The man is -- a contradiction, walking. Dark hair, pale eyes, lanky and lean and moving with an odd grace that signals inhuman as clearly as a shout. Yet unlike the wolves, he wears clothes, the unmistakable homespun cloth that can only be found in the human settlements. It doesn't quite fit, a little too baggy, like he'd taken them from someone else, which just adds to his overall wrongness.
And he's smiling. He steps forward, bow in one hand, unblinking eyes fixed on Kurt. Benji might as well not exist to him, neutralized and unable to do more than twitch and choke out strangled whines.
"I've waited a while to make my introductions," he says, like they hadn't spoken, like there's nothing at all amiss. "No doubt the Alpha hasn't. bothered to mention me. I'm Miles." A pause, and he tilts his head to one side, bemused smile, hair falling into his face. "Such an honor to meet Corrigan’s newest favorite."
Kurt is immediately creeped out. There's something unnatural about this man, every part of him somehow wrong or uncanny or threatening. It's like he shouldn't exist, but continues to walk the earth out of sheer spite. Watching him move, hearing him speak, seeing him smile sends cold chills down the little human's spine.
But perhaps the worst thing is how he says Corrigan's name. How he uses his title. Alpha knows this man? Is he part of the pack..? Without thinking, Kurt's fingers tighten in Benji's fur, wide eyes scanning the stranger's form for a claiming mark, but he's almost entirely covered by badly fitting clothes. For the first time in weeks, months, they feel uneasy being naked. They know for a fact the man—wolf—Miles?—can see the bite marks all over their freckled skin. He must know exactly who they are to the pack.
"M-Miles," they manage through tightly clenched teeth, fighting to stay firm rather than give in to the frightened trembling. "Is Benji going to be okay? He's just a p-puppy." God, if this is how Benji dies... Kurt feels their throat closing up. They should've listened closer when Naseer told them about poisons. "I dunno what you want, j-just please tell me how to save him."
Miles can immediately see the appeal -- how can he not? Those big, sweet eyes, all that soft, freckled skin, the little tremor in the human's lilting voice as they try to seem brave by meeting his gaze. Like he can't smell the fear radiating in each movement, thick in the air, how Kurt's new wolfish instincts are screaming at them to flee back to the pack's safe embrace.
But they won't. Because Benji's their mate, his mark is on their body -- which is ludicrous, ridiculous, that a barely-grown pup was permitted to claim them, but Miles has been driven away. It isn't fair. By rights, he should outrank nearly every other member of the pack, should've gotten to claim Kurt before the rest if them. Before Corrigan, if things were truly just.
Time to start setting things right. Miles pulls out a vial from one deep pocket, holding it up to catch the light. "You mean this? I never carry poison without an antidote. That's just good planning." Another weighty pause, then he jerks his head in a beckoning motion. "If you want it, come get it."
He doesn't move forward, still standing across the clearing, meaning that Kurt will need to stand and approach of their own volition. They'll need to willingly put themselves into his reach, against every instinct that screams at them to stay away.
This is a trick. It's a trick, it's a trick, it's a trick.
Every inch of them, wolf and human both, is screaming for them to get away. There's no way this Miles person, no matter who he is, no matter what his intentions are, will just give them the antidote and expect nothing back. As soon as they leave Benji's side, they're in mortal danger. They know that. They should dart back into the forest and run, weave through the trees and book it home as fast as humanly possible.
But they also know that anything humanly possible is child's play to a wolf. He can outrun them. He can track their scent. He can tear them to pieces. And then who will be left to make sure Benji is okay? If anything happens to Benji, or to the baby, the whole pack will fall apart. Kurt can't go on living knowing that—if they even get to live to see it.
"P-Promise me," they say, clinging to that thread of bravery as they rise to stand, but feeling it fraying with every passing second. Their knees are buckling. Benji whines underneath them, behind them as they take a few tentative steps forward. "You have to promise he'll be okay." Of course they can't trust his word, of course they can't, but what other choice do they have? Kurt reaches out a hand, barely able to breathe.
[This is the part that Corrigan is -- surprisingly good at. This undertone at the beginning of any encounter, soft and patient and gentle in a way his big macho dominant persona doesn't suggest. He runs a finger around the inside of the cuffs he's just fastened to Penny's wrists, making sure there's nothing that'll irritate her skin, that the metal fits smoothly, that it's warmed to the touch. Then he tightens it a couple notches, a couple clickclicks until there's no wiggle room.
He looms over her like this, pressed up to her back, making sure she's tightly cuffed, murmuring the words into the top of her head.] Safeword? [He prompts it every single time. Without fail. Even though she could probably break out without too much difficulty, even though the handcuffs are the sexy kind, not the legitimate restraint kind.]
Of course it's a trap. They all know it's a trap. Miles knows, Benji knows, Kurt knows. It's known that the second the little human is close enough to reach out, that Miles is going to pull back the antidote, grab their wrist and yank them closer, rough enough to nearly pull them off their feet, that he's going to hold on tight with the inhuman power that's unmistakably wolf. And that's exactly what he does, fingers reaching easily around Kurt's slender wrist, a pleased growl rumbling in his chest at the feel of them, their scent so close, after weeks of chasing it through the forest.
Barely conscious, Benji still lurches half-up, snarls brokenly, eyes bleary as he tries to force himself to his feet. The growls are pained, but he's still trying, shaking his head violently like that'll expel the poison somehow. Miles clicks his tongue, arm snaking around Kurt, keeping them pulled close. "Don't be a hero, puppy. You know what I can do."
Then, looking down at the terrified little human, he's all softness, a gentle smile, even as he tucks the antidote back in his pocket and smooths their hair back from their face. "See, isn't this much better than shouting across a clearing? Everyone else in the pack has gotten a turn to be up close and personal with you. It's only fair I do too."
[ it had started as a suggestion - offhanded, leering, and casual in equal measure. don’t you want to see what it’s like to get tied up for once? corrigan had promised to be gentle, to guide penny through every step of the way, explain things as they happened in a way she liked. and she’d agreed, and it had been really fun, and they just…kept on with the bondage.
even if they were real cuffs, she could snap them apart easily: just a quick, sharp tug, and they’d be bracelets. but that’s not the point, is it? penny breathes in, deep, and exhales, getting used to the light tension in her biceps, the pressure of metal on skin. ]
They cry out as soon as Miles grabs hold of them, with pain more than surprise—part of them had expected exactly this would happen, but they forget just how strong wolves are. Goes to show how gentle and careful the pack has been with them, if one wolf's grip can hurt this much, the bones in their wrist straining and creaking and grinding together.
But they don't fight him much. After the initial struggle, Kurt's muscle memory kicks in, and they remember all the times they've been grabbed hold of and flung around before. Father never cradled them so close, the way Miles does, never stroked their hair with such a perplexingly gentle smile on his face, but still. Violence is violence. They've survived violence before.
What really shatters them is Benji's cries from behind them, stoking that bone-deep terror. They know they have to get the antidote for him. If that means giving Miles whatever he wants, then...
"F-Fair? You're p-part of the pack..?" He's not. If he ever was, he's certainly not anymore. Kurt can't smell Corrigan on him at all. Shuddering, knowing what they have to do, they permit his touch, fighting the nausea and tears as this vile stranger gets comfortable with them. "P-Please... Miles, r-right? Whatever you want from m-me, you can have it. Anything. I'll give it t-to you. Just please, don't let Benji die. I'm b-begging you."
"So loyal, already," Miles murmurs, ignoring the pup's pained, snarling sounds, his attempts to stagger upright, to fight. It had been stupid of Corrigan to leave his precious little mate alone with a scrawny youngster like this, and Miles is a firm believer in consequences. That had been the beginning of the end, when he'd implied that certain members of the pack were growing too...comfortable, not fully respecting the Alpha’s authority. A Beta was meant to submit, to take orders, not make them, after all. Corrigan hadn't taken kindly to that suggestion, or any of the ones that followed.
And now the outcome of those foolish choices: the pack's prized, beloved, stolen mate, with Corrigan’s whelp in their belly, unprotected and unguarded. Such a shame. "If I were in charge, I wouldn't have left your side, you know," Miles almost purrs, cradling Kurt's pretty face on one hand, savoring the scent of their fear. "You'd think Corrigan would've learned that by now, but it just goes to show -- one whore is just like any other."
A pause, then he arches both eyebrows, feigning surprise. "You have to know you aren't the first, right? Why else would you offer yourself so -- easily to me? You know you're replaceable, just a warm body for the pack to use for a time, until they're bored. Then it'll be time to move on, and what'll happen to you then?" Miles strokes his thumb along Kurt's cheek, traces the line of sun-kissed freckles.
"You poor little thing. Did you really think you were special?"
His words hit them like physical blows, but somehow they hurt so much worse. Kurt's stomach drops right through them, blood turning ice cold in their veins, breath stabbing their lungs. They're not special? They weren't the first one..? No... No, that can't be true, that doesn't make any sense. Corrigan would've told them, right? If not him, then Naseer, or Kai, or Leo, or poor Benji, they wouldn't just all lie to them like that. Kurt is their first and only mate, that's... it has to be the case. That's what they told them. They wouldn't lie to them.
Miles would. He must have every reason to lie, to say things just to scare them or hurt them. He's an outsider with a grudge! He scared them, he tricked them, he hurt Benji! Why wouldn't he be a liar too?
Except... he says it with the utmost confidence. The words leave him so easily, like he's speaking from experience. Like he too would cast mates aside when he was part of the pack, discarding their broken toys for others to play with. Like he too was once cast aside.
"... y-you're lying." They say that, but the words ring hollow, their throat closing up, eyes burning. Without thinking, Kurt wraps an arm protectively around their belly. "They w-wouldn't... I'm not a wh-whore," they cringe, the word painful on their tongue, "I'm their mate. They wouldn't d-do that!"
"Are you sure?" It's said softly, almost gently. Like it hurts Miles to say it, but he feels compelled to speak the truth. He strokes back Kurt's hair, the touch impossibly careful and soft, especially in comparison to how tightly he'd grabbed their wrist moments before. "They didn't tell you about me, did they?"
He lets it hang in the air, heavy, impossible to deny. Then Miles reaches up, tugs aside his shirt collar to reveal his neck -- pale, smooth, unmarked except for a very familiar bite where his shoulder slopes down. The scar is old, years old, but it's unmistakably Corrigan’s, a perfect copy of the one on Kurt's own neck.
"If he could get rid of me, he can get rid of you, little one." Letting his collar go, Miles slides both arms around Kurt, tugging them close, a mockery of comfort, nuzzling into their hair. "You can get out now, sweetheart. You can escape before it's too late. Before they ruin you. Before they get bored."
... They didn't tell them about Miles. Seeing Corrigan's mark on his skin, the very same as their own, makes it even harder to deny. The pack hasn't been honest with them. Alpha hasn't been honest with them. They're pregnant with his child, and he's keeping things from them.
For as frightening and threatening as Miles is, for as much damage as he's done, there's no denying that claiming scar. He was abandoned. Cast aside. Would Alpha let that happen to them too? Would he ruin them? Knock them up and throw when away when he's bored?
But still... even as they wrestle with brand new fears and paranoid doubts, Kurt just can't forget the thrills and genuine joys of the last few months with the pack. They can't deny having felt special for the first time in their life. And they can't bring themself to believe sweet Benji knew what was happening. There's just no way. They shudder, all fear and revulsion and betrayal, fighting back tears as Miles embraces them.
"P-Please... Just p-please leave the antidote for Benji." Kurt feels sick, torn between two worlds, too hurt to see the real truth. "He's j-just a puppy, he d-doesn't deserve this..."
Good. [They'd started easily, just Corrigan’s big hands on her wrists, a sort of human restraint, a gentler echo of what they'd eventually escalate to. Then rope, smooth and pliant, looped around her wrists, her ankles, then padded cuffs, and now cool, firm metal.
Corrigan knows damn well Penny isn't helpless, but even the illusion of her wholly in his grasp is intoxicating. He smooths her hair away from the nape of her neck, nuzzling gently.] Going to be a good girl for me?
"Of course, of course," Miles coos gently, hands smoothing up and down Kurt's narrow back, taking advantage of their fraught state to enjoy the feel of them trembling in his arms. "I'll leave it for him, he'll wake up tomorrow with a bad headache, but he'll be just fine."
Cool fingers coming to cup Kurt's chin, Miles forces their gaze upwards, smirking deeper at the pain in their eyes. Could it really be this easy? Could he truly get away without having to face his old Alpha? "And in return, you'll come with me. I'll look after you. You can forget about everything that's happened. You can go home, Kurt."
No. The emotion, intense and focused and ferocious, rippling through the link, starles Miles momentarily -- that had been the cruelest, when that harmony, that sense of belonging, that connection had been closed off to him forever. If he was getting anything through it, it meant the wolf responsible was forcing him to hear. It was Benji.
Impossibly, absurdly, the young wolf was staggering to his feet, blood caked along his side, breath raspy and desperate, pupils dilated from the poison. But he still stood, shuddering all over, and bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl. He shouldn't be able to. He shouldn't even be able to breathe.
At least they succeeded. Benji won't die today. Miles' words make their stomach roil, twisting up in knots nearly too tight to breathe—they don't want to go with Miles, they don't want to go home, just as badly as they don't want to return to a lying Alpha. But at least Benji will be okay. They'll do what they have to so the pup will be safe, even if it means going with this man, this stranger with cold hands and cruel eyes and the soft, gentle words, and giving him what he wants.
But then the pack link shudders with that single intense emotion, cutting through everything else, nearly knocking the little human to the ground. The link is always overwhelming, when they first notice it, but this is something else, feral and near-desperate.
Even Miles felt it. That means the rest of the pack definitely did too.
"B-Baby, please! You're gonna hurt yourself!" they cry, watching in horror as sweet little Benji fights through the poison and the arrow embedded in his hip and snarls at Miles. He can barely stand, barely see, but he still looks moments from lunging for his throat. That must be so, so painful. It's sheer protective instinct that makes Kurt twist around in Miles' arms, trying to break out of his grasp so they can run to his side, not thinking that perhaps the stranger won't let them.
[ she likes it, she really does - being able to cede control, to slightly relax, to let somebody else make the decisions for a bit. and, against all reason, penny likes corrigan, as well. for every time that he doesn’t answer a text or makes some snide remark about the movies, there’s something else. a gift, that smile, the way that he holds her, even while tightening rope and metal. ]
Aren’t I always?
[ well, they both know that’s a lie. penny tosses her hair and tilts her head back to look up at him, grinning. the skirt’s short - a gift - and she’s not wearing anything underneath. corrigan had told her to take her panties off when she was about three steps into his apartment. ]
For a brief moment, Miles doesn't -- he tightens his grip, face curling in a snarl of his own, between indignant and shocked that the pup is back on his feet, even with poison coursing through his veins with every heartbeat. Those cold hands squeeze hard, feeling the delicate bones of Kurt's wrist grinding together, painting bruises into their fair skin. For an instant, Miles is ready to fight back.
But there's an echo of ferocious, murderous rage coming through the link, the pack hearing at last that something is wrong. A lone howl pierces the air, followed by another and another, a chorus of fury coming rapidly closer. And Miles is, at his heart, a coward.
So he releases Kurt, let's them twist away -- almost. In the heartbeat of time he has, he grabs their wrist, wrenches it up to his mouth and bites hard, filling his senses with the sweet taste of their blood. It isn't as deep or careful as a true claiming bite would be, but it's enough. Enough to let Corrigan know how close Miles was, how easily he could've stolen the pack's mate away. How foolish the Alpha had been.
"See you soon, Kurt," Miles murmurs through the mouthful of blood, before slipping back into the woods and out of sight, moments before the pack bursts into the clearing.
Kurt's howl of pain joins the chorus, sharp and distressed, splitting the air apart. Unlike the claiming bites adorning their neck, where the pain had been laced with true euphoria, a sense of belonging, Miles' teeth piercing their flesh is pure agony. His bite is unwanted. They don't belong to him, and yet he demands a piece of them Kurt has not consented to give and cannot take back. It's the worst pain they've ever felt.
They can't tell if the pain is what makes their knees buckle underneath them, or if Miles' threat is what sends them to the ground, but as soon as he lets go of them, they crumble. Sobbing into the grass, Kurt clutches their bleeding wrist, squeezing the wound tightly, hurt and frightened and betrayed twice over.
But they have to push through it. The pack link roars with fury, confusion, terror that's not their own, and Benji, poor Benji, they can feel his anguish, his guilt, and they know they can't let him face it alone. Kurt scrambles on their knees through the grass until they reach the youngest wolf, hands slippery with blood—the wound isn't clotting, why would it, Miles didn't want it to—cradling his snarling face, urging him to look at them. "B-Benji— i-it's okay puppy, it's okay, y-you're gonna be okay— please b-be okay. Naseer!"
The ground shakes as the pack shoots past bushes and trees, bursting into the clearing, finally. Kurt looks distraught, bloodied and weeping, reaching for Naseer, Corrigan, anyone. "He's hurt! P-Please, help him!"
Halfway between wolf and man, Corrigan is hit with too many things at once. The scents -- Kurt's blood, Benji's, the sharp acrid scent of poison and fear and terror, and over it, the bitter smell of his former packmate, something he'd hoped never to experience again. The sounds -- Kurt's helpless, terrified sobs, Benji's helpless whines as he crumples back down, pressing his big bloodied head against his mate's chest with a heavy sigh of relief. The sight, most of all, Corrigan's mate and his brother, both injured, both frightened, both calling out for him too late.
And worst of all, the knowledge that he can't do everything he wants to. He can't eviscerate Miles and help Benji and comfort Kurt at once. He freezes for a fraction of a second, then wrenches his gaze to the side, meets Leo and Kai's, chokes out a stricken: "Find him." The pair leap forward, not wanting to leave their mate any more than Corrigan does, but reveling in the potential chance to eviscerate their tormentor. The two wolves disappear into the brush, hot on Miles's trail, and Corrigan is on his knees, reaching out to gather Kurt close, cradling them to his chest, hand finding the bleeding wound on their arm and squeezing firmly to stop the flow of blood.
"I'm here, I'm here," he murmurs, his chest aching with regret and anguish at their pain. Benji is shivering now, shuddering as the adrenaline leaves his body, leaving it wracked with the poison. Naseer is already breaking off the arrow, leaving the tip embedded until they can safely extract it, putting pressure on the wound. The pup whines softly, big head in Kurt's lap, eyes flicking between his Alpha and mate.
Corrigan moves his free hand to stroke along Benji's cheek, through his bloodied fur, a soft tenderness he rarely shows to the other wolves in every movement. "You did well, you did so well, see? Kurt's safe. They're safe. You did so well, love. You did wonderfully, now let us help you, all right?"
They struggle a little as Corrigan pulls them towards him, away from Benji, but their squirming quickly subsides. The safety of Alpha's embrace soothes even the worst of their fear. Everything else—the upset, the feeling of betrayal—will come when it comes. Right now, Alpha is here to keep them safe. Nothing will hurt them here.
Benji whimpers with pain and relief both, letting his Alpha's tender praise anchor him as Naseer tends to his wound, smelling his blood. "Bush rope," he says, voice tight with barely controlled rage. "Not enough to kill him, but he'll be sick for days. We need to get them both home now." Exactly the kind of firm demand some consider unfit for a Beta to make.
"I t-tried— I tried getting th-the antidote, but he wouldn't... he wouldn't give it to m-me." Kurt sobs softly into Corrigan's chest, exhausted and in pain but so relieved Benji will be okay. "I'm s-sorry, Alpha, I'm sorry, I— I tried..."
Corrigan nods stiffly, already hearing the other two returning at the decision. Miles is long gone, and time wasted chasing after him is time they don't have. Better to draw back to the den, make sure Kurt and Benji are tended to and have time to heal. Later, Corrigan will hunt down Miles himself and tear him open. Slowly, savoring each moment, making him writhe in agony for what he'd done.
The rage bleeds into the link, and Benji whines piteously, so Corrigan let's it go, focusing instead on stroking his hand through Kurt's hair, kissing their forehead and teary cheeks again and again. "It's not your fault, beloved, you did nothing wrong," he murmurs, gently shifting to stand with his mate in his arms. Kai and Leo have reappeared, kneeling down to gently scoop up Benji's shivering frame, though they both pause long enough to rub at Kurt's back, their hair, needing the physical contact to soothe the anxious rage.
The Alpha waits for Naseer to follow suit, for the Beta to press a kiss to the top of the trembling human's head before focusing on Benji. Then he strides towards the cabin, cradling Kurt protectively close, wanting them safe and warm and no longer in pain. Their tears make his heart ache, but Corrigan knows it's better for his sweet mate to let the fear and panic out like this, rather than try to suppress their true feelings.
So he soothes them gently, let's them cling tightly to his broad chest and sob out their terror. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so sorry you had to face him alone. It'll never happen again, love, he's never going to touch you again."
Not even remotely. [Corrigan retorts it immediately, bemused, kissing the top of her head with an indulgent air. His hands slide down her arms, sneaking under the hem of the short, short skirt. It's designer, pleated and flirty and easily flipped upwards. Both big hands take their time squeezing at Penny's bare cheeks, then her thighs, seemingly just enjoying himself.
Then he nods towards the couch, a few steps away -- sleek leather, of course, only the best. Perfect bending-over height too.] Don't be impatient. Lean over the back and show me you can wait nicely.
They're not used to bleeding so much anymore. All the wolves are so diligent about tending to their wounds, whenever and however they happen, licking them clean and encouraging them to clot and scar so much faster than any human doctor. Kurt knows their body has changed over the months they've been with the pack. Their body heals so much faster now. Cuts and scrapes close over in a day now, barely leaving marks on their pale skin anymore.
But Miles... Something about the wound he left just feels wrong. Like their body rejects it. They're covered in their own blood, hands and chest and swelling stomach glistening with crimson red. It scares them more than it hurts. What kind of malice does it take to hurt someone like this?
They watch through terrified tears as the pack carries Benji away, hurrying towards the cabin so Naseer can patch him up. Leaving them with their Alpha. Kurt shudders in his arms, pain and fear and betrayal all wrapped up in one.
"Wh-Why didn't you tell me about him?" they sob against him, hands curling into fists, sticky with drying blood. They have many more questions, more accusations and doubts, but they're too hurt and scared and angry to sort through them right now. "If I— I-If I knew he was out th-there, I would've... I would've been m-more careful... I d-didn't know, Alpha."
Corrigan -- doesn't have an answer for that, and it's evident in how he pauses, how his firm stride fumbles a bit. Had he truly thought his presence, his sheer force of will would keep Miles away? Had he thought there was no possibility that evil could touch Kurt, simply because he didn't want it to?
Yes. Things had been so good, so peaceful and happy and complete that Corrigan hadn't let the thought of Miles even enter his head. He'd somehow believed that would be enough.
"I should've " he says finally, settling by the little dammed-up, deep portion of the river, Benji's sweet, wholehearted gift for Kurt. Benji, who is soaked with blood and whimpering in pain inside the cabin, because Corrigan hadn't thought to warn him or Kurt of the true dangers. It doesn't matter how or why it happened -- he's the Alpha. His whole reason for being is his pack, protecting and caring for it. No excuses.
So, scooping up the sunwarmed water, Corrigan starts to slowly wash away the blood. His instincts are demanding he lick the bleeding wound clean, but that would just encourage it to clot and scar, and he knows Kurt doesn't want that. If Miles mark is to fade, it must heal slowly. Still, he washes it as clean as he can, then guides Kurt to put pressure on it and lift it above their head to stop the bleeding. "I should've told you, Kurt. You're more than capable of handling that knowledge. I shouldn't have left you unprotected like that."
A pause, then Corrigan ducks his head, meeting the little humans teary eyes. "What did he say to you?" Miles has always fought best through words, sowing poison with half-truths and whispers. Corrigan knows he won't like the answer, but he needs to know.
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Date: 2023-07-16 07:05 am (UTC)And he's smiling. He steps forward, bow in one hand, unblinking eyes fixed on Kurt. Benji might as well not exist to him, neutralized and unable to do more than twitch and choke out strangled whines.
"I've waited a while to make my introductions," he says, like they hadn't spoken, like there's nothing at all amiss. "No doubt the Alpha hasn't. bothered to mention me. I'm Miles." A pause, and he tilts his head to one side, bemused smile, hair falling into his face. "Such an honor to meet Corrigan’s newest favorite."
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Date: 2023-07-16 10:40 am (UTC)But perhaps the worst thing is how he says Corrigan's name. How he uses his title. Alpha knows this man? Is he part of the pack..? Without thinking, Kurt's fingers tighten in Benji's fur, wide eyes scanning the stranger's form for a claiming mark, but he's almost entirely covered by badly fitting clothes. For the first time in weeks, months, they feel uneasy being naked. They know for a fact the man—wolf—Miles?—can see the bite marks all over their freckled skin. He must know exactly who they are to the pack.
"M-Miles," they manage through tightly clenched teeth, fighting to stay firm rather than give in to the frightened trembling. "Is Benji going to be okay? He's just a p-puppy." God, if this is how Benji dies... Kurt feels their throat closing up. They should've listened closer when Naseer told them about poisons. "I dunno what you want, j-just please tell me how to save him."
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Date: 2023-07-16 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 05:52 pm (UTC)But they won't. Because Benji's their mate, his mark is on their body -- which is ludicrous, ridiculous, that a barely-grown pup was permitted to claim them, but Miles has been driven away. It isn't fair. By rights, he should outrank nearly every other member of the pack, should've gotten to claim Kurt before the rest if them. Before Corrigan, if things were truly just.
Time to start setting things right. Miles pulls out a vial from one deep pocket, holding it up to catch the light. "You mean this? I never carry poison without an antidote. That's just good planning." Another weighty pause, then he jerks his head in a beckoning motion. "If you want it, come get it."
He doesn't move forward, still standing across the clearing, meaning that Kurt will need to stand and approach of their own volition. They'll need to willingly put themselves into his reach, against every instinct that screams at them to stay away.
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Date: 2023-07-16 06:28 pm (UTC)Every inch of them, wolf and human both, is screaming for them to get away. There's no way this Miles person, no matter who he is, no matter what his intentions are, will just give them the antidote and expect nothing back. As soon as they leave Benji's side, they're in mortal danger. They know that. They should dart back into the forest and run, weave through the trees and book it home as fast as humanly possible.
But they also know that anything humanly possible is child's play to a wolf. He can outrun them. He can track their scent. He can tear them to pieces. And then who will be left to make sure Benji is okay? If anything happens to Benji, or to the baby, the whole pack will fall apart. Kurt can't go on living knowing that—if they even get to live to see it.
"P-Promise me," they say, clinging to that thread of bravery as they rise to stand, but feeling it fraying with every passing second. Their knees are buckling. Benji whines underneath them, behind them as they take a few tentative steps forward. "You have to promise he'll be okay." Of course they can't trust his word, of course they can't, but what other choice do they have? Kurt reaches out a hand, barely able to breathe.
two~~
Date: 2023-07-16 10:31 pm (UTC)[This is the part that Corrigan is -- surprisingly good at. This undertone at the beginning of any encounter, soft and patient and gentle in a way his big macho dominant persona doesn't suggest. He runs a finger around the inside of the cuffs he's just fastened to Penny's wrists, making sure there's nothing that'll irritate her skin, that the metal fits smoothly, that it's warmed to the touch. Then he tightens it a couple notches, a couple clickclicks until there's no wiggle room.
He looms over her like this, pressed up to her back, making sure she's tightly cuffed, murmuring the words into the top of her head.] Safeword? [He prompts it every single time. Without fail. Even though she could probably break out without too much difficulty, even though the handcuffs are the sexy kind, not the legitimate restraint kind.]
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Date: 2023-07-16 10:42 pm (UTC)Barely conscious, Benji still lurches half-up, snarls brokenly, eyes bleary as he tries to force himself to his feet. The growls are pained, but he's still trying, shaking his head violently like that'll expel the poison somehow. Miles clicks his tongue, arm snaking around Kurt, keeping them pulled close. "Don't be a hero, puppy. You know what I can do."
Then, looking down at the terrified little human, he's all softness, a gentle smile, even as he tucks the antidote back in his pocket and smooths their hair back from their face. "See, isn't this much better than shouting across a clearing? Everyone else in the pack has gotten a turn to be up close and personal with you. It's only fair I do too."
Re: two~~
Date: 2023-07-16 10:54 pm (UTC)[ it had started as a suggestion - offhanded, leering, and casual in equal measure. don’t you want to see what it’s like to get tied up for once? corrigan had promised to be gentle, to guide penny through every step of the way, explain things as they happened in a way she liked. and she’d agreed, and it had been really fun, and they just…kept on with the bondage.
even if they were real cuffs, she could snap them apart easily: just a quick, sharp tug, and they’d be bracelets. but that’s not the point, is it? penny breathes in, deep, and exhales, getting used to the light tension in her biceps, the pressure of metal on skin. ]
Applesauce.
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Date: 2023-07-16 11:19 pm (UTC)But they don't fight him much. After the initial struggle, Kurt's muscle memory kicks in, and they remember all the times they've been grabbed hold of and flung around before. Father never cradled them so close, the way Miles does, never stroked their hair with such a perplexingly gentle smile on his face, but still. Violence is violence. They've survived violence before.
What really shatters them is Benji's cries from behind them, stoking that bone-deep terror. They know they have to get the antidote for him. If that means giving Miles whatever he wants, then...
"F-Fair? You're p-part of the pack..?" He's not. If he ever was, he's certainly not anymore. Kurt can't smell Corrigan on him at all. Shuddering, knowing what they have to do, they permit his touch, fighting the nausea and tears as this vile stranger gets comfortable with them. "P-Please... Miles, r-right? Whatever you want from m-me, you can have it. Anything. I'll give it t-to you. Just please, don't let Benji die. I'm b-begging you."
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Date: 2023-07-17 12:16 am (UTC)And now the outcome of those foolish choices: the pack's prized, beloved, stolen mate, with Corrigan’s whelp in their belly, unprotected and unguarded. Such a shame. "If I were in charge, I wouldn't have left your side, you know," Miles almost purrs, cradling Kurt's pretty face on one hand, savoring the scent of their fear. "You'd think Corrigan would've learned that by now, but it just goes to show -- one whore is just like any other."
A pause, then he arches both eyebrows, feigning surprise. "You have to know you aren't the first, right? Why else would you offer yourself so -- easily to me? You know you're replaceable, just a warm body for the pack to use for a time, until they're bored. Then it'll be time to move on, and what'll happen to you then?" Miles strokes his thumb along Kurt's cheek, traces the line of sun-kissed freckles.
"You poor little thing. Did you really think you were special?"
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Date: 2023-07-17 01:17 am (UTC)His words hit them like physical blows, but somehow they hurt so much worse. Kurt's stomach drops right through them, blood turning ice cold in their veins, breath stabbing their lungs. They're not special? They weren't the first one..? No... No, that can't be true, that doesn't make any sense. Corrigan would've told them, right? If not him, then Naseer, or Kai, or Leo, or poor Benji, they wouldn't just all lie to them like that. Kurt is their first and only mate, that's... it has to be the case. That's what they told them. They wouldn't lie to them.
Miles would. He must have every reason to lie, to say things just to scare them or hurt them. He's an outsider with a grudge! He scared them, he tricked them, he hurt Benji! Why wouldn't he be a liar too?
Except... he says it with the utmost confidence. The words leave him so easily, like he's speaking from experience. Like he too would cast mates aside when he was part of the pack, discarding their broken toys for others to play with. Like he too was once cast aside.
"... y-you're lying." They say that, but the words ring hollow, their throat closing up, eyes burning. Without thinking, Kurt wraps an arm protectively around their belly. "They w-wouldn't... I'm not a wh-whore," they cringe, the word painful on their tongue, "I'm their mate. They wouldn't d-do that!"
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Date: 2023-07-17 01:59 am (UTC)He lets it hang in the air, heavy, impossible to deny. Then Miles reaches up, tugs aside his shirt collar to reveal his neck -- pale, smooth, unmarked except for a very familiar bite where his shoulder slopes down. The scar is old, years old, but it's unmistakably Corrigan’s, a perfect copy of the one on Kurt's own neck.
"If he could get rid of me, he can get rid of you, little one." Letting his collar go, Miles slides both arms around Kurt, tugging them close, a mockery of comfort, nuzzling into their hair. "You can get out now, sweetheart. You can escape before it's too late. Before they ruin you. Before they get bored."
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Date: 2023-07-17 02:21 am (UTC)For as frightening and threatening as Miles is, for as much damage as he's done, there's no denying that claiming scar. He was abandoned. Cast aside. Would Alpha let that happen to them too? Would he ruin them? Knock them up and throw when away when he's bored?
But still... even as they wrestle with brand new fears and paranoid doubts, Kurt just can't forget the thrills and genuine joys of the last few months with the pack. They can't deny having felt special for the first time in their life. And they can't bring themself to believe sweet Benji knew what was happening. There's just no way. They shudder, all fear and revulsion and betrayal, fighting back tears as Miles embraces them.
"P-Please... Just p-please leave the antidote for Benji." Kurt feels sick, torn between two worlds, too hurt to see the real truth. "He's j-just a puppy, he d-doesn't deserve this..."
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Date: 2023-07-17 04:45 am (UTC)Corrigan knows damn well Penny isn't helpless, but even the illusion of her wholly in his grasp is intoxicating. He smooths her hair away from the nape of her neck, nuzzling gently.] Going to be a good girl for me?
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Date: 2023-07-17 04:55 am (UTC)Cool fingers coming to cup Kurt's chin, Miles forces their gaze upwards, smirking deeper at the pain in their eyes. Could it really be this easy? Could he truly get away without having to face his old Alpha? "And in return, you'll come with me. I'll look after you. You can forget about everything that's happened. You can go home, Kurt."
No. The emotion, intense and focused and ferocious, rippling through the link, starles Miles momentarily -- that had been the cruelest, when that harmony, that sense of belonging, that connection had been closed off to him forever. If he was getting anything through it, it meant the wolf responsible was forcing him to hear. It was Benji.
Impossibly, absurdly, the young wolf was staggering to his feet, blood caked along his side, breath raspy and desperate, pupils dilated from the poison. But he still stood, shuddering all over, and bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl. He shouldn't be able to. He shouldn't even be able to breathe.
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Date: 2023-07-17 10:29 am (UTC)But then the pack link shudders with that single intense emotion, cutting through everything else, nearly knocking the little human to the ground. The link is always overwhelming, when they first notice it, but this is something else, feral and near-desperate.
Even Miles felt it. That means the rest of the pack definitely did too.
"B-Baby, please! You're gonna hurt yourself!" they cry, watching in horror as sweet little Benji fights through the poison and the arrow embedded in his hip and snarls at Miles. He can barely stand, barely see, but he still looks moments from lunging for his throat. That must be so, so painful. It's sheer protective instinct that makes Kurt twist around in Miles' arms, trying to break out of his grasp so they can run to his side, not thinking that perhaps the stranger won't let them.
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Date: 2023-07-17 05:29 pm (UTC)Aren’t I always?
[ well, they both know that’s a lie. penny tosses her hair and tilts her head back to look up at him, grinning. the skirt’s short - a gift - and she’s not wearing anything underneath. corrigan had told her to take her panties off when she was about three steps into his apartment. ]
So about that to-do list?
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Date: 2023-07-17 06:19 pm (UTC)But there's an echo of ferocious, murderous rage coming through the link, the pack hearing at last that something is wrong. A lone howl pierces the air, followed by another and another, a chorus of fury coming rapidly closer. And Miles is, at his heart, a coward.
So he releases Kurt, let's them twist away -- almost. In the heartbeat of time he has, he grabs their wrist, wrenches it up to his mouth and bites hard, filling his senses with the sweet taste of their blood. It isn't as deep or careful as a true claiming bite would be, but it's enough. Enough to let Corrigan know how close Miles was, how easily he could've stolen the pack's mate away. How foolish the Alpha had been.
"See you soon, Kurt," Miles murmurs through the mouthful of blood, before slipping back into the woods and out of sight, moments before the pack bursts into the clearing.
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Date: 2023-07-17 09:19 pm (UTC)They can't tell if the pain is what makes their knees buckle underneath them, or if Miles' threat is what sends them to the ground, but as soon as he lets go of them, they crumble. Sobbing into the grass, Kurt clutches their bleeding wrist, squeezing the wound tightly, hurt and frightened and betrayed twice over.
But they have to push through it. The pack link roars with fury, confusion, terror that's not their own, and Benji, poor Benji, they can feel his anguish, his guilt, and they know they can't let him face it alone. Kurt scrambles on their knees through the grass until they reach the youngest wolf, hands slippery with blood—the wound isn't clotting, why would it, Miles didn't want it to—cradling his snarling face, urging him to look at them. "B-Benji— i-it's okay puppy, it's okay, y-you're gonna be okay— please b-be okay. Naseer!"
The ground shakes as the pack shoots past bushes and trees, bursting into the clearing, finally. Kurt looks distraught, bloodied and weeping, reaching for Naseer, Corrigan, anyone. "He's hurt! P-Please, help him!"
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Date: 2023-07-18 12:22 am (UTC)And worst of all, the knowledge that he can't do everything he wants to. He can't eviscerate Miles and help Benji and comfort Kurt at once. He freezes for a fraction of a second, then wrenches his gaze to the side, meets Leo and Kai's, chokes out a stricken: "Find him." The pair leap forward, not wanting to leave their mate any more than Corrigan does, but reveling in the potential chance to eviscerate their tormentor. The two wolves disappear into the brush, hot on Miles's trail, and Corrigan is on his knees, reaching out to gather Kurt close, cradling them to his chest, hand finding the bleeding wound on their arm and squeezing firmly to stop the flow of blood.
"I'm here, I'm here," he murmurs, his chest aching with regret and anguish at their pain. Benji is shivering now, shuddering as the adrenaline leaves his body, leaving it wracked with the poison. Naseer is already breaking off the arrow, leaving the tip embedded until they can safely extract it, putting pressure on the wound. The pup whines softly, big head in Kurt's lap, eyes flicking between his Alpha and mate.
Corrigan moves his free hand to stroke along Benji's cheek, through his bloodied fur, a soft tenderness he rarely shows to the other wolves in every movement. "You did well, you did so well, see? Kurt's safe. They're safe. You did so well, love. You did wonderfully, now let us help you, all right?"
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Date: 2023-07-18 12:49 am (UTC)Benji whimpers with pain and relief both, letting his Alpha's tender praise anchor him as Naseer tends to his wound, smelling his blood. "Bush rope," he says, voice tight with barely controlled rage. "Not enough to kill him, but he'll be sick for days. We need to get them both home now." Exactly the kind of firm demand some consider unfit for a Beta to make.
"I t-tried— I tried getting th-the antidote, but he wouldn't... he wouldn't give it to m-me." Kurt sobs softly into Corrigan's chest, exhausted and in pain but so relieved Benji will be okay. "I'm s-sorry, Alpha, I'm sorry, I— I tried..."
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Date: 2023-07-18 01:56 am (UTC)The rage bleeds into the link, and Benji whines piteously, so Corrigan let's it go, focusing instead on stroking his hand through Kurt's hair, kissing their forehead and teary cheeks again and again. "It's not your fault, beloved, you did nothing wrong," he murmurs, gently shifting to stand with his mate in his arms. Kai and Leo have reappeared, kneeling down to gently scoop up Benji's shivering frame, though they both pause long enough to rub at Kurt's back, their hair, needing the physical contact to soothe the anxious rage.
The Alpha waits for Naseer to follow suit, for the Beta to press a kiss to the top of the trembling human's head before focusing on Benji. Then he strides towards the cabin, cradling Kurt protectively close, wanting them safe and warm and no longer in pain. Their tears make his heart ache, but Corrigan knows it's better for his sweet mate to let the fear and panic out like this, rather than try to suppress their true feelings.
So he soothes them gently, let's them cling tightly to his broad chest and sob out their terror. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so sorry you had to face him alone. It'll never happen again, love, he's never going to touch you again."
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Date: 2023-07-19 04:22 am (UTC)Then he nods towards the couch, a few steps away -- sleek leather, of course, only the best. Perfect bending-over height too.] Don't be impatient. Lean over the back and show me you can wait nicely.
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Date: 2023-07-19 12:29 pm (UTC)But Miles... Something about the wound he left just feels wrong. Like their body rejects it. They're covered in their own blood, hands and chest and swelling stomach glistening with crimson red. It scares them more than it hurts. What kind of malice does it take to hurt someone like this?
They watch through terrified tears as the pack carries Benji away, hurrying towards the cabin so Naseer can patch him up. Leaving them with their Alpha. Kurt shudders in his arms, pain and fear and betrayal all wrapped up in one.
"Wh-Why didn't you tell me about him?" they sob against him, hands curling into fists, sticky with drying blood. They have many more questions, more accusations and doubts, but they're too hurt and scared and angry to sort through them right now. "If I— I-If I knew he was out th-there, I would've... I would've been m-more careful... I d-didn't know, Alpha."
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Date: 2023-07-19 08:03 pm (UTC)Yes. Things had been so good, so peaceful and happy and complete that Corrigan hadn't let the thought of Miles even enter his head. He'd somehow believed that would be enough.
"I should've " he says finally, settling by the little dammed-up, deep portion of the river, Benji's sweet, wholehearted gift for Kurt. Benji, who is soaked with blood and whimpering in pain inside the cabin, because Corrigan hadn't thought to warn him or Kurt of the true dangers. It doesn't matter how or why it happened -- he's the Alpha. His whole reason for being is his pack, protecting and caring for it. No excuses.
So, scooping up the sunwarmed water, Corrigan starts to slowly wash away the blood. His instincts are demanding he lick the bleeding wound clean, but that would just encourage it to clot and scar, and he knows Kurt doesn't want that. If Miles mark is to fade, it must heal slowly. Still, he washes it as clean as he can, then guides Kurt to put pressure on it and lift it above their head to stop the bleeding. "I should've told you, Kurt. You're more than capable of handling that knowledge. I shouldn't have left you unprotected like that."
A pause, then Corrigan ducks his head, meeting the little humans teary eyes. "What did he say to you?" Miles has always fought best through words, sowing poison with half-truths and whispers. Corrigan knows he won't like the answer, but he needs to know.