What Now Ch 06

Dear Readers,

Sorry the chapters are a little short. The last chapter or two should be longer. I'm almost finished with this segment.

Enjoy,

KemMyst

*******

It was almost 10 when Harris heard voices and moved closer.

A car had stopped by the side of one of the roads traversing their range.

Three young male humans, laughing, smoking, smelling of ale, carried a small box. He could see them, hear them, but they were downwind and he could not smell them. Were they a threat?

[Three human males, east end of the range. Brookside Road.]

He watched them advance while he waited for any reply. They passed a few yards away, not knowing he was there.

He started as a bunch of firecrackers were set off nearby.

[ .. have guns?] He missed the beginning of the send for the noise.

[What?]

[Harris. Are they hunting? Do they have guns?]

They formed a semicircle near the edge of the field. Items were taken out of the box, tubes, some large, some small. There was a whiff of brimstone, a spark, and a whoosh as something went airborne.

[HARRIS!] Another small explosion of light.

He jerked. [Fireworks.]

[Do not engaged unless threatened.]

The young males whooped as fireballs lit the night sky and small reports breached the silence. They all had bottles in their hands, swigging beer occasionally.

All at once, each one had a tube in his hand. Three fuses were lit and two of them stood opposite one another. Colored flaming balls popped out and they dodged, laughing. The third walked around, pointing it and launching flaming balls at trees, bushes, and tall plants. Harris sucked in a breath and forced himself to stay still as a small blue fireball landed close enough to singe his fur. Luckily, it had not been dry and it went out quickly.

He watched as another flaming ball was launched into the darkened sky. Only, instead of making a noise or changing color and going out, it floated across the sky. Harris was mesmerized, his eyes tracking the little parachute carrying the little light. The third male stepped backwards, also watching, and Harris let out a low woof of surprise that was, thankfully, mostly drowned out by another report.

Harris and the human both froze. Harris held his breath.

[Harris, report.] The human turned back to his friends as a large collection of tubes was removed from the box.

[Fireworks. They're drunk.]

[No threat?]

[I don't think so.]

The fuse was lit and the three backed away. Colored flowers were launched into the air. White, red, green, blue. It was pretty. It ended with several bright lights with bangs.

As the last reverberation dies away with the whoops of the males they looked at each other, clinked bottles, drank, and giggled. They looked up at the sky and looked around. One of them asked if there were any more. To a negative response, they turned as a group and headed back to the car. Once the vehicle took off Harris left his hiding place and went over to the pile of debris. After a sniff, he sneezed to clear the awful smell from his nose.

[Humans gone. Left their trash.]

The response came back. [Understood.]

[My Alpha, the humans have left our range. I have called back the additional wolves.]

[Thank you, Sampson.] Stephanie's shoulders dropped and she exhaled. She hadn't realized how tense she had become. But, humans were now unpredictable things. She had seen stories on the news where one friend had stabbed or shot another with accusations of cheating at a game or other perceived acts of unfairness. Their own friends.

Any creature reacted badly when surprised

Werewolves had ways of dealing with grievances and frustration. If they didn't settle things themselves in the circle, which was rare, they went to the Alphas. Werewolf justice was swift and decisive.

She had seen some human crimes take years to come to any sort of conclusion. Not to mention things called appeals.

Maybe it was because their senses were so dull. Lyssa had struggled with the simplest things before she was turned. Maybe that was why they played games like football and hockey.

They were very similar but so different. It had been so much easier before the humans knew they existed. For now they were mostly left alone, but the clash of cultures would cause problems. Stephanie looked out at the stars and wished that the past year had never happened.

The bottles and other materials left by the humans was cleaned up the following day.

*****

Foster pack reported short flags on an area of their range.

Unfortunately for them, a small housing development was going to be built there.

While the packs owned a large amount of land, they didn't own all of their ranges. And, while they tried to buy properties that came up for sale, it only worked about half the time. And, sometimes, transactions went on behind the scenes.

The other packs could only commiserate.

Emmett and Alex were supervising sparring sessions between sets of their females and some of their young males. Randall was talking to the teenagers about their responsibilities to the pack. Caroline had the pups at the pond, teaching them, or trying to, about aquatic biology. It was hard to keep the young pups from taking off after the frogs.

Lyssa had found something in the clothing room. She had been looking for a couple of sleeveless blouses or maybe a new sundress. She normally favored bright colors but, today, something dark had caught her eye.

Soft, supple, and, as she thought of it, daring.

She smiled to herself as she grabbed it, then went upstairs to complete the outfit. Anna watched her leave, wondering at the smile.

Upstairs, in their room, she found Emmanuel curled up on their bed. The toddler, pink and smelling of the sun, rolled and sprawled, arms and legs splayed.

Lyssa put her hand over her mouth and tears came to her eyes, though they didn't fall. Her sweet little boy. She almost couldn't believe she had a son, was a mother. She leaned over, kissed his forehead, and stroked his hair back. It was getting long. He growled in his sleep and twisted. She smiled to herself and noted she was beginning to see Emmett in his face.

She turned away and walked into the bathroom. Since she couldn't roll in her mate's scent on the bedclothes, she would use his towel. Then, slipping in to the closet, to get the other half of the outfit.

She tried not to think of it too much but she was already getting wet. Lyssa snuck out quietly, so as not to wake her son.

Reaching the first floor, she practically tripped over little Hugh. "Oops! You OK sweetie?"

Natalie came over to pick up her little terror. She inhaled, looked Lyssa up and down, and smirked.

Lyssa exited the back door of the den. First, she looked at the trees, figuring out which way the wind was blowing. She then padded quietly in the direction of the circle. A couple of noses went up and she heard the deep inhales that followed. Suppressing a smile, she turned to the right, so that she was behind Emmett, and downwind.

She watched as Alex's eyes got wide and he swallowed. The young males nudged each other and the cocks on a couple of them started to swell. Emmett was talking and began to turn at their responses. As her scent hit him, he froze, fists clenched.

As she got closer she heard his heart start to hammer.

*****

Another sparring session with the young males. While some of them were acting a little bored, the rest were paying attention. A couple of them were turning into fair fighters. They would be steered in the direction of becoming guardians of the pack. And, while they may not appreciate it yet, their parents would be pleased as it would increase their status.

He started to discuss the strategy of fighting multiple opponents when Alex's eyes went wide and a couple of the young males reacted in a very unusual way, eyes following something behind him and to the right.

Luna! What was ... going ...

It hit him, hard. Lyssa. Aroused. The heady scent of his mate had him frozen, trying his damndest to control himself.

He breathed deeply, but that only made it worse.

Emmett caught sight of her in his peripheral vision as she began to circle him. Black. A short black skirt. A black vest, with some kind of a ruffle, like a tail, a train, or something. She had no shoes on and her hair was loose, chestnut waves fluttering lightly.

She strutted, in an overtly sexual manner. And he knew, for the intensity of her scent, that she had nothing else on under the clothes. As she moved on, he marveled at the way her breasts were pushed up in the vest, tanned mounds just asking to be caressed, unleashed.

He barely noticed as Alex cleared a path. There were chuckles, snickers, as he remained the statue. Lyssa paused, briefly, and glanced at him. He licked his lips.

A send came to him. [Go.]

It's as if a switch was thrown. Cock fully extended and starting to drip, he took three strides. In one fluid move, he grabbed Lyssa, threw her over his shoulder, and kept going.

She yelped at the abrupt move but didn't struggle. In fact, she reached down and lightly scratched both ass cheeks.

Selene! She was gonna make him blow before he even had a chance to touch her.

[I gotta get a female like that.]

Emmett took his mate to a nearby glade and laid her gently in the midsummer grasses.

He crouched over her and inhaled at her neck. Then he unsnapped the front of the vest she was wearing and spread the sides open. She took a deep breath and he watched those luscious mounds rise. They were tipped by tightened rose pink nipples.

He would lavish attention on them later.

Right now, he was prompted to do something else. Lifting her knees, the skirt flipped up. He was right, nothing beneath. He plunged in and, as wet as she was, he went in to the hilt.

Emmett stopped, so he wouldn't burst, and looked down at the triumphant smirk below him. The twinkle in those dark brown eyes was covered as she closed her eyes and tipped her head back.

He pulled out, slowly, and slid back in. Satisfied with her readiness, he pulled back again then started hammering his willing mate.

Lyssa was grunting in time with his thrusts, clutching his shoulders and tilting her pelvis to feel all of him.

As he felt all of her. Wet. Warm. Welcoming.

She had gone stiff and shaking twice under him and she had been moved a good half a dozen feet by the time he roared his release, then collapsed on her.

When he finally came back to himself and his breathing had slowed, he raised himself up on his elbows. [Is that the response you were after, sweetheart?]

She smiled up at him and kissed his nose, running her hands up his sides. He felt her muscles tighten around him since his knot had him still buried inside her. She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt him begin to firm up again. This time was more leisurely and he spent time in appreciation of her breasts and kissing her deeply.

He never got the answer to his question.

*****

Stephanie was achy, hypersensitive. She couldn't stand the diesel fumes as the hole was being excavated for the new bunker.

It had taken a bit of explanation before they were allowed the building permit. It was only when someone called it a panic room that the planning board relaxed.

Stephanie then went to the computer and looked up panic rooms. A number of plans popped up, lists of supplies, characteristics. She was intrigued and considered the spaces in the den. There were a couple of interior rooms that could be converted to that purpose. In case some couldn't make it to the bunker. Pups, the injured, a female in labor.

The room she settled on wasn't large, but it also wouldn't be meant to hold the entire pack. A basement room underneath would help them secure the utilities for the room but meant the floor needed a metal base. Theo had taken the lead on the project.

So, then, there was pounding, and clanging. It made her head hurt.

She was grumpy, hot, and sleep deprived. And, what scared her more, felt like she couldn't take a deep breath. Sharilyn, the healer, had tried to reassure her that that was normal. Stephanie knew it, understood it was the pup's size doing it, but it really bothered her. Her balance was off and she knew she would have trouble fighting if she needed to.

Especially if the humans tried something.

*****

Lyssa had followed Ronnie one day, after waiting for hours outside his apartment, and found out where he worked. It was a low level job - midday shift at a bar. A far cry from the responsibilities and pay from when they were dating.

He really had to hate her now. After all, he thought it was her fault.

And Em, for taking her away.

As if. Ronnie was an asshole.

She'd sent a couple of letters to both places.

Did he know it was her? Was he expecting her to show up?

*****

The police had talked to Mercy one last time then, nothing.

Pack members quietly seethed. Some damned human had killed one of their young males and they had no way of figuring out who had done it, could hold no one responsible.

Mercy was still in a morose frame of mind and Justin missed his brother. They had both spent time alone, wallowing in their own little hells. But both had duties to the pack and were drawn back in. They looked at each other when they came near and looked away quickly, as if their mirrored pain would build infinitely.

Stephanie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

A heavy sigh was followed by a look of frustration. "Alpha, please relax. You make it very difficult to perform a proper examination."

The Ross Alpha looked at the mound of her belly and grunted at a kick. "You know he will show signs of stress if you are aggravated."

Stephanie closed her eyes and took some deep breaths.

Sharilyn watched the tension in her body drop and put hands back on the Alpha's swollen belly, feeling around. "Still head up." She then put the pre-warmed stethoscope on a couple of spots, listening. "Good. Any bleeding?"

"A little, nothing much."

"OK." Sharilyn checks the clipboard. "Your weight gain is on the low side, you should eat a bit more, if you can."

Another grunt, this time in acknowledgement.

Sharilyn stopped, apparently listening to someone else in the pack.

Stephanie watched, waiting. The healer's focus came back to the room. "Albert has dislocated a couple of fingers, Alpha."

Stephanie nodded and Sharilyn left to tend to Albert. Albert had been working on the interior panic room.

*****

Lyssa wandered into the nursery and smiled at the pile of pups in a corner. It was strange to think that they would be comfortable like that, all piled up together in an untidy heap. But they all did it, until they were about 5 or 6.

The dark, silver-tipped fur of her son was in contact with the lighter fur of Emmaline. Even little Hugh had begun to spend time here.

She looked at Emmanuel with a mother's fierce love and considered his father, Emmett, and the life she now led. It was something she could never had imagined but she was glad of it. Emmett made her happy and someone had meant to take him away from her. She was sure of it.

And, while the world had become a more dangerous place for them now that the humans know of their existence (and, yes, she had been human herself, once) Ronnie had a particular, and very focused, target. And it wasn't her. But she was the prize at the end.

Lyssa should have him afraid by now, worried that someone knew. That there might be ... retribution.

The humans didn't know that Jamie had been killed. Didn't know who had been killed. So, now, Lyssa would tell him that he'd screwed up. That he had fucked up with her and still couldn't manage to do anything right.

She'd make him pay for what he'd taken from her, and what he'd tried to take. It was her turn. She was a wolf, after all. She would protect what was hers.

*****

That church showed up at the Severn den, picketing in front of the gate. While many of them carried their usual signs, blaming the downfall of the country on the acceptance of faggotry, they now carried signs calling werewolves a new plague on humanity. Another sign decried fornication with animals.

The Severn females paced them, on the other side of the fence and gate, and seethed.

But they knew not to engage the church members. Had been told by the Alphas not to do anything provocative. Though they growled, quietly.

The press arrived and half the females melted away. The remainder stood, arms crossed, impassive. The church members crossed themselves and spat at them. The reporters interviewed the leader of the picket line for the six o'clock news. The Severn females simply shook their heads when asked if they wanted to comment. No amount of cajoling would make them open their mouths.

After two days, they moved to the Wyeth den.

And, while many Severn wolves had duties outside the den and there had been a lot of traffic in and out, Randall tried to keep the passage of pack members through the picketers limited.

Severn pack was used to dealing with outsiders, with humans; he didn't want one of his wolves to react badly.

Thankfully, they left after two days, without incident.

*****

The garden at Wyeth was completely filled with greenery and yellow, purple, and violet blossoms. The peas were about done and they had started to pull in the cauliflower. Some heads were showing signs of bolting. Had to get on it.

Madeline stood there, considering what to plant after the cauliflower, as Caroline brought the youngsters in to show them how some of their food was grown. As they got closer, Caroline asked, "Madam Beta, could you talk to the young..."

Madeline inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the pregnant female and setting up a low rumble in her chest.

Caroline was startled and looked at Madeline more closely, inhaling as she did so. "Children, back away from the Madam Beta. To the edge of the garden, please."

All the youngsters complied, with the exception of Troy, who moved closer.

"Troy!"

Madeline's head whipped to the side and she snarled at him, then turned and shifted. Nose down, a brown wolf with four white socks tried to run but got tangled in clothes. Snarling and snapping, she struggled and ripped cloth until she was able to break free. After another snap at the offending cloth, she shook out her coat, lifted her head, and howled.

A couple of the adolescent males inhaled, scenting a female in heat.

Madeline cast about, sniffing at the main trail that led away from the den.

[Madam Beta. Lyssa. You need to call Erich in.]

[Is something wrong?]

[His mate is in heat.]

[Erich, you need to come in. Madeline has come into season.]

The small, brown wolf made a decision and bolted down the trail, nose to the ground. It took a couple of seconds for Erich's question to be relayed. [Where?]

[Headed out on the main trail.]

Erich was surprised and pleased that Maddie was in heat again.

He was off to the west today, checking on a disturbance in the soil and bushes.

It wasn't anything. A dog had managed to come onto the range and killed a pheasant. He had had one of the younger males with him; had him evaluate the scene. They were discussing some of the finer points when the call came. He excused himself and headed back toward the den.

Madeline was stuck, casting about again. Trying to figure out which way her mate had gone. Scents led off in every direction. She spun, she howled, she growled her frustration. She picked a direction that seemed stronger and took off, loping through the verdant field.

Erich took a direct route back, wanting to get to his mate as soon as possible. A female wanted only one thing at this time. Her first preference, of course, was for her mate. But, the drive was strong and, if he were incapacitated, dead, or missing, she would approach another male.