The room was dimly lit with a soft orange glow seeping from a few torches lining the stone walls. It was quiet too quiet. The pack stood in a semi-circle before Mr. Jack, the Alpha elder, whose commanding presence filled the space like a rising tide. The scent of aged parchment and burned wood lingered faintly in the air, and though the battle was behind them, the tension of it still clung to their clothes and fur like smoke.
Mr. Jack's eyes scanned the group with calm authority, his voice steady.
"Good job once again," he said, folding his hands behind his back. "But the journey is still a long one."
There was a beat of silence.
"I am very pleased with your growth." His gaze turned sharply to Sophia and Tyler. "Sophia. Tyler. Your leadership is pivotal in this pack. Don't ever back down, no matter what."
"Yes, sir," Tyler and Sophia replied in unison, their voices solid with respect.
Bella and Henry chuckled lightly at their synchronized answer, the tension in the room easing just a little.
Then Jasper raised his hand.
"Any questions, Jasper?" Mr. Jack asked, already spotting the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Yeah, sir," Jasper said, clearing his throat. "Well… during the fight with the vampire this morning, I think there was a miscommunication between the pack. I mean… there were moments when we bumped into each other. No one had a clear plan on how and when to attack. I was thinking…" He paused, glancing at the others. "How do we open our thought channels?"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Mr. Jack sighed a long, thoughtful breath. "I was hoping one of you would ask this one day," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Good job, Jasper. You noticed it even when you weren't in your wolf form. That shows sharp intelligence."
Bella and James grinned with pride.
Mr. Jack began to pace slowly.
"The thought channel is a very good and powerful method wolves use during battles," he said. "It allows the pack to communicate silently, to change plans mid-battle, to react as one mind. It's how you'll survive stronger foes."
Sophia frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Jack turned to face them again. "For the thought channel to activate, your minds must align emotionally. It doesn't happen by force. It requires unity shared desire, shared emotion. Only then does the connection open in your wolf form."
"So…" Tyler spoke carefully, "…you're saying that we need to have the same goal or desire for it to work?"
Mr. Jack nodded. "Exactly."
Bella tilted her head. "But how do we do that?"
Henry, with a raised brow, interjected, "So what you're trying to say is… I and the others need to want to eat spaghetti together before our minds connect?"
A collective groan rolled through the room as the pack chuckled.
Mr. Jack shot Henry a stern look. "Not exactly… but yes something like that."
"That sounds awkward," James muttered under his breath, smirking.
Mr. Jack's voice cut through again, firm.
"This is how you awaken the thought channel in wolf form. Through unity. Emotion. Focus."
Then, raising his hand with finality, he said, "This meeting is dismissed."
The pack slowly dispersed, quiet and thoughtful, their minds buzzing with new knowledge, questions… and spaghetti.
The pack lounged in their secluded playground, a clearing surrounded by shrubs and swaying grasses. The air was thick with the scent of earth, pine, and recently boiled spaghetti. Laughter echoed beneath the open sky as Henry, James, and Tyler sat on the grass, shoveling mouthfuls of pasta into their mouths like children at a feast.
"Hey guys!" Henry called out with a grin, noodles dangling from his lips. "Come join us and have the desire to eat so we can open our thought channels!"
"Shut up, Henry," Sophia said, walking over with her arms crossed and a teasing scowl on her face. "That's not what Mr. Jack meant and food isn't an emotion… well," she added with a smirk, "unless it's channeled otherwise."
She paused, her gaze locking with Tyler's for a brief, silent moment fleeting, but enough to charge the air.
"What he meant was," she continued, shifting her attention back to the group, "the same desire but on an emotional level. Like hatred for vampires… or maybe love. Something powerful."
James stood up, brushing his trousers off with a sigh. "I don't know about thought channels or whatever," he said. "All I know is we're on patrol today, so buckle up. I've been hearing strange and frightening things from other pack leaders. Some say the vampires are regenerating now. Others… say they encountered things they couldn't explain."
"I heard that too," Sophia added, more serious now, her brows knitting in concern.
"So what if you all heard?" Tyler said suddenly, rising to his feet. The pack turned to him. His voice was calm but strong, and his eyes burned with certainty.
"There may be strange beings out there. Powerful vampires tearing humans apart. So what?" He looked around, his grin spreading. "We're together. And that's what matters. No vampire no human can break us apart."
A beat of silence. Then, slowly, grins began to spread across the others' faces. Even Sophia cracked a smile.
Truly, Tyler… James thought, watching him with quiet admiration. I can't defeat you.
The thought made him smile.