A figure sat ensconced in a chair, one leg draped over the other in a sluggish manner as a vacant look cascaded upon her facial features. From the way she leaned against the bar, slouched posture and all, it was evident that the woman had no intention on initially attending. Her specialty rested in all but socializing, but much to her constant verbal refusal, Roxanne had caved, believing that if she would not go for herself, then she should go to support her pack and its members. Representation was important in events such as these, or so she would continue telling herself throughout the night.

"Another?" She heard amidst the announcements and music (god, the music), causing her eyes to tear away and focus upon another. The bartender motioned to her hand, which was drumming against the empty old fashioned glass she had completed within her few minutes of arrival.

"Please," she responded, lowering her hand so that her empty glass may be cleared. Within moments, a second boulevardier was slid her way, to which she gratefully accepted, immediately raising it to her lips. Behind the glass, her eyes scanned the crowd, taking in the continuous waves of people entering.

Roxanne had nearly been late, something not common of her nature. Despite knowing of the tradition for weeks, she had not been prepared for the date. Rather, it seemed as if she had procrastinated the event, putting it in the back of her mind behind all else. It was only the evening she arrived at the hotel did she manage to purchase her current gown, a sleeveless silk black dress that provided nothing special besides including a slit upon her left leg. Given her observations, it seemed as if she had chosen a popular item. Different versions of her own dress twirled around her, as if mocking her pathetic taste of style.

Of course, that didn't provide an explanation for her tardiness. No, the reason for her nearly late arrival was due to the time spent dressing up the outfit she wore. Minutes to hours were spent in an attempt to accessorize herself to the point where she had snapped, removing all of her jewelry in a fit of rage and departing with the piercings she wore on the daily. She didn't bother to wear a necklace, bracelet, or any other trinkets of the sort. Was she underdressed? Most likely, but the woman remained unbothered, continuing to sip on her already empty boulevardier.

"Could I have- Thank you," she said as the bartender slid her a third, and good timing, too. By the time her fingers met the glass, the final set of announcements had begun. The heirs were to arrive, something that she had been patiently waiting for. It had not only meant that the ball was closer to ending, but Sadoc would emerge. It would give her an individual to speak to at least. So, she sat, her posture straightening slightly as her eyes fixated on the entrance, only to deflate when it was, indeed, not Sadoc.

Elowen Evenfall from the Cassiopeia Pack was one of the first heirs to arrive. Of course, she wasn't sure that she had that title anymore given her newly implemented Shaman one. Regardless, she was not who Roxanne was waiting for. Her mind was set upon Sadoc.. and, well, perhaps another.

She was awaiting the arrival of the Lunar Falls Pack's greatest disappointment, Klotho. The mere thought of that pitchy, she-devil woman had caused Roxanne to brood, her knuckles turning white from clutching her glass. That.. that girl was not only betrothed to her dear Sadoc, but also the one who scarred her eye. Deep down, she found it ironic in a twisted, torturing way that the woman she despised most was set to marry one of her dearest friends. As if that wasn't difficult enough, the entire set of events were dedicated to them.

The only hope that fulfilled Roxanne was imagining Klotho miserable for them all.

Kobeni Bennio

—-------------

Beta Guardians ⧭ Man ⧭ Acting Alpha ⧭ Mentions: Trisha, Tori, Open

The day Zitkala and Vohkinne met was once in a lifetime, where the summer breeze was at its finest; where their pelts would touch as they gazed down at the pack. But this wasn’t a love story, this story started with Vohkinne and his duty to protect the young and curious Zitkala. They were both tender age of 17 years old, Vohkinne was training with Baran; Kobeni’s grandfather, and Vohkinne’s father. Baran watched as Vohkinne's hits were carefully thrown, the way he carried himself; Vohkinne and Kobeni's style of fighting was consistently distinguishable, Vohkinne style was henced at his proficiency to strike anyone down while Kobeni's technique acclimated more of Baran’s lethargic punches and Vohkinne’s determination to make sure their enemy doesn’t want to get up again. Kobeni style mixed between the two, but right now Vohkinne did a perfect roll-shift-roll-shift transformation. Something people in the Beta pack couldn’t normally do just out of the blue, it would put a strain on their ability to hold in their wolf.

After doing it, Vohkinne looked toward Baran for validation, but all the man gave was a raised brow,” Father how was that?,” Vohkinne asked, forming a smile before it quickly vanished at his father's words,” Do better Vohkinne.”

Better? Vohkinne spent weeks training to just shift mid-roll. Watching Baran stalk away with a disappointed mumble, Vohkinne noticed Zitkala watching him. Snapping his neck toward her, he sneered,” What are you looking at princess?”, His voice raised with hostility. Zitkala sat above the pack, whispering to Eric–the pack Shaman, before looking at Vohkinne fully, her attention now stuck on him.

“ You’re doing it wrong..”

“ Excuse me, princess? What would a female know about fighting?”, Vohkinne snapped, cursing as she jumped gracefully from her perch and walked closer to him, standing before him- their eyes met and instantly, Vohkinne hated this spoiled brat. Yet Zitkala offered a childish smile,” You are just shifting and rolling, what are you doing..playing in the ground?”, Zitkala’s insult did not go unnoticed, Vohkinne growled allowing his eyes to watch her circle him,” Again, what would a spoiled princess know about fighting, it takes a lot out of me to go from defense to offense..you fucking prick,”

“ It’s easy actually “

Vohkinne’s eyes dilated, this dame was lying. She had to be, she had no fighting skills–she was a spoiled brat. He raised a brow and lowered his head submissively,” Show me”, Finally smiling fully, Zitkala charged at him, not realizing she was making a distance between her and him, Vohkinne was caught off–” What the hell! “, He moved out the dame's way, all she did was run at him. She didn’t take on the clearly open offense,” Why didn’t you attack me?”, Vohkinne asked, stumbling a bit to regain his militant stance. Zitkala just tilted her head,” I’m going to come after you every day until you learn how to switch defense to offense”, This bitch was crazy! Vohkinne wanted to say, he wanted to tell Baran to put this bitch on meds,” You’re crazy”,

“ No….you’re going to need to learn this when you have a son”,

“ A son…wait a child! Children are gross! I’ll never become a father!”,

“ Eric says otherwise, your son is going to be our savior”,

“ Like hell, he is, because that fatherless bastard doesn’t exist!”, Vohkinne took a step back.

“ We’ll see”, Zitkala charged at Vohkinne again, this time taking a swing at him.

—--- Decades later —--

Weaving perfectly out of the way of Trisha’s head kick, Kobeni watched as the dame went from defense to offense in a matter of seconds. His eyes dull with such laziness–yet they were watching to see an opening; the pack was tuned in to their sparring, most of them were old heads, others were new and the rest were children. Kobeni weaved again, leaning back from Trisha's dangerous right hook,” Aren’t you a bit serious today?”, Kobeni pointed out. His body language was sluggish, bored, and thoughtless; yet the style reminded everyone of Baran–the brute grandfather. Still, no one knew what was happening in Kobeni's headspace; and while the pack was watching and Trisha’s attacks were quick and clean, Kobeni couldn’t help but play defense until Trisha stopped coming for him,” Kobeni! Pay attention you idiot”, Snapping back to reality, Kobeni lifted his head to see Trisha rage.

Rubbing the back of his neck, the man yawned,” We have to leave soon Trisha, can’t we fight another day; you’re rather slow today”, The way his voice henced at his sluggishness, made Trisha’s eyes burn even more,” Of course “, And with that, Kobeni watched the dame stalk off between the disappearing crowd. Kobeni had to finish getting ready for the ball, even though their Alpha was missing and Kobeni was taking care of everyone; it was affecting his mental health. He was tired and worn out. If he could change the way they saw him, sure he was the spawn of Vohkinne but that doesn’t mean he was going to become just like him. Shaking the thoughts that were heading straight to his head, Kobeni went to change and get ready to leave. The weather was nice enough to wear a black, red, and golden handcuff suit.

Kobeni finally went to change. His red tie matched the golden handcuffs he was fixing, his hair was pulled back and his face expressed great value for himself. He looked decent enough, but when Trisha showed herself in a slim down, short cut, red slit between the legs tight fitting dress–his mouth watered.

“ Pick up your mouth Beta, you’re an Alpha until we find her..”, Trisha fixed her two afro puffs and stared at Kobeni, his eyes matched hers and as they stood there gazing into each other eyes–the limo arrived.

“ Shall we?”, Kobeni offered his hand.

“ Don’t get cocky..you’re only acting Alpha til she returns for us”, Trisha didn’t grab his hand, and with that action of rejected, Kobeni grabbed her forearm and pulled her closer to his chest,” We keep this quiet, even though the Lake didn’t claim my first born. We must not fear these other packs because of it”, Trisha growled at the sudden grabbing, lifting her harsh gaze,” The lake requires a firstborn before you can even claim the Alpha rank! We are disobeying every rule known to your pa-”,

“ Our pack “, He corrected.

“ No, you fatherless bastard. Your pack! This is your pack, I am just a guest remember….a prisoner in your home”, And with that final statement, Trisha snatched herself from Kobeni's grasp. Walking to the limo with her suitcase and while Kobeni followed behind her, he placed both their suitcases in the back.

Now they await the long car ride.

—-3 hours later —

That ride was brutal. Not only did Trisha badger his training, and the way he carried himself; not to include the fact he’ll never be as amazing as his father–Vohkinne. Kobeni nearly had enough and as the limo stopped, he couldn’t help but snap,” It sounds to me you are in love with someone who didn’t save you from that fire, you ungrateful spoiled little prick! My father is dead, I killed that motherless bastard! ", Kobeni quickly got out the limo and gather his and Trish's suitcases, quickly heading to settle Trisha into her quarters.

" Are you not staying?", She asked.

" You know we can't...."

Trisha's gaze hardened, her expression darkened," Oh...I see, you think I'm in love with your father because of what? Because you lack the man balls to do what's needed!? What a way to go Kobeni, jealous of someone you killed! Jealous of the fact you'll never be as strong, dependable, or what a true woman needs in your whole life",

Yes. Kobeni stood there as she rambled on, snatching her suitcase from his grasp and slamming the door against his face. Kobeni stood there, staring at a wooden door before leaning against it; his hand made a fist and softly brushed against the door. No words could possibly be said to explain what Kobeni felt, the number of times he's heard and witnessed Trisha's outburst, it was nothing new. But each time oppugned his morals. Removing himself from the door, he strolled down the hall.

And as he explored a little bit, he finally found his room. Settling down was easy, but getting comfortable in an unknown place was the hardest part, he kept waiting on a surprise attack from another pack.

“ I wonder who’s here?”, Echoing his recent comment about which packs would arrive, he faintly remembers Tori, a dame he used to play with before she vanished from his story. He always wondered where she was, if would she ever return again. The pack was different for sure. Maybe Kobeni was being selfish, maybe he required everyone he’s ever met to stay with him, to never leave, and to live knowing they’ll always be together. He hated that feeling, he didn’t want the dame to feel trapped, he just wanted her to feel safe with him and only him. What if something happened to her?! What if she was killed, or maybe kidnapped?! God, what has Kobeni done? He allowed a friend to leave his sights, now with these toxic thoughts- he believes he murdered a friend by not keeping them within arms reach. Clenching his chest, Kobeni could feel the panic rise in him; the last time he saw her, she was different, not the same dame he used to know.

Why were the walls closing in, why did the ceiling just laugh at him? Kobeni’s face was sweating, and he could barely breath; the thought of someone touching Tori was enough to make Kobeni wake up in a dark pool of water, his wet hair dripping made an echoing sound; and a spirited wolf appeared before him,” Why have you come to me again? I have given you nothing but sorrow? “, The spirit spoke in a concerned tone. Kobeni assumed they thought he was greedy, greedy for their strength; their endless power.

“ I’m…not…sure?”,

“ A friend is in trouble…right? Do you wish to borrow some of my strength to protect her?”

“ Yes!! Wait…no…she can’t be danger…she’s strong “, Kobeni lifted up his gaze, allowing the spirit to gaze back, in truth Kobeni was scared. So scared he tried to scream, yet his whole body felt like it was underwater. Instead, Kobeni just stared aimlessly into the spirit ghost-like eyes,” As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you..”,

“ I don’t care about myself. “,

Admitting that, shocked Kobeni back to the actuality of standing frozen in the middle of his room. With his final breath, Kobeni stumbled to the exit of his room and stared down the hall,” I need to know if she’s here! They must have a list somewhere? A list of names”, Kobeni shook the remaining sweat that dropped from his tapered jawline onto the floor. And with that, he went looking for someone.

Nicanor worked his jaw slowly, feeling muscle and bone press against the leather wrapped around his throat, sitting a little higher than it normally would to allow space for his turtleneck to sit comfortably.

The black choker was studded with silver spikes, with a buckle on the back that sat beneath his hair, and a ring on the front that sat at the center of his throat. He had a couple excuses for wearing it, all that Lucienne had heard before and likely didn't believe. They both knew what the choker meant. That's all that mattered.

Black turtleneck, a black blazer, black dress pants, and black boots. All complimented by silver. Silver necklaces and chains, silver bracelets, silver rings, his personal outfit, with a touch of Lucienne's opinion of it. He'd heard more than his share of what Lucienne thought of his outfit when they were getting ready.

Speaking of Lucienne, he was separated from his currently. Nicanor tried, desperately tried, to stay aware of his position, tried to keep an eye on him even as he went down a different hallway with instructions that they meet at the bar after scoping out the area. It was his job. His job was to protect Lucienne, to be by his side, to guard him and keep others away from him, listen to orders.

He wasn't making anything sound at all better.

He found the large doors to the ballroom, doing a quick scan of those around him. Many people shorter than him, but that wasn't surprising. He knew he stood taller than most, and, even still, he craned his head to peer further into the crowd, to spot a head of blond hair atop a dark body. It briefly popped into his vision at one point, but his attention was grabbed by others in the room, studying them while he all but stalked towards the bar.

A woman with hair so blonde it was white, in a white dress, on the tall end for women, and someone that could definitely grab attention, by the looks of it. A shorter woman, ginger, in a pink dress, a member of the Lunar Falls Pack, if he remembered correctly. One of the two main packs that were holding this ball, to marry their heirs. He huffed, closing his shoulders in on himself a little more. He'd hate to be them.

Another man, with a similar of blond hair but not quite as pale as the first woman, with another person next to him, although with hair just as pale as the first woman. Was pale hair a theme tonight, perhaps? The two by the bar seemed close, related, perhaps. The paler haired one reminded him of someone he'd heard of from the Lunar Falls Pack, but the blond one wasn't quite familiar.

Another man walked up, ginger hair, absolutely fucking jacked, and watching the pale-haired person. He walked a little past him, settling with his back to the bar, leaning on it while he scanned the growing crowd, once again looking for the head of blond hair on dark shoulders.

A little further down the bar, there was a darker skinned woman, a scar over her eye. He passed his gaze over her, as if he wasn't scanning everyone around, leaning a little further away as a blonde woman came, ordered a drink, and left again. Was she from the Wild Mountain Pack? Gods, there were so many people.

So many people, so many packs, and this was all being held to commemorate a peace treaty between Lunar Falls Pack and Blood Moon Pack by marrying their heirs? What a mess. They were here to strengthen their ties with other visiting packs, strengthen alliances, and similar things. Whatever their reasons, he was suddenly very seriously considering simply walking out, saying 'Fuck this' and going home.

He leaned back further, as if completely at ease, even as he scanned the crowd again and again, looking, searching, waiting. Gods, he'd turned into the dog Lucienne, and others, joked about him to be, just waiting for his master to come and collect him. Knowing Lucienne though, he'd want to stay at the bar and drink before getting involved in whatever mess this place was going to be.