Slave Lunas Ch. 11-14

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm alive, he's not. I'm going from there." She grinned at him as she gobbled up a strip of bacon. "Are you here to help?"

"I'm here as long as I am welcome," he replied with a smirk before he winked at me.

"We can use his help, Catherine. With him and Shay here with us, we can put up enough of a fight that the other Alphas will think twice before attacking."

Seamus looked at me, so I explained what was going on around us- how Sheri and Tandy had taken over the Black Death pack, how all the lands Kendrick had held were now virtually unprotected, and the surrounding Packs- including the Bighorn Pack which I was most worried about. "Word is getting out, and you know how Alphas think. Unprotected territory is vulnerable, and female Alphas are weak and easy pickings. They'll be lining up to go against me, if they aren't already coming. I've barely got enough wolves to defend this area, much less the whole territory."

"You're right," he said as he put his fork down. His chair creaked a little as his huge body sat back from the table. "That's exactly what they will do, unless you show them you are not to be trifled with."

"How? Do we challenge them like Sheri and Tandy did?"

He laughed. "By Luna, I wish I could have seen that fight. Zane always had an ego that was too big for his body. No, you'll never win this one on defense, and you can't beat them all. You have to do this politically, with allies and the Law behind you."

"Politics? How the hell will that save us, we don't have time to wait for all the Alphas to agree on something." I looked at Craig, he was staring at his food like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and Vivian and Mary were focused on eating. "What can I offer politically other than land?"

"A narrative." I looked at Seamus like he had a horn coming out of the middle of his head. "Think about it. A cancer among our people, this Alpha who ruled by fear and intimidation, who desecrated everything Luna stands for. None of them could stand against him, and fear- fear of him and of what would happen to THEIR mates- fear kept them from doing anything for over a decade. Somehow, from the lowest position anyone could be, you ladies wiped out his whole Pack and took over. You're turning it back to what it was supposed to be, and you've taken out his closest friend and ally as well. You're fucking heroes, that's what you all are, you're LEGENDS. All you have to do is get your story out, and the good wolves will rally to your cause."

"And how do I do that?"

"You're Queen of the Lunas and you don't even know it. There isn't a she-wolf in this Continent who wouldn't do everything in her power to help you. Most of the Alphas will too, they owe you." He put his hand on my shoulder, I wanted to flinch away but I wanted to lean into it too, especially when the tingles started. "And I can help with the political side. I know most of the North American Alphas, I can help you arrange treaties and alliances. There are more ways to hold a Pack and a Territory than just brute force."

I picked up my last piece of bacon, chewing on it slowly as I thought over what he said. When I was done, he offered me one of his. I was a little shocked, but I bit from the end as he held it for me. The significance of his offering and my acceptance was not lost on the others, it was something mates did for one another. It was the first thing I had done to indicate I was willing to act on what I felt between us, and he smiled as I took another bite.

I really didn't have time for this right now. "So what would you suggest I do?"

"Invite all the regional Alphas here and solidify allies before enemies can act," he said. "Send messengers immediately, and invite each Alpha and one Beta here at noon tomorrow. Invite their mates as well, this is a new world."

"Will they come?"

"To see the Luna who took out Kendrick? You're goddamn right they will. They will want to meet you and size you up as a friend or enemy."

I stood, and Craig and my girls stood with me. "I've got a lot to do then."

He reached up and took my hand in his, sending those shocks thought my body. "You'll have help. Shay and I will do whatever it takes, we both want you to succeed." He brought my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it, causing my wolf to swoon in my head. "And I just want you to be safe and happy."

Ch 13

Shay's POV

I woke up, still in wolf form, and stayed still as my eyes opened and my nose sniffed the air. The light was streaming through the gaps in the draperies, one line had hit my eyelid and caused me to wake. The air was filled with the smell of my mate, and I felt her cuddled up behind me, her paws near my shoulders as my tail whapped on the bed. Paws...

I lifted my head and looked behind me. She had shifted during the night, her wolf must have taken over. It wasn't unexpected, I knew her human part was resisting me still and her wolf and mine were already head over paws in love with each other. My wolf was restless, he wanted to 'wake her and take her,' but I knew she wasn't ready yet.

I looked over at her, admiring her red coat mixed in with the white and the black. She was striking in all ways, she was perfect for me, and I couldn't wait until she was mine in all ways. My wolf just wanted to take care of her, so he took a little more control and moved me over so I could groom her face and neck. She almost purred as my tongue bathed her fur around her ears, dipping inside to clean them out, then down her neck to her shoulders. She rolled onto her back, her head stretching to expose more of her neck to my ministrations.

I got on all fours and moved over her, straddling her body. I realized my mistake almost immediately; her growl matched the fear in her eyes, and she scrambled out from under me as I sat back. I whined softly, my head down as I apologized. She sat up at the head of the bed, shaking, so I jumped off the bed and went to the door to give her space. I'd check on her in a few hours, I thought.

Her soft whine stopped me in my tracks. I looked over and she was crawling to the edge of the bed, her head cocked to the side as her tail flicked back and forth. Whatever fight there had been in her head was over. I could tell from her eyes that her wolf was in full control, and her wolf wanted to play. She yipped at me then jumped off the bed and moved over next to me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling as she smelled my body and rubbed herself down each side, spreading her scent thickly on me as mine transferred to her. It was a wolf means of claiming, warning other she-wolves that he was taken and she would fight to keep him. Only a mating bite was more powerful in our world.

She moved to the door and lifted up a paw, opening the door and trotting out. She looked back at me and yipped, and I bounded after her. My mate wanted to run, and I was game. I followed her down the stairs, and stilled as a familiar scent came into my nose. I looked to the kitchen table to see everyone, including Uncle Seamus, staring at the two of us. My mate opened the door and bounded out, and with an apologetic glance back at them I tore out the door after her.

Nothing revs up a wolf's libido like a good chase, and I was game. I could smell her trail easily; her pheromones were in overdrive after our night together. The Goddess had given us these instincts so we would claim and mate with each other. It was a deep, primal force that was almost impossible to resist. It didn't matter that I couldn't see or hear her with her head start, her scent was like a beacon to me. I was as helpless before it as a moth to a flame.

I tore across the grass and into the woods, following the trail. My huge wolf was on a mission, and she was smart; she was using every trick in the book to slow me up or trick me. My chest fur was matted with blood from small cuts I got from crashing through thickets and thorns my smaller mate could avoid easily. She doubled back, she laid false trails, she used the creeks to hide her scent. I even found a patch of mud she had rolled in to try and hide. Against most wolves, she had done enough.

But not for me. I was an Alpha, I had better senses, I was stronger and faster than any other. If she wasn't an Alpha female, the chase would have been over in minutes. It was easily the longest chase I'd ever done, and I finally had her in sight.

She was running through a high meadow, having to jump as the native grasses were taller than her head. I chuckled, I could easily see and I ran hard and fast until I was right behind her. She heard me, and took a glance back as she gathered herself to jump again.

I pounced.

My front paw swatted her back legs, stopping her leap before it began. She crashed to the ground, rolling a couple times in the soft grass. I pushed my human side forward, warning my wolf that what normally happened here, couldn't.

After the chase, the male would normally submit the female, pinning her down with his teeth on her neck as he moved in behind her. The receptive female would raise her back end, move her tail to the side, and let him climb on board to take her on a one-way train to Pupsville.

Her wolf half was receptive, but I knew if I did this to her now, if I claimed and mated her in wolf form, I'd never get her human side to accept me. So, as hard as it was to hold my wolf instincts in check, I didn't pounce on her. Instead, I circled around her as she lay panting hard on her side, her tongue hanging out.

When I was near her head, I dropped to the ground and licked her nose and face again. She perked up, relaxing a bit and started licking me back. This time when I stood, she stayed relaxed as I sniffed and licked my way down her body.

I couldn't get enough of her smell or her touch. The mate bond was pulling hard, and every touch was like a firework going off in my head. Her scent was getting stronger as her body responded to me, driving my arousal even higher. Her body was preparing for me; blood was flooding her organs, her sense of touch and smell was heightened. She was almost purring under my touch, and when she rolled on her back for me, I almost lost control.

My nose went to her swollen sex, and my tongue took a lick from one end to another. She shivered in pleasure as I finished, and opened wider for the next one. Werewolf tongues are incredible organs, capable of being firm or soft, long but still flexible. Over the next ten minutes I used every means at my disposal to give her the best experience she could have, at least until I completed the mating in this form. I didn't even try to count how many times she came, I just kept pushing her to the next one until she had collapsed in exhaustion.

I sat up, feeling rather pleased with myself, and looked around. I didn't smell anything near, but I had a mate to protect. I moved to the edge of the meadow and went from tree to tree, scent marking along the way to warn other wolves and predators that an Alpha was here and they better turn around. When I had made a circuit, I moved to the top of the nearest hill and caught the scent of deer below. I looked back at my mate, she was still sleeping peacefully, but she would be hungry when she woke. I needed to provide for her.

Moving silently down the hill, moving from shadow to shadow, I got closer to a group of five deer who were grazing the soft grass. I watched them for a while, picking out the weakest- a juvenile with a slight limp. My target in sight, I moved closer until I was ready. I waited for the doe to look the other way, then I burst from my hiding place.

The deer scattered as I closed in on my target with long, powerful strides. She tried to turn and run but I was on her too fast. My jaws closed on her neck, her blood filling my mouth, and there was a loud snap as her neck broke. I sat back and howled in victory, before grabbing our hot lunch around the shoulders and starting back up the hill.

Nothing like fast food to show a woman how you feel about her, right?

My wolf was almost prancing as we carried the doe back to our mate. I dropped it and used a claw to rip the belly open, then dug in and pulled out the liver. She had awoken to the thud, and watched with her tail wagging as I removed her treat. I carried the liver over to her, and she grabbed the hanging end and tore off a big chunk that she gobbled up. I tried to give her the rest, but she pushed it back. I tossed it in the air and grabbed it again, swallowing it whole. She stood and licked some blood off my muzzle before walking with me to it, and together we gorged on the tender flesh until we could eat no more.

I heard a wolf approaching, and was instantly alert. I stood over Nancy, growling my warning to the intruder until I saw who it was. Uncle Seamus was in wolf form, and he looked at the two of us for a moment as if to make sure things were all right. He shook a satchel bag off his neck, then gave me a chuff and turned around to go home.

I watched until he disappeared, then backed up a little so Nancy could get up. She licked at my face, and seeing her face I knew we needed water. I ran and grabbed the satchel in my teeth, then we both went downhill towards the creek at the base of the hill. The creek was cold, and we found a spot deep enough we could both submerge. We used our paws to rub the fur clear of blood and dirt, then shook our coats and I moved us to a large rock in the bright sun.

The warm rock felt great, and I laid on my side. I felt the tingles as Nancy laid behind me, her head resting on my neck as we dropped off to sleep together.

I woke up a few hours later from the angle of the sun in the sky. Moving out from under her slowly, I trotted off into the woods to do my business. (The answer to "Does a wolf shit in the woods" is yes, don't step on the pile.) When I returned, Nancy was in human form, and was pulling a grey T-shirt over her torso, athletic shorts already on. "Get dressed, Shay, we need to talk."

Oh shit. The dreaded "WNTT." Few good things EVER came after that phrase. It was never "you're right, we need to buy a motorcycle" or "this television isn't near big enough to watch the game on." It usually ended with "but we can still be friends, right?"

I grabbed the satchel and removed the clothes. Thank Luna Seamus had thought to pack mine, normal size shirts would rip before I could get them over my shoulders. I pulled on the shorts and the sleeveless T-shirt, then put on the sandals. I joined my mate on the edge of the rock, our legs hanging out over the churning water below. I decided to go for the pre-emptory attack. "Nancy, I know your history. I want you to know that there is nothing you can say, nothing that can be revealed that will make me love you or want you any less. I don't care about anything that happened before the day I tackled you in the river."

She wouldn't look at me as she answered. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what really happened. If you did, you'd accept that my rejection is the best thing that can happen right now."

I reached over and took her hand, she was trembling but didn't pull away. "You underestimate me, my love and this bond, Nancy. It's strong. Strong like you. You're the strongest she-wolf I've ever met."

She laughed out loud. "Strong? I'm strong." She shook her head. "I crawled under dinner tables and gave blowjobs to strangers so I wouldn't be beaten again. I fucked hundreds of men, sometimes dozens in a day. I wished for death every single night, and I didn't get it. I failed my Pack, I failed my parents, I failed my MATE."

I'd had just about enough of this. I picked her up and pulled her onto my lap, my arms pulling her into my chest while she cried out her pain and loss. I rocked her for an hour as she got it out; I listened to the story of that day. I wept with her as her Pack members died, as she watched her parents be executed. I clenched my fists and barely kept my wolf under control as she told me of how she was brought back in a cage before being gang raped. She described the pain of watching her Pack members reject her so they could live, each bond ripping more from her soul. I ran my fingers through her hair as she told me about her captivity; the depravity of the men, the cruelty of the jailors, the daily humiliations she endured with her sisters. I could see now how critical Catherine was to keeping them all sane though the years, she truly was a special woman.

The sun was low in the sky by the time she was done. She was exhausted, she didn't even move as I picked her up and started to carry her in my arms home. I had a lot of time to think along the way.

My mate had been hurt, but not healed; abused, but not comforted; fucked, but not loved. Her wolf was right, she needed me like I needed her. My job was to give her those things her life had missed.

I would not fail her.

Ch 14

Catherine's POV

I was about to leave Seamus behind and go clear my head when I heard the wolves coming down the stairs. We normally stayed in human form indoors, so I knew it was Shay and Nancy. I smiled to myself as I realized she was in wolf form as well, that would help her get past her fear of contact with him. She didn't look back, but Shay stopped and looked at us apologetically. I waved him off, he had a mate to woo, he didn't need to sit around and talk.

I walked to the front door and closed it, then waved Vivian and Craig with me. Maria looked at me quizzically, until I told her to make sure Seamus had a guest room and to move Shay into Nancy's room. We went down the main floor hallway to the Alpha's Offices, a pair of adjoining rooms that had been used by Kirsten and her mate. The smell of her was more intense in here as her belongings hadn't been moved out, like had been done in my bedroom. I said a little prayer for them before I gathered the girls in front of a Pack Boundary map on the wall. We marked up the map with what we knew about the Packs and the Alphas.

"All right, let's divide this up a little. I'll take the Packs closest to us. Vivian, you call those in the second and third levels who are friendly to us, and Craig, you take the ones that may not like a female Alpha. If they ask, Alpha Rigby will explain everything to them at the meeting. Emphasize this is a social event, it is being done under a truce supervised by Elder Kirkpatrick. Alphas, Lunas, Betas and Beta mates are invited. We will be holding talks and having a barbecue dinner, lodging will be provided for those needing it, but we expect to end the talks by six PM. Got it?"

We went to work, using the multiple phones and the Alpha's phone list to contact each of the Alphas. I started with Tandy and Sheri, mostly because I wanted to make sure they were settling in. They were, and although there were challenges, they were making progress together. They would attend, of course, as they needed allies as badly as we did.

The other calls were widely divergent. Some Alphas recognized the number and expected to be talking to Kirsten or Jackson, and were shocked when they found out they were dead. These calls took a little longer, as I had to explain the events of the past few days first. Alphas who knew the Packs had been taken over were curious as to who had done it and why. Others just said they would be there, giving no indication of how they felt about the events.

When we finished the calls, I was wiped out. I went down to the kitchen, where Abigail was sitting with a roomful of women who were dividing up responsibilities for food preparation. I had seen a number of wolves heading out to hunt game for the feast earlier, and others were out preparing houses and rooms for guests. It was a frantic time for the rest of the day, as we were still dealing with the families who had lost some or all members. I was going to move everyone not involved in the talks back to the Black Dawn territory, where there was more single housing at least.