Chapter Text
Only the Native Americans who had gone first were calling the march the Trail of Woes in memory of the Trail of Tears from decades past, but they were gone now. Gone forever, and the rest of the country didn’t call it the Trail of Woe. They called it relocation. As if all these people just stood up and decided they wanted to migrate to other parts of the country never to be heard from again. As if there weren’t clouds forming over Texas and Georgia. As if millions of people being ‘relocated’ had called home and said they’d made it to their sleek new loft safely.
The people around Derek were terrified, sick, and so far three had died that he knew of, and that was just in his own pack. Pack members were being kept together, apparently becaus0e werewolves were easier to control in a pack with their alpha threatened. Derek couldn’t deny that to be true. His mother was being pulled on a cart with a line of wolfsbane glue surrounding the bottom. A cage made sure that even if a human member of their pack- not that any had lived- managed to pick away the wolfsbane there wouldn’t be a quick way out. The guards had more glue and wolfsbane anyway.
For the last three years people had been collected from across the country and were being shipped in huge 18 wheel trucks to a new location. Derek had overheard a guard saying they were headed to the Nevada desert, but for the moment they were camping in a cold parking lot. Camping was a relative term. They had no tents, their faces had muzzles on them, and there weren’t enough sleeping bags. The temperatures were reaching freezing and the rattling coughs around him made Derek certain that they’d be digging more shallow graves in the morning. The army was rounding up supernatural beings, religious minorities, and LGBT people. Many other groups had already been deported. There was talk about rounding up all African Americans, but so far they had managed to put up a better resistance. Derek suspected that they’d be quietly eliminated in other ways, or perhaps dealt with in the same fashion once they’d killed off the people they were relocating now. The fact of the matter was that Derek’s people hadn’t even known the government was aware of them so they’d quietly watched the rest taken and now it was their turn. So here their pack was, the majority being moved along with a small group of gay college kids and a single, frightened Muslim man who hadn’t stopped praying since he’d joined them.
Derek’s younger sister Cora whined in her sleep and Derek moved to nuzzle her only to be stopped by the damn cage on his face. He hated it. He hated everything around him and wanted to scream his rage to the sky but his throat was sore from his last howling session. His pack was also exhausted. He wasn’t going to chase them off. His mother whined miserably from her platform, longing to comfort her children and pack and aching for the warmth of the pile Derek was currently in. He wished he could crawl into the cage with her. He wished she were out. He wished his captors would spontaneously turn inside out while screaming in horrific pain until their organs ruptured and they died in even part of the pain they deserved for the atrocities they delivered.
Laughter caught Derek’s attention. It was so unusual in this setting. He stood up and moved to where Peter was standing watching the area around them. Derek was supposed to be sleeping because he was the next on guard duty… not that they could do much against the guards except growl and posture. Peter’s silver coat shone in the partial moon and Derek leaned against him for warmth as he watched the goings on. The guards had decided to have a bit of ‘fun’ with the college kids they’d collected. It was cold and they’d been ‘marching’ for months on end collecting people and delivering them to certain death, so Derek wasn’t surprised they’d found their inhuman side along the way.
They were raping them.
The hypocrites.
The beasts.
They were the worst sort of scum of the earth.
They were in control and no one was left to do anything about it.
Derek turned away from the screams and sobs and laid himself back down with his pack. He put both feet over his ears and pictured a meadow under the moonlight, crickets loudly chirping, his sisters frolicking, his mother’s howls, anything to block out the sound of the poor young men and women being tortured nearby. He could do nothing. Their bullets were wolfsbane and their morals were nonexistent.
Derek was prodded awake by Peter in his muzzle and stood up to move to the front, shivering at the cold that blew through his fir. He’d survive. The humans, however, weren’t so lucky. Three more were dead and he could smell the corpse gasses on the breeze. Derek wished they’d at least move them, but in all likelihood the poor things would remain right where they were until the locals decided to bury or burn them. The camp was quiet now, the victims that survived sleeping off their torture or drugged beyond response. Derek stayed on his feet even though he’d rather sit down. He couldn’t fall asleep. Not while protecting (ineffectively) his pack and family. There were still 31 of them left and Derek intended to spend as much time with them as he could until their lives were ended. Perhaps they’d find a way to escape. Perhaps they’d…
Derek’s eyes narrowed. A scent had caught up on the breeze, but amongst the rest of the odors it wasn’t suspect until he’d seen movement. A human was creeping along the edge of the camp, closer and closer to where Derek’s pack lay. More laughter met Derek’s ears and he realized what had happened. The guards had changed at the same time as Derek’s pack had switched watchers. The new set wanted to have ‘fun’ with the humans as well and were rooting through to see who was worth fucking. The human creeping towards him didn’t smell of semen so he must have avoided the first round, but he was sure to be found in this new search so he was attempting to hide amongst the werewolves. Even their humans were left untouched by the guards since they were viewed as inhuman as well.
Derek watched as the frightened, chain hobbled, skinny young man slipped along their edge, crawled towards Derek on exposed knees, and cowered down in front of him. His body language was all wolf even though he babbled in English. His scent was faintly that of another pack, but he must have been separated from them for a long time. Desperation poured off of him and he was reduced to the word ‘please’ over and again. If he was used to being amongst werewolves he’d be missing the comfort of a warm body and the unity of their bond. Derek’s mother would have to decide if he could stay, but for now Derek wasn’t opposed to company. He shifted about and lay down beside the shaking human, welcoming him to keep warm against him. The human pressed in, further showing werewolf social skills as he sniffed along Derek’s body and offered his own body for perusal. Derek drew in his unfamiliar scent and then let the human curl up against him. It was cold and the human’s jeans were torn, but at least he had a thick jacket on. He tucked his legs mostly into the jacket and pulled in his arms and became a ball of frightened misery. Derek laid his head over the human’s torso to give him more warmth and the human relaxed beneath him. He was used to pack. He was asleep in minutes and Derek settled in to his lack of company once again.
The shift change meant budging the human so Derek stood, nudged him with his muzzle, and watched the human uncurl. He followed Derek to wear he was lying between Cora and Laura and chose to place himself closer to Laura. Derek admired his judgment. Cora was fast and vicious but Laura was a force to be reckoned with. Had they not been drugged when captured he doubted she’d have been taken alive. Derek lay down on the human’s other side and this time he didn’t bother curling into his jacket. He fully utilized their warmth by burrowing into Laura and Derek’s fur, practically laying on top of Laura and inviting Derek to spoon him tightly with a single puppy-eyed glance. Derek wasn’t going to deny him comfort. He’d probably die soon just like the rest of the humans. Just like Derek’s brother.
Derek woke to the feel of another packmate prodding the human practically covered by Derek’s body. He growled instinctively, wanting to keep him safe, and then sat up in surprise at his reaction. The human was inspiring a deep urge to protect in him and Derek couldn’t understand why. He was just a little mole-speckled twenty-year-old queer. Why care?
His packmate- a beta named Boyd- huffed at him in amusement and left them to their own devices. Derek helped the human stand as he groggily shook out the pins and needles in his legs. He ran a hand through Derek’s fur and smiled down at him.
“Thank you,” The human told him softly, “I’m ready to meet the alpha now.”
Derek walked him over to the caged platform and Derek huffed up at his mother, tail wagging lovingly as he pranced briefly to bring a smile to her lupine face. The human shamelessly reached up into the cage with both hands. Talia wanted contact, of course, so she didn’t hesitate to press her head into his hands and the human cooed and told her she was beautiful. Derek was relieved to hear that the human didn’t talk to her in a babying voice, but with genuine awe at being given the honor to see and touch her. He looked at her as if she were a goddess and Derek wholeheartedly approved. The human stepped back hesitantly, clearly not wanting to let her go. The guards were starting to round everyone up and push them back into the 18 wheelers and they had to get their food and go. Derek led the human back to the rest of the pack and he let them rub against him, dropping to all fours to be on their level and rubbing right back. By the time the guards came over he smelled of pack and was pressed against Derek’s side again. Talia was giving him a knowing look and Derek’s stomach twisted a bit. It had nothing to do with the disgusting excuse for food they were handing out. Handfuls of jerky were dangled above them by the guards and his pack shoved at each other to get some. They couldn’t pick them up off the ground but the human could. He grabbed it and crouched down and pressed a piece on Derek. He licked it out of the human’s hand and swallowed it down.
“There,” The human whispered, “Little better.”
He bit into the food while a guard called out that he shouldn’t be there.
“I’m pack!” He shouted back.
“You’re with the fags!”
“You’ve heard of a fag hag, right? It’s like that, but with fur! They’re my beastie boys!”
“Fine, stay there,” A guard scoffed, “They kill you off it’s on you!”
“Idiots,” The human scoffed, ducking beneath Derek’s head and pressing against his chest, “You wouldn’t kill me. We’re pack now. Pack is family.”
Derek wanted to ask him his name, but he couldn’t. Not with the muzzle on his face and his voice stolen from him. Derek had always been a silent wolf, content to let others vocalize while he drifted on the pack’s surface like a leaf. He had been an angry child and had found that stopping his voice let the anger simmer until it burned out during the full moon when he could let himself howl it out. He had spent most of his time in his wolf form whenever possible, but for the first time in his life he wanted to be human. He wanted to explore his face with his fingers and whisper his own name into his ears. He wanted to breathe in his scent and press kisses to his neck. He wanted to know whose name to growl when he came inside the slender being. All humans in a pack automatically took on an ‘omega’ standing, which meant that they were the pack’s frustration relief. He could- technically- mount him without repercussions. Consent was mandatory in Talia’s pack, and Derek was a firm believer in it as well, but a human who knew pack social protocol would bend over willingly without fuss. Of course, waiting until they were out of the mess they were in was a necessity as well.
The day was spent inside of a cramped 18-wheeler trailer. Vents had been placed in the sides to let in air but it was hot inside. Painfully hot. His human stripped off all of his clothes and lay on the ground with the rest of the wolves. He moaned as the shifting upset his stomach and sweated with them. They panted and his eyes fluttered weakly. He stank. They stank. The trailer stank. The world was suffering and they were the suffering world. Derek’s body wanted to respond to his beautiful naked human, but he was miserable. His cock slid from the sheath to keep cool rather than to mount his future lover. He let it hang as free as the other males in their pack. Eventually the sun began to lower and the noon heat dissipated. They stopped for water. Bowls were placed on the ground at the end of the trailer and filled with water. It wasn’t enough. His mother on her pedestal growled for them to be civil, but she could only give so much order to the pack with them starving, dehydrated, afraid, and her mouth silenced. His human stood up, towering above them in his naked glory.
“Hey! Whoa! You’ll spill it! Six bowls! Six lines! Let’s go! Like school! You remember school, right? You’re not beasts, don’t act like you are!”
His mate worked his way to the front amongst the shamed wolves, “The seventh bowl is for the alpha. Remember the alpha? She is your strength. You are her power. Don’t let her down. Omegas to the back… myself included. I’m taking this to our alpha.”
He collected the seventh bowl and walked it to the front to give to the alpha. She drank deeply, but left much behind and turned her head towards her children. Derek’s human nodded and turned to them.
“Okay, the alpha has spoken- or nodded, as the case may be- so black wolf here and the wolves I am assuming are his siblings are drinking from this bowl. The rest of you- line. They’ll move soon. Let’s go! A few licks and then the next person get’s some. Person, remember? Be people. Be werewolf people, but be people. Not animals.”
The human brought the last bowl to the Hale’s and placed it down with Derek’s siblings. Derek met his mother’s eyes and she lowered her head slowly. Agreement. Acknowledgement. Derek growled at his siblings and nudged his human with his muzzle.
“Ow, I don’t have permission. I know how this works,” The human replied, pushing him back.
Derek growled and Laura agreed with him, having silently communicated with their mother as well. She nudged the human rather than risk the bowl.
“Okay, okay,” Derek’s human nodded and picked up the bowl, pulling in two deep gulps before putting it down. He moaned in relief at his swollen, dry tongue.
Laura drank next, Derek, then Cora. Uncle Peter watched them quietly and licked the rest of the bowl dry. Their pack members were whining miserably. Some hadn’t gotten water and were headed to the alpha to complain. She was whining right back, miserable and sorry for them. She couldn’t even lean out to comfort them since the wolfsbane stopped her.
“We have to get out of here,” Derek’s human stated, “There are rebel alliances- my term for them- and they’re fighting this. We can join them. They’ll accept us.”
Derek leaned his head against his human’s side and the human nuzzled into his fur, “You smell so good. I mean, I love wolf scent, but you smell even better than most wolves. I miss my pack. They’re all gone. If we all escape together, I can stay with you, right? You’ve accepted me as pack so… I can stay?”
Derek whined and tucked the human closer against his chest with his chin while Laura pushed at him with her paw to shove him firmly against Derek. The human huffed, imitating werewolf laughter in wolf form and Cora’s tongue lolled out in amusement. Their human pressed his head against each of them and curled up with Derek and his family. They slept because it was all they could do and when the doors opened the human made the first move.