For The Love of An Alpha

Bonding

Jay knelt on the dirt floor in his arms for over an hour. It wasn't until the tears had slowed and her breathing calmed that Henri helped her to her feet. She was exhausted and all she wanted was sleep. Once more Henri pulled his shirt off and put it over her body.

"Girls going to need at least two wardrobes." Sebastian remarked as he came over to the pair.

Jay chuckled nervously as she looked to the tall man. His deeply furrowed brow showed signs of concern, his worry for his future Luna washed over her. She looked to Eli who bore a similar expression. They both cared for her and barely knew her. Jay felt Henri's hand grace the low of her back as they started to walk back to the house. Jay hadn't gone horribly far, less then a mile. The four of them walked in silence, Jay's eyes on the floor. She was ashamed of her actions and she didn't want to know what everyone thought of her now. She wanted to turn and run. Every time she thought of it, the pain in her chest would start. Her heart couldn't take her walking away and she knew it was a cowards move. She steeled herself as they came around to the front of the house, preparing for the onslaught of horrible looks and words. But none came.

The front was empty and as they entered the house, the kitchen was bustling with only a few people. The woman from earlier moved about the dining area, humming. She nearly flitted about like a bird. Her light chocolate skin was flawless, with her black curly hair held back with a head band, looking soft and fluffy to the touch. She turned and smiled to them as they entered the dining area. Her caramel brown eyes danced with delight at the sight of them. Her smile was wide and welcoming. She was lean and long limbed, reminiscent of a flower dancing in the wind.

"You must be Jay!" She rushed over and hugged Jay tightly. Sebastian walked behind her mouthing "I'm sorry", as Jay stood there awkwardly. 

"Oh look!" Eli said from across the room, "Cookies."

"Don't you dare!" The woman charged over, quickly distracted from the red head. "Those aren't yours." She slapped Eli's hand and he laughed loudly at her actions.

Eli winked to Jay and then took a seat at the table.

"I'm Asia." The beautiful woman spoke as she lifted the plate of cookies from the table. "You must be starved. Patrol can be exhausting." She walked out of the room into the kitchen.

Jay stood at the table, unsure of what just happened. Henri pulled a chair out for her and Eli stood from the table as he did. All three men stood about the table and watched as Jay took her seat. Once she did, they too sat down. Jay looked at them like they had ten heads, all the while she was ringing her hands in her lap. She was nervous, the fight out front still playing through her head.

"Stop." Henri whispered, as he put his hand in between hers. He gave her a soft smile, his left hand coming to cup her right cheek and draw her in. He kissed her softly.

Jay felt her heart quicken at his touch and the kiss began to mend a small part of her that was broken. When they pulled apart, she took a slow deep breath and smiled at him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, just being near him seemed to soothe the burning she was feeling in her bones.

Sebastian and Henri were filling in Eli of what happened on the patrol. While they were talking Asia had returned with two other people and food. They sat around the table, the three men taking up the majority of the conversations. Jay smiled as they began to explain the witches, nearly spitting her bacon across the room when she heard Sebastian say that they were "bathing in some weird red goop".

"Liquid Fire." Jay laughed, correcting him.

"Are you sure?" Eli asked her, his attention now on the red head, as she reached for a napkin.

"MMhhmm," she nodded her head. "Absolutely. I could smell the blood and herbs." She picked up her bacon and began to eat calmly. "I'd never seen a coven union of that size, but the incantation was unmistakable."

Eli stared at the woman, dumbfounded and impressed. He shook his head and continued the conversation. "A union of that size would take immense power. They couldn't use just any blood for that, they would have had to use..." his voice trailed off as what he was about to say dawned on him.

Jay missed the social inclination and finished the sentence calmly, "Werewolf blood. Lots of it by the looks of the puddles." She took a bite of her toast and looked about the table. "What?" Her voice muffled by the toast.

"How can you say that so calmly?" Asia spoke softly, her eyes reflecting the shock in her voice.

Jay shrugged. "132."

"Pardon?" Sebastian said from Jay's right, at the end of the table.

"What?" Henri asked from her left.

"One Hundred and Thirty Two." She said it slower, "That's how many witches I've killed. Forty eight coven unions demolished." Jay wiped her mouth with her napkin, "Two hundred and thirty two vampires and two hundred and eighty two warlocks," she looked to the ceiling and then corrected herself. "Nope, two hundred and eighty three, I forgot the one from a few days ago." She lifted her cup to her lips and drank of the orange juice as the table went silent. "What?" She looked around, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Henri quickly chimed in, "It's just we've never encountered anyone that's hunted that much."

Jay sighed and rolled her shoulders. "I've been alone since I was eight, I was a target and only had my wolf to guide me." She looked to Henri and then to Eli who was on his left at the other end of the table. "At some point I just stopped being hunted and took the fight to them."

"Jay," Eli chimed in carefully, "have you heard of the Lunar Codex?"

"I haven't, but it was referenced in the Edict of the Eclipse." She looked back to Henri, "I would love to read it if you can get a copy."

Henri smiled and nodded at her, "We have one," he looked to Eli and sighed. "I'm sure Eli can show you where to find it when we're done here.

Jay smiled softly as Henri looked back to her. "I'd like to nap first I think."

The table all chuckled and the mood shifted.

"Jay, I have to know," Asia started as two people came in and began to clear the table, "how do you like Henri's room?"

Jay took a brief pause, recalling that Asia had decorated it. She wasn't overly fond of it, but she decided it was best to mention what she was fond of. "That rug is amazing!"

Asia's face glowed at her comment. "Have you sat in the chairs yet?"

Jay shook her head.

"They are plush! You sink right in them." Asia's excitement becoming contagious in Jay's spirit.

Jay's brows shot up and a smile came across her face. "I think I know where I'll be reading at from now on." 

The two girls laughed and Sebastian began to pull Asia from the table, covering her neck with kisses and distracting her. Asia's laughter became contagious as Jay began to laugh with her.

"Alpha," Sebastian nodded to Henri, "Luna," he nodded to Jay, "I need to steal my mate away." He smirked as he lifted her from her chair, throwing her over his shoulder he carried her away. Laughter trailing behind them as they continued their conversation.

"I like her." Jay said, watching them walk away.

"Good." Henri stood from his seat and offered Jay his hand. 

Jay stood from her seat and took note of the glint in Henri's eyes. "NO!" Her eyes went wide as Henri's grin spread. In one quick motion he had Jay on his shoulder and he was taking the stairs two at a time.

"Come get me when you're up!" Eli shouted after Jay, laughter roaring up from his abdomen. He sat there for a time, looking around the empty table and replaying the morning in his mind. 

She's stronger than you think. Eli's wolf spoke to him calmly.

That's what I'm afraid of. Eli sighed and stepped from the dining room to the family room. A few younger wolves were playing video games and an elder female sat in a chair knitting something. What if she takes on too much?

You care for her?

Of course! Eli defended himself, She's our Luna. With that statement he felt his wolf puff out his chest, his words repeating in his head. Our Luna. He started to wonder when he accepted her entirely, but he knew when she yelled he had to defend her. He took a seat on the back porch, watching a handful of wolves rough house and tackle each other.

He recalled hearing her howl and scream. His heart raced and he knew she was in trouble. At the same time, he was ready to defend her from the Alpha when he yelled at her. Sebastian had said the same thing, and they both worried. Would they let their Alpha fall to defend her? Could they protect their fearless leader if she was also in danger? So many questions flurried around his head.

He stood on the porch for a while, his eyes scanning the yard and the forest beyond it.

"Beta!" A man came jogging across the yard to him.

"Jacob." Eli jumped the railing and landed in the soft grass. He had debated taking the stairs, but they were the other direction and it was only three steps.

"There was another witch found in the Northern perimeter." Jacob spoke, he was naked and out of breath. "I hurried here as soon as she was down."

"Thank you." Eli clasped the man on the shoulders, the dampness of his sweat making the sound loud. "Wait here, I'll get the Alpha and Gamma. They'll want to talk to you."

Jacob nodded his head as he took a seat on the grass. 

Eli turned on his heels and ran back in the house, jumping the railing back over the porch as he went. The red railing jostled lightly and he made a note to secure it. He ran through the family room, jumping over couches and through video game views, receiving yells and screams as he hurried through the room. He slid to a stop at the end of the hallway and took the stairs 4 at a time, pushing his legs to their limit. He rounded the corner to the hallway to the Alpha's apartment, nearly colliding with Henri.

"Hey! Whoa!" Henri put up his hands and halted Eli.

"There's another witch." Eli spoke as quietly as he could, "Jacob's in back. Said it was on the Northern perimeter."

Henri sighed and shook his head. "Grab Sebastian and meet us out back."

Eli nodded and took off up the next flight of steps to Sebastian's apartment.

Henri watched him leave and then walked calmly down the stairs. He turned down the hallway and entered the family room. The game paused as he walked through, the young men nodding to their leader.

"Alpha." They all greeted him.

"Hi boys." He said as he nodded back, stopping in front of the elderly woman, "They aren't bothering you, are they Mama Jones?"

"Oh no dear," she smiled up to him as he handed her the skein of yarn that fell from her lap, "they are rather comical."

Henri returned her smile and then glanced to the young men, who all smiled wide at their alpha. He shook his head and stepped out the back door. The teen boys were tackling each other as they tossed their football about. It was obviously just an excuse to tackle each other.

"Morning Alpha." One said, just before he was tackled to the ground with a loud "Oomph."

"Want in?" An older teen asked, offering up the ball.

"Maybe later." Henri looked around, "I was looking for Jacob."

They all pointed to the naked man that was sunbathing on the side of the house.

"You know, they make a thing called pants." Henri spoke up as he approached.

"Ya, but I would just have to take them off to shift in a minute anyway." Jacob stood from his spot on the floor. He was shorter in stature, standing just shorter then the alpha. His blond hair was long, coming to about his shoulders, his hazel eyes smiled as he looked beyond his alpha to the porch. Yelling was coming from the house and Eli came running out the door. Sebastian hot on his heels. They both jumped the railing to the porch and came running over.

"Really?" Henri asked as they both arrived.

"What?" Eli asked innocently.

Shaking his head he turned back to Jacob. "What's this about the North Perimeter?"

"Ya, so..." he started and then looked beyond to the teens that had stopped playing to listen in. 

"Sorry fellas." Henri said as he shook his, "Why don't you take the game around front."

Disgruntled comments came from the boys, but they moved quickly to the front yard. 

"You were saying?" Eli urged him.

"There was a witch on the North patrol." Jacob began quietly, "She was disposed of quickly, but there were supplies around the area for more then one witch." Jacob ran his hand through his hair. "I suspect there will be more coming."

Henri gave a low grumble and looked to his two go to guys.

"I've increased patrols and everyone is on overlapping shifts." Sebastian began, "Everyone travels in sets of three."

"Let's make sure that no one engages a witch if they are outnumbered. I don't want a repeat of last night." Henri spoke up, looking up to his bedroom window that overlooked the back yard.

"That really happened?" Jacob sounded exasperated. "I mean I heard rumors, but like," his voice turned to a whisper, "did our future Luna really stop witches from casting?"

Henri looked back to Jacob and read the situation slowly, then he nodded once. It was light and barely noticeable from a distance, but Jacob saw it.

"Shit." Jacob exclaimed, "She's bad ass!" He was grinning from ear to ear. "Think she'll be at training in the morning? I want to watch her knock the hazers into next month." 

"Jacob," Sebastian broke up his moment of revelry, "head back out on patrol. I'll be on patrol around the house until dinner. Any issues you let me know."

"Aye sir." Jacob gave a fake salute and shifted, running off into the woods.

Eli was scratching the back of his head, his eyes on the ground as he tried to process everything. "Umm, Alpha," he started, "I do need to talk to you about the Luna."

Henri groaned and rolled his head back.

"Seriously," Eli looked to Henri, "you need to know I almost went after you this afternoon. I barely stopped myself." He watched the look of shock on Henri's face.

"He's not the only one." Sebastian chimed in. "If she hadn't pushed you down, I don't want to think what would have happened."

"Something snapped." Eli looked between the two men as they walked back to the house. "Like I had to defend her with my life."

"She's not our official Luna yet and she's already got us." Sebastian looked at Henri, "What's it going to look like after the ceremony?"

"Trust me guys," Henri tried to reassure them, "I wanted to punch myself once my voice raised. Her knocking me on my ass was the best thing for all of us."

They had reached the house and were walking up the stairs. 

"That woman..." Henri sighed, his voice trailing off as he looked down the hall to his apartment. "I heard the mate bond was strong, but when she howled." They had stopped at the hallway and Henri turned back to face them. "I thought my heart was being torn in two. I was dying from the inside and I knew I'd die if I didn't get to her."

The three of them looked at each other in silence. It was a long moment that they stood there before they had a silent exchange. Nods, tight lipped grins and hand shakes sent them all off on their missions. They all were trying to figure out what was going on. If this woman could affect them this much, then the affect of the pack being under her influence could send the pack spiraling out of control. Or, it could make the pack work so in sync that nothing could stop them. Henri truly hoped it was the later.

He entered his apartment quietly and stepped back down the hallway to his bedroom. The soft sounds of Jhera sleeping brought him great comfort. Kicking off his shoes and undressing, he climbed into bed alongside his mate. Wrapping his arm about her waist and pulling her naked body close, he wondered if he could wait until the Luna ceremony to claim her. The full moon was still a week away, and everything in him wanted her now. He felt himself begin to hunger for her, his erection growing and pressing against her firm rear.

With Jay's back pressed tight against him, he brought his hand around to her front and began to lightly tease her c**t. The soft moan that escaped her lips brought him great pleasure. He continued to massage the sensitive bud, his right hand coming underneath her body and wrapping around. This gave him full access to her breasts, as he loved to hold them and massage them. His right hand held her left breast in his hand, massaging it slowly and occasionally pinching the tender bud that greeted him eagerly. Jay's breathing was increasing and her pulse quickened. 

"Henri," Jay half whispered from her sleepy state.

"Shhh.." Henri whispered in her ear, "Just enjoy it."

Jay's head fell back against Henri, her eyes closed and she let her legs fall open as she leaned further back. Henri slowly slipped a finger through folds, listening to the soft moans coming from Jay's throat. His mouth moving along her neck, kissing and nibbling softly. Dipping one finger inside her core, and then removing it. He returned to the sensitive c**t, and gave it his full attention. Her hips began to buck, she was hungry and she needed him.

"Henri..." her voice pleaded for him.

"Shh.." Henri kissed her. Pulling his arm out from under her, he climbed above her. Nestling his hips between her thighs, he continued to kiss her lips and massage her tongue with his. His lips kissed down her jaw and along her neck, taking the time to nibble at the sweet spot where he would claim her. The primal growl that came from her chest told him she wanted it, but he quickly moved on. Making his way to her breasts, he took one bud in his mouth while he massaged the other. Jhera managed to get a hand between them and reached low, grasping his erect member firmly. She began to stroke him and he stopped his current task, his blue eyes dark and hungry. He kissed her hard, grabbing her hands and pinning them beneath his own. Jay didn't fight him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and gave him full access to her.

Henri lined himself up, holding back for a moment. "I don't want to hold back." He was panting heavily, and Jay could feel his muscles twitching.

"Don't hold back." Jay nibbled his bottom lip, "I want all of you." Her gray eyes were dark with lust.

Henri didn't hold back, he slammed into her core hard. Jay released a scream from her lips. "More..."

He took the command willingly, thrusting again harder. He released her hands and brought his arms under her, holding fast to her shoulders. Jay grabbed firmly to his back, her legs wrapped tight around his waist. With every thrust he hit the most tender of spots within her.

"You're mine!" Henri growled in her ear.

"I'm yours," Jay mewled beneath him.

"Mine." Henri said it again, thrusting hard.

Jay growled and moaned, "Yours." She was almost screaming, "I'm yours." Her back arched and her o****m raked her body. Her toes curled and her nails dug sharply into Henri's back. "Henri!" She screamed his name loud and clear as he too reached his high, his seed spilling deep within her walls.

They held each other tight as they rode out their highs. When they were done, neither wanted to release the other. As much as they wanted to get cleaned up, they both curled into each other and fell asleep.

Tonight he would talk to her about the Luna ceremony, but now they enjoyed each other. Jay relaxed into the warm scent of maple leaves and Henri embraced the tart carnation in his arms.