CHAPTER 10

Kris

I knew what was going on from the start.I sensed I was being judged.

Sometime before my night in Tara's bed, I guessed, Nick and Lon fucked her, and in their minds they had "marked" her the way a wolf in the wild "marks" his territory.The idea doesn't really carry over from the behavior of real wolves to the behavior of lycanthropes screwing humans.And it definitely doesn't have any bearing on human life.Humans don't "mark" their mates or sex partners that way.And it certainly doesn't apply to humans of Tara's social rank.But on some primal, instinctive level, with us wolf men, it's there.When one of us bangs a human, somewhere in our instincts, our "mark" is on that human.By going to bed with Tara, I had slipped my dick into a human that Nick and Lon had "marked."So what could they do about it?

Since I rescued Tara from that mantis viper right after screwing her, I had made myself a "hero."If Nick and Lon had demanded that I be assigned to some duty that would keep me far away from her, it wouldn't have looked good for them.Picking on the "hero" would have made them seem jealous and petty, and would have made it look as if they were trying to claim Tara as their "territory," which was totally outside of their rights.She was the Princess; they were just the Guards assigned to her.Any fucking that went on was off the record.So if they had no right to say what duty I'd be given and they had no say over anything Tara did or allowed, what were they supposed to do with me?

The answer was to keep me close, bring me on duty along with them—and make sure I remembered my place, which was second to Lon, who was second to Nick.I was Tara's third suitor, the subordinate to them, effectively the lowest ranking wolf in our strange little "pack."

Our first time with all three of us in that loft with her, Nick made it clear in what order we were to fuck her, and there'd be no deviation from that order.As the third suitor, I'd always go last, something that I'd best remember.During that first time, Nick and Lon watched me fuck her and they judged me on my performance.I was banging with the big wolves now, so to speak, and they wanted to see if I could please her as much as they did.I accepted both my place and the challenge because, making an analogy to old human myths about the way wolf packs operate, I was meant to be the "Omega" wolf to the "Alpha" and "Beta" of Nick and Lon—and because, after that one night humping Tara in her bed, I knew how good we were together.I could give our Princess a good time, every time, and I knew I could show them.When we took turns banging her in that loft, she had the best sex she could want with all of us—but I was the one who made her come.

After we rested up and drank a little more wine, we took Tara back to her bedchambers at the Manor.Tara had dinner brought up for the four of us, which we all "wolfed down," having worked up a ferocious appetite for food.With that appetite satisfied, we all got naked again and climbed into Tara's bed to satisfy our bigger appetites.

We went on for hours, rolling around on the sheets with her.The four of us forgot our places as a Princess and her Guards and became just a beautiful human girl with three man-wolf suitors being totally sexual and wild with her.Nick, Lon, and I were animals with her.Each of us made her come, but I knew that I had the "edge" with her.Lon and Nick had only fucked her along with each other and with me.I was the only one who'd been in bed with Tara alone.I had the deepest, most intimate connection with her.She climaxed from the two of them playing with her clit.But I was the one who made Tara come with my cock inside her pussy.Nick and Lon fucked her well.I fucked her the best.

After that round of sex, we all went to sleep in the well-rumpled sheets of her bed.Tara and I lay in the middle of the bed, her head resting on my chest.Lon lay on one side of us, Nick on the other.I looked over at Nick, who stared silently into my eyes.The leader of our "pack" had watched me make Tara come in the most intimate way.I wondered what he thought.

Nick just looked at me as if he were looking with his wolf eyes, not with human eyes.And very subtly, he nodded.I could somehow sense him accepting me, accepting the special bond that I had formed with Tara, which was a part of the bond we were all creating with her.He seemed to be saying that he approved of me.I returned his subtle nod, thanking him for his approval.Then my eyes fell shut, and everything was calm and quiet.

*****

Sometime later, my eyes opened again, and I could sense something different.Nothing dangerous had awakened me, like the last time I was in this bed.There was just something out of place.I looked from one side of me to the other.I saw Nick and Lon—but no Tara.That's what was different:Tara was gone.Sitting up on the bed, I still sensed no threat in the room, no creatures that had entered while we slept.But Tara—where was Tara?

One of the big picture windows on one side of the room was a sliding door that let out onto a terrace that was lit with diode lanterns.The door had been slid open, and out on the terrace, standing at the railing and looking out at the stars, was a shapely figure with flowing blond hair dressed in a translucent robe.My dick stirred at the sight of just the shape of her under that fabric.

Carefully as not to disturb the others, not putting anything on, I climbed down to the foot of the bed and stepped off.I went to the door and stepped onto the terrace in the cool and starry night.

"Tara?" I called.

She did a half-turn to see me approaching her, and it was as if I could feel her eyes moving over my naked body in the glow of the lanterns and the starlight.She smiled, obviously liking what she saw.

"Kris," she said.

I joined her at the railing and was keenly aware of her being naked under that delicate robe.Near us was a marble bench, and I knew what I'd like to do right now, draping that robe over the bench, laying Tara down on what little she was wearing, and putting myself on top of her.But Nick and Lon were asleep right inside.It would have been out of turn.So instead I simply asked her, "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Just thinking," she said, looking from me to the sparkling carpet of stars across the indigo sky."And enjoying the night.You know, this is one of the few times I'll have any ‘alone time' as long as we're under threat from the Soorns.Most of the time I'll have constant companionship."She looked back at me, smiling sexily."Not that I'm complaining, considering the kind of company I have lately."And I caught her rolling her eyes down below on my body for a second to catch a glimpse of what I had down there.I had no complaints about that.She could look at it as much as she wanted, have as much of it as she wanted.It occurred to me that Tara could "call rank" on Nick and say she could have any one of us she wanted in any order she wanted.But I doubted that she'd do that.Tara both desired and respected us, and respected what we were.She understood the ways of wolf men.Nick had set up a hierarchy, and even though she was the Princess, she would abide by it.

"We're making you happy, then?" I asked.I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear her say it.

"Of course you are," said Tara, smiling a little more.

"And…I'm making you happy?"Again, I knew.I had never failed to make a female happy, but somehow it was important to hear it from Tara.

She brushed her knuckles against my chest, which quickened my heartbeat and sent hot blood flowing right to my loins.

"Can't you tell?" Tara asked.

"Well, yes, I can tell.And yes, I know, Tara.You can't fool a lycanthrope.You can't ‘fake it' with us; we can tell when we've satisfied someone."

Continuing to brush her knuckles on my chest, which began to drive my cock crazy, she said, "You've never left anyone unsatisfied in your life.You're not capable of doing a bad job in bed."

To stop myself from grabbing her and breaking protocol, instead I just took her one hand from my chest and held it."It's just there are three of us, and you came with all three of us…"

"And I'd never say this to Nick or Lon, but I know which one of you made me come the best."She moved a little closer to me—dangerously close, testing my self-control."Kris, in the short time I've known the three of you, you've all been the best I've ever had.I truly mean that.The sex, and just the closeness—and how truly, truly beautiful you all are—and how totally male the three of you are…Of course, all men who are wolves are the most beautifully masculine guys, but the three of you are just so perfect."She gazed deep into my eyes, and I could almost swear I was looking into the eyes of another wolf."Kris, it isn't really a competition and I'd never want to turn it into one.Having the three of you get inside me is the absolute best feeling.Maybe it's because you've been assigned to protect only me, but I have something with you three that I never thought I could have with anyone.And you, Kris—there's just something about you."She leaned closer to me and repeated, "You…"

There went my self-control.It snapped like some chain that had been holding me back, and nothing could stop me.I grabbed Tara, pulled her into my arms, and put my mouth on hers.She whimpered into my kiss, not resisting, not protesting, but welcoming.She kissed me back.I kissed her hard and moved my hands to the cheeks of her bottom with only the delicate fabric of that robe between me and her soft ass.In return, she grasped my own naked ass and squeezed it.I groaned into the kiss.

Tara took her lips from mine and said, "Fuck me again.Now.Just the two of us, like before."

I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth.I was afraid that any second she would move one hand around to my hardening cock.If she did that…I gulped, and with every bit of will power I had, I took a step back, loosening her grip on my ass.With effort, I replied, "Tara…Tara…I…can't."

Bewildered, she said, "You can't?Don't you want to?"

"Oh, hell, Tara, I want to, more than anything."I gestured back towards the room."But you know, there's a protocol.Nick said…"

"Nick and Lon don't have to know," said Tara.

"They don't have to know," I agreed."But it's a thing of honor.Look, in the Canis Guard, we have this sense of honor.There are some things we don't do, some lines we don't cross. When Nick said what the order was for the three of us to have you, it was just understood that we were on our honor to do it that way.And it's not a competition, but we're proud, Tara.We're wolves and we're men and we're proud.We respect that pride.If we do anything to break it, that's the greatest shame one of us could have."Standing here this way, telling her these things while stark naked in front of her, it was the only time in my life that I'd ever felt anything like human "body shame."Frustrated, I rubbed at my neck and resisted the aching in my dick."I want to fuck you right now, Tara.I really do.But…"And I looked back towards where the two of them were sleeping.

Tara put on a solemn look and deliberately met my eyes instead of glancing below at what she wanted and I couldn't give her, at least not now.Sighing with a resigned sort of acceptance, she said, "I understand."

We were both disappointed as hell.It would have been so easy to ignore the "fucking order" between her and us three Guards.But her respect for our honor made me care for Tara even more than I already did.

Keeping a careful arm's length between us, we both leaned at the railing and looked up and out at the curtain of stars above us.We were quiet until Tara said, "You know, there's so much life out there.So many worlds, so much life.I've never actually had the feeling that something or someone out there might be watching us—until now.Right now, I feel that way.Right now I feel as if we're being watched."

I studied the stars along with her.Things had been quiet since the attack of the mantis vipers, but that wasn't going to last.Somewhere out there, the Soorns had to be watching, and communicating with whoever of their kind was skulking around on this planet, probably right under our noses.Tara and I, with Lon and Nick, had been enjoying a brief respite, a little reprieve. But it wouldn't last.Probably soon, we'd have to deal head-on with what we were there to protect her from.