Warlord's Ward

Taming Monsters

I was half-afraid of what that meant. He was currently exuding violence. Walking purposefully through the woods.

My animal instincts were rising with every step. Fine hairs on my neck standing on end. The yellow sheen of my wolf's gaze pressing behind my eyes. Tiny bones under my face were moving jaggedly as my body yearned to take wolf form, in its desire to protect itself.

"Don't!" Killian turned to warn me. Baring teeth in a half snarl. Looking more animal than man right now.

"What?" I cried. "I'm not doing anything.

"You're considering taking wolf form. Just wait a minute."

"For what?"

"For us to get further from camp. And away from other villages."

"There's no one else around."

"There are. There's more males in the distance South." He tossed his head in the direction behind us.

"How do you know?"

"I can sense them."

That seemed impossible.

How could he possibly do that?

"We're under the Mating Moon." He explained. "I can sense you much more acutely. Your desires, your fear, your hungers. But it also means that I can feel the nearness of my competition for your attentions."

"You don't have any competition."

There's no one else I want.

"Though you may not see it that way, thankfully," He looked back at me. "Every male in the vicinity will be coming to get you tonight."

"But...I-"

"I won't let them." His head whipped back to assure me.

***

We reached a spot that must've been a satisfying distance from the perceived threats.

"Now." He pulled off his clothes and nodded for me to do so. "We set our monsters free."

"What do you mean?"

"Now you can change."

I eagerly began to strip my clothes. The thought of taking the form of my she-wolf was exhilarating. "I thought you didn't want-"

"Your pheromone will be more keen once you change." He explained. "I just wanted you further away from the others."

I flipped my hair, swinging it around my shoulders and enjoying the feel of its length against my bare shoulders and back.

Soon he was unclothed next to me and without further hesitation we both launched into motion. His movement triggered mine and I was in step with him as his black fur began to replace his hair and moved down his back and over his shoulders along his arms.

The hazy mist of black smoke still trailed him even as he ducked down onto his hands and began to lope on all fours. Blue eyes turning more stark as they were surrounded by the pitch fur.

I was next to him letting the silver and cream fur separate my pores and grow out several inches and turn each of my them into highly sensitized antennas, able to feel the most minute change against them. My hands curled into the shorter toes of my paws, carrying me over the ground at a higher and higher speed until I was tearing over the growth so fast that trees were a mere blur in my peripheral.

I could hear him next to me. Huffing in rhythm to his steps.

We were free.

Animals of the woods. Taking over the territory as we trailed our feral scent over every shrub, the moss, logs we leapt over. Everywhere our feet touched became ours. We were the fiercest predators in these trees and for once, we were both free to own it.

The feeling of exultation was so intense that I bared my teeth in an uncontrolled laugh of pure joy. Which emerged as more of a growl. Reverberating through the forest and making my body shudder in pure pleasure.

Killian made an echoing sound next to me.

It was hard to imagine that he'd ran like this before. That he'd experienced freedom and known these woods like this when he was young.

This was every day for him, once.

It made me a little jealous because I'd spent my life locked in a hut.

I now knew the dangers that my family had tried to protect me from.

They were trying to keep me from dishonor.

They'd sought to protect me from what males under the Mating Moon would do.

Things Killian has done to me now.

And in many ways, I was grateful for that. Because I'd have been very afraid the first time I was sought out by a male and had no idea what would happen.

Killian was kinder than he had to be. I knew that now. And knew that as his prisoner, he could've been very cruel and unyielding.

We were liquid fire in the woods, leaving a swath of flattened grass and broken twigs as we savored our run.

We reached the edge of a bank and we both skid to a stop. Breathing raggedly.

Killian looked at me and I was caught off-guard when he launched up and bit into the fur at the back of my collar.

Yipping I yanked and tried to pull lose. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt but I didn't understand why he was suddenly aggressive with me.

He gave several low rumbling growls that sounded more reassuring than threatening. A purring sound that was nearly coaxing.

I calmed, lowering onto my belly on the ground.

He positioned over me and in moments I understood what this was.

I hadn't expected the difference in sensation. The difference in how I felt about it. Instead of knowing a focus of how it felt, I knew a deep instinct that this was my mate and I wanted to submit, wanted to offer him what he sought.

That's my place.

My desire.

So, I let him take me as the wolves we were.

To my astonishment, he wasn't the only one that found pleasure in the act. Afterwards, were both sated and exhausted.

He withdrew and rubbed his snout along both sides of my neck. Smearing me with his mark to let other wolves know that I was his.

Another act that enhanced my feel of belonging.

Before he could move completely away, I reflexively twisted and caught the place where his scruff ended, and the skin became thinner just above his shoulder.

My teeth sunk in deeply, leaving gouges that would surely scar.

Even through his fur.