XLVIII

Semper Fidelis

Shiori helps Kagome up to Kouga's side and then jumps down to her own place in the pack.

Kouga reaches out and pulls Kagome close to him, kisses her only once but still leaves her breathless.

"Beautiful, Kagome. My woman -"

And then he turns to the waiting pack and makes the announcement they have all known was coming.

"Wolves! I am your alpha; I am your prince! You know me, and now I've chosen a woman, strong, beautiful, powerful – Kagome, the shikon woman, Kagome the loveliest maiden in Nihon. I court her – she has accepted me – let no other seek to mark or mate her until she announces her choice!"

Before the elders and those beneath them, before the whole of his pack, Kouga stands and makes his declaration of intention.

"I will court her; my Kagome. No one will interfere; no one will stand between us. Is it well with you, wolves?"

The howl that goes up from the pack is an eerie acceptance, an approbation. Kagome smiles at them; her relief open, obvious; Kouga does too, but then he turns that smile at her and it changes, deepens – he laughs a little, and then turns to face the moon, still nearly full, and howls with the voice of the great wolf.

Kagome has no howl of her own. She steps forward into the circle of Kouga's arms and shares his – more than the sound of it, she feels the vibration of his chest and the pounding of his heart. She presses her face against his chest and prays she has made the right decision, but it feels right – and then she feels something cold and wet against her shoulder.

For a moment she thinks it's paint again, but it's not; it's a single snowflake, melting on her skin. The cold becomes momentarily, unbearably warm as Kouga leans down and licks it from her shoulder. For the first time he has no need to hide the unbearable, terrible desire that floods and consumes him, and he greets her blushing glance with smoldering fire in his gaze.

"Kagome; woman, you undo everything about me."

He leans closer to her; her lips are dry and her tongue darts out, licks them; he bends over her then, and she succumbs to his kiss, lets Kouga pull her against his body. One of his hands has found the bare patch of painted skin at the small of her back; the other skims the bare curve of her waist and settles around her hip. Her skin tingles at his touch. Kouga's tongue moves against her tongue and she feels – she feels -

Heat. It curls within her like a sleeping beast, spreads from an uncertain place in her middle to the tips of her toes. For the first time, Kagome lets her hands wander, too. She traced the muscles of Kouga's arms, let her hands wander into the unbound length of his hair and down across his shoulders. His growl of approval vibrates against her lips. She touches his chest, and then lets her hands sneak beneath the open vest he wears and around his back. She strokes hot skin, feels lean, smooth muscles moving beneath the surface.

He reaches down his fingers splay against her hips, slip under the waist band of her skirt, stroke the sensitive skin at the top of her buttocks and hold her so tight against his body that she can feel his heart beating in his chest.

"Kagome. Kagome, you must – you should -"

"Stop. Yes."

She leans back; her hands retreat from beneath his fur vest; his fingertips slip up her spine and then down her shoulder until he is holding one of her hands.

He leaps down from the stone to the shore and pulls her after him, and Kagome squeals and falls laughing into his arms.

In the morning, well rested and well pleased, making plans for how to best court his woman, Kouga goes to Miroku and stands over him.

For Kagome's sake he has promised mercy; he won't kill this priest, despite the attack he's made, but Kouga still wants to know why a stranger and a priest was wandering alone through his territory.

"My woman says I should let you go, human. She says that you didn't mean to cause trouble, and that once you were caught you only wanted to save yourself...and her. You know better now, human – don't you?"

Slowly, unsure of what is going to happen to him, Miroku nods.

"Good."

Kouga sits, restrains his darker hungers, the urge to hurt this man who tried to take Kagome away from him, who burned him with holy fire -

"Tell me why you trespassed, human. Tell me what you were doing in my mountains; tell me why you tried to take from me the woman who is mine – why you attacked me, and tried to break the bond of trust between us?"

Miroku answers; he doesn't really have a choice, but his voice is hoarse and raspy.

"I didn't mean to trespass; I was following a rumor of the shikon no tama. I'm hunting an enemy; he wants the gem – if I have it, he'll come for me, and then I can fight and defeat him. There's...supposed to be a shard, to the north of here. I was looking for it. The woman – Kagome-sama – is a miko. When I saw that she was here among youkai, I thought she was being held against her will; I wanted to save her."

"From me."

Kouga's voice sneers, but Miroku blinks up at him calmly

"Yes. From you."

Only one thing holds back Kouga's violence. He never wants to see a look of horror on Kagome's face again; he never wants to see the sweetness of her smile shattered by disgust. He is all she knows of youkai, and he knows that isn't enough – but it will have to be. A thought occurs to him and he tucks it away for later.

He looks down at the priest in his bonds and then lets him loose with a single slash of his claws.

"Don't leave this room; it wouldn't be safe. I'll send someone with food; you'll be let out tomorrow. It's snowing now – you wouldn't last five minutes and Kagome would be upset with me. You understand?"

Miroku nods faintly.

For the rest of the day he contemplates his good fortune, and wonders about the woman who protects his life. There was something about her – something about her power – something strange; something...familiar?

A/N: I was kidnapped for food! And so this took a few more hours than I thought, BUT, as promised, here is today's chapter! The title, "Semper Fidelis", is something some of you may know...it translates to "Always Faithful". Kouga now has his claim on Kagome, and an acknowledged claim, too...and Miroku is going to live, good for him. Next we'll see what's been happening on the other side of the coin, and where Kikyou and Inuyasha have gone...and meanwhile, don't forget that winter is coming and the snow in the Echigo Mountains falls early and deep! More tomorrow, my dears!

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