*****
It was Josette’s first transformation to wolf and I was a nervous wreck. I would have been chewing on my lips if I had any and my teeth weren’t so big. I was already in half form. A werewolf is most vulnerable during the change to full wolf. I could feel the pain she was in as her body changed from human to animal. I was afraid to touch her. I’d seen people change forms a thousand times and not be affected this way. I watched her bones break, her hair grow in, her face change shape. The minutes felt like hours until the beautiful white wolf stood up and shook her whole body.
“Beautiful,” I said through a mouth full of teeth.
I ran my clawed hands through her fur. God, she was soft. I couldn’t wait to be full wolf with her. I’d chosen to be half form because I’m at my strongest. Jean Rene would be in half from too. I led Josette to the mirror so she can see herself.
Josette turned in a circle trying to look at her whole body.
“Oh my God.”
“I know,” I answered her. Her thoughts and words are crystal clear in my head. I felt sorry for everyone who lost the ability to communicate during the change.
“Come on, let me show you off.”
We left the room and I saw Jean Rene and Diana coming down the hall. Our mates matched; identical great white wolves. Josette was a little bigger. Jean Rene was covered in grey fur and me in black. We beat everyone downstairs but were joined by the rest of our gang shortly after, wolves and humans.
Wallace was a sandy colored wolf. Rob was black. Virginia was running her hands through Constantine’s fur, he’s a grey wolf. His nose was in her crotch, which was a little forward. The tiny Frenchman had been the perfect gentleman since he’s arrived. Now he was almost knocking her over, pushing against her body with his. What the...
The other male wolves went to her. “Hey, cut it out fellas,” she said but she smiled as she batted them away.
“What’s going on,” Thomas said. “Is something wrong?”
Constantine was barking and whimpering. It certainly seemed like something was off but the sounds were not those to alert. Wallace and Rob turned and ran to me and Jean Rene, or at least that’s what I thought, until each man shoved his nose in our mates’ butts.
“Stop that,” I said a second before I yanked Wallace away from Josette. “What the hell Wallace,” I said.
“Pregnant,” Josette said.
The one word stopped me. I had two handfuls of Wallace fur.
“What Tehila,” I said. It was a whispered word because all of a sudden I was short of breath.
“What is it Max,” Lillian said. The worry in her eyes was almost heart breaking.
I let go of Wallace and fell to my knees in front of Josette. I ran my hands through the hair on her head.
“Say that again Tehila. I missed it the first time,” I croaked. My heart was in my throat pounding away. It fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. Everyone crowded around us.
“We’re pregnant,” she said.
I swallowed. “Who is we?” I asked because I needed to get it straight before I fainted.
“Virginia, Diana and me.”
“Please, for the love of God, son,” Thomas said. I was still looking into Josette wolf eyes but I could tell he was a second away from attacking me.
“They’re pregnant,” I said still looking at Josette.
“Who...which one... all of them?” One of the humans said.
I nodded once and then passed out.
I came to with Josette licking my face and Mr. B holding my hand.
I sat up and put my arms around Josette neck, pulling her large head across my shoulder. “I love you Tehila,” I thought.
I pulled myself off the floor. Virginia was in a circle of family and Constantine was giving her a good tongue lashing. Jean Rene, Diana, Wallace and Rob were in a group and he was speaking in French. Josette’s dad had joined us while I was out and he’s in our group that includes Mr. and Mrs. B and Joffrey. He licked her face, her ears, and her head. He knew.
The bark at the top of the stairs got our attention and we all turned to see Ronin in all his glory. He was pretty impressive. A big wolf, but not the biggest in the bunch. I’m sure he timed it. His grand entrance. If I had lips I’d grin because I’m sure he thought he was going to be the largest of us all and was surprised that Jean Rene and I had not turned full wolf.
“He doesn’t like that you and Jean Rene is in half form but he’s not worried about it. He doesn’t think of it as a threat. He’s more concern about my size. He wasn’t expecting me to be so big.” I heard Josette like she’d whispered in my ear.
“Oh my God! He has my mother!” I lowered my head to look at her. “And your father is in the estate.” Her head swung up and I pushed all kinds of calming thoughts at her because I could feel the rage like a physical thing coming from her in hot waves. We’re going to get out of this just fine. There was no doubt. We were playing with Ronin like a cat with a mouse. But the game was getting tiring. I ran my hand through her fur, knew she’s heard and seen my thoughts and emotions. We followed Ronin to a back entrance of the estate and after giving us a good once over he took off towards the wooded area behind the house. The hunt had begun.
Seeing Josette take off running was too much. I could keep up with her in half form, but I loved being a wolf. I looked at Jean Rene. There was no special connection that allowed him to read my thoughts or mind.
“Go,” he said. “Run with your mate.”
I didn’t know if I had been asking permission, but he didn’t have to tell me twice. I fell to the ground with Jean Rene standing guard over my body. I swear it was the quickest transformation that I could remember. I was a ball of energy when I stood up and shot of in the direction of Josette and the others.
There’s nothing like it in the world. My body stretched out long, my hearing and sense of smell at their best. The stringent smell of weeds, the sweet smell of grass, the soft smell of honeysuckle, the rich smell of the earth. I crashed into Josette going full speed taking her to the ground and rolling our bodies. I could hear her laughter like music on the night wind. She jumped up and knocked me down in return, butting me in the side with her big head. We jumped around each other, nipped at each other, bounced around like two playing pups, if puppies were the size of St. Bernards.
Josette ran and I took chase. She was fast, a blur of white fur. We’d lost the others and could care less. We chased each other, we chased the moon. There were no words between us just the shared feelings of the joy at being completely free. Just the two of us. Not us against them, no thoughts of her mother, or my father. No challenge or kingdom or reign. No life or death. Just the night air filling our lungs with its sweet fragrances and the feel of our body racing through it. A howl filled the night and friend or foe, werewolf or real wolf, it was a beautiful sound. We rejoined the pack. They were circling a bull moose. I saw Jean Rene scale a tree and hunker down. He was watching Diana. He’d told me he loved watching her hunt and fight.
Maybe next time.
Josette shocked us all by making the first move. She ran like a bullet from the barrel of a gun, grabbing the big animal by the throat. Even as big as she was the moose was strong and when he swung his head Josette followed like a rag doll. Wallace went in and got a mouth full of rump. Working as one, as a pack, we brought the animal down, and I watched as Josette feasted on her first kill. Life was good. Even if only for a little while.
I woke up stuffed, lying in green grass with patches of sunlight breaking through the canopy of tree branches above. It took a half a second for my waking mind to remember, a, the sight of Josette first hunt and b, she was pregnant. I popped up like someone goosed me on the ass.
“Hey there,” Josette said turning to face me.
“You’re pregnant,” I said. She nodded. “Didn’t you know?” I asked because my mind was mush. Of course she didn’t, if she had she would have told me. So I tried to think of something i
ntelligent to say.
“You’re pregnant.”
So much for intelligence. It’s over rated anyway.
I repeated the same words over and over, pulling her up from the ground, turning the words into a song. One by one our gang started coming to us. It seemed we’d all decided to sleep outside. Even Virginia was there. She had on pajamas and carried a robe in her arms.
“I brought this for you. I didn’t know how comfortable you are with nudity,” she said.
A week ago I would have said Josette was terrified of the idea, but as she reached for the robe I saw she wasn’t rushing to cover her body, simply taking what was offered. Besides, Virginia hadn’t brought the men anything to cover their nudity.
“She’s pregnant,” I announced because I seem to be stuck on stupid.
“We know,” Joffrey said. “Do you have any other words?”
I shook my head grinning hard enough to hurt myself.
“Congrads man,” Joffrey said stepping forward and slapping palms with me. “You too Nonakris and Virginia.”
“Thank you Joffrey,” Constantine and Virginia answered together. Constantine looked at Diana and Jean Rene. “How many this time?”
I looked at the man full of confusion.
“Duex,” Jean Rene answered, looking at a shocked Diana, “Two beautiful babes to add to our family,” he said taking her hand and kissing it before he placed the palm on his cheek.
“Multiple births are common,” Diana said to Josette.
“But how does he know how many?” she asked.
“He says he can feel them, their heartbeats.”
Man I wish I had thought of that last night.
“Would you like me to try on Josette,” he offered reading my thoughts.
I shook my head. “No, thanks for the offer,” I said.
He nodded his understanding. That was something I wanted to do. To feel my child’s heartbeat within Josette’s body. It was as intimate as mating.
“I hate to be the one to bring this up, but Josette did you pick anything up from Ronin last night,” Rob asked.
Josette nodded, “Yes, he has my mother and Max’s dad is here. But I don’t think he’s being held against his will.”
“I’ll bet my left nut your mom’s his surprise bride to be,” Joffrey said.
Have I mentioned that Wallace and Joffrey are like long lost brothers? They were so much alike it was scary. Didn’t like the wording, but agreed with him one hundred percent.
“He’s afraid of our size. But he thinks that he’ll get me to forfeit the challenge once he’ presented my mom. The original plan was to use her as leverage to get me to mate with him after he’d killed Max and Dad.”
“That low down, sneaky, bastard,” Virginia said. “Would someone please explain why I can’t go in there and blast this fool?”
“Have I told you how much I love you,” I said. “If it’s a girl, I swear, we’re naming her Virginia.”
Josette elbowed me, “All’s fair in love and war.”
“Damn right,” Virginia said.
“Ronin hasn’t broken any rules or laws, because there are none. He came into our territory and took it by force. He could have just as easily refused the challenge and it would have been up to us to figure out a way to take it back,” Josette finished.
“If all is fair, let’s go in there and get your mother.”
“But we have honor. He’s accepted our challenge and set the rules. I want my mother back but not at the cost of sending the wrong message to the people I will have to rule over. I’ll show them I’m worthy, not only by size and strength, but also by sense of fairness. I want our wolves to be how Luke said they once were. A family. I see it with your group. I will have it for mine. They will fear me because it is the nature of our beast, but they will know that their king and queen are honorable and fair in addition to powerful.”
“Well said Nonakris.” Rob said. He didn’t just dip his head, he kneeled, “A wise and just queen.”
I had a feeling that Rob didn’t break out the knee action often. The looks I saw on several of the European gang confirmed it. Maybe our kid would be named Virginia Rob.
We made it to the house and to our rooms without seeing anyone. The bleachers were up, the tents set. There were stacks of plates and cups on tables draped in white. It was all very medieval. I wondered if anyone would be walking through the crowd selling meat on a stick or turkey legs. Were there going to be jesters? A little entertainment as we waited for our bloody battle. Would there be cheering and clapping. God, it was too weird to wrap my head around.
“People are starting to arrive.”
I went to the window and put my arms around Josette, pulled her into my chest. A caravan of cars had pulled up in front of the estate. The door to the middle one opened and a tall thin woman stepped out already in a ball gown. Talk about over dressed for before noon.
“I bet that’s Lydia,” Josette said of the previously betroth bride of her father.
“I bet you’re right,” I said.
Amazing all the stuff you forget when your life is turned on its ear. This all started with Julian refusal to marry the woman who’d just entered the house.
“Would we have found each other Max?” Josette said. She turned around and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. “If my father had caved, and married Lydia, would we have ever come together?”
I nodded and smiled. “Absolutely, I would have visited my grandmother, or your father would have sent someone to check in on you and your mom. Maybe we would have run into each other at a gas station while you were out traveling the country, or by some freak of fate, we were at the same restaurant, or grocery store or airport. We were meant to be together,” I said kissing her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, “You for me and me for you,” I said kissing her lips. “Always.”
We dressed and went downstairs for lunch. There was something just not right about eating with the person you had to kill in a couple of hours. But I didn’t make the rules, I just followed them. We were all shocked stupid when Ronin came out with Brianne on his arm. Her eyes were puffy, but other than that, she was no worse for wear. She had on a beautiful green gown and a diamond necklace and tiara, compliments of the previous administration I’m sure. Ronin had shared the news with her and I’m guessing told her to behave by threatening her. She looked at her daughter, at me, at Julian, at everyone as she passed us all. When they were at the head of the table he spoke.
“Let me introduce to you, Brianne Freeland, my fiancée.” He pulled her chair out and she took a seat and stared at her plate. Everyone in our group was still standing.
“You’ve gone too far,” Julian said.
I sympathized with him. That was me yesterday. He’d reached his limits of what he was willing to take from the arrogant bastard. We remained standing because it appeared that Virginia was about to get her wish. We were about to blast this fool.
It wasn’t Ronin that addressed Julian it was, Brianne. She took a deep breath, square her shoulders and lifted her head. She looked right into his eyes and said, “Julian sit down. You’ll ruin dinner.”
“Dammit Brianne, No—no,no,no,no!”
After each no he beat his hand against the table. Most of the crystal was rolling around on white linen when he finished. He was standing there breathing like a bull. I was at the end of the table. He was at the half way mark. Joffrey was standing next to him and Mrs. B was on the other side. Joffrey must have felt or sense something the rest of us didn’t because he made a move to touch Josette’s father.
“Son, don’t touch me,” he said.
Julian had been raised a royalty. Every werewolf in our clan knew him. I’m not sure if it was out of respect or fright but Joffrey not only lowered his hand, he took a step away from the table. And then another. He crossed behind Julian, took his mother’s elbow, and led her to his father, who was on the opposite side of the table.
“I
will not stand for this!” he yelled.
Whoa.
Brianne just stared at him; looked at him like he was nothing to her. Not the man she’d loved since she was thirteen. Not the father of her child.
“Then you can leave. Go away and let the rest of us enjoy dinner.”
Julian head almost exploded. I swear. I actually saw it pulse a little. Ronin was sitting with his arm slung over the back of his chair looking too pleased with what was happening, too pleased with himself. Arrogance led him to make assumptions and we all know what assume does.
Ronin watched Julian walk around the table...begging your pardon...stalk around the table. Confident, determined steps, not in a rush, but not drag assing either. I felt Josette power rise next to me a second before she pushed it towards her dad. I wanted to jump up and down and clap my hands. I opted for a smile.
A mated male is crazy. Nobody thought the love Julian had for Brianne would last. Sure she’d pined after her first love but it wasn’t supposed to work that way for a werewolf for a human. Not sure what idiot came up with that idea. Every mated couple in the room was proving him or her all sorts of wrong.
Julian passed behind Ronin’s chair and the man didn’t move an inch. When Julian stood next to his seated bride to be, Thomas still didn’t do anything to diffuse the situation or go to her aid. He sat there with all the confidence in the world or maybe just not caring enough to do anything. In his mind, whatever he was holding over her head was enough to keep her in line.
“Get up,” Julian said.
I saw Wallace and Rob look at Jean Rene. They didn’t know Julian well, and Brianne they didn’t know at all. Mated couple or not, you don’t hurt a woman. Period.
He shook his head. The men relaxed. Just like that. The tension was still in the room, thick enough to walk on, but one slight head movement from their leader and all was right in their world. Threat gone. Wallace actually started to smile. If no danger was present then he might as well enjoy the show.
What Josette gave me yesterday when Ronin so eloquently announced his plans of bondage and rape; she gave to her father, just the opposite end of the spectrum. With me she held my beast back, with him she brought his beast forward.
There was no hair growth, no claws, no increase in muscle or height. Only his teeth grew. They were the only things he needed, he wasn’t going to fight, dammit, he was about to mark his woman. Mating with a human was always tricky and not very common. We’re a hidden race of people. Strong and powerful, but our ancestors had been feared and hunted by humans. So we took to the shadows. And would stay there, because humans still feared what they didn’t understand and if the thing that wasn’t understood happened to be a seven foot wall of muscle, sporting razor sharp claws and a strong jaw full of fangs, well, that made man nervous. It should have.
Julian’s back was to Ronin so he didn’t see the fangs. Brianne was facing her very angry, soon to be mate, so I couldn’t see her face. I did, however, hear her gasp right before Julian reached down and pulled her from her chair. There was more arguing, no disagreeing; there was no talk at all. At least I’d asked Josette if she was sure.
Books and movies make the mating of werewolves romantic. I could understand. Divorce and separation are non-existent in the world of werewolf couples. We mate for life; we live for only our love, once we find the one that is ours and ours alone. A love like that deserved homage. But in all things there has to be balance; yin and yang, good and evil, pleasure and pain. It hurts like a mother to get bit and Brianne screamed as teeth that were capable of ripping through the tough hide of an animal sank into skin and muscle.
Ronin stood up so quick his chair turned over. “What is this!”
Josette walked the length of the table with me right behind her. Her father released the hold he had on her mother’s neck and she was crying into his chest. He held her tight. I was surprised the woman could draw breath.
“I told you never again Brianne. Never again, would I let anything keep me from you, only death, my love, is strong enough to take me from your side.”
She cried harder and Josette touched her mom’s back and then folded her body around the shaking woman, wrapped her parents in her arms. In some cultures it’s expected for children to take care of their parents in old age. Josette had done it when it mattered most, when they had a chance to enjoy life and each other.
It was time for me to be king. I hoped I did it well. Josette was a new wolf, just a month old. She’d gone from not knowing we existed to being secretly protected by one. She’d been attacked by a new wolf and then fell in love with one. She’d learned her father was a wolf and that she had the ability to communicate with werewolves. She’d learned our legend and then met them face to face. Found out she was the descent of two wolves that belong to a god and became the queen to a race of people who didn’t know her from Adam. We’d learned from the oldest man in existence, that right now, she was strongest werewolf in existence. With all that, she’d become a good queen, because she was a good person. She had strength in her all along, whether she knew it or not. I think she did.
“I’m not much for words Ronin,” I said drawing Ronin’s attention. “That’s Josette’s and Jean Rene’s department. I’m going to keep it simple. I’ll work on eloquent later. I’m going to put all the cards on the table...because I’m tired. I think I speak for us all when I say, we’ve had enough. We’re tapping out of this game. Every story you’ve heard about the Sun Wolf and White Queen...they’re true,” I said nodding.
“There are six Wolfe Hunters in this room and twenty more back at my house. There are about a hundred red wolves on the property at this very moment. There are four werewolves that can change at will in this room and Julian isn’t one of them. There’s only one among us who has the ability to change a man’s form, to read a wolf’s thoughts and communicate with wolves and that’s the person you’re going to fight tomorrow.”
Ronin looked at me and then at Josette...well in her direction, he couldn’t really see her. She was behind her mother, who was standing in front of Julian. The only thing he could see was the back of Julian’s jacket.
I threw my hands up. Not in surrender but in a what-can-you-do gesture.
I saw Constantine standing with Virginia; saw her parents and their other children and their spouses, checked out Rob and Wallace standing behind Diana and Jean Rene. Family. I saw my family.
“We can keep on playing this game Ronin, but you were check-mated before you made your first move. You kidnapped Josette’s mother, killed my grandmother and Julian’s mother and have offended damn near ever person in this room. I’m offering you exile Thomas Ronin. Leave this house—right now. Don’t pack, don’t wait on a driver, go to your car, get in it and drive as far as you can go, and then drive some more. Or you can stay and Josette can rip your head off.”
I watched that arrogant bastard weigh my words. Watched him look over each and every person in the room and knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. Some men were just too stupid to choose the high road. Someone could have changed forms to prove my point. No one did. I think we all wanted him dead. He’d killed, kidnapped and plotted rape, but Josette was right, he hadn’t broken werewolf law in any of these things. He’d cross the line with Brianne.
All things served a mate pair. Good or bad, big or small, pack means everything to werewolves. Pack was family and a family starts with mates. In some packs, mated couples aren’t even allowed to fight. Survival of the species, maybe, but I think it was more than that. Julia told Josette werewolves were a romantic bunch. Boy, was that an understatement. We were not the monsters that mankind thought us. Okay, we were, we could be, but if we were blood-thirsty savage beast, than nature said to keep balance, we had to love hard. No one separated a living mated pair, and Julian and Brianne were just that. It didn’t matter that she had been human, Julian loved her, declared his intent from day one and as far as all werewolves were concerned, she w
as off limits until Julian died. The rule was as sacred as keeping our existence secret.
“I’ll remind you all that the ball will start in three hours,” and with that, the bastard left the room.
In all the excitement, dinner had been forgotten, but werewolves don’t forget for long. Whether we were the product of the love that a mythological god had for his pets, or freak of nature genetic snafu, a werewolf’s advanced and high metabolism meant we had to eat, a lot. Through it all the serving staff had stood and watched silently. Who says good help is hard to find? And they stood like sentry on each side of the serving table and in the doorway leading to the kitchen. Diana took over like only a queen could.
“Please prepare something and take it to your Freki,” she said to the butler next to the door before turning to face Julian and a still weeping Brianne and still hugging Josette.
“Josette, perhaps your mother would be more comfortable in her mate’s room, we’ll send something to the three of you as well.”
“Thank you Nonakris,” Julian said and they walked out, Josette and her father on each side of Brianne, who had her head buried in his chest.
“Well,” she said clapping her hands a single time, “Let’s eat, shall we?”
Lupa (Second Edition) Page 37
