Fellwood Wolves - Part 1
Elowen wakes to find herself stuck between human and wolf form and continues to fight the bond between her and her Alpha.
Prologue: https://www.deviantart.com/thespiralledeye/art/TF-...
Elowen slept fitfully; she dreamt of running through a never-ending dark forest, Raul's scent in the air. She ran for it, for the comfort and safety she knew it would bring only to come face to face Raul as a wolf, the one who had ruined her life, blood dripping from his jaws as Simon laid dead at his feet.
Despite the nightmares she woke slowly, for a few moments she thought herself back at home in her bed but then the pain in her lower back began. Rolling over she reached to the base of her spine where the pain was and her hand met fur. Eyes flying open she sat up and found herself wrapped in the furs that made up Raul's den and all the memories flooding back. She glanced around nervously but found she was alone, the pack nowhere to be seen.
Somewhat panicked she looked to her hands. Delicate and human save the nails which ran to sharp points, she was still in her human form so then why could she feel fur behind her? Twisting her naked body as best she could she soon found the cause of her discomfort. A tail, thick with silvery fur was attached to the base of her spine; she'd been crushing it sleeping on her back.
She had only moments to come to terms with this when the sound of soft footsteps reached her ears. They swivelled of their own volition and she gasped, reaching up to touch the soft, pointed ears which were now atop her head rather than beside it.
"Well, look at you. Awake finally."
It was Raul, he was a wall of muscle that should have seemed threatening towering over her and yet she felt the tenseness in her shoulders dissipate slightly. On some new, instinctual level Raul made her feel safe and at home, even while sitting in a pile of furs in the middle of a dark cave. Blushing, she pulled them up to cover herself, ears drooping. She remembered nothing after she'd passed out in his arms last night and she was thankful to find her body showed no signs that he'd touched her. Despite everything she crawled forward as he approached and kneeled down in front of her. Leaning into his touch as he cupped her face in his palm. His skin was so warm and all her instincts were telling her to trust him despite what she logically knew to be true. After everything that happened yesterday, she wanted that comfort even if it made no sense. Raul was the one who made her suffer, she should hate him, she did hate him but...
"That's a good girl."
Pleasure filled her at the praise, it felt right making Raul happy. Elowen grit her teeth moved away, reminding herself of all she'd endured yesterday.
"Did you...kill Simon?" She asked finally, "The man who was with me."
Raul just shrugged.
"Doubt he lived long after Aster was done with him." He replied casually, as if remarking on the weather, "I wouldn't count on your darling fiancée to come charging into our grove to save you if that's what you are really asking."
Elowen felt tears burn her eyes, she only known Simon a short time but he'd been kind to her. She'd been happy, imagining her life as his wife and now he was dead and she was...this. The fact that Raul's mere presence comforted her was just salt in the wound. Curling her hands into fists hard enough that her sharpened nails drew blood she curled in on herself, refusing to meet Raul's eyes lest he charm her again.
"How did you know he was my fiancée?"
"He can't have been your husband. You're a virgin." Raul snorted, "I can smell it on you."
Being a virgin was never something she'd felt embarrassment over. Being virtuous before marriage was expected and respected in the noble life she'd been living until now but Raul said the word as if it were some great shame. Trying to summon her courage she stared up at him with what she hoped was a look of defiance.
"And what are your plans for me?"
"Not many survive the change. Clearly, you're strong. You're beautiful, you'll make a good pack member in time." He answered coolly blue eyes sparkling, "At the very least you'll be good for breeding and depending on how well you take to this, I might even make you my mate."
He said that last part as if it were supposed to tempt her, as if being his mate was some great prize she may be blessed with if she was a good little dog. As a member of nobility, she was bred for breeding, her entire purpose in life was to be married off to produce heirs but this was not what she'd had in mind. Raising children out here, children that would be just as much monsters as her and their father. The idea made her queasy. However, the idea of mating itself made her skin turn pink all over. The idea of him taking her was...not unpleasant, thanks to the bond.
Raul moved forward, sliding a hand around her waist and pulling her to him till she was flush against his chest. She bit her lip to avoid a gasp escaping her lips. They were naked, skin to skin and she could feel the heat of his body against hers. It was intoxicating. She breathed deep, taking in his scent and memorising it.
"Despite what you think, I'm no monster." He chuckled, "You'll come to me willingly soon enough."
"Would you let me go...if I didn't?" She whispered, resisting the urge to nuzzle into his neck where his scent was thickest. Raul just chuckled from deep in his chest.
"You will."
~
Raul had said she was free to wander the cave and clearing at her leisure; though it was clear from the way the other pack members watched her that she was under close guard lest she make a run for it. As leader, Raul was taking a hunting party out to get food, Elowen hoped that meant venison and not humans. Her stomach rumbled, having not eaten since lunch yesterday but the cave was empty and she knew nothing of foraging. Bitterly, she realised she'd have no choice but to wait until he returned with food.
She passed several other werewolves on her way out of the cave, it seemed the pack had two dozen or so members but she didn't feel like talking to any of them. Some stayed in their animal form but the others walked around unclothed just as Raul did much to her embarrassment. She observed the way they moved around one another, touching and rubbing skin to skin constantly. It seemed werewolves were a tactile bunch, something she certainly was not. Raul being the exception.
She walked to the river that ran by the cave, the water was calm enough that she could see her reflection and it made her want to weep. She looked human for the most part but her ears, eyes and teeth were that of a shewolf, her nails were sharpened and that tail drooped between her legs. Those slitted yellow eyes looked so wrong with tears welling in them. She was a monster.
"Come now, it's not so bad."
She spun around at the voice, barely able to contain the growl that rose up in her throat. It was the dark-haired man who'd smiled at her last night, leaning against a tree casually. He took a few steps toward her and held out his hand, it was the most formal anybody had been with her since she arrived.
"I'm Azir." He said, "and if it makes you feel any better, I think those new features suit you."
The polite thing to do would be to thank him for the compliment. That's what the Elowen of yesterday would have done and indeed what she intended to do now but instead what came out was:
"Why do none of you wear any clothes?" Once again, she found herself looking at the ground and struggling to cover herself and Azir just laughed.
"Are you cold?" he asked and at the question Elowen realised she wasn't.
"Werewolves run hot." He continued, "If it gets cold enough, we just change. Why bother wearing clothes you don't need if they are just going to rip with every shift?"
"For propriety." Elowen answered, Azir just laughed again and she felt her ears droop in embarrassment. He stopped laughing as she blinked back tears.
This was so humiliating.
"Why do I look like this?" Elowen asked after a moment as she tried to ignore the lump in her throat, "I'm not human, not wolf I'm stuck in between!"
"It happens sometimes with turned wolves." She winced sympathetically, "You'll learn to control it better each moon. Look, I'll change too, would that make you feel better?"
Elowen watched with fascination as Azir's ears shifted across his skull and a tail grew from the small of his back till he matched her in style. His fur was black to match his hair and somehow, he managed to look handsome despite the bestial features. He grinned at her, white fangs flashing dangerously.
"See? Now we're wolf people together!"
Elowen giggled, it felt good to smile genuinely and she felt a flutter in her stomach. Despite the fact they were unclothed Azir wasn't staring at her like a piece of meat the way Raul did, she wasn't something to be dominated. Perhaps, he could be a friend here. She'd take anything she could get at this point but then a cold stone formed in her stomach.
"Are you like Raul?" She asked nervously, "Are you an...Alpha?"
"Yeah, but I'm not your Alpha." He replied as if that was supposed to comfort her.
"Are all men Alphas?"
"Nah, it's a personality thing. To really oversimplify, Alpha's are stronger and have a force of personality others just don't. That's why only Alpha's can turn humans. Almost all women tend to be Omega though, from a survival perspective it just makes more sense for those who can breed to stay safe and submissive y'know."
There was that word again, breeding.
"That's what I am now?" Her voice was small.
"There's no shame in it!" Azir replied quickly, clearly trying to make her feel better, "For some reason it's hard for us to breed amongst ourselves, that's why we turn people sometimes. Any werewolf who can breed is a crown jewel."
Perhaps that is why Raul had let her run so far rather than killing her. She was to be his new breeder. For a moment, Elowen wished the river had killed her but then shook it off. She wasn't just going to give up. She may have only changed once but when she had she'd been strong, fast, she'd even bitten her Alpha! If she could learn how to shift properly, train, maybe she could escape. Run back to civilisation and then never shift again. Once she had control of her form nobody would even have to know she was a werewolf.
The plan made a tiny spark of hope burn in her chest. She just had to resist Raul until she was strong enough, then she would be free.
~
Azir had walked her around her new home; showing her where they skinned their kills for fur and tools, the communal sleeping area where much of the pack resided and even introduced her to a few members of her new 'family'.
Summer, a bubbly blonde woman gave her a hug, made very awkward by their lack of clothing but she didn't seem to notice.
"It's been ages since we've gotten a new sister here!" She beamed, "I was the last human turned!"
Elowen found it hard to believe this bubbly, kind woman in front of her could possibly have gone through what she had. She seemed so at home here in the cave, as a wolf. She continued to talk, seemingly not caring if Elowen was listening or not. She had been a simple peasant before Jasker, one of Raul's top commanders, spotted her while on patrol and decided to claim her for himself.
"Weren't you angry?" Elowen gaped, "He just upended your life and made you his..."
"Mate." Summer smiled, "Maybe it's different for you, noble girl, but being a peasant is a dull life. Here I can be as free as a please and Jasker is better than any husband I could ask for!"
Elowen felt her hope for a friend who understood her situation fade a little, Summer seemed thoroughly indoctrinated into this life. There was a sharp sigh from behind them and Elowen felt her blood turn to ice. What she'd assumed was just more furs uncurled itself to reveal a great white wolf, the same white wolf who'd been with Raul yesterday at the carriage. The fur shifted, receding back until an unusual woman sat in its place, skin pale as milk and smooth save for a bite scar around her ankle, with burning red eyes and silvery hair, she scowled at Elowen.
"Poor little noble girl," The woman spat, "She's been given a gift but she's too 'respectable' to appreciate it."
"Aster..." Summer warned.
Aster. That was the name Raul had mentioned. The wolf who'd killed Simon. From the cold look on her face now, Elowen got the distinct impression Aster wished she'd killed her as well.
Suddenly, a shiver raced up her spine and she turned toward the cave entrance. She could feel something approaching, like somebody was tugging on a string in her chest. Aster seemed to feel it too, and then the others. A few moments later footsteps could be heard and then Raul, in his massive wolf form, and two other hunters entered the chamber, giant elk slung between them.
The beast was dropped to the ground with a heavy thud and Azir and several others moved forward to start preparing it. Aster jumped to her feet, running to Raul and throwing herself into his arms. Elowen felt a tug to do the same but she defied it, sitting still as a stone in defiance. A smell tickled at her nose, flowing forth from both Raul and Aster as she nuzzled at him much like Elowen herself had this morning. Then it hit her, Raul was Aster's Alpha as well. That explained it, to Aster Elowen was a rival for his affection, clearly, she did not find the bond an invasion like she did. Her suspicion was confirmed as Aster gave her a victorious grin as Raul gave her a kiss on the forehead and Elowen pulled a face.
She wanted to tell Aster she could have him; she didn't want him at all. But that didn't stop jealousy boiling in her gut. Some primal, territorial part of her wanted to rip into Aster's throat and take her place at Raul's side but she ignored it. She would beat this bond. She would.
Raul let go of Aster after a few moments and walked to her, despite all her stubbornness Elowen was on her feet in seconds. He embraced her and she melted into him, that sense of safety, warmth and longing filled her as she breathed in deeply. His fingers traced circles on the small of her back and she sighed in contentment. Just...just a little, if she was going to survive this, she needed the comfort every now and then and besides, she needed Raul to trust her if she was ever going to escape. His hand lowered ever so slightly, running a single digit along her tail and she shivered, she hadn't realised how sensitive it was or maybe it was just because Raul was the one doing the touching.
"Did you want to sleep in my den again tonight?" He asked, the deep voice seemed to resonate through her. She could sense the implication there, if she said yes they would not be sleeping.
She ignored the wetness forming between her legs at the idea. Despite her ignorance and inexperience her body wanted her to say yes, she could almost feel the word being placed in her mind, moving to her mouth but she clamped her jaw together.
No. She couldn't let him deepen this bond any further. Stepping away was like pulling a tooth, it hurt, almost physically. Unable to meet his eyes lest she lose her nerve she shook her head and said in a quiet voice.
"I'll sleep out here."
Aster smiled, gliding her hands over Raul's shoulders and leaning in to whisper in his ear. It seemed at the very least, Aster would be useful to her as a distraction. So long as she could ignore the territorial jealousy that burned in her guts. Raul ignored her for the rest of the night, a move she was sure was a punishment as wave after wave of guilt washed over her. The urge to run to him with apologies and take up his offer was there but she squashed it down. Instead, she focused on her food, glad to see they still cooked their meat, though several pack members, including Azir, shifted to chew upon the bones and organs of their kill.
Feeling lonely and guilt ridden, Elowen crawled between two furs in the great pile that the pack called their bed. Summer joined her close by, clearly trying to be of some comfort. Elowen curled into a ball, tailed between her legs and dreamed of freedom.
Part 3: Elowen tries to resist Raul's allure but the bond becomes too much to bare.