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Chapter 5: A Natural

"Where are we going?" Lilly implored, almost in a whine as she staggeringly climbed the rocky side of a steep hill. Suddenly, she lost her balance and began to slide down the slope. Luckily she was not far from the ground--where Garth was standing. He effortlessly, no less tenderly, caught her with the back of his neck.

"Ough!" she yelped, in that familiar shameful tone.

"You okay?" Garth smiled as he helped her get her balance again.

"Yea...no...I mean..."

"What?" Garth's face sunk in sympathy. Lilly recognized the look. It was the same one he had given her after she tried to pounce on that pine cone at his request, only to end up in the rotted, hollow truck of a dead tree.

"I can barely do anything right," she said looking to the ground, "I'm not an Alpha, you know."

A smile returned to his face, "That's why I...well...you're a challenge. It feels good to work on a challenge." Lilly did not know what to think by this; she just bashfully looked down to her side with a shyly smile.

"Come on," Garth exclaimed in an eager demand, "It's over here."

Lilly followed. Her heart pounded in her chest, not from running or climbing, but from the reluctance she felt stabbing into her diaphragm. This had been going on for almost a month now, whenever she was with Garth. Whenever he could--just about every day--he would ask her to join him somewhere. Usually he would let her watch him hunt, or show her some impressive alpha feat. If his time was short, he simply escorted her down to the riverside for a quick drink. But they were always alone--and she was riveted by him. And each time, her mind would scream to her: Don't you dare go with him, or Stay right where you are! But something else overcame, prying her from whatever anchors she tried to put on the ground, allowing her to dash off after Garth--shamelessly. Of course, that would change when they parted ways again. It hurt her real bad lie to Humphrey on a near daily basis, and have to fabricate a new lie each time.

I can't do this! Not anymore!

But as soon as he would turn to her with his deep, dark green eyes and she would see the wind pass through the fur on his brawny alpha body, the other voice would enter into her head. It was the voice she wished she could cut right out of her body whenever she had to face up to Humphrey again.

This is YOUR time now...

"Lilly?" Like cold water, Garth's voice snapped Lilly out of her daydreaming. "It's right here." Lilly noticed that Garth was standing in a patch of tall grass, which was surrounded by the thick forest. IT was like an oasis in a desert. In the center, where were a couple of big, smooth rocks that reflected the sunshine that peered through the gap in the trees. Garth walked behind the rock pile--out of sight. "Over here!"

Lilly froze. The simple calling of his voice would not take her off her feet this time as she planted them in the soil beneath her.

"Lilly?" Invisible, his voice sounded like a beaconing ghost.

No! No! No! It can't come to this!

Garth peered out from behind the rocks. Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, he said laughing "Come on. I don't bit." His thick green eyes twinkled from the reflected sun. Lilly gazed on them helplessly. That's not fair, Lilly thought as she felt her feet stepping towards him. Finally, she came around the rock, finding him staring down at a peculiar flower that was sticking up out of the ground between the densities of the tall grass.

"I found it this morning," he said looked up at her again, "It's for you."

Lilly didn't know what to say. She stared at the flower with tender scrutiny. She hadn't ever seen anything like it. It was a sizeable flower; not a surprise since it must have had much to endure on its own surrounded by the weeds. But its colors were what struck Lilly. Its multitude of peddles, like that of a daisy, spread out evenly were dark red, but at the center, the pollen looked--white. Garth moved closer to Lilly's side so that now she the fur on his leg in the peripherals of her eyes as she stared at the flower bellow.

It's...colored just like our...

"Red and white," whispered Garth, "Who would have thought that flowers like this existed. But I hope that this is the only."

Lilly smiled, "Thank you, Garth." Her jaw was nearly trembling joy. She lowered her head and smelled the flower's center. It was the most wonder fragrance to pass through her muzzle. Only until she noticed Garth stir that she broke out of her blissful trance. With pleasant yawn, Garth laid himself down on his side, resting his muzzle beside the flower. A little startled, Lilly took two large steps back.

"I'm tired," said Garth beamed with his eyes half-closed, "Another restless night."

"I can find my why back. I'll let you get some rest," she said, though it sounded more like a plea then a concern. But as she began to turn, she was stopped dead by Garth's commanding voice.

"Lilly...come _lie_with me for a little while."

Lilly darted her eyes back over to him, getting a full view of his hefty figure settling into the grass, and a wide grin on his muzzle.

"Garth!" Lilly snapped, "We're married!"

Garth laughed, "I like to think so. And I think this flower thinks so, too." Lilly was taken aback by the comment; it was smug but strangely flattering. "You know what I mean," she scolded. Garth remained grinning as he stroked the grass in front of him with his paw, his eyes beaconing. "Look Garth," she said helplessly, "I know how you feel about me..."

"And I know you feel the same about me," he said jovially. Lilly shook her head, "But...we can't...we can't do this to our mates. What about Kate and Humphrey?"

"What about them," Garth's voice wasn't moved, "Besides, I just want to lie beside you for just a little bit. I'm not asking for anything else. So it's not like we're _really_cheating on them by... you know. Please, Lilly." The softness in his voice was reassuring, but Lilly refuse to have it deceive her.

"You brought me out here in middle of nowhere just to lie down?" The firmness in her voice was unusually firm, but it only excited Garth more. "Of course not, I wanted to give you this flower. I thought we'd gaze at it together. It is kind of a long track back home, so why not a quick rest?"

"That's not all," Lilly demanded. Garth lowered his head a little, but did not take his eyes from her. "No. You're right. And...let me at least pretend." Lilly inclined her head to the side, "Pretend what?"

Garth sighed, "That you're my mate."

Lilly froze. She wanted to run, but now her body decided to anchor her down. It was terrifying. Her heart raced. But she couldn't move. She won't let herself. It was Garth's eyes. The hurt and desire in them seemed to have an invisible hold on her.

"Please, Lilly," the strapping alpha with the gentle voice continued, "let me escape _all_the pain for just a few minutes."

Then her body began to move, only half-in protest, as if she was being pulled by a vine but--recognizing her own will to be pulled--giving only the showcase of resistance.

"Okay, Garth. Just for a little while. Because I care for you."

His eyes elated as she came over to him, gently laying her body parallel to his with her back to him. She locked her eyes on the flower in front of her. Then, without any warning, Garth began to snuggle himself next to her, placing his muscular foreleg across her body. She trembled at the touch of his sharp claws gently scrapping against her skin. Terror shot through her body, but not in apprehension of him. Though she tried to fight the thought, she loved every bit of what he was doing. The terror she felt was of getting caught. The selfishness of thinking such a thing was the source of her anxiety. As she stared at the flower, its red and white colors superbly synchronized, despite its abnormality, her eyes watered in joy at every stroke of his muzzle against her head. She could only respond approvingly, by rubbing her back against his chest. She gasped as his powerful jaws began to nibble the side of her ear. Finally, the tip of his snout met the side of hers, and the two rhythmically massaged each other's muzzles. Then she felt his head leave hers, and his body go still. She looked up. He was staring down at her. His face was blank and void of his emotion, except for his glistening, desiring eyes. They hung there for was seemed like an eternity, just staring at each other. As if finally reconciling with reality and accepting what was going to happen next. And when Garth finally lowered his muzzle, aiming in effortless precision toward hers, Lilly rushed to meet it.

Then their noses met.

The moist firmness of his seemed so overpowering that Lilly couldn't help but let out a sharp, trembling pant. She felt foolish, but didn't stop. Rubbing their noses against each other's in circular motions, the feeling of fright came back to Lilly. Now it was no longer the fear of getting caught, it was whether she would be able to handle the next step in their intimacy. Because all he had to do now...was ask.

Garth kept his eyes open the whole time. He could not force to deprive himself of her sight. Like water flowing over his body, the sense of her nose running against his and the scent of her fragrant perfume, all the restless nights, the demeaning showcase excursions, and formulated pack hunts--with Kate--all disappeared from memory. She was his and he was hers now. He was finally living.

Suddenly, in his peripheral, Garth noticed movement in the trees. In a near mindless, automatic move, he shot his head in the direction of the movement. Startled, Lilly looked around frantically for what it was he saw.

Oh no! Please, no!

Then Garth noticed the gray figure of a wolf against the thicket of the trees and brush.

"Hey!" he yelled.

With that, the figure scurried down the side of the tree line. "Hey, come back here!" Garth darted in the direction of the running figure. He would not accept any hopelessness that the strange wolf would disappear behind the trees before he could catch him. But he was trailing him a good several yards. Suddenly, just before the wolf could make it beyond the trees and into the forest, a large mass leapt out to the thicket, pounced on the wolf, and pinned him to the ground.

It was Iago. And the wolf was one of the omegas from the pack.

Iago barred down on the scrawny omega, bearing his teeth as the omega shook in terror. "Don't hurt him!" Garth heard Lilly cry from behind him. Iago paid her no attention.

"If you ever talk about this, omega," Iago snarled, "I will personally break all of your legs."

The omega looked up, trembling in horror to speak, but managing to say softly, "Remember what?" Iago laughed as he looked up at Garth, who stood their stunned. "This omega's smarter than he looks," he said as he jumped up from the omega, "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!!!" The omega darted back into the forest.

Garth turned to Lilly. She was running off. "I...I gotta go!"

"Lilly!" Garth called, but it was no use. She disappeared into the forest. Garth did not pursue her. He looked over at Iago who was smiling in amusement.

"What're you doing up here?" Garth asked with a hint of contempt in his voice.

"I was going to ask you the same question. This is a little too far north, don't you think? With all the intrusions by the Northern Pack. Of course," Iago winked, "It makes good for cover."

"I was just..." Garth looked back at the flower, then turned to Iago, "...never mind. You still haven't answered my question." Garth's voice reassumed its authority.

"You've been gone all morning. Thought I'd look around. Don't worry. There's no search party."

"Weren't you supposed to by watching the outlanders?"

"I was but Kate revlived my for a while. She and some other...omega found something for those savages. I thought I got your scent and followed it to here. And it looks like I got here just in time."

My scent! Other omega?

Iago saw the look of apprehension on Garth's face. "Don't worry. We've all dabbled. It's nothing to be ashamed of. But I suggest that you wash up or roll around in something. You wanna get rid of her smell. And I must say you're pretty daring to take it up with your mate's own sister."

Garth looked at Iago. His stare was amused and mocking, but understanding. It made Garth a little uncomfortable, but he could not think of a reason not to trust Iago.

"Thanks, Iago."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, Iago," Garth sighed, "We need to talk about something."