For Silence's Sake Ch. 08

Lyssa reached up and put a hand to his face. "Just thinking about how very lucky I am."

Emmett rolled upright, pulled her upper body to his and hugged her tightly to him. When he released her, he took her face in his hands and looked into it. Pleased at what he saw, Emmett said, "I love you, Lyssa. I love you so much." And he kissed her hungrily, like he had been in the desert for days and had found a bucket of cool water.

He then laid her back on the bed and eased his weight onto her, holding himself up on his elbows. He looked at her, grinning like a fool.

Skin to skin with her mate, Lyssa felt warm, safe, and loved. Had she been waiting for something to go wrong? Her relationships with men had never lasted too long, she thought her record was about 14 months. Something had always gone wrong.

She exhaled as something let go, as she realized Em was not like any of the others. That he was confident enough that he didn't have to dominate her. Well, he was one of the most dominant males in the pack but, except for a couple of her faux pas with regard to werewolf politics and actions, he didn't act that way with her.

Lyssa looked up into the face of the male she loved. "Shall we christen the cottage?"

His face lit up and he sank down on her, pulling her head back, exposing her neck. And he nipped along her jaw then set his teeth on her mating mark, applying pressure. She gasped and he couldn't help but smirk.

She felt his length twitch and pushed against his shoulders. She wanted to feel him in her. It had been weeks.

He knew what she wanted now and he would give it to her, but not just yet. He reached out, as he used his mouth on her, and found that she didn't seem to have come across the modifications he'd made to the bed. He pulled out the strap and deftly fastened it around her wrist. She startled, and he quickly repeated the action with her other wrist, then smiled a toothy grin.

"Emmm," she reproached.

He kissed her. "Patience, dear heart. You will get what you want soon enough. But, first, I'm going to touch you, suck and lick you, taste you, bite..." Shocks went straight to her core.

"Shut up and do it already."

It took a few moments for him to stop grinning and start in on her. But he could smell her. And he could just imagine how wet she was.

Her collarbone. Her throat. Nipping. Licking.

She pulled against the straps.

He dropped down to her breasts. Mounding them up. Licking. Sucking. Her milk was gone now and they were a bit softer. They were marvelous. Emmett lightly bit a nipple and listened to her groan of pleasure.

A more intense burst of her scent hit his nose and he knew she was practically gushing now.

As he moved lower on her body, he slid a finger inside her. She gasped and moaned. "More."

A second finger and another moan as his mouth moved lower. His mouth was watering in anticipation of her taste. His tongue ran down her skin, across her belly. And she giggled a little as his tongue tickled near her hipbone.

Lyssa felt his warm breath approach the place where his strong fingers were stroking. Her hands were gripping the straps that circled her wrists. She had a good idea of what would happen next.

Not quite what she expected, she felt a change in the hand on her hip and looked up. Before she could protest the absence of his fingers, a long, strong tongue stuck out of a somewhat furred face to replace them. The feeling of it made her arch up off the bed. "Oooo." He licked up her juices, thrust his tongue inside her, and flicked across her swollen bud. The intensity of it took little time to push her over the edge.

After allowing her a short period of recovery, Emmett replaced his tongue with his stiff length and brought her to a second orgasm as he found his own release.

Panting, sweaty, bedclothes askew, Emmett pulled Lyssa against him and kissed the back of her head. "Happy Christmas, my mate."

--

It was three days later that Joanna, Nathan, and Lyria came for a visit. Lyria stopped in for a short visit with her grandparents, then headed off to play with the other pups. Nathan made his hellos then struck off to have a beer or two and watch the game with the males.

Joanna sought out her mother and Ariel saw her daughter's consternation. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Ariel put her arms around Joanna. "I've tried calling every day, Mom. She won't talk to me. She and Em made up. What do I do?"

They sat and Ariel patted Joanna's hand. "Would you like me to talk to her? Or call her in so you can talk with me here?"

Joanna looked down and took a couple of breaths. "She's supposed to be my friend and I'm supposed to be a grownup." She dropped her head. "Any idea where she is?"

"Probably in their suite."

They talked for a while until Joanna screwed up her courage, stood, and sucked in a big breath. "OK, here I go."

Ariel watched her daughter, not yet 21, walk off to a presumably difficult conversation.

Joanna knocked on the Beta's door. [Who is it?] Joanna didn't answer. She waited for a bit then knocked again. [Who's there, dammit?]

Joanna heard footsteps and nervously waited for the door to open.

Lyssa's face, annoyed but curious, looked out. And she huffed.

"What did you want me to do?"

Lyssa looked at Joanna, hand on the doorknob. "A real friend would have wanted to help me. Would have asked what she could do."

"But, but, you ran away from the pack, from Em. You had to go back."

"I just needed to get away for a while. To get some space to think. A girlfriend would have understood. A good friend would have tried, even if she thought it was wrong."

"I couldn't let you stay. There'd have been trouble."

"Who was with you?"

"Huh?"

"Somebody was with you when you were talking to me. Who was it?"

Joanna swallowed. "Can I come in?"

Lyssa turned away, "Fine."

She sat in front of her computer while Joanna picked one of the chairs. "It was Nathan's dad, told us you'd run away, taken Little Em."

"So, they would have grabbed me, stuck me in a room, and kept me there until Em and whoever showed up."

"Uh, yeah. Probably." Lyssa looked at her. Joanna tried to think of something else to say. "I would have got in trouble."

"Yeah, friends'll do that, sometimes." A breath. "So, still got a crush on Em?"

"What? Lyssa..."

"No. Never mind."

"But, Lyssa." She closed her eyes and took a breath. Steeling herself, she opened her eyes and looked at her directly. "OK. I don't get why you're still mad at me. You were mad at Em and you guys made up. Mom and Dad let you come back without a big deal. I don't know what I did that was worse." She exhaled. "Anyway, I brought you something." Joanna pulled a small felt bag out of her pocket and set it on the edge of the desk. "Bye, Lys."

Joanna walked out, closing the door behind her. Lyssa crossed her arms on the desk, rested her chin on them, and contemplated the bag. Finally, expelling a breath, she snaked out an arm and pulled it to her. Pressing on it, she felt for what was inside.

Amazement colored her face and she dumped the item into her hand. A blue glass heart on a silver chain. Her mother's heart. Eyes locked on the pendant, she sent [Why?]

Joanna, a slight smile on her face, motioned to her mother for a break in conversation. [I know why you gave it to me. But it's for your little girl, when you have her.]

Emmett walked in just as a big, fat teardrop hit the desk.

"Lyssa? What's going on?"

Lyssa dangled the heart for him to see. "The necklace. She gave it back?"

He walked over, crouched, and pulled her off the chair and into his lap. Emmett wrapped his arms around her, putting his chin on the top of her head. "For...for my little girl, she said." Lyssa swallowed. "When I gave it to her, I thought, well, I had figured we weren't going to have any babies."

Quietly, he responded, "So you figured you'd pass it down through her?"

She nodded.

After a few seconds, she fidgeted, and he let her up.

Lyssa stood and ran out of the room. The Severns were getting ready to take their leave when she rushed in, setting the adults on edge, and threw her arms around Joanna.

Joanna reciprocated, rubbing Lyssa's back.

Ariel smiled knowingly as the males looked at one another and shrugged.

--

Thomas was at Lorelei's house, a wrapped gift by his side.

She walked in to the living room wearing a pair of tight-fitting, black leather pants. And a sweater. Oh, Luna. It was red and sparkled silver and it clung to her body and there was something about her breasts. Little circles at the nipples.

Kindof like the piercing at her clit.

He sucked in a breath. His attention piqued in a couple of ways.

She smiled. "They haven't completely healed yet so I have to be a little careful yet." She looked down his body. "You seem to be pretty happy about it."

"I want to see."

Lorelei threw her head back and laughed. Then she dropped her head, looking at him sideways, a smile on her face. "What about mine?"

He inhaled. While they sometimes engaged in a quick, rough fuck, she had taught him that anticipation and delayed gratification often evoked more intense feeling. He'd had some damn good sessions with this human female. "Come here, then."

She sat on his lap as he set the gift in hers. He nuzzled her neck and his hand slid under her sweater as as her fingers deftly removed the paper. She gasped as he kneaded her breast, gently checking the new piercing. Looking down she saw he'd gotten forearm cuffs. Sigh. They looked nice enough but she thought he might come up with something a bit more... fun. "Female at the shop said they'd really push your tits forward. Take a look at them." His voice rumbled against her neck.

She'd seen them before, used them before, but she dutifully opened the box. Yup, that's what they were. She reached in and picked them up. Something else fell out.

Hmm. She opened the smaller box as he fiddled with her nipple. "Easy." She froze as she looked down and he did, too.

Uh oh.

"You don't have anything like it and I thought you might like to try it. Are you mad?"

She twisted her head and grabbed his, so she could look in his eyes. "No, T. I think it's great. Thank you." And she kissed him, hard.

After a second of shock, he kissed her back. Things hit the floor and her sweater came off. He had a chance to appreciate her pierced nipples and lavished the appropriate attention on them. And, shortly thereafter, they ripped open the second package so that they could experiment with the starter set of electrodes he'd brought.

--

The year changed and, while still undecided, the tumult about the same sex mating resolution died down. Mostly.

At least until the next new moon meeting approached. So Lyssa and Emmett and Emmanuel retreated to the cottage the night before.

Lyssa decided on some comfort food so she roasted a chicken and some potatoes. She also indulged Little Em in some mac and cheese. They had a pleasant, quiet evening and spent the night.

The next day they returned to the main building. Little Em found the other pups outside playing. Emmett went off to his duties and Lyssa went to prepare for the evening.

Two of the Alphas had asked to speak on the same sex mating issue and, she decided, that since Ross brought it up she would have him speak first.

Calvin was a fairly eloquent speaker. Calm. Rational.

"You see no reason to change, but, my friends, you already have.

The world has changed around us and we must change as well. To survive.

The human population has exploded. They outnumber us greatly. Our Madam chairwoman is correct. We cannot hide forever. And, even before that, we had changed.

We bought property, started businesses. We intermingle with humans.

We, of our own accord, stopped fighting to the death for Alpha under most circumstances, have stopped stealing the females of other packs.

And, now, we cooperate. Have formed a pack council and agreed to a changed human to lead it. We've just voted against forced matings. And how is this different?

You have all seen matings where no pups were born and we do not need pups out of each mating. Although every pup is cause for celebration. As is every mating.

This is no threat to us. This is not something they were taught. It is what they are. And it has in no way affected my Beta's ability to be Beta.

As Alphas, we have many responsibilities. Paramount amongst them is to look to the welfare of our pack members. That includes seeing to their health and their happiness.

We have no reason, beyond your discomfort, to deny them this."

After Calvin thanked the attendees for their attention, the Gates Alpha addressed the council. "You've heard Ross' pretty words. Heard him speak on behalf of his Beta. A wolf who is less than a male."

Calvin ground his teeth and some of the others looked grim. But, it was the next statement that drew a growl from Stephanie's chest.

"The Ross pack is deficient and this is just another symptom."

Murmurs began as he continued.

"You all know it. So, his Beta is unmoved by the scent of a female in heat. Would rather rut in another male's ass. Doesn't appreciate the sight, or the feel, of a good set of tits. These are things that define a male."

"Ross, himself, has endured several challenges in the past few years, more than any other Alpha."

Stephanie snarled. "And he won."

The Alpha Gates gave her a pointed look. "Did he?"

Stephanie wilted a bit. She had interfered in one of Calvin's challenges. He had been weakened by poison and a discontented male had taken advantage.

"Ross is old, weak, unable to keep his Beta in check. He ceded control of his pack to his son. And which of you saw petitions from Ross pack members who wanted to leave?" Calvin closed his eyes and swallowed. His only child, his son, had assumed control of the pack and had made a mess of things. Michael had died as a result of his obsession with killing Lyssa. "And, about the same time, I've heard Ross lost a half dozen members."

"Then there's his second mate. Who knows her pack? What she did before Wyeth took her in? How does she suddenly go from a loner Omega to Alpha?"

Both the Ross and Wyeth Alphas were tense and aggravated. Lyssa watched and knew

things could get out of hand. Thankfully, they weren't all in the same room. As Gates took a breath to continue, she interjected. "Alpha Gates, what do Ross' mate or son have to do with the same sex resolution?"

He was annoyed with her interruption of his tirade and it took him a second to respond. "Ross pack spawned this ... degenerate."

"The Ross Beta is not the only so-called degenerate in the packs. There is at least one more."

"Not in my pack."

"Are you certain? How do you know you don't have one in your midst? One who's hidden their true nature for fear of attack or expulsion?"

The Gates Alpha hesitated, but reiterated. "Not in my pack."

The was a short period of quiet. Lyssa sighed. "So..."

"Excuse me, Madam Beta. I ask the council's leave to wait one more month before we make a decision. There are two wolves who are not present that we need to hear from."

Randall jumped on this statement. "I move we table the vote until next session."

Stephanie responded. "I second."

Lyssa expelled a breath. "Those in favor?"

Ross, Wyeth, and Foster voted yes.

Lyssa swallowed. Not good for the resolution. "Opposed?"

Gates and Macy voted in opposition.

"Abstaining?" She could hardly believe it.

Tucker and Severn.

Lyssa closed her eyes. "OK. New business?"

"So, we're to hear from the two of them then? Some impassioned plea?"

He wouldn't like it, but she ignored him. "Does anyone have any new business?"

"Does the lawyer have anything new?"

"I haven't gotten anything, recently."

There was a little grumbling about that, given the cost. "Anything else?"

No one responded. "OK, then, we're back in another month. Thank you, everyone."

Lyssa turned off the connections to the other packs.

Randall looked to his guests. "Cal..."

Calvin Ross held up a hand to stop him. "I'm not happy at the turn of the discussion. I'd really like to take a piece out of him right now. But, unpleasant as it was, it was the truth."

"Ross pack is not deficient," Stephanie growled.

"But we did have trouble."

"But that doesn't have anything to do with Sampson's orientation."

--

Emmanuel had crawled in with his parents that night and was protectively ensconced between them. Lyssa jostled him when she rolled in the early morning hours. When she changed, he followed suit and nestled in against her dark fur.

It was whining next and Emmanuel whimpered.

More whining and twitching. Emmanuel moved up in the bed and licked his mother's muzzle.

He jumped sideways and back, yipping, as she snapped at him. He landed on Emmett's head.

Emmett's hands came up to grab what had landed on him and the inhale of surprise identified his son. "Emmanuel, pup, that's not nice."

Little Em yipped and twisted toward his mother. Then Emmett recognized what was going on. Lyssa had gone to wolf in her sleep again, which she tended to do when she had nightmares. Unfortunately, he'd never figured out a decent way to wake her when she did.

Emmett looked into his son's darkly furred face. "Go off to the couch, pup. I've got to wake Mama and she could hurt you without meaning to. She's having a bad dream. Go."

Emmanuel jumped off the bed as Emmett turned to his mate. "Lyssa. Sweetheart. It's OK. Smell me. You're home." He placed his arm by her nose, knowing she might bite him.

He wished he knew what was going on in her head.

He spoke, quietly. "Lyssa. I have you. You're safe."

Emmanuel was restless and Emmett kept half an ear on him but he had to focus on her. He had to assume something had triggered a bad memory. Michael Ross? "He's dead, sweetheart. You're safe."

She started sniffing and relaxed a bit. "Lyssa?"

Lyssa opened her eyes and stretched, unsure of what had woken her. Her eyesight was different and her arms were ended with... paws?

"Are you here?" [Yes.]

"What was it? Do you know?"

Lyssa shifted form. "You can come back up now, pup."

She twisted to face Emmett as Emmanuel scrambled back up on the bed.

"I was, I think..." Lyssa swallowed. "Alpha Gates was saying such awful things about the Ross pack."

Emmett drew his mate closer. "Yeah. I heard."

"Well, he brought up Michael and, I guess..."

"Sh, sweetheart, it's OK." He kissed her and put an arm across his son to lay a hand on her hip. "Let's try to get some more sleep, OK?"

She nodded.

--

It was early in the morning and still dark when Sampson called for his Alpha.

Calvin was of an age where he no longer slept well and fairly regularly walked the halls of the den at night. "Sampson, why are you up?"

"I've been considering what Gates said at the meeting."

"We've had some difficult times of late." Sampson looked away. "Sampson?"

"I'm sorry I brought this on you." He sighed. "I think Mathias would do well as Beta."

Calvin took the two steps to his Beta, grabbed an arm, and threw him against a wall. He then stood over him, one hand on either side of his head, and snarled. Sampson, cowed, refused to meet his Alpha's eyes.

[I brought the resolution. Me. You have done nothing to dishonor my pack. Our pack. You are my Beta. You will not leave.]

"But..."

"No buts, my friend." [Will you run, like a pup, with your tail between your legs? Will you let him win?]

"Alpha. Cal. With all due respect, this is a battle we look to lose."

"It's. Not. Over." Calvin inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Sampson. You are my right hand. I will not lose you. The decision is a month away. We need only one more vote."

"Who do you expect to convince? Certainly Gates is impossible. And, I understand, Macy voted with them."