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Alaska. I soon found iout that Josh’s pack was tightly
organized. We acquired several new members as we traveled north,
and at each stop, there were more cages of humans. Sometimes there
were only two, but it was enough to make me cringe and remember the
horror of the first slaughter.
    The nights grew colder, and that night
I yawned at the back of my throat. I had never been this tired. I
was not stupid; I knew the signs of pregnancy. I missed the energy
provided by my werewolf form. Before you ask, no, I had no idea at
that time whose baby it was. I did not tell the pack. Josh had
cooled towards me in the past few days when I refused to hunt
another human. Sam’s face haunted me, but for some reason Josh let
me live. He would have been apt to let me starve or let the pack
kill me, I believe, had I proved less of a sexual amusement for
him. I will admit that I tried my best to keep him interested in
order to spare my life. Whether or not he was pleased with my
sexual favors, he reluctantly indulged me and let me hunt small
game. He especially loved to laugh at me when I hunted as a human,
my reflexes slow and clumsy. Until I discovered I was pregnant, I
let his humiliation fuel my Change so I could hunt
confidently.
    Still, I was terrified to go to a
doctor because of, well, myself and the possibility of an
unexpected Change. I had no idea how far along I was. But I seemed
to drag all the time now. I tried to stay as calm as possible. How
was I to know what the Change could do to my baby? My eyelids
drooped even though I wasn’t ready for sleep.
    Sparks from the fire jarred me a little
more awake. The nights were becoming monotonous; a never-ending
cycle of sitting around fires, running through the woods marveling
at our own stamina, and hunting a stray human every few days or so
while the pack laughed at my ill disposition for this life. One of
the females who paid me no attention sat to my right, and one of
the males to my left. They would often lean forward to talk over me
as if I didn’t exist. The glowing sets of eyes from the naked,
lounging Lycanti across from me looked like fireflies filled with
food dye, enhanced by the heat of the flames. Josh’s blue ones
burned into me from across the blaze. They had just finished
hunting, and I could smell the blood and contentment on them. The
night was cold, but my body temperature had risen with the
pregnancy. I could easily tolerate the cold. Despite my fatigue, I
felt stronger than ever. Over the last few days, I had felt almost
free, especially since Josh had not sought me out sexually. From
what I could tell, he took his pleasure with Layla. No jealousy
carried me forward now; she could have that monster. I thought of
survival and little else at this point.
    Josh stalked over to me, lithe and
unconcerned about his naked body edging so close to me. The two
Lycanti beside me slid over to give him some space should he choose
to sit. He massaged my shoulders.
    “Yes?” I asked, drawing slightly away
from him. I, too, sat in my skin even though I had no desire to. I
was already a disregarded stranger to them; I had no desire to be
an enemy. But I had covered myself with a jacket I carried no
matter Changed or not. I could not subscribe to their ways. It was
nice to have some sort of protection from the world in the form of
this pack, but I still held onto the something that made me human,
emotionally and physically.
    “Is that any way to react to your pack
leader?” he asked with a light tease to his voice.
    “No,” I agreed. My tone practically
dismissed him. “But then you are not my leader.”
    His face changed to the frown I had
learned to avoid lately. “I am your master.”
    “Lycanti have Lycanthrope masters. You
are nothing to me,” I said with no emphasis. I was tired and
hormonal. This, for me, equates to giving him nothing but the
truth.
    He jerked me up. I thought my arm had
been ripped from the socket.
    “Say that again,” he snarled.