Black Ice-Completed

As the two panted, Syn pulled Nyota with him and sat back on the ground, sweat clinging to both of them, still locked together. Like wolves and other canines, when a Black Ice male climaxed, they grew bigger, making it almost near impossible to leave the female. It could take anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes to end, all the while still spilling seed into their mates.

Syn didn’t much mind, because with each jerk of his penis when it released a spurt of seed, he could feel Nyota tighten around him and she moaned softly in his ear. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her close and laid his head against her shoulder as he too tried to catch his breath.

Nyota sighed as she looked up at the sky. She was quite content, never had she felt so relaxed. The itchiness had abated but Nyota knew it would come back. Sex would always be able to ease the need but until Syn marked her as his, she’d always feel it.

Morning came with them on the move. “We can continue training as we move north,” Syn said as they hefted their packs and Nyota banked the fire. “It’ll take us several weeks to get to the compound.”

Nyota frowned as she looked North and saw the shadow of the trees that held the compound, “Why so long? All my maps say that if we head due north, we’d get there within the week.” She swept her hand to point at the shadowy forest.

Syn looked at where she pointed then smiled at her, “We’re taking a detour. I know where Lyosha’s wolves will be walking the perimeter. If we go east, we’ll have a better chance of keeping you a secret. We’ll be walking at night in a couple of days so that will help us with stealth as well.”

“What about the ice spiders? They nest towards the cliffs this time of year,” Nyota huffed out in irritation as she moved to walk beside Syn.

“Their nesting grounds have been destroyed, so they’re over by Akala pass looking for food and regaining their strength. I know its not the route you thought to take but it’ll be safe. Try and trust me,” Syn said softly as they stepped onto the ice.

He watched Nyota walk on the ice and caught her as she began to slip and slide. He grinned as she gave a small shout of surprise but saw her relax when she didn’t fall onto her butt. She looked up and saw his grin and glowered. “You’re going to have to work on that,” he murmured as he stood her up back on two feet. “How have you never walked on ice? Skotadi has snow, didn’t’ you ever ice skate?”

Nyota huffed and looked away, trying to look as if nothing had happened at all, “Skotadi only really ever gets layers of snow. The rivers would freeze but then it would snow and cover up any ice that was there. I was too busy hunting and scouting to play on the ice when it wasn’t covered. What time I had left was meant for sleep.”

Syn blinked in surprise, had she never had a child hood? When he voiced his question, he grinned as well when she laughed. “Of course I had one! It was spent in the summer hours. Stealing my aunt’s pies to feed to the old bruin that lived in a cave not that far away, sliding down hills into the rivers, climbing trees to get to the upper canopy of the forest. I just didn’t do normal things that you’d probably have done in Azgeta.” Gingerly stepping, Nyota was thankful that Syn held her hand and was allowing her time to figure out her footing.

As hours went by, Nyota was able to find a rhythm to stepping on the ice. It didn’t mean she could step and not slip, slipping still happened, but she was able to relax and finally look up from the ground. Gasping in awe, she stared at the beauty that was Azgeta.

While they were on the Ice Floes, the sun beat against the ice, showing colors that might not be expected; purples, pinks, and blues were shown in the veins beneath. In the distance, for you could see miles, were huge pine forests that loomed underneath the great grey and blue mountains that sparkled with snow.

“The old books tell that those mountains are rich in silver. People of Azgeta would mine them, retrieving the precious metal and suing it to buy other products from the south that was needed.” Syn looked at those mountains an then smiled, “We’ll have to mine them ourselves until people come back to Azgeta and are willing to mine the caves as well.”

“I truly think that it would not take long for people to come back to the north. Marais and Skotadi are full of shifters who are bored. Once they make their own way north, so will others,” Nyota said as she looked at those mountains. If there was still silver in them, then the wolves of Azgeta would certainly have money to buy essentials with.

Night swept over them quickly and they were laying out their bed rolls to sleep when the ice below her feet vibrated and an echoing noise sounded across the Floes.

“It’s the ice spiders. The echoes are from them burrowing into the ice. Later if its been particularly hot, the ice will crack open into chasms,” Syn said and wrapped his arms around Nyota as she shivered at the noise, “If you think about it, the echoes sound kind of like music.”

“Are you sure they’re far away?” Nyota asked as she recalled all the knowledge Braytek had passed along to her about them.

“Very sure,” Syn said and pulled her down so that she lay wrapped in his arms and cuddled close, “If they were near, you’d hear their chittering and clicking. It’s the creepiest sound you will ever hear!”

It was several days before Syn turned them northeast towards the abandoned village. They traveled at night once they did because there would be a lesser chance to be seen if they went by night. While they traveled, Syn had a hard time keeping his hands off of Nyota. Whether they were mock fighting in hand to hand or just simply walking, he had to have his hands on her.

At one point, he could not handle any longer, he had to have his mate and went to grab her only his hands met air as she evaded him. Instead he found himself flat on his back with Nyota straddling him.

All day she had seen him twitching and fidgeting, trying to keep from touching her. At the last possible second, she had flipped him and purred against his neck as she licked his rapid pulse, “My poor mate, you’ve been driving yourself crazy all night.” Nyota smiled as Syn gripped her waist but didn’t try to flip her. It allowed her the time to explore him once again.

Running her nose up the column of his neck, she nipped his earlobe and laughed softly as she felt him shiver beneath her. Running her nose along his temple, she bent down and rubbed her cheek against his, enjoying the scruffiness that was his beard.

As she moved along his cheek bone, Syn’s hands shook as he tried to keep from taking control. Nyota was in a playful mood and he didn’t want to take over. He had done that in the past and it had gotten them nowhere but wasted time.

Nyota paused over his mouth and sighed in content as he drew in a shaky breath. “Syn?” she asked softly, not sure if she should really ask at all again.

“Hmm?” he purred as his hands began to glide up her ribs to caress the underside of her breasts.

Nyota took a ragged breath and kept silent. What if he blew up again? Would the other wolves even follow her if she didn’t have Syn’s support? Did he truly want her as his mate or was it all a ploy to run the pack through her? So many questions flitted through her mind, did he finally understand her?

Syn felt Nyota stiffen underneath his hands. Pushing himself up, he nuzzled her nose and softly kissed her lips, “What is it Nyota?” he asked softly and saw her eyes flicker in conflict, “What has you so tense up?”

Nyota gulped and started to ask, “Will you…” but then she looked up at the sky to compose herself. Syn allowed her the moment and was glad when she looked back down at him, her eyes holding tears, “Will you mark me?” She asked quietly and turned her face towards the horizon.

Syn reached up and stroked her cheek, waiting for her to look back down into his eyes. When they finally connected, he leaned up and kissed her on the lips again, “D’atai, Nyota,” he whispered still looking in her eyes, “I will not,” he said and locked his hands around her waist as she began to struggle to get away.

“Let me go!” she snarled as she tried to get away, her claws beginning to unsheathe from beneath her nail beds.

“Never!” Syn growled as he finally flipped her over and used his chest to keep her pinned. He felt fur begin to slide across his fingers as Nyota started to shift and immediately Syn put a finger on either side of Nyota’s head, right behind the ears and pressed in and down.

Nyota gasped as the process of shifting was stopped, leaving her shaking from adrenaline, “What did you do!” she shrieked which brought a hand down on her mouth.

“Nyota!” Syn growled, “We are on the Ice Floes where the spiders can pick up any kind of vibration! Calm yourself down!” he snapped.

Glaring at him, she conceded he was right but what had he done to make her stop in the middle of a shift. “Where did you learn that?” she snarled when Syn finally released his hold on her.

Syn wanted to smile but kept it from showing. Instead he pushed her hair out of her face so he could see her lovely green eyes sparking in anger. It was only then that he noticed the scar that ran from her temple down to the bottom of her ear. The Saber had certainly marked Nyota well. He’d be sure to track that cat down and return the favor. “There are pressure points right here,” he said, rubbing the spots soothingly, “that control the shifting. You’ll be able to shift again soon. Then you can kill me if you like.”

Nyota huffed and struggled to get up, “Let me up!” she growled as she bucked beneath him.

Syn growled low as she ground herself up against him. It was hard to concentrate as it was with her pressed so near him. For her to move against him was agony. “Not until you hear me out!” he growled as his fangs came out, causing a lisp to happen.

“Why should I? This is the second time you have denied me the mating mark! I refuse to ask again!” she growled as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill.

“Good!” Syn said as he shifted his weight and flipped them so that once again Nyota was straddling him, “Because I’m asking you to mark me!”

Nyota stopped struggling and looked down at Syn in confusion, her glowing eyes dimming down until all that was left were tears. Tilting her head, she sniffled, “Come again?”

Syn laughed softly and reached up to wipe away an errant tear that escaped her eyes, “I guess it’s only fair to make me ask again. Will you mark me?”

Nyota was far too confused to comprehend exactly what Syn was getting at. Why did he want her to mark him? When she voiced her question, Syn sat up and hugged her close, pulling her so that she sat on his lap. It seemed she was forever being pulled onto his lap. “It’s simple really but I’ll explain. When you take over the pack, you will have to act swiftly to dislodge any challengers. Even then you will have some try to challenge you but many will be omegas. If I was to mark you, there would be many who would try to look to me to lead. I am not Alpha. I will be mated to the Alpha and will defer to her. It would be difficult for you if I was to mark you.”

Nyota’s eyes widened at the enormity of what Syn was willing to do, “Are you sure you want that?” she asked softly, wondering what Syn had gone through for his views to change so drastically.

“Yes my stars, I would do anything for you. My father showed me the error of my ways and I understand now what you were truly looking for all those years ago,” he said as he stroked her cheeks, wiping away more of the tears that spilled over.

Nyota smiled and threw her arms around Syn, kissing him roughly. After a few minutes she pushed him away before it went any further and looked him dead in the eye, “I still want to bear your mark!”

Syn frowned as his hands moved up and down her arms. He noted that her skin was slightly cold, he’d have to find her a leather jacket or have her wear his. The cold never really bothered them but if most of their energy was used in staying warm, they’d have a hard time shifting and hunting. Syn trailed his hands down her arms and caressed the inside of her wrist. It was so pale that he could see the bluish veins popping out. “Right here,” he murmured then louder he said, “I can mark you right here on your wrist.” He quickly swiped the area to show Nyota and smiled at her, “Not many wolves have this area exposed. If one should ask if you’re mated all you would have to do is show your wrist.” He grinned devilishly as he brought her wrist to his lips and nibbled on the spot, slowly he dragged a fang across one of her veins.

Nyota shivered as he continued to nibble at her wrist, teasing the area and driving her mad with lust. It wasn’t very long before she launched herself at him. Their mating this time was far more frenzied and feral than Nyota’s first time. They stayed where they were for more than a week, both taking the other at their own convenience.

Syn was breathing hard as he finally rolled off of Nyota and stared up at the blue sky, one of his arms wrapped around her to keep her close, “My father was right, I am a complete fool!”

Nyota laughed and snuggled closer, “Yeah, but you’re my fool!” she said as she patted his chest and snuggled closer. Syn laughed as she started to doze off and soon she was asleep, secure and happy in his arms.