The Wolf At My Door

by Sam Hall

  “It’s strange.” The words were out of my mouth before I could even think. “Right now, I feel kind of embarrassed by your question, because I’m thinking of what I’ve just been doing with your son and Aaron. That’s my human side. It wants to ingratiate myself, get in your good books. You are my potential partner’s mother. By human traditions, I should try to earn your respect. Your disapproval of me could make or break my relationship.”

  “And your Tirian side?” the newcomer, Carissa asked.

  “Wants to drive you all as far away as possible from my men, from all my partners.”

  My teeth were bared as the words came out, the sounds beginning to be distorted by the growl that rose unbidden. What Carissa did next, shocked me.

  “I understand,” she said, and placed her hand over mine.

  For a moment, I fought the urge to slash out at her, to let the nails of my fingers transform into claws, to punish her hard for daring to lay hands on me. She didn’t look scared. Janice did, I could smell the acrid, enticing scent of the spike of fear as she watched my muscles tremble with the effort of stopping myself from lashing out. Carissa just smiled, the peaceful gentle smile of a saint and waited.

  “It’s OK, what you’re feeling. It’s what we all felt when we created our packs. Girls who grow up here like Janice, they’ve been collecting little harems of friends since preschool, where we would play with dolls, having the princess wait to be rescued by the prince. One of the many differences between humans and animals is the amount of the brain hard-wired with instinct. Yours has shifted from the malleable pure human one, to one that’s all of a sudden dominated by strong instincts that probably seem completely alien to you.”

  My eyes bored into the table-top as I listened. She paused, waiting for a response, and all I could do was nod.

  “You have desires you’ve never had before. Impulses you’d never even consider are now second nature. You’re having to develop self-control in new ways. All of the little parts of your identity that you had painstakingly created over your twenty odd years of life have been thrown into disarray. You don’t know who you are some days...” My fingers closed tighter around the strange woman’s, encouraging. I needed her to keep telling this story.

  “We expect to go through the heat. We school our sons and daughters, teach them how to get through it without hurting other people,” Janice said, “But Carissa made me see outsiders don’t get any of that. Kelly’s damn rules about newcomers prevent us from helping you with that adjustment before it happens.”

  “Why is that?” I growled.

  “Because not all of you will. We had some outsider girls come, get built up, expecting to turn, expecting to take a harem, and then...”

  “And then they didn’t. It’s why Doc takes those iris photos, right? To see who’s most likely to turn,” I said.

  Janice nodded.

  “Our ways are different. What’s best for the family trumps what’s best for the individual. We had girls turn and run when the moon came and went, and nothing happened. There was even one who returned, letting humans into the Sanctuary. They brought weapons.”

  I watched Janice’s fingers worry at a cloth napkin.

  “People died, kids died. That’s when things changed.”

  “So now, we come and try to help once the change has happened, try to assist you to make the mental as well as physical transition. This is hard, Jules, but you’re not alone.”

  I looked down the table and saw every eye trained on me. Every one broadcasted what their owners felt, concern, worry, empathy. My Tirian snarled at this, she didn’t like any sign of weakness being shared with the group, but I had little choice. I was stunned to find tears burning in my eye sockets. What on earth did I have to cry about? I was an all-powerful supernatural creature, had legions of hot guys throwing themselves at me. It appeared any and all sexual fantasies I’d had in my life could be explored. I was safe, had a home, food, a job. Me and Buddy would be OK.

  Buddy.

  My eyes jerked up, belatedly searching the room, the yard outside for signs of the Husky.

  “Guys, where’s my dog?”

  The first thing I saw on the guy’s faces was wariness. My guts turned to ice as I scanned them. “Buddy?”

  “He’s with the doc, Jules,” Finn said.

  “Why? He’s my dog.” I felt my hackles began to rise, my voice deepening. “Why isn’t he here!”

  “We thought it better that—”

  “You’re a risk to the dog right now, and we know you’d hate yourself if you hurt him,” Slade said.

  “Hurt him? He’s mine! He should be here!”

  His eyes dropped down to where my nails, no, my claws dug into the table. Splinters had exploded around the puncture marks.

  “You’re not stable yet, Jules. Of course, you aren’t. We didn’t want to bring your dog here until the change has settled and the heat is finished. You’ve gone through such a massive transition. The fucking bastard from the other side hurting you...”

  I sat back down, focussing on just breathing for a moment. Buddy. The minute I’d said his name, it was as if a whole part of my brain had been unlocked, a rush of memories and feelings hitting me. The velvety-soft surface of his ears, his woo woo greeting whenever I got home, the little dance he performed when I was putting out his food, the leap up onto the bed and circling, always three times, before settling down in a tight ball. I rubbed at my sternum, feeling the ache now.

  But they had a point. I glanced down the table and saw a big group of strong paranormal creatures all on tenterhooks, waiting to see how I’d react. I took a long shuddering breath and then settled back against my chair.

  “What happened to it. Him. It’s a him, isn’t it?”

  “The fuckhead that came through to take you?” Slade said. “He--”

  “All unfriendlies are locked up in a secure facility. It’s an underground, fully reinforced concrete bunker. It has several lock fail-safes, is patrolled by a platoon of our best men, each one of them armed with high powered rifles,” Aaron said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m not worried. I want to see him.”

  Well, that put the cat amongst the pigeons. Everyone started talking at once, everyone but Carissa. She just squeezed my hand.

  “She can do what she wants,” Carissa said with a snarl that cut through the cacophony. “If she wants to see this man, you’ll show her, Aaron, son of Maureen.” She turned back to me. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. We aren’t taught to trust ourselves in the outside world. You grow up questioning your clothes, the way you look, how loud you are, and how much of your real self you’re ‘allowed’ to show. You question if it’s OK to come across as smart or struggling, who you’re with, what message you’re ‘putting out’ when talking to men. There are huge industries all constructed around women’s doubt. Don’t doubt yourself here.”

  “It’s probably a bit soon for it, but we believe the Great Wolf’s hand is behind our instincts,” Janice said. “The men, their first instinct is to protect you. That’s how it should be, but don’t let it stop you from doing what you need to. Whenever you are wondering what to do, remember, your instincts are there for a reason.”

  We had a nice meal afterwards. The guys had evidently been working on it while I was in the bedroom, getting laid. I knew, in theory, there were human women that allowed men to treat them like queens, but I’d never met any. I felt restless as the dishes were brought to the table, like I should be up and doing something. It took me a little to see the pride on the men’s faces as they organised the impressive spread of food, but then everyone was seated and turned to look at me. Um... did they say grace or something here? I pulled the closest dish towards me, and said, “This looks amazing. Thanks, guys! Let’s eat.”

  And with that, the silence was broken. First, it was the sound of utensils scraping, of dishes being requested and passed, then the small talk returned. I watched these beautiful men and women
have a meal, just like families did across the country, and shook my head. A month ago, I’d been serving dickheads in a diner, and now this. Don’t doubt yourself, echoed in my mind as I dug in.

  27

  “No one’s saying no,” Slade said.

  “Sure sounds like it.”

  “Jules,” Aaron said with a sigh, “just give me a little time to talk to my brothers. Taking an unmated woman into a compound of men...”

  “Maybe I want that,” I snapped.

  All of the guys went still around me for a moment. When I looked them over, each face was carefully blank.

  “What? Does that get you hot or something?”

  “Well, yeah. To see you drowning in—”

  “Enough, Slade,” Finn said. “What we think is beside the point. The question is, does it make you hot?”

  My Tirian had all sorts of thoughts on that. For her, this was a simple, sexual survival of the fittest test. Who could get us off, and keep getting us off until we didn’t want to anymore, would make for suitable potential mates. Of course, other characteristics such as the ability to work with the rest of the team, being good with children, being able to fulfil their responsibilities were all important, but not to be considered until sexual compatibility had been established. I felt my cunt slicken at the thought of it. The men who had been with Aaron at the matching hall, their faces were hazy right now, but their bodies. They were all built like him, huge broad frames packed with muscle. My eyes dropped involuntarily to Aaron’s pants.

  “That’s got nothing to do with it. I want to see the... thing that attacked me. He tried to kill me.”

  “And it’s gonna happen, I just want to give the CO some time to get the facility in order. He can pull in married men to look after the place while you’re visiting.” I stared at Aaron. He came closer, reaching out a hand with a question in his eyes, placing it on my waist and drawing me closer when I didn’t say no. “We’re not trying to stop you from doing what you need to, just making sure you’re safe.”

  I nodded stiffly, something that softened when he bent down to brush his lips against mine. Yesterday’s disorientation seemed to have vanished. Aaron had proved himself worthy, he was in until I decided otherwise.

  “And I need to alert Kelly to what we’re doing. Not to stop you,” Finn said, sliding in on my other side. “But she’s going to have thoughts about this. If we want to prevent her from marching down there in protest, I need to have a conversation.”

  “I can’t understand why he would have attacked me like that. Everything I saw showed the black wolves raping and capturing women, not trying to kill them. I nearly died. If I’m going to move on, I just want to see him.”

  “And I’ll tell Kelly that, I promise. Aaron will alert the prison facility. Slade’s going to pick up some supplies with Brandon, so Shaun will be here if you need anyone, OK? We’ll be back soon.”

  I nodded.

  Finn deposited a kiss on my forehead and then pulled away. Aaron was a little slower, holding me close for a second and then kissing me goodbye.

  “Do I get one?” Slade said with a grin, hugging me close.

  “So you can imagine me drowning in dick?”

  “C’mon, Slade, I don’t want to spend any more time away from here than we have to,” Brandon said, pulling him towards the door.

  “You’ve gotten so bossy lately,” Slade said with narrowed eyes. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “It’s more what he got into Aaron,” I said. “Actually, I agree with your little fantasy. It’d be totally hot to see you drowning in dick. One in each hand and every hole.”

  “Now, sweetheart...”

  “Covered in other men’s cum like the slut you are.”

  “Honey, let’s talk this through.”

  “No time for that, no matter how I might wish otherwise.” Brandon shifted his dick in his pants. “Best food comes in the morning, so we need to be there before all the queens start making their demands. So c’mon, hot stuff, wiggle those buns.”

  Slade shot him a shocked look when the other man slapped him on the arse.

  “Are you sure we need Brandon in the group?” Slade said. “The joint blow job was one thing, but the man’s starting to take liberties.”

  “Jack and Hawk will be by to look over the fence. I don’t think there’s an issue with it, but it’s not a bad thing to check it.” Brandon caught Slade’s side-eye and glared at him. “We’ll all be back in a few hours.”

  “You good, Shaunie?” Slade called out as the blond man emerged, drying his hair with a towel. He nodded.

  “I know where the guns are, but we’re not likely to have an incursion, not with what she said at the matching hall.”

  “Right then, anything in particular you want us to pick up, love?”

  I let my eyes rake over the men, imagining for real the various ways we could waste the morning, if they weren’t so damn certain we needed food to survive. Slade saw the heat there and grinned, slow and sexy.

  “Wear some of that out with Shaun, love, but save some for me.”

  An awkward silence settled over the lounge room as the door shut. Shaun grabbed his cigarettes from the dining room table and said, “Wanna come sit on the porch for a bit?”

  “OK.”

  I blinked when we emerged out into the morning light. With the exception of going to the matching hall, I’d been closeted in the house since I’d turned. There was always someone dragging me down to the bedrooms the moment I was up and about, the only sun I saw was when we had a meal together or filtered through the bedroom curtains. There were several chairs set up on the broad deck, empty cans of beer and an ashtray covered the small coffee table. I took a seat.

  “We haven’t talked...well, at all,” he said. He lit a cigarette, then came to a squat beside me, rubbing my arm. “I’m sorry about before. There just wasn’t much point pursuing things further until the change happened.”

  “I obviously felt differently about that. So, what? You didn’t want to get to know me unless you knew there was an opportunity to become part of my harem?” My Tirian shifted inside me, eyeing the man closely.

  “I really did have to work that night.”

  “And the next night?”

  “You got snapped up, just like I thought you would. Then you got...sick. When you turned, I figured I’d try to prove my worth when you went through the change.”

  “And so here we are.”

  I looked Shaun over. His hand dropped lower, to rub along my thigh, something that had me stirring despite myself. I didn’t know Shaun, didn’t know if I liked him, hated him or just didn’t care. I did know right now that I liked the feel of his hand against my skin, that fall of his ragged blonde hair, the dramatic bone structure, the flex of the muscles in his forearms all had an effect. His blue eyes stared into mine as his hand worked slowly higher. I licked my lips as I hooked my leg over one of the arms of the chair. His eyes dropped down, his hand had slid up and under the hem of my shorts. His fingers grazed along the seam where my thigh met my groin. They weren’t where I wanted them to be, which had me wriggling on the seat, something that made him grin.

  I heard the crunch of tires on gravel as it came up the drive, but Shaun didn’t look away or move his hand. Rather, his fingers brushed over my mound, edging closer and closer to where I ached the most. If you’d asked if I’d let a guy stick his hand up my shorts and brush my pussy as strangers drove up to my place a couple of weeks ago, I’d have thought you were mad. If you’d said I’d be moving in my seat as the driver’s eyes bored into mine through the dirty windshield, gasping when Shaun’s fingers slid through my folds, smearing my dampness across my clit to give it a few flicks, I’d have been aghast. Probably as horrified as I was when he waited until the doors of the truck were slammed shut, and I could see the men walking towards us, to withdraw them.

  Superficially, you’d think Jack and Shaun were similar. They both had long blond hair and lean muscular bodies. But Sh
aun’s eyes just burned into mine as he licked my leftovers from his fingers, whereas Jack was a picture of arrogant swagger, strolling on over, Hawk a dark shadow at his shoulder. His smile was sly as he took everything in, Shaun adjusting his cock, moving away from me to sit down, me dropping my leg, aiming for a semblance of modesty.

  “Hey, baby,” he said, green eyes glittering as he looked down at the two of us. “Just here to see to the fence. Make sure you’re secure in your little castle.”

  Hawk’s eyes scanned the lot of us, his nostrils flaring as he took in my skimpy clothes and Shaun’s fingers, before coming to rest on my mouth.

  “Yeah?”

  Jack was trying to bait me, I could feel the shift of my Tirian inside me, unhappy at such a blatant display of disrespect. She wanted him flat on his back, neck bared to our teeth, and then she wanted to explore all the many ways he could make up for his previous show of insolence.

  He flicked a look over at Shaun. “How’s it going, Shaun. Missed you on the worksite.”

  “Had my hands full.”

  “Have you indeed?” His eyes slid down my body, taking an inordinate amount of time in the process.

  I noted Jack’s unbuttoned work shirt, casually putting on display a tantalising glimpse of his lean chest, something I was willing to bet he’d planned. His pants hung low on his hips, a dark blonde happy trail leading the eye. He chuckled when I took in the sizeable hard-on there.

  “Sorry, baby,” he purred, “you smell so damn fucking hot. Me and Hawk, we’d lick every damn inch of you. Shaunie as well, if that’s what you want.”

  Of course, my mind then supplied a very detailed visual of just that. It felt like my thighs were drenched as I watched my mental images of Jack, Hawk and Shaun do amazing things to my body and theirs. Fuck, I stiffened in my chair, I had no idea guy on guy got me so hot.