Chapter 3: Alpha Rising

Neal Porter leaped up onto the wooden deck of his cabin, his sleek fox scampering over the wooden planks as he scurried away from the dark gray coyote chasing him, his claws slipping on the wood planks before he found purchase. For the last thirty minutes, he dipped under fallen branches, leaped over stumps and through piles of fallen leaves, weaved around birch, oak, and pines in a mad effort to pull ahead of the larger predator, but the coyote remained relentless. The early night cast shadows on the ground, and Neal tried to remain in them as much as possible, using his smaller size to get lost in the darkness. However, a bright red fox stands out no matter what, and the coyote was only a short distance behind him.

Neal leaped into the air over the front steps, hoping to get under the porch and out of reach, but the coyote stayed right behind him, so close that Neal could hear the animal's heavy breathing. He chanced a glance back, just as the larger animal leaped into the air after him. The fox gave a yelp of surprise and turned back around, digging deep down for that extra burst of speed as his claws gouged the wood, propelling him forward.

The coyote shifted, paws becoming hands and feet, limbs turning into legs and arms, as the dark gray fur shifted into long, dark hair. The woman snatched Neal in mid-air, wrapping her hands around his tiny, furry body, and tucking him under her arm and against her naked flesh. "Got you!" she screamed as they hit the ground hard, rolling, her body protecting him as they slid along the grassy front yard.

They both panted as they laid there, her arms wrapped around his slick body as he laid his muzzle along her breasts. He could feel her heartbeat as he sprawled on top of her.

After a couple of minutes, Neal shifted, sliding to the woman's side, his arms wrapping around the woman's lithe body as soon as they transformed and pulling her tight against him. Their breathing still came out in ragged pants from their exertion, and Neal felt his heart pounding in his ears. "I guess it's my turn to cook dinner, then," he said as he laid there, wrapped around Tina Barrett and gazing up into the stars. "I should have remained in that hollowed-out log. You never would have found me, then."

She grinned over at him. "And then we wouldn't be lying here like this, our bodies all exposed and rubbing against each other in all the best ways." She slid a hand down his torso toward his cock. "What's the fun in that?" She rolled over, kissing the side of his face as she stroked his flaccid manhood to life. "I happen to like these little games of ours. They get me feeling all randy and naughty."

Neal couldn't help but grin, as well. "So do I. It's great being able to run around in our natural forms without worrying about who will see us or get upset." He glanced over at her as the evening breeze caressed his flesh. "Saves on laundry, too."

She giggled as she gripped his thick cock even harder, her finger grazing the head and sending tremors through his body. "And we can enjoy each other's bodies outdoors, just as our animals would." She leaned over and kissed him again, running her tongue lightly across the side of his face. "Now you see why Bane is pushing for this to be a total shifter community. The humans can't handle this type of freedom and openness. They're still hung up on their old traditions and morals."

Neal squirmed slightly under her, her words a common mantra as of late, one he grew tired of hearing, but couldn't really disagree with her. Neal knew he was the alpha of Bull Creek as well as Tina's mate, but Bane Kastner was the alpha of her pack, and she seemed more in tune with his wishes than Neal's. "That's not what the Paranormal Council wanted when they took over this area and sent me out here. They saw it as a haven for all people: shifters, vampires, humans, and witches, any paranormal creature who needed to get away from the world." He glanced over into her dark eyes. "Bull Creek isn't just for shifters, no matter what Bane hopes."

"The Paranormal Council isn't here," she said, still stroking him and kissing his ear. "You're the alpha of Bull Creek. You get to decide who stays and who goes. You make the rules. That's what alphas do." She glided her hand slowly up and down on his throbbing cock. "Don't you like this, being outside, my hand stroking you without worry?"

He groaned as he shoved his hip slightly upward into her grip even more, his cock growing harder in her hand. "Yes," he admitted with a moan. He couldn't deny the thrill of sex out in the open. "But, the Council has already written the main rules down. It's my job to enforce them, not change them. They exist to protect everyone."

Tina rolled over on top of him, her hands going to his shoulders as she slid back and forth onto his hardness. She bit her lower lip as she glanced down at him, her eyes glazed over with her lust. He could still see the mate mark on her shoulder from where he took her just a few short weeks ago, making her his and vice versa. They were destined mates, bonded for life in a way that trumped normal marriages, trumped even Bane as her alpha, and Neal didn't regret that at all. However, ever since, it seemed as if she tried hard to get him to follow her, instead of lead her. The witches had already left the small community, Marilyn Bowman being the last to leave, tired of being harassed by the coyotes and hyenas. He knew Bane instigated it, strove to drive the human population out of the area, making Bull Creek solely a shifter paradise. What the alpha of the coyotes planned on doing with the vampires, Neal wasn't sure, yet, but he knew there had to be a plan in place, a plan he needed to discover and stop. The humans may have been weaker, unable to stand against the rugged, primal nature of Bull Creek, but the vampires had no such hindrance.

Tina bounced her eyebrows at him as she reached down, gripping his manhood, and guiding him inside of her wetness. "This is how we were meant to be, Neal," she said, her voice husky with her passion. "Naked, outdoors, the wind against our bodies as we savor the pleasures of our flesh. Do you really want to give this up? Sacrifice this for the prudish ways of humans?"

She continued to ride him, her eyes closed as she spoke, reminding him of the ways of their animals, the desires of their mating. He held her hips, watched as her naked form slid back and forth, grinding on him, her breasts swaying slightly, until he witnessed her mouth pop open in a silent O, her eyes opening as she clutched his shoulders, gasping as her orgasm crashed through her. She froze, his cock buried deep inside of her, her body shaking from her climax until he watched her relax, her ample breasts rising and falling with her heavy breathing. She grinned down at him, again biting her lower lip. "I don't want to give this up."

"No," he said, his own breathing heavy. "No, I can see why you wouldn't." But that wasn't the mission of Bull Creek; that wasn't why the Council sent him to be the community's alpha. Of course, sexual freedom was a great side benefit.

No, that wasn't the true vision for Bull Creek. He ran his hand over her naked hip, staring into her eyes. But, Tina was his mate, and he would give her the world if he could; he'd even give her Bull Creek.