The positive results from their run with Steve was more than Brandon could've dreamed of.

It was already a massive step forwards that Jamie was willing to take someone along on their run. Unlike the rare random encounters of wolves happening to pass by, Steve was with them from the start.

And the lanky Alpha had proven himself tenfold.

Not only had he respected Jamie's personal bubble, the young pup hadn't even dared pry in the Beta's personal business.

Instead, it seemed there was just a single purpose on the young Alpha's mind; bond with his pack. And that enjoyment, the pure intentions portrayed within his actions was slowly melting away some of Jamie's barriers.

Brandon couldn't help but feel extremely proud of his pack and of Steve. Not only was Steve a living embodiment of everything an Alpha should aspire to be, he was extremely helpful for his pack already.

And the young pup didn't even know it.

When lunch arrived and Brandon, Jamie, Gabriel and Steve had taken a quick shower after their run, Steve had proposed to cook a meal for everyone.

Much to Brandon's stunned elation, Jamie has agreed after a moment of consideration.

"Yes!" Steve hissed with a fist pump before grinning sweetly. "I'm not a master chef by any means but I can make some mean Carbonara, if you guys are up for it?" The young Alpha asked, his seemingly boundless energy spreading through the group.

Everyone agreed but Jamie blinked sheepishly before murmuring "I've... never had Carbonara before."

Steve blinked, shocked for a moment while Brandon suddenly felt nervous. He didn't want the other Alpha to start asking potentially painful questions and pry too deeply into Jamie's past.

"Dude! You have to try it! I mean, it's made with delicious crispy bacon, cheese and eggs! Plus, it's pasta!" Steve opened his arms in a wide gesture as he grinned "What more can you want?"

The group was nearly herded to the dining hall by the excited Alpha while Brandon let out a soft huff of amusement. Why did he expect anything less from Steve?

Jamie was slightly hesitant as they arrived in the large dining hall, where multiple people were already eating. Thankfully, besides a few nods in greeting or a wave here and there, nobody really bothered them.

"How does this even work?" Jamie murmured while motioning towards the large dining hall with several tables, connected to a large open kitchen.

Brandon smiled, pointing out a few people cooking within the kitchen. "Anyone from the pack can cook food here and eat it in peace. Usually there are a few people here who love to cook and are willing to make others some food as well. Like my mom, for instance."

Jamie nodded, petrichor softening at the mention of Brandon's mother. They watched as Steve bounded into the kitchen with an enthusiastic "You guys got some room for me?"

The lanky Alpha was greeted warmly and after some jokes and teasing, he moved with practiced ease through the kitchen.

As Steve cooked dinner, Brandon couldn't help but sneak glances at Jamie and smile. Observing as the Beta's eyes flitted from table to table, resting on the Alphas mingling with the rest of the pack.

Brandon could almost hear Jamie's surprise, watching as an Alpha cooked for his Delta friends. How the Deltas were completely relaxed and at ease, teasing the man when the bubbling pot in front of him nearly boiled over.

Their laughter bubbled over into near hysterics, one of the Delta's rushing into the kitchen to come to the flailing Alpha's aid.

"You need to stir the pasta as it cooks!" The Delta explained, demonstrating as they fished out a massive lump of pasta. "Unless you want to eat undercooked pasta clumps, that is."

The Deltas hurried to the flustered Alpha's side, smiling and showing how it was supposed to be done. Brandon smiled, enjoying the fact that bonds were being reaffirmed with cheeky ease.

Meanwhile Steve was having little to no effort cooking up his meal, joking with the girl beside him. Jamie observed the young Alpha as well, a subtle smile playing on his lips, drawing Brandon's attention to them before he glanced at Steve and paused.

"He fancies her." He murmured, eyes indicating the human as she leaned in to taste the proffered sample. Steve grinned boyishly at the compliment she gave him, ears flushing and grin stretching over his lips.

Brandon and Gabriel turned in their seats, observing how the Alpha seemed highly attentive of the girl beside him. And while he easily dwarfed her, just the slightest motion or murmur from her gained his undivided attention.

Gabriel grinned slightly, chuckling at the boyish eagerness Steve displayed as River pointed at a jar of herbs out of her reach. The young Alpha all but tripped over himself to get to come to her aid. "Might be a developing mating bond."

"How does mating bonds work?" Jamie's eyes followed how Steve reached up in the spice cabinet, handing over one of the fragrant jars to the girl. "Between wolf and human I mean."

"Well, it's slightly harder as there's no mind link, no mutual connection to easily kick things off." Gabriel mused, leaning closer as he squinted in thought. "Usually we'd start with simple dating, to see if there is a potential match or not."

Sipping from his soda, Gabriel then pointed out, "It's not so different compared to most mating. The only difference is, you can't really take your human potential out for a run."

"No?" Brandon raised a brow, looking at Gabriel as the young Alpha started reciting, "Anna allowed Stacy to ride on her back during their shared runs. Benjamin was fine with walking to the clearing with Jonathan, who had secretly prepared a picnic there. If I'm not mistaken, Sophie had fun playing tag with Curtis, even if she couldn't shift."

"True." Gabriel agreed with a sigh, raising his hand as if surrendering. "There is just an inherently stronger connection shared by two wolves on a run." He amended before chuckling, motioning with his chin towards Steve.

"Either way, bonds will generate a mutual sense of interest to one another." Brandon pondered for a moment before pointing towards the Alpha and now eating Deltas. "Some wolves may know the bond instantaneously, know who is their mate just like that." Brandon demonstrated with a snap of his fingers. "Aided by the wolf within and the pack link, which makes building bonds easier."

Jamie nodded slowly, taking everything in as realization became clear in his expression. "But since humans don't have a wolf, they have to rely on dating to explore the bond?"

"Correct."

There was the sound of approaching feet before Steve appeared with a flush, River by his side. The duo was carrying all the plates of steaming carbonara as Steve apologized, "I'm so sorry, I would've come back for the other plates."

River smiled, her shoulder length hair bouncing as she shook her head slightly. "And let anyone think they're up for grabs? I swear some of these pups should've been born as pigs instead with the way they eat."

"Enjoy your meal." River smiled, putting the plates down and gave a warm smile to Steve. Tucking a small bit of her hair behind her ear as she softly added "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Steve breathed, watching as River smiled and gave him a little wave before heading back to the kitchen. She soon left the room with a packed meal, flushing slightly when she noticed Steve was still looking at her before she scurried out the room.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, pulling Steve down as he chuckled, "Down boy. Unless you want to scare her." The Beta grinned as Steve instantly whirled towards him, worry clear in his gaze.

"Scare her? I didn't mean to scare her! I didn't, right?!" Steve glanced back at the door, rubbing over the back of his neck before pushing back up. "Shit, I need to apologize-"

"Relax, Steve." Brandon reassured the stressed Alpha while Gabriel tugged him back down. "Gabriel's just teasing you." He stated with a shake of his head at his brother, who merely shrugged teasingly.

The beta swirled some pasta on his fork, pricking some bacon on the end as he explained "I'm no expert in dating but I'm fairly sure that just staring at someone can be considered quite scary."

"And you know as well as I do that there's a big difference between a hunting leer and simple curiosity." Brandon scolded before rolling his eyes as Gabriel groaned out praises for the food. The Alpha simply turned to Steve before amending "I doubt you scared her off of dating, Steve."

The younger Alpha blinked, mouth full of noodles before he swallowed them with a choked cough. "Dating?" Steve's curiosity made the others look up with a frown, even Jamie observing the young Alpha with bemusement.

"You weren't... interested in her?" Jamie posed the question they all wanted to ask out loud. Steve blinked, tilting his head slightly before shrugging.

Motioning toward where River had left, he mumbled, "I mean, she's very pretty. I was just... surprised that she wanted help from an Alpha. I mean-" He turned to Jamie with a pointed look, "Your own brother is hesitant around any other Alpha besides Alpha Brandon and Alpha Ryker. I didn't want to... scare her like I would probably scare Sean."

Soft petrichor flowed from Jamie, genuine warmth and appreciation in the scent as he merely inclined his head in understanding.

"I mean, I want my wolf to be used to people of all standings. Not just respect those it considers equally strong or stronger." Steve explained, easily polishing off his plate with a satisfied sigh. "It's why I want to learn more about Deltas, Omegas and Humans, want to help in any way I can."

The young Alpha blinked as if realizing something before turning his attention fully to Jamie. "Did Sean receive a care package yet?"

Jamie didn't respond, just remained quiet and confused while Brandon sighed to himself.

"I knew I was forgetting something. I'm actually surprised dad didn't mention it either." He muttered under his breath before smiling at the confused Beta across the table.

"The pack offers all Omegas a care package that they may need during their heat cycles or whenever they feel the need to nest. Plushies, soft blankets and such." Brandon explained, feeling saddened at the confusion that remained in Jamie.

While he couldn't ask with Steve around, it was clear that neither Jamie or Sean even knew what the care package was. It made Brandon wonder how the community had even handled Sean's heat cycles.

Did they even know what nesting entailed?

Judging by Jamie's vacant expression, they didn't. Brandon smiled easily and finished up the last of his plate before saying, "Jamie and I can quickly make a box for Sean, he'll know what Sean will like."

Catching the silent message, Jamie finished his place as well and thanked Steve for cooking before following after Brandon. The Alpha waited until they were out of earshot before offering his apologies.

"I'm sorry, my dad and myself should've thought of this sooner." Brandon scowled in annoyance at himself, guiding Jamie to the storage rooms that held the required items. "It's a habit among the pack to give any presented Omega a care box for whenever they have their heat cycle or feel the need to nest."

Pushing the door open, Brandon motioned for Jamie to enter before grabbing a storage box and ventured to the back of the room.

"Here are all the blankets which you can chose from. Usually we give two blankets, so the Omegas have a spare one to wash." Brandon spoke softly, observing as Jamie's petrichor momentarily mixed with soft jasmine.

United, the Beta and Omega looked through the blankets before picking two. A soft, tender smile on their face as they nuzzled against the fabric for a moment.

Not wanting to disturb the moment, Brandon quietly grabbed a box of heat suppressants, slick suppressants and pain killers and waited for Jamie to turn to him before giving them a little shake.

"These are heat and slick suppressants. Both need to be used with a bit of caution, as it's better to let the body run its course." Brandon explained calmly while adding the medication to the storage box. "However, if Sean's heat last for more than a week, he can take the suppressants. Slick suppressants are commonly used for Omegas who have a hard time controlling their reactions to other wolves or who have a higher slick production."

As they added more items to the plastic storage box between them, Brandon took the time to explain everything and answer any question either Sean or Jamie may have.

Finally, Brandon moved to the massive wall-to-wall cabinet, grinning as he opened the doors to reveal a mountain of plushies of all shapes and sizes.

"Omegas can choose their own plushies and the amount they need. Some only want two; one of their own and one with the scent of their mated or intended. Other Omegas feel better if they have multiple scented plushies from those they trust the most."

As he motioned for the Beta to approach and select Sean's plushies, he noticed that Jamie's eyes were locked on that of a soft brown wolf plush.

Brandon's heart stuttered, nostrils flaring as petrichor soured before being completely swamped with sweet and fragrant cinnamon.

They walked forwards, almost in a trance as they retrieved the wolf plush. An eager, awed smile on their face before burying their face against the plushie, almost aggressively scent marking it.

It made the young Alpha's heart ache, knowing that whoever was fronting, this was the very first time they had scented a plush. Perhaps even held one.

So engrossed in their task that they completely ignored Brandon until the plush was fully scented, producing a soft cinnamon scent of its own.

Clinging to the plush and holding it protectively in front of them, they slowly turned their attention to Brandon with an hesitant "Oh... hi."

A soft toothy grin was offered as they walked closer to Brandon, tilting their head curiously. "Are you A-Alpha Brandon?"

Brandon smiled warmly and nodded, making the new alter grin with relief. "Jamie said I could trust you and that if I ever got out, I needed to stay close." They nuzzled the plush once more before giving a little cheeky grin along with a whispered "I'm not supposed to be out, I think."

"Really now?" Brandon grinned, keeping his scent soft and warm as he stated "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. Can you switch back?"

The alter shook his head, cinnamon souring slightly. "I don't know how. Jamie's the one who usually does it. Oh, I'm Noah." He grinned, rocking back on his feet as he looked around the room, attention drawn back to the plushies. "Can I have more?"

Noah had several plushies in his hands the second Brandon nodded, making the young Alpha smile and shake his head with affection.

It was a bit shocking to be introduced to a new Alter without prompting but he knew it was better to wait until either Sean or Jamie had returned so he could ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

Why does Noah not have a scent indicating if he's an Alpha, Beta, Delta or Omega?

He sighed, resigning to wait while he got to know Noah a little better. Knowing that the Community would appreciate it greatly if he kept a close eye on anyone who made their appearance.