The Intruder

Everything was unfolding as they had hoped. No other humans had dared to launch another assault. The human heads, now mere skulls, swung from their posts, picked clean by the buzzards.

Weeks had passed without any sign of “deliverance.” Yet, no one seemed concerned. Especially since they had been feasting on the remains from the initial attack.

“It’ll take time,” Damon reassured them. “And they may need further encouragement.”

Lilitha didn’t inquire about what that might entail.

Silus was growing rapidly. He was now smiling and attempting to sit up, albeit unsuccessfully. A couple of teeth had already sprouted, making breastfeeding increasingly challenging.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch.” Lilitha winced, pulling him away from her breast. Silus’s face scrunched up, ready to wail.

Swiftly, Lilitha offered him her other breast.

“Time to be a bit tougher with the weaning, I think,” Carmella suggested.

“Already?”

Carmella nodded. “Unless you want him biting your nipple off.”

Lilitha grimaced. They had already begun feeding him flesh. The sight of a baby doing such a thing was still unsettling to her.

It seemed unnatural and wrong, even after everything Lilitha herself had done. Carmella would chew the meat first, spit it into her hand, and then feed it to him.

If they were fortunate enough to obtain fresh blood, they would give him that to drink instead. He really enjoyed that. His eyes sparkled in a way they no longer did with Lilitha’s milk.

It made her want to weep.

He was particularly fond of Damon and Mateus, always reaching for their horns and clinging onto them as if he never wanted to let go. He was incredibly strong.

It wasn’t just his teeth but also his fingernails, which he liked to dig into Lilitha’s breast whenever he fed. His eyes were beginning to change too.

They were no longer so black, but she couldn’t quite discern yet whether they would be blue or green.

Their group’s tranquility was disrupted one night by an unexpected intrusion. Lilitha was nestled in Mateus’s lap, his thick arm wrapped around her waist, sticky from their lovemaking.

He was lightly snoring, leaning his back against a tree. Carmella and Damon were whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Lilitha was carefully letting Silus gnaw on a finger bone, though he was doing more chewing than sucking. Suddenly, Damon turned away from Carmella, his nose in the air.

Mateus woke up with a start. He stiffened, then sat up straight. Lilitha looked at them both, her heart pounding with anxiety.

“What is it?” she asked.

Damon stood up, closing his eyes as he took a deep sniff. His tail was twitching with anticipation. Or was it fear? It was hard to tell sometimes.

Mateus’s eyes were flashing.

“What is it?” she repeated.

Then she caught the scent. Both Lilitha and Carmella lifted their noses simultaneously. It was very faint, quite sweet, like the nectar of a flower, barely noticeable amid the alphas’ musks.

It reminded Lilitha a bit of her father’s scent. Carmella and Lilitha exchanged glances. Could it be?

“I’ll go see,” Damon offered.

“No, let’s wait. Let him come here,” Carmella countered.

Damon’s tail was twitching more violently.

Their intruder was silent, moving stealthily between the trees. His scent filled the clearing. Lilitha could feel his gaze on them.

He was there, hidden, for a long time. Lilitha watched as Damon leaned against a tree, arms crossed, pretending to be nonchalant. But Lilitha knew better.

His veins were bulging. His eyes were gleaming. His tail was writhing like a worm on a hot rock.

Lilitha’s heart was racing.

“Well, are you going to join us or not?” Carmella called out.

A rustle of leaves and a Diablon emerged. Lilitha stared—a beta. Black like Carmella with long twisted braids that cascaded down his back and chest.

A pair of small horns peeked out from his fringe. He looked healthy and strong, packed with tight muscle. He had an axe slung over his back.

A long pink scar ran across his chest. He was wearing pants.

His dark eyes first landed on Damon, scanning his body before shifting to Mateus where they lingered. It was several moments before he turned to Lilitha sitting in Mateus’s lap.

His eyebrows shot up at the sight of Silus. He smiled.

“Welcome,” Carmella greeted him. She turned to look. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

Cautiously, he perched himself on a rock, knees pressed together.

“What is your name?”

“Lincoln.”

“Hi, Lincoln,” Carmella said. “Glad you’ve finally arrived. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“You have?”

“You have no idea,” Lilitha added.

Lincoln and Lilitha exchanged smiles.

And just like that, he was a part of their clan.

That day was the first time Lilitha managed a full sleep without one of the alphas waking her for a quick “nuzzle.” Even Silus slept through, as though comforted by Lincoln’s presence.

Lincoln adored Silus, cradling him tightly in his arms and cooing at him as if he were his own, which she supposed he was since he was now a part of the clan.

Silus would reach for his nose and Lincoln would kiss his hand. When he needed a feed, Lincoln would sit beside Lilitha watching.

He was very attractive: square jaw, high cheekbones, bright wide eyes. He was undeniably masculine but had a feminine grace about him that intrigued Lilitha.

She felt a surprising stirring in her lower abdomen.

The alphas were noticeably happier, laughing more, smiling more. The bickering and growling and fighting had reduced to only a couple of times a week now.

When they did make love to Lilitha, they were much gentler and more affectionate. Instead of rampaging through the trees or savaging each other or going for runs to vent their frustration, they were more often found lounging around playing with Silus or cuddling up with Carmella and herself.

Lincoln was certainly busy. Sometimes, she worried about him. After spending some time alone with Damon, the beta returned staggering and looking drained.

He sat down heavily next to Carmella.

“Are you all right?” Lilitha asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he said. He yawned. He stretched out his legs, then stopped with a wince, clutching his hips.

He reached for a sip of water, and Lilitha couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of the deep gashes that marred his back. His hair was a bit ragged too. There were also signs of bruising on his thighs.

Carmella saw it all but remained silent, her face betraying no surprise. Damon emerged from the forest, stretching and yawning, a satisfied grin on his face. Lilitha’s frown only deepened.

One day, under the high noon sun, Lilitha realized that Lincoln and Damon were missing. She strained her ears, picking up the faint sounds of snarls mixed with the chirping of birds.

Carefully, she extricated herself from Carmella’s embrace. Mateus shifted in his sleep but didn’t wake, murmuring something unintelligible as he rolled over.

She found them without much difficulty. Hidden behind the foliage, she watched. Lincoln was on his back, his legs kicking out and a snarl on his lips as Damon loomed over him.

Both were stark naked, Damon’s arousal large and evident. They were growling, snapping, and snarling at each other as Damon pounced, forcing Lincoln’s legs apart.

Lincoln let out a cry as Damon began to bite him down there, with such ferocity that blood was drawn. Lilitha’s heart skipped a beat.

She almost called out for Damon to stop. Lincoln reached up, grabbing Damon’s horns and pulling his head back. Damon’s eyes were wild, his teeth bared.

Then he leaned in, kissing Lincoln with a passion that was almost frightening. Lincoln returned the kiss, his fingers digging into Damon’s back.

Damon pulled away with a snarl, but Lincoln just growled back, his teeth bared. He laughed as Damon gripped his hips, flipping him onto his stomach.

Lincoln shook his braids out of his face, his fingers clawing at the ground, his biceps straining as he braced himself. Lilitha retreated quickly, returning to the others.