Tribes

by Mia Frances

If he wanted her, she was his for the taking. It wouldn't be easy; he'd have to tame her some. She wasn't going to like it, but in the end she'd come around. She had no choice in the matter! He'd never raised a hand to Lynn, Never had to. A dirty look or frown from him was all it took to keep her on the straight and narrow. But Alex was different. She needed a firm hand. Needed someone to spank her ass every now and again, to teach her the error of her ways.

"I'm no brute Alex, no matter what you think. You're sick and need to heal; but when you're better, you and I will get reacquainted! It's a long life Alex. I can wait." She turned her head slowly toward him, her look one of contempt. "'What's the matter Alex, doesn't the idea appeal to you? Well, no matter, you'll get used to it." "I want you out of my house," she ordered, her teeth clenched in anger. "You do, do you?" he taunted, chuckling. "Well, I might have expected as much. That's gratitude for you."

"The only thing that stands between you and certain disaster is me. I could leave, but I won't. Because I know what would happen. I'd be throwing you to the wolves, letting them have at you. Oh, it might not be tomorrow, or next week, or next month, but it would happen…sooner or later it would happen. And then where would you be? You came this close to dying," he said, holding up two fingers barely a hair's width apart. "Next time you might not be so lucky. I can't abandon you Alex. It would be like turning my back on a drowning child. Whether you like it or not, my duty's clear: I'm going to take care of you!"

His anger subsided when he saw how frightened she was. Wolf felt bad for upsetting her; what with her so sick and it being Christmas Eve and all. But there were certain things they had to get straight between them. First off, he was the man of the house, not yesterday's garbage. He wouldn't allow her to treat him like dirt. "There's one thing I want to make perfectly clear to you; I'm in charge now. I'll see to it that you're all properly provided for; but in return I expect loyalty, obedience, and respect. I'll accept nothing less. I can fend for myself; you and the kids can't! You're barely surviving on starvation rations now. The food that could have kept you alive is buried under the snow; you can't get to it. What little you've managed to put aside won't take you through to February. Then what? Spring's a long way off Alex. There's no way you'll survive till then without me. I'm not greedy. I'm willing to share my food,

You think that just because you went to college and can throw around some big words, that makes you better than me.

Um, no. I think I’m better than you because you are a rapist, not that much different from the bastards you killed.

I'm betting you're one of those ballbusting, feminist, Me Too types. Throwing hissy fits and demanding your rights. Not with me you don't. Forget any notion you have of you and I being equals. We're not! I'm the only man here and you…you'll do as you're told! I'll do my job and you do yours and we'll get along just fine!"

Gah!

"I know you think I'm an asshole. But I'm not a mean man. If I'd wanted to, I could have carried you off. Left the kids to starve, with no one to take care of them. But I didn't! I brought you home. Do you think any other man who took a fancy to you would have done that? Women are scarce. They get dragged off all the time, their husbands killed, children slaughtered, or left to starve and die in the cold. I want to do right by you Alex. I'm willing to take on the burden of caring for you and the children."

But you are a far cry from the romantic hero we want to see in a romance!

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened at the museum. I shouldn't have done that to you. It was wrong. I know you won't believe me, but I'm not like those men in the woods who hurt you. I'd never do that to you. Never hurt you like that. I can't take back what I did. I can only work to earn your trust and respect. I hope you'll give me a chance to prove myself."

Um... The shit you’ve just been spouting is not getting you far down that road!

"They way you carried on, it seemed like it was the most important thing in the world to you. I can't say much for your priorities, but since it didn't seem to be all that difficult or dangerous, I couldn't see the harm in it. It's a small price to pay to see you happy."

Again, being Santa isn’t going to change my mind about you any time soon!

Though uninvited, he seemed determined to stay. For good or ill, he'd adopted them. The food and gifts, were bribes, attempts to win them over. She couldn't fault him for that. Loneliness, the need for human contact, had driven him to their door.

her call softly to him, "Good night." There was a long pause and then, "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas Alex," he replied, his voice strained. Wolf kept his head turned away from her. He was afraid to let her see the tears in his eyes.

Too little, too late, after the BS he gave her. He’s got a long way to go to prove himself.

Alex had done what he'd told her. Her body was scrubbed clean, hair washed. Now there was little to do but wait. She wrapped the sheet around her and tried to keep from crying. That's what he wanted: to see her teary-eyed and quaking in fear. He'd stripped her of everything else in the past few weeks, her pride, her self-respect, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cower like a whipped dog. Her courage had deserted her, her will broken, yet hidden beneath the submissive demeanor she'd been forced to adopt, there remained a spark of defiance. She daydreamed about him dying. Sometimes she killed him or drove him off into the snow to freeze to death. Other times he was murdered by marauders. Her reveries always ended with Wolf dead. As much as she hated him, Alex couldn't bring herself to do anything about it, knowing full well it would spell the end of her little tribe.

The scarcity of food was his insurance, his trump card, his way of keeping them in line and under his thumb.

That's why he never brought the kills home. He didn't want anyone to know just how much there was. He was afraid that as the reserves grew and the specter of starvation retreated, they'd be tempted to get rid of him. As long as he was needed, he had a home. Once he outlived his usefulness, they might turn on him and force him out. He didn't trust them, but then why would he? The only thing he saw reflected in their eyes was fear and loathing.

She could hear whimpers coming from the downstairs bedroom. Seth was crying in his sleep, the most recent recipient of Wolf's discipline. It hadn't been clear exactly what the boy had done, but then it didn't take much to provoke Wolf's displeasure. Even Justin and Charles, their misguided hero worship having faded, disliked him. Every member of the household had been the victim of his ill temper at one time or another. Alex more than anyone. She was the constant object of his criticism, scolding, and correc...

He constantly called her "little girl" and treated her like a child, telling her when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to take a nap, even when to go to the bathroom. The last he enforced with a large jar of suppositories he'd found in a camp he'd ransacked. Wolf insisted she had to have a bowel movement at least once a day while she was recovering from her injuries. He said he didn't want her to get constipated. If she didn't go, he'd put her over his knee, shove

Holy fucking shit. Now I’m just reading to see how bad this gets and if she kills him like she should!

Translation…he was a big oaf! A musclebound ape with a gerbil-size brain! Alex longed for spring when the plants would grow again and there'd be plenty of food. They wouldn't need him then. They'd be able to fend for themselves, be free of his control. But it wouldn't be easy! He wouldn't leave willingly, more drastic means would be necessary to get rid of him. Though he kept guns in the house, they weren't loaded. The ammunition was stored elsewhere. The trick would be to locate it without his knowing. She was hoping that having a gun pointed at his middle, and knowing she wouldn't hesitate to shoot, would give him incentive to move on. Not likely! The man was a stubborn son of a bitch. In the end, she'd probably have to shoot, maybe even kill him, to get him out of their lives. Alex had a hard time believing she was actually contemplating murder. But what else could she do? If ever a man deserved it, it was Wolf.

I’m glad she’s thinking this way!

Yet there were times when she felt almost guilty for her negative feelings toward him, when she felt her nerve deserting her. In his own way, he was doing all he could for them.

No! No no no! Don’t you think this way!

the price they paid was high. He fed them, saw to it that they were kept safe and warm, but in return he wanted them to be devoted slaves. When they resisted, he called them ungrateful. He wanted their loyalty, respect, and obedience, but did nothing to earn it. He thought he could bully them into it, impose his will. When they objected, he felt himself ill-used. He was a man that defied all attempts at understanding. She couldn't fathom why he did the things he did. One moment he'd be fuming and threatening and the very next calm and rational.

Because he’s insane!

She found it bizarre that he rushed to the side of a whimpering child, having a nightmare, when he was the bogeyman in their dreams. Did he think his little acts of kindness somehow made amends for all the rest of it? If he did, he was sadly mistaken.

Alex was mortified to think that in a little while she'd be lying naked and he'd be inside her. She and Matt made love. What did she call this? Fucking? Screwing? Humping? Banging? No, she called it what it was…another rape! The worst part of it was knowing that it wouldn't end tonight. It would keep happening, over and over again. There was no escape.

After what happened, he could understand why being touched by a man would terrify her; but didn't she understand that this was different, that he wouldn't hurt her, that he cared for her? His thoughts turned to their first meeting at the museum. He regretted what he'd done to her that day. It was inexcusable. He'd never forced a woman before in his life. He'd acted on an impulse, a compulsion born of anger, grief, and need. She'd been a convenient body. A way to ease his loneliness. He could only imagine how terrified she'd been. If he could take it back, he would. But that was all in the past now. He'd make it up to her, make her forget. This was a new beginning for them.

Um, okay. Prove it.

She rose off the bed forcing his cock deeper inside her! Then pulled back and rammed it in again this time harder! This couldn't be happening! But it was! Alex moaned. Her insides were melting. It was like a volcanic eruption. An explosion going off inside her. Sending showers of burning embers and searing heat radiating from her core. Pulsating through every muscle. Her body convulsed, twitching and jerking, as wave after wave of pleasure sent her spiraling into the stratosphere. Past stars and planets. She was weightless, floating, soaring.

Here’s the magical orgasm! And of course she’s never had one before. Bleh.

He was out in the cold somewhere, maybe lost, maybe hurt, maybe even dying. Guilt overwhelmed her. She'd wished him dead a hundred times; but now that he might truly be in danger, she was filled with remorse for ever having harbored such thoughts. She hadn't meant it; it was just childish anger, nothing more. Most days she dreaded the sound of his footsteps, but right now…there was nothing she'd welcome more! Her head told her it was only because she needed his brute strength, his skill as a hunter; but her heart said something else. Was it possible that she didn't hate him quite as much as she thought she did? Could she, God forbid, even care for him a little?

He hasn’t come home and now she thinks she’s in love with him? WTF?

If he thought he could bully her into submission, he was sadly mistaken.

Hasn’t he already?

When she did, swearing to him that she'd taken it down with one shot, he called her a liar. He couldn't deal with the fact that she could fend for herself. Wolf had insisted she learn how to hunt, sending her out into the woods every day to "bring home the bacon." But what he said and what he wanted were two entirely different things. She was supposed to fail, remaining forever dependent on him. He'd taken a certain amount of pleasure in

seeing her drag herself through the door every night, weary and empty-handed, belittling her attempts at providing for them. Her failure was a daily reminder of how indispensable he was. Proof that her survival and that of the children hinged on him. But the subordinate scenario he envisioned for her had abruptly changed and he didn't like it one bit! Wolf hadn't cared when she brought bark, berries, and firewood home. In his world of well-defined roles, foraging was woman's work. But hunting, putting meat on the table? That was a man's job! He viewed her newfound skill as a hunter threatening. Undermining his role as breadwinner, provider, and head of the house. She'd threatened his fragile male ego. Made him feel less a man. Now, she was paying the price.

He bared her, raining down dozens of stinging slaps on her defenseless bottom.

He spanked her because she successfully killed a deer. I was really hoping that after she saved his life he would change. No luck there :(

"Don't ever turn your back on me like that again. I won't be disrespected," he scolded. You come strutting in here like you grew a set of balls. Thinking because you bagged one fucking deer you don't need me anymore. Well, think again!"

Missing quotation marks in several places.

You may think you've got a set of clankers, that you're some kind of self-reliant, fucking Amazon now, a real badass bitch, but I've got news for you…nothing's changed little girl, not one damn thing! Comprende?" Though Alex meekly nodded her head, her eyes blazed with defiance.

Exactly, nothing has changed. We still hate you and hope you die.

Sassy. Stubborn. Contrary. Fearless. Alex was a handful, but he wouldn't want her any other way. That's what kept her alive through all this, allowed her to survive when others perished. Wolf didn't want to break her spirit, just straighten her out a little. He wanted her trust, wanted her to rely on him, but she wasn't there yet. She was his partner, his wife! He'd put a ring on her finger. But she still refused to accept that he was her husband and head of the house now. Until she did, she'd be receiving regular, over-the-knee, bare-bottom attitude adjustments from him.

He does want her another way! Little dips into his head claiming this BS doesn’t change my mind about him one iota.

A ballbusting, card-carrying, Me Too movement, feminist whiner.

This is the second time the “Me too movement” has come up in Wolf’s head. Does the author have an issue with this movement??

She was fed up with Wolf and his heavy-handed, domineering ways! He'd better watch his back!

Please shoot him!

"Ouch," she squealed in protest, as his fingers began plucking the other nipple. He pinched so hard it brought tears to her eyes. After a minute, he let go. As the blood rushed back into the little peak she felt the most indescribable sensation. It was an intoxicating mixture of pain and pleasure. She was in a daze as she watched him alternate between her breasts, suckling and tormenting with equal measure. Alex felt a throbbing between her legs, followed by a disconcerting wetness. How was it possible

The sex scenes are there but not good! Wolf seems to care nothing for her pleasure.

"No!" she protested. "I may not…" she had trouble getting the words out, "may not smell…you know…fresh down there."

Wolf looked up and burst out laughing. "All the better! I like women who smell like women! With just a touch of fishy aftertaste."

Blech

What the hell was the matter with her husband? How could he have had Alex in his bed every night and not pleasured her properly. He watched as she shook her head again. What the fuck? Was every man in her past a pansy? "Well I intend to remedy that. You just lay back and enjoy it."

Like Wolf has seen to her pleasure before?? This seems very cliche. First the magical cock and now the magical tongue to lick away all his past sins. None of this is turning me on in the least!

Every time Alex orgasms “the coil snaps”

It was as though every piece of meat he put in his mouth, every root, every bit of bark, stuck in his throat, choking him. He couldn't bear the thought that the food he ate was the result of her efforts; that she was the one keeping them fed. It was wounded pride, but knowing that didn't make living with the man any easier.

Geessh!

If nothing else, Alex was a pragmatist. Yes, Wolf could be a son of a bitch sometimes, but she needed him. At least for now!

It really seems like you don’t!

"Stay back! I mean it!" She cocked the gun. "Don't you ever..." Before he could finish, the deafening sound of rifle fire knocked him to his knees. For a moment he seemed dazed, unable to move. Wolf looked up and saw her coming toward him on the porch. "Don't make me kill you, just go." "You hate me that much?" he asked drunkenly. "I want you out of here." "To go where?" he shouted. "This is my home!" "Not any more! I don't care where you go or what you do, whether you live or die. I just want you out of our lives. You're a vicious bastard, a bully. There's not a shred of compassion or decency in you. The only emotions you're capable of are resentment, anger, and cruelty." "I love you!" he shouted, voice cracking. "You don't even know the meaning of the word," she screamed back at him. "You don't want anybody to care about you. You want them to fear you! You've made our

Hallelujah!

lives a living hell, but no more. Stay away from us Wolf or I swear I'll kill you!" He stared at her in shocked silence, then his eyes filled with rage, "I kept you alive, I gave you food! "Yes, you gave us that," she spat back. "But we paid dearly for it. We had to grovel for everything we got, enduring your temper, black moods, and abuse. You forget that it was our roof that sheltered you, our fire that warmed you. We owe you nothing!" she barked at him. "Justin get Wolf his clothes, a pack, a sleeping bag, and a box of shells." "You can't do this," he bellowed, outraged. "I won't let you shut me out. You can't throw me away like a piece of garbage." He rose to his feet and started toward her. She trained the gun on his head. "Stay where you are!" "You need me!" "No we don't! I'd rather take my chances alone than endure another day with you." A few moments later Justin appeared with a pack, filled to bursting with hastily shoved in clothing and a tattered sleeping bag. "Throw them to him," she ordered. They landed at Wolf's feet with a thud. He looked down at them and then at Alex. "Take them and go," she ordered. "You're going to be damn sorry, woman. You won't get rid of me so easily. I'll be back." "You do and you're a dead man," she warned. He grabbed the pack, tying the sleeping bag to its frame, then looked at her, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. "I cared about you. I cared about them," he said

emotionally, "But you used me. You never gave a damn about me, none of you." Alex didn't answer. Turning, she motioned Justin toward the door, then, without looking back, followed him into the house. She slammed the door, quickly sliding the bolt in place. Wolf was out of their lives now. Goodbye and good riddance! She hurried the children off to bed, then dragged her mattress to the door. He was still out there, standing like a statue, staring at the house. Alex watched him through the window, her hatred and anger slipping away. She couldn't help but pity him; tearing up when he finally turned and walked away, a lost and lonely soul retreating into the night. There was no elation, only relief; no joy, only an aching emptiness.

Thank God! I’m dreading him coming back and raping her or killing them all though.

She rebuked herself for thinking with her crotch instead of her head. She was better off without him! So why didn't she believe it?

And she’s immediately regretting it because of the magical cock and tongue :(

He was trying to make amends, worm his way back into their good graces, hoping they'd forgive him for the unhappiness he'd caused, the pain he'd inflicted. No way! She wasn't that stupid or her memory that short. Wolf couldn't be trusted. He was an overbearing asshole, a rat bastard! He'd never change! Even though Alex was lonely, she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive him, or allow him back into their lives.

Good!

It was comforting to have a full belly. The change was most evident in the little ones, who appeared to grow taller almost overnight. It seemed like an eternity ago that they'd begun this long journey together. They'd been babies back then. They were less innocent, more wizened now. Hardship had changed and aged them. Yet they were still children, even as they went about their daily chores. Splashing each other as they captured the frogs, turtles, and crayfish that added diversity to their diet. Playing hide and seek amid the trees as they foraged for food. Giggling and laughing as they carried wood. They no longer talked about the past, their conversations focusing with singular purpose on the present. There was no mention of mothers or fathers, of homes, or schools, or friends. Society, civilization, were little more than faint recollections. They didn't look back, but neither did they focus on the future. Their concerns centered on the moment, on the tenuous hold they had on today. No one ever spoke of what they wanted to be when they grew up. No mention was made of rescue either. They'd come to the sad realization that this meager existence was all there was. There'd be no reprieve. There were no more dreams, only frightening realities.

It was spring and wild onions were growing, just as they always had. They hadn't withered away, died off, or become extinct. If such an ultraviolet-sensitive species could exist in the aftermath of the war, then so could the rest of the plants. Life would go on!

the kids did needed pants.

Occasional spelling errors

She was pregnant? Alex bit her lip and shook her head. A baby?

And now she’s pregnant :(

She was having a miscarriage, losing the baby! She stared at the blood, not knowing what to do, then struggled to her feet, fighting back tears. Alex hadn't wanted it, but… She was suddenly overwhelmed by grief. They were both gone. Lost to her forever. There would be no baby to cradle, no man to hold. She picked up the bundle and weeping, staggered home.

I’m kind of glad, since it was unwanted and from her rapists.