Chapter 12

The next thing Nathan knew was, it was now early morning and the sun was almost completely up and their small campsite now had a lot of people milling around in it.

Nathan casually squinted and tried to look around as best he could without being obvious to get an idea of what was going on. The people didn't seem to have a real purpose to being there and he could see they were doing various little things here and there, but no one seemed to be too worried about him.

As he tried to take stock around him of the people, he felt at least that he was now dressed in a replacement shirt, pants, and under a blanket, but for the most part no one seemed to be paying him any mind.

Fully opening his eyes and groaning he sat up and looked around.

Ariel and Kat didn't seem to be anywhere around but he did see one of the younger people, who seemed to be just hanging around the area with him, go darting off into the woods somewhere to his left.

Soon Ariel returned with the young man.

"How are you feeling? You've been out about five days," said Ariel softly as she stroked his hair.

"Don't worry bout me, I'm good, but what about you? You're the whole reason I made this trip you know," said Aric smiling at her.

The only answer Ariel gave was to lean in and solidly kiss his mouth.

"Kathryn and I went to the village and got a few necessities to clean myself up, oh and thank you for the change of clothing you brought me, though we will need to do something about your breath shortly," said Ariel with a small smile.

Nathan just smiled at her and embraced her as he pulled her closer.

Leaning back she said, "Nathan do you trust me?" asked Ariel out of the blue.

"Of course you know I do. Why, what's the matter?" asked Nathan suddenly on guard.

He wondered if Ariel had a lover among this group. She had been gone a while, and she was completely out of her mind while it was happening. While he wouldn't' be happy to know that she had, he would do his best to understand.

Though it might take a while, a looonnngg while, before that happened, he thought.

"Well, I really need for you to take care of me again because it's already been a five days, and we need to do it this way for a few different reasons. Just so you know, one of those reasons we need to do it again right this minute is for me," said Ariel lustily.

"What, now?! With all these people around?! I count like what, twenty, twenty five of them? I even see some small children here also," said Nathan shocked.

"Nathan it's not what it looks like and I need you to trust me. I'll explain it all when you wake up again," said Ariel as she leaned in, unfastened his pants so she could pull them down a little, stepped out of hers, and straddled him.

Nathan looked at her questioningly and Ariel said softly "Trust me", and pulled his blanket up over both of them as she leaned forward and again took her pleasure.

Soon she proceeded to take all of what she needed to balance out her internal magic.

Nathan, while concerned about what they were doing in front of a crowd, soon was beyond having it matter at all, as for some reason it felt far more intense that almost any other time he could remember right at that moment.

Through she seemed to cry out for a long time as hers hit her, when his own orgasm hit it seemed to knock him completely senseless, and then he was out cold.

The next thing Nathan knew was that the sun was coming up again, but the positioning was wrong since the last time he remembered seeing it. So he was pretty sure he slept through the whole day and he was witnessing an entirely new day starting.

Looking around he saw Ariel close by with a young boy, no more than five or six with light brown hair and slender features, and he was sleeping with his head on her chest and had his arms around her upper body.

Kat was also asleep close by on her pack and sleeping bag, but was still well away from them off by herself.

Softly grunting at the sight of the young boy sleeping so intimately on his wife, Nathan stood and stretched.

As he did he realized that the boy's eyes were open and he was watching him with steel blue eyes. Standing as still as he dared, Nathan watched the young boy before the boy got up and quickly disappeared into the brush of the forest.

"Why did you feel the need to scare little Otsoko away? He's just a young pup and wouldn't hurt anyone," said Ariel with a mischievous smile as she slowly opened her eyes.

She stretched herself while still lying on the ground and Nathan stood and watched the enticing sight.

"What was that? Pup? Ok, what is going on?" asked Nathan questioningly, but softly, once she finished.

"Have a seat this is going to take a while," said Ariel as she sat up and looked up at Nathan, and then gestured for him to have a seat in front of her.

Going back to the time when she thought he had died, Ariel could only recall bits and pieces of the weeks that she had lost, but she retained enough to know that she was the undisputed queen of this pack and she had their complete admiration.

"So let me get this straight. You are the Queen of this Werewolf pack? What you did was claim your mate before the pack so they would now recognize me as no threat? So what does that make me, the King?" asked Nathan with a smile.

"No, just my consort. I'm the Alpha and I can have as many consorts as I need to continue the pack. Though with just you I think I have my hands full," said Ariel, and she did it again with a mischievous smile.

"I guess that means that when I first woke up they were on hand to see you do it again and watch my reaction to see if I would willingly submit myself to your strength again. So what does that mean for us? Will any of this affect us getting home?" asked Nathan.

"No it doesn't. I'll have to settle who is left in charge once we leave, but your right about why it didn't matter who saw us together yesterday. We were among the wolves of my pack and they needed to witness your submission to me so we could eventually leave. Besides I was really hurting and I didn't have time to waste going somewhere else with you for privacy. The pack has seen far worse than what we've done together.

"The only one who we may have scarred for life was poor Kathryn. While she may have done things like this before, and since I won't even ask I'm just guessing here, but watching someone else go at it like a wild animal is something better left experienced and not watched," said Ariel with a smile.

"Well you are certainly looking better," said Nathan as he now held his wife close.

"It's a wonder what clean clothes and a bath can do for one. The village close by is one used by many different packs to teach their young how to live in the human world," said Ariel as she looked at her husband.

"Makes sense and it also makes sense now why they were so reserved and how quickly everyone got here to stop us for asking too many questions about it. Where is Kathryn anyway? I don't see her," said Nathan with a smile.

"Kathryn yesterday tried to supplement her magic by having sex with a male wolf, but their innate magic prevents them from being good candidates. So it seems it has to be humans or nothing in her case," said Ariel snuggling against her husband.

They were silent for a bit, just holding each other, before Ariel suddenly said "I heard from Kathryn that the Mage's council has been preparing plans to stop me incase I go rogue. They were making up different ways to kill me. Is that true?"

"Yes it's true, but we'll stop them. I can't believe after all we've done they would do something like this," said Nathan in frustration

Touching his face softly Ariel said "But what if this had been for real. What if you were dead and I couldn't be reasoned with, what would you have them do?"

"I would have them not sneaking around making plans on the best way to kill you like you're some common beast that needs to be put down. I would think that they would be more concerned with saving you and not trying to kill you because that is the easiest option for them," said Nathan quietly.

"I don't like it either, but maybe they thought it was for the best?" asked Ariel.

"Talking to us to make sure we understand the best way to handle this is for the best. Trying to contain you while they came up with a plain would also be for the best. Planning the best way on how to kill you isn't ever on the table as an option for the best.

"They are acting like Wolfgang and claiming the greater good while sacrificing people to it as if they are pawns in a chess game to make that happen. If they weren't keeping people from using magic wholesale to rule the world I'd be more disappointed in them," said Nathan as he shook his head.

"Well in truth I saw it your way as well, but I didn't want you only mad at them because it was me that they were planning to kill. I just know that for you killing is always your last option not first," said Ariel with a smile.

"Question. Why aren't you more upset that you were seen like you were in your rage?" asked Aric as he also smiled.

"Well think about it, you and Kathryn have already seen me like that before. I admit that Kathryn's first time seeing it was only as my intended target, but she's already seen it twice. The wolves, well I'm no different than they are. And if anything, if you can believe it, they admire me for it. So to them I was just one of their group. Does that make sense?" asked Ariel with a wider smile.

"Yes it does babe. So what do we do now?" asked Nathan.

"Funny you should ask," said Ariel.

Ariel managed to convince the pack that she needed to go back home and she oversaw the right of the pack to pick its next Alpha. It was a strong male and Ariel had no complaints about turning over the pack to him.

She knew it was dangerous if they learned she wasn't a true were, so she allowed them to continue to believe it was so for the safety off all involved.

The new Alpha did also tell her that if the "untouchable" queen ever needed them, all she had to do was call and they would come. Because of her fierceness they all pledged to be there if her call ever went out.

Ariel was also given a new name "Ulrica", that meant "bloody fang" in their language, since she had no other personal wolf pack name. It was the name that all werewolves would later come to know her by.