by Raven Willow
“Good morning. Alistair said he would be gone for most of the day. I saw these knives tucked away in the cupboards. Do you suppose he could still use them?”
“A little cleaning never hurt, a little vinegar will get those shining again! I have some sharpening stones somewhere. Trying to win him over, I see?” She playfully bumped Riona’s hip as they made their way over to the river.
“I think I already have. He lets me know every day of his love for me, how he will protect me. But it’s... still so much to comprehend, Elspeth. How does everyone here but me seem to know that I am capable of all this?” Riona looked on to the valley overlooking all the lodges. In comparison to the village it was small, but to them, it was home.
“Perhaps you needn’t think so much.” Elspeth ruffled Riona’s hair and giggled.
“Just be in the here and now. In time you will see it comes naturally. You’re caring for your mate even now by restoring these knives. And I see you’ve been mending his tunics? Even the smallest act can mean the world to him.”
Riona had taken to fixing his torn clothing after shifts. One day she had noticed a particularly ruined piece of clothing and set to work on it as if it were a natural part of her day. Pretty soon, he had a new shirt and she wanted to contribute even more.
“Elspeth, Riona!” Ailith’s soft voice called out to them, balancing at least three baskets of clothing in need of washing.
“Help me?”
Riona giggled and grabbed one basket while Elspeth took another and they all balanced their loads.
“What have the boys gotten into now? These tunics were nearly brand new, no?”
“Not the boys. Isla! My girl will either climb the tallest tree or swim in rivers or play in the mud. She takes after her father.”
She sighed as they all eyed a mud-covered dress about Isla’s size.
“Do not fret; she’ll make a great leader one day,” Elspeth reassured.
“I wish I was like her as a child,” Riona piped.
“Really?” Ailith looked at her in surprise. Riona didn’t blame them for not understanding.
Life in the village for children was dull, filled with chores and no time to play, no time to have fun and be children. If illness wasn’t always lurking over their heads and taking their parents from them, it was an unspoken rule to be good and well behaved.
Keep your heads down or face discipline.
“I feared everything, but I was curious. I was not like everyone else. I was... different in some way. My mother knew, I knew. I tried to conform, and maybe I would grow up, work until I marry a man I have nothing in common with and die in childbirth. That was the way of it.”
Riona regretted voicing her feelings, but it was true. That was the somber life that could have been, had she not been found by Alistair.
“It’s so... depressing!” How could anyone want that for themselves?” Ailith stopped in her tracks and touched Riona’s cheek.
“I didn’t, it was what was expected of me.” She looked at the ground in shame. No one should have to live that sort of life. It was meant to be joyful and have purpose.
“But I do not have to think about that anymore, do I?”
“No, my darling, you have a family here now with all of us.” Elspeth kissed her cheek and they made their way to the river to begin their washing.
“Oh, be careful with those knives, they may be dull but they were made well,” Elspeth cautioned while she scrubbed a dress with her washboard.
“I will.” Riona began soaping up and cleaning them gently with her fingers, watching the dirt slowly wash off the steel.
“Have you undergone a partial shift yet?” Ailith curiously asked.
“Well... you could say that.” Thinking about it still gave Riona chills, but it didn’t seem so bad compared to the full shift she had seen her mate take on.
“I sensed it, you must take caution, love. Control over your emotions is key to a smooth transition to wolf. You are newborn and therefore unable to make a full shift so soon. It must be done in increments, and they do say in the throes of pleasure is best.” Elspeth spoke seriously as she worked on her gowns.
Riona couldn’t suppress her blushing as Ailith nudged her shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows.
“It was frightening. I ran off and slammed the door and I could feel my hair standing straight up. I felt hot and cold all at once, pain in my mouth. I realized I was growing teeth and I panicked. In seconds, I clawed through the couch and everything went... red. I couldn’t control it, but afterwards in his arms, I felt calm. I felt... peace.”
“Your wolf is accepting him, as his has chosen and accepted you. Your baser instincts are taking over.”
Elspeth was right; it was beginning to make sense to Riona. As she thought about all the events of the past two months, it didn’t seem to frighten her anymore. She only wanted to focus on the coming future, and the beginning to come with Alistair.
A sharp sting on her finger pulled her from her thoughts as she hissed and brought her hand up from the water.
“Oh, you’ve cut yourself!” Ailith took her apron to help wipe the cut. It was small but deep. The smell of her own blood filled Riona’s lungs and she understood why Alistair was called to her. She felt an overwhelming urge to bite her mate and taste his blood. She would drink him down as she took him inside of her and claw over his hard muscled body.
Her face felt flushed as she cleared her throat, trying to disguise her arousal.
“It isn’t bad, I can wrap it up.”
“No need, watch.” Elspeth smirked and pointed to the finger that was no longer bleeding. A tingle spread over her hand and up the injured digit as she watched her flesh literally mend itself together. Riona’s mouth gaped open as she tried to blink away what she just saw.
“That’s... impossible.”
“Not impossible; that, my dear, is more evidence of your slow transformation. Your body will soon be able to heal itself. You’re not just a mortal woman anymore, Riona. You are one of us, and the goddess has gifted you with our abilities.”
Elspeth cleaned any remaining blood from Riona’s finger to reveal unmarred skin, as if the injury never happened.
“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” Riona stared at her finger.
“Yes... magnificent.”
Chapter Nineteen
More red... too much red. Why won’t it stop?
How can there be so much?
Alistair searched all around the same body he saw in his previous dream.
Where are my pups?
Why are they not here?
How could he have done this?
He kneeled over the body of his love, desperate for any sign of life he knew would never come. But he still touched her face. The warm, kind woman he loved wasn’t there anymore.
He saw his tears mix with the blood smeared on her cheek.
It trickled down over her neck, and he could pretend for a moment they were her tears.
Pretend she would breathe again.
No more soft singing.
No more warm touch.
No more pups.
It was all gone.
* * *
Alistair gasped and sat up in their bed. He threw the furs off too hard and accidentally woke up his mate sleeping soundly next to him. His savage growl mixed with his hyperventilating alerted her.
“Alistair? Alistair, what is it? What’s wr—” Her question was cut off by his arms around her waist lifting her into his lap abruptly. She was still half asleep, but awake enough to grab onto his shoulders as he startled her.
“What are you doing? What happened!” His mate clutched him.
His claws extended past his fingertips and his teeth began to show themselves. It would have been enough of an explanation to tell her something frightened him. His muscles tensed up in preparation for a shift. Something was setting his wolf on alert even in his sleep. This had happened some nights ago, but he had never woken his mate, let alone been thi
s frightened.
“Mine! Mine! You cannot have her!” His voice was no longer his voice, but the voice of his beast. He couldn’t bear Riona leaving him now, even in his terrified condition.
“Mate... mate... I am here. I am right here.” His wolf could not respond to rationale. Riona was clever, speaking in short sentences and slowly drawing him out.
“No more... no more nightmare.” She hesitantly touched his face. Riona was slowly learning when he was in this state that just the right amount of physical contact would bring him back to her. Too much and he could easily hurt her. He had warned her so many times that he feared the thought alone would drive her further away. Even though she grew stronger every day, she was no match for him still.
“It’s alright. I am here. I am safe.”
Alistair never told her what he dreamed of. He wouldn’t scare her. But his response would give it away. She knew it had started when he brought her home. A brief thought conjured up in her head entered his mind immediately about it possibly being her fault and he held her tighter.
“No. Not your fault.” He buried his face in her chest and breathed in her scent. Riona wrapped her arms around his head, encouraging him. She said he smelled of the forest just after it rained. When she closed her eyes and took in his scent late at night, her body molded to his perfectly as she happily drifted off.
“Pups. Protect them.”
He felt her stomach flutter. Alistair felt her illness and her fatigue. His mate had not shown the signs yet, and would likely adamantly deny she was with child, but there would be no hiding it from his wolf. They were there, and they were beginning to grow within his mate’s womb.
“My pups. My mate. Mine.”
Chapter Twenty
Riona silently padded around the cottage, too many thoughts swirling in her head. She let her hands run over the soft fabric of the gown Alistair had brought back for her from his last trip to the market. She had offered to go in his place, but he was firm on her staying in the house where she would be safe. It had to be something to do with his nightmares, and Cinead.
She was too afraid to ask more about him. Alistair had already set traps of varying severity with Ceardach around the perimeter of the pack, and sent warnings to the neighboring packs to take care of their families. Especially the young ones. He never allowed her out of his sight or out of the cottage alone at night. Riona knew it pained him to keep her in.
What would happen when her wolf was ready to shift? She would have to run free in the forest to hunt, to explore with wolf senses.
She stepped over to the vanity, fidgeting with her hair. It was unruly, more than usual. Braiding and unbraiding it, she settled on letting it be free. Alistair loved it that way. Her mate had a habit of undoing her braids for her and combing out her mane with his fingers. He would bury his face there, inhaling the scent and pull it when she felt his member stiffen against her backside. That was when she knew his wolf was taking over, possessively wrapping a hand around her throat and whispering how beautiful she was. It was amazing, he could never tell her that enough. Riona rarely recalled her own father being affectionate with her mother. Not even a peck on the cheek.
She was jolted from her thoughts when Alistair strolled into the cottage.
“Where is my little mate?” She heard him remove his cloak and hang it up.
“You’re back!” Riona squealed. She could no longer disguise the peace she felt when he entered her presence. It felt as if all was right in the world when she could see him.
Riona held out her arms as he picked her up for an embrace. Gods, he was so warm.
“There is my dove. My own little love.” He kissed her with passion.
Riona smelled his journey. The crisp scent of late autumn mixed with the busy village; hints of coal from the blacksmith and toasted almonds.
“No nightmares?” Riona asked her mate. He raised an eyebrow.
“Your nightmares—surely you stopped to rest on your journey? You were gone for three nights.”
He nodded his head. “And had I been born a mortal man it would have taken seven nights, dearest. I can move at alarming speeds with minimal rest. But I must confess I did not close my eyes for very long. Being too far away from the pack, and with Cinead roaming this land, I would not risk it.”
Riona could now hardly imagine losing her mate. It was an overwhelming feeling that all but consumed her daily thoughts. “You are weary! Come at once, you must rest.” Riona took his hand and attempted to lead him to the bedroom, but Alistair’s body did not budge.
“Would you like to rephrase that little demand, or have you forgotten who rules you?”
Alistair gently pulled her back, cupping her chin. Riona bit her lip. Instantly, she felt herself back down, and an almost inaudible whimper escaped her lips. Much like when another in the pack overstepped his bounds and submitted. Alistair called it her wolf beginning to form within her.
“Will you... come to bed with me so that I may... help ease you from your trip?” Riona slowly let her hands slip under his tunic.
“Mmm, good girl. Now I have something for you.” Alistair grinned and twirled his finger, signaling Riona to turn around.
“For me? What is it?” She patiently waited until she heard the soft rustle of what sounded like a chain. A necklace?
“Expose your throat for me, love.” Riona obeyed, moving her hair out of the way. She felt the jewelry being placed around her neck, shivering when his fingers passed over her bite mark.
“Well? Do you like it?” Riona looked down at the gold locket that rested snugly between her breasts.
Her heart swooned. No man had ever given her such a gift. Let alone friends or family.
“It’s... beautiful. But why?”
“Do I need a reason to spoil my mate?” Alistair wrapped his arms around her, looking down at his gift.
“I wish for you to always wear this. A symbol of my ownership, of my love. When I leave you, clutch it to your heart and know that I am never too far. Know that I will always return to my mate, and to my children.”
He ran his hands over her tummy. Riona did not yet believe she carried his child; truthfully the thought frightened her. But his behavior lately, his possessive nature and his need to touch her there may have told of what was to come.
“Soon, love.”
He spoke through the bond in her mind. Riona sighed happily. Everything was perfect. She knew she had never been happier.
“One more thing.” Riona rolled her eyes. “Alistair, what more could you give?”
“Did you think I would forget?” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of herbs. When he left for the village, Riona had asked for certain ones.
“You found them!” She grinned as she turned to her mate and kissed him.
“Mmm, did I mention it is wonderful to get to come home to a woman who greets me with her lips?” Alistair kissed her again, this time using some of the herbs in his hand to run up and down her neck. When Riona reached for them, he pulled away, teasing her.
“Ah ah, what do you say, love?”
“Please?” She crossed her arms.
“Is that it? And with that tone of voice, no less? Tut tut.”
“Alistair, let me have those!” She giggled as she reached for the herbs again, but he was too quick and evaded her.
“Ooohh, so bossy! I don’t know if you deserve these, love. You’ll need to be more polite.”
He grinned as he hid them behind his back. Riona sighed in annoyance and tried to reach for them behind him again.
“Oh, no please this time my love? Hmm, perhaps you need a lesson in who you obey, Riona.”
He chuckled as she repeatedly tried to extract what she wanted from his hands but was denied each time. Eventually Riona gave up and pouted playfully.
“I wanted to use them to garden.”
“And you will, after I give you a good spanking.” In a swoop, he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Riona gas
ped and tried to release herself from his grip, but it was no use.
“Nooo! You can’t do that!”
“I can’t? I can’t display my love for you and show you who owns you as the alpha not only of this pack, but of you? That will earn you more punishment.”
“But-but it will hurt!” Riona struggled more.
“I would never purposely cause you grievous harm, sweetheart. This is merely a correction. And keep up these protests, please. It will only earn you more swats by my hand.”
Riona settled in his arms until he put her down.
“Bend over the bed, love. The quicker we get this over with, the quicker you may begin your little garden, albeit with a sore rosy-colored little bottom.”
Riona bristled at Alistair’s comment and nervously smoothed out her hair. “I-I cannot possibly.”
Alistair turned her around and gently guided her down onto the furs as she quietly protested. He let her settle first while he slowly hiked up her skirts, stroking her hair. “Shhhhh. It’s alright.”
Riona let her body relax against the warmth of the bed and his hands. She didn’t shrink away from the roughness of his hands anymore. She craved it now. As Alistair fully exposed her bottom she could hear the hum from his chest.
“You didn’t wear undergarments. Was this for me, my sweet girl?” She could feel him rub over the backs of her thighs.
“I did not have fresh stockings.”
“I do not want you wearing them. Ever. I want you available to me at all times.” His hand found its way between Riona’s legs, where he found her wet and ready.
“Ah! W-why, Alistair?” She couldn’t help but rock herself against his fingers that were very easily sliding into her womanhood.
“Because you belong to me. I will have you when I want. You will spread your legs and yield to your pleasure for me if I so wish it. I will paint your womb with my seed and you will accept it, won’t you, my little one?”
Of course I will.
It’s all I want.
Her pussy clenched at his words. Riona opened her legs further, unknowingly presenting her ass to him in a perfect pose.
