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Chapter 33

Jesse woke up early, and I got up as soon as he did. He looked at me and I said, "Let’s shower together. After that, we need to talk. "

As he followed me, he asked, "Did I do something wrong? "

"No, it’s something happening to me. I want to enjoy a shower with you before we talk about it. "

In the shower, Jesse did everything he could to lift my spirits, even giving me head. It made me feel a bit better, especially as I took the lead. However, that temporary joy quickly faded, and I fell back into my depressive state. I felt as if I was above everyone else, but that’s not who I wanted to be. I didn’t want to be the overlord or the bully. Taking the lead while he is servicing me is not me! I pushed Jesse away from me and began to cry.

"What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? This is the first time I felt like you really wanted to be the Dom, " he said, concern evident in his voice. I slid down one of the walls to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. It felt as if Jesse’s words had pierced me deeply.

Amidst my sobs, I managed to say, "That’s what we need to talk about. Before, I shared my dreams, thoughts, and feelings with you. "

"You were going to get Joshua, Grey, and Karl together for some fun, right? Well, while I was out checking on the new field’s progress, I got angry at omega and practically ordered him around, berating him for doing something without asking me first. Does that sound like something I would do? "

"No, but you’re under a lot of stress. Everyone knows that," Jesse replied, sitting down next to me.

"I would never have acted like that before. I can feel myself changing, and I know I am—Arstone and Rangmer confirmed it. Everyone keeps saying it’s because of the projects I’m managing, but that’s not the case. I used to handle much more stress while working for that awful boss. Before you say they were just trying to get on my good side, they told me to speak to the guys, the spirits. What they said shocked me. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I told Ursus that I needed to talk to him privately. He confirmed what Arstone and Rangmer had told me was true. "

"Let’s get you cleaned up and dried off, and then we can talk to Ursus together," he suggested.

"I already told him to fill in the others after he explained everything to me. "

"Okay, we’ll talk to the guys during breakfast. How does that sound? " We cleaned up, and I changed; Jesse did too, which wasn’t typical for him. When we headed out for food, the guys were waiting at a table filled with all my favorite dishes.

Ursus said, "Master, I’ve informed the others about what happened and your desire to discuss your options. We understand this will be a difficult decision, so to avoid burdening you further, we will attend to your every need until the situation is resolved. "

"Master is correct in his belief that he will become a different man, one he dislikes…"

"Ursus, you’re downplaying what I would become if I stay on this course. I would become a real Master, a Tyrant, a slave owner, a…"

"Keith, that can’t be true. You are kind and caring; you always stick up for the underdog," Jesse protested.

"I told you I feel like I’m changing, and I can’t stop it. It’s because of the power I hold over the members of the Pack/Den. The more we recruit, the more I will change. Last night, I asked Ursus how many men we need to satisfy the spirit world. At best, we need ten thousand, but that number will have to grow over time. I’m thinking we’ll need twenty thousand or more. "

"Can we sustain that number in our Oasis? "

"I asked Ursus the same thing when he first mentioned ten thousand. The men will want to go out almost daily. With that number, we will be discovered eventually. If we double that number, we’ll need a second location. Arstone and Rangmer have proposed what they see as a solution to my problem. Ursus, you need to explain it to Jesse," I said.

"I told the Master that to be safe, we’d need ten thousand men. To keep him from changing into something he abhors, he can create others like him, but lesser. He would be the General, the others his lieutenants, while you would be below the Master and above the Lieutenants. This requires a ceremony, which in turn requires ten spirits. Arstone and Rangmer would be two of them, and we’ll need three more from the spirit plane. "

Jesse smiled upon hearing the solution. "Sounds like a no-brainer. How many others are needed? "

"You don’t understand, and Ursus didn’t explain what the ceremony entails. I would need five men, not including you, to establish a Den/Pack of ten thousand. If we ever need more in one Den/Pack, I’d need another five for the next ten thousand. This number changes if I make our Den/Pack even bigger for the next ten thousand; I’d need ten more men. That’s at least twenty men, for a total of thirty thousand members. We can reduce the count if we create separate Dens and Packs. With two locations, each housing twenty thousand members, I’d only need twenty men under me, besides you. "

"So…"

I raised my hand to stop Jesse. "The ceremony causes the men to become almost like you and me—close, but not mated. It gets worse. I can only perform the ceremony once. The number of members Ursus said would sustain the spirit plane is a current figure. In the future, that number could rise; how high is uncertain. I believe it’s best to limit ourselves to twenty men. If we grow this location to thirty thousand and later find the need to expand further, we could split into two locations, allowing us to add another ten thousand. "

Jesse looked down, crestfallen. "Is there no other way? "

"None that we know of. We’ve sent the Master’s issue to our world, and others are searching for another solution. Because we are spirits, there’s no written history—memories are all we have to find an answer," Ursus explained apologetically.

"I’ll support you, whatever you decide. I said before, I don’t mind sharing you as long as I’m your man. "

"You’ll always be my number one," I assured Jesse.

"I know three men we can interview tonight for the openings," Jesse said, a smile spreading across his face.

I finally smiled. "Karl doesn’t need an interview; we decided that early on. Still, it will be fun to have him. " I added, ‘Karl, can we speak with you? I know we’re seeing you later, but it’s an important private matter. ‘

‘If James can listen, then yes,’ Karl replied.

I hesitated. Since Jesse could hear this internal conversation with Karl, I looked at him, and he nodded. ‘Sure, that’s fine. We’ll see you in a few minutes. You’re in your usual suite, right? ‘

‘Yes, we’ll be waiting. I’ll order some refreshments,’_ Karl answered._

"James could be our fourth for tonight. He might want to become one of your lieutenants, especially if you accept him," Jesse said.

When we arrived at Karl’s room, we found Leo assisting James in transforming into a lion-man. "I didn’t think you were into the changing form scene, " Jesse asked James.

"As I mentioned before, I’ll do anything for my boss. If this is what he likes, then I can change to meet his expectations. I do have to say, though, that it is a very pleasurable feeling," James replied as he slowly returned to his original form.

"Which feeling is that? The fur growing out? The muscles? Or the animalistic tendencies?" I inquired.

"To be honest, it’s all of it. I just hope I can transition better than I do now," he responded.

Jesse could not stop from laughing. "Sorry about that; it was just that seeing James trying to become a lion was too much of a distraction. "

"No need to apologize. It’s also my first time seeing him change," Karl said, brushing off the incident as we entered. "Please, sit down and tell us what you’d like to discuss."

I opened up about my mental issues and how they were increasingly becoming a part of me. I expressed my feelings of being forced into these changes and my desire to return to who I always was. I spoke about the implications of the Pack/Den size and how that would completely alter my identity. I could feel myself beginning to break down again, and Jesse held me, filling in the gaps of my story.

We all sat in silence for what seemed like hours, although I knew it was only several minutes. "I want you to be one of my lieutenants, ideally just below Jesse. If James is agreeable, he would also be a lieutenant at the same level as the others. This role comes with more direct responsibilities to the Pack/Den, but the Spirits assure me that what is happening to me won’t happen to you. Eventually, we’ll likely need to split the members and form two separate groups in different locations. We can keep both of you together and create a new unique Oasis; our Den/Pack could consist of both a Den and a Pack, say the Den here and The Pack at the new location. If we can elevate you above the other lieutenants, you would lead one group, with James as your second-in-command. Jesse would lead the other group with a second-in-command, still to be determined. I would oversee both Jesse’s group and yours."

Karl looked at James and said, "I have to accept, but you do not. Things will still be the same between us. I understand the time commitment involved, but it’s something I’ve been doing for most of my life. You, while I know you can handle it, only have a vague idea of what this entails."

"I accept," James blurted out.

"Are you sure? We’d still be close either way."

"Yes, I am. This will make me more of an equal to you, rather than someone riding your coattails."

"I never saw you as that kind of person. Never!"

"I know, but I’ve always felt that way. Doing this will prove to me that I am worthy of being your lover," James said, his voice trailing off to a whisper.

Karl got up and sat next to James. "I’ll help you be ready when the time comes. You need to work with the new kid and train him to be a good helper, guard, and driver. Once he’s ready, we’ll start."

‘Karl, why did you say you have to accept?’ I thought to him alone.

‘While I feel a close connection to James, I feel an even stronger one to you two. I would like to be as close to you as Jesse. I also want to be your mate.’

"We’ll leave you two alone. Both of you come to our cave tonight. The four of us will decide if the other two are suitable for Keith’s inner circle," Jesse said as we both stood up to leave.

As we headed back to the mine, "I thought to Karl after he finished with James, asking him why he said he had to accept."

"I had a feeling you were doing something like that. What did he say?"

"He told me he had a connection to James, but felt his connection to us was stronger. He said if he could be my mate and be like you, he would jump at the chance."

"Well, I, for one, would not mind at all—a trio of mates," Jesse replied.

I playfully prodded Jesse in the chest, not moving him in the slightest. "What about ‘as long as I’m your number one’?"

Laughing, Jesse responded, "You know you feel the same way."

I couldn’t help but smile. "Yes, I do. I’m just getting back at you for all the poking and prodding you do to me." As we reached the mine, I felt much better.

That night, we got to know Joshua and Grey better; even James provided us with more insight into himself. After Grey learned that I liked my men muscular, especially the Bear-men with their soft, short fur, he transformed his fat into muscle. His figure didn’t change much, but everywhere I touched, I felt nothing but hard muscle. Joshua, already muscular as a man, decided to become a Bull-man now that he saw there were more than just bears in the bear category. Karl encouraged Grey and Joshua to show off their bodies to the four of us. James decided he would show off, too.

Both Karl and I discovered why James wanted to join the show. He quickly transformed, growing into a lion with ease. But he didn’t stop there; he became even more muscular. By the end, he resembled a were lion more than a lion-man. As he mimicked the moves of the others, he outshined them all, even after Jesse had transformed into his grizzly form. James was still the undeniable winner.