My Feral Lady Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Pack meetings and tense greetings? 

In the morning Alex called Lena to fill her in on the answer and its success. Lena was relieved beyond all reason, especially after such a long night, trying to talk Jess down from her misguided plans. The two decided after both consulting with their mates that it would be a good idea to contact the rest of the pack and have a pre moon meeting. Informing everyone else about both the risks of wolfsbane and that negative effects could be corrected seemed like it was worth making a high priority. After being awakened by the call from Alex, Lena simply returned to snuggling in bed with Kara. It was her obligation, after all, yup! That’s right, it was entirely for Kara’s sake that she snuggled with the alpha for a whole nother hour after waking. Not like it was the most comforting thing ever or anything just to rub her face against the warmest softest breast in a cold and hard world or anything. No! No! Absolutely not! She was doing it all for Kara’s benefit. 

A desperate need for cuddling or no, Lena had to get up eventually, especially when the sound of boisterous children overrunning the living room hungry for breakfast grew louder. 

“I think we need to get up love.” Kara suggested to the omega still rubbing her cheek against her breast like it was catnip. 

“Warm, warm and soft.” Lena tightened her hug around Kara. 

“Yes, yes. I am sure my titty is great, but there seem to be kids outside and eager to get their breakfast.” 

“Don’t care. Plus, you heard your sister. We need to cuddle to make you all better.” 

“Yeah.” Kara snickered and rolled her eyes doubtfully. 

“Yeah.” Lena shifted to wrap both legs around one of Karas as she cuddled into Kara with her whole body. 

“You are cute when you don't want to get out of bed. You know that?” 

Lena mewled into Kara’s breast, kissing and licking at it absentmindedly as she snuggled with all her being. 

“Time to get up love.” 

“No.” Lena protested.

“Yes baby. I am sorry, but it is time to get up, otherwise, the kids won't get to eat their breakfast.” 

“Uugh fine then!” Lena griped. 

“How about this?” Kara sat up. “I will cook them all breakfast and you go talk to Jess?”

“Oh god Jess.” Lena sighed, slinking out of bed. 

“She wasn't doing too well last night when you finally got her to bed, so checking in on her might be a good idea… and I am pretty sure she doesn't want me to be the one to check up on her.” 

“Yeah.” Lena admitted with a wince. “You did accuse her of betraying us.” 

“Hey! How could I have known what she was actually planning? It isn't like she let us in on any of her plans or anything.” 

“I know. Yeah. I think your plan is smart. I will check in on her, you make breakfast?” 

“Sounds great love see you soon.” Kara leaned over the bed to kiss Lena on the cheek and heading off to wrangle the rowdy children.

Lena took an extra couple minutes to put herself together and ready herself for the encounter with her hurting friend. Once she finally emerged from the bedroom, she caught sight of Kara with a kid on either side spinning them both around as they squealed joyfully. 

“Again! Again!” They cheered. 

“No my turn!” 

“No, no. I’m sorry guys, but we gotta get that chow a cooking! Or do you not want any breakfast?” Kara smiled and put the two children down. 

“So not fair.” 

“I’ll spin the rest of you around after dinner. Deal?” Kara offered to the pouting child.

“What’s for breakfast?” He bartered. 

“Eggs, bacon, and pancakes?” Kara racked her brain for what she could make from the cursory glance at Cat’s refrigerator she had gotten before the kids stole her attention away. 

“How much bacon?” The child would be a shrewd businessman for certain. 

“Two slices each.” Kara giggled at herself for bartering with the five-year-old.

“Deal.” He squinted at her like he thought he could barter extra bacon into the fridge for them all to eat. 

“Good!” Kara announced. 

Lena smiled with a laugh at her mate. 

“Go check on your friend.” Kara waived Lena on. “I can handle this miniature horse.” 

“Thanks love.” Lena blew a kiss and moved to the room they had set out for Jess. “Hey, Jess?” Lena knocked softly. She could hear the vampire stir through the door, but there was no real reply. “Jess?” She tried again. Still nothing but the sound of her friend shifting in bed and maybe a belabored sigh. “Jess, are you up yet?” Lena asked despite already knowing the answer. Again a whole lot of nothing. “Dam- darn it Jess! I know you are awake. Now open up or I’m gonna do it myself!” Lena waited a minute for another response, but when she heard a hushed rustle on the bed followed by a thunk, she threw the door open. Lena was too afraid that Jess would try to run again, that she would go off and try to get herself killed or taken again. “No! Jess don't go!” 

“I was trying to get to the door.” Jess huffed in frustration and struggled to get herself to sit up. 

“Jesus. Jess! You look terrible!” 

“Oh, why thanks, and you look lovely today Lena.” 

“Jess! Stop fucking around.” 

“No, no. I am just chilling here on the floor for fun. I’ll stop fucking around right now! Thanks for reminding me.” Jess made a show of doing her best to get up to her feet only to fall back down to the ground painfully just as she had expected. 

“Jess!” Lena screamed again, this time loud enough to get Kara’s attention. 

“Lena?” 

“We are fine. Just, just keep cooking.” Lena hollered out the door to her mate in the kitchen. 

“Why don't you go reassure her that I’m not plotting against you all.” Jess spat. 

Lena sighed, that hurt. “You can't stand. If you can't stand, you can't plot.” 

“I’m not so sure about that. I can barely sit up and yet I am still plotting exactly how to kill her.” 

Lena glared at her friend. “You can’t.”

“Can or can’t, it doesn't matter. I am going to do it or die trying.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Lena snapped. 

“Oh I don't know, let’s take stock? I’ve been being used as a toy, pin cushion, test subject, and pet for that monster for the past month. She fucked with my metabolism by feeding and starving me. Now it is so bad that feeding on animal blood like I used to left me so weak that I can barely stand! Oh, right, and even my best friend barely trusts me. So, yeah, that is more or less what's wrong with me.” 

“Oh… Jess.” Lena whimpered a sigh and struggled to get her friend upright and back onto the bed. “Why didn't you feed at Alex’s when Kara offered you some of her sister’s human blood?” 

“She tell you about that?” 

“Yes. Because she talks to me!” 

“You didn't let her sleep till she gave you a detailed debrief about how I was acting all day huh?” 

“Maybe a little.” Lena admitted. “But really, you would barely tell me anything last night. What is going on?” 

“I am hungry, I am tired, and I never want her to hurt you two like she did me. She is angry, she is dangerous, and she is hurt. I don't know if her throat will heal. Her arm didn’t. But if this is going to heal, now is the only time I ever have a chance against her.” 

“Sure, it is your only chance, if you go alone.” 

Jess shot defiant eyes at her friend. 

“don't go getting yourself killed. Please? For me?” 

“I stopped last night didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did. And I am incredibly relieved. Because otherwise you would have gone and gotten yourself killed.” Lena stressed again. 

“Yeah yeah.” Jess rolled her eyes. 

“Just promise me that I don't have to keep an eye on you twenty-four seven and constantly be worried that you will disappear.” 

“It isn't like I am capable of it right now.” Jess huffed. She clearly was not very ok with just how weak she was after everything that had happened. 

“On that note, and I understand the irony, but please drink some of Alex’s stored blood.” 

“NO! Nothing human!” Jess snapped. 

“Jess, I get it. Drinking human blood can be a weird thing, but-” 

“I said no Lena.” 

“Jes-” 

“You only ever drank it the one time did you?” 

Lena’s skin crawled at the memory. She loathed ever thinking about it, about what she had done… about how she had enjoyed it. She shook her head, striving to exile the memory. Before she was able to calm herself and reply, Jess had begun to speak up once more. 

“It only gets worse the more you’ve had. I lost count of how many people she had me kill, all I knew for the first week she had me was how good it felt and how hungry I was. So no, no I will not be drinking any of the human blood at Alex’s. I can just drink the pig blood when we get back to your place.” 

“Ok, I won't push you then Jess. I’m sorry. Things will get better. Just rest for now, ok?” 

“Yeah. sure.” Jess had just enough strength to lay back down. 

“I’ll wake you when I head off to work.” Lena offered. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jess closed heavy eyes and yawned, snuggling into a pillow.

Lena might have lied a little. When the time came to head in for her shift at the butchery, Lena did check in on Jess, and she had every intention to wake the slumbering vampire, but then she remembered just how tired she had been, how weak. The new wolf simply couldn't bring herself to awaken her friend prematurely. Jess needed her sleep and Lena figured that if she did wake up before her shift was over then she could run some blood over on her lunch break. Lena, however, was relieved when Kara reported back that Jess was still asleep when her lunch break came and went. Relief regretfully relinquished to worry when she returned to Cat’s and Jess was still sleeping like the dead she was. 

Once again, even when she and Kara had to fill into three separate cars with the assistance of Emelia, Lena couldn't bring herself to wake Jess. Instead, the omega had her mate carry the vampire into the back of her car with an extra pillow so that Jess could hopefully get some semblance of comfort on the car ride. The horde of Cat’s kids arrived a bit early. The pack meeting wasn’t scheduled to start for at least another half hour, and that would have been running on the assumption that they would begin when it was scheduled for the first time since even Sam had joined the pack. 

Sam and Kara sat at the bar, facing out and slowly sipping at their pale ales, all the while watching over the kids as they played some games Alex had stored away and occasionally snuck into the bar’s arcade to play free games of Ms. Pacman courtesy of Alex and her owner’s override key. Emelia had gotten a tear-filled reunion off to the side with her brother, the only two of Cat’s children who knew what had happened to her. But once the tears ran dry, the two so close to being adults of their own suddenly had adulthood thrust upon them in the form of their near dozen of other younger siblings with neither a mother nor a father to take care of them any longer. Lena and Alex, however, were stationed over and away in a corner just talking about this, that, the other thing, and nothing all at once over a couple of glasses of water and whatever bar appetizers had most recently been sent back by a customer. 

“So how was the rest of the time up in Boston?” Lena spritzed some of her garnish lemon into her ice water. 

Alex’s subsequent sigh dragged on like she loathed to think of it. “It, it was nice. I’m really glad that I got to meet my extended family.” 

“Oof, what’cha holdin back there.” Lena winced, stirring her water absentmindedly with a straw. 

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” 

“Sounds like a whole lot of nothing to me.” Lena sipped casually at her drink. 

“It’s fine.” The lying omega’s plastered on positive facade was thoroughly unconvincing to the other omega. 

Lena kicked at Alex’s leg playfully under the table.

“Hey!” 

“Tell me. What’s going on? What happened back there that has you so down?” 

“I thought I was pregnant.” Alex winced and looked away disheartened. 

“Well, that is great right?” 

“Yeah, it was for the whole fifteen fucking hours I thought it was actually possible.” 

“Oh no.” 

“But, I got my period today.” Alex exhaled as she deflated and any hints of happiness drained from her face. “Right when I was just about to take the test too.”

“Wait, what?” 

“I got my period.” Alex moved to rest her chin in her hands and pout. 

“W- wolves get those?” Lena looked like she had broken. “V! Vampires don't!” 

“Well, of course not. Vampires are... you know, undead. Most wolves may be sterile, but even before Kara became an alpha I know she still had them. So yeah. Why wouldn’t we?” 

“A-A-Alex?” 

“Yeah what’s up Lena?” 

“Do, do you still have that test?” Lena’s voice approached dog-whistle pitch.

“Uugh, yeah, It’s in my pocket, why?” Alex snapped it out and held it in front of herself not quite following yet. 

“Because I haven't gotten mine yet.” Lena quickly covered the test up with her hands before Kara could see it. It wasn't that she didn't want Kara to know, it was that she didn't want Kara to know until it was a certain thing. It would have killed her if she went and got Kara’s hopes up only to let her down. And with all the feral, not feral drama, Lena just wasn't ready to throw Kara through the wringer again. 

“Lena!” Alex’s eyes lit up in surprise. “My sister is a dog.” 

“Shut up before she hears you!” Lena snapped her head to the side with a blush on her cheeks. 

“Well…” Alex made a click with her tongue and darted her eyes to the bathroom. “Go find out.” She urged with a wide smile almost wide enough to make her forget how sad she had been. 

“Are you sure? Maybe it is just my body getting accustomed to being alive again?” Lena shook her head. It was a hard thing to believe, that in the center of all this mess something so beautiful could be happening. 

“You will never know unless you check.” Alex shrugged. 

“Well, not never.” Lena shook and averted her gaze. 

“My sister’s omega is not waiting till she has a huge bump to find out she is-” Alex was whispering, but even her whispers were silenced by Lena’s furious glare. 

“Fine! I will check! But if Kara knows what I am doing by the time I come back, I am gonna kill you!” Lena hissed with a light laugh before rushing off and over to the bathroom in a subdued scurry. 

Jess awoke somehow even more disoriented than she had been earlier that morning when Lena had been at her door. The first thing she noticed was the smell of human blood, human blood, but it was stale, locked up somewhere and cold, not the way she had been enjoying it straight from the spigot when she was a captive. It made her throat feel sore that it was so dry. Like her brittle bones would collapse in around her as a revolt for no longer feeding them correctly. She tried to rattle out a pained cry. Only a broken rasp seeped out from her throat. She could barely move, and she was smart enough to know that in her current state attempting it would not be a good idea. 

“Jess?” A vaguely familiar voice called out from the other side of a padded something to the vampire’s right

She attempted to speak again but didn’t get much more than a cough. 

“Oh shit, you don't sound too good.” Alex stressed as she hopped out of her bar booth seat and rushed around to Jess’s side. Catching the sight of the vampire who looked to be all but on death’s door, Alex rushed to the cooler that Lena had set. “Lena grabbed this for you while she was at work. Here. Blood. Pig, like she said you wanted.” 

Jess’s instinct was to wretch at the cold inhuman blood. It was far from what she needed, but she willed herself to gulp it down as Alex pushed it to her lips. Color rushed back to the vampire’s face as the blood lent her at least a little strength; enough to take the thermos and sit up. “Fuck that is so much better!” She rushed the words in her hoarse tone. 

“don't rush yourself. I don't know if vampires are the same, but wolves and humans can get sick if they feed to fast.” 

“Not that way for us.” Lena assured. “Just messes with our metabolism, and mine is already fucked up enough that I could down this twenty times over and not even feel ok again.” 

“I… I’m sorry. She mentioned that you were having issues, that Eve had messed with you quite a bit.” Alex attempted to empathize as she pulled out another thermos from the cooler and handed it off to the vampire before sitting down across from her in the booth. 

“Yeah, that is one way to put it.” Jess sat up and pressed herself up against the back of the booth’s bench in order to feel some semblance of comfort and safety. 

“I’m sorry.” Alex tried again to offer some level of understanding to her sister’s mate’s friend. 

“Where’s Lena?” 

“Uugh, she’s uugh.” Alex stalled just long enough for the wolf to emerge from the bathroom in a b line for her mate with an egregious wide smile on her face. 

“She looks happy.” Jess huffed. 

“She is.” Alex smiled with just a hint of jealousy.

“What happened?” Jess questioned in between gulping down blood while watching her friend. Lena’s smile seemed only to grow as she suddenly hopped up in Kara’s lap, kissing her with such vigor it was almost inappropriate in front of the children and then settling in to kiss and suck tauntingly at the alpha’s neck. “Woah, damn. She is just… going at it.” 

“She is happy.” Alex smiled for her new friend and her sister. 

“At least someone is.” 

“Are you not?” Alex’s gaze diverted quickly away from the duo kissing and sucking at each other's necks.

“I am starving, I just recently escaped abusive captivity against my will, by a monster who is still out there and could return at any time mind you, and I’m the only single person in a room full of couples and children. Of course, I’m happy, fucking delighted!” The one benefit to her hoarse throat was that none of the kids were overtly alerted to her belligerent cursing. 

“Well, I’m glad none of that has caused you to lose any of your humor in all that.” 

“Haha, so funny.” Jess mocked. 

“See, you are laughing already!” Alex lit up in sarcasm. 

“You are a fuckin asshole.” Jess glared before going for a third thermos from the cooler. 

“Yeah, but you are smiling. That ain’t something any of us have seen you do much of ever since we got you back.” 

Jess intentionally killed any expression that lingered on her face just to deliver a deadpan look to the wolf across the table from her. 

“You know we were all scared for you right.” 

“Yeah.” Jess huffed exhausted. 

“It really felt like we lost one of our wolves, one of the pack.” Alex meant the best, all she wanted was to reassure Jess that she did have friends here, that she did have a family. 

“You aren't helping!” 

“I-” Alex stumbled. “Why not.” 

“I tried to kill Lena just yesterday. How do you think that will fly with your wolves, your pack if that ever comes to light? I am not a part of your family. I am at best a friend of the bitch who married, or mated, or whatever you wolves wanna call it into the pack just to be ‘alive’ again.” Jess performed air quotes. 

“That was not your choice! Eve was controlling you!” 

“And you think that is how your wolves will see it?” 

“Maybe not at first, but they don't have to know that ever happened!” Alex argued.   

“I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep.” 

“Aye!” Alex pulled a hair tie from her wrist and shot it at the vampire as she shifted to lay down.

“Ouch.” Jess over-enunciated for effect. 

“You are a pack member now asshole. No sleeping during meetings!” 

Jess glared and sealed the third thermos halfway through. “Whatever.” She situated herself in preparation for the meeting. “Thanks, I guess.” The vampire pouted like a child who had recently been reprimanded. “But I’m keeping this.” She held up the hair tie before using it to put her hair up. 

“Deal.” Alex cracked a grin and chuckled at her victory. 

“Well, well, well, now what has me getting all this love?” Kara cooed at the delight of suddenly being assaulted with kisses and loving from the omega who had so randomly hopped up on her lap. 

“Noothin.” Lena giggled in between deepening near-pornographic kisses. 

“Woah, hey there baby.” Kara’s hands slithered down to Lena’s hips to slow her in the lapdance esque motions. 

“I love you.” Lena cheered short of breath. 

“Well, I love you too. But what has you so affectionate?” 

“I just love you. And I’m always affectionate.” 

“You are often affectionate, however not often this affectionate.” 

“don't you consider that thing I let you do in the woods last weekend affectionate?” Lena’s seductive voice taunted Kara as she licked up the alpha’s neck and behind the shell of her ear.

Kara’s brain nearly melted out her ears as she began to take up an appearance somewhat similar to a ripe tomato. “Yeah, that was very affectionate.” The alpha could feel her hips rising to meet Lena’s along with other things. 

“We should do that again tonight.” Lena suggested ignoring the sound of the bar’s doors opening to welcome a sizeable portion of the pack.

“Oh, god baby. That sounds spectacular. But, but, we really should, you know, wait! I! I mean just until after the pack meeting for that.” Kara’s head spun from such sudden blood loss. “Oh wow! Oh, baby, you need to stop moving your hips, please. That sounds heavenly but we should wait.” 

“Ok, if you want. But tonight we are going to have some fun.” Lena moved to get off of Kara’s lap but was held back by Kara’s hands. 

“Baby, please don't get up right now.” 

Lena giggled pleased. “Ok.” The omega settled for just shifting on Kara’s lap to rest against her and press her forehead right into the crook of the alpha’s neck. 

“That’s my girl. My beautiful girl.” Kara turned her head to kiss the woman in her lap, delighted to have her omega so close.

Wolves filtered in with an increasing frequency over the next half an hour and then the last few filled in over the following ten minutes or so. Sam got a good chuckle at the overwhelming shock that was the pack meeting somehow starting early with all of the pack present and or in some way accounted for. There were only three wolves missing. One had been an elder who was known to be in the hospital. She was an old wolf, one who had learned to control the shift over a decade ago in her elder age, now couped up in a hospital with liver failure only to have to fight her turn. It was no surprise that she hadn't shown up, not that she could have if she wanted to anyway. The second and third, however, were both accounted for by their mates. Both reported that their mate had been acting odd, not up for a pack meeting and a little violent. Both sets of alphas and omegas immediately knew what was happening to the two, they knew what was wrong, but at least now they knew how to fix it. Alex had wholeheartedly assured them that their mates and their worries would be addressed during the pack meeting and that everything would be ok. All they needed do was rest and relax for and wait for the explanation and reassurances. 

After everyone had settled, it was Alex who led the meeting. Kara and Lena were still basking in… whatever in the smutty hell it was that they were doing with the omega in her alpha’s lap. As for Sam? Sam knew her mate was far more knowledgeable about all the topics that would need to be discussed over the course of the meeting, so she decided to forgo the tradition of an alpha leading the pack meeting in lieu of allowing the wiser woman to lead. 

“Does anyone know why we have called this pack meeting today?” Alex allowed herself an unusual beginning because it was certain to be a circus of a meeting either way. 

“Christmas plans?”

“Huh, trouble in double alpha paradise already?” 

“Is it about my husband!?” 

“My wife!? She’s been acting off!” 

“Vampires again?”

“Where is Maxwell!”

“The next moon?” 

“Where’s Maxwell? Who cares about him! Where’s Cat? Her kids are here.”

The pack all shot back with each of their suspicions and maybe one or two aspersions. 

Alex’s hands shook at her side, easily growing overwhelmed at the sense of everyone yelling their thoughts. Sam’s merciful hand rose from her lap to take Alex’s hand, just a patient reminder that everything would be ok. “Well, more than one of you have touched on something I want to address. However, the first, and most important thing to address is that we have lost one of the pack.” Those of Cat’s children old enough to stay in the room who hadn't already learned of their mother’s premature fate began looking around, rapidly putting together the reason as to why their mother hadn’t returned yet. “Cat died yesterday morning.” 

“No!” 

“Who was it!” 

“Vampires!” 

“Why the hell do you have one here now if they-” 

“Shut up!” Alex demanded of the pack in a firm tone. “Her children are here you animals! Some of them in this room! She has a daughter as young as three just upstairs! So please!” Alex took a moment to calm herself. “Please, be considerate to them, to their loss. No, we have not completely decided how exactly to take care of her children, but I trust that you all will assist us in coming together to support them?” Alex was relieved that not a single wolf opposed that idea. “I know what the next question on most of your minds is now. You all want to know what happened.” She was right. “She died protecting this pack. In an effort to ensure we are all safe, Cat, Kara, Lena and I were attacked by Eve. Cat sacrificed herself to wound and drive off Eve, to ensure we returned not only alive but also with the information that would protect all of you.” 

For only a moment chatter broke out, a number of hushed voices talking about how “Isn’t that the vampire Eve supposedly took?” and “Why the hell is she here?” 

“Enough!” Alex ordered. “The news of Cat is not all we have to talk about!” She allowed another lull just to see how the pack was reacting and if they would be calm enough to allow her to proceed without interruption. “I want total honesty! Who here has been taking wolfsbane?” 

Some wolves shifted dodgily, but only two rose their hands. It was the two who's mates had grown sick, begun acting off. They both wore horrified faces, suddenly realizing that there must be a connection. 

“Please! I need you all to be honest here! I frankly don't give a shit about what any of you do or take in your off time! And it isn't like I have any place judging. I own a bar for fuck's sake! But this is important! The wolfsbane isn't safe anymore! It is dangerous.” 

“Dangerous?” 

“Yeah right!” 

“Sure.” 

“Shut up! Let her talk!” 

“Whatever!” 

“So? What about it’s so dangerous?” 

“It will make a wolf go feral.” Alex called out in a demanding voice.

“No.” 

“No way!” 

“Bullshit!” 

“Just another false boogie man”

“No!” 

“She is telling the truth.” The duo without their mates shot back last with the growl of a wounded wolf protecting their family. 

The whole pack suddenly silenced themselves, even those who were far from fans of the newfound full female leadership team. None of them would dare cross a wounded wolf scared for their mate. 

“It is true. Some of you may already know another vampire was captured the other day. Gayle Saunders? Some may know her, most probably don't. She was one of Eve’s subordinates until recently, and she bargained for her freedom with information. She told us that Eve had been poisoning the wolfsbane with silver.” Before the omega could continue her speech. 

“Well, if a vampire said it, you can't trust ‘em!”

“I don’t believe it.” 

“Sounds fishy.” 

“How can you believe her!” 

“Shut up!” One of the lone wolves worrying for their mate ordered again.

“I understand your hesitance to believe her. Gayle in specific is a known liar and has more than once attempted to deceive and or pull one over on me. But her information was confirmed shortly after she brought it to us.” Alex could see several doubtful eyes glaring back at her. “Adam? Maxwell, Emma?” Alex called them forth from their post hidden away in the arcade corner. “Would you three like to take it from here?” 

Adam looked to Emma, hoping that she would take the lead but instead his glance was perceived as a request to go first. “You go for it sweetheart. You are the one that knows this the most probably because you remember more than Max does.” The woman offered while squeezing at Maxwell who she had held close in her arms ever since he came too. 

“Oh, o… ok?” Adam stammered under his breath. “I, I uugh. So, I guess I am the best example? I uugh.” Adam stammered in a voice hoarse from crying. “Long story short, I took way too much wolfsbane and I ended up going feral. I remember taking the wolfsbane and really quickly getting angry, irritable, more wolf-like and then I attacked someone, I blacked out and the next thing I remember was Alex waking me up.” 

“How were you feral! You are fine now!” 

“Yeah!”

“What’s going on!” 

This time the woman whose mate was back at home certainly in the process of going feral only gave a glowing-eyed glare and a low growl. None of the pack would be talking out of turn after that, even Sam and Kara cringed at the sound of a wolf with an endangered mate at the end of her rope. 

“It is true. The same happened to Maxwell, only slower. Xandra, Tony, I know he had fights with you both just before he fell apart and fully went feral.” 

“I’m sorry.” Maxwell’s head hung low, he was still trying to process all the things he had done in his slow progression of going feral. 

Emma could tell that there were still some wolves who didn’t believe them all one hundred percent. “Be careful around a wolf who has gone or is going feral. We should all know this, but it can be dangerous. I love my Maxwell, but even he is not immune to it.” Emma pulled up her shirt to reveal the healing scar. It was truly a sight to behold, a wolf wounded bad enough to leave a lasting mark but not to kill them. A sight that earned gasps, winces of pain, and belief from the onlooking wolves. “A feral wolf is a scared wolf. They don't know what is going on, and just as you or I would, they will attack anything that is seen as a threat. So please. Report anything to Alex or Lena if your mate or a wolf around you has been using wolfsbane and acting off.” 

“Why specifically Alex or Lena?” The same wolf who had shut the rest up spoke with a trembling voice. 

“Because, we know how to fix it. Just come to us and either Lena or I can solve the issue.” Alex took back the spotlight. “Other than that, there is nothing quite as imperative to address for this meeting. So now I will pass it over to Kara, who will be talking about funeral arrangements for our dearly departed Cat. Aside from that, you are free to go if you need. Please, all of you, stay safe and stay away from wolfsbane.” 

Kara took charge of the meeting from then forward, it only seemed right given that she was the one who had known Cat the best and been the closest with her amongst the pack leaders. Despite Alex’s welcome for any and all who needed to leave, not a single wolf moved from his or her place. They all knew what the omega had meant to the pack, what they all owed to her, and none of them were ready to disrespect her by so cavalierly disregarding her funeral plans. Kara went on to describe how the funeral would be held on boxing day out in the woods before their shift, and that every wolf would be welcome to pay their respects after Cat’s children had given theirs. After Kara had finished delivering her plans for everyone and what they would do for Cat’s funeral, the pack was more formally dismissed. The second time around, the pack filtered out hastily. They were all grown wolves with busy lives to return to. Two wolves, however, stayed, filtering up to the front to greet the alphas and omegas. 

“Alex? Lena?” They both questioned in unison. 

Alex was quick to rush around and hugged them both. “I understand. Both of you, I understand. It will be ok, we have a solution.”

“I’m sorry but you don't understand. My mate is back at home, doing! Doing I don't even know what! When I left her all she was doing was huffing and growling at me for just approaching our bed. She… she didn’t look right! Now I hear that she might be going feral just because we did some wolfsbane to help us relax after a long day of work?! You have no idea what that is like to have the person you care most about in danger like that.”

“I might not understand exactly, but.” Alex turned to Lena. 

“I do.” The other omega coughed up from her mate’s lap with eyes that could write novels. 

“Oh god.” The same man who had talked out against Alex lost his nerve in an instant. “No. Not our-” 

“Alpha.” The other woman worried for her mate as she finished the thought for him. 

“Yeah. Apparently, I was going feral, but the cure has been administered and I’m feeling better already.” Kara gave a wide smile as if that alone could demonstrate that she was perfectly fine. 

“Well, what is the cure?” 

“It’s me.” 

“And me.” Lena added and mimicked Alex’s overly confident tone. 

“Huh?” The two pack members both formed an odd angle with their heads as their faces contorted in confusion. 

“It is just an omega soothing the feral wolf. That is the cure. don't ask me how we figured it out, but yeah. That’s it. Whenever you need, just bring the wolf over or call one of us up and we will try to be with you as soon as possible.” Alex assured. 

“Well, I mean, in that case, there is one less thing to be terrified about.” The first of the two gave a good sigh of relief before feeling safe in heading out, believing that if worse came to worse, he could just call Lena or Kara up and everything would be solved in no time at all. 

“Yeah. Do you mind tagging along home with me to help my mate out?” The other of them asked of Alex. 

“If you two are willing to watch over the kids while we are gone?” Alex turned to Kara and Lena. 

The two exchanged a quick look before Lena answered for them. “Course, you go take care of our big pack, we will watch over the little one upstairs. I’m sure they are wondering what the pack meeting was about and Kara and I can break the news to them.” 

“Sounds good. Sam, wanna come with?” Alex extended her hand.

“Always love.” 

End of Chapter 33