Startled out of sleep, I opened one bleary eye to find Ouida erupting out of the midst of our warm entangled pile. Stars above, she was a beautiful sight to me, even with that fearsome frown marring her dark brown sleepy face. And she was all mine... well, mostly mine.

For the length of our yearlong Fertility Festival I had to share her body as well as our den with Xen, Usher and Brax--members of the pack's Enforcer League and my Lieutenants. Much as I didn't like the situation, it being a rare occasion for wolves to share a mate, Westyn had decreed it, making it pack law. I am the enforcer of our laws so I of all wolves must obey. However, as soon as this festival ended, I planned on making damned sure their three furry butts hit the bricks. Got the hell outta Dodge. Vacated my den.

Judging by the stomach-twisting fumes rising on the chill early morning air in the wake of Ouida's thrashing movements, someone had cut the cheese--stinky cheese at that. My tongue lolled in a wolfish grin. I wouldn't have to wait til the end of the year to be temporarily rid of some of our excess baggage. One or more culprits would be exiting this morning.

Drowsy whines and grumbles sounded as the other wolves, all in fur to help keep our human mate warm, shifted seeking more comfortable positions.

"I'm not playing with you guys. Whoever Dutch-ovened me better get their funky butt out of my bed." She fanned the blankets, scrunching up her nose at the smell she inadvertently stirred up.

Brax let out a long, pitiful whine, which told me he was the guilty one. I swallowed a bark of laughter because I knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough, Ouida asked, sounding betrayed, "Brax, that was you?"

He lowered his head and whined pitiably, having no defense for his smelly offense.

Our mate sucked in a cautious breath. When next she spoke, her outraged tones declared there'd be no mercy offered. "Dude, that's just nasty!"

Brax's tail thumped twice in half-hearted hope. He tucked his head down, nudged her foot with his nose and licked her toes in a blatant attempt to play on her sympathy.

Yeah, good luck with that. From recent experience, I could have told him begging wasn't going to work.

"Out!" Eyes narrowed down to a determined squint, Ouida pointed a stiff finger toward the bedroom doorway, impervious to Brax's pleading whimpers. "My mom used to say, 'If you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas.' She didn't know the half of it. Our agreement was no fleas and no farts. If you can't keep the bargain, you got to get out!"

Brax turned entreating eyes toward me, but I had no sympathy. He knew damned good and well Ouida was the boss in our bed. I ignored him to cuddle closer to my mate, burying my muzzle against her pillowed hip to muffle my snickering. No way was I getting in between them and risking being tossed out, myself.

With another pitiful whine, he slunk out from under the covers and padded toward the door, casting woebegone glances back in the hopes of being recalled.

I snickered again. Like that was gonna happen.

With Brax gone, Usher was fast to act on the opportunity, quickly moving into the vacated position on the other side of our mate. He moved away even quicker when Xen snarled and snapped at his flanks, claiming the spot by reason of superior rank.

Along the length of my body, Ouida's body stiffened, telling me she wasn't comfortable with what had just happened. Or maybe she wasn't comfortable with Xen being so close to her in fur. He'd tried to take advantage of her during the pack ceremony and though that had been over four months ago, she still hadn't forgotten it. Now, she deliberately gave the wolf her back as she scooted under the blankets and turned on her side to face me.

In the short time it took her to get comfortable, I shifted to biped and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer so her large, cushiony breasts, plush and giving, mashed against my chest. As always, my cock hardened and rose between us to prod the full curve of her belly, her soft skin growing damp as my pre-cum wet her flesh.

"I want you," I whispered, hoping we hadn't worn her out last night, knowing we probably had. Last night was the first of the full moon and our blood had run hot and high...

Xen, Usher, Brax and I joined with the pack hunt. Being free to range the land in our true form was an unimaginable adrenaline rush. Nothing compared to coursing far after game, taking down the prey and drinking its hot, bubbling blood, ripping into the tender flesh of the fresh kill.

My three lieutenants and I took down the first stag of the night, tearing into the steaming carcass to get at the prize--the still-beating heart. I claimed the first bite, careful to leave a portion for the other three. We'd shared the hunt, we would share the reward. Howling our triumph and joy, we called the others, willing now to share the good fortune of plentiful meat.

We flushed out a goodly number of hares, most of which we shared with the orphans and elderly among the People since we'd be carrying none home to Ouida. For some reason, she wouldn't eat hare meat, claiming the relationship with them she felt as a result of what she'd gone through last winter.

Instead, we set aside a few hefty hunks of venison, wrapped in a portion of the deerskin. She'd eat that, but not before burning it over flames until she'd practically ruined the meat. I allowed her to retain some human foibles because I loved her, but I knew I'd soon have to begin weaning my female from her unnatural habits.

Alphas don't usually carry packs, but Brax and Usher were willing to be our beasts of burden since it was for Ouida. It helped that they were beta to Xen and me. We shifted long enough to fashion halters for the skin pouches from limber twigs and twisted leaves. Once we finished attaching them, we relaxed into our true forms and headed home. Baying joyously, we raced each other, our paws eating up the distance in seemingly no time.

She was waiting for us on the porch, her dark skin gleaming under the light of the full moon. Her teeth--a wide blunt-edged row of startling white--were bared in her human expression of smiling and she'd already launched herself from the wooden platform before we shifted into bipeds.

"Wait until we can catch you," I cautioned, rushing to intercept her before her round, plump bottom hit the dirt. I eased her down gently, waiting for her feet to touch the ground before looping my arms about her waist.

She went up on tiptoe to kiss me and laughed. "You guys always catch me, though I can't understand why you haven't put your backs out hefting this big butt of mine around."

Xen came up behind her, growling at her words. He cupped her ass and squeezed until her soft flesh stood up around his fingers. "I love this beautiful ass and I'll hear nothing negative about it, or I'll be spanking it as I fuck you."

I bit back a snarl, wishing I'd thought to say that when Ouida turned bright eyes on Xen and flung an arm out to drag him in for a hearty press of lips. "Sometimes you know just what to say to make my day!"

I tightened my arms around her, drawing her attention away from that damned smooth wolf. "I'm about to make your night."

"Oh yeah?" She tipped her chin up and mock scowled at me, looking like an adorable pup trying to play grown up. "You and what army?"

"Usher and Brax reporting for duty... Sir!" The two stepped up to us, running bold hands over our female's hips and flanks, down her legs. "We'll gladly take kitchen detail."

She looked a question. "Kitchen detail?"

Usher skimmed a hand up her leg, ended with his palm covering her thatch of dense curls. "Where the heat is."

"Oh." Ouida's breasts quivered as her breathy sigh ghosted on the night air. Her thighs trembled, knees relaxing as Usher rotated his hand over her mound, sent a finger questing through the swollen labia to sweep her dainty channel. A sharp, sweet aroma burst from her skin, inundating the area with her arousal, causing all our nostrils to flare. We soaked in her beckoning scent, our cocks rising in response of the powerful aphrodisiac.

Still holding her by the ass, Xen flexed his fingers, pulling the globes of her butt apart to reveal her puckered anus. "I've got the rear covered... to make sure there's no retreat."

She blushed. The wash of color stained her cheeks a rosy dusky brown while generating a heat that radiated off her flesh, painting the night air with ribbons of hot fuchsia lust.

"I suppose that leaves me guarding the front lines," I quipped, dipping my head to capture a taut blackberry nipple between my teeth. The sharp nip I gave her made her squeal and tremble.

"Sounds like I'm in trouble." Her voice shook. She was trying to be calm, but we weren't going to let her keep anything from us. Not tonight.

I released her straining tip with an audible pop. "The moon is still full. Our blood still runs wild. Tonight, we brought down two stags and licked the hot heart's blood from our faces when we finished gorging ourselves on the moon's gift of fresh meat."

Usher pushed two stiff fingers past the fragrant, weeping entrance of her sex. "We gorged, but we're still hungry for another kind of meat."