These Broken Wings

luna-tic

It was dark and quiet in her cabin. The smell of her mate surrounded her, making her feel safe and protected. RickyJo lifted the dark fabric, tucking it under her cheek as she turned on her side and pulled her blankets around her.

I told you he was nice.

“You did…,” RickyJo told her wolf, smiling as sleep finally took her.

A moment later, there was a knock on her door. RickyJo startled, sitting up off her pillow and clutching her mate’s shirt closed over her naked chest. His scent lingered in the fabric. But when her door swung open, the scent swept over her, overpowering all her other senses. She leaned back into her pillow, spreading her long blonde hair out around her head. The shirt she was clutching closed only a moment before fell open, baring her breasts. She felt his breath first, ghosting over her skin. Arching her back slightly, she rubbed her thighs together, desperate for some friction against her c**t.

His tongue flicked across her already hardened n****e, sending the tingles of their mate bond shooting through her entire body. She moaned, her hands reaching up and clutching the pillow under her head. His touch was agonizingly light. Just the tip of his tongue swirled around her n****e. She arched up, encouraging him to suck on the swollen bud. But he didn’t. Instead, he moved across her chest and gave her other n****e the same treatment as the first. Her n*****s were painfully hard and her breasts were heaving as she gasped for air. The smell of him was driving her wild. Her desire was dripping from between her legs, wetting the bed under her ass. When he finally sucked her n****e into his mouth, he gently pinched the other one, rolling it between his fingers. Her entire body was tingling. And finally the throbbing heat between her legs exploded. She squeezed her thighs together, coming so hard she saw black dots dancing behind her eyelids.

RickyJo gasped as she was suddenly ripped from her dream by the sound of her alarm clock. Her back arched and her toes curled as the last few spasms of her orgasm washed over her. She swatted at her alarm clock, hitting the top of it repeatedly until the horrible beeping finally stopped. When she flopped back down onto her pillow, another whiff of her mate’s shirt hit her. She slipped the garment off, balling it up and burying her face in the wrinkled fabric. His scent was less intense than it was the night before. But it was still there. Her n*****s went rigid against the soft fabric of her sheets. And she could feel the heat already starting to build back up between her legs. From how wet her thighs already were, she guessed that the one she woke up in the middle of was not her first dream orgasm of the night. Finally, RickyJo forced the shirt down away from her face and hurled it across the room.

“Get a grip,” RickyJo mumbled to herself. “There’s no need to be getting all horned up over some alpha’s dirty laundry.”

It's okay if you like our mate. I like him.

“He’s okay I guess,” RickyJo huffed. She could picture Jade in her mind, sitting back on her haunches with her long pink tongue dangling out the side of her mouth. Her green eyes were full of mischief.

Just okay? He made you come over and over again and he wasn’t even here.

“That was just a dream,” RickyJo argued. “...He probably doesn’t even like me. What wolf would want a mate that runs away and cowers at the sight of him?” She sighed, combing her hair back and away from her face with her fingers. “I’m broken.”

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

RickyJo smiled, wondering to herself if anyone else had a wolf that quoted Madeleine L’Engle to them at six thirty in the morning.

Of course not. Other wolves only wish they were as badass as me!

“Okay miss badass wolfie,” RickyJo teased, “...let’s get moving before we’re late for training.”

“I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday,” Dixon said, grateful that he caught the other Alpha alone in the kitchen. Augustus bit back a smile. He was surprised to be receiving such a sincere apology from another alpha. Especially since there was really no need for it. And if there was an apology coming, he thought it ought to come from him. It was his granddaughter that was behaving like a wild animal.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Augustus said, extending his hand to the younger man. Dixon grabbed it, giving him a firm shake. He never had much of a father figure in his life. His own father died in battle when he was a boy. And his stepfather was angry to be mated to a shewolf with two young boys. He didn’t pay much attention to Dixon or his brother unless it was to knock them around or tell them how worthless they were. It had been years since he spoke to Alpha King but he remembered his friend Andrew’s father fondly. The man was born to be an Alpha. He was a fierce fighter, and he ran his pack with a firm hand. But he was also kind and merciful. Life had dealt him more misery than he deserved. His son was killed in the same rogue attack that took Dixon’s hand. And his daughter committed suicide shortly after, leaving him with his two young granddaughters as his only heirs.

“If you like, I’ll have some breakfast sent up to the west balcony for us,” Augustus offered. “It overlooks the training grounds.” He saw the other man’s eyes light up when he mentioned the place where his mate was likely to be. Dixon nodded.

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

They headed through the packhouse together, climbing a flight of stairs and walking down a long hallway. Dixon stopped outside one of the closed bedroom doors, noticing his mate’s scent lingered more strongly around it than the others.

“That’s her room,” Augustus confirmed. “...you can take a peek inside if you like.”

Dixon was quick to take the man up on his offer, swinging the door open and peering inside. The cabin he tracked her scent to the day before was rather minimalistic inside. This room looked more like what he would expect from a woman whose body was covered in colorful artwork. There was a stack of well worn paperback books next to the bed, which was stacked high with masses of colorful pillows and blankets. Some wolves liked to almost burrow into their beds. And it tickled him to know that his mate was one of them. The walls were painted a vibrant green. And they were covered in drawings and small works of art that didn’t seem like they ought to go together but somehow still did. Dixon thought about his own bedroom, with its stark gray walls and dark wood grain features. He smiled, picturing what it might look like once his wild new luna invaded his space and made it theirs instead of his. Not wanting to invade his mate’s privacy more than he already had, Dixon pulled the door back closed and turned to continue on his way down the hall.

“Most of the art in there is hers,” Augustus explained, the pride he felt for the woman showing clearly in his voice when he talked about her. As they passed through the sitting room that would lead them out onto Augustus’s private balcony, he pointed out a painting on the wall. “She’s done portraits of all our wolves.”

Dixon stepped forward, getting a better look at his mate’s artwork. The painting was of two wolves in a field. The larger white one with the black tail was clearly the male. His mate, a smaller grayish-colored wolf, was curled into him. He was nuzzling her, his body language loving, but protective. The painting was quite good and it was obvious that the artist knew and was familiar with the wolves she painted. She captured not only a bit of their personalities, but their love for each other. Dixon couldn’t help but hope that one day he might have a similar painting to hang on his own wall. Shadow, his giant smoky gray and black wolf, would be quite a sight next to Jade’s silky white fur and piercing green eyes.

Dixon turned away from the painting. Augustus was already seated on the balcony and Dixon followed his example, taking the seat next to him. As promised, the balcony looked over the training grounds. Dixon felt his heart beat harder in his chest when he spotted his mate. She was leading the warriors in a practiced series of karate poses. Wyatt, the Beta of the pack, moved through the ranks, correcting their poses and offering small suggestions to improve their technique. The group was mostly male wolves. But Dixon noticed a few young she-wolves off to one side, doing their best to copy the well practiced movements of his mate.

“A warrior luna,” he said, making her grandfather chuckle.

“Don’t see too many of those around,” he quipped. “...I guess it's my fault,” he offered, not really sounding like he was all that sorry about what he did. “I was hoping if I taught her to defend herself, she could conquer her fear. If I knew she would end up kicking my best warriors’ asses every day, I might have thought twice.”

Dixon smiled into his coffee, sipping on it as he watched his mate lead her warriors in a second series of karate poses. He found he enjoyed watching her train them more than he expected. And he was also surprised by how well they were trained. Most wolves weren’t skilled at fighting when they were in their human forms. His own warriors could use a lesson or two.

An omega arrived with their breakfast and for a moment, Dixon forgot his training concerns and ate.

“We still have the border treaty to discuss,” Augustus mentioned, taking a bite of his eggs and chasing them down with another gulp of coffee. Dixon nodded. He was already planning to suggest that they do something rather unprecedented. Finding out his mate was heir to this pack only strengthened his resolve.

“I might have a few ideas about that,” Dixon said. He saw that while Augustus was trying to keep his body language casual, he certainly had the man’s full attention.

“I’m fine with leaving the boundaries as they are,” Dixon said, smiling when the other man sighed in relief. “...but I wonder if you might be open to another idea.”

“I’m listening,” Augustus assured.

“What if we granted each other’s warriors permission to cross the pack boundaries…,” Dixon suggested. Augustus’s eyes widened slightly. Wolves are territorial by nature. What Dixon was suggesting was almost sacrilege. “...there’s been a terrible rogue problem where your territory meets what used to be the Little River Pack territory. It’s impossible for both packs to patrol the entire border at all times. The rogues just vanish past the border of whichever pack isn’t chasing them. Imagine if your warriors could just keep going, only to be joined by mine. We’d have them in no time.”

Augustus took another sip of coffee, carefully thinking over this unusual proposal. He could immediately see the benefits of such an arrangement. But there were problems to worry about as well.

“You don’t think our two groups might end up fighting with each other?,” he asked. Dixon nodded. It crossed his mind that fighting between the two groups might be a problem. But watching his mate lead her warriors gave him an idea.

“What if we bring some of my men here for training? Then swap and bring some of yours to my pack. Get them used to each other. Learn some new techniques.”

“That could work,” Augustus said. And it would be mutually beneficial. Not only would they get rid of the rogue problem in the northern woods, but once it was known that the Blood Moon pack and the Silver Mountain pack were in such a tight alliance, no other pack would even dare challenge either of them. But there was something else. He could tell Dixon had something else to offer on the matter. Something he was holding back. “And…?,” Augustus asked, ready for the other shoe to drop.

“And…,” Dixon repeated with a small grin. “I’m mated to your eldest granddaughter. Our children will be the heirs to your pack. The sooner we start preparing our packs for a merge, the better.”

Augustus looked down at his fierce and beautiful granddaughter with a soft sad smile on his face. She was the light of his life. His pride and joy. He wanted nothing more than for her to mate Dixon Blane and rule his pack as its rightful leader. But after the way she ran from the man yesterday, he thought Dixon might be counting his chickens, or rather pups, before they hatched. He was talking about children and RickyJo was shaking in fear at the sight of him.

“What if she rejects you?,” he asked. Dixon let out a low angry growl. His eyes flickered, turning black and then back to his normal icy blue.

“My mate is not going to reject me,” he said firmly.

“How do you know that?,” Augustus asked. Dixon wanted to growl again. But he knew the older man’s question was coming from a place of caring and concern. Not just for RickyJo, but for them both.

“She told me she wouldn’t,” Dixon admitted, watching as the older man’s eyes went wide with shock.

“You caught her?,” he asked, clearly baffled as to how a three-legged old battle wolf could have possibly caught up with his wild gazelle of a granddaughter.

“God no,” Dixon said, making the other man nearly laugh himself out of his seat. “I followed her scent to a little cabin near the edge of your territory. Then I waited there until she came back.” Augustus’s eyes flashed gold at the idea of the other man taking his granddaughter by surprise. If he found out the man laid one finger on her that she didn’t want there, mate or not he would rip him to shreds. Dixon raised his hand, signaling the other man to let him explain.

“We only talked. She wouldn’t let me anywhere near her. I gave her the opportunity to reject me, but she wouldn’t. She agreed to meet me for lunch today.”

“Thank the moon goddess herself,” Augustus said, breathing a sigh of relief. “You really think she might accept you as her mate?,” he asked, the excitement rising in his voice.

“I’m not leaving here without her,” Dixon said, his eyes burning black as his wolf pushed forward, eager to claim their mate.

While he thought about how best to win over her affections, Shadow was rehashing their brief interaction with the woman the night before. He replayed the moment she went wild sniffing at his shirt. He then started up with the same horny nonsense he’d been up to all night. Which mainly consisted of repetitive images of everything he wanted to do to their mate. And all the positions he planned to f**k her in, which were quite numerous and varied. The horny beast seemed to be convinced that all Dixon needed to do was let him out and he would have her begging for a taste of his giant c**k within seconds.

I’ll lick every inch of her perfect body. I’ll bury my face in her p***y and stick my tongue inside her tight little asshole. She’s never been with a man before. I want to see the look on her face when I bury my c**k inside her for the first time. I’m going to suck on her perfect t**s while she rides my d**k. Then I’m going to bite down on her neck and make her mine forever.

“For fuckssakes Shadow,” Dixon hissed inside his mind, “...we’re having breakfast with her grandfather. Give it a f*****g rest already. You’re giving me a hard on”

Sorry! I just want our mate. …And I know you do too.

“I do,” Dixon lamented. “But she’s scared. I told you, we have to be patient with her.” Shadow filled his head with whining, recalling the frightened look in RickyJo’s eyes when Dixon reached out his hand for her to take.

Augustus suddenly rose to his feet, his eyes clouding over as he mind linked someone in his pack. Dixon jumped up, noticing that his mate stopped her training routine. She kicked off her shoes first. Then quickly stripped out of her shorts and bra, shifting into her giant white wolf before the clothes had barely hit the ground. Jade let out a loud howl, calling her warriors to shift. Dixon was shocked by the force of her command. Even he felt a strong urge to shift. Some of the younger wolves burst right out of their clothes, unable to even control their bodies long enough to undress. He easily picked out the beta among them. He was the only wolf even close in size to Jade. And the moment he arrived at her side, they took off together towards the western border.

“What’s wrong?,” Dixon asked, almost ready to leap off the balcony and take off after Jade himself. Augustus shook his head and chuckled.

“They found a few rogue teenage wolves on our territory during a border sweep. Nothing to worry about. Especially since RickyJo and Wyatt just took off after them with over thirty warriors. I hope those kids have their shitting pants on,” he remarked, flopping back down into his chair and refilling his mug with more coffee.

“Maybe I should check it out,” Dixon suggested, “...just in case.” Augustus shrugged his shoulders.

“Knock yourself out,” he said, laughing when the man took off over the balcony railing and landed almost soundlessly in the grass below. He didn’t shift. Not yet. But he used his wolf speed to propel him across the yard to the training grounds. He considered shifting and chasing after the large and rowdy group. But he could already hear their wild barking and howls as they quickly made their way back. When they emerged from the woods, his mate was in front of the pack, wearing an ill fitting pair of men’s board shorts. Her long hair fell forward to cover her breasts. She had one of the trespassers by the scruff, marching him along next to her. Wyatt had the other. And while they may not have s**t themselves, the young man that was being half drug along by RickyJo had certainly pissed himself. She tossed him down in the dirt of the sparring circle.

“What were you doing on our territory?,” she asked, her eyes glowing green.

“Nuh nuh nothing,” the boy stuttered. His companion had more to offer.

“We didn’t know it was yer territory, you crazy b***h!” Dixon felt the anger welling up inside him. No one was going to get away with speaking to his mate like that. He pushed forward through the small crowd. But by the time he arrived at her side, he saw his mate was already dealing with the situation. She was growling at the boy, her eyes glowing brightly as her canines elongated. He whimpered and bared his neck to her in submission. When she straightened up, she took a step back and slammed right into Dixon. He heard her sharp intake of breath when she felt her skin spark in the places it made contact with his. She turned towards him, her stance completely opposite from what he saw the day before. Her shoulders were back and she held her head high. If she was still scared of him, she wasn’t going to show it. Not when she was surrounded by her warriors. The sight of her standing tall and proud already had his d**k straining against his zipper.

“Hi Dixon,” she said, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Without waiting for his response, RickyJo turned back to the boy she tossed on the ground.

“What were you doing on our territory?,” she asked again.

“We were after a deer. We were hungry and my sister’s pregnant,” the boy admitted, wiping at his eyes.

“What the hell are you two boys doing running around in the woods with a pregnant she-wolf,” RickyJo asked.

“We ran away from our pack!,” the boy said, ignoring his companion’s attempt to shut him up. “The alpha was forcing my sister to …you know. She knew he was going to be mad when he found out she was pregnant. So we ran…”

“Was it Alpha Jefferson,” Dixon asked. “From Little River?” The boy nodded and whimpered in fear.

“We can’t go back there, please don’t make us!,” he begged. RickyJo turned to her mate, asking him how he knew where the boys were from. It might have just been a good guess. Little River used to be the closest pack to theirs. Before it became part of the Silver Mountain Pack. But she guessed it was more than that.

“It's not the first complaint I heard about him,” Dixon admitted. “A few girls in the same situation turned up in my territory a while back. I made a formal complaint to the council. When they didn’t do s**t, I challenged that asshole myself. Then I killed him and took over his pack.” He fought back a smile as his mate looked at him with a new appreciation. Shadow was preening and prancing in the back of his mind. Mate liked that. Tell her about someone else we killed!

“Alpha Jefferson is dead?,” the mouthier of the two boys asked. Dixon nodded.

“If you’d like to go home, you can. I’m the Alpha in that territory now. And I don’t tolerate any of the kind of bullshit that was going on with your sister.”

“You’re the new Alpha?,” the other boy asked, looking up at the man in awe. Dixon nodded.

“I’m Dixon Blane, Alpha of the Silver Mountain pack.” He turned his gaze on the half-naked woman at his side. “I believe you’ve already met my Luna,” he added. Dixon heard a few shocked gasps from the wolves around him. He was sure that rumors had already been circulating. But having it confirmed in front of everyone was a different matter entirely.

“No s**t?,” Wyatt asked. RickyJo flicked her eyes at him, giving him a quick nod of her head. She wasn’t sure what she expected her closest friend’s reaction would be when she finally told him she was mated to the fiercest and most feared alpha in the entire state of Montana. But she certainly didn’t expect Wyatt to burst into nearly hysterical laughter.

“Wyatt,” she scolded, trying not to start laughing herself “...it's really not that funny.” Finally, Wyatt got enough control over himself to speak. He glanced at Alpha Blane, who thankfully looked more amused than angry at the exchange between his mate and her beta.

“You got yourself a Luna alright, a Luna-tic,” he announced. Some of the men around them started laughing right along with Wyatt, all secretly feeling a mixture of jealousy and relief that they weren’t the ones mated to such a fierce she-wolf. Also, the thought of RickyJo dressing up in fancy luna gowns and throwing parties was so far past hilarious most of them couldn’t take it. The last time RickyJo wore a dress, she was still in pigtails. She kicked their asses daily in the sparring ring. She was no Luna. She was their Alpha. Even though her grandfather hadn’t officially stepped down and given her the title. They all still knew it. “If you’re gonna be a Luna, better start with putting a shirt on,” Wyatt suggested. RickyJo looked down at her body and huffed.

“You know what?,” she hollered. “f**k the entire lot of you! You’re all mangy stinking fleabags! And I’m gonna kick every single one of your asses!”

“Spoken like a true Luna,” Wyatt teased. RickyJo just shook her head at him, trying her hardest not to laugh. And then giving in and laughing. Her laugh was high pitched and girlier than one might expect. And the sound of it sent her friends into another whole fit of more wild wolfish laughter.

RickyJo felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. One that came with tingles and sparks that shot out all over her body. She turned, smiling when she saw her mate was holding his t-shirt out for her to take. RickyJo took it from him eagerly, pulling it down over her head and taking a long deep breath. Her hair tucked inside the collar and she lifted it out, fluffing it up and letting it fall down her back. The scent of it washed over Dixon and for a moment, he had to shut his eyes and regain focus over his other senses. Like he had the night before, he offered her his hand.

“I believe we have a lunch date,” he said. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her green eyes were sparkling. When she smiled, she nearly took his breath away.

“That’s right,” she confirmed, “...we do.” RickyJo turned back to her friend. “So I guess Wyatt can deal with these two rogues and go hunt down their pregnant sister by himself. Because I have important LUNA business to do.”

RickyJo turned back to Dixon, putting her hand in his. As they walked away, Wyatt was hollering after her, still laughing as he apologized and told her to come back and help. Dixon laughed when she simply thrust her middle finger in the air, not bothering to even turn around.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying…,” he started. RickyJo glanced at him, expecting him to feed her some silly bullshit that wasn’t true about how she was going to be a fabulous luna and throw the best parties ever. But instead, he looked her up and down and told her something else entirely.

“...You look good in my shirt.”