FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter Three

The rest of the evening I spent all day with Chloe ordering things and sitting in the den. For some reason all that had happened felt completely natural and it filled me with a strange sense of joy. The smell of delicious food brought me up from a catalog Chloe had handed me.

"Something smells amazing." I called out and put the catalog down. Standing up and following Chloe to the dining room.

I stepped into the large kitchen to find Josh hard at work cooking up a large dinner.

"I am glad you think so! Dinner will be ready soon." He was beaming. Clearly proud that I had complimented the food.

"The whole brood coming? That's a lot of food." My stomach roared to life at the sight and smell of the gourmet dinner.

"Nope. Just us." He looked over to the door as he said that. Chloe, Donny, and Gavin entered. All of them seemed so happy.

"Why just us?" I asked curious.

"We are your immediate family until you chose more enforcers and mates" He said stirring whatever he was cooking.

"Wait, Mates? As in plural!?" I squeaked. Swallowing a lump in my throat.

"Oh. Haha. Yes. As matriarch you will probably find more than one. That is the privilege of your position. None of us mate for life except you. Sure, we stick to a lover or get married but we are all polygamists. Soon as we become were rats, jealousy gets erased from our psyche. We attribute that to our spirit animals." Josh nods at that last bit.

I suddenly felt hot across my face. I was sure I was blushing all the way to my ears. Clearing my throat I sat at the big table. "So. I could take...Any of you as my mates?" I looked at all of them. My ears on fire from the blood rushing to them.

They were all trying so very hard not to laugh. I huffed at them as Gavin answered. The large black man chuckling. "Don't worry. We won't make it too obvious until your first shifting. That's usually when we uh, choose our lovers." He sat down at the table too.

Chloe spoke up next. "Our most basic instincts take over during our first shifts. Lust is among them. Our beasts choose for us, even if we don't really like the other as a person. Though, generally that doesn't happen, most of the time both parties are compatible."

"Oh. That's good then. So do we shift with the moon or what?" I took the plate that Josh handed me and nearly drooled at the exquisite food on it.

"Yes, just as the wolves. All shifters are subject to the moon. Though as with all shifters, we too can shift even without the moon." Josh stated as he served everyone their food.

"The next full moon is in about two days. We have all been feeling the effects already." Donny stated.

"How come I haven't?" I asked.

"You will soon as the moon rises tonight. You were very recently infected. So it's taking some time for your body to adjust. Once it has, you will know." Josh said.

"OH great. What's that going to be like?" I mumbled around my forkful of food.

"Everyone takes their first moon differently. Most find it difficult. We are not sure about you though. Since you are a matriarch and all." Chloe this time.

"Wonderful." I grumbled.

I jumped when someone's phone rang. Donny flipped out his phone and answered. Stepping out of the room. His face seemed to show worry, or anger, I wasn't sure yet.

"I wonder what that's about." I blinked.

We ate in silence for a few minutes. The food was amazing but my mind was elsewhere. I was worried about the look on Donny's face.

He came back in, face furrowed in concern. "It's happened. Cane took out the alphas. He killed Miranda and Tony took his own life. He says he had no choice and couldn't wait for our help. He is curious about you Tara. Wants to meet you when things calm down a bit."

"Well that was fast." I said with my mouth full of seafood. That seems to be a natural state for me now.

"Yes. He says that Miranda forced him into a fight. She wanted to take him as a mate but she already had a mate. Wolves cannot take on more than one mate. It is not their nature. He said that when he refused she attacked him. She was really messed up." Donny sighed. "We should go get ready to go support him." He nodded. "Chloe, could you go get the weapons?"

She nodded and exited the massive dining room/kitchen area.

"What does that entail exactly?" I gave him a questioning stare.

"Just be there as backup if things get hairy. He will have to declare a mate with in the next couple full moons if he is to keep his new position. So the women of his pack will be....testy."

"Great. Just what I need. Hormonal wolves." Standing up I look around. "So will we be needing more or just us?"

"Just us. We aren't allowed to bring more. Pack law." Chloe stated as she came into the room with a large duffel bag. I hadn't known she had even left.

She unzipped the bag and there were various types of guns and weapons. I blinked. "You think we are going to need those??" I was concerned now. I had never been in a fight before nor had I ever fired a weapon outside of an occasional game of paintball.

Donny spoke up. "You never know with wolves. Especially during times of unrest."

Chloe handed me a handgun. "Carnivores are always the most unpredictable." I didn't even know what kind it was.

It was a large gun but it felt no heavier than an apple. "Dang this thing is light!" I was impressed.

Chloe laughed that angel like laugh. "No it's not. You're just stronger than you used to be. Just don't point it at anyone unless you intend to kill. Wolves don't like guns but they tolerate it for emergency use."

"Here's hoping we won't need them." I said as I tucked the large handgun into a holster as Donny helped me strap it on. I was very aware of his large warm hands as they handled the complicated straps. I watched and memorized how they worked. I made eye contact with his intense sapphire colored eyes, they had flecks of blue, so pretty. I backed away from him as he finished and flustered with my hair, as if it was out of place.

"Uh thanks, hehe." I laughed nervously.

He smirked at me and turned for the door. I sighed.

Could you tell I'd been single for a while?