by Jools Louise
“You treat me so gently,” Pavati murmured, turning her head to the side. “I thought you would be demanding and rough. But you make love to me, your hands and mouth melting me. I love you,” she said, kissing him adoringly.
They had arrived at a secluded beach, miles north of their last camp, with no sign of human habitation. They would not linger here for long, just enough to rest awhile and gather more supplies for the journey ahead. Ryan knew that Chatan had a place in mind, and with Flo’s visions coming more frequently, they were not far from their final destination, wherever that may be.
Ryan had fallen in love. Nobody was more surprised than he that he had not one, but three lovers, all equally precious to him. He had felt a yearning in his soul, right before he’d left his home in Ireland seeking adventure…and something his heart ached to find. A love of his own. Over the miles that had drawn him closer to his destiny, he had grown to love the wildness of the American wilderness, and had been open-minded about the people he found there. He had joined the army, believing that they were under attack and did a vital job in protecting the settlers. What he found, what had hurt his soul, was that the attacks were a result of the settlers invading lands which were not their own, with no permission sought, and an ancient people being driven out or slaughtered in their thousands.
He looked into Pavati’s deep brown gaze and knew he was where he belonged, surrounded by his mates’ loving arms. “I love you, too, beautiful mate,” he said, kissing her passionately. “I know something of what you’ve been through, all of you, and I would never treat you harshly. You must tell me if I do anything that alarms you.”
Pavati smiled at him, and moved to her back, her legs spread wide invitingly. “I want you to claim me, I want you to feel you come apart inside me as I reach my climax. Love me, Ryan. Please.”
Ryan moved between her thighs, kissing her with all the love he had inside, undone by the trust she bestowed on him. She hated this position, since it left her pinned beneath him, and scared her. He saw no fear in her gaze, however, only a deep desire, and felt tears in his eyes. “I will always love you, darling Pavati,” he promised, and slid deeply inside her, his cock finding her sweet warmth with unerring accuracy. They both groaned as he entered her, her inner walls clutching at him and massaging him gently. “Tell me if you get scared,” he whispered, nibbling at her lower lip and then peppering tiny kisses all over her face. He began to move, thrusting slowly at first, not wanting to frighten her by moving too fast. She gripped his shoulders, her smile never wavering as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her body moved in time with his, her hips rolling with each strong drive. He moved a little faster, snapping his hips every third stroke, his balls slapping against her smooth ass. She moaned, gripping his hair firmly as her mouth mashed against his. Their tongues mated, playing tag, the kiss hard and demanding.
“Harder,” she commanded, bucking beneath him. “I want this so much. Treat me like a woman, like you love me so much you can’t get enough of me.” She sobbed the words, and he obeyed, his control waning as he felt the sincerity in her words. He lifted up a little, kneeling between her thighs and lifting her ass higher. At this angle, he could drive downward into her, deep and hard, spearing her with strong thrusts that had her moaning with pleasure.
“So beautiful,” he groaned, his body slick with sweat, his hair matted against his skull. “You complete me, Pavati. You make me whole when I thought I would always be so lonely. Thank you for trusting me.” He groaned again, heard her words of love in return, and plunged even harder into her welcoming channel, filling her over and over as her pussy clenched around him. He kneaded her small breasts, tweaking her taut nipples, drawing cries from her. She placed her hands over his, helping him to pleasure her, and then they both came together. Pavati jerked beneath him, her back arching and her head flung back. Erupting within her moist sheath, Ryan’s cock delivered its load, shooting his seed like a cannon into her embracing depths. He felt himself lock inside her, felt the tiny barb mark her, and came again, spurting even more cum, leaving him shaking in reaction to the overload of exquisite desire. Lurching forward, he sank his fangs into her shoulder, holding her tightly against him, and never wanting to let her go. He didn’t ever want to leave, the feel and scent and taste of her forever imprinted on him.
“Ryan,” she moaned, convulsing again as she climaxed a second time. Lowering her gently, he eased to the side, not wanting to crush her slight body, while remaining embedded within her.
“I love you,” Jacy said softly, a smile in his voice, his tone that of a man completely sated.
Ryan grinned at his mate, recalling their earlier energetic coupling. Once reaching the beach, and setting up camp, each mating unit headed to their reciprocal quarters, with only one obvious intention in mind. He and Jacy had been hard at it, fucking each other with passionate abandon while their women got the cooking fires under way. They had received gentle scolding from their mates, but couldn’t be sorry. Jacy’s ass had been warm and tight, and his strong arms and hard body were a perfect contrast to the silken curves of their females. Within their mating unit, nothing was forbidden, and they had enjoyed kissing and cuddling. When Jacy took Ryan’s ass, the women made love to one another, the four each enjoying the show. Ryan had claimed Jacy properly, and now he belonged fully to his females.
“I love you, too, stud,” Ryan said, hearing low laughter. “Whenever you’re ready, I’d like another piece of your succulent ass.”
Jacy laughed again and puckered his lips teasingly. “Let me get some sleep, first, lover, and then you can have as much as you like.”
Ryan chuckled, snuggling closer, gripping his lover’s hand in his. They kissed tenderly, their breathing slowing, and within minutes they were all asleep.
Chapter Fifteen
“Sir?” came a soft, familiar whisper. Chatan groaned, his eyes heavy with sleep as he disengaged from Mary’s loving arms. She sighed sleepily, and rolled away, moving closer to Dustu, Kata, and Maska who slumbered on.
Leaving the tepee, Chatan paused when he saw what had caught Corporal Connolly’s attention. A small pack of wolves moved cautiously along the shore, looking timidly at the settlement that had appeared overnight. Chatan sniffed, and sensed these were wild wolves, not shifters.
“They’re not shifters,” he told Brad, and saw the relief on the younger man’s face. Brad was earnest, dependable, and a worthy member of their clan. When trouble came, he could always be relied on to do what was necessary…even waking his alpha from a sound sleep. Chatan liked him immensely.
“They’re dangerous?” Brad asked, and Chatan gave him a disbelieving smile. Brad flushed, realizing how daft that sounded. They themselves were wolf shifters, twice the size in their animal forms, and more than a match for the five white-coated creatures who were only twenty feet away now.
Chatan, acting on instinct, sent a silent message to the wolves and they paused, startled. They eyed him curiously, glancing at the tepees as they seemed to assess the danger. Sitting on their haunches, they kept their distance, whining a little.
“What are they saying?” Brad asked, sounding awe struck.
The alpha smiled widely, shrugging. “I have no idea, I don’t appear to speak wolf,” he replied, laughing. He stopped laughing when a message came back, harsh and stilted.
“White man…want new territory.” Chatan nodded, dumbstruck that he had actually managed to communicate. It had never happened before, not ever. Perhaps this was their real home, perhaps this was where their kind had originated.
“We show you…follow us…leave camp behind…follow us.” Chatan looked at the young ex-soldier, and told him what the wolf had said. Brad’s eyes widened comically.
“He spoke to you? Really? Wow! That’s so awesome.” Chatan shot him a dry look, shaking his head.
“We need to follow them,” he said.
Chatan sent another message, and got a surprising response. “Leave camp…take nothing but what you w
ear…bring pack.”
The alpha sent a wake-up call to the tribe, and heard their groans and moans as they were forced to rise. Nobody wanted to leave the warmth of their mates, especially not in the frigid dawn. Within minutes, the entire gathering was walking slowly along the beach, chattering quietly as they followed the wild wolves.
“This is it,” Flo said, looking excited. “This is what I saw.”
“What did you see, beloved?” Etu asked, stroking her ripe belly. She was ready to give birth, soon, and he worried about her. She was so slight and had they had traveled a long way. She had blossomed though, and looked healthy and happy.
“My vision was powerful this time,” Flo replied, smiling widely. “I saw wild wolves, five of them, who led us to our new home. This beach is ours. It is part of our territory.”
“Why do we need to leave our camp behind?” Mary asked, carrying her daughter. Dustu, his face full of love, carried their son. Kata and Maska formed a protective guard on either side, looking alert and ready for danger.
“It is our destiny,” Flo replied mysteriously. “We will have no need of mankind’s devices where we are going.”
They all exchanged glances and Chatan had the sense that their lives were about to change forever. He knew that if they stayed here, eventually someone would find them and they would be rounded up again, left to rot with every other nations that had been captured by the white eyes.
“We’re going to live wild, aren’t we?” Brad chirped up, his arm around his wife’s slim waist. Their son, who Brad had adopted as his, held his hand and looked excited by the new adventure. “We can live in plain sight, away from everyone.”
The youngster, called Little Elk, bounced up and down, clapping his hands as he wrenched free of Brad’s grasp and ran ahead. He shifted, his furry little body bounding forward, chasing the wild wolves. They turned back, yipping at him, and he ran faster. Laughing, the other children followed suit, shifting, as well, and racing after their friends.
“Chatan?” Mary suddenly said, her tone a little startled. He looked at her, and his eyes widened as he saw the twins had shifted, as well, little bundles of fluff with four legs and a tail.
He met her eyes and they shared a look that spoke of everything, of what they were all thinking.
“We are going to live wild,” Chatan said, and repeated the message over their unspoken link, to the whole clan. Murmurs of surprise reached him, and he sensed their nerves at this sudden event. He had not thought this far ahead, only that they had to get to this place, somewhere he had known of instinctively.
“If we stay as humans, we will live as prisoners our whole lives, at the mercy of all those who despise our lifestyle.” He spoke from his heart, feeling the words resonate. He felt a dawning understanding, and agreement, from what he had said. They all knew he spoke the truth. The only truth there was. “Our ancestors, my ancestors, came from these lands, roaming all over the far north. They fled south, but always yearned for their homeland. Now, after centuries of living as humans, we will return to being wild again.” He stopped walking, looking at everyone in turn, meeting their eyes and seeking out the truth of their hearts. “Does anyone want to stay? It is your choice, to live here, if you wish, to lead a life on two legs instead of four, surrounded by strangers. Choose now.”
As one, the pack shifted and surged forward, playfully nipping at each other’s heels, rolling in the sand, finding joy in their new freedom.
Chatan felt relief, and thanked the spirits for their assistance in guiding him home. He kissed his mate, feeling her loving arms around him. It was time to discard the shackles of this life, and begin a new one. The land of the brave was not for the faint hearted, and his people, his family, his pack were the most courageous of any. He shifted, yipping excitedly at his mate and brothers, then loped forward, racing along the beach, the twins bounding along beside. Howling, the entire pack rounded the curve of the headland, and then melted away into the dawn fog.
Epilogue
Captain John Murphy cantered onto the wide beach, ahead of his soldiers. He pulled up, shocked to see an entire village of tepees in front of him, as though frozen in time. His orders had been to search for a missing troop of young recruits who had gone missing six months prior. Their captain, Ryan DuBarry, had last been seen traveling into a blizzard, an Arapahoe squaw leading them southwest. Their commander, a vile creature who had gotten away with brutal acts for years, had been hanged for the murder of five of his own battalion, and one young Arapahoe named Two Spears, only two months ago.
They had found no trace of the captain, but had discovered an Arapahoe, who had been shot and buried in a shallow grave near a waterfall a few miles inland. The woman had been responsible for the murders of several soldiers, and John had not been sorry to see she had been dealt with. He would have shot her himself, if given the chance. She had used her womanhood as a weapon, a lure, and then killed those who shunned her. She had killed two young girls, barely fifteen, because they had dared to talk to a soldier that Little Otter had been keen on. The woman was deranged, and he was glad she was dead and could cause no more trouble.
“Dismount,” he ordered his men. They obeyed instantly. “Check each tepee and report back.” He walked his horse along the beach. Ahead, out of the mist, he thought he saw a large dog gamboling energetically with four others. It had a blonde coat, and rolled playfully with the other, larger dogs. He smiled when the blonde one tugged on one of the others’ tails, and thought perhaps she might be female, given her much smaller size. The others had much darker fur, almost black, and the contrast was stunning.
As he watched, entranced, two smaller wolves ventured onto the beach from a dense stand of evergreens. One had blond fur, the other dark, and they were far more cautious than the adults, sniffing the air curiously. The breeze picked up and the wolves froze in their tracks, all staring in John’s direction, noses testing the air.
He felt a chill go down his spine as they lifted their voices, howling a plaintive, mournful sound that rippled over him. He shuddered, staring in fascination, and then let out a tiny sound of disappointment when they turned to leave. The larger blonde glanced back, gave a little yip, and then grabbed one of the infants in her jaws, carrying him to safety. The largest of the males took hold of the other pup, nudging his companions deeper into the trees. They rounded the headland, and then disappeared.
Leaping forward, John kicked his horse into a gallop, something urging him to follow. Common sense returned and he stopped just as quickly. What was in his head was pure nonsense, so fantastical that it couldn’t possibly be true. He had heard stories about a people who bore the blood of the wolf and could shift from human to wolf form as if by magic. He had also heard that a petite blonde Pony Express rider named Mary Spice had been seen by several tribes they had come across. She had been in the company of four Comanche braves who were rumored to have the power of their wolf totem within them. They had been seen with a small troop of soldiers, who appeared to be protecting the larger group of Native Americans, accompanied by women and children, as though on a mission. There had been no reported attacks by the group, who had offered trade with local tribes.
John shook his head, staring intently into the distance, then glanced back to the camp when his name was called. Reluctantly, he rode back, dismounting in front of his sergeant.
“Bates,” he said, seeing a curious expression on the old soldier’s face. The man, a grizzled veteran of fifty or so, handed him a sheet of paper.
He took it, and read the missive carefully, then read it again just to be sure.
I am Mary Spice, it began. I offer my resignation to the Pony Express, as I have decided to follow my heart, and live a new life with my new family. I wish to say that I have not been harmed in any way, and should anyone come looking for me, or my family, they will not find me. Be assured, I am safe and well, so do not be alarmed. I am happier in my new life than I ever thought possible, and am truly loved.
; John turned the paper over, frowning. The signature matched that of the same Mary Spice who had disappeared during a run through Comanche territory over a year ago. He glanced involuntarily along the beach again. He felt as though he knew the answer to the mystery, but just couldn’t quite believe it.
“Sir, this was in another tepee, along with these.” the sergeant said, interrupting John’s thoughts.
Twelve dark blue uniforms were brought forward by a young private, which John eyed with some bemusement. One uniform bore the rank of captain and one a corporal.
The sergeant handed him another letter, in a more masculine script. Taking a deep breath, John perused the new missive, as well.
To whom it may concern,
I, Captain Ryan DuBarry, hereby resign my commission, and offer the resignations of my eleven troopers, including that of Corporal Bradley Connolly to Commander Rupert Everly. We have chosen to begin a new life, and would urge that no one tries to search further for us. None of us have family, and wish to be left to live free. Should anyone choose to search, they will not find us.
May I add that the Arapahoe squaw, Little Otter, is behind the murder of the Arapahoe brave, Two Spears, and the attempted murder of two of my men, including Corporal Bradley Connolly. She attempted to murder a young boy of five and a woman already in the first stages of labor, one Mary Spice. John jerked, startled at the name mentioned here. Little Otter was shot during the attempt on Mary Spice’s life, and I take full responsibility for my actions. She killed her own husband, lying about what he had done, and engaging the military to seek a false justice.