The Arrangement |1|

Chapter Nine

   Many stripped out of their clothes right there and then at their Alpha's words. Madeline had never seen so many naked bodies until then. Her pack was few, fewer than this. And when they went on pack runs, they didn't just suddenly strip in front of each other. They spread out respectively. Emerson, as if suddenly realizing how many naked wolves were before them, he growled and put a hand over her eyes.

   Right.

   Madeline had forgotten how possessive newly mated males could be, especially Alphas. Madeline had seen some of the calmest and gentlest of the male's tackle another just because he had looked at his mate to long. Her dead mate, Lucas, had gotten into a couple brawls because another male had said something to her, something he didn't like. Her lips turned up at the thought.

   "Are we far enough away that I can shift now?" She asked as they had walked farther and farther away from where the others were shifting.

   He lowered his hand from her eyes and she looked at him with an amused look. He only scowled at her, which caused her to chuckle. "Just hurry up and shift. The faster we get this over with the better."

   She wasn't sure if he meant the hunt, or the finalization of the mating, or both. But she just nodded as if she understood. "Can you unbutton the dress?"

   She didn't wait for his response and turned around. A moment later, she felt his fingers working on the buttons. She let her dress fall and she slid out of her underwear.

   Nudity wasn't a problem among wolves. It was accepted. One had to undress to shift or ruin their clothes. No wolf was ashamed of their body, not even the newly shifted, though they may be shy at first, as Madeline certainly had been. But no one cared about seeing your body naked, not unless you were newly mated. Only then it mattered. Only then did wolves get possessive about others seeing their mate. But otherwise, there was no issue with nudity.

   Madeline closed her eyes as she called forth her wolf. A moment later, a blonde wolf stood her in place. She shook out her fur slightly, then turned to her mate, wanting to play and run and hunt with him.

   Another minute and brown wolf towered over her. Her mate nosed her neck, breathing in her scent. Then he licked her neck, showing affection to her. It seems that the wolf was more intimate than the human.

   With a yip, they were off running towards their pack. They joined the couple hundreds of wolves gathered. Those who didn't join were the children that had not shifted yet, their caretakers, and those wolves still on duty.

   The Alpha tipped his head back and howled into the night, calling his Pack. He took off at a run at the lead, his mate, and Luna by his side. The pack ran behind them, falling in rank. Beta, Gamma, the commanding officers, then the common wolves, and lastly the Omegas. A bark, a command from the Alpha, and the pack split in two. Half following the Beta, half following the Alpha. This made it easier to sneak up on prey.

   They ran until the Alpha, having scented prey nearby, stopped and crouched. Deer by the smell of it. the Alpha crouched down, crawling forward so not to be noticed by the deer. The Luna was just behind him. She didn't pounce until her mate had. Other high-ranking wolves pounced on the other two. The Alpha and Luna feasted on the one they had brought down. The wolves and their mates and shifted pups feasted on the other two. There had been some that had caught rabbits or found a deer running away.

   The entire pack was brought back together in a clearing after they had all eaten their share. The young pups chased each other, playing with each other. The boys were purposely losing to the girls, so they would keep playing with them. The older, mated wolves were watching their children. Others were conversing with themselves by barking or yipping. There were some mates that had found some privacy in the woods to mate with each other.