Page 4 of Shifted Existence

In exchange for protection, each of the other two realities would be supplied with a certain number of females, who would be turned into wolf-shifters and be forced to mate with one of them. The number of females to be taken each time was limited, as the invaders had recognized that if they took all of the females who could reproduce from the Conquered Realm, they’d run out of females for their own future generations. Twice a year each reality sent an agreed upon number of warriors to choose their mates.

Those from the New Moon Expanse were cultured and civilized and preferred to choose from females who had been trained in their ways. Each year the large domed cities and villages offered up at least one or more females to be trained. Those not selected were kept for another three selections and then returned to their homes. Those who were offered up and fought against being given to a mutant freak were cast into the wilderness to live or die by their own wits and skills. The warriors of the Eclipse Province were issued what amounted to a hunting license. They came through the portal and hunted the females who had been deemed feral.

Human females had only one choice they could make. They either volunteered to submit themselves to a selection facility where they could be chosen by the wolf-shifters of the New Moon Expanse, or they were hunted by the warriors of the Eclipse Province. Those women who chose to remain free hoped to avoid the raiding parties of the Eclipse Province—a reality where brutality still seemed to be the order of the day. The wolf-shifters were the dominant overlords, and their captured females were, for all intents and purposes, forced to leave their humanity behind before being pair bonded.

Those who chose to enter the New Moon Expanse’s training program were primed and taught what was expected of them. They were taught to please their new mates and provide them with heirs. In exchange, their lives at the training facility were easy, and food, drink, shelter, and all the other nice amenities in life were provided in abundance. If they aged out of the program, all of their needs would be met for the remainder of their lives. Most women chose a life of ease and plenty.

Bailey had not, opting for freedom and the hardships that came with it. It suited her unwillingness to submit to anyone’s authority, much less that of some unnatural creature. The only time she wasn’t absolutely convinced she’d made the right choice was each time there was a Hunt of the Wolf Moon—a terrifying week-long period where those from the Eclipse Province came through the portal in search of new mates.

Those from the Eclipse Province were ferocious brutes who didn’t care whether a female wanted to be chosen as a mate, wanted to be bred, or wanted to be a slave to their lust. The worst of these creatures were those chosen to be the alphas of their packs—savage, primitive beasts whose enormous cocks formed a knot at their base. Bailey had heard tales of women being ripped asunder when one of the alphas forced his knot inside her. Those who survived were locked in an intimate embrace for hours on end and left dripping the cum of their new mate when he finally withdrew his cock from deep inside her.

There was no escaping the Hunt if you had been deemed “suitable,” and had opted to live free. You survived based on your wits, courage, and endurance, or you were captured and dragged back through the portal to be turned into one of them in order to bear their offspring. A year ago, Bailey had watched as her best friend was taken through the portal after being subjugated by one of the beasts.

In order to make it easier for the warriors of the Eclipse Province, ferals were herded into specific, designated places so the wolves could mostly hunt in those areas and not venture out into the rest of the planet. The areas chosen were places that were akin to the wolves’ natural hunting grounds, or places so stark and inhospitable the women could be easily caught.

Bailey knew the Pictured Rocks wildlife area was considered to be prime hunting ground, as it lent itself to the wolves’ natural territory and was a harsh, but lush, wilderness. But Bailey had grown up here. She knew this land like the back of her hand. She had once called those in the nearby town friends and family. Now she barely thought of them at all. Hers was a lonely existence, but at least she was free to do what she wanted.

She looked down into the lake as she cupped her hands and brought fresh, cold water to her lips and drank deeply.

“He is coming,” said a disembodied voice.

Before Bailey could identify where the voice had come from, the surface of the water rippled and when it stilled, she could see a man, a tall, broad-shouldered, lean-waisted man with short hair, angular features and a kind of permanent scruff. His eyes held an unnatural glow, and she knew without a doubt he was a wolf-shifter. His muscular physique spoke of his power and strength, and Bailey was certain he was an alpha. When she observed the wolf-shifters, she understood why those of her world had been so easily defeated. Physically, they had been no match for the marauders.

“Who is he?” she whispered.

“He is your fated mate.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” she said, gathering her things and turning away.

The hunt was not set to start until the following morning at sunrise. By then, Bailey would be long gone and far up into the hills. She had several hiding places; her favorite was impossible to find, and she had laid traps and alarms to ensure she wouldn’t be caught. She would gather wild greens and preserved food as she holed up and waited for the hunt to pass. It wouldn’t do to have a fire during the Hunt as the wolves would be able to locate her lair.

Bailey knew that one of the premises of the training facility was that if you behaved and were no longer considered a viable candidate for breeding, you were allowed to leave the camp, return to your home, and have your every need provided for. To date, Bailey had heard of no woman being able to leave. In fact, the rumor was some of the older wolves weren’t looking for heirs as they’d long passed their breeding prime; they were looking for a woman to use for their pleasure. She was far more inclined to believe that than the story the powers-that-be liked to propagate to get young women to accept their lot in the wolf-shifter lottery.

She headed up the side of the craggy cliff, avoiding the paths and trails used by the native deer, bears, grey wolves, and the occasional moose. She heard the scree of a hawk overhead and the far less majestic call of the bald eagle. She gathered native edible and medicinal plants as she made her way up and deep into the forested side of the bluff. Her cavern was well hidden, and she had long ago fashioned a kind of barrier door that could be pulled into place, obscuring the entrance even more and providing some protection from any wolf looking to take her to mate. It might not keep him out, but it would provide her with enough time to get to one of her escape routes.

Taking the long way up was laborious and perhaps a bit of overkill, but remaining free was not something she took lightly. She had no desire to be taken to the Eclipse Province and forced into a bonding with a wolf. And if the voice was right, an alpha wolf. Ensuring no one was following her, she passed lightly over the earth and left no trail behind. Once inside the snug cave she called home, she set about pulling the heavy barricade into place and removed her clothing to crawl into bed. This would be the last night she would sleep soundly for the next week.

Fated mate. Bah. I don’t believe in that little bit of folklore. I think it’s all just a ruse to justify their taking unwilling females and forcing them into pair bonds the women or she-wolves never would have chosen for themselves.

She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for the women taken across the Void or the she-wolves that had once fought as valiant warriors. They were now stripped of most of their choices and freedoms and forced to live in what amounted to nothing more than a male-dominated feudal system.

Bailey never dreamt, barely even sleeping for the week of the hunt, but when she closed her eyes, she was immediately transported to a place she recognized as not being her dimension.

She looked around at a dwelling that was, for all intents and purposes, a yurt set on a permanent foundation. It was enormous and round. When she entered, she found an area with a large, comfortable bed, covered in fine woven sheets and furs. A large stone fireplace dominated the room and seemed to provide both heat and a place to cook. The walls were made of skins over insulating rushes that were then covered on the outside by heavily water-proofed canvas of some kind. The walls were tall—ten feet or more— and the roof sloped up to a peak that rose at least another eight feet.

She had no more closed her eyes than the vision of the alpha wolf filled her dreams. Bailey was not a small woman by any stretch of the imagination, but she felt dwarfed by him. He held his hand out, smiling and beckoning her with his fingers.

“No,” she said. “Get away from me.”

“That I will not do. You are mine and I will mark and knot you as such.”

Bailey’s eyes swept down the wolf-shifter’s naked body, centering on the enormous cock that had hardened and was pointing to his belly. At the base of it was a hard ring of muscle and nerves—an alpha knot.

“No,” she said, backing away.

“Yes.”

Somehow, she had gone from standing and exploring his home to flat on her back in his bed. The wolf-shifter made a place for himself between her spread thighs, grasping the globes of her ass as he steadied her for his possession. She could feel the bulbous head of his staff parting the petals of her sex as he thrust up inside her, breaching her with the hard knot as she cried out in both pain and exquisite, carnal pleasure.

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