“Inbred…?” Andre’s brows raised in puzzlement, but then lowered in recognition when he saw the approaching trio. “Oh, you mean Axel.”

Rafe gave the omé a stern look.  “Don’t tell me he harasses you, too?”

“No. Well, um, if passing comments don’t count.”

Silver eyes narrowed further. “And?”

Andre’s shoulders sagged, suddenly exhausted. “A slap or shove here or there.”

Rafe had an inkling his friend was treated worse than he was letting on. It was like these groups of egotistical assholes designated him as the tribe punching bag. Somehow, the superhuman was going to have to teach the omega how to throw a punch. But for now, Rafe turned to the three incoming gammas, pounding his fist into his palm.

“Looks like we’re ordering takeout on the way.”

“Maybe we should just-”

“I knew it!” Axel glowered at Rafe. “I knew you weren’t just any random monkey!”

The human rolled his eyes, fed up with the accusations the idiot seemed to pull out of his ass. “The hell are you going on about now?”

Instead of answering him, Axel’s glare moved over to the omé, and a sneer stretched under his hooked nose. “Andre the Omega. Where do you think you’re off to? And with this outsider no less?”

The wolf teen squirmed in discomfort, suddenly finding interest in his shoes. “Um-”

“You don’t have to answer him,” Rafe placed a protective hand on Andre’s chest.

“Is there something special in that backpack of yours?” the gamma took a threatening step forward, his sycophants following his lead. “The whole tribe knows you couldn’t even beat a butterfly into submission, so is that why the half-breed had to smuggle a super-monkey to play bodyguard?”

Andre looked up in a panic, waving his hands in defense. “Wait, Axel! It’s nothing like that.”

Irritation coursed through Rafe. Not only was he pissed off at the gammas and their shitty attitude, but Andre’s compliant behavior grated on his nerves. It was a harsh thought, but it was that submissiveness that contributed the most to his omega friend’s bullying.

“Then what is it like?” Axel grinned nastily. “Because from what I see, we might be dealing with treason, and the alpha might be too thickheaded to see it.”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Rafe quickly cut in with a hateful snarl, “we were going on a vacation away from here. Does it say anywhere in your fucked up book of rules that the lower class aren’t allowed to take days off?”

“Letting an ape fight your battles, huh, Andy? What? Desperate now that Mommy and Daddy aren’t here to shield you?” Axel smirked smugly, and the other two gammas laughed as if it was the funniest thing they’ve heard.

Andre winced at that, his wobbly lips pursing tightly as if to keep in a sob. Rafe had the opposite reaction, stomping toward the gamma with unbridled anger.

“You piece of sh-”

Like sentinels guarding their master, the two wolves lunged for the superhuman, wrapping their arms around the boy’s and gripping him as tightly as they could.

“Hey!” Rafe struggled in their grasp. “Get the hell off me!”

He delivered kicks to their sides, making them grunt, but they did nothing to get him out of their hold. They might have had faces that not even a mother could love and egos the sie of monoliths, but they had the power to back it up.

“Rafe!” Andre dropped his backpack and went to get to him, but he only made it two steps before he was promptly shoved back, making him trip and tumble on his rear.

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Rafe screamed, his rage and thrashing reddening his face. “Let me go, you goddamn cowards!”

Axel chuckled darkly as he leaned over the omé domineeringly. “You realize you won’t be in Renkin’s favor forever, right? I’m a Hemming, which is a renowned bloodline within lupine history. Which means that I’ll be Gamma Supreme one day. Which means that I’ll be right next to Renkin one day. And I’ll be by his side, whispering all the bullshit I want about you, then we’ll see if he likes you so much!”

Andre shivered at the menacing smile on the gamma's face but nodded along to placate him. “I-I know. I believe you. I-I hope you do become Gamma Supreme someday.”

“Come on, man! You don’t answer to him, Dre!” Rafe continued to writhe as best he could. “You hearing me, asshole!? I swear I’ll get out of this once-”

It was fruitless telling Andre to fight back, but he needed to start at some point.

“Not so tough now, are you, monkey?” Axel laughed loudly.

The tanned one squeezed tighter. “He’s like a wild chimpanzee!”

The paler wolf hummed in agreement. “We may have to euthanize him to keep the public safe.”

“Axel, please,” Andre begged. “J-Just let my friend go. He didn’t do anything. He-”

“Actually, he did!” the gamma was back in his face. “You weren’t here for it, probably rutting one out in those backwater woods you live in, but your little friend called me a bitch! Now, it’s time he retracted that statement. Open the backpack. Let’s see what you’re hiding.”

“Don’t you dare, Andre!” Rafe’s silver eyes flashed.

Andre swallowed as he nervously stared back at his writhing human friend. After a minute of hesitation, the omega reached back and grabbed his backpack, unzipping it.

“It’s just clothes and-”

“So, you were leaving?” Axel snorted at the folded garments. “What could you have possibly been told to make you wanna leave our tribe, huh? Leave all those defenseless puppies up over there?”

Both boys felt their insides turn to ice. Even Rafe ceased fighting.

“It’s not like the old bitch can do anything. She’d die with a single tap. Tell you what. When you leave, I’ll go pay them a visit. See if they’re doing alright.”

The bastard had been waiting for them all this time. With renewed energy, Rafe began his struggle once again, his efforts getting both the gammas to stumble just a bit before quickly righting themselves.

“You asshole! I’ll kill you if you do anything!”

Andre clasped his hands together, head bowed as if he was praying. “No, don’t! Axel, please! We’re not doing anything wrong!”

The older wolf just shook his head. “No. As a gamma and future Gamma Supreme, it’s my duty to watch over everyone. But see, I don’t know them all that well. I gotta know where their loyalties lie. See if they’re worth protecting.”

“No! You can’t!”

“Of course, I can,” Axel started stepping away from the omé. “In fact, we’ll go down right now-”

“No!”

A protective impulse took over Andre’s body, and he sprang up from the ground to latch both hands onto Axel’s wrist. That instantly proved to be a mistake because barely a second passed before the omega was once again sent to the ground, but this time by a vicious slap to the face. Andre toppled, whimpering in pain as Axel placed a crushing foot onto his chest.

The sight made Rafe’s vision go white at first.

Then it went red.

“LET GO!!”

With a strength he never knew he had in him, he sharply straightened out his arms, and that was enough to blow both cronies away from him nearly a yard away each, the two howling in pain. The blond paid them no heed, the searing heat in his eyes worsening. The hate and rage inside him twisted about like a live, chaotic parasite. It was burrowing itself deep inside and he needed it out of his body. Still, his mind tunneled on one goal.

Save Andre.

Through crimson eyesight, he locked onto Axel, and with a shot, directed all that tangible animosity at the bastard gamma.

…

Black.

For a moment, that was all Rafe could see. Every sense seemed to escape him, but when they came to, he found himself kneeling on one knee, his chest heaving like he was just coming up for breath in the ocean, and billows of ash and smoke wafting in front of him.

Then, there was the screaming.

“M-My arm! W-What d-did you-”

Axel resumed his agonized shrieking. Rafe remained confused, his sight still a bit blurry, but it soon made sense when they focused on the gamma. His right arm, up to the elbow, was entirely gone. A clean-cut with little to no blood leaking out. The wound was cauterized already and the missing half wasn’t anywhere to be found. Axel clutched at his stump so tightly his knuckles went white all the while crying in extreme anguish.

Despite his perplexity, Rafe took satisfaction in the scene before staggering over to a shell-shocked Andre.

“Andre!” he gently brushed over the hand mark on his friend’s cheek. “You alright?”

The omé blinked thrice, then shook his head to gain some clarity. “Y-Yeah… Y-You- Your eyes, Rafe.”

“They sting a little.” They felt dry as hell, but they no longer bothered him, the burning sensation gone.

“But you- you shot… lasers out of your eyes. Big lasers, and…”

Rafe went still.

He shot lasers out of his eyes. He’s seen many superhumans do it back at the Coat, but it was a move particularly and naturally retained by members of the Gold family. And he personally knew how effective it can be. Looking at his surroundings again, the ground, including the leaves, were scorched to cinders, a straight line extending far off in the distance. Along that way were a few split trees and patches of flames.

“I didn’t even know I could do it,” was all he could mutter.

“You simian fucking brat!” Despite the agony of losing half of a limb, Axel was up and charging at the teen duo with fevered fury.

Although, that immediately came to an end when a massive shape slammed into his back, caving his body partly into the earth and right on top of the scorched dirt. There was a slight hiss before Axel squealed like a pig. Above him, Beau shoved him further into the ground with his knee, frightening, sharp incisors bared.

“You’d think earning a stump courtesy of a kid, you’d learn your lesson.”

“Get-”

The lycan didn’t let him continue, pelting him upside the head with a palm. “Don’t even start! I saw the slap! Let me remind you that you’re trying to compensate for your small prick against preteens, jackass!”

The other two gammas have finally regained their senses and were floundering over. “Hey! You-”

“Don’t even fucking think about moving any closer, you two! Or else, your boy gets a matching set. And trust me, it won’t be as quick.”

“I’ll get you!” Axel wailed. “I’ll get you for this!”

A savage grin graced Beau’s face as he glared down at the gamma. “Then, you better learn how to catch with your teeth.”

“Ye know, even if yer a kappa, it’s nae wise tae attack an official tribesman,” Renkin’s voice resonated over the entire area, bringing silence to the forest.

Although Beau didn’t stay quiet for long, redirecting his glower over to the alpha even while keeping his painful hold on Axel. “I ought to kill him for attacking my kid and his friend!”

“It’s only a natural interaction atween th' higher-ups 'n' lower class. It wasn't so bad. Right, Andre?”

Any respect Rafe might have had for the Graybite alpha dried up at hearing that. Trying to convince his friend that being shit on was not only just the way things were but encouraged as well? The superhuman was old enough to realize that now that he’s been experiencing a world outside of the one he was born into.

“Yeah! Yeah! That’s all it was!” Axel yipped, latching on to whatever excuse he could. “We weren’t really gonna do anything!”

“It’s also natural for a papa wolf to protect his cubs. Isn’t that right?” Beau snarked at Renkin.

Andre tensed at the tone the lycan took, but the alpha just tipped his head back and laughed as if the whole incident was in good nature.

“Cannae argue wi' that,” those deceptively warm eyes then went to Rafe, who did not bother to hide his disgusted scowl. “Rafe Gold. I’m impressed. Ye were able tae break out of th' hold by two gammas. That's unlike anythin' I’ve seen a bairn aside for my own son.”

“Thanks, I guess,” the human boy shrugged.

“You know, if ye were tae cross over tae our side, you'd be a hundred times stronger. All it takes is one bite, an' ye would make yin o' my finest soldiers tae date.”

Was this guy serious?

“Yeah, no.  I’m good. I don’t need to cheat my way to the top to get stronger.”

Beau feigned offense at that. “Watch what you say, imp.”

The blond didn’t acknowledge him. Instead, he roughly exhaled as he grabbed Andre’s backpack, stood up, and stomped away from the scene without looking back.

“Rafe?” Andre called to no avail.

Beau lifted a brow at the boy’s sullen mood. “So, you’re assuming we’re in the clear or…?”

Rafe’s form disappeared behind the tall trees.

Andre got up and made to follow his brooding friend, but a sudden thought occurred to him. The knowledge that the gammas knew all about his orphan siblings did not sit well with him. With a beseeching look at Renkin, he began to beg.

“Alpha Renkin-”

The alpha was already two steps ahead of him, walking over to place a large, comforting hand on the omé’s head. “I heard everything, wee pup. I swear by th' gods that no harm will come tae th' orphans or Delta Jan. She's a well-respected member of th' gang.”

Relief and gratitude flooded Andre’s body, making him grin and tilt into the warmth of the alpha’s hand. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Nae only that bit once again, my orders have gone ignored. An' against a guest, no less! Which means punishment is in order.”

Axel stammered in growing dread. “B-But, sir-”

As nice as it would be to stick around and witness the penalty dished out to the three idiots, Beau didn’t want to stay a second longer. He casually hopped off a sputtering Axel and placed a gentle hand on the back of Andre’s neck, guiding him down the path Rafe went, the gamma trio’s fearful stammering fading into the background.

“You okay, bud?” Beau asked.

“Yeah. Thanks,” Andre smiled up at the huge lycan in appreciation, then looked forward, where he spotted his superhuman friend slowly trudging through the rest of the forest. “Rafe’s gotten stronger over the years, hasn’t he?”

Beau hummed, his lips thinning. “Surely. But the true test is Ironward. We’ll have to see until then.”