From DIRTY LYING WOLVES
After the ending of the book

Jerod

Snow is misery. But, I must admit, shacking up with a heat radiator like Carmen makes it completely bearable.

So far in our relationship, I found out three things about my lovely Carmine.

First, she has almost no boundaries in what she will not say or try. It keeps our days interesting and our nights even more so.

Second, Carmine has an endless amount of love for her friends and family, but it will not stop her from fighting every last one of them in a stubborn fit when she gets upset.

And third, Carmine likes to work hard, play hard, and sleep hard.

Which made it all the more surprising when she woke us up before the sun. We were in an outdated bed of a cramped hotel room in remote Canada. Quebec, to be more specific. We were about as far north as reasonable human civilization would go before hitting the boundaries of Carmine's pack, Crescent Shadow.

We were the first patrons to the hotel, which was more like someone's house turned bed-and-breakfast, in who knows how long, and the woman at the diner we bought dinner from was ready to hear our whole life stories. I'm sure she doesn't get many new people to talk to up here, and the woman was definitely a talker.

But this morning, when all should have been still and quiet and my gorgeous heat radiator should be snuggled in my arms, Carmine woke us both up.

"Jerod!" She sat up in bed with a start.

I, naturally, panicked and snapped my fingers, jumpstarting the chalk wards I had placed around our room the night before in case of danger.

The room, now glowing an ominous red from runes, was otherwise empty.

I blinked, eyeing the clock which still had an offensive hour displayed on it.

"Carmine, my love, what is the matter?" My voice cracked, still adjusting to being awake.

"Today is the day!" She squeaked.

I yawned, flopping back on the bed again, my eyes closing. "It will still be today in a couple more hours."

"But we have such a ways to go, mon amour!" Carmine said, nuzzling her nose in my neck. "And I want to get there in time to help Maman with the buche de noel. If she has to get my brother Beau helps the cakes will be cracked! You don't want cracked cakes, do you, Jerod?"

Her hot breath against my ear sent a shiver down my spine. She reached out gently, tugging at my ear with one of her canines. Thankfully it wasn't sharpened. This time.

"Right, right. We can't have cracked cakes." I grunted, tossing the covers aside. "Alright, let me take a shower first."

Carmine squealed and threw her arms around my shoulders. "Allow me to join you and I will wash your... back."

I grinned, turning to kiss her on the cheek. "You wicked girl, do you have impure intentions toward me?"

She leaned in and whispered. "Je veux te baiser."

I feigned shock. "Carmine! You do have impure intentions."

"Oh, come here you." Carmine giggled, and we both fell over on the bed.

Repeatedly.

For, like, a good forty minutes.

Really, I had no complaints if she wanted to wake me up this way every morning.

After our morning romp, wrapped in a combination of sheets, sweat, and limbs, I finally caught my breath enough to peel Carmine away so I could shower.

She made a needing whine that just about started the whole thing back up again, until I reminded her we had somewhere to be later.

We cleaned up, including any chalk marks and magic evidence I put around the room, and left the little town, and headed north.

So, so very north.

It was bitter cold, despite wearing my thickest coat that I had spelled for warmth in exchange for a bag of teeth. I mean, not my teeth of course, but it was still an obnoxious thing to acquire. That aside, the point was that it was cold, and now we had to somehow get to her pack house.

Our arrangement was a dog sled. Her idea, not mine. You would think it would be above a werewolf to even suggest such a thing, but she said her and her brothers pulled each other all the time when they were children, and she seemed almost eager to try. Personally I would have been better off in something with a motor that was fit to go in the snow, but this was more discrete and certainly less expensive.

And I thought it would be safer. Silly me.

"Um, Carmine," I weighed my words carefully. "Is that the... sled?"

She had contacted her family ahead of time, and a couple miles outside of town they left what looked like a rickety lump of wood planks and old rope. Untrustworthy, the lot of it.

"That's it! Still holding strong after all these years." She beamed as we approached the tree where the sled was propped up on its side. Apparently she could smell one of her brothers from a ways away, so she pinpointed where he dropped it off pretty easily.

"This is the same sled you used?" I asked, incredulously. "Carmine, darling, how old are you again?"

"Put your feet here and hold on here," she instructed while pointing to the parts of the sled as she set it upright. "We can put our luggage here under this canvas and tie it down."

I helped get everything sorted to the best of my abilities, and soon she was wriggling out of her clothes and tucking them into the sled.

Her ass shook as she settled the leather straps around her neck and shoulders, looking back to me with a wink. "Hang on tight."

I didn't even make a joke. I'd seen her run and I didn't know what to expect. Would she be conscious of how I was doing back here, or just excitedly running for home?

Leaning over and drawing a sigil in the snow while she began her shift, I muttered under my breath. "Belephizaal, if you can hear me I'll trade an hour of superhuman grip for, like, ten of my aunt's mooncakes next September."

I bit a part of my thumb that still had a scab on it from my last ritual bloodletting and made sure a few drops spilled onto the sigil. I gripped the handles of the sled, eyeing the sigil nervously. He wasn't always one to respond where it was too cold. But eventually the sigil lit up, and I felt my hands change as they took in his power.

Thank fuck.

Because Carmine was done shifting, and she took off like a rocket. The ropes tightened, the sled jerked, and I held on for dear life.

The better grip on the handles was much appreciated as we blazed across the snow. The sun was barely a hint in the southern sky, unlikely to be seen much of the day this far north in the middle of winter, but it still did its best to scatter against the crisp white background. Still, it did nothing to make me feel any warmer. At least I had my coat.

The trip was smooth in places and remarkably rough in others. But one consistency was the untouched snow that sparkled across the landscape. Unlike in the city, when the snow fell here there wasn't much around to disturb it. Even animal tracks were a scarce site, making me wonder what the Crescent Shadow wolves could possibly hunt up here.

The landscape flew by as Carmine pulled me behind her. The closer we got to the lands of her home pack, the more nervous I grew. Not a feeling I had to face often, I'd learned long ago that my abilities were top-tier in the magic community and there were few things I'd have to face that posed a real threat to my safety, werewolves included.

But now I basically had in-laws, and that scared the shit out of me.

We meant to meet them right away after the events of Moon Peak, but my pending suspension with the Circle of Warlocks caught up with me as soon as I set foot into human civilization. The Circle and I have this cute thing we do where they send assassins after me if I ignore their summons long enough.

Anyway, assassins handled and threatening summons received, I had go back to Chicago to deal with several things before we could come up here. Carmine came back to see her family for a bit while I was dealing with warlock business, and I had to settle for a videocall with her parents. 

But now, now I would be meeting them face to face. All of them, including her four brothers and the rest of the pack. Werewolves were so close in their packs I truly did not know what to expect when Carmine brought back not a wolf, but a warlock.

Oh well, that's what bribery is for. I glanced down at the bags we had packed, hoping I had made wise choices for tonight.

The untouched snow sparkled under the moon and stars, ushering our way into pack lands with a dazzling scene. I knew we had crossed that invisible line into wolf territory when Carmine suddenly pushed forward a little faster. Excitement buzzing off of her as a group of dots in the distance barreled our way.

Eight wolves rounded on us, charging our way and changing direction last minute to run along side our sled. Other brownish red ones like Carmine, a couple grey ones, and a white. Her pack, and they made it known.

Playfully nipping at her paws as they ran together, Carmine looked to be having a blast. I, on the other hand, was being teased as well with no way to play back.

I see how it is. They better have their fun now, because once I'm off this damn sled they won't have much to laugh about.

The presence of the wolves was reassuring that we were nearing our destination. Which was good, because the grip I had offered my aunt's mooncakes for was wearing off.

Soon enough, buildings dotted the horizon, matched by tiny pricks of light from windows and fires. There were evergreen trees around, and I could tell from the size of them that the buildings had been made misleadingly short somehow. Probably to keep a low profile from the humans. I know most modern packs like to make deals with witches to help hide their villages, but way up here they may not have any dealings with witches or a need for it for that matter.

The wolves yipped and played for a while longer, before breaking off from Carmine and me. She pulled the sled forward, and I noticed other tracks in the snow. Some pawprints, some footprints, and a few more sled tracks. So it would seem she wasn't lying when she said the sled would be normal up here.

Carmine pulled up at the edge of the strange buildings. From what I could see, they were half the height of a normal cabin, but built much like one would expect a log cabin to be built like. Full logs were stacked and sealed together, smoke rising from many chimeneas and plenty of tracks leading to and from buildings that promised they were used frequently and recently.

As Carmine stopped before a big box outside the line of houses, she nudged the lid of the box open. I got off the sled and went over to help her. It held a bunch of folded blankets. No, ponchos. They were thick and made of some sort of wool.

I took the hint, and as Carmine shifted I helped her pull the poncho on. It would be better than nothing against this bitter cold.

We barely got her shifted and warming up when we had company. Wolves, people, children, were peering at us from the buildings or coming right up to meet us. The village was larger than Moon Peak's, and if this outer edge of the village was enough to gain this much attention I wondered what it was going to be like when we headed inward.

"Logan, you're getting so big!" Carmine squealed. "Aimee, I've missed you. Oh, Charles, you aren't on patrol today?"

Carmine was quickly crowded by her loving pack, who took one look at me and then they all started speaking French.

"Il est maigre!"

"Peut-il se battre?"

"Il est si petit."

I smirked. They thought I was small and couldn't fight. And more importantly, that I couldn't understand them.

That's what deals with demons are fore, buddy. I can speak all the French I want.

"Guys! You shut your mouths, he's perfect." Carmine pouted, coming over to wrap her arms around my neck. "We need to go see Alpha first. Scat! And come get your gossip later."

She shoved us past a few busybodies, pulling the sled behind us with one hand.

"Il n'est pas spécial," one of them muttered behind us.

I turned my head, winking at the big male who had said I was nothing special.

"Je suis un peu plus spécial que tu ne le penses," I answered. "I'm a little more special than you think."

Carmine barked out a laugh, and we went about our business. "You heard him, Jaques. I'll tell Papa you're bad mouthing instead of training again."

That earned a few more chuckles as Carmine and I went on our way.

Observing the houses better, it appeared that half the house, or better, were actually underground. The houses were dug into the frozen ground, surely at great effort. Well, for werewolves it was less work than for humans, but still it couldn't have been easy. But what a great idea for keeping the village's profile low, and the snow they must have for most of the year kept it all pretty plain and white from any satellite views. 

We made a straight line for the largest building in the village. Smack in the middle and with five fireplaces going at once, the main doorway was the most cleared away of them all.

"Alpha Victor is a great wolf, he won't give you any trouble," Carmine told me as she opened the door angled downward. Yellow light spilled out, a cozy aura beckoning us in from the cold as Carmine beamed at me. "Let's get his permission formally for you to visit and then we can go to my house!"

My house. It sounded so warm, so inviting. Something wildly different than my own family. Dad moved us to America to get away from the rest of the family, but even that didn't stop them from trying to control and monitor us. Power does a funny thing to people, even to family. Especially to magically inclined families that don't want to be unseated by a child who's only crime was being born with power.

But I digress. Time for warm fuzzies with Carmine.

I grabbed something from the sled before we stepped down into the house, and it was much nicer inside than I expected. Furnished with thick, handmade pieces that wouldn't be easily destroyed by careless wolves, everything seemed to retain a mix of masculine structure but still holding delicate embellishment. Armchairs, a roaring fire, and a large rug were the gathering place of about a dozen wolves. They were all chatting over drinks, and as Carmine and I came down the stairs the conversation lulled.

A big one, gray at the temples and a beard to his chest, smiled as he stood. "Carmine! This must be your mate. Come, come let me look."

We went over to what must have been Alpha Victor. I bowed my head in greeting. "Thank you for letting me onto your pack lands. I brought you a gift, happy solstice."

Alpha Victor looked at me sharply, a smile spreading across his lips as he subtly sniffed the air. "Oh? And what's this that Carmine's mate has brought, hm?"

Carmine giggled as Victor took the bag from my hands, sliding a glass bottle from inside as he whistled.

"I see someone has told you of my love for bourbon. Well, now I really can't throw you out."

That earned some laughter from around the room and Victor leaned over to give Carmine a hug with the arm that wasn't holding the bottle.

"Alright, Jerod. You take good care of our Carmine, and go see her family. Enjoy the Solstice," Victor winked.

"Thank you," I told him, and Carmine turned to kiss me on the cheek as I slipped an arm around her back. 

"Thank you, Alpha!" She beamed. "We'll come say goodbye before we go."

Alpha Victor nodded, then returned to his seat by the fire while another wolf came over to see the label on the bottle.

Outside again, I looked down to Carmine's bare legs and feet.

"Are you cold?" I asked. "I could always make a deal..."

"No, no. I'll be fine for a few more minutes, we're almost home and I have plenty of clothes there." She leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked. "Besides, I can't wait to show you to my family."

Well, I passed Alpha Victor's test. Here's hoping I could pass her family's too.

We made our way to another house in the snow. It wasn't right next to the pack house, but it wasn't that far, either. Carmine's father was the Man At Arms for the pack, and her mother cooked at the main house. They were clearly an established part of pack life under Alpha Victor.

Carmine sped up a little as we neared the door, and she pulled forward to open it. "Maman! Papa! I'm home!" 

Feet. Lots of feet came running through the house, and Carmine pulled me inside behind her.

The house was similarly furnished to the pack house with large, comfortable furniture that spared no attention to detail. A stone fireplace had grates built right into it made for baking, and the smell of the loaves over it filled the house with the scent of baking bread. To the left of the main area was a large kitchen with a more traditional oven as well, and a wooden island full of cooling foods. In the center of it all was a shorter, slightly plump, older version of Carmine. She had deep laugh lines and only a tinge of silver in her hair. By the fire was a male wolf with shaggy brown hair, playing chess with what must have been one of Carmine's brothers.

From the other side of the main room were hallways with doors that were open, wolves pouring out and coming our way. All of them with the same auburn hair as my lovely Carmine.

"Carmine!" Her mother put down a knife and opened her arms wide, coming our way to meet her daughter with a hug. "We've missed you, darling. And Jerod, it's good to meet you in person."

Carmine's father grunted as he stood from his chess game. "Happy solstice, Carmine. Jerod."

"You gained weight," one of her brothers said, coming down the hall in a sweater and pajama bottoms. 

Another one snorted a laugh as he followed. "She's gonna get you for that, Darren."

I was raising an eyebrow at the brothers, already piecing together that the two younger ones, Darren and Edmond, were coming down the hallway with one of the older ones. I'd have to hear more before I could pick out which one.

"Darren!" Carmine's mother snapped. "Your sister just got back and that's what you say?"

"Hold on," Carmine's father spoke, and the rest of us looked at him. "If Carmine had a wolf for a mate, he would be the one to jump at Darren."

Then, the eyes in the room turned to me.

So, this is how they were going to play it. I expected some pushback, maybe a little test, but I didn't expect it so soon.

"Jerod does not have to defend me, I can defend myself." Carmine huffed. "Besides, Darren isn't polite but he isn't wrong. You know what they say, happy couples grow fat together." 

Carmine wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. I hugged her back and returned the sentiment.

"Aw, will you look at them?" Carmine's mother said. "David, how could you doubt her mate right in front of our daughter!"

"He's not a wolf," her father said.

Carmine pulled away from the kiss and glared at her father. "He's my beloved mate, Papa, and if he wanted to he could defeat even you!"

The one who had been playing chess with her father chuckled. "Big words, little sis."

Ah, Andre then.

"That's about enough of that," I said, stepping forward. "I am familiar with werewolves, and I know how you must feel having a non-wolf with your daughter. If your fears stem from my ability to protect her, would you like a demonstration?"

I could see that struck a chord. That's what her father's real fear was, his daughter's safety outside of pack lands.

"What kind of demonstration?" Andre asked, now giving me a wolfish grin.

"I wonder," I smiled. "Would you like to volunteer for a fight, Andre? Just a friendly little match between family, of course."

Andre shot a knowing look to his father before glancing back at me. "You're on, human."

"Warlock," I corrected. "I assure you, after today you'll remember the distinction."

"Maman, can you help me bring in the presents? I don't think I have enough arms to hold everything."

I headed for the door and opened it, watching the family behind me.

"Aren't you worried for your mate?" her mother asked.

Carmine laughed. "No, I'm not. I'm more worried about bringing my things in and getting changed."

"Coming, Andre?" I asked.

His expression was still confident, but now he narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Oui. Coming, Jerod."

The males of the house filed out of the home and Carmine's father brought us to a space where we would be able to have a match. We seemed to gather a bit of an audience on our way, because soon enough we had a couple dozen spectators around what must be a training ground under the snow. Posts marked the edge of the area, and benches were being swept clean of snow for those wanting to watch in their human bodies. The fur-covered wolves were just fine in the powdery white snow as they settled in to watch.

"Alright, boys," the father of the family said. "The first to pin the other wins. Any questions about the rules of a werewolf match, Jerod?"

"Just one, what if I send him out of the ring?" I asked calmly.

All the wolves present, audience included, laughed.

Carmine's father smiled. "If you can manage to do it, sure. That will count as a win. If that's all, do you need to prepare anything before we start?"

"One moment, please." I pulled a small bag from my pocket, taking a pinch of black powder and casting it down with a few choice words under my breath. In a flash, I summoned before us my familiar.

Andre laughed the loudest, but he was not the only one. "What is that thing?"

Ferdinand, a hellhound of... small and cute stature, drooled happily into the snow. A thin trail of lava drool melting a hole in the snow at his feet as he wagged his two hellish tails.

He barked, the sound of a thousand shrieks startling the wolves around us, but if anything encouraging more laughter.

"This is Ferdie, my familiar. Despite how he looks, he is a lesser demon. I like to borrow his strength sometimes to open stuck doors or get stubborn lids off jars."

And kick the occasional werewolf ass.

But my words just stirred up more amusement from the spectators. Carmine's father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Anything else, or are we ready to start this charade?" Andre asked.

"All ready." I smiled at them, sending Ferdinand to sit to the side.

"Alright," Carmine's father said, stepping backwards out of the ring. "Begin!"

Andre lunged, shifting mid-leap in an impressive display of strength and speed. I knew he was showing off in werewolf terms. Hell, it was impressive for a wolf to shift so fast and well. And as much as I liked a good bit of dramatic flair, that wasn't my goal today.

These wolves would not appreciate the nuance of a difficult summoning or the intricacies of a ninth circle spell.

However, they understood brute force and unquestionable shows of strength. So, despite Ferdie's... humble appearances, he would be the perfect funnel of burst power for me today.

Andre's lunge at me was perfectly positioned. He was nearly on me, sharp teeth and long claws reaching for my delicate human skin.

I had one shot at this, because Ferdinand could only give me one burst at a time before he needed to recharge.

But they didn't have to know that.

Andre was right upon me when I balled my fist and smacked it right into his chest. His claws brushed the side of my face, scraping a thin, sharp line across my cheek that threatened to bleed before the frozen air stopped it.

And Andre went flying.

It was clear that these people had never seen a wolf get punched out of the arena before.

Andre's wolf landed a distance away in a patch of deep snow between two large trees. He rolled over and sank in, much to the astonished gaze of his father and the other wolves.

Edmond and Darren, Carmine's two younger brothers, let out full laughs at the site of it.

"He kicked your ass, Andre!" Darren laughed.

I leaned down, making kissy noises as Ferdinand trotted over to me and I picked him up in my arms, giving him head scratches just where he liked them.

"I believe that's it then?" I asked.

David, Carmine's father, looked at me for a long moment, then back to his son who was shaking the snow off his coat.

"Yes, we have... a winner," he announced in disbelief.

"Great! I'm starving and Carmine and I brought a lovely wine and cheese basket. Let's see if our lovely mates have cracked that open yet, shall we?"

Edmond came over and put an arm around my shoulders. "You brought snacks? My new best friend. Come on, Jerod. Let's go see what's going on at home. If you distract Maman I'll swipe us some cheese tarts before dinner."

I grinned, walking back to the house with my newly impressed in-laws. If there's one thing Jerod Chang knows how to do, it's how to make an impression.

Walking back into the house, Carmine turned from the kitchen island with her mother and beamed at me.

"Done already?" She asked, then her eyes drifted to my arms. "Oh, hello, Ferdie!"

Walking over to give him scratches, because he's a good boy, she leaned in and kissed me. 

"Even faster than I thought, my brother must be losing his touch."

Andre didn't dispute the win, but the sour expression was clear on his face as he went straight to his room when he got inside.

"He will lose the chip on his shoulder in an hour," Carmine's father said, coming over to put a hand on my shoulder. "I will admit, that was impressive display."

I grinned. "Thank you, I try. Anything to protect Carmine. Anything."

The nod of approval and the look of pride in his eyes was worth how sore my shoulder was going to be tomorrow.. He patted my shoulder once, then went to help his mate in the kitchen.

"Thank you, Jerod," Carmine whispered, pecking my cheek. "You didn't have to bother with my family's nonsense, but you did it anyway."

"I didn't say you didn't owe me for that later." I gave her a devilish grin and kissed her deeply.

Her eyes fired up. "Oh? I think I have a few ideas then."

"Wolves!" Edmond stepped in, separating us. "Wolf hearing, okay? Save it for later."

The family chuckled, and we parted- for now. 

The wolves of Crescent Shadow celebrated the winter solstice with a hodgepodge of other winter holiday traditions. Gift giving, yule logs, family gatherings, and lots of food. It made sense that the longest night of the year would be a way to worship a moon goddess.

Soon enough, drinks began flowing freely, gifts were exchanged, and we were all conscripted into helping Carmine's mother bring out plate after plate of food to a long string of tables that had been set up outside the pack house since our arrival.

This is where the revelry really began. Drunk wolves are feisty wolves, and between the scuffles, bad singing, and random bouts of wrestling, I had to send Ferdie away for his own safety.

Carmine was mesmerizing to watch. She masterfully broke up fights she deemed too serious for the celebration, helped her mother with the food, and still managed to steal away several sweet moments between us. I, on the other hand, simply entertained myself by staying out of the way and observing so I could better know Carmine and where she came from.

Alpha Victor came out and gave a short speech, then the food was devoured. Everything was good, and went down better with the freely flowing booze. In the end, it was one of the most calm and peaceful werewolf celebrations I'd ever seen, and near the end of the night when mates were clearly pairing off to cuddle in drifts of snow together, I pulled out my one last surprise.

Clearing my throat, I approached Alpha Victor. I was also pleased to see he had a glass of bourbon in hand.

"Hello there, Jerod," he said. "What can I do for you?"

I grinned. "Actually, it's what I can do for you. I have a little light display I would like to gift the pack. I didn't want to alarm you with a surprise though, so I came to let you know first."

Alpha Victor laughed. "Show us! I would love to see what a warlock has in mind."

I smiled. "Very well, I'll begin in a moment."

Walking back over and putting an arm around Carmine's waist, I kissed her on the neck.

"Ooh, getting a little spicy in front of the pack. Are you drunk, Jerod?"

"No," I laughed, taking one of the blankets that were laying around in the snow and settling me and Carmine in for a cozy show. "Just getting something ready."

"Oh?" She laughed.

"I have one last surprise for the solstice night," I told her. "You might want to look up for this one."

As Carmine looked up, I reached into my pocket and snapped a twig in half that I had prepared earlier as a catalyst.

High above the pack, the night sky suddenly burst to life.

Bright lights in the fashion of fireworks lit the night in impossible shapes. Being magic in nature, I could make them do anything I wanted. Dazzling wolves that ran across the stars, images of flowers and stars blooming and disappearing in a scatter of sparkling light. It was a fireworks show like none before it, a flex of the extent of my power. Not that anyone here would know that, but if it made my mate's pack happy, it would make me happy.

"Oh, Jerod," she whispered. Carmine sat down next to me, cuddling up on my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed my cheek gently and sighed contentedly against my neck. "I love you, Jerod Chang."

We watched the rest of the show, the colorful lights intermingling with the night sky and casting glows of blue, green, yellow, and red across the lands of Crescent Shadow. Shows of wolves chasing deer, the moon in all its shapes and colors, leaves scattering in an imaginary wind. The show went on for a while as all the wolves below stared upward in content.

My love warmed my arms as I held her close.

"I love you too, Carmine," I murmured, brushing a stray hair off her forehead. "Happy solstice."

A/N I hope you guys enjoyed it! And side note, if you speak better French than me (which isn't hard haha) PLEASE tell me if you have corrections for my dialogue! I would love to make this as correct as possible. Thanks!