"Marius Branch, What's Yours?"

"Marius Branch, what's yours?" you reply, and Jean smiles.

"You already know my name silly," she says, but you don't let it go.

"I know your first name, 'Jean', but not your full name, and if you're going to be my mate I think I deserve to know the whole thing," you counter and Jean let's out a little yip of laughter.

"You first! Tell me your full name, middle name too, and I will tell you mine," she says reaching one hand down to pinch your butt.

"Okay..." You say nervously, and take a deep breath. "My FULL name, including both my middle names, is Marius Aurelius Septimus Branch, and so help me if you ever say the rest of it where any of The Pack can hear you, I will make you show throat," you say quietly and with an audible note of warning.

Jean doesn't doubt you for a second, but only smiles. "Your secret is safe with me Marius," she says and kisses you gently.

"Your turn," you prompt, and Jean gulps.

"Okay, you think you have an embarrassing name? MY full name is Jean Claudia Vanna Damwiath: you can guess who my father's favorite actor was, and I think you know that he was expecting a boy..." Jean says with a mournful note.

"Good god," You ****, "do the others know?" You ask, then let out a little bark of laughter. "And when did your parents divorce, right after your mother found out or did it take a few months?" You joke, but Immediately realize you have blundered, because Jean is starting to tear. "I'm so sorry Jean, what did I say?" You howl in emotional agony at having hurt your mate, and she wipes the tears away for a minute to explain.

"Yu-you, cu-couldn't have ku-known. My mother di-du-died of cu-complications following mu-my bu-birth," Jean sobs around a lump in her throat, the pain and shame of it an unhealing wound even as an adult.

"OH MY GOD!" You exclaim in sudden understanding, and just hold her close as she bawls in your arms for ten minutes.

When she's calmed down you get to the heart of the matter with perspicacity as great as the obliviousness you demonstrated a few minutes ago. "This is all coming back to you right now because we just had unprotected sex, isn't it? You're scared that if you get pregnant, which is highly likely because you are in heat, you will die just like your mother, even more so because we have no medical care out here." You state more than ask, and Jean nods her head vigorously in mute reply. "Don't be scared Jean, neither I nor the other members of The Pack will let that happen. Besides, the transformation has gifted you with just about the best hips for giving birth that a woman could ask for: you won't die, and neither will our children," you reassure her, patting her head with one hand, careful to keep from scratching her with your claws.

After that Jean returns to her hyper competent Alpha Female persona with great rapidity, but you know you have just glimpsed the **** inner core of your mate, the secret fears that she keeps buried which drive her to do more than most would think possible and assert her dominance over both others and the situations she finds herself in, because she fears that if she relaxes that aggressive personality others will sense her inner weaknesses and use them against her. You too have such buried demons, and you resolve that in the days and months ahead you and Jean will battle both sets of deeply buried flaws together and emerge stronger for each other's support.

Right now however you have to go out and see what The Pack has been up to while you were alone in the tent, and get working on making long term plans for surviving out here in the park...