Fulfillment 05

And, in the meantime, she was barely eating, except for the deer earlier, was having trouble sleeping, and seemed to be withdrawing. Even from him.

He could only think of one thing. He looks over at the chestnut wolf. Her ears, lips, and paws were twitching again. He had to get her away from the pack for a while until they could work out whatever was twisted up in her head, until he could get her to face whatever demons were apparently haunting her.

Sunday

The pack woke to a day full of promise and growth. A new pup. A new Beta. An additional pack member. Madeline and the pup were already considered members of the Wyeth pack but they would be formally presented to the others tonight.

Sunrise brought a cold, clear day although they smelled snow coming.

The sound of a motorcycle was prelude to Joanna's return.

Stephanie, Gordon, and Thomas start out the door as young Severn pulls up with their Alpha daughter on the back of his bike. She hops off, kisses him thoroughly, and runs into the house, a spring in her step. Stephanie snorts as the three wolves turn off to start a perimeter sweep. And then she remembers the task her Alpha had set for her. To speak of what she saw in the mated pairs. Crap. She didn't have much time left to come up with something.

Stephanie circles one way around with Thomas while Gordon runs in the opposite direction.

There was little chance of a problem, as the packs would keep to their own ranges at the full moon. But, then, it was only a couple of weeks ago that wolves from another pack had taken two of their members off their range. That had been a rare event, a throwback from ancient days when packs readily killed or kidnapped those from rival packs. It had been a question of resources back then, now they were more... civilized. But they were still wolves. Still enjoying the run, the hunt, and very protective of their territories. And, so, the perimeter sweeps.

**

There were smiles on the faces of several wolves as Joanna trips up the stairs, smelling of Nathan Severn.

Roland is walking down the stairs as she walks up. "So, sis, how was it?"

"Chaotic. Four pups running around the table, his parents, his brothers, and their mates. So, I've met his entire family."

He grabs her chin and tips her neck to one side, then the other. She slaps his hands away. "Stop it."

"Yeah, I guess not, or you wouldn't have come home."

"Did you think I got mated?"

"You were gone all night," Roland says.

"The snow made it bad for the bike."

"Uh, huh. Sleep well?"

Joanna pokes her older brother in the chest. "Shut. Up. Besides, it's none of your business."

[Mom. Joanna's home.]

[I heard the bike, Rolly. Thank you.] [Joanna, I wish to speak with you this morning.]

The tone of her mother's send made her uncomfortable. [OK, Mom.]

Joanna washes up, thinking of the night before. It was neat. It was comfortable. It was amazing. Even though she was ready to go all the way, it was really nice just to sleep in the same bed with him.

It had been a bit uncomfortable at first. She didn't know how to act. He had pulled her back against him and she'd gotten too warm. So, Nathan had let her go and she'd moved away. But she woke up this morning to Nathan laying on his back and her curled up against him, with her head on his chest and his arm around her.

He had slept with a t-shirt and sweatpants on; she had worn one of his t-shirts. And, now, she thought of what it would be like to lay there with him, skin to skin. And, then, to do the rest of the things that she thought about, that were a little scary. And she wondered how long it would be, what it would feel like because, so far, it had felt pretty good.

She had to talk to someone about it. [Lyssa? You around?]

Lyssa and Joanna are sitting in a corner of the dining room. Lyssa's hands are wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee. She takes a deep drink. Her voice is tired as she asks, "So, Jo, what's going on?"

"I spent the night with Nathan."

Lyssa looks up and examines Joanna a little more closely. "Oh?"

"He... we..."

Lyssa closes her eyes. One. Two. Three. "Fucked?"

Joanna makes a face. "Ew. No. Why would you say it like that?"

"Then what did happen?"

"He just.. Well, we went back to his house cuz the roads looked bad and, while we were on the couch he, well, my shirt came off."

"All by itself, huh?"

"Well, no, but, oh, Lyssa, it was so, so amazing. And it was just my boobs."

"Breasts, Joanna. There's no reason for you to talk like a child."

"Um, yeah. Breasts. I had no idea it could feel so, so good. And it was like they were connected to my, my, OK, I don't even know exactly where there is."

"So, how far did it get?"

"That's it. I kinda wanted to but he wouldn't."

Second base. "Wouldn't?"

"He said we had time. And then we got into bed and slept. It was warm and I had some trouble sleeping with someone else in the bed but it was so nice. I was sorry to have morning come."

"It gets better, just so long as he isn't a total dick. Just make sure to tell him if you don't like something he's doing or you'll end up having to put up with it forever."

"Um. OK." Joanna peers at her friend. "Lyssa. Are you OK? You don't look so good."

"I don't know. Em says I'm having nightmares. I got into an argument with your mother yesterday. I don't feel quite. Right."

Joanna puts a hand on Lyssa's arm and pulls back when Lyssa's lip lifts slightly. "Have you talked to Natalie?"

"No."

"Is this about what happened? To us?"

"I don't know."

Ignoring the warning signals, Joanna throws her arms around her friend. "Lyssa. You're OK. You're safe. You saved us."

Lyssa sits stiffly. Joanna continues, "You were fine a couple days ago. What happened? I know I haven't been around a lot, but you can talk to me. Something's wrong."

Lyssa sits, hands still around the coffee cup, staring off into space. "Nothing. Everything." [Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a werewolf.]

"What are you thinking?! Lyssa..."

[Quiet, Jo. You can't tell anyone.]

[But, why? It's not like you can stop being one.]

"I know." Lyssa turns away from her young friend.

"Talk to me." Joanna puts a hand on her arm again and is rewarded with a growl. Lyssa had never, ever growled at her before. "OK, Lys. I'll leave you alone now. But come talk to me later, OK?"

A noncommittal grunt is her reply.

Joanna heads upstairs to find her mother and finds Emmett just leaving the Alpha suite, a worried look on his face.

She peeks in. "Mom?"

"Come in, Jo."

"I'm sorry, Mom, I should have called last night."

Ariel looks at her daughter, smiles, and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yes, sweetie, it would have been nice if you had. How are you and Nathan doing?"

"Um, good, Mom. I've met all his brothers and their mates and pups."

"And what did you think of them?"

"It's kinda creepy. Jonathon and Juliet. Kyle and Kendra. Luke and Laura. Matt and Mary?"

Ariel chuckles. "Jon has some odd ideas on naming pups. And how they got their mates..." She shakes her head. "But, I asked you here for another reason."

Joanna cocks her head. "What?"

Ariel sighs. "One of our pack members has become increasingly volatile. I'm trying to gauge the level of threat she is to the pack."

Joanna gasps. "Mom, you can't hurt Lyssa!"

"Jo, she challenged me last night."

"No. She wouldn't."

"Defiant. Argumentative. And initiated a fight with me." Ariel waits for her daughter to process this information. "I'd like you to tell me what you've seen."

Joanna sits and thinks for a minute. "I don't know. I haven't really been around much lately."

"Anything you can think of, Jo. We're trying to figure out what's going on and how we can help."

"Um, well, I was talking to her earlier and she was kinda rude. She wasn't like herself. And, she said," Ariel waits for her daughter to finish, "maybe she shouldn't be a werewolf."

"How did you feel around her?"

"Kinda uncomfortable. Mom, she growled at me."

"Why did she growl?"

"All I did was touch her arm." Ariel nods, exhaling. Joanna looks at her, worried. "She started a fight?"

Ariel nods. "And there have been other things? She said she's having nightmares."

"And, if she remembers anything about them, she's not saying. She snapped at Emmett last night, in her sleep, and drew blood. She seems jealous of Madeline and put Cassie on edge. Emmett also said she's driven to her old house and the house where you were held."

"It's gotta be something about them taking us, Mom."

"Perhaps. It could be something else, after all, she wasn't born to the pack."

"She went through a lot when she was growing up."

"Thank you for reminding me, Jo. That might be part of it."

"What're you gonna do?"

"I'll be discussing this with your father. Unfortunately, her case is not a simple one and, while she may not be able to do it with claws and teeth, the fact that she's killed with a strong send means we need to be cautious."

"What can I do?"

"Be her friend, Jo. Just be wary."

**

Some of the younger pups are tumbling, wrestling, and biting each other in the training room. Released from their lessons for the day, they are determining a pecking order, or status, within the pack. While their place in the pack was largely determined by birth there were ways to both increase and decrease status.

Females looked for a strong male who could provide for her and their pups. A weak male would have a much harder time finding a mate, even now. But, the realities of the world in which they lived also played a role. Other abilities – strategy, planning, technology, leadership - were important for promoting oneself. In the social structure of a wolf pack, cooperation was essential and, though the Alpha's word was absolute and werewolf justice swift and deadly, diplomacy was also needed, both within the pack and without.

The young pups didn't recognize all of this, of course, but were acutely aware of status.

Lyssa was working her triceps, and getting mildly annoyed by the persistent growling coming from the other side of the room.

Stephanie is nearby, dead lifting 300 pounds. In between sets, she looks over at Lyssa. "Madam Beta, may I ask you a question?"

Lyssa sighs. "I suppose."

"I have heard that you did not want to kill the Ross wolf who harmed you but you did it anyway, that you demanded it, even though the Beta agreed to do it."

Lyssa stops what she's doing and looks at Stephanie, eyes hard. "Do you want me angry, Stephanie? Do you want to fight?"

Stephanie keeps her eyes down. "No, Madam Beta. The Madam Alpha has given me a task and I am trying to complete it."

"By reminding me of my failure?" Lyssa barks at the pups. "Get out!"

Startled, the young ones scrabble to a stop. A hard look from her has them running from the room, yelping, tails between their legs.

Lyssa turns to Stephanie and growls. The growl unnerved Stephanie, though she was not afraid. She keeps her eyes averted. "It is not my intention to make you mad, Madam Beta. I want to understand."

Lyssa's chest is heaving and she closes her eyes. She was mad, recognizes it as being out of proportion, but was unable to calm herself. She wants to strike out at someone, something.

Stephanie was a fighter and performed most of the tasks commonly assigned to males of the pack. Would it help her calm down? She didn't get a chance to fight Ariel the night before.

Lyssa opens her eyes. "Stephanie. I propose the following. We spar, no holds barred. If I win, you walk away. If you win, I will answer your question."

Stephanie considers this unusual proposition. The Beta might be angry if she agreed to the terms but her Madam Alpha had given her a task. "The circle?" Lyssa nods. "No mental attack that will put me down." Lyssa shakes her head. "No punishment if I injure you." Lyssa barks a laugh and shakes her head again. "Is there a specific form you wish to maintain?"

Lyssa considers briefly. "No."

The Beta female could not beat her. She did not have the years of training, of hard fighting, the scars Stephanie had. She would get the answer to her question. "Agreed."

Lyssa smiles, rips through her clothing, and races out to the circle. Stephanie strips and follows, a brown wolf with lighter forelimbs and head, chasing a larger, chestnut wolf to the Wyeth circle.

Lyssa enters and moves to the opposite side, then turns to wait for Stephanie.

Stephanie enters the circle and sits, regarding her opponent.

Hackles up, head low, teeth bared, Lyssa watches as Stephanie's eyes track her. Overconfident. Just sitting there, waiting for her to do something.

Stephanie turns her head slightly as she watches Caroline return from an outing with three of the pack's pre-adolescent pups. However, her ear is flicked in Lyssa's direction and she hears the almost silent rush of the Beta female. Stephanie skitters out of the way and trips Lyssa in the process.

Lyssa catches her balance and turns, shifting to intermediate form, kicks off a rock, and launches herself at Stephanie.

The send goes out from one of the young males. [Fight!]

And the question comes back from a few. [Who?]

[The Beta female and Stephanie.]

Several wolves come out of the house as Stephanie, now in intermediate form, rolls and throws Lyssa off to the side. Lyssa rolls to her feet, snarling, and launches herself again at Stephanie.

Emmett runs out, followed shortly after by Erich. Stephanie twists to one side and shoves down on Lyssa as she comes by.

Lyssa stumbles and rolls, coming up with a good-sized piece of log. Whirling, she breaks it over Stephanie's back.

Emmett evaluates the mostly silent fight while trying to figure out whether this was a sparring session or something else.

[Stephanie's doing a good job, trying not to hurt her.] Erich says. His attention is diverted slightly by the arrival of his mate.

[Yes. Lyssa's doing all the attacking. Stephanie has had a couple of opportunities already to take her.] Emmett replies as Joanna settles on his other side.

The only sounds are the grunts and heavy breathing of the combatants, mostly Lyssa, and the sound of paws or feet on the ground.

Then, the smell of blood. Lyssa ducks under Stephanie's arms and leave a tear across her thigh. The typical howl goes up from the assembled wolves at the drawing of first blood.

Lyssa backs off a bit, wearing a slight, wolfish grin. Emmett sees her muscles bunch before her next leap. Lyssa, as wolf, was going after a wolf woman – Stephanie. It was the mistake she had made with the Ross wolf.

Stephanie twists as Lyssa leaps for her arm and leaves the bloody track of one claw down Lyssa's side.

Erich smells Emmett's blood and looks to his friend. Blood is dripping from his clenched fists, held firmly at his sides. [Easy, Em, Stephanie's being careful.]

Careful, yes, but Lyssa was his mate and Emmett feels the powerful urge to protect her. Seeing and smelling her blood set his teeth on edge.

Joanna is nervous and takes Emmett's hand. [I don't get it, Em. What's she doing?]

Emmett turns briefly to Joanna and pulls his hand out of her grasp, then looks back to the fight. [I don't know. She was mad when I pulled her away from that wolf. Picked a fight with your mother. Maybe she just needs to let it out.]

Lyssa pauses and scents the air, picking up the smell of her mate's blood. She looks at him and is distracted enough that Stephanie could easily take her. She doesn't, but rushes by, smacking Lyssa's muzzle as she passes.

Lyssa's teeth snick together and she bites her tongue. Turning, really pissed, she snarls and lunges. As with the Ross wolf, Stephanie grabs her by the throat and shakes her.

Lyssa, the wolf, struggles and scrabbles, trying to inflict damage. The wolf woman is easily able to hold her away. Stephanie catches the beginnings of Lyssa's change and slams her to the ground on her back. Lyssa's head bounces off the frozen ground as a light snow begins. Dazed, she can't get away as Stephanie settles atop her. She struggles, though her wrists and legs are pinned

The wolves surrounding the circle howl; Stephanie has clearly won the match.

Lyssa narrows her eyes at Stephanie. [Ah, ah. No mental attack.] Stephanie sends.

Lyssa closes her eyes, huffs, and lays still. [I bow to your superior skill.]

Stephanie cocks her head slightly and looks at her Madam Beta, not submission but an admission. As she releases Lyssa and sits back she says [My question, Madam Beta?]

Lyssa sits up and puts up a hand to stop Emmett's approach. He halts, a question on his face.

[No, Stephanie, I did not want to come into this circle and just kill him.]

[Even though he had a part in your capture, confinement, and pain? Strange. The Beta meant to take your place but you demanded to do it, why?]

[I need to be able to take care of things myself.]

[I understand. Thank you, Madam Beta.]

As Stephanie prepares to leave another send from Lyssa stops her. [Stephanie, wait. That may be one of the reasons, but it's not the most important one.] Stephanie turns to look at her.

Lyssa takes a deep breath, then releases it. [It would have gone badly if I hadn't tried, for Emmett.] A pause. [I did it for him.]

Stephanie turns and looks at her more closely. Lyssa looks back at her; she clearly doesn't understand. [Ask any of the others, ask Joanna, what they wouldn't do for their mate.]

Emmett comes into the circle to collect his mate, turning her to look at the wound on her side. Stephanie watches and remembers their first few days at the den. And she walks away, noticing Erich nuzzling Madeline, who had left her pack for her mate. And she thought of Calvin and Sabine.

[Feel better?]

Lyssa looks at her mate and sniffs as he examines her wound. [Why do you smell like Joanna?]

[What? She was standing next to me.]

[No. It's more than that. What have you to been doing?]

[It's just my hand, Lys. She grabbed it when you got hurt.] Lyssa doesn't look convinced.

[You're jealous? Of Jo?]

[Maybe I'm not wolfy enough for you.]

[Lyssa, stop. Look, we're late for lunch and then we have petitions, but you should see Wade first. C'mon.]

[Got it, Em. Go get something to eat; I'll be there.]

Lyssa stalks away, looking for the pack's primary healer. She walks into the medical ward to find Thomas stitching up one of the young males. He ducks his head. "Madam Beta," an exhale. Lyssa pivots to leave. "I'm almost done here."

"I'll be fine."

"It's a long wound, Madam Beta. It likely needs stitching."

She looks over her shoulder. "Where are Wade and Natalie?"

"Lunch, Madam Beta."

"I'll be back."

Lyssa goes up to their room and washes up, wincing at the pain and washing her blood down the drain. Sighing, she dries off, slips on a dress and pads downstairs to eat.

She slides in beside Emmett, who checks the contents of her plate. There isn't much there, not as much as she would normally have. She smells the soap on his hands. He'd washed up, removing Joanna's scent.

They eat in silence although the dining room is really loud. People are trying to wheedle the baby's name out of Cassie and Samuel; Joanna is chattering with Madeline about Nathan; and Erich and Roland are deep in conversation.

Lyssa finishes her plate and rises to clear her place. "You should have some more, mate."

She turns and slams the plate and glass down on the table. The hall goes dead silent. The reply comes out between clenched teeth. "I don't need you telling me what to do. You're not my father."

[No, Lyssa, I'm your mate and I'm worried about you.]

She replies, "I'm fine" and stalks off.

As he steps from the table a calm voice enters his mind [I wouldn't follow her, Emmett.]

He stops, eyes closed, as conversation resumes. [I have to, Ariel. I've got to find out what's wrong.]