The Beloved Beast

Part 14-A Death

 Neil looked down at the woman lying beneath him. He had unceremoniously torn off her clothes and she was ineffectively trying to preserve her modesty by placing her hands across her chest. He had this distasteful task of making love to her. He hated humans. They were weaklings and he abhorred weakness of any kind. He had always enjoyed making out with she-wolves. He had had lovers even before Renee, but never a human. Pushing all these disturbing thoughts aside, he bent towards her, prying away her hands and proceeding to show her what it meant to belong to an Alpha werewolf.

Tanya moaned in pain as Neil's rough hands and mouth roamed her body. It seemed to her that he was too far gone, passion and desire glazing his eyes. The more she resisted, the more he was provoked, until she quieted down, deciding to let him have his way with her. Much later, he got up abruptly, put on his robe, and walked out of the room. Tanya heard the door slam shut behind him, letting out her breath at last in a long sigh. What had started as a mission of conquest, had turned into a mutual exploration of wonder and pleasure. She hid her face in the pillow, recalling how Neil had called out her name in a litany as he possessed her. Why then had he left her in the blissful aftermath?

Neil sat in the darkened study, a cigarette in his hands, which he brought to his lips, watching the smoke curl into a little cloud. What had happened back there in the bedroom, he wondered. He had been ready to detest the task of consummating his marriage, to mate with a human. Why then did he find what happened in that bed, so pleasurable and satisfying? Why did he find himself crazed with desire for Tanya, an inexperienced, gauche girl, when he had his real mate, Renee, a woman of the world? It was against his nature and must be an aberration. Anyway, he could not afford to form any kind of attachment with Tanya. He had married her for a purpose. That purpose was to overthrow the curse. To remove it from himself for good, and it could only be achieved by a death. The death of the Luna. Tanya's death. She had to die, if he, Neil was to live his life, and he wanted to live. Oh, how he wanted to live. To marry his love, and to have a family. Cubs. His and Renee's. To rule as the Alpha and the Luna of the pack, without the fear of the dreaded curse. For all this and more, Tanya had to die.

Tanya stood under the shower, letting the warm water cascade down her aching body. Her tired muscles groaned when she bent to lather herself. The human body was not built to mate with a werewolf, and she looked at the numerous bruises and scratches which made her bruised flesh blue and black. However considerate Neil had been, he had still hurt her. The thing was that she had noticed nothing at the time. She smiled to herself as she recalled how quickly she had learned to please him and herself in the process. How was she going to face Neil this morning? Where was he, by the way, she wondered as she dried herself with the fluffy white towel and put on her jeans and a shirt.

Tanya sat at the breakfast table with Tara and Ray, toying with her toast, while her thoughts were with her husband. He was nowhere to be seen. When she had self-consciously asked Ray about his whereabouts, he had told her that Neil had departed early in the morning on a tour of the territory. A group of warriors accompanied him and they were on a routine check, although the recent rogue attack in the woods was the real reason for the inspection. She wondered why of all mornings, that was the one he had chosen to go far away from her, without even letting her know. After the previous night, she would have expected him to stay at home. They could have spent the day in each other's company. "What are you thinking, Tanya?" Ray asked, a smile playing on his lips. Delicate color washed her cheeks. She had been daydreaming. "Nothing, just wondering if Neil would be alright. The weather seems to have turned bad." It was partly the truth. The sky had turned gray with dark clouds which had banked up. A strong breeze had started to blow and it seemed that a storm was in the offing.

Neil bounded along the border of his kingdom, his third-in-command beside him, struggling to keep up with his long strides. The land which bordered with the territories of other packs appeared to be unbreached. Neil was worried about the one which bordered the territory of the witches. The witches had become active since he had been back. What he did not understand was why? They had a truce going on between the two communities for long. Why breach it now? "Let two of our best warriors be posted along this border for patrol," he instructed Jeff, his third-in-command. The two brave wolves came forward, strong and muscled, their long fangs bared. Neil felt somewhat reassured to have them posted there. Later, they shifted and a hunt followed, which Neil enjoyed to the fullest, chasing the spotted deer across the forest.

"The werewolves have deputed two of their best warriors on our borders," Duffy informed Marina. He was panting from the haste he had made, running from the border below to uphill within moments. So, the wolves were on their guard. What Marina did not understand was what that human girl was doing in that den of wolves. "Did you find anything about the girl?" she asked Duffy. "No madame, we haven't been able to approach her, though there is a rumor in the town that she is the new Luna," Duffy proudly gave the valuable bit of news to his mistress. So Alpha Neil had married a human? Marina found that strange in the extreme. It was also a worrying bit of news. Marina wished she herself could go to see the girl, but she was too old. Two hundred years was long, even by a witch's standards.

"There are going to be festivities this week. A ceremony will be held to celebrate the Alpha's marriage," Tara let the news out, as Tanya sat in the living room, going through one of the books she had borrowed from the study. It was a book on Lycanthropy and she found it fascinating. "Oh, does Neil know?" she asked, wondering at the nature of the ceremony. A thunderstorm was blowing outside, with the wind howling and the rain splattering against the window panes. Neil was yet to make an appearance, leaving Tanya worried about his well-being. "Of course, "Tara retorted with a smirk on her face, "Every Alpha has to go through with this." She smiled secretly, thinking of the ceremony where Neil would mark his Luna. She would like to see what Tanya would do when he bared his fangs at her. She disliked the other girl, for usurping what by rights belonged to her friend Renee, and wanted to see her life made difficult. "Do you even have any suitable dress with you for the ceremony?" she looked with a deprecating glance at Tanya's serviceable clothes. "Neighboring Alphas too will be invited. You can't attend it in these types of clothes." Tanya might be naive, but she wasn't a fool. She knew that Tara was trying to hurt her, even picking up a quarrel with her. She had gauged that Renee and Neil had had an understanding and everyone had been expecting them to get married. Instead, Neil had married her, but was she alone to blame for the state of things? Was it expecting too much from the girl to at least be civil to her?

Neil gazed up at the rain clouds overhead. They had traveled a considerable distance from the town and now it was almost dusk. Compounded by the darkened overcast sky, it was imperative that they reach the settlement soon before the storm broke into full force again. They must make the most of the lull, for he did not relish the prospect of spending the night out in the forest. It would entail taking shelter in some cave, and at the moment Neil was craving his creature comforts. After a hard day's work, all he wanted was the comfort of his bed and his woman beside him. Thinking of the previous night with Tanya, quickened his pulse. She would ultimately serve her purpose, but what was to stop him from enjoying her body in the meanwhile? Once he had marked her as his Luna, he would go about his plan to sacrifice her on the altar of his happiness. Till then he had every intention to pleasure himself by mating with her.

Tanya lay in Neil's arms, looking fondly at his beloved face, which appeared so peaceful in repose. All the complaints she had planned to make for his absence all day, had vanished as soon as he had taken her in his arms and kissed her, leading to intense feelings erupting between them. She really adored this husband of hers. It did not matter that they were so vastly different. She was sure, that with time their love would become stronger, binding them in an unbreakable bond. She heard the roar of thunder which rattled the windows, as lightning brightened the room for a second. Burrowing her face in Neil's bare chest, she sleepily settled for the night, secure in his love.