11 comments/ 26420 views/ 35 favorites Everything Changes Ch. 01 By: KemMyst Dear Readers, The next in the series of Lyssa and Emmett and the packs. This set doesn't seem to be overly long, unlike the last. But, you will get answers to many of your questions. Enjoy, KemMyst *************** She was horrified by her actions. It was as if she had no control whatsoever over herself. All she knew was that she craved Calvin's body, his scent, his touch, his dick. Thankfully, it only lasted a couple of days. He kissed the tip of her nose as a knock was heard at the door. "Hungry?" "I want to go hunting." He looked at her, surprised. He and Sabine had always taken a few hours to sleep and recover from their exertions after one of her heats. "OK." They passed the tray left for them as they headed outside. The Madam Alpha of the Ross pack took down and tore into two deer. Only then did she lay in the grass and sleep. The cool of the morning woke her and she groaned. If she had her days figured right, today was petitions. She hated petitions. ***** Lyssa was tired, a lot, and felt like her brain was full of holes. Natalie and Wade assured her that nothing was wrong. Most of the females, however, didn't have symptoms this bad. And Emmett was annoying her. Every time he got close to her, he would pull her close and slide his arms around her waist, placing his hands over her belly. And he would listen to the heartbeat whenever he got the chance. She loved him but, really. Ariel watched her grim acceptance of his touch one day and pulled her aside. "He has waited long for both a mate and a pup." "I know. But I was hoping that the novelty would wear off." "It is a wondrous thing, for any of us. I must warn you, however, that when your pregnancy becomes visible to the others, that many of the females will want to touch you. Especially those who are looking to conceive on their next heat cycle." "Can't I just get them a statue of Ganesh to rub?" Ariel looked confused. "Never mind. I won't be real comfortable being a good luck charm." "Has your skin become overly sensitive?" Lyssa exhaled. "No." "We should talk about the council agenda." "Yes, Madam Alpha." The InterPack Council had been Lyssa's suggestion and the first session would be held the next night. Lyssa didn't expect much to get done the first night. In fact, she expected a whole lot of arguing. They hadn't decided how often to meet or who would have authority or even where to meet or the number of members. The only definitive thing was that the other packs had been convinced, to a greater or lesser degree, that it was needed. Lyssa and Ariel set up a few bullet points as well as a couple of questions that should be answered that first night. She spent the rest of the day jotting down various thoughts in relation to human responses to their presence. ***** Lyssa was rubbing her temples. They were giving her a massive headache. Most of the Alphas had made it; a couple had brought their Betas, another couple had brought their mates. The Severn Beta was complaining about security, about having so many high-ranking wolves in one place. The Foster female Alpha complained about having the meeting at the Wyeth den. And Calvin Ross thought monthly meetings might be too frequent. They hadn't gotten anywhere. "Oh, will you all just shut up?" There was dead silence as everyone looked at her in shock. Lyssa stood, and turned to the Severn Beta. "After we get things settled down we can have the meetings by video conference. Other than that I'm sure an agreement can be reached on guards." To the Foster Alpha. "Initial meetings have to be held somewhere. Since the idea originated here, it only made sense to start here. The videoconferencing will take care of that." To Calvin. "Monthly meetings may not be often enough, especially in the beginning. I'm sure things will change as we all settle in." As she looked around the room, she said, "One vote per pack and, preferably, only one representative per pack, otherwise we'll deteriorate into ... this." She waved an arm at the assembled wolves. "Sometimes, majority rule will make sense, other times we'll need votes to be unanimous." She took a deep breath and continued. "Now, I'm really surprised no one's caught on to the fact that werewolves are real. We really need to figure out what to do when humans discover that." Some of the attendees began grumbling again. Randall and Ariel watched carefully. Calvin stood, to address the assembled wolves. "I nominate the Madam Beta of Wyeth to lead the meetings for the foreseeable future." "Why her? Why not one of us?" "It was she who saw the necessity of us coming together. She is Beta. She knows both worlds." The elder female from Gates spoke. "The Alpha Ross is correct. The Wyeth Beta female should be leading these meetings." After some short, offside discussions, everyone agreed. Lyssa stood there for a moment, now unsure of where to go with this. "OK, um. Does anyone have any problems with what I said earlier? Monthly meetings, initial meetings here until we set up videoconferencing, and discussion with the Wyeth Alphas for those who feel they want additional security." After a short discussion, everyone agreed. "Who do we send to these meetings? Alphas?" The Severn Beta spoke up again, "I am ... uncomfortable with having all our leaders I one place like this." Lyssa looked confused, "But, we are all together when someone dies." "That is not a scheduled meeting." Lyssa took a deep breath then glanced at her Alphas and said, "I believe each pack needs to determine who would be best to represent them. However, we'd need to agree that each representative would be treated with the respect due an Alpha. That what they say would carry weight and decisions they made would stick." Additional grumbling went on; some Alphas would see this as a relinquishment of power. Lyssa sent, just loud enough to stop them [Look.]. They all turned, and looked at her. While most may have been aware she was a loud wolf, a large percentage had not felt her send. "I understand this is new, and hard for you. I know that the packs work as individual, autonomous units. But we're gonna hafta find a way to work together, and some things may have to be done differently, because, once the human population knows for sure we exist things will get really, really bad if we're not ready." "Define 'really, really bad.'" The Severn Beta. "They will be absolutely terrified of us. You're aware of the story of Frankenstein?" Calvin said, "We'll be exterminated." "Possibly." "But we've lived with them for years." "Won't matter. Fear will make humans do stupid things. They may want us rounded up and put in camps. They may want us killed. They'll certainly want to know how many of us there are." She looked at the Severn wolves. "All of Severn in the police force will lose their badges." "But, we have rights..." "So did the Americans of Japanese extraction who lived in the United States during World War II. Their land and houses and possessions were confiscated and they were sent to camps. Many died there." "Why would they do that? We haven't hurt them. We do business with many." "Wolves will be blamed for any unsolved crimes, especially missing children. They don't know us and will only think of monster movies. That we turn into wolves at the full moon, lose our minds and become animals, and attack and eat anyone we come across." "You really think it will be that bad?" Randall asked. "Yes, maybe worse." "Why?" Lyssa exhaled as everyone looked expectantly at her. "If you are in a room with two people, and they're in your way, the way out. One of them is big and looks like a fighter. The other is smaller, the whites of their eyes showing. You can smell their fear. Which one do you worry about more?" "The smaller one," Calvin answered. She looked at him. "Why?" "Because you have no idea what he'll do." Lyssa turned, looking at each of the assembled wolves. "Exactly." Again, there was murmuring as individual discussions began. [My Alpha, it's getting late. When would you like the visitors to go home?] [Give them another half hour to talk.] Lyssa cleared her throat and the volume dropped. "My Alphas thank you for coming and extend their hospitality for another half hour." "We'll meet again in another month and, if there is a lawyer in one of the packs, it would probably be a good idea if they were here." Talk continued for the next half hour and beyond, as members of the various packs took their leave. Calvin walked over to Lyssa, Ariel, and Randall as Emmett walked in. "She has given them much to think about. And, I believe her assessment is correct. If only we had thought of it sooner." "So, Madam Beta, I hear you bear a pup. How are you feeling?" Emmett slid his hands around her waist. "Congratulations, Beta." "Thank you, Alpha Ross." Lyssa answered his question. "Good. Tired mostly. And Stephanie? The Madam Alpha?" Calvin smiled. "It was quite the surprise. She was so hungry, so ... invigorated after. She and Sampson are trying to settle who has responsibility for what." "Has she been challenged, Cal?" Calvin's smile was feral. "Yes." The inference was obvious, she had beaten whomever it was. Emmett continued, "You haven't asked us to come to Ross for a month's visit. Will you be doing that now that the Alpha female is settled?" Lyssa gripped his hands, with the baby on the way, she really didn't want to leave. Calvin took a deep breath, exhaled. "It's as if I have a new life, she makes me feel younger." He shook himself. "There are still things that I need to attend to before the process goes forward." ***** Emmett was laying back in the tub and his pregnant mate was laying back against him. She was dozing when he murmured in her ear, "From what Randall said, you were pretty great tonight." "Nnn." A noise of agreement. "I'm not sure you've convinced everyone of the seriousness of the problem." "Mmm." He sat there a bit longer as she yawned and her head rolled a bit to one side. Her breathing had evened out and her heartbeat had slowed, so he believed she had fallen asleep. He slid her sideways slightly and stood, both of them dripping. Her arms went around his back and neck. A sleepy send came to him, [Who put Calvin up to it?] He kissed the side of her head. "To what, sweetheart?" [Nominating me to be in charge of the council.] "No one, that I know of. He's right though. You're most suited to guiding us." Emmett carried her to their bed as she made a contented little sound. A dark blue swath of terrycloth lay on top. Emmett had asked Anna to make it when Lyssa started falling asleep in the bath with him. He laid her on it. "How are you feeling? Is there something I can get for you?" Smiling, to take any sting out of the words, "Not an invalid, mate." "I know, but you're tired." He looked at her. "I'm overdoing it a bit, aren't I?" She smiled again, tiredly. "Yeah. I get it. But yeah." He got into the bed and rolled up behind her. Looking at her he was certain he could see a change, a slight bulge in her belly. He gently put a hand on it. "It's just so wonderful. Our pup." He leaned over to kiss her. "I love you. Get some sleep." Her eyes were closing. [Mmm. Love you.] ***** Joanna was being doted on by both her mate and his mother. She was being plied with food, teas, and helpful advice. The other mates, making up a rather lively sisterhood, regaled her with stories of their pregnancies. Nathan waited on her, bringing her things to eat or drink that she hadn't asked for, refused to let her lift more than her iPad in his presence, and kept raising her feet. Joanna got sick some mornings and developed a sudden distaste for cheese. The smell of it, especially melting, nauseated her. The fluttering in her belly didn't help and it seemed every time she tried to take a nap or go to sleep, he'd wake up and roll around. At least there was only one. While triplets were on the rare side, they did happen. And twins were relatively common. She didn't know what she'd do if she was having twins. Joanna felt awkward with her growing belly. Nathan seemed fascinated by her growing boobs. Oh, he was happy that they were having a pup but her swollen breasts and resultant higher sensitivity had him concentrating on them. She'd squeak and moan and whimper, until it got to be too much. Intercourse was starting to get awkward. ***** Lyssa was at the computer in their suite when Emmett walked into their room. She was chewing on a thumbnail, intently examining something. Her nostrils flared and she said, "I thought you had sweep," without looking away from the screen. "We're done, sweetheart." "But it's only.." She looked at the clock. "Oh." He walked up behind her and put his arms around her. "What are you looking at?" He caught a glimpse from a couple of screens before she shut them down. There was something about American Indian children and something about aboriginal children in Australia. What was left was information on civil rights. Her voice was rough, "Stuff for.." She cleared her throat. "Stuff for the council." He sighed and kissed her temple. "How about a snack?" She closed her eyes. With his scent around her, feeling his strong arms, she relaxed a bit. She blew out a shaky breath. "Yeah, I could eat." Lyssa and Emmett walked down to the kitchen and passed Naomi, who was impressing on a group of preschool pups that one did not take another's food. Troy was sitting off to one side of the group, looking a bit guilty. Tanya stuck her tongue out at her twin. The lesson stopped and Naomi closed her eyes for a second as they walked by. After she composed herself she called for them all to go outside to play in the sun. Clothes flew and small furred bodies bolted for the door. Lyssa sighed. "How long til she stops hating me?" "She doesn't hate you, Lys. You're just a reminder that her son isn't here anymore." Brandon, Gordon and Naomi's son, had developed an obsessive fascination with Lyssa. He had grabbed and groped her and was now living with another pack. They walked into the kitchen. "Ooooh, coffee." Hannah poured two cups and handed them each one, black. They accepted with thanks. "I don't know how you can drink hot stuff like that when it's so warm outside." They both shrugged and sipped, making satisfied sounds. "So, something to eat?" "Any of that meatloaf left?" "Yes, Madam Beta. Sandwich? Hot or cold?" "Hot, please. Mashed potatoes. Broccoli." Hannah cocked her head. "Beta?" "Sounds good to me." Natalie walked in. "Madam Beta, you might want to cut down on the coffee." Lyssa gave her an evil look and a growl started up from her chest. "Lyssa." Natalie smiled, tightly, knowing she would have trouble with the Madam Beta over this. Hannah placed a plate in front of each of them. They dug in, polishing off the food rather quickly. "Thank you, Hannah. C'mon, mate, how about a run?" Lyssa looked at him, picked up the coffee cup, set it back down. "Yeah, sounds good." A large grey wolf trailed a smaller chestnut one. Emmett was following her, as he sometimes did when they went out for a run. After an initial burst of speed, she had slowed and was sniffing things. He checked the same spots. Huh. [Smell something you like? Or don't?] [Things smell .. different.] [Different how?] [I don't know. Different.] A light shower sent them under the canopy of a large maple. He rubbed up against her and licked her forehead. Changing to human form, he leant back against the trunk of the tree and held out his arms to her. "C'mere." She sat beside him and he scratched her ears and stroked her sides, scrubbing his hands down her back as she groaned. "Ah, sweetheart." Dark brown wolf eyes looked into chocolate brown. Lyssa took on her human form and Emmett pulled her into his lap. She curled up against him, feeling the strength of her mate. The heat of his body. His comforting scent surrounding her. She was comforted, lying back in his arms, and her restlessness and worrying were allayed. He held her close to him, trying to think of a way to keep her from worrying. He listened to her breathing and heartbeat slow and realized she had fallen asleep. Emmett held his young mate and thought of the pup she was carrying. A pup. Their pup. He had wanted one for so long and now, now, it was actually happening. And his mate, his beautiful mate, was doing it. A new life in her body. His heart swelled and he didn't think he could love her any more than he did then. Life was going to change for them, in a couple of ways. First would be the little one, they would be a family. Oh, Luna, a family of his own. The other would be the pack council. They had agreed that she lead them. She suddenly had so much more responsibility. At this time in their lives where everything was changing and he was looking forward to their future she would be leading the packs forward into theirs. His mate was accepted by the others and would be leading their people into a future with the humans. His mate, a female he'd found and brought into their pack, looked to have a pivotal role in the future of werewolves in America. It was a very sleepy send. [So, Em, what do you want?] He whispered back to her. "What do you mean, sweetheart?" [A boy or a girl?] Ah, the pup. He kissed the top of her head. "Dear heart, I don't care." [Bullshit. Tell me.] "I will be happy no matter what sex our pup is." She twisted in his arms and looked up at him, giving him a look of disbelief. "But, if you push me, I think I'd like a male." She brought her head back down, nodding. Of course. A slight chuckle left her lips. "I'll see what I can do." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "You'd like a female, wouldn't you?" "No," she inhaled. "No, I think a boy would be good." His hand slid to the side of her face and he pulled her up his body for a kiss. Lyssa twisted as he drew her up, working to slide her legs around him. The position was a bit awkward and her knee slid between his legs. "OOff!" She rolled off quickly and went to her knees. "Oh, god, Em. I'm sorry, are you alright?!" She half-reached for his stiff length and pulled back as he took a couple breaths and swallowed. His eyes glinted a little. "I'll be fine." She licked her lips and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "If I kiss it, will I make it better?" Chocolate eyes showed puzzlement as he firmed up more at the thought. "Try it and we'll see." Her head obscured his view as he waited for her touch. He felt her warm breath on the head of his cock as she sent, [It's something mothers say to their children or the kids ask for if they get hurt. Kiss it and make it better.] There was the lightest touch of her lips at the tip and she pulled back. He was about to protest when he felt the warm wetness of her tongue and his head tipped back, against the tree. She turned and looked up at him again as he looked down with heat in his eyes. Lyssa moved, straddling his legs, and he admired the lush, curvy body of his mate of almost three years. His pregnant mate. Lyssa didn't have a chance to react as Emmett pulled her up into a bruising kiss. She put her hands on his shoulders and surrendered to it for a while, his tongue delving into her mouth, her tongue twisting with his. Her nipples rubbed against his chest as her ardor rose. What had also risen was between them, long, smooth, firm. It wouldn't take much to impale herself on him, so she wriggled against his erection, her mound pressing against him, eliciting a low, throaty moan. Everything Changes Ch. 01 She pushed lightly at him and he relinquished his possession of her mouth. Lyssa moved to his neck, taking skin between her teeth and biting lightly. A growl rumbled up from his chest. She nibbled along his shoulder, across his collarbone. She slid her wet tongue down his chest, swirled around his nipple, then bit it. A loud groan left his lips as his hips thrust up and his hands clenched on her shoulders. Lyssa slid sideways a little, and bit the other nipple. [Luna, mate, you'll make me go like a young pup.] She smiled against his chest and felt her own wetness threaten to start puddling in his lap. His hands went down to her hips and she said [No.] as he began to lift her. She could hear the tension in his send. [Are you alright?] She offered him a smile [Yes.] and bent back and extended her tongue. Out of the corners of her eyes she watched his arms drop to his sides. Lyssa traced around his pecs, followed the edges of a couple of scars, and slid lower on his body. He felt the difference as the gap widened between his body and hers. His turgid member caressed by a light breeze. He couldn't say how, but he seemed to feel the proximity of her breasts to the tip of his manhood as she trailed her tongue down his body. She'd reached his abs and he didn't know how long he could stand the delicious torture she was subjecting him to. His hands were clawing at the earth beside him. Her chin rubbed against his tip as she licked across his belly, dipped into his navel. A slick line was left near her throat. He felt one hand lift off his thigh and wrap around the base of his cock and he couldn't repress a moan. [Lyssa.] She lifted her head at that and gave him a smirk. He saw the glimmer of his own wetness along the edge of her jaw. The stickiness of her had reached his thighs where she straddled him. She put her hands on his chest and shifted back on his legs and dove down on him. His breath left his lungs in a rush as he felt her take him into her throat. And he jerked in her mouth. Up, since she couldn't maintain that depth long, and down again. The opening to her throat tightened around him and his hips came up as he clawed the earth beside him. [Luna.] He was almost lost to the pleasure she was giving him but, that was not where he wanted to finish. He pulled her off of him and she whimpered as he held her away from him. Emmett pulled her face to his and kissed her briefly. [I want you around me.] He held her above and, with a little maneuvering, slid her onto him. Lyssa felt him come to the end of her and he lifted her again. He'd put her in this position and then didn't let her drive. She put a hand on his chest. [Wait.] He was breathing heavily and his grip tightened on her body. [Put me down.] He closed his eyes, sliding her up and down again. [Em, please.] She felt, well, like she wasn't a part of it. Almost like he was using her to... masturbate. He stopped and she was able to climb off. Lyssa got on her hands and knees in front of him. She spread her knees and pointed her butt up and wiggled it. [C'mon, big boy.] Emmett inhaled deeply and got behind her. He slowly, carefully, slid into her. As soon as he got to the end of her he pulled back. He continued on, so slowly, so carefully. She growled at him [Harder.] as she pushed back against him. He blew out a breath and stopped, hands grasping her hips, keeping her from moving. Lyssa turned her head to look back at him. "Em?" His fingers worked on her hips and she felt him begin to soften slightly. "Are you afraid of hurting me? Us?" His answer was a sharp nod. Lyssa tightened her vaginal muscles around him and his fingers convulsed on her hips. "Natalie said that it wouldn't be a problem unless there was something wrong already. That the only reason to stop would be when I get uncomfortable. I'm not uncomfortable, Em." He made a couple of shallow thrusts, trying to keep himself firm, but was still hesitant. [C'mon, Em, show me what you got.] His fingers tightened on her hips. She growled the command at him. "Fuck. Me." She heard him take a deep breath as he pushed all the way in. She squeezed him again. The last thing he wanted to do was have her lose the pup. But the healer had told her it was OK and she was encouraging him to continue. He had to trust them. Emmett started slowly, concentrating on the feel of her, wet and warm, around him. It was wonderful. He was here, with his mate. It was a beautiful day and they were together. He didn't think he'd ever been happier in his life. She had asked for pleasure and he would give it to her. "Fuck. Me." And she squeezed him, her muscles tightening around his length. Yes, he would do it. His strokes began slowly and he got harder again. He went deeper, and she sighed. A bit faster and she moaned. His thrusts got harder and she pushed back against him. He felt his knot swell; felt the resistance as he pressed it inside of her. Short movements now, more like sharp jabs. His hand snaked around her hip so he could diddle her clit. Her legs began to shake and he gathered more of her juices on his fingers and rubbed briskly on that engorged nub. Lyssa shrieked, howled, and he felt her muscles clench and ripple around him. He grabbed her hips now with both hands and pushed through the contractions, spewing his seed in her with a howl. He was sweating, trying to get enough air, and ready to collapse on top of her. He caught himself and sat back on his heels, bringing her upright with him. She rested her head back against him and said, "Mmm. Perfect." Emmett lay back, sated, and cradled his pregnant mate to him. The air smelled of rain, and her, and him. They fell asleep for a while. ***** "No! I won't let you take him!" A scream in the night instantly woke the pack and put everyone on high alert. [Who's on our range?] [We've seen no one, my Alpha.] A chestnut wolfwoman stood at the end of the bed, snarling, claws out, eyes blazing. "Lys, what's wrong? Take who?" She looked at him and looked around the room then looked down and ran her hand over her belly. "A dream. Oh, god, Em." Pounding was heard in the halls as wolves reacted to the presumed incursion. [Lyssa had a nightmare, Randall.] [Stand down, everyone. Guards, maintain your vigilance. Report anything out of the ordinary.] Emmett slowly closed on his mate, trying not to spook her. She turned and clung to him. He made soothing noises and rubbed small circles on her back. One sob escaped before she sniffed and settled. The fur receded and, as he touched soft skin, he began to guide her back to the bed. He pulled her into his arms. "Just hold me, please." "What was it?" There was a quaver in her voice when she said, "They took our baby." A growl trickled up. "Who?" A hitch in her voice as she said, "Humans." Something she had done for the council had triggered it, he knew. In trying to convince the others of what could happen, her mind had come up with with worst possibility for her. And, with the new life growing inside of her, it was the loss of their pup. "Sh, sh, sh sweetheart, that's never gonna happen." Her face against his chest he felt her lips, her breath. "You're wrong, Em. If they're scared enough of us, they'll do it." He couldn't discount her feelings but he couldn't believe it would happen. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to ease her fears. So, he did what she had asked. He held her. Natalie wandered over during lunch and made an exasperated sound when she saw Lyssa had a cup of coffee at her place. She huffed as Natalie sat at the table, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "Now, Madam Beta, tell me about last night." Lyssa grumbled as the meal went on around them and Ariel and Madeline suddenly paid attention, "Had a nightmare." "I understand that but your scream was quite specific." Lyssa just looked at her, sipping coffee. As Emmett opened his mouth, she gave him a dirty look. "I don't see what this has to do with you." Natalie held a neutral look on her face. "Madam Beta, your health is important, moreso earlier in the pregnancy, when the fetus is in its initial development. Anything that affects your sleep or your appetite may be of concern." Lyssa closed her eyes and swallowed as Emmett replied. "It had to do with something she's searching for the pack council." Natalie looked between them, then looked at the food Lyssa had been eating. Nodding, she said, "Seven or eight hours of sleep would be optimum. Is there anything that you want to discuss with me?" Lyssa exhaled and picked up her fork. "No. Not right now." Emmett was looking at her so Natalie asked, "Beta? You have a question?" "When will he move?" "We are assuming her pregnancy will follow a timeline similar to Anna's. Her pregnancies lagged those of our other females. I would say somewhere around 16 weeks." "Thank you" ***** He'd found them. At least he was fairly certain he had. There hadn't been much to go on but he was surprised that it hadn't taken longer. There was only one way to find out for sure and he had to figure out the best way to go about it. Everything Changes Ch. 02 Dear Readers, Here is the second installment. I hope you enjoy it. KemMyst ***** Lyssa kept going over her notes, trying to figure out what should be done first to protect the packs. Everything she read led to something else, even things she hadn't originally considered, like the legends of lycanthropy and how it spread. Silver bullets. The other thing was trying to figure out how people would react. In the wake of the Twilight series and other recent works of fiction, vampires and werewolves were popular. How could she use that to their favor? As she got more involved in her research and preparations the Alphas saw the time it was beginning to take and relieved her of her of her duties at the warehouse. She was a little dismayed by that, like they were thinking she wasn't capable of doing both. Emmett found her napping at the desk a couple of times so she had to concede the fact. Because she started hogging the computer in their suite, another desk was brought in and Ross set up a computer for her. It was only when she began noting some more specific things that she started worrying about the possibility of the computer being hacked. And, while she did need to access the internet, she also needed to keep some things she was working on very private. Nothing was stored in the cloud. The most sensitive things went on a thumb drive. She couldn't always focus on one thing so initial work was rather haphazard. Things like dogs and cats inheriting property when their owners passed away. Genome sequencing for people, plants, animals. Drug testing of athletes. Establishing birthplace and inheritance. Emmett pulled her away from the computer and she protested briefly. "You won't figure everything out in a couple of days, sweetheart." Lyssa sighed and snuggled up against him on the couch. They watched Big Bang Theory and then Emmett switched to a documentary on whales. She was sitting there, with his arm around her, leaning against him. About half an hour into the show she sat upright suddenly. "Lys?" "I need a camera. A video camera." "For what?" "So we can show them what we are. That we aren't bloodthirsty animals." "We'll discuss it with the Alphas in the morning." They watched the show for a bit longer and he felt her relax against him, felt the yawn she tried to stifle. He squeezed her, lightly, and quietly said, "Sleep if you're tired, sweetheart." "I wanna see this thing about the blue whales." She ended up missing it and was snoring lightly as he lifted her. He turned off the lights and placed her on the bed. She grumbled as he stripped her and she sighed when he kissed her belly, "Good night, little man," he whispered. She rolled onto her side as he pulled off the sweatpants and rolled up behind her. He heard noises coming from the room next door but she was oblivious. Madeline had chased her mate around the room. As he passed the seating area, she ran up on the couch and leapt onto his back. "Gotcha. Now, pay up." Grabbing an arm, he hauled her around his body. "Where would you like me to start?" With a gleam in her lavender eyes, she said, "At the bottom." She grabbed the hair on the back of his head in both fists and held him still while she kissed him. The kiss was forceful, passionate, tongues twisting, and she pulled away with a satisfied grin. His growl was feral, his grin the same, "Alright, Blossom, get on the bed." She slid down his body, coming to her knees on the floor in front of him. He groaned as she rubbed her cheek against the bulge in the front of his shorts. Suddenly, she released him, moving backward. As the back of her legs hit the bed, she stood still. Small hands came up and she unbuttoned her shirt. He watched, growling quietly as her small breasts were revealed. The aureolas were fairly dark, and large. Her arms went back and the blouse slid down her arms to drape off the side of the bed. Her hands came back up, to her throat, and slid down, knuckles tracing the outside of her breasts. Her thumbs then slid into the waistband of her skirt, and his growl increased in volume. One button, a zipper, and she wiggled it off her hips. The material puddled to her feet and he found that she had shaved. As he started forward she put out a hand to stop him. "Not yet, Erich." He swallowed and breathed quickly, not quite panting, and looked at her. She licked her lips and looked at him in appreciation. He had a broad, muscular chest with a sprinkling of hair between his nipples, a smallish waist. A line of hair disappeared beneath his waistband, leading to a decided bulge. She licked her lips again and dragged her eyes up to his shoulders. Strange as some thought it, she loved a good set of shoulders. And there was the contrast of light-colored scars on his tanned skin. [Take off the pants, slowly.] She sat on the bed as his hands went to the button on his khakis. Her eyes were riveted there. As the button was loosed and his fingers went to the zipper, she pushed back on the bed. As the zipper pulled down, she pushed back further. He had been looking down. He looked up, through his eyelashes, and he inhaled deeply. He could smell how wet she was. And he looked at her, at one part of her. Her legs spread slightly. Her lips were wet; he could see it, smell it. She had shaved the hair from them. They were naked. A small strip of hair, vaguely triangular in shape, sat atop her mound. [Hey! Weren't you getting naked?] He blinked, and looked up at her face. She was smiling and he smiled back, chuckling lightly. [As my beautiful flower desires.] Grasping the waistband of the pants, he shoved them down. She looked in appreciation at the bulge in the grey boxer briefs. He heard her heartbeat and breathing speed up and she clutched the bed covers and pushed back further on the bed. Erich was so hard it was almost painful, wanting nothing more than to pound his mate into a satisfied, quivering heap. But she would cry foul, 'cause tonight they were playing Madeline's game. She grabbed handfuls of the bedclothes and her hips flexed. [Shorts.] Erich pulled the front of the shorts out and started sliding them off his hips. He groaned as his erection sprang free and he hauled them off his legs and stepped out. "Mmmm. You look delicious." "No more than you, mate." "C'mon, then." Erich inhaled deeply, taking in the heady scent of Madeline's arousal. He opened his eyes and stalked to the bed, where she was clutching the bed covers and shifting back and forth slightly on the bed. He grabbed one of her feet and pushed the pads of this thumbs into her soles. She threw her head back, "Aaah." Madeline groaned as he finished off one foot and started on the other. Then he kneaded her calves. Coming to her knees, he pushed her legs apart a bit more. She watched his tongue as it left his mouth and approached her leg. A lick up the inside of one thigh, stopping as he reached the crease where her leg met her body. Then, a repeat on the other side. Madeline groaned at the slowness of his pace. He moved up the bed a bit more and groaned, himself, as his stiff length rubbed against the blankets. His head dipped down, and his hair hid what he was doing. But his hair tickled her thighs and generated shivers. His breath warmed her most intimate place. And his tongue sent jolts of pleasure through her, drawing sounds from her she couldn't control. [Your lips are so soft, my Blossom. And so wet.] She made no reply, except to grab his hair and wrap her fingers in it, pulling him more closely to her. He licked her, lapped at her juices, delved inside her walls, flicked across her sensitive bud. She moaned and twisted slightly, fingers tightening in his hair. He slid a finger into her. Not mated a year yet, he still had to be careful with her. She was wet, slippery, ready. But, he needed to follow her rules. This time. Two fingers, curled slightly to rub the rough patch behind her pubis. Thrusting. Rubbing. Sucking. Listening to her moan. And pant. And call his name in passion. She was lovely. A squeak when he sucked hard on her clit, and she broke. She was sweating, still panting, her walls still twitching around his fingers, when he started to move up her body. A lick along the crease where her leg met her body led up to a breast. And he stayed there, licking, nibbling, and sucking while continuing to plunge his fingers into her sopping wet hole. Madeline was moaning, writhing, lost to pleasure. She could have been anywhere in the world but the scent of her mate surrounded her. And his warmth practically seared her. Erich brought her a second time while suckling on her right breast and a third time while biting her left nipple lightly. And, when she was practically boneless, he presented the head of his hardened length to her entrance and began to push inside. She was a tight fit normally and the orgasms had made her tighter. He felt small flutters as he finally seated himself inside her. Erich looked down at her. Her head was thrown back, her mouth open to draw in air, her hair spilled across the bed, and she was covered with sweat. "Look at me, Blossom, I want to see your eyes." She slowly rolled her head and opened glazed, lavender eyes. A small smile graced her lips as he started his thrusts. Between his buildup and her sensitivity, it didn't take long. She came again, screaming, digging nails into his shoulders. A few strokes later, he howled his own release. Locked together, he rolled them over. As he stroked her hair from her face, he saw she'd passed out. He was good. *** Randall and Ariel were wrapped up together on their bed. Sweaty, sated. He was running a hand up and down her hip and she was kissing his shoulder, giving it an occasional lick. He sighed. She looked up at his face and saw concern in his eyes. "Ran? What is it, mate?" "Thinking about Lyssa." "What about her? The healers say she is doing well." "No. No. She's worried for us, all of us and it's obviously manifesting in her dreams." "All pregnant females worry, mate." "Yes, but our first Beta female is different." Ariel furrows her brow. "Things she's doing for the pack council are bothering her, but..." "El, she could incapacitate half the pack with a strong send." "You're afraid she'll do it during a nightmare." He nodded. "Emmett confided in me that he thought she might have killed Michael Ross." She twisted, as much as she could, to look at him more directly. "Well, certainly, she seemed to have done substantial damage to his brain." "The morning he died Emmett believed he felt the pressure of a strong send. Lyssa was asleep at the time and. apparently, has no memory of it." "And you didn't tell me? Ran, this is serious..." Randall pulled her tightly to him and kissed her temple. "Mate, stop. I know. I know. But we have no proof. And no way to protect against it, unless we turn them out. If, if it happened, she had a very specific target." Ariel closed her eyes, worried. "But, with the hormones of pregnancy and her worries for us, the pup.." "I know. But, there's no way to know for sure." Ariel chewed her lip, thinking. "We've never tried it." "What do you mean, mate?" She snorted a chuckle. "We've tested her sending for distance but we've never had her try to knock someone down from a distance. We don't even know if she's capable of it." Randall smiled, grabbed her ass, and pressed her lower body against his. [I do love your mind, mate.] ***** Stephanie's clothing began coming back from the laundry in pieces. Well, actually, there were occasional holes at first. Then torn sleeves, a pair of pants split in the seat. Calvin had laughed at that. She had growled at him. A favorite shirt was the last straw. Part of the back was gone and one shoulder was ripped up. It couldn't be salvaged. She couldn't smell anyone in particular on it except for those that normally handled the laundry. As soon as Calvin came in, she rounded on him with the ruined shirt. "Look, look at this! This isn't some accident, this is deliberate." Calvin dropped his head and shook it. "Annoying, but she's not trying to kill you." Her voice went low on the growl, "You told me not to kill her before, when she hurt you. Now I can't go after her for ruining a shirt. But she shouldn't be able to get away with things like this. If you can't control her, I will." Calvin looked into angry green eyes and says, quietly "The way I control you, punish you?" Stephanie looked away as he took her shoulders. "Weakness." He put a hand to her face and turned her back to him. "Little one, to an extent you are correct. The pack has been much unsettled this past year. After Sabine's death I almost wished that I had followed her. And my grief over her death began the slide." She looked at him. Upset. Angry. But she listened to him take a deep breath. And saw resolution and determination in his eyes. "You are right, Madam Alpha. I need to re-assert my dominance over this pack to remain Alpha. At least, for as long as I choose to." Stephanie heard some uncertainty in his voice at that. "We have 10 days until the new moon. On that day, we will make clear who controls this pack." He stroked her hair and smiled as her eyelids fluttered slightly. "As Alpha female, you are in control of the females. We will, however, have a discussion as to how you intend to deal with Erica. I will talk to Sampson." He took her face and kissed her. [In the meantime, I will assert my control over you.] It had taken a bit of convincing and promises of stopping if she became too uncomfortable with it but, in light of continuing her exposure to new experiences, she had agreed. And so, she had allowed him to blindfold her and tie one wrist to the bedpost. She had refused to allow him to tie both, or her legs. Calvin had told her that she was not allowed to touch him, until he released her wrist. Stephanie didn't understand this game and he could tell by the tension in her muscles, in her breathing. "I don't understand." "How do you know where I will touch you next?" She startled as his palm lightly brushed over her breast. "Or here?" The backs of his fingers traced down her inner thigh. "Or with what?" Something light tickled across her lips and she smelled, "Bird?" "A feather, Stephanie." "Or what kind of touch it will be." He grabbed her thighs, forcing them apart, thumbs rubbing in the crease between them and her folds. She twisted quickly, to free her bound wrist, but stopped when he lightly stroked her folds, brushing her sensitive nub. "Trust me. As you have trusted me." Her breathing was rapid and she was back to tense again. "I can't... It's just..." He climbed over her and brushed his lips over hers. [I know, little one. But I am not them.] Calvin kissed her then and moved back to more conventional lovemaking while still maintaining the blindfold and bound wrist. She relaxed then and responded to him positively, although he had to remind her a couple of times that she wasn't allowed to touch him. He found his release first and she had time for some less-than-complimentary thoughts while he recovered. Calvin pushed up on his elbows and looked at a face made carefully blank. She turned her head slightly as he bent to kiss her. Dismayed by the rebuff he moved to her nipple [Little one, did you think I would seek my own pleasure, and not finish you?] Stephanie squirmed a little. [No.] [Don't lie to me, my mate.] She closed her eyes at the accusation. He wasn't helping the mood any but he had to shock her into some things. He wanted her to stop thinking of him as any other male, to stop believing that he would be completely and utterly selfish. "Look at me." She looked up into his green eyes. Serious green eyes with flecks of brown and amber. "I.." she stammered, "just.." A kiss stopped her. [Just, try, Stephanie. Try not to be so cynical.] ***** Ariel and Lyssa talked about a baby shower for Jo. While her mate and pack would provide everything they needed for the pup there would be some gifts. They would talk, and eat, and predict the sex of the pup. And the females would spend time with them, hoping to have the same luck on their next heats. It would not, of course, be as elaborate a party as her last. They planned for the day after her birthday. [Lyssa.] [Yes, Erich?] [Go find Mercy. Don't call, track her down.] Lyssa sighed, hanging her head. "Madam Beta?" "I need to go hunt down Mercy." "Then, by all means..." It was dark out, and humid, and she was supposed to find Mercy. Not a clue where to start, no time limit, just find her. Lyssa sat on the front steps, a brown wolf with two white socks behind her. Erich, apparently, was going to shadow her. So she huffed, and put her nose down, and started circling the house. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Was she in the house? OK. She'd be really hard to find in there with everyone wandering around. Pups all over the place... How could she be sure? She didn't even know how much of a head start Mercy had. In? Or out? She moved about 100 yards out and started around again. Her nose was close to the ground and she concentrated on Mercy's scent. Lyssa ran by a trail, turned around, and cast about. Mercy's scent was there, but Madeline had apparently run over her track. Lyssa snorted, to clear her nose, and started to move away from the house. Mercy's scent was pretty fresh but so was Madeline's. She had twined back and forth over Mercy's track. Just to confuse things. Lyssa growled lightly. [Doin' pretty good, Em. She found the doubled track and is headed out. She's slow, but working it out.] [Glad to hear it, Erich. Let me know when you're on your way back.] [Sure thing.] Lyssa wasn't moving very quickly. Nose to the ground, she put a forefoot in a hole and stumbled. [Ow.] [Focused too much on the scent, Lyssa.] She held up her paw, looked at him, and huffed. [Trail's getting colder.] She'd roll her eyes if she could. She sighed, shook herself, and started off again, limping slightly. [We should probably go back if you're hurt.] Lyssa turned back to the trail and tried to move a little faster. Finally, Madeline moved off and Mercy's trail got clearer. She moved forward faster on her sore foot. Damn. They were coming to one of the creeks. If she ran up or down stream it would take a long time for her to pick up the trail. Oh, good, she pretty much ran straight across. Up on a rock, down the other side. Ow! The foot still hurt and she staggered. [Lyssa, maybe you should quit.] She growled at him and kept going. Through some trees toward one of the meadows. [Lyssa, if you're injured I want you back at the house.] [Would you quit, Em?] There was no answer to that so she kept on. The trail turned back to the house. Lyssa limped up to the side patio where a small, brindled wolf sat, tongue lolling. Mercy gave a light bark as she and Erich approached. Emmett walked out and scowled as Lyssa limped up. "I told you to come back." [I did.] "Only because you tracked Mercy back here." [Did you tell her to come back? Did you make this easier?] Erich drew Mercy away as Emmett growled. [Why are they so mad?] [Because of the pup.] [Huh?] Emmett closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Sweetheart, I don't want to fight with you. I want to surprise you." Dark brown eyes looked up from a face covered in chestnut fur. [Surprise?] Emmett got down on one knee. "What's hurt?" She picked up her left forepaw. [Just a little sprain.] "You should have come straight back." It caught her by complete surprise and she vomited onto the brickwork. Everything Changes Ch. 02 Concern evident in his voice, Emmett asked. "Lys, what's wrong?" [Wade, Natalie, to the side garden.] [Beta?] [What's happened?] [My stomach feels ... I just feel kinda sick.] Natalie arrived first, followed shortly by her mate. "Madam Beta, are you hurt? Are you cramping?" The chestnut wolf shook her head. "She vomited." "How often?" "Just this once." The healers shared a look. "That's not unusual, Beta. Females do sometimes become nauseous during their pregnancies. Once is not a problem." Lyssa huffed and looked at her mate, who looked mildly embarrassed. "I just..." Natalie chuckled. "We understand, Beta, we've seen this behavior before. If there's nothing else?" The Beta pair shook their heads. "Good night, then." Emmett suddenly grabbed her, hugging her tightly. She felt her ribs creak. [Em? Breathing.] He just as suddenly let go and she changed. "I just can't bear to think of you getting hurt." "Why do you think I didn't come back right away? I knew it wasn't that bad. And I'm gonna beat up Erich for tattling." Emmett took a deep breath and swallowed, giving her hard eyes. "I'm the one with the baby. If I think it's not bad I think I should know." She put her hands on her belly. "I don't want to hurt him. You have to trust me and stop treating me like an incompetent child." She had her hands on her hips and her dark eyes showed her anger. Emmett closed his eyes and blew out a breath. He didn't want to fight with her. He had something set up in their suite to surprise her. How had they gotten to being mad at each other? "Dear heart, I don't want to fight with you. I want you and our pup safe." A pause. "I have something upstairs to surprise you." He pulled her into his arms. "I love you." She exhaled and he felt her breath blow against his chest. "You keep overreacting to things and it pisses me off." She lifted her face up to him and huffed out another breath. "I'm not weak or stupid, Em. And I've waited for this, just like you. Maybe more." Emmett pulled Lyssa's naked body to his more tightly. "I just can't stand the thought..." Lyssa said, "I know." She felt the strong arms of her mate around her, rested against his chest, was enveloped by his scent. He was stroking her naked back. "You're gonna be just as bad after he's born, aren't you?" "Probably. It's my nature to protect my mate and pups." She sighed. "I love you, Em, but you're making me nuts." He held her for a couple more minutes. "How's your arm?" Lyssa rolled her wrist. "OK, just a little sore." He swept her up in his arms and carried her through the den to their rooms. He kicked open the door and kicked it closed again. He turned her around and she saw the crib set beside the dressers. It was a dark, reddish wood, probably cherry, and looked to be very well made. He put her down and she walked over, running her hands over the smooth dark wood. "It's very pretty, Em." She turned to him. "I've only ever seen one in the den, though." "Pups normally sleep with their parents, until they get older, then they usually sleep with the other pups." "So, why...?" He slid his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I thought it would be comforting, familiar." Lyssa chuckled. "He'll probably be just as likely to eat it as sleep in it." A sigh. "I suppose we should start talking about names." He turned her and she saw the treat set up on the table. A small pile of brownies, a couple glasses of milk, three red roses, and a lit candle. "What's this for?" "Just because, sweetheart. C'mon, sit." So, he held her in his lap and fed her sweets, then tucked her in bed and curled up behind her. She was so warm. *** Lyssa was reluctant to test her abilities in that way. She didn't want to hurt anyone. And, well, she hadn't tried it since she got pregnant. She wasn't sure, but they were all pressing her. The day had turned cold. It was cloudy. She shivered in the cold and Emmett wrapped his arms around her. She shouldn't be feeling the cold. It wasn't that cold. The Alphas had set up some of the young males at three distances. Ross was in the bunker. Jamie was off in the trees about 1/2 a mile away. And young Paul was out on the edge of the range. They each had another wolf with them, to report, and Lyssa wasn't told who they were. "Come, Madam Beta, we should see the extent of your strength." The Alphas and the other Beta pair were there to witness the results, all looking rather serious. She wasn't sure just what this was about, or why they felt that it needed to happen now. And she didn't want to hurt anyone. "Alright, Lyssa, hit Jamie." She sighed and shrugged out of Emmett's arms. He tried to pull her back against him. "No, Em, I don't want you too close." So, he stood back a bit and she wrapped her arms around herself. She closed her eyes and they all felt the power she released. [He went to his knees.] [Did you feel it?] [Yes.] [Thank you, Anna. Please come back with Jamie.] "Are you able to continue, Madam Beta?" Lyssa opened her eyes and looked at the others. She gave a sharp nod. "Please, Ross this time." She closed her eyes again. "Can you do this with your eyes open?" "I have." "Try it now, with Ross." She took a deep breath and a large shiver took her. Ariel got concerned, "Ran, maybe we should do this another time." "It will only be another couple of minutes. Perhaps, Madam Beta, you would be warmer if you changed form." She looked at him, annoyance on her face, turned, and looked toward the back of the range. A wave of pressure, power, went past them again. Carolyn peeked around the edge of the door. "Wow. That was something else." "Carolyn?" "Ah, yes, Alpha. He's down and I feel a little dizzy." "How close were you?" "An armslength." "Thank you. Please watch Ross until he wakes." Emmett had gone to the intermediate form and enveloped Lyssa in his arms. To keep her warmer. He scrubbed his hands up and down her arms, chafing them. "Now, Madam Beta. The last test is Paul." Another exhale. "OK. Back off, Em." Emmett moved away from his mate, while wanting nothing more than to hold her. She swallowed, and closed her eyes again. It takes some time after she sent to Paul for the response to arrive. Mercy called out, [It startled him, but he didn't go down.] [Thank you, Mercy. Have Thomas and Paul come back.] [OK. Uh, yes, Alpha.] Emmett closed his eyes in relief and went to his mate and kissed the side of her head. Her power, while terribly impressive, could not have allowed her to kill Michael Ross. It had been a coincidence. He picked her up and cradled her against his body, where she shuddered once more against the cold and put her arms around his neck. "Am I done?" "Yes, Madam Beta, thank you." [Let's get you back inside where it's warm.] Lyssa nodded against his chest. "Please." Emmett turned and started carrying Lyssa back to the den. [Has she felt warmer lately, Emmett?] [Yes.] [She will be more sensitive to the cold then until she has the pup.] Erich looked at his Alphas, his mate tucked under his arm. "Well, it's good to know what her limit is." Randall was looking out to where Jamie was coming back in with Anna. "Are we sure she was using her full strength? She was reluctant about this test." "She doesn't want to hurt anyone, particularly those of us in the pack." Ross wobbled out of the bunker. "She did kill at close range. I'm not certain she did use her full power tonight but, like the rest of us, her power does dissipate with distance." Madeline piped up, "Have you tried to see if she could do it without knowing who was out there?" The Alphas looked thoughtful. "You bring up a good point, Madam Beta. She has always had a specific target." Erich dragged his mate around his body and pulled her up to a fierce kiss. [Let's go for a run.] Madeline grabbed his head, smiled against his mouth, planted her feet on his thighs, and vaulted backward. She twisted in the air, shifted, and clothing ripped. She hit the ground on four legs and took off. Erich stood, briefly stunned, then howled, shifted and took off after her. The Alphas shook their heads and Ross gaped. ***** Stephanie was sparring with Sampson. They were fairly well matched and, to this point, Sampson had won a couple more matches than she had. The young males were watching, trying to get a sense of what it would take to be a better fighter. Warriors, or guardians, were well respected within the pack. And, as such, had to be the elite fighters in the pack. Tobias was watching Stephanie in particular, gauging his Alpha female's strengths and weaknesses, and was making comments to the other males as the fights went on. Frustrated as Sampson landed another blow, Stephanie set up and put Sampson on the ground with the maneuver she had helped perfect at Wyeth. Sampson looked up at her from the flat of his back, amazed. The males stood, shocked, in silence, for about 3 seconds. Then the yelling and questions began. "What was that?" "I didn't even follow it." "Where did you learn that?" "Do it again." Stephanie stepped back, breathing hard, and wondering what she should do now. It was part of her training and she had no reason not to use the move. Except that no one but Calvin knew about it. As Sampson rose, Tobias stepped in front of her. "I've never seen a move like that before, can you do it again?" Stephanie gulped and nodded. Tobias set up his stance. "Alright, go ahead." He barely had time to register what she was doing when he found himself on the ground, stunned. He jumped up. "Show me how it's done." She shook her head. "It's a Wyeth move. I'm not sure I can show it to you." "You just used it, here. You're our Alpha." She put them off and they left, grumbling. Sampson looked at her. "My Alpha, may I ask a question?" Stephanie looked at him, considering, then nodded. "How effective is that move?" "Very. There are very few who can remain standing and not often." "Does Calvin know it?" "He knows about it; I've used it on him, but he doesn't know how to do it. It's difficult to learn." "I see. Well, it would be a useful skill to have and I would ask that you seek permission from Wyeth." ***** Lyssa told Emmett she wanted to get another tattoo. He growled and asked where. The two she already had were in intimate places. "I want another butterfly." "There?" he growled. She nodded. "I'm going with you." She snorted, chuckled. "I know." "Have you shaved?" "Not yet." She yelped as Emmett grabbed her and hauled her off to their bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and headed into the bathroom. She grinned, knowing what he was going to do. And what it would be a prelude to. Emmett returned, grinning himself, with the appropriate implements. He looked at her and frowned. A small spark of fear spiked in her. "What? What's wrong?" "You're still dressed." "Oh. I thought you'd want to..." He put out his hand and pulled her up. He sat on the bed. "OK, go ahead." She looked at him and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and reached back to get the zipper on the dress. He licked his lips. "Stop." She stilled, her breasts held up and out because of where her arms were. "I want you to look at me." Dark brown eyes fluttered open. Chocolate brown eyes looked her over hungrily. "Continue." She finally got ahold of the zipper tab and slid it down to the small of her back. She grasped the end of the sleeve, and tugged it off. She repeated the action with the other side. The front of the dress fell down and her hands went to her hips, to push it the rest of the way down. "Leave the panties." Lyssa changed the position of her hands somewhat and slid the grey knit dress off her hips. It slithered to the floor. "Bra." She started sliding a strap down when he said, "No. Undo the clasp." She reached behind and watched his eyes light up as her breasts were again thrust forward. She smiled as he shifted his growing hardness. She put her hands over the cups and and eased them off her breasts, the tips already crinkled up. He slid off the bed and came over to her, dropped to his knees, kissed her belly, wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek there. Lyssa blinked and whispered. "Everything's gonna change." He looked up at her, rose and wrapped his arms around her again. "You sound worried." Lyssa hid her face against her mate's chest. She mumbled. "I'm gonna get fat. Things are gonna ... move. We won't be alone anymore." He grabbed her face, tipped it up to him. "I thought you wanted this. I thought you were happy." There was worry and a bit of fear in his eyes. "Oh, Emmett, oh, of course I am, I didn't mean..." She reached up to his face and he pressed his cheek into her hand. He blew out a breath, swept his arms under her and carried her to the couch. He sat with her in his lap. He cradled her to him. "Dear heart, please. Can you tell me, specifically, what's worrying you?" Lyssa hid her face against his chest again her hand clutched at him. "What if something happens? What if I can't make it? What if...? I don't know how to take care of a baby." Her voice rose as she spoke, almost ending in a wail. Emmett kissed her head. "Sweetheart, sweetheart. Some things..." his voice went quiet. "Some things can't be helped. But Natalie will be taking care of you. Both of you." His hand slid to the very slight bulge in her belly. "And, Lyssa," he nuzzled her hair, "they're born pups. We learn along the way. The other females can help, advise. You aren't doing this alone." "No one else can be pregnant for me. And what if I, if things aren't the same after?" "Oh, sweetheart, have you seen Anna, Naomi, Cassie, Ariel?" "I know, I know, I just ... worry." "Sh, sweetheart, sh." He held her close, rocking slightly, murmuring soothingly. After a while, she relaxed. "Now, sweetheart, were you planning on that tattoo this afternoon?" "I thought sooner, rather than later, before I get big. They won't let me, soon." "Alright, then, let's get you ready. Get on the bed." She slithered off the red boy shorts and climbed onto the bed. He watched her ass, the soft petals between her thighs. "Ah, Lys, I could bury my face there right now. Myself." She smiled, twisting to lay face up on the bed. She spread her legs, open, wide. "You're wet, mate. It will make this trickier." And he shaved her, concentrating on thoroughly removing any trace of hair from her mound. Her lower lips took time between the complexity of her folds and the seeping of her juices. Emmett then washed his mate's sex, removing all traces of shaving cream. "Oh, sorry, Lys. I nicked you." "Mmm. It burned a little." "There." He began to stroke her lower lips. "So soft," he whispered. "So sweet." He looked up at her with lust and love. "I love you, mate." His tongue swept over her seeping slit, her puffy lips, giving little flicks to her clitoris. "Emmett, inside me, please." She was grasping the bedclothes. He smiled and slid two fingers inside her and she squirmed. "No, Em..." He rose up over her and kissed his way up her body. He stopped, the head of his cock poised at her entrance. "This, then, is what you want." It hissed out between her teeth, "Yessss." It took two pushes to seat himself within her. She wrapped her legs around him and set her nails in his shoulders. He thrust into her, deeply, punctuating each thrust with a kiss to some part of her body. She was sensitive, naked as she was, and the pressure of his knot entering her slick channel sent her over the edge. He groaned as he pushed through her rippling muscles, and two more thrusts undid him. He dropped down on his elbows, so as not to crush her, and dropped a kiss on her nose. Rolling them over, she sprawled on his chest. They drowsed, sated, for a while. Emmett watched, later, as an older female inked a design on his mate. A little closer to her centerline and a bit higher than the other, a second butterfly appeared. Slightly smaller, the wings were a riot of red and blue and grey. Emmett paid as Lyssa was reminded of her after-tattoo care. The female, Tracy, looked Emmett over in appreciation. *** He saw her. Thought it was her. Same hair, same size. He couldn't see her face. She was walking with a tall, grey-haired man. "Lyssa! Lyssa!" She flinched. [Don't look around, mate. Let's go.] Emmett hustled her to the car and they quickly got in. Lyssa slid down in the seat. They did not meet up with the male who had called to her. When they were well away, Emmett asked, "Recognize the voice?" She sat there, chewing on her thumb. "I think it may have been Ronnie." Everything Changes Ch. 03 Time to add to Stephanie's story. Enjoy, KemMyst ***** "Stephanie, I have a surprise for you." She looked at him, confused and a bit expectant. He stroked her hair, pulled her into an embrace. "It's some distance away and I need you to trust me." She stilled. Unfortunately for Stephanie, those words were guaranteed to make her suspicious and wary of anything that was to come. "Mate, I wouldn't do anything to harm you. I want to give you something." "Why can't you give it to me here?" "Because it isn't here for me to give to you." She grumbled and sulked but, over the months she had known him, had taken him as mate, he had never hurt her. Even when she had deserved it. So, she sighed and followed him down to the car. [Cal, I don't know if you'll like what happens after this.] [Perhaps, Sampson, but doesn't her family, her blood, deserve to know she still lives?] [I know you think you're doing the right thing for them, but I don't think it will help her.] [Noted, Sampson. We will be gone most of the day.] She looked at him, realizing he was talking/sending to someone. He turned to her, smiled, and started the car. The ride was long, over 2 hours. They started talking of pack matters. Silence reigned for a time as Stephanie watched the landscape go by. Finally, he began talking about his time as a pup. "Hungry?" She looked at him, heaved a sigh. "OK." Stephanie wasn't particularly happy eating in restaurants, but he had taken her a couple of times. They pulled into a small place and were shown into a small room in the back. All the other patrons were in the main room. Their orders were taken. "Is this the surprise?" "No. Soon." He took her hand as he heard the door open. "I love you, Stephanie." Her chest began to heave as she looked at him. He was hiding something. Her brain ran wild, memories, making connections. He had taken her from the den, just like... No. His grip on her hand tightened. Panicked, she asked, "What did you do?", as two others entered the room. One stride was measured, confident. The other was slow, tired, halting. They both looked to the doorway. Stephanie stood abruptly, knocking her chair over. She backed away. "No." The old male looked over, trying to focus on Calvin and Stephanie. His eye color was difficult to discern. The eyes were filmed, rheumy. His voice was quiet, trembling. "Lavinia? Child?" She stood, back against the wall, fists clenched. She was shaking her head. The younger male led him forward as the older male inhaled deeply. "Daughter?" She inhaled, as Calvin approached her, and her voice came out on a squeak. "Papa?" "Oh, child, we'd lost hope. I knew you were dead." She walked forward, woodenly, as the younger male led him to her. "Papa?" The embrace was tentative, questioning, before turning fiercer. She looked over her father's shoulder as he shook. "Marcus?" Marcus closed his eyes and nodded in acknowledgment. "Our little Lala, all grown up. I'm one of Paul's Betas." "Paul is Alpha now?" Marcus smiled. "As are you, I understand." Calvin introduced himself. "Calvin, Alpha of Ross. Stephanie agreed to be my mate several months ago." "Stephanie?" *** They split into two groups, Stephanie and her father, and Calvin and Marcus. Vernon told Stephanie that her mother had died about 10 years after she had disappeared. Her older brother, Bruce, was gone as well, leaving a mate, pups, and grandpups. Her little sister, Izadora, mate, and pups, were still alive and well. Stephanie/Lavinia glossed over her abduction and captivity, telling her father only that she had been taken by rogues. She told him about her time at Wyeth, her training. She told him about Calvin. How he had wooed her. "Are you happy, child?" Stephanie ghosted a smile. "Yeah." He patted her hand. "Good. Good." Calvin told Marcus that Stephanie had been betrayed to the rogues by a pack member but did not divulge who, even when Marcus pressed. "It is not my accusation to make. I was not there." "But she told you who it was." "Yes." "There is blood owed for this, I want to know who it is." "You will need to talk to her, if she will tell you. If she wishes vengeance, she is fully capable of taking it." Marcus paid for exclusive use of the room for the couple of hours they spent there. Vernon extracted a promise from his daughter to visit and they returned to their respective packs. It was almost an hour on the ride back before she spoke to him. And she railed against him. "Why didn't you just tell me where we were going?" "You would never have consented to go." "I.." she shut her mouth. They both knew it was true. He watched her get faraway after that and they didn't speak of it again that day. *** Stephanie's sleep was disturbed for the next few nights. She moaned, she cried, she lashed out. Calvin provided whatever support she desired. He held her, rocked her. Sex, for the time being, was tabled. Too many memories. He waited for her to settle down. He waited for her. It was six days later that she rolled back against him during the night. "Thank you for taking me to see my father." She put her hand on his chest and rolled closer to kiss him. [And I'm sorry I've neglected you.] [I understand, little one, that it would take time to lay your demons to rest again.] Stephanie looked into Calvin's eyes and smiled. "I think I will sleep better if you touch me." ***** Emmett sought out his mate. She had been spending a lot of time in their room, working on things for the pack council. It wasn't really good for her, although with her upbringing, it was part of her nature. But, as a werewolf, and part of the Wyeth pack, she should have wanted the comfort of others. To be closer to someone. Most of the other females, during their pregnancies, craved the touch, the presence of others. She was almost isolating herself. Lyssa had just been to the library, looking up some things for the council, had spent much of the day there. She had come back with a lot of papers, notes. And, while she had tossed him a quick send when she got home, she hadn't stopped by. Jeremy and Madeline had said she'd gone to their suite. Her scent, and one other's, led there. The door was ajar. Emmett pushed it open and found his mate sitting up in the bed, a pillow stuffed behind her, cradling a large book and stroking the small, dark pup that cuddled next to her. Sniffling. He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. She knew, of course, that he had entered the room. Her only reaction was a slight tension in her body. Emmaline snuggled a bit closer to her. What he did do was get onto the bed beside her. She sniffed and rubbed a fist over her wet cheeks, her other fingers were twined in the pup's fur. He sidled up next to her and put an arm around her. She was looking at the photo album he had rescued from her house before it had burned to the ground. Pictures of the family she had lost years ago, one of the few remnants of her old life. Emmett looked at the images on her lap and picked one out. Her, with her brother and sister, wet, giggling. Her brother was slender, blondish, with hazel eyes, early teens. Her little sister's hair was darker, closer to the color of Lyssa's, with brown eyes, lighter than Lyssa's, with green flecks. Lyssa was beginning to fill out, curves, young breasts, and was wearing a bright blue bikini with a small white butterfly on the left side. They were all lightly tanned and wet. And happy. His voice is quiet. "When was this?" She sniffed again and her breath came out shaky. "Mom and Dad took us to a waterpark. We had such a good time." She sniffed again and tears rolled down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak again and a sob came out. Emmaline whined. He tried to think of a way to ask the question, but there was no way it wouldn't hurt. [Not long before they died?] "They never let me see them. The coffins were closed." He stroked the side of her face with the backs of his fingers. His voice was quiet, calm. "I'm sure they didn't want you to see them that way." More likely their injuries were horrific from the accident they had been in. He knew she was sad, upset. Emmaline's presence confirmed it. The pack had found the female pup was a bellwether for grief and sorrow. An indication that someone needed comfort. He didn't know the exact nature of her sadness and didn't want to make it worse. So, he held her, pulling her body against him. It took her a bit to settle down. Emmaline jumped up, licked her face, then jumped off the bed and left the room. "Our little man won't have any aunts or uncles. You've got no brothers or sisters and neither do I." "Dear heart, he'll have a whole pack to be aunts and uncles. They'll all watch out for him, the females will dote on him, the males will roughhouse with him. Simon and Hannah will slip him tidbits." He chuckled. She chuckled. That was good. He sighed and pulled her into his lap, spilling the album onto the bed. He took her face into his hands. "Ah, mate. Remembering the past, mourning it a little, isn't a bad thing. But, we haven't had an Alpha or Beta pup in 20 years. Everyone will be looking after him." She put her arms over the arms he had around her. Another chuckle from her at that and a relaxation of her body had him feeling better. She rubbed her hand over his arm. "I wish they were alive, sometimes." "You got a chance to know yours." She looked up at him, eyes wide, her hand going to his face. "Oh, Em, I'm sorry." He had been a small pup when his family had died. He put his forehead to hers. "A long time ago, Lyssa." Her voice was quiet and he could feel her breath against his lips. "How long?" He'd never told her exactly how old he was; it didn't really matter to them. Except for reaching adulthood, they barely paid attention. Slowly, he starts, "A long.." and stops as she gets a funny look on her face. He goes on alert. "What's wrong? Is something wrong?" "I feel ... funny." "Where? What? Should I get the healers?" She took a deep breath. "Stop." she said, calmly. He had panicked when she'd gotten nauseous and thrown up once before. She pulled his hand to her belly and closed her eyes. He closed his, also, and concentrated. He centered his focus on that palm and felt ... little movements. Little pushes. He whispered. "Is that him?" She whispered back. "I think so." "What does it feel like to you?" "Little .. ripples, I guess." He twisted her, wrapped her legs around his waist and crushed her against him. As he kissed her fiercely he sent, [We have our own family now, sweetheart. And the pack around us.] When the kiss broke, and she could breathe again, she looked around the room and said, "I'm hungry." An inhale, exhale. "And then I want to go out for a run." ***** The second pack council meeting went a bit better than the first but was still a bit acrimonious. Half the packs had chosen representatives, others were still sorting it out. This was the first item on Lyssa's agenda. "How we respond will depend on who gets discovered, because the pack that is found first will probably get the worst of it. Is there someplace we can go if things get really bad?" There was a short discussion about abandoning their compounds before there was overall agreement that they would fight to stay in their homes. "Do you really think they'd try to kill us?" "We're stronger than they are but there are more of them. A lot of them will be afraid of us. Some will want to study us. Some will want to use us. Some will want to be us. And some will want to fuck us." The room erupted at the last statement, some sputtering, some shaking their heads. Lyssa let it go on for a minute or two, thinking of another option in the meantime. [Alright, now.] All eyes returned to her. "That's the fewest number of people, but it's true. There are some humans who will want to have sex with us for the novelty of it. And, on the other end are those who will want to hunt us as if we were another rare predator." Juliet Severn asked, "What do you mean by use?" "What would you think you might do with a group that is stronger, faster, sees, smells, and hears better?" She watched the thoughts flicker through their minds. "Bloodhounds. Surveillance. Security. Conscripts. Something like slave labor." Helen, an elder of the Gates pack, spoke up. "Now that we've determined the possibilities, what do we do? Is there anyone who would be on our side?" "There are groups who help and protect pure animals. The ASPCA, PETA. The National Wildlife Federation. Greenpeace. Perhaps we can garner some sort of support from them. Our problem is that we are thinking beings who function, as they do, within their world. Pure animals are protected by humans for their own good, usually because they can't protect themselves." "The packs, however, own property, businesses, employ people, pay taxes. We're like humans in most ways. And it's the 'most ways' that make it hairy." A few chuckles went up at the unintended pun. "This is why we need some legal advice. We'll want to maintain our lifestyle, the hunting, punishments, etc. like a sovereign state or, oh, an embassy or something, so that we obey human rules outside but can do what we need inside." Stephanie interjected. "Is there a way we can set ourselves apart in their legal system?" "Some groups have special provisions. Some religious groups. The Amish. American Indians." "Then, we apparently need something along those lines." "OK. Yeah. So, no lawyers in any of the packs?" Heads shook. "Damn, that would really help. We need to be able to talk to one without.. tell them about us without them revealing our secret." The room erupted again. Keeping secret of what they were was deeply ingrained in the core of their being. Most of the arguments were aimed at her, since she had brought it up. She would have to look into that aspect more. There had to be a way. There had to. She had to find it, for all of them. She caressed the small bulge in her belly. Yes, all of them. "Well, OK." They all look back at her. All those eyes. She still couldn't believe they were all looking to her. "I could use some help looking into how we can get some legal help." The brown eyes of Helen looked up at her. "I'll help." "Thank you. I would also suggest that everyone look at strengthening their boundaries." "And why is that?" "Whoever is discovered first will be a target and, if it's one of us, it could be all of us. Some fanatic is liable to come with guns or explosives to try to kill us." "Which means we should also have a warning system. If something happens to one pack, the others need to be warned so they can prepare." Lyssa watched and saw understanding and acceptance on most faces. "Alright, I hope the remaining packs will have their representative picked for the next meeting. And we'll discuss then some possibilities for telling someone about us so we can get some sort of legal protection in place." "This is something we'll vote on?" Lyssa nodded. "Yes. I think it needs to be a unanimous vote." There was grumbling, everyone worried about exposure. "Thank you for coming. I should have the video conferencing set up for the next time." Stephanie stepped up as the others were taking their leave. "Madam Beta, how are you?" "Pretty good, Stephanie, um, Madam Alpha. How are you?" Stephanie's green eyes flicked to Lyssa's brown and she looked down again. "Calvin said I should do this, that it was important." [You just need to make a decision and stick to it, as long as it feels right for the pack.] Stephanie's eyes crawled back up and held Lyssa's. "How is the pup?" Lyssa's hand slid to her belly. "Good, so far." Stephanie searched Lyssa's eyes. "I'm glad. I want to start studying healing again." Lyssa was surprised. "Again?" Stephanie nodded. "How is Calvin?" A rare smile graced Stephanie's crooked lips. "Good. I should go home." "Sure. It's good to see you happy, Stephanie." Stephanie nodded and walked to the door. *** Emmett found her, later, in their suite, looking at the video camera. She had her chin on her crossed arms, staring at it. "Nothing?" Lyssa sighed heavily and her eyes slid up to him. Her mate. Chocolate brown eyes in a strong face. The contrast of his grey hair, a medium charcoal, longish. The dark blue t-shirt was tight across his chest, his muscular arms were tanned. His waist, narrower to the top of a pair of dark jeans. She looked at the button on his jeans and licked her lips. Her voice went low and husky. "Unbutton the jeans and turn around." Smirking, he undid the button and reached for the zipper. "No." He turned around and she paused to admire his nice ass, encased in denim. He heard her get up from the chair and thought he heard her soft footfalls as she approached him. It took willpower to stand still, to not turn and face her. Where would she touch him? Even expecting it, he jumped slightly as a hand caressed his ass. [Nice backside.] [Got somethin' else nice up front.] [Do you now?] She leaned up against him, her face against his back and her hands slid around his waist. They traveled upwards, fingers stroking, and she pulled herself tightly to him for a moment before finding and tweaking his nipples. Damn. His cock had jumped and was now nestled uncomfortably in his pants. She stopped and her nostrils flared. "Why do you smell like Madeline?" Emmett was confused. "What do you mean?" She walked around to his front, leaned in, and inhaled. "I smell Erich's mate on you. What have you been doing?" He reached for her and she backed away, growling. "Sparring, Lyssa. You know she's working on her fighting, just like you." Lyssa crossed her arms and grumped. He reached for her again and she backed away. His face fell. He couldn't understand why she was so upset and it really bothered him that she was retreating from him. "Lys, sweetheart, it's never bothered you before." "I don't like it." [Madam Beta?] Lyssa's head whipped around. [Yes, healer?] Natalie hesitated, feeling the annoyance in Lyssa's send. [It's time for another check on you and your pup.] Emmett looked at her. Her response was brusque, one word. "Check-up." What could he do? She was quite annoyed with him. He dropped the volume of his voice as she headed for the door. "Can I come?" Taking a deep breath, Lyssa turned around. She saw the hurt in his eyes. She took another breath, letting it out shakily. "Of course." Emmett followed her down the stairs and watched Natalie examine his pregnant mate. "Good. Everything looks good. Keep up with the protein and fats. And you're taking vitamins?" Lyssa nodded. "B vitamins, mostly." [Healer, do you know why she would be upset with me for having Madeline's scent on me?] Natalie hesitated. [Her sense of smell has changed. You may wish to speak to the Madam Alpha.] "Don't talk about me while I'm right here." She still sounded grumpy. Lyssa was released for another month. Emmett grabbed her as she resisted him and kissed her. "Ah, mate, I'm glad you're both doing well." She squirmed, trying to get out of his arms. "Don't touch me when you smell like her." He wrapped his arms tightly around her and talked into her hair. "Lyssa. Lyssa. I was sparring with Madeline. You know that." Lyssa was silent, unmoving. He felt her breath pass over his chest, the slight bulge in her belly pressed against him. "You know, you haven't been practicing lately. You should have a session." Lyssa was taken aback. "But I'm pregnant." "And that's why you should do it. Your tactics change because of it. You still have to be able to protect yourself.." Emmett's hands slid to cover her belly "and our little man. You can't..." Everything Changes Ch. 03 "I know. I know. Alright, already." "Why so grumpy?" She mumbled against him. "You know." They stood together a bit longer until she pushed away. "I should get back to work." "OK, sweetheart, I'll see you at lunch." *** Emmett hunted down Ariel. "What can I do for you Emmett?" He closed the door behind him and ran his hands through his grey hair. "She's so touchy, Ariel. I never know what she's going to react to." "Something happened today?" "I was sparring with Madeline and Lyssa seemed mad that I had her scent on me." Ariel stood, resting her backside against the edge of her desk, and crossed her arms. "I don't know what to do with her." Ariel dropped her head slightly and shook it. "Ah, Emmett, while all females and their pregnancies are different they are also all the same." Emmett furrowed his brow. "She's becoming more territorial and the fact that you smelled like Madeline did not sit well. As the other Madam Beta, she is competition. It would have been worse if it were me." "So, OK, I only have to worry about having your scent, or Madeline's, on me?" "Mostly. But the scent of other females may also set her off. Again, Emmett, territorial." "But, I don't get upset when she smells of the other males. I know she has contact with them and she knows I have contact with some of the females." "Rationally, logically, yes." She took a deep breath. "Our hormones take control of us when we go into heat. They rise, then fall. But pregnancy brings more." Emmett's voice dropped. "What do I do?" "Just what you've been doing. Love her and keep showing her." ***** "This is my pack! This is my mate!" Things had finally come to a head with the Ross pack. Calvin had known he was tempting fate by not dealing earlier with all the issues that resulted from Michael's reign. Erica and whomever her cronies might be. The pack had been unsettled, edgy, for months. Calvin had been busy, with the Alpha candidates, mating Stephanie, looking for her pack, and her first heat. Yes. He had waited too long. It was the new moon, petitions, and they had finished with two of the most aggravating. Tobias had grumbled about his age and asked when the Alpha candidates would be returning. And then Erica had questioned a couple of Stephanie's recent decisions. Stephanie had not so skillfully repressed her anger and discomfort and Erica began needling her. Emboldened, Tobias brought up her interference in their challenge. Calvin finally exploded. "ENOUGH!" Everyone looked at him. It wasn't often he raised his voice. The pack generally worked pretty well. He strode over to Erica and she cowered a little. "You have a problem with our female Alpha. Since you have trouble accepting her authority and, in doing so, mine, we will settle this now, today." "But.." "Quiet." He bared his teeth at her and she whimpered. He wrapped his hands around her throat. Tobias caught himself before he stepped forward but Calvin and Stephanie caught the movement. Sampson scanned many of the others, looking for any evidence of duplicity. [I see no one else, Cal.] [Only Tobias looks guilty, Calvin.] "Tobias, step forward." Woodenly, he complied. "What part have you played in this little drama?" "Drama, my Alpha?" Calvin snarled back, "You are in cahoots with Erica. To kill me, my mate. To overthrow your Alphas. To take control of this pack." "I saw an opportunity. I took advantage of it." Calvin growled and strode over, dragging Erica with him. "Were you forewarned?" Tobias made no reply. "Did she tell you?" Calvin, and everyone else for that matter, could smell the fear begin to rise from him. Of course, the whole area smelt of Erica's fear. The word was dragged from his lips, short, clipped. "Yes." Calvin shook her once as Stephanie stalked around them. He shoved Erica at her. "Hold her." Stephanie grabbed Erica by the upper arms. Erica shrieked. "She promised you sex. She promised you power." Tobias nodded. "Foolish. She has none to give." Calvin looked between the two of them. "Would you fight for her?" Tobias looked down, his chest heaved. "You suspect she would betray you, too, when she tired of you." Calvin looked at the dark-haired Omega. "Would you fight me, now, for Alpha?" Tobias shook his head. "If I thought you showed any ability to lead I would cede the pack to you. Would you fight my mate, for Alpha?" Tobias' head jerked up and the pack gasped in surprise. "Is that why you mated her? Because you're getting weak?" was ground out of Erica's throat. The pack gasped again, at her boldness in the face of punishment. Stephanie's eyes flicked to him; it was a question she had never considered. [No, Stephanie, that is not why you are my mate.] "Tobias? Would you wish to fight either of us, for Alpha? Would you fight for her?" Stephanie's green eyes bored into him, a feral grin on her face. Tobias shook his head again and the smell of fear rose. "There is some wisdom in you. Perhaps you can be salvaged." Tobias looked briefly hopeful as Calvin's attention now turned to Erica. "This one, however, I fear is beyond saving." Erica's eyes widened as Stephanie's hands clenched tighter. Calvin turned back to his pack. "My grief weakened me. I lost my mate, my son, my focus. It. Will. Not. Happen again. This is my pack, our pack." He turned back to Erica. "You have poisoned my mate. You have poisoned me. You continue to sow dissent. This cannot be tolerated. This will not be tolerated." "She is yours, my mate." Stephanie dragged Erica outside and tossed her toward the circle. She turned toward it, changing to intermediate form as she moved forward. Erica landed in a heap, stunned briefly. She changed to wolf, shook off her clothing, and ran. Stephanie smiled, changed to wolf, and took after her with a howl. Calvin turned back to his pack. "Tobias, you are banned to the outbuilding at the edge of our range for the next moon. No one is to seek you out or speak to you in that time. On the day of petitions, you may return." Stephanie's prey bolted away from her, a dark-furred wolf, stinking of fear. Erica ran flat out, in a straight line. She was easy to follow. Stephanie streaked along, enjoying the run. It was a pleasant day and the sun warmed her dark saddle and shoulders. Her ears were tuned to the sounds of the outside world and the smells enticed her. But, she would not be turned from her path. Erica's headlong flight was loud. While fear spurred her she was not in good shape and would likely tire soon. A yelp went up as she slipped crossing a gully. Stephanie caught her just as she exited the treeline. Erica rolled and came up, facing Stephanie. She bared her teeth and growled, backing away as Stephanie advanced. Head down, hackles raised, growling. Backed into a corner, panicked, Erica attacked. It didn't take long; Erica lay on the ground with Stephanie's teeth at her throat. [Don't kill me. Don't...] [This is for my mate.] Warm red blood spurted as Stephanie's teeth closed. As the wolf below her went still and the blood flowed sluggishly, Stephanie sat back on her haunches and howled. Calvin closed his eyes and exhaled. "Sampson, we need to prepare a pyre." Everything Changes Ch. 04 Dear Readers, Time for the next chapter including the birth of a wolf pup. Enjoy. KemMyst **** Lyssa's belly stuck out in front of her and small movements could be seen on the surface from time to time. Emmett had been after her to work on her sparring but she kept putting it off. She finally ran out of excuses. So, here she was, standing outside the circle, looking at Alex, inside the circle. Her hands were, as usual lately, over her belly. She felt their little one moving around in there. Some of the females had said it looked like it was a girl. Her hips felt funny and she just didn't want to do it. What if he caught her there with his claws? What if she fell and hurt him? Her? It didn't help her feel any better that Natalie and Wade were standing by. Emmett was rubbing her back. "Sweetheart, you know Alex has the most control, is the best at teaching the pups. He won't hurt you." Alex carefully watched the Beta pair. Accidents could happen, that was why the healers were present, but he could spar with her and make points, without hurting her. While it wasn't vital that she learn to fight in her current condition, it was a good idea. "Madam Beta, I will remain in human form, if it makes you more comfortable, but you should get some awareness of what your body is capable of in your condition. After all,.." Lyssa huffed. "I know. I know. You never know when someone's going to come after you." "Come." Woodenly, Lyssa entered the circle. Alex looked at her, she was afraid. "Shift." She breathed a couple of times and became the chestnut wolfwoman. "Good. You know you can hurt me. You know you can knock me down. I will make contact with you, my intention being only to show you where I have breached your defense. Understand?" Lyssa closed her eyes, breathing a little deeply. "Attack me." He gestured to her with both hands. "Can't we wait 'til he's asleep?" [Then you won't want to wake him. Do it now, mate.] Lyssa stuck her tongue out at Emmett then turned back to Alex who had moved to one side. Her eyes narrowed, he was trying to flank her. She moved in, watching him as he paced one way, and then the other. She tracked him with her eyes, saw him notice the children coming back from a run, and rushed him. He smiled, stepped sideways, and pulled fingertips across her hip. She twisted, ducked, and tried to sweep his legs out from under him. He skipped away as she worked to get upright again. Her balance was off. She shook herself and he grinned at her. She hated that grin. Smug. Superior. Lyssa bared her teeth and circled a little, looking for an opening. Ariel called [Lyssa.] and Alex saw the change in attention. She ignored the call and noticed him coming. Ducking under his arms, she stumbled, recovered, and got upright again. He made another direct assault and she sidestepped. But he grabbed her by the arm and swung her around, wrapping a hand around her throat. She went still but her chest heaved. Alex released her suddenly and backed away. "You've been remiss in not keeping up with your training, Madam Beta." Now that just pissed her off. She growled at him and Natalie snickered. That pissed her off even more. She narrowed her eyes and Emmett caught the look. [Don't hit him because you're pissed, mate. You need to work on your balance.] She shot Emmettt an evil look and faintly heard the sound of an approaching body. Lyssa dropped and threw a leg out but was twisted around as Alex tripped over her. She'd had enough. She curled into a ball on the frozen ground. Four concerned wolves surrounded her and she waved them away. Emmett crouched over her. "You're not hurt." "No." "We aren't done." "I am." "Lyssa, this isn't helping." "I don't care." She turned one dark brown eye to him. "Besides, Ariel wanted something." "I spoke to her. It'll wait." None of her arguments were working. She sat up. "I'm tired. I can't take a deep breath." She needed to work on this. She was a decent fighter, but she needed to be able to handle the change in her body. The chances were almost nil that someone would attack her but, wasn't it better to be prepared? He considered the best way to convince her. "I understand it's hard.." "Yeah, sure, you're not pregnant." He closed his eyes. Who knew that she'd be so difficult to deal with during her pregnancy? "It took practice when you first started sparring, to get better. You just need to work on it, again, to get comfortable, to figure out your balance." Alex spoke up. "The Madam Alpha continued her sparring almost up until she birthed Joanna." Lyssa exhaled forcefully. "Short sessions, mate, until you get better again." She looked at Emmett. "OK." But she didn't sound particularly happy about it. ***** It had taken repeated explanations and entreaties. Juliet and the mates were very reluctant to release Joanna during the last month of her confinement. Visits home were expected and encouraged but they felt slighted, as if their pack healers, they, weren't good enough to carry her through to the end of her pregnancy. But Nathan explained his promise to her father and that Joanna would feel better being with her own mother near the end, in more familiar surroundings. They finally relented. Nathan's commute would be longer as a result, but it wouldn't be for long. So, it was a Monday afternoon when the Mini arrived bearing the two Severn wolves. Nathan got out from the driver's side and opened the passenger door to help his very pregnant mate out. It took three tries to pull her from the low seat of the car. Joanna was immediately swarmed with females of the Wyeth pack. Ariel, of course, was first to embrace her daughter, followed by Lyssa, difficult because of her own burgeoning belly, then Madeline. As Nathan got the bags out of the car the swarm of females worked their way into the side garden. It was an unusually warm November day. There was the murmuring and laughter of a female-dominated gathering. A small pleased shout went up as Hannah brought out a couple of platters of treats. Simon followed with drinks. He dropped them off and fled. Joanna and Lyssa were installed in cushioned Adirondack chairs while the others clustered around in a shifting mass. Nathan was collected and shown to the room they would be staying in. He dropped the bags and Emmett and Erich took him out for a run. By the time they got back the group had thinned out around the two pregnant females. Emmett gave Joanna a brief, chaste kiss as Nathan asked after Lyssa's health. They then moved and embraced their respective mates. Ariel put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Thank you, Nathan, for bringing my daughter back for this time. I'm sure Juliet is unhappy with you." "Mom is certainly not happy with us but she understands Jo wants to be close to her mother. I have to call when the pup decides to come." A doubled howl punctuated the air. Joanna smiled. "Anna?" Ariel nodded. "Roland's keeping Sally occupied." Jo laughed "Rolly's pup-sitting?" Erich chuckled. "Volunteered." Jo raised her eyebrows. There was more to this than met the eye. Roland was typically more self-involved than that. Joanna settled back after a trip to the bathroom. "So, how are you doing, Lys?" "She's a kicker." "She? It's a female?" "I've had at least half a dozen females tell me it looks like I'm carrying a girl." Joanna made and noise and the bulges in her belly moved. "Oh, he's awake. Hey, any of that beef left?" *** It was three days later that the shower was held. Joanna had, of course, had a shower already at Severn. But these were her former packmates, the wolves she had grown up with. They wanted to celebrate with her. She sat at the head table, flanked by Ariel and Lyssa, one end piled high with gifts. And they talked and they ate, and the circumference of her belly was measured. Presents were opened after a potty break. Little outfits for males, teething toys, cleaning products, little blankets, a couple of stuffed toys. After all of them had been opened and thanks given, Lyssa expected the females to start dispersing. But Emmett and Nathan appeared, carrying more wrapped packages. They were placed in front of her. Surprised, she saw Joanna turn to her, smiling, "Your turn." Lyssa's presents were similar in kind but geared more toward a female. She also got a sling that she could carry the baby in. Their mates joined them as the party began to die down. A number of adolescent males wandered through and left crumbs in their wake. Both Lyssa and Joanna pouted. The beef scallion wraps had been tasty. [Hey, Lys, how do you feel about devilled eggs?] Lyssa said, "MMmmm", and her stomach rumbled. Emmett kissed her. "Mm, sweetheart, I love you. How's the little one?" He ran his hand over her belly. "Oh, um, good." She reached up to touch his face. Nathan had rearranged Joanna, sliding under her and pulling her back against him. "Settled on a name?" The young couple looked at each other and smiled. "Yeah," Nathan said. It was 15 minutes later that a platter of two dozen devilled eggs appeared. Settled between the two pregnant females and their mates, it emptied pretty rapidly. Joanna sighed. "Mmm. Just when he's taking a nap and I'm ready to, Natalie wants to check me again." Ariel responded, "Sleep, Jo. Natalie will see you after." Joanna eyes closed. She was warm, comfortable, supported by her mate. Lyssa levered herself up. "Where are you going?" "Got some things to work on for the council." ***** She was bound, face to the wall, blindfolded. Her wrists were cuffed above her head. Her ankles were also cuffed; thighs kept wide and opened by a spreader bar. A black leather corset nipped in her waist and squashed her breasts up, slightly flattening them. Clear spike heels had her bent forward slightly, her behind pushed outward. The red seam up the back of her stockings made her legs look longer than they were. A black leather skirt fell to mid thigh. She was panting, her heart beating so loudly he could have heard it down the block. And he could smell the delicious wetness forming between her thighs. Thomas strode forward and pressed himself against her, pushing Lorelei against the wall and forcing a ball gag into her mouth. He reached up, yanked the front of the corset down, and found and twisted her nipples. She inhaled and he smelled her juices really start to flow. His fingers found the waistband of her skirt and he ripped it off her, throwing it off to one side. He grabbed the top of her thighs and pressed his erection into her backside as he growled in her ear and she moaned. She whimpered as he backed away. Moving to a side table, the leather chaps he was wearing whispered. As he turned back, he slapped the flogger against his palm. She gasped. He stepped forward, slapping it against his palm a couple more times for emphasis. She twisted and he could see the dampness on her thighs. He breathed in her ear and she flinched slightly as he palmed an ass cheek and kneaded it. Backing away again, he delivered the first blow. She gasped and he watched the mark redden. She writhed in her restraints, moaning, as he caressed her ass with the studded leather device. He then began paddling her, to gasps and moans, until her backside was bright red. Thomas then threw down the flogger and pressed up behind her again, fingers digging into one of the fleshy globes of her ass, while the other hand snaked around the front of her body. It took a couple of seconds for him to find her piercing, the small ring in her clitoral hood. As he tugged on it he growled in her ear, "Don't you dare come." She groaned as he tugged again and pressed his length into her buttcrack. "Hmm. Where do I put this?" Thomas grabbed her hips, crouched slightly, and shoved his rock hard cock into her sopping pussy. Lorelei shrieked around the ball gag. He felt her tense up. "Not yet." He grabbed her tits and started pounding into her. About the fifth thrust, he felt the condom break. Damn. He so didn't want to stop. But that was one of the rules. He had to wear it to have sex with her. There was another advantage - it suppressed the expansion of his knot. So, he pulled out and she groaned. "Need a new condom." Lorelei sagged against the wall, panting, as Thomas stripped off the remnants of one condom and and rolled on another. Approaching her again, he grabbed her by the throat, positioned himself and shoved in again. Using a little less force, he resumed thrusting. He could feel her trembling. "OK, bitch. Now." An odd, high-pitched sound issued from her mouth and he felt the warm, tight muscles around him ripple. He pushed through them before finding release himself. Thomas sucked in air and leaned forward, pressing Lorelei into the wall, both of them panting. After a few minutes recovery, he slid out and uncuffed her. He picked her up, carried her to the bed, and laid her on it. She murmured and cuddled up to him. ***** Joanna ran down to Medical, a hand under her belly, screaming for Natalie. Ariel could be heard pounding down the stairs after her. "What's going on?" "Call Nathan." "Healer?" "Give me two minutes, please." Natalie looked Jo over, performed a brief exam, and put a hand on her belly, closing her eyes. "No, Joanna, you are not in labor. You're barely dilated." Ariel held her daughter's hand. "False labor?" "No." Joanna ground out. "What? But I felt it!" "Joanna, your body shows no signs of being ready yet to birth your pup. Some females have contractions in the week or two before they deliver but they are unproductive." She felt the bulge in Jo's belly shift under her hand. "He is active. Everything looks fine." "OK. OK. So, I'm not having him now?" Ariel stroked her hair. "No, Jo, sounds like it'll be a couple days or so. This could happen again." It did. Joanna had another occurrence where she, at least, thought she was going to have her pup. But the contractions were light and irregular. So, when she actually did go into labor, she didn't want to bother anyone until she was sure. It was a couple of hours after Nathan had come back from a hard day and a long commute. Joanna had gone to bed by the time he got home. Heavily pregnant, sleep was difficult. She had trouble getting comfortable and felt short of breath. And then there was the kicking and elbowing. Not to mention peeing every hour. Nathan had had a couple of beers downstairs with Erich, Gordon, and Alex before climbing the stairs. He then dropped his clothes and crawled in with his pregnant mate. Her restless sleep also kept him from sleeping well, but he quickly dropped into a deep sleep. He was snoring as she rolled and made a noise and made a noise and rolled. Finally, she shook him. "Nathan. Nathan, wake up." She shook him again. "Nathan." He snorted, turned. "Huh. What?" He rubbed his eyes. She was propped up, hands on her belly, eyes closed. She groaned lightly. "Jo? Love?" She opened her eyes. "I think it's time." Still half asleep, he asked, "Really? Are you sure?" Her back hurt. "No, I'm not sure! I've never done this before!" "OK. OK. Sorry. Whaddya wanna do? Go downstairs?" She leaned over her belly, muscles tensing. She panted as the contraction ended. "Uh, OK, yeah. I wanna go downstairs." Nathan stood and rounded the bed as Joanna twisted her legs over the side. He took her hands and helped her out of the bed. She looked up at the corkscrewed mess of his short hair and snickered. "What's so funny?" He backed up as she came upright to accommodate her belly, their pup. "Bed head." He scrubbed his hand over his hair as they moved forward. Nathan knocked softly on the Alphas' door as they passed. She stopped once on the stairs as Ariel came to the head of the stairs. "Joanna, sweetie?" Nathan looked up. "Think it's real this time." Ariel came to Jo's other side. "How are the contractions?" "My back." Down in Medical, Jo was settled in the birthing room and Natalie entered. The three werewolves in the room turned, sniffed, and looked at her. Sex. Their healer smelled of sex. Natalie, however, was all business. "How far apart are the contractions?" "Not sure, a couple minutes." "Sounds like it might be back labor, healer." "Mmmh. Let's take a look, shall we?" Natalie performed an examination. Another contraction began and she glanced at the clock. "OK, you're a couple of centimeters. Has your water broken?" "I don't think so." Natalie and Ariel smiled. It happened on her next contraction, five minutes later. Joanna was embarrassed and Nathan was amazed. The bedclothes were changed and Wade walked in. "Ah, the Alpha daughter brings us another pup." Nathan growled, lightly. "Oh, yes, a Severn pup. Have the Betas been informed?" "Not as yet, mate." Erich rose, briefly, and met Randall going down the stairs. Assured the birth was not imminent, Erich returned to his bed and mate. Emmett inquired after Jo's condition. Hearing she was in the early stages of labor, he also elected to remain with his mate. He did not tell Lyssa, preferring to allow her to rest as much as possible. Although she might be pissed at him later. Nathan caught the shortest catnaps imaginable in between her earliest contractions. Bleary, he really snapped awake when she yelled at him during one of them. "If I can't sleep, you're not gonna." Nathan winced, groaned, and requested coffee, strong coffee. Hannah was roused and worked on supplying the healers, the Alphas, and the father-to-be with snacks and hot liquids. Joanna sipped water and looked for encouragement from her mother and the healers. Lyssa rolled and groaned. Half asleep, she dimly heard noises in the hallway. [What's going on?] Emmett inhaled. [You should sleep, sweetheart.] Yawning, she got up on an elbow. [Em, what?] [Jo's in labor.] Lyssa sat up abruptly, groaned, and flopped backwards. "Lys!" She opened an eye to look at him. "Guess I shouldn't try that again any time soon." "What happened? Are you alright?" His voice showed real concern. "Felt kinda faint; she's taking half my blood or something." Her dark brown eyes looked into his and her brow creased. "Wait, Jo's in labor?" Emmett looked down at her with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah, for a while now. I wanted you to sleep." "Em," she groaned at him in annoyance. He stroked her hair. "She hasn't had it yet. I would have woken you if she was close." "But she's alone.." "Lyssa. Lyssa." He took a breath. "Her mother is with her. Her mate. The healers. She's not alone." Those wonderful dark brown eyes looked a bit teary. "Aright, let's go check on her, huh?" Lyssa started levering herself up and he helped her get upright. She pushed his hands away. "Stop it." Jo was panting and whining as the contractions came a bit more often. She'd been in labor for 8 hours now and really wanted to be done. But Natalie said it would still take some time. Lyssa knocked at the door. [Jo? It's me.] She peeked in the door to see Jo's body tense. Her mother was on one side, her mate on the other. Joanna panted, then began breathing more easily as the contraction ebbed. She looked up, a bit tired looking. "Hey, Lyssa." "How are you?" "Tryin' to have a pup. But he doesn't seem sure he wants to come out." Lyssa looked to Ariel. "She's still in the early stages." Emmett stood quietly behind his mate, a hand on her shoulder, but his chocolate eyes were taking it all in. Joanna, her hair in two pigtails, propped up, looking tired and sweaty. Nathan, holding her hand, looking tired and nervous. Ariel, somehow poised and expectant. Natalie swept in. "Shall we see how you're doing, Joanna?" A quick exam, and Natalie patted her knee. "Getting closer, just going slowly." Everything Changes Ch. 04 "Really? How long's this gonna take?" Ariel smiled, sighed. "As long as it takes, sweetie." Jo dropped her head back on the pillow and groaned. Lyssa looked at her young, tired, sweaty friend. The smell of blood was in the air, but not much. "How long have you been at it?" "Um, nnnh." Another contraction hit and Joanna panted. Nathan briefly glanced at them and both Lyssa and Emmett saw a bit of fear in his eyes. "Eight hours or so." "Eight hours and she's still in the early stages?" [Lyssa, Madam Beta, please try not to upset my daughter further. Although nothing is wrong, she seems to be in for a long labor.] A little upset at the rebuke, Lyssa gripped Emmett's hand a bit more tightly. Emmett stepped forward, pulling her with him, "Hey, Jo, how 'bout I take Nathan out for a bit? Let Lyssa sit with you for a little?" "If I gotta stay here, he does, too." Ariel pushed her daughter's damp hair aside. "Jo, sweetie, let him get a little air. Males don't usually hold up so well around birthing females." Jo gave her mate a dirty look and let go, waving him off. "Go on." Lyssa saw a basin and the cloth inside. Wringing it out, she ran it over Jo's forehead and face. "Being a pain in the ass, is he?" "Who, Nathan? Not really." Lyssa smiled. "No, Jo, the baby." "Oh, yeah, I guess. I want to be done. Oh, another one." Lyssa watched the muscles in her belly go rigid as Jo's eyes closed and she breathed quickly. As it ended, a new smell assaulted them. "Oh, Luna, Mom, really?" Natalie moved forward. "Can you get to the shower? We'll help you." Joanna sighed. "Yeah. I guess." Natalie called out [May? Cassie? Can one of you strip and clean the bed for Joanna?] Lyssa and Ariel supported Joanna as Natalie cleaned her up. Jo was then brought under a drench hose of body-temperature water. She breathed and felt the water cascade over her, groaning through contractions. Lyssa and Ariel wiped her down. "Joanna." She blinked and opened her eyes to look at the healer. "Squatting or remaining more upright might help move things along. Walking around." "I don't know." "It's not an order, Jo. Just something to consider." *** Emmett had hauled Nathan outside. Nathan was bent over, hands on his thighs, drawing in air. "Selene, Emmett, how do they do it?" Before Emmett had a chance to respond, another male voice answered the question. "The secret, pup, is that they're stronger than us." Nathan looked up to his father. "What?" "How many times would you be willing to add 10 to 15% mass, face nausea, shortness of breath, frequent urination, fractured sleep, and endure the regular hits from feet, knees, and elbows..." Randall paused dramatically "... and then push a pup out a channel that has only previously seen your cock?" Nathan went a little green. Emmett looked fairly startled. Randall smiled. "It will be the most amazing event you will ever witness. She will curse you, scream at you, may even strike you. It is difficult not to react to her pain. But, as soon as the pup comes, and she holds it, it's as if everything that happened was of no consequence. She will be tired but, oh, so happy. And she will look at you and your pup with such love in her eyes." Randall's eyes went to Emmett but he spoke to Nathan. "Go grab a quick bite, pup, then go back to your mate. Tell her you love her." Nathan stumbled slightly as he turned to the doorway. "Selene, Randall, and I like putting a hand on her belly and feeling the pup kick. No wonder they get so grouchy." "Movement indicates a strong pup but she's getting it on all sides. This is the nature of pregnancy. My friend, females bearing their first pup can grow fearful since they don't know what to expect." Randall closed his eyes briefly. "Jo appears to be in for a harder time. Lyssa's experience will likely be completely different." *** Nathan wrinkled his nose at the smell when he returned. Natalie was speaking to his mate. "You don't want to get dehydrated, Joanna. You should drink as much as you can stomach." Joanna caught sight of him. "About time you got back." Nathan took a deep breath. "I love you, Jo." "Yeah. Thanks. You did this to me." "Jo.." he entreated. He walked over, took her hand out of Lyssa's and kissed it. Natalie looked at the other four wolves. "See if you can get her to drink. If she decides to walk, don't leave her alone." "Sitting right here." Natalie left to get something to eat. Ariel said, "Lyssa, you should have something to eat." *** Emmett caught his mate as she left the maternity area. She put her head against his chest and he smiled as he felt their pup kick. "I don't wanna do that. I don't think I can do that." A laugh left Emmett's lips. "Don't. Laugh." "After the beating and the car crash you don't think you can do that? All females do that." She scowled at him. "Hungry?" "Mm, eggs and bacon." Emmett steered her upstairs. She turned back briefly as they heard Joanna yell something. He gently pulled her forward. Lyssa had grown used to the light touches of her belly by females of the pack, and they had grown used to her restriction. She had asked that they only touch her when she was in the company of her mate. When she was alone, however, she asked them to refrain. She would get occasional requests from a couple of the females, when she was alone, and she generally allowed it. She understood what it meant to them but had grown up without a lot of touching after her family's death. She had never understood why strangers thought they could just walk up and touch a pregnant lady anyway. It was similar, but different here. At least she knew them all. Emmett snorted. Lyssa had growled at Roland as he reached for the last couple of sausage patties on a nearby serving platter. Roland stopped, looked at her, and slowly withdrew his hand, as if she might suddenly turn and bite him. Randall, at his son's request, grabbed another platter and passed it over. Natalie scowled as she passed by. Lyssa had a cup of coffee. *** Joanna's labor continued. Lyssa returned to relieve Ariel for a while. She wasn't gone long. Lunch came and went without the pup's arrival. Emmett and Erich noted Randall's increasing distraction and simply carried on with their duties, and some of his. Their Alpha began to pace. *** Madeline found Lyssa in the sitting room, staring at a shelf of books without seeing them. As she recognized Madeline's presence, she asked, "Why is it taking so long?" "How long did you think it would take?" Lyssa turned to look at her. "I don't know, a couple of hours." Madeline swallowed a laugh. "Lotta things gotta happen before they are really ready to go." Lyssa narrowed her eyes. "How do you know so much?" "Don't know just why, but we had a bunch of pups born a couple years back. I kinda hung around a bit and the healer put me to work." "So?" "A couple were less than 8 hours, a bunch between 8 and 12. Had one go 21 hours, but it was her first." Madeline put a hand on her arm. "They were all fine and acted like it wasn't that bad, later." Lyssa's hands were, automatically, resting on her belly. "Breathe, you'll be fine." As they headed past the dining hall, Nathan burst through. "Mom's gonna kill me." It was midafternoon. Lyssa got a glass of milk and went down to sit beside Joanna. "How you doing?" Joanna was panting, covered in sweat. "Healer says I'm in active labor. Finally." Another contraction had her whining, eyes closed. Her mother mopped her brow and said, calmly, quietly, "Pant, Jo." Ariel looked to Lyssa. "It shouldn't be a whole lot longer but his parents should have time to get here." Madeline poked her head in to see if she could help with anything. Lyssa left again when Nathan returned. *** Randall moved to the front door as Jonathan and Juliet Severn arrived. Juliet stopped in the doorway, took in the view, and demanded, "Where are they?" Jonathon grabbed his mate. "Alpha Wyeth, thank you for allowing us in." Juliet's eyes snapped up. "How is Joanna?" "She's been in labor since late last night," Jonathon squeezed her arms before she opened her mouth. "Her mother and Nathan have been with her the whole time. I will tell them that you have arrived and ask if Joanna wishes to admit you." Jon Severn tightened his grip, again. [You are not at home, mate. You cannot expect them to just let you run roughshod over them.] Juliet huffed. Randall watched briefly, then sent to his mate. [El, Nathan's parents have arrived.] [We know.] [I do not intend to allow them much further into the den without reason. Is Jo willing to see them?] There was a pause of some time. Jonathon Severn looked around as they awaited an answer. The hall was large, very unlike home. While individual wolves passing by took a quick look at the visitors, two males were unsurreptitiously watching them. Guards. A small, dark-haired pup approached his mate and got her attention with a yap. Juliet looked down. "Oh, what a cutie you are." "Emmaline!" [Front hall, Cassie.] They had all gotten used to calling out her position at Cassie's yell. Emmaline, for whatever reason, didn't tell her parents where she was, though she could now. Cassie came out to collect her daughter. "Sweetie, what are you up to now?" Juliet smiled as she picked up the little one. "About a year old?" Cassie nodded. "A little more. Born the morning after Joanna's party." Juliet smiled while she cuddled the little one before transferring the pup to her mother. Randall cleared his throat and Cassie looked at him quickly and started to move away. He smiled and she relaxed. "The pup is expected within the next hour or so. Joanna has consented to a brief visit but is not comfortable having you there for the birth itself." "But.." "Jules, enough. She's giving you your baby's pup. You'll see him after Nate gets a chance to marvel at him." Madeline came into the front hall. "Please follow the Madam Beta to a room to wait. Refreshments will be brought. Nathan will come to get you." Jonathon replied, "Thank you, Alpha Wyeth." Juliet looked over the small female before them. "I expected you to be showing by now, big." Madeline looked confused. "Showing? No, I'm not pregnant." "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought Joanna said..." "Juliet." Her mate's calm voice stopped her. "I'm sorry. She's nervous and anxious." "Lyssa's getting big but she says the healers don't think she'll have the pup for another month or two. I'm Madeline. Maybe next year will be my turn." Jonathon had a beer while Juliet fretted. Hannah came in with a couple plates of snacks and chattered happily with the visitors for a bit. [Hannah, I need you in the kitchen.] "Oops. I need to help with dinner." Nathan showed up, weary, dragging his hands through his hair. "Nathan. Baby." His mother hugged him. "How is she?" "Tired, Mom, ready hours ago to be done. C'mon, let's have a quick visit, shall we?" Nathan took his mother downstairs. Jonathon declined, saying he'd seen enough with the births of his own boys. Madeline called Erich down to help keep him occupied. Juliet looked around as Nathan led her to where his mate was working to have his pup. "She's been at it a long time, Mom. It worries me." "The healer hasn't said anything's wrong?" "No. But, since last night?" "Sometimes, sweetie. I've heard some females take 30 hours or so to birth a pup." She heard the groaning, the breathing of a female in labor. Could smell the sweat. He turned at the door. "Try not to upset her." Juliet produced a Who? Me? look as Nathan opened the door. Joanna was hunched over, panting, groaning, a red-headed female by her side. "Good, honey, not much longer. I know it hurts." As she came back more upright, Jo groaned. Her mother could be overbearing. Maybe it had something to do with raising 4 boys. But she wasn't gonna be able to tolerate it long. Not now. She managed a slight smile under her dripping hair. "Jo, sweetie, how are you doing?" "Doesn't wanna come out." Juliet bustled over, adjusted the light blanket, the pillows, slicked her hair back on her head. "Nathan said the pup is coming soon." Jo's voice was hoarse. "Not soon enough." "I know it seems pretty bad right now..." Joanna scowled at her "...but, when it's done.." "He's never gonna touch me again." The elder females smiled and Ariel moved forward to help Joanna lean forward for another contraction. Nathan looked chagrined. He wanted their pup born, was looking forward to seeing him, was beginning to look forward to touching his mate again. But it was taking so long and she was working so hard. While he wished he could take over and do it for her, he knew he couldn't. Would she forgive him for what he was putting her through? [Nathan, come here. Put your hand on her back, kiss her shoulder.] Nathan glanced over at Ariel then did what she said. Madeline, having been called, knocked on the door. "Go back with Madeline, Mom. We've got this." "But..." "Mom!" Disappointed, Juliet left the room without further comment. Natalie called Nathan over to see the top of the baby's head emerge. He gulped and looked away. When asked if he wanted to deliver the pup, he shook his head. "Alright, then, slide behind her and help her." As Nathan moved behind his mate, she asked, "Why does it burn?" through clenched teeth. "That's the head, sweetie. Not much more," Ariel said. Joanna fell back, for a brief period of relaxation, and Nathan kissed her. Three more contractions and efforts to push out the pup resulted in a squall. Natalie held up the screaming infant as Nathan said, "Look, Jo, there he is." Ariel looked the pup over. Fine, light hair matted to the scalp. Red, contorted face. Waving tiny fists and feet. And a decided lack of something. Joanna reached for her baby and Natalie handed the pup over to take care of the cord. She paused as she drew the pup to her. "Nathan, it's a girl. We have a little girl." "What?" Everything Changes Ch. 05 Dear Readers, Parts some of you have been waiting for here. By the way, sorry guys for what happens to Cody. Enjoy, KemMyst ***** The pack was finishing dinner when Randall got word that his first grandpup had arrived. He stood and everyone took notice. He howled and the pack joined him. Randall then strode to the side room, collected the Severns, and the three headed down to see the new parents and their pup. [Lyssa, I have a little girl.] Lyssa snorted milk out her nose. Emmett looked over at his mate. [Jo had a girl.] Emmett snorted himself, then chuckled, then laughed out loud. [Congrats, Jo. How are you?] [Good. Oops, here they come..] *** "Jo's asking for you. She's sent the Severns home and Randall and Roland have been down. She wants to see you before she goes to sleep." Lyssa was quiet as he turned and took her hand. "C'mon." She broke into a smile as they entered Jo's room. Jo was looking down at the infant at her breast. A head of fine, blond hair. A tiny little hand, with tiny little fingers, in a tiny little fist, resting on her sternum. Nathan looked down at his mate and their new pup with a goofy grin on his face. Ariel briefly caressed the little one's head. "Lyssa, come in." Jo looked up. "Oh, Lys, isn't she gorgeous?" Lyssa came closer. Emmett was behind her, hands on her shoulders. Her voice broke, "She's the most beautiful thing in the world, Jo. How do you feel?" "Oh, fine, tired, happy. I can't believe it." She pulled her new daughter up to her shoulder and giggled. "Nathan's mom had to check a couple of times." "So, do you have a name?" Jo shook her head. "I'm glad we have a couple of weeks." A small baby belch left a bit of spit up on Jo's shoulder. Ariel cleaned it off, then stood. "We should let them rest and bond." "Congratulations, Jo. Nathan. I'm happy for you." As they reached the door, Jo said, "Just wait, Lys. You won't believe it." *** They climbed to the main floor, Lyssa moving slowly. Lyssa was big, her back arched to counterbalance the weight she now carried up front. Her breaths were on the shallower side as the pup was pressing up against her lungs. She kept one hand on her lower back and the other on the handrail as they climbed the stairs. Ariel asked, "How are you feeling, Madam Beta?" Startled from her reverie, Lyssa asked, "When will she go back?" "A couple of days. Natalie will check her and we'll let her get her feet under her before they get home." Ariel stopped Lyssa by putting a hand on her arm. Lyssa whirled. "Lyssa. How are you?" Emmett stroked down her back. "Randall wants me, sweetheart." Lyssa nodded and Emmett walked away. Ariel watched the movement in Lyssa's belly. The pup was active, things appeared to be going well with her pregnancy. Lyssa turned to go to their room. "Lyssa, stop." She turned to look at her Madam Alpha. "Are you alright? What does the healer say?" "Fine. Everything's fine, Ariel." "If you want to talk, Lyssa, come find me. Any time." "OK." *** He found her sitting in a corner, eyes closed, kindof curled up. "Lyssa. Mate? What's wrong?" "I can't do that." "Do what, sweetheart?" She flapped a hand in the general direction of Medical. "That." He pulled her to him. "Ah, Lys." He kissed the top of her head. "You don't have much of a choice." Lyssa clung to him, hiding her face against his chest. "Not helping, Em." He cradled her head to him and stroked down her back. He spoke quietly. "You saw her, sweetheart. She's fine. So's the pup." "But..." she bit her lip and looked up at him, a bit teary. Her voice dropped. "What if I'm not?" He closed his eyes and considered his worst fear, losing them both. He could feel the pup moving inside her belly, healthy and strong. He couldn't be sure, of course, that she would be OK. Things could happen. But, the vast majority of births were fine. "Lyssa, Lyssa, you're young and strong. And healthy. You'll be fine." Her breath hitched. He didn't know that. She didn't know that. She could tell it hurt him to think about the possibility that something might go wrong. She resolved to keep her fears to herself. She didn't want to burden him. "OK." ***** Stephanie was keyed up. Calvin was taking her to her old pack, to address a blood debt. It had been so long ago she saw no need to seek vengeance on Cody. He was still alive, with a mate and two pups. Even a grandpup. She had spoken to the pack's Alpha, and Beta, who, by this time, had figured out who it was. But all of them had impressed upon her the duty of the debt. This she already knew but, did it really matter anymore? She talked to Calvin about it as well. He couldn't understand her reluctance. He was more than ready to go over there and take the male out himself. Stephanie had put the past behind her and had seen no reason not to leave things as they were. But, he had found her family, reunited them, and made this possible. She had agreed. And, so, they were on their way. Calvin was driving. With all that had happened, she still hadn't begun to learn. She really didn't see the point. He was anticipating what would happen and, while he looked forward to his mate taking vengeance out on her betrayer, he knew it would not make up for what had happened to her. Calvin requested permission and was allowed onto the lands of Stephanie's old pack. Marcus, the Beta, greeted them and escorted them to the dining hall. The Alpha pair of Ross sat at the head table, opposite the pack's Alpha pair, Paul and Deborah. Marcus sat beside Calvin and Stephanie's father beside her. They talked of mundane things, and ate, and the pack murmured around them. As the meal ended, the Alpha stood. It took only seconds for the room to go silent. "My pack. I know you are curious about our guests. I also know that some of you recognize the Madam Alpha of the Ross pack." "She was born into our pack and has returned to settle a debt. It saddens me to tell you she was betrayed, long ago, by one of our own. Handed over to rogues, to suffer in their company. Thankfully, she was rescued and she has risen to the rank of Alpha." *** Aurora didn't understand what was wrong with her mate. He had been nervous since they had heard an old packmate was alive. Now he was twitching, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. She touched his forearm and he jerked away. The strange female rose and looked around the room. Her green eyes lit on them. "Cody Elliot turned me over to a gang of rogues and left me with them. I'm here to repay him for what he did." Aurora gasped, looking at her mate. Her voice was quiet, tense. "What did you do?" The Alpha spoke again. "Cody, you will meet Stephanie of Ross in our circle." "Livvy, I never..." Anger flared in Stephanie's green eyes. He was denying it, denying he knew what would happen to her, denying responsibility. "Save it. You got to live, find a mate, have a family. I got pain." "You're Alpha now." "I was never supposed to live this long." Stephanie walked closer and was followed and flanked by both Calvin and the Alpha Williams. The two wolves on the opposite side of the table moved to one side as she came over to look him in the eye. He couldn't look at her. Stephanie's eyes slid to the female beside him. "You are his mate?" Aurora nodded, mouth open, eyes wide. "I'm sorry." Stephanie said. She looked back to Cody. "Get up." Cody was riveted in place; Stephanie's ire was rising. "Never thought you'd get caught, did you?" He sat, staring ahead, looking at nothing. "What did they give you?" Nothing, he didn't respond. His mate was looking between them. Stephanie slammed an open palm on the table in front of them. Cody and Aurora both jumped. "What did you get for me?" His voice was quiet. "Money. They offered me money." Her voice was low, menacing. "I hope you enjoyed it." "They never paid me." Stephanie laughed a bitter laugh. Looking at him, she considered asking if he ever cared for her, then decided she didn't want to know. "Get up." After a few seconds of disbelief, Cody found himself grabbed by the scruff of the neck and hauled upright. Aurora looked on, wringing her hands. Cody was hauled outside by Marcus and one of the other wolves. Vernon was escorted out by Stephanie's sister, Izadora, and her mate. Stephanie entered the Williams' circle after leaving her clothing at the edge. She turned to face the male who had so gravely affected her life. Cody was released and shook himself and looked at her. Larger than he remembered, her body was covered with scars. She was standing confidently, unafraid. She was Alpha now, so different from the little timid thing he had known all those years ago. He walked one way, walked the other, took a deep breath and started shedding his clothes. Stephanie followed him with her eyes only as he paced a bit. He looked rather nervous as he looked at her, then pulled himself together. She stood, loosely, waiting. He looked at her. They stood on opposite sides of the circle. The pack got restless. He broke first. "What? Come on." She smiled and took a couple steps forward. She watched him steel himself for the attack. She smiled again and took another couple steps. The pack started grumbling. This wasn't a fight. While some, particularly family, were faintly worried for Cody, the rest wanted to see blood. Stephanie changed, becoming the light brown wolf-woman. As she continued to look at him her chest began to heave. She thought back and, while it wasn't fresh in her mind, it had been her first sexual experiences. She had thought he liked her. She had thought they might be mated. And then, he had just handed her over, given her to them. Had he felt anything? It didn't seem that way. He hadn't really apologized. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He didn't think she could hurt him. She curled her left hand into a fist and decked him. A howl went up as he hit the ground, holding his eye. She took another step toward him and he scrabbled backward, climbing upright to face her. He shifted, and puffed up, mumbling something about being suckerpunched. They circled, briefly, and he rushed her. She stepped aside and raked her claws across his hip. Cody snarled, turning, and, in a sweeping gesture, knocked her sideways. They traded blows, drew each others' blood. And Calvin watched, interested in her reactions in this instance. Anger, while it gave you strength in some circumstances, made you blind in a fight. It could make you lose. Marcus remarked to his Alpha. "She fights well." Calvin put on a feral grin. "Decades of practice." Stephanie dropped under a swing and swept his legs out from under him. She settled over his waist, she was not a small female, and began punching him in the face. He tried to fend her off but was quickly overcome by the ferocity of her attack. His nose was broken, his eyes blackened, his lips split. After 8 or 9 strikes, his body relaxed as he lost consciousness. She continued punching until the calm voice of her mate entered her mind. [Stephanie.] She stopped and put her claws around his throat. Cody moaned and Stephanie looked up at the wolves ringing the circle. The Alphas and Beta looked grim and resigned. Calvin's expression was unreadable. Some of the other wolves looked expectant. She then caught sight of Cody's mate and what appeared to be a friend or one of their pups. Worried. Afraid of what she would do. So long ago. Cody moaned again and started to wake. Stephanie took a deep breath and made her decision. She shifted sideways on his body, grabbed his balls, and squeezed. A high-pitched scream left his lips and he clutched at her, tried to buck her off. She kept squeezing and he gurgled, then fell silent. She held on as he fell unconscious again, grinding those testicles between her fingers and palm. Mashing them until they grew flaccid and soft. Stephanie stood and walked to the edge of the circle without looking back. "Alpha Williams, I would appreciate the chance to wash up." "Do you wish the services of our healer?" "No, thank you. I think he will have his hands full with him." The wolves began to disperse as the fight was obviously over. Aurora was crouched next to her mate, crying. The healer was looking him over. She was given a chance to clean up and they were offered a room for the night. Stephanie demurred, wanting only to go home, to sleep in their bed. The healer came to report on Cody's condition. Broken nose. Broken cheekbone. Concussion. Loss of a couple of teeth. His testicles were completely mangled; he would never father another pup. But, he would live and would be able to service his mate during her heats. Calvin stood beside her and squeezed her around the waist. He understood what she had done, and had not done. [I approve, little one.] "Lala, your father would like to visit with you." Stephanie closed her eyes at the old nickname and smiled to herself. She looked to Calvin. "As long as you wish, mate." There was a side room, off the dining hall, where they were both embraced warmly by Izadora. "Oh, Livvy, we thought you were dead, so long ago. I'm glad you're alive. And an Alpha!" She looked at her sister. "Why didn't you come home earlier?" Everyone had a basic idea of what had happened to her but could only speculate on certain things. "Izzy, she had her reasons. Maybe she wasn't sure of her reception." Marcus growled. "Lala." He paused, took a breath. "Lavinia." He shook his head. "Stephanie. We looked for you, searched. For months, years. We never had any clue where you'd gone. Why didn't you contact us?" She had never liked being the center of attention but had gotten better, having been Alpha for several months now. "I had been gone for years. After Wallace and the others rescued me, I had a hard time fitting back in to a pack. I made a pledge to the Alpha Wyeth, to protect him and his blood, for what he had done. I found a place there, learned to fight." "You still could have told us." "And you're only recently mated?" Stephanie dropped her eyes and smiled. "Calvin was most persistent." Calvin put a hand on her face and pulled her to him for a light kiss. Vernon's voice broke through. "Are you happy now, daughter?" She looked at her mate, inhaled, exhaled. "Yes, Papa, I am." The visit lasted for quite some time. Refreshments were brought and Stephanie was introduced to nieces and nephews. Given the lateness of the hour, a room was again offered and, after checking with Sampson on the state of the pack, Calvin agreed. Sleep began to pull at everyone and Vernon was taken to his room after extracting a promise of future visits. As Marcus escorted Calvin and Stephanie to a room, they passed several wolves along the way. A storm strode into view. Marcus had time only to warn, "Aurora," before she slapped Stephanie across the face. "Bitch!" Stephanie was rocked back on her heels by the blow and blinked at the other female, confused. Marcus had grabbed her arms. "I didn't kill him." "Why not?" Aurora screeched. "What you've left me," a pause, "he's not even a male anymore." Stephanie's voice hardened. "He was never a male to begin with. At least he can still fuck you when you come into season." Marcus shook her. "Aurora, enough. Stop this, now." She looked at Stephanie, eyes blazing anger. Marcus shoved her. "Go to your room." Marcus turned to the Ross Alphas. "I'm sorry, La.. Madam Alpha." Calvin looked after Aurora. "Has there been trouble? Between her and her mate?" Marcus' mouth was set in a grim line. "I'm sorry, that's not any of my business. Our room?" The Ross Alphas climbed into an unfamiliar bed. Calvin simply laid beside her, arms around her, and waited for her to sleep. He, however, fell asleep before she did. He had expected her sleep might be restless, and it was. She moaned and rolled. He stroked her arm and tried to comfort her as best he could. He woke, before dawn, to find her missing from the bed. He waited a few minutes, thinking she may have gone to relieve herself. When she didn't return he called out [Stephanie?], and got no reply. They were not at home. He needed to inform someone if he was going to search for her. [Marcus? Beta? My mate is missing and I need to find her.] It took a few moments before the reply came. [Brian saw her climbing the stairs.] Calvin rose, throwing on pants, and headed off, after Stephanie. He followed her scent, down the hall, up the stairs. It stopped in the middle of the upstairs hall. He looked around, where could she have gone? Aha, a small rope dangled from above. He pulled on it, dropping a ladder, which he climbed. "Stephanie?" She was sitting on the edge of the roof. "Stephanie? Little one?" She was sitting there, swinging her legs, and humming to herself. "Lavinia?" She glanced at him, then looked back over the range. "I don't think any of the males like me." She sounded younger somehow. "What do you mean?" "Guess I'm not pretty enough." Sleepwalking. Had to be. Transported back to when she was a young female. "You're beautiful, Stephanie." She looked at him, confused. She leaned forward, looking over the edge. "Don't." She straightened and looked back at him. He was afraid she would fall. A little more than three floors, the fall wouldn't kill her, but she could be badly hurt. "You are pretty. You are." She blinked jade green eyes at him, still swinging her legs. The movement was inching her closer to the edge. "Stephanie, please come to me." Nothing. She didn't respond to him. And he had no idea how to get her to come away, to wake up. "What do you want?" She blinked up at him again and he saw what she must have been like when she was young. Calvin crouched and she slid sideways a bit. [Alpha Ross? Have you found your mate?] [Roof. Sleepwalking.] He had to keep his concentration on her. "So, do you like it up here?" "Mm, hm. Quiet. Nobody bothers me." "Someone's bothering you?" She looked away, out into the darkness. "Mm. No." "You don't sound sure." He reached out and she scooted sideways a bit. "Who's bothering you?" He heard the hatch open. "Livvy? Lavinia, come inside now!" The voice was female, commanding. Stephanie's green eyes widened and she scrambled up and headed for the hatch. [Alpha Ross, follow her in. I'm not sure if I can wake her.] Calvin followed her and settled when Izadora gestured to him to stop. She had Stephanie by the arms. "Livvy. Wake up. C'mon, Livvy, come back." Stephanie blinked but didn't answer. "Are you tired, Livvy? C'mon, let's go to bed." A slight tug, and the two sisters moved forward. Calvin followed, watching the interaction, musing. It was another insight into her youth. And, at this point, he wanted to have a talk with Izadora. Stephanie balked at the room she was led to. She murmured that it wasn't hers. Izadora told her she'd been moved but she stopped dead at the smell of a male in the room. [We've got another spare room, Alpha Ross. I hope I can get her to wake.] "Alright now, Livvy, come here." Izadora cradled her older sister on the bed. "It's alright, Livvy. Wake up now. Wake up." Calvin stood in the doorway, watching, mesmerized. [Dad says I sound like Mom.] "C'mon, Livvy, time to wake up." Stephanie took a deep breath and her eyelids fluttered. Suddenly, she jerked upright. "What's going on?" Calvin strode over. "You were sleepwalking, mate. How do you feel?" Stephanie blinked. "Calvin. Izzy. What happened?" "It's OK, Livvy, you just took a little walk. Why don't you and your mate go back to sleep?" Calvin extended his hand and Stephanie took it, rising from the bed. Glancing back, she said, "Thanks, Izzy." Everything Changes Ch. 05 "Sure, Livvy." They returned to their temporary bedroom and, as he slid in beside her, she asked, "Who found me?" "I did." She inhaled, exhaled. "Probably the roof." "Mm, hm." Calvin kissed her shoulder. "Do you feel sleepy?" "Not really. I want to go home." "Sorry, little one. I need more sleep; the drive is long." "I know." "Come, mate," he slipped an arm around her waist and nibbled on her neck, "perhaps we can find a deep, dreamless sleep." She stroked her neck and she tipped her head sideways. He kissed her, licked her neck, cradled a breast, the pad of his thumb rubbing over her nipple. He stroked her body, trying to spark her desire. She halfheartedly pushed at his hands. He whispered in her ear. "My beautiful, beautiful mate." She squirmed. "No." His hands ran up and down her slight curves, her breasts, her thighs. She sighed, twisted, and pushed him down to the bed. Stephanie pulled off his pants, then crawled upward, toward his erection. He sat up on his elbows. "Little one, come up here." She shook her head, reaching up to grasp his firm length. "You need your sleep, Calvin." As her mouth approached the tip of his cock, he grabbed her shoulders, hauled her up, and twisted them so she was beneath him. "And I will get it, mate. But you need love and comfort more, little one." He held himself over her. "And, tonight, here, I intend to give it to you." Calvin kissed her nose. "Close your eyes... Now." Stephanie looked at him, pointedly, then her eyes closed. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I don't want you to think. Just feel, Stephanie." He laid beside her and stroked her body, running the tips of his fingers over her skin. Her shoulders, her sides, her thighs. Her legs opened slightly. He smiled at that, before he started kissing her. Her eyelids, her jawline, across to a shoulder, back along her collarbone. Her hands went to his shoulders and he half considered telling her not to touch him so that he controlled their contact. He was curious about her sleepwalking, but that would wait. Down her sides and up between her breasts. She groaned, twisting, trying to get the tips closer to his mouth. He ignored her wordless plea and kissed down her belly. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, trying to drag him back to her boobs. Next he kissed from one hip to the other, then along her pelvic bones. She groaned again and shifted her pelvis. 'No, no, little one, not yet,' he thought. Calvin kissed the brown curls on her mound and licked the scar that ran across it. Her smell. Oh, it was growing stronger and he knew, without touching, without looking, that she was wet and ready for him. Selene knew he was ready. He inhaled deeply. But no, not yet. He was going to take her higher. Her fingers were in his hair. He kissed down her thigh. Feather light kisses on the back of her knee had her twitching. He looked up at her. She was panting, her chest heaving. He began kissing up the other thigh, stopping before he reached her sex. And she finally spoke one word, needy. "Calvin." "No, no, little one. Deep dreamless sleep requires more, and longer." He crawled back up her body, pressing her into the bed. Taking her face, he kissed her deeply. Stephanie's arms wrapped around him. A kiss on her lips and he smiled against her. Sliding down slightly, he began to lavish attention on her breasts. Calvin mounded them up, as much as he could. He suckled, he nibbled, he worked the tips with his fingers. The fingers of his other hand traced her lower lips. Stephanie groaned, shifted her pelvis, wanting more. Wanting more now. He smiled against her again. [Patience, little one. I would have you sleep beside me until morning.] More, more, and he felt the tension in her body. He felt her stiffen and he bit down on her nipple. She jerked, and groaned, and a gush of fluid covered his hand. He slid down quickly, kissing her belly, her hipbones. Then he swept her juices up. His tongue slid over her lips, between. Sweeping over her clitoris as she gasped. He sucked it strongly into his mouth and she broke again. His chin was coated with more of her juice. He next slid two fingers inside her, pumping them into her slick, warm depths. He could feel the rippling of her walls around those fingers and he hooked his thumb around to rub her clitoris. Stephanie writhed and grasped at him. She whimpered. "No. Stop." "Not yet, my mate. As I said, I shall have you sleep well tonight. And I with you. Show me what I do to you." A long, drawn out moan left her lips and she came a third time. He rose up and pushed his solid length in to her, pushing against the contractions, groaning himself as he did so. It didn't take long, after his treatment of her, for his knot to grow. She panted and moaned as he pressed it inside of her. She was muttering as he made his short jabs. He took her face in his hands. "Look at me." Her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to focus on him. "I love you and I'm here. I've got you." He stilled above her, his seed pulsing into her depths. She quivered around him, and, recovering slightly, he pressed his pelvis tightly to hers and ground against her until she shrieked and she squirted again. He stroked her hair, kissed her nose, and rolled them over. "Mm. Sleep now." The next morning, they woke. Stephanie was rolled up against him, her nose against his side, her knees drawn up. It was an unusual position. Breakfast was pleasant although Aurora glared at her. Cody sat next to her, looking broken. Calvin asked to speak to Stephanie's sister for a bit and suggested Stephanie spend some more time with her father. She growled slightly but complied. She was quiet the drive back. He glanced over a few times at her crossed arms and impassive face. Finally, he sighed heavily. "Why are you angry that I spoke to your sister?" She grumbled, "Why? Why alone?" "I simply wanted to talk to her about your sleepwalking and didn't want to upset you." "Why?" "I wanted her advice on what to do if it happened at home." "But I haven't sleepwalked since I was young." Quietly, he replied, "You did it last night." She glared at him, then grumbled, "Alright." The rest of the ride was more relaxed. As they came within sight of the den she blurted out, "I want to start studying with Sharilyn." He slowed, surprised by her outburst. "Well, certainly. You should discuss it with her." They were welcomed back by the pack, and days returned to the usual. ***** He swum up from sleep, disturbed by an unfamiliar noise. The bed was cold at his back and it was normally so very warm, especially since she had become pregnant. The ring of sleet against the window was loud; those running sweep would be having a miserable time of it. But there were other noises. Emmett opened his eyes and saw other eyes. Amber reflections in the closet, low to the ground. And he heard whimpering, whining. "Lys? Mate, what's wrong?" He vaulted from the bed and went to the closet. When he reached the door she growled at him. The growl deteriorated into a whine. Lyssa was in the back corner of the closet, in the nest of clothes she'd pulled together, in wolven form. "Sweetheart, what's going on? Is it time?" She didn't answer and he listened to her pant. [Natalie, I think Lyssa's having our pup.] He smelled the fluid that had gushed from her body. The tang of salt and blood. [Natalie!] [Coming, Beta, coming. Are you bringing her to Medical?] Emmett reached for his mate and she snapped at him. [She won't let me touch her.] [Madam Beta, what's happening?] Natalie got no answer. [Lyssa?] As she strode through the door, their healer said, "She's not answering me." "Me, either. What's wrong?" There was a note of fear, bordering on hysteria. Natalie crouched in the darkened space. "Light, please." Lyssa growled and blinked at the light. "There's blood." "That does happen, Beta. It's not a problem, unless there's a lot." "Lyssa. Lyssa, let me see." Natalie moved slowly, touching Lyssa's shoulder, splaying her hand and touching chestnut fur on the way down to her swollen abdomen. Her flank twitched. Leaving that hand on Lyssa, Natalie turned to Emmett. "She's in labor, the pup's coming." "Why won't she talk to us?" "It happens sometimes. She feels vulnerable right now, hurting. The wolf is her way of keeping them safe." "Even from me?" "You're a big male, Emmett." As she spoke, Emmett changed and a large, grey wolf sat in the doorway. "OK. She's in the early stages and, since this is her first, it could take a while. I'll go downstairs and check to see that we're ready." He heard the unspoken, '...in case something goes wrong.' "Let me know if she starts bleeding or seems to be in a lot of pain. We'll be back to check on her in a while." Emmett's big head dipped as Natalie backed out. "I'll inform the Alphas." Emmett laid down and crept forward on his belly. "Here." Natalie turned the lights out. "She'll probably feel better without the light." Emmett crept forward a bit more, wanting, needing to get close to his mate. She was laid flat on the sheets and clothing, panting. As he touched his nose to hers, she closed her eyes and whined. [Lys. Dear heart, what can I do?] With the power available to her, he was surprised by the quiet volume of her send. [stay] Her send was ragged, creaky, like a voice long unused. He licked her forehead, licked her muzzle, rubbed his cheek along hers. He pulled away as she whined again, tensing. She laid panting, eyes closed, between the contractions. He lost track of time, so focused was he on his mate. There was a knock at the door and it opened, before he could give voice to a response. And, while he expected Natalie, or Wade, it was Ariel who entered. The female Alpha entered the suite and approached the closet. "Emmett. Lyssa, I've come..." The wash of her scent covered them and Lyssa scrambled to rise, slipping, claws ripping cloth. She rose, on trembling legs, head down, hackles up, eyes blazing. A snarl was ripped from her chest and she bared her teeth, growling. [Lyssa.] Her eyes flicked to him as she took a shaky step forward, the growl continuing to rumble from her chest. [Lyssa!] Ariel backed away, slowly, never taking her eyes from the chestnut wolf. She retreated to the door. Only when it snicked closed did Lyssa back down, grumbling. Her haunches dropped to the floor then she flopped over, panting heavily. [Ariel, I'm sorry. I don't know what she's doing.] [She felt threatened by me, Emmett. And, before you ask, I will explain. She appears to have retreated completely to wolf at this time. As subordinate bitch, she thought I would kill her or the pup, in punishment for breeding.] There is a slight pause. [Natalie told me she had gone far wolven and I wanted to see how far. I'm sorry to have caused her such distress.] [You've seen this before. You knew it could happen. Why didn't anyone tell me?] Natalie walked in with water and strips of warm, bloody meat. "Would you have listened before this birthing? Would you have believed it?" Emmett huffed and licked Lyssa's forehead again. Natalie crouched and slowly entered the closet. Lyssa rolled upright and drank some water then bolted a few strips of meat. "How is she doing?" [I don't know. Panting. Hurting.] Natalie watched the muscles in her abdomen tense, Lyssa's breath stopped for a bit, and then the meat came back up as she retched. "Alright, Beta, no solid food for you. Looks like water, if and when she'll take it." [Shouldn't we get her downstairs?] "There's no reason to move her unless something goes wrong." The healer looked between the two of them. "I am glad to see she's let you close." [She told me to stay.] Natalie looked at him, surprised. "She spoke to you?" [Just that one word.] Natalie waited through a couple more contractions. "Alright, things seem to be going well. I'll be back later." [How much longer?] "That's up to them." Emmett looked at Lyssa. [What do I do?] "Just what you've been doing." Time passed. A tray was brought, Emmett had something to eat. Other than that he sat beside his mate listening to every whine and whimper. He watched every time the muscles in her abdomen tensed. He waited for their pup to be born. He had short conversations with several of the pack but his thoughts were jumbled, disjointed. Natalie came occasionally to check on Lyssa. Around lunchtime, Natalie looked at him. "She's close." She spoke to Lyssa in a soothing voice. "You're doing well, Lyssa. It won't be much longer and you'll have a beautiful baby." To Emmett, she said, "I'll be just outside, now." It was about 15 minutes later when Natalie heard a change in Lyssa's cries and Emmett said, [Something's happening.] The healer rose from a chair and moved the few feet to the closet. Lyssa was groaning, straining, and two tiny paws appeared under her tail. "Good, Lyssa. Good. The pup is almost here." Lyssa fell back, panting, and picked her head up again almost immediately, straining again. "Yes, Lyssa, good. Push." [I love you, mate.] The head emerged, covered in tissue, and Natalie cleared the nose. "Once more, Lyssa." An additional push, and the pup was free of Lyssa's body. She panted and twisted, growling as Natalie moved toward the whimpering pup. The fur was dark, but it was wet from the birth. Emmett snuffled the pup as Lyssa bit through the cord and began cleaning it off with her tongue. Minutes old, she pushed the little one over slightly with the cleaning and its sex was evident. "Congratulations, Betas, you have a son." Natalie watched briefly and, since Lyssa appeared to have everything in hand, took her leave. "Please, let me know immediately of any bleeding or other problems." The pup was a dark brown, and male. A son. They had a son. Emmett checked him out as he whimpered. [He's beautiful, Lyssa.] Lyssa blinked at him and her body tensed once more. [Lys?] Oh, afterbirth. He recognized it for what it was as the tissue emerged. Lyssa then sighed, flopped onto her side, and Emmett watched their pup nose his way to a teat. [Emmett, we've got our baby.] [Yes, we do, sweetheart. How do you feel?] [Tired. Sore. Happy. Are you happy, Em?] [Ecstatic, mate. Very, very happy.] Lyssa's eyes closed and Emmett watched his boy nursing. It was an idyllic scene. *** [It's the full moon, we should present him to the pack tonight.] [We never settled on a boy's name.] [I figured we'd start with an L and E. Or E and L.] [Oh. Ew. There's a lot of names I don't like or don't want for our son.] [Such as?] [No Leroy, Elroy, Lewis, Leslie. No Eldon, Leon, Leonard. No Elton. No Elvis. No Lester.] [What's left?] She sighed. [I don't know. Do we have to do it tonight?] [We should.] [What was your father's name, Em?] [Well, Wallace was...] [No, Em. You never told me your father's name.] *** Natalie and Wade reassured them that the little one was currently maintaining wolf form because of her state at the birth. That he'd be able to change form within a few days. She was stiff, and sore, as she slowly made her way to the balcony with Emmett at her side and their son in her arms. Ariel was smiling broadly and Randall looked pleased. Erich and Madeline stood to one side, also smiling. As they reached the edge, Emmett turned, took Lyssa's face, and kissed her, careful not to crush their son between them. There was some chuckling. He then took his son from his mate's arms. The pup whimpered and Lyssa growled, lightly. He laid a quick kiss on his son's head and passed him off to Erich, who took a quick look and handed the pup to Randall. Randall took his time examining the pup. The little one whimpered, tail between his legs, cold and unsettled by the males' scents. Holding the pup carefully, one large hand around the shoulders, the other under the rear, the Alpha of Wyeth turned to the assembled pack members. "Wolves of the Wyeth pack, tonight we greet our newest member. Our first Beta female has presented her mate with a son today. A healthy pup. Our first Beta has an heir. I bid you welcome and accept Emmanuel into the Wyeth pack." The assembled wolves howled in celebration. Lyssa reached for her baby, who was twitching his legs and whimpering at the noise. "It's the full moon. Let us hunt!" Another howl went up as the men shifted and took off. Emmett again kissed his mate before charging down the stairs. Lyssa cuddled her baby close as the females looked at her, expectantly. Ariel quickly got their attention, "In deference to the short time since the birth of her pup, our Beta female would prefer not to be.." A groan of disappointment went up from the females. Lyssa sighed. [OK, Ariel. But I'm just gonna sit on the stairs so they can't mob me.] As Lyssa sat on the stair with the pup in her lap, the other females surged upward. A word from Ariel stopped them as Lyssa growled. "Please. For those of you who have birthed a pup, remember what those first days, those first hours were like. You were nervous, afraid, overwhelmed. She will attack you if you crowd her." The older females took a deep breath and settled back. They trod the risers, single file, crouching and touching the little one, while offering congratulations. Hannah brought a glass of milk. "Oh, he's so pretty." Lyssa smiled. The pups began to show interest in the littlest Wyeth wolf, and a couple started up the stairs. Lyssa rose, wobbled slightly. Madeline caught her. "OK. I'm tired and he's hungry." "Go, Lyssa, care for your son. Let us know if you need anything." Lyssa nodded and walked off as the first howls were heard from the males. *** Little Em's fur was a dark brown, tipped with silver. His coat shone in the sunlight. He was a pretty thing. He maintained the form of a wolf cub for a few days after his birth and Lyssa fed him as wolf. Natalie assured her that everything was fine, but Lyssa worried he might be stuck that way. Lyssa was overjoyed when, on the fifth day after he was born, she found a pink infant in the bed with them. She counted toes and kissed his little feet. She counted fingers and kissed his little hands. She smelled his baby smell, ruffled his dark hair, and was startled to hear what sounded like a small giggle. Emmett came instantly awake and watched his mate marvel at their son's human form. And grinned broadly. Because of his form and his size, Emmanuel slept with his parents those first days. Lyssa slept, and fed him, and cleaned him up. And, while she had not been averse to meat before the birth, she positively craved meat now. Everything Changes Ch. 06 Dear Readers, This is the last installment I have for this story. There's another storyline with different characters I've been working on that I intend to start posting soon. Thanks for the continuing encouragement. KemMyst ***** Joanna came for a visit, bringing along her little girl, the Alphas' first grandpup. It had taken them some time to come up with a name, as they had expected a boy. Joanna had wanted to combine her mother's and her friend's names. But neither of them liked Aryssa and Lyriel just seemed like too... much. Nathan had suggested a combination of the grandmothers' names and they had contemplated Jewel for a time. They tried it out but neither was quite happy with it. It was good that they had a few days before the full moon. Of course, Juliet kept pressing them for the name of her new, her only, granddaughter. They finally settled on Lyria. It took a few days after Emmanuel was born for her to be able to come and visit. The Mini arrived about midmorning and, as several wolves took notice and approached, Joanna removed her baby girl from the back seat. "Here we are, Lyri. Grandmama and Grandpa will be so happy to see you. And we're gonna meet Lyssa's little boy." She nuzzled her daughter's thin, light hair and kissed her. The nearby females, particularly, smiled. Ariel approached her daughter and granddaughter and enveloped them in a hug. "Oh, sweetie, it's good to see you. How are you doing?" "Getting the hang of some things, Mom. How's Lyssa?" "Overwhelmed." "Has he changed yet?" "A couple days ago. She was very worried." "Where are they?" "I believe the males are sparring. Lyssa is either in their suite or... no, that's about the only place she'll be." [She hasn't been out?] [Not much. A few meals. Between the boy and the council...] Ariel took the little girl and walked up the stairs to the main door. Roland ran by, stopping short upon seeing Jo. He grabbed her and swung her around once. She squealed. "Hey, Jo, good to see you." As he set her down, she said, "Geez, Rolly. Um, yeah, good to see you, too." He ran a hand lightly over his niece's head and ran out to the circle. "I'm up. See ya." Joanna gaped at her brother. "What's with him?" Ariel smiled, cryptically. "I have an idea." Lyria's little hands twined into her grandmother's red tresses, and she giggled, yanking on them. They started climbing the stairs. [A female?] Ariel nodded, briefly, and Joanna broke into laughter. When she finally got enough air to speak, she asked, quietly, "Sally?" Ariel smiled and Lyria began to rub her face against her chest. Ariel handed the baby over. "You're up, sweetie." Joanna pulled open her blouse and brought her daughter to her breast. The women settled at the sitting area off the second floor landing. Joanna cradled her daughter, rubbing her back as she nursed. "So, unfortunately, I can't start the program until fall." "Are there some online classes or coursework you can take in the spring semester?" "Yeah. I'm debating on one or two courses. Not sure how much I'll be able to handle with her." Joanna kissed her daughter's head. "So, how's she sleeping?" "Pretty good, maybe four, five hours." "I'm glad to hear it." Ariel leaned over, inhaled, and ran a gentle finger over the tiny fist resting on her daughter's chest. "And her cub?" "If she can't get onto her father's chest she likes to curl up in his dirty clothes. He's starting to find holes." Ariel smiled. "Except when he wasn't getting enough sleep, Nathan acts like he can't believe she's real. His mom's already sent so many clothes. I don't think she ever thought she'd get a granddaughter. The boys are really curious." "Hopefully, the novelty will wear off soon." Lyria finished her meal and Joanna pulled her up to her shoulder, rubbing small circles on the baby's back. Jo looked into her mother's eyes, seeing the happy glow there and the small smile. "They are amazing, aren't they?" Ariel's smile grew into a self-satisfied smirk. [I've convinced your father that we should have another.] Joanna gaped. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had spent 19 years being the baby of the Alpha pair. A baby belch brought her back to her own daughter. While she had been a bit scared, she couldn't imagine not having her. She was a grownup, mated. Her mother obviously had a wish for another pup. Jo just had to get over that last little bit of jealousy over the thought. "Come, let's go see Lyssa and little Em." Joanna smiled. "Big Em and Little Em, huh?" "Oh, don't let him hear you say that. He's trying very hard not to have them called that." They paused at the door to the first Beta suite. Ariel closed her eyes briefly and composed herself before knocking on the door. "What?" Joanna was startled at the tone. Irritated. "Madam Beta, Joanna has come for a visit." The pause was pregnant with possibilities. Joanna began to get nervous. The door opened abruptly and Lyssa blinked out into the bright hallway. The room was in twilight. A sheet or something was wrapped around her shoulder to her waist and a pink, chubby boy with dark hair was held in it, against her body. Lyssa's face slowly showed a tired, small smile. "Hi, Jo." Jo leaned in and gave her an awkward, one-armed hug. "Hi, Lys." "May we come in?" Lyssa glanced behind her. "Um." Wolf eyes saw the disturbed bedclothes, articles of clothing on the bed and chairs. "Just a minute." The door closed in their faces. "We could go to the sitting area", Joanna said through the door. They heard shuffling, a muffled 'ouch,' the slamming of a door. The door abruptly opened again. "OK. C'mon in." They walked into the darkened room. Although it was cloudy outside, there were drapes on the windows and they were drawn. Jo shifted her little girl and frowned. As they sat, Lyssa's butt hit the couch and she just jumped up again, "Um, would you like something?" "No, Lys, c'mon, sit down for a bit." Lyssa sat again, but she seemed nervous, on edge. Joanna was beside her, on the couch. She reached over to touch the little boy's arm. Lyssa caught herself but Joanna recognized the beginning of a growl, saw the slight lift of her lip. Ariel looked between the two new mothers, the two friends, and decided to make herself scarce. Perhaps her daughter could help the First Beta female. She stood. "Excuse me, Simon needs to speak with me." "Why's it so dark in here?" Lyssa rolled her eyes. "He sleeps all hours of the day and night." Lyria fussed a bit and Joanna rubbed her arm. "Yeah. And they don't care if it's light, dark, or loud. All they wanna be is warm." "And that means I gotta curl up with him." "No, Lys, that means a blanket sometimes." Jo reached over to touch Lyssa's arm. Concern colored her voice, "Lyssa, are you getting any sleep?" Dark brown eyes, with the initial glint of tears, looked into blue. A little sniff and Lyssa closed her eyes. "Yeah." "Hey. How 'bout we put the babies down for a nap and talk?" Joanna stood and walked over to the bed. She laid her sleeping daughter in the middle, rolled up the covers and put the pillows around her. She looked back and held out her hand. "C'mon." Lyssa exhaled, looked down at her son. Swallowing, she rose. Joanna watched Lyssa's face as she reached for the little boy. Lyssa tensed, holding herself rigid as Jo took Emmanuel from the sling and placed him beside Lyria. She then went around the bed and threw open the drapes on two of the windows while leaving closed the ones that would throw the most light on the bed. Lyssa blinked as Joanna turned back, eyes squinted a bit. Jo walked over and wrapped her arms around the older, taller female. Lyssa asked, her voice heavy with emotion, "How do you do it?" Joanna was ready to make a quick reply then stopped and thought a second. "I have had some help." There was a pause. "Seriously, Lys, why the drapes?" "Well, um, he was, well, he was a wolf, and, I know my eyes are.. more.," she petered out. "Lys, his eyes are closed, you know that. He's got to get used to sunlight anyway." Lyssa pulled away, "I don't need to be scolded. I know I'm doing it all wrong." "Lys, no, you're not." "He wants things, all the time. To be fed, to be held, to be cleaned up, to be talked to, to sleep, to have me with him, all the time. Emmett doesn't know what to do with either of us. And then I've got the pack council, we've got another meeting in a week." She took a deep breath. "I can't think straight." Joanna led Lyssa over to the couch and sat her down, then sat beside her. Lyssa put her face in her hands. "Cancel the council meeting, Lys, they'll understand." Lyssa lifted her head. "Weakness. You know I can't." "Don't you sleep when he does?" Lyssa shook her head. "I'm afraid I'll roll over on him." Joanna looked over at the crib; they were unusual in the den. "How about the crib?" "They're made for babies, Jo. What if he gets between the slats and falls out and hurts himself?" "Put something in so he can't, Lys. C'mon, you can figure something out." "And then he'll just cry." "Now you're making excuses. If he's tired, he'll sleep. He may whimper a bit but, if he's tired, he'll sleep." Lyssa glanced over to the bed. "You have to do something different, Lyssa. You can't live on coffee." Lyssa snorted. "No coffee while I'm breastfeeding." "You need to get some sleep. Let someone else take him for a while." Lyssa got up, walked over to the bed, and picked up her son. "What is it?" "He needs changing." Joanna looked puzzled. He hadn't made a sound but he was awake. Lyssa set him on a table and removed the wet diaper. As she turned back a stream of urine arced up, catching her in the face. "Em." The tone was a bit scolding. "I swear he thinks it's funny," Lyssa said as she wiped her face. Emmanuel was placed into a new diaper and re-installed in the bed. She stood there, looking at him. "C'mon back over here, Lys. He's good." Reluctantly, her hand tracing down his little arm, Lyssa tore herself away from her son. The door opened and Emmett strode in, stopping when he saw Joanna and the open drapes. "Oh, hi." He walked over, slid his hands around his mate, and kissed her. She was a little stiff. He looked over at the two infants in their bed and smiled. He pressed another kiss to the side of her head. "I'll let you two talk." Lyssa looked at him. "Was there something you needed, Em?" "Just checking on you, sweetheart. Is there anything you want?" Lyssa shook her head. "I'll let you visit." Emmett left the room, closing the door behind him. Joanna watched Lyssa. Her shoulders dropped, like she was defeated. Joanna waited, to see what she would do. Lyssa should be happy right now. She had a pup, a mate who loved her deeply, but she seemed so overwhelmed. How long had it taken her to settle in after Lyria had been born? It had to have been a couple of weeks. But she had had Juliet, and the mates. Lyssa had turned back, slowly, and was again staring at the babies on the bed. "Lyssa?" "I was so scared he wouldn't change. That he'd be stuck that way." "He's good, Lys. Healthy." She took a breath and spoke again, "The mates told me that it was OK to let her wait a little. That I didn't have to go to her as soon as she cried. That I'd spoil her if I did." "How can you stand it? How can you not give in?" "You do, Lys." Joanna stood, walked over, and took Lyssa's hands, "You do give in. It's not like you neglect him. You just don't have to go right away, all the time. Put him in the crib and take a bath. He won't starve if he gets fed 5 minutes later." Lyssa looked down at the younger mother, nodding sadly. "And you've got to sleep when he does. It'll get better when he sleeps longer." "OK." Jo led Lyssa back to the couch and got her to sit again. Jo sighed. "So, how's Emmett?" "Huh? Oh, good. He's good." "I know you don't feel like it yet, but don't forget about your mate." Lyssa growled at Jo's presumption. Jo took it that the matter was closed. "Somebody's gotta be able to help you with the stuff for the council. Isn't there something someone can help you with?" Lyssa looked at her, as if she hadn't thought of it. "I, I suppose so." "Then do it. You don't have to do everything yourself. Let someone help you." She had always done for herself. Her family had died when she was a teenager. Lyssa had grown up independently. She had been brought into the pack 3 years prior. Born human, Emmett had changed her when they mated. As Beta female, and a changed human, she couldn't afford, didn't want to show, any weakness to the pack. She stood again and Joanna looked up at her. "He's hungry." Joanna knew what that meant. Her breasts got full and painful if she waited to feed Lyria. Lyssa brought her son to her breast and Joanna picked up her daughter. "I can't stay too long. I'm gonna hunt down Mom." "Sorry I'm not good company." Joanna took a breath and ran a hand down Lyssa's arm. "It gets better. Soon." *** Lyssa groaned and rolled. "Em, can you get him?" Emmett swum up from sleep at his mate's request. "What?" "He's hungry, can you bring him over?" Bleary, Emmett rose and lifted his son from the crib, confused. If he was hungry, he wasn't making any noise. Lyssa pushed up in the bed and put out her arms to accept her baby. Emmanuel yawned and smacked his lips as he was transferred to his mother's arms. He took hold and began suckling as Emmett laid beside his mate, rolled up on one side, and fondling his son's feet. "You are gorgeous, mate." Lyssa gave him a tired smile. *** He had been very surprised when Emmanuel's eyes had opened. Both his and Lyssa's eyes were brown so he expected his son's eyes to be brown, too. He was shocked to see bright blue eyes. Lyssa had laughed. "Ask anyone, Em. All babies' eyes are blue. The color comes later." Emmett went to her then and kissed her. She had been so tired since their son had been born and, after the initial bout of joy at his birth, she was often tired and grumpy. This was the first time in a couple of weeks that she had laughed, and he was glad to hear it. Emmett put his arms around his mate and looked over her shoulder down at their son. "He's gorgeous, mate. Just like his mother." Emmett nuzzled Lyssa's hair. "Hey, how 'bout we go outside for a run? You haven't been out for a while." Lyssa pulled away, shaking her head. "We can't just leave him." "Cassie could watch him for a little while, or Caroline." "Who's gonna feed him if he gets hungry?" "We won't be gone that long." "The council meeting is in three days. I've got work to do." "Lyssa.." She picked up Emmanuel and put him in the sling, then walked over to her computer. Apparently, the matter was closed. Emmett sighed and she shot him a dirty look. He couldn't, wouldn't let that stand. So he walked over to her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. [I love you, Lyssa.] She grunted in response. Worse still. As he tried to figure out what to do next he saw her attention shift. Someone was sending to her. [Madam Beta?] [What is it, Thomas?] [I'd like to speak to you. Ask you about something Lorelei wants. Privately.] [Coming.] She looked up at her mate as she stood. "Thomas needs to speak with me." He suppressed a growl. She was running away from the conversation they needed to have. He watched as his mate walked away from him. [Erich?] [What's up, Em?] Emmett strode purposefully into the nerve center of the Wyeth pack and closed the door. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked ready to scream. "Em? Emmett? What's wrong?" "I don't know. I don't know what to do." Emmett sat heavily in a chair. "I want to help her. I want to be able to touch my mate again. I want to get her outside, to run through the snow, to get her to let someone watch our son for a short time." "She just had the pup, Emmett. It's gonna take a while before she feels like it." "Why didn't any of the other females have this problem?" "They probably did, Em. Have you paid that close attention? She went wolf for the birthing. Maybe this is part of it." "Between Emmanuel and the council, she's not sleeping much and working on things constantly. I can't get her to stop." "So, what do you want?" Emmett sighed. "I want things to get back to normal." Erich barked a laugh. "Normal? Em, you've got a pup now; nothing's ever gonna be the same." Emmett closed his eyes and exhaled. Lyssa walked into Medical with Emmanuel. "Thomas. You have a question for me?" Thomas looked over at them and smiled. "How is the pup?" Lyssa growled out the question, "You called me down here for that?" Thomas swallowed. "No, Madam Beta, I was just asking. It's something Lorelei has asked me to do." Lyssa's brow furrows. "Um, I'm not sure I want to discuss your sexual encounters with you." He put on a knowing grin and shook his head. "No, no. It's nothing like that." He took a deep breath and released it. "She wants to take something. Something she says will enhance the experience." Lyssa looked at him; he was uncertain. "I refused her, saying I was satisfied with what we were doing. But," he looked at her, "I wonder if I should." "Why ask me? Wouldn't the other healers know better?" "They do not have the experience. And I don't know if you do, but I thought I would ask." "What is it?" "She calls it X." Ecstasy. She had tried it in her wilder days, when she was a teenager. She'd taken it a couple of times. OK, maybe more than a couple. The first time one of the other girls had given her a tab they had been dancing in a club. She was a little disappointed when she didn't feel anything right away. She hadn't realized it took a while to kick in. All of a sudden, it was like she could feel the music. Yeah, you can feel the bass or the movement of bodies to the beat but it was more than that, different. She couldn't describe it. All she knew was she found she didn't like the heavier beats that night. And her clothes, the touch of it against her skin. It was like a whisper, a soft caress. Her skirt flowed across her thighs as she danced. She felt the movement of the satin blouse on her shoulders. And her hair, like silk on her neck. She bumped into Melanie and it was like a shot of heat on her hip, her arm. Startled, she had turned, and touched Melanie's shoulder. Melanie's hazel eyes looked up at her and she about got lost in the depth of the color. Lyssa had never noticed the intensity of the color in Mel's eyes. It was the green of spring leaves, of new grass, of.. of.. Wow. Mel kissed her. She reached up, and kissed her. Her lips were soft, and warm, and soft. And her mouth opened and her tongue pressed against Lyssa's lips. Lyssa opened and Mel's tongue slid into her mouth; Mel's arms went around her shoulders and hers went around Mel's waist, and their legs slid between each others'. She grabbed Mel's hair as they began to grind against each other on the dance floor. She was getting hot. And she was definitely wet. And she could feel other bodies close around them, warmth just radiating from them. They were humping each others' thighs, rubbing their boobs against each other, kissing like they wanted to crawl inside each other. Their hands wandered a little. Mel had her butt, Lyssa was taller, and Lyssa had one hand up and one hand down. She had Mel's hair, held her face to her. Big hands grabbed her hips. She and Mel clung to each other, continuing to grind their mounds into each others' thighs. Actually, she was up against Mel's hip. But, those big hands clung to her, and she got really, really warm. He ground his erection into her backside. She felt the moisture start sliding down her thighs. Everything Changes Ch. 06 They had sex in the car. He sat in the backseat and she sat on his lap and rode him, facing away. He had hold of her tits as he drove up into her. And all she could do was feel. His heat, his strength, the feeling of power of his thrusts. She braced herself against the front seat as he pushed up inside her. A groan, and his hands tightened on her tits. And he stopped, as he pulsed inside her. And he stopped. He was done. She wasn't. He kissed the back of her neck and said, "That was great. I gotta get back." She squeaked, "I'm not done." "Well, that's your problem. Get out." She was pissed. He basically rolled her out of the car and shoved her away. She spit at him and he laughed. "You fucking bastard. I hope you get the clap." He slapped her then, grabbed her arms and shook her. "You got the clap? Did you give it to me, bitch?" "No." "Don't fucking lie to me." "I don't, asshole. Let me go." He shoved her then, against another car, and walked back to the club. She stood there, appalled, pissed, and unsatisfied. And not knowing quite what to do. After a couple of minutes, she went back in to the club and got Mel and convinced her that they should go home. She spent the rest of the night curled in a ball, stroking one of her sweaters, because it felt so soft. It was a few months later that a guy she had been dating, Don, had talked her into a threesome. It was her, him, and a friend of his, Joshua. They had all got together at his place, had a little beer beforehand and took some X. They started necking and, while Don started kissing her and kneading a boob through her shirt, Joshua was nibbling on her neck and rubbing the crotch of her jeans. She was scratching her fingernails up and down their thighs. Don then unbuttoned her shirt and stuck his hand inside her bra. She gasped and arched into his hand. And she got wet, right there. Don kneaded her breast and tweaked her nipple as Josh unbuttoned her jeans and slid his fingers inside her waistband. She started digging her fingertips into their inner thighs. Josh moaned at that. The shirt came off and Don was chewing at her nipple through the bra while Josh had shoved his hand into her pants and had captured her mouth. His tongue had invaded her mouth, thrusting strongly in, tasting her, seemingly wanting to devour her. Their positions had shifted enough that she couldn't touch Josh's dick, but she was rubbing on Don's. He was moaning; she was moaning. The nipple that wasn't being sucked on was standing at attention, rubbing against the cup as Don worked on the other one. Josh was circling his fingers in her curls, her pants were tight enough that he couldn't get any further. She was so wet, her underwear was soaked. Although she wasn't thinking of it then, she had started soaking through the crotch of her jeans. All she could think of was the feeling of them touching her. She felt so sensitive, like everything was magnified. Their hands were warm on her; their mouths strong, and wet; breath like the sweetest, gentlest caress. And she so wanted to be naked. To feel their skin against hers. To feel their hands on her. To feel the smooth hardness of their dicks. In her mouth. In her. She wanted to be touched. And fucked. They got her sideways on the couch and Josh pulled off her shoes and socks, then slithered off her jeans. Then he shoved his fingers against her slit and rubbed her through her blue underwear. She moaned loudly at the sensation in that intimate place. Don had pulled her bra around her waist and was rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger while kissing her again. Josh had her other nipple in his mouth. He shoved her panties to one side and slipped his fingers inside her. She dropped her head back and moaned. Don was working on getting his pants off. She was trying to help Don and had Josh by his bright green hair. By this time, she was almost flat on the couch. Don brought a stiff dick, glistening with precum, to her head and slapped it lightly against her cheek. He trailed it down to the edge of her mouth and said, "Open up." Lyssa dutifully opened her mouth and he slid his length in. She licked at him and sucked a bit, while Josh was fingerfucking her. His three fingers slid easily in and out of her while his thumb rubbed lightly against her clit with the motion. The feelings were exquisite. But she was kinda cold. She was getting less contact than she wanted. What she did want was more skin against hers. Dark brown eyes looked down to her lower half and she pulled away from Don's length for a second. Josh was watching her tits. "Fuck me." He glanced up at her as she sucked in Don's dick again and fumbled with his pants. She was rolling her tongue around Don's shaft as she watched Josh's dick spring free. Don yelped as her teeth grazed him. "Watch it!" Joshua stroked himself and grinned at her. His thumb rubbed over the head, smearing the fluid around. He groaned and threw his head back. He then pulled off the wet panties. Taking hold, he smirked at her, used his other hand to spread her thighs, then plunged into her sopping pussy. Lyssa cried out, and got Don with her teeth again. "Dammit, Lys." She blinked up at him as he pulled away and watched Josh pound into his girlfriend. Lyssa was enjoying the pace, and his size - he was bigger than Don, it felt very good. But, still, she wasn't getting the skin-to-skin contact she was looking for. Don walked over to Josh and whispered in his ear. Josh's thrusts slowed a bit and his grin turned wicked. "Damn, man. Yeah." Joshua pulled out of her, and she whimpered. "Hey. C'mon." Don started to get her up as Josh laid down on the floor. She tried to wrap her legs around Don but he got her over Josh and she realized he wanted her to ride him. Mm. Depth. And he was a nice size. She shifted back, and Josh pointed himself so that she could slide on. They both moaned as he filled her. Don stood nearby, stroking himself, and watching. After a couple of minutes, he nudged Josh with his foot. Josh grabbed her, and hauled her down against him. Mmm. Skin. He pulled her mouth to his as they continued to move together and she felt the building, the tightening that would lead to her orgasm. His chest hair, and he had a pretty hairy chest, more than she liked, was rubbing on her tits. Every push in was rubbing her clit against him, especially when she rolled her hips a bit. She dimly felt Don behind her, he was kneading her ass cheeks. All of a sudden, he pulled them apart and shoved against her puckered hole. She shrieked into Josh's mouth and tried to pull away but he held her tight. Don had her hips and continued to press against her, groaning when the head of his dick popped inside her sphincter. Joshua kept moving inside her as Don inched his way inside and she whimpered. Thank god he wasn't big. Once he was all the way in he started to pull back. It took them a bit to figure it out, but they set up a rhythm. And she started to relax. It wasn't that bad. Don didn't last long. He let out a big groan as he stopped moving and filled her ass. Josh took a bit longer, and she concentrated on feeling him after Don pulled himself out. She rolled her hips and built the tension in her body. When she started to come, he did too. Lyssa fell asleep. They fell asleep. She woke up to somebody messing with her boob. She slapped the hand away. "Stop it." Lyssa got up and found her clothes. It was kinda gross, leaking out of both holes. She cleaned up a bit, then kicked Don. "Take me home." He groaned and rolled over, looking up at her, then grinned. "Got something for you to take care of." "No. Home." He grumbled and Josh snored, but he drove her home. Don broke up with her a week or two later. She was really lucky she never got pregnant. Or worse. *** "Um, yeah. I've had it before but I'm not sure you taking it would be a good idea. If you forget yourself, if you lose track and stop being careful, you could hurt her badly." Thomas looked at her, measuring. "What is it? What does it do?" "It's short for Ecstasy. It's got another name, a set of initials, but I don't remember it. Something with an M?" Lyssa shook her head. "Anyway. Um. It, well, I saw colors differently. Things seemed really intense. As soon as anyone touched me, it felt so good. Just being touched. I wanted to rub up against them. I could feel music." "It doesn't really sound like there's a down side." Lyssa inhaled and cuddled Emmanuel a little closer. "That was me. You don't know how you'll react to it. And they cut it with other stuff, so you can't be sure of just what you're gonna get. It could be really good. Maybe. But coming down from it can be bad." She never wanted to do it again after the last time with Don and Josh. She came down hard. It was ugly. It was kinda painful. "I suppose she could just take it and I could see what it does to her. But she really wants me to take it at the same time." Lyssa exhaled and rubbed her fingers across her cheeks, until she covered her mouth with them. "I really can't tell you what to do, Thomas, but you need to be careful about the drugs humans take. What if something makes you go wolf? What if you change? LIke I said before, you know you could really hurt her." Thomas smiles a knowing smile. Lyssa looks at him. "OK, so, she likes it rough. You could still hurt her more than she wants. You could kill her." Thomas inhales, exhales, and looks a bit grim. "If you really like her, I wouldn't take the chance, especially if you're not sure what you're going to get." Thomas closed his eyes, and nodded. "Thank you, Madam Beta." She looked at him, and waited. "You're going to do it, aren't you?" "You've given me some things to think about. And, now that I have a better idea, I can do some research, see what people say." "OK. Just be careful." ***** The council meeting went better, they were hitting their stride as a group. The current discussion centered around producing an NDA that would satisfy all, so that they could speak to a lawyer. A non-disclosure agreement would maintain their secret, while still allowing them to explore the possibilities for protection for their kind. Helen had been to the nearby library and tried to find out information with regard to protection and rights of certain groups; and what may have been done to define those groups. But none of them had legal backgrounds, and simply trying to read the documents had been a hard slog. She had identified certain precedents she thought might have bearing on their situation, but they truly needed professional help. Client confidentiality and an NDA were the only things they could rely on. The objection, of course, was that, if the lawyer couldn't resist and told someone, they would be exposed. Certainly they could sue the lawyer, but the damage would be done and they could be fighting for their lives at that point. It would be better if they could choose the moment to reveal themselves, but the result could still be the same. Many of the packs had started putting up some remote sensing devices on the outer edges of their ranges, cameras, etc. But they still relied heavily on their regular sweeps. And some grumbled about the costs for that and the videoconferencing setups, which required multiple inputs. As she was ready to close the meeting, Emmanuel decided he was hungry. Lyssa pulled him up, to feed him, and the lines erupted. "Oh, congratulations." "When did you have the pup?" "Male?" The last from, of course, one of the males. "Our son was born on the full moon. Thank you." She closed her eyes for a moment as the comments died down. "Is there any new business we need to discuss?" Emmett's cousin, Cecil, spoke. "The packs all have businesses that we operate to provide the funds we live on. Would it be helpful if we were to incorporate the businesses as a group? Or transfer all lands and assets to a pack... corporation?" "It doesn't work that way now?" Heads shook. "That's a good point. And something else we should look into. Cecil, Beta, could you investigate this matter? Or have someone in your pack do so? Helen and I are rather busy at present." "Of course, Madam Chairwoman." She gave him a funny look. "Anything else?" A pause for reply. "No? Alright then. Next moon, same time. Thank you." Lyssa blanked the screen as Ariel said, "You've done well, Lyssa. Have you got all the help you need?" "I think so." "How are you feeling?" "Tired." "And, the pup?" "Insatiable." Ariel looked at her a little more closely and sighed. "Lyssa. You've barely been out of your room in the past few days." Lyssa looked back at her, a slight frown on her face. "Lyssa, we're worried about you." Lyssa slumped and exhaled. "Now what am I doing wrong?" The Madam Alpha looked at the new mother and her pup. She reached over and stroked Emmanuel's dark hair, while watching Lyssa's lip curl. "He's healthy and apparently happy. But he needs to be out among the rest of us. Early socialization is needed with us as we are pack creatures." Lyssa closed her eyes. Ariel lowered her voice. "It would also be good for you. You've been working very hard on council matters and trying to figure out how to care for your new addition. You need to get away from it for a while." "But.." "No, Lyssa, no objections. I know that you feel a great sense of responsibility for the running of the council. And it is important. And you've suddenly had the added responsibility of this new life added onto that. All first time mothers feel overwhelmed and you have twice as much to deal with. Let some of the others look after him for a little while and go for a run, spend time with your mate." "Did Emmett put you up to this?" There was annoyance in her voice. "No. He did not. I am responsible for the welfare of pack members also, particularly the females. I have had a pup and more responsibilities than the others. I also understand the deep bond between mother and child; that you want to keep him safe and feel you are the only one who can care for him properly. But Lyssa, no one else in the pack will allow any harm to come to him." Ariel gently placed a hand on Lyssa's shoulder. She gave a sad smile. "Strange to think about it when they're so small but, as soon as they leave our bodies, they start to become independent of us. It is our duty to make them not need us." "He's only two weeks old." "Have you allowed anyone else to hold him yet? Other than at his naming?" "Natalie." "Or the healers. You understand what I am asking. Did you let Joanna hold him?" "No." "Small steps, Madam Beta. Bring your son down to meals. Allow some of the others to hold him, just for a short time. He has to become familiar with the rest of the pack." Lyssa swallowed and tears glinted in her eyes as Emmanuel belched a slimy, whitish fluid onto her shoulder. "OK." Emmett walked in to collect his family. Ariel stood. "Alright, then. I'll expect you for breakfast." Emmett kissed his son's head, then his mate. "Another successful meeting, I assume." "Mm, hm." "Snack?" Lyssa nodded. "What are you in the mood for?" "Mm. Pulled pork sandwiches." "Sounds good. Let's see what's in the kitchen." Later that evening, Emmett watched as Lyssa picked their son up and headed to the bathroom. "Bath?" She nodded. Emmett continued his work for a little bit longer and then rose and headed to the bathroom himself. Emmanuel was in the sink, cradled on a wet, wadded-up towel. Lyssa was humming under her breath and running a washcloth over one of his feet. She leaned over and kissed it then started as Emmett slid his arms around her waist. He kissed the back of her head and sighed. "I love you, mate." She stiffened. "Lyssa. Lyssa. Why does that bother you? You know I love you. I love the son you've given me. I want you to let me help you. I want you to let me do something so you can get some more sleep. I want to get closer to you again. I feel like you've pushed me away." He felt her take a deep breath; felt her breath hitch. Damn, he hated to see her cry. Her voice was a bit raw. "I.. People keep telling me I'm doing things wrong or should be doing things differently. He needs me to take care of him; he's just a baby. And you.." She stopped. "Go on." She took another deep breath and stroked Emmanuel's head. "Tell me. Please." "I don't feel like it yet. I'm not healed." Okay. He'd start there. As Emmanuel was rinsed off he said. "Ah, mate. Just because I touch you doesn't mean I want sex. You know that. I know you aren't ready yet. I've spoken to the healers. But I'm struggling with the fact that you don't find comfort in my touch anymore." He watched in the mirror as she closed her eyes and swallowed, Emmanuel swaddled in a small towel. "Shh, Lys. Come to bed." He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back out into the bedroom. He then sat down beside her on the bed, leaned back against the pillows, and pulled them into his arms. His voice was quiet, full of love and concern. "Now, dear heart, take in my scent and get some sleep. I'll watch over you." He cradled her against his body as she cradled their son against hers. And they laid there, skin to skin, with Lyssa's ear over his heart. Between the steady beat of his heart and her lack of sleep, she fell asleep pretty quickly. He smiled at that. She had been so worried she might suffocate Emmanuel. He had his arm around his family; inhaled their scents. Emmanuel smelled mostly like his mother, but was beginning to develop his own scent. Emmett winced slightly as little fingers caught in some of his chest hair but was comforted by the feel of Lyssa's breath on his chest. They were warm, safe, and together. Lyssa woke a couple of hours later to feed their little boy, then got a diaper on him. Emmett was watching them through slitted eyes. She looked back at the bed, at her mate in it, waiting for her to return. It looked enticing. She blinked, and smiled, and slid back in. Emmett pulled her back against him, Emmanuel back on his chest, between them. The smells came up to them from downstairs. Breakfast. Lyssa had gotten up to feed Emmanuel a couple more times during the night but looked better that morning than she had. "Morning, sweetheart." "Ariel said I had to bring him downstairs." "He does need to know the pack and they need to know him." "That's what she said." "You can't think someone's going to hurt him?" "When you put it that way.." She shook her head. "No. Of course not." Emmett put out a hand. "C'mon." She took a deep breath, took his hand, and walked down to breakfast with the two men in her life. Her two Ems. ***** Bit by bit Lyssa loosened up. She stopped reacting when the others reached out to touch Emmanuel. She even let Ariel, Madeline, Cassie, and Caroline hold him for short periods of time. ***** The Alphas and Betas of Wyeth sat in the Alpha suite, gathered in front of the large screen the computer was hooked up to. "Madam Beta?" Randall prompted. Lyssa gripped Emmett's hand, tightly enough to make him wince. She exhaled. "OK. Here goes." She pressed the button to start the video. The first 5 seconds was the title slide, which simply said, "Title here." Everyone looked at her. She mumbled, "Didn't know what to put there." The screen came up on Lyssa's face. Her dark eyes were bright, pupils wider than they should be. "Hello, my name is Lyssa Forester. And I'm a werewolf." She looked down and chuckled. "Wow. That sounds like the start of some 12 step program thing." She looked down, back up again. "I had this whole thing written down but it doesn't seem to make sense now." She sighed. "I'm a werewolf but I was born human. Three years ago I met a wonderful man. He just happened to be a werewolf. And," she looked down with a bit of a smile "we're expecting our first baby in a couple of months." Everything Changes Ch. 06 She looked back up, into the camera. "I was scared of them. Terrified. Because I didn't know them. I thought they would be animals. I thought I would be hurt, maybe killed." "I was so very wrong." "They're, hm, we're, like any other family, any other group. We work, we eat, we teach our kids. We have hobbies, we watch movies, we run around outside. We love our mates and children." "And we can change form and become wolves, fur and all." "So many misconceptions. We can change any time of the month. And we don't become bloodthirsty, ravenous beasts. We don't lose our minds, our reason, when we change. We just get furry and four-legged." "You've seen us around. We go shopping for clothes, cars, food. We work jobs in the community. We own property. We own businesses. We do normal things." She sighed, looked down, looked up. "But, because of what we are, we do things that don't seem normal to most human beings. We are led by a pair, a couple, called Alphas, as some of you know. But this isn't Twilight. We don't hunt vampires. We're monogamous once we find our mates, but it's not like the love at first sight thing. We like our meat rare and bloody. We know each other by scent. We settle our disputes physically. And our rules and punishments can be harsh." "And we have always kept the secret of what we are." "Tried hard to keep you from finding out about us." "Why? You want to know why we kept ourselves hidden. Some of you do the same thing. Keep secrets, not letting anyone know the real you. Why do you do that? Because you're afraid. Of what other people will think. That they won't accept you for what you are." "We want to be accepted. We're different, yes, but the same. Because we want the same things. To live our lives as we please, within reason, within the laws." "We're not all perfect but you know us. You do. And we want you to know we just want to live peacefully with you, the way we have up until now, before you knew we were here." The screen went dark as she hefted Emmanuel up to her shoulder. "Um. Yeah. I didn't know where to go after that." Emmett squeezed her hand. Randall and Ariel were apparently having a private conversation. Madeline turned and smiled at her. Lyssa was nuzzling Emmanuel's dark hair as Randall turned to her. "I believe you have made a good start here. This is simple, from one who has only recently learned about us." Ariel spoke briefly. "It might be helpful to show some aspects of our life. Teaching the pups, watching a movie or a sports event, making dinner, interaction between mates." Lyssa nodded. "OK. Nudity won't fly but maybe running around outside? And they're gonna wanna see someone change." "In addition, Lyssa," she shifted attention back to her Alpha, "you understand what this would mean for you, personally?" Lyssa blinked at him; Emmett gripped her hand more tightly. "You would be identified personally, branded as a monster. And your disappearance would be solved and questioned. What would the police do?" She inhaled deeply as Emmanuel rubbed his face against her breast and wetness appeared on her blouse. "They'd want to talk to me. Find out why I didn't tell them I was alive. Especially since they suspected Ronnie of killing me. They'd wonder if I was being held against my will. If you'd abducted me." "Would they have reason to hold you?" Emmett inhaled deeply, on a gasp. He hadn't thought of that. "I haven't done anything wrong, except hide. Other women, and men, have done that. I don't think they could." "Only if they don't believe their laws apply to us." "Yeah." Emmanuel was feeding, a little noisily. Emmett spoke up now. "I would feel better if they talked to her here, in the den." "They might be suspicious of that." Ariel replied, "We'll have to establish trust between us, somehow." Randall inhaled. "We won't solve anything now. These are some things we should consider. But, Madam Beta, a fine start." ***** Stephanie called a couple of days before the next pack council meeting. "Madam Beta, I was watching the news last night and something came up that I thought might be of interest to the council." Stephanie watched the news? Hm, she had to admit, she barely saw a television anymore and hadn't been keeping track of human news. "Sure, Stephanie, um, Madam Alpha. What did you find?" "There was mention of an organization called the ACLU." Lyssa would have smacked her forehead if she hadn't had her hands full. She groaned. "Is that a problem? It seemed that they were helpful to people in trouble." "No, Stephanie, Madam Alpha, it's just that I'm stupid for not thinking of them sooner." "You have had other things on your mind." Lyssa inhaled. "Thank you, Madam Alpha. That is a great suggestion." "How is the pup?" "Doing well, thank you." "And, you?" "Better." "I'm glad." "Thanks, Madam Alpha." "Good day to you, Madam Beta." ***** Joanna came back for another visit a little more than six weeks after Emmanuel had been born. Lyria, by this time, was 3 months old. She visited with her parents for a while and was happy to hear that Lyssa was doing better. "..but she still hasn't been away from him for more than a couple of minutes." Joanna watched Lyria sniff around their feet. She was a light brown wolf cub, like her mother. She had blue eyes that were startling in the darker fur of her face. "How is she with Emmett?" Ariel exhaled. "He's been very careful with her. I think he's afraid to approach her, or perhaps of how to do so." "Maybe I can coax her out for a run. How often is he eating? Do you know?" "Natalie would know better but I think it's about three hours." Joanna smiled. *** [Hey, Lyssa, up for some company?] [Hey, Jo. Where are you?] [Down in the dining hall.] Joanna left Lyria in her mother's care and walked down to the Wyeth dining hall. Lyssa was at a table holding onto Emmanuel, who was straining to reach the plate on the table. She was dipping her finger into the juices on the plate and presenting her finger to her son, who would be momentarily distracted by its nearness, to lick the reddish fluid from his mother's proffered digit. "I can't keep him away from it. I don't know if I should be giving it to him." "You'll find out soon enough if it doesn't agree with him." Lyssa looked up at her. "I don't want him to get sick." "He'll either throw it up or you'll find it at the other end." "When did Lyria start taking meat juices?" "Oh, a couple months or so." Lyssa relaxed a bit at that statement; he wasn't way ahead of Lyria. "When did he eat last?" That was an odd kind of a question. "Why?" "I wanna go out for a run, I want you to go with me, and I want to know how long we have." Lyssa drew back, glancing at the dark brown wolf cub in her lap. "What?" "Do we have time before he wants to eat again to go for a run?" "Yeah, a couple hours, but.." "No buts. C'mon, it's a nice day. The sun is out, the snow is pretty, and I wanna go for a run with my friend." Lyssa exhaled and Emmanuel nosed her hand. "Who do you trust to leave him with?" "I don't know." "Mom's got Lyri, I'm sure she won't have any problem watching Em, too." Lyssa blinked, like she didn't quite understand what Jo was saying. Emmanuel was making an effort to climb to the table. "C'mon, Lys. Let's go." Another exhale, and Lyssa looked out the windows. When she looked back to Joanna, who noticed Emmanuel was again licking juices from her finger, Jo saw something that seemed either sad or hurt, or both, in the older woman's eyes. "C'mon, Lys. You remember, running in the snow." A big inhale and Lyssa blew out the breath. "OK." Joanna smiled, trying not to grin in triumph. "Cool. C'mon." They went upstairs to where Ariel was putting her granddaughter into a little nest on the floor. "Up for a second pup, Mom?" Ariel looked rather surprised, but agreed readily when Joanna sent that she'd gotten Lyssa to agree to a run outside. She also sent to one other. Lyssa stood on the front steps, a chestnut wolf beside a smaller light-colored one. Jo saw her chest heave as she glanced back at the front door. She debated on telling Lyssa that he'd be fine but then just started down the steps, hoping Lyssa would follow. They started out; Lyssa's steps were halting. Jo looked back and bounced around her once. The snow was light and fluffy and was stirred up by Joanna's actions. Lyssa's fur was dotted with white flakes. Lyssa looked at her and huffed. Joanna flicked her tail and took off. Lyssa watched that tail get smaller, sighed, and ran after her. The snowscape was crisscrossed with tracks, particularly close to the den. They then started finding wider and wider swaths of snow that were untouched. Joanna wended around trees, scooted under snowladen pines, and skipped over the small stream. Lyssa followed, a little less rambunctiously. When they stopped, Joanna sat in the snow, Lyssa sat, too. [Now what?] [So, you look better. I guess you're getting more sleep.] [Uh, huh.] [Is he crawling away from you when you take a nap?] [No. What is this, the third degree?] [Huh?] [Questioning the new mother, see if she's getting it right?] [Just wanted to talk, Lys. And since we both have pups, it's something we have in common to talk about. We haven't really had a chance to talk since I got mated.] Lyssa dipped her head. Joanna had mated and moved out of the den. They hadn't talked much since then. Joanna had three sisters and her mate's mother to talk to. Lyssa had had... well, Madeline. And Ariel, sort of. The last time they had a talk, a real talk, they had been in the meadow. Lyssa looked around and swallowed. This meadow. Right before.. Right before.. Lyssa closed her eyes and shuddered visibly. [Lys?] The send was choked. [Why are we here?] [What?] Joanna looked around. [I dunno, just ended up... oh.] A large grey wolf burst from the tree line and Lyssa jumped up, turned, and snarled. Emmett stopped, confused. [Mate?] [She's remembering when we got kidnapped.] Emmett closed slowly on Lyssa and Joanna. Lyssa was breathing heavily. [Why are you here?] [Ariel said you had gone out for run and I wanted to join you.] He sat, watching his mate, who'd sat down again but seemed unnerved. [Are you OK?] [Mm, hm.] Emmett changed, to a furred wolfman, and stroked his mate. He petted her, scrubbed her spine. She groaned in appreciation and stretched, backward, then forward. Joanna watched the two of them, Emmett caressing and hugging his mate, and decided to make herself scarce. Emmett's hands ran over her back, her sides, her teats. She jerked a little at that. [The last time we were here together...] [I know, sweetheart. It's been a year now.] She looked at him. [I know it doesn't make it any less horrible. And I have no idea what you went through or how you felt. But you're safe, and you're here, and we have a pup, and I love you.] Lyssa changed and Emmett gathered her into his arms, and rocked her. [Close your eyes, dear heart. Smell me. Think of me. Think of our pup. He's gone and we're here. Together.] She continued to breathe rather quickly. [This meadow can't hurt you.] He stroked her and held her, her face turned against his chest. [Just breathe.] He supposed he shouldn't be so surprised that this place affected her but it was winter, completely different from when she had been taken. He hoped that this wouldn't start her down a dark path again. Especially not with Emmanuel. Slowly, slowly, her body relaxed and her arms went around him. She stopped clinging and simply embraced him. And exhaled. He kissed the top of her head and, after a second, she reached up to kiss him, putting a hand around the back of his neck. [I love you, Em.] The send was filled with emotion. He could tell she was close to tears. He held her close to him, kissing her back. [My beautiful mate. You make me so happy.] She looked into his eyes and he saw the tears that threatened to spill. She sniffed, pulled away slightly, and smiled at him. He put his forehead against hers. [Lyssa. Mate. I want to touch you.] [I don't know if I... Maybe it won't feel...] He stroked her furred shoulders, ran the back of his hand against her cheek. She blinked and her lips turned up in a slight smile. An inhale and she went back to kissing him. Emmett took that as an affirmative signal. ***** Joanna had come back and was watching Emmanuel and Lyria tumble together. Mouths open, playing, making little puppy growls. Lyria was bigger, at twice his age, and was knocking him around a bit. Ariel was talking to her daughter as they watched the little ones. Emmanuel stopped and the two females looked over at him. Ariel picked him up and took him into the bathroom. She held him over the toilet and he urinated. Joanna looked at her mother as she returned with the dark pup, ruffling his fur. "Mom. What was that?" "He had to go." ***** They had never coupled in this form. It had always been in human form or as wolves. But it was cold out and he wanted to do more than just mount her. He wanted her to know how desirable he found her. So he stroked her, caressed her, kissed her. Emmett knew she could feel he wasn't ready just yet. He had swelled a bit, thinking of being with his mate again, but was a little worried as to how she would react. She wasn't tensing up; she was touching him. She bit his lower lip lightly and his eyes opened in surprise. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up against him, then wrapped his arms around her upper back. Milk chocolate eyes looked up into dark brown and a real smile graced her lips. Emmett nibbled along her jawline and down the side of her neck. Lyssa tipped her head back and moaned. Her hands clutched his head and she kissed parts of him she could reach. And he smelled her then. He knew she was becoming aroused. Anna and Ariel and the healers had talked to him, warned him that she might react differently now, that it might take more. He went from nibbling at her collarbone to kissing her. Her face, her shoulders, her hands, her neck, and she laughed, caught his face in her hands, and kissed him. Lyssa wrapped her legs around her mate and kissed him deeply. She was a little scared. After all, a baby had gone through there. She wouldn't be tight around him anymore. But, he felt good, and she loved him, and he was making her feel good. So, she rubbed up against him. Her wetness began to coat the bottom of his hardened shaft. Her breasts were bigger now, fuller, and her nipples felt sensitive because of it. Emmett pulled away from her kiss and licked over one of them. They had perked up in the cold air but tightened up at his treatment. He placed his mouth over it, flicked it with his tongue, and she jerked slightly. He sucked a bit and was rewarded with a small amount of milk. And she thought that was a little weird and hoped he wouldn't take much, since Emmanuel was a hungry boy. Emmanuel. He felt her attention shift. No, no, no. He licked that nipple and slid his hand down her belly. Emmett stroked her folds, recognizing that he couldn't draw this out. He slid his fingers over her swollen nub and she sucked in a breath. Two fingers then, slipped into her, to be assured she was wet enough. He pumped them, a couple of times, and listened to her sigh. Emmett looked into her eyes as he picked her up and carried her off to the side so he could put her back against a tree. She had her legs around him and rubbed deliciously against his stiff length on the way. He watched her swallow as he lifted her by the hips and slowly, so slowly, slid into her. He watched her eyes for any indication of pain or discomfort. And, as he found the end of her, he closed his eyes and groaned. Emmett held there, for a few moments, then pulled out slowly. Lyssa had her ankles locked around the small of his back. Taking a deep breath, he set up a slow rhythm. After a bit, he sped up and she met him on the upstroke. She was breathing quickly and putting her nails into his shoulder. He continued plunging into his mate, stroking her insides, and nuzzled her neck. She was panting, meeting him thrust for thrust. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer but wanted her to come before he did. He wanted her to feel that pleasure before they had to return. There. A slight quiver. And he thrust a bit more deeply, a little harder. He felt a flutter in the muscles around him and was undone. One last push, and he groaned and released inside her. Emmett leaned against her, against the tree, while he recovered. Lyssa sighed and stroked his back, resting her cheek on his shoulder. It was a bit later that they kissed and headed back to the den. Lyssa's breasts were getting heavy and she knew Emmanuel was going to need a feeding soon, if he wasn't hungry already. They were surprised, when they went to collect Emmanuel, to see that the Alphas, the other Betas, the healers, and Joanna were waiting for them. Lyssa immediately looked for her baby, concerned that something had happened. "What is it? Is something wrong?" The faces of the others were inscrutable, confusing. Wade addressed Emmett, "Tell me, Beta, how often have you heard your pup cry or whimper?" Emmett saw Emmanuel, saw he was fine, and scratched his head as Lyssa went to collect him. She picked him up and sat in a chair to nurse him, while paying strict attention to what was being said. "I don't know. I don't remember ever hearing him cry." Lyssa looked down at her little boy and concern colored her voice, "What's wrong? What did you find, healer?" "Your son was born with a caul, Emmett, that is sometimes an indicator of things." Erich spoke, "He did whimper when he was presented to the pack." Emmett didn't understand what was going on, but realized it was enough to concern the most important individuals in the pack. He looked at his mate and pup, then looked at the others. "Speak plainly. What is your concern with my son?" Ariel spoke. "We have found nothing wrong, Emmett. Can you tell us, Lyssa, how long he's been projecting?"