Rise.

Euan was grateful to be home. Dinner with Róan had been nice, but he'd been too on edge to enjoy it. Loban and Marik had been nearly at each other's throats through most of the evening, and so Euan had begged out early and convinced his wolfe to take him home. Loban didn't speak on the way back, and Euan followed his lead. He could sense the anger emanating from his wolfe, and he feared exciting it. Memories of Stephen began to rise up, but he tamped them down and kept walking, focused on keeping his breathing steady and his steps even.

The minute Loban closed the door to their quarters, Euan began pleading.
"Alpha, if I had known he was your brother, I wouldn't have asked to go there - I didn't know that you two didn't get along! I didn't mean to be any trouble, Alpha, and I would never put you into a conflict intentionally, Alpha, please don't be angry with me."
Loban looked more surprised at this outburst than anything else.
"Euan, I'm not angry with you."
Euan shook his head and took a step back from his mate.
"I'm sorry, alpha. It was my mistake."
Loban cocked his head, observing this strange new behavior.
"Euan, come here."
Fear flickered across the human's eyes before they turned empty. Euan was squeezing his hands tightly together and only tried to release them when he realized that Loban had noticed.
"Yes, Alpha?"
"Closer."
Euan took three more steps.
"Closer, Euan."
Two more steps put him within striking distance. Loban reached out and snaked one arm around his beta's waist, pulling him close enough to look in the eyes.
"What is between my brother and I is between my brother and I. You had nothing to do with it, and I will not take my frustrations with him out on you. Do you understand?"
Euan nodded, but it was clear he didn't believe. Loban sighed.
"Euan, we must talk. I know you're frightened of me, but try to listen quietly for a moment before reacting, and whatever you do, don't look at the ground, understood?"
Euan nodded again.
"Good. Now, your role here is not, as you seem to think, that of servant or obsequious doxy. Your happiness is paramount, and I simply cannot continue this bizarre self-flagellation of the spirit you seem so fond of. You're frequently bitter, self-deprecating, shaky, and downright unpleasant."
Euan was fighting to keep his gaze above waist level, lest his wolfe think he'd disobeyed, but his emotions were a mix of terror at what he deemed a thorough condemnation of his existence, and humiliation at the frank way in which his shortcomings were being discussed.
"With that in mind,"
Here, Euan fought to bring his attention away from his own feelings and back to what his wolfe was saying,
"I'm putting you in school."

There was a long pause, because that string of words really didn't make any sense to Euan. He wrestled with the concept for a few moments, as Loban patiently watched him take it all in. Finally, a single question rose:
"Why?"
Loban laughed out loud.
"Because you need it. Because it will help you make friends, and get adjusted here, and maybe I was thinking you might not feel quite so powerless if you were at least able to read."
Euan turned all kinds of pink, wishing for a moment that he had his brother's complexion so that embarrassment wouldn't show quite so well.
"I can read."
Loban gave him a long, even look.
"I mean, I'm not good at it or anything. I haven't had to do it in a long time. Not since I was a kid; four or five or so." Loban was still watching him evenly. "But I can do it."
"You start in three days."
Now Euan was just scared.
"Wait! Alpha, why - I mean, how are - I can't - it's not -" Euan took three deep breaths. "I don't want to!"
Loban raised his eyebrows and looked sincerely amused at this.
"That's the strongest reaction I've seen out of you since you came to in the infirm. Why not?"
"I won't know anyone."
Loban tilted his head.
"You don't know anyone anywhere. That's sort of the thing about being new. You will, though. You're nice, you'll make friends."
Euan's face tensed.
"I'm too old. School is for small kids."
"Mmm, not here. There are plenty of betas, just like you, who never got a chance to learn the basics. You won't be the only one there, and you won't be with cubs."
Euan tensed more.
"I won't be any good at anything."
Loban shrugged and got to his feet.
"I'm not going to entertain ridiculous notions of low self-worth. You can come to me when you have real concerns about the experience. I'll be in the baths."
"Alpha - "
"Euan." Loban's voice was low in warning which Euan read instantaneously. He backed away.
"Sorry, Alpha."
Loban rolled his eyes.
"I'll be in the baths. Left some tea for you by the bed."

~:~

Marik was already up and moving around when Róan awoke, and for a moment, he was seized with a sense of fear - Stephen had always demanded that he and Euan be up hours before he was, to make breakfast and generally prepare for the day. Marik seemed unaffected, however, except that he briefly turned his attention to Róan at the sound of his waking gasp.
"You're up."
Róan managed a nod - he still had to take a few moments every morning to process his change of situation, and wasn't entirely used to Marik yet. He stretched out his arms and pushed himself into a sitting position, and was just about to swing his legs to the side to stand when the pain hit. It felt like his balls were in a vice; unbearable pressure and a stabbing pain underneath.
Shocked, he cried out for Marik, who was at his side immediately with cold water and a small capsule.
"Swallow it. Swallow now, little one."
Moaning, Róan did as he was instructed and almost instantaneously, relief starburst through his body, starting in the pit of his stomach and spreading to the tips of toes.
When he could speak again:
"What - what was that?"
Marik was still rubbing his back, his hair, kissing the side of his face.
"It's the Change. The drugs we gave you when you first arrived tend to postpone it a few days. They must've worn off. I'm sorry, I should have given you something last night for it."
Róan took a few deep breaths and tried to process. Marik was urging him onto his back.
"May I look, little one?"
Róan snapped his legs shut immediately and Marik looked almost sorry.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you; I just want to know that you're OK."
"I'll let Ayo look later. He's a nurse."
Marik consented and released Róan to lie back.
"Rest a while; your body is going through a lot right now and you need to save your energy."
Marik was pulling the chest covering which Róan had seen the guards wear earlier over his head. It looked flexible, he reflected, like cloth and not metal. Marik was still talking.
"So no running around with Ayo today. No tours or heavy walking or visits." Marik continued. Róan's stomach sank. He'd planned to see his brother today.
"Tell Euan to come here if he wants to see you; his change is long since completed and he's back on his feet." Róan breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"And Medin will be here; well, he will after 3, at least. He's got classes nine to two and then Russian lessons and basic courses after. If you catch him with his hair braided again, tell me, and otherwise just try to get some rest today, little one." Marik smiled at him.
"When I get home, I want to see you in that same spot."
Róan nodded seriously and Marik grinned at him, then came close to the bed and leaned over to nuzzle a still-sleepy Róan on the cheek.

~:~

Euan arrived around ten, looking a bit green around the gills, but with his skin glowing in a way that Róan had never seen before. His dark eyes looked particularly bright, and he was closely followed by Ayo, who was practically seizing with excitement because Priton was due back from the border that night. Immediately forgetting his wolfe's instruction, Róan insisted on accompanying them both to Euan's first day of classes, and was through the baths and halfway dressed before either of them could object.

"And on the Ninth Order was bestowed the Resolution of LowShore, in which..."
As the lecture on the History of the Wolfish Empire droned on, Róan and Euan were both very, very close to being completely asleep.
In fact, most of the classroom was very close to dozing off. Ayo had ducked out somewhere after the noon seminar and hadn't been heard from since, so Euan was just nestling into a place to get a comfortable little nap when the human sitting to his right elbowed him lightly from his chair.
"Priviert."
Euan glanced around anxiously, but no, the human was definitely talking - or whispering - to him. Unsure how to react, he just stared back for a moment. The human frowned.
"Hello?"
Clearly he wasn't going to be left alone until he responded.
"Hi."
The human's face relaxed into a smile.
"Not Russian, then."
"What's Russian?"
The human raised one eyebrow but otherwise ignored this and went on.
"I'm Blaszni."
"Blehs-nee." Euan tried.
"Close. Try Blah-snee."
"Bluhznee."
"Mmm. Well, you tried. Where are you from?"
Euan looked around, unsure how much information to give out to an essential stranger. Beside him, Róan dozed blissfully.
"We are from the underground. He," here, Euan nodded, indicating Róan, "is my brother."
Blaszni wrinkled his nose.
"I suppose you kind of look alike."
Euan headed this one off at the pass.
"Different surrogates. Where are you from?"
"A pretty little place in the Outer Islands of the ocean you might still call the Pacific."
"The islands? I thought most of those were unknown to Wolfes and Invaders?"
Blaszni looked sad momentarily.
"Most. Not all."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"No - no, it's OK, don't be. I mean, we're alive, right? That's what counts." Blaszni looked distant.
"Did your family make it here with you?"
Now the human's face went hard.
"No. No one came but me alone." Euan was about to ask more, but just then the lights flicked on and then their wolfish teacher, along with the rest of the class was staring directly at them. Blaszni looked unfazed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, idly readjusting his position in his seat, "Were we that loud?"