Timber Pack Chronicles Ch. 08

"But--"

"No buts, pup."

Parker harrumphed and laid his head on Colton's shoulder. He wasn't going to let his best friend go without a fight. He'd figure a way around the rules. Convincing Shell would be easy. It was Curtis he didn't know about.

Parker sat up when he heard someone walk into the locker room.

"Come on," Jed whispered as he dragged a smaller guy by the hand. "No one will find out. I promise."

They both froze when they rounded the row of lockers and saw Parker and Colton sitting on the bench.

Parker recognized the twink as Steven from the swim team. Steven gasped in shock, looking like a deer caught in headlights, as he looked between the other three men. Close to dying of embarrassment, he turned and ran out of the locker room.

"Well, damn," Jed moaned. He glowered at Parker and Colton. "Thanks. Thanks a lot. I was about to end my dry spell."

He muttered to himself as he gripped his crotch and stomped into one of the toilet stalls and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Let's go," Colton said. "No way in hell are you going to overhear what's going down in there."

Parker laughed as Colton pulled him up from the bench and dragged him out of the locker room.

* * *

Colton followed Jed out of the camp's mess hall towards the parking lot. His enforcer's father had just arrived with a truck full of equipment and building supplies.

Colton waved to his mate, who was busy weeding with the trimmer while Trey mowed the overgrown grass. The camp grounds were a mess, but Colton was confident that their new home would be in top shape soon and he was eager to get started. The supplies that Jed's father delivered would be the first step in getting that done.

John Stone and his oldest son, affectionately known as Junior, climbed out of the pickup truck and looked around.

"Hey, dad," Jed called out to the massive man.

Jed shook his father's hand, then dodged his big brother's hand as it playfully swept at his head. "Missed," he said with a smirk.

Colton smiled as the two brothers began smacking and ducking from each other, each of them laughing. Junior got Jed into a headlock and rubbed his knuckles across the top of Jed's head. Jed pulled a reverse and knocked Junior onto his back on the ground, where they each tried to wrestle each other into submission.

John snorted, and turned to Colton. "23 and 18 years old and they still act like pups." He offered his hand.

Colton shook it. "Thanks, John. I appreciate you doing this for us."

"Don't mention it. If I could do more, I would. I hope you know that."

"I understand. This is plenty. We can handle it."

"Why don't you show me around? Maybe I can give you a little 'neighborly' advice. I can tell right now that you're gonna need more roof shingles that than what I brought..."

* * *

Parker set down the scrub brush and slumped against the bathtub. He was exhausted.

The four pack-mates had been coming out to the campground--their new pack lands--every spare minute, and all weekend, for the past two weeks. The first cabin, which was slightly larger than the other five that were somewhat salvageable, was Colton and Parker's. Of course, it was where he and Colton first made love.

He had just spent all morning scrubbing the windows and had just finished with the bathroom.

He could hear an electric saw and a nail gun pounding coming from somewhere in the background. Jed, Trey and Colton were busy repairing the cabins, concentrating on Colton's and Jed's cabins first, along with the common building that housed a small office, a big kitchen, a laundry room, and a large open dining room that could be used as a mess hall or for meetings.

Jed's dad and his older brother were as helpful as they could be. They supplied Jed with tools and supplies. They offered a lot of advice, but they weren't allowed to actually help out since Timber Pack was seen as a rival pack.

Parker didn't understand why they couldn't work together, why they had to be rivals. Colton gave an explanation about wolves being territorial, but Parker still didn't get it. He just wanted everyone to get along.

The stupid rivalry had cost him his best friend and that made him angry.

It was a good thing that Jed learned a lot from his dad and older brother. The big man was good with his hands.

Parker decided it was time for a break. He pushed himself to his feet and walked into the cabin's main room. He looked around and smiled. Sure, the single-room dwelling was tiny compared to his parents' "McMansion," but the log cabin was rustic and cozy. It was perfect for him and Colton.

They had replaced the sofa with one they bought from a thrift store. The one that came furnished with the cabin had a mildew smell that made both of them sick. The place was already starting to look like a home and Parker already thought of it that way.

He glanced over at their bed. The covers were still thrown back and messed up. One of the first things Colton did was buy a new mattress. Together, they picked out sheets and blankets and bought new pillows. They spent a lot of time in that bed together and Parker's newly sensitive nose could smell their mingled scents coming from the sheets.

His dick started to harden as he remembered Colton making love to him in that bed just this morning. He pressed his palm against his erection, trying to push it into a more comfortable position. Maybe he could get Colton to fuck him again after their lunch break...

He grabbed the cooler by the handle and lifted it up. He wheeled it out onto the porch and let it drop.

"Lunch break!" he called.

Parker watched Jed leap from the roof of his own cabin onto the ground. He was remarkably graceful for someone who looked like the Hulk. Colton and Trey came from inside. The trio walked over to where Parker was setting up lunch on the porch.

Despite the cool weather, all three of them were shirtless and sweaty. Colton's glistening chest hair and muscle definition made Parker start to drool.

"Did Alph-- er, Forrest say anything about other wolves in the area?" Trey asked Colton as they walked towards Parker.

"No. He said a non-wolf shifter lives in the village. Why?"

"I scented a wolf in my cabin. The scent's faint. He's been gone a while, but it looked like he'd been living there."

"You think it's the rogue?" Parker asked, his guard going up. He looked around the campground, looking for anything suspicious. His nose twitched as he scented the air, not that he had any idea what he was sniffing.

Colton rubbed his hand through the hair on the back of Parker's head, before landing on the nape of his neck. The big wolf was soothing him but didn't even appear to be doing it consciously.

"No," Trey said. "It's definitely a wolf, though. He's not hiding his scent."

Colton thought for a moment. "Hm. I think we need to make a trip into town."

Parker opened up the cooler and handed out bottles of water. He peeked into the sandwiches that he had made earlier, giving Colton the two loaded up with everything on wheat bread, Jed the two with no onions on white bread, and finally Trey got the two with no mayo or mustard.

He picked up the one with no mustard or tomatoes and took a bite.

Colton sat on the steps next to his boy and leaned down and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. "You're the perfect alpha mate, you know."

"I am?"

"Yup. You take care of your pack."

"I just made sandwiches. No big deal."

"Exactly. It's no big deal for you; you do it naturally."

Parker swallowed a bite of his roast beef on wheat. "I have to tell my parents that I'm moving out when school gets out. They don't understand what we're doing out here. My dad doesn't like it."

"Hmph. I'm surprised they noticed you were gone."

"That's not fair, Colton."

"You're right. I'm sorry, pup."

"But maybe you're right, just a little."

Trey cleared his throat. "I was thinking... I could stay if you need me, after graduation."

"Fuck that," Colton countered, tapping Trey's chest with his index finger. "You're going to college. Besides, when you get drafted by the NFL, we're gonna need your pack dues to pay the mortgage." Colton laughed. "I'm just kidding ya, dude." He let out a breath and got serious for a moment. "No matter what happens, you have a home here. You'll always be Timber Pack."

"How are we gonna pay the mortgage?" Jed asked with a final mouthful of sandwich. He swallowed it down and unwrapped a second one.

"I'm using my college fund," Colton said. He drank down about half of his water. "And I have some savings. Not much, but some."

Parker cleared his throat. "I think I want to stay here. I can do online classes. We can use the rest of my college fund, and I have some savings, too. I want to work and support us the same as you."

"No," Colton said.

"We'll see," Parker said before returning to his sandwich.

Colton frowned at his defiance, but Parker wasn't going to budge on this.

Colton grunted. "I talked to Forrest. If I take the police academy classes after graduation, he'll hire me on as a deputy. The village of Timber has a small sheriff's office but no police presence."

Jed and Trey nodded.

Parker thought that Colton would make a good cop. Being the head lawman in the village seemed like a natural fit for the Alpha. And, most importantly, he'd look really sexy in the uniform.

Then he realized that Colton would have to work under Alpha Forrest. Yeah, that might not work out so well. In the time since they'd been forced to leave, Colton managed to piss off Forrest at least twice. And those were the times that he knew about. It also occurred to him that it was a really good way for Forrest to keep an eye on his rival neighbor. Parker decided not to say anything to Colton about that... for now.

"Good. I want all of us here Friday night. It's Parker's first full moon."

Parker looked between the three men and smiled. His gaze drifted to the tattoo on Colton's bare arm, the one that all three of them had permanently inked into their skin. "I want a tattoo like you guys have."

Colton pulled his arm across his chest and flexed his bicep. "I guess this is our pack tattoo. You're a founding member, just like us. I'll make the appointment to get you inked, pup. To celebrate your first change."

* * *

Colton pointed to an empty parking spot, signaling for Jed to pull in. Jed parallel parked his truck in front of the sheriff's office in downtown Timber.

The village was part of Colton's pack territory. Standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the village, Colton now understood why Forrest wasn't so interested in keeping it. If you blinked, you'd miss the small town with a population of less than two thousand.

"Well, fuck. Is this it?" Jed asked while looking up and down the street.

There was a single blinking yellow traffic light hanging over the middle of the downtown intersection.

The closed up sheriff's office sat in the middle of a strip of businesses, next to a tiny post office that was little more than a single-window kiosk. On the other side of the post office was the Timber General Store. There was a diner across the street as well as a laundromat and what looked like a lawyer's office. Further down the way was a small gas station, with a bar on the other side of the street.

Jed sniffed the air and turned back towards the General Store. "I smell two shifters. A wolf and..." He sniffed again.

Colton's nostrils flared. "A bear."

Parker's jaw dropped. "A bear? Like a bear bear? You know, a grizzly bear?"

"No," Jed laughed. "It's Winnie the Pooh."

Colton led his pack into the store. A slender young man in an apron looked up from the apples he was stocking. The wolf pup's eyes widened in recognition and he stepped backwards until he stood behind a burly lumberjack-looking mountain man.

That was definitely the bear shifter.

Complete with a full beard, red flannel shirt, suspenders and blue jeans, he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but you never knew with some shifters.

The bear folded his arms across his chest and stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, blocking their view of the young wolf. Colton could smell the bear all over the wolf. The bear was definitely fucking the little dark-haired wolf and the way he was guarding over him, Colton guessed that they were probably mates.

Colton wasn't intimidated. He knew he could take the bear if it came down to it. The bear may have looked soft, but he was strong. Even so, Colton knew that the man was too big and too slow to be much of a threat against a big Alpha wolf, especially if Colton shifted into his hybrid form.

"You must be the new wolf pack that's moved into the area," the lumberjack said. "I'm Buck. I own the store. This here is my partner, Stan."

Stan peeked around the bear and nodded his head respectfully, but never lifted his eyes to look at Colton. The frightened pup was a year or two older than Colton, maybe early to mid-twenties at the oldest. He was about Parker's size but not as defined. Colton was concerned about him. The pup should be respectful and deferential towards the new alpha, but he was acting like he was scared to death, and Colton didn't like that.

"I'm Colton Butler."

He stepped forward and shook Buck's hand. He held his hand out to Stan. The smaller wolf leaned forward and gave Colton's hand a quick shake, then stepped back behind his bear.

"This is my beta, Trey; my enforcer, Jed; and my mate, Parker."

Stan peeked around Buck again, lifted his eyes and looked at Parker before looking back at Colton, then back down to the floor. "You're mated to a man?" he asked in wonder.

"Yes."

"But you're an Alpha."

"That's right. Timber Pack doesn't discriminate."

Buck looked between the four men. "So, are you here to collect pack dues or something?"

"No," Colton said. "If you want to be pack, you're welcome to join. I won't force you."

"Stan and I would need to talk about it." Buck turned back to his smaller mate. "Why don't you go in back and start unpacking today's shipment for me?" Stan nodded. Buck ran his thumb across Stan's chin fur. "Thank you, cub."

Stan looked up at Buck for a moment, his eyes filled with love and adoration, before turning to leave.

Colton frowned as he watched Stan scurry into the store's back room. Stan was a 'pup', not a 'cub', but Colton didn't want to create waves with the bear, so he kept quiet.

When Stan was gone, Buck relaxed slightly. "Look, Stan was treated pretty shitty by his last pack. Some bullshit about being an omega. I'm not gonna pretend to understand wolf pack dynamics. He ended up homeless and travelling halfway across the country, before he wound up living up in those cabins of yours for a little bit. I want Stan to be happy and I want him to be safe."

"He'll be safe whether or not you two join the pack. You have my word. You may not be pack, but you're in my territory."

Buck regarded Colton for a moment, then held out his hand. Colton shook it.

"Welcome to Timber," Buck said.

"Thanks, Buck." Colton smiled and tapped Buck on the arm.

After they left the store, they headed across the street to the diner. When the four boys entered the restaurant, every eye in the place turned towards them and regarded them with curiosity.

They moved to the last booth in the corner and sat down. Slowly everyone turned back to their own business.

A middle-aged woman with bleach-blond hair wearing a yellow uniform and white apron walked up with a smile. "I don't think I've seen you boys in here before. Surely I would have remembered. I'm Dottie."

"Hi, Dottie," Colton answered, putting on his most charming smile. "Me and my friends are new to the area and we're looking for dessert. What do you got that's good?"

"We got strawberry cake and apple pie. I baked 'em fresh this morning."

"Mmm, strawberry cake please," Parker said with a happy grin. "And a glass of water."

"I'll have the apple pie," Jed said. He gave her a sheepish smile and added, "Two pieces."

"That sounds good," added Colton. "Apple pie for me, too. But just one piece."

"I'll have the cake and a cup of coffee," Trey said.

"Coming right up. But next time you gotta come in for the lunch special, you hear?"

"We sure will," Colton said with a wink.

After Dottie left to prep their order, Trey leaned in. "So, what do you think?"

Colton looked out the window down the village strip. "I like it here." He put his arm around Parker's shoulders and looked down at his mate. "I think we can be happy here."

* * *

Parker bounded down the stairs with his backpack. He found his dad at the dining room table sitting with his laptop and a big stack of folders and papers. Barney was so totally engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice Parker enter the room. As Parker came up behind him, he noticed his dad looking through some sort of financial records on the screen. All of the folders on the table were labeled "F.V.W.P. HOLDINGS".

"Jed's on his way. He'll be here in a second, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Startled by Parker's sudden appearance, Barney looked up from his laptop and quickly closed the lid. "What?"

"It's Saturday. I'm spending the night at Jed's. Remember?"

Parker got a blank look from his father. "No."

Biting back the urge to sigh, he said, "You and Mom said it was okay. Last night. At dinner."

Barney continued to stare at him for a moment, his eyes briefly lingering around Parker's neck.

Parker shifted nervously between his feet. He was positive that his scar was covered by his clothing, but he wasn't able to hide the noticeable hickey that Colton had left. Parker was really going to let Colton have it when he saw him. Hell, who was he kidding? All Colton had to do was touch him or kiss him and he'd do anything his mate asked.

His father leaned across the table and scooped up something. "Your mother was looking for these. Can you bring them to her?"

Parker was momentarily stunned. It was the most his father had said to him in days. "Sure."

He walked over and held out his hand. Barney placed a pair of earrings into his palm.

Parker cried out in pain and jerked his hand away, dropping the earrings onto the floor.

"Something wrong?" Barney asked.

"No. It's nothing." His eyes welled with tears and he tried to breathe normally and not shake apart as he squatted down. He looked at his hand and saw that he had two angry red blisters where the silver had burned him.

As he pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt over his hand and carefully picked up the earrings, the doorbell rang.

When Barney got up to answer the door, Parker dropped the horrid pieces of metal onto the table.

Jed's loud voice rang through the house. "Hi. I'm Jed. You must be Mr. Montgomery. Nice to meet you, sir."

Parker walked to the door where Jed was happily shaking his dad's hand. His dad pulled his hand back, turned around and walked back to the dining room.

"You okay?" Jed quietly asked Parker, his brows scrunched with concern.

Parker cradled his hand and nodded. "I'm fine."

As Parker closed the door behind him, he noticed his father carefully watching them from the dining room archway, juggling the earrings in his hand.

"You sure you're okay?" Jed asked again as they walked to his truck.

"I burned my hand on some silver," Parker replied. "It hurts."

Jed took Parker's hand and looked at the burns. "It's not too bad. It'll heal fairly quick. I think I have some aloe in the truck."

They got into the truck and Jed fished around the glove box and found the bottle of lotion.

Parker took the bottle and popped the cap. He turned it upside but suddenly stopped and looked back at Jed. "Please tell me that you don't use this for what I think you use it for."

The corner of Jed's mouth turned up in a smirk. "I don't use lube when I jack off, if that's what you're asking."