Flesh And Fur: A Dance With Darkness

1- The Hunt

"Run!" The voice of the Alpha commanded. She heard it in her head as plainly as if she had spoken.

Unlike humans, the Lupians used telepathic communication as often as they used verbal communication. It was often safer that way. Especially for her pack. Gothred's forest pack preferred to stay in full wolf form whenever they could, and communication between wolf and human members was important.
The Change for this pack occurred for all adolescents and unpracticed sub-adults at a spring full moon each year. Unlike similar packs of werewolves, they didn't simply transform under every full moon and then revert at dawn. Instead, they kept their form until the next spring full moon until they were old enough and practiced enough to change at will.

It was not just important, but a law, that all females be able to transition at will before mating because once pregnant they would be physically unable to change from that form through the duration of the pregnancy and deliver the child, or children, in that form. This would present many problems if they were to suddenly change form during the spring moon only months after birthing.
Pups wouldn't have their first change until adolescence, when changing hormones triggered the transformation.

Curiously, this pack, in particular, had always birthed more females than males. Approximately one in four births were female. The births of males were, therefore, highly celebrated events. The birth of any healthy pup was always celebrated, but considering the disparity between the genders, male births were highly regarded, even to the point of being seen as a status symbol.
Mated pairs who had produced a male offspring were encouraged to continue procreating and given special treatment, such as bigger living quarters and more rations after hunts.

Most females preferred to be in full wolf form and birth their pups in a den. This was preferred because wolf pups mature faster than human babies, are more durable, and are easier to care for over-all. For those who choose to be human during pregnancy, there has been a small town built, nestled in the thick of the forest. It's near the wolf dens, but not so close as to cause dangerous situations between wolf pups and human infants, as young pups could easily maul a human infant during play if not closely monitored. They are, after all, only babies themselves and do not know better until they've been taught.

Without knowing why, she pondered these things as her feet carried her swiftly through the brush.

The full moon was coming.
This full moon was special; it was the first full moon of spring, which meant it was not only time to transition but also time for the annual Hunt. This was no ordinary hunt. There would be no animals caught and killed to be eaten. No, this Hunt was the Binding Hunt. It was where bonds were formed between pack members who were newly come of age or those who had been unsuccessful in previous hunts, and their newly acquired mates-to-be.

At dark, the females would be given a head start to run, hide, or even disguise themselves if they could within the pack territory outside the village. After ten minutes the males would be loosed to find a mate and mark them. A male could mark up to three females during the Hunt and, once they were back at the pack center, he would choose one to be his mate, and they would be bound, their souls entertwining during the sacred ritual.
The other two females could be kept as omegas - servants, surrogates, wet nurses, or for any other purpose the mated pair chose. They could even be traded or given to other households, and none in the pack saw this as unusual or improper. Many were even freed to run in the following Hunt and find a proper mate. This way of life had always worked for the pack, and there was no reason to change the old ways, considering the pack had so many more females than males.

At least this way, there wouldn't be a large number of lone females unable to create or be part of their own families. They may not be bound to their own mate, but they were still bound in a lesser way.
Often, the male who marked them viewed them as another mate and gave them children- if the bound mate was accepting of it.