people that made fun of him on a regular basis. All he cared about was his fellow pack members, and so long as they could at least stand him, he would be fine. (Y/N) was a new addition to their group though, and hadn’t been accustomed to hearing the whispered insults hurled at Ash as he walked through the halls like the others were. Sure, David would clench his fist when he heard it and could wordlessly threaten the people speaking, but they couldn’t.
Which is how they landed in the principal's office with scorch marks covering their arm, and their favorite shirt.
They were walking with Asher to his locker when a fire elemental came up behind them, shoving Ash to the ground. The fire douche laughed and called him weak, only to have a fist land square against his cheek, starting a fight in the hallway. They didn’t even shift while attacking, landing hit after hit against the antagonizer without using any sort of magic. And still, somehow they came out the least injured. Ash was stunned both by admiration, and shock that they had done that for him. He guaranteed that David would have done the same thing, but he was certain that (Y/N) only stuck with him so they weren’t alone, not because they cared. He was evidently wrong in his assessment.
The elemental had been dragged to the school healer, while the wolf had refused to be seen by her. They were instead immediately forced into the principal's office, where he demanded they explain their actions. They refused to speak to him, too. Instead, Asher burst into the office, speaking so quickly that the adult had to ask him to slow down more than once before finally getting the story. They were told that their punishment was a week's suspension, and that the principal would be speaking to their parents when they arrived.
They didn’t. Not even after two hours of sitting in the office.
Eventually, the school called Gabriel Shaw instead, figuring that at least one authoritative figure would be better than none. He arrived within ten minutes of the phone call, his anger obvious from the moment he opened the door.
“Sir-” Asher started, only to be cut off immediately.
“Go wait in the hall.” The alpha spoke, his voice dangerously low.
Ash compiled without another word, shooting (Y/N) an apologetic glance as he exited the room. The three sat for a moment before the principal cleared his throat, and began to explain what happened. Gabe, however, didn’t let him get too far into his explanation before his attention was on the teenagers injuries, and he cut off the other adults speech.
“Why didn’t you heal them?” He demanded.
“They didn’t want-”
“I dont give a shit about what they wanted. I asked why you didn’t do your job as the protector of these students.”
“I wouldn’t let them.” The teen mumbled, avoiding Gabe's eyes.
He turned his head to them, opening his mouth to speak before shaking his head. “We’ll discuss that later.” He turned back to the principal, “you said yourself that the kid they attacked had assaulted another student. Why are you demonizing them instead of the one who truly started it? Why are they the ones getting in trouble and not him?
“He is getting suspended as well, Mr. Shaw. We simply cannot allow fights to happen-”
“He. Attacked. First. You're teaching kids not to stand up for themselves and the people around them. Is that really the world you want to live in? The world you want your own kids to live in?”
“No-”
“Then drop the suspension.”
The man thought for a minute before sighing, writing something on a piece of paper. “The suspension has been dropped, and it will be erased from their file.”
“Good.” Gabe nodded. “Is there anything else or can I take them home?”
“You’re free to go, sir.”
And with that Gabe opened the door, motioning for the teenager to follow suit. Asher immediately stood up to talk to Gabe, only for the alpha to tell him everything was fine, and that they were not in trouble. Ash visibly relaxed, nodding his head with a small thank you before the two left the building. The younger wolf was silent as they approached the truck, and continued to be for a few moments before the alpha spoke.
“Why didn’t you want a healer?” He asked, concern replacing the anger that was there in the office.
They shrugged. “Don’t need one.”
“Kid, your arm is burned. That’ll leave a scar if you don’t heal that.”
“No point in wasting someone elses energy when it’ll heal on its own. Besides, it's my fault I got hurt anyway. Dad’ll be pissed if I didn’t have some proof of that.”
Gabe stiffened, “what?”
They looked at him, fear of taking over their body. “I didn’t- sorry. Shouldn’t’ve said that.”
“No, no. Explain what you mean by that.”
A heavy silence fell over the two as they contemplated their next words. “If I do something wrong there are consequences… he- uh… If I didn’t have injuries after a fight… I’d… um…”
“Your father… hurts you, kid?”
They nodded, exhaling shakily as they held their arms across their body, gripping tightly. Gabe went silent as they quietly cried, planning out his next moves. He couldn’t let them go back to that hellhole, nor could he let those assholes stay in his pack. Child abuse is an absolute no-no to him, and like hell he would let it continue. Would they be willing to stay with him, though? Or anyone else in the pack? He didn’t want them to have to go through the foster care system, as he knew even the empowered system was fucked in of itself. Maybe Marie? He didn't think he’d ever seen Milo and them interact for more than a greeting, though. Fuck. What should he do?
“It's not your fault.” He said softly, trying to contain his anger towards the situation. “It's not your fault, and it's not fair to you for him to do that.”
“I deserve it.” They cried.
“No, you don’t.” He shook his head. “I’m gonna get you out of there, okay? We’re gonna go to Marie’s so she can heal your wound, and then we’ll figure out a place for you to stay. Your family won't be able to hurt you anymore.”
True to his word, they arrived at Marie’s, where she was immediately concerned by the state of the teenager. Gabe explained that they got into a fight, but waited until after they were healed to ask if she would be willing to take them in if they chose to go with her. He didn’t elaborate why, stating that it wasn’t his story to tell, but that they needed a safe place to be, to which she enthusiastically accepted. Of course, she would need to talk to Milo about it first, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would care about a new addition to their family. Hell, if anything, her boy would be more than happy to have a new sibling.
But that was all up to (Y/N) when they decided on what to do after reporting the abuse to the department. Both Gabe and Marie were there the entire time, never leaving their side when they explained their story, and they couldn’t have been more thankful for that.
For once, they truly felt like they were part of a pack.
Part of a real family.
Safe.