I regained consciousness with the throbbing head and nausea of a concussion. I part-changed to cougar and back to heal the damage, then assessed the situation.
The first thing I noticed was a damp basement odor, overlayed with the scents of wolves. Lots of wolves. I was lying on a cold, grimy stone floor. The glare of a bare bulb showed that we were in an iron-barred cage in an old, stone-walled basement, probably the in the farmhouse we saw.
Cerry was curled up in a ball in the corner, sobbing and rocking back and forth. She reeked of fear. She was attacked by dog as a kid, and her severe phobia can still put her on the edge of panic at the sight of one. Werewolves would scare any normal human. To a cynophobe like her, they'd be paralyzing.
Outside the bars were two male and two female werewolves. They were half-changed - still bipedal, but with fur and tails and fangs and thick claws. John was on the floor with them. A reddish-furred female was holding his legs as a male pinned his arms to the floor. She seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn't quite place it.
I knew what was coming next. Were-folk have a general rule that protects us from humans. Anyone that knows about us has to become one of us, for our safety and security. For wolf packs, though, it has the force of law. The question was how they would enforce it.
It was too late to help John, but maybe I could still help Cerry. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her head into the crook of my neck, sobbing something about dogs. The scent of her fear tugged at my emotions.
The reddish wolf dug her claws into the front of John's chinos and rent the fabric into tatters. The boxers beneath them got the same treatment. She lowered her muzzle inside the tear and applied her long, supple tongue to his crotch. John started to resist, but a growl and the firm but careful application of her fangs put an end to that.
Having gotten the results she wanted, the red wolf straddled John's hips and took him as he watched in horror. She gyrated her hips, milking him with her pussy while applying her paw-hand to her clit. Small whimpers from her throat soon became loud moans. Moans became shrieks as she came. John, against his will, came too.
She let out a last sighing moan, then turned to the other female. "Emily, the other male is yours. Matt, you can have the female after that.”
“Why does she get to go first? Who put you in charge, anyway?” one of the males asked in a somewhat whiny voice.
“She’s not a threat. He’s the priority. Besides, Emily doesn’t whine. And you know full well that the alphas put me in charge while they are at the council meeting.”
Just then, the red female's scent reached my nose. I should have known.
As Emily unlatched the cage door and entered, I gently set Cerry on the floor and rose into a fighting stance between her and the wolf. "I admire your courage," she said, "but you can't win. No human can beat a werewolf. Come along, and I'll be gentle."
I snapped a front kick to her ribcage. She slammed back into the bars, and before she could recover, I spun her around facing away from me. I snaked my right hand under her arm, then up and behind her neck into a half-nelson. I wrapped my other hand around her throat, claws extended and buried in her fur. Her eyes bulged. "I’m not human," I said softly into her ear. Her scent changed from confidence to confusion and a bit of fear. "Hush. I don't want to hurt you." Then, more loudly, "Vivian!"
Vivian was walking towards the stairs with John over her shoulder. She stopped, looked at me, and handed John off to the second male. “Take him up to my room and keep him there,” she said. She walked up to the cage and asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"I know your scent." I said. At her puzzled look, I smiled and continued. "Wolves aren't the only creatures in the forest, don't you know. Not even the scariest." That just confused her more.
I half-changed, showing her my yellow-gold cougar eyes, and tawny-furred snout, fangs and ears. Light brown fur covered my skin.
"What…are you...? You’re… a cougar? Holy... I thought wolves were the only... Well, you obviously won't be joining our pack, but I don't think we need to worry about you talking. Let Emily go and join us for dinner. We're having venison."
I shook my head. "Viv, about Cerry. She's no good to you. A dog mauled her as a kid, and she's been phobic ever since. Can't you smell her fear? Can't you hear her? Do you really want a pack member that panics every full moon? Every time she sees one of you with fur on? Let me change her. Heck, she loves cats. She breeds them. You'll be better off with her as a sane cougar than an insane wolf"
The male she called Matt growled, "It's the law. She must join..." He fell silent at Vivian's gesture.
She sighed. "Well, the alphas won't like it, but you're probably right. But if she's still human in the morning, I’m giving her to Matt."
I let Emily go with an apology, and said to Vivian, "Do you have any place with a bit more privacy, and less grime?"
Vivian nodded. "Emily, put them in the safe room, please. Oh, and for letting him get the drop on you, you won't be joining tonight's pack run. Instead, you'll guard the door and make sure he turns her."
I picked up Cerry and followed Emily to a door across the basement. She opened it and said, "You can stay in here. It's still a cell, but at least it has a real floor and a bed." She opened the door and motioned us in.
