24 comments/ 28320 views/ 38 favorites Silver Moon: A Change By: maxd01 This chapter was originally unedited as were the first few chapters. I received a sort of random e-mail from Captain Siren with some really good feedback. She is a voluntary editor and really helped me clean this up so it flows better. I was both startled and pleased when she offered to help me make the chapter flow smoother. I hope the changes we made do help to make it easier to read. This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. I want to thank Somaluna for reviewing the chapters for mistakes and offering suggestions on better wording. All sex or sexual relationships are 18+. Enjoy. I want to thank Somaluna for reviewing the chapters for mistakes and offering suggestions on better wording. All sex or sexual relationships are 18+. Enjoy. I am going to briefly comment on my view of lycans and how they differ from humans. This is being added to the newly edited first chapter. The comment was posted by an Anonymous user who was too scared to use his/her login. The comment was in chapter 2 of the Geoff and Mari spin off. First off I am going to briefly touch on how I view wolves and then lycan's in general. Wolves and dogs tend to be very gregarious creatures. Have you ever seen dogs pile in a dog pile while sleeping? Walk past each other and randomly lick the others muzzle? The same could be said for cats as well. This is very normal for dogs and wolves. In winter it helps keep them warm. Now with Lycan's they have a wolf half and have much the same actions as normal canines or lupines. Second how many of you have children? I have three though they are now all adults. I remember when my children were little and if they had a nightmare we would tuck them in with us for the rest of the night. Granted the pups weren't having nightmares but is their crawling in with him and Mari any different? Same goes for bathing them. My ex and I bathed our children till they were about 5ish and we were sure they knew to clean all of their bodies including their bottoms and groin. If that idea bothers you then I feel sorry for you. Third lycans are very tactile in my universe. This does not mean that when Dan hugs a guy he is feeling him up or when he comforts a pup he is going for something sexual. If your mind automatically goes that way again I feel sorry for you. This is another reason for random touches as they walk past each other and all it means is they are keeping the pack bonds up. There isn't anything sexual to it. Fourth I will say when it came to the shower scenes I did consider whether to include them or not. I finally decided that they added more than they might detract. Again going from personal experience I have known several people who did shower with their children till they were somewhat older. Mind you when I say older I am still talking 5 and under. Fifth when it comes to nudity again we are talking werewolves. They are trained from a very young age to strip before they change to keep from ruining their clothing. There is nothing sexual with this, simply common sense. To them it would be like going to a nudist beach and taking their clothes off before hopping in the water. There isn't any stigma or wrongness connected with it. Since some people did complain I did stop mentioning stripping and simply started saying they 'changed form' for the most part. If this still bothers you then I strongly suggest that you are the one with issues and not me. I do hope what I have had to say has some sort of impact on how those of you who have some issues view my stories but if not then I will politely invite you to read other stories that don't upset your little confined world. Now having said all this above I hope you can see past what would be considered human notions and see that yes they have human bodies but they don't always react as humans. They are lycan's and some of their actions and reactions won't be the same. There isn't any underage sex or even vague hints of underage sexual relationships. Yes I did make a point of writing that Paulo and Sylvia are to be mates but I made a specific point of Dan saying they were not going to mate till they are over 18. * It seemed like he had been running forever, but no matter how long he ran and how fast, Dan never seemed to be able to outrun the pain that was residing in his heart. It hadn't even been a week since his family had been destroyed by that damn drunk driver. If the bastard who had been celebrating a him into shreds for what he had done. ~A week earlier~ When Dan rolled out of bed he had to smile since Nang muttered at him. She usually did since he tended to get up a bit earlier than she did so he could get some exercise in. After pulling on his shorts and a shirt, he leaned over and gave her a peck before leaving the room. His morning exercise tended to consist of weights, the daily dozen, and a good run. By the time he was back, Nang would have Allie and Ana up. Nang's morning cue to rise was the kiss Dan always planted on her before he went out to run. Once she was showered and dressed, she would wake the girls and gt them ready to take to school. As usual, they were dressed just about the time got back, and just to be a stinker, he pretended to try and catch them for a sweaty hug. The girls squealed and ran away from him so they didn't get any sweat on them. It was part of their morning routine which he, and they, enjoyed. This was sort of his time to just be a father and not the Alpha. After a quick shower, Dan came out and gave them a quick hug and peck. Mary had delivered breakfast since she also lived in the house and keep it clean as well as doing much of the cooking. Nang usually helped with dinner so Mary would have a break from doing all the cooking. Once they had eaten Dan scooped the girls up and gave them another hug and kiss as his daily goodbye before handing them over to Nang to take to school. Then he headed downstairs to see what pack issues he needed to deal with before heading to his business. Nang packed the girls into the car and made sure their booster seats were securely fastened. She couldn't help but smile at the girls and gave both of them a hug. "I hope you have a good day at school. I or one of the pack will pick you up at noon." Allie was six and in Kindergarten, and Ana was four and going to preschool. Brown-skinned with black eyes and hair, both girls had gotten their looks from their mother, who was from Malaysia. Allie had gotten some of her size from her father and was a bit more on the tall side, while Ana was more like her mother and was a petite little girl. Allie wrinkled her nose at her mother. "You say that every day, mommy." It was a routine for them, and for some reason it made Allie giggle as she returned the hug before grabbing her cup of water and taking a sip. Ana simply returned the hug and sort of played with the extra bit of seat belt. She was pretty shy, which was one reason she was going to preschool, to see if she would interact a bit more with other children. Once Nang was sure they were secured in the seats, she climbed in. After a quick check to make sure everything was working, she left the house and headed towards town. They lived in the pack house on a large piece of land that backed on a national forest so they didn't have to worry about it being turned into tract housing in the near future. The actual den was completely separate from the house. As far as the pack house, any of the pack could come by and relax in the pack side whenever being around humans got to be too much or they simply wanted to relax. Dan's side of the house was off limits unless they needed to talk to him or his mate, and he always had an open door policy. Many of the pack lived in the city where they worked. Several worked for him, several in private security, others in banks and whatever else might tickle them. Their submissive even worked in a flower shop, which was actually sort of nice since she would occasionally bring home some lovely arrangements for the table. As Nang was approaching town, she came to the first of a number of stoplights and smiled when it was green since she was running a bit late. If she hadn't been in such a hurry she might have seen the black Suburban that was coming down the cross street, but it probably wouldn't have mattered. As she was going through the light something made her look -- the last thing she saw was a massive grill and then everything went dark. *** About that time, Dan was in the common side of the pack house with his Beta and one of the other senior wolves. Last night had been a full moon, and as was the habit in his pack, the morning after a moon night he would sit down with his Beta and one or two other senior pack members and discuss any issues or problems that might have come up since the last moon night. Today they were talking about one of the pack, George, who was getting a bit uppity, and that there was probably going to be a challenge. "...Well if he is feeling that froggy, he is close enough to the top that it wouldn't be untoward for me to convince him to challenge me and beat him into the gr..." Dan never got the chance to finish that statement. When he felt the bonds with his wife and children snap, his head snapped back and a wild keening came from his mouth as both he and his wolf reacted to the loss of their family. Those in the room froze for a moment as she died and then they keened as well. The loss of one pack member was bad but when it was an Alpha, be it the Alpha or his mate, it impacted all of them. They were shocked enough that when Dan went down nobody was able to catch him. "Oh god, get Mary as soon as possible before he wakes. If she is holding him his wolf should recognize her scent and do what is needed to keep from hurting her." The others were still sort of frozen and he had to bellow, "Get her!" using all the dominance he had his voice and they scattered. Dan was still passed out, but no way in hell was Ben going near a wolf that just lost his family till either a submissive or omega was available -- and they didn't have an omega. Now that he had given orders he could feel the shock and grief throughout the pack, and a low keening from the ones that were in the house. He knew that the rest of the pack would be there in short order to take care of Dan. Thankfully, Mary had was still at the house since she didn't have to work today and was relaxing. When she scurried into the room she froze in shock at the sight of her Pack Leader on the floor and looking old. That was very rare for a lycan since their aging tended to stop in their twenties. Even the oldest lycans looked relatively young, and tended towards looking like they were in their late twenties. Young lycans tended to appear as in their teens and early twenties. Ben looked at her. "Go to him girl, let him smell your scent and curl up next to him. When he wakes he will know you aren't a danger, and hopefully that will give us time to bring him back from the edge." His voice was hoarse with stress and keening. She immediately lowered herself to the floor and crawled over. "Pack Leader, it is Mary and I am coming closer." When he didn't respond she kept repeating that and finally was close enough that she could curl up next to him and tuck his head to her chest. She was much smaller than Dan at a bit over 5' tall and Dan was just a bit over 6' tall. As a human, she would look maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, but she weighed close to one-forty. Swimming was not a good idea since lycans weighed more than humans of the same height due to the density of their muscles and bones. When Dan did eventually start to rise from the trauma of what had happened, he started growling and snarling since he was aware the person curled up to him was not his mate. Then he scented her odor recognized her for who she was. She was one of the two pack submissives, and that alone did keep him from hurting her, or at least too much, since his fingers were barely keeping from curling into her skin and pulling her closer. At this point it didn't really matter if the submissive were male or female, since what was important was that they weren't a challenge to him even as far gone as he was. "Get away, Mary." His voice was guttural as he struggled to resist the changing. It was going to be a very close thing. "Can't, Pack leader. You need me and my wolf recognizes that. We can't leave you this way. I can take you to your rooms or to the secure rooms till time for the service for your family." She almost curled around his head and held him as close as she could. She couldn't stop her tears that were flowing or the slight sobs. It wasn't just the loss of the alpha female or the children that she was crying for, but the loss of a good friend, and possibly their alpha since many lycans who lost mates tended to suicide. "Come, Dan, come with me and let me take care of you." Mary felt him struggle in her arms but also knew that as lost feeling as he was, his wolf simply wouldn't let him hurt her, which was why she had been called for. She stood up and gently picked him up, which if she had been human, couldn't have, and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment she considered his rooms, but that would be a bad idea since it would have Nang's scent all over it. That might help to calm him down or might make it worse. If his reaction got worse and he really lost control, he might not realize he had hurt her till later and he would feel horrible for that, so she headed towards the secure rooms. Once inside one, Mary helped him strip down and got him to lie down before curling her small body around him. She made sure his nose was tucked in her neck so he could scent her. It would help him maintain control since it would tell his wolf that he was as safe as possible and there was someone there for him. Mary finally got Dan to sleep, though she had a feeling his wolf had forced it on him. Many times the wolf was a pain in the ass since it didn't understand humans and their silly antics, but other times their mental strength was a boon. Right now, although the wolf was hurting as much as his human, he had the strength to help his other half, and right now that meant sleeping. As she was sitting there next to Dan, the door opened and Ben stood there. She could see how haggard he was looking. "We have convinced the coroner to give us the bodies. You will need to bring him to the circle at moon rise for the ceremony." For a lycan, he looked old, and sounded very tired, which definitely wasn't Ben. She nodded at him and curled up a bit closer to Dan, slowly stroking his hair while ensuring his nose was resting on her neck. She could have spoken or used the pack bonds, but didn't want to chance waking Dan after finally getting him to sleep. Even when Ben closed the door, it was done very quietly. *** Mary could feel the moon starting to rise as she woke. She sensed that someone had left some food in the room in case Dan wanted it, but she wasn't going to expect him to eat. "Wake, my Alpha, wake up. It is time for the ceremony. We need to get ready to go." She was still stroking his hair when he finally woke up, and she wanted to cry for how broken her wonderful Alpha was. When Dan opened his eyes and sat up they were empty of everything except pain. His face was drawn and haggard, and somehow his neatly trimmed beard looked ragged. His hair was a mess as well. He only moved when she told him to, and only when she nudged him in a direction. She moved him over to another cell that someone had set up for her and urged him into a chair. She carefully combed his hair and worked it into a tasteful braid tied off with a black ribbon. Once that was done, Mary dressed him in a black suit and tidied up his beard. "Come my Alpha, we have to show your mate how you loved them by sending them on to their next life." She ended up having to wrap an arm around him and lead him to the circle, and they arrived just before the moon was up. She was very pleased that it was the night after the full moon and Nang and their children would be sent off on a full moon. "Come, Dan, follow me and I will take care of you, my Alpha." Mary led him to the head of the pyres and kept her arm around him while Ben looked over the pack. It wasn't a huge pack, but it was a very well taken care of pack, and everyone knew that Dan cared for all of them, even if he didn't always get along or, in a very few cases, didn't even like each other. "As everyone knows, we are here to mourn the loss of a pack mate and, even worse, precious children. To even make it worse, it is the family of our Alpha and that is going to impact on the entire pack for the foreseeable future. Our Alpha is going to need all of our support for the next few months, and by his wish, I am going to be dealing with the day to day workings of the pack. Now to the important part." Ben lowered his head and a low keening came out of his mouth. It was slowly picked up by the rest of the pack, one by one. They didn't have any stupid eulogy since a heartfelt howl and keening was far more important and telling. As he was keening, Dan finally stood up tall and lifted his head and howled. It was a very torn howl and all the faces in the pack were streaked with tears as he cried out his loss and pain to the skies and their mistress. The moon looked down at them and they could feel her sympathy for their loss, but also a calm sense of fate happens and you had to move on. Dan almost tore his throat out as he cried for his wife and children. Eventually, he picked up a torch and tried to walk forward, then staggered. Mary didn't even think twice before she moved forward and wrapped an arm around him, and they slowly walked over to his mate's bier. She had to help him stick the torch into several places before taking him to the other two and starting them as well. Though Nang wasn't a lycan they believed that by burning the bodies it freed the soul to go to the Lady for rebirth. A minor reason was also to keep the bodies from being taken by the government for testing. Once she helped him back to the head of the pyres, Dan lowered his head and let the tears flow as the pack kept up the keening. It did help, but not a great deal since his soul was still raw and torn from losing his mate. Eventually the fires burned lower and finally went out, and he stayed standing there till Mary urged him away. He tried to resist but she leaned into him. "It is time for you to go back to your house. You need to sleep some more. I have had to deal with a number of people who have lost their mates and sleep will help, as will your wolf." Dan finally let her lead him away from the ceremony and back to the Pack house. She knew that the Alpha quarters had been cleaned out of most things related to Nang and the children to try and reduce the impact, but the bed had been left the same since he was going to need Nang's scent to help him go to sleep. Once they were inside, she slowly led him to his rooms and inside. Dan froze and closed his eyes, and then slowly inhaled the scent of his former mate as more tears slowly leaked out. Almost without thinking he walked to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. He pulled out a heavy, white gold bracelet he had given Nang, and with Mary's help, he put it on before slowly walking over to the bed where he settled down before sort of passing out. Mary crawled in next to him and wrapped her arms around him again, making sure that his nose was tucked in her neck, and eventually fell asleep. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 02 This chapter was originally unedited as were the first few chapters. I received a sort of random e-mail from Captain Siren with some really good feedback. She is a voluntary editor and really helped me clean this up so it flows better. I was both startled and pleased when she offered to help me make the chapter flow smoother. I hope the changes we made do help to make it easier to read. This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. I want to thank Somaluna for reviewing the chapters for mistakes and offering suggestions on better wording. All sex or sexual relationships are 18+. Enjoy. I want to thank Somaluna for reviewing the chapters for mistakes and offering suggestions on better wording. All sex or sexual relationships are 18+. Enjoy. I am going to briefly comment on my view of lycans and how they differ from humans. This is being added to the newly edited first chapter. The comment was posted by an Anonymous user who was too scared to use his/her login. The comment was in chapter 2 of the Geoff and Mari spin off. First off I am going to briefly touch on how I view wolves and then lycan's in general. Wolves and dogs tend to be very gregarious creatures. Have you ever seen dogs pile in a dog pile while sleeping? Walk past each other and randomly lick the others muzzle? The same could be said for cats as well. This is very normal for dogs and wolves. In winter it helps keep them warm. Now with Lycan's they have a wolf half and have much the same actions as normal canines or lupines. Second how many of you have children? I have three though they are now all adults. I remember when my children were little and if they had a nightmare we would tuck them in with us for the rest of the night. Granted the pups weren't having nightmares but is their crawling in with him and Mari any different? Same goes for bathing them. My ex and I bathed our children till they were about 5ish and we were sure they knew to clean all of their bodies including their bottoms and groin. If that idea bothers you then I feel sorry for you. Third lycans are very tactile in my universe. This does not mean that when Dan hugs a guy he is feeling him up or when he comforts a pup he is going for something sexual. If your mind automatically goes that way again I feel sorry for you. This is another reason for random touches as they walk past each other and all it means is they are keeping the pack bonds up. There isn't anything sexual to it. Fourth I will say when it came to the shower scenes I did consider whether to include them or not. I finally decided that they added more than they might detract. Again going from personal experience I have known several people who did shower with their children till they were somewhat older. Mind you when I say older I am still talking 5 and under. Fifth when it comes to nudity again we are talking werewolves. They are trained from a very young age to strip before they change to keep from ruining their clothing. There is nothing sexual with this, simply common sense. To them it would be like going to a nudist beach and taking their clothes off before hopping in the water. There isn't any stigma or wrongness connected with it. Since some people did complain I did stop mentioning stripping and simply started saying they 'changed form' for the most part. If this still bothers you then I strongly suggest that you are the one with issues and not me. I do hope what I have had to say has some sort of impact on how those of you who have some issues view my stories but if not then I will politely invite you to read other stories that don't upset your little confined world. Now having said all this above I hope you can see past what would be considered human notions and see that yes they have human bodies but they don't always react as humans. They are lycan's and some of their actions and reactions won't be the same. There isn't any underage sex or even vague hints of underage sexual relationships. Yes I did make a point of writing that Paulo and Sylvia are to be mates but I made a specific point of Dan saying they were not going to mate till they are over 18. * ~Present~ When Dan started to wake up it was really slowly, and the first thing he noticed was a bowl of meat and a bowl of water. He dragged himself over to them and wolfed down the meat, then slurped up the water. While he was doing that he didn't really realize that there were cuffs on his wrists and chains leading to the walls. As soon as he ate everything and drank enough water, he passed out again on the floor in a totally exhausted pile. At the moment he was running on anger and instincts, and didn't give a damn about what was going on around him. This went on for several days, since the transfer from his world to this one had been traumatic, and in a way, as traumatic as losing his mate and children. The one thing that really did help Dan was the scent of a submissive who apparently cleaned him up and brought him food. What bothered him were a few scents of fear and sex on her. That combination wasn't something he was used to. Back in his pack, Dan had driven into all of his juniors that sex was a totally personal issue, and if one or the other said no, then it was accepted even if one really wanted to make love to the other. After he had taken charge, Dan had killed one or two before that rule was finally accepted in the pack. Sex was a personal choice, and he wasn't going to dictate who would do what with whom. Eventually, he was awake enough that he noticed what was really going on around him. That was when he finally discovered he was chained and nude. The nude part didn't bother him, but the chained part did and it was a struggle not to change. He had a feeling the cuffs were designed to change as well, and then he would simply be a wolf in chains. Now that he was aware of what was going on, it was a very hard struggle to keep from trying anything stupid till he had a better idea of what was going on. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain and then darkness. How he had gotten here, he had no idea. He didn't even have any idea where he was since he didn't recognize the room. Though he smelled were's, they were not familiar, and he knew all the lycans in the packs around his. While he was working on controlling his anger, his ears picked up the sound of a door being opened and someone walking down some stairs. From the sounds of it, there were three of them, and one of them sort of felt like an Alpha based on the dominance he was picking up. Dan stood up and faced the door in anticipation. He wasn't very impressed by what he was feeling from whoever was walking down the hallway since the level of dominance just wasn't really up to what he was used to. This pack was either new and small, or far away from any other pack, or chances were good it would have been taken over, - well, after receiving permission from the council. When the three walked into view Dan simply stared at them and lifted his lip a bit in a soundless snarl. Neither he nor his wolf appreciated being tied up for no reason. The cell he could understand but the chains? Stupid. Of the three men, one was larger and heavier, but right away Dan could tell that he had some fat on him, which was very hard to do for a wolf unless you worked really hard on it. The guy was probably about 6'5", and was frankly not the best looking wolf he had seen. The other two were younger and closer to Dan's 6' height, but all three of them carried them selves with a thuggish attitude. "So, I see our stray is awake now. Took you long enough, and you ate enough of my food. So, what are you doing on my property?" He hadn't been really startled when one of his pack came back from a run and informed them they had an injured wolf. What had surprised him was the size of the damn thing, - it was a monster, which was the reason for the chains. "Stray? I don't think so. I am the Alpha of the Cascadia pack, and I will pay you for the food." Dan's voice was even, but there was a hint of threat in it. "Now release me so I can go back to my pack." He really wanted out of the chains in a very bad way. "I don't think so, not till I know more about you, stray. You will stay in this room and in the chains till I decide what to do, and how you are going to pay me back." He had to admit the stray was fairly impressive. The overweight alpha even wondered what he could do to keep him in the pack as he considered the naked man. Heavy slabs of muscles could be seen all over his sturdy frame, and just looking at him, you could tell that it was from actually using his muscles and not just exercise. He wasn't pretty, but had a rugged handsomeness, and piercing brown eyes that matched his long brown hair. The way he carried himself also said that he was dangerous. "I will talk to you later. Maybe after you have been in here for a while, you might change your tune." He smirked and walked away without looking back. Dan snarled in reply, and waited for them to leave the basement before testing the chains again. It would be hard, but he was pretty sure he would be able to break the chains. He would have to make sure the timing was right before he moved. Since he was stuck there, he settled down on the cot and closed his eyes. Dan focused on his sense of smell first, and slowly learned each and every scent in the basement. The firsts scent was female, submissive, with a lacing of both sex and fear, and some pain. Those scents got his wolf worked up because you took care of your submissives -- they were the heart and soul of the pack. This submissive had been hurt and definitely smelled of fear, old and new. Other scents slowly trickled over his nose and firmly placed the three in the category of 'to kill first' when he made it out of the makeshift prison. Depending on the quality and size of the pack, he might just take it over, bring it back with him, and integrate it into his own. The council would have a fit, but when Dan explained what had been going on, they probably wouldn't do much to him. There were other scents, stale and fresh, down there. He identified at least ten other lycans in there, so that meant there were at least fourteen, if not more. Next, he focused on his hearing and listened as well as he could, but the sound proofing was too good and it defeated even his excellent lycan hearing. Even though he was meditating and his Alpha instincts were in overdrive, Dan was still grieving the loss of his mate and cubs. His face and demeanor didn't show it, but that ragged part of his heart and soul were threatening to drive him over the edge. If that happened, Luna only knew what would result. When a lycan went over the deep end, it seemed to added fuel to their fire and they could, and would, do things that they normally weren't capable of or likely to do. It was as if the limiter was taken off their engine, though it would eventually burn them out. When it happened, the only two choices were to try and kill the lycan as soon as possible, or get out of his or her way and pray that you were still alive when they finally kicked off. In Dan's case, as much as he wanted to end it, the scent of a submissive in fear was forcing his wolf to try and keep stable and sane. *** He had been meditating for some time when he sensed the upper door opening again, and his senses quickly focused on whoever it was that had opened it. The most important thing was to determine if the person was friend or foe, and in this place, Dan's first reaction was foe based on those three earlier visitors. As he concentrated, it only took him a moment to know that it wasn't any of them three, since the steps coming down were very hesitant and slow. A breath later, he knew it was the female submissive that had been in his cell when he wasn't awake. She reeked of fear, and some anger, and that had his wolf standing up and growling in his mind. When she stopped at the door he could her pain as well, and it was everything he could do not to stand up and snarl. The only reason he didn't was because he could sense that she would freak out, and that would only force his wolf to do something stupid. He also sensed that he really needed to go slowly with her and not scare her any more than she already was. That was going to be tough. His wolf was almost demanding that he take her under his protection and take care of her. Eventually, she opened the door to his cell, and he opened his eyes and looked at her. She felt almost the same as his submissive, but looked totally different. Mary was a bubbly blonde, and though fit and trim, was full figured. This girl was slender, almost emaciated, and she couldn't even look him in the eyes. Mary could and would come out of nowhere, plop down in his lap, and snuggle up just to sort of annoy him, but this girl was beyond submissive. Dan stood up, ignoring the rattling of the chain. When he looked at her, his eyes were as amber as possible before changing -- his wolf was infuriated. It was very difficult, but he forced back his dominance as he spoke to her, "Come little one, come in and let's talk. I am hungry and smell food of a sort in the basket you are carrying. Will you eat with me?" She looked very startled, and glanced up at him for a very brief moment before looking down at the floor again. "I...," she hesitated, "I ate earlier, this is for you, sir." Her entire body posture screamed submission and feart. Mari had been tending to him since he had arrived, and knew that he was strong and very dangerous. To her, that equaled abuse and pain. Dan contemplated her a moment and then very quickly glanced around the cell. If he were in charge, there would be cameras and mic's to pick up what was going on as well as being said. Better safe than sorry was his view. Fortunately, they were in charge of this pack wasn't as thorough. "I understand, little one. Bring the food in and we will talk a bit more." He kept his tone gentle, though his thought was a near growl, 'At the very least could I get some damn sweats?' It wasn't for him, but for her. When she moved into the room, she carefully set the food basket off to one side, as well as a bag of clothing, before kneeling down. "I have been instructed to deal with your every needs. Whatever you demand of me is my wish to obey." He could scent her fear as to what he might wish of her, so he settled down before her. He couldn't help but to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, just as he would any hurt or scared pack member. As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, Mari froze. She tried to do as demanded by her alpha, but she couldn't. She simply couldn't relax into sex the way some of the others did, and that was one of the reasons she was beaten so often. A number of the pack members rather liked beating those who denied them, and she was one of those that resisted even though she was submissive. Dan immediately scented more fear, as well as unwanted sex, and his eyes blazed in anger. He forced himself to relax, closed his eyes, and settled his head on her shoulder. "That isn't going to happen, little one." His voice was still gentle, but conveyed the certainty of his words. He stood up with his eyes still closed. One hand wrapped around the bracelet on the other wrist, and he 'heaved' against the chain. In less than a minute, the chain at the bracelet screamed in stress and then snapped. He swapped hands and heaved again, and the other chain snapped at the bracelet.. Now free, Dan let out a low growl before pledging, "I am coming for you, you bastard, and I am going to kill you." He wasn't really sure if the other so-called alpha would understand, but he didn't really care. Those three were going to die. Once he was free Dan could feel her struggle and carefully lifted her chin so she had to look at him and his eyes were so close to changing it wasn't funny. They were totally amber and had the vertical slits of an animal but for some reason she had to trust him and tears started. "Little one, let me help you." His voice was almost liquid gold as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. Dan pulled on what little power he had and healed her as much as he could. The limited amount of power shocked him, but he decided that it was because of being away from his pack. The power of the man was more than Mari had ever felt before, and a number of her injuries started healing as she sat there leaning against him. Normally she would have flinched away from someone as dominant as he, but something about him forced her to trust him. She leaned into his hug and started crying. "Hush little one, I will not allow anyone to abuse you as you have been, and that pathetic piece of shit is going to die." Usually he resisted the urge to cuss, but the pain this one was feeling was starting to drive him even crazier than he already had been with the death of Nang and his children. He didn't really think about its effect, but her state was the thing keeping him from going totally over the edge. Dan held her for several minutes before her tears started to slow down. "Now I am going to need your help, little one. I need to get upstairs so I can challenge that piece of shit and take care of him for once and for all." That shocked Mari deeply since she had seen a number of people try to challenge him and fail. The fact that he used his two beta's to back him up wasn't wrong to her since she didn't know any better. She had seen her father killed when she was twelve. The physical abuse had started at that point-when she turned 16 the sexual abuse had started. "You can't, he will kill you. He always survives." She was starting to shiver in reaction, and the scent of fear started to flood the room even more strongly than when she had walked in. Dan couldn't help the growl that started low in his chest. "I will not lose to that piece of shit, and I can promise you that. I am one of the strongest Alpha's in the tri-state area, and that piece of shit has no chance against me." He stood up, pulled on the sweat pants, and pulled her to her feet. "Help me out and nobody will hurt you again. You have my word as the Alpha of the Cascadia pack on that." When she stood, Mari barely came to his chin. Compared to him was wafer thin, and his wolf snarled again because he could feel her ribs through the flimsy shirt she was wearing. That was another indicator that this pack was not being run correctly since a hungry wolf was a dangerous wolf, even if they were a submissive. If she was like this he couldn't help but wonder what the rest of the females were like and how they were being treated. "Now, get me out of here so I can deal with him." Dan didn't intend to use his dominance -- it just sort of flowed out, and she turned and walked out of the room. When she responded automatically to his innate authority, Mari shivered again since even her Alpha couldn't get that sort of obedience without using more power. Who the hell was this man, and what did he mean by the Tri-State area? She had never heard of that before. The unfamiliar pack name didn't really cross her mind since packs were named whatever the Alpha wanted. When they reached the top of the stairs, she pushed a button set below a speaker grill. A rather bored sounding voice came across in response. "What do you want, trash?" "I am done with the stray in the cage and have some chores to take care of. Please open the door." Her voice was low and rather pitiful sounding, and there was a definite trace of pleading in her voice. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 02 "You must not have done much for him, but then again you are a rather boring fuck so I can't blame him." There was a coarse laugh at that comment from someone else who was where ever the voice was. Dan almost lost it, but managed to keep the growls from his wolf silent. He even managed to keep his eyes from changing, though it was very difficult. What he really wanted to do was to rip the door off it's hinges, and go and find those two, and kill them; but there were more important things to do, such as killing the Alpha, first. "Please, let me out." Mari knew that begging would only get her laughed at, but she had to try. She imagined they would probably leave her down there for a while just to get her in trouble and beaten by the Alpha. There was some more laughter, but there was a buzzing sound and the door popped slightly open. When it did, she placed her finger against her lips and motioned to the side in sort of pantomime for "one person". Dan nodded, then gently moved her out of the way before jerking the door open and whipping around the door jamb. When he saw the guard, his hand instantly wrapped around the man's throat to keep him from making any noise before his other hand slammed into the side of his head and knocked him out. He really didn't want to kill too many, unless he had no choice. There would be time later to weed out the rejects and trash. With his hand was still wrapped around the guard's throat, he slowly lowered him down and waited for the girl to lead him out of the house. Dan frowned slightly when he realized he hadn't said that to her, and he had to if he was going to take the pack properly. "Outside, for challenge." He barely whispered that in her ear since anyone nearby would be able to hear them if they tried. She nodded and slowly led him through the large pack house. At one point they came across another female, and Mari motioned for her to get back in the room she was coming from. She got a very startled look when the woman saw the strange man with her. As with Mari, there was a lurking fear in her eyes. She couldn't help but swallow when she saw the new male. Even from where she was, she could feel power and a sense of deep, abiding anger, and for some reason a trace of sadness as well. Dan had heard someone moving around, and had been ready to take them out if the person was an enemy. One thing Dan knew was that if he were to look in a mirror his eyes would still be the amber eyes of his wolf, and that wasn't going to change for a while. He nodded slightly at the woman, and she nodded back and began to back away. Eventually they made it outside, and Mari pointed at a circle that was across the parking lot. She started to move to the side, then she felt his hand grasp her arm. Mari looked up at him with terror in her eyes since she was sure he was going to hurt her just as the other males often did. He felt her tense up and scented the fresh wave of fear, so Dannrelaxed his grip slightly before leaning over to whisper, "Come with me little one, I can't protect you if you are over here." As he led her across the yard, he glanced around, and frowned since the two vehicles he saw looked like they were from the 50's, sort of. The curves were wrong, and he didn't recognize the emblems, but he ignored the puzzle since it wasn't important. When they finally reached the circle, he urged her to the far side and then turned to face the house. Again, he had to stare for a moment since it had an older look to it, but decided that could simply be because of it having been in the pack for many years. Dan slowly inhaled and then spoke. He spoke with force and with a drill Sargent's tone, "Where is that fucking, piece of shit dog who calls himself an Alpha?" With his words, he could feel his power flowing out as well, and couldn't help but grin. It almost felt like he was back home, when he originally took over the pack. That time he didn't kill the Alpha since he didn't need to, but this bastard was going to die. Dan's call got an immediate reaction, as lycan's started boiling out of the house. Most of the first were women. He had a feeling that they, more than the senior males, were most interested in removing the current Alpha. Behind them came some of the men, and what really shocked him was when children started coming out of the house. He could tell they were lycan's since the light breeze was blowing towards him. It was so strange that for a moment he almost was distracted, till the fat Alpha and his two enforcers walked out of the house and caught his attention. A slight smirk crossed Dan's face. "Oh, so the dog let the women and children come out first. Pathetic piece of shit." There was a definite sneer in his voice, and got a growl back from one of the two enforcers. He laughed and taunted, "God, you have to hide behind some dogs as well? What type of Alpha are you, if you have to have two enforcers to protect you from your pack. God, what a piece of shit you are." Everything he could do to goad the stupid bastard into attacking him, he was using. That got a snarl from all three of them, and the Alpha forced his way between the two betas. In the past, he might have used the other two to enforce his desires on the pack, but with a challenge like this he had to step up or he would lose the pack, even if he didn't fight. Instead, he looked at the submissive. "Stupid cunt, you will get yours after this." Dan could feel her shiver and draw back, but he still couldn't help but grin slightly. "God, you are one stupid bastard. I can't wait till I kill you since you are too stupid to really know that Submissives are the center of the pack. Come on, you fat dog." Dan took a stance, waved his fingers in a "come here" gesture at him, and waited. The Alpha changed as he was walking into the circle and snarled at Dan. He couldn't put up with this, because if he did, he would lose his comfy position. Changed, he was a large wolf, but there was a certain amount of fat on this form as well. Dan didn't bother changing and sneered when he did. "God, what a piece of shit." Once the Alpha had fully changed, he launched forward toward Dan, sure that he would win. When the wolf lunged at him, Dan twisted himself out of the way. His hand flashed forward and grasped the muzzle of the wolf, though he knew that he was going to get hurt by doing so. In the next move, he shifted towards the wolf and forced him towards the ground. His other hand raised in a large fist and flashed down to the base of the wolf's skull. The impact could be heard by all, as well as the snapping of bone. The wolf hit the ground and started shifting to a nude male as he died on impact of the fist. There was a collective gasp, and both the males and females looked at Dan. His eyes were still amber as he announced, "My pack. My rules. My punishment. I am the Alpha and I dominate here." His voice was a snarl and laden with his dominance. Then he looked at the two betas. "You two, you have two choices, run and let me kill you slowly, or face me in the circle and try to win. The first option will be a slow death, and the second will be short but fast. Which is it going to be?" Blood was flowing off the hand that had been wrapped around the muzzle of the former alpha since he had been impaled by the teeth. Dan didn't seem to be bothered by it as he took a defensive position. "Come here, you two mutts. I don't care if you come one at a time or together since I am going to kill you anyways." That was greeted by a reaction of the rest of the pack since they didn't really care for them. One stepped forward, and Dan had to admit that he was sort of impressed by the wolf's bravery. He had just killed the Alpha with one blow, and this wolf was walking up to the circle without thinking about it. "He was a fat slob, but I am better than he ever was at fighting. You won't kill me nearly as easy, and who knows, maybe I will be the next Alpha." The man was taller than Dan and in pretty good shape. Being a lycan male you just tended to end up well-muscled, but if you actually worked out, it was very easy to be well defined -- and this male was well defined. "We will see. Now, go for it." Dan wasn't paying much attention to the second male, though he did notice several of the others loosely surround him to keep him from running away. The challenger stared at him with hard eyes for a moment, then moved forward and took a stance Dan hadn't seen before. For a very brief moment, Dan worried how hard this was going to be, then he banished the thought from his mind and waited for the other wolf to attack. When he did, he was fast and his first strike almost got through, but Dan managed to deflect it just enough with one arm. He responded and the fight was on. It ended up being a brutal slug fest since the other wolf was pretty good, but Dan had one advantage: he was Alpha and the other wasn't. When the fight ended, Dan had the man pinned on the ground. "You would have been a good beta or enforcer, but I can't allow you to live." Another blow to the back of the head and his neck was snapped as well. As he stood up, he heard the crack of a gun being fired and felt a surge of pain in his side. He guessed he had moved just enough for the bullet to almost miss. Dan looked at the other beta wolf with a look of almost shock. "You shot me? You have got to be joking, right? What the fuck type of pack is this, if you aren't an honorable enough wolf to actually fight a challenge?" The four men who had surrounded the man had restrained him, but not in time to keep him from getting one shot off. They were growling at him because even though their former Alpha had been a bastard, he did support the challenge system. It was mostly to get enjoyment out of his two senior wolves beating up on people, but he was very strict about it. Dan stalked over to the wolf, growling as he did. The growl was low and deep, and resonated from deep in his chest. When he was in front of the man, he didn't say anything, just simply reached over and twisted the man's neck till it snapped. Normally, he would have been quick about it, but in this case he did it slowly to make a point. "This is now my pack and that is all there is to it. Anyone want to challenge me?" His eyes roved over the others, and an eyebrow slightly raised when he noticed the men were separate from the women and children. He wondered why, but like so many other unusual things, at the moment it didn't matter. What did was finishing taking over the pack. That would normally take place on a full moon, but he didn't trust anyone in the pack except for the little submissive who had been taking care of him. ~~~ Please provide additional feedback and comments on this chapter if you are reading it a second or third time. I want to know if the suggestions Capt. Siren made helped. I think it is a far easier read now than the original. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 03 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... * After he killed the third man he turned and faced the rest of the pack and his eyes met the eyes of each and every adult standing there and waited for them to look away in submission before moving to the next person. It didn't take very long for everyone to submit but he needed to seal them to him before he could really trust the submission. "Line up and kneel." His voice was hard but even when he said that. Mari had been moving towards him to take a look at the bullet wound but froze when he spoke and automatically lowered her head before heading to where the women and children were. She stopped at the end of the adults and was next to one of the minor lycan's and waited to see what was going to happen. Dan walked to the first man and looked down at him. "Give me your knife." How he knew the man had one he wasn't sure but he did. Once the man pulled it out he took it. "I don't know how you do it around here but where I am from new lycan's are sealed to their Alpha by drinking some of the blood of the Alpha. This forms the pack bonds which helps keep the pack strong." As he was talking he ran the small blade across the palm of his hand and let the blood start to pool before holding it over the first man and dribbled some into his mouth and as he swallowed he felt the bond starting to form and smiled. It was good to feel someone in his mind again. Whatever had happened the bonds with his other pack had been broken or were dormant and his wolf really didn't like that. When the man swallowed the blood it didn't taste like blood but power of some sort and it burned down his throat. Almost as soon as it hit his stomach there was another surge of power and his eyes popped open when he felt the pack bond form. He had never felt this before and it scared him but his wolf perked up in his mind and then started howling in excitement. When the wolf howled in his mind his eyes instantly went an ice blue as his wolf came to the front. Dan smiled slightly at the utter look of shock on the man's face but didn't stop and moved to the next person. He ended up having to cut his hand several times as he did this but once he was done his palm was healed. Mari was the last one and when she joined his mind it was as if a gentle surge of warmth and comfort flowed into him and he almost cried. Before he could do anything else a little girl, maybe 5ish, tugged on his sweat pants. "Mr. Alpha aren't we good enough to be pack?" She didn't know why the others got to do that and they didn't. He stood there for a moment before kneeling down in front of her and contemplated her and then frowned just slightly as her scent washed over his nose. She wasn't human and most definitely had the fur under skin scent of a lycan. "When did you become a lycan little one?" How the hell could a child this young be a lycan? You had to be turned to be a lycan, they weren't born that way. "I's always been one." She didn't even think twice before sliding her short dress and undies off and changed into a pup and wiggled her tail at him. Dan froze for a moment in shock. That wasn't possible since female lycan's couldn't have children. The change was too hard on their bodies and they would usually abort by the third month. Where the hell was he? If this was true this was the one thing they really needed to free themselves of biting friends, children, and lovers to change them. The worst part was the change was successful only part of the time and those that didn't change died. He slowly held a hand out and she sort of wiggled over to him and he stroked her head and scooped her up and gave her a good hug. "Well I see I was wrong so I will bring the rest of you into the pack as well." His eyes scanned the crowd of children. "Where I come from our females can't bear children so it never occurred to me." He put her back down. "Change sweetie." Once she was back in her cloths he sliced his hand and trickled a bit of blood into her mouth and as the bond formed he had to smile since it felt so different since she was a child. There was a simplicity to it that was refreshing. Suddenly a surge of sadness hit since she sort of reminded him of Allie, all bouncy and wiggly. "Are you okay Mr. Alpha?" She could feel his sadness through the new bond but not why he was upset. He shook his head and then worked his way down the children till everyone had bonded. Having people in his head again was helping him to keep from breaking down. Also having a pack to take care of and return to proper management forced his wolf to step back from his grief. Most of his anger had been dealt with by killing the top three. Now time to put down some new rules. Dan moved away from the little girl and to the center of the group. "I am your Alpha now and there are going to be some changes. First I will decide on what punishment might be deserved. If someone transgresses they will be brought to me and I will deal with it. Once I get to know you and a feel for who you are that might change some but it is going to take time. Second there will no forced sex with anyone. If you are interested, ask and if they say no and walk away. If anyone is caught forcing someone to have sex it will be an instant death sentence and I won't care who you are or what position you are in." His eyes roved around the pack and there were a few mutters amongst the men. "Is that a challenge I am hearing? Think you can take me out?" He hardened his face and held up a hand palm up and did the come hither motion and almost snickered when one man stumbled backwards and almost fell over. "Thirdly when I give an order it will be obeyed and if anyone tries to tell me that job is below them I will drag your ass out here and use you as a sparring partner and pound you into the ground." His cold eyes traveled around again and nodded. "Who is in charge of the house, finances, and the senior female." Two women stepped forward and kept their eyes down as they had been trained. "I am Felanzi the senior female and this is Angela. We don't actually have a head of the house hold. Angie is in charge of the kitchens and the cubs." He looked at them and nodded slightly though they couldn't see it. "It is acceptable to look at me. I will not punish you if you do and if anyone does I will deal with them." The first woman felt older though she looked late 20's and the second felt young as if she was a fairly new adult and looked maybe 20 or so. A man stepped forward. "You killed the finance officer and the head of security. I am in charge of getting supplies and making sure we have enough food, clothes and things like that." His eyes met Dan's only briefly and then flicked down to his chest. "Okay, you three follow me to wherever the damn offices are, well after I give a few more orders." He turned to the pack and pointed at the bodies. "Get rid of them and make sure they are well hidden, an abandoned mine or deep cave would work quite well. As soon as you get back all of you", his hand pointed at the males, "start cleaning this yard and surrounding property up. This place is barely better than a pigsty as much trash is scattered around." His face was cold and hard as he spoke since he had a feeling that many of the men would feel that was below them. Dan was doing this partially to reinforce the idea that he was the Alpha and also to force them to start learning that they were going to work and not let the women do all the work. "When I am done talking to these three I am going to come out and check to make sure you are making good progress." Dan turned to the females. "I want you to start cleaning the house itself. You have been doing a decent job but I have a feeling that you simply haven't had enough time in the day to do what was really needed. As you come across things that I might need to be made aware of make a list. Things like leaky sinks, broken windows, low on cleaning supplies, that sort of thing." His voice was much quieter as he spoke to them and they all nodded. The kids were standing there and he couldn't help but smile slightly. "You are going to be helping the females in the house. If your mother is here take instructions from her and if not find one and ask what you can do." Now that he had that done he turned towards the house. "Mari come with please." His voice was gentle when he talked to her and sighed when she twitched. This was going to be so hard to teach her that she didn't need to fear him. *** Originally he hadn't planned on bringing Mari with but now that the fight was over and he had sealed the pack to him his wolf was starting to long for their lost mate and cubs. If he didn't have her with him it was very possible he would break down again. The comfort of the submissive would help him to keep it together. Dan had also noticed the startled looks on the faces of the three since other than the children Mari was the lowest ranking wolf. Once in the office he dropped into the chair and rubbed his temples for a moment before taking a moment to glance around the room. It was large, had a large window and a number of book shelves but everything was a mess. Books and files stuffed wherever someone decided to stuff them. The desk was large and heavy with a rather odd looking computer, or what he assumed was a computer since it didn't look like anything he had seen before. Dan also noticed that there weren't any chairs on the other side of the desk and shook his head. "Go get something to sit on, I have a feeling that we are going to be here for a while." As soon as they walked out Dan looked at Mari. "I need your help little one. My wolf is starting to fall apart because of the loss of our mate and cubs. You are the only one that can really keep me in one piece. I know that might sound strange but I can't explain it better than that. What I want you to do is stand behind me and just rest your hands on my shoulders and nothing else." As she moved behind him he leaned his head back and rested it on his chest and struggled not to start crying. He had a pack to protect and rebuild and wonder of wonders real honest to god cubs who were lycan's. While he was resting there he listened for the others coming back and when they were almost at the door he sat up and plastered an intent expression on his face. "Please sit and don't bother with the Alpha crap or Pack leader unless it is a formal occasion. My name is Danilo Legarith." He noticed the looks Mari was getting and explained. "She is keeping my wolf calm right now. I lost my mate and cubs less than two weeks ago and my wolf is having issues." That got a stunned look and then sympathy. "How is she keeping your wolf calm? I don't understand, can you please explain further?" Saul's voice was respectful and he was keeping his eyes down at chest level. Dan sighed and a trace of his agony and loss showed on his face. "First off I am not sure how to explain this or how it happened but this isn't my world. There are too many things that don't make sense such as not having pack bonds, your alpha being able to act the way he was, things such as your vehicles and this computer are to different." He paused and a wintery smile crossed his face at their reaction. "Anyways, in my world Mari would be considered a submissive wolf because she won't challenge for a position in the pack. They will only fight if they are attacked. Because of that more dominant wolves know that they are safe to be around them since they don't have to fight. It allows them to relax and not have to worry about a challenge. Also more dominant wolves are driven to protect junior wolves and since she is at the bottom so to speak it forces my wolf to guard her which keeps him from losing it again." While he was talking Mari was lightly rubbing his shoulders which was helping. She still smelled of fear and other odors but her wolf was slowly starting to sense what Dan was saying about not hurting her though she still didn't trust him. "Okay, first what is your name? For the moment you are going to be my aid till you prove not capable or I find someone more suited for it." "My name is Saul..." His head shot up in shock and he shivered slightly. The last two assistants had been women and not treated well. That position was not a good one to have. He noticed the reaction and he sighed and leaned his head back. This pack was badly damaged and it was going to take time to rebuild the damaged trust. "Saul, Felanzi, Angela I am not going to hurt you, beat you, or anything else unless you have done something to deserve it. I know that is hard to believe based on what little I saw of the senior lycan's and I am going to do my best to prove that you can trust me." "Angela for the moment I am going to elevate you to head of house since we really do need one. Remember this is temporary till I get a better feel for you, your dominance in the pack, and if I find someone else later on. Your basic job description is to ensure plenty of good food, doesn't have to be fancy but good solid filling food, ensuring chores such as laundry, cleaning, and such are being done on time and properly." He watched her flinch slightly but ignored it since there was only so much that he could say. What was going to matter to these people was his actions and if he backed up what he was saying. Dan looked at the last woman. "To be honest I am not sure what your actual responsibilities are or will end up turning out to be. My former mate", his face tensed up, "took care of that stuff but it will be ensuring that Angela has the support she needs, resolving issues between the females if possible and if some sort of discipline is needed then bring it to me. I am going to want daily reports till I get a feel for what is going on." Dan was about to say something else when he got a sort of nudge over the pack bonds and his eyes hardened and he stood up. "Follow me, there is going to be a discipline issue." He wasn't sure what was going to happen but one of the males was thinking about doing something that normally he would get away with and didn't even really consider what might happen. They hurried to the front of the building and Dan held up a hand for silence as he stared out the open door. His eyes immediately centered on two people carrying a log, one was a larger and older and even from here Dan could tell he was more dominant. The other was much younger and he had to guess he wasn't much more than a teen and was probably one of the junior wolves. The others were looking at him and one look at his face made them freeze since he actually looked not just angry but seriously pissed off as well. They all looked in the direction he was just in time to see the larger wolf shove the log forward making the boy stumble. When he stumbled he jerked the log out of the other's hands and it landed on the larger wolf's foot. The man didn't even think twice before reaching over and back handing the boy. "Be more fucking careful you piece of shit." That was as far as he got before Dan lunged out the door, jumped over the railing and grabbed the man by his shirt and twisted and heaved. The man was looking somewhat shocked since the first indication that Dan was there was his flying through the air and hitting the ground with a thud and bounced. He started to snarl and get up when Dan shoved him back down with one foot. As of yet he still only had the sweat type pants on and it was obvious that many of his injuries were mostly healed. "I accept your challenge for my position as Alpha." The man paled and started gibbering before something in Dan's eyes made not only his mouth but his body freeze and he realized he was in serious trouble. Keeping his eyes on him Dan pulled on the power of the pack and opened his mouth and a low reverberating howl flowed out. If one was forced to describe it the best way was a sort of golden honey tone mixed with a bit of molten fury. Every wolf didn't even think but turned towards Dan and came running since they felt the pull of his call and the demand that they answer. When he felt all the pack was there he finally looked up. "I gave an order that any and all punishment and discipline was to come through me. This one didn't obey that and now I have to give a new order. Anyone found to be bullying a junior wolf will face me in the challenge circle. Since he chose not to obey me I have accepted his challenge and his punishment once I win will be announced afterwards." Dan took his foot off the man's chest and moved back a few feet. "Get up you mangy piece of shit. Get up and face me or die." The power was gone from his voice but the promise of death was there. He watched the man and snarled when he tried to present his neck for submission. "I do not accept your submission and we are going to fight now get up." The man was shocked when Dan chose not to accept since normally that was all that was needed and he had a feeling he was going to be feeling a great deal of pain in the near future. Sullenly he stood up and jumped at Dan and started swinging. He really didn't have any expectations of winning after watching him earlier but maybe he could at least slow him down. He didn't even bother avoiding the blows, just deflected them and slammed a fist into one side. It wasn't nearly as hard as he could have hit him with since he was going to make a very painful example of him. "Is that all you got? I might have to demote you to toilet cleaner. God I have known women who could hit harder." Dan was going to do his best to goad the man into doing stupid things. The blow to the ribs hurt and he felt like one might have cracked. Since his first attack didn't work he backed off a bit and tried to circle around the other male and with a grin was finally where he wanted and leaned down and in a flash move tossed a handful of dirt at Dan's face. That was easily blocked and when the man moved forward to take advantage Dan pivoted on one foot and lifted the other in a kick that went to the other's chest and tossed him partway across the circle. The following five minutes were a definite learning experience for the man. Dan was very skilled in hand to hand but due to his nature was more than willing to accept a few blows to deliver a return blow. In a way he was almost more of a brawler simply because he had the power to land debilitating blows and the mass to accept damage others simply couldn't. The final move was a fist in the solar plexus and as the man folded in half his knee came up and shattered his nose and he went down. "I accept your submission now and this is your punishment, you are going to be in the cells till healed and fed only bread, water, and raw veggies till released. Next time you try anything I will kill you." He turned to the crowd. "This is why I forced him to fight..." He pulled on the bonds with the pack and pulled the memory of what he did to the boy and showed it to everyone older than 12 or so. Most of the people were shocked when he did that since they had never felt the likes before. "Now you have seen me in my role as disciplinarian of the pack. I am going to show you another side of my job." He looked at the boy and gave him a gentle smile. "Come here son, let me make sure you are okay." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 03 The boy looked terrified when Dan asked him to come up and only when his mother, presumably, nudged him forward did he move and finally was standing in front of the scary Alpha. "What's your name son? Let me see your hands for a moment." Dan held his hands out and simply waited for the boy to move. This close to him he guessed he might not even be 18 which only made him angrier though he wasn't going to show it. "My name is Paulo Alpha sir." His hands slowly lifted up and placed them in Dan's hands. He couldn't help but let tears come since he knew that Dan was going to do something mean. "I am pleased to meet you Paulo and as Alpha of my pack I have to dispense justice which I did but I am also a protector and take care of my pack when they are hurt." Dan focused on the minor injuries and to be honest he didn't need to do this but he was trying to make another point and healed the wounds where the wood had torn into the skin and moments later there were a few splinters sitting on top of the skin and the wounds were gone. The boy could only stare at his hands and then at Dan in shock. He had never seen anything like that before and really didn't know what to think. Dan smiled at him and pulled him into a rough hug. "Mind you minor injuries like that normally get to heal by themselves. Now go back to your ma." Dan released him. "Discipline has been served. Take this person to the cells, treat him but nothing else. He does not get any privileges other than the toilet, no shower, no change of clothes only the food." With that he turned and walked back into the house and to the office and sat down and waited for the others to come back in. Mari was almost instantly there and he sighed and relaxed. Once they walked in he sat up. "Angela go and get a good solid meal and make sure there is plenty of food. I can see how the women and kids weren't fed enough but the men were and that is a crock of shit. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but hot and filling and if you have time a good dessert. If you don't have time maybe I will come in and cook something." He grinned when she looked shocked. Instead of saying anything she turned and almost scurried out of the room. "Okay Felanzi go take care of what I have asked and I will talk to you tomorrow unless you need something. Saul I am going to leave the office to you so you can start sorting and organizing things and if you need me find me. I want to walk around and see what all is here." Mari assumed he wanted her to go with and followed him out and kept a half step behind him but managed not to lower her head like she had been taught. It was hard but his little demonstration earlier seemed to make a point her wolf could understand. That and what they did with whatever had formed when they drank his blood also showed it. Everyone knew that Nickoli was an ass and bully but his getting called on it and then beat into the ground helped. He hadn't been allowed to get away with it and the threat to kill him next time had been very believable. That was especially after what he had done earlier when he took over the pack. To be honest she wasn't really sure what to think about him, he confused her since he had killed without hesitation yet took the time to comfort the pups and even pay attention to them. When they had been in the cell and she had offered sex and was turned down flat it had actually shocked her. If she had offered her body to any of the other males very few of them would have even thought twice and even one or two of the women would have said yes. "Penny for your thoughts little one." He could feel her thinking really hard about something but unless he deliberately tried he wouldn't sense what it was unless it was a really strong emotion. Even with strong emotions you didn't always get an idea of what was behind the emotion. With the intent he had felt earlier he had strengthened the bond and knew what he was going to do. Mari sort of shrugged but didn't say anything. Her thoughts were sort of a mess as she tried to figure him out. "In a moment we will be there sir Alpha." She opened the door as she was talking. "Can we go to the master bedroom? I would like to see where I am going to be living for the duration." That and he wanted to collapse in a chair and relax for a while. Adding 35 or so new members was giving him a headache and if anything else went wrong he might lose the tenuous hold on his wolf and do something stupid. "This way please." She turned and headed to a separate stairwell that only went to the Alpha's quarters. Nobody was allowed up there without the express permission of the Alpha other than his two enforcers. A few moments later she opened the door to the room and let him go in first. Dan looked around the room and sighed. It was ostentatious splendor and both tacky and gaudy. He was sure that many of the items were valuable but the way they were put together were enough to give him nightmares when he did finally go to bed. "Oh god, this is horrible. Small dick syndrome I think. Can we just burn it and start over?" Mari stared at him and before she realized it she was snickering at his reaction since she had come up with a very similar opinion and it kept getting worse every time he would add more crap to it. "I am glad you like it..." When she said that she sucked in a breath and took the position of submission they had been taught. Dan wasn't looking at her when she snickered and was pleased. He knew that she wouldn't really heal for a long time but every time he could get her to smile or snicker or show any sort of personality it pleased him. "Um, yah... Like is not the term I would use. I have a feeling I might have nightmares in this place till I get it cleaned out." About then he turned and noticed she was standing there with her hands clasped in front of her and her head was down looking at the floor. His wolf almost snarled and it was all Dan could do to keep him under control and he was rather startled that he could. The week before he had ended up here his wolf had broken free almost on a daily basis and they had to send half the pack out to hunt him down as he howled his grief to the skies for his lost family. Dan slowly walked over to her. "Mari don't ever stand that way again. I expect respect from you but to me that is meeting my eyes and then looking at my chin. For normal things call me Dan unless it is a formal situation and then it is pack leader." A slight smile crossed his face. "Mari look at me", he waited till she did, "I order this as your Alpha." His grin grew as she looked totally shocked at that. "Now one thing I would like to have done is the bedding changed and maybe some boxes brought up so we can pack up some of this, um, well heck, crap to be disposed of later." Now that was over he flopped into a chair and leaned his head back and the strain he was feeling was starting to show. He and his wolf were grieving over the loss of their mate and pups, ending up in a different world, having had to fight four battles, well three and one killing as well as everything else today he was tired. Mari moved over and stood next to him. "Is there anything I can do for you Dan?" Well there were one or two things she didn't want to do, or not yet. She was feeling somewhat drawn to him by her wolf but her human side still remembered the abuse that she had to deal with both before she was 18 and after. Before it had been simple physical abuse but after it sexual abuse had been added. "There is but I don't want to push the little trust we have built up. I would love for you to sit in my lap and just curl up for a while. I also need to talk to you about letting me into your mind. I need to learn about this world and other things that only you can tell me or show me." He kept his eyes closed. "I don't want anything sexual from you right now. If I even considered that my wolf would have fits not to mention it isn't something I could do. I have never abused my position as Alpha before like that." Mari listened to him and tilted her head and carefully watched his face and couldn't feel any deception in his expression or his scent. With a great deal of trepidation she moved closer and carefully settled down in his lap and had to slightly tense up when his arms around her. Dan needed the contact and as much as she tensed up he couldn't help but curl his arms around her and rested his head on her chest below her chin. It was sort of possible with her on his lap but he didn't care if he ended up with a neck cramp. His eyes were still closed and he carefully scented her and his wolf slowly relaxed at the scent of a submissive and as hard as he tried not to the tears started flowing. They would be grieving for a long time and this would help. When she felt the quiet sobs she relaxed and curled around him much as Mary had before though in her case it was instinctive and not learned. Her wolf saw the stronger wolf hurting so bad and immediately knew that she would do what she could do to help him. The wolf had seen what he had done that day and how he had acted not only to the abusers but to Giani and how he had tried to calm her down before letting her sample a bit of his blood. What sort of bothered her was how he was almost diametrically different, either hard and cold that would kill without a problem or gentle and kind and patient. What was it about him that he could kill those three without blinking yet kneel down in front of a little girl and comfort her? What was he and how had he gotten there? While she was thinking she realized that Dan's breathing had slowed down and his body had somewhat relaxed and was now asleep. With a glance at the chronometer she knew that she would have to wake him in about an hour to go down to dinner. Dan finally drifted off and Mari kept stroking his hair and wonder just who he was. He was so different from the Alpha that had run the pack while she had been alive. She thought back to the contradictions he had presented during the day and almost wished that she had someone like this in her life. He was hard when needed and took taking care of the pack as most important. He also didn't hesitate to kill wolves that might impact on the pack. How would he be with humans? Would he be the same or did he maybe like humans instead of lycan's? She didn't really pass out but sort of settled in a sort of trance till there was a very quiet knock on the door and since Dan was still asleep she stood up and quietly walked over to the door. "Can I help you? The Alpha is asleep." When she opened the door Angela was there. "Dinner is going to be in half an hour and wanted to make sure that both of you were there." Her voice was quiet as well and her brief glance saw Dan asleep, or looked asleep and gave Mari a wink and sort of smile. Mari rolled her eyes. "Only sleeping and nothing happened you silly woman." She gave her a light hug and a peck on the cheek. "I will have him down there shortly. Go back and make sure that everything is correct." It was sort of silly but she really did want the best for her Alpha. Mari blushed slightly. "I offered him sex and he turned me down flat and simply asked for comfort." Angela smiled and closed the door as Mari tried to resist snorting and a snicker since this was the first time she had ever seen her react to a man in any way. She had been with many but only under duress yet as hard as she tried to resist feeling anything for Dan she did. It was a very upsetting feeling but yet she had it and it was distressing. Once the door was closed he had to smile slightly. "So lets go down to dinner and see how the pack is over with what I did today?" He opened his eyes and smirked at Mari when she jumped slightly when he spoke. "I don't let people I am not comfortable with enter my area." He stood up and moved over to Mari. "You I am comfortable with and you will always have access to my rooms." Mari sort of blushed since she wasn't really sure what to make of that not to mention his denying the sex that she had offered. Was it some special way of slowly getting her to come to him? It didn't feel quite right but it could be as true as that. She was going to need to think about this and maybe talk to one or two others before she even considered it in the future. His face tightened up. "Where is the bracelet I had on me when I arrived? My mate gave it to me and I want it back." His eyes started to show the loss of his family. Getting the bracelet back would help. "I will have to look for it my Alpha. I will find it for you but we do need to go down and eat. I will stay with you." She felt safe around him and knew that while she was around him she would be safe. She wrapped an arm around him and led him out of the rooms. "I will make sure someone puts clean sheets on the bed before we get back." He sighed and walked out with her but once out the door stood up and started walking with a purpose. In the room he could show weakness but around the pack he had to be strong. Dan also gently removed her arm for the same reason. As they were approaching the dining area he could hear some giggling and before he had a chance to move she came running around the corner and right into him and almost took him out. Before she could move he reached down and scooped her up. "I think I am going to make a new rule about running in the house. Anyone caught gets a punishment of tickly fingers..." He started lightly tickling her ribs. Ciana started giggling and let out a good squeal as well and heads popped out and most of the people looked shocked seeing their new Alpha playing with one of the kids. Her mother came scurrying up. "Are you okay Alpha?" She was really worried since the former Alpha didn't like kids and tended to kick them out of his way when he was annoyed. He grinned at her. "Just giving some punishment out for running in the house." He tickled her a bit longer before handing her over to her mother. "She was running and almost took her Alpha out which considering those others couldn't is quite an accomplishment." Ciana settled into her mothers arms. "I like him mommy, he's silly." She settled her head on her mothers shoulder and shyly looked at him. Everyone was still frozen and waited to see what he was going to do and he quickly solved that question when he squatted down and looked at the boys. "Come here you two." He waited and they slowly came over and he frowned slightly. "No more running in the house. You might knock someone over who is carrying something." Once they were close enough he reached out and snagged them and heard a gasp. "Time for the prescribed punishment..." and started tickling them and could hear a sort of collective gasp that came from everyone at the giggles and laughs from the two boys. "Now I think you need to go and get washed for dinner." One of the boys looked like he had been rolling around in the dirt. He had a smile on his face but there were tears in his eyes as he straightened up and walked away. Since there was still silence on the hallway he turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Is it against the rules for your Alpha to deal with kids and maybe even play with them?" He turned and walked into the dining room and there was a small smile on his face as the hall erupted in whispered conversations. He didn't bother trying to listen since he had a feeling that he had made the point. Those kids were his to protect and care for. He couldn't protect his children but he would damn well take care of these. In the room was several tables and one was obviously set up for him since the chair was larger and engraved and the others were plain. Dan slowly walked over and settled down in the center one and nodded as the others walked in. When he noticed one woman walking out with a tray of bread, jug of water, and raw veggies he almost sniggered but resisted. Others slowly walked in and most of them glanced at him and then looked away and he wanted to sigh but didn't. The three that he had picked out walked up to the table and stood there. "Sir, where do you wish us to sit? The old Alpha only had his two at this table since they were his seconds." That was the senior female speaking. Dan frowned slightly and had to roll his eyes when a number of people took in a quick breath and he had to stand. "Okay, I am going to make this quick and easy. I want you to call me Dan instead of sir or Alpha or Pack Leader. When I frown it doesn't mean that I am angry or upset or going to smack someone. Usually it just means that I am thinking about something. I had a mate and two children," he closed his eyes, "and lost them two weeks ago or there abouts." There was a gasp from the room when he had to pause after saying that and Ciani pulled free from her mother and ran up to the main table. For some reason she trusted him and wrapped her arms around his leg and gave it a big hug. Dan leaned over and scooped the little girl up and held her close to his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love kids and love playing with them. I will protect them as much as I will protect all of you. You are my pack. I might not like some of you but that doesn't mean that I won't stand up and protect you. I take care of my pack and make sure that my pack does well. I know that this is going to be hard for you to understand based on what I have seen of your former Alpha. All I really ask is give me a bit of time to prove what I am saying." With that he sat down and turned and looked at the three. "Well Angela since you are in charge of the house now I am sure you have better things to do than sit here." Dan smiled at her and she sort of smiled back. "Now Felanzi and Saul if you would join me I would appreciate it." Once they came around and sat down he looked out over the crowd. "For the time being Felanzi is remaining as senior female and Saul is the new finance office and my assistant. I think that they will do and unless I change my mind give them the respect they deserve. Also while I am thinking about it Angela is now the head of the house as well. When I get to know all of you and what you can do things might change but for now that is the way it is." A few minutes later and most of the people were seated and the food was being brought out. It smelled good but some of the scents were different from what he was used to. Some were familiar but others were new. Of course they got the first trays of food but he didn't have a problem with that since he was Alpha. What he would have complained about was if his food was better than everyone else. Once he started eating others started and he kept a slight eye on what was going on. When he noticed that Mari was sitting with the kids he had to smile since she was making sure all of them had plenty of food. Even better was the pile of food that was on her plate. Others were keeping a close eye on what he was eating and doing. "Please eat up, there is plenty of food and I will not have a hungry wolf in my pack. I will make sure that you are well fed, or as best possible. I would say eat up for there shall be no tomorrow but that might give you the wrong impression." Mari snickered slightly and kept eating. The rest of the room stilled for a moment before taking a bit more food and all of them kept a close eye on him and what he was doing. *** Dinner was finally over and he and Mari ended up back in his new rooms. What was going to be rough was wondering what was happening with his pack back where he had come from. Well that and trying to sleep. He had managed to put up a strong front downstairs but now that he was in his new rooms it was very hard. "Mari I know that you have been in this room before. Go, change and get ready for bed please." Dan had turned away when he said that since he was sure that she had some cloths in the room since he could smell her scent in there and rather strongly even though the sheets had been changed. When he turned around Mari was stripped naked and was standing there with her head facing down. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 03 He froze for a moment as he looked at her. She was of age but she was a very petite woman. She was a bit over 5'3" tall. Her breasts were maybe an a+ but well-shaped. They were sort of palm sized but had nice nipples and small brow areolas. Her hips were slightly larger than her waist and for what ever reason she was shaved smooth. If he had been at any other point he would have considered her but that wasn't what he wanted. Dan moved over to her and he sort of felt her shiver and could smell a bit of fear and wrapped his arms around her body. "Mari I don't want sex. You are a very attractive woman but right now I need comfort and someone to hold me while I deal with the loss of my family." He sighed a bit since he could feel some attraction to her. "Even if I was interested you would have every right to say no to my interest. Now go and take a bath and I will take one after you." At that point he was down to his shorts and it was rather obvious that he wasn't feeling anything towards her body. He turned her towards the shower and gently nudged her in. "Maybe tomorrow I will do your hair and your back but only to get clean." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 04 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. At the end of the chapter is a list of characters. Periodically I might be adding a bit of background data to help fill in details that wouldn't normally be mentioned. Also I know there haven't been any sex scenes but in my next chapter, assuming my plots work out, there will be and hope it works. * Once Mari walked into the bathroom, Dan walked over to the bed and sort of flopped on it. He really didn't want anyone in his room. If he didn't though, he was going to end up running and howling out his mind as his wolf took over. Without Mari's presence as a submissive to calm his wolf, his wolf would take over once again and he would once again be endlessly running and howling to give voice to their pain inside. He was still lying there on the clean sheets when she finally came out. "Sir, if you want the bathroom is yours." Her voice was soft but even now there was some apprehension in her voice. "Um, thanks and since you know where everything is can you find me some shorts please?" He forced his body off the bed and slowly walked to the bathroom and stripped down. There was a laundry basket and he tossed his sweat pants into it and climbed into the shower. The water was already hot and it felt so good on his body and he took his time getting clean. As he was doing that he heard Mari place something inside the room but didn't say anything when she closed the door behind her. Eventually he had his body clean and his hair clean though what he washed with was odd. The items for getting clean weren't what he was used to. There was a wash cloth, no loofa, some shampoo that was sort of goopy, thicker than what he used back home, and the soap was a bar soap and not body wash. Also the fittings in the shower were antique. It had the four spindle knobs and external plumbing from when the water came into the water control mechanism. Even the finish just looked old and not as refined as his pack house. He finally turned the water off and toweled off before stepping out. On the counter was a set of shorts and he pulled them on. When he walked out of the bathroom, he found Mari standing there in a sort of t-shirt that hung down to her mid thighs. "You could have crawled in bed Mari." Dan gave her a soft smile and walked over to the bed and crawled in. "I don't want a slave little one, I need someone who will...." he closed his eyes and tried not to cry again to swallow the tears, "I need someone who will hold me and let me cry." Before he crumpled she hurried over and crawled into bed but almost panicked when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her chest and started crying. "God I miss my family." His voice started quietly and rose as he talked and before she realized it, he was almost howling. "I want my family back. I want my mate and my cubs back." His arms were wrapped around her as he sobbed into her neck and he couldn't stop. Mari wrapped her arms around him and let him cry. It felt sort of wrong to have her Alpha's head tucked under hers, but on some level it also felt right. "Sleep my Alpha, sleep. I am going to be here for you as long as needed." He hadn't attacked her or forced her to accept having sex with him. He had cuddled with the pups, as he called them, and from what she could feel he only wanted comfort and consolation. It was a while later before he eventually fell asleep. Mari slid down in bed but kept her arms around him before finally falling asleep herself. As she was sleeping she felt very comfortable and something else warmed her and caused her to sleep even deeper. What she didn't realize at the moment was that it was her wolf reacting to her Alpha and implicitly trusting his wolf. To the wolf yesterday is simply that, yesterday and to be forgotten. What mattered was now and tomorrow. This wolf, as her wolf thought of their Alpha, had killed those that hurt others, listened to a pup, protected an older cub and gave orders to protect the pack. For all the lycan's the half that was going to need to really come to terms with it was their human side. To them yesterday gave an indication of how today and tomorrow were going to go. Their yesterdays had been filled with abuse, ill treatment, not getting enough to eat for some of the females and other indignities. They, the human side, had to learn to trust again. Giani and the two boys had slipped away from the cub's room, and following both her and Dan's scent tracked Dan and his scent of sadness to his room. They had never even considered this before but she was their sort of leader and didn't really think about it. When they reached his room, well new room, they carefully opened the door and snuck inside. Once inside they stripped and shifted, leaving small piles of cloths on the floor, and hopped on the bed and curled up with the two inside. Dan was deep enough asleep that the pups didn't get seen as a threat and reached out and grabbed two of the pups and pulled them close and curled around them. His girls had joined their parents in their bed often enough when there were storms that though during the day he would know better but at night thought they were his. If he had been awake enough for that thought process to flash across his brain he probably would have started crying again. Instead they comforted him with their small warm bodies and helped him sleep even deeper. Mari took the third and pulled him to her and tucked him under her chin and murmured softly before going back to sleep. Since she was not in her room and in her bed she was twitch enough to sort of wake up till the scent of one of the cubs made her smile and pulled him close and curled around him like she did many a time. When he woke up, Dan felt better than he had for a while but knew that was only a momentary feeling. He had seen people lose their mates before and it was a long and rocky road to recover. As he was waking up he could sense there were others in bed besides him and Mari and opened his eyes and looked. He had to grin since he was curled around the pup he recognized as the little girl as well as one of the boys, or he assumed it was one of the boys since he hadn't seen them in their other forms. "And who invited you two into my bed?" There was definite amusement in his voice when he said that and grinned when she simply rolled over on her back and twitched a bit. "Make that three Dan since I have a cub over here as well." Mari was more than startled when she woke up and found one of the cubs next to her. It wasn't unusual for her to find one or two in her bed but the Alpha's bed? That was actually shocking. "Oh, must be a wolf thing I guess. Curl up in a dog pile, well wolf pile would be better to say I guess." Dan rolled over and smiled at Mari. "Thank you for staying. It really helped a great deal." After a light peck on her forehead he carefully got out of bed and after grabbing some clothes that looked like they might fit walked into the bathroom. He hadn't really paid much attention last night when he had used it and now he took a good look around it. The tub was a claw foot tub, the fixtures looked rather old fashioned like so many other things in the house and there was also a large shower. Since he was still feeling rather grungy after yesterday he started a shower and climbed in and let the water flow over him. As he was starting to wash his hair, he heard the bathroom door open and the sounds of several little feet sneaking in. He sighed since this really wasn't something he was used to. Moments later the shower door was opened and there was some giggling and he turned and mock growled. "And what are you doing in my bed and my shower? I think someone is going to get more tickly fingers..." Giani giggled even more and then sobered up before walking over and leaning against one leg. "You were sad and since you said pack takes care of pack we came to take care of you." She didn't look like his kids whatsoever since his former mate had been Asian. Giani had a mop of blond hair and pale skin with a few freckles scattered around and unlike Mari, looked decently fed. The two boys looked very different as well. One had thick black hair and was also fairly pale, but the second had mousy brown hair and darker skin. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay Alpha sir." The black haired boy said as he leaned against his other leg and looked up at him with entreating eyes. Dan couldn't help but appreciate the thoughts, but as an Alpha and a father had to put his foot down. "Okay, thank you and I appreciate your thoughts. In the future if you want to cuddle or snuggle, ask first. Right now I am sure your parents are wondering where you are and are probably worried. That is not taking care of pack is it? Now let's get you three cleaned up and back to your rooms." Dan didn't realize they all slept in the same room till they were 13 or so. Dan squatted down and after grabbing some shampoo started working on the little boy's hair. The other two used some and started getting clean as well. Eventually they were clean and he chased them out of the shower. "Get dried off, dressed and back to your parents." He said that in a firm tone and they nodded. When he walked out of the bathroom Mari was still in bed and grinning at him. "They were in the bathroom before I realized what they were doing and figured the mean old wolf could take care of them." Why she was feeling so comfortable with him she wasn't sure. Maybe it was something her wolf sensed that allowed her to gently tease him knowing he wouldn't do anything other than growl. That was exactly what he did; he growled at her and glared at her. "I think the little submissive might just get spanked." He flopped on the bed and relaxed. "Time for breakfast I think. My inner wolf is growling at me." She laughed at him and curled up next to him when he flopped on the bed. "I would say go for it but I think it might be a bit soon for both of us." Mari knew exactly what he had meant but couldn't resist. It had been a while since a male had actually attracted her but he did. She knew that it would be way too soon for him and didn't even consider trying to seduce him. He growled at her again and relaxed in her arms. "Definitely not the spanking I was thinking of and I will think up a suitable punishment for teasing your Alpha." The next question he had for her he hesitated to ask since he wasn't sure how she would take it. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea but would you mind moving some of your clothes in here? I have a feeling that I am going to need your help for a while. Having a pack that needs me helps but at night when I am not doing anything my wolf starts to lose it." She tried to repress the shiver, but she couldn't help it. Usually when the Alpha wanted her in his bed, it was for sex and he had been a crude brute about it. "I can do that if you need my help my Alpha. I will see to it this morning." Her voice was quiet when she said that. "Some are going to think that you are using me like the previous Alpha did." Dan's face hardened. "Then I will correct their thinking. I don't care what they think, but if they speak it, I will deal with it." His wolf was growling in the back if his mind. He knew what she meant and didn't like it. They had just lost their mate and that simply wasn't going to happen any time soon. "Um, when is the moon?" He had a feeling that was another reason he was slightly edgy. "Tonight my Alpha, it will happen tonight." She scooted to the edge to get up and get dressed. Last night when she had stripped down she hadn't had clean clothes handy. She was wearing one of the former Alpha's long shirts and her panties. "I will move some of my things in here later. What else do you need of me?" Dan sighed. "Mari call me by my name. Call me Dan and if you really need it that is an order." He smiled gently at her before he stood up and walked out of the room. The rest of the day Dan spent walking around and poking his nose into all kinds of places. There wasn't actually just one building but several. The main one was where most of the people lived. The men had their own rooms but the women, unless mated, shared a series of rooms. The kids from toddler to puberty lived in a large room and he found that this was where Mari slept as well, since one of her jobs was to take care of the youngsters. Once the pups reached puberty they were separated into segregated rooms until they turned 18 or so. That wasn't really surprising since they were wolves and it wasn't unusual to find two or three wolves curled up in bed together. Or in his former pack it wasn't and Dan guessed it was similar here. There was a large open floored building that he assumed was for training and didn't look like it was used very often or very well. That was definitely going to change as soon as he had a chance. Another of the buildings was for storage and seemed to have a variety of clothing, spare parts, and dry goods. By the time dinner rolled around and night was starting to fall he could feel their mistress calling gently to him and wondered how they handled moon nights here. Preferring to keep the pack from thinking that Mari was more special to him than the rest, he waved Felanzi over since she was the most senior as far as he knew. "How are moon nights handled? I don't know if you have a den or not, and since I assume the pups change as well, what do they do?" She smiled slightly. "We change here and Mari and one of the unmated females stay to keep control of them. Anyone older than 13 comes with the pack for the hunt. We find one or two deer or maybe a cow and hunt it down. Some of the meat gets saved and brought back for the cubs to share and enjoy. Once the pack returns, back usually Mari and who was assigned to stay behind go and finds a rabbit or similar." Dan frowned slightly in concentration as he contemplated what she had to say and it seemed fairly reasonable. "It still sounds so odd talking about real pups. How the women where I come from would love to have real pups of their own." "That still sounds so strange. You speak what we do and act like a werewolf and smell like one, it is so odd to even think you are from somewhere else." Felanzi actually smiled at him and shook her head. "I don't want to sound bad but thank you for killing my former mate. He had killed my father and took over the pack and has been running it into the ground since." As she said that, her voice had gotten very quiet. Dan reached over and lightly stroked her cheek. "My pleasure and you are welcome." He had a feeling that she had been taken forcefully and unwillingly. So far none of the women have had any complaints about the whole 'not willing' business though he had heard a few grumbles from the men. *** It was finally time for the change. As Dan walked out back of the manor house he had to smile since most of the little kids had already changed and there were piles of cloths neatly lined up on the large porch. He had to grin at the little puppy fights that were going on and the small growls and yips as well. It was also sort of strange to him since he had never seen werewolf pups like this. Yes the kids did tend to play when the adults went for a run, but they were human children so it wasn't the same. He knew that everyone would be out shortly but he lifted his head and let out a low howl to call everyone in the pack together out back. Once they were assembled he smiled. "This is going to be our first shift together and I am looking forward to it. I hope to lead you in a good hunt and bring back plenty of meat for the little ones." Everyone was looking at him and he smiled a bit wider. "That and I am going to run your butts off as I learn how well trained you are. I have high standards and if you don't meet them I am going to be running your butts off for the next month until I am satisfied." There was laughter in his voice when he said that, though indeed he was very serious. He started pulling his clothes off and noticed others did as well. He looked at his pack and nodded. The women were on the scrawny side and the men on the well fed side but he was changing that. "Change and let us greet our mistress." His voice was soft but carried a command in it. He leaned forward as his body started to change and a few moments later his wolf stood up and shook out his fur and padded forward a few steps. As he looked at the pack, one thing that shocked him was he was simply and literally head and shoulders taller than they were. In this form he was close to 350 pounds. At his best guess, most of them ranged in the low 200's and less. When the pack members changed, they looked at him in upon his wolf form and all of them were shocked. Their new alpha was literally huge and they had never seen anyone his size before. The former alpha had topped him in human form by a good 6 inches, but in his wolf form he would have been a good 100 pounds less, if not more. Even the pups stopped playing and stared as Dan moved forward a bit. His wolf was solid back except for a white tip on his tail. *What? Haven't you ever seen a wolf before?* His mental voice was amused and Giani recognized it and sort of galloped forward and started nipping at one of his paws. Dan looked down at her and mock growled at her. *My foot and I might just squish you.* He lightly whacked at her with one paw before pinning her down and started pretending to bite her and then gave her a good bath with his tongue. That got playfully annoyed yips and growls from her and several of the other pups came forward in her defense and started attacking his paws and legs. Moments later he was lying on his side and waving his paws at them. *Argh, taken down by a pack of pups, how horrible!* The adults were all sort of standing there shocked at seeing him play. They had never seen that before, or at least not since the previous Alpha had taken over. The pup he had protected the other day came forward and pretended to attack Dan as well. *Not going to let you get those cubs you evil wolf.* He sort of nipped and snapped at Dan and 'rescued' one of the pups before diving back in only to get taken out. *You dare take my prey? You are next.* Dan shoulder butted him and pretended to chew on his shoulder and then gave him a good tongue swipe on his face before backing away, signaling an end to play time. *Enough play. Break up into your groups and we are going hunting." *Okay everyone, the pups will remain at home and the rest of us will go on a good hunt and have something to bring back to the pups and everyone that remains behind.* Dan sat down and lifted his head to the moon and gave a low howl. As the others joined in he couldn't help but let out a mournful howl as well. It was for his mate and their children. He howled his heart out for several minutes before standing up and shaking his fur out. *Let us go hunt!* The next several hours were hard on the pack. He set a hard pace and ran them into the ground before actually hunting for something. They were, the pack, was soft and weak and he was going to work them till he was satisfied with what they could become. Not all could be fighters, but all could be trained to protect and then some would be fighters and enforcers. Eventually they did find a herd of deer and he picked out a buck and two does to take out. The does were older and probably not going to carry more than one or two more fawns so taking them out of the food chain wasn't a detrimental. *Go, get them and let me see what type of hunters I have.* Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 04 As it was, they only got two of them. *We are going to take them back to the...* He was distracted by the young wolf, Paulo hunting a rabbit. *Don't kill it please. Take it back to the house and help the pups learn now to hunt. Good job son.* Most of the adults wanted to eat the deer or most of the two at that moment, but he forced them to drag them back to the compound. By the time they arrived, the pups were stalking the rabbit and one other though Dan wasn't sure where it had come from. It might seem cruel, but they had to learn and they were doing a decent job. *Finish it, and we will see about hunting lessons later.* Everyone fell on the meat provided based on their rank. Dan watched and was satisfied that the females and pups got some of what they deserved. Mari settled down next to him and leaned against him. *It was a good hunt Alpha and that was a good idea for the pups.* She wished that she had a pup, but that wasn't going to happen for a long time. Deep in her mind she wished that it would be Dan's pup. She knew that she would never be his mate but how she wanted a pup by him. Dan licked her face and then curled up and fell asleep. Mari curled up with him and a number of the pups sort of dog piled on them and made a small wolf pile before quickly falling asleep. Dan had to shake his head. It must be Mari that they were really hunting down and cuddling with. *** The week since the moon had been most educational for everyone. He was learning many things about the pack and the pack was painfully learning things about him. Many still dealt with others in the pack as they had been trained and breaking that training was hard. The man Dan had beaten into the ground had tried one or two other things, which had lead Dan to more educational beatings. There were a few other pack members that were having problems with the new arrangements and order. They also had met him in the challenge circle, though none of them really were anywhere near Dan's skill level. The men were testing Dan and figuring out if what he had said was now defacto law or had some give and take. The women were trying to figure out if he was really there to protect them and their cubs, well pups as he called them. The full moon had been sort of shocking, since when he had changed he was shockingly larger and imposing than all the other wolves. That had startled him since even though he was a large wolf where he came from he wasn't that much larger than the others. Dan felt the hunt had been sort of pathetic since most of the pack, well the adults, hadn't been trained how to use their noses and senses to find what you were hunting. He could only explain this as the old Alpha did this to keep his pack under his control. That wasn't the way Dan had looked at it or ran his pack. They were going to hate the changes he was making in the next week or two. Many of the more dominant wolves were used to slacking off and making the junior wolves take care of what needed doing. That was going to stop very abruptly on the following Monday. The week had been very straining on him and as a lycan that was saying something. Even with his increased endurance he was getting up by 6am and working till 10 or 11pm. He was trying to learn about the pack and who played what roll. He was learning about this world, his assistant was tearing his office apart to get a grasp on what all the former Alpha had been doing pack wise. On top of that was almost direct supervision of the various projects he had instituted to get the place cleaned up. The most important thing, the thing he had the least time for was setting up a training schedule for everyone in the pack. There was school for the pups but it didn't really include important skills such as using your senses, tracking or hunting till older. Actual fighting training didn't start till 17th year and only for males. Females were given some basic instruction but again as far as he could explain they were kept weaker than the men to make them easier to break to their wills. Another issue was that he had heard a few whispers about him and Mari sharing a room even though there wasn't anything sexual about it. He couldn't really say that it was because if she wasn't there, he would fall apart out of grief. That wasn't even mentioning the cubs that tended to crawl in his bed without permission. It wasn't just Giani that crawled in but most of them. Any morning when he woke up, he would find one or two pups from about 4 to almost 18 curled up next to them. That left him sort of confused about why they were there. Granted he didn't beat them and tried to be friendly towards them but why did they keep showing up? Mari knew why they kept showing up but it wasn't something that she could really explain to him since she was sure that he wouldn't understand, or maybe accept. Most of the pack was still trying to figure him out and what he really wanted but with the cubs, well pups to him, they had seen him beat the crap out of or kill those that had most abused them. Not only that but he had beat the crap out of several of the abusers and was trying to straighten them out. They, the pups, had decided to adopt him as their own even if their parents and other wolves didn't trust him as of yet. If that meant getting tickled or sort of whacked at when he woke up then they would accept that and deal with it. Giani was one of the main instigators of this. During the day Dan worked in his office in the morning, starting to spar with the males and some of the females in the afternoon, holding court over dinner and then returning to his office for more work. Their Alpha looked tired all day long and the pups wanted to do whatever they could to help him. One morning when he woke up he was curled around the boy he had protected and he was sleeping very comfortably. It was something that Dan wasn't used to. A young girl he could deal with but a teen boy? Dan didn't want anyone to think he was taking sexual access to anyone that was in his bed. Well that and he didn't swing that way. He was going to need to talk to Mari about what was going on since he really wasn't sure. "Son, go back to your room and I will talk to you later." Dan yawned when he said that. "Yes alpha." He sat up and yawned as Dan crawled out of his bed and headed towards the bathroom. Mari looked at Paulo and sighed. "You really need to talk to Dan and tell him why you and the others have been in his bed. He doesn't like cubs in that way unlike..." She looked away. "Well unlike our former Alpha. He hasn't understood what I have tried to tell him about you pups crawling into his bed." Paulo looked down at the bed and sighed. "Yes ma'am. I will try." He walked into the bathroom and stripped before walking into the shower. "Sir I need to talk to you." He really hoped that he didn't get beaten. Dan froze for a moment as he scented the air and it was the young man who he had been curled up with in bed moments ago. "I don't want anything like that from you Paulo. Not sure why you are in my bed or in my bathroom and hope you can explain that to me." Paulo walked into the large shower and leaned against Dan's back. "We pups are here because you care for us Pack Leader. You value us and you have played with us. You have kept some of the others from abusing us. That is why we can be found in your bed most mornings. Well that and we miss Mari." His arms wrapped around his Alpha and he relaxed against his back. "We don't fear you will do anything to us sexually unlike the one before you. We can see that and feel that you care for us. That is why you find us in your bed. We know you lost your cubs and mate and we want to comfort you as much as possible. Is that so wrong of us my Alpha?" Paulo was on the verge of tears. Dan tensed up at the mention of his pups that he had lost as well as his mate and lowered his head. "No, that isn't wrong but it is just odd to wake up curled around someone who is almost an adult. In all my years we didn't have cubs or pups so this is all new to me. This might come across the wrong way but I can understand the actions with the little ones. But when I wake up curled around an almost adult, I really don't want the rest of the pack thinking I am using them that way." He turned and gently cupped the boy's face. "I do appreciate what you are trying to do, and will try to come to terms with it. Thank you for caring." Dan rested his forehead against his. "Now I am going to get clean and since you are wet now you need to as well." He smiled down at the boy. "Thank you for caring." Dan placed a light peck on Paulo's forehead and he turned away from him and started working on his hair. The young man smiled and as Dan started working on his hair Paulo worked some soap into a washcloth and started scrubbing his Alpha's back. "None of us cubs feel that way and we have noticed that you haven't forced Mari or any of the others to have sex. We have scented Mari and haven't smelled sex, panic, or fear on her. We trust you my Alpha. We know that you are a good person even if the adults haven't really opened up to you. You will take care of us so we have to take care of you." He couldn't resist leaning against Dan and smiling. "You are ours and we will take care of you my Alpha." Dan didn't know what to say or think. This definitely wouldn't happen in his world and it didn't have anything to do with sexuality. The young man curled up against his back really didn't do anything for him but his trust did. "Darn it you are killing my wolf with what you are telling me. Even back on Earth where I came from I didn't have anyone say anything like this. That didn't mean it wasn't there but the younger generation sometimes see things differently. Now, let's get clean and go and get about business." Dan gently removed the young man from his back and finished getting clean. "Thank you for talking to me, and I sort of understand now. Now go back to where you should be sleeping and I will talk to you later." Dan leaned over and gave the young man another peck on his forehead. "Thank you for trying to make me understand." When he walked out only Mari was in the room. "So how much of that did you hear?" He asked as he dressed. Most of the old alpha's clothing had been gone through the week before and most of it had been returned to the storage shed. That and he had found his mating bracelet in one drawer and it was back on his wrist where it belonged. Nang might not be there anymore but the bracelet she had designed for him was and it was a link to her. Mari was curled up under the covers and smiled. "We are lycans right? I heard everything and I hope he expressed how he and the other cubs feel about you in a way you understood." She sat up and stretched before climbing out of bed and walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him. "That is what I have been trying to tell you Dan. The males are still trying to come to terms with you. The females are half in love with you, and the cubs dote on you." She nuzzled at his chest for a moment. Dan had to blink at what she had said. He was sort of flabbergasted and wasn't really sure what to say. As Dan was trying to parse what she was saying, especially about the other women, Mari stepped back and stretched and the thin shirt she wore didn't hide much. For a very brief moment, Dan felt an urge towards her, but it faded just as quickly. Many of his lovers had been slender women with, as he put it, not much more than a handful in the breast department. Nang had been somewhat more endowed but still the same in many ways. One lover in particular who came to mind had been close to his height and was a willowy blond as well. "You are what an Alpha should be but we haven't seen for a long time. Long enough that the little ones don't know what a good Alpha is, and the older ones miss having a good Alpha around." Mari stated as she slid her arms around him. He was almost too large around the chest for her arms to reach but she managed. Man that sounded odd since the other pack in his other world he had taken over had been well run and the Alpha had turned it over to him after a token fight. Dan had been in the pack for years and had learned what it meant to be a good pack member and pack leader from the former Alpha. Dan also had a personality that was well suited to being the pack alpha and in positions of leadership. When he had originally joined the military, one thing he had discovered was a need to protect. In that case it was his fellow soldiers and in a distant way, their families. If he could return them safely, he did and it was one reason he advanced up the ranks so fast. He had to smile. "I just don't want anyone thinking I am into children and boys. Sorry but I am a confirmed lesbian... I love women and taking women to bed." That was a horrible joke but he loved making it. Mari snickered. "Oh? Is that why I am in your bed? You are slowly trying to seduce me?" She was laughing hard enough she had to rest her head on his chest and let the snickers die down. Dan froze for a moment. "No Mari that isn't why you are in my bed and I would ask before I ever did anything. Remember that is one of my rules and it would be really hard to kill myself if I broke it..." He started laughing as well. She was cute and attractive but it was way too soon to even think about having sex with someone else. *** Dan was sitting in the office talking to his three advisors to find out where the pack was at based on the tasks he had handed out the first day. "Okay, Saul you go first." The man was sitting in front of the computer and briefly reviewed his notes. "Well I have gotten a decent start on organizing your office and have been mainly focused on the finances at the moment. As far as I can tell we have money, but other than some in the bank, I don't know where it is. I do know that he kept a pretty nice stash of cash available but I don't know where he kept it." He frowned slightly. "There are a number of correspondences with the other packs that need to be dealt with and we also need to introduce you to the other alphas. When pack leadership changes the pack is expected to hold a dinner for the alpha, mate, and second and his mate as well." Dan sighed and rubbed his temples. "Great, now I get to find the money, plan a party, order food, and if the other Alphas are like your former one then keep the women and children from hiding and make sure they understand my ground rules. How long can this be put off? If I can get another week or even two I will feel much better about having strange wolves on my property." Before he could continue there was a knock on the door. "Enter." The pack knew he was in the meeting and to only interrupt for important issues. When the door opened he saw Angie and a strange wolf standing there. "Pack Leader, this is Alpha Tony Roma from the Glacsas pack to see our Alpha." She was slightly worried since normally one alpha doesn't intrude on another unless they asked permission or it was an emergency. Dan stood up and walked over to the door and gave her a slight nod and she scurried away. The man was an inch or two taller than Dan and well-muscled but fairly slender. His hair was a strawberry blond and cut fairly short and below the hair were bright blue eyes that had a questioning look in them. "Pleased to meet you Alpha Roma, I am Danilo Legarith, Alpha of the Alucian pack." "If you don't mind my being a bit forward, when did leadership change and why weren't the rest of us informed?" He moved into the room as Dan turned back towards his desk and spoke to his three advisors. "We will continue the meeting later so go and take care of what you need to. I will send for you when we are done here." The three of them stood up and left the room, closing the door behind them. Dan turned to address the interloping alpha. "I took over a week ago and we were actually just talking about when we should have the party to introduce myself. I am going to assume you are here for a reason other than checking up on the new guy?" Tony gave him an evaluating look before looking slightly away and what he saw of the man was impressive. Dan was not as tall as most male lycans but was massive. His eyes were intelligent, evaluating, and showed absolutely no fear or worry about having another alpha in the room. He had also glanced around the office and it was vastly changed, with files actually neatly stacked and some of the extravagant knick knacks were gone as well. "Well, nobody came past for the monthly tithe and since I was going this way decided to drop it off." Tony pulled a thick envelope out and set it on the desk. One eyebrow went up as Dan listened to the reason and also as he looked at the envelope. Why the heck was he getting a tithe from another pack? "Ah, I have to apologize for that, the last week or so has been pretty hectic getting settled in as the new Alpha. All the administrative things, disposing of the bodies, assigning new jobs, you know the drill right?" He had to toss in the bit about bodies to see how the other would react. "Sometimes the price of taking over can be a strain." Now he was really curious. "If you don't mind my being forward again, where are you from? I have never seen you around here before and why take over?" Both of them could play that game. "Not really sure. I was out running, trying to clear my mind when I felt a searing pain. When I woke up, I was shackled in the basement. My wolf and I didn't appreciate that or the fact that the Alpha refused to free me." There was a brief knock on the door and he sighed. "Enter." Mari walked in with tray that had a pot, cups, and some snacks on it. "We didn't know how long your meeting might be so Angie asked me to bring this to the two of you." Once the tray was on his desk she nodded to Dan first and then the other man and quietly walked out." Tony couldn't help but appreciate her. She was a bit petite for him but she had all the right parts in all the right amounts and he had to wonder... but hearing Dan clear his throat brought him back to the present. "That represents one of the reasons I took the pack over. He had been abusing her and using her and that is simply wrong, along with the other women and children." He leaned forward and poured the coffee and slid one cup over for Tony if he wanted it and after fixing his, he took a sip. "This pack was being worn down and slowly destroyed. How a good Alpha could let that happen I don't know. Oh and hands off the girl, if you ask and she says no that is the end of it." Tony was getting a really odd vibe from the man. The fact that he took out three of the toughest, or at least meanest, males around indicated that he was skilled on his feet. The way Dan was cleaning this place up was impressive as well. Usually the outside was a mess and the inside wasn't much better. "Well you definitely have given the women a great deal of work to get this place cleaned up." He ignored the threat but did file the information away. Dan blinked slightly. "Well, the inside of the house is the responsibility of the females and the older pups who can work. The work outside has been done by the men. No reason for them to sit on their fat asses while the women do all the work. Besides it helps me identify who are going to be the troublemakers and teach them lessons." Tony choked on a sip of coffee when Dan said that and he couldn't help but stare at him and blink. After he coughed to clear his throat he finally spoke. "You got the guys to work? How did you do that?" He held out a hand and looked at it and made an impressive fist. "I asked them nicely and then had to pound one gentleman into the ground for challenging my orders." Dan smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant smile. In it was an implicit threat. "I don't accept slackers and bullies. There is going to be a certain amount of push and shove as dominants try to creep up the ladder but I will not allow out right abuse or bullying." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 04 For some reason that made Tony shudder and that was saying a great deal. "Since you took over from the previous Alpha, you do realize that you will be challenged by the other alphas for your position as the leader of the local packs right?" So that was why he was getting the tithe. "Actually no I didn't and thank you for that information." Before he could say anything else there was another knock on the door and Dan rubbed his face. "I am in a meeting but will be done soon. I will have the door open when I am finished." The person who spoke was not who he expected since it was Giani. "Alpha sir, can you make him quit hurting mommy?" There were tears in her voice and it was obvious that she was starting to cry. Dan had been leaning back in his office chair and hearing what Giani said caused him to snap the chair upright and quickly strode to the door, opening it and immediately taking the little girl into the safety of his arms. "Where is your mother, can you show me?" Dan looked over his shoulder at Tony. "It seems I have a discipline issue. If you would like to observe, please follow but stay out of the way." With that he walked out the door and following where Giani was pointing, ended up in a quiet section of the house. Dan could hear grunting and crying and his eyes instantly went amber. Without really thinking handed the girl to the other Alpha who had followed him. "Protect her." He ordered as his power was starting to build and the other could feel it. Dan could sense Julie, Giani's mother behind the door now as well as he could hear the sounds of her sobbing and someone grunting. There were also sounds of flesh hitting flesh in time with the grunting and Dan's eyes started to turn even more amber as he moved towards the door from which the sounds were coming from. He ripped the door off its hinges and growled as he found what he had been expecting. Nikoli was in the process of raping Giani's mother. "Freeze." By now, his power was radiating from him and everyone near him froze. Dan grabbed him by the back his neck and heaved. His fingers dug into the back if Nikoli's neck when he grabbed him and slung him across the room. Nikoli hadn't expected to be caught. He knew that the woman would never tell since nothing had ever been done about this stuff before. That was even accounting for the fact that in theory the former alpha had said the same thing and then promptly drug one of the females to his room and used her. Dan came crashing into the room but he wasn't really paying attention. When he slammed into the wall that definitely got his attention. He was still frozen from Dan's command and he was starting to sweat. "Come." Dan bellowed and his honeyed voice was hard as crystalized Amber. Moments later, there were several of the pack arrived in the room. "Get that trash out to the circle. I will be out in a few minutes to judge his guilt and deal out his punishment." He ordered. Then he turned to Giani's mother. Since her cloths had been torn off, he pulled off his shirt and slowly walked over to give it to her. He paused when she flinched. "Hush Julie, I am not going to hurt you. You can use my shirt for the time being." He could still see the terror in her eyes and he sighed quietly and applied a light touch of his power to calm her down. "Julie you need to calm down somewhat. I am helping you with my pack powers." His voice was very gentle and still had the golden honey feel to it. Bruises could be seen starting to form and he knelt down and pulled her to him and started stroking her hair. "He will never hurt you again. I said I protect my own and I will kill anyone who hurts my pack." Julie's tears were still flowing but not quite as bad. "Before we stand you up I am going to heal you of what he did." Why he rested his forehead on the people he was going to heal he wasn't sure but it usually felt right. Once his forehead was resting on hers, he poured the power into her and healed the bruises and made sure that she wouldn't get pregnant. "There now let's get you up and I think my shirt is big enough to cover most of you." The damn shirt was one of the sorts of pirate looking ones that was almost long on him, on her it would make a nice dress assuming she could keep it on since it was too big on her. Good thing it had a drawstring at the neck. He moved in front of the doorway to give her a bit of privacy to change. The other Alpha was still standing there with Giani in his arms. Tony was looking shocked and a bit upset since whatever the other Alpha had done was impacting on him. There was a scent of fear as well which made Dan's wolf sit up and growl in a pleased way. Once she was dressed she walked past Dan and noticed the man holding her little girl and held her arms out to take her. "Thank you my little angel." The man tried to hand her back but his arms wouldn't budge. "Um, Dan whatever you did can you undo it?" No way in hell did he want to get between an upset mother and her cub. "Oh, sorry, let her go. I guess I was a little angry and forgot to limit my commands." Dan actually blushed slightly when he said that but hardened his face and started outside. "I don't know how you do things in your pack but my justice is fast and fair." When they walked outside he stalked over to the circle and looked at the man that was kneeling down. He reeked of fear but also defiance. Even if Dan had been willing to consider submission, with the defiance he simply couldn't. The three men standing around him were looking slightly concerned since they could smell the fury boiling off their Alpha and really hoped it wouldn't boil over on them. Dan was finally facing the house and lifted his head. This time the summoning howl was hard and demanding, the only part that wasn't was for the pups since he didn't want to scare them. This time he was going to get his point across before he had to kill any other pack members. As soon as the call went out, wolves came boiling out of the house at almost breakneck speed. They lined up the way they normally did as was customary. Dan faced Nikoli and frowned slightly. "Stand ready to hear the crime and the punishment. Giani came to my office and let me know that Julia was being hurt and showed me where she was." His eyes were still burning as he scanned across the pack. "Nikoli was in the process of raping her when I found them." He directed his eyes to Julia. "Did he ask if you wanted sex?" She was shaking trembling and shook her head. Getting words out was hard, but she finally did. "No, he told me that there was something I needed to take care of back there and waited for me to get in the room before..." Tears were starting to roll down her face. "Nikoli, do you have anything to say in your favor?" Dan didn't expect anything, but had to give him his day. "What's the big deal? I've screwed the cunt plenty of times so why ask again?" That was a sullen mutter. The Alpha of the pack didn't even think twice as he whipped around and backhanded the wolf half way across the circle. "There aren't any cunts in my pack. I would say in the future control your speech but you won't be alive long enough." His eyes were so close to changing it wasn't funny and Dan had to focus very hard to not let his wolf take over. "Get him back over here." He snarled at the three and as hard as he tried his chest still reverberated with a deep slow growl. "When I got here one of my two first rules was asking first for sex and if they say no, walk away. If you don't it is a death sentence." Dan walked over reached over and snapped his neck. He didn't even watch the body fall to the ground as he turned. "I made these rules for the good of the pack." Dan stalked towards the men. "I have heard a few mutters that it is a stupid rule. The next time I hear that crap, I will kill you on the spot. I will not think twice. If I have to decimate the pack to get order restored I will, and then I will build it up better than it has been in a long time." "Your only other option is for me to link to you and scan you to see if I can trust you..." The Alpha's eyes were hard and he stroked his short cut beard. "I am going to think about this because to keep killing pack is bad for the morale. I am going to set up a series of appointments for everyone from puberty on over the next week or so." He walked over to the women. "I have heard some mutterings from a few of you as well. I would hate to have to kill a female but don't let my playing with the pups or my laughter blind you to the fact that I will protect the pack even if it tears my heart out to do it." Several paled when he said that and nobody met his eyes before he walked away. He paused as he was turning away. "That is specifically about Mari having been sharing my bed. She is sharing my bed but not for sex. During the day, I can keep the grief of losing my mate at bay. But at night, there is nothing that can do that except being held by a submissive. My wolf has to protect submissives before anything else. If you think you can prevent my wolf from taking over and clawing his way out of the manor then please let me know." Everyone shuddered for a moment before looking at Mari and then at Dan. How could such a small woman do that when even the largest of wolves had died under his hands? There was almost a half-step back by everyone except the pups and Mari. "Get rid of the trash. The rest of you think about what I have said. If you have any thoughts of my not doing what is needed then you might consider finding a different pack." That was harsh and there were several flinches. "One last thing: if some of you were half the wolf Giani is, then this pack would be incredible. She faced me at the induction, snuck into my room to help me deal with losing my pups and mate, and she interrupted an important meeting because her mother was being assaulted. Now go." Dan stalked through the pack as he headed back to his office to deal with the other Alpha. As pissed as he was he didn't really think when he looked at him and jerked his head in the direction of the house. He didn't even realize the other man twitched and then immediate followed. ~~~~~~ Silver Moon Alucian pack: Marissa Rylan -- Submissive Angela Gaelon -- pack member -- head of kitchen Saul Razon -- supplys and current finance officer Felanzi Maudon -- head female mate of the former alpha Paulo -- 17 pup Nikoli -- more dominant wolf, asswipe, bully, eventually to be dead. Giani -- 5, girl who Dan talked to at the induction Julie -- mother of Giani Glacsus Pack: Neighboring pack Tony Roma -- Alpha -- weaker than Dan. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 05 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. At the end of the chapter is a list of characters. Periodically I might be adding a bit of background data to help fill in details that wouldn't normally be mentioned. All characters in any sort of sexual relationship are 18+. * Dan stalked through the pack as he headed back to his office to deal with the other Alpha. As pissed as he was, he didn't really think when he looked at him and jerked his head in the direction of the house. He didn't even realize the other man twitched before immediately following. Once inside the office, he settled down in his chair and massaged his temples for a moment. He listened to the man follow him into the office and quietly settle in a chair. "If anyone else interrupts one of my meetings for anything short of the end of the world, I am going to scream and then start gibbering." Tony was looking rather irritated with Dan and the assumption he would obey him when he spoke. As of yet, Dan hadn't fought with him to confirm he was still the lead Alpha. Granted after watching him in the challenge circle, he wasn't sure he wanted to fight him. But if he didn't, then the others would consider him weak and with the pack of rogues led by some of the other alphas that was never a good thing. "Don't do that again. You are not lead Alpha yet so don't presume to order me around." There was a definite growl there. For a moment Dan snapped his chair upright and glared at the other man before his words penetrated. When they did he lowered his head slightly and leaned back again. "Please accept my apologies Alpha Roma. It has been a very long time since I have lost control like that. It isn't an excuse, but rape is a very sensitive subject for me and can instantly put me in a rage." He rubbed his head and then checked the coffee. It was lukewarm and the pot wasn't much warmer. "Let me get some fresh coffee and we can continue the conversation that was interrupted." *Mari we need some fresh coffee please. If you want you can ask Angie to deliver it.* He wasn't sure how Mari would deal after what he had just done. God knew most if not all the women had been raped at one time or another. If she was with the pups helping to settle them down he didn't want her to leave them alone. That evening he was going to need to do some serious cuddling to make sure they weren't scared of him. "Accepted, and as I was saying you are going to need to fight the challengers and it isn't going to be easy since they all have to be settled that night. That is one of the reasons lead Alphas don't tend to have large territories. Or I should say they might form a large territory but when he is replaced they tend to fragment and then the process starts over." The man was still very angry but the apology was enough for him for the moment. Dan blinked his eyes and had to stare at him. "That's figging stupid. Why the hell isn't there a council of elders running the show?" It was rather obvious that he was shocked by what he had heard. "I can't even begin to imagine how fragmented that makes the lycan world and the impact on the human world." That was something he needed to find out, did humans know about lycans. "That definitely isn't the way they did it where I come from." Tony narrowed his eyes at him since part of what he said made no sense since that was the way packs were handled pretty much over the entire world. "That is an interesting statement. I would have to ask you where you are from then, that it is done so differently." His eyes narrowed even more. "Not to mention that entire scene. How the hell did you do that and what the hell were you doing?" He was trying to think of anything similar to that he had seen before and all that came to mind was something he had seen a witch do once many years ago. Dan's eyes narrowed as well and his wolf was starting to get worked up again and he had to firmly step on him. "I am going to say this once. My wolf is very worked up right now, and if you keep yelling I will walk out to the challenge circle and fight you. I won't kill, you but I will pound on you till you submit." Damn it, there went his mouth again. He really shouldn't talk to anyone when he was this angry since the filter between his brain and mouth was disconnected. "You are telling me to back off? I am not the one that somehow forced control over me and forced me to do something against my will. That takes a great deal of balls." His voice was definitely getting angry as he started yelling back. Before Dan could make a retort there was a knock on the door and Angie walked in and froze. "Um, is this a bad time? Do you want me to come back in a few minutes?" She wasn't a dominant but she had long since learned how to make others dance to what she wanted by subtle words and gentle comments. In this case, she was trying to make Dan change the direction his mouth was leading him and it actually worked. "Huh? Oh, thank you Angie. You can put it on the desk and take the cold coffee away." He said and then realized what she had done and almost growled at her. *Nice move but don't try that very often.* He told her and though he was still angry there was a hint of amusement in his voice. *Do what Oh my Alpha?* Her mental voice was serene and mellow when she replied. Her expression never changed as she swapped the trays. "If you need anything else just send to me." She gave him a polite smile and nodded at the other alpha before leaving the room. Dan rubbed his temples again and closed his eyes and took several long slow breaths before opening them again. "Again, apologies. Till my wolf calms down from the attack on one of my pack members, I am going to be on edge." He poured a new cup of coffee and slid it over to the other Alpha and then poured one for himself. He leaned back in his chair and contemplated the man for a moment. He didn't know him, but he felt like a good Alpha. He hadn't sneered or said anything when Dan dealt with Nikoli, and he had a feeling that others would. "If I tell you something, I expect you to keep it to yourself for the time being. I will not compel you as I accidently did earlier. I will accept your word and trust you to keep it." His nose was working overtime trying to scent if the other was lying to him or trying to deceive him in any way. Tony tilted his head and returned the contemplative look. Dan's scent had changed but he couldn't quite identify what it might mean. It wasn't usual for him not to be able to identify a scent but some emotions just didn't quite match up with a recognizable odor. "If you assure me it won't negatively impact on the packs I will keep your confidence." Tony was one of the better Alphas and what he had seen earlier had impressed him. He didn't feel that events had been scripted in any way since there was no way that Dan or his pack could have controlled him that way. Dan slowly nodded. "I can accept that, and to the best of my knowledge it shouldn't." He held a hand up before Tony could say anything. "When I say I can't think of how it would be of detriment to the packs, it is because I am not from this world. I don't know the pack structure and am learning. That is one of the reasons why I am doing things you haven't seen before." He paused to see what the other would say. He looked at Dan and leaned back in the chair and settled his hands on one knee as he contemplated what the other was saying and gave him a slow nod. "For the moment I will tentatively accept that. I admit that I have never seen a wolf do what you did before. That, and I have never seen one wolf summon another without speaking unless in wolf form. Can you tell me how you do this? Also, when you spoke there just wasn't any way I couldn't not do what you said." He growled slightly at that and then swallowed and mellowed his tone. "That is what we, where I come from, call pack bonds. They are formed between the pack member and the pack leader when either a new pack member or a new Alpha is inducted into the pack. There is also a mating bond that forms between two mates. That is somewhat different since it is only between those two wolves." He took a sip of the coffee and let it flow down his throat as he enjoyed the flavor. Angie definitely knew how to make a cup a wolf could enjoy. "And how do you create or make this bond? Is it something any of us can do?" Now that would be handy to be able to contact any of his pack no matter what form they were in. If they could also contact him, that would be even better since they could send warnings to him if there were problems. "Actually, I don't know. It is something that someone from this world would have to try and see what happens. I would lean towards saying it is something you can do since it worked on this pack." Dan contemplated the man before speaking again. "I am slightly hesitant to tell you how since I don't know you. For me to tell you there would be an element of trust that I can trust you not to use it against my pack and in a way against your pack." Dan didn't trust anyone from this world as of yet. Some of his pack, yes, but not outside the pack. And if they couldn't understand that, they could go suck a rotten egg. He was proving himself to his pack as much as they were proving themselves to him and the same was going to apply to other alphas. Well, any that weren't tied to him by the blood bond. Now that idea Tony understood and sighed. "I wish I could tell you to trust me but that is something that has to be built and takes time. Now what about the voice thing? How did you do that, and especially since I am not part of your pack how and why did it have an impact on me?" That was what he really wanted to know. Dan shrugged slightly. This he could talk about since it was both learned and an Alpha thing. They didn't know about it and it wasn't something they wouldn't really be able to use till they had bonded with their packs. "That is what we call pack magic and is something only the Alpha's can do. It allows us to do a number of things such as controlling the pack, enforcing orders, healing ourselves and pack members as well as other things." He wasn't really sure why it had had an impact on the other alpha, though he had a feeling why but didn't want to offend him. "Um, as to why it impacted on you..." he contemplated the top of the desk for a moment and an idea occurred to him, "...I think it is because you have never experienced it and never had to try resisting it." Now that was a better way of saying it than 'you are a weaker Alpha' wasn't it? Tony contemplated that and again nodded slowly. "I think I understand that and let me guess it is something you won't show me or can't show me right now right?" Dan couldn't help but grin slightly. "Golly you are a smart Alpha... Sorry, couldn't resist but you are right. Right now it is more a case of you don't have the ability and it is sort of tied in with the ability to talk to others in your pack." He glanced at the clock and thankfully it was very close to lunch and they could hopefully not talk about this any further. "It is lunch time. Would you like to stay? The food is good and filling. Angie is a great head of house and runs a tight ship in the kitchen." Tony had to blink slightly since nobody that he knew of had ever been invited to share the table of the former Alpha. "Sure, I would love to and to talk some more and get to know you better." Tony stood up and stepped forward to the desk and held his hand out. "I would like to think that we will develop a solid friendship. I like how you run things, even if certain things bother me." Or he should say, scared the shit out of him. Dan took his hand and gave it a good shake. "From what I have scented from you, everything you have said today is true. I appreciate that you aren't trying to lie to me or shade the truth. I think we can become good friends as well." Assuming he didn't have to kill him at some point. Right about then there was a knock on the door. "Enter." Dan called and Angie opened the door. "It is lunch time Pack Leader, do you want to come to the dining room or should I bring the food here?" She looked him in the eye for a moment and then lowered them to his chin. It was hard not to look at the floor but she was trying to impress him since she found him rather attractive. If she tried hard enough maybe when he was over dealing with the loss of his cubs and mate she hoped he might find her interesting. "We were just getting ready to come out. I am starving and your food is definitely good and filling." Dan indicated for Tony to proceed out of the office and Angie stood aside and waited for the two to walk out before closing the door to his office. She followed them down the hall and into the dining area. Just in case she had added an extra chair to the center table. Dan noticed the addition and nodded. "Thank you for taking care of that Angie, I should have mentioned it but am glad that you showed initiative and even anticipated it might be needed." He was trying to compliment people for even trying to think ahead instead of waiting for him to tell them what to do. "Back in a moment." The cubs were sort of huddled off to one side and looked down when Dan walked in and it made him want to cry. He had done what he needed to and shown the pack that he would uphold his rules and as much as he hated it, that included the pups. Dan walked over in front of them and knelt down. "I am sorry you had to see that but I have to enforce my rules. All of you have been so wonderful trying to help me deal with the loss of my cubs and mate." He swallowed slightly. "I will never do anything to hurt any of you. That doesn't mean I won't discipline you if needed but I won't go out of my way to hurt you." They were listening to him very carefully and their little noses were sniffing overtime as they tried to scent if what he was saying was the truth. Eventually Giani slowly moved forward till she was standing in front of him. When she looked at him her eyes were sort of old looking due to what she had seen in her short life. Finally she nodded to him. "Thank you for saving my mommy Alpha sir." She moved forward and threw her arms around his neck and tucked her head into his shoulder. Dan gently wrapped his arms around the little girl and held her. The other pups slowly moved forward and he gathered as many into his arms as possible. He didn't say anything but lightly projected how much it meant to him that they were able to come forward and approach him after what they had seen that morning. He finally stood up though he was still holding Giani. "I think it is time to eat. I think I also hear some hungry wolves growling right now." The cubs actually snickered. "Not wolves, tummies silly." That was from one of the other girls who promptly ducked behind Paulo but was still peaking around his leg. ~~~ While Dan was dealing with the kids, Tony was listening to what he was saying and was shocked to learn that he had lost his mate and cubs. It was something that many wolves would have suicided over and he had seen it before. Angie was walking past and he gently grasped her elbow. "What did he mean by losing his mate and cubs?" His voice was very low when he asked. Her face tensed for a moment. "Before he came here they were killed in a car wreck. About the only thing that has kept him from howling his grief out was Mari holding him at night. The pups have a rotating schedule of who sneaks in. The first time or two he kept being surprised by having wolf pups in bed." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke. "Don't you dare tell him that either. It was something Giani started since they sort of adopted him as Pappa Alpha." When that term had gotten back to her she had almost cried. Tony's face tightened as well and he was sure she could smell his shock. "Oh lordy, I don't want to even imagine how that must have felt." When she mentioned the little girl taking charge of the pups and doing that, he was very impressed and wondered if the cubs in his pack would do that. "God she is going to be one hell of a mate for an Alpha when she turns 18." He smiled at Angie. "I almost hope I am single when she comes of age. I would almost kill to have a mate like her." Angie frowned for a moment but all she scented was honesty and nothing else. "Good luck with that. I have a feeling that she is going to be the source of a great deal of attention. Now if you don't mind you'll excuse me, I need to get on with my duties before everyone eats." Tony had to blink and then grinned. "I have a feeling Dan is going to get a really large shot gun when she grows up and sorry if I kept you from your duties. Thank you for explaining to me what is going on." He couldn't resist giving her arm a light squeeze and then moved to the spare chair and waited for Dan to come back to the table. ~~~ Dan noticed Tony talking to Angie, but as long as he was polite he didn't care as long as he wasn't trying to get pack secrets or not taking no for an answer. When he walked up to Tony with Giani in his arms he had to smile. "I just wanted to introduce you to the little beastie I handed over to you for a while. This is Giani and one of the three Mousketeers as I call them. Thank you for watching over her while I dealt with that rodent problem." She shyly looked at him. "Thank you for helping my Alpha protect mommy." They were close enough that she could lean over and give him a good hug before leaning back against Dan's chest and tucked her head under his. Tony couldn't help but smile till she hugged him and couldn't help but feel his heart twitch as she gave him the hug. "You are very welcome cub. I have to say it was very educational watching him deal with the..." he tried not to laugh at the term, "rodent problem." Dan put her down and she ran off and grinned at Tony. "God she is going to cause me a great deal of heartburn over the years. I am not sure I am really up to it." Tony couldn't help but snicker. "I bet, but you are going to look back at her antics and won't be able to help but smile at her antics as you train her to be an Alpha bitch to be proud of. I can't even begin to imagine what it took for her to come to your door and knock." His face had a wry expression when he said that. "I know that might not sound very good coming from an Alpha but my dad would have chewed my butt off before finding out the problem, and my father was one hell of an Alpha." Dan almost winced at the term 'bitch' but in this world it didn't seem to have the same connotations as in his. "She is going to be able to grow up to be the person she can and will be, even if I have to tear down the world and rebuild it." His voice was soft and then he realized what he had said. "Sorry, still a bit worked up. Why don't we have a seat? Two of my three assistants are going to join us." He headed over to the table and settled down. Moments later, trays of food were carried out of the kitchen and handed out. For lunch it looked like a thick and hearty stew that smelled really good, homemade bread and rolls as well as some mixed veggies. "Like I said Angie runs a killer kitchen. The rat bastard I replaced had been feeding mostly veggies and bread to the women and junior wolves. You should have seen Mari's ribs when I took over." There was a definite growl when he said that. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 05 Tony sniffed at the food and couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. "Can I steal her? Well either that or send my cook over? That is some good smelling stew." He had heard what Dan had said and had a feeling that if he had to, he would do just that and frankly that sort of determination almost scared him. What he had seen today sort of indicated that Dan might just be the most powerful Alpha he had ever seen, if not one of the most powerful. When it came time to challenge him he was tempted to roll over and not worry about it. "I can imagine. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I am glad you killed the fucker. He was a real piece of work. I like how you have started making this a better pack. I can't wait to see just where you go with it. Now if you don't mind my inner wolf, I mean tummy, is growling." He had heard Dan say that to the cubs and it had really amused him when he had said it. The rest of the visit went fairly smoothly and Tony left the mansion after the noon meal with a great deal to think about. That Dan character had some odd ideas as well as very good ones. In a way he rather hoped he never had to see a real pack from Dan's world show up or they would take over the world, or at least New Nordlan and that was a scary thought. *** Once Tony had left, Dan had pulled his team into the office and finished the meeting they had started that morning. Now that they had more money they could afford to keep feeding people as they had been. The tithe was going to be very helpful. Dan had also debated on sending someone to the other alphas for their tithes but decided to wait until he officially took over. That decision had been hard to make since his pack was still not very well trained but after an hour or so of discussing it he had finally decided to schedule the dinner in two weeks. He had also decided that most of the pack was going to be kept away from the dinner and god help anyone that broke one of his rules. The following two weeks were a blur of activity as he worked on training the pack, working with Angie on the menu, dealing out the cash for the food, and any number of other issues. At the end of the week before the dinner he finally sent out a notice to the four Alphas, including Tony, who had been under the old one that there had been a change of leadership. As soon as he did that he started increasing patrols since he didn't want anyone getting close until the day of the actual event. After talking to Angie they had settled on two entrées. First pulled pork sandwiches and second rare rump roast, potatoes both mashed and baked, veggies, a variety of drinks but not too many and a variety of deserts. They were going to be getting ready for a good portion of the week and he had a feeling that two or three of the alphas were going to be pigs and that thought really annoyed him. It was something he had to do and if he was going to do it he was going to do it as best possible. Angie had a few other ideas as well that she was going to work on but the basic menu had been settled on and whatever else she ended up with he wasn't going to complain. At the first of the week before the dinner, Saul came to him with the shopping list. "Dan, I need to place the order and after conferring with Angie, here is the list but I need your approval before I can order." He handed the list over to Dan and waited for him to review it. Dan leaned back in his chair as he contemplated it and mentally calculated how much food was ordered and then leaned forward and placed the list on the desk. "I am going to make a few changes simply because I want to make sure the Alphas don't have a reason to complain." He grinned at Saul. "Well that and the more I stuff them with meat the less work I have when I beat the shit out of them." He changed the amount of meat and then on a whim added steak as well. "Go ahead and place the order and when it is time to get it, I am going to go with you. I need to actually see the town and the humans." Saul looked at the list and listened to what Dan had to say and had to cover his laugh with his hand. "I am not really worried about you beating them into the ground sir. I have a feeling it is going to be a short fight and you could probably take all of them with one hand tied behind your back." He tried, really tried, not to laugh but wasn't able to. "When they see you in your wolf form I am more worried about having to clean the crap out of the circle than anything else." Dan stared at him for a moment and then started snickering and had to turn away from his assistant. Eventually he gave up and groaned. "Oh god that is so wrong Saul and I should beat you for even mentioning an Alpha shitting their britches, or whatever, when they see me." By the time he calmed down he had coughed a number of times, tears were rolling down his cheeks and he had to take slow deep breaths to recover. When he looked back Saul was gone and he was glad or he would have started to laugh again. *** It was two days later when Saul let him know that the order was ready and the truck was going to be leaving for town shortly. Dan looked up and nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. I will go get ready and then we will leave." Saul had given him a general idea of how much money they were going to need but he pulled out a bit more just in case. One thing he really needed was to find the safe where the rest of the money had been stashed, but things had been so busy by the time he rolled into bed at night he passed out almost instantly. Even having a series of cubs sneaking in his door wasn't enough to wake him up, and as a lycan that was saying something. Dan ran upstairs and changed from the sort of glad rags he wore when he was doing pack business to some jeans and a shirt. They were still old fashioned but the woman who sewed some of the clothes had altered some more to his tastes and he had to wonder how they would go down in town. One thing he had made sure was that they weren't form fitted since he didn't want to have too many people staring at him. Little did he know that from the vehicle alone they would probably know that he was a lycan. He finally made it to the vehicle and climbed in the passenger side and leaned back. Saul was driving and Dan tried to relax. "Saul, I am going to try not to stress you but I normally do all the driving. But I need to learn what is needed around here. If I grunt, groan, or tense it is just me and not a comment on your driving." Dan really hated being driven around. Go control freak Alpha wolves. Saul groaned and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for telling me that before we leave, now I am going to be stressing the entire drive." He fired the truck up and after putting it in gear pulled out of the drive. The drive to the town was actually fairly decent once they got off the property and onto the road. It took about a half hour to make it to town and he pulled up in front of a reasonably sized store. Dan hopped out and waited for Saul to lead them into the store. When they walked in Dan couldn't help but smile at the woman behind the register when they made it up there. She was tall for a woman but had all the right curves in the right places. She had brown hair and light brown eyes. He didn't realize it but his wolf sat up and contemplated her and then suppressed the scent of her. His human wasn't ready for that type of relationship and his wolf would do what was needed to keep him from mating before it was time. "Good afternoon Pam, we have an order waiting for us." Saul handed the order form over and waited for her to pull it up on the screen and nodded. "Nice order, if you pull your truck around to the side it is waiting in the cooler." She used the touch screen to enter the information and then gave him the total. Dan mentally nodded since the additions he had made increased the price. "Here is the money ma'am. We will get the truck around the corner in a moment and get out of your hair." Dan pulled a wad of money out and just for good measure added a bit more. "For the hassle of gathering the food." He gave her a warm smile. Saul had to smile when he handed the money over and a tip to boot. It was something he should have expected from his Alpha, but it hadn't even crossed his mind. "Back in a moment Pam." He headed out to the truck to pull around and waited for Dan to come out. He would load the truck while they were clearing the account. Moments after he had pulled the truck around he was surprised to see Dan there and starting to grab boxes and cases from the fridge. He really hadn't expected his Alpha to actually help. He probably should have since Dan had helped around the house fixing problems as well as cleaning, but it was still so weird to have one that cared. "Um, you don't need to help Alpha." That slipped out before he realized it. From inside there was a slight gasp from Pam as she turned and looked at Dan. "You are an Alpha, I mean their Alpha?!" There was fear in her voice and she backed up a few steps. Everyone knew that the Alpha was bad juju. Dan sighed but kept the slight smile on his face. "New Alpha, I replaced the old alpha a few weeks ago." So the town knew of the old alpha. "Changes of command can be sort of awkward but I want to think this has been good for all of us." He kept hauling out the various boxes and crates that had been set aside for them and handing them to Saul. Once they were done, he stood up and smiled at her again. "I really appreciate your help Pam. Oh, my name is Dan." He held his hand out to her. She couldn't help but flush when he informed her he was a new Alpha and wondered where he had come from. Something about him sort of drew her to him but until she knew him better she wasn't going to go near him. Pam had once felt the draw of another Alpha and later learned that he was bad news. "You are welcome Dan and I will talk to you later. I need to get back up front." She did hold her hand out and grasped his. When he bowed and kissed it she was totally shocked and turned and scurried away. Dan wasn't sure why he had done that and when he sort of prodded his wolf he simply got a sleepy grumble before he went back to sleep. He hopped down from the loading area and climbed in the truck. "Home James and make it snappy..." Saul looked at him totally confused. "Um who is James and why are you calling my by his name?" Dan sighed. "Sorry, a line from where I come from. Ignore it and let's get home. I have some things to do." Saul pulled out and Dan looked out the window and tried not to feel sort of put out. Why he was he wasn't sure, but something that had happened was putting him out of sorts. Eventually they made it home and backed up to the storage area. Dan climbed out and stretched. "Some of you males get your lazy asses out here and help Saul unload the truck." He looked at Saul. "Talk to you later, there are some documents I am sure you or Felanzi left on my desk to sign or burn, or hide for later." He walked away as several males walked out and started helping him unload the truck. ~~~ The day of the meeting had finally arrived. They had been cooking and cleaning and everything else prior to the meeting and Dan was starting to get edgy. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to go smoothly and had plans for all the women and pups to have their food in the pups' room before the others arrived. Most of the servers were going to be the males, though there were going to be a few females around as well. "Listen to me; all of you males and females, if anything happens call me. I don't really care if it is just an insinuation or actual forced contact. Call me and I will deal with it. I am not going to put up some sort of false front for the damn alphas, their mates, or their betas. I will deal with whatever goes on as soon as it happens." He looked at each person when he said it. All of them nodded. Since the meal was at noon, Dan settled on the porch with a cup of coffee and simply waited. When Tony showed up shortly before the agreed on time Dan had to smile. "I would get up and greet you but that would ruin my image. Come on up and have a seat and have some coffee. So who is your beta?" Dan knew that he wasn't mated based on comments he had made two weeks ago. "Morning Dan and this is my Beta Hose Manuel. Hose this is Alpha Danilo Legarith." He introduced the two and hoped they would get along. Hose could be irritating at times, but he was a very good beta and he valued the day he had accepted him into his pack. Dan stood up and looked at the new man. He was still taller than Dan by a few inches and was bulkier than Tony though not as bulky as Dan. He had black hair, black eyes and was of obvious Spanish decent. "Pleased to meet you and hope you enjoy today." They shook and Hose looked in his eyes and then looked down though it appeared to be a conscious decision. *Mari, come and show the beta to the great room please.* Dan smiled again. "One of my pack will show you to the great room. I am sure that Tony mentioned it but if you ask and they say no, accept it. For today I would have to say don't bother asking." Tony nodded. "I did inform him of that and he obeyed." Actually Hose had looked rather interested at that requirement before nodding. His younger sister was getting very close to 18 and he didn't want anyone to bother her. When Mari showed up he nodded slightly to her and followed her into the house. Moments later one of the men showed up with a cold drink for Tony who took it and settled down in the chair next to Dan. Over the next fifteen or so minutes, the others arrived and received much the same speech and the Betas ended up in the great room and the Alphas remained on the porch with something to drink. The three other alphas were not very pleased with the situation, though they did take the cold beers and slugged them down before Dan finally stood up. "I know why you are here and we are going to have a good meal before we deal with pack crap. Come with me and we will have a good meal and then go have fun." Dan smiled at them, though there wasn't a smile in his eyes. Three of the four almost snarled at him before they stood up. They had expected to be brought in, offered a woman of their choice, and food and booze as they wanted. They hadn't expected to sit on the porch waiting for the others to arrive and given a plebian greeting. This alpha that had taken over the head pack was smaller than they were and entirely too polite and almost a sissy from the way he treated the women. When Dan got up to lead them into the manor, they grumbled at the fact that he actually led them as if they weren't worth worrying about and one or two actually considered taking a shot. They didn't since this was a formal occasion which meant they would be able to legally challenge him in the circle. Then they would take advantage of the women who were obviously not attending to them. When they did walk into the house the smell of the food was pretty good. The smells coming from the kitchen were good enough to appease their appetites for the moment though and put thoughts how they had been insulted by this new alpha aside to be dealt with later. Dan led them into the dining area. "Please have a seat and the food will be out momentarily. I do hope all of you enjoy it and after that the festivities will really begin." At the head table only Dan sat and at the other tables were the visitors. None of his pack was seated with them and he could feel the mental grumbles as well as vocal grumbles from the visitors. "This is pack business and therefor the junior wolves and pups are not here. Once lunch is dealt with they will be outside to witness the contest. Have no worries, all of you will have an interesting day." As in Dan was confident that he could kick their asses. What bothered him was that he had to do all four of them in one day. Tony he wasn't worried about since they had sort of sorted their issues out already. The other three were going to be interesting. Once everyone was seated some of the pack started coming out and serving food to the various tables. One Beta growled. "Where are the damn women, why am I being served by a male? This is below both of us." Dan looked at him and his eyes started to change. "Are you challenging me on my territory? Well challenge accepted and I will meet you in the challenge ring after lunch." Once he said that he turned away and started eating. It was like he was saying that the male wasn't worth even bothering with. That got another growl and his Alpha smirked. The male was a vicious fighter and he couldn't wait for the fight that would happen. If nothing else it would weaken this uppity Alpha they were dealing with. He looked at the male and shook his head to tell him to back down. His turn would come and if he succeeded he might have to kill him and take his place. The rest of the lunch went in fits and starts until everyone had been fed. Dan had been right that any number of the visitors had been pissy about the food and its quality. Most of the ones who had complained were betas so he figured it had been set up to test the new Alpha. Dan smiled through it and kept eating. It was sort of hard since he was used to having someone at his table but he wasn't about to subject one of his pack to this crap. Eventually the meal was over and he leaned back in the chair. "Well we have had the food part dealt with. Now for the fun, each alpha, and one beta, have to challenge me to a fight to see who ends up as the lead alpha for this region. Since I am leading the fun and excitement we are going to step out and my pack is going to follow to watch the fun. Does anyone have a problem with that?" His tone was casual and relaxed. "Yah, what pack? All I have seen is mostly males and one or two females. Where are the cubs and rest of them?" Miguel Rizon of the Galazion pack growled. Dan simply stared him down till the other was forced to lower his eyes. "They will be outside waiting for us to come out. I have a pack and you will see the rest of the males, females, and pups. Now shall we?" Since he was the master of ceremonies, so to speak, he stood up and without a look back, walked out of the room. He intended it as a direct insult to enflame them so he had a better chance. When Dan walked outside, his pack was off to one side so that the others couldn't directly interact with them. Most of them didn't look concerned, and especially the pups. Giani couldn't help herself. "Go my alpha and show them who rules!!" Her little girl voice floated over the silence. Dan wanted to smirk but instead pretended to growl. "Hush pup, this is an adult matter." *Good girl but remain quiet now.* Dan had set this up to irritate the other alpha's, well other than Tony since he had met Giani. "God he can't even keep control of the pups. What sort of fucking alpha is he?" One of the more belligerent commented. Dan simply smiled. "I would have to say I have a cheering squad, what do you have?" Once he entered the circle, his entire body posture changed. "Now where is that insolent beta? Come forward and show yourself. I accepted your challenge and then will deal with your alpha." His voice almost dripped a lack of concern when he said that. The beta moved forward and tried to stalk into the ring. To himself, he looked confident but to Dan's pack he looked rather pathetic. "So are you going to fight me as a human or a wolf? Too chicken to fight me as a wolf?" The man snarled as he started ripping off his clothes. Dan gave him a hard grin and quickly pulled off his clothes. "I would hate to get any blood on them you know. Too expensive to keep replacing them." Dan was stripped before the other man was and had shifted. That got a gasp due to his size and snarling mouth. *Come little one, come fight me. I am going to take you quickly so I can gut your alpha.* Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 05 Dan's opponent froze when he saw just how large Dan was and started to shake. He had never seen a wolf that large before and after a brief glance at his alpha, flopped down into a kneel and then onto his back. "Please forgive me." Dan growled at him. *Fucking pansy for folding this quick. You have two choices, change and fight me or die. I am not going to accept submission at this point. You challenged me and I am going to go through with it. Change or die.* His mental voice was hard as rock. The other man slowly rolled over and hoped he would survive the fight. When he changed he was a good hundred and fifty pounds lighter than the Alpha he was facing. The fight was over before it even started. As soon as he changed Dan attacked and slammed into his side and knocked him over. As he was rolling, Dan's teeth and muzzle wrapped around his neck and gave a good shake. *I should kill you right now you insolent brat but will save that for another day.* One more shake and he dropped the beta and stalked toward the center of the ring. *Next challenger please.* His wolf wanted to just attack but Dan knew better than that. The alphas had all frozen when Dan changed and before they could do anything, the fight was over. They had never seen a lycan that large or fast before and all of them were freaked out, though they tried not to show it. *Who is his Alpha? Come forward so I can replace you with someone deserving of it.* Dan stood there and waited for a few moments. When nobody moved he started snarling. *I had better get a response or I will kill all of you and replace all of you with my choice from your packs!!* That got a response and a large muscular man walked forward. "I am the Alpha and I told my Beta to take it easy on you." He smirked, but all there could smell the shock and fear emanating from him when he said that. He hadn't expected his second to go down that easy and knew that he couldn't compete with the wolf in this shape. "Let's try it in human form." Dan quickly shifted and ignored the fact that he was nude. "Works for me, prepare to get your ass kicked." Since the man was in the circle and had challenged him, he didn't hesitate and was quickly in motion. This fight was not quite as short and Dan did take some damage, but a minute or two later the other alpha was tossed from the ring and bounced off a fence post. The fence post broke and Dan growled. "Damn it I just fixed that. You will be getting a bill for that." The next two fights were slowly getting longer since Dan was getting damage from the fights, but each and every one ended about the same as the first two. By the end of the fourth fight he was looking at Tony and was more than impressed when he got a message from him. *I am going to fight you because I have to. Try not to hurt me too badly.* Dan gave him an evil grin. "More food for the slaughter. Come Tony and feel the teeth of your Alpha." *Not a problem and we are going to do this together. If you follow my directions I am going to make you second in this mess and eventually I am going to teach you what I know so that you really are the second.* The fight lasted longer than the others and by the end Dan was bleeding and so was Tony. Dan was standing over him with a paw on his chest. *Surrender or die.* He made sure to broadcast that to everyone. Tony exposed his neck and Dan leaned over and grasped it and gave it a good shake. Once he was done he moved away and shifted. "This ends the challenges. I am the lead alpha. Come here all of you and kneel down." His voice was hard and they complied with certain amounts of resistance. Once they were all kneeled down in front of him, he looked the alphas, what mates there were and their betas in the eyes. "I am in charge and am going to induct you into my territory." He looked at Saul and spoke. "Knife now." Moments later there was one in his hands and he could smell the fear emanating from all of them. Not as much from Tony but he was still emitting fear. "Tony lasted the longest so he is going to be my second Alpha. Drink of my blood and seal yourself to me." Dan sliced his palm and dribbled the blood into his mouth. As soon as the bond formed Dan sent to him, *This is how the pack bonds are formed and if you do this with your pack they should form the same. I am only telling you this since I actually trust you.* He moved down the line and forced each and every wolf to drink of his blood and once done showed that his hand was healed. "You are my Alphas. I have read you the rules that my packs are going to abide by. Break them and I will discipline you. Break the important ones and I will kill you and replace you." That was a snarl since one or two of the alphas were almost as bad as the one he replaced. "Now go and inform your packs of what has passed and also inform them of my rules. I will be coming by each pack once or twice a week till I am sure that we understand each other." Dan moved back a bit. "Oh, and you will send someone with the tithe in the next day or two. I would hate to have to visit and find out why it wasn't delivered or the full amount of it wasn't delivered. Don't even try the 'it has been a bad month' on me since I will know. Dan turned away and started walking towards the house. "Go and inform your packs of the change in leadership and of my rules." ~~~ The last couple of weeks had been interesting to say the least. Dan was even beyond tired since he had been visiting each of the new packs that now fell under his jurisdiction. His first visit had been to Tony's pack and that had gone quite well so to speak. Dan had enough of a sense of him to actually sit down and inform him of how he was forming the pack bonds even though he had figured some of it out based on the fight they had at the new Alpha introduction. The first thing Tony had done when he arrived back home was to line up all the pack members, minus the pups and fed them a bit of his blood. Dan felt each and every new bond and mentally sort of growled since that really wasn't what he needed and had ended up spending the day in bed dealing with the new bonds. Again it went back to bringing only one or two into the pack at a time. On top of that, Tony had a larger pack than he did and now he not only had the bond with Tony, but with almost 35 lycans above the age of 18 to deal with. "Tony what the hell were you thinking?" Dan asked as he was escorted into Tony's office on his first visit. "You gave me a headache from hell and I should actually kick your ass around the circle in revenge." Tony blinked and then realized what Dan was talking about. "Um, well since it created a link between the two of us I figured it would work between my pack and I." To be honest he was more than startled when Dan stormed into his office but since he was lead Alpha now, he couldn't really complain. "I know what the hell you did but it gave me a bloody headache and I ended up with Mari and half my pack in my bed since they were so worried about me. Besides, you forgot to do the same with all of your pups. They are lycans as well aren't they?" He was trying to keep from snarling when he said that. Tony flinched and then realized what he was saying. "Um, I am sorry? I just wanted to be as good an Alpha as you are and figured that would connect me with my pack." His voice lowered and he looked at his desk. "Sorry Alpha. I really didn't know." Dan wasn't in the mood to be appeased. "Fine, be a good Alpha but before you do anything else call me. I have to visit all my Alphas this week and having a migraine while visiting is going to get someone killed. Before you induct your pups let me finish my schedule. Do it on Sunday. If you do it before or after I might just come and rip your head off. This migraine really fucking sucks." He stood up and stormed out and told Saul to take them home. It hadn't been a good visit but he didn't really care and if anyone else did that he was going to kill them. It was as simple as that. They would die. He considered sending a message out about it but was going to need to consider it and how to deal with it. He hadn't had a headache this bad in ages. Saul didn't say anything and headed back to their mansion and once, there stopped by the front to let Dan out. God help anyone that pissed him off in the next day or two since they would either end up beaten to a pulp or dead. ~~~ Several weeks later. It had only been a few weeks since Dan had taken over the local packs and Mari knew that he was still grieving for his lost mate and cubs, but darn it she was actually feeling horny! Dan had been so very gentle with not just her but also the cubs in the pack and that mattered a great deal to her on a very personal level... Giani loved him more than he could imagine and her two minions loved him as well and would do anything for him. That alone would have drawn Mari to him, but there was him as well. He simply drew her to him for who he was. Right now Dan was downstairs working on something related to the pack and she couldn't help but appreciate how much time he spent on the pack. Well, on the pack and trying to improve it and not drive it into the ground. From almost dawn to dusk, he was working on the house, training the pack, dealing with finances, or whatever else needed to be done. Mari loved that about him but also wished that he would consider his personal needs. *** When Dan drug his body to bed, he was exhausted and Mari had a feeling that part of it was to keep his mind off of his lost family, but ultimately he was working to improve the pack and that meant more to her than she could really say to him. The cubs had said it to him but she couldn't. Right now she had decided to take a bath and was lying in the tub in his room, and as odd as it sounded she was horny as all get out. It felt really odd to her since it wasn't something she had felt since she was a pup, well older pup. As she settled into the tub she sighed and one hand slid up to her breast. She couldn't resist stroking it as her mind wandered to thoughts of having Dan make love to her. God, she wanted him to make love to her, but she simply couldn't bring herself to ask him. As her hands wandered where they would, she almost could feel his lips and tongue playing across her small nipples and sucking in as much of her breasts as he could into his hot, wet mouth. She leaned her head back against the tub and sank deeper into the warm as she continued to let her hands roam where her mind took her. Her other hand slowly traced a path down the now rounder curves of her stomach and hips to dip between her legs. This wasn't something that she could do in bed when Dan was around, and definitely not when there were cubs around. Granted, sex was sort of an open subject for lycans but if the cubs were in the bed, it wasn't going to happen. Her fingers softly traced her lower lips and started moving them apart. For a moment, all she could do was moan softly since it felt so delicious. She wasn't as wet as she could be since she was in the tub and the water washed away some of her wetness, but her fingers knew what she wanted and needed. One finger slowly slid into her tunnel and her thumb started stroking her clit and she had to let out another moan. It felt so good, so much better than it had in a very long time, and a second finger slid inside and then a third. As she was working herself to an orgasm, all she could think of was Dan taking her and knew that he would feel so good moving inside her and that he wouldn't hurt her. Mari slowly worked her way to an almost mind numbing orgasm. She barely managed to keep from screaming his name out when she finally came, but there was a good groan and mild growl when she did finally orgasm. Eventually she was done bathing and did her best to make sure she was clean and didn't smell like sex. When she stepped out of the draining tub, she realized she had forgotten to bring any nightclothes in with her. "Silly woman, think you are going to walk out nude and have Dan look at you? You are too scrawny and ugly for that." With a sigh she toweled off and after wrapping the towel around her body walked out and froze when she saw Dan on the bed. He was lying on his back and had his hands tucked under his head and had a soft smile on his face. All he had on was some shorts. "Um, sorry if I disturbed you." Oh god she was blushing deeply. "Mari, if I ever hear you call yourself ugly again, I will spank you. You are a beautiful young woman and you are getting some meat on your bones which you need. You might be slender but you have everything a woman needs." He sat up and crooked a finger at her to call her close. When she was almost between his legs he wrapped his arms around her. "I haven't done anything with you out of respect for both my former mate and for you. I have not asked if you want to have sex and would never force myself on you." His hands slid up her back and finally cupped her head and pulled her face down to his. "Mari you are a beautiful young woman and I would love to take you to bed and make love to you." His words were soft and his breath brushed across her lips as he gently kissed her. He had wanted to make love to her for the last week or two but hadn't wanted to scare her. Nang had been more feminine looking with larger breasts and wider hips but wasn't much taller than Mari was. She had been Malaysian and how he had loved tickling her and making her squeal as well as making her moan his name when they were making love. In this case he was feeling the urge to have someone close to him and remind himself that he was alive. It was sort of wrong but also very right. Mari had spent so much time with him and taking care of him that he sort of felt obligated to her. He did want her but didn't want to force her or even have her accept through a feeling of owning him. Mari blushed even more and was sure by now that he had heard her in the tub and that idea was so embarrassing. "Um, all you had to do was ask my Alpha. I would have eagerly served all your needs." She had to look down at the floor when she spoke. "Do you think I wanted you to serve my needs? What I want is someone who willingly enters my bed and not because of some duty or simply because I asked." He noticed her looking at the floor and could still smell her arousal even after the bath. His hands slid back under the towel and stroked the skin on her back. The towel fell off her body and draped itself over his arms. He was holding her close and ignored the towel that was draped over her and his arms. "Mmm... Pine and Cinnamon. You smell so good to me." He felt her tilt her head for better access and he lightly licked over the pulse and up to her ear and sighed. "My little submissive, I have to thank you for helping me stay sane and for sleeping with me even when I am sure that you were scared of me. You will make someone one hell of a mate someday." He finally moved his mouth to hers and gave her a slow gentle kiss. "I will make love to you Mari and I will teach you what making love is really like. It isn't poke, prod, and then falling asleep. It is taking care of your needs as well as mine. It is a sharing between two people. I am going to make love to you like you deserve." Mari had to shiver slightly as he talked. She was already on edge but didn't really have any idea of what he might do to her or with her. Most of her experience had been bend over and I am going to screw you and not much else. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I am sort of scared Dan. This is not something I have ever done before." Her voice was very quiet and there was more than a bit of fear in it. "Mari I will never hurt you and as your Alpha my word is my bond." Dan gently tugged on the towel and waited until she relaxed a bit before he took it off her body and dropped it on the floor. "Like I said, you are a beautiful woman." His eyes slowly traveled up and down her body, slowly drinking in her feminine form. Her breasts had filled out some as well as she wasn't as scrawny anymore. The right amount of food had filled her in nicely and he knew that included most of the women as well. He let his fingers lightly slide down her back and sides as she was leaning into him. Part of it was to feel how she was doing but part was also to enjoy feeling her body. She wasn't the most well-endowed of women, but her breasts were firm and shapely. The nipples were starting to crinkle and pucker with arousal and were nicely dark compared to her skin. With a slight smile he leaned forward and sniffed between her breasts, and then started placing light kisses up her chest before slowly working his way back down to one nipple. Dan could feel her starting to react and had to smile since he could feel his own reaction to having another woman in his arms. When he reached the nipple he slowly licked around it before taking it in his mouth and sucking on it. He also lightly nibbled on it and almost laughed when she pushed her mound as well as the breast against him and he could smell her increasing arousal. "See little one, sex isn't always bad and I will show you that." His mouth trailed across to her other breast and he nibbled and sucked on it as well and was more than a bit startled when she orgasmed. Dan hadn't even touched her folds and she was shaking and shivering in his arms. "Oh my, is someone maybe enjoying this?" Mari couldn't really talk at the moment. What she was experiencing was not something she had before. His hands were tracing patterns on her skin and his mouth was doing incredible things to her breasts and before she realized it a new sensation, well new with a man, flowed from her groin into her body and she started shuddering. "God, don't stop, please don't stop Dan." Her arms were wrapped around his head and holding him to her chest. "God that feels so good." It was a whole new experience for Mari and there were tears in her eyes since she had never been treated this way before. She had been 16 when the Alpha had decided she was going to grace his bed and it hadn't been a good intro into sex. Dan didn't see the tears but could smell a slight change in her scent and hoped that she was enjoying what he was doing. He looked up and noticed the tears. He changed what he was doing and pulled her close and lightly licked the tears from her cheeks before giving her a slow kiss. "This is what making love is little one. One pleases the other and then gets a return from him or her." His mouth slowly moved down and he found her navel and started kissing it and finally gave it a light lick and got a squeal from her and her arms tightened even more. "Well and maybe a bit of amusement and laughter. Relax and enjoy little one." When he made it to her navel he slowly kissed and sucked on the skin around it before actually starting to make love to it. Most women tended to react one way or another. They would either melt into it or freak out and he really didn't know what Mari would do. The answer was quickly answered as he slowly ran his tongue across her navel. "Dan you butthead that tickles!!" Mari couldn't help but squeal when he licked it. Before that it had felt good but when he licked it the tickles hit and she couldn't help but giggle and laugh. For a moment Mari leaned against him as he licked the tears off her face before he started working his way down her body. Her mind started to go blank as she focused on what he was going and the sensations that were flowing through her body. He slowly made love to her breasts again before working his way further down her body and the feeling was almost more than she could handle. He licked it again and snickered at her. His face was tucked into her stomach and all she could do was try to get away, but he was to strong. "Not happening little one. You wanted me and you are going to get all of me." He stood up and since his arms were around her lifted her off the floor. Turning around and placing her gently on the bed, Dan started trailing his kisses further south. When he reached the apex of her thighs he lightly nuzzled it and spent several minutes lightly kissing it and nibbling her thighs before urging her to spread her legs. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 06A This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. This one is going to intro some new characters and I hope everyone enjoys them... I broke chapter up into two chapters since the two main sections didn't really have anything to do with each other. * Mari froze for a moment and then sighed and wiggled slightly. "Well if I am going to have a cub, you are the male for me. I have wanted one but not with the dirtbag who used to be our alpha. Having you as the father of my cubs is wonderful. Thank you." If she was pregnant she was going to enjoy having Dan's cubs. ~~~ A few days after Dan and Mari had made love, he was on the porch helping several of his pack replace the railing. The wood was old and was starting to crack and the paint was starting to peel off as well. It wasn't worth simply painting over so they were replacing it. He had found the stash of money the former alpha had and they had made a run to town and picked up a bunch of wood and a large quantity of paint. Once they were done with the external repairs, the house was going to be painted and trimmed. When he thought about finding the stash he had to shake his head. It was built into the side of the desk and was opened by pushing one fancy carving or by banging your head in just the right spot. That was how he had actually found it. He was feeling very frustrated with a couple of his wolves and was beating his head against the desk when he heard a click and a side panel was partially opened. There was a heck of a stash in there and it was easily enough to support the pack for six months. As he was working a screw into the wood his ears picked up the sounds of someone walking up the road to the house. It would be a few minutes before they arrived so he didn't say anything and waited to see which of his wolves noticed the intruder first. Charles stood up and gave the road to the house a hard look and then glanced at Dan. Dan nodded and grinned. "Good catch Charles. Let the pack know that we have a guest and make sure the pups are all accounted for." The others were starting to catch on as Charles headed inside to take care of his alphas orders. "All of you need to pay more attention even while you are working. Keep working till we find out what the person wants." He put the electric drill he had been using to drive the screws in with down and walked over to the stairs and stood there with his arms crossed and waited. When the person was finally visible Dan's jaw damn near hit the ground. He was huge. Even from this distance Dan could tell that. He was probably close to 7' tall and as muscled as Dan was. He had dirty blond hair and striking blue eyes. As soon as he saw Dan the man slowed down and finally stopped a moderate distance away. "I would like to talk to the Alpha if he is available." For such a large man his voice was fairly light. His head was slightly lowered and he was looking at the ground. His posture was definitely submissive and almost beaten down. "I am the Alpha and what are you doing on my territory? I don't know where you are from but it is usually a good idea to call ahead when you are going to be on another pack's territory." Dan's voice was hard as he spoke. There wasn't going to be any question that he was in charge and wasn't going to take any crap. "Sorry sir, I would have called if I could have but don't have the money to make a call." His voice was still light. "I have heard of you from some of the other wolves around here and most everything that I have heard has been about all the things you are doing for your pack. I don't have a pack anymore and wanted to ask if you might accept me into your pack." He had been walking for so long and he was tired and if he didn't find a pack soon he wasn't sure what he would do. That actually startled Dan since he hadn't really considered adding to the pack though they could use it. "Come with me then and we will talk about it." He looked at his pack members. "Continue working while I deal with this." Dan turned and walked into the house and led him to his office and inside. "Sit. Now tell me why you don't already have a pack and tell me why I should accept you?" The man carefully sat down and folded his hands together and looked at the desktop. "I left my pack because I was tired of being beat up on. I might be large and scary looking but I am at the bottom of the pack. Since I was little it was allowed for others to pick fights with me since I don't fight back much. I want somewhere that I can live and be myself without being abused. I understand that I am the lowest but does that mean that I am not worth anything? That I am not a person?" He was starting to shiver from fear. Maybe he should have just stayed a lone wolf. He was large and worked hard so he would be able to support himself but his wolf needed the companionship of other wolves. It was the only reason he hadn't left the pack beforehand. When some of the dominant wolves started discussing the new Alpha in the next territory he couldn't help but listen. Their comments on the changes he was making were fairly vulgar and that alone was a positive indicator that he was probably a good alpha. Dan leaned his chair back and listened to the man as he was talking. *Mari bring some coffee and a large sandwich please.* He contemplated the man. He definitely smelled and felt like a submissive and having more than one in a pack was always a good thing. "Discipline is one thing, but abuse is something totally different. Nobody deserves to be abused in any way, and it isn't allowed in my pack. I am going to need to think about this but for the moment you can stay here till I decide what my choice is. If I do decide to let you stay it will be on an interim basis till you prove that taking you in is the right thing for my pack." He turned and pulled out the sheet of rules that he was building and slid it across the desk. "Read this and if you can agree with all the rules then you can stay." Right as the man was reaching for it Mari knocked and then walked in. Aiden promptly stood up and kept his eyes down. Mari froze for a moment as her eyes slowly traveled up the man. "Damn, did your mother feed you growth pills when you were little?" As soon as she spoke she blushed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She carried the tray to the desk and set it down. "I am going to assume the sandwich is for you and I hope you enjoy it." With a nod she left the room and closed the door behind her. "Sit son and take the sandwich and some coffee if you want. I can hear the growling from over here." Dan might have to talk to Mari later about what she had said. It wasn't mean but he was sure that the man had heard variations of that before. "So what is your name?" The man approached the desk and took both the paper and the plate from it and sat back down and slowly started eating the sandwich as he read the rules. Several times he had to stop and start over. Most packs were decently run but some of these rules were shocking. Eventually he finished the food and couldn't help but burp. "Thank you sir for the food and my name is Aiden." Aiden looked at the paper again. "If all of these rules are followed, I think I will really like it here." His voice sort of indicated that he didn't quite believe they were actually used and followed. Dan wanted to smile but he didn't, instead he hardened his face and almost glowered at him. "I killed a man for raping one of the women. I caught him, took him out to the challenge circle and explained what had happened and then killed him. I didn't hesitate, didn't wonder if he might get better if I tried to educate him on the errors of his ways. If someone breaks one of my rules I expect someone to come and tell me." He stood up. "Follow me, time to show you to the pack and introduce you." Dan walked out of the office and back outside. As he was walking he could hear whispers and murmurs from pack that were sort of hidden but ignored it. Once he was outside he walked over to the circle and stood on the edge of it. Once the man was standing next to and sort of behind him, Dan lifted his face and called the pack. The call was low and gentle with overtones of amusement. It almost took less time for everyone to gather than when he had killed the rapist. They lined up and he really wanted to laugh. Little Giani looked totally frozen at the sight of the huge man. She was startled enough her mouth was hanging open. "Little one if you don't close your mouth you might just catch a fly." Giani glared at Dan and then cleared her face and looked away. She had thought Dan was large but that man was huge. She really hoped that he was nice like Dan was. "This is Aiden who has requested permission to join the pack. I am accepting him on an interim position. He, much like Mari is a submissive. You will give him the respect due all pack members." He was about ready to say something else when Angie caught a whiff of his scent and didn't even think twice. For some reason she had been feeling itchy all day and definitely out of sorts. There was just something that had been bothering her and she really couldn't place a finger on it. If she was human she would have said it was like her cycle was starting but since they only went into heat twice a year it wasn't a problem they really had to deal with. When they were called out to see the strange lycan she was frankly glad since it gave her something to distract herself with. When they were outside she much like the others couldn't help but stare at Aiden in shock. As Dan was talking the wind shifted and one of the most wonderful scents she had ever smell trickled past her nose. Her wolf immediately stood up and launched herself at him. "My mate, how I have wondered where you were." Her leap was very prodigious and she nailed him in the chest. Aiden's head snapped up and his eyes snapped all the way open as the woman launched herself at him. He almost didn't hear what she was saying since his first reaction was to catch her and make sure she didn't get hurt. His arms opened and he braced himself and caught her. Her scent wrapped around his nose and he pulled her close to him and buried his nose in her neck and inhaled. Dan was looking more than a bit shocked since this was the last thing he expected. "Ah, well I guess I should be saying he is going to be joining the pack today." Dan was completely knocked off his mental center and he was sort of floundering. "Well crap, I suppose that is one way to get new members even if you have to wait nine months..." Mari almost immediately started snickering at Dan's reaction as well as Angie's since Angie was fairly reticent about one of the lycan's favorite past times, sex. To see her do that was too funny. She noticed Dan glaring at her and that made it even worse. She tried to cover the laughter up but ended up collapsing into the arms of the woman next to her she was laughing so hard. When Dan made the comment about 9 months she started laughing even harder. The pack started snickering and even the most serious were smiling. It was nice to see a new pack member but to get a new pack member and to find a mate in the same day made it a great day. "I think this is going to call for a toast at lunch. I will break out the bottle of Scotch I have been saving." Bear commented. That got a reaction since they knew how careful Bear was of his drink. Granted it was very hard for a lycan to get drunk but you could still enjoy the taste and slight buzz it could give you. Dan knew that it would take a moment or two for the pack to calm down and he let them carry on for a few moments and then called for silence. "Enough, we can talk about it at lunch and since he is going to be accepted into the pack I am going to induct him immediately." He turned to the two. "I need you to let go of your mate for a few moments Angie." She almost glowered at him and then lowered her eyes and wiggled out of Aiden's arms and stood next to him. Angie definitely didn't want to let him go but they needed to do this and then get to lunch. She wondered if Dan would let them have the afternoon off since she had definite plans with him. "Yes O' mighty Alpha Sir." Dan rolled his eyes. "I think the kitchen help is getting uppity. Might have to confine her to her room for the rest of the day!" He knew what was going through her mind and watched her blush a deep crimson. "Aiden kneel down. Since you are now a member of the pack there is one thing that I do that is different from all the other packs and will create a bond with you." As he was talking he pulled out the pen knife he had started carrying around and sliced his hand. "Drink of the blood of your Alpha." Aiden was sort of startled when Dan didn't backhand Angie for obviously being a smart ass towards her Alpha. At Dan's command he did kneel, though he looked slightly confused. When the knife came out he started to get worried until Dan sliced his hand. Aiden didn't even think when he tilted his head back and opened his mouth. As he did and the power began to flow through him, he tensed up until something started to form in his mind. Even his wolf stood up and took notice of that and lifted his head and howled in the vault of Aiden's mind. With the howl also came a sense of being home and a sort of welcome and he didn't even think twice before starting to cry. It was a feeling he never had at his old pack. Dan gave him a gentle smile and moved forward and stroked his hair. "Welcome home son. Welcome home and I think you will be a fine mate for Angie. Now why don't we go in, let Bear get his bottle and have something to eat." He comforted the man for a few more minutes before getting out of the way of his mate and let her take over. Once lunch was over Dan went back to his office and collapsed in his chair and leaned it back and closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Well that was interesting. Not really what I figured the day would be like, but acceptable. He had a good feeling about the man. When he smelled Mari approach his office he didn't wait. "Come on in you little minx." When she came in she walked over to him and he lunged out and scooped her up and deposited her in his lap. Mari wasn't expecting that and squealed in shock and smacked him. "You turkey! What kind of Alpha are you that man handles his submissives that way." She was giggling as she sort of curled up in his lap and relaxed against him. "The type of Alpha that should spank said submissive for laughing so hard she collapses." As he was saying it, he couldn't help but start to snicker. "That totally wasn't something I would have expected. Did you see that leap? That was incredible. I was afraid she was going to take him out when she hit him." Mari snickered slightly and then quieted down. "Sometimes I wonder when I will meet my mate. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my time in your bed but I want more." Her voice was quiet. "Till you got here it was something I dreaded since I was afraid it would be like the other Alpha or something and I didn't want one. You showed me that sex can be very enjoyable as well as a man can be gentle and kind. I know that there is a killer inside you and that should scare me but I know that you would never hurt me unless I really screwed up. You are teaching me to trust males again and thank you for that." She turned her head and nuzzled his chest and sighed. Before he realized it, she had drifted off and was snoring quietly. That was something she never would have done before with any of the males in the pack. She was still sleeping slightly when there was a light knock on the door and Angie and Aiden walked in. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry for the way I acted. I could have waited till after you were done," she blushed again, "but my wolf sort of caught me off guard." Aiden was more than a bit startled to find the other submissive curled up in his lap and tried not to stare, but it was such an odd picture. Dan scared him big time, but obviously he didn't scare Mari what so ever. "I wanted to say thank you as well sir. Before I found my mate, you had no reason to allow someone like me in..." Dan's face hardened. "Don't ever talk like that again. Being a submissive isn't a bad thing what so ever. You help bring stability to the pack and if your former Alpha couldn't see that then it is his loss. Neither of you have anything to apologize for." He forced his face to soften. "We will talk more but if you remember I did confine Angie to her room... Well maybe if the two of you want to find larger rooms that would work as well. Make sure your mate stays in the rooms till tomorrow morning Aiden." Angie blushed even harder as Dan teased them. She looked up at her mate and smiled. He wasn't what you would call a handsome man. His hair looked like a hay stack with tufts poking out at odd angles, his eyes weren't even, his nose was a bit large and his lips were sort of thin but he was beautiful to her. "Yes O' Mighty Alpha sirness. I will make sure I am confined to my room till tomorrow. Hope you don't starve when dinner rolls around." Dan snickered and had to resist the expression on Aiden's face as she poked fun at him. "I don't mind a bit of teasing as long as it isn't mean or used as a way to contest my dominance. I actually welcome the teasing since it means that I am doing my job. Now go you two and I will have something delivered for dinner this evening." He smiled as they walked out of the room. Aiden was in for a head spinning introduction to werewolf packs by Dan. ~~~ Angie knew just the room and for some reason she had made sure that it had been cleaned earlier in the week. When they approached it she turned and looked at him. "I know I am more dominant than you but we will work that out. I want my mate to be comfortable as well." She leaned into him and gave him a good hug. "We really do have a good Alpha and I have learned a great deal from him and will do my best to take care of my mate and our cubs when we have them." Aiden leaned into her and knew that she was more dominant than he was but wasn't worried. "You are my mate and that is what matters. I don't care if you are more dominant than I am as long as our pups are taken care of. I will love and protect them as much as possible." He let her sort of push him over to the bed since she was in charge. What his mate wanted he would accept. "Damn it you are starting to work my wolf up. Angie said and proceeded to unbutton his shirt and tossed it across the bed before removing her shirt and bra. Once they were sort of nude he leaned back and let her take charge. She growled at him and started licking and nipping her way down his body starting with his mouth. Her nips covered his mouth and neck as she worked on him. The nips only fueled their need and before he realized it she was nibbling on his nipples. When he looked at her she was what could be called BBW for lycans. She had large breasts and wide hips but a slender waist. Her hair was a medium brown and her breasts were heavy and designed for children and sucking on. Her hips were made for babies and she didn't shave though she did trim. Her face was attractive and meant for kissing and how he wanted her. They would have cubs soon based on her scent. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 06A Aiden couldn't help but let her take charge since she was more dominating than he was. She worked his pants off as well as his shorts. "Damn I think we need to rename you horse..." Her mouth started kissing his thighs as he became more aroused. As she licked and nibbled she felt him react. Eventually she licked his penis and definitely felt him react. Her tongue slowly moved from the base to the tip and lightly sucked on it. She could feel and taste the precum and smiled. "I am going to make you groan before you cum my love. As she was both nibbling and sucking on his penis she slowly changed her position till her center was positioned over his mouth. His penis was drawing her to him and as much as she wanted him to cum in her mouth she also wanted to blow a nut in his mouth. When she lowered herself over his mouth she almost cummed when he started licking her. His tongue was long and he used it well. When he nailed her clit she climaxed then and there. It had been some time since the last time she had reacted that way to any man. As she had climaxed she sucked his large penis into her mouth and shuddered as she orgasmed. Once she was done she rolled over and stuck her bottom into the air. "Please Aiden, please nail me and do it good." She wanted him inside her and all of him. He wasn't quite a hung like a horse but he was large enough. Aiden didn't let her wiggle too much and placed his hands on her hips and slowly pushed into her and once buried into her depths closed his eyes and sighed. It was a feeling that he hadn't expected in his life. Slowly he started moving as he felt his knot forming and before it got to big he slowly pushed against her. Finally his knot slipped into her and he started stroking slowly and then faster. Angie felt him flip her over and all she could do was shift her hips so he would have better access. When she did she felt the base of his penis starting to swell and hooked her legs around his hips and forced herself over him and thought it was painful it felt good as well. Once he was fully inside her she started rocking her pelvis and could feel him reacting. "Luna damn it, screw me till we are done. I want you to cum inside me. I want your child and now is as good a time as I can think of." He could tell she was in heat and that only drove him even faster. When he finally did orgasm his teeth slid into her neck and he growled a deep possessive growl. She reacted and orgasmed with him. Her tunnel constricted around him and milked all of his seed out of him before they collapsed on the bed. Before she orgasmed he leaned forward and allowed his teeth to enlarge and bit her neck. As the blood flowed he filled her with his seed. As soon as he did, he started to lick the blood off her neck and helped her heal. She would bite him the next time they made love. ~~~ As it happened Mari did end up pregnant with his pups and Dan was sort of torn. He had to admit that he had greatly enjoyed making love to Mari and would not complain if she asked him again. On the flip side of the coin, he was still dealing with the loss of his mate and pups and making love to Mari just didn't feel right. He knew that she wouldn't say no, but in some ways he couldn't help but think she would say yes just because he was the Alpha and actually asked and that wouldn't be right for either of them. Since that night they hadn't slept with each other, well not sexually, and they had actually sort of started alternating between his bed and hers since it didn't really seem to matter what bed they were, in some of the cubs would find them and snuggle up to them. The first night they had curled up in her bed had been rather interesting. They had quietly walked into the room after the pups were all asleep yet by the time they woke up the bed was almost groaning with pups piled around them. There wasn't a square inch of the bed that didn't have a pup on it and amusingly enough Giani was curled up next to him. She always seemed to be closest to him if there were two or more. Dan usually awoke and tickled them but it was halfhearted in a way since he really did appreciate their concern for him. With everything else it almost seemed even more pups were spending time in bed with them and oddly enough the month after Mari conceived they were spending more time with her than him. That was amusing since the pups seemed to know that she was pregnant and were going out of their way to lightly touch or pat her belly and smile. In a way it was sort of nice since he could get up and go to the bathroom without dislodging any pups but he almost felt abandoned. It was like they knew something he didn't... Right about then Mari woke up and managed to nail him in the stomach as she rolled out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom and promptly tossed up what remained in her stomach from dinner. Dan managed not to laugh and followed her to the bathroom. He held her hair till she was done and offered her a damp washcloth and some water to clean her mouth out. "Sorry little one, if I could do that for you I would." His voice was soft and gentle but that didn't help. "You caused this, why can't you be the pregnant one." Mari growled at him as she stalked out of the bathroom before running back in and tossing what was left of her cookies again. "Lords, why did I ever think about having cubs?" One more retch and she was done for the moment. Dan was smart enough not to say anything since he had dealt with his former mate with both of her pregnancies. Once she was cleaned up, they headed down to breakfast to find out what also might cause her to have issues... He gave her another hug and urged her from the room. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 06B This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. I also want to say that any people having sex are 18+. There are no underage sex scenes or sexual relationships in any way. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. This one is going to intro some new characters and I hope everyone enjoys them... I am breaking chapter 6 into two separate chapters since they ended up being two separate stories. * Geoff looked at his mother and sighed. "And why do we care about some shifter pack? We control this section and all the packs in it. Besides, their lands lie south of our territory." Normally he was a good son, but at the moment he really didn't like the assignment she was giving him. It was to go and find out about someone new in the wolf packs. He could understand needing to know about changes in leadership, but they Silver Kitsune Clan ruled the packs where they lived and how did one more Alpha matter. Most of them were self-centered and dicks anyways. What did one more really matter and especially one outside their territory? "Son, I didn't really ask if you wanted to go. I informed you that you are going and that is it. You are going to go or you are going to deal with the elders." Alysson's, Geoff's mother, voice was firm and she was tired of arguing with him and wanted it over with. Geoff paled and sighed. "Yes Mother. If it is what you want then I will do so. How do you want me to go, and when?" "You are going to leave in three days and take several vehicles. You need to try to impress the new Alpha and I think you will enjoy your time there." It had been several months since the spirits visited her and some of what she had heard had been interesting such as he would find his mate there. There was more, but it all sort of vague which was normal though there was an element of excitement as well. Several days later, Geoff, his security team, and his assistant, left and based on his mother's requirements they chose cars over the planes they could have used. Why he wasn't sure but eventually he looked out the window and started to enjoy the country side. What he would really love would be to run through some of the forests in his fox form and hunt down some rabbits. He was almost tempted to have his driver pull over just so he could do that. Eventually they made it to the new Alpha's pack and pulled up in front of the house. Geoff had to admit that it was a pretty nice house and looked like it was well maintained. Little did he realize that if he had arrived even two months ago, it would have looked much worse. Dan had the pack working hard to fix it up and after finding the stash of the former Alpha's, spent some money to get some new wood and paint to clean it up and take care of the worst fixes. Granted it wasn't near what the clan house was like but it was still a pretty nice house. When he stepped out of the car he noticed a man on the porch sipping on what smelled like coffee. "Morning, can I help you?" Dan asked as he stood at the top of the stairs. He had heard the vehicles coming a fair time ago and right now there were several of his pack upstairs with some of the weapons he had salvaged and repaired. All the kids and the pregnant women were in the safe room till he said it was safe. He stood there at the top of the stairs looking relaxed yet alert. "Good morning, I am Geoffrey Logan and I am looking for the Alpha of this pack. My mother, Lady Alysson Logan of the Silver Kitsune Clan, sent me to greet the new Alpha and see about opening up some lines of communication." It was hard not to sound grumpy since he still didn't see what the big deal was but she had ordered him to come and he was going to do his best. "Well Geoffrey I am the new Alpha and I am pleased to meet you though I have to say I don't know who you are or why your mother might want to talk to me." Moved down the stairs and over to them. As he moved it was obvious how muscular he was and several of the guards tensed a bit. Added to his almost cat like grace the guards could see how dangerous he was. Dan couldn't resist smiling a bit at them before turning his attention back to Geoffrey and walked over and held his hand out. "Danilo Legarith, Pack Leader of the Alucian pack and pleased to meet you." His nose was working hard and he could tell that the young man in front of him was not human, but he wasn't sure what he was. It wasn't a familiar scent but there was still that hint of fur under the skin as well as something else. Geoff's eyes widened slightly when he saw this alpha he had come to meet move. He wasn't all that much taller than Geoff, but he must have weighted at least twice his weight considering the heavy muscles that were visible. When his bodyguards tensed he sent a thought over the clan links to tell them to relax. He took Dan's hand and shook it. "I am pleased to meet you, and I would like to get to know you as well." Something was different about Dan and he could sense that. "Well, have your security detail follow and we will go to my office. I will have Mari find all of you somewhere to stay and make the rest of your detail comfortable while we are talking." Dan grinned at Geoff, he assumed one or two would accompany him at all times. "I am going to assume that you are going to be here for a day or two right?" He asked as they walked up the stairs and in the front door. Before Geoff could respond as they walked in Dan almost ran Mari down. "Hey, sorry little one. This is Geoffrey Logan and..." He didn't get to say much else before Geoff moved forward and held his hand out. Dan could tell that he was totally focused on Mari. "I am very pleased to meet you Mari and..." She was beautiful to him and all he wanted was to pull her to him and inhale her scent for the rest of his life but had a feeling that wouldn't be the right way to approach her. "...I am Lord Geoffrey Logan, heir to the Silver Kitsune Clan." He leaned over and lightly kissed the back of her hand. Mari froze when Dan walked in with the man and almost instantly blushed. He was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. She loved Dan almost to tears, but this man was what she had been dreaming of for years. He wasn't as tall as Dan and had a runners build and long silvery looking hair. His face was a sort of blend between European and Asian and totally beautiful to her. "Um, pleased to meet you Lord Geoffrey." Darn it the blush was getting worse. Dan almost snickered. He and Mari had made love that one time, but knew that they weren't for each other since she was a submissive. Even if he had mated with her it wouldn't have worked out well for the pack and he had really hoped she would find someone that she could love. It wasn't going to happen in the pack since she hadn't shown any interest in anyone but him. This might be a good thing though he really didn't want to lose her. They had a new submissive but Dan wasn't interested in guys so that wasn't going to happen and he was going to miss having her in his bed. "Mari arrange for somewhere for his pack to sleep and join us in my office." He grasped Geoff's elbow and gently led him off. "Relax son, you will be with her soon enough and we need to talk." If he could, he would keep her busy for an hour or two while he talked to Geoff about what she had been through. *Angie, Mari is going to come to you to arrange some rooms for some guests. Keep her busy for an hour or so.* Angela had to blink when he contacted her and sort of grinned before working on her expression. If Dan was telling her to keep Mari busy, there were only a few things that could really mean. When Mari walked in, Angela smiled at her. "Dan told me you need some rooms? Let's go and see what is available." Mari almost groaned at the idea of taking some time to find the rooms and make sure they were presentable. She and her wolf longed to remain with Geoff. Instead she nodded shyly at Angie and then at the men. "These are Lord Geoffrey's people. Let's get them something to nibble on first and while they are eating, we can find a place for them to sleep." Angie nodded. "Welcome to pack Alucian gentlemen and lady. Come in to the dining room and we will get you something to nibble on." They were attractive for the most part, and she grinned when she said that and then become serious. "I am going to tell you that as the house mother if you see someone you are interested in, you can ask, but if they say no, don't. Dan will deal with you if you don't listen." That got a nod from them and Mari couldn't help but blush since it had been hard to have Dan say no the first time she had asked. "He means that as well and has enforced it across his territory." She along with the rest of the pack had watched him kill Nikoli for raping Julia. The men nodded and settled around one of the tables. Two of them had accompanied Geoff and the only female that had come with was settled in the middle of the men. "We understand and will respect your rules." Sheliae said and all the security staff nodded. Angie went about getting some food for them while Mari was looking at the housing chart and decided where they would stay. Meanwhile, Dan led Geoff to his offices and looked at the two guards. "He will be safe in my office and I won't lock the door so you can gain access at all times." There were a few things he needed to tell Geoff once they were in his office. Geoff nodded to the guards that it was okay and they took up position on each side of the door when he and the Alpha walked into the office. Once the door was closed, Dan whirled around and grabbed Geoff's collar and lifted him off the ground. "If you hurt Mari in any way, I will kill you. I don't care who you are or what clan, pack or whatever you are from, I will hunt you down and kill you." Once he said that he let the young man down and smoothed out his collar. "Sorry, but she is very important to me," he said as a way of explanation. Dan sat down in a chair and waved the boy to one of the others. Geoff tidied up his shirt and sat down as well. "How could I hurt my mate? I don't know about you but if she is my mate she is very important to me and will never be hurt by me and I will protect her as much as possible." He was sort of rattled since the man definitely gave off some serious vibes. Dan nodded slightly. "I don't give a damn if she is your mate, she is one of my pack and I will do what is needed to protect my pack." He looked away for a moment. "I want to give you a little bit of her history. She was badly abused by the previous alpha. She is what I would call a submissive and is the heart of the pack. I can't help but try to take care of her." He looked away again. "When I came here she helped me deal with the loss of my mate and pups." Tears showed. "She slept next to me and held me as I cried. For some reason most of the pups ended up in my bed to try to comfort me as well. She kept me sane till we, my wolf and I, started to recover. We have made love one time but both know that it isn't going to lead to anything since I am an Alpha and she is a Submissive." Geoff nodded at Dan. "I am not sure what you mean by submissive but she is..." it was so hard to describe, "...There is just something about her that draws me to her. I can't help but look at her; she is the most beautiful woman to me." Damn it he wasn't really sure what to say and especially after the threat. "My fox sees her as his mate and... Damn it I have a feeling I am getting it all wrong and you are going to beat me to a pulp. That and I have a feeling she might object to that." He was leaning forward and his long silver hair was covering his face. Dan couldn't help but grin. "Just listening to you helps me somewhat. When I say submissive in a wolf pack, a submissive is the bottom of the pack yet also the heart of the pack. They allow the dominant wolves to relax in their presence and it doesn't matter if they are male or female. Mari helped me deal with the loss of my mate and pups. She held me as I cried and keened for them. I don't want to lose her but want her to have some happiness as well." Geoff's face tensed when Dan mentioned losing his family. "I am sorry that happened to you and it is always good to have one person in the world that you can trust and relax with. When I get home I will light some joss for the loss of your family and ask the spirits to protect them till you are with them again." He gave the young man a nod for his offer. "Thank you and I really appreciate it." The next item he was had to mention was going to be rather awkward. God he wasn't really sure how to put this and he had a feeling Geoffrey was going to feel somewhat put out. "One other thing you need to know is that she is carrying my child and I will not give up any rights." As long as they were raised in a good house hold with loving parents he could accept that. Geoff tensed up when Dan said that, "Excuse me? What did you say?" He shook his head. "If you don't mind my asking how did that happen?" Almost as soon as that was out of his mouth he blushed deeply since he knew 'how' it happened, but how did it happen with his mate? God this was hard. It wasn't something he had ever had to worry about before. "Well like I said, she had been sleeping in my bed at night. Without my realizing it she had gone into heat and things just happened. It wasn't till after I realized why we did what we did." That was one thing that still bothered him, he knew what heat smelled like so why hadn't he noticed. "I don't regret it or that she is going to have my pups." He shook his head. His face hardened before he spoke again. "They will never replace my lost cubs but they are part of me and in a way something I could give to Mari however inadvertently. They are mine and I will never give up any rights or responsibility towards them." He tried not to but a slight growl and a hint of his Alpha power showed. Geoff lifted his chin slightly and traded power for power. "I, and my family, would never expect you to even consider giving up any rights to them." He leaned forward and in his voice was traces of fox growls and clan power. It wasn't a challenge but was to show that he also had power. The next question was going to be hard to ask but he was rather curious. "From the feel of it you are a fairly old and powerful Alpha, do you know how you might have missed her being in heat?" Dan slightly growled at him for the presumption of the question but it had been bothering him as well. "I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that I was still in a state where some things just weren't clicking for me." He wasn't going to say that he still wasn't always meshing correctly. "We will probably need to talk more about Mari's pregnancy in the future." He was obviously trying to change the subject. "Getting back to the main subject how can I help you? Oh, and what is a kitsune? Where I come from that is a fox spirit." Ah, that explained it. The man's aura showed him to be good and he just couldn't feel him forcing Mari in anyway sexually or so Geoff felt. "Lady Alysson sent me with a letter for you to read, pardon but is a bit crumpled." Geoff pulled it out of a pocket in his jacket and handed it over. "We are sort of shifters similar to you, but we do it differently. Would you like me to show you?" Dan couldn't help but grin at the crumpled paper comment since he was the one that crumpled it. He took the parchment from the young man and was almost ready to break the seal when he offered to shift for him. He gave Geoff a nod and set the document down for a moment. Geoff stood up and moved slightly off to one side and shifted to his mid-form with his ears and three tails showing. What was different was that he was still wearing clothing. "This is our mid form and the biggest differences are the fox ears, larger canines, and tails showing." He turned so Dan could see his three fluffy tails. Once Dan nodded, he changed again into his full form. That form was a fox the size of a regular wolf and again he had three tails. He strutted around for a moment or two before changing back to his human form. "That must save on your clothing bill." (Dan says this?) He waved him back to the chairs and picked the letter up. When he opened it he was surprised to find that it was only a single page though it had felt like more since it was written on thick velum. "I would say nice tails but that might be taken wrong. Very fluffy looking." Greetings and Salutations New Alpha of the Alucian Pack, The spirits informed me of your arrival several months ago and also that you are not of this world. I was not informed of why you were brought here or what sort of impact you will have. One thing I do know is that my son is going to find his mate there and if as I expect, by now he has met her. I personally vouch for the character of my son and that we have raised him to be a good leader and heir and he has consistently shown this. I could feel that you wouldn't be very happy with his mating though why not I don't know. What I want to accomplish with this visit is for him to meet her and to open communications with you. When the spirits get involved like they did that means something is happening and as a Spirit Animal we tend to be very sensitive to changes in the spirit world. I am feeling eddies and shifts like I never have before. If you wish, Geoffrey can stay there for several weeks so he can get to know you and so that you can see how he treats your pack member. Please give me a call at the number below when you get a chance. Sincerely, Alysson Logan Clan Leader of the Silver Kitsune Clan "Interesting." He put the document down on the table and contemplated it. "Well Geoff I am going to send for Mari. Have her show you around the house and nearby area. I am going to ask you not to be alone with her in any of the rooms for the moment." He flashed him a grin. "I remember what it was like when I met my mate the first time." *Mari come to my office please.* He sent over the bonds and knew she would be there shortly. "I am going to give your mother a call and talk to her. If you have any questions or needs, Mari should be able to address them or get you to someone that can help you." Moments later there was a knock on the door and Mari stepped in. She looked at Geoff and then down at the floor, her cheeks were painted a faint red. "Yes my Alpha? How may I help you?" Her hands were resting over her small baby bump and her fingers were sort of fluttering around. "Show Geoff around, make sure they have food if they are hungry and make sure that everyone is settled. Once that is done the rest of the day is yours." He smiled and flicked his fingers at them as if shooing them away. Geoff slowly walked over to her and held his hand out and waited for her to take it. "I am very pleased to have met you and please just call me Geoff." Once her hand was in his he lifted his other and gently tilted her head back so she was looking at him. "Shall we go? I think Dan is planning on making a phone call." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 06B "Go play children, just be good. Maybe show him to the kids' room and see if some of them would like to go for a romp." That would allow the two of them to have time together but not alone. When they finally left he sighed and took a sip of coffee and made a face since it had gotten cold. "Well let's get this over with." Dan was getting used to the strange technology and backward rest of the world. Eventually he was able to get the damn thing to dial and waited only moments before it was answered. "Silver Kitsune Clan offices how may I help you?" The voice on the other end came across as a young woman but definitely professional. "Good morning this is Alpha Danilo Legarith, Lady Logan requested I give her a call." He wasn't even sure where the heck she lived, something he was going to need to do was get some good maps of the region. "Ah yes Alpha Legarith, give me a moment and I will patch you through." There was a pause and a brief stint of hold music before it was picked up. "Good morning Alpha Legarith, this is Alysson and please call me that." "Not a problem and please call me Dan. I am not trying to be blunt but being subtle isn't my strong suit. Why exactly is Geoff here, well other than to find that my little submissive is his mate. I understand the mating bond and all but I am slightly miffed that I wasn't informed till after they had seen each other and then was given your correspondence." "I am sorry that happened that way and I wished I could have contacted you sooner but we simply didn't have any information on how to contact you. All we had was some map coordinate's and nothing else. If there is any compensation we can offer you for the inconvenience Geoff can handle it." He started rubbing his forehead. "I will consider it. Mari is a really wonderful young woman and a great pack member but there is one minor complication, she is carrying my pup right now. That is one of the reasons I am rather bent out of shape." That definitely got a pause. "I can see how you might be a bit concerned about his being her mate and if you don't mind she isn't your mate correct? You don't have that type of bond?" "We have pack bonds but not a mating bond. It was one time, I needed some comfort and she was starting to feel safe being around males again. We didn't realize it but she was in heat at the time and she ended up pregnant. That is my pup and nobody is going to deny me any visitation rights what so ever. That will be understood. I have two pups lost to me and I will not have a third." Dan needed to relax since he was starting to growl but he was feeling very worked up. "I am sorry for your loss and we would never deny the rights for someone to see their children without a very good reason. Since Mari is a lycan if you wouldn't mind putting Geoff up for a week or two so he can start to learn about that I would appreciate it, part of training him to be a good leader. I would also like to invite you to the estates when time permits. I would really like to meet you and see if I can figure out why you were placed in our backyard." "Good thing she sleeps with the pups. Dang it, now gotta find another babysitter. Oh well. She would have outgrown that position eventually." What did he think about Geoff staying here? Actually even though it was going to be a pain in the ass it would allow him to get to know the boy. "I can do that for a couple of weeks and as far as coming to visit I don't know. As you mentioned I am new to this world and though my pack is healing they are still damaged and I wouldn't want to be away from them for very long. The longest would be maybe four days unless I can find or train a good second-in-command." Alysson laughed at his joke. "Don't keep them apart for too long. I can understand your concerns since I do have two daughters and if a strange man walked up and said one was his mate I would be a bit worried as well." There was some silence on the phone and she could almost hear him thinking and mentally cheered when he agreed to let Geoff stay there. "Well if you are worried about your pack bring them with you." They had plenty of room and it might be good for them to get away. Dan blinked. "Um, there are 36 of us including pups. That would be a lot of feeding and lots of rooms." He had to wonder if she was trying to conscript them though he didn't say that. What he could really use was a good Beta and he didn't have one. Saul was a great assistant but just wasn't dominant enough to fulfill that role. To be honest he was surprised he hadn't had any major dominance fights as of yet though he had a feeling that they were getting close. For the moment the pack was still healing and off center: they were sort of just surviving and that was it. She smiled. "Our estates are vast and we have plenty of room. In case you are worried I am not inviting you up here to try and take over your pack. I have several that report to me already and don't need any more. I really want to figure out the puzzle that is you Dan. You are from a different world, have abilities that our lycan's don't, have turned your section of the lycan world on its head and I want to ensure that it isn't going to have an impact on my clan." She snickered slighty. "Besides I know just how much lycan's can eat and it isn't a problem." Dan frowned slightly. Other than the lycan's he had taken over nobody else should know about his abilities and that bothered him. "I will consider it. As much as I have enjoyed this conversation Alysson I have some pack matters to deal with. Since you want Geoff to get an up close look at Pack management I am going to have him shadow me in what I am doing unless it is close pack business." A few moments later he hung up the phone and sighed. ~~~ It was after lunch and Dan walked outside and couldn't help but grin. Geoff and Mari were again playing with the pups and Geoff looked to be having a great time as he tackled one and dodged another. His attacks were gentle and seemed to look like they were designed to teach and not hurt. He watched for a moment and then whistled. "Enough all of you, it is time for classes and such. Mari, Geoff we are going to the training center and work out. Geoff if you would like to invite your staff to join us that would be more than fine. I would like to see what type of training your security detail has." Geoff stopped at the whistle and shifted to his human form and nodded. "I am sure they would like to get the measure of your training Alpha." Actually they were more than happy to and he mentally called them over the clan bonds. "They will be here momentarily, well other than those currently assigned to protect me." He nodded at two of them. Dan tried not to snort since they were in the MIB outfit and he was sure they had more armament than really needed. "Understood, for today I am going to train my pack and you and yours can watch and do what you want. I have to admit I would like to know their training simply so I can evaluate it and offer suggestions. Where I come from I was in charge of a security company and rented bodyguards out to celebutants and such." Geoff grinned. "We will see and I have to admit that I can't want to see you do your thing Alpha." Dan sighed. "Call me Dan or I am going to offer to spar with you young man." He wouldn't hurt him but would chase him around the ring for a while. He flashed a grin at him when he said that. A short while later they were in the training building and Geoff was caught off guard since most of the class were kits and not adults. He felt sort of odd being in there with most of his detail as well as his assistant. Dan gave him a glance before addressing the pups. "I know I have said this before but the fighting style for me isn't necessarily the best one for you. I am ultimately a brawler. I am large, strong and can absorb lots of damage before I go down. For some of you that might work but others a different style might work best. Don't ever let what I can do overrule what you need to do." He looked around the room and smiled slightly. "Nancy come up here please." The girl he mentioned was about 13 or so and was in that gangly early teen stage and even now the fact that she was going to be slender was obvious. She moved forward and clutched her hands over her chest and bowed to him. "Greetings Alpha." She said as she bowed and stood up with her hands by her side. "Now look at her. She is slender and even when she reaches her full growth she is going to be slender and more of a runners build compared to my bruiser build. My fighting style simply won't work for her since I can absorb more damage than she can buy quite a bit. I am going to show you two styles of fighting, mine and what is best for her." Dan knelt down so he was in his knees. "Hun, I want you to hit me as hard as you can in my abdomen. You will not be punished for this in any way. Once you do that throw three or four hits as hard as you can at me. I am going to block all but the first." Before he had really finished she had slugged him as hard as she could in his solar plexus and he actually grunted. "Good hit..." The next blows were blocked and absorbed without a problem. See how I didn't react too much other than the first blow? It sort of hurts but I have the mass to absorb it. Now throw some blows at me and I am going to block differently. I want you to also consider what would happen if I really struck her even when she is fully grown." He held up his large hand and made a fist. She did that and each and every blow he deflected with a totally different style. "Okay, my style is brawler, the style for her is using an attacker's power against him." The training continued on from there and eventually he set the pups free. The next set was his senior wolves and was much different. With the pups he was instructing as well as teaching. With the older wolves he was flat out teaching them the best way to fight. He wasn't brutal but he was hard and growled as they screwed up. "Damn it I have been working with you for several months. By now you should be doing better. Look at Geoff's protective detail, they were working as a team and taking down the singles as a team. I have been trying to teach you this. There is a difference between a warrior and a soldier. Warriors do things on their own and soldiers work as a team I want you to work as a team and not individuals. I might just match a few of you up against them." Finally he excused the class and chased them out. "Sorry Geoff, I am sorry if I used your team as a lesson but the previous alpha was a p.o.s. and as hard as I have been trying they are still thinking as individuals. I would like to use your protective team as something to train them with." Dan looked tired as hard as he tried not to. "Danilo I can see how much you have worked with them and if it helps you, I don't have a problem. Tell me what I need to protect my mate and I will make it happen." He moved forward and met his eyes. "Well that and what I need to protect your pups as well. They are the future of all of us." Dan ran a cloth across his face. "Will do and I think I am going to my office since I am sure I have some paperwork piled up." He bowled slightly towards Geoff before turning and leaving. Even the possibility of having Mari leave with his cubs scared the crap out of him. He wasn't really trying to be a hard case with Geoff but he couldn't help it. He had been in the protection business for so long he couldn't remember when he wasn't. Letting someone he cared for that much out of his view was really petrifying. Geoff looked at his assistant and then sort of nodded in Dan's direction and she smiled and wandered off. She took her time to make it to his office but eventually she made it there and lightly knocked on the door. "May I please come in Alpha?" It was obvious that she wasn't part of his pack simply based on her voice. "Um, sure. Come in and have a seat if you want and call me Dan as well." Dan was leaning back in his chair and trying to relax when she walked in. She walked in and smiled before walking over to him and lightly touching his arm. "I am Sheliae, Lord Geoffrey's assistant and he asked me to come and talk to you. I will tell you no lies since part of my job is to make sure that Geoff's personality is honestly described and talked about. I am also a sort of spiritual healer as well. I can feel your pain and it is drawing me to you to try and help if possible." Her hand was gentle on his shoulder as she was talking. Dan listened to her and tensed up and almost wished Mari was there. Talking about his family or even now thinking about them made him start to tense up and made his wolf want to go and howl at the moon. "I am sorry but I don't want to talk about it. I had help till Geoff showed up." That was a growl though he tried to keep it inside. Sheliea looked at him and then sat down and curled her arms around Dan and leaned into him. "I know what it is like to lose a kit Dan. I lost one of mine years ago and it isn't easy to deal with. I am simply offering comfort and nothing else." She tucked her head into the side of his neck and lightly stroked his hair. "To have lost a family is even worse and I can't even begin to imagine how that might feel. Please let me help you." There were tears in her voice as she spoke and her scent was in alignment with what she was saying. Dan was more than startled when she sort of plopped down in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment he was tempted to toss her off his lap till she mentioned she had lost a pup as well and his arms slowly curled around her. "I am sorry for your loss. Losing someone near and dear to you is never easy and when it is a pup or mate..." His voice broke as he was talking. "Sorry but it still hurts. I have a broken pack that is healing, had Mari to help me with the nights, and some great pups that have been sneaking into my bed for emotional comfort but damn it all to hell it still hurts." "I know Dan and as odd as it sounds I might be able to help you with it later. That is part of my job with Geoff, to help him deal with extreme emotions and especially since we are spirit creatures. Extreme emotions from others can cause us to in a way flip out and since he is the heir of the clan if he flipped out it would be bad. I am teaching him to control his feelings as well as how to help others with their feelings and emotions." One hand stroked Dan's hair as she was curled up in his lap. She was nothing like Mari since she was much taller and had a golden blond hair as well as more curves but she sort of projected a sort of feeling like Mari did. She had been with the clan for a long time and had been an assistant to a number of senior kits and feeling Dan's pain drew her to him. As Dan was talking she slowly absorbed his emotions and feelings and almost wanted to cry herself. His spirit wasn't healing the way it should and it cried out for help. He was a very strong man but even though he wasn't crying any more his spirit was still screaming out in agony. Dan couldn't help but relax as she stroked his hair. There was something similar to Mari in her but something extra as well. The urge to cry again faded away as she was stroking his hair and he had to sigh. "Sorry, once in a blue moon it sort of hits and..." He sighed again and then softly smiled. "We are going to have a pup here soon." A moment later Giani slipped into the room and crawled into Sheliae's lap since she was sitting on Dan's lap. She curled up against his chest and shivered. "I wish I could help My Alpha. I have tried hard to comfort him. Can you help him?" She looked up at the woman as she spoke. She had sensed something special about this woman earlier. Sheliea couldn't help but smile at the little girl. "Hello kitten, well I suppose I should say cublet but Kitten works as well. You are the one behind all the sneaking I think. You are going to make a wonderful Alpha female one of these days when you are older." One of her hands stroked her face and pulled her close. "One heck of a strong woman and if he lets me I will do my best." Giani leaned into her and smiled. "Good and I want to grow up to be just like my Alpha and protect my pack. He is wonderful and special and I want to be just like him." Her voice was firm when she said that. Dan wanted to cry but for a different reason. If he had impacted on this pup that much he was doing his job the right way. He didn't want to scare the pack or terrorize them into doing things his way but in the beginning he hadn't had much choice. Before he realized it tears were flowing down his face and he wrapped one arm around Giani and hugged her close and started a low keening. Damn it, he thought he was over this and all it took was a pups words and the attention of a woman to drag them out of him again. He tried to keep the keening as low as possible but the rest of his pack heard it and they lifted their voices and joined in. Normally it was at night they heard it but once every so often heard it during the day. Mari was with Geoff and turned to him and shivered in his arms and most of the cubs searched out either her or Aiden and huddled around them. Geoff's detail looked around and gathered around him, his mate, and the kits that were there. *Stop, it is grief and nothing else. Relax and pay attention.* Geoff thought at them and they took their hands off their weapons and bowed their heads before really listening and felt the agony. Though they were foxes they knew the feeling and lifted their heads as well and let out the fox version of the keen and joined in. Sheiliea held both of them as, he as he cried out his pain again and the kit as she tried to give her Alpha some sort of comfort. Now she could do her work and help him. He had admitted his loss and the pack was supporting him as well as Geoff and the rest of his detail. She could hear their yips as well. *Go kitten, I need to help your alpha. Tell someone to have food brought to his room. This is going to take a bit of time but I will help him.* Sheliae gently stroked Giani's hair before the little girl got off their laps and scurried out of the office. "Come Dan, let me help you. I will help you in a way that Mari can't. Like I said I am sort of a spirit healer." She stood up and tugged at one arm till he stood up and almost blindly followed her to his bed room. "Take your shirt off and lay on your stomach. Your muscles are so tense right now I don't know how you even manage to relax." Sheliae's voice was soft yet commanding and Dan wasn't sure why he was not only listening to her but obeying her but her voice was soft yet commanding. He could feel the sympathy and the need in it. That he could understand in a way since he had been driven to help this pack even though he missed his old pack dreadfully. When they made it to the bedroom he did as she said and crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around one of the pillows and buried his face into it. She crawled on the bed and straddled his hips and pressed her hands on his back. For a moment she couldn't believe the mass of muscles he had but started working on them nonetheless, determined to work the tension out of tem. As she did she expanded her spirit again and slowly worked her way into his. She almost cried feeling the ripped and torn sections that was missing. God did it hurt as she slowly accepted it into her spirit. As she worked on his back she slowly started feeling the bonds with this pack as well as the broken ones with his old pack and began to lay down a matrix of healing to help him. How long she worked on his back she wasn't sure but eventually she had done as much as she could for the moment. Dan was asleep and she sort of collapsed on his back and was enjoying his warmth. Eventually there was a quiet knock on the door and then Mari walked in. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 06B Since Giani had asked to have food brought to his room Mari had decided to take it up. Dinner had been quiet and subdued and she didn't blame anyone. All of them had heard the keening for Dan's lost mate and cubs and had joined in and god had it hurt. All of them, even the ones that still weren't sure about Dan had joined in. Geoff had held her for what had seemed like hours before letting her go. When she walked in and saw the other woman laying on top of Dan she froze. In a way what had made it harder on the pack was those who had lost their mates and or cubs were grieving for their loss as well. Before when they had keened with Dan it was for his loss. Today had been a sort of pack keen for those who were gone. Geoff had held her for what had seemed like hours before letting her go. She had known that Sheliae was with Dan but really hadn't expected to find her half asleep laying on his back. Mari had to admit that she did look comfortable and that sort of bothered her since she wasn't used to seeing Dan with another female in his bed. "You have been so very good for him little wolf but there are things I can do that you can't. I am not talking sexually but spiritually. If you hadn't been here for him he probably would have committed suicide. You should be proud of yourself." Sheliea slid off him and walked over to Mari and took the tray from her. Once the tray was down she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and gave her a good hug. "I do mean that and it has little to do with your carrying his kits, I mean cubs. The simple fact that you and your wolf trusted him enough to let him cry on your shoulder helped. He is a very strong man but sometimes it is the littlest things that mean a difference." Sheliea stroked her hair. "Now go to my Lord Geoffrey and I will take care of your Alpha." For some reason she almost felt like an alpha and Mari couldn't help but nuzzle her chest and relax in her arms. "Please take care of My Alpha. He is hurting and damaged and I have done everything I can but I, the cubs and I, know that we can't really fix what is going on. It isn't just the loss of his family but also the loss of his pack." Her voice was quiet and soft as she spoke. "We need him and till he heals we can't totally heal either. Please take care of My Alpha and the father of my cubs." She knew somehow that this woman could. "I will do my best hun and the rest is up to the spirits. What they decide they need they will choose. I am sure that they will take care of him and he isn't broken, just hurt. I can see that in how he takes care of the pack. Now go my lady and rest in Geoff's arms and relax. I will take care of Lord Danilo." She gave her another hug and urged her from the room. ~~~ I have some answers to some of the comments that have been posted: @Anony -- I could have sworn I had removed the word Very in front of Prodigious and now feel like an idiot... @redlion75 -- I could say writers prerogative but actually thought about it before I ever did that. Dan is from a different universe and not all the rules will apply. Some simply haven't been noticed such as the pack bonds but others such as can only get his mate pregnant won't. I decided in this case it would add more drama and complexity. @source -- Nope, alternate universe. Something in the past changed how the Northern continents were colonized. That and the fact that fantasy creatures such as lycan's Kitsune's, Faeries exist. Marissa Rylan -- Submissive -- introduced in second chapter Angela Gaelon -- pack member -- head of kitchen -- mate of Aiden -- introduced in second chapter Saul Razon -- supplys and future finance officer -- introduced in second chapter Felanzi Maudon -- head female mate of the former alpha -- introduced in second chapter Paulo -- 17 pup -- introduced in the second chapter. Nikoli -- more dominant wolf, asswipe, bully, eventually to be dead -- introduced in second chapter Giani -- 5, girl who Dan talked to at the induction -- introduced in second chapter Sammie -- 5 one of Giani's minions -- introduced in vignette 2 Juan -- 5 another of Giani's minions -- Introduced in Vignette 2 Julia Modessi-- mother of Giani Aiden -- new submissive supposed to be on an interim but Angie found him to be her mate. Nancy -- 13 year old pack member Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 07 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. Any and all sex scenes are between people who are 18+. There are none and will never been any sexual relations for anyone underage. If you have any problems with what I am typing, let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks', then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback, please let me know. I do want to thank everyone who has given me feedback with the exception of the idiot who spammed me. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also, if I ever have a set of dueling tongues, I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that, I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. At the end of the chapter is a list of characters. Periodically I might be adding a bit of background data to help fill in details that wouldn't normally be mentioned. While I am thinking about it, there is going to be nudity of all ages. I am going to put this in each and every following chapter. With the exception of the sex scenes it is just that-nudity and nothing else. I am stating this since there have been a few complaints over the shower scenes and I want everyone to know it is because lycans don't care since they have grown up with it. If you have dirty thoughts, that is your problem. * Once Mari left the room, Sheliae went back over to the bed and stripped down. She had briefly looked in the closet and found one of Dan's long shirts she could use and pulled it on. Granted there wasn't anything except panties on under it, but it covered enough. Once she was dressed for bed she went back over and settled on Dan's back again and relaxed. The smell of the food would wake him soon enough. The reason she settled on his back was partially to feel how her work was integrating into Dan's spirit, but also because she was feeling attracted to him and wanted to feel his body. Most of the clan members seemed to have a runner's body type. But being totally honest, she rather liked men who were heavy with muscle and Dan was really hitting her buttons. It had been a while since she had last found a lover, and part of her reaction was to his body, but also to the fact that though his spirit was struggling with the loss of his family, he was still doing what was needed for the pack. He was a hugely strong man but in a way it made him sort of fragile as well. He had a hard time leaning on anyone since that could be a sign of weakness amongst the wolves; but everyone had to lean on someone. He was leaning on Mari and the kits but not the rest of his pack. He felt he needed to be strong for them sort of like the roots of a large tree in a storm. He had to anchor them down so they could heal and start growing. The problem was he wasn't letting the rest of the pack take care of him-the strongest section of the pack and he needed that. Mari and the kits were good but the adults were the strongest section. What she had done was to lay in a healing matrix that would help both the pack and him do exactly that lean on each other. When he finally met his new mate, the healing would pretty much be done. Dan slowly woke up as the scent of food tickled his nose and his stomach growled. It took him a moment or two before realizing there was a warm weight on his back and for a moment he wondered which cub it was. That only lasted a moment or two before he realized the scent wasn't pack and was one of the Kitsunes. "Is there some reason you are making my back your bed?" He asked her with a slight growl in his voice. "Well, you fell asleep while I was massaging your back. Working on you tired me out and it looked inviting." There was some laughter in her voice. "Mari brought some food up if you are hungry my Lord Alpha." There was definitely some laughter when she said that and as she slid off his back and moved over to the table. He rolled over and sat up and frowned since she was in one of his shirts. "Do I want to know why you are wearing one of my shirts? I don't need someone in my bed." He tried not to lie but wasn't pleased to have a strange woman in his quarters and dressed for bed. She looked at him and batted her eyes at him. "Oh? Then why is Mari's scent all over the bed and your clothing? I would say there has been at least one adult female in your room recently." As she was talking she was pulling the food out and it was sandwiches and some salad. "You have pretty good food and you do realize your pack loves you right?" The pack loved him though some of the pack members didn't care for him. The love was a sort of communal love from the pack itself and not from individuals. From what she understood with well-run packs that was normal. Dan growled at her. "Mari keeps my wolf sane at night. I have only had sex with her once and no other encounters with her or any of the other women." He took a slow breath. "Before you ask I haven't asked and don't want anything like that right now." Dan stood up and walked over to the other seat at the table and settled down and pulled his food over. He didn't reply to the comment about his pack loving him since he could only hope that they cared, or at least most of them. He knew of a few that still weren't sure about him and they were the ones that had suffered the most abuse from their former alpha. "You didn't answer me, why are you in my room dressed for bed?" Dan stated again. He was sure that Geoff would take exception to that. She smiled at him. "Well I am sort of taking Mari's place since she is going to be occupied for the next week or two and I have a feeling that you still need someone in your bed to help your wolf." Sheliae had been looking down at her food and lifted her head just enough to look at him through her eyelashes. "I also had a feeling that if I sat here in my panties you might object and didn't want to leave you long enough to get my nightclothes." She crossed her slender legs and resisted the urge to smile again when his eyes looked at them. Dan almost growled again at her presumption, but the food was calling his name and to be honest he was rather used to having someone in his bed, be it Mari or the pups. He stalked over to the table and took over the other chair and pulled the food over to where he was sitting. "I am still pissed off about your abrupt arrival and really don't appreciate losing one of my subs to your clan." He was definitely growling though it was reactive and not proactive. "Dan, Geoff is a wonderful young man. He isn't perfect in every way but he is going to be a great leader for the clan when his parents step down. He will take very good care of your little submissive and as a sort of surrogate father for your cubs. He will never replace you and won't even consider it." She smiled and reached over and lightly touched his arm. "I have been with him for close to 15 years and know him better than he knows himself. He and the clan will take care of your cubs and whenever you want to visit them or have them visit you, it will be taken care of." He sighed and looked at the food and finally picked the sandwich up and started eating it. Dan could tell that either Mari or Angie had made it since it was one of his favorites. He started eating and in a way sort of ignored her for the moment as he concentrated on that act. Dan needed the food and his stomach wasn't letting him focus on much else for the moment. Eventually he was done and he leaned back and sighed. "Hun, I am over 200 years old. I take everything with a huge grain of salt. Some of it I eventually accept and I have done the alpha for a bit over 70 years. Till I get to know your Lord Geoff, I am going to suspend my agreement with what you have to say." God, he was tired and the food in his belly only made it worse. "I am going to take a shower and then go to bed. I will talk to you later." He stood up and walked into the bathroom and tossed his clothes in the hamper. His sleep shorts were hanging on the door and he would change into them when he was done. Once the water was warm and flowing he stepped into it and leaned against the wall and enjoyed the feeling of the water hitting his back. Whatever she had done, his back was less tense that it had been for a while. Sheliae waited till she could hear the water and stripped down and slipped into the bathroom and then into the shower. "Let me wash your back Danilo." She walked into the shower and leaned against his back and rested her hands on his shoulders before getting the washcloth wet and worked some soap into it. "I can tell that you aren't very comfortable with this, but let me help you." She started working on his shoulders and then down his back and eventually down his legs. She had a reason which he would eventually appreciate; how soon or late she wasn't sure but he would. It had been more than long enough since he had been with a woman. Dan tensed up when she started working on his back, which was sort of odd since Mari had joined him occasionally in the shower but that had just been to get clean. In the case of this woman, he could feel some sort of sexual response to what she was doing. It sort of unnerved him, but also attracted him. She was good looking and had all the parts he liked but also it felt wrong since she wasn't his mate. Sheliae could tell that he was uncomfortable with her in the shower with him. "Relax Dan, I am just getting clean and helping you as well. How could I hurt the father of Mari's cubs? Geoff and Mari will have their own kits someday as the spirits dictate. I just want to help you to heal." Dan turned around and pulled her close and then leaned over and kissed her. It wasn't a chaste kiss what so ever. "Do you really want to play with the big boys? I will please you and tease you till you scream in desire." She was definitely a good looking woman. She wasn't quite his preferred body type being taller than he liked but her hips and breasts fit her height and she was well balanced. She was shaved except for a landing strip which was something he really did like. She snickered slightly. "Do you think you can handle me wolf? I will drive you to temptation and make you howl with desire." She had dealt with wounded wolves before and that was what he was. She needed to challenge him and make him come to her before the next step of healing could happen. It might sound silly, but there were a number of different types of healing. Two of them were spiritual and sexual. Sheliae had started the first, but he needed the second as well. He growled at her though it ended up being into the kiss. "Are you sure you can handle me Fox? I have a feeling that I could draw you into satisfaction you have never felt before. I will drive your fox nuts and then bang her into unconsciousness. She won't know what nailed her till she wakes up. I can already feel her demanding attention." Since she was in his arms he finished the kiss and his hands slid around her sides and pulled her close. If she really wanted this he would give it to her and do his best to drive her crazy. She smiled at him and moved her body into his as he kissed her and pulled her closer to him. "We will see wolf. I might draw you to distraction and hopefully before the kits decide to join us." There was a definite teasing tone in her voice when she said that. They finished cleaning up and she wrapped a towel around her and started out of the bathroom. Dan couldn't help but take up the challenge and picked her up and walked out of the bathroom and over to the bed and dumped her on it. "Challenged accepted and you are going to howl out your enjoyment woman." Before she could really say anything he removed her towel and smirked down at the woman he had tossed on his bed. It was a knowing smirk and gone was the hurting wolf she had been dealing with. One hand held her hands captive and Dan lightly brushed his lips across hers before moving towards her jaw. He nibbled and kissed along her jaw and then sucked on one earlobe before working his way down her neck. He slid his tongue over the point on her neck where her pulse beat in an increasing rhythm and kissed his way down her chest, slowly working his way around her breasts interspersing light nips with the kisses. They weren't to hurt, but to stimulate. Dan purposefully wasn't going near her nipples for the moment. Sheliea wasn't quite prepared for Dan taking total charge. As he worked his way down her face and neck, she could feel her abdomen starting to tense up, not to mention her core starting to heat up. This was definitely not what she had been expecting from him. What she had been thinking was something slow and hesitant, but he was definitely the driving force in this conflagration. She didn't mind and had to admit that she wanted him between her legs. As he was working his way down she was starting to make small pleased noises. Dan slowly moved south and found her navel, but instead of the squeal from Mari, Sheliae lifted her abdomen to his mouth and he resisted giving her what she wanted. One of his hands still had hers captured. He lightly licked her belly button and lightly sucked the soft tissue into his mouth and gently pulled on it with his teeth. As he was working on her, he could smell her definitely starting to get aroused. As he was working on her belly his free hand was lightly stroking from the outside of her legs in and stopping near her V, but not actually touching it. As she was slowly starting to spread her legs, his hand started working on the inside of her thighs but only going to the crease of her leg and then stroking back down. When his nipping and kissing reached to the top of her mound he contemplated it and smiled because she was definitely wet and starting to thrust in enjoyment. After watching her try and get her lips to his mouth so he could nibble, he lightly blew across the wetness and smiled at her little whimpers. After pressing a few kisses across her mound he started working his way down the inside of one thigh. God, he was starting to drive her nuts. His slow licks and nibbles were pushing her over the edge. The center of her body was getting hotter and wetter and if he waited much longer she was going to blow a nut and consider even pass out. "Oh lady, lick the shit out of me Dan. Do it before I frigging die from overload." That was a fox snarl when she said it. He grinned now that he had her where he wanted her and lowered his mouth to sample what she tasted like. His tongue lapped her outer lips and he enjoyed hearing her groans. "I vaguely remember you teasing me in the shower. You said you would make my wolf howl; now it is my turn." Ever so lightly did he lick her outer lips and slowly worked his way into her inner lips. When his tongue finally reached her inner core she blew a nut hard enough she damn near tied his tongue inside her. Once she relaxed he shifted her onto her hands and knees and grinned. She hadn't expected this sort of treatment and he was teasing her almost beyond what she could stand. When he flipped her over so she was on her knees and elbows, she didn't think twice and let her ears and tails appear. Her fox was more than ready for what would come next and flagged her interest. Sheliae was definitely worked up because every touch of his on her body sent tiny little zings of pleasure to her center. She was moaning as he stroked her hips as he flipped her over. Dan got her positioned and plunged his shaft into her and almost growled as he did that. She was one hell of a woman and as he started moving inside her he could feel her muscles slowly clenching around him and before he knew it his knot was starting to form. "Oh god, this is good, I can't believe how good it feels." His hands were clenched on her hips and before he knew it she had taken his knot in as she forced herself on him. For a moment he simply waited for how she felt with her tunnel surrounding him before she started moving again. Dan started stroking in short fast movements and a few moments later he lost it and came inside her. It was between primal and a force of nature when he did. She orgasmed right before he did and they collapsed on their side and waited for his knot to relax. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck as his heart rate slowly came down. "Damn but that was good. Just a spirit healer huh?" He could feel one of her tails flicking against one leg and it felt interesting. It was soft and fluffy. As it stroked his leg he could feel warmth flowing from her to him. He also discovered an interesting fact, when a female Kitsune changed to her mid form she actually had four breasts, her two large ones and two small ones directly blow the others. Dan had found that as he stroked her side as they were calming down. She couldn't help but smile a bit when his hand froze as it found one of the differences between human and mid form. "That was bloody good as well Dan. I might just sneak into your bed for the rest of the time I am here." Sheliae snuggled a bit closer. "Yes, a healer and not just a spirit healer. It has been a while since I have been with a man but damn you were worth it." Sleepily she rubbed the back of her head against him. "Now it is time for sleep my alpha." She moved slightly towards him and then fell asleep. ~~~ When Dan awoke the next morning Sheliae was sitting at his desk and working on some paperwork. "Good morning Lord Danilo." The three Mousekateers, as he thought of them, were in the bed and he had to grin. "Told you we would have company." He was lying on his back and Giani was curled up on his chest. Dan growled. "Dan or go to heck woman. I am not a lord or whatever. I am an Alpha, but use my name or I am going to ask Geoff for permission to spank you." That was most definitely a growl. Sheliae decided not to say anything about his comment about not being a lord. When Mari became Geoff's actual mate Dan would most likely be inducted into the clan and automatically become a lord. As far as his comment about spanking her she wasn't going to reply in front of the kits and simply smiled. Anything she would say would be rather suggestive and they didn't need to hear that. Giani shifted and sat up and grinned at him. "You feel better Danny, I mean Dan. You don't feel nearly as hurt as you did." Then she leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled close. "Thank you fox lady for helping my alpha." He sighed and gave her a good hug and stroked her back for a moment. "Stinker her name is Sheliae and go back to the pups room or I might just have to spank you and your two minions. I think I am going to start calling you the three Mousekateers." Sheliea laughed at their antics and walked over to the bed. When Giani sat up, she gave the cute little girl a hug. "Told you I would help him if he let me and thank you for coming to check on us. I wish I had a kit like you since I am so proud of you for wanting to take care of your Alpha like you do." Giani returned the hug and smiled. "You will have another kit ma'am and you will love her." She gave the woman a quick peck and then shifted. The other two were still in wolf form and scooted out the door. She wasn't too worried about getting in trouble since everyone knew where any stray cubs would be. She laughed. "You are welcome sweetie and he is a very good man." She called out as the three of them left the room and then something occurred to her. What had the little girl mean by 'another' kit? Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 07 "You are more loved than you know Dan. That alone proves it." She settled on the bed next to him and sighed. "I enjoyed last evening, though I have to say it was the first time I have had someone take control like you did. It made me shiver as well as aroused me." She kissed him after saying that. Dan growled again and then decided to ignore her comment. "I am going to definitely consider a good spanking though Geoff would probably object." He growled and rolled over so he was over her and grinned. "Maybe later I will let you take control." Just for good measure he leaned down and nipped at her lips and neck. "I have a feeling when you leave my bed is going to be cold and lonely." He rolled off her and out of bed and headed towards the shower. She squeaked as he rolled on top of her and then laughed as he attacked her lips and neck. "Yes Dan, and if you spank me I might like it." She followed him into the bathroom and walked into the shower with him and curled her arms around him. "You feel better don't you? Not just spiritually but sexually as well right? That is part of my power. It is to heal both. You were a wonderful lover and Goddess help your next mate. You might just drive her to extinction or distraction with how good you are." Dan growled and gently pushed her away. "Darn woman... Didn't ask if I was interested." Damn it but she was hot and he had been more than interested. When he had taken her it had been as enjoyable as his time with Mari, which felt wrong. He still loved his former spouse, but he had to admit that he felt better. "I have work to do woman, so don't even try to tempt me." He growled at her before planting a teasing kiss on her lips. "I would however be both honored and pleased if you would like to spend time in my bed." ~~~ When he walked into the dining room with her he got a number of odd looks from his pack as well as a few frowns from one or two of the women. Geoff and Mari simply smiled at him and then Mari winked and he growled. "Damn uppity subs." Aiden snickered and mock whispered to Angie, "Well he seems in a good mood this morning... Wonder what got in his pants..." The entire room went silent and Sheliae snickered. "Maybe a bit of fox got him... But I ain't a gonna tell." She smirked and then outright laughed when Dan covered his face with one hand. "I think I am going to go and shoot myself now." That was another growl though he continued to his chair and almost grinned when Saul offered her his chair. "Now can we get some food on the table please? My inner wolf is not happy right now. If it doesn't get food shortly I am going to have to toss someone around the gym." Another wolf snickered at that. "Um, boss, I hate to remind you but you do that already." Matt couldn't help but grin when he said that and snickered harder when Charles punched his shoulder. "Don't egg him on you nit wit. All you are doing is encouraging him and I am still recovering from my bruises yesterday." He mock growled at the other wolf before turning to the tray that was placed on the table. "Oh, while I am thinking about it, Geoff is going to be shadowing me at his mother's request so expect to see him in the meetings, practices, and everything else I do." Dan told the room and everyone looked at him then Geoff and back at him and nodded. "Mari I am going to work your mate into the ground just so you know. He might not be much use to you at night and yes I know the two of you shared your bed in the pup's room and am not upset." The pack nodded and went back to eating as Dan looked at Geoff. "That is in almost everything; don't really expect you to share my bed since you have someone else for yours." Geoff blushed as well as did Mari and Dan snickered before going back to his food. The morning went by quickly till after lunch and Dan ended up in the training room again. "Today we are working with knives. Someone toss me a Gladius." It was silly but he loved the Gladius. That was one of the best things the Roman's had given the world. Essentially it was a short sword but was somewhat broader and had a very sharp point. The romans would set their shield wall and stab the sword between the shields and move forward. For any lycan the darn thing weighted about nothing and they could move it faster than any human with a regular knife. Paulo was closest and didn't even think twice before grabbing one of the training blades and tossing it at his Alpha with confidence that he could catch it. Dan had been training them with knives and swords since shortly after he had arrived. Paulo loved the silly things even if they were sort of antiquated. "Paulo you are going to be my first subject for today..." He grinned and almost laughed at the young man. "Go and get the knife or sword that fits you and we will start." Dan was doing small spins of the sword and grinned. "Sir! And I am going to do my best to kick your butt." Paulo gravitated towards a broad sword and moved into the ring and bowed to his alpha before taking position in front of him. Dan grinned. "Go for it pup, make my day, kick my butt..." He wasn't going to beat the boy into the ground and was going to do his best to teach him how to use the sword and or knife. The next fifteen minutes were educational for both of them. Paulo was actually pretty good with the sword and Dan couldn't help but smile. "Son I am going to teach you everything I know. When you are trained you are going to be a killer Beta. I am glad you are in my pack." Dan stood up and looked at the others. "Okay, get whatever sword or knife that you think fits and I am going to work with you." Paulo damn near broke down in tears when Dan said that. Yes Dan had shown some affection to the older pups but much had been to the littles. Some of that he was sure was missing his cubs and the affection the little ones were showing him. Having Dan tell him that he was proud that he was in his pack was just so wonderful. "Yes sir and I will do my best to make you proud of me." For the next hour and a half Dan walked through the pups and checked the weapons they had picked and made a few changes. For the youngest, he stayed with knives, but the older pups he had an appropriate sized sword. He had worked with them before with edged weapons but right now he was showing Geoff how he worked as well as teaching. Eventually Dan was done with the pups and looked at Geoff and smiled. "You too kit, I am going to train the living heck out of you, and if you can keep up with me I will be more than impressed. Well, that and I am going to be more than willing to accept you as Mari's mate." Geoff's face hardened for a moment and then relaxed before walking over to the training rack and pulled out a Katana and checked it and then walked over. "Ready, sir. Test me and I will prove that I am more than capable of taking care of your submissive, my mate." He glanced over at Mari and smiled. This was one weapon he was more than familiar with. Dan kept the Gladius and rushed Geoff. Before he realized it they had traded some blows and Geoff's sword was at his throat and he froze. "Well crap son; you are good with that thing. I think you can protect my submissive." Next time he was going to use a longer sword. He had stayed with the Gladius to give Geoff an advantage and he hadn't needed it. The rest of the students froze when Geoff and Dan attacked each other. Heck his detail froze as well and nobody could believe that Geoff had managed to subdue Dan. Mari started to move forward but one of Geoff's body guards stopped her. "It is only training milady." The man was smiling since he was pleased his charge had done very well. Geoff had heard her start forward and what his guard had said and turned and looked at her. "It is only training but the katana is the sword of my choice. I would love to see you with the sword of your choice Lord Danilo." Dan couldn't help but smile. "Well that might be a bit hard since my sword is in my other world." Actually both of his swords, the bastard sword he had picked up years ago and a dress Kriss that he had been given by the king of one of the countries he had served as a merc. Shannon, one of the two older boys, slowly walked forward. "I think I know of a sword that you might like sir." He spoke with a slight stutter and seemed to be almost painfully shy; he wasn't a boy that Dan had seen much of other than in the armory. "Well, if so, I would like to see it son. Please I really would like to see it." He moved forward and gave him a light hug. "Go get it." The boy hurried out of the room, and it was only a few moments later when he came back. He had a sword that was longer than he was in his hands and handed it over. "This was my father's sir, and I know that he would want it in the hands of someone worthy of it." He hunched over as if he was expecting to get hit. Dan took the sword and laid it and the scabbard it was in on the floor before pulling the young boy into his arms. "You have no idea how much that means to me. I can't help but be proud of you allowing me to carry your father's sword." That almost brought a tear to his eyes. The affection and trust the pups was giving him was almost in a way heartbreaking. Geoff watched them and then looked at Mari. If he could one day be half the leader her Alpha was, he would be pleased. Over the clan bonds, Geoff could feel his staff almost doing an 'aww' over what Shannon said. He tried to think of any of his clan doing something like that for his parents and couldn't. They were loved and respected, but he had a feeling it was because the clan was so much larger. There just wasn't that personal relationship between his parents and the clan members that Dan had with his pack. Mari moved over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "My love, you will be a wonderful leader in time." She nuzzled his neck before letting him go. Dan was sort of ignoring them as they cuddled. He stood up and pulled the sword out of the scabbard. The blade was Damascus steal and the first foot of it from the quillon had brass on both sides. The cross piece was slightly swept back and had faint hints of feathers on it. The hilt was designed for two hands and had a heavy pommel. "God, what a beautiful sword." It was beautiful in its simplicity. He flipped the sword around and took a few different poses and it felt right in his hands. "Whoever made this made a piece of art." The balance was perfect and it was like it was an extension of his body as he moved. Also as he moved a fluttering sound was heard as he snapped it through the air. As he was playing with it Geoff couldn't help but enjoy the movements. "Your Alpha is bloody good Mari. I can't even imagine using a sword like that." Geoff had to wonder how Dan would do against the clan's weapons master. The old man had been the weapons master for well over a century and before that, an assistant for another century and a half. She smiled at her mate. "Remember, we are lycans and he is stronger than all of us." Mari turned to him and pressed a kiss on his lips. "I might love my Alpha but you are my mate Geoff. Don't ever doubt that. You are mine and that is all there is to it." Her voice was rather aggressive and possessive. His detail tried not to snicker and even looked away when Dan heard that and glowered at them. "Damn straight Mari and I will spank you if you ever look away from your mate." Dan started laughing and walked over to the two of them and pulled both into a hug. "My little wolf and her mate. Both of you are going to do well with each other." ~~~ The next two weeks went well and Dan had to admit that it had been damn nice to have a woman in his bed. Mari was a woman, but other than that one night he just hadn't desired her. She was his savior and salvation and sex simply hadn't been in the equation. Sheliae had teased him as much as he had teased her and with her and Geoff's entourage leaving he was going to have a cold bed. She had been warm and both of them had screwed their brains out over the last two weeks. "Damn it Sheliae I am going to miss you. Not only have you helped me, you have warmed my bed and you have been one hell of a partner." The pups were asleep as they were talking in the early morning. She smiled and settled on his chest. "Dan I shouldn't say this, but you are going to find the woman for you. She isn't your former mate but when you find her. she is going to rock your world." Her lips were soft on his ear. "When you meet her you won't even think of me, as much as I hate to say that. Time for a shower my Alpha." She rolled off him and swished her way to the bathroom and into the shower. He stilled for a moment and pulled her close before she walked to the bathroom. "I will always think of you Sheliae, always. You might not be my mate but you are one hell of a woman. I can only hope you find a mate worthy of you." His lips slid across her jaw and drew her in for one last kiss. "My bed is going to be cold." She laughed. "Not if you accept a few of your pack's offers. I have greatly enjoyed the last two weeks and will want more of you but your pack is going to want to take care of you." She snickered. "Well the females will, since the guys know that you don't swing that way." Sheliae rolled out of the bed and swished off to the shower. ~~~ Several weeks later Aiden was outside when an older truck pulled up and stopped between the circle and the manor. "Can I help you sir?" He definitely smelled like a lycan and so did the young female in the car as well. There was something else in her scent as well but he was more concerned with the man. "If your Alpha is available I would like to talk to him." Maric was feeling beaten down and tired, but he was doing his best to be strong for his daughter. "I have heard that he has accepted a few strays and lone wolves." Even though he was trying to be strong, his tiredness could be seen in the slight slump of his shoulders. Aiden gave the man a good look and nodded slightly before looking slightly off to one side. "He has accepted me into the pack and I found my mate as well. I can't say what he might say or do but he will listen. Is your daughter going to come with?" He could smell her scent on him and knew that they were related. *Dan I have a strong though tired wolf and his daughter here. He wants to talk to you.* Dan had heard the vehicle approaching but knew that one of his wolves was outside. When Aiden contacted him via the bonds he almost frowned. *Bring him to my office and I will deal with him.* If Dan had been outside he would have stood up but in his office he was behind that silly massive desk and had all the authority he needed. "In a few minutes but right now she is going to be okay in the car." He turned to Sylvia. "Lovie, I will be back shortly and you will be safe in the car." Maric leaned over and gave her a peck and climbed out and closed the door. "If you can, please don't let anyone next to the car." When he climbed out, Sylvia seemed to shrink away from the male that was on her side and shivered. When her father told her he would be back shortly, she shivered some more but nodded though she didn't say anything. Aiden eye's darkened but still nodded. "I can see to that and make sure that a female is keeping an eye on her sir. Follow me and I will show you to my Alpha's office." *Angie, come and keep an eye on the poor child in this car till Dan has dealt with her father.* That got a startled reaction from his mate. "My mate will keep an eye on her for you sir." "Thank you for that son. I appreciate it." His voice was as tired sounding as he looked. Maric did wonder how he knew his mate would watch her since the other wolf hadn't called for anyone yet. As they were walking in, a woman was walking out and traded looks with the other male. Aiden led him into the house and to Dan's office. He knocked and then opened the door. "Sir, I have a strange wolf to talk to you. His daughter is waiting in his car. Angie is watching her for him." Dan looked up at the man and stood. "Please come in and how can I help you?" He had a feeling what was coming and based on the dominance hoped it would be good for the pack. He held his hand out and gave the other man's hand a good shake. Maric settled down in a chair and sighed. "I hope you can help me sir. I have heard good things about your pack and how you are taking in stray wolves. I would like you to help my daughter and hopefully accept me. She was hurt by my previous alpha and is broken." He lowered his head and took several slow breaths to keep from crying. "Help her if you can sir, I don't care about me but help my daughter." This wasn't going the way he wanted but all he wanted was his daughter healed. Dan stood up and walked around the desk and squatted down in front of the man and pulled him into a rough hug. "I am sorry for what you have been through and will consider letting you into my pack. I think I know someone who might be able to help." *Angie get the girl from the car and bring her and Paulo to my office.* "I am going to have one of my females bring her to my office, and then we will talk further." One thing Dan could say was that he was totally confident in his rank and comforting someone that came across as powerful didn't bother him. The man stiffened up when Dan hugged him since he had never experienced that before. He froze until Dan said a female was going to bring his daughter in. "Thank you Alpha. Please be gentle with her." He managed to hold back the tears, but he did lean into the Alpha. Dan felt so different from his former Alpha and he couldn't resist. Maric noticed that his wolf was giving the other a good look, an appraising look and it liked what he could see and feel. Angie called for Paulo as she was helping the girl out of the truck and walking inside. "Hey sweetie, your father and my Alpha want to see you. Will you come with me?" The girl looked about 17 or so but had broken looking eyes. Angie had a feeling why, but didn't let that stop her. "I am going to take you to your da hun. Come with me." Before his daughter was shown into the room, Maric sat up and was glad when Dan let go and moved back to his chair behind the massive desk. Until she came in, he ended up staring at the desk and wondering what blithering idiot had the thing made. It was well made but horribly ostentatious and full of self-importance. He just couldn't see the Alpha having it made for him since it just didn't seem to match what little he knew and felt of him. Angie helped the girl out of the truck and glowered at the men who were outside and they vanished into the woods. She slowly led the girl to Dan's office and settled on an overstuffed loveseat and pulled her down next to her. She wrapped her arm around the girl, enclosing her in a circle of protection. "I will take care of you sweetie. Your father is here and my Alpha as well. He is not like other alphas you may have known, though I know it will take some time for you to learn that." Her voice was soft as she spoke soothingly to Sylvia. Both Dan and Maric looked over as Angie pulled the girl into her arms. Dan began to explain. "Angie is the house mother. She is a good woman though not a submissive, though your world doesn't seem to understand what that means. Your daughter's wolf understands and can help her deal with it. I have called for one of my pups as well." Right then Paulo knocked. "Sir, you called for me?" Why Dan had called for him he wasn't sure but to be called to the Alpha's office was either very good or very bad. Maric was about ready to introduce his daughter when the cub knocked and walked in. His first impression of Paulo was he had a sort of worldly eyes yet they were gentle. Before Dan could speak, he reached over and grasped one of his daughter's hands. "This is my daughter Sylvia." He looked at Dan with very distressed eyes and then looked at the boy. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 07 When Paulo walked into the office the girl looked up at him and the first thing she saw was eyes that were so green it was almost unbelievable. The next thing she saw was how gentle they looked. For a brief moment she wanted to fall into them but she couldn't. Instead she looked back down at her hands which were in her lap. Dan looked over at him and stood up. "Paulo I have a job for you. You are going to be responsible for taking care of a potential new pack member's daughter. She has been hurt and you are responsible for her. For the time being, she is going to be in the pup's room and not the older girls' room. You are going to be with her day and night for whatever she might need. Do you understand?" Paulo froze and then looked at the man and then the girl. When she looked up at him for a brief moment there was a flicker of interest and then just looked wounded again. Based on the look in her eyes, his face hardened into a look of resolve. "Sir, I accept your orders and will protect her and ensure she comes to no harm." He moved closer to Sylvia and stood tall and proud. Damn it but Dan had to resist either crying or shouting out in happiness. Some of his wolves were starting to get the idea. "I expected nothing less from you son. Take her to the pups' room and introduce her around. I am sure that Giani will want to say hello." That little hellion would be good for her. "Yes My Alpha, I will take care of her." He nodded and then walked over to the girl and when she flinched his face hardened and then softened. "My name is Paulo and My Alpha has placed you in my care. I will not hurt you. I will protect you, though you don't need to worry about that here. Let me show you to the pups' room and introduce you to some of my friends. I think you will like them." He held his hand out to Sylvia, but didn't force her to take his hand. She looked at him and then at her father. When she got a nod from Maric she slowly and tentatively reached her hand out and took his. When she did, her fingers fluttered slightly and she didn't notice the tension around his eyes when he felt that. She didn't say anything but stood up from next to Angie. Her eyes were on the floor when she did and simply followed him out of the room. Paulo wrapped an arm around the young woman's shoulder and his face was hard as rock. As they traversed the halls, some of the others recognized the expression from Dan and moved out of the way. When they walked into the kids' room he urged her over to what had been Mari's bed and settled down next to her. "Hey, you Mousekateers come here." He knew they were close and smiled when they came tumbling into the room. He frowned slightly when the girl tensed up and he looked at them and shook his head at their antics. "Quiet little ones, this is Sylvia and she is going to be staying with you for a few days. Her father is talking to our Alpha about becoming part of the pack." Paulo gave Giani a hard look and then flashed his eyes at the girl. Giani sort of got the idea and slowly walked over to her and leaned against her leg. "Hi Sylvia. Welcome to the pack. I hope you like it here." She sort of probed the girl, though it was an immature probe, and wrapped her arms around her leg. "Danny will protect you." For some reason, Giani seemed to have a bit more ability than most of the pack; probably because she was going to be an alpha female. Paulo leaned over and lightly thunked her nose. "That is either Alpha or Dan stinker, and not Danny." He knew that Dan wasn't really fond of Danny though he allowed it with the cubs. She growled at him. "My nose. Either spanking or tickly fingers and no thumping nose." She stomped her foot at him when she said that. He snickered and then reached over and pulled her into his lap. "Tickly fingers it is then beastie." As he started tickling her ribs he glanced at the girl next to him and she looked shocked. "Our Alpha has dictated either a spanking or tickly fingers as a punishment for the little ones unless they are being really bad." Giani was wiggling and giggling as he was tickling her till he was done and crawled onto the bed next to her. She was between Paulo and Sylvia and leaning against the girl. "Dan is a great Alpha and I think you will like him once you get to know him." She looked shocked at the interaction and then the damaged eyes came back. She had never seen interaction between a younger and older wolf this way. It was totally outside her world and didn't know what to make of it. Giani's minions walked over and one boy shifted and hopped up on the bed and wiggled his way into her lap and curled up. The other boy settled down at her feet and leaned against her leg to help comfort her. They could feel the agony her wolf was in and much like they had done with Dan, they were doing their best to help her. Paulo smiled. "I have a feeling you are going to find a number of cubs in your bed at night. If you do, let them take care of you. You are going to have Mari's old bed and it has room for you and any number of us cubs." Slowly the other cubs walked into the room and shifted and padded over to Paulo and the new female and ended up curled around her. "See, I told you they are going to snuggle with you. Nothing will happen to you here." That was whispered in her ear. "I will be here as well and protect you as My Alpha told me to." He would be in wolf form but still he would be there for her. Nancy walked in and looked at the other girl and immediately stripped down and changed before softly padding over and hopped on the bed. Nancy settled down next to Sylvia and covered the cub in her lap with her head and whined quietly. *You will be fine lovey. My Alpha will take care of you and teach you how to protect yourself.* Sylvia slowly lowered one hand and stroked the female wolf's head. She couldn't trust that and couldn't believe it though her wolf tried to tell her that it was possible. Her father had brought her here to take care of her, but it just wasn't possible. ~~~ Dan watched Sylvia's father's face as Sylvia left the room. "Maric, I am going to say this once and once only. She is going to be well watched after and if anyone hurts her, I will deal with it. The two of you are now under my protection and that is the beginning and end of it." He stood up and sighed. "Just hope what happened last time doesn't happen now." Maric stood up and then froze. "What happened last time?" That didn't sound good and if needed he was going to get her and take her from here. Dan smiled. "Last person I accepted into my pack ended up with a mate. You remember Angie? Well she ended up as the mate of my other submissive, the giant that brought you in to my office. It was sort of an interesting day." They were talking as they were walking out of the office and then house and he heard a snicker or two. Maric's face was a study in conflicted feelings. Eventually humor won out. "I am sure that was an interesting day." He didn't want a mate right now. He had loved his mate and loved her deeply, and they had been together a long time before she had died. When she had fallen and struck her head and died from the injuries, it had almost broken his heart. The only thing that kept him there was his daughter. "Everyone come." Again, his howl was golden amber and even Maric's daughter responded and came out. "I am accepting a new member on an interim basis. He is going to be my Beta and his name is Maric. This is his daughter and her name is Sylvia. Sylvia is under the protection of both me and Paulo. I will deal with anyone that upsets her." His eyes wandered around. The pack looked at Paulo and the girl in his arms as well as the Mousekateers who were surrounding them and tried not to snicker. All of them were looking very determined and Paulo had one of Dan's expressions on his face. The mention that the new wolf was going to be Dan's beta got different reactions and several of the male wolves growled. Saul didn't since he could feel the man's dominance but knew it was going to be an interesting day or two. Maric's head popped up and he stared at Dan and it took a few moments to really contemplate what he had said. "Alpha you don't know me, how can I be your Beta? I am not worthy of this position." That was answer enough for Dan and he smiled. "That is answer enough. My pack, my rules, my decision. You are going to be my Beta till I change my mind." All of the pack lowered their heads including Maric's daughter. Gary lowered his head and then growled. "No damn it. He is new to the pack and I challenge him to his position." He lifted his head and glowered at the other male. Dan moved back from the challenge circle. "Do you accept the challenge Maric? It is going to be in human form and till one is unconscious or submits." Maric moved into the circle and nodded. "I do accept. I will either win or give over the position you have given me." Since his daughter was there he wasn't going to lose come hell or high water. "Come cub, I will teach you to respect your elders." Gary didn't even think twice before he launched his body into the circle. The fight wasn't anywhere as short as any of Dan's but it was obvious that Maric knew what he was doing and knew it well. At the end of the fight, he was kneeling on Gary's back and had his head pulled back with an arm around it. "Submit or die." Gary rolled an eye at him and tilted his head. "I submit Beta. Spare me." It was barely a whisper but the other wolf could easily hear it. Moments later the arms around his neck were loosened and Maric stood up. He looked at the other wolves. "Any questions? I am Beta and you will obey." He could feel the submission from the wolf he had just dealt with as well as from the pack. Dan managed not to smile and was pleased with his decision. "Challenge accepted, resolved, and Maric is Beta. Go and continue with what you were doing." He nodded at them and then nodded at Maric. "Come and we will talk." ~~~ Some time later Paulo knocked on the door to Dan's office. "Sir, I need to talk to you please." His voice was tense as he spoke. Dan looked up and nodded. "Come in son and have a seat. How can I help you?" He had a sort of open door policy for all of his pack members. Paulo walked around the front of Dan's desk and stood there looking stressed. "Sir, I am not sure if I am the best one to watch Sylvia. I have discovered that she is going to be my mate." Tears were showing as he was talking. Dan looked startled and then leaned forward. "Um, in that case you are the best one to be watching her. If she is your mate, then if I tried to put you elsewhere that wouldn't work out. I am glad you came to me since till both of you are 18 there will be no mating." God this was not what he wanted or needed. They were supposed to go to the Clan properties in a week and he had a damaged lycan who might be the mate of one of his oldest pups. Paulo looked slightly shocked and more than a bit upset with Dan's comment. "Of course not sir and definitely not till she is healed however long that takes." He took a slow deep breath and tried to control both his anxiety as well as the sort of insult of Dan's comment. "I would never do that Alpha, never." Dan managed not to role his eyes at the young man. He hadn't been intending to insult him but to simply restate the pack rules. Dan moved his chair back. "Come here son." Dan could feel his concern and irritation and wanted to comfort the young man. When he did Dan picked him up and settled him on his lap. The boy wasn't small in any way but was well under Dan's weight at the moment since he still had some growing to do. "I am glad you found your mate but sorry it was in this way. I didn't mean to insult you but to remind you. We will do what we can for her and to return her to you healed." He tucked Paulo's head under his chin. "I promise as your Alpha that I will do anything and everything to heal your mate son." Paulo tensed and then leaned into his Alpha and snuggled a bit. "Please do Dan it is killing me to see her this way. God, I want to kill the bastard who did this to her. I have never hated someone this bad and want his blood coating my teeth." His hands were tied up in Dan's shirt and if he did much more he was going to rip it to shreds. "Paulo that is my job right now. I will deal with him. Right now all you need to concern yourself with is your future mate." Dan's voice was firm since he didn't want a youngling to have to kill another person. "It didn't really matter why you did but it would burn the kill into your soul. As I said your job right now is to take care of her and nothing else." Paulo shuddered slightly. "Sir, she is my mate, how can I not take care of her? How can I not kill the bastard who did this to her?" He didn't want to cry but he was close to it. Dan stroked the young man's back. "Paulo you are not an Alpha and will only kill to protect the pack. It is my job to make sure you don't have to kill unless you have to. Believe me I know how a kill can burn itself into your soul." Dan pulled the young man closer. "I can feel all the kills I have had to do over the years and if I can keep you from feeling that I will." He closed his aged eyes and sighed. "Paulo go and keep watch on your probable mate. I am going to see what I can do to heal her. Go son and I will talk to you later." That was an order and Paulo nodded and left the room. Dan groaned. This was definitely not what she needed, not that it mattered at this moment. They wouldn't have sex till they were 18 and their wolves knew that. "Damn it, this is a problem." He could only think of one way to deal with this. He pulled Alysson's card out of his rolodex and punched it into the phone. When it was answered, he cut the other person short. "This is Alpha Dan and I need to talk to Alysson and I mean I really need to talk to her." Normally he wasn't this abrupt but he had to talk to her to get Sheliae down there to help the girl. "Yes sir, just a moment." She transferred him over. "Morning Dan, what can I do for you? My secretary indicated it was urgent. Is everything okay?" She didn't think it had anything to do with Mari or Geoff since he had been making regular calls to her and her mate. "I need to borrow Sheliae from you. I have a badly damaged pup that I am trying to help and was just informed by one of my older pups that she is his mate." Dan wasn't sure how he was sounding on the phone though his voice was definitely showing stress. "I can help Dan but I can't release her. She is directly responsible for Geoff's education and training and simply can't leave him." She paused and contemplated it. "Dan, I am going to send a plane down and all of you are going to come up here. I think all of you could use a break and though Sheliae is a spirit healer she is primarily a teacher. I have people who only do spirit healing and are much better at it. I will arrange housing and getting more food." He stiffened and growled at her. "I am not a dog to obey your orders woman. This is my pack and nobody else's." There was definitely a snarl in there as well. Alysson froze for a moment and then sighed. "I am sorry Alpha, I didn't mean to make that sound like an order. I, as much as you, am used to commanding my clan." She sighed. "Let me rephrase it, I would like to invite you and your pack up here to see Mari and so we can see if we can help your little wolf. I would greatly appreciate getting to meet the wolf that can demand such respect from both Geoff and Mari." His wolf thought on that and settled down and nodded. "I far and away prefer the way you put that the second time and to help several pack members I will accept the offer. When do you want us to come up?" His voice was calmer than it had been sounding. "I can have the plane there this afternoon if that will work. If you have a damaged wolf and she is a kit as well, then the sooner the better." Kits were the next generation and the future and had to come first. It wasn't something some of the packs and other non-humans thought but she and Dan were in agreement on that. "Have it here at 4ish and I will get my pack ready to travel." For a moment he tried to resist laughing since it sounded like a version of 'have gun will travel'. The laughter won. He started snickering and once he was able to control them he told her about it. "Where I come from, there is a saying 'have gun, will travel'. To me it was almost like saying 'have pack, will travel'." She actually giggled at that and it had been a while. "Oh man that is wrong Dan but so funny. God I would hate to see what your old pack might be like since you were in charge. I know that your new pack is becoming very strong and capable. I will see you this evening." They talked for a moment or two more before she hung up. ~~~ Later that evening Alysson looked at her husband and smiled. "I can't help but wait to meet him. To have someone like Mari looking up to him and even now calling him her pack leader says so much." Jon couldn't help but smile at her and since she was sitting next to him he picked her up and settled her on his lap. "I think I might be a bit jealous... Might have to challenge him for my mate." He pretended to yip at her and then attacked her neck. She started giggling and tried to push him away from her. "Gah, no, not my neck you evil man. I am going to have to do something to you." She couldn't help but giggle and try and wiggle away from him since he knew all of her sensitive spots. Right about then there was a knock on the door and her assistant opened it. Next to her was Dan and she froze mid-step. "Um, ma'am this is Alpha Danilo Legarith..." She wasn't really sure what to do. She had found her clan leader in a similar position a number of times but not with a new Alpha coming to visit. Dan tried not to smirk. "Um, if needed I can come back later?" There was definite laughter in his voice when he said that. Both of them looked at him and Jon started snickering. "Maybe I won't challenge him... I think he could sit on me and squash me." He sat up and then stood and pulled his wife on her feet. "Please come in Alpha Danilo and have a seat. I take it you have your pack with? I will go and see to them." Dan grinned. "If you are anything like Geoff with a sword I have a feeling it would be a fair fight and not sure why you would want to challenge me." His expression changed slightly. "Sylvia is in the room with the pups." Jon laughed and shook his head. "I think I am going to go and take care of your pack Dan. I will make sure that they are in the guest quarters." He paused. "I will make sure that Geoff and Mari know you are here and make sure your little wolf isn't separated from your pups." His face softened. "Kits come first. I will make sure she is well taken care of Alpha." Dan's face tensed up and then nodded. "I don't know if you know, but all the pups under 13 share a room. She has been sleeping in Mari's bed since she arrived. Make sure she and Paulo as well as the pups are in the same room." Jon looked at him and nodded. "Can do and I will take care of it right now." He walked out of the office door and closed it behind him. Alysson stood up. "I am pleased to finally meet you Dan. I don't really know you but seeing the person that Mari is has shown me you are as a worthy male is important. From what I have been able to see you are one hell of a Pack Leader." They talked for several hours while her husband saw to his pack. ~~~ Mari felt Dan arriving and as soon as the rest of the pack walked in. She hurried out and gave all of them a hug. Now she was very obviously, though not heavily, pregnant and most of the women gave her a good hug and rubbed her belly. All of the little cubs scurried over and gave her a hug and rubbed her tummy as well. The new girl, she didn't even think twice about giving her a hug. "You must be Sylvia and welcome to the clan house." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 08 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... Oh, any sexual relations are 18+. Thanks to Somaluna for reviewing and making suggestions to the chapter. After my rant in the last chapter with Geoff and Mari I am going back to more of the style when I originally started writing. If anyone has problems go find another story to read. I do have to apologize for the delay in this but I have been dealing with some medical and personal issues in the last few weeks. I do hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please any and all comments are greatly appreciated. Chapter 8 While Dan was talking to Allyson her brother, Geoff's uncle, was talking to Sylvia and Paulo. "As I was saying having you as her mate will help since your bonds with her, even though unmated, will help stabilize her." He looked between the two of them and patted their knees. "Now let's go to my work shop and get started. Just so you know today is only going to be sort of prelimary exam." He stood up and waved them to stand up and follow him. When he did that Mari stood up as well and walked out with them and had her arm around the girls shoulders and gave them a squeeze. They walked in silence till they reached the door to Uncle's room she sighed. "Well I am going to leave you here. I think I am going to gather my mate and go and settle down and relax. The twins are trying to either kick my ribs out or my kidneys out." She rubbed her belly and the loose shirt she had on really showed her pregnancy when she rubbed it. Sylvia instantly froze and then backed away from her. Her eyes were wide open and terror definitely showed. "No babies, no babies, not have babies." Her cries were getting worse and Paulo moved over and wrapped his arms around her. Her terror could be felt and smelled by anyone nearby. It was one of the things that had sort of broken her. "It is okay Sylvia, it is okay. Mari is a good person and she wasn't forced to carry some male's pups." Paulo had some idea of what she had gone through though it was hard to understand. He stepped between her and Mari and forced her to look at him. "Look at me Sylvia. Look at me and listen to your future mate. The one that was assigned to protect you by the man your father accepted as his and your Alpha. She was not forced to have sex or get pregnant. Dan would never allow or condone it." He rested his forehead on hers and reached out to her and tried to impress his firm belief in what he was saying. Mari couldn't help but stand there in shock when the girl flipped out. What the hell was she coming from that she thought Mari had been forced to have the pups. No she hadn't been planning on it but she hadn't been forced to carry them. Now that she was pregnant she really was glad to have had a chance and the honor to carry his cubs just as she would be honored to carry Geoff's one of these days. Uncle shook his head and nodded down the hallway and she turned to see Geoff coming. Mari turned and slowly hurried down the hall and almost lunged at him. She couldn't believe that she had scared the girl that badly and she didn't any further. Her distress was radiating to both Geoff and her Alpha. "Take me to our rooms please." She was almost in tears at what she had done to the poor girl even though she wasn't quite sure what she had done. ~~~ Geoff wrapped an arm around her and slowly led her down the hall as Paulo and Uncle tried to comfort the girl. "I know you didn't mean to scare her. Think of the first night you were here and Gettie melted down." That was a gentle reminder as to how she had managed to get her assistant. She clutched at him. "I know but Gettie isn't a broken child. She might not be the sharpest knife in the block but she isn't a broken and damaged child." They finally reached their suite and once inside she turned and buried her face in his chest and started crying because she was so upset. "Hush love. I know you didn't mean to scare her and so will Uncle and Paulo. Eventually she hopefully will accept that you weren't trying to do anything. Now let's go lie down and relax." He urged her towards the bed. Mari shook her head. "I think I would prefer to soak for a while first. I am stressed enough if I don't soak in some hot water and scented salts I won't be able to relax." She rubbed her face against his chest and gave him a watery smiled as he urged her to sit down while he ran the bath for them. *Mom I am going to be with Mari for a while. She had a bad start a few minutes ago. Please give my apologies to anyone that might need it. My mate needs me.* ~~~ Dan felt the surge through the bonds from both Mari and Sylvia. Sylvia was much less since she and her father wasn't quite a part of the pack yet. Both were horribly upset and he stood up. "Several members of my pack are upset. I will be back." Dan didn't even think twice before leaving the office he had been in with Alysson. Something had happened and he had to find out what. Alysson was more than startled when Dan stood and informed her that he was going to take a look at some of his pack. This was not behavior she really expected from any of the alpha's she knew. By the time she gathered her wits he was gone from the office and she contacted her husband. *Jon something upset Danilo. Do you have any idea? Can you take care of it?* Jon was still working to get the pack rooms and wasn't in the right position to see Dan stalk out at high speed since he was in a different section of the house. When his wife contacted him about something going on he started to turn back but there was too much going on. *Love I am too busy right now. You or maybe Jake will need to deal with it.* She started to stand up when Jake contacted her. *Something about Mari being pregnant upset the new girl. Not really sure what is going on but she started screaming 'no babies'. Geoff collected Mari and took her to their rooms.* When he contacted her she settled back and rubbed her forehead. She wasn't really sure what was going on but had a feeling that it was something similar to Mari and that Dan would be back. *Keep me updated and I will be in my office. Keep an eye out for Dan and either Mari or the new girl.* What the heck was going on? She would find out eventually. Dan followed Mari's emotions to the suite that she and Geoff lived in and knocked on the door before walking in. He found Geoff in the living area's but could hear Mari sobbing in what was probably the bathroom. "What happened Geoff?" His voice was hard but not accusatory. "Something about Mari being pregnant set off Sylvia but not really sure what." Dan almost turned and beat his head against the wall. "God damn it all to hell, never thought about that. I think I know what is going on. I need to talk to Mari for a moment and then will leave. Stay with her for tonight." His voice was firm as he turned and followed the sounds of sobbing. He walked into the bathroom and over to the tub and knelt down. "Mari it isn't your fault, Sylvia was badly hurt by her previous Alpha when he told her she was going to carry his pups when she came into heat. When she refused..." He looked away. "It wasn't pretty and not your fault little wolf." He gave her a kiss and after stroking her hair for a few moments he stood up. Dan gathered her close and ignored the fact that she was wet. He stroked her hair. "Peace little wolf. Not your fault and Geoff is going to be with you to help you. If you need me call and I will come." He pushed some comfort to her and held her for a few more minutes. "Remember this wasn't your fault Mari. I need to talk to Sylvia and Paulo." He gave her a bit more comfort before leaving the bathroom. Dan stood up and left the bathroom and looked at Geoff. "Get someone to show me where Sylvia and Paulo are. They are my responsibility and I know what upset Sylvia." At the moment he was radiating his Alpha dominance. Geoff nodded and called for Jake who Geoff knew was very close. *Come to my rooms and take the Alpha to Uncle's room. He has information he needs. Take a few minutes to make it here. I need to check on a few things.* He looked at Dan. "One of the staff will be here in a few minutes. Give me a moment or two please." Geoff sent his mother's brother, his uncle and he didn't know the man's name, a contact request. *Uncle I have the girls Alpha and he has some information that might explain what was going on. Can I please have him sent down? If so how soon?* Uncle considered that and stared at the wall for a moment. *Give me ten minutes and then send him down. They are almost ready to go into a healing sleep and once there I can talk to him.* He cut the connection off and smile at the two. "The tea is really good isn't it?" He kept talking to them about what the healing process was like. "Dan please sit down. It is going to be a few minutes before I can send you to where they are." Geoff held a hand up. "They are with my uncle which is the healer that mother told you about. He needs some time to get then relaxed and asleep before can talk to you. Please give him a few minutes so they are asleep before you talk to him." Geoff kept eye contact with him. "If you trust me what so ever to take care of your little submissive then allow the same trust with your injured kit." Dan stiffened and almost growled at him. "Only because Mari trusts you Geoff. I hope for your sake that nothing happens to her or Paulo." He was starting to get worked up again when Jake showed up at the suite. He closed his eyes and took a long slow breath. "Sorry Geoffrey, just a bit stressed right now." Lady his wolf was worked up right now. He wanted to kill something starting with Sylvia's former alpha. Geoff nodded to him but didn't get a chance to speak before Jake walked in. "I am going to sit with Mari. If I need you I will have someone bring you to our rooms." He turned and walked into the bathroom and after stripping down slid into the tub behind Mari. "My Lord." He bowed at Geoff. "Lord Alpha I have been sent to take you to the healer." He was in his mid-form and had his four tails showing. It was his way of showing both respect and his level in the clan. Dan turned to him and his eyes and face was hard. "Do that and now. I have talked to Mari and calmed her somewhat and need to go and take care of my other two. They are not Kitsunes and won't respond the same. If Paulo gets too worked up he will attack anyone that he perceives as being a danger to his mate." *Geoff go to Mari and keep her here.* That was ignoring the fact that he already had. Jake bowed slightly to Dan. "Please follow me Alpha Legarith. I will take you to your two pack members." He turned and walked out of Geoff's suite and to a different section of the house and ended up outside a door. "Knock on the door and you will be let in when it is time." He bowed again and left the hallway. Dan glowered at him but had to hope that he was right. When he knocked on the door it was a firm knock but not too loud. "It is Danilo Legarith, Alpha of Paulo and Sylvia and let me in." Again his voice and face was hard and demanding. This was his pack and he would protect it. His wolf was not very happy and was struggling to get out. Moments later an older male, a Kitsune based on scent, answered and calmly held a finger to his lips to suggest quiet would be nice. "Please come in but they are asleep while I check on what is needed for the healing Alpha." Dan almost growled at him and ended up with a major glare. "I will be quiet for a moment till I speak my peace. I will take them the moment I feel any ill intent." That was also a growl but he silenced the beast and stalked into the room. When he did he found the old Kitsune sitting in a comfortable looking chair and his two wolves asleep on their backs on a bed. "What the fuck is going on? You had better explain soon or else." It was rude but there was things going on that his wolf didn't have any experience with and it was working both him and his wolf up. "Pease Alpha, I am just a spirit healer trying to take care of all of your damaged wolves. If you can tell me what you know of what is impacting on Sylvia I would greatly appreciate it." He poured a couple of cups of tea. "Would you like a cup?" Dan frowned at it and decided not to. God only knew what was in the tea and he wasn't going to take a chance. "Her former alpha had decided she was going to carry his pups and when she said no he raped her and then handed her over to his senior males." His jaw tightened. "I haven't had the chance to go and kill him and she is not responding to the pack. I don't know why but I can only assume it is because we are still healing." Uncle sighed and looked down at the cups and picked one up and sipped on it. "Thank you Alpha and that gives me information I needed. Go back to my clan leader and finish your discussion. I will take care of these two and make sure they are sent to the kit's room when I am done." Dan wasn't sure why he turned and left but he did and when he ended up outside her office a low angry growl started coming from him. He really didn't like being controlled and that was what had happened. It might sound hypocritical but he didn't mind using control on others since he was an Alpha but to be used on him? That tended to set him off. The growl started to get worse till Alysson opened the door. She almost facepalmed and sighed. "Dan he didn't mean to control you and I will speak to my brother. He is a healer and his patients are his most important..." She didn't get a chance to say anything else. Dan was definitely not a type of Alpha she was used to. "Don't ever get the fuck between me and a pack member. Tell your healer whoever the hell he is that if he does that again I will deal with him and he won't like it. I am not yours to command in any way. Mari might be your son's mate but that doesn't give you or any of yours control over me or my pack." His eyes were as close to changing as possible. Yes he had come for help but to be commanded against his will was not something he had expected. God he was not an Alpha that she was used to dealing with. All the alpha's that reported to her had been mostly cowed many years ago. There was one on the border of her territory who wasn't as cowed and was a thorn in her side but he still obeyed her when she used her power. As furious as Dan was right now she wasn't sure just how much her power would impact on him. She sure as hell wasn't going to try since if she failed he would probably do something she really didn't like to her. "Dan I will talk to him and I understand your position. Please come in and sit down. We still need to talk." Dan growled again at her and then closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath and then another and another. Slowly he forced his anger and his wolf back from the front of his mind. It was so very hard since he really wanted to kill someone at the moment. Once he was calmer, not calm but not raging, he opened his eyes. "I shouldn't be screaming at my hostess and the woman who is trying to help one of my pups." It was as close as he could get to an apology at the moment. ~~~ Back at Uncle's room he opened the door and gently urged the two of them in. It was a relatively large room and on one side was a low sort of bed looking piece of furniture, a couple of chairs and a small sofa. "Go take her over there and have a seat and comfort her. I am going to make some tea." He walked over to a small alcove where he already had hot water ready to go. He pulled out three cups and for the two kids he added a special tea mix and settled for a regular one for him. Paulo lead her over to the sofa and settled her down. He kept one arm around her and the other was stroking her hair. "It's okay sweety, I really do mean that she got pregnant willingly." He kept up the comforting motions up. "How can someone want to carry cubs into this world? The alpha decided who got to mate with the women in heat. My turn was coming up and I was expected to get pregnant." It was worse than that since he had made sure she was ready for him and gloated on how much fun he was going to have when it was her time. When she tried to resist he had raped her and then passed her around to several of his men and that is what had broken her. Paulo tensed up and a low growl started lower and his eyes were starting to change. "Not happening again, never again." His voice was getting guttural and his wolf was coming forward and starting to growl in his mind as well. "You are going to be my mate when you are ready and I will protect and love you. It will be at your pace." Her eyes were starting to widen at the very possessive growl not to mention the definite protective overtones as well. Other than her father she had never heard that protective growl. She looked up at him and for a brief moment there was a spark of life there but then she lowered her head back down and stared at the floor. "Gently young wolf, relax, she understands how you feel even if she can't show it right now." He had added some honey to the tea and brought it over on a tray. He handed both of them a cup of tea. "It is cooled down a bit so you should be able to sip on it and please do while I explain what it is that I do and how I do it." He picked up his tea and sipped on it and smiled when she picked hers up and sniffed at it. "Smells good doesn't it." He used just a bit of power to encourage them to drink the tea. She gave him a tentative smile and took a small sip and smiled a bit more. "Very good sir, thank you." She leaned slightly into Paulo though only slightly. He was sipping on the tea as well. "First off I am what we call a spirit healer. That is all done on the spirit plane and only with your permission. Everything I do is with your permission and I only see what you are willing to allow me to. Today is only a preliminary session so I can sort of map the bonds you have and what damage is present." He took a sip of tea and urged them to keep drinking. "What I have you do is lay on your backs on the treatment table over there and I place my hands on your forehead and then do my thing. The first step is without you touching hands or any other part of your body and then I will check them when you touch hands." Both kids started to look slightly sleepy which the tea was designed to do. "Why don't you go lie on your back and place your hands by your side or on your stomach and make sure no part of the two of you is touching." He stood up and sort of herded them over and after making sure they were comfortable placed his hands on their foreheads and got to work. Once they were asleep he went to the door and let the angry Alpha in and listened to what he had to say. It was much like he had expected based on what she had told him just a few moments ago. "Thank you Alpha, I will take care of them. Please go back and talk to Alysson, I will make sure they are shown to the cubs room." He used a bit of encouragement to get him to leave before his emotions impacted on the kits. ~~~ Eventually Dan and Alysson came out of their meeting and he had enjoyed getting to know her but it was past dinner time and he was hungry and still pissed off and wanted something to eat. "I don't suppose dinner was postponed or you might have tossed together some sandwiches did you?" He was trying not to growl but was still angry. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 08 She smiled. "Your pack has eaten and was shown to their rooms so they could settle in. Also I have assigned a number of staff to show them around and my staff have been given a copy of your rules to read. All of them have agreed to it though I have a feeling that some of your pack are going to be getting some offers tonight. I know a number of clan members were actually looking forward to seeing a well-run pack." She gave him a sly look. "You might be getting a few offers as well just to warn you." Dan growled. "So not what I need, maybe I should hang a sign around my neck that says 'no thanks'. Think that would matter?" Actually to be honest he wouldn't mind taking Sheliae back to bed but he wasn't going to ask. Now maybe one or two others he might consider. He hadn't been celibate since she had left but he hadn't been playing the field either. "Probably not, they would assume you were saying that to something else." She teased him as she led him to the kitchen and pulled out a large plate of sandwiches and wandered over to the table and set it down. "If you want something to drink feel free and I would love a beer and so would Jon. He will be here shortly." He did that and settled down at the table across from her and grabbed a sandwich and it quickly vanished as did a second and third. When Jon walked up he nodded to him and kept eating. After the third sandwich he paused. "Sometimes I hate being a lycan because of how much we have to eat and I wasn't really hungry till we got here so lunch was pretty sparse for me." Now that he was feeding his wolf he was starting to calm down even more from earlier. Jon grinned. "My wife wouldn't say that since she would be able to eat what she wanted..." When he reached for a sandwich she smacked his hand in revenge and then smiled. "Oh, tomorrow I would like to take you to the ancestor's house. Geoff has been lighting some joss for your family each day first thing in the morning and I thought you might like to do that as well." She looked down at the table for a moment. "I think it would greatly help you Danilo." She didn't know why but it just felt right. Dan started and looked down for a moment. "Thank you and I think I would like that." He might be healing but it still hurt badly and it showed in his voice. Sheliae had done wonders but it wasn't an instant fix. "I will have to thank Geoff for doing that for me even though he barely knew me when he offered." To be honest he had forgotten about it and damn it he wasn't going to cry. The sentiment did matter and hurt at the same time. ~~~ The next morning they were in the ancestor's house. Dan could feel swirls of power but something was keeping him from really panicking. They had come here that morning and he had done as they had and pulled off his shoes and bowed and clapped before walking into the room. When he did he could feel power flowing through the room. On top of that he could feel his family and his eyes started to tear up. He moved forward towards the altar and didn't really look at the joss as he slowly picked out three sticks. Dan inserted it in the small sand box that held the joss while it burned. The first stick was Sandlewood for Nang, the second was honey suckle for Allie and Lily of the Valley for Ana. The smoke from the ignited joss slowly swirled up towards the smoke stained ceiling and the tears flowed. He didn't care that he was an Alpha he was also a person and he really missed them. "Relax Dan, their spirits will be revealed shortly." Alyson sighed and looked at her husband before leaning against Dan. "Please believe me they will take care of you Dan." Alysson could feel the spirits swirling around the room and there was more power flowing around the room than she had felt before. He still tensed up and suddenly there was a presence in the room that he hadn't felt for a while. "Nang, are you really here?" Tears continued to flow out of his eyes and his voice was rough with emotions. He could feel her in his mind and faintly in his spirit where she had been when she was alive. There was another very faint presence but again his wolf tromped on it. Now was not the time for him to feel his new mate. "Yes my love as well as our pups. I know that we aren't with you but we can feel you and we love you. It will be some time but you will be with us again. Please live life to your fullest and love as you can." Her voice throbbed as she spoke. In a way she didn't like the idea of sharing him but they were in different worlds and it wouldn't be fair to her mate. Dan fell to his knees and started sobbing. "I miss you my love and I miss our pups as well. I want you back in my life." His tear filled eyes looked up he looked at the shadow in the room. Nang was there though she was a shadow and around her legs formed their pups. All the anguish that he had been feeling came to the front. Outside on the back porch his new pack had gathered and the low keening was starting and all of them were starting to pour their love and affection for their pack leader. It was the love of the pack and not the individuals. Though they didn't realize it they were also pouring power into him in an attempt to heal him and the pack. The nearby Kitsune clan members heard the keening and the loss it proclaimed and started a low fox keening as well. A few of them had experienced the loss of a mate or kits and they keened much louder than the other. Power was slowly gathering again and they didn't realize it was being fed into the Alpha as well. "Dan we will be here when it is time for you to finally come to us. We love you and care for you and always will. You have a purpose in this world and you will fulfill it. We will be waiting for you to come to us." Her ghost fingers stroked his cheek and he curled over in agony. She and their pups wouldn't see him till he moved on. There would be others that moved on as well but she couldn't tell him when or how long it might be. "I want my family back and my pack back. I know that I won't have my family back till they have reincarnated or till I die but I want my pack back." Tears were definitely flowing down his face when he said that. He didn't realize it he was pulling on the power of both his pack and Mari's new clan. He didn't know he was doing it but he wanted something of his former life back with him and in this world he was pulling on power he normally shouldn't have been able to. As he was pulling on the power he was still on his knees and was curled up with is head on the cool wood of the spirit house and it added to his desire. Before he realized it there was a surge of power that was beyond what he had ever felt or seen before. There was a sudden snap of the power and suddenly it was gone. For him it was only seconds and an eternity. Alysson was more than shocked when she felt a major drain on her powers and the powers of the clan. The drain was more than she had felt before and almost drove her to her knees. As she was struggling to contain the loss there was a sudden snap and the drain stopped but she could feel a change in the spirits but Dan reacted before she did. Dan stood up and staggered outside and was shocked. There in front of him was his pack and before he could really do anything Mary looked at him, screamed and launched her body at him. The fact that she was going to take him out didn't matter. What did was she had her alpha back in her mind and she could feel his pain though it was lessened. It wasn't as bad as it had been but was still there. As he stared at them all of them were there including the children of the lycan/human couples. Dan tried to brace himself for the lycan that hit him but she was crying too hard to really understand and he ended up on his bottom. "Oh god, oh god." He lost it and clutched Mary as close as possible. Part of the pack scrambled over to him while others were simply stood there in shock. A few even changed forms and were standing there snarling at all the strange wolves and other strange scents. All Dan could do for several moments was to glory in the feel of his bonds with his first pack. Alyson had staggered out of the ancestor house with Jon's help. She was sort of staring at him and Mary and ended up looking at the sky. "Oh god, this is going to be interesting." Intesting in a bad way, or a complex way that was going to take the spirits to untangle though she was hurting as well from the massive power drain. Though it took him several minutes to recover he finally was able to stand up and his face was a mass of conflicting emotions. The pack was starting to tense up because they had no idea what had happened to them and he knew that he had to put his foot down. "Enough. Calm down and I will explain as best possible." He looked around and started moving through the pack and passed out hugs, a few kisses, and shoulder bumps. As he was greeting his old pack his new one was sort of gathering in a circle around the pregnant women and cubs. They could all smell that most of the people who had just appeared were lycan's as well and it really bothered them. At the moment they didn't realize that it was his old pack though he appeared to know them. Maric was standing at the front of the pack as a good Beta should. At the moment he wasn't sure what was going on but Dan didn't seem to be in trouble and was crying and greeting the new lycan's. He knew that Alysson was going to have something to say to him about this, whatever this was. At the moment that had to wait since he had to calm the pack down. From looking at them most of them had been at work or school. Being seated at work and suddenly appearing here was going to be a big shock and especially when they discovered he didn't know any way to send them back. God he felt horribly guilty for what had happened. Dan eventually handed Mary over to Ben and looked at the rest of his old pack and gave them a tired smile. "I have a new pack and this is going to be interesting." He looked at Alyson. "I need to talk to both packs and if you don't mind sort of in private." God he was totally worn out. His body felt like he had run several marathon's. She nodded and there was a spiritual wave that flowed across the outside dining area. "All yours Dan and let me know when you are done." She walked into the house and left them to deal with the pack issues. Once inside she staggered to the kitchen and started scarfing some food down to help replenish her energy. Several others had come in as well and were devouring food. "Get a huge lunch ready. Hell for all I care huge stacks of bread and a shit load of meat and cheese. We just added about another thirty or so wolves to the mix and all of them are going to be hungry." Dan lifted his head and gave a light howl which forced his new pack to form up as well as his old pack, in the case of old pack it was totally based on rank and not gender. He looked over the two ranks and smiled at them as they stared at each other. At the moment all the pups were in human form which he was glad for. It would add a bit of shock value. "I need to introduce you both to my old and new pack and then I will explain what has happened. This is my new pack," he named them, "This is my original pack, " he introduced them as well. He looked down for a moment and then at his original pack. "I don't know what happened while I was running my brains out but..." Dan told them about his waking up and being caged, taking over the pack and most of everything that had happened. "And in the end this is not America, they have never heard of America. We can do things they can't and can't do things they can." As he was telling his old pack his story at certain times there were more than a few snarls. They were related to the state of the pack when he took over and what he had found. Dan's face was serene as he was talking and lightly pressed on the pack bonds. "Relax. I have started cleaning up the packs that I am in charge of and yes I have four more that report to me. This world is very different than what we came from. It is a good world but different." "The packs in this world are somewhat different than in our world. There is no central counsel of the packs either. There is so much that is different that I simply can't tell you." He looked down for a moment. "One thing I have to show you is something my old pack won't believe." He called Mari over. "I will give further introductions once I have some room for us to talk in private but..." Dan looked at Mari and mentally urged her over. "One thing I want the females to know is that in this world females can bear pups. Mari is carrying my son and daughter. She will be whelping them in about three months. I don't know if this will work for you but I can only hope. Her mate is Lord Geoffrey Logan Heir to the Silver Kitsune Clan and you will give him as much respect as you would give me." That definitely got a reaction from the females and they turned and looked at Mari. Mary couldn't help but move over to her and curl her arms around her and give her a hug. "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to see your pups Mari. If only they were mine." She snuggled close to her and almost got yipped at by Geoff. Dan sort of laughed. "What is it with most submissives that they are huggers? Well other than Adrian." Mary this is, was, the pack submissive when I arrived. Mari, short for Marissa, this is Mary the submissive of my original pack." The two women were wildly different. Mary was as blond as you could get and though short was well endowed for her size. A sort of bubbly energy just seemed to exude from her. Mari snickered and gave the other girl a hug. "I would say it was an oops but can't help but wait to see our cubs." She had to frown at Geoff. "Take a chill pill silly, she is female you know." She elbowed him in the side. "If anyone should be irritated it should be me." Mary laughed at Mari's comment and glanced at Geoff. "Can I borrow your mate for a bit of cuddling? I promise to return her in good condition." She could hear Dan groan behind her and snickered even more. Geoff grunted as he moved over and hugged Mari as well. "I can't wait till we have a few kits of our own as well. You are mine and I am yours and that is something I can't wait for." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and they both blushed as Dan's new pack cheered. Suddenly Dan growled. "Oh god, let the dominance games begin. This is going to really stink." That was a definite growl. "I am not going to have dominance games for the time being. You are going to accept my orders and if anyone disagrees you will face me." He glared at both packs and all of them lowered their heads and submitted. Ben nodded slightly. "Why do you say that Alpha? You are going to introduce us to this world right?" He had lowered his head but part of his job was to control what Dan ordered and aim it in a way that didn't confront Dan. Dan growled at him. "Ben you really are not going to believe it but you stand heads and shoulders above all the other wolves I have seen. I am a good hundred and fifty pounds larger than most of the wolves. Hell Mary even as a sub is going to be almost as large as the others." He grinned. "Wait till you meet my new sub and you will die laughing." Aiden lifted his head and pretended to growl at Dan. "Hey, submissive darn it, I don't do sub stuff since that is bondage crap." Everyone started laughing and he grinned since he got them to laugh. He might be submissive but he had a good sense of humor and was coming to operate on the idea that a pack that laughs is a happy pack. Angie elbowed him as well and snickered. "That wasn't what you said last night my mate. I definitely remember you saying you liked to be on the bottom..." That got even more laugher till Dan's old pack turned and looked at him and they froze. "God damn he is huge. Thank god he is a sub or I might just have to give up my job..." Ben wasn't a small man but much like Dan was much smaller than Aiden. Mary couldn't help but grin and walked over and gave Angie a grin before looking up at the man. It was almost like a cat looking at a lion. "Damn straight we like being on the bottom right? Means everyone else gets to take care of us." Aiden blushed and then started laughing. "True but I don't just lay there and take it... I think Angie would growl at me and I hate it when that happens. You know being a submissive male with a more dominant mate does have drawbacks..." Angie really growled and punched him in the side though not hard. "You get the couch for the next two days..." She couldn't help but start laughing. "Mary, no teaching my mate bad ideas okay? I want him to come up with him on his own." Everyone started at the exchange and started to snicker before Dan intervened. The laughter from both packs were rather forced. Things had changed radically in the span of minutes this morning and now they were going to have to refigure everything. His new pack was worried about having to be taken over by his old pack. They had seen Dan and if his old pack was anything near the size of him they were totally outclassed in wolf form. His new pack were still trying to wrap their minds around the sudden change from where they had been to where they were now. Before they had been at school, work, or daily routine and suddenly they were standing in the backyard of a mansion that made theirs look sort of pathetic. The house was massive, they had gardens, not far away was the ocean, there were pools and sports courts in view and in the distance houses of some sort. What were they going to do here? Their entire lives had been overturned by a want and desire of their Alpha. Most of them understood that but it didn't mean their lives weren't totally screwed up. Before Dan could really say something Sheliae walked out and Ben noticed. "I just wanted to let you know that lunch will be served shortly..." Her head turned and looked at Ben and she froze as she scented him. Ben slowly walked over to her and knelt down. "Woman, I am Ben Johnson of Pack Cascadia. You are beautiful and thought it sounds possessive mine. Can I please ask you to be my mate?" Ben was taller than Dan and almost as wide. She looked down at the man and almost froze when he took her hands. He had pressed them to his cheek and gave her a soft tentative smile. His scent flowed over her and as much fun as she had with Dan it was nothing to what was calling her. "I...I will have to say yes. So long have I waited for you my mate. I have counseled any number of kits for the clan but always waited for my mate and my own kits." Yes she had one and lost him but she had been waiting a long time for her mate and more kits. She knelt down as well and wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him. "Well crap, there goes my other Beta." Dan muttered and got a laugh from Maric. The rest of both packs were standing there in shock as they looked at the two. "Crap, there goes most of my other pack." He muttered as well since he had a feeling that most of his first pack was going to be staying here. That was something he was going to need to talk to his old pack and new pack about. Damn it why couldn't he get a calm month or two? Oh god, Alysson was going to kill him. With Ben to be mated to Sheliae she couldn't really stay here unless Alysson had some good properties nearby he was going to have to either find or take over another property. "God what the hell did I do? Why me?" He fussed and Maric snickered again. He rubbed his forehead and then stood up. "There are a few other things we need to deal with right now. Ben and Sheliae come over here and watch." He stepped forward and knelt down. "Giani and your mousekateers come here." They slowly did and he had to smile at them as he held his arms out to them. "You are going to see something you aren't going to believe." He told his first pack. "Okay you stinkers change." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 08 She mock growled at him. "Not stinkers, beasties." She pulled her dress and panties off as the boys pulled their shirts, shorts and underpants off and then they changed. All three of them growled at him and pretended to attack him. Dan fell on his butt and grinned before sobering. "In this world I said female wolves can have pups. I don't know if you can but it is possible. Giani told me that she was a pup from when she had been born." He hugged her and then rolled her over and stroked her chest and belly. I truly hope that those of you from my first pack can have pups as well." All of his first pack looked shocked when he called the pups over and they changed. The fact that they stripped down didn't bother them since they were used to casual nudity but the fact they had changed did. They had never seen a wolf pup before and all of them froze before a sort of protective and possessive growl rolled out. From the female wolves it was almost a hard demanding desire to have pups. From the males it was feeling the loss of the pups that their mates couldn't carry to term. "Stop. I am not going to have to deal with this from you. My new pack takes very good care of them and I respect the protectiveness but you will not growl at my pack that way. Well my new pack." Dan looked down and realized that Giani wasn't there and noticed she had scampered over to Ben and attacked his ankle as she had done to Dan. Ben jerked his leg away and growled at her. "Mine and my mate might frown on having teeth marks in my ankle." It didn't keep him from snickering and or appreciating the amusement values of the baby wolf attacking him. He scooped her up and gently grabbed her muzzle to keep her from biting him again. "Hasn't anyone talked to you about biting people?" Julia stepped forward when he grasped her muzzle and started trembling. "Please don't hurt my cub sir. Please." She knew that Dan wouldn't hurt any of them but they knew nothing of his old pack other than a few stories he had told them. Ben looked at her and his face relaxed. "Never would I do that. So you are her mother? You have a darling little pup." He walked over and looked Julia. "You should be very proud of her and here she is though if he attacks my ankle again I might spank her." Ben handed her over and watched her change. She shifted and grumbled. "No spanking, tickly fingers is our punishment darn it." She glowered at Ben when she said it and darn it she looked so adorable. "My alpha has decreed tickly fingers is a fitting punishment for some of our breaking the rules." Ben looked at Dan and had to shake his head since that was one of the punishments he had dealt out to his kids. "Boss I am going to abide by your rules." He looked back at her. "This time you are going to deal with your parent. Next time I will tickle you till you can't breathe." Giani looked at her mother and then Ben. "He is as silly as our Alpha." She giggled when she said that. "First you would have to catch me Mr. Meanie wolf." Julie rolled her eyes at her daughter. "What am I going to do with you little one? You are going to get in trouble kiddo." She bowed slightly at Ben and moved back into her pack. Dan talked for a few more minutes. "There is just so much to talk about and I am going to have to talk to Alysson, she is the clan leader of the Silver Kitsune Clan, about a room or two where we can have some talks so I can give you more information. I am also going to see about transferring some of my memories to my original pack and go from there. Right now I am not even going to discuss trying to merge both my packs. There just is too much else going on." He sighed slightly and looked around. "Let's go to lunch and find somewhere to settle you in. With my new pack pups 13 or so and under sleep in the same room and over 13 are separated. I do not expect this from my old packs children though if they would like to do a sleep over or two that would be fine with parental permission." As a number of Kitsunes came out one approached Dan. "Lord Danilo I am Gettie, Mari's assistant. If you will follow me I will show you to where Geoff and Mari are going to be sitting and if you want to invite your three top officers from both packs please do." She looked up at Dan and smiled. He wasn't as large as some of the wolves she had seen occasionally but something drew her eye and almost had to wonder if he might be interested in a bit of fun. Dan turned and looked at the woman and mentally rolled his eyes. He could see a hint of lust in her eyes and wondered if all Kitsunes rather liked wolves. If so it was a good thing there were so many Kitsunes or they might be in trouble. "Ah, pleased to meet you Gettie and please just call me Dan. I am not a lord anything that I know of and being called Alpha makes me look over my shoulder to my previous Alpha." He gave her a warm smile and nodded towards the house. "Lead on and my mains will be here shortly." Dan sent a call out to his top three of both packs. He also send a command out to both packs in general. *Food is being served, they have good food and no pushing or shoving. Other than the top pack members it is first come first serve or I will challenge you.* That was a common threat but still taken seriously. The rest of the day went decently though there were a few fits and starts. By the time dinner rolled around Dan was feeling sort of beat since he had been running around putting out small fires. Adding another 40 or so wolves and mates not to mention children had stretched what they had available. Some of the single pack members had been doubled up and a few of the older kids had offered to spend the next night or two in the pups rooms. They were as fascinated by the pups changing as anyone else. One thing that had amused Dan was Giani had struck up a sort of friendship with a slightly older girl who was rather shy. It had been as simple as her wiggling her way over and plopping down on her lap on her back and begging for a good tummy rub. Dan had met with Alysson after dinner once most of the problems had been sort of resolved. He flopped in one of the comfortable chairs in her office. "I am so sorry for what happened between Ben and Sheliae. I know this is going to make it sort of interesting for you but..." He leaned back and groaned. "God this is so screwed up and I never expected this. What the hell am I going to do with two packs? I don't have anywhere to put my old pack and trying to integrate them with the new pack is going to be difficult." Alysson sort of grumbled at him. "Damn it, now I have to figure out what to do with Geoff and his continued training. We have never had anything like this happen before. Usually the trainer is either mated or remained mateless till after the training is over. God, what am I going to do?" That wasn't even mentioning that Sheliae had taken Gettie under her wing to teach her how to be as good an assistant to Mari as possible. ~~~ Two days after Dan's old pack arrived Alysson had scheduled a dinner with the Alpha's that reported to her. The spirits had told her to do this and that it would be a good thing. They hadn't really said much else to her since that was their habit. The spirits had come to her in a dream and when she had awoken she knew what she needed to do. One major thing was she needed to tie Dan to her in ways other than his submissive mating with her son. Why she wasn't sure but he was a force of major changes and if she didn't it could be bad for her clan. Dan was staring at Alysson and started to growl. She had invited her local Alpha's there and he was pissed. She should have told him that she had invited him and especially with his pack there. Well both packs. He didn't know what she was thinking but he had enough problems of his own integrating his two packs. As he was sitting at the table he snarled at the five Alpha's at the other table and damn it but he wanted to take them down. The worst part was Ben could take them down and Dan was tempted to do that. "Alysson, I do not appreciate this. You should have told me you were doing this." Definite growl. She simply smiled. "The spirits told me to do this and I think you will approve. One thing I have to say is let Ben deal with any challenges and...", she flashed her eyes towards one of the Alpha's, "Take him out. I really don't like him and you won't either. He is close to the Alpha you took out when you took over the pack. He is an evil bastard." He looked at him and growled when he noticed him looking at Mary. "Fuck me, I will help you but I am going to tell you if I have Ben take him out he is going to be the new leader of the packs in the area. He is much like I am though nicer." Dan nodded at Ben and then back at Alysson. "Don't ever do this to me again or you will regret it. I don't like being manipulated." Jon growled at him. "Don't yell at my wife. I don't care if you are an Alpha or not. She is my wife and you are going to be respectful. If she calls in her packs then you will deal with it." Granted Dan could probably pull him apart but he was as protective of his wife as any mate would be. Dan growled at him before turning away. He stalked back to the table that had Ben as well as Felanzi and Saul at it. Ben's new mate was seated there as well and damn it but Dan was going to miss her. He hadn't mentioned to Ben that they had been lovers several times while she was at the mansion. They had completely enjoyed each other but only in the physical sense. "Ben you are going to be in a few fights this evening. It was requested if you take out the Alpha of the Scalia pack. I really haven't had a chance to tell you what my new pack was like when I took over but I will say that Mari was raped any number of times and that is what this alpha is like." Ben started growling since like Dan they had been raised by the former alpha of the packs and that was not allowed. "Done and what does this really mean for me?" "It means that you are going to become the Alpha for the pack and the lead alpha of these packs and I am going to be your lead Alpha still." God Alysson is going to be in for some changes. "I will talk to you later about it. Just kill him and kick the other's asses. We are much larger than they are in wolf form so I would save that for later if possible." ~~~ The meal was brought to order by Alysson as she lightly tapped a knife against a glass of champagne. "Thank you all for coming at such short notice but we have a new pack in town and I wanted to introduce you to them. They had contemplated it and decided that they were going to be a single pack for the evening and the majority of women and all the kids were elsewhere. The men in the room were some of the best fighters. One of the alpha's, the one she previously pointed out, stood up and growled deeply. "What bullshit is this bringing a new pack into our territory without telling us beforehand?" She didn't even think twice and her eyes blazed blue with power. "These are my clan lands and you have been allowed to reside on them with our permission." When she spoke it was similar Dan's but felt different. "Sit down now and we will deal with this my way, the clan way." Dan could see the strain the Alpha was under as he was slowly forced back into his seat. He had to raise an eyebrow and he was impressed with her strength since she seemed to be barely straining. "Now as I was saying one of the leaders became a mate with my son's advisor. She can't leave so the pack is going to stay here on land I own that isn't near another territory. Yes I know that when a new pack moves in there are dominance fights and they will be carried after the meal. It will establish the ranks as has become tradition." She smiled and looked around. "Time to eat." Servers started coming out with trays of food and pitchers of drinks. Dan had to raise an eyebrow since all of the Alpha's and Beta's were on their best behavior. Chances were it was her show of power. Dan leaned towards Ben slightly and whispered. "Remind me not to piss her off." Ben shook his head and Sheliae laughed. "She has been wanting to take him down for long time but he is right on the edge of our territory and that gives him an easy way out. All he has to do is withdraw and she can no longer touch him. Eventually the meal was over and everyone stood. "Now let the games begin. The challenge circle is ready and waiting." She moved towards the back door in the formal dining room and out onto the patio. The rest of his pack was lined up as usual and he had to grin at the other alpha's reaction. Between his old pack and his new pack there were over 60 people not including pups or children. One thing they did was to place the women and children in the center of a protective circle. Dan stepped in front of his pack with both Beta's on either side of him. The other Alpha's and Beta's were on the other side of the ring. Allysson was on a small platform at the edge of the ring and looked between the two of groups of wolves and smiled brightly. "It is going to sound bad but watching these fights always gets me excited." She grinned at her husband and he mentally rolled his eyes but she as yukking it up. "From this pack, the Cascadia pack Ben Johnson is going to be fighting to see what position he will earn. We are going to be starting top down if that will work." If Ben could take out the strongest that would automatically give him authority in all other fights. He stepped forward and looked up at Alysson to see how the fight was going to be handled. As far as the other wolf he pretended to ignore him and she waited for the other one to come out. He looked like he was pretty big but again had some extra fat on him. "The fight is in human form till one surrenders or is killed. Immediate submission is not allowed. At my decision you might be allowed to change forms and if so I will mentally tell you. You may begin." As she was talking Ben stripped down since all dominance fights were in the nude since if you changed tearing the cloths off could cause a loss. Ben was taller than Dan but not quite as heavy with muscle. When he moved it was with an easy grace and he had a large grin on his face. He looked at the other man and he wasn't impressed. He was laughing with one of the others and then stalked forward. It was almost a strut. Ben grinned even wider and did a sort of skip forward that was almost faster than they eye could see. He settled for an insulting strike and nailed him on the bridge of his nose and smiled when the man flew back. "I think one of the pups could fight harder than you do. You didn't even try to block that. Come on big boy." The other man was having trouble seeing with the blood flowing from his crushed nose and he bellowed and lunged forward. He was faster on his feet than he looked and almost managed to grab his arm and ripped a chunk of tissue off. Ben felt the pain and growled as he let the momentum pivot him and he smashed his fist into his ribs and backed off. He was, much like Dan, making a point though he wasn't going to take it to long but he was making the point he could tear him apart. A minute or two later they heard Alysson in their mind. *Change.* Ben was already lunging as he changed and nailed the other in the throat and he was snarling. When he changed the Alpha's gasped. Ben wasn't as large as Dan but he was a good third larger than the other. *Submit or die.* Ben growled out and his eyes were focused on the others eyes and he could tell that he wasn't going to submit and didn't screw around and ripped his throat out. After making sure he was dead he changed back. Alysson raised her hand. "Challenge accepted and resolved. Ben has one position in the packs. Now for the rest of the fights, they are going to be in this order..." She waved the next one in. The rest of the fights were over with pretty quickly and Ben was the new senior alpha. "I rule, any complaints?" He was soaked with blood, had at least two broken ribs, a broken finger, and some other injuries. He stared down all the alphas. "We do things slightly differently. Kneel down." He walked away from the center and over to the Alpha's. "Kneel down now." The power in his voice forced them to their knees. "To create a bond with your Alpha you share some of his blood now drink." He sliced his palm and dribbled some into each of their mouths. As the bonds formed his face hardened. "I am going to make this deadly serious. I am taking over the first alpha's territory and pack. I will be visiting each of your packs over the next few days and we will be discussing some new rules. Go back to your packs. I will be bringing my pack with to check on things and I hope I don't find any reason to remove any of you." He turned and stalked off over to where Dan was. "I need a shower so if you don't mind." He turned and almost ran Alysson down. "That was actually the territory I was going to ask you to take over. They are going to need a great deal of help and depending I might send Geoff, Mari, and your mate to evaluate what is needed. That was very intense yet in a way scary. I have never heard of lycan's with powers like yours. It is fascinating yet disturbing. I can see a great deal. Oh, there is a shower in the bath house over there." Ben grinned slightly at her and walked off towards it. His mate gathered his cloths and with a jaunty swish followed him into. Dan snickered when he heard a click of a lock and when he looked around Jon and Alysson was gone as well. He snickered and wished that he had a friendly lady as well. Since the senior staff had pretty much left he turned to the collective pack. "Okay ladies and gentleman go about your day but keep out of trouble and try to avoid getting in their way. Make use of the facilities and as with always if you ask and get turned down go with it." He grinned as his new pack and old pack started trying to stare each other down till Giani walked over to Mary and lightly tugged on her and gave her a big smile. "You are like Mari aren't you? I bet you are fun to play with." He grinned and started to turn away and slowly walked back into the house and yawned. Behind him he could hear some footsteps and figured it just someone else heading in till he was gently bumped. When he looked down he found it was Julia who was smiling up at him. "It feels really nice to have my old pack back in my mind. I hadn't realized how much that hurt." She wrapped an arm around one of his and leaned against him. "I can't even begin to imagine how that must have felt. I did want to say thank you for everything you have done." Julia gave his arm a good hug. "At some point I have something for you to think about. You don't have to answer right now. When you are feeling lonely and if would like some company I would say yes if you asked." Julia kept her head down as she spoke. Dan froze for a moment and looked down at her and he had a very startled expression on his face. Other than Mari and Sheliae none of the women had even glanced in his direction as far as he knew. "Um, wow, I don't know quite what to say. I am honored that you might want to spend time with me." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "At the very least we should go and discuss this. I think most of the pack is going to be busy for a while." She looked up at him and then blinked and almost instantly pink and then looked down. "Sure, I would love to." When he wrapped his arm around her she leaned into him and they walked quietly into the master bedroom and she gasped. "This is bigger than your rooms at home." "Makes me wonder if we are actually slumming it at home." He turned and sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her close. "I think I would like to definitely say yes if you might be interested." His hands were resting on her hips and he had an expectant smile on his face. Yes he had been with Gettie the night before but this was pack taking care of pack. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 09 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... Chapter 9 As Dan was leaning back against Mari's belly listening to their babies' heartbeats, he heard Ben and Sheliae come in as well. "Do you mind if we join you Dan? We really need to talk and start sorting things out." Ben paused at the privacy curtain while he waited for Dan to say or do something. Dan smiled. "Please come in you two. Listening to the babies' heartbeats is so relaxing. I won't ask if I can listen to Sheliae's." He looked up at Ben. "I will be there to claim them as mine though I have no problem with your raising them since I trust you. I know you will allow me to see them as often as I want as well." Once he had his say he leaned back and sighed. "Now your mate is going to be here in a moment." Ben and Sheliae stripped down and much like Dan and Mari Sheliae settled on the edge and let Ben lean back against her. She was stroking Ben's hair as a smile crossed his face. "You can hear them can't you? One of these days we will have a pup or kit of your own my mate." She stroked his face as she was talking. "Now, before you get distracted, talk to Dan and Geoff." Geoff walked in and had to smile. "I won't even complain about you stealing my mate Dan." He slid into the water and sighed. "We need to talk about how this is going to impact on all the packs. Not just ours but yours as well. Dropping a whole new pack into an existing structure is going to cause problems and Mother has asked me to help deal with it." Dan and Ben exchanged looks. "We were just getting ready to discuss on how to deal with this. What we would like to have is a secure conference room tomorrow. That way we can toss ideas at each other about what to do." He sighed. "I hate the idea of breaking the pack up, but if we don't do something they will end up ruling at least this section of New Nordla. That wouldn't be good for anyone." Ben shuddered as well as Geoff. "I don't even want to think about all the fallout that would cause. We definitely need to figure out what to do with them." He started rubbing his chin. "Let me think on it and I might have an idea or two." He leaned back against Sheliae. "For now I am going to enjoy listening to the babies and Sheliae's heartbeats." Dan smiled. "I will turn your mate over to you Geoff. I am feeling better and am going to head towards bed." He whipped a towel around his waist and gathered up his clothes and walked out. When he reached the patio, there were still a number of people out there. "Go find a place to sleep. Jon and Jake will help and for the evening the children will need to sleep in the pups room please." He wanted them out of the way before he crashed for the evening. As he was standing there watching them being led off, Mary came over and Dan had to wonder at the similarity of the names of the two pack submissives. Granted Mari was short for Marissa but still. "Yes Mary, how can I help you?" When she slid into his arms he pulled her close and could feel her shiver. Between a submissive and the Alpha there was a special bond. "Dan would you mind if I spend the night with you?" It was all she could do not to cry. When Dan had vanished she had ended up in Ben's bed many nights much to his girlfriends annoyance. She understood why, but that didn't make it any easier for them. "Of course, sweetie. I can only imagine how lost you were feeling." As they were walking he ran into Gettie. "Gettie, can you get something her size to wear to bed? She needs her Alpha right now." It was very obvious that she was shivering and shaking even though he was holding her. Gettie smiled. "Not a problem Dan." She reached over and stroked her hair. "Go get a bath and soak for a while with Dan and when you are done I will have some clothes for you." Even she could feel the terror over the spirit bonds and felt horrible for the poor girl. "We will take care of you just like Mari took care of me." For good measure, she gave the woman a hug. "I know you know this, but Dan makes most of the Alphas around here look like puppy dogs. Bad tempered puppy dogs, but still." Mary returned the hug before clinging to Dan again. She didn't say anything but simply followed him to his suite. Now when they walked in all she could do was stare. "Good god this makes your rooms back home look like a shot gun shack." She finally moved when Dan tugged her into the room and since he knew she wouldn't want to leave his sight, walked into the bathroom with her. "Tell me about it. I decided I am slumming it back at my other place." He turned the water on and made sure it was the right temp before adding some salts and oils to it. Once done he finally turned to her and pulled her close and simply held her. His face was full of mixed emotions when he spoke. "I am sorry I left Mary, but I honestly don't have any idea how it happened though I am beginning to see why, or so I think." Before the tub, was full Dan stripped down and settled down and waited for Mary as well. She stripped and crawled in with him and relaxed with the skin contact. Slowly the shivering stopped and she turned slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled as close as possible. There wasn't anything sexual about it but with the skin contact she could feel his emotions if he let her. Mary could tell just how bad he felt for what had happened. Before she realized it, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Dan could tell she was going to sleep the night through, though trying to get her dried was going to be a pain in the ass. *Mari can you have Gettie come and help me? Mary fell asleep in the tub and I have a feeling a nuke wouldn't wake her.* A few minutes later, Gettie came in and smiled. "Let's get both of you out and toweled off." She knew that trying to get Mary off of Dan wasn't going to be possible so she helped them out and as he stood there did her best to get her dry. "I think I can get some panties on but the shirt is out of the question." She was grinning at Dan's slight growls at her getting amusement from him. "I am so going to spank you Gettie." It was not comfortable getting toweled off himself, but finally they were done and he carried her over to the bed and settled down. "Thank you, but please don't mention this later. She is having a hard enough time as it is." Gettie leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I am Mari's assistant and nothing gets past my lips My Lord Alpha." She smiled. "Well other than you are a very good lover. Nothing else." She slid from the room as Dan was trying to come up with a comeback. No wonder he had so many offers not to mention Alysson politely asking him to ensure they weren't in heat if he was going to play around. "Mari, I might spank you instead." He muttered before shifting and falling asleep next to Mary. ~~~ The next morning Dan rose and found clothing for Mary as well as himself. "Get dressed sweetie and follow me. I need to introduce you to someone. I have some work that I need to do and can't have you hanging on. It is pack business but I think this person and his mate will be able to help you." He curled his arms around her and walked up to Geoff's suite and knocked. "Come in Dan and you are just in time for breakfast." Geoff opened the door and though a bit startled, gave Mary a smile. "You are welcome as well, so please come in." He stepped to the side and Dan could see the question in his eyes. "Lets sit down and eat while I talk." There was a very large tray of food and Dan sighed. "God you are killing me Geoff." He took some and made sure that Mary took a goodly amount as well. "Subs have a very special bond with their Alphas since they help keep us stable and sane. Mari wouldn't know this since it isn't something she has dealt with. That, and when she mated with you, essentially she exchanged one Alpha for another." When a sub looses the connection with their Alpha for whatever reason, they start to..." He sort of waved a finger around, "lose it. In Mary's case, she was able to connect to Ben however tentatively which kept her mostly sane. Now that I am back, she will eventually reconnect with me." He looked at Geoff to see if he understood and got a nod. "Good. I have to go into a meeting with Ben on what to do with the pack and I can't have Mary there. You are close enough to an Alpha that it will help her. Having Mari near will as well since she can comfort her." Dan looked down at the table since he was asking a huge deal. "Can you please stay with her till I am done with the meeting?" Mary started to shiver and Geoff moved over to her and hugged her. "Mary, Dan will be nearby just in case and Mari and I will be here as much as you need. I do need to work but nothing critical so you can come to my office and curl up in a chair. Mari and her assistant will be there as well and Gettie is a very good comforter as well." He stroked her hair and allowed some of his power to show and was pleased when the girl stopped shivering as much. Dan smiled at her since he had used just a touch of his powers. "Trust me Mary. If I let Geoff take my other submissive as mate, that means I trust him. Now I have to go and talk with Ben." He gave her a hug and stroked her hair. "Now eat, since you are almost as scrawny as Mari was before I got my hands on her. She might even let you listen to the pups's heart beat." One last stroke and he left the room. He hurried down to Allysson's office and knocked. When she called he walked in and sighed. "I need a room that Ben and I can work out of that is secure. We have to figure out what to do with the pack." Dan made a face. "I have a feeling you really don't want my pack kept as one unit since they would take over all the nearby packs." He had no doubt about that what so ever. Allysson shuddered at that idea. "You are right, since that would quite possibly cause a race war and we don't need that. The last one was a good thirty years ago and we are still dealing with the side effects of it." That had been ugly though it had ended up with the beginnings of the human/non-human treaties and basis of the laws. Dan shuddered as well. "Saul made sure that was one of the first books I read and it was horrifying." For Dan to say that was saying something. "It might sound bad but at least it laid the groundwork for how non-humans handled problems with their species." He rubbed his face. "I personally think Saul is a sado-masichist with all the reading he has me doing." Dan said that with a slight grin. "I don't mind reading but some of those authors should be shot." Allysson laughed at him. "I should give you some of the stuff I had to read when I was learning to become leader." A speculative look crossed her face. "Actually it might be a good idea to give you a few books on the history since you, Angie, and Gianni are lords and ladies of the clan." Dan shuddered at that idea. "Me a lord, god help you. I have enough trouble just being an Alpha. I don't need any more titles added to my name." Not to mention he already had enough reading to do, though it was slowing down. He had been reading books since he had arrived. What he wasn't looking forward to was the first official audit when he got to explain how he took over. Alysson snorted. "I am sure you will live and make sure Saul has some books to take back. Now as far as a room for you, Jake will show you to one that is secure and you can use for as long as you need." Jake walked in and bowed slightly to Dan. Dan followed him out of the room before turning back. "Thank you Allysson. You have been very patient with all the fun and excitement. I greatly appreciate it." With a slight nod he turned and followed Jake and encountered Ben being led by Gettie. "Morning! All ready for fun and excitement?" Ben snorted and Sheliae simply gave him a contented look. "You will work it out Dan. I have trust in you." She looked at Ben and then gave Dan a light hug. He was the father of her children and deserved some attention. She had a long talk with Ben about it and demanded that Dan get some time with his children as she carried them. Nothing sexual but to listen to their heartbeats and as time permitted to see them grow. Ben had growled and stomped as she talked but eventually she got her way. The three of them walked into the conference room that Jake showed them. "Thank you Jake, and if you don't mind stationing a runner outside since we are going to be calling for some of the wolves." He could ask for one of his wolves but they didn't know the layout of the house in order to find the individuals. Jake nodded. "Taken care of and she will be here in a moment." He nodded at the two and left the room and closed the door behind him. Ben looked at Dan. "Sheliae has convinced me to allow you to spend time listening to your children. It is bothering my wolf but I understand completely. I just ask that you be in a public location." That was really hard to say but he managed to say it. Dan looked at him and gave him a very pleased look. "I can imagine how hard that was Ben but thank you so very much." He lowered his head and then looked back up with tears in his eyes. "I never expected to have children again and this means so much to me." He took a slow deep breath. After taking a few moments to control his emotions, he pulled out a pad of paper. "I think I have an idea of how to deal with the pack without disrupting it too much or taking over what packs there are in the neighborhood." On the paper was a list of all his old pack minus the children. They would be going with their parents eventually. First they would have to take over the packs before they felt safe taking the kids. Ben looked at the list and tilted his head and was wondering if Dan was thinking the same thing he was. Since Dan was the Alpha, he let him speak first and see how his ideas matched up with what he was thinking. Dan sipped on some coffee before speaking. "I was thinking that between the two of us we have five packs that are troublesome. Tony Roma is a damn good Alpha and Apollo Granger is a pretty good one from what I understand. Your pack and mine are going to be well run and that leaves five that are problematic." Ben nodded since he agreed with that. Last night he had been given a good brief about the packs in his territory and for the most part they were decently run. There wasn't any sort of cohesive set of rules that they followed. He and Dan had been raised by the same Alpha and had the same beliefs. He nodded at Dan to keep talking. Dan gave him a slight nod. "What I want to do is take our four most powerful wolves, pair them with a less dominant wolf and have them act as supervisors." It would make it clear to the Alphas that they were being watched while being allowed to run their packs as long as they adhered to Dan's rules. Ben took a sip of coffee as well and contemplated Dan and his suggestions on what to do with the most powerful wolves. "Not a bad idea at all. It keeps them in the pack yet keeps them busy enough to keep them from considering taking over a pack." Ben sipped his coffee and frowned slightly. "So, what about the rest of the pack? The junior wolves shouldn't be a problem once they integrate in the packs." Dan smiled. "It is likely to piss off a number of wolves but I am going to break up the pack. Neither of us will have room for the entire pack. I figure I will give them a choice in which pack they want to go, with the exception of Mary. I have a sub but you don't. She isn't going to like it but it will be best for her in the long run." He really didn't look very happy when he said that. Ben didn't look happy with that idea either and Sheliae wrapped her arm around him and sent him her love. "It is going to be best for her Ben. Right now she is terrified that Dan is going to leave her again. You didn't leave here and you were there for her. It might have irritated your current bed mate but she understood." Almost as soon as the pack arrived, she had felt the terror as Mary had launched herself at Dan. ~~~ The rest of the morning was a pain in the ass as they called in the various senior wolves and gave them assignments. As they were called in, the ones that were going to be assigned to Ben were given a dribble of his blood to change their allegiance from Dan to Ben. Once that was done, they broke for lunch. All of the wolves had an injunction not to talk about what had happened. During the meal Dan informed the old pack there was going to be a meeting as soon as the meal was over. "To my new pack once the meeting is over we will have a meeting of our own and go from there." He moved amongst them and passed out some hugs and kisses. "I will not abandon you any more than I would have abandoned my old pack if I had a choice." Dan picked up Gianni and gave her a hug and gave Angie one as well. "I love my old pack as much as I love my new pack." *Dan sent a wave of love to all of his wolves. Ben smiled as well and gathered Mary close to him and made sure she had a goodly meal. She had lost so much weight over the last few weeks since Dan had vanished. "Eat, Mary or I will sit on you and feed you." His voice was joking but his tone wasn't. He made sure that she ate a good amount. Eventually lunch was over and Dan stretched. He had enjoyed eating with Geoff and Mari since he really missed both of them. Mari especially since she had kept him sane for the weeks following his arrival. He also enjoyed the heartbeats of his babies so once lunch was over he was in a much better mood than he had been. Dividing up his pack was horribly painful and really hurt. It was for the best, but still painful. ~~~ "Come." Dan called and led the way to the conference room and settled at the head of the table. The senior staff settled on both sides of the table and the rest of the pack in the seats on both sides of the room. Once seated, Dan looked around and reinforced his dominance on the pack. What he was going to say was not going to go down very well, but had to be done. "I have called you here since we have a problem. There is no way I can take on another pack since my pack house simply isn't large enough. Ben and I have discussed it, and though we don't like the idea we are going to split the pack in half." Dan's voice was firm, though not hard when he said it. This was going to be a long discussion and might end up being continued tomorrow. As expected the room exploded in reaction and Dan let them carry on for a few before clearing his throat. "Enough. We are going to let each and every one of you, other than a few, make your decision. The pack needs to be divided roughly in half. Half will go with me and half will stay with Ben." Now that he had dropped the bombshell, both he and Ben leaned back and, other than the occasional intervention, they let the discussion reign. It did take most of the day for a consensus to be reached but eventually it was. The pack was pretty much equally split amongst all dominance levels. The first thing Ben did was to induct his half of the pack into his dominance. Eventually they opened the door and after a good stretch, Dan walked out. "Go and mingle with your new pack. Remember, no dominance fights till I or Ben say otherwise." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 09 ~~~ As soon as Dan was done, he headed towards Allysson's office and knocked and then walked in. Jon was in her office as well. Dan barely managed not to flop in a chair and looked tired and worn. "Well it is done. Ben is keeping half the pack and I am keeping the other half." The pain in his voice showed. Breaking the bonds with his pack hurt badly and it was going to take time to recover. "We are going to station two wolves with the packs that we don't trust as advisors." He sighed and finally stood up again. "I am going to get something to eat and go to bed." He nodded to them and slowly walked out of the room. It seemed like for the last six months, his life had mostly been bad other than Mari and their pups: losing his mate and children, losing his pack, having to put back together a broken pack. Now he had had to break up his old pack and try and integrate the two. Dan didn't talk to anyone and settled for simply eating and ignored any attempted conversation. Eventually he was done eating and silently left the dining room and headed to his bedroom. Once inside he was starting to strip when there was a knock on the door. When he responded it was almost a snarl. "What?" Lord Danilo it is Gettie and I know you are hurting and I was hoping that I could give you a massage and maybe a good shower. I just want to help you and nobody sent me." She knew that he would never accept someone who was sent to him for comfort. He considered it and finally opened the door. "Only comfort and nothing else." He moved back so she could come in and she headed towards the bathroom and started the water running. "I will wash your back and chest and then maybe a good back massage." Gettie gave him a good hug and held him for a moment. "I can't even begin to imagine how hard that was for you, and right after you got them back." "Come Dan, a good soak will help you relax and let some of the tension go." She settled in the tub behind him and started working on his hair and then back. She took her time to help him relax. Once done, she pulled him back and worked on his chest and abdomen. Since she was almost as tall as he was, she could easily reach most of his body. Finally she had him stand up and rinsed him off with a flexible shower head. That done she took her time drying him off and ended up wrapping the towel around his waist. "Let me get the water proof sheet ready and then one good massage and I think you will sleep adequately." This was the third time she had spent time with him and loved the feel of his body. She, much like Sheliae preferred men heavy with muscle and Dan definitely had that. Once he lay down she lightly oiled her hands and started working on his back. She took her time with it and by the time she was done he was quietly snoring. With a smile she carefully wiped any remaining oil off his back and pulled the sheet up and curled up next to him and was quickly asleep herself. She had to admit that she would like to spend some intimate time with him, but right now was not the right time. Maybe later, before he gave Mari away. She had to smile at that since Alysson had mentioned it and asked her to be silent about it. The timing for Dan bringing Sylvia down was perfect timing since it was time for Mari to be introduced to the cadet clans. ~~~ The next morning he found himself curled around Gettie and pulled her closer. If it had been any of his wolves he would have asked them to leave but he needed the comfort. As he was pulling her close she rolled over and gathered him close. He gave a sad sigh. "It felt so good to have them back in my mind and now I am losing half of them. Lady of the Moon it hurts. I am tired of the pain." Gettie gathered him close and sighed herself. "I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to go through everything you have." She stroked his hair and back and contemplated what to say. "I can't say much, but eventually you will have support to deal with it." Sheliae had told her that he would eventually find his new mate. How long it would take she wasn't sure but he would. "Time to get up my lord alpha." She was teasing him a bit. Dan grumbled at her. "Lord my ass. I am just an alpha and nothing else." He wasn't really sure why he kept getting called Lord Alpha and it was making him grumpy. Gettie leaned back and looked a bit startled. "But you will be. If you are accepted by the spirits when Lord Geoff and Lady Mari finally mate you will be entered in the clan rolls as both a lord and as a member of the clan. Granted, it will only apply to you and none of your future pups." When he looked rather shocked she smiled. "How does it feel to suddenly be a lord? Oh, you will get an ID and certificate indicating as such as your affiliation with the clan." Dan groaned. "Oh great. I have an audit coming up shortly and I can just see that going over really well. 'Oh, by the way I am not just a citizen of your country, but a member of the Silver Kitsune Clan'." He facepalmed when he said that. Gettie snickered and rolled out of bed. "Time for a shower Dan." ~~~ Once he was done with breakfast and the shower he gave Gettie a good hug. "Thank you Gettie. I suppose Aiden could have given me comfort as well but I need someone not from the pack." As they walked out of his suite, they ran into Mari. "I see where my assistant has gone. I might have to have a discussion with Dan about taking her and spending the night." She knew why but had to tease her and him. "Besides if she gets knocked up, Alysson would go up in flames." Dan growled at her for the teasing, though he knew it was in good jest. It didn't help that he turned red as well. "Nothing happened other than she comforted me. Maybe if a certain clan heir hadn't taken my submissive..." They talked as he headed to Alysson's office. He had talked to her last night, but he had been really tired and wasn't sure what all he had said. Part of it was the loosing of the pack bonds that had made him so tired. When he arrived, he didn't even get a chance to knock before he was called in. Again Jon and Alysson were in there and she came over and gave him a good hug. "You look somewhat better Dan. I hope having Gettie curl up with you helped." She led him over to a couch and poured some coffee for him and fixed a small plate of some meat nibbles. "I know you didn't eat much. You need the food." Dan looked at Jon, and got a slight smile and assumed that he was okay with it. "Thank you my lady. I just can't show it to the packs." They would see it as weakness. "Oh, what the hell is this about my becoming a Lord?" He needed the change of subject. She smiled at him. "I am sure Gettie explained it, but since Mari is part of your pack then you will become part of the clan." Alysson seemed to think of something. "While I am thinking about it since you are going to be here an extra day or two, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Her voice was totally casual. He contemplated what she had to say about his becoming a lord and he shook his head again. "God, the paperwork I am going to have to deal with. Depending on how much paperwork, I might hate you!" Dan grinned at her when he said it. "So what is it you want to talk about?" The pack had come to the estates close enough to the introduction ceremony that they could stay for it. It might sound bad but what Dan really cared about was getting Sylvia fixed. Dan hadn't known about the Alpha's visit but it actually worked well.. "Well Dan, I know you hadn't really planned on being gone this long. Since you are going to be here, the time when Mari is introduced to the clans is special." She took a sip of her green tea. I think it would be lovely for you to give her away." For a moment she looked sad. "You are the closest thing she has to a father figure." That made him pause and think since she was right. It was sort of an odd relationship considering that she had spent her nights in his bed comforting his wolf. Add to the fact that she was carrying his children. Dan sort of laughed. "'Strangest parent child relationship I have ever seen." There was sadness but amusement as well in his voice. "She shared my bed, is having my pups, and occasionally showered with me." Alysson couldn't help but smile at his attempted joke. "But you forgot one of the most important things. You gave her love and safety. She might have comforted you but you also gave her comfort and safety." As she was talking, she was sipping on the coffee and enjoying it. "That is something she hasn't had till you showed up and then Geoff. He has been giving her a different type of love and caring." He contemplated what she was saying and slowly nodded since from that point of view, it did make sense. "I see what you are saying and you are right. I will walk her down the aisle. I would like Angie and Gianni to be there as well." They were important to Mari as well. Alysson raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that she minded but she was curious as to the choices. "If you don't mind my asking why, I would like to know." She sort of waved her hand to indicate she didn't mind. "I know they are junior pack members but that doesn't bother me. I am just curious." Dan smiled. "If I am Mari's stand in father, then Angie is her stand in mother and Gianni represents the pups. Nothing else." The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. "Thank you for coming up with it. Of course, my senior wolves will need to be there." She nodded and gave him a warm smile. "Good choices. Though Gianni might steal the show." She was such a darling little girl. "Now why don't you go and gather them up, find Mari and go get fitted for formal robes." Alysson smirked. "Can't have you giving her away in jeans and one of those horrible shirts you had made." She was taking his version of concert shirts. There was also a bit more of a smirk since she knew he wasn't expecting their version of dress clothing. It wasn't an order so Dan didn't get riled up, but he narrowed his eyes at her. He could sense a bit more amusement in her expression than there should be. There was something else going on and he wasn't sure what and didn't trust that smirk. "You are making me nervous with that grin." Jon was grinning as well and Dan glowered at him as well for good measure. "Just remember I am bigger than you are." Dan stood and left the office but was far enough from the office that he didn't hear the peals of laughter. *Angie, you and Gianni meet me at Mari's office please.* He contacted them via the bonds. *Mari, Alysson said I need to get some formal robes made for your induction.* He got a sort of startled reaction from Angie, but her alpha didn't sound upset. She gathered up Gianni from some of the Kitsune children she had been playing with. In a way she felt sort of sad since she had so many kits to play with here but back at the pack it was limited. "Come Gianni, Dan needs to talk to us." Dan walked into Mari's office and gave her a warm smile and a nod at Gettie. "Thanks again for last night." He settled in a chair and when Mari gave him a curious look he simply smiled at her. "Patience, Mari Angie and Gianni will be here shortly." Moments later they walked in and looked a little worried. "Relax you two. Alysson asked me to escort Mari down the aisle as a stand in for her father. I asked if you could escort her as her stand in for her mother and Gianni for the pups." Gettie smiled and Mari looked shocked. Gianni snickered and did a little dance. "I getta give Mari away. I getta give Mari away." Mari was still looking shocked but the rest stood there smiling. Gianni's mother laughed. "Just as long as you don't accuse Geoff of stealing your Mari again." Mari finally stood up and walked over to Angie and gave her a hug before giving Dan a hug as well. "Thank you all three of you. You have no idea how much this means to me." Her final hug was for Gianni and she gave her a good squeeze. "Love you kiddo." While this was going on, Dan noticed Gettie had a slight smirk on her face and he frowned at her which only got a bigger smirk. "Well, let's get going so she has time to get any tailoring done." She stood up and led them out of the office. The walk to the shop didn't take very long and when they walked in the old lady grinned. "Oh my, I haven't measured an Alpha for a long time, and a Lord Alpha never." She gave him a good eyeball. "I don't suppose you might be available for dinner and maybe a quiet evening?" Dan instantly turned red and stuttered something as Gettie and Mari snickered at him. Angie and Gianni were simply looking confused. The old woman laughed at him. "Just teasing, young man. It has been a long time since I have had such a good looking Alpha grace my shop. Now all of you strip down to your undies so I can get some measurements." As they were doing that she was getting her measuring tape and one or two other things. She started with Gianni and just for good measure gave her a light tickle. "Bet your mother is proud of you. What colors are your favorite?" The colors would be specific but since she was a kit the embroidery would be sort of generic. Gianni really thought about it and as usual she sort of twisted her toes in a circle. "Pink and Gray please. Pink because I am a girl and gray because that is how my alpha feels at times." He had gotten better but sometimes he still hurts. Helda knelt down and gave her a good hug. "Those are some good colors sweetie." She distracted the little girl from the stressed expression on Dan's face till it cleared up. "Now, your turn Lady Angie." She measured her and made notes for some jewelry as well. She would be a junior noble, but noble still. Angie was going to get some wolf specific jewelry. "What colors do you want?" Angie contemplated it and with a nod, smiled. "Forest green and lake blue." She leaned against Dan. "When I scent Dan I smell forest and bubbling brooks." She took the lead from her daughter in the colors. She knew that Gianni was thinking pink for Dan as well. Dan gave Angie a good hug and then leaned over and with a slight smile. "I feel tickly fingers coming on." He scooped her up and gave her a good hug and light tickle. Helda harumped at him and he smiled at her. "I get the hint. He stood there and waited for her to measure him. "You don't have an Alpha necklace do you? I will take care of it for you." She touched his face. "You will approve of it Lord Alpha." She smiled. "What colors do you like?" Dan didn't even think. "Black and white. They are the dress colors for my world." Well for a tux and formal affairs. It never occurred to him that those colors wouldn't work for the introduction. Helda shook her head. "Those are colors for official occasions and serious discussion, not for an introduction to a future mating." She looked at him and felt his spirit and sighed. She was pleased that he was healing. "I think a dark silver gray would blend in with the other colors and a light green that will compliment Angie." Dan shrugged. "That works for me, Helda. You know what colors work best and I will trust you." He frowned at her. "Any pink and I might just spank you or reorganize your bolts of cloth." Dan started laughing when she looked horrified at that idea. "Just for that..." She left the room and came back a few moments later with an arm full of cloth. She carefully sorted it out and skipped the loincloths since she had measured for them already. "First the little lady." She pulled the under robe out and carefully dressed her into it before adding the over robe, neatly tied the obi, and then took some more measurements. The little girl held her arms out and looked at the cloth in wonder since it was silk and she had never felt or worn it before. "Goody, this is lovely." She carefully felt the cloth and her expression showed awe. After carefully undressing the little girl, Helda told her to get dressed. She then turned to Angie and did much the same thing and after taking measurements had her change as well. She wasn't going to need to do too much altering for those two, but Dan? That was going to be interesting. When she pulled out the under robe, Dan stared at it as if it was a poison snake. "What is that thing? I thought only girls wore those things." He sounded slightly horrified. The darn thing looked like a dress which offended him. She laughed at him. "These are our formal robes Dan and I think they will look good on you." She helped him into the under robe and then the over robe. The Obi was neatly tied and she frowned slightly before walking over to a cabinet and pulling out a long box. "These belonged to my mate and I am sure he would be proud for you to wear them." When she opened the long ornate box, there were two swords in it: one shorter one and one longer one. The Katana was simple yet elegant. The matching wakizashi was the same style and Dan's eyes opened in shock. "You don't need to do that Lady." Dan knew quality workmanship when he saw it. He ran his finger just above the sheath and looked awed. "These were his personal weapons. I can't use them." His expression was both shocked and honored. "Lord Alpha Danilo, if anyone was to wear them, it would be you. I have sampled your spirit and you are worthy." She pulled out the Katana and inserted it and then the wakizashi before he could really do anything. Helda stepped back and nodded. "Now you are dressed correctly and nobody will argue with you when you give Mari and your pups to Geoff." She took the swords off and put them away in the case and then back in the cabinet where she had pulled them from. "Now why don't you change so I can take care of adjusting your formal robes." She waited for Dan to get changed. Before he did he clapped once to get the spirit's attention. "I am honored to be allowed to use your swords. It will mean a great deal to myself, Mari, and Geoff." Once done, he dressed and looked at her. "I do have one favor. I need to get a present for Geoff." He pulled out a pad of paper and wrote a note on it. She returned the notebook with another note. "Thank you." Angie pretty much repeated the process. "Do you need anything Gianni?" The little girl shook her head but wouldn't say anything about it. As they were walking out Gettie stage whispered to Mari, "Can I borrow him for an evening..." Just for good measure she smiled at him and eyeballed him. Mari snickered. "You would have to ask him and if he said no... I can give you a few suggestions." She was pretty sure that Dan had turned down a number of offers over the last few days. Dan frowned and sighed. "Right now isn't the right time or place to discuss this." He glowered at both women since they were teasing him. He had to admit that some company would be nice before they left and Gettie was a good looking woman. "I would hate to knock you up though." She laughed at him. "I am not in heat so that wouldn't happen. Even if it was for companionship like last night that would be fine. I enjoyed being curled up next to you." She wasn't going too mentioned why she was there in front of his pack. He glowered at Gettie. "You knew what I was going to be forced into didn't you? I saw your smile when I walked into the room and knew that Alysson was entirely too entertained when she told me she was going to send me over for a fitting." He growled at the women and frowned when both of them seemed to get some enjoyment out of it. "Fine, for Mari's sake I will wear the damn thing." Both women laughed at him and Mari responded. "But your expression was so precious. Geoff loved the picture I sent him." She had since gotten a phone and gave Dan an insouciant look and smiled when he growled at them and left. Dan went to the person that Helda had recommended and walked in. "Good morning. My name is Dan and I need your help." He had a specific item he wanted for Geoff. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 09 "Welcome to my establishment Lord Alpha Dan. I will help you in any way I can. Please let me know what you are looking for and I will help as much as possible." To have him walk in, he was more than shocked and honored. Dan sighed. "Call me Dan please. Alpha is acceptable, but I am so not used to the term lord." He gave him a shrug. "What I am looking for is..." They talked for a good hour before Dan had what he wanted. "Thank you sir, this is a lovely piece of work." ~~~ Dan mentally checked with Angie and Gianni to make sure they had what they needed which they did. *Meet me at Mari's office and we are going to do a walk-through of the cleansing ceremony.* It wasn't nearly as complex as what Mari had to since they were just being accepted into the clan hopefully. They met him at her office and she turned them over to Gettie and she walked them through it. "Starting off with the cleansing chambers." She took them there and explained what was going to happen. "You will be in this chamber for the cleansing Dan, and the other will have Lady Angie and Kit Lady Gianni." She explained that they would be rinsed and oiled before being dressed in their formal robes. Once she was sure they understood that, she showed them the way to the spirit house. "This is our ancestor's house. Take your shoes off and clap once to get their attention." She did that and then walked inside the building and up to the altar. "Take one or more pieces of joss as you feel is right and light them. Let the smoke carry your wants, desires, and prayers." Dan followed her in, repeating what she had done and selected one piece and lit it. It was for his original pack and that they would work out. Angie and Gianni stayed outside since they weren't comfortable going in right now. Tomorrow they would have to but not today. Gettie walked them through it until they were comfortable with the process. That didn't take all that long, but she could tell that Dan was starting to show signs of stress again. She carefully worked him away from the pack and contacted Mari. *Tell Ben Dan is going to go and relax in the hot springs and would be out later. As an afterthought she realized that she could have contacted Sheliae. "Let's go and let you relax Dan. We can use the same hot springs you did the other day." He gave her a questioning look but went with. He couldn't feel anything other than concern for him so he went along. After stripping, he slid in and leaned back and sighed. "This really does feel good. Thanks." As he was talking a young male came in with a large tray of food and an odd looking stand that he setup in the middle of the spring and then set the tray on it. He left as silently as he had entered and Dan raised an eyebrow. From the looks of it the sandwich was a rare pastrami and Italian beef with several cheeses. There was a side of what looked like sweet potato fries and potato salad. "Lady I am going to hate to leave this place. I might have to steal your chef since mine got stolen." He picked up one half and slowly started eating it. He took his time since he needed time to de-stress from earlier. "I think Lady Alysson might object if you did that." She was grinning as she said it. "I have had some of Angie's food and it is pretty good." She had a much smaller sandwich but she was enjoying it as much as he was his. "I would like to come to your room again tonight. I want to help you for Mari's sake." She moved over and leaned against him. "She has been so worried about you since she has left." Dan looked down at the sandwich and sighed. "It has been hard not having someone in my bed. I could have any female but that would be wrong since I know they would do it simply out of thanks." He leaned against her and enjoyed the contact. That was all it was, contact, but it felt good since it wasn't pack and he knew he didn't have to be strong for them. "I have to be strong for them for the time being. I think once I integrate my two packs things will get easier." Gettie nuzzled his neck before turning back to the food and started eating. "I can't say that I understand since we do things differently. Yes we have a hierarchy, but not the strict one that wolves do." It seemed so strange to her and she was still getting used to how Mari acted. It was odd since she sort of took her dominance from Geoff but was also sort of a low level fox if she was one. "Do me a favor and lean on me for a day. Mari would expect it and I don't mind. You are her favorite Alpha and she worries about you." Dan leaned into the nuzzle and had to admit it had been nice to have someone in his bed last night to curl up with. He strongly considered it and finally made a decision. "I would enjoy that Gettie. It did help a great deal and I have a feeling I am going to need to be as calm and relaxed as possible tomorrow." He started on the second half of the sandwich. "I am going to need to be seen around this afternoon till after dinner." She nodded in understanding. Sometimes the need to be seen over ruled the need for personal time and space. Sometimes being a ruler was a really sucky job. Thank god right now Mari was still just learning her job and so was Gettie. It gave them some room to learn and be themselves, unlike Dan and Geoff not to mention his parents. ~~~ The rest of the afternoon, Dan wandered the gardens and other sections of the property to make his presence known. Gettie followed him though she didn't hang on him and was acting like an assistant, much as she was. It was interesting seeing Dan interact with both his old pack and new pack. Each had a slightly different method to it. With his old pack it was much more formal. With his new pack, though still formal, it was in a way somewhat gentler. Eventually it was time for dinner and Dan's senior staff as well as Mari, Geoff, and his parents were at the main table. The more senior wolves settled at some of the other tables but the junior wolves and pups were in a separate room simply because there wasn't room for everyone. As they ate, Dan did talk but once a topic was over he went back to eating. Ben and Mari both noticed and kept the conversation flowing to cover his silence. Eventually dinner was over and Dan made his excuses. Just for good measure, he curled an arm around Gettie and grinned as he walked out of the room. The general assumption would be that he was looking for a good time that evening though there were a few pack members who frowned since he left with a non-pack member. Once they reached his room he flopped in a chair. "Sorry for using you to make them think we were going to do something. After tomorrow I will be much better." They were going to be visiting three of the packs if possible. Apollo Granger had already submitted and very willingly. Gettie wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him. She was close to his height and gave him a good kiss. "Who said that I wasn't interested? You are a very sexy man and I have to admit that you draw me. If you need, I will definitely say yes." Her kiss was far less than chaste and she slid her tongue between his lips and enjoyed the feel of his mouth. To say Dan was more than startled was an understatement. "Are you saying that most Kitsune's have a thing for wolves? He returned the hug and kiss though he was a bit more reticent about it. She had a nice looking body and he had to admit that Sheliae had been a great deal of fun. "If you are really sure this is what you want? As I told both Mari and Sheliae, I want someone willing and not someone who feels obligated." Sometime his honor got in the way. Gettie gently pushed him down on the bed and leaned forward and kissed him. "Lord Alpha Danilo, I want to take you to bed and make love to you. I don't want wild passionate sex since I far and away prefer slow gentle love making." She ran her hands over his chest and unbuttoned his shirt and lightly stroked his chest. "You are so ripped, yet balanced." She kept up the light stroking and leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "You might not appreciate the comment but you are a beautiful man." She kept talking to try and explain. "When I say beautiful, it isn't just looks but inside. You might feel that you are cold and hard at times, and you are, but you have a code of honor that very few do." Gettie kept stroking his face and chest. "You are such a wonderful wolf and that is drawing me to you. You are going to change the world and I can't wait to see how you change it." Once she was done talking she leaned forward and gave him a good passionate kiss. Dan wasn't sure what to say about that and settled for returning the kiss. He didn't want to think about anything at the moment and settled for focusing on Gettie. "Well, someone has too many cloths on methinks." He pulled her shirt off and then her bra and smiled. "I see something I like." His hands gently stroked her back since she said that she preferred it gentle and slow. He was going to take his time and make sure that she was fully satisfied. It was a bit different than he was used to but he didn't mind. "I will do my best, but you might need to tell me to slow down or take it easier on you." He blushed slightly. "Werewolves tend to be a bit more active unless with a human. I might have been with Sheliae, but she was helping me heal so I am not sure how much was her and how much me." He had trouble mentioning Sheliae since he didn't want Gettie to feel bad. "I know Dan. I talked to both Mari and Sheliae since I wanted to make sure that I satisfied you." She blushed slightly. "Since seeing you at the seamstress's I have been wanting you if you were willing." Gettie stroked his skin. "Just comfort Dan. I don't have any powers along that line and simply want to spend some time with you." Dan's hands were gently stroking her back and sides. He was taking his time enjoying her skin and the feel of it. When she shifted to her mid form he had to grin. "I am not sure why but it always startles me when you have four breasts instead of two. Maybe because we don't have a mid form." As he was talking, his hands were lightly stroking her breasts though he wasn't going near her nipples. She might want gentle, and he would give her that, but it didn't mean he couldn't play. Gettie closed her eyes and relaxed as he touched and stroked her back and chest. She let out a low chuckle. "I think someone is having too much fun right now." She was stroking her nails across his skin lightly and smiled as he growled at her. "I had expected your skin to be sort of rough with time but it is smooth and sensual." She had very sensitive fingers and was really enjoying the feel of it. As she was stroking his chest she leaned forward and licked his pulse point before lightly nipping it. He was enjoying the slow pace though in a way it was driving him nuts as well. Werewolves were not really designed for slow and easy when it came to love making. That wasn't to say that they didn't have any sort of foreplay, but they did tend to be aggressive. In this case he was forcing his wolf to take things easy and it was driving him nuts. To be honest, Dan was grinning at his wolf since it was being grouchy with him. Gettie squeaked when Dan rolled over and was on all fours over her. He had a gentle smile on his face as he leaned forward and kissed her. He started licking her neck and was enjoying the taste of her skin. "I think someone is having way too much fun right now." She was arching her back and pressing her body against his. Dan started nibbling his way down her chest and took his time working around her nipples till they were nice and crinkled before starting to nibble on them. As he did that she started moaning. "Lady, Dan you are going to drive me nuts. Might have to make a few suggestions to some of the other kitsunes." There was both pleasure and amusement in her voice till he sucked on one of her nipples and ended up with a moan. As Dan moved down her body he was definitely arousing her. "My turn My Lord Alpha. My turn to please you." He could easily enough have resisted her pushing him over onto his back but he let her and she returned the favor of taking her time. She took her time working on his neck and pulse point as well as nibbling up the side of his neck. When she reached his ear he tilted his head for better access and let a pleased smile cross his face. Once she had worked on his neck and ear she started working her way down his chest. When she reached his nipples she did much the same as he had. They weren't as sensitive as hers, but they felt really good as she worked on them. Eventually she worked her way lower and with a slight glint in her eyes she started nibbling on his navel. That wasn't something he had had done before and damn near hit the roof. "Gah, that tickles!" He was wiggling trying to get away from her teeth and tongue but she was having too much fun. Eventually she worked her way lower and lightly slid her tongue along his penis and he tensed and groaned. She had worked his bands and shorts off. She was definitely good with her mouth and tongue and took his length and worked it very skillfully. "Gettie, much longer and I am not going to make it all the way to satisfy you." She took the hint and worked her way back up and he rolled her over. He worked his way down her body till he reached her V and gently parted her lips and started working on her until she tensed with an orgasm and then rolled her over. Dan positioned himself over her and gently pushed in till she was comfortable. He slowly stroked in and out. As he was working he gradually sped up and his wolf was finally getting the satisfaction he wanted. Right before they came together, his knot formed and he howled in enjoyment. Once done, he carefully lowered her to her side and curled around her. "So, was that pleasing for you? It drove my wolf nuts." There was amusement in his voice when he said that. "I know I enjoyed it and thank you Gettie. I might invite you to my bed again at some point. Well as long as you aren't in heat. Alysson might shoot me if you ended up pregnant." She started laughing at him. "She just might yell at you and put a ward up so you wouldn't have any fun." Gettie pulled his arms closer around her. "I will make sure that I am not fertile if we have a bit of fun in the future." She stroked his arm. "Go to sleep Lord Alpha, tomorrow is going to be a long day." Dan smiled and was quickly asleep. His sleep was solid and one of the best he had for a long time and grumbled when Gettie woke him up. He knew why, but could use more sleep. "Fine, I am going to get up but going to be grumpy with you." With a stretch he walked into the bathroom and into the shower and started getting clean. Gettie laughed and walked in after him and helped him get clean. There were some special cleansers that were needed and quickly she was done cleaning him. After carefully toweling him off, Allie helped him on with a robe. "Please follow us, My Lord." Her voice was very formal when she addressed him. They led him out and met up with the Angie and Gianni and they fell in behind him and walked at a stately pace. It didn't take all that much time to reach the cleansing rooms. At that point they separated and Gettie and Allie led him into one. Sarah and Mari led the other two into the other room. As with Mari, a chanting started and Gettie picked up the jug of water and handed it to Allie. Since Allie was a member of the clan leader's family she was the one that did the actual rinse and oiling. Again as with Mari they rinsed him off and then oiled his body after making sure his beard and hair were pinned up. Dan had to admit it was somewhat uncomfortable but he kept his face neutral. Once she was done she lightly wiped him down to make sure all the oil was gone. Now it was Gettie's turn since she was tall enough to do his hair. She pulled it out of the clip and combed it out before giving it a good braid. As with others she braided chains with his color in it. Just for good measure she added a couple of pink gems to tease him. The last bit was the swords and he was ready. The three of them were led out about the same time and Angie bowed at him. "You look very impressive My Alpha." Gianni gave him a small bow as well and they waited for the gong and then Dan led them to the ancestor's house. With the help of the ladies, he removed his shoes and clapped his hands and was followed by the other two. He walked in and was followed by everyone else. Dan turned to Gianni and looked down at her. "Only take the joss that you feel drawn too. They have to mean something to you, something special." He nodded at Angie and she picked her up. Dan stepped forward and closed his eyes for a moment and reached out and let the spirits guide him. He ended up pulling out three. One was for his former family, one for his new pack, and one for his new. He placed them in the small sand box. He waited for the other two to pick what they wanted. Gianni picked two and Angie one. Once they were done he lit the joss. He could feel his family. "I am going to do as you asked, my love, and move on. You will always be in my heart." Once he spoke he closed his eyes and felt a swirl of spirits, though nothing like the other day. It was like they were testing him and he felt a sense of satisfaction. Suddenly, there was a small surge of power and three small boxes appeared on the altar. Allie turned to her parents who were outside. "Clan Lords, they have been accepted by the spirits." She picked up the boxes and handed them to her father. "Please follow us and at the next gong, lead Mari into the house and the large dining room. Many of the junior clan members will be outside and you will lead her past them so they can see their future clan leader." Once they reached the beginning of the fancy carpet, Jon and Alysson kept going while Mari stood next to Dan and Angie and Gianni were behind. Gianni had a small package and when asked if she needed help she held it close and shook her head. Moments later there was a gong and Dan offered Mari his arm and they took their time walking the path and stood tall and proud. *Stand tall as well, the three of you. Be proud of what we are and that we have been honored to have one of the pack selected.* Eventually they reached the small stage that had Geoff's family on it. Before Mari could move forward he stepped forward. "I don't know if it is a habit of yours but for us it is usual to give a gift. Usually at the wedding but I feel this deserves it as well." He handed an elegant Japanese style box to Geoff. He waited until it was opened. "A knife shows that it is descended from a sword. It is designed for peace such as cutting string, carving, yet also for protection." He had to pause for a moment. "I am giving you two of the most precious things. I am giving you my submissive Lady Marissa and my pups that she is carrying. Please protect her." Geoff looked at the sheath and knew who had made it and it had to be a special order. When he pulled the blade out he inhaled. "This is a lordly gift Alpha Danilo and I promise to take care of your pack member and your pups. I will also say that you have access to them anytime you want and we will raise them to know both the clan and the pack." He sheathed the blade and inserted it in his Obi. Angie turned to Mari. "My gift is for Mari. One thing she so loved was taking care of the pack even when Dan wasn't running it. It is a selection of her favorite spices so she can make sure and take care of Geoff and anyone that visits their rooms." She stepped back after Mari gave her a hug. Angie looked down at Gianni. "You have something as well. Do you need help?" Gianni put the item behind her and shook her head. Not knowing better she stepped up on the platform and walked over to Alysson. "Lady Alysson, Mari knows all the pups and pack members but you don't. She has two families and so do you." She handed the picture that was wrapped up to her. "This way you will know your other family." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 10 This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done. If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know. Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong... Normally I have somaluna do the editing on this but it has taken me so long to actually knock it out one of my other friends on the site did the edit. I want to thank Pocketbooklover for taking the time to check and edit this chapter. I do want to apologize for the very long delay but with various medical issues I just was to tired to really be creative. I am also working on the next chapter of my other story for those that are following it as well. Chapter 10 The dinner went smoothly or as smoothly as possible taking into consideration there were a number of Kitsune, Wolf spirits, not lycans, Coyote Spirits and God knew how many others. There were also a large number of humans as well. He had discovered that even though the Kitsune's sort of owned and ran the country there were humans and other spirit animals in all levels of Government. They only place they weren't in power was as the actual clan leader. Dan also discovered Alysson's husband was human but had been turned into a Kitsune by some method and he assumed it was their version of being bitten by your mate if you were a lycan. Thankfully, he was able to keep his expression neutral or the one with a slight smile most of the time. The other Alpha's were there as well and both he and Ben kept getting glared at, other than by Alpha Granger, and Dan mentally nudged Ben who turned and let his eyes turn color and pressed his power against them. That got a flinch from two of the three and they lifted their chins in submission and Dan was hoping Ben wouldn't have as many problems. In a way it would probably be easier for him since he hadn't lost his mate and cubs as well as losing his pack. He was distracted when a server came with some drinks and when she winked at him he rolled his eyes and held his cup up. From the looks of it she was one of the wolf spirit animals since she was in a mid-form with wolf style ears and a tail. *Damn Ben, I'm going to be so glad to get back to the pack. Fewer winks and offers.* She wandered off but not till she ran her tail down his leg which almost caused him to choke. *Alysson, I'm going to hide in my room for the rest of the day I think.* That was after one of the male servers hit on him as well. Both Ben and Sheliae laughed at his reaction to that. *They're reacting to your power as lead Alpha. Even though Jon and Alysson are mated you'll notice they get extra attention as well as some of the other senior clan or pack members. Some is physical attraction and others are drawn to the power.* Alysson frowned slightly since she wasn't really sure if Mari and Sheliae were some effect of his coming over. That would be the last thing they needed: someone else's clan or pack member getting pregnant by him. *Well, that was a cute young male flirting with you. He would be safe.* There was just a hint of spite in that. She knew that Gettie had been with him and the spirits already told her she didn't have anything to worry about thank god. Dan growled back at her and then grinned. *Just for that...* Ben and Sheliae were snickering as they turned back to the food. Eventually there was plenty of dancing and he had a few more offers and finally decided to take the lady who had been serving him up on her offer. "Um, before we do anything", he blushed, "are you in heat? I already have two sets of twins expected soon and don't need any more. Besides if it did happen Alysson might remove my tail." The woman laughed and leaned closer. "Not even close, though it might be interesting to have your pups." She snickered as he turned red. "We have heard about your pups," she frowned, "Well lady Marissa's pups. Who is the other mother?" When he turned even redder her ears really perked up. "I'm not going to talk about that since it is her choice to come out with it till it becomes obvious." He smiled and pulled her close before stroking her tail lightly. "I would greatly enjoy spending an evening with you. I think one or two other females might pout but they will live." Eventually they made it to his rooms. ~~~ The next day after he woke up and gave the girls a kiss, he didn't want to ask how that happened and changed back to his normal clothes. The dress robes weren't that bad but he felt weird with his legs exposed. The swords had been returned as well and he was ready to go home but there were a few things he needed to discuss with Alysson. The more he thought about it the longer the list grew: how they were going to handle the fact that he was now a clan member but as lead Alpha wasn't under her command; how Ben was going to be dealt with since he was now the lead Alpha for her territory but reported to Dan; and finally, they needed to cover his two pups Paulo and Sylvia. He could tell over the bonds that though that man was good for her she was in no way ready to go back to the pack which meant he was going to have to consider how to handle that as well. Dan walked down to the dining area and grabbed a large plate of food and settled down next to Alysson and Jon. "Morning, we need to talk after breakfast if you have time. I want to talk about Ben and my pups that are being treated." He forked up a large amount of food and started eating. The food was good but he was ready to go back home. Alysson nodded since her mouth was full and Jon responded. "We sort of figured that and we do need to talk." Jon took a bite and chewed it meditatively, as Alysson finished her mouthful. "Agreed, we do need to talk and figure out some things. After breakfast though and how was your night?" she asked with a grin. Dan blushed. "Not sure how, but I ended up with two ladies in my bed but..." He grinned at her. "Neither are in heat so we shouldn't have to worry about any oops's." He got an eye roll for that. Eventually breakfast was over and they walked to her offices and he settled down in one of the chairs after pouring himself a cup of coffee. He leaned back and took a sip and smiled. "I have really enjoyed being here but I am ready to go home. It might not be as nice as here but it is my place." Alysson smiled. "I understand and what do you want to talk about? I know what has happened has sort of tossed you for a loop." She settled next to Jon and leaned against him. Dan sighed and rubbed one temple. "First, I have broken my old pack in half and going to take half back and sort of farm them out to the other packs to ensure they are being run as best as possible. As far as Ben, I'm going to break the bond with him. I plan on forming a ruling council for the packs on the west coast to standardize the rules for packs and control them." He gave her a solid look. "As far as my pups I intend to leave them here under Geoff's leadership to finish the healing. Sylvia is still not all there and though she is better I figure she is going to need more time to get to the point where she can come back to the pack." God he wanted this year to be over with. He needed some time to actually settle down and figure things out. Alysson was rather startled since she had expected Dan to keep control of all the packs that were looking to him. "That was not something I expected but it does make sense. You will have our country and yours as part of the council and I am sure we can talk the packs to the north to join in. Going south is going to be your responsibility and hopefully it will work out. I think it would be good to stabilize the packs on the west coast." Dan growled. "My first job is going to be removing an Alpha just south of our borders." There was a definite snarl to his voice since that was the one that had almost destroyed Sylvia. "He is not going to live much longer." His eyes were as yellow as possible short of shifting. His anger and rage could be felt through the room and he had to close his eyes and take several slow breaths before he did something stupid like changing. ~~~ Rob was tasked with taking care of the pack house while the rest of the pack was at the Silver Kitsune estates. He had heard of them before and knew they were connected with Silver Fox Inc. They dealt with high tech issues, both in general and on the high tech equipment market. Rob normally didn't do jobs that dealt with missing kids if for no other reason he hated dealing with abuse pictures or scenes and he could imagine the pictures without any real problems since he had seen a great deal of abuse over the years. He was an older lycan and till the former Alpha had taken over he had a pretty decent life. Once he had taken over things had definitely taken a turn for the worse till Dan had shown up. Rob was taking the new Alpha with a grain of salt but from what he had seen he was serious about his rules and it was good to see. The last Alpha had taken over through poison or some other method and it hadn't been a good set of years. When Dan had asked him to stay back and watch the house and territory he had been forced to think about it and finally agreed. He hadn't realized it but the training Dan had been giving him was far better than any other he had received. He was a decent fighter to begin with and Dan had honed some of his skills to a fairly decent degree. Once everyone was gone he started making routine checks of the nearby property. Dan would have been proud to see how hard he was working to make sure the nearby territory was protected. Granted Dan should have left one or two more people behind but he simply hadn't felt comfortable with that. Rob was a good wolf and very solid in how he dealt with things. Dan simply hadn't expected there to be any problems or he would have. In this case problems happened that he never even considered. Rob was outside and relaxing on the porch when a vehicle pulled up and he almost groaned since it was one of the three asshole Alphas the packs contained. He stood up and nodded respectfully to the man and got a growl back. "Where is Alpha Legarith? I need to talk to him." The man demanded and didn't bother with any sort of nod, bow, or other sign of respect for the senior wolf's pack member. He didn't like Dan and didn't like the changes he initiated. "I am sorry Alpha but he is not available. I will inform him that you wish to talk to him." That wasn't apparently a good enough answer since the Alpha snarled at him. Rob didn't approve of that since Dan was in charge and that male should know that. "If you don't like that answer I will accept the challenge and inform my Alpha of the results." Rob was not going to accept any challenges to his Alpha. Dan had taught him well how to be a good Alpha and this man was a piece of crap. He wasn't as bad as the former Alpha but he still wasn't that good. The Alpha snarled and then looked at his Beta who had driven him there. "Pay attention while I kick his ass. When I do and kill him for being a pain in the ass you will tell that pain in the ass Alpha Legarith that it was a proper challenge." Rob growled back. "Fine, let's go to the challenge ring." He stalked over to the ring and stripped down and waited for the other man to do the same. The other man only took off his shirt and undershirt and faced him. The fight was short and when Rob finished he was shocked to realize the other was dead, he had twisted his neck hard enough to break it and was staring at the beta. "And? Are you going to challenge me?" Rob knew what his kill had done, he was now the Alpha of the pack whose Alpha he had just killed. The beta was more shocked than he was and could only stare at him. "Don't move, I am going to let Alpha Legarith know that I have taken over your pack." Oh Lady, what was his Alpha going to do? He moved into the house and tentatively settled in Dan's chair since he had to make a call. He dialed the number to the Silver Kitsune clan and closed his eyes. "Hi, I need to get in touch with Danilo Legarith and it is important." Lady, it was very important that he got a hold of him. "Please wait a moment and I will find him for you Sir." There was some generic hold music for several minutes before Dan picked up. "What do you need Rob? Is everything okay down there?" Dan had made sure that Rob knew how to contact him and how to get a hold of him. "Alpha, I have a problem..." Rob closed his eyes and grimaced. "I killed the Alpha of the Farzion pack. That makes me the new Alpha right?" That was not an admission he wanted to make. Dan was a great Alpha but he had a feeling that this was going to get him beat on. Dan froze for a moment and then beat his head on the desk for a few moments. "You have to be joking right?" That was not what he needed being away from home. At least, if he was joking, it was after Mari's intro dinner. If he had to go back all that was needed was him and not his entire pack. "I am sorry Alpha but it is the truth. He was challenging you via me and I had to take care of it. What do I do?" Rob was feeling very stressed at this point. "God..." Dan considered and finally replied. "I am going to have Tony send a few people over and watch the house and you are going to have to go and take over that pack. You are the Alpha now and I will see about getting down there as soon as possible." He hung up and rubbed his temples. "God help me that was not what I needed." Since he had been called to Alysson's office she had heard the entire conversation. "Do you need to go back Dan? I can have you flown down there as soon as possible." The spirits knew what they were doing but it could be hard on the people in the real world. Dan sat back in the chair and took a deep breath. "Crap, this is not what I really needed. Yes I needed to remove that asshole but right now is not the best time. Can I get a month or two off? I really need it." That was almost a whine. "I think it is time for the entire pack to go back including the part of the old pack I am taking with me." Alysson picked up the phone and made a quick call and had two planes scheduled to leave that afternoon. "Do what is needed Dan and we can continue this conversation via mail and phone. Lady be with you Dan." She stood and gave him a good hug. "It has been enjoyable getting to know you Dan. Go with grace." Dan bowed slightly and smiled. "Thank you Alysson and Jon. I will and hope you have fair winds and following seas." He left the room and mentally called Ben. *I need you to come to my rooms for a few minutes.* He had to break the bonds so they could actually form the council. It wouldn't go over very well if he still had control over Ben when they formed it. Ben came to Dan's rooms and after knocking walked in. "What can I do for you Dan?" He settled in a chair across from Dan and looked rather expectant. "I am going to break the bond with you Ben. I plan on forming a council like we had in our world; I think it will be good for us. Alysson has suggested she might be able to talk the northern packs to join as well, it is territory that she doesn't control. If we can get the west coast packs under our control, it would be a good thing. To accomplish this I have to break the bonds with you. You will be lead Alpha of Alysson's territory and will not report to me." Ben leaned back and contemplated Dan and what he had to say. That was going to be a huge change for him. He would be going from a beta of Dan's pack to lead Alpha of the packs in the local area. He would be reporting to Alysson as well. "Are you sure about this Dan?" He honestly wasn't sure if he was ready for such responsibility. Dan leaned forward and gave him a very direct look. "Yes, Ben I am. You have been ready to be an Alpha for several years, there just wasn't a pack for you to run. I know you, I trust you and you will be a good lead Alpha and you will do fine. I will always be available to answer questions for you as needed." Breaking the bonds was as horrible as expected and left him with a headache. Even on the flight home he had a headache but once there he was so pleased to be back. "To all of my original pack this is our home and we will see about expanding it to include you and your mates. For the time being the kids are going to need to stay in the pup's room." It was going to be tight but they could do it for the short term. "We will have to open some of the rooms that have been closed for some time to make room for everyone but that will only take a day or two." Dan told them as they pulled up to the manor. They had been forced to hire a number of cabs to get everyone home but he felt good being there. It was his new home but it meant a great deal to him. "Angie, if you can show the new members to the old wing and the kids to the pup's rooms I would appreciate it." She called on Aiden for help since he was her mate and eventually they were sorted out for the most part. Dinner was going to be mostly sandwiches since they hadn't really planned on being home quite this soon but it would work. ~~~ Dan was sitting in the office glaring at the wall. Granted the wall hadn't done anything recently to piss him off but he was definitely feeling grumpy and itchy. It wasn't near the full moon so it wasn't that and his wolf had been out for a good run just a few days go so it wasn't that either. For the moment Dan had sent two of his most senior wolves with Rob to ensure the turn over went as well as possible. Dan hadn't gone since he needed to give Rob time to consolidate control before he went out. He didn't like that idea but anything else would make it look like he had pushed for this. Now they had to look forward to a series of challenges the change of command caused. That was when Saul walked in and almost got snapped at and Dan had to take a slow deep breath and turned to look at him. "What do you need?" Saul froze at the door since he could tell by scent alone that Dan was not happy. His jaw was tense and he had his arms crossed and was staring at the wall across from his desk. He would need to be careful but as long as he was respectful he knew by now that Dan wasn't going to hurt him. "Good morning Dan, I have the purchase form for the food that needs to be picked up. It is ready whenever you are ready to send someone." Dan swiveled his chair around and contemplated the man and then a slow grin crossed his face. "Why that sounds like a lovely idea. Let me have the request and I will take care of this for you. I want to go to town anyways so I can take care of it while I am there." For some reason his grumpy mood vanished and he was grinning again. Saul almost had to blink since normally his Alpha wasn't quite that quick to change moods and had to wonder why but shook it off. "Not a problem Boss and I can be ready to go in just a few minutes." The last few times he and Dan had gone to get the supplies they wandered around town a bit to give Dan a feel for it. "Don't worry about it Saul. I have a couple of stops to make and no reason to mess your day up." He took the paper reviewing it before signing it and pulling a stash of money out. "I will be back sometime this afternoon, should be before dinner but don't hold it if I am a bit late." Dan hopped up and with a cheerful whistle, the first one for a long time; he headed to his room to change to his town clothes. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 10 Saul had to shake his head as Felanzi walked in and she was grinning. "Okay, who the hell was that and what did you do with our Alpha?" Dan had been on edge for the last week and even before that a bit out of sorts. She was pretty sure he was missing having Mari around not to mention that Fox he had been sleeping with. "Um, I'm not sure? I came to get the food request approved and he took it from me and told me he would be back later." He was really confused since normally the Alpha wouldn't do things like that. It might be he was used to getting off the reservation and though Dan rarely talked about it they knew that he lived in town where he had come from. ~~~ Dan had almost made it out of the house when Giani tackled him, well attacked one leg and wrapped her arms around it and gave it a big hug. "Morning Dan, whacha doin?" She knew that when he dressed this way he was going to town. Julia was walking past and shook her headHe. "You know what he is doing and you shouldn't keep your Alpha from his work. You need to go back to the pups room since I think Shannon and Nancy have some things for all of you to do." Some days she didn't know what she was going to do with her little girl. She was going to be an Alpha and even as young as she was Julia could feel her budding power impacting on her. She was so glad Dan liked her and was able to keep her somewhat corralled. Dan smiled at both of them. "Yup, I am going to town to get some food and do a bit of shopping. I am finally to the point where if I don't replace that desk I am likely to destroy it." It was gaudy, way to engraved and carved, and just didn't fit who Dan was. Giani snickered at his comment. "Can I go with? I's never been to town and know that my Alpha can protect me." She gave him her best sad puppy dog look and Dan rolled his eyes. Out of his entire pack there were three that worked in town and he was slowly encouraging others to maybe try it. He doubted any of them had been to town more than a few times over the years and that just wasn't good. If he could get some interested in maybe working or starting a business or two it would be good for the pack as well. Dan contemplated her for a few minutes and then looked at Julia. "It is up to you if she comes. I will take care of her and you know that. I will not demand or order since you are her mother." In this case being Alpha took second place to being a parent. Yes, technically he could order her to let Giani go with but he wouldn't abuse his powers that way. Julia sighed as she considered her little girl and the really happy expectant look on her face. "One time Giani, you can go but you will be on your best behavior while you are with him. If you aren't I will paddle your behind and restrict you to the pups room for a few days." She frowned slightly at her daughter. "Now go change and clean up. It looks like you've been rolling in the dirt again." Which was probably very true knowing the pups. Giani squealed and dashed off. "Now I am going to have to take all the pups in if their parents allow. It will be good for them and the pack. You are too confined out here and need to get more comfortable with the humans." Dan's ears were still ringing from the squeal, that kid had a set of lungs on her. "Well time to see if there is a booster seat." Saul heard and was startled but nodded. "I will get it ready Dan and are you sure about this?" He couldn't think of a time when any of the pups had left the house or territory other than when they had gone to the Kitsune estates. That had been shocking for almost everyone since it was so different. "I am Saul. The pack needs to get used to humans and their differences as well as similarities to us. This pack is almost too insular and how are some of the single wolves going to meet their mates if they don't go to town or meet other wolves? I know not everyone wants a mate this second but eventually most wolves will feel that drive, including those who have lost their mates. That is one of the things that keep the pack strong, new blood and new thoughts. To be given a chance to grow and live." Dan waved his hand and sighed. "We can talk about it later but I need to get out and stretch my legs." Moments later Giani came running up followed by most of the pups and Dan grinned. "Before you ask yes I am taking her and over the next few weeks I will check with your parents and take the rest of you as well. I am only taking one at a time. Not sure I could keep up with more than one of you." Shannon snickered and smiled when Sammy, one of Giani's minions, sort of scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor and did a sort of 'Aww' sound. "I think he's right that for now only one at a time would be a good idea. If there were more Dan would be too distracted and if he forgot to get the carrots for a carrot cake that would be horrible right?" Since that was Sammy's favorite cake he almost glowered at him for teasing him that way. "Run along children, I gotta get to the store." He walked out the front door and found Saul had pulled the truck up and it did have a booster seat in it and Dan had to wonder who it was for. Somehow he just couldn't see the former Alpha taking any of the kids to town. Just couldn't see it ever happening. After helping Giani into the booster seat he made sure she was secure before climbing in the other side and started it up. He had been driving it for a while so he knew how to and it wasn't much different than a truck from the 50's in his world. Well the radio was vastly different. Giani babbled all the way to town she was so excited. She knew Dan could easily have said no but he hadn't which was why he was so wonderful. He actually admitted that the cubs had brains and could use them. He didn't treat them like an inconvenience or better not seen and not heard. When they finally pulled into town her eyes were wide as she took in the sights. How could so many people live in such a small space? She didn't realize they were in the commercial area where many of the shops were. "Well pup, you might want to close your mouth again or you are going to get another fly." He got another glare as he parked behind the store and climbed out. Once out he settled her on one hip before walking into the store. "Morning Pam, mind if I park in back? I have a bit of running around to do before I actually pick the stuff up." Pam turned and smiled at him before raising an eyebrow at the little girl. "Hey there cutie, what's your name and are you Dan's?" She had no idea how a pack was really setup or even if Dan had a mate. Giani settled her head on his shoulder before shyly waving at her. "Names Giani and I am one of his pups." She was thinking as in being a member of the pack and not his actual cub. Pam gave him a wide smile. "You have a darling little girl Dan, you and her mother should be proud." She walked behind the counter and found a piece of jerky she had been nibbling on and came around the counter. Dan had to blink and then shook his head. "Confusing, she is a member of my pack since I am Alpha so they sort of belong to me. Her mother is one of the pack and lost her mate a few years ago." He managed not to change expression at her comment but the still abiding sadness showed in his eyes. When Pam held up the jerky he nodded. "Oh, sorry for the confusion, would you like some jerky sweetie?" Pam walked over and held it out for the little girl. As she was waiting for her to take it she looked up at Dan and noticed his eyes. "Sorry Dan." She knew it was something she had said. When she held the meat out to Giani her nose started going over time and after looking up at Dan she slowly reached out and took it and sniffed it some more before biting down. When it didn't easily tear she looked at it and frowned since she had never had jerky before. The flavor on her tongue was very interesting and with a frown of concentration on her face she stuck a bit back in and really bit down. Even as small as she was she still had a werewolf's strength and tore a piece off and started chewing. Suddenly she started bouncing in his arms. "Good, weally good. Thank you, nice lady." She went back to chewing and was totally focusing on the meat. Dan started snickering. "Toss in five pounds of jerky as well and I will pay for it when we come back." He glanced at the clock. "Do you go to lunch about 1? If so, you can show me a good place to eat I will pick up the tab." He was going to need to eat before going back and so was Giani. Pam nodded. "I do and I can show you some wolf approved locations." Right about then the bell over the door jingled and she turned to the next customer. She might be nervous around lycan's but she had to admit he was good looking and there was some draw to him. Dan had to laugh. "Sounds like a deal. Some of my pack is going to start coming to town and look for work. It will be nice to find some wolf friendly places like this. You will probably find a number of wolves coming here for food." The wolves at the beginning would be from his old pack though he couldn't lose too many to the city or the house would run into problems. They did grow some of their own food to supplement what they purchased. Pam looked startled when he said that since very few wolves left their territory. The idea of more coming in was startling to say the least. "Um, well send them here and I can make a few suggestions on where they can look for work. I would have to say only one or two a week. How many are you talking total? If you can get me an idea what sort of work I can tell you who would be best to approach." He contemplated it and then nodded. "I will think about it." They did need the integration and his wolves from the other world would be the best.. "Well Giani and I are going to see about getting me a new desk. I will see you about 1 pm for lunch then." With a nod he left the store. Giani wiggled out of his arms but grabbed his hand as she looked around with huge eyes. Over the bonds Dan could tell she was more than a bit intimidated not that he blamed her. At home she was the leader of her little pack so to speak but here she was just a little kid amongst what was to her a vast number of people. Dan sent her a bit of encouragement over the bonds and got a grateful look back from her. It didn't take that long to make it to the cabinet maker who had made the desk. When he discovered the hiding spot for the money there had been a sticker in there with the name and address. He still rolled his eyes when he remembered that incident. "You keep quiet while I am talking business little one." "Yes Dan, I's be good." She gave him her cute little grin and he noticed she had lost a tooth at some point recently and he wondered if they had such a thing as a tooth fairy. With a slight grin he walked into the store and had to close his eyes and inhale. "I love the smell of newly carved wood." Giani gave him an odd look when he said that and her little nose twitched a bit and she sneezed. "Smells funny." She was also picking up the smell of paint thinner, varnish, and paint and it tickled her nose. She sneezed again just for good measure and glowered at his grin. An older man walked from the back. "Good afternoon Sir how many I help you?" He checked the man out and frankly was intimidated. He was massive but did have a fairly good natured expression on his face which was rough hewn and the little girl with him was cute as a button. He held his hand out and shook Dan's and could feel the controlled strength. Dan gave him an easy going smile. "Well, if you are Anton Delevario or work for him you can. I would like to commission a replacement desk." The longer he sat behind that hideous thing the more he had to resist smashing it to pieces and finding a table and some more filing cabinets. "Oh? And this is a desk that was made here? Maybe a simple repair might work?" His desks and cabinet were designed to last for a long time and it must be an old desk. Dan snorted. "Not unless you tore the damn thing down to a bare frame and started over. It was the desk designed for the former Alpha of the Alucian pack. If I have to sit behind it much longer I am going to turn it into firewood." He knew very few people had heard about the change in pack management and this was definitely going to get this spread around. The man froze as he took in what Dan had said and knew he needed to tread lightly. "Um, former Alpha so I am going to assume you are the current Alpha." His eyes flickered down at the girl and then back up to Dan and really looked confused. He had never seen an Alpha with a child before and wasn't sure what to make of it. Dan continued smiling at the man and nodded. "Correct, I am Alpha Danilo Legarith of the Alucian pack. Pleased to meet you." He looked down at the little girl. "This is one of the pups and her name is Giani. I will keep an eye on her so she doesn't accidently destroy anything." She blushed slightly and looked down at the floor. "I's didn't mean to take the table out. Sammie bumped me at the wrong time." One of the toes of her shoes was sort of twisting on the floor. Giani had felt really bad about it at the time and had silently eaten her veggies, bread and water. The man, he looked to be in his late 40's, tried not to smile at the little girl but couldn't help it. He did give Dan a good evaluating look and then waved him over to his desk. "Have a seat Alpha and we can see about coming up with a desk that doesn't offend you." There were slight traces of droll amusement in his voice. "So what don't you like about the desk?" Dan snorted at him. "Call me Dan please. Alpha is for formal situations or when I am in a really grouchy mood." As he was talking he picked Giani up and settled her on his lap so she couldn't get in trouble. "As far as what offends me about the desk, where do I start? It's ostentatious, oversized, egotistical, and the hidden compartment is a frigging joke. Does that help?" He returned the droll tone. One corner of the other man's mouth twitched but he managed not to laugh. "Ah, I see so you are looking for a totally new desk. What do you have in mind?" He pulled over a pad of paper and pen and once Dan started describing what he wanted the man contemplated how he talked, his body posture, and expression. "Okay, you are still going to need something larger simply because of who you are but how about..." He knocked out a quick sketch and the conversation was on. The desk ended up being a slight curve that was wider on the far side than on Dan's side. The drawers were straight in like a normal desk with a slight overhang on both sides and the front. The hidden panel was on the inside and required far more adjustments to get it open than the other. Dan had been keeping an eye on the clock. "Oh, one more thing is there any way to mount the computer on a pivot so I can move it out of the way when I am talking to people?" That got another discussion before Dan held a hand up. "We can talk about that later. I'm having lunch with a friend shortly and we need to get going. I'll be back next week and we can discuss that aspect further." It seemed they didn't have any sort of desk or wall mounted computer stands. It had to be for the entire computer since they were one unit like an Apple. They shook hands and Dan left the building. Giani was starting to get a bit overwhelmed and reached her arms up and Dan picked her up and she rested her head on his shoulder. Originally she had been thinking of some place with a few more people than at the pack house. What she got was more people on this street alone than in the pack. At the clan house it hadn't been nearly as much of an impact since it was sort of like the manor and people came and went. Also there had been lots of kits to play with which was really nice as well. Dan knew all three pups would be in shock since he planned on bringing all the pack in one or two at a time till everyone experienced it. He didn't expect many to really want to settle in town but a third of the pack would be good with mandatory visits to the manor on the weekend. If he didn't, the pack might fragment and that wouldn't be a good thing. If it worked for his pack he would have the others start as well. Eventually they made it to the store and Pam was standing outside waiting for them. She gave Giani a warm look. "You look tired sweetie. The food is really good and then I have a feeling Dan is going to be heading back home." Giani gave her a tired yet still shy smile and then yawned. "I's not tired pup. I Is Alpha pup can't be tired." Dan tried not to snort but an Alpha knew what they were. You still had to work your way up the ranks to ensure that you knew what each did, or in his world you did. If needed they would hold the wolf up to ensure they were well trained. He rolled his eyes at Pam when she looked startled at the comment but nodded. "She's right and it shows in that all the pups look to her even if she might get them in trouble." Moments later they were at the restaurant and after they were seated Pam gave their waitress a smile. "Two adult menu's and a wolf menu, please." She had to sigh when she got smirked at. "Silly woman, he's just a friend." For some reason Dan's wolf snorted but remained relaxed in the back of his head and Dan mentally growled at him. *Darn you wolf I'm going to figure out what you keep laughing at if I have to pluck your mental tail one hair at a time.* "Oh good, can I borrow him for an afternoon or maybe two?" She asked and winked at him with a grin. She became professional again and it was obvious that she was a good friend of Pam's as she handed the menus out and took orders for drinks. Dan's wolf definitely was not pleased with the other human's attempt, even if pretend or not and mentally growled at her. That got Dan's attention and he couldn't help but flicker his eyes between the woman and Pam and when his eyes settled on Pam his wolf snorted and settled down. His eyes narrowed and he was definitely going to have a talk with his wolf. "I'll cover this meal. Considering the cost of one wolf meal alone..." The prices weren't unreasonable and he had to hide a smile as Giani was trying to figure out the menu and then leaned against Pam. "Miss Pam can you help me? I can't read very well though I's learning." When Pam wrapped her arm around her and tucked her close she wiggled into the hug and started listening. Almost any wolf worth their metal would order red meat, chicken or something like that. She surprised Dan when she shyly asked for fish instead. "I's like fish but don't get much though my wolfie doesn't really approve much." Dan almost snickered since she was starting to wrap Pam around her little finger. "If fish is what you want then fish it is. Now if you ordered rabbit food I would have wondered." That got a tiny growl from her and he snickered. "I personally am going to go for the blue cheese burger with fries and coleslaw." Pam smiled at the little girl and lightly stroked her cheek. "The fish is really good and I think I'll get the same." The little girl was such a cutie and she had to wonder how Dan kept up since she had a feeling she was very mischievous most of the time. "So's you like Pappa Danny?" Giani asked and Dan damn near choked on his coffee and had to pat his mouth dry as he was trying to clear his throat to reply. Pam almost laughed at Dan's reaction and then lightly tapped Giani on the nose. "He is a nice enough Alpha I suppose and it is interesting to see him come and get the supplies by himself. So in a way I suppose you could say that I like him well enough." The waitress came over and took their orders. "I suppose you like yours flash fried and mooing when it comes out right?" She glanced at Dan and tilted her head. "I don't think I've seen you around before. I'm a friend of Pam's and as you can see my name is Dolores." She waved at the badge. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 10 He grinned. "Well, for the gentle souls in this place I will skip the mooing and the outside warm enough to melt the cheese." When she sort of asked who he was he debated on how to answer and decided to be truthful. "Alpha Danilo Legarith of the Alucian pack and before you freak out I replaced the former slob." Dan gave her an easy grin when he said that. She did almost drop the pen but since he was sitting with Pam decided he was probably okay. "The food will be out soon." Dolores made notes on what they wanted and hurried away. Eventually it did come out. Dan took a bite and grinned. Pam was helping Giani and eventually lunch was over and he paid for the bill. "Well I need to get a tired pup back to the manor and the food as well. I enjoyed that Pam, it was nice getting to see more of town. See you next week." She had tucked Giani into the car seat as he was loading food and with a wave pulled away from the shop. ~~~ Dan had long since decided that he was going to start dragging the individual pups and a few others into town and start showing them humans. One thing he was dealing with was getting his old pack and new pack working together. That was going to be a pain in the ass since his old pack was going to try and rise to the highest dominance possible. What he ended up doing was to send two of his more dominant wolves to each of the various packs he was in charge of. Ben was doing much the same at the moment. One thing Dan knew was that eventually Alysson wanted to form the council they had talked about. She had contact with the wolves from the Gray wolf spirit pack and further north and both felt it would be a very good idea to form the lycan counsel to standardize things. As far as what he would think of as California that would be something he would have to deal with. Over time hopefully they would be able to spread the councils and standardize how they dealt with human's and other non-human's. While he was thinking about it he pulled out some velum and paper. Before anything touched the velum he worked the note out on paper till he was satisfied. Normally Saul took care of all the correspondence but since this was from one Alpha to another, or others he needed to do it. Now technically he could pen the note and give it to Saul to finish but he wanted his scent imprinted on the notes. There was going to be one set to his Alpha's that when the meeting was scheduled it was not voluntary. The second was to Ben and Alysson requesting the best time to schedule since her manor would be considered neutral territory. A third set was to be passed onto the lead Alpha(s) further north and east informing them of the intentions of having a meeting of the Alpha's. Once he had the various notes penned he contacted Saul. *Nobody is to contact me unless it is an actual dire emergency such as a pack war. I need to focus and ensure I get this done correctly.* Getting that done had taken the entire day and part of the next and by the time he was done his back was a solid mass of knots since he had to focus so much. For him it was even worse since he really had to focus on the shape and spelling of the language. The last thing he did before sealing the documents was to have Saul proof them. He didn't touch them but he did proof them. Finally he was done and when he tried to straighten up found he barely could. Saul shook his head. *Felanzi, meet Dan in his room with the massage oils and water proof sheet. His back is a knot.* "Dan go to your room. Felanzi is going to work you over or you are going to be a grouchy wolf for the next week." Felanzi met him there and already had the oils warming and the sheet spread out so the covers wouldn't get messed up. When she started she grunted. "I might need a massage of my own after this. I don't think I've ever seen you this tense before." It took time but eventually she was done and almost before she was done cleaning the excess oils off Dan tumbled her off his back and curled his arms around her. To say she was startled was an understatement but his arms were gentle. "Spend the night please, even if simply for someone next to me. Something extra might be nice but it's up to you on that." He gave her a light kiss and pulled the covers up over them. ~~~ He was sitting in his office thinking about this and had a feeling there were going to be more matting's between the Kitsune's and lycan's to solidify their bonds. He didn't mind as long as he didn't end up with one. They were fun to play with but his former mate had been human and that was what he wanted. As he was thinking, Saul knocked on the door and walked in. "Morning Dan, the next food order and all that good stuff." He snickered at Dan when he said it. Ah, fun and excitement. "I'm going to take Shannon and Nancy this time and see about getting another car seat since we only have one and I can't see taking the two boys alone." Hell he couldn't see not taking the three but he was not going to have three wolf pups in town at one time. That would drive him to distraction and god only knew what trouble they might get in. Saul snorted and looked away. "I can see that and I will let them know to be dressed and ready for Friday when you go. I am going to assume the usual time?" Saul sat down and leaned back. "Dan, why are you taking wolves into town? I really do want to know." Dan leaned back and considered the best way to answer that. "Well, first off my original wolves are used to living in town and coming out to the manor as needed to relax. Also since humans know about us I want to start integrating our wolves into human life. The adults getting jobs and bringing in money to the pack that isn't of questionable value, and actually working together." Dan sighed. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have human's know about us? That and accept us for who we sort of are? It's a horrible and wonderful shock." "I want to get away from wolves being thugs and enforcers as some of them are, which I'm sure you know what I mean. I want us to start becoming part of the community and actually being positive role models and donors to the community." Saul listened to what he said and nodded. It didn't make a great deal of sense to him quite yet but Dan had done such good things to the pack that he was willing to follow him. "I don't quite understand but will do my best." With a slight nod he left for his office and settled back staring at the ceiling as he was trying to think. As he did this Felanzi walked in and settled down. "You look confused. Can I help?" She had felt his reactions to what Dan had been saying over the pack bonds to a certain extent. Saul looked at her and tilted his head. "Felanzi, would you consider becoming my mate? I know you are more dominant than I am but I think it would be a good thing for us and the pack." He sat up and leaned forward giving her a serious look. "I don't know if I will ever find a mate but I'm drawn to you." She blushed when he asked since she had considered it as well. "If Dan doesn't have a problem I would be more than happy to explore the idea of it." She looked down at the floor. "I do want a mate but after the last Alpha forced it, I am sort of..." She couldn't continue. Sault walked to her and settled down on the floor resting his head on her lap and sighed. "I do understand. The pack was broken but we are doing so much better and I have been watching you from afar and do wish this. Think about it and take your time." Felanzi stroked his hair and considered. "It will take time, but I will think about it...and thank you Saul." She kept stroking as the considered the idea. ~~~ The following Friday as usual he gathered the inventory and reviewed it. For the most part he didn't need to make changes since both Saul and Angie had gotten used to his requirements. It had been long enough that the men, women, and children had started gaining weight. Soon he was going to be heading north for Mari's delivery; it was maybe two or three weeks before it was time. What sucked was he was supposed to have an evaluation of the pack and update on the new pack members about the same time. He was not looking forward to that since he was going to have to deal with his new status as a Lord of the Silver Kitsune clan, an Alpha, and a business man. One thing he had discovered was the tail he had been given had sort of grafted itself into his hair and there wasn't anything he could do. It was the same for the other two as well. The three of them had the tails and other than brushing them you couldn't do anything with them. Dan sighed as he got ready for the trip and wandered downstairs. "I'm taking Shannon and Nancy to town since I'm going to see about getting another car seat and maybe even another car so we can take a few more at a time." He glanced around. "I'll see all of you later and be good or I might either tickle or beat you as needed. Both of the adolescent pups looked very pleased that they got to go. Yes they had seen Dan taking other pups to the city the last few weeks but for some reason hadn't expected him to take them. Both ran to their rooms and changed into more formal clothes and Dan had to smile. Nancy was growing into a very attractive young lady and Shannon was definitely putting on a bit of weight as he grew. It had been only a year or so, maybe a bit under but both had aged well and with all the good food had filled out. "Okay, you two be good or else. If anyone tries anything that is one thing, but if you pick a fight that is another." He didn't really expect anything but better safe than sorry. Human's were so frail compared to lyan's that sometimes it was better to be safe than sorry. The drive to town didn't take any longer than normal and Dan walked into the store as normal. "Hey Pam, this is Shannon and Nancy, two of the pack pups." He rested his hands on their heads as he introduced them. Pam smiled at them. "Pleased to meet more of the pack and since Giani loved the jerky would you like some?" She pulled a few pieces out and offered them to the kids. Both almost snatched the large pieces. "Um, thank you ma'am." Shannon said and Nancy gave her a shy look. "Can we go outside for a few while you do what you do?" Dan almost said no and then nodded. "Don't get in trouble or else." That was a definite growl as the two went outside and she started compiling the tab. Right as he was paying he heard some noise from outside and turned and watched Nancy toss some boy halfway across the street. "Go figure I should've expected something like this." He growled and walked out the door followed by Pam. There were five kids facing his two wolves and he growled and leaned against the door jam. "Well, this is going to be interesting. I feel sorry for the kids." Pam looked shocked. "Those are punks from this street and can..." Before she could continue Dan started laughing. "Pam, lycan's remember? Even Nancy could take most of them without really struggling. With Shannon? God help them." He simply sat there and grinned as the two took on the four left and wiped the street with them. Moments later a police car came and Dan had called his two pups over and they were standing behind him growling. *Enough you two. Tell me what happened.* Nancy growled as Shannon looked somewhat embarrassed. "One of the boys was trying to hit on me and didn't take no for an answer." She informed him. "I forced him away and when they objected Shannon stepped in to help." Her arms were crossed and she was looking rather pissed. Shannon looked slightly embarrassed. "They were only humans but I felt sort of bad for what I had to do." There were only five of them and weren't any sort of contest for the two of them. Maybe if there had been more than five it might have been different. Nancy was still growling. "I listened to what you said Alpha and defended myself the way you taught me." Dan frowned slightly. "Both of you come stand here and wait. I will deal with it since you are part of my pack and I am responsible for this." He tried to ignore Pam snickering in the door of the store. Dan almost growled at her but looked at the old style police car and sighed since it was the Chief and they didn't get along very well. For some reason, Dan as the new Alpha, tended to annoy him. When he climbed out and walked over Dan nodded. "Morning Chief. Sorry you got called but two members of my pack were attacked. I would prefer not to press charges and keep this from being a major incident." The chief looked at the boys picking themselves up. "You five stand by the car and I'll talk to you in a few." He turned back to Dan and the two kids. "So what happened?" His expression looked like he was sucking on a lemon. Dan urged Nancy forward. "Tell the officer what happened and then it is your turn Shannon." He sent comfort and understanding over the bonds to her. *Remember you are wolf and proud of it. Don't let idiots, of any species, make you feel lesser.* Nancy stepped forward and looked at the officer before slightly lowering her eyes since he was adult and more dominant but she didn't show her throat. "Officer, Shannon and I asked our Alpha to come outside while he was finishing up with Ms. Pam. We came out and these five came over and started harassing us." She glowered at them and her green eyes started turning Jade before Dan stomped on it. "That one," she pointed at one, "Wanted me to go with him and have a bit of 'fun'. I am too young for that and even if I wasn't he wouldn't be worth my time. He is weak and pathetic." Dan had to tromp on her again. "Sorry officer, just not something I wanted and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Shannon came over and then things went south for them." The officer took a similar statement from Shannon who was easily as tall as the officer though he wasn't as wide, the officer was more fat and Shannon was muscle. It took a bit longer before things were straightened out and the officer packed the kids in the car and pulled away from the store. Dan growled. "How stupid can human's be? You did tell them you were wolves right?" Nancy growled and then calmed down when Dan glowered at her. "Yes Sir I did. I told them I was a wolf and wasn't interested. They took it as an insult and tried to drag me away." She actually sounded insulted about that. "They would have needed at least several more before that would have happened." She knew what they wanted and her wolf was very insulted that there had only been five though the human side had been scared. "Let's go kids since I have an appointment to look at my new desk, or the basics of it." Dan led them down the street and into the shop. "Hey, how's it going? These are two of my pups Nancy and Shannon though Shannon is one of the older pups." He was pleased that Shannon was sort of hovering over Nancy and his eyes were somewhat lighter. "Sorry Anton, but we had a few issues earlier and Shannon is just making sure that nobody hurts Nancy." He bopped the boy on the shoulder. "Now back to the desk and a few other things we had been discussing..." Anton looked at the young man and shook his head since he had a very angry look on his face. He turned back to Dan. "I hope you don't mind but I did invite a friend over who works with metal for some of the things we had discussed. I trust him and hope you will as well." As he was speaking a younger man came out and he was burly to say the least. "Alpha, Anton has made a few subtle comments on what you want and it has really piqued my interest." He pulled out some sketches and they were far better than either of the other two had done and Dan was impressed. "That is close to what I'm looking for and I'm not looking at a one off either. I want to actually manufacture them. It would be a three way partnership." Dan gave him a slight grin. "Since I came up with the idea I would get a larger share but... I am looking for ways to improve the finances of the pack as well as do something for the town. Would you be interested?" They talked for a while longer as the other two wolves walked around the store. The two teens were giving the men room though they could hear everything that was being said. Eventually Shannon came over and with a nod at Dan looked at the drawings. "Um Sir what if we slightly changed..." He had been working with the weapons for years before his father had been killed and had a good idea of how to work with metal. Ivan looked at the boy and the drawing and gave him an evaluating look. "What makes you say that son?" His voice showed his curiosity, since the suggestions were good ones and he was surprised at what the boy had to say. "Sir, it is simply that if you place all the weight at this end at the point, eventually you might run into problems." He flushed when he said it since he could smell the oil and metal on the man. "I worked with my father for years and he was the armorer for the pack." He looked down when he said that. Ivan looked at him and then at Dan. "I don't suppose you would be willing to let me make an apprentice of him? If he can say this much with what would be considered little training I could make a master metal worker of him in just a few years." He was still giving the young man an evaluating look. Dan and Shannon were both startled and Dan contemplated the idea. "I'll think about it but I would have to place him with some of the wolves that live in town during the week. He would also have to finish his education even if you were to take him as an apprentice. We'll discuss it later after I have a chance to talk to him." They talked a bit longer and made an appointment to meet the following week. "Well, we need to get going. We have lunch to catch and then back to the house." He pulled a card out and handed it to Ivan. "Give me a call in a few days and we'll discuss this further." Dan gave Shannon a light hug and with a smile left the shop. This might be a good thing for the pack though it was going to have to be very carefully managed. "That was some good ideas son. We'll talk about this later Shannon and I'm proud of you." ~~~ They met Pam at the place they had eaten before, when they walked up she was waiting and he gave her a warm smile. It was warmer than he had intended since his wolf knew what she was going to be to him soon. "Sorry for not meeting you at the store. I had someone offer Shannon an apprenticeship and I had to discuss that for a moment or two." She smiled. "Good for you and I'm starving. I love where I work but sometimes the odd hours can be annoying." She didn't really think when she took one of Dan's arms and walked into the diner and they were quickly shown to a table. The same lady who had served them before served them again. "Good afternoon and let me guess, more of the pack? I have adult menus for them as well and what do you want to drink?" She took the orders down and wandered off. Lunch went well and they had a good talk about what was going on and Dan really needed or wanted to know what was going on in town and Pam had a good idea. The two kids talked with each other and most of it was about the fight earlier though they were quiet about it. The waitress brought the check over and Dan paid for it while they were still eating. Pam sort of grumbled. "You know I would like to cover the charges one of these days but with the amount you eat... Can I offer you a meal one of these days Dan?" He was fascinating for her since he was so different from virtually any other lycan she had met and that included the one she had dated. "I make a really mean chili and would love to have you over for some." She was taking one more chance on this before she washed her hands of lycans as someone to see. Dan was more than startled when she pretty much invited him over. His wolf was pleased with the request but again didn't really have much to say. "I so need to have a talk with my wolf. He is being a pain in my butt." There was a grumble when he said it. "I would be pleased to come over for dinner and chili is a favorite of mine. I'll bring something for dessert as well if you'd like." Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 11 Good evening, morning, or whatever time it is where my readers live. I did want to say thank you to everyone for their patients as I finished this chapter and had it reviewed by Pocketbook Lover. I do hope you like the twists and turns in this chapter as you read it. I would also like to say thank you to all my readers for the urgings I kept getting to keep my writing up. As I told my therapist today it helps keep me sane. Beyond that I will plead a fifth... Of rootbeer... All the feedback and comments have helped me adjust the story to an extent so that my current readers keep enjoying it. It is also so that new readers will also enjoy it as well. I am working on chapter 3 of Ranicke and hope to have it done this evening or tomorrow. For all the screams and groans I got from the Sholan Alliance I am working on bk 2 c1 right now. I will admit I am having some urges to add some drama and excitement to that chapter. I enjoyed doing a story that the drama was mostly personal and not from external sources for the most part. I really enjoyed working both Billy's and Satasha's relationship into from friends to something more. Though it really doesn't matter in this chapter any and all sexual relations are 18+. ***** The week seemed to crawl and the closer Friday got the more nervous he became. Pam had invited him over for dinner and to be totally honest he was tied in knots over it. It had been close to a year since he'd lost his mate. Much of the grieving had been done but some would never go away. Losing a part of your soul was the sort of wound that never really healed, though as time passed it did become easier though it would never become easy. What Sheliae had done many months ago helped a great deal but they both knew the agony would never really go away. That was one reason he was nervous since it felt like he was cheating on his mate. The other reason was simply the fact that he hadn't dated anyone for years and he didn't want to come across as awkward. Eventually he went upstairs and stared into his closet and sighed. He really had no idea what he should wear for the dinner. As he was fretting over it Angie walked in and snorted. "Dan, take a chill pill and relax. She simply asked you over to pay you back for the meals you purchased for her. This should work." She picked out some clothes and pointed towards the shower. "Go, trim your beard, brush your teeth, and I'll take care of your hair when you're done." Dan grumbled as she sort of pushed him around. "Aiden is likely to frown at you for spending time with me like this." He knew better but she was taking advantage of his stress and was making decisions for him. He knew she was trying to help him but he was really stressed and it was bothering him. She snorted at him. "Aiden knows why I'm here and isn't worried. He knows you better than that." She turned and gave him a good hug. "Dan, go and relax and enjoy the evening. You have done so much and you deserve an evening to relax." That was a whisper. "Go and relax my Alpha." Dan returned the hug. "I'm scared Angie." He closed his eyes. "I... I... I feel like I'm cheating on my mate. Yes, she has gone before but... Damn it, I miss her." Since Angie was one of the junior wolves in the pack and he simply held on for a few moments before he let go and stalked off to the bathroom. He took care to make sure his beard was tidy and brushed his teeth till they were almost polished. The shower took a bit longer than normal but soon enough he was done and toweled off and walked out. "Hush Dan. I can feel how scared you are but I think she would be pleased with you starting to move forward with your life." She comforted him before giving him a knowing smile. "Besides you already have several pups on the way and I know for a fact you haven't been totally celibate in the last few months." That got her growled at before he stalked into the bathroom and she smiled. Angie smiled and started working on his hair to make a very neat and tidy braid and at the end added a silver wolf charm. She took her time and then helped him dress. "Your hair will be damp for a while but your shirt should dry by the time you arrive." Her hand stroked his cheek. "Please my Alpha go and take some time for yourself. You've done so much for the Pack and even in a way the Silver Kitsune Clan." Dan sighed since he knew what she meant. She had lost a mate and was doing her best to both comfort and urge him to start living again. It was the living again that scared him so much. Burying his grief in saving the pack, helping it become better, and even a few liaisons had helped but the idea of actually seeing someone this way really scared him. "Go Dan, Pam is waiting and I have a good feeling about this evening." She gave him a light kiss and urged him towards the doors of his suite. He had on the mating bracelet as well as his Alpha necklace which he rarely wore. She made sure he looked his best and even if his date with Pam ended up lasting only a few weeks or a month or two she knew it would be good for him. ** Dan climbed into the truck and had to consider getting a car. For some reason going on a date in a truck bothered him. If he'd been back home he would've been in one of his sports cars but what they called a sports car here was pathetic. All of this was helping to distract him from what he was trying to avoid thinking about. For some reason his wolf was curled up, half asleep in his mind and was feeling content. That bothered him since his wolf got this way when he knew something Dan didn't and he was concerned about what it was. He sent a thought to him and was given a sort of 'enjoy the evening' from him and he went back to sleep which really frustrated Dan since he was used to a much more active wolf. "I am so going to pluck your mental tail wolf." That got him a grumble. Eventually, he made it to Pam's and paused in the truck before finally climbing out and walking to the door. His heart was beating in overtime which was bothering him since he wasn't sure why. He finally knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. When she did he was pleased to see seemed to be dressed similar to him. "I really wasn't sure what to wear but one of my Pack helped me." She smiled and opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Please come in Dan and you look very nice." Her house smelled of spaghetti sauce and she hoped he liked it. Personally she had found Dan very interesting and endearing as he had brought the pups to the town. Why she was drawn to him she wasn't sure but there was a definite draw for her. He gave a shy smile when she said he looked good. "Thanks Pam and I really hope so; it's been a while since I've been to someone's house like this." He forced his loss back but it still showed in his eyes as he moved into her house. "Dan I have to ask, why the sadness in your eyes? It really bothers me and I want to know." She moved over to him and stroked his cheek and leaned against him. "There's something that is keeping you sad and I want and almost need to know. Please tell me." Dan wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head and almost cried. "I lost my mate and children just about a year ago in the world I come from. They were killed in an accident." He rested his head on her shoulder and took a number of slow deep breaths; that was the wrong thing to do since what his wolf had been hiding from him hit like a hammer. His eyes dilated and he froze in place. This was the scent of a mate and not just any mate but his mate. For some reason he tended to mate with human's since his very first mate had been human as well as Nang. Now it seemed that Pam was eventually going to be his mate as well. He closed his eyes and his jaw tensed and he finally stepped back and let her go. His eyes were starting to change colors and before he realized it he almost ran out of the house. Where he was headed he wasn't sure but to be honest he was running from what he had scented. Eventually he found himself at some bar and settled at one end. When the bartender came over Dan looked at him and looked at the bar options. "Give me the half bottle of the premium rum and leave me alone please." At the moment all he wanted was to be left alone, what he scented had scared the bloody living hell out of him. The bartender noticed the heavy gold necklace and the medallion on the end and almost asked him to leave. The wolf looked worked up about something and the last thing they needed was for an angry wolf in the bar. They could do some serious damage and that necklace proclaimed that he was the lead wolf. That meant he was faster, stronger, and meaner than the others. The fact that the pack had changed leadership was slowly filtering through town but hadn't made it this far. *** Pam was shocked when Dan ran out of the house and down the street. She wasn't sure what to do but eventually one thing came to mind and she picked up the phone and when one of the Pack answered she almost hung up. "Um, something happened and Dan..." She closed her eyes and continued. "He ran from my house and I don't know why. I know he lost his mate and family but... What do I do?" Saul frowned and sighed saying diplomatically, "Ma'am, we'll be there as soon as possible. I'm not sure what's going on but we will come and try to straighten this out." He called for Felanzi. *Come, something is going on with Dan and I need your help.* She hurried down to where he was. "So what's going on?" Felanzi asked and Saul sighed. *Pam is his next mate if my wolf is right. Dan freaked out. He needs someone to sort of smack some sense into him and get him to move on.* Saul sighed and pulled her into his lap. *Let's just say someone told me she is going to be the final healing of him. I can't say more than that though I wish I could.* They climbed into the car and Saul pulled out. He didn't take his time and was at her house in almost record time and they quickly walked to the door and knocked. When Pam answered she looked very upset and Saul didn't blame her. He stepped forward and gave her a good hug. "Relax Pam I think I know what's going on and need to talk to Dan. My mate Felanzi will stay with you while I find Dan." Felanzi moved forward and gave her a hug as well. "Can I make you something to drink? Would you like some nice warm herbal tea?" As she was talking she led Pam over to the couch and urged her to sit down. "I'm sorry if Dan upset you but it's something he'll need to talk to you about." She stood and went to the kitchen and followed her nose to the cabinet with the tea and started some water boiling. *** Saul stalked out of the house to the car and headed towards where he felt Dan. His Alpha wasn't hiding his location though he wasn't broadcasting either. It took a bit of time to find him and frowned when he found he was at a bar. He wasn't worried about Dan being drunk but the emotions he was feeling was a total mash and he didn't need the slight buzz that he might get. When Saul walked in he found Dan at the end of the counter and he was doing a decent job of downing at least part of a bottle of something. Saul walked over and though he knew he was going to get in trouble he smacked him on the back of the head. "What the hell are you doing Alpha? You freak out and left a terrified lady at home." There was a growl that got everyone's attention. The bartender as well as the customers nearby all looked shocked and there was a sudden exodus towards the exits since many of them had seen wolf fights. They tended to be interesting, destructive, and hard on anyone nearby. The bartender was pale but stood his ground. "If you're going to have a fight go outside. If you destroy my bar, I'll file suit." Dan turned and snarled at Saul for his presumption but the look on Saul's face said a great deal. "You can pound me into the ground later but right now you need to go talk to Pam and explain it to her. You scared the crap out of her when you ran and you need to go back and deal with this." He did lift his chin in submission but kept his eyes on Dan's. Dan snarled at him but what Saul was saying was true. He knew Saul wasn't a challenge but his wolf was now worked up and he reached over and grabbed Saul's shirt. He snarled at Saul and jerked him close. "I will deal with you later." He shoved him away and stalked out of the bar. If Dan honestly admitted it most of his anger was that Saul was right, he had freaked out and left Pam at her house and probably very upset. Though he didn't know his exact location, he was able to follow his scent of fear and panic to her house. When he reached the house he almost stalked to the porch and could smell Felanzi there as well. He knocked and then walked into the house. "Felanzi, Saul will be here in a few moments with the car. Go home and I'll talk to you later." He sounded both angry and frustrated as he spoke. Pam was starting to look scared since Dan was sounding angry and she had seen angry Alpha's before. All she could do was cower on the couch as Dan commanded Felanzi to leave. To be honest she would have preferred if the other wolf had remained but there wasn't anything she could do. "Please don't hurt me Dan." She was starting to cry. Dan slowly moved forward and crouched down in front of her. He was still angry and frustrated with Saul and his wolf but her fear was hitting him hard. "I will never hurt you Pam. I'm sorry I ran like that but..." He lowered his head and rested it on her lap. "When I scented you, I discovered you will at some point end up being my mate and it scared the living crap out of me." Pam almost jerked when he laid his head in her lap but instinctively her hands came up and started stroking his hair. When he spoke she really did believe him, she wasn't sure why but she simply did. There was something about him that told her she was safe. When he next spoke she froze and so did her hands. She was his mate? Oh God, what was she supposed to say or do with that? Dan sensed her reaction but was too tied up in what he was feeling to be able to really do anything about it. Her stroking of his hair was calming and helping as well as the scent of her in his nose. "I have lost two mates in my time and finding a third is scaring me badly. I am not sure I could deal with loosing another." The tears started as hard as he tried not to let them. "I miss my former mate and children even though she told me to be happy and live a full life when I was up north." That wouldn't make sense but Dan was not all quite there so to speak at the moment. Pam kept listening and started stroking again. She couldn't imagine losing even one husband much less two and some children. "Oh Dan, I'm so sorry. I don't have any idea what that might be like for a wolf but it would hurt like hell if I lost someone like that." For the moment she chose not to consider the whole mate' bit for her sanity's sake. It was silly of her but she needed to help Dan. "Let's eat and relax, then we can talk some more later. I have plenty of food and I think I did a good job on it." Dan slowly sat up and looked at her, allowing his vulnerability to show in his expressive eyes; at the moment he didn't have any of his normal barriers in place. "I'm sorry I scared you Pam. I really am. I just reacted and wasn't thinking." He sighed and finally stood. "Food would be good and thank you for listening Pam." She stood and moved forward towards him and gave him a light hug and leaned against him. "I'm still sort of freaked out but you're going to always be welcome at my house." Pam moved towards the kitchen to check the food. The noodles weren't going to be perfect but the sauce, with plenty of meat, was going to be good. "Please sit down Dan and I'll bring the food over." He sat down and took a slow breath as he tried to ignore her scent. The smell of the food helped since he was quite hungry. She brought the food over and he gave her a watery smile. "Thank you Pam, I really appreciate it." As they ate they talked in fits and starts. Dan tried to describe and explain where he was from and what it had been like. Pam seemed to accept he was from a different world well enough though some of what he described was rather odd. This world was so different than hers. Some things he tried to describe were hard to believe. Eventually they finished eating though Pam was done before Dan and she smiled. "I know your shopping bills and I'm glad I don't have to worry about trying to support your food habits..." She made a joke of it and was pleased when Dan snorted at her. "Why don't we go and relax on the couch. We need to talk more about this. The dishes can wait." She stood and offered him a hand though it was shaking a bit. Dan nodded. "We do need to talk and the couch would be more comfortable than sitting here looking at each other across the table." He took her hand and felt the slight flutter and couldn't resist lifting it to his lips and lightly kissing it. "Please Pam I will not hurt you at least not physically. I can't say emotionally since that is something totally different but never intentionally." She led him over to the couch and urged him down and settled down next to him and leaned against him. "I know that Dan since I can feel it." Goodness it felt good to lean against him and rest her head on his shoulder. He was the perfect height for her. Normally she preferred her men to be somewhat more slender where as Dan was massively built. When she leaned against him he began to relax and his wolf was finally talking to him and was feeling quite relaxed; to the wolf yesterday was just that-yesterday. The fact that he lost his mate and pups hurt but they always looked forward to tomorrow. Mentally his wolf was sort of rubbing against his human side and was content now that Dan was starting to confirm what the wolf had sensed so long ago. "So Dan, what did you mean about my being your mate? I don't really understand. We know about lycan's and have to take a few classes in school about the other species but it's fairly generic." How did he know and was that why she had been feeling so comfortable with him over the last few months? Dan tensed and then sighed. "A wolf knows someone is his or her mate by scent as much as anything else." He curled an arm around her and pulled her a bit closer to him. "There is also a sort of spiritual or soul link as well that forms once the two admit and accept the other. By your scent I know you are going to be my mate in this world unless you reject me." God that would probably be the end of him. "It doesn't mean you have to become a lycan immediately but most humans do choose at some point." Dan sighed again. "I'm over 200 years old and when a wolf mates with a human as the human ages they usually choose to be changed." She had to know as much as possible. "If you do choose to mate with me to the best of my knowledge any children we would have would be wolves. I am basing that on what I have seen as much as what I have learned about this world." Pam knew they lived longer than humans but when Dan told her how old she was shocked. He didn't look more than his late 20's but she did know they lived longer than humans. "Oh my, does that mean you are picking up little girls?" It was a joke and she snickered when she said it. Dan growled at her when she said that. "You are an adult and though I am an old fart I don't have a problem with seeing you, so there." He leaned over and nibbled on her neck just for good measure. "Tease me and you will find out that I might be more than you can handle..." Just for good measure he licked her neck over the pulse point just to tease her a bit more. Pam yipped as he nibbled on her and leaned into his lick. "Keep that up big boy and you might find yourself in my bed." Damn it she was drawn towards him and she wanted to take him to bed. Yes she had been with an Alpha before and had greatly enjoyed it but Dan was drawing her in ways the other hadn't. Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 11 "Oh? Is that a threat? I might just quiver in fear now." He attacked her neck again and then worked his way to an ear. "You taste as good as you smell. I can only imagine what you might be like in bed." He tucked his nose into her hair and inhaled. "Lady, this is driving me nuts. You need to say yes or no very soon or my wolf might take over." Pam barely managed not to groan as he nibbled on her and told her how good she tasted. She did have a decision to make and it was very important and not just for Dan but for her. She leaned a bit more against him and sighed. "I have to admit I'm a bit scared myself Dan since I did date a wolf before but damn it you are drawing me." She turned and kissed him and then leaned into his neck. "Will you love me Dan? Love me till such time as one of us goes ahead?" She did know what that meant. He closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath and slowly let it out. "Pam, if you accept me as your mate I will love you no matter what. It scares me as much as it seems to scare you but I can't deny it. I do want you more than any of the women I have been with since I came over." He leaned back and sighed slightly. "I do need to let you know that I seem to be rather fertile since I have both a wolf and a fox with my pups or kits as the case may be." Pam froze and then snickered at him. "Oh my... good thing I just had my cycle or I might be worried." She was a bit startled when Dan told her he was expecting several children at the moment. "Isn't that sort of abnormal for wolves without mates?" Pam had to admit to herself she did want children and even if they ended up being pups she wanted some. Dan growled at her and picked her up and carried Pam to her bedroom. "Since you didn't say no I am going to assume you are interested. Say no if you want." Dan would never force a woman but Pam was giving out all the right signals. She smelled like she wanted him as well as the whole mating scent she had. Dan settled her on the bed and gave her a light kiss. "I want you Pam and please say yes." He sighed slightly. "You are beautiful and smell more than lovely." Pam sighed and leaned against him. "I won't say no Dan and goddess I do want you more than I have wanted anyone for a long time." She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. "Give me all the love you can Dan and though I'm going to need to think about it I am going to consider becoming your mate." She straddled his lap and rubbed her hands over his chest and liked the feel of the heavy muscles he had. Dan did his best to take his time but his wolf wasn't going to take a chance and the sex was fast and furious though Pam didn't seem to complain. Eventually they curled up in her bed and she held his arm around her. "That was faster than I normally prefer but goddess it was good." She pulled his arms tighter around her before she fell asleep. Dan fell asleep shortly after and curled around Pam holding her as close as possible and his wolf was more than content. She was a lovely woman though she wasn't quite his normal preference. She was just an inch or two shorter than he was and though slender had larger breasts and hips. His wolf didn't care since as far as he was concerned he would mate with her come hell or high water. The next morning he was awakened by his phone ringing and he almost tossed it across the room till he saw it was from Saul. Dan answered it with a growl. "You had better have a good reason for calling me at this time." When he glanced at the clock he noticed it was close to 9am and was more than startled. "Well if you consider I have a call from Lady Alysson to patch through then it might be a bit more than important." Dan sat up and noticed his back was aching. "Patch her over and I'll talk with her." He sat up and waited for a moment till Alysson was patched over. *** Mari was sitting in her solarium in their suite. She was due at any time and the chairs in her main office simply weren't comfortable enough anymore. She wasn't working any more either since it was just too hard to get around being full term. "Lady my back is killing me. I might have to consider a soak in the tub to see if it will relax the muscles." She tried to stretch but she couldn't even do that very well. Geoff walked into the room and hurried over to her. He had been feeling the pains and knew she was in labor even if she hadn't noticed as of yet. "I contacted mom and she is having a car brought around and we are going to take you to the hospital." Mari looked slightly blank at that and then paled as the first real contraction hit and she groaned. "Owww...Dan is a dead man when I get my hands on him. This is not fun." Moments later Gettie stood. "I'll get your bag and Geoff why don't you start walking her to the car." The bags had been packed for a week or longer and all she had to do was grab them and they were ready to go. She hurried downstairs and tossed the bags in the back and opened the door for the two of them. Once they were in she scooted around to the other side and climbed in. She knew Alysson would be bringing a different vehicle since there were calls she had to make to notify the elders of the pending arrival of the two pups. They weren't in line for being heirs but they were going to be in the clan leader's family and that required certain steps. *** The first call Alysson made was to Dan since they were his pups and he needed to know. This was so he could hopefully make it there before she delivered. Every father should have the right to see their children born if they wanted to. When the phone was picked up it wasn't by Dan but by Saul. "Good morning Saul, I need to talk to Dan please and it is pretty urgent." Saul grinned. "I think I can guess why. I need to patch you through since he isn't at home right now. Give me a few moments please." He put her on hold and dialed the number for the cell that Dan had. It was not a common item to have but Dan had invested in one. It only took a few moments for him to contact Dan and patch Alysson through. "Sorry Dan but Lady Alysson indicated it was important." Dan took a moment to contemplate why Alysson might be calling and realized it could only be Mari having his pups. "Patch her over and I'll talk to her." He felt Pam stir behind him and he had to smile since he was sure she was willing to at least see him for a while. "Good morning Dan, Mari is in labor and I figured you might want to be here for her delivery if possible. Do you think you can get a flight?" She was more than willing to send a plane if needed but that would require some time since it was a different country. "Um, give me a few and I will be able to tell you." He muted the phone. "Pam, I need to borrow your computer if you have one. My submissive is in labor with my pups and I need to see about the flights." He blushed when he said that. She snickered and stood up pulling a robe on though underneath she was nude. "Follow me and I will show you where it is." Pam swished out of the room and could feel Dan's eyes following her and snickered at him. "Like what you see?" Pam leaned over and gave him a kiss as he powered on the computer. "Would you like some coffee Dan?" Alysson started snickering and Dan growled at her. "So you are not at home right now huh? Do I want to know where you are?" He growled even more and then at Pam when she snickered. "That is none of your darn business woman. When I make it there I am going to do something like tickle you or something and your hubby can go hang while I do it." She was having too much fun teasing him and he didn't appreciate it. When it powered up he typed in the site for the airlines and frowned. There were only a few seats left. "I think I can make it but it is going to be tight. I will call you back if I can't." He hung up and looked at Pam. "Feel like a few days off? I'm going to fly to Portlandia to hopefully see my first two pups delivered. I would like you to come with me if you want." Pam leaned against him and smiled. "I wouldn't mind. I have plenty of time off coming and a few days off would be nice. I have to admit I'm sort of jealous someone else is having your children." She looked at the screen and smiled. "Make the reservations and I'll pack a bag. What about you?" Dan snorted. "I have a feeling Saul already stuck my bag in the truck and even if he didn't I'll get clothing there come heck or high-water." He leaned back against her chest and smiled. "I'm glad you are coming and you have no reason to be jealous. It was a onetime interaction with my submissive when she was in heat. She is mated and it won't happen again." "Oh and what about the other pups or kits you were talking about?" Pam was feeling sort of miffed at the fact he was already having children. "Was she cute and how did you meet her?" Just for good measure she nipped one ear. Dan growled at her. "Sheliae is a Kitsune and is now mated with my former Beta. I... Oh hell, she helped me deal with the loss of my mate and pups. That was before we went to the Silver Kitsune Clan's property." Dan didn't really think before he reached up and stroked the small wolf's tail that was now embedded in is hair. "When Geoff came down and encountered Mari, Sheliae graced my bed for a few weeks and stuff happened." Pam snickered at him. "Stuff happened? Sounds like more than a bit of stuff happened between the two of you..." Now she was more than curious about the others that might have graced his bed as he put it and just how many pups might be out there. She had noticed the ornament in his hair and had stroked it last night and found to her surprise it was attached. "What is this Dan?" Her fingers lightly traced it. Dan growled at her again. "Yes, she is carrying a kit and pup. It was unintentional but..." He closed his eyes and leaned against her. "Mari and in a way Sheliae kept me sane. Mari shared my bed as I started recovering from the loss of my mate and pups. Sheliae use her powers as a Kitsune to start my healing. Neither were intended Pam. I want pups by my mate as well." When she stroked his small tail he had to smile. "It means I have been accepted into the Kitsune clan and identifies me as such. Only a rare few have the honor." Pam sighed. "I understand Dan and sometimes stuff happens I guess you could say I'm sort of startled but understand." She ran her fingers though his hair. "Let's get to the airport and to your submissive. I'm willing to bet they're going to be darling pups." She held him close. "Sorry Dan, I was just trying to lighten the situation." Dan sighed and after a few moments urged her away. "We really need to get going. I think you'll like everyone there. Alysson is going to be there with Geoff and ..." At this point Dan was so used to dealing with nobles not to mention that he was one didn't even cross his mind. Pam gasped as she interrupted him. "Do you mean Lady Alysson and her heir Lord Geoffrey Logan?" That was more than shocking to her since she had never really dealt with that sort of person. Dan almost floundered for a moment. "Um, yes as well as my former Beta who is now the Alpha of the Packs that belong to her and is mate to Lady Sheliae the mother of my other pups. Is that a problem?" It had never occurred to him that she might be freaked out. "Good gods Dan yes that is. You are both an Alpha here and nobility of another country? Where does that leave me?" She was trying to figure it out as she was packing a bag. Dan snorted. "Um, my mate, lady, and maybe a lady of the clan?" He face palmed. "Oh god now I have something else to explain to the auditor. I might just shoot myself." The man was supposed to be there that week but he had a new mate to deal with, new pups, possibly a new lady as well. "Lady just shoot me now." Pam packed a bag for several days. "So how long do you expect to be gone? I need to tell my employer." She had plenty of time on the books but normally didn't take vacation on the first day of the week. She didn't really think about it but Dan would take care of it. Dan sighed. "We'll take care of it since I don't want you to lose your job due to what is going on." Damn it that was another thing he needed to worry about and to be honest he could take her to the pack house and go from there. "Probably at least three to four days. I don't know what sort of ceremony they might have. Alysson considers me a sort of surrogate parent for Mari." He blushed when he said that and she snickered. "Dan you've got to have one of the most complex family relationships I know of. Any other children I need to know about?" She was in shock and was trying to process what he had told her this morning. He made the reservations and called for a taxi since he might as well leave his truck here. Dan ignored her question. "Are sure you want to go along Pam? I know this has been a huge shock for you and you might need time to think about it." His eyes said differently and his wolf didn't like the idea at all. She gave him some big eyes. "No way in hell would I remain behind. Go and see the mansion of the Silver Kitsune clan, meet some nobles, live in the lap of luxury for a few days? You could be having a pack of pups and... Oh wait you are doing that already." She pressed up against him and gave him a kiss. "Mind you the whole mating thing I still need to think about." Dan snorted. "I see how it is; only taking up my offer so you can have a free vacation." He was grinning as he loaded the luggage in the taxi. For a brief moment he felt his back spasm but shrugged it off as stress. The drive to the airport didn't take long and after a nice tip he walked in with her and to the check in counter. "Good morning I have reservations for two to Portlandia." He handed over his ID and hoped the damn thing passed inspection since at the moment it was an aftermarket ID. It passed and a few minutes later they were boarding the plane. Now his day took a turn for the worse. The seats they'd been assigned were occupied by two young men who appeared to be playing a game. They had something that vaguely looked like a Game Boy that was connected via a cable. "Excuse me but these are our seats. Can you please move?" One of the men waved towards some other seats. "Go sit over there. We're busy." It was obvious he was completely ignoring Dan and Pam as he was concentrating on the game. A low growl started in the back of Dan's chest. "Son, you have two choices, move so we can sit down or I will call the stewardess and have her move you." Damn it his back was starting to spasm again and his eyes were starting to turn amber. "I would say the third option would be to toss you towards your seats but that might get me in trouble." "Is there a problem gentleman?" She sounded very professional and a hint of hoping to not have another problem. "Yes there is, these are our seats and I want an aisle seat since I don't like getting squished and he refuses to move. I asked him politely and he refused." Damn it he needed his shades since he was getting pissed off and knew if this kept up his eyes were going to start turning even lighter. Between his concerns for Mari and this idiot it wasn't going to take much to set him off. Pam rested a hand on Dan's back which helped his wolf calm down. "Relax Dan we'll get this straightened out and get to Portlandia." She was gently stroking his back and could feel the tension. "May I see your tickets?" Dan promptly handed his over and a few moments later the young man grudgingly handed his over. She checked them and handed them back. "Sir, you are going to need to move to your assigned seat so we can prepare for takeoff." With a snarl the man stood and disconnected the wire from the other guy's Game Boy and growled at Dan. "You haven't heard the last of me." His father was well connected in town and nobody pushed them around. Dan ignored the threat as he put his bag away and pulled a book out settling down to read. Since he had arrived he had managed to read through a great number of books but it always seemed there was more to learn all the time. Right now he was reading a book on how human law and non-human laws merged to create a cohesive body of laws that worked for the most part. The flight went fairly smooth other than the cold shoulder from the boy who had been arguing about the seats but that didn't bother Dan whatsoever since he had been hated by some very skilled haters over the years. When he got his drink it was in a heavy metal can and he had to blink at it. He'd seen similar before but they hadn't been used in America for decades. Once he finished he glanced at it and since he was feeling sort of edgy he decided to use it as a stress ball and slowly crumpled it up. Pam looked over at the book Dan was reading and shook her head. "I'll leave that fun stuff to you and stick with romances." She laughed when Dan growled at her. "If you do become my mate I am turning you over to Saul. He is a slave driver and keeps giving me more books on law, pack law, taxes, pack reporting, and history as I finish one." He gave her a smile and laughed when she made a face at him. As he was crumpling it he didn't notice the man next to him giving him funny looks. One of the two men had the seat across from Dan. As he crumpled the metal it was making little squeaks and pops till he had it in a fairly uniform ball and then he started making a fist around it and slowly mashed it even tighter. Pam rolled her eyes at him since he was obviously doing it to make a point. She had to admit that both watching and listening to him crumple the can was impressive. Those cans were of heavy steel, though they were slowly transitioning to Aluminum. "Are you having fun Dan?" He snorted at her. "If I didn't use this thing as a stress ball I would probably rip this book to shreds. Who the hell came up with the laws about mating with non-humans and humans. That wasn't mentioning how their inheritance was to be dealt with. All lawyers need to be lined up and shot after trying to write a law that made sense. If they succeeded they would live and if not shot." The book was definitely making him grumpy and he put it away and took her hand and leaned against her. His back was definitely getting even tenser the closer they got. By the time they arrived he was ready to be off the plane and get to Mari's side. When they pulled up to the on ramp Dan was ready to go through everyone but that would be really bad. One thing Dan had slowly managed to beat into his brain was patience but he didn't like it but sometimes you had to be. As they started offloading there was a disturbance at the exit and a stewardess got on the PA system. "Everyone please sit down, we have an important flyer that has an urgent meeting. Will Lord Alpha Danilo Legarith come to the front? Lady Alysson Logan of the Silver Kitsune Clan has a vehicle waiting." Dan's heart clenched since that couldn't be good. He quickly stood and pulled his bag out of the bins and looked down at the squished piece of metal and tossed it in the lap of the man next to him. "Give that to your buddy." With that he hurried to the front of the plane and recognized Jake and the blood left his face. Jake smiled slightly and handed Dan a slip of paper, in it Alysson had penned a short note. "Dan, I figure you are probably about ready to crawl out of your skin and figure the sooner you are here the sooner Mari will stop fretting about you. Jake will bring you to the hospital." Dan damn near dropped a load and for a moment had to resist the urge to threaten Alysson for doing that to him. "Thank you Jake and let's get going." Most of the people on the plane knew the Silver Kitsune Clan and that Alysson was the ruler. How the hell had he gotten to know her? He looked at Jake and then at Pam. "Pam, this is Jake their majordomo, gopher, security, and probably some classified things I don't know about. Jake, this is my girlfriend and hopefully my soon to be mate." He didn't bother making any subtle hints of treating her with respect since he knew better Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 11 Jake gave a slight bow and he was smiling at Dan as he spoke. "Congratulations Dan and I hope you have some lovely pups." He could already sense it and when Dan paled he smiled a bit more. Pam was giving Jake an odd look and then realized what he said. "Oh god you have to be joking. We just... Not that time..." She was starting to turn red as she said that and couldn't think of a good way to say she had just finished her cycle. Both traded looks and Jake had to use all his training not to snicker since they both looked horrified by what he had to say. "Hmm... Adding to the family I see. I will have to mention this to Lady Alysson." That was a subtle poke at Dan and got him growled at. As soon as they were off the plane Dan growled very quietly. "I won't throttle her when we get there, I will not throttle her." Dan shuddered a bit. "God, I thought you were there because something had happened to Mari." Right now over the bonds all he was getting was mostly pain and tiredness. No actual usable thoughts or feelings. Jake had to blink and then nodded. "I am sorry about that and I don't think she even considered that you might react that way. Mari is doing fine even though about every third word out of her mouth is your name combined with some creative language skills." He had a slight smile on his face when he said that and a few minutes later they were outside and in a SUV. Pam snickered at what Jake had to say. "Well if what you indicate is true then that might be my reaction as well." To be honest the idea scared the crap out of her and would only tie her closer to the pack which many considered a bad thing. "Okay, why the heck do all SUV's that belong to companies have to be black with tinted windows? I would love to see one that was lime green or fuchsia or candy apple red." Dan was grinning when he said it since his SUV back home was black with tinted windows. Jake smiled as he actually knew someone who had a pink one with flames over the hood and from the wheel wells. He might have to see if he could borrow it while Dan was around. That would be amusing. "We will be to the hospital in about ten minutes. According to the doctor Mari is about 7cm dilated and will be delivering within the next two or three hours." Dan nodded and tried to shift in the chair since his back was starting to hurt. It had been a long time since he had something like this but maybe it was just the stress of the day and those seats on the plane. Jake watched him shift and squirm and smiled a bit more. "First pups in this world I assume?" He had talked with Dan and Alysson about some of the differences such as the lycan's on his world couldn't have children. Dan tensed slightly but the mention of his former mate and pups didn't hurt nearly as much. "Yeah, next is Sheliae which is going to be really interesting. Geoff doesn't come across as an Alpha or a lycan so having us in the same room shouldn't be a problem. Ben is an Alpha in his own right and she is his mate so he's going to have major issues with me being in the same building much less the same room." Jake nodded. "You really aren't going to believe this but since Mari is kind of a mate you are feeling some of what she is via the bonds. I have seen this before and experienced it before and told my mate no more cubs... She laughed at me and called me a wimp." Dan blinked at him and started thinking about it and the spasms were fairly regular and getting closer together. "Oh god, I am so screwed, man is not supposed to experience this." He tensed as another spasm hit. "Even worse drugs don't work on us very well I really don't want to know what she's feeling." Pam started laughing almost hysterically at what he said. "Poor baby at least you don't have to feel the stretching of your hips and belly or the kicking of the baby and especially on the bladder. You won't get any sympathy from me." It was almost too much. Moments later they pulled up to the hospital and Dan stretched and waited for Jake to lead the way. It didn't take very long for Jake to show him to her room and when he walked in he found only Mari and Geoff. "Everyone else is in the waiting room and will cycle through. Ben and Sheliae are almost here since they were at the outer ranges of their territory." He nodded and closed the door. Dan nodded at the doctor. "I am her Alpha and those are my pups." He informed him of that to make sure there wasn't any confusion. "This is my soon to be mate and eventually mother to my pups." "We have been made aware of that and if you want to sit on the other side please do." He finished the exam and nodded. "About another hour and your first will be delivered." He left the room and closed the door behind him. Dan settled next to Mari. "Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" His voice was gentle right up till she slugged him. "By the way as I mentioned if Pam chooses she will become my mate and I wanted to introduce you to her." "This is your fault Dan; you should be the one up on this damn table." Right about then a contraction hit and Geoff held her through it. Mari looked at Pam and recognized her. "You have my sympathy and do me a favor and kick him for me. I know he won't normally hit a woman." "Hey, that hurt and just so you know I am feeling it. I guess with this damn bond I get the horror of experiencing your labor pains and it ain't fun." He was frowning and then looked across the table at Geoff and frowned even more. "Why aren't you showing any signs?" He smiled slightly and shrugged. "Trained to block it and hadn't occurred to me that you might have a problem." That his females couldn't bear young hadn't crossed his mind and the control needed to block the contractions just wasn't there. "Oh great." Dan took Mari's free hand and leaned forward giving her a light peck and stroked her hair. "I wish I could take the pain from you but I'm here for you and I can't wait to see our pups." Moments later Ben and Sheliae walked in and Dan moved so Sheliae could sit down and he gave her a hug and peck as well. "You're looking good Sheliae, going to wait till after you deliver for your mating ceremony?" Ben gave a cursory growl when Dan kissed her and he rolled his eyes at him. "Don't be silly Ben, I don't poach on claimed mates. Now before they're claimed I guess I am pretty good with." Mari punched him again just for good measure. "Besides Ben if she is willing to accept, this is going to be my mate." He drew Pam over. "Pam works in the store where we get most of our supplies." He frowned. "My wolf has been tromping on any sensation when I was around her till now." "Yeah and I am expecting child support as well." Mari started snickering till another contraction hit her and then she started groaning as well. "Geoff you might have to wait a few decades for kids. That and you will remove the block or else I will bite you." Ben raised an eyebrow and Sheliae simply smiled. Dan growled at her. "Just wait Ben when it is your turn for your mate to go into labor and you get to feel her labor pains." He was feeling rather grumpy at the time and Ben was sort of getting the brunt of it. Ben tensed up and his expression became neutral as that percolated through his mind. "Um, can it be blocked?" Sheliae started to say something but Dan interrupted her and gave her a look. Dan didn't let anyone else answer. "Nope, or not via pack bonds as far as I can tell. Believe me I would love to not be feeling this." When Mari laughed at him he rolled his eyes. "I have come to the conclusion that all submissives are actually mean and cruel people since they know their Alphas, well Ben and I, won't spank them. *Not nice Dan, not nice at all.* Mari sent him and he simply grinned. "It keeps you honest and on the straight and narrow." *Maybe if he hadn't started teasing me I might have told him and chances are Sheliae will anyways.* He sighed again and after a few more minutes Sheliae and Ben left the room and the next set came in. As the various people came in Dan made a point of introducing Pam to them. When Jon and Alysson came in Dan made a big point of introducing them. Alysson came over and gave Pam a good hug. "I am so very pleased to meet you Pam. I will make sure that there is a suite ready for the two of you once Mari delivers and I won't take no for an answer. Dan is a Lord of the clan and no hotels for him and that is going to include you." Pam didn't know what to do but finally returned the hug. "Thank you Lady Alysson. I am honored to meet you." She was blushing when she said it. Dan and Jon traded looks. Jon laughed slightly. "Pam I will tell you about when I discovered I was to be her mate. I came from a normal home with a normal family and scared silly that I would horrify the clan." He and Dan traded grins when he said that. Geoff snorted at that. "Heck, ask Mari about when she arrived. It got her Gettie as her assistant though. Oh, speaking of which while Mari is in the hospital she has asked Gettie to take care of her favorite Alpha." Geoff frowned. "I should be insulted by that but will resist the urge." It was just over an hour later when the baby girl was born and shortly after that the boy. The doctor wrapped the little girl up and clamped the cord off and waited for the pulse in it to stop. "Would you like the rights Alpha?" Geoff smiled and winked at Dan and pulled out the knife Dan had given him and handed it over. "This way it will know them." It wasn't a normal way of dealing with it but in this case Geoff felt it was appropriate. The doctor resisted rolling his eyes but stood to the side and let him do their thing, non-humans were occasionally a bit warped and around the bend. Dan took the knife from Geoff and waved Pam over. After wrapping her hand around the handle he carefully sliced the cord and then used the tip to make a tiny nick in his palm and dribbled it into Zahria's mouth. "And as we agreed we are going to name her Zahria." Dan handed her to Mari. "She is so beautiful isn't she?" As with his other kids all he wanted was for them to come out looking human and with all the right pieces and parts. He looked at Geoff and smiled. "There is my precious item number two Geoff. Take good care of her." The same thing was repeated for the little boy and Dan held him for a moment and like his older sister lightly sniffed his hair before dribbling some blood into his mouth. "And this little man is going to be known as Grayson after Mari's father." He tucked him into her other arm and looked at Geoff. "You now have three of my most precious things to watch over and protect." Geoff leaned over and took the babies, one at a time and scented them. "Thank you for your trust Dan, when they start getting older I will ensure they spend their summers with your pack." "Okay, gentlemen time for you to go to the waiting room. As soon as we get her to her room we will let you know. Till then the babies will be in the nursery after we do the routine tests and you can go and look at them there." He leaned over and stroked one small foot that was sticking out and smiled. "You do have some cute kids." Geoff leaned over and gave her a good kiss and followed Dan out of the room to the waiting room and Dan collapsed in a chair. "Thank god that is over; my back is going to ache for god knows how long." That got laughs from everyone though Ben was still looking sort of worried. Dan grinned at him. "The babies will be in the nursery shortly and once they get Mari to a room they will let us know." ~~~ When they drove in all Pam could do was stare. The building was frigging huge and she felt so plebian in the generic brown dress she was wearing. Yes, the people at the hospital had been nicely dressed by her standards, but that was in a hospital. Here it almost made it look like they had dressed down or were casually dressed. In this place she could see flowing robes and gowns being worn normally. Dan could smell her shock and gave her hand a squeeze. "Relax love you will do fine. I thought my manor was impressive till I got here but you have to remember this is also their seat of government which is that section over there." He helped her out as several Kitsune's came and got their bags. Gettie came over and gave them a slight bow. "Good evening Lord Danilo and Lady Pam. As Dan knows my name is Gettie and I am Mari's assistant. She told me to take care of her favorite Alpha since I know the proper feeding and care of him." She grinned at him and got a growl back. "If you follow me I will show you to your quarters and make sure you have what is needed." She had her ears and tails out. Pam gave her a shy smile and then gave Dan a good look. "Hmm... Well feeding and care to a certain point since I have a feeling there is a history there." When Dan blushed even more she gave him a good look. "We will have to have a discussion later about just how many former lovers there are out there." Dan managed not to choke and Gettie twitched a tail. "We did enjoy an evening or two together but simply as friends and since he has a mate now he is off limits and that is by his rules as well as ours." She tucked one of Pam's arms through hers. "I will say that he was very attentive and though he comes across as grumpy he is a good man and has been good for the Packs and especially Geoff's mate." Pam was a bit startled but went with it. "I can't really say much about the Packs since they tend to stay away from town with the exception of one or two wolves. I have seen him with the pups and he has been very good with them." She smiled up at Dan. "Even if he let a 13 year old girl beat up five boys who were trying to get her to go with them." Dan snorted. "That's a story for another day. Right now I want a good back massage, soak in the hot springs, and food." They were shown into a suite as nice as or nicer than Dan's. Gettie opened a closet. "I hope you don't mind but I took a fairly good guess as to your size and had some clothing brought over since I wasn't sure how much you brought or how long you will be here. I hope you don't mind." Pam was more than startled and the clothing looked to be made from silk and other fine materials. "Um, not sure what to say but I'll try some on and let you know." She was starting to feel overwhelmed. It wasn't anything like Mari had been but it was still a level of service she most definitely wasn't used to. Dan decided to let Gettie take care of Pam for a few. "Gettie once you get Pam settled could I talk you into a good back massage? Pam might appreciate one as well. After feeling the contractions my back is one solid knot." He stripped down to his shorts and lay face down on the bed and sighed. Gettie curled an arm around Pam and gave her a light hug. "I know this can be almost too much but that is why Mari asked me to take care of you. I was there when she arrived and fell apart from shock. I thought she was upset with how I had set up the dining room but it was so different for her. As she put it she was just a little wolf from a small Pack and had expected to mate with a junior wolf." Pam had to laugh at that. "That definitely wasn't the Mari I saw today. She had some really creative descriptions of Dan." She leaned against the other woman. "So what should I expect over the next few days and what sort of ceremony will there be for the pups?" Pam figured the more she knew the less shocked she would be. "Tomorrow you will be fitted for formal robes for the introduction ceremony. Dan will be checked to see if any changes need made to his robes. The following day you will go through the cleansing ceremony and introduced to the spirits. By Dan's actions in the delivery room you have been made a loco parentis for the pups. That means you will need to be introduced to the spirits, or as Dan would say those that went before. That way they will know you. Depending on how Mari is feeling the introduction ceremony will be in two or at most three days after all that." Pam tensed up. "Cleansing ceremony, introduction to spirits is that really needed?" Goodness dress robes? She couldn't help but wonder if she could handle all this stuff. "What is this loco parentis? How did that happen?" Gettie gave her another hug. "Relax Pam this is all very normal though maybe not for you. The cleansing ceremony will get you ready for the introduction to the spirits and it is painless. As far as the loco parentis when Dan had you hold the knife and dribble blood into their mouths he sort of made you an adoptive parent. It would be something in case anything happened to the three of them. The chances of it happening are very slim. We have never had anything like that happen." She turned her towards the bedroom. "Why don't you take your dress and bra off and I will give both of you a good massage before leading you to the hot springs to soak. There is a sheet so you can cover up since I am sure you are more body shy than we are." Pam blushed but complied though she turned away as she stripped down. She could feel Dan's eyes on her and flushed at that. Moments later she slipped into the bed and pulled the sheet up so it covered her bottom. "You need to keep your eyes to yourself Dan. That was hard enough without you watching." She sounded a bit flustered. He gave her a warm smile. "Pam you are a lovely woman and how can I not look? My wolf wants to curl around you and protect you from anything and everyone." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "My lovely lady." Gettie came in and smiled. "It is so odd to see such a gentle expression on his face unless he is playing with the pups." She settled down next to him and lightly ran a hand down his back and sighed. "I might need a massage myself after this. Your back is so tight it isn't funny." She straddled his bottom and worked a bit of oil onto her hands and started working on his back. For a brief moment Dan tensed when she touched him and then tried to relax. When she actually started working on his back he buried his face in the pillow to muffle the occasional grunt, groan, and even growl. At one point he let out a deep growl and ended up biting a hole in the pillow when she hit a particularly tense spot. When she finished all he could do was lay there and pant. "Thanks Gettie. I need a new pillow though." Pam looked at him as Gettie was working on him and it was obvious he had been seriously tense based on his reactions. That one growl almost scared her and she could hear the tearing of cloth as he bit through the material. When he finally collapsed he looked pale but better. When Gettie straddled her she blushed since it felt odd. "Relax Pam this is simply the easiest way to get to your back." She lightly ran her fingers down her back and smiled. "Thank god you aren't anywhere near as tense as Dan or my poor fingers would need to be replaced." With the addition of some oils she started working her muscles. "You are in pretty good shape for a human." It didn't take nearly as long to work her muscles and Gettie finally slid off after making sure any remaining oil was removed. "I will get you a towel and if you follow me I will show you to a private hot spring. This suite is exclusively used for visiting nobles and officials and it has a private yard and hot spring so you don't need to worry about clothing." Gettie got a large towel and held it for Pam when she stood up and wrapped her up in it. Pam was blushing a bit and Gettie gave her a hug. "This is normal treatment for visiting officials. With Dan being a Lord of the clan as well as the father of Mari's pups how else could we treat him?" Gettie opened the sliding back door and walked them out to the hot spring. Dan pulled his shorts off and slid in groaning. "Oh god that feels good. Between this and that massage I almost feel male again." It had been such a disturbing feeling for him. He had felt most of what Mari had and he was going to get Geoff to teach him how to block if possible. Silver Moon: A Change During the following days, Dan had eaten whatever they had given him, but didn't have any awareness of what it was. However, it was helping him in his running, even if he couldn't out run what had happened. At the end of each day he was totally exhausted and could barely limp back to the house before being stuffed and tucked into bed. The next day he would end up running again. Dan knew that he needed to try and get a grip, but he simply couldn't handle it and the pack mostly understood. There were one or two individuals who considered this a chance to advance in the pack, but they had to wait for the mourning period to be over before they could challenge those they didn't like, or even Dan himself since he wouldn't be at his best. All of that Dan didn't even think about; he didn't even consider that, with all the running, he was actually increasing his strength and endurance since he was being stuffed with food every time he even slowed down. ~Present~ The lack of skill in his movements due to Dan's mental state was shown a moment later when he had to twist very hard to miss hitting a tree head on and slammed his side into it. Dan felt the impact and a rib breaking, but the pain didn't register at all and he kept moving. If someone had a watch going, it would show he had been running for over twelve hours. Dan had started out slightly after sunrise and now it was almost dinner time. He wasn't near slowing down, and it would be a while. To challenge himself, he headed for a very steep hill, and once at the top he howled and howled before turning and starting back down. It would have been better for him to have chosen another way, but very little really mattered to him as he ran. On his way down he increased speed till he noticed a sort of road-in-hot-sun look ahead of him. Dan tried to avoid it without success and felt a burning sensation cover his body. The sensation slowly consumed him, and it felt like his entire body was being pulled apart piece by piece and then incinerated. The last thing he remembered was he and his wolf howling at the pain that was almost worse than losing his mate. *** Several lycan's were running through their territory and had to stop when they felt a surge of some kind of power. It wasn't something they had ever felt before, but they could sense where it was coming from so they altered their course in that direction and started really running. When they finally arrived they had to pause since all they saw was a man, nude, with a silver colored bracelet on his wrist. *What is going on? Who is he and where did he come from?* One asked as they slowly moved forward. Another who was slowly moving forward sniffed in the man's direction, and if he had been human, he would have frowned. The scent was definitely lycan yet odd. It wasn't a scent he had ever scented before and looked at the other two before they split up. *He is a lycan, but there is something else as well.* They slowly approached him and finally realized he was totally unconscious. *What should we do?* the junior most wolf asked, and danced back when one of the others slashed at him with their teeth. *We take him back to the Alpha and let him deal with him.* The senior wolf shifted to human and frowned. The unconscious man wasn't all that tall but he was obviously heavily muscled, which usually indicated someone who is more dominant. At the moment he had no idea how dominant, but he wouldn't be able to get out of the safe rooms unless released. *Change.* Once they changed, they picked him up and actually grunted since he weighed more than they had expected, and started back to the den. ~~~ Please provide additional feedback and comments on this chapter if you are reading it a second or third time. I want to know if the suggestions Capt. Siren made helped. I think it is a far easier read now than the original.