Feral Instincts

The Alpha didn’t hesitate to nod in response to Mallory’s wishes. Eero expected that she would need time to register the emotions that he sent her way. He knew that they were not only overwhelmingly powerful but such a vast mixture. There wasn’t an atom in him that didn’t scream to preserve all that she was and even though he had never imprinted, never romantically loved or even liked anyone before, it all felt familiar to him thanks to his wolf lineage. And as for Mallory? She was not a wolf. She did not have the ability to imprint. 

“Take all the time you need, Little Red,” he expressed lowly from behind her, his blue gaze following the curve of her body as she removed her gown. They grazed over the faint sun-kissed freckles that dotted the tops of her shoulders and faded down her shoulder blades. He wanted to press his lips to each and every one of them.

The two of them migrated to Eero’s bedroom once Mallory was in dry clothes and he now stood slightly inside of his walk-in closet, unbuttoning the white dress shirt that clung to his body. Behind him, he could hear the rustling of Mallory moving about his room. Dropping his shirt to the floor, he glanced over a shoulder, one brow raised when he caught sight of the auburn-haired girl dragging his bedspreads and pillows clean off his mattress and toward the crackling fireplace. A quietly huffed laugh escaped him and he continued changing.

Now in a white t-shirt and black sweatpants, Eero reemerged from the closet, coming to a stop at the edge of the nest of blankets, pillows, and furniture that she had created with astonishing swiftness. One corner of his lips twitched at an amused smile and he lifted his eyes to meet her own, finding her already beaming up at him, hand outstretched. The wolf couldn’t deny the huntress and made himself comfortable beside her, he had felt rather content for a moment, at least until a few specific words came spewing from her. A mixture of emotions swirled through him and though he understood what she was saying to him, he refused to let her go on thinking at least one thing.

Eero’s brows knitted as she held his face, “You’re right. We do mate, and it is a sacred occurrence, but you’re wrong about one thing.” his hand rose up to capture hers as her thumb stroked his cheek. “I imprinted on you the night of the Harvest Ball, but that wasn’t when I I started falling for you, Mallory.” his eyes searched hers for a long moment and he briefly wet his lips before continuing. “It was the night we camped in the mountains, on our travels here.” his thumb brushed along her bottom lip softly. “You were shivering horribly and your lips were the darkest shade of blue I’d ever seen, yet when I went to help you, all you could do was scold me. I didn’t close my eyes until the color came back to your lips and you stopped shivering, and when I woke up to you wrapped around me still sleeping, I saw you for the first time. No anger. No defenses. Just you. And I liked what I saw.”

He wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but their lips met and he found himself savoring the soft, plush feel of her mouth against his own. He didn’t open his eyes as she whispered against his lips and then the bond pulled taut, allowing Mallory to display her own feelings and memories to him. His body stiffened initially and then relaxed as he felt the whirlwind of emotions and moments they shared, even some he had no idea existed until now. Those quiet admirations and subtle blushes blossomed over her cheeks in his presence. He drank them all in and clung to them until they were fading from him slowly, along with the feeling of her kiss. Opening his eyes, Eero curled his finger beneath her chin. 

“I don’t know if you know this about me, but I can be a rather patient man,” Eero said quietly, a faint smirk playing at his lips.

* * *

A few hours passed by and the two of them hadn’t budged from their spot in front of the fireplace. Eero was now sprawled out on his back, his legs propped up on the edge of his bare bed as he peered over at Mallory. “You’ve utterly destroyed my bed, and not even in the fun sort of manner,” he rumbled out, his lips quirking at the sound of her laughter. However, when she was ready to spew out her own snide remark, he was quick to reach out his arm, tipping her over onto the pile of blankets. A playful growl escaped the Alpha and he was hovering over her quickly, his fingers prodding a rather sensitive part of her ribs. His brows rose as he realized that he had found a place where she was ticklish and a dark entertainment flashed in his sea-blue eyes. The horror that filled Mallory only fueled his mischief and his fingers were quick to dive back into her ribs, his ears shortly becoming graced by the sound of her fits of laughter.

“What’s wrong?” he asked and then she was finally gaining the upper ground, pinning him to the blankets instead. He let out a chuckle and stared up at her, one finger twirling a strand of her hair. “I taught you that move,” he winked and his head turned to glance toward one of the windows, letting the darkness remind him of what hour it was.

“Since you went through all this hard work,” he gestured to the nest they had made themselves rather comfortable in. “I think it’s only right that we sleep here,” he insisted and once Mallory had made herself comfortable against him, Eero pressed his lips against the top of her head, his arm wrapped around her and their voices and laughter slowly faded into the popping fire in front of them and then, he wasn’t sure exactly when, but he had fallen asleep against her.

  * * *

Deep auburn strands of hair tickled the tip of Eero’s nose, stirring him awake earlier than he intended being up. He rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, tired eyes peering over to find Mallory’s hair stretching out across his entire chest as her cheek pressed itself against his bicep. A slow smile curled against the Alpha’s lips as he examined her sleeping figure and slowly he began untangling himself from her, making sure to replace his body with a couple of pillows to keep her head propped up in his absence.

Eero padded lazily through the sitting room toward the kitchen, still shirtless, and his hair still a tousled mess from his sleep. Upon entering the kitchen, Eero found Tahtia perched on the island table at the center of the room, her focus entirely on Regis who was cooking up breakfast at the stove. The sound of sizzling bacon filled the air around them and the Alpha reached over his packmate, snatching two pieces, earning a soft growl from Regis.

With a smirk on his lips, Eero pulled a plate and two mugs free from the cabinets. Regis watched as his Alpha began prepping a breakfast on the plate with precision and care. His brows knitted with confusion and a hint of concern and even Tahtia craned her head to watch quietly. Eero ignored them, continuing to fill the mugs with freshly pressed coffee. After watching Mallory make herself coffee in the morning, Eero had successfully memorized the way she liked it. How much creamer to add and how big of a pinch of nutmeg. 

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Eero?” Tahtia finally said when he finished sprinkling in the nutmeg.

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced between Regis and Tahtia who were gawking at him. “What?”

“You never make a plate of breakfast, you just steal bacon from the pan and have a piece of toast. And even if you did make a plate, it never looked like that.” Regis gestured to the breakfast which was plated carefully. The toast was perfectly golden on each side, the eggs seasoned with salt and pepper and the bacon decoratively placed on the side. In the center was a packet of butter and jelly.

“It’s not for me,” Eero shrugged and Tahtia blinked.

“You wouldn’t even get me a beer from the fridge when I asked one time.” She glared and Regis burst out laughing.

Azalea and Thomas entered the kitchen a moment later and their eyes landed on the plate and mug in Eero’s hand, the same confusion painting their faces. Eero rolled his eyes and went to move past them when Mallory entered next, her eyes still sleepy looking. His eyes softened upon landing on her and he gestured for her to take a seat at the table, setting down her breakfast and coffee.

“Good morning, did you sleep okay?” he murmured and every packmate glanced between each other then back to the two of them, obviously taken aback from Eero’s sudden bedside manner that they’d had yet to ever truly see. 

“Did he just say good—” Azalea whispered and Thomas nudged her.

“Morning, Mallory.” he cleared his throat. “Azzy, how do you want your eggs, let Regis know.” Thomas nodded and redirected his mate and the others so they would stop watching them like they were zoo animals.

Finding his spot beside Mallory, Eero took a sip from his mug of coffee, his shoulders slumping slightly when he could finally think through the fog. He quickly came to realize just how out of character he was acting, and part of him was just as horrified as his packmates must have been, but the other half, all it cared about was making sure that Mallory was happy and content and that part of him was far stronger than he anticipated it being.

“You have sleep lines on your cheek,” Eero noted, his thumb brushing her cheek gently, a grin on his lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sleep that deeply,” he paused, an impish glint in his eyes. “You know you snore?” he teased playfully and captured one of her swatting hands, pressing his lips to the back of it.

Again. The Pack blinked at them, this time Thomas included. Eero could feel it and had half a mind to snarl at them all — in fact, he was about to when a knock sounded on the threshold of the kitchen.

It didn’t take more than a second for Eero to be standing in front of Mallory, his eyes shifting from blue to gold as he stared down Ahren who leaned against the wall, his lips curved upward with amusement. The entire pack stopped what they were doing, canines elongating and low growls rumbling from their chests.

“What? You don’t have room for one more?” Ahren clicked his tongue.

“What are you doing here?” Eero demanded.

“Well it’s not every day we have a traitor return to claim his throne, is it?” Ahren muttered, straightening the lapels of his jacket.

“And this conversation couldn’t wait?” 

“Afraid not.” Ahren’s gaze shifted to Mallory and Eero’s muscles tensed instinctively, his body shifting further in front of her. “Especially not with your pretty little witch friend here. It would be a shame you know.  If the others found out you were harboring our kind greatest enemy. You’re not only putting your pet in danger but your entire pack. I wouldn’t say that’s a very High Alpha thing to do.” The dark-haired wolf said, eyes returning to Eero whose hands were curled into fists, the veins in his arms protruding.

“If I didn't know how much of an asshole you are, I'd say you almost sound concerned,” Eero growled out and Ahren chuckled, nodding softly.

“Give up the throne, Adrastos. It’s that simple.” Ahren’s tone became more stern and Eero took a step toward him, his canines bared.

“Get the hell out of my estate, Ahren, and if you make any threats toward her or my pack again, the next thing your tongue will be used for is to strangle you, do I make myself clear?”

“You’re making a mistake, Eero,” Ahren growled and looked between before before shifting in the doorway. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you." He finished, turning on his heel and storming out of the estate.

“He is a power-hungry dick,” Tahtia mused.

“Eero, if he says something to any of them. . .” Azalea piped up, her voice full of concern.

“You think I don’t know?” Eero snapped out and they fell silent. His eyes closed for a moment, he had to protect his people, his pack, but most importantly, his body screamed out for him to protect her. It would always be her.

A contented sigh slipped from between Mallory’s lips as the Alpha tucked her snuggly against his side, cocooned in his warm but still sopping wet jacket with his arm curled along her shoulders as they made their way back through the estate. The waitstaff were bustling about, cleaning up the remnants left behind from the ball. Mallory felt a pang of guilt in her chest as she noticed the trail of water they were leaving behind, another mess for Eero’s staff to clean up after them. It seemed that the two of them had been creating a lot of messes these days, physical or otherwise.

The huntress was still coasting on her post-orgasm high as the Alpha guided her along one of the large corridors of the estate, his hand planted firmly against her back as he held her close and steered her in the direction of one of the ornate sitting rooms. All Mal had wanted to do was to get out of their wet clothes and find a warm place to snuggle up with the larger man, to draw out this mutual affection the two had finally fallen into after months of skirting around it. She’d wanted to soak up these final few hours of oxytocin induced intoxication before her rational thoughts inevitably returned and she went back to convincing herself that Eero and her didn’t make any sense.

But their friends, Eero’s most trusted members of his pack, clearly had other plans for them.

They’d all been waiting for the pair with heavy, demanding stares as they’d rounded a corner to cut through one of the large sitting rooms, a fire crackling and the wolves spread out throughout the room lounging on comfortable chairs or propped in doorways. The only escape route would have been to make a complete 180 and leave the way they’d came in, and Mallory was heavily considering that option when Tahtia’s voice cut through the air like a knife. She’d interrupted the beginning of what Mallory knew would be a heavy conversation, and Mal was almost thankful for the interjection before the girl’s hateful words fully registered.

As if the smallest of their pack had pulled some invisible trigger, suddenly the entire room was alight with shouts and chaos as each wolf tried to speak over the others. Azalea caught the room’s attention as she raised an accusing finger in the air, declaring that Mallory and Eero had been hooking up behind everyone’s backs for some time now.

The room fell silent and blood rushed to the huntress’ cheeks, a dark blush staining her porcelain skin. “That-“ She choked out, raising both of her hands in defense, “is not how any of this happened.”

Thomas was intervening a moment later, calming his half-drunk mate and clarifying what everyone was thinking. Mallory felt the Alpha stiffen at her side, obviously contemplating how best to explain that he’d befriended then imprinted on their hostage who they’d planned to use as bait and eventually murder… as if that situation wasn’t messy enough already. Eero hadn’t hesitated to declare that their plans had changed, much to Tahtia’s obvious disgruntlement.

“You sound jealous,” Mallory stated in a no-nonsense tone, arms crossed over her chest and stare boring into the other female. “Is that what this is about? Is that why you’ve hated me and been so cruel all of this time?” The huntress prodded, challenge gleaming in her sapphire eyes. “Are you jealous that I’m fucking Eero and you’re not?”

Sure, she’d only just slept with the Alpha for the first time only a couple of hours ago, but if they all wanted to think the worst of her and assume that they’d been hiding some secret sensual relationship then Mal would let them believe it. Especially because that was exactly how Tahtia had been behaving - like a jealous little brat.

Eero and Regis were both intervening a moment later, the latter shooting Mallory a disapproving scowl for her part in the pettiness. Mal recognized that her words had been hostile and maybe a low blow, but she was so fed up with the constant attacks by the smallest wolf that she hadn’t been able to bite her tongue for a moment longer.

And then Eero was putting his heart on display for everyone to see, speaking his truth with such a sureness and confidence that it made Mallory’s chest tighten with affection. He had imprinted on the huntress the night of the Harvest Moon Ball, he’d confessed, and sometime after that Mallory had begun to consume his thoughts. Blue eyes surveyed the pack as they took in this news, their shocked and then solemn faces as they digested what their Alpha had to tell them. Mal watched as recognition dawned on each of their faces, recognition that indeed all of their plans for the huntress had changed. Even Tahtia’s rage seemed to flicker out on a phantom wind.

It was one of the wolves’ most sacred rules - someone who’d been imprinted on couldn’t be intentionally harmed under any circumstances. It was said that to take away a wolf’s imprinted was a fate worse than death, and would leave their soul wandering the plains of reality in search of their beloved for the rest of their miserable lives. Often times, death was a quicker and more merciful fate.

The wolves had seemed to accept this turn of fate quicker than even Mallory had.

* * * * *

Mallory offered the Alpha her back, wordlessly beckoning him to release her from the confines of her soaked dress once they were closed into the confines of her bedroom. She was pleased to find that Eero was already halfway across the room when she looked back at him, clearly beating her to the punch as she felt the heavy weight of his hand grip the zipper of her dress and drag it low down her back.

Just as she was about the free her arms of the sleeve of her dress Eero was reaching out, snagging her hand and forcing her to face him. She looked up at him expectantly, a sparkle of recognition glimmering in her eyes as she felt the familiar tickle of his presence traveling down that shared bridge between their minds. She let him in willingly, parting those ivory drapes that shrouded her mind just enough to let a sliver of his midnight darkness in. Then, it was as if a thousand different emotions exploded through her all at once.

Several of Eero’s memories flashed through her mind in rapid sequence, the night that they met, the terror he felt whenever she faced danger, all of the yearning and longing and self restraint he’d had to exercise when she was near. But also that undeniable pull towards her, as if Mallory had her own gravitational field that Eero could never escape.

Eyes wide and heart pounding, it seemed like an eternity before Mallory’s thoughts were snapping back to her own consciousness, her hand now pressed firmly against the skin covering Eero’s heart. She shook her head just slightly, lips parted in awe of all of the many feelings she’d just experienced. Love and adoration bloomed through her chest so deeply that is was impossible to deny, but the rational part of her brain still held it’s reservations. “I don’t know what to say,” She confessed in a breathy whisper, not often one to be found without words. “I-“ She paused, forcing her voice to steady as she inhaled a shaky breath. “I need a moment to process, I think.”

She knew it wasn’t the answer Eero had been looking for and a part of her ached that she had to deny him that simple joy, but it was the only truth that she could give him at that moment. Wordlessly Mallory slipped from her gown, tossing the still damp gown onto the bathroom tiles to dry before changing into a set of comfy pajamas - a pair of sweatpant material shorts and one of Eero’s old t-shirts that she’d borrowed ages ago and kept tucked away to sleep in. Auburn hair now messily piled on top of her head in a bun and a smile on her lips, she approached the Alpha once more, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek and snagging his hand as she pulled him back into the hallway. “Let’s go to your room,” She spoke over her shoulder.

Eero’s bedroom was the largest in the entire estate, with a massive four poster bed adorned with the most exquisite sheets and pillows she’d ever slept on, a furnished plush sitting area, and her favorite part: a fireplace that was nearly always stoked and burning a steady flame at night. Selfishly, she’d wanted to go to Eero’s room to make use of the crackling fireplace and rid herself of the rain-driven chill that’d settled in her bones. But unselfishly, she wanted to give Eero a chance to get out of his wet clothes as well. She had the feeling that they had a lot to talk about tonight, and she hadn't wanted him to do it in sopping clothing.

While the Alpha stripped out of his sodden suit Mallory went about creating the most magnificent pallet for them on the floor. Rearranging furniture and pushing the coffee table out of the way, she cleared a space for them on the floor directly in front of the roaring fire. Mallory then went to work ripping every pillow and comforter from Eero’s pristinely made bed, gathering throw blankets and cushions from around the room and adding them to her pile until she’d created a soft, warm, cozy little cocoon of blankets on the floor. The warmth from the fire warmed her bones, and having Eero so near was beginning to warm her soul as well. She settled into her nest, smiling up at the wolf and reaching a hand out to him, beckoning him to join her.

Once Eero was sufficiently settled into their little roost of blankets Mallory curled against him, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck affectionately. “I know that this… feeling, this thing between us, feels so inevitable to you.” She began softly, shifting to sit on her knees as she faced him. “Wolves mate, and that feeling, that bond, for you is absolutely innate, I understand that now.” And it was true, Eero had showed her just how deeply that bond between them ran though him. It was rooted at his very core. He had never made the decision to love her, to be bound to her, but it was always something living within him just waiting to be awoken. And when it was? There had been no stopping it, no denying the inner most part of the wolf in her friend that was bound to her by the fates and the Gods.

She cradled his face between her palms, thumbs running softly over his sandpapery skin. “But Hunters, nor Witches, do not.” She spoke the words gently, as if she expected the man to roar his protest. “We choose our partners in life, we don’t leave it to the fates to decide who we belong with as the wolves do.” She said with a solemn coolness. The flash of rejection, of anger in his eyes burned her to her very core.

“And I do not know how this will work between us, or if it even can... But, I know that I care for you so deeply that it hurts when you are not near, and I know that I don’t want to be away from you for any reason, and I know that I am stronger when we are together. And I know that despite everything that has happened between us and our people that I would still choose you to be my partner, the fates and Gods be damned.”

A slow smile curled her lips as she leaned into him, her lips finding his and kissing him with a slow, unhurried passion. “I want to show you something too,” Mallory echoed against his lips before unfurling her own cinema of memories through his mind as he had only a few minutes earlier. Unlike Eero’s primal and innate imprinting, Mallory shared how her feelings slowly developed for him over time, evolving into the consuming need to be with him that she felt now. She shared the memories of her hatred for him in those first weeks, how his rare but needed acts of kindness had begun to thaw her towards him, to the friendship that soon developed and the romance that followed shortly after. Eero’s affection had come nearly instantaneously, but Mallory’s had been a slow growing thing through all of their shared months together.

As the memories faded so did their kiss, Mallory putting a small bit of distance between them so she could speak. “I don’t feel this,” she motioned between their hearts “the same way that you do, but I am learning to.” She breathed, a hand brushing back his ebony curls from his face. “I need you to be patient with me, but know that I want this, and that I am trying to figure it out as I go.”

Blue eyes surveyed every blemish on Rafael’s gravestone; they took in the color, the chips and texture of it. Then, Eero went somewhere far away, deep into the depths of his mind where memories were stored. So far away that he hadn’t felt the beginning of the storm that was rolling in. Droplets began slow and sporadic and then the roar of thunder seemed to shake the earth and the skies unleashed their tears.

Eero still stood in front of his fathers grave. The memory of being scolded by him for getting into a fight with the one of the High Alpha’s sons came to mind. He remembered his father being so angry as he helped Eero wash the blood from his face. Then, the man broke the tense silence, meeting Eero’s blue gaze with is own. He could see the slow smile that had pulled onto his lips when he asked how bad the kid looked. How it managed to tug a smile out of Eero too.

Water now streamed down Eero’s face, collecting in his dark lashes and dripping from the tips of his now ink-colored hair. The Alpha turned his head slightly, eyes landing on his mothers grave which sat smaller, but still beside Rafael’s and for a moment, he wondered if they met again. Wherever it was that awaited them all.

Mallory’s touch drew Eero out of his thoughts enough for him to feel the way his clothes clung to his body. Her cold hands slid around him and he absently draped his arm around her. The presence of anyone else in the graveyard was gone. He didn’t feel a soul aside from Mallory and that realization alone caused the Alpha to squeeze the huntress tighter against him. He brushed the tip of his nose against her hair, inhaling her sweet scent in a content sigh. Her body shivered against him and Eero withdrew from her to drape his jacket around her. Though it was wet, he still radiated enough heat for it to be warmer than her dress.

“I wouldn’t want to catch a cold,” he quipped playfully, nudging her back toward the estate.

* * *

Water pooled on the marble floors where Mallory and Eero stood when they reentered the manor. Servants were bustling around the ballroom, tending to the aftermath of the ceremony. Eero guided her from the ballroom and into the large corridors.

“About what Soairse said,” he stole a glance in Mallory’s direction, attempting to scope out the sort of reaction bringing up those words again would. Though he admitted to her that he imprinted on her, he never really explained what that meant or how it worked. How it wasn’t something that he had any sort of control over. It was almost as if the Gods drew paths in the sand and laid two marbles to rest on each end. Willing them to meet at some point in their journey. Destined. Mates. “There’s a lot that I would like to explain to you—” he didn’t get the chance to finish as they moved past the threshold of the hall and the sitting area.

“She’s not the only person you need to start explaining to.” Tahtia’s voice cut through the air like a knife as she stood in front of the fireplace, arms crossed over her chest. The others crowded the room as well, only they weren’t in such an extravagant pose.

“Come on, T,” Regis muttered, raking a hand through his blonde strands. “I thought we agreed not to come off like a bitch,”

“Watch it, you insufferable oaf,” Tahtia snapped at him and he returned a quirky smile that only seemed to fuel her wrath.

Azalea, though it was obvious she had drunk nearly half the wine collection at the bar, attempted to sit up straight, raising her pointer finger. “Okay, so, I know I am the last person to talk, but you two? You’ve just been banging behind our backs?”

Thomas blinked several times at his mate before grabbing her hand and lowering it. He cleared his throat and glanced over the others wearily before returning his attention to Eero and Mallory. “I think what everyone is trying to say is that we are confused by. . . whatever it is going on between you two and how it is affecting our plans.” his eyes flickered to Mallory.

Eero stiffened. Their plans—in other words, them using Mallory to take down the hunters, gain revenge for his father and destroy the witch who doomed their kind in the first place. How things had gotten so off course. How their relationship had shifted. He hadn’t realized it happening, but now that he did, he wasn’t sure what parts of their plans still stood root anymore.

“The plans have changed.” He finally said, his voice dark and commanding. Protective.

“She’s gotten into his head,” Tahtia sneered, eyes darting to Mallory where she settled her glare.

“She saved my life.” Eero’s voice grew colder and Tahtia snapped an appalled look back to her Alpha.

“We don’t know anything about her. She lied to us about being a witch, who knows what else she’s lied about. She could be using you, but you’re too blind getting your dick—”

Blue eyes now glowed a gold that would put the sun to shame and his canines lengthened as he let out a deep snarl from his chest. Tahtia’s head jerked back and her spine straightened. Eero took a step toward her and she seemed to shrink in on herself at the movement. “Say one more fucking word, Tahtia.” the words rang through the room, slipping free from his gritted teeth. Everyone fell silent, their eyes drinking him in with a mixture of expressions.

“What happened at the Harvest Moon Ball?” It was Regis cutting through the tension. Eero turned to look over his shoulder at the Omega, his brows lowering in confusion. “Right before we left. I saw something change.”

The night flashed through Eero’s mind and he realized that was the night he imprinted on her. Seeing her dancing with his friend. Seeing her in the hands of another man. It drew out those feelings he tried so hard to drown and then he imprinted, possibly damning the both of them in the process.

“Eero?” Azalea’s voice felt far away and then Eero turned to look at Mallory, his stormy eyes softening slightly.

“I imprinted on Mallory.”

The room fell dangerously silent and he kept his eyes on Mallory.

“So, yes. I suppose she did get into my head.” his eyes flickered toward Tahtia who remained still. “Because somewhere along the way, she became all that I can think about. And I will not apologize for that.”

Everyone fell silent once more, letting the realization of what had been said settle upon them.

“Plans have changed,” Thomas said after a while of more silence. His tone showed that he knew rather well the importance of the situation. It would be one thing if they were fooling around for the pleasure of it, but another being that they were far more intertwined, in a way that only wolves knew how to be. Deeply. 

Azalea nodded beside her mate, appearing far more sober now. Regis was the next to bow his head and then all eyes landed on Tahtia. Something in her gray eyes gleamed as they shifted between the two of them and she clenched her jaw.

“If we all get killed,” she finally said, dropping her arms to her sides. “I’m haunting you all in the afterlife.”

“Don’t worry Tahtia, you won’t die, Hell wouldn’t want you, they’d likely send you back.” Regis offered, and Azalea snorted out a laugh from across the room. Even Eero’s lips pulled into a smirk and he shook his head, his hand moving to rest on Mallory’s back.

“If we could talk more about this in the morning,” Eero finally said, gesturing to their still-soaked clothes, leading Mallory out of the room, his shoulders slumping once they were alone again.

The sound of the thunder from outside could be heard through the walls as he walked Mallory to her bedroom. They slipped inside soundlessly and Eero leaned against her closed door, surveying her. Flashes from the lightning in the windows lit up his features every now and then as a million words raced through his mind and then his eyes dropped to his arm where he knew beneath his clothes sat that black ring from the bond. It was hard to describe the imprint, but if she could feel it. Maybe she would understand better how sacred it truly was.

Eero moved across the room to help Mallory with her zipper and as he stood behind her, he reached out to grab her hand, pausing her actions. “I want to show you something,” he said to her lowly and let her spin around to look at him. Once he could see her face and meet her eyes, he slowly reached down the bond, following the bridge that connected them to each other through blood and magic and when he reached her side, he waited for her to react to feeling him through the bond. Then he sent over all that he wanted her to know.

Starting from the moment he imprinted. How he felt like he was dying and like he had never actually lived before all at once. All the adrenaline and burning desire that coursed through him. It was all targeted on solely her. He wanted her to feel that it wasn’t just his mind that wanted her. It was every last inch of him. His body. His soul. His blood flowed not for him, each breath he took was not for him. Nothing was for him anymore but for her. Eero let every feeling flow into her and lifted her hand to his heart.

“I know it’s not supposed to be possible, but when it comes to you and me? When has impossible ever stopped us?”

Mallory and Eero had lain in the grassy glade after their joining for what felt like hours, but in reality had barely even been half of one. Time seemed to escape the pair as they kissed unhurriedly, lazily feeling one another’s bare bodies as if they had all of the time in the world to spend wrapped up in one another. The night air was filled with their quiet chatter and soft laughs, and Mallory didn’t think a male had ever coaxed so many smiles from her the way that Eero had. The two of them hadn’t wanted their moment of secrecy to end just yet, had refused to pop the blissful little bubble they were living in until the position of the moon above them gave signal that Eero’s people would be expecting him back inside soon, to lead the ceremony that’d brought them all here.

With wistful sighs they’d dipped back into the sparkling waters of the fountain once more, rinsing away the dried sweat and sex that’d coated their skin before slipping back into their clothes. Eero had zipped her back into her dress, and Mallory’s fingers nimbly re-did the buttons on his dress shirt, pressing kisses in a trail of up his chest with each button she secured.  Donning their formal attire hardly hid the evidence of what they’d just spent the last hour doing - Mallory’s hair falling from it’s intricate twists and Eero’s collar crumpled, she’d at least made an attempt to smooth down his messied onyx hair before they entered the grand ballroom.

Eero had returned the favor, a chesire smirk on his lips as he’d free’d her hair from the long pins that’d been holding it in place. Mallory’s pink lips fell open in a pouty 'o', feeling the once styled updo falling into loose auburn waves down her back. “Rude boy.” She’d chided, though not without affection as she pinched his thigh. She made a mental note of his preference, storing that tiny piece of revealed information away for another time.

Curling her finger’s around Eero’s bicep, Mallory allowed the Alpha to lead her back into the ballroom. The music felt too loud and assaulting after spending so long in the tranquility of the garden, and she’d almost flinched away from it entirely. Mallory had been about to comment on the feeling when she felt that familiar heaviness settle across the Alpha, shoulder’s sagging just slightly and eyes becoming weary.

It had been a shocking difference compared to the excitement and clarity that had shown in those blue hues only a few minutes ago, when he’d been alone with Mallory in the garden. She’d have done anything to help him shoulder the weight he constantly carried, Mallory realized - not that he’d let her. No, the Alpha rivaled even her stubbornness.

Mallory turned her eyes up to her companion as a question began to rumble from between those perfect lips, though her gaze was drawn to where his sat as the words escaped him. Thomas, staring them down from across the room like they were a couple of criminals who’d been caught red handed. Mal supposed that wasn’t too far from the truth, but she didn’t have it in her to feel ashamed of what she’d shared with the Alpha this night.

Mallory couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips, turning her mischievous gaze up to Eero as she whispered a teasing “I think we’re in trouble,” into his ear, referencing the Beta’s accusing look before he’d been drug away by his half-drunk and overtly cheerful mate.

Eero clearing his throat was the only warning Mallory’d been given before the pretty blonde Eero had been flirting with earlier was back at their sides, smiling warmly and introducing herself as an old friend. Mallory tried to keep her facial expression passively pleasant, but even she was all too aware of the territorial warning that’d flashed through her eyes as her grip tightened on Eero’s arm. “Mallory.” She returned, her tone a tad icier than she had intended it to be.

The blonde’s words hadn’t escaped her though, and her eyes darted back to Eero quickly at the expression she’d used. Mates. Soairse had called her the Alpha’s mate, and acted as if she’d suspected so from the very beginning. Something about the term, the meaning behind and the weight of such a label made her want to run again. She’d just barely begun to wrap her mind around Eero’s imprinting on her, was finally coming to terms with the idea that maybe because of this weird wolfy claim he’d made that they could be something other than enemies… but mates? Hunters didn’t have mates, they freely chose who they loved and when it happened, and when they wanted to solidify their relationship into something more binding they took one another as husband and wife. And while the term “mate” didn’t take a rocket scientist to dissect it, something about it felt too final, too permanent, too out of her control.

“Mate?” She questioned tightly down the bond, but ultimately dropped the subject as she felt Eero’s unease as he surveyed the waiting crowd. They would talk about this later Mallory vowed silently to herself, for now they just needed to make it through the night.

Mallory offered Eero her stability, projecting all of the comfort and warmth that she could muster into him as she curled her fingers around his own, giving them a reassuring squeeze as he led her towards the trays of bone colored candles. She hadn’t been ignorant to the shocked faces of Eero’s inner circle as they caught sight of smell of them, registering what had occurred between them with equal parts shock and outrage. Mallory registered each expression, knowing that ultimately they would have to address their friends and explain themselves, but not wanting to bridge that gap just yet.

The huntress left Eero with a brush of her finger’s against his lower spine, drifting back into the crowd as the Alpha lead his people the short way from the Estate to the manicured graveyard. Regis was at her back the moment she’d left the Alpha’s side, his hand on her back and guiding her forward as he stooped to hiss in her ear. “You smell like sex.” He accused, though his tone was playful. “And you smell like him.” The blonde continued, nodding towards Eero’s back as they continued to follow him down the sloping hill. “I wonder what that could mean?” Mallory rolled her eyes dramatically, though a hint of a smile ghosted her lips. She remained silent, not a confirmation or denial.

“Good,” Regis finished as the crowd began to slow as they entered the cemetery. “He needed to get laid after all of this time, he was starting to get a bit moodier than usual.” Mallory swatted the omega’s leg with her hand, hushing his playful remarks as Eero turned to address the crowd that’d begun to disperse throughout the small cemetery, people searching for the graves of their loved ones.

All eyes zeroed in on the Alpha as he began to speak, and his proclamation made her chest tighten with pride. Even more, the evidence of his people’s love and loyalty to him was almost overwhelming as the night began to shine with the flicker of their raised flames, their agreeance to stand with the son of the late Alpha enough ring her eyes in silver as tears threatened to spill over her lids.

One by one, wolves and fae and shifters alike sat their shining candles on the tops of gravestones, whispering prayers and well wishes to their loved ones who had been called back to the Gods beyond this earth. Eero had turned to face his father’s grave and Mallory wanted nothing more than to go to him, go to him and hold him through the grief she could feel radiating down their shared bond. But she hadn’t wanted to interrupt his time with his father so she’d silently watched him from afar, even as minutes ticked by and the crowd began to disperse, even as thunder cracked and rain began to pour from the sky.

It almost felt like even the heavens were weeping for them, for their grief and their mourning.

Time passed and eventually the rain had driven the final few patrons from the graveyard, all aside from Eero who still leaned over his father’s grave and Mallory who watched him from afar. Her hair was drenched and sticking to her face in dark strands, her dress wholly water logged and body shivering against the chill of the cool autumn air mixed with the rain. She approached the Alpha slowly, her fingers brushing against the curve of his back to alert him to her nearness before she slid her arm to curl around his waist tightly, her cheek pressed into the side of his chest. “You’ll catch a cold in this rain, Eero.” She murmured softly, urging the man to head back into the warmth of the Estate where she knew their friends would be waiting for them - but even then, if he’d wanted to stand here in the rain until the sun rose, Mallory would stand with him.

Eero hooked a thumb into the waistband of his boxers, one brow jutting upward as she ordered that he get entirely naked. The small smile toying at her lips as she waited for him to oblige was enough for him to shove the last bit of fabric off. The alpha lifted his gaze to meet Mallory’s but her eyes seemed to be busy elsewhere. He watched as her stare trailed over him in a slow sweeping motion and the corner of his lips tugged into a sinful smirk of satisfaction in knowing how much of an effect he seemed to have on her.

When she finally found her voice again, Eero stepped toward her slowly, freeing her from the confines of her dress. He watched as the soft fabric fell to her feet, unveiling her body in the process. Her skin looked smooth as glass beneath the luminous glow of the moon. The restraint that he had to call upon was otherworldly as he slowly took in the dip of her spine, down to the curve of her hips. As Mallory began moving forward, his body was automatic to follow her, like a tether being pulled taut between them, where she went, he did too.

Once in the water, Mallory had yet to turn around. He could practically see the gears working inside that brilliant mind of hers. Thanks to the bond, he knew how she could become trapped up there, with her own thoughts. So, he reached out his hand, fingertips brushing her back, breaking through her reverie. When she turned to face him, his arms encircled her waist as she reached to touch him. His eyes then closed against her touch and a faint grin formed against his lips.

“This makes sense.” he opened his eyes and drew her in closer. “Because now I know why I’ve spent so long keeping this—” One hand slipped free from the water to hold her palm hard against his chest, right above his thumping heart. “So far away from everyone I have ever known. . . I was waiting for you.” the last sentence was just a whisper and as her eyes flickered between his own, registering his words, it took hardly another second before Mallory was leaning forward, capturing his lips in a kiss so strong, it could shatter buildings.

The feel of her body—her skin against his own was unlike anything he had ever felt before. No matter who he had been with in the past, or even the moments that he shared with Mallory that led up to this very moment. None of them compared to what he felt right now. This wasn’t driven by anger or lust, it was something so much deeper. It opened up a part of Eero that until now, he had assumed was nonexistent. The Alpha’s hands roamed over her while their lips moved as though they’d been searching the galaxy for each other.

A rumbled growl of content slid free from him when Mallory went off on her own accord, her lips wandering from his own. Eero couldn’t help but tilt his head back, his ebony hair a tousled mess from the assault of her fingers. Though he knew Mallory wasn’t aware, the act of biting another was considered extremely intimate between the wolves. Much like the hickies that were being peppered against his chest, each nip and bite she gave him caused his muscles to tense with an animalistic hold, another growl, and the two of them were moving, water spilling down their bodies as he let her guide him back to the grassy landscape.

Now moving as one, their bodies flowed together, and when Eero went down, so did she. He stared up at her as she lowered herself into his lap, his hands brushing against the tops of her thighs, moving upward to the bend of her warm hips. His fingers dug into the plush skin of her ass, hauling her further into him. The Alpha’s lips had curved against hers, against the words she breathlessly murmured against his. “Then have me, Little Red,” he whispered against her mouth and their kiss deepened, becoming a heated onslaught of swollen lips. This was what he’d been missing. What he was searching for all this time. What he needed. Her.

He could feel the predator that thrived within him begging to be let off its leash as he felt her fingers grasping him firmly. His grip on her tightened and he met her gaze, his eyes filled with a burning need. The smell of her wrapped around him and Eero let the thrum of her heart thud against his palm before he took her hips, lifting her to hover above his length. Her core had been slick with a hot desire that pooled between her legs and he felt every bit of it while inserting himself at her entrance. Though he was careful as he dwelled deeper inside of her, it took every ounce of self-control he had to do so. The hunger that was swelling within him was enough to have him see stars. Such longing—utter need—surely couldn’t be possible, yet he was feeling it all. Every bit of it as he soaked her in. Her taste. Scent. Feel. He collected it all and stored it deep, and then he was fully seated in her.

His head bowed, his nose brushing the crook of her neck as he began tasting other parts of her body, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin, down her shoulder and collarbone with precision. A wave of pleasure crashed down over him as they moved in tandem, connecting and thrusting. She was tight around him, and her slickness only grew as he went, in and out, her walls constricting around him, making him suck harder against the skin above her nipple. A deep groan slipped through him and he drew back to look at her fully, at the way she exposed her neck to him, how she held him and rode him under the moonlight, an aura of ecstasy surrounding her. His bedroom eyes drank her in and when she tried to announce her undoing, Eero was one step ahead, his pace quickening, driving his length harder. Her breasts bounced with each thrust and the Alpha took his bottom lip between his teeth as he admired her, just the sight of her was enough to send him over the edge. But he wanted to go with her.

So he did.

Bodies glowing with sweat, Eero rested his hands against Mallory’s back, holding her tightly to him as she rested her head against his shoulder, her body quivering as waves of pleasure surged through them both. His stomach clenched with his release, his lips pressing softly to the curve of her neck, a smirk forming against his lips after hearing the round of words that just exploded from her. Hearing her pray to the gods like that after being fucked by him was more than satisfying.

“What a foul little mouth,” Eero purred against her skin, inhaling the sweet floral scent of her. When she drew back to give him a look, he just took her face in his hands, tugging her lips back to his.

* * *

The two of them were back at the entrance to the ballroom, the lights from within illuminating them. Their lips were red and swollen. Mallory’s hair was beginning to fall out of its updo and Eero’s hair was a tousled mess, his collar rumpled. He didn’t bother putting his tie back on. As they stood in front of the doors, Eero knew that it was obvious what had just happened between them. Between their appearance and their scent, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out.

He glanced toward Mallory, an impish grin on his face and he reached over, removing her hair from its fastens. “I like it better down anyway,” he said softly, letting her hair fall into waves around her shoulders. He studied her for a long moment. How someone could be so devastatingly beautiful, he wasn’t sure how that was possible.

Finally, he shoved open the door, the music enveloping the pair once again. It felt so loud and assaulting now. After the quiet, intimate moment they shared, this was the last place that he wanted to be. Suddenly the stress of his position and the company that they had slowly fell back down onto his shoulders and Eero found his body tensing, returning to how it usually felt when he wasn’t graced by raw moments with Mallory.

“Do you want a drink—” he asked, but the words were cut off when he made eye contact with Thomas who had just about taken a drink from his cup, only to stop mid-sip.

The look in the Beta’s eyes was enough to make Eero’s shoulders sag slightly. A look that clearly asked: Did you do what I think you did? The Alpha held his stare until Thomas shifted his eyes to land on Mallory at his side. He studied her for a long moment before Azalea approached him from the crowd, a smile on her face as she tugged his arm, luring him away.

Eero turned to Mallory, his lips parting to speak, only to catch Soairse approaching the pair from behind Mallory. His jaw tensed at the astonishing timing everything seemed to have. The Alpha only had enough time to clear his throat when Soairse was coming to a stop beside them, a smile on her face as she surveyed them.

“I thought you had a smell to you, Eero,” the blonde said, extending a hand to Mallory. “Men just don’t seem to show off their mates the way they used to,” she shot Eero a judgemental look. She had smelt the difference in him even before what transpired in the garden. His thoughts went to his pack. All the subtle glances and awkward silences. “I’m Soairse, an old family friend of his,” she explained and then turned back to Eero expectantly. “Speaking of family, I think they’re waiting for you to start,” she nodded toward the crowd of bodies moving to collect their candles for the lighting ceremony.

Eero watched them, his throat suddenly becoming tight, his mouth dry.

A small hand wrapped around his own and he looked down to find Mallory’s fingers lacing through his. He lifted his eyes to meet hers, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss her. Eero squeezed her hand gently and still holding her hand, he led her toward the white candles. As the two of them moved through the crowd together, Eero didn’t fail to glimpse the faces of his packmates as they passed by. Regis’ jaw was nearly to the floor, and Azalea couldn’t stop blinking as if she was maybe going mad. Thomas’ lips were pursed, but his head nodded in respect. Tahtia’s face had probably been the most entertaining. He had caught the exact moment that the wolf inhaled her Alpha’s scent, eyes widening and mouth opening. She instantly turned to the others, her mouth moving rampantly.

Mallory and Eero reached the individually placed candles set on black metal trays. Atop each tray was a small match and striking paper. Staring down at the candle, Eero came to realize this would be the first time he would outwardly acknowledge the death of his father. It would be the first time he’d truly taken to mourn and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Not in front of all these people.

Everyone seemed to stare at him now. Everyone had their candles ready and he could remember a time when he was younger. His first grave ceremony. His father led the people out to the graveyard and told the people of the loss of his wife. The look on his face. As if he were somewhere else entirely as he spoke.

The feeling of Mallory seemed to ground him, and even though everything inside of him wanted him to walk out of the room, he instead started toward the large glass doors that would lead everyone outside. The crowd followed the short distance to the graveyard.

The site was well-kept, and the grass was freshly cut for the event. Here and there, the gravestones leaned together like old friends. A crisp autumn breeze rustled the leaves that were beginning to collect on some of the graves. Eero still had his back to everyone, his eyes trailing through the graves until it landed on his father's. His gravestone was the largest, reading: High Alpha of Vedona. He wasn’t sure if his legs were able to move. The only time he’d come to the grave was for his funeral. 

Forcing himself forward, Eero came to a stop before the gravestone, slowly setting the handle down atop it. When he turned to look over everyone, his eyes came to rest on Mallory, a look crossing his expression, one that would assure her that he meant what he said about forgiving her.

“I’d just like to thank you all for attending this year's ceremony, and for accepting Rafael’s son back into Vedona like this.” Eero glanced back at his father's grave. “I don’t know if I could ever be half the man that he was or half the leader.” his words trailed off for a moment, his fingers rolling the match between them. “But I owe it to him to try. If you will have me, of course.”

Gasps seemed to flutter through the crowd and he could feel his pack as they all stiffened, looking at each other. Nahmir and Ahren’s eyes glinted beneath the moon, their expressions like stone.

“I stand with you, son of Rafael. High Alpha of Vedona, Eero Adrastos.” a woman stepped forward and struck her match, lighting her candle. She held it into the air and others glanced around. Eero blinked at the action, trying to comprehend the respect being tossed his way. And then, one by one, more stepped forward, matches striking and lighting their candles which were raised to the sky before him. The Alpha drank them in, and when all the candles burned before him, he lit his own.

“I will not let you down,” he said to them. To his pack. To Mallory. And to his father.

“Eero, I don’t want to hurt you.” Mallory warned, putting another small step of distance between herself and the approaching Alpha. Cerulean hues ringed in white darted between the man before her and the electricity dancing across her skin in jagged little ripples, debating which one were more dangerous. “I’m serious.” Mallory repeated, though Eero had been undeterred. The alpha had been completely unfazed by the electricity she wielded without her consent, hadn’t seemed to care about it or the danger at all as his lips found her mouth a second time. That wrathful jealousy she’d been filled with faded away like morning dew at the feel of him.

He didn’t know just how willing Mallory was to bend to his touch, how much she wanted to arch into him at the feel of his palms against her ribs, how she likely would have followed him anywhere if he’d just asked. It was obvious just how ignorant the wolf was to Mallory’s infatuation with him as he snatched her up with lethal precision, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her deeper into the well manicured gardens despite her squeals of protest and wriggling, using only the silver moonlight to guide him.

Mallory yowled once as a firm pinch shot a streak of razor sharp pain through her ass cheek, the spot aching terribly even after Eero had tried to soothe it away with a gentle pat against her buttock. And although she was quite contrary to being tamed, the pinch had done it’s job in getting her to stop squirming in the Alpha’s grip.

The huntress huffed in annoyance at the man’s jovial comment about his flirting, rolling her eyes dramatically despite knowing that he couldn’t see her. She’d have been more upset if she hadn’t recognized that tone he only seldom used, the one that meant he wanted to play. “Only if you want them to fry,” Mallory returned in that same voice, pressing her electric charged palms firmly against his back for emphasis.

Eero was chuckling deeply as he righted her on her feet and spun her to face a large ornate fountain at the center of a sparkling pond, two swans bowing their heads in acknowledgment before seamlessly cutting further into the water as if trying to give them privacy. His warm breath at her ear felt like silk on her skin, and the sensuous brush of his knuckles against her exposed spine nearly had her bowing into the touch. She shivered, goosebumps dotting her skin each place the cool night air licked over her skin.

“Eero, I’m not wearing anything under this,” Mallory protested softly,  turning to face him only to find the wolf already half undressed. Eero’s eyes simmered at the confession, the challenge and devilish intent in his expression abundantly clear as a smirk stretched across his lips. Mal rolled her eyes once, tracking his every movement as he stripped the clothes off of that strong body all the way down to his underwear. “Those too,” Mal requested softly, mirroring his own mischievous expression with one of her own.

Mallory waited until Eero had agreed and slipped out of his boxers, kicking them aside with the rest of his clothes before she allowed herself to survey him fully. She didn’t bother to hide the trail of her eyes as she took in every single hard, sleek muscle of him. He looked like he’d been sculpted by the Gods. She clenched her thighs together at the sight, that dark smile growing on the man’s lips as he bathed in her stare.

Swallowing hard, Mallory turned to offer him her back. “My zipper, please,” She requested, stilling as she felt the warmth of him at her back, his heavy grip slowly dragging the zipper of her dress free until it sagged around her. She slipped her arms free of the sleeves, taking a single breath to steady her nerves before dropping the fabric and letting it pool around her feet.

She wore moonlight like lingerie, the silver sheen of the moon and stars dripping over her like silk as she waded into the clear water. At some point during their trek to the fountain Mallory had felt her magic simmer away once she’d gotten a handle on her emotions, something she was abundantly thankful for as she felt the water shifting with Eero’s movements as he came towards her. One bad flare and she could’ve electrocuted every living being touching the water.

Mallory couldn’t pinpoint what exactly caused her sudden nerves in the Alpha’s presence, why her breath caught each time he got too near. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her completely bare before, no, Mallory feared the reason was anything but physical. Until this night Mallory had been able to fend off her growing feelings for the wolf by rationalizing that what he’d suggested, that they’d been fated for each other, wasn’t possible. But after seeing him under the hand and gaze of another woman, Mal wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

His touch against the small of her back broke her from her thoughts, and Mallory turned to face the larger man. Her chin tilted up as she drank him in, fingers rising to caress his jaw while her gaze found his eyes. “I’m so confused.” She admitted on a whisper, the hand that’d been on his jaw sliding back into his hair as the other came to rest against his bare chest. “None of this makes any sense to me, but I want you so badly it almost hurts.” Was this what Eero had been feeling all of these weeks? Was this what it had been like for him? This torture?

She wouldn’t withhold herself from him for another moment, she vowed. Just this once, just this once they could succumb to every carnal desire and she wouldn’t worry about the consequences that followed. Mallory kissed him fiercely, so hungry it was as if she’d been starving before finding him. Her hands went around his neck, pulling him closer and crushing her body against him. Her hands roved across his back, tugging at his hair, grasping his waist, as if she couldn’t touch enough of him at once. He’d met each of her searing kisses with his own, unable to get enough, unable to touch and feel enough of one another.

“We belong to each other.” The huntress repeated breathlessly against Eero’s lips. Mallory dove headfirst into that feeling that’d begun to overwhelm her from the moment she’d spotted him with the blonde woman from before, into the feeling that she knew had been slowly blooming inside of her since the moment they’d met. A worryless, yearning kind of possession filled her. Mallory let the feeling creep inside of her, let it grow with each movement of his lips and every brush of his tongue against her own until the emotion swallowed her whole.

She broke away from his lips to lave kisses down his throat, kissing and sucking and licking each spot tenderly before moving to the next. She’d been careful not to leave a mark anywhere above his collar, not willing to subject him to the inquisition that would surely follow if the Alpha went back inside from a ‘walk in the garden’ with hickeys dotting his neck. But as her lips reached the spot just below his collarbone, Mallory figured it was fair game. She sucked hard, nipping the sensitive skin with her teeth before immediately soothing away the hurt with a gentle caress of her lips. That one, she knew, would definitely leave a mark.

Good, she thought, let another woman try to slip beneath his shirt and find him already marked by her.

She kissed his cheeks, his neck, and finally his lips. She pulled him through the rippling water, through the ever-darkening world as she made her way to the edge of the water. Even his rough palm felt abrasive against her too-sensitive skin as she laced her hand through his, those callouses scraping as they closed around her fingers in a tight grip. She wanted them scraping all over her. His hand was solid and unmovable around her own as they passed through the low lying mists. Step after step they moved to the edge of the water, the muscles of Eero’s broad back shifting like silk beneath his skin. And lower, the sleek, powerful cut of his thighs, his sculpted ass… she wanted to devour him.

Together they found a plush spot of grass a few feet away from the glassy pond to settle in. The party was distant enough that Mallory trusted that no one would venture this far out into the gardens, and the thrum of the music could just barely be heard amongst the chirping of the crickets. She’d waited until Eero had taken a seat in the grass to follow him down, sliding onto his lap to face him. She bracketed his face between her palms, thumbs leisurely brushing across the high peaks of his cheekbones as if they had all of the time in the world.

Mallory kissed him once, this time deep and thorough, unhurried and intent as her hips lazily rolled against his own, her eyes fluttering shut at the friction. “I want this with you,” She breathed, breaking apart just long enough to get out the words. “I want this, whatever this is, for as long as we can have it.”

The kiss that followed had begun gentle, he’d kissed her carefully, in a way that made heat begin pounding a steady rhythm in her core, between her legs. But quickly, their kisses became feverish. It was a claiming, wild and unchecked… it was an unleashing. The taste of him, the heat of him, the demanding stroke of his tongue tongue against her own - it was everything she’d ever wanted and more. It felt like home.

Her hands shot into his hair, fingers tangling in the ebony locks as she crushed herself to him. Her pert pink nipples had peaked against the cool October breeze, and the sharp unexpected friction of their graze against Eero’s hard chest had her rolling her hips into him again.

“Eero,” She breathed, his name a plea on her tongue as she reached to find the heavy heat of him and closing her hand around it, tilting him upwards and wetting him with her arousal. Mallory took his hand, guiding it to her heart and placed it there, half over the curve of her breast. She met his hooded gaze as she spoke the words that’d been rising up in her with every breath. “I want you.” She murmured affectionately, caressing his cheek for emphasis.

Mallory wouldn’t tell him that this would be the first time she was with a man fully, in this way, of her own accord and consent. That it was the first time she’d been intimate with someone to this degree since the time she’d been taken on the forest floor as a girl. She hadn’t wanted the memory of that vile man or what he’d done to her to taint the new memories she was forming with Eero. Her virginity, or at least what she considered it to be, was a gift freely given to the man before her, and she hadn’t wanted him to treat her like a porcelain doll because it. No, she hadn’t wanted the Alpha to treat her any differently because of that knowledge - she’d wanted things to occur just as they were, candidly.

Mal wasn’t a fool, she wasn’t ignorant to the fact that the wolf had full, unfiltered access to her mind whenever he wanted it and would find out that she’d concealed this little detail from him eventually - but she would worry about that later. For now, she just needed him here with her.

At the first nudge of him she’d surged forward to claim his mouth, a gasp slipping free of her. Mallory drug her tongue over his teeth, swallowing his moans as his hips rolled in gentle thrusts and he pushed in, and in, and in. And when Eero was finally seated to the hilt, when he’d paused to let her adjust to the fullness of him, she’d thought she might combust right then and there.

He’d groaned as she sunk onto him, and the sound hit her somewhere ancient and savage. She couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t feel enough of his hands ravaging her exposed skin or his lips on her neck, couldn’t get enough of those low rumbling groans and sharp need-filled noises coming from his throat. Their instant frantic fucking had nearly been enough to get her over the edge of her building orgasm.

“Eero, I’m going to-“ Her words floated on a gasp, unable to finish her sentence as her head fell back at the euphoria of him filling her, moving in her. She could hardly believe she’d been denying herself this kind of pleasure for so long. Beyond words, she moved her hips up and down along his length, legs beginning to quiver in anticipation of the orgasm she was on the brink of, urging him deeper, harder.

Eero obliged her.

Mallory groaned, gripping the man’s arm hard, her nails digging into the muscles beneath - muscles that shifted and rolled as they moved to grip her hips, effortlessly shifting her along his cock at a pace she couldn’t keep up with. It had only taken one, two, three pumps of him before she’d met her crescendo, her forehead falling to rest on his shoulder as a sharp cry left her mouth, followed by several panted curse words and pleas to the Gods.

Everyone knew that sunsets were beautiful to look at. Their colors were never really the same when they expressed themselves to the world around them. There were many things that held a person’s attention, but the difference between Mallory and a sunset was that not only was she a sight to behold, but she glowed from the inside out. Her shine was blinding in a way that made one want to stare as long as they could before it did damage. Eero wanted to stare even longer. He wanted to push through the pain and torment it brought to stare at something so vibrant and wild. She looked like what he assumed freedom would if it had a physical body. Utterly breathtaking.

The moment wasn’t meant to last. The Alpha’s eyes shifted from Mallory to the two other figures sitting inside of her bedroom, their eyes wide and filled with shame. Eero managed a rough swallow, his shoulders straightening as he readjusted to the company he held. As if on some silent cue, Regis was blabbing his mouth, trying to convince him of his innocence. Eero glanced toward the bottle sitting between them and at its lack of contents left. Drinking before the party even started. It wasn’t that he was so much surprised as he was disappointed. The High Alphas would be attending as far as Eero knew and to have a majority of his pack intoxicated beforehand was not on the agenda.

“Mhm. . .” Eero hummed out as he eyed Azalea and Regis then he returned his gaze to Mallory who was beaming at him with flushed cheeks and the scent of booze clinging to her body. Eero released a short sigh as she complimented him and before he could part his lips to speak, she was throwing her arm around his neck, her lips pressing to his cheek swiftly before pulling back once more to smile at him, her dimples evident as she pinched the skirts of her dress much like a child, swaying back and forth. 

“You’re rather beautiful yourself, Mallory,” Eero said lowly, still eyeing her carefully, though in the back of his mind, he wasn’t sure beautiful was nearly a strong enough word for what she looked like. Drunk or not.

* * *

The Grave Ceremony was just as Eero remembered. It wasn’t a time that anyone bothered concentrating on things so trivial such as race or rank. It was a day meant for everyone who had holes in their hearts. Holes that would not be filled ever again. Holes that they would need to fight each and every day to manage. Pain was funny that way. It affected everyone so differently, but at the end of the day, it was still pain. And it was the one night that they could all put their differences aside and recognize it.

Eero’s blue gaze had lifted toward the dias where the High Alphas sat quietly, their eyes surveying the crowd carefully. Luckily, the Thrones only hosted Namir and Ahren. Regardless of Ahren being his main concern, Eero felt a bit lighter in knowing the others weren’t going to be attending the ceremony. Something about that fact made him wonder exactly what Ahren did with the information he now obtained.

A sensuous voice filtered into the Alpha’s ears, gaining his attention. Eero turned toward Mallory who was looking up at him, her question hanging in the air between them. A dance. She wanted a dance with him. Clearing his throat, Eero glanced over the sea of bodies before returning his attention to the huntress and nodding softly. “As you wish, Little Red,” he murmured, his hand reaching out toward her to take. Eero led Mallory into the mass, finding them an opening to dance in. 

It had been several minutes that they danced, and multiple songs shifted them into different rhythms. When the third song came to an end, Eero brought Mallory back up from the dip and he stared at her with such precision when their eyes met and held. The silence between them was thick, and then they were cut off by a voice that sent a crawling sensation down his spine. Peering up, Eero met eyes with Ahren, the High Alpha’s hand placed on Mallory’s shoulder. That action in itself caused the Alpha to bristle with an unchecked rage.

There were a number of things that Eero wanted to say. His lips parted, brows lowered in anger when Mallory’s voice entered his head. Stern and cautious. “I’d do far more than argue.” he returned. Eero’s eyes darted from Ahren’s to hers and he held her gaze for a long moment before shifting his body, his hands slowly released her and Eero took a step back from her. He spoke no words, refusing to pretend that he was okay with such a request. Mallory then took hold of the conversation, turning toward Ahren to accept a dance.

The amount of heat that ran through him was indescribable as he watched the two of them disappear into the crowd. Staring after her, he let his shoulders sag, his fingers twitching at his sides from the loss of her touch.

It had taken a few minutes for him to manage to move from his place, forcing himself through everyone to get himself a drink. Eero had assumed he would spend the majority of his night listening in on Ahren and Mallory’s conversation from afar when he brought his glass to his lips, draining the contents only to hear a woman's voice cut into his concentration.

“Still a lush I see.” 

Eero lowered his emptied glass, turning his head toward a female with pin-straight platinum hair that stopped just below her ears. Her eyes were outlined in coal and her thick dark lashes fluttered as she rose a sharp brow at him, her golden skin gleaming beneath the chandeliers glow. She adorned a ruby red, shapely dress with a sweetheart neckline. Blinking once, Eero’s own brows furrowed as he recollected the memory of the woman standing before him. Familiarity washed over him and his lips tugged into a slow smile.

“Saoirse?”

“In the flesh,” she smiled, her white teeth flashing at him playfully, her hands gesturing over her figure.

“You look----” he paused, head recoiling as he searched for the words.

“Old?” she crinkled her nose, releasing a laugh he hadn’t heard in years.

Shaking his head, he accepted her embrace as she put her arms out for a hug. “You look great,” he corrected and she drew back, giving him another once over.

“You look,” she paused. “Insanely hot,” she laughed once again, hand squeezing his bicep as she admired his now adult body. Eero grunted at the words.

“Is your father here too then?” he steered the conversation elsewhere, and she nodded, jerking her chin in the male's direction. He chatted with a few of the elders, glass in hand.

“I didn’t think you’d ever come back here if I’m being honest,” Soairse exclaimed before gesturing toward the bar. “Have a drink with me? We have some catching up to do.” Glancing back toward Mallory, Eero found that she was no longer in Ahren’s company, but Regis’, and after a brief pause, the Alpha nodded and attempted to relax as he followed his childhood friend across the room.

The two of them caught up for a while, sharing stories of the things they’d missed out on over the years of absence from each other. He remembered her family fondly. They had been the only other pack to really accept not only his father but Eero too, and they bonded over the loss of their mothers when they were young. Though there wasn’t much memory of the women in their lives, their fathers didn’t let their memory die. They often had celebrations in the past which drew the two together over the years.

Eero had gone through a few glasses of bourbon when a strong presence washed over him. Saoirse was speaking but her words became mumbled and he cocked his head to the side to find Mallory storming up to the pair. His features fell flat when he caught the expression she wore as she did. Out of all the emotions filtered through the room, the only one he could feel was rage.

Mallory stopped in front of Eero, her eyes barely brushing over Soairse when she abruptly asked for his company with a tone he hadn’t heard before. Eero glanced toward his childhood friend, excusing himself lowly before following the huntress, attempting not to watch the lethal sway of her hips as she tugged him through the clutter of the ballroom.

The noise of the party dissipated when the two of them entered the tended gardens, the floral scent washing over them against the night breeze. As the doors swung shut behind them, Eero glanced back and then turned back toward Mallory who spun on him, arms crossed and a look he wasn’t familiar with crossing her features. His friend? That was what this was about?

“If I didn’t know any better, Mallory, I’d say you don’t really care to know her name.” Eero offered, his gaze heavy on her own. She challenged him, eyes never faltering and then she finally turned, trotting off the path, further into the garden. Out of instinct, he followed.

“Mallory.” He tried once more and then she stopped, turning to face him more abruptly this time. The words that spewed from her lips were far from what he’d expected and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t the slightest bit satisfied by a few of them. Hearing that she felt even the slightest bit of what he did. That deadly desire could bring down kingdoms. As she went on though, something inside of him shifted and stirred awake. As if the pages of two books were frantically turning until they landed on the identical page. Eero watched the vibrancy of her flushed cheeks burn with heat and found himself taking a step toward her just when her breath hitched and her hand rose to meet his face.

The feel of her fingertips against his skin was euphoric, setting small fires to each nerve ending. The Alpha found himself leaning into her touch, his eyes burning into her own before flickered over those full, pink lips and his ears listened carefully to her shallow breaths and thumping heartbeat. “Is that what you think we are, Mallory?” Eero breathed, his hand rose from his side, his fingers curling beneath her chin softly tilting her face up. “Just friends?” Something mischievous danced in his eyes as he studied her and then she was tugging his lips down to meet her own. 

Their noses brushed against each other as she rose onto her tiptoes to meet him further, then, their lips molded against each other with a warm, fervent hunger. His hand which once propped her chin up had made itself more comfortable against her cheek, his fingers nestled into her tied-back hair, the free strands coiling around his wrist. Eero’s other hand wasted little time in pressing his palm against the small of her back, holding her body prisoner against his own. His lips moved against her own, letting him taste the sweetness of her tongue when he parted them. Something strong demanded to be felt and it hurdled itself through the bond, connecting them. 

Eero had chalked it up to the kiss, the desire that was surging through them in that moment and he pressed himself further against her, his muscles rolling against her body as he did. He had heard about the fairytale fireworks that one felt when kissing someone, but he hadn’t realized that they were so apparent until his bottom lip was jabbed by a small shock. Eero didn’t think much of it until Mallory was uttering a breathless apology. Though it didn’t halt anything, their mouths continued to clash against each other with an urgency, as this would be the last chance to do so, and so they took advantage. A few more little zaps bit at the back of his neck when he finally realized that Mallory was the source of the fireworks. 

The huntress, flustered and wide-eyed, took a step back, taking those sweet lips with her. As apologies flung from her lips, he took in the glowing white ring in her eyes and then the small light blue bolts flickering at her fingertips. Eero, however, merely gave Mallory a shake of his head and re-closed the distance between them.

“Stop apologizing, Mallory.” he breathed out against her lips. Then, with the help of his wolf-like speed, he leaned down swiftly, scooping Mallory up off the ground, tossing her over his shoulder. A faint smirk formed against his lips at the sound of her screech and he made sure to give her ass a firm pinch when she kicked her legs. Eero began walking with her through the garden even going as far as to cross the bridge, moving them further through the arbor of bushes and flowers. “Just so we’re clear, you don’t want other women flirting with me, but I can still flirt with women right?” he said, his voice filled with a taunting playfulness he only ever used with her. A chuckle released from him at her response and then he stopped at his destination, lowering Mallory back onto her feet. “Before you do any more yelling, turn around,” he gestured and watched as she turned toward the giant five-tier fountain with a statue of a woman reaching out toward a bird on top. 

The fountain sat at the center of a pool of crystal clear waters. Stray flower petals had scattered over the top of the body of water and near the back two swans slowly floated, their heads turning to show they were aware of their presence.

Eero gently ran the back of his knuckles down the length of Mallory’s exposed spine and brought his lips down beside her ear. “Swim with me,” he murmured against the soft skin beneath her ear. His hands rose as he loosened his tie from around his neck. When she gave him a look, he only grinned, shrugging off his jacket. 

“Undress, Little Red, or I’ll take you with me gown and all,” he promised and once his top layers were abandoned on the grass, he undid his dress pants and kicked off his shoes. 

“Unless. . . you’re afraid?” he rose his brows at her, a devilish glint in them.

A grunt of annoyance rasped from Mallory’s lips as the Alpha drew her flush against his chest, arms crossed over her front as he held her fists in place. The warm airy breath of his words sizzled caressed the crest of her ear, a splattering of goosebumps immediately springing to her skin in response. “Fuck. You.” She breathed irritably, sliding one her legs behind his own and lurching all of her weight to one side as she tossed him with her hip, yanking hard on the hands that held her own to flip him onto his back. Mallory followed his body down to the mats, straddling his hips and barring her forearm against his throat in a pin. A look of smug satisfaction slid over her features as she panted a breathy “I win, again.”

Mallory tried to ignore how comfortably Eero’s hips settled between her legs, tried to ignore the sudden heat racing through her as she felt his rough hands slide along her legs to grip the backs of her thighs. If she hadn’t already been so red-faced from their sparing she would have been blushing. Blue eyes darted between his burning gaze and those plump pink lips that were curved into a cheeky grin that she knew meant he was up to no good.

But before Mal could make any reckless decisions that she’d surely regret, she was distracted by a clearing throat from near by, her head whipping in the direction of Thomas who was staring them down with his arms crossed over his chest just like he always was when Eero and Mallory spent time together. The Beta had become their dutiful shadow these past several weeks and Mallory felt vaguely like they were a couple of teenagers who needed chaperoning, which perhaps was true considering this wasn’t the first time Thomas had interrupted the two of them in a compromising position. Over time the hostility between Eero and Mallory had become nonexistent, leaving only their quiet affection for one another and what had become an unyielding friendship. And when things strayed into dangerous territory, when their gazes lingered a little too long and their touches wandered a bit too far, Thomas was always there to break apart the growing tension and separate them.

Mallory wasn’t a fool, and had begun to suspect Eero was letting her win some of their matches just to feel her weight on him, just to have her this close to conceal his indelicate touches. Though Mal couldn’t blame him, because she’d been doing the exact same.

Mallory knew the Beta wasn’t acting out of malevolence and was just trying to look out for his closest friend and Alpha, but that didn’t stop Mal was rolling her eyes dramatically as she peeled herself away from Eero, offering his friend a humorously hissed “Buzzkill,” As she strode past the man and into the grand estate.

* * * * *

Mallory sprung to her feet as a few light knocks sounded from her door, calling for who she knew was Eero to let himself in. She greeted him with a bubbly grin and a giggle despite the fact that it looked as if he were moments away from drooling all over the carpet, throwing her arms around his neck affectionately as she pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. “How lovely,” She cheered, releasing the Alpha from her embrace. “Now both of my dates are here.” Mal said, reaching her hand back towards a very guilty looking Regis and Azalea sitting on the rug at the foot of her bed, a mostly empty bottle of champagne and three drained glasses sitting amongst them.

“It was her idea!” Regis proclaimed at the same time that Azalea insisted “It was his idea, I swear!”

In reality, It had been Az’s idea to pre-game the Grave Ceremony and she’d simply roped Regis in along the way, though she’d never admit that under the stare of her Alpha. The three of them had spent the last hour or so together sprawled across Mallory’s bedroom floor, sipping too-strong champagne and helping each other get ready for the ball. Thomas had declined the invitation to join and Eero hadn’t been invited because the two wolves had insisted that he and Mallory were “too broody” when they were around each other, and Regis had been sure that Eero would never have approved of them getting tipsy before an event where the High Alphas may make an appearance. Tahtia and Mal could still hardly be in the same room as one another without tearing into each other, so she had obviously been excluded from their festivities.

Mallory ignored the wolves completely, her sole focus on the dark haired man standing before her. He was like something out of a dream in his dark suit, that raven black hair combed back neatly and his face clean shaven. “You look handsome, Eero.” She beamed, fiddling with the skirts of her midnight blue gown. The entire bodice was sheer and fitted, a few carefully placed appliqués the only things keeping her breasts from being entirely exposed. The sleeves were billowing and sheer as well, coming to gather at her wrists, and the skirt was full and made of a tulle like fabric, a single slit giving a peak of one leg when she walked. Her auburn hair had been twisted back into an intricate knot at the base of her skull with a few curls left free to frame her face, and her makeup had been simple, a smoky wing coming off each eyelid being the boldest thing about it.

The last time Mallory had attended one of these events she’d been painted as a seductress, the perfect picture of sex incarnate. But today she felt more like a queen, beautiful and elegant and graceful.

Together the three of them joined the others already waiting in the lobby before heading to the large ballroom that was already teaming with bodies and spilling beautiful music. Namir and Ahren were seated on their thrones on the grand dais, causing Mallory’s gut to clench with anxiety. But simultaneously, she couldn’t deny the relief that washed through her to see the other thrones empty, the remaining two High Alpha’s deciding not to leave their home territories to attend one of Vadona’s ceremonies.

The next thing that Mallory noted was the several species of supernatural that were in attendance at tonight’s ball, her eyebrows raising as she took in a pair of fae passing by, the delicate points of their ears making her pause. Wolves, the fae of numerous shapes and sizes, even a man with patches of scales along his forearms whom she knew to be a dragon-shifter all mingled and danced about the ballroom. Something sharp twisted in her chest as she took in all of the people of Vadona coming together to mourn their dead, regardless of their species.

Maybe it was because Mallory was more than a little tipsy and she’d always been an emotional drunk, but she had to blink away the tears that had wanted to spring to her eyes at the sight, reaching over the grab Eero’s hand and give it a reassuring squeeze instead.

Mallory didn’t linger on the sadness that had taken her by suprise, instead turning bright eyes up to her taller companion and offering the man a grin that was so broad it was almost painful, her dimples creating craters at either corner of her mouth. “Dance with me?” She’d pleaded, coaxing him onto the already crowded dance floor with the hand that she still held.

He’d obliged her. Not once, not twice, but three dances in a row he had held her against him, spun her across the floor, and arched her into dip after dip. Mal had smiled so much that her cheeks ached, and though she knew he’d never admit it, she suspected that Eero had been enjoying himself just as much.

They’d been interrupted before their next dance by another male figure coming to stand behind Mallory, a possessive hand placed on her shoulder. She hadn’t time to move away before a voice that she recognized all too well froze her in place, panicked eyes glancing to Eero’s furious gaze and willing him to calm down.

“You won’t keep your little pet all to yourself all night, will you Eero?” Ahren purred, making a show of squeezing Mallory’s shoulder in his grip. “Surely you’ll let one us poor bastards have a turn with her,” She could feel his grin without turning to see it with her own eyes. “Just a dance, of course.” He corrected without a hint of remorse.

“I’m okay, don’t make a scene,” Mallory whispered through Eero’s mind, sending a gentle caress of reassurance down that shared link between them. “You’ll just provoke him if you argue.” She urged silently. The last time Mal had danced with another man Eero had nearly torn his throat out, and he couldn’t try that again, not with a High Alpha and not in such a public setting.

Turning out of Ahren’s grip, Mallory spun to face the High Alpha. His skin was it’s usual shade of porcelain and his long hair was pin straight and neatly combed, those blood red eyes zeroed in on her face.  “A dance would be lovely,” Mallory agreed, offering the man her hand.

Ahren lead her a few paces away before pulling her flush to his chest, one hand settling low on her back while the other gripped the hand she’d offered him. They took slow, lilting steps as they began their leisurely dance. “You are a visionin that dress, little witch.” Ahren whispered lowly against her ear. His words made her shiver, but not in the same way she shivered when Eero whispered those sweet nothings in her ear, no, this time she had shivered against the disgust settling deep in her gut.

“Why are you here?” Mallory dared ask, stealing a glance from over the man’s shoulder to find Eero propped against one of the large white pillars. He looked unbothered, chatting quietly with another guest while sipping a glass of something she could only guess was his favorite bourbon. But Mallory knew better than to think he wasn’t watching them too, listening to every word they whispered, knew that Ahren knew all of this too and would likely try to goad the Alpha into another altercation.

“I wanted to keep an eye on you after the last time we met.” He admitted, twirling Mallory once before drawing her back to him. “I am… curious to learn about your abilities. I suppose it makes sense why Eero has kept you hidden away from the rest of us all of this time.” He murmured lowly, his hand skimming along her back. “I can’t blame him for wanting to keep you all to himself, but I suspect that you can do so much more than that little glimmer you showed me before, and I intend to find out.”

Regis was there a moment later, a charming smile forced onto his lips as he slid between herself and Ahren. “You’ll have to forgive me Ahren,” He bit out politely, “But I can’t wait another moment to dance with our guest.”

Ahren nodded his approval, bowing once and offering Mal a parting smirk before disappearing into the crowd. Regis released a heavy sigh as he pulled Mallory into the next dance with little effort, mostly just swaying back and forth. “Eero-“ She began quickly, eyes scanning the crowd from over Regis’ shoulder for her friend. “Is fine.” He cut her off, abruptly ending the conversation.

Mallory spent the next hour sipping champagne from waiter’s trays, chatting with Azalea when she wasn’t wrapped up in her mate, and apathetically dancing with the men who’d been brave enough to approach the Alpha’s favored guest and ask for her hand. The dragon-shifter she’d spotted earlier, a high fae with a heavy accent that she didn't recognize, and Russ had been the only ones daring enough to ask her to dance - and that was just fine, Mallory supposed, she was tired of dancing anyways. She’d wanted to find Eero, to demand why he’d been shutting her out each time she tried to reach for his mind from across the room.

But, as her eye’s found the Alpha in the same spot she’d found him each of the other several times she’d looked for him over the past hour, anger flared to life inside of her like something white-hot and scalding. It was clear why he'd been shutting her out of his mind, he clearly hadn't wanted Mallory privy to the thoughts he was having about the pretty woman shamelessly flirting with him. He’d been speaking to the same beautiful woman for over half an hour, first lounging on one of the ornate settees lining the room, then sharing a dance, and now leaned back against a pillar sipping his drink and smiling at her in a way she’d rarely seen him look at anyone before.

The woman was like something from a magazine, all long legs and sharp features with a shoulder length platinum blonde bob. Her smile was wide and bright as she laughed over something the Alpha had said, and she leaned forward to grip his bicep in her perfectly manicured hand. Their closeness made it abundantly clear that they were familiar with each other, and Mallory hadn’t even realized that she was moving towards them until she was within earshot of their conversation, could hear the girl enthusiastically recounting old stories of the two of them as teenagers.

Rage hit her deep in the gut at the thought of the other woman - at her history with him, her stunning appearance, at her closeness to him. Mallory had never reckoned herself to be a jealous person, but maybe jealously wasn’t the right word to describe the feelings racing through her. Mallory’s wasn’t jealous, she was territorial. Because jealousy was when you wanted something that wasn’t your’s, but territorial was protecting what already belonged to you.

And god damn it, Eero was her’s. She knew it, he knew it, and probably everyone else who knew them knew it. Maybe it had always been that way between them, but for Mallory the feeling was so fresh that it left her feeling raw.

“Eero,” She greeted tightly, offering the blonde woman a polite flash of a smile. “Walk with me?” She asked, though she didn’t wait for an answer nor give him a chance to decline before she was grabbing his hand and tugging him along behind her. She led them to the garden in a tense silence, finally releasing a breath along with his hand once the patio doors were firmly shut behind them. The quiet chirping of insects and the soft lilt of the distant music through the glass the only sound around them as they stared at one another.

“Who’s your friend?” She finally asked, arms crossed over her chest. Gods, did she sound as sour as she thought she did? Mallory began down the cobblestone path between the floral bushes at a leisurely pace, desperately trying to get a grip on herself and knowing that Eero would follow.

The air was warm and mild, and a cool breeze kissed it’s way across her exposed skin as they strolled along the garden path in silence for a few long moments. The sky had shifted into a deep periwinkle, and the clouds were filled with a light pink that was beginning to dim. Slowly, like a shimmering disk too rich and clear to be described, the moon slipped over the horizon and lined everything in violet. It was like seeing the world put the rest, and the two of them were the sole witnesses.

The lighting ceremony would begin soon, Mallory knew. Eero would be expected to go back inside, to light a candle for his father and lead the masses to the graveyard.

But still, her blood raced and she had to clench her hands into the tulle of her skirt to keep from reaching for him. Her throat bobbed, heart fluttering so quickly it felt as if she’d had a hummingbird living in her chest.

His skin glowed with that golden tan he’d acquired from hours of training out in the late summer sun. And his eyes - not merely blue with that icy sheen, but every hue and variation that could be imagined, as though every drop of water in the ocean had bled into one shade. This was the Alpha she’d come to know - devastatingly handsome, captivating, and powerful beyond belief.

Finally, Mallory whirled to face him. “I can’t watch you be with other women like that.” Her words were rushed and he voice felt raw from holding back everything she’d wanted to say to him. “I am so jealous, Eero, and I know I have no right to be because we’re just friends, but Gods Eero I could have killed her when I saw the way she looked at you, was touching you.” The admittance had felt like a sin, but she couldn’t stop herself, not now. “You’ve said it before,” She breathed, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. “You are mine. We belong to each other, Eero. And I don’t know why, or how, or what we’re supposed to do about any of this, but I do know that I can’t just stand by and watch another woman shamelessly flirt with you and not want to rip her head off.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she reached to touch the contours of his cheek bone. His cool skin bit into her fingertips, and the hint of stubble on his jaw slipped against her smooth skin. Mallory lifted her other hand and gently grasped the back of his neck. She pulled lightly, overcome with the need to touch him, to feel him in that intimate way that only they shared, to have his lips on her’s.

With a gentle tug at the back of his neck to bring him to her level, Mallory rose on her tiptoes and kissed the man like her life depended on it. She kissed him like she were drowning and he were her only source of air, like he were her lifeline out of the depths of darkness she’d found herself in. She felt her skin come alive with magic, florescent white electricity that matched the ring around her irises crackling along her skin like she were a living bolt of lightning. When her lips made contact with his again a small zap transferred between them, leading her to gasp out a quiet apology against his lips. But she couldn’t stop, couldn’t stop kissing him, feeling him under her touch despite the small shock she’d felt when her hand moved against the back of his neck. Her kiss was hard and demanding, and she didn’t stop until her head had begun to swim from a lack of air. He felt so warm and familiar, felt solid and safe, and it made Mallory want cling to his neck and bury her face in the warm crook of his neck and never let go.

But she did. She let him go, taking a wobbling step back as her fingers skimmed across her still tingling lips, fluorescent eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” She gasped squeezing her eyes closed for a long moment in an attempt to make the magic leave her and stop holding her body hostage. “I’m sorry,” She repeated staring back at him now, unsure if she was apologizing for her proclamations and her kiss, or for the tiny zaps of electricity she’d forced him to endure. “Im sorry, I- I don’t know what’s happening, or how to make it stop.”

Again, it’d been a double edged statement. Because she truly didn’t know how the make the magic stop, or how to stop loving him.

Heavy-lidded eyes shifted away from the ceiling to look up at Mallory who came up to stand over him, one hand extended out toward him expectantly. Eero tapped his fingers against the neck of the bottle he was clutching, silently considering before he let go of the bottle and reached out his hand to meet her own.

Arm in arm, the two of them had found themselves walking through the estate gardens. The garden always seemed a shade brighter under the glow of the moon. Its light cast over the plants like liquid magic —nature and her in humble brilliance. The yellow buttercups became gold, white lilies, bouvardias, and tulips glowed blue, and the grass became the sea, an endless flowing wave against the subtle night breeze. Some flowers had closed themselves for the night, while others like the moonflowers had opened themselves wide to bathe in the moonlight. He could remember as a child the countless times he’d rove through this garden on the hunt for fresh fruits or to watch the koi fish beneath the bridge.

The longer that the two of them walked in silence, the thicker the air seemed to feel. Eero suspected it had something to do with the uneasy expression that appeared on Mallory’s face. The Alpha surveyed her quietly, about to ask her what she was thinking about when she was blurting his name, rendering him silent when her arms wrapped themselves around him tightly, her face pressing against his chest. She was hugging him? His confusion had turned quickly to stunned silence at her next words and part of him stiffened under her grasp.

As Eero stared down at Mallory, he soaked up every word she spewed out to him, every pained expression she made, and the crack in her voice was committed to memory. Overall, he made sure to feel. To feel every emotion that was flowing down the bond between them. It had been so strong that it was nearly tangible. The guilt. The shame. The sorrow. But it was true. It was truthful and real. Then silver lined those big blue eyes and Eero’s brows furrowed slightly as they began spilling down her cheeks, sparkling with the reflection of the moon.

Eero stood there quietly, just staring at her when she finished. His fingers untangled from her own as he drew his hand back. Lifting his now free hands, he took her face, thumbs ridding her cheeks of the fallen tear streaks before finally saying, “I do not blame you, Mallory, do you understand?” his eyes flickered between her own, making sure she was registering those words deeply. He used to. He used to look at her and only ever see his dead father. He used to hate her. He used to feel a lot of things that he didn’t anymore, but after her father refused to come for her, refusing to protect his family the way that his pack would, he had begun to realize that the huntress was not a monster. She was just forged by a monstrous creator. Mallory was a lot of things, but she was not a cold-blooded murderer. She saw things with wonderment in her heart. And all the while she had begun to make him see things differently too.

“Though I appreciate your apology, I have already forgiven you, Mallory.” he paused, “I think that I forgave you a while ago.” he shook his head at the thought before lowering his hands to her shoulders. “So, stop crying, Little Red. Nobody likes a drunk crier.” he teased before turning and sliding his arm around her shoulders so they could both continue on the cobblestone path.

Eero led them toward the pond where the small bridge crossed over and once they were at the bridge's peak, he leaned against the railing, looking out at the glowing mushrooms and fireflies that blinked past. “I suppose I should apologize too,” Eero murmured into the darkness, his lips quirking into a faint smirk of amusement and sorrow. “For, you know, destroying your life and kidnapping you.” he glanced over at her briefly. “I truly am sorry though. That I am the way that I am. You said I was good, but good people don’t seek revenge, and good people don’t want to kill their friend's fathers.” Eero pursed his lips, raking his hands through his hair as he released a heavy sigh. A moment later, he lowered himself to sit on the bridge and when she joined him, they talked. For a long time, they just talked. Not about their fathers or magic or training. Just about life.

Hours had passed out in the garden, and the two of them had moved from their spot on the bridge, finding themselves surrounded by walls of fairy lights, bushes, vines, and flowers as they walked through the twinkling arbor. Eero was studying the walls of flowers, quietly deciding which one he wanted to pluck until he landed on a small red Amaryllis. The Alpha freed the flower from the arbor and proceeded to tuck its small stem within Mallory’s auburn tresses. As his eyes met her sleepy ones, he found his lips curving slightly upward. 

“Little Red,” he murmured. “I think it might be time to get you to bed.”

* * *

A few weeks passed by since their night out in the garden. Things between them didn’t feel so rocky anymore, though they still had to manage through their unspoken moments of tension. Many training sessions had continued through the mornings and sometimes evenings when Mallory felt she was able. Eero had taken it upon himself to try and help her with her magic, only really managing to get small surges at a time, but it was still something. As for combat, she was learning quickly and was taking wins even upon Eero himself, though there had been some occasions that Eero wouldn’t admit where he would let Mallory win, especially if he could feel the frustration boiling off of her. Like today.

They were on their fourth round of combat, just hand-to-hand, no wolf. Both of them were sweating as they circled one another on the mats of the indoor arena. The only thing he wanted to focus on was her stamina. Wolves naturally had a longer stamina time, so the longer she could withstand, the better. As she struck and he dodged, the two of them pivoted around and when her frustration began getting the better of her, making her swing lazily at him, he grabbed her fist in his hand and twirled her so quickly, their bodies were a blur. Eero had her wrapped up in him, her back pinned to his chest as he held her in a lock.

“What did I tell you, Mallory?” Eero breathed beside her ear and her rage was unleashed. She used the move he taught her, taking him down to the mats. They tumbled and Eero smirked, watching her carefully for any faults in her movements. He noticed she left her right side open for attack, but decided against correcting her. Instead, he let her continue and pin him to the mat, both of them panting. Eero grinned up at Mallory. Even with sweat gleaming across her face, she was an ethereal sight to behold, and though she was narrowing her eyes at him, he couldn’t stop staring at her, couldn’t stop feeling the weight of her body sprawled across his own, his hands resting on her thighs.

A clearing throat snapped Eero back to the present and his head snapped in the direction of Thomas standing in the doorway. The two of them peeled apart from each other, bringing themselves back to their feet. “Lunch is ready, after that, we need to be ready for the ceremony,” Thomas explained, glancing between the two of them before walking out.

After lunch, everyone seemed to disperse to get dressed for the Vedona Grave Ceremony. The ceremony was a well-known tradition in Vedona at the end of October where the dead would be remembered and the newly dead would be sent off by lighting candles at their graves. The banquet and ball would be hosted at the estate where the theme was generally a masquerade setting.

Eero had been on edge as he finished his tie, smoothing the lapels of his suit. The High Alphas were more than likely to make an appearance at the event. Though he hadn’t heard much from them over the past few weeks, it didn’t settle him in the least. Not after the Mallory incident with Ahren. He didn’t want to put her in harm's way, but its appearance at the ceremony was more than requested.

Eero had stopped outside of Mallory’s bedroom door, offering the soft knock of his knuckles. When she insisted he could come in, the Alpha moved inside, stopping on the threshold as he took her in, the breath nearly being sucked out of him.

A content rumble of appreciation purred from Mallory’s chest as Eero’s steady grip on her shoulders began to work away the tension from her muscles, her head sagging in relief for a brief moment as her shoulders relaxed. She probably would have moaned out loud at the euphoric feeling had she not been making a conscious effort not to do so. Mal wasn’t ignorant to the curious glances the pair of them were receiving from the pack, and she hadn’t wanted to give them another reason to stare or ask questions that she didn’t have the answer to.

Regis had tried, once, to pry information out of her after she’d come downstairs smelling faintly of the Alpha. He’d narrowed his eyes at her, asking if she’d been with Eero. Her answer had been an innocent confirmation, that she had come from his room. Regis, unpleased with the lack of details corrected his question to ask if she had been with him, his tone suddenly much more suggestive. Mallory had answered with a scowl and a sharp whack of the wooden spoon she’d been holding, telling the omega that no she hadn’t been with Eero like that, and that he needed to stop being a snoop.

Though admittedly, that had been weeks ago, and Mallory and Eero’s relationship had developed since then.

Still, it hadn’t been something Mallory wanted to dwell on. Their relationship, or lack thereof, was no one’s business besides their own. Mallory had begun to loathe the general lack of privacy that came with living amongst a pack of wolves, but on that same not had come to appreciate the familial love they shared for one another. Despite having made friends with a few of the wolves, Mallory wasn’t used to always having someone around to pry into her private affairs, and it often left her on edge.

Mallory had been an only child, but she imagined that this had to be what having siblings felt like.

Mallory tried to ignore the curious glances from the wolves around them, turning her eyes downward as she continued to pick at her lunch and soak in the quiet affection of Eero’s tender touch along her neck and shoulders. It was an oddly intimate gesture, Mallory thought, something she hadn’t considered until she’d felt the weight of Thomas and Azalea’s stares. They’d always saved these gentle moments for private, and it was a strangely vulnerable feeling to have the pack watch them share anything aside from hostility towards one another.

The huntress perked up at the sound of Regis’ praise, a quick smile flashing across her face. “Next time it’ll be you I’m making cry,” She dared, only to receive a raised middle finger from the blonde omega and a surprised laugh from the happy could sprawled across the couch.

Eero’s hot breath tickled her cheek as he leaning down to chastise her quietly, earning an eye roll and a crinkle of her nose as her head fell back to look at him. “You make me feel good.” She returned, this time her voice a velvet caress through his mind.

They were interrupted by a very exuberant Regis returning to the sitting room, waving a bottle of amber colored liquor in the air and insisting everyone partake. Mallory was confused by the sudden shift of energy in the room, albeit game to see where the evening would take them. Even the normally even-tempered Thomas had risen from his seat, chugging back a few healthy swallows of the cheap whiskey in challenge when Eero had tried to leave. Mallory had been moments from chiming in, insisting that Eero stay and have fun with them when a sudden heaviness exploded through her chest. It was like a ton of bricks had been dropped on her, and she was filled with so much anguish and sadness that it felt like she were choking on it.

But it wasn’t her own sadness she was feeling, Mallory quickly realized. It was his. Sapphire eyes darted to Eero, drinking in the easy facade of indifference that he wore so well. But Mallory wasn’t fooled, she had felt the searing pain of realization in him before he’d buried it below the surface.

* * * * *

They had drank, laughed, recounted old stories, and drank some more for what had to have been hours. The sun was setting through the large bay windows across the room, and Mallory had joined the rest of the pack on the floor in front of the crackling fireplace where they lay sprawled on an assortment of cushions and blankets.

Everyone was sufficiently drunk, even the Alpha who had hardly spoken, but offered quiet smiles and laughed along with the others every now and again. Mallory and Regis sat shoulder to shoulder, leaning against one another - Mal was pretty sure that they were basically holding each other up with their weight. It had been so nice to feel her friend’s warmth again, and Mal was so deeply appreciative of his friendship that it made her heart feel like it would burst.

Drunkenly, Mallory had outright asked the blonde what had made him start liking her again after a week of cold hostility. Without missing a beat Regis had told her that if Eero didn’t have a problem with her after finding out she was a witch, then he didn’t see why anyone else should have a problem with her either. Mallory hadn’t had the heart to admit to Regis that Eero’s forgiveness had been a much more complex matter, tangled with feelings and a proclaimed imprint. Instead, she’d just reached over to squeeze his hand affectionately, moving the conversation on to brighter things.

Tahtia and Mallory had been passing back and forth a bottle of tequila for some time now, perhaps the friendliest gesture the two had ever shared. Mallory took another swig, nose crinkling as the clear liquid burned its way down her throat before settling in her gut. She stole another glance over to Eero who was now sprawled on his back, one hand still clutching his bourbon, as the group laughed over Thomas and Azalea’s hidden romance before they’d come clean about their mating.

Eero had made an effort to laugh as well, but Mallory could still feel that sinking heaviness in his chest. It had been Azalea who had filled her in on the significance of the day and why they’d been so dutiful in trying to distract Eero, leaning over to whisper in Mal’s ear when she caught her staring at the glum Alpha earlier in the evening. Mallory had been crushed by the realization that she had played a part, however small, in Eero’s despair.

Taking a final glug of the tequila for courage, Mallory finally stood on shaky legs. Between the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed and the still throbbing wound on her thigh, Mal wasn’t nearly as stable as she would have liked to be. Still, she extended a hand down to the Alpha as she spoke. “Want to go for a walk?” She offered, eyes expectant. She had things that she needed to get off her chest.

* * * * * *

The gardens had always been one of Mallory’s favorite spots on the Estate and it had become a place she sought out for tranquility, and she hoped that maybe it could be that for Eero too. She’d spent many sleepless nights wandering the cobblestone paths through the expansive garden, just as she did now, her arm curled through the Alpha’s as they moseyed through the rose bushes in silence.

Finally, Mallory couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t stand another moment of silence or to feel his sadness seeping down their shared bond. She paused, unsure how exactly to address what was on her mind. “Eero,” She began, pausing once more before crushing the Alpha in a fierce hug. Her arms curled around his waist in an iron grip, her cheek pressed so tightly to his his muscled chest that she could hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat. “I know what today is for you,” She admitted, keeping him trapped in her tight embrace for a few moments longer.

Mallory took a deep, shuddering breath, taking a step back so she could look up at him. “I know it’s been a year since you lost your father, and I want to - need to apologize to you for the part that I played in taking him from you.” Mallory’s father had kept her away from the action during the days that had let up to Rafael’s death, but Mallory had been responsible for the scouting, and had reported the late Alpha’s movements to her father until they’d had the wolf trapped. A deep guilt echoed through her at the thought.

“There is no excuse for what I was a part of, but- but I need you to know that I have spent these past few months trying to re-wire everything that I have ever known.” She was drunk, and she was rambling and tripping over her words, but she couldn’t stop. “I spent my entire life thinking that you were all monsters, and evil, and that the most merciful thing I could do for this earth was to help eliminate your kind from existence. But, but, I don’t think any of that is true anymore.” She tried to remember to breath, rubbing at the tears that’d begun to pool in her eyes. “Because I met you and your friends, and you are good, Eero. You, and Regis, and Az, and the rest of them are some of the best people I have ever met, and I can’t believe how I ever spent any time at all thinking that you were a monster.”

Mallory took another shuddering breath, her heart galloping in her chest as she reached for his hand. “I am ashamed to have ever been so close minded, so removed from reality that I believed whatever was put in front of me. But I know better now, and I just hope that you can forgive me for the person that I used to be.”

A hard thump to the back of his head made Eero stiffen. The Alpha stopped dead in his tracks, blinked once as he registered the feeling, and even before he had turned around to face Mallory, he knew damn well that she was the culprit to the ache that now throbbed against the back of his head. Eero’s eyebrows were drawn forward in a hardened look, but when he found those eyes filled with a thousand hues of blue twinkling back at him he saw how full of mischief and yearning they were. Like blue flames dancing, extending a hand for him to take and dance with them. 

So he did.

The sound that slipped free from the huntress was enough in itself to diminish any scowl that once lived on his features. Now, with his lips set in a full smirk, Eero darted after her as she sprinted off into the midst of the courtyard. Her braid flung behind her as she pumped her legs, but he was hot on her tail. In a matter of seconds, he had her tackled to the swaying grass and the two of them were tumbling through it. The look of surprise on her face caused a chuckle to emit from his chest and when her laughter joined his own he swore he could feel something inside of his chest crack. The beginning of a thaw crawled through him from the angelic sound. He enjoyed it so much that when she made an effort to get him to the ground, he let her.

Eero’s back hit the blanket of grass as he took the impact of their final flip, serving himself as her cushion as she pinned him down beneath her weight, body positioned like an assassin who finally captured her prey. The Alpha rested his hands around her waist, staring up at her as she whispered her victory down to him, and all the while he looked at her, all he could think about was how devastatingly beautiful she looked with the rays of sun shining through her tendrils of loose hair and how the brightness in her smile put that sun to shame.

* * *

The Alpha closed his teeth around the white flesh of his apple as he relaxed into the armchair in the seating room. His eyes were fixated on Azalea and Thomas who had taken it upon themselves to outwardly express the way that they felt with the rest of the pack when it came to the grounds of their relationship. The constant hiding behind closed doors to express their undying love was far gone as Thomas lay across the couch with Azalea laying nestled beside him. Thomas had been using the strings of his sweatshirt to tickle her face, earning a smiling scowl from his mate.

Eero thought he might throw up at the sight and Tahtia didn’t look as though she was any further behind him judging by the look on her face.

“Get a room,” Regis scolded them as he followed Mallory into the room to join them.

“You’re just jealous,” Azalea stuck her tongue out and then pressed her face into Thomas’ chest. Thomas shrugged, resting his chin on the top of her head contently.

Eero busied himself with finishing off his apple, leaving the core on his empty plate when Mallory approached him as if she might sit right in his lap. The Alpha watched her carefully, a mixture of curiosity and confusion washing over him, and then she was plopping herself down onto the floor in front of him, her back facing him as she shoved her way in between his legs. He shifted for her, still staring down at her. When his eyes flickered up briefly, he caught sight of the expressions sitting on each pack member's face.

Thomas had blinked at Eero and he could hear the silent suggestive glint that sparkled in his gaze. Tahtia, of course, was her typical snarky self, refusing to give Mallory the time of day, and Regis was busy eating while Azalea peeked over her shoulder, curiosity gleaming in her eyes at the action. Eero had to force himself to ignore them. He was going to ignore it all actually, and just let the huntress make herself comfortable, but then he felt her hand reaching for his. Once she had him in her grasp, she was tugging him forward so that his hands would rest on each of her shoulders.

The Alpha peered down at Mallory who stared up at him giddily. He wasn’t sure why, but rubbing her shoulders in front of his pack felt oddly more intimate than the moments of heat that they’d shared in the past. Briefly, he wondered if that was how Thomas and Azalea had felt when they found out that they were mated. 

Regardless of the feelings that bubbled inside of him, Eero kept his composure as he shifted in his seat to allow himself better access. “How painfully subtle of you,” he said lowly, his voice holding a drop of playfulness as he placed a hand on top of her head, tilting her head back forward so that he could massage her. His fingers curled around her shoulders, his thumbs working themselves gently into her muscles while he squeezed a healthy amount of pressure into them. 

“For being out of practice, you sure kicked Russ’ ass, I thought I might see him crying back at his post,” Regis said to Mallory, tossing a grape into his mouth.

“Did she?” Azalea chimed in, an impressed look on her face. Eero nodded and when he returned his attention to Mallory, it looked like her head might roll off her shoulders and onto the floor. Eero had let his hands wander more, massaging up her neck and down near her shoulder blades, following any knots that he could feel beneath the skin. 

Smirking, he leaned forward to whisper to her. “You’re drooling,” he teased.

The conversations continued on, and though Eero had insisted that they needed to get back out and do more training, Regis had managed to bring a bottle he found into the circle.

“It’s two in the afternoon.” Azalea stared at Regis, an appalled look on her face when he introduced the rum.

“And?” Regis countered, twisting off the top.

“Eh, what the hell,” Tahtia muttered breathlessly as she reached stood and snatched the bottle of out his hand, taking a swig.

“See, that is the sort of enthusiasm I am looking for,” Regis eyed the group, taking the bottle back, and bringing it to his lips. “It’s been a while since we all just stopped and relaxed together.” he pointed the bottle at Mallory. “Even before she came into the picture.” 

As Eero watched Regis slowly convince others to drink, he pondered where the sudden change in the Omega’s mood had come from. His mind wandered for a moment before coming to a sharp halt. The feeling that sunk in his chest was so heavy and miserable that Eero had nearly stopped breathing altogether. 

He knew exactly what he was doing. 

“Come on, Eero, you don’t have to be all business all the time,” Regis’ voice interrupted the chaos that was filtering through his mind and the Alpha cleared his throat, shaking his head, shoving the bottle away.

“I have a lot to do,” Eero lied, and moved his legs, moving to stand around Mallory.

Regis had stood there looking utterly helpless and Thomas must have noticed because the Beta had stepped so far out of his comfort zone it stopped even Eero in his tracks.

Getting up from the couch, Thomas walked up to Regis, took the bottle, and took a couple of long swigs. The disgust on his face was partially visible and then he shoved the bottle out toward Eero, his eyes speaking for him what he knew Eero didn’t want said out loud. “Our Alpha never backs down from a challenge,” Thomas said roughly, still recovering from his least favorite booze.

When the others caught on and joined in, Eero stared at them all, and though Mallory looked confused as ever, even she stood beside them now. Thomas shook the bottle for further enthusiasm and Eero shook his head in defeat.

“We’re going to need better alcohol if we’re going to do this.” was all he said before he brought the bottle to his lips.

* * *

It had been an entire year. How that much time passed, he wasn’t sure. Time didn’t seem to ever make sense when it came to grief. Sometimes it felt like he had just seen his father or like he could still smell him and hear his voice. And other days he could barely remember what his face looked like. Like he was trying to see a picture of him from far away but couldn’t quite make it out. And his voice would sometimes blur with others. Time just. . . didn’t make sense. 

There wasn’t much in the world, Eero was finding, that did make sense. Not in his life.

“Okay, but how long were you guys fucking before we even knew?” Tahtia narrowed her eyes at Azalea, bringing a bottle of tequila to her lips. Where the hell she managed to find it, Eero didn’t know.

Azalea reddened, but it wasn’t evident if it was from the embarrassment of the question or the alcohol. “Uhm. A while. Like a long while. . .” she admitted to everyones surprise. Thomas nearly choked on his swig, shooting a look at her. Regis and Eero broke into laughter in unison.

“I knew it. I totally think I heard you guys one morning,” Tahtia shook her head, her eyes barely open.

A lot of time seemed to have passed since they all started drinking. The sun was beginning to set out the bay window and all of them made themselves comfortable sitting on the floor, the fireplace crackling now. 

Eero shook his head at the current conversation and laid on his back, hand resting around one of his favorite bourbons that he’d just opened. As he stared at the shadows of the flames dancing on the ceiling, he let free a heavy breath.

Mallory’s lips twitched into a smirk as she watched the Alpha remove his sunglasses, pleased that he’d taken the bait as he approached the ring. She wasn’t ignorant to the quiet murmuring that had ticked up and the suspicious glances of the other wolves as Eero came close, their chests nearly touching as he brushed a sweat-matted tendril of auburn hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. The touch had been so sweet, so gentle - but his words were pure male arrogance.

Adrenaline coursed through her as she watched the ebony haired man phase into his beast form, a tricolored wolf of varying hues of tans and blacks and reds, and eyes so gold they looked like they held the sun. He was beautiful, even as an animal.

She hated him for it.

Mallory rolled her neck, twirling the cane through her hands while she stretched her muscles. The huntress pivoted as the Alpha circled her, keeping the wolf in her vision while she spun the wooden spear as if she hadn’t a care in the world, despite the snarling wolf in front of her.

Her eyes narrowed at the sound of Eero’s voice in her head, the first time either of them had braved using that shared connection since their fight a week ago. “Let’s make this worth my time then, shall we?” Mal said aloud, lunging for him without a moment of hesitation.

Mallory reveled in the quiet gasps and whispered commentary as she caught the Alpha off-balance right at the start, sending him skidding through the dirt. She stalked towards him, smiling at the promise of a good fight as he rose back to his feet and launched towards her with a snarl.

Good, Mallory thought, let them finally have it out.

Their bodies were a blur of skin and fur and teeth, swinging weapons and striking paws as the two unleashed themselves on one another. She could feel Eero’s growing irritation through the bond as he took another crack from the dull end of Mallory’s spear, could sense his frustration at Mallory’s stamina, her lasting longer than anyone expected her to in a fight against the Alpha.

Mallory mirrored his anger as she felt herself beginning to slow, her breaths coming harder and faster than they had before. It’d been so long since she’d trained and it was becoming clear that the huntress had lost her edge. She was gassed, her energy nearly burnt after going two rounds in the ring before taking on the Alpha.

She knew this because she’d seen Eero’s next strike coming, had felt the quick calculation he had made when she swung her cane for him and still hadn’t been able to dodge it. The wolf barreled into her legs and Mallory went to the ground, rolling and springing back to her feet before he could make the finishing blow - but it hadn’t been without sacrifice, her cane flung to the other end of the arena far from her reach.

In a heartbeat Mallory had slung the bow from her shoulder and knocked an arrow. She hated the way her muscles quivered from fatigue as she drew back the string and put the wolf in her sights. But she hadn’t been quick enough, because Eero was phasing back into his human form the moment she’d released the arrow, snatching it from the air only millimeters from his face.

Mallory cursed, not bothering with stringing another arrow as the Alpha approached her on two legs this time. Instead, she planted her feet in the dirt, her stance defensive and strong. She knew that this would be the end, her body too tired to keep up with him for much longer, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Hand to hand combat had never been Mallory’s strong suit. She was fast and she was smart, but Mallory was also rather petite and often struggled to get much power behind her fists without the weight to throw behind it. Eero took her to the earth with ease, the two of them tumbling across the sparring ring throwing blows and spitting curses at one another until Eero had finally managed to pin her, bow drawn and aimed at her chest.

Anger flared in her chest like white hot lightning, and for a split second her eyes had flashed with that molten ring of magic as she stared up at him. With a blink the witch-mark was gone, just two narrowed sapphire eyes glaring up at the Alpha.

“Fuck you,” Mallory seethed, shoving his outreached hand away from her as she stood to her feet. She collected her discarded cane as they approached the water station in silence, brooding and pouting over her loss despite Eero’s attempts at a playful nudge. Regis joined them a moment later, pushing a paper cup of water into her hand. She flashed the blonde a smile that’d been reserved solely for him, for her friend. It was nice to feel his warmth again after a week of being iced out.

But then there had been Eero, ruining her short found joy by yanking at her hair like a schoolboy before turning his back to her. Mallory spun, whipping the end of her wooden cane through the air. It made connection with the back out Eero’s head with a loud crack - she was careful not to swing hard enough to injure him, but just enough to get her point across.

The wicked grin on her face was nothing short of devious as the Alpha turned back to face her. He looked angry, but for a change Mallory’s eyes glimmered with glee. ‘Play with me’ her expression seemed to beckon as she took a tentative step backwards, muscles tensed and ready to spring into action the moment he made a move.

Mallory let out a squeal of equal parts excitement and terror as Eero finally gave chase, turning on her heel and bolting back to the grassy area of the courtyard. Like before, the two of them went to the ground in a pile of limbs, flipping repeatedly and wrestling with one another as they each grappled for a hold on the other. Between the grunts of exertion and gasps for air were squeals of laughter and rumbling chuckles, and instead of a scowl there had been a grin on Mallory’s face when she finally forced Eero into a pin.

“I win.” She said in a breathy whisper, her knee pressing into Eero's groin and forearm barred against his throat. But despite declaring herself the winner, it hadn’t felt like much of a fight. His gentle touch, his cushioning her fall when they’d went to the ground, their shared laughter, his hands comfortably resting on her waist all definitely didn’t feel like a fight.

* * * * * * * * *

Mallory and Eero had went their separate ways after rolling through the grass with one another, only stealing occasional glances from across the courtyard. They’d finished out the last hour or so of training in separate areas, Eero going to do his weight training and Mal running through agility work with Devon before sparring with Regis. The omega and huntress had called their duel a draw after Regis had knocked into Mallory’s already injured thigh, earning a pained yelp as she went to the ground. Simultaneously she’d struck him across the face so hard with her cane that he’d also fallen, seeing stars for the next several seconds. They’d apologized, laughing as they helped one another off the ground and back into their home.

It was lunch time when Mallory trotted back downstairs to the rest of the pack, a small limp evident from the angry looking wound on her thigh. Her hair was still damp from her shower and she’d changed into comfortable clothes - a pair of sweatpants material shorts and a threadbare t-shirt. The pack had been eating their lunch in the living room, everyone seeming much more relaxed after a morning of working out their frustrations and exercising away the tension that had grown between them over the last week.

Things were almost back to normal around the Estate. Mallory was thankful.

Mal plopped to the floor in front of the armchair Eero had been lounging in, nudging his legs apart so she could lean back between them. Maybe this would be their cease-fire, Mallory thought, maybe they’d just needed a good fight to work through everything and they could finally go back to their friendship... if that's what they were going to call it.

The huntress crossed her legs to balance her plate in her lap, reaching behind her to feel for Eero’s hands and bringing them to rest on her shoulders. “I’m sore.” She whined, waiting for him to get the hint and massage the soreness from her muscles.

“I haven’t trained in a long time.” Mallory said from around a bite of carrot sticks. “Not since before, well, everything.” She figured that she didn’t need to reminisce on the time that Eero had planned to kill her and stolen her from the woods, but she did sometimes forget how very long ago that had been. “I’m out of practice.” She admitted with a small laugh, tilting her head back to pass Eero an amused glance.

Eero couldn’t get their conversation out of his head that morning. Mallory’s unwavering denial of the imprint had been one thing, but after arguing with her on the matter, he had begun to wonder if it was real or not. And if it was? Why her? She drove him utterly insane and at the end of the day, he was pretty sure that what she said was right. They couldn’t work together, there was nothing about them that worked. One minute they were a hot mess of limbs and skin and the next they were trying to tear each other's heads clean from their shoulders. He didn’t know a lot about love, but he wasn’t sure that what they had could be considered. Not now. Maybe not ever.

Oddly enough, the more time that the two of them spent apart, the easier it was for him to shove the imprint down into the deepest parts of himself. He could ignore it enough to get through the day, but the moment he saw her — whether they came across each other in the hallway or on the way to the kitchen — it was like a slap across the face. As if the Gods were laughing in his face for thinking he could possibly ignore something so sacred and engrained. He would see her and it was like wild vines erupted from inside of him, reaching and intertwining with her own. He was utterly drawn to her, no matter what he did or how hard he tried to bury that feeling, it always found the surface when he saw her.

Unfortunately, like Eero always did. He hid his true emotions when the going got tough behind anger. It kept everyone at arm's length when he was angry, and with Mallory, that was what he needed.

* * *

The Alpha stood just outside the sparring circle of the arena, clad in a black compression shirt that clung to his muscles, a pair of shorts, and a pair of sunglasses shielded his eyes. Above their head were blue skies, sparse clouds, and a blistering heat that radiated from the high noon sun. Eero had slid his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he waited for Mallory to join them for training. He had just about assumed she wasn’t going to make an appearance when he heard the scuff of her shoes as she approached his side.

Eero shot Mallory a sidelong glance, feeling the tension radiating off of her. Then she opened her mouth, not looking at him. He had to admit that he didn’t expect her to ask that, and his brows rose slightly in response — mostly due to her choice in tone with him.

“Avoiding you?” he let out a harsh laugh. “That’s rich coming from you, Mallory.” Eero returned his attention toward the ring in the grass patch where Russ approached in his wolf form. As if sensing the tensity, Regis stepped in, stealing away Mallory’s attention. 

All around them, there were several other guards of the estate stopping to watch, as well as young recruits for the Legion of Vedona. As Mallory and Russ took each other on, many who walked by found themselves firmly planting their feet for the free entertainment and curiosity. Eero was just as fixated on the two at the center of the ring. The Alpha watched as Russ relied on his strength alone against the huntress and behind his shades, his eyes showed that he knew exactly who was going to win this battle. Despite the rippling muscle beneath his grey pelt, Mallory was quicker on her feet, making it easier for her to anticipate his next moves. The fight was short-lived, but the huntress didn’t escape unscathed. Eero’s hand had curled into a fist at the sight of Russ’ claws digging into her thigh, but he forced himself to remain still on the sidelines.

Once Russ was out of the ring, Eero nodded his chin to the next participant. Though most wolves were heavily muscled and large, it wasn’t always the case. There were wolves like Devon who were slender and lean. She was swift on her feet, and more precise than the brutish males. She was a more worthy opponent for Mallory, and that was only further proved when the two of them began their dance about the ring.

“Devon is too fast,” Regis spoke up beside Eero as he too watched, he even winced for Mallory when Devon sent her straight to the dirt. They could hear the breath being forced from her lungs from where they stood.

“Mallory is faster,” Eero murmured, and just as the words left his lips, Mallory’s arms were moving with blurred movements as she dodged a swipe while knocking back an arrow and sending it spiraling into Devon’s ribs, then another sprung free, hitting Devon’s cheek. Regis let out a low whistle as the second fight ceased, naming Mallory undefeated. The Alpha could feel the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins and the confidence boost that followed after it like a high.

When she turned on her heel, her face flushed from the activity, and he could see a daring sparkle in her eyes. He knew it was only a matter of time before the sarcasm was oozing from her and his own lips mirrored her devilish smirk. “You want a challenge?”  Eero asked as he slid off his sunglasses, handing them to Regis who blinked at him. Heads from the bystanders snapped in the Alpha’s direction, gaping at him as he stepped into the arena. Long strides carried him toward Mallory at the center of it.

Eero came to a stop before her and a strand of hair that was freed from her braid clung to her cheek by sweat. Reaching out, he moved the hair back out of her face, his eyes shifting from blue to shimmering gold. “Show me what you can really do, Little Red,” he whispered into the space between them before his body rippled and he shifted.

The Alpha landed on all fours, his paws thundering against the earth. Shaking out his multi-toned coat, Eero’s glowing eyes locked onto Mallory as he slowly stalked around her, making her pivot to keep her vision on him. Low vibrating growls crackled out of his chest, his ivory fangs baring, causing his muzzle to wrinkle as his lips drew back over the rest of his teeth. People around them were beginning to whisper to one another, shocked to see such a pair in the sparring ring. 

“I’ll try my best to go easy on you,” Eero said down the bond and that seemed to be enough of a push to set her off. The two of them quickly collided and Eero couldn’t help the satisfaction that snaked through him to get such a reaction out of her.

Mallory was light on her feet as she lunged for him her dull spear clutched in her hands. When she went for a strike, Eero didn’t dodge the swipe, but instead had his jaws snapping in the direction of the spear, nearly crunching the cane in half if she had been just slightly slower in her movements. When it came the Alpha’s time to strike, Mallory had been one step ahead, using his momentum against him which sent him skidding, his claws digging into the earth, dust clouding behind him. A snarl tore free from him and the two of them were a blur of white fangs and slashing weapons.

Every swing of her arms was made with precision and the force that drove her was strong. Most of her movements were blurred as they sparred, and the occasional whip of the spear had knocked Eero back. Sweat dripped down the side of Mallory’s face and Eero could see the determination radiating in her eyes as she glared at him, advancing once more. Eero ducked beneath the swipe of her cane, waiting for her footing to loosen before he barrelled into her legs, sending her to the ground. She landed this time with a bit more grace than with Devon, able to somersault back to her feet. Her cane had gone flying across the arena, leaving her with only the bow and quiver to aid her. 

Though Mallory was quick on her feet, strong, and smart, there was still the unexpected in every battle. And Eero had the size and speed in his wolf form, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t equally as skilled as a human. 

Mallory had the bow knocked with an arrow in a matter of seconds and her breathing was heavy as she took aim. Eero’s eyes narrowed at the huntress and as her fingertips loosened on the string, his body rippled once more and he was shifting back to his human form, his hand moving as soon as it was free from the transition. The arrow's tip stopped just before making contact with the center of the Alpha’s eyes as his fingers clamped around it, stopping it mid-air. 

His attention went past the tip of the arrow toward Mallory who stared at him and then he was moving. When he reached Mallory, he was able to take her to the ground after dodging a couple of blows from her elbows and fists as she still grasped her bow. The two of them tumbled across the arena, a cloud of dust from the dirt rising into the air and then he had her pinned beneath him, legs on either side of her. 

Eero smirked down at the huntress as she examined him and he watched as she realized that he was now holding onto her bow, an arrow aimed directly down at her.

“Gotcha,” he breathed, his chest rising and falling as he took in the disbelief smeared across her face.

The Alpha slowly rose, tossing the bow and arrow to the side as he reached down to help her up. When she rejected his hand, it only made his smirk grow. “Now who’s being a dick?” he nudged her as they walked toward the water station. The crowd had begun dispersing from the training ring and Regis joined them.

“You’re a tough little shit,” the blonde encouraged Mallory, shaking his head.

“Just not tough enough,” Eero grabbed Mallory’s braid and gave it a tug before walking off to weight train instead.

It had been over a week since Eero’s encounter with Ahren, over a week since Mallory had went to her knees before the Alpha in a wild attempt to take away his pain, to bring him any kind of relief that she could. She’d stayed with him those initial couple of days after the fight, she’d even slept beside him after they’d showered with one another. She had tended to his every need those first forty-eight hours, refusing to let him so much as twitch a muscle for fear of causing him more pain than he was already in.

But now? Now they could hardly stand to be in the same room as one another.

Mallory had left the Alpha after they’d attempted to breech the topic of his imprint a second time, Mallory refusing to hear it and the two of them growing frustrated with each other until they’d began to bicker. “See!” Mallory had argued that morning, exasperated. “It’s hardly been two days together and we’re already fighting. You’re wrong, Eero, we’d tear each other apart.”

She’d gone to her own room that morning and hadn’t returned to Eero’s since. It was fine, she figured, the pack had been eager to check on him since he’d woken up, but he had always turned them away while she was around. Her absence would give them time to visit, and she would have space to think.

They’d hardly seen one another the following days, only briefly passing each other in the halls once Eero was mobile again, and at shared meals in the dining room whenever they both bothered to show up. Mallory had been avoiding the Alpha, a mixture of embarrassment at her brazen actions in the shower and denial at his insistence that they were fated to each other coursing through her each time she spotted him. But more than that, Mallory had begun to miss the Alpha’s companionship. They’d become something of friends these weeks they’d spent together, and going from their constant banter and playful remarks to nothing but radio silence and brooding glances had been difficult for Mallory.

Mal had suspected that Eero had also been avoiding her, and her thought was confirmed as she joined the pack for dinner that evening. Eero was perched against the wall by the large bay windows, sipping some kind of bourbon instead of sitting in the empty seat beside her where they’d always sat. She eyed him over her plate, absently pushing the roast chicken around with her fork for awhile before pushing her plate away from her altogether. She hadn’t had much of an appetite these days.

Instead she sipped at her white wine, trying not to get annoyed while the wolves talked about her as if she weren’t sitting right in front of them. Finally, she’d had enough.

Mallory sat her glass of wine down on the table with a little more force than she’d intended, the plate in front of her rattling. “I’d like to remind everyone,” she began through clenched teeth, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the pack and their Alpha. “That I am the daughter of the original Huntsman, I have trained my entire life learning to kill your kind. I don’t need your training, and I’d appreciate it if you kept me out of your stupid ass plans.”

Mallory tried and failed to keep her temper in check, the apples of her cheeks reddening in frustration as she excused herself from the table shortly after Eero had left, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

* * * * * *

Mallory approached the large outdoor courtyard early the following morning, dressed head to toe in well fitting black clothing made specially for training with her auburn hair braided back out of her face. Despite her best efforts, a couple of wavy tendrils has fallen from the braid to frame her cheeks. Mallory was blowing them from her eyes as she heeled to a stop beside Eero, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She didn’t look at him as she spoke, “Are you angry with me?” It was more of a demand than a question, her tone cold and shrouded with annoyance. “You’ve been avoiding me, and when you aren’t dodging me you’re being a dick.”

Was she projecting? Maybe a little.

Russ, one of the guards that often manned the front gates, was the first wolf to enter the grassy area at the center of the courtyard, staring at her expectantly. Mallory stared right back at the grey wolf, refusing to make the first move until she was outright ordered to. Regis was the one to break the stalemate, coming to stand beside her and nudging her forward with his elbow. “He says he’s waiting for you, and that he won’t go easy on you if you make him wait much longer.” Regis translated, whatever communication the wolves shared in their animal forms obviously being something that Mal wasn’t privy to.

Mallory rolled her eyes dramatically, but ultimately took the bait. She loved a good challenge, and she loved winning even more.

On one side of the courtyard someone had brought out an array of practice weapons; a large selection of dull-tipped knives and swords, dull spears of varying lengths, and even a bow equipped with powder-tipped arrows. The arrows were blunt so they’d only hurt when initially struck with one, and the powder on the ends would leave evidence of where they’d landed on the body. Mallory surveyed her choices, ultimately strapping the quiver of arrows across her back and sliding the bow over her shoulder. Additionally, she selected one of the spear tipped wooden canes, twirling it through her hands for a brief moment as she tested its weight in her grasp.

Finally, Mallory took her place across from Russ, her stance wide and feet slightly offset in a defensive stance. “Do your worst.” She dared the smoke colored wolf, a near feral grin on her face. And he did.

Russ was strong, Mallory would give him that much. But Mal had been faster, smarter than the large wolf. It had taken all of five minutes in the ring with him for Mallory to make the killing blow. Russ had tired himself out trying to take Mal down with heavy blows one right after the other; she’d dodged most of them, ducking and arching away from each gnash of his teeth and swipe of his claws. He’d landed a solid strike across her left thigh, a pair of angry red claw marks leaking blood from the tear in her dark pants. Russ had leapt for her, and all it took was for Mallory to drop into a crouch and raise the end of her spear into his soft underbelly. If the spear would have been real she would have opened him from sternum to pelvis, she would have gutted him.

Russ was visibly angry, face red and a vein popping out of his forehead as he phased back into his human form. “Beginner’s luck.” He snapped, sulking to the row of bystanders that had begun to gather.

The next wolf to approach was one she hadn’t met before, a small tawny colored canine called Devon. Mallory could tell that she was younger, perhaps close to her own age or a year or two below, and despite her small stature her footing was sure, confident. Mal tucked the stray hairs that had fallen from her face behind her ears, clearing her line of sight as the two began to slowly circle one another. Russ had been all brute strength and blind confidence, but this wolf had learned from his mistakes. Devon approached the huntress with more caution after watching the ease in which she’d landed a killing blow to her packmate.

Sometimes, Mallory thought the wolves forgot how lethal she could be. Eero and his inner circle has begun to think of Mallory as nothing more than a frail little human, had somehow forgotten that she was a huntress, that she had been training to kill wolves her entire life. Sometimes it felt like they forgot that she’d nearly killed Tahtia and Thomas when she’d first been ambushed that day in the woods. Mallory knew that the only reason either of them had survived was because she’d been so outnumbered, but it often felt like the wolves just pretended that encounter had never happened.

But Mallory was tired of being handled like a piece of china, and she reveled in the rush of power she felt upon beating Russ in record time. Devon, she hoped, would be even more satisfying to beat.

The petite wolf was quick, striking low and repetitive until Mallory faltered and one of the strikes landed. Her feet had been swept out from under her and Mal was falling onto her back with a thud. The tawny wolf was quick to take advantage of the new position, lunging over her and making an effort to pin her into the dirt. Mal struck Devon across the face with the back end of her cane, the impact hard enough to make the wolf lurch to the side. Mallory was back on her feet in an instant, bouncing a few feet away to give her distance.

The two continued their dance, attacking and defending, striking and blocking over and over again. They’d been at it for quite awhile and there had yet to be a clear winner, each of them taking their turn with the upper hand. Finally Mallory loosed two arrows moments apart from each other, one striking the wolf in the ribs and the other her cheek. A blue burst of powder marked each spot where the arrows had landed against Devon’s tan pelt, and finally the wolf bowed in defeat.

Mallory was red faced and panting through her nose, sweat beading across her temples as the rush of a second win pumped through her. It’d been a long time since she’d sparred with anyone who’d truly tested her abilities and a burst of adrenaline raced through her at the feeling.

Grinning, Mal whirled to face Eero, a smug confidence written across her features as she arched a brow in his direction. “Aren’t you all supposed to be training me? Because it feels more like I’m the one doing the training here.” Her voice oozed a cool confidence, and her lips twitched into a hint of a smirk as she dared him.

“If I’m going to be forced to train with you, then I’d at least like a challenge.”

A slow, dangerous smile crept onto Eero’s lips as he eyed Mallory while she fidgeted beneath his finger. “What’s that saying again?” The Alpha acted as though he needed to think about it for a moment before clicking his tongue at her, his voice taunting. “No pain. . .no gain?”

Regardless of his advances, the huntress had put her foot down, making space between them as she side-stepped toward the opposite side of the shower. The action made his dimples apparent as he bowed his head in amusement, his dark strands falling in soft damp waves over his forehead.

There was something utterly delicious about the way she dodged him when he could smell the thick desire drenching her entire being. Seeing those fleeting glints of hunger shining in her eyes made the deepest parts of him thrum in response. Eero could remember a brief interaction between them within the large oak at the center of the estate foyer. A time before his imprint. There had been a craving for her then. It had been something that he chalked up to a moment of weakness and a great lack of clarity. This, however, was nothing like that day. 

When a wolf imprints on another, it is not something that is taken lightly. Imprinting was far from an option and often would happen without even the imprinter's consent, and once it happens their entire world collapses and is rebuilt entirely around that person. Emotions were far more heightened than just regular devotion. The things that he was feeling toward Mallory were logic-defying. She was the one that held his complete undivided attention—not anything else. She had become his focus. And he knew that he would defy anyone for her—do anything for her. There wasn’t a single nerve ending in his body that didn’t reach out to her, straining to cling to any piece of her that he could touch.

“When you have me?” He didn’t bother hiding the lust in his words. 

The Alpha turned to look toward Mallory when he heard the smack of her wet clothes on the floor of the bathroom. Deep pools of glacial blue landed on her mesmeric figure, drinking up the delicate curves of her now-exposed body. His teeth had already captured his bottom lip, digging in hard to keep the possessive growl deep inside of himself. The throbbing of his cock had turned tantalizingly painful. He had never wanted someone more in his life—never enough to make his arousal feel so punishing. As she rose her hands to scrub her hair, his lips parted, the beast inside of him threatening to have its way with her. Wanting nothing more than to shove her against the walls of the shower and take her from behind. As if on cue, his eyes dropped back down to that perfectly round ass he wanted so desperately to sink his teeth into.

As if sensing his heavy gaze, Mallory turned toward him, eyes following his own and he wasn’t the least bit trying to hide the way his eyes raked back up her body when she turned, hovering a moment longer than necessary at the sight of her breasts. A carnal desire flooded the man and he had never felt more starved for a woman. Eero parted his lips to advance further, but she was lowering her gaze, hushing him swiftly. He followed her lingering eyes down toward his length which was hard as steel thanks to all that was her.

What the Alpha hadn’t anticipated from Mallory was her lowering herself onto her knees before him. His jaw had clenched hard at the ravenous sight of her looking up at him, her hands slowly finding their way onto his thighs. His chest rose and fell deeply, the look in his eyes darkening with a wild thirst that only she could satisfy, and his voice came out in a fervid growl. “Mallory—” Her name broke off into a groan as she moved her hand, her fingers wrapping around his cock. The feel of her skin on him was a delicious burn and every nerve ending in his length pulsated beneath her touch leaving him hungry for more. As if feeling that desire, Mallory stroked down his shaft with a firm grip around him, making him unintentionally press back into the shower wall, his hands gripping the edge of the built-in ledge. Then came that smile that tugged against her full pink lips. His eyes flickered between blue and gold at the sight of it and his heartbeat quickened. Another stroke and he was swallowing roughly.

How he liked it? There were a variety of answers to such a question, but judging by that nefarious little glint in her eyes, he had a hunch that she knew exactly what she was doing— innocence be damned. He liked it however it had to be to have her hands specifically wrapped around him. When she brought her hand up and down his cock, she seemed to test a selection of different speeds and grip on him. Her fingers were just tight enough to make him squeeze through her grip with each pump of her hand, his head was tipped back, a curse slipping from between gritted teeth before he was saying, “I think you do.” His voice reverberated through his chest anomalistically. Any pain that once rode through him in waves was placed on the back burner as pure, sublime heat licked up over his skin.

Seeming satisfied with her hand's work, Mallory leaned into him, her mouth coming up to his erection. He untipped his head to better look at her, just in time for her tongue to slide out and across his cock. The groan that escaped him was deep, utterly entranced by her teasing gestures, that tongue expertly lathering him entirely before wrapping around him as her mouth closed around him.

His abs clenched in response to the ecstasy pouring over him like thick, hot wax when she began sucking him down. Eero could feel the head of his cock knock against the back of her throat and something feral roused inside of him as he raised his hand to grab a handful of her auburn hair. Despite the size of his length, Mallory didn’t back down, continuing to swallow him down with each dip of her head. The feel of her tongue gliding up and down the underside of him was bliss, making him throb against the walls of her mouth.

“Your mouth feels so fucking good, Mallory,” he said her name like it was a prayer—-utter devotion lining each syllable. Eero’s fingers curled tighter in her hair, and though the cords of his arms were protruding, he refused to let himself go completely with her; refused to give in to the need to fuck her mouth at the rate he wanted to. Even so, each time he filled her pretty little mouth, she seemed to willingly take more and more of his length which only made the pleasure increase at an alarming rate, he savored every feeling that exploded inside of him.

It was only a matter of time before Eero could feel that pleasure reaching its absolute peak and despite the water filling her eyes, he could see the appetite gleaming in her gaze as she stared up at him. A girl who liked to satisfy. That simple look and the feel of her encouraging grip on his leg was enough for him to unleash himself. His cock pulsed harder as it grazed the back of her throat once more and he was releasing his seed along her tongue, his throat exposed to her as he leaned his head back once more, eyes closing against the raining sensation of his orgasm.

When Mallory removed her mouth from him with an audible pop, he looked down at her with a haze glazing his eyes. He slowly tugged her hair back, tilting her face to look up at him. With his free hand, he ran his thumb along her bottom lip slowly, admiring her. “You are going to be my undoing, Little Red,” he said lowly, released her hair, and softly ran his fingertips down the back of her neck, his eyes lowered to glimpse at her breasts and the pathway down to her navel then back up. 

She was. She was going to burn every inch of him like a wildfire and he couldn’t wait to feel the flames swallow him whole.

* * *

It had been a week since Eero had gotten into a fight with Ahren, the pack learned of Mallory’s hidden magic and descendants, and since the Alpha and Huntress had given each other the time of day for any sort of scenarios such as their shower or piano fiascos. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, Eero would have confidently said that Mallory was avoiding him entirely. Part of him wondered if she regretted getting this close to him, or maybe it was her inner conflict with him admitting to her that he had imprinted on her. They still hadn’t spoken about that confession. There had been too much going on since his journey of healing.

Thomas and Regis were able to give him intel on the High Alphas after Ahren was exposed to Mallory’s secrets as well. As far as they could tell, it seemed as if the High Alphas were all but ignorant of the nature of Mallory’s gifts. None of it made any sense to the pack seeing as they knew that Ahren of all people would be the first to run home to his inner circle and express what he’d seen. So why they weren’t making any advances? It was an eerie feeling, but it had been convenient for the pack when considering the state that Eero had been in over the past few days.

As for the relationship of the pack as a whole, things had become rather rocky. Tahtia was her usual icy self toward Mallory, but the rest of them were still trying to figure out where the new information placed them all. Regis had suffered most of all, being that he had grown a companionship with Red, the Omega was often at war with himself when it came to her. Regardless of all the tension clinging to everyone, they were under Eero’s orders to let him deal with Mallory’s lineage for the time being. It got them to settle a bit, but it didn’t change that Mallory was —as she so neatly put it— a biological enemy to their species.

* * *

Eero was back to relatively normal health. The occasional soreness still lingered in his muscles and tissue, but overall, he had returned to his feet. The Alpha now adorned scars along his bicep and along his left ribcage. A small scar even ran through the tail of his right eyebrow thanks to Ahren’s claws. Unfortunately, the scars from a High Alpha weren’t the type to fade with the healing process. 

Standing in front of one of the bay windows of the dimly lit dining room, Eero had slid his hands into his pockets, blue pools surveying the grounds of the estate. He was always on high alert since the incident with Ahren and Mallory, refusing to believe that the man would be willing to keep his mouth shut about such a thing. It was impossible and felt like a trap waiting to be triggered.

The rest of the pack and Mallory were gathered in the dining room as well. Their dinner had been spread across the long stretch of table at the center of the room beneath sparkling chandeliers. Several wine glasses and old vintage bottles of alcohol were scattered about it. It would have been a feast of sorts to most, but the wolves had a larger appetite than most and were able to drink at a higher volume, but Eero had little appetite, aside from the glass of whiskey that sat nearly empty on the window ledge.

It was raining out, and droplets were collecting against the glass. Storm clouds clung to the sky, blocking out any sign of the setting sun while draining the world of its vibrancy, leaving it a mere black-and-white photo in comparison.

“If they were going to come, they would have done it by now,” Tahtia said, leaning against the back of her chair to look at Eero from where she sat, wine glass hanging in one hand.

“I haven’t seen him this tense since, well, you know,” Regis mumbled beneath his breath, though Eero heard the words rather clearly.

Only moving to grab his drink, Eero leaned lazily against the window, raising the glass to his lips. “She needs training. Real training,” he said before taking a swallow of the amber liquid.

Thomas blinked, glancing at Mallory and then back to Eero’s. “You want us to train her?”

“I’m sorry, you want us to train our enemy how to properly kill us?” Tahtia almost stood from her seat, slamming down her wine glass almost hard enough to shatter.

Eero’s fingers curled tighter around his own glass, knuckles turning white with annoyance. Azalea noticed and shifted a warning glare toward Tahtia. Her expression softened as she turned back to Eero, careful about her choice of words. “No offense Mal,” Azalea glanced at the auburn-haired beauty before continuing. “But, Tahtia does have a point. If we train her how to take us on, aren’t we just putting ourselves in more danger?”

Finally, he turned around. “She is still the only leverage we have left over the Witch and the Huntsman, and if the High Alphas decide they want her dead, she will be dead, do I make myself clear?”

The pack fell silent, eyes lowering slightly as he surveyed them all, an Alpha’s dominance in his gaze.

“When do we start?” Regis piped up.

“Tomorrow.” Eero shifted his attention to Mallory, his eyes holding hers briefly. “Be ready,” he said, and he stalked out of the room.

Mallory swallowed hard, trying desperately to avoid the loaded stare of Eero Adrastos. Ocean eyes tracked her every movement, an adoration and longing that she wasn’t used to shining in his gaze as he observed her silent task of washing him. “Stop looking at me like that.” Mallory demanded softly, a light smile tugging at her lips as she finally yielded and met his gaze. He only looked amused, not at all ashamed of being caught staring.

She watched as he stood, bringing himself to his full height in one steady push of his strong legs. He caught her face, a palm cupping her cheek as his thumb swiped against the freckled skin, washing away some stain that she couldn’t see. She was probably filthy, Mal realized, remembering for the first time that she too was covered in blood and grime from the battle between the Alphas. She hadn’t left Eero’s side for a moment once he’d been settled in his room, and as dirty as the man was Mal was sure that she was likely no better.

Despite the fact that Mal assumed she probably looked like a drowning rat with her wet hair in her face and soaked clothes, Eero was dragging that molten gaze of his down her body in appreciation. She clicked her tongue in warning, amusement flashing across his features as he finally turned his back to her as if in surrender.

He towered over her, enough that she’d had to rise onto her tiptoes in order to reach the tallest parts of him. She didn’t let herself admire the view of him from behind for long, the perfectly sculpted ass, the muscles and strength of him. She washed him in silence, taking special care over the particularly angry looking lacerations. But even with her careful touch, the Alpha was growling in pain, his muscles rolling underneath his silken skin.

The huntress watched as Eero braced his hands against the tile of the shower wall, his head hanging as she finished soaping his back. A pang reverberated through her chest, and Mallory was reminded that despite his best effort to conceal just how much pain he was truly in, that Eero had been lethally wounded in his fight, and he needed to rest.

“Okay, you’re all finished.” Mal murmured, guiding the man’s larger frame back to the marble seat he’d occupied before. “We’ll get you back to bed soon.”

Mallory moved to step out of the shower, intentions to grab their towels on her mind when a hand snapped out, snaring her wrist and tugging her back under the warm spray. When she turned she found Eero standing, his grip on her tight enough to ache as he snatched her closer. Their bare skin was nearly flush as he pressed into her, his face angling down to meet hers as he whispered those snarky little words.

“I don’t remember that being part of the job description.” She whispered in reply, mildly dumbfounded. Mallory had barely had time to finish her sentence before the Alpha was unleashing himself on her. He’d kissed her like he was a drowning man, and she were his only source for air. His kiss was demanding and dominant, claiming her mouth over and over again. His tongue demanded entrance and damn her weak will, she succumbed.

Mallory felt herself going loose and tight in all the right places all at once. Despite her brain realizing that this was a bad idea and could very easily go too far, her body reacted the complete opposite. She bowed towards him, rising on her tiptoes to curl an arm around his neck and holding him to her tightly. Her lips moved against his with just as much fervor, and she was turning desperate for his touch. She turned molten in his grip, a small whimper slipping between her lips as his kiss left her breathless. Her head was still spinning when he finally drew away, his good arm still caught around her waist and pressing them impossibly close as he whispered to her.

Her heart pounded in her chest so hard that she could hear it in her ears, and she fought for an ounce of reasonability or rational thought to return to her kiss-addled mind. She knew what she wanted to say - she wanted to tell him that she wanted him to kiss her until she couldn’t think of anything else, and how after that she’d wanted him to fuck her so senseless that she wouldn’t be able to move for hours.

But alas, he was injured, and there would be none of that for them tonight.

“Eero please,” She bartered, her voice not nearly as stable as she’d hoped it to be. “You’re hurt. And once the medicine wears off you won’t be able to move without total agony.” She sighed, fingers brushing along the curve of his jaw affectionately. “It can wait until you’re well again, hm?”

And though her words were telling him no, Mallory’s body continued to betray her. She arched towards him, towards the feeling of those calloused fingers scraping across her stomach as they hooked into the waistband of her shorts. Mallory clenched her teeth, panting through her nose as she dared to meet his gaze.

Damn him. The challenge was written all over his face, his eyes flicking between her mouth and her eyes as he waited for her to succumb to his seduction.

But she wouldn’t - not today, she vowed. Mallory put space between them, dancing to the opposite side of the massive shower. “I need to wash.” She said flatly, dismissing the conversation as she glanced over her shoulder to pass Eero an amused smile at his frustration. “Besides, when I have you, Eero, I want all of you - not some oxy riddled half assed fuck.”

Mallory glanced down at herself, realizing what a poor job her thin sport bra and spandex were doing at keeping her concealed. They clung to her like a second layer of skin, leaving little to the imagination with her peaked nipples pushing through the fabric. A pang of nervousness twisted in her gut at the thought of stripping down in front of the Alpha, but she tried to remind herself that he’d literally had his face between her legs only a few nights ago and hadn’t seemed phased.

Her heart beat ticked up a few paces as she pulled the sorry excuse for a bra over her head, wiggling her hips as she shimmied out of the wet spandex that was trying to cling to her next. Her clothes landed on the tile outside of the shower with a wet slap, drowning out the sound of her anxious swallow. Using Eero’s shampoos and soaps Mallory took her time as she sudsed and rinsed all of the grime from the battle away, a quiet sigh of contentment slipping out of her once she finally felt clean, soaking in the warm spray of the shower for a few more long moments.

When Mallory finally turned to face the Alpha again she noted that his gaze had grown even heavier, blue eyes looking like he were at war with himself beneath his hooded lids. The yearning on his face was enough to stop her breath. His lips parted as if he were readying himself to speak, to bargain with her once more - but Mallory cut him off, not wanting to hear it. Because she was sure that this time she would cave, her will would crumble and she’d end up letting him fuck her right here and now, and she’d watch in horror an hour from now when his medicine wore off and he wouldn’t be able to move for the pain again. No, she decided, she wouldn’t risk if health and wellbeing for some quick gratification.

“Hush Eero,” She murmured, letting her eyes drop to the hardened length of him for the first time. His cock was enormous. Magnificent, and hard, and absolutely enormous. She swallowed once, attempting to conceal the uncertainty in her eyes as suddenly every plan she’d had required reassessment. There was no way he’d fit entirely in her mouth - hell, she wasn’t sure that he’d fit in her body.

Regardless, Mallory sank to her knees before him, looking up to meet his gaze through thick black lashes. “Just let me make you feel good, okay?” She said softly, her hands sliding around to grip the backs of his powerful thighs. A bargain of her own; he would get off and hopefully stay satiated until he was well, she would do all the work so he needn’t strain his already ailing body, and she would feel good about bringing him some comfort.

Plus, she’d be lying if she said her mouth didn’t water at the sight of him.

Her movements were tentative at first as she brought her fingers to him, stroking down the thick, long shaft. The skin was so soft, like satin or velvet, yet he was hard as iron beneath. She savored the feel of his shudder as she brushed the pad of her thumb over the head.

Mallory wrapped her hand around his cock, her fingers barely able to reach around him completely.She pumped him once in a long, luxurious stroke. Her eyes flitted back up to his, a cheshire smile curling her lips to find the Alpha looking totally entranced. “I don’t know how you like it.” She admitted softly, innocently. Mallory tightened her grip, allowing her nails to skim the sensitive underside of his cock as she pumped him again, then several more times as she adjusted pressure based on his reactions.

Finally, Mallory brought her mouth to him, licking across his broad head and lapping up the small bead of moisture that’d already gathered there. She licked down the length of him in one long motion, peppering kisses back up his shaft until she’d reached the head and then repeating the sequence on the other side, eventually wrapping her mouth around him and sliding him between her lips.

He filled her mouth and was bobbing against the back of her throat quicker than anticipated, tears springing to her eyes at the sudden pressure against the back of her throat. Mallory wasn’t deterred, glancing down to realize that there was still enough of him that she’d need to add her hand. Mal slid back up his cock nearly to the tip before hollowing her cheeks and sucking him into her mouth again, her hand working in tandem this time.

Mallory repeated the motion several times, occasionally pausing to swirl her tongue over his head or down his length before resuming. She stopped once, having to catch her breath and wipe the stray spittle from the corner of her mouth while she worked him up and down with her hands, twisting her fist each time it glided over his tip.

She was sucking him again in a matter of moments, eager to please him, happy to bring him this momentary satisfaction after he’d gone through something so brutal. Which was why as they neared the end and the large tip of his cock bobbed into the back of her throat with more force each time, causing her eyes to water and a couple of small gags, she didn’t stop him. Instead, she looked back up at him with watery eyes, her fingers flexing against the back of his thigh in encouragement.

Eero would have been lying if he were to say that he didn’t wish that some part of what Mallory was saying to him held any truth. That he was just delirious and confused. But he knew better than that. The things that he was feeling inside were not typical— especially not for him. He didn’t feel these sort of emotions for anyone, in fact, he outright refused to feel them until Mallory arrived in his life.

The first day he’d met her things weren’t right. He had grabbed her by the face after stepping into the cell they locked her in. At the time, Eero just ignored that invisible pull, he ignored the way her scent seemed to invade him entirely. How terrified it made him feel when he loosened his grip on her, as if considering mercy on her.

They came a long way since that day. Eero’s gaze loomed over the huntress who sat perched on his lap now, and unlike that first day, her scent didn’t only want him to grant her mercy, but it wanted him to grant her the entire universe. A thick, sickening desire was brewing inside of him, and the most horrifying part of it all was that within the walls of his flesh and bone, his inner wolf was howling out to Mallory. A wolf in love with the moon, and each night it cried out for a love it would never touch. Because even imprinted, Mallory couldn’t possibly be his.

We are enemies on a biological level.

Her words echoed through him and by the time his lips were parting to argue, she was leaning into him. Eero’s throat bobbed at the action and over the sweat, dirt and blood, he was graced by her pheremones; comforting was the best way to describe the delicate aroma she radiated. When her lips brushed against his, he could feel the beast inside of him stirring, as if pacing against its frustration.

Blue pools surveyed Mallory for a moment, feeling the brush of her fingertips as she held a pill to his lips. Debating on if he wanted to battle her right now, Eero was silent and eventually his lips parted, letting her drop the pill onto his tongue.

* * *

An amused snort escaped Eero, his movements far less agile than normal as he braced some of his weight against Mallory who was herding him into the bathroom for a shower. As soon as they reached the brightly lit room, steam seemed to cling to him and he slid his arm free from Mallory, leaning himself against the cold counter. His brows rose as Mallory kneeled before him, ordering that he remove his breifs.

“This isn’t how I imagined getting naked for you, Red.” Eero murmured as she tossed his clothes to the otherside of the room. He didn’t fail to catch the slight twitch of her lips at his comment, but any entertainment he felt was quickly diminished by the pain that shot through his entire torso when he began moving into the shower. As if being torn back open, each movement sent a searing burn through his puckered wounds, and the heat of the water was a blessing and a curse. The pelting of the water first had Eero tensing his entire body, his eyes shutting momentarily as he fought through the aching long enough for the heat of the water to slowly become a comfort to his body.

When his eyes reopened, he found that Mallory was partly undressed and coming to step back into the shower with him. The Alpha stared at her closely. She was in no better shape then he was when it came to cleanliness. That thought alerted him to the fact that she must not have left his side for a second while he was in and out. His blood still clung to her in various parts of her body. Eero almost didn’t notice when she grabbed for the soap, coming to kneel in front of him. His brows furrowed and he just looked at her for a long moment. The last thing he expected from her was for her to clean him. He’d assumed helping him into the shower was the extent of her generosity, but this—

He found himself nodding anyway, his eyes never leaving her face as she began lathering her hands in his shampoo. Notes of Irish Spring were quick to envelope the room, clinging to the humidity that the shower created around them. Her fingers raked the suds through his raven-colored strands. A woodbase, fresh bergamot, and citrus replaced the metallic stench. Part of Eero seemed to melt beneath her touch and his lids grew heavier — more relaxed. When their eyes met, he studied the depth of those blue hues, finding himself drowning in them entirely only to resubmerge at the sound of her voice.

“This,” he said lowly as her fingers slowly ran down his temples through his hair, “Feels okay.”

Her swallow could be heard even beneath the pounding water droplets and his gaze never lifted from her face. He watched as she tried to avoid that heavy look in his eyes, busying herself with washing down his neck, shoulders and chest. Even as her hands brushed over his wounds, he didn’t wince. Instead, he remained utterly lost in all that was her. She removed his arm from its sling and he could see the concentration that she had for every tender movement she made. He took a mental note of what that concentration looked like on her face. The slightly furrowed brows, the pursing of those full lips and the empathy shining in her eyes. Her hair was now as wet as his own and the lighter auburn strands were a dark red-velvet now. Wavy soaked strands stuck to her neck and cheeks and then her eyes flickered back up to him and lingered there. He didn’t feel any shame for his stare. She was too painfully beautiful to look away from.

Meeting her gaze, he nodded slightly to her question. Slowly, Eero rose himself from his seated position, towering over Mallory, droplets cascading down her chin as she tipped her head back to look up at him. Eero watched one of those droplets run through a streak of blood on her face, staining the water red as it dripped off her chin.

Reaching his hand out, the Alpha cupped Mallory’s face in his hand, searching her eyes and with a smooth motion of his thumb, he brushed away that blood. Once it was gone, he let his eyes wander down the expanse of her body, scanning what she wore. A slight flash of amusement twinkled in his gaze, her sports bra hardly did anything to conceal her flesh, especially now that it was drenched. When he rose his eyes back to hers, he could see the warning look in her eyes. No funny business.

Eero’s jaw muscles feathered slightly and then he turned his back to her, letting her continue washing him. Occasionally, his muscles would roll beneath his tanned flesh, attempting to expel the pain that shot through him when she would clean the injuries. One of lacerations had been particularly tender and when the pads of her fingers ran over them, even the featherlight touch was enough to make a growl rumble from his chest. Once she was finished with his back, he turned back around. Just as she was about to step out of the shower, Eero’s good hand snapped out, grabbing around her wrist to stop her.

She looked at him like he was crazy and for some reason, that only fueled his intentions. With a tug, he drew her back inside the shower. Closing the small distance between them, he tilted his head down, his lips nearly pressing against her own.

“Aren’t you supposed to kiss me better?” though his words were playful, his tone was low and serious and the moment their eyes met, he let his hand hook around her waist, drawing her in, capturing her mouth with his own.

Any pain that tried to rise as her skin met his own was dutifully ignored. The pain could not compete with the sensations that were now intertwining with it. Her lips met his and it felt like the world had exploded into shards of molten light. His grip tightened against her hip, pulling her into him, pressing himself into her. His heart seemed to scream out for hers and he recognized the pull of her constellations, the bond between them seemingly set aflame. He didn't care. His hungry mouth melded into hers, the agony forgotten. The tip of his tongue brushed her lips, insistant. When she parted to let him in, the welcoming was overwhelming, her taste dancing across his tongue like a forbidden fruit.

“Your heart is pounding, Mallory,” he whispered against her lips when he drew back. “Do you want me to stop?” his eyes searched her own. A knowing look glimmering in them.

The thrumming beat of her heart could be felt against his body and when he looked down between them, he could tell just by the new scent that swirled around them what her answer wanted to be, regardless of what would come springing from her lips. When she insisted a bit shakily that they should probably stop, he nodded slightly, taking in her words as his fingertips slid beneath the waistband of her spandex. “If that’s what you want.” he said finally, removing his finger slowly, letting the tip of it skim the skin of her stomach. His gaze flickered between her lips and eyes, a slow smirk forming on his lips as he watched her. Challenge burning in his eyes when she just stood there.

Mallory’s pulse feathered in her throat under the gentle brush of Eero’s fingers. And though the Alpha’s touch was tender, his words were anything but. He’d spoken of how he’d wished to kill her, how good it would feel to avenge his father’s death and leave Hodge Sinclair to feel the same pain he’d dealt Eero those few years ago, how even now he thought killing her would probably be for the best - but he couldn’t.

Adrenaline flooded her veins at the statement, her muscles clenching tight in anticipation of a fight… but for whatever macabre reason, Mal trusted that it wouldn’t come to that. She trusted that despite the fact that his eyes glowed golden and his fingers gripped her throat that he wouldn’t hurt her, even with his newfound knowledge of her lineage.

It was an uncanny, gut-twisting realization that she trusted a wolf with her life.

Yet it was the Alpha’s next words that truly left her gut wrenching in an uncomfortable feeling. His mate, he had explained to her. He had imprinted on her and she was his mate, the two of them connected on a molecular level for the rest of their lives.

There was only one problem… that fact that is was physically impossible for a wolf to imprint on a witch.

Mallory hadn’t had time to process his words or even begin to formulate a response to the earth-shattering news before Eero was reaching over, grunting and grimacing in pain as he took her by the waist and tugged her onto his lap, that same proprietary touch he’d always used with her. “Eero, please-“ She attempted as anguish flicked across the wolf’s face at the sudden movement, moving to shoo his hands away so he wouldn’t strain himself. But he was unrelenting, planting her firmly against his hips with a bare leg folded on either side of him.

The velvet caress of his voice boomed through her mind, but she was shaking her head in protest before he could even finish his statement. “Even if it were possible,” Mal began hesitantly, curling her fingers around his hand where he gripped her. “They’ll never trust me again. The pack - you didn’t see the way they looked at me after everything went down, Eero. They wanted to put me in chains. They’ll never understand who I am or trust that I wouldn’t hurt you.” Her voice cracked, her heart aching at the memory of even Regis’ hesitation around her after their weeks of friendship.

“But it’s not possible.” She whispered, her hands moving to cup his face. “We’re not even the same species, Eero. We are enemies on a biological level.” Her thumbs brushed across the angular peaks of his cheek bones before her fingers slid back into his hair, tilting his face up to meet her eyes. “I think that we’re attracted to each other - that much I will admit, and I think that you almost died, and I think that you’re hurt and hopped up on pain killers right now, and I think you might be confusing whatever this is between us with something more.”

He was already opening his mouth to respond, to argue no doubt, but Mallory hushed him with chaste brush of her lips against his own - not quite a kiss, but the whisper of one. “Can we talk about this when you’re well again, please?” The huntress murmured, not giving him much of a choice as she leaned forward, pressing their chests together as she reached for small dish of pills on the nightstand. “For the pain.” She informed him quietly, pressing one of the tiny white pills against his lips until he’d allowed it in and swallowed.

* * *

Mallory slid from Eero’s lap, stretching out each of her limbs the moment her bare feet hit the cool wooden floor. “Let’s get you into the shower, hm?” Mallory hummed pleasantly, putting on a brave face despite the heaviness of the conversation they’d shared. She tossed the Alpha a smile from over her shoulder, trotting into his attached bathroom and cranking the water to a temperature that had the room filling with steam in no time at all. “You’re starting to stink.”

After the medicine Eero would have a short burst of time where his body wouldn’t be in excruciating pain, only mildly painful, so Mal figured that they’d better take advantage of it versus wallowing in their own filth for another handful of days. With a mild amount of coaxing and only having to pause to breath through the pain a handful of time, Mal managed to help Eero from the bed and onto his feet where they moved across the room at a snail’s pace, his arm pulled across Mallory’s shoulders so she could help to support his weight. Eero’s list of injuries from the battle with Ahren was a long one; several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and broken arm, and more gouges and lacerations than Mallory could count - but mercifully his lower half had been relatively unscathed, so he’d been able to walk.

That was good, because despite Mallory’s slightly improved strength compared to a regular human, she was still sure that she wouldn’t have been able to carry the much larger man.

“No funny business, just washing up.” The words were both a threat and an assurance on her part, paired with a light hearted grin as she propped the dark haired man against the sink. “Lose ‘em, Alpha.” The huntress smirked, kneeling to tug his briefs from around his hips and all the way to his ankles, waiting as he slowly stepped each foot out of them before she tossed them into the corner of the bathroom.

She’d tried to ignore his grunts of discomfort and furrowed brows as she assisted Eero to the corner seat carved out of the marble of his shower, but as she watched his chest rise and fall with quick, pained breaths Mallory couldn’t help but frown deeply. “I’m sorry,” She sighed, touching his cheek gently. “This might have been too much too soon.” Not only could she see the pain all over his face, she could feel it explode through his mind each time he moved as well.

Leaving him briefly to strip out of her t-shirt, Mal returned to the shower wearing the small spandex shorts and thin sportsbra she’d worn under her t-shirt. It was a relief to see his breathing deepen, become easier as the warm water pounded into him.

She couldn’t explain why she did it, but she grabbed the bottle of shampoo and the block of citrus and sea scented soap from the nook in the tiles and knelt before him. “I’m going to clean you off,” She said quietly. “If that’s all right.”

She waited for his nod of approval before she poured the shampoo into her hands and laced her fingers into his hair. The thick strands were heavy with dirt and dried blood, so she scrubbed gently with her nails, tipping his head back into the stream to rinse it. Their eyes met as his head tipped back, their two ocean-colored gazes mingling in silent understanding. “It’ll be okay, eventually.” She whispered, throat tight.

She removed her hands from his hair and picked up the bar of soap. Having somehow forgotten the fact that the man before her was naked - utterly naked - she was taken aback as she let her eyes scan across his body for the first time, surveying his wounds in their totality. A pang struck in her chest, but she tried not to linger on it as she began lathering his neck, his powerful shoulders, his muscled arms.

Her touch was feather-light as she slowly removed the sling that’d kept Eero’s broken arm cradled against his chest for the past day. “Don’t move it.” She murmured pressing the palm of his injured hand against his chest in the same position the sling had held it in, lathering even the most tender parts of him with a gentle touch.

He was just watching her with a raw openness, more intimate than any touch of his lips on her neck. Like he indeed saw everything she was and had been and might yet become, all magic and differences aside. It made her skin tingle with goosebumps.

“You’ll have to stand so I can get your back.” She murmured softly. “Do you think you can do that?”

Friends. The word felt so raw as it slipped out between Mallory’s lips. Friends was a rather airy word for describing the relationship that the two of them had molded between eachother over the weeks spent together. Though, with everything that he was processing in that moment, Eero decided to keep his mouth shut regarding such a thing. Still, as the huntress continued, the Alpha couldn’t help but mull over the words she said to him. How despite all odds, she did care for him. The thought made his skill crawl, but not for the reason that it should have.

Is that what they were doing? Caring for each other? Part of him wanted to let the bubbling laughter slip from his chest, but he couldn’t. Eero was a lot of things, but he wasn’t usually a liar. In fact, he was usually the opposite. Completely unapologetic for his thoughts and feelings. At least until he met Mallory he was.

Eero hadn’t muttered a word, letting Mallory explain herself further. Answers were a necessity after the napalm that was just dropped on him. Of her magic. Of her bloodline. As she explained who she was a descendant of, the bricks began falling into place, creating a rather evident image for him to gawk at in his mind.

It was when she had to use their bond to share the deeper parts of her explanations that Eero’s muscles constricted. Not only could he feel the power she had to emit during the more intense portions of her life, but he could feel all the emotions that led up to that power. The terror that tore through her when a man had her face down against the forest floor. That glimpse through the bond had been cut short and Eero knew why without having to witness the rest. Anger seemed to ignite in the deepest parts of him, burning through all the other emotions that were offered to him by his body. The emotion sat inside of him. Festering.

Every word Mallory spoke sunk into Eero and he remained utterly silent, relaying what he’d been told. The silence must have become too much for Mallory to bear, because he could hear her heart rate quicken and her breathing falter. Then she was begging him to say something.

Thanks to the bond, he knew she wasn’t lying to him. With each memory she’d shared with him, he found that she truly didn’t have the access to her powers like her originally thought. Yes, she lied about her roots and Celeste, but he was no fool to expect anything else from someone placed in her position, and at the end of the day, whether it was her intention or not, she was laying out her truths to him here and now. And because he wasn’t a liar. He would too.

Finally, the wolf shifted his gaze to Mallory, those blue pools surveying her for a long silent moment before he rose his good arm — the one marked by their bond with the black band. “This happened because you didn’t feel like you could trust me— rightfully so.” he paused, eyes scanning the tattoo with thoughts running through his mind. “There’s nothing about either of our bloodlines that could be deemed compatible.”

Eero lifted his eyes back up to hers, his deep gaze flickered down toward her lips and then after a moment of lingering, they rose back up. As long as they were sharing their truths, he let the words fall from his lips before they sank back to the depths of himself. “I think the minute I decided to keep you, I knew something wasn’t right. I had exactly what I’d been reaching for in my clutches.” his good hand rose, his fingers wrapping around her throat, his gaze flickering between blue and gold as if at war with himself. “I could have killed you. I could have brought down the same agony your father brought down on me when he murdered my father.” his voice was low and far away, and though his fingers wrapped around her neck, they didn’t squeeze.

Slowly, Eero rose his fingers up along her jaw, forcing her to face him further. He was glaring now, eyes settling on the golden wolf that resided within him. It wasn’t because he was angry at her, but because he was angry with himself. With what he’d done. What his soul had decided it wanted—needed. And how he couldn’t disagree.

“I should probably kill you now.” his voice was only a whisper and he noted the shift in her emotions at the sound of his words. “But I can’t.”

Eero let loose of her throat, instead letting his fingertips run lazily along her collarbone. “Because as long as I fucking live, I will be so deeply intertwined with you, Mallory, and there isn’t a damn thing, not this tattoo, or bond, not anything that can change that.”

The imprint seemed to burn through him, branding him with every emotion that he felt for her. A sickening possession for her seemed to awaken and he knew that it didn’t matter what she told him, or if she was a descendant of his greatest enemy. She was his.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen, with anyone, ever. I made sure not to let anyone in and I’d been doing a damn good job at it, but then you. . .” Eero wanted to pace the room, and being stuck against the pain that wrecked havoc on his body wasn’t ideal. “Wolves mate for life and when they choose their mate, it isn’t something that just happens. It’s like their souls somehow merge into one, as if the Gods decided to mend a torn image with its missing half. And it only happens once. So, as long as we’re telling our truths. . .”

Leaning his head against the headboard, Eero’s lips slowly smirked, as if in disbelief of his own words.

“I imprinted on you, Mallory.” he let those words sink in before adding, a wicked glint in his eyes. Admitting the words out loud only seemed to heighten to emotions coursing through his veins and despite the pain that erupted in every part of his body, Eero was reaching over, wincing as he grabbed Mallory by her waist, tugging her into his lap, facing him. Sharp pains stabbed through him, throbbing until they settled and he grabbed hold of her hand, pressing it hard against his chest— directly above his heart that thumped heavily.

“And whether you like it or not.”

His voice shifted toward the bond, forming inside her mind. “You are mine.”

Mallory hadn’t left Eero’s side for even a second, refusing to let the injured alpha out of her sight despite the fact that he was amongst trusted friends. The issue was that those friends no longer trusted her, and she feared that the moment she was away from him that they wouldn’t allow her back in. She hadn’t even left to shower the blood off of her skin or grab a change of her own clothes - instead settling for shucking off her dirt and blood caked t-shirt and trading it out for one that she’d stolen from one of Eero’s dresser drawers.

Regis had scoffed at the action, demanding that she “stop snooping,” and stay out of the Alpha’s personal items - Mal simply offered the blonde wolf a view of her middle finger.

After piling her red locks into a messy bun at the top of her head, Mallory resumed her post at the head of Eero’s bed. Anxious energy pulsed through her, and in an effort to keep her hands busy she continually combed through the Alpha’s dark head of hair with her fingers, alternating between that and brushing circles over the exposed skin of his good arm.

It was a pitiful sight, and it made her heart ache to see such a powerful man lay so bloodied and broken. His body was littered with wounds and bruising, one arm strapped across his chest in a sling, and despite her best efforts to clean him up with a warm rag he was still covered in blood.

Eero slept, swimming in and out of consciousness for over 24 hours. Mallory dozed quietly at his side when she could, but the huntress hadn’t gotten more than a couple consecutive hours of rest before she’d jerk awake. Any noise he made, any twitch of his muscles or shifting of his weight had Mallory’s senses screaming awake to check on him. Once the healers were confident that he would survive the night, they’d been pumping him full of routine morphine every few hours to keep him comfortable. He’d been ungodly hot for the past several hours, and Mal couldn’t decide if it was a fever or just the amped up healing process of the wolves.

Mallory had just barely fallen back asleep, tucked into Eero’s warm side with her knees pulled tightly to her chest when she sensed the subtle shift of his arm followed by a sharp intake of breath and a deep rumble of dissatisfaction from his chest. Mal was awake in an instant, eyes alert as she propped herself up on an elbow to assess him.

“Eero, you’re awake.” She breathed, noting his eyes fully open for the first time in what felt like an eternity. “How are you feeling? Are you-“ She was cut off by the gentle caress of his touch across her jaw, his thumb trailing over her lips affectionately as he shushed her frantic questions. Her lips twitched slightly, and Mallory had to fight the urge for tears of pure relief to appear as he assured her that he was okay, his voice thick with sleep. Her blue gaze never left his face.

That is, until Regis cleared his throat from across the room, reminding them that he was still present.

Eero’s hand dropped from her face, much to Mallory’s disappointment. But this was how it had always been between the two of them - they’d shared so many intimate moments, stolen touches and near kisses during the privacy of their time alone - but never in front of an audience. No, when there was a witness present the two had never dared to show any kind of affection towards the other.

“This can wait until he’s well.” Mallory snapped, her once-gentle gaze turning to an icy glare as she directed her attention to the omega. He continued, so Mallory tried once more. “Regis. I said it can wait.” She warned, her tone holding an unspoken threat.

* * *

Mallory watched Regis break the news to Eero with a quiet rage written all over her features. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to tell him - she knew his finding out would be inevitable, it was just that she’d wanted to wait until he was well enough to have a reaction to it without reinjuring himself. His body couldn’t withstand another fight right now. Hell, Mallory scarcely thought his body could handle getting out of bed, let alone trying to pick a fight with her in his current state.

Still, Mallory shifted away from the wolf just incase his knee-jerk reaction was to try and kill her, propping herself against his headboard instead. “Easy!” She’d hissed as he’d tried to sit up, reaching a hand out to support his back while he adjusted his position. Mother-henning wasn’t one of Mallory’s strong suits.

The huntress watched as Regis begrudgingly left the room, holding her breath in anticipation for Eero’s next move. She’d been pleasantly surprised by his icy stare and demanding questions considering she’d been expecting him to try and strangle her.

Still, his request for an explanation annoyed her, earning an eyeroll and a squint in response. “What?” She asked. “Are we just going to pretend that despite all odds, we’ve haven’t become friends these past few weeks?” Mallory scoffed, arms crossing over her chest defiantly. “I didn’t let you die out there because I care about you, Eero, as if that weren’t obvious.”

Mallory heaved a sigh, adrenaline pumping through her chest as she waited for the other shoe to drop. It was a wonder Eero hadn’t torn her head off already.

“I’d like to explain, if you’ll let me.”

* * *

Mallory spent the next hour or so explaining the complexity of her family life back home, how her powers worked, and why she hadn’t said anything sooner. She’d explained how Celeste, the great witch, was her paternal grandmother and how her son, the original huntsman, was her father. Mal explained that Celeste’s magic had slowed their aging and how they’d taken several names over the years to shield their magic, how witches as a species had nearly died out completely, remaining alive only by a handful of dormant lines who most of which were like Mal and couldn’t accurately channel their magic.

Mallory had a harder time explaining how she wasn’t able to control her magic, how it seemed to show up during times of intense distress but rarely when she actually needed it. Instead, she’d allowed him glimpses of her few memories with magic through their shared bond: a young child having a temper tantrum, eyes ringed in that fluorescent white as she released a scream that left every glass surface within a mile shattering; a teenaged Mal training for combat with her father, a thin wooden cane striking her exposed skin each time she made a wrong move until her eyes glowed white and the rod disintegrated into ash, leaving a raw, blistering burn across her father’s palm where he’d been holding it; finally, a slightly older teenage Mallory arguing with a boy. He’d reached out to grab at her waist for the millionth time when her blue eyes flared white and his hand crumpled into a distorted shape, the bones snapping at her silent command.

“But it’s unpredictable.” Mallory explained with a heavy sigh, digging the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I can’t summon it, and I never know when I’ll be able to access it.” She offered the Alpha a sad smile. “Believe me, there’s been many times I wished for it, but it’s out of my control.” She offered him another glimpse of a memory, this time a barely teenaged Mallory’s face being held against the dirt of the forest floor, the heavy breath of a man over her - yet her eyes remained their stormy blue, no sign of magic in sight. With a blink, she cut the memory off, not yet willing to share the full detail of the night she’d been taken advantage of with anyone else. "And I couldn't use it they day you took me from that trail, despite genuinely believing that I was about to die." She finished.

“My point is - yes I’m a witch and yes I have magic, but it’s not like I can actually do anything with it. It was dumb luck that I could access it with Ahren.”

She waited a beat, breathing mildly unsteady as she waited for a reply from the Alpha, which he hadn’t offered.

“Say something, Eero.”

In that moment, Eero wasn’t entirely sure what hurt worse. Hearing the sound of utter terror belting out from Mallory’s small stature as she let out his name in a blood-curdling scream, or the freight train of a wolf that struck him in the seconds following it.

Long incisors buried themselves beneath Eero’s pelt and into the flesh beneath. Part of his throat felt like it was being kinked shut, cutting off the snarl that tried to escape him, and a metallic taste soaked into his tongue. When Ahren began tearing those razor sharp teeth through his skin, head shaking violently with him in his clutches, Eero couldn’t help the yelp that whistled out of him, but as soon as he began thrashing, his claws digging into Ahren’s face, his hold released, sending Eero thudding to the ground, slamming his shoulder while his own blood coated the black, white, and brown of his coat.

His muscles burned with pain, but it did nothing to stop Eero— his adrenaline taking over. The large wolf shoved himself back to his feet, Ahren snapping his jaws which dripped with blood. Eero’s golden eyes burned with fury, and he wasted no time lunging for the ebony wolf, tackling him to the ground.

Two large beasts collided in the dirt, their bodies becoming a blur of claws and fangs as deep growls filled the air in a sickening melody. Eero managed to clamp his mouth around one of Ahren’s legs, his jaws crunching down on the bone. Ahren let out a grotesque sound, using his hind legs to kick Eero off, the air from his lungs being swept away with the force as his body soared, causing him to land on his ribs against one of the large boulders decorating the estate. The rock cracked down the middle and Eero slumped to the ground, still heaving for air.

The others were anxious to jump in, but just as Eero warned them to do, they created a barricade around Mallory with their bodies, and even though he could hear all of their voices going off in his head, he ignored them. He wanted Ahren for himself, whether he lost or not, the last thing he wanted was for the bastard to think he needed his pack to fight an unfair battle — regardless of if the battle was already leaning in Ahren’s favor to begin with.

Now, as Eero lay slumped against the boulder, his chest rising and falling erratically from the pain coursing through him, there was no part of him with any regrets, and that fact sat there shining in his eyes as he stared down Ahren who was approaching visciously, a slight limp in his steps. A crackling snarl was bubbling from the larger wolf.

“I bet Raphael is rolling in his grave at the sight of his prodigy son about to die in his home city.”

The sound of his fathers name on Ahren’s mouth did something to Eero. Something inside of him seemed to stir to life. That sleeping agony followed by blinding rage when it came to his fathers memory had been just fuel enough to get Eero back to his feet. He was able to ignore the sharp stabs of pain that erupted in his side— in his chest and neck — and with whatever he could muster of his strength, he stood before Ahren who held laughter in those red eyes. When Ahren struck again, Eero was quick to snap his teeth in his face, forcing him to draw back, but just as quickly as he doged the snap, he was thrusting himself back out, sending a hard blow to Eero’s shoulder. Eero swatted a large paw out, his claws making contact across Ahren’s eyes causing him to shake free. A loud crack had filled Eero’s ears at the time of the hit and any pressure he was able to settle on the leg had disappeared, leaving him limping and pouring blood on the floral decorations, the grass, the gravel and anywhere else it flung while they thrashed against each other.

He wasn’t going to win this fight. He knew that in his bones, but he couldn’t stop. It wasn’t in him. As long as he still had three legs to stand on, that was what he was going to do.

Ahren began stalking around Eero’s nearly crumpled figure and his golden eyes followed him as he did. This would be the one, he knew. With the amount of blood he was loosing, he wasn’t sure he’d be conscious for it, but nevertheless, this would be the final blow. Ahren had wound himself up with all the energy he could will, body lurching off the ground toward Eero when he was cut off mid dive, his body crumpling to the ground in front of Eero.

* * *

All he could comprehend was the flashing of images. Like he was somewhere one minute, and he’d blink and be somewhere else entirely. The sound of Ahren’s whines had filled his ears, but he didn’t see what caused them. Blink. Then Mallory was crouching over him, his wolf form gone as he lay on the floor. Blink. She was cursing at him and he could vaguely remember the overwhelming feeling of wanting to smirk up at her. Blink. Suddenly he was indoors and he felt it all.

Several faces were looming above Eero, his vision blurry and half-squinted against the lights shining down on him. As he surveyed the faces, he found there was only one that managed to gain his attention. She was glaring at him, a splotch of blood staining her cheek. Blinking at the auburn haired fire-ball, Eero slowly registered what she was saying down at him. Despite her colorful choice of words, she had her hands running through his hair and he could feel the tremble in her touch. She was scared.

Though his mouth felt devestatingly dry, his lips curved into the most nefarious grin. She was still a blur, but he could see her face enough for his words to be entertaining when he said them, “Be careful, Little Red, that almost sounded like concern.” The sharp jab of a needle embedding stitches into his chest caused his nose to crinkle with distaste and he threw the healers a sharp look. Usually his wounds would have healed closed enough, but with the venom that laced a High Alpha’s saliva, stitches were greatly needed for the slowed healing process.

Every prick they jabbed into his raw, festering skin made him grimace, his muscles tightening, but the restructuring of his bones and cleaning of his wounds made his stomach twist against the amount of pain that littered his body.

Mallory, who had yet to leave his side, must have noticed the look on his face and she was reaching for the glass decanter full of his favorite bourbon. Eero glanced between her and the bourbon, and an unhealthy amount of desire was reaching for her. Still, he didn’t deny her offer for the drink and took rather large swallows of the burning liquid. Once he took the last swallow, he forced his eyes closed, forcing himself to a place far away from the pain of them prodding at his body. Instead, he trained his attention on the feeling of Mallory’s fingers as they brushed through his hair, over and over, until the world went dark again.

* * *

Eero woke the next day laying in his bedroom. His head pounded terribly, and when he looked down at his aching body, he found he was still covered in blood. He’d been cut out of his shirt to get to the worst of his injuries and though his wounds had been cleaned, the rest of him was still a smeared mess. While taking himself in, he was also quick to realized that he was not alone in his bed.

Turning slowly, Eero’s icy iris’ surveyed the female with her slender arm snaked around him gently, her eyes shut as her head used his shoulder as a pillow, her legs tucked up against her reminding him of a small child. Blinking once, Eero went to reach an arm up to touch her but was brutally awakened by the pain that shot through it, a growl rumbling from him, causing Mallory to stir beside him.

It seemed that as soon as she was fully alert, the questions of concern flung from her mouth. Eero used his good hand this time to capture Mallory’s jaw, sliding his thumb over her lips. “Shh, I’m fine.” he murmured, slowly removing his finger when someone cleared their throat in the corner of his room causing him to drop his hand all together in surprise to find Regis lounging in one of the chairs in his room.

“Is that really necessary?” Eero arched a brow at the blonde who was staring at Mallory, then flickered his gaze back to Eero. There was something unreadable in the Omega’s gaze and it didn’t sit right in the pit of his gut.

“We need to talk.” Regis finally said, despite the look that crossed Mallory’s expression.

* * *

He could feel the color drain from his face as they explained what happened. How he got out alive against Ahren, but it was the last thing that he expected to hear and suddenly his body had run cold.

Mallory was a Witch. Not only was she the most notorious huntsmen’s daughter, but she was a descendant of the Witch who wanted their kind destroyed and wiped clean from the planet and she knew she had abilities since the beginning. It felt like the tables were completely turned and everything that Eero thought he knew was a lie. This whole time she could have been playing them, leading them in the direction of their demise. Who was to say she wasn’t still?

But she saved him. She gave up her identity and she saved him. If she wanted to bring them to extinction, then why not continue pretending? Why not let him die?

Questions swirled in his mind and he hadn’t realized how utterly quiet he’d become until Regis spoke up again.

“Eero,” he said, standing at the foot of the bed now, as though ready to take on Mallory if needed.

“Get out.” Eero said and disbelief covered the Omega’s face.

“Me?”

“Now.”

Regis glanced at Mallory and then took the words whether he agreed with them or understood them and walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

Eero didn’t meet Mallory’s eyes, still trying to comprehend all the information given to him.

“You could have let me die back there.” He still didn’t look at her. “But you didn’t. Why?” the last part was a demand and slowly, his eyes shifted toward her, dark and unreadable.

Mallory was on her feet, fists clenched at her sides in a matter of moments. A pouting, nervous Regis she could handle, but the outright disrespect and attitude of Tahtia was going to push her over the edge. Sometimes Mallory thought that the wolves forgot that she wasn’t just a frail little human, she was a hunter who’d been trained to kill wolves for the entirety of her life. That old, simmering disdain bubbled in her chest as Tahtia continued to spout off her nonsense.

Mal felt the power, the pure dominance rolling off of Eero well before she ever saw him. A part of her wanted to shoo him away, to remind him that she didn’t need him to fight her battles for her - but another, bigger, part of her quietly reveled in the fact that all it took was someone taking the wrong tone with her for a six foot, two hundred pound man of pure, rock solid muscle to come and tear their head off. She hid her smirk with a scowl, not wanting to reveal just how much she liked Eero taking her side.

She watched the Alpha tear into the smallest member of his pack with a quiet satisfaction, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Regis attempted to look anywhere besides his Alpha and Tahtia, making himself very busy with his muffin and coffee. Even Az and Thomas had come to watch the show, trying and failing not to gawk.

Mal waited until Eero had demanded the simpering girl to apologize before stepping towards her cooly. “If you ever speak to me like that again, you sniveling little bitch, then I will put another arrow in your ribs.” She smirked, fondly remembering the first time she’d wounded the wolf. “And this time, I’ll aim to kill.” The russet haired girl finished snidely, retreating to her seat across from Regis as a very exasperated Eero began barking at them to scatter, despite his whispered reassurances down their bond.

Regis waited until the front door had clicked shut and the estate echoed in silence before leaning towards Mallory, a frown on his face. “That was uncalled for, Red.” He scolded.

“She was uncalled for!” Mal argued back.

Their conversation didn’t get a chance to progress before Mallory was yanking a pair of unlaced canvas sneakers onto her bare feet, her stomach twisting terribly. Regis, alerted by her sudden change in demeanor stood as well. “What is it?” He prodded, looking around the room for any hidden threats.

“I don’t know.” Mallory responded breathlessly, jerking the shoe onto her second foot. “Something is wrong with Eero, I-“ She shook her head, confused and unable to articulate what exactly she was feeling aside from a deep sense of unease, and a gut feeling that the man connected to her was in trouble.

She hadn’t needed to finish her sentence. A moment after she’d expressed that something was wrong with Eero, a deep snarl could be heard from the front of the Manor. The pack responded in record time, shoving out of the door and shifting to the beast that lived within them in the blink of an eye. Mallory was the last out the door, mouth agape as she watched Regis take a swan dive off of the front porch, twisting in the air as his body transformed and he landed on four paws. Thomas hadn’t even made it fully out of the house before he’d forced his body to shift, desperate to get to his Alpha and provide back-up, his back paws had left deep gouges in the marble floor inside the doorway from his claws as he’d charged out of the house. Azalea wasn’t far behind, and even Tahtia, subscribing to that wild sense of loyalty that wolves lived by had appeared in a matter of moments.

Mallory stood, mouth agape and unsure how exactly to help as she watched a raven colored wolf who was larger than even Eero’s humongous beast circle the Alpha, both of their teeth bared and snarling at one another. The pack, much to her frustration, stayed several feet away from their Alpha and the larger black wolf. It was clear that they were obeying some command she hadn’t heard, the ears pinned against their skulls and teeth angrily gnashing as they waited for a piece of the action.

Eero averted his laser focus for half a second, golden eyes darting up to Mallory as she stepped off the front stoop, mouth open in horror as she realized what was about to happen.

“EERO!”

His name left her lips on the wind of a soul-shattering scream, but she’d been too late. The High Alpha had taken Eero’s moment of distraction as an opportunity to make a killing blow, his jaws latching around Eero’s exposed throat as he gave it a violent jerk. A yelp sounded as Eero twisted away, deflecting the majority of the attack to his chest instead of his throat. It’d given him an opportunity to fight back, and despite his clear injury and slowing speed, Eero gave the black wolf hell.

Like watching a car accident in slow motion, Mallory wasn’t able to look away from the chaos, taking a tentative step towards the fray. As if on instinct, the pack had fallen into place around Mallory’s human form, hell bent on protecting her if they couldn’t protect their Alpha.

“Do something!” Mallory demanded of them, voice shrill in panic as she watched Eero take another devastating blow to the ribs. He was losing, not for a lack of trying, but he couldn’t sustain that level of fight with his injuries, not for much longer. Azalea glanced at Mallory with a look that almost seemed apologetic, as if expressing that they wanted to intercede just as much as she wanted them to. But they wouldn’t - couldn’t deny the outright order of their Alpha to stay back, even if he was fighting a losing battle.

Thomas whined once, paws digging into the earth anxiously as they all watched a brutal strike land against Eero’s shoulder and he began to limp. It was clear that the fight was nearing it’s finale as the black wolf began to circle Eero once more, as if it was savoring the last living moments of it’s prey before it took his life.

Mallory was going crazy, a feral instinct to do something, anything, to protect her friend driving her mad. Her hands shook, watching as the black wolf circled Eero slowly, haunches crouching as he prepared to make his final attack, before her hands clenched into fists.

The black wolf had just leapt for the killing blow, its dagger-like fangs barely making contact with Eero’s pelt when Mallory let out a near-feral cry, her hands clenching so tightly at her sides that her fingernails pierced her own skin, causing her palms to bleed. The black beast twisted in agony, yowling loudly as it writhed on the ground, yapping and pawing at an invisible threat for several long moments. It wasn’t until the unexplainable agony eased and Ahren managed a glance at Mallory that things became clear.

Mallory stood, fists at her sides dripping scarlet blood, her normally deep blue eyes were ringed with a fluorescent white that left them quite literally glowing, and a single nostril had began to drip scarlet as well. The glowing eyes, a beacon of magic as many called them, were the tell-tale sign of a witch.

A species that was, as far an anyone knew, long extinct.

Mallory released her breath, fingers unfurling and eyes returning to their normal ocean-blue as Ahren made himself scarce, scared for his life in the presence of what he could only assume was an ancient witch. “Fuck.” The auburn-haired girl breathed, the signature migraine she’d always gotten after channeling her magic already beginning to pound.

A quick glance at their surroundings revealed every one of the pack members back in their human forms, mouths agape and eyes wide in something like confusion and outright fear. Which was fair, Mallory thought. It was fair for them to hate her, to fear her for keeping something like this hidden from them.

But there wasn’t time for any of that right now.

Eero still lay on the ground, arms tight around himself as he moaned something incomprehensible in pain, slipping in and out of consciousness. Blood poured from his wounds, and it was difficult to tell where his blood began and Ahren’s ended. Mallory was at his side in an instant, eyes frantic and hands shaking as she shoved her palms over the worst of his wounds in a poor attempt at stopping the bleeding. "What were you thinking!?" She hissed.

The others sprung into action a beat later, lifting their Alpha with gentle hands and rushing him back into the Manor and to his bedroom. Russ and Quinn, two of the wolves that’d been on guard when the pack had first arrived from Idris took positions at the door, swearing on their lives that not another soul would enter or exit the Estate until the Alpha was awake.

“You fucking idiot.” Mallory breathed in exasperation, wiping the blood coating her paltms on her shirt before brushing a hand through his sweat dampened hair. A whole host of healers and tenders had poured into the Alpha’s bedroom the moment Regis and Thomas had him laid on the bed, and they tended to his wounds with a shocking level of efficiency. His wounds were gruesome, bad enough to have killed a regular wolf, the healers told them. And even with his supernatural ability to heal, Eero would be out of commission for several days at minimum. “A High Alpha, Eero. You picked a fight with a High Alpha on our front lawn.” She wasn’t sure when she’d started thinking of the Estate as her home too, but somehow calling it their’s just felt right.

Eero seemed mostly conscious, which was both a relieving and distressing sight. Relieving because it meant he was still alive, distressing because she could see the agony frozen on his face as the healers expertly stitched his skin, reset the fracture in his arm, and disinfected his wounds. “Here.” Mallory said gently, despite the quiver in her voice as she snagged a conveniently located bottle of bourbon from the Alpha’s bedside table. “Drink this. For the pain.” She encouraged, popping the cork and tipping the bottle against his lips until he’d managed a few healthy swigs.

Mallory didn’t leave Eero's side, not even for a moment. She’d sat at the head of his bed in her bloodied clothes, gently running her fingers through his ebony curls over and over again until the last of the healers had left the room. She thanked them on their way out, leaving her to soak in the unrelenting stares and silent questions of the pack.

They wanted an explanation. Mal didn’t have it in her to give one right now.

Tahtia was the first to speak, turning to her fellow wolves instead of Mallory. “She should be in the dungeons right now!” The female seethed, pointing an accusatory finger in Mallory’s direction.

“And do you want to be the one to explain why she’s in chains when Eero is well enough to notice?” Thomas argued, exasperation written all over his features.

It was Regis’ gaze who broke her the most, the silent disappointment and betrayal in his eyes enough to make her want to speak. “I’m sorry.” She offered quietly.

Tahtia was quick to return to her attack. "So we're just going to let a WITCH who's been lying to us for Gods even knows how long sit up her and snuggle with our UNCONSIOUS Alpha?! We don't know what she's capable of!"

Azalea was next, casting Mal a sad look. “We can’t let you stay in here with him, Mal.” She explained.

And while Mallory understood why they might see her as a threat now, that same feral instinct she’d felt when she’d woken her long dormant magic on Eero’s behalf stirred in her once again, leaving her to bare her teeth at the wolves. “I’d like to see you make me leave.” She dared.

Regis intervened, raising a hand in an attempt to call a cease fire. “I’ll stay with them.” He volunteered, glancing at his pack mates. “We can take turns keeping an eye on her until Eero is well.”

A shocked laugh escaped her, looking at the wolves like they were the stupidest people she’d ever seen. “I just outed myself to you all and the High Alpha’s, mind you, to save his life. Why in the fuck would I try to hurt him after doing all of that?” Mallory growled, a protective hand placed on the Alpha’s shoulder.

They would have to tear her cold, dead body away from him.

A sinful grin formed along Eero’s lips as he sauntered off down the hall, Mallory’s retorted words echoing after him.

Once the Alpha was in the confinement of his bedroom, he headed straight for the attached bathroom, turning the knobs of his shower to a scoldingly hot temperature. Steam quickly began filling the room, fogging up the large wall-length mirror atop the marble countertops that lined the room. Eero undressed the rest of the way, stepping beneath the stream. Water pelted the skin of his muscled back and over his ebony strands of hair. Reaching up, Eero closed his sea-colored eyes, fingers driving through his soaked locks when a vivid image was being shot down the bond to him.

His lips parted slightly at what he was greeted by and chills ignited throughout his entire body with that same familiar fervor she always seemed to drag out of him. Between his legs, Eero’s cock was quick to show its appreciation for the images that flashed through his mind. Hard as a rock, the Alpha tightened his fingers through his own hair, the sight of Mallory on her knees for him, those large blue eyes staring up at him while he felt the back of her throat. . .

Swallowing roughly, the images only continued, fulfilling their duty of making Eero feel further deprived of what he desired. Just the sight of her naked, wet body was utterly devastating. A low groan escaped him, his free hand wrapping around his considerable length. He was growing rather tired of his hand in place of what he’d tasted last night.

Her angelic voice followed after everything and Eero growled down the bond at her. “You’re not being a very good girl, Little Red, I’d hate to have to punish you.” his voice was deep and ravenous.

Once refreshed in more ways than one, Eero dressed in dark worn jeans, and a cotton white t-shirt, drawing an open black and white flannel over it, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was still damp, naturally creating soft waves of the darkest raven-colored hair. Without so much as a once-over of himself, the Alpha slipped out of his bedroom, black boots echoing against the marble floors.

* * *

After last night and with Eero being on constant edge all the time, Tahtia was beginning to grow rather annoyed with their situation with the huntress. Mallory had always gotten under the short wolf's skin since they’d met— an arrow to her ribs —but at least back then, there was the comfort of knowing that she wasn’t going to be around for very long. Now? It seemed they’d never get rid of her. Especially after that stupid stunt, she pulled with Eero and the bond magic.

Maybe that was what made it so entirely impossible for the dark pixie-cut Omega to bite her tongue when she overheard Mallory’s conversation with Regis who seemed to befriend the huntress. Another thing to annoy Tahtia profusely. How many of them could possibly befriend their enemy like that? It was bad enough that their Alpha had to pretend to be interested in her, but to do so willingly?

“I’m sorry. Did you really think you were anything but a toy to him?” Tahtia barked out an amused laugh.

“T—” Regis began, but Tahtia’s sage-colored eyes kept glaring at Mallory, ignoring him as she continued shamelessly.

“You don’t actually believe that he could possibly feel anything for you? Everyone knows that after your daddy dearest decided to slaughter his father in cold-blood Eero hasn’t opened his heart to anyone, but least of all you. I bet you every time he looks at you, all he can see is his dead dad. You’re lucky you’re even considered a toy—”

Power seemed to fill the entire room. Tahtia could barely get the last of her rant out when a loud, echoing snarl tore through the room, making every hair on her body stand straight, goosebumps dotting her flesh as an intense fear consumed her.

* * *

He could feel it down the bond before he could hear any voices coming from the common room of the estate. Like a bowling ball being dropped onto his stomach, crushing him, he felt like his heart skipped a beat, a rain cloud hanging over his head, but it wasn’t his emotions that he was feeling. It was Mallory’s.

His steps quickened, leading him to where Mallory, Regis, and Tahtia were gathered. Eero’s hearing picked up the nasty tone of Tahtia who was ripping into Mallory and by the time he crossed the threshold into the room, his canines were already bared and a threatening snarl ripped out of his throat. His eyes, once so blue, had changed gold, showing evidence of the wolf he was, and how close it was to coming out.

Regis’ head snapped in his direction, along with Tahtia’s who looked as though she may wet herself right then and there. Eero’s gold eyes burned through the short Omega, the cords of his neck and arms protruding with the rage he was experiencing. For the audacity that Tahtia had to speak for him in any circumstance, but especially to Mallory.

“Eero— I—”

The Alpha’s legs continued to carry him, those long strides bringing him directly in front of Tahtia. He towered over her, and the fury that burned in his expression was almost inebriating.

“You do not speak on my behalf. I am your fucking Alpha, and the next time you stuff my name into that Gods dammed mouth of yours, I will have your tongue ripped out, do you understand?” she just gaped up at him, too horrified to even blink, but he wasn’t having any of it. “I said: Do. You. Understand?” his voice was louder this time, sharper and she flinched before nodding, her swallow audible. “Good. Now apologize.”

Tahtia had tears threatening to burn her eyes, but Eero didn’t care. His instinctual priority was to keep Mallory protected. Whether it be from a physical threat or verbal, he wasn’t going to let anyone treat her like that. Not while he was around.

“I’m–I’m sorry.” she stuttered out and the tension in the air was thick.

“Now, make yourself busy.” he snapped and Tahtia was quick to flee the room. The gold still shined in Eero’s eyes as he shifted them toward Mallory and Regis who were staring at him with wide eyes. When he turned toward the kitchen, he found Thomas and Azalea standing in the doorway, blinking quietly, obviously showing up when they heard the commotion.

“Is there a problem?” Eero snapped at them all and they were quick to avert their gazes from him. A heavy sigh escaped him, his shoulders sagging and his eyes shifted back to blue, his canines retracting back to normal, though his anger still lingered. Finally, his eyes fixed on Mallory’s with a look that said: ‘I will protect you’.

“You are many things Mallory, but my toy is not one of them,” he said down the bond before taking his tension-filled body, turning on his heel, and stalking out of the estate entrance for some fresh air.

As soon as his boots hit the gravel, he felt like he was going to tear out his fucking hair. Between his anger toward Tahtia and the feelings that were emitting from him for Mallory, he was going to lose it entirely.

A low chuckle stole Eero from his reverie and he was turning to find Ahren approaching. Eero glared in his direction, but Ahren put his hands up, rolling his eyes.

“You can barely keep your pack together,” Ahren rose a brow. “Vedona won’t be any easier.”

“I’m not here for Vedona,” Eero snapped and Ahren crossed his arms, disbelief in his gaze.

“You mean to tell me, you’d rather return to that forest devastation you called a home?” he laughs.

“Why are you here, Ahren?” Eero redirected the conversation, growing annoyed.

The High Alpha drew his attention to one of the plants growing along the pathway of the estate, hand reaching to caress the tall flowers that reached for the sky absently. “I was just thinking to myself last night, about your arrival here and your concern for the apparent return of the witch.” Eero felt his gut tighten but didn’t make a sound as he continued. “Then came the constant begging question of what you’re really doing with that girl you keep around. If you’re telling the truth about the witch. . .” Ahren’s gaze lingers for a long while on Eero whose jaw clenched, eyes cold as the urge to protect Mallory intensified.

“She’s not just any human. Is she, Adrastos?”

The words were enough, but the smirk that found the dark-haired male's face sent him over the edge and the wolf that slept inside of him was awakened.

Eero’s entire body rippled, the bones shifting at an incredible speed as his body morphed into the beast he kept within. Ahren was barely a second behind, his own body contorting into his wolf form, a large jet-black canine taking his place.

The High Alpha wasn’t much bigger than Eero, but his deep crimson-colored eyes were enough evidence of the immense amount of strength his rank possessed over Eero’s. He didn’t care though, he’d take Ahren to hell with him if he had to.

Angry growls bounced off one another as the wolves circled each other, their fur bristling with rage and their large fangs dripping with saliva as they bared them, black lips curling back over the daggers. Eero’s claws dug into the earth beneath him, his muscles rippling throughout his body beneath his multi-toned fur. It didn’t take long before the others were stepping out of the estate, their forms taking place. Eero snapped his jaws at his pack to stay back, but they didn’t stop snarling as they did as they were told, ears flattening angrily against their skulls. It was when his golden gaze landed on Mallory that he was taken off guard, and Ahren lunged for Eero’s throat.

Mallory awoke the following morning feeling equal parts pleased with herself and absolutely mortified as she recounted the events of the previous night. One moment Eero and herself had been screaming at each other, blood boiling and ready to tear each others throats out - but the next, the most powerful man she’d ever met was on his knees for her, his face between her legs and coaxing the most toe-curling, hallucination inducing, mind numbing orgasm she’d ever had out of her.

Mallory’s toes curled at the memory, a small smile playing at her lips despite the privacy of her bedroom. She wasn’t sure how she’d garnered the will power to walk away from him after he’d so expertly gotten her off when all she wanted to do was have the rest of him, to feel him sink into her right there on that piano - but she’d torn away, a cool uncaring facade painted across her features as she returned to her bedroom on legs that felt like jelly, and promptly put herself to bed before the Alpha could tempt her back into his.

Despite the fun that they were having, despite Mal’s every fantasy being filled with Eero’s face after last night, there was a hard line drawn between the Huntress and Alpha. There was a tiny, tiny part of Mallory that was still holding out hope that her father and the hunters would come for her and bring her back home with them. But her father was a deeply traditional man, and his hatred for for the wolves ran incredibly deep.

While her father might believe her story of being kidnapped and held hostage by the wolves and welcome her back into his home after her rescue, he’d be disgusted to learn that she’d befriended the beasts. And even worse, if he ever learned that she slept with a wolf, the Alpha at that, he might very well kill her instead of facing the shame that his only child would bring him.

Thus, Mallory had drawn the line at intimacy. Last night had been a momentary lapse of judgement, a moment of weakness in falling prey to the Alpha’s advances after an evening of touching and pretending. But that’s all it could ever be for the huntress - a mistake that she’d live the rest of her life trying to hide, if her Father ever came for her. Her friendship with Eero was shameful enough, she couldn’t risk being his lover too.

Mallory’s hair was still half-wet from her shower when she finally left her room that morning, feeling refreshed and with a new resolve on her and the Alpha’s relationship. She’d changed back into a pair of comfortable clothes, still sleepy from her late night. Clad in a too-big t-shirt she’d borrowed from Regis several nights ago, a small pair of spandex shorts, and bare feet, she padded down the long stretch of hallway between her bedroom and the grand stairwell, desperate for some caffeine and something to satiate her growling stomach.

That is, until she spotted Eero approaching her from the opposite end of the hall. She paused briefly, keenly aware of every movement, every breath that she took as the Alpha neared her. She didn’t bother to hide her assessing blue gaze as it dipped along his torso, appreciating the chiseled abdomen and small trail of hair that sunk below the band of his shorts. “What? I can’t appreciate a good view when it’s right in front of me?” She feigned innocence, though her eyes glimmered with that same devilish intent as it had the previous night. Still sporting a layer of sweat from whatever it was that he did in the mornings to stay in such incredible shape - Eero looked like he’d been sculpted from the Gods themselves.

He was so close to her now that she had to crane her neck back to look up at him, that same possessive sheen to his gaze as he watched her whilst twirling a strand of her auburn air around his pointer finger. As if she couldn’t help herself, couldn’t deny the outright need to touch him when he was so close to her, Mallory drug a single finger down the middle of his torso, her nail just barely digging into the skin as it slowed at the elastic waist of his basketball shorts.

The sensual, velvet brush of his voice dripped through her mind like honey, taunting her to join him in his shower as he continued moving down the hall. Mallory sighed wistfully, as if she’d even been considering, before moving on as well. “Not even in your dreams, Mutt.” She called to him from over her shoulder, laughing as she finally descended the stairs.