the help of other females,
had laid out quite a spread of steaks, burgers and fish. Not only were there
quite a few lunewulf there, who had run down from the Yukon Territory,
but also quite a few from the Prince George pack.
Luther would have loved to have arrived with Mariah, but as
she pointed out, with no surviving sire, he needed to ask her pack leader for
the right to mate with her. Sometimes pack laws really sucked. So instead, he’d
returned to his den, changing into his fur this time and running along the
outskirts of town then into the country until he reached Toubec’s ranch.
Gratefully, his cousins had already left to sniff out females. They might or
might not come to Rousseau’s evening kill. Luther didn’t care if they did or
not. He’d come with the other Cariboo to Rousseau’s den.
“Rock Toubec,” Rousseau said formally after they’d enjoyed
his kill and many were lingering behind the den in a spacious yard. “Alger and
his cousins did a good job on the new dens for the lunewulf who have
just arrived from the north.”
Rousseau sniffed the air and gave Luther a hard look. Luther
kept his expression blank and made sure his scent remained neutral. There was
no keeping Mariah’s smell off him. Not that he wanted her aroma to ever leave
his flesh. He would howl to the pack leader soon enough. Now, with so many
around them and the evening kill having just been enjoyed wasn’t the time.
“The Alger males are staying out in the row of dens,” Toubec
informed the pack leader.
Toubec hadn’t growled at all over the change in Luther’s
scent. Possibly the older Cariboo hadn’t noticed Luther smelling any different
than he had the first time he met him. Toubec ran the large ranch with the help
of quite a few Cariboo. The male hadn’t appeared all that interested in giving
Luther a second glance after allowing the Algers an available den.
“Good to know he can hammer a nail. There’s plenty of work
on the ranch,” Toubec added.
Rousseau was dwarfed standing between Luther and Rock Toubec
but didn’t seem to notice. “Herrwulf might have more jobs as well. The pack is
continually growing.”
“Not my fault you lunewulf keep breeding,” Toubec
snarled, but then snorted, which might be the large male’s version of a laugh.
“I’ve always got work on my land for strong males.”
A mated lunewulf couple howled for Rousseau. As if to
back what Toubec had just said, a large group of cubs surrounded them. Rousseau
turned from Toubec and Luther without a word and swooped the youngest cub into
his arms and tossed him into the air. The excited cub was half changed when
Rousseau put him back on the ground, and instantly tried crawling up the male’s
leg to be tossed into the air again.
Toubec turned his back on Rousseau and faced Luther. “Your
scent has changed,” he grumbled under his breath. His harsh, piercing glare was
fierce as he stared Luther head-on. If anyone in the yard behind Rousseau’s den
smelled the showdown between the two large Cariboo males, no one sniffed their
direction.
“Yes, it has,” Luther said simply, matching Toubec’s
soft-spoken growl. He continued keeping all his emotions in check. This pack
had treated him well so far. Luther wouldn’t dishonor Rousseau by snarling with
the older Cariboo here.
“She is lunewulf .”
“Yes.”
“Come around and see me after high noon tomorrow.” He added
in a lower voice. “My mate isn’t much on anyone howling around her den much
before that.”
Toubec shifted his attention and focused on a lunewulf female, who sensed his attention and turned from a small group where she’d been
standing. She walked up to Toubec and wrapped her arms around his thick waist.
The male growled as he lowered his head and sniffed his mate.
Luther now understood. Toubec hadn’t smelled confrontational
because he wasn’t. The male understood. Luther hadn’t given a lot of thought to
mating while up in the Yukon Territory. Up until
had laid out quite a spread of steaks, burgers and fish. Not only were there
quite a few lunewulf there, who had run down from the Yukon Territory,
but also quite a few from the Prince George pack.
Luther would have loved to have arrived with Mariah, but as
she pointed out, with no surviving sire, he needed to ask her pack leader for
the right to mate with her. Sometimes pack laws really sucked. So instead, he’d
returned to his den, changing into his fur this time and running along the
outskirts of town then into the country until he reached Toubec’s ranch.
Gratefully, his cousins had already left to sniff out females. They might or
might not come to Rousseau’s evening kill. Luther didn’t care if they did or
not. He’d come with the other Cariboo to Rousseau’s den.
“Rock Toubec,” Rousseau said formally after they’d enjoyed
his kill and many were lingering behind the den in a spacious yard. “Alger and
his cousins did a good job on the new dens for the lunewulf who have
just arrived from the north.”
Rousseau sniffed the air and gave Luther a hard look. Luther
kept his expression blank and made sure his scent remained neutral. There was
no keeping Mariah’s smell off him. Not that he wanted her aroma to ever leave
his flesh. He would howl to the pack leader soon enough. Now, with so many
around them and the evening kill having just been enjoyed wasn’t the time.
“The Alger males are staying out in the row of dens,” Toubec
informed the pack leader.
Toubec hadn’t growled at all over the change in Luther’s
scent. Possibly the older Cariboo hadn’t noticed Luther smelling any different
than he had the first time he met him. Toubec ran the large ranch with the help
of quite a few Cariboo. The male hadn’t appeared all that interested in giving
Luther a second glance after allowing the Algers an available den.
“Good to know he can hammer a nail. There’s plenty of work
on the ranch,” Toubec added.
Rousseau was dwarfed standing between Luther and Rock Toubec
but didn’t seem to notice. “Herrwulf might have more jobs as well. The pack is
continually growing.”
“Not my fault you lunewulf keep breeding,” Toubec
snarled, but then snorted, which might be the large male’s version of a laugh.
“I’ve always got work on my land for strong males.”
A mated lunewulf couple howled for Rousseau. As if to
back what Toubec had just said, a large group of cubs surrounded them. Rousseau
turned from Toubec and Luther without a word and swooped the youngest cub into
his arms and tossed him into the air. The excited cub was half changed when
Rousseau put him back on the ground, and instantly tried crawling up the male’s
leg to be tossed into the air again.
Toubec turned his back on Rousseau and faced Luther. “Your
scent has changed,” he grumbled under his breath. His harsh, piercing glare was
fierce as he stared Luther head-on. If anyone in the yard behind Rousseau’s den
smelled the showdown between the two large Cariboo males, no one sniffed their
direction.
“Yes, it has,” Luther said simply, matching Toubec’s
soft-spoken growl. He continued keeping all his emotions in check. This pack
had treated him well so far. Luther wouldn’t dishonor Rousseau by snarling with
the older Cariboo here.
“She is lunewulf .”
“Yes.”
“Come around and see me after high noon tomorrow.” He added
in a lower voice. “My mate isn’t much on anyone howling around her den much
before that.”
Toubec shifted his attention and focused on a lunewulf female, who sensed his attention and turned from a small group where she’d been
standing. She walked up to Toubec and wrapped her arms around his thick waist.
The male growled as he lowered his head and sniffed his mate.
Luther now understood. Toubec hadn’t smelled confrontational
because he wasn’t. The male understood. Luther hadn’t given a lot of thought to
mating while up in the Yukon Territory. Up until
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