Wolf's Den - A BBW Shifter Romance Novel

by D. H. Cameron

  After we made love until we had satiated our desires, Yeager exploded and filled me with his seed. I arched as his warmth filled me. Our sighs and gasps were the only sounds save for the sporadic crackling of the fire. Finally, we both went limp. Yeager wrapped me in his arms and his knot secured him inside of me. I welcomed the discomfort now. In fact, I loved it. I lay with my head on his chest, both of us heaving as we tried to catch our breath. Yeager began stroking my hair, playing with the white streak that matched the white patch I wore as a wolf.

  “You’ll be an amazing mother,” he whispered. I lifted my head and stared at him wistfully.

  “Assuming I get that chance,” I replied.

  “Hey, don’t go there. Things will work out. I promise,” he said. I sighed.

  “OK, you’re right. You’ll make a great father too,” I told him.

  “I can’t wait to teach him to ride and shoot and play ball,” Yeager said. I frowned.

  “And what if it’s a girl?” Yeager looked at me as if he had yet to consider that possibility.

  “You’re right. Then I can’t wait to teach her to ride and shoot and play ball. And scare off her boyfriends with my fangs,” he joked. I laughed.

  “Yeah, you’ll be a great dad,” I said. After a moment, I lay my head down again. “It will be all right, won’t it?” I asked.

  “It will, Cassie. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear it,” he said. I lifted my head again and looked into his eyes.

  “And I won’t let anything happen to you either,” I told him.

  “I’m counting on it, fur ball,” he replied.

  ~~O~~

  The next few days were hard but busy. Murphy insisted we move twice. He was getting nervous but I think it was more to keep everyone focused on a task rather than what was about to happen. I needed something to keep my mind off of the coming confrontation. Idle time would inevitably cause me to start second guessing myself and our plans. It would allow my mind to ponder the possibilities, usually the worst case I could imagine.

  The situation seemed a bit unreal. I guess that was common. I felt the same way when my mom died. I felt like I was in a play rather than living through a real event. I was sure it would all end and my mom wasn’t really dead. She was. I had the same feelings now, that this wasn’t really happening. It was. People could, and probably would, die. I could only hope it was the right people if there was such a thing.

  My feelings towards Violet had softened a bit. Distance and Phillip’s tale gave me some perspective. I wasn’t sympathetic to her but I understood her intentions were good if misguided. Well, her desire to protect what she referred to as our kind was good. Blaming humans for all the bad that had happened and seeking to destroy them, even if that was futile, well, that was bad to say the least. Violet was disturbed and maybe she had good reason for her feelings but I couldn’t allow her to go on hurting people.

  I knew that in the end, no matter what happened, it would come down to the two of us. We may never meet and have a one on one showdown of some kind but it was Lady Violet or me. One of us was going to die in the end. If it were me, all of these people that had come to my aid would likely die as well. That was what motivated me now. It wasn’t a need to win or extract revenge. I was going to protect my friends. I guess Violet and I weren’t all that different in that respect.

  But that’s where the similarities ended. I had no desire to dominate or lead. I had no axe to grind. I understood that individuals were bad but people as a whole were good. I couldn’t judge a whole species on the actions of a few. Look at my half-brother Dolan and Lady Violet. Should I judge all shifters by their actions? How could I after seeing so many shifters act unselfishly and heroically? Hell, I was mated to one of them and was one myself. I couldn’t judge all humans by the actions of a few either.

  But like Dolan had to die, I had to kill Lady Violet. There was no other option. We were shifters and fate had decided that we would oppose one another. It was not a role I relished but I accepted it. I had no illusions. I could lose to Lady Violet. She was far more experienced at this sort of thing and more devious to be sure. But in order to find peace where Yeager and I could raise our family, our wolf pack, I had to kill Lady Violet and that’s exactly what I planned to do.

  Our final night was spent just a couple of hours from Wolfsbane. We would leave before sun up and arrive at the ranch at dawn as promised. Hopefully we would find allies there, maybe even our task completed by angry captives sick of Lady Violet’s machinations. I didn’t believe that but I could hope, couldn’t I?

  The several dozen of us that remained gathered about the campfire that last evening. I didn’t even know most of them by name but we were a family, a pack. Prior to this, friendships existed among shifters but there wasn’t a real community. Most were all but loners, single shifters or families living their lives vaguely aware of others but rarely coming together. Wolfs Run, the motorcycle rally in Gold Run where all of this began, was a rarity. Most shifters and their small packs lived apart from humanity and each other. Maybe the blessing of this was that we had come together and that we might remain that way.

  “You in there?” Yeager asked me as I stared into the fire lost in thought.

  “Huh? Yeah, sorry. Just thinking,” I replied.

  “Share it with us,” Murphy urged me.

  “No, I...,” I began to say but he stopped me.

  “Cassie, you might not realize it but we look to you. I think we’d all like to hear what you have to say,” Murphy told me. I was taken aback. I looked around the group. Agnes nodded as did a few others but they all stared in my direction waiting for me to speak.

  “I’m not a leader or anything,” I replied. Yeager took my hand to lend me support.

  “But aren’t you? Some look to me for guidance. I don’t ask for it but it happens. I guess I’m old and maybe I’m wise. The best leaders are those that don’t think they’re leaders and don’t seek power. That Violet is an example of the bad sort. She seeks power over others. You just want to help others,” Murphy told me but he wasn’t done.

  “Like it or not, you’re special. None of us knew a woman that could become a wolf until we met you. Most of us didn’t think such a creature existed. Now we know there are others, like Agnes, that Ginnie girl you spoke to and Violet, of course. I for one think that means something. Not something magical or otherworldly, were just animals like humans, but I think change is coming, Cassie, and it’s following you,” he said to me but what he said was meant for everyone.

  “I don’t...I didn’t want this. Any of it. I wish I’d never heard of Violet or Wolfsbane Ranch but she found me, she found us. I know that now. What I chose was never going to change this. She is driving events and there is no escape for any of us. There never was. Maybe this is a test or just the way of things but it must happen. I know that now,” I replied.

  “We’re behind you, Cassie,” Amp said. I stared at him. I think I knew why but I needed to hear it.

  “Why are you, all of you, doing this?” I wondered. Amp took it upon himself to answer but I’m sure he spoke for all of them to one extent or another.

  “I might not say this right but I don’t subscribe to Violet’s view of the world. She wants to be some kind of benevolent dictator near as I can tell. She wants to control us and she claims to want to protect us but look at what that means. She brutalizes girls and she separates families. She’s a tyrant bent on shaping the world and the people in it to her will,” he began but Sprocket took over.

  “Look at what she does to those people that get in her way or worse yet, what she does to those that she deems a necessary part of her plans. We fought to depose people like that, Amp and me. Violet seeks some kind of shifter utopia but she’s building it on a foundation of lies and pain. We all cherish our freedom and none of us would ever ask another to give up anything for our sake. Violet demands some give up everything so others, especially her, can enjoy it instead. I don’t want to live that way,
” Sprocket said.

  “But you didn’t have to come to my aid,” I replied. Murphy laughed.

  “That’s the difference, Cassie. Violet would demand everyone around her sacrifice so she can have her way. But we would sacrifice everything to ensure others can live free,” he told me. I understood that, I suppose. I needed to hear it. I needed to see the group nod in agreement and they did.

  “Thank you, all of you. I promise that tomorrow, I’ll do whatever I can to make this right. I know I didn’t start it but I think I need to finish it. How, I have no idea but I take heart in your support,” I said. That was all I had to offer. I had no idea how this might go but everyone here had pledged, not to me or to anyone else but to themselves, to do what they could to secure not only their own freedom but the liberty of those at Wolfsbane. The contrast between these friends and Violet couldn’t have been more stark.

  Yeager and I didn’t run that night. Hardly anyone did. I laid in his arms in the motorhome. Edie and Agnes shared the rickety and lumpy sofa that folded out into a bed. They thought they were being quiet but Yeager and I heard them clearly as they made love. When we heard Agnes growl and Edie giggle, I turned and smiled at Yeager. He wore a goofy smile that told me he was both aroused and a bit uncomfortable listening to the girls just on the other side of the accordion door.

  “You could sneak a peek,” I suggested playfully and very quietly.

  “You’re bad,” was all Yeager said. I giggled softly. I rather enjoyed the sounds. Life would go on no matter what and I took some comfort in that. When I died, whether tomorrow or fifty years from now, others would live, love and laugh beyond me just like my life went on after my mom passed. I didn’t want to die but if my sacrifice could ensure others could live their lives peacefully, it would be worth it. I guess I understood what Amp and Sprocket had said and why they went off to war.

  When I fell asleep, blanketed in a strange peace, Edie and Agnes were still at it. They had ceased to be quiet, their excitement apparently getting the best of them. Even Yeager, however, gave into his weariness. We woke in the early morning hours and I found Edie and Agnes naked in one another’s arms, the blankets barely covering them. I covered them before making coffee and breakfast. As I fried bacon and scrambled eggs, Edie sat up.

  “Smells good,” she observed.

  “I bet. Sounded like you worked up quite and appetite last night,” I remarked.

  “What do you...Oh, could you hear that?” Edie replied sheepishly.

  “At first just barely but after a while...,” I told her leaving my thought unsaid. Edie blushed.

  “Sorry,” she said. I laughed softly.

  “Actually, it was nice. I was glad to hear that even with all of this doom and gloom, there is still passion and love in the world,” I told her. Edie looked back over her shoulder and found Agnes was still asleep. Then she looked to see if Yeager was out of earshot. He was still in the bedroom dressing.

  “Is it weird that I find her tail sexy?” Edie asked me in barely a whisper. I laughed and suddenly my tail pushed my sleep shirt up. I wagged it for effect.

  “Yeager loves mine,” I told her. Edie blushed a deeper shade of red but she laughed.

  “That is so awesome,” she told me. We laughed together and it felt good.

  “What’s so funny?” Yeager asked as he entered and saw my tail. “Whoa!” he exclaimed.

  “Girl stuff,” I replied. I turned to look at Edie and found Agnes sitting up behind her, both girls holding the blankets over their naked bodies.

  “Yours is fluffier than mine,” Agnes remarked and wagged her own tail. Yeager gasped and we all laughed at him.

  “I knew you liked my tail but I had no idea you were a tail man,” I joked. Yeager just shook his head. Edie turned and squealed when she saw her mate’s tail. Agnes and I laughed at her surprise.

  “OK, that’s enough of that,” Yeager remarked but with a smile.

  “Aww!” Agnes and I complained in unison. Despite what we faced that morning, it was nice to laugh and have a bit of fun. “Breakfast is just about ready anyway,” I told everyone. Agnes rolled out of bed, and slipped into her own long t-shirt and tossed Edie hers. The young black shifter helped me serve while Edie poured coffee. We all turned to see Yeager at the small dinette wagging his own tail. We all shared one last laugh before we ate.

  After breakfast, however, it was all business. We prepared to move out and our mood changed quickly. Very few words were spoken as we went about our work. The weight of the day’s coming events was settling upon us. An hour later, we were on the road to meet our destiny. I for one was happy to be moving. No more waiting, no more contemplation. Soon, I would meet my fate and I looked forward to doing so, if not the potential consequences.

  The sky grew lighter, shades of purple, pink and red coloring the eastern sky. The light revealed a landscape I’d seen before, the road to Wolfsbane Ranch. Yeager drove the motorhome, his bike secured to the rear, as Edie, Agnes and I rode along. Murphy rode before us on his bike followed by the two Jeeps of Amp and Sprocket. The others rode behind us. I remembered the morning I saw this convoy approach to secure my escape and I took heart in the memory of how that made me feel.

  But before I was ready, as if I could ever be ready for what was about to happen, the gate with the metal wolf’s head appeared and the large main lodge behind it. I could probably never be fully prepared but as the moment approached, I felt my chest grow tight. Yeager sensed my trepidation and reached over to take my hand. He didn’t say a word and he didn’t have to. I took all the strength I could from his touch but nothing would make this go away. This was happening and I felt now as if I was no longer in control. Events would unfold as they would and all I could do now was react.

  However, we found the Ranch quiet and still as we approached. Several gunmen watched us coming from the covered porch, one disappearing inside as we stopped short of the circular drive. “Uh, I was expecting...something,” I remarked.

  “Yeah. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Yeager wondered.

  “I suppose we won’t find out sitting in here,” I replied and stood to exit the motorhome. I stepped outside, the others following me. The rest of our band climbed from bikes, trucks and Jeeps and stood ready to see what might happen. As we steeled ourselves against what might come to pass, Lady Violet and several wolves came from the house as more gunmen appeared but they made no move to attack us. I glanced at Yeager and then Edie and Agnes before walking to meet Violet at the center of the circular drive. Some of our group had shifted into their wolf forms and accompanied me to offset Violet’s wolf protectors.

  “Ah, the upstart and her rabble return. How nice,” Violet said dismissively.

  “And I can’t get enough of your sarcasm, Lady Violet,” I shot back.

  “I expect you’ve come to kill me and take over,” Violet replied, ignoring my jab.

  “You’re half right,” I assured her.

  “Yes, you’re such an idealistic sort,” Violet observed and then turned to her gunmen. “Bring her!” she ordered. I looked towards the big house and saw Ginnie led from inside by two men. She appeared to have been beaten, her clothes in tatters. I felt my optimism drain away. I closed my eyes and fought the urge to blame myself. The gunmen marched her down next to Violet and forced her to kneel. She looked up at me, regret and sorrow in her eyes.

  “You should learn to clean up your messes, child. It was simple to follow your scent to her cabin after we found the dead guards. Gerard was a good man, a loyal man. More than I can say for this mongrel. Kill her!” Violet ordered. Amp pushed past me, his rifle at the ready. I wondered what he was doing acting so rashly but a moment later, I knew Ginnie was the one he scented. Ginnie was his mate.

  “She dies, you die!” he growled at Violet. The other gunmen reacted but Violet stayed them. Amp was willing to die and Violet sensed that. She wasn’t willing to kill Ginnie at her own expense.

  “No matter. Let the girl go. She never
told anyone of your plans. All of these wolves remain loyal to me,” Violet announced and waved her hand. The gunmen let Ginnie go. Amp grabbed her and pulled her away protectively. But he stopped cold as we all watched. Wolves, a hundred or more, appeared along the ridge behind the old lodge.

  Along with the two dozen or so human gunmen, we were outnumbered four or five to one. This had become a death trap for us. “I’m sorry, Cassie. They came for me, made me talk,” Ginnie told me as she began to cry.

  “It’s OK,” I lied. I didn’t hold it against her but this was not OK. My worst fears were about to come true.

  “You never had a chance, child. These men and wolves are loyal to me. I rule them and they do my bidding. One way or another, I keep them in line. Your plan was clever but not well executed. I expected as much when I sent Phillip to you. I knew you’d take the bait because you don’t have it in you to do what’s necessary to win. Only I can protect our kind and I won’t let you get in the way,” Violet told me.