Newcomer

            Kyuhyun joined the clan in the middle of winter.  It was one of the roughest winters in at least twenty years and a lone wolf on his own was liable to die in such weather, with no permanent home or clan to depend on.  Starving from the lack of available food, since he could not safely hunt on the grounds of a clan, he wandered in through the northern border of the clan’s territory and asked to see the chief as soon as he was spotted by the patrol.  Since he did not start a fight and since he looked too emaciated to cause trouble, alpha Kangin and beta Eunhyuk brought him before their alpha chief, Leeteuk. 

            Leeteuk had seen Kyuhyun beyond their borders before, but this was the first time that the lone wolf had dared to enter their territory.  He promised to hear Kyuhyun out without injuring him, even going so far as to ask their omega cook, Sungmin, to bring the lone wolf a bowl of the stew that was still warm from dinner. 

            Kyuhyun explained that he had originally come from a clan further up north, which was known to Leeteuk and the older members of the clan as being cruel and ruthless, even to its own members.  Once Kyuhyun realized that he was an alpha, he hoped to challenge the chief for his position, but was defeated, being too young and inexperienced yet to fight such a strong wolf.  Somehow, he managed to escape and leave the clan’s territory alive, but had been wandering on his own ever since.  It had been two and a half years since he was exiled.

            “I would do anything, if you would take me in,” he pleaded, his dark eyes staring into those of the chief.  “I will die if left on my own.  I ask for nothing more than food, shelter, and the clan’s protection.  I will not even ask to mate with any of your clan.  I just want to live.”

            Leeteuk’s clan consisted of a large number of betas and omegas, but few alphas to defend and hunt.  Of the mated omegas in the group, only his own mate, Heechul, was mated with an alpha and was capable of producing pups.  The clan needed another alpha, but he would wait a little while before telling Kyuhyun that they were nearly as desperate for an alpha as he was to be adopted by a clan.  And he certainly wouldn’t say a word about his hopes that Kyuhyun might attract the interest of their last single omega.  There was still plenty of time for them to get to know one another before any suggestions were made. 

            Leeteuk smiled over at the scrawny alpha, sitting at his dinner table.  “As long as you do as promised and cause us no problems, we will adopt you into the clan.  Consider this your trial period.”

            Kyuhyun’s eyes watered and he pressed his lips together, trying to compose himself.  He did not wish to look weak in front of his new chief, even if he had little energy from trying to survive in the elements for so many weeks.  “Thank you,” he managed to choke out.

            News spread fast in the clan and by dawn, nearly everyone had already heard about their newest member.  Everyone, it seemed, except their last unmated omega, Ryeowook.  He was headed to the clinic, since that was where he primarily worked, when his cousin wandered over his direction.  “I suppose Sungmin woke you up in the middle of the night to tell you the news,” Kangin mumbled.

            Ryeowook looked up at his older, alpha cousin.  Kangin typically wasn’t the type to spread rumors or discuss the newest clan news, so he was a little surprised that Kangin was talking about it.  “No,” he simply said.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Hmm,” Kangin muttered, scratching his stubbly chin.  “I wonder if I should tell you or just let you be surprised when you get to work.”

            Ryeowook smacked Kangin hard in the chest.  In fact, he was the only clan member that could get by with hitting him at all, partly because he was a family member and partly because no alpha wanted to admit that an omega’s punches or slaps could hurt.  But Ryeowook hit particularly hard.  He had grown up with a rowdy beta brother, Donghae, and Kangin as his cousin, after all.  He had to learn to defend himself.

            “You better tell me!”

            Kangin chuckled, his deep resonating laugh misting the air.  “I think it will be more entertaining for you if I don’t.  Have fun at work today,” he said, patting Ryeowook on the back and heading back to the den for some sleep. 

            Ryeowook gathered up a chunk of snow, forming it into a ball, and threw it at Kangin.  It hit him in the back of the head, but Kangin only brushed it off and laughed again.  Ryeowook didn’t have time to stop and ask anyone else about what his cousin was alluding to.  He was already running a few minutes late.  So he ran the rest of the way to the clinic and rushed in, stomping the snow off his boots and quickly taking off his coat and hat. 

            “Sorry I’m late, Yesung,” he apologized to the beta doctor. 

            Yesung peeked his head out of the doorway of the lab.  “Oh, there you are, Wook!  I was worried that you got snowed in this morning.”

            “No, I just lost track of time.  That’s all,” Ryeowook confessed, changing his shoes.  “What’s on the agenda this morning?”

            “We have a patient for you to attend to in room three.  He was brought in overnight, suffering from starvation, long exposure to cold, exhaustion, and some minor cuts and bruises.  I’d like you to bring him a rather large breakfast tray in this morning, take his vitals, and check his hands and feet for any signs of frostbite.  Zhoumi thought they looked decent enough last night, but now we want to check them after he’s warmed up a bit.”

            Ryeowook thought over who might be the patient, but no one had been missing or gone for an extended period of time.  “Who is he?” Ryeowook asked.

            “He’d our newest member, as of last night.  Name’s Kyuhyun, if I read the chart right.  I just got in about an hour ago and only briefly discussed the matter with Zhoumi before he headed out for the morning.  You’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little foggy on some of the details.  Sounds like the guy has been starving out in the wild for weeks.”

            “Do you think he’s trustworthy?”

            “I trust Leeteuk’s opinion.  But from what I read on the chart, he isn’t in any position to make a fuss.  He’s lucky he’s survived as long as he has,” Yesung pointed out, going back to his lab tests.  “I have a few people in today for appointments, starting in an hour.  But not much else to report.  I will check on Kyuhyun before my first appointment, but I’ll leave his care throughout the day to you.”

            Ryeowook nodded and headed to their kitchen.  Most of the clan ate together for meals, with Yesung’s mate, Sungmin, and young beta Henry in charge of cooking for the clan.  Ryeowook wasn’t a bad cook himself, but restricted his cooking for the patients staying at the clinic.  His talent was in caring for patients and making medicine.  During the summer months, he often spent several hours a day collecting herbs and fruits for ingredients in tinctures and ointments for use in the clinic. 

            No patient had stayed overnight in the clinic since Siwon and Kangin were both injured from a fight with a neighboring clan over territory lines in late summer.  They had won, but the alphas looked rather beat up afterwards and the two in particular had some nasty gashes that they had to watch, making sure they didn’t become infected.  But Ryeowook wa