Rose Ch. 68-74

We collected their clothing in one of the Jeeps and secured the baby carriers in the back. Gunny helped me climb in and before we set off. "You didn't want to run?"

"I'm old enough I don't have to prove anything." I snorted, he was still ripped and could outrun teenagers. "Plus, I didn't want to be apart from you and our babies."

It was a few hours later before we were settled in the room, the babies were all fed, and we had our naps. I hadn't had a break, no sooner had I worked off the baby weight when Gunny knocked me up again. I could hear the screams and yells from outside as we walked towards the doors; Gunny opened them up and I trotted through, the babies running around and under me. There was a section of beach that had been fenced off for the young ones to play in, and I took them there. "Oh wow, they are SO cute!" The women supervising the area gushed over them as they picked them up and sniffed them. "It's so nice to see a panther kitt this small and cute," she said.

"We'll be around," Gunny said as I rubbed against his leg. There was so much to see and do; a bunch of younger ones were in the water, swimming and boogie boarding in the gentle surf. Others were playing volleyball in the white sand, or laying out in the tropical sun. Dinner smelled amazing, there were five whole pigs being slow roasted over coals, plus some large fish were being baked. Gunny shifted, and we spent a little time getting to know the others in our animal form.

I checked back on our babies, the ladies had fed them and they were playing with the other young ones. "I feel like we shouldn't be wasting this time, love."

"Feel like sneaking out for a bit?" I rubbed against his shoulder before taking off for the trees, running for the trail leading away from the house. "Do you even know where you are going?"

"Nope. Does it really matter when you're sneaking away for a quickie?" I kept running until I couldn't hear the people at the beach, the whole time thinking about my mate chasing me down. He must have figured we were far enough away, because he jumped ahead of me and forced me to stop. Normally, he would have tripped me, but not while pregnant. He circled me as I stood, there, his tongue grooming my face and neck before he moved farther back. I shifted my tail aside as he sniffed my sex, which was swelling in anticipation. He licked out, slowly tasting me as his rough tongue split my folds. I squirmed in pleasure, dropping my chest to the ground.

He kept at it until I came powerfully around his tongue. I looked back dreamily, seeing him aroused and ready. He climbed onto my back, moving forward until I could feel him at my entrance, and with a single powerful stroke he seated himself deep inside me.

I roared my pleasure to the jungle as my body adjusted to the invasion. We were both too excited for it to last, he started to move inside me, his front legs holding me in place. I pushed back into him as he pounded me, mewling and groaning as he brought me quickly to another strong orgasm. He didn't stop bringing me pleasure until my eyes rolled back. With a loud roar, he slammed forward again, bringing me to the highest peak yet as dots filled my vision, then it all went black.

I woke up and it was dark, and Gunny was gone. I lifted my head up and smelled, he hadn't been gone long. I moved into the bushes, relieving my full bladder and enjoying the ache that came from a good, hard screw. He trotted back up a few minutes later, a boar piglet in his mouth. He dropped it at my feet before licking my face.

It always came down to the babies, I thought. He would make sure I ate well. I used a claw to rip open the belly, then reached in and gobbled down the vitamin-rich liver. He let me take the best pieces before he started in as well. We only needed a few minutes to reduce the small animal to bones. "Ready to head back, love?"

"We should, the babies are going to need us."

"They're sleeping at the beach, playing with the bigger kids really wore them out. Charlotte is keeping an eye on them."

"I like fresh killed, but I have to try that roast boar," I said. We moved together through the jungle, finding the path again and making our way to the beach. We used the outdoor shower to clean off the blood, then shifted back. We were going to take advantage of the remote location, staying nude as much as possible.

"Welcome back, you young lovers," Ella teased as we entered the beach and checked on our sleeping babies. One disadvantage of being around werecats, they could tell by the smell that you were feeling well. "You weren't the only ones sneaking off."

"I'm just sorry I slept through dinner," I said.

"Nonsense, there is plenty left. Go get a couple plates and sit down, Hank says he needs to talk to us." I didn't need another invitation, I went over to the outdoor kitchen where the last big boar was still over the coals. We were served a feast; thick slices of boar covered in their famous tropical fruit sauce, salad, rice and fish tacos. We sat down at a big picnic table and were brought glasses and lemonade. Gunny refused to drink in front of me, so he left the beer alone.

We were soon joined by Ross and Lisa (Thurmont), Craig and Ella (Island), Robert and Renee (Gila), Derek and Amanda (Johnson), Jesus and Maria (El Paso) and Hank and Tatiana. They had all visited the ice cream bar and had big banana splits or milkshakes. Ella had my back, she brought me my favorite- vanilla ice cream over a brownie, slathered in hot fudge and whipped cream. Gunny was on his own!

"Thank you for meeting with us," Hank said. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything you need if we can give it," I said. "We owe you a lot."

"Dangerous, but it isn't that much. Tatiana and I can't stay with the Thurmont pack anymore."

"His training is complete, he's mated, and they are both Alphas," Ross said. "It is time he starts his own Pack, before his influence disrupts my Pack more than it has already."

I had long suspected he was an Alpha, ever since Lisa told me he didn't immediately submit to her in the hospital hallway.

"I don't know of any Packs needing Alphas right now, although there are a few I'd like to see replaced," Renee said.

"I want to start a new Pack, not split an existing Pack. I'd like it to be like what the Guns and Roses and Belden Packs are doing; be welcoming to were of all kinds, but especially humans. In talks with other Packs, there are lots of humans out there that have requested the change, that would make good Pack members, but existing Packs are reluctant to change them," Hank said.

"Unless you have a mate who is already Pack, only a handful have been turned and joined," Tatiana said. "We feel that for our kind to regain numbers and influence after the losses during the war, we need to be more open-minded about changes."

"Nearby Packs won't like that," Jesus said. "They'll see you as a threat to them. Almost all Packs are gaining members only by picking up stragglers from other Packs, plus the recent baby boom."

"And that is why I need your help. First off, the Alpha Council is going to need to approve the start of a new Pack with us as Alphas. I am hoping you all will support me in that." Ella and Renee both nodded, Ella was part of the regional Alpha council for the southwest, while Renee served on the national council. Both had been elected over the past summer, Ella's choice was unanimous while Renee only had one dissenting vote.

"I would be proud to welcome you as Alpha," Renee said. "Whatever help we can give you, financial or otherwise, is at your disposal."

"Thank you. We need a territory, and I don't want to step on any toes. We've researched the potential locations, and our preferred location is the Brainerd Lakes area in Minnesota. Craig and Ella, that land is yours by Pack law and birthright, so I need to know if you will allow it."

I wasn't up on everything that happened in the war, and Ella saw that. "The Brainerd Pack is Craig's former Pack. I killed his parents in retaliation for what he did, giving up the location of the Johnson Pack House at the beginning of the war. The airstrike took out over half the Pack." She looked at her mate, talking to him over the bond briefly. "We are happy here and have no plans to return to the frozen North," she said. "The territory is yours if you want it, I would be happy to see it under strong leadership again."

"Thank you," he said. "I would hope that our new Pack could join the alliance you have created with the others at this table, we don't want to lose the friends we've made."

I snorted. "All right, but you're going to have to pick a holiday to host at. Most of the major ones are already taken."

"We'll figure something out, it may be a while before we have enough built to be able to host anything. The buildings were razed, the lands sold. Plus, I don't have any Pack members yet."

"Not for long," Gunny said. "As soon as Minka finds out a mixed Pack is starting in Minnesota, you'll have Pack members." We all laughed, the tiny Lynx loved the cold and snow.

"Look for resort or campground property, something with a good chunk of lakeshore but a lot of attached land," I said. "Taxes are pretty high; a cash offer might find you with enough to have a good start. Buy some farms or wooded land surrounding it, quietly, before anyone figures out a Pack is moving in. Once you have it all in hand, we can petition to have it declared Pack land and take it off the property tax rolls." They nodded, thinking about it. "Just don't set up shop in Minnesota until you have it all set. A former President moving in is a big thing."

"I have some undeveloped land, about a thousand acres, that was not seized during the war because its ownership was hidden. You can use that or work out a trade for other land that works better for you," Craig said. "It's time for a Pack to live there again."

I finished my plate and started on my ice cream as Gunny ran to get some for himself. "Anything else you want to discuss? I have a couple billion sitting around after the last rounds of the Cartel wars, we want to put it to use to help the Packs without direct payouts that can be diverted to the leadership."

"Then you need to invest in institutions, not Packs," Tatiana said. "Look at what Ella is doing here with counseling widows, or what Derek is doing with leadership training. Create something that all the Packs need, then provide it free or at reduced cost."

"Medical care," Renee said. "Many Packs do not have doctors, or facilities that can handle serious injuries. Even if they did, they don't own the helicopters and crews to get the injured to the hospital quickly from remote sites."

"That would take dozens of locations," Gunny said.

"Even better. Go by region, work with the Pack with the best facilities as a start. Work out financial support to upgrade their hospitals and add a helicopter and ambulance support- but only if they agree to serve all the Packs in their region. You don't have to do everything," Renee said.

"And more than that," Robert added, "You could fund scholarships for those in Packs without adequate medical care to send their people to medical school, nursing school, even dentistry. In return, they have to agree to serve nearby Packs on a regular and emergency basis."

"Or cut out the middleman, if I find doctors and nurses who want to make the change, I'll do that, then rotate them to other Packs to fill the immediate needs. Who knows, they might find their mates that way," Hank said.

"You know, we need more than just doctors," Renee said. "We have a whole generation like me that lost their teen years to the war, no school, no college. If we want packs to become self-sufficient, they need to be able to get good jobs in society. Plus, we need people in construction trades. Most Alphas are hesitant to bring humans in, at least unless they can be directly supervised by Pack members. Apprenticeships, vocational school, we need to close the education gap."

I thought about it. "There's enough we could fund a big push up front, then have an endowment that would continue to fund scholarships well into the future," I said. "Josh said the accounts are earning a half million a day in interest while we figure out what to do with it all. It's an embarrassment of riches, thanks to Josh and his hacking skills."

"We don't want our Pack to become slack or entitled just because we have money," Gunny said. "Money's just a tool, it's what you do with it that is important." I squeezed his hand, he expressed that perfectly. We had spent a lot of money on land, homes and things like airplanes, but everyone in our Pack still patrolled, cleaned, prepared food or cared for the children. No free lunches.

"One reason we haven't done much is because we don't want other Packs to know what we have," I said. "As far as they know, the war was between the Zetas and the Cartel and we had no involvement in it. It needs to stay that way."

"Set up a charitable foundation and endow it anonymously," Robert said. "Appoint a Board of Directors to administer it and hire staff to handle the details. No one needs to know how much money you have or where the money is coming from. Hell, you could accept donations, I'm sure there are some Packs and people who would contribute."

I tapped the now-empty plate with my spoon as I thought it over. "You know, that's a great idea. The Luna College Fund." There were smiles all around.

I heard the sound of a yipping pup and tiny running feet. Looking down just before they arrived, I reached for my babies at my feet. I picked them up, kissing them and handing them off. The other children of the Alphas poured in, some in human, most in animal form. The meeting broke up so we could put them all to bed.

There would be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.

Ch. 74

Christmas Eve Dinner

"My God, this is horrible." I looked at Gunny after I opened the bag Josh had given us for the party tonight. Renee had convinced Ella to implement her Pack's tradition of "Gaming, Grazing and Shaming" in the afternoon. This tradition was built around a Pack in Montana, where winds and snows kept the festivities inside.

The Games part was easily translated, as it was about friendly competitions between Pack members. We had a few hundred people on the island, so there were plenty of different games. The kids played Halo 10, Madden 2024 or Mario Kart 14 on the big screens in the game room. There was a mixed-team 2-man volleyball tournament on the beach, along with a surfing competition on the beach by the singles. We had friendly sparring matches in human and animal form, races from a hundred meters to a circuit of the island, and a race to the top of the volcanic mountain at the center of the island.

Gunny and I had won the wife-carrying competition, barely edging out Minka and Sam at the finish line. It almost wasn't fair, she's a tiny thing he barely noticed, but Gunny wasn't going to be denied. We won a trophy and a case of steaks.

The grazing part was also easy; the kitchens in the main house and the other villages had been opened, and the families had brought or prepared appetizers or desserts to compete for best overall in different categories. The Alphas were the judges, so we would be doing this when we went downstairs. I'd been smelling the baking all day and I couldn't wait.

The final was the shaming. Despite the tropical heat, we were having an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, with shorts or flip flops under it. We'd left it up to Josh and Charlotte to order something over the Internet for us, rather than picking ourselves, and now we were paying the price. I picked up one of the matching sweaters. "You get the butt," I said.

"I don't know, with my chest being so much bigger it would look funny if the back was rounder."

"Your chest isn't bigger, Rico. Not with the titty fairy still here. Plus, YOU are the one who said we could trust our kids to do this for us."

He grabbed the sweatshirt from me and held it up. "It's a good thing he's a computer whiz because he sucks at fashion."

"It was probably Charlotte's pick. It IS an ugly Christmas sweater contest, I'm pretty sure we won't get fined and shamed with these two. We might even win."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it." The sweaters showed a reindeer, head on my sweater, back end on his, with explosive diarrhea and upchuck of tinsel, presents and ornaments. It was truly ugly.

I laughed as we worked together to dress the kids, they had T-shirts that made them look like Santa's elves. They were going to go into the nursery with the other young ones; that place was like a dog park, they just ran and ran until they collapsed in a corner and fell asleep in a pile. We had it so easy as parents, with all the help we only had to make sure they got fed and put in bed at night. Everything else the ladies at the nursery took care of.

We walked down the stairs, marveling at the decorations in the big room, covered porch and beach. Christmas had a tropical feeling, with lights in the palm trees complementing the Tiki lamps. I saw Craig and Ella just outside the door, so we walked over to say hi. I had to say, she wasn't making the competition easy.

"How, uh, fitting," I said as I looked at the stuffed animal shark sticking out the front, Santa mostly eaten with his legs sticking out. Craig wasn't much better...he must like Christmas Vacation.

She laughed. "Yeah, and I made it lighter in weight. I had to do something memorable, have you seen what Renee has on yet?" She pointed over to her best friend and fellow Alpha, who was watching her kids play.

"No, but I'm heading that way." I was afraid, very afraid. I figured she HAD to be the winner with that sweater. "Oh... My.... GAWD! That's just WRONG!"

She laughed at me as she turned around, the snowmen on each breast having huge carrots poking out from her nipples. She looked like a deviant stripper.

"I had to set the standard," she said. "I've had this for nine months, just waiting for the right time to bust it out." We both laughed as she turned, you could poke an eye out with those things. "Just be glad I'm one of the judges, so I'm not in the contest."

William and Melody walked up with their matched set. "I see we weren't the only ones to coordinate," Melody said, "but I can't compete with you two." They wore matching Griswald Christmas sweaters.

"Oh my, your baby is SOOOO cute!" I moved over to look at their month-old daughter, her skin a milk chocolate color and her eyes matched Melody's. She was wearing a baby outfit that was particularly fitting, one that said 'Baby's First Christmas Sweater Party.'

"Thanks. I'm hoping to win the under two division." We brought our babies over and checked them in, then headed back towards the house.

The party went on for hours, and it was a blast. We ate way too much, laughed so hard my stomach hurt, and made it to the finals of the sweater contest. The female winner, Alpha Linda Miller, won in a runaway with a sweater that was a veritable explosion of bad taste. It looked like the Pink Panther surrounded in tinsel crime scene tape and lights. The male winner? Carl Smith. It takes a special kind of crazy to wear a suit that looked like bad wrapping paper to a tropical party, and that hacker could pull it off.

After the awards were presented, our hosts Craig and Ella had champagne and sparkling cider glasses handed out for a toast. Ella stood on a chair and raised her glass. "My friends and family, thank you all for coming. These gatherings are so important, not just to me, but to all of our Packs. I remember when I was a little girl and we would visit my aunt and uncle, Doug and Remi, every Christmas. Back in the days before Facebook, cell phones and private jets, this was the one time each year we would all see each other. It was how we built strong ties, ties that carried us through the dark days of the war to where we are now." She paused and gathered herself, but tears were starting to leak down. "The last time we had an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, we had two Packs and over five hundred members. Today, we are about half that, with members of six Packs represented. It was an inconceivable loss, one we will take decades to recover from." She raised her glass. "To those who didn't make it," she said.