I'm posting this here, but I know it still needs a lot of work. I'm missing back story and the end of the scene/chapter may appear forced because I had writers block and thought if I just finished it I might have more luck fixing it than creating it. I'm bad with ending things. I also need to do some research on Werewolf myth and Celtic/Roman history. I think its a good start though. Feel free to comment. Just keep in mind, I'm aware there is probably grammar anomalies of varying degree, possible serious anachronisms and there might even be a general story fuck up or two. I'm working on it.
The Wolf
"She's one of them." Bedwyr laid the scroll on the table and pointed to the still drying ink. It was one tiny branch of a very detailed family tree. The scroll work was beautiful, but then he'd had a long time to practice. Corann looked at him with a doubtful expression.
"You're sure?"
"Yes. It seems her 'father' really wasn't."
"How in the name of the Goddess did you figure that out?" A hundred years together and he still managed to surprise him.
Bedwyr sat back in the chair behind him with a smug expression on his face.
"It seems Reannon's mother couldn't get an heir out of the old man so she went somewhere for a little advice."
"Ronat?" Corann said in utter disbelief.
Bedwyr laughed a little at Coran's expression, but nodded to reiterate that this was indeed the case.
"How fortuitous." Corann said flatly.
"C'mon Corann. So she had something to do with it. We are really in no position curse any luck we may find."
"The old woman meddles too much." There was a distinct growl in Corann's voice. "Regardless, who is the father?"
"Actually she would not give me that name. But she does like to keep her secrets."
Corann simply glared.
"Now how to get to her?" Bedwyr went on.
"Good question. Even I can't get past their assassins."
"And this is why I'm still your top advisor. We simply make her sign a contract."
"Contract?" Corann raised an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued." He leaned forward on his elbows as Bedwyr laid out his plan.
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"You swear on pain of death this will go no further than here." Reannon waited for the scouts reply before continuing. She briefly contemplated killing him anyway in an effort to avoid a panic, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, the warlord at her doorstep may yet do it anyway.
"Take this letter to him and let him know that we are eager to negotiate." The scout nodded and darted off.
She resisted the urge to stand up and pace. The circumstances were less than favorable. The Wolf, as he had been dubbed, was not known for his negotiation skills but she had little choice. The Emperor commandeered her armies for the effort against the invaders from the sea. Though he had left her with members of 'Death's Hand' for personal protection, they could do little to prevent the destruction of her home. She prayed to the Goddess that his heart would be set upon something she could give. She would do anything to save the people she protected.
Three days later she had her answer.
"Lady Reannon." Corann bowed and kissed her hand. He couldn't have been more relieved. The fact that she barely spoke his own language was the only thing that separated her from her heritage. Her tresses looked like spun copper when the sun hit it just right, and her green eyes watched him almost without blinking. Her skin was pale and she must have been no older than 19. She was perfect. All he had to do was gag her and he wouldn't need to be reminded at all of the Latin speaking scum he hated so much. He couldn't help but smile at the image as he took a respectful step back from her.
"And you must be Lord, Corann is it?" She made it a point to discover his name. 'The Wolf' was a little intimidating. It did little to help though. He was unusually tall which made it difficult to look him in the eye. His black hair was long, but not unkempt as she expected. He smelled of leather and dirt, but he was not unclean. He had the body of a soldier and probably all the strength that came with it. His gray eyes were odd, almost wolf-like, which helped to explain the title and the rumors.
"Welcome to my home." She gestured for him to take a seat. Only one man came with him, but having the assassin at her side kill them both would have been fruitless. Her guest was the only one keeping the brutes in the valley from overrunning her little stronghold. "Can I have the servants bring you anything?" The man beside him smirked.
"No." Corann glared at Bedwyr. "I wish to be brief. You called me here, what is your offer?" There was a hint of disgust in his voice, the by-product of having to speak in a language he hated so much.
She nodded and had the man beside her bring the chest and marks for the granary.
"In the chest is payment for safe passage and marks to take to our granary to re-supply your men. Harvest was good for us this year." She waited for a reply and became a little nervous when he didn't even acknowledge the offer. "We are also renowned for our mead and you are free to take the entire store."
She waited a few moments more with still no response.
"Lord Corann?" She asked somewhat cautiously.
"Is this all?" He asked.
"Of course not, you need only to ask for what ever you wish and we will do our best to accommodate. We are eager to save you whatever trouble we can."
He smiled a little.
"Actually, m'lady, my men are somewhat distraught that I am even considering your offers. I do have a request in mind though."
"Ask." Her heart pounded so hard she was afraid he would see it.
"Two bottles of mead, and the pleasure of your company for a night."
She took a deep breath while contemplating her answer. It was an odd request. It was not that she found it unusual, but generally such things were used as a tool, not as the actual bargain.
"Tonight?"
She barely even hesitated, but Bedwyr did say she had talents she was not against using. He pulled out the small scroll he brought with him.
"I'm going to assume the man standing beside you is one of your little house pets." The black clad man glared at Corann as he handed the scroll to her. "It's a contract, sign it and let your pet stick read it and I will let your lands alone."
The assassin placed his hand on the blade hidden at the small of his back. Though Reannon would have liked nothing more than to introduce the savage across the table to the assassin's blade, she motioned for the him to refrain and picked up the scroll.
It was succinct. She would stay with him at his camp for a day and a night, and there would be no conditions. Unnerving as it was, there was nothing to think about. If the 1,000 men in the valley would leave her lands in peace, than she would sign. The Goddess had answered her prayer, albeit cruelly.
"When?" She asked, desperately attempting to keep her voice steady.
The dark haired man turned to his red headed companion who lifted his head and appeared to sniff the air. They exchanged words in their native tongue, and Corann turned back towards her.
"When the moon is full."
Reannon reached for the quill and ink and quickly scratched her name at the bottom. Her protector picked up the scroll and read through it. He looked to Reannon his eyes, the only visible feature of his face, showing an obvious reluctance to agree but did nothing further.
Corann stood up and took the scroll from him and placed it back in its case.
"Done!" Corann could barely hide his elation at the ease of the transaction. "We will take our leave now. I will send Bedwyr for you when the time comes." He motioned to the man beside him. "Be prepared early. It's a long journey."
She started to say something.
"Uh-uh." He shook his head side to side. "Remember, no conditions."
Then he was gone.
She sat at the table determined to set it aflame by simply staring at it. The week would end too soon. The rumors that shadowed this man came flying back to her. He was no man at all. The servants said he was a wolf that walked as a man; that when the moon was full he hunted by its light. The thought of an animal touching her was unconscionable, but the flash of the animals he commanded violating everything else she held dear was far worse. At least it was for the moment. She did not kid herself that she would still feel the same when she was standing in front of him.
"If you are not returned unharmed…" the normally silent assassin paused "Even a lycanthrope dies my lady."
She nodded to him and he disappeared from view. His words gave her no comfort.
"That was easier than I expected." Corann said moments after they cleared the keep.
Bedwyr looked at him with that same smug expression he was known for.
"That's because I am the greatest."
Corann ignored his friend.
"I've never seen someone quite so devoted. Any other woman would have at least put up a front of disgust." He was musing to himself more than speaking to Bedwyr.
"Actually she was seething beneath that cool façade she put on when she signed." Bedwyr said informatively.
"You're just saying that. There was nothing in her demeanor to suggest-"
"What? That she hated you?" Bedwyr was deadly serious now. "She thinks our people are animals, and she is truly revolted by the idea of you touching her. We should give her to the men to be sure she is properly touched before we send her on her way."
Corann was silent. His friend's nose was never wrong. Knowing this he would rather let the men have her, but they had a purpose.
The sun would be up within the hour, and Reannon had not closed her eyes since the previous morning. Neither had she eaten. Her dreams the night before had been disturbing to say the least. She dreamed of men turning into dogs and doing awful things to her. She wanted to run. She looked at the little satchel packed with travel supplies and tried to figure out where she'd go.
"My Lady, the red haired man has come."
She jumped. Her steward stood in her doorway with a candle. No dawn touched the sky yet. She picked up the satchel and walked with him to the keeps gates.
"Gareth, please ask him where the horses are." She said quietly when she could not see any. She waited patiently as Gareth exchanged words with the stranger. She seemed to remember his name being Bed-something.
"My Lady, he says that you will be walking. He also says his name is Bedwyr."
She nodded to her steward and then moved outside the gates.
They walked in silence until the sun had risen well above the horizon. She contemplated talking to herself, but opted to remain silent. She was deep in thought about a recent dilemma in the town when he startled her.
"Do you speak the language of your mother?"
Reannon understood it easily enough. Her mother made sure to teach her everything she could about her heritage when her husband wasn't looking. She thought the last remnants of her mother's tribe had been destroyed so it was very surprising to hear the tongue. She opted to play dumb anyway.
"Good, give me your bag." Bedwyr was not easily fooled. He would need to speak to her occasionally and he was relieved she spoke something besides Latin. He hated the language more than Corann ever would.
Reannon blinked at him in confusion, determined not to let on that she understood.
He stopped her and placed his hands on her shoulders while looking straight into her eyes.
"Corann is planning on letting his horse fuck you while his men stare on in amusement." He laughed when her eyes went wide in horror and she stumbled backwards. "Now give me your bag."
She held it out to him since it was obvious she understood what he said anyway. She watched him take the bag and turn it over dumping the contents on the road. It was more than she could stand. Her mind now reeling with yet another horrific possibility in the time to come; she was also deprived of the potions she had brought to help her 'cope'.
She glared at him wishing with all her being she could see his last breath in that moment. Not caring what he did, she moved to retrieve her belongings. Not even perfect hate can win out over brute force however.
He grabbed her arm just below the shoulder and spun her to face the rising sun.
"We continue to camp my lady."
Knowing she couldn't break his hold on her, she dug her heels in and refused to move.
"Corann requested that you bring nothing. I could interpret that as your clothing as well. I would suggest you start moving before I start getting creative." Tormenting her was pure enjoyment. If he'd known this, he wouldn't have been so reluctant to go fetch her.
"Not without my potions." She said through clenched teeth.
He pulled his dagger from its holster and easily slipped the flat of the blade against her skin beneath the cloth covering her breasts. Without a word of warning he turned it so the edge pressed against the now taunt fabric, easily tearing it.
She stepped forward.
He was disappointed but withdrew the blade. Unfortunately he might have to explain it to Corann.
They walked in silence until the sun moved closed to its zenith, and she could bare her own thoughts no longer.
"What does your master want with me?"
She heard a low growl and immediately looked for its source. Surely it could not have come from him.
"Corann is my friend and I am his advisor." There was a touch of anger in his voice.
She smiled. It was the first time she had in a week. Obviously the statement bothered him.
"That's not what it looked like to me." She said, still smiling.
"You know, I've never seen what a horse would do to a woman. It should be educational." He didn't even look at her.
She was instantly ill. Her mind raced again, attempting to discern some logical reason as to why this was happening. She could not bare the thought that he only wished to abuse her for a day. She would have prayed but she feared the gods would find an even crueler way to answer her.
"Looking forward to a cock that might actually satisfy you?" He continued. She may have looked like his people, but she was Roman and no Roman would ever insult him.
She turned on him, anger overcoming fear. She wanted to kill him, slowly, but he was twice her size and she had no weapon. She chose the next best thing. She spit on him.
He lunged at her, and she hit the ground hard on her back knocking the wind out of her. As she struggled to regain it, she became aware of the same low growl she heard earlier. He held his face close to hers, his odd grey eyes focused on her in a predatory gaze. His lips barely exposed canines that seemed too long to be human, and the fear of the beast that lingered above her quickly outpaced her panic.
She screamed.
Her scream brought him to his senses and he swiftly returned to a standing position. He watched her get up unsteadily while he let his rage subside. He meant to kill her. He was lucky she found the strength to scream.
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she was still fighting to regain control of her breathing. Bedwyr did not look at her again for the remainder of the trip. She could have run, but she was terrified. To this point she had convinced herself that what she feared was impossible. There seemed to be little left to hope for now.
Her heart sank further as she saw the tents spread out through the valley like a swarm of rabbits. The sun had barely moved past its zenith and she still had half a day and the entirety of the night to remain in this nightmare.
"Bedwyr approaches sire." The man making the announcement smiled lasciviously, "Will the men be able to share in the spoils?"
Corann assumed he referred to the girl and was relieved to hear it. He worried that she might incur Bedwyr's wrath. His friend had a special hatred for anything Roman.
"The girl is special. If any of the men touch her they will answer to Gaia herself."
The soldier nodded curtly and retreated from the tent. He was replaced a moment later by the new arrivals.
Bedwyr threw Reannon roughly to the ground as soon as he entered the tent.
"Your bitch, Corann." He growled.
Corann noted things had not gone so well and thanked Gaia that Bedwyr had found the strength to restrain himself. The assassins that protected the woman on the ground were nothing to be trifled with. His friend left without a word.
He stared at her for moment until he noticed her shoulders shaking. She was crying, which was not the best way to start this off. He reached down to help her to her feet and she immediately retreated from him. She looked at him, her eyes red and swollen and the tracks of her tears prevalent through the thin layer of dust that covered her pail skin.
"What do you want from me?" She asked through her sobs, almost begging.
He took pity on her. She managed to be pretty even now, which was difficult to believe.
"At this moment I want you to wash and eat something. And I want you to know that whatever Bedwyr told you is most likely false. He has a particular hatred for Romans."
The relief in her eyes was immediate. She was back to being completely in the dark, but it was better than the dark future that her vile escort had painted. At least she had some hope. Maybe this was all just for show.
"The water is there." He flipped a sand timer over. "You have until the sands run out to compose yourself. I will return with food then." He left.
It wasn't long, but at least it gave her a moment. She slipped her hands into the cool water in the basin and splashed it on her face to erase the traces of her tears. She tried to just breathe and think of nothing. It would most likely be her only chance.
"I hope you like roots it's all I could find." He said as he entered.
She ate them politely but quickly. After a day and a half, almost anything would have been good. She gulped the mead as well. Without her potions, it would have to suffice. He refused when she requested another glass however.
"There is water there." He said, motioning to a skin hanging from a post.
It wasn't her thirst she wanted to quench however.
"Do you have any preferences?" He said after she didn't move towards the skin.
"Yes, mead." She answered shortly. She needed something to get her heart rate under control.
"No! and that's not what I meant." He said with a little bit of a laugh.
"And what did you mean?" She said.
Corann smiled.
"Perhaps I should show you." He started to walk to her.
Reannon wasn't new to this, but it was still a little unnerving. At least it would have been if this had been a man. She may have known what it was he meant to do, but what truly terrified her was how he might do it. She retreated from slowly.
"What is it you wish it show me?" She almost whispered.
Shit! He thought to himself. Perhaps Bedwyr was wrong about her. She certainly wasn't reacting like she'd done this before.
"What it is that men and women do during the night." He answered coyly. At least she wouldn't be hard to seduce.
She darted towards the door and he thought for a moment she meant to flee. She pushed the flap aside and motioned to the sunlight streaming in.
"Look! Still daylight!" She said breathless, her voice cracking slightly.
She was terrified. He could smell it as plainly as rotten eggs. He could also sense the revulsion his friend had noticed before. Suddenly it was hard to see her as anything but Roman. The thought of throwing her to the men crossed his mind.
"You're people are an affront to the Mother." He said with the same distaste she had heard when he first spoke to her.
What had changed?
She looked from side to side, searching for something…anything.
He took a deep breath. Whether he hated her or not, she was still a woman. She would still feel the same, and the chance that she presented for his kind may not come again. He would just have to remember to be gentle.
Reannon was still looking around when he suddenly closed the distance between them. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards the pallet of skins, turning her away from him when they got there. She felt the stola clasped at her shoulder fall to the ground a moment later, and he immediately began working on the laces of her sleeves.
She closed her eyes tightly praying it would be over quickly. The few times she had pleasured the senator during their dealings it had never lasted long. It was all the hope she had left that the shape-shifter was not so different from a human.
Corann was already frustrated before he started fumbling with her clothes and the laces weren't helping. He reached around her, opting instead to tear the fabric where Bedwyr's knife had started it.
She squeaked when she heard the fabric tearing, unable to remain quiet when she felt him lean over her. He dwarfed her and she was having visions of him shifting into the strange two-legged wolf form behind her.
He stopped suddenly. She was shaking so violently he was afraid she was going to have a fit. He circled around her and almost laughed when he saw her face, her eyes tightly closed like a five-year-old waiting for punishment. The remains of her dress barely clung to her breasts and fell just a little further with every ragged breath. He brushed the fabric aside and for a moment forgot that she was Roman.
Her breasts were a handful each with rose nipples that immediately hardened in the cool air. They looked firm, but still supple, a suspicion he intended to confirm. She crumpled to the floor just before however.
He knelt beside her and brushed her hair back from her face. She was conscious but refused to look at him. He really did not like virgins.
"So you know nothing about this, huh?" he said calmly. He went on when she did not respond. "I would think that by 19 you would have at least observed the animals in the keep. It is not much different and it obviously-"
She sat up rather violently, covering herself in the process.
"Your kind is supposed to be dead!" She blurted out in a terrified shrill voice.
He looked at her in astonishment, unable to comprehend what she meant.
"The Romans wiped out the Children of Gaia years ago!" She was frantic and no longer able to fight her fear. She knew of them from stories meant to scare children into behaving.
He stared at her wide eyes for a moment. He should deny it.
"You know of my people?" Not exactly what he had planned to say, but in 100 years he'd never been with anyone else that knew.
"Yes." She answered quietly, still curled up defensively.
"Well that explains the whole animal thing."
She looked confused.
"I thought the Romans had sufficiently destroyed all trace of us among those they conquered." He said bitterly. Somehow the girl kept sidetracking him from his goal.
He sat down on the ground, trying to regain his focus. He only needed to have sex with her. Nature would take care of the rest. Well, nature and Ronat, but he didn't need to think about that right now. The witch had been instrumental in keeping them alive, but he never once trusted her.
He was looking at Reannon but not paying attention to her which had done nothing to calm her. When he focused on her again, he couldn't help but smile at what she must be thinking. He was a predator after all and fear would always be a turn on. He lowered his head slightly so he could look up at her through cold gray eyes.
"I wonder," he leaned forward and put both hands firmly on the ground, "is it that I might bite?" He shifted to all fours and advanced towards her slowly. "Or is that I might," he could almost feel her heart beating wildly as he drew closer, "change?"
She froze when she heard him say it. He had moved between her and the entrance now, but she could easily slip out anywhere. The distance to the woods was shorter from behind the tent anyway. She summoned all her focus and ran for it, intent on rolling beneath one of the rear walls as she prayed for protection.
Reannon moved faster than he anticipated, but he grabbed the retreating edges of her skirt before she was out of his range. She tripped when her forward momentum was unexpectedly halted, and ended up on her hands and knees scrambling for the back of the tent. It was futile now; however, as in the brief moment she had taken to recover he had already gotten a firm hold on her ankle. He drug her towards him, flipping her over in the process. He winced a little when she managed to grazed his knuckle with her sandal as she kicked at him.
Corann grinned at her, bearing two sharp white canines, as he pushed her skirts up to her hips and grabbed her thighs to draw her beneath him. He sat back on her legs before she could knee him in the groin, and grabbed her wrists when she went for his eyes. She struggled only a moment more.
"Anything else?" he queried, surprised he was a little breathless.
She would have spit on him but she remembered the reaction it had elicited from Bedwyr and refrained.
He released her hands and quickly removed the remnants of her clothes down to her waist. He was still sitting on her knees, which put him some distance away from her and gave her one more opportunity. As soon the fabric cleared her fingers she drew her arm back and jammed her right palm into the center of his chest. The shock in his eyes let her know she had hit her mark, and she struggled out from under him leaving her clothes behind.
She made it to the edge of freedom but as she moved to slip under the tent she was yanked back to her feet. Corann had drawn her arm behind her and lifted her so roughly he came close to breaking it. A moment later she could no longer breathe as his free hand tightened around the base of her neck and hauled her backwards.
She was seeing stars and struggling frantically by the time he released her and turned her towards him. She took a grateful breath that sent her into a painful coughing fit as he lashed her wrists tightly together with a strip of leather and threw her on the ground. He dropped awkwardly his knees beside her and forced her to her back; lucky she could not really fight as he drug her to the nearest post and tied her hands to it.
She was still coughing as he collapsed to the ground and attempted to regain his own breath. She could not have hit him more perfectly. He doubted even Bedwyr could have seen that coming.
She could not sit up since she had been tied to the base of the pole, and her hands were back to back which prevented her from fiddling with the knots. She tried to slip her hands from the leather causing the bonds to tighten further. She could not even get enough leverage to turn over, and she was completely unprotected.
"Goddess, what have I done?" she murmured under her breath.
"Nothing, she is simply on my side." Corann answered her as he sat up. He started laughing. "I should make you pay for that." He grabbed her legs before she could kick him, then shifted his grip to her knees and pulled them apart.
She struggled even though it was pointless now. She wanted to scream in the thin hope that someone would stop him.
"Go ahead, scream. The men would love it." He said casually, without looking at her, as he knelt between her knees.
She gasped when she felt first his breath and then the warmth of his tongue as it followed the crease of the innermost part of her thigh. She jumped when he nipped the tender flesh as he continued further up. His lips did not touch her again until he reached the rise of her breasts, and she could do nothing more than watch. Her breath sharpened as the fingers of his left hand moved down the inside of her arm and encircled her nipple. He let his thumb just graze the top as his tongue followed suit on the opposite side. Her body rose up, without her bidding, to meet his touch, and she heard him give a satisfied sigh as his teeth closed on one hardened peak while his fingers teased the other.
Her mind reeled as fear was replaced by fantasy. Reannon's slender body tingled with anticipation and every touch intensified the warmth between her legs. She was young and untested, and she had tasted another only briefly.
He left little of her untouched as he explored her unhindered. He watched her back arch as his fingers slipped into her and finally brushed the point where every nerve of her body must have concentrated. She fought against her bonds, but only to offer more of herself to him when the heat of his tongue replaced the gentle torment of his fingers. He wouldn't release her though. He intended to let her sleep like that after what she did to him.
She screamed as she slipped over the edge, the tension giving way to trembling as he savored the result of his attentions. Corann smiled to himself as he sat up and disrobed. Though he had forced more than one maiden to the ground, they always submitted willingly in the end. This one had been no different.
Reannon was still breathless when she felt him ease into her, gently pushing until his hips met hers. She whimpered, lost in the feeling seeming to invade every part of her. He ended things quietly, but that's how he was. He grabbed the sword, never far from his side, and released her from the pole before he broke away from her complete. He left her hands bound just to be safe however. She was already drifting off by the time he lay down beside her.
He woke her twice more before the sun climbed the horizon. Partly just to be sure he succeeded in his goal, and partly because being inside her was absolute heaven to him.
It was almost evening of the following day when Bedwyr returned from Reannon's keep. Corann nearly pounced on him when cleared the entryway of his tent.
"She's still in one piece right?" He asked
"I nearly had to carry her back. And her little pet was none to happy about the marks on her neck." His friend answered with a smile.
"Fuck him, she was unharmed." Corann growled.
"Barely." Bedwyr smirked.
"It's beside the point. Did I succeed?" Corann asked impatiently.
Bedwyr placed his hands on his friend's shoulders. "If Ronat comes through you will be a proud father by Summer Solstice"
