Fulfillment 13

Dear Readers,

Sorry, I've left you alone for far too long. I am still working on the series and have yet to come to the conclusion as certain things beg to be expanded upon.

There will be more, sooner rather than later.

I hope you will enjoy the rest of the chapters.

KemMyst

*****

Calvin drove to Wyeth the next day after lunch and went directly to Randall's office.

"My friend, how are you? Is the pack well?"

"Well, Randall, things are improving. I hope to see things back to normal by year's end."

"Good. Good. I have things to attend to. We're preparing the business taxes."

"I'm sorry to come unannounced but I have a request of your healer."

Randall raises an eyebrow. "I wish to speak to her of Stephanie's... condition."

"Is there something I should know, Cal?"

[I only wish to know how badly she was hurt, physically.]

"She didn't say anything about being hurt." Randall growls. "What happened?"

[No, Randall, I did not injure her. All those years ago, the males that held her.]

Calvin looks into Randall's eyes. [I want to know if she can feel pleasure.]

[Ah, Cal. I highly doubt she'll ever let you touch her.]

[She joined me for a nap yesterday.]

Randall's eyes go wide, then he throws his head back and laughs. "Whatever you need, Cal. I'll have our healers speak to you."

"I would ask that you keep this quiet. She will be angry at my prying."

"Of course."

Natalie spoke to Calvin briefly, telling him what she knew. Stephanie had arrived beaten, bloody, with a couple of broken bones. She had never had a full examination, as traumatized as she had been, it was felt it would be best to simply allow her to heal. However, as she learned how to fight, Natalie had had a couple of occasions to treat wounds on her thigh or belly.

***

Joanna was left in Nathan's house, their house, after he left for work, and was at a loss. She had washed dishes and clothes then walked around looking at things.

Nathan called at lunch and they talked for about half an hour.

She considered going to her new mother-in-law's but she had had enough of all of them the previous day. It had been chaotic, intense, and highly personal. Juliet had already started talking about grandpups.

Barely mated 24 hours and already being pushed about pups. Who knew when she'd have her first heat? And she was anything but sure she was ready.

Home. She wanted to go home.

So, she got into her Mini and drove to Wyeth.

[Remember, everyone, best behavior, we will have humans in the den for a couple of hours.]

[Madam Beta, would you remind those running sweep?]

[Of course, Randall.] [Wyeth wolves on patrol. The Alpha reminds you not to return to the den in wolven form until the all clear is given.]

Samuel and Justin were running wide sweep. Mercy was shadowing Stephanie on the short sweep. Mercy stumbled on the announcement and Stephanie slowed slightly, but continued on.

[How do you get used to that?] Mercy asks when she catches back up.

Stephanie snorts. [Can't get distracted. We have important duty.]

A vaguely unsatisfying answer.

Wilson Pinchot and an associate arrived shortly thereafter in a white Lincoln.

Pinchot was not completely aware of what the packs were, but they were entities unusual and complex enough to require extensive treatment of taxes.

The business alone needed the review of CPAs but the fact that multiple families lived under one roof and were providing services for the group as well as being provided for made things, well, hairier. They were considered to be some sort of odd cult although they did not recruit.

After pleasantries were exchanged and coffee brought, the meeting began. Randall and Ariel began with discussion of people living on the property.

Lyssa was asked in towards the end as the conversation ended on the number of youngsters being schooled on the property.

Lyssa had met Mr. Pinchot the previous year and would accompany Pinchot and his associate to the business to look at the books and the new software system. Wilson Pinchot was a small, fussy man in a grey suit with Nez Perce glasses and a bad combover. His associate was introduced as Lorelei Harrison, a prim blond in a navy suit with a white cotton blouse and dark hose.

Lyssa shook hands with both. Pinchot's was weak and rather damp. Harrison's was firm, dry, and hinted of an inner strength. Lyssa looked a her a second more than was polite before she dropped her eyes. Hmm.

"If you're ready to go to the business now?"

They both stood and collected their things. "Mr. Wyeth, a pleasure."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Pinchot. Good day, Ms. Harrison." She nodded in acknowledgment. "Mr. Wyeth."

Lyssa leads them from the room and down the stairs.

Thomas stares after them as they pass.

[All clear everyone.]

Gabriela spends the afternoon with them in the company's conference room. Lyssa showed them the new software and its operation. An annual report was prepared and printed out.

After a couple more hours, the accountants take their leave.

***

Stephanie returns with Mercy and goes to the workout room and sets up the weights.

She is bench pressing 220 pounds as Calvin walks in.

"Hello, Stephanie, are you well?"

He only reply is a grunt as she pushes the weight upward.

"Yes, I see that you are. I would like to take you out to dinner."

Stephanie sets the bar into the cradle and sits up. "What do you mean?"

"Dinner? Out of the den?"

She looked at him as if he had three heads.

"You've never been outside of the den for a meal?"

She shakes her head. "I would like to take you."

"What would I eat?"

"Whatever you like."

She lies back down. "No. I don't think so."

Stubborn. Horribly stubborn and set in her ways. And she never, never left the den. He exhaled rather forcefully.

It was a big step for her yesterday, he had thought she might take another. But it seemed she might need time to re-establish her equilibrium.

So, he went to the dead lift bar. 800 pounds sat on it. It had been some time since he had tried that weight. He closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and squatted. Hands on the bar, he pulled up, flipped it up to his chest, and pushed it over his head. He held for 3 counts, 4, 5, and released it back down to the floor.

She looked away as soon as he caught her eye.

They had dinner in the den.

***

Joanna's head was spinning. She had spent the day with a Severn wolf named Marla.

She had been informed of the pack rules, which were essentially the same as Wyeth's.

Petitions in Severn were made at the new moon instead of the full. But presentations, celebrations, were held at the full moon.

She was shown the medical ward, the workout area, the clothing rooms. Sshe was shown to what was called the pantry, as most of the pack made their own meals, and how to account for food removed. She met a lot of different wolves. Scent made it easier to keep them sorted out but, still, there were a lot of them.

There were records to file and assets to transfer. And they were invited to dinner with the Alpha pair the next evening.

Joanna was sitting quietly in a chair when the sound of a motorcycle is heard. Nathan opens the door, expecting a happy greeting from his new mate. "Jo? What is it, love?" She looked rather frightened.

Her mouth opened and a little squeak came out. She closed it, swallowed, and said, "I don't know how I'm gonna remember it all and," she looks up on him, "we're supposed to have dinner with the Alphas tomorrow."

"Jo, Jo. It's OK." He raises her from the chair and slides into it, gathering her back into his arms. "How can the Alpha daughter be so unnerved by dinner with the Alpha pair?"

She burrows her face into his shoulder. "So, Marla showed you around?" She nods against his chest. "No one expects you to remember everything new at once. And the Alphas just want to get to know you. They've already accepted you into the pack. You don't have anything to worry about."

"It's so different here, Nathan."

"You've been here half the time lately. You know quite a few in the pack, pretty much where everything is."

"But, now, it's for real."

He squeezes her tightly and kisses the side of her face. "You're gonna need to talk to somebody from Wyeth. They're still there. Call your Mom, Lyssa, anybody else. You can always talk to Mom or the other mates."

She wasn't crying, thank Luna, just overwhelmed. He had her in his lap and her scent filled his nose. His mate. It was wonderful even though he didn't quite believe it himself, yet.

He was mated and she smelled good.

His hands began to travel her body as he murmured in her ear. "We'll go see your parents soon, too. I love you, Jo." He nuzzles her neck and nibbles on it.

She stiffens for a second and then, like a switch, the tension just drains out of her. She twists, a delightful pressure against his cock, and puts her arms around his neck.

Joanna kissed him, locking her hands around his head. As she pulled away from the kiss, she wriggled her bottom and actually giggled.

She jumped off his lap and ran to the other side of the couch. "Tease."

He got up, watching her, and stripped off his uniform shirt.

She looked at him and, after a second, pulled off her own shirt. He kicked off his shoes and took a step toward her. She threw her shirt at him and danced away.

He looked at her, his mate, as he pulled off his socks. Her light brown hair framed her face and her small breasts were topped with tight pink nipples.

He stepped one way, then the other. She watched him from the other side of the couch. He stopped and put his hand on his waistband. She mirrored him.

He undid the button. She did the same.

Next came the zippers. Then, thumbs around their sides in the waistbands, the pants begin to slide down. They both bend over, shoving their pants to the floor, and step out.

He was wearing green boxer briefs with a large bulge in the front. She was wearing lacy black bikinis in stark contrast with her pale skin.

He licked his lips. She smiled and licked hers.

He brought his hands up to his chest and rubbed his thumbs over his nipples. And he watched as she brought her hands up to her own small, firm breasts and rubbed.

She watched his cock twitch in his shorts and he groaned. Grasping his nipples, or trying to, he pinched at them. She pinched her own nipples and moaned quietly.

He inhaled deeply, dropped his hands, and rushed her.

Too late! He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her off to their bedroom.

He laid down with her, running a hand over her slight curves, while she melted against him. Nathan slid a hand into her panties and caressed her sex, sliding fingers over her lips, dipping into her wet tunnel. His other hand caressed her breast. She moaned and twisted.

He rolled and pulled off his underwear. As she rolled, he stopped her with a hand on her belly. He climbed partway up her body and stuck his nose between her legs. He inhaled deeply then licked across the crotch of her lacy panties. Again, she giggles slightly but squelches it as he looks up at her with love and lust in his blue eyes.

He slithers the panties off as she clutches the bedcovers in anticipation. Surging back up her body, he licks her again, for real, skin to skin. He continues his climb, kissing bits of her as he works his way up. Hip. Navel. Lower ribs. Left breast. Right breast. collarbone. Both eyelids. Her mouth.

She was tight and he had to work slowly still to keep from hurting her. He was poised, ready to fill her, as he looked down into her eyes. Her blue eyes looked into his and her smile filled his heart. Another breath. [I love you, Jo.] Her arms reached out, hands on his buttocks, and she pulled him into her. He was about halfway in and had to pull back when she whispered, "My mate."

About 20 minutes later Juliet sends to her youngest, [Your father's started the grill, want to come over?]

Nathan is lying on his side, face to face with his mate. She quirks her mouth to one side, a bit annoyed by his inattention. He focuses on her face. "Mom wants to know if we want to come over for barbeque."

"Um..."

"Probably sausage and hamburgers."

"Kinda killin' the mood here, Nathan."

He kisses her nose. "I'm hungry.""

"Well, we can't go right now."

His stomach growls, very loudly. She looks at him, eyes wide. "I didn't get a chance to eat lunch."

She huffs and pushes away slightly.

"Jo, love." She's looking annoyed now. He pulls her back to him, rolls to his back, and kisses her.

***

Calvin has come over at dinnertime at Wyeth to find Stephanie at her usual place. When he sits beside her, she growls at him, "Why are you here?"

He takes the hand nearest him and kisses it. The pack members nearby who noticed, smiled. She pulled away. "I would like you to come back to Ross with me."

"It's late."

"You won't come for a visit?"

She stops, puts down her fork, and turns to look at him. "Please, Stephanie, I would like you to come with me tonight."

Please. He didn't command her. Of course, he was not her Alpha.

She had heard his voice carry the weight of command, of leadership. He had told two males of his pack to guard the door and pull her out if she yelled for help. As if she would need to do that. He had brought her to his den, to his bedroom. He could have done whatever he wanted to her, kept her there, but, as soon as she woke and said she wanted to leave he had let her.

Calvin Ross confused her. She didn't understand him. But, she had to admit it to herself, she did trust him, at least, to some extent. "Alright."

A wide smile from him.

[Alpha, may I leave the den?]

Randall looks over, [You don't have to ask permission, Stephanie. But, it is good for us to know who is in or out.]

Calvin looks between Stephanie and the Wyeth Alpha. "What was that?"

She shoves more of her dinner in her mouth. [Permission to leave the den.]

"Did you ask last time?"

She nods, chewing. Calvin turns to the Alphas' table. [Why does she need permission, Randall?]

[She doesn't, Cal. She just insists on asking.]

Calvin relaxes. He hadn't even realized that he had tensed up. Stephanie was looking at him. Had he growled? Probably.

She finishes her meal and now looks at him, expectantly. "Shall we go?"

She took her plate, cup, and silver to the station to be washed and turned back to him. He extends a hand. She reaches out and takes it.

The behavior is common enough now that few take note of it anymore. But Lyssa smiles and squeezes Emmett's thigh under the table.

Emmett jumps slightly, then smiles, wrapping an arm around his mate and caressing the underside of a breast.

Stephanie sits in the passenger seat of the car, silent. Calvin stole occasional glances at her as he drove. She was a woman of few words, so unlike his Sabine.

He was so drawn to her. Did she feel anything, at all, for him?

No questions, no curiosity. She was just there, quiet, with him.

He pulled up to the front of the den and parked there. Stephanie looked over as he shut the car off and got out.

He led her to a small room, off to the side of the dining hall. A table was laid out, a lighted candle in the center. A small side table holds desserts. Pastries. Tarts. Small cakes. A large carafe of milk sat in a bath of ice.

He pours a glass for her and himself then sets a raspberry tart in front of her.

"What is this? I told you I don't eat desserts."

"When is the last time you had something like this?"

She inhales, exhales. "I don't know."

He comes around the table and places a fork in her hand. "Try it."

Stephanie closed her eyes and inhaled. The richness of the chocolate and the cream. The sharp smell of the raspberries. Cooked flour, butter. The pastry is flaky and imperfect. The raspberries shown a vibrant purplish red, shiny, coated with something. A glob of whipped cream sat on it and curled shavings of chocolate were scattered atop it. "Go on."

She looks at him, looks at the dessert. The fork twirls once. "It won't bite."

She inhales, poises her fork, and cleaves a small corner.

Calvin watches as she raises it to her lips, carefully.

He watches as her mouth opens. Her lips are a little asymmetric. Who knew how many times she had been hit? She certainly wouldn't remember. But they are a dusky rose in color, her teeth white, her tongue, moist, barely touches the top of her bottom lip as the bottom of the fork touches it and slides in. Her mouth closes, the fork sliding back out, one crumb of the pastry left on it.

She holds it in her mouth for a moment, chews and swallows.

Stephanie sits for a moment. Her green eyes flick to him, then back down.

He reaches over with his hand, lightly brushing her fingers. "It's OK to indulge from time to time, Stephanie."

She focuses on him, eyes a little wary. He looks back at her, keeping his face neutral. Her eyes are drawn back to the tart and she takes another forkful.

He twists, reaches behind him, and pulls a small chocolate cake to him.

She pauses, interested in what he has. The cake is unadorned but for an orange sauce partly covering it.

He watched her eat, taking the occasional drink of milk, as he digs into his cake. She looks surprised as something oozes out. "It's a lava cake."

She cocks her head to one side and then goes back to her dessert. He watches her eat. She finishes the tart, licking her lips occasionally.

He sees her watching as he raises a forkful of gooey cake. He points the fork at her. "Would you like to try it?"

She reaches for the fork but he holds onto it and extends it in her direction. Scowling slightly, both hands on the fork, she guides it into her mouth. Closing her lips, the fork slides out and she relinquishes control.

He had fed her, and this time much more intimately. In the old days it was telling and something like gentling a wild creature. You got them accustomed to your presence, used to your voice and scent. Then you left food, provided for them. It was an accomplishment when you got them to eat from your hand.

Long ago it was taken as a sign of interest in the other. The male's first steps in courting a mate and in the female's acceptance of him. A strong male would provide for his mate, and their pups.

Those days were long gone, but it still gave him a thrill.

"Did you like them?"

Stephanie runs her tongue over her lips one more time. His heart skipped a beat. "Yes."

"I'll let Bethany know you enjoyed it. Would you like anything else?"

She reaches for the glass and drains it. "No." There is a second pause before she says. "Thank you."

He finishes his cake, pleased with himself.

"There's more, isn't there? You didn't bring me here just for this."

Calvin sets down his utensils and looks at her. "I'd like you to spend the night."

Stephanie stands abruptly, knocking her chair over. "Take me home."

He folds his hands and places them on the table, looking at her calmly. "Stephanie, please, sit."

She stands, looking at him, breathing heavily, tense.

He continues to sit, looking up at her. "Stephanie, you wanted to know why you were here, I gave you a direct answer. I wished you to try a dessert and to spend the night with me." A light covering of light brown fur sprouts on her arms and face.

"You have asked me why I've wanted to spend time with you and I have answered. Stephanie, why have you been willing to spend time with me?"

There is a slight growl in her voice, the timbre a bit harsh. "I told you. You are pleasant company."

"The time you spend with me is enjoyable to you." She nods, sharply, once. "Even though I'm male." She inhales, exhales, nods again. "Even though I've told you what I want, you continue to spend time with me. Why?"