Breathing suddenly became more difficult as Yun circled and rubbed her firmly, finding every spot and gesture that made pleasure radiate through her. It took every ounce of willpower Katya had to return the favor and thrust her fingers in and out of Yun. She had to bury her face in the crook of Yun's neck to keep from moaning too loudly. As Alpha, perhaps she shouldn't have been so careful, but this was unheard of, forbidden. She was mating with a weretiger, marking her.
The thought of marking Yun brought another moan from her lips, and her kisses to Yun's neck soon became nips and bites, harsh suction placed over the pulse point. Yun's breathing became harsh, and Katya growled softly, squeezing her eyes shut. Yun's fingers pressed, flicked, rubbed her until the pleasure overtook her senses. She bucked, smothering her cry against Yun's neck, her own touches becoming erratic.
"Yun," Katya panted against the deep purple mark on Yun's neck. Her mark. Everyone would see it, would know Yun was hers and worthy of being part of the pack. A low moan escaped her as she melted against Yun. But Yun wasn't still, and it took a few seconds for Katya to snap out of her satisfied haze. She shifted with a grin and redoubled her efforts, curving her fingers and thrusting while dipping down to suckle one of Yun's nipples.
The response was nearly instantaneous, and Katya pulled back from Yun's chest to watch the pleasure wash over that beautiful face. Yun's eyes practically glowed, and little tendrils of black hair stuck to her pale skin. Katya slowed her touches and gently pulled out before rolling them both to their sides and kissing Yun through the afterglow.
Several minutes passed before Yun's hand wormed its way to the deep bruise coloring Yun's neck, and Katya smirked. Yun might not be able to look her in the eyes and smile at her, but her expression was smug and sated.
"How long will you be in heat?" Yun murmured.
Katya raised an eyebrow. "About a month. If times were better, we'd pair off and dissolve the pack for that month, but we can't afford to here in tiger territory. Most of the women left aren't eager to have children now, either, so the men are going to be... restless."
Yun chuckled softly. "So I can expect a good deal of rutting with you for the next month to protect your title."
Katya hugged Yun close and tangled their legs, pulling a soft fur over them for warmth. "Do you look forward to it?"
Yun's fingers found their way to her face again, and she smiled, letting Yun feel the expression, see it through touch. A grin tugged Yun's lips upward, and the soft purr that suddenly lilted from Yun's throat was the most soothing and sexy sound Katya had ever heard.
"Yes, Katya," Yun whispered, the words trilling with her purr. "Yes, I do."
Most of the wolves were so jubilant over having an abundance of food after such difficulty that they were willing to overlook that help came in the form of a weretiger. Most of the wolves. Dmitri and a couple of the betas were still making nuisances of themselves. It had only gotten worse after Katya and Yun began sleeping together and smelling of one another. The females of the pack being in heat didn't help matters, either, setting everyone on edge and distracting them when they all had work to do.
Katya had given the men a short but firm lecture about appreciating the help Yun was giving in return for simple shelter and company. She had also told them that she'd marked Yun as an equal for a damn good reason and considered her part of their pack now, and while they had growled a little, they had been quiet ever since. Katya didn't trust that quiet. It was the sort of quiet that often preceded a challenge, and right now, she had no patience for challenges. They had enough trouble as a pack, and none of the others really posed a threat if they stood against her in a fair fight.
Still, their energy was a dark shadow lingering at the edges of the rest of the pack's hopeful disposition. Katya had to do something to keep them moving forward, and she knew Yun was the answer. She crossed the cave to the bonfire where the mothers and their children had gathered. Yun was at the far side, and Katya couldn't keep an amused smile from her face at the horrendous braids that stuck out from Yun's scalp thanks to several tiny hands that worked through the curtain of black.
"Alpha, look!" one of the children called when they spotted her.
Katya rounded the fire and crouched down. "Well, well, Ana. Are all these braids yours?"
"I helped with the long ones!" A young boy, Ilya, proclaimed before Ana could answer.
"You helped a little," Ana reluctantly admitted, and when Ilya stuck his tongue out at her, she returned the gesture.
"You've both done quite a lot," Katya laughed, mussing both their heads of hair. "If only Yun could see them."
Yun just smiled, her fingers trailing up and along the braids that jutted out through her hair, thick and slender cords alike. "I am sure they are beautiful. Thank you both."
Nothing seemed to faze Yun. She accepted the children's antics with a quiet pleasure that made Katya wonder how long it had been since Yun had been touched. Well, not counting the nearly excessive amount of touching they did each night and sometimes briefly while they were out hunting as a pair. Even when they shifted, their feral instincts didn't keep them from enjoying each other's presence. They had marked one another, and their canine and feline sides didn't seem to argue against it. Katya had been worried about it, but Yun had shown only serenity. It was odd and perplexing and strangely arousing.
Katya's eyes began to wander with her thoughts, and it was a harsh yank on her hair from Ilya that brought her back to the present. "What?" she asked, looking down at the young boy.
"I said we want to braid your hair, too, Alpha. Make you match."
Katya laughed and kissed his forehead affectionately. "Another time, perhaps. I need to steal Yun away for now. Important pack business."
The statement was met with a fount of whines and protests, but Ilya's and Ana's mothers quickly restored order. Katya then made her getaway with a promise to let the children braid her hair another time. Yun followed without having to be asked, and Katya walked to her tent, guiding Yun inside and shutting the flaps for a little more privacy.
The temptation to kiss Yun and run her hands through those silly braids while rubbing against her was terribly strong, and she took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking. "Spring is on its way. It's a marvel the tigers haven't hunted us down here, and I don't want to tempt fate, but I don't know where to go. We need a safe place to recover from this winter, where the hunting will be good and we won't run into trouble with the poachers."
Yun nodded, listening attentively as far as Katya could tell, but when she didn't say anything, Katya swallowed thickly. "Any suggestions would be appreciated, Yun."
Yun tilted her head. "I cannot speak of the poachers. They have no pattern. The weretiger clans cycle with the seasons."
"Winter, spring, summer, and autumn. A hunting ground for each of the four?" Katya guessed, but her blooming smile faded when Yun shook her head and scooted back to make space between them on the furs.
Yun pressed her finger against the fur and drew a five-point star before circling it. "We have five seasons, five elements. Right now, we are in winter, the season of water." Yun pressed her hand to the area near one point of the star. "In the cold, we all seek shelter, warmth, and to bring light to the shadows in our energy. The water season is reflective, cleansing, and sexual."
The last word was accompanied by a twitch of Yun's lips that made Katya smirk. "And after the water season?"
Yun moved from one point of the star to the next along the curve of the circle. It was as if Yun could actually see the drawing in the furs. Perhaps it was simply so clear in Yun's mind that the rendering on the fur was easy to navigate. "Spring, the season of wood. Wood is growth, the sprouting of new life, new ideas, new relationships." She glanced up, her yellow eyes catching Katya's as her fingers moved along the circle to the other points. "And then the fire of summer, the earth of harvest, and the metal of autumn. The seasons follow the elements, which nurture one another," she said, following the
outer circle before drawing the star again, "and—"
"Balance one another," Katya finished, glancing up from the drawing. "And the tigers follow this pattern, moving to a new area each season so their prey can replenish the rest of the year." It was brilliant, and it explained why the tigers were so ferocious when anyone trespassed on their territory at times, and then seemed completely absent during others. Katya should have noticed the pattern.
Katya clapped her hands together and began rubbing, energy sparking as she tried to plan where to take the pack before the tigers might find them in the caves. "So! If the weretiger clans are about to move to their spring hunting grounds and shelters, then we can move to their summer ones, the fire places. That way, we're a step ahead of them, and— What?" Katya huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as Yun shook her head.
"Balance, Katya," Yun answered calmly. "You would ruin the balance of the prey. The tigers would reach summer to find the prey gone. One hunter like me does not upset the balance of their cycle with nature, but an entire pack of wolves would. One season may not hurt too badly, but years of sharing their territory will cripple them."
"So we're just supposed to leave tiger territory altogether?" Katya growled. "Is that the point? The tigers push us out toward the poachers? Better us than them?"
"I did not say that," Yun murmured.
"But I'd bet that's what they think. It's what I thought when we first came here. I'd work with the tigers if I could just to make sure the poachers don't get any of us, but the tigers would rather kill us on sight than ally with us, so we have to do whatever we can, and what we can do is stay one step ahead of them if you tell us where they are now so we can avoid them!" Katya panted softly, wringing her hands to keep from stepping from the tent to pace. It riled her up to know that she had been put in the position of having to weigh the options just to keep the pack alive.
Yun was slow to respond, though she glanced up at Katya frequently. Katya wondered for a moment if she'd frightened Yun, and she was about to apologize when Yun spoke, her voice soft but firm. "I will not lead you to keep your pack one step ahead of them."
Katya bristled. "They cast you out. They left you to die! Why protect them at all?"
"Because they are my people." Yun glared at her. "They are not animals to be slaughtered, and neither are you. I will not help you upset the balance so that the tigers will starve. It is dishonorable and cowardly, and I could not live with that betrayal."
"Yun..."
"No, Katya. I know you are upset, that you have to lead this pack, but that is not the right way. It is the easy way, but not the right way," Yun insisted, reaching out and searching until she managed to find Katya's hand.
Katya was tempted to pull her hand away, but the way Yun looked at her, so concerned and adamant, she couldn't bring herself to add any more insult than she probably already had. Damn it all, Yun wasn't making this easy, though! She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to breathe deeply until she calmed down. "I need to do something. Isn't there anything you can tell me that will help?"
Yun squeezed her hand and let out a soft, slow exhale. Her eyes darted away, searching for a few seconds before meeting Katya's gaze. Or, at least, getting close enough to meeting her gaze that she knew Yun intended to look at her. "The closest clan is downstream where the river splits. The eastern branch leads to a rocky area that borders a meadow. That is where they are. If you want, you can confront them. You can talk or you can fight it out with them. You can avoid them altogether, but I will not tell you where to go knowing the path will cause them suffering."
Katya sighed. "So you're neither helping nor hindering. Do you realize how annoying that is?"
Yun smiled softly. "I can imagine."
"Do you plan on making it up to me?"
"All night, if necessary."
Katya finally cracked a smile. "We'd better start now, then," she chuckled, pulling Yun forward. The pack problems could wait until morning.
Soreness never felt better than in the moments when Katya would wake up after a long bout of oral pleasures and frottage. Their fire had long since died down to embers, and Yun was a wonderfully warm weight against her in the semi-darkness. Once she was awake, it was difficult to simply fall back asleep, so she took her time in easing Yun away from her so she could quietly sneak from their tent.
It was when she rounded the back of the tent to make her way to a rear entrance of the caves that the scent of wolf assaulted her, and she froze in place. In human form, she couldn't tell who it was that had been standing here, but her blood chilled in her veins as she mulled over the possibilities. She had to know, and that meant shifting.
Once she made up her mind to do it, it was like willingly putting her hand into a snare. She knew it would hurt, but at least the pain was temporary. Sinking to the ground, she let the power inside her loose and couldn't stifle a soft yelp as everything went black for a moment, the world awash in the pain of her body breaking and knitting itself back together.
When her vision cleared, the pain still throbbed along her fur, but her senses had shifted just as she needed. Sight was less important, secondary to scent. The faint wolf scent from before sharpened, and she growled softly as it registered. Dmitri. And he hadn't just passed by. He had stayed in this spot for at least an hour, and the scent tapered off just enough that she knew he'd left a while ago. That damned wolf had been listening in long enough to hear Yun and her talking.
A low growl rumbled up from her, her hackles rising. God only knew what Dmitri would do with that knowledge. She looked behind her to see Yun poking her head cautiously out of the tent. Concern was a palpable scent from Yun, and Katya trotted over to her to nose her cheek and neck with a comforting huff of breath. A single lick against a mark she had left on Yun's neck, and Katya raced away through the back entrance of the caves.
The scents out in the open were muted by a dusting of snow that had settled in the last hour. Dmitri had timed his little bout of spying incredibly well, and it certainly didn't sit right with Katya. How much had he heard? More importantly, what would he do with what he'd heard? They were mysteries, and Katya hated that she couldn't track him down.
He might have even returned to the rest of the pack. Hell, he might have even overheard by accident at first and just not been able to help himself once they'd started talking. The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. There would be no interrogating him in front of the pack. She couldn't prove he'd done anything wrong. That left her running through the woods for no other reason than blowing off steam.
She pushed thought aside and just let her instincts take over, enjoying the chill of the wind in her fur and the rush of adrenaline as her paws beat out a crunching rhythm in the snow and undergrowth. She wasn't sure how much time passed before she stopped to drink from the nearby stream, but that's when a familiar scent caught her attention, one that wasn't trying to mask itself by remaining downwind.
Footfalls sounded, moving closer and closer until her senses were overwhelmed by the scent. Instinct told her to relax, to rut and mate, but she wasn't mindless, even in this form. She growled a soft warning and looked over to see Mikhail holding a hand up in surrender, his head bowed in submission.
"I know better than to pounce you, Katya," Mikhail murmured, holding out a fur-lined coat and smiling up through his dark blond hair. "I'm not worthy to mate with the Alpha. Not by a long shot." Katya huffed skeptically and stepped forward, bumping her nose into his hip, just shy of the tented middle of his trousers. Mikhail backed away a step and sank to his knees with an embarrassed laugh. "You can't blame me for that when you're putting out clouds of pheromones."
He had a point. Katya couldn't help her body chemistry, especially as a wolf, and he couldn't help his reaction to it. When he held out the coat to her again, she gave in. A yipping bark escaped her as she shifted back, and when she collapsed, it was into Mikhail's arms. She shivered and panted against him as he wrapped her up in the coat, shielding
her bare skin from the cold as she recovered from the pain of the shift.
"Is something wrong? You were growling when you left the caves."
His tone was so gentle, so patient and concerned. It brought a smile to Katya's face, even as she shook her head. "It might be nothing. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on Dmitri. He's on guard tonight and should be hunting the next couple days, but if you can join his team to hunt, an extra pair of eyes on him won't hurt."
"You've never trusted him," Mikhail noted with a chuckle.
"He's never given me a reason to trust him, Mischa. He smiles and curries favor just like he did before the poachers got to us, but he lies too easily. He's not you." It was a compliment, and Katya was glad when Mikhail grinned, perking up with pride. "Let's get back to camp. I think I just needed a good run."
Mikhail didn't argue. He just pulled out a pair of simple boots from his pack and held her close as they walked back toward the caves. It was a silent kind of support that she had come to appreciate even more now that she was so close to Yun. Once they were in the caves again, they parted with a friendly kiss that earned Mikhail a bit of teasing from the other males who had been awoken and set on edge by her sudden departure. The easy way Mikhail returned their banter, commenting that any of them were more than welcome to ease his needs in Katya's place, just made Katya grin as she returned to Yun and her warm tent.
Maybe she was overly suspicious. She had to be fair, to give Dmitri a chance, no matter how much she wished he would stop the song and dance and just challenge her so she could beat him to a pulp and be done with it. She'd keep an eye on him, and Mikhail would as well. No need to make something out of his eavesdropping if he didn't do more than gossip a bit. She had more important things to worry about, anyway. That's what she kept telling herself as she sank back into the furs and Yun's comforting kisses.
They had lingered in the caves as long as they dared before finally packing up and heading south along the river. Yun may have refused to direct them to a specific hunting ground used by the tigers, but she did at least point them in a direction that they all agreed was the best bet for keeping away from both the tigers and the poachers. Sure, there was no guarantee, but it was the best Katya had been able to get from her, so she wasn't going to turn away the sliver of help.
Daughters of Artemis Page 6
