Watcher Ch. 03

"You and your mate will meet again," she said, "I have no doubt about that."

I couldn't help myself but laugh, as I had lost track of how many times I had been told that. While I certainly hoped it was the truth, I doubted it was anything other than a fantasy. "I've heard that before," I said. We both fell silent for a while before Rhea took me outside for a tour, showing me where to get water and the good hunting areas. It felt good to have someone running at my side again, even though we couldn't communicate easily. I took down a deer so we would have some fresh meat for dinner as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.

"That form you have is cheating," Rhea said as we stripped the deer outside of her cave, "You're already bigger and faster than any other wolf. What do you need that form for?"

"I've often wondered that. My mate and my pups all had a mid form but none of the other wolves I knew of did. I've always just figured that Luna was still trying things out when she made my kind."

"Possibly," she said, "it makes as much sense as anything else." After finishing with the deer I helped Rhea get everything put away and we started working on dinner. As usual for me, I did my best to help out when needed and just stay out of the way when it wasn't. I have no delusions about my own ability to cook. After dinner, Rhea and I sat around and discussed what needed to get done the next day as well as the coming days.

"What did Cornelia mean about the visions?" I asked as we watched the fire slowly die.

"Cornelia is a seer," she said, "and her ability expresses itself through visions of the future. She told me after I was pregnant, my children would have a protector. Someone to make sure they survived until they rejoined society on their naming day. I assumed at the time she meant her son but his death and your arrival tell me I was wrong."

"Is that why you are so calm and accepting of me being here," I asked, "because you know I'm going to help ensure your children's survival?"

"Partly and partly because wolves are practical and we knew the risks the change would entail. Dwelling on the death of my mate when I have children to worry about isn't going to help me any. Had I not been pregnant I would be as distraught as anyone in that situation but that isn't an option for me right now."

"I understand," I said, "When my family was killed, my wolf assumed control and didn't back off for a very long time."

"I'm sorry Watcher," she said as she prepared the sleeping pallet, "I understand the level of despair you were feeling. When you found me I was considering tossing myself off a cliff as I thought my children's protector was dead. I was in a panic and didn't see the point in carrying on. It was my wolf who recognized your scent and who you were instantly. And she's pleased you're here as she knows you'll keep my pups safe she still misses her mate."

"Get some sleep," I said, standing up and heading towards the front of the cave. The cave was roomy, but there was no way I could be in my wolf form without knocking things over. Stripping off my trousers, I shifted before laying down with my head facing towards the opening. Anything that tried coming into the cave was in for a nasty shock. With my head resting on my paws I closed my eyes, knowing that my wolf would have my attention long before anything could get near us.

"Watcher," Rhea said as her voice penetrated through the fog of my sleeping mind. My wolf had known she was there but as he didn't perceive her as a threat, he didn't wake me up. As I started to stir she did something I certainly did not expect. Werewolves and wolves share more than just the same body style and mindset. We also share some of the same pleasure centers, so when her hand sank into my fur and began to scratch behind my ear I couldn't help but respond. Twisting my head towards her I enjoyed the feeling of her fingers in my fur. Finally stopping, she smoothed out my fur as I looked at her with curious eyes. "Please join me," she said before walking towards the back of the cave.

Shifting, I followed her deeper into the cave and towards the sleeping area. "I know you're not my mate," Rhea said, pulling me down onto the pallet, "but please stay here with me. It eases my wolf's heart to have you close." Laying down next to her, I let her curl herself up to me before wrapping my arms around her. It was strange to feel so much contentment coming from my wolf as Rhea drifted off to sleep that I couldn't help but smile for the first time in a long time.

The pallet was empty when I awoke, but I could hear Rhea moving around the cave as the smell of something delicious filled the air. Getting up I did something that even I'm not sure what possessed me. Stepping up behind Rhea, I pressed myself against her naked back as I slid my arms around and rested them possessively on her belly. She tensed for a moment before leaning back against me and resting her hand on mine. "Thank you," she said.

"I know you are not my mate," I said, inhaling her scent which had my wolf pacing excitedly, "but I will take care of you and your pups as if they were my own." Her scent and the warmth of her skin against mine were driving both the wolf and human halves of me crazy.

"I appreciate that," she said, "With the twins soon it will be too dangerous for me to shift and that will make it almost impossible to hunt. My wolf doesn't understand and wants me to just stay in wolf form. She doesn't realize how that would affect the destiny of my sons." Breakfast was delicious and after the dishes were taken care of we fell into the routine of life.

It was almost scary how easily we fell into simple routines that make life easier. From the outside, I'm sure it would have looked like we were a mated pair expecting their first child and there were times I found myself forgetting the fact that the twins were not mine. I think perhaps looking back on it I was missing the simple joys and pleasures being mated could bring. Even though Rhea slept in my arms every night and we did occasionally wake up with our hands in compromising positions we never pushed it to the next level. Even my constant repetitive dream stopped for a while.

The months had passed quickly and Rhea was convinced the twins would be born any day now, so she had me out gathering last-minute supplies. Our stocks of meat were full, so I was getting the various herbs she wanted and trying not to mangle them too badly as I plucked and dug. The basket was almost full when I felt more than heard Rhea's distant scream. She was not my mate, but there was no refusing the sense of dread that fell over me.

Dropping the basket, I streaked through the woods. Too many times I'd lost people I cared about and swore it would not happen again. Drawing close, I picked up the scent of other wolves, rogues. Breaking into the clearing in front of the cave, I could instantly see the signs of a struggle as someone had knocked baskets over and the contents were strewn about. Dashing inside I checked quickly to see if Rhea had hidden, but the cave was empty and the contents untouched, meaning she had been caught outside. A quick examination of the footprints showed me at least seven humans had approached the cave but eight wolves walked away. Whoever the rogues were they had forced Rhea to shift and were now taking her somewhere.

Locating the scent was trivial as it was so fresh and I headed off after it. Running through the woods I could find a sliver of humor in the situation, as either in my dreams or in my life I was always chasing after a she-wolf. While the rogues had a bigger lead on me than I expected, they were traveling in a relatively straight line so it was simple to maneuver my way around in front of them before assuming human form.

Catching my scent, the group came to a halt, and I locked eyes with the biggest of the group. "You're taking something that's mine," I said, "Release her and I'll consider making your deaths painless." I could feel Rhea's fear and anxiety for her twins coming through the bond we had somehow formed.

Shifting, the largest of the rogues placed himself between Rhea and me. "I don't think so," he said as two of his wolves launched themselves at me. Rocking myself back on my heels, I waited until they jumped before moving forward to grab them both by the throat. I easily could have ripped their throats out and been done with it, but flinging them back at their alpha was much more satisfying. A sickening crunch filled the air as the bodies crashed into the ground in front of him and he had to jump to avoid being knocked over.

"For wolves, you seem fairly deaf," I said, "l said to let her go before you join your companions there." The alpha seemed shocked at how easily I dispatched his wolves which certainly didn't seem to help improve his decision making ability. Quickly shifting, he and his remaining wolves threw themselves at me.

As I shifted midair, the alpha had just enough time to realize the enormity of his mistake as my teeth closed around his neck and separated his head from the rest of his body. Three of the remaining four wolves were dead before they had the chance to process how badly their alpha had fucked up. Glancing at the remaining wolf, it surprised me to see her on her back with Rhea's mouth around her throat. "Your decision," I said, testing out the bond.

Rhea was so shocked to hear me in her head that she released the rogue to whip her head around to look at me. A small growl from me ended any thoughts the rogue had of running away. "How am I hearing you?" she asked, "It feels like a pack bond but I've never heard of one forming spontaneously."

"The usual rules don't always seem to apply to me," I said, "So what do you want to do with her?" I glared at the she wolf who was clearly in shock as she immediately flipped onto her back, completely exposing her throat and belly.

"She was part of the pack that left here," she said, "I'd met her a couple of times before they left. She seemed like a good person when I met her."

I started to wonder what I should do with this rogue when Rhea's eyes suddenly flew open. "Sweet Luna. Watcher, it's time," she cried out through the bond, "The pups are coming. I need to get back to the cave."

Turning to the rogue, I shifted and lifted her into the air by her throat. "You're coming with us," I said the growl coming through clearly even in human form, "and if you try to run I will kill you slowly. This is your only warning." Dropping her to the ground I shifted next to Rhea and nudged her to get going, progress was slower than I would have liked but we made it back before nightfall. I didn't begrudge her the need to stop and rest but she stubbornly refused to let me carry her.

Reaching the cave I instructed the rogue, who according to Rhea was called Calista, to help make her comfortable while I got the torches and candles going. Normally we wouldn't bother but we wanted to ensure we didn't miss anything tonight. Once we had everything settled I was planning on just staying with Rhea but she insisted I talk with Calista to see if the girl could be salvaged. Motioning for Calista to follow me I led her out to the front of the cave and shifted before indicating her to do the same.

"Do you know why you're alive?" I asked as we cleared the cave.

"Yes, Alpha," she said, "I'm alive because you choose for me to be." I wasn't going to chide her for calling me Alpha as it was the safe choice given how quickly I dispatched her companions. She glanced at me when answering but then quickly dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Look at me, little one," I said, taking the time to look her over. Even in the low light, I could see the signs of abuse. She would be pretty enough with her dark hair and curves if it weren't for the exposed ribs and sunken eyes. As angry as I was about the abduction I felt my anger shift from her to the now-dead rogue alpha. No wolf should look like this. "Are you afraid of me, Calista?" I asked, "Be truthful, I won't punish you for your honesty."

"Yes Alpha," she said, her fear emanating from her as her body shook, "you scare me more than any wolf ever has. I've never seen someone strong enough to dispatch an alpha and his betas so effortlessly. You're bigger than any wolf I have ever even imagined."

"Why were you with them?"

"After our pack moved," she said, "I was kidnapped while out gathering. The alpha you killed wanted females of breeding age to expand the pack. That's why he kidnapped Rhea. He intended to raise the pups as his own." My rage threatened to rise again as I realized that Calista probably told the alpha about Rhea but I decided there were more important things to do tonight.

"Calista do you want to live or should I just be done with it and kill you now?"

"Please Alpha," she said, dropping to her knees and exposing her throat, "I don't want to die. I wasn't with them by choice. Give me a chance to prove myself."

"From now until the day Rhea releases you," I said, kneeling down next to her, "you will be her Omega and help her in any way she needs. Do you understand?" Seeing her shake her head yes I shifted and took her throat in my mouth as a reminder of my dominance over her. Releasing her throat we both heard Rhea cry out and ran into the cave. The pups were coming and they were coming now.

There wasn't much for me to do as Calista immediately began assisting Rhea. Curling up behind her I did my best to comfort her. The pups were born as two pink little wailing balls of noise. Calista got them cleaned up before tucking them against Rhea's teats which they immediately began to suckle. Within seconds they both shifted into little wolf pups; one dark brown and the other a light shade of grey. Getting up I grabbed some fresh meat and brought it over to Rhea which she promptly devoured. She managed to eat far more than I had seen her consume so far but there was no doubt the birth had worn her out as she quickly dozed off after finishing.

"Calista come here and have a seat." I had pulled out one of the chairs from the table and waited until she sat before moving away. Gathering up some of our dried meat and stored vegetables along with a skin of water I set them on the table in front of her. "Eat," I said, "we need to build your strength back up if you're going to be able to assist Rhea." I knew we didn't have the supplies to feed three adults but the area was plentiful for hunting and we would have to replace what had been ruined earlier today anyways.

Calista quickly finished off her food and after pushing her plate slightly away looked down into her lap. For lack of a better description, she was acting like a dog that had been whipped. I realized she was going to require a more gentle hand from me than I was used to. "Are you still hungry?" I asked. From the way she tore through the food, it was a given how hungry she really was.

"No Alpha," she said, her eyes refusing to rise to meet mine. Picking up the plate I stacked some additional meat on it before setting it down and pulling up the other chair.

"I'll tell you what," I said, "I will just set this here for us both to snack on and if you want some more you can just grab a piece." Picking up a piece I began to slowly chew on it as Calista eyed me. Eventually, I saw her hand slowly snake across the table before snagging a piece. It pained me to see her flinch when I reached for the skin of water but otherwise gave her no reaction as she chewed down the meat. Of the maybe two pounds of meat I had set out for us I ate maybe three small pieces. "Feeling better?" I asked after she drained the skin of water.

"Yes Alpha," she said, "Thank you Alpha." Part of me started to get annoyed at her insistence on calling me Alpha, but I realized I had never told her to call me anything else. It's funny, I am undoubtedly the strongest wolf in existence but this was the first time anyone had ever called me Alpha. I suppose having a pack of two still affords me the use of the title.

"Are you tired little one?" I asked. Nodding her head I motioned for her to follow me. We were a few steps from the sleeping pallet when it occurred to me there were no extra sleeping places set up. "For tonight you can sleep here," I said quietly knowing her hearing would catch my words, "I promise you no harm will come to you. Tomorrow we will set up your own space. Sleep in whatever form you feel the most comfortable in." I really preferred to sleep as a wolf but there simply wasn't enough room in this part of the cave.

Laying down on the pallet, I curled up against Rhea and gently ran my fingers through her fur. I typically slept on my back since Rhea liked to sleep with her head on my chest but to make room I stayed on my side. It was a couple of minutes later that I felt Calista lay down next to me and much to my surprise she pressed herself against my back and slid her arm around me, resting her hand on my stomach.

The next morning I awoke to find both Rhea and Calista gone and the pups curled up against me. Sometime in the night, I had shifted and I hoped that it was after the ladies had extracted themselves. I attempted to slide away from the pups so I could get up but each time I moved they just wiggled up against me. After a few minutes, the twins began rooting around against my skin and letting out a soft whine. It didn't take a genius to know I wouldn't be able to assist with this particular problem. Calling Rhea through the link she quickly came back to the sleeping area and pulled the pups against her. Once they were contentedly having breakfast I headed out of the cave to relieve myself.

I came back to the cave a couple of hours later having brought down a couple of large stags to add to our supplies. Calista and Rhea were both outside of the cave rearranging the containers that had been kicked over during the kidnapping. The pups were sleeping in a shallow basket just a few feet away. Seeing me carrying the deer they both stopped and we quickly got the meat situated. "You could have warned us," Rhea said once everything was put away.

"How?" I said, "it's not like we have a... You're right, I forgot. I'm not used to having a bond with anyone." I really had forgotten. It's been so long since I've had any kind of bond with anyone else it completely slipped my mind.

"How can you forget about the pack bond?" Calista asked, "That doesn't seem like something an alpha could possibly forget about?" Apparently, she had spoken before her mind was able to edit what she meant to say because she suddenly threw herself to the ground and exposed her throat. "Oh sweet Luna please don't kill me," she cried, "I'm sorry for speaking out of my place."

"Calista, get up," I said, taking the shackles off of my alpha power. It was the first time in a very long time it had completely unleashed and I'm sure every wolf in the area felt it. It had the desired effect and Calista sprung to her feet. As I stared at her I felt the tendrils of her bond with her old pack slip loose and slide over to me. "Calista I am not going to hurt you, I am not that piece of trash that kidnapped you. I understand you were afraid but you don't need to be anymore."

"Calista," Rhea asked, her eyes wide as she felt the full force of my power, "do you know who he is?" I'll admit I was struggling a bit to get my power back under control. I was so used to it just being under wraps I couldn't remember how I got it there in the first place. Finally, I got it back to where I wanted it, even so, the ladies just stared at me.

Calista was trembling in absolute terror as she struggled to answer Rhea's question. Rhea didn't have the same issue but her self control has always seemed amazing to me. Calista was shaking her head no since it didn't seem she trusted her own voice at the moment. "Calista, do you know who Watcher is?" Rhea asked, her voice calm and soothing as she tried to get Calista to relax.