Happy Friday, everyone! Sorry this one came out a little late. Work has been hell, and I ended up conking out before midnight last night. This and the two following chapters will tell about Blake's time with Adam. As I warned in the previous chapter, this will involve Adam being a creepy creep, because that's what he is. Enjoy!
Rather than the usual meeting place, the band of Huntsmen went to the wastelands, to the small tree where they had tied Perry up a mere three days ago. When they got there, five werewolves waited for them. There was Perry, who sat on the ground with a distracted look on his face. Flynt, who turned out to be a dark-skinned, short-haired man in his human form, was eying the Huntsmen warily as they approached. Neon, a pinkish-orange haired girl with bright blue eyes, sat next to Blake and was talking to her quietly. Pyrrha was standing over Blake, her brows furrowed with a gently-concerned expression.
She brightened significantly when she saw the humans approaching. "Hello!" she called, smiling at Jaune.
"Hey," Jaune greeted, readily grinning at Pyrrha before looking at Blake. "How is everything?"
Blake glanced up with a weak smile. "I'm…better."
Flynt cleared his throat and nodded. "It's good to see you again." His arms were folded and his stance was reserved, not inviting anyone to come closer.
Perry stared up at the Huntsmen, shaking his head slowly. "Well, look who's back to screw up my worldview even more!" He looked at Blake, his eyes focused on the bruises on her neck, before staring at the ground again.
Neon smiled, though it was a smile tinged with nervousness. "Hi. I'm Neon. Glad you're not here to kill us, or anything."
The Huntsmen all murmured greetings to the three other wolves, unsure of how to approach them.
Weiss walked over, kneeling in front of Blake while carefully avoiding looking at Flynt, Neon, or Perry, who were all totally nude. "Your house was burned after the raid, but I found that merchant of yours." She reached into her bag and withdrew two books. "I thought that having some of your favorites would make things easier for you."
The sadness that came to Blake's eyes at the news of her burnt house was quickly replaced with excitement when she saw the books. "You remembered Ninjas of Love." She looked at the other book. "I haven't read this one yet. Thank you, Weiss!" There was a pause. "Wait, you actually went and bought these from Roman?"
"Yes," Yang said, grinning widely. "It was glorious!"
"Shut up!" Weiss snapped, her cheeks turning bright red. "If you and those merchants hadn't insisted on being so immature-"
"She tried using the 'it's for a friend' excuse," Yang continued, easily speaking over Weiss. "Roman loved that."
Blake laughed. "I'm sure he did." She smirked at Weiss. "So, did you flip through them at all before bringing them?"
"Of course not!" Weiss huffed, turning away with a superior sniff. "So Pyrrha, is Ruby here?" she asked, partially to change the subject, partially because she was honestly disappointed that her friend wasn't there.
Pyrrha sighed. "Since Cinder discovered that she is an alpha, she's been commandeering her time more and more. I hope we can bring her out tomorrow, but I'm not sure." She touched Weiss's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know she wanted to see you."
Weiss's shoulders slumped with disappointment, but she forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad she's adjusting to her new life. And…I'm glad that she has you."
Pyrrha noticed a slight change in Weiss's tone and wondered at its meaning before dismissing it. Of course she sounds sad right now. She wanted to see Ruby. It's pretty clear that she's in love with her, after all. I wonder if I can convince Ruby to confess her feelings the next time they see each other.
Blake looked at the books before turning to the others. "I know you're all curious about what happened while I was with Adam's pack."
"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Blake." Yang sat down on Blake's other side, nodding at Neon before wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulder.
"I know," Blake said. "But, I want to. And, it makes sense to do it while you're all here. I'll tell Ruby tonight." She took a deep breath, staring at her hands. The leather covers of her new books provided some comfort as she thought back to the night of the raid, when everything began.
….
She was in her house with Ruby, just pouring a cup of tea when something huge and heavy hit her door, causing splinters to fly everywhere. She spun around, dropping the teapot as she rushed toward her weapon rack.
Ruby's eyes darted back and forth. "I left my scythe at home!"
"I have an extra sword. You can-"
A second crash signaled the door being completely broken in two. A roar echoed through the house as a huge, hulking werewolf lunged forward.
"Ruby!" Blake grabbed her sword and swung desperately at the beast's face, only to hear a crash behind her as a second one came through the window. "Run!"
Ruby looked from Blake to the two werewolves before rushing toward the weapons rack. She got halfway across the room before the beast at the window stopped her, bearing her to the ground and sinking its fangs into her arm.
"NO!" Blake screamed as she turned to the wolf, plunging her blade into the beast's side. A sharp pain in her shoulder stopped her from going any further, and she was yanked backward. "RUBY!" She was aware of blood running down her arm and her wrist being squeezed. Then, there was a blow to the back of the head and everything went black.
She awoke only once during the journey, aware only of dull pain throbbing through several parts of her body. She felt something soft, like a fur blanket, and then she was unconscious once more.
When she woke up next, it was dark. She could feel something soft under her. Was she in her bed? Had she dreamed everything? She tried to move, and a bolt of pain went from her shoulder and through the rest of her body.
She yelped, eyelids flying open. As her Faunus eyes quickly adjusted to the low light, her heart froze. She wasn't in her room. She was in a cave of some sort. And something very big was in there with her.
The shape moved in response to her yelp and turned toward her. A pair of reddish eyes regarded her. She saw the outline of a werewolf and tried backing away. Where was her weapon?!
Something large and heavy pressed down on her chest, and she realized for the first time that she wasn't wearing any clothes. She felt claws scraping her collarbone, paw pads on her chest, and hot breath on her face. She started to tremble, unsure of what else to do. The pain in her shoulder was still dominating most of her body, and she didn't have anything to fight with. She was dead!
The werewolf leaned closer and she shut her eyes, hoping that the creature would just kill her quickly. Then, something warm and wet ran across her hurt shoulder, causing her to flinch. She felt it a few times before realizing what it was: the beast was licking her.
She opened her eyes and turned her head slowly, looking at her shoulder for the first time. A deep ring of punctures went around both the front and back. Her blood went cold as she realized what it was and fully remembered the events of the previous night.
"Where is Ruby?" she asked, eyes blazing as she looked at the werewolf.
The wolf blinked at her, but said nothing. It simply turned back to her shoulder and licked the bite a few more times.
Blake shuddered at the sensation and tried to move away, only for that paw to stop her yet again. Letting out a sigh, she lay back on the softness, which she now recognized as moss. There was no point in trying anything while this wolf was right there. If she was lucky, he'd fall asleep and she could sneak away. After that, it would be a simple matter of finding a sharp stick or a length of rope. Or, if she wasn't too far away, she'd just go back to Vale and let someone there take care of it.
She was destined to die, after all. A werewolf had bitten her. In order to guarantee that she be granted passage into Heaven by God and the Maidens, she had to make sure her life ended soon, hopefully before she transformed into a beast for the first time.
When she had seen Ruby, a werewolf had been savaging her. She felt a hot flush of shame that she hadn't at least managed to save her friend from death. She hoped that it had been quick, at the very least.
The werewolf stopped licking Blake's shoulder and moved its head so that its muzzle was nearly touching her face. A puff of air smelling of old meat hit Blake's nose, causing her to cough. The werewolf growled softly, curling up so that it was mostly around Blake's form. Its eyes closed and its breathing became steadier.
Blake, on the other hand, lay stiffly, not trusting herself to move. A sinking feeling of dread was filling her. This wolf wasn't going to hurt her, likely because of her bite. That meant that it was expecting her to become like it. Did that mean it would guard her and keep her from killing herself the way she was supposed to?
She tried to sit up. If she did it tonight, she might be able to finish the deed before her host woke up again. A bolt of agony caused her to fall back again, and she noticed the werewolf's ear flicking when she moved. She let out a sigh. Fine. I'll bide my time for now. I'll escape, though. Somehow. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to fall into a restless sleep.
…
"Patrolling the denning area is very important," Cinder was explaining as she led Ruby around the perimeters of the clearing. "This is where the pups will be raised after spring is over. We will be at our most vulnerable in the early months of summer, when the pups are young. The one good thing is that we won't have to worry so much about attacks from Adam, since his pack will be in a similar state."
Ruby nodded to show that she understood. "How many pups will there be?" she wondered.
Cinder sighed. "It was not a good mating season. There will be maybe three new litters. Next year, I will have to actively encourage pack members to pair off." She looked at Ruby. "I noticed that Mercury expressed an interest in you. Since you're a whelp, he was discouraged, of course, but perhaps by next year…"
"No," Ruby said flatly. At Cinder's glare, she quickly added: "Leader."
"Your first impression of him might not have been good, but he's a worthy beta and a skilled fighter. Think about it, at least."
"Leader, I…" Ruby coughed nervously. "I don't really see males in that way…and I'm not really interested in…mating in general."
Cinder shrugged. "Preferences are what they are, but pack responsibility is what matters the most. Whether or not you dally with females in your spare time is your choice. As an alpha, you are expected to have healthy pups for the pack."
Yeah, I don't think so, Ruby thought, but she didn't voice the sentiment out loud. She had a year to worry about it, anyway. "Will you be asking Pyrrha to find a mate too?"
Cinder looked at Ruby for a moment before nodding slowly. "Pyrrha isn't known for making pack responsibility a priority, but perhaps a family would help her settle in more. If you two don't decide on any males by the coming of next spring, I will select them for you." She gave Ruby a sideways glance. "Of course, you may be thinking of dragging in more strays."
"Huh?" Ruby stiffened, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Cinder didn't seem interested in saying any more on the matter. Still, the implicit warning was there. Trying to change the subject, Ruby asked: "What about you, Leader? Do you have a mate?"
Cinder shook her head. "Sadly, no. When it comes to a leader's pups, one has to be very selective. I have yet to find a male who is suitable enough for my purposes."
Suitable? Purposes? Ruby frowned at the cold, calculating way Cinder was describing what should have been a happy subject. I guess love isn't really a factor for the higher-ups in the pack. She thought about Scarlet and Sage, who she had seen together frequently ever since her first day with the pack. According to Pyrrha, the two were mates and had never been forced to be with females. Since they were omegas, they weren't considered to be ideal breeding stock.
They can stay out of Cinder's notice, read emotions, and do what they want, Ruby thought bitterly. If I was an omega, maybe I'd be with Blake and the others right now. Maybe Cinder wouldn't care about me at all.
The angry, resentful mood remained with Ruby as she continued to follow Cinder through the dens, trying to act as if she was listening.
So, I've been trying to make more of a backlog for some other works, so that I can see about starting my P/atreon soon. I hope to start it by the end of October. After that, I might be able to open for commissions. I'll keep you guys updated. Peace out!