Dominant Species Ch. 37-40

"Doc, is she all right?" Deputy Stevens had moved to the front of the group; he was effectively in charge of the townspeople now and they had all deferred to him.

"Yes, she'll be fine in a few days. We need to take her home so she can be there for her parent's funeral." They set the stretcher down on the grass; the assembled people made their way past, some praying over her and others comforting him and Reggie on their loss.

"Actually, I'd like to speak to you about that in private with the two of you. Gladys will watch Rachel for a moment."

Marcus looked over at Reggie who nodded, then they went back inside the clinic where they could talk. "Doc, Reggie, I'm not sure what the protocol is on this stuff, but many of us would like to pay our respects to your parents if you would allow us to come."

"Why?" Reggie was a little shocked at the request.

"They've been leading citizens in this town for decades, everyone knows them. I know your father tried to start trouble, but Lisa... she was a courageous woman who was killed trying to bring peace. We respect and honor that."

Reggie thought about it for a moment; werewolf funerals were secretive affairs, but things had changed now that humans in the town knew about them. It was time their traditions changed as well. "We would be honored to have their friends attend. The big problem is that the ceremony is in about two hours, we do it when the moon is highest so it can't wait. I don't think they will be able to make it out to our place in the dark in time."

"That's not a problem, Alpha." He gestured at the tractor which was parked by the loading dock. "If you don't mind, we could bring them out on that. It would be an easier way to get Rachel home than carrying her in a stretcher."

It took about fifteen minutes to get everyone loaded up, they had moved spare pillows and some cushions onto the trailer so people could ride comfortably. Reggie had volunteered to drive since he could see better, and Marcus was sitting up against a hay bale with Rachel leaning back against his chest. She hadn't awoken, but her body was starting to twitch and he knew it would be soon. Josi had joined them just before they left, and was busy introducing herself to the people who had come along. The trip only took them thirty minutes and they were arriving at their Pack grounds.

Josi and Reggie told everyone to stay put for a moment. Everyone let Marcus get off, carrying his mate in his arms as his Alphas led them around to the back of the house near the river where the pyres were built. Raven broke free from her minders and ran to his side, crying as she hugged his leg and held her mom's hand. He whispered to her as she started to come to, instinctively she cuddled close to his chest as they walked. The humans followed behind them quietly as they walked through the Pack werewolves in human form that were waiting for them.

Marcus sat on a chair set up for them, still holding Rachel in his arms while Raven stood by their side. Reggie walked to where a platform had been set up and stood up where all could see him. "Tonight, we celebrate the lives and mourn the deaths of our Alpha pair, who were murdered this evening while on a mission of peace. The man who did this is dead, and the peace they sought will not be derailed by this act of violence by a single man with a long-standing grudge against this Pack." He waited for the murmuring to quiet down. "Joining us tonight are friends and neighbors, here to pay their respects and to mourn with us. As we find ways to live in peace, we will show them our traditions, including how we honor those who are lost to us and join the Moon Goddess in eternal rest."

Rachel stirred at his words, and over the bond Marcus comforted her and updated her on what was happening while Reggie continued. "Werewolves have always burned their dead; in part, this was a way to ensure our secret existence did not reveal itself to you, but it has a spiritual component as well. We believe that by burning the bodies, we release their spirit to the sky and start their journey to join the Moon. That is why we do it when the moon is highest in the sky. The bodies are wrapped in cloth, leaving only their faces exposed until they are placed on the pyre. As they are brought forward, the Pack members touch them one last time, and some may place flowers or keepsakes on their platforms to be burned with them."

Four men moved out of the garage at this time, bearing two wooden litters that bore the wrapped bodies. The people formed a line on each side as they were slowly brought forward; soon the bodies were covered with wildflowers, photographs and memories. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as they finally made their way to the front, where they were brought in front of their family.

Marcus sat Rachel up, being careful of her leg, as the body of her father was stopped in front of their chair. Tears flooded her face as she laid her head down on his broad chest, saying a prayer before she sat up. Marcus also grieved for the man he both fought with and loved deeply in their time together. He may not have accepted him fully, he thought, but he did help him to adapt and find a place in the Pack, and for that he was eternally grateful. Raven was sobbing loudly, she kissed her grandfather on the cheek and whispered that she loved him.

When she sat up, her father was moved to where Reggie was standing, Josi at his side and comforting him, while Lisa was brought up to Rachel. The emotions reached a peak as they wailed their loss. When they sat back, Reggie had come over and said his own goodbyes. With a look, he told the men bearing the litters to place them on the pyre.

"Tonight, our loved ones journey to the Moon, to forever watch over us in the night. May Luna bless and keep us all." The pack elders came forward with lit torches, passing one to each of the Pack members. They surrounded the pyre, then as one they tossed their torches into the kindling set in the base. The wood was dry and quickly caught, causing everyone to have to move back due to the heat. The Pack members stepped back, making their way behind the shed to disrobe and shift so as not to offend their guests, then took their places around the raging fire again.

With a mournful howl, Reggie lifted his head to the moon above and let his heartbreak out. The next howl, the entire pack joined in as the humans let their tears fall.

The pyre collapsed in the center as the sound echoed off the mountains, a huge plume of glowing embers rising towards the moon as their spirits went home.

--

Donald Ross was practically prancing as he led the vehicle back towards the town of North Fork.

His mate, he finally found his mate, and though she was human he would soon be together with her. He couldn't wait to introduce himself formally, but first he had to get them safe and relaxed. He ran his mind through the events of the last few minutes, trying to sort out what had happened. Her smell was unique, but somehow familiar. His brain picked through it, isolating it from the surrounding smells, and then he realized what it smelled like and it was like he had been electrocuted.

His legs stopped working for a second, but at speed it was enough to send him tumbling. He rolled a few times before getting up, ignoring the pain in his knees and ribs from the impact. He let out a pained howl, then started running again. His wolf wanted them back with their Pack as soon as possible.

His mate had been the one who had been raped. It was HER blood he smelled, and somehow the decay of the men's bodies had masked it enough that his beast hadn't recognized it immediately.

He could sense the car speeding up as it approached the area she had been attacked, she didn't want to be there any longer than they had to and his wolf agreed. He started to sprint, and they kept up. When they were safely past, he slowed to a more manageable pace as he reached out over the link to Alpha Calvin. "Alpha... I've found people on the road, they know Josi and she told them to request asylum with you."

"That's fine, bring them in, I'll be waiting. Do you sense any danger from them?"

"No, Alpha, there are two women and three children, and they have a working vehicle. I'm leading them back now."

He could sense Alpha Calvin's excitement. "Working? What is it?"

"Classic convertible."

"What kind?"

Donald laughed. "I have two families and you're interested in the car. Well, I'm not sure, they wouldn't let me close enough to see well. They are frightened, Alpha. They were on the road last night, I came across a scene and there were three dead men, and they had raped a woman before being killed by Josi and Marcus. I traced their scents, they must have come upon the scene when they were traveling. They wanted nothing to do with a man on the road, they didn't let me get within ten yards of the car. I got close enough, though, for the important part."

"What was that?"

"The one who was raped... she is my mate, Alpha. I found my mate, she's human, and she's hurt."

There was silence on the bond as it was processed, then Alpha Calvin sent a wave of love and support to him. "She's still your mate, Donald. Whatever she needs, whatever YOU need, you've got it. You're going to have to be patient, though. Be her friend first, all right?"

"You're right, Alpha. We're five minutes out."

"All right, pull up in front of the motel. Luna Kelly will bring a few girls to help get them settled. I need you to keep your distance, be friendly but not threatening, and for Luna's sake keep your hormones under control. The last thing she needs to see is a old man with a hardon following her around like a puppy."

Donald chuffed, he knew it would be hard but he had to control it. "Thanks Alpha." Cutting the link, he had a talk with his wolf about how they needed to behave to keep her from being scared. His wolf wasn't happy, he wanted her in their den and marked immediately, but he understood that she wasn't ready for him. No matter what, he wouldn't hurt their mate or her cubs.

Calvin had walked back to the park the Pack had been using for their nighttime meeting and eating place. Kelly came to his side, she had felt his unease over their bond and she kissed him hungrily. "What's going on, baby?"

Alpha Calvin looked around until he spotted Willow and Cheyenne, they were playing with the younger children in human and wolf form along with a few moms while their parents were working. He called them over and they all sat at a picnic table. "Ladies, I need all of your help. Donald contacted me, he found two women and some children on the road here. They said Josi sent them to me to request asylum."

Cheyenne's eyes got wide. "Is she with them?"

"No, but there is something else you need to know. One of the women was caught on that road the night Marcus and Josi went to Salmon, and she was raped. Donald found the bodies of the men that did it, and verified Marcus and Josi killed them."

Kelly's eyes had started to glow with anger, but it muted when she heard there was no one left to kill. "Oh Luna... the poor women." She looked at the two human girls. "I need your help, they won't be as threatened by you two as by werewolves, and since you are Josi's friends they are bound to trust you. Come on."

She got up and as they started to move, Calvin took his mate's hand and held them up. "One more complication. The woman who was raped, she's Beta Donald's mate." All three of their eyes got wide. "It's not our place to say anything about that, but you need to know." With that, he led them back to the parking lot just as the convertible came into sight. Donald trotted to a halt in front of his Alphas, and Kelly scratched his ears. He went around behind the motel to change as the car came to a stop.

Alpha Calvin held his mate's hand tightly as he smiled in welcome. The driver was looking around nervously, she hadn't shut the car down yet and he could see her right hand had a pistol in it. The passenger was just as nervous, also armed, and he could smell blood on her. There were three children in the back, a toddler was asleep in the carseat while a boy protectively held his arm over her, and a young girl with a bandaged arm was busy sniffing the air.

"Welcome to North Fork, ladies. I'm Alpha Calvin Pierce, this is my mate Kelly, and Josi's friends Cheyenne and Willow. My Beta has informed me you wish to have asylum here, and I grant you that. Any friend of Josi is welcome to stay her under my protection."

The tension disappeared as he gave his promise, they felt safe here. Abigail shut off the car and got out, then moved the driver's seat forward and helped her daughter out. She walked her forward and stood before the group. "Thank you, Alphas. We won't be any trouble. My name is Abigail Dawson, and this is my daughter Autumn." She shook the Alpha's hand but was pulled into a hug by Kelly, who then hugged Autumn as well.

Kelly tilted her head as she took a good sniff of Autumn. "She's been bitten?"

"Yes, it was an accident. She was playing with Raven and Michael in the yard and broke her arm, it was a compound fracture."

Autumn held up her arm with the removable cast. "It still hurts, but Raven licked it and made it feel better. I'm glad, because now I'll be wolfy too!"

Kelly stood up and looked back at her mom. "No fevers yet, but I'm glad you are here. We have a number of humans going through the changes, we will help her through it." The girls then introduced themselves.

While they were talking, Silvia had gotten her daughter's car seat and was walking up with her son. Calvin repeated the introductions, then Silvia introduced her family. Calvin could tell they were all human, but the smell of blood on her was disconcerting. "Silvia, do you require medical attention? I can smell you are bleeding."

Silvia looked to the ground and her scent changed to one of anger. "No, thank you. Rachel said that I would be bleeding for a couple of days after..." Kelly moved forward and took her in her arms as she started to cry. "After... those men attacked me, I lost my baby." She started to sob onto Kelly's shoulder.

Cheyenne moved over and took the car carrier from her while Willow took the hands of the two children. "Silvia... if it's all right with you, we can take the kids to the park. We already have a bunch of kids playing, and we're watching them along with a few more moms."

Silvia nodded, still sobbing, while Abigail knelt down. "You two behave, and Autumn, be careful of your arm." The girls held their hands as they walked over to the park and introduced them to the other children. Abigail watched long enough to see them start playing, then she turned to the Alphas. "I think we all need to talk. Can we go somewhere?"

Calvin nodded. "There are a few people I'd like to include, if it is all right." He made a mental call and soon two people approached. Silvia started to shake a little, and Kelly rubbed her back to calm her down. "This is Beta Donald, who you met on the road. He's in charge of Pack security. Beta Candice is in charge of Pack support, so anything to do with food, shelter and clothing is her responsibility. Donald, Candice, this is Silvia and Abigail."

Silvia stood back and nervously shook their hands after Abigail had. Donald didn't seem as scary now as he had on the road. "Sorry for shooting at you, Donald." She shook his hand and looked down, pleasurable tingles were running up her arm at the contact. He held on just a little longer than he should have, and when he let her go the feeling disappeared.

"It's all right, I know you were scared."

They moved to the park where they could sit at a table. Using the bond, Calvin asked them to respect their privacy while they talked, and a few people casually moved away. "Why don't you tell us how you came to be here, and how you know Josi?"

Abigail smirked a little. "Well, I don't know Josi as well as Silvia does. Her mate pretty much snapped her up and made her his pretty soon after we were introduced." The wolves' eyes got wide. "Apparently, Reggie recognized her as his when he returned to the house. He took her into the mountains and she came back a few hours later with a mating bite and a smile on her face."

"Holy shit!" Calvin sat back in shock. "That is wonderful news. Do you mind if I share it?" She shook her head no, so Calvin stood up and everyone stopped and gave him their attention. "We have news! Our Josi arrived safely at Salmon Pack, where she met her mate- the Alpha's heir, Reggie Wolfe, and she is now mated and making the change!" There were cheers and howls from the Pack members at this news, all matings were celebrated as gifts from Luna and both of them were well liked.

He sat down and Silvia started to laugh. "Yeah, she's a handful, that one. They are so happy together, it's amazing. Last I saw her, she was telling him that just because she licked his balls once didn't mean she was taking over the job from him."

Kelly laughed out loud. "I can just see her doing that. Now, how about you start at the beginning? It's all important to us as we try to catch up on what is going on outside this town."

With that, Abigail told her story, then a hesitant Silvia told hers. Everything was going well until she got to the part where they were attacked on the road and she was raped, and Donald finally snapped.

--

Josi stood by his side as they watched the hot coals, all that was left of the blazing pyre that had consumed his parents an hour earlier. The Pack had left along with the humans, each with words of comfort or a wolf rub of support, and he remained in his place. The tears that streaked his face were not considered weak, no Alpha would ever be considered that.

Josi stayed at his side, her arm around him as she tried to share the pain she felt over the bond. Marcus had taken Rachel home soon after the pyre collapsed, she needed to rest and recover, but she was doing it at Tom and Mary's house because Marcus had to head back to the clinic.

Finally, Reggie turned towards their house, his hand in hers as they went forward. She could tell it wasn't easy as they entered through the sliding door to the kitchen; their scents were everywhere. He started to break down right there, and she half led, half carried him to his bedroom. As soon as she closed the door, he fell to his knees and let out an anguished sob. She fell next to him, holding him as he cried on her shoulder and let all the pain out.

"It should have been me." He looked up at her. "I would have stopped him, Mom should have let me do it."

"Your Mom was courageous, Reggie. She did what was best for the Pack and you. It worked, too. Your father was stopped, there was going to be peace with the humans, and you weren't hurt. I wasn't hurt, you are Alpha, we can't dwell on what might have been." She stood up and walked with him to the bed. "We have to live from this day forward, the way you have always been destined to live. You are Alpha, I am at your side, and together we will save this town and this Pack."

He closed his eyes, then looked at her, his love could be seen clearly in his eyes. "You're amazing, you know that?" He closed them again. "I dreamed for years about what my mate would be like, I expected to find one thing, and you are completely different in all ways. And I love that." He brought her down and kissed her tenderly as she leaned over him. "You can't imagine how proud I am of you, and of what you have done."

She leaned down and captured his mouth, their tongues battling for supremacy as their hands explored each other. Their need for each other inexorably built, their hands bringing them higher and higher. She broke loose, leaning back she pulled her shirt off and tossed it on the floor.

He growled as he looked over her tight young body, then pulled his own shirt off before pulling her back down to him. She was running her fingers over the hard planes of his chest as his hands worked down her sides, reaching her shorts he pushed them down. He groaned again when he realized she wasn't wearing panties.