Well, I know I haven't really written in awhile, but I wanted to share wit you a little bit of the next chapter. It's nothing shocking, thrilling, but it's what I got. =) It's also not edited so don't cast any grammar stones at me!


Four Moons II Preview:


"So how's Jack fitting in?" I asked as we walked down the long corridor.

"He's not causing as much trouble as I expected. Why do you ask, Slayn?" Arch asked me.

We were on route to the Alpha's chambers. A year ago I would have been excited and nervous all at the same time. To be in the Alpha's private company always did make my knees quiver. Today it was more like a working friendship. Avalon had come into my life and when I needed him most he was there for me. I truly loved Avalon more than I could ever describe. Arch was always going to be my first crush, my first love, and you never quite stop loving that person even when you find yourself deep into a relationship. I was about to be joined and I still thought the man attractive, kind, and someone who needed a mate just as much as I needed one. Arch deserved someone just as much as I deserved Avalon. I did have to admit that being with Avalon made working with Arch much more...civil. I could actually concentrate on my work and not be distracted by what my body wanted. True there were the natural urges of being a man but those were easily quashed, especially in the evenings with Avalon.

"Just curious. I haven't really seen him do much but wander about the temple and roads."

"He's barely out of bed, Slayn. He's exploring and meeting people. I know he goes to the Warrior's Enclave a lot but he always returns back to the room before dinner is ready." Arch told me.

"He hasn't tried to run away?" A rhetoric question. If he had been I'm sure I'd have known about it.

"Not to my knowledge. None of the scouts have reported him going deep into the woods and the outpost guards never see him. I'm assuming he's behaving himself and actually listening to me. I told him not to wander into the forest."

"You do realize you kidnapped him, right?" I told Arch as we rounded the corner. I was tugging my messenger bag onto my shoulder. I had been running messages to the Scout outposts in the woods all morning and mid day. Evening now, I was simply reporting in. Arch had a few documents he wanted to give me so I could hand them out to my striders so we could send them out in the morning. We had a lot to do after all.

"I saved him," Arch said with a gruff noise from his throat. "You saw how he was; cold, thin as a rail and cheating people to make enough money to eat. I did what any Alpha would do in my place."

"I don't think the Warboz would have done what you did," I admitted with a grin.

"The End Moon are much more rough than we are, but I think they would have taken the boy regardless. It's not like we're chaining him up, beating and raping the kid. He's actually going to have a future here."

"Still, I'm sure he asks to go back to the cities and the Outsiders."

"Daily," Arch said with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his skull. "I can't see why."

"Well," I began. "If you look at Jack I think you can figure out why. He's had a pretty rough life by the stories he's told us. I know he lies but I don't think he's been lying about those events. He may have had it rough but it's really all he knows. If he feels like he's lost the only normal thing in his life then he's going to resist change. He still having problems wearing a loincloth?"

"Heh," Arch grinned. "He's at that age when boys get aroused because the wind is warm across their face, or the light flickers in the most alluring way. He's having trouble with it as any of our youth do."

"You did tell him he's not such a big deal to be aroused around other males, right?" It truely wasn't. Men got erections and that was the fact to end all facts. In groups of men they sometimes happened, especially in boys changing into men. When I was growing up and training with the other striders it happened from time to time. At worst a mild tease happened but nothing that would scar one for life.

"Yes, but he got one when we were talking to some of the women in the kitchens."

"Oh," I said with a laugh, holding a palm up to my muzzle. "Well, I suppose he must have been beat red."

"He grabbed my arm and dragged me back outside until it calmed down. At least we know he's a healthy young man. He seems to frequently get them." Arch said with another laugh. He sighed then as the laughing must have made him feel better. "I'll tell him that it's really no big deal. It is just a fact of life."

"A fact of life I'm glad my body got over."

Arch reached over and pushed against the wooden door to his room and looked at me. "Has Apollo said he'd also join the meeting and your Joining?"

Before I was able to answer I saw something in Arch's room I never quite expected. Jack had been living with Arch for a few weeks now because finding a spot for him meant we had to pick on a caste and we had been dragging out heels over it, mostly because whenever we talked about it Arch always changed the Council topic or something always distracted him from making us vote on it. So, for the time being, Jack lived with him. What I saw inside was humorous and shocking at the same time. There was Arch's large table surrounded by four warriors and Jack. I could see playing cards in their hands as well as pieces of clothing and items on the table, from shiny stones to what looked like loincloths. Jack was drinking something from a large wooden mug and had a huge grin on his face. However, when his gaze shifted to Arch and I in the doorway his face took on an expression of horror. Some of the warriors did the same, looking shocked and worried at the same time.

Jack stood up and then pointed at the warrior to his left. "He did it."

I looked over to Arch, who just huffed and shook his head, walking over to the table. I saw our Alpha examine the contents, and then I heard the growl. "Why are you betting these?" Arch asked, motioning to some odd nick knacks on the table.

"They looked valuable," Jack responded. At least he didn't lie. He didn't look phased to have Arch towering over him either. I decided to just hang back by the door.

"Anything from that shelf," Arch began and pointed to his book shelf. "You do not touch. They're gifts from Apollo and while I don't collect junk, his gifts are important to me."

"Oh?" Jack said with a curious little look on his face. It was enough to at least get my attention. "Why? Do you loooooove him?"

The warriors around the table blinked, squirmed, and I saw one trying to hide his laugh. No one but the Council knew about Arch and Apollo, but it was a quiet joke that took place behind our Alpha's back. The joke was he DID love Apollo and favored the leopard Alpha heavily. Oh how true it was.

Arch growled and slammed his palm onto the table, making the chips, the items, and the warriors to bounce in surprise. The only one who didn't move was Jack. "Anything from that shelf is mine, you can keep the rest of the items you won," Arch said with a huff. He watched as the warriors returned just an item or two, and then got up with their hoard, and left. I just smiled to them as they passed, and closed the door behind them, leaving the three of us alone in the Alpha's quarters.

"Jack!" Arch said with a growl.

"Arch!" Jack said, leaning back and popping his feet up on the table, shuffling the cards between his hands.

"You do know gambling in here, or pretty much anywhere at this hour is a bad thing, right?"

"No," Jack admitted, looking up to Arch. "I didn't."

"You're lying," Arch commented, gripping the back of his seat. "No one is that dense."

"I don't do well with IMPLIED rules, Archy. I don't really do well with rules in general, but eh..." Jack had said the second half of his sentence in a whimsical, rapid way, as if he was thinking out loud and not minding the Alpha one bit.

"You WILL work with the rules, or you will be punished." Arch said calmly, reaching down and snatching the deck of cards from the boy's palms. "Especially these next few days."

"Hey!" Jack protested, growling up at Arch. "Why? Because your little messenger is getting married?"

"That's exactly why. The other two packs are also arriving, and Apollo, and because I simply demand it. You need to behave."

"What's in it for me?" JAck said with a tilt of his head, removing his feet from the table and looking right up at Arch with a serious expression.

"Why do you need to get anything out of it? Can't you simply obey?" Arch asked, a little stunned sounding. I was too to a degree, this Outsider mentality of operating only on personal gain was different.

"Because there's no incentive for me to obey." JAck said, and reached his hand out, grabbing the front of Arch's loincloth and pulling. "There! I'll take this."

I saw Arch physically leap back an inch, and the Alpha's palms on his sides lifted and balled into fists. No one had really ever stripped Arch of his clothing, and the Alpha male stood there, naked, in front of the little wolf who seemed to have no sense of fear.

"You know," Arch said in a deeper, richer voice. "If you had been any other wolf I'd have taken this as an invitation to have my way with you, little wolf." He huffed a bit, causing me to blush. Yes, I had Avalon but naturally I was attracted to Arch. A lot of people were, it was simply natural because of his rank and abilities. "However, you get this one chance. Do it again, and I will take you where at least half the pack can see you, little wolf."

Jack just quirked his brow, looking up at Arch and smiled, shaking his head as he just tossed the pilfered cloth to his side of the room. I had no idea how they slept, but Jack had been given a corner, and there seemed to be no bed. Apaprently they slept in the same bed. In Jack's corner, however, was a large mass of various random objects...junk. I blinked, wondering how a wolf who had nothing to begin with managed to get such a hoard.

"Fine, duely noted, Alpha." Jack said with a teasing tone, and just looked up at Arch with that adorable grin on his face. "I'll behave, but in exchange I want you to do something for me."

"I don't operate like that, puppy," Arch said as he walked to his dresser and pulled out a loincloth. This one was a dark orange and he quickly wrapped it around his waist and tied it. "I'm the Alpha Male, I get what I want. I may be nice soemtimes, but I do not do this balance you keep speaking of."

"And just why do people obey you?" Jack sounded confused.

"Ask Slayn," Arch said. I saw Jack look to me.

I shrugged. "He's the Alpha. He protects us and leads us, and in exchange we obey his orders. He doesn't abuse his power and he's a good leader, there's no need to change the balance of power and he's well liked."

"Sounds like a king to me," Jack said with an obvious disgust. "You and Zane would probably get along."

"We're not here to debate how well I get along with Outsiders, Jack. we're here because I know you're good at woman work.' Arch said. I had to hold back from that. Arch still used that term.

"Woman work, Arch?" I asked, prodding him.

"Ugh," He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, domestic work. When I was a pup I only remembered women in the kitchen, so I call it women work."

"Arch," I reminded him, but he cut me off.

"Yes, yes, I know. Our best clothier and cook are male. It's an old habit, Slayn," he said with a hand raised to me. We then looked to Jack. "You can cook, right?"

"Well," Jack said, rocking in his chair a little bit. "Yeah, I can. I worked for a year in an inn in the kitchen. Why?"

"We're short on people in the kitchen and we have so many packs. You probably have a knack for exotic dishes. Do you want to help?" Arch made it a question. I blinked, looking up to his face. was Arch...no way.

"Sure," Jack said and stood up, smiling. "I can make anything I want?"

"Yes," Arch said, his voice a bit softer. "You can make anything you want. Just make sure you can show the others how to do it since it has to be in bulk for so many people."

"And no one is going to get mad at me, snap at me, or try to shove me out of the kitchen?"

"You have authority there, pup," Arch said with a grin. "You can't be kicked out unless you do something stupid, like cut your finger off."

"That's not on the menu. Okay. As long as I'm the one in charge and no one will back talk me. hat if they do?"

"Find an Alpha or a Beta. If you say it, and are honest, we should know. Find me if all else fails." Arch said with another grin on his face.

"Okay, deal. I'm in the mood for something sweet anyway." Jack said as he gathered up his jacket. Jack had stopped by the striders tents one day and asked for a jacket because he was cold, and we had given him one because of his honest request. It was just made of leather, but what surprised a lot of people was he didn't button it and try to hide his body in it."

I watched as Jack worked past us and out in the stone corridor. I blinked and looked up at Arch, rubbing the side of my head. "You do realize you just let him cook for my Joining, right?"

"I know," Arch said with a grin. "Don't worry, he won't ruin your day."

"He better not."