Chapter 1
Handfuls
"Damn it... What's going on?!" came the shouts of the young wolf demon, his booming voice echoing through the main area of the cave. He walked in, his hands in fists and an aggravated look across his face. He didn't like to be disturbed so early in the morning, especially with such a ruckus. The cave was filled with chatter.
"Koga, it's been a long time." an elderly man spoke up, his once thick and long brown hair now brittle and light gray in colour. He was sitting on the floor of the cave, in a white and blue kimono, clearly no longer in fighting spirit. He had grown much too old.
The man who had just yelled in aggravation became momentarily quiet, surprised at who was a guest in his cave.
"Elder... this is unexpected. What brings you all the way out here?" he asked, his voice much calmer now. He walked towards the man, the demon wolves clearing a path for him. Koga sat down cross legged before the elder demon.
"You should know the answer to that without asking by now, Koga." the elder replied with a serious expression. Koga didn't respond so the elder continued. "You still have not chosen a mate. I understand you're just getting over things with the demon Naraku."
"News of that has reached even you?" Koga asked genuinely surprised. It was rare that the elders would hear of things like that, let alone have any real interest. With wolf demons, what happened in each tribe was left to that tribe and other tribes did not interfere or bother with it. So in the rare chance other tribes heard of things unrelated to them, they usually paid it no mind.
"Koga, many of your tribe was slaughtered. Of course such news would reach even our ears. To think you would go so far to avenge them..." the elder trailed off. "But that is not why I am here." he stated.
"So then... why are you here?" the young leader questioned. "I don't need a lecture on choosing a mate." he stated. He really didn't even want to deal with it right now. Naraku had been killed merely a year ago and Koga was still trying to get back into the swing of things here. After spending so much time pursuing Naraku, he had fallen out of the swing of things. He had forgotten how daily life seemed to work and was having a hard time adjusting - not that he would admit that to anyone.
The elder nodded, "The other elders and myself understand your feelings about Naraku. We understand your getting back into the swing of things here as well. If you wish to remain as leader of this tribe though Koga, a mate will be required. We also understand you may not have had the time to look, so we've picked one for you. I'm sure she'll be of great help to you around here as well." he exclaimed. As he spoke of this female, he looked to the woman who sat a short ways behind him. Koga hadn't really noticed her before, but then again, he hadn't really paid much attention.
The woman stood and walked over to sit beside the elder. She sat down on her knees and bowed deeply to Koga, her nose almost touching the floor. "Koga..." she spoke, her voice carrying an unfamiliar accent to the tribe leader. She sat up and looked to him, her deep teal coloured eyes quite serious and calm. She hid her emotions well, but he could see the wildness hidden behind her eyes. "My name is Zeva. I come from one of the tribes in the south." she introduced. She was well mannered, likely raised that way.
She was a beautiful young wolf demon with dark, tan skin. She had waist long, snow white hair that had a straight cut, though unevenly. It looked like someone took great care to cut each part evenly, but didn't have it even up with every other group of hair. The perfect example was her bangs, most ended at her eyelashes, but there was a piece that was longer, falling all the way down to her cheek and didn't match up with the rest at all. Two large groups of hair fell in front of her ears and down her front, over her breasts. They were shorter than the rest, only reaching the middle of her forearms. Other then that, she had a good figure, he could easily see why they had chosen her. She had large breasts, a slim waist, but most importantly, good sized hips, perfect for bearing children.
He sighed, looking away from her. His eyes met those of the elder once more. "I'm not interested." he stated, making his thoughts clear and unquestionable. The young female, Zeva, seemed completely unaffected by his statement. Most woman would be stunned or offended. The elder on the other hand had very different feelings as his expression grew more serious and grim, his already wrinkled brow wrinkling more.
"Koga, let me make this clear to you. If you do not produce a mate by the next full moon, a new tribe leader will be elected. You can choose Zeva or another, its up to you. She will remain here until then. I hope that you have made a decision upon my return." the elder stated before standing up. He wasn't giving Koga any time to argue over this. After all, this wasn't the first time this conversation had been brought up to Koga by the elders.
Koga might be young for a tribe leader, but there were still some rules so to speak. It was important for the tribe leader to have a mate and later children. It showed stability and understanding. It meant that he understood what the families in his tribe had to go through, caring for their families and doing their duties within the tribe.
Koga sighed, "...Damn it..." he muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair. The elder was already out of the cave, followed by a few wolves that had come with him. The young woman, Zeva stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"Well you can't just sit there sulking. Get up. Lets go." she demanded. She glared down at him, her nose wrinkled. He paused, looking up at her. This was a sudden change in attitude. From how she spoke earlier, he had expected that she had been raised as the child of one of the head elders, but now this didn't seem to be the case at all.
"And where exactly are we going?" he asked, giving her a blank expression. She had his attention now, if nothing else, but he wasn't about to take orders from her. That just wasn't going to happen. He was the alpha male here. This was his tribe and thus, he was in charge. He didn't really care who or what she was.
"To your room, obviously." she replied, pursing her lips together. She had very little patience. Of course, his mind went straight to bed, which of course, didn't sound like a bad idea to him. He hadn't had a woman in a little while now, over a month.
She must have known what he was thinking as she started glaring down at him, hard. "Get your mind out of the damn gutter!" she snapped, her voice like an angry hiss and laced with a thick venom. "That's where I'll be staying, so I should know where it is!" she barked, looking angry. She was fuming. He found it strange that she would be so angry over such little things, like his sulking and now his rather perverted thoughts. He was sure there was something else bothering her.
"...Fine." he replied, finally getting back up to his feet. He moved his way through the wolves and towards the back of the cave. He paused, "And the rest of you... Get back to work!" he snapped, turning back briefly to give the tribe a dark look. He wasn't about to listen to anymore gossip and chatter. They had work to do. Instantly, the demons hurried about to follow the order, some going to guard like they should have already been doing, others going to hunt, and more.
Koga turned back and went down a narrowed passage way through the caves, taking turn after turn through the maze of seemingly endless tunnels. They were deep within the caves before he came to an end, reaching a bear pelt that hung over the final opening. He moved it aside and held it open for her to enter, which she did.
The room was simple, holding a handmade wooden dresser in the far right side of the room, a large straw basket sat besides it, for dirty clothes she assumed, and a bed made up of multiple animal pelts and silk. There was a fire pit in the center of the room that looked like it was used daily. Extra firewood sat piled up neatly by the entrance to the room. It lined the wall in piles.
She seemed pleased as she looked around and finally sat down on the bed. Koga closed the curtain and looked to her. She had said that she came from the south, but he had his doubts. Usually those of the southern tribe had black hair, but hers was snow white. Her wolf pelt skirt though was black. Her armor covered her chest but left her stomach exposed. She didn't have any shoulder pads either, the armor held in place by only straps over her shoulders. In the south, they covered more usually to avoid getting burned by the hot sun.
"It's impolite to stare." she hissed, looking up at him from the bed. She had her knees close to her chest with her elbow resting on her leg. She had her chin sitting her hand as she looked up at him.
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall across from her, "Then why don't you answer a few questions I have?" he suggested, though it sounded more like an interrogation demand.
"Ask away then," she replied, shifting positions. She moved her hands onto the bed behind her, leaning back.
He paused a moment, trying to decide how to phrase his questions. "...You said that you come from the south..." his eyes grew serious, looking into hers. "Your physical experience says something else." he stated rather suspiciously.
She gave a small laugh, seemingly amused. "So suspecting. You're not quick to trust are you?" she asked, looking back into his eyes. "I guess that's good for a tribe leader. You can't be too careful." she commented.
"Just explain it." he demanded seriously.
"Alright. Alright." she replied, smirking now. "I wasn't lying when I said that I came from the south. My parents on the other and came from the deep north. After my father died, my mother couldn't handle the cold winters in the north while caring for me. So she went south where she had friends and the weather was easier to handle. She was much older when she had me, so winters weren't too easy on her." she explained. She didn't seem to mind or even care about having to explain all this to him.
He nodded. That made sense, so he let any further suspicions go on the matter. However, he still had one more question. This one though, he didn't expect she would be so easy going when it came to answering.
"Why did you get so angry earlier?" he asked, keeping his question simple and direct. As he expected, her light hearted expression quickly changed. She glared up at him.
"I think you have bigger, more important things to worry about." she scoffed rather coldly.
He decided to rephrase the question, following his suspicions. "Is it that you have no interest in this set up either?"
She paused, "What do you mean?" she questioned, turning her head away from him some. Her eyes never left his though, only narrowed.
"Having a mate chosen for you. Someone you've never even met." he clarified. He was curious.
"Of course I don't have to be with someone I just met, but it's not my choice, now is it?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing further into a deep and angry glare.
He smirked a bit and walked over to her. "You're right. It's not." he moved close to her, leaning down and whispering into her ear, "It's mine." his breath was hot against her ear, sending a shiver up and down her spine. Her hands quickly went to his chest, trying to push him away. She was stronger than he had expected, but still nothing compared to him.
He grabbed her arm, forcing her to lay back on the bed. The sudden action drew a small, surprised yelp from her rich, full lips. He pinned her there, his legs on either side of hers, his hand still holding her shoulder, his other leaning beside her head so he didn't put too much of his weight on her.
"Move." she demanded darkly. She clearly wasn't okay with this situation.
"Why should I?" he asked, giving her earlobe a light lick. "You technically belong to me." The smirk across his face grew, showing his fangs. He was going to enjoy this.
"I belong to no one." she argued angrily. Her anger was seething.
"Being my mate makes you mine." he stated, biting her ear lobe lightly and pulling it. She flinched at the feeling, not that it hurt. Her heart was starting to race in her chest.
"I am not your mate, Koga." she hissed, moving her head, forcing him out of his place against her ear. He looked down at her.
"Oh really?" he ran his tongue over his fangs. He moved his hand from her shoulder and cupped her chin, forcing her head to the side again. Once he had access to her neck again he moved back down, this time, giving her neck a long lick. He went down from her ear to the base of her neck. "I could change that right now..." he commented against her sensitive flesh. He ran his fangs over her neck, letting her feel how easily he was able to mark her. If he wished to, he could right now.
As gasp and shiver parted her lips at the feeling. Such a simple action sent feelings through her she hadn't felt before and she wasn't alright with that. "Don't you dare, Koga!" she quickly snapped. Her voice more frantic now.
He noticed the change in her voice. It interested him. Was she afraid of him? Afraid of having a mate? Or was it something else? Still, he wasn't about to let this chance go to waste.
"Alright... Then listen up," he started. That caught her attention as she looked to him from the corner of her eye. He moved up to her ear. "Until the elder returns or I say so, you are to play the part of my mate." he stated, smirking.
She paused some, giving him a curious look. What was he planning? She didn't understand at all. "...What... do you mean?" she questioned hesitantly.
"You'll do everything that I say, down to the smallest detail. You'll act exactly as you would if you were my mate. That simple." he pulled back slowly, their faces only maybe an inch apart. His eyes met hers, showing his unwavering in his proposal.
Zeva paused, reluctant in accepting, but at the same time she didn't want him to just go and mark her either. She was hoping that maybe by some stroke of luck, he would perhaps find someone he wanted as a mate. Someone who really wasn't her. Settling down, especially with an alpha male was the last thing that she wanted.
She bit down lightly on her lower lip, cringing a bit at this idea. She didn't like or want to be controlled. The idea of settling down, even if it were just a temporary act, it was like torture to her. She was a fighter, not a babysitter, and that's just how she saw women with mates. They did everything for their mates, their husbands. They waited on their hand and foot. It made her sick.
Still, temporary was better than permanent and if this, by some chance could get her out of this permanent situation, she would gladly accept.
"I will agree if... you also agree to search seriously for a mate." she replied. Her nose was crinkled in disgust. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. Had she gone completely insane?
He seemed to ponder it for a moment before allowing the smirk to cross his features once more. "Fine then. Sounds like we have ourselves a deal."
"Good, then get off of me."she demanded, looking away from him. There was a light red across her cheeks that she tried desperately to hide, but it was clear as day from his view. He chuckled a bit.
"As you wish…" with that, he did in fact get off of her and went to leave the room. "Wait here a few minutes, I'll send someone in." Before she could ask what this person was coming in for, he had left the room. She sighed some and sat up, waiting for this person to come in. She was still confused, but waited regardless.
As Koga said, a few minutes later, a person did come in. It was a female wolf demon like herself. She wasn't very tall, just barely five foot. She had short, shoulder length, perfectly cut dark brown hair with princess cut bangs. She had rather light toned skin for a wolf demon, but regardless. Unlike Zeva however, this woman wore a kimono which was a basic blue with off white flowers flooding the bottom and start of the sleeves. On her arm was a somewhat large basket. It wasn't too big, but big enough for Zeva to wonder what was in it. She couldn't tell and from the size, it could hold a good amount of objects.
The woman gave a small respectful bow to Zeva. "My lady, welcome to our tribe. My name is Sarasa. I'll be your personal assistant while you're here." she explained.
"Are… you the person Koga went to get?" Zeva asked momentarily. She just wanted to be sure.
The woman, Sarasa, smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's correct." she replied and with that, she walked further into the room, going immediately over to the dresser. She opened the bottom drawer and started taking things out of the basket and placing them into the drawer.
'It must be Koga's laundry or something then…' Zeva thought to herself. She stood up and started to move towards the hanging pelt, intending to leave the room.
"Good. While you're up, you can get changed." Sarasa spoke up suddenly. Her senses were sharper than Zeva had realized. "Here, get changed into this." she stated, standing up fully again. She had pulled something out of the basket and suddenly pushed it into Zeva's arms. It was a kimono and matching obi. Zeva just stared at them for a moment, mouth slightly dropped open. Sarasa headed back to the basket, intending to go back to what she was doing.
Finally, Zeva spoke up. She gave a dry laugh. "You have got to be kidding me!" she said suddenly. Her words had caught Sarasa off guard. The woman stood up straight again and looked back to Zeva.
"Is something wrong? Was my sizing not correct?" she questioned.
"You really expect me to wear this kimono?" she asked. "I'm a warrior, not some housemaid." she snapped, giving the woman a dark look.
Sarasa gave her a look, possibly one of annoyance. It was hard to tell on this woman's face. "This is what the mates here wear. You're acting as Koga's mate during your stay here. You're not a warrior. He is. You're his mate. You take care of things here." she stated clearly.
Zeva gave her a look, pursing her lips once more, an eyebrow raised. "I told him I would act as his mate. I never said that I would dress like some housemaid." she hissed.
"Lady Zeva, you can't get any work done in that armor. This is how things are." Sarasa stated, her words coming out like a hiss.
"We'll see about that." Zeva challenged before storming out of the room with Sarasa quick on her heels.
"You are being ridiculously stubborn, my lady!" she snapped, looking irritated.
Zeva completely disregarded her words though as she followed Koga's scent through the caves. The kimono clenched carelessly in her hand. It didn't take her long to find Koga either. He was getting ready to join the other wolves in the hunt.
"You have another thing coming Koga if you you think I'm going to be wearing some crap like this!" she snapped, forcing the kimono into his unexpecting arms. He quickly took it though, his body acting before his mind could keep up. He blinked and looked at the beautiful kimono.
"Is there something wrong with it?" he questioned, looking rather confused.
"I'm not a housemaid!" Zeva snapped angrily, her anger fuming.
Sarasa came out following her and quickly bowed to Koga. "I'm sorry, Koga-sama! I -"
"It's fine." he told the bowing and frantic woman. He looked back to Zeva. "If you won't wear this, then what will you wear?" he demanded to know. "And don't say you're armor, that isn't happening." he stated, wanting to make that perfectly clear right now.
She glared, "Then at least let me pick something of my own liking!" she hissed.
He sighed, not wanting to argue with her. "...As long as it's reasonable, I suppose." he responded, giving in to her request. It wasn't entirely unreasonable. "It better not resemble armor or anything alike and you had better look like a woman in it, not some fighter." he stated, looking to her seriously. "You're my mate at this point and that means settling down. Like it or not."
"Fine." she snapped back. Anything was better than the kimono, she was sure of that.
"Good, then Sarasa, find her something reasonable, please." he instructed, giving the kimono back to the dark haired woman.
"Yes, of course." she replied with a nod. She looked back to Zeva, "This way then, please." she requested before leading the way. Zeva didn't hesitate to follow.