Free When The Fur Flies by Kelliea Ashley

into a plush rug. She wiggled her toes with a sigh before she limped over to the dresser. Folded neatly on the top of it were her jeans with her silver athame and tiger’s eye necklace lying next to them. Her underwear and shirt were missing, but a crisp white shirt had been left on top of her pants. Her sneakers were nowhere to be seen. She wondered if they fared far worse than her feet.
    When she was dressed in Reginald’s white T-shirt and her black pants, Allison gave into her curiosity. She gingerly touched the painting with a gasp. It was real and had to be an original. How in the world did a Wolven Alpha come to possess such an artistic treasure? She was determined to find out as she walked gingerly on her toes through a hallway that led to a big living area complete with a black leather sofa, glass end tables, and every male’s dream possession—an eighty-inch flat screen television. What caught Allison’s eye were the bookshelves built into the stone walls. She would have loved to take a closer look, but all she wanted was to find the Alpha and demand to be taken home.
    Allison pushed on the wooden door, half expecting it to be locked, but it swung open silently. She took a deep breath as she braced herself to enter another long hallway lit with a series of lights in the ceiling. She tiptoed her way down the hall, until she came to the first door on her left. She stopped and listened, but didn’t hear anything behind the door. She took a deep breath and smelled a different male musk. It wasn’t weaker than Reginald’s, but it didn’t contain that hint of lavender. She followed the trail of scent that was uniquely the Alpha’s all the way down the hall until she came to an intersection. She smelled all three directions and turned right.
    When had her nose become so sensitive? She smelled other scent markers, two females and three males, but continued to follow his. The smooth floor of the tunnel angled gradually upward as his scent became stronger. Finally, after several twists and turns, she went past a double door made of oak, and stopped. She turned to go back to the doors as she heard voices and smelled his scent among several others.
    ***
    “Settle down. We’ll deal with the Vampire issue. They won’t dare attack the Den for fear of retribution. They are too smart for that.” Reginald faced his pack as he stood on the raised stage of their auditorium. “We will need to be prepared for attacks outside the gates. As of now there will be no night drills. We run tomorrow night with the full moon, but only in pairs. No one is to be alone at any time outside the main gates of the Den. I’d prefer groups of four or five, but I know there are some of you who prefer to hunt with your mates.”
    Reginald looked out at the members of his pack with pride. His pack was strong and fiercely loyal to one another. They wouldn’t hesitate to protect one of their own. It was yet another major change he’d affected during his reign as their alpha. No longer did the weaker members or omegas need to fear their stronger relatives. They were looked after and nurtured to become betas in their own right. This not only promoted pack stability, but also strengthened their numbers. Now, if only he could improve their ability to conceive offspring. As it was, the average pair was lucky to conceive once in five years. Most pairs had only one child, and female babies were rare.
    “After tonight no one goes outside the gates at night unless I know about it. No one goes into town during the day alone. Safety is in our numbers. Trust your pack members and watch each other’s backs. Humans and Witches have been known to socialize and sympathize with the bloodsuckers. No one can be trusted, including the Keeper and the Coven of Witches. Any questions?” He dreaded opening the floor up to the people, but it was tradition. Several members raised their hands to be picked, but one stepped forward with a hard glint in her blue