- On your knees.
Lexa's voice, clear and sharp, cut through the veil of silence that had fallen over the assembly. Trembling, Dana knelt at the girl's feet and bowed her head. Caleb leaned into Carter's ear and whispered:
- Now that Dana has submitted, she will be attached to our pack. Lexa just made Dante's pack one of our vassals.
- What does that mean, concretely
The young blond smiled:
- That our friend has just not only proved her strength and her value but has doubled the strength and value of our pack.
Swinging a curtain of silver-colored hair over her shoulder, the girl exclaimed:
- Any other protests? Nope ? All right, then we can continue.
Lexa broke into a big smile and joined her family, under the appreciative gaze of the other wolves.
- Rahhhh This Dana! I swear I regret not having killed her!
The girl with hair as silver as the moon plopped down on one of the sofas in the recreation room, her head in Jake's lap and her feet in Carter's, blissfully and completely ignorant to the murderous stares the two young men were throwing at each other . Jake, hands in the girl's silky locks says:
- You could have, you know, nothing stopped you.
She pouted:
- And find myself at the head of this pack of incestuous assholes? No thanks, it will be fine.
Carter chimed in, puzzled:
- You could have killed Dana and there would have been no problems? No one would have told you anything?
- Nah.
Jake gave him a sideways glance and answered in turn, condescending:
- You are no longer in your little world, the human. Here, if someone duels you and one of you dies, no one will say anything and whoever killed you will receive a reward.
Carter began to growl in spite of himself, soon imitated by Jake and Lexa got up abruptly:
- Calm, you both ! No fighting between us, especially just before the end of the inter pack meeting. Understood ?
They nodded and she stood up, blowing them a kiss.
- It's not all that, but I'm going to see Nia.
And she got out, swaying her hips.
Lexa needed some air. She had been holding herself back for so long that she felt like she was imploding. Isolating herself in the forest, savouring a bit of solitude, she loosened her bond with the pack so that no one sensed what she was about to do. And finally, she let go. The dominant vibrations came out of them like waves. So strong that they made the surrounding air shimmer with a luminous brilliance. The young girl had been holding back her vibrations for years, for fear of being cast aside: the dominant females were already struggling to impose themselves in a predominantly male caste that was quite conservative and protective and territorial. Around the age of twelve, when she understood that her power would soon exceed that of her older brother and her father, she understood that this power could bring her problems, hurting the egos of some males. And in order to protect herself, she had suffocated her. But the older and the older she grew, the harder it was to keep her to herself, the vibrations getting worse and worse. Sighing, more cramped in her own body again, she let herself drop to the floor. Arms wrapped around her waist, and though she stiffened at first, she relaxed as soon as she identified their owner by her magnolia scent. Nia whispered,
- It was about time for you to relax, Lex. You were under so much pressure that I was afraid you would go wild and have to be put down.
Lexa smirked at her as she turned to her.
- I know, I need to relax.
Niella returned her smile and, sliding her hand towards her friend's crotch, whispered:
- I can help you with that.
Carter followed Lexa by scent, mesmerized by the trail left with the potent scents of honey, moonlight, and honeysuckle. The intoxicating fragrance blended slowly and subtly with another, more delicate, magnolia tree in full bloom. The closer he got, the more moaning sounds reached him.
- Haaaaaaa haaaaaa haaaa
- oh yes, haaaa haaa!
leading to a clearing where Lexa and Nia were kissing, naked and their bodies intertwining. He remained motionless for a moment, not knowing how to react, and couldn't help but feel excited at the sight. The young blonde raised her head and lazily lifted an eyelid, whispering:
- Do you want to join us?
He hesitated for a few moments, but their warm bodies clung to him and cut his thoughts short. Warm lips brushed him, hands caressed him. He let them lay him on the carpet of grasses, oak leaves and pine needles, and he wondered if the golden glow of the air and this moment was due to his imagination. Anyway, when he opened his eyes, he was alone.
Lexa closed her eyes and pursed her lips, suppressing exclamations of pain as her mother's assistants put her dress in place. She could barely breathe, but nothing was worse than his vibrations pressing against her body, gripping her more certainly tighter than any corset. Taking another hard breath, she promised herself that one day she would expose them in broad daylight.
Carter watched Lexa move across the room, incredibly graceful in her sewn-together fresh rose dress that must have weighed enormously. Since she and Nia had left him alone in the forest the previous day, he hadn't seen her again, since she hadn't slept in his room that night. It was amazing that she was still able to walk so easily when that dress must have weighed a ton. But hey, it was Lexa. So beautiful and fragile on the outside, and so strong and dangerous on the inside. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he was close to falling in love with her. If it wasn't already. The smell of wet earth from Jake reached his nostrils before the latter's voice:
- You like her, huh? Of course you like her, stupid question. But know one thing, Cub Scout: it doesn't matter. Because you can fuck her as much as she wants, but know that in the end, she'll get tired and come back to me. Because she belongs to me.
And just like that, before Carter could answer, He left. He took Lexa by the hand and led her onto the dance floor, where they twirled like two prima ballerinas. Carter closed her eyes and walked away, heart to shreds: Jake was right. No matter how many nights he spent with her, she would always come back to him; because she thought he was her mate.
Lexa spun around one last time, laughing out loud. She kept forgetting how good a dancer Jake was. It was one of the rare moments when she felt perfectly in tune with herself, despite her vibrations which were slowly asphyxiating her. He smiled at her and kissed her softly, a chaste kiss from packmate to packmate. Lexa knew he was just trying not to rush her, but couldn't help but feel upset. She wanted possessiveness, proof that he cared about her, not just gentleness. Of course it was cute, of course she liked it. But she was dominant and needed more. She WANTED more. She smiled at him and apologized, needing some air. Without knowing why, she began looking for Carter. she really loved him, this young wolf. He had this side so pure, and innocent, and yet, he had such an ability to counterbalance it with his dominant side. Lexa was glad he was there, and found herself dreaming that Jake looked a little more like Carter. She was going crazy. Finally, she perceived the smell of Carter, smelling incredibly good: a smell of pine and autumn leaves. Following his scent, she eventually found him. He was perched on the edge of the main lodge's balcony, a pensive look plastered on his face. The moment she set foot on the balcony, he turned around.
- Lexa? What are you doing here ?
She smiles :
- I was looking for you . We haven't seen each other today.
He spread his arms, whispering:
- Looks like you need a hug.
This man was truly a gift from the Goddess. She threw herself into his arms, thirsty, like all wolves, for physical contact. He closed them around them in a strong embrace, holding her close as if she belonged to him. Exactly what she needed: someone strong enough to support her.
- Thank you, Carter.
He looked surprised, but tightened his arms around her.
- Why this ?
- Because you are a very good friend. And you give great hugs.
Carter cashed in the friendzone she had just placed between them. She pulled away from him a little, and he had to fight against himself not to pull her against his chest again. She kept his hand in hers and tugged lightly.
- Come on, I want to show something.
He frowned but decided to follow her anyway, happy that she was smiling again.
- Where are we going? Lexa!
She gave him a mischievous smile:
- You will see . Follow me !
She dragged him through the whole lair, avoiding the party, then into the forest. They walked for more than twenty minutes before she stopped, and, letting go of his hand, covered his eyes with her palms.
- What are you doing ? !
She chuckled:
- Trust me ! You'll see !
Smaller than him, she advanced on her tiptoes, looking a bit like a penguin in her rather tight dress. She made him take a few steps, and finally, gave him the opportunity to see for himself. The place was beautiful. Just splendid. It was a spring, which shimmered in the moonlight, seeming to have its own light. Hundreds of silver flowers bloomed at his feet, spreading the delicious scent of the tea the girl had made him drink the first night. She took his hand again.
- So, what do you think?
He stammered:
- That's wonderful . Thanks for showing me this, Lexa.
She blushed slightly, so different from the young woman who had almost killed Dana the day before.
- You are one of us now. And I wanted to show you our greatest treasure: our source of Moon water, and our Argentallis.
- Your what?
She pointed to the flowers at the bottom of the spring:
- OUR argentallis, the flowers of life.
They spent a few dozen minutes examining the flowers, then Lexa felt Carter's warm breath on the back of her neck. Lifting her head, she found herself staring into her chocolate brown eyes.
He loved her whiskey-colored eyes. When she kissed him, Jake's words came back to her: no matter how many times you kiss her, she'll come back to me. And yet, as he laid her down on the floor, he told himself that it didn't really matter. He was quite willing to take advantage of every moment she wanted to give him. They remained lying on the ground for a few moments to discuss before deciding to return. They crossed the forest again and halfway, Lexa froze. it only took a few more seconds for the young man to smell it in turn: the metallic smell of blood. He and Lexa started running towards the scent, praying it was just an animal. But Lexa, in front of him, froze again, screaming in pain and rage. Stepping around her, he understood why: There, their throats open and covered in blood, were the intertwined bodies of Keith and his lover.