Chapter Fourteen #2
At this time of year, nightfall was relatively late, but as the sky darkened, the moon’s influence increased to the point that I wanted to scream.
Or scratch off my skin. I didn’t always have such a strong reaction, but tonight, for whatever reason, things were different.
I still had a few things to say while everyone was human, though.
While I waited for the crowd to assemble, I reached out along my bond to Xavier and scanned the yard to spot him.
This was Ren’s first hunt, a chaotic and sometimes terrifying night for any new wolf.
Being amid so many strangers, so much heightened emotion, might be more than Ren could manage.
Since he was under my direct rule, it was my responsibility to help, but with such a vast number of other wolves to manage, I couldn’t give enough individual attention to him.
Xavier was, as I’d assumed, beside Ren off to one side of the lawn. Xavier, once you shift, stay near Ren, I said. Watch for issues, but Ren will need you the most tonight, and you have my permission and instruction to stay with him.
Yes, Anax. He sounded startled.
I didn’t take time to say anything else to him. Everyone was outside now. It was time to get things underway.
I stood at the top of the back steps, Kyle beside me, and raised my hands. Silence spread in a wave over the crowd, and everyone turned to look my way.
“Tonight, we hunt together,” I said. “I am your Anax. Your arkhons and your alphas are also in charge. But we hunt together, none better than any other. You are reminded of the boundaries of this property, marked with red flags. Going beyond them risks being seen by a human, and if that happens, we cannot help you. You will hunt in groups of at least three. Any game you bring down will be shared with members of your group; you need not share with anyone else. Arkhons and alphas, you are reminded that you are responsible for those you brought with you, but they owe you nothing. If they hunt separately from you, they need not share their prey with you.”
I paused. The entire crowd seemed to hold its breath, waiting for my next words.
“We hunt on neutral ground.” I really, really hoped they abided by that, because I didn’t want to deal with those who disobeyed, but it would be my job.
“If you have conflict with another, speak to your alpha. If your conflict is with your alpha, go to your region’s Arkhon.
I am the last resort if you are unable to resolve the situation through any other means.
There will be no fighting here. The only deaths will be those of the prey animals you hunt. ”
I scanned the crowd. No one seemed opposed to anything I’d said. Some began to whine or yelp; their shifts were already taking them.
I decided I’d better give the word. “Shift and await instructions from me before you run.”
The yard was suddenly filled with the sounds of several hundred beings changing form.
Snarls. Yelps. Whines of anguish. Shifting had to happen.
On full moon nights, we had no other choice.
But that didn’t make it any less painful, and it wasn’t something most of us would have done if we’d had any way to stop it.
When all of the lower-ranked attendees were in their wolf forms, some standing and others still lying on the ground, the alphas underwent their shifts. Then the arkhons and my guards.
And finally Kyle and I, side by side, lay on the ground and allowed our wolves to take over.
Several hundred wolves stood and waited, and when I gave the signal through my bond to every single one of them, they ran.
Kyle and I joined the Boston wolves, as we did on most hunt nights.
In the distance, I heard the sounds of the Boston North and City wolves who weren’t my guests at the gathering.
They had their own area to hunt in, marked off from the gathering’s hunting ground by the same red flags that marked the property boundaries, and were under the leadership of the pack betas.
Most of those wolves would stay in their guest house tonight and the next night to be present for Kyle’s and my wedding.
For now, I sent a brief greeting and wish for a smooth hunt to all of them.
They might not officially be my guests tonight, but they were my family.
Fortunately, Kyle’s prediction proved correct.
There were a few minor spats during the hunt, but no serious issues.
No assassination attempts. Just all of us running and hunting and taking advantage of the moon and the night to indulge our animal sides.
When the moon’s pull faded, I led the arkhons and alphas back to the house to await those under our rule.
Some would remain in wolf form until dawn.
Others would want to be human again as soon as possible, and since they needed people to be in charge, especially when they were coming down from the high of the hunt, those of us in leadership ranks had to shift back first.
Once I made sure all of the guards were back and in place, with the night guards taking up their posts and the day guards heading to their rooms to sleep until breakfast, I brought Kyle up to our room.
My attraction to him was incredible, my wolf demanding that I fuck my mate or let him fuck me or whatever I needed to do to relieve the sexual tension.
I sensed that Kyle was having the same battle, but once we were naked in bed, he just held me.
“I want you. But I want to wait until Sunday night. Does that sound ridiculous? All the times we’ve fucked, and how bad we want to right now, and I’m asking to wait until our wedding night? ”
“Doesn’t sound ridiculous to me.” I kissed his chest, and he shivered and let out a very faint moan. “Sounds romantic. Annoying, because I want your dick in my ass right now, but romantic.”
“You’re the Anax. You could overrule me.”
“Fuck no.” I propped myself up so I could look him in the eye. “Don’t ever say that again when we’re in bed, okay? I’m serious. When it’s just the two of us, I am not the Anax. I don’t want to be.” I hesitated. “I can’t be.”
“I’m sorry.” He widened his eyes. “Tobias, it’s all right. I was joking, and obviously that was a bad idea. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” I took a deep breath. “Okay. We’re okay. I just…You know what I was like. I’m better now. I’m integrated, as you put it. But I can’t risk it happening again. Especially with you.”
“It’s all right.” He pulled me closer, and I rested my head on his chest again. “I promise, I won’t say anything like that again. Besides, you technically can’t overrule me when we’re in bed. That’s the deal, right?”
“I can say no, but you’re the boss.” I snuggled against him. “That’s what I need, Kyle. Someplace where I’m not the boss.”
“You got it.”
Breathing slowly, I started zoning, heading into sleep.
In a small corner of my mind, a voice kept insisting that I couldn’t sleep, that I had to stay awake or something awful would happen.
That kept me awake longer than I wanted, but eventually exhaustion and my desire to tell that voice to go fuck itself won.
My subconscious set up a bunch of bullshit dreams where bad things did happen.
Several times during the night, I woke from nightmares that I hoped Kyle hadn’t picked up on and used the trick my grandmother had taught me when I was very small: Go back to sleep and dream the dream again, but take control and change the ending.
Not the easiest thing to do, but I’d been practicing the concept since I was four or five, and I managed.
Finally, daylight filtered through the miniscule gap in the curtains, and I got out of bed.
Kyle and I showered together as he warned me it would be the last joint shower until after we were married.
He was taking the wedding thing a little too seriously, but I didn’t say so. If it made him happy, I was all for it.
Since no issues had arisen during the hunt or in the hours since, I spread word that there would be no formal morning meeting and that I appreciated everyone’s attendance and how smoothly the hunt had gone.
The word was mostly spread through the bond I had with everyone, though some people played “telephone” by passing the message verbally—and unnecessarily.
Coordinating the departures was nearly as complicated as the arrivals, mainly because of the planes that had to take off—two of them with new owners.
I didn’t concern myself with how those planes now belonged to Roy Ebenezer and Chris Jennings respectively, but apparently the pilots had to do some reworking of something.
The reason the Anax and arkhons had employees was to handle the things we didn’t completely understand how to handle, and the important part here was that ultimately, the Pacific Region and Southeast Region planes took off with the right people in them.
Four of the arkhons were staying for the wedding.
I’d invited all twelve, extending the invitation to Roy and Chris, but some said they were needed in their regions after the gathering, and Roy confided to me that he felt awkward among the arkhons and wanted to get back to Florida to start adjusting to his new rank and home.
I completely supported that and didn’t mind that the other arkhons weren’t staying.
I wanted a relatively small wedding. Inviting all of them was a diplomatic move more than anything.
Meanwhile, Zane and Lara would be staying, as would Paul Drake, Bob McKinley, and Oliver Peterson.
Bob had brought a woman he introduced as Shelagh, a member of the pack closest to his home.
Oliver had brought two guests, a mated pair who I was happy to allow at the wedding even though I was a bit curious about how they’d rated the invite from Oliver.