The Coven Alliance
There were five of them, at the bottom of a hill where apple trees grew above a creek. I moved to the side of the hill, using the shrubs to hide me as I got closer. I was able to crawl close to the edge, about twenty yards from where I figured they would try to escape. Deer wouldn’t break uphill. “In position,” I sent to my mate.
“I’m going to run straight towards them, get them to panic. Pick your target and trust your wolf, love.” He had gotten close, and the deer spooked and ran from him as he tore into the clearing. I tracked a small doe, a yearling, and sprang from my cover as she approached. I covered the distance In a few strides, and it was too late when she saw me. My wolf leaped up, latching onto her throat as my body weight knocked her down.
I tasted the blood in my mouth as my teeth ripped her neck open. I shifted my grip, taking her spine in my jaws and shook. The loud crack of her neck caused her to still, and I dropped her to the ground.
“Nice job, love,” Bobby sent as he trotted up. He licked the blood from my face as I stood proudly over my kill. “First bite is yours.”
I used my teeth to pull the hide out of the way and get to the backstrap, the tender meat on top of the chest. Ripping out a piece, I swallowed it as my mate watched proudly. We worked together to eat our fill, then removed the rear quarters to bring home. We didn’t like wasting meat, and we’d only eaten half the doe. We cleaned our fur in the creek before lying in the shade to nap.
When we woke, it was after dark. I didn’t want to take control back from my wolf, and she wanted her mate. Licking his face, she woke him up and rubbed her face against his muzzle and neck. Bobby stood up as we sniffed, tails wagging, before he moved down and sniffed and licked at my sex. I was all for that and dropped my forelegs down before I took off into the woods. “Catch me if you can,” I teased.
I was fast, even if my body was still building strength back from my ordeal. I led him on a good chase, using my speed and quickness to change directions and keep him off balance. Eventually he guessed right, we both zigged, and he rolled me. I tried to get up, but he was already over me, his teeth at my scruff. My wolf was giddy, her mate was dominating her and she was ready. She moved into position, tail to the side as Bobby’s wolf poked around looking for the hole. His forelegs held me in place as he drove home, seating himself in a strong thrust.
I howled in pleasure as he took me hard and fast. This wasn’t making love, this was a hard, possessive fucking and I loved every second of it. I whimpered when he forced his knot in, but that changed to a moan of pleasure as he started short-stroking me to a massive climax. My body stiffened before it broke, leaving me a pile of jelly held up by him and his big cock as he shot deep into my receptive sex.
He laid us down, still tied together, and we fell asleep together.
“Bobby! Tania! Time to come home,” Alpha Brent said into our heads as we woke up. Alphas had the ability to break through mental walls to push communications where required. Looking around, the moon was up and we’d slept for a few hours. “Talia, Randall and Erica will be here with their guests tonight, I’m leaving for the airport in an hour if you want to come with.”
I couldn’t wait to show Talia I had my wolf back. “We’ll come back.”
“Dad, we’re about a twenty-minute run out. Tania took a deer, so if Phillip or the other pups want fresh meat, they can have it. We’ll be ready in time.” I rolled to my feet, his knot having disengaged while we slept. My fur was sticky with his spend, so I walked down and rinsed in the creek before following him back to our kill, then towards home. He set a good pace over the open ground, and soon we were back at the Pack House.
The pups were gathered in the grass, and they howled and yipped as we came in holding the legs in our jaws. We dropped them on the grass, and Phillip licked my jaw before taking his place and digging in to the meat we’d provided. “I guess I have to shift back,” I said. “This might hurt.”
“You know it will get better. You’re a beautiful wolf and I love running with you.” I focused on the shift back, my bones crunching and body reforming until I was naked on my hands and knees again. “By Luna I enjoyed today,” I said as I stood and was embraced by my mate. We turned and walked towards the Pack House, where the rest of our family was standing waiting for us.
“We’re so proud of you two,” Patty said as she kissed us both.
“Congratulations on your wolf,” Brent said. “I’d hug you but you’re stained with blood.”
“We’ll be back down in fifteen minutes,” Bobby said. He led me in, past the Pack members who were clapping and sending their congratulations, then up the stairs to our room. We showered together, then quickly dressed in jeans and shirts and returned downstairs. There were three Expeditions lined up in front, and we were in the last one with Dustin.
Dad sent a broadcast to the whole Pack before we left. “We will be returning with my son Randall, his mate Talia, and her friend Erica. All three are now hybrids of wolf and vampire, but they are also family and Pack members. With them are four Vampires from the New Orleans coven who saved Talia’s life and are family to her. I expect all Pack members to treat them with respect, no matter what your instincts are telling you. They are not our enemy.”
“What are they like, Talia’s friends,” Dusty asked as we pulled away.
“They are good people,” I said. “She didn’t tell me they were vampires and I didn’t know, but they were there for me as I was going through detox after my rescue. Talia trusts them, and so do I. I’m thrilled for Erica, too. She gets her mate, and now she can mate him too.”
“So many changes,” Bobby said. “Have you heard from Dallas?”
“He’s kicking ass and chewing bubble gum, and he’s all out of bubble gum,” Dusty said with a laugh. “Most of the people in that Pack are decent wolves, but the damage Justin did was extensive. Dallas has demoted or replaced a number of wolves already, as he remakes the leadership there. The Pack was not run properly for a long time.”
“Is he safe?”
“He is. The wolves who went to La Crosse have returned home, and they are happy to have a Meechum in charge. I think they really want Talia to lead them.” He looked out the window. “You know, Randall and Talia would be excellent Alphas if they took the job.”
“She won’t,” I said. “Revenge still comes first. Even if she was done with that, they’d never accept a hybrid pair as Pack Alphas.”
“You’d be surprised,” Dallas said. “Wolves respect strength, and they have it. So do you.”
I looked at him, a little shocked. I’d seen myself in the mirror; I was underweight, undeveloped and unready. “I’m a long way from being strong.”
“The physical strength will come, but with Bobby at your side that won’t matter right away. You have the inner strength and the bloodlines to lead. It is your birthright, and no one will take it from you should you decide you want to lead the Tomah Pack. Have you heard what is going on up there?” I shook my head no. “Todd and his mate ran off, stealing money from the Pack. The Beta he brought in with him has left. They have no senior leaders, but they refused the Council’s suggestion to bring in another. Instead, they are temporarily part of the Black River Falls Pack under Alpha John. They won’t make a decision beyond that until they know your decision, Tania. The Pack is united in this. If you want to be Alpha, all you have to do is say so.”
I leaned into Bobby’s side, nervous about it all. I was fourteen and innocent when I was last there, and I was no longer the same person. Bobby sensed my nervousness through the bond. “You don’t have to decide tonight,” he said. “We all know it will take you time before you are ready to reenter Pack life as an Alpha.”
“I want to visit,” I said. “I want to see them all again before I decide.”
“Then visit we will,” he said before he kissed me. “I will be happy as long as I am by your side, whether we are Alphas of a Pack or helping my parents here. Me, you, Phillip and any pups we have, that’s what is important to me.”
We talked the rest of the trip, and soon enough we were at the airport. The plane taxied in, and I was bouncing at Bobby’s side as we waited for them to come out. Talia and Randall came out first, and breaking protocol terribly, I took off running and nearly tackled her as she came off the stairs. “TALIA! SHE’S BACK!”
Talia hugged me back, freezing when she took a smell. “You… your wolf?”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
I nodded. “Bobby gave me my wolf back when we mated.” She squealed in happiness and hugged me again as the others came down the stairs.
“Formal introductions are needed,” Dad sent over the link, a little annoyed with me.
“Come on, we need to introduce them to our Alphas.” I held one of Talia’s hands while Randall had the other, the Coven following us.
“Alpha Brent, Luna Patty, may I present my friends to you. Master Vampire Jarrod Covington, leader of the New Orleans Coven, and his wife Marceline.” Randall waited until the four had exchanged handshakes before continuing. “Coven members Anastasia and Eduardo, and Eduardo’s mate Erica.”
“Oh I’m so happy for you Erica,” Patty said as she embraced the young woman. “We’ve heard so much about you! And Talia, it’s so good to have people you love and trust here with us.”
“Come, we will return to the Pack House where we have a late dinner set up,” Brent said. He led Jarrod and Marcy to his vehicle, while Erica and the others loaded into ours.
“Erica, your scar?”
“Gone. Vampire healing is amazing,” she said. She looked great, young and glowing with happiness. “OK, dish,” Erica said. “How did you get your wolf back?”
I told her the story, then she told me how she and Eduardo found each other. We caught up on everything on the way home. She told me about her time in La Crosse with Michelle, and how much she hoped I would return and take over Tomah. I looked over at Talia. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “Technically I already have a Pack, and I’m not done yet. The name Clark got out of Beta Jack is opening all kinds of doors.”
“I’m going to go back to work in a few days,” Randall said. “The slave traders and trainers are human and well hidden behind Mob connections. I can use my FBI task force to bust it up, but I’m going to need your help, Tania.”
“I already gave a statement,” I said as I squeezed Bobby’s hand.
“I know, and that worked well for the Council and Packs, but I can’t use it with the FBI. It’s important that you give a new statement, one carefully crafted to hide Pack involvement and focused on your time after you were turned over to the slave trading facility. My team will be pulling known associates and potential people involved, and we will need you to go through photo lineups, maybe even live ones. Your statement will be enough to get warrants, and we can start to pick them up.” He could sense I was getting nervous. “My offices are in Dallas, it’s not a bad drive from here. I can put you two up in my guest room or get you a hotel while you are there.”
I looked at my sister. “You agree with this?”
She nodded. “Having me leave a trail of bodies in Chicago and elsewhere will attract too much attention. I promised to avenge you, Tania. Getting Randall and his coworkers to put these lowlifes in jail for decades will do that. Meanwhile, I’ll be able to focus on finding Todd.”
“Our Coven is helping, that is one of the reasons Jarrod wanted to come here,” Eduardo said. “We have resources and contacts that Randall doesn’t have. Talia is family, so are you. We want to help you.”
“Dad is ready to form an alliance with a Coven,” Randall said. “It has been over a thousand years since the last time that happened, and we in this car are the catalyst. We will change our world together.”
“And it all started with a defeated, injured she-wolf who trusted a vampire she met at a gas station,” Talia said.