Her Three Wolves

by Lilly Wilder

  Jackson slammed into me relentlessly. I heard his growls, and I was sure that he lasted longer than the other two, and by the end of it I was just a limp figure, nothing but a doll for him to use. His strength had completely overwhelmed me and when he gave me his seed I took it willingly, feeling it seep into me. He stayed connected to me moments after he came, pushing and pulsing inside me. I felt him throb and knew that every drop of his seed was dripping inside me, getting deep into my body, ready to give life to the next generation of wolves.

  When he was done, Jackson pulled himself away from me gently. I rolled onto the slab, my chest heaving, my body a wreck. I panted and gasped and tried to catch my breath but my eyes rolled into the back of my head and my heart felt as though it was going to burst out of my chest. I looked at each of them. Jamie was on the floor, holding his head in his hands, looking as though he was still coming to terms with the intensity of the situation. Logan was standing with his arms folded across his chest, looking pensive, while Jackson was standing tall and proud, gazing right at me, at the mother of the new generation.

  He walked over to me and placed his hand on my head. The others joined him. I didn’t know what was happening now but I didn’t much care. I was too exhausted and lost in my delirium to do anything.

  “Mother Goddess of the Moon, look upon your servants and bless this woman for she holds the seeds of the future. Make our children strong, and give her the strength to bear them. Protect them and imbue them with your glory. Take them and be their salvation, just as you were the salvation of the first wolf. We pledge their lives to you, just as our parents pledged ours, and we promise that we shall do everything we can to pass on the teachings we have learned and make them into good servants for you,” he said.

  I closed my eyes intermittently and I felt a strange wave of energy pass through me. The stone seemed to grow warmer underneath me and I felt…something. I wasn’t sure what, and even now I couldn’t explain it properly. All I knew was that something ethereal happened to me, something that was beyond science, something that was left to the realms of magic.

  I stayed there for some time before the wolves lifted me from the alter and carried me back to my room where they placed me on the bed, wiping me down with damp clothes, soothing my skin. I was on the cusp of unconsciousness but even so I heard one of them say that he loved me, although I couldn’t tell which one it was. I was ushered to sleep by them and soon fell into slumber, my body yearning for rest after being exposed to such intensity. My last thought was that I was now the vessel through which the clan was going to rise again. I had taken their seed, and from their seed new life was going to grow. I was housing a new generation of wolves, and I was going to be a mother. It was a dramatic shift from the path I had been on before, but it was not a decision I had made lightly and as I let sleep fall upon me I was left feeling like it was the right decision.

  I had met my destiny, and it was to walk along the same path as the wolves.

  22

  When I awoke I was still groggy and my body ached tremendously. I was naked in bed, and I was alone. I reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a glass of water, and as I did so I reached down and felt my stomach. I could already feel that something was different inside me. I wasn’t convinced of the existence of the Moon goddess, but if she did exist then she had certainly done something for me. I replayed the session in my mind, thinking about all the pleasure that had been shared with us, and I had never experienced anything so pure and raw and intense. Even thinking about it made my heart flutter, and I realized that the wolves meant more to me than I realized.

  Then I heard a loud crash from outside and some loud yelling. Panic flared inside me. I leaped up, ignoring the pain in my body, and pulled on some loose clothes. I crept out of the room and made my way outside, where I saw a horrible sight. There was an ugly tall man standing at the edge of the forest, flanked by a number of other men, all with grotesque expressions on their faces, hungry for blood. The three brothers were standing in front of the cabin, their fists clenched by their sides, and I didn’t need them to tell me that this was the infamous Ishmael.

  He walked forward confidently, ready to meet Jackson. I stayed hidden near the door, keeping away from the action. I remembered what Logan said; that if Ishmael appeared I should run. Part of me wanted to, it must have been the new motherly instinct inside me because I wanted to protect the lives I was carrying, but I couldn’t leave them. Not like this.

  “We’ve finally found you,” Ishmael said. “You should have just stayed where you were and died with the rest of the clan. It would have saved you wasting my time.”

  “You might think you’ve won, but as long as one of us remains standing you’ll never win,” Jackson said.

  “Then I’ll make sure to kill all of you. But the question is, which one do I kill first? Shall I start with the youngest one, or shall I leave him until last so he can see where the mistakes of his ancestors have led him?” Ishmael moved before each of the brothers, studying them closely, moving with the supreme confidence of one who believed he had already won.

  Fear clawed at my heart. I had heard from the wolves how Ishmael had decimated their clan, but more telling was the effect he had had on them. Ishmael had made them scared, had put fear in their hearts, and made them take drastic action to preserve the clan. I didn’t feel I yet knew enough to teach my children about the history of the wolves. They had to survive, they just had to, because I didn’t think there was a way out of this for myself. Ishmael and his men would surely sense me eventually, and then I’d be at the mercy of them with nobody else to save me, but there was nothing I could do. I had no special skills and no weapons. All I could do was watch and pray to the goddess of the Moon that my wolves would win.

  Jackson, Logan, and Jamie looked strong as they stood before Ishmael and his army, the three of them were a small force against the dozens of men Ishmael had gathered. I didn’t see any way for them to emerge victorious after this, not after what I knew had already happened to their clan, but it was heroic of them to stand up to Ishmael rather than cower in fear. They were an honor to their clan and I took note, wanting the children to be just like their fathers.

  The air was filled with tension and none of us knew what was going to happen next. I hoped that somehow Ishmael would see sense and return from whence he came, but from the scowl on his face I knew there was little hope of that.

  “Finally, your clan will pay for the mistakes of the past, and the future will be mine to command!”

  “Not while we’re alive,” Jackson said.

  “You won’t succeed. The Goddess won’t allow it. I refuse to believe in a world where she endorses your actions,” Jamie said.

  Ishmael seemed amused by this. “You can think all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have proven myself to be the strongest wolf. That is the only thing the goddess respects, and when I am done with you I will have settled the feud, and then I can move forward to my true destiny, taking this world back for the wolves.”

  “And you really think they’re going to let you?” Logan asked.

  “They’ll have no choice. One I kill you my work will be done and the goddess will imbue me with power the likes of which has never been seen before. I’m going to wrest this world from the shackles that bind it, and show them the true power of the wolves!”

  I realized then that he was insane, and there was no way he could win, not over my beloved wolves. I was trying in vain to signal their attention to show them my support, but their eyes were understandably focused on the wolf standing before them.

  I had no idea how they were going to get out of this with their lives intact. I watched as Ishmael gave a signal to his men. The brothers, my lovers, were completely outnumbered and there seemed to be no way in which they could survive, but then Jackson stepped forward. He looked around and seemed to come to the same conclusion as I did.

  Logan and Jamie seemed confused,
and my heart sank, for I had a feeling I knew what he was going to do.

  “Ishmael!” he cried, his voice ringing loudly around the field. A few birds were disrupted from their rest and fluttered away from the trees, their wings rustling the branches. The morning sun was new and cast the world in a golden glow. The air was warm. It almost seemed too beautiful for a battle. “You killed my parents and practically everyone I know. You have destroyed my home and forced me to retreat. You seek to vanquish my clan, and if you charge at us now you will succeed, but what will this victory bring you? There is no honor in defeating three men when you are surrounded by dozens. It is a slaughter, not a hunt, and I do not think the goddess would smile kindly on you for taking such a ruthless action. Surely she would want to see evidence of your prowess in single combat, so I invoke my right as chief of the clan to defend myself against you in a fight to the death. If you win then you have everything, and my brothers will lay down their lives, but if we win then you leave and never bother my clan again, for the feud will be settled.”

  Ishmael grimaced. It was a clever move by Jackson. The chances of him defeating Ishmael in hand to hand combat were much greater than the three of them against an army, and it also challenged Ishmael’s pride. If Ishmael refused then his army might think that he was afraid of taking on Jackson in single combat and preferred the easier method of mere slaughter. Ishmael narrowed his eyes at Jackson, and I assumed he knew what Jackson was playing at, but it didn’t seem to stop him. I assumed that he was confident enough in his own abilities that he didn’t mind rising to the challenge. That was the error in Jackson’s plan, of course. He might well fall and rather than dying alongside his brothers they would have to watch him be killed by Ishmael, knowing that their fates were sealed as well.

  As Jackson walked out Logan glanced back and glared at me, trying to urge me to leave, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

  Jackson shifted into a wolf, growing bigger and hairier, his muscles expanding, claws replacing his fingers, his beady eyes staring directly at Ishmael who also turned. He rose like a giant, muscles on top of muscles, his fur patchy and dark where he had been burned once, although I didn’t know when that wound had occurred. Logan and Jamie shifted too, and it was the first time I had seen them in their wolf forms. They were just as majestic and mighty as Jackson, their fur was the same color as their hair, but they did not move from where they were standing. They seemed to be ready to defend Jackson if he needed backup.

  Ishmael’s army did not shift, perhaps assuming that their commander would be able to defend himself against all three of them and, looking at him, I thought he might be able to do so as well. He was a head taller than Jackson and broader in the chest. When I had first seen Jackson turn into a wolf I wondered how anyone could ever have beaten him, but I now saw how it was possible. Ishmael was a brute, and I feared desperately for Jackson’s life.

  But Logan and Jamie didn’t walk forward with Jackson. They stayed standing there, knowing that this was some kind of sacred ritual. Jackson had challenged Ishmael, so Jackson had to stand alone.

  I watched with grim curiosity as the two wolves walked towards each other. Jackson began running, his claws slicing through the air, his powerful legs pumping violently. A loud growl emerged from his throat. Every sinew was taut and flushed, prime for the purpose of killing Ishmael. In that moment Jackson seemed inexorable, inevitably, and my attraction for him grew. My hand fell to my stomach and I was proud to bear his children. I felt great pride, and I knew in that moment that I belonged to them, that I was a part of the clan. I only wished that I could do more to help, but my role wasn’t to be a part of battle, it was to raise the children in the aftermath, if somehow I managed to escape with my life.

  When Jackson was at full speed he launched himself into the air and hurtled towards Ishmael with his claws bared, ready to slash and swipe. His mouth was open too, and his jagged teeth gleamed in the early morning light. In that moment it seemed as though it was his destiny to kill Ishmael, as though nothing could prevent him from avenging his clan and his family, and I thought the battle was going to be over in an instant. I could see Jackson’s claws swiping down, tearing apart Ishmael’s throat, and for a moment I felt sheer elation rise up within me, but it was quickly cut short as Ishmael stuck out a powerful hand and caught Jackson in mid-air. He smirked and then threw Jackson to the floor. The might wolf landed with a thud, his body crumpled.

  I saw Jamie and Logan’s heads fall, and I knew that the matter wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be. Jackson picked himself up and shook the haze away from him, he got back to his feet and confronted Ishmael again. Ishmael beat his chest and howled, as though to warn the Goddess of the Moon that another soul was going to ascend to her realm. He stalked forward and used his long reach to swipe at Jackson, the first flurry missed as Jackson evaded them, but the last one hit Jackson square in the jaw and sent him staggering back. Breath caught in my throat as I saw blood fly out of his mouth. He looked groggy and I wondered how long this was going to go on for. I hated to think it, but it didn’t seem as though Jackson had any chance against this beast and I just wanted the suffering to end.

  But moments later I was proven wrong to doubt him. Jackson had suffered the initial blow, but he was taking the measure of Ishmael. The next time Ishmael struck wildly there was no thought to the blow. It was a careless strike that was borne from arrogance, as though he thought he could simply swat Jackson away like a fly. Jackson managed to deflect the blow and as he did so he ran inside Ishmael’s reach, sending thundering punches into Ishmael’s abdomen before spinning and turning out of the enemy’s reach again, moving behind him. Ishmael yelped in pain and cradled his abdomen, but I could see from the look on his face that he was angry, having not expected Jackson to be able to do anything like that.

  He roared at Jackson and swiped at him angrily, but now I saw how Ishmael’s sheer size and strength were not a decisive advantage. Jackson was nimble and used his agility well. I saw how he had honed his strength and I realized it must have been an honor to see him hunt. Ishmael grew angrier with every blow that missed. Jackson danced around him in a circle, landing soft blows, but none of them seemed to do much damage; most of them bounced off Ishmael’s back harmlessly. Jackson seemed to be expending a lot of energy without having much in the way of an effect on Ishmael. I glanced over to Jamie and Logan and although I wasn’t as adept at reading the body language of a wolf as I was of a human, there was still enough humanity in them to make some recognizable gestures, and I got the impression they were anxious.

  Then my attention was drawn back to the fight as there was a loud crash. I saw Jackson on the floor again. I realized that the problem with his strategy was that while he was dodging the blows, it only took one misstep for him to suffer a hit, and that hit was deadly, for Ishmael was putting everything into his punches.

  Jackson was struggling to push himself up and my brow creased with worry as Ishmael marched towards him. I was willing Jackson to rise, but then Ishmael was standing above him, his shadow covering Jackson. He drew his fist back and pummeled Jackson in the face, Jackson’s neck snapped back. Jackson was groggy and I thought it was all over, but then Jackson kicked out at Ishmael’s legs and managed to put the bigger wolf off-balance enough so that Jackson could dodge the next blow, which landed on the ground beside his head, and I swore that I could feel the ground tremble under the might of the blow.

  Jackson jumped up and slashed his claws down Ishmael’s body. Crimson blood dripped along the path that Jackson’s claws had made. Ishmael seemed surprised at the sight of his own blood, and the fight was far from over.

  There was something of a respite for the two wolves as Jackson made some distance between him and Ishmael, and this time Ishmael did not try to close it immediately. One arm was cradling his stomach, and I could see the blood seeping through. Jackson was still looking worse for wear though, his fur dirty where he had been thrown around, and one of hi
s eyes was half-closed. But he was still standing, and while that remained true it meant that he still had a chance.

  The hulking figure of Ishmael moved forward and Jackson moved with him, the two wolves looking as though they were going to enter some sort of dance. They were more tired now than when the battle had begun and I realized how intense it must have been, for I knew that werewolves were superior than humans physically, having more stamina and strength, but obviously these advantages weren’t apparent when two wolves were fighting.

  Part of me was silently urging Logan and Jamie to enter the fray and help their brother, but I held my tongue because I knew if they did, Ishmael’s forces would enter the fight as well and all hope would be lost. It was up to Jackson now. He held the future of the clan in his hands, because if he died, we all died.

  I wondered if he knew.

  Jackson and Ishmael continued to fight. They were more reserved now, and the air was fraught with tension. They swiped at each other, testing each other’s reflexes. Ishmael seemed to be getting more and more annoyed with Jackson, and I wondered if it was a chosen tactic of Jackson’s to try and rile Ishmael up, to make him fueled by anger and more erratic. Jackson’s movements seemed labored and I worried that he was just going to stand there and be killed. But then, out of nowhere, he summoned reserves of energy and leaped forward, bringing his fists down in sharp blows against Ishmael’s cheeks. He swiped with his claws and as he landed he kicked out with his feet, landing a number of hard hits on Ishmael’s body. Logan and Jamie cheered, while Ishmael’s army seemed to be taken aback that their commander could be hit like that.

  I wondered if Ishmael had ever encountered such resistance, and I felt bad that Jackson hadn’t been able to have this duel with him to save his clan. Jackson. So many people had died because of Ishmael, and it needed to end here.