by B N Miles
Cam moved closer to the wolf, his flame inches from the man’s face. The heat made the wolf flinch back, but Miuri held him tight, her face blank and impassive. Her sword cut into his flesh just a touch, and a long line of blood dribbled from the wound.
“Tell me where they are,” Cam said.
“A day to the west,” the wolf said. “They’re at the bottom of the valley in a large pen. You’ll see them, can’t miss the noise they make, wailing all the time.”
Cam released the magic and stepped away. He felt a flood of emotion hit him, some anger, some fear, but mostly it was an intense desire for more magic. The Need came like a rolling thunderclap and enveloped him, wrapping around him tight.
“Cut his throat,” Cam said.
“Wait—” The wolf only managed that much before Miuri drew her blade across his neck. Blood spouted and he dropped to the ground, choking on it, before he went still.
Cam stood in silence for a long moment, suffering from the Need. But as he fell into it, the wolf’s words came to him.
Sacrifices for Lycanica.
“They’re shipping my people back to their god to be killed,” he said.
“I’m not sure that’s true,” Miuri said. “I’ve never heard of a god wanting blood sacrifices before.”
Cam turned, his jaw clenched. Rage at what he’d just learned mixed with the horrifying desire the Need shoved through his body. He stepped toward Miuri and he saw a flash of fear in her eyes, and he had to stop himself from advancing further.
“You heard him,” Cam said. “Blood for their cities. A blessing of blood. Those monsters are taking my people as slaves and killing the rest.”
“Cam,” Miuri said, her voice a whisper. “He might be wrong. We don’t know what’s really going on.”
“We know that there’s a pen of Humans off to the west, only a day from here. We can travel there and find out.”
Miuri nodded slowly and let out a sigh. There was a commotion from the camp, and Cam guessed the noise of their fight had woken a few warriors and alerted the other sentries.
“Go,” Miuri said. “I know you’re suffering. Go from here, I’ll explain what happened.”
Cam stared at her. “My suffering doesn’t matter. We have to—”
“Go, Cam,” she said. “Before the others come and make you stay.”
“Send me Felin,” he said, unable to hide the anger from his tone. He wiped his blade on what was left of the fur of a dead, burned wolf, then slid it into its sheath.
“That might not be a good idea,” Miuri said.
“Send me Felin,” he said again. “She’s going to ease my pain and answer some questions.”
Without another word, he turned and left the clearing. As he moved through the forest, his heart racing, his Need screaming in his skull and making it pound like hammers in a forge, he could hear men coming closer.
Blood sacrifice. Felin hadn’t mentioned anything about that.
His hands clenched. His body was tight and ready for action and he barely kept himself under control. The Need pushed at him, urged him to burn the whole forest to the ground.
Miuri would send Felin, and Cam would take his wolf girlfriend, take her and make her please him.
And when he was finished with her, then he’d be able to think straight.
11
Cam found a nearby clearing that was secluded enough from him to not be found easily. He sat back in the shade of a large oak and stared at the darkness.
Felin came into the clearing like a ghost in the night not long later.
Cam watched her search around, her eyes narrowed and a frown on her lips. He was sitting with his back to the tree, his knees drawn up to his chest, trying to breathe through the Need that was threatening to overwhelm him. When he saw her, though, the Need only doubled, screaming at him to take what he wanted, take what he needed from his beautiful, wild girlfriend.
“Cam?” Felin asked, sniffing the air.
He stood, hand on the hilt of his sword. She spotted him and stopped. She bit her lip and tilted her head, dark hair spilling down over one shoulder. Cam had found a nice spot, ringed with large oak trees, their leaves spreading out and blocking the moon.
“Met your wolves,” Cam said. “Killed a few.”
“Miuri told me. You used magic.”
“I did,” he said.
“Are you okay?” She took one step toward him then stopped. “Are you feeling it?”
“Yes,” Cam said. “And that’s why you’re here.”
He dropped all pretense of conversation. He wanted to ask her about the sacrifices, but he couldn’t bring himself to form words anymore. He unbelted his sword and let it drop to the ground. Felin stared at him for half a beat then began to unbutton her tunic. He unlaced his leather armor, starting with the chest piece, then the shoulders and the arms, and finishing with the shins.
By the time he was done, Felin had let her tunic drop to the ground and was stepping out of her breeches. She stood in front of him, naked in the chill mountain air, her pink nipples hard and her hair fluttering in the breeze. But she made no attempt to cover herself, no attempt to warm the chill around her.
She simply stood and waited.
Cam walked to her. She didn’t move and stared into his eyes.
“You’ll give me what I need, won’t you?” he asked. “You’ll give me what I want when I want it.”
“Yes,” she said. “You’re my Alpha.”
He clenched his jaw and fought back some anger. He reached out and touched her cheek.
“I’m not a wolf,” he said. “There’s no Alpha in my pack. When you want something, you can have it. But when you don’t, you have no need to obey commands. Not even from me.”
She tilted her head. “I know that,” she said and stepped closer to him. “But I want to obey. Don’t you understand? I like to obey. It feels right. It’s just… it’s the way my people are.” She touched his face. “Now, I’m here for a reason, right?”
He growled and let his primal need take him over. He reached up and grabbed her hair rough then kissed her lips. She moaned into the kiss as he pushed her back against a tree. His right hand moved down between her legs. She was wet already, and he felt his cock stiffen in response, unable to help himself.
She let out a little animal growl as he bit her lip and slipped his fingers up along her slit. He rolled them along her clit, made her back arch as the other hand pulled her hair harder. He slid two fingers inside, fucking her deep with them. He kissed her neck, her chest, licked her nipples and bit them hard.
She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her lips then pulled his fingers back. She dropped to her knees in front of him, heedless of the dirt and leaves and pine needles. She unlaced his breeches and yanked them down, taking his thick, hard cock in her hand. He watched her stroke him then take him deep into her mouth.
Pleasure overwhelmed him as he grabbed her hair and pushed his cock deep between her lips. She felt so good and warm and incredible. She sucked him like she loved it, letting little animal grunts and growls and moans escape her lips as her head bobbed up and down, her breasts shaking with every stroke of his shaft into her throat.
He pulled her back and she stroked him with two hands as he pulled her up to her feet and turned her around. He pressed her against a tree, pinning her there as he pressed his cock against her dripping wet pussy.
“You’re my wolf,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re all mine, Felin.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “My Alpha.”
He slid his cock deep inside of her. She was so slick, tight, and warm. He let out a growl from deep in his chest, matching her animal groans. His grabbed her hair with one hand and fucked her deep and slow at first, filling her tight spot up and savoring her taste. She leaned back and kissed him over her shoulder, and he let her tongue roll against his as he slowly stroked inside her.
But he couldn’t take that for long. He gripped her thick ass
and hips and began to fuck her hard. He let himself loose on her tight pussy as he fucked her again and again, deeper and deep, making her moan and growl and gasp. He dominated her, pressed her up against the tree, took her tight body as his prize.
He slapped her ass hard and took out all his frustration, all his anger, all his rage and his Need on her tight, beautiful pussy. He spanked her ass again, fucked her faster, growling like a tiger. She bucked back against him, sweat rolling down her beautiful pale skin in the moonlight, the muscles of her back firm and tight and gorgeous.
Pleasure flooded him as his heart sped up. The Need screamed at him, pushed him on. He fucked her faster, taking every inch of her. He bit her shoulder, spanked her ass hard again, pulled her hair and made her gasp. She panted his name, whispered it over and over as his cock slammed into her and pleasure began to build between them, crackling like fire.
He knew it was close. He doubled his efforts, sweat on both of their skin, and he felt it begin to peak. Felin threw her head back and growled like a beast, a low and incredible moan that sent shivers of desire down Cam’s spine. He kept going, filling her, and finally couldn’t take any more.
The orgasm burst into them like an eruption. Together they were flooded with pleasure, flying high and soaring above the treetops, their bodies tense and minds overwhelmed with the circling maelstrom of pure intensity, pure pleasure, pure bliss. It was ecstasy, and they couldn’t separate themselves from each other or from the pleasure that bound them together as the magic swirled all around and flooded out into the world.
Slowly, they came down and Cam became himself again. He took a gasping breath, sweat beaded on his body. He felt Felin lean against the tree and shiver, her pussy convulsing still, clenching down on his cock. He let out a little laugh and slid himself away, stumbling to brace himself against another tree. Felin let out a groan and slid to the ground, turning around to lean her back against the trunk.
Cam looked at his beautiful girlfriend. She was flushed red and smiling like she was drunk. Her body glistened in the moonlight, and he felt a pang of love for her that he hadn’t felt before. It was strange, how it came over him suddenly, when only a few minutes ago he’d been so angry with her, with all her people.
But Felin wasn’t her people.
He let out a sigh and tilted his head back.
“What’s wrong?” Felin asked.
He closed his eyes. “I feel like I should apologize to you.”
“For what?” she asked and laughed a little. “For the best orgasm of my life? Cam, when you do that, it’s like… it’s like heaven.”
“I know,” he said and couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. “But that’s not it.”
“What, then?”
He stared at the treetops for a long moment before looking back down at Felin. She seemed so small and vulnerable, sitting on the ground, completely naked and spent. He sunk down and shifted over to sit beside her, their flanks touching.
“Back in the clearing, we talked with one of the wolves,” he said.
“Did you find out where they’re holding the prisoners?”
“At the bottom of the valley, about a day to the west,” Cam said. “But he also told us something else.”
Felin frowned a little at him and pulled her knees up to her chest. “What?” she asked.
“Fel, he said that Lycanica wants all of our old and our infirm for Human sacrifices. He said any Human that couldn’t become a worthwhile slave would be killed, and their blood would bless your cities.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes wide with surprise, and Cam felt a flood of relief.
Some part of him had believed the Were and thought that Felin was hiding something from him. He knew she still felt loyalty to her wolves, and he couldn’t blame her for that or try to take that away. But sacrificing Humans was something else entirely, and he was afraid that she was willing to hold something like that back just to protect her people.
“Cam, I swear, I never heard anything like it before,” she said. “Lycanica never gave that order.”
“He called my people cattle,” Cam said.
She nodded. “A lot of us do.”
“And what about you?”
She looked away from him and rested her chin on her knees. Cam could feel the cold air bite against his skin, the rough pine needles and dead leaves under his body and legs. Sweat was beginning to dry, and he felt a chill run over him.
“I used to think that,” she said. “I didn’t know any better. That’s just what we were told, that Humans are worthless and weak. I didn’t know any better until I met you and attached and… met your friends.”
Cam let out a breath. “I guess I can’t blame you for it.”
“Most of the wolves think like that though,” she said. “I think it’s easier than seeing Humans as actual people. If you’re all just worthless, weak cattle to be killed and taken prisoner, it makes the whole thing easier to stomach.”
Cam picked up an old, dry maple leaf and began to tear it into shreds. He let out a breath then stood, walked to where his clothes sat on the ground, and released the shredded leaf into the air, the pieces blowing away. The treetops creaked and branches groaned as he began to pull on his clothes.
Felin just watched him. He got his trousers on, laced them up, then pulled on his tunic. He buttoned it then looked at Felin.
“Help me with the armor,” he said.
She got to her feet, still naked and graceful. She walked over toward him, dark hair fluttering in the breeze. She picked up a shin protector and knelt before him, strapping it on. When she finished, she did the next one, then stood.
Cam grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against him. He kissed her deep and slow before looking into her eyes.
“I won’t hold what you used to believe against you,” he said, his voice low. “But I have to know something.”
She nodded once, staring at him. “What?”
“Are you keeping things from me, Fel? Are you still trying to protect your people?”
She stared at him for a long moment then looked away.
“It’s not easy,” she said. “I’m attached to you. I love Key and Miuri, and even some of the others. I’m starting to feel like I belong with you, but… the packs, they’re my people, my family. I can’t just turn my back on them. And your world is so strange to me.”
“But you’re on this side of the war now,” he said. “And if you want to stay with me, you’re going to have to accept that. I won’t ask you to do anything you don’t want to do, Fel, but I also have to be able to trust you.”
“I won’t lie to you,” she said.
He let out a breath and nodded. He kissed her again, bit her lower lip, then released her.
That was going to have to be enough for now.
Together, they got his armor back on. When it was done, Cam helped Felin dress. When she was ready to go, he belted his sword back on and stepped out of the clearing and into the underbrush. Felin came next to him and pressed herself tight against his arm, slipping her hand into his and leaning her head on his shoulder.
He looked at her and let out a breath.
He had to trust her. That was his only way forward. Felin was still a Were and always would be, but he had to trust that she wasn’t going to act against his interests.
He believed she didn’t know anything about the blood sacrifices. But that didn’t mean they weren’t real. Maybe that wolf was lying to try and save his own life, or maybe he had heard something that wasn’t true. Either way, Cam had to find out what was real and what was a lie.
And he had to free those people before the wolves could take them away.
12
The group left before dawn that morning. Very few men got a decent night’s sleep, and Cam felt himself dragging after an evening of fighting, using his magic, and taking his frustration out on Felin’s body.
They marched west, heading deeper into the valley. They were well of
f the cart path, following small hunting trails where possible, and forging straight through the underbrush when the trails turned away from where they wanted to go. Miuri and a few others scouted ahead, making sure the way was clear.
Felin walked beside Cam but didn’t speak. She seemed withdrawn and worried about something, and he could guess what she was thinking. Cam hadn’t shared the information about blood sacrifices to anyone else in the group yet, not even Key and Theus, and he knew Miuri had kept it to herself. He didn’t want to panic anyone or cause needless anger, not when he didn’t know if it was even true or not.
But it was on his mind, and he suspected Felin was thinking about it too, wondering if it could be real, if Lycanica really could take Human prisoners and murder them for her own ritualistic desires.
The day dragged past with only one break for a brief midday meal. Scouts were sent out at frequent intervals, and the group stayed clustered close together. After their short break, Cam found Theus and walked in step with him at the back of the column.
“How are the others doing?” Cam asked.
Theus stepped over a fallen branch and looked at the Medlar warriors as they walked in a tight formation. His simple brown and blue tunic, buttoned up tight at the front, fluttered in the wind. His long, dark brown hair was pulled back and the beginnings of a beard was growing on his chin.
“Good, I think,” he said. “I haven’t heard much complaining. I think a lot of them are happy to be out of that mountain.”
Cam nodded. “It’s strange, in the Mansion. I don’t know how people live there all the time.”
“It explains a few things,” Theus said.
Cam narrowed at eyes. “Like what?”
“Oh, you know. The Wardens are all a little off. And Lord Remorn seems…” He trailed off.
“Seems what?”
“I don’t know how to put it,” Theus said. “It’s like the man has never been outside of the mountain in his life. Like he’s so used to living in the heart of that impenetrable fortress that he can’t imagine what life might be like for everyone else.”
