Sweet Revenge

Kouga was furious, but he wasn’t sure if he was angrier about the recent confrontation… or the fact that he was crying.

Tired, the Wolf Prince dropped to his knees beside the river and splashed water on his now red face, staring disdainfully at his reflection.

“ You’re pathetic,” he growled at his doppelganger. “ Sobbing like a baby over some bitch.” His twin merely mimicked him in reply, offering no defense for their behavior.

Kouga fell back on his haunches, curling one leg under him to sit on and resting his head on the opposite knee. Control. He had to get himself under control. It was never something that came easily for him, but now more than ever it was essential that he regain it before he did anything else tonight.

The last couple of months had been rough for the wolf-youkai. The final battle with Naraku had resulted in injuries for all who had fought, but none were as troublesome as the one’s that had threatened to take Kagome’s life on that night. The girl had lay there - so still and quiet that all had held their breath in fear at the sight of her.

When Inuyasha had leapt to his feet and carried Kagome off, Kouga’s broken leg had prevented him from following. They had disappeared, leaving him alone with the old miko who’d insisted that they were headed someplace he would be unable to go. He’d waited seven nights, and when his leg had healed and they’d still not returned, Kouga had gone off in search of them himself, despite what the miko had told him.

He’d spent a fortnight searching for Kagome, traveling as fast as his legs would carry him, but to no avail. The object of his affections and her friends had left no trace behind them; no clue as to which direction they had traveled. This only served to increase Kouga’s anger. That bastard Inuyasha had done something with ‘his’ woman, and who knew what kind of danger the mutt was getting her into?

Kouga had returned to his mountain, ignored the worried greetings of his brothers and immediately threw them all into action. Troops were sent far and wide to try and track Kagome, or even Dog Shit, but as days went by without success the Wolf Prince fell deeper into a dark rage.

It wasn’t until just yesterday that someone had finally picked up their scent heading away from their village. Kouga wasted no time in locating the trail himself and followed it north, catching up to them beside one of the many natural hot springs that bloomed all over Japan.

The memory of their meeting there – not even an hour ago – still burned in Kouga’s mind. He had come upon them beside the spring, and at first, his brain refused to register what his eyes were seeing. Kagome was lying on the ground with Inuyasha above her, their bodies pressed closely together. If that weren’t confusing enough, Kagome’s shirt was torn open, and Inuyasha appeared to be mauling her.

Kouga hadn’t hesitated before yanking the hanyou off of Kagome and hurling him into the rock wall of a cliff. Rage. Fury. There were no words adequate enough to describe the tsunami of emotions he felt as he fought Inuyasha. The hanyou wasn’t even fighting back – only dodging out of the way of the wolf-youkai’s advances.

Kagome had shouted something, and the next thing Kouga realized was that he was lying face down in the dirt, courtesy of the Nenju necklace the girl had saddled him with before the final battle with Naraku. She had done it to keep he and Inuyasha from fighting, but had been carried off by the hanyou before it could be removed. Stunned at the sudden reminder of its presence, no other thought penetrated the haze in his brain.

Then he’d felt Kagome’s hand on his shoulder, and her touch caused him to regain feeling. Pain shot through him, making him groan in response to her calling his name. Kouga hadn’t wanted to believe what he heard her telling him – that she and Inuyasha had mated. He’d managed to through off the nearly paralyzing effects of the curse to raise himself up and deny her words… until he inhaled deeply and finally noticed the change in her unique scent.

More than anything… the truth had frightened Kouga. The Wolf Prince was not used to being wrong. He wasn’t used to not getting what he wanted. He’d known that Kagome cared for the mutt, but he’d never suspected that anything would actually ever come of it. Dog Shit was too stubborn to make any kind of a move, and with that clay woman wandering around and distracting him, Kouga had been sure it was only a matter of time until he killed the bastard, and convinced Kagome once and for all that only he was worthy of her.

Kouga could almost have convinced himself that it was a lie; a terrible dream… except that Kagome was carrying the scent of a hanyou pup. As he’d met her eyes, he couldn’t stand the look of pity she offered him in apology. She was speaking again; confirming what he already knew to be true, but he no longer wanted to hear what she had to say.

This girl… Kouga had thought he’d known her. He’d claimed her as his own, and although it wasn’t binding, it had meant something to him. He’d hoped it would come to mean something to her. He was coming to believe that he didn’t know her at all. His anger blazed towards her. How could she allow that piece of filth to defile her? How could she choose that flea-bitten half-breed over him?

The bastard had turned his back on Kouga, and any rational thought he might have entertained disappeared. The Wolf Prince attacked, but was stopped again by Kagome… this time using a power he’d never witnessed in her before. The pink glow of her aura had kept him suspended above the ground, and she’d spoken to him in an unearthly voice, full of godlike splendor – chilling him to the core.

He’d never been so afraid of anyone in his life.

This was not a power Kouga recognized, and to see such a cold force in the woman he loved was unsettling. He’d seen the aura before - when she’d defeated Naraku and absorbed the Shikon no Tama – he could only assume that she’d been granted certain powers through her possession of it.

When she’d dismissed him, Kouga had wanted to say something more, but the words wouldn’t come. He’d left without a backward glance, and before long he was running, trying to put as much distance between himself and Kagome as possible. It wasn’t until he’d reached the river that he’d recognized the tears for what they were.

“ Inuyasha,” he muttered, incensed. Somehow, this had to be his doing. Wrath suddenly consumed Kouga, as he realized what must be done. It would be impossible for him to defeat the hanyou on his own – not with Kagome’s new power and the additional protection provided by their other friends. The solution was clear though… Inuyasha must die, and only then would the bastard’s claim on Kagome be lifted.

Kouga would never take the mutt’s leftovers as his mate, no matter how much power Kagome possessed. She was tainted now, and she carried the bastard’s filthy vermin within her. It was only his admiration for her that would prevent Kouga from killing Kagome for dishonoring him in this manner. He would allow her to live, and that alone would be punishment for her offenses.

But Inuyasha… the hanyou must die, and Kouga could not accomplish the task alone – not easily, anyway. The bastard needed to be cut down to size for his crimes, and Kouga would not rest until he received his recompense. He would need the full force of his brothers behind him ensure success, and Kouga suddenly no longer felt tired. Leaping to his feet, he prepared to return to his den.

“ Kouga?”

The hesitant voice made Kouga’s inside’s twitch, but he masked his surprise and swiftly turned to face the addresser. “Who wants to know?” he asked, striving for nonchalance.

“ It’s me,” a female wolf-youkai stepped from the shadow of the forest and stared him curiously.

“ Ayame,” Kouga struggled to push down the wave of irritation that twisted in his stomach at the sight of her. When he’d been younger… and more foolish, he’d carelessly promised to make Ayame his mate – a fact that she’d not forgotten, as he had. She was the last thing he needed right now.

Ayame approached the Wolf Prince cautiously, as if sensing his mood. “Are you alright, Kouga?”

Kouga sighed in frustration and jerked his head once in a nod, to indicate that he was fine. Turning away from her, he asked, “ What do you want?”

Ignoring his dismissive tone, Ayame came to stand beside Kouga. She could tell he was upset, but if he wanted to act like a baka, she wouldn’t push to find out what the trouble was. She had problems of her own to worry about.

Blowing strands of red hair out of her eyes, Ayame crouched down beside the river and focused her attention on the water as it slowly drifted past. Her reflection and Kouga’s framed the cold moon that hung high in the sky, reminding her of promises made and broken beneath its warmer, friendlier phases.

“ I’ve come to tell you that Grandfather has died. By agreement, the mountain wolf tribe looks to you and I for new leadership.”

Had Ayame not been watching his reflection in the water, she would have missed the way Kouga’s shoulders relaxed at the news of her ancestor’s passing. He turned to the river, meeting her gaze in its reflection.

“ He died, huh?” Kouga sunk onto his haunches beside her. “ When?”

“ A few nights ago,” Ayame said. She was glad now that all her tears had been cried. She would show no weakness to Kouga. “ It was quiet… he went in his sleep, surrounded by those closest to him. He felt no pain.”

Kouga nodded, not knowing what to say. “ They sent you for me?”

Ayame shook her head. “ I came myself, after he was put to rest. I needed time to mourn, and our people need leadership. The wars have quieted for now, but with Grandfather gone, we may once again be threatened by the Northern tribe.”

The battle between Ayame’s tribe and those from the North was not a new fight, and Kouga was familiar with the danger now facing the mountain wolf-youkai. Leaderless, they were greatly at risk, and the sooner someone stepped up as tribe chief and established their authority, the better. Ayame had done right to hurry.

Finally, Ayame addressed Kouga directly. “ Whether promise or misunderstanding, it was Grandfather’s wish that you and I be mated in order to succeed him as ruler of our clan. I will not hold you to that, but I need know what your intentions are.”

Kouga met her eyes, but Ayame shook her head and continued. “ You and your brothers came to our aid when it was needed before. I know I can count on you for that at least. If you don't wish to join our two tribes, I'll understand, and I'll assume leadership on my own.”

Searching the emerald depths of her eyes, Kouga thought hard. She offered him absolution from the carelessness of his younger days, and it was a tempting release. Even earlier this afternoon he would have sent her back to her people with gratitude and freedom, but things were different now. Inuyasha had seen to that.

Ayame must have seen the hardening in his eyes, for she winced, and looked away. Kouga hated to see the sorrow there, knowing that it was because he could not give her exactly what she wanted – he wasn’t sure he would ever feel that kind of love again. There was something he could do though, and it would benefit them mutually.

Both Kouga and Ayame were leaders of strong tribes, but the union of the two would make them an unstoppable force. The mountain wolves would never fear dominion from the Northern tribes, and Kouga’s own pack would gain in territory and strength. Most importantly, their increased power would be more than he needed to destroy Inuyasha, and Kouga could claim his vengeance and be done with the whole mess.

Kouga could do a lot worse than to take Ayame for a mate. She was strong, and their pups would be too. She would be a good queen and an able leader. Now that he really thought about it, Kouga could see that she was a beauty, and the two of them would make quite a pair.

He smiled and Ayame frowned, seeming put off by the quick change in his demeanor. Kouga would do it. He would take Ayame as his mate and join their two clans into one, unstoppable force. Kouga knew that he could grow to care for her – maybe not the way he’d cared for Kagome, but it would be enough for him. Ayame would be happy to have him and need never know the truth if he did not wish it.

With the power of their combined tribes, there was no way Inuyasha and his friends could defeat them. The only thing that would please Kouga all the more would be if, once the hanyou was crushed, Kagome begged for his forgiveness, only to discover that it was too late… Ayame had already taken her place at his side.

A feral gleam lit Kouga’s eyes as he took the female wolf-youkai’s hand. “ Ayame… I will take you as my mate,” he declared.

Ayame’s jaw fell, and everything suddenly went hazy and intangible. She had honestly not expected Kouga to acquiesce to the summons from her people, and the small flame of hope she’d been holding onto since childhood bloomed in a brilliance of color for one brief moment, before the harsh glare of reality tore through the scrim of her fantasy.

This demon holding her hand so fiercely was not the Kouga she had fallen in love with beneath the Rainbow Moon so many years ago. This wolf stank of despair and revenge, and his eyes shone with an unnatural fury Ayame had never seen before. The eyes that scanned her fervently were not adoring, but appraising.

Ayame then knew how the snowy hare felt as it was stalked by her kind.

A quick shake of her head jolted Ayame from this clarity, and a new self-possession claimed her. “ What about Kagome?” she asked evenly.

Kouga’s grasp tightened on her hand, and Ayame knew her hunch had been correct. Something had happened to cause this change in her intended. His eyes hardened with resolve as Kouga attempted to portray an air of nonchalance.

“ She has been taken to mate… she carries Inuyasha’s pup.” The words were spoken evenly, forced through gritted teeth, but even Kouga knew that Ayame wasn’t fooled by his unaffected performance.

Ayame nodded, searching Kouga’s face in silence. She didn’t know the Wolf Prince’s reason for accepting his position at her side, but whatever he had in mind, it wasn’t what Ayame wanted. She had been young when Kouga had claimed her as his mate… or at least, when he’d casually thrown out the offer in passing one night.

Since she’d first come down from the mountain to bring him back to her people, Ayame had been aware of Kouga’s feelings for the miko Kagome, but she’d also seen the impossibility of anything coming of it. Kagome’s devotion to the hanyou Inuyasha was clear to everyone but Kouga, and Ayame had left with the hope that someday, the Wolf Prince would come to his senses and honor his claim to her.

Now, as Kouga crouched next to her beside the riverbank doing the very thing she’d longed for him to do, Ayame was struck with a certain lucidity of mind, as if her Grandfather’s spirit were guiding her, making her path clear.

Removing her hand from Kouga’s, Ayame smiled softly. “ No, Kouga.”

The words were said so serenely; Kouga almost didn’t comprehend their ultimate meaning. “ No?” he repeated dully.

Ayame shook her head. “ No, Kouga… I don’t accept your claim. Not now.”

Kouga gaped at her like a trout, and stood as rage began to reassert itself in his being. “ What?” he shouted. “ I claimed you! I claimed you when you were a pup, and I claim you now. You’re my woman, and that’s the last word on the subject.”

Even Ayame was surprised when she laughed. “ So you do remember claiming me… that’s a start anyway.” The look on Kouga’s face was both intensely funny, and heartbreaking at the same time. “ I’m returning to my people, Kouga. I don’t know what happened to you, but I don't want to be bound to a mate who desires another.”

Kouga opened his mouth to protest, but Ayame lifted a hand to stop him. Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, she turned to leave. “ When it’s me you want - and only me – come to the mountain. I will be waiting for you.”

A swirl of dust and air and Ayame disappeared into the night. Kouga stood in her wake, still too shocked to move. Twice in one night the Wolf Prince had been rejected, and it was more than anyone’s ego could stand.

Clenching his fists tightly, Kouga seethed as he headed back to his den. Ayame would be his… he just needed to convince her of what she wanted to believe… whatever that was.

************************

Kouga intended to wait one week before heading out after Ayame. He needed time to work out a plan and to give the female wolf-youkai time to re-think turning him down. Kouga knew she wanted him, so naturally it would only be a matter of time before she’d come to regret such a hasty decision… right?

After two days, Kouga was tired of waiting, and even more tired of dealing with his brother wolves. Ginta and Hakaku especially had been eager to hear if their leader had finally found Kagome, and were disturbed by Kouga’s less than forthcoming attitude on the subject.

The Wolf Prince told them all that plans had changed and that Ayame would be their new sister, instead of Kagome. Kouga would say no more, and spent most of his time in the solitude of his own chamber. Somehow, Ginta and Hakaku understood what must have happened, and were doing their best to comfort their leader, to his constant irritation.

By the third day, Kouga was on his way to the mountains where Ayame’s tribe had made their home for generations. Patience had never been his strong suit, and the constant sympathy pouring on him from his brothers only made him angrier. Kouga had not done as much planning for the coming confrontation as he had intended, but he felt confident, nevertheless. After all, Ayame had come after him at least three times before, so whatever game she was playing at now was obviously just some sort of whim, and would easily be overcome.

At full speed with minimal stops, it took Kouga only a single afternoon to reach Ayame’s mountain. As he ran, the Wolf Prince surveyed his territory and the boundary between it and the land of the Mountain Wolf Tribe. It was part of what made a union between Kouga and Ayame so mutually advantageous. Joining their lands and uniting their packs would make them stronger than the other tribes of their country, and afford them protection against invasion.

It was Kouga’s strong leadership of the Western Tribe that had helped him maintain an uncontested hold of their territory. While wars raged between the Eastern and Southern tribes; while the Northern tribe threatened to regain control of and dominate Ayame’s independent mountain tribe, Kouga alone stood untouched, unthreatened. With the strength such an alliance would provide, the Wolf Prince and his mate would be nearly invincible. They would be unchallenged.

Why, if he wanted, he could easily gain control of all the other territories.

Kouga was not ambitious… but he was cautious. The wars would eventually wind down, but until they did, it was in the best interest of his pack that he remain alert. There was great benefit to mating Ayame, and with the Shikon no Tama now beyond his reach the she-wolf was the more logical companion.

And with the power her tribe added to his, Kouga would be assured revenge against that disgusting half-breed, Inuyasha.

Kouga’s grin was feral at the thought, and he let his lingering rage fuel his resolve and quicken his pace as he neared the forest wherein dwelt Ayame and her people. The morning had dawned with sweltering heat, and now as the afternoon sun began its descent into the western sea, the air seemed to be streaked with vaporous trails that shimmered before him.

The familiar odor of wolves came to Kouga’s sensitive nose, and he stopped instinctively, before his brain had time to register that something was wrong. The scent of Ayame’s people surrounded the area, but he’d also recognized a subtle difference in the air – the smell of wolves from the Northern Tribe... lots of them.

That wasn’t a good thing. Unless the two tribes had entered into territory negotiations, which Kouga highly doubted, Ayame might be in trouble. Stealthily, he crept nearer to the source of the various scents, straining to hear anything that would clue him in to what was going on.

“ The answer is no, Mamoru,” Ayame’s voice carried through the trees to Kouga from not far away.

“ Ayame,” the honeyed voice of the Northern Wolf Tribe’s leader replied. “ This is not an offer I will make again. Think of the safety of your people… how long do you think you can hold your tribe together by yourself?”

Kouga could hear the fire in Ayame’s voice, even before she spoke. He would have killed the beast for insulting him like that. “How long to you think you’ll live if you continue to remain on our land?”

The threat was low, but the silence that followed Ayame’s words indicated that Mamoru had gotten the message that she was through playing nice with him. “ You are young, so I will allow you time to consider my offer,” he finally growled. “ I will take your land one way or another… at least as my mate, you and your ‘pack’” he sneered, “ will be allowed to live.”

Kouga didn’t wait to hear what Ayame planned on saying to that. Stepping out of the trees he strode purposefully to Ayame’s side, facing Mamoru. “ Any challenge you make to my woman, you make to me. You might think you’re demon enough to take on Ayame, but I’m sure you don’t really want to upset me, do you, Mamoru?”

Ayame tensed beneath the arm Kouga had thrown possessively around her shoulder, but she didn’t say a word. Mamoru looked stunned as he studied the two of them.

“ You are taking Ayame to mate then, Kouga?” Mamoru questioned calmly. “ You have so far remained free of the wars between the different clans, and now you would risk your own territory, and the lives of your brothers by claiming what is not yours?”

“ I don’t give a shit about your wars or your boundaries. I’ve protected what belongs to my people for some time now, and I’ll keep doing that, whatever it takes.” Kouga put his face close to the other youkai’s and lowered his voice. “ Ayame belongs to me, and her land is my land; her people, my people. Next time you feel the need to throw your weight around, remember who it is you're threatening. I won’t be as nice as Ayame is.”

Mamoru held Kouga’s gaze evenly, freezing for a moment before backing away slowly. Kouga followed the wolf-youkai’s figure as he disappeared down the mountain and through the trees before casually tossing back, “ This isn’t over, Prince.”

Ayame waited until Mamoru was far beyond the range of his hearing them before turning to look at Kouga. “ Okay, so what’s the game?”

Kouga raised his eyebrow. “ Game?”

The look in Ayame’s eyes was not anger, but amusement. “ I appreciate the help, but if you keep coming to my rescue like that, they’ll never take me seriously as a leader.”

“ Heh, it doesn’t matter. They’ll have to deal with me first.”

Now it was Ayame’s turn to raise her eyebrow. “ So, you’re staying then?”

Kouga took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth. “ You know it. I told you, Ayame… you’re gonna be my mate. Think I could stay away now if I tried?”

Ayame fought not to be pulled in. “ You’re stubborn,” she chided him. “ But we both know it’s not me you want.”

The reminder of Kagome made anger flare in Kouga’s chest, and he pulled Ayame tightly against him in retaliation. He saw her eyes widen and her breath catch in her throat moments before he crushed his mouth to hers. Her lips softened beneath his and as he swallowed the sigh that crept out of her throat, Kouga realized that she’d probably never been kissed before.

Come to think of it, neither had he. Of course, he’d tried that one time with Kagome….

Ayame felt the change tighten Kouga’s body and the shock was enough return her to her senses. Pulling away, she searched his ice blue eyes with her own emerald ones. Pain had hardened them again, and Ayame felt her muscles loosen in understanding.

Shaking her head to clear it, she turned away from Kouga and clenched her hands into fists. Her claws penetrated the flesh of her palms, and Ayame focused on this physical pain in an effort to dull the ache in her heart. Keeping her shoulders back and her head up, she didn’t speak as she headed towards her den.

Kouga watched her go, making no attempt to stop her. He wanted to follow Ayame; argue with her some more, but something prevented him from it. Instead, he ran deeper into the forest towards the north, stopping at a cliff that overlooked a rippling valley below. The Wolf Prince sat with his legs dangling over the cliff and pressed his back against the stone wall that scaled its way downward.

He hated to admit it, even to himself, but Kouga had no idea how to handle this situation. His masterful plan to rush in and demand that Ayame relent, suddenly seemed too crass, even for him. The union would benefit both of their tribes, but he somehow felt that she wouldn’t respond any better to reason – it would be like comparing it to a business arrangement.

No, what Ayame wanted was feeling. Genuine, honest emotion, and it was probably the only thing that Kouga couldn’t truthfully give her. No matter how much it hurt him, Kagome still owned his heart and any well of feeling he’d had had vanished along with her. There was nothing left for Ayame, and he suddenly felt very sorry for that.

Youkai were not know for emotions such as love. It was a rare sentiment among their kind and although this truth should have simplified things, it somehow made everything more complicated for Kouga.

Allowing himself a rare moment of introspection, the Wolf Prince let his thoughts rest on Kagome. Kouga had loved her… at least, as much as he thought himself capable of. Were he to sincerely examine it though, he had to admit that whatever he thought he felt for the miko was miniscule in comparison to the emotions of Inuyasha.

The hanyou bastard didn’t just love Kagome, he adored her. He stank of it, and Kouga’s biggest mistake had been to view Inuyasha’s love as a weakness. He’d never believed that Kagome would choose what Kouga viewed as an emasculating display of sentimentality over his own powerful assertions of proprietary intent.

Alright, maybe his confident ownership of the girl wasn’t romantic, but it was manly, and the way of Kouga’s race for generations. Wolves saw, wolves wanted, wolves took. There was no time wasted on wooing and chasing in more circumstances than not. Had Inuyasha been a wolf, and had Kagome been one too, there was no question as to who would have been the victor.

At the root of it, maybe what he felt for the miko wasn’t love, but jealousy, right, even respect. Not love. Maybe Kouga was incapable of love. It could be that he was only capable of feeling the emotions typical of other youkai, and that wouldn’t have been enough for a mortal like Kagome. He respected her enough to realized that she deserved more, and that thought depressed him.

Especially since it appeared that Ayame wanted more from him as well. A tiny wave of pride hit Kouga as the realization hit him. She was one hell of a woman.

Kouga leapt to his feet, determined to find Ayame again. She had probably returned to the den by now, and soon the pack would be ready to hunt for an evening meal. He still had no idea what he was doing, but he was struck with the sudden inspiration to take a page out of the inu-hanyou’s book. He would stay by Ayame’s side, saying nothing about them or their relationship, only being there with her.

Before the week was out, there would be a change in Ayame. She would see a change in him. If what she needed was sensitivity and pansy-assed mooning, Kouga could do that. Hell, it was the least he could do. He’d failed to play the game right when Inuyasha was his competition, but he’d be damned if he’d lose to no one at all. He was a warrior, and this was a fight he refused to lose.

So wrapped up in thought was Kouga, that he nearly missed the scent of blood, coming to a stop only when he felt the velveteen softness crush beneath his callused foot. Lifting his leg and looking down, it took him a moment to understand. The flower for which Ayame had been named; the one she always wore in her titan hair, lay bruised and broken upon the earth.

The wilted flower wept a delicate clear sap, and Kouga imagined that the scent of blood grew stronger as he noticed its moisture. The delicate purple petals lay splayed wide, like arms raised in beseeching supplication, and the fragile sight it presented almost reduced the warrior to tears of horror.

The dusty earth all around him was scuffed badly, and the grass that lined the mountain path was flat and broken, as though trampled beneath foot or body. Following his nose, Kouga located several small patches of warm blood scattered about over the nearby hedges and muddying the dirt. Some, but not all of it was Ayame’s.

Cradling the wounded lily close to his chest, Kouga sprinted towards the tribal den, desperate to prove himself wrong; to find Ayame safe at home among her people, and not lost into the hands of unknown assailants.

It didn't take long for the reality of events set in.Ayame was gone. Kouga was furious with himself. The Elders Council was in a panic and the Mountain Tribe was preparing for war.

The night was still dark, lit only by the waxing moon, and yet Kouga ran heedlessly onward, oblivious to the sharp branches that scraped against his skin in the shadows. A second examination of the area from where Kouga suspected Ayame had been taken had turned up only one further bit of information. There was no mistaking the smell… she had been taken by wolves.

And Kouga had a sneaking suspicion that he knew which wolves had done the taking.

Wolves were simple creatures. Certain things were more important that others. Always, the Pack came first. You lived, fought and died for your Pack. Second was food, but of that there was always plenty. Wolves weren’t picky about what they ate, as long as it didn’t put up too much of a fight. Anything that stood to fight instead of running and hiding probably wasn’t worth the effort, and was quickly forgotten in place of something more suitable.

Territory was also important, and it was this last factor that had caused the wolf-youkai their greatest trouble. There were many wolf Tribes across Japan. Some, like Ayame’s, were smaller, relying on aid from one larger tribe against the designs of another. Kouga’s own tribe was one of the four main Packs, and were he so inclined to ambition, he would probably be embroiled in the same territory struggles that plagued all the others on the island.

South fought East and North tried to conquer all the smaller tribes in the region, since Kouga’s West did nothing to stop them. Once Kouga had become leader of his tribe, he had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in anything beyond protecting what he had. The Northern Tribe had taken him at his word, and all communications between them had been friendly, up until now.

Kouga was sure that Mamoru had taken Ayame in retaliation for their argument earlier, and that was an open declaration of war against the Wolf Prince and his tribe. The leader of the Northern Wolf Tribe obviously felt that Kouga was infringing on his territory by declaring his intent to marry Ayame, and he wasn’t happy with it.

Although he wasn’t surprised that he cared, Kouga was slightly amazed that he cared so much. It would have been in his nature to undertake Ayame’s rescue whether he intended to make her his mate or not. He certainly expected to feel angry that Mamoru had insulted him by stealing what Kouga had claimed as his, but he did not anticipate the nearly crippling concern that gnawed at his insides when he thought of her being in danger.

It was disconcerting. Kouga was never afraid of anything. Facing his own death, he’d be worried, but hadn’t taken the time to be afraid. All the times Kagome had been in danger, he’d been upset, but mostly he’d been angry at Inuyasha for being so careless with the girl.

This was different. Never one for self-analysis, Kouga channeled his frustration into running faster, and sprinted forward to cover the most amount of ground in the shortest amount of time. That felt much better. He’d been doing too much thinking in the last few days, and that made him feel too much like Inuyasha for his own liking. Youkai didn’t think, youkai acted. Instinct and brawn, not brains and brooding – Kouga would stick with what he knew.

He’d get Ayame back and beat the shit out of anyone who stood in his way. He’d make damn sure that no one would ever dare to challenge him again, and then he and his mate would be free to exact his revenge on the hanyou, and his band of do-gooder friends.

Somehow, that though was suddenly making him uncomfortable, but Kouga pushed it back again. Act… no thinking. Act.

********************

Ayame awoke in complete darkness, and even her keen eyesight couldn’t penetrate the smothering black pressing in around her. She must be underground somewhere, but she couldn’t think of ever having been in this place before, or why she should turn up here now.

The low throbbing in her skull made Ayame wince, and as she tried to sit up and reach for her head, she realized that she was bound, hand and foot. That was all it took to jumpstart her memories, and recent events came flooding back to her. Mamoru… Kouga… ambush.

The attack had come just far enough away from her pack’s den that no one within would have heard her scream. Nevertheless, Ayame had been too busy fighting to waste time or energy on screaming, so the foresight had been an unnecessary precaution on their part.

And fight she had. Ayame was certain that she’d given just as good as she’d gotten before Mamoru himself had struck her on the back of the head and sent her whirling into oblivion. Damn him… didn’t he know how hard it was to get blood out of white fur?

He was gonna pay… as soon as she could figure out how to get out of… wherever she was. Extending her claws to their fullest, Ayame curled her fingers and attempted to slash at the thickly corded rope binding her wrists behind her back. She had been trussed – like she’d the human villagers do with the animals they slaughtered for meat – and the allusion was not lost on her. She would not even be accorded the honor due her as a Princess of the Wolf Tribe and the granddaughter of one of the ancient elders; wolves granted the power of human speech.

This angered her far more than the actual abduction. Mamoru didn’t even see her as a worthy opponent – only as a pawn he could use to get to Kouga. Ayame sighed. There were times when she would have sadly agreed with the Northern Tribal Leader.

Grandfather had prepared her for this moment for many years, albeit, always hoping that Kouga would come to claim her as his mate and rule their people beside her. However, he’d have every confidence in her ability to handle things on her own should it come to that. She was strong and she was a thinker, unlike most wolf-youkai. She’d even held her own quite well against three of Mamoru’s men before he hit her from behind… so the blatant insult to her pride stung on a personal level.

Grandfather had always warned her that her feelings would be a weakness if she didn’t learn how to harness them - allow them to make her stronger. This was a very important quality for her to learn. Closing her eyes Ayame focused, forcing her despair into anger. Fury heated her, and the accompanying rush of adrenaline restored her faltering spirit. Twisting almost violently, she went back to work on loosening her bonds.

Ayame didn’t know how long she’d been gone, and the darkness distorted her senses, making it impossible to guess whether it was night or day. If more than a few hours had passed, her pack would surely have become worried about her, and maybe they had already located the place where she’d been attacked.

She forced herself not to entertain the delusion that Kouga would come for her. As much as she’d like to believe that he was on his way, the Wolf Prince was probably long gone by now. Ayame growled low in her throat as the abrasive cords bit into her skin. When had everything gotten so difficult?

She love Kouga… what had been a child’s crush had grown into something more. It was the only explanation Ayame could think of for why she would put up with him at all. He was stubborn, possessive and thick skulled… but somehow he always managed to do something redemptive whenever they met. Now he seemed to want her too, and she had the brazen nerve to turn him down.

Ayame felt a few strands of fiber give way, and increased her effort, ignoring the sweat trickling down into her eyes. At the time she had first realized that Kouga only wanted her because Kagome was lost to him forever, she’d felt as though Grandfather had guided her to be patient… to wait until what he wanted was her. Now, she could hear his voice in her head, chiding her for her foolishness.

Kouga was necessary for the survival of her Tribe. Ayame had no doubt that she could lead her people, but they would inevitably be drawn into a war that would decimate them all without the security Kouga provided. Their mating had been designed from even before they’d first met, and Ayame knew it was the right choice to make. So why was she holding out for something as unimportant to most youkai as love?

Ayame knew that answer. Kagome. The Wolf Princess had always been a sensitive child, more affected by her emotions than most of her kind. After meeting Kagome and seeing the relationship she had with Inuyasha, something clicked inside Ayame, and she knew that this was what she wanted. She wanted love, pure and sincere. More than that, the fragile wisps of childish affection for Kouga had taken root and grown into an adult longing that sometimes made her heart ache with the weight of it.

Ayame felt stupid. Stupid for wanting more and stupid for thinking she could get it from Kouga. Things rarely seemed to work out the way she wanted them to. Ayame wasn’t some pathetic mortal, she was a youkai, and a Princess at that. She was a warrior and a leader, and Grandfather had always told her that her role in the tribe had to come before all else in her life.

To emphasize the finality of that thought, the ropes around her wrists loosened then, fell away as her claws managed to shred the final fibers. Closing her eyes in relief, Ayame lay still, relaxing her muscles from the effort she’d been exerting on them. When she escaped from here, she’d go find Kouga and agree to be his mate. Despite her own misgivings, she had a duty to her people, to protect them in any way she could. Part of that had always included Kouga, and she couldn’t let her own selfishness interfere with.

Rolling into a sitting position to free her feet, Ayame paused suddenly when her ears picked up the loping sound of footsteps approaching her. She quickly lay back down with her hands behind her, not ready to reveal her emancipation.

Her eyes had adjusted just enough to allow Ayame to make out the muscular silhouette presented by Mamoru as he slunk into view, quieting his step. Slowly, she worked her hands lower until she could grasp the cords holding her ankles together and cut through them much more quickly than she had her wrists, thanks to the better angle. In case she needed to get up and away in a hurry, she didn’t want anything holding her back.

Mamoru crept up to her, probably thinking to startle her by his sudden nearness. Sniffing her hair in a way that made Ayame cringe, the Northern Wolf Leader growled her name, “Ayame…”

She forced herself not to physically show her disgust for this creature. “ Why did you bring me here?” Ayame demanded threateningly.

Chuckling viciously, Mamoru circled her, always remaining far to close to her for comfort. Ayame held her breath, hoping that it was sufficiently dark enough to hide her unfettered state from her jailer.

“ Kouga thinks it’s that easy… that he can just walk in and take from me what is mine,” Mamoru’s grating voice mocked in her ear.

Ayame let her anger show in her voice. “ I’m not yours,” she averred.

Mamoru laughed, a cold, cruel sound, and his eyes flashed yellow with amusement. “ I was talking about the land,” he explained. “ For years Kouga has sat back, pretending to have no interest in these ‘petty territory disputes’ that have plagued our peoples. He has turned down countless pleas for assistance, not only from the Southern Tribe, but from yours as well.

“ Kouga passed up an opportunity to join with his brothers to the South in an endeavor to gain possession of more Shikon no kakera – a plan that resulted in the death of a great number of my pack, and only a few of his. He’s been working with outsiders for a cause unimportant to our people and all the while, war is destroying us.

" Suddenly, he reappears and announces his intent to mate with you, and we are not supposed to find this suspicious? His interest in you comes at a time when all the Tribes but his are weakened, and we are supposed to believe that it isn’t his intention to come after the rest of us as well?” Mamoru stopped speaking, as his breathing grown heavy from the rage that had built within him.

Ayame realized that her sword had been taken away from her, and she abruptly felt naked without it. “ Kouga promised to make me his mate when I was just a pup, on the night of the Rainbow Moon long ago. It was always my Grandfather’s intention that he and I would join the Mountain and Western Tribes. And Kouga avenged the death of our brothers from your tribe by helping kill the demon responsible for their deaths. You make it sound like he was to blame for what happened.”

“ There is no one left but him to say otherwise. It is indeed mysterious that a powerful youkai, who already possessed two shards of the Shikon no Tama, and had just lost a third, would forego an opportunity to obtain more power. For all I know, he was aware of the trap my brothers were walking into and did nothing to stop them.”

“ That’s insane,” Ayame sputtered. “ Some of Kouga’s own pack were killed by the Wind Sorceress along with yours. Why would he sacrifice them too?”

“ Power is corruptible,” Mamoru smirked. “ If he wanted all the shards for himself, a few more lives wouldn’t have stood between him and his ultimate goal.”

Ayame ignored the insanity of Mamoru’s logic, and returned to the question that was forefront in her mind. “ You avoided my question… why did you bring me here?” Gasping, as he suddenly loomed large above her, Ayame froze in shock.

Mamoru smiled maliciously at her. “ I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. In order to ensure the survival of my people I’ll follow Kouga’s example and claim you as my mate. Once you belong to me, your land will be under my control and then Kouga... well,”

Before the grinning youkai could finish his sentence, Ayame head-butted him hard, using her skull to force him backwards. Leaping to her feet, she grit her teeth so that Mamoru couldn’t tell how unsteady she was at first.

A thin trickle of blood dribbled lazily down Mamoru’s face from a gash on his forehead. His eyes flashed red as he got to his feet, breathing heavily.

“ Bitch,” he spat.

“ Not yours,” Ayame countered, and launched herself at Mamoru, arms raised in attack.

Mamoru sidestepped the swipe of her claws easily, and turned to sneer at her fighting ability when he realized she had disappeared from the cave. The attack had only been a feint so that she could get past him to the entrance and out into the open. It would be easier to fight there… or even run away.

With an angry roar, he followed behind her.

Ayame ran, avoiding collisions with walls only by sheer instinct. She had been held far back at the end of a cavernous tunnel, which explained the immense degree of darkness, but didn’t improve her odds for escape. She could hear Mamoru behind her, although the sound of both their breathing echoing through the passageway was distorted so that she couldn’t tell how close he was to her. She pushed forward and the shadows began lifting slightly, a dim light glowing stronger in the distance.

Stumbling through the cave’s entrance was blinding, and Ayame was forced to stop and cover her eyes from the sudden exposure to the dawning light. Shading her eyes, Ayame looked around for a good place to wait and surprise Mamoru when he emerged behind her.

There was no time for further action. Mamoru tackled the girl around the waist with a savage growl, carrying her to the ground. Ayame rolled to one side as she landed, kicking out with her leg and managing to catch the larger wolf in the stomach when his grip loosened on impact with the dirt. Continuing the roll onto her knees, she sprinted into a standing position and planted her feet shoulder length apart, facing her opponent.

Mamoru drew his sword, and Ayame silently cursed him for having already taken away her own. She hardly ever actually used the thing, but as she now faced off without one, she missed the blade for the first time. Narrowing her eyes, Ayame relaxed her body, preparing to take advantage of the first opening presented to her.

She didn’t have long to wait. Mamoru was obviously unaccustomed to sword fighting as well, and the preparation for his first swing exposed the breadth of his chest to Ayame. Rushing in fast and low, she slipped underneath the falling blade and sunk an elbow deep into Mamoru’s gut. In an instant he was doubled over in pain, but kept the presence of mind to leap away from her before more damage could be done.

The sword lay fallen between them, but Ayame only swept it out of his reach with one foot. She would not use weapons against an unarmed man, even if he had no such scruples. Why he’d drawn it in the first place, she’d never know.

Mamoru had quickly recovered, and glared at her through flashing eyes. He had misjudged her once, but it would not happen again. He had thought her weak, but to have caught him off guard with such a simple move only proved that she had more power than he’d given her credit for.

“ You will pay,” Mamoru snarled as he rushed her.

Ayame sprung into the air, extending one leg to streamline her body, while bending the other to cushion her inevitable landing. She arced high into the air, and returned to earth slightly to Mamoru’s right. Twisting her body at the moment of impact, Ayame shot her left leg out, kicking the other youkai in the face.

Mamoru had been surprised, but was also prepared for an attack. The blow stunned him, but in mere seconds he retaliated, slamming a fist into Ayame’s jaw and causing her to stagger. As she stumbled slightly and moved to return the favor, the Northern Tribe Leader dropped low to the ground and swept a leg across the ground to take the princess’s feet out from under her.

Ayame jumped again, narrowly avoiding her opponent’s attack. Turning quickly to kick up a screening cloud of dust, she sped around to Mamoru’s rear, aiming another kick between his shoulder blades.

Mamoru turned, grabbing her leg before it connected with his chest and twisted it, causing Ayame’s entire body to flip over, mid-air. She used her arms to brace her fall, supporting the weight of her body on her hands as she jerked her foot away from the wolf and brought it into alignment with its mate. Spring-boarding backwards off the ground, Ayame did a flip in the air and landed upright in front of Mamoru.

Grabbing Mamoru by the arm Ayame spun around, pulling him off balance and flinging him across the dirt. The youkai landed hard, grunting as he stuttered along the ground. His eyes flashed red with anger, and as the woman suddenly loomed over him, hand raised and claws flashing threateningly, Mamoru’s hand shot up and did something he had never done in battle before.

Ayame screamed in rage and pain as hair was nearly pulled from her scalp. She heard a savage growl and through the tears that suddenly blurred her vision she realized that it hadn’t come from Mamoru, but from her. The male youkai held on tightly, pulling her head back away from him before flipping them so that he now sat astride her torso, grinning triumphantly down at her.

“ You bastard,” Ayame gasped furiously.

“ This is why you could never hope to be a good leader,” Mamoru chuckled coldly, leaning closer to her. “ It doesn’t matter how the game is played… as long as you win it.”

Ayame’s mind went blank momentarily and she stared blankly as a flash of claws crossed her vision.

****************

The tension in Kouga’s stomach had increased so much that by the time the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, sweat poured down his face, chilled by the morning air. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever run faster in his life, although he was forced to stop occasionally to locate the fading scent left by Mamoru.

Kouga was familiar with the Northern territory, but he feared reliance on that knowledge. Just because he was certain Mamoru had taken Ayame didn’t mean that he’d taken her to his domain. So far, that did seem to be the case, but what if they veered off to the left or right and Kouga didn’t catch it?

Frustrated by the necessity for patience, he continued to remind himself that a wrong move could be fatal for Ayame. She was strong, but Mamoru was strong, unpredictable and ruthless. It was a dangerous combination to have in an enemy.

Kouga stopped again, making sure he was still on their trail, and almost panicked when he had trouble finding it immediately. Backing up a few feet, he picked it up once more, and breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, Mamoru had not taken the girl back to his den, but had made a turn here, heading towards a small hilly valley below.

Cutting through the trees, he slowed his pace to follow the scent more closely. Mamoru’s smell in particular was growing much stronger here, as though he had passed this way again more recently. Kouga quickened his step slightly.

The forest floor helped mask the sound of his approach, even though the loose dirt and needles slid beneath his feet. A loud cry made Kouga freeze in his tracks close to the open valley, and he strained his ears to listen further.

The sounds of a fight from just below him cause Kouga to pull in closer to search for the source of the disturbance, and for the second time in less than a week, he was met with a startling sight. Ayame lay sprawled on the ground with Mamoru straddling her waist. The male youkai’s back was to Kouga, so he couldn’t see his face, and the girl was barely visible save for her limbs.

As he froze at the sight, Kouga’s numbed brain took in the scene before him. Ayame’s hand was clutching Mamoru’s arm tightly, strained slightly and as he watched, she arched beneath him.

The similarities of this sight to the one he had witnessed between Inuyasha and Kagome only days ago made it difficult for Kouga to react, or to even know how he should react. Was Ayame pulling Mamoru closer, or pushing him away? Did her hips move against his in a fit of passion, or in an attempt to throw him off?

He wished he could see the girl’s face, to see the expression on both hers and Mamoru’s and hopefully gain some clue as to what was happening here. Had Kouga not experienced a surreally parallel event just recently, he would not have hesitated to act. He would have rushed in and pulled the bastard of Ayame and proceeded to grind him into a sticky paste with his fists.

Just as he had intended to do to Inuyasha that night, before everything had gone so terribly wrong.

Kouga was so caught up in his indecision, that he almost missed the flicker of light shining off Mamoru’s claws, seconds before they began their downward arc towards Ayame’s face.

Forgetting his former vacillation, Kouga finally acted. A flying leap into the valley below put him only a few steps behind Mamoru and in just enough time to grab the wolf by the neck and yank hard. Both Mamoru and Ayame shouted, one in surprise, the other in pain. As the Northern Tribe Leader hit a bordering tree, Kouga noticed the handful of red hair clutched in his fist.

Ignoring the youkai, Kouga turned to examine Ayame, kneeling besides her. He’d been quick, but not quite quick enough. The claws had missed her face, but a few fairly deep gashes had been opened on the woman’s chest, and bright blood welled from the lacerations. She was breathing heavily, but evenly and had one hand pressed hard against her scalp in pain at having her hair pulled out.

“ You okay?” Kouga murmured softly.

Ayame’s eyes met his, and a thin film of tears covered them before she answered him in a strong voice, “ I’ve been better.”

Nodding in agreement, Kouga’s expression of remorse hardened before he turned to face the slowly rising Mamoru behind him. “ I warned you not to upset me,” he said. His voice was calm, almost jovial, but the fury in his eyes was apparent.

“ Prince,” Mamoru sneered, stepping closer. “ You would do well not to interfere with matters that do not concern you. I have spilled the blood of many to gain possession of that mountain, and I will not let some whelp take what I have earned with the sweat of my brothers.”

“ The mountain means so much to you?” Kouga replied casually. “ Take it.”

Ayame’s mouth fell open, but she said nothing. The look in Kouga’s eyes was one she’d never seen before.

Mamoru looked wary, but moved closer to the Wolf Prince. “ Just like that?” he challenged.

Kouga nodded, turning back to Ayame and meeting her eyes. “ It’s not as though you’ll be getting any use out of it when you’re dead,” he explained to Mamoru.
The words were low, and so calm that both Ayame and Mamoru nearly missed their implication. Springing to life as if struck by lightening, Kouga whirled around and flexed the claws on his right hand, calling into action the most powerful weapon of their kind, the Goraishi. It was a weapon only he possessed, and the attack took Mamoru by surprise.

Sabers of rabbit-swift lightening zigzagged across the dirt, and before Mamoru could react, the blinding white arcs struck him. The Northern Tribal Leader’s mouth opened in a silent scream as his skin and fur blackened before the eyes of Ayame and Kouga, and he began to burn.

Within seconds, only dust remained of Mamoru, blowing away in the morning breeze. Ayame stared at the spot he had been standing before incinerating, and for a moment, she couldn’t seem to comprehend what had happened. With all the admiration she had – had always had – for Kouga, she’d never known he was so powerful.

Kouga could see Ayame’s mind working, and he was somehow aware that his first impulse would usually be to posture and boast over his own strength. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to do that now. Kouga was sure that the smile he plastered on his face looked as confused as he suddenly felt.

“ Are you okay?” he heard himself ask quietly, for the second time. What was his problem?

Ayame opened her mouth to reply, but shut it again when no words came. Instead, she nodded quickly.

“ Ayame, I –“ Kouga had no idea what words were going to come out of his mouth, but neither of them would find out. The loud crash from Goraishi’s strike had summoned Mamoru’s kinsmen, who suddenly appeared in force, surrounding the small valley.

“ Kouga…” A small, wiry wolf stepped forward to meet him.

“ Ronin,” Kouga kept his voice amiable, but his body was taut with anticipation. As a whole, the Northern and Western Wolf Tribes were on good, if unsteady terms. Most of the Northern wolves were aware of Kouga’s mission to avenge the deaths of their brothers after Naraku had slaughtered them, although others sided with Mamoru in believing that vengeance had been just a front to gather all the Shikon no Kakera. Added to the fact that the Wolf Prince had refused all petitions for help or hindrance in their war against the Mountain Tribe, a shroud of uncertainty had gathered around him.

Ronin sniffed the air curiously, noting the stench of burning meat, and singed hair. “ We heard a loud noise, was that you? Where has Mamoru gone to?”

Ignoring the implication, Kouga decided the best action was to take the offensive with the subordinate wolf. “ Just how many of you were involved in kidnapping Ayame?” he demanded with a growl.

Ronin’s eyes widened perceptibly, and his nostrils flared as he glanced at Ayame briefly. He licked his lips nervously. “ Where is Mamoru?”

Kouga’s eyes narrowed. “ Dead.”

Anger flashed in Ronin’s eyes, and his breathing increased as he struggled to maintain control. “ You lie,” he hissed. “ Mamoru would not be defeated by the likes of you. The 'Great Kouga,' has never before interfered with the doings of the Northern Tribe, either with or against us. Why would now be any different?”

With a cocky smile that still managed to be menacing, Kouga eyed the lean wolf. “ I haven’t interfered… that you know of. Now that Ayame is to be my mate, things around here are gonna change, starting with the leader of this pack of flea bitten mongrels.”

Hands clenched into fists, and Ronin bared his teeth in a growl, hunching over as if to spring forward if further provoked. Ayame prevented both men from resorting to violence by stepping between them to face Ronin.

“ Stop this,” Ayame commanded. “ I was witness; Kouga defeated Mamoru in fair battle.” She eyed Ronin carefully, making sure he understood. A low muttering growing around her said that others had caught on at least. “ You know the rules. By the laws of our people, Kouga is now Leader of both the Western and Northern Tribes.”

Hushed whispers rose to a dull roar, and Kouga looked at Ayame, who smiled at him for a moment. Breaking into a grin of his own, Kouga interrupted the suspicious musings, “ and with Ayame as my mate, she and I will control the Mountain lands as well as the West and North.”

Stunned silence fell while the gathered wolves figured it out. Land meant power. Power meant dominance. They would be an unstoppable force if well governed. As exuberant cheering began to break out for their new leader, Kouga turned away to face a pale Ayame.

Ayame stared at Kouga, unsure of how to respond. He couldn’t love her, and yet wanted to be with her for whatever his own reasons were. She loved him, but could she stand knowing that his heart belonged to someone else, even if his loyalty was to her? Again, her grandfather’s image appeared before her, followed by the inner calm that had given her the strength to walk away from Kouga that day by the river, when she’d told him of the old youkai’s death.

With a gentle smile and a firm nod, Ayame took Kouga’s had in hers and led him into the crowd of wolves already headed back to their den to make the announcement.

Kouga wasn’t sure of Ayame’s intention with her gesture, but for now it didn’t matter. He had saved her and in doing so, more than doubled his tribe and territory. He wasn’t obsessed with controlling vast amounts of land like the other Tribal Lords were, but he understood power. He understood control. There was no way his leadership could be doubted, now that he had defeated the Northern Lord. Especially as it had only been a little over three years since he’d taken control of the Western lands in nearly the same way.

He had no intention of going after the Southern or Eastern Tribes, as he was sure these wolf-youkai expected him to do, but he wouldn’t correct them just yet. Until certain tasks were accomplished; until those who – like Ronin – would fight his authority were won over, Kouga would bide his time and keep all thoughts close to himself.

Besides, he found Ayame’s hand in his strangely comforting. Kouga frowned at the thought, but chalked it up to relief. He was just glad that she was okay, so that his plan to mate her could proceed. Then they could rule this vast territory together, and be respected among the many brothers and sisters in their Tribe.

Kouga barely noticed that no mention of getting revenge on Inuyasha had entered into the picture he’d created in his mind.

There was much to be done, now that Kouga had gained control of the Northern Territory and, after going back to assure her people that she was alright, Ayame surprised Kouga by returning to help make arrangements for the new territory. She had not verbally agreed to rule jointly with him as his mate, but her acquiescence seemed present in every action.

Together, Kouga and Ayame made their presence and authority known to the Northern Pack, and chose officers from among them who could be trusted to rule in the Prince and Princess’s stead while they were elsewhere. It was a lengthy process, building trust among those who had previously been enemies, or at least dysfunctional siblings.

And though they stayed together for the complete cycle of the moon, neither Ayame nor Kouga spoke of mating to one another.

For Kouga, it was a combination of matters that prevented him from following through with his intentions. He was kept very busy with organizing the expansion of his clan. In order to prevent segregation among the former tribes, wolves from each of the three former packs were invited to voluntarily change locales. Members of the Western Tribe could choose to move to the Mountains or Northern territory, and vice-versa.

Kouga did a great deal of traveling, with Ayame at his side, making sure that having the clans spread out over such a distance was going to work. It was more practical, for hunting purposes for example, to utilize the breadth of their territory, but the new leader was concerned that separatist attitudes could develop, and cause more fighting from within. Keeping visible to all his family, even if it meant never sleeping in the same place for more than a few nights in a row, was important to maintain control over everything.

Ayame also found herself getting caught up in these matters, and found that she was learning far more from Kouga than her grandfather had been able to teach her. She knew he had made a wise decision in agreeing to a union between his granddaughter and the Wolf Prince – he would be a good leader for her people, and seemed more than eager to have her share in that leadership. That was not unheard of among wolf-youkai tribes, but was nevertheless rare enough to be unusual.

However, the main reason Ayame didn’t mention becoming Kouga’s mate, was that Kouga himself hadn’t spoken of it since before she’d been kidnapped. While a part of her was relieved to have the time to think, another - perhaps larger – part of her wondered what the Wolf Prince was thinking. Perhaps he’d changed his mind? While his obvious motions towards establishing her dominance, as well as his own, said otherwise, Ayame couldn’t help fearing the possibility.

When the moon rose in the sky, appearing in exactly the same phase it had on the night Ayame had been kidnapped not too long before, the Tribal Leaders returned to the Northern land where their journey had begun. Both youkai were tired, but it looked as though all of their efforts would pay off. The shuffling of Pack members had gone a long way to improving relations within the enlarged family, and the surrogates chosen to keep order in Kouga and Ayame’s absence were among the best of their kind.

Both an end, and a beginning were fast approaching, and Ayame felt a newborn tension between herself and Kouga. In all the time they’d spent together recently, she had never been unable to engage the other youkai in conversation while they traveled, but tonight Kouga was silent, only making the occasional grunt in response to her comments.

Unnerved, Ayame fell quiet as well and allowed Kouga to pass her as they walked around the border of the Northern territory. Ayame wondered at Kouga’s distance, and it’s sudden appearance. Again, it occurred to her that he might have changed his mind about becoming her mate. And although she had been vacillating about the issue, the sudden rush of fear that flooded her belly made Ayame sure of what her own decision was.

A rustling from the brush ahead caught her attention, and Ayame look past Kouga to see the vague outline of a wolf-youkai step directly into their path. In another moment, she identified the figure. It was Ronin.

Kouga had been feeling distracted all day, and so didn’t notice the demon blocking the road. Ayame had been foremost in his thoughts, and he found it hard to concentrate on anything other than the matter he felt certain was impending. There was only one step left to complete until their leadership would be unchallenged, and for some reason, both of them had left it for last.

Would Ayame still refuse him as her mate? She seemed just as invested in establishing peace and unity within their newly formed Tribe, and she hadn’t protested joining her own Pack with his own. So maybe she had accepted. But then, why hadn’t she said anything?

Of course, he hadn’t exactly been talkative about the matter either, and whenever it occurred to him to ask her, a strange reticence prevented him from broaching the subject. Kouga told himself that things would work themselves out in due time and in the meanwhile, they would be able to build-up and fortify their Tribe together.

Kouga sighed quietly, and immediately cursed himself for it. He refused to do what Inuyasha had and moon over the situation for too long. He knew what had to be done, and nothing would be accomplished by putting off, especially as he didn’t actually have a reason for it.

Opening his mouth to speak her name, Kouga was startled when Ayame threw herself against him, sending him crashing to the ground. His head banged against something hard, making him gasp in the lances of pain shooting through his skull. He stained to gather his breath, and the thought occurred to him dizzily, that she must be more eager to consummate their relationship than he’d expected.

After a moment though, Kouga realized that Ayame wasn’t in the dirt with him, but was crouched protectively in front of him, facing the shadows on the path ahead. Then his world darkened, and before he knew what was happening, Kouga passed out.

Ayame felt a growl rumble in her throat as she watched Ronin land when Kouga had been standing only moments before, and whirled to confront her. The anger at her thwarting his surprise attack was evident in his glowing eyes, and he glared at Ayame with equal amounts of fury and contempt.

“ Get out of my way, Bitch,” Ronin spat. “ My business is with Kouga.”

“ Then your business is with me, too. If you intend to challenge us to a fight for leadership, you should have made sure there was a witness… but then, you weren’t planning on winning fairly, were you?”

Ronin’s lip curled in a sneer. “ I will kill Kouga, and when I do, you will be my witness."

Ayame laughed, worriedly noticing that she must have hit Kouga harder than she’d intended. “ Why would I be your witness? Besides, you forget that I am Tribe Leader as well. Even if you defeated him, you’d still have to defeat me, too.”

Smiling, Ronin stepped closer. “ That’s why I intend to make you my mate… to secure myself in a position of power over three Tribes.” He looked her up and down. “ Or, I could kill you as well,” he shrugged. “ I’m sure I’ll make do without a witness, somehow.”

“ I’d rather die than be your mate,” Ayame swore.

Ronin nodded, eyes alight with perverse pleasure. “ As you wish.”

The sinewy wolf-youkai rushed Ayame, but she was ready. Springing out of her crouch, she threw herself into a flip over Ronin’s head, landing behind him and spun the instant she hit the earth, just as her opponent realized what had happened.

Ronin cried out in surprise as he whirled around and moved towards Ayame to attack again. Lightening-quick, the Wolf Princess shot her hand out and sunk her claws into the tender skin on either side of his neck. Without thinking, Ayame pulled her arm backwards, ripping out Ronin’s throat as his eyes widened in horror.

The demon collapsed, choking and clutching at his throat as pools of blood pooled in the dirt. Pure adrenaline rushed through Ayame’s body as she watched Ronin’s life slowly ebb out of his eyes, until they went unblinking and glassy. She drew in a shuddery breath before turning to check on Kouga…

Only to find him staring at her in something close to awe. Ayame was filled with relief that he was okay, and rushed over to help him to his feet.

“ Ronin tried to attack you,” she explained. “ He was almost on top of you when I pushed-“

“ When you rescued me,” Kouga finished in a hushed voice.

Ayame wondered if he would be angry about her saving his life, or grateful. It was always so hard to tell with certain men.

Kouga was still staring at Ayame. “ You killed him.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“ He was a coward,” Ayame scowled at the corpse in the dirt. “ Cowards can be dangerous, even to the strongest of opponents.”

Meeting his eyes, Ayame tried to search them for a clue as to what he was feeling. His expression was inscrutable, and left her totally unprepared for when Kouga suddenly wrapped her in his arms and kissed her fervently.

As her brain still struggled to absorb the new sensation, Ayame’s body responded on its own. Her hands crept around his neck to entwine themselves in the silky strands of his long black hair, and a sigh of pent up frustration caused her breast to press against the firmness of his.

Kouga’s hand ran up to tangle in Ayame’s hair and rest against the back of her head, forcing it tighter against his. Ayame heard a soft gasp, and hazily realized that it was coming from her. His lips were surprisingly soft, and the tentative beginnings of exploration with his tongue in her mouth tasted sweeter, and were hotter than anything she had experienced in her life.

She felt her hair fall in blankets against her shoulders, as Kouga released if from the ties holding it off of her neck and ran his hands through its length. It was a wondrously sensuous feeling, and Ayame was struck with a sudden longing to do the same to his hair.

As his black mane came free of it binding and mingled with her titan locks, Kouga lifted his head to search the emerald of Ayame’s eyes. The same heat he felt radiating from him burned in them, and Kouga’s mouth curled into a self-satisfied at the sight of her bruised lips, still moist from his kisses.

“ Ayame,” he breathed hoarsely.

She knew what he was asking, but could this be her life? Ayame questioned herself, second-guessed, argued, and doubted. But suddenly, his eyes were too blue, the pink of his tongue too appealing, the flush of his skin too alluring as it gave the barest hint of the man in front of her. Did her people always wear so little clothing?

Ayame opened her mouth to reply to the question hanging between them, frozen in time, but her mouth went dry. Swallowing hard, she nodded and closed her eyes.

It was all the answer Kouga needed. A breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding exploded from him, and the meager distance separating them was greedily closed again. As much as he wanted to take her somewhere a little more sheltered, Kouga knew that even out in the open, this place was probably more suitable to their needs than anywhere else. The Tribal den was too public for his liking and with the exception of Ronin today, hardly anyone but he and Ayame came this close to the border of their land.

They did need to get off the road though. Surprising Ayame by breaking their kiss once more, Kouga sniffed the air, recognizing the familiar scent of salt. They were near the ocean, and there would be caves nearby. Grinning, he picked Ayame up and carried her as fast as he could in the direction of the beach.

Ayame giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. Though she still felt uncertain about becoming Kouga’s mate, she knew it was the right decision. She would do everything she could to make him happy, and to be the leader her grandfather had raised her to be. She loved Kouga, and that would have to be enough for now. Maybe someday he would not only respect her and feel affection for her, but would love her in return.

The first cave Kouga spotted was not only empty, but hadn’t been inhabited in some time; it was perfect. There was something intoxicating about the look in Ayame’s eyes that drew him in and blocked out everything but her. This was a feeling he’d never gotten from Kagome, this air of both strength and vulnerability. It was as if he knew that she could inspire him to the greatest of heights, or be the sole thing in the world that could ever tear him down.

She too, seemed to embody this paradox; she struck a powerful figure, but in his arms Ayame was as delicate as a dandelion in a rainstorm. Kouga stared into the mesmeric depths of her eyes, and was stopped cold by the vision of everything she held therein, just waiting for him to notice.

The cloak of white fur Ayame always wore was removed from her shoulders somehow and placed soft side up on the stony ground before she herself was lowered onto it. A shiver ran through her body at the sensuous feel of the down against the exposed skin of her upper back. Her breath seemed to not want to leave the safety of her chest, and Kouga’s fingers trailing along her bare arm struck like a jolt of lightening.

Duty. Honor. Revenge. Kouga tried to remind himself of his reasons for taking Ayame as his mate, but all of these matters seemed suddenly insignificant in the face of the beauty lying before him. The emotions rising in his chest were utterly foreign to the Wolf Prince, and nothing as simple as duty, honor or revenge could even begin to adequately describe it. This was more than obligation, more than privilege, more than the settling of scores. To think otherwise was an affront.

And suddenly, all thoughts flew from Kouga’s mind except to give in to the instinctive pull of worshipping the creature before him. Reverently, Kouga’s trembling fingers loosened the pent wrapped possessively around Ayame’s waist, and to remove the breastplate that hid her from his gaze.

Ayame swallowed, and gave a breathy sigh before seeking Kouga’s eyes with her own. An unusual stillness had overcome him, and she wondered at the inspiration behind it. She suddenly hoped that it was her causing the look of awareness that filled his face, but she feared the naïveté of that hope. Her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, the meditative aura was abruptly gone, and in its place was an expression of wonder that could only be for her.

Kouga watched the deluge of emotions ebb and flow across Ayame’s face, and he smiled reassuringly as he stood. She opened her mouth to question him, but the query died on her lips as he began removing his own pelts and armor, until he stood before her as equally naked as she to him.

Their gazes did what their hands had yet to do, and roamed frantically over each other’s bodies, memorizing the sweetness of every curve and the uncompromising angle of each muscle. Kouga knelt beside Ayame and soon, hands replaced eyes, though neither was aware of the exchange.

Ayame’s heart was pounding to fast, and the excess blood invading her brain made rational thought impossible. Her claws traced the smooth contours of Kouga’s body, as insistently gentle as any lovers throughout time, as if they were all joined anew in this one moment.

The urgent press of flesh on flesh was overwhelming, and Kouga’s fingers stilled their dance over Ayame’s breast when her questing hand encircled the hardness of his aching member. He gasped, and her tentative movements stopped in reply until her pressed himself into her grasp again, nearly whimpering in anxious relief when she complied.

Kouga’s hands resumed their own exploration of Ayame’s body, mimicking the rhythm she set with the gentle stroking of her fist. Her body trembled uncontrollably as his rough fingers climbed the augment of her breast, torturing the pink tip before racing to discover the secrets hidden at other depths.

Her free hand reached up to snare itself in the drape of his hair, and Ayame tugged lightly, needing to feel the firm expanse of his chest against the silk of her skin. Kouga gave no resistance, and melded his lips to hers with a sudden eruption of fire in his belly.

Instinct overtook them. Neither had been raised by those who would teach them this most important lesson of life, so no other explanation would do. In the space of a suddenly languid heartbeat, Kouga was sheathed within Ayame’s scorching heat. Two voices cried out in pained anguish and exquisite pleasure.

Their eyes met once more, and the moment was over. Furious motion consumed them, eating them from the inside out as Kouga thrust insistently into her, never breaking the communion of their eyes. Soft urgent cries broke from Ayame’s throat as the spiraling pool of liquid inferno began to coil in the pit of her being. Grunted exclamations from Kouga punctuated her song, each one sounding more and more like her name dying upon his lips.

The need was devastating, crushing Ayame in its grasp. She suddenly, for the briefest of moments, feared the intensity of the emotion she felt blossoming inside of her. It was an exquisite agony, matchless against her wildest expectations, leaving her praying for its cessation, but also craving its endurance. Her body began to tighten like a blossom ready to burst into life, and she dug her nails into the skin of his shoulders, feeling the need to ground herself from the onslaught.

Kouga watched as Ayame bit her lip, and didn’t think before responding to the call echoing inside him. He demandingly tugged the delicate flesh between his own teeth, worrying her lower lip with his fangs as he hissed his delight at the sensation of her claws penetrating his flesh. It was almost enough to send them both over the edge, and his head fell into the cove of her shoulder, his breath hot and hard against her neck.

“ Ayame…” Kouga growled. It was the first word either of them had spoken since the last time he’d rasped her name, and some combination of the broken silence and the reverberation of the words rumbling in both of their chests unleashed the dam within them both. Kouga’s fangs sank into the tender skin of Ayame’s neck in the exact moment the crescendo of their climax overtook them.

Ayame felt a pull at her neck, and her hand automatically raised itself to press against the back of Kouga’s head as he marked her as his mate. Gently turning her head, even as she began thrashing beneath him under the force of her passion, Ayame returned the claim, biting the same spot on Kouga’s neck where he was marking her.

Their bodies shuddered, sending them scraping against the floor, away from the protection of Ayame’s cloak, and Kouga rolled onto his back so that Ayame rested atop him. They remained still, fangs frozen in place on their lover’s neck as the remaining pulses of desire swept over them in receding waves. When their breathing became calm and steady again, Kouga withdrew his teeth and felt his mate do the same.

Ayame lifted her head in surprise to examine the mark she had made, and her eyes flicked to Kouga to see him doing the same to her. Their eyes connected, and the Wolf Prince smiled affectionately at his Princess, making her heart jump. A flutter of sorrow tickled her stomach, and she sought comfort away from the intensity of his gaze.

She settled on his hair, which fascinated her in its current state of disarray. It made Kouga appear somehow more naked down than up in its usual ponytail, and she ran her fingers through it longingly, trying to stifle the very unyoukai-like thoughts tormenting her brain. ‘ If only….

With a determined sigh, Ayame continued with the soothing motion of fingers through hair, and pulled off the headband that still encircled Kouga’s brow. To her surprise, something fluttered to the ground beside his head and she frowned as she picked it up to examine it more closely.

It was an ayame; the lily who’s name she bore. The purple-hued flower had always held special significance to her, and she had worn such a bloom in her hair from youth. The one Ayame now held in her hand was dry, and appeared to have been crushed, even before dying. A tiny splash of red caught her attention, and sniffing at it, she recognized the familiar odor of blood… her blood. This was the flower she’d worn on the day she’d been kidnapped.

Kouga noticed the curiosity, the realization, and then the confusion pass over Ayame’s face, and he carefully took the flower from her hand. “ That day… I thought I’d lost you and that scared me for some reason. Nothing ever scares me, and I thought that… if I kept this close to me… I’d never make the mistake of letting you go again.”

Ayame held her breath at his words, and looked into his eyes again for the truth. It was so simple, but did it mean what she hoped it did? Suddenly, it was there. Love. She didn’t know when it had happened, and she knew he hadn’t felt it for long, but it shone there just the same. Somehow, everything else had passed through him until only she was left, and Ayame thought a small prayer of thanks to her grandfather’s spirit.

Her laughter rang joyously through the chambers of the silent cave, and Kouga had to grin as Ayame collapsed against him, crying even as she laughed. She rained kisses on his face and for the first time, Kouga knew exactly what Ayame had been waiting for… to be loved.

And to love.

*****************************************************************

A/N: I don't own the majority of the characters in this story, I just like playing with Rumiko Takahashi's toys.

Wow... this took forever to write! I'm still not 100% pleased with it, but I hope you like it. Let me know how it is. Sometimes I'm just too close to figure it out and I know you're all waiting on me!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last fic. It really helps keep me going! I can't promise a release date for the next one-shot but we're getting closer to the sequel, so hang in there!

Love,

Kimberlee