What We Must Ch. 01

She sat up, trying to figure out what kind of trick this was. He had dark hair, falling to his shoulders, his chest was bare, a bandage on his shoulder from where she stabbed him, and he was wearing what looked like buckskin pants. And aroused again, or still. His blue eyes bored into her, but they didn't look menacing, or brutal.

Her hair was a medium brown, her eyes as well, there were lines on her skin showing what flesh had been exposed to the sun, and what had not. This drew focus to her breasts, firm and full, and her mound, and the curls there. Being underground, the room was cool and her nipples were peaked atop those breasts. She had parted her legs slightly and he had seen the soft flesh between her thighs. But her smell...

He extended a hand to her. "Please." She took a deep breath, stood, and walked towards him. "Umm, it would probably be better if you dressed."

She stopped, staring at him briefly, before going to the chair and pulling on her shorts and shirt.

As he ushered her to the dining area, he said. "My name is Devon, what's yours?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

She turned to look at him again. "Why?"

"Look, it's a long story. I promise I'll explain it to you later."

****

She sat at the large table with the others. Eight men and six women, well, seven women with her. Introductions were made but she didn't pay any attention. Two of the women were obviously terrified, sitting in their chairs next to her. One was named Amanda and the other was Terry. She refused to give them her name. Then the one called Devon made some announcements, asked about the food stores. He indicated that they'd complied with the first part of the council's decree, whatever that was. No one touched the food arrayed before them until he was finished.

One of the women was very young, only a teenager, and her eyes were red. She'd obviously been crying. The bastards!

Another was quite old. Why in the world was she here? Wouldn't they have gotten rid of her by now? She must have some usefulness or maybe one of them enjoyed banging old women.

The other two women seemed to be paired up with two of the men. Hmm, they either needed a shotgun or a club.

The food was passed around but no one seemed particularly hungry. The terrified women picked at what had been placed in front of them. The other women didn't seem to have much of an appetite either, except for the old one. The men piled their plates, but seemed to have trouble keeping their attention on dinner. Their eyes were all focused on her, to a greater or lesser extent.

She ate heartily. There were windows here, and doors. If she got the chance, she'd be able to get out, and she'd need her strength. Could she get the other women out, too? She looked at them briefly and dismissed the thought. They'd need coddling; she'd be able to move faster without them. She would bring help.

****

Devon kept an eye on her. She was eating well, which he was glad for, but kept looking around the room, casting furtive glances at the windows and doors, apparently plotting a means of escape. He was definitely going to have to watch this one. She was smart, he knew it, but she couldn't be allowed to leave the compound now.

Duncan and Spencer returned towards the end of the meal. They smiled knowingly at Devon, who shook his head at them and gestured to the food. While they dug in with relish, their hunger faded as their attention also turned to her.

****

What the hell?! Why was she the object of all the men's attention? The other two newbies were younger, and pretty. What was going on?

The meal ended. Devon stood. "Grandmother, could you escort Amanda and Terry back to their rooms?"

Lily nodded and touched both young women on the shoulder. They both jumped, looked at her, and rose, tamely following her into the bunker.

Devon took their newest recruit back towards her room. As she headed in the direction they had come from, he placed a hand on her arm. She flinched away from contact. He sighed. "Would you like to clean up before we go back to your room?"

She caught the 'we'. So, it would happen now that she was fed and cleaned. Shit, was there something in the food? But they had all eaten it. Unless whatever it was didn't affect werewolves. Damn it. Well, it would at least put it off a little longer.

She gave a firm nod and he showed her to a bathroom. Closing the door behind her, he waited outside, with his back to the door.

****

No windows here either. She took care of bodily functions and rinsed her clothes out. She showered and looked around for something to dry off with. A soft hide was all that came to hand. It worked better than she thought.

She dressed again and pulled open the door. He practically fell backwards into the room.

****

He heard the toilet flush, and then the water running, but that sounded like the sink. After a few minutes, the shower started. Ah, she would be naked again. Her body had been wonderfully curved, lush, full. Her heady scent had had him more than ready to pull her thighs apart, to smell, to taste her. She would be washing herself, rubbing the soap over those curves, using her hands, not quite caressing herself, but touching herself intimately. He pictured what she would be doing in there as his penis again made its wanting known. To slide himself inside her. How tight would she be? What sounds would she make? Her skin would be soft...

Damn. He had a raging hard on again. The last thing he wanted was for her, any of them, to think that they were only here to be used for sexual relief of the men. What was it about her smell that had him aching for her?

He hadn't even felt this kind of chemical attraction to Beverley. 'Beverley. I'm sorry, love. I wish you were here. I don't know what this one is doing to me; I wish the council hadn't instituted this decree.' But, what choice did they have anymore?

He was leaning against the door, engrossed in his musing, when it opened behind him.

*****

She leapt over him then and sprinted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He hadn't yelled; was he knocked out? So much the better. She came to the top of the stairwell and was yanked back by a strong arm around her hips. She fell backwards against his body and he wrapped his arms around her. She kicked and struggled, hands clawing at his arms. He turned around and marched straight to her room.

He returned her to her room and stood in the threshold. She stumbled into it when he released her. She then turned and faced him, face impassive, pulling herself up to her full height, chest heaving. She was obviously chilled in the damp clothing. Without a bra under the shirt, her nipples were poking against the fabric. He tried to ignore it. But all he really wanted to do was lock his lips around one of them, sucking until she cried under him, begging to have him inside her. 'Damn. Focus on something other than her body!'

At least, now that she'd showered, her scent was somewhat dampened.

"The lights will go out in about an hour and a half. Try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

She stared, open mouthed, at the door, with him on the other side of it.

*****

Taking deep breaths, he went back out to the common room to see what Duncan and Spencer had found.

The women were just finishing cleaning up after the meal but were listening with interest. The men were all waiting to find out about their newest member.

"She just tried to get away from me so I want you all to be mindful of her movements. Now, what have you found?"

Duncan handed over a piece of paper. "Her name is Anne Winters. She doesn't live nearby, so that shouldn't connect her to the others." Another piece of paper. "She planned on being out here for about ten days, so nobody will be missing her for another week or so." One more piece of paper. "She worked for Chemie Chemical, looks like they got rid of the group she was working in about a week ago."

"She had an old pickup truck so we brought it back. Figured we could use it to haul things around here if nothing else."

Devon looked over the papers. "Good. Good. Chemistry, there could be a number of things she could help us with."

"Do you suppose that's why she smells the way she does?"

"I guess we'll find out if it goes away the longer she's here."

"What are you men all talking about? I don't smell anything except another one of them. What does she smell like to you?"

It was Spencer that answered. "Heaven."

Duncan and Devon looked at him, considering. The women looked uncomfortable.

Devon took a deep breath. "Alright, since we have our three and Marcus thinks we have enough food to last through the winter we're ready to go into lockdown. Tomorrow we will bring the last of the supplies in, including the rest of the deer, and clean up the outside rooms. Then we'll shutter the windows for the winter and close up after supper tomorrow. Does anyone have any objection?"

He was Alpha, his word stood, but he wasn't so dictatorial as some of the others. However, no one brought anything up. "Anything else you can think of? That we may have forgotten? Once we're in, we likely won't come out until spring."

He looked around the room. Some were thinking; most shook their heads. "Alright, then. Tomorrow. After supper."

"Devon?"

"Yes, Grandmother?"

"Who will change them?"

"It's my responsibility. I'll do it."

*****

She woke in the middle of the night, sweating, gasping, dreaming of being chased by wolves. All claws and slavering fangs. Yellow eyes.

She reached out, touched the unfamiliar bedcovers, then opened her eyes to her dark prison.

It took time before she was able to go back to sleep.

*****

Alone, in his room, he faced his doubts and fears. Things that he could trust to no one else. As Alpha, all responsibility fell on him, just as it did any other leader. Tomorrow, they would all go into lockdown and, shortly after, he must force the change on them. As much as he hoped so, he doubted any of them would submit willingly.

Amanda and Terry seemed likely be docile enough, he'd start with them. All at once? No. One a night for three nights. He hoped he could stomach it for he would have to taste their blood. Besides, who knew what their reaction would be to the change?

That meant he would visit Anne last. She was going to be the most vocal, the most resistant. What would be the best way to approach it?

OK, they would stay in their rooms tomorrow, except for meals. Then, the next day, when they were all locked in, he would sit them down and explain why they were here. He probably should also take them on a tour of the complex, so that they would know their way around, get familiar with the place, finding things they liked or suited them. He'd have to find out what their interests were, their skills and hobbies, give them things to keep them occupied.

He got up from the bed, went to the table, and pulled out a paper and pen. He started writing down his plan, his questions, his musings.

A teacher, a nurse's aide, and a scientist. Amanda and Terry would likely respond to an emotional plea; Anne would take much more convincing, something logical. Well, how much more logical could it be but that their kind was dying, and they had to bring in new blood? That the council had decided it must be done to insure their survival.

Anne. They had found her by her smell. It was affecting all of the males, had he brought trouble into his pack by bringing her here? Could he have done anything else?

The mating. Again, probably best to visit one a night, staying with them through the night afterward to help with the bonding. He wouldn't be spending much time in his own room after this. Yes, wait until they had each come through the change and, then, one a night, rotating between them, until one of them was pregnant.

It was a long time before he returned to his bed and was able to fall asleep.