+++++
Author's note:
This is a direct sequel to the previously published story Runt and Giant. That story is required reading before this one.
+++++
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tim asked his husband for the umpteenth time.
Paine rolled his eyes.
"I'm not even going to answer that anymore. Clearly you aren't listening to me when I tell you."
"I know, it's just...rough out there. Especially since you're attached to...well..."
His voice trailed off, but the large man knew what the small boy meant. In their cabin, they were equals, but back in the Romulus pack, Paine was a complete outsider and Tim was at the very bottom of the totem pole.
Paine's twenty-ninth birthday was on February 20th, which was right around the corner. It also happened to be the day after a full moon, which was quite the coincidence considering that his husband was a werewolf.
The two had met, imprinted, and fallen hopelessly in love over the course of about a week less than a year prior. During that time, they were both indirectly and directly responsible for quite a few changes in Tim's old pack, Romulus, all for the better. Despite that, most of the heavy lifting wasn't done by either of them, so they weren't the ones recognized for it.
Since then, the only contact they'd had was when Tim's sister Kayleigh visited them on Tim's birthday, and two other times just for lunch. But Paine didn't want his baby boy to be so distant from his family, which is part of why he decided that for his birthday the two of them would live with the pack for a few days.
The idea of an estranged omega and a human few in the pack had even heard of visiting for any length of time was ludicrous, completely unheard of. It would never have come to be if it weren't for the fact that Kayleigh and her husband Samuel were the two leaders of Romulus since the events of last summer. They were able to convince their pack that it would be okay.
Tim really did miss his little sister, but he was nervous that he would return to the pack and regress back to the feeble little runt he had been for most of his life. The boy was an omega and because of that quickly learned he was best seen and not heard. He grew insecure, submissive, and developed a stutter throughout his childhood. He'd only recently begun to shake off those habits by living with Paine for several months. What would his mate think if he was brought back to the beginning so easily?
Paine knelt to match Tim's height and cupped his husband's face.
"Listen, and listen carefully." He looked right into Tim's powder-blue eyes. "You're so much stronger than you think, and if you ever feel overwhelmed, I will always be there for you. Kayleigh and Samuel have authority and I'll protect you with my life. I want to know everything there is to know about you. You've lived my life, so I want to live yours. Please, babe, give me a smile."
The youth felt his eyes mist up, but smiled shakily.
They shared a kiss before Paine straightened up again.
"Let's get going. We have quite the hike ahead of us."
*****
Kayleigh worked dutifully, but over a few hours she started getting concerned. The warmest part of the day had passed and Tim and Paine hadn't arrived yet.
Her life had changed drastically since she turned twenty. Her husband was the pack's highest ranking alpha, but she had also gained a motherly sort of authority and the other pack members grew to see her as co-leader. It was a lot of responsibility to take on so suddenly, but Kayleigh Vance wasn't the type to back down from a challenge. She adapted, learned, and grew up a little in the past few months. But no matter how much she had changed, she knew she'd always share a bond with her older brother.
The young beta woman smiled in spite of herself. She had changed a bit, but her brother completely came out of his shell. In her three visits she watched him evolve from repressed and meek to more confident and open. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so happy. That was part of why she'd been hesitant to accept Paine's offer. She didn't know her brother-in-law all that well, but even so it was apparent that he would sooner die than do something that would be damaging to Tim's well-being. That was why she accepted and convinced Samuel to also get on board despite some misgivings.
"Kayleigh, ma'am?" a quiet voice behind her asked.
She turned around and saw one of the pack's omegas.
"Yes?"
The other wolf fidgeted slightly. It was in her nature as an omega to get nervous around an authority figure, however kind and fair their authority may be.
"Your brother just got here. He's at the omega camp, and he's with a...really big human." The two leaders had assured them all that Tim's mate was harmless, but his size and power was intimidating nonetheless.
The beta sighed slightly in relief.
"Thank you for telling me. You can go back to what you were doing."
The omega nodded and scampered away.
Kayleigh walked over to where the omegas lived and sure enough saw her brother and his husband. She hugged them both, though hugging Paine felt like hugging a mountain.
"You guys make it here okay?" She turned to Paine. "I hope Tim didn't slow you down too much."
Her brother pouted and Kayleigh ruffled his hair, giggling. He was so small and slight most people found it hard to believe he was two years her senior.
She looked around and saw several omegas, mostly pups, looking at them curiously, though all of them were hiding behind something. Clearly Paine's presence had an effect on them.
"You both must be freezing. Let's get you warmed up."
*****
The three of them spent a couple hours in the tent Kayleigh shared with Samuel, catching up over a small fire. Throughout that time a few other lycans stopped by briefly, like Kayleigh's husband and her friend Morgan. If there were any alphas in their pack that Tim should be comfortable around, it was them, but she couldn't help but notice the way Tim twitched slightly and leaned against Paine just a bit upon initially seeing them, even if all following conversation was normal.
He had made a lot of progress, eight months prior he would have run away the moment he smelled the alphas approaching, but it was apparent that he was still afraid of them to some extent. Tim wouldn't be able to sleep at all if he was near them, even if he was with Paine. And Paine clearly had a similar effect on all the omegas in Romulus. This made the temporary sleeping arrangement obvious.
"You two should stay with the betas. It's a little crowded, but I'm sure you'll make do."
Paine was quick to reassure her. "We will."
A few minutes later the two mates were walking to the clearing where the betas, the majority of the pack, slept. There were dozens of structures, some made of sticks and branches, and even some modern tents either purchased or stolen from human society. Paine already knew this, and decided their shelter would meet somewhere in the middle. He'd done his research, and learned how to make a sort of teepee out of thin logs and a huge tarp he'd bought. It was big enough for both of them to fit snugly and they'd be able to have a small fire inside.
Paine set up their temporary home and Tim knew he was too weak to be much help, so there wasn't much for him to do besides talk to his husband. There was a point where Paine left to get some firewood and he decided to be of some use and unpack their sleeping bag. He was focused enough to not be paying much attention to his surroundings and was completely blindsided when he almost ran into a beta walking by.
The omega squeaked and almost fell over, but the beta caught him in time.
"Whoa, bud, didn't mean to startle you."
Tim caught his bearings and it registered to him that he had never seen the lycan in front of him before.
This beta was a man who looked to be perhaps a year or two younger than Paine. He was of average height and build, with ginger hair and freckles across his face.
The lycan squinted a bit at him. "Why are you here? Why aren't you with the other omegas?" His tone of voice was less threatening and more curious.
Before Tim could force out an answer the beta looked closer and nodded in understanding. He crouched down a little bit before speaking again.
"Oh, you must be Kayleigh's brother. The resemblance is uncanny. So, you're staying here?"
