For Silence's Sake Ch. 03

Dear Readers,

Sorry for the wait. As some of you know, some parts take a little longer to write than others.

Part 3 for your enjoyment.

KemMyst

*****

Emmanuel spent a nice morning running around with Emmaline but started looking for his mother, his parents, around lunch time.

Carolyn tried to talk to him but he didn't understand why he couldn't go back to the suite of rooms he shared with his parents. He began to get upset with everyone stopping him. Emmaline pranced around him.

It wasn't until the leader female stood in front of the door, stared him down, and told him no that he stopped yipping at the door.

She hung a belt on the doorknob and told him that, as long as it was there, he wasn't to go in. He looked at her and the door. She growled at him. He retreated with his tail between his legs.

He wanted his mother.

Madeline tried to help with Emmanuel, but he was twitchy, unhappy. Emmaline stayed close to him. Lyssa was already having another heat.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She felt edgy, upset. She was worried for little Em. She went to talk to her mate, who was currently talking to Hannah in the kitchen.

As soon as she saw them together, she growled. They both looked up at her, surprised. Madeline took Hannah by the arm and threw her across the room.

"Blossom, what are you doing?"

She knocked him down, straddled him, and grew claws. She hooked them into his clothes and started ripping them off of him as Hannah picked herself up. [Um, Simon, uh, Alpha, it looks like the Beta female's gone into heat.]

Randall looked at Ariel, confused. [Hannah, Lyssa's been in heat a full day now.]

Simon walked into the kitchen. [Madeline, Alpha. The second Beta female is also in heat.]

Erich had opened her blouse and was working desperately to get his pants off. Simon tried to figure out how he was going to prepare the evening meal around two rutting werewolves. And how everyone was going to react to the scent of a female in season this close to the dining hall.

[Alpha, we will need to make other arrangements with regard to dinner.]

Randall responded, [As you see fit, Simon. Do what you need to do.]

Ariel stood behind her mate and ran her hand inside his shirt, sliding it down his chest. She nipped at his earlobe. "Both Betas indisposed at the same time, Ran. What are the chances?"

He groaned as her red hair slid down over his shoulders and down his chest and her fingertips slipped into his waistband. "Shall we join them, briefly, mate?"

"Mmm, Ariel, we have much to do."

She nibbled down his neck and cupped the large bulge in his pants. [Doesn't have to take all day, Ran.]

Randall tipped his head back, hands gripping the arms of the chair, as Ariel licked the hollow of his throat and began to unfasten his pants. He stuck his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. The scent of his mate. Plus the more enticing scent of her arousal.

He lifted his hips as she pulled at his pants and briefs. His cock rose proudly from the nest of brown hairs. It curved slightly away from his body, the foreskin retracted slightly to expose the sensitive skin beneath.

She looked at him, licked her lips, bent down, and licked the pearly drop off the tip. She then flipped up her skirt and pulled off the green panties.

He reached for her and, just as his fingertips touched her hips, she turned around and leaned forward slightly. A burst of her scent hit his nose. The noise he made was a combination of a groan and a growl.

Randall grabbed her hips and began pulling her backward. She was holding her skirt around her waist and the fabric framed her luscious ass.

He was ready to pull her to him, pull her onto him, but thought better of it. He reached forward and rubbed the knuckle of his thumb along her slit. The juices that made her lips glisten were transferred to his thumb. He brought it to his nose, inhaled, then licked it as he held her in place.

Randall reached forward again, stroked her, then slid his thumb inside her. His finger ran over her swollen bud as he stroked in and out of her to her low moans. After several strokes they heard a doubled howl rise through the den. He pulled her backwards and aimed the darkened head of his cock at her dripping pussy. He cleaved her lips as she sank back on him. "MMmmm..."

She rolled her head to one side and inhaled deeply as he reached up to cup her breasts. He began kneading them as she braced herself on the arms of the chair. [Yes, my mate.]

And, so, it began. Ariel bouncing up and down in his lap. Randall kissing her back, kneading a breast, and reaching around to diddle her clit.

Another doubled howl came from the third floor as she moved with more urgency. They were both panting, sweating lightly. Ariel squeezed him with her muscles and his grip tightened on her breast. She leaned forward slightly, taking him a little deeper, and drove harder against him. He pinched her clit and she broke, muscles rippling around him. She threw her head back and howled. He grabbed her hips and thrust in one last time, as deeply as he could go in his mate, and howled his own release.

She rolled her head against his shoulder. "Ah, lovely."

Erich had managed to maneuver his mate away from the cooking surfaces.

But dinner was delayed and consisted of less hot items than normally served. It also had to be taken in shifts. The Alphas ate first, alongside the families with young pups. Emmanuel sat, rather unhappily, with Cassie, Samuel, and Emmaline.

Next came the pubescent pups, then the rest of the adults.

Hannah took a tray up to the first Beta suite.

Ariel went to speak to the healers.

"Healers, how long ago was Madeline's heat?"

Wade looked thoughtful. "Over a year."

Natalie pulled the appropriate file and flipped it open. It was short, only two pages. She counted back. "Nineteen months, Alpha."

"Have you ever seen such a thing?"

"No." came from both.

Thomas was off to one side, checking on supplies. He stopped what he was doing, stood, and turned towards the others. "My Alpha, I have heard of something."

They all turned to look at him. "Yes, Thomas, what is it you have heard?"

"I sometimes speak with the Foster's healer..." Foster pack's healer was an M.D., "trying to learn things from him."

Ariel looked at him, eyes slightly narrowed, and he ducked his head. "To help the pack. I don't tell him anything specific about anyone in the pack but I ask questions and we discuss things."

"And what have you learned?"

"It's difficult to say for certain since the Madam Beta has only had her second heat but..." the other healers were listening intently, "females, well, it may be that only one of her ovaries is working."

"What does that mean? Will she be able to have pups?"

Natalie took over the narrative. "She's in estrus, that means she can get pregnant." Thomas nodded and Ariel relaxed slightly.

"If Thomas' thoughts are correct then our Madam Beta is likely to experience extraordinarily long periods between her cycles."

"Will she...", Ariel paused, "could she regain function in that ovary? Would she lose it in the other?"

"We have no way to know for certain, since we have no idea what's wrong."

"Thomas." A sigh. "Healers. I would like the three of you to speak to the Foster's healer. Determine possible scenarios, if there is a treatment, or anything more troubling to worry about."

"Yes, Madam Alpha."

[Madam Alpha?]

[Yes, Cassie, what is it? Is Emmanuel well?]

[Emmy and I have been cuddling him. He's been nuzzling, looking for milk.]

Another problem with Lyssa coming into season so quickly. While Emmanuel was essentially weaned and could survive just fine on solid food, he would still derive comfort from suckling. And, with his mother indisposed and no other female in the pack milk heavy... [Emmett, is your mate in any condition to suckle your son?]

She didn't expect an answer, not quickly anyway, and tried to figure out an option to help their youngest pack member through this difficult time. It would upset Lyssa, she knew. [Too. Soon.] Emmett's reply. Strained. Couples were not interrupted in the early part of a female's heat. In fact, it was terribly difficult to distract a couple at all during a female's heat. Although Lyssa had been upset at the removal of her pup, she was now fully engulfed by the hormonal surge of estrus. Any intrusion would be messy.

Looking outside the pack would be problematic. At a flash of insight, Ariel flipped open her phone and hit a number on speed dial.

"Hey, sweetie, are you busy? ... Can you come over later? ... I'll explain then but a visit would be nice. ... Great, thank you. Can't wait to see you. Love you." Ariel tapped her closed phone against her lips. She wore a slight smile.

[Madam Alpha, may I speak to you about the pack council meeting?]

They had weeks before the next council meeting and, generally, Lyssa handled most of it. [The Madam Beta will be available in a couple more days.]

[But, she doesn't have a vote.]

[Of course, Jeremy. I'll be in my office.]

--

Phil's mood had grown more and more depressed with the passing days. His mother and, consequently, his Alpha, grew concerned. His older brother took him for a run to try and figure out what the problem was.

He had seemed happy the last couple of days of the gathering, almost giddy, and they all believed he had found his mate. But he had not called for someone to come into the den nor had a call come for him.

Phil stood in the Alpha's office, head bowed, staring at the floor. "I don't know what to do, Alpha. I can't get him to do anything. Talk."

The Alpha walked around him, examining him. "Phillip, is something wrong?" Blond curls bobbed as he shook his head. "Are you unwell?" Another shake.

The Alpha turned his attention back to his mother. "What does your mate say?"

Pauline dropped her head. "To leave him alone."

Back to Phillip. "Steven needs help with the cistern."

"Yes, Alpha." Phil turned and left the room.

As the door closed, Pauline looked to her Alpha. "Something's really wrong. We need to do something. I want my boy back."

"He doesn't seem to want help."

"I don't care. Can we find out who he was with at the gathering?"

"He's an adult, Pauline. There must be a reason. Unless he asks for help, I won't interfere."

--

Sampson was quiet, inattentive.

In a sparring session with Stephanie, his Madam Alpha, she put him down five times without even trying. She stood over him, hands on her hips. "You're not paying attention."

He looked up at his Madam Alpha, then down again. He exhaled and made to rise. She leapt at him and they rolled once. She had claws at his throat and a knee in his stomach. [What is it you're afraid of?]

He blinked at her. A couple of the other males were standing nearby, waiting for them to relinquish the space. [What are you waiting for?]

Sampson did not, would not, look her in the eye. She watched him swallow. [Isn't the feeling mutual?]

She brought her face closer to his, her breath washing over his cheek. She growled and her hand tightened at his neck. [What is wrong? Answer.]

It took three breaths. [I'm too old.]

Stephanie got off him and strode back to the den.

--

A green Mini Cooper pulled up at the entrance to the Wyeth den. A small, light-colored pup leapt out as soon as the door opened.

Lyria headed straight for her grandmother. Ariel scooped up the little one and began stroking and nuzzling her as she walked out to meet her daughter. The little girl was surrounded by the love and warmth of her female predecessors.

"It's so lovely to see you, Jo. And my little grandbaby girl. Thank you for coming." Although Joanna smelled of another pack now, she was part of Severn, she also carried her own, familiar scent. Ariel inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of family.

"It's good to see you, Mom. But it sounds like more than just a visit."

Ariel put her forehead to Joanna's, while Lyria squirmed between them. "I'm really pleased to see you both, sweetie, but you're right. I would also like to see if you'd be willing to help a friend." Ariel now had her daughter at arm's length.

"Well, sure, Mom. 'Course I would."

"Lyssa has gone into heat...," Joanna looked surprised, "and Emmanuel is having a difficult separation. He's been staying with Samuel, Cassie, and Emmaline. Cassie has indicated that he's been nuzzling her breasts, looking for milk. I think, if he could suckle, it would ease his distress."

"Isn't there... But Lyri... I'm..."

Ariel steered her daughter into a small room. Lyria, as a light-colored wolf cub, trotted off to the creche, where the younger pups slept and played.

"Breathe, sweetie. I'm just putting forward a possibility. None of our females are currently in milk and it will bother her less if it were you. If you're willing."

Joanna, dressed in a patterned skirt and a lavender button-down blouse, looked out the window. "It'll still bother her."

"As it would any of us, Jo." After touching her hand, Ariel sat back in her chair. "So, how is she faring against the boys?"

"Huh?"

Joanna blinked. "Oh. Um. She's getting really frustrated. They think it's funny to pin her down and hold her there."

"All of them?" Ariel frowned. Lyria's four cousins were all males.

"Well, no. It's mostly just Norm and Nelson. Nathan says his brothers used to do the same thing to him. Why?"

"As long as it's in fun. Young males shouldn't get used to picking on young females. There comes a point that's easy to pass where it becomes abuse. And I will not have my granddaughter, or any young female, abused."

Joanna gave her mother a pointed look, wondering what she was getting at.

"So, how's school? How's Nathan's job?"

"He's been with the force long enough he thinks he has a chance to get into the motorcycle patrol." Jo smiled. Her mate, Nathan, rode as much as he could. In fact, he had gotten her away from her abductors on his bike. He had named it Nike, for a goddess of athletics or something.

Joanna spoke to her mother about her college courses, professors, and some of her classmates. She was pursuing a degree in criminal justice.

Two howls, male and female, reached them. "That doesn't sound like Lyssa."

"Madeline and Erich."

"Lyssa's..," she looked at her mother, "..in heat, too? Wow, what're the odds?"

"It's happened before with other sets of females."

"Yeah, but, both Beta females at once?"

"Unusual, yes, but..." The red-haired Alpha female smiled. "Can Nathan join us for dinner?"

"I'll check."

Joanna called her mate but his phone went straight to voicemail. Next was a text message which was quickly answered. "He's in a training session so he should be able to be here by 6."

They found the three pups curled up together just before dinner. One dark-haired male, feet twitching, whimpering in his sleep. Another, the larger of the three, also dark-haired, at his back, licking his ear. The third, light-colored, her head on the male's shoulder.

Nathan looked at the almost peaceful trio. "Who's that with them?"

Jo hooked an arm around her mate's waist and snuggled into the crook of his shoulder. "Emmaline. Cassie and Samuel's. Born just after my birthday, remember?"

Nathan nodded, dimly remembering a pup being born at Wyeth during the unmated gathering that had occurred in conjunction with Joanna's 18th birthday. "She knows when people are upset and makes it her job to comfort them. Little Em's having a tough time with Lyssa in heat."

"He's only what, eight months old?" Joanna nodded against his shoulder. "And she's already in heat?" Joanna nodded again. "Lyria's still nursing." He looked again at the young, whimpering male. "Poor little guy."

[Nathan, Mom asked if I would be willing to let him nurse.]

[And, love, how do you feel about that?] He rubbed his cheek against the side of her head.

[It's weird. I want to help. He's just a pup. Just Lyssa's little boy. But it seems, I don't know, strange to think of suckling a baby that isn't mine. I'm not sure I can. Does it bother you?]

[We do all kinds of things to help others in the packs. Helping females in heat 'til their mates can get to them. Watching pups. Helping the old ones. Treats. So, if you feel at all comfortable with this, I think you should do it. But it's totally up to you.] He squeezed her a little more tightly to him.

Jo looked at the small pile of young pups, who were starting to stir as the smell of dinner reached them.

Dinner was held in a small room for the family visit. Roland popped in, briefly, and gave his sister a quick kiss. Lyria squealed as he swung her around once, then dropped her in her father's lap. He grabbed a hunk of roast off a platter and left, saying, "Gotta take the pups on an evening sweep. See ya."

And he was off to take the adolescent males on a run around the range to acclimate them to the demands of protecting the pack.

Nathan regaled them with tales of his sensitivity training. After a while, he returned home to get some sleep before work the next day.

Joanna went to Cassie and Samuel's room and knocked on the door. "Who is it?"

[Joanna, is Emmanuel asleep?]

Cassie opened the door. "No. It's not easy to get him to settle. Were you looking to visit with him?"

Joanna inhaled. "Yes." Cassie ushered her in. Samuel looked up from where he was settling Emmaline at a pallet. And trying to get Emmanuel to lie down with her. "Could I see him?" Jo put her arms out. Samuel picked him up and set the small boy into her arms. Jo cradled him, cooed at him, and settled into a chair.

"Hey, Em, I know Mama's busy and Daddy's with her and that it's making you unhappy. But they'll be back soon. They love you." Emmanuel whimpered in her arms and she felt a sense of longing. She was shocked at how much she missed Lyssa and Emmett.

Samuel spoke up as he patted his daughter. "He's projecting again."

Joanna stroked his back, her eyes wet. "That's him? Oh, Selene, how do you stand it?"

Cassie replied. "We distract him as much as we can. You wouldn't believe how much fun it is when he has to pee and we all have to go."

"I'd heard but I had no idea. Em, Em, stop. It's OK." She kept stroking him and began rocking a little. "Hey, baby boy, I know you miss Mama and Daddy. I know you're unhappy. But you're making everybody else sad, too. C'mon. Stop." A fat, wet teardrop hit Emmanuel's shoulder and he looked up at her. "You can see them again in a couple of days. It's OK."

His little face screwed up into a frown. "Biggirl woof say no!" He started to cry.

Emmaline came over and crawled up into the chair. She cuddled up to him. "You didn't say he couldn't go back?"

Cassie shook her head. "The Madam Alpha."

Emmanuel sniffled. "Em, sweetie." [Lyssa's been in heat a couple of days?]

[Two. Yes.]

"She didn't mean forever. Just a couple of days. There's this night, then tomorrow, then one more night, and the next day. OK? Just a little longer."

Emmaline held up two fingers and tried to get Emmanuel's chubby fingers to make the two sign. "Two."

Emmanuel sniffled and looked at Emmaline. "Do?" Jo smiled and nodded.

Emmanuel rubbed his eye with a small fist and rubbed his cheek against her breast. Jo felt the familiar sensation of fullness. She was still lactating, although Lyria wasn't taking much anymore. She was drying up.

Joanna used her free hand to unbutton her blouse and said quietly, "Baby boy, are you tired?" Emmanuel nodded. "Would you like a drink?" Cassie was a bit surprised when Joanna bared a breast.

Emmanuel understood what that meant but it was "Nah mama."

Joanna expressed a little milk and stuck her finger in his mouth. He sucked on it and she gently guided him closer.

She smelled different; she was not his mother, but he normally nursed just before going to sleep at night. Suckling was warmth and comfort. The milk on her finger tasted different, but good. And, so, he latched on and began to suckle.