Wolf Lake Ch. 06

Sam stepped out of the forest into the clearing and stopped. She’d spent the early morning in the various gardens weeding and making sure that the local rodents stayed out of the pack’s vegetables. Coming home she’d heard the distinct sounds of a group gathered at the clearing. The tone was one of violence brewing just beneath the surface.

Pushing her way forward, Sam caught bits and pieces of conversations taking place between various members.

“…doesn’t belong here.”

“…only one way to deal with him.”

“…Nafarius will see to it.”

Finally reaching the center of the clearing, Sam’s attention went immediately to her mate. Conversation died around her as all eyes turned to see what her appearance would mean. Sam ignored the people around her; her focus was for one man and one man only.

Nafarius stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest; his lips were pressed firmly together in disapproval; and his stance was that of a man ready to do battle. His eyes stared dark and cold at the ground in front of him and not once did he spare his mate a glance.

Following his line of sight, Sam was surprised to see a man, his clothes torn and ragged, and down on all fours with his head hung between his forearms. Stepping closer, she caught his scent. Fear and rage rolled off the man in waves but beneath that was the distinct scent of the city. Human.

That one word rang through her head. In the year that Sam had been with the pack there had been rumors of humans in the forest but none where ever found. It was a good thing because the pack had only one policy when it came to humans in the forest…death.

Sam, unlike the rest of the members of the pack, had been born human. Her change into a werewolf had come only because Nafarius was in need of a mate and didn’t want to start a war between packs by choosing from only one of them. Therefore, he’d sought a mate elsewhere and Sam happened to be in the right place at the right time…that was, of course depending on how you looked at it.

She didn’t regret her decision to stay or to become Nafarius’ mate. Sam had quickly come to love her mate and her pack and she was loyal to both. While she wouldn’t risk her pack’s existence on a human she would do whatever she could to ensure that no harm came to the man. At least not until they were able to ascertain his intentions.

Not many people traveled this far into the mountains. Locals were superstitious and more than a few of them (rightly) believed that werewolves inhabited Wolf Lake. While Sam’s pack kept well enough alone there was still the occasional sighting. There was also little danger from city dwellers; the few that came out to the mountains to do some hiking stuck to the established paths, none of which led to Wolf Lake. Wolf Lake wasn’t even on the map; you had to know where it was in order to find it.

Sam had come up the year before specifically following the stories of werewolves. She’d never really believed in such things but she found a certain fascination in studying urban legends. She’d obviously been mistaken. Werewolves were really and she was willing to bet that the things that went bump in the night from her childhood were real as well.

That said, it was curious to find a human and one smelling of the city this far into the mountain woods. If he was here for a reason they needed to know what it was. Only then could they figure out what to do. Unfortunately, the pack’s motto was to eat first and forget the questions. Humans didn’t come here often and there was a reason.

Sam did a quick evaluation of the crowd surrounding her. She could already sense the blood thirst building on the air. This group wanted blood and they were eager to hunt for it. Nafarius, despite his care for his mate, was inclined to let the human go…and send his pack after him. A good chase through the forest would do them all some good. They may look like humans but they were more animal than not and that animal was hungry.

She knew she had to hurry; already two pack members had changed. Excited at the idea of hunting a human (something not often done) had made the younger pack members unable to control their animal. Two almost fully grown male wolves were circling the downed man. Every once in awhile one of them would pull back his lips, bare his teeth and growl.

Much to her own surprise, Sam felt her animal stir and she knew that despite her desire to help this human her animal would rather run him to ground and rip into his throat. Mentally pushing down the thought, Sam stepped forward. “Nafarius.”

Nafarius didn’t bother to look up at his mate. Instead he answered, his eyes never leaving the man on the ground before him. “I know what you’re going to say and the answer is no.”

Sam wasn’t surprised. Nafarius might care for her but he’d been born a werewolf; he had no love for humans. His anscestors had been hunted down until they were nearly extinct; she couldn’t very well expect him to give a rat’s ass about one less human when there were a billion more where this one had come from. She was surprised by the unleashed fury she saw vibrating through his massive body. Slowly, she stepped closer, intentionally putting herself between Nafarius and the human.

Unable to see the man, Nafarius finally lifted his head and watched as his mate approached. At first he wanted to throw her aside and strike out at her for coming between him and his prey but he knew that was his animal talking. That part of him others would consider human whispered that his mate was different and didn’t understand. “There is nothing here for you. I don’t expect you to approve or even understand. Maybe it is best if you and Maddie take yourselves inside and wait until this is over.”

“No, I’m not leaving and I do understand. You want to protect the pack, so do I. But I don’t think the best way to go about doing that is to kill any human that comes here. If you do you run the risk that others will come looking for him. There has to be a different way.”

“No one came looking for you.” Nafarius was reluctant to point that out. He often wondered what it had been like for his mate. Sam seemed so eager to join the pack, how had she ever lived alone in the city?

“I did.”

Sam whirled around at the sound of the man speaking from behind her. “Alex?”

Alex slowly rose to his feet; brushing long blonde hair back from his face he wearily kept an eye on the two wolves circling him. If he hadn’t seen it for himself he would never have believed that ten minutes ago those were two fully-grown, young men. He’d guess their age at somewhere between 19 and 21 but he couldn’t be sure. Even in human form they’d seem bigger then other young men he’d come across. The rest of the males surrounding him seemed the same; no matter where he looked Alex was confronted by large men of unhuman size. The women were smaller but by no means petite.

Nafarius stepped forward this time putting himself between the man and his mate. “You know this human?”

The word human was said with such disgust that Sam flinched. “Yes, I knew him when I lived in the city. Alex, what are you doing up here?”

Reassured that (for the moment) he was relatively safe, Alex stood to his full height. Unfortunately, despite being almost six foot tall he stood several inches shorter then the shortest man around. He decided to ignore the others and focus his attention on Sam. “I came looking for you. Well, actually, I came looking for any information regarding your disappearance.”

Sam was stunned. Her and Alex had been close once but by the time she’d embarked on her hiking trip they had been separated for several months. “How did you find this place?”

“When you didn’t return to defend your thesis I started to worry. Eventually I contacted the police and filed a missing person report. Since you didn’t have any family the cops were willing to let me have your things after they were through with them. They didn’t find anything useful and after a while your case was shuffled away in a drawer some where.” Alex took a deep breath; it was hard to explain how he’d come to be there. He had cared for Sam but when she disappeared it was as if he was being punished. He’d never been able to give her what she needed in their relationship and her disappearance seemed like the ultimate failure. “When they finally released your belongings I started going through all your old paper work. I knew that most of it related to your thesis but I also knew that you liked to visit the places where the stories originated. At first, Wolf Lake seemed like all the rest, until I read your thesis. I noticed it wasn’t mentioned at all so I started thinking that perhaps the information was there for a different reason. After a while I decided to come up and have a look.”

“You shouldn’t have come Alex.” Sam whispered softly; she was a little bit shaken at finding her old lover here in her new home. It wasn’t just the fact that he was human and she no longer was. It struck her that someone had cared enough to come and look for her. She was an only child and her parents had since passed away. Alone in the world, Sam tended to keep to herself. The fact that Alex would come all this way meant more to her then he would ever know.

“What I would like to know is how did you find our home?” Nafarius could see the emotions warring on Sam’s face but he couldn’t let that stop him from his duty to the pack.

Alex shrugged. “I got lost.” He ignored the snickers of the other members that had overheard his comment. “I found the lake but after a year there was no sigh that Sam had ever been here. I decided to search the surrounding area and lost my direction in the forest. I’ve never seen trees grow so close together. I wondered around the woods for three days before he finally found me.”

Alex had gestured to Roland with his chin. It was obvious that he was embarrassed about the fact that he’d gotten lost but at the same time his sense of honor required him to acknowledge Roland’s help.

Roland acknowledged Alex’s appreciation with a simple nod. “No need to thank me, you’re not out of the woods yet.”

Nafarius glared at his second-in-command. He hadn’t relaxed his stance in the slightest; if anything the tension in the clearing had risen several notches in the last five minutes. Finally, he looked at his mate. “What am I to do?” Shaking his head in mock exasperation, “Nothing is ever easy with you, is it?”

Sam smiled, she knew when she had won. Nafarius wouldn’t order Alex’s death, for now. He would grant her a reprieve, time enough to come up with some other solution. But one thing was for sure, Alex wouldn’t be leaving.

Sam’s smiled faded; she’d forgotten about Rei and Craig, the two young men that had changed into animal form.

Rei’s voice was slurred as he spoke through an elongated snout but his intention was clear. “He’ssss human; he musssst dieeeee.”

Sam stepped forward before Nafarius had a chance to say anything. “He’s mine Rei; if you want him then you have to go through me.”

“Sam, no.” Nafarius stepped forward and grabbed her arm. Sam shook it off.

Rei was looking at her with a new-found sense of respect. He’d thought her weak for wanting to save the human, despite the fact that he was someone from her past. In his mind all humans were a threat but if Sam was willing to fight for the human then Rei’s thirst for violence (which had been raised by the human’s presence) would be satisfied.

Sam saw Rei consider and she knew when he’d made his decision. “First blood?”

“Deal.”

Sam shifted, shedding her clothes, and leapt across the clearing before Rei had time to prepare. Her black coat rippled in the sunlight filling the clearing as her muscles bunched and sprung. She was on Rei, her front paws braced on his chest and her teeth sunk into his next before he had time to move.

Quickly, sensing her easy victory, Rei rolled and used the momentum to force Sam off of him. This time it was he who pinned her down and with a fierce growl sent snapping jaws towards her neck.

Rei outweighed her by at least seventy-five pounds, all of it muscle but her smaller size allowed for greater agility. Sam let her body go loose catching Rei off guard and throwing him off balance. She had a small window of opportunity and she took it. Not bothering to try and pin him down again, Sam turned, reached out and struck.

Rei yelped and swung his massive head around. It was clear for every one to see. A set of four claw marks slashed through his fir and had opened the skin on his right flank. As far as wounds go it was minor to a werewolf and would be healed by morning. However, it did mean that Sam had drawn first blood. The human was her’s to protect. “You mayyyy have ssssaved him from meeeee but you will havvvve to protectttt himmmm from the resssst of the pack assss well.”

Sam shook him off; turning to Craig she asked, “Who’sss nexttt?”

Craig shook his head and stalked off into the forest. He had no desire to fight his mistress for the right to hunt some human. He’d just as soon forage in the forest. A quick run and he’d feel better.

Sam sighed and sat back on her haunches. A few words from Nafarius and some help from Roland had the rest of the pack moving off until it was just the three of them. Nafarius was watching Alex, Alex was watching Sam and Sam was watching both of them. Silence stretched thin between them until finally she decided she’d had enough. Confident that Nafarius would see Alex settled, Sam (still in animal form) stalked off toward the mountain. Slipping inside she went to find Maddie, the young woman undoubtedly would be able to help sooth Sam until she’d calm down enough to change back into human form.

Nafarius turned to Alex who stood stark still staring at the place where Sam was just sitting. He couldn’t keep the venom from his voice when he asked, “What? Didn’t you stop to think that she had become one of us and that’s why she stayed?”

Alex avoided the question and asked one of his own. “Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?”

Nafarius shook his head. “It isn’t what you’ve done but what you could do. You have the power to destroy us all, including Sam.” Deciding against saying anymore, Nafarius turned and head toward the mountain. “Come, I will see you settled. You’ll be safe as long as you’re under Sam’s protection; as my mate no one would dare to cross her.”

“You’re mate?” Alex wasn’t sure how he’d missed that part.

“Yes, and wolves mate for life.”

Nafarius’ voice held enough of a threat that Alex got the message loud and clear. “If I’m under Sam’s protection why can’t I leave?”

“Because her protection doesn’t extend that far, nor does it extend to the other packs. You’ll be safe as long as you remain here and as long as you do as you are told.” Nafarius turned to Alex who had been following a few steps behind. “A word of warning, we may look like humans but we were born animals and those instincts run deep.”

Alex nodded but didn’t say any more. He followed Nafarius silently into the side of the mountain where a large cave opened up. Inside he could see several different alcoves that were blocked off for privacy. Careful to keep his gaze from touching on any one face for too long, Alex was still able to ascertain the sense of home, hearth and family that resided within the mountain. Despite the warning from Nafarius it was warm and inviting, if not to him specifically.

Nafarius led Alex to the back of the cave where a small alcove sat separate from the others. This area was usually used to punish pack members or house unfriendly “guests” from rival packs. Due to the nature of those staying there the alcove was sparsely furnished. There was a pile of sleeping furs and a place for personal waste but nothing personal.

Alex dropped his backpack on the floor and looked around. Noticing the two guards posted outside the alcove, he asked, “Am I to be a prisoner?”

Nafarius gave a negligible shrug. “No, the guards are for your protection, not ours. You are to remain here until either I or Sam come and get you. If you leave without one of us attending you neither she nor I can guarantee your safety.”

Alex nodded, it galled him to do it but he stopped Nafarius before he could leave. “Thank you for allowing me to stay.”

Nafarius was surprised by the gratitude. “Thank Sam, she’s the one that put herself on the line for you.” With that Nafarius left and went to find his mate, he had an idea of where she might be hiding.

Slipping into their alcove, Nafarius found Sam, still in animal form, stretched out on their sleeping furs. She wasn’t alone. Maddie, still in human form, was stretched out beside her. The two women were a contrast in everything. Maddie was small, petite and blonde with pert apple sized breasts and a beautiful cherub face. Sam, on the other hand, was everything dark with black fur, green eyes, large breasts and legs that went on for miles. In human form her hair was the same color and her face was made up of sharp angles. Together, lying next to each other they accented each other’s beauty and Nafarius took a moment to appreciate the sight.

Maddie smiled up at him but continued stroking her mistress. Sam had taken her in and protected Maddie from the more dominant members of the pack. In exchange, Maddie took care of Sam and Nafarius’ home. She slept with them and over the past year had become a part of their family often times sharing their sleeping furs.

At the moment Maddie was helping to alieviate Sam of some of her unspent energy. Usually, Sam could change from human to animal form without any effort but today’s events had left her feeling torn and uncertain. She loved her life with the pack and had thought to leave everything from her form life in the past. But Alex’s arrival had stirred up conflicting emotions. He had been a big part of her life for a long time and was still a friend. It meant a lot to her that he had come here seeking to see her but his presence was going to cause quite a disruption. In fact, it already had.

Frustrated, Sam rolled over and onto her feet. Slowly she stretched and moved to position herself between Maddie’s spread thighs. As Nafarius looked on Sam pressed her muzzle into the young woman’s pussy and began to lap and her lips. Maddie, already intoned to her mistress’ mood sighed and let her legs fall farther apart. Encouraged, Sam reached out with her tongue and starting at the base of her pussy licked the length of her lips ending at her clit. Careful so as not to injure Maddie with her teeth Sam licked and suckled her clit into her mouth quickly bringing the young woman to an orgasm.

The scent of sex and satisfaction lingered heavy in the air and Sam found herself even more restless then before. Nafarius having witnessed his mate’s most recent actions sought to appease her. Without changing into animal form, Nafarius positioned himself behind her and with one quick thrust buried himself deep inside of her. Sam whimpered in pleasure and pushed back against him. Easily they found their rhythm and together reached their release. Sam collapsed onto the furs and slowly slid back into human form. Smiling up at both of them she said, “Thank you.”

Nafarius offered both of them a hand up and watched as the quickly dressed. “Maddie, will you see that our guest receives some supper?”

“Of course.” Maddie turned and went out to join the others in the common area where most meals were prepared.

Sam turned to her mate. “Is everything okay?”

“You tell me; you know him and felt confident enough to speak up for him.” Nafarius couldn’t keep the bitter tone from his voice.

Sam was surprised, her head tilted as she tried to understand what had him so upset. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”

“No.” Nafarius’ denial was quick, too quick and even he knew that.