
His senses were sluggish to be alert. Sucking in air, he peeked up at Nova sitting beside him. He glanced around and she smiled. "Omma said it's okay if I sit with ye for now. I only been here a few minutes."

He needed to shift and moaned, realizing he was on a reinforced cot that was just too small so most of him hung off it. His hand was expertly splintered and bandaged, and his chest was tight enough to prevent him from breathing too deeply. His head felt tight with a bandage meant to stop his bleeding. Maybe it was holding his brain in. It was difficult to keep his vision focused, so he laid his head back and closed his eyes. The last time he had felt this out of sorts was when he had curiously walked right into Nova's trap. 

Her tender caress on his snout brought him back from almost dozing off and he peeked at her. 

"I really missed seein' ye like this," she said in a voice as soft as her smile. "I really missed yer voice." She took his good hand with both of hers, placing it against her face, leaning into it. "I... really miss yer touch."

The wistful adulation in his gaze made her blush deeply, her ears flat to the sides. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, feeling his heart flutter. 

"Oh, Nova," he croaked out, his parched voice like grinding stones. "What... were you doing out there?"

She glanced back at him before looking at her paws. "Oh, uh, well, Veka... woke me up an' said she... heard ye callin' for her."

The groan came from a place far deeper than his injuries. Taking his hand back, he rubbed at his eyes, an aching tension in his body that he had to release with a exasperated sigh. "Not that I'm not grateful. You both probably saved my life."

Smiling, she offered a dented canteen of  delightfully cold water. "Guess that'd be twice, then, right?"

His brow furrowed, but he waited until she had helped him quench his thirst before answering playfully. "Making up for the times you tried to kill me?"

She giggled nervously. "Well, I guess. I were thinkin' more like... thankin' ye for... keepin' me safe as ye could...."

His hand cupped her snout without pressure, but it was enough for her to fall silent. He shook his head. "Don't, Nova. Don't ever thank me for any of that. I didn't do you any favors. I took you from this place. I should've stuck to the mission and left you alone."

Her ears lowered, eyes darting about before anxiously fidgeting with her tail. "Well, I mean, wh-what if... that's kinda why yer here now? And... isn't that worth it?"

"I do like it here a lot better," he agreed softly.

"A-And besides, if it weren't you... who else might it've been? M-Maybe someone else caught me. I'd've been like Veka. Maybe even... selected for the ambassador," she breathed the last part with a shudder in memory. 

"But I weren't," she continued before he could respond, taking his hand again. "I... I were safe with you. In yer bed."

He looked up at her and there was the ghost of a knowing smile that pulled the side of his face. "You liked that more than you admitted."

Blushing hotly again, she swallowed hard and stammered, "w-well, I-I mean...."

The searing, awful sunlight might as well have been a sword that stabbed Anubis through his brain. He groaned again, slinging his arm over his eyes.

"Oh good, yer awake," Jack stated as he closed the door behind him. "It's past lunch already." He fixed Nova with a stern eye. "Time to get back to chores, Nova."

"O-Okay," she whimpered, glancing back from the door before hurriedly leaving. 

Jack watched her go with a small disappointed shake of his head and took a pensive breath before scratching at his ear and scoffing with a bit of a smile. "Well, I already dealt with Paneesh. He's Alpha of Dawson Pack. Ancient fucker. His boys're always causin' trouble. Ha! Shoulda seen the look on his face when I told him his boys assaulted my Honored Free, and I would demand restitution. Hooked 'em each with a claw an' they cried like pups!"

His dry chuckle died when he saw Anubis was not that amused, and shifted nervously a moment.

"Am I in trouble?" Anubis took the liberty of breaking the silence.

Jack blinked in surprise. "Trouble? What for?"

He shrugged. "Disobeying. Threatening you."

The Alpha's eyes got wider for a moment. "Wait, were ye threatenin' me? I just figured ye were mad at me." When Anubis realized that he had never thought there was much of a difference, it must have shown on his face even in the dim room. "Yeah, see, I didn't think so. Ye just got big teeth, is all. Fuckin' shiny. All that meat, no sweets." 

He then scoffed and shook his head, throwing up his hands. "Besides, even if ye were in trouble, what could I do to ya? Take ye out an' flog ye? We ain't even got a whip. There's fuck all I could even do to ye. That's why this slave thing feels so ridiculous. Shit, I couldn't even stop ye tryin' to take the alpha spot the way the _Wogtal_ do."

There was a moment of clarity for Anubis. "I don't want to be alpha, Jack," he assured softly as the effort to talk hurt. "I never wanted to be alpha. I just... wanted the suffering to stop." In an even quieter voice he added, "all I really want is Nova."

Jack's lips set in a hard line even as there was a noticeable release of tension in him. He was thoughtfully quiet for a moment before he took a step closer, sitting in the chair beside his cot. He leaned over to glare into Anubis' eyes, his words deliberately enunciated. "I've been an ass to ye, Anubis, but there's a reason. It's plain as the day that yer a good man, and I can accept the man that ye are today, the one layin' here in front of me. I'm even sorta startin' to like 'im. But, that don't erase the man that ye _were_ and the things that _he_ did. I want you to look me right here in the eyes and tell me, as a good man, that you never _raped_ Nova." Inhaling sharply enough to hurt, Anubis turned his eyes away. Jack nodded knowingly. "Uh huh, see? Yer a good man, and ye knew it was wrong, and ye still did it.

"Now, I can accept that ye were a victim, too," he hurried to continue when Anubis opened his mouth to reply. "The things those two've told me makes me so uncomfortable. Even considerin' ye livestock made me so uncomfortable. As a good person, that had to be hell for ye and then some. But, yer not _innocent_. You-- _raped_-- Nova, and ye raped those women, and maybe that was normal to ye, but ye knew it was wrong, and ye still did it. And _that's_ why yer here, as our slave. And that's why I _have_ to find a way to be okay with it."

Leaning back, he slapped his knees. "And to get this mutiny under control! Fern thinks I've lost my mind. Nova won't talk to me. Cloud growls at me. Denver won't change outta his feral form."

Anubis groaned and put his good hand over his face. "That boy."

Jack stared at him and shook his head slowly. "I thought it'd be _you_ challengin' me, but instead, it's my own pack."

"I never meant to be an inconvenience," Anubis muttered with a hint of sass that made Jack roll his eyes.

"A inconvenience? We might not starve this winter cuz of all the work ye've done. Ye single-handedly set this pack up for success for a century, at least. Inconvenience. Not a inconvenience. Just a... a discomfort. It's not how we would handle what ye've done."

Anubis peered at him. "Enlighten me, because I can tell you exactly how my pack would handle it, and I have doubts they are the same."

Staring at him thoughtfully a moment, the side of his face curled up. "Well, I could tie yer balls to that fancy new tractor ye paid for and use ye to clear some lines."

Anubis could not contain his smile. "Certainly not how we did it, but that seems fair enough."

"Oh, good, Fern'll love that. I hope yer prepared for that much fondling."

He really wanted to laugh, but his side hurt so badly that he moaned and grimaced instead. 

Again Jack shook his head. Standing up, he returned with a small vial and needle, measuring out the liquid as he spoke. "Look at'cha! Big pup. Ye were just gonna let 'em kick yer ass. They might've killed ya! Ye coulda let 'em go. If they were after the tractor, we got traps all over that thing. Got traps set so far out they won't think to start lookin'. Woulda made lots o' noise." Sitting back down, he rolled his eyes at the growl his stab elicited. "Last time I looked somethin' like this was after my fight with Red Paw an' his posse, an' that was a 5 against me."

Anubis raised a brow and looked him over. "Really?"

Jack gave his doubt a sharp grin. "Never underestimate a man with a cause. I been takin' care of this pack long 'fore I became alpha." He glanced at the door, his voice almost wistful. "Been takin' care of Nova since she were a pup. She's always been real good at slippin' away. Would get her into all sorts o' trouble, though served me fine. She'd come out to the river lookin' for me. Always talked about how she couldn't wait for me to be an Alpha someday. She always been more submissive than the others. Likes that power play. Think that's why she stays an omega."

He fixed Anubis with a bitter eye, his snout slightly wrinkled. "But then ye came along an' snatched her up an' there weren't a damn thing any of us could do about it. That's a real helpless feelin, when ye can't do nothin' for someone ye love."

Staring up at the ceiling, Anubis let out a solemn sigh, his good hand resting on the ground since the cot was so low. His headache was already easing, his breathing getting a little easier. "I can relate."

Nodding, Jack leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, she told us 'bout yer sister. Fuckin' sick. If Iron Gale ever had a thought like that, he'd be feedin' the flowers with his blood. He'd be marked as a Banished. Every pack would attack 'im as justice. Took yer shitty brother to give her some justice. At least I can relate with the asshole brother, but I don't think there's a shred of sacrifice in Red Paw. He ain't a lost soul, he's just a dick. Don't wanna participate in civilized pack society."

After a brief pause, his expression grew serious, and he leaned forward again which made Anubis look at him. "I don't know exactly how the _Wogtal_ handle their pack affairs, I always heard ye folks fought over it, but among us, it's a vote. I stay alpha only so long as the pack agrees it's in their best interests. If there's more teeth against me than for me, I gotta go. An' right now, there's too many teeth pointin' at me for my likin', 'specially cuz they cut the deepest."

With a contemplative breath, he shook his head. "I ain't got the authority nor desire to go against Khade'grr's wishes. Yer stuck as our 'property' far as the other packs are concerned. But, the letter did say that I... get to decide what to do with ye within our pack. An' what the pack wants, I gotta make happen. So... I'll give ye the chance to earn rank with us. 

"I ain't gonna let it be easy for ya, though," he added with a stern glare. "Yer startin' from this, nothin'. I'm gonna make it the hardest one to get out of. Outside the pack, it don't mean nothin' so keep to yerself. But this pack don't know how to consider another wolf a friend an' a slave in the same breath an' it ain't fair to expect it."

It took Anubis a moment to ponder this. His head was still foggy, and the gnawing in his stomach was making it difficult to concentrate. "We... gain rank mostly through competition. How do I gain rank here?"

Relaxing back into the chair, Jack smiled at him. "Same way we all do. Take on responsibility. Find things that need done with nobody askin'. Finish yer chores in a timely fashion with no one needin' to check up on ya. Bein' where yer supposed to be when yer told to. Ye know, all those things Nova don't do."

"So, I'm... not an ox?"

Jack rolled his eyes with the hint of a smile. "I think I were inferrin' that, yeah."

There was really only one thing he thought it might also infer, and he figured it was worth asking. "Does that mean I can spend time with her?"

Jack's face became as cold and hard as any statue he had ever seen and leaned closer than before, fixing him with a dangerous stare, his snout wrinkled, teeth only barely covered. "I don't usually talk 'bout what my pack mates confide to me, but I want ye to know, I asked her why she had feelin's for ye after what ye did to her. I never done nothin' like that to 'er. She says... she can't explain it. And then she cried. _Sobbed_. On her knees. Somethin's broken in there, Anubis, and _you_ broke it, whether ye meant it or not. 

"Now, I ain't the controllin' type, an' last time I tried assertin' myself with her, Cloud nearly bit me. Love that woman like my own omma, but her teeth're sharp. The time ye'd spend with Nova is up to the Queen. But, I think... it's a stupid idea. She can't even be sure that she likes ye for _you_, or cuz of how ye trained her. And I think that's dangerous. If I ever find out that ye force her in any way, at all, even if she don't wanna admit it, then we'll be finding out whether or not I really can tear out yer throat, and _that's_ a threat. Have I made myself clear?"

With a dry swallow, he turned his head away to expose his throat. "Perfectly," he muttered diffidently.

"Good." Standing, Jack looked him over again and shook his head. "Big ol' pup. Well, I'm gonna go tell Denver he can stop his protest and bring ye somethin' to eat. Yer lookin a bit lean, an' I don't think it were just the shiftin'. We'll get someplace set up for ya, but rest here for now. And don't ever do that again. Ye've been too helpful to lose now."

Just as he touched the door knob to leave, Anubis mustered enough effort get his attention again. "Hey, Jack. I... happen to think you're a good alpha. Better than where I came from."

The smile that pulled up the side of his face was as warm as the summer night. "Don't suck up to me, Anubis. I'm tryin' not to like ya."

**

Looking up at the ceiling of the alcove in the sleeping hall, Anubis put his good hand behind his head and stiffly squirmed on the bed they had built for him in an afternoon. Though it wasn't as nice as what he had had back in the estate, it was sturdy enough and more comfortable than the hay and a whole lot better than that cot. The sleeping hall had many such alcoves, intended to hold a lot more wolves, but most of them were able to have their own, including himself. Although, his feet stuck out a bit even though they had tucked the bed as far in as they could.

Everyone else was already working outside, but he had been ordered back to bed after breakfast in the great lodge. Now he got to lie there and think. And think.

And think. 

When Denver had brought him food the previous day, he had been utterly smitten the moment Anubis had opened his mouth, though had adorably done his very best to hide it and hurriedly left him to rest until dinner when he had been brought to the great lodge. If he were feeling even the slightest bit better, he might have felt smug about almost every female eye bashfully upon him until he was brought here and presented with the bed. 

At least now he had clothes. They had fashioned him a kilt in as close to the style of the _Wogtal_ as they could, going off details in an old history book and Nova's description. Anything more would be too hot for him. He was already going to have to brush again.

Speaking of Nova, she had been thrilled to see him at dinner, but after what Jack had said, he hadn't much felt like celebrating with her and blamed it on still feeling out of sorts. Then he had laid in this bed all night, staring at the ceiling.

And thinking.

He blamed Caesar for this. This thinking thing. When they were pups, he had always been muttering questions under his breath, which at first Anubis had innocently repeated. Even after learning why Caesar spoke so cautiously, he never stopped, always pondering something out loud to himself. He had often said when out of ear shot of anyone that it was really the only intelligent conversation he was able to have. Well, hopefully, he was having plenty of intelligent conversation now.

His head snapped up to a presence that peeked around the foot of his bed. "Nova!" Using his good arm to push himself up, he glanced around the corner.

"No one's here," she giggled.

He fixed her with a stern glare. "And you shouldn't be, either."

Her ears folded back and she looked down. "W-Well, yeah. Females aren't allowed in the male hall."

"Then if you know the rule, why do you break it?"

Taken aback, she glanced at him before looking at her feet. "I-I dunno. I just... really wanted to see ya."

Softening, he glanced around the corner again and pulled her into the alcove so no one would see her from the opened doors. "Nova, it's not that I don't want to see you, too. Every bit of me would love to spend the whole day with you. I just think we'll have more chances to do that if we're not always getting into trouble."

With a defeated sigh, knowing he was right, she nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

Smiling, he caressed her face. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed. "Jack told me how your people gain rank. Now I understand what they mean when they get on you about it."

Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I know. I just... I-I dunno, I just really hate doin' all those chores. I'd rather be doin' other stuff." With a flirty little smile, she took his good hand, turning to wrap it around herself and sat on his lap, tucking her head up under his chin. "Like spending time with you."

His nose was full of her scent. She was so soft snuggled into his side. He could hold her tight all day, but the voices calling outside lent an urgency to the encounter. His ears constantly swiveling, he took as deep a breath as he could and shook his head. "Wouldn't we have more time to spend together if we were both of higher rank?"

Slumping in his grip, she hung her head. "Well, yeah, I guess."

Smiling, he nibbled at her to make her giggle a little louder than she probably should have, quickly putting her hands over her snout. "Do you recall when I thought the idea of you having me bound, helpless and at your mercy was amusing?"

A small tremor ran through her but she nodded. "I, uh, I thought ye were pretty full o' yerself."

Chuckling, he gave her ear an affectionate lick. "And you were absolutely right! I thought it was hilarious back then. I still do. But, now, here I am, in _your_ territory, property of _your_ pack, and you outrank me. Wouldn't it be amusing if you were the one calling _me_ to _your_ bed?"

He knew the moment the thought appealed to her when her tail started twitching. "W-Well, I... I'd have to be a Kappa to be allowed to build my own cabin."

"Is that all?" he drawled teasingly. "Why, I was a Gamma in my pack. I wonder which of us can make it to kappa first? Jack told me he was going to make it difficult for me just to get to omega, which means _you_ have the advantage this time. How many days has Silver had your sister sequestered away now?" He felt a warm shudder run throughout her, perhaps with memory more than imagination. When she squirmed on his lap, he smirked and adjusted her so that her knees were slung over the outside of his, spreading her wide and helpless. Holding her tight to his solid body even though his side ached, he slowly slipped his good hand into her shorts, his voice hot against her ear. "Wouldn't it be nice to have the same privilege? Some place private that I can satisfy this sweet, needy pussy for _days_."

She was panting hotly already, whining softly when his fingers glided around the outside of her gender, pulling her skin apart as he teased her. "That is why you're here, isn't it? So I can satiate your thirsty little hole?"

Gasping when his fingers slid at last over her moist slit, his pads were immediately wet. She bit her lip hard to stifle an erotic moan when he leisurely caressed her button with the full length of his damp finger, her hips thrusting to try and quicken his pace as she felt herself grow hazy. 

"Well, what have I here?" He drawled wickedly, making her bristle with the bumps on her skin. "A warm... wet... pussy just so _eager_ for someone to come along and... take advantage."

She clenched her teeth to muffle her moan, whimpering instead when his fingers dove into her, getting right to the point. Pounding her knuckle deep, his teeth sank through her fur at the base of her neck. Her eyes were rolled up into her skull, losing herself entirely to the experience. 

Her melody was delightful beside his ear, but with great agony, he allowed her tight clenching to slow his effort, bringing her back to reality. Continuing to tease her as she panted, he snickered and licked her ear again. "Wouldn't it be better if your pack thought I was a good influence on you rather than a-- naughty— one?" He slid his fingers deeply into her again, her breath coming in gasps. Pulling them out slowly, he ran them along either side of her clit, grinning in the side of her vision. "Besides, I don't need rank to dominate this pussy, now do I? Seems to me, it's already _mine_." 

Plunging back into her, he brought her over the edge once more. Knowing her moans were getting too loud, he kissed her in hopes of stifling them. It wasn't something his people did often. A mouth was for biting, but he had seen the _Aroogar_ do it plenty, and she eagerly returned it, her hands gripping his neck fur to hold him there.

Knowing the longer she stayed, the longer her scent would linger, he groaned with the effort of releasing her. Though she whimpered sadly, she did not protest, awkwardly adjusting herself once she stood on trembling legs.

"Well, you got what you came for, my needy pet," he teased gruffly with a cocky grin while he helped her steady herself, "now why don't you go finish your chores so we have the chance to finish this later?"

With a frustrated whimper, she begrudgingly agreed. "Okay, fine. Dick," she muttered the last part under her breath as she went to leave. 

He gripped her arm tight and wrenched her back to his body, his voice dark and gritty against her ear. "That's right, and you're my dick warmer."

Her lustful whimper changed into a barely contained yelp when his hand slapped her ass. "Off with you, now!" he lilted smugly. "Back whence you came!"

Glaring over her shoulder only after she was far enough to escape him, she blushed hotly at the sight of him leaned back, propped on his elbow, slowly licking the fingers he had just had inside her, grinning ear to ear. The tip of his shaft that had been pressing against her back was peeking from the top of his kilt. His devious chuckle was all she could hear as she scurried away.

Well, now he was left with a bit of a dilemma. Hard and throbbing, he knew it would not be as simple as just willing himself to calm down with her scent still in his nose and her moans fresh in his ears. Back at the estate, he could have swung open the door and barked and any slave within hearing distance would have hurried to his call. Perhaps, thinking back, he should have dealt with his needs on his own a little more often. Dealing with it on his own was really the only choice he had now as it were.

His fingers still slick with her, he gripped his rod and imagined that moment he would have her all to himself again, sinking her down his shaft with those sweet moans, warm and wet and tight just for him. How many times he had helped himself to her delectable body and never had it felt so satisfying as the night she had come to him in the storm, or even just now, giving her what she came to him seeking. Just the idea that given the choice, she still came to him had him panting, his tail twitching as the building pressure released in thick, pulsing ropes.

Washing up was going to be much easier than what he had had to do the last time he needed to cover up, but for the moment he panted with contentment, smirking to himself. Even if what Jack had told him was true, that he had trained Nova to come to him, there was no way he knew to fix it now but to turn her away, and he did not have it in himself to do so. No, it was too late for that. In all of his thinking, he had decided he would use it instead to do as he had intended from the start: to claim her as his own, mind, body and soul, to hold her close in his bed, and defend her with all his might. Only now, it was not his might that would work here. Well, perhaps his approach would have to change, but he would continue to do as he had done, and he had always taken care of his pets.