Silver Moon: Vignette 02

These short stories are simply filler material for stories that simply couldn't be added to Silver Moon. They are unedited and simply knocked out for your viewing pleasure. I will indicate what chapter the mini-stories should be with as well. Any sex scenes will be 18+ and no underage crap what so ever.

I hope you enjoy these as they expand on the main story. Oh, there might be some minor discrepancies but ignore them. This series of vignettes are simply sort of expanding on the main story. If something is different than the main story go with what is in the main story.

Vignette 2 - Chapter 2 getting into Mari's mind and learning about the world

"Mari I am going to need your help." Dan was looking tired but he really needed the information in her mind. She had all kinds of information on this world and the pack and if he could pull it out he would be several steps ahead of where he was at the moment. He had just killed the former Alpha and his two main henchman but other than getting rid of the immediate problem it didn't really help him.

"Sir, what can I do for you?" She was standing there looking down at the ground. The new Alpha might have ordered them to call him by his name and taken out the three worst males but she wasn't, and couldn't , trust him. Dan was going to have to earn her trust over the next several weeks and months. Maybe after that she might begin to actually believe some of what he had to say.

Dan had finished the meeting with the current top three but only Mari would really do. She was the submissive and her wolf would eventually accept his need and his protection. He needed to prove to her that he was trust worthy so he could pick her mind about this world. "I know this is going to be very hard for you Mari but I need you to really watch me and pay attention to what I am doing." He leaned back in the chair. "I need to connect to you via the pack bonds I forged today and find out about this world."

His face tightened up slightly. "I am not used to not being trusted by my pack but what I felt from those three I am going to have to prove myself. I need to connect to you so I can learn about this world. I can't do that till you start to trust me. I am not asking you to trust me immediately but I do need to pick your mind as soon as possible."

She twitched and moved back a bit. "Yes sir if that is what you command I will do what you order." The thought of him being in her mind was terrifying and even her wolf was not very happy with that idea. If he ordered it she had to submit to him. That was one reason the former alpha so enjoyed having her in his bed. She simply had to bow down when he commanded her. Some of the others could fight but she had to submit.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "I am not commanding Marissa, I am asking you to watch me and pay attention to what I am doing and make up your own mind." When he turned away his face was sad knowing that very few in the pack would really trust him for several weeks at the minimum. How he was going to make it through till his wolf started healing he wasn't sure. What would work the best would be having Mari holding him during the nights when his wolf was most likely to run screaming and howl at the moon.

~~~

The following day Dan had spent time cleaning out his office and his room. Once that was done he had instructed Saul to start selling the items that he had removed so that they could get some extra cash. Once they did that he was going to have to figure out how they could bring in some cash on a consistent basis. They had food but it was only going to last a few weeks. Once the cash they had available was gone he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Only one or two people had actual jobs and they weren't going to bring in enough cash to support everyone.

He had a feeling that the pack wasn't telling him everything he needed but he couldn't force them. Well he could but what would that do to what he was trying to create? He was trying to get them to trust him and the changes he was trying to make in the pack. Once they actually started to trust and believe in him then he could accelerate the changes they needed and avoid being an over controlling asshole.

One thing he had going for him was one or two of the pups seemed to sort of trust him based on the fact that he had found them in his bed trying to comfort him. That had almost been enough to make him break down again. Maybe if he could foster a bit of trust with the pups it might feed up through the females and the few mates they had.

Dan had discovered that a number of real mates had been killed off over the last few years and how the males and females had dealt with it he wasn't really sure. Maybe only losing one or two bonds might not be as bad but he still didn't know how they had managed to survive. God he wasn't sure why he was still there. The broken connections hurt but the connection with his former mate and pups was even worse.

That evening he walked into the central rooms a bit early for dinner and much of the pack was there. The pups were sort of surrounding Mari and the others were sort of in groups. Dan settled in a chair that he assumed was for the alpha since it was more ornate and nobody was around it. That was going to change if he had any say about it. It wasn't going to be chair of fear but eventually a chair of hearing and resolving issues.

He leaned against the seat back and instantly noticed that the tension in the air went up several notches. The scent of fear did as well and he sighed. It was going to be really frustrating having most of the wolves tense up any time he was nearby since he simply wasn't used to it. Yes there was a certain amount of attention since he was the Alpha but not this edge of your seat ready to run in any direction feel. After a few moments of contemplation he came up with an idea that might start to help.

If he paid attention to the kids and were gentle and caring with them that might help. "Pups come here please. I would like to talk to you." The tension went up several more notches and everyone was staring at him but he pretended to ignore it. Giani was one of the first over there and was looking a bit nervous.

"Yes Mr. Alpha what can we do for you?" Her little voice was trembling slightly as she spoke. Outside she had been more confident since she had sort of been insulted but that was then. Now he was sitting in 'that' chair, the one the former alpha dispensed his version of justice from.

"Just want to talk and ask some questions. I want to see what sort of answers you might have about pack learning." God that was going to cause a few of the adults to panic now as well. The others slowly came over and stood in front of him with their hands clasped in front and looking down at the floor and he did sigh. "Okay, there is going to be some pack orders right now, when talking to me you are to look me in the eyes for a moment and then settle them on an ear, chin, or shoulder. You are werewolves, be proud of that face and face your alpha with that pride in your eyes."

There was some shifting in the room and one or two of the pups actually looked up at him and he smiled slightly. "Come on, you can do it. See they are and they aren't being spanked or anything now aren't they?" He wasn't going to make it an order for the kids, he was going to talk to them about it. Just for good measure he slid out of the chair and settled cross legged on the ground. "There, so I am mostly on your level." His wolf didn't like being lower than some of the others but Dan managed to force him to accept.

*We have to teach and show this pack that we are not in this only for our pleasure and power. We have to gain their trust and then respect.* That and he had never dealt with a broken pack like this before and never actual wolf pups.

One or two more of the pups started looking at him and each time one did his smile widened. "Good, now sit down and relax. We are just going to talk for a few minutes." Once they were seated he looked around and noticed their eyes dropped when he did but only one or two lowered their heads. "Okay, what is the most important think of being a pack member?"

That got him a confused look and he frowned very slightly. "Doesn't anyone have an answer of any sort?" He waited but the kids just looked confused. "The first rule that I learned when I was a young wolf was pack takes care of pack. Can anyone guess what that means?" As he was talking he noticed more people coming in the room and standing around the edges.

Paulo had settled down at the back of the group and was paying very serious attention to Dan and his nose was working overtime as he was checking Dan's scent. Since the young cubs probably couldn't really answer the question he did. "I would say that the words indicate that we are supposed to take care of each other beyond that I have never really heard that before sir."

The phrasing he used really bothered him but he could understand why he worded it that way. "The pack I come from it isn't just words. Granted the reality of it is much more complex since you have dominance levels, mates, who is doing what job, and more. My job as Alpha is to protect the pack and do what is needed to keep the pack safe no matter what that is. I provide justice, discipline, healing", he nodded towards Paulo, "and create new rules for the good of the pack."

He looked around and then back at Paulo. "Since you are the oldest of the pups what do you think your job is?" Make him and the others think and really think.

Paulo winced and looked down at the floor as he thought. "I think I would have to say that it is sort of like what you do with protecting them and making sure they have what they need. Clean cloths, food, baths at night", that was met by a growl from some of the cubs, ", things like that sir." He finally looked up. "Mari is really in charge of us and mostly I just do what she says."

Dan smiled. "But it made you think about it didn't it? Being pack is incredibly simple on the surface but immensely complex when you really start looking at it. Mari is the pack submissive and at the bottom of the pack but because you are underage she is senior to you. Now think when you become of age you will suddenly become more senior to her. Don't you think that will be more than a bit confusing for you?"

He noticed Mari blink and sort of frown as she was trying to understand what he was saying. Paulo was looking sort of confused since that wasn't something he had thought about. "Think about it son and if you have any questions come look for me. I think I have time for one more question for all of you and then it will be dinner time."

Dan glanced around and there was one more boy who was younger than Paulo but older than a young teen girl. "You son, lets assume that Paulo is a sort of Alpha for the pups since he is sort of in charge being the oldest of you. Now for the moment ignoring the bits about he can't hand down any sort of punishment or discipline what sort of Alpha would you want him to be?"

The boy sort of glanced at Paulo and both of them sort of winced at the term Alpha being used but their alpha had asked a question. "Well sir, I would want him to listen when there is a disagreement between cubs. Makes sure that from the oldest to youngest do have what they need to survive." He was thinking hard to make sure and say the right things so he wouldn't get smacked by anyone. "Maybe pay attention to all the cubs so that he knows them and they know him and what he is like."

Dan nodded. "Any and all of those are good answers if somewhat basic. I am not saying that in a negative way just I have a feeling that your former alpha didn't want any of you to really understand what pack means. I will talk to your teachers and we will change that and teach you how to be good pack members. Now my butt is tired of this floor and my stomach is hungry." He stood up and after dusting his bottom off walked to the table.

Mari herded the pups over to the table and was staring in Dan's general direction. She had a feeling a good portion of that little production was aimed directly at her. Dan wanted her and needed her to trust him before he went into her mind and she had a feeling that over the next few days he was going to be doing things like that just for her. She didn't like that idea since it smacked of faking his way into her trust.

~~~

Over the next few days Dan was working his fingers to the bone. He was getting up early, even though he hated disturbing the pups sleeping curled up on the bed. Dan appreciated their being willing to take a chance and even come near him but he figured it was because they were so young and listened to their wolves more. That was a total guess but it sounded reasonable. Mari had been staring at him, well in his direction a good portion of the time she was anywhere around him which made him smile slightly.

He was usually up by 6am and went to the training center for his morning exercise and even though it got him looked at oddly a morning run as well. He was back in his room by 7:30 to shower and get dressed. Breakfast next and as soon as that was over he met with Angie, Felanzi, and Saul for the morning briefing. Once that was done he spent time with Saul on what he had been finding in the office and it was taking him a fair amount of time getting stuff organized. Part of that was he knew of a large number of boxes stored in various places that would have stuff he might need as well.

Once that was over he would start calling people in one by one and talk to them about what they normally did around the house and in the pack. There were several that actually had jobs and they had a small apartment in town that they stayed in during the working week and came back on the weekends. Since the pack provided everything their entire paycheck had been going to the alpha. That he changed immediately and cut it back to 70% for him and the rest for them. That got a shocked reaction and a lot of whispering.

If a pack member had money they could conceivably leave when they stashed away enough. It was almost like begging the person to leave. When the two who had jobs left and told everyone Dan leaned back in his chair and felt the bonds. He had to grin since everyone was sort of off center by that and how he had treated the cubs. Everyone knew that he hadn't been active with Mari even though she was spending every night in his bed. He hadn't approached any of the other women either though that could simply be dealing with the loss of his mate and pups. They knew that was real since they had both heard him keening for them and the grief over the pack bonds.

He didn't rush through lunch but he didn't take his time about it either. As soon as that was over he had started training some of the wolves so they could protect the pack. In a way Dan felt sort of sorry for them since only some of the men had even decent self defense and assault skills. What made it hard was that those that were decent were the picks of the former Alpha and it was all he could do to keep from pounding them into the ground. Dan had started including some of the women in as well but that was a bit harder since they ran the house and he couldn't take to many away at one time.

That took up most of his afternoon though he did make sure to wander around the house and actually talk to some of the pack about what was going on. He didn't bother with asking about concerns since he doubted that many of them would even consider saying anything and those that would probably weren't worth listening to. Before dinner was his favorite time since he had started having small 'court' sessions.

Most of those were with the pups as he started to teach them about the pack. It was also his way of relaxing as much as possible. The third evening after he had started them Giani's two minions were brave enough, or encouraged by her, and sort of slid over and leaned against him. He returned the trust by picking them up and putting one on each leg and letting them cuddle close to him. One's name was Sammie and the other was Juan.

By now he was used to most of the pack quietly entering the main room and simply watching what he was doing. He knew that many of them were just confused and were trying to sort out what he really was compared to what he was saying. Others were trying to figure out where they might stand with him and a few were watching him so they could toady up to him by acting similar. Most of them he didn't mind but the toadies irritated him.

Once dinner was over he ended up in his office with a number of books that Saul suggested might be the best for him to read. Whatever else happened at least the language was familiar if using somewhat different grammar. He would end up in there till ten or so by which time he was exhausted and might actually sleep sort of adequately. When he went to his bed room Mari would have made sure that everything was ready for him to go to bed and would probably already be curled up waiting for him.

~~~

Once Dan had fallen asleep Mari laid there next to him trying to figure out her feelings. Other than that first evening nothing he had done had played false. It was still possible that he was just playing it to bring her to him but unless he was the best lycan actor in the world she simply hadn't scented any lies around him. There had been plenty of other scents, sadness, anger, frustration, kindness, and even when with the cubs a sort of happiness.

What did it really mean though? That was the hard part for her. It was simply to soon to really know the man and both who and what he was. There had been a few discipline problems as some of the more froggy wolves tested boundries but the discipline had been well within acceptable limits. The hardest part was she didn't have anyone she could talk to because nobody had any sort of experience with what he was asking her to do. "Damn it, what I am supposed to do?"

Her night was less that comfortable since she was having dreams of her brain being invaded followed by Dan turning up and saving her. Other times he was the one invading but when he did it was gentle and warm which really upset her. She didn't want gentle and warm, she wanted to be left alone to take care of the cubs and her other jobs around the house. She didn't want the attention of the Alpha because that always ended up badly as far as she was concerned. God only knew what might happen this time and especially if she gave into him.

The next morning when Dan got up she mumbled something at him and rolled over sort of like she usually did and curled up in a tight ball around one of the cubs and the other was curled against her back. Once Dan left she sighed and opened her eyes and stared at the wall. What was it Dan was teaching the cubs? 'The pack takes care of the pack right? If he needed the information in her mind didn't that mean that she had to let him have it to take care of the pack? Juan was curled up in her arms and Sammie was against her back. Weren't they pack?

Didn't she have a responsibility to the cubs in her care to do what she could to protect them even if she was scared? If she asked Dan she knew what he would say and the same for Giani though her understanding was from the child's point of view. Did that change what was important? Eventually Mari got up and chased the cubs out of the room and got dressed. The first part of the morning she was most definitely grumpy and the ones she worked with the most could see that. They didn't smell anything else like forced sex or coercion so they weren't really sure.

Eventually breakfast was over and Mari found herself standing outside the doors to Dan's office shortly before the morning meeting was over. When the top three walked out she nodded to them and then knocked on the door frame. "May I please come in Dan?"