Imprisoned By Love

Chapter 18

Katniss

I wake up and look around, feeling movement at my belly fur. I lift my head, not used to the way it feels to wake in this body quite yet. I look at the little grey fuzz ball at my belly and lean down, sniffing at Alexi before moving on to Lara, who Johanna had left with me as we take shifts watching the tiny cubs, me watching and feeding through the night and her during the day. I never imagined caring for my own baby in this way, let alone foster nursing another's child, but it isn't as odd as it seems, the pack mentality of togetherness and family running through my mind, a side effect of the werewolf virus. 

I smell Peeta's faint scent and look around, seeing the early light falling through the branches of the tree. Alexi whimpers and I groan, laying down on my side for him to settle into my belly for his breakfast, my stomach protesting as my hunger builds. I blink at the gentle swing of the willow vines and notice pawsteps to my left. I look up and Johanna pads in, a raccoon in her jaws. I wrinkle my nose and she sighs. 

"It's all we have, " Her wolf language portrays and I nod. I sit up, tucking the cubs into the ferns of my makeshift nest and cringingly dig into the sour meat with her. My ear flicks and I look up, cleaning my face. I sniff and get up. Johanna lets out a questioning bark and I gesture at my bed down. She steps over to the cubs and sits down as I duck out of the vines. I hear it again and see some of our wolves gathered just over the hill, looking towards the noise. I pad over and start shoving through the wolves, growling at the resistance while I'm weaving through. The growling, the sound I heard in the den grows louder and I see two shapes tussling on the ground. I look up and wolves part as I stand on the edge, a growl rising in my throat. 

Peeta is tussling with another wolf, growling as though they want to tear out one another's throat. I notice drops of blood splashed across the dust and I growl. I look at Gale and he ips his head. 

"What is this?"  I ask him and he shakes his head. I growl and sit down. The fighting is difficult to watch and I shove him. "Break it up."

"It was a challenge of the Alpha's judgement," He says in the wolf language and I growl, standing up. I suck in a breath and let out a loud, booming, yell, which in this form results in an angry aggressive bark. The wolves keep fighting and I look at Gale and signal at him and another wolf.

"This is no time for fighting among ourselves,"  I growl and they just sit there.

"It is the Alpha's right to fight his battle, to assert himself,"  Gale barks and I look him straight in the eyes, stepping towards him growling. 

"And it is my right to call a fight if it endangers my pack,"  I growl. "I'm calling it. We are in enough danger without fighting like this among ourselves. You will break it up, now!"   As the last word of the order is carried out, Gale and a few others pull the fighting wolves apart. The other male tries to strike again but I step between them, growling low in my chest, me ears pinned to my head.. The treat of two against one makes him back off and he limps back into the crowd. I look around and bark, making the crowd disperse. I turn to look at Peeta and he looks at his paws. I shove him over, growling. "Just what do you think you are doing?  This is not time to be fighting among your pack!"

"He challenged me!"  He growls and I shake my head. "I'd shame our line, shame Alexander were I to back down from a fight."  I shake my head and growl.

"He lost his mate to the hunt! "  I say. He's nearly feral. He could have killed you. You know as well as anyone the kind mental tole a death like that has. He can't think straight locked in combat like that!"  Peeta sighs and gets up, shaking out his fur, bloody clumps falling to the ground. 

"I'm going to the river to wash," He says and I step beside him. 

"I'll, I'll come with you," I say softly. "I'll try to get  something for your bites."  He shakes his head. 

"They're already healing, Katniss. It's how we can survive so long. How do you think you were up and walking so quickly after Alexi's birth?"   He pads forward and I stay by his side, my head hanging respectfully lower than his.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you by calling off the fight," I whisper and he grunts. 

"It isn't your fault,"  He says. "It  was a fight that never should have happened."  We get to the river and he steps into it, sitting down and shifting into his human form. "I'm only sorry I brought you into it." I look around and noticing no one around, slowly let myself fall into my human body.I set my head on top of his and wrap my arms around him. 

"I told you before, if this is where I'm meant to be, I accept it as my life now. I kiss the top of his head and he grabs onto my hand. 

"I'm glad to have you on my side, Katniss, even if it means you have to fight against me," He looks at me and his face falls. He reaches up and touches my cheek. 

"What is it?" I ask softly and he shakes his head. 

"With that thick black coat, I hadn't noticed how worn down you were," He says softly.  I shake my head and sigh. "We need to rebuild so we can get some real rest. We're starving, hunting our territory to scraps." 

"But with hunters here, won't they just burn it back down? I ask and he shakes his head. 

"If they come for us, we will be ready," He says. "I let our guard down and we lost good people, part of our family. I will not be so reckless again." He looks down and I tip his chin up. 

"I know you won't," I whisper. "Nor will I allow us to be dragged into unnecessary conflict with the humans." He kisses me softly and run my fingers against his cheek. He turns so he's in front of me and pushes me onto the ground, kissing me again. I break away and sit up a little. "What are you getting at?"

"I think you know what I'm getting at," He whispers against my neck. I look around and sit up a little more.

"What if someone sees?" I ask and he chuckles. 

"Katniss, when a wolf and his mate walk off together, our kind tend to give them a little privacy," He says softly, pushing me back into the soft grass. He kisses my neck and I groan. "Besides, we haven't mated in so long, since before Alexi was born. We both need the bond recemented physically, I think." I chuckle as his lips graze my tender neck and adn he sighs. He gets up a little to settle between my legs, thrusting gently into me. I moan happily and he moves gently, slowly against me. I dig my claws into his shoulders and he groans. 

"You're right," I whisper. "I've missed this so much, Dusty. He pulls away from my neck to kiss my lips, soft and sweet. I feel that lovely tingle building in my belly and I groan. 

"That's right Sweetheart," he grunts. "Whisper so soft no one beyond me could hear it." He gets off me and rolls me over, laying over my back. I feel him enter me again and I roll my eyes.

"I think you've been a dog too long if now you're screwing me like one," I whisper and he kisses and sucks on my shoulder. 

"Do you want me to stop?" He asks and I shake my head as he pauses.

"No Baby," I say. "This is exactly how it should be.  as long as you love me, we would be shifted and I wouldn't mind." He laughs and runs his hand down my body. He starts rubbing me as he thrusts into me and I moan.

"Well maybe later, we can try that, but for right now, this is fine by me." I reach around and hook my hand behind his head, my breathing growing heavier and heavier. My fingers dig into the ground as I feel my body spasming and  I cry out. Peeta holds onto me tightly and grunts a few times as hiss warmth fills me. I fall back into the grass and Peeta kisses the scar on my shoulder. 

"I love you," I whisper. He leans forward and kisses my cheek. 

"I love you too, Sweet Dream that I never wish to wake from," He says and I cuddle into him. Enjoying this moment of peace in the turmoil of our lives here in the forest.