Unfortunately, Rain’s disappearance when Liulf came to visit was not accidental. She knew her mother liked him, but she found him huge, tense, and humorless. Plus, the unblinking way he looked at her made her uncomfortable. He talked funny, wore funny clothes, and she’d never once seen him smile. His younger brother, on the other hand, never failed to make her heart beat faster. Conn’s caramel-eyed beauty and knowing grin had provided her with endless fantasies involving private romps in the woods.
CHAPTER 4
The Spring Equinox Gathering of the Lunark Dimension packs was just two and a half months after arrival. It had been a joyous ten weeks, but it had been grueling as well, so the wolves were looking forward to their next adventure.
Some of the pack traveled in wagons with supplies to make camp for three nights while others trotted along in wolf form with grins on their faces.
The site of the Gathering was a valley near the New Gaul settlement. The Council had selected a number of wolves to serve as security for the event and Ken was among them.
Rain Falling couldn’t hide from Liulf at a Gathering like she could at home. To her dismay, it seemed that, wherever she went, he was there, too. She couldn’t deny that he had a magnificent body, but she continued to shy away from the intensity she felt when he looked her way.
Unknowingly, Liulf was sabotaging his chance with behavior that Rain found odd and out of character for a wolf. He never tried to talk, but was always nearby. Staring. Which made her want to run. He wasn’t entirely unattractive. She knew that. His features were well-proportioned and, in fact, it was clear that some of the bitches found him desirable, judging from their attempts to get his attention. But his face was hard in a way that, she thought, hinted of meanness.
Since Mave watched Liulf the way that Liulf watched Rain, it didn’t take long for her to realize that Liulf had set his sights on Silver Ruff’s daughter.
The first day the Mahdrah Ahlee were standoffish, having never before been in a social situation with wolves outside their own pack. Most simply watched, silently. But when the big fires were lit at nightfall the mood in the camp changed and the stress of uncertainty eased. The combination of biped and beast in werewolves created a love-hate relationship with fire, but in a strange way, the proximity of flames that rose high and roared created a sense of danger that served to excite the beast part of their nature.
Liulf had met the other leaders at New Moon Council and had come to accept that the new way was a good way. So the Mahdrah Ahlee accepted their alpha’s judgment and slowly began to follow his example. By the second day, New Scotia wolves were mingling with wolves from New Elk Mountain and New Gaul.
While some of the single females made it plain they wanted Liulf, all of the single females wanted Conn. He was devilishly good-looking, sexier than a wolf had a right to be, with a sardonic smile that said, “I know where all the buttons are and just how to make them dance for me.” The females who got a turn with Conn quickly found that he liked fucking in wolf form. In fact, he insisted on it, which was good for him - no chance of having to deal with after-coitus emotions or affection.
Most of his conquests went away feeling disappointed, to say the least. Oddly enough, no one ever believed those who had been with him even though they tried to warn of impending disappointment. So he was able to continue his plunder and pillage approach to sex with she-wolves unchecked.
Werewolves had no qualms about nudity and many felt comfortable with public sex as well, in both wolf and biped form. In general, mated or not, most found that witnessing coitus was stimulating. Liulf learned that it was particularly discomfiting to have Rain in his line of vision while fucking could also be detected in his periphery.
Finally, spurred by such an uncomfortable incident, Liulf made up his mind that he would talk to Rain.
Wolves from the three packs who had similar interests seemed to find each other and congregate for exchanging tricks, tips and amusing stories. Weavers were discussing the best materials for building looms. Hunters were discussing various results of arrow flight depending on what feathers were used for balance. Farmers were discussing the best means for collection and storage of bison manure for use as fertilizer. And young she-wolves were discussing unmated wolves.
The last was what occupied Rain’s attention when Liulf came up behind her. She could see from the change of expressions on her friends’ faces and the direction of their eyes that someone was standing at her back. Someone taller.
“We’ll see you later, Rain.”
The girls departed quickly with giggles that Rain suddenly found immature and embarrassing.
She wasn’t entirely surprised to find Liulf when she turned around. She’d always known the day would come when he’d try to engage her in conversation. “Hello, Liulf.”
He cleared his throat. “Rain Falling. I thought maybe ye’d like to walk with me a bit.”
Rain screwed up her face and resolved that the best thing was to put them both out of their misery quickly. “Thank you, Liulf. I’m flattered, but I think the kindest thing would be to tell you honestly that I’m not interested in you. At all.”
Liulf looked at her like he was confused by that. After all, he had a lot to offer a mate. He was alpha of the largest pack in the entire known world. Or worlds. There was no question that he could protect her and surely no one would question that his progeny would be healthy.
“Why?”
Rain shifted her weight to one leg, feeling like the conversation was growing tedious, although she did recognize on some level that it took some impressive self-esteem to hang around and demand reasons. Really, she’d wanted to keep it simple and have Liulf move on to something or someone else.
“I’d rather not be hurtful, Liulf, but if you’re going to press, you leave me no choice. As far as I can see, you’re no fun. I have never even seen you smile. Not once. Which is just weird for a wolf. You know? Whoever heard of a wolf who doesn’t smile? Ever. I’m not the right one for you. So, if you’ll excuse me…”
Liulf was a little stunned and was regretting the decision to force himself to talk to her. Somehow he’d imagined it going better. It didn’t escape his attention that he’d said similar things to Mave over the past three hundred plus years. He thought he might have to rethink his certainty that true matings couldn’t be one-sided.
From the other side of a bonfire, Conn had witnessed Rain talking to Liulf. He’d seen her walk away without his older brother. He set the female he’d been kissing aside and walked to where his brother still stood unmoving. “What did she say, brother?”
“That I’m no’ fun.”
Conn sighed. “I knew she was young, but I did no’ realize she was yet an infant. Come. Let’s go get some of Cairn’s gut burner.”
Liulf allowed Conn to pull him away toward a jar that contained a night’s forgetfulness.
The next morning Liulf woke on the ground, covered in morning dew with his head pounding in a way that could only be caused by the worst alcohol he’d ever consumed. After soaking his head in the cold stream that ran by the encampment, he sought out Luna for a quick remedy.
“Hangover, Alpha? Seriously?” she laughed. “You seem above that sort of thing.”
Liulf snapped at her. “Are ye sayin’ I’m no’ fun?”
Luna pulled back and grew serious. “Of course not, but Liulf. This is the best thing I could ever do for you. Don’t ever let my mate hear you speak to me like that. He really wouldn’t like it.”
Liulf hung his head. “Nor should he. Accept my apology. My ire is no’ meant for ye.”
Luna looked sympathetic. “Then what is it? I’m good at secrets. Would be between you and me and no other.”
“No other?”
Luna drew an X across her breast over where her heart would be. Not knowing what the gesture meant, Liulf looked at her intently and seemed to come to a conclusion. “I believed I found my true mate, almost a season ago. Last night I tried to speak with her. Finall
y. She wants nothin’ to do with me. Says I’m no’ fun.”
Luna sat down. “Someone from your pack?”
“No.”
“I see.” Luna looked away for a moment. “Do you know how your uncle and I got together?”
He shook his head. “No.”
She smiled. “I was a healer on another world. Not this one. Not the one you came from. Stalkson was readying his pack to migrate here. My… facility was run by the demon’s auntie. He, Deliverance, stopped by to perform a, um, service for us and had Stalkson with him. He saw me and was sure I was the one. So he took me.”
Liulf’s eyebrows went up. “Took you?”
“Yes! I called it a kidnapping.” She smiled like she was thoroughly enjoying the retelling. “He called it a romantic abduction. He threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and demanded that the demon transport the both of us interdimensionally. Without my agreement.”
“He just took you?” Liulf felt the strangeness of a smile coming. The idea of his uncle resorting to kidnapping… well, it was just juicy.
“I know it’s shocking, but the only thing about it that scared me was going between dimensions. I was never afraid of the big, bad wolf. Well, except for when he shifted to wolf form to prove to me that werewolves are real.” She looked serious. “Now I’m not recommending you grab her and run away. Exactly,” she hedged. “But if you’re positive it’s a true mating…”
“I do no’ think that’s the best way to proceed with this particular situation. For one thin’, her mother is alpha of the first colony. I suspect that would be the quickest way to unravel all the progress that’s been made with the idea of werewolf solidarity.
“I do no’ know how I will be proceedin’, but I have found this talk very amusin’. Thank ye for the tale and for reshapin’ my head to normal size. Ye’re alright for a human.”
Luna smiled warmly and patted Liulf on the shoulder. “You’re welcome. Get your brother to help you with your approach to complimenting women.”
“Conn?”
She just gave him a look. “Yes. Of course Conn. So far as I can see, Ken is too preoccupied with inventing better ways of doing things to be concerned with flattering females.”
“Aye. Seems with few words ye’ve pegged the brothers Cu Ahlee.”
Liulf was called over to a discussion by some of the pack elders, who regularly attended Council meetings to discuss the question of free passage between territories with a clause withholding hunting privileges. As the argument wound down he noticed Rain walking off toward the forest alone.
Naturally he followed, not to stalk her, but more because she seemed to be a living magnet that pulled him along helplessly. Seeing Liulf headed away from camp, Conn decided to join him, eager to report on his Gathering conquests and gossip about his favorite subject, females. He was oblivious to the fact that Liulf was following Rain and also to the fact that Liulf was half listening as they ambled.
The Gathering had been located by a shallow running stream that was picturesque and sufficient to function as fresh water supply for a large encampment. It served that purpose well, but had nothing to offer in the way of swimming or bathing.
Since the Gathering was being held in Rain’s home territory of New Gaul, she knew the camp stream was a small tributary of a river on the other side of a pine and sweet gum forest. It was easy to keep her in sight because she was wearing the red shift she’d had on the first day Liulf had seen her.
Conn didn’t stop talking when he stopped to relieve himself on some old tree roots, but Liulf kept walking.
Rain knew exactly where to find the path through the trees with the deep river on the other side and, as she drew closer to the water, the trees thinned out to a park-like setting lined by a dense growth of thicket on one side. There were flat rocks at the water’s edge where she could wade in and get used to the cold temperature before immersing herself. She decided her shift could stand a rinse, too, so she removed her boots, but kept the dress on. She was shin deep in cool water and happy to be away from the noise and activity of so many packs together at once, when she heard a short high-pitched bray behind her in the direction of the trees.
She looked toward the forest edge in time to see two curious and playful bear cubs racing out of the thicket underbrush on legs just learning to run. They were headed straight toward where she stood in the river shallows and she was too fascinated to do anything but watch, her own curiosity engaged. By the time she registered the meaning of the sound of crashing in the thicket and the hair-raising growl of a worried mama bear, there was an enormous grizzly charging straight at her, only fifty feet away.
Maybe if the bear had been sixty feet away, her biped flight response would have kicked in. Certainly, if she’d been in wolf form, her survival instinct would have overridden her fear because, on four legs, she could run circles around the bear and laugh. But fate comes with good days, bad days, and days that can’t be judged either for years to come.
Rain was frozen in place, transfixed by the sight of six hundred pounds of furious grizzly coming straight for her.
As soon as the healthy bear cubs had emerged from one of the clumps of underbrush running toward Rain, Liulf had known what would happen next. There would be a protective mother close behind. He’d begun sprinting toward Rain as hard as he could, trying to shift as he ran. He yelled for her. “Rain! Run!” His voice was deeper and more gravelly because he was in mid-shift. She heard Liulf’s call and somehow knew it was him. She understood the command. She wanted to comply. She knew she needed to force her feet to move, but her eyes were locked on the advancing bear and she couldn’t look away. She was still as a stone statue and just as pale.
Seeing the terror on her face caused everything inside Liulf to roar in protest. He shifted and caught up with the bear’s lumbering jog just before she reached the water’s edge. He launched himself hard and sailed through the air. He landed on her back snarling and, instinctively, trying to bite the tendons above her shoulder blades at the base of the neck. The bear stopped and momentarily went still from the shock, but quickly reacted with a bellow so loud it vibrated through Rain’s body. The interruption got Rain’s brain functioning again and released her from her stupor. She began screaming for help without knowing if she could be heard all the way back at the Gathering camp.
Conn had heard his brother yell a frantic warning to Rain Falling and wasn’t far behind, but he got momentarily tangled in the sleeves of his hemp shirt when he shifted. He struggled frantically against the accidental binding made by his clothes. When he freed himself, he ran in the direction of the screaming until the trees opened so that he could see. The bear let out an enraged bray of protest, then, as Conn watched in horror, she gave a mighty shake of her massive shoulders and upper body, dislodging Liulf. He twisted as he hit the ground, scrambling to get to his feet, but she caught him with a mighty sweep of her paw and threw him against a tree trunk as she rose to her hind legs. She extended her neck, damaged and bleeding, and roared in his face as he slumped to the ground. The big wolf had pulled away some tendons between her shoulder blades so that she was holding her head at a strange angle.
Liulf had heard cracking on impact with the tree and knew that it was bone and not branch. But the only thing that seemed important at the moment was trying to get back the breath that had been sent gushing from his lungs. He lay immobile seeing only blackness with flashes of red, without breath, as if his body was in such a state of shock it had forgotten how to inhale. Unable to breathe, unable to move, when his vision began to clear, he wished he had also lost his ability to see. The grizzly was poised over him. She raised a set of black claws that looked like daggers and slashed down hard across his abdomen, opening four evenly spaced gashes across the width of him.
Conn ran straight for the bear’s tail and gave her a sound bite on the left buttock, crunching through fur to make contact with muscle. He only had a second to use the leverage of his comparably slight body
weight to tear back and forth and she squealed in outrage. The bear had raised her giant paw to strike at Liulf again, but was stopped by the surprise attack from the rear. She whirled, going down on four legs, and shook her head at Conn. She jumped up and down twice on her front paws to warn the second wolf off, but Conn continued circling, running in for a nip, then dodging out of the way of her deadly reach, trying to keep her distracted from Liulf until help could arrive from the rest of the pack. Given the way Rain was screaming, that couldn’t be much longer.
First to arrive on the scene were five wolves who had shifted. They didn’t hesitate to assess the situation or plan strategy or to weigh the risk to themselves. In a dance as old as the race, they circled the bear and busied themselves taking turns as they parried, keeping her attention on them and away from Liulf as they drew her further and further away from where his body lay slumped at the base of an ancient hemlock. In another three minutes the hunters, who had kept their biped form, arrived with bows and arrows.
The wolves broke away to give the hunters a clear shot.
At some point Liulf’s burning lungs relented and allowed him to take in air, but the pressing need to breathe was immediately replaced with enough pain to make him wish for death. He knew Conn had drawn the bear’s attention, but even though he was terrified for his brother, he hadn’t been able to call out to Conn and tell him to run. He couldn’t even make himself stay awake. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, he became aware that the pack was taking the bear down. His eyes slid in the direction of the battle as the grizzly was being riddled with arrows. So many arrows. She went down with a great thunk and huffed, her hot breath blowing the stems of newly sprouting wildflowers.
Liulf: Alpha of the Mahdrah Ahlee, New Scotia Highlander Werewolves: A Paranormal Romance (The Brothers Cu Ahlee Book 1) Page 5