Follows Full Moon Rising
Disclaimer: In MY head they're mine....sigh.
Warnings: Violence. M/M sex implied. Some treacle.
Pairing: Chris/Vin
Feedback: Please. I like to know what works in a story, and how the hell else will I find out? LOL
Chris Larabee smoothed one big hand down the glossy neck of the mare he was brushing out, eyes on his job, but his keen ears keeping an easy vigil on his overly curious young mate. Vin was busily exploring the spacious horse barn in lupine form, happily poking his keen nose into anything that caught his interest. The younger man felt more secure in his familiar wolf shape, although in the past week he had gained more confidence about assuming his human aspect with Larabee's gentle encouragement.Larabee chuckled softly as a bushy, wagging tail disappeared into an empty stall. So far in the morning's adventures the young lupine had narrowly avoided being kicked in the head by an evil-tempered stallion *bad*, had gotten in trouble for chasing the chickens *funny fat birds, Chris, feathers!*, and had nearly stuck his curious nose into a hidden wasp nest. Since his abrupt and unexpected arrival in Larabee's life, he had kept the older man alert and on his toes.
The newly formed bond between them throbbed and sang with an invisible, continuous undercurrent of half-formed thoughts and emotions that only muted with sleep. Chris' bleak, desolate landscape of a life had suddenly been flooded with new light and color. That sweet, abiding, absolute love hummed through his soul like an electrical current. It still overwhelmed him at times. A broad, silly grin split Larabee's face at the thought...Vin loved him. All of him, the good and the bad.
Larabee was slowly introducing his shy new love to the other members of the Medicine Bow lupine community. He had sternly forbidden the entire pack to descend upon his ranch at once to meet Vin. It rankled Chris that he was considered the unofficial alpha of an offbeat pack that he had no real interest in heading. He was a quiet man who had prefered a lone, private life. It was mainly for Buck's sake that he had allowed the monthy Full Moon gatherings to be held at his isolated horse ranch.
At the ranch, it was safe for the pack to meet and freely assume lupine form without fear of discovery and recrimination by their human neighbors. They could meet and hunt in 'skin without worrying about being hunted themselves. Chris had taken to going off on his own during this time to maintain his privacy, and to avoid Mary Travis' increasingly bold advances. The white lupa was nothing but a pale, frigid shadow compared to his memory of the vibrant, loving Sarah.
The problem was that Mary was beautiful, accomplished, and accustomed to getting whatever she wanted. Larabee's indifference had only fueled her desire. She wanted him, and was determined to have him. Maria had been more subtle, at least trying for friendship first, before attempting seduction. They both only succeeded in annoying the lean blond. Larabee scowled, irritated with the thoughts of the blindly persistant females.
They had the right to formally challenge Vin at the next gathering if either chose to do so, but Chris had no problem whatsoever with the concept of ripping the challenger apart afterwards. That was HIS right as well. Christopher Larabee might be a lot of things, but a prize to be fought over wasn't one of them. No one touched his beloved young mate, and walked away unscathed. No one. Male or female. He would die before he lost the bright soul sharing his life now.
An outraged feline yowl followed by a startled, pained canine yelp snapped him out of his dour ruminations. He looked over the bay mare's back just in time to see Vin tumble backwards out of the stall, followed by an irate, fluffed out, bouncing, hissing bundle of teeth and claws. Chris fought hard to maintain a straight face and lost, as Vin scrambled to take refuge behind him, abruptly morphing into human form, one hand clamped over his scratched nose.
Grinning, Larabee wrapped a comforting arm around Tanner's shoulders. Wide, tearing blue eyes sought his. "Let me see, sweetheart." Gently he peeled the grubby hand off Vin's face, to reveal a neat row of bloody scratches across the bridge of his nose.
"What did I tell you about Ripley's kittens?" he chided gently.
"K-kitty cats!"
"That's right, kitty cats, but she doesn't like it when a big, bad wolf pokes his nose in her nest of babies."
"N-n-not bad!" Scowling, Vin struggled to voice the unfamiliar words, all righteous indignation.
Chris chuckled at the insulted look on the young man's face. He dropped a gentle kiss on the scratched nose, then gently tongued the injury. He smiled as Vin's lashes drooped with pleasure, and he tilted his face eagerly up for more. So hungry for Chris's touch, for his love. Larabee bent his head and cupped the sweet face, tenderly kissing the small wounds, the lush mouth. Vin murmured with pleasure and nestled close, as he eagerly returned the kiss.
Chris broke free reluctantly and smiled down into hazy, blue eyes. Better stop now, or they would literally be rolling in the hay instead of finishing the chores! THAT had been happening a lot lately...
"I know that, but mama kitty doesn't. Maybe she thought you were going to eat her babies?"
"I n-not eat k-kittys!"
"Well, maybe you better tell Ripley that," Larabee chuckled, and tousled Vin's curly head.
It had taken half a bottle of conditioner, scissors, a comb and a lot of kisses and sweet talk to tame that mane. Almost a foot of matted, hopelessly snarled, dreadlocked hair had been sacrificed to Larabee's shears. Much shorter now, the unruly golden brown locks brushed Vin's shoulder blades. Vin hurrumphed as he marched back to the stall, still the picture of naked indignation, to where Ripley sat on a hay bale smugly washing her fat, polydactal paws.
Chris watched fondly as Vin cautiously stooped and crooned a soft wordless apology to the smoke gray cat. She narrowed reproving, leaf green eyes at him, but relaxed soon enough to purr loudly and bump heads with the young man. It was his lupine form she had a grudge against. Larabee turned back to the bay mare, smiling to himself as Vin and the mother cat vanished back inside the stall. Soft crooning sounds, as well as matronly feline chirrups and tiny meeps emerged from the hay as Vin happily greeted each of Ripley's tiny, fuzzy babies.
+ + + + + + +
Larabee finished turning the fillies out into the side corral, then turned to squint at the sound of an approaching vehicle. He relaxed as he recognized Josiah's battered old station wagon. Vin had taken an immediate liking to the big lupine shaman. From their bond, and Vin's mangled word skills, Chris had learned that Sanchez vaguely reminded the young man of his beloved grandfather.
Chris latched the corral gate and strolled up the drive to meet the big man. Sanchez gave his alpha a toothy grin as he emerged from the rusty vehicle, then bent and removed a cardboard box from the back. He offered it to Larabee.
"Clothes. Nettie, Rain and Inez have been busy. Vin gave 'em an excuse to go on a major shopping mission, but I thought your boy might want a few used things to run around in. At least until he gets used to the idea of wearin' 'em."
The big man displayed the soft, loose, flannel, cotton and denim items. The two men shared a broad grin. No matter how often Larabee patiently explained, Tanner remained mystified by the neccessity of wearing clothes in the summer.
Two days ago he had given the UPS lady an inadvertent visual treat when he innocently strolled stark naked around the corner of the house, happily munching on an apple, with Josiah patiently ambling behind in pursuit, a pair of jeans folded over one arm like a faithful valet. Chris had signed her clipboard and taken his delivery with a totally straight face, giving no indication that he had seen a thing.
"Buck coming out?"
"Yep. Brother Ezra is tagging along today. That boy has been about to die of curiosity. He can't wait to meet Vin."
Chris snorted. Next to Vin, Ezra was the most inquisitive lupine he knew. The man simply could not restrain his curiosity about anything that caught his interest, which had led to his having been chased out of more than one pack. The fact that he was a trifle lightfingered as well, didn't help. Larabee was looking forward to seeing how the fastidious, priggish Standish reacted to his wild nature child.
The plan was to introduce each pack member gradually to Vin. So far he had met Buck, Nathan, and Josiah. Vin was still a tad wary of Buck, the tall man's sheer stature and boisterous nature a bit intimidating to the slight young man. But the big man's open friendliness and innate gentleness (combined with liberal bribes of sweet, tasty snacks) was rapidly eroding Vin's mistrust.
He had been fascinated by Nathan. Jackson had been the first black person he had ever seen. Jackson had been gently amused by that, and had patiently allowed Vin to shyly examine his skin and hair. In turn he had given Vin a brief medical exam, assuring Chris that other then being a bit underweight, he seemed to be in good health.
"Where's our boy today?"
Grinning, Larabee gave Sanchez a brief update of Vin's morning adventures and tussle with Ripley. Vin adored her kittens and spent hours with them. Laughing together, the men walked down to the barn. Vin greeted Josiah, proudly displaying each fuzzy kitten, and the big shaman solemnly commiserated with the young man over his scratched nose and the dangers of moody mama cats.
Gravely, Sanchez pointed out that such a grievious wound needed to be treated with more respect and at least deserved the honor of a band-aid, so they all adjorned up to the house for lunch and the first aid kit. While Chris heated up chili and made sandwiches, Josiah dabbed Bactine on the scratches and applied a colorful Simpsons bandaid, which Chris dutifully admired. If the incident reminded him of Adam and his childish injuries, he gave no outer sign of it.
+ + + + + + +
Ezra P. Standish was both fascinated and repulsed by the uncouth, untidy, childlike man his alpha had chosen as a mate. To his horror, and the amusement of his companions, Vin appeared equally fascinated with the debonair, snappily dressed southerner. After sniffing him curiously in an entirely overfamiliar way (and sneezing furiously at his expensive aftershave) Vin had shyly fingered Ezra's brightly colored sports jacket, and nearly strangled him by tugging on his silk tie.
Carefully, and for the fourth time, Standish peeled inquisitive fingers out of his pockets. Mr. Tanner apparently had no concept of personal space. At least Mr. Sanchez had succeeded in coaxing him into a tee shirt and a pair of jeans, under the guise of trying on his new clothes! At Buck's knowing chuckle, Ezra glared at the ladies man over Vin's tousled head.
"Ah blame you for this Mr. Wilmington! This habit is entirely your doing!"
"Now Ez, the boy is just getting to know ya."
Buck grinned broadly at the southerner's discomfort. Vin had greeted the big beta with a shy hug and quick nuzzle, then happily searched his pockets for the ever present treats the man carried. Buck had only beamed at the young man's pleasure when he discovered a Hershey bar tucked in Wilmington's vest pocket. Larabee had just shook his head, knowing there was no stopping Buck. He had done the same thing when Adam was alive.
"Look on the bright side Ez, at least you don't have a moustache for him to try and peel off."
Larabee grinned at Wilmington's wince at that memory. Josiah chortled, remembering Vin's innocent comparison of Buck's prized moustache with a wooly caterpiller. Buck scowled at the older man, huffed and folded his arms over his broad chest.
"I'll have you all know, Junior likes my moustache."
"Is that why he pets it every time he sees you, Mr. Wilmington?" Ezra sniped waspishly, as he firmly removed his antique gold pocketwatch from Vin's curious grasp. Trying for a distraction, he gave Vin his silk, embroidered hankerchief instead. Satisfied for the moment, Vin sniffed it and examined the embroidered initials, then went to show his new prize to Chris.
"Letters. They're letters.They stand for Ezra's name," Chris explained patiently.
He sighed at Vin's puzzled frown. There was so much that Vin was unfamiliar with, or just relearning. Sometimes it worried the blond. Such innocence could be dangerous. Especially in the dual world of a shapeshifter.
Picking up on his shift of mood, Vin nuzzled his mate's jaw, wide blue eyes searching the older man's face. Larabee smiled down into the anxious face and dropped a light kiss on the bandaged nose. Reassured for the moment, but staying close, Vin went back to examining the soft square of cloth, his calloused, grubby fingers gentle as they stroked the silk and plucked at the elaborate embroidery.
Glancing up, Chris caught the unguarded look of amazement on Standish's face, which he quickly masked. Larabee didn't realize that his own tender smile had been the cause. To his knowledge, Standish had never seen Mr. Larabee smile at all in the time he had known the laconic rancher. The lean alpha's tenderness to his young mate was...astonishing. Standish prided himself on being able to judge a man's character by observation. What he saw now, expanded his view of Chris considerably.
Josiah cleared his throat. "I was thinking that Miss Nettie might be interested in tutoring Vin. She was just saying the other day that she was bored with retirement."
The feisty elderly widow had taught grade school for thirty-five years. Chris nodded thoughtfully. That might be just the thing for Vin. He had to be kept close, cloistered at the ranch until he became more socialized, but he also needed to learn about the modern world as rapidly as possible in order to adjust. Vin had been running wild for most of his young life, before he had answered Chris's lonely song. At least it would be a good start.
+ + + + + + +
Mary Travis turned down into the long drive from the access road towards the Larabee ranch, slender hands clenched on the steering wheel of her Lexus. She knew she was risking Larabee's wrath by arriving uninvited, but she simply could not wait to talk some sense into the man. She had flatly refused to believe Buck at first when he had announced that Larabee's chosen mate was male, and she definitely refused to believe that nonsense about a bond between the two. Chris had been alone for too long, it had unbalanced him. She would just have to force him to see the truth in his horrible mistake.
Chris had walked Josiah and Ezra to the car, Standish having decided to catch a ride with Josiah back into town while he still retained most of the contents of his pockets. Buck and Vin were on the porch. Vin seated at Buck's feet examining the deck of cards he had liberated from Ezra's jacket pocket, while Wilmington gave him a simple lesson in numbers and counting.
The unexpected crunch of tires on the gravel drive down to the house had five alert heads swiveling around to eye the uninvited guest.
Larabee swore under his breath, Josiah frowned, and Ezra shifted his stance so that he stood slightly behind the larger man. Buck groaned aloud at the sheer, stupid audacity of the woman. Curious, but unalarmed, Vin glanced from face to face trying to read their expressions. He looked up at Buck and made a small, interrogative sound. Buck soothed him wordlessly with a gentle pat on the head.
Larabee had unconsciously straightened to his full height, and turned to face the woman, his hands on his narrow hips. He watched as she got out of her car and boldly walked up the drive, his handsome face impassive. He could sense Vin's innocent interest in the woman through their bond, and his increasing excitement at the sight of a slender female that subconsciously reminded him of his lost mother.
"Mary."
She blinked at his arctic tone, even as she stubbornly lifted her chin and boldly met his eyes. She ignored the others and refused to even glance in Vin's direction. Swallowing hard, she held his gaze, reining in her growing anger at his icy indifference.
"We need to talk, Chris," she said, mouth set in a prim line.
"About what, exactly?" He folded his arms across his chest, cold green eyes on her face.
Before she could reply, they were interrupted by a soft, husky voice. Vin stood beside Chris, eyes on Mary's fair face. Shyly he reached out a hand to touch her pale hair, awed by the sight of the first female he had seen close up in years. He turned wondering eyes and a crooked grin up to his mate's face.
"S-s-soft, Chris!"
It was the first time Vin had verbalized Larabee's name aloud. The other word was one he had previously associated only with his kittens. Chris gave his young mate a gentle smile. Mary saw that loving smile directed at the young interloper, caught the mingled scent of their desire for each other, and saw her dreams vanish before her eyes like mist. She lost all control. She was snarling with rage before she shifted, and in a heartbeat leapt straight for Vin's offguard, vulnerable throat.
She had time to sink sharp fangs into the forearm he had thrown up in the unconscious reflex that saved his life, before hard hands with a steel grip wrapped around her own throat and tore her away from Vin, a deadly, bass warning growled into her ear. Chris Larabee had lunged in and hauled the white wolf off his astonished young mate, one big hand knotted in her ruff, the other clamped over her windpipe.
He held her up at eye level and shook her viciously, one hand steadily choking her towards unconsciousness before he slammed her down on the hood of Josiah's car with enough force to make Ezra cringe, and held her there. Bending to look her in the eye, his own face a mask of rage, he hissed a command; "Shift, you bitch!"
Instant obedience was the only thing that saved her life. She shifted painfully back to human form, her pale blue dress half off her body, gasping for a breath as Larabee never lost his grip. An unconscious whine of fear was mercilessy choked off, and she came near to pissing herself, as she looked up into the pitiless green eyes of the blond alpha who held her down so easily and realised just how badly she had fucked up.
She had attacked another lupine without fair warning, provocation, or formal challenge. Worse, she had attacked in wolf form while he was still in his vulnerable human aspect. She had attacked the mate of her alpha, who outranked her. She had broken pack law. The best she could hope for was shunning or banishment, the worst, death. Tears of pain and humiliation ran down her face, and she closed her eyes in defeat, slumping bonelessly in Larabee's iron grip.
Reining in his desire to rip her throat out took massive self-control for Chris Larabee. He forced himself to take a deep breath and shift his grip from Mary's trachea. He knotted his fist in the thick, ash blonde hair at the nape of her neck instead. He could sense Vin's surprize, pain, bewilderment and sheer hurt feelings through their bond, and his main desire was to hold and comfort his mate.
Still pinning the woman down with one big hand, he straightened, then deliberately raised his voice and spoke clearly and formally. Around him his pack members stilled, alert and waiting for his words.
"Hear me. If I ever find you on my property again Mary Travis, I swear by the Moon, our Mother, I will nail your hide on my wall. If you dare harm or challenge my mate in the future, I WILL rip you apart afterwards. Do you acknowledge me?" He rapped her skull smartly against the hood for emphasis, and she yelped as she saw stars, and sobbed out her answer.
"I hear you. I-i-i obey."
Larabee raised his head, lips still drawn back from his teeth, eyes bright with rage, and deliberately, coldly stared down his men, one by one. Buck felt an awed chill raise the hair on his nape, as he realised he was witnessing Chris Larabee TAKING control of the Medicine Bow pack. Each man quickly lowered his eyes in acknowlegement and submission to the blond alpha's will. He spoke again, this time addressing them directly.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yes, Chris."
"Aye, brother."
"Indeed, Mr. Larabee."
"Do you acknowledge?"
"Aye!" This time they answered firmly, in unison, the required third verbal agreement, formally witnessing and acknowledging Larabee's oath.
With a last feral snarl in Mary's flushed, gasping face, he gave her one savage shake, dropped her and stepped away, deliberately turning his back to the woman. Vin was huddled in Buck's protective embrace, blue eyes narrowed with pain in his pale face, bloody, injured arm held close to his body. He was trembling slightly with adrenaline, and shock. It was the first betrayal of his innocent trust. He had been too shocked even to shift to his safe, familar lupine shape.
Wordlessly, Chris held open his arms and Vin stumbled into them, burying his face against Chris' warm throat, seeking the only comfort and love he knew in the world. Chris held him close, resting his chin on the curly head. He took another deep, calming breath, feeling the bond throbbing with emotion between them. He closed his eyes and hugged the younger man tight, swaying slightly, almost rocking him; drawing comfort from his mate's scent and warm presence.
Behind him he heard Mary cough, shift painfully and try to sit up. Lifting his head, he spoke quietly.
"Josiah, see that Mrs. Travis gets home. Ezra, go get Nathan. Buck, help me with Vin."
He bent and scooped Vin easily up in his arms, cradling him close, and headed for the house. Buck trotted ahead on long legs to open the door and grab the first aid kit. Ezra gave the woman slumped in front of Josiah's vehicle one contemptuous look, then mutely accepted Sanchez' keys. Josiah bent and silently helped Mary stand, one big hand under her elbow. He picked up her shoes and helped her adjust her torn dress, then propelled her gently to her own car, belted her into the passenger seat and took the driver's side.
She slumped in the seat, clutching her shoes, head back and eyes closed, tears ran down her face in a continuous, burning, hot stream. She could feel her bruised throat swelling. Her skull ached, and her spine felt bruised as well. Sanchez's continued silence as he drove spoke for itself. Larabee had deliberately turned from her, and banned her from the Gathering. His pack followed suit. The Medicine Bow lupinii would now turn their backs, and literally cross the street if they met her in public. She was shunned.
Continues in Another Country
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