Yil

"Okay heave up boys!" Sarah ordered Roy and Kiba, who had volunteered to set up the pottery stand for the display of the designed clay pots. "Common put your backs into it!" she drilled, rolling her eyes and snapping her fingers to hasten their steps.

They murmured and grunted, begrudgingly, no doubt regretting their decisions to help-out with setting up the place. Who could blame them anyway? Sarah was as indecisive as they come. We had spent hours debating on what colors worked best, what drapes to use, in what arrangements the pots should be displayed, what comes first and what stays behind and on and on we had gone. In the end we were no closer to a definite design pattern as we were when we first started.

The cool breeze blew into the patio in gentle swirls, flittering the curtains, caressing the potted flowers and ruffling the hair as it went about its way. I looked towards the men whose emitted sensations of tiredness wafted off them in strong waves as their forms were bent over the heavy, antique marble-topped table in unison. Their bare back muscles ripped with the sheer strength needed to raise the object and the perspiration that lined their foreheads caught the ray of the sun to give off a glistening shine.

I could only imagine the strain that they were experiencing from having to redo the same arduous task time and time again, so with an inconspicuous flick of my wrist I channeled the source of air towards them and looked elsewhere. Their sighs of relief were an indication that the action worked, somewhat, to calm them down.

"Here's just perfect! Let's go with this area," Sarah squealed, excitedly as she gestured to a spot beside a tall flower vase.

"That's what you said a few seconds ago," Roy muttered under his breath to the grunts of agreement from Kiba. Luckily, Sarah was busy making finger frames as she scrutinized the suitability of the area with a squint of her eyes and so she didn't catch the silent conversation that transpired between them.

They were about to place the marble-topped table down when Sarah frowned and turned around hastily to face them. "Stop right there," she held a palm out and tilted her head to peer at the area again.

"Look woman, leaning your neck that way and the other won't change the outlook of the area," Roy complained, huffing in exasperation.

"We are not changing the area smart guy," she retorted with a hand to her hips. "I just want you both to move to the side just a tiny little bit so that it's in the same frame as the vase," she made finger frames once more and when she noticed that Roy and Kiba hadn't moved an inch, she hurried them on with a wave of her hand. "Move wouldya?"

"Despicable," Roy sighed, loudly, at her haughtiness but moved regardless. "What do frames have to do with moving a table, anyway?" he questioned, incredulously.

"Someone please slap me if I ever volunteer to help artistic individuals," Kiba groaned, moving as well and Roy nodded in agreement.

They set the table down in relief with Roy collapsing onto it and Kiba settling down, heavily, on the floor.

"Here I was thinking you both were a bunch of manly men," Sarah teased, moving backwards to see the placement of the table.

"I don't know about Kiba but I'm as girly as they come," Roy stood up, gingerly, and sat next to Kiba with his back to the wall. "I mean my new favorite color is pink," he continued, pointing to the fuchsia-coloured, fluffy slippers that Lloyd had bought for him. Lloyd refused to return his leather slippers and since he had placed a temporary ban on any travels outside the pack as per Aryns' instructions, he couldn't get another one. "So, have pity and never call me for such jobs," he added, accepting a bottle of water from Kiba.

"I've got long hair, that says a lot," Kiba looked towards the side and inhaled deeply. He usually did this when he was mustering up the courage to do something out of character. My intuition was proved correct when he faced Sarah again and flicked his hair before tucking a loose strand behind his hair. "See," he added as Sarah and I burst out laughing. We laughed so hard that we ended up rolling on the floor clutching our stomachs.

"Don't worry mate this too shall pass," Roy encouraged, chugging down his bottle of water as Kiba colored in embarrassment. "Now when you both are done laughing like a couple of hyenas, will be on our way out," he stood up, addressing Sarah and I before he picked up his shirt from where it lay, draped over the back of a chair.

"No, not so fast Royana and Kibana," Sarah sing-songed, they shivered in disgust at the feminine versions of their name but said nothing. "Now that I'm seeing the table from below, I don't think that position is the best for it anymore," she propped herself on the flattened palms behind her back and inspected the placement of the table, slowly.

"Well remember we aren't manly men," Roy's face lit up with a false saccharine smile before poking Kiba in the side.

"Yeah, we are not built for that," Kiba corroborated his claims with a finger massage to the temple. He was so done.

As I regarded their broad, tall, muscled build, which encapsulated the powerful essence of male lycanthropic power and dominance, I tried hard to contain my laughter for their claims were quite paradoxical. But really who could blame them? They had been at it for almost an hour.

"What a man can do, a woman can do better," Sarah sassed, rising to her feet. "So, ladies let's get moving," she clapped her hands, giggling.

Roy looked behind and about him comically before facing Sarah. "Exactly, so you and Yil can do the honors, since you are the only ladies here," he smirked before shrugging into his shirt. "We said we were not manly men. Ain't nobody said anything about being ladies," he shrugged, walking towards an arrangement of plush pillows where he laid down comfortably and propped his head on a pillow. "So, one, two, three, hut!" he recited, conducting an imaginary choir with his hands.

Sarah put in a smart retort but knowing Roy, I knew she wouldn't win. He had reached his peak and absolutely nothing would convince him of doing otherwise. Kiba was easier to manipulate with a few cute facial expressions but taking one look at his quirked eyebrow, I theorized that the Kiba of the past was long gone.

Don't you dare, he warned through the mind-link, squinting at me as he draped his shirt over his shoulders.

What did I do? I placed a hand to my chest, feigning innocence.

"Roy, get here. You volunteered," Sarah whined, trying to pull him up by his hand.

"Well I've rescinded the help. I have that right," he enforced, releasing his hands from her grip and placing them behind his head.

"Sarah the table is actually perfect here," I interrupted, getting up from my cross-legged position on the floor to stand in front of the table. "For one it's very visible to the pack members from either side of the pack," I explained, pointing to the four corners of the patio to prove my point.

The pottery center was situated in the middle of the pack on a tiled island designed in the shape of a raindrop. The tall, rounded pillars had been decorated with flowers, wrapped around their wooden form, and from the translucent roof panels hung fairy lights that were sure to light up, beautifully, at night. The white olefin curtains had been parted to allow the rays of sunshine and on the fabric, I had painted lycanthropes in the different stages of shifting on the request of Sarah who had caught me painting in the garden maze one day.

"That way everyone can appreciate the beauty of the pots as they pass and secondly because of the tables' close proximity to the wall and its distance from the middle of the patio, the pots are safe from any mishaps that may occur due to rowdy children or clumsy adults," I added, looking at Roy who quirked an eyebrow.

"I have a good mind to break some pots even right now because of that statement," he crossed his arms, smirking.

"Well I'll make sure you stick by that rule," Sarah kicked his legs out of her way and he mimicked her, comically, before sticking his tongue out in defiance at her turned back. "But you've got a point there Yil," she agreed, walking to stand by my side. "Now we just need to arrange the clay pots onto it," she placed a finger to her chin as she envisioned the perfect positioning of the pots.

Once she had uttered that statement, a transitory look of horror passed between Kiba and Roy and communicating their immediate need to fizzle out of the premises before they got subjected to hours of arranging and rearranging pots, they made an attempt to creep out of the patio.

"Hold your horses Royana and Kibana, I won't be needing your help on this because the job has already been assigned to a group of she-wolves, so sit your pretty derrières down before you slam into them on your way out," she droned, still with her back to them. It was a wonder that she had known what they were about to do without even looking at them.

Roy and Kiba stopped in their tracks and at that moment the cheerful chatter of a group of she-wolves including Lloyd and Dina could be heard as they neared the patio with an array of clay pots in different shapes, sizes and designs, nestled in the crook of their arms or on their heads. If Sarah had not stopped Roy and Kiba just in time they were sure to have slammed into them on their hasty escape out of the patio and needless to say, it would have been very disastrous.

"Make way for the great magician," Dina called out, balancing a pitcher on her head and giggling as she teetered towards the patio with wobbly knees.

"Dina it'll fall and crash," Sarah huffed, agitated at her playful antics.

She moved towards Dina with the intention to help her place the large pitcher down but Kiba intercepted her and picked up the object with ease, considering the fact that she was literally a midget next to his towering build.

"Why thank you..." Sarah started with a sly smile but seeing Kiba's stern look she trailed off and swallowed the rest of her sentence. "...Kiba," she added, smiling sheepishly. He certainly wasn't going to stand being called 'Kibana' again.

"I've told you to stop glaring at people," Dina poked his side, disapprovingly before standing on her toes to touch his lips. "Just smile, it's not that hard," she added, stretching his lips with her fingers.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance at her request but seeing her determined look, his lips lifted slowly in an impish smirk and he winked at her.

"I-I-I said t-to smile not w-wink," she stuttered, swaying on her toes with a flustered expression. Kiba was about to place his hand by her back to stop her from falling when Roy moved in with lightning speed and smacked his hands away, drawing Dina to his side.

"How many times must I tell you to ignore her? Alpha Aryn will have your head if you look at her like that," he whined, his tone rising in frustration. Then he turned to Dina. "And why don't you go after someone your own age. Leave him be," he reprimanded, throwing his hands up. "I'm going to grow grey hair before Alpha Aryn comes back at this rate," he muttered, facepalming.

"I was only trying to get him to smile," Dina rolled her eyes at his theatrics, crossing her arms as Lloyd walked into the patio with the remaining she-wolves behind her.

"Wow! I love what you've done with the place," she cooed, turning around repeatedly to gape at the interior décor. "It's magnificent and we are sure to show up at today's festival," she nodded in approval with a smile as she set the clay pots in her hand down on the table.

I caught sight of the pot which I had molded some weeks ago among the pile. The flower illustration was very visible now and tilting my head, I was able to decipher the hidden outline of Rae's features. My heart lurched at his gaze and I smiled, sadly at the action. I missed him terribly each day. Tuning my senses back to the conversation lest I gave into the tears that threatened to spill out, I caught Sarah's reply just in time.

"I know right," she agreed as she assisted Robin with setting the large pitcher on her head down. "Yil is a genius and Kiba and Roy are sweethearts albeit their incessant groaning and complaints," she giggled.

"It was nice of you to help out," Robin smiled brightly at Kiba and moved towards him. "I do like a big, strong, kind man," she purred, tracing the muscles on his biceps.

"Ah, there really is no need for that," he cleared his throat, awkwardly, and moved slightly to evade her wandering fingers just as Dina's blue eyes sparked with flickering fires as she walked, determinedly, towards Robin's back.

Everyone was going about their business in preparation for the festival which was to start in a few hours' time, not really minding the conversation between Robin and Kiba, and so they hadn't seen Dina's murderous gaze. However, Roy and I had caught her hellish stare and moving quickly, he intercepted Dina and carried her over his shoulder.

"Just what are you wearing?" he questioned, laughing nervously. "Isn't this skirt a little too skimpy for your age?" he added, holding down her wriggling form.

Plot twist, Dina was wearing a denim short but who cared anyways.

"Let me go you twit!" Dina growled, resisting his hold on her legs as she hit his back repeatedly with her fisted palms. "I'm wearing shorts and since when did you care about the length of my clothes?"

"Well since today," Roy retorted, smiling apologetically at Robin who had now turned from Kiba to look behind her at the slight commotion. She was so oblivious to the wicked plans that might have befallen her if not for Roy's save. "Well, it's back to the pack house to change this outfit, missy," he said, walking towards the exit with me right behind him.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I called out as an explanation to Lloyd and Kiba who wore the same expressions of confusion and looking at all the she-wolves a second time, I noticed that one she-wolf in particular hadn't followed them. "I'm going to check up on Zena," I added, dashing out to meet Roy who, by the way, had walked further along with a very annoyed Dina who kept flailing her arms and swishing her hair about, wildly.

"Roy, I swear to everything that destroys and rains havoc that I will kill you if you don't put me down now!" she raved, kicking out her legs but he was resolute in his decision and walked on, closer to the pack house despite her fuming. "Okay then, I promise to bake you chocolate chip cookies, huh?" she quieted down, rapidly and negotiated with him in a cute tone.

It was almost scary the way her moods changed from downright horrific to cute and cuddly.

We entered the foyer of the pack house and shutting the door behind me, I followed his steps to the kitchen where he dropped her onto a high-rise stool and caged her with his arms as she tried to dash out from her position.

"What the hell is up with you?" he hissed, holding her fiery glare. "Why were you about to attack Robin? Kiba is an adult, unmated wolf just as she is, and they have every right to flirt with each other. Even though it seems one sided, what's your problem with that?" he rambled on, only stopping to catch his breath when he had finished talking.

"I like him!" she shouted, and I stopped mid-step from my exit out of the kitchen to find Zena. Roy backed away surprised as if she had struck him and the silence that descended among us was so still, you could hear a pin drop.

"I like him okay," she reinstated, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I don't know why but I do, and the big oak is either being oblivious to my feelings or is really clueless," she huffed, slumping her shoulders.

"Or he just doesn't feel the same way," Roy mused, shrugging but he stopped his action once he caught the hardy glare that she threw his way. "I mean that would be better for us all because in case you've forgotten, he is fifteen years older than you are," he mumbled.

"You think I don't know that," she hissed, getting down from the stool and marching up the stairs in annoyance.

"But you don't have to be so disheartened, you turn sixteen in a few days' time and you'll be sure to find your mate then," he pacified, following her up the stairs but his only reply was a discarded sneaker that came tumbling down the stairs and had he not moved to the side, he was sure to have been disbalanced. "Yil help me out here," he pleaded, before climbing up the stairs again. "Dina honey," he sing-songed.

"Shut up and don't follow me!" she snapped, slamming her room door.

Roy rounded the corner of the steps, anyway, and I was left in the foyer as I let Dina's confession sink in. I had never suspected that she might have feelings for Kiba for I had always believed that she just loved teasing him a little too much. I didn't even know how to feel about it, considering the still standing animosity between our clans.

Zena, where are you? You're missing out on a very important gist, I mind-linked climbing up the stairs towards her room. There was silence on the other end and I scrunched up my face in confusion, she usually answered.

Reaching her door, I tried the handle and finding it unlocked, I removed my shoes and held them in my hands as I slid into the room on the freshly polished floor beds with my socks. "Zena guess what? Dina actually has feelings for..." I trialed off once I saw her huddled up in a corner but sensing my presence she hurriedly stood up and wiped her cheeks clean.

"Yes, what were you saying?" she smiled, shakily. "Dina has feelings for who?" she questioned, walking up to me.

"What's wrong?" I furrowed my eyebrows and touched her cheek in concern, but she waved me off.

"Nothing, I tried to close my windows before meeting you up at the pottery center, but the breeze blew specks of dust into my eyes," she laughed, nervously as she avoided my gaze and moved towards the bed.

The design of the room was one of modern elegance with soft colors, a potted plant to the side of the room, a photomontage, designed with fairy lights, just above the queen sized-bed and a black dressing drawer. It encapsulated the minimalistic yet sophisticated design that was characteristic of Zena.

"Zena," I called her, sternly, then closed the door before moving towards her. "Out with it now," I instructed, pulling her to sit on the bed as I settled beside her with her hand in mine.

"You know I'd love nothing more than to stay here with you," she started, gazing at my face. I squeezed her hand in a reassuring gesture and nodded for her to continue. "But I miss Kent badly and the distance is wearing me down," she spoke, softly and stared down at the bed. "I've tried to ignore the slight discomforts in my chest but Leia is howling to be with him and I can only imagine the pain that he's going through," she whispered, tracing the mark on her neck, absentmindedly.

I sighed in relief, happy that she wasn't hurt. It was expected that she would yearn for her mate. He had marked her now and in fairness to her, they hadn't really spent much time together for she had been busy with helping me out and providing a comforting structure to me in my times of trouble.

"Then go and be with him," I smiled, raising up her chin and before she could disagree, I continued. "Zena, I totally understand. Rae and I aren't even marked mates and everyday I yearn to be with him, so I can only imagine the pain that you are going through. You've done more than enough for me and I appreciate that. Your support and love has been what has fueled my resilience thus far and if going back to meet Kent will make you happy then so be it. It's the least that I can do," I tucked a hair behind her ear and wiped her tears, gently. "So please don't cry. You and I look really ugly when we do," I laughed, pinching her cheeks, playfully, and this earned a hearty laugh from her.

"I love you Yil. You know that right?" she pulled me into a hug and I grunted in response. I was barely holding in my tears for if I let them spill then it would be much harder to convince her to go.

"Go already, Kent's probably waiting for you," I urged, releasing myself from her hug and smiling, brightly at her.

"If I didn't know you, I'd think you couldn't wait for me to leave so you could cry into the pillow," she commented, her lips wobbling with more tears.

"Oh no you don't," I rose up from the bed and pulled her up as well. "No more crying, it's not like we won't see each other again," I added, picking up her rucksack and slinging it across her chest. "I love you more than you love me, and I want you to send my greetings to mom and dad, okay?" I hugged her one last time and smiled, slowly.

"Of course, I will," she beamed, turning to open up the portal. "Apologize to Kiba on my behalf for not saying goodbye and I promise not to be gone for long," she added, stepping into the amassing vortex of fiery, red air.

"Of course," I nodded, watching as she entered into the portal but remembering a forgotten detail, I called back to her. "Wait!" I shouted, and she turned back. "Please give this Rae," I removed the vintage multilayered, leather bracelet that I got for him from my wrists and passed it to her as the portal began to wane and disappear. "Tell him that I..." I trailed off as I fought the force that pulled me towards the portal. I wanted to go back to our pack, if just to see him for a second but I couldn't, I had promised Aryn. "Tell him I love him," I whispered but the portal had already disappeared.

I collapsed onto the floor and bent my head as I let the tears fall from my face, freely. I clutched my chest and inhaled, deeply, as the conflicting feelings whirled about to dull my senses. Lloyd, Dina, Zena, Roy and Kiba had made the days easier to pass by as they kept me entertained with activities that took my mind off the feelings that I had for Aryn and Rae. However, the nights weren't as forgiving for most times I tossed and turned with the sheer strength of their force.

I tried hard not to admit it, but I missed Aryn. His presence, his smile and his relentless teasing. I missed both of them.

"Yil, Alpha Aryn's back!" Roy called out and I wiped my tears, hurriedly, before he opened the door. "Hey, you okay?" he questioned once he saw me.

"Of course. Where's Aryn?" I smiled, standing up and walking past him as he eyed me skeptically.

"Well he's downstairs..." he started but I didn't let him finish as I raced down the stairs, only stopping when I heard the rich timbre of Aryns' voice, coming out from the foyer. "Wait up! Where's Zena by the way I haven't seen her all day?" he mused from the top of the stairs, but I paid his question no mind as I walked into the foyer and towards Aryn, mesmerized by his features.

He had acquired a scar by one of his eyelids and his frame was now supported on two forearm crutches. Just what had happened to him? He smiled, broadly, once he sighted me and I moved, instinctively, towards him as the compulsion to comfort him overwhelmed me. I enveloped him in a hug and he stiffened, slightly, for he was taken aback by the gesture but he soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around me, letting his crutches fall to the ground.

"I guess the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is very true then," he chuckled, the sweet melody filled my ears and I smiled into his chest, contentedly.

This wasn't a figment of my imagination, he really was home.

"What happened?" I asked, tilting my face up to him. "Why are you injured?" I added, feeling the outline of his bandaged abdominal muscles that was quite visible in his white t-shirt.

"I'll tell you all about it in good time," he rumbled, wincing a little as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. I retracted my fingers, slowly, from the bandages and sent him an apologetic look.

Soft foot falls alerted me to another presence and turning with my arm still tucked behind Aryn to provide support, I sighted Star who stopped a few paces away from us, staring awkwardly.

"Star, I'm glad that you're safe," I bent down to fetch Aryn's crutches and making sure that he was positioned comfortably, I enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Oh! Ahm it's been a while. Glad to see you as well," she stuttered, returning the hug. I disentangled myself from the hug to peer, intently, at her and thankfully she wasn't scarred or injured, except from a strip bandage by her temple.

"I just have to change Alpha Aryns' bandages and I'll be out of your hair soon," she explained, obviously regretting the mild interruption to Aryn and I's moment, if you could call it that.

"It's back to Alpha Aryn now starry Star light, huh?" Aryn teased and she rolled her eyes, attempting to usher him to his room to change his bandages.

"You don't have to worry about it Star. I can help with that," I offered, wanting her to rest and not exert too much strain. "You've just come back from a long journey and I'm sure you're tired," I collected the bandages and herbal antiseptics from her hands before she could object and turned to Aryn. "Okay, Alpha don't be a big baby about this. It'll be all over before you know it so let's go," I teased with a wink and Star giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy every moment, darling," he smirked, following me up the stairs with an arm slung across my shoulders for support.

"Don't make me hit you in the spot that hurts," I grunted, straining from the force of having to hold him up while he laughed.

This was sure hard work but with the way he's body was pressed against mine, I didn't mind these steps going on for a little longer.

"I promise to be good, okay," he whispered into my ears and I shivered at the tingles that flurried about in my body. Giving him a sideways glance, I noticed that the prankster was having great fun at the feelings that he was eliciting in me and so I sought to get my pay back, soon.

We arrived at the familiar double mahogany doors and with a soft kick of my foot, I opened them, trudged into the room and set him down on the bed.

"You just wait here, and I'll run the hot bath," I moved into the ensuite bathroom and twisted the faucets to let the stream of water out and when I was satisfied with its temperature, I closed them and walked back into the room to find a shirtless Aryn.

He was having trouble with undoing the bandages and kneeling in front of him, I pried his fingers, gently, away from the bandage and helped to unwrap his midsection.

"Now tell me what happened on your trip?" I asked, calmly, concentrating on the task at hand. He inhaled deeply before he spoke up.

"Remember the pack I told you about in North Dakota?" He raised his arm as I unwrapped the bandage and I nodded. "They were attacked by the rouge clan, the Night Prowlers, as retaliation for the death of their second-in-command, Kodiak Wolff, whom I killed," he explained. "Upon hearing of the situation, I had to leave with a few men and Star also tagged along because she is skilled in making destructives. We went to war against them which we won, thankfully, and that's how I got this hideous scar and injuries," he summarized, pointing to his scar and shrugging.

"It's not hideous," I corrected, tracing the line that ran along his eye, delicately and he smiled.

It only added to his rugged appeal and I was quite proud of his achievement and prowess. War was one of the tenets in his world although it was a concept I didn't agree with, but it was either you killed or got killed in this world. There was no in between.

I helped him up and led him towards the bathroom and turning to face the wall to give him privacy as he shrugged out of his jeans, I asked the next question, softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Even though we hadn't really talked about my role in his pack or whether or not I'd be his Luna, I still felt quite hurt that he hadn't told me of his trip.

"I mean you didn't have to tell me, if you felt it wasn't necessary. In fact, forget I even asked," I added hurriedly, biting my lips in embarrassment.

"I was at fault in that regard because I should have told you," he interjected my rambling and I heard the slosh of water as he entered the bathtub. "I just didn't want to get you worried about my well-being," he added, rippling the water with his finger movements. "But one quick question, do you plan on rigidly standing there with your face to the wall? I need help with washing my back, you know?" He sprinkled droplets of water on my turned back and I squirmed at the unexpected contact.

"What did you do that for?" I turned to face him, as he laughed, and I immediately colored at the sight of his naked, tattooed chest. "I can't come close if the water is still transparent," I coughed awkwardly and averted my gaze.

"How many more soap bubbles do you want, your highness?" he asked, dryly and looking back at him, I noticed that he had poured the body wash into the bathtub already and it was brimming with enough bubbles. "The water's getting cold," he hummed, tapping his fingers by the side of the bathtub. Someone was acting spoilt.

"Yeah, yeah just wait a minute, princess," I dismissed with a roll-up of my sleeves and moved slowly towards him, willing my hormones to settle at the sight of his wet hair and muscled chest. I lathered the sponge with body wash and motioned for him to turn, before I began to scrub his back, gently.

"This is the life," he murmured, relaxing under my touch and my heart warmed at the gesture. I was happy to provide him some sort of comfort, however little, and seeing the opportunity to learn more about him, I started up another conversation.

"I met your father," I whispered, his muscles tensed but I continued to scrub his back in soothing patterns. "He was a pleasant man and you look so much like him. Your mother is also a beauty and from the pictures, they looked so happy and in love," he turned around, abruptly, to face me and I tried to scrub his chest, but he held my hand.

"Where did you see him? And what pictures are you talking about?" he furrowed his forehead and stared, intently at me.

"I wanted to learn more about your background, especially since you avoided most of my questions during our walk to the forest. So I found the cabin's library where I stumbled upon a memoir with your family's crest on it," I explained. "And with regards to your father, I met him at the balcony. He talked fondly of your mother," I smiled, remembering the previous Alpha's grin when he talked about his mate. "I'm really not in this for the long run if you get wrinkles," I chuckled, placing a finger to his forehead and he relaxed his expression. "I didn't know that your mother had died though or that Dina was a regressing lycanthrope suffering from amnesia," I looked down at my soapy hands and laughed, dryly. "Now that I think about it, I don't really know much about you," I sighed as I felt his fingers on my chin, lifting my head up.

He looked at me for a moment, sighing deeply before he recounted the tales of the Chain war, the death of his mother, his assumption of the position of Alpha when his father fell down the dark hole of depression and his elder brother plunged into despair. All these happened when Dina was but a toddler and ever since then Aryn had taken care of her and watched her grow, finding out later that she was a regressing lycanthrope.

I could understand now why he had shied away from talking about his family. The war and death of their mother had torn the family apart and in dealing with his pain he had repressed his hurt and agony in the deepest part of his heart to be locked up and never revisited.

I placed my hand on either side of his face and tracing his features, I moved closer to him and with my eyes closed, pecked him on the forehead. "I can't imagine your pain, but I salute your courage in taking up the position of Alpha at such a young age. Your devotion to Dina is admirable and your leadership over the pack is one of fairness and rationality, something I never thought I'd experience in the outside world," I got lost in the feel of his hair as I shampooed it and his groan was one of pure bliss.

"If I had known reiterating my sob story would earn me a peck and a free massage, then I would have told you of this a long time ago. Should I tell you more of how I got wounded? Maybe I'll get a kiss?" he pouted, impishly before puckering his lips.

"You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" I splashed him with soapy water and he gagged at the impact. The action was more of a precautionary measure against the urge to kiss his irresistible lips. "Bath time's over, champ. Come on out," I called back as I sauntered out of the bathroom to get him a new pair of jeans and he groaned in defiance. "I know, I know it's unfair that you don't have the liberty of spending all day in there, but I have to dress your wounds so rinse off and come out," I laughed, hanging his jeans on the towel rack with my back turned to him before walking towards the bedroom and laying on the bed.

I tilted my head to the side and noticed that the reddish-purple hue of the sunset had welcomed in the evening. The drums and animated chatter that wafted up from below spoke of the ceremony of festivities that was currently underway. Dina, Lloyd, Zena and I had agreed to meet up some minutes before the start of the festival to get ready but with Zena gone, Dina locked up in her room and my task with regards to wrapping up Aryn wounds, I doubted that would happen or that I'd even be present for the festival.

I got up slowly from the bed and walked to the balcony. I looked down at the children that ran about, laughing and playing loudly. She-wolves were dressed stylishly in different attires with their male counterparts not lagging behind in their smartly pressed suits and neat hairstyles. The pack had been beautified with numerous decorations and embellishments and the large picnic area by the pond had been lined with tables that carried differing mouth-watering dishes.

"The ceremony of festivities, a day of thanksgiving to the Sky Lordians who made this year's harvest fruitful," Aryn rumbled, behind me and I turned to look at him. "I'm afraid I won't be attending seeing as I can barely stand on my own two feet," he sulked, motioning to the crutches in annoyance. "But you should go. You'll really enjoy it," he smiled, looking down at the activities that were taking place.

"Maybe," I shrugged, ushering him into the room. "But only after I dress your wounds," I picked up the bandages and set about wrapping his wounds, gently, so as not to cause him any discomfort. "There, all done," I announced and receiving no reply, I looked up from his wrapped arm and noticed that he had dozed off.

His head was propped up, uncomfortably, on the bed's headboard and moving his lower body unto the bed, I was able to place it on a pillow. I cleared the hair out of his face and buttoning up his shirt, I tucked him under the covers.

He hadn't slept on the bed in a long time due to my presence and I had no problem sleeping in Zena's room or on the roll-up mattress.

I tried to stand up from the bed slowly but he unconsciously, pulled my hand back and snuggled close to me. "Don't go please..." he mumbled out, but I couldn't quite catch the name that he voiced out.

Was it mine or another's?

My heartstrings pulled at the gesture and so I settled back down on the bed, humming a nostalgic tune as I listened to the melodious musical notes and carefree laughter of the pack members below. With the sounds of Aryn's rhythmic breathing coupled with the soft-blowing breeze, I fell asleep into a restful slumber.

One that I hadn't had in weeks.
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