"Do not make me repeat my question," Arya's voice held command.
"I... he...we..." Garry was struggling to form words.
"Look, Garry, if we are to defeat William and save our pack, we need to know everything that connects us to him. He has told us my connection to him. I need to know yours; and possibly Vivien's," Arya tried again, this time, her voice comforting.
"Luna, we were friends..." Garry began....
A young boy was sitting on a bench in a park, waiting for his father. Being ten meant that he was still a pup and was vulnerable.
Although this was neutral grounds, a pup was an easy target for bullies who were from different packs.
He was throwing a stone in the air and catching it, to pass his time, when the thing he dreaded happened.
A group of teens, clearly of a rival pack, spotted him.
Whispering among themselves, they approched the bench, where he was sitting, and one of them caught the stone before he could, in mid-air.
"Look at what we have here, an unattended puppy," one of them said.
Though he hadn't got his wolf yet, he still had his parents scent all over him, which meant any wolf would know he was a wolf pup.
"What's wrong, mutt? Daddy and mommy forgot to pick you," another one chimed in.
The boy tried to get up but was pushed back on the bench. "What's the rush? We could have some fun... I mean us, not you."
All of them began laughing.
"Let him go, Caleb," came a voice from behind them.
Guy 1 rolled his eyes, and without looking back, said, "What do you want?"
"I want you to leave him alone." The voice came back.
"Or what?" Caleb said, turning around.
"Or I tell everyone that you were bullying a pup just because he was alone. Your reputation goes down the drain and...."
"And who's gonna believe you?"
A pup, barely his own age, looked at Caleb dead in the eyes and said, "I'm sure Rose will."
"You little prick..." "And dad is here."
Caleb's face drained of colour. "What?" He looked around, his eyes scared. "Where?"
The young boy started laughing. "You should've seen your face," he said, clutching his stomach.
"You little...."
"Dad!"
"Where?"
More laughter.
"Wait till you reach home," Caleb said, between clenched teeth, before running off with his minions.
"Thank you," the boy said, standing up from the bench.
"No problem. He's just a jerk," the other boy replied.
"I'm Garry. Garry Maddock."
"What, really? Your name's Garry?"
"Well, yeah. What's your name?"
"I'm Garry. Garry William."
Both boys stared at each other, then started laughing.
They sat on the bench, talking.
"I can't believe it. We have the same name."
"It's destiny. Maybe we could be friends."
"Definitely."
That day, on that bench, two boys from different worlds became friends.
"Hey, buddy, time to go home," came a man's voice.
Both boys looked up, and Garry Maddock jumped up. "Dad, you won't believe it. He's Garry, too."
"Hello, how are you?" Trevor said.
"I'm good, sir." Trevor was amazed by this little boys' manners.
"Well, we have to go home now... can we drop you somewhere?"
"No, thank you, but my dad is here."
"Bye William, see you."
"Bye Garry. Will see you here again."
As the boys grew up, their bond grew as well. They stood together like brothers and became each other's shield when needed.
Kane never accepted a random wolf to enter his pack territory, but Alfa was cool with it, as long as these teens did not cause trouble.
But being thirteen had its own pros and cons. Both Garry were smart, handsome, and more masculine than other young wolfs of their age.
Once at a restaurant, a rival omega entered, and as omega were the lowest ranking members of any pack, they were the easiest ones to torture without any consequences.
The boys were having a bad day, as William was to take over his father as beta, but his father chose Caleb since he was the older sibling. Then, Maddock was supposed to sit for an exam, but realized that he had wasted his time on studying mathematics when it was English paper day. He would definitely fail since English wasn't his cup of tea.
The scent came first, a female omega.
"One cup coffee, please," she said at the counter.
"What is she doing here?" Maddock asked William.
Omega were rarely seen out of their pack servant quarters. Though this was neutral grounds, it was closer to Moonsglow pack territory, so Alfa Flowerew was in charge of keeping peace.
"Don't know." William was now paying attention to what she was wearing. Rags.
"She is wearing rags. Her face is not even clear!"
"Thank you. How much?" The omega asked the waiter.
"Three dollars."
"Three dollars? That's too much. Can I get a discount?"
"Why'd you come if you couldn't afford coffee?" Maddock said before his brain could stop him.
"It's none of your business," the omega spat.
That did it. Something inside both boys snapped. How dare she, an omega, the lowest of the low, snap back at the future gamma of Moonsglow pack.
Before the girl could register what was happening, a strong arm grabbed her hair and banged her head on the table.
"How dare you speak to my friend that way, bitch!" William said, as the girls nose bled.
That was the last straw for Kane, and he made sure that the two boys remained separated. He didn't want his pack gamma to be defamed by his own son.
Maddock tried contacting his friend but couldn't. He was not allowed out of the pack grounds, and he definitely was not allowed anywhere near the neutral grounds.
They didn't meet for years, then one day, Maddock heard that William had parished.
"It was only today that I saw him again. I don't know what happened after that day, and I was just surprised to see him alive. It's been six years," Garry finished his story.
Arya and the others listened without interrupting. One thing Arya was sure about was that both William and Garry were really close, and maybe it was the sudden separation that triggered his hatred.
"What does Vivien have to do with all this?" Arya asked.
"The omega girl at that restaurant. She was Vivien. She was new to the packs, and she later joined this territory." Garry told her.
Arya nodded. "We have to get home. And thank you for helping us, Kane. We'd be dead without you."
"You are family. No one leaves family behind," Kane said.
Arya smiled. Maybe Kane wasn't so bad after all.