Artiface of Strength Ch. 06

They ran directly home to Florence's cabin. It wasn't dusty any longer. She'd cleaned it from the top to the bottom; she'd even thrown away the ancient coffee and replaced it with tea. Her home wasn't exactly what most women would call homey, but it was hers, and it reflected its owner, it was Spartan and uncluttered with useless junk.

She had told William that she owned a cabin, and in truth, she knew that this was an understatement. Her cabin was more of an A-frame home; it had running water, gas, electricity, it was even wired for the internet, not that she made use of much of any of that. She had precious few possessions in her home, not even owning a television or computer. She just had never seen the need for any of that stuff; she was always working.

He was a little surprised at what he saw. "Werewolves live in modern houses?" But he hid his surprise well, and in any event, she was too busy pushing him into the shower to notice the looks on his face.

"Take a shower! Get the sweat off, and then we will talk. I'll have dry clothing for you when you get out."

Not given a chance to speak, William did what he was told. He jumped into the shower and began to bathe. "Odd," he thought, "the soap is unscented," as was the shampoo, the conditioner, and everything else that he found in her bathroom. This just made him wonder what caused her wonderful smell.

As he left the shower, she was entering it, not even giving him a chance to turn off the water. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and said, "Ah, much better, no scent left but your own. I like that one much better anyway. There are some men's clothes on the bed. Now go!" She then shut the door behind her, and he wondered if she was always like this.

Florence made sure that she showered quickly. She didn't think that he'd make a run for it, but she figured that it would be smarter not to take the risk. It didn't take her long to get the sweat off, and as she didn't have any perfume to wash from her body, she was out very quickly, rushing out dressed only in a towel. She found William sitting on her bed with a bemused look on his face.

"Are you always this bossy?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Pretty much, I'm a Beta," she said. When this got a blank response, she sat down next to him and began to explain the history and culture of Were society. She spent well over an hour on the basics before she even touched on mating.

William didn't say much throughout her explanations, being willing to keep his mouth shut so he could listen and learn, but as she told her story, he was taken with how much of what she was saying had been hinted at by his grandfather. It was almost as if the old man had known all about Were. William thought that it was one thing for his grandfather to have believed in spirit guides and personal totems, but it was quite another to have trained his only grandson in pack dynamics. William wasn't sure if this was because his grandfather had known that William had a wolf guide, or if there was more to it than that. He realized he was going to have to talk to the old coyote soon and get some straight answers.

His mental wandering stopped cold when Florence began to explain mating practices and their impact on those whose mates had been established. "Wait," he said, "you are telling me that we have no choice in this? That we are already mated and if that I do not spend the rest of my life with you, you will go insane and your own family will be forced to put you down?"

"It is worse than that my love; it will also happen to you. I'm sorry, I know that you don't believe me yet, but you will see that it is true the very next time that you sleep apart from me. From what I hear, it will be pretty bad for both of us. But don't worry about believing me now; when the time comes, just call me and tell me how you slept without me by your side. But on the bright side, from what I've heard, we'll have the best sex of our lives...times twelve...on steroids! The mated bitches tell me that we'll scream so loud that the geologists down at Berkley will see us on their seismographs. Are you ready for that?"

"Umm," William said slowly, his entire reality having been reset, "I'm supposed to believe any of this?"

"No," she said grinning, "you are supposed to fuck me. I'm pretty sure that it will convince you. I know you are still human, and that you are pre-programmed not to believe anything that deviates from the norm, but I'm going to prove otherwise," she said, throwing her towel aside, and then herself upon him."

"She bit him on the neck, and then on his chest, and finally on his thighs, as he enthusiastically returned her bites with his own. Their skin was broken, blood was exchanged and they became one. Lust exploded over them, consuming them. They were equals, their passion ignited by love and respect; they threw themselves into one another.

There was little foreplay, William's neck was savaged. He was bitten, marked, and his turning begun. He was in a state of ecstasy, and so was his bitch, she had become his madam, his life. He poured himself into her, and as he entered her body, she entered his mind. Their bodies entwined, as did their souls, two becoming one. Florence had been given William to her by the Goddess; receiving her quest and her reward all at once. He was every bit her equal and he was everything she had ever wanted in a mate.

When their coupling was completed, William looked into her eyes and said, "I believe you; we will never sleep apart again."

Florence smiled a satiated smile and said, "I knew it wasn't worthwhile to spend time to convince you, it was way more fun to just do you. Look at me, my love, do you see Harlequin Romance written on my forehead? This bitch puts out! There was no way we were going to go back and forth for weeks hemming and hawing, sighing at one another like we were in one of those horrible British love stories. Why waste time? It was time for the truth."

"I'm a believer," he smiled back.

"Fuck me, William!"

So he did.

~~~

The next morning, she looked at him as he was waking and said, "So, how high do you want to start? Beta?"

Still fuzzy, Will knew that he was tired. Hell, he was also drained and bruised, and she was asking... "What?"

"You are a wolf William, more than just being my mate; you are now a full member of this pack, the Billington Pack. And just like with the mating bond, you won't be able to resist this. The other warriors will soon challenge you to see where you fit into the hierarchy. Your human body will be stronger and faster now. I ran you into the ground during our runs because I was a wolf and you were not. Now, we're both wolves, and you may well be faster than I am. Then again, you may not, but you will be stronger than before. You won't have learned to fight as a wolf yet, but you are a trained soldier and you are a dominant, I have no doubt that it will come very quickly for you! You will be at least a Beta eventually, maybe even immediately. You will find out pretty quickly though, you won't be able to delay it any more than you were able to delay me."

"Like fighting a tornado?" he said dryly.

"Who do you want to talk to first? John or Beth?

"But I've talked to Beth many times."

"No you haven't. She plays stupid with humans. It'll be different now, now she'll rip out your throat if you aren't nice to her...well, at least verbally, she has quite a mouth on her."

"Beth? Stupid bar-girl Beth? Beth, that Phil has been banging Beth?"

Florence snorted in a most unladylike fashion before saying, "Yeah, the Beth that manages the Roadhouse and every other business in Whiskey Town Beth. That Beth?"

"I got played."

"Yes darling, you got played. Don't feel bad though, even John is afraid of her. Sam and Tom positively scatter when she's on the war-path. She runs everything, even John...unless we are at war, and then she is completely submissive to him until the war is over."

"Like the desert bands?"

"Yes my love, just like that. She lets him think that he's in charge."

"Mother-fucker!"

"No dear, that's more of a human thing." She grinned.

William just glared at her, not saying a word.

"So... you gonna hit Tristan at number five, or Sam at number four? Any one lower would be a farce."

"Maybe I should do some sparring first, you know, learn to fight as a wolf."

"Great! Let's go," she enthused, jumping out of bed and running for the bathroom.

"Son of a bitch, there goes morning sex," he mumbled.

Several hours later, he was beaten and even more bruised than before, he was bloody from his head to his toes; Florence had led him through the most grueling training session of his life, but he'd learned a great deal. He was a warrior, bred by the People, and honed by the Corps, and Florence was impressed. By the end of the session, he was driving her back with his superior strength. She was slightly quicker, but he was undoubtedly stronger, and his attacks were starting to defeat her speediest counter-attacks.

"Start with Tristan," she said gasping when they were through, "You'll destroy him, and that will make you the leading non-Beta; then you can decide for yourself what you want to do next. Just don't kill him, and that might be hard for a new wolf to remember, especially if you've been wounded. Keep one thing in mind though, once you beat him, you rank him, and that means that he works for you; it is how we are. It's to your benefit to let him live.

William, if anything, was breathing even more erratically than Florence; he felt as if he'd been swallowed by a hurricane, but he knew that everything that she'd said was true. It all made perfect sense for a warrior society. Endeavor to win or lose, but make sure that you do it with dignity and restraint, because showing off or mistreating others was for cowards. He knew that he'd have a couple of days to decide what he was going to do, honor demanded that he be given time to accept life in the pack.

After taking a long drink, Florence said, "Okay, John or Beth?"

"I thought you said that I'd have a couple of days."

"To find your spot, sure; but not to speak with your hosts. So will it be scary Beth or angry John?"

"Shit."

"Welcome to my life, my sexy one, now quit dithering and pick."

"I'm a soldier Florence, so John, besides I think I'm scared of Beth now."

"Good, she scares me too. She was right about everything she said about you. And yes, before you think to ask, that dress that I wore was hers, although it's trash now. I was so angry that I shifted while I was still wearing it and I tore it to ribbons. Beth hasn't asked for it back, so I'm kind of hoping that she forgets all about it. I think it was brand new."

"I liked that dress."

"Okay then; I'll own up to destroying it and ask her where she bought it. So, are we ready to go talk to John?"

"You don't waste any time."

"I'm a wolf, and tonight you will run with me. We accept things that we can't fight; we've learned to just roll with the punches and keep going."

He acquiesced and told Florence to lead the way. While they walked, she began warning William that John would probably behave in an overly aggressive manner toward him, but that he should just ride it out and to not worry about it too much. As an Alpha, John would have to establish his authority immediately, and considering that Will had worked for Waters, he might be even worse than usual.

As they walked across the compound, William could tell that the other wolves were extremely curious as to what was going on with Florence. Every single wolf who saw her stopped whatever they were doing and just watched silently as the couple walked on by. No one seemed to be willing to make eye contact with Florence, but it was pretty clear that there would only be one topic of conversation within the pack today.

"Umm, Flo..."

"William, I love you, but never call me that; I hate that name!"

"Sorry Florence, I had no idea, but why is everyone watching us, while pretending that they are not? It's eerie, it's almost like I am back on patrol in a village in Afghanistan again."

"We are a pack Will, whatever affects one of us, affects us all. They see you; they smell you on me, and me on you, and they sense that you are not human anymore. So they are curious; wolves are creatures of hierarchy and they don't know where you fit in yet. The fact that not a single wolf in America has found their mate with a human in over two hundred years makes them even more curious about you. What their eyes are seeing conflicts with what their experiences have shown them to be true."

"Like when you shifted with my penis in your mouth?"

Florence giggled before answering, "I've been wondering when you'd bring that up. But no time for that now, we are here. Let's go in."

As the couple opened the door and entered into John's home, the rest of the pack was very confused... Did Flo just...giggle?

John ushered the two into his office without a word and then waited until both were seated before saying, "I understand that Florence has brought you mostly up to speed?"

"Yes, Mr. Billington."

"Call me John, or Alpha. Just tell me what you think you know, and we'll clear up any misconceptions before we start."

"Yes sir, pack life is mostly military. I'll have to fight to earn my rank, and I'll have to do it soon. You are the general, and Florence is now the second in command. You are hundreds of years old, and everything my grandfather ever told me is evidently true...surprisingly.

John grinned at this. "I think I'm going to need to meet him."

"Sir, I think he'd like that, but does that mean that I can speak honestly with him. I'd really like to get his perspective on all of this. It sounds like he knows more about this than he's ever told me."

"Yes William that will probably be a good idea. Obviously we guard our secrets with our lives, but the People have always been our cousins and it sounds like he is one of the few who still believe."

"Thank you, sir."

"So, now we'll move on to the bigger questions. We have two main things to discuss. One: What shall we do about your children? Do we bring them into the pack, or will you try to hide what you are from them?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You are pack now son, We expect absolute loyalty from you, but we'll give it to you as well. Once everyone knows you, they'll be willing to lay down their lives for your children. You are one of us, which means that your children are as well. I think your Corps says something about never leaving a man behind?"

"I never wanted to leave the Corps, sir."

"Welcome back; just think of us as the Wolf Regiment. So, what do we do with your children? What do you want to do?"

"Sir, I think that children need their mother, even if they do have one like Liz. I just can't see ripping them away from her. I think that it would be better to let them grow up before they are forced to make a choice."

"Fair enough, let me know if you change your mind."

"Yes sir and what was number two?"

"Burton and our land, tell me everything that you know."

"Not much sir, he told me that all of this was about getting that casino road built, but I don't buy that. There just isn't enough money in a piddling little Indian casino to make all of this worth his time. The best that I can figure out is that the road is a means to an end, but not the actual end in itself."

"Any clue what his back-up strategy is? I don't know if my daughter has told you, but we have all of the original deeds to this land, his plan will never work."

"Your daughter?" William said, his face growing pale, "Oh God, I've gone from one rich man's daughter to another?"

Florence laughed out loud at this, "I wondered when you were gonna figure that out."

John just stared at William for a moment before whispering, "...and unlike Burton, I'll kill you myself!"

"Umm..." William said.

"Stop it Father," Florence said laughing, "Tell him that you are very sorry and that you trust the mate-bond...and him."

"Sorry Will, I couldn't resist. Beth really is a very bad influence!"

William looked back and forth between the two before he relaxed. "You had me going for a minute there. I'm not used to being in a family that actually cares for one another."

"That's okay son, the one to be afraid of is probably Beth."

"Yes sir, I keep hearing that, but then again, that's why we came here first."

"Smart man, you are learning already. Now... about Burton's back-up plan?"

"Well sir, I'm not entirely sure what it is, but we did quite a bit of background research on a George Medina, who lives in Fresno. He calls himself a Mexican, but his roots are actually indigenous. He proved to be about one fourth Chimariko, although he had absolutely no clue about any of that. He works as a baggage handler at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport. I never spoke with him myself, although Phil might have. I have no clue what Burton wanted with him, but I do know that it had something to do with this."

"He had no clue about his Native blood?"

"Not that we could tell, but then again, he didn't seem to speak Spanish either. He'd been born and raised in Fresno, but he didn't have any family left there. He seems to live his life for only two things, beer and the Oakland Raiders."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir."

"Okay, enough about that. I understand that Florence thinks you should challenge Tristan?"

William was struck dumb by this, they'd only had that conversation ten minutes before; how could Billington already know about it? His face clearly showed his confusion.

"Florence, you haven't taught him about sending yet?"

"No Alpha, we've been working on everything else. I thought we'd get to that after his introduction to the pack."

"Yeah, you are probably right. Never mind then William, we'll talk about your pack ranking later."

John was quiet for a moment as something evidently occurred to him. "You two get out of here; it looks like I have to call the Virginia Alpha again. He has the best access to the tribal registry."

"Yes Alpha," the couple replied as they got up to leave.

"Shit, Jefferson is gonna give me Hell." John mumbled to himself as he dialed the Virginia number.

The phone rang a few times before someone answered, "This is Jefferson," the voice said.

"Hey Jeff, this is Billington again."

"Wow, two phone calls in one decade, you may have to upgrade your cellular plan, John; you must be in some deep shit!"

John just sighed.

"Okay Alpha, I'll quit. What can I do for you?"

"Jeff, I need some information on a tribe. Tell me about the Chimariko; the name sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

"Sure thing John, hang on while I type it in. Hey, while we are waiting for this to load, did I tell you that I'm going to be a grandfather again?"

"No, you didn't mention it. Where do I send the gift this time?"

"Ha! That means that you are going to duck coming to visit us again. Carol is gonna be mad at you, so you'd better send a pretty nice gift... wait, hang on, did you say Chimariko?"

"Yeah... why?"

"It's very strange that you'd ask about them. This tribe was listed as extinct until earlier this year when one surviving member was located."

"Jeff, let me guess. George Medina from Fresno California."

"How did you know?"

"All of this is connected to our land somehow. We got this intelligence from a human who works for Burton Waters. It turns out that this human is Florence's mate and he's been helping us figure out what's going on."

"No shit? A human? Are you sure he's her mate?"

"It sure looks like it, Jeff. As usual, the Goddess has a wicked sense of humour when it comes to my pack. First human in two centuries and he comes for my daughter."