[Werewolf TF] Wolves of Fellwood - Part 6 (Patreon)

Elowen returns to the pack and finally stands up to her Alpha. 

~

Elowen held her head high as they walked, doing her best to contain the swirling emotions inside; she refused to let Aster see her cower. After a few hours, she caught wind of the familiar scents of the pack, of Raul. She did her best not to shiver. An ache formed in her chest and the bond thrummed to life; gods, she had missed him. That did not stop her nose from searching out another and sighing in relief when she caught it, just as they were entering the clearing where their den waited, Azir. A whine escaped her throat before she could stop it and the guards on duty swiveled to face them, one instantly disappearing into the den to fetch Raul without a word. She and Aster shifted back and Elowen place a palm against her stomach, without all the fancy clothing she could see the slight roundness to her stomach, still small but undeniably there. She’d had maybe a few weeks before it was undeniable and one of her maids let something slip. Perhaps it was all for the best things ended quickly.

The entire pack seemed to appear at the lip of the cave and with them, Azir. Elowen wanted to run to him but knew better, how she behaved in the next few minutes decided not only her life, but her unborn child’s. She couldn’t help but stare at him though; his face was a mix of so many emotions; relief, joy, fear, worry; likely a mirror of her own. His eyes dipped to her stomach and she watched as he paled. She gave him and the pack a small nod and whispers broke out, only to be silenced a moment later as Raul finally joined them.

Seeing him again made her knees feel weak, it took every shred of self-control in her not to fall to her knees and beg his forgiveness. The idea that her Alpha was angry with her hurt so much more than she thought possible; but she stood her ground. She was not the frightened girl Raul had turned all those moons ago, she was not about to back down, even if part of her desperately wanted to. She looked Raul right in the eye, tail unfurling and ears poking through her long red hair; a sign as to which side of her she chose. Raul walked right up to her, stopping at arms length, his face was serious.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. A few scratches.”

“Were you followed?”

“I lost them long before Aster found me. The pack is safe.”

There was so much emotion brimming in his eyes, she could see rage there yet to her surprise when he reached out, it was to embrace her. His scent and feel overwhelmed her sense and she could not resist melting into him. Her inner wolf sung.

Home.

She nuzzled under his chin, reveling in the scratch of his stubble and for a moment, there was peace. But then he pushed her away, it was like a slap in the face. Her Alpha was right there and he was rejecting her. Elowen swallowed, a lump forming in her throat as she held back tears. She didn’t love Raul, she knew this logically, it was only the artificial bond between them that had her feeling this way; but despite that she did feel it. Explaining didn’t make the hurt go away.

“You’re pregnant.” Raul said, his tone serious, yet she detected the excitement there.

His cold blue eyes slid to Azir and she felt the air grow tense; the unspoken question hanging above them all.

“I don’t know.” Elowen whispered, doing her best to stop any shaking in her voice. “When they are born, then we will be able to tell.”

Raul’s claws gripped at air, he paced with a face like thunder and Elowen had to resist the urge to run and comfort him. The bond thrummed between them but for the first time she realized it had weakened, no not weakened, she had gotten stronger. Resisting that pull, it was easier than it had been before and for the first time, Elowen realized that perhaps there would be a day, if she kept up this defiance streak, where she was no longer beholden to it at all.

“Normally, taking a woman chosen by another is cause for banishment, even death. For both of you.” Raul said slowly, Azir tensed, ready for a fight. “But I am not a fool. A shewolf who can breed is rare, you are far too valuable to kill and what’s more, the child has done nothing wrong. I cannot in good faith banish you to die fending for yourself.”

“What of Azir?”

“That depends.” Those icy blue eyes locked onto hers, “Do you love him?”

There was an intake of breath from the pack, the forest was silent, even the birds having stopped their song. You could have heard a pin drop. Elowen thought back to her time with Azir, it had been short but he had been the one ray of light over the past few months. The only one who seemed to understand and care for her simply for being Elowen, nothing else. The heat had been what pushed her over the edge yes, but looking back now she was thankful her first time had been with him and not Azir.

“Yes.” She jutted out her chin, defiant, proud. Perhaps she had just signed Azir’s death warrant, but at least he would know how she felt. He was strong, if Raul turned on him, he would get away.

For a second, it looked as if Raul would do just that; his fangs elongated as those pupils turned sharp, his face twisted in anger and jealousy and with a snarl he began to pace once more but then, to everybody’s surprise, he calmed.

“I have chosen Aster as my mate; she and I are suited to one another.” He said after a while, “But she is unable to bare me the heirs I need.

He looked to her almost mournfully and Elowen felt a stab of pleasure watching Aster’s face twist in jealousy.

“If this pup is Azir’s, you will spend your heats with me until you bare me a child but otherwise, you are free to be with him.”

Despite her efforts to remain stoic, Elowen’s jaw dropped.

“I am no fool, I do not wish to have a mate who does not love me. When you ran away, I knew I had to pick Aster,” He sighed, “I care for you and hard as it may be for you to believe, I care for Azir too, as any brother would.”

She almost choked on her breath and to everybody’s surprise, Azir laughed.

“A figure of speech, Elowen.”

“Oh, right.” A nervous laugh burst forth and for a moment, it seemed as though things would be okay before Raul’s face darkened once more.

“That does not mean you are to go without punishment, I am still your Alpha and you. Disobeyed. Me.”

Her knees gave out. The words almost seemed to have weight, dragging her down to the ground as pain bloomed in her chest; it hurt, feeling this disappointment, this anger from her Alpha. It made her whimper, tail ducking between her legs.

“You are confined to the back of the den until the pup is born. You will not hunt. You will not see the sun or moon or lay with Azir unless I say so. Your meals will be provided, and you will be able to exercise within the cave, for the good of the pup. Do you understand?”

Elowen swallowed and nodded.

“Given good behavior, I may become more lenient in the future months but for now, I will not tolerate this disrespect.”

“I understand.”

Elowen chuckled darkly to herself; she truly was captive now, just as Simon believed she had been all that time. And yet, this still felt right. The warm bed of furs against the dirt floor and stone walls felt more like home to her than the high walls and fancy beds of Simon’s castle ever had. Even imagining her old home, back before any of this had happened didn’t feel comfortable anymore. She laid a hand across her burgeoning bump; she was a wolf mother; this is where she and her pup belonged. Footsteps approached and to her surprise it was Azir, her tail wagged and without hesitation she ran, leaping into his arms.

“I missed you, so much.” He breathed, “Raul is letting me come see you for a few minuets before I’m to leave you be back here.”

“I was so worried.” She sighed, “I thought his men would kill you.”

“No chance. A few scratches, nothing major.”

She could sense the falseness of his words, as her arms snaked around his shoulders, she could feel the knotted scar tissue left from a serious wound that had not been there before. He held her tight and Elowen drank in his scent, memorizing it for she knew it would likely be a long time before she was allowed such contact again. He pressed their foreheads together as they broke apart and a feeling of home filled her.

“Once you’ve born Raul and heir, we’ll become mates.” He whispered, “Until then, especially during your isolation, if you asks you to go to him, go.”

“You want me to be with him?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I’ll be jealous, make no mistake.” Azir chuckled, pulling back so she could see the kindness in his eyes, “But he’s right, a shewolf who can breed shouldn’t be horded by one man, and you need touch, Elowen. Werewolves are tactile creatures, if you go months of being deprived that bond might well drive you insane.”

She could not tell if he was serious or just being hyperbolic but she understood nonetheless. She nuzzled into him one last time, treasuring the warmth of skin on skin contact before he finally drew away; Raul scent approaching. Reluctantly, Elowen pulled away from Azir as Raul approached, the bond sang and a few weeks ago she would have run to him but now she had to strength to resist that urge. She watched as Raul’s eyebrow raised slightly, clearly noting her newly found defiance and she could have been wrong but she swore she saw a hint of a proud smile flicking on his lips.

“Go Azir, you may visit again later.”

He nodded, giving Elowen one final soft smile before departing. Leaving her and her Alpha alone. She steeled herself but couldn’t help but whimper slightly as he racked a clawed hand gently through her hair; it felt so good to be home.

“I knew I sensed fire in you that night.” He sighed, “You were born to be one of us.”

His hand rested gently on her lower stomach.

“It takes a strong personality to resist the alpha that turns you,” He chuckled, “I had never dreamed you would choose another; Aster was never even tempted. Maybe that was arrogance on my part.”

Elowen bit her lip.

“I feel…something for you. But I’ll never know if those feelings are mine or this bond your bite inflicted on me. My feelings for Azir are my own, I can trust them.”

Raul peered at her curiously for a few moments before slowly stepping forward and pressing his lips to hers, she yielded naturally yet felt none of the forced submission she was used to with Raul’s affection. There was a sense of finality to the gesture and as they pulled away, Elowen got the distinct impression Raul would never command her to do anything against her will again.