Chapter 7 Mates
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh
Atem awoke relatively early the following day. He and his new mate had run back up to his favorite mountain top where he had mounted her once more, mating her again as close to their sacred full moon as he was physically able. He glanced down to see his new mate was still sleeping soundly beneath him, his member still buried deep within her.
With a reluctant sigh Atem climbed off his mate and stretched. He needed to hunt, as her mate as well as her Alpha it was his job to provide for her. Which included providing her with a good meal following their joining.
With the setting of the moon came the return of Atem's sense of logic. Something he had never truly missed during the light of a moon. Human emotions and logic tended to dilute what was a very basic and primal night. He and Yami had mated, as many of his pack had expected would happen. He himself had even expected it to a certain degree, just not necessarily last night.
His pack had had a problem. A problem in the form of not enough females for all the males. And because wolves mated for life no one, not even the Alpha, wanted to be bound to someone just for the sake of having a mate. Perhaps that desire for a meaningful partnership was born from their human side, but whatever the source one thing remained clear. Mating's were sacred. And mating's were for life.
Before Duke had attacked Yami Atem had been considering looking outside the pack for a potential mate. There was another Were pack about sixty miles to the north, over the mountains and on the other side of another massive human settlement. He and Seto had discussed him reaching out to see if there were any unmated females, but Duke's attack on Yami had put an end to that plan before it had even born fruit.
So, when Atem had interrupted Duke's attack and his pack came to understand they would be gaining another female pack member Seto had suggested that Atem personally help her to adjust. Atem had not been blind to the possibility of a connection developing between the pair. A part of him had hoped one would be born but he wasn't going to force the issue. If it had not been meant to be then he would have turned his attention elsewhere.
Yami had certainly been different than any of the females in Atem's pack, and that difference had not solely been due to her having been raised a human. She was deeply drawn to him and he had figured out that first day that his scent was able to calm her, a fact that he had made good use of while helping to guide her through her transformations.
Now, every Alpha had a powerful scent. That was a fact. He remembered Mana telling him when they were younger that he stank something awful. However, no female in his pack had ever really been drawn to his scent, not like Yami had been. He had noticed it even in human form while he held her in his arms she kept burying her face in the crook of his neck. No matter how he shifted she always repositioned herself so that while she slept she was still able to breathe him in.
That had been a promising sign. Her own scent was one he too had enjoyed, although he was strong enough to not allow a scent to over whelm his senses. No matter that she smelled like the fresh water and lavender, a truly refreshing scent that he did enjoy breathing in.
However, the most promising sign had been when she had purposely begun to try and, to use a human turn of phrase, flirt with him. When she had stood up to him in front of the pack and demanded that he not address her as a bitch that had been a sign to every wolf in the entire pack that she wanted to be his mate. By calling her a bitch Atem had been telling Yami that she was just another unimportant female in his pack. By Yami demanding that he view her differently she was telling him, and everyone else, that she wanted Atem to see her as an equal.
Turning away at that point and only dealing with the disrespect had taken every ounce of his self-control. A primal part of him had almost wanted to pin Yami beneath him in the middle of the clearing, and not with his foot like he had done. And don't get him started on the whole thing with his pants! As an unspoken rule, clothing is made and repaired by the female of a given family unit. No one had touched his clothing since he had become the pack Alpha, because it was understood that that role would fall to his own mate when he took one. When he had given Yami his pants the pack knew that eventually he was going to take Yami as his mate. It was only going to be a matter of time.
Atem carefully crept through the forest. He was hoping he'd be able to find his new mate a deer. The drive to find a good meal for her was powerful, he needed to demonstrate that he could provide for her and any pups she was able to provide him. Atem crouched low as he came upon a good sized buck, bringing down a buck without the aid of his pack mates would be a challenge even for him. Every wolf knew those antlers were not just for show.
Atem crouched low in the brush, waiting patiently for the right time to pounce. Last night when he and Yami had gone out for their run he had truly intended for it to be just a run. However, when Yami stepped things up by beginning a mating ritual Atem's instincts took over. She had wanted him to mate her as much as he had wanted her. A part of him, thinking back, wanted to argue that if he'd still had his human logic at his disposal he would have known he needed to step back and tell Yami what was going on. Make her aware of the consequences of her actions before proceeding. However, that logic was beyond both of them last night.
The buck carefully began to pick his way through the trees, moving even closer to Atem's hiding spot. Just a few more feet, then you're mine. Atem thought to himself as he watched the buck continue to approach him. Atem held perfectly still, his eyes locked on the buck as it took three more steps, almost passing Atem's hiding spot, leaving its side exposed.
Atem sprang from the brush his body slamming into the 185 pound buck, sinking his jaws into the buck's exposed side. The buck thrashed about, attempting to dislodge Atem's hold but Atem held firm. Then the buck moved just right, forcing Atem to loosen his grip allowing the buck to knock him off and flee. Atem was sprinting after the buck as fast as he could. Because the buck was already wounded he was moving slower than he normally would.
In an ordinary hunt this would have been the time his pack mates began to close in on the injured buck to help bring it down without allowing it to flee such a great distance. Atem continued to race after the buck before he once again slammed into the beast, this time managing to knock the buck to the brush. The buck kicked out at him and swung his head about wildly in a desperate bid for his survival.
But Atem was not to be dissuaded as he sank his jaws back into the buck's throat and ripped the flesh open. The buck was dead within minutes. Atem climbed off the buck's body before grabbed the buck by the back of his neck and beginning the challenging task of dragging the carcass out of the woods and back up the mountain top where his new mate was currently sleeping.
Next was going to come the difficult task of explaining to his new mate about their change in status. And I should probably inform her that she is more than likely carrying my pups. We'll know that for sure in a few days' time. Atem thought to himself as he tugged the buck out from the tree line and up to the beginning of the rocky slope. Although, given everything else his new mate is coping with perhaps Atem might be better off not informing her of that news until he knew for certain she was with pups.
Atem tugged the buck up onto the first boulder. If his new mate was pregnant she would carry for 120 days before she bore pups. Werewolf litters typically averaged between 2 and 4 pups, although litters as large as 6 pups were possible. He at least hoped one of the pups was female. Although more than one female would definitely be preferable, otherwise he had a bad feeling he was going to have to start permitting the younger generation to bite humans with their consent, something that he truly believed to be wrong and would only consider as an absolute last resort.
Right now there were eight pups currently in his pack. Six of which were male, which was already a possible problem. Were packs, bore some similarity to normal wolf packs in the sense that the Alpha and his mate do the majority of the reproducing. Unlike normal wolf packs the Alpha is not the ONLY one who can reproduce, however conception among the other mated pairs is a lot more difficult and the litters are smaller. There were 22 other mated pairs within his pack, only four of which had managed to have pups of their own and each of those litters only had two pups.
Atem sighed as he dropped the dead buck atop the mountain beside his still sleeping mate. Atem nuzzled his mate, breathing in her scent, a scent that to him became that little bit more potent since their mating. Atem shook his head slightly before he licked the side of Yami's face. His mate needed to eat and then they needed to talk before heading back to their den.
Yami slowly blinked open her violet eyes scrunching them up slightly as they no doubt adjusted to the sudden onslaught of sunlight.
"Atem?" Yami inquired before she yawned, her body unconsciously stretching as she awoke. Atem gave her face one more lick before he stepped away.
"I brought you something to eat." Atem grunted, nodding his head towards the buck he'd been able to bring down. Given that he had brought it down by himself Atem was actually pretty proud of himself. It was one of the largest he'd managed to ever bring down alone. Certainly the largest he'd brought down alone without getting himself injured in the process. He knew from firsthand experience those antlers were not just for decoration. Yami might not be able to appreciate his accomplishment for what it was, but he knew that he had proven what he needed to and that would be good enough.
"I can see that. What's with the mountain top breakfast?" Yami asked as she sniffed the buck before she sank her teeth into the carcass.
Atem sighed as laid down, positioning himself so that not only did he have a clear view of his eating mate but he would also be able to see any possible approaching threats. That was also going to be another adjustment on his part, he would be even more protective of her now, which would no doubt worsen when he could confirm she was with pups. "How much do you know about mates, Yami?" Atem asked slowly. If he was going to explain it he might as well start with what she had managed to piece together for herself. She had spent a lot of time with three mated females who no doubt had at least mentioned mates to Yami.
Yami stopped eating for a moment to look at him. "To be perfectly honest, nothing. I mean, I would guess it's kind of like dating or getting married something like that. I figured I'd learn in time since I'm way too young to be thinking about that kind of thing." Yami replied.
Atem sighed once again. Well, that was just a wonderful mindset for his new mate to have. "Then I suppose I will have to explain to you what mates are and how mating's work." Atem said slowly. A little bit late apparently, but there is nothing I can do about that right now.
Yami snorted, "Like I said Atem, there is really no rush. I'm probably not going to worry about mating for at least a few years yet." Yami replied.
"The term mate, refers to a life partner for Weres. This life partner is of course, also a sexual partner. Weres only have a single mate and that mate will be for the rest of their lives. My own mother, for example succumbed mere hours after my father was killed." Atem explained. That was a good opening description of mates. Yami should at least now have some sort of an idea what was going on.
Yami looked back up from her meal, cocking her head to the side in apparent confusion, "That's…very interesting Atem. I'll have to keep that in mind. Do Weres not do dating like normal humans?" Yami asked.
Atem snorted, "Weres have their own form of courtship, although that courtship is a lot more primitive than anything humans currently practice. The attraction is chemical as well as sexual. Pairs that are meant to mate will subconsciously take part in that courtship. Courtship which will ultimately culminate in the mating being…acted upon sexually." Atem replied that was about as delicate as he could possibly phrase it. Come on Yami, put the pieces together! Atem thought.
Yami nodded before she took another large bite of deer meat, "Good to know. Don't begin a courtship with someone unless I'm certain that I want to end up marrying them. I'll keep that in mind." Yami replied.
Atem sigh before he stood up and approached his mate. She cannot really be this dense, can she? Atem thought to himself. "Do you really not recall anything from last night?" Atem asked.
"Umm, there was a full moon. We went running. Played tag. You tackled me by the riverbank. You climbed on top…." Yami began only to freeze as she locked gazes with Atem, her eyes shining with the question she was not confident enough to speak.
"I mounted you and we mated. Yes. You recall the event correctly." Atem replied.
"But I thought you just said there was a courtship. We haven't been courting." Yami argued.
Atem snorted, "You and I have been courting practically since you've arrived here. Every member of our pack knew I was going to take you as a mate, it was only going to be a question of when. You were the one who decided on last night." Atem replied.
"I decided? I decided! I was swept up in the feeling of the run. I didn't have the sense to make a decision that would impact the rest of my life." Yami growled.
"And yet the wolf within you had decided last night was the night. Whether you like it or not Yami you and I are mates." Atem growled.
"You should have told me no! You should have waited until I even knew what mates were before you let me make a decision like that Atem!" Yami growled right back.
"And you have to know that I was just as swept up in the thrill of the run as you were. And that instinctually for me when a female that has been flirting with me, to use your beloved human terminology, for the past five days basically dares me to mount her you can't honestly expect me to refuse. As I said the entire pack knew that I intended to make you my mate." Atem replied. No, Yami was not going to get away with blaming him for what happened or trying to imply that he had forced the issue when he had not. Nor would he have.
"And you didn't think someone should have sat me and explained things to me. Especially if I was supposedly flirting with you. Shouldn't someone told me that? Shouldn't YOU have told me that?" Yami snapped back.
"And the three days you were sitting with Mana, Kisara and Serenity? You never once thought to ask why Kisara kept laughing at you. Yes, Mana told me all about that. You never once thought to ask what was going on around you! To us mating is second nature. Why would we automatically assume that it was not the exact same way for you? With Duke's bite you inherited the exact same instincts as the rest of us. Gods above you've certainly been acting on them." Atem snapped. He was not to blame for the fact that Yami had not thought to ask a simple question.
"BECAUSE NOTHING IS NORMAL FOR ME ANYMORE!" Yami growled. "I eat differently. I sleep differently. I talk differently. I've turned into an animal. For God sake even going to the bathroom has been a fucking adjustment. How could you possibly expect me to be aware of your mating habits?"
"Well, you're going to have to get used to it. Because like it or not you and I are mates." Atem growled.
For a moment Yami just starred at Atem before she tried to edge around him and leave the mountain top. Atem blocked her path. "Let me go!" Yami growled.
"No. You and I are going to work this out. You are my mate. That is a fact. It may be another change you have to get used to but that fact remains. Trust me, this is an adjustment for me as well. But we will get through this together." Atem said, which was true. He may have understood what being mates meant but he this was a whole knew experience for him too. Difference was he was more than willing to accept it and go from here. She was his now. Just as he was hers.
Yami once against attempted to dodge around Atem, this time instead of merely stopping her Atem knocking his mate flat onto her back before settling on top of her. Atem felt the desire to reclaim his mate all over again but this time he forced the desire back. Mating right now would only do more harm than good. She should be counting herself very lucky that I have such good self control. That and what appears to be a nearly infinite amount of patience with her.
"Get off me!" Yami snarled.
"No, not until you calm down." Atem replied she needed to listen to him. If she wanted to stay up here all day and discuss what it meant to be mates he would. He'd answer every single one of her questions no matter how long it took. And no doubt she would come to find out that being mated to him wasn't the end of the world her overly dramatic human mind was trying to turn it into.
"And you honestly think you laying on me is going to calm me down. Newsflash for you, it won't." Yami growled.
Atem's eyes seemed to flash before he leaned and nipped Yami on the side of her neck. He didn't bite her particularly hard, just hard enough to prove a point. Atem could actually feel some of the tension drain out of Yami's body. He knew using the mating against Yami at this moment was not fair but she needed to calm down.
"Are you calm now?" Atem asked.
Yami merely snorted but did not reply. For this moment in time Atem figured this was as good as it was going to get. He licked the side of Yami's muzzle before finally climbing off.
"Finish eating then you and I can head back home." Atem said. Apparently Yami did not want to talk to him right now. Which was stupid but it was not up to him. They would talk in time but if he discovered she was in fact with pups then it wouldn't matter if she wanted to ignore the fact they were going to talk about it. Because she would HAVE to understand.
Yami shot Atem a hard look however she said nothing further and instead returned to her meal. Atem nodded once before he laid back down, resuming his place from before. It might be wise to not inform my mate she is with pups until after I am certain of that myself. No reason to invoke another fight when it might not be truly necessary. Atem decided. He'd know in the next three or four days and the entire pack would know if she was by the end of the week. Not to say I wouldn't be howling about it as soon as I know. Atem mused. There would be a subtle change in Yami's scent, a change that as her mate he would be the first to notice.
Once Yami had eaten her fill Atem grabbed a hold of the carcass and began to drag it back down the mountain. Yami was padding along behind him in silence, clearly lost in her own thoughts.
XXXXXX
Yami laid rather despondently just outside the wigwam. Atem had deposited the remainder of the buck in the middle of the clearing for everyone else to eat their fill before he and Kaiba had wandered either out of the clearing or at least out of Yami's line of sight. Which was more than fine with her, she really needed her space so she could try and think things through. How dare he imply that I chose to mate with him. That I was flirting with him? I wasn't! I didn't want this.
"Hey."
Yami's head snapped up to see that Mana had walked over to her before she sat down beside her. Yami just allowed her head to lay back down, doing her best to ignore Mana's presence. Mana should have pulled her aside and told her what was going on. Kisara or Serenity could have told her too. They all knew according to Atem. If Atem wasn't going to explain things to her than that job should have fallen to Mana, Kisara or Serenity. Kisara had laughed about the whole thing. They all should have known that she didn't understand and just told her what was going on. How could Yami be expected to ask a question if she didn't understand the situation enough to even know what to ask?
"Congratulations on your mating with my brother. You'll be good for each other. I'm sure of it." Mana said with a bright smile on her face.
Yami snorted before she was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea. "Mana? Can I ask you a question?" Yami asked.
Mana nodded, "Yeah, sure. Ask away." Mana replied.
"How do you change form? I've only changed form with Atem's help before. And…I want to surprise him by figuring it out without him having to guide me step by step. I was hoping you could tell me what the trick was." Yami said.
Mana looked mildly surprised by the question Yami had asked however, she hid her surprise pretty well. "Oh. I see, um well the trick to transforming, I guess is to relax. You need to focus on seeing your body change from one form to another. As for how to get the process started…that's hard to explain. I mean, I can shift without even thinking about it. But I haven't had to think about shifting since I was a pup." Mana said.
Yami sighed, "Oh. Okay, well…then I guess I won't be able to surprise Atem." Yami replied. To be perfectly honest shifting had nothing to do with Atem right now, she just didn't want to be trapped in this wolf form, especially knowing that Atem had no desire to be in a human form who's to say as his mate he'd ever let her or help her to transform.
Mana bit her lip before she spluttered, "Try and picture your wolf form and your human form as two separate entities. Right now your wolf form is in the front. To start shifting imagine pushing the wolf form out of the way. Alpha can drag one form or another out. No clue how he does that. I think it's a male thing because I know a few other males can do it. But it comes easiest to Alpha." Mana replied.
Yami nodded. "Great. Thank you Mana. You've been a huge help." Yami replied.
Yami dropped her head back onto her paws as she saw Atem and Kaiba pad back into the clearing from wherever they'd been. Now all I have to do is shift back and then I can go back home. Visit grandpa and Mai. Yami thought to herself. Her grandfather would be at least sympathetic to what she was going through. In fact, he would probably be more than sympathetic. He would be furious on her behalf. Yami would almost argue that Atem had raped her, however, much to her frustration even thinking that just felt wrong. It wasn't what she had wanted to happen, no. But at the same time she didn't feel like Atem had forced this on her. She remembered playing with him in the meadow. Atem chasing her. It had been fun. She also when she really thought back about it remembered calling Atem her mate after he caught her. She had literally dared him to claim her. And with that realization there really was nothing she could do or say that would prove that at least the wolf part of her wanted Atem.
Atem padded over before plopped down beside Yami on the ground, resting his head across the back of her neck. Yami said nothing, instead opting to just pretend that Atem didn't exist. And tonight she'd make her grand escape.
"You do know that we can talk. If you have any questions about anything I am more than happy to answer them." Atem said slowly.
Yami snorted. "Sure, I bet you are." Yami growled. Just because she had sort of conceded that she played a role in what had happened didn't mean that she wasn't still angry with Atem. Or was it that she was scared? She hadn't missed Atem's scathing comments about Ishizu living in the human world and about the idea that Mahad living with her being like Ishizu had clipped Mahad's balls. Would Atem ever give her permission to return home now? He certainly could be spiteful and keep her hear and always say that she wasn't ready to return even if she was. He could keep her imprisoned here and that was not okay.
But that doesn't matter because no matter what Atem says I am going home tonight. I will see my grandfather. Sleep in my own bed. And I will at least for tonight be myself once more. Yami thought to herself. And she would do exactly that. And no one, not even her arrogant, controlling Alpha mate was going to stop her from going back to where she belonged.
Atem sighed, "Well, at least I'm making an attempt." Atem growled.
Yami snorted, "Yeah, your need to ensure my understanding came a day late and a dollar short. In other words this is too little too late Atem." Yami growled.
"And what would you have me do instead?" Atem asked and Yami could clearly hear that Atem was getting frustrated with her.
"Other than not have done it in the first place. I don't know Atem. But your smart, no doubt you can figure it out." Yami snapped.
"I will not apologize for what we both decided last night." Atem growled.
Yami snorted, "No, of course not because for the mighty Alpha to apologize he would have be first admit that he had made a mistake to begin with. And Alpha doesn't make mistakes." Yami growled.
Atem got to his feet, his crimson eyes flash as he growled at her, teeth bared, "Mating with you was NOT a mistake."
Yami snorted once more, "Don't you have Alpha stuff to go and do?" Yami said.
Atem paced up and down around her, snarling. Mana got up and quickly wandered off no doubt expecting some sort of a physical fight to take place and she didn't want to get caught in the middle. And logically speaking Yami knew that if it came down to a fight with Atem she could not win. He was bigger than her and a hell of a lot stronger than her. But she was angry. She was angry with him and worse than that she had felt betrayed. Because she had trusted him to look out for what was in her best interests and right now this feels like he had taken advantage of her while she had been at her most vulnerable.
"I am staying with my new mate. Once she gets her head out of her ass and stops being so damn stubborn I am hoping she will finally ask me the questions that she should so I can answer them." Atem growled.
Yami rolled her eyes, "I have no questions." Yami said which wasn't true. Thinking about it she had probably a million questions but she was not going to let Atem dictate what she was and was not going to do. He wanted her to ask a million questions and then accept that this had happened. She was not going to do that. She was not going to give him that satisfaction. She was right now going to be angry and petty and go back to ignoring that Atem was even here. That and ignoring this entire mating issue.
Only a few more hours and then I'll be able to get away from here. Go back to where I belong and once I'm there hopefully I can finally start making sense of everything. Yami thought to herself as she laid back down completely ignoring her growling mate beside her. Atem may be stubborn but he was going to come to learn Yami could be just as stubborn as he was.
