The biting Georgia wind whipped through the trees, stripping the last stubborn leaves clinging to the oaks. Inside the cabin, the air hung thick with woodsmoke and tension. Shane leaned against the rough-hewn doorframe, his gaze fixed on the dwindling pile of split logs beside the hearth. "Supplies won't last," he stated, his voice flat. "Not with winter comin' down like a hammer."Merle Dixon spat tobacco juice into the fire, the sizzle sharp in the quiet. "Town ain't exactly a Sunday picnic, brother." He scratched at the scar tissue puckering his forearm, a souvenir from their last supply run gone sideways. "But reckon we need more'n beans and bullets." His eyes flicked toward the corner where Lori sat mending torn flannel, her needle moving with practiced, silent efficiency. "Cold kills quicker than walkers."Shane pushed off the doorframe, the movement tight with coiled energy. "Lily stays. Fortify the perimeter, check the traps." Lily nodded from her perch on a crate, sharpening her hunting knife on a whetstone. The rhythmic *shhhk-shhhk* filled the pause. "Merle, you're with me. We hit the hardware store first – insulation, tarps, kerosene." He glanced at Daryl, already shrugging into his worn leather vest, crossbow slung across his back. "go hunting"Lily watch as the two leaves and she turns to lori and carl and daryl.The truck's engine faded into the snarling wind, leaving Lily alone with the cabin's oppressive silence. She traced the frost creeping across the windowpane with a calloused finger. "Daryl," she said, her voice cutting through the quiet like her knife on stone, "check the snares down by the creek. Bring back anything that breathes." The wiry hunter nodded, vanishing into the grey woods without a word, his crossbow a dark promise against the skeletal trees. Lori moved to the hearth, feeding another split log to the flames. Carl hovered near her, his small frame swallowed by an oversized coat. Lily's gaze swept over them – the woman too thin, the boy too quiet – before landing on the axe leaning by the door. Work waited. Winter didn't bargain.Outside, the cold stole Lily's breath. She swung the axe with practiced rhythm, splitting logs with sharp, efficient cracks that echoed in the still air. Each impact vibrated up her arms, grounding her. *Insulate the attic gaps first,* she thought, stacking wood against the cabin wall. *Then check the roof seals.* Her nostrils flared, catching a distant, rotten tang beneath the pine and frost. Walkers. Always walkers. But closer, sharper – Daryl's scent, blood, fur. Rabbit. Good. The wind shifted, carrying another scent thread: the wild pack and their alpha fen.the step through the gate and walk toward her, ' great another headach' she thought as she swung the axe harder, the blade biting deep into the heartwood. Fen's eyes, sharp and amber in the fading light, tracked her movements with unnerving stillness. His pack fanned out behind him " meat in the shed boy" she said looking only to not find the she-wolf" what happen to the female?"Fen's jaw tightened. "Gone." The word hung between them, brittle as ice. Behind him, the pack shifted—lean shadows with too-intelligent eyes. One, a younger male with a ragged ear, sniffed the air toward the cabin. Lily planted the axehead in the chopping block. "Your pack's restless, Fen." She kept her voice low, deliberate. "Winter's thin game. Thinner patience."Inside, Lori's silhouette moved past the window. Fen's gaze flicked toward it, then back to Lily. "The female... she challenged a bear protecting her cubs." His nostrils flared. "Stupid. Brave." A pause. "We need meat. Not scraps." The implication hung heavy—*your shed, your stores, your warmth*. Lily crossed her arms. The wind hissed through the pines. "Your wolves hunt better than any trap," she countered. "But you're here. So it's not just meat you want."Fen's amber eyes narrowed. Behind him, the ragged-eared male growled low, claws digging into frozen earth. Lily didn't flinch. She knew the calculus: starving wolves were desperate, but Fen's pack was disciplined. Barely. "The town," Fen said finally, the words sharp as ice shards. "Your men went there. It's... wrong." His lip curled, revealing a flash of fang. "Smells like rot and metal. Worse than walkers."Inside the cabin, Lori's silhouette vanished from the window. Lily heard the click of the bolt sliding home—a sound as final as a coffin lid. Smart. Wolves respected boundaries drawn in steel. " they can come in if the listen to your rules lily" lori said." you hear her boy, but that if you turn human and leave the wild shit at the door and to listen to everything i tell you to do" lily said her heat had started earlier that day and she was getting agitated. Fen's nostrils flared, catching the scent-change Lily couldn't hide. A low rumble vibrated in his chest—part warning, part acknowledgment. "Human skin itches," he growled, but his amber eyes held hers. Behind him, the pack bristled, hackles rising like spines of frost. The ragged-eared male snarled, saliva dripping onto snow. Lily didn't blink. "Your choice. Freeze out here smelling rot, or swallow your pride." She jerked her chin toward the cabin. "Rules are simple. No shifting inside. No teeth on anyone. And *listen*."Fen's gaze sliced toward the bolted door, then back to Lily. A silent standoff stretched thin as ice over water. Finally, he gave a sharp, single nod. Bones cracked, fur receding like shadow under noon sun. In moments, a lean, scarred man stood where the alpha had been, naked and shivering in the biting wind. His pack followed—grotesque contortions of snapping joints and shrinking fur until five humans stood hunched in the snow, breath pluming white. Lily tossed Fen a bundled blanket from the woodpile. "Cover up. Lori's boy doesn't need the view." Inside, the bolt scraped back.The cabin air thickened instantly—woodsmoke, damp wool, and the raw musk of predator barely leashed. Lori pressed Carl behind her, her mending needle held like a shiv. Fen's pack huddled near the door, eyes darting, muscles coiled. Lily barred it behind them. "Stove corner," she ordered Fen, pointing away from Lori and Carl. "Sit. Stay." The command held the snap of the alpha she wasn't, but needed to be. Fen's eyes flashed amber, but he obeyed, sinking onto the packed earth floor. His pack followed, a tense knot of wary humanity. as fen pass he smelt her heat and he growled lowly.Daryl slipped back inside, a gutted rabbit dangling from his fist. He froze mid-step, nostrils flaring at the new scents. His crossbow snapped up, leveled at Fen's chest. "The hell?" he rasped, eyes cutting to Lily. Fen bared teeth that were still too sharp. "Easy," Lily murmured, stepping between them. "They're guests. For now." She took the rabbit from Daryl. "Got snares to check?" He didn't move, gaze locked on the wolves. "Daryl," Lily pressed, softer. "Perimeter." He finally backed toward the door, eyes never leaving Fen, the bolt still nocked.Lori moved to the stove, ladling thin broth into chipped mugs. She handed one to Fen. Steam curled around his face, but his amber eyes tracked Carl peeking from behind his mother's skirts. "Boy smells of fear," Fen rumbled. Lori's knuckles whitened on the ladle. "He smells like cold and hunger," she corrected, voice tight. "Like all of us." She pushed a mug toward the ragged-eared youth. He snatched it, gulping scalding liquid with a feral haste. Fen watched, silent. The broth's heat didn't thaw the ice in his stare.Outside, the wind howled like the dead. Inside, the silence was worse. Fen's pack huddled together, radiating tension like heat waves. Lily watched Fen's nostrils flare subtly, scenting the air—blood from Daryl's rabbit, Lori's lavender soap, Carl's unwashed hair, her own sweat. His gaze lingered on her throat. "Your rules chafe," he muttered, low enough only she could hear. Lily didn't look away. "Better than frostbite." She saw the calculation in his eyes—the weight of his starving pack against the steel bolt on the door. The ragged-eared youth whimpered softly, rubbing his arms against the chill seeping through the cabin walls. " when you warm up you will be given a room anyone caught leave said room go outside and sleeps in the cold shed" lily said. " two, anyone touch the pup or the mothers lose a hand."Shane's truck roared back into the clearing just before dawn, headlights slicing through the gloom. He kicked the door open, hauling sacks of grain and canned goods, Merle Dixon slouching behind him with a crate of ammunition. Both froze mid-step. Shane's hand flew to his holster. Merle spat tobacco juice onto the floorboards. "Well ain't this a fuckin' menagerie." Fen rose slowly, blanket slipping to reveal lean muscle and old scars. Shane's eyes darted from the wolves to Lily, accusation hardening his jaw. "Explain." Lily stepped forward, her voice flat. "Winter guests. Fen's pack. They follow house rules." Merle chuckled, cold and sharp. "Rules? Like 'don't eat the furniture'?" Fen growled, a deep vibration in the stillness. Shane drew his pistol. "One wrong move," Shane warned, barrel aimed at Fen's chest. Fen didn't flinch, but his pack surged forward, teeth bared in human " Do you need to be put in your places shane? Merle?, they stay along as the follow the rules, the get thrown out if they leave their rooms after dark, they lose a hand if they touch anyone, do everyone understand me" she growls using a alpha voice even if she was an omega " now lower your guns and sit the hell down"The tension snapped like a frayed wire. Shane lowered his pistol, eyes locked on Fen. "Your rules better hold, Lily." He shoved past Fen, dumping sacks near the stove. Merle followed, muttering about fleas and fleabags, but kept his distance from the wolves. Fen watched them, nostrils flaring at the scent of gasoline and cordite clinging to the newcomers. Lori pushed Carl toward the back room. "Bed," she murmured, her voice tight. The ragged-eared youth tracked the boy's movement, a whine escaping his throat. Fen silenced him with a look. Lily tossed Fen a roughspun tunic. "Cover yourself properly. Then eat." She dumped Daryl's rabbit into the stew pot. Fen pulled the tunic on, the fabric straining across his shoulders. He accepted a bowl from Lori, his fingers brushing hers. She jerked back as if burned. Fen inhaled deeply, his gaze sliding back " lily there some people you need to meet." Shane said " come in guys"" this is rick grims and glenn and sophia and her mother coral" shane saidThe cabin door slammed open, letting in a gust of frozen air and Rick Grimes, his sheriff's uniform torn and bloodied, eyes scanning the room with wild intensity. Lori's gasp cut through the tension like shattered glass. She dropped the wooden bowl she'd been holding, broth splattering across the floorboards as she flew across the room, colliding with Rick in a desperate embrace. Carl was a distant hum as she buried his face in his shoulder. "Rick," she choked out, her voice thick with tears and disbelief. Carl was a blur, crashing into his father's legs with a choked cry of "Dad!" Rick's arms wrapped around them both, his gaze lifting over Lori's shoulder to lock onto Shane. The air crackled with unspoken history—betrayal, survival, relief all warring in Rick's exhausted eyes.Shane stood frozen near the stove, his knuckles white where they gripped the edge of the cast iron. The pistol hung heavy at his hip, suddenly useless. Merle Dixon leaned against the wall, spitting a stream of tobacco juice onto the floorboards. "Well looky here," he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The prodigal sheriff returns. Hope you brought more'n just your pretty face, Grimes. We're runnin' leaner than a gutted squirrel." His gaze slid pointedly toward Fen's pack, who watched the reunion with unnerving stillness, their human forms radiating coiled tension. The ragged-eared youth sniffed the air, nostrils flaring at the scent of Rick's blood and sweat." you can stay but this is my Den" lori said looking at all of them" but your an omega" glenn said " and fen is an alpha of his pack" fen growled lowly " i know" lily said " and i am the alpha of this den" she growled using her alpha voice " now sit down and eat" she ordered. Rick held Lori tighter, his gaze flickered to Fen's pack, then to Shane. "What's this?" he asked, voice rough. "New allies?" Shane's laugh was dry. " we would have died if not for this omega whos name is lily, this is her den way before the outbreak, she found us running and gave us a place to stay so we follow her rules" Shane said" No i inforce them by pining you boys down" lily said " i even pin down fen in the woods"The cabin air thickened with unspoken challenges. Fen's amber eyes locked onto Lily's, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Shane shifted his weight, hand drifting toward his holster. Rick's arm tightened around Lori. Lily didn't flared bright gold, her scent spiked—pine needles and frost, but sharp ozone and iron. "Try it," she dared Fen, her voice dropping to a rasp that scraped raw against the silence. "Pin me now. See what happens." Fen's muscles coiled, tendons standing out like cables beneath scarred skin. The ragged-eared youth whimpered, pressing closer to the pack. Glenn edged toward Sophia, eyes wide. Daryl's crossbow creaked as he thumbed the safety off. Fen took a half-step forward, nostrils flared wide—inhaling her challenge, her heat, the electric crackle of dominance. she was an omega in heat but she had alpha voice and she pinned him before.Then he knelt. Slowly. Deliberately. Head bowed, exposing the corded line of his neck. "Your den," he grated out, the words thick as frozen mud. "Your rules." Shane's breath hissed between his teeth. Rick's grip loosened on Lori. Lily held Fen's submission for three heartbeats, the power humming in her veins like live wire. "Good," she said, crisp. "Now eat. All of you." She jerked her chin toward the stew pot. Fen rose fluidly, taking the offered bowl without meeting her eyes. His pack followed, wolfing down rabbit stew with feral speed, eyes darting between the newcomers and Lily's rigid back.Rick eased Lori and Carl toward the rough-hewn table. "Start from the beginning," he murmured, eyes scanning Shane, Merle, Daryl, Lily. Shane leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Outbreak hit. Got separated. Found Carl and Lori hiding in a drainage pipe. Lily found us." He nodded toward her. "Brought us here. Place was boarded tight, stocked. Saved our asses." Lily stirred the stew, her movements economical. "Wasn't charity," she said flatly. "Needed hands. Still do." Rick's gaze shifted to Fen's pack, huddled near the stove. "And them?"Fen lifted his head, amber eyes glinting. "Winter hunts wolves too." His voice was gravel scraped raw. "Her rules. We follow." He gestured sharply at his pack. The ragged-eared youth lowered his bowl, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Rick's jaw tightened. "Rules?""Don't touch Carl or Lori," Lily cut in, ladling stew into Rick's bowl. "Don't leave your rooms after dark. Don't bite." She met Rick's stare. "Break one, lose a hand. Or worse." Outside, a branch snapped under the weight of settling snow. Inside, the silence thickened. Glenn edged Sophia closer to Carol, his knuckles white on his rifle stock. Merle snorted. "Pretty words. Wolves bite."Fen's gaze never left Lily. "Your scent changed," he murmured, low enough that only she and Daryl, standing tense beside her, caught it. "Stronger." He meant her heat—the raw, primal pull thickening the air between them like static before a storm. Lily's knuckles whitened on the ladle handle. "Doesn't change the rules." Fen's nostrils flared. "It changes everything." Behind him, his pack shifted, restless. The ragged-eared youth's eyes darted hungrily toward Sophia clutching her mother's skirt. A low warning growl vibrated in Fen's chest, silencing him instantly.Rick cleared his throat, the sound rough in the suffocating quiet. He kept one arm around Lori, the other resting protectively on Carl's shoulder. "Rules are clear," he stated, his sheriff's voice cutting through the tension. "We abide by them. All of us." His eyes locked onto Shane, a silent command passing between them—*stand down*. Shane's hand drifted away from his holster, but his posture stayed coiled, distrust etched deep into the lines of his face. Merle spat near Fen's bare feet. "Rules. Like polishin' silver before the damn apocalypse." Fen didn't react, his focus still entirely on Lily, a predator assessing prey... or perhaps another predator.Lily ignored Fen's comment about her scent. She shoved a bowl of stew into Rick's hands. "Eat," she ordered, her voice tight. "Then talk." Glenn hovered near Sophia and Carol, his eyes wide as he took in the scene—the wolves huddled like wary shadows, Daryl's crossbow still half-raised, Merle's sneer. Sophia buried her face in Carol's coat, trembling. Fen's pack tracked the movement, nostrils flaring. The ragged-eared youth licked his lips." if you stay just know i started my heat today, if i come to your room just turn me down, do not have sex with me, i am not ready for anything, no pups at all for awhile im only 19 years old" lily said. She turned away, stirring the stew pot with unnecessary force. Fen's gaze burned into her back—heavy, assessing. The ragged-eared youth whined softly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Shane's eyes narrowed, tracking the wolf's restless energy. "Heat?" he echoed, the word thick with implication. "That's a liability." Rick's grip tightened on Carl's shoulder. "We'll manage," he said, firm. "Like everything else."Fen's low growl cut through the crackling fire. "Manage?" The word dripped with disdain. He pushed off the wall, unfolding his lean height. "Her scent screams *mate*. It pulls wolves. Walkers. Everything hungry." His amber eyes locked onto Lily, ignoring Shane's pistol hand twitching toward leather. "Your 'rules' won't stop instinct." Lily slammed the ladle down, stew splattering onto the hot stones ringing the fire. "Then control yours!" she snapped, spinning to face him. Her cheeks were flushed, pupils dilated—not just anger, Fen noted. Heat. Raw and potent. It thickened the air between them, a pheromone-laden fog. The ragged-eared youth whimpered, pressing closer to Fen's flank. Daryl's crossbow shifted, centering on Fen's chest. "Back off, Fido," he rasped.Shane stepped forward, deliberately placing himself between Fen and Lily. "He's got a point," he conceded, grudgingly. His gaze swept the cramped cabin—Rick holding Lori and Carl close, Glenn shielding Sophia and Carol, Merle leaning against the bolted door with predatory disinterest. "Her... condition," Shane chose the word carefully, "makes us a target. We need a plan. Not just rules scribbled on frost." Rick nodded, his sheriff's instincts kicking in. "Agreed. Fen, your pack stays confined after dusk. Lily, you stay away from them. Period." His eyes softened fractionally as he looked at her. "We'll protect you."Fen's growl deepened, vibrating the floorboards. "Protect?" He bared teeth that seemed too sharp in the firelight. "You don't understand. It's not *them*." His gaze locked onto Lily, intense, almost pained. "It's *her*. The pull... it's like a hook in the gut. Forcing stillness..." He clenched his fists, knuckles white. "It hurts." The ragged-eared youth whimpered agreement, huddling closer. Lily flinched, wrapping her arms around herself. She hadn't considered that—the agony of resisting the primal drive *she* was broadcasting. Daryl spat near the fire. "Sounds like a *you* problem, Fido."Shane's hand rested on his holster. "So what's the play? Chain her up?" Rick shot him a warning look. "No chains." He turned to Fen, his voice low, urgent. "Can your pack... endure it? Without breaking?" Fen's amber eyes flickered with something ancient—alpha resolve warring with biological torment. "If we hunt," he rasped. "Run the woods. Burn it off." Lily nodded sharply, relief warring with dread. "Fine. Hunt at night. But sunrise, you're back. Human. Contained." Fen gave a curt nod. "Agreed." He gestured sharply to his pack. They rose as one, shedding blankets, muscles already coiling for the shift. The air crackled with the promise of fur and fang." i will chose a mate tonight to fuck me until the heats gone" she said " the only male i will chose is daryl, and fen."The cabin air turned brittle. Shane's jaw tightened. Rick exchanged a loaded glance with Lori, her face pale. Merle snorted, spitting near the woodpile. "Well, ain't this a fuckin' soap opera." Daryl shifted his weight, knuckles white on his crossbow stock. He didn't meet Lily's eyes. Fen stood utterly still, his amber gaze locked onto her—predatory, calculating. The ragged-eared youth whined softly, pressing against Fen's leg. Fen silenced him with a low rumble that vibrated the floorboards.Lily didn't flinch. She felt the heat pulsing through her veins like liquid fire, warring with the icy dread coiling in her gut. Her choice hung in the air—a grenade with the pin pulled. Daryl was solid, human, familiar. Fen was raw power, instinct, a storm barely contained. Both were dangerous. Both were necessary. She met Fen's stare. "You understand the rules," she stated, her voice stripped bare. "No pups. No claims. Just... the heat." Fen's nostrils flared, inhaling her scent—pine, ozone, and the undeniable musk of readiness. He gave a single, sharp nod. "Understood." His voice was gravel scraped over stone.Daryl shifted, the crossbow lowering an inch. His eyes, shadowed beneath his matted hair, flickered between Lily and the alpha wolf. "Ain't a damn pet," he muttered, but didn't refuse. The implication was clear—he'd follow her lead, even into this. Shane's hand tightened on his pistol grip. "This is insanity," he hissed, stepping forward. "You're inviting wolves *into* the damn henhouse!" Rick moved swiftly, placing a restraining hand on Shane's arm. "Her choice," Rick said, his voice low but firm. "Her body. We hold the line." His gaze swept the room—Merle's sneer, Glenn'The ragged-eared youth whimpered again, his human form trembling with barely leashed instinct. Fen silenced him with a look sharp as broken glass. "Pack stays," Fen commanded, his voice rough. "Guard the perimeter. No breaches." He didn't look away from Lily. The other wolves nodded, relief warring with frustration in their eyes as they melted back toward the bolted door. Fen's gaze never left Lily. "Where?" The single word vibrated with suppressed hunger. " you two follow me" Lily said look at daryl and fen. She turned, heading toward the narrow hallway leading to the cabin's lone back room—the one with the reinforced door and barred window. Daryl hesitated, knuckles white on his crossbow, then followed stiffly. Fen prowled behind them, silent as shadow, his bare feet leaving faint impressions on the packed earth floor. Shane moved to block the hallway, pistol half-drawn. Rick's hand clamped down hard on his forearm. "Let it play," Rick murmured, eyes dark with grim understanding. "Or we lose them all tonight."Inside the small room, the scent of Lily's heat thickened—pine sap and ozone layered over something deeper, primal. Moonlight sliced through the barred window, painting silver stripes across the rough plank floor. Daryl leaned his crossbow against the wall, his movements stiff. "This ain't right," he muttered, avoiding Lily's eyes. Fen stood near the door, muscles coiled, nostrils flaring as he drank in the potent air. "Right died with the world," Lily stated flatly. She unbuttoned her flannel shirt, letting it fall open. The moonlight caught the sweat-slick curve of her throat, the rapid pulse beneath her skin. Fen growled low, a sound that vibrated in Daryl's bones. "Rules stand," Lily reminded them, her voice fraying at the edges. "No claims. No pups. Just... quiet the fire."Daryl moved first, rough hands gripping Lily's hips, pulling her against him. His calloused fingers traced the line of her jaw. "You sure?" he rasped. Before she could answer, Fen was there—a blur of scarred muscle and heat. He pressed against her back, teeth grazing her shoulder, not breaking skin but claiming space. Lily gasped, arching between them. Fen's breath was hot on her neck. "Mine too," he rumbled, the words thick with challenge. Daryl's eyes flashed, but he didn't pull away. The alpha scent rolled off Fen, clashing with Daryl's gunpowder and earth. Lily shuddered, caught in the crossfire. "Now," she ordered, her command cracking. "Before I burn alive."Outside the bolted door, the cabin thrummed with tension. Shane paced like a caged animal, pistol grip slick in his palm. Rick stood guard at the hallway entrance, Lori clutching Carl behind him. Every muffled sound—a gasp, a low growl, the scrape of boots on wood—made Shane flinch. "This is how we die," Shane hissed. "Torn apart by horny wolves." Rick's jaw tightened. "Daryl's in there." Merle snorted from the shadows, sharpening his knife. "Kid brother always did have a death wish." Glenn edged closer to Sophia and Carol, rifle trembling in his hands. Fen's pack huddled near the stove, ears pricked toward the hallway. The ragged-eared youth whimpered, scenting the air. Lori covered Carl's ears. "Don't listen," she whispered, her own knuckles white.Inside the moonlit room, Lily arched between Daryl and Fen, a live wire strung taut. Daryl's calloused hands gripped her hips, rough and urgent against her skin. Fen pressed against her back, teeth grazing her shoulder—a claiming without breaking skin. His growl vibrated through her bones, clashing with Daryl's scent of gunpowder and damp earth. "Rules," Lily gasped out, her voice shredded. Fen's breath scorched her neck. "Quiet," he rumbled. Daryl's eyes locked onto Fen's over her shoulder—predator recognizing predator. No words. Only the raw calculus of dominance. Daryl's hand slid up her spine, possessive. Fen's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Lily cried out as the heat crested, a wildfire scorching her veins. Fen's teeth sank gently into her shoulder—not pain, but grounding. Daryl's mouth found hers, swallowing her gasp. For a fractured moment, instinct ruled. Fen's growl deepened, vibrating against her skin as Daryl claimed her mouth. Lily's fingers tangled in Daryl's hair, her other hand gripping Fen's corded forearm. The room blurred—moonlight, sweat, the ozone-sharp scent of her heat mingling with wolf musk and leather. Boundaries dissolved. Only heat, friction, the desperate burn for release. Fen's hand slid lower, rough palm branding her thigh. Daryl's teeth nipped her lower lip. Lily shattered between them, a silent scream tearing through her as the wildfire finally, mercifully, banked. daryl turns lily around and fen claim her mouth in kisses, before daryls teeth sinks into her other shoulder. before daryl hand meet her pussy lips rubbing her clit. Fen's kiss was a savage claim—all teeth and hunger, stealing her breath. Daryl's fingers found her slick heat, circling her clit with rough precision. Lily arched off the bed, a gasp ripped from her throat. Fen broke the kiss, amber eyes blazing. "Mine," he snarled at Daryl, not a question. Daryl's fingers didn't stop. "She ain't branded," he shot back, voice thick. Lily's hips bucked against Daryl's hand, the aftershocks mingling with fresh need. Fen's growl shook the walls. He gripped her hips, flipping her onto her knees with effortless strength. Daryl didn't relinquish his touch, fingers delving deeper. Fen positioned himself behind her, his heat radiating against her back. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head back. "Look at him," Fen commanded, voice guttural. Lily's eyes met Daryl's—dark, fierce, possessive. Fen thrust into her in one brutal stroke. Lily cried out, the stretch exquisite, filling the hollow ache. Daryl's fingers pressed harder against her clit, matching Fen's relentless rhythm. Fen's grip on her hair tightened, forcing her gaze to hold Daryl's. "See who owns this," Fen growled against her ear. Daryl leaned in, his free hand cupping her jaw. "See who makes you scream." His thumb brushed her lower lip. Lily's world narrowed to sensation—Fen's deep, punishing thrusts, Daryl's fingers working her clit with ruthless skill, the raw possessiveness in both their eyes. The coil inside her wound impossibly tight. Fen's pace became frantic, his growls ragged. Daryl's thumb pressed hard against her clit. Lily shattered again, a raw, guttural cry tearing free as Fen followed her over the edge with a roar that shook the barred window. Daryl watched, fingers slowing, as Lily collapsed forward, trembling between them. Fen withdrew, breathing harshly. Daryl wiped his fingers on his pants, his gaze never leaving Lily's spent form. The silence was thick, charged. Fen ran a hand down Lily's sweat-slicked back. "Rules held," he stated, voice rough. Daryl just grunted, retrieving his crossbow from the corner. The fire was banked. For now. it was daryls turn and he let her come down before making her ride him while fen watch them, fen growled lowly "mine" he said " shes mine" daryl growled " shes mine" lily growled " im mine" she said " i belong to myself" she growled " now daryl fuck me" she said riding him hard. Fen's eyes narrowed to slits, a low snarl building in his chest. Daryl lay beneath Lily, hands gripping her hips as she rode him with desperate intensity. "Heard the omega," Daryl rasped, meeting Fen's glare. "She speaks for herself." Lily's movements were fierce, driving down onto Daryl, seeking the friction that would finally extinguish the last embers of her heat. Her gaze locked onto Fen's, defiant despite her trembling limbs. "Yours?" she panted, shaking her head. "No one's." Fen took a step forward, the floorboard groaning under his weight. Daryl's hand slid to the knife at his belt, his other arm tightening around Lily's waist. Fen stopped. His nostrils flared, scenting the air—her exhaustion, Daryl's readiness, the fading musk of her heat. The raw possessiveness in his eyes warred with Lily's fierce declaration. Slowly, deliberately, Fen knelt beside the bed. Not submission. Observation. His amber gaze tracked every movement—Lily's sweat-slicked skin, the flex of Daryl's thighs beneath her, the raw connection between them. Daryl's thrusts grew sharper, deeper. Lily's cries hitched, higher, fractured. Fen watched, silent now, a predator assessing a kill he hadn't made. When Lily finally collapsed against Daryl's chest, spent and shuddering, Fen rose. "Fire's out," he stated flatly. He turned, padding silently toward the door. He paused, hand on the latch. "Remember the scent, wolf," he said, not looking back. "Remember who helped put it out." Then he was gone, leaving Lily trembling in Daryl's arms, the chill of dawn seeping through the barred window. but she was not done she started to kiss his neck before marking the alpha male daryl. Lily lifted her head, exhaustion warring with a sudden, fierce impulse. Daryl's throat was exposed, vulnerable. Before he could react, she sank her teeth into the corded muscle where neck met shoulder—not gentle like Fen's grounding bite, but sharp, deliberate. A claiming mark. Daryl stiffened, a shocked grunt escaping him. His hand flew to the bite, fingers coming away smeared with blood and saliva. His eyes, wide and dark, locked onto hers. Not anger. Not yet. Stark disbelief. Lily met his gaze, panting, her lips stained crimson. "Mine," she breathed, the word raw, defiant. A tremor ran through Daryl—part fury, part something deeper, primal. He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to meet his stare. "That ain't how this works," he growled, voice dangerously low. Outside, Fen's departing footsteps halted. The silence thickened, crackling with the weight of Lily's reckless claim. " mine " her wolf growls out. Fen whirled, faster than thought. Lily was on him, teeth sinking deep into the thick muscle of his neck—deeper than Daryl's mark. Blood welled hot and coppery. Fen roared, not in pain, but in pure, incandescent fury. He seized her shoulders, hurling her backward onto the bed. Daryl was on his feet instantly, knife drawn, stepping between them. "Enough!" Fen ignored him, amber eyes blazing solely at Lily. He touched the bleeding wound, then licked his own blood from his fingers, never breaking her gaze. The gesture was obscene, primal. "Omega," he snarled, the word a curse and a promise. "You just lit a new fire." Lily pushed herself up, wiping blood from her mouth, her own eyes wolf-yellow and unrepentant. The fragile truce lay in ashes. Outside the bolted door, Shane's pacing stopped cold. "What the *hell* was that?" Rick's hand tightened on his rifle. Fen's pack stirred, low growls rumbling through the cabin floorboards. The ragged-eared youth pressed his ear to the reinforced wood, nostrils flaring at the scent of fresh blood. Dawn was coming. And with it, chaos.Outside the bolted door, the tension snapped taut. Shane lunged forward, pistol aimed at the wood. "Open it!" he barked at Rick. Rick held his ground, blocking the hallway. "Stand down, Shane!" Lori pulled Carl tighter, her eyes wide with terror. The ragged-eared youth pressed his ear to the door, nostrils flaring. "Blood," he hissed to Fen's pack. "Alpha blood." Low growls erupted from the huddled wolves, muscles coiling beneath human skin. Merle chuckled darkly, knife gleaming. "Told ya. Soap opera." Glenn raised his rifle, trembling, aiming it shakily at the wolves. Sophia buried her face in Carol's coat, sobbing silently. The door rattled violently from within—a heavy thud, followed by Fen's enraged roar. "Lily!" Daryl's voice, raw and furious, cut through. "Get off him!" Another crash. Splintering wood. Shane shoved Rick aside, slamming his shoulder against the bolted door. "They're killing each other in there!" Rick braced against him. "We breach now, it's a bloodbath!" The ragged-eared youth snarled, baring suddenly sharpening teeth. Fen's pack rose as one, eyes glowing amber in the gloom. The door shuddered again. A crack spiderwebbed up the center. Dawn light bled through the cabin's grimy windows, illuminating the fractured den—humans frozen, wolves poised, and behind the failing door, the sound of a primal fight raging. The fragile peace had shattered with Lily's teeth. The hunt was on.Inside the ravaged room, chaos reigned. Lily scrambled back against the wall, blood smeared across her mouth and chin, eyes blazing wolf-yellow. Fen stood over Daryl, one hand clamped on the hunter's throat, pinning him to the floorboards. Daryl's knife lay skittered away, his free hand clawing uselessly at Fen's iron grip. Fen's neck bled freely, staining his bare chest crimson. His amber eyes held pure, predatory fury fixed on Lily. "Omega bitch," he snarled, spit flying. "You *dare* mark me?" Daryl choked, face purpling. "Let... go... wolf!" Lily launched herself forward, not at Fen, but at the discarded knife. Fen moved faster, kicking it across the room with a clatter. He backhanded her hard, sending her crashing into the barred window. Stars exploded behind her eyes. Fen hauled Daryl up by the throat, slamming him against the wall beside her. "See your protector?" Fen spat in Daryl, her sense came back and she fought him and she freed daryl. Lily shook her head, vision clearing. Rage burned hotter than the fading heat. She lunged low, teeth sinking into Fen's calf. He roared, staggering. Daryl gasped free, dropping to his knees, coughing violently. Lily clung to Fen's leg like a terrier, shaking her head, tearing flesh. Fen bellowed, grabbing her hair, trying to rip her off. Daryl surged up, driving his shoulder into Fen's gut. They crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs, fists, and snarls. Lily scrambled back, tasting Fen's blood, metallic and wild. The door splintered inward with a deafening crack. Shane burst through, pistol sweeping the room. Rick followed, rifle raised. They froze. The scene was carnage: blood smeared on the walls, Fen and Daryl locked in a brutal grapple on the floor, Lily crouched against the wall like a cornered animal, her eyes feral, her lips stained red. "Jesus Christ!" Shane breathed, aiming at Fen. Rick's barrel centered on Daryl. "Stand down! Both of you! NOW!" Fen disengaged with a final, vicious shove, sending Daryl sprawling. He rose, panting, blood dripping down his neck and leg. His gaze never left Lily. "She broke the pact," Fen growled, low and deadly. "Marked me. Marked him." He pointed a bloody finger at Daryl " she didnt mean to her wolf took over" Daryl said " shes young" Fen growled " shes omega" Daryl coughed, wiping blood from his split lip. He pushed himself up, eyes locked on Fen. "Her wolf's strong," Daryl rasped. "Stronger than she knows." He glanced at Lily, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Didn't mean to? Doesn't matter. The bite's done." Shane kept his gun trained on Fen. "So what? We execute the mutt?" Rick's voice cut through, cold steel. "No one dies. Not here. Not like this." His eyes swept the room – the wreckage, the blood, the trembling defiance on Lily's face. "Fen. Your pack. Outside. Now." Fen's jaw clenched, but he gave a curt nod. He stalked past Shane, radiating menace, his pack falling in behind him as they filed out into the grey dawn light. Rick turned to Lily. His gaze was hard, assessing the blood on her mouth, the wildness still lingering in her eyes. "Control it," he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Or we lose everything." Outside, Fen's howl split the morning air – a sound of fury, pain, and unfinished business. The hunt wasn't over. It had just changed prey.Outside, the dawn light washed the clearing in pale grey. Fen stood apart, his pack huddled nervously behind him. He ripped a strip from his ruined pants, binding the deep bite on his neck with savage jerks. Blood seeped through the crude bandage. His amber eyes scanned the treeline, then snapped back to the cabin door as Rick emerged, followed by Shane, Daryl leaning heavily on the doorframe, and finally Lily, flanked by Lori. Lily's face was pale beneath the smeared blood, her eyes downcast, but her shoulders were rigid. Fen's gaze locked onto her like a hawk sighting prey. "She stays away from my pack," Fen snarled, his voice raw. "Her scent... her *bite*... it calls the rage." Rick stepped forward, rifle held loosely but ready. "She stays inside. Your pack hunts south of the creek. No crossing." Fen bared his teeth. "And if the rage takes one of mine? If they answer her call?" Shane hefted his pistol. "Then we put 'em down." A low growl rippled through Fen's pack. The ragged-eared youth whimpered. Fen stared at Rick, then Lily, his expression unreadable. "The town," he said abruptly, changing the subject like slamming a door. "Where your hunters went. It's worse than dead." Merle spat. "Spit it out, Fido." Fen's eyes never left Lily. "The rot there... it moves. Not walkers. Something... hungrier. It took my alpha female."" fen im so sorry, unless you mark me back the mark will fade away. i was not me back there, you wanted me to have you pups, if you still do you and daryl can mark and share me, my wolf wants both of you as mates" lily said to fen. Fen froze. The raw fury in his eyes flickered, replaced by something darker, more calculating. He studied Lily—the tremble in her hands, the desperate sincerity in her wolf-yellow eyes, the fresh bite mark stark on Daryl's shoulder. Slowly, deliberately, Fen walked toward her, ignoring Shane's tensed pistol, Rick's watchful gaze. He stopped inches away, the scent of her fading heat mingling with blood and pine. "Mark you?" Fen's voice was a low rasp. He reached out, calloused fingers tracing the unmarked skin of her throat. "A claim?" His thumb pressed against her pulse point. "Or a leash?" Behind Lily, Daryl shifted, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Fen's gaze snapped to him. "You want this? Shared scraps?" Daryl's hand tightened on his knife. "Her choice. Always." Fen's lips curled. He leaned close to Lily, his breath hot on her ear. "Your wolf wants *mates*, Omega? Fine." His teeth grazed her earlobe, not biting, but promising. "But understand—this isn't peace. It's war declared." He stepped back, turning to Rick. "The town. Your hunters walked into its mouth."The ragged-eared youth whimpered again, pressing closer to Fen. "The trees... they whispered," he stammered. "Said the rot... *breathes*." Fen nodded grimly. "It's not walkers. It's... something that *grows*. Roots in the dead. Vines that pulse. It took my mate because she bled near its edge." Shane scoffed, but unease tightened his grip on his gun. "Bullshit. Mutated plants?" Fen's gaze was flint. "It took her screaming. Dragged her down into the earth. We heard her bones crack." Silence fell, thick and cold. Lori clutched Carl tighter. Glenn paled. Merle spat. "Fuckin' fairy tales." Lily stepped forward, her voice steadier now. "Shane and Merle are out there. We need to warn them." Rick's jaw set. "We move. Now." He looked at Fen. "Your pack scouts ahead. Find them. Bring them back." Fen's smile was sharp, predatory. "For a price." His eyes locked onto Lily. "She comes with us. Her scent... it masks ours from the rot." Daryl stepped between them instantly. "Over my dead body." Fen bared his teeth. "That," he hissed, "can be arranged."" stop it both of you, daryl your mark on my left should, fen right shoulder if you want to" she growls stepping in between them " now"Fen's eyes burned into Daryl's over Lily's shoulder, a silent challenge crackling between them. The hunter didn't flinch, his hand resting on the knife at his belt. Slowly, deliberately, Fen lowered his head. His teeth sank into Lily's right shoulder, deep and claiming, drawing a sharp gasp from her lips. Blood welled, dark against her skin. Before the sting could fade, Daryl mirrored the action on her left, his bite possessive, grounding. Lily shuddered between them, the twin marks burning like brands. A low, involuntary growl rumbled in her chest – part pain, part primal acceptance. Fen licked the blood from his teeth, eyes never leaving Daryl. "The hunt begins," he stated flatly. " she is mine too, no ours" fen said before biting daryls neck marking him as his beta "now you are pack" fen said to daryl "lets go"
