Just Being Wolfy Ch 02

*** Hi there! This is the second installment for JUST BEING WOLFY...

I hope you guys like the first installment and would love the second one!

More to come!!

Thank you for reading and don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!!

***

You can't beat me Gracie! Haylie thought, challenging me as she sprinted fast up to the hilltop. Flashes of green swished past us as we sprinted and leaped across the mountainous terrain.

Being smug, are we? I thought back, I could feel the adrenaline spiked high up into my blood. Boiling and simmering deep; fueling my instinctual desires to beat her in our own little game. I sprinted past her, leaping over her light brown furred body and landed on my feet. I managed to look back and saw her gaining speed towards me. I growled happily, knowing that I will win the race. I leaped up the fallen tree and sprinted up to our make-shift stop. I could see it, just a few meters away. I was about to make a high leap when suddenly out of nowhere a beautiful silvery white-snow wolf leaped over and tackled me, making me lost my balance. I yelped in surprise just as Haylie sprinted past me and won the race. I growled, snapping my sharp teeth at the intruder who had sabotaged my winning chance.

Haylie chortled. She had phased back into her human form. She had put a pink tank top and a denim skirt on. We had placed our clothes there by the tree bark, near our stop before the race. "Haha, I won," she was exultingly gloating and yet, she was cautious since I was still in my wolf form. An irritated snapping silvery-gray wolf.

It took me a full minute to fully recognize the scent wafting to my nostrils. I stopped snapping my teeth and growled instead. Damn it, James! What the hell? I thought, feeling annoyed as I relaxed my body, turning into a full 360' spin and landed on my human feet. Haylie quickly gave my sundress back at me. I slipped it on before James could even turn his head and saw my naked form.

James, on the other hand, didn't have any trouble with nudity. He stood in front of us in his godly beauty. He was beautiful with his clothes on but he was even more magnificent without one. His smooth body rippled with masculinity. His abdomen held a beautiful six-packed. Haylie and my eyes were drawn to every bit of his beauty. My gaze fell involuntarily to his flaccid cock hung, down to his neatly trimmed pubic region. He smiled mischievously when he noticed my gaze. His cock swollen into a raging hard-on. I gulped, tearing my gaze away from him. What was he doing? I wondered as I took a step back. He smiled again as he turned to his left and retrieved his clothes. Haylie approached me, a hint of amusement sparkled in her green eyes.

"I think my Mom called me," she said smirking. "I should be going," she started to walk, "See you guys later,"

"Haylie!" I snapped at her. What was she doing? Why was she leaving me alone with him? To no avail, Haylie continued to walk, pretending to not hear my thoughts of complaints which I had shoot to her.

I scratched my head, feeling a mixture of annoyance and awkwardness boiling together into my core. I turned and started to walk, I didn't know what to do, heck, I wasn't even sure if I should remain standing there while he put his clothes back on.

"Gracielle! Hey! Wait up!" darn it, I thought with dismay. I stopped in mid track. He walked to my side. "Why are you so eager to leave?"

"Um, I think my Dad called me," I lied lamely. Ugh, well done Gracielle, I thought to myself, a very 'original' excuse.

He raised his left eyebrow in question but he didn't ponder on it. "I barely see you since the Union a week ago," he started talking as we walked up on the marble-stoned path up to the Thorn Manor. We could see the other packs walking around; some were playing in their wolf form, stretching their muscles. "We won't be staying here forever you know," he joked and yet, a hint of seriousness rang in his voice, "My pack is leaving back home tomorrow morning after the Grand Feast, we barely talk and catch up,"

There was a reason why he barely saw me after the Mating Ceremony. I kept to myself in my room and spent most of my free time bottled up in the Thorn Library. I didn't want to bump to neither Jerry nor Fiorelle, his mate but strangely, I was more to hiding myself from bumping with James. It was weird. An odd peculiar behaviour but I couldn't find myself locking eyes with him and not blush in embarrassment. He intimidated me sometimes. I looked at him. "Well, we are talking now,"

He chuckled at my statement. "Yes, I believe we are,"

"Look," I started stopping. I touched his bare left arm, I shuddered when an electric current seemed to past between us. He looked at me. I ignored the current. "I'm sorry that we didn't have time to hang out but just because we didn't get to hang this week, it didn't mean that we cannot hang next time, right?" I was strangely desperate to please him.

He broke into a grin. "I'll take a rain check on it then,"

I was about to ask him again about it when a deep voice startle me. "Gracielle Trina," Michael Thorn boomed. "Have you enough fooling around child? I hope you are aware of your duties as a Beta,"

I frowned. I looked at James but he didn't look surprised at Michael's arrival. Perhaps as an alpha, he could sense others around him. I sighed. Three days after the Mating Ceremony, Fiorelle did make all of the in-commands' daughters as her Betas. Me and my big mouth. Now as a Beta, I wasn't supposed to spend my time playing around the forest like I used to. My new duties entailed me to be responsible over a group of low ranks members of our pack which was assigned to me. I was given the task to oversee them on the library and educational duties of the pack. Haylie was responsible on overseeing the kitchen and gardening duties. The other two girls were responsible on ceremonies and financial duties. I was fine with my assigned duty since I love spending time curled up with the books in Thorn Library, in fact, before becoming a Beta, I could always be found in the library when I was done playing around the forest.

"I already have done my duties, Michael," I couldn't help but to growl a bit with annoyance.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Watch the tone, Gracielle, even if we're the same age, I am still the pack's third-in-command," Ugh, just because his father decided to retire early, it didn't mean that Michael could step over and boss around me. He ignored me then. He cast a disapproving look before he turned to James. "Ruben, the other alphas are circling up for a talk by the lake, I'm told to summon you there," James didn't say anything but a nod.

He looked at me and offered me a little smile before he took off with Michael to the lake. I, on the other hand, was fuming with irritation at Michael. I knew that it was one of his duties to oversee the Betas but c'mon! We were practically on the same rank for heaven's sake! I stomped back to the Thorn Manor, fuming, I felt equally mystified with myself because I was never this rebellious or tempered before. Was it because my annoyance of Michael disturbing a moment between James and me that triggered this reaction? This rebellious teenager in me.

"Gracielle," a sweet chirpy voice woke me from my thoughts. I looked up. Fiorelle stood in front of me. Her long hair curled lazily on her back. She was very beautiful, I thought, much more beautiful than me. Fit to be with Jerry. I sighed to myself. I bowed my head to her in respect. I didn't want her to suspect anything. "My name is Fiorelle," she introduced herself to me. It was normal for the Alpha Female to get acquaintance with the in-commands' offspring. She chuckled airily. "Just because I'm the Alpha Female now," she started, "Please do not get awkward with me. I'm practically a sister to all of you. We will be such great friends, sisters!" I felt equally sickened with her friendly attempts. Was she really sincere or was it just a ploy to boss me around? I closed my eyes for a moment. Sometimes I could get too imaginative, I shook the treacherous thoughts away before she decided to read my mind – an advantage of being the Alpha's partner. "Now," she curled her left hand and cling it to mine, "Why don't we go for a walk and join Haylie at the Common Room?"

Haylie sprawled on the long couch, resting there lazily as she watched the show on the TV unfold. Kristanna Byrne Thorn and Felicia Grant Thorn were lying on their stomach on the furry carpeted floor. All of the Betas were here. I sat on an empty armchair near Felicia. Fiorelle sat cross-legged on the carpet with them. I didn't know what to say or do even. It was like I was frozen and turned into a robot, following what Fiorelle wanted. It seemed like an innocent Alpha Female and her Betas gathering, a little tea party even. I wondered if Fiorelle was really as sweet as she seemed or was it just a pretense to make us fall over her acts? There went my super-imagination again, I shook myself mentally, time will, I suppose, tell whether she was being true. I mean, it wasn't like I have a say in this matter. Fiorelle was after all the new Alpha Female. My Leader.

Kristanna giggled suddenly. She looked at the Alpha Female intently. "Fiorelle," she chuckled, "Does Jerry tire you down?" Fiorelle had the decency to blush at her Beta's question.

"He is certainly an animal," Fiorelle answered, her tone started to become dreamy. "Oh, the way he pleasures me...His talented tongue! Oh! Oh!" She moaned at her memory of their time together. "He was..." she paused suddenly, "Cold initially but no man can resist my charms," she giggled.

"Cold?" I couldn't help but to ask.

Fiorelle looked at me. Her big blue eyes sparkled. "Indeed!" she nodded. "He wasn't seem willing to come to me after the Mating, it was as if something was in his mind, like there was something bothering him but he didn't tell me what it was," she dropped her tone into a whisper so that only the four of us could hear her words. "But I crumbled the man," she said with unmistaken triumph in her chirpy voice. "I danced to him, a slow seductive dance as I strip myself open to him. Oh, what a stubborn fighter he was," her tone became dreamier, "I splayed myself open wide for him on our bed," she giggled, "Oh how his eyes sparked with lust! He practically leaped over me, licking my body...oh, my...down to my pussy...my puffy lips...I could almost feel his talented fingers probing my pussy now, teasing my clit...oh...the way he shoved his cock into my needy pussy, his knot buried deep into me...licking, kissing, biting me ever so lustily...yum" she sprang up suddenly. Her eyes glimmered with deep longing and lust. "Excuse me ladies," she smiled at the deeply aroused Betas. "I need my alpha," she chuckled as she bolted down to find him.

I moaned. I closed my eyes. I didn't need the picture of Jerry mounting her in my mind. I didn't need any more of those pains to slow my healing time. Haylie stood up. "I definitely need to mate," she giggled. "Listening to Fiorelle's explicit words is making me real horny!" but then, when she realized the look on my face. She pulled me up to my feet and practically dragged me away from the hearing range of Kristanna and Felicia who were fooling around with each other on the carpeted floor.

"I'm OK," I said quickly.

"Gracielle, I'm so sorry," Haylie started.

"No, really," I shook my head, "I'm truly OK, I just didn't like having pictures of him rutting all over with her stuck in my brain," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "I am getting over him, Haylie, I'll be fine soon enough,"

"I have an idea!" she sparkled abruptly, "Why don't you hook up with James?" she giggled. "He does has a beautiful cock you know, in case you haven't noticed when we were at the forest,"

"Shh!" I covered her mouth with my hand. "People could hear you!" I started to blush at the memory of his hard-on.

"Admit it!" she teased, "He's aroused because you looked at him!"

"Haylie!" I yelled exasperatedly at her. "I told you. We're just friends!" a look from Haylie made me sighed again. "Besides even if I do have any slightest remotely anything close to a feeling towards him, it's useless since I am just too much younger than him. I'm sure he would want a girl who's more adventurous and older than me,"

"You're insane, Gracie," Haylie noted with a laugh. "I don't think there's anyone here more adventurous than the two of us put together,"

"Then, why don't you go and flirt him instead?!" I snapped with deep annoyance.

"First of all," Haylie smiled as we walked along the corridor. The lower ranks bowed their heads to us as we passed them. "He doesn't like me more than a friend – well, at least that's what I can see from the spark between the two of you," she avoided a swipe from me, giggling. "Secondly, I happened to have a crush on Steve,"

"Stevenson Gorham Thorn?" I looked at her dubiously. "He's like what, the fourth-in-command's son?"

"Yeah, so what?" she grinned. "Would you like it better if I have a crush on Michael?"

I groaned with distaste. "A crush on that bossy oaf?" that made me laughed. "Haylie, c'mon, James's an alpha remember?"

Haylie looked down to her feet. "Oh," realization dawned upon her pretty face. "Alpha, yeah, gosh, I forgot," she growled, "Damn those old fashioned betrothal-arrangements," she looked at me, "You just look and see Gracielle, one of these days; we would be the next victim! Ugh, I cringe to the thought of being arranged to mate with that bossy oaf!" her eyes suddenly popped wide open. "OH MY GOD!" she grabbed both of my arms and hissed, "Don't you see Gracielle?"

"What?" I chuckled with her hyperactive thoughts.

"We might be the recipient of Michael's bossy cock!" she shuddered in disgust.

I chortled. "You're weird, Haylie," I laughed, "But I still love you nonetheless!"

*** "Oh wow, you looked beautiful Gracie," Mom commented as I twirled in front of her for her sake. I was her Barbie Doll again. I wasn't fond of dressing up or even looking pretty. I was more comfortable with wearing jeans and a shirt. I knew how to look all glam up thanks to my Mom incessant beauty lessons ever since I spoke my first word but I found it a bit too tiring to be all girly sometimes.

I was wearing a rather short crimson silky dress that rode up to my mid thigh. It was sleeveless and showed a bit of more cleavage than the first dress I had worn on the night of the Mating Ceremony. Mom had teased my long hair into a long curly-wavy do that lay lazily on my shoulders. I had put on four-inch black heels with diamond straps making my frame taller up to 6-feet. Mom had also taken the liberty to apply light make-up on my face.

"Good girls don't need thick make-ups," she always said, "A little says more than perfect," and then I joined her, giggling, "and more says that you're a hooker desperate for a lay," we burst into laughter.

"Mom," I said suddenly, turning towards her, "Thank you," I said sincerely.

"Ah, Gracie, you're my daughter! There's no need to thank me," and then she glinted, "But if you could bring a man back..." she smiled teasingly. "I'm certain that when those eligible wolves see you, they will melt,"

I shook my head in disbelieve. Trust Mom to go matchmaking-mode again.

"I saw James being friendly with you on the Mating Ceremony day," she started to sound sugary. "Honey," she pulled at my hand and pulled me down to sit on one of the beanie bags. "He's extremely eligible," she noted. "He's young, powerful and not to mention very wealthy,"

"Ugh Mom!" I cut into her words before she could get any ideas. "Not you too!" I groaned. "Haylie's been a pain in the butt ever since he arrived here, I told her and I will tell you the exact same thing," I bit my lips hard, I could feel blood drawn. "James and I are just good buddies!"

Mom looked crestfallen. "Is that so?" she bit her lips. "Perhaps I was wrong,"

"Yes Mom, you are wrong, now please, can we stop talking about baiting guys into falling in love with me?" I demanded but I regretted instantly when I saw the hurt wash over her face. I sighed. Mom only meant well. "I'm sorry Mom, I was rude. That was uncalled for," I apologized.

Mom smiled at me. "Nothing's to be forgiven, honey, I'm just too excited with all of this ceremony," she paused briefly, "You do know how much I loved to dress up for parties," that, I knew very well. I smiled.

"Where's Dad?" I asked her after a while as she looked at herself in the gilded mirror. "I haven't seen him since breakfast,"

"Well, last I checked, he's in the meeting by the lake," she combed her hair briefly with her fingers, "I'm sure he's somewhere in the Grand Hall with the rest of the in-commands," she turned to me. "Let's worry about you, OK? I think we need more glitter on that neck," she grabbed a glitter powder from the drawer near her. I sighed. I sat down on the built-in dresser's chair as Mom applied glitter powder on my collarbone.

I was definitely a Barbie girl.

*** The Grand Feast lived up to its name. A feast made to honour the newly mated couple. The Grand Hall was decorated with lovely scented candles and of course thousands of fresh flowers promising bright beautiful fragrance wafting to the whole area. Red carpet was rolled from the entrance up to the main narrow mahogany table where the newly mated couple would seat accompanied with the other three alphas and their respective mates, should they have one.

My family and I were seated near to the front area so I could see the main table clearly but fortunately they wouldn't be able to notice that I was looking at them. My attention, however, wasn't fixed on the newly mated couple. Strange, I thought. I knew that I should be seething in anger but I wasn't. I didn't feel numb anymore ever since – although I hate to admit it – James came into my life. He had that air of freshness, that contagious confidence and infectious easiness that seemed to be compatible with my broken heart. James, indirectly, had healed my heart faster than I had expected but I wasn't in love with him. I was certain about that and I was sure that James felt the same. We were – as I had strongly said to both Haylie and Mom – friends.

He was handsome tonight. He wore a silver tux instead of the traditional black. Ah, a rebel, that was my initial thought when I saw him at the front entrance to the Grand Hall. The lower ranks of our pack were ushering us to our seats. I didn't say anything to him, I didn't feel like I need to as our eyes met and his lips formed a little smile. I nodded at him in acknowledgement before Dad whisked Mom and me to our assigned table. Haylie was of course already there at the table, looking stunning as ever in a low cropped black dress that exposed her pale back. I wish I had the courage to wear such brave exposing clothes like hers! Although I must say; my dress for tonight was a lot different that what I would have worn; just like what Mom had said, a number of wolves noticed me walking by and ogled at me shamelessly. I grinned. It was nice to be lusted over. I noticed James had given me a rather disapproving weird look when I walked past him. Odd, I wondered to myself, I thought he liked my dress.

My family had greeted the newly mated couple. I bowed my head down to my Alpha and his Alpha Female. I refused to meet my gaze to Jerry although I was certain that he was ogling at me. I found it rather satisfying to realize that he could only watch and not touch me. That must be frustrating. I sounded a little vain. I chuckled.

A toast was made for the newly mated couple. All of us stood up and bowed our heads to them and then took a sip from our glass of champagne. The feast continued with a little speech of thank-you by Jerry, you know, the usual thing people would say on their wedding reception. I muted my hearing and focused on the food in front of me. I was hungry; I hadn't eaten a bite since breakfast since I wanted to make room for the scrumptious food waiting for me in the feast.