Lunar Dance

Hello Readers!

I know, I know, I'm late! Blame it on the flu. I've been sick and in bed for more than two weeks! It's been pretty awful. In any case I will be submitting the finished Lunar Dance by the Chinese New years, which is technically still new years right? ;)

I also wanted to say a big THANK YOU!!!!!!! to my editor. I can honestly say I suck at editing and without her, you all probably wouldn't enjoy the story as much as you do! :)

Ok, enough suspense, here is chapter 8! Please remember to vote and comment! I take all your comments into consideration when I write. Thank you so much for all the support!

Sensanin

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Ultimatum: a final, uncompromising demand or set of terms issued by a party to a dispute, the rejection of which may lead to a severance of relations or to the use of force.

Since birth, difficult demands had been placed on Demir. His father had demanded he take up the throne after his brother had run off. His mother had demanded he go to private school, so he could better connect with his people. And before his brother Xavier had run off, he had demanded that Demir accept the wolf inside himself. People demanded, and he submitted. People demanded, and he submitted. Well... Not quite.

Demir might have taken his absentee brothers place on the throne, learning all the necessary skills so he could one day take over. But with the condition that he take over when he decided. His brother had demanded he accept his wolf. Fine, he had. But if he accepted his wolf, he wanted to be trained and raised, like a wolf. He had needed to learn the necessary skills to hunt, hide, and kill. Demir had learned them all.

Demir turned to his mother, but only seeing a wolf. "Change back! If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead. You're not helping the situation, just increasing the tension. Shift!" Demir growled at his mother. Turning to make sure she complied. He needed his mother's human side at the moment, her more diplomatic side than her blood thirsty.

Veronica could not believe her son. She was livid. This woman came in and demanded things from her son, and he simply submitted, with nary a thought, not even much resistance. She wanted to lash out, kill something, and make her son move from his pathetic subservient kneel.

Yet even in her hate hazed mind she still listened to her son, shiftin back into her human side. Well, mostly. Her wolf had already come out, which meant she was as close as she could possibly be to the front, without taking over her human side. Her claws flexed, ready to tear the annoying selfish goddess to shreds.

Once his mother shifted back to her human side, the tension in Demir lessened by a degree. Turning his attention back to the goddess in front of him, Demir addressed her. "You want me to become alpha to your pack?" Demir asked. Looking the goddess up and down for any obvious signs of weakness.

Tabiti smiled warmly, ever the gracious goddess. "I can not simply hand you the title, you will have to fight for it". She said simply; stroking the fur of a grey wolf flanking her left side. Demir had seen her pet him at least three times. Obviously she liked him, and had a connection with him.

"And if I refuse?" Denir asked slowly. Gauging her reaction. His wolf was close to the surface, his eyes having turned a molten gold, shimmering with other worldliness

"You can't force him!" His mother said, coming to his aid. Not that he wanted it. Demir moved quickly positioning his mother slightly behind him. He couldn't shift, not yet.

"Of course I can" Tabiti said looking from mother to son, then back again. Tabiti tried to understand the hostility human's so readily exhibited when faced with something new and different. Tabiti knew that the wolves inside Demir and Veronica knew her, but the human emotions were clouding the wolves judgement. Tabiti needed to hurry her plans along, staying too long in the human world caused problems.

"I will give you an... ultimatum. You can fight a wolf of my choice, and if you win you will lead the pack to victory. Or I can kill Jozlyn and be done with all of you" Tabiti said moving to step in front of Demir despite the warning growls from her wolves.

Demir's lips twisted, he could almost find the entire situation funny. Life had been moving a mile a minute since he had seen Jozlyn. Since his wolf had claimed her. Since his brother had left. Life just couldn't be simple, easy. Demir laughed a little a thought struck. I'm a fucking werewolf! When was life every simple!

"I'll fight, but only on one condition. Jozlyn stays out of this. You don't look at her, you don't talk about her, you don't even think about her". Demir enunciated each word moving to stand toe to toe with Tabiti.

Tabiti laughed, her voice a light breeze caressing his ears. "She is already involved. Far deeper than I think even you know" Tabiti said cryptically, tracing his cheek with one long perfectly manicured fingernail.

Demir's jaw clenched, and his eyes shifted to a golden hue. Tabiti smiled, and laughed lightly, before taking a few steps back from him.

"You never really gave me a choice," Demir said very slowly, his voice tired and defeated, "from the moment you revealed yourself my fate was sealed". Tabiti smiled, liking Demir even more. He wasn't stupid or childish. He would make a fine leader.

"I will not waste my breath anymore. I will do whatever you want me to. If you promise that if the worst comes, you will get my family to a safe haven." Demir paused, before slowly lowering down to one knee in a show of submission. "I ask it as a request".

Tabiti was on a time crunch. Gods would start to notice if time stood still, even for a short amount of time. And in fact time wasn't really standing still, it was simply moving so slow as to be standing still. But if other gods began to notice, Nyyrikki would notice, and she couldn't have him attacking too soon. She needed her army, she needed her wild card. Despite how insane Demir thought Tabiti was, Tabiti simply saw in a way humans could not understand. Time meant nothing to her, the actions which took place within made the difference, they are what had the impact. Tabiti could not have Demir fearing or loathing her; that simply wouldn't work.

"Demir, I swear on my powers as a goddess I will protect them." Tabiti said quietly in Demir's mind, only allowing him to hear. She couldn't show compassion or weakness in front of her wolves.

"Rise prince," Tabiti began, as one of the largest wolves separated from the group coming closer to Demir. "Before you can lead my pack, you must take my pack. Fight my leader, and you should hope you win... because if you don't, he will kill you."

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*As I said it's really small for literotica, but it's much longer on google docks. In any case remember to vote and comment!