Wolf Lake Ch. 03

To those of you that wrote me to tell me how much you enjoyed the first chapter of this story, I hope you enjoy this latest addition. There is more to come so please let me know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see added. Please remember that the author reserves all rights in this work including the right to copy, reproduce or publish this work in any medium.

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Life slowly returned to normal. The days with the pack were spent hunting as well as tending to the gardens planted throughout the forest, washing clothes and seeing to a myriad of other chores that required attention. All the women worked together to see that the system of alcoves and tunnels that made up the pack's home were kept clean. In some respects their lives were very primitive, their meals limited to what they could hunt and gather. There was no television or radio for entertainment however books, magazines and other literature was brought in from the outside along with clothes and medical supplies.

A few of the older male and female pack members were appointed to watch over the younger children during the day. Their education included traditional, human lessons as well as the more important lessons of survival. It was Sam's responsibility to oversee most of these activities while Nafarius spent his days making sure they were safe from humans as well as the other packs in the area.

As leader it was Nafarius' responsibility to train the members of the pack and not just the men. The women were also trained to fight and protect. There was a constant threat of humans as well as danger from neighboring packs. There were rotating patrols throughout the day and night and no one was allowed to stray from the clearing alone.

Sam quickly realized that there was a well-organized way of doing things within the pack. There was a sharing of duty among the men and women that crossed over from one group to another. There was also a hierarchy between both groups. She quickly came to understand the pecking order among the women and men individually as well as between the two. There were those women that were dominant over the other women but submissive to certain male pack members. There were also male pack members that were submissive both to the men and some women. In the end, a person could be both dominant and submissive within the same pack.

Once she had the order of things down Sam realized that there were some things she didn't care for within the pack. Nafarius had already told her that as his mate and the most dominant female in the group she was free to make any changes she wanted; as long as it didn't run counter to his way of doing things. That was fine with her, Sam realized that there were certain areas that were not within her domain and she respected that. But there were things she could change, starting now.

It was hot within the mountain. Summer was full upon them and while the forest remained blissfully cool the mountain had grown stuffy. The heat made for a rise in tempers as well and Sam had her hands full. There were several women within the pack that resented her. They were single women that had hoped to be chosen as Nafarius' mate and having been passed over for an outsider were understandably upset.

Early on Sam had decided to give these women time and space to come to grips with the situation but her patience had long since run out. Most of the women had come to accept her as dominant and as their mistress and were quick to offer her their respect and loyalty even when Nafarius wasn't around. However, there was still three or four that continued to give her a hard time, refusing to take orders and ignoring Sam when she spoke. Unless Nafarius was around, then they were all smiles and nods of acceptance.

Sam was in the process of trying to come up with a new way to win them over when the decision was made for her. Despite her good intentions, Maddie still suffered at the hands of the more dominant females. Having openly given the young woman her protection seemed to have made matters worse. Maddie was now considered the mistress' pet and Sam watched as the other women openly excluded her. Sam was quick to realize that these were the same women that still resented her as Nafarius' mate. She knew she couldn't force them into accepting Maddie. It was the way of the pack that those weaker were treated with less respect. However, Sam drew the line at physical cruelty and abuse.

Gertrude, the leader of Sam's nemeses, was preparing the evening meal when she ordered Maddie to go and fetch some mushrooms for the stew. Maddie, who had been helping Sam put away the laundry, looked to her for her approval.

Sam nodded. "Be sure to take one of the men with you."

Gertrude smiled when she saw Maddie make a wide path around her in order to get to the entrance of the mountain. "Only a weakling needs a guardian."

Despite orders Sam knew that there were a few of the women that in order to save time went out into the forest without an escort. However, none of them were as beautiful as Maddie. The petite blonde would tempt any male from one of the other packs and Sam wasn't willing to risk the young woman's safety. Stepping to the entrance she made sure that Maddie didn't leave the clearing alone.

Sam had just finished putting the rest of Nafarius' clothes away when a loud commotion caught her attention. Stepping out into the common area she quickly assessed the situation. Maddie laid sprawled out on her back, one eye already red and swollen and blood seeping from her split lip. Gertrude towered over the young woman, her hands fisted at her side panting, not from exertion but excitement.

Sam was on her in an instant already in animal form. She stood, her front and hind legs pinning the woman to the ground gripping her throat in her teeth. She had already broken through the skin and was wrestling with the desire to ripe her larynx out when she felt Gertrude starting to change. Unconscious of how she did it, Sam reached out with her power and found Gertrude's animal struggling. Mentally Sam grabbed Gertrude's wolf and held on preventing the woman from changing.

No one moved.

Gertrude, unable to change struggled in human form to dislodge the large black wolf. She was terrified but even her enhanced human strength was not enough. She was dying; her body still in human form could not sustain the amount of damage done to her. In a regular human the wound would already have been fatal. Had she been allowed to change Gertrude would have been able to heal herself. If Sam didn't let go soon she was going to bleed to death.

Maddie, realizing that her mistress may not understand the situation and inadvertently kill the woman, crawled towards her mistress.

Sam, seeing the injured young woman growled, barring her bloodied teeth.

"Sam? It's okay; I'm okay, you need to let Gertrude go."

Sam was having none of that; she knew exactly what she was doing and she was prepared to deal with the consequences of letting the woman die. In fact, it would be a good lesson to anyone else that would disrespect her. Growling, she started backing up towards the entrance of the mountain, dragging the near unconscious woman with her.

Maddie followed her mistress, the only one willing to get near her. "Sam, she's been punished enough. Please, Sam don't kill her because of me. I couldn't live with it if you did."

It was her plea that finally got through. Maddie was such a kind-hearted soul. It was one of the reason she was considered weak by the rest of the pack. Every member was expected to help hunt for food but otherwise Maddie stepped back from anything involving violence. She didn't engage in the usual power struggles within the pack and whenever there was a conflict between packs she stayed home and watched over the children.

Sam released her hold on Gertrude but continued to stand over her body effectively preventing anyone from coming to her aid. "Arrrre youuuu alllrighttt?"

Maddie gave her a small smile. "I'm fine." Maddie looked up and saw Nafarius standing just inside the entrance.

Nafarius stood unmoving watching as his mate nearly ripped the throat out of one of his pack members. He'd come running when he heard the screams and shouts. His first thought had been for Sam afraid something had happened to her. Immediately, he recognized Gertrude as one of the females that Sam had been having problems with. He'd told her to take matters into her own hands and while it would seem she had he was surprised by the violence. Not yet knowing what had caused the confrontation he reserved judgment until after he had a chance to talk to those involved.

"Samantha." Nafarius spoke softly not wanting to startle her while giving her time to calm down.

Sam looked up and watched Nafarius walking towards her. With a violent shudder she changed instantly moving from animal to human.

Surprised, Nafarius stopped. Never before had he seen someone change with such speed. Unlike anyone else, Sam seemed able to move from human to animal form without going through the long process of readjusting her body. It was a tremendous power and not one that many werewolves possessed. He wondered what other surprises she had in store for him.

"Get her out of here!" Sam didn't spare Gertrude another glance as several men stepped forward and picked the injured woman up. "Let her heal herself in human form, if she can."

Sam stood completely naked, her clothes in tatters, in the center of the common area surrounded by the pack. Most members stood silent, unmoving while others crawled forward. She was breathing hard, the taste of blood still fresh in her mouth. Reaching up she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and came away with her knuckles covered in blood. Rage still coursed through her body. The desire to kill was so strong that she struggled not to lash out at those that sought to appease her. It didn't escape her notice that those women previously led by Gertrude were among the first to come forward. Both women knelt at her feet, clinging to her legs with their lips pressed against her shins.

She had been right; the retribution bestowed upon Gertrude would go far in ensuring she received the respect she deserved as Nafarius' mate. Instinctively, she knew that while there would no longer be any serious problems there would be times when she would be required to reassert her dominance.

Right now she needed to work off some of her anger. Turning, she ran out of the mountain and into the forest. She changed back into animal form and raced through the trees sending animals scurrying. Sam tried to think, to understand what had happened back there but couldn't make heads or tails of it. One minute she'd been patiently putting up with Gertrude and her followers' insolence and the next she had the woman's neck between her teeth. Understanding that she had finally reached the breaking point didn't help her to understand the viciousness of her reaction. After a while Sam decided that there was nothing she could do to understand her reaction and chalked it up to animal instincts.

Back at the clearing, Roland watched as Nafarius paced back and forth. Looking much like a caged animal Nafarius seemed a thousand miles away. Actually, his thoughts were much closer to home. He had spent the past several hours talking with various members of the pack. There were many that had witnessed Gertrude's uncalled for attack on Maddie and Sam's quick response and not one of them faulted their mistress. In fact many voiced their unfailing loyalty and approval stating that it was about time Gertrude was put in her place.

That left Gertrude herself. Despite remaining in human form she was healing quickly. Sam had damn near torn the woman's vocal cords out but that didn't stop her from trying to explain what had happened. At first she seemed to think that Nafarius was sympathetic to her complaints but a simple snarl of warning was enough to remind her that she was speaking of her leader's mate.

Nafarius had listened to her hoarse explanation regarding her inability to change. Gertrude had gone on in length describing the sensation of Sam reaching into her body and preventing her animal from surfacing. Having been ordered to remain in human form Gertrude was afraid that she wouldn't be able to change once she healed.

Nafarius listened and wondered what it all meant. There were stories, past down through the centuries, of other types of lycanthrope that had powers beyond those of their animals. But there had never been stories of werewolves possessing these abilities. Perhaps there was something about Sam, something in her past that would account for the abilities.

He couldn't help but think what a powerful weapon she would be. With her by his side, a man could prevent his enemies from changing giving him a dangerous advantage. It was one that his rivals would do anything to possess. Nafarius would have to make sure that none of them found out about Sam's abilities. There was a risk that they would kidnap her and attempt to learn her secrets. If that failed there was the possibility of mating with her in hopes that any offspring would possess their mother's abilities. Either way, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her.

Sam returned several hours after dark. Nafarius was in a high state of agitation, pacing just outside of the mountain entrance. Sensing her near, he turned and watched her walk across the clearing. She was in human form, her alabaster skin glowing in the moonlight. There was something dangerous about her. Nafarius recognized it as her animal, which always lurked just below the surface. She walked with a predatory grace and he tried to think back, to remember if she had always held herself that way.

"Where have you been?" Nafarius held out his hand and pulled her close, grateful to have her home.

"I needed to work off some energy. I was just so angry; I was afraid that if I remained here I would hurt someone." Sam let him hold her. Burying her face in his chest she inhaled his familiar scent and felt herself relax. "I don't know what came over me."

"I do. You saw one of your loyal pack members being abused by someone that refused to recognize you as dominant. It was only a matter of time before Gertrude did something to provoke you to action."

"It's not that. God! I wanted to tear her throat out, I nearly did. I have never felt that…blood thirsty before."

"I don't think I did a very good job of explaining to you some of the things that go along with being a werewolf." Grabbing her upper arms, Nafarius held her away from him so that she could see his face. "The infection, for lack of a better word, is pure animal. Humans evolved from animals and for the most part have forgotten their earlier roots. But that doesn't mean that some of those instincts aren't still there. When a person becomes infected the disease not only awakens those old instincts but introduces new ones as well. It changes us and makes us more animal than human. We still possess the ability to form higher thoughts but our reactions are pure animal." Nafarius took a deep breath and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "And I'm afraid that you've been changed more than anyone else."

Sam looked up and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Gertrude told me what happened, that you prevented her from changing. But that isn't all. I've never seen anyone able to change from human to animal and back again the way you do." Nafarius sighed. "There were stories but…"

"But what?"

"But never among the werewolves." Nafarius turned and steered Sam towards the mountain. "I don't want you to worry but we need to keep this quiet. I've already spoken with the rest of the pack and ordered them to keep quiet. If any of the other packs found out that you had the power to prevent change they might get it in their heads to use you for their own ends."

"I hadn't thought about that but I suppose it makes sense. It sure came in handy when dealing with Gertrude." Sam frowned. "Speaking of which, how is she?"

"She's fine. She seems to be healing albeit slowly." Nafarius couldn't suppress a smile. He realized that he was proud of how she had handled the situation and herself. "One other thing. I have a friend that's part of another pack, not local, that I'll get in touch with. Maybe we'll be able to find out more about these abilities of yours."

Sam smiled as she walked into the common area, not at all surprised when the room fell silent. Looking around most members of the pack dropped their eyes in deference when her gaze fell on them though there were those that smiled affectionately at her, no disrespect intended.

Maddie brought her a bowl of stew and a chunk of bread. Ravished, Sam sat down and started eating. Conversation immediately picked up as plans for the next day were made. There was to be a hunt and there were many that wanted to go. She couldn't help but notice that Maddie stayed close by her side. Whenever Sam got up either to refill her bowl or move about the room talking with other members Maddie's eyes never left her. If she lingered too long Maddie would get up and move to be closer to her mistress. On more than one occasion Nafarius had to fight for the honor of sitting by her side.

Sam shook her head as he raised his eyebrow in question. She was well aware of the fact that Maddie was nervous among some of the other members. That was only made worse by the fact that Maddie felt responsible for Gertrude's injuries and feared retaliation by some of the other members. Sam wasn't worried though, Maddie would realize soon enough that the rest of the pack agreed with her and none would risk being on the receiving end of her wrath.

Still, when the night grew late Sam debated about what to do with the young woman. She couldn't just leave her to sleep among the pack without a protector. At least not before she had regained some of her pervious confidence. Giving Nafarius an apologetic smile and a shrug of her shoulders, Sam grabbed Maddie's hand and dragged her into their alcove.

"You'll sleep with us tonight."

"I can't. You and Nafarius need your privacy." Maddie looked at her with wide eyes. It was clear that she didn't want to sleep out with the others but the idea of intruding on her mistress and her mate was almost as unsettling.

"You will." Sam pushed the young girl down onto a small pile of blankets set off to one side before pulling her dress over her head and crawling in among her own. Nafarius joined them a few minutes later. Spying Maddie he kept his features carefully blank and crawled in beside Sam.

She was warm, her soft skin saturated with her scent. Growling appreciatively he nuzzled her neck, running his tongue up the length of that slender column so as to taste her. Sam responded by tilting her head to the side giving him better access. Nafarius continued to nuzzle her skin only now he moved down the length of her body covering her with light kisses as he went. Enjoying the attention, Sam stretched her arms up over her head and thrust her breasts in his face. Nafarius chuckled understanding her silent demand and ran his tongue over one rose-colored nipple already hard with excitement. Flicking his tongue back and forth his hand sought out her other nipple and rolled it between his fingers. Sam growled and grabbing his head in her hands pulled him closer, nearly suffocating him in her ample breasts. Giving in, Nafarius took her nipple firmly between his lips and suckled, pulling it deep into his mouth.

Sam sighed at the pleasure radiating through her body. Letting her head roll to one side she opened her eyes and found Maddie watching them. The young woman smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at having been caught. Sam released her hold on Nafarius' head and pushed him off of her.