cinders;

Ash is the second born son to the James family, a small pack in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to the family’s sordid history and practices, Ash left high school around the age of 16 and never finished, as a physical trade was more valuable than proper education. It wasn’t too upsetting for him, as he preferred to work with his hands (though the man still holds some contempt for not finishing) he took to carpentry and was raised to be the future beta, or at least the next in line if the eldest sibling didn’t make it or couldn’t handle the task. 

That isn’t to say Ash accepted the life laid out for him by the pack with open arms. He argued with his parents about leaving school, he socialized with strangers longer than would be comfortable, he attempted to reason and gently push the boundaries of what was allowed. And with each instanced he was scolded and received some punishment, falling back in line until the urge to press on accessible fissures returned... but he always fell back in line. 

He even married as he was supposed to, to another wolf from a separate pack whom he was smitten with and seemed opportune to tie the knot. However, the infatuation and initial honeymooners spark faded, and while Ash has love for Cassie, it became more apparent over the years their marriage was a duty rather than an enjoyed union.

It became more apparent when his younger brother, Axel, left the pack. When their eldest sibling, now in place of Alpha, expelled Axel from the pack Ash was enraged. Late to the fight, he argued the pack was outdated and needed adjust to the times, that family was more important than some unneeded tradition that should have been the lesson from their infamous history. 

Ash was told to leave as well, and only come back if he was dragging Axel behind him. With no intentions of doing the latter, he chose to follow in the younger’s footsteps, though when he asked for his wife to join him, Cassie told him he was on his own.

So now he is at Layters, late to the fight yet again, and soon to realize he won’t be able to leave. It’s new, and it’s a little overwhelming to be around people not related to him, the abundance of people of different species (even if his lips go a little sour around humans).