Keeping My Pack (19 page)

Something occurs to me though; eating a deer, low to the ground, growling, ears back…oh my god! I’m a wolf! I twist my head to look around at my body, moving in a circle as I tried to see more of myself. I yelp and stumbled awkwardly around, not knowing what to do with myself now that I realize I’m an animal.

A huffing sound gets me to sit still, and I look over to Remington's big, red wolf. His silver eyes regard me with amusement, and he takes a step forward, towering over me. I sit down and lift my head to see him, keeping him in my sights through the corner of my eye. He hums in approval, licking at my nose. I bark happily at him and weave my way through his tall legs, my back and tail brushing up against his chest and belly. Ash sits off to the side, his tail thumping loudly on the fallen leaves on the ground. I make my way over to him and brush my side against his, feeling him pressing back into me.

I feel restless, full of way too much energy. Remy watches me, his light eyes shining with pride, mixed with something unreadable. I walk back over to him, rubbing my side against his, delighting in the electricity that sparks where ever I touch my mates. An idea forms and I nip at his rear leg when I reach it. He growls playfully at me, and I shoot off through the woods, running back towards the house, their scents guiding my path.

Eight wolves give chase, and I bark in excitement. Logan catches up to me first and nudges my side with his head. I stop running to turn and pounce on him, knocking him over. He tries to nip at me, but I hop out of his reach. He manages to tackle me, and I huff in defeat once he pins my squirmy body, caging me in with his paws on either side of me. The rest of them have caught up to us, pouncing and playing with each other, sometimes giving bites or growls of affection.

Remy takes the lead through the woods, guiding us around the massive property. We stride together as a pack, brushing up against one another, the sparks at an all-time high. I don’t know what the others are thinking, but for me, I reflect on how awesome this all is, how I feel such a deep sense of belonging, and how I have never felt such security and solace until now.

We stop at a sunny spot in the yard and form a pile of sorts. Tristan licks at my muzzle, cleaning up my fur after our meal. Finn nuzzles his face against my side, and Remy’s head lays over my paws, so I instinctively clean around his mouth with licks and kisses, occasionally nipping his ears for fun. Ash had gone back for the rest of the deer and drug it back, so now he and a few of the others lay spread out around it, snacking on it every now and again We stay like this for a time, just soaking up the rays of the sun and hanging out.

A few of the guys must have decided nap, but Finn was still awake, pawing at a yellow dandelion. His shiny black fur glistening in the midday sun, making flashes of blue shine through. Jace lays beside him in all his golden glory, flat on his back, upright paws twitching in his sleep.

The back door to the house opens, and I watch as my grandfather and Albert step out, both taking positions on the railing, leaning on their arms. They’re both dressed smartly in tailored suits, and I wonder where they’ve been.

I untangle myself from the guys surrounding me and make my way over to them. Remy lifts his head to see where I’m going, bowing his head in a nod after a glance to Maksim. When I’m close enough, I lay on the porch next to him and scoot closer until I can lean against his leg.

Grandfather laughs lightly. “Well hello to you too, My dear. You have a lovely coat. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a pure white wolf.”

I bark my thanks at the compliment, and he reaches down to pat my head. In the back of my mind, I feel odd about wanting to be so close to Maksim. But the part of me in control now says that it’s right, that this is my blood, my family and he would give his life to protect mine.

He continues to scratch at the top of my head, between my ears and I lower my eyes in contentment. Not the same kind I feel around my mates, but a different kind, one all on its own. However, when Albert reaches out, I snap my teeth at him, trying to bite his hand. He’s lucky he’s fast.

Grandfather gives him a puzzled look. “You should know better, Albert. And you should be extra careful with all of her mates nearby, and all shifted.” He chastises. I narrow my eyes at the man, in an ‘I told you so’ manner. Even if I didn’t say anything.

“
Forgive me, Princess.” He bows to me, then to Maksim. “And, Sir. I have never actually seen a white wolf, and she just looks so…fluffy.”

I huff at him, completely offended. Isn’t fluffy another word for fat? Do I look like a fat wolf? I totally shared that deer!

Grandfather laughs harder. “Don’t be offended, Kitten. You
are
fluffy for a wolf. Your coat seems to defy gravity itself, but that is a compliment. You are small like most females, but your fluffiness gives you just a bit of added bulk, so you don’t appear as starved as you truly are.” He says carefully. “Did you have some of the deer?” He questions. Have some? I
caught
the deer! I nod my head, knowing I will have to wait until later to correct him.

Remy lets out a short howl and instinct takes over once again, my wolf somehow knowing that he wants me back over with them. I don’t hesitate to comply, more than happy to rejoin my mates. I trot back over, seeing Jace has woken up from his nap. He holds himself low to the ground, tail held high and waving behind him. As soon as I get close enough, he jumps on me, and I roll to throw him off. We wrestle around for a while, each of us getting the other pinned. He won more than me and now I watch as he struts about in the yard. Even as a wolf, he struts around like he owns the place, figures. As he passes me, I bite at his fluffy tail, making him yip in surprise, and I snort as he checks it over for damage.

His golden eyes narrow at me, and his growl is low, challenging me. My excitement builds, anticipating his next move. His lean muscles bunch together as he prepares to pounce, but I manage to leap out of the way, accidentally landing on Tristan, before I take off into the trees. I sense him behind me, and I run faster, pushing myself to see how fast I can go. I tire myself out quickly and pant through my mouth as I look behind me, confused when I notice Jace is nowhere around. Where did he go? He was right behind me a minute ago.

I’m just starting to get worried when I’m tackled from behind. Jace’s rich musk fills my nose, and I chew on his ear for worrying me. He nuzzles my neck in apology, and I feel like something is missing. He licks under my chin, and I raise my head to give him better access, my eyes closing. It doesn’t feel like kissing exactly, but my mind provides me with one word; affection. Jace stands after a while and jerks his head in the direction of the house. I stand up with him, and we walk side by side, taking a leisurely stroll around a small clearing, beams of sunlight pouring through the tall trees, giving it a magical quality. I stroll out into the middle, jumping from one spot of light to the next. I look back to Jace, silently asking him if he wants to play my new game.

The air seems to shift as my eyes meet his. They’ve gone darker, showing an emotion that I now know the name of; love. And mixed in with the love I see there, is wanting. I’m sure my own eyes reflect the same back at him as he slowly strides forward to circle me, brushing his long body along the length of mine. He pauses to lick and nuzzle some more, before he circles behind me again. I lower my head, stretching my front paws out in front of me. Jace mounts me from behind, his paws digging into my fur at my hips, holding onto me.

The whole experience is entirely different from what I’ve felt before. It’s not about feeling beautiful or riding a high to the point of falling over an unseen cliff. It was more a feeling of rightness, of nature. Jace made me feel loved, cared for, but most of all, he made me feel wanted. My wolf recognized him as one of the most beautiful of my wolves, and we were both pleased to be wanted by such a visually stimulating male. We found him worthy of being our mate.

As we finished our lovemaking, he collapsed his body over mine and began licking my face in earnest. I purred my appreciation back at him. Twisting my head around, I gave him a short lick before piercing his neck with my teeth. He growled in pleasure and quickly returned the favor. Immediately, the tiny pinpricks of lightning started up, communicating our bond.

We laid in the shade for a little while longer, but Remy’s howl started up once more, this time, the other guys, and even Grandfather and Albert chimed in as well. There was no order in it, just a call to bring everyone home. Jace howled back and after a brief hesitation, I followed suit. The act was the definition of pure freedom. We ran side by side this time, and my happiness was ready to bubble out of me. I howled, long and deep and full of all the emotions I was feeling right this moment. A chorus of responding happiness and joy met my ears, and if I could have smiled right then, it may have split my face in two. Another lone howl followed, this one I recognized as my grandfather’s. My wolf took his to mean one of welcome home. And I knew that he didn’t mean it as a welcome back to the house, or the family, but as a welcome to myself, of becoming what I was always intended to be, a wolf.

When we made it back to the yard, the sun had moved and was beginning to sit low in the sky. Rem gave a swift bark that got all of our attention. He moved toward the house and we naturally followed behind him. I had thought that the guys deferred to Remy because he was bossy and was good at handling situations, but now I knew differently. Power radiated out from Remington, and something inside of me felt pulled toward him, something more than just the respect I had for him. It urged me to obey and pleased me to do so. It was more than that, but I can’t process how Remy’s power makes me feel and put it into words, or categorize it.

I watch as he shifts back into a man to open the door and strides inside. I’m not sure how to change back, so I don’t, I just walk in still in my wolf form, enjoying the clicking sound my paws make on the hardwood flooring. Remy heads to him room, but I follow Logan to the big tv living room. I jump up on the couch, pawing at a throw pillow until I get it where I want it, and bark at Kellan to join me. Finn, who had shifted to human form, laughed.

“
Bad girl! Down!” He shouted playfully, snapping his fingers at me. I snorted at him, remembering when I had mistaken him for a dog and had done the exact same thing to him. Ash, who had no idea it was a joke, snapped his teeth at Finn and jumped on the couch too, laying his big body over mine protectively. Finn rolled his eyes and stroked my head once before leaving to change. Ash took advantage of being left alone with me and licked down my nose, cuddling with me.

Tristan

W
atching Kitten as she comes into her wolf has to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. Not only because her snowy coat is beauty personified, but because she’s so damn good at it. Her wolf form is like second nature to her, genetics obviously playing a role here. When I was first turned, it took me almost a week to control my shifts and learn to even walk as a wolf.

The best part of it all is that she eats plenty now, on her own. She’s gotten better at eating the meals the other guys and I make for her, but most of her meals now come from her own hunting. After her yoga, lessons and evening activities, I take her out in the woods and we hunt for her meals. Sometimes we bring back some leftovers for the guys, sometimes they come with us, but we always let Kitten get the catch. She’s very skilled, surprisingly so. It’s actually quite the turn on to watch her stalk her prey. It’s also worth noting that she has no trouble sharing her kills, but she still hoards chocolate like they’ll never make any again. A fact I find hilarious. Especially when one of my brothers forgets and kicked in the shin for his candy theft. I too have a sweet spot for sweet treats, but I’m smart enough not to tell her they’re hers, that way she shares them with me freely.

“
Can we get these?” Kitten asks, carrying a jar of pickles big enough to feed an army…or an Ash.

I double over in laughter at the sight, the grocery cart bumping into the canned goods on accident. “Oh my god, I have to ask, is that the first jar you saw or did you hunt for the economy size aisle?”

She pouts her plump bottom lip out at me. “So that’s a yes?” She asks as she adjusts the giant jar in her arms.

“
You can get that if you want it, but we’re moving soon, so I don’t think you’ll have enough time to eat all of those.”

“
Yes!” She mutters under her breath and bangs the jar down in the cart as she practically drops it. “Oh, and we have to get Logan Lucky Charms, he made me promise before we left.”