Chapter Text
“So… I’m sorry, go over this with me one more time?” Katara questioned the man sitting across the desk in front of her.
“The alpha is named Zuko. He was rescued from his family pack when he was seven due to abuse where he was repeatedly burned with lighters and hot metal, specifically targeted at the left side of neck, as well as general physical and verbal abuse.” The man glanced at the case file in his hands, “His scent gland on that side of his neck sustained irreversible damage and in the few cases it could produce a scent on that side it tended to cause him some amount of agony but it is unknown if that was due to the pheromone being a stress pheromone or the general action of releasing it. He had been moved between a number of different foster packs over the course of four years but tended to have problems when omegas were present in the packs and it was assumed to be because he may have suffered CSA from omegas in his family pack. He was eventually found a pack he truly fit into, a pack of alphas, and whom he was with from ages eleven to seventeen. This pack had noted to the Council of Alpha Protection that Zuko ended up being a feral-submissive alpha but the feral episodes he had were far and few between. Unfortunately this pack was killed in a cross territory dispute when they were mistaken for another pack. Zuko was the lone survivor.”
Katara let out a shuttered breath as she took in all the information she had just been told, “And he was in a care facility?”
“Yes. After his new pack had been killed Zuko had suffered with depression, prolonged feral episodes, and panic attack episodes that made him unfit to be matched with anyone. A care facility had been reached out to my a member of the council and agreed to take Zuko in until he was eligible for placement again, as the alternative was him being sent to a ferals compound where he more than likely would have remained for the rest of his life due to the compound helping people embrace their feral sides rather than working them through the episodes. He remained in the care facility for three years and as of two months ago we began looking for a placement for him but due to the special requirement of an all alpha pack needed as he still suffers from C-PTSD episodes in the presence of omegas it’s been difficult. We believed we had found him a pack a few weeks ago but during their mid-foster inspection we found out that there were omegas within the pack and the pack had been trying to force Zuko to accept the omegas there.” The man explained, setting the file down on the desk and turning his gaze to Katara once again.
“Would he do okay with a switch alpha?” Katara questioned, storing the information she was told away for later when she got back to the pack, “Because while out of the five of us four of us are dominant alphas, we do have one alpha that is a switch alpha with a preference for his submissive side.”
“Ya, that shouldn’t be a problem.” The man leaned back in his chair, “I think so long as Zuko isn’t ever pushed to be dominant then everything should work out well. I know it may be an uncomfortable thing to ask but you may want to see if your switch alpha is comfortable with being dominant to Zuko until they have a bond formed. From what I have personally seen in the times I’ve spent with Zuko is that when he is surrounded by kind alphas that do approach him with a grounding dominant aura he warms up to them faster.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Katara replied honestly, “Is there anything else I should know or my pack should be informed of?”
The man looked down in thought before taking a little breath, “Um, Zuko is a very sensitive case, not just on his part but also on the council’s part. Many of the council members have had to watch him go through hell and back on multiple occasions, and every time they think he’s finally in a secure place it turns around and they’re back where they started. Due to this they may come off as pushy or rude in inspections or evaluations but it’s because they care. Zuko on the other hand will be required to have inhouse therapy four times a week once he has settled into your care, and as the therapist sees fit it will drop in frequency but there is a very high chance he may require therapy for the rest of his life and he will suffer from having had so much trauma so young.”
“That’s fine. My pack figured that there was going to be involved when we were told he was a high profile sensitive case. I don’t think I nor my pack realized the extent but I highly doubt any of us will change our minds because of that.” Katara replied earnestly.
For the next twenty minutes the man went over the procedure that would be followed before and after Zuko is taken in by them. By the time they were done Katara was exhausted and ready to go home, but also now almost a little antsy to get Zuko with them.
The pack had been discussing introducing another person into their pack for months after there had been a sudden rut sync up between Katara, Sokka, and Toph that left Aang as the only one to help them through it as Suki’s alpha-side would never let her submit to another alpha. Yes, Suki loved and adored her pack but just because she loved and adored them didn’t mean she could force herself to go against her ingrained biology for them. She had tried once and all that resulted was her being pushed to the brink of an almost panic induced defensiveness. The pack had got through the ruts but Aang had been utterly exhausted for days after and had a limp that lasted for two weeks after Katara had smelled Toph on him mid rut.
At first it was more of a “panic for Aang’s well-being” discussion but the more they talked about it, the more they all started really liking the idea of being able to care for another alpha, beta, or omega. When Katara had gotten the call from the Council of Alpha Protection, because of course they put her number down—everyone else is horrible for misplacing their phones, wanting to discuss a potential placement it had been during dinner. As soon as they heard what was being discussed the entire pack started shouting and yelling varying versions of yes, an action that got them scolded by Katara—not that they cared, and the meeting was set up there and then. Because Katara’s information and signatures were on all the application paperwork she was required to be the one to go in for the meeting, which she did so with pleasure.
When Katara walked into the house after the meeting she was met with four hopeful faces peering at her from the living room. The rest of that night had been filled with Katara explaining everything Zuko had been through, much to the horror of everyone, and what they would need to do to get ready for him.
“Before we really do this though, does anyone have reservations or is uncomfortable with this? I know we all want another packmate but what Zuko has been through—is still going through… it is a lot and I don’t want us to just be another beginning for him that will end in a few months.” Katara asked seriously, “Obviously minds can be changed and people can feel certain ways, but once he’s here… I don’t think I’m going to be able to let him go. Especially knowing what I know now.”
“Me too.” Aang spoke up from where he was sitting on the floor, back against the couch between Sokka and Toph’s legs, “With what you told us I kind of now feel a certain… I don’t know, responsibility? We have the chance to make his life better, to give him another family and if he really fits, no matter how I end up feeling he’d be family.”
Sokka, Toph, and Suki all quipped in with their own agreement moments after and like that it was settled. Katara sent off a final agreement message to the social worker she had spoken with earlier in the day saying the whole pack agreed they would and wanted to take Zuko in. The five then spent the rest of the night making a game plan of everything they needed to do to get ready for Zuko.
Over the next five weeks they had gotten everything ready that they needed to. They set up their spare guest room into a room for Zuko and to say they went all out, they truly did. They had been lucky enough that the case worker on Zuko’s case was able to get them into contact with his care nurse so they could ask his preferences and sizes. In the end the group had completely repainted and re-arranged the room.
What had once been a white, silver, and pale olive palleted room was transformed into one of red, black, and gold. All the walls had been painted a rich deep cherry red and the trimming had been painted black. From the nurse they found out that something Zuko both loved and helped to ground him was lying on the floor or outside in the grass where he could bask in the sun—apparently it was something that he did a lot with his packmates from his first found pack. The sturdiness of the ground helped keep him present and acted as a tether to reality for him, so the pack made sure they could do the best of both worlds. On an outing Sokka had found an extremely soft raven black fur rug that was a giant circle, which was perfect as it fit right where the sun hit the floor of Zuko’s room for more than half the day.
After that the five decided to just do a whole makeover. They sold the old bed and any furniture that was in the room, besides an antique walnut wood dresser, and bought all new stuff they believed would fit Zuko’s personality and vibe—based on the caretaker's advice and input. Katara and Aang had hit the jackpot in finding a queen sized canopy bed that was made out of a very similar wood to the dresser and floor.
Eventually they had all the furniture they needed and after setting up the room and sending a picture to Zuko’s caretaker the woman had said it was perfect. They had set the canopy up with black with golden trim sheer curtains and made the bed with wine red silk sheets —after being told Zuko’s temperature ran hot— and a mixture of blankets. In the end there were four blankets on the bed; the first being a well weighted black comforter, the second a yellow-gold thin cooling blanket, the third a soft fur white throw blanket, and the forth was a fluffier large red blanket that they had folded up against the wall at the end of the bed should Zuko ever want it. The entire bed had been pushed into the corner opposite the door with the end of the bed pointing to the wall adjacent the door.
Other than the bed the group had gotten a handful of other furnishings as well. A soft golden beige coloured loveseat that sat below the window. An antique oak bookshelf that sat across from the bed that held a variety of nicknacks and books the pack had guessed Zuko may like, because apparently Zuko essentially never read—and therefore didn’t have a genre prefrance—despite claiming to love reading in his therapy sessions. The rug was then put in the perfect place and the pack put some sheer pale yellow curtains up so that the sunlight could come through even if the curtains were closed.
The pack then also set up the rest of the house with everything they would need for Zuko’s arrival. An extra chair at the dinner table, a new hook on the wall where their jackets hung, and so much more. The last thing they had done to be ready was to go out for clothes and comfort items for Zuko. They five had debated whether or not to wait for Zuko to arrive to go shopping until the social worker had told them that Zuko would probably not leave the house and go into society for months—maybe even years— after arrival, if he ever even did.
As soon as that information was shared they delegated tasks. Suki was fashion duty with Katara, Toph and Sokka were sent to find any soft items they thought Zuko may want or need—fluffy pillows, plushies, fidgety things and more, and lastly Aang was sent to get any sort of restraints he believed may work for Zuko. While they hated the idea of ever having to restrain Zuko, if he was in any way feral it would be good—and probably required by inspection—to have should he have a violent episode. Aang in the end had found a good collection of things that didn’t in any means seem scary and rather just seemed like protection they were for his protection instead of theirs. When they were placing everything in Zuko’s room though it ended up being a unanimous decision to put the restraints in Sokka’s office cupboard rather than anywhere in Zuko’s room.
A few days after they had finished everything they had gotten a surprise inspection from one of the council members. Just as the social worker had said, the member was cold and seemed pretty picky and overcritical, but thanks to Katara’s prior warning none of the pack members took it to heart. The council member had said nothing upon finishing their inspection, instead just leaving with a “you’ll hear from us” and a slammed car door.
The days following were long and somewhat worrisome for the pack but on Sunday, at 2:06pm Katara received a single email from the Council of Alpha Protection.
_________________________________
Congratulations, Katara and Pack.
You have been APPROVED to take in and foster Alpha Zuko for a trial period. Approximately two months time, after Zuko arrives into your care, there will be a secondary inspection conducted to evaluate the care levels and quality of life Zuko has with your pack. If approved you will be sent the appropriate paperwork to fill out in order to officially take Zuko into your pack. If the inspection is failed Zuko will be removed from your care and returned to the care facility: Evermoon Healing, pending a new placement.
If you have any further questions or inquiries about Zuko or what is needed for his level of care feel free to reach out.
Kindly, the Council of Alpha Protection.