by Sara Fields
Should she defy me, I had many more ways to break her. I had a feeling she’d learn about them one day, maybe even one day soon.
* * *
During the walk to where I’d instructed the pack to gather, I questioned Dawn about the inner workings of her government. She answered what she could and described how it all worked to the best of her ability. I learned the Department of Paranormal Activity had jumped into her life only just yesterday, taking her and depositing her in a world where shifters like me were real. It baffled me that she hadn’t known of our kind or the other types of paranormal creatures that walked the land with us, but I didn’t voice my surprise.
She hadn’t known about me or her role as an omega. She’d known none of that. Now though, I was going to teach her about all of it. I was going to bring her into my world.
I held her hand loosely and she held mine. Her fingers were soft and small, fitting perfectly in mine because they were made for it.
When I noticed that the sun was starting to descend in the sky, I shifted into my wolf form and instructed Dawn to climb onto my back. I knelt down for her and her small fingers grasped at my fur as she pulled herself up onto my shoulders.
“Hold on. Wrap your arms around my throat. I’m going to run, and I want you secure,” I told her. I felt her thighs press against me and then her arms wound around me. Her hold was tight. She was strong and I was even more sure of it now.
I took off into the woods. My gait was slow at first as she balanced herself on my spine, learning to move with my body as I ran. Gradually though, her grip grew tighter and surer as I traveled, and I began to increase my pace until I was sprinting at full speed.
Running like this felt like freedom and it was at times like these that I felt most connected with the magic of the earth. The wind caressed through the strands of my fur and I ran even harder. My muscles warmed at the exertion and it made me feel alive, knowing my pack was waiting for my return. They were going to meet my mate for the first time, and I couldn’t wait to show her off.
The hours passed and the sun set, giving way to twinkling stars overhead. The crescent moon rose on the horizon, and its light cut down to the forest floor. My eyes were well adjusted to the darkness of the wilds though. I was made for traveling like this, either in the full light of day or in the shadows of night.
My claws dug into the dirt beneath my feet, propelling me forward with every step. Dawn’s breathing was quick, showcasing her excitement and exhilaration as she hugged her arms around my neck. I could feel her joy and that impelled me to move even faster. I crossed one mile after the next and before long, I could feel that my pack was close. I called for them and told them to prepare for my arrival.
Before long, I could smell the aroma of venison cooking on an open campfire. The place I’d chosen for my pack was inaccessible from the ground for most humans. The forest was dense, and their planes couldn’t land between the trees or the mountains. Much of the trails into the area were overgrown and not well traveled. My wolves had gone deep and as I made my way to them, I was even more sure that this was a good place to shelter and regroup as the once-captive members took their rightful places in my pack.
“We’re ready for your arrival, alpha,” one of my female betas answered.
“Good,” I answered. “I have retrieved my mate. You all will give your respect to the omega upon my return.”
Every single beta there would have heard me. They would know that I was coming and that I had found my mate, that I was carrying with me the future of the pack.
Not long after, I broke out into a small clearing where my pack was waiting. There was a least a hundred of them now, spread out amongst the grass and in the trees. They were all in wolf form and it was a sight to behold as every single one of them bowed their heads in reverence to me and my mate. I stopped, knelt down and allowed Dawn to climb off my back. She blushed again beautifully, and I smiled knowingly. It shamed her to be naked in front of the pack, but her nipples peaked, and I knew that pretty pussy would be soaked when I inspected it later.
She’d get used to it sooner or later.
I nodded in greeting and Dawn stepped tentatively to my side, looking around in awe at what she saw. It was likely that she’d never seen so many wolves in her life, let alone beasts like this. She wasn’t scared though, and I was proud of her for it. Her fingers dug gently into my shoulder and then she leaned against me for support.
I glanced into the clearing and noticed the brightly burning campfire. I sniffed the air and chuckled when I heard Dawn’s stomach growl with hunger. I moved a step away and shifted back to my human form.
“This is Dawn, my mate and the omega. You will show her respect, or you will answer to me.” I waited and the wolves all around us began to howl in unison. The effect of their combined voices was powerful.
“We welcome her as one of our own,” they answered as one.
“Thank you,” she murmured softly, her delicate voice wavering with wonder. I smiled and nodded my approval, before taking her hand in mine once more.
“Come now, let’s eat and you can meet the members of my pack,” I said loudly and all around me the betas began to shift. At once, the clearing was filled with humans rather than wolves. Voices rumbled all around us and I saw Dawn visibly relax.
“It’s not so bad being naked when everyone else is naked too,” she whispered in my ear. I openly laughed before I smacked her bottom. She yelped softly in surprise more than anything else.
“Perhaps, but you’re the only one here with a pink welted bottom, aren’t you,” I countered, and her blush deepened.
“Yes, alpha,” she answered timidly, her voice dropping several decibels as I stood over her. Her dismay amused me, and I grinned back at her.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll see many a spanked bottom the more time that you spend with the pack. There is a distinct hierarchy among the betas and oftentimes, many an errant female needs to be reminded of her place over her mate’s thighs. Just like I imagine you will need to be. Perhaps if you earn it, I’ll even take you in hand with everyone watching.”
She blushed even harder. I really enjoyed that.
“You wouldn’t,” she exclaimed. I simply grinned in return and watched her squirm under my scrutiny. I leaned back and imagined her shame and arousal the moment I forced her over my knees for a spanking. I fantasized about the wetness I’d find between her thighs as a result. I wondered how hard she would come for me if I fucked her in front of the pack in order to fully remind her that her place was right beneath me.
I growled with my desire for her tight little body and she pressed her thighs together in response. I sniffed the air and growled again. A soft moan escaped her lips at my sounds and her eyes fluttered closed. Her head dipped, her shoulders rounded forward, and I watched as she shuddered hard for me.
I’d had her only hours ago and I wanted her again. She needed to eat though. I hadn’t forgotten that. With her escape from the facility early this morning, she had not eaten anything at all.
Once she had though, all bets were off. I would take her, and I’d take her hard. Over and over until she screamed for me to stop.
I guided her over to a boulder near the fire. One of the female betas offered her a blanket, and she gratefully took it. My kind ran several degrees hotter than humans and Dawn was only human here.
“Thank you, Rebecca. It’s good to see that you made it out of there safely,” Dawn said, and I cocked my head as I stared at her.
“You know her?” I asked.
“I met her yesterday. She was one of the captive betas and showed me her wolf form at my request,” she answered.
Rebecca sat down on the ground beside the campfire on a spot of grass. Deferentially, she turned her head toward me.
“I told her that you were coming for us. I sensed she was your mate, alpha, so I thought I would give her insight into what was coming. She’d come to study us and understand why the betas were restless w
hen the real reason was that you had arrived,” Rebecca explained.
“Thank you, Rebecca,” I replied, and she smiled softly. There had been a slight edge of nervousness in her eyes when she had begun to speak, and I was pleased to see it disappear as I acknowledged her.
“Did all the betas held captive with you make it out?” Dawn questioned quietly.
Rebecca’s eyes turned to mine for permission and I nodded.
“They did. The pack left no one behind,” she answered.
“And Dr. Livingston?” Dawn asked next.
“I never saw him, nor did I catch his scent. He probably stayed hidden in his rooms until the all clear alarm sounded,” Rebecca explained, and Dawn sighed in relief.
“This man is important to you?” I questioned.
“He was my mentor, a teacher to me. I was hoping he didn’t get hurt,” she replied.
“My people didn’t go in with the intention to kill or hurt anyone. Their mission was to break their kindred free and only fight as necessary. The aim was to sneak as far inside as we could without alerting the humans,” I said further. “We do not want war, only to free our people.”
She nodded, processing my words as the moments passed by. When she was finished, she turned back toward me and Rebecca tended to the skewers of meat cooking over the fire.
“So, what’s next?” she asked.
“We free the rest of my betas and you’re going to help us do it.”
Chapter Seven
Dawn
I hadn’t expected any of this. Yesterday I’d been just a scientist researching how stem cells worked and today I was completely bare in a massive group of naked wolf shifters. I swallowed in disbelief as I considered my foreseeable future. Was this my life now?
It was nice to have a familiar face here with me in Rebecca. As Kiba spoke, she’d brushed her fingers along my shoulder in kinship and I’d smiled at her kindness. She understood how very difficult this was for me because she’d met me before Kiba had taken me as his mate. She’d been the one to warn me he was coming, and she’d been the reason I’d known exactly who he was the moment that I’d set eyes on him.
Sitting next to the fire with her, I appraised her, and she smiled in my direction. I had a feeling that she and I would be good friends. She handed me a skewer of grilled venison and I took it. I was starving and I blushed thinking about the fact that I’d worked up quite the appetite in the woods earlier this morning.
A group of betas gathered around the fire and watched as Kiba took the largest skewer. After he began to eat, the others followed in kind, sharing skewers of meat between them. I blew on the warm venison and when it was cool enough, plucked a piece off with my fingers and popped it into my mouth. It tasted incredibly fresh and juicy. It was so good that I polished off the entire skewer of meat before I smacked my lips together with pleasure.
“Compliments to the chef,” I exclaimed and the betas nearest to me laughed.
“Glad you liked it,” Rebecca said with a wink. “It’s not a burger though. What I wouldn’t give for one from that little diner on Main Street in Helena.” Her eyes had a sad sort of look to them. It was as if she was somewhere else entirely.
“When was the last time you were free?” I asked her.
“It’s been at least fifty years. It’s a gift to finally feel the sun and the light of the moon on my face again instead of that awful fluorescent lighting they used in our cells,” she replied.
“You were prisoner for that long?”
She simply nodded. I knew how old she was, that betas were essentially ageless as soon as they reached a certain age. Still, that was a really long time to remain in that small cell. I couldn’t imagine being kept from the sun like that. When work overwhelmed me and the stress from another deadline felt like too much, I’d go for a walk alone and gather my thoughts. The concept of having that taken away for so very long was both saddening and horrifying at the same time. My trepidation over these strange new people faded as the night when on, when I saw the brilliant smiles on the faces of those that I’d seen held prisoner only yesterday. I began to see them all very differently for what each one of them had gone through.
Sure, I might feel sad that I no longer have my science to fill my day, but at least I was free. These betas didn’t always have that. Now they did. They’d earned their freedom and there were more like them out there, unfairly held captive because the government thought they were dangerous, the ultimate predator. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren’t, but either way, they didn’t deserve to remain behind bars when they were innocent of any wrongdoing.
Some of the betas were singing and others were dancing. A big male beta was throwing more wood on the fire and another was whittling something with a knife.
It was peaceful. An innocent demonstration of the enjoyment of life.
I pulled my shoulders back and met Kiba’s eyes. In that moment, I decided that my career was no longer important. As much as I wanted to fight my fate as his mate, the members of his pack were my people now. Hopefully one day, I’d consider them family.
I was going to fight for what was right. I was going to fight for their freedom.
“I will help you free the rest of the betas,” I said softly, and he smiled softly and beckoned me over to him. I went willingly and he held out a hand before he helped me to climb back into his lap. I felt so small when I sat with him like this. I breathed in his scent once more and my heart fluttered with desire.
Was this happiness? Was Kiba my destiny?
“Rebecca over there was a teacher. She taught science and math before she was taken as she was leaving her job in Helena late one night. She’d been alone and lived mostly in solitude. She’s never hurt anyone, and they held her captive for fifty years because of it,” he explained softly, and I pressed my face into his shoulder.
“It isn’t right,” I whispered.
“I know, sweet mate. Her story isn’t unique either. Some of the prisoners held with her were there for even longer, some shorter. None of them had done anything wrong but your government held them captive because of the potential danger they could bring to the world,” he answered.
“Because your kind is stronger than us,” I added.
“Perhaps,” Kiba answered.
“I’ve seen the betas fight. I’ve seen their fur deflect the bullets. The security guards were unprepared. They didn’t even have knives,” I said.
“In our wolf forms, we are nearly immortal. Bullets are unable to penetrate through our thick fur and skin. Knives will hardly leave a scratch. In our human forms, we are weak to both weapons and that has been the downfall of many betas over the years. We can die from a fall or a car crash or an unforeseeable accident just as humans can. But we do have one particular weakness that’s as deadly to our wolf forms as it is to our human ones,” he continued.
I watched the fire pop and listened to its crackle, remembering what the wolves looked like in battle. I’d seen the very things Kiba had talked about that morning. I’d seen how invincible the wolves had been and how the humans had the distinct disadvantage in almost every way. I’d seen the humans’ inevitable loss.
I lifted my head and stared into his eyes.
“What is it?”
“Silver,” he answered.
“Really? Like in the movies?” I chewed my lip.
“Yes. Although we’re distant relatives to the werewolf, we retain the same weakness. We’ve kept it a closely guarded secret though and it seems that your Department of Paranormal Activity assumed it was just a myth as they didn’t attack any of my people with silver bullets or blades. We may not always be so lucky, but we have to take our wins as they come,” he continued.
“I wouldn’t have ever guessed,” I murmured. He traced his fingers along my shoulder and up into my hair, petting me softly until I hummed in pleasure.
“It’s my role to lead them but I also must keep them safe. As my mate, I trust that you will share that with me because now t
hey are your people too. You’re a part of the pack and that means you are family now. They will protect you as we protect them,” he whispered, and each word seemed to sink down into my soul. I felt connected to them.
I knew then that what he said was true. I’d always been a loner, always stuck with my head in a book or in an office or holed up in lab late into the hours of the night. I didn’t have to be that way any longer. These people were my pack now.
I watched as they sang and danced together, as they smiled and joked together. Couples were kissing and friends were laughing.
There was one thing missing though.
Children. Not a single one ran around, giggling and toasting marshmallows over the fire or sword fighting with sticks or doing cartwheels in the grass.
The betas were infertile.
Not a single one of them could bear children, but now the alpha had arrived and taken me as his mate. My children would be able to breed, allowing the rest to have children once more so that the shifters could remain a part of this world.
Kiba and I brought the pack hope. I understood that now.
I curled into Kiba’s arms, welcoming the peace he offered. Tomorrow I would think about the betas that were wrongly imprisoned and we’d all figure a way to free the rest of them. Tonight though, I would enjoy the arms of my alpha.
“Would you kiss me?” I ventured, my voice so quiet I was sure he wouldn’t hear me.
He boldly took my chin in his fingers and caressed my lower lip with his thumb before he pulled me into a kiss that was so gentle and soft that it left me breathless. It was tender but so thorough that my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. My breath became his and, in that moment, we were one. When his lips left mine, I drew in a gulp of air and lifted my eyes to meet his.
I was naked in his arms. He’d taken my world and turned it upside down in a matter of hours, but now as I stared into those liquid blue irises, I saw something else. I saw my future, together with him. My skin tingled, a feeling unlike I’d ever experienced before. It was magical, an enchanted pull between us that I could no longer deny. It was like the earth beneath our feet was pushing us together to be one.