'The Den' as the servants have come to call it has always been our little secret spot to meet up and speak freely amongst ourselves.
After our meeting we head back to the manor. I enter our room and see Jakartha standing in front of the balcony. He just came from seeing the kids. I checked on them before entering our room. They are sound asleep.
I start to walk over to him. He hasn't been himself since the birthing. He hears me and turns with a smile. Then out of nowhere his muscles start to contract and contort oddly. Fur begins sprouting all over the place. His nose gets longer, turning into a snout! He's shifting into a wolf!
I run over and just kneel beside him as he completes his transformation and wobbles on his four legs like a baby learning to walk. I chuckle under my breath. We are on the balcony now... I look up into the sky...
"Oh! There's a full moon! Hahaha…what a cliché Jakartha."
He whimpers and I just laugh softly again. Well, I can't say that we don't change during a full moon. We will do so as a pack from time to time, but it's the Lunar Eclipses that really get us going! After the party here at the manor we have our own little after party with just us at 'The Den'. Now that Dee has joined the pack and soon Scott….fingers crossed, it will be even better!
I lower my eyes from staring at the moon to gaze at his beautiful light red fur that seems to glow in the light of the moon. His eyes are a darker blue and are just radiant! I rub my face on his while caressing his fur.
"Should I shift and help you get familiar with your other form?" I say gently.
Yes..please…His voice trembles slightly.
So, I do just that. And we jump from the balcony to run through the woods. I smell his sweet violets and Manuka honey scent even stronger now. Ah, he is an omega in this form. I can't say that I'm surprised. He's so soft and gentle in his human and Zathira states. It was so funny that first night when he pretended to be rough and tough. Even his voice is sweet like honey.
We run around for a long time, the cool breeze playing through our fur. Until finally, I get the urge to jump him and so I do! We roll around laughing and then I pin him down so that he's facing me. I stare into his glistening eyes and feel my breath hitch, letting my front tail slowly extend and push it inside even slower. He whimpers and howls. I howl as I thrust in and out. The sensation of doing it in our wolf forms sends me over the edge so I pick up speed. We are howling and moaning to our hearts content. The sound overpowering that of the crushed colorful leaves beneath us. We both begin to shift back into our Zathira forms as we continue making love.
"Mmmm…. Lucian…"
"Ahh…Jakartha…mmffph!"
It always feels good inside him! I don't mind the soft droplets that fall onto our smooth skin. The smell of honey mixes with the sparkling water that's very light. Drip…splash….sssssaaaa…The feel of it hitting my skin and the sound it makes when it hits the leaves. I pull up and look down at him, licking my lips. I take his tail into my hand and kiss it gently.
"…Mmm…"
I wrap it around mine. I'm happy to finally be able to do this. I share everything with him. Everything…
****
I've been wondering if only pumping his blood into Scott will change him the way that we want. Little Lucian is holding him in his arms. We are inside the den in the twins' bedroom. Jakratha is watching from the edge of the bed with his hair shimmering in the dim candlelight. The others take my breath away, but him with eyes as deep as the ocean makes him even more enchanting. Both of his legs are swept behind him on the bed wearing a cotton gown like the ones that the twins used to wear. The messy braid actually surprises me. I've never seen his hair this way.
Little Lucian had already begun pumping his blood into him before the two of us arrived. Vastava is just standing there watching them too, his ears are perked up and the jingling sound from the cuffs dangling around them are all I hear in the room. As I walk closer to them, I can hear the soft breathing from the still body. Still…. only his lids are jumping slightly.
"What if you bit him, Lu?"
Hmph, I would expect that from him. He wants him to die so badly. Lucian walks from behind the two crouching figures to kneel between the twins. He places his hand on Adam's shoulder then grabs his chin bringing his face in. His eyes twinkle with an even brighter smile gracing his face as he stares at his son. When he blinks and turns his head towards the other it's as though he's rolling his eyes at Adam. The smile slowly disappears and his eyes look the way they did at the birthday party. If they were pits in the ground, I would not be able to find my way out, should I fall in them.
"Let's try that."
He looks up at his father with droplets forming like pools of water and nods his head. My body moves on its own!
"Stop! We don't know what might happen."
"Something good might come out of it, Patheos." His arm is across my chest holding me back.
I turn to look at Martheos. He's visibly shaking!
"Don't do this. Please Luc!"
"In the end…," He turns to face him, "…. it's left up to Amethis."
The growling is all I hear now! He's in his wolf but I only see the glow of his ruby like eyes and teeth as sharp as needles. I…can't watch this.
"Lucian NO!" Martheos tried to move but only his knees buck forward. He's frozen in place.
Then…I hear it…. sssmmm sss….mssh…he---he can't be!
"Why are you letting him do this?!.... He's…. drinking…."
"Mmm…and still pumping his own blood into him. His heartbeat remains steady. It's fine." He says.
He lowers his arm and I just fall to my knees watching the whole thing unfold. The salty tears are dropping on Scott's neck. There's so much of it, that I only just realized that his tears are hitting the floor next to me. Still standing in the same place unable to move.
Little Lucian laps up the red dots that fell, his long tongue moving up and down before I could blink. The bite closing as though it never existed.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
His heartbeat only changed for a small second after the fangs pierced his skin and returned to normal just as quickly.
He gathers him in his arms and places him in the bed, tucking him in like a baby. Jakartha is still watching every movement he makes intently. The blankets rustle with his soft movements. He parts his lips a little before crawling to Scott's side looking at him as if he were Alexa staring at a new doll. The white of his gown seems to get lost in the white of the blankets while he kneels tilting his head much like a puppy. Little Lucian draws his attention. His sleeve now wet from his tears. He chuckles lowly brushing the misfit strands from Scott's face. I haven't seen that boy's eyes since I entered here.
"As long as he's still alive, then he will be fine."
"What have you done?!"
My second mate is now able to move but he just stands there shaking his head like a bobble head.
"Martheos…" He walks to him and wraps his hands in his, "….do you trust me?"
Taking his gaze away from them he looks at the one in front of him. The white of his eyes are now a light pink hue. For some reason, his body starts to relax, the skin on his face appears softer. He blinks slowly, their hands tighten around each other. Lucian pulls him into his chest and not even a sliver of light can pass between them. Adam's head is lowered, not moving from his spot. His fingers on the chair arm changes color, the sound of crushing suede hits my ears. His ears peak through his hair, the white nails sinking into the fabric, the red at the base of them coming through
Vastava is next to Little Lucian rubbing his shoulders. Jakartha runs his nose along Scott. So, like a puppy, it takes all of me not to run my hands through his hair and pat him with his head on my lap.
*****
SLAP!
The ringing in my ears is worse than the beatings I would get from Uncle Patheos. I feel water on my face, but I don't dare to touch it…. I just stay looking at the floor with my eyes open, not moving a muscle.
"I forgave you for making that boy trip on the windowsill long ago. I forgave you for seducing your brother. But what I will not forgive Adam, is you trying to kill Scott."
I can feel his eyes burning through me. I turn my head a little while still looking at the floor. I feel his hand on my chin lifting my face towards his.
"Don't think for a moment that I don't know the words that you whispered to Henry."
My chest hurts, I…. can't breathe…how did he…know…of course he would know…he's my father after all. My vision moves from him to Lucian and back to him, then to Lucian again before returning to his face. The smoothness of it is so off putting. I can't tell his emotions.
"Apologize to him. But you know who you really need to seek forgiveness from."
He lets go of me and I stumble over to Lucian's knee. He's just been…sitting there, staring out into the distance not saying a word. I hear the sobs leave my mouth. I wrap my arms around his calf and look up at him. His face is worse then father's. I…don't know how to describe the way that his eyes look as they dart my way like rolling marbles. My lips are shaking and the words are now caught in my throat. The lump grows as the darkness in his eyes feels ominous.
"Mm..ppll…" I can't believe that I'm whimpering right now! I sniff and swallow the hard lump looking at his knee.
When I look back up, he's leaning back on the sofa now. His eyes are closed and his shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry…brother. I just love you so much! …I….I only like to share with you….and I know this is our culture…but…but….that human…I just…" The whimpers and tears fall from me like a dam just burst.
"When he wakes up and he will…you will apologize to him and perform your role as my first permanent mate."
He looks down at me and says, "When you first kissed me, it took me back. I was stunned but went with the flow." He pulls in his lips and a subtle sucking sound escapes them. "I've done a lot for you. When you hid your pregnancy and kept the birth of our daughter from me…I thought…well he had a good reason. Hahahaa…I mean, that man really did push you down the stairs, you didn't fall back on purpose."
He lowers his eyes to look at me again. The stiffness in his face returning. His head sways a little bit as he leans forward, so close that I feel his breath on my top lip. I sniff the air and smell the strong scent of oak and pine. It hits me like an unbreakable force of wind and surrounds me. I feel myself stiffen and the trembling of my neck. The small growling and red glow emerging from him makes me want to stop breathing.
He tilts his head, "You see, this is what we have come to expect from you." The raspy growl combined with his voice makes me break out into another whimper. But it's full blown this time!
I let go of his leg and back away from him. I…crawl backwards and get behind the coffee table just looking at him.
Dad walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder.
"If you ever try to harm him again Adam, you will experience something worse than being thrown into a white hole." Says grandfather.
For some reason, his face seems to be the only pleasant one in this room and yet…what I feel coming from him is worse than Lucian or dad. His face is so close to mine…I can see the silk texture of his skin.
"Grandfather…..." Is all I can get out and hear myself say, I know that I sound the way that I did when we were little. My tears and shaking…have not stopped.
****
I've gotten used to bathing him and for the longest time I was changing the sheets and the bowel pad. But everyone made me stop doing that and decided to start placing diapers on him which I was not allowed to change. They let the servants do it. They still let me bathe him because I was not going to stop doing that no matter what anyone said or did! The room is covered more in my scent now. I'm here a lot. At the beginning I refused to drink, eat, or bathe. Uncle Patheos barged in after the first two weeks, grabbed my feet from under me and dragged me across the floor like a body bag to the water that dad prepared. It was like lava. I knew the bags under my eyes were unbearable to look at. Dee even told me as much.
"How will you be any good to him when he awakens and needs you?"
"Ahhhh…. shit…dad!"
"When in your regular or human form the unkempt nails become evident…along with everything else!"
"Aaahhh…ggghh….grrr..rrr…"
"Don't bare your teeth at us! We warned you this would happen if you didn't take care of yourself."
"Aaaahhhhh….why…is that water cold?!" I say through my teeth, the water falling in front of my eyes look like it's flowing in slow motion.
"…I must be hungry…" I mutter to myself as I feel the intensity and pain from the cold water dumped on my head.
"Of course, you are!"
"So, it's finally affecting you. Giving off your pheromones is doing the same thing because you've been doing it on empty."
"We are not as invincible as you would like to think, son."
"I…know that now." I look at the two of them letting them do whatever they want and just sink under the warming liquid, letting it wash over every ounce of me.
"No! I'm not leaving this room!"
"I understand your need to be here when he wakes up. But I would like it if you at least slept in the Manor if not the mansion."
"Boy, I will drag you all the way to the other side of the world if I have to."
Jasskk…he looks the same as he does when handing out punishments. I've learned to go with it when he gets this way so I cave slumping my shoulders, stuffing my hands in my jean pockets kicking at the rug.
"Mhmmph!"
"You look so much better, but only after getting a good rest will you be shining again."
"Jsskk…Yea…Whatever." My voice is so harsh and low. Is it amazing that I can even still speak?
I will never admit to anyone how great it felt being in my bed again. With the fluids IV, pads, and diapers around Scott it was not comfortable no matter how spacious the bed. Not like I could sleep anyway. I didn't want to take my eyes off him. Pressing my ear to his chest made me drowsy but I didn't give in to the sleep sands.
Every day after that I still went back to the den to check on him. The three of them made me go back to school saying that two weeks was enough. Dad refused to keep using his power as Dean to excuse me. So, I can only spend a few hours, after everything is done, with Scott. Dee is my new monitor making sure that I return to Edwin each night.
The white cast outside of the classroom window tells me how long it's been since he went into that deep sleep. The sound of crushing snow underneath my boots and grey sky overhead is enough to make me scream inside. Inhaling the cold dry air in my nostrils I feel wet drops hit my right cheek. It's snowing again.
"Hey Lu what's up?"
"Nothing." I breathe. My head still turned to the sky.
"Doesn't seem like nothing." She says.
"It's Scott…. isn't it?" Uncle Marques told him days before his birthday that since he couldn't appreciate his gift that he would just give him to me permanently. But that didn't stop him from caring and worrying about him.
"Yea…huh? What?" I lower my head and wipe my face with my gloved hand.
"Scott? Hey, now that you mention it…I haven't seen him around lately. What's going on Lucian? Do you know something?" Kim says.
We start walking to the cars. I drove alone. I haven't had the ability to be around too many people these days. Jakartha cuddles up to me each night but I don't mind. It's comforting.
Mmm…what is that smell? Jakartha smells of Manuka honey, so it's not him…wait...AH!
I jump outta bed slipping my flannel pants off and pushing the glass doors open watching the snowfall without direction. I transform flying from the banister and just run against the winds and flakes dropping down on my fur. The large leaves with white tips slowly appear in my view, the soft dripping from the trees as I run past them and then I hear the snow around me crumble, exposed branches snapping under their paws. As the mansion comes into frame all of us jump onto the balcony and burst through the doors one after the other shifting back into our Zathira forms.
I exhale heavily hearing them breathing around me. I move towards the bed, the sway of the thick curtains from the cold breeze with snowflakes in the mix draws my attention. My hand moves on its own, lifting the curtain in front of me. The light blue sky of his eyes fills my sight. I remove the IV and diaper that looks freshly changed.
His chest is moving up and down with so much force. If I didn't know any better I would think that he was having a hard time breathing. He sits up trying to get out of the bed. He falls but I catch him in my arms. I let his knees touch the floor as we moved away from the bed a bit. His skin feels like fire in my hands. I let go and stand, backing away from him. All of us just watch him carefully as his nails grow longer and thicker, his hair getting longer blending into the fur coming out of his skin. He whimpers, sinking his claws into the floor. The sound of bones bending, dislocating, and reshaping to relocate in their new positions. His cries slowly turn into howls.
He starts to wobble around. The rest of us shift back. I walk to him rubbing my nose along his side then pushing on his front and hind legs to steady him. He still stumbles a bit as he stands on all four getting a firm balance of the gravity around him. I go back to his snout and caress it with mine and my face. He whimpers again while I sniff his neck. Ah…like candy canes.
Jakartha walks beside me and does the same thing. After sniffing him he goes over to his other side and nudges him and just like that the two of them are out of the glass doors and rolling in the snow. We join them just standing around watching the two of them play. It's almost like he gets lost in the snow. His fur is so pale, if it weren't for his crystal eyes I might lose sight of him.
When he pins Jakartha for the second time he steps out from between the snow-covered trees of Basque Country. The grey sky makes his fur stand out. The rays of the hidden sun makes the tips of it glow like the ice crystals hanging from the roof. He stares down at Scott making him hop off Jakartha and back away slowly.
Scott looks up at him and his hind legs buckle underneath him making him kneel. He whimpers and then lets out a short howl. All of us start howling, shaking the branches making more snow fall. Grandfather kneels and starts to howl with us. I think Scott feels more confident and comfortable because he perks up his head and howls louder and longer this time.
Once we are back inside, I can't help myself, I wrap him in my arms laying him down on my lap. Jakartha is perched next to us. Adam is by my feet. Father, Uncle Patheos, and Martheos are on the other sofa much in the same way, looking at us. I keep nuzzling his face and rubbing his stomach. We're wearing what we usually wear in the den which is pretty much jewelry and thin sheer silk tunics. We have our hair hanging about us.
Grandfather walks from the sideboard with a cup of hot cocoa. His hand appears below mine, rubbing him and smiling as he takes small sips from his cup.
"He will give you many children."
"Mmm…" I nuzzle him again, moving my hand in circles around his belly button. "I can't wait for you to have my babies."
"I…can give birth!"
"Hahahaha…" The room is filled with laughter.
"Yes, Scott. A few days after he bit you and transmitted some of his blood into you, the womb started to form." He removes his hand and just stares down at it.
"You will also experience heat cycles like female wolves. You are a wolf that will live as long as us. Rapid healing. The only pains that you will go through are the cycles every three months when you are the most fertile and pregnancy." Dad says.
"You are what we call an omega in our universe. So are they." He looks from Adam to Jakartha moving his hand to aim at them with his cup.
"An omega?"
"Yes, you are a male wolf that can give birth like a female wolf. You are not Zathira." Grandfather pauses taking a sip. "You are a new breed of species."
"But no one must know this." He looks at grandfather. "Not yet."
"You are the first and rather than risk you "turning" another human, it's best if you just give birth to make sure that the breed is sustained and untainted."
Uncle Patheos nods. Dee lowers his eyes but I can see the glow in his face.
****
If they hadn't been there with me when I started changing then I know that I would've cracked. I never expected any of this to happen to me. I was a slave voluntarily so that I could be closer to them…to him…Now look at me! I'm a freaking wolf! What?! Hahahhaaa….and he says that I'm basically immortal too! So…I will never have to leave him. I want to cry I'm so happy. I didn't know how long this relationship would last and here I am about to marry him. Sure he has two other mates and one of them is his twin? Not weird at all… But I'm OK with that. If there's anything that I've learned living with them is that all of this is commonplace.
This place we're in right now though is a house I've never been to before. But they say I've been sleeping here for the last two months.
Feeling the warmth on my skin is okay….I'm okay….letting Adam rub me down requires adjusting but I'm good…It's nice…how his fingers are squeezing through my toes.
"Mmmmmm…." Oh shit was that me?!
I look down and see those dark spheres looking back at me and then his long wet tongue licks my leg. I shiver from the contact.
I hear him in my ears again…sniffing and letting his breath out on the back of my neck.
Everyone is setting up for the ceremony downstairs. These two are supposed to be helping get ready, but I feel like we might have sex at any moment!
"No. Not until after." He breathes in my neck.
"You mean…. all of us…will?"
"Mmm…we will do the other things you are familiar with while Lucian is inside you."
"Oh…"
I look down at Adam who's rubbing my calves making me melt all over again.
He's been apologizing for the last few hours. They even made him do it on his knees and I had to bite my tongue. I accepted them because I understand him on all of it. I'm not angry. And now along with being paired to Lucian…I will be paired to the two of them too. Even before we link our tails, the transformation process showed me all of his memories. I know that it's all of them because I could hear his voice in my head while the pricking of his teeth and blood flowing inside my body filled my senses. It was wonderful but I couldn't move during the entire thing.
Walking down the stairs, the only thing that I see…is him…the redness of his hair and the pale softness of his skin…it's as if…he's glowing as he looks back at me…my chest starts to hurt again with the loud thumping of my heartbeat ringing in my ears as if it will pop out of me at any time.
****
I wake up with the stars still above me and the smell of morning dew gradually hitting my nose. These last few nights waking this way has become a habit. I make it back before she awakes and wash the grime and blood away. Flossing the fresh flesh from my teeth I can't help but wonder why this is suddenly happening to me. When I shift, I'm present…but not present. It's like watching a movie play out in my head…except…it's really happening.
I hop into bed and become dead to the world. I never realize how exhausted I am until I hit this soft cushy bed. Her soft breathing next to me as she wraps her arm around my chest, snuggling closer. I always think that she's awake and sees me…but she doesn't.
I make sure to block out any parts that I still remember. It's funny that I can never fully recall what happens after I shift, what poor humans find their way into my sharp claws. When it happens, I'm reminded of Master Lucian and the young Master. I want to ask one then for advice …. but they terrify me...
Ah…the smell of trees whipping passed me…the feel of the cool breeze hitting my face…the crunch of leaves under my paws. I do love this feeling…the feel of being truly free from it all. This part always stays with me…it's the other things…that I purposely block out.
Something…is different this time…is there someone behind me? No beside me…huh? Now they're in front! What the…!
"Peter." The deep growl catches me off guard and I stumble back, losing my footing. This one is fast! I almost crashed into him.
I shake my head and collect my bearings. I sit back on my hind legs and look up at the clouds of red taking shape as the blur slowly disappears. I gulp and lower my head, my body trying to give way as the pressure from his scent and voice start to take hold of me. So…this is what he really smells like? I like this scent from him better, but I can truly sense the breath of his power.