Opposites Attract

Note for this chapter - my werewolves have a non-stereotypical trait in that they're not allergic to silver, instead they are allergic to iron. I've decided that my werewolves are a species of fey/Faery so iron is more logical then silver.

Thanks yet again to you guys that are still reading this and giving me comments and encouragement! It means a lot and please keep doing so.

CHAPTER SEVEN

RAUL

"Double Jack D and coke." The dark brown haired wolf shouted over the music and the din of the crowd that filled the pub, sliding Raul the money across the bar. Raul nodded to show he'd heard the order and began preparing it as he surreptitiously checked out the wolf. At 6'4 he was taller then Koen, his shoulders and chest were wider, packed with muscle, as were his legs and arms. He was young, Koen's age and attractive in a bad boy way, he was big and brawny reminding Raul of a sailor from another time or a heavy weight boxer. His dark brown hair was short with barely enough length to show a natural curl, his skin was a dark olive with only a short goatee on his clean shaved face. His pale green eyes were identical to Koen's, as was the controlled, cool expression in them. His face held similarities to Koen's but his features were harsher, as if a heavier hand was used to carve his features then Koen. But his mouth was the same, the same red sensual looking lips would soften his face a little if the 'wolf smiled or relaxed. If his sheer size and forbidding expression didn't stop you then his aura of tightly leashed strength and violence would. Raul shot the 'wolf he knew from Koen as Reynard his drink and handed him back his change. Koen's half brother inclined his head in a curt thank you gesture and turned his back to listen to the band. The band up there wasn't Koen's, they were a reggae band called Kenny and the Dudes and were popular enough to draw big crowds into the pub on Friday nights. Raul was no exception to the crowd, he too felt himself humming away to the catchy beat and lyrics, the particular song they were hearing was called Surfing the Tide and was one he knew well from the band's gigs here. When the song draw to a close and the last ringing notes had faded into the smoky, hot air surrounding them the lead singer, a big mixed race guy with dreads announced the band would be going on a short break and would be back in fifteen minutes.

"Why are you looking for Koen Reynard?" Raul asked bluntly, deciding that he'd have to go with the risky option if he was going to get anywhere with his inquiries.

"What did you call me?" The words were silky, chilling, carrying a growl of deadly warning despite their deceptive softness. Reynard had swung around, looming over Raul with a hard, focused expression, some unidentifiable emotion swirled in his eyes for a moment before it was gone.

"Reynard, you heard me." Raul repeated himself, meeting Reynard's cold, violent eyes and holding their grip boldly.

"You're a cocky son of a bitch aren't you 'wolf?" Reynard said in that silky cold voice.

"Answer my question. You are known as Reynard aren't you? Or Rey." Raul pushed, ignoring the warning from his 'wolf that he was treading on dangerous ground. He knew that and he knew Reynard was more dominant then he was, but he figured he might as well keep going.

Raul got nothing, then a slight curious tilt of the head across from him, there was a flash in his green eyes as they glowed with his 'wolf's presence. "What if I am."

Raul shrugged. "Somebody I know referred to you with that name."

A dark frown pulled Reynard's thick, dark eyebrows together. "Who?" He barked, his power starting to slip his skin as his emotions began to get the better of his control. His stronger energy was starting to sting and lash at Raul but he wasn't backing down yet even as he felt his own 'wolf swim up into his eyes, tightening his muscles in readiness for a fight if it came to that. Raul felt his wolf sharpening their teeth and claws, restlessly he scratched his lengthening claws on his jeans, waiting.

Raul gave him a penetrating look, still not dropping his eyes despite the slight tremor that was taking over his body from the effort it was taking to stand up to a more dominant 'wolf then he was.

"Who." Reynard repeated forcing his stronger will on Raul to get the answer he wanted.

Raul felt his will weakening despite himself, more his own 'wolf giving in in deference to the more dominant wolf, something that was ingrained in real wolves not just them, then his own choice.

"If you want to know you'll have to meet me after my shift." Raul gritted out reluctantly dropping his eyes and resisting the urge to rub at his tense shoulders. His wolf was still making invisible hackles stand up, still in defense mode. His 'wolf was still wary of letting down their guard and because of him so was Raul.

He hadn't really wanted to give away his trump card but if it meant getting information out of this 'wolf, then he'd do it. He'd only meant to try and glean more information the innocent way. Clearly Reynard was no fool and Raul tipped an imaginary hat to the 'wolf. Raul watched as Reynard narrowed his eyes at him, giving him his own penetrating look before he nodded curtly.

"Come back at twelve, I'll be done then." Raul told him and turned to serve another customer who'd come to the bar, beginning to draw up the three beers she was ordering.

Another curt nod and the 'wolf had melted into the crowd.

The rest of Raul's shift seemed to fly by as it usually did on a busy Friday night, all the bands were good and the customers were all in fairly good, merry moods. Jerry and Max their two bouncers only had to break up two fights which was a bit of a record for them. But the end of his shift finally came and Raul couldn't help sighing as he rolled his tired shoulders and stretched. Getting his coat he slapped Tien his replacement on the back and waved to Allan drawing up beers as he ducked through the door behind the bar. He saw no sign of their manager Ron or Megan out the back but realized she must be outside having a smoke break. Fishing his keys out of his coat pocket he headed for his car, a battered white Toyota corolla. He smelled Reynard before he saw him leaning on his car but he kept going and unlocked the driver's side door.

"You have information. Here I am." Reynard informed Raul with a fierce look.

Raul couldn't help raising an eyebrow at this. His thought that Koen had indeed left his family not the other way around was definatly looking to be more right then wrong. Raul wondered if his suspicion that Koen's family was trying to find him was also a right one.

"Get in, let's get some coffee I'm tired and cranky." Raul told him as he opened the door and slid in, leaning across to open the passenger door for Reynard. Reynard pulled the door open and slid in without another word as Raul started his car, pleased that the damned thing started on the first try for a change.

Raul drove them in silence to the closest after hours coffee bar and ordered himself a large flat white, waiting as Reynard ordered a long black. They paid for their coffees and found themselves seats in the nearly empty place.

"So about this information." Reynard suddenly said impatiently.

Raul shrugged barely restraining the grin from appearing on his face. "All I heard was that your name is Reynard or Rey more commonly and you're his half brother. That's all I know." Raul replied simply, spreading his hands open face down to show he had nothing else.

The pale green eyes across from him narrowed again but that unnamed emotion flared through them again. "Half brother?" He demanded.

"Half brother." Raul confirmed, giving Reynard a curious look.

"You have talked to Koen?" Reynard asked, an almost pleading tone in his gruff, low voice. It was so subtle Raul almost told himself he was imagining it. But no that unnamed emotion in his eyes was definatly hope to Raul's surprise.

Raul nodded. "I'm staying with him at the moment."

Reynard's head tilted in that curious gesture of his. "Your called Raul right?"

Again Raul nodded. "Why are you staying with my brother?" Reynard asked more curious then demanding.

"I don't have an alpha and got into a fight with a lesser. I beat him up pretty badly and his older brother Jordan might be after my blood for the effort." Raul answered honestly, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

Reynard grinned openly this time, revealing a cute hidden dimple in his right cheek. "Jordan? Not a smart idea, that's not a 'wolf to get on the wrong side of."

Raul grinned back. "Perhaps not, but Dylan deserved what he got."

Reynard shook his head whistling softly in appreciation. "We all pick our battles but man you sure picked yours."

Then his expression hardened. "Why was Koen near you when that happened? Koen just doesn't go around collecting 'wolves." This time Raul thought he sensed sadness even when he saw no physical sign of this.

Raul shrugged. "We are friends. He saw the end of the fight and knowing I was a lesser without an alpha he offered. Reluctantly I grant you, but he offered to stand as my alpha for me. He seems to know Jordan well too."

This time Reynard shrugged not looking too surprised. "Everybody knows Jordan." He commented with a wry twist to his mouth.

Then he was looking at Raul searchingly after a long silence broken only by the tired middle-aged woman bringing them their coffees. "It appears that my brother sees something in you that he calls you friend and is willing to step in as your alpha so I'll go with his opinion of you." Reynard finally said sounding reluctant.

"I take it he hasn't told you why he's on his own?" Reynard volunteered after a brooding silence on his part, he'd been searching the lit up darkness outside the window restlessly.

Raul shook his head knowing his expression was frustrated. "No, he doesn't tell me or anybody else anything. Although I think his human friend and band member knows."

Reynard looked truly surprised this time. "Mark is still with him?"

Raul nodded giving Reynard a curious look of his own. "You know Mark?"

Reynard nodded. "I do. Our pack knows him, as he knows some of us. He was there for some of it."

Raul regarded Reynard knowing the curiosity in his expression was begging for information. With a twitch of his lips Reynard seemed to take pity on him. "I can't tell you the whole story, some of it's not mine to tell, some I don't know the answer to and I'd never betray my brother you understand." Reynard told him in his hard, silky voice.

Raul nodded he understood loyalty to one's pack, even if he'd never really had a pack of his own.

Sucking air in through his teeth Reynard chewed his bottom lip for a moment or two, clearly thinking. "Has he told you anything at all?" He started out.

Raul frowned. "He mentioned your name and the names of the rest of his family. He also mentioned in response to a Brant calling that you guys weren't supposed to know where he was or have his home number."

Reynard scowled. "Damn that Koen, when I find that boy I'm going to smack him into next Tuesday!" The 'wolf growled.

"I won't tell you how Brant got a hold of Koen's phone number or how I've managed to track him to London after the past three years." Reynard warned. "Koen made a mistake."

"A mistake?" Raul prompted when Reynard just started out the window in silence, brooding.

"Koen was always alpha material right from when he was just a pup. But he was always far to adventurous and reckless. Koen was always the one leading Kaula and I into more mischief then either of us came up with combined. He had . . . . Interests . . . That were . .different . . To the rest of us and through most of his teens he experimented with these . .. Other interests." Reynard explained.

Raul gave him a questioning look knowing through instinct that Reynard was referring to Koen's sexual interest in guys. He was also a little surprised to hear that Koen had once been far more of a free spirit, more daring then he was now. It gave Raul a clue into how much Koen's life had been changed by the events Reynard was going to tell him about.

Seeing that Raul was just going to wait out his explanation Reynard continued with a grimace. "Koen met Levi, a human male when he was nineteen. In his arrogance and naivety he believed in the old stories about soulmates and somehow convinced himself that this human was his soulmate." Reynard almost spat out, his contempt of whoever Levi was clear in his tone and expression.

Raul was startled as the soulmate myths weren't something he imagined Koen being a believer in, he was too cynical, too grounded for fairly tales. But then Raul admitted to himself he didn't know Koen that well yet and everybody was young and stupid at one time. Raul was more shocked to hear that Koen believed a human would be his soulmate. The stories for one never detailed that a human could be a 'wolf's soulmate, there wasn't a single old story containing a human soul mate and Raul like most 'wolves had heard most of them before. It just didn't happen, humans and 'wolves, as well as other shifters were sterile if they mated with a human for a start and you had to be another 'wolf to get the connection the stories told about.

"As I said Koen made a mistake. He ignored our father's warning to stay away from humans but Koen didn't listen, he rarely listened to anybody who disagreed with his opinion even Dad's. He bit Levi." Reynard went on when he'd controlled himself.

Raul felt himself blanch, Reynard's expression was pale and disturbed too. Koen's wolf must have believed enough that the human was his soul mate for them to have bitten them. No 'wolf bit his bed partner unless there was a belief and a connection in both of them to drive the instinct to mark and claim.

Reynard's expression was grim as he nodded acknowledging Raul's expression. "To this day I don't know if Koen bit him by accident or deliberately, he's never admitted to doing either one. Regardless of Koen's intent, all us 'wolves know that 'wolf serum should never get near a human."

Raul nodded still stunned Koen had done something so stupid. 'Wolves had a special type of saliva that was secreted through their fangs. During fucking with a mate a 'wolf's teeth came out and the urge to bite was strong. The heady fluid they produced during sex, 'wolf serum most of them called it, aided in the emotional, mental and physical bonding of two mates. It was a sign of their kind's aggressive tendencies to mark what was theirs and the deep bond between mates that produced the urge to bite in the first place. But the serum itself was a type of drug, in 'wolves it was addicting in a way, but only in that it addicted mates to each other as each 'wolf's serum was different. Once addicted to your mate it couldn't be broken but the addiction took place slowly, the longer the couple was together the deeper the addiction between the couple. But with humans it only took one bite and that was it, the human that was bitten was driven almost to insanity in their quest to get more of it, to fed the addiction to 'wolf serum. Most of them died from a mixture of insanity and withdrawl as the addiction to it was so strong they died from the withdrawal in a painful, slow death.

"I see you already suspect some of what I'm going to tell you." Reynard said grimly, but his eyes were more bitter then sad this time, haunted with memory.

"After Koen bit him Levi went nuts. Koen kept him locked up for several days so he couldn't escape and cause destruction, Koen didn't know what to do with him and couldn't bring himself to kill him. So he bit him again to stop his raving and screams of pain. He'd already started going through withdrawl and Koen couldn't bare to see him in that much pain. Despite Koen's precautions Levi managed to smash out the window and getting away. Koen was frantic to find him as he didn't want him getting far in the state he was in or blabbing to humans about the "wolf drug". The various governments around the world may know of us and choose to ignore us but something like that would bring far too much attention to us." Reynard carried on.

Raul agreed wholeheartedly their kind would be fucked royally if the information got out to the wrong people that there was a new drug to fuck people up with and make money out of. There was also a risk that the government would find them a threat to humans and have them eliminated.

"Well Koen told me what had happened, so we went looking for him and tracked him down. We managed to kill him before he could do any damage to werewolves and other weres the world over. Or we thought we'd got him in time." Reynard said darkly.

"We'd gone home confident we'd stopped the problem with Levi but we had a visit from a group of humans. Mark was with them, as Levi's brother and the rest were friends. He'd managed to tell them enough about it that they'd come investigating. They kidnapped our little brother Raine and when we couldn't find him we had to tell the others. Dad organized us to go looking for Raine and out we went, we were split up into different search groups and managed to track them down before they got far. Dad's group was the one that found Rain, but he was killed, our aunt Gisele and I was hurt pretty badly but we got Raine out of there. By the time Koen's group caught up with us we were fighting with them, they'd called in 'wolf reinforcements. Don't ask me where they got the 'wolves from, because I don't know. They captured Koen when he went to try and release his twin Kaula from the trap they'd caught her with. " Reynard continued after another one of his long, brooding silences. This time he didn't even try to keep the unhappy, pissed off expression from his face. Raul found himself wondering why they wanted just Koen when all their kind produced wolf serum.

"When we realized Dad was dead Mum took charge of us all, Kaula and Dior were left behind with Raine and the rest of us went to find Koen. It took us a few weeks, when we found him he was chained up in a basement, the chains were iron so he couldn't break them and get away. He was unconscious when we found him, well gone into blood poisoning and we nearly lost him. The only reason we found him at all was thanks to Mark. " Again Reynard was reduced to brooding silence, but the struggle to hold back his emotions showed in his eyes despite his efforts.

"We never did learn what they did to him or what they were planning to do with him because he was gone before we could stop him. Obviously he had help from Mark again, because half dead as he was he managed to get away and we couldn't find him. We tracked him down to Ireland and again to Italy but he got away from us both times and we finally lost him three years ago." Reynard explained the pissed off expression returning to his face. "We haven't stopped looking, we never will stop looking for him. But the stubborn bastard has the idea he has to play hero here, when he doesn't. He belongs to us, as we belong with him, he's our leader whether he wants to admit it or not."

Raul sympathized with Reynard and the rest of Koen's family, he knew what they were facing with Koen's stubborn refusal to avoid something. "Don't worry I know where your coming from, I'm well acquainted with Koen's stubborn side." Raul said wryly.

The anger cleared in Reynard's expression for a moment to be replaced with curious amusement. "Oh?"

"Yep and all I'm trying to do is get into his pants." Raul admitted with a half smile, half smirk.

Reynard chuckled. "Good luck with that then, cos we've been trying for five years now."

Raul groaned. "Damn your telling me I gotta wait five years for sex?"

Reynard grinned at him that hidden dimple flashing. "If you want Koen, yeah I'd say so. If I were you buddy, I'd go for an easier lay, I really would."