Being Pack

Being Pack

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

Copyright 2014 by Vic James

http://www.vicjames.com

If you enjoy this story or the other stories at Nifty, please make a donation at: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people. You can see a list of my stories at http://www.nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#vicjames

This story takes place in the same universe as my stories Plan of the Shusheen and Son of a Wolf. It takes place immediately after the events in Son of a Wolf.

Warning: this story may contain incest scenes.

Seven

"A new place will be more secure," Howard said.

Dag and Alephin nodded.

"Definitely. And if you are planning to have more kids, that house is just not big enough," Dag said.

"I am planning to have more. I would like a large family," I said.

"I'll let Les know, so he can get anything he wants to keep. After that, you can begin work, Dag," Alephin said.

"Get what, Dad?" Les asked, as he walked into the room.

"Oh. I didn't know you were here. I am going to give the land next door to Tom and his mates. We are going to build a new house on the lot. If there is anything in it that you want, you should get it."

"There isn't," Les said.

"Do you want to pick out everything yourself, or have a designer do it?" Dag asked.

I looked at my mates. They looked undecided.

"A designer would do a better job than I would," I said.

The others nodded.

"I liked everything in Hephin's house," Luke said.

I nodded.

"To be honest, I couldn't care less what color the carpet is," Dutch said.

"I feel the same way," Eddie said. "And like Tom said, a designer would make better choices than I would, anyway."

"Then let's talk about what you want, feature-wise. You said a movie room and an indoor swimming pool," Dag said.

"I want bathtubs and showers big enough for all of us," I added.

Dag nodded.

"Do you want a gym?"

"That would be cool," Dutch said.

Dag nodded.

"You are going to need a nursery," Dag said. "You might as well plan on having play rooms for the kids."

I nodded.

"Can the pool room be a solarium?" I asked. "Because I want to have plants in the room," I said. "Blooming plants."

"Yes. That won't be a problem," Dag said.

"If you like orchids, a friend of ours named Larry grows them," Dutch said.

"Oh, that would be cool to have some in the pool room," I said. "I like plants, but I've never grown any. My mom is allergic to fungus and we couldn't keep them in the house," I said.

Thinking about my mother depressed me. Luke put his arm around me and pulled me close.

"Larry could take care of them," Dutch said. "He needs a job, anyway. Both he and his wife are unemployed right now."

I nodded. I liked the idea. We could make it really beautiful, while helping pack members out."

"We can hire him."

Dutch and Eddie grinned.

"You can use bullet-proof acrylic, instead of glass," Howard said.

Dag nodded.

"I know some people who can use the furniture in Les' house. I'm going to let them know it is available," Alephin said. "You can start the demolition tomorrow."

"It will probably be the day after that," Dag said.

Alephin nodded.

Luke's stomach growled. I realized I was hungry, too.

"You want to go to the canteen?" I asked Luke.

"Yeah." Luke grinned at Howard. "I bet Howard wants to go there, too."

Howard laughed.

"No fooling around on duty. That has to wait for my days off." Howard sighed.

I chuckled. Howard looked so sad.

Howard turned to Alephin.

"After my contract ends with Mr. Tuskus, I've decided I would like to join your pack, if you'll have me. I'm not pack, but I think I have some pack blood in me."

Alephin grinned.

"I will be delighted to have you. Your knowledge of security will be useful. Most of the people who join my pack have no usable skills. We seem to have an ever increasing need for security."

Dag nodded.

"I was glad when Jed joined Hephin's pack. It's just an extra layer of security, having him with Hephin a lot of the time."

Howard nodded.

"You might want to think about having a live-in security man," Alephin said to me.

I looked at Luke and he nodded. Dutch and Eddie were smiling.

"Would you be interested, Howard?" I asked him.

He grinned.

"Would it be a job?"

"Yes, I guess it would be."

I turned to Luke.

"What do you think?"

"It can't hurt, and if Alephin thinks it's a good idea, it is."

I looked at Dutch and Eddie and they nodded their heads.

"Do you want the job?" I asked him.

He grinned.

"I do."

"That's great!" Alephin said. "I'm afraid you might have a lot more sex. I know at least six females who want you to fuck them with that enormous cock of yours."

Howard grinned.

"I would hate to disappoint even one of them."

I laughed.

"How big is it?"

"Thirteen inches," Les said. "I measured it. And it isn't just long. It is also thick."

I stared at Howard.

"Wow!"

He chuckled.

"Do you want kids, Howard?" Alephin asked him.

"Yes, I think I do."

"A lot of the women in the pack think the larger the cock, the better the chance of impregnation. They figure you are spraying semen directly on their egg," Alephin said.

I didn't know if that made sense, or not.

"That's a common belief, even in non-pack Vin-Ta," Dag said.

"Is it true?" I asked.

"No," Dag said. Alephin was shaking his head no, too. "My cock is large, and I never got my mate pregnant," Dag said. "We had sex several times a day, most days. It wasn't because I was infertile, either. But you'll hear a lot of old wives' tales about sex and pregnancy. Some women are convinced that the phase of the moon influences it, or the time of day. The list goes on and on. The fact is, almost all Vin-Ta women are not particularly fertile, and that was deliberate, because of our long lives. The ones who aren't infertile, are mostly"

"Regardless of whether it is true, unmated pack females will be chasing you," Alephin said.

"No, they won't, Alpha," Howard said. "Because I won't be running."

We all laughed.

"I've never gotten enough sex. I'm looking forward to it."

Alephin nodded.

I watched Les kneel in front of his father and begin sucking him. I thought Alephin's cock was wonderful, and I was a little jealous of Les. I would have worried about that, if Alephin hadn't ordered me not to. He wanted me to lust after him, and he was the boss. I wasn't certain why I thought his cock was so wonderful, but I had to force myself to look away. And then I still found myself looking at it, again. My asshole began spasming as I thought about Alephin fucking me. That was really weird. I wondered if my lust was because he was my Alpha. He did have sex with each pack member, so somehow, his pack and sex were connected. Alephin was barely paying attention to Les. He was listening to Dag. I was surprised to realize that I didn't even notice Dag was speaking. My attention was completely focused on Alephin, as was Les'. Then Alephin closed his eyes and sighed, as he came. I heard myself groan. Then I heard Luke chuckle. Alephin was like pure, bottled sex. I could hear Les swallowing. Alephin opened his eyes and grinned at me. I kept expecting his orgasm to end, but it went on for a couple of minutes. Les pulled back and let some of Alephin's semen spray on his face. Les laughed as he swallowed his father, again. I could smell Alephin's semen. I liked the smell.

"Can you tell when I'm thinking about you?" I asked him.

"No, but I can tell when you are lusting after me."

He winked at me.

As I said, I wasn't worried about my feelings for him. He had ordered me not to. But I did wonder why I felt the way I did, and whether I would always lust after him so much. If I always lusted after him, would my mates get irritated by it? Was it normal? Then I almost laughed. When had I ever been normal? Why should I start trying to be normal? Still, I didn't want my mates to be upset. I looked at them. They were watching Alephin, too. They looked happy.

I was leaning against Luke. He kissed the top of my head. Things were good.

"Let's go eat," Luke said.

We got up. Eddie took me in his arms and kissed me. Then I kissed Dutch.

Luke, Dutch, Eddie and I left Alephin's house, along with Howard. We walked to the canteen.

"What made you finally decide to join the pack?" I asked Howard.

"To be honest, it was partly the indoor pool. I was raised by my father. He died during the first World War. But we had a pool in a conservatory. I remember how beautiful it was. I sold the home not long after he died. There were too many sad memories. I was hoping I could be a live-in bodyguard. I almost cheered when Alephin suggested it."

"When is your contract up?" Luke asked.

"Seven weeks."

"See? I love that!" Howard said, pointing.

A man was fucking a woman under a tree, in the front yard of a house. I watched the man's hairy butt clench and relax with his thrusts.

"This is the only place I've ever been where people are never ashamed of sex. Yesterday, I watched a man shoot all over his wife's face. Hot stuff."

"How old are you, Howard?" Dutch asked.

"Eighty-nine."

I shook my head. He looked like he was in his twenties.

"Did you serve in World War 2?" Eddie asked.

"Yes. In the Pacific. I'm a Marine."

They spoke about it so matter-of-factly. I realized I had a very, very long life ahead of me. That made me think of my parents. Were they crying over me? Or maybe fighting? I lost my appetite.

"How old are you, Dutch?" I asked.

"One hundred and three."

Luke and I both stopped walking. Dutch frowned.

"How old are you, Eddie?"

"I'm young. I'm only sixty-seven."

"I guess this is all new to you," Howard said.

I nodded. I felt weird.

We continued walking. I looked at Luke, who shrugged. That was the only way to take it, I supposed. A shrug.

"I want to train you to protect Tom," Howard said to Luke and my other mates.

"That's a good idea," Eddie said.

Dutch nodded.

"Once my contract is up, we will begin training," Howard said. "If he is ever attacked or a kidnapping is attempted, it will be by a force--a group, not a single man."

I gulped.

We walked into the canteen. We sat at a table, except for Howard, who stood, looking around.

"Are you all right?" Eddie asked me.

"I got to thinking about how old I would get and my parents."

Eddie took my hand and held it. I smiled at him.

"It had to be done, Tom," Luke said. "How would you explain being pregnant?"

"I know. I'm not that upset about never seeing them again, but I'm sure they are grieving. And that does upset me. What if one commits suicide over my death?"

"From what you told me, that is unlikely," Luke said. "You said they were completely into each other. They are probably either arguing or consoling each other."

"I hope so," I said.

It didn't make me feel better.

We ordered food. Luke and I wanted steaks. I looked around the canteen. It was about a quarter full. People looked at me. Many of them smiled at me. None seemed hostile or unfriendly. After our talk with Joyce, I didn't feel comfortable having sex with Luke or my mates, but that didn't bother me. The fact that I didn't feel comfortable having sex in public, would upset Alephin. But I understood how the oldtimers felt. It wasn't my job to educate them and I had no desire to have sex in front of someone who wished I wouldn't. We were there to eat, anyway. Things might change, if Alephin could educate the oldtimers, and if they did, it was fine. If they didn't, we wouldn't have sex in the canteen. If we wanted to, we could do it outside, like the couple fucking in the front yard. People could walk on by. In the canteen, they might be facing us as we had sex while they tried to eat. It was really just common courtesy.

While we were waiting for the food to arrive, a woman walked up to Howard.

"Hey, Howie."

"Hi, Sheila."

"Are you on duty?"

"Afraid so."

"Too bad. Would sucking your huge thing distract you too much?"

I looked at both of them. Howard grinned at me. He mouthed, "See?" I chuckled.

"I'm afraid so, Sheila."

"Shoot!" she said.

"It takes more than a command to make it do that," Howard said.

We all burst out laughing. Howard grinned as he looked around the canteen.

"Oh, well! I guess I'll go see if Alephin is willing," Sheila said.

Everyone roared with laughter, including Dutch and Eddie. I didn't get it, at first. But then I realized Alephin was always willing. I got it, then.

I looked at Dutch, my mate. He was one hundred and three. He looked twenty. It was so unbelievable. He was born in nineteen eleven. How could that be? How was this whole world of semi- immortals existing alongside the human world? How many of the people back home in Gatlinburg were over two hundred? Three hundred? There had to be some. I shook my head.

As our food arrived, a man walked up to Howard and spoke softly to him. Howard shook his head. The man walked away. Howard looked annoyed. But then his expression went back to the indifferent alertness it held before the man walked up. I wondered if possibly Sheila had asked someone to relieve Howard so he could fuck her.

"My meat is tastier than that," Dutch said, pointing at my steak.

I laughed.

"That's dessert, silly," I said.

He grinned at me.

I saw Dutch and Eddie were holding hands. I wondered again if having Luke and myself as mates was doing them any favors. But they could fuck me, and they wanted to fuck. I wasn't just in the way. I stopped worrying and had a good time. We all had dessert. I seldom got desserts when I went out. They were expensive in restaurants. It was sure nice being rich!

We walked back to Alephin's house.

"Was something wrong, Howard?" Luke asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He means someone whispered something to you and pissed you off," Dutch said.

"No. I wasn't pissed. It really isn't important, guys."

"Well, now you've convinced us it is," Luke said.

I chuckled.

Howard looked unhappy.

"Let's drop it," I said. "He has a right to privacy."

"Thanks. It has nothing to do with any of you, or even with the pack."

I nodded.

We continued walking.

"He saw Sheila talking to me and made a snide comment about the sex I had in the canteen," Howard said a moment later. I guess he changed his mind. He was right. It definitely wasn't about us. "Actually, he called me a slut."

"What an asshole!" Eddie said.

"Yeah," Howard said. "While this pack is my idea of heaven, some Vin-Ta hold very conventional ideas about sexuality."

"You don't need to change," I said to him. "Luke and I are new here, and we like it, too."

Howard nodded.

"Yeah. We like slutty people," Dutch said.

We all burst out laughing, including Howard.

"It's a shame he's my boss."

"Oh. That sucks," Dutch said.

"Well, it doesn't matter what he says, thinks, or does. You'll be working for us, soon," I said.

Howard nodded, as he watched our surroundings.

We walked into Alephin's house. I felt a vague sense of unease. What Howard had said disturbed me, but I didn't understand why. What Howard said was true. Most people would be shocked to see public sex, and it wasn't surprising that watching one of his employees fucking girls, while a man rimmed him would make a prude uncomfortable. Prudes weren't to be feared, though. I had never given them a thought, but in my new life, I just pitied them. That guy was going to have a lot less fun than Howard would, so he was only hurting himself. Even if he fired Howard over it, Howard might be glad. He would work for us sooner, and I already planned to pay him at least as much as Dag was. So why was I worried?

Dag walked into the room. He looked at me and frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Nothing."

He took my arm and led me into our bedroom.

"Sit."

I sat on the bed.

Luke, Eddie, and Dutch walked into the room. Dag closed the door.

"What has upset you?"

"I don't really know," I said.

And then suddenly, I thought maybe I did.

"Howard said his boss was giving him a hard time about having sex on his last day off."

"That doesn't make any sense," Dag said.

"He called him a slut," Eddie said.

"I think he was just teasing him," Luke said.

"I know that, but it makes me uneasy. Like it's more than teasing," I said.

I could see Dag was thinking.

"I wasn't sure why it bothered me, but I just realized why," I said. "He seems to disapprove of Howard's behavior. Then how does he feel about us? Is he judging us, morally? Am I putting my faith in someone who doesn't approve of me? And is that safe?"

I looked at Luke's face. He looked surprised, but he nodded his head.

"I'm glad you mentioned this to me, Tom," Dag said. "It may mean nothing. But it disturbs me, too. I've learned that snippets of information like this can turn out to be very useful. It may have been meant as a joke, but it is not a bit funny to me, or to Howard, I'm sure. And it is very inappropriate. Howard's private life is no business of Gerald's. And it makes me wonder. How does he feel about me, his employer?"

"I didn't think of that."

"No reason you should. But I fucked two men, yesterday, Hephin and you. Gerald knows that. And still, he commented on Howard's sexuality. Hmm."

Dag shook his head.

"Do you often feel uneasy for no reason?" he asked me.

"I feel uncomfortable around people, or at least I used to. But this didn't feel anything like that. I just wanted to get away from people I didn't know."

Dag nodded.

"It is a good thing you did, telling me. How do you feel now? Do you still feel uneasy?"

"No. I feel fine. I've stopped worrying."

Dag smiled.

"Good. I have professional worriers," Dag said. "They get paid a lot to do it. But I want you to continue to tell me about things that make you uneasy. I've known people who were able to foresee danger. I don't know if it is a psychic thing or not, but what they felt was unease for no obvious reason, just as you did. Since you no longer feel uneasy, I would say that telling me averted the danger, if there was any."

I nodded.

He left the room and I lay down on bed.

"God! I wish you could fuck me!" I said to my mates.

"Oh, you wonderful slut, you!" Dutch said. "I'll be your slut if you'll be mine."

I laughed.

"It's a deal!"

Dutch pulled out his cock and brought it to me. I stroked it.

"Tomorrow you may regret saying that," Luke said. "Not only will we be fucking you, and more than once, but Alephin will, too."

"I am looking forward to all of it."

I looked at Dutch and Eddie.

"Does Alephin excite you, or is it just me?"

"That's not easy to answer," Dutch said. "My wolf responds to him differently than I do, even though the wolf is part of me. My wolf wants to make the Alpha happy. He would contentedly lick Alephin's ass for hours, if Alephin let him."

"Mine is the same way," Eddie said. "I personally, don't like to get fucked, but I love Alephin, and the human part wants him to be happy. The wolf part is desperate to make him happy. I've only been fucked once, and he did it. If he asked if he could do it again, I would let him. I wouldn't necessarily enjoy it, but it would make my wolf happy and I love him enough to do anything for him."

Dutch nodded.

"I think that is how I feel, too," Luke said. "Getting fucked made me uncomfortable, but I would let him do it again, if I knew it would make him happy."

"Then why do I crave his cock? I mean, I have you three, and I love all of you."

"That is how the women feel," Dutch said. "Maybe it's just because you are a bottom."

"Do you want to suck his cock?" I asked.

"I never thought about it. I would to make him happy."

I sighed. I still didn't understand. If Alephin walked into the room and told me he was my mate, my feelings would make complete sense. I felt the same things for him I did for my mates. But he wasn't one of my mates."

"Baby, I can see you are worrying," Luke said.

"I'm not worrying. Alephin told me not to worry about my feelings for him. I'm just trying to understand why I feel the way I do. Why do I want him in ways that you don't?"

"You feel the way you do because he is your Alpha," Dutch said. "He's not just a guy you met yesterday. Your body is reacting to him and your wolf is reacting to him. You don't have any control over either of those things. None of us do. They react the way they react. That's why Alephin told you not to worry about it. It isn't under your control. You could worry yourself sick and accomplish nothing. You can force yourself not to have sex with him, but you risk making your wolf unhappy. I know you and Luke didn't grow up with this stuff. Take our word for it. Whatever you feel for the Alpha is fundamentally different from anything you feel for others."

Eddie nodded.

"Your wolf probably worries about being accepted," Eddie said. "Having sex with Alephin will reassure him."

"I feel better. It makes more sense to me."

"Good. Suppressing your wolf will not make you happy."

My mates undressed. I stroked myself while I looked at them.

"You can't fuck me, yet so I guess you will have to use my mouth," I said.

Luke grinned and got on the bed. He offered me his cock. I began sucking him. I felt the bed move as Dutch and Eddie got on the bed. Luke pulled me off his cock and guided my head to Eddie's. I sucked him for only a few seconds, when his cock began spurting into my mouth. He groaned.

"I did it, again!"

When he was done, he pulled out of me. He looked unhappy.

"Did you not want to come?"

"I wanted it to last longer."

"Why? So you can have fewer orgasms?"

Dutch laughed.

"Yes. He hates them. Eddie's weird that way. He's always asking people not to make him come."

I laughed.

I looked up at Eddie.

"I love your spunk. Fire at will. Or whenever."

They laughed.

"OK. I keep forgetting I have a mate and can come more often."

I nodded.

Then I swallowed Dutch's cock. Someone began sucking me. I came immediately, too. And I didn't mind a bit.

I pulled off Duke and licked the head of his cock, for a while. I began stroking him with my hand while I sucked on the head. He groaned as my mouth filled with his spunk.

Luke pushed my legs up in the air. He began rimming me. I groaned. Dutch swallowed my cock and began sucking me. Eddie kissed me. It was the most pleasurable sensation, yet. I wrapped my arms around Eddie's neck. He pulled his head back and smiled at me.

"I love you, Tom."

"I love you, Eddie."

He kissed me, again as I shot in Dutch's mouth. Dutch kept sucking me.

"You rim him while I suck him," Luke said.

They switched places and the pleasure continued. I groaned into Eddie's mouth when Dutch's tongue slipped inside me. I pulled away.

"Fuck! That's incredible!" I said.

"What is?" Eddie asked.

"Dutch's tongue is inside me."

Eddie grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I'll do it, too."

They sucked me through three more orgasms. I had to tell them I'd had enough. I yawned.

"Take a nap," Luke said.

"Are you tired?" I asked him.

"No, but I'm not pregnant with twins."

I nodded.

"Why don't you stay with him, Eddie? I'm going to go get a few more things," Dutch said.

Eddie lay on one side of me, and Luke on the other. Luke was on his back. I lay my head on his chest. Eddie snuggled up behind me. I fell asleep.

I woke when I heard a noise. Eddie's arms were around me. Dutch and Luke were moving another desk into the room.

Luke saw I was awake and smiled.

"How long did I sleep?"

"About an hour."

I nodded.

I could see the room would be very crowded. I hoped our house didn't take months to build, but I thought it probably would. Someone had to design it before things could even be ordered.

I reached behind me and wrapped my hand around Eddie's cock.

"He's awake."

"I can tell. Does he know how much I like him?"

All three of them laughed. I flipped over, facing Eddie.

"Maybe you should tell him."

"I don't want him to get a big head," I said.

They all laughed.

"I thought you liked his big head!" Eddie said.

I laughed.

"I do. I do."

Eddie kissed me. It was a slow, passionate kiss.

"Did you like what we did before you fell asleep?" Dutch asked.

"It was incredible!"

"Good. We were talking about how we can make you happy. You'll make us happy by letting us fuck you. But we want to give you as much pleasure as you give us."

I smiled.

"I loved it, I really did."

"Once your cunt is looser, we will be able to do it, all the time," Luke said.

I wasn't all that fond of having my asshole called a cunt, but maybe it made Luke harder, thinking of it that way. That was a good thing.

"Eddie wants a computer. I told him we would pay for it," Luke said.

"Oh, yeah. Spend as much as you want. I guess all four of us should share the money I'm getting for having Dag's baby."

"I don't want you to do that," Dutch said. "Eddie and I have nothing to do with that. Not only are you doing all of it, but we weren't even your mates when you got pregnant."

"Well, you can't be poor when I'm wealthy."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you. That's why. If we don't share the money, I will at least give you some."

Dutch looked unhappy. Eddie didn't look enthused. Luke agreed with me. I sighed. Dutch was one hundred years old. I was twenty- three. I could guess that it bothered his ego, but what could I do? Be fabulously wealthy when two of my mates had nothing? And from the beat up furniture and old clothes of theirs, I knew they were poor. But they were happy. I decided it was a bad idea to push it.

"OK. I understand how you feel, but if you need something..."

Dutch nodded.

"We will let you know."

"We are going to the pack store for the computer," Luke said.

"I want to talk to Rince. I'll stay here."

"OK."

They left. I put on pants and walked out of the bedroom. I found Rince in the kitchen, feeding kids applesauce. They waved at me and sent applesauce flying. I laughed and they clapped their hands.

"Hi, Rince."

"Hey, Tom."

"They are beautiful kids."

"Thanks." Rince looked at them and his face softened. "I think so."

"I have a question."

Rince nodded.

"Tonight, Alephin is going to--" I looked at the children. "Uh...copulate--"

Rince burst out laughing.

"I haven't heard that word for a while! He does that day and night!"

I laughed.

"With me," I continued. Rince nodded. "He told me he doesn't want me to get pregnant with his baby, but how exactly do I not get pregnant?"

Rince nodded.

"It's a good question but unfortunately we are still learning about it. It seems that when you wish to have a baby with the person who is fucking you, you get pregnant. If you don't wish it, you don't. But then Hephin got pregnant with Dregor's baby, and things got a little fuzzier. Hephin said he was thinking that someday, he would like to have Dregor's baby. His body decided that was enough and he got pregnant."

I sighed.

"Do you want to have Alephin's baby?" he asked me.

"I would do it to make him happy. But you are his mate and it is inappropriate for me to give him a baby. I know that, but I don't know if my body or my wolf knows it."

Rince nodded.

"I'm sure your wolf wants to do everything it can to make the Alpha happy, especially since you are a new pack member. One of the reasons Alephin fucks new members is to assure their wolves that he accepts them. If the Alpha breeds you, your wolf knows for certain it has been accepted into the pack. But for this, you have to take control."

"I want to. I just am not sure I have control. Maybe I will eventually, but I'm not sure about now. All of this is so strange! I like it, but--"

He nodded.

"Do your best. It's all you can do, Tom. Just focus on not having his baby. You don't know this, but I want to give Alephin more kids. Alephin doesn't want all the children in the pack to be his. It depresses the pack members who can't have kids. So I won't give him any more for a long time. You will help there, by giving birth to babies that aren't his. Everyone in the pack will be their aunts and uncles. They will feel differently towards your babies than they do to Alephin's. They will feel freer to love them, to spoil them. Yours will belong more to the pack, than to the Alpha."

I nodded.

"I can understand that."

Rince sighed.

"Just keep thinking you don't want to have Alephin's baby. But mean it. Don't wish, in the back of your mind, that you could make Alephin happy that way, and don't let your wolf take control. It won't hurt to think about why you don't want his baby, while he fucks you. I know you would prefer an on-off switch."

I laughed.

"Or a pill!"

"Just do your best. The world won't end if Alephin gets you pregnant. We were all surprised when Hephin got pregnant with Dregor's baby. We thought we understood male pregnancy, but we realized we still don't completely understand it. I know you are trying to avoid it, and so will Alephin. Neither one of us will hate you or the baby, if you get pregnant. I promise you that."

I nodded.

"Thanks."

"You are very welcome."

"Is Hephin mad at us? He didn't seem real friendly this morning."

Rince sighed. A look of annoyance crossed his face. I hoped it wasn't about me.

"It's very obvious to Alephin and me why you couldn't join Hephin's pack. His wolf wants tops and you are a bottom. Luke's wolf just found his mate, so he had no interest in Hephin, at all. Hephin knows that, but his pride was hurt. He has a gay pack, the only gay pack, and first Dutch and Eddie, and then you two weren't interested in joining. Dutch and Eddie claim they are bisexual, but they are as gay as anyone in Hephin's pack. Neither of them have wanted a woman for years. If you have no desire for women, how can you be bisexual?"

"They told me they weren't invited to join Hephin's pack."

"They weren't invited because they had no interest in sex with Hephin. And that is a requirement to be in his pack."

"Oh. I didn't know."

"The men in Hephin's pack are his lovers. His wolf demands that. If you aren't going to be his lover, you can't be in his pack. You could have lived with him as friends, but I think his wolf would have resented you after a while. Hephin will get over his hurt feelings. All of them. Don't worry about it. As a bottom, you couldn't join his pack, even if you really wanted to. By the way, Alephin is delighted to have you. So am I."

"Really?"

"There are couples in this pack who have tried for centuries to have pups. That's pack-speak for kids. Hephin may help them, by giving them kids, but he wants to give his own pack members pups. His pack members have priority over ours. Alephin is certain you will help some of our members, if he asks you to. Will you?"

"Yes."

"You answered automatically, so he is right, as always. You are an asset to his pack in several ways, socially, monetarily, and biologically. All of those are important. Biologically, because you can give desperate people babies. Socially, because you and Luke are nice guys. You've given the pack a great deal of money. We needed it. There are more than a few deadbeats in this pack. To Alephin, they are family, so he puts up with them. There are also a lot of unemployed pack members. Most jobs are in the human towns and working in them is not ideal for a lot of us. They are family, so Alephin pays their bills. In addition to the money you gave, you will probably offer employment to pack members. You'll need people to do some of the work on the house. Later, you will probably want people to clean the house, take care of the yard, baby sit, and so on." I nodded. "You will be a pack employer. We need those. Every one of us would prefer to work here, rather in the human world. Humans make all pack Vin-Ta slightly uncomfortable."

I felt really good. I was needed and it was a very nice feeling.

"I don't know anything about kids. Will you teach me?"

Rince grinned.

"Sure."

We had a long talk. Neither of his were potty-trained yet. He showed me how to clean them and change them. We talked about a lot of things: giving birth, breast-feeding, diapers, and potty- training. I started to feel overwhelmed. But I had a long time before I needed to know any of it. Once the kids were taking a nap, I told Rince about my parents.

"I know they are suffering. I feel guilty about being so happy when they are miserable."

"I can imagine," Rince said. "Unfortunately, there isn't a good solution. You were unhappy in the human world and they wouldn't fit in, here. You have mates, so you can't leave here to go back to the human world without hurting them. Luke could do it, but Dutch and Eddie would be unhappy in that world. You would be exchanging their pain for your parents'. There is also no way to explain male pregnancy to them. If you went to a human doctor, he would try to extract the babies surgically, and that is not how it works. They slide painlessly out of your butt."

I listened to him talk, but it didn't make me feel better. Maybe that was the point. Someone would suffer, no matter what I did. And I was pregnant with Dag's baby. I had been paid. I had a commitment.

Hephin showed up with Alephin. They walked into a bedroom and shut the door. I assumed they were going to have sex, but I wasn't sure why they closed the door.

"Do you know if Hephin is mad because I am having Dag's baby?"

Rince looked like he was going to say something and then stopped. I waited.

"Probably. But he is young, and sometimes he acts his age. You are making Alephin very happy. Focus on that. I will speak to Hephin and remind him that you are doing what Alephin wants."

I heard Luke's voice. I walked to our bedroom.

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