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Chapter 12

"A... app.... app..le apple p..i... pie. Apple pie." Jake looks up at me from the cook book that I have been using with a look of pride on his face.

I nod at him, "Thats right."

His tail starts wagging rapidly behind him as he asks, "Is that what your making?"

I nod again, "Yes, I thought it would be a good desert after dinner tonight. You are doing rather well with your reading lessons."

He grins and looks down slightly embarrassed, "Yeah.. well... I didn't know reading could be so fun."

With a slight grin I turn back towards the mixing bowl and pie pan in front of me and focus on the desert. It has been nearly a month since I started teaching Chase's pack how to read and by extension write. Since then most of them have been learning rather well with Jake and Chase showing the most improvement.

Jake's motivation for learning seems to be for the sake of learning itself. Ive lost count on the number of times I've walked into a room and seen him trying to read something. Chase's reason for pushing so hard seem to be more... personal reasons. While he seems to have agreed to halt his advances toward me I don't believe that he has given up his pursuit. A prospect that I find myself to be growing more attracted to despite my misgivings.

As I stand there working on mixing the ingredients for the pie my mind begins to wander towards a daydream that has been entering my mind lately. The setting will change from time to time but the events remain the same. I'm alone in a room when Chase walks in. At first things are polite but they quickly become much more intimate. Some times I am dominating him while others he is exerting his dominance over me.

"Ebony?"

I jerk my head back into the present and look at Jake asking, "Im sorry my mind was wondering. What did you say?"

He looks at me a moment before repeating his question, "I was asking why are you still here? Your wounds are all healed. Chase, Richard, and Jasmine all seem to know something the rest of us don't but they wont tell us. Is there something wrong?"

I take in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, "No there's nothing wrong that you or the others need to worry about. I'm sure that anything they're not telling you is for a good reason."

He shrugs, "Maybe, its just a little unusual is all. Normally they tell the whole pack everything. Not that they haven't kept secrets before, its just making me curious about it is all."

I cant help but let a small chuckle escape as I say, "Well there is nothing wrong with having a healthy curiosity about the world. How else would we ever learn anything new if we didn't?"

He looks at me with a thoughtful expression for a moment before saying, "I never thought about it that way. But it makes sense I guess. Do you think Chase would tell me whats going on if I asked him?"

I shake my head a bit more vigorously than I intended as I say, "No I don't think so. If he and the others are keeping a secret then I'm sure its for a good reason and that they will tell you when you need to know."

He turns and sits on the counter before grabbing another cookbook and pulling into his lap to read, "I suppose so. Bet its a good secret though."

I swallow hard and glance at him out of the corner of my eye before saying, "I doubt that, its probably just something that they are discussing in private and don't want your whole pack to worry about and distract them from their normal routine."

As he flips through the pages looking for something to catch his eye he mutters, "Yeah I guess."

After a few moments his page flipping stops and I can see him sounding out words quietly and I know that his attention span has finally shifted back towards food. With Jake I learned early on that the easiest way to get him to learn his letters was to relate it to food. They say the easiest way to a wolves heart was through his stomach, for Jake his stomach was the key to unlocking his craving to learn.

For a while we remain in silence while I work on getting the pie ready for cooking. Just as I am about to put it in the oven Jake speaks up, "Ebony, what does this word mean?"

He turns the cookbook towards me his finger about half way down pointing to a word in the directions for making a creamy gravy to go over steaks. Looking at the word he is pointing at I say, "Simmer, that means to bring a liquid to a very very light boil. Basically you will get it almost to the point where it will bubble then keep it there for a while till it reaches the right thickness."

He nods then goes back to reading and sounding out words silently while I set to work cleaning up the pots and pans I have used making tonight's dinner. Just as I finish drying the dishes Chase walks in holding a dark blue book I don't recognize. The cover looks to be very old but in good condition only there are no markings or writing on it to give an idea as to what is contained on the pages inside it.

Chase looks up as soon as he enters the room and I see his eyes instantly light up as a smile tries to creep to his mouth. In less than a heartbeat I find myself half hoping that he will let that smile finish growing but then he says, "Ebony, I've been looking for you."

My heart rate increase slightly as part of me does a small jump of joy knowing he was looking for me while another deeper part of me hopes that he was looking for me for one reason in particular. As he holds the book out towards me those small hopes are quickly dashed as he asks, "I was wondering if you could read this. I found it in the library with all the other books but its not written in the same letters you have been teaching us."

Curious I take the book saying, "Thats odd. All the other books have been the same so far."

I look down at the book and I feel my normally burning blood turn cold in my veins. I flip a couple pages then look back up at Chase my face going stern. Once he sees my face he knows what it means. He turns to Jake and says, "Hey Jake, why don't you go see if Richard needs any help getting their nursery started ok?"

Jake looks up at us with a confused look on his face then shrugs and sets the cookbook down on the counter, "Alright, but I don't see why they are getting in such a rush. Jasmine isn't supposed to have the pups for several months yet."

As soon as the door shuts behind him I turn to Chase and say in a sharp whisper, "Where exactly did you find this?"

He points upwards in the direction of the library, "In the library like I said. It was just on one of the shelves. You can read it cant you? I thought those were runes like on that block of wood of yours."

I look down at the book and the dark, sharp edged runes running across its pages. Nodding I reply, "Yes, these are demonic runes. As for reading them... It would take me a little time to translate them it has been a long time since I have thought about using them so I am rusty."

He looks from me to the book and back again, "Its not dangerous is it?"

I study a random page and can make out a few words without to much trouble, "I told you before, words alone are not dangerous. As for the content those words describe.... No I don't believe this book poses any threat to you. I will need to read more to be sure but it looks more like a journal than anything. Which is odd."

Chase's left eyebrow goes up as he tilts his head slightly to the right, "Why is that odd?"

With a small sniff I answer his question, "Well I don't know any of my... family... who has ever kept a journal in this manner and I have never heard of anyone outside of it using these runes before. But that doesn't really mean anything."

I flip through a few more pages catching the odd word or phrase before I shut it with a soft thump, "I will read through this more closely over the next few days as I get the time to concentrate completely on it and will get back to you on what all it says."

Chase nods but makes no move to leave letting a heavy silence to grow between us for a moment. Im just about to ask him if he needs anything else when he asks, "Ebony why have you chosen to stay here still?"

I pause mid breath unable to respond, this was not a question I was expecting. Several excuses try to come to mind before I settle on the simplest, "Well the winter storms we have had here make it hard to travel, plus I promised to teach you and your pack to read. That alone will take more than just one month to do properly."

He nods slowly but doesn't seem to be convinced, "So you have said. But the thing is Eb I have seen you out in the snow. You don't like it much but it has never slowed you down any, hell I don't think anyone for several miles can travel through it as well as you have shown you can."

I shrug and turn to the counter and try to busy myself with wiping it off, "True I can travel through it without to much difficulty, I just really hate the stuff. I much prefer warmer weather... for the reasons I showed you."

His gaze bores into my back for a moment before he asks, "So your just using our place to stay warm till spring breaks?"

I fight back an exasperated grunt, "You know I'm not using you or your hospitality like that. I feel like I owe you a debt and that I have yet to properly repay it."

Soft foot falls lets me know he has moved closer as he continues with his questions, "What about your desire to leave to keep trouble from finding us? Or to keep your brother from finding us?"

Keeping my back to him I reply quietly, "Its still there. I don't need the pain of more innocents on my conscience. When it gets easier to travel and all of you know how to read well enough to continue on without my tutelage then I will move on."

He steps up right beside me and turns to lean backwards against to the counter, "I see. I guess I can accept that as one reason for you staying."

I turn my head to look at him with a questioning gaze, "Just one reason?"

With a nod he says, "Yeah, just one. I would like to think that you had begun to like being here some what. After all you stopped taking your spice box back to your room every night about a week ago."

I open my mouth to tell him he is wrong then my eyes land on said spice box and I realize he is right. I haven't taken it back upstairs for some time now. As I get to thinking about it it dons on me that my pack has not been fully gathered up and organized for a longer time. The contents spread around the room I've been staying in.

Closing my mouth for a second I swallow and say, "I didn't realize I had been leaving it to be honest."

A smug smirk spreads across his muzzle as he replies, "I know you didn't, thats why I decided to point it out. Cause it makes me think you like being here more than you want to admit."

I try to glare at him but as his words sink in something within seems to clink into place and for the first time I finally admit to myself on a conscious level what I seem to have known for some time now. I do like being here.

With a shrug I try to shake away the feeling as I say, "So what if I have come to enjoy it? Ive told you many times before that I cant stay."

He reaches a paw up towards the side of my face causing me to pull back slightly. For a moment he pauses with his paw hanging in mid air then he seems to make a decision and pushes forward. The moment his paw touches the side of my muzzle my whole body goes rigid at the contact.

Slowly he moves his paw along my muzzle then towards the side of my face and neck. As he moves I find myself involuntarily relaxing and even pushing slightly into his touch. The longer he maintains contact the more I find I enjoy it feeling years of loneliness and longing bubble to the surface and begin to evaporate.

I close my eyes and turn my face slightly so that my nose touches the fur of his arm and his earthy and slightly spice scent fills each breath I take. With each inhale I take a growing desire to breathe deeper and deeper takes hold of me edging me on until suddenly his arm and scent vanish from my nose only to be instantly replaced with something else.

My eyes spring open wide at the sudden touch of his lips against mine but quickly begin to drift shut again as I lean into a return kiss. That seems to be the signal Chase has been waiting for because almost the instant I kiss him back he places a paw on the back of my neck and deepens the kiss.

As his lips part I feel his tongue press gently but firmly against my lips and I willingly oblige the request parting my own jaw ever so slightly. In a rapid shift of energy our muzzles interlock as his tongue begins to explore my mouth. His taste is better than I had imagined as I eagerly begin to return the kiss and start to explore his teeth with my own tongue.

My paws seem to move of their own accord as they wrap around his waist and pull him closer to me so that our chests press against each other. With the closer contact I can feel his heartbeat racing to match my own fluttering organ. A dual thumping sound begins to echo around the room as our tails both begin to wag rapidly with minds of their own while beating against the cabinet doors and drawers below the counter.

For several bliss filled moments we just stand there exploring each other with equal passion when something else comes to my attention. At first it was just a tightening of my pants in the front but then something else got my attention. My right paw slides down his back then around his hips before reaching the rather full front of his pants.

I give his rather large swelling a gentle squeeze causing him take a sudden sharp breath and pull back from the kiss and gives me a rather mischievous grin, "Find something you like there?"

Before I can reply my own breath is taken away as sudden jolt of electricity shoots up my spine originating from where his own paw has gripped tightly but gently on my own contained bulge. With a slight chuckle he says, "I sure found something I like."

He leans back into my open mouth and reignites the passionate kiss as he grinds gently into my paw while squeezing and rubbing my groin with no shame. Hormones race through my system shutting down all my resistance to his very enthusiastic advance and removing all of my barriers one by one. Just as I am about to give in finally and ask him to go back to one of our rooms a loud beeping echoes around the kitchen.

The sudden spell of lust broken almost instantly I flatten my ears and turn rapidly to the oven. It's timer reading 0:00 while the beeping grows louder and louder. With a disappointed grunt Chase drops his paws and mutters, "Damnable pie...."

Pulling away from him I move over to the stove, adjusting my pants in the process, and open the door revealing the golden brown treat to the open air. As the smell of cooked apples and cinnamon rapidly fills the room I hear the kitchen door open and close softly. Without looking I grab some oven mitts and pull the pie out and set it on an empty burner to cool.

A soft laugh drifts from near the door and turn to see the white furred Jasmine standing there covering her muzzle with a paw that fails to hide her smile. Before I can ask she says, "Good thing that pie smells so strong. In a few minutes no one else will be able to smell you two anymore. Glad that you finally came to your senses."

With that she turns and steps out of the kitchen and I hear her call out, "Eb says it will be a few more minutes before dinner is finished and for you all to stay out till he says otherwise."

There are a few grumbles and the distant sounds of retreating wolves. I turn to see Chase leaning against the counter again with a grin similar to a cat that just ate a canary spread across his muzzle.

With a roll of my eyes I say, "If she had been thirty seconds earlier...."

He just lets out a laugh as he leans forward and silences me with another quick kiss before saying, "Then she would have just seen what she has been telling me to do for two weeks and knew was going to happen sooner or later."

I look at him with a raised eyebrow, "Oh really? She has been telling you to try and rape me in the kitchen huh?"

That draws out a bark of laughter before he replies, "HA! Last I checked rape means you would be unwilling. That kiss was anything but unwilling."

With a grumble I ignore his comment and continue, "And how was she so sure I would even consider welcoming such an advance?"

He shrugs, "Not sure she just knows things like that and is never wrong. Though the odd glances you steal of my ass when you think no one is looking was probably a big hint."

My mouth drops open slightly as I feel my blood rush to my face causing a blush as words catch in my throat. I was certain that no one knew I had been stealing the odd glance now and again, guess I was wrong.

Smiling he leans forward and licks the tip of my nose playfully before running a paw playfully across my groin again causing another surge to send my fur on end. Before I can try and start another kiss he pulls away and begins to pull plates out of the cabinet and starts to get them ready for the others to start dinner.

As I watch him move around studying his movements and finally allowing myself to openly enjoy his body for the first time he looks over his shoulder at me and says, "You better hurry and get the last bit ready Eb. There are a lot of hungry wolves out there waiting for dinner."

I grumble as I set about spreading the food out on the table preparing it to be devoured by a pack of bottomless pits, "There's a hungry wolf in here. But I'm not wanting this food now...."

From the reaches deep in my mind I feel more than hear a loud gravely laugh echo in satisfaction.