The Silver Guardian Bk. 02 Ch. 07

"You're leaving tomorrow morning after the ceremony, but we'll see you again soon when we travel back Stateside in two weeks. This respite from the War has been heavenly, but it's time for Lily and me to stop relaxing and begin finalizing Viktor's reign."

Odin blew a couple smoke rings before responding.

"Yes, it is that time. Will you be staying with us while you're in the States? And how many of your Pack do you plan on bringing?"

Dante mulled that over for a moment before responding.

"Yes, we'll be staying with you and splitting our time between our suite and the Cabin, since both are so well secured. As for the Pack, we'll be traveling with Fenrir and Alunra, so we'll need to ensure they're as well protected as Lily and me. So we'll bring along all twenty of the Hellhounds plus thirty of our top Betas. That will leave a significant force here at the Castle to protect the Pack while also giving us the forces we need. I'm worried about housing that many wolves though; do you and Michael have any thoughts?"

Michael answered with a self-satisfied chuckle.

"Don't worry about that my brother, we have you covered. When Mom and Dad got your call saying you were going home to Germany to await Lily's delivery, we figured there would soon come a time when you'd travel back home to us with your Pack in tow for the War. So we built a large new building in the compound as a sort of hotel where your Pack can be comfortable and secure. With all that's going on with our partnership with the Council and the other Packs, it seemed prudent to expand our facilities to provide a place a large number of wolves could stay in our Compound. We'll always keep your suite and your Cabin ready for your visits, since we're sure they'll be frequent."

Dante smiled at that.

"That's good to hear; we appreciate it. We'll most certainly be visiting as often as we can, so thank you for keeping our accommodations available. We want Fenrir and Alunra to know their family and to be close to you as possible. We don't know how long we'll be staying this time, but we can't be away from our Pack too long, as they still very much need us. Luckily they're pretty self-sufficient but still, we can't be away too long."

They ended up talking for several more hours as they drank and smoked before calling it a night. The four Hellhounds escorted Dante back to his suite where he took a shower and climbed into bed with Lily after giving his son and daughter a gentle kiss goodnight; they were already sleeping in their bassinette next to the bed. When Dante got into bed, Lily snuggled into her favorite spot and they fell asleep.

***

The next morning found Dante and Lily in their Royal Armor holding their son and daughter dressed in velvet green and silver onesies and swaddled in silver cashmere blankets standing before the Pack in the Hall of the Moon, ready for the ceremony to begin. Astrid and Bryn stood at Dante's right, while Hilde and Freydis stood at Lily's left, with the rest of the Hellhounds standing at attention behind them. It was Lily who began the ceremony.

"Welcome our Pack, this is an historic day for us all. For the first time in a thousand years we have a known continuation of the Royal Bloodline with these babies, the first children born under the re-emergence of the original First Champion's line. We are here to introduce you to our son and daughter, the First Prince and First Princess of the Order of Fenrir."

Dante held up Fenrir with his pure silver hair and glowing silver eyes as the Pack took their first look at the darling child, and Fenrir for the first time saw his Pack. Fenrir giggled a bit as the Hall was filled with cheers, howls and yips of joy. Dante's voice boomed our into the Great Hall.

"Our Pack, please welcome Prince Fenrir Dante Silvrash, our Son!"

Again the Hall was filled with a thunderous cheer full of howls and yips that took several minutes to calm down as Dante presented Fenrir in his arms. When the Chapel finally went quiet, it was filled with Lily's warm, melodic voice. She held Alunra above her head as this babe too giggled at her Pack.

"Our Pack, please welcome the First Princess, Alunra Lily Silvrash, our Daughter!"

Again a thunderous cheer full of howls and yips filled the Hall of the Moon as everyone clapped and cheered for the Royalty that had recently multiplied. Dante called out to the Pack again.

"Fenrir Dante Silvrash is named for the Pack he will one day lead, and for his Father who loves him so very much. It is traditional in the Silvrash line for the first-born son to take his Father's first name as his middle name. We charge you all to protect and love him as he grows into his own."

Lily then continued.

"Alunra Lily Silvrash is named for the Goddess that blessed her and Who loves her so, and for her Mother who also loves her dearly. We charge you all to protect and love her, for she and Fenrir are our future!"

At that, Dante and Lily stood immediately next to each other and each removed their right gauntlet, that they handed to Astrid and Hilde as Dante drew his tanto. He drew the blade across his palm and then handed it to Lily to do the same. They made fists above Fenrir's mouth and a drop of blood from each fell into his mouth and he gave a small whine.

The Pack could always feel their Alphas in their mind, together they stood like double trunks of a mighty oak, strong and immovable and protecting them all. But as the new bond formed for the Alphas and the Pack, they felt Fenrir in all of their minds differently, like a bright beacon of moonlight, warm and comforting and innocent.

Dante and Lily then held their fists above Alunra's mouth as a single drop of blood fell from each into her mouth and she too let out a little whine.

Just like with her brother, Dante and Lily and their Pack felt her enter their bond like a spotlight of Lunar radiance, glowing with warm, comforting innocence. The entire Pack let out a low keening of joy and respect at feeling Fenrir and Alunra joining their mutual consciousness; they would be treasured and protected above all others, and woe to the enemy who would ever attempt to harm them, for the entire Order of Fenrir Pack would extract the ultimate price for such a transgression.

When the ceremony was concluded, the O'Connor family surrounded Dante and Lily, who were still holding their little ones, and said their goodbyes before they were driven back to Stuttgart Airport to fly home. Lily and Dante were escorted back to their office, where Bryn and Astrid remained to keep watch and help care for Fenrir and Alunra as their Alphas began catching up on their Pack duties. Their assistants Marcus and Stephanie were there helping them, but also stealing glances at the two precious infants. It was a busy day for them, and they tried to catch up as quickly as they could. They'd scheduled the Pack run for that Saturday, which was only a few days away, and Lily was recovering nicely from the changes her body had endured during her pregnancy; she would be fully healed in time. She was nearly back to her trim figure, her incredible metabolism even among Lycans helped immensely, and she was already just about back to her old self. They had a working lunch and a productive afternoon before it was time to head down for dinner. Astrid, Bryn and four other Hellhounds escorted them down as a family. Both Fenrir and Alunra had been fed by Lily before they made their way down, and both parents were amazed at their voracious appetites. Fortunately Lily was producing lots of milk, so was able to keep them well fed without difficulty. At dinner, Dante and Lily each held a child in one arm as they ate with the other, Dante holding his daughter Alunra, and Lily holding her son Fenrir. The babies were both wide-eyed and laughing and making adorable noises, taking in all the sights and sounds of the festive Pack atmosphere, having a ball with it all. Many Pack members approached the head table to congratulate their Alphas and to take a closer look at the children, and Dante and Lily always responded with warmth to anyone in their Pack.

After a while Dante and Lily were finished eating, and their babies were getting antsy and beginning to fuss, so Astrid, Bryn and the four other Hellhounds escorted them back to their tower suite. Lily fed the little beasties one last time and Dante changed each of them when they were done guzzling, and burped them before they swaddled them tightly and placed them tenderly in the bassinette together, where they promptly fell asleep, warm and fed. Dante and Lily got into bed and just cuddled and touched each other for a while, talking softly about their family and their hopes and dreams before falling asleep with Dante on his back and Lily nestling in her favorite spot on his chest and shoulder, knowing they'd need to wake up a few times during the night to feed and change their little ones.

***

It was Saturday night, and the Pack was gathered in the Great Hall, ready to start the postponed Pack run and Hunt. Dante and Lily were at the raised platform, dressed in comfortable sporty clothing, waiting for a few stragglers to join them. Dante was in his traditional black muscle shirt with tan cargo pants and boots, while Lily was in tight black yoga pants and a red sports bra and red tank top. Several of the mothers in the Pack, and a few fathers as well as some of the older wolves were remaining at the Castle. There was also a guard of Betas who would stay and protect it as well, while the Pack was off on their adventure. Fenrir and Alunra were being guarded and cared for by Bryn and Hilde plus the Royal Contingent of Hellhounds that had been trained in infant care; they were all ensconced in the living room and library in their tower suite. Lily let out a piercing whistle, calling everyone to attention for Dante to address the Pack.

"My Pack, tonight for the first time all of us together, we go on a Pack run and hunt. Due to our Prince and Princess being born under the full moon it's a bit late, but Queen Lily and I are honored to be with you tonight. We will all shift on my command, then your Queen and I will lead you out the Eagle Gate and into the forests and plains surrounding us. When we finish with our run and have our kills of Red Deer, we'll bring them back to the Castle grounds where we'll celebrate, and several bonfires will be lit for us to cook our kills and to feast. Let us sing our love and joy to our Goddess and ask for a fruitful hunt!"

At that, Dante commanded the Pack to shift, and everyone stripped and began their transformations. When the Pack had shifted, they all looked to their King and Queen and were absolutely shocked! They'd never seen Dante or Lily's wolves before, and they were completely floored. Lily was beautiful and lithe and clearly very fast and powerful, all white save for the blessing she'd received from Luna in Mexico that had not only given her a silver streak in her red hair in her human form, but had also changed her lupine ears to pure silver. She was the most beautiful she-wolf any of them had ever seen.

But the larger shock was their Alpha King. After Dante's hybrid transformation in Mexico City he hadn't shifted since then, so neither he nor Lily, let alone his Pack, had seen his newly enhanced wolf. He was even larger than before, standing 4'5" at the shoulder and weighed easily over 400lbs! He was still all black save for the silver at the tips of his ears and tail, but he now had a broad silver streak running down his chest as a mark of blessing from his Goddess Herself, and as had always been unique to him, his eyes were glowing pools of liquid sterling silver.

Lily spoke to him through the bond as she swept her lithe form up and down his sides, mixing their scents and displaying her affection for him.

You're more magnificent than ever before, my love. Our Pack is in awe of you, and you're the greatest Lycan of us all.

Dante chuffed before licking Lily's muzzle in affection.

They're in awe of us both, my love. No one has ever seen a more majestic she-wolf than you. You're every bit the Alpha Queen that even our Goddess herself acknowledged as her Champion beside me. I love you so much Lily, and I'm so proud of you!

At that Dante, with Lily at his side, made his way down the aisle of the Great Hall as their Pack melted aside for their Alpha Queen and Alpha King before they led them outdoors, through the courtyard and out through Eagle Gate as they both broke into a run, leading their Pack into the forest.

They had with them nearly 500 wolves on this hunt, which under normal circumstances would soon decimate the local population of Red Deer to extinction, but the Pack had called this region home for centuries, and long ago had instituted a breeding and growth program for the local deer population and other wildlife so they wouldn't hunt them to annihilation. Because of this careful husbandry, there were vast herds in the forests and on the plains around them that they could hunt once a month without worry. Dante and Lily bounded through the forest, luxuriating in their wolf forms once again, able to run and play together and with their Pack. Astrid and the Hellhounds struggled to keep up with them as the rest of the Pack protected by the Betas, trailed behind.

Dante and Lily caught the fresh scent of a large herd of Red Deer and using the bond, communicated with the Pack to have the wolves start flushing them out of the forest and into the grassland surrounding it. Pretty soon a large herd of deer was in the open, and Dante gave the order for the Pack to cut through their ranks and kill. Dante and Lily sprinted into the deer's ranks and tore into them. Lily bypassed two large bucks before seizing a large fat doe in her jaws. Dante was like a machine as he tore past four large bucks on his way to the oldest stag in the herd, that he took down with ease in his massive jaws. The rest of the Pack was also successful and took down over two dozen infirm deer.

When it was over and they'd let large numbers of healthy deer bound away, they dragged all their kills together and circled around Dante and Lily. They began to howl in satisfaction, asking their King and Queen to join in. Lily let out a powerful and beautiful howl that filled the valley before Dante leaned back and let out a thunderous roar of triumph that must have carried all the way to Luna Herself.

After a while the Pack dragged its kills back to the Castle, and once everyone was inside under the cover of darkness, the gate was sealed, and the drawbridge was raised. Bonfires were already blazing away, and many wolves shifted, found their clothing and started to gut and prepare the kills for cooking.

Dante and Lily were happy to remain as their wolves, and they snuck off to a secluded corner of the Castle grounds before Lily enticed Dante into some play. Dante mounted Lily gently before they both started rutting together, thrilled to be able to do this as wolves, since the opportunity didn't present itself regularly. Lily, thanks to her astonishing healing capability had completely recovered from her pregnancy and was randy for her mate. The run and the hunt and seeing him even larger and more powerful than ever had gotten to her, and she submitted fully to Dante as he claimed her over and over before locking them together with his knot. A while later a powerful howl split the night that could only be their Alpha Queen coming to fruition, and a tremendous and earth-shaking roar from Dante followed.

They bedded down together and enjoyed remaining joined as they waited for Dante's knot to shrink while Dante cleaned them both up and pampered Lily with his tongue. A while later they returned to their Pack amid howls and yips and cheers to which Lily strutted and Dante chuffed.

The Pack celebrated late into the night, feasting on the flame-roasted mouth-watering venison and everyone ate their fill. The Alphas retired late to their suite where they picked up their sleeping children and put them to bed, then took a shower together before laying down and falling asleep.

***

It was a week later, and Dante and Lily were preparing to head back to the States to resume the War. They'd spoken long about whether to bring their children along or to leave them with the Pack, but at the end of the day Lily was still breastfeeding and they couldn't bear the thought of not being able to take care of them and to ensure personally they were safe, so Fenrir and Alunra would come with them. They'd either be kept far from danger in the heart of the O'Connor Compound, or barricaded inside their Cabin fortress, with several Hellhounds always on patrol. Bryn and at least two of the four nursemaid Hellhounds (they hated being called that, but Astrid enjoyed making them squirm) would be the twins' personal guard and caretakers, and they would allow nothing to happen to them. While they were at the Cabin, they would always have either Astrid or Bryn or both on guard with two nannies (another term Astrid enjoyed teasing the caregiving Hellhounds with), with six or seven others, so that no fewer than ten Hellhounds would always be guarding them, with their parents to provide an insurmountable last line of defense.

At first Dante was concerned about flying fifty of his Pack plus his family in their small jet, but Astrid quickly (and quite cheekily) informed him that the Pack owned several Boeing 747's which could seat over 400 passengers comfortably (and not any of those suicidal Boeing 737 Maxes), so flying fifty-four wolves and two cubs in arms wouldn't be an issue. Dante couldn't help but growl at her when she shared that tidbit after he'd been stressing over the transportation. Lily just laughed at the two of them. "Play nicely, children."

That night after dinner with the Pack, Dante and Lily packed their bags along with all their weapons. (No, they were glad to learn, they needn't take along their aptly-named Dress Tanks.) Astrid was overseeing the main armament for the Pack, but they wanted to pack their personal weapons themselves. They also packed several suitcases of clothes for themselves, as well as for Fenrir and Alunra, not to mention a massive diaper bag with plenty of everything. (The nursemaid Hellhounds also packed plenty of supplies for the twins, so it was good that the 747 was a large plane.) They knew they'd be spending several weeks if not longer in Montana, since they'd try to get as close as they could to wrapping up the War and taking out Viktor, but they didn't know if that could happen or not.

They'd be flying out early tomorrow morning and thanks to their plane chasing the sun, they'd arrive in the late morning of the same day at Glacier Airport, which was just barely large enough to accommodate their large airliner. There would be a fleet of eleven vehicles from the O'Connor Pack, which was necessary to transport all the wolves plus their baggage and weaponry, so there was no chance of hiding their arrival. Everyone involved knew that Viktor no doubt had people watching the area so they'd basically be announcing their arrival to him, but there was no other way, and there was no way the Pack was letting their Royal Family enter the heart of a country at War with any less protection than they were bringing along. One comfort was that they'd be arriving unannounced, so it was unlikely Viktor would be able to rally any significant forces against them before they arrived safely at the O'Connor Compound.

Dante and Lily finished packing before they turned in for the night to rest up for their early flight out.

***

Dante and Lily walked down the ramp from the jet after Astrid and Bryn and several other Hellhounds went down first to secure the area. They were each holding one of their babies and were trailed by the remainder of the Hellhounds, with the Betas following that group. Loaded down with all their luggage and weaponry for efficiency... they didn't wish to waste any time getting on the road... they entered a private terminal barely able to accommodate them all. Inside were Michael, Ben and Sara and several others of the Pack O'Connor Betas to welcome the Pack. Michael, trailed by Ben and Sara, approached the Royals.