"Mmm, Michael, what did you do to me last night?" Alexander purred as he rolled over in the stiff bed. He could feel the tinge of barely healed claw marks that ran down his back. It wasn't like he minded a little pain. But Jesus, it's been a while since he had destroyed his back so bad. 

"Next time be a little bit gentle until we get to the Overworld." He extended an arm out to catch his violent little lover only to find the bed beside him empty. In the moment of absence, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Why was he in a bed? Hadn't they completed the last mission?

He shot up, but the action only brought forth waves of nausea. When he tried to remember what happened after they left their last world, Alexander could only pull up a foggy blank. The more he thought the worse his head hurt as his hangover kicked into overdrive. From dried mouth to a pitted stomach, he wanted to vomit but fought against it. Shit, something went wrong didn't it?

"Michael?" He cautious called out while he flipped through what memories and information he had. This was clearly a lower world, yet all he could see was his character's information. No world plot, no system contact, nothing.

"Fuck me." Resting his head in his hands, he quickly got a grip on the situation. It didn't make him feel better though as right now he was naked in bed and not with his husband. Luckily the deed was done before he showed up or else he might be in a bit of trouble with Michael. Either way it wasn't his fault he was in this situation. It was his dumbass character setting.

Right now Alexander was stuck in the role of Neil, a wereleopard with a dead pack who made moronic life choices. Such as sleep with a woman who got him drunk at a dingy Florida dive bar without telling his new pack about it. Damn, to top it all off this woman wanted to kill him too.

How... Alexander just shook his head. Since he couldn't call in a favor with Dandelion, he could only work through his hangover as he searched for a pair of pants.

After a solid half minute of fumbling around and holding back vomit, he managed to find a booze stained pair of old jeans on top of the shitty apartment's drawers. He pulled them on just in time for his one-night stand come around the corner with a cup of orange juice. She wore a satisfied smile and…nothing else. He ignored her as he searched for the rest of his clothing. It wasn't like he had anything against the female form, but right now he had a lot to do and a lot to think about. Such as where Michael was and what the fuck happened.

"Neil, I thought you might be tired. Since you gave me such a good night, I ordered us some take out for breakfast." The woman approached, draping one long arm over his shoulder as he froze. It's been a long time since he's touched a breast. A looooong time. Well if you don't count Michael's. With a slight cough, he slid from her grip and took the orange juice.

"Thanks, um-"

"Cordelia."

"Right. No need though, I'll be heading out." For the moment she seemed docile, the perfect time to make a run for it. Without thinking he was about to drink the orange juice when his nose suddenly kicked in. A sickly scent clashed against the fresh citrus of the drink. It made the meager contents of his stomach churn again. Casually he turned away and placed it on the nightstand so he could finish gathering his stuff.

"Come on baby. One more round before you go."

"I've got some important things to do."

"More important than me?" In that moment Alexander's headache got worse as she coquettishly smiled at him. He would be a damn fool not to recognize magic when it was being cast on him. The whole thing was doing nothing for his mental state as the words buzzed in his ears like an annoying fly. Fortunately, he wasn't the same drunk Neil as the night before as he just picked up the orange juice and smashed it into her face.

Tangy orange and glass cut into her skin as she lurched back in surprised. Alexander said nothing as he quickly tripped her, and her head bounced off the sharp corner of the drawer. Dazed, she hit the ground with a loud painful thump.

He had gotten the gist of his current situation and the fact he had even considered leaving her alone was quite the courtesy. After all she had been sent to capture or kill him, at least according to the bit of future script he had.

Since the woman was a witch, or at least a magic user, and Alexander didn't know how strong they were in this world, he decided to quickly bind her hands and feet before gagging her. Luckily there was rope in the apartment and the severe hit had rendered her temporarily unconscious. After a good 10 minutes of tying, he had her quite done up. Heh, those knot typing lessons sure had pay off.

With that threat dealt with, he finished dressing and hunted for his phone. It took a bit, but he eventually found it locked in a safe in the office. The construction wasn't bad, but when compared to a werebeast's strength, it stood little chance as he ripped off the door.

He quickly turned it back on only to be greeted with the constant beep of notifications. The screen of the phone was filled with missed calls and messages from his cousin, Trisha, and the pack Alpha, Richard. A soft groan left his lips as he quickly opened it and called his cousin back.

"Neil? Jesus Christ Neil! Why haven't you picked up?!" Trisha's voice echoed from the speaker as Alexander held the phone back a bit. The sound was triggering his headache.

"Sorry, Sorry. I know you're worried but right now I've got a splitting headache and a tied-up witch who tried to murder me."

There were a few seconds of silence before a loud howl pierced his ears. "What!?" With the exclamation Trisha's voice faded out as she shouted back into the room. Alexander assumed it was towards her husband who mutely replied in the background. He was the right hand of the Alpha and had extended the offer for Neil to live with them. "Where are you? Rusty will come with some of the boys to pick you up."

"Ummm." To tell the truth he didn't really know. He had just shown up in this world and his information was limited. "One second." He pulled his phone away and quickly opened a map app. Turning on location, he found it was a small apartment building not too far from the downtown Neil had gotten drunk in. Quickly, he texted her the address.

"How did you end up down there? What did I tell you about going out to drink! Are you trying to die!?" After her shout, Trisha quickly quieted as she realized she might have crossed a line. Neil had poorly adjusted to the loss of his pack. Who wouldn't? That was his family. He had been gone on a trip and came back to find them all slaughtered. Even if Alexander was newly arrived in this body, he could feel the conflicted emotions inside the wereleopard. The issue was Neil’s way of coping was getting excessively drunk and wandering home with any attentive stranger. While Trisha had been treating him with kid gloves and done her best to help, she also was struggling as her parents and siblings had been murdered too.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." Alexander made his voice waver a bit. While he might not be affected, until he figured out the situation with this world, he had to carry on as Neil. After a long beat of silence, he let out a sigh. "How long will it take them to get here?"

"About an hour."

"Alright. Then I'll hang up first."

"No wait!" She quickly cut in afraid that leaving him alone with a potential threat would be a bad idea. "Stay on the line with me." Another pause was followed by a tired laugh. "I know it's selfish, but it will make me feel more comfortable until Rusty arrives."

"Sure, cousin." This was a good opportunity to get a gist for this world as he casually asked questions about the pack and everything else while he kept an eye on the witch. Every time she showed signs of waking up, he would knock her back out. At one-point Trisha asked about the thudding noise but he shrugged it off as noisy neighbors. As luck would have it, the wait helped sober him up. Though he thought it was more of a testament to a werebeast's fantastic constitution.

Once Rusty arrived, two of his pack mates grabbed the witch and threw her into separate truck while he slid into Rusty's. Trisha was finally let out a sigh of relief after hearing her husband's voice and hung up.

Rusty quickly looked over Neil and couldn't help but shake his head. Neil was really a damn pretty fool like his wife said. They exchanged a few words as they started back to the pack's territory.

Watching the groves and farmland pass by, Alexander quickly downloaded Match along with BoardCall. He knew Michael was in this world and he would be on one of these. If not, they still had a list of other ways of reconnecting. However, before he could browse, his phone battery died.

"Rusty, you got a charger?"

The old wolf looked at him with a raised eyebrow before he smirked. "No."

Alexander wanted to say something but squashed it as he pocketed his phone. Whatever, once he got to Trisha's house there would be a place to charge it. With nothing to do and a gruff silent werewolf next to him, he decided the best thing was finish sleeping off the last of his hangover as he nodded off against the window.

---

The thick thud of his head bouncing off the window glass woke Alexander up as he blurrily looked around. Before he could adjust himself, they hit another deep dip in the dirt road that jostled him about again. Rusty wasn't even trying to avoid the rough parts. Each bump made his headache kick back as it pounded against his temples. It took a moment to find a position that wouldn't make him bounce as he shot a poisonous look at Rusty.

The dirty road stretched on for eternity. Only after 30 minutes of driving did buildings begin to come into focus, breaking up the forested land. At first it was just a simple shack, but soon larger houses and buildings came into view. Rusty took a left and headed towards a two-story house that sat along the gravel road. It looked quite impressive among the various readymade houses and concrete buildings.

Styled similar to classic antebellum houses, the white columns were bright under the sun as several large windows had been thrown open to taken in what little cool breeze there was on this stagnant humid day. The wrap around porch was host to a few people as kids played alongside their seniors who sat in old rocking chairs. Even though the house was well maintained it was clearly older than the others as little hints of past damage, like chipped wood and missing tiles gave away its age.

"Is this the way to Trisha's house?"

"No." Rusty's voice was like the gravel under the car, coarse and unpleasant. "You're meeting with Richard first."

Alexander scowled as he fiddled with his dead phone. He didn't want to meet Richard, he wanted to charge his phone. But right now, he had no way out of the meeting as he frustratingly accepted his situation.

If anything, he at least could try and get a minor idea of what was going on in this story. While he didn't have a massive part, the creator wouldn't have elaborately killed Neil's entire pack and then made him a walking target for no good reason. Right? 

Rusty's old truck pulled up beside the house as he parked and gestured for Alexander to get out. Rusty made no action to move on his own as Alexander sighed and hopped out.

"Take the first left. Don't be a dumbass." That was some fantastic advice. Alexander had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as he put on a slightly tough but wilting persona. He had to remember that he was a man who had just lost all his family and was nearly killed himself. He shouldn't be so easy going or casual.

Taking a deep breath, he found his character and headed in. The occupants of the porch gave him a quick look, nod and a smile before returning to their own conversations.

The inside of the building was well maintained even if it was filled with conflicting furniture. While a house with such grand majesty that seemed fit for elegantly carved wood chairs and warm hued cushioned couches. Instead it was very beachy. White stained wood and dark grays and light blues. It didn't look bad, just clashed with the classic air such a house gave. Alexander wasn't exactly impressed. Though the taxidermized Capricorn on the wall was quite interesting as it was surrounded by a few unusually large shells and sea glass ornaments.

Taking the first left, he found this wing had been converted into a set of offices. At the end of the hall was a door with a small bronze name placket that had Richard carved into it. With a light hand, he went to knock only for the door to be pulled open as a taller man looked down at him with a welcoming smile.

Richard was your typical alpha type. Handsome, well built, slightly tanned, with deep brown eyes and a clean-cut style. He must have been 6'3" – 6'5" if Alexander used his own stats as a baseline since he was a good few inches taller. He also was a classic werewolf like Rusty. Perfect for a pack alpha. Everyone loves a good little doggie.

"Neil?" His voice was pleasant with a light Georgia accent as Alexander nodded. "Come in." He moved out of the way and Alexander got a look at this leader's office.

It really wasn't bad. This place had all the dark wood furniture he had been looking for in the living room, as two tall bookcases stood to the side of an antique wooden desk that currently played host several different books and papers along with a buried laptop. Things much have been busy lately, as Alexander turned his attention to the chairs which perfectly matched the bookshelves. The whole look was impressive enough to earn Alexander's faint praise until he noticed some chipping on the bookshelves. Perhaps the desk had thrown him off due to its craftsmanship, but the rest of the furniture in the room was the type you found in the back of your local department store. There were even little places where the printed wood had been chipped during the construction revealing the light composite underneath. Ah, they were still a collection of pets, Alexander smirked to himself before he turned to Richard.

Even with the cheaper furniture, he couldn't help but find the shorts and t-shirt Richard wore while he sat behind the antique wood desk a bit jarring. He supposed when you became the pack leader to a group of werebeasts, formality wasn't very important in the office.

"Please sit down. We only have a few things to discuss. You must be tired, so I don't want to hold you too long." Richard was warm as he pulled out a few pieces of paperwork.

"First off, your transfer to our pack has been approved. For the moment you will be living with your cousin Trisha. That's fine right?" Even though it was phrased as a question, Alexander knew it wasn't as he just lowered his head for a second and nodded. Even if Alexander protested, to everyone around he was Neil, a dumbass who nearly got killed. He'd be lucky if he could leave the Pack territory before he was 50 with how protective Werebeasts were of their own.

"Next, there is no need to worry about any more incidents. Our lands are protected by the Mother Tree. Only those related to our pack can enter as well as those who have gotten prior approval. Even if they wanted to, there is no magic stronger than her. Which is why you must stay inside our territory until we've figured out the situation."

This tree interested Alexander as he thought of the Triplets. There was a chance this was a World Root, if so, he might have a way to connect with Overworld.

"I understand." Alexander gave a quiet reply which seemed to work on Richard as his expression softened.

"I know it's inconvenient. But once everything is settled, we won't force you to stay. But for now, it's for your own protection. Trisha has been worried to the point of exhaustion these last few days. I don't think she'd be able to handle you getting into trouble again." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. To tell the truth the entire situation had been troublesome. Even if the pack of wereleopards had been small, for them to be killed in such a way with no evidence left of their attackers…it was more than just concerning. The whole thing made the old wolf want to lock everyone down in their territory until all of it blew over.

Alexander sensed his tension and gave a careful smile while straightening up. "I should apologize to her for causing trouble. We are the only ones left so we got to look after each other."

These words seemed to satisfy Richard. "It might seem boring, but we have things you can do around here. If you have a talent for construction, we are currently renovating a few buildings, or if you lean towards business, we can always use more help here." Richard gestured at his paper laden desk. "There's always work." He chuckled.

Alexander weighed his options. To tell the truth if he had his System Administrators, he would have just left by now as the danger of the witches would be minimal since he would have been able to find out what they were doing. But since he was in the dark, it would be foolish to just wonder around until that was resolved. Then there was also the fact that he needed to do his job of stabilizing this fragmented world. That required the ability to deploy new characters, locations and activities. The best place currently available to him was the office. Surely there were contacts, other packs and organization they dealt with. Also, he preferred an indoor job when the alternative was the hot sweaty outdoor labor. For a moment his hand reflectively moved to adjust a set of glasses but he caught himself and instead rubbed the bottom of his chin.

"I've done some contract work before and have also worked in IT. I think I'll take you up on the office job."

"Perfect. We recently been implementing a multi pack server and needed some help." He began to talk about the program while Alexander silently wished he had left the IT part out. While he had enough talent with technology without any assistance, he truly preferred contracts and law. Those were his personal specialty. But he figured all would work out as time progressed. So, he would just settle into the project until then. Either way, his true goal was finding Michael.

After setting down some work terms and a start date in four days, their conversation finally coming to an end as Alexander thought of the dead phone in his pocket. He didn't want to disrespectful, but Richard talked a lot and his topics would shift smoothly from business to friends to sports and back.

It was easy to see why he had been able to hold the Alpha position. He was very charismatic and gave off a natural helpful, caring aura. Like a giant golden retriever bouncing around happy his owner was home. Alexander could not unsee it as he chastised these romance writers and their love for dog like lovers. For a second, he wanted to throw a stick, to see if the man would chase after it.

No, that wouldn't fit. He had to keep his thoughts to himself as he stiffly stood up. "I think it's time I go meet up with Trisha." The only way out of this was to directly state his need to leave as Richard finally realized he had spent 30 minutes just talking. He gave a carefree smile and nodded.

"Yea, I think I've held you long enough. Remember if you need to talk, we're all open here." Richard stood up as well and lead him out to the front where Rusty was still waiting. He gave Rusty a wave before putting a hand on Alexander shoulder. "See you soon. Also tell Trisha I said hi." He then let him go and watched the two leave. He kept a hand in his pocket and waved them off. After they were gone, Richard stopped, and his easy smile darkened. This whole event was troublesome. He ran a hand through his hair and then turned to head back in. He had too much work to catch up on.

A/N

I felt the need to distinguish Richard's accent as hailing from southern Georgia, probably Savannah which apparently has it's own distinct accent, because I had a great Aunt who lived there almost all her life and had a fantastic regional accent. Really the whole slew of southern accents can be a bit confusing, but they can differ quite a lot. My aunt's could have been described as more southern belle by way of older woman, very graceful and classic. As a southeastern Floridan, our accents down here are definitely more mixed. As the saying goes, the farther south in Florida you go the less Southern it gets.