Chapter 16

“What the!? Dammit! Anubis! I really don’t wanna like ye!”

Oh, good. Jack was up and had discovered the most current of late night miracles.

While Silver had been driving the tractor back from one of the further fields at the end of the previous day, a large rear tire had blown out, startling half the pack. Limping into the equipment barn, the men were tired and hungry and had no motivation for such a monumental task.

At least Fern was thankful for the freed up morning, stating it gave him more time to terrorize White Toe, who glared at him suspiciously and spent the day cautiously waiting for ... something, much to Fern’s amusement that evening. Silver was quite certain that this divine assistance to lessen their burdens was an indication for them to use the spare time to make more puppies, a sentiment none of the other men disagreed with. Not even Jack, though he grumbled to himself before spotting the great void pretending to ignore him from across the hamlet. Frowning deeply, he held up his hands over his head in a heart symbol before breaking them apart. He didn’t get to see the shiny, delighted grin that made everyone else in the Great Lodge snicker with merriment.

Now that he had full use of both hands, Anubis was twice as intent on making it as difficult for Jack to dislike him as the Alpha was going to make it for him to gain rank. The pack was so accustomed to their struggle by now that they teased Jack mercilessly, sometimes even pretending Anubis didn’t exist and that their Alpha was just paranoid and yelling at no one. After all, none of the night watch ever caught him doing these things, even though it had become their favorite past time in the middle of the night to try and discover their godly benefactor at work.

The last week had been particularly sleepless. Once again, Nova was hiding in her mother’s cabin, only coming out for food or to hurry to the den where the females who did not wish to breed could keep their distracting scent at bay most of the time. Only once had she looked up and locked eyes with him, quickly blushing with a whine and rushing off, his nose quivering at the sweet scent of her dampness.

At least the tornado was a distraction. Anubis had never seen the sky grow so green and ugly and twisted. Even the most intense mountain storm had not been as terrifying or awe inspiring as the pillar of dark, churning air that had seemed to appear from nowhere and destroyed all in its path. It was the moment Anubis truly understood why the Aroogar dug their barns and homes so deep into the ground. Not that it made him less nervous as the roof and doors rattled against the relentless wind while the sudden bangs of objects falling from the sky reminded him entirely too much of some of his firefights.

Since the cabins were built above ground, many of the higher ranks had taken refuge in the sleeping hall. Even a couple of the women had ended up with them, but in such an emergency, the only thing that mattered was that everyone made it inside safe. None of them seemed fazed by all the noise and movement, so he sat in his alcove and just hoped Nova and the others were alright in the den.

“Hey.”

“Oh, Silver. Hi.” Anubis hoped the panic just under his fur did not seem as obvious upon it. Looking him over, Silver sat himself on his bed without fear or concern despite the bristle and glare.

“I take it there ain’t nothin’ like the ‘nadoes up there in the mountains?”

“No,” he replied flatly, staring at the wall.

“S’pose I’d be nervous, too, if I’d never seen one.”

Seemed he wasn’t nearly as stealthy as he thought. “I’ll be fine.”

Peering up at him from the corner of his eye, Silver gave him a little smile. “Ye know, it’s a interestin’ journey discoverin’ who we can be when we’re safe ta do so, rather than who we gotta be in order ta survive. Pack I came from, my pa found ‘imself some bitches an’ made entirely too many pups than he could feed. We was always hungry, but he beat us all to keep us compliant. I had ta be real mean ta get my share, but that just weren’t who I wanted ta be. So, I ran off, middle o’ the night. Walked forever ‘fore Wild River picked me up right off the road. Figured I were a Radkial the moment he laid eyes on me. I never dared imagine a place like this existed. I didn’t have ta guard myself here. Though, s’pose took me a bit to get used to that part.”

Grimacing at another large object banging full force against the metal, reinforced roof and rolling off to thud on the ground, Anubis let out a long breath. “It, uh, reminds me of some of my fights ... during the war.”

“Yeah, I don’t like it, neither.” They both looked up at White Toe standing at the foot of the bed. “I didn’t fight long, but it were long ‘nough. Lots o’ big bangs, always some sort o’ noise. Keep havin’ to remind myself I’m here an’ not back then.”

Silver wordlessly moved over so he could sit with them. Anubis cocked his brow, but this time did not protest his space being occupied. Reaching into his vest, White Toe pulled forth a deck of cards and deliberately shuffled them loudly in an arch between his hands. “I think perhaps somethin’ to take the mind off it. A game might make this go ‘long much faster.”

“Cards?” Eli’s head popped around the corner.

“Wait, someone has cards?”

“Are there ‘nough cards?”

“I got more under my bed!”

“I dunno if we should be trustin’ what comes out from under yer bed.”

The game grew intense between Anubis, Canyon, and White Toe at the end, the rest of the men cheering for their chosen winner. Unable to bluff any longer, Canyon had to fold, much to the groans of his fans. By the time the storm was over and the doors were opened to the beating of Jack’s fist, White Toe was emptying his pockets of every last roll he had won off the others while Anubis smirked smugly with his hands out and full.

As Anubis emerged to peer about at the mess, he perked to hear the high ranks speaking with Jack and Cloud about the damages done. Thankfully, none of the structures had been damaged and no one had been hurt, but most of a middle field had to be declared a loss.

Jack groaned loudly, rubbing his eyes. “Course. Everythin’ were goin’ too well. Somethin’ had to come ‘long.”

Cloud was shaking her head, deep in thought. “It’ll be ‘nother lean winter. We might end up beggin.”

Jack glared at her. “Beggin’? Radkial’s ain’t gon be beggin’. We’ll be huntin’ ‘fore we be beggin’!”

She glared at him. “We start huntin’, it’ll bring the skaowl out ‘gain.”

He rolled his eyes. “An’ we go beggin’ we’ll be tellin’ all the packs we ain’t got ‘nough to be keepin’ the fields.”

“I ‘gree with Jack on this one, Omma,” Fern interjected. “I’d rather piss off the skaowl than let the other packs know we’re fucked.”

Flashing him a thin lipped glare, she shook her head. “I jist hope yer pride don’t cost us no one this winter.”

Fern and Jack glanced at each other, but Cloud stomped off before they could say anything further. Jack watched her go with a concerned look before jabbing his thumb in her direction.

“I don’t ‘member her bein’ so ornery growin’ up.”

Shrugging back, Fern was instantly twiddling his thumbs and looking into the distance when Cloud glared back at Jack with a bared tooth. Jack’s ears laid flat to his head, and he joined Fern in studying the landscape off in the distance. With a snort, she continued on her way. Glancing over his shoulder to ensure she was gone before shaking his head, Jack wandered off with the group of men to assess the damage of the field.

It took most of the day to clear the debris that had been strewn about. Doing the majority of the heavy work, Anubis was surprised to find himself to be too tired to spend time with Denver and turned in early.

That put him awake with plenty of time to climb the water tower and watch the sun rise over the verdant, rolling landscape in a golden spectacle that brought the pack out little by little. Most of the women went to work on the food, accompanied by some of the lower ranking men, while most of the other men got the equipment ready for the day.

Just before he climbed down, Anubis spied Jack leaving his cabin with a woman on each arm. They nuzzled at the curve of his neck on either side, giggling together as they purred and cooed at him all the way to the Lodge.

Pursing his lips with a stab of jealousy, Anubis kept himself busy until lunch time when Nova finally emerged, but did not come to greet him as she had the last time her heat had ended. In fact, she did her best to evade him. He was surprised to discover she was quite good at it when she really wanted to be, and even gave Denver the slip when Anubis mentioned to him that she was acting strange.

It was just before dinner when Anubis finally bumped into her outside the Great Lodge and pressed her until she relented. Fidgeting with her tail, she let out an anxious breath. “Uh, w-well, I, uh ... I ... went ta Jack.”

“Oh,” he responded softly.

Nova whined with a deep blush. “He-He were just checkin’ on Soot, a-a-an’ I just ... I missed ‘im so much, I-I-I couldn’t help it...”

She stopped when he put his hand on her shoulder. “Nova.” Hesitantly, she looked up at him. “You loved him before you ever met me, didn’t you?” She nodded. “Then, if you do have puppies with him, I hope they’re healthy.” He smirked lecherously and waggled his brows. “I’ll have my chance when it’s time.”

The palpable tension in her body melted away with relief. “Oh. I, uh, I thought ye’d be upset.”

He blinked in surprise. “Why would I...?” Jack’s words about his training her suddenly rang as clearly in his head as when they had been exchanged. Taking a deep breath, he leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “Nova. I don’t own you anymore. You were right when you said that you were sure I was glad all of that’s over. I like seeing you here with your pack. Even if it means I have to share. If I can have more than one pet, shouldn’t you get to have more than one master?”

With a little smile, her tail waggled and she burrowed against him. “I still want pups with ye,” she mumbled into his fur.

Smirking, he cupped her snout to raise her face to him. “Oh, I know, pet, and I have every intention of having as many litters as I can with you. But, in the meantime, you had a life here before me, and it shouldn’t stop just because I’m here.”

“Hey! Anubis!”

Startling, not because he didn’t know someone was there but because he had not expected them to call him with such urgency, Anubis snapped his head around to find White River, Swift River’s litter-sister, trotting to them. She frantically waved something in her hand until she could thrust it into his.

“It’s a letter fer ye!” she exclaimed while panting, ears perked tall. “Came just a few minutes ago. That’s some fancy lookin’ writin’ on there. Real thick, too. Who’s it from? Seems they got lots ta say.”

Perplexed and curious, Anubis turned the envelope over. When his brows nearly touched his ears, eyes widening, White River nearly shook with anticipation. “Aw, c’mon, who is that?”

“I’ll bet it’s Caesar,” Nova responded softly when Anubis did not, too engrossed with staring at the elegant handwriting on the front.

At his brother’s name, Anubis sucked in his breath and stuffed it into the band of his kilt. “A good guess.”

“Well, aren’t ye gonna read it?” White River pressed.

Anubis nodded once slowly. “At the right time. Thank you for bringing this to me.”

Her jaw dropped, and Nova giggled at her. “Luna knows what happened ‘tween Swift River an’ Dusky from East Hammer last year.”

White River’s eyes grew wide. “That were his litter! I knew it! That scoundrel, sneakin’ ‘cross the river an’ lyin’ ta me!”

“Ye ought ta ask ‘er ‘bout it, though. I can’t do the story justice. She heard it straight from Windy!”

With a snort, White River spun on her heel and hurried off towards the den.

Shaking his head as she left, Anubis let out a relieved little breath. “She reminds me of Rasha. She needs to know everything about everyone.”

“A little,” Nova agreed, then giggled. “Least she’s nicer.”

He smirked in return. “And doesn’t bite when I tell her no.” With a big breath, his smile faded, and he fell silent in thought.

Lowering her ears, she turned to head into the Lodge. “I’ll go...”

His hand grabbed hers, stopping her. “Not yet. I’ll be awake later. It’ll give me something to do.” Pulling her tight to his body, he smiled down at her. “I have a whole evening to spend with you.”

Smiling up at him in return, they soon joined the pack for dinner. It was a bit of a celebration tonight for a number of joyous reasons, any of which would have been enough of a reason on its own. From the first harvest of the year to start in the morn to another litter born to the pack and even surviving the tornado. While it was loud with music, chatter, and sex, and the ale flowed freely for this night, the food was less than usual.

Off in a corner on a soft leather couch, Silver had managed to snag Moon all to himself and had her straddling his lap. Gripping handfuls of his chest fur while he bounced her on his shaft, she was biting her lip, trying to hold back the flood of moans and whimpers that were escaping anyway.

Smirking at her attempt, he slid his fingers through her hair to cup the back of her neck, holding her to his lips. His tongue probed until she surrendered to the orgasm that made her melt in his arms and let him in. His hand tightened, bunching up the skin of her scruff so she lost all control, nearly howling against his mouth.

Once tied with her, she leaned against him and panted with the afterglow, her face nuzzled into the curve of his neck. Pouting, Luna got up and slipped under his arm, snuggling against his side. Holding her close around the shoulders, he smiled and gave her a kiss.

Nova was watching her sisters with longing, her tail slowly waving behind her. As though he knew he was being watched, Silver looked up and saw her. Smiling, he leaned back and opened his other arm in invitation. Nearly jumping to her paws, she paused and looked back at Anubis.

He raised his brow, glancing between them. “What? He’s not inviting me.”

Hopping up, she hurried over and leaned up against his other side. After giving her a squeeze, he smiled at Anubis and winked. He then leaned his head back, nose up in the air, and his eyes slid to their corners to smirk smugly at Jack’s narrow eyed glare from across the room. The deeper the Alpha’s scowl became, the wider Silver’s smile grew. Finally, with a roll of his eyes and a head shake, Jack turned his attention to seeking his own pleasures.

After eating, Nova and Anubis escaped the noise to sit together on the water tower. Anubis shared his earlier winnings with her as they watched the sun change the colors of the sky.

When he let out a deep sigh, she peered at him from the corner of her eye. He noticed and gave her the same look in response. “What?”

“Oh, c’mon! I know it’s killin’ ye.”

Shaking his head, he took another long drag off his roll, more than just his head tingling. “What kills me is waiting on Jack to give me Rank. He seems to delight in this.”

Smirking, she nodded slightly in agreement. “I think he don’t want all the ladies ta choose ye.”

The snort that came out of him trying to hold in a laugh as he was smoking caused him to cough. “I already figured that out,” he replied after getting back his breath, then smiled seductively at her. “But I really only want to breed you.”

She giggled and stretched up to touch noses with him. “An’ Moon an’ Luna really wanna be bred by ye.”

His deep bark of laughter resounded through the hamlet, making anyone outside turn to look around, and even a few heads to poke out of buildings, uncertain if it was part of the music.

“Well, I would gladly oblige, of course.” His arm wrapped around her to hold her close. “However, my pet, yer first in line.”

Her eyes widened at him. “Wait! What’d ye say?”

Taken aback, his ears folded down, and he thought back to what he had just said. “Uh, I said you’re first in line.”

The corners of her mouth curled up knowingly, and she slowly shook her head. “No, ye didn’t.”

Thinking on it a second longer, he returned her smile. “Hmm, s’pose yer right, darlin’,” he imitated her accent as best he could. “Seems I’m one o’ ye’all so why not?”

Laughing at him, she leaned into him before perking up again. “Well, speakin’ o’ rank, Omma said she been happy to see me ‘take my work more seriously.’ She says I might be gettin’ my next Rank soon.”

He smiled. “Excellent! Enjoy your head start, while you have it.” Leaning over to nuzzle her into giggles, he chuckled darkly. “I’ll come to your every beck and call, but no matter how much you outrank me, I’ll always be your Master.”

Her fur fluffed, but she giggled cheekily. “Well, aren’t I technically yer master? Since ye belong ta the pack an’ all.”

Narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips tightly at her smug little smile, he glanced around the empty hamlet before letting out a hot snort and pulling her into his lap. She gasped but did not resist, at first unaware of his intentions. Squirming to press his back to the wall of the reservoir to be hidden by the platform and the darkness, he jerked her hips against him so she could feel him hardening. It was enough to make her bite her lip and glance at him over her shoulder. His lecherous, nearly disembodied grin caused a shudder all over her body, no longer guessing.

“I’ve had quite enough of your impudent behavior, pet,” he growled darkly, pressing her head forward so he could line her up to slide his smooth shaft right through the leg hole of her shorts and rub her aching pussy up and down his length.

Biting her lip even harder in an effort to stifle her moans, she was rapidly getting his cock slick. “B-But, M-Master,” she complained, her eyes darting around, “someone ... someone might see...”

She had to stop to stifle the feral moan that tore from her when he grabbed her hips, lifted her up, and pressed his tapered tip against her entrance, stretching her wide over his girth. She couldn’t see his devious grin, but she could certainly hear it. “That’s right, my pet, someone could, so you better keep quiet and on the look out, as I’ve had quite enough of waiting.” His smugness was in his groan once he hilted into her, the walls of her passage milking him already. “And it would seem, my pet, you’ve had enough of that, too.”

A primal moan escaped her before she could clutch a final thread of sanity. “W-We could get in trouble,” she panted, but she didn’t sound like she was encouraging him to stop.