Silver Moon: A Change Ch. 04

This is a pure work of fiction and all aspects are from my own imagination though some parts will probably sound similar depending on how much fantasy reading you have done.

If you have any problems with what I am typing let me know but if you are only going to give crappy feedback as in 'it sucks' then go frost yourself and hope you need a new wanker... Now if you have some positive feedback please let me know.

Oh and a few things you might notice, most of the characters are not going to be some hot rockin' stud who looks like Adonis. Can you say over used and over played? Also if I ever have a set of dueling tongues I might just shoot myself. Every time I come across that I can't help but see them facing off at 20 paces with guns and that is just wrong...

I would also like to greatly thank Somaluna for proof reading this and giving me some excellent feedback. At the end of the chapter is a list of characters. Periodically I might be adding a bit of background data to help fill in details that wouldn't normally be mentioned. Also I know there haven't been any sex scenes but in my next chapter, assuming my plots work out, there will be and hope it works.

*

Once Mari walked into the bathroom, Dan walked over to the bed and sort of flopped on it. He really didn't want anyone in his room. If he didn't though, he was going to end up running and howling out his mind as his wolf took over. Without Mari's presence as a submissive to calm his wolf, his wolf would take over once again and he would once again be endlessly running and howling to give voice to their pain inside. He was still lying there on the clean sheets when she finally came out.

"Sir, if you want the bathroom is yours." Her voice was soft but even now there was some apprehension in her voice.

"Um, thanks and since you know where everything is can you find me some shorts please?" He forced his body off the bed and slowly walked to the bathroom and stripped down. There was a laundry basket and he tossed his sweat pants into it and climbed into the shower. The water was already hot and it felt so good on his body and he took his time getting clean. As he was doing that he heard Mari place something inside the room but didn't say anything when she closed the door behind her.

Eventually he had his body clean and his hair clean though what he washed with was odd. The items for getting clean weren't what he was used to. There was a wash cloth, no loofa, some shampoo that was sort of goopy, thicker than what he used back home, and the soap was a bar soap and not body wash. Also the fittings in the shower were antique. It had the four spindle knobs and external plumbing from when the water came into the water control mechanism. Even the finish just looked old and not as refined as his pack house. He finally turned the water off and toweled off before stepping out. On the counter was a set of shorts and he pulled them on.

When he walked out of the bathroom, he found Mari standing there in a sort of t-shirt that hung down to her mid thighs. "You could have crawled in bed Mari." Dan gave her a soft smile and walked over to the bed and crawled in. "I don't want a slave little one, I need someone who will...." he closed his eyes and tried not to cry again to swallow the tears, "I need someone who will hold me and let me cry." Before he crumpled she hurried over and crawled into bed but almost panicked when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her chest and started crying.

"God I miss my family." His voice started quietly and rose as he talked and before she realized it, he was almost howling. "I want my family back. I want my mate and my cubs back." His arms were wrapped around her as he sobbed into her neck and he couldn't stop.

Mari wrapped her arms around him and let him cry. It felt sort of wrong to have her Alpha's head tucked under hers, but on some level it also felt right. "Sleep my Alpha, sleep. I am going to be here for you as long as needed." He hadn't attacked her or forced her to accept having sex with him. He had cuddled with the pups, as he called them, and from what she could feel he only wanted comfort and consolation. It was a while later before he eventually fell asleep. Mari slid down in bed but kept her arms around him before finally falling asleep herself. As she was sleeping she felt very comfortable and something else warmed her and caused her to sleep even deeper. What she didn't realize at the moment was that it was her wolf reacting to her Alpha and implicitly trusting his wolf.

To the wolf yesterday is simply that, yesterday and to be forgotten. What mattered was now and tomorrow. This wolf, as her wolf thought of their Alpha, had killed those that hurt others, listened to a pup, protected an older cub and gave orders to protect the pack. For all the lycan's the half that was going to need to really come to terms with it was their human side. To them yesterday gave an indication of how today and tomorrow were going to go. Their yesterdays had been filled with abuse, ill treatment, not getting enough to eat for some of the females and other indignities. They, the human side, had to learn to trust again.

Giani and the two boys had slipped away from the cub's room, and following both her and Dan's scent tracked Dan and his scent of sadness to his room. They had never even considered this before but she was their sort of leader and didn't really think about it. When they reached his room, well new room, they carefully opened the door and snuck inside. Once inside they stripped and shifted, leaving small piles of cloths on the floor, and hopped on the bed and curled up with the two inside. Dan was deep enough asleep that the pups didn't get seen as a threat and reached out and grabbed two of the pups and pulled them close and curled around them.

His girls had joined their parents in their bed often enough when there were storms that though during the day he would know better but at night thought they were his. If he had been awake enough for that thought process to flash across his brain he probably would have started crying again. Instead they comforted him with their small warm bodies and helped him sleep even deeper.

Mari took the third and pulled him to her and tucked him under her chin and murmured softly before going back to sleep. Since she was not in her room and in her bed she was twitch enough to sort of wake up till the scent of one of the cubs made her smile and pulled him close and curled around him like she did many a time.

When he woke up, Dan felt better than he had for a while but knew that was only a momentary feeling. He had seen people lose their mates before and it was a long and rocky road to recover. As he was waking up he could sense there were others in bed besides him and Mari and opened his eyes and looked. He had to grin since he was curled around the pup he recognized as the little girl as well as one of the boys, or he assumed it was one of the boys since he hadn't seen them in their other forms.

"And who invited you two into my bed?" There was definite amusement in his voice when he said that and grinned when she simply rolled over on her back and twitched a bit.

"Make that three Dan since I have a cub over here as well." Mari was more than startled when she woke up and found one of the cubs next to her. It wasn't unusual for her to find one or two in her bed but the Alpha's bed? That was actually shocking. "Oh, must be a wolf thing I guess. Curl up in a dog pile, well wolf pile would be better to say I guess." Dan rolled over and smiled at Mari. "Thank you for staying. It really helped a great deal." After a light peck on her forehead he carefully got out of bed and after grabbing some clothes that looked like they might fit walked into the bathroom.

He hadn't really paid much attention last night when he had used it and now he took a good look around it. The tub was a claw foot tub, the fixtures looked rather old fashioned like so many other things in the house and there was also a large shower. Since he was still feeling rather grungy after yesterday he started a shower and climbed in and let the water flow over him.

As he was starting to wash his hair, he heard the bathroom door open and the sounds of several little feet sneaking in. He sighed since this really wasn't something he was used to. Moments later the shower door was opened and there was some giggling and he turned and mock growled. "And what are you doing in my bed and my shower? I think someone is going to get more tickly fingers..."

Giani giggled even more and then sobered up before walking over and leaning against one leg. "You were sad and since you said pack takes care of pack we came to take care of you." She didn't look like his kids whatsoever since his former mate had been Asian. Giani had a mop of blond hair and pale skin with a few freckles scattered around and unlike Mari, looked decently fed. The two boys looked very different as well. One had thick black hair and was also fairly pale, but the second had mousy brown hair and darker skin. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay Alpha sir." The black haired boy said as he leaned against his other leg and looked up at him with entreating eyes.

Dan couldn't help but appreciate the thoughts, but as an Alpha and a father had to put his foot down. "Okay, thank you and I appreciate your thoughts. In the future if you want to cuddle or snuggle, ask first. Right now I am sure your parents are wondering where you are and are probably worried. That is not taking care of pack is it? Now let's get you three cleaned up and back to your rooms." Dan didn't realize they all slept in the same room till they were 13 or so.

Dan squatted down and after grabbing some shampoo started working on the little boy's hair. The other two used some and started getting clean as well. Eventually they were clean and he chased them out of the shower. "Get dried off, dressed and back to your parents." He said that in a firm tone and they nodded.

When he walked out of the bathroom Mari was still in bed and grinning at him. "They were in the bathroom before I realized what they were doing and figured the mean old wolf could take care of them." Why she was feeling so comfortable with him she wasn't sure. Maybe it was something her wolf sensed that allowed her to gently tease him knowing he wouldn't do anything other than growl.

That was exactly what he did; he growled at her and glared at her. "I think the little submissive might just get spanked." He flopped on the bed and relaxed. "Time for breakfast I think. My inner wolf is growling at me."

She laughed at him and curled up next to him when he flopped on the bed. "I would say go for it but I think it might be a bit soon for both of us." Mari knew exactly what he had meant but couldn't resist. It had been a while since a male had actually attracted her but he did. She knew that it would be way too soon for him and didn't even consider trying to seduce him.

He growled at her again and relaxed in her arms. "Definitely not the spanking I was thinking of and I will think up a suitable punishment for teasing your Alpha." The next question he had for her he hesitated to ask since he wasn't sure how she would take it. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea but would you mind moving some of your clothes in here? I have a feeling that I am going to need your help for a while. Having a pack that needs me helps but at night when I am not doing anything my wolf starts to lose it."

She tried to repress the shiver, but she couldn't help it. Usually when the Alpha wanted her in his bed, it was for sex and he had been a crude brute about it. "I can do that if you need my help my Alpha. I will see to it this morning." Her voice was quiet when she said that. "Some are going to think that you are using me like the previous Alpha did."

Dan's face hardened. "Then I will correct their thinking. I don't care what they think, but if they speak it, I will deal with it." His wolf was growling in the back if his mind. He knew what she meant and didn't like it. They had just lost their mate and that simply wasn't going to happen any time soon. "Um, when is the moon?" He had a feeling that was another reason he was slightly edgy.

"Tonight my Alpha, it will happen tonight." She scooted to the edge to get up and get dressed. Last night when she had stripped down she hadn't had clean clothes handy. She was wearing one of the former Alpha's long shirts and her panties. "I will move some of my things in here later. What else do you need of me?"

Dan sighed. "Mari call me by my name. Call me Dan and if you really need it that is an order." He smiled gently at her before he stood up and walked out of the room.

The rest of the day Dan spent walking around and poking his nose into all kinds of places. There wasn't actually just one building but several. The main one was where most of the people lived. The men had their own rooms but the women, unless mated, shared a series of rooms. The kids from toddler to puberty lived in a large room and he found that this was where Mari slept as well, since one of her jobs was to take care of the youngsters. Once the pups reached puberty they were separated into segregated rooms until they turned 18 or so. That wasn't really surprising since they were wolves and it wasn't unusual to find two or three wolves curled up in bed together. Or in his former pack it wasn't and Dan guessed it was similar here. There was a large open floored building that he assumed was for training and didn't look like it was used very often or very well. That was definitely going to change as soon as he had a chance. Another of the buildings was for storage and seemed to have a variety of clothing, spare parts, and dry goods.

By the time dinner rolled around and night was starting to fall he could feel their mistress calling gently to him and wondered how they handled moon nights here. Preferring to keep the pack from thinking that Mari was more special to him than the rest, he waved Felanzi over since she was the most senior as far as he knew. "How are moon nights handled? I don't know if you have a den or not, and since I assume the pups change as well, what do they do?"

She smiled slightly. "We change here and Mari and one of the unmated females stay to keep control of them. Anyone older than 13 comes with the pack for the hunt. We find one or two deer or maybe a cow and hunt it down. Some of the meat gets saved and brought back for the cubs to share and enjoy. Once the pack returns, back usually Mari and who was assigned to stay behind go and finds a rabbit or similar."

Dan frowned slightly in concentration as he contemplated what she had to say and it seemed fairly reasonable. "It still sounds so odd talking about real pups. How the women where I come from would love to have real pups of their own."

"That still sounds so strange. You speak what we do and act like a werewolf and smell like one, it is so odd to even think you are from somewhere else." Felanzi actually smiled at him and shook her head. "I don't want to sound bad but thank you for killing my former mate. He had killed my father and took over the pack and has been running it into the ground since." As she said that, her voice had gotten very quiet.

Dan reached over and lightly stroked her cheek. "My pleasure and you are welcome." He had a feeling that she had been taken forcefully and unwillingly. So far none of the women have had any complaints about the whole 'not willing' business though he had heard a few grumbles from the men.

***

It was finally time for the change. As Dan walked out back of the manor house he had to smile since most of the little kids had already changed and there were piles of cloths neatly lined up on the large porch. He had to grin at the little puppy fights that were going on and the small growls and yips as well. It was also sort of strange to him since he had never seen werewolf pups like this. Yes the kids did tend to play when the adults went for a run, but they were human children so it wasn't the same. He knew that everyone would be out shortly but he lifted his head and let out a low howl to call everyone in the pack together out back. Once they were assembled he smiled.

"This is going to be our first shift together and I am looking forward to it. I hope to lead you in a good hunt and bring back plenty of meat for the little ones." Everyone was looking at him and he smiled a bit wider. "That and I am going to run your butts off as I learn how well trained you are. I have high standards and if you don't meet them I am going to be running your butts off for the next month until I am satisfied." There was laughter in his voice when he said that, though indeed he was very serious. He started pulling his clothes off and noticed others did as well. He looked at his pack and nodded. The women were on the scrawny side and the men on the well fed side but he was changing that. "Change and let us greet our mistress." His voice was soft but carried a command in it. He leaned forward as his body started to change and a few moments later his wolf stood up and shook out his fur and padded forward a few steps. As he looked at the pack, one thing that shocked him was he was simply and literally head and shoulders taller than they were. In this form he was close to 350 pounds. At his best guess, most of them ranged in the low 200's and less.

When the pack members changed, they looked at him in upon his wolf form and all of them were shocked. Their new alpha was literally huge and they had never seen anyone his size before. The former alpha had topped him in human form by a good 6 inches, but in his wolf form he would have been a good 100 pounds less, if not more. Even the pups stopped playing and stared as Dan moved forward a bit. His wolf was solid back except for a white tip on his tail.

*What? Haven't you ever seen a wolf before?* His mental voice was amused and Giani recognized it and sort of galloped forward and started nipping at one of his paws. Dan looked down at her and mock growled at her. *My foot and I might just squish you.*

He lightly whacked at her with one paw before pinning her down and started pretending to bite her and then gave her a good bath with his tongue. That got playfully annoyed yips and growls from her and several of the other pups came forward in her defense and started attacking his paws and legs. Moments later he was lying on his side and waving his paws at them. *Argh, taken down by a pack of pups, how horrible!*

The adults were all sort of standing there shocked at seeing him play. They had never seen that before, or at least not since the previous Alpha had taken over. The pup he had protected the other day came forward and pretended to attack Dan as well. *Not going to let you get those cubs you evil wolf.* He sort of nipped and snapped at Dan and 'rescued' one of the pups before diving back in only to get taken out.

*You dare take my prey? You are next.* Dan shoulder butted him and pretended to chew on his shoulder and then gave him a good tongue swipe on his face before backing away, signaling an end to play time. *Enough play. Break up into your groups and we are going hunting."

*Okay everyone, the pups will remain at home and the rest of us will go on a good hunt and have something to bring back to the pups and everyone that remains behind.* Dan sat down and lifted his head to the moon and gave a low howl. As the others joined in he couldn't help but let out a mournful howl as well. It was for his mate and their children. He howled his heart out for several minutes before standing up and shaking his fur out. *Let us go hunt!*

The next several hours were hard on the pack. He set a hard pace and ran them into the ground before actually hunting for something. They were, the pack, was soft and weak and he was going to work them till he was satisfied with what they could become. Not all could be fighters, but all could be trained to protect and then some would be fighters and enforcers. Eventually they did find a herd of deer and he picked out a buck and two does to take out. The does were older and probably not going to carry more than one or two more fawns so taking them out of the food chain wasn't a detrimental. *Go, get them and let me see what type of hunters I have.*