The Three Rs

Calista sat huddled behind a large tree in the woods. All around her, she could hear the shouts of the hunters as they destroyed all that she loved. She had only just managed to escape; the bullet wounds in her side and leg were reminders of how close she had come to death. Her family had not been so lucky. Tears ran silently down her cheeks and she dared not make a sound, for fear of discovery. Hours passed and she was growing weak from blood loss, but the hunters finally collected the pelts and left. She staggered out from her hiding place and slowly crept into what was left of her pack's home. She collapsed in tears as the realisation hit her that all those she loved were gone.

She forced herself to gather a few treasured keep-sakes from her family home, trying not to look at the bodies. She put her items in a small pouch and shifted into her wolf form, weeping as she remembered the laughter and love that had always surrounded her here from the day of her birth twenty years ago. That was before the hunters destroyed everything. She headed west to where she knew there was another pack and remembered her father talking about the Black Wolf pack. Her father had been friends with the Alpha there many years ago. It would take her days to get there, as her wounds were slowing her down and the blood loss had drained her energy. She didn't want to call for help until she was closer, just in case there were still hunters around.

Clutching her side and panting for breath, she looked down at her blood soaked paw and wondered how she had managed to get this far with such severe injuries. Finally when she thought she could not go any further, she heard a howl coming from somewhere ahead. Maybe she had been spotted. She howled for help, and hoped they would not think her an enemy. She was so tired. She lay down and quickly lost her battle to stay conscious.

*****

Rufus was out with his Betas hunting when he heard the cry for help. They rushed to find who had called and found Calista lying crumpled on the forest floor. Rufus slowly assessed her injuries. She had been shot four times in her side and one in her thigh.

He inhaled deeply, trying to figure out her pack scent. All of a sudden, his wolf started going crazy. It was emanating fury and love. It was telling him that someone had hurt his mate. His mate? His mate!

Rufus carefully lifted her. "Keri go make sure the healer gets everything ready. She has five bullet wounds and has lost a lot of blood!" he ordered his second.

"Ok, but hurry Roo, she looks pretty bad!" She saw her brother's eyes flash when he had inhaled her scent. It meant his wolf had recognised his mate. She only hoped that she wasn't already mated.

After the arduous journey home, Rufus sat by the wounded wolf and wondered what she looked like in human form. He spoke softly to her as the healer removed the bullets.

"I've done all I can for her, Alpha, and she should be fine once she has rested. She has lost a lot of blood so she will probably sleep for a day or so," the healer said.

"Shouldn't we try and get her to change to human?" asked Rufus

"No it would be better if she remained in her wolf form. She will heal faster. I know you are frustrated by not being able to get any answers, but this way is best."

"Alright, thank you, Beth. I will stay here with her." Rufus gazed at the beautiful white wolf laid out on the bed in front of him. How he longed to claim her. He worried that she might already have a mate and felt his wolf growl at that thought. There was no way he and his wolf would let her go, now that they had finally found her.

*****

It had been one and a half days and he had not left her side for more than a few minutes at a time. He stopped dead in his tracks when he came back from one of his pit stops. There before him was the most stunningly beautiful womenhe had ever seen. She had long, waist length, light blonde hair, and amazing golden eyes, which were currently glaring at him.

He slowly walked toward her and sat on the chair next to the bed.

"Hello, I'm the Alpha of the Black Wolf pack. My name is Rufus Cane. I found you in the forest almost two days ago. Can you tell me what happened to you?" he asked, not taking his eyes of her.

*****

Calista just stared at this gorgeous man. She inhaled and shuddered. She could feel her wolf wanting to roll over in complete submission. Calista shook her head. Could it be true? Was this gorgeous, dark haired man with mischievous black eyes be her mate? It took a while to realise that he had actually asked her a question.

"I'm sorry to trespass on your land Alpha, but I needed to warn you and I needed help."

"You are more than welcome here. Please tell me what happened. But first, how about a name?" he said, giving her a heart melting smile.

"Oh, yes of course. I'm sorry. My name is Calista Everheart. I belong to the Everheart pack, or I did." A tear slowly trickled down her cheek. "Hunters came and killed everyone. The whole pack is gone." She started to sob.

Rufus was on his feet in an instant and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight while she wept uncontrollably. "It's alright. I've got you, let it out." He rocked her gently, letting her grief pour out. The sadness that gripped his own heart at hearing that his friend Michael Everheart and his whole pack had been destroyed was overwhelming. He clung to her whispering words of comfort.

Using his mind he called out for his Betas. "Keri, I need you and a few of our warriors to go over to the Everheart pack. They have all been murdered by hunters. See if you can pick up their trail, I want them found. We will avenge our friends. Let Alpha William Oakland know what happened as he may want to send his own warriors to join you." He had complete faith in her abilities to find the vermin that had done this. He had trained his sister well; she was now his second in command. She was his best warrior.

Calista looked up with tears welling in her golden eyes. "I'm sorry for being such a baby. I'll be alright in a moment." She sniffed.

"You are going to have to stop saying sorry for everything as there is nothing to be sorry for. No one has more right to weep then you do. You have lost everyone you love. So cry all you need my love."

Calista looked up in shock when he called her love. "What?"

He smiled at her. "Don't tell me you can't feel it -- the mating pull. You are my mate, and I bet your wolf is just as keen as mine to claim each other. Were you mated to anyone in your pack?"

"No! I have never been mated, and yes I do feel the pull. I would like to wait until I am more myself. It has all been too much for me. I can't think straight at the moment. I know my wolf wants to mate you now, but I need to grieve my family." More tears filled her eyes.

"Oh love, I have no intention of taking you as my mate until you are ready. I have waited for centuries to find you and can wait for as long as you need. Oh, before I forget, I found this tied around your neck." He reached for the scarf that had been knotted to make a small pouch. He handed it to her and she crushed it to her chest and sobbed. He felt helpless, so he just sat next to her on the bed, pulling her into his arm and comforting her.

*****

Keri was surprised that Alpha William had come with her himself. He told her he had many friends in the Everheart pack and personally wanted to seek revenge for his lost friends. He had brought ten warriors with him. Keri had also brought ten warriors with her. They arrived at what had once been the home of the Everheart pack. Keri felt a sharp pain in her heart as she saw all of the dead. They had killed them all and just left their bare carcasses to rot. She wept as she saw the small body of a pup, its fur coat gone. The pain was replaced by pure fury. She looked around and noticed the same fury on the faces of the Alpha and the warriors. They spread out to look for tracks with her in the lead. She was one of the best trackers in the pack.

They searched for half an hour before they found the trail and followed it to what looked like mule tracks. Keri nodded to the Alpha. "Looks like they used pack mules to carry the pelts, so they must have a base not too far away." They followed the tracks, but had several of their men keeping an eye out in case it was a trap. It took a few hours but the tracks led to a cabin. They spread out and carefully moved in closer. There were about fifteen men sitting around a large table eating. Will and Keri listened in on the conversation, wanting to get as much info as possible.

"Hey Buddy, are you sure Blakemore told you to kill all those wolves?" one of them asked with a mouthful of food.

"Nah, he wanted the white wolf for his collection, but it escaped. So I figured we might as well take the pelts off 'em and get some cash. Did you see all that stuff in them caves? There must have been people living there before them wolves moved in. They probably killed everyone for dinner," Buddy replied with a belch.

Will and Keri had heard enough and gave the word to attack. Since none of the men had their weapons close enough to them, the attack was over in no time. They retrieved the pelts and headed back to the destroyed pack home. They gathered wood and placed all the bodies and pelts on the wood and set it alight. The stood solemnly as the fire burned down to ashes before heading home, all lost in their own thoughts. Not a word was spoken all the way back.

Will and Keri went to the infirmary to see Rufus and meet Calista. They told them everything that happened.

"Calista, I wish we could have met under different circumstances. I knew your father well." Will said as he hugged her. "If you ever need anything please call me," he said as he bid them goodbye before heading back to his own pack.

"Hi Calista, my name is Keri. I see you and my brother are getting acquainted. I am the highest ranking female here and second in command, which makes me the Alpha bitch, a title I am more than willing to part with when you two make it official." She laughed at the look of shock on Calista's face. "I'm sure you and I will become close friends, Calista. That is, if Roo will ever let anyone get close to you!" she said as she ducked a pillow Rufus had thrown at her.

"Calista is well enough to leave the infirmary, so I will take her to my rooms. Why don't you come along? You can keep her company while I tend to some pack business. She needs time to come to terms with her loss; the mating can wait a while longer," he told his sister.

"Sounds good to me; what do you say Calista?" Keri asked.

"That would be great, but please you two, call me Cal. After all, we are going to be family," she said as her eyes welled with tears.

"Come on Cal, We'll take you to your room. You've had too much to deal with. After you have a relaxing bath, I'll fix you some herbal tea," Keri suggested.

"Thank you," Calista said as Keri and Rufus helped her to his rooms. Once there, Rufus left them after planting a tender kiss on her lips. She had a long soak in the bath, slipped on a white toweling robe and sat next to Keri on the sofa. She slowly sipped the herbal tea Keri had made them. Maybe everything really would be okay.

*****

It had been two weeks since she had been released from the infirmary. Keri and Calista were now firm friends and Rufus has never left her side. She slept wrapped in his arms every night and he helped to keep her nightmares at bay. She was aware of his internal battle with his wolf to mate, but he had respected her wishes.

Finally, he could wait no longer. "Cal, my angel, my wolf can wait no longer to claim you."

Calista chuckled and said, "Ok my love, go ahead and organize the mating ceremony."

"Thank you my angel," Rufus said, giving her a lingering kiss as he sent a mental order to Keri to get the ceremony organized for the next night. He was not waiting any longer.

Rufus was unaware that Keri had been making plans for the ceremony since the first time she saw his eyes flash when he saw Calista. It would only take her an hour to get everything in place. She let him know this little fact, and felt a mental hug and love flood her body. She returned the love, so happy Roo finally found his mate. She knew how long he had been waiting for this moment.

*****

The pack gathered in the clearing in front of the den entrance and their excitement built as they waited for their Alpha and his would-be mate to make their way to the elevated platform. Rufus took Calista's hand and led her to the platform and Calista changed into her wolf form immediately. There was a collective gasp of awe as the pack gazed at the magnificent white wolf. She lowered herself so that her butt was up in the air and she moved her tail, glancing over her shoulder and watching as Rufus changed into a huge black wolf.

He settled behind her, lowering his head and licked her seeping core. He pressed his long tongue deep within her. His tongue caressed her and he could feel her getting close. She was panting and he could hear the constant rumbling coming for deep within her chest. His red, hard cock protruded from its sheath, drooling in anticipation of entering her tight velvet glove. He mounted her and slowly pushed into her, til he reached her barrier. "I am sorry love; this will hurt, no matter how gentle I try to be," he sent into her mind.

"Just fuck me hard and fast love. I know it will hurt for a few moments, but I need this as much as you do. Please just do it!"

He sunk his teeth into the scruff of her neck to hold her still, then thrust deep into her, breaking through her innocence. He pounded into her at a rapid pace. He could feel his balls tighten and his rod thicken, but tried to hold off until he felt her explode. With one final, powerful thrust he released his seed. He lowered them to their sides so the pack had access to them. Each member of his pack changed to wolf so they could scent their newest family member. They now had a new alpha bitch.

The night was spent in celebration. The pack let out howls of joy and were well pleased with their Alphas choice of mate.

*****

Six months later, the Alpha pair were inseparable. The only time Calista was alone was once a week when Rufus held meetings with his Betas. On those occasions, Calista would go for a long morning run. She loved the feel of the wind as it rustled through her fur, the forest rushing past her as she moved like a white streak of lightning. Her white coat sparkled in the sunlight and she was magnificent.

She came to a sudden halt when she scented danger. There was a pop and bark splintered from a near-by tree. Hunters! She had to run for her life. "Roo!" she sent out mentally, "I am being chased by hunters! Warn the..." That was the last thing she said before her world started to go black.

*****

Rufus could feel her panic and felt the mental bond slip away as she lost consciousness. He called Keri and several of his warriors to follow him while the pack went on alert. Rufus led the way, following Calista's scent. He came to a dead end, her scent stopping at an old fire road. He howled in despair. He had to find his mate.

Keri went to her brother. "Roo, we will find her, we need to spread out and see if we can pick up her trail." She could see Rufus was only just holding it together.

*****

Calista woke to darkness. She was in a cage in the back of some kind of truck. "We better stay in our wolf form since they don't know we are more than that." Her wolf agreed. They could not see their captors because of the black tarp that was draped over the cage. They could hear them clearly though, and what was said was frightening.

"The boss is going to give us a bonus, for this one!" one man said.

"Yeah, I've never seen such a large white wolf before. Did you see those golden eyes glare at us when we shot the darts in her?" the other man asked.

"I know it's like they were on fire, it's was kind of creepy! The boss will love it!"

"His private collection doesn't have a wolf yet; he's been trying to get this huge white one for months. He sent a team to get one over six months ago, but none ever came back!"

Calista had felt her mate's panic before she blacked out; she could only imagine his pain when he lost track of her.

She felt the truck swerve to the right; they must have turned onto another road. The truck slowed down after a while and turned left; they must have entered a driveway. There was a lot of commotion outside the truck, then the back was opened and someone flipped up the cover of the cage.

Calista found herself looking into the eyes of a man. He was tall, had dark hair to his shoulders, dark brown eyes, and glared into the cage with excitement. His eyes took in her white coat and eyes and he rubbed his hands together and smiled.

"You've done well boys! She is magnificent. She will be an exceptional addition to my collection! You have earned your bonus. Now, move her to the wolf enclosure I had built. I must admit I wasn't expecting to ever get the white one."

Calista snarled at him. She bared her fangs, wanting to rip his throat out for taking her away from her mate. He had also been the one behind her pack being slaughtered.

They slid her cage into the doorway of the larger enclosure, and using ropes opened her smaller cage to let her out. Once inside, she started to pace back and forth, never taking her eyes of the man. She gave him a murderous look, which left him in no doubt that she meant to kill him.

"Hey Mr Blakemore, when are you going to pay us? We've got another job to get to." One of the men said.

"Not before I've finished looking at my prise," he snapped at them.

Calista knew she had traveled a long way. She knew she would be in some other wolf's pack land. She sent out a howl to call for help from any wolf in the area. After several howls, she heard an answering howl from somewhere not too far away and felt relief wash over her.

Calista lay on the cold concrete, her head on her front paws, and waited for someone to help her escape. She thought of her mate. She could feel him in the back of her mind, but was to far away to communicate with him. He had been her rock and now he would be lost, being able to feel her in his mind but not being able to reassure her or knowing where his other half was. His wolf would be enraged and frantic that someone had dared take his mate.

*****

Just outside the compound, the Betas of the Lupus pack were watching the truck deliver their latest captive. They sent word to their Alpha that they had seen the men unloading a white wolf, and going by her scent, she was a werewolf. The Alpha wasted no time getting there.

"White wolf, I am Marshall Lupus! I am Alpha of the of the Lupus pack and this place is on my pack land. I've had my betas watching this place and they saw them bring you in. Can you hear me?" he asked her mentally.

"Yes! I can hear you; can you let my mate know where I am?

"I will let him know. What pack are you from? Can you remember which way you came?"

"I was in the back of a truck and couldn't see out and I don't know how long I was unconscious. All I remember is that once I woke up, we turned right and then after some time turned left into what felt like a driveway of this place!"

"Ok! I will relay a message to all the Alphas in that direction and tell them to keep passing it on until we find your pack. What is your name?"

"Thank you so much, my name is Calista. My mate's name is Alpha Rufus Cane, of the Black Wolf pack. Please hurry! He must be so worried by now. I need my mate; I am lost without him," she begged.

"Rest easy Calista; I will get a message to him. It may take some time, but I will not fail you."

*****

Adrian Blakemore prided himself at being able to find rare animals. He would love showing off his latest addition; he had never seen such a perfect specimen. Those eyes, which were still glaring at him with pure hatred, were amazing. He sat in one of his viewing chairs with a glass of wine and watched her. He had spent the last ten years building this collection. It cost him a fortune bribing officials to look the other way while he trapped and imported endangered species. Now he had the best collection in the country. Now he had this magnificent white wolf. He would be the envy of all of his peers. Yes, he was well pleased with himself.