The Red Woods Springs of that era was nothing like the fractured land it later became. It breathed under the weight of Hacate's rule. Every tree, every shadow, every corner of the territory hummed with the force of her victory.
The ground was still marked where she had overthrown the Apex Alpha. The earth had long dried, but she remembered the moment with clarity sharper than any blade. A single strike, a single decision, and the pack became hers.
The moon sat in the sky like a calm watcher as she walked through the clearing that once served as the old Alpha's training pit. Few signs remained of the previous regime. She had torn down the old symbols, burned their banners, rewritten their rules.
The air around the Springs felt different now, charged by her will, shaped by her choices.
Her harem waited in the lodge. The structure stood at the edge of her building, built of dark wood and reinforced stone. It had been the former Alpha's private residence, but Hacate had reshaped it.
Where the old tyrant filled it with trophies and violence, she cleared it, rebuilt it, and claimed it for something else entirely.
She entered through the side hall, her steps silent.
Inside, the lodge glowed with low lamps. A fire crackled gently in the main room, spreading warmth across the space. Her harem relaxed across cushions and furs, talking quietly among themselves in a rhythm that had become familiar since she took power.
Upon seeing her, the room shifted, not into fear, not into rigid formality, but into a gentle attention. She liked that better.
Fear had defined the pack under the old Alpha. Fear broke people, bent them into shapes they never recovered from. She understood fear well enough to use it when needed, but she never built her home on it.
Her harem sat up slowly, waiting. A few approached first, moving with the confidence she cultivated in them. She had not chosen them for submission. She chose them for strength, for softness, for fire and wit and resilience.
Hacate walked further inside, brushing a hand across a shoulder as one of them passed. Another leaned into her touch instinctively, and she let her fingers linger for a moment.
"You're back earlier than expected," one whispered.
"They didn't challenge you again, did they?" another asked, leaning closer.
"No," Hacate replied, voice smooth but carrying an undertone of steel. "No one dares challenge me today."
"Good," one murmured with a small smile. "You deserve rest."
Rest. She almost laughed. She rested only when she wanted to, and tonight she didn't want to. Tonight, she wanted them.
One of the women took her coat with practiced grace. Another guided her toward the central cushion where she often sat when the night called for closeness rather than authority.
"Was it a good victory?" one asked gently, kneeling behind her and brushing fingers through her hair.
"It was decisive," Hacate said. After all, she was a witch mating with wolves. Of course wolves, the Alphas were going to challenge her.
A softness answered her, one of approval, one of understanding. They knew her well enough to sense her mood. She liked that. Liked being understood without needing to explain.
A pair settled beside her, curling against her legs while another took her hand. She let herself be surrounded, and the tension of the day melted slowly.
Red Woods Springs outside was quiet, but inside the lodge the hush was warm, intimate.
"Your pack is secure," one of her lovers whispered. "Your rule is unquestioned. Even the elders bow to you now."
"Yes," Hacate said. "They do."
"But not because they fear you," another added. "Because they believe in you."
She didn't answer immediately. Belief was a complicated thing. She was powerful, she was cunning, she was ruthless when she needed to be, but she never cared for worship.
They believed in her with a devotion that had nothing to do with politics or war. It was personal.
She tilted her head as the woman behind her continued combing through her hair. Her hands were warm, steady. Another slid fingers along Hacate's thigh, slow and reverent.
"You're thinking," one murmured.
"I always think."
"You don't need to right now."
Hacate allowed a smile. "Is that an order?"
"It's a request," the woman whispered, brushing her lips lightly against Hacate's temple. "Let us take care of you tonight."
Another leaned close against her chest. "The town are safe. The pack is calm. You have done enough for the day."
Hacate rested a hand on the back of her lover's neck, guiding her gently closer. "Perhaps."
The room warmed further as bodies pressed around her with trust she never demanded but always protected. Fingers laced around her arm. A cheek rested on her knee. Shoulders nudged against her side.
They shaped themselves around her like a living cloak, warm and grounding.
She felt their breaths. Their quiet anticipation. Their devotion.
One slid into her lap slowly, kneeling over her, hands on her shoulders. "You conquered a pack today," she whispered.
"Let us conquer you."
Hacate let out a low laugh, allowing her hands to roam along the woman's hips.
"Very well."
The others shifted, gathering closer, brushing against her with lips, with hands, with soft trailing touches. The woman in her lap kissed her slowly, deeply. Hacate's fingers dug into her waist, pulling her in, guiding her with a skill that made her shiver.
Another lover knelt behind her, kissing her neck. Another pressed against her thighs, lips trailing warmth along her skin. She leaned back into the embrace behind her as the woman on her lap began to roll her hips in slow, delicious movements. The fire crackled louder, casting shadows against the walls.
She didnt know how long she was going to lead this pack. For one, she wasn't a wolf, far from it yet here she was being intimate with them. And with het magic, soon some of the Omegas will begin to show signs of pregnancy. She will have to find a way to relinquish her power yet make sure the pack doesn't go back to their old ways.