*****
We are slaves to the moon. Well, most of us, which meant that any gathering where human form was required during the full moon had to be held before the sun went down. It was the reason I found myself in a tux at three in the afternoon. Josette came for the bathroom and I closed my eyes. The sight of her was just too much for me sometimes. I loved her so much it was a physical weight on my body and soul. I ached from it.
She wasn’t dominatrix chic today. Her ball gown was long and had about a thousand layers of gossamer thin fabric. The nude color of the dress was a wonderful contrast to her golden brown skin. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I couldn’t help the smile, or my hand as it made a bee-line for her stomach.
“You’re pregnant,” I said in a low voice. Earlier the news was too new, I was drunk from happiness, now it’d sunk in, and I was calmed by the unbelievable miracle of it all.
“Yes,” her low words mirrored my emotions. She was happy, but also nervous.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” I said kneeling and placing my head on her belly. She put her hands on my head and started to rub. Was that a purr? Naw, couldn’t have been.
She laughed and I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her tight to me. How could I let her fight? Werewolves protected women and children in a time of battle first and foremost, a pregnant female was protected by not only friends and family, but the whole pack.
“You have to.”
I didn’t speak, I just shook my head. She didn’t understand—she couldn’t have. Man or beast, I don’t think either could stand on the sidelines and watch her fight. It wasn’t about her being strong. It was about the nature of what I was, what we were. The knock at the door stopped my explanation.
We were summoned to the library before going to the ball. Thomas Ronin and his daughter, Lydia, were already there waiting on us and when I say us. He hadn’t invited everyone in our group but we were playing by a different set of rules and I made the call for the young man who’d come to our room to gather the rest of our group.
Lydia stood next to her seated father, her hand resting on the back of his chair. They were picture perfect in their evening attire. Lydia gown was metallic silver and clung to her body like a second skin. I won’t lie, she was beautiful, even with the air of superiority radiating off her like wavy lines from asphalt on a hot summer’s day. It’s amazing the shit power does to a person. For the life of me I’d never understand why she had a dog in this hunt. Why would anyone want to marry someone who didn’t want them?
“I’ve called you here to offer the option of the Ulric to fight in the place of the Ulrich as she is pregnant.”
Nope, we hadn’t told him, but like the rest of the wolves last night, he could smell it on the females. Before Josette could protest, and she was about too, Diana spoke. Not to Ronin but to Josette.
“You are a true queen of wolves, you have nothing to prove and it is a thing no one can take from you. I say this with only love in my heart, sister to sister; allow your guardian to fight in your stead. The Freki is right to make the offer, there is not a man in this room that will allow you to fight in your condition, it’s not about strength or loyalty it is simple the nature of the beast that is in us.”
Diana laid a gentle hand on Josette’s arm, she leaned in close and pressed her face next to Josette’s and whispered, “Don’t push him dear, not unless you’re prepared for a public marking, think of his reactions just days ago from the mere mention of Ronin taking you to his bed. You will not be able to stop him. A part of you will want it. He is a magnificent creature and to belong to him, to be marked by him…” She took a long deep breath that had me wishing I was far enough away not to eavesdrop. “Pride that you belong to him will strip you of all your inhibitions.”
Josette swallowed. Her scent changed. I averted my eyes to keep them from the now, permanently fresh mark low on her neck. My mating mark. My gums began to itch. I balled my hands into fist and took a deep breath of my own.
“Mon Lune,’ Jean Rene said in a low voice. It had an edge of laughter, but also something that said it was very close to place I found myself in.
Diana took a step back and winked at Josette before saying, “It is why they were created. It is his purpose, let him do his job.”
Josette nodded, like maybe she had forgotten how to speak. She cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she said to Diana before turning to Ronin. “I accept your offer.”
I wanted to blame my need—my constant need—of Josette on my age. Hey, I’m nineteen, but in truth, it would never get better. The human part of me would never be able to rein in that part of my animal self. I wasn’t too unhappy about it. None of the mated males were. We joined the rest of the three hundred people who would be in attendance for tomorrows challenge. The announcement was made in the change of fighters and the reason why. No one complained, everyone understood, everyone agreed. Funny how people were okay with a seventeen year old fighting a grown man, but no one could stomach the idea of a pregnant one doing the same. Werewolves—that’s all I can say.
The house still held more Ronin supporters than our team, but Mrs. B had rallied as many as she could and tonight was different from the first ball. We were wished well and congratulated on our soon to be new addition. I beamed with pride next to my wife and mate, and stood a little taller next to her.
Lydia’s walk was all swaying shoulders and hips. She oozed sex appeal like sap from a tree. The dress she wore covered her from neck to foot in front but the back was missing down to the crack of her ass. There were a lot of mated males going to be in trouble when they left. We’re loyal, not blind.
“We meet at last,” she said and damn if her voice wasn’t as seductive as her walk. She didn’t say a name, she could have been talking to anyone, but her gaze finally landed and stayed on Julian.
“Lydia,” Julian said, “Allow me to introduce my mate and fiancée, Brianne Freeland.”
Lydia looked up and down Brianne’s body. She was sizing her up and didn’t hide the fact that she clearly thought that Julian had settled for less. She acknowledged Brianne with a tiny, slight nod before turning her attention back to Julian.
“Pity you weren’t willing keep your line pure. We could have done great things for our packs.”
Some people were hung up on that kind of thing. There’s bigotry everywhere, if there was a way to look down on someone or something, there are those that go out of their way to find it. Werewolves were no exception. Racism was and is, just wrong. Bitten or born, full humans didn’t give a damn, they’d kill all of us just the same, besides, Diana and Josette had proven being born a werewolf didn’t mean you were at the tip-top of the hierarchy.
“I’ll take you up on that offer.”
We all swung our heads to look at the giant redhead. He wasn’t looking at us, his green eyes had laser like focus on the vixen in front of us. She gave him the same focal inspection as she’d given Brianne.
She lifted on perfectly arched eyebrow and said, “I think not.”
Her mouth said one thing but there was something there. Something that said maybe, just maybe, she thought so. Wallace wasn’t fooled either, he laughed. It was deep, but not loud, it sounded a little sinister, but suggested a different malevolence, you know, the sweetest kind. Lydia body tightened. She barely moved, but it was hard to miss a change in a dress that tight. Wallace was nodding his head real slow, no doubt already picturing the two of them. I waited for him to start rubbing his hands together. Lydia left without another word, but she looked over her shoulder once.
“Really, Wallace,” Joffrey said.
“Brother, she’s all mine,” Wallace said and left to stalk his prey.
“Do you think she can tame our giant?” Diana asked with a little laugh.
“I don’t think it’s taming either of them wants,” Mr. B said drawing all eyes to him. “What?”
At six all those staying in the estate went to their
rooms and those that weren’t went home to prepare for the full moon. It wouldn’t do to have to pull over and find a hiding place to change forms because you found yourself stuck in a traffic jam.
Josette change just about killed me. The second night wasn’t better than the first. The thought of her pain drove me wild. I no longer cared about how wonderful it was to be a wolf, or the smells and sounds of a forest, wind in my fur be damned, my mate’s pain made me curse our curse. Until she changed, afterwards I was back on the same page. I’d run and hunted with her last night. Our first time as wolves together, tonight I planned on being her guardian. I would only take my half form. I pushed myself further and further until I reached a point where my hearing was almost as good as my full wolf from. Josette jumped on the bed and I ran my clawed hands through her fur, petted her, and reveled in the softness and beauty of my white wolf. I laid my head on her stomach and held my breath as I listened, and closed my eyes to focus. The sound of her heart was loud and strong. I felt it on my face and in my bones. I pressed my ear tighter to her body until I heard it. A second, faster beat, just beneath Josette’s. My son or daughter.
“Tehila,” I said in a soft voice. I wasn’t ashamed at all at the tears on my face. “My God, it’s beautiful.” She laid still for long moments and allowed me the wonder of hearing my unborn child inside her body with my hands fisting her fur. It stole my breath, made my heart almost burst with happiness. She licked my face when I at last straightened.
“Thank you,” I said rubbing her massive wolf’s head. She barked and nuzzled me beneath my chin before jumping from the bed.
My smile gave away what I’d been able to accomplish and Jean Rene’s matched mine by the time we met up in the hall leading to the first floor.
“Congratulations young king. If you should need advice or just someone to lend an ear, do not hesitate to call me. Multiple births are wondrous but taxing on even a strong wolf.”
Wait…what…multiple births?
“You have to stop fainting boy, people will start to think your weak,” Mr. B said standing above me.
I took Jean Rene’s offered hand. I felt like I should apologize but I was still getting over the shock of Jean Rene’s revelation, to be honest, I still felt light headed…and a little sick to my stomach. My nerves were shot to shit.
“I am sorry Ulrich,” Jean Rene said laughing. And he was laughing at me, not with me. “I thought you knew.”
I shook my head because I lost my words when I lost consciousness and hadn’t found them yet.
“Be easy on him,” Virginia said, but she was laughing too.
Damn them.
I stood up and really thought maybe Mr. B had a point. Shit, I was beginning to think myself weak. What kind of guardian protector was I if I kept passing out? With that thought I squared my shoulders and took a vow to man the fuck up.
“Would you like to know how many?”
“No,” I said quickly. Okay, I may have yelled a little. I had to give myself time to acclimate to my newly vowed steely reserve. Diana’s first pregnancy had resulted in three births. I just didn’t have it in me quite yet to find out if Josette and I were going to be that blessed.
It was not an organized hunt and wolves were free to hunt as soon as they took form. We didn’t have to wait on Ronin and we decided our group would hunt as a pack. I’d all but forgotten what it was to be in half-form. As a child there is only one form, wolf. It’s not until puberty that we learn if a male is powerful enough to take half form, but even then, it’s safer to be a wolf. I think the majority of the big-foot sightings were probably some unlucky bastard caught in half-from. Of course I could be wrong. The majority of humans didn’t believe there were others different from them. I wouldn’t assume the same. How could I? The thought made me ask the question I kept forgetting to ask Jean Rene.
“Hey,” I said stopping.
We were following the scent trail of our mates. Stalking meant stealth, and while we could hunt in half form tonight Jean Rene and I simply followed, which meant we stayed back far enough not to scare off prey. But we kept close and knew how far away our women were by the potency of their scent.
“Are there vampires?” I asked.
Jean Rene chuckled. “I’ve never come across any, but I find it impossible to rule out anything since I met Diana and saw Geri and Freki.”
Forgetting about Dracula, I turned to the legend of my people’s myth. “What was it like?”
“Magnifique…magnificent…glorious,” he said. “Only my love for Mon Lune compares.”
“Do you worry about her dying?” I regretted them as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Mainly because it was a foolish question that I knew the answer to. I’d lay down right beside Josette if she left this world. No weapon or poison needed. My will to live would leave this earth with her.
“Not of a natural death,” he said surprising me.
“What?”
“My body stopped aging in my fortieth year. Diana’s stopped at the time I turned her.”
Talk about surreal. “Wow,” I said in a low voice. One day I’d have fancier words. I hoped.
“Would you like to know something even more extraordinary?”
I nodded, what the hell could compete with immortality?”
“The people around Diana who offers her protection have also stopped aging.”
I tripped. I couldn’t even muster up a wow.
Jean Rene stopped, looked into the sky, like he was looking for answers from Odin himself. “No, young king, I am not so arrogant to think that our tale is the only one to be true.”
We walked in silence until we heard the call that rallied the troops to move in for the kill. We caught up and climbed trees and I saw why Jean Rene liked to watch Diana hunt.
Last night Josette had made the first move but as a full wolf you work as a team to take down prey, so as much as I watched her, I also focused on the hunt. In my half-form, not a part of the hunt, I was able to give my full attention to the beautiful white wolf below me. Her body, big and strong, low to the ground as she rounded the buck the pack had circled. Watching as she advanced, and then the fight between predator and prey; there is beauty in all things, even those some might think savage.
Lupa (Second Edition) Page 38