(Ruoka's having a bad hair day lol I think Racket licked him when I wasn't looking.)

He... had not expected to see such things in alpha Rain's bedroom. Preto had decided to just go over to the man's pack house after spending a bit too much time with his beta in the library. Of course, Kandza had followed him, but that was no surprise. 

What was however, was how easily he'd been allowed up to the second floor. Not a single guard had dared stop him, and most even bowed as he walked right through the front double doors.

Now that he stood at the entrance to Silas's room, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what he was seeing. Sure, there was the giant king sized bed he'd expected pushed back against the far wall. Its pitch black covers were tucked in perfectly, but the four pillows at the head were scattered around a bit, as if they'd just been tossed back onto it after having fallen off. 

Looking to his right, Preto noted the large wooden desk and deep red wing chair tucked into the corner with just a brief glance, then turned his attention to the large windowed doors and balcony just beyond them. The warm glow of twilight dusted everything in a soft gold, beckoning him forward, though he managed to resist. He was not there enjoy the view. Refocusing, Preto glanced to left, then paused with a raised eyebrow.  

As far as he knew, Silas didn't have any children, so seeing little toys, blankets, and chew bones scattered about was more than a bit surprising. 

Walking closer, he looked over each item more carefully while Kandza waited by the door. He knew that he should have stayed where his friend had, but his curiosity was a close second only to his stubbornness.

Kneeling down, he picked up one of the bones, eyeing the large amount of tiny teeth marks that marred its surface. He could also smell quite a few different wolf's scents coming from the items, but none of them were enough like the alpha's to be considered offspring. 

"Kandza, does Silas actually take care of the pack's pups?" he asked as he stood up and wandered over to a large dresser a little farther into the room. 

Yes, he watches them on occasion... but elder Pretennon, we should not be intruding here. 

Preto looked back over his shoulder at Kandza, clearly noting the wolf's nervousness in his thought and posture. Of course, he knew that he shouldn't be snooping about, but he just couldn't help himself as he reached up onto the dresser and picked up a large silver prong collar. 

This is big enough to only really fit an alpha wolf of his own size...

Furrowing his brow, Preto turned and held the item up so that Kandza could see it. The other wolf quickly glanced away and pinned his ears to the side of his head. Of course, that just made him even more curious. 

"Your alpha continuously submits requests for us to remove Verander's Ghost pack from the city, and yet here I am finding a collar that could only fit a select few... mainly himself, which is humorous to think of, because no werewolf, let alone an alpha, would intentionally lock away their other half... or Marquise."

You are not wrong, but things are not how they appear, either. My alpha would never dream of collaring the Moon alpha. 

Pretennon sighed as he turned back to the dresser and replaced the collar in its original spot. 

"Then for whom is it intended, Kandza?" 

Instead of hearing the wolf's response, a much deeper, audible voice met his ears, making Preto calmly turn around.

"It is for that infuriatingly-aggressive mutt." 

Silas stood in the doorway, his form taking up nearly the entire opening. Kandza had retreated back a few steps, tucking his tail tightly between his legs, and while Preto acknowledged the wolf's submissive gesture towards its alpha, he didn't quite like it. Kandza hadn't gone into the man's room, nor had he caused any problems. 

However, the Rain pack was not his, and thus, it was not his place to speak on such matters... even if he disagreed with them. So, instead of dwelling on such things, Preto returned his attention to the man now walking toward him. 

"I do believe that you've had it made a bit too big," he said calmly, unintimidated by the larger man closing in on him. 

He knew that Silas wouldn't risk hurting him and wasting all the effort he'd put into getting his pack a place in the city. So, it was no surprise when the man stopped a few feet away and looked over at the collar Preto had returned to its place on the dresser. 

"That man is a vile trickster. The small wolf you have seen is a joke. His beast is even larger than mine in size, and it is much more vicious," Silas said, making Pretennon pause in his thoughts. 

"His wolf can change so dramatically?" 

He'd never heard of a werewolf being able to do such a thing. They had their wolf half, and they had their human half. There was never an in-between. 

"I don't know much Dutch, but he was named quite well. Verandering  means changing," Silas said as he took another step closer. 

When the man's grin widened slightly, Preto realized that the subject of their discussion was about to change. 

"So then, Elder Pretennon, to what do I owe the pleasure of this rather... intimate, visit?" Silas questioned as the tips of his claws began to inch their way out. 

He honestly couldn't blame the man for getting upset with him, though part of the problem was definitely his lax pack guards. He had no doubt that they would be dealt with once he left, though. 

"I don't mind you being allowed inside of my home without restrictions. You are the elder vampire in charge of the entire werewolf resettlement project," Silas said, making Preto a little confused. 

When the man walked past him and picked up the collar, Preto slowly turned to face him. He stopped moving just in time for the heavy silver item to slip past his eyes as it settled around his own neck. 

The action immediately put him on high alert, making his senses flare and his pupils dilate. Even his fangs were beginning to descend, though he truly did not wish to need to use them. 

"You are right. It is a bit too big," Silas said, humor clear in his words as he nonchalantly tugged the collar back up and over his head. 

Wait a moment...

"How can you touch that without it burning you?" 

He could understand how Ruoka wasn't hurt by his, since his fur was extremely thick and it wasn't pronged, but Silas had just grabbed the item with his bare hands. 

The man smirked as he held the collar up, his hand clearly unaffected by the heavy silver metal. 

"Resistance can be built up over time." 

Preto's eyes widened as he reached forward without thinking, taking the man's palm in his hands and turning it slightly so that the remaining light from outside could illuminate it better. 

There are a lot of faint scars, but they're very old...

He narrowed his eyes on the faded damage, unsure of how to react to it. Pure silver was not something a werewolf would interact with intentionally... and yet Silas had done just that. Many times, from what he could see. 

"It was only a matter of time before I'd have to face a hunter. There are many, many people in this world who would rather kill a werewolf than talk to one. So, I made sure that when that time came, I wouldn't be the one that died." 

Preto couldn't fathom being in such a situation that he'd feel the need to hurt himself over and over again just to be able to have a sense of security. He'd never had that issue, for as long as he'd lived. Humans had gotten quite used to vampires, and the two have coexisted well over the past century. Werewolves, however, were not only still feared, but many packs were also outright hostile to approach. 

"You seem concerned," Silas said, his words holding more humor that made Preto calm himself as he watched the other man withdraw his hand from his own, then return the collar to the dresser before leaning back against it.  

When Silas crossed his arms over his chest and looked over toward the door, Preto hesitantly stepped to the side, then turned. Kandza had moved back to the entryway, but the moment both sets of eyes fell upon him, he hunched and tucked his tail again, partially scooting behind the doorjamb to his right. 

"Now what do we have here?" Silas asked, his voice changing surprisingly to sound as if he were talking to a little pup instead of his second in command. 

"Why so shy all of a sudden? I can smell the blood on him from the claw marks you've recently etched onto his abdomen..." Silas cooed as his lips turned upward into a fanged grin. 

It didn't appear hostile just yet, but Preto didn't want it to get to that point, either. 

"Is there an issue with his interest in me?" he questioned, wanting to know what was actually going on. 

Silas pursed his lips, seemingly trying to bite back a scowl before walking past him. The man wandered over to his massive bed and, after tugging off his black and dark blue coat and undershirt, tossed them aside, then fell back onto the blankets with a quiet grunt. 

Furrowing his brow, Preto looked back over at Kandza. The wolf refused to meet his eyes, but it also wasn't speaking to his thoughts at all, either. 

Wait a minute...

Looking between the two werewolves several times, Preto slowly lifted his left hand to press against his newly-aching forehead. 

I do not know how I did not see it before. 

Shaking his head, Preto walked over to Kandza and sat down right in front of him. The wolf spared him a quick glance, but then continued to look elsewhere. 

"Kandza..."

He waited for a full minute, but when the pup refused to acknowledge him, Preto sighed and got back up. Instead of seeing himself out, which was what he should have done immediately, he turned and walked over to where Silas lay on his bed, his legs hanging over the side in a pair of black leather trousers. 

"Rain alpha Silas?" 

The man slowly blinked open his left eye, but refused to speak. 

If my guess is not correct, then I have no idea what is going on. 

He was pretty sure that his guess was going to be spot on, though. So, after offering the man staring up at him a small smile, Preto clasped his hands behind his back, rocked backward onto his heels for just a moment, then glanced between the two one final time. 

"So then, what kind of relationship do you two have with each other?" 

(Edited)