The Camp
Hermione was overcome with a sense of peace. For once her soul, body, and mind felt content. This surely was heaven. Slowly peeking through her sleep-sewn eyes, she was greeted with a harsh light. Quickly shutting them, she knew this had to be the afterlife. A smile slowly stretched across her face as she realized that soon she would see all of those she had thought she would never get to see again. Stretching her arms above her head Hermione enjoyed the peaceful feeling. Slowly she cuddled back into the warmth behind her and let herself fall back asleep.
Small nudges against her neck brought her from her peaceful state. Hermione's eyes shot open as she held perfectly still trying to survey her surroundings. She could make out a small wooden end table and part of a very familiar deer hide blanket. She was still in Fenrir's cabin. A large hand was massaging comfortable circles on her hipbone as warm breath graced the hypersensitive skin along her neck.
"Finally awake, love? … Your increased heart rate gave you away."
Hermione's body went rigid at hearing the Alpha's voice.
"I will take that as a yes."
Hermione continued to have a hard time setting her thoughts straight. Here in this man's arms, she felt stronger than she had in days. How easy would it be to live out the rest of her days just like this? She could just lay here in this content state for the last few days before she perished. Hermione relaxed back into his body. "Tired of fighting, darling?" Fenrir asked. She let Greyback roll her to face him. Looking up into his eyes she was surprised to see how deep blue his were. Raising her hands, she placed one on his bare chest and traced his facial features with the other.
"I'm just tired of everything."
"I'm not as bad as you may think. This place won't be as bad as you think either. Different than what you are used to, but not bad."
Hermione didn't reply as she traced his now still lips saying, "They're softer than I would have thought."
A bemused smile started to form as he answered-
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I thought they would be tough like you are."
A snort came from the Alpha as he kissed the pads of her fingers that rested there.
"You think me tough?"
"Yes."
"See the trouble is, all you know of me is my reputation and all I know of you is the same. Let's play twenty questions."
Hermione smiled as she continued to look up at the Alpha. "You know about twenty questions? That's a Muggle game."
"There are many Muggle pack members. As a pack, we don't care about wizarding lineage. That would be your first question."
"You have Muggles here?"
"Yes. That was a waste of question number two, dear."
Hermione became lost staring into his eyes.
"What do you love the most about being Alpha?"
"Let me show you."
Hermione nodded her head. She didn't know why she felt so at peace, but she knew that in this moment she felt loved. Not the love she was used to like a parent to child, or from a friend. For once, she felt the love of a partner. She felt as if she was exactly where she needed to be.
She threaded her fingers through Fenrir's shaggy hair as he captured her lips. No other kiss she had ever received was equal to this one. Ron's had been sloppy. Harry's had been the awkward reassurance of a friend in need. Viktor's had been skilled and pleasant, but missing this very thing that was stealing her breath from her body.
She didn't need to breathe, see, hear, or taste as long as she could feel him right beside her.
As she pulled his hair tight in her fist, Fenrir let a primal growl escape that promised of pleasurable punishment. Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione lifted her leg to Fenrir's hip and pulled him above her. Lacing long legs around his hips.
Her hands ran down his chest and back, searching for any exposed skin they could find.
Reaching down between them, Hermione traced the waistband of his jeans. Above her, she could feel Fenrir stop breathing. In anticipation, Hermione held her own breath. She grasped the button from what must have been a very worn pair of jeans, and easily slipped the metal ring through the buttonhole. As she reached down for the zip, Fenrir suddenly lets out a pained whimper.
Hermione's hands shot away from the material as she looked into his eyes, They were closed as if fighting off some intense pain. She felt him gasp in air as if he had been starved of it. Several moments went by as he caught his breath. Finally, he looked up, making eye contact with her. He seemed to be looking for something in her gaze.
Slowly, he pulled away and stood from the bed. Walking to a set of shelves on the far wall, he pulled a fur bundle from it and started back towards her.
Quietly, with out looking at her, he says, "The bond wouldn't let me."
"I don't understand."
Fenrir tossed her the item he had taken from the shelf and ordered her to dress.
Hermione looked down at the black fur dress before pulling it over her body. The high quality of the dress was unmistakable. She could imagine high society Muggle women wearing something similar as a coat and hat.
Fenrir removed the chain from around her ankle and pulled her close, saying-
"It is time for you to see what you are so willingly passing up."
As they walked from Fenrir's cabin, the whole camp seemed to still. There had to be at least a hundred people in sight. The Alpha nodded his acknowledgment before the camp became reanimated.
"Why do they do that?"
"Part of it is respect. The other part of it is survival. The Alpha's job is to make sure that he commands his pack in a calm, resourceful manner. At any time, my orders may be life or death. If they are not heard, or a member is not paying attention, it may result in the downfall of the entire camp."
Hermione simply nodded her head as they continued towards the center of camp. Looking around at each member, she noticed they were all busy with one task or another. There was still a handful of guards posted along the out skirts, women carrying woven baskets of clothes, and children gathering berries not far off the paths.
"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you don't like something you see."
"No, I don't like the way the work is split up. Women had to fight for the right to be treated as equals. I think this is a slap in the face for all the progress we have made over the years."
Fenrir nodded his head as if he was agreeing with her. He could see the passion for the debate in her eyes and knew that he would not win this one any other way.
"A lot of the Muggle pack members we have agreed to this. It is easier for a wizard to accept this lifestyle because that is the way it is in many wizarding families. I personally think it would be acceptable to have one of the guards to teach hand to hand combat and the use of weapons to those willing to learn."
The surprise in Hermione's voice was clear, "You would agree to that?"
"Under one condition."
Hermione simply lifted an eyebrow at the Alpha in response.
"We will not take it easy on them. They have to earn that rank like the rest of the guard."
"I think that is reasonable."
"There are many problems with the pack that I do not know how to fix. I am hoping that we were chosen to be together because you hold the answer to these problems. One particularly has been bothering me."
"What is it?"
In answer, Greyback simply led her to an overgrown trail from the camp. A fifteen-minute walk led them to a set of six badly constructed tents. Peeking out from one of the flaps was a grungy faced little girl with matted blonde curls.
The little girls face darted back into the tent. There were hushed whispers before an adult came to stand before them. Her dirty blonde hair seemed to be cut at several different lengths and angles. Her green eyes seemed impossibly bright.
"Elizabeth, this is Hermione. She will be the new Madam Alpha. I have brought her here in hopes of her coming up with a solution to the situation at hand."
Elizabeth curtsied as tears of hope gathered in her eyes,
"That would be wonderful. Please let me introduce you to the others."
At Hermione's nod, Elizabeth gathered others from the tent, She first introducing her daughter, Emily, and soon Hermione knew the names two other couples and their children. Each had very worn clothes and were covered in dirt.
They took another trial away from the small camp, this one a little more worn in. Hermione spent several minutes contemplating the small, nearly homeless child. It seemed as if Fenrir wanted to help them, but why were they kept from the rest of the pack? How could he let a child go with out? Her building frustration must have begun to show because Fenrir started to explain with out her needing to ask him to.
"They aren't from our pack. Their packs have abandoned them. Elizabeth is from a pack that we are unfriendly with. Her mate is Travis, one of the guards. Little Emily is his, of course. The others are from packs that are much stricter than I am and punish small infractions harshly. They want in our pack but we can barely provide for ourselves. We cannot afford to take in more members."
"That's awful! They can't just stay out here hoping not to starve to death! There's a child to think about, Fenrir! We have to help them!"
A small smile graced Fenrir's face as he looked down at his witch. "Yes, I agree. First, though, I think we need a bath."
Hermione let out a protesting shriek as Fenrir lifted her over his shoulder and carried her into the river she had somehow not noticed.
"It's so cold! There has to be another way! Please-" Simply throwing her in the deepest part of the rushing river Fenrir laughed as she reemerged with wet curls in her face.
"That was a vile thing to do!"
"It's better this way, love. Like a plaster, you have to do it quick."
"Like a plaster? Here let me help you with your plaster!"
Splashing a surprised Fenrir in the face Hermione took off in the water, trying to run from the inevitable retaliation. It wasn't long before he caught her, and dragged her under the small current with him. They spent much of the afternoon in the water.
When Hermione's lips started to turn blue, they moved to the riverbank where they found a patch of warming sunlight filtering through the trees. Picking berries from a bush beside them, Hermione gave a handful to the man beside her. They talked for hours about stupid things like childhood memories and favorite colors. Occasionally Hermione would pick fun at him, calling him a show-off for throwing the small berries into the air to catch with his mouth.
As dusk started to set and the air became chilled, Fenrir pulled Hermione to her feet and helped her dress. Leading her back to camp she saw the fire in the middle was roaring and most the camp was cuddled around its warmth.
Fenrir sat in any empty spot to the left of Derek. A tall redhead was sitting in the spot next to the Alpha. He simply motioned for her to move and with a pout, she did so. Fenrir pulled Hermione down beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Soon two members brought them a plate from the roast over the fire.
As Hermione ate, she looked around at the pack around her. On the other side of the fire, there was a group of four teenage boys who looked to be showing off for a few girls close by. The adults told pack stories to those around them and a few younger children ran around playing a game of chase.
Hermione had slowly been lolling into a sleep when a small girl came up to her.
"Madam Alpha?"
Hermione saw what must have been the mother of the child hiss disapprovingly and reach towards the girl to pull her back. Fenrir held up his hand at the mother as a gesture to let the girl continue.
"Yes, honey?"
The girl smiled approvingly at Hermione's endearment.
"I was wondering if we could braid your hair."
"You want to do my hair?"
"Yes, madam."
"I think that's a lovely idea."
Hermione said, smiling back at the young girl.
"Is it okay if the others help?"
"Well, I do think that with my hair you will need all the help you can get."
The little girl giggled and Hermione was swarmed with young children.
An hour later Hermione's hair was in two beautiful braids with flowers interwoven. The children had all been called to their cabins for the night. The only ones left around the fire were Naomi, Derek, Fenrir, and herself. Naomi moved to sit beside Hermione as the men talked pack business.
"You finally seem to be settling in well."
"Today has been wonderful. I am still confused on some things about the pack. I do think I could really make this a home though."
"What things are you confused about?"
"Why do some women wear Muggle clothes and other wear furs?"
With a small chuckle, Naomi began to explain that the women in Muggle clothes were unmated females. All the men wore Muggle clothes because it was easier to move about if an emergency happened. The females in furs were those that had been mated. It was a way of showing that their mates could provide for them.
"Doesn't that seem a bit-?"
"Old fashioned? Yes, but it's just the way things are done around here. Just think of it as another culture, each society has one."
Talk continued through half the night before Fenrir deemed it time to get sleep for the up coming day. Leading her back to the cabin, he picked her up bridal style at the door and carried her to the bed. After he laid her down, she reached out for him.
"Please, stay with me again tonight."
"Of course, love."
Fenrir said, lying on the other side and pulling her close.
"Today you made me the happiest I have been in a long time."
"You are not happy with your pack?"
"I am as happy as I can be when something vital is missing from my life. I have been alone for a very long time."
"You don't need to worry about that any longer, Fenrir."
"I hope you are right, little one. Let us sleep tonight and deal with tomorrow as it comes."
Hermione snuggled into his warmth and drifted off to sleep listening to his steady heartbeat.
Hermione awoke to an early morning chill starting to set into the cabin. Shivering, she stood from the bed and walked to the far side of the cabin, looking at the shelves that held the clothes Fenrir had given her. Flipping over each garment, some being Fenrir's, and others belonging to feminine or child sized, Hermione looked for a blanket to cover them.
Not finding one she decided to look over the rest of the house.
There was no throw over the living room couch and no linen closet tucked away that she could find. The kitchen boasted of custom counters with a small pattern hand carved into several of the wooden posts. Running her fingers along the design, she noticed the wood started to splinter in some areas and little spots that seemed to be crudely cut or mistakes in the pattern. Definitely not decorated to the standard they were made to. Though her hopes weren't high, Hermione checked each of the cabinets for a secret stash of covers.
Not finding what she was looking for, she moved from the kitchen. As she stood in front of the cooking pot, a glint caught her eye. From across the cabin, she could see the moonlight shinning on the silver chains that had bound her.
Panic started to set in as her mind started remembering everything she had been fighting since she arrived. This man who had made her laugh, and forget all her worries, was no man at all. He is a monster, a cold blood killer.
If she gave into this lifestyle, she was giving into everything she had fought against in the war. She would never get to see her friends again. She had already left her cousin behind and had not even thought of her in the last few days. Being surrounded by this maniac was turning her into one.
She slowly backed away from the scene and, from the images in her mind. Feeling the doorknob behind her Hermione grasped at it like it was the last lifeline. She could run away. Right now he was sleeping. She could break away from this insanity.
As she thought these words, her throat seemed to close on its own. Unable to breathe Hermione lifted her hand to her throat, hoping to find a way to free herself. The pain of a thousand hot knives raking over her skin brought her to her knees.
Her vision fading before her she felt two strong arms hoist her off the hard floor.
"I was scared of this, little one."
Air entered her lungs as she felt the soft surface of the bed under her. The cold metal of the chain entrapped her ankle once more. Silent tears rolled down her face as she heard the front door open and close once more, leaving her in complete silence, cold and alone.