The Hungry Wolf Ch. 07

"Is that when you settled here?"

"Eventually," Gray said, motioning for her to keep turning the pages.

The pictures depicted more meetings between groups, interspersed with what looked like celebrations and some fights. In some pictures coupling between wolves was clearly evidenced, with some of the pairs being in their ibrido state and others still mixed. She blushed a little, as her mind flashed on what was to happen to her in a week's time. Beneath the pictures was more of the flowery script, and what looked like names on one side and dates on the other. She ran her fingers over them, her eyes wide as she grasped the years from then to now.

"Some are birth dates, some are death dates," Zeke said, pointing to lines accordingly. "Still others are mating dates or other events," he pointed to another line.

She turned the page and came across a picture of a group of people standing around a large fire. She glanced at Zeke and he gave her a sad smile.

"That would be a funeral pyre," he explained. "We cremate our pack members, Charlie, when they pass."

She nodded, turning the page to find a series of pictures showing a circle of wolves around a large deer or elk. As the pictures changed, the wolves took him down, ripping the animal apart and dragging the pieces of it back. The last picture on the page showed two wolves copulating over the forequarters and head of the animal, while the other wolves howled around them. Charlie studied the pictures closely, fascinated by the story they told.

"That's a mating hunt," Gray said, noting the way her eyes seemed to devour the details.

"A mating hunt?"

"The night before your ceremony, Damien will lead the other males on a hunt, to show you that he can provide for you, and to reassure you he is a suitable mate."

"He'll bring back his kill for you," Zeke said, with a smile.

"His kill?" she asked, her mouth dry.

"Absolutely. And the bigger the kill, the better the mating," he said.

"Do I...am I supposed to eat it?" Charlie asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"No. Damien will have ensured there was other food brought for you. The pack will take it and eat it after you show your appreciation for your intended mate," Zeke said, shooting Gray a smile.

"My 'appreciation'," Charlie squeaked, suddenly feeling queasy as her eyes fell on the two wolves in the last picture.

"Relax Charlie," Gray said, rolling his eyes at Zeke. "Don't let him tease you so. You won't be required to have sex with him at the hunt."

"I won't?"

"Sorry, doll. I couldn't help myself, the look in your eyes was too precious," Zeke said with a chuckle. "All you will need to do is show him your submission. You know, bare your neck to him when he approaches you."

"That's it?" Charlie asked, surprised to find herself feeling a tinge disappointment mixed in with her relief.

"Not necessarily. But anything else will depend on Damien," Zeke said, smiling. "Just follow his lead and you'll be fine."

"Follow his lead, huh?" she asked, a broad smile spreading across her face even as she blushed. She knew he wouldn't expect anything of her that night that she wouldn't be willing to give. She continued turning the pages of the book, poring over the illustrated history of Damien's family. The pictures were intricate, gorgeously drawn.

Charlie lingered on several drawings of what were obviously mating ceremonies, noting most had both parties starting out nude but some had one of them dressed. "How come some of these have the people clothed and some don't?" she asked, glancing up at the two men.

"Ah, well, that depends on if it is two wolves joining or a wolf and a human," Gray explained. "The mating with a human -- your mating - " he said, smiling at her, " -- will start out with you dressed, kind of a representation of your difference from the rest of the pack, which will be nude; and Damien will undress you as you say your vows, symbolically showing how he will change you and make you like the rest of the pack."

"Oh," she said, her voice rough as her mouth went a little dry at the thought. She dropped her eyes back to the book and began turning the pages again. She saw the scenes of the pack setting sail from what looked like a verdant paradise, and glanced up at the men watching her, a question in her eyes.

"That would be the Mackay pack lands, in Scotland. They were the last European pack to assist us before the pack left to find a new home," Gray said, smiling at the look on Charlie's face.

"The dates on this page are from the early 1500's?" she said.

"Yes."

"But...so..." she stammered. She shook her head a bit and looked back at the page closely again. "You followed Columbus?"

"Not exactly," Gray said. "We had already decided to sail for the new continent before we knew of Columbus' 'discovery'. We were actually planning on waiting a little longer -- the alpha pair wanted to give the pack a chance to reproduce first when news of the European emigration to the 'new world' reached us. We just moved up our travels by a few years. "

"But, you were coming here before you heard of Columbus? How did you know it was here?"

"There were others who landed on North America long before Columbus. There was a Nordic pack that had reached what is now the eastern Canadian coast a few hundred years before Columbus," he said.

"Really?"

"Oh yes. That's part of the whole revolt against the Columbus Day holiday," Zeke said.

"It is? I thought it was because he supposedly was lost and a drunk?"

"Maybe that, too," Gray laughed. "Anyway, we had decided to head for the same point the Norse had hit before, and we did." He indicated to Charlie to turn the page and waited while she did. "The voyage took a couple months, but the pack landed at what is now the Nova Scotia area."

Charlie continued to turn the pages, the pictures telling the stories of the voyage and landing in North America. It was fascinating, even if she didn't understand the writing below the pictures. She smiled at the scenes of them meeting with the natives, the changing scenery as the pack moved. "Why didn't you settle in eastern Canada?" Charlie asked.

"It didn't really feel like home to us," Zeke said with a shrug. "Our ancestral lands are quite similar to this area in climate and geography."

"Oh?" she murmured, her attention taken by a picture of an obviously aroused male ibrido chained to a large tree, her cheeks pinking.

"They didn't want to risk any of the mated females becoming pregnant until the pack was settled somewhere," Gray said with a grimace. "So mated pairs were...separated...when the female went into heat." He sighed and looked down at his lap. "I heard it was horrible."

"When a male knows his female is in heat, and he's prohibited from being with her, it...it can make them violent," Zeke added, reaching over and grabbing Gray's hand. "Towards anyone -- even the alpha -- so they had to be restrained."

"And the females?" Charlie asked, looking at the suffering on the face in the picture.

"The females were usually moved out of scent-range and restrained themselves," Gray said, reaching over and turning the page. Charlie saw a chained wolf, its head tilted back as if howling, surrounded by other wolves. "Even the alpha pair," he finished quietly.

"These are Damien's grandparents?" she asked, glancing up as Gray nodded. "And the whole pack felt it," she whispered, running her fingers over the page lightly.

"The whole pack felt it every time it happened, Charlie. Not just with the alpha pair." Zeke turned the page and pointed to another picture of a funeral pyre. "Just as the whole pack feels the loss of any member," he said indicating the wolves, ibridos and humans clearly mourning in the picture. "We are a family, all of us connected by a bond that keeps us together."

Charlie continued turning the pages, the scenes of the pack making their way westward charming her completely. She paused again at a picture of a group of native looking men atop a hill, a small herd of some large mammal depicted in the distance. She lifted the book to look more closely and realized the large mammals were wolves.

"That was when we met the Lakotas," Zeke said, smiling. "They were especially helpful."

"How so?" Charlie asked. She was enthralled by the history being revealed before her.

"They housed the pack over the winter," Gray said, smiling. "Sharing everything, and teaching the pack how to do for themselves."

"If it wasn't for the Lakota, most of the pack would have died," Zeke said. "We had no experience with a season as harsh as their winter."

"But...didn't they hunt wolves?" Charlie asked, confused.

"Not really, no," Zeke said. "They had to kill a wolf or two from time to time to protect themselves, their families or tribe; but they never hunted them as a source of sport or food."

"They knew what the pack was?"

"Yes, they did. They celebrated what the pack was, what it represented to them. And by the time winter gave way to spring, quite a few of them had joined with the pack," Gray said, pointing to the writing below the picture.

"That's when Eva's father joined," Zeke added, pointing to a particular line. Charlie still couldn't read the writing, but nodded her head.

The book progressed as the pack slowly made it's way to their new home. Charlie smiled when she realized the depictions of the land in the book were vaguely familiar. She saw the pictures depicting the settling of the land, the dwellings being built, farming, hunting, living; the establishment of a new life -- a new home -- and the celebrations that followed. The smile slowly left her face as she turned the page and saw a funeral pyre -- the largest one depicted -- and noted the name in the script below was Dimeo. The years read 1706, 1727. She glanced up at Zeke, eyebrows raised.

"That was the alpha pair. Lana Dimeo-" he pointed to the first date, "passed away, and Salvatore-" he pointed to the other date, "quickly followed."

"That's often the case with mates," Gray added, his voice soft.

"How did she die?" Charlie asked.

"She just did," Zeke said with a shrug. "We're not immortal, doll. Just...have increased longevity."

"So, are you susceptible to the same things I am?"

"We are vulnerable to some diseases you are, Charlie. Mostly what we would consider diseases of excess." He gave a small, sad smile at her puzzled look. "Diabetes. Heart disease. Even some forms of cancer. As to the first Madam Alpha Dimeo, it could have been some form of disease. It could have just been a her time," Gray said thoughtfully. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter, because we'll never know. She was gone, and it effectively ended the first Alpha Dimeo's reign." Charlie looked at the picture on the facing page; two ibridos kneeling before a large stone altar. She cocked her head, the setting familiar.

"That's the ceremonial grounds," Zeke said. Charlie simply nodded, unsure if she should acknowledge having been there before. "That's when the next alpha -- David Dimeo -- took over leadership of the pack. That's where your ceremony will take place, too." Charlie nodded again, her cheeks pink as she thought about the night she and Damien made love there. "But I'm thinking you already know that." Charlie's eyes shot up to catch the teasing smile and wink from Zeke.

"Zeke -- leave the poor girl alone," Gray said, laughing softly. "We know Damien took you out there, Charlie." She opened her mouth, but Gray continued, speaking over her. "And that's all we need to know."

Charlie cleared her throat a bit. "He showed me the names inscribed into the stone," she said, indicating the altar in the picture. "And he said our names would be inscribed there after we mate." She continued to turn the pages, looking at the pictures. She noted where it showed Darian and Damien's birth, the year struck her -- 1825 -- and she smiled. Just a few turns past that the pages turned blank, and she looked up at her tutors.

"That is for what is yet to come. Future events to be recorded," Zeke explained, watching as Charlie thumbed through the blank pages to the back cover. Her brow was furrowed, and she looked confused. "What is it, Charlie?"

"It's just that...it's...I thought I was going to learn my vows. I mean, this has been great. I love hearing about the history. It's absolutely fascinating, amazing. The depth of the family within the pack. But...I can't read anything," she sighed, her voice almost a whine. "So how am I supposed to learn the vows?"

"Oh, doll, no," Zeke said, leaning forward and placing a hand on her arm. "You don't learn your vows. You write them."

"I...I...what? What?"

"That is why we showed you this. Why you're spending the day with us. You have to decide what is important, what the pack will expect of you, and what the pack needs from you."

She was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "I don't suppose there are any previous vows I can crib from, are there?" she asked at last, her brows creased.

"No cheating, doll," Zeke laughed. He stood, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Here, have a seat," he said, indicating his desk, "look through the book again, slowly. Think about what you know about the pack, about Damien, and about your feelings -- yourself -- and you will know what to say."

"But I can't read the writing," she said, taking Zeke's seat and setting the book down on the desk in front of her. There was a pad and pen there for her to use to make any notes she wanted. "It's not in English, is it?"

"No, it's Italian," Gray explained. "But you don't really need to be able to read the writing. And if you think you want to know something in particular, just ask. We can translate for you." She nodded, giving him a small smile.

"I am sure you'll do wonderfully," Zeke said. "And it's not like you're a hundred percent solo on this. Gray and I are here to help, for you to bounce ideas off of and to offer direction if you need it."

"Okay," Charlie said with a sigh and a smile. "That makes me feel better." She opened the book and picked up the pen in her right hand to start, but paused, looking up at the men in front of her. "So...does Damien have to make his own vows, too? Or are his standardized?"

"Oh no, he has to write his own as well," Gray said.

"Good. I hope he finds it as intimidating as I do," she said, an almost wicked smile flashing across her face as Gray and Zeke both snickered.

Charlie settled down after that, attacking the task at hand head on. She paged through the book, taking notes on what struck her. By the time they broke for lunch, she had gone through the book again slowly and written a long list of words and phrases, giving name to the feelings what she read inspired in her.

The three of them joined Damien and the alpha pair for lunch in the large main dining room. They sat at the long table at the center of the dining area, talking and joking with one another. Charlie joined in when she thought she had to, but spent most of her time observing Damien and his interaction with everyone. She especially noted the way he was with the rest of the pack. While they always showed him deference and respect, he was equally as respectful in his response to them, and his humility touched her. He seemed to know everyone on a personal level, and he would always talk with them, engaging them in a conversation that let them know he thought of them as a person.

He kept looking at her as she watched him, his arm draped across the back of her chair, his hand caressing her back almost as if he felt he needed to reassure her. She smiled at him, shaking her head at his puzzled expression and reaching over to give his thigh a gentle squeeze. He shot a glance to his cousin, who simply smiled and nodded back at him, but it seemed to reassure Damien somewhat, and he was able to relax and enjoy their lunch together.

After lunch, Charlie made her way back to Zeke and Gray's office with the two men. She spent the better part of an hour going over her list and thinking about what she had learned, starring some items and crossing others out. She then thought about what she had observed, all she had seen since agreeing to mate with Damien, and leveraged that against the remaining list, crossing out a few more things and adding a few more stars.

Finally, her thoughts turned to Damien, and his interaction with not just her, but the pack. She asked a few questions of Zeke and Gray, added a few to her list but removed a lot more, and sat back, smiling. She finally wrote vows based on what she thought were the most important lessons she could take away from all she had learned and all she had observed, what she believed was important to the pack, and recited them to her tutors. She finished, voicing the opinion that it was too little.

"It's perfect, Charlie," Gray said, his voice soft. His eyes shone a bit.

"It is? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Absolutely, doll," Zeke said, nodding, and Charlie was surprised to see tears on his cheeks. "And I can't wait to hear you recite them at the ceremony." He came over and scooped her up in a hug.

"Thanks," Charlie said, her voice choked to no more than a whisper as Gray came around the desk and joined in the hug.

"Welcome to the pack, Charlie," he said, as they broke apart. Big goofy grins on all three faces while they stood around with their hands linked, sniffling a bit.

"Thank you. Thank you both. I can't wait to be part of your family," she said, giving their hands a squeeze.

"You already are," Zeke said, squeezing her hand back before releasing it and winding his arms around Gray. "Now run along. Damien is waiting for you upstairs."
"He is?" she said, smiling brightly.

"He is," said Gray, turning slightly to embrace Zeke. "And he is getting anxious."

"I'm sure he is," she laughed, suddenly anxious herself to see Damien. "I better get up there before he gets too grumpy," she waved as she walked out.

She made her way upstairs, her head held high. She smiled and said hello to everyone she passed, unwilling to avoid making eye contact any more. She understood now how honorable, how open all those around her were, and the warmth of their acceptance of her into this extended family made her want to return that acceptance to everyone she saw. She reached the second floor and turned towards the apartment, her eagerness to see Damien growing, barely keeping herself from running through the door as she went inside.

"Damien? I'm home," she called as she walked through the formal entry towards the great room.

"I'm in the kitchen," he called.

Charlie quickly made her way to the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to push her way into his arms and hold him. But as soon as she saw him standing at the stove she stopped, her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat suddenly racing. He was in a pair of jeans, no shirt, his feet bare and his hair damp. She watched the way the muscles of his back moved and flexed as he stirred something on the stove, the sight keeping her immobile.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked casually.

"Yes, I did," she said, the question finally spurring her to move again. She walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. "How was your day?" she asked, her voice low, as she began kissing and tasting the skin of his back..

"Dolcezza," he sighed, leaning back into her, dropping the spoon into the pot on the stove and turning off the burner.

"God, cowboy, you're so sexy when you're barefoot in jeans and nothing else." She nuzzled his back before laying her cheek on it and just breathing him in. "I spent the afternoon just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life, how lucky I am to be loved by you. Then I walk in here to find you looking like this, and all I can think is the word lucky is too weak."