Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Hello, Kurt."

Kurt only just manages not to drop his car keys at the sound of the familiar voice somewhere behind him. For a moment he's frozen, anxiety rising as it always has around this person, even though the last time they saw each other it was fairly amicable. Finally he turns around and takes in the figure standing behind him, a little too close for comfort.

"Hello, Karofsky," he replies. "Um… what are you doing here? I thought you'd transferred."

Karofsky shrugs and takes another step closer and Kurt really wishes he could take a step back but unfortunately his car is in the way. Still, his nervous tension eases a little when he sees that Karofsky looks a little different, more settled in himself, confident and comfortable, and he even looks different physically - the layer of tubbiness seems to be gone, leaving hard muscle in it's wake. The change of school seems to have been good for him.

"Yeah, I'm over at Springfield," Karofsky says, with a smile that makes Kurt's tension rise again. "Just came over for a visit and found myself here. How are you anyway? I heard that you dumped Blaine. Didn't seem like a very nice thing to do after he transferred here to be with you."

Kurt flushes and tries to ignore the dry bitterness in Karofsky's voice.

"Actually that's not why he transferred," he says. "His father was having a few financial problems and the fees at Dalton are high. I should know." He lets his own voice harden - hoping to make Karofsky flush with embarrassment in his turn - but Karofsky doesn't react. "And I didn't dump him either."

"You telling me he dumped you?" Karofsky asks with a hint of surprise that should make Kurt feel flattered, but instead makes him feel wary.

"No, it was a mutual thing," Kurt says. "And why are we talking about this? I find it hard to believe you turned up here just to talk about Blaine."

Karofsky smiles again and shakes his head. "You're right," he says. "That's not what I came for."

"Okaaaay," Kurt says slowly when Karofsky doesn't say anything else. There's a long moment of tense silence and then Karofsky's smile widens. It's full of a sort of confidence that Kurt had never before associated with Karofsky, and Kurt shifts nervously on his feet and then blurts out, "You've changed."

"Yes," Karofsky agrees. "Well, actually I've been changed. I wanted you to know that."

"Okay," Kurt says again. "Well, now I know. Anything else?"

And asking that was probably a mistake, Kurt thinks, when Karofsky steps forward and places his hands on Kurt's car, on either side of Kurt's shoulders and leans closer.

"Yeah," he says in a low voice, and there's a hint of a growl behind it that makes Kurt's eyes widen. "Maybe I came for another kiss."

Kurt's heart rate skyrockets, although he's pretty proud of the way he doesn't let it show. All the same, the way Karofsky grins makes him think, for a stupid moment, that maybe Karofsky can hear it.

"And maybe you came for a knee in the balls," Kurt snaps, but Karofsky just tilts his head thoughtfully.

"Kinky," he says. "But we can get to that next time. For now, I just want that kiss."

"Yeah, not happening," Kurt says, and he tries to shove Karofsky away, but Karofsky's chest seems to have turned into a brick wall.

"Okay, puppy, back off."

And Kurt's never been so relieved to hear the dulcet tones of Santana Lopez, but as Karofsky steps away, Kurt stares at her in surprise because on a scale of one to ten for Lopez insults, 'puppy' is like a zero point five.

However, Karofsky doesn't seem to think so, because he practically snarls at Santana, where she stands flanked by Brittany and Sam.

"Fuck off, bitch," he growls, but Santana just laughs.

"Really? That all you got?" she asks, and her eyes seem to glint for a moment in the afternoon sunlight. "You need to get out of here, pup. You're on Smythe territory and we don't take kindly to the visit."

"Well, you should get used to it," Karofsky says. "Because I'll be back and next time I won't be alone. And I'll keep coming back until I get what I want."

He casts one quick glance at Kurt, who's still leaning against his car, dumbfounded, and then he takes off, running swiftly for the school gates.

"Um… what was that?" Kurt finally asks, but Santana ignores him.

"Crap," she says. "I don't like the sound of this."

"He's only a Beta," Brittany says mildly, and Kurt blinks, because yeah, that was really a… weird… thing to say, even for Brittany.

Santana rolls her eyes. "A strong one though," she says. "Fuck, who in their right mind would turn Karofsky?"

Kurt finally finds his voice again. "Look, I'm really grateful you were here," he says. "But I'd really appreciate it if you told me what the hell you're talking about."

Santana just ignores him again, which really pisses Kurt off, because he really thought he'd made that request very politely, considering the circumstances.

"Sam, find Mike. Tell him to talk to Se… our illustrious leader and inform him that we may have a territory dispute with the Springfield pack… with a possible mating complication as a bonus," she pauses to glare at Kurt, and Kurt glares back resentfully although he's still hopelessly confused. "Tell him we need to have a pack meeting, and I need to know if I should bring Kurt with us. We shouldn't really leave him alone."

"Santana," Sam says, "Kurt's not pack. Sorry, Kurt," he adds with an apologetic smile, and Kurt shrugs.

"It's fine, Sam," he says, "because I really don't want to know about whatever gang you've got yourself tangled up with, anyway."

"Oh we're not a gang, Kurt," Brittany says cheerfully, "we're a pack and..." Kurt looks at her hopefully but when Santana says 'Brittany' in a warning voice, she falls silent.

"Get going, Sam," Santana continues, "tell him to text me."

Sam goes, and Santana finally turns to Kurt, and holds out her hand.

"Keys."

"What the fuck?"

"We're going for a little drive, Kurt," Santana says. "You should call your father and tell him you're having dinner out with Brittany. That'll cover us."

Kurt rolls his eyes. He really wants to tell Santana to shove it, but there's an odd note of authority in her voice that he's never heard before, and he can't deny that he's intensely curious about what the hell is going on.

"Fine," he finally agrees. "But you're not driving my car."

Santana nods her head in agreement and they all get into Kurt's Navigator.

"Where am I going?" Kurt asks, as he starts the engine.

"I don't know yet," Santana says. "Just drive around until I find out. Call your dad."

And to Kurt's confused chagrin he finds himself doing exactly that.

Once they've left the school, and Kurt's driving around Lima aimlessly, he glances over at Santana.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on? I've just had a very unpleasant experience with a situation I thought was over and done with, and I'm getting close to really losing my shit here."

"Can't yet," Santana says, and gives him an apologetic look that completely startles Kurt because he's pretty sure he's never seen something like that on Santana's face before.

And it also scares him a bit, because now he's wondering if he's got himself involved in something a lot more serious than a bit of high-school gang hijinks.

Before he can say anything though, Santana's phone buzzes, and she quickly reads a text.

"Right, he's not happy because you're not pack, but we're going to Sebastian's."

"Who the hell is Sebastian?" Kurt asks. "And what is all this stuff about a pack?"

"Maybe Sebastian should just bite Kurt," Brittany says from the backseat. "Then he would be pack."

There's a beat of silence, and then Kurt pulls over to the side of the road.

"Care to explain that?" he says to Santana in a sweet voice and she glares at him.

"No," she says. "That's up to Sebastian."

"Who is…" Kurt begins, and then he falters and frowns as the name finally sinks in.

"Oh my god," he gasps, looking at Santana in horror. "Are you talking about Sebastian Smythe? The asshole who kept trying to get with Blaine while Blaine was my boyfriend?"

"That's the one," Santana says dryly. "And he wasn't trying to get with Blaine. He was just bored, and he likes to flirt."

Kurt's speechless at that, but he has to admit it does sound like the way Sebastian would behave, so eventually he just shrugs his shoulders… and then he narrows his eyes.

"How do you even know him?"

"I've known him all my life," Santana says. "When he came back from France, we… reconnected. And now we really need to get going – it's at least forty-five minutes to the Smythe estate, so start driving."

Kurt starts the car again and numbly follows Santana's directions. He has to admit that he's impressed when they reach their destination. The road through the woods (that Santana tells him actually belong to Sebastian) is beautiful, and when they reach the gates, he can see that the house is magnificent. And it's really frustrating, he thinks, as the gates swing open, because he really doesn't want to admire anything about Sebastian Smythe.

He's standing silently in the imposing entrance hallway, trying not to let too much awe show on his face, when he hears someone clear their throat and he notices the two figures standing near the staircase.

"Nick? Thad?"

"Hello, Kurt," Nick says, with a wide smile. "Good to see you again. How's it going?"

"Nick," Thad says repressively, and then he looks at Santana. "They're in the kitchen."

Santana nods. "Let's go and face the music then."

Kurt follows them along the hallway to the back of the house and he can't help feeling nervous. He really hopes it doesn't show, but that's blown when Brittany slips her hand into his and squeezes it.

"Calm down," she says with a reassuring smile. "Your heart's beating too fast. Sebastian won't bite you unless you want him to."

Kurt just stares at her blankly.

Then they're in a large open-plan kitchen, but all Kurt can really take in is that it's flooded with light from the huge windows along one wall, and that Mike and Sam are sprawled on one of the large couches on the other side of the room. He blinks with confusion when Nick goes over and sits between them and Sam whispers something in his ear that makes him laugh, …because how on earth do they all know each other?

"I'd like an explanation, Santana."

It's a voice that Kurt had kind of hoped to never hear again, and when he turns towards it, Sebastian Smythe is standing before him, with a raised eyebrow. Kurt hasn't seen Sebastian since that memorable night at Scandals and he'd kind of forgotten how tall he is. But he hadn't forgotten the mocking glint in his eyes, and it's still there now, as he looks at Kurt.

Kurt lifts his chin because he's not going to be intimidated by this jerk.

"I'd like one too, actually," he says, coolly. "Because I have no idea why I'm here."

"Yeah, yeah," Santana, obviously not impressed, flaps a hand at him and turns to Sebastian.

"It was a Springfield Beta… a new one… he was at McKinley. I think he was looking for a mate," she flicks her eyes to Kurt, and Kurt frowns with confusion.

Sebastian glances at Kurt as well, his eyes full of speculation.

"Interesting," Sebastian says to Santana. "But I still don't see why you got involved."

"He was on our territory," Santana says. "He was hassling Kurt."

"Kurt's not pack, Santana," Sebastian says, impatiently. "You know how territory law works. If this Beta was just looking for a mate then you should never have-"

"You don't know their history," Santana interrupts, her voice rising and when Sebastian frowns at her, Kurt's surprised to see her visibly fight to control herself.

"That's still between them," Sebastian says, but he sounds less sure and when he looks at Kurt again, Kurt thinks he sees uncertainty in his eyes. "You shouldn't have interfered."

"This isn't a normal situation-" Santana begins, but she's interrupted by a startled yelp from Kurt, because Brittany, who had been standing behind him, suddenly winds her arms around Kurt's waist.

"No," she says, and her voice sounds deeper than normal and Kurt's startled again. "I won't let that wolf have my unicorn."

Kurt flushes with embarrassment and really wishes that Brittany would get over calling him a unicorn, because for a moment Sebastian looks thoroughly amused… and that makes Kurt finally lose his temper.

"Okay, I've had enough of this," he says, and if his voice is shrill he just doesn't care. "All this talk about betas and packs and mates. I want to know what is going on now."

By the times he finishes he's wincing because Brittany's arms have tightened to an almost painful degree, and his demand doesn't seem to have had much of an effect on either Sebastian or Santana anyway, because they're just staring over his shoulder at Brittany. Kurt huffs with frustration.

"Kurt, you need to stay still," Sebastian says, at the same time that Santana says, "Brittany, honey, please calm down. No one's going to take Kurt."

Kurt senses movement in his peripheral vision and when he looks, Mike, Sam, Nick and Thad are all now standing nearby, looking sort of weirdly… vigilant. Kurt frowns in confusion and then glances down as Brittany's hands once again clench around his abdomen.

And that's when he sees the long, vicious, inhuman claws that are coming out of her fingers.

"Okay, Kurt, don't panic," Sebastian says, just as Kurt's heart leaps into his throat and beats franticly. "Everyone stay calm. Brittany, I need you to control yourself. Now."

The last word is sort of rapped out in a deep, echoing growl and Kurt looks up, eyes wide with utter panic. Sebastian's eyes are glowing with a fierce red light, but otherwise he looks normal. There was nothing normal (or even human) about that deep, authoritative voice though, and that combined with the eyes, makes Kurt suddenly absolutely certain that there is nothing normal about any of them.

"Brittany, now." Sebastian says, still in that nerve-shaking commanding voice, but it's somehow like an anchor to Kurt, cutting through his panic, and he's not at all surprised when he hears Brittany sigh, and she lets him go.

"Sorry, Kurt," she says, and Kurt swallows heavily.

Kurt's always been pretty pleased with the way he can usually think on his feet and stay relatively calm, but he has to admit he's really, really proud of himself when all he does next is blink at Sebastian and calmly say:

"So, werewolves, huh?"

For a split second, Kurt's sure that Sebastian actually looks impressed, but then his urge to faint reasserts itself when the door suddenly crashes open and Tina walks into the room.

"Sorry, I'm late guys," she says, "but I got stuck in…" she falters into silence as everyone just stares at her. "What's going on?"

"Oh my god," Kurt whispers. "Don't tell me you're a werewolf too?"

"Ah, no, actually," Mike says, drifting over to Tina and putting an arm around her shoulders. "She's human. But she's my mate."

And that's when the way Santana has been talking about Karofsky finally sinks in for Kurt, and he turns to look at her almost blindly.

"You mean… that's what… Karofsky…"

"Oh, now he's gonna flip out," Santana says, rolling her eyes. "Not when he's got the claws at his stomach, but now-"

"Santana." Oddly enough it's Tina who interrupts her with a firm voice. "You have a mate, you should know better. And it's even more confusing for a human, so shut up."

And then she takes Kurt by the hand, leads him over to the couch, and pushes him down onto it. Kurt sits automatically and stares up at her, numbly.

"It's going to be fine, Kurt," she says, patting his cheek. "I'll explain all of this to you later, but for now, all you need to know is that we're going to look after you because you're pack now."

"Tina, that's not your decision."

It's Sebastian's voice, but Kurt doesn't even turn around, he just keeps looking up at Tina as she stares patiently towards the other end of the kitchen. After a minute, he realizes his mouth is open, and snaps it shut.

"Fine," Sebastian says, and it sounds like it's through gritted teeth. "He's pack."

The response is immediate as the other people… wolves… whatever… seem to snap out of the same sort of daze that Kurt's been in. Brittany launches herself across the room and into Kurt's lap, and the others crowd around him, patting whatever part of him they can reach.

"Oh, hey dude," Sam says. "This is so great. You're gonna love it. It's so much fun… well, I guess you won't come on the hunts, or the training sessions, like Tina doesn't, and it can be dangerous sometimes… but it's still fun, I promise."

"Sam, shut up," Nick says laughing. "You're gonna make him pass out."

And Kurt has to agree with that because he's still feeling a little faint and a lot dumbfounded. He's really not sure he wants to be part of this and now it seems like he's got no choice. He wonders if he should say something, but they all seem so excited, that he just doesn't know what to say.

Except for one thing.

"I want to be very clear about something," he says, after taking a couple of deep breaths. "I am not, nor will I ever be, Karofsky's mate. In any sense of the word."

"See," Santana says to Sebastian, triumphantly. "I told you."

"I get it, Santana," Sebastian says, and he still sounds pissed. "And now that he's pack, I'll take care of it."

"How?" Brittany asks, sliding off Kurt's lap and he's pretty relieved about that.

"I'll talk to Matt, the Springfield Alpha, and arrange a meeting," he says, walking over to where they're gathered around the couch. "Everyone will have to be there, including Kurt."

He finally looks at Kurt and his glance is impersonal, with a touch of exasperation, but Kurt's more worried about this whole meeting thing between two packs of werewolves (and he's still got to get a grip on that fact alone, because, hello, werewolves appear to be alive and thriving in Ohio of all places).

"Ah, this isn't going to be a fighting thing is it?" he asks warily, and he's even more wary, when all of the wolves turn to Sebastian with obvious eagerness.

"It shouldn't come to that," Sebastian says firmly. "This pack is larger than theirs, even if Matt has been recruiting, and we're stronger. I'll just tell him your part of our pack and that you're not interested in mating with Karofsky and that should be it."

Santana and Thad both look disappointed but the others seem to accept this easily and Kurt lets out a little sigh of relief. He can't help feeling slightly humiliated that Sebastian Smythe, of all people, is going to be Kurt's protector, but at the same time the realization that Karofsky has somehow become a werewolf is terrifying and Kurt's pretty sure that he can't handle that on his own. So he bites the bullet and looks up at Sebastian with an unsure smile.

"Thanks," he says.

Sebastian just nods in acknowledgement, and it's a little aloof but Kurt will take it. "I'll go and make the call now. Why don't you all get some food together so we can welcome Kurt into the pack."

By the time Sebastian returns, Tina has ordered a mountain of pizzas and they're all sitting around the huge table in the kitchen waiting for them to arrive.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Sebastian says, as they all look at him curiously. "In Sidney. We agreed it's neutral because it's the border of our territories. It's a good thing it's a Saturday, so just tell your parents the usual rubbish. Someone will need to stay with Kurt tonight, and I'll pick you both up about 2pm."

Kurt bristles a little at the authority in Sebastian's voice, as well as the way he's just ordered Kurt's life, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything because Tina pipes up.

"I'll stay with Kurt."

"Sorry, Tina," Sebastian says, shaking his head. "There has to be a wolf."

"Tina can stay with me if she wants to," Kurt says firmly, narrowing his eyes at Sebastian, but Sebastian just laughs.

"I didn't say she couldn't," he says, reasonably. "But a wolf will have to be there as well. I'm not leaving the two humans in my pack unprotected when this situation isn't resolved yet. No argument."

"Brittany and I will do it," Santana says, smirking at Kurt's horrified look. "We'll have a lovely slumber party."

"Fine," Sebastian says wearily, and Kurt's sort of surprised that he doesn't make any of the incredibly obvious girl jokes that are available, the way he would have before. "Kurt will still have to travel with me tomorrow, though. It will send a message to them if we arrive together."

Kurt's incredibly thankful that the pizzas arrive at that moment, and his anxiety settles in the bustle of getting the food out, finding plates and drinks, and then realizing how hungry he is. Everyone else seems to be focussed on eating too, so aside from Nick and Sam joking around about something, it's pretty quiet.

Once the meal is over, Sebastian looks over at Kurt and there's a glint of mischief back in his eyes.

"Well, Kurt, I guess we should fill you in about the pack, but first, we don't want you freaking out tomorrow if someone transforms, so Santana, how about you give Kurt a little demonstration just to get him acclimatized."

Kurt's mouth drops open and he's pretty sure he doesn't want to see that because if he does he's really going to have to believe it.

"Ah…" he falters, and Sebastian smirks at him.

"Don't worry, she's got great control. Like me, she was born to this - her lineage almost goes back as far as mine."

"So, you weren't … um… bitten?" Kurt asks nervously. He's not sure he should bring it up because he's been thinking for a while now about Brittany's 'biting' remarks, and what they really meant.

"Oh, no," Sebastian says. "The others were though."

"By you?"

"Well," Sebastian says. "Nick wasn't. He came from a small pack that died out, so when he came to Dalton, he joined mine. Thad was turned by a rogue alpha that was eventually killed by my father. Brittany asked me to bite her when she became Santana's mate, and Mike and Sam joined us a little while ago."

"I was a human member of a pack before I moved here," Sam explains when Kurt looks over at him. "I'd always wanted the bite, but I didn't want to stay with that pack. So, I was really glad when I met Santana. I knew what she was immediately but she couldn't give me the bite, of course, only an Alpha can do that. But when Sebastian returned, I asked him, and he said yes."

"It was sort of the same for me," Mike says. "I found out about Santana accidentally, so when Sam came along and he knew as well, we kind of made up our own small group along with Tina. Then when Sebastian returned, I took the bite as well. It's great for my dancing."

"And you didn't?" Kurt asks Tina curiously, and she shakes her head.

"I never wanted it," she looks around the table with a smile that Kurt can only think of as cheeky. "I have more of an affinity with vampires."

Mike and Sam laugh, and Kurt's about to join in, when he realizes exactly what she's just said.

"Oh my god," he gasps, horrified. "Don't tell me that vampires are real, as well?"

"Of course not," Sebastian says. "Well, I've never heard of any at any rate."

"Okay," Kurt says, although he's not exactly reassured, and there's still one more thing he's been holding in the back of his mind. He'd thought of it a few times throughout the meal, and even though he'd felt strangely safe with all of them, he'd still spent some time thinking up ways of making his escape if it became necessary. Because he knows already that he really doesn't want to be a werewolf.

"So," he continues, and he looks up and meets Sebastian's eyes. "You're fine with having pack members who aren't wolves? I mean if Tina isn't-"

"There are often human members in a pack, Kurt," Sebastian interrupts. "For one thing, the trait sometimes skips a generation. For instance, Santana's parents are human although their parents weren't. They've chosen not to be part of the pack, and not to take the bite. For humans, it's a choice. A proper Alpha will never turn someone unless they ask for it. Thad's situation was just… unfortunate."

"I've got used to it though," Thad says, and Sebastian pats him on the hand.

That makes Kurt's eyes widen, for as much as Sebastian's words have reassured him he can also see that Sebastian actually seems to care about the pack. It's a strange idea, one that he can't quite marry with the Sebastian that he originally met, but Kurt decides he's going to try and be open-minded about this. It is odd though, because he's getting the idea that the pack are kind of like a family, and it makes him wonder where Sebastian's family actually is, because Santana had made it clear on the drive over that Sebastian lives in the house alone.

"Kurt, look at Santana," Sebastian's voice breaks into his thoughts, and Kurt glances at Santana without really thinking about it and almost leaps out of his chair in shock. He does manage not to scream, however, and he's pretty proud of that.

Santana's eyes are a glowing yellow and through her hair he can see the points of her ears. But it's the teeth that he's finding really unnerving, long sharp canines that don't seem to fit in her mouth. She's just sitting and looking at him calmly though and so Kurt slowly settles back into his chair.

"She's been like that the entire time we've been talking," Sebastian says. "And you didn't even notice. We're really going to have to work on your situational awareness. That's fine now Santana."

Kurt watches, wincing slightly, as Santana's face slowly morphs back to normal and she shakes her head at him.

"Yeah, well, sorry," Kurt says, his voice full of sarcasm. "But this has all been a lot to take in. It's been a long day."

"That's true," Brittany agrees cheerfully. "I think I'd like to sleep now actually."

"We should get going anyway," Santana says, looking at Sebastian, who nods his agreement. "You can nap in the car, Brit. Tina, we'll meet you at Kurt's."

Santana insists on driving, and Kurt's too tired to argue, so he lets her, and ends up in the back seat with Brittany draped over him, snoring softly in his ear.

"It's going to be okay, Kurt," Santana says after a while in a low voice, and Kurt gives her a surprised look because he's never heard that reassuring note in her voice before.

"I guess I should thank you for helping me," he says, "although I'm still not sure why you did."

"Let's just say I felt a little guilty about not helping you last year," she says, and Kurt almost freezes with shock. Brittany snuffles against his shoulder, pats his knees, and mumbles something that sounds like his name.

"I wasn't in a good place back then," Santana continues. "My Alpha was absent and I didn't have a pack, or at least not one with other wolves in it, and I was confused about Brit. So, I ignored what was happening to you, even though I could hear your heart, and smell your fear whenever he was near you. And then when I talked him into helping me get you back to McKinley, well, that was more for my benefit than yours. I was selfish and I'm sorry."

Kurt's speechless and there's a tight feeling in his throat and a burning sting in his eyes, but he blinks rapidly and clears his throat.

"Um, thanks Santana," he manages to say, and he can hear the thick emotion in his own voice. He's never heard her talk so honestly and openly and he figures that Brittany is perhaps the only other person who has. "Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah, good," she says, in her usual dry tone of voice. "Just don't cry on me, okay? It'll make Brittany upset and she's already lost control once today. Let's not have that happen again."

"No," Kurt agrees with a laugh, and they settle into a comfortable silence - one that Kurt had never thought he'd experience with Santana Lopez.

He has some difficulty sleeping that night, and it's not just the whispering of the girls that keeps him awake. He's really trying not to think about Karofsky, because he really doesn't want to end up feeling the way he had last year, but he can't stop the knot of tension from sitting heavily in his stomach. And now there's the fact that he's now involved with a group that he's never spent much time with, apart from Tina and Brittany. The rest of them he doesn't know all that well, and they're werewolves. Which is just insane.

And then there's Sebastian, who just suddenly seems completely different from everything that Kurt had thought he was. There's an aura of authority about him, and responsibility. Kurt supposes that as the Alpha he's a natural leader but there's also something else, a sense that he cares deeply about his pack, even when he's annoyed with them.

He does manage to doze off in the end, and they all wake up late so they've only just managed to eat and get ready when Sebastian arrives. Kurt gives his too pale face one last despairing look before he follows the girls down the stairs and gets into the back of a large, black SUV, with tinted windows.

Most of the trip is silent until Brittany gets bored and starts singing, and Santana soon joins her. Even Sebastian joins in a couple of times, but Kurt doesn't trust his own voice. He's still a bundle of nerves.

Kurt recognizes Mike's van when they finally pull into a large deserted clearing in a forested park, and he's relieved to see Thad, Nick, Sam and Mike standing near it with their hands in their pockets. Santana and Brittany join them quickly, just as Tina pulls up beside the SUV.

"Kurt," Sebastian says quietly as they get out of the car. "If anything happens, stay with Tina. She knows what to do."

It's hardly a reassuring comment but Kurt doesn't get time to think about that too much as another car pulls into the clearing and four boys and a girl get out of it.

They all seem to be teenagers, and he recognizes Karofsky immediately as they move closer. Karofsky blatantly stares at Kurt and suddenly Brittany growls and moves closer protectively.

"Brittany," Santana says softly, and Brittany goes quiet. She stays close to Kurt though, and he's thoroughly grateful for it.

"Sebastian," one of the other pack members says as he steps forward, and Sebastian acknowledges him with a raised hand.

"Hello, Matt," he says. "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible. We don't want to get into a territory dispute with you but one of your pack has approached one of mine and the attention is not welcome."

"He wasn't one of your pack yesterday," Karofsky says.

"He is now," Sebastian says to Matt, completely ignoring Karofsky, and Karofsky bristles and steps forward. Sebastian sighs. "Please restrain your Beta."

"David," Matt snaps out, and Kurt lets out a little sigh of relief, as Karofsky steps back into line with his other pack mates. "Does your pack member formally reject the offer to mate?"

Kurt shrinks a little as suddenly every eye is upon him, but he's determined to make this as clear as possible. He looks at Karofsky and then at Matt.

"Yes, I do," he says firmly.

"Then there's no problem," Matt says with a shrug. "David won't approach your pack member again."

There's a low growl from Karofsky but Matt just turns his head and looks at him, and Karofsky goes quiet.

"We're leaving now," Matt says to his pack, but as they turn towards their car, Karofsky turns his head and blows a kiss at Kurt.

The reaction is instant but only from the Alphas. Sebastian steps forward, with a menacing growl that makes Kurt's hair stand on end, and he can't see it but he's sure that Sebastian's eyes must be red. Matt gives him a startled look, and then flings out his hand, with the palm up.

"My apologies for the offence," he says. "He will be disciplined."

Sebastian seems to ignore him for a moment, watching the rest of the pack as they quickly get back into their car, and then he finally looks at Matt.

"You should watch your back with that one," he says quietly. "He'll be ripe to challenge you very soon… you should never have turned him."

"Concern yourself with your own pack," Matt practically snarls as he turns away and Sebastian laughs.

"Oh I will," he calls out. "And if your Beta messes with what's mine again, I won't waste time on talking."

There's electric tension in the air as Matt pauses for a moment, and then he just keeps walking. Sebastian laughs again, and turns, his eyes lit up with triumph, and Kurt feels like he's been punched in the stomach, as a wave of desire sweeps over him. He's frozen for a moment, horrified, because he can't possibly be attracted to Sebastian Smythe, that is just too insane, but when Sebastian's eyes find his, there's no denying the twist of heat in Kurt's belly.

Kurt looks away quickly, and when he meets Santana's amused eyes, he's suddenly horribly aware that she's probably smelled his arousal. When she winks at him, he's sure of it, and he really needs to find out the range of a werewolf's sense of smell, although god knows how he'll do that, other than asking.

"Well, that's taken care of," Sebastian says. "You all did very well. Your control was impressive and it unnerved them. Let's all head back to the house. Santana, you and Brittany can go with Tina. Kurt, you're with me."

It's like a nightmare, Kurt thinks, as he reluctantly gets into the car. Sure, he's relieved that the thing with Karofsky appears to be solved, but now he's got another, even more humiliating problem to deal with.

The trip back is tense and silent and Kurt can't for the life of him think why Sebastian insisted that Kurt ride with him. It's not until they're getting close to the Smythe estate that Kurt finally finds his voice.

"I should thank you, I guess," he says, then realizes that didn't sound exactly grateful, and quickly apologizes, wondering if he's ever going to be able to behave normally again.

"There's no need," Sebastian says. "You're a member of my pack. It's my responsibility to look after you."

Kurt's not entirely sure how he feels about that so all he says is, "Well, thank you all the same. I know that you didn't really want me in the pack."

"I was reluctant," Sebastian admits after a long moment of tense silence. "But that was as much for your sake as it was for mine."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Sebastian says, glancing over at Kurt with a tight smile. "It's not always easy for humans in a wolf pack, Kurt. As I said, most of the larger packs have them, but they usually get to think about the idea more than you did. And you don't realize it yet, but a pack is not an easy thing to walk away from if you change your mind. The only thing that made me accept it in the end was the fact that you already have relationships with all of the other pack members."

"So, it'll be okay?" Kurt asks nervously, and he really wishes he could get over that; that he could be more sure of where he stands in all this.

Sebastian looks at him again, and this time his smile is more open.

"Yeah, I think it will be fine," he says, and Kurt settles back into his seat with a sigh of relief… and something that might be contentment.

The End.