Change Me, My Alpha (Bahiyya)

Looking up, Rain watched the expressions crossing over Josiah's face and she was curious as to what was passing through his mind. First he had a scowl upon his features and then it looked like he was in pain, then he looked dejected, maybe even disappointed. She tilted her head to the side slightly. This man was definitely confusing. Maybe it was just because she hadn't been around humans for ten years, so she didn't understand them anymore. Straightening slightly when he stood up, she looked up at him, unsure of what he was going to do. However, he just told her she was staying here in this house and then told Henderson to show her to a guest room. She blinked in surprise, shocked by the sudden change in Josiah's tone. She shifted in her seat slightly and watched as he left the room. She had no idea what to say to that. She had to stay here? In this house?

Henderson's voice yanked her from her thoughts and she looked up at him and gave a slow nod. "Okay," she said quietly before she stood up from the chair and followed Henderson. What was going to happen to her now that she was apparently in a pack? And a human. Suddenly feeling lightheaded from the day, Rain wished she could just curl up and go to sleep. She wasn't used to days being so hectic. She looked up at the Beta for a moment, "Is he usually like this?" she asked him softly, referring to Josiah.
 
Josiah stood under the shower head, continuous pelts of hot water raining over him, damping his hair and body. His shoulders were rather tense, but this was helping him loosen up. He placed his hands upon the tile, his head hanging. And, slowly he closed his eyes. Deep, slow breaths became of him. It seemed to him that the world had slowed at this moment. Josiah raised his head and opened his eyes once more, looking at the tile at his forefront. And that is when he decides that, no matter the difficulty, he tried to lighten up and become his old self. It has only been a year. He scoffed. One year of hell, he thought. And he shook his head. No matter. Regardless of the timeline, he knew he could not stay like this.

In the hallway, Henderson had led Rain to the right of the office door and down a short hall, which then required them to turn right again. The guest room she would be staying in was across from Kendall's and beside Henderson's, which was on the right side of hers. This hall led down to a door which had no left or right hall. That was Josiah's room, and Josiah was just getting out of the shower to get dressed. Henderson stopped in front of the guest room in which Rain would be sleeping, and he leans against the doors frame. Raising a hand, he turned the knob, opening the door. Everything in the room was already well made and finished. When Rain spoke up softly, Henderson replies, "Yeah, but he has good reasons. However, I cannot disclose. He'd probably kill me, so you'd ought ask yourself, however not outright." Henderson knew it was a sore subject for Josiah; it was one for him as well. He mourned his cousin, however not in the way Josiah took on. Though Henderson does miss his uncle and cousin, he learned to move, something Josiah clearly could not do. But, he understands where his Alpha is coming from, and usually just brushes off Josiah's behavior.
 
Rain followed Henderson down the hall, looking around. The place was fairly big, at least to her anyway. They stopped in front of a room and she looked up at the man beside her for a quick moment before she looked at the door to the right of hers and she looked behind to see another door. But she had no idea who lived in them. She figured it was Henderson in one and probably that girl from earlier in another room. As Henderson leaned against the door frame, she looked back at him, looking inside as he turned the door knob and opened it. She studied the inside, seeing how neat and tidy is was. Her gaze flicked up to the man as he spoke again and she gae a gentle sigh and nodded to him. "Maybe some other time," she replied to him softly and glanced down the hall for a second before looking back at him. She stepped inside the room, studying it for a moment before she looked back at Henderson. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong by staying on the territory," she said to him, glancing down at the ground.

She walked further into the room, glancing out the window and looking into the trees. Oh how she wished she could go back there. Being in a house was too foreign to her. She was used to the feel of the forest ground. Sighing, she turned to look at the man as she ran a hand through her hair. It was different from her fur as a wolf. It would take a while to get used to being a human again. The thought was weird, really. She had originally been a human, but she was now more comfortable as a wolf and not a human. "How does this whole pack thing actually work? Is there something I have to do to join it?" Rain asked, suddenly curious. Does that mean there were heaps of others like her? That could change into a wolf?
 
Henderson watched as she observed the inside of the room. He had given an answer to her question, and she sighed and nodded, responding. When Rain had begun to apologize for being on the Prominence territory, he nodded and a corner of his lips turned up. "It's fine, don't worry about it. It's very likely that you didn't know, and Josiah knows that, he just won't say it. And don't let him scare you, he's like a walnut. Closed off. But, honestly, he's one of the weirdest guys out there," Henderson explained. Suddenly, he could hear Josiah approaching his door, about to twist the door knob. This was most likely his cue to leave. Beta Henderson had business to attend to. "Well, I have to get going. I have things to do, people to talk to. Later, Cute Girl." He smiles widely before turning around and walking off, cutting the corner of the hall.

Just then, Josiah comes out of his room, refreshed. He now had on a white V-neck and black pants. His hair was still a bit damp from his shower. He closed the door behind him, a hand running through his hair. When he looked up, he saw Rain standing in the hallway alone. He dropped his hand, staring her. The last time he looked her over, they were in the forest. And, now, his eyes roamed her body once more, his mind registering the fact that she was still in his shirt. Suddenly, Josiah cast his eyes back down to the ground. He walked towards her and stopped in front of her. She was quite a bit shorter than her, so he had to bend his head down most of the way. "Uh," he began, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Considering you were out in the forest for ten years, I'm assuming you haven't any clothes. So, I called Kendall and Henderson's mother to have clothes sent here for you as soon as possible. They should arrive by 8:30 A.M., tomorrow. However, for now--," he finished, trailing off from the beginning of his last sentence. He swiftly slid over to Kendall's door across from Rain's. When he knocks and proceeds to open the door, he finds Kendall tripping over her feet, trying to run away from the door. Josiah choked out a laugh, before quickly composing himself, realizing what he was doing. He tried fixing a scowl on his face, however he didn't know how he was doing. Trying to play the serious role, he says, "Kendall, what the hell are you doing?"

Kendall quickly bounces to her feet, spinning around on her heels. Her face was tinted red from embarrassment. However, when she saw Rain, standing there in Josiah's shirt, her tinted face was from a far different emotion. "Nothing, just hanging out," she spoke calmly, her eyes redirecting to Josiah's.

"More like falling out," Josiah mumbles under his breath. He waves a hand, as if to swat a fly. "Anyway, until Rain receives her clothes, she must borrow some of yours."

"But--," Kendall started, but Josiah was not in the mood.

"It's not a request, Kendall, it's an order," he declared with tranquility. Kendall glares at the ground, grumbling under her breath as she walked to her closet. When she picked out some clothes, she padded back to her door, handing the articles of clothing off to her Alpha. "Thank you, he simply said before turning toward Rain again. Kendall quietly closed her door as Josiah handed the clothes to the girl, a hand scratching the back of his neck again. "Here," he said awkwardly, "and you can, uh, keep my shirt."
 
Upon Henderson's comment of Josiah being like a walnut, stating that he was actually really weird she couldn't help but wonder if that was true. He didn't seem like the type to be weird. But she didn't say that. This man knew more about him than she did. She had only known him for only an hour or so. When Henderson said he had to go, she didn't know what to say. But when he called her Cute Girl, her eyes widened slightly in surprise and watched as he left, cutting the corner of the hall. She stared after him for a moment before she heard a door open and she turned slightly and saw Josiah standing there, oblivious to her presence, with a white v-neck and black pants. She noted his hair was still damp and she stayed silent as he shut the door quietly behind him and ran a hand through his hair. When he finally noticed her, his hand dropped to his side and noticed him looking her over and she glanced down, remembering she still had his shirt on which was much too big for her. Did he want it back? she was about to ask him, but silenced herself when she looked up and saw him walking towards her.

She watched in mild confusion as he looked down at her and she had to crane her neck back to look at him properly. When he scratched the back of his neck, she wondered if it was a nervous gesture. Or perhaps something he did when he felt uncomfortable? She stayed quiet when he spoke, talking about clothing. Clothes. She'd have to get used to them again, knowing it would be rather odd having to get changed once again. Giving Josiah a questioning look when he trailed off, Rain wondered what he had been about to say before he walked to the door opposite hers and watched as he knocked on it. Rain blinked in surprise when she saw Kendall tripping over herself to get away from the door. What had she been doing? Eavesdropping? Rain's gaze quickly rose to Josiah when she heard him choke out a laugh before he tried to compose himself and she wondered if what Henderson had said was true.

Looking back at Kendall when she bounces to her feet, face red with embarrassment, she tilted her head to the side slightly. However, when her eyes landed upon Rain and her expression changed, she tensed and straightened herself. Had she done something wrong? Had she offended Kendall in some way? She had no idea what she had done wrong.

Josiah and Kendall's conversation only just registered to her until Josiah said it was an order. Looking back up at the man, she glanced between the two and watched as Kendall grabbed some clothes and handed them to her Alpha before shutting her door. Watching the door for a second, she looked back up at Josiah and took the clothes gingerly, unsure. When he scratched the back of his neck again, Rain couldn't help but decide it was a nervous or uncomfortable gesture. But she couldn't choose which one. When Josiah commented about the shirt, she looked down at it again before looking up at him in question. "Are you sure?" she asked him, "You can have it back," she said, feeling slightly bad, thinking she had somehow made him feel like he couldn't have his shirt back. She slowly walked into her room and placed the clothes on the bed neatly before she went back to stand in the doorway, careful to stay off her feet as much as possible. After a few minutes, she looked down at the ground as she asked, "um, Is there anything I need to do to 'join the pack'?" she glanced back up at him from under her lashes, unsure of what she should be doing right now.
 
She had asked him if he was certain that he wanted her to keep his shirt. And, to him, she sounded rather peculiar to him when she made her inquiry. Rain turned away for a moment to walk inside the room and set the clothes that he gave her on the bed. She laid them down neatly before turning back again, walking to the door. When she spoke of what requirements were there to join the pack, Josiah grunted. She had lowered her head, her eyes no longer staring at his. She's afraid of me. She couldn't even look at me! Josiah thought. It frustrated him to know this, however he only had himself to blame; he acted cold towards people and this was the result. After all this contemplating, this was all that it boiled down to. Fear. And what problems would instilling fear into the hearts of his pack members? Nothing. Absolutely and positively nothing. It would only, after he has met his time to go, make the members remember him as The Cold-Hearted One. The one they were happy to be rid of. And, surely, Josiah did not want to be remembered that way.

First come, first serve. Josiah decided to answer her question about his shirt first. But, first, he place his finger under her chin, tilting her chin up, making their eyes reconnect. Dropping his hand, Josiah said, "It's fine, really. About the shirt, I mean. I have other shirts. As for joining the pack, a ceremony will be set. It gives the opportunity to welcome you to the Prominence pack and to help you get to know some, if not most, of the members. The announcement of a new arrival will be made tomorrow and the ceremony will be the day after the next."

Josiah turned slightly, about to make his leave. "And, another thing," he began, "I'm not one of those Alphas that forbids his members to not make eye contact with him. Don't be afraid of me." He began to walk off. However, he stopped again at the corner of the hall. "Lunch is in one hour." And he fully turns the corner, making his way downstairs. When he got there, he set his path for the kitchen. As he reached the entrance of the kitchen, he caught the sight of Gina, his housemaid, preparing to make lunch. Josiah walked to the fridge, pulling a bottle of water out of it before closing it again and taking a seat at the island. "So, Gina, what's for lunch?" he tried for optimistically curious, wincing at his bit-of-an-overkill attempt. Gina was washing her hands at the sink across from the island. When she was done, she turned around, giving Josiah a who-abducted-the-real-Josiah look.

"Uh, chicken caesar salad and bread rolls," Gina said.

"Cool," he said before taking a sip of his water. After another peculiar look from Gina, she continues with her endeavors. Just then, Henderson comes in. Henderson walks to the fridge to retrieve a bottled water. He walked over to the island, standing across from where Josiah is sitting.

"Jo, the new addition is a cute one. If you don't go for her, can I?" Henderson said. This makes Gina turn around, curious.

"New addition. There's going to be a new member of Prominence?" she asked.

Josiah address her first. "Yes, the announcement will be made tomorrow. And, no, Henderson. She just got here, let her settle."

"Bull, you just want her to yourself." This makes Josiah growl.

"Or maybe it's because I've only just found her almost an hour ago. No. End of story."
 
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Silence passed between them for a minute or so and still, Rain wouldn't meet his gaze. However, eyes widened in surprise when she felt Josiah's fingers under her chin, tilting her head back so she would look at him. She watched as he dropped his hand back to his side before he spoke, both about the shirt and joining the pack. The announcement would be tomorrow and the ceremony the day after the next. That soon? She sudden felt nervous and she wondered if they would accept her or hate her like Kendall seemed to. "Okay then," she said quietly and watched as he turned to leave before he paused and told her she didn't have to be afraid of him. She simply nodded. She'd try to not be afraid of him, but that was hard. Her whole life as a wolf, Rain had been cautious and untrusting, afraid of the unknown. She wasn't sure how she was going to adjust in this environment.

When Josiah started to walk off, she was about to step back and close the door until she noticed him stop at the corner. She paused, figuring he had something else to tell her. When he tells her lunch is in one hour and then turns the corner, she stares after him for a moment before she stepped back, quietly closing the door. She waked over to the bed, looking down at the clothes. She grabbed a pair of underwear which had obviously never been worn before, a pair of faded jeans, a bra and a plain navy blue t-shirt. She found a bathroom she figured she could use and had a shower. The water rained down on her, luke warm and she stood there for a moment, enjoying it. She quickly washed herself, careful not to weat her hair that much, unsure of whether she could use the shampoo. Once she was finished, she stepped out and grabbed a clean towel from a small cupboard in the bathroom and dried herself off.

Pulling on the underwear, she stood there for a short moment, getting used to feel of them once again before she grabbed the jeans which she pulled on. They were slightly big on her, but they would do. Looking down at it for a moment, Rain put on the bra, which was also a bit big but it wasn't terrible. She slipped on the shirt and then pulled her hair out from under it, letting it fall back over the back of her shirt. She looked down at herself and nodded in satisfaction and looked at Josiah's old shirt. She picked it up and went back to her room, draping it over the back of a chair, deciding to ask someone where the washing machine was later.

Walking out of her room, Rain wanderd through the house, going downstairs. She saw Henderson and Josiah to the side, in the kitchen and some woman with her back facing her. Deciding not to bother two men, she walked outside. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she took a deep breath, suddenly grateful for the fresh air. Even if she hadn't been in the house for too long it felt stuffy in there. Walking over to the treeline, leading into the forest, she stopped, placing a hand on the hard bark of a tree. After a few moments, she leaned against it, staring into the trees and letting her mind wander, wishing she could go back.

Once around an hour from when Josiah had told her about lunch, Rain pushed off through the tree and made her way back to the house. Sliding open the door, she stepped back inside and shut the door before shelooked around to see if she could see Josiah or Henderson, or possibly even Kendall, having no idea where she was supposed to go to where they had lunch.
 
Josiah continued talking to Henderson about when the announcement and ceremony will be. Gina would put in her two cents as well. The ceremony would be big, considering there are about 140 members in his pack. Their houses were littered around Prominence territory, some even in the forest. Since his house is considered the base of the pack and territory, it would be held here, in the background. Josiah knew there would be enough room. He'd also have some of the women of the pack volunteer to help Gina with food in the kitchen. However, he wouldn't need to make them; they always volunteered and banned anyone from the kitchen in his house until the food was done. It almost made him laugh every time there was a welcoming ceremony. And so, Josiah mentions this and Henderson reminds him of the time Henderson's mother, Lia, repeatedly smacked Henderson with a wooden spoon until they left the kitchen.

Josiah was just about to chuckle and make fun of him when he caught a smell. A now-familiar smell. And he knew Rain was done showering and downstairs. However, she didn't disturb them, didn't say a word. She simply kept walking, heading for the backyard. Josiah tensed, but didn't move. He couldn't help but wondered whether or not she would run away, back into the forest. And he couldn't blame her if he wanted to. Some scary alpha stumbles upon a wolf who has been on the territory for ten years, unaware that it belongs to a pack. And, the scary alpha chases after her when she escapes, takes her to his home, and nearly contemplates killing or imprisoning her. However, he picks neither and makes her join the pack. Yeah, he couldn't blame her at all. But, he feels that this is the right thing to do. She most definitely had to hunt the whole ten years she was here and she was unknowing of the fact that werewolves like her do exist. Inviting her to stay, to him, would be something that the old Josiah would do. And the old Josiah, he decided, was something he wanted to get back.

"Uh, Helix, you've been sitting there, looking conflicted for three minutes. Are you going to sit there or are you going to go see if she will leave," Henderson said, looking at his alpha with concern. Josiah merely shook his head, relaxing his shoulders.

"No, let her stay there. I want to see if she runs away," he stated. And then, he stood from his seat and walked over to the sliding doors in the kitchen. He looked out of one, watching Rain as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He stayed there for quite a while that he didn't even notice that the food was just about done and that Henderson was repeatedly calling his name, telling him that lunch was ready.

"JO-SI-AH!" Henderson clearly enunciated behind Josiah, finally making Josiah turn around with a calm look on his face. "Dude, you're out it, and she's the reason why. And you might want to get moving unless you want her to suspect that you've been watching her for the past 25 minutes because she's coming now." And just like than, Josiah's calm face left him. He tore out of the kitchen so fast, it would have made his father proud during his training. He could hear Henderson laughing on his way to the dining room.

After Henderson had sat, Josiah heard a door open and Rain's familiar scent trailed in. He figured he should be the one to tell her that lunch was finally prepared, so he got up and began to walking again. When he got in the kitchen, she was standing in the spot he had been. Without hesitation, he said, "Lunch is ready." And then, he walked back to the dining room where Henderson, Kendall, and Gina sat. Josiah reclaimed his seat at the end of the table.
 
Why hadn't she run? Rain easily could've ran away then, never to come back. She could've found somewhere else to live. Somewhere. From what she knew, they hadn't noticed her leave the house. She could've escaped and lost them; created enough distance that they couldn't catchup with her or find her. She had been excellent at hiding when she was a wolf. It couldn't be that difficult to do as a human. Maybe she would've made it outside of their territory so they couldn't take her back. She was technically a loner, she had no pack yet, they couldn't order her to do anything. So why hadn't she run? Why had she stayed? To be honest, she had no idea. Maybe the thought of seeing Josiah angry at her for running if he had caught her made her stay. Or maybe the thought of having a pack was something she thought she'd never have. Even if it did scare her a bit.

Josiah soon came into her line of vision and she turned to look at him as he came towards her. Mere moment later, he told her lunch was ready and then turned around and walked off, not giving her enough time to even react. Rain paused for a moment befor she followed him into what must have been the dining room and saw Kendall and Henderson, as well as the woman who had been cooking earlier. Studting the woman for a moment, she went and sat down, taking a seat next to Henderson seeing as she didn't know where she was supposed to sit. She looked down at the food in silence for a short moment before she looked at the people sitting at the table again. So far, she had concluded that Henderson was a fairly nice guy, Kendall hated her and well, she didn't know what to think about Josiah other than he kind of frightened her. And the woman she didn't even know the name of so she couldn't say about her. She lowered her gaze once more, unsure of what she should be doing. All these people knew each other. She was a stranger; an outsider, and yet Josiah had said she was to join the pack and stay at his house. When she thought about it like that, it wasn't surprising that Kendall hated her.

Rain looked at the girl for a short second before she looked at Josiah, taking his word from earlier that she didn't have to avoid eye contact with him. Even if it was odd for her. "How big is your territory?" she asked him softly, suddenly curious. The forest was huge and yet that was all his territory? It was hard to believe and she wanted to know exactly how big his territory was. If it really was that big, it shouldn't be that big of a surprise that they hadn't detected her.. That is, if the forest was new territory. If it had been theirs for the whole ten years she had lived there, then she had no idea what to say to that. Maybe they didn't check it for intruders very often?
 
Everybody had begun eaten, only stopping to look at Rain before continuing. When he had sat down, he waiting the few seconds there was before Rain came in and sat down next to Henderson. Josiah had his eyes trained on Rain as she stared down at her plate. It made him tilt his head to the side, wondering whether or not she liked salad. He shook away his thoughts and leaned forward, began to pick up his fork. When he was just about take a bite, he stopped when Rain asked him a question. It was about how large his territory was. Hmm, that's an out-of-the-blue question, but valid, Josiah thought to himself. He was still in mid-bite as he stared at Rain. But, Josiah straightened himself up and proceeded to answer her. "We've expanded our territory out to all of the forest and the other directions just last year." He turned his head away from her, mumbling below his breath, "The day before I became alpha." He shook his head sadly before turning back to Rain, explaining their reason for expansion. "We've had to expand because we've been receiving many new members to the pack. We've reached out our 140 mark. Well, now it's 141." Josiah raised his eyebrow to her, referring to her as the 141st member. Then, he finally took a bite of his food.

"We're still trying to expand. New members coming in, this way and that. By the way, I'm Gina. I'm Alpha Helix's housemaid. What is your name?" Gina says cheerily, trying to lighten the mood. Josiah sometimes admired Gina for her high-spirited attitude. She was always trying to cheer people up. In fact, Gina was the first person to come and try to comfort Josiah when his father, Jones, and Winston was killed. That was the day that his respect for went to knew heights. And though she was his housemaid, he never ordered her around harshly.

"That's the problem. Maybe we shouldn't take anymore members," Kendall mumbled, sneaking a glance at Rain. This made Josiah growl.

"Kendall, enough," Josiah snarled, getting annoyed.
 
Rain watched Josiah as he stared at her, midbite before he straightened and spoke. So his territory was the whole forest and more. Deinitely a large territory indeed. When he looked away for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder what he had muttered under his breath, too soft for her to pick up on even with her hearing. But she let it drop when he shook his head and looked back at her. But her curiousity tugged at her, wanting her to ask him, but she clamped it down. It wasn't her place to ask. He told her the reason for expansion and her eyes widened in surprise. 140 members? That was a lot. And they were all like her? Wow. But then he said 141 and gave her a look. She understood what he meant but now she couldn't understand why he wanted her in his pack. There were already plenty of others without adding her to the mix. 140 members in his pack. Shouldn't that be enough?

Rain's attention drifted from Josiah as the woman spoke to her. Looking over at her as she told her they were still trying to expand, that new members were coming in from all directions. Then she went on to introduce herself as Gina, the housemaid. Rain paused for a moment when she asked what her name was. She was about to speak, however Kendall's words and look silenced her for a moment and she suddenly wished she had run earlier. But then Josiah snared at her and Rain was honestly surprised. She glanced at him, seeing he was getting annoyed and Rain cast a curious glance Kendall's way before she looked back at Gina. "Um, my name is Rain," she told the woman lightly.

Falling silent after that, Rain picked up her fork and started eating. And she couldn't help but notice it was completely different to what she ate as a wolf. Well, of course it was. As a wolf, she had to hunt and eat the animals raw. Here, she didn't have to do that. Eating about half, Rain placed her fork down and stood up. "Um, please excuse me," she said quietly as she pushed in her chair and then walked up stairs, wanting to put some distance between her and Kendall. She went to her room and closed the door behind her quietly before she turned and looked at the clothes on the bed. Hanging them in the cupboard, Rain then laid down on the bed, releasing a heavy sigh as she stared at the ceiling. She didn't know what being in a pack was going to bring her. Would she like it? Or hate it? She lifted her hands and stared at her palms, seeing that the wounds were mostly healed. She always had had excellent healing abilities.. Would that be due to what she is? She didn't know.
 
Josiah had observed her reaction when he said that there was 140 members in the Prominence pack. She seemed rather surprised, if the widening of her eyes was any indication. To him, this was no biggie. He was sure of that there was quite a few packs around the globe with as many members as his, some even more. What he knew for sure is that the Black Shadow pack had surpassed the Prominence member count by eight. To him, this simply would not do. Every member counts, in Josiah's book. And Black Shadow was Prominence's competition ever since former Alpha Winston's grandfather, Clarence, sent the pack after Black Shadow in order to claim some, if not all, of their land. Alpha Clarence was Prominence's most harsh alpha ever; he was like a dictator. Some rather than most knew that he was mentally disturbed. He would pick fights with other packs just because he felt like it. And that's what led to the Black Shadow's ambush on Prominence. Josiah always understood why the rival pack came for them, but that didn't stop the growing hatred for them in Josiah to grow. So, since then, Prominence had been building in terms of territory expansion and member count. However, this fact was far from his mind when he stated that Rain would join the pack. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't thinking much at all.

After Gina had spoken, and Josiah had silence Kendall, Rain finally stated her name to Gina. And she seemed pretty shocked that he would even begin to defend her against Kendall. And, frankly, Josiah was surprised as well. However, he forbade himself to even speculate about the possible explanations. So he, as well as the others, continued in eating his lunch, stopping every few bites in order to take a sip of his iced tea. Oh, how he loved Gina's homemade tea. After a few more bites, Josiah was finished, as well as Henderson and Kendall. Rain had excused herself halfway through her meal. Wasn't that hungry, I presume, Josiah guessed, but he knew it wasn't just that. In fact, it wasn't that at all. He was certain that she was merely uncomfortable. It is understandable considering she's only been here for about an hour and a half. And it's mostly because, he thought, of the fact that Kendall is targeting Rain.

"Did you have to be so mean to her, Kendall?" Gina inquired with all the disdain she could muster. Gina never really liked Kendall, and the feeling was quite mutual. Gina was like a sister to Josiah,--and Josiah like a brother to Gina--and just like Josiah, Gina thought that Kendall was going after Josiah just to be Luna.

"Oh, can it, Red-Head," Kendall replied with disgust. Josiah had had enough of Kendall at this point, and he slammed both of his balled fists on the table, making the girls jump and Henderson snap his head toward Josiah.

"You, Kendall, will not talk to the person who just cooked your meal that way. Or you will have to get accustomed to having to hunt, chase, and kill your food. Are we clear?" he said with power, a hard stare on his face as he looked at Kendall. Kendall submits, lowering her head.

"Yes, Alpha Helix," she said calmly.

"Take your leave," Josiah said, nodding toward the dining room entrance/exit. Kendall quickly rises and scoots out of the room. Josiah, then, turns his attention to Henderson. "Control your sister," he stated, to which Henderson merely nodded ad left the dining room himself. "Sorry," Josiah said to Gina. Gina only nods and smiles before proceeding to get up and clean off the table. Josiah quietly leaves her too, making his way upstairs.
 
Silence passed through the house for a long while and Rain couldn't help but wonder if everyone had stepped out. Not that she'd mind much at all if that was the case. Quiet was good. Peaceful. It was what she had grown accustomed to. Sighing in relief, she closed her eyes, suddenly wishing for sleep. And yet the darkness evaded her and she couldn't fall asleep. Probably because she was still too wired from the happenings of the day. She groaned in frustration, squeezing her eyes shut tightly before she swung herself off the bed and stood up. She walked over to the window, opening it and letting the breeze flow through. A smile touched her lips slightly as she watched the birds in the sky. However, a sound from downstairs echoed upstairs and she stiffened and cocked her head to the side and concentrating on trying to find out what happened. Within moments, she heard Josiah speak and she figured the loud noise had been him slamming his fists into the table or something. For what ever reason, she didn't know.

Satisfied with knowing what the noise had come from, Rain turned her attention back outside and she leaned against the window sill as she gazed outside. She ran a hand through her silvery white hair and looked down at it for a moment. And she noticed that it had a more silver colour than the fur on her snow white wolf. Letting her hair go a moment later, her eyes flicked to the door for a moment and she soon heard someone coming up the stairs. Walking to do the door, Rain opened it a crack and looked out, curious as to who had come upstairs. Her strong curiousity always had been something to get into trouble as a wolf and it seemed it hadn't dimmed as a human. She just hoped it wasn't Kendall coming up the stairs. Who knows what she would do if she saw her looking at her.

However, it wasn't Kendall, or even Henderson. It was Josiah. She caught his scent before she saw him and a second or two later he came around the corner. She studied him for a short moment, taking note of the expression she could only describe as annoyed. She swiftly and quietly closed the door, wondering if he had noticed her. It to honest, it was foolish trying to hide; it was his house and if he wanted to come into the room to talk to her about something she couldn't do a thing to stop him. she looked down at her hand which still grasped the door knob before she took a deep breath and opened the door, only a few moments after she had originally shut it. She stared at the ground for a short time before she looked up at Josiah, "Thank you," she said him, "about earlier.. With Kendall," she slowly let go of the door knob and let her hand drop to her side as she waited to see what he would say - or do. She just hoped she hadn't decided to speak to him at the wrong time.
 
Josiah mumbled and grumbled as he walked his way back to his room. He was going to go to his office after lunch in order to call up his patrols. He wanted them to meet Rain ahead of time, before the announcement that a new member will be joining. However, he was put off at the moment. Kendall was constantly pushing at Rain and Josiah was getting irritable. So, he decided to put off the call until 3 hours before dinner. The head patrols, Lennox, Theo, Lyzah, and Dean would meet Rain today and even join for dinner. The other patrols can wait until tomorrow. These were his definite plans, Josiah had decided as he continued to walk, an annoyed expression fixated on his face. When he got upstairs, Josiah immediately heard the sound of a door opening a crack. He knew it was Rain. It couldn't have been Kendall; she went out for a run. And Henderson was most likely with Kendall or going to the training base. Just then, he made mental note to go to the training base to see how the trainees were doing. Shaking away the thought for now, Josiah cut the corner, Rain's scent getting stronger and stronger. Sure enough, Rain's door was opened slightly, and Josiah can just see a bit of her eye looking out of the crack of the door. He maintained his annoyed face, but he couldn't help the smirk that started to twitch at his lips. And, he kept walking towards his room, hearing her door close.

Just when he was about to twist the door knob to his bedroom, he heard a door open again and a voice speak. Rain. Josiah tensed slightly, stopping mid-twist. She was thanking him for defending her. Josiah was a bit surprised that she'd be doing this since she had left the table so soon. He relaxed himself before turning around, his hand still on the door knob. He looked her over, before attempting a lop-sided smile in order to ease her, but it was difficult considering he rarely smiled these days. In fact, his smile may have come off strained. "No problem. Kendall has a thing about new members," Josiah said. Or more specifically, ones that may or may not get in the way of her suspected intentions, Josiah thought to himself, unaware that he was still twisting the door knob. "Don't mind her, she just--What the hell!?" Josiah had twisted the door knob too far, causing the door to open and for him to fall forward, landing on his face. He groaned with embarrassment before sitting up and quickly bringing himself to stand.

Josiah kept his eyes averted as he said, "Uh, I have to go." And he said no more before he quickly rushed into his room and closed the door. He locked the door before walking over to his bed, falling backwards on it. He sighed. "Smooth move, Jo. Smooth." Oh, the upset feeling he got from looking so stupid burned at him. However, he lightened up a bit when he realized something. "Well...at least I haven't completely lost myself."
 
Rain watched as he tensed after she had spoken, which caused her to instantly doubt herself about deciding to talk to him. Did she annoy him somehow? Did he not want to talk to her? She hunched her shoulders slightly, ready to bolt back into her room and close the door if he snapped at her. She tensed when he slowly turned around, hand on the door knob. She noticed he had relaxed as he did so, though, so she forced herself to do the same. Obviously he wasn't annoyed or he wouldn't have relaxed. Right? He looked at for a moment before he gave her a lop-sided smile. It was quite strained, anyone could see that, but the young woman felt a bit more comfortable seeing that he was trying to make an effort. In return, she flashed him a tentative half smile before he spoke, telling her that Kendall had a problem with new members. Oh? So that was it. It wasn't that she hated her personally, just that she didn't like new members? That was quite a relief, to be honest. When Josiah continued to speak, she flicked her eyes back up to him, not realising they had wandered to the ground. However, before he could finish his sentance, his door opened and he went with it, falling, face first, onto the ground. She gasped in surprise, taking a step towards him, about to ask if he was alright, when he sat up and then jumped to his feet.

She saw his obviously flustered face and noticed he avoided looking at her. Rain bit her lower lip gently, trying to keep herself from smiling, but it didn't work too well. He was quite cute when he was embarrassed - not that she would ever admit that out loud. Josiash soon spoke and then rushed into his room, closing the door behind him. She stared at it for a moment before she really let herself smile, a light giggle escaping her before she went back into her room, closing her door behind herself. She went and sat on the edge of her bed, the scene that had just happened replaying in her mind. Okay, so, there were times that he stumbled. He wasn't quite the stoic, cold hearted man she had thought he was. That thought comforted her. After a few more minutes, she stood up and quietly opened her bedroom door again. She glanced at Josiah's bedroom door before she closed her door behind her and then walked down the hall way and down the stairs. Even if Josiah had said Kendall doesn't hate her personally, she still hoped she wasn't there.

Looking around, Rain concluded that Kendall was no where to be seen - she couldn't even see Henderson or Gina. She walked outside once again, walking a little furhter into the trees, though she still had no intention to run. She decided she'd see what it was like, being in a pack first. Her red eyes stared into the forest, the desire to run burning in her chest. But she pushed it down and instead breathed in the clean, crisp air, closing her eyes momentarily. Suddnely, a hand grabbed her upper arm tightly and yanked her harshly to the side. She let out a sharp cry of panic before another hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in fear as she looked up at a man who snarled, "who the hell are you?!" he had short, buzzed black hair, darkly tanned skin, a tattooed bare chest and brown eyes blazing with rage. By the scent of him, he belonged to Josiah's pack. She could smell him, Gina, Kendall, Henderson plus many other scents on him. He removed his hand from her mouth abruptly, very human teeth bared at her. She struggled against him, trying to escape his death-like grip from her wrist. She could already feel it bruising. She wanted to shout out, but her voice had failed her. She stared at the man, terrified as she tried in vain to push him away, pry his hand off, even trying to run. But he just yanked her back. "I asked you a damn question!" he growled, seeming to grow even angrier. His hand tightened on her arm and she cried out in pain before he clamped his hand over her mouth again, a murderous look to him. Tears welled in her eyes, suddenly afraid she was going to be killed out here, not even far from Josiah's house and no one will even know.
 
Josiah was laying on his back, on the bed. His TV was on, his thumb flicking through channels with the remote. He didn't know what to watch. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to watch TV. He much too focused on other things. Like Rain. And that he very literally fell on his face. Right. In front of. Her. He shook his head and groaned. Rolling over, he stuffed his face into his pillow. "Please, Moon Goddess, if you just let me live that down," Josiah said with a muffled voice. But, he must look on the bright side of that little accident. It is clear that he is capable of regaining his original persona--a weird, comfortable-to-be-with Josiah. This cold-as-ice Josiah, he knew, just won't do. For a long time--since the death of Valentin, Jones, and Winston, and his mother--he has known that he should not have turned out this way. He was suppose to stand tall, be strong for his pack. But, this was his way of shutting down. And much like a computer, he has to reboot to the original system.

And Rain. He was very curious about her. Why does she not know herself, he wondered. How could she be a mere wolf for ten years straight? She's lost her human self. If he didn't know any better, Josiah would even say that he was nothing short of concerned about her. Maybe even a little more. Why else would he choose neither to kill her nor imprison her? Simply because she is no threat to this pack, Josiah concluded stubbornly. His mind felt cool for a moment, as if air blew over his brain. And words began to fill his head.

"My precious, Josiah, you know that is far from why you chose her to join the pack. Nor is it for her loyalty. You know the rules of rouges. It is for something that you, yourself, want from her, but have not quite figured it out yet. But do not expect me to uncover your eyes, Child. You must reveal it yourself." And just as soon as the Moon Goddess Selene's voice had come, it left, along with the cool feeling in Josiah's head. But, before he can speculate what the Moon Goddess meant, he heard a conflict from below.

In a flash, he was at his window, looking out. Josiah looked down to see Theo, one of the head patrols, manhandling Rain. It made Josiah's twist in anger, storming from his window, his room, and downstairs. It took no time for him to storm out of the kitchen door and approach. Theo caught Josiah's scent, and turned to his direction, "I caught this rouge, here, traveling back into territory. This is the scent we've been picking up."

But, Josiah wasn't paying much attention to his words. His eyes had shift from its greenish-brown color to black. You could barely see him as he moved to grab Theo's hand that was squeezing her wrist. Then, he grabbed Theo by the neck slamming him up against a tree trunk. Theo looked on in fear, choking and grasping at Josiah's hand. Josiah bared his teeth at Theo, canines drawn out for him and Rain to see. "Do you not smell me on her?" he nearly roared. He was surprised by his level of protectiveness of her, something that is to be speculated on. Theo tried to speak, to tell Josiah that he didn't know, but Josiah cut him off. "Smell her. Now." Theo quickly closed his eyes, sniffing at the air before his eyes opened again, looking at Rain. Josiah dropped him to the ground, saying, "Our new addition to Prominence. Now you owe the lady an apology." Theo wheezed his apologies before Josiah asks her, "You okay?"
 
It didn't take long before she heard the back door of Josiah's house open and his very scent hit her. The man holding her turned towards Josiah, his hand dropping from her face again as he spoke to his Alpha. Rain's gaze went to her aggressor then shifted to Josiah. She saw him rush towards them, anger clear on his face, for what reason though, she did not know. His eyes shifted from their usual greenish-brown hue to pitch black. It barely took a second for him to be infront of them and she watched as he wrenched Theo's hand away from her before he grabbed the man by his neck and slammed him into a tree. The man who had attacked her, his face had shifted from the malicious look he had given her, to absolute terror. And she could practically smell his confusion. Glancing between the men, Rain watched as Josiah bared his teeth at the man, canines drawn and everything. She couldn't help it when her eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know whether it was the fact that he currently had a wolf's canines in a human body or if she was surprised at how aggressive he was being. For her.

She stayed silent as Josiah spoke to the man and then ordered him to smell her. The darker man closed his eyes and inhaled before his brown eyes opened and looked over at her. Rain instantly ducked her head down, avoiding eye contact, instead she stared at the ground, rethinking her earlier decision about perhaps staying here and seeing what a pack was like. Apparently some weren't too friendly. She looked up as she heard the man fall to the ground and Josiah told him she was the new addition to the pack, and to apologise. She vaguely heard the man apologise to her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Josiah turned to her and asked her if she was alright. She looked up at him, giving a vague nod. Well, she was alive. But if she was honest with herself, she was shocked about Josiah's reaction. She was also still a little scared, if the slight trembling of her hands was any indication.

"I'm alright," she told him as she lifted a hand to quickly wipe away her tears with her palm, suddenly feeling very much like a child. Rain wasn't all that weak, but her first and foremost reaction to most things was to flee. That had kept her alive as a wolf. And in her human form, she had no idea how to use the strength or speed she had as her four-legged self. "Thank you," she said, "for helping me," she clarified as she pulled her hand away and then looked at her wrist, which truly was already forming a bruise the same shape as the other man's very large hand. To Rain, the skin that was becoming darker against her own pale skin looked rather intrigueing. She had never seen a bruise in her wolf form. Sure, she had gotten them, but through her fur, she'd never seen one. Quickly lowering her hand to her side, she looked back at Josiah, waiting to see what he would say.
 
Josiah tried to calm himself, closing his eyes for a moment. He counted to ten in his head, and as he brought reign over his anger, he rolled his shoulders back. He didn't realize that his claws had also grown out, but no matter. Gone was they as his eyes shifted back to its normal shading, his claws and canines withdrawing. Only then did his eyes open, looking over at Rain as she wiped tears away. He winced at the sight. And when his eyes traveled down to lay upon the quickly darkening bruise, his countenance turn to a full grimace. She shouldn't have been that badly bruised, but it is understandable since she had only turned back human today. Josiah would have to teach her to manipulate her lycan abilities in her human state.

As she thanked him, he approached her. Josiah gently took your wrist as to not hurt it more, inspecting the bruise. "The soreness should be gone quicker than the bruise, even though your human form's healing process doesn't stem from your wolf's," Josiah said. "It's important that you learn this; it strengthens the bond between you and the wolf. I'll have to teach you this, along with stemming from your other abilities." It made him feel surprised that he'd even offer to do so. Usually he lets the trainers handle this, but no. From what he observed in Theo's actions, it wouldn't seem like the trainers and some of the pack members would play nice with the rogue-turned-Prominence-member.

Theo was standing, however he was still collecting himself. Josiah turned to him, saying "Shouldn't the other head patrols be with you?"

"Yes," Theo began, strained, "but they were finishing up orders to the other patrols." Josiah nodded at this, turning back to Rain. "Which reminds me. You also need combat training. My female members are not to go on unlearned like in traditional packs, who fail at training their female members. You must know how to defend yourself. In human form and wolf. And especially so this--," and with his words faltering, he holds up her injured wrist, looking pointedly at Theo (who bows his head), "does not happen again."
 
Rain noticed his eyes and teeth had returned to normal, though when he winced and then grimaced, she canted her head to the side slightly, bewildered as to what would make him do such a thing. She blinked, curious when Josiah approached her. She didn't dare move. She watched as he reached down and gently grasped her wrist and she tensed momentarily before she forced herself to relax. She was fine. He wasn't going to hurt her. She had to stop being so cautious and jumpy around him. Though he came across as cold, he hadn't hurt her and had even protected her against his own pack member. He soon spoke, bringing Rain away from her thoughts and she looked at his hand that held her wrist gently before he looked up at his face, listening as he spoke about her bruise, telling her the soreness will go quicker than the bruise itself. He went on to talk about the bond between her and her wolf and that he would teach her the abilities which stemmed from her wolf. She stayed silent for a second before she nodded, "okay.." she said, unsure. Would that mean, he'd also teach her how to shift back to her wolf form? Though she was steady on her legs now, she still felt much more comfortable as a wolf. Sure, it would take time to get used to being a human again but she had spent more time as a wolf in her life than she had as a human.

Rain heard the other man push himself to his feet, trying to steady himself. Josiah turned to him, asking about the other head patrols. There were more like him? She certainly hoped they wouldn't try and attack her as well. She wasn't sure how much more 'excitement' she could deal with in one day. The started speaking, saying the others were finishing up orders and she brought up the courage to glance past Josiah and looked at the man, who looked right back at her. Quickly looking away, Rain was thankful when Josiah started speaking to her again and she looked back at him as he spoke about combat training. She'd be taught how to fight? To protect herself. Though she definitely wasn't the violent type of person, she felt quite thankful for that. As a wolf, she was quite capable of protecting herself if she needed to, but as a human, anyone could tell she was defenceless.

Josiah faltered slightly with his words, so he lifted her hand and Rain knew he meant her wrist, and he gave a pointed look to the man, who bowed his head. He didn't want something like this to happen again to her. Though she put it down as he didn't want any of his pack members to be weak. She lowered her gaze slightly, suddenly feeling very ashamed that she couldn't do anything to protect herself. She doubted Josiah wanted to continuously keep an eye on her and come rushing to her rescue whenever she got into trouble. He'd get annoyed possibly change his mind about her joining the pack and imprison or kill her. "And.." she started, searching for the words, "who will teach me to.. Defend myself?" she asked, looking back up at him for an instant before she looked at her wrist and where Josiah still held it. Where he held her was warm, and Rain had to admit to herself that she didn't exactly hate the feeling of him touching her.
 
His warm hand was still wrapped around Rain's wrist. He starred at it for a moment, taking the contrast between the dark bruise and her pale skin into account. Before he realize what he was doing, his thumb ran over the skin, but once he caught himself, he gently--yet quickly--took his hand away. Josiah didn't want to acknowledge it, but he heard Theo snickering. A frown fixed upon his face as he turned to the head patrol. Theo was leaning against the tree he was choking against, muscular arms crossed over his chest. A smirk painted his face smug, and he says, "Not so mad about being nearly choked to death, after all. Gotta protect the ladies, right, Josiah?" This made a hand run done Josiah's face.

"Can you, please, go retrieve your patrol peers? And don't leave without them?" Josiah groaned and grunted. Theo laughed, beginning to walk into the forest once again.

"Oh, of course, Alpha Helix. I get it. You need some...alone time," Theo said over his shoulder, beginning to run with laughter. Josiah grumbled profanities, formulating murderous plans for Theo. Josiah heard her ask a question, however he refrained from answering just yet. Instead, he looked to Theo's retreating back, mind linking to him. Theo, I hate you with a passion right now.

Oh, hey, Old Josiah, Theo says. Where have YOU been? Laughter echoed in Josiah's mind. Jo shut Theo out of his mind with a brick wall, turning back to Rain. He put a hand to the back of his neck, moving it forward to tug lightly on his hair--a serious sign and habit of his nervousness.

"As for you question, I will also be teaching you how to conduct yourself in combat. The trainers like to play dirty sometimes," he explained. "And know this: some of the members--as you've observed--may not take nice to you so quickly. But do not be discouraged. You are a member now, therefore you have rights to respect. And they will not hurt you. I'm sure they'll all warm to you." He tried a smile to show he was confident in his words, and it wasn't as strained as it was before.
 
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