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Animal Lover Ch. 07

By: KemMyst



His voice is breathless. "The Alphas... They're coming."

"WHAT?!"

"OK. Um. Show no fear. Um.. They may sniff you."

"I'm not dressed..."

"Too late." They hear a vehicle pull into the driveway. "Don't lie."

He pulls her with him to the door. She stumbles.

He opens the door to the knock. A couple stand in the doorway, the woman holding a bag. They hold themselves with an air of importance. Emmett stands stiffly. "Emmett."

"Alpha Wyeth. Madam Alpha." He bows his head to each of them.

"And who is this?" The woman's voice is on the low end of the register. She was imposing, although smaller than Lyssa, with red hair and an almost feral smile.

Emmett turns partway towards her. "This is Lyssa Baker. Lyssa, this is Randall and Ariel Wyeth."

"H, hello."

"May we come in?"

They move to the side to admit the Alpha pair. Emmett is gripping her hand tightly. Ariel turns to her mate. "We appear to have interrupted breakfast, husband."

Lyssa smoothes her hair with her free hand. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you, we've already eaten. Emmett." She offers the bag to him.

"Thank you. There was no need for you to bring this." He finally releases her hand, drops the towel, and, rummaging through the bag, pulls on a pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt.

As he comes upright he sees Ariel has stepped behind Lyssa, standing close and inhaling. Lyssa stood still, her eyes darting, heartbeat starting to race.

"So this is the female who's kept you away from us." She cocks her head as if listening when she comes to stand before Lyssa again. "Are you frightened of us?"

He had told her not to lie. "Yes."

The male finally rumbles. "A good instinct. Instincts should be trusted."

Her eyes flick to the male who was looking pointedly at Emmett.

The female continued to examine her. "And what has Emmett told you of us?"

She had real trouble looking the woman in the eye, but her eyes flicked to hers at the question. Lyssa's fear ratcheted up. "Not much. That he is a werewolf. That he is Beta. That you are annoyed with him." Emmett's hand finds hers again. Randall chuckles.

"He has been neglecting his duties." Ariel replies. She reaches up, she was 3 or 4 inches shorter, moves the collar of Lyssa's bathrobe aside and sniffs her neck.

"He was hurt."

That startles her. She smiles, looks at Emmett, then Randall. "We should allow them to finish their meal."

After a few more moments, Randall nods to Emmett and smiles down at his mate. "We expect you home soon, Emmett. There are things we need to attend to."

"Of course, sir."

The large, dark haired male briefly kisses his mate and takes her hand.

"It was nice to meet you, Lyssa."

"Uh, you, too." Ariel turns and flashes her another brief, feral smile. They then leave the house. Lyssa watches a black Lincoln Navigator pull out of her drive.

She pulls out of Emmett's grasp and turns to him as he stumbles slightly, as if his legs won't hold him.

"What the hell was that?"

"A test."

"A test. Did I pass?"

"You're alive." 

"WHAT?! What the hell have you gotten me into?"

"I was pretty sure it would be OK."

"Pretty sure. PRETTY SURE? Godammit, Emmett, I didn't ask for any of this. And you didn't say anything."

"Lyssa, please calm down. I explained what was going on to Randall."

"WHEN?"

He winces. "Please stop shouting. I'm sorry. I didn't expect them to come. I thought I'd have more time to prepare you."

"Prepare me for what?"

He pulls her into an embrace and says quietly. "I think you know."

She struggles, pushing against his chest and looks up at him. "No. NO. I don't know anything about you. What were you gonna do? Throw me over your shoulder and haul me off to your den?"

He takes her shoulders. "We don't ..." A sigh. "That's not how it works."

"And why me? What are you doing? Slumming? Some time with the humans for a change of pace? Something to tell the other guys over a beer? Do you have a wife?"

He sighs again, heavily. "Why don't we sit down? I will answer all your questions." He pulls her to the couch and into his lap. She pulls away and stands, facing him, hands on her hips.

"OK. Explain."

He looks up at her, the fire in her eyes, the fear, the indignation. She was wonderful. But, if he didn't win her over, she was dead.

Randall looked over at his mate, her dark auburn hair blowing lightly from the open window. "So, mate, what are your thoughts?"

"I can understand what he sees in her. There is strength there and a softness I've noticed he's drawn to. She's healthy."

"Has he mated with her?"

"No. He's much too cautious for that. She carries no mark. But they have been intimate."

"Anything else?"

"Empathy, helpfulness. I do not think she will weaken the bloodlines. While I wish he had found a mate within the pack, I approve of his choice. Now, husband, what did you learn from him?"

"He has been watching her for some time."

"Ah."

"Alaric Macey took notice, and challenged him. His wounds gave him reason to approach her. She treated him, fed him, invited him in."

"And, her male?"

"Got drunk, treated her badly, has attacked her twice and hit him with a crowbar. The authorities are aware."

"Was it he who trespassed on the Ross range?"

"Yes. She took him there to get away from the house and the other male."

"He lives here?"

"No. But he's showing a fierce sense of possession." His hand moves over and caresses her thigh.

"I believe we may have made matters more difficult for him."

"As we both know, husband, he can be most persuasive."

He looks up at her. He speaks calmly, "Lyssa, sweetheart..."

"Don't call me that!"

He sighs, and starts again. "I have no mate; I've been looking for mine. As I was out hunting one might, I saw you."

"Hunting? You've been running around here at night? Or during the day?"

"The wolf side of us loves the hunt, the chase, catching our prey."

"Is that what I am? Something to chase?"

"Yes. And no. I saw you. Saw your passion, saw your fire. And I wanted to know you. The difficulty was in trying to find a way to introduce myself."

"So, you've been stalking me?"

He thinks briefly. "I've been watching, getting to know you, finding out how much I wanted you."

"Do I have any say in this?"

"Of course." He rises and takes her hands, she tries to pull away but he holds her hands tightly.

"Let. Me. Go."

"Lyssa, I haven't hurt you. I haven't forced you into anything. I've been trying to give you time to accept who and what I am. To give you time to decide."

She stares at him.

"Do I frighten you?"

She looks into those chocolate brown eyes and breathes, the drops her eyes, almost in defeat. "No. I feel safe with you."

She looks at him some more. "What do you really want with me?"

He exhales. "I'd like you to be my mate."

She stands, and stares at him. And looks at him some more. "And if I don't want to be?"

Emmett closes his eyes.

He stands there long enough, eyes closed, not speaking, that she gets concerned.

"OK. What's wrong?"

He drops back onto the couch. "Emmett?"

"This isn't what I wanted to happen.", he mumbles to himself.

She sits beside him. "Emmett?"

He exhales and looks at her. "I wanted to do this differently." Another exhale.

"Werewolves are all around you. You've seen them." She gives him a doubting look. "The couple in the park yesterday."

"How do you know that?"

"I could smell them and they smelled me. I was trespassing on their range."

"Trespassing?"

"The packs each have a territory. I was on theirs without permission."

"But, I took you there.."

"As I told Randall." She shoots him another questioning look. "Given the circumstances, I am likely to be forgiven but I will have to make reparations for my hunting."

"What hunting?"

"A rabbit."

"You ate a rabbit?" He nods. "Oh, yuck. They were werewolves?" He nods again. "But they looked so..."

"Normal?" She nods, seeming very interested in what he's saying.

"But, how do you live?"

He smiles. "Have you heard of Wyeth Imports?" She shakes her head. "You might Google it."

"The family deals in fine art. That's where the majority of the money comes from that sustains the pack. The other packs work in other industries."

"But you aren't a Wyeth. You said your name is Forester."

"The pack is comprised of several families. The Wyeth Alphas lead the pack."

"Some of our members are lawyers, accountants, teachers. Others work outside the den."

"So, there are a lot of you."

"Yes."

"And you just, walk around.."

He smiles a little. "Yes."

"And, nobody know about you?"

"What do you think would happen if everyone knew about us?" He looks at her, she drops her eyes.

"What about vampires?"

"No vampires."

Her eyes widen. "No?" He shakes his head. "Bigfoot?" He laughs. "Aliens?" He looks thoughtful.

"Not that I'm aware of. But, there are other werefolk."

"Like?"

"Weretigers in Asia, werejaguars in South America, werelions and European werewolves."

"How?"

"We're not sure, but there are theories. Most involve a holy man and blood ritual."

"Silver bullets."

"Unfortunately, no. While we heal more quickly and can survive wounds that would kill humans we can still be killed by normal bullets."

"Do you eat people?"

Again, he laughs. "Not unless you count what happened in the shower."

She turns crimson. He pulls her against him.

"So, you're not invincible?"

"No."

"Then Ronnie could really hurt you."

"So could you."

"I'd never..." He looks at her, "Oh."

He slides an arm around her. "I've looked for you for a very long time."

She squeaks. "Me?"

"My mate. And, now that I've found you, I can't let you go."

She's snuggled against him until that statement. She pushes away now. "Possessive much? God, you're as bad as Ronnie."

"I won't hurt you. Our pack does not allow abuse of females." She looks at him. "Do you have a reason to stay here?"

"My job."

"You could do something similar for the pack, if you truly enjoy it. We do, of course, interact with humans. It is possible you could keep it."

"My friends."

"Who you haven't seen in months. You told me you've really only seen his friends in the past few months."

"My family."

"And that didn't come first because they're gone."

"How do you know?"

"It's rather unsettling the amount of information that can be turned up with a computer and some money."

"Lyssa Marie Baker. Born December 12, 1982." He pulls her close again. "Your parents, brother, and sister were killed when a truck's brakes failed. You were home sick at the time." She sniffles a little. "Your father's family didn't seem to want much to do with you. You stayed with your mother's sister until you graduated high school. Associates degree.

Started work when you were 20. Between living frugally and some small inheritance you bought this house. You've done well for yourself, very well, Isn't it time to let someone else take some of the burden?"

"I do OK by myself."

"By yourself, sweetheart, it that the way you want it? With me you can be part of a large family. Don't you miss that?"

Sniffling again. "Yes."

"So. I'll ask you again. What's keeping you here?"

A sigh. "My house."

"I can give you everything you need, and much of what you want."

"But, it's mine."

There he was stuck. So much had been taken away from her. She would hold tightly to what was hers. Her house was her security blanket.

He rests his chin on the top of her head. "What are your plans for your life?"

She opens her mouth, closes it, opens it again "Get married, have a couple of kids."

"I can give you that. Anything else?"

"I don't know, I never really thought about it."

He turns to her and takes her face in his hands.

"What you want, I think, is safety and security, as well as someone to love you, that you can love back. Did you love Ronnie?"

She breathes, and thinks. "No."

"The pack is stable. The property and the company have been in the family for almost 200 years. It would take something truly catastrophic for everything to fail. We have ample resources. We would be safe and secure there."

"I could pay off the house so that you could keep it."

She pulls his hands away. "I don't want anybody else paying for my house."

He responds by taking her hands. "Other arrangements, compromises, could be made."

"You want to assert your independence. You've been alone for too long. You're also afraid of what will change."

"What would happen?"

He smiles, she was at least, opening up to the possibility. She had, also, no idea of how much he was trying to give her to so she would say she'd come.

"I would bring you to the den, to be introduced to the pack."

"Den? Like a cave?"

"No." He chuckles. "That's just what we call the compound we live in. I have space in the house. There are also smaller units around it."

"How big is this place?"

"Big enough. After the introduction and a couple of days comes the decision."

"What, exactly, is the decision?"

"To accept and be accepted into the pack."

"So, I can say no?"

"Of course."

"And I can go back to my life?"

He looks down and doesn't answer. "Emmett? Tell me."

"Your life can never be the same, now that you know about us."

Her voice gets small. "I won't tell anybody."

"We can't risk exposure."

She jumps up and faces him, clenching her fists. "What did you get me into? I didn't ask for this!"

"I'd like to ask you one favor." She looks at him, the look showing she was pissed, and unlikely to consider his request. "Would you come to the den with me? See who we are?"

He watches her contemplate the request, knowing it would bring her deeper, and that it would be more difficult to leave. His Alphas had made this harder by coming to the house. Since they knew she knew what they were, they would demand her presence, to assure their secret. He didn't have much time to convince her and really needed her to come of her own volition.

He wishes he could read her mind, right now.

Breakfast forgotten, she paces the room, chewing on her thumb.

Her life had been turned upside down in a few hours. What did she have as far as choices now?

Her life could 'never be the same'. What did that mean?

She was feeling trapped now. She glanced at Emmett. He looked very vulnerable right now. She chewed on her lower lip. He was incredible and, under normal circumstances, she'd be more than willing to see more of him.

This sounded, well, final.

He wanted her to be his, his mate. There seemed to be no doubt in his mind.

How did he know?

She knew nothing about him, except that he made her feel safe. Well, among other things.

Suddenly, it all comes clear to her. She really didn't have a choice at all.

Her eyes went wide and her pupils dilated as she looked at him.

His heart dropped. She would reject him. She would likely be dead before the week was out.

He bows his head and the words come out of both of their mouths as the same time.

"I'm sorry, Lyssa."

"They'll kill me, won't they?"

He can feel moisture rising in his eyes as he raises them again to look at her. "I didn't want this. I wanted more time to win you over. If they hadn't come..."

"But, I can't just walk around knowing what I know, right?"

"No."

"Why did you let me think I had a choice at all?"

"I thought... Sweetheart, I hoped, that you might come with me. That you might find me pleasing."

She sees the pain on his face and she takes an involuntary step toward him. She stops herself from getting closer. "Why did you do this to me?"

"Because I love you."

Her mouth drops open. He meant it.

But, it hadn't even been three days.

How was she supposed to respond to this? Her thoughts were racing. What could she do?

"I'd never be able to get away, could I?"

Emmett shakes his head. "They have your scent."

"I won't tell anyone."

"We can't take the chance."

"I don't want to die."

She still stood, but her breathing and heart showed her fear.

His chest was tight, it almost hurt to breath. He considers a traitorous thought.

He stands, and takes her shoulders. She is rigid under his hands. "I could try to get us away."

"Us? Where? Would it work? What would they do?"

He sits, heavily, the couch complaining under his weight. She is pulled into his lap. He cradles her against his chest. "They'd report our flight to the other packs. We'd both be hunted."

"Both? They'd kill you, if they caught us?"

"When they caught us, yes, we'd both die."

"Why would you do that?"

"I take responsibility for the trouble I've caused you."

She takes a few deep breaths. "OK, then..."

So, they'd kill him, too, for helping her. She found that it bothered her to think he'd be hurt.

What was happening to her?

"OK, then, let's go to the den."

She was silent and rigid beside him as he drove her car to the den.

He was torn. She was coming to the den with him. It was what he wanted. But it was nothing like he had pictured. He had thought it would be a happy trip. It was everything but.

She was defeated, simply accepting her fate.

She didn't even look up as they pulled into the gates and approached the house. He parked the car and turned to her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. He reaches for her, "Oh, Lyssa...."

She shrieks at him. "Don't touch me!"

His head whips around as his Alpha's voice reaches into his mind. [Emmett? Welcome home, my friend.]

A growl rumbles in his chest as he stares at the house. [Damn you, Randall. You've cost me my mate!]

[You haven't brought her to us?]

[She's here, Randall. But she isn't.]

[I'm sending Ariel and Joanna.]

He sits, eyes closed, and waits for the two women to collect her. He heard her gasp at the snuffling around the car. Some of the others had come to check them out. The noises ceased abruptly as two sets of footsteps approached.

A rap on the car window startles them both and the door opens on her side. "Hello again, Lyssa. This is my daughter, Joanna. Shall we go up to the house?"

Showing little interest in anything at all, Lyssa exits the car.

Joanna looks at the tears and her voice takes on a disapproving tone. "Emmett, you didn't hurt her, did you?"

Lyssa shakes her head and the women lead her into the house.

Emmett's chest heaves in anger as he watches her disappear into the huge house. He got out of the car, removed his clothing, and took off at a run, shifting to wolf as he did so.

In fairly short order he's joined by Erich and Roland.

[What's wrong, Em?]

He can't stop the images that smash into their brains. Curling up with her on the bed. Her kicking him in the balls. Humming as she prepared a meal. Her fingers scratching through his coat. Coming to him in the shower. Then, the Alphas' arrival. Ariel appraising her. The discussion following their departure, questions about the pack, the changes if she went with him, his admission of love. The mood that went from curious, to anger, to despair. His view of the drive over.

Erich, the youngest of the three, actually stumbles at the intensity of Lyssa's despair mixed with Emmett's own.

[I found her and they screwed it up. She was almost there, now she won't even look at me.]

[I'm sure they didn't mean to, Em. They were just looking out for the pack.]

[I was bringing her in. And, what about me? Aren't I part of this pack?]

[Hey, Em, buddy, it'll be alright.]

Emmett veers and knocks Roland over. [You don't know that. She hates me now!]

[Hey, they were curious; we all were. And, there hasn't been a human brought into the pack for ages.]

Emmett whirls on Erich now. [And that makes it alright? They messed up my life!]

[Emmett.]

[Randall, leave me alone for a while.]


Animal Lover Ch. 07



[We have things to discuss.]

[I'm in no mood...]

[Now.]

With a snarl Emmett turns and lopes back to the house.



Animal Lover Ch. 01



He had managed to pull himself onto her back porch. Badly injured, he kept up a low whine. She had followed the sound and flung open the back door.

There was a large canine laying in the lamplight, bleeding, whining.

His fur was the color of a clouded sky, his eyes a soft brown, shining with intelligence. He seemed to look into her brown eyes, pleading for help.

She was cautious. There was no collar; he looked feral. Who knows what an injured wild animal was capable of? If she startled or scared him he looked as if he could easily rip her throat out.

"Sh. Sh. It's OK boy. What's with all the blood?"

She moves slowly, crouching down carefully to get closer to his size and to see if she can assess the damage. She watches as his head swivels and he sniffs of her arm.

"Okay, boy, it's okay. I just want to see what's wrong. I won't hurt you." She mumbles under her breath. "At least I'll try not to."

He looked at the female. She didn't seem scared of him, although he could kill her easily. She was making pleasant noises and getting closer. He smelled of her, to learn her scent.

He jerked, the scent hit him hard.

She froze, neither shying away or moving closer.

She hadn't touched him, hadn't hit him. Was he afraid of that? Is that why he jerked when she came close?

"Sh. Sh. It's OK. I won't hurt you. Let me see."

She brought her hand close to his head again. Stroked his ears, his neck. 

He laid his head down on her porch and now the whining alternated with a low rumble in his chest. It didn't sound like a growl. What was he doing? She ran her hand down to his chest and felt the vibration. It was almost like a cat's purr.

Oh, he hurt, but her hands felt good to him and her scent! It was amazing. Wait. What was she doing?

She works her hands over his chest, down a foreleg, then down the other. Gently, making sure nothing was broken and that there was no blood. Then working her hands across his flank and down his rear leg. He whined as that hurt a bit more. She looked at her fingers, there was no sign of blood.

Next she petted him again. Then, leaning over him she slowly works both hands down his legs.

She was trusting him not to bite, to understand she was trying to help him.

Her neck was so near his mouth. He could put his teeth at her throat and bite down easily.

His paws were huge!

She took the front ones with one hand, and the rear with the other. Slowly, carefully, watching him, she began to roll his body over. The damage had to be on the other side. He yelped as some of his fur was caught in the wood and whined again with the pain but made no move to bite her.

Yes. The damage was on his right side. A gash in his shoulder. A ragged tear on his flank. And it looked as though something had chewed his leg to the bone. Blood was still oozing from the rear wounds. She tried to palpate the rear leg near the wound but he bared his teeth at her.

"Easy, easy, boy. Something's made a good mess of you."

She was intoxicating. Even in his current condition he felt a pull.

She scratched him behind the ears. "OK, I'm going to get some water and see if we can clean you up a little."

She goes back into the house while he lays on the porch and pants. He closes his eyes briefly and just breathes. His tongue lolls slightly out of his mouth.

She brings a basin of warm water out and sets it near his head.

Water! Oh, yes, he needed that!

He whined as he shifted his forelegs under him and put his nose to the water, lapping at it.

"Oh, sorry. Here, drink."

She tips the basin towards him to let him get to it more easily.

When he finished she dipped a cloth into the water and wrung it out slightly.

She pushed against his shoulder and he lay back down. "OK, now, this is probably going to hurt."

She touched the wound on his shoulder gingerly and he jerked. She froze, cloth scant millimeters from his skin. He settled down again and she dabbed at it, cleaning out the dirt and leaves as much as she could without hurting him too badly. 

He whined and growled a little, but made no move to hurt her.

As she dipped the cloth and wrung it out again he turned and licked her hand.

Her heart jumped into her throat at the sensation. Soft and slightly rough, slick and warm. She had felt dog's tongues before, of course, but this was different and she couldn't quite say how.

He felt better after the water.

Oh, she wanted him to lay back down. What was she doing?

Ow! That hurt.

Cleaning the wound. She was trying to clean out the wound on his shoulder. He could do that himself, but she was getting the debris out of the way. It would be much easier now.

He turned to lick the wound and her hand was so near. He licked her hand first.

Oh, the female's taste was something new. He had both her scent and her taste now.

Ow!

He jerked again as she started to clean the wound on his flank.

The ends were ragged, torn. This wound was deeper.

It came to her. He had been fighting with another of his kind.

She watched as he quietly licked the wound on his shoulder.

Slowly, carefully, she cleaned out the deeper wound, causing it to bleed again. He jerked and whined but simply looked at her with those brown eyes of his.

She mumbles under her breath. "OK, now what do I do with this leg? I can try wrapping it up but he'll probably just rip it off." She pulls the basin a bit closer and picks the leg up to rest it on the edges. She ladles water over the wound, trying to rinse most of the debris away.

Stretching her arm out, she captures the gauze. She uses it to put some of the ragged skin back in place and then picks up his leg to start wrapping the wound. He lays his head back down, never taking his eyes off her face.

As she moves his leg upward farther to get a better angle for wrapping, she's greeted by clear evidence of his sex. A good set of balls under his tail and the penis, showing faintly pink and wet where it's beginning to peak out of his sheath.

She rips the end of the gauze in half and ties it lightly into place.

He watches her, listens to her. Her voice was pleasant to his ears. Her scent was even better. The more she worked, the more was dispersed into the air.

The color of her hair, the brown of her eyes, the look of her skin.

He felt a pull to her and lay down his head to watch what she'd do.

She's wrapping something around the wound on his leg. It hurts some but feels better now that the air isn't blowing across the bare nerves.

She briefly considered trying to get him into the house but she couldn't pick him up and was concerned that he might bite her if she tried. Besides, since he was feral, he wouldn't be housebroken and he could really make a mess in there.

So she settled for pulling out an old blanket and tucking it around him. He gave a little huff and laid his head on it.

What would he eat? Raw meat, of course, eggs, grubs, frogs, birds. He certainly couldn't hunt in his condition. So, what did she have in the freezer?

She kept going back into the house for things, carefully closing the door behind her. He opened his mouth and rolled her scent over his tongue.

The blanket she had placed around him smelled primarily of manmade chemicals, some burned his nose, but also carried her scent.

He laid his head down, his nose pointed to a corner, where her scent was concentrated. He was tired and his eyes began to close.

Meat! His eyes flew open, his head jerked up, and he rolled to his chest. Ow!

She microwaved a beef roast she'd never gotten around to making and sawed off a few good sized slabs. A couple of minutes to get them thawed, warm, and leaking juices and she brought the plate to the door.

She heard him yelp briefly. He had jerked almost upright.

"OK, boy, easy. Stay there. I'll bring it to you."

He wanted it, that was plain, but she needed to do this slowly or he might bite her trying to get to it.

"Now, I'm just going to put this in front of you. Stay calm."

Those chocolate eyes watched carefully as she lowered the plate, then used her toe to push it closer.

He sniffed, whimpered, and gingerly took the first piece. Gone! Another piece that disappeared almost as quickly. Within a minute the meat was gone and he licked the juices off the plate.

"Good. Or, good enough, huh? Let's get you another plateful."

The process was repeated until a 5 pound roast disappeared.

Warm and bloody, if a little funny tasting because of the cooking.

She brought out several platesful of meat and he ate until he was stuffed, finishing all she brought to him.

Then he had some more water and lay back down on the blanket. His eyes began to close again.

"Alright, boy, it's getting late. I'm gonna get some sleep too. I'll see you in the morning." As she turned back to the door, he began whining. She stopped in the doorway, listening, eyes closed.

"Look. I'll be just inside. I'll be out in the morning."

More whining.

"Alright, alright. I'm not gonna get any sleep out here. You're lucky I don't have to go to work tomorrow."

She was going inside. No. He needed her to stay out here with him. He needed her here. How could he get her to stay?

His displeasure and pain came out in the usual way, a whine.

She hesitated. Just a little more convincing. Another whine.

Yes! She was staying out here, with him.

When she went back in, he whined until she came out, with a blanket and a pillow.

So, she went inside, grabbed another blanket and her pillow. With a sigh, she pushed open the back door. The whining stopped and his tail thumped on the porch boards.

"Yeah. I'm glad you're happy. I'm gonna need a masseuse in the morning."

She flipped the pad over on her outside bench, tossed the pillow down and curled up on the bench, wrapping herself in the blanket. "Happy now?"

She swore he grinned at her. "Alright, boy, goodnight."

She murmurs half to herself. "I can't keep calling you boy, can I? Have to figure out a name for you..."

The next morning she wakes to the dawn, cramped and sore with those chocolate eyes Half asleep yet, she stretches, yawns, and says, "Morning, Emmett."

He picks his head up and his tail thumps on the floorboards.

She looks at him. "Emmett, huh?" The tail thumps again. "You look better this morning." He gives a slight whine. "Shall we see what's for breakfast?"

She gets up, groans and stretches again. She turns to go inside and he struggles to his feet, holding up his damaged rear leg. She opens the door and he makes to follow her in. "No. No. You stay out here." She closes the door and looks at him. He looks up at her. She starts to open the door again and he sticks his nose in the crack. "NO!"

He jerks and she slams the door. Looking up at her, he whines again. She stands there, hands on her hips. It's a standoff.

She crouches down in front of him and he takes the opportunity to lick her face. "What am I going to do with you?" Chocolate eyes bore into darker brown. She sighs. "Alright. But, I swear, if you make a mess I'll shut you out and you'll stay out. Got it?"

She opens the door and he limps inside, nose up, sniffing. She follows, watching. His nose leads him to the kitchen and she moves quickly. "Oh, no, you stay out of the garbage can." She pulls the can into the pantry and closes the door.

"Now, Emmett, breakfast, let's see..."

She starts rummaging. "I've got chicken and pork although I don't fancy you eating either raw. The ribeyes are for this afternoon. Hmm." More looking. "Uww. Hamburger. I'll mix an egg in it."

He wasn't all that hungry after what she had fed him the night before and was mostly content just to be near her.

She puttered around the small kitchen, humming quietly. She set a place at the table and brought out milk and cereal as the meat thawed in the microwave.

A pan full of water was placed on the floor in the corner. He limped over to take a drink.

She cracked a couple of eggs and mixed them in with the hamburger and set the metal bowl on the floor. With a pat to his head she said, "There you go, Emmett."

She washed her hands and attended to her own breakfast. After finishing what she had given him, he wandered over and laid at her feet.

She hummed as she worked in the kitchen. She set a couple of steaks to marinate then scrubbed off some potatoes. After a minute or two in the microwave, she wrapped them in aluminum foil. Then she started doing dishes.

He whined at the back door and she let him out. "Nature calls, huh?"

She watched briefly as he headed for the back of the yard, thinking that, since he was fed and feeling better, he might just disappear into the woods. She says quietly, "Have a nice life, Emmett."

She leaves the door open, leaving the screen door in place, since it looked to be a nice day.

Finishing the dishes, she went upstairs to shower and change.

He went out to the treeline, then past it. Pissing was awkward, since he usually balanced on the damaged leg, but he managed not to get it all over himself. He marked a corner tree on the lot. Further out, he left a slightly steaming pile behind him.

He slowly made his way down the ravine and up the other side. His attacker, his competition, lay dead in the field beyond. He checked the body to be certain but there was no evidence of life. One last sniff and he heads for the ravine again.

At the other corner of the property he managed a couple of squirts on a rock.

OK, good enough for now. He heads back to her back porch. Arriving at the screen door, he whines to be let back in. Nothing. He barks to get her attention. Still nothing.

He paws at the door. It doesn't move, doesn't open.

That's it. He was getting inside.

Through the screen on the door and into the house. He panics slightly when he doesn't hear her downstairs. Listening, he hears the water running. He carefully climbs the stairs.

She's singing to herself as she washes up. The bathroom door is ajar since there's no ceiling fan to remove the humidity. He sticks his snout in the space and pushes the door open. His nails click on the tile as he enters the bathroom.

He sits on his haunches watching, waiting, listening as the singing stops, and the moaning begins. 



Animal Lover Ch. 02



Ronnie was coming over later. He'd been gone for a little over a week.

That meant a good session of sex tonight, as long as he didn't get too drunk.

She put her hands on her breasts, thinking of him touching them, fondling them, sucking on her nipples. She grabbed both her nipples and rolled them, as the familiar sensations started building below. Her right hand now trailed down her body. She cupped her pussy and then pressed in, circling slightly.

Her middle finger now crooks and delves between her lips, tracing a path and feeling wetness that has nothing to with the water cascading over her body.

She strokes past her clit and moans lightly. Thinking of Ronnie's hands, she pushes two fingers inside and begins rocking against her own hand, making little whimpers and moans.

More, she needed more.

Her fingertips now hovered directly over her clitoris and rubbed in brisk circles as she built to her climax. Faster, harder, panting, moaning, her forehead braced against the shower wall. The water was starting to run cooler.

Then, with a cry, she tipped over the edge of her orgasm, and struggled to remain upright in the shower. Breathing hard, and shaking a little, she cleans up a little more and turns off the water.

Wait. Ronnie didn't have brown eyes, who had she been fantasizing about?

Huh.

She pulls open the shower curtain and grabs a towel. She rubs briskly at her short, wavy, dark brown hair and steps out of the tub.

Then she screeches, grabbing for the sink, as Emmett sticks his nose in her exposed crotch.

The noise she make made him jerk back, but he had gotten her slick juices on his nose. His tongue extended and he licked her wetness off. Mmm, good. He stepped forward again, to get more, to lick it directly from her. She pushed him away.

"God, Emmett, no. NO." She wraps the towel around herself and pads into her bedroom.

He follows and sits quietly. His chocolate eyes follow her movements. She finishes drying off and throws the towel on the bed.

Her scent is heavier here but he also picked up the smell of another male. A low growl rumbles in his chest.

She turns from her closet and looks at him a bit fearfully now.

He then lays on a throw rug, puts his head on his forelegs, and quietly watches her again. He'd scared her with the growl. He couldn't have that. He had to get her to accept him, to trust him.

She stood there, with the closet doors open, naked, contemplating. He looked her over. Nice, toned legs. Nice, full hips and the ass that went with. One of the hallmarks of the human female. He'd never been a fan of skinny women. Her body narrowed at the waist, then got larger again up her back to her shoulders. Her hair was a deep mahogany, but shorter than he'd like, coming down just below her ears.

She threw a pair of jeans on the bed but was having trouble deciding on a blouse.

Finally, she pulls out a purple Hard Rock t-shirt with curlicues on it.

He now admires the front of her body as she turns for the dresser. Nicely sized breasts, not too small, and not too large. The small patch of trimmed hair at the top of her thighs, the same color as the hair on her head. A tattoo! Not very large but definitely there. A small scarlet butterfly just to the left of her pubic hair. He picks up his head and his tongue lolls out. Beneath him, his penis starts creeping out of his sheath.

What to wear? What to wear?

Well, jeans, of course. Now, top. Hmmm. It was supposed to be a reasonably warm day so, short sleeved. Something Ronnie would appreciate. Oh, yes, this one hugged her curves nicely. This would work.

She turned for the underwear drawer, glancing at Emmett as she did so. The way he was looking at her made her vaguely uncomfortable. She tried to place it. Almost hungry. Sexual.

Great, she was displacing her horny feelings onto a dog.

OK, underwear. She cold go commando but that wouldn't be half the turn-on unless she told him.

Aha! Just what she wanted.

She starts to pull on a pair of red lace panties and straightens up, looking at him again.

Ah, very nice. Would the bra match?

He watches as she pulls out the lacy material. Yes, marvelous.

She attaches the loops around her waist and twists it, putting her arms through the straps and pulling it up into place. She then lifted each breast, to set them properly within the cups. A demi bra! Her nipples were just exposed over the tops of each lacy cup. The coolness of the morning made them stand out. Naughty girl. He licked his lips.

She then shrugged on the t-shirt and pulled on the low slung jeans. His eyes were riveted on the skin that showed between the shirt and the jeans. She shakes out her hair, runs her fingers through it, and walks toward him.

He stands as she walks over. Crouching, she takes his muzzle in her hand. "Put a hole in my screen door, didn't you?"

He whines slightly at the disapproving tone.

"You need to learn some manners."

She turns to leave the room, and he follows, limping along behind her. He has some trouble getting down the stairs but manages it.

She goes immediately to the back door. "Huh. Look at that. How'd you manage that one?"

She's relieved to find he hasn't put a hole in the screen; it just pulled out of the track along the edges of the door.

She retrieves a screwdriver and pulls the screen taut as she pushes the rubber gasket back into the channel with it. She then stands, puts her hands on her hips, and surveys her work. Not bad. She pats his head as she goes back to return the screwdriver to a drawer.

"OK, you're forgiven."

She looks at the clock. "Now, let's check you out again. Then, if you insist on hanging around, I should get you something else to eat."

He follows her into the kitchen, where she collects a cloth, the gauze, and a basin of water. She sits down on the floor and pats it with her hand. "C'mon, lay down. Let's see how you're doing."

He complies and she wets down the cloth and touches his shoulder. She examines the wound.

"Huh, that doesn't look half bad. OK, how about the back end?"

She moves back a bit to check the wound on his flank. There's crusted blood there and she cleans it off, as gently as she can manage. "That doesn't look bad either. OK, looking good. Now for the leg."

The bite is below what would properly be called the knee. So she pulled the ends of the gauze open and started teasing it away from the wound. He yipped as it started to pull away and his head jerked back towards her. She quickly dropped his leg and backed up. She then chuckled nervously when he licked the wound on his flank.

Fear. His sudden movement had scared her. She didn't trust that he wouldn't hurt her.

It had hurt when she started pulling the gauze off and he had jerked involuntarily. He licked the wound on his hip while she settled again.

He had to get closer to her so he had to avoid scaring her, as much as he could.

He whined as she continued to pull the gauze off and yipped once more at a particularly tender spot.

Blood now. She had pulled off some of the scabs in the process. He sprawled out on his side, laying his head back down in an attempt to make her comfortable.

Water again. The cloth cool on his skin, cleaning the blood off.

"Now, Emmett. I think one more time with the gauze. You're healing quicker than I expected."

She rewraps the area, moving his leg up and down as she works. He watches her. She seems to be staring at his cock and balls.

"Do the ladies like your style, Em? Are you a hung puppy?" She stops and closes her eyes.

Finishing the re-wrap, she sets down the cloth and the gauze. She scratches behind his ears and runs her hands down his back, feeling his fur. She stops when she sees the tip of his cock sticking out.

"Sorry. I don't mean to tease you. I just haven't gotten laid in a while."

She stands, throws out the gauze and rinses out the cloth. His eyes follow her around.

"OK. Since you seem determined to hang around here," she's standing, looking at him, hands on her hips again, "I should get you something else to eat. I'm running out of beef."

"So, I need to go to the store and you aren't staying in here while I do it."

She grabs her car keys and her purse, cellphone stuffed in her back pocket. "C'mon, Emmett, get up." His tail thumps on the floor. "Up! Get up! C'mon."

He makes no move as she stands at the front door. She looks at him a moment, quirking her lips to one side. She sighs and walks to the back door. She opens it and he limps over, the rear leg touching the floor occasionally, and walks onto the back porch. She closes and locks the rear door and pats the porch. "Go ahead, lay down. I'll be back soon."

He lies on the blanket and she pats his head then walks off the back porch. As she turns the corner she finds him beside her again.

"No, Emmett, please go back to the porch." He looks at her, wagging his tail. She crouches in front of him. "Please. Just stay here. I'll be right back. I'll be right back. Stay."

She wants this so much but he doesn't want to be away from her, now that he's found her.

He tries to follow but she closes the door on him.

He whines, cries, and barks to get her attention, to make her come back.

He hears the sound of the motor turning over and the garage door ratcheting up. He runs around to the door but she's already pulling out onto the road.

She glances at him with a sad look on her face as she drives off.

He follows briefly then turns around and goes back to her back porch. With a huff, he flops back down on the blanket and sprawls out. It's getting warmer.

Damn. In a matter of hours he's really gotten attached to her. It was really weird. She'd never heard of a feral calming down so quickly.

He really acted, most of the time, like he had been tamed.

She keeps thinking about the way he's been watching her as she pulls in to the grocery store. She gets a big container of hamburger, some wet dog food, some dry dog food, and a few more things she needed. Salad, spaghetti sauce, some frozen vegetables, potato chips. She checks out then stops to pick up a six pack of beer.

A little more than half an hour; the dog food decision had taken the most time. A stop at the ATM and then back home.

She hoped he hadn't lingered in the road. She didn't want him to get hit.

He's just started dozing, breathing in her scent, when he hears the car slow and pull into the garage.

As he struggles up to go out to the garage he hears the door come down. Damn.

Around the side of the house he sees her carrying bags inside. He pushes inside as she opens the door. "Emmett!"

He stops, turns, and looks at her with sad brown eyes.

"I was going to let you back in. You needn't be so impatient." He whines, still with the sad face as she deposits the groceries on the counter.

He watches her move as the vegetables go in the freezer and the beer, burger, and salad go into the fridge.

She starts, smiles, and turns as the doorbell rings.

She opens the door.

Ronnie's here. She hadn't seen him in days.

She threw the front door open and stepped into his arms for a kiss.

A growl behind her stops them both. "Emmett. Be good. This is Ronnie. He was here first."

He was really upset, hackles and all.

It was the male he had scented upstairs. Here. Touching her. Encroaching on his territory. Without thought, the growl rumbles in his chest.

"What the fuck, Lyssa! When did you get a dog?"

This was a big animal and Ronnie had never been particularly fond of dogs.

"He showed up on the back porch last night, hurt. I just took care of him.

"Hurt?" Ronnie eyes the canine warily. "What's it doing in the house? It could have rabies. Jesus, Lyssa, don't you think?" He continues to stand in the threshold as Emmett continues to growl.

"He's fine, just hurt." She turns, "Quiet, Emmett, or you'll go out." She looks at him pointedly.

Emmett lays down, head on his forelegs, with a huff. But his eyes are glued on Ronnie.

"It doesn't like me. I'm not coming in until you get it out."

"Oh, god, Ronnie, he just has to get to know you. C'mon in. I just put the beer away and the steaks are marinating right now. Let's go sit out back and you can tell me how work went."

"Oh, I brought some, too." Ronnie hoists another six and she takes it from him, a little annoyed, and slides it into the fridge.

She goes back to the front door and pulls him inside. "C'mon." She grabs his hand and hauls him though the house to the back door. Ronnie stays on the opposite side of Lyssa and jumps when Emmett gets up.

Out the back door, she leaves the screen unlatched and Emmett pushes out behind them. As they sit on the bench, Emmett goes over to the blanket and lays down, watching them, particularly him.

They talk for a little while, then Ronnie says, "Hey, babe, I could really use a beer."

With an exhale, she rises and goes into the house.

Ronnie stares at Emmett. Emmett stares back at Ronnie. Emmett starts to rise and the hair along his spine goes up as Lyssa comes back out. "OK, you two, stop it!"

Ronnie mumbles, "I didn't do anything." as he takes the beer.

"So, the plant manager was a real goon, huh?"

They sit, and talk, and Emmett watches.

He takes off his jean jacket as the weather warms and she brings out the potato chips and two more beers. Emmett's nose goes up for a sniff.

They talk a bit more. He asks a few questions about her week but her job in data entry wasn't nearly as interesting as his.

Partway through the beer, she checks her watch. "We should probably start the grill."

Ronnie stands and belches. "OK, I'll get it going."

As he moves off she notices the water dish near Emmett's head is almost empty. She goes over and grabs it, dumping the remainder over the side of the porch. "Let me get you some more water." She pats him on the head. "You be good, OK? Leave Ronnie alone." He looks up at her. "For me?" He whines.

As she brings out a bowl of fresh water Emmett rises to drink. He's putting more weight on the rear leg.

Ronnie looks up as he's spraying lighter fluid on the charcoal. "Hey, I could use another beer." He crumples the can and drops it.

Great. She should have hidden the six pack she bought. He was gonna get fucking drunk.

Sighing, she walks inside for another beer. He'd get pissed if she didn't bring him one.

As she comes back out with the beer, Emmett walks off the porch towards the back treeline. There is a whoosh as the charcoal lights. She's surprised that Emmett doesn't bolt at the fire. While he does jump a bit, he continues to walk calmly out back.

Ronnie grabs the beer and gives her a quick peck. "Thanks, babe."

Emmett's hair raises slightly but he keeps walking. He marks the rock at the corner again, increasing his scent there, and then marks another tree in the middle. Coming back around the side he again squirts the remainder against a fencepost. The damaged leg was getting better.

He watches, for a time, from the side yard. She's brought him another can and he gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Another growl rumbles. He's not sure how much longer he can stand to have the other male around.

But he was not at his best and she had invited the other male in.

She retrieves her can and stands, talking to him, as they watch the fire die down.

Grumbling, he walks over to her and nudges her hand.

She's startled when a furred muzzle pokes at her hand. She jumps a little and spills beer. It lands on him, her hand, and her arm. "Oh, god, Emmett. You scared me."

"Emmett? You named it?"

Ronnie watches with interest as Emmett's tongue works over the beer on his snout. He then licks it off her hand and arm.

"Hey, look at that! It likes beer."

"He, Ronnie. Yeah, a lot of animals do." Lyssa pats him absentmindedly.

They sit and talk some more,waiting for the coals to be ready.

Emmett sits on the blanket, watching.

Ronnie's arm is around her, which he doesn't like, but he has to wait to drive off this interloper. He'd be full strength in a couple of days.

Another check on the grill; the coals are deemed ready.

So she goes inside for the potatoes and the meat. He calls after her, "My beer's empty."

She grumbles under her breath. "First night back with me and you're getting fucking drunk."

She brings out the tray and a beer to find him pissing on the corner of the house. "Dammit, Ronnie! The bathroom's 10 steps inside."

"Sorry, babe, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Right, dog?" He looks at Emmett as he puts himself back in his pants.

She sets the food on the grill and puts the potatoes on the fire.

As he comes over to deal with the meat she says, "Go wash your hands."

He grabs the beer as he grabs her. He says, in her ear, "Why? Your mouth's been there before and that wasn't a problem."

She pulls away. "You're such an ass."

Emmett takes a decided sniff. He smells the meat. He also smells the beginnings of the male's arousal.

He's seriously unhappy right now. First, the male had marked the corner of the house as his territory, and now, he was showing sexual urges for the female Emmett was after.

He wanted nothing more than to take a chunk out of him and drive him off.

However, he had to be mindful of the female. She wasn't his kind. But, she had fed him, treated him, put hands on him. She seemed content to let him stay here.

It was unreasonable for him to believe that no male would be sniffing around her. But, because of what she was, he couldn't follow his instincts.

He noticed, in her voice and stance, her annoyance with the male. His time would come.

Ronnie turned the potatoes and covered the grill again while he looked at the meat. "Hey, no corn?"

Lyssa comes back out with plates and silverware. "Corn didn't look any good. I'm gonna make a salad."

She turns to walk inside and he eyes Emmett. Under his breath he mumbles, "So, you like beer, huh?"

Ronnie goes inside after her and Emmett follows.

She's in the bathroom so he watches the dog as it stands ouside the bathroom. He grabs two more cans of beer and walks outside. "This'll be funny."

He empties the water out and pours a cold can of beer in, followed by the remainder of his warmer beer.

He pops the top on the last can and chugs half of it.

Then he pulls the grill cover off and puts the meat on.

His cellphone rings.

She comes out of the bathroom and is surprised to see Emmett at the door. "Oh! Hey, didn't want to stay outside with Ronnie, huh?"

"Well, he is being a bit of an ass about you." She crouches down, takes his muzzle and runs her hand up and down his head and back. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you?"

His response is licking her face.

After a couple of seconds, she fends him off. "OK. OK. I've gotta get the salad ready."

She tears up the romaine, slices carrots, onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes and assembles the salad.

Balancing the salad bowl and grabbing a couple containers of dressing, she goes back outside, bumping the screen door open with her hip. "C'mon, Em."

Ronnie's walking around the backyard, talking animatedly and swigging beer.

He raises the can to her, indicating his desire for another and she gives him a dirty look.

She first checks the grill. He hadn't turned the meat. Damn. Now it was overdone on the first side. She also turns the potatoes then turns back to the house.

Emmett's drinking out of the bowl.

Her beer is only half gone, but warm, so she goes back in to grab two more.

The first six pack was already gone. He'd already had 5 beers. Goddammit, Ronnie.

She puts on a long suffering look as she goes outside. She sets his drink on the table, then pops the lid and takes a drink of hers.

She checks the grill and puts the food on the plates. She then walks to the table and sits. It takes him a minute to notice.




Animal Lover Ch. 02



"Hey, Jerry, gotta go." He flips the phone shut and walks over.

"Jerry's gonna have a bunch of people over for the game tomorrow. He invited us. I said we'd be there."

"I'm not going."

"Sure you are. You like football."

"I don't need to watch you and your friends get drunk again."

"Everybody drinks when you're watching a game! C'mon, Lyssa, it'll be fun."

"For you. I don't want to go."

"C'mon, I just got back. I want to spend some time with you."

"That's not spending time with me. That's hanging out with your friends, having us bring you food, and the bunch of you getting loaded. No, thanks."

"Jesus, Lyssa, what's with you?"

His phone rings again as they're eating. Emmett has settled down at her feet.

"Hey, Joe, what's going on? ... I don't know, man, Lyssa's being a bitch. ... I dunno, maybe she's on the rag or something."

The meal was ruined. She liked her meat on the rare side. This was closer to well done. The potatoes were crunchy on the one side. Ronnie was well on his way to getting really drunk and he wasn't paying any attention to her.

And, he wanted them to go over to Jerry's tomorrow so the guys could get drunk again.

The phone snaps shut and he starts in on the food. The steak's already gotten cool and it's tough on the one side.

"The guys are bummed we won't be coming."

She takes a deep breath and counts to ten. Then counts to ten again.

She says evenly, "I never said you couldn't go."

"I want you to come with me."

She had really gotten sick of it. Every time they went to Jerry's, the guys got really drunk. The got loud; they got obnoxious. Joe had propositioned her and groped her one night after Ronnie had passed out. When she'd told Ronnie about it he'd laughed and told her she was imagining things. Joe, of course, had denied it.

"No. I don't feel comfortable there. You go."

"Fine. I will."

Except for some mumbling about the state of the food the rest of the meal is eaten in silence.

Emmett belches and Ronnie snorts. She shoots him a look.

Knowing she's pissed at him, he gets up to grab another beer.

Noticing the half full can on the porch, he dumps that into the dog's bowl and walks inside.

Lyssa flips Emmett an overdone piece of steak as she starts cleaning up.

He mouths it, drops it, looks at her, then picks it up and swallows it.

"I know, pretty awful, huh? It's too well done for me, too."

They pass in the doorway. Ronnie's already into his next beer.

"Could you help me bring the rest of the stuff in while I get the dishes started?"

"Sure, babe."

Ronnie goes to the picnic table and grabs some of the stuff. On the way back, he dumps more beer into the again-empty bowl.

As Emmett gets up to drink it, Ronnie goes inside and closes the back door.

Emmett's head goes up at the sound.

She started the water running in the sink.

He sets the stuff on the table and walks up behind her.

She jumps as Ronnie grabs her tits and rubs his erection against her backside. "Hey, baby, I missed you."

"Ronnie, not now."

He continues to grind his crotch against her ass. One hand has slithered down into her panties. He kisses the side of her neck. "You shaved." He starts to finger her.

She struggles briefly against him and then relents. She braces her hands on the counter and he kicks one of her feet a little farther from the other.

While he strokes her naked lips with one hand, the other leaves her tit and unbuttons her jeans, pulling down the zipper to give him better access.

Emmett is distressed. He's been shut out. They were both inside.

He could get in if he really needed to.

He scratched at the door, whined, barked.

She starts to murmur as he continues to touch her. He's gotten her wet. After fondling her tits a little longer, the other hand now works on his own pants. He then shoves them down and groans as his dick springs free of its confines.

Back to her tits for another minute or so, then he shoves her pants down over her hips. He rubs the head of his dick against her wet slit and then pushes her upper body forward.

She pushes back away from the counter and twists. "Condom, Ronnie."

He scowls at her. "Don't have one."

She faces him now, pulling up her jeans. "They're upstairs, in the bathroom, like always."

"Don' wanna."

"Then no, Ronnie." His attitude is annoying her. Why'd he have to get drunk?

Now he's getting pissed. "Alright, then, ge' down here." He pushes down on her shoulders to get her to her knees. She comes down hard.

"Ow, Ronnie, stop it."

Emmett peers in the window, really upset. He barked, then howled as the male dragged her mouth toward his penis.

He wanted to rend flesh, tear something.

He found the jacket and began shredding it.

Taking hold of her hair, Ronnie forces Lyssa's face closer to his erection.

She clamps her mouth shut and shakes her head.

"Lyssa. Do it." She hears menace in his voice.

Now afraid of what he might do, she opens her mouth, and he shoves in. He then uses her hair to pull her forward and back, forward and back. To steady herself, her hands find his hips. She gags each time he shoves his dick in. Tears come to her eyes.

Emmett has now torn up the jacket and pissed on the remains.

She's relieved when she feels him start to swell. It would be over soon.

He pulls her forward one last time, shoving his dick in as far as he could. He groans, "Oh, god, baby." as he sprays down her throat.

Lyssa's eyes go wide when she finds she can't breathe.

She tries to push away but he's got her locked tightly against him.

She tries to scream but can't without breath.

She pushes at him, claws at the hand in her hair, tries to get away. Things begin to go grey.

Ronnie's reverie is broken by a soul rending how.



Animal Lover Ch. 03



She couldn't breathe. Any idiot could see it.

But the idiot wasn't watching, wasn't letting her go.

She clawed at him, pushed at him, and her efforts began losing strength.

As her arms dropped and her body sagged he howled. Ronnie was going to kill her.

He made ready to go through the window as Ronnie released her and she fell to the floor. He'd kill the bastard.

He stopped when he saw her hands go to her throat. She curled up on her side.

Ronnie crouched down and fell over.

"God, babe, are you alright?"

Her voice is low and rough. "Get out."

"Hey, babe, I'm sorry, OK?" He takes her shoulders as they sit up. "Are you al...?"

She pulls away and smacks him across the face. "I said, get out."

"Lys, I didn't mean..."

"Goddammit, Ronnie, are you deaf? Get out of my house!"

He looks at her. She glares at him.

Emmett's outside, watching, pacing. Growling. Hackles raised. Paying no heed to the pain in his leg. Ready to do battle.

Ronnie stands and yanks up his jeans. Pulling the zipper up, roughly, he manages to catch himself. "Ow! Son of a..."

She continues to glare at him from her seat on the floor.

He walks to the front door, opens it, and turns to her. "Lyssa..."

She purposely turns her face from him, indicating her refusal to listen to anything he has to say right now.

Damn bitch. He walks out, slamming the door behind him.

She scrambles over and throws the deadbolt.

Turning away she sees Emmett pacing and growling. She then moved to the back door to let him in, then slammed and locked it.

She hadn't heard his truck start. Now, she began to be really afraid.

She scuttled away from the back door, into the middle of the living room, where she could watch both doors.

Emmett was on high alert. She had ordered the male from her house but the scent of fear hung heavy around her.

When she moved back, to sit on the living room floor, he stood beside her, guarding her.

She jerked and his eyes followed hers.

The other male, on the back porch, holding his ruined jacket.

The damn dog had ripped up his favorite jacket and had apparently pissed on it, too. It reeked.

He carefully pulled his keys from the pocket than got ahold of a dry corner and held it up. He walked over to the door and rapped on the frame, then yelled, "Your fucking dog ruined my jacket!"

He doesn't hear the single word response.

Dropping the jacket's remains, he stomps off.

"Good." she says quietly. The son of a bitch could have killed her. He'd gotten drunk and wasn't concerned about anything but himself. She'd passed out. He could have killed her.

She hears the truck start, back out of the driveway, and tear down the street. Her neighbors would not be pleased.

Her body sagged in relief as he left. She wrapped her arms around herself and burst into tears.

Emmett was a bit confused. The other male was gone. The threat removed, why was she upset?

He thought briefly about revealing himself to her but sensed it was not yet time. He sat on his haunches and licked her face.

After a little bit she threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.

She sniffled and pulled herself together. "I'm glad you're here, Emmett." She wipes her nose against her arm. "Ronnie's got me a little scared right now."

Both seated on the ground, his head is at the same level as hers. She looks into his chocolate eyes. "Thank you." He licks her face again.

Heaving a sigh, she roughly runs her hands up and down his spine. He groans at the sensation. A belch catches him by surprise. Her hands stop abruptly. "Where did you get beer?"

He whines.

Angry now, she rises and stalks out the back door, kicking his shredded, sodden jacket into the grass. She picks up the water bowl and notes the yellowish liquid in it. Then she looks at Emmett. "Asshole! How much beer did he give you?" Emmett looks up and whines again.

She puts a hand to his head. "Sorry, sweetie, I'm not mad at you."

She takes the bowl into the house, cleans it out and refills it. He drinks as she checks the grill then collects the rest of the items from the meal.

A noise startles her, and she drops the salad bowl and dressing. Dusk has come. She crouches, picking up the items, then rises and looks around carefully.

He notices the movement and looks at her. Afraid.

He scans the area, scents the air. There was no one or nothing around.

She scurried back into the house and put the items on the kitchen table.

Her cellphone rings. She checks the number and turns off the phone.

She goes to the back door. "C'mon, Emmett. Come inside."

Emmett trots into the house and she closes and locks the door behind him. She then turns on all the lights.

Lyssa walks over to the sink, drains the cold water, and stands there, staring at the dishes in the sink.

Emmett makes a circuit of the lower floor. His nose leads him around. A faint scent of another dog. The smell of a mouse around the cupboards. He checks the doors, the bathroom, the furniture.

She jumps when the refrigerator kicks on and again when he noses her palm. She still stunk of fear.

She runs a hand over his head. "I don't know what he'll do." Emmett whines.

She shakes herself and looks at him. "You're right. Dishes, dinner for you, and I'll check you out again. Then a movie and some popcorn, whaddya think?"

He gives a light bark of agreement.

Releasing a deep breath, she starts the water in the sink. She rinses out the bowl she had used to feed him, portioned out some hamburger, folded in an egg, and set it on the floor. "There you go."

He'd never actually hit her but he had a temper and was rough sometimes.

Emmett didn't like him.

He had been pretty good to her but..

She drops the plate in the sink as the phone rings. "Lyssa? ... Lyssa pick up the phone. ... C'mon, we need to talk. ... Quit being a bitch already. .."

There is a click as the answering machine stops recording and she releases a held breath. He sounded mad, and drunk.

She pulls the broken plate out of the sink then finishes the dishes and drains the water.

Another deep breath and she turns.

"OK. Shall we see how you've healed?" She drops to the floor. "C'mere."

He walks over and lays down, like the other times she's checked him.

The wound on his flank is now a reddened scar. She pulled the gauze away from his rear leg. That wound was red, and angry looking, but there was no longer any blood.

She strokes his side. "Who are you? Wonderdog?" He shouldn't look this good this quickly. She shrugs. "Anyway, I guess you're good to go."

She stands and he rises as well.

"OK, shall we see what's on tonight?" She sits on the couch, turns on the television, and checks the listings.

"Saw? Geez, like I need a scary movie right now. Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Bridge on the River Kwai? Isn't there anything decent to watch? The Break Up. Nope, no relationship movies. There, how 'bout Up?"

Emmett is standing at the back door as she looks up. "Oh. Sure. Not a bad time for a potty break."

She opens the door to let him out. She watches as he walks out of the lighted area. "Be careful. Hurry back." She closes and locks the door then uses the bathroom herself and hunts for some popcorn.

Emmett heads for the back of the property. Be careful, she'd said. There really wasn't much out here he needed to fear. Hurry back. He smiled a wolfish grin. She wanted him there. Good.

He again marks more of the property borders then walks beyond the treeline again to defecate.

The query reaches his mind as he sees half a dozen eyes reflecting the light of the house.

'Randall wants to know what's going on, Emmett. What happened?'

'Courting a female, Rolly. Now's a delicate time.'

'Who's on the other side of the ravine?'

'Not sure. One of the Macy pack. He came up while I was watching and challenged me.'

'Looks like he got in a couple good licks. Losing your edge?'

'Missed a feint. Nothing serious. I've gotten worse from you and Randall. Anyway, gave me an in with her.'

Roland takes another breath. 'What about her male?'

'He hurt her tonight. She kicked him out. She feels safer with me there.'

Samuel growls lightly. Abuse of females and young was not tolerated in their pack. 'I don't understand you, Emmett.'

'When should I say you'll be back?'

'I'll need a few days to make sure the male's going to leave her alone and to show her what I can do for her.'

A couple of chuckles sound in his mind. 'I should get back.'

'Alright. We'll check back in a week.'

'Good. Roland. Samuel. Erich.'

The three wolves turn for the woods as Emmett walks back through the yard.

Lyssa is waiting for him, peering out the back door into the gloom.

"Oh, there you are. I was starting to worry."

She closes and locks the door behind him then curls up on the couch with a blanket and the remote. She watches some financial news before the movie comes on. He settles down at her feet.

Just before the movie starts, she grabs some microwave popcorn and brings the bag out to the couch and curls up again. She relaxes about 15 minutes into the movie, flipping him the occasional piece of popcorn and drinking her diet Coke. She chuckles occasionally at the movie.

Emmett worms his way slowly onto the couch. First his head, then a forepaw. It takes a while for him to get his chest up there and even more to get the back end up.

He settles with his head in her lap, stretched out on the couch.

She rubs his ears and runs her other hand down his side. He rumbles in pleasure.

The movie ends and she sighs.

Turning off the TV, she rises. Emmett gets off of the couch.

She throws the bag from the popcorn away and rinses out the pop can.

Emmett has a drink.

She climbs the stairs and Emmett follows her up. She goes into the bathroom and closes the door on him. After using the facilities, she starts a bath.

Emmett snuffles at the door and whines slightly.

She looks at the door, a little guilty, and strips. "I'll be out in a bit, Em."

Lyssa slides into the water with a sigh. Leaning back in the tub, she puts a wet washcloth over her eyes. Ronnie. What was she going to do about him? He was pissed, she knew it, but he could have really hurt her. She was pissed at him for what he did.

He said he was sorry, but when he called later he just sounded mad. He hadn't been paying attention, he'd made her pass out. If he'd just stop getting so drunk...

Every time he had a beer he just kept going until he got drunk.

Emmett lay in front of the door. He was not worried that Ronnie might get in but that she had shut him out. He would have liked to have another look at her body.

Patience. Patience. She was upset and afraid.

He would not change form yet. That might frighten her further. So, he would continue to comfort her as he was, until the threat of Ronnie was removed, or he felt she would be ready to accept what he really was.

Movement in the bathroom, water draining, she would be coming out soon. Would she allow him into the bedroom?

Lyssa steps out of the bathroom in a robe, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Wind blew the trees and she started, then chuckled nervously, as branches scraped against a window.

Emmett rubbed his head against her and her hand again dropped to his head. She absently scratched his ears and he groaned. She then yawned hugely. "OK, I guess that means bed." She starts for the bedroom then turns and heads back for the stairs.

Emmett follows as she turns on all the lights in turn and checks that all the doors and windows were locked. Sighing, they climb the stairs again. The smell of fear begins to rise on her again.

In the bedroom, she throws the robe over a chair and pulls on an oversized t-shirt.

Lyssa yawns again as she sits on the bed. Emmett puts on forepaw on the bed. "No, Em, stay on the floor." He whines and she takes his muzzle, looking into his eyes. "I don't need anybody in bed with me tonight."

With a huff, he laid down on the rug and curled his tail over his nose. She slid under the covers and turned out the light. "'Night, Em." A little more quietly. "I'm glad you're here."

She curls up on her side and closes her eyes, trying to sleep.

He listens to her breathing, her heartbeat. They were too fast. She was too wound up to sleep.

She rolled; she tossed. Finally, she dropped into sleep.

He listened, watched. He smelled her sweet breath.

When he was sure she was soundly asleep he crept onto the bed.

The settling weight of a heavy body next to her had her sighing, "Ronnie."

Emmett bit his own tongue to stop the growl.

Sure she was asleep, he shifted form. Slowly, carefully, he got closer and put an arm around her.

She snuggled in closer and sighed contentedly.

He watched her, through the night, in case she might wake.




Animal Lover Ch. 04



The morning light wakes her and she yawns, groans, and stretches.

She jumps when her hand meets fur. Then, she turns to find him lying on the bed.

Her voice is stern. "Emmett. Didn't I tell you to stay on the floor?"

His response is to lick her face. She finally fends him off, laughing. "Alright, alright, you big lump." She glances at the clock. It's after eight. "Wow, I slept better than I thought."

He's rolled onto his chest and she scrubs the fur there. "You're just a big ole furry sleeping pill, huh?"

Sunday morning. What to do with the day?

She wanted to get out of the house. She wasn't ready to talk to Ronnie yet.

But, what about Emmett? She really didn't want to leave him in here, didn't want to just put him outside, but she also had no collar or leash.

She brushed her teeth and thought about it. Emmett sat on the floor, watching her.

"Ooo, cold feet." She put on sweats, socks, and slippers and padded downstairs.

Emmett went directly to the back door.

Lyssa looked around carefully, then let him out.

She hummed as she worked on breakfast for both of them.

Emmett takes care of his business, which includes checking the body across the ravine.

It was gone. The Macy pack had probably tracked him down and retrieved the carcass.

It might cause some minor trouble for him but it had been a legitimate challenge. No matter, he was well on the way to claiming his prize.

He went back to the house, spirits high. His injuries were healed, the other male driven off, at least for now, and she was looking to him for comfort and security. He just had to be careful not to spook her.

She let him back in and sat at the table for breakfast.

He went over to the bowl. Dog food. Dry. Yech. He should have hunted something down while he was outside.

She turns when she doesn't hear him eating. He turns his eyes on her and whines.

She sighs. "Just try it, will you?"

The lengths I will go to in courting a female.

He drops his head to the bowl and scoops up a few pieces. Chewing, he ends up with a slimy, pasty mess in his mouth. Revolting!

While he manages to swallow it, it doesn't stay down long.

The small mess lands on the tile; at least he's managed to keep it off the rug.

He looks at her, whines again, and sucks down some water to get the taste out of his mouth.

She drops her head and sighs. "Spoiled already, huh?"

Now he just sits, looking at her.

Dark brown eyes look into chocolate. Another sigh. "Fine." She cleans up the mess and dumps out the bowl.

She takes out more hamburger and portioned some into the bowl. She turns to him. "Do you want an egg, too?"

He gives a light bark of agreement. The egg felt silky and rich on his tongue.

She takes an egg and mixes it in then washes her hands and sets the bowl on the floor. He walks over and drops his head. She scratches his ears. "You big lump." A pause. "We're going out after this, I hope you don't get carsick."

He looks up at her as she turns back for the rest of her breakfast.

She rinses her bowl and glass and sets them in the sink.

She then turns and goes upstairs. "Let me get dressed and we'll go for a ride."

She stops and turns. There was no excitement, no tail wagging, no recognition of the word most dogs are very familiar with. "Huh."

She pulls on jeans, a flannel shirt. Back downstairs, she shoves her cellphone in her back pocket, grabs her wallet and keys and slides into shoes.

"C'mon, Emmett, let's get out of here and go someplace fun."

He looks at her, unsure.

"Seriously. There's a big park about 45 minutes away. C'mon."

She opens the back door and steps out. He follows. She looks up and opens the garage door. He hesitates again at the door.

She looks at him again, hands on hips. "You'd think I was taking you to the vet. I'm not. We're going to a park." She opens the door and he jumps in. Closing it again, she says quietly, "Although I probably get you there sometime soon."

The drive is uneventful although a couple of people do a double take at the animal in the car with her.

After a couple of pointed evaluations, Emmett lays down on the back seat, resisting the urge to stick his head out the window and scent the air. He was well aware that certain authorities might be contacted who could cause problems with his plan.

The drive is longer than he would like and too far from the pack for comfort. In fact, he was in the Ross pack range here. He needed to be cautious as a trespasser.

She looks back at him occasionally, confused by his behavior, but she's enjoying the drive and singing along with the radio. Her voice is a lovely alto.

The windows are partway open and her hair flutters in the breeze. She is a gorgeous creature.

They arrive at the park and she drives to the back of it. Two cars sit there and she turns around. Another trailhead off to the east is empty. She pulls in, closes the windows, and shuts off the car. She then turns to him, "Ready to go for a run, Em?" 

Again, a light bark of agreement. "OK, let's go."

She gets out then opens the back door. He streaks out, a blur of grey fur, and into the brush. "Hey!"

She locks the car and whirls, running down the trail to find him. "Emmett!"

Gone. She can't see him.

She walks further, away from the trailhead, scanning for him. Nothing.

About a quarter mile in, she finds a bench and sits. "Damn. Now I've lost him."

He knew exactly where she was, although he couldn't see her. Between her scent on the breeze and her light footfalls, he kept track of where she was.

It was wonderful here, in the woods, and, after a couple of days indoors, he wanted nothing more than to stretch his legs and go for a run. A long run.

First things first.

Damn. She had really liked having him around. He was smart and docile, if a bit spoiled. She sighs heavily. Well, he'd found her, she'd helped him, and she supposed it just confirmed that he was healed.

She stares off into the trees, trying to be happy for him.

And yelps when he appears silently, nosing her palm.

"Shit! God, Emmett, you scared the crap out of me. Where'd you come from?"

The woods, of course.

He sits and is rewarded with her roughly scrubbing the fur on his back and sides.

Damn, it felt good. He groaned.

She kissed his muzzle and he licked her face. "OK. Go on and play. I'll be here somewhere nearby."

As he took off, she took out and turned on her cellphone.

The tone sounded. She had several voice mails. Most, if not all, would be from Ronnie.

With a heavy sigh, she punches in her code and puts the phone to her ear. The messages ranged from apologies to pleading to anger and yelling. She closed her eyes and winced at some of the words. He wasn't making it easier. She was beginning to feel really frightened of him.

They had been together for about four months, having met at Amy's party in the spring. He had been funny and fun to be with. Toward the end of the night they were making out on the couch. He had a nice smile, green eyes, and dirty blonde hair.

And the things he did in bed, or out of it, for that matter. They'd practically drowned each other in the bathtub one night. There had been that incredible quickie with her perched on the kitchen counter.

The best night, however, had been out in the backyard, under the stars and a waxing moon. It had been a sweltering July night and they had both stripped down to almost nothing.

She suggested they go outside and, after a minute's hesitation, he agreed.

They spread a blanket on the grass and enjoyed the limited respite of the little breeze that blew and the slight drop in temperature.

They lay on the blanket and tried to sleep, but it was still too warm. They were covered in a sheen of sweat. Her eyes were closed when he rolled closer. She was getting ready to push him away when he took her nipple in his mouth, through the tank top she was wearing. She gasped as he bit at it through the light fabric and his hand worked under her waistband.

"Oh, god, Ronnie." His fingers found her sweet spot. The place between her thighs was warm, hot almost, and slick with sweat and her juices. He was stroking her labia, past her clit, as he was nibbling on her breast.

She grabbed ahold of his t-shirt, twisting it in her hands with the sensations. "Baby, you're so hot. And wet." The t-shirt was old and threadbare. It came apart in her hands.

She looked up at him with eyes hooded with desire. "Don't stop."

She was momentarily concerned at what the neighbors might see when he shifted between her legs and slithered her short shorts off. His thumb immediately went to her clit and began rubbing again. She decided then that she didn't care what the neighbors saw, or thought. 

He leaned up next to her again and re-captured that nipple, pulling it upward with his teeth, then letting go. Again, and again, as his fingers explored her seeping slit, caressed her thighs, stroked her clitoris. She was rising on a wave of sensation, lost to passion.

Her chest heaved, her breath came in pants, and her body flushed.

"Ooooh, god."

He smiled against her breast and moved downward, not touching bare flesh until he came to the bottom of her tank top. Then, his tongue traced across her waist and flirted with her navel. Her hips rocked against his hand.

He then sucked her naked mound as he thrust two fingers into her. She arched against him. "I love it when you shave."

He inserted a third finger as his tongue found the nodule of her pleasure, hard and aching. He drew circles around it, then flicked his tongue over it, while working the fingers around in her pussy.

She didn't care where she was right now, or who might be watching. She just didn't want him to stop doing what he was doing.

The first orgasm was heavenly. The second was intense.

As the wave of pleasure washed over her, he pulled away for a second, and she protested. But he came back shortly, rubbing her clitoris again with his thumb.

As she worked toward a third crest, he pulled up her left leg and plunged into the wet, warm tunnel below. Her muscles clenched around him and she shrieked as he pushed her to a third orgasm in less than ten minutes.

Unfortunately, her pulsing muscles made short work of him and he shot his load not long after.

Groaning, he collapsed onto her as she gasped.

After a few moments, she pushed at him. "Get off."

He groaned in her ear. "It's too hot. Get off me."

Taking his time, with the full condom to consider, he removes himself from her and collapses onto his back. He then pulls the condom off and tosses it into the woods.

"Ronnie." The sound of disapproval in her voice.

He grunts. "Whadidya want me to do with it?"

He kisses her, briefly. "Sounded like you enjoyed it."

Sleepily, "Yeah, it was great."

She jumps when the phone rings. She fumbles with the phone and gets it open just in time for it to go to voicemail. After the recording stopped, she checked to see who the message had been from. Amy. She should probably give her a call, talk about what happened, and get a second opinion.

She lifts the phone to her ear and starts walking.

"Lys? Hey, it's Amy. Look, I'm calling about Ronnie. He says you kicked him out of the house last night. What the hell happened? He said it wasn't any big deal, that you spazzed out over some little thing and were about to go Lorena Bobbitt on him. We let him crash on the couch last night."

Why didn't you send him home?, Lyssa thought.

"Anyway, he's really miserable and says you won't answer the phone. So, Lys, why don't you call your guy and talk to him? Huh? OK, call me."

So, he had Amy advocating for him now and was probably telling stories about what happened. She really wanted to talk to someone, but, if he was there, he'd want to talk to her.

Emmett went for a long run, streaking through the woods, invisible to most.

But the birds knew, and the small mammals. He had already scared four deer; two does in season and a buck in rut, the last a large fawn, which he briefly considered taking down.

At the edge of a small glade he picked up the enticing smell of rabbit.

Slowly, carefully, he stalks his prey, close enough now to hear its fluttering heart, close enough to see. The rabbit hears the light tread of paws and freezes, but this is no ordinary predator. Emmett sees the rabbit quite clearly, even though it thinks it's invisible.

The wind shifts, the nose twitches, and the rabbit bolts, its white tail marking its attempt at escape. But Emmett was too close. A short dash, a leap, and the prey is taken.

Emmett savors the warm blood in his mouth and settles down for a snack.

Making her decision, Lyssa dials Amy's number.

"Hey, girlfriend, what's going on?"

"Where are you?"

"Kitchen, why?"

"Can I talk to you for a little while about what happened?"

"What happened? Ronnie's acting like you freaked out over nothing."

"I couldn't breathe, Amy. He didn't notice what was going on. I passed out. I thought I was gonna die."

"Jesus, Lys, what was he doing, choking you? Are you OK?"

"Yea, I guess. But it really scared me. He was drunk and got horny and wasn't paying any attention to what was going on."

"Wait, what were you doing?"

"He wouldn't go get a condom. I was sucking his dick."

"Well, OK, I've gotten a little lightheaded before."

"Did you pass out?"

"No." An aside. "Oh, hey."

Lyssa can hear Amy talking to someone else. "Um, Ronnie wants to talk to you."

Lyssa flips her phone shut, breaking the connection. Closing her eyes, she turns it off and stuffs it back in her pocket.

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she starts to wander down the trail.

Emmett scrubs his muzzle against the grass, trying to get the blood off of it as she surely wouldn't appreciate seeing it. He has a drink from a small stream and leaves a pile under a tree.

He then lopes back to the bench.

She wasn't there.

After a moment of surprise, he checks for her trail. He sets off in the direction she took, but keeps to the woods, parallelling the trail.

It only takes a couple of minutes for him to catch up to her.

He stands in the shadows, watching. She's lost in thought, looking down, and walking rather slowly.

Sniff. Look. No one around. He walks into the trail, about 15 feet in front of her. She doesn't notice until she's almost on top of him. "Oh!"

He's big, and covered in a full coat of variegated grey. A couple of fall leaves have settled on his coat. The fur on his muzzle was matted, colored differently. He looked like a wild animal. Almost like a...

Wolf.

The heavy fur, the thick tail, his size. Emmett was wild; he was a wolf.

She froze.

He smelled the sudden spike of her fear, heard her heart rate accelerate, and watched her freeze, like any prey animal.

So he sat, looked at her, and cocked his head.

After a few moments, she began backing away. "Nice wolf. Nice boy."

Damn.

Omigod, omigod, omigod. She'd let a wolf into her car, into her house. A wolf!

He was just sitting there, watching her.

What was she gonna do?

Eyes focused on him, she starts pulling her cellphone out as he stands.

She had to call 911. She opens the phone as he takes a step towards her. She was breathing heavily as he tensed to spring.



Animal Lover Ch. 05



She shrieks as he knocks her down and her cellphone flies into the grass.

Before she can react, he starts licking her face.

She's trembling, trying to fend him off, but her brain hasn't quite caught up with the fact that he's not attacking her.

He stops and stands over her, waiting for her to calm down. Her hands are clutching at his leg and chest, with some force. It doesn't hurt, particularly, but it was uncomfortable. Her chest heaves as she cracks open an eye and looks at him. He licks her face, once.

Under her breath she mumbles, "What the hell are you?"

Emmett whines.

"Hello! Are you alright?"

Emmett and Lyssa both look up at the sound and Emmett heads for the trees.

Lyssa gets up on her elbow as a couple of young men in shorts and sneakers round a corner of the trail. "Are you hurt?"

"Um, no, thanks. Tripped over my own feet." She gets up and starts dusting herself off. "I thought I saw something."

"This your cellphone?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"You probably did see something. There's a lot of wildlife here."

"Wolves?"

The shorter man barks a laugh. "Around here? No way."

"Probably not for a thousand miles. Did you think you saw one?"

"I dunno."

"Probably somebody's German shepherd got loose."

"Um. OK. Thanks for checking on me."

The taller one looks at her a little more closely. "Sure you're OK? We could walk you back to your car..."

"No, thanks. I'm good. Sorry to spoil your run."

"Not a problem. Take care." They start to jog off.

"You, too."

A short distance off, the one nudges the other. "I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that."

"Yeah, she's hot."

"We should have at least gotten her name..."

Emmett watches the interaction, upset about the interruption. If only he could shift form and talk to her. Now that she realized what he was, mostly, and the truth had frightened her, he was going to have to win her over again.

Human men found her desirable, of course they did, so, if her relationship with Ronnie ended, she wouldn't be alone for long.

The timing was in his favor. This would be his best chance to claim her as his own. He's crouched low, invisible to the three of them, just inside the edge of the trees.

She headed back to the car, her phone in her hand, again walking slowly.

He follows and watches her sit heavily on the bench. He walks out, slowly, and sits beside her.

She glances at him, then at the phone in her hand.

Then she starts mumbling to herself. "No wolves around here. Park rangers would be really interested. But there are coyotes."

Emmett huffs in disdain. " You are awful big for a coyote."

Emmett puts his head in her lap. She absently scritches his ears.

"You really don't act like a dog but you don't act like a wild animal either."

"Maybe you're part wolf and you got away from somebody? But there haven't been any reports. Someone would be looking for you."

"Wolves are way out west. Someone would have seen you by now."

"Could I get into trouble for having you?" Emmett whines. She pats his head.

"Yes, I know. I kinda like having you around. But, what if you don't belong here?" A whimper now from him.

He couldn't change. Not here.

Someone might see and she'd likely freak out if she saw it.

He had to get back to her house before he revealed himself to her.

It was a delicate thing, consorting with human females. He had to be certain of her or he'd never be allowed to bring her into the pack. His Alpha would see to that.

He'd seen the fire in her and he wanted her.

But, he didn't dare leave her alone right now or she'd run.

With a sigh, she turns on her phone and automatically checks for messages.

"Lyssa, you bitch, you hung up on me! I didn't do anything wrong and now you're breaking up with me?"

"I just wanted to talk to you and you won't even answer me?"

"You know what? Fine. I had to picture Angelina every time I was with you just so I could get off."

"You fucking cunt, I could get three better girls than you!"

"Go fuck yourself!"

Emmett could easily hear Ronnie's tirade.

He watched her face as her eyes closed and tears started to fall.

Damn! Someone else coming, he broke for the trees again.

"Emmett."

A couple comes around the corner, arm in arm.

The woman looks at her. "You alright, darlin'?"

Lyssa sniffs and rubs her nose on the back of her hand before nodding.

"Boyfriend troubles?" Lyssa nods again.

The man looks a bit puzzled, and inhales deeply.

"Find a man who won't make you cry, darlin'. Or, better yet, get a good dog."

She kisses her companion and they both chuckle. The man now speaks. "I'm sure there's someone close who will treat you well. Good luck."

"Ta!" The woman waggles her fingers and they walk on.

They walk out of earshot. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure. I don't recognize the scent. I'll tell Thomas when we get back."

"Think he's the one who made her cry?"

"I doubt it, he's here with her. He wouldn't bring her out onto our range, especially since she hasn't been turned. It must be her human boyfriend."

"I agree. Well, this is an interesting little mystery."

Damn, just what he'd been afraid of. Two wolves of the Ross pack now knew he had come onto their range without permission.

Randall would have his skin.

Better get her moved before they come back.

He edges back out of the bushes and licks her hand. He takes a few steps towards the car and looks over his shoulder at her.

She switches off the phone and stands. "You're right. Let's get outta here."

They go back to the car and Lyssa opens the back door. He streaks in from the edge of the trees. "I hope you got your fun in."

She gets into the driver's seat and looks in the rearview mirror. He's laying, head down, on the back seat. Doubt fills her again. All the wildlife shows she'd seen - he looked like a wolf. She was certain she had a wolf in her car. What was she gonna do?

They drove home quietly with her glancing in the mirror every so often.

She was worried. There was really only one thing for it.

He was going to have to reveal himself to her when they got back to her house.

She pulls into the garage and shuts off the engine. And sits there.

After a few minutes, he stands and wuffles in her ear.

A sigh. "OK."

Inside the house, she refills the water bowl. It trembles as she sets it back down.

He takes a drink as she walks across the room and perches in front of the computer.

He walks over, sits beside her, and puts his head in her lap.

The grey wolf.

Canis lupus.

Native to Europe, Asia, North America.

Packs of 5 to 11, generally a nuclear family.

Pups born in spring, five to six.

Related to the domestic dog.

Up to about 80 pounds.

Colored blond and cream to browns and black.

Generally monogamous.

Interbreeding with dogs and coyotes.

She then searches for any sightings in the area. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Next are pictures. She searches through numerous photographs of wolves. "Emmett, you look like them. You really do." She looks down. "You are a wolf, aren't you?" Big chocolate eyes look up at her dark brown.

She slides out of the chair and onto the floor beside him.

She wasn't really ready, but he had to show her his true nature soon. She was likely to call the authorities and try to have him removed from her house, forcibly.

He could get away from the humans pretty easily, but it would take time, and only confuse her further.

No, sooner was better.

She was sitting on the floor beside him now, which was actually a good sign. However, he needed room for the change.

As he stood, he heard noise at the front of the house. He turned to face the threat.

"LYSSA!"

She jerked when she heard Ronnie's bellow and scrambled to stand.

Emmett already stood at the door as Ronnie began to pound on it. "Lyssa, godammit, open the door! Lyssa, I wanna talk to you. Open the goddamn door!"

Emmett stood there, growling, hackles raised.

She shoved him sideways a bit and opened the door, leaving the locked screen door between them and Ronnie.

Emmett raised his head, bared his teeth, and growled.

Trying to keep her voice steady, she says, "What do you want, Ronnie?" Ronnie scared her now. It was easier to be brave with Emmett beside her.

Ronnie's face is red. He was pissed, and he'd been drinking. Again.

"Open up. I wanna talk to you."

"About what? About how you can never drink without getting drunk? About how you'd really rather spend time with the guys than with me? About how you could have really hurt me?"

"Goddammit. I said I was sorry, Lys. What more do you want? I am. And, yeah, I drink. You do, too. I work hard.."

"Don't you dare say you deserve it."

That stops him. Grumbling, he says, "What was the other thing?"

She give him a look. "That you'd rather spend time with the guys."

"I wanna spend time with you."

"You wanna come over, eat, drink, and fuck."

"Somethin' wrong with that?"

"That's all you want to do, Ronnie. There's a lot more to life, or there should be."

"Like what?"

"Oh, going to a show, taking a walk in the park, listening to music, see an exhibit at the museum."

Ronnie's distaste shows in his face. "Girly stuff. I don't have time.."

Lyssa interrupts him again. "I'm a girl, Ronnie. I like to do girly stuff sometimes. We've pretty much been doing things you wanna do, not what I wanna do."

His voice gets sly, a drunken attempt at sexy. "You like a lot of the stuff I wanna do."

She sighs, looking at him. "Yeah, some of it, I do. But I wanna do more than drink and screw."

His voice raises again. "You know how my schedule is. I don't have a lot of time to spend on other stuff."

"Then you don't have time for me."

Lyssa turns to close the door and Ronnie grabs for the screen door.

Her eyes go wide as he grabs ahold of a loose edge of the door frame and begins to yank, putting all his weight behind it. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

Emmett shoves her aside with his bodyweight and she staggers. He then jumps up, snarling and snapping at Ronnie.

Ronnie backs off quickly at the aggressive counter to his actions. The fuckin' dog was HUGE.

As Ronnie backs off Emmett backs slightly and puts weight against the inside door. When it clicks shut, he turns and looks up at Lyssa.

Ronnie recovers enough to pound on the door one more time, peering through the small window. "See how brave you are without the fuckin' dog, bitch."

He pounds down her front steps, mumbling under his breath, "Fuckin' animal lover."

Lyssa stinks of fear, eyes wide, hand over her mouth.

She hears his truck squeal out and moves before Emmett gets to her. She checks all the doors and windows on the lower floor, twice. Then practically runs up the stairs. He barely gets into the bedroom behind her as she slams and locks the door.

Her breath hitches as she gets on the bed and pulls her knees to her chest, putting her arms around them.

Emmett puts a forepaw on the bed, looks at her, and whines. "Yeah, c'mon, Em."

He jumps up and sits beside her.

She throws her arms around him. "You big ole furry lump. I'm so glad you're here, Emmett. I think he might have hurt me." He feels her trembling.

As time passes she starts talking to him, about Ronnie, his friends, her friends, and her aspirations.

She comes down from the adrenaline rush and starts to feel drowsy. I think I'm gonna take a nap. "You'll keep watch, won't you?"

Of course he would. Thre was no way the human male could get close to her now.

He watched her sleep for a time. She looked angelic, at least to him.

Her short, dark hair against tanned skin. The relaxation of her face, worry smoothed away in sleep. She had a small scar at her hairline and he wondered how it had come to be there.

And her scent called to him. Beyond the smells of soap, shampoo, and deodorant came a warm, womanly fragrance. In addition, he could tell she was just coming off her most fertile time, which added to his attraction.

He changed form and, lying atop the bedclothes, carefully curled up behind her and put an arm around her.

After about 45 minutes, she began to stir.

He watched her and waited for the inevitable surprise and panic.

She twisted, rolling to her back, and, with a drowsy groan of contentment, opened her eyes to him.

It surprised him how long it took before she screamed and scrambled out of the bed. His ears ringing from the scream, he tries to talk to her before taking any other steps. He levers up on an elbow.

"Lyssa, it's alright. I won't hurt you. My name is Emmett Forester. Please, calm down."

A man! A man in her bed! In the bed with her! Who was he? More importantly, how did he get in? And where was Emmett? Her guard dog, uh, wolf.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? Get OUT!"

Her eyes run over him, trying to assess what kind of threat he was, but lingering in the places you might expect.

"And why the hell are you naked?!"

She's backed into a corner near her closet with no easy way to get to the bedroom door. He watches as she looks around for a weapon of any kind and checks her clothing. Still there, nothing ripped. What the hell?

"Lyssa, please, try to be calm. I understand this is a shock to you but I'm Emmett. You invited me into your home. You tended my wounds and fed me."

"But, but, Emmett's a dog, um, a wolf."

"Yes, I am. Sometimes."

"No, it's impossible. What kind of freak are you? And why am I talking to you?" She lunges for her dresser, for her cellphone.

He leaps up to stop her, grabbing her wrists.

She responds by kicking him in the balls. He grunts at the sudden pain but does not release her. Instead, he twists her toward the bed to stop her from kicking him again.

Oh, god, he was pulling her to the bed.

Oh, god, he was gonna rape her.

Oh, god, she couldn't get away.

Oh, god, she was probably going to die.

In a small voice, "Don't hurt me."

"Lyssa, sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you." 

Sweetheart? "I am not your sweetheart, let go of me." She tries to wrench out of his grasp.

"Lyssa. Please. Stop. Listen to me for a moment."

She quiets and he turns to face her. She kicks him in the balls again.

Another grunt from him. And he closes his eyes against the pain. "Please stop kicking me."

Then, he quickly sits on the bed and pulls her into his lap. She struggles further, trying to slide off. He wraps his other arm around her waist.

Her chest heaves and she glares at him. "My name is Emmett. You slept outside with me Friday night. You fed me a wonderful meal. Ronnie came over yesterday. You cooked on the grill and he got drunk. You ordered him out of the house. We went to a park this morning and, just before you fell asleep, you told me how much you missed Eli and Tara, that you hadn't seen them for months."

Her mouth falls open. "You've been watching me? What kind of crazed stalker are you?"

"I understand this is difficult for you to believe. Please, let me show you."

She looks into his brown eyes, gulps, and nods.

He releases her and she bolts for the door.

He snatches the cellphone off the dresser and grabs her as she struggles to unlock the door. She's yanking on the knob. "Open up. Open up!"

She flinches when he takes her shoulders. Her posture shows defeat as he guides her back to sit on the bed.

She looks terrified when he slides her cellphone under the door and into the hallway.

He turns to look at her. "I will not hurt you. Just. Watch."

The naked man with dark grey hair and brown eyes starts to look hairier. The shape of his body begins to change. His face pushes out and his ears begin to point. His chest gets narrower, and deeper. Fingers and feet shorten. The hair becomes fur and his limbs change shape. Something creeps over the outside of his penis as the muzzle and tail push out.

He drops to four paws and stands, waiting for her to acknowledge him.

"No." One word. That was her only response.

She watches, enthralled, as he shifts back.

He steps toward her and she shakes her head, backing away. "Uh, uh. No way."

He stops. "I'm werewolf, Lyssa."

"There's no such thing as a werewolf."

"Then how do you explain what just happened?"

"I dunno. Holograms. Drugs. Ronnie put me in a coma. I'm still asleep."

"How would you have me prove it to you?"

"You can't prove something that isn't true."

Stymied, he stands there, looking at her. What else could he do?

She looks him over. Dark grey hair that he flips out of his eyes, down to his shoulder blades. Brown eyes, the color of chocolate. Strong arms, broad chest with a covering of curled hair, not too much, not too little. Down to a narrow waist. His penis mostly flaccid and of a respectable size in that state.

Scars. On his hip, his chest, a recently healed mark on his.. leg?

Her forehead creases in confusion.

His voice is soft. "Alright, then. Please trust that I won't hurt you. Lay down and close your eyes." She looks at him. What kind of trick was this? "Give me a few minutes. When you open your eyes again, I'll be the Emmett you've known before."

She considers him another moment. Without a word she gets onto the bed, rolls onto her side. Hugging herself tightly, she closes her eyes.

He changes back to the wolf and gets onto the bed, listening to her sharp intake of breath. He turns his face to her and watches.

Carefully, slowly, she opens her eyes to him.

Emmett lays on the bed beside her, looking at her. Actually, he was giving her sad, puppy dog eyes. They both jump as her stomach growls. She chuckles, nervously.

She pushes upright, "Are you hungry, too?"

A slight shake of his head.

Did dogs? wolves? shake their heads?

How did her life get so surreal?

She looks around; there was no man. He hadn't hurt her. He'd just stopped her from running away while he talked to her, or tried to.

If it had been a dream, it was very weird. A naked man, a handsome, naked man, OK, a gorgeous, naked man in her bed should have initiated a dreamy lovemaking session with her. He'd told her he was a werewolf.

She walked to the bedroom door and unlocked it. Emmett got up and stood beside her. She opened the door to the hallway.

Her cellphone lay on the floor against the opposite wall.

She looked at the cellphone, then at him. Then back to the cellphone.

She was trying to process the evidence in front of her. He stood still while she sorted through everything.

He counted her breaths, a little more rapid than usual. Seven, eight, nine...

She drops to a knee beside him, runs her hands over his head, down his back, to the leg that had been torn up. She comes back up to his head, takes his muzzle. "Emmett?"

He answers by giving a slight nod.

She sits heavily on the floor. "Impossible."

He sits, and places a paw gently on her thigh.

She looks back up at him.

"But there's no such thing as werewolves.", she murmurs quietly. "They're just stories. Something people use to scare children or to explain the noises in the woods or...

You're really a werewolf?"

Emmett give a light bark of acknowledgment. But he wasn't going to change again until she decided.

"But, it isn't dark. And, and, when was the full moon?"

He simply sits there, watching her.

"You're a werewolf?"

Again, a slight nod of his head.

"I don't believe it." She stands. "Why me? Why now?" She looks down at him. "Aren't you supposed to have some sort of telepathic power or something?" Emmett whines.

"No, huh?" Her voice raises. "What am I supposed to do with a werewolf in the house?" Another whine. "Why are you still here?"

He sticks his nose in her crotch. Her eyes go wide and she shoves him away. "Oh, god. Oh, yuck. No! I, I..."

Her stomach rumbles again. She runs down the stairs.




Animal Lover Ch. 05



While he loved a good chase, this was not the time. He padded silently down the stairs after her. He'd made his intentions known and she had pushed him away. Disappointed, he wasn't sure how to approach her now. But, she felt comfortable and secure with him in this form, so he remained the wolf

She stood in the kitchen, with the refrigerator door open, staring into it.

"How can you be a werewolf?"

She pulls out the hamburger, rinses out and replaces the water bowl, scrubs out the dish and puts more hamburger and an egg in it, then sets the bowl on the floor for him. She cleans off her hands, leans on the counter, and turns, watching him eat. "This is insane."

She makes herself a big bean burrito and grabs a beer. Taking it to the couch she flips on the television, to see if the rest of the world had gone mad.

She curls her feet under her as she finds the news and watches as she munches on the burrito. She watches, intently, as she works on the beer.

He sits beside the couch with his head on the cushion. After a bit, her hand comes down and she absentmindedly scratches his ears.

When she realizes what she's doing, she pulls her hand away.

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. She was in complete denial now.

How long should he put up with this charade before trying to get through to her again? He had been patient but, with the end in sight, he didn't know how much longer he could stand to wait.

He took some comfort in the fact that she hadn't thrown him out.

He just had to wait for another opportunity to prove himself to her.

If he could stand to wait that long. If his Alpha didn't call him away.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were passed with housework. Cleaning dishes, paying bills, cleaning the bathroom, laundry.

He mostly sat and watched her. But he did have to go out if he couldn't use the bathroom.

He waited, afraid she might shut him out, but he did have to go.

He hunted her down and whined. "What?" He started to walk toward the back door and she followed. "Oh, out, huh?"

As she let him out, he looked back as he walked off the porch. She was peering into the darkness, as if it hosted something sinister. She then glanced at him and pulled the door shut.

He marked her borders further then checked beyond the treeline for anyone Randall might have sent.

No one there, at least, not yet.

OK, time to see if she'd let him back in.

It took a couple of barks for her to come to the door and let him in, but she did let him in. She watched another movie, with another beer, and he was able to get on the couch with her, letting out a huff as he got down and put his head on his forepaws.

There is a noise at the front door before the movie ends, the sound of rending metal.

She runs to the front door and Emmett tries to put himself in front of her to keep her from reaching it. But she gets around him and throws the door open. "Godammit, Ronnie..."

Ronnie stands there, drunk, grinning, with a crowbar in his hands. The screen door has been ripped off its hinges.

She backs up as he levels the crowbar at her. "I didn't hurt you. You can't break up with me."

"Go home, Ronnie. You're drunk." Emmett's hackles are up and he snarls.

"Get the damn dog to back off or I'll take care of him, too."

"I'm calling the cops, Ronnie, go home."

"Don't you fucking dare, Lyssa. I've been good to you." She sees menace in his eyes as he steps into her house.

Emmett interposes himself between them, snarling. "Get the damn dog outta the way so we can talk."

"What're you gonna do?" Ronnie takes another step.

Emmett knocks him backward and grabs his arm. The other strikes out and Lyssa watches the crowbar connect with Emmett's ribs. She hears a crunch as Emmett is knocked sideways.



Animal Lover Ch. 06



Ronnie scrambles to his feet as Emmett regains his.

Ronnie's fury is now focused on Emmett. He advanced, crowbar held high, ready to bash the damn dog's brains in.

Emmett puts himself between Lyssa and Ronnie, hackles raised, eyes blazing, growling, snarling. Damn his ribs hurt but there was no way he was letting the male anywhere near Lyssa.

He could kill him, easily, and, oh, how he wanted to. But Lyssa was not part of the pack. She would probably be horrified and would have to explain the body.

Restraint. Restraint.

The crowbar comes down and he sidesteps the swing. The male was neither graceful nor particularly fast in his state.

The tines catch in the carpet and, as he tries to yank it away, Emmett grabs his arm. Ronnie yelps as teeth find his skin and drops the crowbar.

Emmett stands over it, growling.

He looks up at Lyssa, holding his arm. "Your fuckin' dog BIT ME!"

Lyssa comes closer, holding the phone, her voice hard and icy. "You screwed up big time, Ronnie. I just have to push this button and the cops'll be on their way."

"Dog could be dead and maybe you too before they get here."

"Without the crowbar, Ronnie? Besides, Emmett won't let you anywhere near me."

"Not after I call animal control, Lys."

Ronnie glares at her. "Get out, Ronnie. And don't ever, ever, come back, or you might be the one the cops find."

Emmett backed Ronnie out the door and stood there until Lyssa shut and locked it.

He peered in the small window. "Once I get rid of the damn dog, you're mine."

Emmett stayed on guard, ears swiveling, until the truck roared down the road. He then relaxed, and nudged Lyssa to the couch.

She had some steel in her, which he was glad to see. If she were weak she'd never be allowed into the pack, no matter how much he wanted her.

Lyssa sat heavily on the couch with the phone in her hand.

Emmett sat on the floor, looking at her, and whined.

She mechanically put the phone in the cradle and her eyes go down to Emmett.

"Come up here." She pats the couch beside her.

He jumps up and she throws her arms around him and buries her face against his shoulder.

She was shaking. "Thank you, Em. Thank you."

He groaned. Those ribs hurt.

As they sat there he decided to take action, although the pose was a bit awkward. He changed position as he shifted, pulling her into his lap and against his chest.

Quietly. "I won't let him hurt you."

She looks up at him. "You're real."

He smiles. "You should sleep."

He stands, holding her in his arms as if she were a child, then carries her up the stairs to her bedroom.

With her arms wrapped around his neck, he pulls the bedcovers down. He then lays her on the bed and, gently, pulls off her shoes. He looks at her a moment, and she at him, as he pulls the blankets over her.

As he comes back upright, she notices the large, dark bruise on his left side. She throws the covers back off and sits up. "Oh, god, Emmett. We need to get you to the doctor."

"It's alright, Lyssa. I'll be fine."

"You could have internal bleeding." She starts pulling her shoes back on.

He takes her shoulders, gently, and stops her. "I've had worse injuries sparring with some of the other males. And I heal quickly. I'll be fine."

She looks up at him, unsure. "Doesn't it hurt?"

He chuckles. "Of course it hurts. But, with a good meal, it'll be gone tomorrow."

"Are you hungry? I could..."

He kisses the top of her head. "Sweetheart, I can get a meal if I choose to. I do know how to get into the refrigerator. But, right now, I want you to get some rest. Please, lay back down."

She slides back into the bed and he covers her back up. "I'll keep watch."

Her eyes follow him as he settles into a chair opposite her. "Won't you be cold?"

He smiles. "No."

She bites her lower lip. It looks so endearing he has to fight his impending hardness with thoughts of gay male porn. He closes his eyes to focus on the images as a small sound comes to him. "Um." He opens his eyes to her. "You could come up here with me."

Security. She'd feel so much better if he were closer.

She watched him cross the three steps to the bed and climb atop it. He lies beside her, with the bedclothes separating them, and brushes her hair away from her face. "There. Now. Sleep."

She looks at him in wonder and closes her eyes.

Hot. It was so hot under the covers.

Over the course of the night she divests herself of her clothing. Pants. Shirt. T-shirt. Socks. Left only in a bra and panties, she's still too warm.

She tries to throw off the comforter and is unable. Something heavy is holding it to her.

His arm.

He's asleep beside her, with an arm thrown over her chest.

She pushes at the arm, mumbling, "I thought you were supposed to be watching."

Without opening his eyes, he rumbles, "I am. I haven't smelled or heard anything amiss. Do you always roll around so much?"

"I'm hot."

He cracks an eye at her and shifts slightly. "Sorry. Probably my fault."

She throws the comforter off and he rolls up beside her again. Before she can ask he responds, "My body temperature is higher than yours." He looks at the window. "Still another hour before dawn." And closes his eyes again.

She looks at him briefly, then closes hers, too.

As the horizon turns pink and lightens, he rolls to his back and stretches, groaning.

She curls up on her side and grumbles. He chuckles, "Not an early riser?"

"Have somebody come after you with a crowbar and have somebody else tell you they're a werewolf and see how well you sleep, especially next to a furnace."

He smiles at her.

The look in his eyes makes her warmer still. She wished she knew what he was thinking. Or, maybe she did know..

She shakes herself lightly when he addresses her again.

"Would you mind if I took a shower?"

Shower? What? She blinks at him, that lock of hair falling into his eyes again. "Oh. Uh. Sure."

"Thank you."

He rises and she gets up on her elbows, watching him leave the room. That tight ass. The hair she wanted to run her fingers through. The chest she wanted to touch. Hands she wanted on her body. Damn. He was fine.

And he hadn't tried to touch her. What the hell?

She heard the water start while she wrestled with herself.

Throwing caution to the wind, she pads into the bathroom.

She could see his figure through the shower curtain, although it wasn't transparent, she could see his outline. She licked her lips as he stopped, briefly, and turned a bit toward the door.

Then, she quietly calls to him, "Need any help?"

The sound of the water running and the spray of the water made it difficult to sense what was going on around him. For this reason, he intended to clean up quickly.

What was that? Stop. Listen.

"Need any help?"

His cock began filling at the sound of her voice. His breath caught briefly in his throat.

"I'd like that."

Her hands shaking slightly at what she was doing, she drops the bra and panties to the floor and moves to the tub.

She can see his form standing under the spray, waiting for her.

She pulls aside the curtain and is rewarded with the sight of water droplets glistening on his eyelashes, on his chest, running down to...

He was hard, erect; his uncut penis rising from a nest of curled dark grey hairs. His testicles encased in a sac of reddened, wrinkled skin. Both were larger than she'd seen before.

There was the large vein that ran up the underside of his cock, pulsing, as his cock came more upright. She looked at the skin that housed the head of his penis, again, reddish, and lightly ridged.

Her hand reached out. Her index finger brushed the tip and she whispered, "So soft." He groaned at the light touch.

He reached out, grabbed her, hauled her into the tub with him, and kissed her.

Oh, god. She was soft. He loved the feeling of her breasts crushed against his chest, the taste of her mouth, now open and inviting. His tongue made an exploration of her mouth, as hers did the same to his. He kept his eyes open, watching her as he kissed her, not wanting to miss any sensation available to him at this moment.

One of his hands snaked up her back, to the back of her head, holding her to him for the kiss. The other moved downwards, feeling the curves, the flare of her hips, before landing on, and caressing, one of fleshy globes of her ass.

She, meanwhile, had grabbed both of his butt cheeks, and was squeezing them in a delicious fashion.

He groaned at the sensation, as well as the feeling of his stiffened cock trapped between their bodies.

One of her hands moves, around his waist, reaching between them for that throbbing column of flesh. She's watching him now as he groans when her hand circles his shaft.

She pulls her mouth away from his and licks her lips. Oh, god, he was gonna blow on that alone.

She turns sideways slightly, taking firmer hold of his cock and strokes up and down it a couple of times.

The nails of her other hand are biting into his asscheek. Her mouth had moved down and she nipped at his left nipple. He jerked in her hand.

Another nip, another jerk. Then she begins to lower herself, kissing and licking her way down his body. His hands slide up her body, and he has a chance to lightly grasp her breasts, tweaking the nipples, before she goes all the way to her knees. She gasped. It was a marvelous sound.

She looks up at him, blinking slightly at the falling water, as her thumb rubs over the top of his glans. He can't help the moan that leaves his mouth. "Ooohh."

He watches as her pink tongue extends from her mouth and approaches the tip of his penis. His hands are on her shoulders as her tongue tip works over it, tasting the droplet of precum that has arisen. His head arches back and his mouth opens wide at the sensation. Thankfully, he was taller than the showerhead.

Without further preamble, she engulfs him in her mouth and he almost howls at the feeling of her warm, wet mouth surrounding him. Her tongue swirls around the top of his staff, probing at the slit, looking for more of that fluid. Her hand is wrapped around the bottom, squeezing lightly, then releasing. He wraps his hands into her hair and she jerks away from him a bit.

His breathing heavy, he notices the action and, recognizing the reason behind it, concentrates on releasing her hair. One hand goes back to her shoulder and the other finds the wall as she comes back down on him again. Her free hand now braces against his hip, allowing her to keep some distance from his crotch.

She sucked, and her tongue swirled, and her hand squeezed and released. It felt marvelous and he was quickly coming to an end. Much more quickly than he would like.

While he concentrated on not cumming, her hand went to his tightened sac, and he was undone.

He erupted in her mouth with more force than he could have imagined. Spurts of cum spewed from his cock as he howled. She tried to keep up with the flow, swallowing convulsively.

It slowed, stopped, and he hung his head and panted. His wet hair covered his face.

After a few moments, he shoved it out of his face to look at her.

She smiled at him.

He pulled her up by the shoulders and backed her against the wall. He kissed her, again rather fiercely, then began to bodily slide her up the tile.

When her chest was at face level, he marveled at her breasts, the tips crinkled and erect. He licked his lips at the sight, then took her left nipple in his mouth.

His mouth was so warm. The tongue swirled around her nipple, then he suckled on it.

Jolts of electricity rippled through her body and she gasped at the sensation.

She slid slightly as his hands dropped to capture her buttocks.

He then hoisted her upwards again to feast on her breasts.

Her hands went to his head, cradling it to her as he nipped lightly at the tightened tip.

"Aah. MMmm."

She feels his hands twisting against her ass but has trouble concentrating on anything but the feelings at her breast. He licks, he sucks, he pulls gently on her nipple with his teeth.

Finally, he releases one hand, holding her up with the other.

Switching sides, he now orally stimulates her right breast while rolling the other nipple between a thumb and forefinger. "Ooooo."

Since they aren't directly under the spray of the water, he can smell her dripping womanhood. Soon, soon he would taste her. One thing first.

Her toes are against his thighs, and he feels them begin to curl. His left hand drops down her body and he briskly rubs a knuckle against her clitoris. "Oh, god!"

She stiffens, and shudders, and her womanly juices run down her thighs. Her hands claw his shoulders.

He smiles, and returns his left hand to her buttocks.

Raising her higher, he sucks the flesh under her breast, then runs his tongue down her body, tasting the saltiness of the light film of sweat.

Her head is almost at the ceiling, so he pulls her lower body away from the wall so that her pussy is aligned with his face.

He licks his lips and looks at her face. It shows a hazy look of satisfaction, and she smiles at him, hands still on his shoulders.

He places her legs over his shoulders and closes on that warm, wet flesh, now suffused with blood. His tongue sweeps up the fluid that lingers on her thigh and over her pussy lips, briefly crossing her clitoris before moving to the top of her mound. He sucks on the hollow beside her hipbone and she giggles, twisting slightly, her hands now in his hair.

He latches onto her mound, the hair there beginning to grow back from where she had shaved it slick a couple of days prior.

Next, down to those darkened lips, delving between, over, and around. "Mmm."

She closes her eyes and arches her back slightly, feeling a new type of pleasure in the wake of her first orgasm.

His tongue snakes inside her, farther than any other tongue has ever gone and she cries out as it swirls within her, caressing her g-spot, sweeping her walls. The juices continue to flow from her. As he removes his tongue, he murmurs, "Mmm, sweet." The tip is now concentrated on her clit and she fists her hands in his hair. "Yes."

The muscles in her legs start to tighten, and he smiles as he continues his work. Her grip on his hair has become painful. "Uuh. Uh."

She grunting her pleasure now and his grin becomes broader.

Abruptly, he takes that little nub into his mouth and bites down lightly. "EEEeeeeemmmett!"

He looks in satisfaction at her heaving breasts, her glazed expression. She opens her eyes and offers him a sated smile.

He slowly pulls her legs off his shoulders and drops her to her feet. She leans against his chest. "Mmm. You are good."

There's a knock on the door as she comes down thinking about breakfast. And smiling.

She peers out the window to see a man she doesn't know, dressed in a green jacket, with a police officer beside him. "Ma'am. Police. Open the door, please."

Surprised, she opens the door. "Good morning, Ms. Baker?" She nods. "We've had a report of a vicious dog at this location. And that he's bitten someone." Her eyes go wide. "We've come to remove the animal."

She almost stutters her reply. "I'm sorry. There's no dog here."

"I'd like to look around, if you don't mind."

She nods. Both the officer and the animal control officer step inside. Looking around, her eyes follow them.

"May I ask why there are dishes on the floor if there is no dog?"

"Well, officer, there was one here but he disappeared last night."

"I'd like to look in the garage, please."

"Of course." She gets the keys and leads them into the garage. After and inspection they return to the house.

Emmett walks down the stairs, hair wet, a towel around his hips.

"What's going on?"

The three turn to look at him, Lyssa looks relieved.

"Looking for the dog that bit a man here yesterday. Do you know where it is?"

"Haven't seen a dog here."

The officer looks at him a bit more closely. "And when did you arrive, Mr. ..?"

"Forester. Last night. Lyssa's a bit scared of her ex right now. He came in last night and hit the dog with a crowbar."

"I thought you didn't see a dog."

"I didn't. She told me what happened."

The officer turns to her. "Is this true?"

"Yes, sir." She steps back, looking at the crowbar on the living room floor.

The animal control officer speaks. "Could be why it ran off."

"And you left the crowbar there?"

"She was quite shaken. It was late. I got her calmed down and put her to bed. We've just recently woken."

"The neighbors have reported disturbances here the last couple of days. What's the boyfriend's name?"

"Ronnie Wilson."

The officer looks between the two of them as Emmett re-tucks the towel. Something didn't quite add up. It seemed too convenient.

"I see." A pause. "The dog was described as a grey shepherd mix, is that correct?"

Lyssa nods. "What about a license?"

"He only showed up Friday night. I didn't have time to get one yet."

Another look from the officer. "Did it hurt you at all?" She shakes her head. "Alright, ma'am. If it shows up here again or you see it, please give us a call."

Lyssa nods. "I will."

They exit the house.

The animal control officer says, "She's got it hidden somewhere. I'll keep checking back."

"I agree. And I think I'd better look at this Ronnie Wilson."

As Lyssa starts to speak Emmett raises a finger to quiet her.

He's listening, intently.

After the vehicles leave, he looks to her. "They're suspicious. Animal control is going to check back for the 'dog' and the police officer appears to want to investigate Ronnie."

"You could hear them?"

He nods. "Yes." Some of his hair falls into his eyes, which he pushes back. The towel starts to slip again.

She licks her lips as she watches him re-tuck it. "Umm. Uh. We need to get you some clothes. I don't think Ronnie's will fit you."

Emmett wrinkles his nose. "I will not wear anything with his scent." A breath. "If you will allow me the use of your phone, I can have some of my clothing here in about 45 minutes."

"Uh. OK."

As he turns to the phone, she watches the muscles move in his back. Realizing that she's staring at him again, she shakes herself. "Uh. What do you eat for breakfast?"

He smiles. "Steak. Eggs. Ham. Almost anything, as long as it isn't dry dog food."

She colors. "I , just..."

"Lyssa, I'm teasing. Normal breakfast foods that humans eat, just a bit more meat heavy. I can have breakfast brought, as well."

"Who are you?"

"That is going to take some explaining, sweetheart. Whatever you have is fine. "

She turns to the kitchen as he places the call.

... "Hello, Maggie?" ... "Is he very upset?" ... "Alright." ... "Please convey to him that I will see him soon." ... "I have a request. Please have Alex bring a couple of changes of clothing for me." ... "Normal wear." ... "1211 Summitt." ... "Thank you, Maggie."

He turns back as he sets the receiver down.

"Who's upset?"

He closes his eyes. "My Alpha. I have been remiss in my duties while I've been here."

"Alpha? Oh, right, the head of the ... are you in a pack?"

"Yes." She's started cooking bacon and he begins getting out plates and silverware. "We are lead by a pair of Alpha wolves. They lead the pack."

As he reaches up into the cabinet for plates, the towel slips onto the floor.

She stopped what she was doing. Ummm. Yummy.

He came back down and noticed her stare. He grabs the towel and turns to her. "We do need to talk, and it would help if you didn't look as if you wanted to eat me. Lyssa?"

"Hmm, what?"

"There are things we need to talk about." She takes a half step closer to him, drawn to him. Is this what they meant by animal magnetism?

"Lyssa? The bacon."

"Oh, uh, yeah." The bacon was starting to burn. She tends to it as he wraps the towel back around his hips.




Animal Lover Ch. 06



"The person that comes to the door with my things will also be a werewolf. I'm not completely certain who it will be, but you must not show fear. They will not be here long."

"Um. Oh. How many eggs?"

He smiles at her. "Half a dozen, if there are enough. Sunny side up."

She opens the carton. "Uh, yeah, there are." She starts cracking eggs. "So, OK, there's a guy in charge who isn't you. So, who are you?"

"I'm Beta of the pack."

"What's Beta?"

"Second in command. I carry out our Alpha's commands and take over much of the day to day duties."

"Such as?" She sets the plates on the table.

"Maintaining the house and grounds, keeping track of food and supplies, upkeep of vehicles, training lower ranks."

"Coffee?"

"Oh, god, yes."

She laughs and pours him a cup. The toast pops up and she brings over two slices, slides two more in, and sits.

"Emmett?"

"Hmm?" around a piece of bacon.

"How did I guess your name?"

He hesitates briefly and she looks at him. "We have some limited telepathic ability. When you started thinking about a name for me I just concentrated on it. You picked up on it. So much better than boy or Rex."

Her eyes widen. "Can you read my mind?"

He looks distant, as if listening to something far away. He shoots to his feet, knocking the chair over.

"Emmett? What's wrong?"

His voice is breathless. "The Alphas... They're coming." 



Animal Lover Ch. 08



Lyssa is silent still as Ariel and Joanna guide her inside the house and up the stairs to the third floor.

Individuals in various states of dress and various forms turn, put their heads up, and sniff as she passes by. A couple of youngsters follow them down the hall, giggling.

Lyssa is led into a gigantic suite. A huge bed dominates a far corner, decked in deep blue linens, with a door beyond. A large dresser sits against one wall, tall as she was, painted matte black. Fireplace. A large desk, surrounded by an office space, cabinets, books. A computer, with three screens, sat on the desk. Windows, bordered in deep blue curtains, overlooked a wooded glade. She turns further, a table and chairs, with some clothing draped over them.

The first words she has uttered since leaving her house now leave her lips. "Who's room is this?"

"Emmet's."

"I will NOT stay here!" She turns to the two of them, incensed.

Joanna is shocked that anyone would address her mother in such a manner and her claws begin to emerge. Ariel reaches her daughter's mind. [Don't, Jo. She is not pack born and is naive of our ways. If you hurt her Emmett will be most displeased.]

[But, mom...]

Ariel turns to Lyssa. "We have not had time to prepare for your arrival. This will be the safest place for you while when prepare a room. Please stay here while we make arrangements and I'll have your things brought up from the car."

"Didn't bring anything.", Lyssa mumbles.

"Whyever not?"

"Why should I? You're just gonna kill me, aren't you?"

Emmett grudgingly returned to the house. Shifting, he strides naked to the Alpha's study. Drawing himself up to full height, he says, "Emmett Forester, Beta of the Wyeth pack, reporting as ordered."

Frowning, Randall Wyeth turns to see the glowering countenance of his friend. So, this was how it was going to be.

He inhales, exhales. "Alison has had her pups. The naming ceremony will be at the next full moon."

"Of course."

"There's been a fire as Simpson's; he lost quite a bit of stock. We need to get a secondary source."

"As soon as possible."

"We need to discuss posting of the young males."

"Certainly, Alpha Wyeth."

"Reparations will need to be made to the Ross pack." Emmett nods, curtly. "And the Macey pack implicates you in the death of one of their pack members."

"A legitimate challenge, sir."

"That has yet to be determined."

There is a pause as Randall looks at him. "If that is all, Alpha, I shall attend to my duties."

"Erich did well in your absence."

"Good."

"Emmett, my friend, we intended no harm when we came to see the human."

"The result is the same. May I go?"

Another exhale from Randall. "Yes."

"Kill you? My dear, we do not kill indiscriminately. Have you done something to deserve such a fate?"

"Emmett said..."

"Jo. Please have Anton prepare a room while I speak to our guest."

Joanna looks doubtfully at her mother but leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Lyssa watches warily as the red haired Alpha bitch sat in a chair, crossed her luxuriously clad legs and gestured to another chair. "I'd rather stand."

"What has Emmett told you about us?"

"I already told you. Werewolves. Beta. Alphas."

"There has to be much more than that for your position to have changed so completely in these few hours." Lyssa glares at her. "It is because we visited, is it not?"

"Mostly."

"As I suspected. We, unfortunately, have little experience in dealing with humans as potential additions to the pack. We were curious as to the female who had captured Emmett's heart."

She clenches her fists and blinks her eyes against threatening tears. "He said it was a test." 

Ariel gives her a measured look. "I suppose it was, after a fashion. What else?"

"I asked if I had passed and he said, 'You're alive.'"

Ariel hides her amusement behind her hand. As if they would conceive of such a thing. "And how did the discussion go from there?"

Lyssa's chest is heaving. "He, he answered my questions. Told me he wanted me to be his mate. He let me think I had a choice."

Joanna hunts down Anton. "We need to have a room for the human woman Emmett has brought. Is there space available?"

"Did you have a specific area in mind?"

"Something toward the front of the house, on one of the lower floors."

"Hmm. I'll move Celia in with Constance."

"They'll love that, especially for a human."

"Give me an hour."

"Thank you, Anton."

As she makes her way to the office, the pack's nerve center, she sends a message to her mother. [Mom, Celia's room, in about an hour.]

[Thank you, dear. Please bring Stephanie back with you.]

[One stop, Mom, and I'll be there.]

She walks in and over to her father. Kissing him, she says, "Hey, Daddy, I wanna run something by you."

He listens, and nods. "I agree."

With the confidence borne of an adolescent's romantic view of the world, she walks over to Emmett, who's maintaining a low growl. The other wolves were giving him a wide berth.

"Emmmettt."

His eyes flash at her, then back to the screen before him. "Not now, girl. I have work to do."

"I talked to Daddy and we have an errand for you." [Don't tease him, Jo.]

Exasperated, he looks at her. "What?"

Her face takes on a wounded look and she begins to pout. "OK, if you don't want to help.." She turns away.

Emmett was like an uncle to her and he had a soft spot for her, but he was in no mood for games.

"Joanna." He does not see her smirk. "I apologize. What is it you want?"

"Well, Lyssa said (he sucks in a breath at the mention of her name) that she didn't bring anything from home. There's gotta be something she'd really miss. We want you to go get it."

"Someone else could collect her things."

"Nobody else would know what she'll miss if she lost it. Please, Emmett. C'mon."

"Fine." He exhales. "Not that it makes any sense."

"Goody." She gives him a peck on the cheek. "Think about it a while before you go."

[Take her car back and have someone else pick you up.]

[Of course, Randall.] The growl continues.

"We all have a choice, my dear."

"Come here or die. Not much of a choice."

"And is that the only reason you've come to us?"

"I don't want to die."

"And that is your only reason?"

"Yes!"

"Really? You weren't curious about us?"

Lyssa stops, narrowing her eyes at the bitch.

Ariel steels herself against the offensive behavior. The chair arm under her hand begins to groan. "And, how did you find Emmett?"

"I found him, hurt, on my back porch. I, I helped him. I thought he was an injured dog."

Ariel smiled again. It was very doubtful Emmett needed such help. "Do you know how he came to be injured?"

"No. I figured he was fighting with another dog."

Another pause in the conversation. Ariel waits for a question. Lyssa flops into an armchair. Ariel continues on.

"Emmett has distinguished himself in the pack. His hard work and dedication have elevated his status and that of his family. And he has endeared himself to us. Joanna counts him as a favorite and he has shown a love for her."

Lyssa grumbles. "Why doesn't he just marry her then? Why did he bother me?"

"You misunderstand. He sees her as a beloved niece."

"We've waited a long time for him to find his mate."

Lyssa jumps up again. "I don't want to be his mate." She spits out the word. "I don't want to be here. Stop torturing me. Why don't you just kill me already?"

Joanna and Stephanie walk in in the middle of the tirade. Stephanie raises an eyebrow and scents the air but makes no comment.

"Madam Alpha, you've requested my presence?"

Ariel rises fluidly from the chair. "Yes, Stephanie, thank you. This is Lyssa Baker. I want you to escort her around the grounds. She will be moved into Celia's room for the duration."

[As she is human and not pack born, she is likely to give offense. You are to protect her from the others,] "show her around, and escort her wherever she goes." [Be aware of the unmated males.] "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madam Alpha."

"I don't need a babysitter."

Ariel strides over to stand before her. Lyssa looks her in the eye, not backing down. Stephanie and Joanna tense. [You see?] Stephanie nods. Ariel exhales.

"Stephanie will protect you from the consequences of your faux pas, until you learn our ways."

"I'm not staying here!"

"As you said before, dear, you have little choice."

"Can I help, Mom?"

"Is your homework done?"

She hangs her head. "Gotta finish my calculus."

Lyssa glances over, open mouthed. "One half hour, before you may join them, as long as you have time to finish this evening."

Joanna quickly kisses her mother and dashes out. "Thanks, Mom."

"Stephanie." Stephanie turns to Ariel. "Please show Lyssa your wolven form before you start out, that she may recognize you if the need arises."

"Madam Alpha?"

"She cannot recognize you by scent."

Emmett has wracked his brain for something she might really want but failed to come up with anything. He resigned himself to searching her house. It was beginning to get dark.

He pulled in to her garage and shut the car off as the door rattled down. He looked around the garage. Lawnmower. Rototiller. Tools. Garbage cans. Freezer.

He exits the car, sniffs, and looks around further.

Nothing out here.

In the backyard there is a statuette under a tree and her garden. There was nothing on her back porch. Well, except for the bowl of water she had left for him.

Inside the house. No need to turn on the lights as he could see quite well in the dark. Kitchen, mudroom, desk. He went through the drawers. Bills, writing materials, her high school yearbook. That she might want, so he pulled it out.

He walked upstairs. Her scent was stronger here and he inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and felt a tightness in his chest. Best to get this done.

The bathroom. Nothing of note in the cabinet.

He steeled himself to go into the bedroom. The closet held clothing, as did the dresser. The top held candles and a couple of small pewter figurines.

There wasn't much jewelry. None of it made sense to him.

Leaving the room, he glances at the hamper and a splash of red catches his eye. It was the red bra and panties he had watched her put on for Ronnie.

The second bedroom held boxes and the dust on them indicated they were rarely disturbed. Two, however, showed signs of regular inspection.

He opened them and, after examining the contents, found items he thought were relevant.

Stephanie is a brown wolf with green eyes. Her forelimbs are lighter in color, as are her ears. A dark stripe of fur runs down her spine and tail.

Lyssa is amazed at how readily the woman strips naked and changes in front of her.

"Please come with me." Stephanie gestures, and Lyssa is brought to the roof of the building, taking stairs up from the fifth floor.

There was a parapet around the edge and Stephanie led her there. On the way to a corner, they pass a couple vigorously fucking. She was astride him, bouncing up and down, her small breasts jiggling with her movements. He held her hips, caressing them.

Stephanie simply stepped around them while Lyssa gaped. She stared, mouth open.

The woman showed her teeth at Lyssa.

Stephanie took her hand. "Don't stare, you're upsetting her."

Lyssa passes by as the man reaches for his partner's breasts.

"The property has been in the family for decades, 630 acres of meadows and woodland, wonderful to run on, full of prey. The full range of the pack, however, is larger."

"Do you all live here?"

"Most do, particularly the young ones and the pups. But some have property outside of the den. They normally don't stay away long."

"No?"

"No one can stand to be away from the pack for very long." A doubled howl indicates the couple has found their climax.

"Come."

"Wait. What's that?" Lyssa points to a clearing, rounded, with stones set in, and dirt exposed at the center.

Stephanie looks at her, thinking. "Nothing that should concern you. Come."

Lyssa is shown the dining hall, the recreation hall, the exercise hall, the gardens. Then, around the back of the house, down the stairs and beyond heavily fortified doors is the medical ward, the nursery, and its maternity ward.

A wolf lays on her side nursing pups. "Alison had her pups two days ago." Alison bares her teeth at Lyssa.

"Are you..? Are you all born that way?"

"Not all, but the vast majority." Young children are being taught in the back corner of the nursery. Others, screaming and squealing, are chasing each other around, naked as the day they were born.

Then again, maybe not.

A small boy stops abruptly in front of them. "She smells funny. Is she a strange wolf?"

"No, Paul, this is a human."

"Oh. Why is she here?"

"Emmett brought her."

"Oh." And he changes to a wolfling, dark in color, and takes off after the others.

Stephanie takes her to the store room and collects some clothing for Lyssa then shows her to her room.

"Please do not leave the room until I come to get you for dinner. It would be unwise of you to try to walk the corridors alone."

Lyssa could imagine not. She had seen many strange things as they walked around. Large wolves fighting in one room, snarling, bleeding. Wolves chasing each other through the corridors, tumbling, and coming up fucking. People walking around, some naked, others clothed, all turning their heads to look at her, sniffing. Couples kissing and fondling one another. Children stared openly and followed them.

She'd been dropped into a hedonistic den of canids.

Joanna had helped her pick out some clothing from the store room. It was huge. Apparently they went through a lot of clothes.

She chattered almost incessantly as she went through the clothing, bringing things over to Lyssa and having her try things on, her light brown hair bouncing down aisles and into cabinets. Stephanie had spent the time frowning slightly.

Joanna was 16, and third in line for Alpha. She talked about Emmett, a lot. There was obviously an infatuation there. But she also kept talking about how happy she was that he had found her and that she hoped they would be great friends.

The clothes lay on a chair, ignored now, as she sat on the green clad single bed and debated on how much she cared about any of it.

Emmett went back to his room and stopped dead as he entered, sniffing.

[Ariel], he growls through the mental connection, [why did you bring her here?]

The Alpha female stops what she is doing and turns. [We had to ready a room for her. This we did not anticipate. Is there a problem?]

[No.], he grumbles.

Her scent hangs in the air.

He placed the things he had brought from her house on his desk as his eyes flicked to the clock. Almost time for dinner.

He was surprised to find her seated at the the Alpha's table and almost turned around. But, if she was going to stay there he would have to put up with her presence in the den.

She shot him a glare as he sits at the other side of Randall and his eldest son, Roland.

Announcements are made and she was introduced. Joanna chattered away next to her as the meal progressed.

There was meat, lots of it. Rare, the way she liked it. There were also potatoes, rice, salad, vegetables. And a dessert. While Lyssa mostly picked at her food the others all ate a substantial amount. The plates were essentially empty by the time they were cleared.

Toward the end of the meal, Thomas sauntered over, put a hand on her shoulder, and bent down to say something to her.

He abruptly found himself on the ground, on his back, with Emmett's teeth at his throat.

Thomas lay there rather limply as blood began to run down the sides of his neck.

[She carries no mark. She does not sit beside you. I have done nothing wrong.]

[Find someone else to lavish your attention on.]

[Emmett.]

He sighs and changes back to human form as Randall's voice enters his mind. He looks up to find Lyssa striding from the room with Stephanie in her wake.

Emmett stands, sweeps the room with a glare, and stalks back to his own room.

Emmett sits in his room, at his desk, not looking at the screens before him. How had it all gone so wrong?

Lyssa curls up on the bed, wondering what had become of her life. She was supposed to go back to work the next day.

Emmett sleeps little, although he does pull the chair cushion on to the bed. The one she had been sitting on.

Lyssa slept barely at all, cold, with only a light blanket to cover her. Apparently, wolves didn't mind the cold.

The next morning dawns with both grumpy.

Joanna was torn as to who to go fetch. She ended up thinking that Lyssa could probably use her support moreso than Emmett.

"Lyssa, you look terrible."

"Slept like crap. It was too cold."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Lyssa makes no response. Joanna grabs her and shakes her lightly. "We're not really familiar with with the needs of humans. You need to tell us."

Lyssa sighs and turns disinterested eyes on her. "Doesn't really matter."

"C'mon, get dressed. It's time for breakfast."

She ate, sitting beside Joanna again. Thomas smirks at her from across the hall. He was shorter than Emmett, stocky, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Joanna catches her glancing at him periodically.

As the meal ends, Joanna pulls her aside, "If you want to kill him, that would be the way."

Lyssa ignores the comment. "I should be at work. They'll miss me."

"I'm sorry, we can't do anything about that." Joanna looks a bit ashamed about the next question. "Will your, um, family, miss you?"

"No." Joanna gives her a sad look.

"I've been given permission to teach you about us."

"Great."

Emmett takes his breakfast in his room, glancing periodically at Lyssa's things. He should probably get them to her sometime soon.

[Emmett.]

He wipes his mouth with his napkin. [On my way.]

The morning was filled with meetings, mundane things, where to position the adolescent males.

Lunch was bolted quickly and he grabbed Erich and Alex for some sparring.

He overpowers them quickly, both individually and together until, bruised and bloody, both of them called for a halt. "Jeez, Em. You really need another outlet for that energy."

That afternoon Lyssa begs time for a nap and returns to her room to find a number of large, soft blankets at the foot of the bed. She gratefully grabs two and curls up beneath them, quickly falling asleep.

Joanna hunts down Emmett, who's in the command center with Erich.

She sneaks up behind him, ruffles his hair, and nips his ear. "Hey, Em."

He jerks in the seat and the chair tips over, dumping him gracelessly on the floor.

A growl rumbles in his chest and Joanna giggles uncontrollably.

She doubles over, tears coming to her eyes as he jumps up. "Emmettt... That was..."

Even Erich can't resist a chuckle.

"Joanna..", he growls.

She skips backwards, a hand over her mouth, still giggling.

He rips through his clothes and leaps at her. She shifts and takes off.

Stephanie again escorts Lyssa to dinner. In the stairwell they pass the couple they had seen going at it on the roof.

He has her against the wall as he plunges into her from below. Her nails are cutting into his shoulders, drawing blood. Her legs are wrapped around him, heels crossed over his clenching buttocks. She's growling. He's groaning.

"Don't those two ever come up for air?"

"She's in estrus." Lyssa looks at her, confused. "They're making pups."

"Oh. Uh, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"The guy on the other side of the room. The one who came over to talk to me. Who is he?"

"Thomas is an Omega of the Cantrell family. He works in the infirmary. He is known to be quite the lothario."

"Huh?"

"He'll fuck anything that'll stand still long enough."




Animal Lover Ch. 08



Lyssa screws up her face as two wolves rush by and she is nearly knocked down.

Stephanie grabs her to steady her as the chase ends. A very familiar grey wolf pins a smaller, cream colored one.

Emmett stands over Joanna, a large paw on her chest.

"God, Emmett, what the hell is wrong with you? Attacking a little girl?"

She stalks off to the dining hall, leaving three thoroughly confused wolves behind.

Emmett snarls and heads for the front door.

[Where are you going?]

[Hunting.]

[I don't get it. You've fought for so much. Why aren't you fighting for her?]

[Tired of it.]

[Riiight.]

[Leave me be, Jo, you're not helping.]

She sighs and walks to her place at the dinner table, utterly unconcerned about her nudity.

Lyssa sits beside her and begins to look longer at Thomas, who licks his lips at the sight of her watching him.

Thomas looks across the room at Emmett's bitch. Dark hair, dark brown eyes, breasts, high and firm, that would about fill his palms. Mmm, nice. A nice ass with hips just made to grab ahold of. His dick stiffened just thinking about it. Hot. Wet. Tight.

Since she wasn't marked he was betting Emmett hadn't been there yet. He was such a traditionalist about some things.

He had been pissed off enough when he'd gone over to talk to her, what would Emmett do if he got there first?

Emmett wasn't around. It was a great opportunity.

Emmett runs down a small deer. Growling, snarling, he tears out its throat, then begins to feed. Warm, thick blood filled his mouth and covered his muzzle.

Gobbets of flesh slid down his throat.

Sated, he went for a run. A long one.

And, as he ran, he began to think.

Of how much he wanted a mate, and pups. Of how much he wanted her.

A number of females, from a couple of packs, had paraded their tails before him. He'd spent time with a few, to their mutual satisfaction, but none had interested him enough that he would mate with them.

One of the reasons he hadn't fully taken Lyssa was that that he thought that, if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from marking her. Then she'd have no choice at all.

She was mad, and rightfully so, as he'd endangered her life by his plans to bring her into the pack, to make her his own. But, it wasn't as if there was a roadmap for this sort of thing. The last human brought into the pack was over 20 years ago.

Should he have Jeremy talk to her? Or Anna?

Damn. He should just go back to the house and cover her in his scent.

Randall had apologized to him... That meant they pretty much accepted her... That they had no real opposition to bringing her into the pack... That, that, he might actually have a chance with her.

She'd been here a bit more than a day now. Ariel had to have someone teaching her about the pack, structure, behaviors.

How could he approach her now?

Could they start over? Go back?

As dinner ends Lyssa lingers and Thomas walks over to the table. "So, come here often?"

Lyssa looks at him, and bursts out laughing. Through the chortling, she gets out, "Could you come out with a cornier line?"

Stephanie huffs as they start walking back to Lyssa's room. "Do we need a chaperone?"

The regularly fucking couple is wrapped around each other, locked together.

"The Madam Alpha assigned me to watch over her. I'm not going anywhere."

He takes Lyssa by the elbow as they walk up the stairs. "So, what do you think of our den?"

They talk of light subjects on the way to her room, walking slowly.

At the door he turns her slowly toward him and puts a hand on her cheek. She looks up into hazel eyes and his face comes closer, and she accepts his kiss.

He then takes her face, and presses the kiss deeper, his tongue in her mouth. His left hand slides down, brushes over her breast, over her waist. He grabs her ass and yanks her closer to him.

She can feel the thickness of his dick against her belly. He groans and she moans lightly. Fur begins to sprout on his arms.

Joanna is coming down for a visit, having dressed, and sees what is going on.

[Stephanie!] [Thomas, let her go.]

[Not doing anything wrong, little one.]

"Enough, Thomas. Move on, now." Stephanie grabs his arm.

Joanna grabs Lyssa, to pull her away. "Hey!"

Stephanie pulls Thomas away and Joanna pulls Lyssa to her room. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing? You're here for Emmett. Why are you doing this to him?"

"Emmett? Emmett got me into this. If you haven't noticed, he hasn't come anywhere near me. Why should he care?"

"I thought you didn't want to be here, now I find you making out with the local Casanova?"

"I'm stuck here, aren't I? Why can't I have a good time?"

"I don't believe you. You have no idea what he's given up for you, do you?"

"Oh, please. I'm the one who's lost her job, probably her house. What did he lose?"

Joanna looks at her. "You really don't know, do you?"

"What?"



Animal Lover Ch. 09



Sorry it's been a while but I've been writing this one longhand before posting and it took a sudden turn on me. This chapter's a little longer to make up for it. Following chapter should come sooner.

KemMyst

*********

A light is seen at the back corner of Lyssa's house.

A police car driving by notes an F250 truck with a license plate of interest down the block from her house. The officer relays the information to the station and gets out of his car. He pounds on the door and receives no answer.

The house is dark, but for the flickering light at the back.

A dark form runs from the back of the house.

She lay in the small bed that night, covered in blankets, warm, but still awake. So many things were running through her head.

Thirty six hours and she was beginning to feel comfortable here. She liked Joanna, even though her mother acted like a royal bitch.

There were a lot of people here and they all seemed to be pretty close. Children running around. It really was like one big family.

She could find friends here.

The pack pulled together, care for, and protected each other.

Joanna had, with little tact, explained some important things to her tonight. She had to decide if she would formally join the pack, if she would submit to being changed to a werewolf. But the pack also had to accept her.

If she refused she had no protection at all, since she would not be a pack member. That was why Stephanie was assigned to watch over her. To protect her from the others, who were stronger than her, and to explain and allow for any unusual behavior on her part, until she had a better sense of how to act.

But, her entry to the pack would not be simple.

As a turned human and a new wolf, she would have no rank. She would be below even the Omegas.

Matings were generally between wolves of similar rank, as the rank of the couple, and their pups, depended on both. So, while a mating with Emmett would elevate her status, it would pull him down.

Joanna was right. Of course. He had a lot to lose with her. If status was that important to them and, apparently it was, why would he want her?

She could only think of one reason.

He had made her feel safe and secure when they were at her house, the last time she had felt that way had been before her family died.

This was one big family in the den, a family she could be a part of.

No one would hurt her here.

Warm, comfortable, she finally falls asleep.

Emmett returns to the den late, passing wolves engaged in various activities.

He trots to his room as a familiar voice touches his mind.

[You're gonna lose her if you wait much longer.]

[Go 'way, Jo.]

[OK, Mr. Miserable, be that way.]

That was it. No more prodding or cajoling, she just stopped 'speaking' to him.

Thomas looked hungrily at her the next morning but his own duties called him away. She felt a bit uncomfortable with the looks he gave her.

Stephanie took her to Joanna's room after the meal.

Joanna was almost vibrating with excitement. "What's going on?"

"Big party. The twins' naming ceremony is today."

"Which twins?"

"You saw them. Alison and Anthony's new pups. They're so cute. Today we get to find out their names and accept them into the pack."

"Isn't that automatic?"

"Pretty much, but it's still a good time. And we get to celebrate."

"So, who's invited?"

"Everyone. The whole pack. It'll happen just before dinner cuz we get to eat afterward."

"Oh. So it's a big deal then. Will I be keeping Stephanie from going?"

"I talked to Mom and Dad. As long as you stay on the outside, and don't do anything stupid, they think you should watch."

"OK, what's stupid?"

Joanna explains the ceremony to her and the activities that follow. Lyssa is a little shocked and a little appalled.

There's a huge bouquet of red roses on her bedside table when she returns to her room. She frowns. Emmett. It was too much.

Emmett finds something in the local news that keeps him away at lunch. He spends a lot of time reading and tracking down additional information.

He is both unnerved and saddened by what he's found.

Joanna, bouncing, leads Lyssa to the back of the hallway which is overlooked by a small balcony beside the grand staircase. Stephanie trails, as usual, and stands beside her.

As the hall begins to fill, Emmett approaches Lyssa, holding a single pale pink rose. As he offers it to her, he says, "Lyssa, there's something I need to tell you."

"This is a bit much, Emmett."

He looks confused and a small commotion attracts everyone's attention. [Emmett.]

"I've gotta go. I'll explain later."

She frowns as he heads up the stairs to take his place.

The proud parents present their twins as Tanya and Troy. Ariel and Randall examine the pups thoroughly, pronounce them sound, and accept them into the pack.

Emmett performs his own examination, getting a little growl from Troy which prompts laughter from the group. He concurs with the Alphas' assessment, and accepts the pups.

The rest of the pack adults, which Lyssa estimates to be about 40, then intone the line indicating their acceptance of the new pack members.

"We hereby accept Tanya and Troy as members of the Wyeth pack. All members are charged to teach them and keep them safe. We now celebrate these two new lives. Men, let us hunt!"

The men all strip down and change to wolves. Lyssa's familiar grey Emmett stands beside a very large dark brown wolf. Randall bolts down the stairs with Emmett at his heels. The rest of the males follow out the open front door.

Ariel and Alison bring the pups down the stairs. All the females touch or stroke the little ones as they pass.

A loose knot of women form around Alison and her pups, hugging, kissing, sniffing. After several more minutes of congratulations and admiration of the new pups, Ariel makes an announcement. "Ladies! Let us prepare for the successful return of our men!" 

Almost as one, the women strip naked and change to wolf.

Ariel, a cream colored wolf with red across her back and haunches, leads female wolves of various sizes and colors out the open front door.

Stephanie looks longingly after them.

Lyssa looks at her. "You don't have to stay in here with me."

Stephanie looks back, considering. "I have orders to watch you."

"No, really." Stephanie plants her feet and crosses her arms over her chest. "OK, then, why don't we go outside?"

"You could be hurt."

"There's gotta be a place I can sit that's out of the way.

Stephanie chews her lip. "Alright, come with me. And, do not move from where I place you."

Lyssa nods.

Stephanie strips and changes to wolf.

She walks slowly out the front door, with Lyssa at her side, toward the stone circle Lyssa had noticed a couple of days prior.

Stephanie noses her to a little hummock off to one side and she sits. It was cool out here.

Stephanie sits beside her as they both watch two wolves fighting in the circle.

Lyssa gasped. There was snarling, circling, attacking. Teeth and claws out.

One wolf would be pinned, sometimes bleeding. Then those two would move off and another pair would take their place.

Stephanie stands and moves forward a couple of steps.

While Thomas has run out with the men, he circles back, called by the opportunity to get Lyssa alone.

Several howls go up in the distance.

The females all stop, and howl their reply.

Stephanie moves forward another couple of paces.

Thomas has skirted the area, found Lyssa, and now sees his chance.

Shifting to his hybrid form, he pads up behind her and grabs her.

Her slight shriek is lost behind the large hand over her mouth and the howling of the pack.

She struggles as he carries her off.

Randall and Emmett return first, each with a large buck. Both howl as they throw down their kills.

Ariel rushes up to Randall, rubs against his side, and licks his muzzle. She then rips open a leg and tastes both blood and flesh.

Several Omegas come up, on their bellies, and are allowed to take the deer away for preparation.

Randall is hard and dripping. Ariel touches his nose with hers, flicks her tail, and runs. He howls and takes off after her.

Emmett looks around the circle as some of the other males bring back their kills. [Stephanie, where is Lyssa?]

Stephanie turns and yelps in surprise. Sniffing around the area, she catches the scent of [Thomas] and takes off after him.

Emmett leaps over her and she cowers, tail between her legs. Emmett growls at her. [Mine.]

Ariel is only the first mated female to lead her mate on a chase through the woods.

He had proven himself worthy in one manner; he now had to prove his worth in another. He had to catch her.

She wanted him, wanted him badly. His prowess had inflamed her desire for him. But, as Alpha and wolf, she would not allow him to just take her. And so, she ran.

Winding around trees, over fallen limbs, through a small gorge. She worked around back toward the circle went he caught her.

Randall watched the smaller cream-red wolf in front of him, trying to gauge her movements. He was a bit distracted by her scent, but, oh, the prize that awaited him. [Mate. I almost have you.]

Nothing. She knew what he was trying to do and was having none of it.

There. A turn back toward the circle. He leapt an outcropping and tumbled her.

Moving quickly, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She twisted, trying to get away.

He straddled her, grasping her ruff more tightly, and he felt her melt beneath him.

She crouched slightly and cocked her tail to one side. He immediately pushed forward, spearing into her with one thrust.

Wolven sex was generally rougher. He growled at her every time she shifted slightly. He pounded into her as his knot began to grow. He forced it inside her and she yelped and panted. After a few more minutes of shallower thrusting, he howls his completion. The force of his seed spilling into her brings her to climax as well. Her howl is closer to a low moan of pleasure.

Thomas has pulled her into a small thicket, the center cleared but surrounded by briars. He releases her and she screams and runs. He grabs her before she gets two steps, a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist. "What's wrong, little one? You were willing yesterday. I'm sure we can find something pleasant to do."

She bites him. "Let me go."

He puts her at arm's length and slaps her.

Her ears ringing, her face stinging, she listens in horror as his claws close around her neck. "Quiet! You have no status here. I'm sure Joanna has taught you about rank."

She glares at him. "You will submit to me or I will tear your throat out. Since you aren't part of the pack I doubt I would even be punished."

Her croak of protest is lost in the sounds of a forest no longer silent.

Her hands futilely pull against the one around her throat.

His claws make short work of the jacket and shirt she is wearing. He growls and licks his lips as he looks at her heaving breasts.

He watches as the tips harden up in the cold and his free hand captures one.

"Randall", she croaks, squirming.

"Randall will not interfere. He's busy with his bitch right now."

Thomas neatly slices through the front of her bra, releasing her breasts to his eyes. He takes a nipple into his mouth and sucks and bites on it, while flicking the other with a claw.

She jerks and cries at the pain. "Emmett."

The hand holding her breast drops to her crotch and he strokes her through her jeans. "Has he been here yet, little one?" Her eyes open wide. "No. I see he has not." He brings her face closer to his, baring his canines.

"Well, he won't be able to satisfy you, after I'm done with you. And I doubt he'll want you, when I'm done."

[EMmettt!!]

He rips her jeans off. Blood begins to well from scratches on her legs and she whimpers at the pain.

He pulls her close now and whispers in her ear. "Do you feel that? It'll be inside you soon. I am so looking forward to this." His hard dick throbs between their bodies. His claws cut into her buttocks.

Now, pushing her away again, he leans forward and bites down on her right breast, breaking the skin. He licks the blood from the wound and throws her to the ground. Her breath is knocked out of her.

"Mine, now."

Grey fur mixes with skin as Thomas is sent sprawling into the briars.

Her familiar grey wolf stands between them.

[Stephanie, take her to Wade. Get her a dressing gown. Then take her to my room if I'm not back.]

[But...]

[Do as I say!]

Stephanie changes to her hybrid form and picks up a distraught Lyssa. She quickly turns and runs toward the house. [Wade. Den. The human is injured.]

Thomas comes up, bristling. He is a stocky, powerfully built brown wolf.

[The circle. Now!]

[My thoughts exactly, Em.]

The two males race to the stone circle, snarling at each other along the way.

Emmett issues his challenge as they enter and Thomas answers. Several heads turn their way and others begin to take notice as the two males begin to circle each other.

[So, she's mine if I beat you?]

[Never. She's mine. This is for hurting her. For thinking you had any right to touch her.]

[She's not pack and not marked. Makes her fair game.]

[She's not and you know it!]

[She was up for a little rough and tumble anyway. After all, you haven't talked to her, let alone touched her since you brought her here.]

[Then why did she scream my name?]

Emmett launches himself at Thomas as the other is shocked by that question. She couldn't have, she wasn't wolf. He was lying.

Emmett opens a gash on his shoulder as Thomas rolls, throwing Emmett off and coming up on his feet again.

They've sparred before and are fairly evenly matched, however, Emmett feels the fight much more keenly. Thomas had trespassed on his territory and hurt her. Thomas was primarily defending his actions and looking for a plaything.

Other wolves have now come up on the outskirts of the circle to watch the fight.

The men close again, mouths open, snarling and snapping.

Joanna has come out a side door at the sounds of the challenge and looks around. Emmett and Thomas in the circle. Stephanie and Lyssa were not in sight.

[Mom. Dad. It's Emmett and Thomas.]

The lazy reply comes back. [Their business, sweetie.]

[Lyssa's not here.]

[Probably... inside.]

Any other wolf without scheduled duties was watching the fight.

Joanna heads back into the house to look for Lyssa and Stephanie.

Wade beats them to the infirmary. Lyssa watches a grey wolf shoot past them. "Emmett?"

Stephanie's voice sounds odd, rougher. "No. That's Wade, our.. healer."

She sets Lyssa on a table and she whimpers at the pain in her legs.

Wade is a rather small man, with hazel eyes and wavy hair. "Doesn't look bad. Why am I here?"

"She's a human."

"Oh, right, right." He turns to grab some cloths and a basin. "We'd barely even bother with something like this."

He dabs at the marks on her neck and looks over her body. "My, my." He notices the teeth marks on her breast. "Thomas, was it?"

"Yes."

Wade rests a hand on her arm. "Goodness, you're cold."

He looks at her legs. "Mmm. Some of these are a bit deep. You'll have some scars, dear, but everything should be healed up in a day or two."

"Again, healer, human."

"Oh, yes. Then I suppose it will be longer."

Joanna has run through the house, looking for Lyssa, and finally picked up the scent that led her to the infirmary.

Lyssa has her arms wrapped around herself, teeth chattering.

"She's cold! Why didn't someone get her a blanket?"

"Don't have them here."

"Stephanie..."

[I failed, I won't leave her alone again.]

"Fine." Joanna takes off.

[Emmett said to get her a dressing gown and put her in his room.]

[I'll get it.] A pause. [It was Thomas, wasn't it.]

[Yes.]

Joanna comes back down and throws a robe around Lyssa, then a blanket.

"Lyssa. Lyssa?" Lyssa looks at her. "What would you normally clean wounds with?"

"I don't know. Umm. Peroxide. Uh. Betadine. Maybe alcohol."

Wade looks at Joanna. "Why would we need any of those?"

"Their bodies work differently, healer. Do we have any of them?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps the cabinet."

Joanna finds a bottle of old peroxide and an almost empty bottle of alcohol in the cabinet.

Picking them up, she turns back. "Healer, I'll tend to her."

"Are you certain, dear? I could.."

"Since it isn't bad, I can do it. I think she'll feel better if I do."

"Really? Oh, well, then, by all means."

Thomas managed a quick leap onto one of the stones and hit Emmett from above.

Emmett went down on his knees with Thomas' weight as Thomas grabbed his ruff.

[Hey, you could be my bitch.]

Emmett growls and slams Thomas against the stone he jumped from, dislodging him.

They break apart and circle again.

[She kissed me outside her room last night.]

Startled, Emmett stumbles, and Thomas is on him again.

Lyssa winces and yelps as peroxide is poured into the scratches on her legs.

Stephanie stands by, impassive.

"I thought you didn't hurt women here."

Joanna looks up from her task. "No, Dad doesn't allow it."

"Then what happened?"

Joanna huffs. "Like I told you last night. You have no rank. You have no status in the pack because you aren't a member of the pack. That's why Mom assigned Stephanie to you."

"So. What he said is true. Anyone could hurt me, kill me, and they wouldn't be punished?"

"Some may think so but I doubt Dad'll see it that way. Unless you don't want to stay with us?" Lyssa just looks at her, angry, upset.

"I see." Joanna sighs. "I thought you were starting to like it here."

Lyssa grits her teeth. "Can you blame me?"

"I like you, Lyssa. I want you to stay."

"What is there here for me? Emmett doesn't..."

Stephanie speaks up. "Emmett realized you were missing, tracked you down, got Thomas off you. He's fighting for you right now."

"But.. he.. I don't get it."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Lyssa bites her lip. "I'll get it." She reaches for the peroxide and the cloth.

"Just tell me where it is."

Lyssa slowly, almost fearfully, peels back the robe.

Joanna looks horrified, then schools her expression and carefully dabs at the marks on Lyssa's breast. Lyssa sucks in a breath at the pain. "Is that it?" Lyssa nods.

"OK. Stephanie, let's get her up to the room."

[Emmett said to put her in his room.]

Joanna smiles. [OK. Good.]

Thomas rakes his teeth down Emmett's shoulder. Emmett, in turn, manages to rake his claws down the inside of Thomas' leg.

Thomas, now unbalanced because of the leg, skips sideways.

Emmett rams him and knocks him over. Then gets his teeth around Thomas' throat.

[Submit] Emmett growls.

Thomas writhes, struggling to free himself.

[Submit, now.]

[She's not pack. She's not marked. You have no right.]

[Thomas. Submit. Or I will come down there to deal with you myself.]

Thomas goes still beneath Emmett's jaws at Randall's command.

Emmett growls again [Do you submit?]

Thomas grinds his teeth. [Yes.]

Emmett lets Thomas up as Randall and Ariel come into the circle, smelling of sex.

[Alright, explain to me what has happened.]

[He..]

[He..]

[One at a time. Thomas, begin.]

[She kissed me last night, outside her room. So, I pulled her away today to see if we could further our relationship.] Emmett maintains a low growl.

[Anything else?]

[Emmett hunted us down and knocked me off of her. Stephanie took her away and we came here.]


[I discovered Lyssa was not with Stephanie. Stephanie was startled by her absence. We found the track with Thomas' scent and went after them. Just before I came on them, she screamed my name in her mind.] [Liar.]




Animal Lover Ch. 09



[She went with Stephanie willingly, to the healer, and we came to the circle.]

[She's injured?]

[Nothing to make a fuss about.]

[Thomas, humans are much more fragile than we are.] Ariel replied.

[Stephanie!]

[Yes, Madam Alpha.]

[Where are you?]

[Taking the human to Emmett's room. Joanna is with me.]

[Leave her there with Joanna. Then come to the circle.]

Stephanie winces at the tone. [Yes, Madam Alpha.]

[What are her injuries?]

[Scratches on both legs, claw marks on her neck, a bite on her right breast, a bruise on her face.]

Emmett is seething. [He went after my mate, I have the right..]

Thomas is just as adamant. [She had no mark. She isn't pack...]

Randall's reply thunders in their minds. [ENOUGH.]

Thomas rolls to his back; Emmett sinks to his belly.

[My punishment hinges on what she says.]

Thomas' voice trembles. [But, she's not pack.]

Randall snarls at Thomas, who whimpers and sinks back down.

Stephanie looks at Joanna as they get to Emmett's door. "I've been summoned. Will you watch her?"

"Sure." Joanna shifts to her hybrid form and takes Lyssa into Emmett's room, to the bathroom.

"We really should get his scent off you if you're here."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Emmett said to." She looks at Lyssa. "Do you want to go to Thomas' room?"

"No!" The answer comes quickly. Lyssa looks at the enormous shower. "I would feel better clean."

"Alright, then. Do you need help?"

"No."

[Joanna, I'm coming to speak with Lyssa.]

[Give it about 10 minutes Dad. She's cleaning up and humans are funny about nudity.]

She hears her father sigh through the bond. [Ten minutes, then.]

Joanna pulls the discarded clothes from the floor and drops them outside Emmett's door. [May. There is laundry outside of Emmett's door that needs to be cleaned.]

[I'll send Cassie up for it.]

[Thank you.]

Joanna goes into Emmett's closet and pulls out a warm robe. She takes it into the bathroom where she finds Lyssa furiously, yet gingerly, scrubbing herself clean.

After the second cleaning, Joanna speaks up. "I don't think your skin will take much more."

Lyssa stops, startled, and just stands in the spray for a time. She then turns off the water, and stands. "What's going to happen to me?"

"Dad wants to ask you some questions but it's mostly up to you."

"What?"

"You'll probably want to get dressed."

Lyssa dries off, leaving a couple of bloody spots on the towel, and slips into the proffered bathrobe. "My clothes.."

"No time for that, Dad's on his way. Come on."

Joanna puts Lyssa on the couch and pulls a blanket out for her, when there's a knock on the door. "Come in, Dad."

Joanna sits beside Lyssa and takes her hand.

Randall Wyeth enters the room, dressed in navy slacks and a light blue button down shirt. He exudes the same charisma and air of authority she had seen at her house. The picture is slightly marred, however, by his lack of shoes.

He strides over to the seating area and drops into a chair with the same grace she had seen in Ariel.

Lyssa grips Joanna's hand tightly. "Turn it down a notch, Dad, you're scaring her."

Randall exhales. "I've come to find out what happened. Did you sneak away from Stephanie?"

"No. No, I didn't. It wasn't her fault."

"She was told to watch out for you. She failed to do so."

"But.. but.. are you going to hurt her?"

"Her punishment will hinge partially on your statement. Tell me what happened."

Emmett's words come back to her. 'Don't lie.' Joanna pats her hand.

"She didn't want to take me outside but I wanted to see what was happening. So I said there had to be some place out of the way." Randall does not look pleased. "She brought me out to the side and told me to stay where she put me." He nods. "She was watching the fighting.. [Fighting?] [The women were sparring.] ..and she moved a little closer." Her eyes flick to Randall, then down again.

"There was howling and somebody grabbed me. I tried to scream but he had his hand over my mouth. Plus it was loud." She stops.

Randall looks at her. "Continue."

"He took me into the woods. I tried to get away but he grabbed me."

She closes her eyes. "He said I had no status and if I didn't submit to him he'd kill me. And that he wouldn't even be punished for it."

"Then he tore my clothes off, and, touched me."

"Did he mark you?"

"Well, yes, I've got scratches and bite marks! He hurt me! I thought you didn't let women get hurt here."

He's confused by her reply and looks to his daughter. "Joanna?"

"Yeah, Dad, he marked her."

"OK, what does that mean?"

Joanna looks at her. "We didn't get into specifics, Dad. Lyssa, Thomas has marked you as his."

"What?! No. No way I don't want to be his. I just want to go home."

"The mark exists." She looks horrified. "Did you, willingly, kiss him last night?"

She chews on her lip. "Answer."

"Yes. Tears now run down her face.

"Did you call to Emmett, with your mind, when Thomas had you?"

Breath hitching, "Y, yes."

Randall shakes his head. "Unfortunate. However, by our laws you now belong to Thomas. Because of the situation, we will give you some time with Emmett tonight. But you and your things will be moved to Thomas' room by daybreak." He stands to leave.

Lyssa stands. "No. No! You can't do this to me!"

Randall walks over to her. She glares at him. "I can, and I will. This is our world. You will abide by our law." He raises a hand at her continued defiance.

Joanna warns her. "Lyssa.."

Lyssa eyes the hand. "Go ahead. Kill me. Prove that you're just a bunch of animals."

Randall takes a deep breath, pivots on a heel, and leaves. [Joanna, she and Emmett have two hours.]

Lyssa collapses back onto the couch. Joanna pats her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Lyssa. I tried to tell you."

Lyssa pushes her away. "You didn't tell me about this! How was I supposed to know? What was I supposed to do? He's stronger than I am. He could have done anything he wanted."

Just then Emmett walks into his room. He stops at the spectacle before him.

Joanna looks up. "Dad says you have two hours, then she's to be taken to Thomas' room."

"I will not allow you to take her to him."

"Emmett.."

"Get out."

Joanna, looking hurt and distressed, leaves the room.

Emmett stands over Lyssa, arms crossed, glowering.

She curls into a little ball and starts sobbing.

It takes a couple of minutes before he breaks. He crouches beside her and says softly, "Do you want me to take you to his room now?"

"No! I wanna go home!"

Emmett stands and quickly grabs a duffle, throwing clothing into it. Next come a couple of small boxes and a wad of cash. He opens one of the windows.

He walks back over and slides a pair of his socks onto her feet.

"Lyssa, I'm going to take you out of here, do you understand?"

She looks up at him, her face bruised and tear-streaked, and nods.

"You have to trust me. And you have to be quiet." He takes a deep breath and looks around his room one last time.

He shifts to the intermediate form, slings the duffle over an arm, and picks her up.

"Close your eyes." She looks up into his face and closes them.

She feels cool air and then has the feeling of falling. She bites her lip to keep form shrieking on the way down and is rewarded with blood when they land.

He immediately takes off running, away from the house.

Two hours. Maybe a little more if Randall was feeling generous.

How far could he get her?

He had the bares outline of a plan in mind. If any of the links failed they would be caught tonight.

Five miles out, he pounds on the door of a house. "C'mon. C'mon."

The door opens to a young male, with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Cameron. I need to borrow one of your cars."

"What's going on?" Cameron eyes the female in his arms, sniffs.

"No time to explain. Please."

"Cam? Who's there?"

"It's OK, Ter. Go back to bed. I'll be right up."

"Em, I.."

Emmett looks down at Lyssa, then toward the upstairs. "Please."

Cameron moves off to the side and something jingles. "Toyota's got a full tank. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Thanks, Cam. I'll pay you back, somehow."

"Just," a sigh, "watch your back, man."

Emmett turns and runs to the side yard. The remote reveals a blue Camry. Emmett slides Lyssa into the passenger side, throws the duffle in the back, gets in, starts the car, and takes off.

Emmett heads for secondary road and turns the headlights off.

Lyssa is terrified by the speed in the darkness. Emmett hears her heart rate pick up. "I'm sorry. But I can see quite clearly, there's no need to be afraid."

"Where are we going?"

"As far as I can get you in an hour, then we change cars again."

"Won't he tell?"

"Yes. He'll have to."

"Won't he... Won't they punish him for helping?"

"Probably."

"Why are you doing this?"

His hand comes over to gently cup her face. "I love you. I won't see you go to Thomas."

She's quiet at this statement. He brings his hand back to the steering wheel and concentrates on driving.

Her voice is quiet, when she next speaks. "But you said they'd kill us if we ran."

He growls. "They will when they catch us."

"Not if?"

Emmett shakes his head. "What if we go back now?"

She braces herself as he slams on the brakes. Panting, incredulous, he looks at her. "Did you want to be Thomas' mate?"

She taken aback by the question. "No. Why would you ask that?"

"You kissed him. Now you want to go back. If we go back they will give you to him."

He looks at her. "Tell me what you want to do."

She looks at him and thinks for a minute. "Run."



Animal Lover Ch. 10



Emmett stomps on the accelerator.

Lyssa watches the dark landscape fly by, brooding. What the hell had happened to her normal, quiet life?

She was now running for her life from a pack of werewolves, with a werewolf.

[Dad.]

[What now?]

[Emmett's really upset.]

Randall stops, growling and grinding his teeth as Ariel comes up beside him.

She is sweaty, her hair wild. "What's wrong, husband?"

"The human. She made overtures to Thomas and he marked her."

Ariel growls. "I told Stephanie to watch the unmated males. Lyssa had no means to resist him or call for help. Stephanie has felt my teeth for her inattention. Emmett will be crushed."

"I've given him two hours with her. She was very unhappy when I told her she would go to Thomas."

"How did it happen?"

"Thomas grabbed her and took her into the woods, marked and mated her. When Emmett found her missing, he and Stephanie went after them. Thomas said Emmett knocked him off Lyssa."

"Knocked off? If he'd mated her they would have tied."

Randall looks at his mate. And blinks. He kisses her, grabbing her butt and pulling her close. "I do love your mind Ariel. Amongst other things."

Emmett stops at a used car dealership. Pulling around a corner, he parks the car. "Stay here."

He pulls out a t-shirt and jeans, quickly dresses, and disappears.

A few minutes later, a dark colored car pulls up.

Emmett transfers Lyssa and the duffle and takes off again.

Lyssa does not ask a question.

However, it isn't long after that her stomach growls. In addition, the car they're in doesn't even have a quarter tank of gas.

A few minutes later, he stops, and pulls the license plate off a car sitting disabled on the roadside. Dawn was coming.

They stop at a gas station, put $20 in the car and Emmett buys some snacks and drinks.

Wanting to disturb Emmett and Lyssa as little as possible at this time, Randall goes to Thomas and Ariel to Stephanie.

"Stand." 

--------------------------- "Stand."

"Did you mate her?" 

--------------------------- "Did you smell his seed on her?"

"No." 

--------------------------- "No."

[They're not mated.] 

--------------------------- [They're not mated.]

"Did she resist you? Did she run? Answer."

"Yes."

"Then, tonight, you will meet Ariel in the circle." [Up for a fight, mate?]

[This is a worthy reason. Shall we tell Emmett?]

[Not yet. We'll let them talk. They now have the opportunity to have the discussion they should have had earlier.]

Emmett drives to less populated areas as the sun rises.

But, as the sky lightens, clouds roll in, and it begins to rain.

Randall and Ariel walk hand-in-hand to Emmett's room.

The Alpha pair, one clothed, one not, stand before Emmett's door, and knock. There is no answer.

[Emmett?] Nothing.

"I don't hear anything."

"They wouldn't be asleep?"

Another knock and Randall opens the door.

The room is empty. A window is open. Dresser drawers remain open.

[Paul, are any of the vehicles missing?]

--------------------------- [Joanna?]

[Roland, Erich, to Emmett's room, now.]

--------------------------- [Yes, Mom? What's wrong?]

[Alpha, the vehicles are all accounted for.]

--------------------------- [Did Emmett say anything?]

Roland and Erich rush up the hallway and stop at the door, panting.

--------------------------- [I told him Lyssa would be taken to Thomas' room..]

Roland is wet and naked. Erich is missing a sock.

--------------------------- [..and he told me to get out. What's wrong?]

---------------------------- [He's run.]

"Emmett is gone. With the human female. They have about 2 hours head start. I want them found."

"How do you want them returned, Alpha Wyeth?"

"Was I not clear?" His claws begin to grow. "I said I want them found. I said nothing about captured or returned.

Do not engage Emmett or let him know you are there."

"Yes, sir" "Yes, Alpha."

[What are your thoughts, mate?]

[We interrupted his previous attempt at wooing her. Perhaps we can allow them to complete the process.]

Joanna runs up and stops just inside the doorway. She's dressed in leggings and a long blouse, but her hair is askew and she is also barefoot.

Lyssa's falling asleep in the passenger side of the car.

Emmett looks over at her, contemplating the change in his life since he found her.

He'd now deserted his pack because of her. He didn't know how much time he had left but he hoped to be able to spend some meaningful time with her before the end.

The rain!

He makes an abrupt turn into a farmer's lane and drives the car as far back as he can, until it's completely mired in mud.

He shakes her awake. "Lyssa, put these on." He throws her the t-shirt he had been wearing, the jeans, and a hooded sweatshirt.

She looks around, bleary eyed, then at the clothes. "They're too big. I can't walk in these."

"I'm going to carry you. The rain will cover our scent. You won't get so wet this way."

Emmett gets out as Lyssa pulls the clothes on. He pulls off the license plate and flings it into the hedgerow, then picks up the duffle and Lyssa. She looks at the car.

"The doors."

"Our scent will dissipate."

"Oh."

He pulls her tightly against his chest to shield her from the worst of the rain. She watches the car recede.

His strong arms hold her against his chest and his warmth, mixed with his scent, lulls her to sleep.

Roland and Erich find Emmett's track and follow, until they reach the end of the pack lands.

Given the circumstances and the time, additional males are called in for the search.

While Erich follows in wolf form, as far as he dares, the other males, dressed and driving pack vehicles, spread out in the general direction he took.

Three houses owned by wolves of the pack are investigated.

The search party zeroes in on Cameron and Theresa's house. Emmett's scent showed faintly there. A knock brings Theresa to the door.

She cowers slightly at the sight of three males on her stoop.

"Theresa, is Cameron here?"

"No, he's gone to work."

"Is Emmett here?"

"No. I haven't seen Emmett in a couple of weeks."

"His scent leads here."

"Cameron answered the door early. He didn't tell me who it was. What's he done?"

"Thank you, Theresa. If you do see him, please let someone in the pack know."

She nods, confused and alarmed, as they turn and leave.

Lyssa rouses briefly as Emmett lays her on an old mattress in a broken down cabin.

"Where are we?" she asks, sleepily.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep."

He slides behind her, facing the door. He remains in his intermediate form, both to be ready in case they are caught and to keep her warm. He had to get some rest or he wouldn't think clearly.

Cameron is pulled away from his work at the pack business and interviewed.

Yes. Emmett had come to the house in the early morning.

Yes. He had a human female with him.

Yes. He let Emmett take one of his cars.

No. He didn't see which way they went.

No. Emmett hadn't commanded him.

Cowed and trembling slightly, Cameron is told to provide aid to Emmett, should he return, and to inform the pack.

He sags in relief as they send him back to work.

Erich, meanwhile, has gone on to Lyssa's house and found its remains. It was obvious the fire was a couple of days old.

With a two hour head start, they knew the search would be broad.

Randall didn't want to involve the police unless absolutely necessary but the search for a car would take too long since they had no idea of direction. A circle of about 600 miles in circumference was a lot of territory to cover.

With Randall's nod, Roland contacted the Severn pack. Many of their male members, and a few of the females, had taken positions enforcement. At this point they were only asked to find the car.

After three hours, Emmett wakes.

While he may not have been completely relaxed in sleep, being curled up with Lyssa had been very pleasant and his cock was prepared for some welcome morning activity.

He stroked the side of Lyssa's face, her arm, then kissed the back of her head and rose.

Still tired, she cracked an eye at him and watched the wolf-man, man-wolf?, follow his erection out the door.

She heard noises, grunting, from the direction he'd gone. Then a strange sound, like a bitten off howl.

After a couple of minutes, he returns. "Lyssa."

She stretches and looks at him, noticing his now-flaccid cock.

He catches the look and tries to ignore it. "I'm hungry so I'm going to see if I can catch something quickly. Then we'll look for another place to stay. Hopefully, someplace with some food for you. I don't want to start a fire here, we're still too close to the car."

Lyssa props up on an elbow and blinks. "OK."

"Do you know how to use a gun?"

She nods. He digs into the bottom of the duffle and pulls out a gun. "Safety here. Pull back the slide for the first shot. After that, just pull the trigger."

"Will it hurt them?"

"Yes." He didn't finish the thought. While being shot might hurt a werewolf, it wouldn't kill them. It would mostly piss them off, but it might slow them down.

He left to hunt, nervous about leaving her alone. It took longer than he wanted and he had to settle for a couple of squirrels.

His hunger was barely curbed when he returned to the cabin. He calls, "It's me, Lyssa." before opening the door. She was huddled into a ball, trying to keep warm.

Looking up, she jolts at the blood on his lips. He rubs it off with the back of his hand.

"Am I going to be a werewolf now?" Emmett looks at her, confused. "He, he bit me."

"It's not that simple."

"So, I won't?"

"No. There's more to it than just a bite. We should go."

He shifts to his intermediate form and extends his arms to her. With a sigh, she goes to him.

The Camry is found and, after an inspection, is returned to Cameron by one of the Severn pack. The stolen car from a nearby lot is attributed to Emmett and is added to the search. At the very least, they now had a direction. Now they were looking for another car.

Emmett moves quietly and quickly with Lyssa in his arms. Her face was pressed against his chest, she trembled.

He thinks about them as he walks. A week ago he had been so happy just to be with her. Anticipating what he would have with her. That he'd finally found a mate to love and have a family with.

Now it had all gone so horribly wrong. She was afraid of him, mad at him, and he didn't know what to do. They may not have long together but he prayed for some softness, some sweetness from her, before the end. If nothing else happened he could at least be close to her for a while, until they were found. He heaves a big sigh.

Lyssa lifts her head to look at him. He kisses her forehead and trudges on.

Joanna was almost frantic. Emmett was gone, gone! Lyssa was gone.

It was all wrong, all Thomas' fault. She was seething.

"...but, what are we going to do about it?!"

Ariel has taken her daughter aside, walking her to her room. "Please, dear, we needn't discuss this in public."

"Everyone knows they're gone. I want to know what's going on."

Ariel finally ushers her into her room and sits on a chair beside her desk. "You should be in class."

"I don't want.."

Ariel growls and Joanna breaks off quickly, mumbling. "Sorry, Mom."

"This is a delicate thing, Jo. We need to be circumspect."

Joanna takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, although she continues to stand, clenching her fists. "OK. So you're not gonna tell me everything." Ariel shakes her head. "What can you tell me?"

"We are searching for them, as you can imagine."

"Do we have any idea where they went?"

"Yes." Joanna looks at her mother, her mother looks back. "We found the car he borrowed but another is missing and we have not yet found them."

Joanna chews her lip. "What about Thomas? This is his fault."

"The blame lies with more than Thomas, Jo. Bringing a human into the pack is not a simple thing. We expected she would know more about us but, apparently, Emmett didn't have enough time to explain much about us. We went to her house and interrupted. When I assigned you to teach her I should have sent Anna and Jeremy."

"I told her about us, answered all her questions!"

"She wouldn't have known which questions to ask, dear."

Joanna grumbles, "What about Thomas?"

"His mistake was in the belief that, although it is true she has no status in the pack, we would not protect her or fight for her. As a guest in our den and a potential member, it was our duty to do so. This is why I assigned Stephanie to her and why Thomas will face me in the circle tonight."

"So, he's not gonna get away with it?" Ariel shakes her head. "But, he marked and mated her."

"He may have marked her, but he did not mate her." Joanna's eyes go wide. "Did you smell his seed on her?"

"Uh, no. But maybe it's different for them."

"It is not."

"So, so, she's not Thomas' mate. So, Emmett can still claim her?" Ariel nods. "What're you gonna do when you find them? This is all a big mistake."

"We will see. You father is taking it under advisement."

Joanna turns to leave. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Your father has other duties to attend to with his Beta gone again. He is aware of your opinion. Now, go to class."

The tension has mostly left Joanna's body. A sigh. "OK, Mom. Thanks." A kiss to her mother and she takes off.

The Severn wolves have spread out from where Cameron's car was left. The stolen car was not found nearby and they were rapidly running out of range.

However, werewolves were well suited to law enforcement roles. The word was quietly spread.

Emmett found a hunting cabin later on that day and decided it would be a suitable place for Lyssa.

There was firewood, bunk beds, and a reasonable supply of food.

The big news in the area was about a local woman. Her house had been burned and she was missing. Her boyfriend had been charged with arson and was implicated in her disappearance. He had been accused of beating a couple of women prior and had a restraining order from his last girlfriend.

Emmett checks the area around the cabin and then rummages through the supplies inside.

Lyssa is sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace. He had started a small fire to warm the room. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

He slowly approaches her and drops onto the floor beside where she sits. After carrying her, he enjoys the smell of their mixed scents.

"I want to go home."

He brings a hand up to touch one of her feet. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about before the naming ceremony. I have bad news."

"What now?"

"Your house is gone."

That was the last straw. She didn't even have the energy to scream at him. "Did you do it?"

"No, they.."

"Did Randall have someone else do it?"

"Alpha Wyeth had nothing to do with the destruction of your house. Ronnie Wilson was found nearby with empty gas cans in his truck. He's been arrested."

"So, it's really gone?"

"I'm sorry. The house is a total loss."

Tears start rolling down her face. "So, I have nothing left. It's all gone. Everything."

Emmett says quietly, "No, not everything."

She curls up tighter, head down, speaking to her knees. "My house is gone. My job is gone. My car?"

She looks up briefly, he shakes his head. "Even that. I was right. There's nothing left. I might as well be dead."

At this he takes her by the shoulders and pulls her upright. "Don't say that. You're alive." She beats on his chest with her fists. This hurts him not at all and infuriates her.

"You did this. It's all your fault. Why didn't you leave me alone?"

He notices the movement of her foot and spins her, so she can't kick him in the balls again, then pulls her tightly against him.

"Let me go! Let me go, goddammit!"

"Lyssa, calm down. Listen to me. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. I'm sorry this didn't turn out the way I planned. That it's been so hard on you. I wish we could go back and start over."

She can't get away; he was too strong. He did, however, feel warm against her back and she liked the way he smelled.

She quieted in his arms and sniffled. "I guess I could eat something."

Lyssa watches Emmett prepare a meal from the goods kept in the cabin. It wasn't fancy, but, between the meal and the coffee, she started to feel better.

The day is passed quietly, with Emmett making regular patrols. He scared up a couple of rabbits and ate well.

Lyssa worked on altering a pair of sweatpants to fit her better and wondered what she would do about shoes. He told her he would start work on something for her the next day.

Darkness began to close in. They stayed up a little while and he went on patrol again.

Thinking of nothing else to do, she dropped the pants and crawled into one of the beds in his t-shirt.

Emmett returns and finds her abed. He puts another log on the fire.

She watches him shift over to the grey wolf and trot over to the door. He curls up, back to the door, nose under his tail. But his eyes remain open, watching her.

She rolls. She twists. She sighs. He watches her. After a while, he shifts, to ask a question.

He sighs. "I heard you, in my mind, scream my name when Thomas had you."

"What?"

"I heard you. It was loud, and clear. Why was it me? Why not Stephanie? Or Joanna? Or even Randall?"

"I don't know."

"I think it's because you've come to rely on me, that you feel safe with me around."

"Um. Yeah. OK."

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Um. No." She chews on her lower lip.

She doesn't sleep well, nor does he.

Emmett was on high alert, listening for whoever might be coming after them.

Lyssa was plagued by nightmares. A vision of a terrible wolf man creature rose in her mind, with glowing eyes, slavering jaws, deadly claws.

She sat bolt upright in the bed, shrieking.

Emmett, who had been dozing, jumped up, snarling, braced for attack. He looked over at her. She was wide-eyed, panting.

He snuffles at the door, making sure no one was around, then trotted over. He licked her hand, laid his head in her lap, and whined.

She took some calming breaths and patted his head. "I'm alright. Just a bad dream."

When she snuggled back down he returned to guarding the door.

Morning broke and she rose to the smell of coffee and pancakes.

She stretched, dark circles under her eyes, and pulled on the sweat pants. "Good morning, Lyssa, breakfast is almost ready."

Her reply is a sigh.

Breakfast is eaten mostly in silence.

Lyssa shuffles around the cabin while Emmett runs patrol.

When he returns, he finds her in a chair with a book she's found.

He pulls a deer skin off the wall and walks over to her. Taking a knife, he slices off a large piece. "Please. Put your foot here."

She looks at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making you a pair of moccasins. They will keep your feet dry and warm."

She reads as he works, occasionally glancing at him.

"Will something happen to your family because of this? What do they think of me? Nobody said anything about them."

"I have no family."

"What do you mean? No brothers or sisters?"

"No."

"Parents? Cousins?"

"Yes, I have cousins, but my parents and siblings are gone."

"What, what happened to them?"

He looks at her. The rest of the pack already knew, of course. This started to open old wounds.

"I'm sorry."

"No. It's fine. It was a long time ago." He takes a breath. "There was a fire. My mother pushed me out a window and told me to run. No one else made it out of the house."

Her voice is quiet. "So, you have no family either."

The rejoinder is automatic. "The pack is my family." He closes his eyes. No, they weren't. Not anymore.

She's quiet a little while. "How old were you?"




Animal Lover Ch. 10



"Just a pup."

"Nothing left. Just like me. Is that why you put those roses in my room? You went overboard."

"That wasn't me."

Oh. Thomas. Another pause. "Does he not like you?"

"We've had our.. disagreements."

He looks back down at his work, apparently the matter was closed.

He finished the moccasins and slid them on her feet.

"Thank you."

He nods and goes off on another patrol.

She rummaged around the house, trying to figure out what she could put together for a meal, and how to cook it.

She looks at dried beans, dried meat, dried fruit, and then at the fireplace. How do you cook on a fireplace? What had Emmett done, last night? She hadn't paid a lot of attention.

She looked at the pots and found the one he used to make stew last night. OK, she could make some kind of soup. That would be pretty easy.

She throws more wood in the fireplace, then, turning around, realizes Emmett's been gone for a long time.

All kinds of things began to run through her mind.

The pack had caught him, killed him.

They were out in the middle of nowhere. It could be a hunter, a trap, another predator, hit by a car?

She wouldn't be able to find him, could she get out, if she needed to?

If it was the pack, they'd come for her too.

Her chest was heaving, thinking of the possibilities. The gun!

She hears someone at the door. No time to get to the gun, they were fast. She looks around and grabs a large knife, holding it before her, defensively.

Emmett walks in and shakes, spraying water around the room.

Lyssa watches, laughs a little, and sinks down to the floor.

Emmett looks up at the laugh. She's backed against the cabinets, holding a knife. She starts sliding to the floor, dropping the knife, and puts her head in her hands.

He walks over and crouches down beside her. "Lyssa, are you alright?" He moves to touch her shoulder and she pulls away.

"Where were you? I thought they'd killed you and were coming for me."

"I just ran a wider sweep of the area."

"You should have told me! You were gone so long."

"I'm sorry. I forget that I can't just call to you when we're not close. I'll say something next time."

She sniffs. "Did you see anything?"

"No. No sign of anyone. And the rain will cover any scent." He looks around at the pots and supplies. "Starting dinner?"

"I was thinking about it. But I'm not sure how to cook some of this."

"Well, then, let's work on it together." He offers his hand and she takes it. He helps her up.

He then pulls a couple of the logs out of the fireplace and they start putting together dinner.

She winces a little at some of the movements and he smells the blood.

Startled, he takes her by the shoulders. "Lyssa, you're bleeding."

"What? How do you know?"

"I can smell it." She looks at him. "We should tend to your injuries. Sit."

"Um. OK." She sits in one of the chairs as he grabs the first aid kit.

He comes back over, crouching in front of her. "Where are you hurt?"

"My legs. My.. my neck."

He pulls off the moccasins and socks then reaches for her pantlegs. "May I?"

She looks at chocolate eyes, full of concern. One breath. Two. She slides the waistband over her hips and he, carefully, peels the sweatpants off her legs.

A growl rises in his chest as he surveys the damage. Long claw tracks on her thighs. He pushes the t-shirt up a little, some marks on her belly, where the waistband on her jeans would have been.

She shrinks back from him. He suppresses the growl. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm angry at Thomas, and myself. Hold still." He sniffs over the wounds, and smells rise from her sex that make him inhale deeply. The hair was beginning to grow back from where she had shaved.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure they are healing cleanly. No infection."

"Oh. Good."

He carefully, gently, cleans the scratches and applies a couple of butterfly bandages over the deeper ones. She slithers the pants back on.

"Let me see your neck."

She pulls down the t-shirt neck and he sniffs and cleans the clawmarks there.

He pulls back, puzzled. "Where did he mark you?"

Her chest heaves and she swallows. Emmett closes his eyes but his voice stays calm. "Please. Show me."

He already knew and steeled himself for the sight.

She pulled up the hem of the t-shirt and he saw the angry red marks on her breast.

He snarled and leapt away from her, shifting to wolf as he did. She quickly dropped the t-shirt as he paced and growled, glancing at her occasionally.

He watched as she took the cloth he had been using and washed the marks Thomas had left. The nipple crinkled up with the coolness as he watched and he licked his lips.

It took several minutes before he was able to calm himself sufficiently to change back.

Another ruined set of clothes. He would either have to be more careful or remain wolf, but he wouldn't be able to speak to her then.

He stands, naked, looking at her. "Again, sweetheart, I must apologize. My wolf is very upset and, this close to the full moon, is more difficult to control. But I want you to know, want you to believe, I will never hurt you." She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

He comes closer, slowly, crouching again and taking her hands. She allows it.

"How does your face feel?"

"My jaw is sore."

"Why did.. how did you get the mark?"

"I bit him."

Emmett's lips quirk in the barest inkling of a smile. He turns back to the hearth.

With a sigh, she rises and goes over, to watch him work on the meal.

As they eat, he talks about the pack. Its structure. The leadership. How a wolf can change his status. She asks questions occasionally.

"So you were born into a family that wasn't Beta?"

"Yes. My parents were Omegas, the common man, so to speak."

"What did you do to be a Beta, then?"

He speaks softly. "When my family died I was not yet weaned. Ariel's mother was nursing at the time and she took me in."

"Why her?"

"Did Joanna show you around?" Lyssa nods. "While we have a number of young around pups are not born that frequently. She was the only female milk heavy at the time. I grew up with the family."

"So. Ariel's family is Beta?"

"Yes."

"But, how did you get the job? Wouldn't her father, her brothers or sisters get it first? What about Randall's family?"

"Their parents are gone as well. Their children aren't old enough. Although Roland is in training he will likely be Alpha when the time comes."

"Randall's brother and one of Ariel's mated into other packs. Ariel's other brother is not suited to the position."

"Being in Ariel's family helped me. And I showed aptitude, skill, and drive. I was promoted to Beta 6 years ago, when Ariel's brother left."

"So, Joanna explained this to me, doesn't that make you a prime catch? Don't some of the women throw themselves at you?"

"They do, and they have." A pause. "I never found one I wanted." He quickly and gently squeezes her hand and rises to clear the table.

"I should go out on another patrol."

"You really expect them to find us, don't you?"

"Wolves can't resist the chase. They will."

"What happens when they come?"

"I'll die protecting you."

She thought about that quiet statement while he was gone.

Randall was furious, almost two days gone and there was no further trace of Emmett and Lyssa. "You're wolves, for Luna's sake! You're telling me you can do no better than humans?"

Roland and Erich wince at the tirade. Erich actually goes down on his knees at his Alpha's displeasure.

"Dad, we're working on it. Emmett is good, you know that, that's why you made him Beta. We're exploring every avenue."

"I will not have him go rogue, Roland. Find him."

Roland bows his head slightly as Randall turns to Erich. "Erich, you have no insight into Emmett's thoughts? You've spent the most time with him."

"No, Alpha, we've investigated every avenue I could come up with."

"The human's relatives?"

Ariel walks in. "It would be better if you used her name, mate." He growls at her.

"She has none, Alpha. They were killed when she was young."

"And the boyfriend is in a human jail."

Ariel looks at Erich and their eldest son. "Erich, Roland, continue the search. I wish to speak to the Alpha alone."

The two young males gratefully pick up and leave.

Randall exhales. "What is it, Ariel?"

She sits. "You and I know Emmett better than many of the others. Let's think of what we think he might do."

Randall puts his hands on his desk and slumps over his arms. "Alright, wife, where do you want to begin?"

"He'd want to get out of our range, but he wouldn't have gone to one of the other packs." He shakes his head. "He probably would want to get some distance from us." A nod. "Now, would he lose himself in a large city or out in the wilderness?"

"You know as well as I how much he would hate being unable to run."

"So, away from humans." Another nod. "Now, he has a fragile human female with him. She'd need shelter, fire, food."

"Unless he's changed her."

"No. He wouldn't force it on her. He hasn't had time yet."

"So, away from others, but with shelter."

Ariel nods. "We need to look for cabins or vacant houses in a rural area. And to get as far from us as possible he would have gone in a nearly straight line."

Randall walks up behind her, shakes his arms around her waist, and cups her breasts. "Your mind is almost as attractive as the rest of you, mate."

She leans her head back against his broad chest and wiggles her hips back against his crotch. She was rewarded with a groan and a growing hardness against her buttocks.

He spun her, grasped the neck of the cotton blouse she was wearing and ripped it in half. Spreading the remnants, he drops his head to a breast and begins licking and nipping at her nipple, while cupping and kneading the other breast.

She sighed and cradled his head to her breast, her fingers running through his light brown hair.

The hand that had her pulled close dropped to her hip, bunching up the skirt she wore. He slipped his finger into the waistband of her panties and yanked them down as her hands moved to his pants, to unleash him.

He groaned as his pants hit the floor and she grasped him. He straightened slightly, kissed her, and bit down briefly on her mating mark. She moaned.

He picked her up and she helped guide him as he slid her onto his hardened length.

Groans left both sets of lips as he bottomed out in her and she wrapped her legs around him.

He turned and pressed her up against the door. Then, he began powerfully pumping into her.

She clasped his shoulders tightly and her breasts rubbed up and down against his shirt in a delightful way. As he pounded into her they both ignored the creaking noises the door was making. Harder. Rougher. Faster.

She digs her nails into his shoulders. "AAaaahh!" The door panel cracks with his last thrust and he howls his release.

Lyssa has put another log on the fire and found some blank paper and a couple of pens. She had no one to talk to, other than Emmett, and he was hardly and unbiased party.

Maybe she could sort things out by writing it down.

She sat. And looked at the paper.

Emmett found her that way when he returned from patrol. He looks at her, curious. "Writing a letter?"

She looks to him. "No." A sigh. "Just trying to get it all straight in my head."

"Oh. OK." A pause. "Would you like me to leave?"

"No. No." She stands and looks at him. "Maybe I'll just go to bed."

"Alright. Good night, Lyssa."

"G'night." She gets into the bed and pulls off the pants. As she settles in she watches Emmett change to the familiar grey wolf and curl up in front of the door again. His eyes watch her.

After a while she huffs and rolls to her back.

About an hour later, she sits up. He sees her look toward him.

She sits there for another minute or so, then says, quietly, "Emmett? Could you come up on the bed with me?"

The click of his claws show his progress. She feels the bed shift and can see his dark form come up beside her.

He stretches out, his back to her, as she slides back down in the bed.

After a couple more minutes, "You could, um, sleep next to me."

He picks up his head to look at her, then gets off the bed and changes to human form. Picking up the blanket, he slides in, leaving the sheet between them.

Sleep comes more easily for both this night, curled up together and warm.

Light snow had fallen during the night. It wasn't enough to cover everything but enough to make everything stand out in contrast.

Like a grey wolf. Or a wolf track.

Emmett stared out at it, unsure if it were a good or a bad thing.

Certainly it would allow him warning; he could see wolves or others approaching, or find their tracks, but they could also find him more easily.

Breakfast consisted of powdered egg and cheese omelets, slathered in salsa.

As they ate Lyssa realized that she'd gotten used to seeing Emmett walk around naked.

And it bothered him not at all.

And, while he again talked to her about how the pack worked, a sudden question popped up in her mind.

She blurts out. "How did you ever see me, find me, in the first place?"

He stops dead and stares at her. Then looks down at his plate.

"What is it? What did you do?"

His eyes flick up to her. "I shouldn't have been watching." Before she can respond he goes on. "I was out for a run. And checking some boundaries while I was at it. I smelled you. I heard you."

"It was hot, and you were outside with Ronnie." Her mouth drops open.

"I saw him touch you, awaken your desire. I heard your moans, smelled your essence."

She looks uncomfortable, appalled. "You were lovely, responsive, sensuous. I stayed, and watched. And there, I wished that I could be the one making you feel that kind of pleasure, that my name could be on your lips, that I could feel you beneath me, around me. I stayed, after he was done, taking in your scent. And, oh, how I wanted you."

"So, I came, regularly, and looked for you, and him. And, that day, while I waited for you, a member of the Macey pack came by, saw what I was looking at and challenged me for you. My injuries gave me reason to get close to you."

She looks at him, and a small smile touches her lips. "And, how would you have done it otherwise?"

"I'm not sure. But one way or another, I would have found a way to make myself known to you."

"Just watching me and Ronnie one night, that was it?"

"Your scent was wonderful, like nothing I'd ever smelled before. Pure, you alone. The heat had swept away much of the smell of cosmetics or deodorant. And your fire, your body, the way you moved. I believe I fell in love with you there."

He smiles at her a moment, then stands. "I should patrol." Now in full view is his twitching cock, filling before her eyes. She's watching it, mesmerized, until he turns.

"Could I have the gun again?"

That stops him in his tracks and he closes his eyes. "Certainly."

He digs into the bottom of the duffle bag again, pulls it out, and hands it to her.

She holds the gun, looking at it, then ventures the next question. "Would it, actually, kill a werewolf?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have brought it otherwise."

"How? Silver bullets?"

He breaks a half smile. "No. That's another myth. Because we heal quickly, wounds that would kill a human will not kill us."

"OK, then, where?"

His voice goes low. "Do you think you could really do it?"

She stands now, facing him. "Yes. If they come to kill me I want to take a few with me before I go." 

He looks at the fire and determination in her eyes. He points to his head. "Here," then steps towards her. She raises the gun, reflexively. He grasps it, pulling it, and her hand, upwards. He puts the muzzle of the gun against his chest. "Or here. Head, or heart."

He's pulled her closer with the maneuver and they both feel the warmth of the other, smell the other's scent, with the proximity. They stand that way for a few seconds, him looking down at her, she watching the rise and fall of his chest.

Her other hand comes up to touch his arm, but he backs away at the movement. "Patrol."

He almost rushes from the cabin, in an effort to get away from her. To prevent himself from doing anything irreparable.

It would be so easy to sweep her up in his arms and take her back to bed. To pull off that t-shirt and explore the body that now taunted him. To taste her. To drive himself into her. To have her welcome it.

Damn. He needed a cold shower. Or a good long run.

Progress.

A surveillance tape at a gas station showed Emmett with a dark colored car carrying a stolen license plate. He gassed up the car and brought some snack food back out, handing it to someone else in the vehicle.

The tape also showed direction of travel.

One of the Severn wolves had caught wind of it, and passed it on to Roland.

In the meantime, a passerby had noticed light in the farmer's field.

The farmer thanked his neighbor and went to investigate.

Some damn kids had gotten a car stuck in the mud in the back of his lane. He needed it out of there, definitely before spring planting.

Well, now was as good a time as any. Harvest was in and he was just putting things in order for the winter. He started up his tractor and took a chain to drag it out.

He put the car in neutral and slammed the doors. It took a bit to get the chain on it; it was buried pretty well in the mud.

Damn little pissants.

He took his time. If he damaged it too badly, he'd never get it out. Slowly, with some care, the car pulled free.

Lyssa blinked in surprise as Emmett took off. It was as if he were scared of her.

She dropped the hand holding the gun and walked to the door. She opened it and stepped out one step, looking around. He was gone, nowhere to be seen.

She sighed, stepped back in, and closed the door.

She grabbed the book and sat in the chair beside the fire.

But she couldn't concentrate on the book.

She thought of how good he smelled, those chocolate eyes looking at her, the start of a beard. She thought of how well she slept, how safe she felt, when he was in the bed with her. His hair, hung to his shoulders, the same grey as his coat when he was a wolf.

The big chest, with its small patch of hair between his nipples. Strong arms and legs. Tanned, but with light lines across his body, scars from fights he'd been in.

She'd tasted that cock, full and standing proudly as he left the cabin. What would it be like, to feel his weight, to have him moving inside her?

She felt the wetness grow between her thighs and threw the book down.

Why not?

One hand went under her shirt, to pinch her nipple as the other delved into the sweatpants. Ow! The right one still hurt..

Her slick fingers moved from her pussy to her clit. She'd probably be better off moving quickly, she wasn't sure when he'd be back.

She closes her eyes and moans. One hand is plucking at a nipple, while the other she was using to finger herself. She builds quickly, moaning, biting her lip.

Higher, closer, tensing up, and then... "OOooo!" Her back arches and she pants at the orgasm that rolls through her.

Coming back down, she lazily turns her head towards the door and opens her eyes.

And screams at the dark shape looming in the window.



Animal Lover Ch. 11



Dear Readers,

Thank you for your encouragement and deserved criticism for my problem of maintaining tense.

I wanted to write you one last long chapter but it's taking longer than I expected so, here is the penultimate chapter.

I won't leave you hanging, although this, my first, submission, has developed a life of its own. I have an ending in mind I hope you'll appreciate.

KemMyst

***************

The grey wolf ran. The protruding cock slowly pulled back into its sheath.

Finally, calming again, he completes his circuit.

As he approaches the cabin, he hears noises. He shifts to his intermediate form, glances in the window, then stops and stares.

His flaccid cock fills again as he watches her pleasure herself.

Her movements are hidden by the clothing but he imagines what she is doing and grabs his hard cock to chase his own relief.

He's only a couple of strokes in when she climaxes and a couple more when she turns her head and screams.

He throws open the door and jumps inside as she tries to get up quickly, to get the gun.

Hands tangled in clothes, she stumbles, and he catches her before she hits the ground.

She turns bright crimson and struggles, pulling her hands out of her clothes. She puts them on his arms, to steady herself.

Time stops.

He's got her close, she can feel his swollen cock against her belly.

He turns his face towards her hand, the one that had been in intimate contact with her pussy, and inhales. He puts her slightly away from him, takes that hand, and licks off her fingers, one by one, savoring the taste.

She doesn't think she's ever seen anything quite so erotic.

He finishes cleaning off her fingers and shifts back to human form.

Looking to her for any sign of denial, he drops to his knees. He sits back on his heels and pulls her back to him, sticking his nose in her crotch and inhaling deeply of her essence.

He then looks up at her, his brown eyes an invitation, hands grasping her thighs.

She closes her eyes, so she could think without her looking at her.

He'd taken her to the pack.

He'd taken her away from the pack.

He hadn't initiated their sexual encounter, she had.

But he'd brought her to a place where one of his pack had attempted to rape her and made her his.

And, still, he hadn't pushed.

They were on the run, everyone she knew thought she was dead, he could have done anything to her.

But she trusted him.

'I'll die protecting you.'

All this ran through her mind in 30 seconds. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. And smiled. She had felt wonderful after their encounter in her shower. Why not enjoy what they could, before they died?

He waited, while she decided.

Her smile lit up his world. All the dark places in his life, in his past, revealed and resolved.

He rose slowly and kissed her. She accepted the kiss and opened her mouth to his probing tongue. He groaned and pulled her more tightly to him.

It was the longest, deepest kiss she could ever remember having.

Damn. It was cold. She shivered.

In response, he broke the kiss and picked her up.

Hearing no protest, he kicked the door shut and carried her to the bed. He laid her down on it with another kiss then pulled off the moccasins and the sweatshirt.

He hesitates slightly, and pulls her t-shirt off. Her hands go to the waistband of the sweatpants as he picks up an increase in her womanly fragrance. He places his hands over hers and she raises her hips as he slides the sweatpants and socks off.

Then he stands, gazing at her, and she squirms slightly.

She clenched her toes, and the movement attracted his attention. So, he started there, crouching at her feet.

He grasps the left foot, and presses his thumbs into the bottom and rubs. She's confused by his actions, then tips her head back and moans at the feeling. He works on that foot a couple of minutes, then kisses the sole of her foot and moves to the other.

Next he kneads her calves, then caresses her thighs. She reaches out, to pull him closer. He resists her. "I have time to explore your body this time, and wish to do so. Be patient."

She huffs, lays back, and closes her eyes.

He runs his hands up the outside of her legs, over her hips. He traces her arms to her shoulders, caressing, rubbing lightly. As he runs his fingers into her hair, her hands come up to touch his chest, the firm muscles there.

Emmett concentrated fully on his hands, the softness of the flesh underneath them. He inhaled, nostrils filled with her scent. He then swept her with his eyes. Oh, god, how he wanted her. He brought his face closer and inhaled at her neck.

She tensed slightly. He kissed along her jawline, her throat, until he came to her mouth again as she relaxed.

Her body was humming and all he'd done was touch her, in no way that was sexual.

He inhaled, close to her neck, was he going to bite her?

No. Kisses. She shivered as he slid off her a bit and traced his tongue across her collarbone, then shifted down to circle a nipple with his wet tongue. His hand stroked her face lightly, then traced over her shoulder.

She felt it cover the opposite breast as he bit the other nipple lightly. She couldn't help but gasp.

He was so warm. The hand kneading her breast, his mouth on the other. She moaned and took his head in her hands.

She could feel her wetness running down the crack of her ass.

She turned her head, to smell him. Distinctly male, maybe a little wild.

She wanted more than he was giving her, but it galled her to ask when he'd pretty much told her he was going to take his time.

She twisted a little and, when his hand started to slide southwards, couldn't stop the moan, "Please.."

Something wild in him rejoiced. A female, soft, wonderfully scented, and begging for the pleasure she knew he could give her.

Emmett's hand wandered across her belly, then cupped her womanhood. He released her breast, and kissed and tasted across her ribcage.

He felt the wetness seeping from her and she tried to push her pelvis upward. He dragged his fingers past her opening, through the damp, slick hair that had regrown, sliding over her engorged and sensitive clitoris. A moan of pleasure, music to his ears. Needy. Wanting. Him.

"Emmett. Please?"

"Soon, sweetheart."

She was writhing as he kissed his way to her navel, then down to the hollow beside her hipbone. As he laved and sucked that area lovingly, he slid two fingers into her.

She sighed.

He slid those fingers in and out, meeting little resistance, as his face approached the seat of her womanhood.

Ah! The scent. Wonderful! He inhaled deeply, wanting to burn the scent of her into his memory. So that, even when they were dead, he would remember it.

He stopped briefly at that. No. Focus on the moment. On her. On the moments they could have together.

His fingers continued to pump in and out of her. Then his mouth found that bud of delight, encased in soft petals of womanflesh. His tongue swept over and round her clitoris. She moaned, and twisted.

He placed his free hand on her thigh, to hold her steady. Her fingers were clenched in his hair.

Faster, and the muscles in her legs began to tremble; she was close.

A bit longer and she tensed, clawing his scalp. "OOooh! God!" A small gush of fluid. The feeling of the spasms around his fingers.

He inhaled deeply again, the smell purely Lyssa, and slowly withdrew from her.

But, what he really wanted was to plunge his ready cock into her wet pussy. He knew, however, that if he did that, he'd be unable to prevent himself from marking and mating her. That was an irrevocable step, and he would not take it without her consent. So, he had to be satisfied with this.

He crawled up beside her as she panted in the aftermath of her orgasm and pulled her close.

She murmurs a question, "Emmett?"

"Shh. Sleep."

Happily, Erich happened to be driving through a rural area when he passed a tractor pulling a dark car down the road.

It wasn't difficult to find where it had been dragged from, the trail of mud was easy to follow.

He parked in a wide spot along the narrow road and walked back. He followed the muddy trail back along the hedgerow until he found the place where the car had been stuck.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. Human. Raccoon. Nothing else.

Now, he looked around. Remnants of a snowfall. Footprints from the human, a hand print. There! A large print, resembling a human foot, but a bit misshapen, pressed firmly into the mud.

From there, another, less deep. A third light trace marked the direction of travel. Only one set of tracks, he must have carried the human female. Not unexpected, as she would otherwise slow him down.

Should he explore now? Look for them? No. He needed to report back first and see what the Alpha wanted done.

She woke later, to the smell of a meal in the making.

She stretched and looked over at the half-naked man at the fire. She noticed he was standing shock still, as if awaiting something painful.

Did he regret what they'd done? Is that why he stood so stiffly now?

He'd gotten out of the bed, hadn't waited for her to wake.

She sat up, throwing back the blanket he'd apparently covered her with, and looked for her clothes, such as they were.

He glanced at her as she sat up, eyes drawn to her full breasts. Breasts that he had held, touched, one marred by a wolf's bite.

His stomach lurched and he turned back to the pot.

He listened to her dressing and waited for the inevitable questions.

She came over and gathered plates and cutlery, setting the table for their meal.

"Smells good, Emmett. You're a good cook."

"I've had some practice."

"Oh? You go camping a lot?"

"Young males often go off into the woods for a time. There are a few outlying cabins we use."

"Why?"

"To run. To hunt. To spar. Even to talk. We sometimes have the urge to commune more fully with our wolves."

"You can't do that at the house?"

He laughs, and she starts. She'd never heard him laugh before. She found she liked the sound of his laughter.

They ate and talked.

He went out on patrol.

They slept curled up together at night. She swore she heard him murmur her name in the night as his arm tightened around her.

The next couple of days fell into a comfortable pattern.

Eating. Emmett patrolling. Regular bouts of, well, it wasn't exactly lovemaking. He would pleasure her and she would do the same for him, learning all the textures and tastes of his cock. But they didn't have intercourse.

She wasn't sure why. Was it Thomas? Or something else?

They would talk, about pack life, mostly, but other things as well. Likes. Dislikes. The past. What had been their hopes for the future. Even the weather.

More snow fell. He began to grow withdrawn, almost depressed.

One day, as they curled up together after they had again pleasured one another, she ventured the question, "Why do you think they haven't found us, yet?"

Randall is overjoyed that Emmett and Lyssa had been tracked down.

Computer map applications allowed them to pursue an initial scout of the area. It had been Samuel, using an unfamiliar tool, binoculars, who had first spotted Emmett on patrol.

The four young males, Roland, Erich, Samuel, and Gordon, had been tasked with watching the pair. They were frustrated at being unable to get closer, to engage, but had followed their Alpha's orders without question.

They had also been provided with a device they were uncomfortable with.

On the seventh day following their escape, Randall drives out to give the watchers another order. Joanna has been allowed to accompany him.

Gordon and Roland look up as the black Escalade pulls up.

"What's going on, Dad?"

"It's time to bring them back to the den, son."

Joanna is bouncing and rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Both Emmett and her newfound friend and human, Lyssa, would be coming home soon.

The two young men look at each other, then their Alpha. "When do Erich and Samuel return?"

"Another hour."

"Alright, he's been here too long and he knows it. He's likely to be considering another move soon. We'll plan for two contingencies and hope for the simplest."

"In the first case, we will take him while he is on patrol, outside of the cabin, and then go in and collect her."

"What if he doesn't come out?"

"He will, Joanna, we will see to it."

"What do you consider the second scenario to be, Dad?"

"That would be if he decides to run again tonight." Roland and Gordon nod. "In that case, we will need to separate them, to keep her from injury."

"Can I help, Dad?"

"This is why I allowed you to come along, Jo. So that you might help us with her."

"Lyssa. Her name is Lyssa."

He closes his eyes, chastised now by both his mate and his daughter for failure to address his soon-to-be pack member by her name.

"If Emmett decides it is time to move, he will wish to move quickly. It is likely he will be carrying Lyssa. We will have to make a move to attack him, so that he will put her down to defend himself."

"I don't wish him to be harmed, but we all know that Emmett is a canny fighter and any of us may be injured."

"Joanna, if you have any opportunity to get Lyssa away from him, please, take it. Then, talk to her, try to calm her."

Samuel and Erich return and the plan is repeated.

The Wyeth wolves then fan out and surround the cabin where Emmett and Lyssa have taken refuge.

Emmett sat up against the headboard and pulled her into his lap. "I don't know. Our trail may have been difficult to follow but not impossible. Erich's one of our best trackers. Unless he's not doing his best, he will find us." He wraps his arms around her, rests his chin on her head. "We should move again."

"But.."

"I know you've grown comfortable here but we shouldn't stay in any place too long."

She sighed. "Tonight?"

"We'll leave before dawn."

She nods, feeling warm and safe in his arms. "Emmett?"

"Hmm?"

"Why haven't you had sex with me?"

A big inhale as he nuzzles her neck. "Because if I started, I didn't think I'd be able to stop. The urge to mate with you is very strong but I wanted you to have the choice. If I'd marked you then, you'd have had no choice at all."

"So, that's what a mating is?"

"For wolves, yes. But for you, it would have been different and much more profound. The bite given during the mating would change you into a wolf."

She tenses in his arms. "Oh."

"I refuse to change you against your will. It is, I know, a lot to ask."

He turns her sideways and tilts her chin up to look into her eyes. "I wanted us to get to know about each other. To explain to you what was involved. My plans were interrupted when the Alphas arrived at your house. And, I fear I have done nothing since then to earn your favor."

"You took me to them and dropped me there with a group of people I didn't know. You wouldn't come near me. Why?"

Another big breath. She sways in his arms against the rise and fall of his chest. "You were so mad, so cold. I thought I had lost my chance with you."

"But you still knocked Thomas flat when he came over to talk to me."

He couldn't look her in the eye. "I guess I wasn't ready to let you go. And I couldn't stand seeing you go to him."

She puts her palm on his chest and her ear against it, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart. "Does it hurt?"

"What? The bite?"

She shakes her head against his chest. "Changing."

"Ah. That. I did speak to Anna about it, to learn what she remembered."

"So, Anna was changed?"

"Yes. Jeremy brought her into the pack 22 years ago. She was reminded of the flu, or so she said. Tired. Achy. Feverish. It lasted a few days."

"Which one was she?"

"A light brown wolf, a little larger than most. I'm not sure you would have noticed her, though."

"Does she like it?"

He grumbles under his breath, "Ariel should have taken you to talk to her. Oh, wait, that's right, she's in estrus."

"Estrus. Stephanie said something about that. We kept running into a couple having sex all over the house. She said the woman was in estrus and that they were making pups."

"Estrus basically means a bitch in heat. Her sex drive goes through the roof and he won't leave her for the entire time. It's when she's fertile. That was Anna and Jeremy."

"Oh. Wow. Every month?"

"No. Our females are only fertile once or twice a year. Are you saying you're fertile every month?"

She gulps and nods. "Hmm. Interesting. But Anna doesn't. Perhaps that would be different when you are changed."

"So, Anna likes being a wolf?"

"Yes, she does. I wish you could have spoken with her."

"Is that another reason you won't have sex with me? Cuz I could get pregnant?"

"No, sweetheart. It wouldn't happen unless you're changed."

He looks up. "It's getting late. I should patrol, a wide sweep tonight. Then we should make some preparations and get some rest before we leave in the morning."

"What about all the food we ate?"

"I'll leave some money."

He moves her off to one side and stands.

She gets up, too, shivering slightly. "I don't know why but I think I'd feel better with the gun while you're gone."

She walks over to the duffle bag and pulls out the gun, knocking open one of the small boxes inside.

She gasps, scooping up a familiar and highly sentimental object.

Emmett, noticing the change, turns to her.

Lyssa stands, gun in one hand, something else clasped in the other. She opens that hand, staring in wonder at the two objects strung on a silver chain.

A cheap blue-glass heart-shaped pendant that her father had given her mother.

And her mother's engagement band.

Her view gets blurry as unbidden tears come to her eyes. "How?"

"Joanna told me to go to your house and find the things you'd really miss if you lost them."

"Did you save them from the fire?"

"No. I was there well before that."

"Oh." A pause. "How did you know to get this?"

"I also got your high school yearbook and a couple of photo albums. I saw a picture of your mother wearing this. So, I thought.."

She gulps, sniffles, and wraps her hand tightly around her only remaining treasure.

"The books are in my room. I'm sorry but they were too big to bring with us."

Another sniff. "Um. What's in the other box?"

His eyes, those chocolate brown eyes, go sad and she thinks maybe she shouldn't have asked. His voice sounds a bit strangled when he says, "Open it."

With shaky hands, she clasps the necklace around her neck and crouches. She takes the thin box out and lays it flat on her palm. "Carefully."

Lyssa slowly pulls the lid off and looks inside.

there is a photo, of a grey wolf, a tuft of fur, and a couple of teeth, sharp and small. She looks up at him for an explanation.

"Those are a couple of my milk teeth. The picture is my mother."

"She was grey, too, huh?" He nods. "She's beautiful."

He smiles at her use of the word beautiful to describe a wolf. "And the fur? I can smell a little.. , oh."

She carefully, almost reverently, slides the lid back on.

"My father's, I've been told. A patch that the fire didn't get, where he was leaning against one of my brothers."

She puts the box down, walks over, and puts her arms around his waist and hugs him. "I'm sorry."

He puts his arms around her and holds her close, nose in her hair. "Sorry for what, dear heart?" He feels the dampness of her tears against his chest.

"That you've lost your family, twice. And, thank you, for saving this." Her hand goes to the pendant.

"Joanna was right. And, Lyssa, I must ask your forgiveness," she looks up at him, confusion on her face. "For not being attentive to you in the den. For allowing Thomas to hurt you. For putting your life in jeopardy. If I could take it all back, I would."




Animal Lover Ch. 11



Looking up at him, she places her palm over his heart. "All of it?" She gives a sad smile.

He gives her a slight smile as well. "Perhaps not all."

She cranes her neck upward slightly and he accepts the invitation, kissing her. When the kiss breaks, she sighs and places her head back against his chest.

After a couple of minutes, she shivers slightly. He gives her a squeeze, places a brief kiss on the top of her head, and releases her, saying, "I need to patrol. You should dress before you chill."

She looks down at herself, naked as the day she was born, save for the pendant, and nods. "OK. Be careful."

He smiles. "Always, sweetheart. Always."

A small swirl of snow comes in the door as he opens it.

She pads over to the bed and pulls on pants and moccasins. She hears a growl, then a thud, and the cabin wall shudders slightly as if something large had hit it.

Startled, she pulls on the sweatshirt, grabs the gun, and bursts outside.

The door hits something and rebounds as she runs around the side of the cabin.

Lyssa stops dead at the sight of two werewolves, in intermediate form, working to pick up Emmett, the wolfman himself.

Her concentration narrows to sharp focus as she fumbles to pull the slide back on the gun.

Emmett. Limp. Unconscious or dead but with no visible wound.

One of the wolfmen has a bite mark on his forearm, the other, three gashes, claw marks, on his chest.

She levels the gun at the nearest, whose head swivels at the sound from the gun. "Drop him, you goddamn animals!"

A noise behind her has her whirling, and her finger contracts on the trigger convulsively as she takes in the large, furred form coming at her.

The gun fires as it closes and six voices howl some form of pain.

Someone/something grabs her from behind and wrenches the gun away as Lyssa looks into the shocked face of a partly furred Joanna. Small breasts confirm a female, clutching a bleeding wound in the belly.

"Joanna? Omigod. Joanna?"

Joanna bares her teeth at Lyssa.

[Erich, pull her away before Jo hurts her.]

Strong arms yank Lyssa away from Joanna, who snaps at her and tries to swipe her with her claws.

A large wolfman, with Randall's eyes, grabs the wounded Joanna. [Jo, I've got you. Erich, bring the human. Samuel, secure the cabin, then follow. Roland, Gordon, bring Emmett as quickly as you are able.] All this delivered as he takes off, cradling his wounded daughter in his arms.

Lyssa struggles against the arms holding her, to no avail. All the wolves are much too strong for her. So, she screams. A furry hand claps over her mouth. She kicks, she claws, she tries to scream, tries to bite, as she is bodily carried off.

Randall is quite a distance ahead, carrying Joanna, but Lyssa can't see around the wolfman carrying her, to see what's happening with Emmett. [Alpha, she's going to need to be tied, she's not quieting.]

[Tell her we aren't going to hurt her.]

A rough, gravelly voice comes from the wolfman carrying her. "We aren't going to hurt you, do you understand?" Chest heaving, she nods.

Erich loosens his grip and removes the hand from her mouth. She starts to slither from his grasp and screams again. "HELP!!"

A sigh comes to Erich through the bond. [Alright, Erich, I didn't plan on this. We'll need to tear up some of our clothing to bind her.]

[Of course, Alpha.]

[Dad, let me talk to her. Maybe I can calm her down.]

[Jo. We are getting you to the healer. The longer we wait, the worse it will be. In addition, since she injured you it is doubtful she would trust you right now.]

[It does hurt.]

[Then, let me get you home.]

Randall retrieves the key for one of the cars as Joanna, painfully, slips on some clothing and slides inside. A moment later, with Randall wearing a set of sweatpants, they're off.

Erich arrives at the vehicles and gets the key for the second car. Lyssa tries to get away again. He sighs, she is a handful, testing both his patience and his limits.

He needed both hands to deal with her.

If he could calm her down or knock her out.. He quickly rejects that idea as he would as likely kill her as knock her out. Not that Emmett would be pleased either way. [Sam, you're gonna hafta help me with her when you get here.]

A chuckle, in fact, three, are heard through the bond. [Sure, Erich, I'll help you with the little human.]

Erich growls at the disparagement as he hauls Lyssa into the back seat with him.

Samuel douses the fire, cleans up the kitchen area, straightens the bed, grabs the duffle, and takes off for the vehicles. [On my way.]

He passes Roland and Gordon as they make their way with Emmett's dead weight. [Slowpokes.]

[You try carrying him.]

[Get over here and help me with her. Rip up a shirt or something so we can tie her up.]

[How 'bout you hold her and I drive?]

[Samuel...] He comes on the car, watching Erich hold a squirming, struggling Lyssa.

He grabs a shirt and shreds it. He wraps her hands up, wrists together. [Legs, too.] Samuel then grabs her legs, she's kicking and flailing, and ties her ankles together.

Samuel then got the spare clothes out of the trunk and threw on a t-shirt and sweatpants. As Erich released Lyssa, she began to scream again. He winced at the sound. "If you don't stop, I will gag you."

She glared at him, but shut up.

Erich got out and pulled on clothes.

"She's untying her feet."

"Damn. You drive." Erich gets back into the car beside her as the others haul Emmett into view.

She watches them bring him to the back of the Escalade.

"Why didn't you just kill me, too?"

Samuel starts the car. "He's not dead."

"What're you gonna do with us, then?"

"The Alpha will explain everything."

"I didn't mean to hurt Joanna."

"She'll be alright."

[What are you hanging around for? Go on.]

[Alright, Roland. We're gone.]

She starts screaming again when they got into traffic. Erich claps a hand over her mouth as he pulls her down, head in his lap. "We aren't going to hurt you."

Her struggles continue. "Damn. How much longer?"

Ariel stands waiting as Randall pulls into the garage with Joanna and follows as her mate takes their daughter, bleeding, to the healer.

The bullet is removed as Ariel holds her hand. "I should be there when she gets here."

"You should take it easy for a day or so."

"It's not like I'll be doing any heavy lifting or fighting, Mom. She needs to talk to someone she trusts."

Randall answers. "I don't believe she trusts any of us, anymore."

"But I can help!"

"Healer, what is your opinion?"

"Oh, yes, of what?"

"Is it unwise of Joanna to move after this injury?"

"Why, Alpha, she certainly must move." Randall gives him a hard look. "Oh. No hunting, fighting, or carrying large objects until I see you again tomorrow."

"But, I can do almost anything else?"

"Certainly." He pauses, looks at her. "You don't feel the need to stay here, do you?"

"No, healer. Thank you."

Joanna rises, wincing, and starts ascending the stairs, slowly.

"Joanna, she did shoot you."

"She didn't mean to, Mom. She just meant to defend herself, and Emmett. Like any of us would. She either thinks we're going to kill them of that we're going to send her to Thomas. And no one's told either of them differently. How would you expect them to react?"

"Nothing has gone as expected with this female around. I wonder now if it is wise to bring her into the pack."

Randall runs his hand into his mate's hair, rubs the back of her neck. She responds with something that sounds almost like a purr. "Perhaps we have become too complacent, mate. Emmett sees something in her and we have no reason not to trust his judgment in his choice of mate."

[Alpha, we'll be at the gate in 6 minutes.]

[Understood, Samuel.] "Samuel and Erich will be here with the.. Lyssa in a few minutes."

Joanna smiles at her father. "And, Emmett?"

"Some distance behind, I'm sure. Do you, really, Jo, feel up to helping us?"

Joanna nods, vigorously. "I really want to."

"Alright then, here's what we'll do.."

Lyssa was allowed to sit back up as they came within sight of the compound. Her fear ramped up as she caught sight of the house.

"Oh, thank Selene," Samuel says, "she reeks."

Her defiance picks up at the statement. "Yeah, you smell, too."

Erich sighs, attempting to be diplomatic. "We can smell your fear. It isn't pleasant. You really have no reason to be afraid of us."

"Seriously? I'm tied up, in the back of a car, being dragged back to a place I ran away from."

"And we haven't hurt you."

She pauses. "But. I shot Joanna. Randall and Ariel have got to be pissed."

Erich does not respond as they pull up. Faces peer out of windows on every floor of the house. Wolves, outside, also turn and watch. Randall, Ariel, Stephanie, and Joanna stand there, waiting for them.

Lyssa releases a breath. "She's alright."

The car stops. Samuel gets out as the four wolves approach.

Erich unties her and opens the door on the other side of her. As they get out, she looks around and quickly dives into the front seat. Just as she reaches for the keys Samuel left in the ignition, three wolves in human form slide into the car. She slumps in defeat.

[She has a quick mind, husband.]

[Indeed, she has the potential to be a great strategist.]

Ariel stretches out her hands to Lyssa. "Welcome back. Emmett will be here soon."

Lyssa, highly confused, gets out of the car. Stephanie, Erich, and Samuel relax and exit as well.

Joanna takes her hand. "C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up and into some girly clothes. Are you hungry?"

Lyssa, mystified, shakes her head. "No. Um, aren't you mad at me?"

"Why? Are you mad at me?"

"But, I.."

Joanna flashes a smile. "..defended yourself?"

It was all too weird. Ariel, welcoming her back, Joanna, smiling, leading her to, Emmett's room? No threats. No cell. Stephanie following, as she had when she'd first arrived.

Joanna chatted as Lyssa shed the clothes she had worn for days,climbed into the shower and groaned at how marvelous the hot water felt. Stephanie remained in the other room.

Lyssa emerges to a big, fluffy towel and the overwhelming feeling that she'd been dropped into another dimension.

She dressed simply, jeans and a sweater, socks and sneakers. Joanna led her over to the seating area as Stephanie stood nearby, arms crossed.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Having a conversation with my friend?"

"Why are my clothes here? Joanna, what's going on? Emmett said we'd be killed if we ran." Stephanie scoffs. "Is he dead? Where is he?" She's clenching her fists. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"OK. OK. Lyssa, calm down. No one's going to kill you.."

The Escalade was rocking violently, perilously close to tipping over on a side, as it rolled into the garage. One of the back windows was busted out.

Emmett roars and snarls in the back and had found and ripped out one of the tranquilizer darts that had incapacitated him. "Cowards! Bastards! LYSSA! Where is she? What have you done with her?"

Roland and Gordon gratefully get out and open the rear of the SUV as Randall and Ariel walk up.

"Emmett."

"COWARD!" Randall bristles and Ariel lays a calming hand on her mate's arm. 

Ariel steps nearer. "Emmett, listen to me."

The chained and enraged werewolf in the back of the SUV rolls out, onto the floor of the garage, near her feet.

"Lyssa is fine. She's in your room. If you calm down we will take you to her."

The wolfman pulls to his full height, draped in heavy chain. "Just kill me, Randall, and have done with it. I don't need the punishment of seeing what you've done to her."

"Emmett, my friend, where did you ever get the idea that I would kill you if you ran? We allow wolves to leave all the time."

Emmett stares at his Alpha and spits out one word. "Simon."

Randall shakes his head. "Ah. Yes. You were too young to know the whole story. My father explained it to me since it was part of the responsibility of being Alpha. Simon ran because he had killed a pup of the Tucker pack when she had the audacity to nip at him. That was his crime and the reason he was killed."

Emmett looks unconvinced.

Randall begins to walk back and forth before him.

"Lyssa is a handful, Emmett. She truly is. She ran out of the cabin with a gun to try and save you. She stood there and ordered Roland and Gordon to let you go." A pause. "Unfortunately, I brought Joanna along, to help keep her calm, and she startled her." Emmett sucks in a breath. Randall holds up a hand. "She'll be fine. With a scar and a story to tell about it. An accident, while she was trying to defend you and herself."

"She was very brave. She's also a very quick thinker, strategic."

"And, as you know, Ariel had a positive assessment of her after we met at her house."

"I believe she would make a fine addition to this pack."

"As Thomas' mate."

"No, my friend. [Thomas, to the garage.] We know Thomas did not mate her."

Ariel speaks up now. "Thomas has been disabused of the notion that any guest in our den would be allowed to come to harm."

Thomas runs into the garage, standing with head twisted to the side, offering his throat.

He looks pale, haggard, with numerous new scars.

"You may go back to work."

"Thank you, my Alphas." He scurries off.

"Emmett. You know my word is good."

"We have not harmed Lyssa. There will be no punishment for your flight."

"You are free to claim her as your mate. We've waited long for you to find yours."

The chained wolfman looks first at Randall, then Ariel, both smiling. Randall holds a key in his hand. "Welcome home, my friend."

"LYSSA!"

Lyssa turns and stands at Emmett's bellow, taking a step toward the door.

Joanna grabs her. "I wouldn't go near the door."

She's right. The door fairly explodes off its hinges as Emmett, the brown-eyed, grey-furred wolfman, bursts into the room and grabs her.

Sweeping her up, he spins her and plants a kiss on her. Her eyes go wide and she pounds on his chest. He pulls back a bit and loosens his grip. She sucks in a breath.

He drops to human form, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

She sighs. "Taking my breath away, literally, Em."

Concern etched on his face, he drops down to a knee and takes her arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Um. No. Might be a little sore tomorrow." He looks crestfallen. "Is everything alright?"

Excited now by the prospects, he picks her up again. "Yes. Did Joanna tell you?" Lyssa nods. "I never dreamed.." He nuzzles her neck. "Oh, Luna, it's all over. We can stay here, start a family.." He feels a change in her body posture.

He sags a little. No. That's right. He straightens and sets her on her feet. "Anna and Jeremy will speak to you tomorrow. Ask them anything, anything at all, and they will answer."

He looks down at her, hands on her shoulders. "Will you stay here with me tonight? We could find another room.."

She reaches up to touch his face. "No, Emmett, I'd rather stay here, with you."

Emmett's face lights up and he scoops her up again, carefully, and kisses her. "I should probably clean up and then we should talk."

Lyssa sits, listening to the rhythmic fall of the water. Adrenaline surge exhausted, coupled with the lateness of the hour, the sound of falling water lulls her.

Emmett comes out of the bathroom, running a towel over his wet hair. His words die in his throat as he sees her falling asleep in the chair.

Smiling, he pulls back the bedcovers. He then pads over and tenderly picks her up. She jerks, waking suddenly, then relaxes in his arms. He places her in the bed, pulls off shoes, socks, and pants.

She sleepily objects, "Emmett. The door."

He kisses her as he crawls in the bed beside her. "Nobody cares, Lys. Go to sleep."

He pulls the blanket over her, puts an arm around her, and pulls her close.

Sleep. In his own bed with his intended mate.

Back in his pack. It was just a matter of time before he had a family of his own, once again.

He dreamed of a chestnut wolf, a pair of pups, one grey, one dark brown. Lyssa, smiling up at him, wanting him.

She sighed and shifted in the bed. He roused briefly, scented the air, and fell back into dreams.



Animal Lover Ch. 12



Dear Readers,

Thank you for your continued encouragement and comments. I've had fun with this. Here is the final chapter of Animal Lover.

KemMyst

*******************

Emmett rises with the sun, sounds of the waking den comes in through the broken door. Faces are occasionally seen, looking in briefly.

Lyssa yawns and looks at him as he leans over her. "Good morning."

She checks her breath and winces, pushing at him. "I should brush my teeth and take a shower."

"You smell good. You took a shower last night."

"I feel gross, Em. Let me take a shower." He reluctantly releases her and inhales deeply. "Breakfast is ready. Don't take too long."

Ten minutes later, she comes out, toweling off. At the closet, she drops the towel and pulls on a sweater. Turning to pull on her jeans, she squeaks when she realizes the door is still partway open and others can see her.

"God, Emmett." He's been watching her dress, smiling, and doesn't understand why she's concerned. "The door."

"In case it's escaped you, nudity is not an issue with us."

"Then why do you even have doors?"

"We do like privacy, at times. We do, occasionally, have human visitors. I'll have it fixed today. Come." He holds out a hand.

They walk together to breakfast and Lyssa sits beside Emmett this morning, signaling a change to the other wolves. Lyssa eats a generous breakfast and Emmett eats like a starving man. Lyssa laughs at him.

"What? I've been on half rations for a week."

As the meal ends, he stands and kisses her. "Where are you going?"

"Gotta catch up on work. I'll come see you as soon as I can."

Joanna walks up with a fairly young-looking couple. "This is Anna and Jeremy. Anna is the last human brought into the pack. They'll answer your questions and tell you what's involved."

Lyssa colors thinking of the only times she's ever seen them.

Anna takes her hand. "Come along, where we can talk. And, believe me, after a while, you won't even notice such things."

They walk into what looks like a family entertainment room. Joanna, Stephanie, Lyssa, Anna, and Jeremy sit down on comfortable seating. "Now, Lyssa, it's been a while but I remember being embarrassed about everyone walking around naked. But, for us, it isn't unusual to be seen that way, natural. Clothes tend to get in the way if you need or want to shift into another form."

"Aren't you cold?"

"No. We get that from the wolf."

"Didn't someone way you were changed 20 years ago? You only look like you're in your thirties. You must have been a child." Lyssa frowns in disgust. "Emmett told me how.."

"I was 25. Another gift from the wolf."

"But, that would make you 45, you don't look that old."

"I'm 47, not that we really keep track. Here." Anna hands over an old driver's license.

Lyssa looks at the license, looks at Anna, and back at the license. "47?" Anna nods. "How old are you?" She looks to Jeremy.

"62."

"Stephanie?"

Stephanie looks perplexed. "Let's see, what year is it? Oh, right. That would make me 76."

Lyssa's eyes bug out. "No. Way." She turns to Joanna. "Don't tell me you're 30 or something."

Joanna smiles. "Nope. Fifteen. Roland is 47. Dad is 82 and Mom is, um, 84."

"Wait. That would mean she was about 70 when she had you." Joanna nods.

"How long do you live? How long can you have kids?" A pause.

"A long time, Lyssa. Wolves don't have menopause."

"OK. How old is he?"

Anna squeezes her mate's hand. "Lyssa, you should ask him. Most of us don't keep track."

"But. But." An exhale and she lays the driver's license aside. "It can't all be 'gifts.'"

"There are restrictions. Keeping our secret. Keeping within pack range. Working to provide for or support the pack in some manner. Accepting the leadership of the Alpha pair. Understanding that much of what you use, or work with, or live in, is community property. We have few individual possessions."

Lyssa's hands suddenly go to her throat and she searches around her neck for the chain. Gone. She closes her eyes.

Joanna looks at her with concern. "Lyssa, what is it?"

"It's gone."

"What? What is it?"

Lyssa sniffles. "Just a stupid blue glass heart my father gave my mother, and her engagement ring. It was on a silver chain. I had it yesterday."

Joanna takes her hand. "We'll look for it, Lyssa. We'll find it." [Anton. Check the car Erich and Samuel came back in yesterday. Looking for jewelry. Silver chain. Blue glass heart. Ring.] [Certainly, I'll let you know.] [Maggie..] The requests are repeated.

"OK. We're checking the car, the laundry, no one's seen it in the house. We'll check Emmett's room." She rises, pulling Lyssa up. "Anna, Jeremy, thank you, we may ask more of you later."

"Wait. How do you know the car's being looked at, or the laundry?"

"Emmett didn't tell you? We mindspeak."

"Is that what he meant?" Joanna looks to Lyssa. "When Emmett said he couldn't talk to me from a distance, when he asked if I called to him with my mind. Are you all in each others' heads? You read minds? Omigod."

"Calm down, Lyssa. It's not like that." They start taking the stairs to the third floor. "You can talk to individuals or a few people at a time, depending on your strength and control. Dad can talk to the entire pack at once, he has to be able to, as Alpha. Mom, too. Since the pack has accepted Emmett as Beta, he can call out to them, too. Roland, too, as Alpha heir. We can't talk as wolves, but we have to be able to communicate."

"We aren't in each others' heads all the time, or even listening. It's like a telephone call; they have to accept at the other end."

"You may also have some ability to sense feelings through the bond."

They reach the door to Emmett's room, which is being fixed.

"OK, but how did I do that? Can you call me?"

"Emmett and Stephanie tried when they were looking for you. So it looks like we can't connect to you."

"Then how did I call to Emmett?"

"You really, really wanted him to find you." Joanna looks around the room. "OK, couch, bathroom, bed. Anywhere else?"

"Um, no."

[There is no jewelry of any kind in the cars. The Escalade is being repaired, we will check it as soon as possible.]

"Damn, I hoped it was there."

"What?"

"It's not in either of the cars."

There's no evidence of ring, chain, or pendant in the bathroom.

The bed is pulled apart, nothing there either. Only a couple of dust bunnies under it.

Joanna's pulling couch cushions off when Lyssa notices a couple of photo albums on a table. She walks over and places her hand on the top one. She takes a deep breath, and opens the cover.

It was true, she hadn't lost everything. There were pictures of her, her parents, her brother and sister. "He said you told him to find the things I'd miss if I lost them." Joanna smiles and nods. Lyssa drops the cover. "Thank you." She gets a little teary.

"We'll find it, Lyssa. We're wolves, we hunt things down."

Emmett comes to get her for lunch as she and Joanna are reassembling the bed.

He walks up behind her and she shrieks when he snakes arms around her waist and kisses the top of her head.

Joanna grimaces, "Ow. That hurts." and shakes her head. "I guess she's got one defense."

"I snuck up on her, Jo. We should address that in her training."

"Standing right here," she elbows Emmett in the ribs and he chuckles.

"I've got an errand to run this afternoon. I've come to take you to lunch but I may be late for dinner." He nuzzles her neck.

"We're not alone."

"MMmm." He pulls her closer. "In case it's escaped your keen notice, sweetheart, wolves are a very passionate bunch." A noise startles both of them. Joanna laughs.

"Did you growl?"

"He's just hungry. C'mon."

After lunch he disappears again and Joanna and Stephanie take Lyssa to the training room. "I'm not in workout clothes."

"No one will ever wait for you to change. Besides, we won't be doing too much today. We need to show you some things, since you haven't grown up as a wolf. And there are other things you should know, since you aren't one."

Stephanie models the stances and body postures of a wolf in various emotional states. She's drilled until she knew them all, then a male wolf is called in and she is tested again.

Next comes discussions of standard wolf attack strategies against human form. And she is shown ways to guard against having her throat taken out, as well as some possible moves to fend off a bite.

She finishes that session with red marks on her neck, tired arms, and a sore butt.

As Lyssa dusts herself off, Joanna holds up a strip of cloth. "You're not gonna tie me up and ask me to do that?"

"What? Oh, no. We're going to blindfold you and see if you can figure out where we are."

A chair is placed in the middle of the room and Lyssa is settled in it and blindfolded. "Now. I will stand still and Stephanie will move. And you will tell me where she is."

"How?"

"Listen. Smell. Feel. Alright, Stephanie, let's get her range."

Lyssa hears the click of claws on the floor. A little more time passes and Joanna says, "Where?"

Lyssa points to where she last heard claws, to her left, [Stephanie?], and is startled by a soft woof in front of her.

"Again."

Joanna is amazed at how dull Lyssa's senses are, any wolf pup would not have this much trouble in a game of blind man's bluff. In a quiet room, she's only able to figure out where Stephanie is about one time out of eight, and only when she's relatively close by.

Tired, frustrated, Lyssa calls a halt. "I'm not any good at this. I'm not going to get any better. I'm only human." A pause. "I gotta pee." She unties the blindfold and stands.

Joanna looks at her, hands on her hips. "You're not trying."

Lyssa bristles. "I am. I'm not like you!" Stephanie begins dressing.

Joanna sighs. "OK. OK. It's almost dinner time. Is there something you want to do?"

"I've been pretty much stuck inside for days. I wanna go for a walk."

Joanna's face lights up. "Yeah. Cool. Let's go." Stephanie starts pulling her clothing back off.

Several minutes later, the three women are outside, two in wolven form and one cold human.

Snow blankets the area, three or four inches deep, and a light snow continues to fall. Numerous tracks crisscrossed the area, a number headed toward the circle. Lyssa catches a glimpse of a couple of dark shapes flying through the woods together.

The cream colored wolf beside her whines and noses her hand.

Lyssa pats her head and scratches her ears. Joanna groans, then licks her hand and takes off at a run. Lyssa follows, walking on a well worn trail with a brown wolf walking beside her.

With the enthusiasm and energy of youth, Joanna frolics in the snow, running around in circles, coming up to Lyssa and bolting away again.

Lyssa lifts her face to the sky, catching a couple of snowflakes on her tongue and is practically bowled over by three gamboling wolf pups. Stephanie growls at them and they scatter, heading for the house.

After about 20 minutes, Lyssa looks around her, at the wonder of a winter wood, and wolves. She turns back to the house. It was beginning to get dark.

At dinner, neither Emmett nor Erich were there.

Joanna coaxes her into a movie and, between the darkness of the room and the limited sleep she'd gotten the night before, she fell asleep.

As the movie ends, Joanna nudges her. "Emmett?"

"Not back yet. You should go to bed."

Lyssa trudges wearily up the stairs. Three flights seemed almost too much. "Where is he?"

"On a hunt. He'll be back before morning."

The door had been fixed and Stephanie stood beside it.

Lyssa is so tired she practically falls into the bed. Before giving in to sleep, however, she pulls on one of Emmett's t-shirts.

She nestles into bedclothes containing Emmett's comforting scent and quickly falls asleep.

Emmett slides into the bed beside her a little after midnight. He smiles to himself as she cuddles up to him in her sleep, noting she was wearing one of his t-shirts.

She stirs the next morning with light streaming in the windows and no Emmett beside her. The water was running in the bathroom. He must be washing up.

She walks around the room, looking at things. He didn't have a whole lot of possessions which made the few items he did have stand out more.

The jawbone of a large animal with flat teeth. A picture of a group of wolves. She runs her fingers across the computer keyboard, looks at some of the movie titles. Action movies, big surprise.

She turns to see what he has in the bookcase when she sees something familiar.

She walks over to the table and puts her hand on the top of a photo album.

He's come out to find her looking around his room. He stands quietly, watching her move.

The grey t-shirt she had pulled on was big on her but he can see the swell of her breasts. Her legs reach out below the hem, and he gets occasional glimpses of her ass and her pubic area, the hair there completely grown back.

His cock begins to stir as he watches her.

She saw the photo album and stopped, a hand on the cover.

He watches that hand tremble, as she opens the cover. Pictures of her, her parents, her brother and sister. All she had left of them.

He quietly greets her. "Good morning."

She turns. He's lounging against the doorjamb from the bathroom.

Naked. Tanned. Freshly shaven. Pink lines on his body from more recent wounds.

His cock, partly swollen.

Brown eyes. Those chocolate brown eyes, looking at her.

He enters the room and pulls something from the bedside table.

"I have something for you."

She gapes as he walks over to her, the silver chain dangling from his hand.

He gently takes her hand and turns it palm up, then slowly lowers the chain into her hand. He closes her fingers over her palm and lightly kisses the top of her head.

Emmett then turns to his dresser and pulls out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

[Emmett.]

[Coming, Randall. Give me 5 minutes.]

Lyssa opens her hand, staring in wonder at the blue-glass heart and the engagement band of her mother.

The image gets blurry as unbidden tears spill onto her cheeks. He'd found them. She thought they were lost forever. He'd gone out, searched, and found them. For her.

She turns toward Emmet, who's pulling on his jeans.

"Yes."

He turns to look at her, jeans over his hips, but undone. He takes a step toward her, his face a mask of confusion.

"Yes."

Tears are running down her face. He steps closer, unsure what she was agreeing to but wanting to comfort her. He wraps his arms around her and holds her tightly, using his hand to cradle her head against his chest. "I'm glad I found it."

Her breath hitches, she clears her throat, and says again. "Yes."

He now holds her away from him, by the shoulders, and looks at her. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, I'll be your, your mate."

Emmett gusts out a breath and kisses the top of her head. "OK. I'll tell Randall."

He turns to finish dressing.

She pads after him and clutches his arm, forcing him to turn back to her. Grabbing his shoulders, she pulls him down and kisses him.

He pulls away slightly and looks at her. "Lyssa, I.."

She kisses him again and her hands go to his jeans, pushing them down.

As they hit the floor she wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him more tightly to her. She can feel the swelling of him between their bodies.

When he gasps for breath she takes a step back and peels the t-shirt over her head.

He growls at the mark Thomas has left on her, then sweeps her up into his arms. He carries her over to the bed.

[Randall. I'll need at least an hour.]

[Understood.]

He lays her out on the bed then stands there, looking at her.

She puts the necklace on the nightstand and she reaches an arm out to him. "Please."

He gets into the bed beside her and, putting his nose to her neck, inhales deeply. "What are you doing?"

"Getting your scent. And covering you in mine."

"Haven't you already done that?

He then takes her face in his hands and kisses away her tears.

He finds her lips and kisses her gently, as if he's still afraid of her. And they spend time exploring each others' mouths.

He then kisses her chin, nips along her jaw, and traces his tongue along her collarbone. Lower, he licks around her right breast, finds the nipple peaked and suckles on it, lavishing attention on the breast that Thomas had mauled. He kneads the other, flicking the nipple on that one with a fingernail, then pinching and rolling it.

Finally, he drops his head lower, tasting her skin as he went.

He concentrates on her navel, while his hand strokes her inner thighs, her labia.

His mouth drops to her mound, and his tongue flicks against her clitoris. She grabs his hair. "No. Emmett. I want to feel the rest of you there."

He comes back up. "Sweetheart, are you sure you want to do this now? Once I start..."

She puts a hand to his face. "I know. I want you to."

He looks into her dark brown eyes, searching for any evidence of hesitation or distaste. "Alright, then. I will mark you during our mating."

That scares her a little, but she nods. "OK."

Decided now, he positions the head of his cock at her entrance and begins his first push in.

He groans, moving slowly, allowing her to adjust to him, and assuring himself he wasn't hurting her in any way. He had to be careful, as strong as he was, not to lose himself completely. Once he had fit his crotch to hers he waits briefly, then begins the rhythmic dance of the sexes.

He had waited long for this day and he could barely believe it. His manhood was snugly sheathed in the warmth of his mate.

The bite would hurt, of that he had no doubt, but, if she were on the pinnacle, the pain would mix with pleasure. And, although it was true he had been with other females, it had been some time. He hoped to help her rise to that level of pleasure.

He starts moving slowly and she sighs at the feeling. Then she opens her eyes, looks into his, and smiles.

Grabbing his head, she pulls it down to kiss him. He continues to pump into her, long strokes, shorter ones, and begins to increase the tempo. He nips at her ear, laves the hollow of her throat, nibbles along the edge of her jaw.

Oh, she felt delightfully full. It felt so good to have him inside her.

As he moved, she felt a rubbing against her clitoris. And she groans at that.

She could feel the heat of him, radiating, keeping her warm. She could feel the sweat begin to rise on her body. So, she opens her eyes and smiles, watching him move above her, as he was watching her.

She takes his head and pulls him down for a kiss. Then she lifts her knees and wraps her legs around him, pulling him deeper, closer, so she could feel every inch of him.

He groans; she moans.

Deeper. She was taking him deeper.

He was fully enveloped in her warm, wet tunnel. And he would gladly have continued on that way until they both peaked.

But, in order to do this properly, he had to get her in another position. And soon.

So, he pulls out, to a sound of dismay from her, and flips her over.

He pulls her hips back and plunges back into her inviting pussy.

"MMmmm." A sound of pleasure from her.

He snakes an arm around her waist to stroke her clit. He feels the muscles in her lower abdomen start to tense.

Almost there. She was almost there. Just a little bit more.

And then, he leans down to her ear and says the three words guaranteed to frighten anyone. "Don't be afraid."

She opens her eyes, and they go wide, seeing grey fur sprout on his arms, feeling fur against her back, a claw, a claw?, flicking her clit. She half-considers trying to crawl out from under him.

He kept moving, kept flicking her clit, nothing hurt. Trust. She had to trust him. So, she went with it.




Animal Lover Ch. 12



"OOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOO..."

Was it her imagination, or did he feel bigger?

She grabs a mouthful of pillow and moans.

As he seats his knot in her he notices her chewing on the corner of a pillow and moaning.

He licks her ear, her neck. "Let it out. Howl for me."

He drives faster, flicks that claw over her sensitive bud faster, and she tenses.

As the muscles around his cock spring to life, she cries, "Emmmmmetttt!"

His balls tighten and, as he begins to spurt into her, he sets his jaws where her shoulder meets her neck and bites down.

Her pussy milks him as he tastes her blood.

A swipe across the wound with his tongue and he picks up his head, and howls.

Everyone in the den knew then that Emmett had taken his mate.

Emmett pulls them over on their sides, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly to him as the fur on his body recedes. He brushes hair away from her face and kisses her cheek. Quietly, he asks, "Lyssa, my mate. How are you?"

Lyssa swallows and reaches over her shoulder to touch his face. He kisses her hand. "Good."

She starts to twist to her back and he wraps his arm around her more tightly. "Mmm. No, sweetheart. We're stuck this way for a while."

"What? Why?"

"My knot has us locked together. And we'll stay this way until the swelling goes down."

She reaches down, to where their bodies are joined. She feels of the swollen area at the base of his cock. "Wow. How'd you get that in there?"

He chuckles in her ear, nibbles on it. "You were very wet, very slippery, my mate." He squeezes her. "My mate."

"Oh, Lyssa, I love you. I've waited so long for you."

"Emmett, I.." He waits for her to finish. She takes a deep breath. She felt safe, warm, loved. "I love you."

He feels relief at her admission. He hadn't realized he had gotten tense as she paused. She could have agreed simply because she was stuck here, with nowhere else to go.

He squeezes her tight and kisses her again. "I'll make you happy, Lyssa."

She lays there, quietly, in his arms and he tenderly touches the wound on her neck. "Does it hurt much?"

"Not right now." Another pause. "When does it start? The changes?"

"Within a day or so, I suppose. Hmm." She twists her head, to look at him. "We'll see how Anna can help you through the transition. I'm going to ask Natalie to look in on you."

"And, then what?"

"We'll start introducing you to the others and find out where you fit in the pack."

He starts to doze when he feels her tense slightly. "What is it? Does something hurt?"

Her voice is quiet, "I'll have to see him everyday, won't I?"

Another kiss. "Probably not. But you will see Thomas from time to time. He won't dare come anywhere near you now."

"So, no more bad thoughts, dear heart. We're together and I love you. We have our whole lives in front of us." He kisses her again and nuzzles her neck.

After more lessons on wolf life and etiquette, Lyssa picks at her lunch. She gets feverish in the afternoon and retreats to their room.

Anna and Natalie start sitting with her. Emmett and Joanna check in on her periodically. The aspirin she demands has no effect on her fever.

She drinks water and asks for chicken soup and ginger ale, eating lightly.

Emmett wrinkles his nose upon returning to their room when he completes his work for the day. "What's going on? She smells wrong."

"Great. I feel like hell and smell funny. You did this to me."

Natalie brushes the hair from Lyssa's fevered face and hugs her briefly. "A consequence of the transition."

He frowns, he hadn't thought her scent would change. "Thank you both. I'll take over, now."

The women pick up and leave, giving her a brief kiss before they go. "We'll be back in the morning."

Emmett takes her to the shower and helps her wash up before re-installing her in the bed. He works at the computer for a time before crawling in with her. She first pushes him away, "You're hot." and later cuddles closer to him.

Early in the morning, he's dreaming of a hunt, bringing a deer down, blood. He could smell it. Lyssa rolls.

He shoots upright, throws off the bedcovers, and grabs her. [Wade. Anna. Natalie. To Medical.]

Pounding feet are heard converging on the Medical ward.

[What is it?]

[She's bleeding.]

[Where?]

Emmett zeroes in on the source; Lyssa bats at him, "Stop."

[Vagina.]

Wade and Natalie arrive as Emmett looks stricken. Anna's calm voice comes into their minds. [Emmett, ask her if she's having her period. If so, she's fine.]

Emmett takes Lyssa's face in both hands. "Lyssa, are you having a period?"

"Yeah, I guess. What day is it? Why the hell did you bring me here?"

"You're bleeding, I thought.."

"Normal for humans. Once a month." She sounds cranky. "Can we go back to bed, now?"

"Thank you, both. I'm sorry to have interrupted your sleep." [Thank you, Anna, you were right.]

As he carries her back upstairs, "Overreact much?"

He sighs. "I had no reason to expect bleeding. You might have warned me."

"I haven't been watching a calendar. I lost track."

"Alright. How long does it last?"

"Normally, three or four days."

The second day she is achy and feverish and spends the day under Natalie and Anna's care, trying to get comfortable and napping.

The third day sees fur sprout up on various parts of her body, claws, the beginnings of a muzzle. As expected, she would be a chestnut-colored wolf.

That night, her period ends.

In the bed together, she rolls up to him, face in his chest, and inhales deeply. She then sits up, pulls the covers off him and starts sniffing all over his body.

He cracks open an eye. "What are you doing, sweetheart?"

She nuzzles his neck. "Why is your heart pounding?" She moves across his body, sniffing armpit, hands.

He smooths her hair and smiles. "It isn't. You're just beginning to hear as we do." She sticks her nose in his crotch. "And, apparently, smell as we do."

"Mmm. You smell good."

"Thank you. So do you. Now, come back up here and get some more sleep."

She looks up at him and he sees the glint in her eye.

Her hand goes to his cock and she strokes it, lightly.

He takes her shoulders, pulling her up his body. "We should wait until you're finished with the transition."

"I feel fine. You smell so good," she whines and starts to pout.

He kisses her forehead. "You're not in control of your change yet. We don't know what your reactions will be."

"But it would be fun to find out." She runs a finger down his chest towards his crotch.

He grabs that finger, kisses her hand. "I could hurt you. Dear heart, we're going to wait. We have plenty of time."

She pulls away from him. "Sure, you bite me and say I smell funny." Her lip trembles. "You don't want me anymore."

"Lyssa, listen to me. I just want to make sure you're well enough.."

She gets out of the bed. "Just a fragile little human, right? Maybe you should have left me in the woods."

He gets up and reaches for her, his hand barely brushing hers. [LEAVE ME ALONE!]

The outburst rocks him back with its power.

Stunned, he allows her to pull a blanket off the bed and curl up in front of the fireplace.

When he hears her heartbeat slow and she falls into sleep, he then moves over to the fireplace, laying down and curling up behind her.

He wakes and kisses her in the morning before heading to breakfast.

Natalie and Anna greet him at the door. "She's a strong sender. I wonder what her range is?"

"She's not in control today. Her emotions are running rampant. Be careful."

[GO AWAY, EM!]

The women shake their heads and enter the room as Emmett heads for the stairs.

Lyssa is sitting up, blanket pooled around her waist. "He's acting like I'm unstable or something."

"Why are you on the floor?"

"We had a fight."

"We heard. About what?"

"What do you mean, you heard?"

"I think you woke the entire complex when you yelled at him early this morning, as well as just now."

"But, how? I thought you had to let me talk to you that way."

"You're yelling," Anna says, "it's hard to ignore. You'll need to learn to modulate your sending."

Lyssa's eyes are hard as she stands, looking at the two women. [I AM NOT YELLING.]

Both women wince and Anna shoots back [YES, YOU ARE.]

Lyssa's eyes go wide. "Ow. That hurt."

Anna smiles. "Exactly. You don't have to put that much power into it and you'll learn to direct it. Right now you're broadcasting to the entire complex. It's painful and disruptive."

Natalie speaks up. "We're gonna wait a bit and then go to breakfast, if you're up for it. Then we'll go into the bunker and practice your sending."

Lyssa stands, grumbling, and walks over to the closet to dress.

"Other than that, how do you feel today?"

"Fine, except for the fact that Emmett doesn't want me. I don't know why I let him talk me into this."

"What do you mean, doesn't want you? Of course he does."

[THEN WHY WOULDN'T HE HAVE SEX WITH ME?]

Natalie shoots Anna a look. "I'll get her to the bunker. Will you bring some food?"

"Sure. Meet you there."

Emmett winces and several males chuckle at her last broadcast.

[Too much for you, Em?]

[Maybe the itty, bitty human hurt him.]

Emmett growls at his hecklers.

Randall looks to him as Ariel smiles. "She's a powerful sender, Emmett. We'll have to test her range. Perhaps she would be able to contact the neighboring packs if we needed to."

Emmett grinds his teeth. "Randall, it's not funny."

Randall claps him on the shoulder. "My friend, it is. A bit. Still, power like that, if she maintains it, could be of use to us."

"As you well know, we must take advantage of all our assets, when needed."

Emmett relaxes a little and nods.

The bunker was away from the main house, a reinforced panic room of sorts. It would cut down on the force of her sendings until she got better control.

Lyssa fidgeted during practice but, thankfully, learned to tone the volume of her sending down relatively quickly.

She scratches at her legs, arms. "Why do these clothes itch so much?"

"Take them off, if they're bothering you."

"But, I.."

Lyssa watches the other women strip down and, shrugging her shoulders, follows suit.

"Now. Let's try it with your eyes closed and we'll move around the room."

Lyssa sighs. "OK."

Suddenly, Natalie says, "Don't open your eyes." Lyssa hears the door open, and close, as someone else enters the room.

"Who's there?"

"You tell us who it is. What do you hear, what do you smell? You should be able to identify us all by scent."

Lyssa listens, smells. "Like you."

"How, female?"

"Yeah, I guess. But different, kinda familiar."

The unknown wolf comes to stand before her. "Lyssa, you're naked."

"Joanna!" She opens her eyes and looks down at herself. "Yeah, I guess I am. The clothes were bothering me.

Joanna throws her arms around Lyssa. "You're becoming one of us." [How do you feel?]

[I hear you!]

"Good. Better than earlier," Joanna laughs. "Still kinda loud though."

"Sorry. I don't mean to..." she starts to sniffle.

"It's OK, Lyssa. You're learning; you're changing. Everyone recognizes that."

"But he wouldn't touch me this morning.."

"Lyssa, he loves you. He's probably making sure you're better."

After calming her down, practice resumes. Figuring out where each of the women were in the room. Sending to them, individually and collectively.

They break for lunch, Lyssa puts her clothes back on. As they leave the bunker Joanna suggests she call Emmett.

[Emmett? We're going to lunch, are you coming?]

[Certainly, sweetheart, I'll be there in a couple of minutes.]

"Did he answer?"

"Yes."

"How did he sound?"

"Huh? Sound?" Lyssa contemplates the question. "Good. He sounded good."

"Did you pick up any feelings through the bond?"

"No, not really. I guess. I don't know. The feeling was, um, kinda warm and, I guess, soft."

Emmett meets up with the four women and hugs and kisses his mate. "How goes the practice?"

"It looks like she might be an empathetic sender, Em."

"I'm not surprised." He cups Lyssa's face and brushes her cheeks with his thumbs. [I love you, Lyssa. Don't ever doubt it. You're doing well. I'm so proud of you.]

Tears well up in her eyes. "I, I.. Thank you." She hugs him and puts her head against his chest. "I'm sorry. For earlier."

"Things will settle down. It's alright."

She goes heavily carnivore at this meal, eating a lot of meat. Her nose begins to elongate, her ears begin to point, and her arms become furred.

A couple of the younger pups snicker but are promptly taken to task by others.

Emmett watches her with a smile on his face.

With Lyssa essentially well, and mobile, Anna and Natalie leave to resume their normal duties. Emmett goes back to work. This afternoon, Joanna and Ariel take up further training. Pack history. Pack rules. Responsibilities of pack members and, specifically, pack females.

Lyssa is paying less than strict attention as she starts pulling at her clothes again. She also starts staring out the window.

Suddenly, she stands, pulls her clothes off, shifts to wolf woman form, and heads for the front door. Ariel quickly changes and takes off after her, Joanna hot on her heels. [Emmett. Outside, now. She's on a run.]

A mile out, Lyssa picks up her head and sniffs, scenting the air. [Wait. She's on a hunt.]

The reddish and cream-colored wolves back off as a larger grey wolf overtakes them. [Thank you, Ariel, Jo.]

Nose up, she scents the air again, and takes off.

Emmett lopes along with her, allowing her to lead this, her first, hunt.

Against the snow, a snowshoe hare that has not completely grown in his white winter coat, is visible.

She freezes, then gets down low to the ground and creeps forward. But a chestnut colored wolf has little chance of remaining unseen in winter's snows. Impatient, she leaps up too early and the rabbit bolts.

Lyssa is right behind it as it dives into its hole. She shoves her muzzle in the hole, digs at the entrance, and howls in frustration.

Emmett walks over to the other side of the tree and sticks his nose in another hole. Lyssa leaves her hole and starts over to see what he's found. [No, sweetheart, watch the other hole.]

She huffs and trots back over as the rabbit shoots back out.

There's a short chase before she bowls it over, then snatches it in her jaws.

The neck snaps with a satisfying crunch and she tastes its blood as Emmett trots over. She looks up from her prey and growls at him as he sits, watching her.

[I'm not going to take your kill, Lyssa. I only wish to congratulate you on your successful hunt.]

She lays down with the hare between her forepaws and begins to crunch away at her prize.

She licks the blood from her muzzle, stretches and stands.

He walks over and rubs down her side. [Up for a run, mate?]

[Yes.]

[C'mon.]

The grey wolf and the chestnut wolf run through the show covered woodland. Emmett allows her to explore for a while, then shows her a couple of places he likes to go. After a time, they return to the den.

A couple of days later, Lyssa has mostly come to terms with her werewolf abilities and she and Emmett are visited by the Alphas. Emmett looks a bit nervous.

"Lyssa, you look well. You appear to have come through the transition rather smoothly."

"Yes, thank you. I feel good."

"Good to hear. Now, we need to finish the process."

Confused, she looks to Emmett. He says, "You need to be accepted into the pack."

"Oh. OK. How do we do that?"

"This evening you will come outside to the circle where the pack will be asked to accept you."

"Oh. OK."

Darkness falls and the pack begins to collect in the entryway.

Randall, Ariel, Emmett, and Lyssa stand on the balcony overlooking the entry.

"My pack. Tonight we meet to greet a new pack member. Emmett has mated Lyssa. What say you?"

A half dozen voices call out, "Show us her strength!"

Ariel takes her arm, "Come with me." Ariel strips, shifts, and heads out the open front door. Lyssa hesitates, looking at Emmett with alarm.

He smiles nervously. "It's alright. Go on."

He follows her out to the circle. [You need to fight Ariel. Just do your best. You don't need to win.]

Ariel stands to one side of the circle. Randall and Emmett stand on a high point outside. The rest of the pack surround the circle. Emmett is nervous, quivering.

The chestnut wolf stands on the opposite side of the circle, tail tucked, unsure.

Once the pack members have assembled, Ariel begins stalking Lyssa.

Lyssa turns with her, watching her, then yelps and skips away when Ariel rushes her.

Emmett settles on the overlook, head on his forepaws, watching. This wasn't good. While the pack would never expect her to win, she needed to show some fight.

Lyssa's mind is racing. What was she supposed to do? Emmett said fight, but she didn't know how. Ariel had been doing this forever. Would Ariel kill her? 'Show us her strength.' A test. It had to be some kind of test.

A half familiar voice enters her mind. [You're larger than she is. Use that.]

As Ariel comes at her again, she still retreats, but stands her ground a bit longer.

Joanna has been holding her breath when she notices a change in Lyssa's stance. Her long, fluffy, chestnut-colored tail extends.

Ariel turns, noticing the change, as Lyssa charges her. She's startled, and, while Lyssa doesn't knock her down, she does shove her sideways.

Ariel twists and takes a few steps away, then rounds on Lyssa again, teeth bared.

Lyssa, up against a large rock, leaps up onto it then jumps down onto Ariel.

Clumsy, Lyssa still manages to rake a couple of teeth down her shoulder.

A few howls go up at the drawing of blood and Lyssa is distracted, Was it over?

No. Ariel knocks her down and Lyssa gets a slash on the shoulder as Ariel takes her throat. [Submit.]

Ariel's voice in her mind has her lying dead still as howls go up around the circle.

As she lays there, Ariel above her, she hears Randalls voice. [Well, my pack, Wyeth wolves, do you accept this female?]

The howls go up again and Ariel releases her.

As Emmet heads down to Lyssa, Ariel runs to her own mate.

[Lyssa, mate to Emmett Forester, is accepted as a Wyeth wolf.]

Ariel rubs against her mate's side, flicks her tail, and takes off. Other pairs of wolves romp off through the snowladen landscape.

Emmett sniffs his mate, who's sitting in the snow, panting. [YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME.] Several wolves turn to look at them.

[Quietly, Lyssa. I could not... You had me worried, but you did well.]

[She had me on the ground in 30 seconds. What's good about that?]

[You drew first blood.] He licks her shoulder, [How do you feel?]

[Like I'm not done yet. Like I need to do something else.]

[You see what the others are up to?] Emmett's face now holds a wolfish grin.

Lyssa stands, flicks her glorious tail, and takes off. They romp through the woods, running, pouncing, past numerous pairs of wolves going at it in the snow.

Emmett herds her back to the circle, where she stands. He sniffs her backside, then licks it. Lyssa is fairly vibrating with anticipation, How could it feel to be fucked as a wolf? Something had her crouching a little and cocking her tail to one side.

Emmett's cock has rolled out from its sheath and is dripping. He's been waiting for this, his first time taking his mate as a wolf.

He grabs her ruff, climbs over her, and plunges into her waiting depths.

Lyssa turns her head slightly and braces herself for her mate's thrusts.

He felt warm on her back, fur against her own, as he hammered into her.

She gives a low moan as he pushes his knot home and howls as he empties himself into her. His howl follows hers.





Animal Lover Ch. 12



Over the pounding of her heart, she hears other howls in the woods. The pack celebrated with them.

They return to the house, to the den. Tables of desserts were laid out in the dining hall, along with wine and ale.

Everyone talked, ate, and congratulated Lyssa, and Emmett. She was beginning to recognize some of them.

They were, all of them, naked, the females leaking a combination of their own juices mixed with their mates' seed.

Joanna walks up, smiling. She hugs Emmett and nuzzles his neck. Lyssa growls at her.

Joanna then hugs Lyssa, nuzzling her neck as well. "You're one of us, now, Lyssa. I'm so happy."

"But, I gotta ask. What's with the red butterfly?"

Her tattoo, now readily visible to everyone.

"I got it when I turned 18. Because I was an adult, because I was free." 

Emmett snakes his arms around her waist. "Why red?"

She pauses, not sure she wanted to reveal it, but this was her family now. She exhales. "For blood. My family's blood."

"Why there? Why not over your heart?"

"Because that's where I'll start my family." Emmett rests his hands over her belly.

Anna and Jeremy walk up. Anna gives Lyssa a sly smile. "You seem to be quite comfortable." The familiarity of the voice strikes her.

[You?]

[Yes.]

[Thank you.]

They hug and sniff and make small talk.

Others come up, to meet the newest pack member and Lyssa is introduced to several new wolves.

The next day Emmett takes her to Wyeth Imports, to see about finding a place for her there.

Mathias, the wolf in charge of the office, asks about her previous work and sends her to the import department. A wolf named Gabriela takes her under her wing.

Lyssa returns to the den that night, happy.

She felt strong and she had found something useful to occupy her time. She had a mate who loved her and was part of a community.

She didn't think she had ever been so happy.

She walks with confidence to the dining hall. Lesser status wolves move out of her way. Thomas rounds a corner and sees her coming.

While Ariel's punishment in the circle had ended, he was now of lower status than Lyssa. He drops to his knees in the corridor and bares his throat.

Lyssa passes him without acknowledgment and smiles a bit more once she was beyond him.

Unmated males' eyes followed her. Her body was fuller, more rounded than the born wolves and, as part of the change, she had developed a little more muscle definition. She now walked with an animal fluidity.

She enters the dining hall, finding immediately the source of her newfound joy in life, talking to Roland. Emmett, her mate.

He smiles as she comes up behind him, settling her hands on his shoulders. He stops in mid-sentence, goes still, then stands abruptly.

Lyssa turns and runs for the door. Emmett turns and follows.

Ten minutes later, he's spreadeagled on the bed, arms and legs bound to the bed legs, cock standing proudly. "Lyssa, sweetheart. I'm waiting."

"So, you're ready for me?"

"Always."

She walks out of the bathroom wearing a lacy red bra and panty set.

Her breasts fill the lacy demi cups and a wing of the butterfly tattoo peeks out of the edge of the panties.

She jumps onto the end of the bed and stands over him.

He looks up at her, eyes full of love and lust, and licks his lips. "You found them."

"I tracked down my scent where it shouldn't have been." She smiles down at him. "I remember you watching me. That's why you brought this here, isn't it?"

"I loved the sight of it on you. I do now, even moreso, since you do it for me."

She moves forward, brushing against his turgid cock and making him groan as she moves up his body. She trails her fingers over his chest and settles herself over his face.

He inhales deeply of her arousal and groans again. His tongue extends, pushes aside the fabric of her panties, and sweeps the edge of her glistening labia as she cups her breasts, thumbs circling her nipples.

She tips her head back and moans as she feels fur grow against her legs, feels his shoulders flex.

A stronger, slightly rougher tongue now touches her intimately but he growls at the fabric in his way. She looks down as he sets his teeth into the crotch of her panties, intending to rip them away.

[Let me take them off, so I can wear them for you another time.]

The grey-furred wolf man releases his hold on her panties and she turns to the side, pulling them off and tossing them to the floor. As she reaches for the bra hook, he says, "Leave it. Get back over here."

She smiles. "As you wish, mate."

As she settles back over his face he says, "You shaved."

A strong tongue now pushes against her naked mound. It pushes into her, sweeping her wetness up, stroking her walls. Never before had anyone done that.

She begins rocking on his face, blissful sensations coursing through her like electricity. She moans when he focuses on her engorged clitoris, stroking it firmly with his tongue.

Overwhelmed with the feelings, she pulls away slightly. He breaks the bonds at his wrists, grabs her hips, and pulls her back down to him.

Higher, higher. Her legs begin shaking as he pushes her further. Her first orgasm coats his chin. The second has her panting and clutching his hair. The third has her shrieking and clutching the headboard for support.

She collapses on him and almost weeps with relief as he releases her. "Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god."

He lifts her into his lap as he sits up and breaks the bindings on his ankles, then lays back, with her atop him.

He gives her a minute or two to recover then pulls her further upward, dangling a breast over his mouth. She moans as his tongue laps at her nipple, working around the lace. He nibbles at it and the volume of her moans increases.

He murmurs, "I want to feel you around me."

Her hazy, dark brown eyes focus on him and she gets her knees under her. She starts shifting backward until she settles her folds against the head of his hard cock. "Is this what you want?"

He crushes her lips to his. [Yes.]

[Ask me nicely.]

[Sweetheart. Lyssa. Mate. Please take me into your loving warmth.]

At that, she sinks backward onto him. Both moan as she spasms slightly with his entry. Once she has completely enveloped him, she sits upright and begins moving up and down.

He takes her by the hips, urging her to move more quickly. He feels his balls tighten up so he sticks his thumb on her clitoris and rubs briskly.

The contractions begin almost immediately and she lets out a low moan. He is undone.

His howl signifies his release as his sweating, sated mate collapses on him again.

Time passes in the den.

Lyssa settles nicely into pack life. She spent time with Joanna and Anna and has made several new friends.

She has made improvements in some of the processes at the pack business and has been given a glowing assessment.

Randall brings her back to the den, where she works on planning and logistics with Erich.

Ronnie Wilson was indicted for arson. With no body and in light of a positive polygraph test, there was insufficient evidence to charge him with murder.

Lyssa Baker was listed as missing.

Emmett was found to have been legitimately challenged by the Macy pack male and, therefore, faced no repercussions for the death.

He also made reparations to the Ross pack for hunting on their range as well as to the car dealership, through an intermediary.

He had left money at the cabin when he had returned to search for Lyssa's mother's jewelry.

And they ran, and they hunted, and they loved.

**********

It was about three months later that Lyssa grows distracted. The other wolves around her notice and inquire after her health.

She appears edgy and easily frustrated. [I don't know. Something's off.]

Erich, with whom she's been working closely, comes up to her. "Perhaps you should see Wade, or Natalie."

She rounds on him. [I'M FINE.]

Erich takes a step back. Lyssa claps her hands over her mouth. Emmett's concern shows through the bond. [Lyssa? What's wrong?]

[I need to take a break. Going back to the room. Don't worry.]

"Erich. I think it would be best if I took a break. I'll be in our room."

"Sure, Lyssa. See you later."

Emmett is in conference with Randall, discussing certain sensitive matters with respect to den security as well as at the pack business. Upgrades. Changing passwords. They are alone to focus and concentrate on the necessary tasks.

Randall looks to Emmett at Lyssa's outburst. When Emmett's focus returns to the room, he asks, "Problem?"

Emmett furrows his brow. "She's going back to our room. She seems a little rattled." He turns back to what they had been working on. "Sorry. I'd like to check on her a little later, if you don't mind."

"Of course."

Lyssa paces their room, her longer hair and soft cotton dress billowing out behind her, unable to put a name to the tension she's feeling. Why was she so restive? She stops by one of the windows. Maybe she needed a run.

She kicks off her flats and flips up her skirt, pulling off her panties. She then goes still as a switch is thrown in her brain. No. There was only one thing that would suffice. Her mate.

The door opens with a bang as she strides out of their room with determination. She growls at anyone who slows her progress. The males all turn and inhale deeply as she passes.

Totally focused on her goal, she approaches the room where Randall and Emmett are currently ensconced.

She pounds on the door, once, then breaks it open.

Emmett and Randall look up, startled, at the intrusion. "Lyssa? What the hell...?"

She lets loose a growl and leaps at Emmett, knocking him from his chair.

She lands on him, straddling his waist. Grabbing two fistfuls of his t-shirt, she rips it in half then drops down to sniff and lick his neck.

He starts to push up and she growls at him, pushing him back down.

Backing her body down over his thighs, she pops the button on his jeans, pulls the zipper down, takes ahold of either side and yanks them open, ripping them down to the crotch. His underwear is ripped open as well.

Emmett looks at Lyssa then over at Randall.

[Estrus, my friend. Hope you ate well at lunch.]

She growled at his hands' movement but relaxes when he pushes his pelvis up and shoves the ruined pants off his hips.

She backs off to stick her nose in his exposed crotch.

Lyssa licks his sack, then up the length of his rapidly filling cock. Then she hops back over his hips and slides her wet pussy up and down his rigid cock. After a couple of strokes, she drops down on him, tips her pelvis, and slides down on his length with a low moan.

Emmett groans as he looks up at Lyssa's lust-hazed eyes. She has her hands braced on his chest and is rocking back and forth on his cock.

He reaches up and rips the top of her dress open, exposing her new tattoo, as well as her heaving breasts.

The tattoo is a grey wolf standing atop a rock. It sits over her heart on her left breast.

He pulls her down so that he can suckle on that breast.

Numerous wolves, mostly male, have shown up at the door as a result of the disturbance.

Now, they look in, most of them grinning at the show. But they part as Randall walks out of the room.

He turns one last time to look at his old friend Emmett, on the floor with his mate, and smiles. He then turns and makes an announcement to the assembled pack members, "Emmett Forester is relieved of all duties for the foreseeable future, so that he may attend to the needs of his mate, Lyssa."

Fin