First of all: I want to thank every single one of my readers for giving this a try before the movie was even out or before we had seen more than a few trailers and tv spots. This was a first for me, too. I usually need the movie first and then start writing fanfic.

This one took over my life and grew into an epic that I hadn't planned on writing. I had once answered a question from a reader on how many more chapters with: about 14 altogether.

Now there are 40.

All because of two seconds with Chris Pratt and four velociraptors in one of the very first trailers.

I'm so easy…

This fic had started with just one scene, the one with Blue's POV, thinking about their alpha and the pack. It quickly grew from there. You see the result.

There was one question whether I would rewrite the fic after the movie comes out. The answer is no. This is an AU and watching the movie won't change it.

The movie might just give me more inspiration, though I can't go and see it until a week after it comes out since I'm on vacation starting tomorrow. Finding a theater where I go is rather unlikely. So I'll have to be patient.

And I have about three weeks to come up with new fic ideas. I'm not ready to let go of this AU just yet. I might just write smaller add-ons. I think nearly 100000 words was just a fluke :P

So once again: thank you! Thank you so much for your reviews/comments and encouragement.

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Owen felt the pack with him, the hum of the other dinosaurs in the park was always present. The mosa was excited, the rex more or less ignored the gaping masses, the gallimimus flocked around the tourist-filled buses, and the herds along the river cruise were more interested in feeding than the canoes.

Half a year into the reopening of the park it was all just like before.

With so many small differences, a part of him whispered.

The pack was a now permanent presence in his mind. All four of them. His guard, his stability, his four sentinels. Guard dogs, they had been called.

Somehow it was true.

Blue and the pack patrolled. They didn't just protect their alpha, the bond, his very mind, but also the restricted area. It was their territory; theirs alone.

The bond was stable, like a solid fact, something immovable and part of him. They had gone through so much and survived.

Owen was so much more aware of things, so very receptive, and he always had to maintain basic shields. He had trained hard to be able to put them there on a moment's notice, but now they were just there. A first line of defense. A thin barrier, sure, but a barrier he could strengthen.

The pack was an integral part of that defense, was his anchoring point and as much of an offense as it was a shield.

Blue would attack whatever threatened the alpha. She was his first defender, the first to rush forward and use her powerful mind to bite at an intruder. She could be vicious that way. She would ask no questions, just launch an attack at what she thought was an alien presence.

Like the t-rex.

She still hated her, probably always would, and the pack shared that emotion. The rex was a threat, dangerous and powerful like them, and she was a mind, like the mosa, that Owen could be overwhelmed from.

Not that the t-rex really cared.

Owen had actively sat behind the scenes throughout the feeding shows and trained.

Afterwards he would spend a lot of time with his pack because he needed to balance himself again.

Before the reopening there had been no shows. There had been no schedules with excited visitors. There had been no gaping tourists, with kids running around, yelling in wonder and awe.

It was so much more and despite all the training, this was sometimes getting to him. There were times when emotions spiked, when the hunt was more real, when the hunger was deeper. With the rex and the mosa he managed. When he had tried it with the metriacanthosaurus it had been like a nail into the brain.

That were the times the pack intervened.

Almost violently.

They had pulled him out of the beginning of a migraine or fugue state, pushing back the invasion, strengthening the bond, and Owen could breathe again.

Just breathe.

Ours.

He had never been more glad than those times.

And now.

Owen pulled in a deep breath, cursing himself. Of course he had tried the metriacanthosaurus again.

Of course it hadn't worked out.

Damn!

Blue pushed her head against his shoulder and he patted her sinewy neck. She hummed and nosed at his hand.

It helped when the pack was physically present, though taking them into the park as such was a no-go.

Having them hide in the jungle along the back roads was something different.

Blue's skin was warm and solid under his touch as he grounded himself, pushing away the raw hunger of the metriacantho as she chased after her prey, the pack one unit but not at all like his raptors.

Blue pushed her nose against his neck, into the soft skin where the neck joined the shoulder. She hummed, calm as a rock in a stormy sea, and Owen rested his head against hers.

"Thanks," he murmured. "Thought I had it this time."

Sure.

He was good. So much better than maybe a year ago. So much better than when he had started to work for Masrani Global.

But never good enough to deal with intense spikes or interference.

That's what we're here for.

"Which I'm glad for."

She huffed softly, warm air brushing over his skin. They aren't a challenge, alpha. They are inconsequential.

"Translation: get off your ass and concentrate on training?"

Blue's mind-voice reflected laughter.

The pack was always there, guarding him, having his back.

"You guys are the best," he told them, surrounded by his four raptors, all humming or rumbling softly.

You're strong on your own, alpha. You can bite back.

Yes… if push came to shove, he would be able to push back. Suddenly and painfully.

It was scary.

Blue didn't share that thought. Owen Grady was a cunning, skillful absolute alpha. As long as he didn't plan to extend the pack beyond them, she saw it as a useful ability. The bond lived off Owen's strength, made the pack stronger.

Owen never pondered it too much.

Blue suddenly raised her head, looking over Owen's shoulder, muscles tensing.

He turned and saw Carter standing not far away, brows raised, but he wasn't holding his gun or even had his hand near his weapon.

"Taking a midday stroll?"

"Training. According to your schedule there aren't any troopers around here."

"I'm not a trooper."

Owen grimaced. "I never would have noticed, Dan. What can we do for you?"

"Just checking to make sure your brain hasn't exploded."

"Not yet."

"And to tell you we're good to go tomorrow. I have a team ready to tackle the garbage problem."

The garbage problem was the residual barbed wire in the more accessible region of the restricted area. Carter had volunteered to help Owen remove what had so seriously injured Delta. It had come as a surprise.

"A team? What do you have on them that they are ready to come along when the crazy guy and his raptors are out and about?"

Dan chuckled. "I doubt we're gonna see your girls, right?"

They would be in the jungle, watching. Just watching. Humans were off limits.

"So there's no problem at all," the chief of security went on. "We'll meet you there, give you and your little squad a head start."

"Appreciated."

Blue watched him, all grace and distance. She agreed with Carter's assessment.

Dan gave them a sloppy salute, then walked away, leaving Owen and Blue to head back their own way.

x XX JW XX x

The next morning the pack left early, just before sunrise, enjoy the dawn, the fresh, cool air, the dew sticking to the grass and clinging to their skins. Echo was as always wearing the harness and Owen had packed a first aid kit, lunch and water bottles into the saddle bags. She didn't even feel the weight. Delta was the camera girl of the day.

Owen was wearing his thick leather jacket to hold off the cold, something he wouldn't need later on. The day promised moderate temperatures, but still warm enough for short sleeves.

Delta felt apprehensive about going back to where there had been so much pain in store for her, but she went.

Owen was right there for her. And the whole pack. They all felt protective of their pack mate.

x XX JW XX x

Standing at the top of the incline, looking at the grass that hid the sharp wires, Owen stroked over Delta's neck, calming her with a firm hold on her slightly upset mind.

Blue was at his other side, strong and immovable, while Charlie and Echo scouted around. He had told them to stay out of the grass, which had gotten him indignant replies. Both had explored the area the night when Alan and Owen had camped with Delta, and they knew safe routes.

But he was worried and just making sure.

Delta shifted her weight and stepped away from the site of the accident, huffing and grumbling.

"Find the others," her alpha told her. "Stay out of sight of the troopers. Same goes for you, Blue."

Blue rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, then accompanied Delta into the jungle.

x XX JW XX x

The troopers arrived no ten minutes after the pack had disappeared.

They made short work of the barbed wire and everything else in the grass, ranging from wire mesh to steel rods sticking out of the ground no ten feet away from the camp site.

"Thanks," Owen told them all as they took a break and had lunch. "Really. I appreciate the help."

"Can't have the guard dogs injure themselves," one of the men replied with a crooked grin.

"They around?" another asked.

"In a way. A far away way. Don't worry," Owen replied.

"Hey, it's in the briefings and memos," a third said, closing his half-empty water bottle. "You're the alpha. They listen to you. Standing orders for them is not to harm humans, standing orders for us is not to shoot a raptor."

"Too messy," Carter teased. "Claire wants accident reports in triplicate."

Owen scowled at him, but he appreciated the support. He knew the security teams had had such briefings, but apparently the weekly memos contained reminders.

Blue and the pack moved freely in the restricted area. No muzzles, no collars. It was theirs. The moment Owen took them into the park, like the Gallimimus Valley, they had to wear the muzzles. They weren't allowed in the publically accessible places, but the back roads, after everything had been closed, was acceptable.

Blue made sure they were never seen.

They were perfect hunters. No one would see even the tip of their tails if they didn't want to.

x XX JW XX x

They were done a little after noon, piling the debris into one of the trucks to shuttle it back to the official dump site for one of the garbage ferries to take away, unless someone from the park decided they could recycle something from the pile.

Owen headed back home, sweaty and tired, but pleasantly so.

He was rejoined by his girls just a few minutes into his ride, silent shadows melting out of the jungle and racing alongside the bike.

x XX JW XX x

He invited the troopers who had volunteered to help clean up, including their boss, for drinks a few days later.

It was a nice, relaxed evening, away from the tourists, just hanging out and relaxing.

"Making friends," Carter remarked with a smirk.

"It's always good to be friends with the guys who might shoot you."

"Orders are to only tranq you."

Owen scowled, but the humor in Dan's eyes was clear.

"Or shoot you in the ass," Carter added good-naturedly.

"Hardy har-har."

"But seriously, my men know where you stand in the natural order of things. You don't shoot the alpha of a raptor pack. You don't shoot the pack. And you don't shoot the man who keeps the island as safe as we do, too."

"I'm not security, Dan."

The other man snorted. "Yeah, right. Owen, you guys are as much guards as we are. Just behind the scenes. I know you patrol the restricted areas. I installed those cameras and sensors with you, remember? And I noticed how territorial those raptors are."

Owen made a non-committal sound.

"If we ever get poachers coming in from there, they'll be in for a terrifying experience."

"We're not always there. The pack doesn't live there."

"Cameras," Carter just reminded him.

And they could be in the restricted area in a flash.

"So, you five are on our side. We keep the tourists from getting eaten and the dinosaurs from getting harassed by well-meaning, over-enthusiastic tourists. You do the rest. And now I need another beer."

Owen watched him head over to the bar and order a pitcher for the table.

Yes, maybe Dan was right. They were the guards of the island.

x XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX x

Owen and Carter continued to go out to the restricted area; always with the pack. Dan wanted to learn more about pack behavior and structure. Wanted to watch Owen work with his pack. Wanted to understand.

And he understood.

The pack accepted that there was a watcher and after a while they took him almost for granted. Charlie wasn't thrilled, but she no longer snarled at him for no good reason.

"You're really gonna stay here till the end?"

Owen shot his friend a look, brows rising. They had stopped at the old visitor center, checking on possible structural failure after the storm of last week. Owen wanted to use it as a safe house, in case he got stuck in another storm out here, but it looked like he might have to scrap that idea.

"No one knows how old raptors get, right?" Carter prodded. "One day you might even get some new additions."

He scowled. "Unless someone steals eggs from Isla Sorna, not a chance in hell."

The raptors, like all dinosaurs, were sterile. Twenty years of genetic engineering had made sure that they couldn't switch gender and couldn't reproduce asexually.

No one had wanted to take any chances.

Now Carter raised an eyebrow.

"Dan…" Owen warned.

"Nope, not saying anyone is crazy enough to go there for a few eggs, but what if you get new pack members somehow?"

"It won't matter. Masrani Global and Hammond Labs won't hatch raptor eggs."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Masrani and I have an understanding concerning genetically modified hybrids."

Carter gave a little grunt.

"And even if someone does something really stupid, I'll be here. This is my home."

"The lead alpha of the island?"

"I'm no one's alpha but the raptor pack's."

Dan smirked. "If you say so."

"I am."

x XX JW XX x

He was. Just the raptor pack's alpha. No one else's.

Just… if push came to shove, he would be able to push back, push into any dinosaur's mind.

It was scary.

Blue didn't share that thought. She never had and never would. Owen Grady was a powerful alpha. As long as he didn't plan to extend the pack beyond them, she saw it as a useful skill.

They had never directly talked about more pack members, but Blue was wired into his brain. She knew him like no one else did.

And she had told him that the pack didn't need anyone new. They functioned like a well-oiled machine. A new member was a risk.

Owen never pondered it too much.

Though Laurel once asked him.

He answered her truthfully, that he might be able to influence the rex, could already call her. He didn't really want to confirm how strong his preternatural side was.

Evolution.

Sometimes he wished he could stop it now, where it was, because he felt strong enough.

"I bet the girls don't like it," had been Laurel's only comment.

She knew more about him than Owen really wanted anyone to know.

It had drawn a faint chuckle. "Yeah. They like it that I'm that powerful, that their alpha can do this, but they won't ever accept the rex or anyone else as part of us. Not that the t-rex would even be a pack animal."

"Well, could come in handy," Laurel had told him. "If we need her to come for an exam and she's her hard-headed self, I'll give you a holler."

Right.

So not looking forward to that.

Laurel laughed at his expression and patted his arm. "Just kidding. Don't want to end up on your pack's shit list."

x XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX x

Alan stood next to Owen, overlooking the park, watching people stream toward the attractions. He had returned yesterday, cutting his absence short.

It had been three months and five days.

The house was done and Reggie had already told everyone that they would have a house-warming party.

Bookings were still through the roof and there had been more than enough positive voices about the reopening. People felt sympathetic, wanted to show their solidarity. The Hilton was booked solid and no one would be able to get a room on short notice for the next year.

The professor flinched when twigs cracked and leaves whispered as Blue stepped out of the jungle, making enough noise not to absolutely terrify the man. She did it on purpose to give him a heads-up, which Alan appreciated but couldn't get used to.

Her cool gaze met his slightly widened eyes, then she huffed softly, sounding pleased, when Alan relaxed again. Blue nodded.

"Is she actually giving me the pat on the head?" Alan asked, scowling.

Owen chuckled. "If you think so."

He had touched her almost automatically, patting her sinewy neck. Touch was important.

For him as much as for his pack.

Blue hummed.

The rest of the pack seemed to melt out of the jungle and Alan valiantly didn't take a step back. Echo yipped, eyeing him curiously. She had taken a liking to the professor, who had yet to look excited about it.

"Pack time," Owen told Alan. "Have fun with your lecture."

Alan gave him a half smile. "It's a group of prepubescent kids."

"You can do it."

"Me and kids never really mixed."

"You'll rock the auditorium."

"Pep talk, really?"

"Go, professor, go?" Owen laughed.

It got him a half-hearted glare.

"Well, let's get going," the alpha announced, rubbing over Blue's muzzle.

She rumbled with pleasure. The yips of the pack told him how much they were looking forward to it.

"See you Friday at the party."

Alan rolled his eyes. "Reggie is going a little overboard."

"He means well. And we're happy to have you back."

Echo whuffled, agreeing. Alan gave her a narrow-eyed look. She answered it with a tilt of her head.

"If she's trying for cute, it's not really working. Velociraptors are not fluffy and cute."

Grady laughed. He had told Echo to give Alan room, not to crowd in, and not to expect him to be at ease in her presence.

It was a process that had just started. Alan Grant wasn't going to forget the past just like that.

Alan walked over to his jeep to head toward the theme park. Owen was already on his bike, smiling widely at the prospect of some quality time.

This was what he loved more than anything.

To open up, to let his mind soar with the pack, but never enough to lose control. He felt their strength, individuals and as a pack. He experienced their power as they ran, their hunger as they hunted, their cunning technique in cornering and bringing down prey, and he felt the unique support within and among them.

He was there for all of it.

With Blue at his side.

As it should be.