The predator spotted his prey resting on the grass and narrowed his dark eyes, zeroing in until it was all he could see. He dropped his lithe body to the ground and stalked silently forward, close enough to-

“Blaine! Stop stalking that butterfly, it's time to come in!”

Blaine turned his head towards his mother then back to there the butterfly was and huffed as it took off, fluttering around his head as if laughing at him. He got up and walked back to the house, only glancing once down the hill to where the others were playing. For some reason for the last few days his parents had kept him in the house pretty much all the time with only a few minutes to play outside a day and only next to the house.

“Mama can I go play later?” He asked as she fussed over his hair. It was growing long and getting in his eyes and he'd nearly snapped at papa Burt the other day when he'd ruffled his curls and called him Bush Puppy as he had a hundred times before.

“Maybe, if you're good.” She replied and he huffed again. He wanted to go play. It was a sunny day and he missed his friends and Kurt. She took out the scissors and he stepped backwards.

“Mama? What are you doing with those?” He asked warily and she smiled at him.

“It's okay, baby boy. I'm just going to cut your hair.”

“But papa Burt-“

“He said it was okay if I trimmed it. You're getting it in your eyes and you don't want to go from bushy to shaggy, do you?” She reassured him, cutting him off. He nodded dubiously, still eyeing the scissors like they'd hurt him. He loved his hair and didn't like anyone cutting it. He knew some day when he was older he'd be forced to have it short so he wanted to spend as much time with it as long as possible now.

He sighed and sat down in the chair she directed him to and put a towel around his shoulders, then started cutting. There was a TV show on about wolf relations and she must've been distracted by that because he suddenly felt the scissors graze his ear and looked at his reflection, then yelped. To his horror his mother had cut his curls right down to where they'd be if he was an adult and hot anger flooded through him. “Mama!” He shouted and she gasped and dropped the scissors, coming around him and taking his face in her hands.

“Oh baby I'm so sorry, mama's so sorry. Oh Burt's going to kill me, look at you, my poor baby. Well, this is the perfect chance for me to try out something I heard about when we went to that Human town, remember? It's called ‘hair gel', let me go get it.” She raced off and came back with a bottle of clear liquid and started squirting it into his hair and combing it through, ignoring his tiny growls and whines.

Finally she stood back and grabbed the mirror to the side. “There, now. Don't you look smart?”

He looked at his reflection then up at her dubiously. “I want my curls back.”

She tutted at him and put her hands on her hips, looking down at him crossly. “Don't be a brat, Blaine. Now go outside and play, and yes you can go down to the clearing, just be back by supper.” She said and he hopped off the stool and raced out of the door.

The clearing was quiet, just a few adults milling around when he got there and a few gave him second looks and whispered. He wandered around, hoping a few of his friends would come out but after fifteen minutes he sat down on one the logs, scratching his hair. The gel as making his head itch and he was sure if papa Burt or Kurt saw him like this they'd laugh at him.

Ever since he was born he'd been close to their Pack Alpha, with the man singling him out sometimes and giving him his nickname of Bush Puppy; and he' been taught to call the man papa Burt, though none of his friends did. Except Kurt, of course. Ever since they were pups they'd been friends, each other's shadow. Where Kurt went, so did Blaine.

A few days ago Kurt's twelfth birthday had heralded a change. He wasn't sure what had changed between them but something had and their easy, happy friendship had become charged with something else and two days after his parents had started to keep him to the house.

He waited for another half an hour, scratching at the gel then gave up and went back up the hill to his house.

The next day his mother slicked his hair down and kept him to the house, following her around and helping as she cleaned everything. By the time they'd finished it was getting dark and he wasn't allowed outside without another Alpha by then. He sighed, looking up at the stars and wondered if Kurt missed him too.

On the third day he tried escaping before she could gel his hair down but she dragged him back into the bathroom and told him while she combed the gel through that his father had something very special to tell him. They went into the living room and sat down. His father walked in and gave him an odd look, then looked at his wife, shaking his head slightly. She grinned innocently at him then he looked back at Blaine. “Blaine, my boy. You know you're special, don't you?”

“Yes father.” He replied, looking between his parents.

“For many, many reasons,” His father said and Blaine just nodded. “Blaine you know that when you get older you will have a mate and you will love him and take care of him and have a great life with him, don't you?”

“Yes, dad. When I'm seventeen I will find a mate. Will taught us that last year.” Blaine said happily. He couldn't wait to be seventeen.

His parents looked at each other and he looked at them, wondering what he was missing. They looked back at him and his father addressed him again. “Blaine, you are not like others. It is because you are special in so many ways that your bond happened at a very, very early age and you are betrothed.”

Blaine's jaw swung open. Betrothals happened rarely and only when there was a true bond, a soul mate bond where two Weres meet at infancy or shortly after and become so bound to each other that they can't physically be apart, or if one mate is in danger. Blaine knew he wasn't in danger. His parts made him different and possibly slightly desirable to ill-meaning wolves but he was strong and fast with a Pack that would defend him to the end. “Wh-Who am I betrothed to?” He gasped out, his mind whirring.

His father grinned and sat down, clapping his shoulder. “Your mate is Kurt, Blaine. Isn't that wonderful? You and Kurt together for eternity, making a life and making him happy for the rest of your life.”

Happiness and excitement coursed through him and he bounced in his seat. “Kurt? I'm Kurt's?” He asked, grinning at his parents.

His mother nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “Yes Blaine.” She choked out and he whooped, yipping happily. He couldn't wait. He liked Kurt, he loved Kurt and one day they'd be permanent best friends. That was what mating was. Best friends becoming best friends forever and cuddling. He loved cuddles with Kurt.

He raced out of the house and down the hill, seeing some of his friends and Kurt and Burt near the fire pit. He leapt into Kurt's arms as they saw each other and giggled, clinging to his best friend. Kurt giggled and whispered in his ear. “I guess you know now, then?”

Blaine nodded and nuzzled under Kurt's jaw, sighing happily. This was awesome.

Finally Kurt put him down and they stepped out of each other's embrace, then Kurt took one look at Blaine and burst out laughing. A hush fell over those gathered as the Alpha Prince giggled uncontrollably at his one-day mate and fell over with the force of his laughs. For his part Burt was looking at him and didn't seem pleased.

“What is that in your hair, boy?” He asked and Blaine stepped back slightly. Burt didn't call him that unless he was angry.

“Mama did it. It's called hair gel.” He replied, scratching at it.

“It's a travesty!” Kurt shrieked through his giggles and both Blaine and Burt glared at him.

“Kurt that's undignified.” Burt rumbled and Kurt got a hold of himself enough to get up off of the ground and grab Blaine's wrist.

“Sorry. Now let's get you home and get that stuff out of your hair.”

Kurt pulled Blaine back up to the house and walked through the front door. Blaine's mother greeted them then stepped back slightly in front of Kurt, who was now looking slightly angry. “Is that stuff in his hair easy to wash out?” Kurt asked and Likana nodded. “Good, then wash it out and throw it away. Hair gel is now banned, okay?”

“Yes Kurt, I'm sorry. I just…I cut his hair too short by accident and I'd seen hair gel being sold in that Human town we went to and thought Blaine might look-“

“He's allergic to it.” Kurt cut her off and pressed Blaine's head down by his neck and pushed his fingers through the thick gel so she could see how red his scalp was. She gasped and tears were back in her eyes at the thought of harming her son.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Blaine. I'm so sorry baby boy. I'm sorry, Kurt. I'll wash it out right now. Come Blaine.” She said in a rush and Kurt left as she dragged Blaine into the bathroom and pushed him under the hot spray of the shower.

An hour later with Blaine freshly showered and clean of gel, his mother guided him down the hill to the clearing where Blaine and Kurt were now sat by the fire as darkness fell. They stopped in front of their Pac Alpha and future Alpha and Blaine's someday mate and the men stood. Kurt walked up to Blaine, ran his fingers through his now soft curls and leant in, pressing their lips together. Sparks flew and Blaine wanted to melt into the kiss forever then Kurt pulled back and whispered against his lips. “Never change, beautiful.”