A Lycan's Mate (2 page)

Jurisa didn't get out of the water for a long
time. When she did, she changed into wolfen form and ran full tilt
all the way back to the village, berating herself the whole way. As
the only alpha in her community, she'd gotten used to walking
around freely. Her status and her mate meant she was protected from
unwanted attack. Having so much power made it easy to forget the
dangers inherent with being a rare fertile female.

Now, she didn't have a mate and she didn't
have protection. It was stupid to be alone with so many alphas from
other communities around. They had different social codes. Some
didn't afford females much in the way of freedoms. She had to
remember that, especially now when things were so critical. Her
people were counting on her to find an appropriate mate and also
prevent their tiny community from being destroyed by the tense
relationships her community shared with other certain lycans.

Jurisa slipped into her cottage with a sigh.
Home felt safe. It was the one place she could be herself. She
grabbed a leather cloth by the door and dried herself of the few
droplets of river water that hadn't dried during her run. Placing
the cloth pack in its spot, she went into her room to pull on a
chemise and loose dress. The dress would come off again later, so
no need to worry about looking her best. By the end of tonight,
none of them would look very good.

Dragos convenient arrival by the river
bothered her. He must have also been following her, or at least
following Feodor. Given how suspicious males could be of one
another during mating, that was a possibility. It didn't
necessarily mean he had her best interests at heart. Dragos could
simply have been protecting his right to claim her as a mate later
on in the run. Still...

Jurisa went into the living area. On the
rough hewn table before her fireplace, she found a still warm pot
of deer roast with root vegetables and some bread. Alexandru's
lingering scent told her that her son had left the meal behind.
Jurisa smiled, resting her hand on the handle of the lid for just a
moment. Her proud son was having a difficult time adjusting to this
whole plan. He'd made himself scarce these past few days. She could
only imagine what he thought about another male entering her
household. He would likely want to begin building his own home
soon. If only to get some space from her and the new mate. Yet
another sacrifice she was making for the sake of her people.

Jurisa lifted the lid and set it aside. No
regret. No time for pity. She was the leader of this community and
she would have to act like it. With that, Jurisa found a plate and
tucked into a large portion of roast.

She was nearly finished with her meal when
Beryx knocked on the outside door. She called for him to enter and
he came in, bringing an air of tension with him like a cloak.

"What is the matter?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"Beryx," Jurisa said.

He shook his head. "I dismissed Cami from my
service."

Jurisa's eyebrows rose. She knew the young
transplant from the Western River community was difficult, but
hadn't expected Beryx to get tired of her so soon. Cami had all of
the makings of an alpha, but she often used her will to cruel
ends.

"What happened?"

Beryx snarled, his face partially changing
into its wolfen form before shaking himself and returning to
normal. A look of fury and disgust remained imprinted there. "She
interfered with Sanda."

Ah, that would be a problem. Jurisa took in
Beryx's stance, the tension in his shoulders and decided that
tonight's run would probably be good for him. It would burn off
that anger before Beryx could let it fester any longer.

"Very well," Jurisa said. She drank from a
small cup of tea she'd brewed a few minutes ago. "I'll see to her
training."

The muscles in his jaw tensed, but he didn't
say anything. This dismissal, though understandable, was a negative
mark on his abilities as second to wield influence over others.
Beryx looked at the fireplace, waiting while Jurisa finished her
meal.

Jurisa focused on keeping herself calm.
Outside night fell and the run was dangerously imminent. She would
soon flee from a pack of lust-mad alpha males, using all her wits
to evade and stay ahead of them, until only one was left. Her
mate.

She sincerely hoped that male wouldn't be
Feodor.

"Did you make sure the sedative was added to
the food?" She asked.

"Yes," Beryx said, returning to her side,
"All those you wanted out of the running have been slipped the
drought. It's not enough to knock them out completely."

"I know."

Outside, the long low howls of many wolves
echoed over the mountains. It was time. Jurisa stood, noticing how
suddenly, wet warmth spread between her legs in anticipation of the
mating. She damned her body and it's inconvenient timing once more.
Beryx inhaled sharply, stepping a good distance back from her. He's
picked up on it, she thought. Her body's readiness must be obvious
now.

Jurisa brought her dishes to the counter to
clean later, while Beryx tamped down the fire to keep the coals
warm. She pulled off her dress and hung it by the door, running her
hands over the moisture covering her full breasts, pebbled nipples
and flat belly. Already she'd broken out into a nervous sweat.

They left the cottage, changed into their
wolfen forms and jogged out to the edge of the pine forest where
the entire community waited for them. Jurisa felt their nervous
agitation in the air when they arrived. The alpha males were
already present, jostling and snarling at each other, a few clawed
hands pulled back to swipe at furred skin, but no major fights
broke out. When Jurisa came into the group, several of the alphas
stopped to stare, pacing back and forth to get a better look. Her
own community gathered round her in greeting, forming a protective
phalanx. She did her best to calm their nerves, exchanging nuzzles
with whining members of the pack, allowing the most anxious to loll
at her feet while they licked her muzzle. It did calm her to know
her people were here and committed to her as the alpha. They would
intervene if she asked. They would also stay back at her
command.

Jurisa noticed that her son was not present
among her pack tonight. She couldn't pick up his familiar scent,
nor that of the newcomer Cami. They both had their reasons to be
scarce, but it was an added concern. Jurisa decided to set those
twin worries aside.

She barked and instantly, the pack pulled
back.

The night wind blew across her fur,
goose-pimpling her skin underneath. Soon, she wouldn't even feel
the chill evening air. Jurisa meandered over to the alphas,
surveying the half dozen members of other lycan communities. Dragos
stood out with his pale golden fur, lean muscles and short muzzle,
but pitch black Feodor hulked over the group on two legs. His
erection already full and weeping. He didn't look as if the
sedative kicked in yet. Some of the other alphas were subdued,
definitely feeling the effects of the drought. She let the wind
carry her scent over their noses, which they stuck into the air to
inhale greedily. Renewed interest sparked in their eyes at the
smell of her wet arousal.

Jurisa tensed and bolted into the woods with
eager howls following her back.

Fresh pine filled air rushed past her muzzle
and into her eyes. She let her jaw drop open and bit at the air,
snatching at it as it gusted into her mouth. Feeling refreshed
after her few hours break from the last practice run, Jurisa kept
well ahead of her pursuers. She dared not risk a look back to see
them. Otherwise, she might falter and loose precious ground so
early on. To either side, the woods were filled with the darkened
forms of her community, as they worked to keep pace with the
runners and observe.

It was easy to follow the twists and turns of
the forest at night. She'd run through it so many times with Beryx.
Truth be told, Jurisa didn't need to memorize the run. This was her
home. She felt her way through it the same way she could feel her
way through her own cottage at night. It was hard for the alphas
though. Jurisa sensed them slowing down to get through brambles and
brush that she slipped through easily. A dull thunk and shaking of
the trees behind her indicated that at least one alpha male had run
smack into a tree trunk. Around her the forest came alive with the
laughter of her pack.

She yipped her laughter with them, pushing
forward in a renewed burst of speed. They were coming up on the
traps laid by Jurisa's pack weeks ago. The males would have to work
their way through them if they wanted to follow her down the
mountain.

The hot breath of a male against Jurisa's
flank jolted her into moving faster. It was nearly her undoing. The
small second's worth of distraction from the trail nearly had her
toppling into a pit. Not a good place to get caught by a bunch of
horny males. She leapt the pit, making her body stretch as long as
possible, holding her breath until she landed on solid ground on
the other side. The male who crowded her flank didn't have enough
time to make the leap and slid head first into the hole. Another
one down. She had four or five more to worry about.

Jurisa kept moving, weaving in and out of the
pits on a well-traveled path. The males behind her howled in
frustration, falling further behind as they had to navigate the
narrow spaces between the close dug pits. Several snarling spats
broke out between those trying to get in front on the single file
path. Jurisa emerged from the traps and took off for the wire,
leaving the alphas in the dust.

Now she was starting to feel the strain of
running in her lungs and legs exactly as before. Jurisa ignored the
burning in her chest, kept moving forward even as the cries of her
pack echoed in the woods around her. She entered the path leading
to the wire, a straight run of a few hundred yards. All too soon,
the males broke through the brush and onto the track. Without
obstacles before them, they quickly regained ground and started
crowding her flank. Just what Jurisa was expecting.

One male got close, pressing his muzzle
against her hindquarters and licking her there. Jurisa kicked out
blindly, nailing him in the eye with a clawed foot. He released a
satisfying cry and fell back amid the growls and biting of the
others.

The wire came and went as Jurisa jumped over
it with perfect timing. The males behind her weren't so lucky,
tripping and tumbling over each other in a flurry of fighting. As
she gained ground, Jurisa risked looking behind her. The alphas
were suddenly more interested in fighting each other than chasing
Jurisa down the path, except for Feodor. He must have been lagging
behind the males, because he leapt over the those caught up in
battle with more ease than his large stature belied. Roaring, he
hit the ground on sure-fit paws and barreled after her.

Oh no, no, no. Jurisa darted into the woods.
Feodor was supposed to be half-asleep by now. That sleeping drought
didn't even seem to be affecting him. She couldn't let him catch
her.

Mimicking the mountain deer, Jurisa zigzagged
through underbrush, letting limbs and leaves smack Feodor in the
face as she ran past. She couldn't head down to the clearing now.
Not with Feodor right behind her. Without any other males left in
the race to beat him, Feodor would go unchallenged for mating
rights. Jurisa's only hope was to circle back around to the other
males and try to get them interested in chasing her again.

Feodor was crowding her, making it hard to
double back. Every time she turned, he was there blocking her path.
Slowly but surely, he pushed her higher further down the mountain.
Panic nipped at the back of her mind. She might have to turn and
fight him. His size and strength put her at a great
disadvantage.

Following at a discreet distance, Jurisa
could still hear her pack hustling through the brush. If she
called, they would come to her aid. It would cause so many
complications later on. She didn't want to risk her pack over a
violation of the mating law. Jurisa needed to face Feodor.

She twisted round, dug in her feet and leapt
at her pursuer. The sudden change caught Feodor off guard. For a
few brief moments Jurisa had the upper hand, landing on top of him
as they hit the ground. Jurisa slashed at his chest and bit at his
face. She leapt past him, starting toward the other alphas they'd
left behind on the path.

Feodor grabbed her leg, yanking her back.
Jurisa turned and snapped but was met with a slap across her
muzzle. Tears welled up in response to the sharp cutting pain of
claws digging into her flesh. She hit the ground with a thump.
Looking up in time to see another alpha charging towards them,
Dragos' golden fur danced in the dappled moonlight, Jurisa realized
she was about to be mauled by two males seeking to mate her
first.

Dragos jumped just as he reached her, landing
on Feodor and knocking his grip on her legs loose. The two locked
onto each other in a mash of teeth and claws. She had her chance to
get away.

Jurisa shot off towards the path but stopped
as the sounds of their fighting grew worse. This was no battle for
dominance. It was a fight to the death. Dragos let out a high
arching call. Strong as he was, the golden male was no match for
Feodor's massive size. Making a quick decision, she turned and ran
back into the fray. Dragos might turn and attack her, but she
couldn't let him be mortally wounded.