Chapter 43 Forty-Three
Standing before Danica was no longer a woman who was pissed; instead, stood a massive gray wolf that was eyeing her hungrily. It snarled and snapped, showing its teeth to try to make her back down, but it had another thing coming.
Smiling, Danica motioned for the wolf to come at her. Even though this would be considered a dangerous situation, Danica wasn't afraid, and therefore the dark being within hadn't bothered to stir, instead leaving this to Danica.
Obliging, the gray wolf ran forward, howling as it jumped and extended its claws. Lifting her hands, Danica grabbed the wolf by its fur and heaved, throwing it to the side so that it went crashing to the ground.
The people standing around hollered appreciatively as the wolf stood up, shaking its head, before facing Danica again.
"Still not going to stop?" Danica asked, sighing, "Alright, let's continue then."
Snarling, the wolf ran forward again, this time trying to knock Danica down by force instead of by jumping. Lowering its head, it attempted to slam into Danica's torso to try to knock her off her feet, only for Danica to grab hold and push back, causing the wolf to stumble and fall.
Laughing Danica pinned it to the ground, "Good job making this easy by letting your temper get the best of you."
Hearing herself speak, Danica realized that she had spent too much time with Chris and Bella; she was beginning to sound like them when they reprimanded and corrected her. Chris, who was standing to the side, let out a chuckle, and Danica knew that he was thinking the same thing.
"I think this proves that Danica is not an easy opponent, then." Mason said, finally coming forward and putting an end to the fight. "Christine, I expect you to apologize when you change back."
Lowering its head, the gray wolf slunk away while growling. After a few minutes, Christine emerged from the woods, looking embarrassed.
"I'm sorry." She huffed, stopping in front of Danica. "However, this doesn't mean I accept you."
"You don't have to accept me." Danica said, shrugging. "Doesn't change the fact that your alpha accepted me, and he is the one that truly matters."
Danica smirked as Christine's face turned red with rage at her words. With another growl, Christine stomped off.
"Shall we get to moving again?" Danica asked Mason as she turned her attention back to him. "I'm sorry we wasted time."
Mason simply smiled while placing a hand on Danica's head. "Doesn't matter; it needed to be done."
"What do you mean?" Danica asked in confusion.
"If you want to be considered a leader, you will have to put those who defy you in their place occasionally." Mason said, ruffling Danica's hair.
Instead of feeling annoyed, Danica could only find herself feeling sorry. She didn't miss the look of sadness in Mason's eyes as he spoke. She couldn't even begin to fathom what all he had to go through when he became Alpha, especially since he was so young.
"It's fine." Mason smirked, reading Danica's thoughts again.
Nodding, Danica let it go as she followed quickly behind Mason, who had begun to move.
Above, thunder had begun to rumble as lightning flashed. Squinting, Danica looked up just in time to see what looked like ash begin to fall from the sky. Holding out a hand, she allowed a piece to fall on her skin, only to find that it was freezing cold.
"What is this?" Danica asked Mason as more began to fall.
"Darklands version of snow." Mason explained. "There is so much smoke and miasma in the air that the water vapor is black as it collects in the clouds, and thus when it falls, it is black, whether it be rain, sleet, hail, or snow."
"Weird." Danica murmured as more of the snow began to fall.
Quickening their pace, the group made their way through the snowstorm that was beginning to pick up. Having no choice but to stop, they quickly set up camp and took shelter from the weather in their tents.
Later, Danica sat at the entrance to hers and Masons watching as the barren ground began to gather snow that looked more like ash scattered about than tiny little ice crystals.
"How long do you think this will go on?" Danica asked Mason as she kept her gaze fixed outside.
"Dunno," Mason said, scooting so he was sitting behind her.
Wrapping his arms around Danica's waist, he pulled her to him, cuddling her from behind. Burying his face in her neck, he let out a contented sigh.
"For someone who is a leader, you sure are soft." Danica said, laughing.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mason demanded, nipping her neck.
"It means you're a big softy." Danica said as Mason bit her again.
"Want me to show you a big softy?" He growled, pulling her closer.
"Nope." Danica giggled as Mason began trailing kisses along her neck.
Letting out a sigh, Danica didn't stop Mason as his hands began to find their way up her shirt. She also didn't stop him as they slipped underneath her bra and began to knead and tease her breasts and nipples.
"Is this really the time for this?" Danica moaned as Mason allowed one of his hands to trail down her stomach and into her pants.
"Not like we have anything else to do right now." Mason murmured against her neck, which he was now gently latching onto.
His hand that had ventured into her pants quickly attacked Danica's clit causing moans to escape her mouth as she leaned more into him. His slow movements soon quickened, building her quickly to climax.
Convulsing, Danica tried to catch her breath as Mason's fingers continued to work their magic, moving in and out of her while his thumb worked her swollen clit, sending her into wave after wave of pleasure before finally being pulled out long enough to completely undress her.
Laying on the sleeping bag, Mason immediately attacked Danica. He had not only driven her mad earlier but also himself, and he couldn't wait any longer. Shoving into her, he began to move quickly as his breaths turned into pants of pleasure.
Danica couldn't stop the loud moans that escaped her mouth as Mason continued to quicken his pace. He was acting like a man who was desperate as he moved, and the sensations it gave her were driving her wild.
With one final shove, Mason grunted as he allowed himself to release deep within Danica before collapsing on top of her.
Cuddling, they turned over so they could both watch as the snow continued to fall outside of their tent, turning the whole landscape into a hellscape despite their little bit of peace.