Chapter 13 - Searching for clues

---Marcus' POV---

"And?" I questioned as soon as the office door opened. I heard a grunt behind me before the door slammed shut, footsteps stomping to the table before Brandon threw himself in the seat with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Nothing. Like fucking usual." He sneered angrily, scowling at the wall, as if he was thinking of ways to destroy his enemies with a smile. Truth be told, when we find Zayne's former pack, we would probably destroy the culprits behind Zayne's abuse.

Or should I say if.

Turns out nobody knew where Zayne was from; Mike's brother wasn't cooperating at all and refused to speak so the only one we could ask for information, was Zayne. But asking him about the pack that abused him would only result in more nightmarish memories and none of us wished to push the pup too far.

Leaning back in my seat and throwing my feet on the table, I sighed and rubbed my temples, smiling a bit when I thought of Zayne. The little Omega was slowly making progress, firstly by allowing us to touch him.

You could still tell that he was terrified and didn't trust us but it was a small victory to know we had won the trust of his wolf. It was still early, but I think it was save to say that somewhere in the future, we would get Zayne to truly trust us.

"What're you thinking off?" Terrance muttered, looking up from his report from the Pack law from the North. I shrugged, "Zayne." He smiled at that and shook his head, though I saw the way his eyes softened at the mention of the little Omega.

Brandon hummed pleasantly before piping up, "I wonder who his mate's gonna be?" Terrance and I shared a look before looking at Brandon. "What?" He asked confused when he noticed us staring at him.

"You do realize that you're talking about an Omega, right?" Terrance drawled slowly, as if trying to question Brandon's sanity. The war wolf tensed slightly, narrowing his eyes before he asked, "Yeah, why?"

Shaking my head slightly, I flipped the page I was reading while answering Brandon's question. "Because Omega's are the only wolves in our world that mate differently. You know that in a usual mating, both mates realize who their mate is and become attracted to each other?"

Brandon nodded, so I continued, "Well, do tell me what the emotions are upon meeting your mate." He frowned pensively for a moment before saying, "From what I've been taught, its protectiveness, possessiveness and the intense need to please your mate in any way, wanting to be in their presence constantly, right?"

I nodded and smiled wryly, "Now tell me, what did you feel whenever you're around Zayne?" His face instantly cleared up as he nodded in understanding. "Every wolf feels the same for an Omega as they feel for a mate. An Omega's charm will always pull harder on the unmated wolves but still, it mimics the mating bond."

Brandon nodded slowly, "So, are you telling me that we'll never know who's going to be Zayne's mate? Is he going to end up mate-less?" he questioned worriedly and I couldn't help but feel a tug at my heartstrings at the thought of Zayne never finding his mate. If anyone deserved a happy ending, being loved and cherished by his true love, it was Zayne.

"I don't know Brandon. The only one who will know for sure, is Zayne. He doesn't feel the pull of his own charm, so he'll be able to identify his mate. The problem is, I'm not sure if he even knows about the mating pull."

The room turned silent at that, mostly Terrance as he remembered Zayne disapproving of his mating with Mike initially. A shiver ran up my spine as I wondered if Zayne's abuse wasn't the only crime committed by his former pack.

But they wouldn't be as vile as to force someone into a mating...Gods, I could only hope not. Focusing back on the reports I sighed and rubbed over my face once more. It seemed like Zayne's pack was extremely slippery, almost as if they never existed in the first place.

"Any word from the Southern packs?" I asked, surprised when I heard the door open and Lee respond, "Yes, as a matter of a fact, they've sent word that they were on their way." Throwing my feet down, I swiveled in my seat to look at my alpha. "Why?"

Lee shook his head slightly, "I don't know for sure but I have a feeling that Zayne's case isn't the only one. When I informed the Southern Pack Law of what happened, their alpha seemed extremely interested and informed me that he was departing that instant."

I frowned and hoped that the Alpha from the Southern pack, Alpha Elis hadn't experienced this before. Not that I wanted to accuse the Alpha from being a liar, but I preferred that nobody had to go through what Zayne had experienced.

Speaking of Zayne..."Where's our little Omega?" I wondered curiously, smiling as Lee chuckled slightly. "Being coddled to death most likely. Last time I saw him, he was with Mike, Dimitri and Wyatt. They were trying to feed him while staying in the same room."

Terrance's eyes lit up at the mention of his mate before he grinned and went of to find him. I shared an amused look with Lee and Brandon before pushing myself up. "Come on, let's supervise so he doesn't bend Mike over the table with Zayne and the others still in the room." They chuckled but I was only half joking.

I mean, seriously? How can Mike possibly walk around and be active when Terrance occupies him for most of the night? We turned around the corner and I heard Lee and Brandon nearly choke on a laugh when we spotted Terrance's huge form crowding Mike into the couch.

Mike was laughing and squirming before he squealed loudly when Terrance chuckled and pinned him down, smothering him in slobbery kisses. Zayne was watching, head tilted slightly like a confused puppy.

"Maybe this could benefit us actually..."

Lee nodded, showing he heard me as we watch Zayne observe the mated pair. Clearly the little pup didn't understand why they were acting this way and I hissed in disgust at the thought of what we would find in his pack.

Wyatt chuckled and went to pick Zayne up, but he was so absorbed in watching Terrance and Mike as they playfully teased each other that as soon as Wyatt's hand brushed over his fur, the pup yelped loudly and scrambled away.

"Hey Zayne- ugh...I'm sorry, I should've said something." Wyatt hushed with pained eyes, watching as Zayne trembled, hunching down with his tail tucking against his stomach.

---Zayne's POV---

Wyatt was still staring at me with an apologetic look in his eyes while my heart was still racing in my chest. Averting my eyes from the slender man, I glanced back at Mike and felt confused.

Why was his mate acting that way? I tried to remember if I had seen mates react to each other like that in my pack but came up blank. If they did, they did it in the comforts of their homes.

My ears tilted slightly as I heard someone walking up to me, my instincts instantly pushing me down until I felt my stomach press against the floor, feeling the urge to roll over when the footsteps came to a halt.

"Relax Zayne...we're safe here."

I wanted to believe him, I really do...but it was just so hard. What kept them from beating me over the head for being such a pathetic whining pup? If they grew angry, would they cool it down by using me as a punching bag?

"Zayne..." My wolf huffed softly before I flinched slightly when big hands slowly reached underneath me and lifted me up to a wide chest, cradling me closely against the comforting warmth of their body.

"Are they acting anything like the wolves in our home pack?"

I frowned at that and mentally shook my head. They were nothing like the pack, but that was what worried me. The packs' reactions were predictable, I knew what I could or mostly couldn't do. But this pack? There were no boundaries, no rules...

"There are boundaries and rules Zayne but those are the standard rules every pack has...or should have." Marcus' voice rumbled through my ear as he walked to the couch and sat down.

Shivering in his lap, I didn't dare to fight against him as he softly tugged me against him, brushing through my fur before the seat dipped again when Wyatt and his mate Sebastian sat down beside us.

I glanced up at the three males before averting my eyes and letting out a tiny, confused whine. "What are the rules?" I managed to ask, swallowing heavily as I mentally prepared myself for what was going to come.

Marcus chuckled slightly as he rubbed behind my ear, my hind leg twitching slightly as he replied, "Well the rules are simple really; The Alpha is in charge and his word isn't law but there must be a pretty good reason not to listen to him."

Lee huffed as he rolled his eyes. "I'm reasonable Marcus and I'd like to see everyone's point of view before I make my decisions." Marcus snorted at that, smiling slightly before he continued, "We hardly ever lie, because lying disrupts the pack. How can we trust our brethren if they lie to our faces?"

Hmmm, he has a point...

Marcus proceeded to tell me the basic rules but I was confused when they all eventually boiled down to the fact that the pack was family and should be treated that way; with love, patience and respect.

Now I was even more confused, because that wasn't what I was accustomed to. HE had demanded to be worshipped; every single rule obeyed or there would be painful consequences.

I froze when I felt a huff of wind blowing over my face and looked up, instantly flattening my ears at the huge wolf standing in front of me. Marcus placed a comforting hand on my scruff, rubbing soothingly over my sides as I whined and shook.

The wolf, which I soon recognized to be Alpha Lee, whined softly and sniffed at my fur before he gently nudged my side. Fear was racing through my veins but there was a hint of curiosity and wonder.

Encouraged by my own wolf and the Alpha's gentle behavior, I took a deep breath when the Alpha sniffed at my muzzle...before I licked his nose with a whine.

He froze, ears pinned forwards and golden eyes gleaming with something before I heard a distinct swishing sound along with a few chuckles when I realized that the Alpha was actually wagging his tail.

...He's....happy? Happy that I..accepted him as Alpha?

I was still frightened and extremely wary of these wolves but when both Marcus and Wyatt reached out to pet my muzzle and head lovingly, I allowed myself to slowly relax. Following my wolf's advice was hard, but I managed to droop down in Marcus' arms and started to enjoy the sensation of being petted instead of beaten.

"There we go Zayne." Wyatt exclaimed happily, turning around to grin widely towards his mate at my acceptance. Every time they reached out to touch my head, ears or any other part of my body, I had to fight myself not to flinch.

I still expected them to beat me for being so stupid and accepting of their love; I knew I wasn't worthy of anyone's love, I was filthy, stupid, a mongrel. But with my wolf pushing and whining happily at their loving caresses and their gentle voices, I settled down in Marcus' embrace with another soft lick of thanks before I felt myself starting to doze off.

Maybe I should try and listen to my wolf...but it was going to take time before I could trust anyone from my new pack. I was scarred, degraded and broken beyond repair and I still expected them to toss me to the dirt once they realized what they were doing.

I'll just enjoy this for as long as it lasts.