13 comments/ 15470 views/ 43 favorites What We Must Ch. 01 By: KemMyst Dear Readers, Following is the story of a different set of wolves from those I've been writing. I hope you will enjoy it. KemMyst ***************** They were running out of time. Two women were now locked below; one was a nurse's aide, and the other, a teacher. Both were being kept in their rooms for now and, while they initially fought and yelled, they had become quiet, seemingly in shock. Devon was getting to the point where he was considering just grabbing the next fertile female they came across. He'd spent as much time in town as he dared, but hadn't found another female who made sense to bring into the pack. They were out hunting, trying to scare up another deer or two before winter hit and they went into lockdown with extra mouths to feed. Devon, Duncan, William, and Spencer had headed off in one direction; Marcus, Sam, Kevin, and Nick in another. Devon hoped the others were having better luck. Suddenly, a scent on the air had them all turned in the same direction, noses up. ***** The packs lived up in the mountains, as far as they could from human habitation. The area was rugged wilderness and there were numerous mines in the area. The air was cool and the forest full of prey. There were streams, lakes, places to run. They had been generations here. And, for generations, they had lived and died and thrived. They lived out of doors for three seasons but had to come indoors in winter when the snow got deep. They hunted, fished, gathered, and gardened. They wore skins and furs when they weren't in their own furred form. But, over the years, they gained access to human technology. They stole into towns, got phones and solar panels. They had only rarely been seen by the humans. The miners had known the wolves lived here, had seen tracks and the remains of kills. Trappers had had a hard time, catching everything but wolves. Later came hikers, wandering off into the wilderness. The national forest had miles of hiking and backpacking trails but they were in deep enough that few made it that far and the trails were far removed from pack territory. As humans encroached the packs closed ranks and, while they remained autonomous, had formed a council to address threats from various sources. The council met monthly, kept track of the packs, and made sure of their anonymity. They kept their secret by keeping away from humans and were far enough away that it had never been much of a problem. However, squabbles still occurred. Alphas died or were killed by challengers. Females were stolen from rival packs and there were often injuries or deaths as a result. There were fights for territory. So, while they lived in proximity and cooperated, so to speak, they didn't live together necessarily peacefully. Cooperation became essential, however, when their numbers started falling. Winters were harsh and it took a lot of work to feed the packs. Numbers shrank as deaths piled up. One of the smaller packs disappeared altogether one winter and another's few remaining members were absorbed into another pack. His pack lived here, the McKenna pack, their range bordered by that of three other packs. Their compound had been made up to look like an extension of an old mining compound; the cabin looked old, and held more room underground than above. There had actually been a working mine at one time. However, they, along with the other packs, had developed a problem. While hardy and long-lived, while strong and fast to heal, the werewolf population overseen by the council was losing numbers. They were down to less than 20% of what they once had been. They would die out as a species if they lost any more females. They couldn't go to doctors to find out what was wrong. That could take years, even if they were able to find help. It was time for something drastic. The easiest, and quickest, way to bring their numbers back up was believed to be to bring in new blood, even if it was human blood. And so, the council had instituted a decree. As it was the females who were dying off, they had all agreed to bring human females into the packs, in hope that they could re-establish their population. Due to their reduced size, it had been decided that each pack would start by bringing in three females, to be changed, and impregnated. In addition, any and all unmated pack females would be required to take a mate as soon as she was of age. At the next spring, if things went well, additional human females might be taken to bring the sexes into balance again. ******** She had always felt comfortable out in the woods, in fact, most of her family liked being outdoors. Being alone in the outdoors always cleared her mind. Her current, no, ex-boyfriend had recently dumped her because she wasn't wild enough for him. Hmph, he was the one who had had problems with her going off walking by herself and yelled at her for bungee jumping. And, she knew she should probably be at home, calling everyone she'd ever met, looking for a new job. But, the severance package had been good and she had some savings. Her family still thought she was a little nuts for just taking off into the woods for ten days. She just needed to be somewhere right now where she didn't have to think about this sudden shift in her life, what she was going to do, and where she would end up. Her pickup was down the hill, parked at a trailhead. She had told the park rangers her basic route and when she planned to return. Other than that, she wanted to be left alone. On the third day, she figured she was well over 40 miles in and away from the weekend hikers. She decided to get off the trail. She was taking her time, not in a hurry to get anywhere in particular, just enjoying the warm fall days and the changing colors of the foliage. She had followed a rarely used lane and found the concrete wall earlier in the day and, while she may have been curious, she had no wish to intrude on anyone else's privacy, so she walked off in another direction, further into the woods. She made camp that afternoon on a pretty little ridge above a small stream. Dumping her pack, she walked out to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, and to pick some of the late berries from a stand she had spotted earlier. She was intent on her picking, but was getting purple stains on her fingers and lips as she tasted some of the fruit. She was headed back to her camp when a shadow crossed in front of her. Startled by the movement, she stopped briefly then moved forward to where the animal had crossed. Looking around for any sign of it, she dropped down, trying to find a track, and began talking to herself, analyzing what she had seen. "OK, doglike, but too big for a coyote. Maybe it's from that compound." Her finger traced the barest outline of a paw print, a big one. "OK, I really don't think I want to meet up with one of them." She looked around her more closely and hoped not to see movement. "Great, now I'm gonna hafta move camp and I won't get any sleep tonight." After heaving a sigh, she headed back toward her camp, thinking she might start dinner, snitching a few more berries from her container. She stopped dead when she saw the wolf in her path. "Shit!" The animal didn't start at the noise, stood its ground and looked at her. "OK, no sudden moves." She lifted a finger to her mouth, wet it, and brought it back down. "The breeze is blowing towards it, why is it standing there?" She started to back away as the animal now turned towards her and took a step in her direction. "Shit." She stood still; it stood still. She slowly turned to one side, looking around for a means of escape since it was clearly interested in her. There was another wolf behind her. "Shit, shit, shit." She backed up, slowly, away from them, which worked fine until she stumbled backwards into a tree. A third wolf came into view. He was larger than the other two, and dark. Her chest began heaving as she looked at the three wolves ringed before her. "OK, there's never been a confirmed attack of a wolf on a human in the U.S. The weather's been pretty good so they shouldn't be hungry and it isn't the season for pups. But if they're rabid..." She looked at them as one advanced on her. "Don't look rabid, what the hell?" She threw the berry container at the closest one. It ducked but stood its ground. She decided on bravado. She waved her arms and yelled at them. "Go on! Go away!" While the one on the right startled slightly, the other two held their ground. Her right hand went into her pocket and she pulled out a knife. Without taking her eyes off them, she found the thumb knurl and flicked it open. "Look guys, I really don't want any of us hurt, so let's just say we all go on about our business and I'll get out of your hair." ***** Devon listened to the human female as she assessed the situation and tried a number of things to get them to leave. She had long brown hair, held in a large braid down her back, brown eyes; fairly athletic-looking, her legs were tan and toned. Out here by herself so, obviously, pretty healthy. She was a little older than he would have liked but, hey, beggars couldn't be choosers. He smelled the fear on her, but she was holding her ground, not panicking. The other scent coming off her had them all hyperaware of her presence. ***** The boldest wolf came closer and she held the knife tightly. He didn't make a threatening move but came closer, closer. She stood still as he sniffed her leg and her chest heaved. Then the tongue extended and he licked her thigh. "OK, can we all go back to our business now?" She squeaked when his nose suddenly entered the leg of her shorts and he sniffed at her crotch. Then she jumped when she felt his tongue on her labia. She never wore panties out in the woods; never seeing the need for them, especially since they got in the way when she had to pee. The tongues of the other two wolves were out, lolling. Her eyes opened wide as she watched the cock on the wolf at her feet start to roll out from its sheath. "Oh, no, no, no." She noticed the other two were also male and that their cocks were beginning to drip. "I'm not into some kindof bachelor wolf gangbang." As the wolf before her pulled back a bit a huge black wolf came out of the brush and growled. The wolf at her feet backed off, tail between its legs. She looked at the new wolf; his eyes were a startling shade of blue. Weren't all wolves' eyes brown? "OK, so you're the man in charge. What are we doing?" ***** Devon was impressed by this female. She was frightened but not panicking and seemed to be figuring out what was going on. Backed against the tree, as she was, there was no easy way to herd her to the compound. Not to mention the knife she still had clutched in her hand. But the fact that she hadn't already stabbed Spencer with it was a good sign. He took another whiff of her heady scent. The pheromones were coming off her in waves; she smelled wonderful. They'd never have another chance like this. That was it, he had to get her back with them - she was their third. What to do now? Rush her? No, that was likely to get someone, probably her, hurt. Only one thing for it then... ***** She watched, not quite believing her eyes, as the huge wolf began to shift shape. The muzzle shortened, ears dropped, the tail retreated, chest expanded, and paws became hands and feet. Another of them began to shift as well. "You have got to be kidding me!" Male, virile, and aroused. "You're coming with us." "No, no, no way." She continued staring at them, wide-eyed, while shaking her head and brandishing the knife. "I'm sorry. I don't want to do this. But I have to." "NO! I will not be some sex slave to a bunch of werewolves." Devon flinched. That's essentially what she would be, taken against her will, locked up, forced to become one of them and mated with him, then Duncan, then maybe Marcus. "I have no choice." The other 'man' moved one way; the leader moved the other. They moved closer, both sporting large erections, as the other two wolves sat and watched. She yelled "No", one more time as they moved in to take her. She plunged the knife into Devon's shoulder and he roared, but did not let go. He and Duncan dragged her, kicking and screaming, to her campsite. Taking some cords, her hands and feet were tied together. Devon pulled the knife from his shoulder, cleaned it in the stream, then brought it back and dropped it into her pack. He rummaged in her pockets, ignoring her obvious revulsion, then looked through the pockets in her pack. He found the keys to her truck and tossed them to one of the other wolves. "Duncan, Spencer. See if you can backtrack to her car. Bring it back if it looks useful. If not, bring anything useful from inside it." "William, bring the gear." She watched as he reached for her. She tried to get away, not that she could get far, and struggled in his grasp. He easily threw her over his shoulder and took off for the compound. She pounded against his back with her fists, this having no apparent effect on the beast hauling her off for god only knew what. He ran to the compound she had passed earlier. There were three men outside butchering a deer. She was hauled into a cabin. He barely acknowledged the men and women he passed on the way. The women, one of whom looked like she'd been crying, were preparing dinner. None of them looked very happy. She noticed that every male they passed sniffed, turned, and looked at her. They went deeper, past some very solid looking doors. She was being hauled into some sort of bunker. Turning a corner, he kicked open a door, and turned on the light. He gently deposited her on the bed in the room. He removed the baseball cap she was wearing and untied her hands. Turning away, he quickly left the room. She heard a bolt being thrown as she worked to untie her feet and tried to get the blood flowing back to her extremities. **** Devon blew out a breath and leaned against the door. He swatted at his throbbing erection. "You aren't helping any." He headed for his own room and threw on a pair of buckskin pants. Lily knocked on his door and walked in. "Devon, what's going on? Where did you find her?" She noticed the blood on his shoulder. "Come; let's get you patched up. How did this happen?" "She stabbed me in the shoulder, Grandmother. How are the other two faring?" "Still hiding in their rooms. I've tried to talk with them but all they do is sit with almost blank expressions on their faces. They are still too afraid to listen to us." "Damn, I had hoped they would have loosened up by now. Maybe this one will help." "Sit." Devon sat on a chair as she fetched peroxide and clean cloths. "Where did you find her? Where are the others?" "We were out hunting near Little Creek when we picked up her scent. I've never smelled anything like it." "She had a camp by the creek and we watched her picking berries. We made sure she was alone and, then, caught her on the way back. She pulled out a knife and stabbed me in the shoulder when Duncan and I grabbed her." William walked in carrying her pack and the bundled tent. He dumped them on the floor beside Devon. He then straightened and went to the kitchen, where he greeted his mate, grabbed her, and hauled her to their bedroom. "Duncan and Spencer have gone after her car. I'm not sure when they'll be back." She finished taping the bandage over his wound. "And what was going on with all the men around here all of a sudden?" "You don't smell it?" "What?" "Her." "Well, Devon, if that's the reaction she elicits from the men of this pack, you may well have bitten off more than you can chew." ***** She'd gone over the room, twice. The doorknob turned, but the door didn't open. The hinges were tight enough that she couldn't move them without a tool of some sort. She'd moved both the bed and the dresser, and checked underneath. Standing on the chair, she checked the light fixture. She then went after the air ducts. Nothing. No windows and no way out. She was stuck here and they were going to do whatever they were going to do to her. Considering the reaction of the males she had been caught by, and the others they had passed, she concluded that she was just the newest sexual toy in the group. She pounded the bed in frustration. Her family had told her she'd likely get into trouble running around in the woods by herself. They had no idea. And neither did she. She went to the pitcher on the nightstand and drank some water. Then, she pulled her bandanna from her pocket, dampened it and wiped off some of the grime from the trail. There was nothing in the dresser drawers. The only coverings on the bed were skins, from the hair on them they looked like they had come from a bear. She pulled off her hiking boots and socks, and sat crosslegged on the bed, thinking. She could probably break the chair up and use pieces of it as a weapon, but there were too many of them and they were too strong. Her eyes filled with tears that she wiped away angrily before she got ahold of herself. She pulled off her clothing, folding it neatly, and placed the items on the chair. She didn't know when they would come for her, but she wanted to keep what little clothing she had intact. She returned to sitting on the bed, naked, a determined but resigned looked on her face. ***** Devon reached beside him for her pack and began to pull items from it. There were the usual camping items: A small stove, pans, utensils, dried food, water filter. Soap, shampoo, toilet paper, feminine items. Sleeping bag, groundcloth. Then the clothing, pants, shirts, a jacket, raingear. Then, a utility tool, another knife, a striker to start fires, wire for a snare, a small saw, a fantasy book, and a journal. Lightstick, compass, mirror, athletic tape, waterbottle, first aid kit. Protein bars and fuel for the stove. Lighter and a small music player. A GPS, a couple of batteries. Her cellphone. Some cash. There was no ID or any idea of who she was or where she came from. He went to the computer and typed in the name on the baseball cap. He was surprised and pleased to find that it was a chemical company. But, the question was, did she work for them or did she get the cap from a brother or boyfriend? He replaced most of the items, not allowing her anything to hurt herself or light the place on fire. One by one, the other men came over to him, asking about her. Who was she? Where did they find her? Kevin had grabbed his mate and they had gone off to their bedroom as well. Nick was eyeing Beth. She and Lily were the only ones working on dinner now. Devon went over to help, nudged Nick, and sent Marcus back out to work on the deer. Abbie and William came back out, looking a little flushed and smelling of sex. Abbie came back to help finish with dinner and William gave her a kiss, a grope, and a knowing looked as he headed outside to help with the deer. **** With dinner ready to be served, Devon sent Lily after Amanda and Terry. Knowing how he felt and having seen the way the other men had responded to her, he decided it would be best if he brought their third to the table. He'd have to find out what her name was. He knocked on the door to warn her, then threw the bolt and opened it. He was shocked to see her sitting on the bed, naked and shivering. Her scent had built in the enclosed space and almost overpowered him. "Wha.. what are you doing?" She laid back on the bed and turned her face away from him. "Let's just get this over with." She was lying naked on the bed, rigid, waiting for him to force himself on her. He clenched his fists, the nails biting into his palms, as the bulge in his pants grew. He blew out a huge breath, and placed her pack on the floor beside the door. It was just after the new moon; he should have much better control than this. "I came to invite you to dinner. The food is ready and we'd like you to join us." What We Must Ch. 01 She sat up, trying to figure out what kind of trick this was. He had dark hair, falling to his shoulders, his chest was bare, a bandage on his shoulder from where she stabbed him, and he was wearing what looked like buckskin pants. And aroused again, or still. His blue eyes bored into her, but they didn't look menacing, or brutal. Her hair was a medium brown, her eyes as well, there were lines on her skin showing what flesh had been exposed to the sun, and what had not. This drew focus to her breasts, firm and full, and her mound, and the curls there. Being underground, the room was cool and her nipples were peaked atop those breasts. She had parted her legs slightly and he had seen the soft flesh between her thighs. But her smell... He extended a hand to her. "Please." She took a deep breath, stood, and walked towards him. "Umm, it would probably be better if you dressed." She stopped, staring at him briefly, before going to the chair and pulling on her shorts and shirt. As he ushered her to the dining area, he said. "My name is Devon, what's yours?" "Does it matter?" "Yes." She turned to look at him again. "Why?" "Look, it's a long story. I promise I'll explain it to you later." **** She sat at the large table with the others. Eight men and six women, well, seven women with her. Introductions were made but she didn't pay any attention. Two of the women were obviously terrified, sitting in their chairs next to her. One was named Amanda and the other was Terry. She refused to give them her name. Then the one called Devon made some announcements, asked about the food stores. He indicated that they'd complied with the first part of the council's decree, whatever that was. No one touched the food arrayed before them until he was finished. One of the women was very young, only a teenager, and her eyes were red. She'd obviously been crying. The bastards! Another was quite old. Why in the world was she here? Wouldn't they have gotten rid of her by now? She must have some usefulness or maybe one of them enjoyed banging old women. The other two women seemed to be paired up with two of the men. Hmm, they either needed a shotgun or a club. The food was passed around but no one seemed particularly hungry. The terrified women picked at what had been placed in front of them. The other women didn't seem to have much of an appetite either, except for the old one. The men piled their plates, but seemed to have trouble keeping their attention on dinner. Their eyes were all focused on her, to a greater or lesser extent. She ate heartily. There were windows here, and doors. If she got the chance, she'd be able to get out, and she'd need her strength. Could she get the other women out, too? She looked at them briefly and dismissed the thought. They'd need coddling; she'd be able to move faster without them. She would bring help. **** Devon kept an eye on her. She was eating well, which he was glad for, but kept looking around the room, casting furtive glances at the windows and doors, apparently plotting a means of escape. He was definitely going to have to watch this one. She was smart, he knew it, but she couldn't be allowed to leave the compound now. Duncan and Spencer returned towards the end of the meal. They smiled knowingly at Devon, who shook his head at them and gestured to the food. While they dug in with relish, their hunger faded as their attention also turned to her. **** What the hell?! Why was she the object of all the men's attention? The other two newbies were younger, and pretty. What was going on? The meal ended. Devon stood. "Grandmother, could you escort Amanda and Terry back to their rooms?" Lily nodded and touched both young women on the shoulder. They both jumped, looked at her, and rose, tamely following her into the bunker. Devon took their newest recruit back towards her room. As she headed in the direction they had come from, he placed a hand on her arm. She flinched away from contact. He sighed. "Would you like to clean up before we go back to your room?" She caught the 'we'. So, it would happen now that she was fed and cleaned. Shit, was there something in the food? But they had all eaten it. Unless whatever it was didn't affect werewolves. Damn it. Well, it would at least put it off a little longer. She gave a firm nod and he showed her to a bathroom. Closing the door behind her, he waited outside, with his back to the door. **** No windows here either. She took care of bodily functions and rinsed her clothes out. She showered and looked around for something to dry off with. A soft hide was all that came to hand. It worked better than she thought. She dressed again and pulled open the door. He practically fell backwards into the room. **** He heard the toilet flush, and then the water running, but that sounded like the sink. After a few minutes, the shower started. Ah, she would be naked again. Her body had been wonderfully curved, lush, full. Her heady scent had had him more than ready to pull her thighs apart, to smell, to taste her. She would be washing herself, rubbing the soap over those curves, using her hands, not quite caressing herself, but touching herself intimately. He pictured what she would be doing in there as his penis again made its wanting known. To slide himself inside her. How tight would she be? What sounds would she make? Her skin would be soft... Damn. He had a raging hard on again. The last thing he wanted was for her, any of them, to think that they were only here to be used for sexual relief of the men. What was it about her smell that had him aching for her? He hadn't even felt this kind of chemical attraction to Beverley. 'Beverley. I'm sorry, love. I wish you were here. I don't know what this one is doing to me; I wish the council hadn't instituted this decree.' But, what choice did they have anymore? He was leaning against the door, engrossed in his musing, when it opened behind him. ***** She leapt over him then and sprinted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He hadn't yelled; was he knocked out? So much the better. She came to the top of the stairwell and was yanked back by a strong arm around her hips. She fell backwards against his body and he wrapped his arms around her. She kicked and struggled, hands clawing at his arms. He turned around and marched straight to her room. He returned her to her room and stood in the threshold. She stumbled into it when he released her. She then turned and faced him, face impassive, pulling herself up to her full height, chest heaving. She was obviously chilled in the damp clothing. Without a bra under the shirt, her nipples were poking against the fabric. He tried to ignore it. But all he really wanted to do was lock his lips around one of them, sucking until she cried under him, begging to have him inside her. 'Damn. Focus on something other than her body!' At least, now that she'd showered, her scent was somewhat dampened. "The lights will go out in about an hour and a half. Try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She stared, open mouthed, at the door, with him on the other side of it. ***** Taking deep breaths, he went back out to the common room to see what Duncan and Spencer had found. The women were just finishing cleaning up after the meal but were listening with interest. The men were all waiting to find out about their newest member. "She just tried to get away from me so I want you all to be mindful of her movements. Now, what have you found?" Duncan handed over a piece of paper. "Her name is Anne Winters. She doesn't live nearby, so that shouldn't connect her to the others." Another piece of paper. "She planned on being out here for about ten days, so nobody will be missing her for another week or so." One more piece of paper. "She worked for Chemie Chemical, looks like they got rid of the group she was working in about a week ago." "She had an old pickup truck so we brought it back. Figured we could use it to haul things around here if nothing else." Devon looked over the papers. "Good. Good. Chemistry, there could be a number of things she could help us with." "Do you suppose that's why she smells the way she does?" "I guess we'll find out if it goes away the longer she's here." "What are you men all talking about? I don't smell anything except another one of them. What does she smell like to you?" It was Spencer that answered. "Heaven." Duncan and Devon looked at him, considering. The women looked uncomfortable. Devon took a deep breath. "Alright, since we have our three and Marcus thinks we have enough food to last through the winter we're ready to go into lockdown. Tomorrow we will bring the last of the supplies in, including the rest of the deer, and clean up the outside rooms. Then we'll shutter the windows for the winter and close up after supper tomorrow. Does anyone have any objection?" He was Alpha, his word stood, but he wasn't so dictatorial as some of the others. However, no one brought anything up. "Anything else you can think of? That we may have forgotten? Once we're in, we likely won't come out until spring." He looked around the room. Some were thinking; most shook their heads. "Alright, then. Tomorrow. After supper." "Devon?" "Yes, Grandmother?" "Who will change them?" "It's my responsibility. I'll do it." ***** She woke in the middle of the night, sweating, gasping, dreaming of being chased by wolves. All claws and slavering fangs. Yellow eyes. She reached out, touched the unfamiliar bedcovers, then opened her eyes to her dark prison. It took time before she was able to go back to sleep. ***** Alone, in his room, he faced his doubts and fears. Things that he could trust to no one else. As Alpha, all responsibility fell on him, just as it did any other leader. Tomorrow, they would all go into lockdown and, shortly after, he must force the change on them. As much as he hoped so, he doubted any of them would submit willingly. Amanda and Terry seemed likely be docile enough, he'd start with them. All at once? No. One a night for three nights. He hoped he could stomach it for he would have to taste their blood. Besides, who knew what their reaction would be to the change? That meant he would visit Anne last. She was going to be the most vocal, the most resistant. What would be the best way to approach it? OK, they would stay in their rooms tomorrow, except for meals. Then, the next day, when they were all locked in, he would sit them down and explain why they were here. He probably should also take them on a tour of the complex, so that they would know their way around, get familiar with the place, finding things they liked or suited them. He'd have to find out what their interests were, their skills and hobbies, give them things to keep them occupied. He got up from the bed, went to the table, and pulled out a paper and pen. He started writing down his plan, his questions, his musings. A teacher, a nurse's aide, and a scientist. Amanda and Terry would likely respond to an emotional plea; Anne would take much more convincing, something logical. Well, how much more logical could it be but that their kind was dying, and they had to bring in new blood? That the council had decided it must be done to insure their survival. Anne. They had found her by her smell. It was affecting all of the males, had he brought trouble into his pack by bringing her here? Could he have done anything else? The mating. Again, probably best to visit one a night, staying with them through the night afterward to help with the bonding. He wouldn't be spending much time in his own room after this. Yes, wait until they had each come through the change and, then, one a night, rotating between them, until one of them was pregnant. It was a long time before he returned to his bed and was able to fall asleep. What We Must Ch. 02 Dear Readers, Chapter 2 of the McKenna pack. Enjoy, KemMyst ******* Both Devon and Duncan checked to assure themselves that their palm print and keypad code combinations were still active. Then, they finished bringing the last of the kitchen items inside the vault doors. The pack all stood and watched as the doors came home with a dull clang. Almost as one, they drew in a big breath, and released it. Devon turned to address them. "Alright, you know what this means. We're basically here until spring. Tomorrow, after breakfast, I'll explain to them what this is all about. Hopefully, we'll garner some sympathy from Terry and Amanda; I think Anne will require some additional arguments to convince her. Then, I intend on giving them a tour of the facilities, show them around, let them get used to the place. Just carry on with whatever you intend on doing tomorrow. Keep an eye out for them, and, if you can think of anything that would help, please, feel free to talk to them. They won't be locked in their rooms after this." ***** They were confused by the change in direction for breakfast. He noticed Anne glance behind her, was she trying to figure out if there was a different way out? Probably. Breakfast was eaten and, as the table was being cleared, Devon addressed the three women. "Ladies, I've told you my name is Devon and you know the names of the other members of the McKenna pack." "Pack? What kind of place are you running here?" "Anne is aware of what we are but you two are not." (Wait, how did he know her name? She closed her eyes. Damn, they found her truck. But where was it now?) Devon noticed Anne's reaction to her name. "Let me show you." He stood, dropped his pants to the floor, and changed to wolf. He circled the room once, pausing as he passed by each of them, so they would know it wasn't some hallucination. Returning to a spot before them, he shifted back to his human form. He swept his hand towards the others. "We, all of us, are werewolves. And our kind is dying." He let that sink in for a moment. "The council has decided, in order to assure our survival, to institute an edict, a decree." "Under this condition, the Alpha of each pack is compelled to take three human women, make them werewolves, and mate with them. In this way, we hope to increase our numbers, and reverse the loss of many of our women. At this time, I've instituted a lockdown of the pack. We're behind the vault doors you have all seen, and won't go back out until spring." Terry looked at him, wide-eyed, and Amanda burst into tears. Anne looked inward, reassessing, she'd have to figure out another way to get away from them now. "I know you have questions. Please, ask them." Terry's voice was a bit high pitched. "So, we'll never leave here?" Devon took a deep breath. "No. You'll become werewolves, part of our pack." "Will we be able to do the things you can do?" "You will be able to change form and your senses will be heightened. But, there were differences between born werewolves and made werewolves. You won't be as strong as us or be able to heal as easily. You will live longer." "Why did you choose us?" "We all have different skills. I do carpentry, William is adept at brewing, Marcus does planning, math, Abigail is agriculture. You were chosen for your skills and profession, to make up for gaps in our knowledge." Anne looked to him. "And, me?" "You just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It's a happy circumstance for us that you are a scientist." "You were wolves when you found me and it wasn't the full moon, closer to the new moon. What else about the lycanthrope legends is wrong?" There was no reason not to tell her. "We don't lose our reason when we change; we aren't beasts. We can shift shape at any time but we have better control around the time of the new moon. We aren't telepathic. We aren't immortal, but we live longer than humans. We stay away from you as much as possible, mostly because we have been hunted in the past. And it doesn't take a silver bullet to kill us." "You said there was a council. That means that there are other women being kidnapped, changed, taken against their will, somewhere else?" "Yes." She was quick, understanding many of the ramifications of the edict with the barest information. "So, what's been happening? Why are you dying out?" "A few years ago we were 40 strong but our women started dying, most before the age of maturity. It's been happening in the other packs as well. My pack was now who you see before you. And fewer and fewer female pups are born. Now, practically none, now, only stillborn. As you can see, we have no young around." "Sounds like it could be a virus or something. How do you know this will work? How do you know we won't be affected, too? How do you know you males aren't also adversely affected by this virus and, therefore, responsible for the reduction in female young?" She had a keen mind. He was glad he'd brought her into the pack but, because of this, it was also likely she'd be more difficult to deal with. "We don't know. We're only doing what you would do in our place. Trying to keep our kind alive." He took them on a tour of the building. Amanda finally stopped crying but she sniffled and her eyes were red. They were surprised at the expanse of the facility. They were shown the game/entertainment area and then the Medical lab. Terry showed expected interest, pulling open drawers, looking at equipment. Anne checked things out a little more surreptitiously, unobtrusively watching as Terry looked around. She showed more interest, as she would be expected to, in the science lab. She looked through the equipment; there were a few chemicals. She'd have to make a more detailed survey later. Then there was the nursery, the shop, the storerooms. Back into the tunnels to the fish hatchery, the hot spring, the pools. Lastly, they were shown where the others were rooming. "I want you to feel free to look around and, if something interests you or you have a hobby you wish to pursue, to let us know. We'll do what we can to get supplies or show you where they are. Ask any of us any question you wish, I've asked the others to answer and help you get acclimated and comfortable here." He glanced at Anne. Saw the question in her eyes. Shook his head. It was like he knew what she was thinking. She'd have to do a better job of hiding her intentions. While the other two wandered off, talking about their likes and hobbies, she walked off in another direction. Devon watched her walk away. The others greeted her as she passed them. She simply nodded an acknowledgement. She wandered the tunnels. She'd paid fairly close attention as they'd been led around, but she wanted to be sure of where things were, particularly in the back. He said the place started as a mine and there was generally more than one way into and out of a mine, in case of cave in. Maybe, just maybe, she could find the back way out. Or a side tunnel. Or an air shaft big enough for her to crawl out. ***** He caught Marcus shortly after they broke up. Marcus had already seen Amanda and Terry walk by. "Where's your third?" "She went back into the tunnels. Give her half an hour, no, an hour, then I want you to find out where she's gone. We don't want her to get lost back there." "She doesn't really seem the type who'd get lost very easily." "You're right. I don't think she is. But I'd also like everyone to keep an eye on her, without being too conspicuous, especially when she gets ahold of candles and a lighter. She's looking for a way to escape." ******* OK, keep heading for the places back in the tunnel he showed you. Check some of the others, as far as I can without more light, to see if I can get an idea where they lead. Check the wind patterns, for anything blowing the other way. Also, the sooner they get used to me not being in sight for a period of time the more likely I'll have enough time to explore and maybe find another way out. ****** Both Devon and Marcus spread the word for the others to keep an eye on Anne. Nothing obtrusive, he just wanted to know if she went into the tunnels and how long she was spending there. They all agreed to try and watch out for her and went back to their tasks. Marcus waited the full hour, perhaps a little more, then headed back into the tunnels. While her scent had diminished since she'd been brought to the pack, she was still relatively easy to follow. He noted that she'd been down a couple of the side tunnels, but found her next to the hot spring, contemplating the pool next to it. She jumped when she heard his voice. "Hello, Anne. I was thinking of having a soak in the warm water, would you like to join me?" He pulled open the weir that kept the hot water in its pool and it began to mix with the cool water in the pool below. There was a small underground stream that flowed into the pool, overflowed and went out the other side. She watched the process and saw him check the water temperature. "Good for tired muscles, or just to relax. William and Abbie and Jen and Kevin like to spend time here together, as well." "So werewolves enjoy hot tubs?" "In our wolf form we tend to do and enjoy the things wolves do. Running, hunting, lying in the grass under a warm sun. In our human form we enjoy the same things you do. Good food, certain scents and the feel of things, movies, books, a good story. Warm water." He dropped his clothing by the side of the pool and climbed in. He stood there and extended a hand to her. "C'mon in. Tell me about yourself." She tried to look anywhere but at the naked 'man' in front of her. She shook her head. "Suit yourself." He sat down in the water and back against the backrest. "Aahh." She glanced at him. At least now she couldn't see all of him and, in the half-light, focused on his face. He looked quite a bit like Devon and Duncan. "So you would be the younger brother?" "Yes. Devon is eldest, Duncan shortly after. I'm the fifth of us." "Sisters?" "Yes." "Where are they?" "Sarah has mated into another pack. Our sister Julianne died of the virus many years ago." "I'm sorry." "Thank you." A change of subject. "How long did it take to build all this?" "Our father, Callum, had an aptitude for engineering..." ***** She'd listened to the story of their father, how this place was built, other pack members now gone, and had settled for sitting on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water. Just as he was about to finish what he'd been telling her a call came down the tunnel for lunch. "Ooops!" He stood abruptly, and, as comfortable and relaxed as he'd been in the water, the blood had rushed to that part of his anatomy that she least wanted to see. She jumped and practically fell backward onto the floor. He made sure she hadn't hurt herself, closed the weir, and grabbed his pants, then her arm. "C'mon. Grandmother will skin us if we're late!" ***** That afternoon she went to her room and brought out the rest of her clothing. Taking the bundle, she headed to the laundry area to wash them out, then hung them on the line to dry. Strange, she was missing a t-shirt. Must have left it in the pack. She then wandered around the other rooms, checked out the medical lab. Amazing. They had some instruments, some rudimentary tools, and there was a locked cabinet marked, of course, 'Drugs'. She examined the door and latches, the lock. Hmm, no easy way in. She'd have to think of something else. Then, into the science lab, checking the books, the microscope, the chemicals. There were electrical and electronic components as well. She sat with one of the books, looking over some simple circuitry. Others passed by every now and again, glancing in. After dinner, she walked into the entertainment area. Spencer, Nick, and Sam were watching one of the more recent action films. Yelling at the actors, making comments, throwing popcorn, and generally being young men at a show. Abigail was reading a book on growing plants in pots; Lily was mending something; Devon and Duncan were playing a game of chess. All were wearing deerskin, some decorated, and the men were generally bare-chested. The wound on Devon's shoulder looked completely healed. Lily had fur-lined moccasins on; the rest were barefoot. Amanda was looking at the movies; Anne wandered over to look at the books. Finding one that interested her, she found a spare chair, threw her legs over the side, and began to read. Devon was pleased to see she'd come into the room where most of them were; that she wasn't isolating herself from them. He was distracted enough that he didn't quite catch the import of Duncan's move and was checkmated 3 moves later. Duncan let out a cry of triumph and called for another game. Devon laughed and agreed. They switched sides and began again. Anne glanced at the board occasionally as she paged through the book. After the next game ended in stalemate, Devon called over to her. "Anne, do you play?" "I fear I wouldn't be much of a challenge." "Shall we see?" She shook her head, going back to the book. "Another time." After some time, they began wandering off to their rooms. Anne replaced the book and returned to hers. Devon got up to check on what she had been reading. Native plants of the region. By the next day, they had begun to fall into their winter routines, checking for supplies for their projects, some setting up lists of things to do, checking equipment, stores. Anne looked through the pantry and began helping with meals. They found she liked baking and set her to making bread and biscuits. That evening, Lily grabbed Devon and Duncan. "Have you decided how to go about changing them?" "I thought I'd go to one each night. I don't think I could stomach all three of them at one time." "That sounds reasonable. Let me know if you want me to help you, brother." "The new moon is getting closer, Devon. You should probably start soon. We don't know how they'll take to the change." He drew in a big breath, released it. "You're right, Grandmother. I'll start tomorrow night." As they turned to go about other business, they heard him muse. "I wonder what their blood will taste like." ***** She stood beside the vault doors, contemplating the mechanism. There was an optical pad beside the door, about the size of a hand. Would it sound an alarm? The keypad, in standard number format, was next to it. She finally made the decision and placed her palm on it. No alarm, but the pad glowed red. Who would have the access? Devon, of course. But there had to be some redundancy, in case he was incapacitated. Duncan, then, at least. Any of the others? She could work it into conversation somehow, would she get access after she was changed? ***** He went to each of them, one a night, and bit them on the shoulder, drawing blood. Amanda and Terry whimpered and cried, and were found feverish the next morning. Amanda was at least ambulatory, but weak, and taking little food. Terry, however, appeared to be reacting badly. Fevered. Incoherent. By the middle of the next day, she was taken up to the medical lab and put in a bed there. Jen and Lily kept watch and tried to get a fever reducer into her. They kept sponging her down, switching to alcohol when the water didn't seem to help. Abigail came in to help and the women began to take shifts. Devon checked in periodically to keep track of the changes. Beth and Anne took charge of the meals and were maintaining a kettle of broth and tea for Amanda. The men helped. Sam seemed to have a flare for spices, seasoning both the meat and the vegetables. A tray of broth, bread, and tea were taken to Amanda before the rest settled down to eat. Jen and Abigail were taking a turn with Terry. Lily reported there was little change in her condition. Most of the eyes at the table went to Anne. "What? You want me to say something?" She looked at Devon. "Does this change what you're going to do to me tonight?" "No." He looked around the table. "It doesn't." The meal was eaten in relative silence, the table cleared, and the dishes washed. She retreated to her room, waiting for him to come. She hadn't found a way out, and not for lack of trying, and there was nowhere in the complex that they couldn't find her, sooner or later. Was there anything she wanted to do in her last minutes as a human being? Except for being outside, she couldn't think of a thing. So, she waited. He waited to change her last, hoping that, as the new moon approached, it would be easier for him to control his wolf. But, her scent was increasing again, and something ancient in his body stirred. His wolf wanted her. His wolf was simmering. His wolf wanted to claim her. He came into the room with antiseptic and a clean cloth. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this." He kept saying that. She thought that, as the leader, he shouldn't be apologizing. Wouldn't he want to appear stronger than that? She looked at him, not saying a word. He took another breath. "Right or left?" Now she looked confused. "Right or left shoulder?" "Oh, um, left, I guess." He pulled up her shirtsleeve and wiped the area down. "It's best if you sit on the bed." She got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed. He climbed on behind her and she tensed up. He pulled her back into his arms and, her chest heaving, she fought him. "Stop! If I hold you tightly you can't pull away and I won't rip your arm up." She stopped struggling, though her chest heaved, as he straddled her hips and his arms tightened around her. His left hand brushed her right breast as he took her right shoulder with his left hand. The warmth and feel of a man's strong arms around her had that nipple standing at attention now and she silently cursed her body's reaction to him. Even worse, as tightly as he was holding her, she could feel his erection against her backside. Before he lost his nerve he summoned up his beast. She felt the change in the body holding her, saw the fur appear on his arms. He put his jaws around her triceps, and bit down, until he tasted blood. Anne winced, but did not make a sound. She shuddered slightly as he licked the wound clean. Then she felt the change in the body behind her again and he slowly released his hold on her. "Sleep would probably be best now." He climbed off the bed to look at her face again. She nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him. He went back to his room, licking his lips, and replaying the taste of her blood in his mouth. It was different from Amanda and Terry's, sweet, like dessert. The taste of the hormones in her blood was intoxicating. ***** The next morning, Devon sent Duncan to check on Amanda and Terry while he headed to Anne's room. Knocking at the door, he got no answer. He called to her, still nothing. He turned the knob and started to push the door open. While it shifted slightly, the door did not open. Something was in the way. Now afraid of what may have happened he yelled for his brother, "Duncan!" Duncan came running at the sound of his brother's voice. Some of the others, awake and hearing the shout, started to dress or head in that direction as well. "Devon, what is it?" "Something's blocking the door; help me get it open." They put their shoulders to the door and shoved at it, several times, until they heard something splinter and the door opened further before wedging again. Devon pushed his body through the opening and turned on the light. With no lock on the inside, she had wedged a chair under the knob. He looked around the room for her as Duncan squeezed inside. The bed was a shambles; she'd pulled it apart. He found her, in a corner behind the dresser, with everything from the bed pulled up around her. She was sitting there, asleep or unconscious. Her hair was plastered to her head and he could see the sweat on her face, heard her quick, fevered breathing. As Duncan removed the obstruction from the doorway, Devon pulled her coverings from her. Releasing a held breath, he picked up her naked body. "I'm taking her up to Medical." What We Must Ch. 02 Duncan threw the door open wide as his brother strode for it with Anne in his arms. As he entered Medical, he saw Lily and Jen had their hands full with Terry, who was having a seizure. Devon placed Anne on a bed, then grabbed a basin and some cloths and began wiping down her body, trying to cool the fever raging in her. Anne twisted, whimpered, and moaned. Her hands reached out in her delirium, for something to keep her warm. Her fingers brushed over his arms and chest and he felt his cock twitch. Abigail came into the room, glanced at Terry, then Devon. "Devon, we're going to run out of alcohol. Wiping them down isn't enough. If we could just immerse...." She didn't even get the sentence out before Devon had picked her up again and was headed out the door. "Where were you going?" "I'm going to drop her in the pool." ***** He was holding her tightly, feeling the heat radiate from her body as she moaned and twisted and he strode for the tunnel where the pools lay. However, this meant he could feel the softness of her breasts against him, and her smell and movements were making it harder to think about anything other than the growing hardness in his pants. Focus on what you're doing. We have to get her temperature down. Hopefully, someone would follow his lead and bring Terry down, too. Not bothering to remove his pants, they'd be ruined now, he sat on the edge of the pool, pivoted, and dropped in. The shock of the cold water made quick work of his erection. He held her, floating in the water, one arm drifting out from her body, her hair forming a halo around her head. He turned slowly, hoping that this would work, that her fever would break. That she'd be OK. He now had a chance to look at her again. She looked younger like this, her face not carrying the determined, calculating look he'd grown used to. The paleness of her unexposed flesh, rose colored nipples crinkled up in the cold of the water. Yes, it would be pleasant to touch them, suck them, nip them until she was throwing her head around. Down from there, her navel, nestled in the center of her slim waist. The hips flaring out from there, with the tightly curled hairs between her hipbones. And he remembered the sight of her pussy, still mostly hidden from him when she laid back on her bed, but enough to haunt his nights. He hadn't touched a female since his mate died, so many years ago. Although he hated the way these women had come to them, and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was looking forward to pushing himself inside them. Nothing felt as good as being within a woman's wet, warm, muscled walls. And this one, if her pussy tasted anything like her blood did, he would be lost; he would do anything. He would live down there, licking her until she was mindless, until he drank all that she would give him. He began to plan how he would go to her the first time, how he would touch her, the sound of her calling his name as she came, feeling the... Marcus came down, looking dejected. Devon glanced up. "Terry?" "Terry's dead." They took turns holding her in the cold water, Devon and his brothers. The first time Duncan held her, he began to get a sense of his brother's apparent obsession with this one. And now he began to wonder which of the two would come to him. In the spring they'd have to go out and get another but one of these two would probably be pregnant by then. Maybe both. And it started to become more real to him, that he would be lying with two human females, and would end up taking one of them as mate. And the choice wouldn't be hers, or his, well, maybe it was a mutual thing only because their bodies would produce a pup, most preferably a female. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Devon had her for his fourth time, and was well into the hour he'd allotted to hold her in the water when she started to shift in his arms. A few minutes later, her arms and legs jerked, and she moaned. Shortly thereafter, she began to shake, and her body attempted to curl up. He cradled her to his chest and rose from the water. He carried her, dripping, back to her room. The bed had been re-assembled and the broken chair removed. He laid her atop the covers, and, finding the towel in her pack, proceeded to dry her off. She continued shivering and, knowing she'd lost body heat in the pool, he dried himself off as well. He then covered her, and climbed in beside her, to get her warmed up again. Marcus had followed the wet tracks back to her door and had collected his grandmother to see what was going on. They knocked and he called them in. "Her fever's broken but she was lost body heat from the pool. Once she stops shivering I'll be out." He'd pulled her up against him, her back cool on his chest. His relief at her recovery from the fever and the spreading warmth under the bedcovers lulled him to sleep. ***** She squirmed in his arms and they automatically tightened around her. She continued to struggle and he woke. "Let me go." He shoved up on an elbow. "You're awake. Good. How do you feel?" She climbed out of the bed, away from him, and summarily crumpled to the floor. "Anne?!" He hurried over to where she had fallen. She was on the floor, moaning, with her eyes closed. "Anne?" Her hands on the sides of her head, she spoke again. "Just try and keep the room from spinning." He picked her up and placed her back in the bed. "I would suggest you stay there until you're feeling better." He pulled the bedcovers over her, turned, and left the room. She cracked one eye open and watched the naked 'man' leave, closing the door behind him. Then she crawled back down under the covers, curling up to sleep some more. She could smell remnants of the bear the covers were made of, a male she somehow knew, her own scent, and a combination of chocolate and hot pepper. How very weird, you would think she would smell him, how long had he been in here with her? That evening a tray was brought to her room. Abigail roused her and urged her to have some broth, and water, at least. "I'm not hungry." "You have to eat something. You won't get your strength back unless you do." The smell of the broth was overwhelming her. "I can't. The smell. What is that?" "It's just broth. Maybe there's something else I could get for you?" And the strangest thought came to her. "A popsicle. A blue one." "I think we have those. I'll be right back." Abigail left with the tray, trailing the scent of venison broth and roses. The others looked to her as she passed by. "She can't stand the smell of the broth. She wants a blue popsicle." Nick looked at her. "Weird. I think there's still a couple left." Abigail fished one out of the freezer and brought it down to Anne, who took it gratefully. Devon came into the room while she was eating it to see how she was doing. "Well, you look better." "It helps that the world has stopped spinning." "No, the world is still spinning. You just don't notice it any more." He smiled at the sight of her tongue, since it was now blue, from the popsicle. Now she smelled roses, imitation blue raspberry flavoring, chocolate, and hot peppers. "You should probably just get some more sleep when you're done. Let your body finish adjusting." She nodded her head, having almost finished the popsicle, and looking better than before, if a bit confused. "We'll check in on you in the morning." **** The next morning she rose and pulled on some clothes. Just as she was about to open the door, there was a knock. She opened the door to Devon, who had come down to check on her. "I'm pleased to see you're feeling better. Breakfast is ready, would you like me to bring you something?" "No. I'm not an invalid. I can come to breakfast." As she came out of the door, he waited, and followed her. She was still unsteady and pale. He followed closely, in case her legs decided to give out again. She paused once or twice for a second, then continued on. "Let me..." He attempted to take her arm the first time; she shook him off. "Leave me be, I'm fine." Just so god damn independent. In the dining room, she sank gratefully into a chair. Amanda was seated next to her, but there was an empty space beyond. "Is Terry still sick?" No one met her eyes and it was Devon who answered. "Terry died." "What? How?" Jen replied. "She had a high fever, like you, and then a seizure. It seemed something in her body couldn't tolerate or adapt to the change." "If I had a high fever like her, why am I alive?" "We're not sure." (Again, they didn't know.) "We had been trying to cool her down but it wasn't enough. When Devon found you yesterday morning, he brought you to Medical. We had our hands full with her, and were beginning to run out of alcohol. Devon picked you up again and said he was going to drop you in the pool. The three of them took turns, holding you, until your fever broke." "Abigail mentioned something about immersion and it came to me. Terry was having a seizure when I took you down to the pool. I had hoped that we could bring her down as well but it was too late." Her question was a bit more quiet this time. "What did you do with her?" Marcus spoke up. "We buried her. In the back of the compound." Anne closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. After a moment, the others began passing food. She said a little prayer for Terry, then raised her head, took some of the food, and began to eat. ***** Once convinced she would be able to get around on her own without falling over, Devon stopped shadowing her. The others noted her movements, looking at things like she'd never seen them before, touching, feeling, and, mostly, sniffing. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen and pantry, opening cupboards, tins, smelling things. Beth looked up while she was helping prepare lunch as Anne took a particularly deep sniff of her. "So, what's it like?" "Things look... sharper, clearer. I can see edges more plainly. I can hear... mouse claws", she turned her head slightly, "Sam coughing." Beth nodded. "And the smells?" "That's the worst, and the best. There's too much smell in the air, too many things mixed together." Duncan passed by with the vegetables for the table. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as he walked past. "Do you know how different you all smell?" "Sure, we all know each other's scents." Anne moved closer to Duncan, closed her eyes again. "So, Duncan smells like... chocolate and... mint to all of you?" Everyone in the room turned to look at her. "What?" She saw the amazement on their faces as she looked back at them. "Well, what does he smell like to you?" Jen tried to answer her question. "He smells like... like Duncan." Beth was intrigued, and the questions continued as the others came into the room. "So, then, what do I smell like to you?" "Clean sheets." "Jen?" "Smouldering fire." "Abigail?" "Roses." "Lily?" "Fresh baked bread." "Amanda?" "Warm, polished wood." "Marcus?" "Coffee." "William?" "Red wine." "Kevin?" "Passion fruit." "Sam?" "Frankincense." "Nick?" "New mown hay." "Spencer?" She paused a second. "Earth." "And Devon?" "Spicy. Like a drink I once had in Europe. Chocolate and hot pepper." It was later that day. Nick and Spencer were playing a game. Good natured ribbing degenerated into playful shoving, then the two of them were on the floor, rolling around. They shifted to wolf and squared off, dodging, closing, until Spencer tripped Nick up and Nick ended up on his back on the floor. Spencer stood over him, triumphant. Amanda looked at Anne. "I guess we can do that now, huh?" "I suppose we can." She looked to Abigail and William; she was sitting in his lap. "How do we go about it?" Lily watched from the far corner; Devon was leaning against the doorjamb. "I guess I just think to be wolf and it happens." Anne got up and sat on the floor, cross legged. She looked around at them all, then away, like she was thinking about something. She shook her head, closing her eyes. Everyone was watching her. After a couple of minutes like that, their attention began to shift, but Devon caught the beginning of her change. Then, before them stood a medium brown wolf, with brown eyes, tangled up in Anne's clothes. Devon began to clap and the others joined in. Anne took a couple of steps and fell over, the shirt tripping her up. Devon got down on one knee to strip it off her. "That's why we're usually naked when we change." He pulled the shorts off as well. He gave her a slight swat on the rump. "Now, go. Try it out." They watched her take her first, tentative steps as wolf. She tottered a bit, trying to figure out how to coordinate four legs, and wandered out of the room. She walked around, into other rooms, getting her balance, then took off into the tunnels. She could see better in the dark now. She cut down one of the lesser used tunnels, scenting the air and moving farther into it. She didn't smell anyone but her; the tunnel was obviously barely used. She didn't smell any clean fresh air either, but she kept moving farther back. When she ended up in a larger chamber with bats she stopped and looked around. Bats meant an opening somewhere. She circled the chamber, looking around, climbing rocks and pushing her nose into openings. Suddenly, she caught the slight breeze. Climbing up, she found the opening. A narrow crack. Damn, she couldn't get out that way. She checked further but the only tunnel was the one she came in. OK, time to go back, before they started to wonder where she had gotten to. Her lips curled up in a little grin. She could go farther and explore faster this way. She went back to her room but couldn't get in. Wolf paws didn't work on door handles. Looking around, she changed back, opened her door, and slipped in. Pulling on other clothes, she returned to the kitchen for a snack. Spencer was there, chewing on some leftover stew. "So, what do you think?" She glanced at him; he was watching her closely. She drank a glass of water, set it down and looked in to the refrigerator. "Very neat. I can see the appeal." She grabbed a biscuit and bit into it. "We're rarely in any other form in the summer. There's nothing like running around the hills, scaring the rabbits." He moved closer to her. "I'd like to show you some of my favorite places." Something in his attitude made her uneasy. She moved away, throwing him a noncommittal answer. "We'll see what things are like in the summer." ***** He was amazed at how easily she shifted into her other form. Amanda had been trying the past couple of days, having difficulty, and it was painful for her. Anne seemed to be spending most of her time in the tunnels, running around on wolf legs. Two of their three had made it through the change. The new moon was coming soon. There was one more thing he had to do before it, and the next council meeting, arrived. What We Must Ch. 03 Dear Readers, The women have been changed and it's time for the next step in the council's decree. Enjoy, KemMyst ***** Again, Devon went to Amanda first. She was hesitant at first, but then began to respond to his overtures, welcoming him into her bed. The night was spent easily, but fitfully, as he wasn't used to sleeping with another anymore. They came together to breakfast the next morning. Amanda wore a somewhat happy glow, and Devon seemed pleased enough. Devon washed up before lunch, not wanting to trail Amanda's scent with him into Anne's room. He had seen her body and now started thinking again of how he would approach her, touch her, her responses to him. Anne spent the day away from them, searching, searching. Duncan and Marcus were sent after her periodically and found she had been searching the tunnels. She was easy enough to track by the scent she trailed. She seemed frustrated and upset at lunch, angry at dinner. He took her hand after dinner and led her to her room. Closing the door behind them, he walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist, his face in her hair. "Do you have any idea how good you smell?" His hands came up to cup her breasts and he had a chance to squeeze them lightly before she pulled away. She turned back to face him, and silently stripped, then went to the bed and crawled into the center. He was greeted by the sight of the soft flesh between her thighs before she turned and laid down, just as she did the second time he had entered her room. She accepted him into the bed but simply laid there with her eyes closed. She did not touch him, or respond to him in any way. He held himself over her and took her head to kiss her but she did not kiss back. Her hands came up to grasp at his arms. "Stop that." He touched her down below, his fingers sliding through the soft brown curls to her opening. "You aren't ready for me. I don't want to hurt you." She felt good to him and smelled even better. He was already hard and she could feel the heat and firmness of his shaft as it pressed against her. He touched her to get her body to respond, to make her wet so that he wouldn't hurt her. He'd never been with an unwilling female before, and he was at a loss. He began with her breasts, brushing his hands over them to get those rose colored tips to peak for him. He took a breast in each hand, his thumb circling the nipple on one, while his mouth was on an exploration of the other. He suckled, he nibbled, and rolled the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He heard her heart speed up, her breathing coming more quickly. He looked at her, but her eyes remained closed, her hands fisted in the bedcover. Switching sides, he nipped at the other nipple and she sucked in a breath, a slight gasp. At least he was having some effect on her. His hand slid down over her belly again and he touched the softness between her thighs. Good, she was beginning to get wet. He stroked her, enjoying the feel of her labia, before dipping a finger in her early wetness and pushing it inside her. He pushed all the way in and brought it back out again, circling her opening. Unlikely as it may have been, he was glad there was no sign she was a virgin. He rubbed at her clit, and her neck arched, but she didn't make a sound. He heard her breath hitch as the sensations took her, but she wouldn't look at him, didn't touch him. She was getting wetter. He brought his fingers up to his nose and smelled them, Oh, yes, he had to taste her. He was so rigid it was almost painful. He started shifting down her body, anticipating the sweet taste of her juices, when she grabbed him by the hair and spoke one word. "No." "But,.." Again, firmer, without releasing his hair. "No." Saddened, sighing, wishing it could be more than just duty, he pushed into her, and she grunted at the intrusion. Oh, he was big. Not huge, but a good size, filling her as she had always loved to be filled. He was moving slowly, carefully, making sure he was lubricated enough before starting to thrust deeply. Oh, gods, he felt good, he smelled good, but she shouldn't be enjoying this. His hands had felt good to her as well, touching, twisting, stroking. But she hadn't asked him here. He had brought her here, trapped her, changed her, and this, well, this was the price for staying alive until she could escape them. And, now, now that she could change into a wolf, she could run that much faster, cover more ground before they found out she was missing. Oh, he was touching her again, and sucking her nipple. She realized her hands were coming off the bedcovers. No! Don't touch him, don't fall into the trap of thinking he feels something for you. This was something his council made him do. Oh, he was gonna make her cum. Oh, gods, was he getting bigger? No. No. No. Oooh. Her back arched off the bed, taking him with her, as she spasmed around his shaft and he pumped his load into her. Her mouth and eyes opened suddenly and she started sucking in air. He made a couple more short, gentle thrusts as the last of his hot seed poured into her. Nothing as good as being inside a woman. He was even more pleased that he had gotten her to orgasm. After he'd spewed his seed within her, her hands came up and she tried to push him off. "I can't yet; we're tied." "Get off me." "Can't you feel my knot? I can't pull out until the swelling goes down." Knot? Is that what that was? She hadn't really studied up on wolf biology enough; she'd have to look into this. Even worse, if he was stuck in there for a while she wouldn't be able to wash him out of her and reduce the chances of getting pregnant. She used her muscles and tried to push him out. "Ow! I told you, you have to wait for the swelling to go down. That'll only make it worse." Damn. ***** William looked at his wife, splayed on their bed, and began to harden again as she looked on him. Her hair was a deep brown, her eyes a brilliant green. They'd always captivated him. He looked at her full lips, thinking of them on him, around him. Those lips curved slightly as she watched his engorgement. "What's gotten into you tonight, Will? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I'm not going to be able to walk straight tomorrow." Lying on their sides on the bed, legs entwined, he rubbed his nose against hers, then kissed her. "Mmm, must be something in the air." He rolled, bringing her on top of him. He then pulled her down, on her hands and knees over him, kissed her, then bit lightly on her nipple. The areoles were large, bigger than those of the other women in the pack, and darkly colored. He licked around each of them, blowing on them to watch the nipples crinkle up as they cooled, then sucking each into his mouth, back and forth, keeping them at attention. His hand had worked down her body as he touched her swollen lips, feeling the sticky mixture of her juices and his, then feeling more wetness as she began to seep again from his attention. They were still finding their way, discovering things about each other's bodies. He then nudged her around, and positioned that wet and waiting opening above him, as her mouth descended on him. Just as he felt her pull him as far into her mouth as she could without gagging, he latched onto her clitoris and sucked hard. "Ooohh!" She was distracted, stopped what she was doing, but still held him in her mouth. Recovering, she licked the head of his cock, where the precum had gathered, and he moaned. The vibration of his moan on her made her quiver as his tongue delved into her depths. His hands held her tightly as his tongue explored her passage, moving in and out, twisting around. Her hips shifted and he slid back, out of her mouth and below to her slippery, warm tunnel. "Let me put something bigger in there." "Oh, Will." He pulled her down onto his rigid, thick member as she moaned again. Propping himself back against the headboard, he took his wife's hips and urged her to shift up and down on him. He shifted his hips and pushed up as she came down. "MMmm. Lovely." His hands traced over her back, her shoulders, then moved to her sides as she continued to bob on his shaft. She shivered at the feeling. He then traced up her stomach. One hand found a breast, flicking at, and teasing, her already hardened nipple. The other dropped, to press against her clitoris with the movement. "Oh. Oh. Will, I'm close." He sat up now, kissed her shoulder, nuzzled her neck. "Abbie, I love you. Cum for me, pretty. I want to feel it." She tensed and he bit her earlobe while pinching that nipple and rubbing her clitoris. She gasped, and the familiar tightening contractions began. He shoved up one more time and his knot bulged. She shrieked as he pulsed inside her and he finished pressing one more circle on that most sensitive spot. They collapsed backward, gasping and sweating, and he registered pain. He pulled up his knees, grabbed her, and rolled them to their sides, kissing her again. "There, that's better." ***** He'd fallen asleep, holding her in his arms. She tried to pull away from him, but his arms tightened about her. She put a hand out, not much room before she'd fall off the side. Great, he was lying in the middle of the bed and was taking up so much room, she'd have to sleep on the floor to get away from him. Dammit! This was supposed to be her bed. Why couldn't he give her some peace, now that he was done with her? But it was cool in here and he was warm. And she just felt so tired. Just, just a little nap. Maybe he'd roll over and she could get out, go to his room or upstairs or something. Yes. Forty winks and she'd feel better. ***** The council met at the new moon, as always. Each of the packs had reported fulfilling the initial terms of the decree. All but one had brought three human females into their camp. This last had gotten two, and was looking for a third. Their range was deeper than the others, which would make it more difficult for them. Their Alpha insisted he would have a third female by the next council meeting, barring bad weather. All of the captured women had been changed, but the news here was less encouraging. They had lost one out of every eight of the women to the change. The reports of symptoms before their deaths was similar: high fever, seizure, and death. And, even worse, two of the captured women had committed suicide. The packs that had lost these females were all expected to get a third and repeat the process with the new captive. Ian Matlin sounded smug, reporting the capture and turning of three human females, as well as repeated matings with them already. Rape was what it really was. And he had enjoyed doing it by the sound of it. Then came the usual announcements. A couple of matings and three more deaths, a young woman, just after her fourteenth birthday, and a mature werewoman and her infant daughter, at birth. The meeting concluded, with the admonishment to all to continue with the conditions of the edict. Spring would have to come before they might know if this gambit would be successful. ***** The third time he went to her, Devon noticed her scent was decreasing again. It had dropped after they found her, then rose again. Now it was falling. And it dawned on him, that was her cycle. Something about her timing. And it hadn't changed now that she was a wolf, too. How very strange, and interesting. He'd have to discuss this with Lily and Jen. He paused before he went to her, looking at her, lying there naked on the bed with her eyes closed. Like she just wanted it to be over with. He knew she had been getting some pleasure from him, her body told him as much. He was able to get her to climax the two times he had come to her, and he'd do it again tonight. He didn't want it to be a chore. He wanted it to be something she enjoyed, or looked forward to. Why was she continuing to act this way? He knew Kevin was bigger than him, was that part of it? Did he not do things she would have liked him to do? But she wouldn't tell him what she wanted, or show him, and there were things she refused to let him do. Wait, he had heard about women who didn't like men and men who liked being with men, was that the problem? What was the word? He sat on the side of the bed and took her hand. Surprised, she opened her eyes. "What?" "Anne, are you a lesbian?" "No. Why?" Damn, that wasn't it, now he didn't know if he felt better or worse. "It doesn't have to be this way. Let me pleasure you." She looked into his blue eyes, searching. He was trying to be considerate, but why should she let him? It sounded as if he was feeling guilty and he should. No, she wouldn't allow him to feel better about what he was doing. "No. Just do what you came here to do. What you've been told to do." If there was a button to push that was it. How could she read him so easily? Yes, he felt guilty, and she knew it, and she was using that knowledge against him, forcing him to think about it every time he came to her. She was determined not to make it easy on him. Fine. He pressed her back down to the bed and began to touch her. He took her, rather roughly this time, ignoring her struggling, pushing her onto her belly and pulling her back up against him to take her from behind, not wanting to see her eyes accusing him. ***** The tension was palpable around the breakfast table the next morning. Anne fixed Devon with a steely glare that he saw every time he glanced in her direction. She ate little. While the meal began with ordinary conversation, they all soon lapsed into silence, looking between the two of them. When they were done, Duncan grabbed his brother and hauled him into his room. "Devon, what in the world happened last night?" "I think I may have ruined what little chance we had of Anne accepting her place here." Devon sat heavily in a chair and sighed loudly. Duncan took his brother by the shoulder, before taking his own seat. "Tell me what happened." Devon scrubbed his face with his hands before looking back at his brother. "You've seen her. She has been defiant, argumentative, stubborn." "You know our women, brother, why would you expect human females to be any different? We found her, alone, in the woods, miles from what they call civilization. She is strong, independent, sure of herself." "Let's not forget opinionated." "Let's not." "I've tried to be gentle and considerate but, even though she allowed me in, she isn't a willing partner. She doesn't fight me, but she doesn't participate; she won't touch me. She won't let me kiss her, or taste her. Or do anything else that might give her pleasure. She wants me to fuck her and get it over with. But her body reacts to me, I've taken her to orgasm, I've felt it. Except for last night." Duncan did not interrupt, but leaned in and listened closely to his brother. "Last night, I tried to talk to her about it. I wish she would welcome me but she makes it harder to do what I must. She knows I feel guilty for what I'm doing and threw it back at me last night. It made me..." Another loud exhalation. "I was mad and sad and frustrated. So, I ending up giving her what she's been expecting since I brought her here. I used her and that was all. I'm sure I managed to hurt her while I was at it." "In other words, you and your wolf wanted to dominate her." He closed his eyes at the thought. "Yea. I guess. You know I stay in the room with them, afterwards. I figured it would be helpful and I try to fall asleep holding them. It does feel good, after so long. But, last night... when I could pull out, she just laid on her belly on the bed. I know she was upset. And I wanted to apologize but when I touched her, she flinched and curled up in a ball. As far away from me on the bed as she could get. And, now, I don't know how to tell her I'm sorry or what I can do." "What's done is done. Did you think they would all accept this so easily?" He looked Devon in the eye. "Tell me truthfully, Dev. If you were allowed to choose, right now, between the two of them. If the choice was yours, which would you want as mate?" Devon closed his eyes, and shook his head in resignation before answering. "Anne." "She is your match, brother, in more ways than one. She has your temperament and I believe she would make a fine Alpha. But..." "But, now, with what happened last night, if she had started to trust me, even a little, I've now confirmed to her that I'm just a selfish, arrogant male, an animal. And that she is nothing but a female to be bred like a bitch." ***** It took time for him to master his feelings and head to her room. He found her there, curled up on the bed. "Are you alright?" The smell of blood hung in the air and his chest tightened, did he do this? She refused to answer him, did not move. She was almost rigid, breathing more quickly than usual. He took her shoulder, "Are you hurt?" Still no response from her. Her eyes remained closed, and, if it were possible, she curled up a little tighter on the bed. He stepped out into the corridor and yelled, "Grandmother!" Lily came down the hall to where he stood outside Anne's room. "I smell blood." She saw the fear on his face at this statement. Lily entered the room and ordered him out. Closing the door, she walked over to Anne and looked at her. Then sat on the side of the bed and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's your time again, isn't it?" Pain on her face, Anne nodded. "That was fast." "I've always had a short cycle." "Cramps?" Anne nodded again. "Ran out of ibuprofen." "Will aspirin help?" Anne shook her head. "OK, I think we have it upstairs, let me fetch you some tablets and a hot water bottle." Devon had been pacing outside the door. He looked up, a little guiltily, as his grandmother exited Anne's room. "Is she?... Did I?..." Lily looked at the expression on his face. "Devon, walk with me." He fell in step with her. "Do you think you might have hurt her that badly? Devon, what did you do?" He explained the situation to his grandmother, as he did with Duncan. She shook her head and he paused as she stepped through the door into the medical lab. Seeing his stricken look, she reassured him. "No, Devon, you didn't cause this. She is having her monthly and she has bad cramps. I'm getting her something that will help." "Didn't she just go through this a couple of weeks ago? She didn't seem to have this problem the last time." "She ran out of the medication she brought with her. And, yes, her last time wasn't that long ago. She apparently cycles more frequently than most women." Lily checked the cabinet, grabbed a container and prepared a hot water bottle. He moved to take the items from her. "Maybe I should..." "I don't think that would be wise. She is more likely to prefer having another woman minister to her right now. Why don't you go back to your room?" A resigned look on his face, he turned and walked away. Lily walked back to Anne's room, thinking how much drama this human woman had brought into the pack, wondering if it had been a good idea to bring her here. Maybe they should trade her to one of the other packs... ***** Devon knew, since she just came off her monthly, that he had little chance of getting her pregnant now. Besides, if he had figured out this scent of hers, she was nowhere near her peak fertility. He decided to take her out of her room tonight. It was her night again so she was lying in the bed, waiting for him. There was a knock on the door, and she waited for him to enter. The door didn't open. Another knock. Confused, she went to the door and opened it. Devon stood there. Did he want her to invite him in? She wouldn't. Why this sudden change? She stood naked in the doorway, looking at him, wondering why he was just standing there instead of coming in and climbing in her bed. She didn't back up to let him in, or close the door in his face. Stubborn, that was the biggest problem. What We Must Ch. 03 He extended a hand to her. "Come with me." She continued to stand there, looking at him. "Please." She turned from the door. "OK." Pulled on shirt and shorts. Mystified, she walked with him. He took her hand, and she allowed it. He led her down into the tunnels. She held her breath. Did he want to know what she had been doing down here? He led her to the pool, which was already warming. "Come. Sit. Talk to me." She looked around the chamber. There were candles burning on the other side of the pool. She crossed her arms and turned to him. "Isn't it a little late for an attempt at seduction?" He closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts. He looked at her again; did she hate him? Did she hate him that much? "Anne, you've been here for 6 weeks now and we still don't know much of anything about you. I just want to talk to you." She continued to stand and stare at him, finally saying, "It doesn't really matter what I was before if I'm never going to leave here." Damn. How stubborn could she be? He wanted her to open up, to thaw, to feel like she was part of his pack, to actually join in. Amanda was fairly well integrated already. He dropped his pants, walked over, and picked her up. She struggled. He got into the pool with her, got into the center, and dropped her in. She came up, sputtering. "What the hell was that for?!" She stood and faced him. His hand went to her shirt, and he unbuttoned the first button before she slapped his hand away. He sat, in a position that would make it difficult for her to get out without touching him. "Sit. Relax. Let's have a civil conversation, can we?" She opened her mouth to reply, and he interjected, "Just. Talk." She sat, away from him, and looked to him to start the conversation. She left her wet clothes on. "So, how did you decide to become a scientist?" "How did you come to be in charge here?" "Alright. Let's try it this way. I'll answer a question for each question you answer." He looked at her brown eyes and could see her contemplating it. "Agreed?" "Agreed." "So, where are you in the birth order?" "I'm the eldest. How did you come to lead?" "My father was Alpha, it tends to run down family lines, unless there were no male heirs. Have you always lived in the area?" "No. Is Lily your father's mother?" "That wasn't much of an answer. Where else have you lived?" "Then you shouldn't ask questions which can be answered with a simple yes or no. Is Lily your paternal grandmother?" "Yes. Where else have you lived?" While not an optimum, relaxed conversation, he was at least getting her to talk to him and learning about her at the same time. He learned that: she grew up in a small town, never felt comfortable in a big city, had lived in several states, liked fantasy books, needlework, baking, puzzles, drawing, hiking, had had several boyfriends but had never married, that she liked the freedom of being a wolf... She found out that: he liked the feel and the smell of wood, had built many of the furnishings, liked ale better than wine, was intrigued by human society, that his mate had died long ago, an early victim of the virus, that Beth and her sister had come from another pack, and Beth's sister had mated Marcus... Questions continued as the shirt began to chill her, the part out of the water. She finally decided to give it up. After all, he had seen her naked often enough. She pulled it off and laid it on a rock nearby. He looked at her breasts, the tops of her areoles just peeking out of the water. Small movements created ripples which exposed the erect tips at their peaks. He now thought of cupping them in his hands, of teasing them while she whimpered, of suckling on them until she came. Of claiming her mouth, since she never allowed him to kiss her. His fingers in her hair. Then down to her sweet hole, his hands holding and opening her to him. He'd tasted her juices, but only off his fingers. She continued to deny him the opportunity to taste her directly. He wanted her to flood him with her juices, would they taste different when she climaxed? "Devon?" "I'm sorry. What?" "It's your turn." He looked at her. He agreed with his wolf. He wanted her, and badly. What question to ask now? He came up with a brazen thought. "Do you enjoy having your pussy licked?" She was startled by the bluntness of the question. Her pussy throbbed at the thought. He watched her mouth open, then close. The look on her face he interpreted as wistful, before turning hard. He had his answer, of course she did. ***** Of course she did, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She stood, the interview over. Let him come to her as he wished, or not. She wasn't going to abet him in his attempts to tame her. She pulled her shirt back on and moved to leave the pool. He took her by the arm and forced her to look at him. "There's no place you can run from this." She tried to break his grip but was unable. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But I don't have to go easily." He let her go and watched her walk away from him. She continued to resist him, refusing to warm. What would she be like when the ice finally broke? ***** Her pussy throbbed. In fact, the question had her thinking more and more about a man's tongue on her folds, his mouth sucking on her clit. She got wetter with practically every step back to her room. Every corner she turned, she looked to see if he was following; he wasn't. She got back to her room and could feel the wetness oozing from her. She circled her room twice before rubbing the crotch of her shorts against her clit. She went to the bed and her hand rose, unbuttoning the shorts, her fingers working down to her mound. Her other hand was under her shirt, rubbing at a stiffened nipple. She closed her eyes and moaned, before pulling off her wet clothes and dropping them on the floor. She worked her fingers through the wetness at her entrance and moved it upward to the nodule of her pleasure. She stroked past it, then circled a couple of times. Biting her lower lip, she pushed a finger into her pussy, and felt the warmth and wetness there. An ache was beginning to build in her belly, an ache that could only be cured by one thing. Now intent on getting herself off, she added a second finger, then a third, and began sawing them in and out of herself. Her knees had drawn up and her head twisted on the bedcovers. She whimpered. A quick knock, and the door opened. She froze. Caught! He sucked in a big breath, taking in the scent of her arousal as he took note of what she was doing. He moved to the end of the bed, grabbed her knees, and slid his hands down to her hips. Her hands went to his as his face closed on that wet and swollen flesh between her legs. He had a chance to drag his tongue across her folds twice and suck her clit into his mouth as she began to squirm and started yelling at him. "No! No! Stop it!" He felt her lower lips pulse as she grabbed his hair and tried to yank him away. "Stop." Hearing the emotion in her voice, he picked his head up and looked at her. "Why?" She was taking in big breaths and looking very upset. "Because... Because... This has nothing to do with your little breeding program. It's not for you." "Why not? Why shouldn't I do something I enjoy that gives you pleasure, too?" "I. Didn't. Ask you here. You're not my lover. You're my jailer. Why should you get any more than your council requires? Were you confusing your duty with something else?" "Why can't it be more?" She got up on her elbows and looked at him. "What do you want from me?" He took a deep breath and took her by the shoulders, raising her to sit next to him on the bed. "I want you to welcome me into your bed. I want you to get wet when I look at you. I want to hear you call my name when I'm inside you. I want more, for both of us." She looked at him, stoically. "I want you to be happy. What can I do?" She looked into his blue eyes, searching. "Can you let me go?" "You know I can't do that." "Can you turn back time?" He shook his head, sadly. "Then there's nothing you can do for me." ***** Duncan. Hmmm. Maybe she should work on him, see if she could talk him in to letting her out. She so wanted to see the sun again. Just to breathe free air. She couldn't imagine that they liked being stuck down here either; they'd want the freedom of being outside. She'd work that angle. She had little to offer. The younger members enjoyed her iPod, her cell phone was useless, there wasn't anything else she'd brought with her that she thought would be enough. There was really only one thing left. Could she tempt him? Or was he too devoted? Surely he was like most men with a willing female. Now with a new project, she knew she must work slowly. Being too aggressive would raise too many suspicions. But, gods, she wanted to be out of here. She started by talking to him more, showing interest. Then, she brushed up against him later as they passed in the hall. Living in close quarters, they all picked up each other's scents to a greater or lesser extent but Devon noticed Duncan seemed to be getting more of hers. She watched for signs of increased interest as she continued her low key seduction. He started glancing at her more frequently, his eyes following her around. She stepped up the moves. She asked him to help rearrange her room. When they were done she thanked him with a little peck on the cheek. Devon came to her that night and commented on the changes. She looked at him but did not reply. He had tried to engage her in any kind of conversation but she wouldn't talk to him when he came to her at night. She barely spoke to him outside of the room. He was greeted with the usual scene when he entered her room for their next 'session.' She was lying naked in the bed, with her eyes closed. But the bed had been moved and Duncan's scent hung in the air. Devon dropped his pants and crawled into the bed beside her. Although it wasn't much, he was startled to find Duncan's scent on her. What was going on? He did what was required of him, taking care with her so as not to hurt her, or do those things she wouldn't allow. But he wished she would look at him, touch him, make a sound, have some reaction other than the involuntary ones. Anything to keep him from thinking that he was, in truth, raping her each time he came to her room. Duncan's scent distracted him this night. Had he touched her? Kissed her? Did she start something? Was she attracted to him? Should he just let his brother have her? Oh, god, she felt so good. Even unwilling, he felt so much more with her than Amanda. Her body called to him. It was almost as if he belonged there, inside her. Those warm, slick walls that seemed to fit around him so well. The feeling of stroking within them was wonderful. Her breasts were bigger than Amanda's and her body fuller, more womanly. Something in him screamed fertility, and maternity. Duncan. He had to speak to Duncan. He fell asleep, holding her, now covered in his scent, and his alone. ***** The next day, he caught Duncan around mid-morning. "So, Dunc, you helped her rearrange her room..." "Yeah. She asked me to give her a hand. She was been talking to me more lately so I figured it was a good idea. Is there a problem?" "No. No. Not that I can think of. Just... just let me know if she starts asking for anything strange." "Sure. OK, Dev." He gave his brother a closer looked, trying to figure out why he looked a little lost. The next day, when she came into the entertainment room, Duncan invited her to a game of chess. She agreed this time and they played a couple of games. He beat her handily twice, then took the next game as an opportunity to teach her some strategy. She laughed a little at her mistakes as Duncan showed her the potential consequences of her moves. She lamented being unable to breathe fresh air. Devon passed by, on the way to the workshop, and paused, startled by her laughter, something he had not heard from her before. He looked in, and saw her at the chessboard with Duncan. He frowned, as he continued on, not sure whether to be glad or not. She was apparently loosening up a little with Duncan but it upset him somewhat that it was Duncan, and not him, that she was warming to. She excused herself to go work for a while in the science lab, 'accidentally' brushing Duncan's hand as she rose. She had recharged her iPod and retreated to the science lab. She had pulled out a breadboard, various pieces of wire, resistors, capacitors, a couple of batteries, and some old circuitry. She was standing at a bench, her back to the door, looking over her work, when a favorite song came on. She began dancing to the music. Standing with her hands on the bench, eyes closed, she started shifting her hips. Her head began moving in time to the music, she twisted, and the dancing became more sensual. Her arms moved, her hands running down her body without touching it, flipping her hair. Moves that would bring many males on the dance floor towards her, if she were in a bar. As the song ended, she planted her hands back on the bench, gyrated one more time, then arched her back, before relaxing as the next song came on. Spencer had been watching her as she began to move. Catching sight of Devon and Duncan, he started, and moved away. Interested to see what he had been looking at, they stopped in the doorway, and watched as Anne continued her dance. Enthralled, they stood there until the final bars played, and her posture loosened. A little embarrassed, Devon moved away. Duncan was a little slower. Anne turned to pick something up, and caught sight of him as he left. At first she was a bit embarrassed about having been seen at her dance, but then a little smile came to her face. Inadvertently, she may have spiked Duncan's interest in her. ***** Later, some of them were watching a nature show. Partway in, she gusted a heavy sigh and rose. "I wish we could go outside." She went to the books, grabbed one, and curled up in a chair. She was as unresponsive to Devon as ever the next evening, well, not exactly unresponsive. Her body responded to his touch, but the rest of her wasn't there. While he did enjoy touching her, the fact that she wouldn't touch him, wouldn't allow him any other contact than straight intercourse weighed on him, tormented him. And what was going on between her and Duncan? She was talking to him, playing chess with him, laughing. He couldn't even get her to smile. Had he driven her to this? What was wrong with him? Was he jealous of his brother? His. She was supposed to be his. His thrusting slowed and she opened her eyes to look at him. He focused on her again, realizing that he had pretty much stopped what he was doing and that she had to be wondering what his problem was. He knew she just wanted him to finish and get off of her and that any attempt to prolong the act would not be looked upon favorably. Now, what would she think of him, losing focus in the middle of making love... sorry, screwing her, fucking her? He stopped, and looked into her eyes until she exhaled and closed them again. He closed his eyes as well and took in her scent, felt her warmth and the pleasurable feel of her skin against him. He touched her again, to arouse her further, before starting to move once more. He thought of what it would be like for her to touch him, wishing she would feel something for him. He dropped his mouth to her breast as he thrust a little deeper and harder. Having been with her enough he now knew the signs as she approached orgasm. Her breathing and heart rate told him she was close and he continued to hold off until he could get her to climax. He felt relief at the first tightening of her muscles around him. The contractions were a bit more powerful this time, as he made a final thrust and his knot bulged inside her, and the arching of her back took him off the bed again. As she panted and he collapsed on her, he registered the smell of blood. Startled, he opened his eyes and pushed up. A sniff and he took her face, zeroing in on the source of the smell. She had bitten her lower lip hard enough to bleed. He sank down on her again, waiting until he could pull out, and contemplating the change he had noticed. The pleasure she was been getting from him was evident, also was the fact that she didn't want him to take any delight in the pleasure he was able to bring her. Did this have anything to do with her apparent attraction to Duncan? The sight of her dancing, the movements mesmerizing, as if she were calling to him. There was something primal in her and it called to him in ways he couldn't even begin to express. He didn't think he could stand to see her with Duncan. She belonged to him and he wanted her. It was one of the things he had feared when the decree was instituted, but he never thought that it could happen in his pack, to him. How was he going to resolve this? What if Amanda got pregnant and Anne went to Duncan? She fell asleep well before him this time, her breathing regular, her body warm against him. Come morning, she'd squirm out of his grasp and they'd start another day. Another day of resentment from her and consternation from the others. He had to keep his pack together. What We Must Ch. 04 Dear Readers, Things begin to heat up in the McKenna pack. Enjoy, KemMyst ************* Devon was working on a set of bookshelves; Marcus was checking the stores. Jen was studying medical texts, in an effort to prepare for any issues related to the anticipated pregnancies. William was back in the tunnels, cleaning his equipment, preparing to start a new batch of ale. The others were working on their projects. Beth and Nick were watching a show. Anne was again in the tunnels. Everyone had settled in to their winter routines. ***** Devon spent this night with Amanda. It was a relief, in a way, as he got sounds, reactions, and more physical enjoyment in being with her. But, it was also not the same, not enough. She met him at the door, naked but for a very short skirt that failed to completely cover her behind. She greeted him warmly, with a kiss, and a hand at the waistband of his pants as she pulled him into her room. He put his arms around her, stroking her back, enjoying the feeling of her breasts against his chest. She raked her nails down his back and he groaned. Then, her hands went to the ties on his pants, and she pushed them to the floor, as he reached down to cup her ass. He groaned again as he pulled her more tightly to him, raising her on tiptoe, and smelling her arousal as he kissed her again. His grip relaxed a little and she slithered down his body, ending up on her knees, looking up at him. Her hair was light brown, and shoulder length, her eyes hazel. She licked her lips and slowly closed on him, until he could feel her warm breath on his turgid member. He closed his eyes as her tongue touched the base of his cock, and traced a wet trail up to the head. It lingered around the ridge and then she took just the head into her mouth. He twisted his fingers in her hair at the feeling and leaned back against the wall. She put her hands on his ass and pulled him closer, pulling him into her mouth. She licked and hummed as one of her fingers probed between his ass cheeks to rub against his anus. He moaned. He was building up to an explosive eruption and abruptly pulled her away. She whimpered in disappointment as he picked her up and put her against the wall. "But, Dev, I want you to cum in my mouth..." He twisted her around and she put her hands on his shoulders as one of his hands held her against the wall while the other ran down her body to fondle her wet pussy. He brought his cock up to her entrance and pushed into her as they both moaned. As he pumped into her from below, he pushed his fingers, coated with her juices, into her mouth. She had wrapped her legs around him as he plunged into her depths and felt her breasts move up and down on his chest. Already close, it didn't take too long before he lodged his knot in her pussy. Two more short thrusts, and he roared his release. His pulsing triggered her orgasm and she shrieked his name as she came. He collapsed against her, pushing her more tightly against the wall, smelling his own blood from her fingernails piercing his skin. After a period of recovery, he carried her to the bed and lay back, with her sprawled out on him. She murmured pleasantly against his chest. After a time, he slipped out of her and she rolled to his side. Curled up against him under the furs, they fell into a sated sleep. In the dark of night, he woke, with a soft warm female form against him. Mmm, Beverley. He pulled her tighter, no, wait, he was a bit confused. It didn't smell like... Amanda. This was Amanda. Bev was gone. ***** Duncan had spent time helping with lunch while Anne was working on bread. After lunch she deigned to play a couple more games of chess with him. She still lost, but he commented that her strategy seemed to be improving. He didn't quite notice as she deflected most of his questions and he ended up answering most of them. She retreated to the tunnels and wandered around. The expanse was larger than she would have thought, and it would take her a while to go through them all. Unfortunately, a couple of the openings she had found had been blocked off. But there had to be airshafts somewhere. Duncan ran into her later that afternoon. She was standing in front of the vault doors, staring at them. She noticed him walk up; it was time to try his resolve. "There's at least a couple of months before those will open." "Why? Is there a timer or something?" "No. But the snow gets deep enough that you can't go anywhere." "So, you never go out in the winter, at all?" "Well..." She looked into his eyes as he hesitated. "Yeah, sometimes." "I didn't think you would all be able to stand been cooped up inside this long. I know it's making me a little nuts. I wish I could see the sun, kick around some snow, breathe fresh air. I just wanna go out, don't you?" "It does suck, being stuck down here." "Can you get out? Can everybody but us open the door?" "Devon and I are the only ones who can open it. Why?" "Can't we just sneak out there? Just for a little while? Please, Duncan, just so I can see the sun?" He hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea." She tipped her head up towards his face, put a hand on his arm and stroked his forearm. "I'd really appreciate it." "Anne..." "I could do something nice for you, if you were to do me this favor." She moved closer to him, her breast brushed his arm. He stood rigidly. "Anne. I can't, and we couldn't." She knew he was becoming aroused. She ran her hand up to his face. "So. You can't make a decision on your own? And why couldn't we?" "Of course I make my own decisions but Devon would be livid if we went out without good reason." "He wouldn't ever need to know", she gave him a little half smile, pulling him against her, "anything." He took her arms and put her away from him. He took a couple of deep breaths. "Devon is the only one who's allowed to touch you. Besides, something could... happen." "Duncan, you're twins. No one would know." A pause. "I know you want me." Steeling himself, he turned and broke contact. "I can't Anne. I won't. Don't ask me again." He walked away from her. Her voice was relatively quiet, but the word carried. "Duncan." He stopped once more at the sound of his name, then, hands tightly fisted, continued to walk away from her without looking back. Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. That was her best shot and she likely wouldn't get another chance. It would take something catastrophic now for either of them to open the door. Would he tell Devon? Would it really matter if he did? Defeated, sighing, she retreated to her room. ***** Agonizing over what just happened, Duncan hunted down Devon. He passed a couple of the others in the hallway and they noted the unhappy look on his face. He found Devon in the workshop, checking a piece of wood in the lathe. Devon turned when he caught Duncan's scent mixed with Anne's. Duncan looked supremely unhappy. Devon walked over to where his brother stood and grasped his upper arms. "Duncan. Brother. What's happened?" "She was only trying to get out. She wasn't trying to get to know us, me. She doesn't like me. She just wanted to get me to open the doors." "You're sure?" "I found her by the doors and she talked about wanting to go outside, that we probably didn't like being stuck in here either. She tried a couple of ways to convince me to open the doors so we could go out, just for a little while." He gusted a breath. "She touched me." He saw Devon's startled reaction. "No, not like that. My arm, my face, then she pressed up against me and she suggested... Devon, she..." "I get it Duncan. How did you leave it with her?" "I pushed her away and told her I couldn't do it, and that she couldn't ask me again." "Good. Good. It's alright Dunc. I know how badly she wanted to get away from us but I'm sorry she tried to play you like that." He clasped his brother on the shoulder and headed for the door. Duncan's voice stopped him briefly before he reached it. "But I could have, Devon. I really wanted to." ***** Why did she have to mess with Duncan? It wasn't as if he was sexually inexperienced but he'd never been mated. There had been a woman once, and he had pursued her. But she flirted with him, led him on, and then laughed at him as she chose someone else. The incident had soured him and it would be painful for him to realize he had fallen for it again. And it was entirely possible that Anne would go to him. It was all falling apart. He checked the Science lab, headed for the tunnels. There was no sign of her, no recent scent. Asking around, Abigail said she'd seen her go into her room. Probably pouting. He walked to her room, knocked briskly, opened the door, and strode in, slamming it behind him. She was at the table, writing something. She looked up as he abruptly entered the room and glared at her. "So, now I have no privacy at all?" "What makes you think you deserve it?" His voice was loud; he was practically yelling at her. She stood, and walked up to him, looking him in the eye, at least, as much as she could, her voice gaining volume, too. "I see. So, we're all equal but some are more equal than others, is that it?" "There are rules! And just some damn common courtesy would be nice!" "Common courtesy? For my kidnappers? Why do you think I owe you that?" He gritted his teeth. "We've treated you well since you got here." She gave him a look, a glare, and he thought to himself, OK, except for that. He closed his eyes, opened them, looked at her again. "The least you could do was treat us the same way." Now her voice dropped deadly low, her eyes were hard. "The first obligation of a prisoner is escape." He blinked. "You forget what I am." A pause. "You're lucky I haven't tried to poison you." The threat stopped him dead. Was she that dangerous? Would he end up having to kill her? He assessed the determined looked on her face as he asked the next question. "Would you actually try to kill us?" She held his stare for a few moments and he held his breath. Then, her eyes flicked away, and back to him. No, thank god, she wouldn't. "Duncan didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I'm responsible for this pack and for bringing you here. If you need to take it out on someone, it's me you need to deal with. Leave the others out of it." She gave him one last look, then went back to the chair. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, but what would that accomplish? She had made up her mind about them and couldn't be convinced of anything different. He took a step closer to her and she tensed, but otherwise ignored him. He then turned and opened the door. He looked over his shoulder, "Just me, Anne, there's no reason to take it out on anyone else." He exited the room, closing the door behind him. She looked at the closed door for a moment, then went back to what she was doing. *** He went to the workshop, took a scrap piece of 4x4, and threw it across the room with a yell. Then he put both hands on the workbench, his shoulders slumped, his head bowed. Why was this so hard? Dammit! This was her night, too. Should he just skip it? No. No. This was a woman he couldn't show any kind of weakness or loss of resolve to, nor would the rest of the pack take it well. OK, right, go to her as usual and treat her as he normally did. Damn! She was so obstinate, completely focused on one goal. Getting away from them. ***** She didn't come to dinner and, again, there was tension in the air. Duncan looked unhappy; Devon looked angry. Things relaxed a bit as the meal progressed but not completely. Devon's mood turned from angry toward worried as he kept looking at Anne's chair. Why wasn't she here? She'd always taken meals, and eaten well. Was it a hunger strike now? Was she embarrassed at her behavior after all? Would she have hurt herself? No, no, she was a survivor, or she wouldn't have lasted this long. She wouldn't, would she? His anxiety level continued to rise as the meal concluded. He took his plate to the sink, nodded to the others, and forced himself to walk back to her room. What did she have in her room? He'd given her back her knife. Medicines? No, just some for her cramps. Poisons? Surely she knew more than he did about what could be used... He stood outside her door, fearful of what he might find now when he opened it. She was still at the table, writing. She finished a line, looked up at him, closed the journal, and slid it into the nightstand. "You missed dinner. Would you like something...?" Without a word to him she stripped and crawled onto the bed. The time was passed as it normally was. He brought her to climax and spewed his seed within her. This tie was not as long and he pulled her back against him, and fell asleep. *** Amanda was having her monthly and Anne's scent was approaching its peak again. He wanted badly to go to her tonight but it wasn't her turn until tomorrow. Amanda had made it clear that he was welcome in her bed when Anne was off limits but the reverse wasn't true. As much as he wanted to sink into her, he'd stay away from her tonight. But his wolf yowled in his mind and he shifted. He ended up pacing outside her door, snuffling, finally curling up there to sleep. ***** It was the night before the full moon when he came to her again. He knocked and entered, as he normally did, but she wasn't in the bed. A low growl came from the other side of the room. His wolf clamored at him and he immediately shifted form, sliding easily from his pants. He watched as she shifted to human, back to wolf, to human, and to wolf again. She paced around the room, as if trying to figure out which way to turn, what to do. And the dance began. He stalked up behind her and sniffed. She was ready; it was time. Moving closer, he touched his nose to her. She growled and took a couple of steps away. He stepped forward again, tongue out, taking in her scent, and rubbed against her. She shied away, skipping sideways. But then she stopped again. Her mind was screaming inside. 'What are you doing? Quit antagonizing him. Human, I'm human, I'm human...' The dance continued a bit longer, until she finally smelled the strength of his arousal. Her wolf was in command and she wanted this. This was a strong healthy male and his status compelled her. She stood still and let him approach her. She smelled the fluid practically leaking from him and cocked her tail a bit to one side as she turned her head to look at him. He mounted her, his penis easily finding her opening, and he thrust into her. A slight yelp from her, and she shifted slightly, but he took a firmer grip and began to pound in and out of her. There was a chant going on in his mind as well. 'She wolf. Mine. Mine. Mine...' He howled as he filled her, his knot expanded to keep it there. He slid a foreleg over her and they stood, backsides together, as the last of his load was expended. She tried to pull away a couple of times, as this tie was rather lengthy, and, each time, he jerked within her. When he finally deflated and slid out, she sat on the floor and licked at her vulva. He came over to sniff at her further, rubbing against her again. She jumped onto the bed, circled twice and curled up. He followed, curving his body around hers. ***** Spencer had been keeping to himself lately. He wasn't as engaged in his regular pastimes, a couple of projects started and now untouched. He spent some time in the tunnels, but not very long, just longer than usual for him. The others were well aware of the time she spent in the tunnels. While she did spend time in the entertainment room, reading, or watching the occasional show, she also haunted the science lab, checking through the cabinets and making notes. She also regularly helped with dinner. But she spent much of her time alone in the tunnels. Devon periodically sent someone to check on her, but less and less frequently as time went on. Her third peak had come at the full moon before Beth's birthday. Her smell was maddening and he had been unable to find an outlet for the tension he felt. Tonight, Spencer decided to take action. He was following her scent into the nearby tunnels. He moved quietly, seemingly ignoring William and Abigail in the warm pool. He passed by, but lingered in the next chamber, inhaling the smell of their arousal, particularly her smell, and listening to them as they had an intimate interlude. There was a light splash as she dropped backward into the pool, floating. Will's hands grasped her calves and he dragged her towards him. "Spread your legs for me, darlin'. I want to have a look at what I've been wanting for hours." Like Jen and Kevin, they were not long mated and she was still a bit shy about some of his more public displays of affection. As she opened for him, she asked, "What if someone comes?" "They'll turn around when they realize we're having playtime." He cupped her buttocks in his hands and raised her hips slightly to look at her pink, swollen lower lips. She lifted her head slightly and noticed the head of his cock had emerged from the surface of the water, like a... like a... the head of a turtle sticking out of a pond. She giggled at the thought. "What?" Knowing he probably wouldn't appreciate her reference, she thought quickly of something else to say. "I think I'm a little wetter than you want." He dropped lower in the water, sitting back on his heels, as he drew her closer to his mouth. "Umm. Are you?" He gave her a knowing look, and smiled before dropping his head to smell her. Then, his tongue extended, and he teased her with the tip of it. "Mmm. Slippery." He took her clit with his mouth and nibbled at it. In response, she opened her mouth and tipped her head back. Startled by sucking in water, she thrashed out of his grip and came up, sputtering and coughing. "Abbie! Oh, Abbie, are you alright?" She put a hand on his chest as she coughed a couple more times. It turned to a caress, and she smiled at him. "OK, I guess I'm as wet inside as out." William pulled her into a hug and kissed her, ran his hands over her back. One moved up to her shoulder, the other clasped a butt cheek. Pulling on it slightly, he delved lower, and pushed a finger into her wetness. He stroked her and she moaned into his mouth. She yipped as he abruptly grabbed her, picked her up, and laid her out beside the pool. He looked her over, his eyes sweeping her form, loving the curves of her body, her long legs, the brown hair, those arresting green eyes. He touched her soft skin, marveling at her. "Tell me again, Abbie, why did you pick me?" She looked at her husband, his broad chest, his strong arms, his unruly chestnut hair, answering the question as if she never had before. "There was no one else I could have picked. I wanted you to be mine for a long time." He stroked her inner thighs with his fingers, and she squirmed under his touch. His tongue then traced the path previously taken by one of his hands, and she spread her legs wider for him, as he approached the lips of her seeping pussy. He used his fingers to open her as his tongue explored her folds. She began moaning and twisting as he took her clit between thumb and forefinger while continuing to lap at her entrance. He couldn't keep up with the fluid seeping from her, and it coated his face, and chin. She started tossing her head about, then went stiff and shaking. "Aaah!" Now taking in big breaths, she reached down and grabbed him by the hair. He lifted his eyes to her, while continuing to stroke, and lick. "Will, give it to me. Give it to me, now!" "As my lady commands." He rose, opening her legs wider, and slammed home. A shriek poured from her lips as the sudden stretching and filling triggered another orgasm. He held still, trembling, until the fluttering slowed, then began moving. "Harder." Bracing himself, he pistoned in and out of her, until the world exploded behind his eyes in fireworks and she screamed his name. "Oh, Will, yes!" He clutched her. "Abbie, oh, Abbie." What We Must Ch. 04 Spencer, now further aggravated and excited, moved further into the tunnels, following her scent. He was going to relieve his frustration today. She was only a human, after all, not really one of them. The rules didn't apply to her. She was here, to be used by the males, to dilute the bloodline, in a foolish attempt by the council to defeat some virus that no one was really sure had infected them. There. He was getting closer. He opened his mouth to take in more of her scent. It was rich and compelling. He had to have her. He'd tasted her, he wanted her, and he didn't care that she belonged to Devon right now. He had tasted her first and, now, he would have the rest of her. Only a human female. He got closer to her, closer. He could almost taste her now. His cock was now stretched out beyond its sheath and he was aching to shove it into her. **** She heard someone behind her, then caught Spencer's scent. It was actually fairly revolting to her. While the others smelled pleasant, he smelled...wrong, foul. She moved further on and he continued to follow her. Spencer had been following her as she moved through some of the tunnels. When he figured they were far enough from the others, he approached her as wolf. She finally heard the click of his claws, then caught his scent. Turning, she looked behind her and realized that she was being stalked but that it wasn't her blood that he was after. She smelled the fluid dripping from his cock, half extended from its sheath. She tried to avoid him, tried to move around him, but he kept barring her way. Now she was beginning to get scared. She bared her teeth at him and he snarled and backed her into a corner. She shifted to human to yell at him. "Spencer, back off." He shifted as well, his erection standing firm before him. He grinned at her, evilly. "No." He moved closer, into her personal space. She put her hands on his chest and shoved. It had little effect on him. Like trying to move a wall. "Spencer. Get away from me." Another grin. "No. You can't order me around. You have no status here. You're less than we are. Don't think that just because you can change now that you're the same." ***** Devon decided to see where she had been off to now. From the reports of the others, she had been making a fairly systematic survey of the tunnels. It was obvious to him that she was still looking for a way to escape them. He'd explored these tunnels pretty extensively himself in his youth, and had made sure to block off the side tunnels years ago, in order to stop the rival packs from getting in. Unless she had some heavy equipment, she wasn't getting out. Let her map the tunnels, it would keep her occupied. He had passed William and Abigail, clutching each other beside the warm pool. The smell of sex hung heavy in the warm, humid air. He picked up her scent in the next chamber, along with Spencer's. Hmmm. What was he doing down here? ***** Her voice dropped dangerously low. "Leave me alone." His intention was evident and she was looking for a way to defuse the situation. She shoved his shoulder and tried to push past him again. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. "Devon made a mistake bringing you here. We should have just banged you at your campsite and left you there. But, since you're here now, we should just tie you to a bed and take turns." He spoke into her ear, his voice dropping. "It's what we all want to do. The only reason you're here is to be used. You aren't going anywhere now until I'm done with you." He started to lift her off the ground, scraping her bare back against the rock face. Her ears were ringing; her head ached. Her hands went to the wrist of the hand wrapped around her throat. Her feet dangled in the air. She tried to kick him but couldn't get enough force behind the kick to make an impression on him. He laughed at her. He was strong. Too strong. What was she going to do? Her voice was now a croak. "Spencer." He had gotten her high enough now that it would only take a little positioning for him to impale her on his rigid cock. "You caused me nothing but pain since you got here." He looked almost manic as he grabbed her nipple and violently twisted it; one shrill note left her lips before he hit her. "Shut up." A pause. "On second thought, let me give you something to scream about." She felt a searing pain as he forced two fingers into her and she shrieked again. He brought his fingers up to his face, sniffed, and licked them, then grabbed one thigh and wrenched her legs open. Things began to go grey. ***** Voices. He sounded angry, hers more controlled, but fearful. That's pain, what was going on? He rounded the corner and saw them down the corridor. Blood.. Anne's? What the hell? Spencer had her pinned against the wall by the throat, he was... oh, god. Suddenly, the voice of command boomed down the corridor. "Spencer!" He dropped her, shifted to wolf, and ran deeper into the mine. She fell to the floor in a heap, sucking in big breaths. Devon knelt beside her, noting the scrapes on her back, smelling the blood. He put a hand on her shoulder and, with concern in his voice, asked, "Are you alright?" She looked up at him, fear and anger in her eyes, they seemed lighter than normal, almost golden. Tearing his eyes from hers, he saw that her lip was split; Spencer must have hit her as well. Her voice was a bit rough and her chest heaved. "Yes." Now she shifted to wolf and walked away, limping slightly. "Anne!" She turned back to look at him, then turned away and walked back towards the living areas. It took time for him to identify the look she had just given him, not mad, and not... upset. It was... disdain. Even worse. He could deal with her being angry and upset with them. Now, should he go after Spencer? Spencer was going to rape her that much was plain. As Alpha he had to deal with this and it wasn't going to be pleasant. No. Let him stew for a while, think about what he'd done and come begging forgiveness. But what would he do then? There had to be some punishment, this was an egregious crime against the pack. And Anne. She'd been here for weeks, months, and was still resisting them. This would reinforce her beliefs, as evidenced by that look, that they were unworthy of her trust, her loyalty. And were they worthy? He hadn't had any problem controlling the others before. The decree had caused him nothing but trouble, but, really, all of it centered on Anne. He had brought this on them by bringing her here. But she was here now; she had been changed. She was a werewolf now, one of his pack. There was no getting away from that. There were alternatives, of course, but none were palatable to him. They could kill her or trade her to another pack, which would likely destroy her spirit. And he valued her spirit. Either way, she'd be dead. This was his responsibility, and his alone. He wouldn't turn her out and he would have to deal with Spencer. He headed back upwards. He'd get Lily to look in on Anne. ***** Devon had been visibly concerned. Was it jealousy? That somebody else wanted to play with one of his precious toys? Or was it something else? No, she hadn't seen anything in his eyes she equated with jealousy. Just him wanting to know if she was OK. He did care about her, in some manner. But she didn't think of it as anything beyond care for, say, livestock or a pet. She hadn't heard, or been told, anything different. She shared some of their qualities as a werewolf, but was not really one of them. Spencer had made it very clear to her. Let Amanda weaken, she would stand firm against them. The softer feelings she had had of them lately would be cast aside. The bruises she had now would remind her. ***** Lily went to see Anne, who had retreated to her room after the attack. She was shocked at the bruises, a horrible dark mark on Anne's throat, a large bruise on her face, and a red hand print on her left thigh. "Devon said your back was all scraped up. I brought some salve to take the sting out and help you heal." "I'm fine." "You don't look fine. I just want to help you. Let me treat your back." Again, a look of concern from her, as if she actually cared about her. If she stayed in pain, who was she hurting but herself? The scars would remind all of them of what they were. "Anne. Please?" She pulled off her shirt and rolled onto her belly. Several bloody, crusted scrapes were visible on her upper back. Lily wiped them off with antiseptic and Anne winced at the stinging. Then Lily opened the jar and started dabbing on the salve. "Would you like to talk to me about what happened?" Anne considered this, but what good would it do? They all would figure out what had happened to her. But now, now she knew what they thought of her. There was power in knowing something they didn't realize she knew. Finally, she answered. "No." ***** Beth staggered into her room, just before dinner. Her hair and eyes were wild; she clutched her clothing tight around her. She fell, sobbing, into Anne's arms. Anne held her tightly, guiding her to sit on the bed. Her question was only one word, even though she already knew the answer. "Who?" The reply was the same. "Spencer." Anne sat quietly and held her, rocking slightly, while Beth continued to cry. Marcus came down to find out why they hadn't come to dinner. Beth shrieked when he came to the doorway and turned, as if she were trying to burrow into Anne to hide. Marcus looked at Anne's face, appalled, before turning to Beth. "Beth, what is it?" No response from Beth. "Anne, what happened?" "Spencer raped her." "What?" "You heard me." Marcus rushed back, yelling for Devon. Everyone crowded downstairs and Devon came into Anne's room. Anne yelled at him. "Get out! You aren't welcome here." He gave her a look and crouched before Beth. She trembled and tried to pull away from him. He gently turned her face, saw the bruises, smelled alcohol. He dropped his hand and looked to Anne; her eyes were still that golden color. What in the world was going on with her? "How do you know?" "She told me and I smell him. Can't you?" "How long ago?" Anne checked her watch. "She got here about 10 minutes ago. Now get out." Devon straightened, looked at her again, and turned to the door. "I smell alcohol. He was probably drunk. He's got a head start but shouldn't be too hard to track." He strode out the door. "Sam, you stand guard. Nick, you stay here. Let's go." Lily, Jen, Abigail, and Amanda now came into the room. Nick hovered in the doorway. Anne started dispensing orders. "No questions. Just let her be. Nick. I'm sorry, but you probably should go somewhere else. She's not going to be able to abide the company of males for a while." "Do we have some broth? If not, milk would do. Ale? No, she won't be able to stomach it after what happened." Abigail touched Beth's shoulder and headed upstairs. She continued stroking Beth's hair. "Someone needs to clean out her room. Anything that smells of him needs to go. In fact, it might be best to move her into another room entirely. Can we use the one Terry was in? Or is there another room?" Lily responded. "We'll figure something out. Come with me, Amanda." They left the room. "Jen, she's not going to be too happy about it but it would help if we get her cleaned up. Could you help me with her?" Jen nodded. Anne stood Beth up and Jen moved to her other side. "C'mon, sweetie, let's get his smell off of you." ***** Spencer faced the others, defiant. "You all know what it's like with her around. Don't tell me you don't all want to fuck her senseless!" He turned to Devon. "She's only one of them. A human. Only a human female. But you wouldn't let me have her. You've tasted her too; you know what it's like. It's your fault this happened! You brought her here." The others stood back as Devon advanced on Spencer. A seasoned fighter, Devon should be able to easily overpower him. Devon was hesitant at first, loath to kill one of his own, but Spencer lunged at him, angry and frantic. It ended quickly; Devon ended up with a slash on his shoulder. What We Must Ch. 05 Dear Readers, Sorry for the long wait. Cold weather and long days at work have curtailed my writing time. Here's the next chapter. Happy reading, KemMyst ******* Beth was asleep, curled up in Anne's bed. They'd all gathered for a meeting to discuss what to do next. Devon began. "Alright, does anyone have any suggestions about how we help Beth? We don't have much more than three weeks before the next full moon." Jen spoke first. "Devon, I don't know what we can do. I'm not sure she'll be healed by then." Anne gave him a hard look. "What about Spencer?" Pain on his face, Devon responded. "No need to worry about him." Anne looked at him, then the others. "He's hurt her, in more ways than one. Let me tell you what's going on in her head. She feels betrayed by people she loved, and trusted. She feels ashamed. She wonders why she didn't see any sign that this was coming. She wonders if he would have stopped if she had fought him harder, if there was anything else she could have done. But most of all, she doesn't know if she'll ever be able to trust a man again." "And how do you know all that?" "Because that's how I felt, when it happened to me. Only I wasn't a virgin." "Did Spencer...?" She shook her head. "It was a long time ago." They sat, transfixed, looking at her eyes. Normally brown, they were now glowing amber. "But what Spencer did to me..." She trailed off, shaking her head again. "What happened?" She looked each of them in the eye, refusing to avert her eyes as she described what was done to her. "He followed me into the tunnels. I tried to get away from him but I couldn't. He was too strong." She took a deep breath, her eyes continuing to glow that amazing color. "He told me I wasn't going anywhere until he was done with me. He slammed me against the wall and told me what he thought of me. Then he lifted me off the ground to the point where I started having trouble getting air. Then... Well, let's just say his idea of foreplay was less than pleasant." "What did he do?" The question came out through her clenched teeth. "Do you really think you want to know?" "Yes." Her chest heaved slightly in anger as she answered him. "You aborted the main event, but his prelude was to try and twist my nipple off and to shove his fingers in me." They all winced and recoiled. "What? You're all still shocked by his actions?" "Are you hurt?" She shifted her eyes to him, her mouth a tight line. He had heard her cry of pain, smelled blood, of course she was. "I thought we were here to talk about Beth. I don't know why you insist this has to happen now, particularly after what she's just been through." Devon was getting angry in response to the anger she was displaying. "These are desperate times for us. We can't just do as we please. She has an obligation to her kind, our pack." "And what about your obligation to her?" "Anne..." Anne ignored the suggestion. "She needs to stay where she feels safe for a couple of days. It looks like, for whatever reason, it's with me. Hopefully I can get her out to take meals but I make no guarantees. She has to come to terms with this on her own. I will tell her my experience and try to get her to realize that it wasn't her fault or anything she did, that Spencer can't hurt her again, and that he was an aberration.." she looked pointedly at the men, "and she'll be OK. It'll be some time before she'll be comfortable around males though." "If she wants to talk, she will. Don't ask her what happened. We don't need to know details and we don't need to find the rapist. And, don't ask her if she's OK. She isn't." ***** He'd failed two of the women in his pack. And he'd had to kill Spencer as a result. Rapist. Spencer was a rapist. And he had violated Anne too. And she had been raped by someone she knew, someone she trusted, when she was young. That explained quite a bit. Beth stayed in Anne's room for three nights after the attack. She clung to Anne, particularly when the men were around. She sat beside Anne at the table, not speaking, head down. Slowly, she began spending some time alone, although she still seemed uncomfortable when she was near the males, and opening a door on her still made her jump. The men had taken Nick in hand and, with some input from the women, attempted to prepare him for the events that would occur at the full moon. While Nick and Beth had both been present at these ceremonies and were aware of what went on, Beth would be compelled to mate and would likely react badly afterward. The choice was made by default. While, under normal circumstances, the female would pick her mate, the council's edict now forced any fertile female in the packs to mate with one of the males, willing or not. Beth could conceivably mate with Duncan, Marcus, Sam, or Nick. However, Amanda, Anne, and the third human female they would get come spring would be serviced by Devon, then Duncan, then Marcus, then, perhaps, Nick or Sam. However, Nick was close to Beth's age and she had shown a preference for the two youngest males of the pack. Unfortunately, with Spencer dead, that left Nick. Beth and Nick would be married and mated at the next full moon. And, as reluctant as she may have been when the decree was announced, she would be even more hesitant now. She would not be happy with what her wolf demanded of her. Devon was frustrated by this turn of events, between the full moon and Anne's increased scent, he wanted nothing more than to go to her, be with her, lose himself in her. The urge to mate with Anne was so powerful that he could barely focus on anything else. Thank goodness Amanda was still on her monthly. But, he couldn't push Beth out of Anne's room to do it. The bigger obligation, as Anne had so ruthlessly pointed out, was to Beth right now. The only thing he could do was sleep outside Anne's door at night. ***** Beth realized, intellectually, that Spencer couldn't hurt her again, but that hurt in and of itself. That he felt he had to do this to her and that he was gone. But still, the smell of the males made her edgy. There was something about Anne's bruises that called to her, that made her feel like she wasn't alone. She had known what to do when Beth showed up in her room and she was willing to let her stay there for a few days. Anne commiserated with her, told her her story, and told her that it wasn't her fault. Devon's scent was mixed with Anne's in her room. Beth began to associate the smell with safety and security again. It helped her begin to heal. She went back to 'her' room. Actually, they had moved a bunch of her stuff into another room, and she had a new bed. But she was jumpy whenever the door opened. After another couple of days, she went back to her old room; her hand trembled as she grasped the knob and turned it. She entered, hugging herself, and closed the door on the others. ***** Spencer's room had revealed his deterioration. He had been in Anne's room; her missing t-shirt was in his. One of Beth's drawings of Anne was standing up on the table, dried semen staining it. In the nightstand were several pages of paper filled on both sides with his handwriting. It started simply enough, with discussion of the decree and his reasons for opposing it. Then, directly into Anne's capture, how he had felt, lines describing what she had smelled like, what she had tasted like, how he wanted more. His growing obsession with her and frustration at being unable to have her. Then things turned darker, outlining what they should do with her. It began with the fact that she was only a human and, therefore, inferior to them. That he wouldn't put up with her arrogance, her defiance. That her scent made her different than the other one. Why should they defy nature? If her smell had them all ready to jump her, why shouldn't they? Devon had made a mistake. In keeping her for himself he was only making it worse. And, going to them every other night? Ridiculous. He should be plowing into both of them every night, and then demanding they suck his dick for him in between. Letting them have their own rooms? They should both be in his bed. He should be able to demand they bend over for him whenever he felt like it, and whenever any of the other men felt the need. They should be walking around naked so they could be touched or used on a whim. The goal was to get them pregnant; they should be fucked as often as possible, by any or all of the males, mated or unmated. After all, if there was some sort of virus, who knew if their females could even get pregnant anymore? Yes, just tie them down and use them. It's not like they could stop them. Then, in disgustingly graphic detail, he described several scenarios, what he would do to her, how he would degrade her. After giving the papers to Duncan so that he could read them, they were burned, and, while Devon was loathe to waste anything, many of Spencer's things went into the flames as well. ***** "Devon, she hasn't asked for any more medication, and it should be her time." "You mean she's pregnant." "Possibly, we should wait a couple more weeks to be sure. Stress can sometimes shift a woman's cycle." ***** Beth's birthday, in early winter, was celebrated with a special meal although she, herself, didn't feel much like celebrating. But, she was beginning to open up again, seeming much more like her old self. Although she still could be found in tears, on occasion. Nick had begun spending more time with her, walking, talking, holding her hand, and giving her a little peck on the cheek before leaving her at her door at night. Nick was three years older than Beth, and the prospect of the impending marriage both thrilled and frightened him. The wedding robes were being readied, as was the chamber for the rites. As the next full moon closed in, Devon realized Anne's scent wasn't peaking again. It was still there, of course, but lower, and steady, and now mingled with something new. It could be true, then, she could be pregnant. They would have to see to this after the marriage. Beth began to get more anxious as the full moon approached. Anne noted the growing anxiety and started hunting through the cabinets in the kitchen and pantry. Lily and Amanda caught her rummaging. "Anne, what is it? What are you looking for?" She'd pulled everything out of some of the shelves, and was looking intently at each item before replacing it. "Anne?" She looked up at them. "Where are the herbs?" Lily looked back at her, confused. "The spices are in the..." Anne interrupted. "No, not spices. Herbs. Don't you have any?" "Like what?" "Camomile. Lavender. Valerian. I'd rather we didn't have to resort to drugs - that is, depending on what you've got in Medical." "What are you talking about?" "Beth's starting to lose it, and I don't want to see her hurt anymore than you do. Since you're unwilling, or unable, to put off this damned marriage ritual I'm trying to find something she can take that will calm her down a little." "Sedate her? That would be worse..." Annoyance. "No. No. Gods. Not sedate, nothing that powerful. Nothing to make her feel she's lost control. Just something that could settle her nerves a bit. Maybe help her sleep. Camomile. Something?" "I'm not sure..." "Well, look. Like I said, camomile, lavender, valerian. It could be oils, teas, or just plain herbs. If you don't know, ask me." The three of them continued hunting through the cabinets. Just as Anne began to despair of finding anything, Amanda found some camomile tea in the back of one of the upper cupboards. The container was still sealed and Anne opened it to the familiar apple smell. "Good. It's got a pleasant taste so we shouldn't have much trouble getting her to try a cup. Valerian would be better if we could find some but this should help." Anne hunted down Beth, who was currently pacing in her room. She was carrying a small glass bottle and a little piece of paper. As soon as Anne walked in she burst into tears. Anne opened her arms to Beth, who fell against her. "Oh, Anne, I don't want to do this, I'm not ready." Stroking her hair, and listening to her sob, Anne backed slowly to the bed. She sat on it, while Beth curled up, her head in Anne's lap. They stayed like that, quiet, well relatively, as Beth continued to cry. Eventually, Anne spoke. "Beth, I've found a couple of things that might help you feel better." She paused a bit to let that sink in. "I don't really understand why this has to happen now, but I've been told it's because you're of age. And that, if you don't, you'll go mad and dangerous." "I don't know if I can." "I don't blame you, Beth. It's being forced on you. But, if you can make it through those few hours, things will get better. I've watched Nick; he's worried about you." "I.. I.." She couldn't continue and the crying worsened. There was a knock on the door and Nick's voice was heard. "Beth?" Anne replied back through the door. "Give us half an hour, Nick." She paused briefly before asking the next question. "Do you love him, Beth?" She sniffed, nodded. "He's going to be afraid, too. He doesn't want to hurt you, or frighten you. I can't tell you what to do, but, if you try to keep your eyes open you will see how much he cares for you and know it's not Spencer." The crying became a little more intense again. "I can't promise you that it won't be painful, but you need to believe that, with the right man, it will also be very pleasurable. You'll be amazed, hopefully often, at how good it can feel to have a man touch you, to have him inside of you, to feel his weight on you. I hope you and Nick can find that." She turned and looked up at Anne, her eyes red and wet. "Does Devon make you feel good?" Anne hesitated, how do you answer a question like that in this situation? She sighed. "Beth, that's a complicated question to answer." She paused again as Beth continued to look at her. Another sigh. "Yes, he does. He knows how to touch me and takes me to climax, which I hope you will feel sooner, rather than later. But it isn't as wonderful as it could be." "Why not?" "Because, Beth, we don't love each other. Because your council's decree has forced us together. And, mostly, because I won't let him." Beth sat up, and looked at her, surprised. "You won't let him? But, why?" Anne touched her hair. "Sweetie, I'm not here by choice; I wasn't born to this; I don't want to be herei "Making love was an expression of love between two people, where both enjoy the giving and receiving of pleasure, where each one wants their partner to feel as good as they do. There are many ways to do that", a sad little smile came to Anne's lips, "a million flavors of love. You can, and should, teach your partner what feels good to you, what you need. It's not just sex, it also includes kissing, cuddling, touching. Fucking is something else. Usually one person is concerned only with their own satisfaction but not the other's." Beth looked to object. "Devon tries, but I didn't invite him to my bed. I'm a whore here, Beth, nothing more." "Anne, you're not..." "I brought you something that might help you sleep. I'm going to put a drop on this piece of paper. If it's too much, just throw it outside the door tonight and we'll try something else. I've also found some camomile tea, which is calming, if you'd like to try it." Beth nodded. "I'll go let Nick know he can come in now." ***** It was some time later that Beth ran into Devon. "Hey, Devon, can I talk to you?" "Of course, Beth. What can I do for you?" "Um, can we go someplace private?" "Oh. Sure. C'mon." They head for the workshop as he considered what she would want to talk to him privately about. Probably something to do with her upcoming nuptials. It wouldn't be an easy conversation. He closed the door and turned to her. "OK, Beth, what is it you want to talk about?" She looked unhappy, unsure. He has to remind himself that she was not the little girl who joined his pack a few years ago but a young woman soon to be married. "Devon, I was talking to Anne earlier." Oh, jeez, now what? Beth paused. "She's really not happy here, is she?" He looked at her and his mouth fell open. This was nowhere near the conversation he expected. "Uh, no, Beth, she isn't." Beth chewed on her lower lip. "I figured we've all been nice to her, and she said you make her feel good, but she said she was just a whore here." Good god. What had they been talking about? "Beth, what were you talking about?" "She was telling me how nice it could be", Devon looked at her, "you know, sex." He couldn't believe where this conversation had gone but nodded. "That, with the right person, with someone you love, that it could be wonderful." He took a deep breath, released it. "She's right, it can be." "She said she hoped Nick and I could have that." Devon nodded. "So I asked her, I asked her if you make her feel good." He was startled, and curious. "And what did she say to that?" "She said it was complicated but that you did and you took her to climax." He was now hanging on every word. "But she said it wasn't as wonderful as it could be." I can't believe we're having this conversation. "Did she say why?" "Yes." Beth dropped her eyes. "She said it's because she won't let you." He sighed and nodded. "It's the truth, Beth." "I don't understand; why would she do that?" "Because she's stubborn. Because she doesn't want to be here. Because if she gives in she thinks, oh, that she's giving up to the enemy. And, maybe, because she's punishing me." "Does it bother you?" "Yes." "Can't we do something?" He sighed again. "We can't make her change her mind about us. All we can do is treat her kindly, talk to her, try to get to know her, respect her wishes..." "Oh, so, is that why you don't do those things?" Devon nodded. "But you want to." "Yes, I would enjoy them, and I'm sure she would too. But I don't, because she doesn't want me to. I don't want to make her feel any worse about us, me." "I like her, Devon. I want her to stay. I want her to be happy." "She's not going anywhere. But she's the only one who can make her feel happy. All we can do is try to make life here pleasant for her." She nodded, and looked at him for a minute or two. "Devon, do you like her?" She's a pain in my ass. Another sigh. "Yes, Beth, I do." She stood up to leave. "Good." ***** Devon stood just outside the chamber. A sheer cloth was draped over the entrance and a light shone from the back of the room. The others were ranged around in a small semicircle. Anne and Amanda, unsure of their places, were pulled into position with the women. The men were ranged on the other side, slightly removed. Devon spoke to them all. "Today is a special day for our pack and in the lives of two of our members. Today we witness the union of Beth and Nick. Will these two, the man and the woman, please step forward?" Hand in hand, Beth and Nick came forward. Beth was gripping his hand tightly, and both were nervous. They both wore robes with a couple of simple ties in the front. Both were wonderfully decorated and dyed in shades of green. "Beth and Nick, are you prepared, at this time, to join together as lifemates?" Nick cleared his throat and said yes while Beth, who looked about ready to cry, nodded her head. "The chamber is prepared. The pack is ready to witness the union of your bodies in this form in commitment to each other. May your marriage be happy and fruitful." The rest now intoned, "May your marriage be happy and fruitful." Nick took Beth's hand and led her behind the cloth. With the light behind the two of them, the rest could clearly see what was happening, and would be able to hear everything. Nick took Beth's face in his hands and kissed her. He backed off a bit and took hold of one of the ties on her robe. Anne watched her hands quickly come up to stop him. What We Must Ch. 05 Nick stepped back and untied his robe, letting it fall to the ground. It was quite evident that he wasn't ready for this either. They watched as he took her hand, and placed it on his chest, holding his own over hers. He stepped closer, and kissed her again, before leading her to the bed. Anne silently cheered on Beth, and applauded Nick's restraint. They sat together on the bed as Nick continued to kiss her, moving to her neck. Anne turned away and suddenly realized no one else was moving. She glanced at Devon, who'd been keeping track of her reactions, and he shook his head. Gods, were they going to watch it all?! Nick's arms went around Beth and they watched the movements from the back lighting. Beth gasped and stiffened. Easy, take it slow. More kissing and they watched as Beth's hands went to his head and shoulder. Slowly, so very slowly, she relaxed and allowed Nick to untie and remove the robe. He pushed it off her shoulders. He kissed her again. "Beth, you're so beautiful." He moved back and laid down on the bed. They saw him rub her back. "C'mon down here with me." She took a deep breath and laid down beside him. Again, things moved ever so slowly as he touched her, caressed her, and she finally put her hands on him. He rolled her to her back and continued kissing her, working down to her breasts. They kept watching as he hardened and started to stoke the fire in her. She began to touch him as well. His touch aroused her further and he held himself over her. She stiffened again as she felt the head of his cock at her entrance. And, again, he paused, and sank down to kiss her. She relaxed a little again, and he slowly started to push inside her. She whimpered. "No. Don't." "Beth, baby, it's OK. It's me. Look at me. It's OK." She sniffled a little. "OK. OK." A big breath. "Go ahead." Slowly, carefully, he finished the push in. They now heard him whisper to her. "Does it hurt?" Her response indicated she was a little surprised. "No." "OK, sweetheart. Here we go. Ready?" They heard no response from her but she must have agreed because he started to move. He continued to nibble at her breast as he moved in and out of her, starting to increase his tempo. It was as if a switch was thrown. They saw her hands moving on his body, and sounds associated with pleasure came from both and, most significantly, from her. It didn't last very long before he groaned. Anne watched as his body shifted and he appeared to place his teeth on her neck. Anne twisted, fear showing in her face, as Nick bit her. But Lily had her by the arm so she couldn't move. Nick licked the bloody wound, then wrapped his arms around Beth and rolled them over so he wouldn't crush her. The rest of the pack breathed an almost collective sigh of relief. William kissed Abbie, while Kevin's hands were on Jen, then, hand in hand, both couples retired to their bedrooms. Devon took Amanda's hand and they headed off to her room. The men headed upstairs, discussing a movie they wanted to watch. Lily and Anne walked off together. "So, what was that he did at the end?" "The mating mark must be delivered during intercourse. It binds the two of them together." "So it keeps her from straying or something? What about him?" "The mark has no special power, if that's what you mean. It simply means she has been mated. It's similar to the ring that humans wear when they marry." "And the male doesn't get one?" "Do all human men wear a wedding ring? These rituals are hundreds of years old; it's our tradition. The rest of the ceremony takes place tomorrow." "The rest?" "Tomorrow night, we witness their union as wolves. Then the marriage and mating will be complete." ***** Devon and Duncan stood in her doorway. She looked at them. "We need to discuss your condition." "My... condition?" "Anne. There's no need to dance around this. You're pregnant." She got a grumpy look on her face. "You don't know that." A small box was produced. "Perhaps you should take the test." She ripped the pregnancy test from his hand and stalked to the bathroom. Before she could shut the door on them, they followed her inside. She glared at Devon. "Does he need to be here?" "Duncan is Beta. This concerns him as well." She knew that no amount of discussion would get them to leave. "Would you turn your backs at least?" They turned away from her as she checked the instructions and urinated on the end of the device. They turned around as she washed her hands. Devon took possession of it as they went back to her room. A few more minutes and the results appeared. Positive. He showed the stick to Duncan. Anne was, indeed, pregnant. ***** Anne. It was Anne. She was pregnant. She was going to have his pup, his child. She was smart; she was difficult; she was passionate. And, now, she would be his. She had allowed him into her bed, would she go along with the rituals for the marriage and mating ceremonies? She would now be his mate, because of the decree, regardless, but it would be looked on more favorably if the rituals were observed. He was amazed at the happiness he felt. And had no idea of what she would put him through. ***** That evening, at dinner, the announcement was made. Lily was pleased; Jen and Abigail didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Amanda was confused - What would happen to her now? "Under the conditions of the decree, I will take Anne as my mate. Duncan will go to Amanda now." Amanda looked at Duncan and smiled a little nervously. They all started to pass the food around and load their plates. Anne was sitting stiffly in her place, staring at her plate. Beth made to pass her a serving bowl, she didn't respond. Setting the bowl down, Beth nudged her. "Anne?" She raised her head, looking a little upset, maybe a little scared. "How long will it be?" No one quite got the question she was asking. Lily spoke up. "What, dear?" "Nine months? Nine weeks? How long?" "You're not born one of us. We don't know." "You don't know much, do you!?" She pounded her fists on the table, got up, and stalked back to her room. Lily brought a plate to her room. She knocked on the door. "Go away." "Anne, dear, you need to eat something." A pause. "Please." Another pause. "Alright." She was sitting on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, arms across them, resting her chin on her arms. She was staring off into space. Lily set the plate on her nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. "Every one of us is scared, especially the first time." Anne sat back a little, her hand on her belly. Her voice quavers a little. "What do I have in here?" "Sweetheart. You have Devon's child in there." She laughed, mirthlessly. "His child? Or am I carrying a litter of... something?" Lily patted Anne's foot. "While multiples are not unusual, none of us has litters. You see that Devon and Duncan are twins. So am I. The rest of them were all single births." Lily looked at her a little more closely. "Anne, did you want children?" Anne sniffed, her eyes blurring, as tears welled up. "Yes. But I always thought that it would be..." She couldn't finish the sentence without breaking down. "I know you're having a difficult time accepting your life here. The others don't understand why you continue to fight it. But you're one of us now. Your place is here. What you have in your belly is more than Devon's child. It's our future." ***** Devon was a little surprised when she agreed to the ritual of the marriage and mating ceremonies. The women dressed her before the ceremony. Except for Amanda, all eyes were a bit wet in remembrance of their own marriages. "Why green?" "To symbolize new life and fertility." Anne chuckled and shook her head. "What?" "I don't know why I didn't recognize it as a fertility ritual." Her hair was done up in one large loose braid and pinned, in a coil, to the back of her head. A couple of dried flowers were tucked in. She was brought to the corridor outside the marriage chamber and left there as the women entered to take their places. The men approached from the other direction and passed through the doorway. Devon stood at the other end of the hall, looking at her and fondling the pendant he wore regularly. Look at her. She looks, well, lovely. The robe had been worn by many of the women in his pack and, most recently, by Beth. Their scents all mingled together in a celebration of life and the power of the female essence. His hand went to the pendant around his neck. Bev, I'm sorry love. This was not my choice. But she was been brought into my pack and she bears my child. I will take her as my mate and take care of them both. He walked to stand before the doorway and extended a hand to her. "Anne." As she approached him, he asked the question. "Are you ready?" She sighed. "I suppose." He took her hand, firmly, and they turned and stepped through the doorway. She gasped and stiffened. There was no cloth to give them any illusion of privacy, and the others actually circled the bed, instead of standing outside. She stumbled as Devon pulled her forward to Duncan's recitation of the words she had heard from Devon the month prior. Devon brought her to the opening in the circle, just before the marriage bed. "Anne and Devon, are you prepared, at this time, to join together as lifemates?" Devon said yes as Anne stared at the bed and the others around it. Devon squeezed her hand and leaned in to whisper to her. "This is how it's done. We allowed special provision for Beth's situation." She looked at him, then back to the bed. Duncan tried to prompt her, "Anne?" She looked at him, her mouth suddenly dry. The exhibition would have been bad enough, the way it had been for Beth and Nick. This was, was.. They were surrounding the bed. Like shooting a porno or something. Granted they'd seen parts of her body before, but to watch them fuck? This was so twisted. "Anne?" "Oh. Uh. Uh, huh." She didn't hear anything else until they all said, "May your marriage be happy and fruitful." Devon untied his robe and it fell to the floor from his shoulders. The rest were surprised as the woman normally undressed her mate. Devon then untied her robe, and reached inside to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her nipples so that they were hardened, before he pushed the robe off her shoulders. Most of them had already seen her naked, one way or the other, but, still... He released her hair, pulling out the pins and shaking it out. Then he dropped to his knees and kissed her belly while one of his hands traced down between her legs. He looked up at her, wishing there was another look on her face, and rose. His hand was stroking her while his mouth was on her breast. She closed her eyes and her head tipped slightly, but her hands remained at her sides, fists beginning to form. Her breathing deepened and he picked her up and placed her on the bed, then climbed on with her. He continued to stroke her, while suckling and nibbling at her breasts. As usual, she simply lay there, and did not touch him. Depending upon the age and prowess of the male, the ritual could go on for some time as he subjected his new mate to extended bouts of pleasure before succumbing to his own release. However, in this case, the ritual was a formality and no one expected it to last too terribly long. They did, however, expect the female to do something other than lie there. Duncan watched and, while he may have felt a bit jealous before, now felt sorry for his older brother, their Alpha. Anne apparently felt nothing for any of them, least of all Devon. There was no kissing, she made no sounds, and she did not touch him. Devon was doing all the work. They smelled her arousal, as his continued suckling and stroking made her body respond to him. He entered her and began moving in the age old dance. At least she was breathing heavily, and squirming slightly. Then, Devon moved more quickly. He shifted form and she made a surprised noise at the change in his size. He bit her as his knot bulged inside her, and she gasped and arched off the bed. He groaned, licking the wound on her neck. As he sank down on her, the others began to turn away and leave, nowhere near the happy state they had left Beth and Nick's rite. He took Amanda's hand and turned toward her bedroom, glancing back once at the two on the bed. "You're right, Devon, the leadership gig sucks sometimes." ***** As was the custom, he began moving his things into her room. As the members of the pack had few belongings, it didn't take him long. He was there when she came back from her most recent foray into the tunnels. "What is this? What are you doing here?" "As is custom, the male moves in with his mate." "You've got your own room; go back to it." Unfortunately, the door was ajar and the other pack members heard the beginning of the argument before he shut the door behind him. His voice started out quietly. "No. You are my mate. I sleep here with you." "And, how did you get this privilege? I didn't choose you." She'd found out, of course, that the females chose their mates. He grabbed her, resisting, and placed a hand on her belly. "Because of this. Your body chose me." She pulled out of his grip and turned to face him, defiant. "I'm already pregnant. There's no reason for you to be in here with me." "Yes, there is. You're my mate. You belong to me." She walked back up to him, looked him in the eye, and belted him across the face. "I belong to no one." She was shaking with rage and her eyes glowed amber. He grabbed her arm and steeled himself against the anger rising in him. She was his and he would sleep here with her. He pushed her backward, carefully, against the bed. She struggled and tried to fight him off. Once he had her sitting there, he turned and left the room. He then tried to walk off his frustration. Duncan caught him in one of the corridors. "Things not going well, brother?" ***** Evening came and he returned to what was now their bedroom. She glared at him from the bed as he entered the room. Ignoring the look, he dropped his pants and crawled in beside her. It was warm under there and he automatically reached for her. He touched her soft skin, she was naked under the covers, and prepared to pull her against him and caress her. She stiffened and resisted him. She growled at him. "Don't touch me. You've accomplished what you intended. You have no reason to touch me." "Anne, we're mated..." He looked at her back in the darkness. She had gone along with the mating rituals, he thought that she had softened a bit, that she might actually relent. But no, she was still going to resist him. She yawned, and turned to look at him briefly. "If you're going to insist on sleeping here you had better make a bigger bed and bring your own covers." She rolled over, taking most of the covers with her, wrapping herself in them. He stalked back to his room and returned with the covers from his bed. Grumbling, he made an additional platform and pushed it next to her bed, their bed, making it larger so that he could sleep in the bed with her, without touching her. What We Must Ch. 06 Dear Readers, The weather warms for the McKenna pack and there is a major shift, as a result. Enjoy, KemMyst ***** It was a few weeks later that Abigail announced she was also expecting. Jen was a little upset by this news since she wasn't, and not for lack of trying. If she didn't get pregnant soon, she was going to have to take a human male. That's the last thing she wanted to do; she loved Kevin, she chose him, she didn't want to be with anyone else, to have someone else's babies. Kevin held her close as she cried in their bed. He stroked her hair. "Jen, we've got time. There's no reason to worry about this yet." He was trying to be strong for her but he was beginning to worry, too. He couldn't stand the thought of her with someone else. He pulled her closer, found her lips. He kissed her deeply, then moved to run his tongue over her mating mark. He murmured to her. "Baby, you're going to have plenty of babies, our babies. We'll be overrun with our own children." "Oh, Kev, how can you be so sure?" "Believe it's going to happen, Jen, and it will." His hand now ran down the front of her body and his fingers twined in her curled blond hairs. "And, there are things we can do to increase the odds." He twisted, bringing her around to straddle him, her long blond hair falling over her shoulders and onto his chest. He pulled her down and she settled on her hands and knees as he licked her nipples, then bit on them lightly. He growled as he smelled the beginnings of her arousal. One hand delved between her thighs, stroking, probing, rubbing. She tried to balance, so that she could touch him, and ended up falling over. "Oops!" He smiled at her and she chuckled a little. He put a hand to her face, and rubbed noses with her. "That's better." That other hand was back between her legs. He slid two fingers into her and pulled them back out with a squelching sound. "Baby, you're very, very wet. Whatever shall we do?" She grabbed his thick shaft, her fingers just barely encircled it. "Well, it seemed you have something that might go there." "I'm up for it, if you are." She squeezed him lightly, stroking his length. He groaned. "Yes, Kev, you are indeed up. C'mere." He put his slick fingers to her lips and watched intently as she licked her own juices from him. He firmed up even more at the sight. Climbing over her, he positioned the head of his cock at her entrance. He pushed in, slowly. She was still tight around him; it took time for him to work his way inside. He continued working in and out, lubricating himself, stretching her as he bit her nipples and made her gasp and pant. Once in, he stopped to look at her, blond hair pooled out on the bed around her. "I love you, Jen. We're gonna have a bunch of babies together. Believe it." She opened her eyes, looked at her husband, and nodded. "I believe you, Kevin. Let's get started." He smiled, kissed her, and began the movements that would send his seed into her and their hearts soaring. ***** Life continued as they remained sequestered during the cold, dark months. She made a small pillow, which rested at the small of her back while she tried to lay on her back. It ached badly otherwise. He prayed for the times when she ended up against him in the night, seeking warmth in the cold of winter. He was comforted by the feeling of her warmth against him, of being able to touch her, gently, to feel her belly while she slept. To be able to feel closer to his own pups. This was the only time he really could, as she wouldn't let him near her otherwise. So soft, and her smell. It had changed, and, somehow, seemed better than before. It wasn't an isolated incident. Sharing of body heat was pleasant during the cool nights of winter. Like many women, her feet were cold, and she didn't sleep well if her feet were cold. With another warm body in the bed, there was a tendency to gravitate in that direction. It pleased him every time she did nestle up to him. He would carefully put his arms around her, and hold her, while wishing she would consciously allow him to do so. ***** Anne complained she had no reasonable means to exercise when Devon chided her for running around the tunnels. She raced around a couple of times a day and he was worried she might injure herself. The floors could and did get slick. Of course, she got angry at being told what she could and couldn't do and continued her circuits, telling Devon that, if he really wanted her to sit still, he was going to have to tie her down. Jen reminded him that exercise was good for pregnant women, particularly if they had been active before. He worried, however, that she might hurt herself, or the baby. He took to haunting the tunnels himself, wanting to watch over her, unable to bear the thought of something happening to them. Then, he startled her one time, and she scrabbled on the slick surface before catching herself and halting her headlong rush. Her chest heaving from the sudden jolt of adrenaline, she turned to face him and growled. He hung his head slightly and slunk off. However, chances were that something would happen and it did. She yelped as she came around a corner too fast, slipped, and banged her hip against the rock face. She limped slowly back to her room, shifted to human form, and dressed. As she headed for the kitchen for some ice, Kevin caught her and turned her back to her room. "I can get some ice." "You're only gonna make it worse. I'll get the ice while you get into bed." It did hurt pretty badly and that was the only reason she acquiesced. "Alright." Kevin grabbed Jen and sent her for the ice while he hunted down Devon. He found him in the entertainment room, reading. "Ummm, Devon?" Devon looked up, taking in the look on Kevin's face. "She hurt herself, didn't she?" "Umm, yea, looks like. She was limping. Jen's getting some ice." Devon put down his book and stood. "OK. Thanks, Kevin." He headed for their bedroom to see how bad it was. But, if she was walking, limping, it probably wasn't too horrible, at least he hoped it wasn't, but humans broke so easily. Jen was just leaving, closing the door behind her, as he arrived. "She's got a good bruise on her left hip, said she slid coming around a corner. It's nothing serious." "Thank you, Jen." She walked away, glancing back once, as he contemplated the door. I told you so? That would go over well. No, if she wasn't hurt badly he should probably just let her mull it over, decide if she should keep running around like that in her state. He held her still long enough to check the injury before they went to sleep. She had a large bruise on her hip that would have her limping for days but he didn't comment. He turned out the lights as she curled up under her bedcover. She spent a restless night then as she preferred sleeping on her left side. She couldn't really sleep on her stomach anymore with the size of her belly and her back was beginning to bother her. She made a noise every time she rolled on to that side, rolled to her back for a while, then back over to the other side. His sleep was disturbed as well, because of her movements. They were both tired the next day and she limped around for the next couple of days before her hip turned multiple colors and started to loosen up. She was really surprised that he never said a word about it. ***** Compared to Anne's moods, Abigail was fairly even keeled while pregnant. Anne, however, was all over the place, mostly on the aggravated side. She revamped the entire computer system one day when it annoyed her. She had solved a problem in the fish hatchery and found the bad connection in some of the wiring. When one of the batteries failed, she made a new one out of some nails, a piece of copper wire, and some vinegar. ***** He dreamed of Beverley. Soft and warm, and nestled against him. He put his arm around the soft, feminine body in the bed beside him. His hands caressed her swollen belly, feeling the movement of their child within. He drew her closer, his face in her hair. His hands began to move on her body and he nuzzled her neck. She woke to his hands on her and struggled, tangled in the bedcovers. He woke as well, confused by her reaction. He pulled her back against him and then realized it wasn't Bev. Anne threw him a dirty look and he released her. She scrambled back over to her side of the bed. ***** She walked into the workshop. Devon was working on something at the bench. She looked at him, naked from the waist up, a light sheen of sweat covering his back. His muscles rippled as he worked on the wood. He looked good, there was no denying it. He had been kind, considerate of her, trying his best to please her. She closed her eyes, breathed in, then out, and turned to leave. He stopped what he was doing and straightened, without turning around, pushing his hair out of his face. "Anne. You came to find me, is there something I can do for you?" "I, um, uh." He smiled, glad that she couldn't see his face, happy that she'd sought him out. She shook her head. "I'd like a rocking chair, for when the baby's born. Could you make one for me? Please?" She hated that she felt the need to beg him this favor. He turned to look at her. Her belly was swelling with his child. She still wore the shirt she had on when they found her, but it no longer fit around her waist. It had also grown very tight over her breasts, but she wore it like a talisman, refusing to give it up. She had made a short skirt of buckskin, which was tied low on her hips. He was happy that they were both doing well, and proud that she was bearing his child. She looked a little lost right now, maybe a little scared. He moved forward, to take her in his arms. She gasped and took a step back. Devon sighed and dropped his arms. "Sure. I'll get started on it." "Thank you." She turned to leave, glanced back at him once, and walked out the door. He sighed again, turning back to check his work on the cradle. ***** The first warm day they opened the doors to the compound. Devon had already told his pack members to keep an eye on her when she was outside. She shifted to wolf and took off, reveling in the feeling of freedom. She ran down the hill and back up, circled the compound. He had trouble keeping up with her. Damn, she was fast. Even as big as she was, she could move. He grinned as she threw herself down on a patch of dry ground and rolled over, twisting on her back, feeling the scratch of the dry grasses along her spine. ***** She was lying on a table in Medical, looking bored, and a little annoyed as they insisted on another of their checkups. Weight. Gaining. No kidding. Belly. Bigger. Wasn't that a surprise? Heart rate, blood pressure, varicose veins, swollen ankles, weird cravings, BMs, sleep patterns, "How are you feeling?" "Why don't you shove a microphone up there and ask her how she's feeling?" "You think it's a girl?" "Yes." "Why?" She opened her mouth, closed it. "I don't know." Jen, their practicing obstetrician, took a stethoscope and moved the horn to different spots around her belly. She found a heartbeat, listened to it, and smiled. "Sounds good. Would you like to hear?" She was taken aback. "Yea, I would." As Jen leaned over to hand her the earpieces, the horn slipped on her belly. Anne put the earpieces in and listened, smiled, hearing the quick and regular beat. Jen looked down. "Wait, that's not it." "But I hear the heartbeat." "No, it was over here." She took back the stethoscope, listened, then moved it back where she had it, shifted a little, and listened some more. "Anne, it's twins." "Twins?" "Yes." "Really?" "Really." ***** Devon was standing just outside the doorway, listening to them talk. His breath caught in his throat and he actually stopped breathing for a moment. Twins? She was having twins? She was giving him the gift of two children. He was happy, achingly. It was all going so well, except for that one thing. He started breathing again and now his mood fell. Why? Why wouldn't she warm to him? Had it been so awful here? Hasn't he been good to her? ***** They found that she wasn't all steel and ice and sharp edges. One day, as they were watching a drama with a tragic storyline, they were startled to hear sobs coming from her. As they all turned to look at her, she got up and ran from the room. The closest refuge she could think of was the science lab. She went inside, closing the door behind her. She sat on the floor, in the back of the lab, cross legged, trying to quell the tears. She heard the door open, and close, and turned away from the front of the room. The crying made it difficult for her to scent who'd come after her. Beth sat on the floor beside Anne, then, slowly, carefully, put her arms around her. Anne continued to cry, sobs wracking her body, as Beth held her head on her shoulder. Beth didn't speak, but simply held Anne, as time passed and the sobbing started to ebb. Finally, reduced to sniffling, Anne wiped her eyes and rubbed her nose on her arm. Her voice roughened from crying, she glanced at Beth before looking away again. "I'm sorry." "For what? For being female?" "For acting like a hysterical female." Beth laughed. "The men have no clue, and rarely know what to do with a crying woman. But, I get it. The rest of us do. You try to be all tough and strong, but you're scared. You know what?" Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "They are, too." She hugged Anne a little tighter. "But, it's OK, you've got family all around you and..." Now Anne's voice rose as she interjected. "That's just it, my family. My mother will never know she has grandchildren, will never see them. They all must think I'm dead by now." And fresh tears started. Beth kept holding her, realizing what started out as help has now pretty much only made Anne feel worse. That's right, Anne's parents, brothers, sisters, had no idea she was alive and well. That she was going to have babies sometime soon, and that their line was progressing to the next generation. Then Beth started to think about her own parents, thinking that they were gone, too, that they would never know her mate, or see their grandchildren either and started to sniffle a little herself. With the time that had passed, Jen came down the hall to check in on them. They heard the door open and both yelled 'Go away!' as Jen came in to the room. Hearing the emotion in both voices, Jen came around in front of them, and crouched, seeing tears on both faces. "Are you two alright?" Beth nodded. "You don't look alright." Beth sniffed. "Just thinking about our parents and having a little cry. We'll be out in a bit." Jen stroked their hair and stood. "Okay. I'll tell everyone else to stay away until you're done." ***** Devon caught Jen in the hallway as she came back. "What's going on?" "Just having a good cry. Let 'em be. They'll be out when they're done." "Both of them?" Jen nodded. "What's Beth upset about? For that matter, why did Anne start bawling?" "In case you don't remember, Devon, pregnant women are apt to cry if a drawer gets stuck. We were watching a sad movie, that's what set her off." "And, Beth?" "Said something about thinking about her parents. They'll get it all out and be out when they're ready. OK? Don't make a big deal out of it." Parents. Family. Beth was obviously missing hers, but how had talking to Anne gotten her thinking along those lines? Devon scratched his chin as he considered this issue. He thought to the storyline of the movie they had been watching. Of course, the woman in the movie was pregnant and had been lamenting the fact that her parents had been killed and would never know her child. Neither Amanda nor Terry had had any close family ties, but Anne had family out there that he hadn't considered when they took her. They'd be thinking she was dead and would have no idea that she was about to give them grandchildren. She had never talked much about them, hell, she hadn't said much of anything about her past, but it was obvious now that they'd been close. Now he realized she had further reason to hate him for what he'd done. After he'd taken all that away from her, how could she ever forgive him? She'd never let him forget it, would never care for him, and, he couldn't blame her for any of it. He'd ended up taking for a mate a woman who would never love him. She'd never truly be happy here, with them, with him. All he could do for her now was try to make her life with them more tolerable; with an extended lifespan, she would probably be with them for decades. His duty to his pack, and his kind, had forced him into a life where he now had little expectation of his own happiness. ***** A few days later, she noticed that they were less attentive to her, not watching as closely. She went to the kitchen and found the bear grease and slathered it over her body. It was disgusting but necessary, as they'd told her she was easy to keep track of because of her scent. Carefully, she made her way outside, amazingly not meeting any of the others. She sauntered around the corner of the outer compound walls. She watched briefly for any sign of one of the others, but no one else came around the corner after her. Low to the ground, she took off, away from the compound, away from them. She headed for the west, the last direction they'd expect her to run. Civilization was to the southeast, they'd look for her that way. And, with this horrible stuff all over her, they shouldn't be able to track her by scent. Given a good distance, she'd change direction. It was too bad she hadn't had a chance to explore the area well; she had always been watched. She remembered, more or less, how she had gotten there, but... ** It took a while before he noticed her absence. He started asking if anyone had seen her lately. His anxiety increased the longer he didn't find her. And he was unable to pick up a recent scent. He called them all together; she wasn't among them. "Alright, no one's seen her in, what? About an hour?" Heads nodded. "Lily, Abbie, Jen, Amanda, Beth will stay here. Search the compound and the tunnels. William and Duncan will remain here to guard." "But, Devon..." "No, Dunc, one of us has to stay here and I have to go. The rest of you, come with me." Beth noticed something in the corner of the hall. "Devon?" They turned to her as she held up the almost empty container. "This container was almost full." "She's covered herself in bear grease." "Now, outside. Circle the compound, try to catch her scent or the smell of the bear grease. Concentrate on the west side. Knowing her, she'll likely head in the direction we'd least expect." The men shifted and ran out, noses to the ground, trying to track her. ** She was continuing to lope off, miles from the McKennas, starting to make a wide circle. She passed through early grasses and bushes, not realizing that, little by little, the bear grease was being stripped from her fur and her own scent was getting stronger. ** Sam set up a howl when he found her track. The others came running. Five strong, they took off after her. Devon was in the lead, nose to the ground, tracking the female who was bearing his pups. Tracking his mate. He was really worried about her now. She was headed in the worst possible direction, toward the range of the Matlin pack. Ian Matlin was a heartless, sadistic bastard. At the very least she'd be raped, at the worst, she could lose the pups, or be killed. They had to get to her first. The trail was getting easier to follow, her camouflage slowly being removed by her movements through the grass and bushes. ** She was grinning, enjoying the freedom of the run, of not being shadowed, alone again. She hadn't seen, heard, or smelled any of them, so she must have a good head start. She thought she had a good chance of getting away. What We Must Ch. 06 She smelled the other creatures nearby as she passed. The scent of a deer, startled by her smell, the enticing aroma of rabbit, birds, squirrels. The smell of new flowers, old grasses, certain trees, the smell of the earth beneath. ** He didn't have to press his nose to the ground anymore. Traces of her scent clung to foliage; they could move faster now. Unfortunately, this also meant others could scent her more easily, and Damn it!, unknowing, she was headed straight for the Matlin compound. He cursed himself for not warning her about the other packs, how much worse they could be, what could happen if she ran into them, why they posted guards. He'd never lied to her, but would she have believed him? Or would she have just considered it a ploy to keep her under their power? Of course, he never truly believed she'd run off once she was pregnant. ** She paused when she found the scent mark of a wolf. Sniffing, checking, she looked around, then continued on, a little more cautiously. Probably some actual wolves, there had to be some out here. But, then again, how would they react to her presence? And she slowed again. Maybe she should turn south now? But how would she know where their range ended? Or would she just end up in the range of the next pack? Of course, there would have to be other predators around as well. Mountain lions, bears. Oh, jeez, what if she ran across one of them? Thinking too much. Run! ** The McKenna pack ran, silently, tracking the female carrying their next generation. She was their Alpha and they needed to get her back. She was part of their pack, however reluctantly, and they would fight for her. ** She was starting to pick up a higher concentration of wolf scent and she veered, starting to move southward now. A movement in the brush startled her and she yelped and jumped away. Three wolves emerged from the surrounding brush. They scented the air and circled her, confused by the combination of scents she'd carried with her through the woods. Shit. What had she gotten herself into now? There were three of them, just like the first time she had been caught, except, the way they were circling her, they seemed much more menacing than the McKennas had been. Their hackles were up, and they occasionally bared their teeth and continued to circle her. The largest male ended up behind her, sniffing. The other two watched as he moved closer to her. She saw that they were distracted and took the opportunity. Launching herself between them. She knew she was fast. The others had been hard pressed to keep up with her when she decided to take off. ** Startled, Ian Matlin set up a howl and took off after her. One of the other packs had been stupid enough to let one of their females get loose. Underneath the bear stench was a smell that had him dying to pummel her with his cock. Oh, she was fast, but there was no way he was letting her get away. He would have her and he would take pleasure in taking her. The three human females they had taken were simpering examples of womanhood and had lost their allure long ago. This one, he could tell, would fight him. It would be much more exciting, and satisfying, to have her. But they had to catch her first. ** Oh, gods, could she run far enough, fast enough, to get away from them? She had already come quite a distance, and was beginning to get tired. Which way? Back? No, away, south, run! ** Devon heard the howl and turned in that direction, spurred by the fear that she'd been caught by the Matlins. They weren't close enough. She'd fight them and would probably end up badly injured if not killed. ** Closer, closer. Ian and his Beta flanked her. He nipped at her and she stumbled. They came around her again as she picked herself up, panting. Obviously tired, she snarled at them and bared her teeth. Ian began to circle her, scenting. She kept turning with him, facing him. The third male finally caught up. ** He was the Alpha, the others deferring to him, so he was who she'd have to guard against. They could overpower her if they really wanted to, kill her if they wanted. Why hadn't they warned her about this possibility once they were able to go outside? ** Where were they? After that howl, they'd been quiet. It was this way. A snarl, yes, that was Anne, just up the hill. She was still able to do that, at least, didn't sound hurt, yet. He wondered how many of them there are. ** Ian moved in and she bit at him, snapping at empty air. Another lunge, another miss. The next time, he made contact, ramming into her and knocking her down. She yelped. ** There! Only three of them, but Ian was standing over Anne, who was on the ground. His howl was echoed by the others and the Matlins turned to face the intruders. Devon kept his attention on Ian but saw Anne get to her feet. The displays and posturing now began. Anne's tired brain tried to process what was going on in front of her. Dylan Matlin noticed her rise and shift in stance too late. She scooted around the Matlin males and ended up behind the McKennas. Devon put his body between her and the Matlins. ** Aha! There had been the report that Devon McKenna had mated with one of the human females. She must be their Alpha. And, therefore, pregnant. And she ran! She would be a prize! A prize worth fighting for. Just what would the other packs think of an Alpha who'd lost his mate, who couldn't control his own pack? What a sweet, sweet thing. Not only could he disgrace the high and mighty Devon McKenna in the eyes of the other Alphas, but he would have his bitch to use as he pleased, to show her what a real Alpha was. ** Marcus came near and nudged her back from whence they came. Her head spinning, she headed back, moving slowly. Marcus paced her. ** Devon glanced back toward Anne and Marcus and began to back up, away from the Matlins. The Matlins held their ground. ** Seeing his prize moving away, Ian lunged towards her and Devon cut him off, snapping. Growling, Ian backed off. As the separation grew, the other two Matlin males began to lose interest. Ian continued to looked after them as they left. ** Far enough away, the McKennas turned back toward their range. A glance back, Devon saw no sign of chase from the Matlins. Then he moved ahead, to check on Anne. She was uninjured, there was no blood, but she was obviously tired. After they'd put a comfortable distance between them, he called a halt and Anne sank to the ground, head on her forepaws. Devon shifted to speak to his men. "Kevin, go back and get the truck. Bring it as close as you can get. The rest of you are here with me, in case they decide to try and steal her back." Kevin took off and Devon shifted back to nose Anne. She didn't seem to be in any distress, just tired, her eyes closed. He nudged her, trying to get her to move, and she stood. As a group, they started to move forward, although much more slowly than he'd like. Matlin's pack was larger than his, and, if he came back with reinforcements, they most likely wouldn't make it back. At least Duncan was there with Amanda, William was with Abigail, and Kevin could go back to his wife. They had to move faster. He tried to get them to speed up and Anne moved faster for a time, then fell back again. They'll never make it at this rate. He stopped and she sank to the ground again. He shifted to human form, picked her up, and started striding for home. Faster. They had to go faster. ** Kevin was running full out, trying to get back to the compound and back to them in time. Why him? Why did Devon send him? He was older, stronger than Nick. If it came down to a fight... ** She could finally think about something other than running. Her feet hurt, her back hurt, her throat hurt. He was carrying her against his chest in his strong arms. She felt safe again. Who knew what would have happened if they hadn't come to get her? Only one problem with this rescue: he was carrying her back to her prison. Oh, boy, why did they have to pick now to start kicking her in the kidneys? ** He had her back. His relief at finding her almost made his knees buckle. Now, they just had to... Wait, she was making a noise in her throat, was something wrong? Then he felt the movement. Ah, the twins were kicking. And he now wondered how it would feel to have that going on inside his body. He hadn't often gotten the chance to feel it; she continued to keep him at arm's length, although he had seen the bulges in her belly shift from time to time. What? No! Too soon! The Matlin pack was in full voice, coming after them, after her. Nick was starting to falter. They were quickly running out of time. Closer, they were getting closer. He was going to lose them all. They were going to die. Time to make a stand. He stopped on a relatively high spot in the field. He dropped his head towards Anne, placed a kiss on her forehead, and whispered to her, "I'm sorry." He put her gently on the ground, brushed his hand through her greased fur and stood. Shifting to wolf, he turned in the direction of the oncoming threat. Marcus, Sam, and Nick stood with him, ranged between her and the fast approaching Matlin males. He saw them advance, all eight of them, and sensed Anne getting to her feet behind him. There was a rumble behind them but it didn't smell like rain. He turned and nudged her towards home. She ignored him, looking beyond him, her eyes starting to glow. ** He was trying to get her to leave. Fat chance. Maybe she could get away but she wasn't going anywhere without them. She was the cause of this and she wasn't going to leave them. She'd face this with them. What was that noise? ** The Matlins stopped briefly at the sight of the McKenna males facing them. The challenge was issued, and answered. The Matlin males began to spread out, to surround and distract. Ian again noted that Devon had again placed his body in between him and their female Alpha. She shifted and he saw something that had him stopped in his tracks. Amber, her eyes were glowing amber, as if lit from the inside! Tuned to their Alpha, the other Matlin males also stopped. The truck roared up the hill. Kevin moved in a wide circle, aiming for and scattering the Matlins. In the ensuing confusion, Devon shifted quickly. "Nick! Get her into the truck and stay there!" Shifting back, the three of them faced the other pack. Ian raced forward and Devon slashed his flank. ** NO! They were going to lose her. He had his blood up for this fight and the prize that awaited him. He moved forward quickly to try and block her escape. ** Kevin swung by again and Devon pushed Sam to get in. The Matlins regrouped and came back at them. Marcus and Devon jumped in open doors. Kevin stomped on the accelerator and they peeled off for home, leaving the Matlins in the dust. There was confusion in the truck as they drove away. Ian and his second gave brief chase, but knew they couldn't possibly keep up and that the McKennas would shut up tight when they got home. Time to wait, but hopefully, not for long. Devon shifted to human form and started giving orders and asking questions. "Nick! Up front." "Should I stop?" as Devon clambered over the seat. "No, Kevin. Don't stop until we're inside the gate. Who's hurt?" He looked in the back, surprised. "Lily? What are you doing here?" "I expected injuries, some likely serious. I came to help." He listened to the soft whining from the back. He leaned over the seat-back, looking at Anne lying there. She was breathing heavily and shaking. "How is she?" "There is no visible injury." "Then why is she shaking like that?" "It's the adrenaline, probably why your babies are so active as well." Anne's whine turned to a low growl. "Yes, Anne, your babies too." Devon placed a hand on her belly. "It's like they're fighting in there." He stroked her slick fur. A jolt as they went over a bump brought a yelp from her. "Sorry," Kevin threw back. Devon took her muzzle and turned her towards him. "Anne?" He looked into her eyes. "Did they hurt you?" Those brown eyes held him, she blinked, and shook her head slightly. Kevin flashed the lights twice as they approached the compound and the gates swung wide. They closed as the truck came to a stop and everyone piled out to welcome them back. Jen threw her arms around Kevin. He picked her up and planted a kiss on her that left her breathless. Beth approached Nick a little more shyly, dropped to one knee, and hugged his neck. Duncan approached as Devon threw the back of the truck open and helped Lily out. "Is everything alright?" Devon picked up Anne. "Better than I could have hoped. Kevin was able to get back before the Matlins were able to close with us. No one was hurt." "And her?" Devon cradled Anne to his chest. She was still shaking and her eyes were closed. "I'm gonna get her cleaned up and put her to bed. I don't think they had a chance to touch her. But, now, they know about her and where she is." Devon carried Anne to the bathroom and started the water, checking the temperature until he was satisfied it was warm enough. Taking the showerhead, he began to wet her down. As he massaged the shampoo into her fur, she stirred, then jumped upright suddenly. She slipped on the wet surface and Devon threw his arms around her to keep her from getting hurt. She snarled and lashed out, leaving a red line trailing blood down his forearm. "It's OK, Anne. You're home. I'm just getting you washed up and then I'll put you to bed. OK?" She dropped her head and stood still, her chest heaving. "Close your eyes." She complied and he soaped her head, spending time on the fur behind her ears, then rinsed her off. Next come her forelegs and chest. Back, sides, bulging belly. She started to lean into his hands as he continued and started a little pleasurable rumble in her chest. Back legs, tail. Lower back, hindquarters. He fought the urge to caress her, to turn to wolf and show his relief by rubbing against her, covering himself with her scent and then sinking into her, knowing she wouldn't take it well. She wouldn't take it the way he meant it, that he was glad she was back, and unharmed. She'd probably think of it as a sign of possession, of dominance, when that was the last thing on his mind right now. OK, maybe not completely. She stood a little stiffly now, as he finished rinsing her off. He then retrieved a hide and turned back in time to be spattered as she shook herself. He laughed and began rubbing her down. When he had gotten her pretty much dried off, he picked her up again and carried her to their bedroom. He placed her on the bed and stroked her head. "Get some rest. I don't want to see you up for a while, until you feel up to it." She shifted to human form and he placed a light kiss on her forehead, then turned to leave when he heard her exclaim, "Ooh!" "What was it?" "Mmm. My back. It aches worse now than when I'm wolf." "Let me rub it for you? See if it helps?" She glanced at him and saw nothing but concern in his eyes. "OK." He sat on the side of the bed and she rolled to her belly, at least, as much as she could. He rubbed his hands together, to warm them, then placed them on her lower back and began to rub and massage. "Here?" She nodded and closed her eyes, and, after a bit, began to murmur pleasantly. He enjoyed the feel of her skin as he touched her, so soft, enjoyed the little noises she made. He wished he could hear similar things from her at other times. But, then again, she hadn't let him touch her since they confirmed her pregnancy. Then, she spoke, sounding a little sleepy. "Devon?" "Hmm. Yes?" "When they came back after us. When you set me down. Why did you say I'm sorry?" "The Matlin pack is stronger than ours. There are more of them. And I knew, that when they came back for us, that they would kill us all to get to you. And that, as much as you may not want to, that you care about us and that it would hurt you to watch us die. Because there was no way we would let them have you as long as one of us lived. Then, part of me hoped that your instinct would be to save yourself, and the babies. But another part of me hoped that you'd stand defiant and fight them until they ended up killing you, too. Because it would be better than the alternative. Because if they took you alive, there was no way Duncan and the others would be able to get you back. And, with our numbers decimated, they would likely be overthrown soon by a rival pack. And one of the first things Ian would do, other than trumpeting their triumph at stealing our Alpha female, would be to try and make you lose the babies. Failing that, he'd kill them when they were born." He paused. "Well, actually, maybe not if you do have girls in there." He put a hand on her belly. "And you would be raped, regularly and repeatedly. It would take a while, because you're strong, but that spark in you would go out and you'd be dead inside. And, when you weren't any fun anymore, they'd probably get sick of you and kill you. And there was nothing that I could do that would stop any of it from happening." There were tears in her eyes as she asked the next question and he could hear the emotion in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me about them?" "I've never lied to you Anne, but, even knowing that, would you have believed me?" She opened her mouth to object, then closed it. Truth deserved truth in response. "I don't know." He stroked her hair. "Get some rest." ***** He shut the door behind him as he left, then fell against the wall. What was he going to do now? She had just managed to release all manner of hell with her escape attempt. He called his brothers and grandmother together for a high level meeting. The others would learn certain details later, mostly changes to routine. He hoped to have all precautions cemented in place before the anticipated attack. "Alright, you all understand the ramifications of our encounter with the Matlin pack. Ian now knows about Anne and it's obvious he wants her badly." The first response came from Marcus. "Never." Lily and Duncan exchanged a look. Devon clapped him on the shoulder. "Never is right. She is our Alpha female, she is bearing what could be our salvation, and Ian Matlin doesn't deserve to have her. There hasn't been a report that he has mated, so, in all these months, he has failed to get one of their made werewomen pregnant. That's another reason he wants her. Since he knows she's pregnant, he'd expect her to bear his children. I will not allow her to be taken by another pack." Lily spoke up. "Devon. I know you men all have this strange obsession with her. But the same thing that caused you to bring her here is also responsible for the trouble we're having now, and will have in the future. Spencer told you that he went to Beth because he couldn't have Anne. Wouldn't it be better to let her have the little ones, then let her go the next time she runs?" "What are you saying?" "She does little but make you miserable, brother. Let her have the pups and send her on her way." "Duncan, you too?" "She's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want anything to do with any of us, including you. She's been looking for a way to escape ever since she was brought here. She stabbed you in the shoulder, kicked you out of your own bed, and treats you like a leper. Granted, she has useful skills and has made some good contributions, but is it worth the price?" The tone of command came out in his voice now. "Enough! She is our Alpha, she is my mate, and she is a full member of this pack. I'm responsible for bringing her here and for failing to warn her of what would happen if she ran into the members of a rival pack. She stays here." "Even if she doesn't want to?" What We Must Ch. 06 Devon hung his head for a bit, then took a deep breath and looked at the other three. "Thank you for bringing me your concerns. We were not having this discussion. Now, let's talk about what steps we need to take to keep us from being overrun by another pack." ***** The talk ended. They would increase patrols. No one alone outside the gates. No hunting parties less than three. Signals for entering the compound. A close eye kept on all the women, particularly if pregnant. And, hardest of all, if any of them was captured by the Matlin pack, there would be no trade. What We Must Ch. 07 Dear Readers, More excitement with the McKenna pack. Happy reading, KemMyst ******* Exhausted by the events of the day, Devon returned to their bedroom. Anne was still sleeping soundly. He had had to make some hard choices since she was brought into his pack but he couldn't stand to think of letting her go. Shedding his clothing, he curled up behind her, curling an arm over her belly. The twins were moving, shifting around slightly, shouldn't they be asleep too? She was warm, she was his, and she was having his children. He fell into an exhausted sleep, his dreams plagued by scenes of attack, and dissension in his pack. He rolled to his back, and laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Anne started making noises in her sleep. While she did breathe a little deeply in sleep, he wouldn't quite call it snoring, she didn't whimper. Her hands and feet start twitching. Suddenly she jerked, and came full awake, panting. "Anne?" He put a hand on her back and rubbed her shoulder slightly. "It's a nightmare. You're alright. Try to get some more sleep." Grabbing her small pillow, she placed it under her lower back as she rolled to her back. She stared up at the ceiling as well. "How much trouble have I gotten us into?" "Nothing we haven't dealt with before." She took in a deep breath, sighed. "I'm not stupid, Devon. Tell me what's going on." ***** It was true. Chances were there would be trouble. Her mind was quick, even though she complained the pregnancy had muddled her thinking, and she was taking responsibility for her actions. But it was his fault too. "You were safe here. By running off you made us more of a target than we already were. We're a small pack, with a very nice facility, and, while some of the other packs have trouble getting enough food during the winter, we do pretty well. Some of the rival packs are jealous of what we have and would like nothing better than to take it from us." "Ian's pack is one of the largest, so he has plenty of men to fight with. You've just made us a much more tempting target. It's obvious he wants you pretty badly. While we have had occasional skirmishes with them before, he is now likely to make a more concentrated effort at getting in here." Devon sighed. "Our defenses can handle small scale attacks but we may not be able to fend them all off if he brings most of his males against us." "What's the alarm system like?" "We usually just post guards and yell." "If they're that much of a threat that won't be good enough. We'll need motion detectors, visual alarms, would they come at night?" "Not likely, but possible." "Big lights, then weapons." "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where's all this gonna come from? We don't have that kind of equipment." "Sure we do. You just don't recognize it." She started to get up, threw on some clothes. "Show me the weak points in the wall." "What, now?" "You're not sleeping and neither am I. No time like the present." ***** The next day, they toured the outside wall. Anne took electrical components from the Science lab, set up several stations, and, after training some of the others, had several units assembled. Sam and Kevin were stringing wire. Amanda and Lily were cutting down the grass around the edge of the wall. Nick was up a couple of the trees, cutting branches considered too close to the wall. The homemade motion detectors were set up, attached to homemade batteries. Alert lights were set up in the meeting room, the entertainment room, and Anne and Devon's bedroom. Tests were performed, positions shifted, until Anne, Devon, and Duncan were satisfied. "I need about a gallon of gasoline." "You're not thinking of Molotov cocktails?" "No, poor man's Napalm. Harder to get off, if you hit anything, therefore, more damage. Less fumes to explode." They watched with interest as she prepared the mixture, poured it into containers, and added fuses. She came up with a few more items of deadly or dangerous types as well as getting them to install a tire spiking system outside the gate, in case someone decided to try and ram through it. "What did you do with my gun?" "You had a gun?" "In my truck, didn't you find it?" The men looked clueless. "OK, where are my keys?" She pulled the seat forward on the truck and rummaged in the emergency kit. The gun was still inside, wrapped in an oiled cloth with a full magazine. "Ten shots. I don't suppose anyone knows how to shoot?" She showed them all the basic action, sliding in the magazine, where the safety was, and pulling the trigger. She cautioned against firing at a moving target since they had no experience with guns. It was decided to keep it inside, where the women would be, since Anne was well versed in its use, and as a last resort. Provisions were stored in Abigail and William's and Anne and Devon's rooms, as that's where the women would go during the attack. They fell into bed, exhausted this night, but Devon now felt better about their chances. ***** The expected attack came two days later. Ian and ten males of his pack arrived at dusk. William and Nick were on guard when the alarms went off. Devon's voice echoed through the compound. "Everyone! Stations! NOW!" The men ran out to take up positions on the wall. The gate was still closed since they had come in for dinner. Small flames sprouted at several points on the outside wall as the men shouted to each other. "How many?" Most shouted back seeing one or two. Devon figured at least eight of the Matlin males, maybe more. The intruders circled the compound, searching for a way in, testing defenses. The women dropped the storm shutters on the windows and barred a couple of the exterior doors, leaving only one entry point. Anne sat in a chair, facing the front door with the gun inch at remained of her lap. The rest of the women clustered around. "Alright, Abigail, you and Lily, down to your room. Barricade the door. Go, now." "Beth, you and Amanda will do the same in my room. Go." "Jen, are you sure you want to stay up here with me?" Her chest heaved, but she nodded. "I won't leave you alone up here to defend the rest of us. This is my pack. I'll stand with you." She hefted a skinning knife as they both watched the door. ***** Some of the spotlights worked, but not all. But, it blinded some of the attackers, enough to corrupt a concerted attempt. They scrabbled at the walls, working on finding a way in. The men threw acid bombs, but they had little effect on the attackers. The rivals howled, and circled the compound walls. They searched the darker areas, looking for weaknesses. One of them found a hole against the wall and started digging. Another group was at the gate, since this opening had to be the weakest part of the structure. Sam was at the gate. He lit and threw one of the 'napalm' bombs at the wolves collected there. It fizzled, and went out. The contents of the bottle splashed on the ground. Then his torch went out. "I need help here!" Devon looked at where Sam has been watching the gate; the light that was there was now gone. He was trying to light his torch again, but having trouble. "Where are they?" The answer came from two points on the wall. "William, Kevin, go help Duncan! Nick, make circuits of the wall, watch for any other trouble spots! Marcus, with me!" The men shifted position; Marcus and Devon went to back up Sam at the gate. One of the wolves appeared to be worming his way in. Devon came up with his torch. Sam, holding another incendiary device, lit the fuse. Watching it for a moment, he hurled it down onto the wolves below. Success! Between the new bomb and the contents of the one previously thrown a large gout of flame erupted. One wolf caught some of the viscous, burning liquid on his side and ran off, yelping in pain. The one who was beginning to get through the gate got his head caught trying to back out when his hindquarters were burned. The others stood back from the flames, howling and waiting. One led them back around the compound for another attempt. At Duncan's position, William handed off another of the devices. The first was burning the old grass left on the ground. Kevin watched a couple of the other wolves head further along the wall and took off after them. Duncan dropped the bomb and managed to hit the hindquarters of the digging wolf below him. A yelp and a howl as he ran off. The widened hole was now surrounded with bluish flames; the others moved back from the wall. Their attention was now focused toward the back and side of the compound and they failed to notice the problem appearing just below them. The fire at the gate had caused the structure to warp, and a space had opened between the gate doors. A lean wolf worked his way through the opening. Nick was on the other side of the compound when he looked across at most of the others. He was shocked to see a wolf inside the compound, headed for the front door. "DEVON! SOMEONE'S INSIDE!" Devon shifted form and quickly ran down the stairs on the inside of the compound wall. He headed for the front door as the other wolf reached it, battering against it. Marcus and Sam descended to the ground as well, to prevent anyone else from getting in. Anne and Jen heard the commotion outside, heard the noise at the door, and made ready. Anne cocked the gun and held it with her right hand. Jen stood to one side of her, knife at the ready. Slamming, snarling, the door began to splinter. Pushing herself upright, Anne stood, holding the handgun in both hands, pointed at the door. They heard the sounds of fighting just outside. The noise stopped, and the doorknob turned. The muzzle of the gun was pointed at the center of the door and she began to pull back on the trigger. As the door cracked open they heard, "Anne, Jen, it's me!" She pulled the gun up towards her right shoulder and breathed heavily. Devon poked his head inside. "I think they're gone. We'll check and be back." Anne and Jen both blew out big breaths. ***** The attack was over and, while they kept watch still, the men of the Matlin pack did not try again that year. ***** She was big as a house and horny as hell. She was wet, seemingly all the time now. Since her shorts and pants no longer fit, she had made a deerskin skirt to fit over her big belly, and she found her fingers creeping under the hem on a regular basis. It was difficult to find any privacy now as her room was, of course, no longer her own. Why was it you never heard about this aspect of pregnancy? Varicose veins, hemorrhoids, stretch marks. But you never heard about feeling like just a light touch would set you off. Devon noticed her hungry looks but she never approached him with her needs. She knew he would likely oblige her but she stubbornly refused to ask him for the relief she craved. Aah, but there was the pool, although there she'd have to be quiet. And there were other rooms. Devon was regularly distracted by her now. She had been shooting him these looks, lately, that seemed, well, lustful. And the smell coming off her now... She was aroused, almost constantly, it seemed. He could smell the fluid seeping from her, almost feel her wanting a male to touch her, stroke her, bring her the pleasure that could only be had from being filled by a man. Oh, gods, she was even dreaming of sex now. She woke in the night with her hands in intimate places and her nipples rock hard. She looked over at Devon. His eyes were closed, his breathing regular. It wouldn't take her long to do what she needed to. Her fingers rested just above the hood of her clitoris as she considered pleasuring herself while he slept beside her. Another glance at him and her fingers pressed deeper. She gasped lightly at the feeling and snuck another look at him. She then started stroking and her hips began moving. The feeling began to build in her body as her hips continued to shift under the bedcover. He woke to an increasing smell of female arousal and noted the rolling movements on the bed beside him. Keeping his eyes closed, he rolled to his left side, so that he faced her. She stopped, briefly, panting lightly, and looked at him again. He was still again and she took a breath and laid her head back down on the pillow. She resumed rubbing and his hand crept over toward her side of the bed. Her breathing was faster and her neck arched just before he reached over and covered her hand with his as he whispered to her, "Let me?" He was hard, and aching, but had no thoughts of asking if he could feel her around him. He was afraid of hurting her, or the babies, this late in her pregnancy. He simply wanted now to help her get some relief, so that she could sleep easier. Not that he minded being able to touch her. She gasped, whimpered, and pulled away from him. "Don't..." His hand now rested on her thigh. "Anne. If it will let you sleep, if you will feel better, I want to help you." "I'm... fully capable of helping myself. You've touched me quite enough, thank you." His hand was on her belly now, feeling the movement of the twins, caressing her. His voice was soft, low, seductive. "I'm not looking for anything in return. I only want to help you rest easier." The hand caressing her moved lower. "To make things more pleasant for you here." She was looking at his eyes as his hand moved lower still and he touched her. She was so very wet and smelled so very good. He began to stroke lightly and she closed her eyes. He transferred some of that wetness to her clitoris and began to rub and circle. He hesitated slightly when her hand moved down to cover his, but she didn't stop him, so he continued on as he listened to her heart speed up and a slight moan escaped her lips. With Beverley's pregnancy he had become practiced at providing this type of pleasure and the intensity of his touch was building the feeling in her body. Her hips were rolling again, and she had trouble containing some of the little sounds of pleasure. Ah, yes, move more of that slick fluid to that spot. Her breathing came faster and her head started twisting; he knew she was starting to crest. He quickly moved more of her slickness to that spot and vibrated his finger quickly over her sensitive bud. She sucked in a big breath and gave a shuddering exhalation as she pulled his fingers away from her. He watched her chest heave in the aftermath of the orgasm, wishing he could have slid a finger inside her, at least, to feel it. Quietly, he asked, "OK?" Her eyes were sliding closed as she nodded and made an affirmative-sounding noise, "Nnnh." The release had allowed her to drop quickly into sleep and her body relaxed as she took the shorter, shallower breaths that had come with her advancing pregnancy. He put his hand back on her belly where his children were growing and quietly commented: "And just maybe you'll hate me a little less." ***** Anne now complained that her hips were bothering her. A look into the literature about pregnancy indicated that this was another sign that the time for birth was approaching. That the hips must loosen and widen to allow for the passage of the baby. Devon was solicitous, warming the pool, offering to rub her back, or do anything else that might make her more comfortable. Sometimes she even took him up on the offer. She walked, or more precisely waddled, around slowly now, a hand at her back, sometimes a fist against her belly. The pack was all conscious of, and helpful to, their mothers-to-be. Happily awaiting, though with some trepidation, the arrival of the next generation. Will was beaming and was almost inseparable from his wife, putting his arms around her belly and pulling her into a kiss regularly. Abigail was keeping her fears to herself, or trying to. Jen was getting a little more frustrated and upset with the passing weeks. Devon was cautiously happy that they had gotten this far. Anne looked huge, and was often found in wolf form, claiming that her back hurt less as a wolf. She had already taken several things and pulled them into one of the corners of the bedroom, building a nest of sorts. She napped there fairly regularly. Devon understood what this meant, as his first mate had done something similar when she came close to delivering. But the act weighed on him as well. He had found Beverley, lifeless, in her nest, before she had given birth. Anne's questions came back to haunt him now. Would she be alright? Or would the virus that had taken so many of the women claim her, too? If she was having girls, as she thought, was that worse? There was one thing, no, three that he was thankful for: Anne was still apparently healthy, and the twins were still moving. She complained that every time she tried to sleep, that they'd wake and start kicking. It took time for her to climb the stairs now, as their size limited the expansion of her lungs. She was tired, sore, cranky, and craving a blue popsicle in the worst way. She started to wonder what was going on with Devon. A couple of times he had caught her taking a nap in her nest. The first time he dropped to his knees, picked her up and shook her. She growled at him and opened her eyes to a look of pure fear on his face. The next time he again came down beside her and knelt back on his heels. He had seemed afraid to touch her, of what he might find. But he mastered his fear, and, as he was about to place his hands on her, she moved. He jumped back, almost guilty, and she opened her eyes to another look of fear, mixed with relief. He was having trouble sleeping all of a sudden. He'd start murmuring, mumbling in his sleep. Then he would reach for her, pulling her back against him. She was usually so tired it wasn't worth struggling. Besides, it did feel good to be held, however unconsciously. But then, sometime later, he would jerk, come awake, and wake her, too. It wasn't bad enough that the twins would wake when she tried to go to sleep, or that he'd wake her every time he saw her in her nest, or that she had a hard time getting comfortable in the first place, or that she had to get up a couple of times a night to pee. And they had no idea how long she'd be like this but she didn't think she could stand to be pregnant that much longer. Her back hurt all the time, she felt like she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't think straight. ***** She and Abigail were in the warm pool, relaxing swollen, aching bodies and comparing complaints. With a lull in conversation, Anne decided to ask the question. "Abigail, do you have any idea what's wrong with Devon?" Abbie looked at Anne and shook her head. "It's really his story to tell. You should talk to him." "He just seemed so frightened the first time he found me asleep in the corner. Well, actually, I don't think he was been any less scared the other times he found me there. I think I should know what's going on." "He's your mate; you should ask him." "Abigail, please? You know what's going on. Tell me." Enough command had crept into her voice that Abigail felt compelled to reply. "It's how he found Bev." She shifted in the water, trying to get a little more comfortable. "Why is it he picks now to start doing somersaults?" Put a hand on her belly. Anne smiled at Abigail, her hand on her own belly, as her two were also moving around inside her. She looked at her, urging her to continue. "From what I've heard, they'd chased each other around since they were pups. When they were old enough, she chose him. After the ceremony, well, I was pretty young then, but I thought I'd never see another two so blissfully in love. He adored her. Callum was still alive then so Devon didn't have the responsibilities he does now. It wasn't long before she was pregnant; Lea would have been so happy. Everything was fine; she started getting big." Then, her voice hitched a little and a tear ran down her cheek. "I'll never forget the howl when he found her. She had pulled together a little nest, like you have, and would go there to sleep sometimes. By the time Devon found her, she had been gone for a while." What We Must Ch. 07 "Anne, you're one of the first women taken under the decree to get pregnant. There were reports of a couple of other Alphas being mated about the same time so you're going to be one of the first to give birth. We're just worried..." Abigail looked at the tears of anguish coursing down Anne's face and stopped. Anne's voice was quiet, the question sticking in her throat. "Why did you do this to me?" The talk had also upset Abigail, reminding her again that she could still become a victim of the virus. She'd made it past one hurdle, but there was nothing to say it wouldn't claim her at last. "We had no other choice." ***** Devon came into the common room, obviously tired. Lily looked at him and made him a cup of tea. "So, what's going on with her now?" He sat down heavily, and scrubbed his face with his hands. "I don't know. She woke up in the middle of the night and decided she needed to clean everything." Lily smiled at him. "What?" "It won't be long now." When her time came, she reverted to wolf form and wouldn't let anyone near her, snapping and biting at anyone who tried to get close. Devon hovered in the room and she snarled at him. Lily tried to maneuver him out the door. "Devon, I think it would be best if you leave." "But she's having my pups." "It's her first time and she's in pain. Anything that makes her uncomfortable will only make it worse. I'm sorry but she doesn't want you here." "She's my mate." "Devon, please, give her a little time. You can probably come back in later. Go get something to eat; this may take a while." She whined as the first of her pups came. Then turned to chew the cord in half and lick the whimpering pup clean. Lily came near with a warm skin and Anne growled at her, nudging her little one towards her teats. She then curled protectively around the baby. "It's OK, Anne; I just want to have a look at your beautiful baby." Abigail, heavy with her first, squeezed past the others and into the room. "Perhaps she'll let me, Grandmother." Devon was pacing in the corridor beyond waiting for any word on what was happening. Anne was panting, and strained to deliver the afterbirth from her firstborn. Abbie reached out to her and she bared her teeth. As Abbie reached for the baby, Anne took her hand with her teeth, not breaking the skin but giving a clear warning. "OK, sweetheart, OK." Abbie backed off as well. Devon pushed into the doorway and Anne again growled at him. "Grandmother?" "It looks to be a healthy pup, but she won't let us near it so I can't tell you if it's male or female." Anne whined again and Lily saw the muscles in her belly ripple. "We were right, Devon, definitely twins." The time passed. Some of the other members left and returned, making small meals, passing food to Devon, who refused to leave the corridor, and Jen and Lily, who continued to try to attend the new mother and her pups. The second pup came, a little darker than the first, and her response was the same, clean the pup, nudge it toward her teats and warn everyone away from her babies. The afterbirth came and Lily took it and straightened up. "Alright, Anne, now that wasn't too bad, was it? You've got two beautiful babies. How about we let Devon back in?" Her eyes shone amber and the rumble started in her chest, but before she could give voice to the growl it turned to another whine. Lily checked her belly as she panted. "Goodness, Devon, there's a third." The voice, somewhat awed, came from the door. "Triplets?" Night came and more time passed. Anne whined and strained. Her contractions continued, but the last pup did not come. Devon continued to pace the corridor, wincing at every whine. He wanted to see his little ones but didn't want to upset Anne further. But then, again, the way she had treated him these last months, why should he care if she was upset? She didn't care about him at all. And he realized then how much he did care. That it hurt every time she pushed him away after she got pregnant. That he thought she was the best female Alpha he could have gotten. That he was worried about what was going on in there and that it seemed like something could be wrong. That he could lose her. The waiting gave him time to further evaluate his thoughts and feelings. Beverley. He had been so happy when she picked him, so happy when she got pregnant, and so despondent when she died. He had thought that this marriage to an outsider was a desecration of his love for his first wife and, while he knew, mentally, what the council's edict entailed, he hadn't counted on the feelings that were evoked. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be; everything about it clamored at being wrong. But, he had found her, brought her here, changed her, touched her, and now, she was bearing his pups. Two already, and a third to come. His heart swelled with the knowledge that he now had children of his own. They should have been his and Bev's. But it was Anne who was presenting this gift to him. She was so unlike Beverley. How could he love two women who were so different? Wait, what? Did he just say he loved Anne? Did he? He closed his eyes and bowed his head, fondling the pendant on the chain around his neck. "Beverley. I miss you. I don't love you any less for this. But, even though she is having my children and is my mate now, I don't think she'll ever love me." The protracted labor was taking its toll on her and Lily got concerned. "Now, Anne. I need to check and see what's going on." Waiting until the current contraction ended, Lily checked on the last pup. It was there, in the birth canal, but it was very large. A grave look on her face, Lily turned to Jen. "Go get the rest of the obstetrical equipment down here." Jen looked at Lily. "What's wrong?" "The pup's too big. We could lose them both." Jen hurried from the room and up to Medical. Grabbing a tray full of instruments, she moved quickly back downstairs. Devon was half asleep outside the door when she returned and he heard the clank of the metal and Anne's cries. He looked up, startled, rose and entered their bedroom. "What's wrong?" Lily ignored him. "Jen, do you think that you can do this?" Jen took a deep breath. "I hope so." "Will somebody tell me what's going on with my mate?!" Lily took Jen by the shoulder. "OK, check her out and see what you can do. If this doesn't work, you know what's next." Jen nodded her head with a grim look on her face, glanced at Devon, and moved behind Anne. Lily took Devon by both shoulders and moved him away from the nest. He glanced at Anne before staring at her. "Devon. Devon, listen to me. The pup is too big. It may already be dead. I don't know if we can save them both." Devon now looked at her with horror on his face. "But.. But.. No. You can't let them die." "Jen is going to do everything she can. But Devon, we may have to sacrifice one to save the other. And, if she is damaged in the delivery, it may not be safe for her to carry again." "No." He broke free of Lily's grip and went to Anne's head. Weakened by her ordeal, she could barely muster the energy to growl at him. He stroked her ears as Jen concluded her examination. "It's got one leg back. I'll see if I can straighten it and then give her some help." In between Anne's ever weakening contractions, Jen worked to pull the pup's foreleg forward. A look of amazement appeared on her face. "It's alive. It licked my finger!" She then pulled a pair of forceps from the tray and worked the edges around the pup's head. "OK, Anne, you've got to push for me." Anne whined and strained as Jen maintained traction on the pup. She fell back panting. Devon was watching. "C'mon, love. It'll all be over soon." More whining, but no further advancement of the pup. Jen looked up at him from her position. Shook her head. "Anne. Our pups need you." His voice dropped a little. "I need you." More whining but nothing else. Lily came up behind him, put a hand on his shoulder. "Make her mad." He looked at Lily, "What?" "Dead or alive, the pup must come, or we lose them both. And, with Abigail not delivered, maybe these two as well." He looked back at Anne, pulled away, and stood, clenching his fists and mumbling under his breath. 'Make her mad.' "Well, I guess I'll have to go out again and find a human female that's strong enough to have my babies. I suppose I shouldn't have expected so much from you." He found it hurt him to say these words to her. Anne raised amber eyes to him, bared her teeth, and bore down. The forceps slipped as the pup finally made his entrance into the world. Lily picked up the little one and rubbed it briskly with the skin and Anne's head fell back to the bedcovers. "Get her some water." She brought the whimpering pup to Anne's head and she licked it, weakly. "He's a beautiful boy." A pup as black as coal, she placed him next to his sisters. "Two girls and a boy, Devon. You should be pleased." The afterbirth came as Devon was giving Anne some water. He heard Duncan shouting down the hall. "Two girls, and a boy! Woo, hoo!" He'd wake the entire pack. It was a cause for celebration, but she was exhausted. Jen checked that the little bit of bleeding stopped, then helped Lily clean up. Leaving the room, they closed the door quietly on the new family. Devon knelt at Anne's head, stroking her ears, her fur. "Thank you." The rest of the McKenna pack crowded down the corridor, wanting to see the new members of the pack. Lily stopped them. "Not now. She's had a very hard time of it. We almost lost her and the boy. She needs her rest. They'll still all be there in the morning." Devon pulled off his clothing, and curled up behind her. Even in her sleep, a growl rumbled in her chest. He stroked her side, then touched the fantastically soft fur of his children. He shifted as well, and laid beside his mate, and their babies. ***** The rest of the pack came down before breakfast bearing food for the Alphas. After a knock on the door to warn them, Duncan opened it and looked in. The little ones were suckling as Anne cleaned them with her soft tongue. Devon, the proud father, looked on at his new family, laying there with his head on his forepaws and staring at them as if he couldn't quite believe they were real. Anne growled at Duncan as he entered the room, with the others following. Devon put his nose to hers and she stopped. However, she still looked nervous and her eyes glowed faintly as the others came in to admire the pups. Lily tried to calm her down so that the others could get a closer look. "Anne, no one's going to take your babies, or hurt them. We just came to see them and welcome them to the pack." She curled a little tighter around the pups and Devon licked her forehead as she refused to take her eyes off the others. Seeing that she was still hesitant about letting anyone close to her babies, Lily tried a different tactic. "I think it may help if we don't all crowd in at once. She may feel better about it if we took turns." They automatically shifted position, setting themselves in rank order, so that it was Duncan that came closer first as Lily persuaded the others to wait in the hallway. Duncan crouched near the nest and Anne raised her head to him, prepared to warn him off. He didn't make any motions to touch the pups, so she relaxed a little. Duncan patted Devon's head. "Congratulations, Devon, you've done well." Anne wasn't particularly pleased with this compliment - had he done it all by himself? "Anne, you've produced some lovely pups." Produced? Produced? Right, livestock, she'd forgotten in the aftermath of the birthing that she was really nothing more than that. Her eyes started to shine amber again and she considered giving him a bite he wouldn't soon forget when he stood and left the room. Marcus came in next to offer his compliments to the new parents and was followed, in succession, by the others. Beth and Nick were last and Anne was taken aback when Beth grabbed her neck and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you. They're so pretty. Would you mind, really, if I touch them?" In response, Anne unwrapped a bit from the triplets and allowed Beth the chance to pet them, lightly. "They're so soft!" Nick took her hand. "C'mon, Beth, we probably shouldn't stay too long. They were up late and are probably tired." "Oh! I'm sorry. Thank you for letting us see them." Jen came back in briefly to check that Anne wasn't bleeding or prolapsed. Satisfied, she told Anne that everything seemed to be OK and to let her know if she was having any trouble. ***** The next council meeting was coming soon and they had something new to report, births, and baby girls. Devon weighed the news and how it would be taken by the others. Maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to tell them everything. After all, since several of the other packs weren't doing as well, it would make them an even more tempting target. While he had a responsibility to the council, his greater responsibility was to the safety of his pack. Hmm. ... Got it! At supper that night, he shared his plan with the rest of them. It was a way to dissuade Ian Matlin from coming to their range and attacking them in a bid for Anne. At the next council meeting, they would announce two births, and a death. Report that Anne had had a girl, to allow the others that hope, and that she had died as a result. The second birth would be a reason that the pup outlived its mother. ***** She had taken no part in the naming. The boy was Callum, for his father, one of the girls was Alana. The eldest, he named Joy. Callum had a small scar on his forehead from the forceps and had his father's coloring. The girls looked more like their mother. The maternal drive had kicked in with a vengeance; she was taking such care in the little ones, and seemed to have enough milk for all three. She was still sore, and tired, when Abigail delivered her boy three days later. In a meeting with the others while Anne was resting with the pups, Devon cautioned them all to continue to be watchful of her. "You don't think she'd run off and leave her babies?" They all hear the pain and resignation in his voice. It really wasn't good for the pack that their Alphas weren't close. "I hope not, but I just don't know. She's not happy here, and she may think she's held up her end of the bargain." Lily's voice came from their midst. "You don't have anything to worry about, for now." Devon looked to his grandmother. "How do you know?" "You've all seen it. Her maternal instinct is very strong. She won't leave her babies and she won't leave without them. She can't possibly get away from us with all three of them now." Devon accepted her reasoning. "OK. But, still. I'd feel better if she were kept in sight." A frown came to his face as he returned to their room and heard Callum whimper and the girls fuss. He stood outside the door and listened to her talking to them. "Enough, greedy guts. Your sisters are hungry, too. If there's more left after they get done, you'll get another turn." He opened the door and looked in at his mate and his children. She was sitting in the rocker he had made with a short skirt on, and Joy at her breast, while rubbing Alana's belly. Her long hair was done up in a braid, held with a piece of rawhide, hanging over her right shoulder. She had lost the weight she had gained with the babies and wore a wonderful, new mother glow. "Just give me a minute to recover from your brother, sweetie." The nipple on her other breast was erect, an angry red in color. She looked up at him. "He's insatiable. He'd nurse all day long if I'd let him." She shifted a little, adjusting Joy. "Since you're here, could you burp him?" "You know, you could nurse them all at once..." He picked up his son and put him over his shoulder, rubbing his back. "Yes, and then he pushes them around." "They're starting to establish rank." "They can do that in a month or so. And they have teeth." "Milk teeth." "They're still teeth. It doesn't hurt them to take turns, and I've only got so much." "Should I be asking Abigail if she can help?" She pulled Alana up, closed her eyes and winced as the little one took hold. "I think I'm OK for now. He was falling asleep; he only got upset when I pulled him off." He gave her a look. "Feel his belly; it's tight as a drum." He checked; she was right. "You don't have to get defensive.." "Then don't act like I'm doing something wrong. They're all clean and well fed." "I didn't accuse you of anything." His voice was rising. "Calm down, you'll wake him." Sure enough, Callum had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He set his son down in the crib with a kiss, turned, and headed for the door. "I'll see if we can get you some salve." He hunted down Lily, who looked at the grim look on his face and shook her head in sympathy. "Do we have any kind of salve for her nipples?" "Sucking her raw, are they?" He nodded, sat heavily in a chair. "What is it now?" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't do anything right. She takes everything I say as a criticism. I keep trying but I don't know what to do anymore. I'm not sure she'll ever get over the fact that I brought her here." She sat in a chair opposite him. "Devon, honey. She just got over a difficult birth. Her hormones are all over the place. She's sore, tired, and trying to cope with three babies at once. And these are her first so she's not sure of herself. She needs time to settle back in." Lily patted his leg. He stood and clenched his fists. "That's just it. She's had time. It's been months. I know I said we wouldn't rape these women but I still basically forced myself on her; she didn't want me. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me for what I've done to her, what I had to do. And I don't know how to tell her she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I'm not sure it would make any difference to her if I did." What We Must Ch. 08 Dear Readers, Here is the last chapter of the first story of the McKenna pack. I have ideas for a followup. Happy Reading, KemMyst ***** Anne and Abigail were outside watching their little ones tussle. "How you keep up with the three of them, I'll never know. I'm having a hard enough time with Wesley." "It's difficult sometimes, but it's also fun sometimes." Anne was crocheting as Abigail worked on another pair of trousers for her boy, who consistently chewed them to shreds. They both looked up at the yelp and whine that came from the pups. Alana had Wesley by the ear while Joy and Callum were facing off, puppy nips and growling. "Wes, sweetie, Mama's not going to come to your rescue every time the girls pick on you." "I can't believe he lets her get away with that. He outweighs her by quite a bit." "Still not quite believing the way rank works with us. He knows who she is and where he sits in the hierarchy." A pause. Anne smiled as Joy managed to knock Callum over. "So, Anne..." "Hmm, yes?" "When are you going to give Devon a break and admit that you love him?" She set down her work and looked at Abigail. "I don't. Oh, you've all been nothing but kind since you kidnapped me, turned me into a werewolf, and he got me pregnant but he has made it perfectly clear that he didn't want this. I won't mistake kindness for love and I know that I'm nothing more than a well-cared-for, captive incubator. It basically boils down to a business arrangement and I will treat it as such." "We all know. Except for you. And him. Admit it, you'll both be happier, and so will we. It's not good for us to have our Alphas at odds." She was about to open her mouth to reply when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. "Children! Home! Abigail, run!" They shifted to wolf as the males from a rival pack closed on their position. Abigail grabbed her boy and headed for the gate. Anne's children scurried for the gate to the compound but were too young to travel very fast. She stood between them and the males who were advancing on her, hackles raised, fangs bared, snarling at them. *** They'd found her again. Their Alpha had been obsessed with the female they scented and caught in their range earlier in the spring. They'd caught her scent again from miles away and he had them follow the smell back to the McKenna compound. She was alive and protecting pups! Three of them! Even better, with multiple births like that, he could get his pack strength up in 5 or 10 years. He could be Alpha over them all. He had to have her. Not one of the females they'd taken had gotten pregnant yet, and he'd gotten sick of them long ago. Even the new one they'd just gotten had lost her allure. *** She was fast enough that she could save one of the pups, and herself, but how in the world could she choose between them? No, she wouldn't let any of them be killed. She'd die first. They were getting closer, and circling them. She picked up on the scent as the slight breeze shifted. It was them; he'd come back for her. *** Abigail made it into the cabin and, holding her boy, shifted, yelling at the top of her lungs. "DEVOONNN!!" He came at a dead run, the others following. "Rival pack. Anne and the babies", she panted. "How many?" Abbie shook her head. "I don't know." The only thing left of the men were the piles of clothes where they had been standing. *** Five of them. She turned constantly, trying to keep an eye on all of them. She picked out the Alpha and stared him down, her eyes glowing amber. Her babies were under her belly, whimpering. One of them lunged in. She snarled and lashed out, ripping his ear. Another moved in, leaving a tear in her hindquarters as she pulled away. A third knocked her down and the Alpha came up behind her. As she got to her feet again, Ian knocked her to the ground and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She looked for her babies and, thankfully, the males were ignoring them for the moment. They couldn't go far and would be easy enough to kill. Not knowing what to do with the scent of the unfamiliar males around them, they crowded around their mother, whimpering and licking her muzzle. ***** William grabbed Abigail and held her and Wesley close. "Oh, Will, I should have stayed with her." "No, Abbie, there's nothing you could have done." "I could have helped her protect them; I should have stood with her." Marcus strode up to them. "What happened?" "We were outside with the little ones, just talking, and watching them play. Anne saw something. Told hers to go home. Told me to run." "She's Alpha, you couldn't have done anything else." "Who was on guard?" "It was a nice day. We were just outside the gate. We thought, we thought it would be okay." "Without a guard the best thing you could have done was to come in here and get help. She knew that. This is precisely why someone should be outside with you." "I know! She could be hurt; they could all be dead now." And she burst into tears, and Wesley started shrieking. William grabbed him,looked him over. "Is he hurt?" Lily touched his arm. "He's upset because his mother is. You two should get out there." Handing Wesley off, Marcus and William shifted to wolf and ran out. Abigail continued to sob as the other women got her into a chair and crowded around. "They could be dead!" ***** She tried to get away but he was holding her tightly. By his position and the smell she knew what was going on behind her and what he intended. His penis was fully extended and glistening as he mounted her and pulled back to stab it at her. She shifted her hindquarters and he missed. He growled and took a firmer hold of her. Devon, Duncan, Sam, and Kevin silently raced out of the compound toward the knot of rival males. Pressing closer, he found her opening. She cried as he shoved himself into her, and twisted, trying to get away. *** Devon's heart was pounding in his chest as he took in the scene. He looked for small bodies; they'd probably kill the pups first. There! The pups were still with Anne, and alive. But he smelled her blood. Devon saw Ian Matlin atop his mate, saw the thrust, heard Anne's cry, and saw red. *** As Ian started to pull out to start pounding into her, they were both knocked to the ground. A yelp came from one of the pups and Anne cried again in pain. The McKenna pack set up an ear-shattering howl at the rivals and they squared off. Ian picked himself up, darted in, grabbed one of the pups and took off, with Devon in hot pursuit. Anne released an anguished howl, torn, looking between her remaining babies, the retreating forms of Devon and Ian, and the rival male advancing on them. Duncan, Sam, and Kevin each confronted one of the other males. The fighting now began in earnest, feinting, biting, tearing, snarling. The pups continued to crowd Anne as she faced off the last male. She checked that the remaining pups were alright; he had taken Joy. While facing and snarling at the other male, she backed the little ones towards the compound. He lunged; she slashed. He turned, feinted, bit at her hindquarters. She twisted and caught him across the muzzle, blinding him in one eye. He retreated, shaking his head. Jen and Beth had come out to help and each grabbed one of the pups. Anne looked at them, turned, and raced off in the direction Devon and Ian took. ***** A reasonable distance away, Ian shifted to human form, holding Joy in his arms. Devon skidded to a stop, and shifted, facing the older Alpha of the Matlin pack. "Give me my daughter, Ian, and I'll let you live." "Big words, McKenna. But, I'll let you have her if you give me what I want." Joy was struggling and growling in his arms. "Feisty. Not bad for a little half breed. And female. I should have known you wouldn't have it in you to produce a male." Ian was deliberately baiting him. Devon concentrated on holding still so that Ian wouldn't hurt her. "What do you want, Ian?" "The female, Devon. Give her to me and you can have the little one back." "She's my mate, Ian. Why would I want to let you have her?" "She's a human female." Ian looked at Devon a little more closely. "Don't tell me you've actually taken this mating with her seriously? Do you actually feel something for her?" He snorted. "I've known you were a weak leader, McKenna, this only proves my point. I can show her what it's like to be with a real Alpha." "Ian, give me my daughter." It came out in a growl. Ian held Joy closer. "Not until I get what I want." "You couldn't handle her, Ian." He paused, thoughtfully. He knew Anne. "If I don't kill you, she will." Ian laughed, loud and long. "That's rich. She's a human female, and not that big. Mind you, that made it feel better when I was in her. Pretty amazing after having three pups. So tight. Mmm, I look forward to doing that again, a lot." Devon's anger threatened to break free. He took a step closer. Ian grabbed Joy by her head and backed slightly. She continued to struggle and growl, with little effect, although he had his hands full holding onto her. "One more step and the little one dies. I just want the female." The two Alphas stared at each other. Devon resigned himself to the fact that he was probably going to see Joy die at the hands of this bastard. "She ran away from you. Give her to me!" "Ian, you can't have her. You've come onto our range and threatened members of my pack. If you want a war I'll give it to you, but the council won't took kindly on your betrayal of the codes." "We've returned to the old ways, McKenna. Killing and kidnapping rival pack members was always used in the fight for dominance. The council won't do anything about it." Then, a slight breeze had their nostrils flaring as the scent reached both of them. "I'll be taking your female with me. Maybe I should take them both, it would make it easier to control her. And, I'll have both to play with. Or, maybe, we should just ask her." Damn. It was Anne. He couldn't smell any of the others coming and refused to take his eyes off Ian. He couldn't stand the thought of losing them both; he couldn't stand the thought of losing either of them. But he had to do something before she got here because she probably would agree to go with him. Nor did he want her to be witness to Joy's death, too. Because, even though Ian said he'd let Joy go, he'd be just as likely to go back on his word and kill her anyway. Under his breath he said, "Joy, my Joy, your Daddy loves you." He took another step towards Ian. Ian yelped as Joy bit him and, more startled than hurt, he dropped her. She yelped as she hit the ground and the men grunted as Devon hit Ian with as much force as he could muster. ****** Anne raced in the direction they took. Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god. Joy, he had taken Joy! Devon had better stop him before he got too far. Where were they? She knew the general direction they were heading, but was surprised to realize she was tracking them by scent. Oh, gods, Joy. Would he just take her? Or would he do something worse? Would he hurt her? No, not yet. He wants me. He'd be trying to make a deal with Devon. Would Devon turn her over to Ian? Could she get Joy back in one piece if she went with him? They weren't weaned yet. Could Abigail keep up with four of them if she left? She'd be obliged to take care of Anne's three; Wesley would suffer for it. No, she couldn't think too far ahead. Get her back. And think about the rest later. Gods, she'd find a way to kill this son of a bitch. One way or the other, he wouldn't last the month. Of course, that probably meant she'd die, too. She had to make sure her baby was alright. Where were they? There, they were standing there, looking at each other. Joy was squirming in Matlin's arms. Still alive. OK, now shift to human and give herself up so that Joy would be returned unhurt. What? He dropped her! Devon was on Ian. "Anne! Take her and get out of here!" After grappling for a few moments, they both turned to wolf to continue the fight. Anne picked up Joy and moved away, back toward the McKenna compound. ***** Jen and Beth brought Alana and Callum back into the cabin where Lily and Amanda were assembling medical supplies. Abigail had gone to her room with Wesley. "Where's Joy?" "I don't know." "And, Anne?" "We don't know that either. She brought them into the compound and took off. Something bad must have happened." ***** Anne had moved Joy away from the men and now checked to see that she was alright. Joy whimpered and licked at her mother's muzzle and Anne proceeded to remove all traces of Ian Matlin's scent from her baby. Devon and Ian struggled with each other to get the advantage. While Devon was larger than his opponent, Ian had years of experience. They were fairly evenly matched and both now had wounds to show for it. Anne picked Joy up again and started to move toward the compound. She glanced back and watched as Devon made a misstep and Ian took advantage. Devon was now on his back with the other Alpha over him. Ian got his jaws around Devon's throat. As he moved to finish the McKenna Alpha, Ian Matlin didn't notice the raging blur of fur headed his way. The female knocked him off his feet and he rolled a couple of times from the momentum. The last thing he saw was a pair of glowing amber eyes before he felt the sting of teeth through his skin and she ripped his throat out. She raised her bloodied muzzle to the sky and howled. She then smelled the other males of the Matlin pack coming and raced back to grab Joy. Glancing back again, she saw Devon was still laying in the grass. She returned to his side, with Joy, placing the baby near Devon's head. He sniffed Joy and licked her as Anne stood over him, hackles raised and teeth bared, watching the approaching males with glowing, amber eyes. They raced right by although one of them stopped briefly at Ian's body before moving off. Devon slowly rolled over to get his feet beneath him. He had a nasty gash on his hindquarters and a horrible tear on his neck. Anne whined and licked the side of his mouth. He struggled to stand as the rest of the McKenna males arrived. Duncan and Marcus stood to either side of him, supporting him with their bodies, and they started to move forward, slowly. Anne licked Joy and grabbed her one more time, sprinting for the compound. She ran into the cabin, gently placed Joy with her siblings, and shifted to human. The others gathered around. "You're alright." "Thank god." "Where's Devon?" "What happened?" "You're hurt, let's get you taken care of." She started dispensing orders and asking questions. "Quiet! I need bandages, big ones. A blanket. He's seriously injured. Where are my truck keys? I've got to go back so that we can bring him here before he bleeds to death." The women scattered, grabbing bandages, a large skin, stuffing them in a bag, Jen ran out to start her truck and bring it around. Lily attempted to get in with her as she pushed Jen out of the driver's seat. "No. You all stay here. The men will be coming back with injuries. And someone needs to keep an eye on the children and the gate." She drove as fast as she dared back to meet the men, thinking only of getting to them and bringing him back to the compound alive. As she closed on them, she saw he was still moving. She stopped and laid the skin in the bed of the truck, while Duncan and Marcus lifted him into the back. She climbed in with him, pulling bandages out as she spoke. "Someone needs to drive. Anyone hurt badly enough to need a ride?" They all shook their heads. "Now, move!" Duncan drove while Marcus sat shotgun looking through the rear window at Anne and Devon. She knelt over him and arranged the torn skin, then wadded a big piece of cloth up and pressed it against the neck wound. "It's really gonna hurt, Devon." He was breathing heavily and whined at the pain. "C'mon, stop. C'mon, stop." She watched the cloth turn red with blood as he started to shake and his eyes closed. Shock. She threw part of the skin over him and pressed harder. "Stop already. Don't you dare die on me McKenna. I've got something to tell you." ***** Devon was carried into the cabin and placed on the dining room table. Anne continued to hold the cloth over his neck wound. Lily and Jen hurried over and looked at the blood on both of them. "Anne, are you hurt?" "Take care of him, now!" They moved to work on Devon, assessing the terrible wound on his neck. "Duncan, Marcus, are you injured?" Marcus shook his head. Duncan had a scalp wound and a rip along his ribs. "Amanda, Beth, clean him up. Can either of you stitch?" "Marcus, Nick, outside. Close the gate up when the others get in, then I want you to keep watch." Duncan opened his mouth to object and she glared at him. Anne went over to her little ones, and hugged them all, then, one at a time, starting with Joy, she carried them over to their father's head. "OK, you three, keep your father company for a little while, mama's got a couple of things to tend to and then she'll be right back." She touched Devon's head, "You're not going anywhere, McKenna. I forbid it." The other three men came back in; Sam was limping. Anne was wiping down the tear on her hip. "William, go down and tend to your family." He looked at her, then Duncan, who nodded. He disappeared down to the rooms. Jen looked up from Devon as Kevin entered with Sam. "OK, Kevin, kiss your wife and let her get back to work. Beth, come over here and give Kevin a hand. Sam, sit." The women were each tending to one of the men, except for Devon, who had both Lily and Jen working on him. "All right, now that we're all here, what kind of a threat was the Matlin pack now that Ian is dead?" "Ian's dead?" "Yes, do we know what his Beta is like and how he'll take to this? Will they come for us sooner, later, or not at all?" She was asking the right questions, things they should now be concerned about, but most of them looked at Duncan. She looked between them. "All right. Let's have this out now." "Devon is Alpha, yes?" All heads nodded. "Duncan is Beta?" Again, nodding. "And, I, as Devon's mate, am Alpha?" They all nod again but Duncan opened his mouth to speak. She looked at him. "Yes?" "With Devon incapacitated, I'm in charge." "I'm Alpha." She stood before them all, covered in blood. "Grow up. This is 2015. Do I sound incapable?" Heads shook. "Am I asking the wrong questions, concerned about the wrong things?" Again, heads shook. "Then, unless I'm making a grave mistake somewhere, you will listen to me." Devon groaned behind them. She went to his head, and stroked it, touched each of her babies. "Just because I'm female didn't mean I'm incapable of leading. Now, let's try this again. Who's now Alpha of the Matlin pack?" Duncan spoke again. "Actually, the fight for Alpha is a fight to the death. That would mean, officially, that Devon is now Alpha of the Matlin pack, since he killed Ian." "Devon didn't kill Ian. I did." They all looked at her again, some mouths hanging open. She raised her eyebrows at them. "You heard me howl, didn't you? I have his blood on me." The men looked at each other, then nodded. She now saw a bit more respect for her in their eyes. "So, now, what do you think the Matlins will do?" She returned to finish her work on Sam as they discussed the turmoil which was likely going on in the Matlin pack. Dylan Matlin would be next in line for succession and, while groomed for the role, was still fairly young. His older brother, Ethan, had disappeared over a year prior. Dylan would have trouble with some of the older males in the pack; one wrong decision and the pack would be divided; it probably already was. What We Must Ch. 08 "OK, so, unless he got some serious support behind him, they won't be coming for us anytime soon. What about the council? What would they do or say about what happened?" "A fight for Alpha wouldn't be an issue, but Ian encroached on our range, attacked and kidnapped some of our pack members. If we report this, it won't be looked upon favorably by the other packs. Our numbers are small enough as it is without infighting." "If we report it?" "Anne, you don't understand all the ins and outs of pack existence. Sometimes it's better not to say anything." The discussion continued, with the older pack members giving considered opinions. It was decided not to report anything to the council unless the Matlins tried to cast a bad light on the incident for the McKennas. The others would all learn of the change in leadership soon enough. While it would be tempting to try and change the situation in the Matlin pack by taking over, the temptation would be too great for some of them to get together and attack Devon. They'd believe that he killed Ian; no matter the truth or what anyone else said. No, unfortunately, it was best to let Dylan take control. "OK, now for our current situation and response. First, I want that body out of McKenna range tomorrow if it isn't already gone." Again, Duncan looked to object. "I'm serious, Duncan. The McKenna range isn't to be tainted by that bastard's remains." "Second, except for that, no one outside of the compound for three days. If we aren't attacked in that amount of time we'll assume they've thought better of it, and, I believe, most of you will be healed by then." "Third, I want Devon taken down to the bedroom." This time Lily objected. "Anne, we could rip open the stitches and he could start bleeding again." "Then, he is to be moved carefully. But he will not lie on this table any longer." "Anne, don't bite my head off, but maybe we should get your wounds taken care of before we move him?" She looked down at herself. Her hands and forearms still had blood on them and she could only imagine what was on her face. Her hip was bleeding again and something on her shoulder burned. "All the men are taken care of, and we heal faster. We need to take care of your injuries." The pups began to whimper, signaling hunger, and her breasts started to leak. "Can we move Devon after we take care of you, and the babies are fed?" She sat down heavily in a chair. "You're right. OK." "Who do you want first?" "My brave little girl." Joy was brought to her and she cradled her eldest in her left arm as her right shoulder was swabbed with antiseptic. Lily then began to stitch up the wound on that shoulder. Beth took a wet cloth and began to remove the dried blood from Anne's face. "Did you really kill Ian?" "Yes, Beth, I really did." "Can you tell us what happened?" The rest were hanging on every word. Kevin had his arms around Jen and Duncan had pulled Amanda to his lap. "After you grabbed Callum and Alana..." "No, start at the beginning, please?" She closed her eyes at the unpleasant memory, while Joy suckled a little noisily at her breast. "I'm sorry. Maybe you don't want to." Anne raised a blood streaked hand to Beth's face. "Ignoring something unpleasant doesn't make it go away. Sometimes the only way to fight off the demons is to talk about it." She took a deep breath and let it out. William and Abigail had come back upstairs to sit with the others. Both glanced at Devon before turning to listen to Anne. "We were outside with the little ones, watching them play and enjoying the warm sun. I didn't smell them but I saw something move. I told my babies to go home and told Abigail to run. She took off with Wesley." "We couldn't move very quickly, of course, and the other males were closing." Devon's eyes opened slightly, then closed again. Callum released a puppy bark before licking his father's muzzle. Devon was very tired, but trying to listen to the story. "They were closing, too many of them, and there was no way we were going to make it in time. I tried to warn them off and keep an eye on all of them. But there were five of them, all concentrated on me. And then I smelled him, and focused on him, since he was in charge. I figured he would be the first to make a move against us. I tried to keep the little ones under my belly so they wouldn't be hurt. Maybe I could have gotten one of them back to the compound but how do you choose? So I kept them all with me, and hoped I could keep us all alive until help came. And I hoped it would be quick." Beth had finished cleaning the blood off of her arms and stepped back. "How do you fight as wolf? All I could think of was teeth. Then they came in at me, once, twice, I don't know how many times. So quick. I felt something burn in my hindquarters. Then, one of them knocked me down. Then Ian came up behind me as I was getting up, I knew what he wanted; I could smell it. He knocked me down again and mounted. I twisted and squirmed but he held me tighter. He managed one plunge in before Devon knocked us over and him off of me. Ian recovered enough to come back, grab Joy, and take off. Devon took off after him." She closed her eyes, taking a moment. She swallowed. "I... I... There was one male left, facing me. I kept backing us toward the compound when he came at me. After the second or third time he backed off. I'm not sure where I got him but he didn't come back after us. Jen and Beth came out and", she winced as the stitches went into her hip, "got Alana and Callum. When I was sure they were alright, I took off after Devon. Hoping Joy wasn't hurt, that Ian wouldn't get too far, and that we could get her back." Lily straightened up from her work. "Could someone bring Callum over?" She called over. "Alana, baby, stay with Daddy, OK? Make sure he's OK for me?" Alana responded by curling up under her father's chin, giving his muzzle a couple of little licks. Their female Alpha, with a babe at each breast, continued her tale, surrounded by the other members of the pack. "It was all I could think of, to get her back." She looked down at her daughter before continuing. The women all nodded, understanding her reasoning. "I never wanted anyone deader than I wanted Ian Matlin. I hoped that Devon could stop him before he got too far." She stopped again, to collect her thoughts, and released a big breath. "I knew what Ian wanted, and I hoped that, if I gave myself up to him, that he'd let Devon have Joy. And then I started thinking of ways to kill him. I told myself that he'd be dead before the month was out. Callum, ow, stop that. I know you're hungry but it only comes out so fast." "And I saw them, standing there, they were talking, and Ian had Joy, growling and squirming in his arms. I was getting ready to shift when, for some reason, Ian dropped her. Devon was on him immediately and told me to grab Joy and get out of there." "Why do you think he dropped her when you were that close?" "I don't know." She kissed her daughter's head. Joy was starting to fall asleep. "Maybe she bit him or something." "Please, could someone take Joy over to Devon and bring Alana?" Gentle handed transferred the girls. Joy was placed in the warm spot Alana just left and Alana was brought to her mother's breast. "Yes, sweetie, there we go." "Um, where? Oh, yes. I can't imagine why else he might have dropped her, but he did. Devon launched himself at Ian and, then, both of them were on the ground, wrestling. I grabbed Joy and moved away, made sure she was alright, and proceeded to remove his smell from her. By now Devon and Ian were wolven and continued to fight. I started back with Joy and turned around once more to look at the men. Something happened because Devon ended up on the ground, and Ian went for his throat. I just dropped Joy and headed for them. I hit Ian as hard as I could and he went over a couple of times. Almost before he came to a stop I got him by the throat and I, I, well, I guess I ripped it open. He didn't move. He was dead. I lifted my head and howled. Then I went back to get Joy since I could smell the other males coming." "Devon wasn't moving, well, he was breathing, I could tell that, but he wasn't getting up. I brought Joy back to his head, put her down, and stood over them both as the other males came at us, ready to fight them again if I had to." "But, Duncan and Marcus and Sam and William and Kevin were chasing them so they ran right by us. One of them checked on Ian and ran off. Devon was starting to get to his feet when Duncan and Marcus came to help him. I grabbed Joy and ran back as fast as I could. And, well, I guess that's it." Callum's eyes began to close as his sister continued to suckle. She kissed both of their heads and sighed. "I just hope... Well, with Ian gone, was it too much to hope that we won't have any trouble with the Matlins?" "Dylan's studied too much at his father's side. Ethan was to be Alpha but he's only been gone a couple of years so we don't know a lot about Dylan's decisions or what his father may have put him in charge of but, growing up in that pack, how much different from his father can he be?" "Are the countermeasures still in place?" "Most of them. I'll check and see if anything needs to be fixed or replaced." "Good. What do you think, Duncan, two at the gate, in rotating shifts, for a couple of days?" "Sounds reasonable. William and I will take the next watch." Alana started rubbing her eyes with her little fists. "OK. Can someone take Devon down to our room now?" "Sure." She started to get up from the chair and Duncan grabbed her as she started to collapse. "I'm fine; I'm fine." "OK, everybody grab a baby. Kevin, come help her downstairs. Sam, help me with Devon, would you?" The entire family was taken to their room. The babes put in the crib, Devon placed on the bed, and covered, and Anne moved to the rocking chair, as if she was keeping watch over her family. A tray of food was brought in later for her, and she ate sparingly, thanking Jen for bringing it. While Anne ate, Jen checked briefly on Devon, who seemed to be holding his own. She looked at the five of them as she left the room. "Good night, Anne. Just stick your head out the door and yell if you need anything." Anne nodded her head, obviously thinking intently about something. ***** He woke the next day to a wonderful smell. He was achy, sore, and tired. Moving slowly, he touched bandages and stitches in his neck and on his hip. He felt soft skin against his as he opened his eyes. She was on the bed with him, with stitches in her hip and shoulder as well and red marks on her neck. But she was facing him, with their babies between them. He counted, three, thank god. He checked on Joy; she whimpered, but, thankfully, only had a couple of bruises. He inhaled deeply, reveling in Anne's scent, and reached over to touch her face as he hardened. She murmured and opened her eyes. Noticing his growing erection she smirked at him. "I don't think you're ready for that but it looks like you'll live." "I haven't decided yet..." She shot him a questioning look. "I haven't decided yet, woman, if you're more trouble than you're worth." "Oh." Epilogue In a whisper, Anne talked to her three children. "OK, children, let's play a game. Let's go off a ways, and see how long it takes Daddy to find us." One yap of agreement and they all showed readiness for play. Then, tongues lolling, the pups took off. Anne watched for a moment, looked back at the compound, then took off after them. Racing ahead, she led them off in an easterly direction. It was a warm summer day. She was in a meadow, miles from the McKenna compound, with her children. Running, chasing each other around, tumbling over one another. A large wolf was watching them from up on the hill. Downwind of them, he could smell her. The scent had his cock protruding from its sheath. Tired from running and romping, the pups all curled up together under a tree. She gave each of them a couple of licks, then turned to scan the area. Turning back to them, she didn't notice the male coming down the hill. He slunk closer, watching her from behind a bush. She turned, facing away from him, as he leapt up and rushed her. Knocking her down, they rolled down the slope on the other side of the tree. He stood over her. She looked up into blue eyes and he nuzzled her neck. Shifting form, he kissed her. "Gotcha!" "You really think I'd be facing upwind while watching over my babes?" "Our babes." "You didn't have to try and push Callum out." "You're right." He traced her lips with his fingers, then his mouth moved down to her breast, no longer pale, but tanned by the sun. He tasted the milk that was still there for his children. Her hands twined in his hair as she felt his throbbing cock in the space between their bodies. "The children!" "Are asleep and will be for a while. You know what your smell does to me when your fertility peaks. Besides, I want to make up for lost time. I want to lick you until you can't remember your own name." She pushed at him, playfully, laughing. He slid down her body and parted her thighs, not taking his eyes off her glistening pussy. "May I?" She smiled at him. "You'd better not wake them." "Look who's talking." "I never thought wolves were such a randy bunch." "Only because of you, woman." She began moaning under the assault of his tongue at her entrance. He picked up his head briefly. "Only because of you." FIN