In the parking garage, Blake got out of his Mercedes and shut the door. He smelled him approach, a combination of pot, leather, and old dog.
“James,” Blake said, turning to his left. “Took you long enough.”
“I happened to see your boyfriend at work in the field,” said James.
“You got one up on me,” Blake said, unlocking the door. He tossed his briefcase inside. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”
“You guessed right.” James began to approach, closing the distance as Blake dropped the key into his pocket. “I won’t have my beta be a fag.”
Blake smiled and backed away from the car. “That really burns you, doesn’t it? That I can be open-minded enough to accept that I might like men just as much as women.”
James held out his hand, fingers spread into claws. Jesus, thought Blake, not the car…
James dragged his hand along the car, creating four deep scratches in the dark blue paint. Blake closed his eyes from the sound and looked up, as if to pray. He felt the fury but tampered it down, knowing this is what James was going for. James always won when the other wolf was furious.
Blake took off his jacket. No sense in getting that torn up during the change. He tossed the jacket on the hood of the car.
“I’m not your beta, first of all,” said Blake. “Your pack is gone.”
“I’ll have another pack,” James said. “I’ll have a better pack, and they will all do what I say.”
Blake started to unbutton his shirt.
“Since when do you care about your human clothes?”
“Since I paid over a hundred dollars for this shirt,” he said. James lashed out, and Blake danced back, just barely getting scratched by James.
But James didn’t give him pause, as he shifted quickly to his hybrid form even while leaping to attack. Blake was already shifting and undoing the tie that didn’t rip off and instead threatened to choke him. He moved back to give himself room and get out of the way of the other parked cars. Blake caught James, and the two rolled on the concrete of the garage. James bit Blake’s shoulder, while Blake punched him solidly in the ribs, knowing he broke them. James gasped for breath, while Blake kicked James off of him, slamming him into the hood of another car, shattering the windshield. The alarm went off, loud and echoing.
However, that didn’t cover James’ howl, the howl that could command any wolf within range – and by extension, dogs. Blake didn’t have much time before a chihuahua would decide to show up to possibly hamstrung his ankles.
“I challenge you!” Blake roared, and ran at James. James was ready, but not as ready as he should have, not expecting his beta to have as much force, as much drive as he did. Again he slammed into the screaming car, crunching the grille and the hood again. Blake briefly registered it was a Jaguar.
James punched at Blake, but nothing happened – Blake was full of fury. How dare he get Scott involved in his problems! How dare he come after him, thinking he was still a beta! And most of all, how dare he tell him who to care for?
James went to bite at Blake’s throat, and he jerked back, losing his balance. This time James shoved Blake off, and Blake stumbled back into the middle of the garage, while a car screamed around the corner. Blake saw this coming and backpedaled to the other side. James followed, the car came around the corner, and slammed right into James’ side, toppling him over and sending him sprawling. Blake didn’t move at first.
The radio in the car stopped thumping as the female driver peered up over the steering wheel. James got to his hands and knees, and glared at the car. Another roar and a howl, and he launched himself at the windshield. A soundless scream came from the driver as James punched the windshield, putting a hole in it and shattering it. Blake heard the scream now.
Blake rushed at James, still on the hood of the car, and shoved him off, trying to get his fury-laced attention away from the civilian. James changed into a full wolf, and Blake could hear the barking of dogs.
He had to end this, and end this soon. James probably expected Blake to change into full wolf, but Blake wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. Instead Blake swung a heavy arm and clubbed the wolf in the muzzle. This time, the wolf whined as something snapped. Blake grabbed the wolf by its waist and lifted it by its hind legs, then jerked. The wolf cried out in pain as its legs were dislocated.
Blake threw the wolf to the other side of the car and slowly advanced on James. “I’m not yours anymore.”
As James transformed, Blake leaned down and grabbed James by the throat, his nails digging in and drawing blood. “You leave me and mine alone.” He threw James down so hard his head bounced on the concrete.
Blake turned to look at the driver, who just stared at the exchange.
At the same time, the dogs came. The dogs jumped over cars and came right for Blake. There were about two dozen of them, all gunning for him. Blake could stand or run. He chose the former.
One dog leaped from what seemed an impossible distance, going right for Blake’s throat. Blake tossed him aside while another dog got through and grabbed his left arm in his mouth. Jaws squeezed, teeth tearing into flesh. Blake pulled his arm, leaving behind fresh meat for the dog. Another dog, this one bigger than the rest, jumped on Blake to try and knock him down. Blake didn’t go down and head-butted the animal’s nose. The dog went down, and then two more jumped up. Blake knocked them away and backed up against the stopped car with the terrified driver inside it.
James was standing up, in human form, naked, as expected. Blake looked at him, “Call them off, James.”
James seemed to actually consider the idea. He smirked, saying, “I’m the alpha.”
“Not my alpha.”
“You can’t live long if you have no alpha.”
“I’ve lived this long without you.”
After some time, while dogs growled and snarled and showed their formidable teeth, James whistled. The dogs all jerked their heads as one to him, ears perked. James whistled again. The dogs started leaving in pairs, heading back out of the parking garage. Blake breathed a sigh of relief, then shifted. He too, was naked. He peered at the driver. “You all right?”
“Uh huh,” she said, staring at Blake.
Blake looked up to see James was gone. He was going home to lick his wounds and hopefully not cause any more trouble. As it was, the bastard owed him a new suit.