by J. E. Cluney
We entered the kitchen and the mouth-watering aroma of freshly cooked pancakes hit me. I drew it in, flaring my nostrils as I sighed, my stomach growling in delight.
Scott was just taking a seat, and he waved us over with a wide grin.
“Damn, these smell great,” Jaye said as he slid into the booth.
I joined him, eyeing the stack of pancakes greedily. Fresh berries, maple syrup and homemade whipped cream sat to the side, and three glasses were prepared for us. A quick glance made my stomach flip-flop as I caught the smell. He’d made me a vanilla milkshake, Jaye had a chocolate one, and Scott settled for strawberry.
“Figured our lovely lady deserved a grand breakfast after taking care of us,” Scott chuckled as he served up the pancakes onto our plates.
Jaye nodded in agreement as he heaped some whipped cream onto his pancakes, catching himself and offering it to me as well. I scraped some cream onto my pancakes and tossed on some berries before pouring the syrup over the top. They were lucky I worked this kind of food off and kept in shape easily. Hell, it was hard for werewolves to get overweight as it was, considering our high metabolism. Hence why we ate like ‘wolves.
I dug in, giving Scott a thumbs up as I moaned at the delicious mixture of sweet, hot pancakes, syrup, cream and berries.
He grinned sheepishly before diving into his own, and I took a sip of my sweet vanilla milkshake to help wash down my first mouthful.
“So, what are you guys up to today? I know Jaye’s got a painting to finish, but with my father gone, I’m sure there are other plans?” I asked as I shoveled more food into my mouth.
“Well, since the attempted raid a few months back, we’ve had to increase our patrols, so when Nathan returns from helping the others move the cattle to the lower fields, we’ll head out to do our rounds,” Scott nodded at Jaye. “After that, the children have planned a fun day on the grounds, so we’ll be helping the others run that. Helps keep them all calm and focused when the Alpha is away. This afternoon I need to finish up the guttering on Leya’s and Warren’s cottage down by the river. They’ve been staying with Leya’s parents while we finish up their cottage, God knows they’ll be eager to get into their own place,” he laughed. “I’ve caught the pair out in the woods a few times, going at it like rabbits. Leya’s due to go in heat soon too, so we need to get it finished.”
I chuckled at this. Leya and Warren were one of our younger Pack couples, both born to the Pack. It didn’t surprise me at all that they’d settled on each other, when I’d still been here, Warren was in the early stages of courting her, and she’d been playing hard to get. I knew she was only being coy though, she’d liked that boy since they were children.
“I saw Bianca and Jace going at it the other day in the spare room. They didn’t quite close the door,” Jaye snickered.
I rolled my eyes. Wolves were too horny for their own damn good sometimes. We didn’t frown upon it though. Hell, public sex was common, although we all tried to make sure we could never be seen by children. It wasn’t always possible. I remembered a time as a young teen, searching for my brother and finding him balls deep in Janet out by the barn. I’d watched for only a moment before it registered and I bolted away. He later asked if I’d seen anything, having sensed my presence. I denied it, but he gave me a knowing, sly smile.
“Hey, how is your Aunt? She never took a mate, did she?” Scott asked as he drank down a third of his milkshake in one go.
“No, when she learned she was infertile, she cut it off with Daniel, the ‘wolf who was courting her at the time. She could never give him children, and it broke her. She left soon after that, going off to train to become a Huntress,” I sighed. I felt bad for my aunt, she’d never been able to enjoy a partner like I did. She’d had the occasional lone wolf in her bed, I’d smelled them when I came home from work, but it was never any more than a fling. Lone ‘wolves sought out lone females to release their pent up desire. A human female rarely gave them the fix they needed, they didn’t release the same pheromones we did.
“That’s so sad,” Jaye sighed, pouting as he jammed his fork into a pancake. “They could’ve adopted, there are many orphaned pups thanks to human hunters.”
“I know, but I guess it wasn’t enough,” I shrugged.
Hunters. There were two kinds that threatened us, the standard hunter who mistook us for real wolves and sometimes got a kill shot when a ’wolf was caught off-guard, although they were few and far between. We were always careful, and we usually scented them before they came upon us.
And then there were the true hunters that threatened us. The same ones who’d killed Jaye’s family. Humans who knew what we were and despised us. They sought us out, intent to kill us and rid the earth of these ‘abominations’ as they called us. They were deadly, they used old talisman’s and scent covering sprays that hid them from us. They also used silver bullets, much more lethal than regular bullets. If they weren’t dug out in time, they’d poison our blood and we’d need fast treatment, otherwise, we died.
Packs were safer than loners, these hunters knew how to find us, somehow. They’d be helpful on occasions, when they’d catch wind of rogues before us. Sadly, they believed us all to be like those bloodthirsty specimens of our kind. They’d put them down before a Huntress of Hunter needed to get involved. They covered their tracks too, not wanting the truth to get out into the wider population. Protecting mankind, that was what they believed they were doing. It wasn’t just us werewolves they hunted either; they hunted the other supernatural creatures too.
“Well, after we eat, I was going to help Bethany prepare some items for the funday until Jaye returns, if you’d like to help?” Scott asked.
“Why not, could be fun,” I shrugged as I polished over my delicious pancakes.
“I’m going to try to get my painting finished before he returns, that way I can help out later. Bianca and Janet have asked if I can help them do face painting for the children, Nathan will be helping some of the others get food prepared for everyone. I believe almost all the children will be attending, and most mothers as well. Some fathers and other Pack members will come along as well,” Jaye said.
I smiled at the prospect of the large gathering planned. Fundays were planned throughout the year to get the Pack together and focused on the children, different to their communal nights, where the children only stayed for a while before being ushered off into the mansion to watch movies in our large theater. The night could then take on a more adult outlook, some couples darting off into the night to run naked and make love, others not caring if they did it in full view of the others. Many times after turning eighteen I’d witness many of my fellow Pack mates strip down to nothing and go at it on the barbecue tables and surrounding lawn.
I’d rush off with one of my boys in tow, and the other two would join me shortly after, giving me the fun I so desired. We wouldn’t do it in front of the Pack, for fear of them shunning our ways, but many knew of our relationship, the uniqueness of it.
We talked about the goings on of the Pack since I’d left, most of which they’d already told me over the phone in previous conversations.
And when my two boys had finished up their breakfast, Jaye helped Scott stack the dishes, both of them instructing me to sit and wait, not allowing me to help clean up despite my scowl.
Then Jaye was off to work on his painting, and I followed Scott out the side kitchen door into the warm morning sun as we headed to the barbecue area. Bethany, the teen she-wolf, sat with her mother as they worked on assorted crafts.
“Taylor! It’s so good to see you again!” Bethany leaped off the table and wrapped me in a warm hug, her blonde locks framing her face and her skin smelling of fresh lemongrass. She wore a floral blue dress today, her feet protected by a pair of white sandals.
Her blue eyes were overjoyed as she took my hand and dragged me to the table as Scott chuckled and joined us.
“Welcome home,” Mary, Bethany’s mother, said. She looked like
an older version of Bethany, wearing a faded lemon yellow sundress, her blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun, her blue eyes sporting some soft crow's feet at the edges as she smiled.
“Thanks, I missed you too, Beth,” I said as I gave the teen ‘wolf’s hand a squeeze. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“There’s a rally race for the young ones, we’ll have a ball pit and a sandpit for those under five, those over will have a slip and slide, and we’ll have a set time this afternoon where we’ll take them all down to the river for a swim. We’re just working on getting the crafts stuff set up, which we’ll set out on tables for them to work at. Uncle Jeremy is bringing some cardboard boxes for them to make stuff with,” Beth rattled off a few of the ideas planned.
I sat down at the wooden picnic table underneath the sheltered barbecue area, pulling some of the the colored paper close.
“We’re just cutting them into four pieces, dividing up even amounts of glitter and felt pens,” Mary informed me as she handed me a pair of scissors.
I nodded and got to work as Bethany explained how they were also going to make up an obstacle course with tires and poles, similar to the ones the military used. There was also going to be a water balloon fight.
It sounded like a lot of fun to be honest, and I relaxed into the carefree work of cutting up colored paper and listening to the trio talk. Scott wanted to show the children how to whittle and carve wood, so they were adding that into the hand-written draft schedule. Nathan was covering pony rides with a few other members of the pack. They’d lead around the children on our more trusted horses, and some of the older teens had already asked for a ridden game. They were promised it’d be included in the next funday.
At some point my brother turned up, hollering out in welcome as he spied me.
I leaped off the table and raced into his arms, laughing as he twirled me around. My brother had my mother’s deep chocolate eyes, but my father’s brown hair. His was unruly and wild, and his short beard was kept in check by Janet I assumed.
“It’s good to have you home, I would’ve swung by last night, but I had to help Janet put Jamie to bed. Figured you’d be having other much needed welcomes anyway,” he grinned and winked, and I hit his arm playfully.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” I said as I glanced over his shoulder at the old blue pickup he’d driven up on the lawn.
“Right, well, how abouts you and Scott help me get these tires out. We’ve got an obstacle course to set up,” he waved back at his car. Chris was built leaner than Scott, but he was bulkier than my other two boys, and I knew he was a wonderful father. Most ‘wolves were, it was their instinct to care for their partner and young, and to protect them against anything.
“So how’s Janet? I hear you two are trying for another?” I asked as I climbed into the back of the blue truck and began hefting the tires over the edge to Scott, who’d just joined us.
“She’s great. Moody, so it’s possible she’s pregnant again already. We’ll check with the doctor when she comes down to the funday,” Chris said as Mary pointed to where the obstacle course would go.
Beth’s father, Carlos, had showed up, his greying dark hair and olive skin a stark comparison to his wife and daughter. Those deep, dark eyes were bright and friendly though as he offered to help us set up.
The doctor was an on-site she-wolf who worked the infirmary building just within the woods on the left, on the way down to the river. She was an aged she-wolf who had delivered many of our pups and helped our Pack when they were wounded in the raids from the Williamson Pack. She had a cottage down there, and a separate building reserved for her work. My father had built the place many moons ago, before I was born, so that she was central to the Pack. The mansion was the center-point for our ranch, all the cottages and cabins scattered around it. None lay too close to our borders where they could become targets, they had to be within a safe distance.
I helped the men set up the obstacle course, including a seesaw and wall to scale. It was a pre-made frame that we had to slide the timber slates into, erecting it closer to the barbecue area. We even set out a tug-of-war rope.
More Pack members were arriving to help with the set-up, mostly men, as the women would bring the children down at the set starting time.
Tables and tents were put up, picnic blankets strewn across the grounds, and Nathan had returned and had headed to the kitchen with a few other ‘wolves, both men and women to begin the food.
I didn’t doubt that they’d already made some of the desserts yesterday so they’d be ready in time, and some of the dishes.
Scott and Jaye were nowhere to be seen, and I remembered they had a patrol to do before they could join us for the funday. I doubted they’d be back before we started at 10.30. A quick query to Beth revealed it was almost 10, and I got to work helping her set up the crafts.
7
Scott.
“What did the others think?” I asked as I held Tay in my arms. She’d hunted me out whilst I was returning from patrol, and we now sat under the shade of a large pine looking up at the mansion.
“They’re not ecstatic,” she mumbled as she nestled against my chest, perfectly slotted into my lap.
“Can you blame them?” I chuckled. Hell, I wasn’t too thrilled that she’d come to this decision. I knew it was important to her, to find some greater purpose for her life. Settling and becoming a breeder was not something she was wanting to do, not nor or ever, apparently. I was sure that’d change eventually, but for now, she wanted more from life.
“What do you think?” she asked, turning in my arms to gaze up at me, her perplexed emerald eyes staring hard into mine.
I pondered it for a moment before I gave her a gentle squeeze.
“I think, that if you need to do more in your life to find complete happiness and satisfaction, then you should do it. We’re not going anywhere, our duty lies here as your father’s betas. You can always come home when you’re ready, visit us, and call. I mean, I don’t want you to go either, but it’s not my place to hold you back from your dream,” I sighed, smiling as she reached up to stroke my beard tenderly.
“I swear, sometimes you’re the easiest to talk to,” she chuckled.
“That’s because I’m awesome,” I murmured as I kissed her neck.
“I’ll miss you guys. But it’s not like it’s the end of us,” she murmured as she bared her neck for easier access.
I planted soft kisses along the smooth skin there, and she quivered at the sensation.
“I think, we should make the best use of the time we have,” I growled softly.
If Tay was going to leave, I wanted her to miss us horribly. I wanted to show her what she’d miss out on while away. And I wanted to have her body so much that the memories would last until she returned.
She moaned as she swiveled in my lap, and our lips met in a hungry kiss, our bodies already springing to life.
Seeing Taylor when we went to pick her up was the highlight of my life since she left us two years ago. She was like a fiery warrior princess as she stood before us, curious as to why we’d come for her. We’d promised the Alpha, and we don’t go back on our words to our leader.
The drive back to the ranch was tense and difficult. I wanted to tell her all about the different homes I’d built since she’d been gone, although I’d probably told her over the phone anyway. She was not happy with us, and even more pissed at me for drawing the Alpha card on her. Even she, as defiant and unruly as she was, wouldn’t go against the Alpha like that.
So she sat in the backseat with Jaye, arms crossed and a scowl adorning her beautiful face for the nearly two-hour drive. I put on some music to try to relieve the tension while Nathan drove, but nobody spoke for the entire time.
We were pissed about the proposition Richard had made. Taylor was ours, not just some piece of meat to be pawned off. But the Alpha was an Area Enforcer, he had some pull with the Council, and he intended to go to them and plead his case agai
nst the offer. It was not the usual way to deal with things, any normal Alpha would’ve come to Lawrence and made the offer, but due to our history with his Pack, the numerous raid attempts on his behalf, he chose to go above our leader. Lawrence would provide the evidence against Richard, claiming why he was not a rightful leader if he were to join the Packs, and how Taylor was not just someone to be sold off. But she didn’t have a mate, no chosen partner to bear offspring with. She had a plan for her life, and I was proud to consider myself a loved partner of someone as powerful and skilled as a Huntress in training.
Still, the situation made me uneasy. I usually had all my faith in Lawrence, but not this time. This time was different, and I knew our Alpha was uncertain too about how this would go.
The Council thought only of what benefited them and the greater races, not just single Packs. And the merging of the two most formidable Packs in the region was a good prospect for werewolves. But that would mean Lawrence would also lose his position of Alpha, as Richard had made the offer and would be mated to the Alpha’s daughter, making her the female Alpha of the Pack. Lawrence had never taken on a new mate since Kate’s death, and that worked against him. Two Alpha’s were ideal in Packs, especially if our eighty-four Pack nearly doubled its size when merged.
Upon arrival home, Tay ripped into her father, all respect for his position gone at her summoning. We slunk away the first chance we got. An angry she-wolf was not how we wanted to see Tay upon her return home.
