The wild alpha moved with predatory silence through the frost-stiffened underbrush, Lily matching his pace three strides behind. His pack fanned out like grey ghosts among the skeletal trees, noses testing the wind. Lily kept her breathing shallow, her focus split between tracking the faint deer trail and the ripple of muscle beneath the alpha's scarred skin as he crouched suddenly. He didn't speak, only flicked his fingers – *downwind, circle left*. Lily obeyed, the cold earth biting her knees as she crept low through a thicket of brittle ferns. The scent hit her first: musk, damp fur, the iron-tang of life. Then she saw them – a small group of whitetail, heads bent to nibble lichen off fallen timber, steam puffing from their nostrils in the frigid air.
Silas exploded from the trees opposite, a snarling blur of fur and speed, driving the deer towards the alpha's position. Panic erupted. Hooves thudded on frozen ground as the deer scattered. The alpha moved faster than Lily could track, his spear a lethal extension of his arm. It flew, finding its mark in the flank of a young buck with a wet *thunk*. The animal stumbled, bellowing in pain and terror. Lily was moving before the thought fully formed, knife drawn, intercepting its faltering path. She saw the wildness in its rolling eye, the froth at its mouth, felt the tremor in the earth as it charged her desperation. She sidestepped, the wind of its passage whipping her hair, and drove her blade deep into its neck as it passed. Hot blood sprayed her face, metallic and startlingly warm.Silence crashed back, broken only by the buck's wet, gurgling breaths and the heavy panting of the wolves closing in. Lily wiped blood from her eyes with a trembling hand. The alpha stood over the kill, his chest heaving, a primal satisfaction hardening his features. He placed a booted foot on the buck's shuddering side. "Clean kill," he rasped, his gaze flicking to Lily's bloodied knife, then up to her face. There was no praise, only assessment. One of his pack, still in wolf form, crept forward, muzzle stained crimson from where it had hamstrung another deer fleeing Silas. The alpha nudged the carcass with his foot. "This feeds your pack tonight. Ours takes the rest."Lily sheathed her knife, the adrenaline making her hands shake. She met his stare, the scent of blood thick between them. "The deal stands," she said, forcing her voice steady. "You hunt *with* us, not near our walls unless called. You get meat *only* if you help bring it down. You touch anyone inside..." She trailed off, letting the unspoken threat hang in the cold air. The alpha's lips peeled back slightly, not quite a smile, revealing sharp canines. He leaned down, gripped the spear shaft, and ripped it free from the buck's flank with a sickening tear. "We hunt," he stated, his voice low and final. "We eat. Your walls... mean nothing to the hungry." He turned, calling his pack to the remaining kills with a sharp, guttural bark. Lily watched them drag the carcasses deeper into the woods, the snow streaked crimson behind them, the weight of his words colder than the dawn." that is the deal take it or leave it, and maybe if i want to fuck then we fuck, but only if you do as i say at my den, my rules when you and your pack is their, and you might beable to come inside the den during winter, it come fast, i know you can smell it." she growls as his pack leave only him standing there and he looks her nake body up and down. the wild alpha steps closer to her hand place on her breasts rubbing them softly " i take it" he growls softly as he leans in kissing her neck softly as she moans softly " good" she growls softly as steps back, " no other touching is allowed unless i say it is, understand wild alpha, and you need to tell me your name!"The alpha's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something predatory in their hazel depths as Lily's words hung between them. The scent of blood and pine was sharp in the cold air. He didn't move his hand from her breast, his thumb tracing a slow circle over her bare skin. "Names are chains," he rasped, his breath warm against her neck. "But you... you call me Fen." His lips brushed her collarbone, teeth grazing lightly. Lily shuddered, a mix of revulsion and unwanted heat coiling low in her belly. She shoved him back hard, her palm flat against his chest. "Rules, Fen. My den. My rules. Touch me again without my say, and the deal burns." She wiped his saliva from her neck with the back of her hand, glaring. Fen merely smirked, a feral twist of his mouth. "Understood, Theta." He turned, melting into the treeline like smoke, leaving Lily alone with the cooling carcass and the echo of his touch.Inside the cabin, tension crackled like static.Shane lowered his shotgun, knuckles white. "Saw that bastard's hands on her," he growled, the image of Fen's rough fingers on Lily's skin burning behind his eyes. Lori gripped his arm, her face pale. "She pushed him off. She held the line." Below, Daryl spat into the snow. "Line's drawn in blood now. Wild things don't respect fences. Only teeth." Merle leaned against the wall, sharpening his knife, his single eye fixed on the crimson trail left in the snow. "Little Theta Lily just bought us winter meat with her backbone. Question is, what'd she pay for it?"Lily hauled the buck towards the gate alone, its dead weight dragging furrows in the snow. The metallic tang of blood coated her tongue, mixed with the lingering musk of Fen—wild pine and damp earth. Her skin still burned where his thumb had circled, an unwelcome brand. *Names are chains*, he'd said. *Fen*. A name for a force of nature, not a man. She shoved the carcass through the gate Daryl opened silently, her breath frosting in ragged puffs. Shane met her, his gaze hard as he scanned the treeline. "He touch you again?" Lily wiped her knife clean on the buck's hide, the action deliberate. "He knows the cost now. we made a deal" She didn't meet his eyes. The unspoken *this time* hung heavy in the frigid air. " he hunts with me and he get meat and if i need to fuck because of the heat i will but no pups, also it only if i say so. i have a heat room for a reason so i dont get raped" lily said turning to them all.Inside the cramped cabin, the buck became a grim centerpiece. Lori worked swiftly with Carl, skinning and quartering near the hearth, the rich scent of raw meat overpowering woodsmoke. Daryl hung strips near the chimney flue, his movements economical. Merle watched Lily scrub Fen's saliva from her neck with snow-melt water, his raspy chuckle cutting through the quiet. "Paid in flesh, Theta? Or just promises?" Lily froze, the damp cloth cold in her fist. "Paid in venison," she snapped, tossing the cloth aside. "His pack brings down three deer for every one we take. That's survival." Lori paused, her knife hovering over a haunch. "And what does *he* survive on, Lily? Your rules? Or the look in your eyes when he bites?" The question wasn't cruel, just terrified. Lily turned away, staring at the bloodstained snow visible through the window. Fen's smirk haunted her—the promise in his hazel eyes. Winter wasn't just coming; it was circling the cabin walls, hungry.Beyond the frosted glass, shadows moved under the pines. Fen watched the cabin light flicker, his pack a silent semicircle behind him. Inside, Shane paced before the hearth, the firelight carving harsh lines into his face. "We trade meat for walls," he growled, gesturing sharply toward the window. "But that wild bastard? He trades in teeth. You see how he looked at her? Like she's winter prey." Daryl grunted, tightening a leather strap on his crossbow. "Seen wolves play with rabbits before they kill 'em. Same eyes."Lori pressed a hand to her temple, the scent of roasting venison suddenly cloying. "She pushed him off, Shane. Held her ground." Her voice wavered, betraying the fear coiled beneath. Carl hovered near the drying meat strips, his young coyote ears flattened. Merle's raspy laugh cut through the tension. "Ground's shifting, darlin'. You smell that?" He sniffed the air pointedly. "Snow's comin' heavy. And that alpha? He ain't pack. He's a storm wearing skin." Lily stood apart, Fen's musk still clinging to her skin beneath the blood-scent. She traced the knife scar on her palm—an old mark. Survival always demanded payment. Tonight, it wore Fen's smirk." he wont kill me the only female left in his pack belongs to another male, their is no breeding female left, beside me." lily said softly. he wont do anything then teasing me, he know with an omega, his pack will dye out. before winter even hit if i burn the deal."Beyond the cabin walls, the wind carried a low, guttural chorus. Fen stood atop a granite outcrop, silhouetted against the bruised twilight sky. Below, his pack tore into the deer carcasses, crimson staining the snow. His gaze never left the cabin's warm glow. One of his wolves, a scarred male named Rask, limped closer, muzzle dripping. "The Omega's den holds meat... and warmth," Rask growled, yellow eyes gleaming. Fen didn't turn. "Walls crumble, Rask. Winter sharpens teeth." He inhaled deeply, catching Lily's distant scent—fear, defiance, and the sharp, sweet promise of omega heat beneath the woodsmoke. His fingers flexed. Rules were chains too. Chains could be broken. but he knew that if he push to hard the omega will bane them from meat and something told him not to play to much with this female so he made the deal telling his pack to leave the humans alone.Inside, Shane slammed his fist against the rough-hewn table. "He's circling! You smell it, Daryl!" The tracker nodded curtly, honing a broadhead arrow. "Like a wolf scenting weakness." Lori wrapped her arms around herself, watching Lily scrub Fen's lingering musk from her skin with harsh lye soap near the washbasin. "He respects strength," Lily stated, her voice flat. "He touched me. I pushed him back. He backed down." Merle snorted from his corner, polishing his knife blade to a cruel shine. "Backed down? Or just waitin' for softer snow? For locked doors to freeze shut?" Carl whimpered softly, pressing against Lori's leg. Lily met Merle's eye. "His pack starves without our hunts. He knows." she growls before tossing merle outside in the snow, daryl and merle was werewolves, so she did what she knew, merle land on his ass in the snow, as she shift to her wolf. merle doing the same the alpha growl and she attack pinning him down awaiting for him to submit to her omega growl.Outside, Fen stood motionless in the gathering dusk. His pack, shadows among the pines, had finished their grim feast. Rask approached, muzzle crusted dark. "The Omega holds her den tight," he growled, ears flicking towards the distant sound of Merle's muffled curses. Fen's nostrils flared, dissecting the wind: woodsmoke, venison, fear... and Lily's defiant omega scent, sharp as pine needles. "She pushes her own," Fen murmured, a flicker of something akin to respect in his hazel eyes. "Stronger than she smells." He says as he watch merle and the omega fight and she pins him down.Inside the cabin, the air crackled. Shane watched through a gap in the boarded window, knuckles white on his rifle stock. "That wild bastard's watching," he hissed. "Like a damn vulture." Lori pulled Carl closer, her gaze darting between the window and Lily. Daryl remained silent, his broad shoulders tense, eyes fixed on the door. The scent of raw meat hung thick, mixing uneasily with the tang of aggression radiating from the pinned Merle outside.Beyond the cabin, Fen stood like a statue carved from shadow and moonlight. His pack shifted restlessly behind him, low growls rumbling in their chests as they watched the confrontation unfold. Lily's wolf form—sleek white fur rippling over powerful muscles—held Merle's grey-furred shape pinned in the trampled snow. Her teeth were bared inches from his throat, a low, continuous omega growl vibrating the frigid air. Merle thrashed, snarling defiance, but couldn't break her hold. The submission ritual was brutal, primal. Fen's eyes narrowed. This omega didn't just command; she *dominated*. Rask shifted beside him, hackles raised. "She breaks her own pack's alphas that pack has three alphas?" Fen's voice was a whisper of frost. "Or forges them stronger." He inhaled sharply. Lily's scent—omega heat muted beneath iron will—was a blade in the wind.Inside, Shane's knuckles whitened grip on his rifle stock. Lori pressed Carl's face against her thigh, shielding him from the window's view. "She's killing him!" Lori breathed, horrified. Daryl's voice was low, dangerous. "Merle chose the challenge. She answered." He didn't move toward the door. The air tasted of blood and fear. Through the cracked boards, Shane watched Fen's silhouette. "That wild one's enjoying the show," he spat. "Bet he's sizing her up next." Lori's hand tightened on Carl's shoulder. "Or sizing *us* up." " merle just submit this is her den" daryl said softly. " shes omega but shes strong"Outside, Merle's thrashing weakened. Lily's jaws hovered a hair's breadth from his exposed throat, her omega growl a relentless, subsonic hum that vibrated the snow beneath them. His snarls turned to choked whimpers. One final, desperate heave—then stillness. Merle's head tilted back, baring his neck fully in submission. Lily held the pose for three heartbeats, the dominance absolute, before releasing him and stepping back. Merle scrambled upright, shaking snow from his fur, refusing to meet her eyes as he slunk toward the cabin door, tail tucked. Lily shifted back to human form, breathing hard, damp hair clinging to her sweat-damp skin. She didn't look at Fen's pack watching from the trees. She looked only at Merle's retreating back. "Touch me without my say again," she called, her voice raw but clear, "and I won't stop at submission." Merle vanished inside without a word. " no more circles, no more talking about the deal, no more running your mouth shane" she growls softly as she walks to shane and stand infront of him, Shane no one for back down growls and she does the same tossing him into the snow before shifting agin shane answer the omega with his own wolf half her size she pins him down and he submit faster then merle did, " good" she growls softly as she shifts back, " now Lori" she growls softly as she walks to lori and carl, " lori" you are under my protection i will protect you" she growls softly looks to carl " i do the same for your pup."she then looks to the last Alpha, " you want to fight Daryl or do you want to submit right away."daryl shift and lands in the snow, she does the same the two circle each other teeth bare and biting at each other she pins him down he submit faster then the other two. " good" she growls softly as she shifts back to human form, " now we are pack" she growls softly as she looks to the wild pack, " fen" she growls softly " you and your pack can leave now" she growls softly " we hunt tomorrow" she growls softly.Fen watched from the granite outcrop, moonlight etching his silhouette against the bruised sky. Below, Lily's dominance display unfolded—Merle broken, Shane pinned, Daryl submitting without a fight. The air thrummed with the aftermath of violence, the scent of crushed snow and omega triumph sharp enough to sting his nostrils. Rask growled low beside him, hackles raised. "She binds them with teeth," he rasped, yellow eyes fixed on Lily's bare form. Fen remained motionless. "She binds them," he corrected, voice like gravel. "An omega who breaks alphas..." His gaze flickered to the cabin door where Shane slunk inside, tail vanished. "Or forges a new pack." He inhaled deeply, dissecting the wind: fear soured into obedience, raw meat, woodsmoke, and beneath it all, Lily's scent—unyielding omega heat, a beacon in the gathering dark. Winter howled in the pines, but the true storm stood small and fierce in the bloodied snow.