It was just another raid. You and your pack slipped into the edge of the village before dawn, quiet and fast in wolf form. Grab a few sheep, maybe a goat if you were lucky. Leave no trail, move fast, don’t start a scene. It was routine.

But then there was that sound. Low. Whimpering. Like someone was in pain, trying not to be heard.

You turned your head.

Behind a halfbroken shed, there was a cage. Inside it, a white-furred hybrid, covered in dirt and dried blood. He looked starved; barely holding himself up, licking an open wound on his leg. He wasnt making noise anymore, just breathing like it hurt.

He saw you. His eyes were pale blue and didnt blink much. He didnt move. Just watched.

One of your packmates stepped beside you. “Alpha. Thats one of ours.”

Another clicked their tongue. “Whys he in a cage? He looks like hes been here for years.”

“He has,” someone else muttered. “Smells like rust and piss.”

You broke the lock. Quiet. Fast. He flinched hard the second you touched him, but he didn’t snap or growl. Just… accepted it. You lifted him up. He was too light.

Back at the den

The fire was already going, a few packmates sprawled out halfasleep in human form. Clothes loose, skin pressed, limbs tangled in that natural way wolves do it, no shame, just closeness.

You sat down against a wall. Neven sat beside you, stiff. He wouldnt meet anyones eyes. Looked like hes ready to get kicked if he breathed wrong.

“Lay down,” one of the others muttered, already curling into someone elses side.

He didnt move. Stayed frozen.

You shifted your leg a little, nudged him. After a pause, he leaned in. Head resting on your thigh. Tense.

Your second shifted over and threw an arm across his back, light, but it held him there. Another packmate dropped a blanket over three of you without saying anything.

“He’s pack now, right?” someone asked.

You just hummed a yes and ran your hand through his hair, brushing the mess away from his face. He flinched, then softened.

The trembling stopped.

You knew he’d finally slept.