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To Love a Were Ch. 01

By: ArtForm



NB: Hi all! Here's a new story I've been working on. I seem to like the name MacFarlane a lot so I'm using it again [although it has nothing to do with The Hunters]. Hope you like it and let me know what you think!

***

Dominic was restless. All the members on the board had already taken their seats and still the CEO had not arrived. The meeting had been rather sudden and it had made everyone anxious. Had their Alpha sensed a coming drop in stock prices?

As the highest ranking Beta and second in command, Dominic had gone through all their audited accounts and had spent the past hour studying the stock market for any potential problems. The property index was very important because a sudden drop in prices could mean a potential loss of land for the pack. They needed those lands to run around without being a danger to others or themselves. His thoughts suddenly went to his pregnant sister.

Fuming, Dominic fiddled with his handphone, deciding that he was going to call his Alpha in another five minutes should he still not arrive by then. He had tried to access his Alpha mentally through the bond they shared but he must have been too far away and out of reach.

Suddenly the meeting room door open and in strode the Alpha in question.

"Good morning everyone. I sincerely apologize..." Dominic looked up and realized that his Alpha was looking directly at him. He could almost hear the slight accent in his voice. Eian usually slipped into his native tongue when he was upset or distracted about something and it bothered Dominic that he wasn't given privy to what it was.

"It is not my habit of being tardy but I was held up at the medical centre." Dominic's eyes immediately flew to his Alpha.

Is it my sister?

Don't worry my friend... she's fine...

Dominic relaxed a little at his Alpha's words and sat waiting for him to begin the meeting.

"I have come to the decision... that it is time we open our board to humans." A second passed in silence before the room erupted into fevered accusations, disagreements and general commotion. Even Dominic found himself standing up in shock. Never since the founding of MacFarlane Realty had there ever been directors appointed from outside the pack. Was his Alpha suggesting that the current board of directors had been incompetent?

"No, I'm not saying that you all have been incompetent, but I think we need to learn to expand our minds by accepting other ideas from a world outside our pack life," said Eian, as though replying directly to Dominic's question. "We have recently procured some prime land that ought to be developed for commercial purposes; our pack has more than enough land as of now so this is not a threat to our security." Eian leaned back in his chair as he watched his Betas arguing among themselves. He knew they wanted to express their anger and concern towards him but somehow their wolf hierarchies had always put a limit to that. He glanced slightly to his right at Dominic who had sat down but was silent.

"Silence," he ordered. "This is exactly why I am tired of all of you never daring to voice your concerns or disagreements to me. What good would all your ideas be if you never share it with me, never dare to disagree with me? An outsider with no bonds to this pack would have no reservations about challenging me or coming up with alternative plans. I have no authority over them as an Alpha and this is what our firm needs in order for it to grow."

The chatter in the room quietened down and Eian could see the resignation on their faces.

"Oran would be reaching the five century mark and we both have come to the agreement that he should retire and stay in the compound to be with his family more."

Murmurs of agreement went around the room. Then one female Beta meekly raised her hand.

"Alpha... does that mean we are only hiring one human to fill in Oran's place?"

Eian beamed at her.

"That's a good question. No, actually we're going to hire two humans." Eian watched the confused looks on his board members before smiling at Dominic who was staring at him with a concerned look.

But Eian! That would mean one of us has to leave!

"I have also decided to step down as your Head Director." Instantly the room burst into an outroar.

"Alpha! You cannot do that!"

"Who's going to take your place?"

"How are we going to make decisions?"

Questions after questions sailed across the room towards him but Eian merely smiled.

"Dominic will do the hiring for these two positions and take care of all the other business matters." At the uncertain look on his Beta's faces, Eian spoke again, "It doesn't matter whether I am on the board or not. I am the board because this firm belongs to MacFarlane pack. Remember that. You're all dismissed."

Dominic was the only one who stayed in his seat while the rest scuttled out the meeting room. His blue eyes were fixed on Eian's intense green eyes.

"What are you really doing Eian?" the concern in Dominic's voice was unmistakable. They had been friends since they were pups and Dominic had no intention of letting his friend get away with hid decisions today without explainations.

"Are you questioning your Alpha, Dominic?" he replied with a stern voice. If Dominic hadn't been glaring at Eian, he would not have noticed the slight flicker of amusement in his Alpha's eyes.

"Don't give me that crap Eian... Tell me what is really wrong and I'll beg forgiveness for questioning my Alpha." Dominic stubbornly kept his gaze on his Alpha until the latter relented. His friend was clearly a stubborn, hot blooded wolf; a complete opposite of himself. He was always the calm, gentle and patient one... or so he'd like to think. The wolf inside him seemed amused at that description of himself.

"I'm going back to the medical centre. You're welcome to follow but I want the new directors hired by the end of this week." Eian turned his back and walked out of the room, leaving Dominic in a state of annoyance.

Mumbling curses under his breath, he stormed out of the room and began to call up the Human Resource department, threatening to breathe down their back every five minutes if they didn't bring him potential candidates by the end of the day. Snapping his hand phone shut, he hurried after Eian.

His Alpha was sitting comfortable at the passenger seat of his Lamborghini Reventón, dangling his car key in his fingers. Dominic managed to roll his eyes before snatching the keys away.

The drive to the medical centre was short, seeing that they were driving a sports car. Dominic's wolf reveled at the idea of being behind such a fast car that he was tempted to keep breaking the speed limit if it wasn't for Eian's constant reminder that he had not had pups to replace him yet.

***

Dominic parked the sports car perfectly into the reserved parking lot and together they made their way into the medical centre. He came here regularly with Pearl, his sister, for her checkups whenever he could so he was used to the odd sterile and clinical smell it had.

Eian did not say anything as they walked in but simply nodded to the various staff that had passed by. Eian himself had opened the medical centre about fifty years ago after some of his young wolves had graduated from medical school under the company's funding. There, he allowed the traditional healers and the modern medicine trained younglings to care for the sick and wounded Weres.

Finally, he stopped as a leggy blonde doctor came up to them. Dominic looked at her curiously as he had not seen her before.

"This is Doctor Amber MacFarlane. You'd probably not have seen her around because she's in pediatrics. Pearl's not had any pups yet," said Eian, once again reading his friend's expression as though he had said his thoughts out loud.

"Pleased to meet you," she replied with a bright smile, aimed for Eian, ignoring Dominic completely. "She's resting Eian... but I think she'd like to see you. As per your instructions, I have been the only one administering all her medication and changing her bandages. But she still calls your name ever so often."

"Thank you Amber." Eian entered the room, followed closely by Dominic. His friend's annoyance at the doctor immediately evaporated at the sight of what laid on the hospital bed. Once the door was closed, his nostrils were attacked by the most distinctive scent of blood that he had not sensed while they were outside.

"Is that... Eian... you cannot be serious!" he hissed in outrage. "What is that thing doing here?" he asked accusingly.

"That thing... is a child, a wounded child if I may add." Dominic watched his Alpha approach the bed, not daring to come close himself. He let out another hiss when his Alpha's fingers caressed the child's cheeks. Child or not, that thing was a Vampire and it was inside their medical facility, clearly a threat to them all.

"If you're going to behave like an asshole, then get the hell out of here. If she wakes up and gets scared I will personally break your bones Dominic," Eian's voice was calm and gentle but the eerie chillness in which he said it made the threat even more deadly. Dominic swallowed hard and inched away towards the door.

When Dominic had left, Eian gave a sigh and sat in the chair next to the bed. His fingers brushed the little girl's cheeks softly, feeling the icy coldness on his fingertips. Wanting her to get more warmth, he pulled up the blankets to her chin and settled to watch her breath; her little chest rising up and down and Eian desperately tried to hear her heartbeat even though the heartbeat monitor showed that it was stable.

Somehow sensing his presence, her eyes slowly fluttered open. The intensity of her blue eyes set against her pale skin and even paler white hair shocked him out of his daze.

"Eian..." she croaked. Eian felt his heart break at the fragility of her voice. She was searching for him, even though he was right beside her. Somehow she hadn't yet regained her eyesight after the trauma that befell her. Dominic had been right. She reeked of blood... but not her own. It had taken him and Amber a long time to wipe the blood off her as they couldn't bathe her yet seeing that she still had many wounds that were still healing.

"I'm here, my precious..." he whispered, bringing his face close to her cheeks, nuzzling it there, as though trying to pass on his warmth to her. His scent seemed to calm her down again and she fell back into sleep.

After making sure she was really asleep, Eian let himself out of the room and saw Dominic leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for him. He wasn't saying anything but his posture showed his disgust and annoyance. Eian didn't bother to calm his friend down but proceeded to find Amber to give further instructions to her. Dominic couldn't help but observe them. She was looking at him with such sultry eyes; her coat had been removed and her breasts were straining against her silk blouse. Any male within the vicinity could smell the bitch in heat but not Eian. The guy was totally immune to her come ons. Rolling his eyes, he went over to the nurse's counter and took a pen and paper. After scribbling something he approached the two of them and smugly took Amber's hands and slapped the scrap of paper into her palm before dragging Eian away from her.

"I'll give a call later," Eian said they walked away. Dominic turned back one last time to look at the pretty blonde Doctor and saw her face flushed. Surely she didn't think the number in her hands belonged to the Alpha did she?

***

Dominic was perusing the candidate list given by the Human Resource department. Some of them had personally applied for the position while others had to be personally head hunted should he choose to hire them. Dominic wasn't sure which was worst- actually interviewing a human, smelling their anxiety and desire for the job or begging like a dog to a human to ask them to work with them. As a general rule, Dominic hated humans but he hated Vampires more.

But his Alpha's words were a command so he'd have to make his best decision soon. He finally decided on two men- Sydney Sandilands and Ian Ramsey. He didn't really like women that much and found them useful only for sex, if nothing else. The first one came highly recommended by the HR department and after looking through the profile; he admitted that he would be a good addition to the company. The only problem was that Mr. Sandilands was already a marketing director in another company and thus Dominic would have to give a personal invitation to join their company. For a man to become a director at such a young age was definitely a sign that he was capable.

Grudgingly, Dominic put on his coat and notified his secretary about his plans. He'd ask her to give Mr. Sandilands's office a call to say that he was coming. He didn't bother waiting to see if the man was actually available. If he wasn't, then just as well. He wasn't going to wait around for a human.

When he arrived at the office lobby, Dominic was actually impressed by the size of the building he was in. It was a much bigger firm than theirs and possibly more well established. He flirted a little with the front desk clerk while he waited for her to grant him access up to see Sydney Sandilands. The petite lady was absolutely red by the time she was done with the calls. Dominic had looked at her with such roving eyes; licking his lips each time she looked his way. What was there not to like about him? He was six feet two, with a toned body achieved through rigorous training and weights; his blonde hair fanned his face perfectly, accentuating his sparkling blue eyes and sharp nose. On top of it all, he was sure she couldn't resist his lips. Haven't so many women told him he was the god of kissing?

He scribbled his number lazily on a piece of paper he found on the desk and winked at her before he made his way up.

The secretary outside Sydney Sandilands's office was another petite woman. What was it with this office and hiring petite women? Nevertheless, he flashed her a smile and she blushed as she told him to wait a moment.

"Miss Sandilands is ready to see you, Mr. MacFarlane," she said apologetically as she came out of the director's office. Dominic stood quite rooted on the spot for a moment. Surely she had made a mistake?

"I'm sorry. I'm here to see Sydney Sandilands. Mr.Sandilands? I think I've been sent to the wrong office."

The petite secretary looked at him questioningly then shook her head.

"There is only one Sydney Sandilands in this whole building sir, and she's inside there waiting for you." When he still didn't move, she added with a whisper, "She doesn't like to be kept waiting, sir."

"Ah, fuck this," he cursed under his breath. She must have lied on her resume or charmed her way up the ranks. He was going to go in out of courtesy and bluff his way out of it. There's no way in hell that he was hiring a woman.

But once he entered the door, all annoyance was wiped off his face and in its place was a mask he reserved for business; a no-nonsense attitude with the tendency to bully his way through to get what he wanted.

The woman that greeted him looked like one that was easily bullied. She had the most doe-eyed looking eyes that he had ever seen. It reminded him briefly of the little girl in the medical centre. He had not seen her eyes but he was assured that she would have that same child-likeness in them as the eyes he was seeing into right now. Then there was the question of her hair. It was blonde... yet it was red at the same time. He had never seen hair in that shade and from the looks of it, it was probably her real hair because her eyebrows and eyelash were of the same colour. On top of that she smelled like juicy strawberries...

"Do I pass your inspection, Mr. MacFarlane?" she asked with a slightly amused look in her eyes. For a moment, Dominic almost didn't hear her question but the slight howling of his wolf shook him out of his daze.

"I apologize for my rudeness. It is just that I have never seen someone like you before."

She looked up at him from her desk and gave him a half amuse, half annoyed look.

"That, is perhaps a redundant statement, seeing that we have never seen each other before. Please sit. I have many things I'd like to complete today. Please state your matter briefly."

Dominic was taken aback at how she had simply waved off his compliment and dived straight to business. So much for bullying her.

"My name is Dominic MacFarlane and I am currently the CE... I mean one of the directors at MacFarlane Realty. It's a relatively smaller firm as compared to yours but we are currently looking for someone to come on board with us as a board member and as it is, I think you are highly qualified for it."

"Highly qualified? Surely it doesn't take much to guess how qualified I am seeing that I am the Marketing Director here."

Dominic cocked his eyebrow. This woman was just impossible. Sweet talk would never move her but somehow her repartee was much appreciated by his wolf that he couldn't contain his excitement about actually getting this woman into his bed... did he just say bed? He meant the office...

Stop it! He chided his wolf.

"Well, Mr. MacFarlane, if there's nothing else you have to say, you can see yourself out. Thank you," she said, dismissing him. Dominic was outraged. He had never yet met a bloody woman whom he could not control.

"I am here to openly invite you to take up a position as a board of director at our company. I sincerely hope that you would consider our proposal because our company is in need of experienced and dedicated employees. I know it is difficult for someone in your position to come down to our level, but I sincerely hope you would be up to the challenge," he said with a slight twinkle in his eyes. "With that said, we will still respect your decision but we hope that you could let us know as soon as possible." Then he turned and walked out the door, leaving Sydney staring at his back.

Every step he took to the elevator was difficult. His wolf kept on howling like an oversexed maniac. Sure, he would have loved to wipe that smug off her face... maybe pin her to the wall as he took her... What was he talking about? Annoyed with himself, Dominic rushed out of the building and hopped into his chauffeured car back to his own office, far away from that woman.

***

The Vampire girl had been restless. She kept waking up and screaming into the darkness for Eian, refusing to eat her medication and was eventually restrained because she had tried to attack Amber with her sharp talons. Amber did not understand why her Alpha was so protective over this child. It took her a lot of courage to even come near the Vampire. It was a common fact that the Vampire fang was lethal to Weres. Had Eian ever thought of that?

Her resentment was abated when she felt her phone vibrating and saw the number dialing it. So he had called after all!

"Hey Amber... I'll be coming round to pick you up in a few minutes. Eian's orders. He told me to get you home to the compound because you've had a long day today. He'll be taking over from you once we get there."

"Oh," she said, trying to hide her disappointment as much as possible. It was Dominic. So that was his number, not the Alpha's. Her Alpha was coming over not to look at her but at the Vampire child. Her level of resentment rose even more.

"Fine." Her reply was much more curt than she'd like but she was too upset to care. She sat at the nurses' desk, grumbling to herself until she saw Eian and Dominic walking up to her a few meters away. She vaguely heared the Vampire girl crying; she must have sensed Eian and was calling out for attention. Ignoring her, Amber walked forward to greet them. Her arms were open for the usual greeting but Eian simply went past her. Immediately her hand fell to her side and she turned to watch him disappear into the room; her face flushed with anger.


To Love a Were Ch. 01



"You know... I do have an excellent idea for you to channel all that frustration," said Dominic silkily into her ear. Amber immediately turned to look at him but he saw that her eyes had soften a little.

"I'm tired, Dominic. Please get me home," she said with a resigned sigh.

"But the night is still young sweetie..." he purred. Dominic knew he wasn't really putting in his all tonight. Usually, this would have worked; he would have managed a wild romp, even if it was in the car. Rejected twice in a day really was not looking good for his reputation as a Casanova.

Following Amber, he too exited the medical centre, deciding it was best to brood back home.

Meanwhile, Eian was untying the restraints holding back the little girl. He had heard her cries the moment he stepped foot into the centre and had all but ran into her ward just to calm her down. When he saw the restraints, he felt his heart breaking. He knew Amber had had no choice, but still he wished that she had not resorted to such a cruel treatment. The slight bruise on the girl's wrists was slowly fading and it lightened his mood slightly. She was beginning to heal on her own.

"Eian?" she whispered.

"Yes, my precious, I'm here."

"Where?" Her hands searched for him, finding his face. He could still feel the coldness in her hands but it was better than yesterday. A quick check on her arms showed that the wounds she had sustained yesterday were completely healed but the bruises were still there.

"So, little one... are you feeling better today?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "The pretty doctor let me watch tv today. I heard hi5 singing and I sang along too!"

"You remembered their songs?" he asked hopefully.

"I heard them sang it once then I followed. I can remember a lot of things that all those people said on tv too!" Eian listened to her retell almost everything she had heard with much patience. So this Vampire had a powerful sense of memory... but it seems memories before yesterday had been lost to her. Had a Vampire removed her memory? Or was it temporary amnesia caused by trauma?

"That's nice..." he said soothingly as she related what Barbie did in Fairytopia.

"Eian... will you stay here with me tonight?" she suddenly said.

"Yes my precious, I will. Don't you want me to?" he asked gently. She kept quiet. Eian watched her face with concern.

"If... if... you stay here with me, the monsters won't come and get me right?" she said, shrieking out the last few words.

"Oh darling, no, no... of course not!" he said, sitting at the edge of her bed and gently bringing her close to him in an embrace. The little girl refused to let him out of her reach, so Eian eventually had to hoist himself up on the bed and let her cuddle next to him until she fell asleep. She was really small and Eian put her at about ten years old. The pack had enough young ones for him to roughly guess her age. Furthermore, her scent was still of innocence; not one of a budding young woman.

As he watched her sleep, something stirred in his heart. He had tried to track down her family, combing the areas around the place where he found her.

True enough, he had been appalled to come across a house just at the outskirts of the compound that had been taped off and secured by the police. A whiff of the house told him that at least three people had died inside there and had been recently removed. Eian had been forced to shift and watch behind the bushes so as not to attract suspicions to himself. He noted that there was no blood trail leading from the house to the forest but as he paced through the undergrowth he noticed that there was an area that had been trampled on recently. On closer inspection, he saw that the broken twigs had more than two cracks on them, meaning that they were stepped on more than once; possible a struggle had occurred here.

Precisely then, he heard one of his Betas back in the compound alerting him about the arrival of police. Eian raced back home, hoping to confirm his hunch.

As it turned out, he was right. The police wanted permission to search his land. They suspected the killer to be hiding there. Eian knew it was procedure, although he knew by heart that whoever killed those people was not human. The scent of a Vampire clung to that house. And he had not sensed any Vampire in the forest. As he nodded his agreement to the police, Eian made a mental command to all the werewolves in the forest to return home and stay in doors until he allowed them to go out again. He knew that his wolves were told not to attack those who have been allowed on pack lands but he'd rather not take any risks. These humans have guns that could seriously injure the younger ones.

The night passed by rather quickly and when Eian opened his eyes, he realized that the girl was no longer beside him but perched at the edge of the bed's railing like a bird, watching him intensely. Eian tried to hide his surprise and smiled instead.

"How long have you been watching me, little one?" he asked sleepily.

"For awhile... You are a very beautiful... more beautiful than that pretty doctor."

"How do you know she's pretty when you couldn't see her?"

"I touched her face too..." she said sheepishly. "But then I saw into her mind and I didn't like it. I got angry. She got angry too and she tied my hands!" Eian almost laughed at her desperation to justify her actions.

"You should not get angry at Amber... She has been kind to take care of you personally. Don't ever do that to her again, understand?" he said softly but with a hint of sternness that made her nod her head. Eian was slightly impressed now- So a Vampire who had a fantastic memory and one who could also read minds by touching?

When Eian got up, she jumped off the bed railing and reached forward to hug him. Feeling defeated, he lifted her up and carried her into the attached bathroom. He was hoping to wash himself up but the way she clung so tightly, he was sure she wouldn't let go regardless of any amount of persuasion.

So with the little girl clinging on to him like a baby koala, he rummaged his small bag for his toothbrush and facial wash. Her weight didn't seem to bother him much and he carried on his business as if she wasn't there. After drying his face, he looked into the mirror, caught her gaze and spoke with a stern face.

"You're going to need a bath now. Can you do that on your own? Or would you like Amber to do it for you?"

"I can do it myself!" she said with a haughty tilt of her chin. Grabbing the bottles of shampoo and soap, she pushed him out of the bathroom and closed the door. Eian laughed as he felt himself shoved out of the bathroom but his laughter died when he saw the message coming from his phone.

Dominic had sent him an email. There was a picture of a family and at the bottom, they showed an individual photo of a little girl, asking if anyone had information to her whereabouts. Eian immediately got out of the room to give his Beta a call.   "This was in the morning news?" he asked desperately.

"Yes. She's the girl isn't she?"

"Dominic... I need you to come here as soon as possible. Tell Amber to hurry too. I can't leave her here alone."

Whatever objections Dominic had, died in his throat when he heard the pain in his Alpha's voice. Not wanting to waste another minute, Dominic climbed into his car and sped to the medical centre.

When Eian got back into the ward, the little girl was on her bed already, smelling of his shampoo and soap. Her skin seemed much more radiant now and she was laughing at something on TV. However, her hair was still wet so he took the towel she had carelessly thrown on the bed and came closer to help her dry it off.

"Little one, can I ask you something?"

"Okay," she said although her eyes still remained glued to the television.

"Do you remember your name?" Eian made sure he said the words slowly so that she would not think that he was forcing her to remember.

"I told you I don't remember..." she said softly after awhile.

"It's alright darling... really. Well... maybe you could tell me about your beautiful hair?" he asked instead, trying to take her attention away from recalling her name.

"My hair?" she looked like as if he had asked the most stupid question on earth. She pursed her lips and twirled her hair in her fingers. "Why don't you have white hair?"

Eian was simply lost for words.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asked after awhile; dropping the subject of her past altogether.

She thought very hard then shook her head.

"I'm not very hungry..."

Eian watched the child with worry. For her not to be hungry after recovering from massive injuries meant only one thing- the Vampire who bit her had been a Pureblood and whether he had planned to do it or not, he had Sired her because she had bitten him back somehow and now carried his stable blood in her. Of course Eian did not discount the fact that the Vampire could also be a female but for now, he was going to assume it was a male.

Dominic's knock on the door surprised him. He had brought some food as well and Eian immediately reached for the coffee and took a few gulps. Dominic watched him closely, establishing their mental bonds with each other.

We shouldn't keep her here you know...

Where else should she go, Dom? Did you see what happened to her family? They'll put her in foster homes! She's going to become no one's child. Do you think I could live with myself if I let her go?

You don't seriously think she's going to fit into the pack do you?

I had already decided. She will be adopted into the pack.

What the fuck Eian! No!

His sudden outburst was sensed by the girl for she turned around and looked curiously at the two men. They weren't saying anything but she felt a surge of energy and by the looks of it, it scared her. Eian's eyes immediately narrowed and he glanced at Dominic angrily.

I told you not to scare her!

She cannot be adopted into the pack! I won't allow it!

Eian didn't respond but looked at Dominic sharply as his green eyes bore into Dominic's.

You won't allow it? Dominic immediately understood that he had crossed the line.

No please, Eian... I'm sorry... I didn't mean it that way. I was just thinking about the pack's safety... I'm sorry Eian... I really am. I kept thinking about Pearl and her pups and I got carried away with worry. Please forgive me... I will not repeat my outburst again.

Dominic's words seemed to calm Eian down a notch. The tension between them had frightened the girl again for she had hidden her face behind the pillow. When Eian saw this, he quickly coaxed her to come to him.

We'll give her another name and she'll take on the MacFarlane name.

Yes, Alpha. I will make the arrangements. Dominic sighed as he left the room. "Arrangements" usually meant a lot of paper work, bribing, erasing of memories and a massive headache. But by the time he's done, Courtney Anderson would cease to exist.

Eian trusted that his friend would do his job so he turned to the little girl curled up in front of him and tried to smile.

"What do you think of Fiona?" he asked gently. The girl's head popped up quickly and she looked into his eyes.

"Is that my name?" she asked excitedly.

"It can be if you want it to be," he replied with a smile. The girl nodded and smiled, revealing a missing tooth grin.

"What does it mean?"

"It means white in my native tongue... just like your hair, see?"

The girl kept quiet for awhile, as though taking in the information.

"If I become Fiona, will you always be with me Eian?" she asked, suddenly unsure.

"Yes Fiona MacFarlane, I will always be with you."

***

Dominic did not need to stress to himself how much pressure Eian was putting on him. His Alpha was really a slave driver at times. Whoever said otherwise was clearly deceived by his gentle smile.

In the past 24hours, he had modified her birth certificate, created a death certificate and bribed at least half a dozen officials to get him access into the her deceased parents' records. He was hoping for a glimmer of hope that her parents had left the girl some grandparents or an aunt or uncle or even a remote cousin but he came up with nothing. This meant that Eian was right. This girl was all alone in the world without kin.

On top of all these, he was still waiting for the other director candidate to arrive. He had delegated the task of the interview to the Beta just below his rank in the office. The Human Resource executive in charge of the interview had been a human and although Dominic conceded that she was efficient, he felt that it was best if a pack member did the interview. In light of recent events, he did not think anymore strange additions would be welcomed. A Were could sniff out the lies from the candidate much more effectively.

The sudden knock on his door jarred his concentration for awhile.

"What?" he bellowed unconsciously and regretted it almost immediately when the scent of strawberries filled his senses.

"Oh... I didn't realize I was not welcomed in your office," she huffed in a slightly accosted voice.

"Uh, no... I was uh..." He fumbled around, closing all the windows on his desktop and clearing away the files pertaining to the girl.

"I did tell your secretary that I was coming... but perhaps you did not get her message."

Dominic glanced guiltily at his message board and saw that she had indeed placed a note about Sydney's call.

"Would you like something to drink?" he said in an attempt to calm his nerves.

"I didn't come here to drink, Mr. MacFarlane..." she said with a tinge of annoyance.

Dominic didn't answer her. Of course she didn't come here for a drink! This was why he hated working with women. He was only good at getting women into his bed, not really hold intelligent conversations with them.

"Well, Mr. MacFarlane... I am here because I have accepted your proposal," Dominic wasn't really paying attention to her words now that she had smiled at him. Her green doe eyes beckoned to him; he could see her smile in her eyes too and for a moment, Dominic simply stood rooted.

"Please... call me Dominic. I hope I can call you Sydney as well. When will you be able to start working with us?"

"I've already sent in my letter of notice, so I should be able to move her by the start of next week." Her smile was gone now as she got up to open the door. "You cannot call me Sydney during office hours."

Dominic got in front of her so fast that she did not even see him move. If she was surprised, she clearly did not show it. Dominic's heart was racing. It looked as if he was trying to stop her from leaving his office with his back pressed against the door. His brain was working on overtime now, telling him to calm down and get a grip of himself.

"You're not bound to our office hours yet, Sydney," he could hear the slight growl in his own voice. "This isn't even my office hours."

Whatever she was about to retort died on her lips as Dominic's lips came down on hers in such a passionate assault that she was too shocked to respond. However, her body involuntarily moved closer; her head tilting slightly to deepen their kiss. Dominic was doing all he could to restraint himself as he felt her lush breast against his chest. He wanted to tear off her clothes, pin her to the wall and do all kinds of things to her. His wolf howled in agreement but Dominic knew he had to keep his canine side to the back of his head.

It was he who pulled away first. He'd expected her to slap him but she simply stood there with her doe eyes looking at him.

"I'm sorry," she said hastily and he moved away to let her open the door to leave.

"I'm really sorry too..." he said, both to her back and to his wolf.

***



To Love a Were Ch. 02



NB: Hi everyone! Thank you for the constructive comments from the previous chapter. I've tried to work it out and I can say that the real story and drama starts from here. I hope you enjoy it!

***

The drive home was one of the most peaceful times Eian had ever felt in his life. He had chosen to drive his simple Audi sedan today instead of the sports car. The slow drive proved to be better for the girl sitting next to him for she was singing songs with her nose pressed against the window to be able to see everything that they passed. She seemed to have recovered her eyesight and all her senses completely. It made him doubly sure now that the speed of her healing process was due to her Pureblood Sire.

He had taken her straight from the medical centre and was heading towards the compound. He knew that his pack would pose some difficult challenges for him but he was willing to do it to keep the girl safe.

The moment his car entered pack lands, he sensed that Fiona's presence had alerted some of the wolves prowling that area. Although the police were still conducting their search during the day, he had instructed some of his Beta wolves to do routine checks at night for any sightings of Vampires. He had many elderly, women and children Weres to protect.

As his car entered his driveway, he noticed that Dominic was already there. His presence there kept the other Betas away. Eian was thankful to his friend for that. After switching off the engine, he unbuckled Fiona's seat belt but told her to wait in the car first. She obediently nodded and waited for him to come around and open the door for her. Eian was careful not to let her touch the ground for the Weres were very sensitive of strangers on their land and he didn't want them to come out at her in panic. Lifting her up, he carried her; letting her tired head rest on his shoulder.

He could sense eyes watching him as he entered his own home but he knew that whatever suspicions they had were being kept guarded because he was their Alpha. Dominic followed closely behind and closed the door as soon as they had all entered.

Eian walked towards the stairs heading to the second floor but his thoughts were with Dominic, giving him instructions.

Dominic, please call for a pack meeting at the meeting hall in awhile. I want to put her to bed first.

Dominic didn't reply but simply nodded to his Alpha's retreating back. But as he was about to leave, he heard his Alpha's voice again,

Thank you Dom...

Whatever anger he was feeling dissipated at the call of his childhood name. Eian was his Alpha... but most important of all, he was his best friend. As he stepped into the cold night, he gave a calling howl; a signal to let the wolves know of the coming meeting.

An hour later, Eian walked into the meeting hall to see that it was packed, not just by the male and female Betas and but the men and women of the lower ranks as well. He knew that they were all anxious to know about the Vampire girl.

"For those who do not know yet, I have brought home a child, a Vampire child." As expected, the room burst into noise and murmurs of dissent and disagreement. But at the sight of his hand in the air, they hushed down.

"I understand that this will be of concern for some of you and I totally understand how you feel. I know that some of you have families of your own that you want to protect and the Vampire is a danger to us Weres. But I implore on all of you, to let me explain my reasons."

The room was silent as ears perked and eyes focused on their Alpha.

"The child has had her whole family killed by a Vampire and she has no other kin in this world to take care of her. She is only a child and she was broken and alone when I found her."

Surprise and shock was evident on everyone's face. The Betas shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they understood the magnanimity of their Alpha's decision. He was putting their lives at risk, no matter what he said simply because he wanted to protect the child.

"I have always taken care of this pack with kindness and gentleness and I request that you do the same for this child. I will personally train her and ensure that she does not draw her fangs on anybody. My decision to raise her in this pack is final."

"Alpha, how could you!" came a retort from one of the Betas. Eian lifted his gaze to see that it was Amber. "What if that Vampire that killed her family came here looking for the little one? What if he kills our children on his way to hunt her down?" the venom in her voice elicited shocked gasps from some of the others. Eian's eyes hardened as he looked intensely at Amber.

Amber

His one word sent a chill down her spine and she retreated quietly onto her seat. Eian knew that she was angrier at him for refusing her advances than her actually being concerned about the pack.

"I think that the Vampire doesn't know that he or she had Sired this child for I think it was not something that he or she intended to do. However, if it is so the case that he comes hunting for her, then I will not be let down by my hundred or so male wolves who have sworn to protect this pack with me. Do you not think that the hundred or so of you against one Vampire is a very good odd?"

Eian could sense the slow acceptance among most of the Weres but just to make sure, he continued.

"My decision is final... but I would like to know, just for information sake, how many of you are against my decision? Stand up please." He was surprised to see that roughly ten of them had stood up for he had expected more.

"I thank you for your honesty brave ones. I know that there are probably more of you but if you had not dared to stand up, then you shall accept my decision without any grudges. Very well... all of you are dismissed. Have a good and safe night."

Eian left the meeting hall, sure that the wolves would begin arguing and discussing the events at length. He didn't want to spend any more time with them for he didn't feel too comfortable leaving Fiona alone in the house. It was his plan that in time, she would be covered with much Were scent that it would be difficult to seek her out.

Meanwhile in the meeting hall, some of the elder Betas were arguing with Dominic. Some of the ones who had stood up earlier had also gathered around him.

"He cannot do this to us!" said one

"Challenge him for Alpha!" said another and many agreed.

"No!" Dominic asserted but the group continued arguing among themselves. That itself showed that even if he was their Alpha, they would not listen to him.

"Go on Dominic! You're the highest Beta. What's the difference? Just challenge him!"

"What the fuck do you think I am? The difference between me and Eian is that I am a Beta and he will always be my Alpha. Do you get that you dickheads? For as long as I consider him my Alpha, I cannot challenge him... and I won't challenge him!" he roared, huffing out of the hall.

Alone outside, Dominic cursed and swore all the way back to his own house. Have those retards lost their memories or what? Have they forgotten about Eian's own sister who was attacked by a rogue Were when she was still very young? Personally, Dominic felt that Eian was always too hard on himself; blaming himself for her death. Perhaps this was his way of making up for her loss. And what were they thinking? Asking him to challenge for Alpha status! As an Alpha, Eian had always been calm and patient, always listening before acting. He was stern when needed to be but never ever had he seen Eian explode in anger. He on the other hand was too hot-tempered; he had wanted to chew off most of the others' heads during the meeting just now. That certainly wasn't Alpha-like in his opinion.

As he passed by Eian's house, he saw that one of the bedroom lights was still on and he saw Eian's silhouette from the window. He seemed to be reading a book or something to the child.

In fact, Eian was doing just that. Fiona had refused to sleep unless he read to her but after the second storybook, Eian was just too tired to continue so he tucked her in again for the fiftieth time and sat beside her so that she wouldn't move.

"It's time for bed now little one." Fiona picked up the hint of lethargy in his voice and nodded obediently. When he saw that she was listening, he decided it was time to lay down the rules.

"Now Fiona, listen to me very carefully. If you wish to stay here, then you must abide by my three rules. Can you do that?"

He could see that she was thinking it through but she finally nodded.

"Good. The first rule is that I am the Alpha of this place, meaning that I'm like the leader and whatever I say is the law. Do you understand that?"

"Does that mean I cannot make you angry?" she asked meekly.

"Well... I doubt anybody has ever made me angry actually... maybe just annoyed or disappointed. But that's not what I mean. Being an Alpha means that everyone reports to me and asks my permission for certain things that are important in their lives. I may not always like their decisions but if I see that it does not endanger us all, then I'll agree to it."

"You mean like the King inside my fairytales?" she asked, suddenly smiling widely.

"Err... well... I guess so."

"Then where's your Queen?" she asked, taking him by surprise.

"Ah... well, that's... well, I guess I just haven't met her yet," he replied.

"Okay," she answered, somehow satisfied with his answer. "Okay so that's one rule right? You have uh... two more!" she exclaimed, as she counted her fingers.

"Yes. The second rule is that you must learn to live with the pack. You will learn all our customs and be home schooled until you are ready to go to college." Eian watched as Fiona absorbed his words and nodded slowly.

"What's a pack, Eian?"

"Yes, I'm coming to that. A pack is a collective term for a group of wolves. And here is my last rule and it is the most important one of all. Are you listening?" Fiona nodded vigorously. "You must be careful not to hurt others. I am sure that you can tell from our scent that we are very different. That's because I am a Werewolf and you are a Vampire. You need to learn to control your Vampiric urges and I will teach you how in time. It is very important that you understand these differences because I do not want you to feel left out when you see the other children shifting into wolves and you can't. And you must never never ever show your fangs."

Eian wasn't sure if he should have said all that. Had it been too much for the girl? She seemed to comprehend everything well until now though. It suddenly occurred to him that he had frightened her for she began to cry.

"Oh god... I'm sorry Fiona..." he said as he gathered her into his arms.

"I am a bad person," she said in between sniffles. Her words took him by surprise.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"I can hurt other people... you said so yourself. Will I hurt you too?" she croaked. Eian was clearly amused. She either did not know what 'Vampire' or 'Werewolves' meant or she had obviously not heard him clearly. He gave a small smile.

"I cannot say for sure... but don't think about that too much. I am a very strong wolf you know and you are still a little baby," he replied with a little laugh. She scrunched up her face at being called a baby but then smiled again.

"Alright, sleep time." Eian got up from her bed and got to the door. "I will leave it slightly open for you and I'll leave the passage light on. If you need me, I'm in the room at the end of the hall okay?"

He could see her blue eyes shining bright in the darkness before it slowly closed.

***

The week had come to an end. Eian had officially stepped down and allowed Dominic to take over his office. Dominic had no idea what the Alpha was going to do now. He was correct to say that he still owned the company but what's he really going to do now with all his free time? Surely not spent only training the girl? Shaking his head, he examined his Alpha's office. It reflected his Alpha in every sense - calm, composed and stable. It didn't suit his taste that much but remodeling can only be done once he's fully settled in.

He walked back to his own office and was surprised when he saw some boxes on the floor. Who dared to leave these boxes lying around when he was still around? Irked, he looked around for the culprit and was rewarded with the scent of strawberries.   "Sydney?" he called out softly. He saw her shocked face coming up from under the table. "Uh... do you need help with something?"

"It's alright really. I was looking for my earring stud. It must have fallen while I was carrying all these boxes in."

Dominic didn't know which was more stupid, the thought of bothering oneself with earrings or actually carrying all those heavy boxers when movers were just a phone call away. He chose not to respond. This woman was a strange one. Everything that he said just seemed to be the wrong thing to say to her.

"Aren't you going to help me look for it?" she said after awhile. Dominic stared at her with annoyance clearly on his face.

"You just said that you didn't need my help!" he said exasperatedly.

"Hello... that's just a way of saying I'd like you to help me." Dominic rolled his eyes in disbelief. He was going to get the hell out of the room the moment he finds that damn earring. It was just a bloody earring!

He tried to sniff it out, hoping to find her scent on the earring but to no avail. His senses were too clouded with the smell of strawberries that he felt like he was going to come down with a serious case of cold. He rubbed his nose a little and made an effort to try again.

"I can't find the damn thing!" he cursed.

"You're not even looking!" she snapped but bit her tongue when she saw him rubbing his nose vigorously. "Are you coming down with something?"

"It's just your smell..." he said absentmindedly as he sat on a chair, with a pained expression on his face. Obviously it was the wrong thing to say because she immediately got to her feet and glared at him before storming past to get to the door. Dominic managed to grab hold of her wrist and twirled her onto his lap. She struggled and cussed at him but it only made the wolf in him more adamant on controlling the wild fire in front of them.

He pressed his nose close to her neck, taking in her scent like a man drawn to a drug. A thought occurred to him that they were still in the office but on second thoughts, screw that. He wanted her... and from the smell of it, she wanted him too. A cunning smile curved on his lips. Playing hard to get eh? That's more like his game.

"Get off me!" she said, trying to struggle out of his grip.

"I don't think that's possible Sydney... seeing that you are the one on top of me right now." He gave her neck a sensuous lick and felt the shiver of excitement crawl down her back. He turned her slightly to him and sought her lips. The softness of her lips brought back a memory of their first kiss and he reveled in the soft sigh that escaped from her throat. She was returning his kiss now, moving her plump lips against his, drawing out his tongue to dance with hers. Dominic was beside himself now with lust. He pressed her hips down on his crotch, grinding against her a little. He knew that she could feel his hardening cock against her taut ass; it was hard to ignore now that his wolf had come to fore wanting to mate with this woman.

Did I just say mate? No fucking way. I just want a quick romp with her. She deserves it for being so uptight and prissy.

However the internal mental struggle he was having with himself made him release his grip on her. Suddenly he wasn't sure what to do with her anymore. His sudden change in attitude was surprising for both of them.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Sydney scrambled to her feet and tried to brush down her clothes and tame her fly away hair that had been loosened during the kiss.

"I... I'm sorry. I should never have let that happened." Her face was blushing and her eyes looked like they were going to cry any moment. Dominic was equally stunned at his own behavior. When he got to his feet, he tried to approach her but she backed away. Dominic felt unsure of how to handle her at the moment so he decided to leave.

"I hope you like your new office. I will ask my secretary to come over on Monday to collect some of my things. Have a good weekend Miss Sandilands."

Dominic gave a big sigh as he walked away from her.

"I know buddy... but she's different. I can't just use her for a one time sex ride. I think it's best if we don't think about her anymore," Dominic found himself saying to his wolf. The canine however was overwhelmed with hurt and anger for he kept howling nonstop until Dominic was finally far enough not to scent Sydney anymore.

He growled at nothing in particular as he got inside his car, driving impatiently towards home. He was really confused and angry with himself for feeling this way. Maybe he'll ask Amber if she'd like to have a go with him tonight. She was in heat after all. Maybe he'll feel better once he had sex with other women. Feeling slightly cheered, Dominic whistled all the way home.

Still smiling, he unlocked his front door and immediately the smile was wiped off his face. Pearl was sprawled on the floor with the Vampire girl beside her. For a moment, Dominic panicked and rushed over to his sister, thinking that she was dead but to his surprise, she was simply lying down letting Fiona listen to the babies in her tummy.

"What the fuck are you doing?" came his outburst.

"Mind your language in front of the child Dom or get out!" snapped his sister as she got up slowly. It was then that Dominic realized the books scattered around them. Apparently they had been reading together before he interrupted. Dominic was in the mood for a shouting match but the terrified look on Fiona's face stopped him.

"Dè tha thu a dèanamh?" he asked instead.

I am not doing anything! He heard his sister scream inside his head. Dominic was having such a headache that he refused to reply her through his thoughts. He continued his questions in their native tongue until she was red with anger. Fiona seemed to sense the tension in the room and began to cry.

"Oh no my darling... we're not angry at you. It's just my brother here who's a big bad meanie," she cooed, drawing the child close to her.

Stop it at once Dominic before Eian comes to fetch her!

She could bite you and you and the pups can die! I promised Mike I'd take care of you while he's away on business and this is how you behave?

This is the Alpha's orders!

Dominic frowned. Then he looked at Fiona.

"Where's Eian, Fiona?" he asked in the nicest voice he could muster. She looked at him cautiously before replying.

"He... he said he had to go to work... and... and he asked me to come here to play with Pearl."

"Fine," he said in a resigned tone before heading upstairs to his own room. Just where the hell is Eian? And what 'work' is he doing? He sensed his Alpha coming closer to their house but with his splitting headache, he decided to just feign sleep.

Meanwhile, Pearl continued reading a book together with Fiona. Somehow she seemed to like this child, Vampire or not. She trusted her Alpha and for the whole day that they were together, Fiona had never once let out her fangs or asked for food. Pearl had drained some beef blood just in case for Eian had left her with no instructions so she just had to be creative.

The knock on her door shocked her just a little but by the way Fiona had jumped up, racing to the door told her that it was Eian.

"Hey there, my precious. Had a good time?" he said with a smile when she opened the door.

"Yes! Pearl was very kind to me," she said sweetly.




To Love a Were Ch. 02



"Okay sweetie. Can you go wait in the car?" he replied. When he saw that she was buckled safely inside, he turned slightly towards Pearl.

"I really appreciate you taking the time to babysit her. Did she give you any trouble?" he asked, concerned.

"No, Alpha. Not the slightest bit." At Eian's sharp gaze, she immediately swallowed hard. "Umm, I don't know if it's supposed to be like this but she had not asked for anything to eat the whole day."

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry. You've done a good job, Pearl. Thank you," he said with a smile in his eyes. "Let Dominic know that he has done a good job too okay?" Eian's eyes momentarily darted towards the stairs. Pearl nodded and waved them both off.

When he got into the car, Fiona was dozing off slightly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Her eyes opened slightly then widened with fear.

"I didn't ask for anything! I promise! I kept my fangs in all the time and never asked Pearl for anything, not even a drink," she said with a desperation in her voice to make him understand.

"I know you didn't. I was merely asking if you're hungry, Fiona."

"Yes," she said meekly before curling into a ball.

"I'm not angry at you," he said simply and parked the car in their driveway. Nevertheless, he picked her up seeing that she was dozing and carried her to the door but was surprised to find that he had a visitor waiting for him outside.

"Amber," he said gently. "What may I do for you at this late hour?"

"You know what I want, Eian..." she said breathlessly. Eian pressed Fiona closer to him in an attempt to stop her from inhaling Amber's heat scent. Fiona lightly stirred from her daze and gave a soft yawn.

"Pretty doctor..." she said groggily before closing her eyes again.

"I need to put her to sleep," he said with a finality in his voice. Amber stepped back, clearly hurt but she did not leave. Ignoring her, Eian got into his house and climbed upstairs as quickly as he could. He refused to stand at the porch any longer with her offensive scent reaching the child.

After he laid Fiona down and tucked her in, he went back down. It wasn't that sexuality was a problem in the pack. In fact, nakedness and sex was something accepted in public and encouraged for un-mated Weres. But Fiona was still a child and she was not used to pack life yet. He didn't want her to think he was abandoning her if he went off having sex with other women.

"How is she?" asked Amber when he came out awhile later.

"She's better now although she still gets frightened easily, still screaming in her sleep." Eian watched Amber closely as she moved towards him. "I know what you want Amber, but I cannot give it to you."

"Why?" she asked, exasperated. "I've been in heat for a few days now but I've rejected all the other men that come to me... why? Why is it I want only you?"

"It's only natural Amber that a wolf in heat wants the best. I'm not saying I am the best choice for you... but perhaps your mating call has not reached the intended mate yet and that is why your psyche tells you to pick the second best choice you could find."

Amber was stunned by her Alpha's revelation and it made her embarrassed as hell too.

"I apologize, Alpha..." she said after awhile, although tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Listen to me Amber... your mate will come for you when he is ready. In the meantime, you should enjoy your freedom." Eian's smile was gentle as he lighly pat her shoulder. She didn't say anything to him but simply gave a short bow and left his house.

***

Early the next morning, Eian had gotten dressed and was heading to Fiona's room when he scented that she wasn't there. A slight panic came over him. There were still traces of her scent lingering around the house so he sniffed her out as quickly as possible and tracked her down. She had apparently left the house!

He didn't bother to take off his clothes but shifted as he ran to follow the scent. He moved so fast that to a human eye, he was no more than a grey blur.

He must have covered at least a mile or so but she was no where in sight. Panic came over him. He still hadn't taught her how to control herself in front of the other Weres. What if she had attacked them? He didn't know what else to do for he had somehow lost her scent, so he gave a pained howl.

Slowly one by one, some of his wolves appeared around him.

Help me find the girl!

At his command, they dispersed, running off to different directions. Still feeling hopeful, he continued searching for her. She was still so small and fragile; hardly more than 4ft and by the ease in which he carried her around she was probably not more than 85pounds. She was just a little girl... he couldn't let her be attacked again...

Alpha! I've found her!

Eian immediately looked up, alerted by the direction in which the mental link was coming from. He raced towards the source, his heart beat accelerating. He could vaguely hear the sound of the stream. It was no wonder he lost her scent! She must be in the water! Sure enough when he reached the wolf, Fiona was really there. The wolf had backed away from her, clearly fearful. She was submerged in the water, just so that only the top of her head was visible; her silvery white hair floating in the water. However, that was not what scared the wolf that found her. It was the sight of an unconscious man at the bank that frightened him.

Stay back!

Not wanting to take his chances, Eian remained in his wolf form as he approached her, even though he knew that he couldn't talk to her this way. He approached the man first to check if he was still breathing; relieved that he was, he slowly approached the water, giving a sniff to check if she was still alive. With his snout, he gently nudged the top of her head, capturing a lock of her hair and pulling her out of the water.

She was still clothed but soaked to the skin. Her clothes had stains of blood on them; a whiff told him they belonged to the man. Eian's worry grew as the minutes passed and her heart beat did not improve. It reminded him so much of the time he found her, almost left for dead on his lands. Pushing his thoughts aside, Eian licked her face, trying to circulate the blood flow, hoping to revive her again but to no avail.

Get back to the compound and get Amber to my place as fast as you can. Go now! The wolf whimpered slightly before bounding off towards the compound. Eian then summoned another wolf to help him carry the unconscious man back as well before he turned his attention to Fiona. He didn't dare to trust any other with this girl, in case she woke up and attacked again.

Eian slowly grabbed the collar of her dress in between his jaw and raced back home.

An hour later, Fiona was lying on her bed, dressed in fresh clothes with Pearl and Dominic sitting beside her. Eian was in the kitchen with Amber.

"Pneumonia you say?"

"Yes Alpha... it seems she tried to drown herself and her lungs were filled with too much water."

"But you're prescribing only rest?" Eian's flat tone took Amber by surprise such that she inched a bit back.

"No, Alpha... I'm not doing this on purpose! Please believe me!"

"Amber... if she dies... you will be banished from this pack forever, do you understand me?" he said in a cold low voice.

"I understand Alpha!" the lump in her throat went down cautiously.

"What of the man?" he asked.

"The human is still unconscious but he'll pull through. I've put him up at your guest room with the two Weres that accompanied you as their guards. His body is more in a state of shock than actual trauma."

"Is he... changed?"

"Changed? Oh! No Alpha. His scent is clearly human. I... I don't think that he has changed because he still bears the puncture marks," she said with a gasp and shuddered.

"Does it scare you, Amber?" The coldness in his voice was unmistakable.

"Al... Alpha! Yes... it does," she said close to tears. "I... I cannot understand why you still brought that girl home after all this." Her last words had a slight note of sadness to it but she did not say more but turned to tend to her patients.

Eian didn't follow her. His temper was just boiling beneath his skin. How could he have been so careless? He had planned to take the girl hunting that morning so that she could feed but she had beaten him to it. It was the thought of his stupid rules that angered him. She was hungry and weak but feared to anger him too much that she didn't dare to say so. Eian slammed the mug he was holding on the table, breaking it into a few pieces.

When he finally came up to Fiona's room, he saw that Amber was gone.

"Eian... Please don't be angry at her," said Pearl in a gentle voice. "She was caught by surprise and didn't come with any medical supplies but she's gone back to the medical centre to get some. She says not to worry too much; Vampires have unnatural healing abilities- the burst air sacs in her lungs have already healed."

"She's a bitch in heat and sees this child as a threat. I will try not to take offense with that for the time being," he replied. Turning slightly to Dominic, he frowned. "And you, Mr. Casanova... why have you not answered her mating call? I thought you were famous for that."

His question clearly took Dominic by surprise for her gave a jolt and stared at his Alpha sheepishly.

"Eh? I didn't notice it..."

Eian looked at his Beta with a vague interest before taking a seat beside Fiona's bed.

"Leave us," he said quietly.

"Would that be safe, Eian?" Pearl asked as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eian looked into her kind eyes and smiled.

"It will be. I have imposed on you too much Pearl... have enough rest today," he said. Pearl could understand a dismissal when she heard one. Taking Dominic's hand, she pulled him out of the room and closed the door.

Sighing to himself, Eian looked at Fiona and clasped her tiny hands in his.

"This is all my fault little one... Please wake up..." Fiona remained motionless. Eian let go of her hands and pulled up the blanket to under her chin. She needed rest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the room to check on the man in the other room.

"Thank you Eric, Stephan for staying watch. It's been a long day... go home and have a rest." The two men looked at their Alpha curiously but followed his orders nonetheless. Eian had stepped into the room and found that the man had already regained consciousness. His eyes immediately darted towards Eian; fear evident in them.

"I'm not here to hurt you," said Eian soothingly. He laid a gentle hand on the man's head and he became calm. Eian smiled. It was one of the gifts that he had; the ability to calm others and manipulate their emotions.

"Tell me what happened to you. Can you do that for me?"

The man's eyes filled with fear again but he did not attempt to run away or hide. Instead he closed his eyes and talked.

"I went into the forest... to look for the wanted man... the... the... killer of the family at the edge of the forest. The police are putting up a reward for his capture. I needed the money so I went into the forest early in the morning. I heard... there are wolves but... but... the creature! It was disgusting and fearsome!"

"What happened then?"

"It... it attacked me! Tried to rip my neck off in half! I screamed and struggle and kicked it away but it came back. It was a ghost I tell you! No wolf looks like a human."

Eian didn't bother to correct the man but just nodded in agreement.

"It... it was the ghost of the dead girl! I swear! She had ghost white hair and blood on her face! Oh!!!!" he shrieked.

"What did she do to you?"

The man's eyes immediately opened and he let out a silent scream before clapping his palm at the side of his neck.

Eian sighed. That little girl was really in big trouble now. It was up to him to clean up the mess. He placed his hand on the man's head once more but this time it was not to calm him down.

"You must have really seen a ghost... a little girl cannot possibly attack you. You have to believe that it was a ghost and never come back to this forest again. This is private property do you understand? This is my land. If I catch you on it again, I will send you to the police."

His hypnotism seemed to work for the man began nodding slowly then stammered, "Puh Puh Please sir! I am sorry! Please don't tell the police that I trespassed today! Please sir! My wife is expecting and we have no place to live... I will do anything sir! Please..." he begged. Eian felt disgusted by the human but his hand reached into his pocket nonetheless.

He opened his cheque book and signed out a bill for five thousand dollars and gave it to the man. The man's eyes widened and he shook with gratitude as he accepted it.

"Take care of your wife... She doesn't need a husband risking his life for money do you understand me?" Eian said calmly. As an afterthought, he took out a card from his wallet and passed it to him as well. "If you are willing to work hard for a decent salary, give this number a call."

With that, he left the room.

***

"Alaron... where have you been?"

The man known as Alaron looked up to see the face of his brother looking down at him with worry. When his brother tried to help him up, Alaron pushed his hand and spat on the ground.

"I don't need you help Draven! Get away from me!" he roared.

"Alaron..." whispered his brother. "Don't do this to yourself..."

"Get away from me you traitor! Where were you when she was mercilessly raped and killed? Didn't you promise to help me take care of her?!" he shouted spitefully as tears began to sting his eyes.

Draven didn't reply but knelt down to gather his brother in his arms. There will be another time for explainations... for now, his brother needed to stop hurting. Alaron was sobbing hard against his brother's robes. Draven knew that what he was about to do was for the best...

He placed his palm on his brother's forehead and for a moment, Alaron realized what he was about to do for his eyes widened before they slackened and fell close.

"Sleep now... Those painful memories won't hurt you anymore, my brother..."

***

It was almost ten o'clock when Dominic reached the office. The little saga in the morning had taken him away from his paperwork and Dominic was a workaholic in that sense. He hated having backlog and would often stay overtime till he finished everything. It helped of course that he was a Werewolf and they were generally stronger and able to withstand such treatment of lack of sleep or food.

Dominic made his way carefully to his office. Although he had enhanced vision at night, it didn't mean that he could afford to be careless and knock into things. Furthermore, he liked the solitude that the darkness seemed to afford him. As his office was right at the end of the level, he had to walk past the other directors' offices and it was then that he sensed that he was not alone in the building.

"Who the hell stays at work till 10pm?" he grumbled to himself. He saw the light coming from under one of the doors and frowned. He didn't bother to knock but simply open the rosewood door to come face to face with Sydney.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" they shouted at each other at the same time. She seemed to be slapping him with something but Dominic had forgotten everything, including the reason why he had barged in. Sydney was wearing a cute stripped t-shirt with a pair of shorts that revealed more legs than he wanted to imagine. Her green eyes were staring at him curiously but he didn't seem to be paying attention.

He only snapped out of his daze when she slapped his head with a file.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that!"

"Why are you not wearing office clothes?" Dominic demanded but he heard the slight tremor in his voice.

"It is after office hours around here right? After my secretary left, I decided to relax too and get my paperwork down. You seemed to have left quite a pile for me to tidy up," she said accusingly.

"What! I came back to take the bloody paper work to do it myself! That's mine!" he exclaimed.

"I don't think so. It's on my desk so it's my work. I've looked through it Dominic and it clearly is marketing stuff," she said haughtily but Dominic could hear the hint of pride in her voice. She was really good at her work and she didn't like to share.

"I see... well, in that case then I'll just head home since you're Miss. Efficiency," he retorted and left the room.

However, Dominic didn't exit the building but continued to his own office. Since she's clearing his backlog, then he'd do a bit of research for Eian. If Fiona was to be homeschooled, Eian needed the right resources and other legal documentations. It was a first for them really as the other children in the pack went to normal schools but after this morning's incident, Dominic was sure that Eian would not even consider that option.

His thoughts were interrupted slightly when his desk phone rang. Annoyed, he picked it up, knowing full well who had called.

"Do you want coffee?" she asked flatly. Dominic's eyes narrowed. What is she up to?

"Why?"

"Because I'm going down to the 24hrs Starbucks to get coffee. That's just my way of saying that you're going to be alone in the office... don't be too scared of the dark." Dominic could swear he could sense her rolling her eyes at him. He was about to rebut her when a thought came over him. No way was he allowing her to walk down the streets in that skimpy little pair of shorts. Does she know how many lechers there are out there?

"Sydney... I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out at such a late hour like this. I'm noticed that your office has no coffee machine yet but mine has. Is it okay if we just get our coffee from here? I think the pantry's locked as well so no use arguing."

Sydney was taken aback slightly by his change of tone. He sounded... concerned.

"Okay," she said simply and put down the phone. Dominic was a confusing man. He was either blowing hot then cold or just plain passive-aggressive towards her.

When Dominic had placed the receiver down, he felt his heart beating faster. He shouldn't have bothered with her; he couldn't trust himself around her. His head turned sharply to the door. He could smell her; the scent of strawberries coming closer and closer till he heard the click of the door opening.

"Hey," she said. Dominic didn't dare to look at her but gave a curt nod in the direction of the coffee maker.

"Help yourself," he said.

"Umm... Dominic?"

"What?"

"About the other day... I apologize..." she began slowly. "I don't usually behave like that... it was unprofessional of me."

"Huh? Oh... yeah, I guess I should apologize too. It was... a heat of the moment thing. I'm sorry, Sydney." Dominic couldn't believe he was actually saying sorry. He never apologized to women except maybe his late mother and sister. Who was this woman? Why was she making him do things against his usual principles? Dominic felt resentment brewing inside him such that when she placed a cup of coffee on his desk, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her on top of his lap.

"Oww... What are you doing?!" she shrieked. The coffee she had placed on his desk had spilled and was staining the papers around it but he simply ignored everything but the woman sitting on his lap. "Please, Dominic..." she whimpered. Dominic narrowed his eyes and looked intensely at her.

"Please what?" he growled. "Please maybe do this?" he said before he pressed his lips roughly on hers, demanding that she returned his kiss. She was beating against his chest, struggling against him but it only served to ignite the fire within his wolf.

Pulling away from her for a second, Dominic kept his gaze locked on hers, "Or maybe this?" his hand was tugging at her t-shirt; he could feel his nails elongating, piercing through the flimsy material and finally ripping it away.




To Love a Were Ch. 02



"Dominic!" she gave a scream. Dominic expected her to struggle but she remained limp. Dominic smiled.

That's right... just surrender yourself... you're mine!

His hungry lips were all over the top of her breast now, kissing every inch of her soft fair skin as his hands fumbled impatiently with her bra. When he grew irritated by it, he simply tore it off again before greedily pressing her soft round breast onto his face, inhaling it like a drug. She was intoxicating! Dominic could hear his wolf howling, wanting to claim the woman quickly but Dominic pushed the canine aside. He wanted to taste and sample this woman... he wanted to tame her. He bit the flesh at the top of her breast before sucking it gently; wanting to mark her as his. Satisfied with the love bite, he moved towards her nipples, tugging and sucking it into his mouth hungrily.

"Dominic..." she whispered as she tugged at his blonde hair. "Dominic look at me... please," she pleaded. At her last word, he gave her nipple a last tug before looking up at her. Her green eyes were wet. Immediately, Dominic straightened up. Oh god... had he made her cry?

"I'm... I'm so sorry Sydney," he gasped. He expected her to slap him or continue crying but instead she cradled his face in between her hands.

"You don't have to do it this way..." she said trembling. Dominic felt like she had just pierced his heart with a long blade. His wolf cowered. "Don't do this alone... I want you too..." she said with a soft sigh. Dominic's eyes immediately came up to hers, searching for the truth behind her words.

She got away from him, pushing away the scraps of material from her body and turned to put them together with the rest of her shirt and bra. Still with her back turned, she began undoing her shorts; wiggling it down her butt and down her hips till it fell at her ankles. Stepping out of them, she turned her head to look at him to make sure that his eyes were still on hers.

Dominic was staring open mouthed at the woman before him. She had totally left him speechless and motionless with just one sentence. Dominic was about to admit defeat when he saw her removing her underwear; bending down slowly such that her pussy lips exposed itself little by little to his roving eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. His wolf howled again with hunger and he immediately leapt up to succumb to his lust, lapping hungrily at her pussy. She was such a slut it seemed for she was already drenched with juices. Had she actually liked the rough way he treated her? The thought made him feel better but he pushed it aside for the moment as he concentrated on her moans that seemed to intensify as he licked more.

She was bucking her butt against his face, fucking herself with his tongue. Dominic merely stiffened his tongue and aided her as she moved his face closer to her pussy, faster and faster until he scented the distinct smell of a woman's cum rushing all over his face. Sydney was shuddering against him and he was sure that she had just came. Delighted, Dominic pushed her gently down so that her knees were on the carpeted floor.

She could hear him unbuckling his pants and a moment later, heard the sound of it hitting the floor. Her pussy quivered with anticipation but nothing prepared her for the delicious warmth and girth of his hard cock pressing into her. She had screamed slightly when she felt his large cock head penetrate her but the pain had turned to intense pleasure as she felt herself being stroked deliciously by his thick hard cock, sliding in inch by inch into her sopping pussy.

"You like that huh?" he murmured at her ear as he gave his hips one last thrust causing them both to moan simultaneously as his cock fully embed itself inside her.

"Oh god yes! Fuck me!" she screamed. Dominic was so glad that it was night and no one was in the building for he loved the way she was screaming for his cock. Every thrust inside her elicited a moan that rang like music in his ears. She was such a tight, hot fuck that he was on the verge of losing control.

He placed his palms on her breast and slowly pulled her body up such that her back pressed against his. In one quick stride, he was pressing her against the glass window while he continued his assault on her pussy. He knew that no one on the outside could see in but the thought of being looked at made him riled with lust.

"Sydney..." he groaned her name as he felt himself coming.

"No... not yet!" she begged, pushing her ass backwards to meet his every stroke. Dominic was amazed at her stamina. A smile crept up his lips. So she wanted to fuck all night huh?

Slowly, he pulled himself out of her and waited for her to turn around. He gave a satisfied smile when her lips immediately latched itself on his cock. He loved it; the way she was stroking him and sucking him at the same time, the way her tongue twirled around his cock like a hungered bitch in heat. She was really good. For a second, he wondered about all the other men whom she had done the same thing to in her life and he felt his heart jolt. His wolf seemed to have come to the same conclusion and was pawing at him, as if wanting to know more.

"What's wrong, Dominic? Don't you like it?" she asked when she sensed his changed behavior.

"No... no, I love it... you're so good Sydney..."

"Then what is it?" she asked again, although her hands never stopped stroking him. Dominic found it hard to speak.

"Umm... are you married Sydney?" he almost choked on the words when it came out. Instantly her eyes widened and she stared at him in disbelief.

"You ask me this only after you've fucked me? You're an incredible moron! The worst sort of man I've ever met!" she yelled. Dominic lost count of the various vulgarities she used to describe him as she angrily picked up her clothes or whatever's left of them.

"No... Sydney, that's not what I meant... Oh god, this is so fucking hard!" he said as he slapped a hand on his forehead. "Just fucking tell me if I'm fucking some other man's woman okay? Just tell me before I fuck you all over the place!" he said with a low growl in throat. Sydney turned to look at him and saw that the lust in his eyes were back. Somehow it frightened her and excited her all at the same time.

"Would you really like to fuck me all over the place?" she asked with a slight purr. Dominic looked at her curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"You haven't answered my question, Sydney..."

"Mmm... guess that's a no then," she said simply as she started towards the door. Dominic felt his anger pulsating. This woman was just unbearable! His wolf was whining, begging for Dominic to follow her but Dominic was just too angered to let her win.

That Sydney was such an arrogant, unbearable and egoistical woman he had ever met... but she was sexy as hell and fucked like heaven.

"She likes to play, mate," Dominic found himself smiling as he comforted his wolf. "Let the games begin..."

***



To Love a Were Ch. 03



Dominic had stayed overnight in the office. Despite the sudden turn of events the previous night, he was in a surprisingly good mood. He took out his handphone and called home.

"Hey Pearl..."

"You work too hard Dominic," she said with a yawn. "Why are you calling me at five am in the bloody morning?"

"I'm sorry sis. Could you pass me a fresh set of clothes? Just get one of the Delta or Epsilon wolves to pass it to me when they come in for work."

"Ya ya... shoo now or I'll come over and scratch you," she snapped as she disconnected the call.

Dominic was really in a good mood for he didn't even snap back at his sister; in fact he apologized for disturbing her so early in the morning. He made himself a cup of black coffee and stood by his full length window and looked down at the street. Morning street vendors had already come in to take their spot on the pavements. He saw the newspaper boy too, dropping off various newspapers and magazines to the offices along the street.

Dominic wasn't sure how long he had been staring out the window for when he turned, he saw his Alpha sitting on his desk. He hadn't even sensed him!

"Good morning, Dominic..." he said with an amused glint in his eyes. "I see you're working hard as ever?"

"Naturally... so what brings you here Eian?" he asked, trying to change the topic. He knew his Alpha could smell the scent of sex in the air.

"A very sleepy but annoyed pregnant lady came to my door this morning and told me you needed some clothes. She's a very sweet little thing, your sister. She's worried about you, you know..."

"Why that little... I specifically told her just to pass to one of the..." Dominic didn't finish his sentence for Eian had cut him off fiercely.

"They are not your servants Dominic." Eian was smiling but Dominic could sense the slight hint of annoyance in his voice. "Some choose to be at the bottom because they like to be followers. It doesn't mean they are useless nor have a lesser capability than you or even me."

"That's ridiculous! You're an Alpha!"

"Yes, an Alpha... whose status can be challenged. Am I right, Beta?" he said quietly with a glint in his eye. Dominic swallowed. Did his Alpha know about the urging of the other wolves for him to challenge Eian?

"I apologize, Alpha..." he said with his head bowed. Eian simply looked at him then gave a small laugh.

"I am very honoured by your loyalty to me Dominic." Eian got up from the desk and patted Dominic's shoulder. As he was at the door, he suddenly turned and said, "Dominic... try not to terrorize our new female director too much... She has a lovely scent, I admit, but work is work." Then he left.

For a fraction of a second, Dominic felt his anger rising. Did his Alpha say that Sydney had a lovely scent? How dare he?

However, at the sight of his clothes on the desk, his anger dissipated. Sydney was nobody to him; just a woman... just a woman whom he's going to enjoy playing with. That's all...

Meanwhile, Eian was sitting at the director's lobby watching Fiona trying to swallow a beef sandwich. It was a cruel thing to do, he admits- trying to force a Vampire to eat normal food. But after the previous day's incident, the thought that she'd drown herself unnecessarily out of guilt made him ache with sadness. He saw that she didn't complain nor made any attempt to throw away her food but continued pushing it into her mouth; evidently doing it for his sake. The only reason why he had brought her along this morning was because he was afraid she might wander off and attack another human or worst, a werewolf.

A minute later, she was vomiting into the pantry sink. Eian had to lift her up for she could barely reach the tap to clean herself off.

"I'm sorry my little one," he said with a sigh as he wiped away the water from her face. She looked so sad sitting there on the countertop.

"I broke a rule," she said, "I was so scared you'd be angry and punish me."

"I'm not going to punish you, Fiona... what you did to yourself yesterday made me very scared and worried," he said as he brushed her hair away from her face.

"Uh... I'm sorry, but may I know who are you and what you're doing here?" said someone from the pantry door. Eian didn't need to turn to know who it was. He could tell from her scent.

"Hello, Miss Sandilands... it is nice to finally meet you," he said as he gathered Fiona into his arms and turned to face her. The shock on her face was evident as she stared into his intense green eyes before turning her head to the white haired girl in his arms.

"I apologize if I scared you... My name is Keiran MacFarlane but most of the staff here call me Eian with an 'E'." He gave her a sweet smile as he walked pass her. "Have a good day, Miss Sandilands."

Sydney was too shocked to say anything but she managed to turn to see him enter the lift. She had never seen a man so handsome in her life before. He had the most amazing eyes she had ever seen and there was a strange calmness about him. And that child! Was she his? She couldn't help but to stare at him as he walked towards the lift.

***

"Eian?" murmured Fiona as she pressed her face on his shoulder. He was still carrying her, like she was a baby as they walked to the car.

"Yes?"

"Why do you have two names?"

Eian gave a hearty laugh as he patted her back. "Well, I guess it's kinda like a nickname 'cause many people keep mistaking me for a girl with the name Keiran."

"But you're not a girl!" she protested, suddenly full of energy.

"Well, that's right little princess. But it's the perfect name for someone like me... do you know why?"

Fiona was staring at him now, her eyes full of wonder as she shook her head vigorously.

"Well... you see, Keiran means black, just like my hair. I was the only one in my family with black hair. My parents and sister all had blonde hair. I guess, I'm kinda like special," he said with a laugh but Fiona had caught the slight hint of sadness in his voice.

"You're very special... like me," she said with a smile. "Did you lose your family too?"

Her sudden question surprised him. Had she actually remembered about her family too?

"Yes my dear... do... do you remember anything about your family?" he asked carefully.

"I... I don't really remember... but I know I am not your family," she said with a sad voice. Because... because I am not a wolf! I... I am a bad Vampire!" she sobbed the last word and buried her face at his shoulder again.

"Shh... you're not a bad girl my precious... you just need to learn how to control your urges. I'm going to take you somewhere special today okay? What do you think?" His words seemed to cheer her up a little so she nodded.

***

It was almost lunch time so when Dominic entered the cafeteria, he was not surprised to see some staff had already booked seats. Since he was in a pleasant mood, he did not take offense that they had skived off work ten minutes before lunchtime. As he approached a group of female staff, his ears suddenly pricked at the mention of Sydney's name.

"Oh, didn't you know? I heard she bumped into him this morning!" said one.

"Ooohh! You mean him? Oh isn't he the most dreamiest?"sighed another.

"Yes and sexy to the bone..." agreed another. The women continued laughing and talking, unaware of Dominic standing nearby. A smile crept up his face. So Sydney was already showing off about their secret rendezvous eh? He was about to move towards the food line when he heard something that chilled his blood.

"Uhuh... I heard she was so smitten by his green eyes. Oh, who wouldn't!" said one of them.

"Yes and all that delicious black hair..." piped another.

"Oh but that's not all... she was asking around about the little girl he was with. I told her that he was not married yet and she had this weird look on her face! I tell you she's so into him!"

Dominic was clearly peeved by the time he'd absorbed their conversation for his face had turned black when he approached the table.

"Have more respect will ya? I'll have you all fired by this afternoon if you don't stop your pesky gossiping is that clear?" he said harshly as he glared at them. The women immediately nodded and scrambled away from the table.

Dominic had lost his appetite. He stormed up all the way to his own office and sat down brooding. That woman! Was she really toying with him? Did she really think she could fuck him then chase after other men? Dominic was boiling with anger; his wolf straining to be released to chase and subdue that woman. And that Eian? What the hell was he thinking, flirting with Sydney? Dominic narrowed his eyes. No... Eian would never flirt; it must have been she who started it. But then again... even if Eian did flirt back, was it his fault? Dominic didn't tell his Alpha that he was laying claim on Sydney did he?

"Argh! I hate you, you annoying little pesky little vixen! I don't care what you do anymore!" he roared to nobody in particular.

A little moment later, he heard another Beta director next door invading into his mind.

Dominic, what's wrong?

Nothing! Just get on with your work! He mentally pushed the wolf out of his mind and tried to concentrate on his work; almost ripping out the pages of the report he was reading with the force he used to turn each page.

***

Eian had never felt more happy than he was right now. He was holding Fiona's tiny hands as they walked down the Fashion Boulevard. It was just a name he gave to the whole city housing various departmental stores and boutiques. Fiona had insisted that he stopped carrying her so she could skip around as they walked. Eian smiled. The only reason he brought her here to shop was because this was the only place where the colour of her hair would not be seen as an anomaly. Fashion had its eccentricities, he admits.

He gave her hand a slight pull as they turned at a corner to enter his choice boutique.

"Ah! Mr. MacFarlane, we're so happy to see you again!" chimed the manager on duty.

"Good morning, Eduardo. I know I didn't have any appointments today."

"Oh please sir, our owner and most valuable customer does not need appointments. What can I do for you today?" he said in an almost sing-song manner.

"I would like to get some clothes for this little miss here. She needs a new wardrobe. Can I trust you to handle it for me?"

Eduardo's eyes gleamed as he thought about all the sales he was going to make from the request. He nodded excitedly before running off to get some clothes off the rack and some others from the store room. Although the boutique was slightly packed with other customers, Eduardo seemed to ignore them as he flit amongst them with ease.

Eian gave an amused smile as he saw Eduardo. Picking up Fiona, he whispered to her, "Precious, be careful not to hurt anyone okay... you promised me, no biting until I say you can remember?" Fiona nodded at him although her eyes were focused on the walking pile of clothes coming towards them.

"Please Sir, Miss, come with me," he chimed again as he led them to a separate changing area. Eian sat himself on the sofa outside the changing room as Eduardo passed one article of clothes after another to Fiona.

Two hours later, he carefully placed her new clothes into the boot of his car and buckled her up. She was looking so adorable with her new coat and boots. Eian couldn't bear to have her wear some of the other children's clothes when she was in her care.

"Do you like your new clothes?" he asked as they were driving up North.

"Yes, very much. Thank you Eian," she said with a bright smile. A second later, she had wound down the glass window and stuck her head out. "Wah! The air is so cold!"

"You better get your nose in young lady or else it'll freeze off and come off." Fiona frowned at him as though he had just said something ridiculous but twitched her nose just in case.

"Where are we going?" she asked instead.

"To feed you," he replied, ignoring the look on her face. Fiona didn't say anything for the rest of the journey but kept looking out through the window as the weather grew more cold and frosty.

When the car finally stopped, Fiona saw that they were outside a majestic stone castle. The bleak weather seemed to intensify the gloominess and gothic character of the building. She felt herself clutching Eian's coat, refusing to move until he had to pick her up and carry her.

They walked towards the castle's entrance and were stopped by two guards. Fiona's eyes widened when she scented them. They were not human nor wolves!

"State your business!" they demanded. Eian simply looked at them lazily before speaking.

"I wish to see the Lord of the castle. Is he here?"

"What business do you have with him?" asked the guard a little more fiercely.

"My business is my business with your Lord, if he chooses to accept it," he said simply, unthreatened by the guard. Fiona however was clutching on him for dear life. She was too afraid to say anything. The guards seemed to consider his word but didn't let him enter straight away.

A moment later, a tall and thin man came towards them. Eian felt the hairs at the back of his neck rise slightly. Whoever he was, he was powerful.

"Good day, visitor. I understand you wish to see Lord Culzean? I am afraid that that is impossible unless I know for sure what business you have with him."

"I am MacFarlane of Highlands," he replied flatly and the tall man's face immediately changed as his eyes widened with fear and awe.

"Your Excellency, please pardon this humble subject... It is most unnatural for a man of your great nobility to arrive in such accommodations; we have made a mistake," he mumbled as his eyes darted towards the sedan.

Eian sighed as he followed the man into the castle. He really didn't like to pull ranks; he preferred to be admitted on his own merits but sometimes tradition doesn't allow for such. As they entered the castle grounds, Eian was quite amazed at the solid architecture that had held the castle for centuries. It's Baroque, Palladian and Gothic architectural features, clearly reflected the age of its true owner... the man who was greeting them ceremoniously at his drawing room.

"Your Excellency... What brings you here to my humble abode?" said the man as he bowed gracefully. Eian smiled thinking how healthy and handsome the three thousand year old man looked; it was truly a credit to his Pureblood status.

"Lord Culzean, I apologize for my unannounced intrusion but this child here needs feeding." The man's face immediately contorted in what looked like fury and fear.

"Your Grace!" he stammered hesitantly before turning to scrutinize the girl who was still clutched against Eian. "A... a Vampire child?"

"I have taken her under my wing; no need to give me such a frightened look, Aramis..." said Eian with a firm tone.

"My... my apologies, Your Grace... I am merely confused as to why this child is in your possession..." The fear in his eyes vanished and the man called Aramis straightened his back.

"That does not matter right now. Aramis, my dear old friend... will you help me feed this child?" asked Eian, this time with a hint of sadness and helplessness. Aramis Culzean looked at Eian and gave a small nod and retreated into the darkness.

Eian slowly pried Fiona away from him and tried to soothe her, stroking the top of her head gently, "My precious... you must do everything that Aramis tells you to do understand? I know you're frightened... but you need to be brave. Do it for me?"

Fiona meekly nodded as Eian stepped away from her. "I'll come back for you... I promise."

With that, he left the little girl alone in the drawing room; his heart breaking with every step he took but he refused to look back.

***

The clock showed that it was a minute to six. Office hour had officially ended at 5.30pm but Sydney was still inside her office. Dominic was growing impatient so he paced the floor outside her door till he sensed her coming out.

"Oh, it's you," she said, somewhat pleased but she tried to put on an annoyed look.

"Let me take you home today," he blurted out. Sydney raised an eyebrow at him and peered closely.

"And if I say no?"

"Then I'll cart you off anyway."

"Very romantic, Dominic, but I'm afraid I have other plans. Goodbye."

Dominic panicked and reflexively grabbed her arm.

"Wait! What can I do to change your mind?" he asked nervously. Boy was he desperate!

"I can't change my mind, Dominic... but if it soothes you, maybe you could drive me up north to the countryside; I guess it's a change for me not to have my car covered in mud for once."

Dominic pushed away his questions and agreed immediately. He just wanted ... no, needed some time alone with her.

"That's very nice of you," she said and smiled. Dominic felt warmth spread inside him as he felt the sincerity in her smile. When they reached the basement of the building, she went to her own car and got out a small travelling bag which she placed at the backseat of Dominic's SUV. Dominic didn't ask her anything and she didn't say anything about her 'plans'. He was just happy that he would get a chance to be with her.

Nevertheless, knew that the drive was going to be a long one but he persevered as night drew closer.

"How much further north?" he asked after they passed the border into the North-Eastern lands. "Wait... you're not telling me that I have to drive all the way up to the coast?" When she gave a smile, he frowned.

"Well... you did promise to drive me," she said with a pout.

"Okay, I'll just drive. Maybe you want to tell me where we're heading? In case I run out of petrol or get abandoned by a certain woman." She giggled at his words and slapped his shoulder playfully.

"Just drive. If you're a good boy maybe I'll let you have some dinner."

"What am I a dog?" he said before he caught himself; technically he is a dog.

"Well, then you're a very well trained one aren't you?" she said as she ruffled his hair with her hand. Somehow that little gesture was well-liked by his wolf for Dominic found himself giving a low growl of appreciation.

About an hour later, Dominic suggested that they stop for awhile so he could get food into his stomach. "Please? If I don't eat at least five times a day, I'll die!" he said dramatically.

"Oh, shut up! How about that nice little pub there then? It looks nice and quiet," she said, pointing to a small house nestled in between some other buildings. Dominic was too hungry to argue as he could smell the wafts of food coming out from the chimney but suddenly he stiffened when he scented something else...

His suspicions were confirmed as he stepped into the pub and at once most of the people inside stared at him.

Great! Vampires...

He could tell that there were some humans in the midst too and judging from their scent, they were still living, breathing humans which means that the pub was not as dangerous as he thought. Still, as they ordered food, he couldn't help but feel the Vampires' eyes boring into his back.

"You must be really hungry," laughed Sydney as she watched him eat ravenously. Dominic stopped and realized how sloppily he was eating- or rather, stuffing his face with the food.

"Err... yeah," he said. She didn't need to know that the place gave him goosebumps; that'd be so unmanly.

"So," she started as she dipped a chunk of bread into his soup, "Tell me about this elusive boss of ours."

Dominic almost choked on his food when he heard her question. "Why'd you wanna know?"

"Mmm... just curious," she said.

"He's not an object of curiosity, Sydney." She could hear the tone of resentment in his voice but she pushed on.

"An object of desire maybe?" she asked as she twirled her hair flirtily. She was really enjoying making him jealous.




To Love a Were Ch. 03



"That's it young lady! We're going back into the car right now!" he said as he slammed down the cup of water he was drinking, grabbed her wrist and slapped some bills on the countertop. He didn't even wait but growled at them to keep the change.

He literally carried her and dumped her into the passenger seat, slamming the door angrily, before settling himself at the driver's seat.

"You!" he said, pointing a finger at her.

"Yes?" she replied in a silky whisper, "Jealous?"

Instantly, he backed his finger down and stammered, "Jealous? No fucking way! Now no more distractions! Just tell me how far more to drive," he snapped. Sydney was beside herself now; laughing as she considered how he was blaming her for their stopover all because he was jealous. It was rather charming and sexy as hell too.

She inched closer to him, resting her head casually on his shoulder. She loved the way he smelled; fresh mint and chopped wood.

"Dominic..." she said after a while.

"Yes?"

"We're almost at our destination now... can you stop by the clearing there?" she asked. Dominic became suspicious. Did she actually expect him to let her off at this dark place so she could meet whoever it was for her own rendezvous without him seeing?

"No," he replied sharply. Her head shot up from its resting spot.

"I say stop!" she demanded.

"No!" he growled back.

"Fine!" she shouted but instead of settling herself back in her seat, she bent her head and began to fumble with the zipper of his pants.

"What the fuck?" he shouted out in shock. Immediately he slowed the car down and saw that he had no other choice but to park the car at the secluded clearing she had just pointed out earlier. "Sydney... do you really want me to drop you off here so much?"

She didn't answer for she had managed to free his cock from his boxers and was currently licking its head hungrily. Dominic didn't know what else to say as her warm mouth began to envelop his cock, dribbling it with her saliva. It was slowly growing hard at her expert touch and Dominic felt like he was going to lose his mind.

"Baby, listen to me... please," he pleaded as he coaxed her lips off his cock. "Sydney... I didn't drive you here because I wanted some sort of payment... I mean... I just wanted to get to know you more... that's all. I don't want it to just be sex between us."

Sydney looked at him with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"It's just that... I don't think we should be doing these... things you know?" he said with a defeated smile. "If you belong to another man, you should not hurt his feelings by being with another... that's all," he said as he zipped up his pants.

Sydney was quiet but her eyes held tears that Dominic had not noticed in the dark. As she turned away, she willed the tears not to fall, not to betray what she was feeling. She had thought he was just like all the other men; who only wanted her body, who promised her a great future if she did what she was told every night. She could tell that he wanted her; more than just for sex... more than that but was she ready for it? She had been drawn to him right from the start, even when she tried her best to hide it. Wasn't that why she quit her job and came to work with him?

"Sydney... I'm sorry... I really am. If you want me to get the hell out of here, I'll do it. Just... just don't keep quiet, please."

"No... it's not that," she said as she took in a deep breath. "Just drive down this road a little bit more and you'll see houses. That's my destination."

Dominic gave a nod and continued driving down the dark pathway until he saw lights coming from a lovely row of houses. It was a small community, he realized. Almost like a pack. Sydney pointed to one of the houses right at the end of the road and he nodded once again.

When he stopped at the front of her gate, she turned to look at him.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Are you sure?" he asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, just park the car here. It'll be fine. Come on," she said, flashing him a soft smile.

The door was opened by a sweet elderly woman who immediately hugged Sydney and began chattering non-stop until she actually had to put a finger on the old woman's lips.

"Mother, this is Dominic MacFarlane. He's a friend," she said in English but her mother pulled Dominic close and began chattering with him in their native language. Dominic smiled and obliged her, earning a squeal of happiness from the old woman.   "Oh... you've got yourself a good fine young man here who knows his language, darling," she said with a wink before going upstairs.

"Please don't mind my mother, she's determined to see me married off." Sydney placed her travelling bag at the foot of the staircase. "I didn't know you could speak it too."

"I didn't know you could too," he said with a smile. "So, I guess everyone's gone to sleep huh?"

"Yeah, come on... we should too." Dominic took her hand as he carried her luggage up the stairs. The walked past a few closed doors and he could hear the soft breathing of at least six people inside. At last, they reached a room at the corner and together they went in.

It was a nice little room that was painted pink with various dolls and toys strewn all over.

"This was where I grew up... so yeah," she blushed as she pointed to her surrounding.

"I think it's cute," he replied. He saw that the room had only one bed. He didn't mind. The floor was comfortable too with its woolen rug.

He was already on the floor before she could say anything. Instead, she went over to her bedlight and turned it on; warm yellow light filled the room. He heard her moving around, taking off pieces of her clothes but he didn't turn to look but tried to focus on the rug with all its intricacies.

However, her scent was all over the room that he could not put it out of his head. He could hear her coming closer now, the scent of strawberries growing stronger and stronger. Then he saw her, standing in front of him, fully naked. She got to her knees and crawled up to him, unbuttoning his shirt as her lips trailed soft kisses at his jaw line.

"Sydney..." he said warningly but they both knew it was futile for he wasn't pushing her away at all.

"Remember what you told me last night?" she purred into his ear. "Remember how you said you'd fuck me all over the place?" she bit his earlobes and gave it a gentle suck. Dominic was totally lost in her eroticism at the moment that he couldn't move. Her hands were all over his body now, stroking the taut muscles that he had spent hours working out.

"Sydney... are you trying to seduce me?" he said when she began to kiss a trail down his body. This woman never failed to amaze him.

"No," she said as she unzipped his pants for the second time that night and impatiently tugged it down. "I want you out of your clothes in the next 10 seconds, inside me within the minute..." Dominic felt his eyes widen at her words. His wolf really liked the challenge.

He moved fast, pinning her under him as he straddled her. Sydney's eyes moved appreciatively over his naked body but she didn't get to see much for he had plunged swiftly into her, drawing a scream from her throat.

"Shh..." he said as he covered her mouth with a hand and gave another thrust. "That's a good girl..." Sydney was covering her own mouth now as she felt him slide inch after inch of his delicious hard cock into her. The inability to moan or scream as loud as she could made her even more horny.

"Aren't you such a slut, Sydney? All wet and waiting to be fucked like this? Bad bad girl..." growled Dominic as he pressed the last inch of his cock into her and felt her pussy clamp hard on him before she shivered. Her eyes were watering and he could tell that she had tried to suppress her screams from her orgasm.

Dominic wasn't giving her a chance to recover from her first orgasm for he was pounding into her mercilessly again. He was thankful for the rug on the floor or his knees would be sore by the next morning from all the humping he was doing.

"Touch me," she whimpered, dragging his hands to cover her breast. Dominic obliged as he squeezed and gently rub her hardened nipples between his fingers. Using the other hand, he slid it between their sweaty bodies and found her clitoris. He began circling it slowly then faster as he plunged his cock deeper into her wet pussy. She was coming again, he could tell from the look on her face and the way she was biting her fist. He gave a sly smile and moved his hips slightly faster, watching her eyes all the time as he fucked her through her next orgasm.

"Still want more?" he asked. Sydney looked up at him but didn't say anything. Instead she moved her own fingers to her clit and began rubbing it in circles, knowing full well that Dominic was watching her. He had pulled his cock out and watched her with a slight look of intrigue on his face. He had never watched a woman touch herself before.

Then suddenly she got up and went over to her luggage.

"Get on the bed," she said. Dominic saw that she was holding something long in her hand. What the hell was that? "Watch me," she purred and inserted what looked like a plastic cock into her. Dominic found himself growling, even though he knew it was not a real cock and that he was definitely better built than that pathetic piece of plastic. However, he continued watching her curiously. She was pinching her nipples and pushing the dildo all the way to its hilt before taking it all out and doing it all over again. Was that how she liked it?

He placed his hand on hers and took over the dildo. It felt strange fucking her with it but he saw how her body responded differently now that he had taken over.

"Heh, nothing beats the real thing baby..." he said as he turned her over. Sydney felt the sudden emptiness in her pussy as he removed the dildo before felt it being filled again with his cock. She pressed her face onto her pillows to try and stifle the moans for he was pushing in and pulling out his cock exactly like how she had shown him with the dildo. It made her wild as she craved for the moments when he plunged himself into her.

Dominic felt her cum once more before deciding to have his fill too. He pulled her body up and caught her hair in one hand as he grabbed her hip with the other, before thrusting into her warmth with a wild hunger.

"Sydney... Where do you want me to cum baby?" he asked, trying his best to control himself.

"On my face..." she said, freeing herself from his grip and got to her knees.

"Here it goes..." he gasped before shooting jets of creamy white cum all over her pretty face. She used her finger to scoop some cum and lick it right before his eyes. When he had drained the final drop, Dominic felt his knees shaking just a little but Sydney had other ideas for she was licking his cock clean for him.

"Not tonight darling..." he said with an exhausted grin. She laughed and went over to her dresser to wipe her face before cuddling beside him on her bed. They fell asleep holding each other in their arms.

***

When Dominic woke up the next morning, Sydney was still curled up beside him with her naked body pressed seductively against his. Dominic felt his heart give a leap as he watched her beautiful face deep in sleep. He slowly eased her away from him and put on his pants. It was then that he saw his sister's message on his phone.

"Hey," he said when she picked up his call.

"Don't 'hey' me. It's the weekend... why are you still at work?" she said accusingly.

"Sorry Pearl! Don't be so angry... I'll be home later today, I promise!" he said apologetically as his sister continued her nagging. "Alright, I promise... How are you? How's the baby?" he asked, unaware that Sydney had already woken up and was listening in. "Yes, yes... I'll be home soon! Stop nagging! Yes... I'll stop by the grocery store... yes I will... okay bye."

When he turned, Sydney closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping as she watched him pick up his shirt and go out, possibly to find a bathroom. For a moment she felt her heart breaking and she felt cheated. Why was he so adamant that she was not married, that she had no one else but him at the moment when he himself was with a wife and a baby? After she had lowered her defense and brought him home? She had even begun to like that son of a bitch!

Sydney felt tears in her eyes but she willed herself not to cry for him. She would make sure he left before everyone else saw him. There was no way she was going to let him cozy up with her family and then have him rip out her heart... their hearts by leaving. She got up from the bed and hastily put on a robe and stormed downstairs to check if his car was still in the driveway.

Smell of bread, meat and fresh oranges wafted from the kitchen, causing her almost to trip over her robe as she rushed over to see what was happening.

"Sydney dear! How thoughtful of you to finally come down. Why are you still in your robes?" said her mother as she pushed the reluctant Sydney out of the kitchen.

Sydney managed to catch a glimpse of Dominic in deep conversation with her brothers and father about something that remotely sounded like politics while stuffing themselves with food and drinks. Was he also wearing a fresh change of clothes? Her mother must have given him one of her father's or brothers' clothes to change into. Sydney felt doom fast approaching.

When she came down a while later, her nephew was bouncing on Dominic's thigh while the men discussed in the most vulgar of language their various opinions on rugby and football. By the looks of it, Dominic was already on a first name basis with everyone, even her dad who was usually a very conservative person.

She dug into her food with her eyes constantly glaring at him; her ears deaf to everything her mother and sister were saying. She was imagining her fork digging into Dominic's flesh for everytime she pushed it through her food.

"Sydney dear... he's not going to run away... so stop staring at him like that!" chided her mother after awhile.

"Oh please, Sophia, she's going to be all over him once he's away from them," said her sister nodding towards the men. It was then that Sydney took her eyes away from Dominic and looked at the women staring at her.

"What?" she said guiltily.

"Don't 'what' me young lady. He's a very good man... I wouldn't let him out of my sight too if I were you," said her mother with a wink. Sydney felt her heart sink.

Meanwhile, Dominic was finding himself trapped in a never ending conversation with the Sandilands men, although he admits that it was refreshing and even entertaining. He had stolen a few glances towards Sydney but she didn't seem too happy at having him in her kitchen. He was unsure what could arouse such animosity seeing that they had had great sex the night before and had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Some would even say that was a romantic gesture.

He stayed over until lunch before making his excuse to leave. He didn't feel too good about leaving his sister at home alone too long even though he knew that she was safe in the pack. Nevertheless, it was time he went home.

"Sophia, Edward, I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality, but I really must be getting home now."

"Oh don't be silly! Stay over the weekend! We're going to put up the Christmas decorations this Sunday," beamed Sophia.

"I would really enjoy that," he said with a smile. "But I have a sister at home who might be in labour any day now and she'll kill me if I don't go home soon," he said as apologetically as he could. Sophia immediately beamed at him and nodded.

"Thank you," he said as he kissed her cheeks and gave Edward a handshake. "I'll just find Sydney and be off then. Till next time!"

He found her in her room, sitting against the window looking out.

"Hey Sydney, I have to go back home now... I know you've come here to spend time with your family so I shouldn't be in the way. Besides, I only offered to send you here remember?"

"Yeah, whatever," she said with feigned uninterest. Dominic felt slightly hurt at her words but didn't choose to press on it.

"Okay I guess. I'll see you on Monday. Have a good weekend Sydney," he said softly as he closed the door. She seemed angry at him about something... maybe it was best that he gave her the space to think it through.

***

"Draven... get your brother for me please," said Lord Culzean to his eldest son.

"My Lord... he is... he is still recuperating. Please grant him pardon," said Draven as he bowed.

"Very well. Do you remember the Werewolf that came here a few days ago?" he asked.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Please go and find him. He should be at one of the nearby taverns. I am sure you know his scent by now."

"Tavern, my Lord?" asked Draven in surprise. "Surely such accommodations are beneath his nobility!"

"Do not question me, son. Yes, the Duke has many quirks... keeping a low profile, taking on a Vampire child and the likes. But we must not question his choices. Go now and find him and bring him here."

Draven bowed at his father's orders and exited from the room. Aramis got off from his seat and began walking out from the room too, followed be a few of his guards and servants. He passed by a long hall until he reached a small room. It was the only room in the East Wing that had drawn curtains. The sudden light took him by surprise but he didn't take offence. The girl had drawn them on her own and was sitting at the edge of her bed, seemingly enjoying the little rays of sunshine that was available.

"My dear," he said, calling out to her. She turned to look but didn't move. Aramis stayed at his spot and observed her. In just one week, his blood had been both beneficial and detrimental to the girl that he could no longer keep his promises to Keiran. The wolf would have to see the changes for himself before any decisions could be made.

"Leave me alone, my Lord," she said stiffly and turned her back to him. Aramis felt the guards beside him stiffen but he raised his hand to back them down. Closing the door, he proceeded down the corridor to the West Wing to see his youngest son.   His son's room was even gloomier than the rest of the house. He had to squint slightly to see the silhouette of his son on the bed.

"Alaron," he called out gently. The boy turned slightly, his eyes shining red in the dark as it sought his father's face. "You should come out, child." Aramis's voice trembled slightly. When the boy refused to move, he stepped inside and lifted him gently. His son was still young in comparison to him; barely thirty years old... just a boy. He was just a boy who witnessed his own mother's death before his very eyes.

Aramis carried his son down the corridor again until finally he stopped outside Fiona's room. Alaron immediately stiffened as his father let him down gently.

"Why did you bring me here!" he shouted.

"You need to be around others, Alaron..." he said. Alaron was burning with rage. How dare his father bring him to his late mother's room! He wanted to slash the man but his father had already walked away, leaving him to his own thoughts.

Despite being angry, he was curious too. What exactly did his father mean by 'others'? He knocked the door slightly and was surprised to hear a female voice snapping at him.

"I told you to leave me alone didn't I? Oh..." said Fiona when she saw the man standing at her door. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Alaron... what are you doing in my mother's bedroom?"

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't know," she replied but didn't make an attempt to leave.

"It's okay... she died a few weeks ago..." he said, stepping inside. He wasn't sure what was it about the girl that drew him in but he didn't feel angry or sad around her.

"That must be sad for you. I don't remember anything about my family though which makes me sad too. At least you remembered your mother..." said Fiona as she turned to look at him. "What was she like... your mother?"




To Love a Were Ch. 03



Alaron was unsure why he felt the need to tell this girl everything. She looked slightly more than half his age; what would she know or understand? He settled himself down at the foot of the bed and stared at her.

"She was a very beautiful woman, my mother. She had the most beautiful voice too and she would sing to me everyday."

"You must love her very much..." said Fiona, smiling at him. Alaron was taken aback at her smile... she looked so familiar...

"Yes, I do... even though she's a human. She loved me even though she knew what I am... and she never despised me... ever."

Fiona was looking at him now with a strange intensity. This man was really hurting.

"You shouldn't be too sad... or her spirit will never rest in peace. She died loving you always... so you shouldn't be so sad." Alaron's face snapped up and looked at Fiona.

"Who... who the hell are you?" he asked, suddenly angered.

"I... my name is Fiona. I came here a few days ago..." she said with a sad voice then she stood up and looked out the window.

"Fiona..." said Alaron, trying to get used to the sound of her name. "But why are you here? We never have visitors." Fiona gave him a very sharp look then sighed.

"I'm here to feed..." she said after awhile.

"What?" exclaimed Alaron in disbelief. He had never heard anybody coming to the castle to feed before! What exactly was going on?

"The Lord lets me drink his blood once every day... he says I will be stronger and these hunger pangs will go away."

Alaron was staring at the girl now, unable to say anything. Feeding an Ancient's Pureblood to this girl? Was his father planning to awaken her? Alaron shook his head before scrambling out of the room. Fiona simply watched him take his leave but didn't attempt to stop him.

"He'll come for me, won't he?" she said softly, to no one in particular.

***

"Your Excellency..." said Aramis when Eian entered his drawing room. "Please have a seat," he said, gesturing to a sofa opposite him.

"You have kept me waiting long, Culzean," said Eian; his voice emotionless. Aramis knew that the Duke was angry so he knew that he had to make it quick and to the point.

"I apologize, Your Grace... I fear that I must disappoint you further; she has to stay here at least till the end of the year."

"What?!" bellowed Eian as he stood up from the sofa. "How dare you! What have you done to her? Where is she? I want to see her now!" he said in a cold voice as he stormed towards the door.

"Keiran, please!"

At the mention of his name, he turned and cast a long frozen look on Aramis's face.

"I beg of you, Keiran... let me say what I have to say... and I will abide by all your decision afterward. Please..." he pleaded. Eian's face softened slightly as he saw the genuine sadness in his friend's voice.

"Get off your knees, Aramis. I will listen."

"Thank you, Your Grace..." he began as he settled himself on the sofa once again. "When she came to me, I had sensed that she had been Sired by a Pureblood because of the distinct scent of her blood. At first, I was ready to bring her to our blood bank to feed her as per your instruction but when I saw her fangs, I knew that she is mine. The length and strength of her fangs were characteristics of ones Sired with my blood."

Eian looked at Aramis with much curiosity. "Are you saying that whoever Sired her is your kin?"

Aramis nodded. "Not just any kin... but my own son; the youngest one." Eian's hands gripped the sides of the sofa tightly upon hearing this information.

"He killed her family... and almost killed her... why that little..."

"Please, Keiran... listen to me," pleaded Aramis when he saw Eian's eyes turning a shade of gold. "My son... he recently lost his mother. He was a difficult child and he hated being a Vampire. He ran away often and made his mother sad. One day she had gone out of the castle unguarded to find him but was caught by a group of men... they did many things to her Keiran... unforgivable things. I cannot say that I am ashamed at what my son did when he saw what happened... because I am not. I would have slit the throats of those men myself if he hadn't done so. Afterwards, he went into a killing frenzy... and it was only his brother, Draven who could stop him."

"And you think I should spare this boy's life then?"

"He is hurting Keiran... just like you were a very long time ago," said Aramis with a twinkle in his eye. "If anyone is to blame, it is me..."

"Why are you telling me all this? Trying to make me feel sympathetic?" asked Eian coldly.

Aramis gave a small smile, "You have always had a kind heart, Keiran."

"I want to see her now."

"No you must not! The moment she scents your blood, she will crave for it! Let her stay here please... I will let her go on New Year's day." Eian was surprised at the realization that his friend was actually trying to protect him.

"What are you doing to her, Aramis, if I may so ask?" he asked instead, resigned to the fact that he won't see his precious for a while more.

"Please forgive me Keiran for what I'm about to say. The truth is, when I saw her fangs, I immediately took her in my arms and told her to feed from me instead. She was hungry and didn't deny. But when I saw how my blood did not kill her, I was convinced that she was my kin..."

"You could have killed her..." said Eian, his voice growing cold; his claws extending into the sofa's cushion.

"She can never die now, Keiran..." said Aramis hastily as he saw Eian's extended claws. "I plan to awaken her myself by the end of the month. The more Pureblood she consumes, the more of her human self she will lose; she will be stronger and more powerful. She will only need to feed once in a few months if she wants."

"You fool! You think this is what I want?" Eian's voice was echoing off the walls now as his claws clamped around Aramis's throat.

"Stop it!" shouted someone from the door. Eian turned to see a young man standing at the door with a look of fear in his eyes. The boy's eyes were sad and scared... Eian immediately returned to his usual form and let Aramis go. The boy quickly ran to his father's side and hugged him.

Eian could smell his Fiona on this boy but he decided to let go of the subject.

"I will be back at the end of the month, Aramis. Do not disappoint me or else..." he said with a warning tone and made his way out.

Aramis massaged his throat and felt the slight prickle on his skin as it began to heal slowly.

***



To Love a Were Ch. 04



NB: Thank you all for the comments! I've actually written out up till chapter 9 as of now so each chapter should be up with intervals of 3-4 days. =)

Just for clarification purposes, the peerage system I'm using is as such: Duke, Marquees, Earl, Viscount, Lord of Parliament and Baron. So Culzean as a Lord has less authority and military presence than Eian. That is why everyone at the castle addresses Eian as 'Your Excellency' or 'Your Grace'.

In the meantime, Happy holidays everyone!

***

It was the last Friday of the year. Eian looked out his window and saw snow falling from the skies. He wondered if she was looking up at the sky too just as he was. Would she hate him for not coming sooner? Eian closed his eyes and tried not to think too much about her. She might not even want to come home with him later when he goes over to the castle. The thought of it made him sad.

Maybe he would take Dominic with him. That way if he was destined to go home without her, then at least, he won't be alone. It was nearly 5pm anyway. Dominic would be finishing work soon. He drove down the street to Dominic's house and got out.

"Pearl, I might be going off somewhere with Dominic tonight so he won't be coming home so soon. Keep your phone close to you and call either of us or Amber if you need us okay?" he said with a kind smile. Pearl nodded as he left to go to the office. Was it just her or did she sense a cloud of sadness about him?

Meanwhile, Dominic was pacing his office. It had been two weeks since he'd last had a decent conversation with Sydney. She had been avoiding him since their trip up North and he had no idea why. He had been thinking of her non-stop for the past two weeks. He wanted to be with her all the time but she seemed to be rejecting him at every corner. Without him realizing it, he was slowly falling sick. Pearl had nagged at him continuously but he was adamant that it was just a cold and that there was nothing to worry about.

When it was finally 5.30pm, he went over to Sydney's office only to find that it was empty. He checked with her secretary and was told that she had left five minutes earlier. Dominic's felt his heart sank and he dragged himself back into his office.

"She doesn't want us mate..." he said to his wolf. "What's the point of going after her? She's avoiding us for a reason. She doesn't want us..." he said before he fainted.

Eian's head snapped up; he sensed a disturbance in the office floor above. A quick whiff told him that Dominic was in danger. He was rushing towards the elevator when he saw Sydney coming out, looking somewhat sad. He knew that Dominic was in danger but something made him stop to talk to her.

"Miss Sandilands, have you seen Dominic today?" he asked. He had a hunch and somehow it felt as if Sydney was the answer.

She gave him a shocked look before shaking her head.

"Would you mind accompanying me upstairs? There's something important I need to do. Would you help me?" he smiled as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slowly to him and nodded.

He was thankful that she didn't put up much of a resistance but followed him soundlessly to the eleventh floor. The moment the lift opened, Eian's senses perked up; Dominic was unconscious!

"Hurry!" he exclaimed as he pulled her hand to make sure she was keeping up with his pace. Tapping his access card, he opened Dominic's office door and rushed to pick up his friend.

Sydney stood at the door shocked and unable to move. How long had he been unconscious? She knew that he was going to find her after work. Why didn't she just wait for him? Feeling guilty, she covered her face to stop herself from crying.

"Sydney," called Eian in a controlled voice. He was trying to remain calm for everyone's sake. "Sydney, please take my phone from my pocket and call 'Dr. Amber'. Tell her I'm coming over in ten minutes. Tell her that Dominic has fainted," he instructed as he lifted Dominic in his arms. Sydney nodded and quickly rushed to take his phone from his pocket. She couldn't believe that Eian had just picked up a full grown man and carrying him without any effort!

Dominic! Can you hear me? Don't you die on me, I'm warning you! Dominic!

Eian saw that Dominic was still not moving but he sensed the wolf inside him battling to keep his human soul alive. Sydney was trotting along behind him now and without him telling her, she got to the backseat and offered her arms to hold Dominic while Eian drove. With a raised eyebrow, he allowed her to do so before getting to the driver's seat. Was the Casanova finally tamed? Eian gave an amused smile as he started the engine.

He was driving as fast as he could within the speed limits but he could not help himself from looking at the rear-view mirror every now and then to observe the couple at the backseat.

"Sydney... what's holding you back, really?" he asked, much to her surprise.

"I... I don't understand, sir. What are you talking about?" she stammered. Eian let out a laugh.

"You should really consider having his babies you know," he said in an amused tone as if to tease her.

"What! With this two-timing son of a... No way! As if I'd ever fall for his tricks," she said with a huff. Eian smiled but didn't say anything else. If his hunch was right, those two would probably be together tonight. That would mean he would have to make the trip up north by himself.

When they finally reached the medical centre, Eian once again carried Dominic inside with Sydney trailing behind him. Amber had been on standby and went straight to check his vitals after shooing everyone out of the emergency ward.

Confident that his friend was now in capable hands, Eian led Sydney out to the cafeteria. She sat down uncomfortably opposite him but didn't say a thing even when he placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

"You know... Dominic has been my childhood friend since a long time ago so I know him very well. He thinks he's quite a cool guy with his brashness but really, that's just his way of showing affection," said Eian as he leaned back and sipped his coffee. "He must have been pretty nasty to you, from what I was told."

Sydney blushed slightly at his words but didn't reply him so he continued.

"I don't usually allow relationships within the office; the employee will be transferred to another department or sacked on the spot," he said casually, noting the look on her face and saw that she caught the bait.

"No, please Mr. MacFarlane! I promise you, it won't happen again," she said desperately, trying to appeal to his better judgment. Eian smiled and patted her hand on the table.

"So you admit that you've been sleeping with the CEO?" he asked with an amused smile. Sydney nodded. She couldn't believe her boss was interrogating her with that smile on his face! It made it even more frightening.

"I see... then why are you denying him?" he asked as he put his cup down.

"Denying him?" she replied, confused.

"His babies of course," he said in a sudden cold tone. Sydney immediately leaned back in shock. "Heh, I'm just kidding!" he said and burst out laughing.

"Sir!" she exclaimed.

"Ah... Dominic's quite a hot head at times, I know... but he'll make a good and strong father. So you shouldn't deny him should he wish to be with you," he said after awhile.

"That's the problem sir... I know he is a good and strong father. I know because I overheard him talking to his pregnant wife. Maybe you don't really know him as well as you think..." she said with a sigh. Eian frowned at her words before realization settled in.

"I see... but I'm afraid you're mistaken Sydney. The only pregnant woman that Dominic would ever care for and love is his sister, Pearl. Why don't you ask him about it when he's conscious later? He'll probably tell you she's a pain in the ass but that's just his way of saying he loves her," Eian said as he patted her shoulder one last time and walked away, leaving Sydney to her own thoughts.

***

When his car pulled into the castle grounds, he was immediately escorted by Vampire knights and guards into the castle itself. Eian didn't really like the extravagant reception and couldn't help but feel slightly trapped. He was surprised as well that the guards did not escort him into the drawing room where he usually met Aramis but to a great hall which had been decorated and bedecked with finery fit for a Lord.

When he entered, he saw that the hall housed a fine crowd of what looked like Vampire nobles, whom all bowed or curtsied as he strode past. Eian was liking this less and less.

"Your Grace... we are so honoured to have you here with us," greeted Aramis as he stood up from his seat. "Please, this way..." he bowed and ushered Eian towards a chair at a long dining table. When he finally sat down, the others did as well.

"Culzean, I am certainly not pleased at such a reception," said Eian softly but the silence in the room seemed to make his words echo loud and clear. He could feel the sudden tenseness in the room.

"My apologies Your Grace, shall... shall I do away with all this... preparations?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lord Culzean. I am very touched at your gesture... but I cannot help but feel that you have planned to trap me into something that I do not wish to be a part of," he replied in a cold flat voice.

"Your... Your Grace!" exclaimed Aramis as he caught Eian's eyes and saw the coldness and hardness in them.

Eian gave a sigh and stared at the food placed in front of him. This was definitely a trap. Vampires don't even eat human food and yet there is enough food on the table to feed a hundred people. Culzean was definitely trying to impress him... but for what?

"I will... eat," he said finally, much to the relief of the others in the room. As he was served an assortment of meat, he noticed how he was the only one eating; the others were merely sipping from their goblet, trying not to look at his direction. He lifted his gaze for a moment and from the corner of his eyes, he saw something that caught his attention. Who was that woman sitting beside Culzean and his sons? Surely that old Vampire did not marry again?

Eian continued to eat slowly until his plate was clean before pushing it away from him. As the servants gathered to clear his plates, he noticed that they began clearing the clean plates of the others as well.

"I have been welcomed and dined... is there anything else you wish for me, Culzean?" said Eian as he turned his head slightly to his left.

"Your Excellency... your pleasure flatters me," he said with a small nod.

"I am here to bring home the girl, Culzean... Where is she?"

"Your Excellency, please grant me this speech first for it is very important to me," replied Aramis looking kindly at Eian. Then he turned to the others at the table. "Today I am most grateful to have family and friends here at my castle to commemorate a very special day in my life. I have lived long and though I have two sons, I was never blessed with a daughter. However, today, I am proud and extremely happy to present to you my granddaughter; a woman of my own bloodline... a true awakened Pureblood..." Aramis turned his head to the right and beamed at the woman beside him. "My granddaughter: Lady Fiona Culzean of Soran."

The room burst into applause as the woman rose to give a delicate curtsey- first to the table, then specifically to Eian. As her blue eyes pierced through his gaze, Eian knew he was going to be trapped forever. He had no idea that an awakening would hasten the child's growth by this much! Here was a full grown woman, possibly in her prime and with that unnatural beauty and youth that Vampires seem to have.

His confusion seemed to disappoint her for a flicker of sadness flashed in her eyes before she turned away to sit down.

"Your Excellency..." said Aramis, trying to catch Eian's gaze. "Your Excellency... I know fully well the circumstances in which this woman came into my custody. And now that she had awakened and is of my bloodline, I would like to propose to you..."

Eian was not listening anymore. He started to get up, wanting to get away from the Vampires; get away before he slit each and everyone of their throats. He stormed towards the big doors in spite of Aramis's calls to him. How could he do this to him? How could he not have warned him earlier of what an awakening would mean? The guards at the doors seemed fearful of him and had stepped aside, allowing Eian to open the door handles on his own.

However, as his hands turned the handle, a fair hand laid gently on his wrist. He didn't want to look at her; didn't want to acknowledge that she had managed to stop his outrage. He felt her kneeling beside him as her hands clung desperately to his wrist.

"Please..." she sobbed.

Eian felt his heart breaking slowly at the sound of her tearful plea but he still didn't look at her.

"Keiran... Please forgive this old man's desires," said Aramis as he came close and gently laid a palm on Eian's shoulders.

"How could you do this to me Aramis..." said Eian after awhile as he felt his anger slowly melting away. He gently pulled Fiona up from her kneeling position but didn't make a move to hold her.

"Once again, I pray that you forgive me... For centuries I have always tried for a daughter but to no avail. This child here means the world to me and I want no other person to be with her, but you... my old friend."

"This was all a ploy Aramis and I stepped right into it. I came here trusting that you would feed her but you awakened her instead without telling me the consequences... and it was all in hopes for a political alliance, isn't it?" said Eian, his voice growing colder. "You want her to inherit my title too and knowing full well that Werewolves and Vampires cannot mate, you plan for her to Sire some other child, thus allowing your bloodline to successfully and legitimately hold the throne. No, Culzean." With that Eian let go of Fiona's hands and pushed the doors open and left.

Fiona had fallen to her knees again and was crying as the sound of Eian's footsteps faded away.

"There, there my child... shh..." said Aramis in an attempt to soothe her. It was only when Alaron came to her side that she stopped crying. Aramis watched his son soothe the woman and led her away from the hall.

When he had settled her in bed, Alaron sat on the chair beside it with a curious look on his face.

"Do you want me to go after him and kill him?" he asked. Fiona's eyes flared wide open and she threw a pillow at him.

"Don't you dare Al!" she screamed.

"Fi... the guy just dumped you!" he retorted, throwing the pillow back at her.

"He... he... he's just confused!"

"Yeah right... a confused, pompous prick."

"Al! Don't say that about him!" she hissed.

"Ya, whatever," he said with a casual flick of his hand. "I'm going to my room now. Do you think you'll be okay?"

Fiona's eyes widened and stared at him innocently before she shook her head.

"God... you're such a baby!" he snapped but settled himself on the floor at the side of her bed.

"Thank you..." she whispered into the dark and drifted of to sleep. Alaron kept his eyes open as he lay on the floor, staring onto the dark ceiling. Somehow over the weeks he began to feel protective over the girl who then grew steadily into a woman. Although her hair was pure white, she looked so much like his mother that it was painful to look.

***

It had been a tough night for Dominic for his fever escalated beyond the normal human limit of 107 degrees. Amber had administered him fluid drips and some aspirin although a nurse was told to sponge his body every one to two hours to try and reduce the temperature. Sydney had not been allowed inside as she was not family and also because Amber wasn't going to allow humans within the range of a sick wolf, else he shift and frighten her. In fact, Dominic had shifted at least twice when his human body could no longer tolerate the abnormal body temperature.

It was slightly after 8pm when Pearl came into the medical centre with her husband Mike. She didn't even notice Sydney sitting outside the ward but had rushed to forcefully open the door with the strength of a nine month pregnant woman. It took her husband, Amber and another nurse to fully calm her down before she was let in. She was warned specifically not to attack her brother or else she'd have to be forcefully restrained.

"If I told him once, I've told him a thousand times!" she nagged as she entered the room with Amber as a guardian; her voice, echoing in the corridors until the door was fully shut.

Sydney who was sitting outside was clearly in shock at the scene that just happened but was trying to hold back her laugh at the thought of Dominic being nagged to death by his sister.

"You a friend of Dom?" asked Mike as he took a seat beside Sydney. Sydney turned to see a big burly man looking at her with a wide smile. He seemed kind and gentle despite his size so she relaxed and nodded her head.

"I'm his colleague. He sort of fainted at work so Mr. MacFarlane and I drove him here," she said before thrusting out her hand, "I'm Sydney by the way and you are?"

"My name is Mike... and I'm a MacFarlane too. But everyone calls me Big Mike. The woman you saw just now was my wife and the lucky fella inside is her brother. So, why don't you go home now that his family's here?" he asked kindly although he already knew the answer.

"Uh... it's okay... I'd like to stay," replied Sydney. "I guess it's kinda my fault..."

Mike didn't ask her why though but kept quiet. He could sniff out Dominic's scent all over this woman and guessed that they probably had a quarrel resulting in Dominic's fever. So instead of making her feel worst, he decided to offer her some food.

"Here, have a sandwich. Pearl made it so it's got to be really good. You really should get some food in your system if you plan to stay here all night little lady."

Sydney looked into the man's eyes and smiled, "Thanks Big Mike... Do you know when they'll let me go in and see him?" she asked after taking a bite.

"Give me a minute; let me go and check."

Mike made sure that the door was secured and closed before he spoke, "Is Dominic here well enough to see visitors?"

"No he isn't, Mike... just look at him! He has fur all over his body."

"Oi, Dom! Wake up. I know you're awake... little miss strawberry is outside waiting for you so you'd better get a grip of yourself," said Mike in what sounded like a joke and an order.

"Honey, what is going on here?" asked Pearl with her hands on her hips.

"The woman sitting outside is this fella's mate, whether he admits it or not. Just go and scent her for god sake!" laughed Mike as he took Pearl by her arm and dragged her out. "Come on now pregnant mama, time to go home..."

Sydney got up as Mike and Pearl came out and for a second she caught Pearl's intense gaze before it became soft and teary.

"Oh darling," sobbed Pearl as she brought Sydney close and hugged her, shedding tears as she did. "You have to see him soon..."

"For goodness sake... you make it sound like he's going to die! Don't worry Sydney, he's fine. You just ask the Doctor if you can go in soon okay? I've got to take the crying woman home. I'll see you around soon!" he said as he waved her goodbye.

Sydney sat down again, patiently waiting for the Doctor to come out from Dominic's ward. It was then that she realized how all of them seem to have MacFarlane as their surname. It was strange but it was also the case in the office. They must have a really big family; bigger than hers it seems.




To Love a Were Ch. 04



When the door opened, she saw the female doctor giving her the thumbs up to go in. "He's still running a fever but it's much lower now and he's in the safe zone now. But be careful okay?" she said.

Sydney didn't waste anymore time but quickly dashed inside to see Dominic. His eyes were opened but he looked frail as he smiled to see her.

"You came," he said weakly.

"It was all my fault Dominic," she said as she sat at the chair beside his bed. "I knew you wanted to see me but I kept on avoiding you. Oh! If I had I had seen you then I would have gotten to you here quicker. God knows how many hours you've been unconscious!"

"Hey hey... you're here and that's all that matters really. I'm glad," he whispered as he closed his eyes again. Sydney placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. His fever seemed to have gone down. "It's almost time for my sponging," he croaked when the door turned and a nurse came in.

"I'll do it," said Sydney, taking the bowl of water from the nurse. The nurse smiled and nodded her head. Dominic opened his eyes and was looking at Sydney thoughtfully.

"Nurse Sydney?" he smiled as he called her, watching her face turn slightly red.

"I just want to spend more time with you before they kick me out again," she said nonchalantly as she pulled down the blanket covering him. It was then that her eyes widened with shock at the nakedness in front of her. "What..."

"Oh... that..." said Dominic apologetically. He had been shifting a few times that Amber had given up on changing him into the hospital linen. As wolves, nakedness was not something of a taboo to them so nobody had been disturbed by it except for Sydney who was currently staring at Dominic. "I guess you should just sponge me again before my temperature goes up, Nurse Sydney," he said with a glint in his eyes.

"Seriously Dominic... now is not a good time to get horny," she warned as she began to press the wet sponge onto his chest. In the brightness of the ward, she could see every inch of his body and marveled at its beauty; the taut muscles of his chest and abdomens all the way down to the well muscled thighs and calves. She was trying her best not to look at his cock although she knew it was silly of her since they've made loved a few times now. Nevertheless, she continued sponging down his arms now, feeling the heat slowly dissipating as if evaporating into the air.

She felt his hand clamp gently around her wrist as he pulled her close to him. "Kiss me," he said. When her lips touched his, she could feel the slight warmth in them and wanted to pull away but he wouldn't let her go. Instead, he deepened his kiss and his fingers were working on the front of her blouse impatiently.

"Stop... really, Dominic!" she whispered breathlessly after she managed to pull away. "Are you out of your mind? You're in no condition to be doing this!" she said angrily.

"Why don't you look below? You'll see that my cock's already hard and in every condition to do 'this' with you," he said with a slight mocking tone. "Get out of your clothes Sydney and cuddle with me... please?" he added.

"No Dominic." Sydney had folded her arms across her chest and frowned at him. "No sex until you feel better."

"Even after this?" he exclaimed as he stroked his hard cock in his hand. "Surely you're not going to let this go to waste?" he said with a slight dare in his eyes. He could tell that she was fighting it which meant that half of her wanted him; he was going to win over that half of her. "Shall I get the doctor to tell you how ready I am for you?" he asked with a sly grin on his face, much to her amusement.

"You are such a pervert, Dominic!" she said with a laugh. "Okay, I'll lock the door." Not wanting to wrinkle her clothes, she took them off and carefully placed them on the chair before turning to face Dominic wearing just her bra and g-string.

"Those too," he ordered, pointing to her lingerie. Sydney frowned but did as she was told until she was standing fully naked in front of him. He nodded in delight and motioned for her to come closer. His hands grabbed her breasts and pulled her closer so that he was able to wrap them around his cock. Sydney gave a gasp of surprise at the strange pleasure it felt to fuck his cock around her breast.

"You try it," he said as he let go of his hands. Sydney nodded and moved her breast up and down his cock, feeling it hardening as she did so. Dominic was moaning slightly as she continued to tit-fuck him, enjoying the softness of her breast around his cock. After a while, she heard him croak, "I... I want to taste you... Turn around and give me that sweet pussy, Sydney."

Sydney laughed and turned over, letting her pussy fall just a few inches from his lips as she began to taste his cock. Somehow she missed the smell, the taste and the feel of his cock between her hands. He was delicious; she thought as she twirled her tongue at its head, drawing out the pre-cum that had gathered there. She also marveled at his size; he was well-hung, she admitted and it made her pussy cream slightly just thinking of all that meat deep inside her.

"Sydney... I can't get enough of your scent," moaned Dominic as his tongue licked the folds of her pussy. He wanted to make her wet and ready for him. He could feel her soft lips sucking on his cock and he didn't want to wait that long for her pussy lips' turn. He gave her butt a slap, grabbing them roughly and pressed his tongue inside her. She squirmed slightly at the sudden attack and he felt the slight shudder that told him that she was close to cumming. Taking two fingers, he pushed them gently inside her pussy even as his tongue continued licking her.

"Dominic!" she gasped, feeling the hot cum rushing from her pussy. She had stopped sucking his cock and had buried her face on the mattress to stop herself from screaming. When she recovered, she felt his tongue back on her pussy lips but she had other ideas. She turned around and faced him, pressing her breasts close to his face as her pussy rubbed erotically on his cock. She wasn't going to give him the pleasure of being fucked yet so she continued to rub her wet pussy on his cock's hard body, much to Dominic's agony. Feeling frustrated, he grabbed her tits and sucked on one nipple after another, as if demanding that she fucked him soon. When she didn't relent, he bit her nipple gently between his teeth and rolled his tongue on them, making her moan loudly.

"Bad boy, Dominic," she gasped when he continued to assault her nipples. "Do you want me to fuck you?" she asked with a lusty look in her eyes.

"Fuck yes baby!" he moaned onto her breast. She was moving her hips down slowly now, taking in his cock head between her pussy lips. Dominic had never felt his cock this swollen nor this hungry for its mate than right now and yet she was lowering herself on him much too slow and much too gently. He wanted to thrust all the way up and fill her to the hilt but Sydney seemed to have other ideas for she was not allowing him any ounce of control. She kept swallowing his cock in her inch by inch each time until Dominic was in near hysterics. He was grabbing her hips now, pistoning his cock into her as he felt her move back and forth to match his rhythm. Dominic realized that he liked having her on top for it felt different to dominate her from below and watch her breast bouncing up and down.

Sydney had fallen on his chest as her second orgasm took her by surprise. Dominic could feel her pussy muscles clamping violently around him, making him moan with intense pleasure. He bent his knees and sent his hips humping upwards to fuck Sydney again and again, wanting her to cum once more.

"No Dominic, if you do that I'll... cum!" she screamed the last word and Dominic had to forcefully put his hand around her mouth or else the whole hospital could hear. When she had recovered from the intensity of her cum, Dominic continued to push his cock into her for he too felt himself cumming. He hugged her close and pistoned his hips at a very fast speed, making them both pant for air at the force of their mating... until finally he came in deep hot jets inside her. Sydney didn't stop him from cumming inside her and instead she was literally biting his shoulder to stop herself from screaming out loud. The heat of his cum felt so hot inside her pussy; a feeling she had never felt before.

Dominic felt the need to bite her back as he felt her teeth on his shoulder. He wanted to, so bad to mark her and mate with her but he knew that now was not the time. He needed to talk to her first. When she slowly got up to go to the adjoining toilet, Dominic decided to think about how best to tell her the truth.

When she came out, she was dressed once again in her office clothes and carried a fresh bowl of water from the sink.

"I think I'd better continue with that sponging..." she said as she wiped off the remaining drops of cum from his thigh before starting to sponge his hand.

"Sydney, mind if I ask you a question?" he asked suddenly. Sydney didn't stop sponging his hand although he could tell that she was nodding. "Do you believe in Werewolves?" he asked.

Sydney re-wetted the sponge then frowned at him, "That's such a strange question, Dominic. Why do you ask?" she replied as she began to sponge down his stomach now.

"You have to answer the question first," he replied in an insistent tone.

"Mmm, I guess I do. It's quite a mythical thing I suppose but I guess one cannot help feeling drawn to such things when Hollywood makes such great stories out of them," she said with a shrug and continued to sponge down his thigh.

Dominic willed himself to sit up, much to Sydney's annoyance but he grabbed hold of her shoulder and forced her to look at him, "Are you afraid of Werewolves, Sydney?" he asked.

She frowned then slapped his chest and pushed him back down on the bed. "I think your fever has gotten into your head, Dominic."

Dominic made a face at her then kept quiet. He was thinking of ways to break his secret to her now that he was convinced that he wanted her by his side forever. He had heard Mike's voice gently in his head about his little miss strawberry and immediately his heart had filled with warmth. He knew the moment when he saw her concerned face that she was his; the one he would mate and love forever. He decided to try a different approach.

"Sydney..." he called to her as she pulled up the blanket to his waist.

"Yes? Is there something you need me to do?" she asked gently as she sat at the edge of the bed. Dominic slowly sat up and gestured her to sit beside him. She obliged.

"Sydney... will you marry me?" he asked as he held both her hands in his. Sydney's eyes widened then she began to exhale slowly.

"Isn't that... too sudden for us, Dominic?" she replied, trying to keep her emotions at bay. "We've only known each other for... a month the most. I... I don't think it's matured for us to think of marriage yet."

Dominic's face immediately fell; his wolf howling sadly within him. "Does that mean it's a 'no'?" he asked sadly.

Sydney placed a palm at his cheek, feeling the temperature there rising slightly. "It's not that, Dominic. Let's give ourselves a bit more time before deciding on this, shall we?" she said, trying to soothe him but Dominic didn't seem to be listening. Sydney tried to caress his cheek but pulled away when his skin began to burn her palm. Not wanting to take any chances, she unlocked the door, rushed out and called for the Doctor straight away.

Amber heard her cries from down the hall and rushed to Dominic's ward. She wasn't quick enough for Sydney who had opened the door for her, saw a full grown wolf lying on Dominic's bed and screamed. Amber didn't know which was more important- stopping the hysterical woman or rushing to Dominic's side. She was thankful that a nurse came to her aid, taking Sydney away from her so that she could tend to Dominic.

***

By the time Eian had parked his car at the medical centre, it was almost 1am. The carpark was deserted and by the looks of it, so was the medical centre. He wasn't really in the mood for civilized conversations anyway. He just wanted to check on Dominic and go home.

As he stepped out of the car, he sensed movement from behind the trees lining the entrance. The scent was familiar but not one that he was personally aware of but from the looks of it, it was a Vampire. No wolf could possibly have followed the speed of his car with such accuracy.

"Come out Vampire. I know you're there," he said out loud as he turned and leaned against his car. He sensed the hesitance in the Vampire but not for long; the Vampire was running towards him, talons and fangs on ready. Eian could see the redness of the Vampire's eyes glowing in the dark and could sense a rage inside them, directed towards him but Eian was not going to be cornered by such a young Vampire. He easily evaded every one of the Vampire's attack, even though he was still in his human form. The Vampire was reckless and made unnecessary moves; evidence of a young, inexperienced fighter.

"How could you!" hissed the Vampire angrily at Eian. "How could you push her away like that!"

Eian didn't bother to reply him.

"You broke her!" he shouted towards Eian, swiping his talons viciously. "She loves you and you broke her!"

"Enough," said Eian gently as he grabbed the Vampire by the neck in one move. The man struggled for air as he felt Eian's grip tightening around his windpipe. "Boy, you should know better than to come after me," he said coldly but the Vampire merely spat at him. Eian threw him roughly on the floor in disgust, "You broke her, Alaron. You killed her family and broke her, not me. You have no manners whatsoever, young Culzean. Go back to your home."

With that, he turned toward the entrance of the medical centre, thinking that the Vampire was gone. However, the second he let his guard down, the Vampire came pouncing on him; his talons creating a deep gash on Eian's back. Eian felt himself falling on the ground at the weight of the Vampire on his back... he could feel his fangs elongating, ready to pierce his neck but Eian remained calm and instead smiled for he had scented another Vampire; this one, a scent he knew by heart.

He felt the Vampire on top of him stilling, giving him a chance to throw him off his back and get up.

"Young Culzean... you should really..." the words died on Eian's lips when the Vampire unexpectedly slashed his neck in a quick move before being thrown off violently to one side by the other Vampire. Eian managed to gather his strength to give a desperate call to any wolf inside the centre before he fell to the ground, clutching at his wound. The Vampire had clearly hit his artery and he was bleeding faster than his own body could heal. At the rate that he was losing blood, he might be dead before anyone actually heard his cry for help.

Then he felt his body being leaned against his car before the sight of the white haired girl came to focus. She was thrusting something in his mouth even when his sight became slightly blurred. He felt a warm liquid flowing down his throat and tasted the slight metallic hint... was it blood? Eian felt himself gagging as the blood slid down his throat but his sight was becoming clearer. He could see her now, her mouth pressed to his neck. What was she doing? Was she planning to kill him? He tried to push her away but she was really strong and resisted him.

"Oh my god! Eian!" Amber's screams rang loud into the night before she shifted and charged towards Fiona, throwing her off Eian. Having been forcefully thrown aside, Fiona scrambled towards Alaron who was lying not too far from her and nudged him awake. The force of her push earlier on had managed to knock him unconscious. Fiona watched the wolf turn back into a woman; crouching down in front of Eian without a shame for her nakedness. Her eyes narrowed angrily but she didn't make any more moves. She did not want to come towards Eian without him allowing her to.

From a far, she saw Eian whispering something to the Doctor but she refused to eavesdrop. A second later, the woman, whom she recognized as Doctor Amber came towards her, still naked, and told her to carry the unconscious Vampire inside while she tended to Eian.

Fiona didn't protest but carried Alaron inside the medical centre. The moment she stepped in, the scent of the sterile centre washed over her, making her remember the first time she had come in; drenched in blood and crying in Eian's arms. He had loved her back then and cared for her but not anymore. The thought hurt her and she didn't feel like waiting around anymore. Pulling Alaron close to her, she held him tightly and ran off.

Meanwhile, Eian was lying on a bed in a secluded ward, breathing through an oxygen mask and waiting for Amber to come back with his blood test result. She was shocked as to how his wounds had healed within minutes and had been terrified when told that Fiona had bitten him... or so he thinks. Eian wasn't sure if she had really bit him for he couldn't feel any puncture marks on his neck. Even as he lay down on the bed, his mind was searching for her, sensing if she was within the vicinity. After awhile, he resigned to the fact that she must have left.

"I suppose we are even now, my precious... I've saved your life once and now you've saved mine," he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling.

***

She dumped him on his bed and returned to her own room and sulked. Didn't she tell him not to hurt Eian? And now Eian hates her. She is a bad Vampire after all. And what was that about Alaron breaking her first? What did Eian mean? Even though Alaron had Sired her, he was more like a brother to her and possibly even a friend whom she could talk to. Alaron was not always the easiest to talk to but at least he was around when she needed someone.

But she really wanted to go back to the pack, even though she knew that she was now a fully realized Pureblood who had been officially adopted into the Culzean family; she had duties to do, hadn't her grandfather said that? He had told her that she was now to return to Eian's side and be his good wife and take care of him but Eian had rejected her without a single glance, without a single ounce of emotion for her.

Fiona didn't want to cry; didn't want to shed a tear anymore for him... she knew what she had to do...

She walked down towards the West wing, past Alaron's room and climbed the stairs that led to the upper chambers. She knew that he would be there. As though expecting her, his doors were already open as he sat on an armchair facing the fire, beckoning her close.

"What can I for you, my sweet?" he asked. Fiona looked up into Draven's face. Unlike Alaron, he was a Vampire that was almost five centuries old but his face bore none of the evidence of his age. His long mane of jet black hair was untied at the moment, letting it frame his face as he looked down at the child before him.

"My Lord..." she began, only to be interrupted by his finger on her lips.

"Fiona... you will only address me as such when we are in a formal setting. When we are alone, you will call me Draven, just as you call Alaron by his name, although I must implore you not to be so disrespectful of him in public." His brown eyes stared at hers kindly even as his brows frowned knowingly.

"I apologize..." she said as she sank to her knees. "I know that you know a great many things, Draven... and that is why I need you to do this..." she begged, knowing that he had read her mind the moment she stepped through his doors.

"My sweet... I cannot take away those memories from you," he said calmly even as he took her hair in his hands and stroked it.

"Why?" she asked sadly.




To Love a Were Ch. 04



"I only take away memories of those who have died, to make the loss bearable, but the person in your memories is still alive... and these memories belong to him as well so you have no right to have them removed. Do you understand that, my sweet?" he asked.

"What if he doesn't want those memories too? What if he wants them gone?" she pleaded.

"Fiona... my sweet child, don't be too influenced by Alaron... he can be quite radical at times and definitely temperamental. You on the other hand, have always been sweet and gentle. If you can manage to control even that impossible Alaron, I'm sure you could thaw the Duke's heart. You have done it before," he said as he caressed her cheek.

Fiona knew that her request had been denied, no matter how kindly Draven had put it. She gave him a hug before running out of his room. Draven leaned back against his armchair and sighed. With a flick of his fingers, the doors to his chambers closed by themselves.

***

The moment he was discharged, Eian knew he had no intention of going home. He didn't mean to drive up north but somehow he found himself driving in that direction; driving towards her. He wanted to thank her for saving his life, that's all- nothing more, nothing less.

A few hours later, he was sitting in Aramis's drawing room once again, waiting for the Vampire to greet him. As he sat admiring the room, he noticed that Aramis had had a portrait taken of his new family; Fiona's hair clearly stood out amidst the long black hair so famous of the Culzean. Even her fair features seemed to make her glow slightly apart from the others.

"Ah, I see you've seen our portrait," said Aramis when he came in and saw Eian standing there admiring it.

"Yes, a very fine work of art indeed," he replied before turning around. "Do you know why I'm here, old friend?"

"I'd like to say I know why, but one must never be too presumptuous."

Eian gave a laugh and said, "That is a very good answer, Aramis..." Eian paused to smile before giving a gentle bow, "I would like to see my ward please."

"Oh, Keiran..." sighed Aramis happily.

"I'm not saying I accept your proposal Aramis..." Eian said, cutting him midsentence. "I just want to see her." Aramis gave Eian a curious look but told one of the servants to call for Fiona.

"Have you considered the fact that she might not want to see you, Keiran?" said Aramis after awhile.

"Truthfully, no... but if that is the case, then I will take my leave," he replied with a calm smile. Aramis gave a huff before shaking his head.

"She's not a little child anymore who fears you. She's now a free-spirited young woman who will talk back if she is frustrated. She takes after Alaron in some ways, I regret. He seemed to have passed on his temperamental behavior to her."

Eian was about to reply him when the servant came back relaying news that Fiona had refused to come down to meet her guest. Aramis tried his best not to give Eian the 'I told you so' look.

"Ah, it seems that you are right after all, Aramis..." said Eian with a laugh. "Such a willful child," he added as he began to walk out of the drawing room. Aramis didn't try and stop his friend. Somehow deep inside him, he was convinced that a man did not just drive for six hours only to leave within half an hour.

He was right.

Eian did not go down the stairs to the main entrance but instead walked down the corridor towards the East Wing. He didn't need to know where she was for he could scent her so strongly the moment he had stepped into the castle walls. He strode quietly and calmly down towards her room, admiring the paintings that he passed by. He wasn't going to give her the pleasure of knowing that his heart was desperate to see her.

Finally, he reached outside her door but didn't make any move to knock on it. Instead he simply stood outside and gave a small laugh. What the hell was happening to him? Driving through sleet and snow just to meet a girl- no, woman who was being frustratingly stubborn towards him. Even then, he would not let her know that.

"Fiona," he said her name gently. "I am leaving now," he said and started to walk away. A second later, he heard her door open and felt something soft hitting the back of his head. Raising an eyebrow, he turned to see a pillow lying on the floor.   "Fine! Leave! I don't want to ever see you again! Ever!" she screamed and slammed her door. Eian stood at his place for some time, trying to absorb what just happened. Was that really the little girl he had brought here a month ago? Such a temper!

Picking up the pillow, he raised his voice just a little louder to make sure that she could hear, "Pack your things, Fiona and tell your grandfather to send you to my house when you're not so angry at me anymore." Then he turned and strode to his car, carrying the pillow with him.

***

Sydney was staring at the ceiling of her room feeling as though she had just woken up from a really bad dream. She remembered being in the hospital with Dominic, meeting his sister and brother and then having sex with him... before... before he turned into that thing. But now that woke up to find herself in her own room, she began to doubt if that really happened.

However, she was beginning to feel soreness in her pussy that she had recently learnt to associate with the aftermath of having rough, hot sex with Dominic. Therefore, whatever happened last night had to be real. A quick check at her bedside clock told her that it was nearly three in the afternoon. She couldn't even remember getting home, much less getting to bed but she was thankful that at least it was a weekend, so she wouldn't feel guilty about not going to work.

As she sat up on her bed, she opened her laptop and began to do as many searches as she could about Werewolves. Did they even exist in the first place?

After an hour of surfing, Sydney was beginning to have a headache. The internet provided so much information about Werewolves yet she couldn't really tell which was true and which was not. A thought just occurred to her- if Dominic was a Werewolf, does that mean that his whole family were Werewolves too? She shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly, her phone gave a ring and Sydney gave a shout of surprise. The number on her phone was of an unknown source, but her gut feeling told her to pick it up.

"Hello," she said.

"Miss Sandilands? This is Eian MacFarlane here. I hope you still remember me," said the voice on the other line.

"Oh, Sir... yes, how can I help you?"

"I think we need to talk. I will send a car to your place in an hour's time. Big Mike will be there to pick you up. I'll see you soon," he said before putting down the phone. Sydney stared at her phone as the line got disconnected. What's with the mysterious phone call? He didn't even ask if it was okay for her to be picked up! And how did he even know she was at home?

As her mind raced over the contents of the phone call, Sydney hurried around her house getting ready to go out. She was looking like a mess with her hair all over the place and her body reeking slightly of the medical centre. It took her nearly 45minutes to get dressed. She wasn't sure what was the right attire to wear when meeting your boss on a weekend but she opted for a blouse and Capri pants.

Big Mike picked her up as planned and together they set off for the MacFarlane compound. Sydney didn't ask Big Mike anything and he didn't attempt to make small talk either, so they sat in silence throughout the journey. The silence only made her more queasy and nervous

Finally they stopped outside a large two storey house. Sydney saw that there were few other houses aligned down the street but this house stood apart, on its own.

"This way please," Big Mike said as he ushered Sydney up the porch and through the door. She had expected that he would follow her but he simply shut the door once she was inside. Sydney continued walking past the stairs and into the living room. Eian was already seated there waiting for her.

"Miss Sandilands," he greeted her with a nod. "I'm glad that you could make it here."

"Please, just call me Sydney," she stammered.

"Sit down, Sydney." The words were said with such gentleness that it didn't sound like an order at all. Once she was seated, he offered her a drink but she declined.

"Do you know why you're here Sydney?" he asked.

"I don't really know... I mean... I have a hunch but I do not know for sure."

"A hunch? I like hunches; they're very good for business. So tell me," he said with a smile and leaned back. Sydney felt stupid. Was she really going to tell this distinguished man in front of her about her stupid Werewolf theory? As if!

"I... I don't think that's a good idea, Sir... It is rather... unscientific," she added nervously.

Eian gave a laugh but didn't say anything. From the way he was smiling, Sydney felt that he was urging her to tell him anyway.

"Please sir... please don't think I am going crazy. It's just a theory..." she said with a plea.

"Sydney, I never push away any idea out the window. If one can stand to support his or her idea so convincingly, then I will always credit them, even if I do not agree," he said, trying to reassure her.

Sydney took a few deep breaths before she opened her mouth again. "I think I'm here because I think I saw wolf... I mean, I think I saw a wolf... but I don't think it's a wolf... it's more like a Werewolf 'coz before, I saw a man, then I saw a wolf and I've been doing some research and I must say I was perplexed at first but then... well, I don't know what else to think! It's just a myth isn't it... so it can't be real and what I'm saying doesn't really make sense... I'm sorry..." she said everything in a breath.

Eian gave a lighthearted laugh and shook his head slightly.

"I assure you Miss Sandilands that Werewolves are not a myth at all," he said but didn't elaborate. Something had distracted him for he was looking expectantly at the door. "Give me a minute," he told her as he got up.

Sydney watched Eian walking to the door but before he could open it, it opened by itself and there stood a beautiful woman dressed in a long overcoat. However, it was her hair that caught her attention; long silvery ropes of hair hanging loose from her head. Sydney recalled the same colouring off the little girl she had seen a month ago. Could this be her?

Whatever Sydney was thinking was immediately put to rest as the woman was staring at her with the utmost dislike on her face. She didn't say a word but simply turned and walked away.

"I'll be back," sighed Eian before he broke into a run after her.

***



To Love a Were Ch. 05



"Fiona." His voice was soft but it was stern as he called to her. Still, she continued walking, past the car and into the forest. He was still on her trail and although she was still fuming, the thought that he had come after her made her feel slightly happy at the same time.

"Fiona... if you keep on walking, I will not follow you anymore. I do not want a willful child under my roof and I will not tolerate your tantrums," he said after awhile. Fiona stopped in her tracks and turned slowly to face him.

"I am not a child anymore Eian," she said in the cold tone that she was used to hearing from him. "A child does not feel this level of jealousy of finding another woman in her man's house."

Eian was taken aback for a second as the words came out from her mouth. Did this little Vampire just lay claim on him? He felt the bubble of laughter in his throat escape his mouth.

"Do not be silly, Fiona. I am going back now," he said, as he turned to walk back home. He didn't need to see her face to sense it frowning and pouting at his back. She trudged sulkily behind him, knowing that he did not buy into her silly temperaments. In fact he saw right through her the moment he looked into her eyes- she wanted to stay; she just wanted him to chase after her.

Eian left the front door open but did not wait up for her and had instead resumed his conversation with Sydney. He ignored her as she placed her luggage at the foot of the staircase and climbed upstairs.

"I'm sorry about that," he said apologetically to Sydney.

"It's alright," she replied. "Do you mind me asking, Sir, but is that the same girl that I saw you with the other day at the office?"

Eian smiled and nodded, "Ah yes, quite a bit of a shock to me too, I admit."

"Right..." Sydney's voice trailed as she tried to take in the idea of a child growing into a woman within a few months' span.

"It's alright Sydney. You're not imagining things... and this is not a dream," he said, as if replying to her thoughts. He patted her arm gently to coax her attention back to him. "What you saw with Dominic the other day is not a dream either."

He expected shock but Sydney's eyes only showed relief as she nodded at his words.

"I am surprised Sydney that you are still sitting here, waiting for me to say more," said Eian as he watched her expectant face. When she didn't reply, he continued, "The reason why I asked you to come here is because I want you to understand that the knowledge that you are given privy to is something that we have kept for centuries. As you've told me, you've read up about Werewolves right? Then you would understand that as Werewolves, we live in a pack, headed by an Alpha."

Comprehension dawned on her, "You," she said and watched him nod.

"I decided that it is crucial for you to know our secret... because Dominic is in a critical stage right now. I know it sounds silly but his inner wolf is reacting to your rejection to mate with him as a reason not to live. It's something beyond Dominic's control you see."

"Oh my god!" she gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh Dominic! I... I have to see him now!"

"No, sit down," he ordered. "He's been put to sleep for now but once he wakes up he will want to see you... and you two will need to work out your issues. However, I must stress that just because he claims you as his mate, doesn't mean you have to answer his call..."

Sydney interjected, "No! That would mean he will die!"

"Yes... but feeling sorry for him will make him die too... albeit a slow and painful one. Only answer his call if you feel a strong sense of something pulling you towards him. A good indicator is of course, love," said Eian with a smile. "The other one is the fear of losing your mate and the desire to protect them at all cost... which I have a feeling is something that you are feeling right now."

Sydney began to cry at Eian's words. "I want to see him please..." she said once she calmed down.

"Come," he said, leading her towards the door. He was glad that Dominic's house was not too far from his so it took them less than 5 minutes to reach there. Pearl had opened the door and gave a shout of surprise to see her Alpha and Sydney.

She wants to see Dominic.

Ah, I'll bring her up

He watched as Pearl took Sydney upstairs and smiled.

***

When he closed the front door, he turned to find her looking at him.

"I apologize," she said when he kept quiet.

"I know that I haven't had the chance to teach you about pack customs," he said as he started towards the kitchen, knowing that she was following him. "As an Alpha, I will have people coming into my house for various reasons- for advice, to be reprimanded, to seek permission, whatever. If you wish to stay here, then you are not allowed to behave in such a way to my guests. As a grown woman, you need to understand that nakedness and sexual displays are not something to be frowned within the pack. When we shift back to our human form, we are almost always naked- this is acceptable and expected, just as it is for a bitch in heat to seduce any un-mated male as she wishes. Wolves do not get jealous or possessive unless it concerns their mate. It would be hard otherwise to live within a pack."

He could tell her eyes had widened with shock but she didn't say anything. Meanwhile, Eian rummaged his fridge for something to cook for his dinner.

"Do you remember my three rules, Fiona?" he asked after awhile.

"Yes I do," she said softly. "Your word is law, I must learn to live in the pack with all its rules and customs and lastly, I am never to show my fangs to anyone." She let out a huff.

"Very good," he said as he stirred sauce in a pan. "So which rule are you not able to follow, Fiona?"

Fiona narrowed her eyes at him and gave a loud, "Hmph." But Eian didn't seem to hear her for he kept his back to her all the time as he cooked his own meal. Only after he washed his pan and cutting board did he turn to look at her with his arms crossed.

"I'm still waiting, Fiona," he said sternly.

"I do not like the first rule," she said, giving him a stubborn look. "Technically if I refuse to follow rule one, then all the rules are void."

"Ah, then you will have to go back to the castle and live there for the rest of your life," he replied as he sat down to eat his meal. Fiona watched him and growled. He appeared nonchalant at her response so they maintained silence for a minute or so.

Eventually, she broke the silence, "Aren't you going to invite me to eat?" she asked. Eian looked up at her and gave her a questioning look.

"You don't even eat human food. The last time I ever shove anything down your throat, you ended up vomiting," he replied.

"Then aren't you afraid I'll bite you if I get hungry?" she retorted, obviously annoyed at his lack of manners.

"That'll mean you've broken rule number three," he told her with a smile as he scooped up the last bit of his meal and got up to wash his dishes. She didn't reply him as she watched him wash his plates. It suddenly occurred to her that back in the castle, she never really lifted a finger and it was actually the first time she ever saw someone washing dishes.

"Eian? Can I try that?" she asked as she approached his side curiously. "This thing you're doing?" Eian gave an amused laugh but moved aside as she took the plate from his soapy hands. "Erm... then what?" she asked as she looked up at him with a confused look.

"Okay, I'll show it to you once... then maybe tomorrow you can help me okay?" he said with a smile. Fiona nodded as she dried her hands, feeling slightly cheered. She wasn't sure if he had noticed it but that was the first time today that he had smiled at her.

After they were done in the kitchen, Eian helped carry her luggage up to her old room.

"Well, now that you're older, maybe you'd like to decorate your own room," he said as he placed the luggage on the floor. "Do you need me to help you unpack?"

"No, it's okay," she replied.

They remained silent for awhile as she unpacked various clothes from her luggage.

"I want to thank you for saving my life the other day. A wolf as old as me shouldn't die so easily but that deep wound was almost as good as having my head severed. So it is true I guess that Purebloods have such healing properties," he said with a smile.

"Alaron taught me that. I apologize for his behavior that day too. He's just... misunderstood."

"Then I'm glad that you came when you did." Eian crossed his arm as he leaned against the entrance of her room. "One more thing, Fiona... what were you doing when you placed your face at my neck?"

Fiona's eyes widened at his question. "I certainly did not bite you!" she said defiantly.

"I'm not saying you did. I'm asking what you were doing," he replied coldly.

"Alaron taught me that external and internal wounds are different. To heal internal wounds, blood must be ingested or transfused. But external wounds can be healed with our saliva; it helps the blood clot faster so that the wound can be closed immediately to prevent more loss of blood. I'm sorry if that disgusts you in any way," she said slightly annoyed.

"I didn't say that it did. I don't think you could make anyone feel repulsed," he replied sincerely.

Fiona was genuinely pleased and smiled as she looked up at him. Eian still looked the same to her and yet she knew that in his eyes she was someone totally different. She wanted to ask him so many questions but at that moment as her blue eyes stared at his green ones, she wondered if he too had many questions for her.

They stared at each other for what seemed like eternity before he finally gave a smile and walked off towards his own room, leaving Fiona alone with her own things. She gave a sigh as she unpacked her clothes. Her grandfather had had seamstresses down to the castle to make her new clothes because he didn't think it was good for her to go shopping. Truthfully, she preferred the simplicity of life which the pack seemed to offer her. The drive into the compound had allowed her to see the children running around their gardens, some walking with their mothers while others gathered at the playground nearby. For a second, she felt a pang of jealousy at the realization that she never had the chance to play on the swings or the slide.

Suddenly she felt sad. No one had asked her if she wanted to be an adult. No one had stopped this ridiculous process for her. Would Eian have stopped it if he had known? Perhaps he would. However, she did not feel cheered. It had been one of the female servants who had taught her how to put on a bra while another taught her how to use the sanitary napkins. They were nobodies to her; they didn't care or love her. They were merely doing their jobs.

Fiona began to cry. She wanted her mommy.

A few feet away, Eian was alerted to the sudden change in energy flow in the house. Straining his ears, he heard soft sobs coming from Fiona's room. They were really soft and hardly audible and he didn't think she had wanted him to hear. Eian wasn't sure if he should go and comfort her or not. She was no longer a frightened child who needed him at every turn. Right now, she could be crying for a variety of reasons- she probably missed her home or her new family. She could even be crying because she's frustrated at him- a reason which he was inclined to believe. Nevertheless, he found himself walking towards her room.

"Fiona?" he called softly as he approached. Immediately the sobs stopped but she didn't make any sound to reply him. Concerned, Eian pushed open her door slightly and walked in to see that she had indeed been crying for her eyes were swollen and her nose was red.

"Want to talk to me about it?" he asked in a gentle voice as he settled himself beside her.

"I was thinking about some stuff... and then I felt a strong need for my mother... my real mother, whoever she was," she said with a sad sigh. Eian felt his heart break. Did coming back to this house bring back memories of her childhood trauma? He didn't say anything but pulled her close to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

The sat like that for a long time, listening to each other's breathing. Eian occasionally pressed a kiss or two to the top of her head but neither said anything. Meanwhile, Fiona felt her heartbeat increase with every minute that passed in silence. Now that she was older, she was very much aware of the hardness of his body pressed against hers. It frightened her but also intrigued her very much. She sighed as she cuddled closer. Did he always smell like this? Like fresh pine and mint? It made her feel calm and happy.

"I missed you so much," she whispered as she wrapped her fingers around his arm. She felt him stiffen for a second before relaxing again. His fingers touched hers lightly, caressing them gently but he made no further advances.

"You should go to sleep now, little one," he said after awhile as he got up to his feet and pulled her up. She was sure that he was about to pick her up and tuck her in himself if she had not moved at once. Reassured that she was safely under her blankets, he switched off the lights and said to her the same thing he always said before bedtime, "I will leave the door slightly open for you and I'll leave the passage light on. If you need me, I'm in the room at the end of the hall okay?"

Fiona nodded and willed herself to close her eyes as she felt Eian walk further and further away from her...

***

He could smell strawberries invading his senses. Was she really there or was he in his dream state again? Dominic didn't feel like waking up but somehow his wolf had decided that they had enough sleep. Dominic stirred slightly before opening his eyes. It was really dark; it must be night now. From the looks of it, he was at home too.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw the outline of a woman resting her head at the edge of his bed. His heart skipped a beat as he sat up to check if it was really Sydney. She looked so tired, he thought. Had she been with him all the time, watching over him?

"Sydney..." he whispered, shaking her slightly.

"Hey... you're awake," she said, stifling a yawn. "Thank goodness..."

"I'm sorry," he said almost automatically but she shook her head and gently eased him back to his lying position.

"I'm here now, little wolf... so you better not try to get sick again or I'll get very angry," she said with a smile. Even in the dark, Dominic could see the way her lips moved as she smiled. Did she just call him 'little wolf'?

"My wolf says that he is not so little and feels hurt that his mate thinks of him that way," he said with an amused grin.

"Really? Why don't you show me just how big you can get? I'm sure you're not so scary after all," she said with a laugh as she laid a head on Dominic's chest. "I've been so worried about you, Dominic..." she whispered.

Dominic didn't say anything but closed his hands over her body and hugged her. "You know, Sydney... this isn't the hospital bed. You really didn't need to sleep at the edge. Come over and cuddle beside me," he said, patting the other side of his queen sized mattress. Sydney crawled slowly onto the bed and cuddled close to Dominic's body. He didn't waste much time but gathered her in his arms again and pressed his lips gently to hers.

This time, they were going to do it slow... and they were going to do it right. He felt her lips moving against his gently before she opened her mouth slightly to allow their tongues to wrestle lovingly with each other. Their lips stayed lock on each others' even as Sydney's hands fumbled slowly with her own blouse. She didn't like having her clothes in the way of feeling the warmth and hardness of Dominic's chest against hers.

Dominic pulled his lips slowly away from her then gave a soft chuckle. "You can take your time to get naked you know..."

"Let me get naked first, then you can take your time," she replied, tossing her clothes carelessly to the floor. Finally free from her trappings, she pressed herself seductively against his taut body, rubbing her nipples against his skin. She moaned as she felt them growing hard against the flatness of his chest. Her lips sought his again and they continued to kiss as their bodies rubbed against each others, almost in a mating dance.

"You make me so hot Sydney," whispered Dominic as he trailed kisses from her lips to the side of her neck, licking the tender skin there. His soft licks elicited sighs from her lips before she felt him sucking the tender flesh, marking her again with his love bites.

"Marking me again, Dominic?" she whispered into the darkness.

"You haven't seen the best of it yet," he said as he continued. "This is just the beginning," he growled as his lips now moved to the top of her breast, biting the soft skin here and there, leaving bite marks all over her. Sydney didn't seem to mind and was in fact enjoying herself as she watched him. When he was done, his hands moved to her breast and cupped them gently, pushing them closer together before his tongue licked her hard nipples in succession. When she began to whimper, he closed his mouth over one nipple and sucked it as he tweaked the other between his fingers. As he switched his mouth to the other nipple, he couldn't help but feel excited to taste the milk that would soon grace these soft breasts as she nurse their pups.

A low growl came from his throat and Dominic knew that his wolf was growing impatient; he wanted to mate with Sydney right away but Dominic had other plans. He was trailing kisses down to her abdomen now, licking the tender skin there, and imagining it stretched to accommodate a litter. He smiled as he continued to kiss south, towards the mound of blonde hair modestly covering her pussy. Dominic eased her legs up, bending them at the knees before he pressed his nose close to her pussy, drawing in her sweet essence.

"Lick me..." she purred, bucking her hips upwards to encourage him. Dominic didn't need to be told twice. His tongue immediately lapped at the generous amounts of juice that were coming out of her pussy. She was wet enough... but not ready for the mating that is about to come. Dominic licked more, using his fingers to spread her lips apart. He had to make her cum; her pussy has to be absolutely slick before he enters. Sydney was moaning uncontrollably ad Dominic's tongue lapped at her pussy without restraint. He had pushed in two fingers inside her and was trying to add another one now as his tongue played with her clit. The rough edge of his tongue aimed to stimulate every nerve ending in her pussy to prime her up for him. She was absolutely delirious as she felt him suck on her clit and she came, squirting her pussy juice slightly onto his face.

"Good girl," he said as he licked the juices that had dripped down her thigh.

"Dominic... I want you too... give me your cock..." she pleaded, rubbing his cock in her hands greedily. He simply shook his head and continued his oral assault on her pussy. He had managed to insert three fingers into her now and saw that she was able to accommodate them all. He moved his mouth away from her pussy and went back to sucking on her nipples, biting them gently as he fucked her hard with his fingers. It didn't take long before she came the second time.

As Dominic felt the warm gush of her juices on his fingers, he felt satisfied. He pressed his body against hers, seeking her lips. Her hand had automatically reached for his cock, rubbing it up and down, feeling it grow bigger and bigger in her hand. She could feel her excitement brewing at the thought of his huge cock deep inside her. She purred hungrily against his mouth, bucking her hips against his, wanting his attention.

Dominic gave a chuckle and positioned himself above her. He pushed her legs up and felt her automatically wrapping them around his waist.




To Love a Were Ch. 05



"I'm going in now," he said, pushing the head of his cock slowly into her pussy. The slippery entrance made it easier to slide his cock in but halfway, he could feel the tightness building around him. He brought his body forward to kiss her and felt his cock move in a few more inches. Her hips were moving slowly now as her pussy grew accustomed to the size of his cock inside her.

"You're so impossibly big Dominic... bigger than usual... god it feels so fucking good. Do me a little harder," she moaned into his ears. Dominic's wolf gave a cheerful yap and Dominic felt his hips move, plunging the rest of his cock in before heaving back and doing it all over again; in and out of her wet pussy. Sydney gave a scream of pleasure when Dominic gave a hard plunge and buried himself to the hilt inside her. "More... more!" she moaned.

Dominic lifted one of her legs over his shoulder and turned her slightly to her side. He felt himself slide in deeper in this position and began to mercilessly fuck her. He could hear the erotic sounds of their skin slapping against each other as well as the splashy sounds of her pussy being pounded by his cock. It turned him on to be able to look down and see them joined together that Dominic lost his self control. His hips bucked harder and he came in hot jets of cum inside her pussy.

Sydney's body was beginning to relax but he was not done yet. Without taking his cock out, he turned her over and instructed her to get on her hands and knees.

"No need to rest?" she asked but the wind was knocked out from her breath as she felt his hard cock plunge once again inside her. "You're still so hard!" she exclaimed in surprise before moaning out loud. She loved being fucked in this position. It made her feel so slutty that she began cumming once more. She could feel their mixed juices dripping down from her thigh but Dominic wasn't stopping. She could feel him so deep inside that he was almost at the entrance of her cervix. His hands were squeezing her breast now as his hips pistoned faster, slapping her butt with every stroke.

"Sydney... I love you," he managed to say between breaths before he pulled her body backwards, leaning her against him. Sydney heard a low rumble before she felt something sharp biting the muscle on her shoulder. She wanted to turn to look but the intensity of the bite made her lose all sense of control. Her hips were moving greedily downwards to meet everyone of Dominic's upward thrust. She was screaming his name as she felt her own orgasm coming to its finale. Dominic was moaning but it sounded more like the sound of a howl to her before his hips gave a final thrust and they came together in the most mind-blowing orgasm that she had ever felt.

Sydney's pussy was clamping so tightly around his cock that Dominic almost couldn't breathe. The part where their bodies were joined was burning up. He tried to pull away but found himself stuck to her. He panicked but when he sensed his wolf's satiated energy, he calmed down. This was supposed to be right. Dominic had shifted only for a few seconds to let his beast claim its mate before he reeled the wolf back in. He didn't want to scare her on their first meeting. They'll be introduced to each other soon... once this knot between them subsides and the wolf within his mate gets awakened.

***

January was coming to an end but snow still fell from the sky, covering the earth with a cold blanket. Fiona gazed out the window longingly as she watched the other children coming out to play with snow.

"Here," said Eian as he placed a mug of hot cocoa in front of her. She didn't touch it but continued looking out the glass pane. Eian looked out too and saw how beautiful the snow had piled on the ground. "Do you want to go out and play?" he asked.

A look of pure horror fell on her face as she turned and stared at him accusingly. "I'm not a little kid anymore!" she asserted.

"I didn't say you should go out and play alone..." replied Eian in a patient voice. "I'll come out and play with you." Fiona gave him a sideway glance as if not believing him. "Do you have winter clothes?"

"I think so," she replied, taking a sip of the cocoa he had given her. "Should I go and change now?"

"Sure," he replied, watching her skip slightly as she rushed upstairs to her room. Sighing to himself, he looked out the window and watched the children playing to their heart's content. Unconsciously, he picked up her cup and pressed it to his lips, draining the remaining of her cocoa before he got up to get changed.

Half an hour later, they were throwing snow balls at each other, laughing maniacally as they ended up covered in snow. It was no fun playing with an Alpha wolf and a Vampire girl for they were both ruthless strategist with such accurate aim even when they were running around at such light speed.

She managed to drop a few scoops of snow into his coat out of revenge after he dumped a huge ball on her head. Eian couldn't believe he was actually outside, laughing and playing with snow. It had been years... maybe decades since he had ever played in the snow with anyone. He smiled. It felt... nice.

Finally exhausted, Fiona surrendered and lay back on the snow, moving her hands and feet side to side like a wiper. Strands of her white hair had come loose from under her cap and seemed to blend in seamlessly with the snow.

"Come on," said Eian, dragging Fiona to her feet. "Help me build a snow man."

"A what?" she asked excitedly.

"Just get on your feet," he replied, rolling a ball of snow around to make it bigger. "We're gonna make a big fat snow man..."

"Why can't it be a woman?" she asked even as she imitated his movements. Eian laughed and gave her an incredulous look.

"I don't think snow boobs look good in public," he replied. Fiona's mouth opened at his ridiculous remark; she threw snow at him.

They ended up throwing snow at each other again, forgetting all about their snow man. It was only when Eian felt his stomach rumble did he force them to stop playing in the snow so that he could eat.

"You eat so many times a day!" she complained as Eian forced her into the house.

"Go upstairs and take a hot bath. You've got snow all over your head," he fussed as he took her wet coat and boots off. He hung their wet stuff in the laundry room before rushing upstairs to take a hot shower himself before settling down to work. He had a few drafts to oversee and various other documentations that need to be signed.

Meanwhile, Fiona was soaking herself in the hot tub; her clothes carelessly thrown on the bathroom floor. She'd have to learn how to do her own laundry too, she supposed. It would be really weird to expect Eian to wash her lingerie as well. She thought briefly about dragging a maid servant down to help her with her chores but decided otherwise. One Vampire in the pack was bad enough. Besides, a common-level Vampire would need feeding every day and might pose a much greater threat than her.

As she let the warm water soak into her skin, Fiona brought her hands up to her chest to wash the soft mounds that she had only recently grown accustomed to. She wasn't sure what the normal size was for she had only seen one naked pair since she was awakened. It had been Amber's, the day she had shifted back to human form at the medical centre. Fiona covered them with her hands, feeling slightly embarrassed. Eian had probably seen so many women's breasts that seeing hers wouldn't be any different. She doubted that he even considered her a woman no matter how much she insisted that she wasn't a child anymore.

Just thinking about it made her annoyed so she drained the bath tub and got up, reaching for her towel and picked up her clothes. As she stepped out the bathroom door, she came face to face with Eian who was heading downstairs. Judging from his wet hair and fresh soap scent, she figured he too must have just had a bath.

For a moment, they just stood there staring at each other, unaware that the water from Fiona's hair was dripping on the floor. Eian was looking at her with a curious look on his face. She thought he was going to say something but his hand simply took a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers.

"This is probably the only time your hair looks dark. It suits you just as well," he said as he let her hair go and brush her cheeks lightly with his thumb. "Get dressed."

Eian continued walking but he was very much aware of Fiona's every move towards her own room. He tried to push the image of her smooth fair skin out of his mind but he realized that he was going to have to live with it. Ever since she came here, he hadn't seen her wearing anything that revealing for she was always in long pants and long sleeved shirts. With breasts and hips that were barely contained by a flimsy towel, Eian knew that that body belonged to a woman and not a child. Eian sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring her home after all.

He got himself a sandwich and settled down in his study room, trying to drown himself in work, hoping to quell the inevitable feeling inside him.

***

The weekend came to a close and it was back to the office for the newly mated couple. Sydney had been feeling rather energetic since their last lovemaking and had even found the energy to do a 4km run early in the morning before heading off to work. She was not usually a running person but she had gotten up at 5am that morning and put on her running shoes without hesitation.

The air seemed so much fresher; she could scent even the flowers in bloom and was alert of every sound and stir around her. She felt wonderful.

When she arrived at work, she dropped a bouquet of fresh flowers on her secretary's desk and carried another one into her office. As her secretary reminded her of the meetings and various appointments for the day, Sydney did not once scowl at her despite the heavy load.

There was one very important meeting today at 2pm; bidding by developers for the prime land that the company had recently acquired. The board had decided to build a shopping mall with residential apartments on top. It was quite a new idea especially to be built on commercial land but Eian had approved of it. Sydney was already planning on various marketing strategies both to attract tenants for the retail spaces and also for the apartments. It was going to be an upscale, luxury housing so retail and consumer facilities were of a primary concern.

She browsed through various contracts and files until she lost track of time. By the time she looked at her clock, it was close to one and her stomach was rumbling. It was quite unusual for her to be hungry so easily but for the last two days, her appetite had been ravenous. As she closed the files on her desktop, she locked her office and came face to face with Dominic.

"I can hear your stomach rumbling from my office," he said jokingly when Sydney glared at him. "Come... I'm taking you out. No cafeteria food for you."

He brought her to a quiet Italian restaurant down the street and began ordering two sets for a three course meal. Sydney had given a plea of protest at the amount of food but Dominic had shaken his head and gave the order to the waiter.

"You've got to re-fuel honey..." he said when their appetizers came. "You're not going to be living on salads anymore. Trust me." Sydney looked at her prosciutto wrapped breadstick and gulped.

"Meat and carbs? You have so got to be kidding me..." she said, even as she took a bite off her food. As the first bite went down her throat, Sydney found that she was hungry after all. By the time lunch was over, she had indeed left no scraps on her plate, much to Dominic's pleasure.

As they sipped their coffee, Dominic picked her left hand and caressed it gently. "Your body is not just fueling for itself now..." he said slowly, watching her confused face.

"You mean I'm pregnant? Already?" she exclaimed with a gasp.

"Well... we can try it a few more times to make sure that happens," he said with a wink. "But seriously, what I meant is that... you're a wolf now, honey," he said whispering.

"Oh!" her eyes widened with understanding. "That bite..." Dominic nodded.

"Don't worry sweetie... we'll let her out soon. I know she must be itching to stretch out and run around."

Sydney thought about her run this morning and laughed. "I guess that'd mean I'll be really fit huh. So it's okay to eat more I guess."

"You're... you're okay with this wolf thing Sydney?" he asked carefully. It just occurred to him that it was quite a shitty thing not to ask her permission first.

"Well, I guess I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to answer your call," she replied, looking at him sweetly. "Besides, that'd mean that I have the next few hundred years to get back at you for luring me into this whole canine business."

Dominic couldn't help it but burst into laughter.

"That sounds fun. And there's another thing," said Dominic, looking her in the eyes. He took her hand in his and rubbed it gently. "Will you marry me, Sydney?"

"Oh Dominic... it's all too fast isn't it? We haven't even moved in together..." she started.

"Alright then, will you move in with me, Sydney?" he asked. Sydney wanted to laugh but the serious look in his eyes made her stop. He was really determined.

"Why don't you move in with me, Dominic? It's not that I don't like your sister and brother but it would be nice to have our own home right? I live alone, so I guess it's okay if you move in."

"I'm sorry darling, I can't do that. I have to live within the compound... it's a pack rule, meant for our safety. It will be safer for you too, seeing that you still have to learn how to shift at will."

Sydney felt angry at his words. How selfish of him! "You want me to sell my house just so I can live with you?"

"That would be best won't it?" he replied, aware of the fire in her eyes. He had to be really careful for a sudden outburst of anger might prompt her wolf to shift out without warning. "Sydney darling, listen to me... we can get a plot of land on the compound, no problem. Then we can build our own home together- yours and mine. I'm sure you'd like that right?"

Sydney looked at him considering his suggestion before she gave in, "But it will take at least a few months for the house to be up and another two or three months for all the renovations..." she said lost in her thoughts.

"That'd give us plenty of time to plan the wedding," he added. Sydney took her hand away from him and slapped his hand.

"Determined are we?"

"Yes we are. Well... at least wolfie here agrees. He wants a dozen pups and he wants to do it right now... but I told him we've got to wait till tonight."

Sydney rolled her eyes at him even as she gave out a laugh. "A dozen? No way am I running after a dozen little kids."

"You forget that they are born in a litter..." he added with a smile, much to Sydney's annoyance. "Well darling, be it two or three or four or even twelve... I just want them to be legitimate at the onset of their conception."

"That's it. No more sex for you," she replied, crossing her arms.

"I'll give you... 12 hours before you give in," he winked at her as a challenge.

"Don't be so cocky, Dominic. I'm giving you 6 hours maximum before you come to me begging for it."

"You're on."

***

Eian had left for work early that morning so Fiona was alone at home. As she groggily got out of bed, she heard pots clanging in the kitchen. Frowning, she carefully stepped into her slippers and went down the stairs.

"Oh you're up! I'm so sorry I made such a racket!" said a very pregnant woman in the kitchen. Fiona rubbed her eyes and realized that it was Pearl.

"Oh, hey Pearl." Fiona gave a yawn before coming closer, "Did Eian ask you to babysit me again?" she asked.

"It's more like you're babysitting me, sweetie," she said, putting more utensils on the table. "I'm due any moment now and with the men all at work, you're the nearest woman to my house so I decided to pop by for company." Fiona stopped in her tracks and stared at Pearl in disbelief.

"You... you actually trust yourself around me?" she asked, feeling unsure.

"Of course I do. Why should I not? Plus I've missed you little one..." she said, coming towards Fiona for a hug. "My you've grown quite a bit since I last cuddled you," she said as she pulled away. "Or maybe it's just me. Oh god I look like a cow!"   Fiona panicked at the sudden change in Pearl's mood. "Oh no no! You're so beautiful Pearl... and they're going to be out soon won't they? Then you'll just bounce back to being sexy and slim," she said, trying to soothe Pearl.

"Yes, you're right," she said patting her tummy gently, "Come out soon okay? Mummy's really tired of carrying you for 9 months. It's time to come out and disturb your Daddy's sleep time." Pearl grinned and opened more drawers and cabinets.

"Uh... what are you searching for exactly?" asked Fiona suddenly aware that Pearl was literally turning the kitchen upside down.

"Oh... didn't you know sweetie? It's Eian's birthday tomorrow... so I thought I'd help you bake a cake for him. I'm so bored sweetie..."

"His... birthday?" Fiona stepped back unsure what to say. Eian didn't mention anything about his birthday to her. Maybe he thought it wasn't important. But it was important to her- at least she could always remember his birthday from now on, even if she couldn't remember her own.

"Right, so there's flour and sugar... and eggs and butter," she said as she trailed from one corner of the kitchen to the other. "For a man, he sure knows how to take care of his house..." she said as she added more ingredients to the table. "And I've brought along some fresh cream and flavouring. So now we're all set. I just need to find the cake mixer..."

"I think it's in the cupboard at the side. He keeps all his kitchen appliances there," said Fiona, trying to be helpful. She hadn't the faintest idea how to bake a cake and she was afraid of getting in the way so she just stood by the kitchen entrance.

"Seriously, Alpha has such an amazing kitchen! Who uses designer kitchen tools? God! I bet the rest of his house is well stocked as well," she muttered to herself as she placed the mixer on the table. It was only after a while when she looked up that she frowned.

"Why are you standing there, sweetie? Go and wash up and come back here to help me okay?" Fiona nodded and rushed upstairs to take one of the quickest showers she had ever had before rushing down to help Pearl.

Pearl had already measured out all the ingredients, setting them into bowls and cups by the time Fiona joined her. Fiona looked curiously at all the ingredients, sniffing them and watching how they mixed together in the mixer.

"It's really easy, see? Just throw this in... and that... and you have the base batter!"

"Ooo... that's really cool! But how do you know what flavour Eian likes?" she asked.

"Eian's really a classic man, can't you tell? He's a vanilla man... although I can't tell if that's his style in bed. I mean men can be so deceptive at times," she said as she mixed in a few drops of vanilla essence. When she looked up, she saw that Fiona was watching her with a look of shock mixed with curiosity.

"Did I say something wrong sweetie?" she asked. "I didn't say anything to offend you did I?"

Fiona shook her head vigorously before slowly stammering.

"Va... vanilla in bed?" she asked slowly. "That sounds strange..."

Pearl gave a small laugh and slapped the table. "Vanilla sex sweetie..." she began before she realized that Fiona was blushing. "Oh dear, I don't suppose that's a very good topic to discuss with you now is it?"

"Oh! Oh no, please... I mean, I would like to know," said Fiona in a small voice that didn't sound like her own.




To Love a Were Ch. 05



"Well sweetie... Vanilla sex is probably the most romantic kind of love making but also the most boring depending on how you look at it. It just means that the man is usually on top and the couple doesn't do anything that is umm... adventurous," she said with a small giggle. "Now, why would a little girl like you want to know about sex hmm?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Is... is it true that sex is not a tabooed subject within the pack?" she asked, feeling her cheeks burn slightly with embarrassment. "Then... then it's alright for me to ask right?" Pearl gave a laugh as she passed Fiona the stirring spoon.

"Stir that in a clockwise direction until I say stop," she said settling herself on a stool nearby. "Well sweetie, it's true that our pack has a very open concept regarding our bodies. When we shift back to human form, we're always naked and it doesn't disturb us to see each other that way. As for sex, it's common for un-mated Weres to seek each other out. I'm sure you've seen some of the female wolves in heat before so you'll know what I mean."

"Uh, yes... Eian's told me all that. But... it doesn't seem like he behaves the same way as the other wolves. I mean... he's so cold and strict. Even his smiles are icy in a way... so very unlike you or Dominic or Amber... all of you are so passionate and fiery in your emotions. I... I thought all Werewolves are like that you know? Aggressive, passionate, sensual creatures."

Pearl got up from her stool and took the bowl of icing sugar in front of Fiona. As she scooped them up little by little, she smiled and patted Fiona's head. "Being young has its perks... just like you, as I have heard. A temperamental young woman, passionate, aggressive and sensual I am sure. Oh yes... Sydney told me all about what happened the other day. She was quite taken in by you, I must say." Pearl laughed as she walked away to place the used bowls in the sink. "You shouldn't think that Alpha's not all that too. It's just that he has lived for many centuries; even more than any of us here and thus had more time to learn how to control his wolf's wild side. Don't be too hard on him darling... I know he can get quite cold at times but he needs you," she added with a beam.

"What would he need me for? I'm quite useless at housework as it goes... he does his own cooking and even his own dishes and laundry." Pearl gave a loud chuckle as she heard Fiona's reply.

"He just hasn't figured it out yet. He will in time," she said gently. "Here, come help me pour the batter out. We're gonna put it in the oven now."

As the cake baked in the oven, Fiona couldn't help but be drawn by the delicious smell wafting from it. She insisted on washing used bowls and utensils when she saw how swollen Pearl's ankles were and told her to sit down.

When she was done, the two women went into the living room to rest on the couch. Fiona could see that Pearl was really exhausted and she seemed also to be in some pain.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm okay... don't worry about it."

However, Fiona felt unsure. She could sense something coming. She got to Pearl in time to see a gush of water coming from between her legs.

"Oh my god!" she gasped.

"No...it's okay sweetie... it's just my water bag. Get... get my phone," said Pearl as she tried to hold in her pain. "Call... call husband..." she gasped. Fiona scrolled down to find Mike's name and rattled on to him about what happened before scrolling down to call Amber and Dominic. She was about to look for Eian's name when Big Mike came at the door, lifting Pearl into his arms.

"I'm here baby," he said as he lifted her into his car. "Sweetie, can you go down to my house and get the big bag at the foot of our bed? There's a change of clothes and some other maternity stuff there. I'll see you later at the hospital," said Mike very quickly before he sped off.

The cake was totally forgotten as Fiona rushed out of the house and ran over to Pearl's house. A few minutes later, with the bag in hand, she ran back home, only to realize that she didn't know how to go to the hospital. Was it the same medical centre that they went the other day? How was she going to get there?

"I guess I could run... I'd better change to running shoes then," she sighed, rushing back to her own house.

When she opened the house door, she saw that the cake was already taken out of the oven and cooling on a rack.

"Eian?" she called out. She heard some movement upstairs and waited until he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

"I was about to but then Big Mike came and then he told me to get this bag and then I forgot..." she said apologetically.

He didn't reply her but went over to put the ingredients in the kitchen back into their respective compartments. "Next time, don't leave the oven unattended like that understand? It could be a fire hazard," he said casually when she entered the kitchen.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose!" she scowled.

"When I leave the house, you are responsible for it, Fiona... how can I trust you to be alone at home if you end up burning it down?" he said calmly, turning to look at her. Her eyes were ablaze with anger.

"Everything happened so fast... it wasn't like I wanted to leave the oven like that!" she said furiously.

"I do not want to hear your excuses. Come, we're going to the hospital." He was tugging at her hand but she refused to budge.

"No! You are so unreasonable!" When Eian didn't reply her, she burst out, "You know what? That's it... you can go and take this bag to Pearl. I'm going home!"

Fiona was furious. Why was he blaming her for something she didn't do on purpose? Nothing she did seemed to please him. She stormed up to her room to change into her long coat and boots before storming downstairs and out the door without a backward glance. She knew that he was not following her but she didn't care. He was such an unreasonable prick.

Eian watched her leave the house and sighed. He didn't mean to thrash out his worry by snapping at her. Dominic was the one who had called him about Pearl... why hadn't she? Maybe she was right about going over to collect Pearl's things... but it didn't change the fact that she left the oven on without supervision. He had been so worried about her when he came in to find the house empty. She never went anywhere without telling him and he didn't like knowing that she could simply escape from his radar like that without him realizing it. He wouldn't give a damn even if the house burnt down as long as she was not in it. In fact, he wouldn't give a damn about anything in the world as long as she was safe.

He couldn't track her anymore... she was running too fast for his senses to pick up. With a sigh, he got to the couch to pull off the covers and dumped it in the wash. He'll deal with her later. First, he needed to get to the hospital.

It was almost déjà vu when he got out of his car and sensed the young Vampire coming towards him. Only this time, he did not attack.

"Your Excellency," he said with a slight bow. Eian could hear the slight tone of mocking in his voice but chose to ignore it for the time being. He had no time to waste on the Vampire.

"What do you want, young Culzean?" replied Eian coldly. "I must get inside quickly."

"You're alone?" asked Alaron in surprise, dropping all pretenses. "Where's Fiona?"

"She's run off home. I'm sure you can track her if you move now."

Alaron scowled at him. If he knew that Fiona wasn't with him, he wouldn't even bother with the formalities.

"I can't believe this! I've been coming here everyday for the past two weeks hoping to see her. I have no idea where the hell you've taken her."

"I'll forgive you for being so blunt only because we're in public. Be rude again to me and your head will be on the floor," whispered Eian before he turned to walk into the medical centre.

He made sure that the Vampire was gone before he continued walking because he didn't want a fight to happen inside the building for it would scare the patients. He continued walking until he reached the maternity wards. Dominic and Sydney were already there waiting anxiously.

"Hey Eian, she's delivering at the moment. Big Mike's with her," said Sydney with a smile. Eian returned her smile before looking at Dominic.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, much to their surprise.

"Oh... I don't think this is the place to discuss it, Eian," Dominic replied.

"How long were you going to put it off telling me then?" he answered coldly. Immediately Dominic knew his Alpha was annoyed. Perhaps it was best to tell him straight away.

"Forgive me, Alpha... Sydney and I have agreed to move in together and I am planning to purchase some land within the compound to build a house," he said quickly but carefully.

"Okay," he replied immediately. "Get your contractor to come to my home office tomorrow and I'll give you the lease."

Dominic frowned. Eian was really behaving weirdly. First he was demanding then he was all business-like. Did he have a fight with Fiona? He looked around and saw that she was nowhere in sight.

"Darling, could you go to the cafeteria and get me and Eian some coffee? I wanna talk to him alone," whispered Dominic to Sydney. When she had gotten up and gone, Dominic went over to his friend and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked slowly. Eian turned and gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry I snapped earlier. I guess I am not used to having her around. She's very difficult to control." Dominic didn't need to know who 'she' was.

"I don't think she'd like being controlled either, Eian... I mean she's still young and she didn't get a chance to grow up in the pack... so I guess she doesn't understand what it means to yield to an Alpha."

"Maybe..." he replied but didn't say anything more.

Meanwhile, Sydney was sitting at the cafeteria taking a sip of her own coffee, hoping to buy more time for the men. It was then that she noticed the white haired woman sitting alone in a corner. She seemed so sad.

"Umm, hi. I'm Sydney. We've met before haven't we?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful. Fiona looked up and smiled.

"I know you... you're the pretty lady who came to our house the other day," she replied. Sydney wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

"I apologize if it caused you any inconvenience, Miss MacFarlane...it's just that I was..."

"My name is Fiona," she said, before Sydney could finish her sentence. "And I'm not one of those MacFarlanes..." she added unhappily. Sydney was taken aback by the woman's reply.

"Okay, Fiona, can I sit down here?" she asked instead. When Fiona nodded, Sydney smiled. "Are you excited about Pearl's babies?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Thankfully, it worked for Fiona's eyes lit up instantly as she nodded.

"But I think she won't let us near them yet. It's a wolf thing. She wants no one else to cloud their scents," replied Fiona. "Are you having babies too?" she asked with a frown.

"Am I what? No... I don't think so," she replied defensively.

"You smell... different," said Fiona with a confused look. "You smell... like yourself... but with another scent..." she said, giving a whiff. Sydney felt self-conscious. "Like Dominic!" she suddenly said in an outburst.

"Ah, yes... well, we've mated so I guess I carry some of his scent on me now," she replied with a smile.

Fiona looked at Sydney curiously. "Mated?"

Sydney gave a surprise gasp, "You don't know what I mean?" Fiona shook her head. Sydney felt herself blushing. Was she really about to explain to another woman what it meant to mate?

"It's actually quite embarrassing for me to say... But here goes: Mating is really a physical knot that wolves have when they uh... make love. But I'd prefer to think of it more like a special bond you have with your partner. For Weres, it's a very important connection that they have with their mate to whom they want to spend their entire lives with. Dominic called out to me and I responded to his mating call. Some would think of it as destiny or fate maybe, I don't know."

"That's so romantic," said Fiona with tears in her eyes. "Are you going to marry him?"

Sydney gave a laugh and nodded, "But don't tell him okay? It's a secret between you and me. Can you keep it?" she asked with a kind smile. Fiona smiled and nodded her head. "So why are you here alone, Fiona?" she asked gently after awhile.

"I wanted to see Pearl too but I can tell that he is around so I refuse to go near the delivery room."

"Eh? You don't mean Eian do you?"

"That's him alright. I'm not going anywhere near him."

Sydney frowned. Was she being temperamental as she had been the other time? "Did you two fight?"

"Something like that. He accused me of something I didn't do on purpose. I tried to explain but he didn't seem to want to listen to me. I have to do everything that he says. That's just not fair isn't it?" she said sulkily. Sydney felt sorry for the other woman. She wasn't sure what their relationship was but from the way Fiona described it, it sounded very much like the lovers' quarrel that she and Dominic always had... although some would consider it precursor to making up by making out.

"Well... do you want me to make a suggestion?" she asked kindly. Fiona looked up into Sydney's green eyes and nodded. "Well... I guess you've got to make the first move then. If you want him to listen then you've got to make sure he listens. But that said, I think it's best you let the anger die down for now. With a clear mind, you'll be able to think clearly." When Fiona still looked sad, Sydney got up and offered her a hand. "Come on. I'll bring you over to my home for tonight okay? We'll do some girly stuff. Come to think of it, even I need to some girly stuff."

She pulled Fiona along into her car and geared up the engine. Before they left, she called Dominic.

"Darling, listen... I'll drop by your place tomorrow to see the babies okay? Send Pearl my love. I'm going home tonight with Fiona to do some girl stuff so don't you come over understand? Oh yeah, keep this to yourself okay? She doesn't want Eian to know," said Sydney, winking at Fiona. Fiona could hear Dominic swearing at her on the other line but she simply cut him off with an 'I love you' and drove off.

***



To Love a Were Ch. 06



NB: Happy New Year everyone! 

I had a great time writing this chapter and it is definitely my favourite so I hope you enjoy it too. 

Many thanks to angin_berhembus and wildheartedangel for taking the time to edit and proof read this chapter! I really appreciate it. 

Lastly, I'm open to ideas as for this series' ending. So emails and comments are welcomed. 

-ArtForm-

***

"What do you mean she's not there? She said she was going home!" Eian felt his temper rising at Aramis's insistence that Fiona was not at the castle. "Where else can she be, Culzean?"

"Keiran... you know she's a temperamental child. Did you say something to upset her?" Eian didn't reply. Was Aramis suggesting that Fiona being missing was all his fault? "I'll ask Alaron to find her for you..." he suggested instead.

"No! I'm going to find her myself and after that I'm going to send her straight home to you," said Eian between clenched teeth. He disconnected the call and prepared to go out of his house even though it was close to midnight. Even in his anger, his worry for her safety still remained for he partly blamed himself for not going after her when she stormed out in the first place. 

"Fiona, my white haired Vampire, where are you?" he whispered to himself before shifting into his wolf form to search the compound. 

***

Fiona was enjoying herself. It was the first time in her life that she had her nails painted. She had chosen a deep red colour for herself while Sydney chose midnight blue. 

"Try not to move your hands too much until they're dried," warned Sydney smiling towards Fiona. She estimated the young woman before her to be no older than 25 years old. Although she was only two years older, she felt decades older than the innocent woman before her. 

"Sydney... tomorrow before I go home, can we go shopping for some of these nail colour? Eian did say I could redecorate my room. Currently it's just an empty room except for the bed and my clothes. I don't even have a dressing table... not that I'd know what to put on it anyway," she said meekly. 

"Sure we can Sweetie... what do you need?" she asked kindly. "Don't worry... I'll put in all under my bill and pass it to Eian to pay for them. Would that be okay?" 

"No... no that will not be necessary! I'll get someone to come down and pay for the things. Do you know what I need Sydney? Because I have no idea at all. I... I don't have a mommy or a sister to show me how to be a woman," said Fiona with a shrug. 

"I'm sorry Sweetie... sure I know what you need. We'll get all your skincare products and toiletries... then we'll get some make up for you, although you don't really need much make up seeing you're so pretty already. And then we'll go get some accessories for your hair," said Sydney lost in her own thoughts. "Speaking of hair, I'm going to get my hair done tomorrow... do you want to do anything to your hair Sweetie?"

"My hair?" Fiona took a lock of her long white hair and scrunched her face. "You mean I can change my hair colour if I want?" she asked, suddenly excited. 

"Well, sure you can Sweetie... although I'm not sure if Eian might approve of it." Fiona thought about the time he saw her outside the bathroom and commented about the colour of her wet hair. 

"I can't always live my life according to what he approves or not right?" she said slowly. "I want my hair a little bit darker."

Sydney smiled at her, "I hope you don't mind me asking... if you're not a MacFarlane, then how come you're staying in the compound?" 

"Ah well... that. It's actually a long story. You see, Eian found me one day in the forest and took me home. My family was killed and I lost my memory of everything that happened to me before he found me. So he brought me back to the compound where I was supposed to stay and grow up," she said slowly, as though trying to relive the memories. "But then afterwards I got adopted into another family and well, I just grew up..." 

"But you... you know... grew up so fast!" exclaimed Sydney. "It's not a Werewolf thing is it?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you, Sydney," said Fiona kindly. "It might be too much for you to take."

"Oh please... I've been told I'm in love with a Were and mated to one. What could possibly be worst than that?"

"You see... I'm not a Werewolf but I'm not human either. My kind live off the blood of others but to different degrees." Fiona watched Sydney's eyes widened before she inched back slightly. "Don't worry... I won't bite you. Please don't be afraid," she pleaded. 

"Oh my god... Werewolves and Vampires?!" she sighed leaning back against the bed. "I'm sorry Sweetie that I got scared for a moment. I guess you must be a pretty tame Vampire to be living in a pack like that."

"Tame?" laughed Fiona. "Maybe not so in temperament, as I've been told. You see, I was adopted into a Pureblood family and by being one, it means that I only need to feed once every two or three months if I desire. Truthfully... it was a painful process."

"You mean the feeding?"

"Oh, no I meant becoming a Pureblood," she explained, "My grandfather is a really Ancient Vampire whose blood runs deep in all the Purebloods of today. So when I had to take in his blood on a daily basis, it forced my body to undergo several changes. Because Purebloods are almost immortals, living forever, I had to be awakened at my peak before my body is immortalized."

"That sounds really scary Sweetie... did it hurt a lot?" asked Sydney as she brought Fiona close to her. 

"It was... I screamed and cried everyday as my body grew at such an alarming rate. It's kinda like if you broke your bones except that it's in the reverse," she replied. "Sometimes my Sire- that's kinda like my Dad would sleep in my room with me and help me with the pain. The only reason why I put up with it was because I wanted to see Eian again." Sydney didn't say anything anymore as she held Fiona close and rocked her slowly. "You know Sydney... I've never really told anyone all of these before... not even to Eian. It's... our little secret okay?" 

"Okay Sweetie," she replied, holding Fiona close.

***

"Where have you been Fi?" snapped Alaron when he finally tracked her down at a shopping mall. "Did I have to wait for you to call me before you decide to get on radar?" he continued. He ignored the tall blonde standing beside Fiona as he continued nagging at her. 

"Anyway, Al, this is Sydney. Sydney, this is Alaron, my very obnoxious, over-protective, Sire," she said instead, introducing the two of them. Alaron glared at Fiona but shook Sydney's hand nevertheless. 

"I really wouldn't prefer to be introduced this way. Especially not when this pesky little run-away called me only to ask me to pay for her things. Seriously!"

"Ah... but he's going to do it anyway," said Fiona with a smile. "Let's go."

Sydney felt strange to have someone follow them around like a bodyguard even though he ignored them both completely and only came forward to sign various purchases. After a while, Sydney couldn't take it anymore.

"Uh, Alaron, is it okay if you wait for us over there?"

"No," he replied. "I'm not taking my eyes off my ward."

"You'll really appreciate it. We're uh... going into the lingerie department. I'm sure you won't want to appear as a lecher." The moment his eyes widened, Sydney knew that she had won. 

"Fine... fine. Just hurry up and get your... whatever. I will scent you out and hunt you both down if you dare try to escape," he grumbled as he walked over to some accessory section. 

"I'm sorry about him..." said Fiona apologetically as Sydney dragged her towards the lingerie department. 

"It's okay. I did want to bring you here anyway."

"You did? Why?" asked Fiona in surprise. 

"Well... I'm not sure if you realize but you're still wearing training bras. That is such a no-no now that you're a woman," said Sydney with a laugh. Fiona blushed. 

"I did say there wasn't anyone to tell me these things," she said. 

"Nah, no need to worry. Come here. Do you know your bra size?" she asked. Fiona shook her head. "Well, let's just try this then. We're almost of the same built so I'll let you try my size okay?"

"Okay. What shall I try on?" she asked. Sydney picked a lacy white bra and handed it to Fiona. "No! I'm not wearing that!" she protested. 

"Yes you are. Now get in there and change and show me," ordered Sydney as she pushed Fiona into the changing room.

A while later, Fiona peeked from behind the curtain of the changing room and whispered for Sydney. 

"Let me see," she said. 

"No! It's so embarrassing!" she pleaded as she struggled to stop Sydney from coming in. 

"Right, let's see what we have here... Looks good on you don't you think? Perfect fit and really sexy too. Okay so you're a 34C too... so let's go and get some more okay? Don't change out of those, I'll just add it to my tab. Just think of them as an investment..." she said before she got out from the changing room. 

"Investment?" whispered Fiona as she examined herself in the mirror before pulling on her blouse. 

By the end of the morning, they had almost ten shopping bags and aching feet. 

"Alright, it's time to go home," complained Alaron as they walked towards Sydney's car. 

"Surely you don't mean to our home right?" asked Fiona. 

"I mean to that dog's home," he replied, earning a slap from Fiona. 

"I told you not to disrespect him, haven't I?" 

"Alright children... no more squabbling. Get in the car," said Sydney as she started her engine. "I've got to send you home before I go back to work."

"I'll take her back, no problem. My driver's just waiting around the corner," said Alaron insistently. Sydney looked at him thoughtfully before turning to Fiona.

"I'll be okay Sydney. I don't want you to be late for work," said Fiona with a reassuring smile. She knew that she had troubled Sydney enough. 

"Okay, text me once you're home... so that I know you're safe," said Sydney before she drove off. 

True enough, in a few minutes, a black car came to pick Alaron and Fiona up.

"You had us all worried," he said once they were on the road, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "However, I'm glad that you're safe now. I'll have a talk with Father about getting you your own bank account and cards. He seems to think that shopping is dangerous... and I can see why," he said eyeing the bags of purchases. 

"I'm glad you came..." she replied. "But I guess I needed to be with Sydney too... She was my first girl friend," said Fiona with a contented smile. "You wouldn't really know about all these girly stuff anyway..."

"Sure I do," he replied ignoring her slanted look. "Anyway, your hair looks really nice. Brings out your eyes a little more," he said with a smile. "I got you something. Here," he said, passing her a box. "I got that when you girls decided to abandon me." 

"For me?" she asked in surprise. "Wow!" she exclaimed when she saw a pair of sapphire earrings. "It's... so beautiful! Oh thank you! I guess I'll have to get my ears pierced first though." Alaron smiled as she hugged him close.

"You sure you don't want to come home with me?" he asked after awhile. Fiona murmured a no as she rummaged her shopping bags to check her purchases. "I mean that guy didn't even bother to look for you Fi... You're seriously deluding yourself about him."

Fiona sat up right and squinted her eyes at his direction. "How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That he didn't come looking for me, what else?" she snapped, slapping his arm lightly. 

"I saw him at that hospital place and he told me to go and find you coz he was busy." 

Fiona eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure, Alaron? Don't lie to me."

"Why would I lie to you?" he asked although he pretended to look at something interesting out the window. 

"I don't believe you."

"Fine, whatever. Like I care," he said with a huff. Fiona rolled her eyes. She didn't know who was more ridiculous at the moment- Alaron or Eian. Could you really get so annoyed with someone you love?

Half an hour later, the car came to a gradual stop and Alaron looked out the window.

"Alright... we're at the edge of the compound now. I can't go in or those wolves will pounce on me and rip my head off. Can you call him to come here? I'll wait with you."

When they stepped out of the car, Fiona could sense the wolves that Alaron was talking about. She could see their eyes hidden behind the bushes. 

"I want to go home...Can you get your Alpha for me?" she said gently to whoever was listening to her. A while later, a giant grey wolf padded cautiously towards them, baring its sharp teeth in Alaron's direction. Before any of them could do anything, the wolf pounced on him and pinned him to the ground, snarling viciously at his face. 

"No!" shouted Fiona as she tried to push the giant wolf away. The wolf only growled, flashing its green eyes intensely at her before his claws lengthened into Alaron's flesh. Fiona heard him scream and she briefly saw blood being drawn. Using all the strength she could muster, she knocked the wolf slightly off Alaron's body and covered him with her own body. In their struggle, the wolf accidentally scratched her back, ripping part of her blouse. 

"Eian... please stop..." she pleaded softly. The wolf seemed to calm down for he wasn't baring his teeth anymore. Instead he sat on his hind legs and waited for her. Fiona pulled Alaron up and called the driver to help her. 

"Please get the young Lord back home. He will heal by the time you get there, don't worry. You can just leave my bags here," she said, giving him instructions. The driver nodded fearfully but did as he was told. She made sure the car had driven off safely before she turned to the grey wolf still sitting and watching her. 

"Happy now?" she said, pumping resentment into her words. "You didn't have to take it out on him when it is me you are angry at. Do you think I can't take it? Try me." The wolf didn't move and didn't make any attempt to shift back to its human form either. "Great! Stay in your wolf form and let me have a shouting match with myself."

She stormed towards her things and struggled to carry them all. Much to her surprise, the wolf came closer and nudged her knees. 

"What? Bad wolf! Don't give me those eyes Eian. I am not falling for cheap tricks," she snapped but watched as he picked up a few of her shopping bags by the straps using his jaw. "Don't get a drop of saliva on it or you're dead." 

Fiona walked with him even though her feet ached. It felt slightly strange walking with a large wolf beside her, standing tall up to her waist level. She wondered why he didn't just shift back to his human form so they could talk. It was really lonely walking the long walk in without anyone to talk to. 

They walked for nearly twenty minutes until they saw the first few houses within the compound. As they approached, she stopped and bent down to look at the wolf's face. Her hands smoothed the fur at the side of his eyes. "I'm really sorry," she whispered before pressing her lips to the top of his head. "Come, I'm so tired. I just want to stretch out on the couch."

When they finally reached their house, Fiona pushed the door open and placed her purchases by the side of the staircase before she headed to the kitchen when she realized that she had forgotten all about the cake. Thankfully Eian had already wrapped the undecorated cake nicely with a plastic sheet and had placed it in the fridge. 

"We'll put on the icing tonight if you want," he said as he came towards the kitchen entrance. Fiona felt her throat going dry as he walked towards her. He had just shifted back into his human form and was naked. She kept her eyes on his without looking down past his adam's apple, feeling herself blush as she backed against the wall to avoid him. But Eian didn't seem to want to avoid her. He placed his hands on the wall at either side of her head, trapping her between his body and the wall. 

"Don't... ever... do... that... again," he breathed slowly, punctuating every word.

His face was so close to hers now that she could feel his breath on her. 

"I can't live with myself if anything were to ever happen to you Fiona," he whispered as his face moved even closer to hers. When his lips came on hers, she gave a whimper of relief. His mouth was so hot against hers, persistent and demanding as he drew out her tongue and wrestled lovingly with it. 

"Eian," she moaned throatily. His kiss was making her feel funny; hot all over. She responded to his kiss with as much passion as she could muster, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body against him. That earned a low growl in his throat and he released his hands from the wall and placed them at her waist. They only parted to catch their breath before fiercely kissing again. She could smell him, sweat mixed with mint from his soap and pine from the forest. Her hands moved slowly from his neck to press against his hard chest, feeling the muscles beneath her fingers. He gave a low moan and pulled away from her lips to stare into her blue eyes. 

Eian was fighting with himself. Part of him wanted to continue what they were doing but part of him wanted to stop. Her scent was intoxicating and he was afraid that he wouldn't stop once he started. Trying to distract himself, he noticed that she did something to her hair. He combed her hair with his fingers; it was slightly blonde and curled. 

"Beautiful..." he murmured before he pressed his face at the side of her neck. He wanted her... his mind had been filled only with thoughts of her since last night. He gave a soft groan when he felt her fingers move curiously over his chest, lightly grazing his nipples. He wanted to go slow with her but his body was craving for release. 

"Fiona..." he called her name and looked into her eyes, "I don't want you to do this... if you don't want to." Her blue eyes softened and she took her hands away from him. For a moment, Eian felt disappointed but then he saw her fingers carefully unbuttoning the front of her blouse and he draw in a sharp breath. He immediately stopped her and placed her hands on his shoulders before his lips came onto hers again. His hands were shaking but he unbuttoned the remaining buttons on her blouse before slowly easing it off her body. He continued to kiss her as he felt her lush breast against his bare chest. A low growl escaped his lips when her hands came around his neck once again, demanding more from him. He lowered his hands to the hook of her pants and slowly unhooked and unzipped it, letting the soft material fall slowly down her legs. 

He pressed her against the wall and pulled his lips away from her; his eyes roamed hungrily over her body. She was wearing such a sheer lace bra and boxers that he wasn't sure if he could stand holding off any longer. His hands dropped down to her full hips and gently parted her legs, wrapping them around him. Her eyes widened when she felt his hard cock pressed against her but she didn't look down. Eian could see that she was embarrassed. 

"Don't be shy," he whispered as he pressed his hard cock against her lace boxer shorts. He needed her to know how much he wanted her; his erection as evidence of his feelings for her. She felt him lifting her away from the wall. Her legs immediately tightened around his waist, feeling his hard cock pressed even closer against her as he carried her up the stairs, past her room and into his. She had never been inside Eian's room before. He always came to her room whenever she needed him so it was the first time she saw the interior of his room. The master bed room was really big and so was the bed he was laying her on. Eian moved to the window to draw the curtains and switched on the mood lighting in his room before he crawled on the bed towards her. 




To Love a Were Ch. 06



She felt foolishly afraid and moved away from him even when she wanted him to do all those nice things to her. She backed until she felt the headboard and froze. Eian was moving towards her again, the desire in his eyes burning for her. 

"Fiona, my precious... don't curl yourself up like that. Let me see you..." he whispered gently as he tried to coax her legs down. 

"No! It's so embarrassing," she protested. "I... I have nothing nice for you to see..." 

"No sweetheart... you're beautiful... every inch of you." She seemed to relax at his words and gently lowered her leg down and leaned back although her arms were still close together trying to shield her breast. Eian moved close to her, pressing his lips on hers as his hands pulled hers away and placed them on his chest. His hands gently touched her breasts; his thumb slightly brushing the flesh spilling from her bra. Did she really hide such magnificent pair of breasts underneath all those big clothes? His hands gave a gentle squeeze and heard her moan slightly. With his lips still against hers, he whispered, "Fiona... tell me to stop... tell me that you don't want this."

Pulling away from him, she stammered slightly but gazed into his eyes, "Eian... don't stop." She drew a sharp breath when she felt him squeeze her breast slightly harder. "I want you too..." That was permission enough for Eian. His hand went to her back and impatiently worked on the hook of her bra, releasing her breasts from its confines. He eased the bra off slowly and admired her breast in his hands. They were soft and firm to the touch, smooth as the rest of her body and topped with light brown nipples. 

"Don't look at me please... it's embarrassing," she said, blushing. 

"How can I not look when something so beautiful is in front of me?" he replied, a second before his lips covered one of her nipple and gave a suck. Fiona was terrified now. He was sucking on her breast like a baby... and yet it made her feel so good and funny all over. As his fingers found her other nipple, she couldn't help but feel something warm and wet between her thighs. She rubbed her thighs to ease the feeling but it only made her feel better. She gave a loud shout when Eian's hands slapped her hips slightly. 

"Give me a minute... I'll make it feel better," he said, leaving her breast to trail kisses down her stomach to the edge of her boxers. She gave a loud gasp and attempted to close her leg shut but he pressed her thighs down and began to slowly pull the lace boxers down, revealing her moist pussy. She could see him smiling and Fiona wondered if one could die from embarrassment. 

"Don't... don't look at my thing... oh my god! You're licking it..." she screamed and covered her face with a pillow. He was making her squirm. It felt so good to feel his tongue on her; licking at her folds tenderly. She felt something building inside her growing more tense with every passing second that his tongue lapped against her pussy. Then like a broken dam, she felt it explode and spill out with such a force that she was left out of breath and confused. 

"That, sweetheart, is called an orgasm. Was that good for you?" asked Eian as he looked up from her pussy. Fiona nodded her head and tried to pull him up, away from her pussy. She was suddenly so sensitive down there that she couldn't bear anything else touching it. He brought his body up but his thighs pushed hers apart, not allowing her to close them together. As his hands rested at either side of her shoulders, Fiona could see his beautiful face looking down at her. 

"I'm going to enter you now okay? Just try to relax..." he said as he eased just the head of his cock into the entrance of her pussy. He knew that he was probably big for her so he had to do it slowly, pushing himself in a little by little and heard her take a sharp breath. It was then that he felt the slight resistance. He leaned forward to capture her lips in his before he gave a gentle push, tearing her hymen with as little force as he could muster. He sensed her body suddenly tensed and she had turned her face away from him to burry her screams into the pillow. 

"Shh..." he soothed as he held her close and did not move for a few seconds before he whispered reassuringly to her, "I'm going to move now, Fiona... it will feel better..." She nodded and Eian began to move his hips slowly at first then faster when he saw that the pain had subsided and she was moaning in pleasure. He thrust himself inside her again and again, each time deeper than the previous one till he felt her tightening around his cock before she let out a loud moan. 

Eian brought her body up so that they were both sitting and facing each other. She placed her hands on his shoulders as his hips thrust up into hers, making her breast bounce up and down with every stroke. He was holding onto her tightly now as his hips moved slightly faster. He had held back for as long as he could for her sake; the tension was too much for him to control. He gave one last thrust and felt himself explode inside her, drenching her pussy walls with his thick cum. It had been so long since he last came that he felt a great sense of relief. 

Eian eased her back down and curled beside her to stare into her beautiful eyes. She shied away from his gaze but cuddled close to him nevertheless, letting him put his arms around her, bringing her close. Eian felt calm. It took a lot of control not to let his inner wolf come to the surface and from his judgment, he had made love to her as a man. Even as their body fluids merged together inside her, he wasn't sure if she could ever get pregnant... but Eian chose to ignore that thought for the moment. 

As he held her close, he could hear his heart beat pounding fast inside him. He looked down at her and found her fast asleep, murmuring his name in her dreams. Eian closed his eyes, knowing that he had fallen into Culzean's trap after all...

***

"Father... I wish to bring your granddaughter home," said Alaron as they were practicing archery. 

"That is not possible my son... she's betrothed to the Duke, whether he likes it or not."

"But Father! He doesn't deserve her!" he burst out. Aramis looked at his son closely. 

"And you think you do?" he asked with a serious look on his face. "You're still so immature... bursting off with bouts of anger and resentment at every turn. She needs someone to care and nurture her... not someone to bite her head off."

"I... I know that I am lacking much, Father... but at least I love her." Aramis didn't reply but drew his bow once more and released his arrow; hitting bullseye. 

"He loved her first... even if he denies it. My son... your youth has not provided you with much wisdom and foresight yet. Don't you see? The reason he was drawn to her, the reason why he picked her up and cared for her when you left her for dead was because he was meant to love her. I saw right through him and simply helped to speed up the process. He has waited for so many centuries to find his mate... I couldn't possibly deny him."

"His mate? But that's... impossible!" exclaimed Alaron. "She's a Vampire! Her place is here with us!" 

"And it will always be... Whenever she wants, this castle is her house too but her home is not here. Her home is wherever he takes her to... and right now it's that compound he loves so much. He has no need to stay there and he knows it."

"But Father... how could I just stand by and watch him take her away from me... Where was he when she screamed out nightly in pain?"

"He stayed away... as I told him to. Listen to me, son, do not think I don't know why you're so taken in by her..." he said slowly, putting down his bow. "The only reason you didn't kill her was because she looked so much like your mother. I thought so too when I first saw her. You drained out every ounce of blood in her body before regretting it too late."

"I wasn't even sure if she would survive it... she was so small and frail when I left her. I was scared! I ran away! Are you happy now? I didn't mean for her hair to turn white... I didn't mean for her to be abandoned! Why is it my entire fault?"

"It will always be your fault for as long as you never beg her for forgiveness. You remembered how difficult it was when your mother died don't you? She couldn't even grieve for them because you wiped out her entire existence prior to Siring her," said Aramis looking into his son's dark brown eyes. 

Alaron didn't want to hear anymore. He dropped his bow and stormed back into the castle. Aramis didn't turn to look at his son but merely shook his head. Picking up his own bow, he continued with his own archery practice. 

***

It was dark by the time she stirred awake. A quick look at the clock showed it was only 4pm in the afternoon but the sun had already set. Fiona blinked her eyes as they adjusted to focus in the low light. 

He was still sleeping; his breathe warm and steady. Fiona couldn't believe that he had just made love to her. It felt almost like a dream, finding herself in his arms like this. She wondered if this was what Sydney was referring to when she said about mating. Fiona blushed and was moving closer to his body when she felt a slight sore between her legs at her private areas. She knew he had done that to her but he had been so gentle and loving that she couldn't blame him for hurting her. 

"Eian," she whispered softly, pressing her palm on his chest. She felt him stir slightly before he opened his eyes. "I want to take a bath," she said, trying to get out of his grip. 

"Mmm..." he murmured, bringing his lips close to hers again for a soft kiss before he released her. He turned to see her walking out his door, possibly towards her own bathroom and frowned. "Fiona," he called after a while, willing her to come back to him. When she came to his door, he could see she was wrapped in a towel, still shy to let him see her. 

"Sit here," he ordered, getting up without an ounce of shame to cover himself before striding over to his own bathroom to set the bath tub for her. Fiona looked to the bed and gave a cry of surprise when she saw a bloodstain on his sheets. Did that blood come from her?

"Don't worry too much about that," came Eian's voice as he came out of the bathroom. "It's a natural thing for your first time. I'll wash the sheets later," he said reassuringly as his hands scooped under her knees and back to carry her into the bathroom. He had set the bath water to be slightly hot, knowing that it would ease the soreness between her thighs. She protested when he pulled her towel away from her body but once she was inside the water, her protests died as it gave way to a sigh of relief. She didn't even realize when he stepped inside the bathtub and relaxed next to her until she heard his voice. 

"Does it feel better?" 

"Eian! Get out!" she cried, trying to shield her body from his view but Eian simply gave a laugh and rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. 

"I've already seen every inch of you, Fiona..." he replied, much to her embarrassment. He pulled her close, letting her lean against him, "And so far, I like what I see."

Fiona blushed. If she thought having him lick her privates was embarrassing, hearing him say that he liked it felt worst... 

"I'm sorry about scratching you earlier," he said slowly as his eyes scanned her back. There were only faint marks where the wound once was. "It wasn't meant for you... I would never lay a hand on you, not in that way at least."

She bowed her head down, close to the water to stop herself from feeling embarrassed. She desperately wanted to change the subject and she suddenly remembered his birthday and the cake. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "The cake!"

"Yes... we'll get down to icing it in a while. Just relax for now..." he urged. Fiona tried to do as he suggested but found herself feeling uncomfortable so she decided to talk. 

"Shall we give some to Pearl when it's done? She made the cake mostly. It was kind of a surprise."

"Sure we can... now will you please relax," he groaned much to her panic. 

"Did... did I do something wrong?" she asked with a look of concern. 

"Yes," he murmured. "If you don't stop moving around and rubbing your skin against me like that, I'm going to get hard again," he warned and saw the flash of fear in her eyes. "Don't worry... I won't touch you again until you want me to."

Fiona leaned back somewhat annoyed at his last comment. 

"You're making it sound like it's all my fault," she said, forgetting all about her embarrassment. Eian smiled when he realized she was back to her usual self. 

"Yes it is," he said with a smile. "If you hadn't made me worry so much, then I wouldn't have thought so much about you."

"Hmph!" she sulked and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Just where did you go to last night, little one?" he asked calmly. "With Alaron perhaps?"

"It's a secret. I won't tell you." Eian felt himself frown. He knew it was stupid of him to feel jealous about the two of them seeing that he had been the first to claim her but he couldn't help himself. 

"Where did the two of you go then? Shopping?" he asked. 

"Ah well... that. He sort of found me that morning and helped to pay for things."

"What things?" 

"Girl things!" she asserted, slapping her hands on the water, creating a splash. Then suddenly she stopped being angry and got excited. "Eian! Can we please decorate my room please? I want it to look like Syd... I mean like a woman's room."

Eian opened his eyes slowly and mentally pushed back a reminder to call Sydney later. 

"And why do we need to do that?" he asked, turning slightly towards her. 

"You said so yourself that I could decorate my own room," she replied. 

"You're still going to sleep in your own room?" he asked slowly, watching her face turn from confusion to understanding. Surprisingly, she nodded her head. Eian didn't say anything but closed his eyes again. 

A while later, he felt her rise and step out of the bath. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she had already wrapped a towel around her body and was walking out the bathroom door. He tried not to get aroused when he saw the sway of her hips as she walked. Getting out himself, he drained the bath tub, dried his body and walked over to his closet to grab a pair of pants and a turtle necked shirt. 

Eian was thinking about her insistence on staying in her own room when he heard noises coming from downstairs. 

He found her downstairs in the kitchen staring at the cake on their island counter. She was leaning forward with her elbows resting on the counter, making her butt protrude out at such an alluring angle. Eian gave a cough and she straightened up immediately. 

"Go and get the mixer... and the icing sugar and fresh cream," he told her as he picked up a banana from the fruit basket and ate. Sex was an exhausting endeavor, he mused, but it was something he didn't mind getting used to. He watched her closely as she followed his instruction on how to make the whipping cream and icing. She seemed intent on doing it by herself, so he simply leaned against the cabinet and watched her. She was actually quite good, he admit; once she had layered the cake and smoothened it all around with the cream, she independently searched his fridge for ingredients to decorate it. 

An hour later, she stood back and admired her work.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking expectantly at him. 

"I think it looks pretty," he replied, giving her a sincere smile. He moved forward to try and scrape his finger on the frosting but she slapped his hand away. "I thought this was for me?"

"No it is not. I've changed my mind. We're giving it to Pearl," she said jokingly. "Wait here okay. Give me a minute," she said before rushing upstairs. When she came down, she shouted at him to close his eyes. 

"No peeking!" she said walking slowly towards him. She had had no idea how old he was so she had placed only one candle in the centre of the cake and lit it up with a click of her fingers. Alaron had taught her that and she considered it a pretty useful trick. "Alright, you can open them now."

Eian didn't know what to feel when he saw the lighted candle. Part of him wanted to laugh it off as something silly, something humans or the younger Weres would do but part of him was touched. 

"I'm not sure how old you are," she said. "Go on, make a wish and blow it out!" When he blew out the candle, they were once again in darkness. She was about to turn on the lights when he pulled her close and pressed his lips on hers again. When they pulled away, she hugged him and then switched on the light. 

"I've got something else for you. Here," she said, passing him what looked like a lock of hair on a keychain. "I got the hairdresser to give me some of the hair that she trimmed and I made it into a braid. I know it's stupid... but I didn't really know what to get," she said apologetically. Eian merely smiled and caressed her cheek gently. 

"I will keep it with me all the time, my precious. Thank you," he said, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "So... can I cut my cake now?" he asked with a smile. 

Knowing that he would be the only one eating, he left a quarter of the cake for himself and they carried the rest over to Pearl and Dominic's house. Big Mike opened the door for them and invited them in. When Pearl saw the cake she began to sob uncontrollably. 

"Oh my god... I'm so sorry Sweetie, I totally forgot all about it! Oh Eian, Happy Birthday!" she said, hugging him. 

"There, there now darling," said Big Mike as he pried his wife away from Eian lest she choked him. "Do you want to see the babies? They're upstairs," he said to Fiona with a big smile. Fiona nodded and followed Eian up to the babies' room. 

There were three of them, two girls and a boy. Fiona couldn't take her eyes off them. They smelled so wonderful. It was unlike the smells of adults. She carefully picked one up and cradled the baby in her arms, squealing in surprise when it shifted into a wolf pup. 

"They do that sometimes. It's a good thing pups don't have that sharp teeth or else I think Pearl's tits would be sore from nursing them."

"It must be amazing to have these things coming out from you. Strange... but amazing," she whispered as she placed the baby back into its crib. She continued to look at them as Eian placed a hand around her waist. "Have you ever had them, Eian?"

"Babies?"

"Yeah, with someone."

"No... No I haven't had them."

"Don't you want them?"

"Yes I do, Fiona..." he said, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. The stood watching over the babies for awhile before returning back downstairs.

***

"Darling, are you saying that you kidnapped my Alpha's ward without his knowledge?" Dominic couldn't help himself but laughed uncontrollably. He couldn't believe Sydney had such a nerve. 

"Technically, she came willingly and I did not put any ransom note, so Eian can't really blame me right?" she replied, sounding slightly unsure. 

"I can't say for sure but she's safely home now so that means he shouldn't be too angry. So what did you two girls do? Any girl on girl action?" he asked teasingly.

"Seriously, you are such a pervert!" laughed Sydney as she slapped him with her purse. "We did simple, girlish stuff... you know, paint our nails, get our hair done, shop, gossip about guys... that sort of thing."

"You gossip about guys with Fiona? This may prove to be interesting," he said leaning forward.

"Of course it is and it's all a secret. Just between the two of us girls. So get your nose out of it." 

"Ok ok... girl-zone stuff, I get it. This sounds exactly like Pearl. She'd mark everything in the house that is out of bounds for me just coz I'm a guy and yet she gets to go in my room and mess my things."




To Love a Were Ch. 06



"That's right! So why are we here again?"

"Shopping... for the babies and for Eian. It's his birthday today."

They walked around searching for the best gifts; finally settling for teething toys for the babies and a bottle of wine for Eian. Sydney had packed an extra set of clothes for she's staying over at the compound tonight. It has become a common occurrence now and she's slowly trying fit in. 

When they reached the house, they were surprised to see Eian and Fiona there as well. 

"Damn, we missed the party!" said Dominic. "But I've got wine! Sorry Eian, it's actually you're birthday present but I think a celebration like this calls for wine don't you think?"

Eian gave a small laugh at his friend's remark. It was so like Dominic to make a personalized gift, a communal one. He didn't mind anyway. It was the thought that counts; sitting with everyone drinking wine was much better than drinking it by himself anyway. 

Dominic had poured one for everyone but hesitated when he was about to pour for Fiona. He gave his Alpha a confirming look but Eian kept quiet.

Ask her yourself. She's not a child. 

Dominic was surprised. Usually Eian would decide almost everything for Fiona. 

"Fiona, would you like a glass too? I mean I don't really..."

"I... No, it's ok... I'll just take a sip of Eian's. I don't want to waste such an expensive gift by not drinking it up," she said sweetly. 

After Pearl cut a slice of the cake each for Dominic and Sydney, they sat and chatted about the plans for the new couple's house. 

"I brought along the lease papers. Have you decided on the architect and construction company?" asked Eian, taking a sip of his wine. 

"Yes I have," said Sydney. "The other day during the bidding, one of the companies caught my attention. Since they didn't win the contract, I decided to hire them. As for the architect, I've asked my brother. He's willing to give us a big discount," she said with a big smile. 

"What?!" exclaimed Pearl. "My baby brother has nothing to say about this?"

"Heh, my days of dominance are over. I'm a wolf that has been tamed and reeled in. What can I say?" he replied with a nonchalant shrug, making everyone burst out in laugher. 

"So when are you two lovebirds gonna get hitched already?" asked Big Mike as he placed a hand over his wife's shoulder. Sydney turned slightly and caught Fiona's gaze and smiled. 

"Can you believe this woman? I've proposed twice and yet I'm still single," said Dominic shaking his head exaggeratedly. 

"You're always so overdramatic," said Pearl. "So Sweetie, what do you say?" she turned her attention to Sydney and winked. 

Everyone turned their attention towards her and kept quiet. 

"Yes!" she exclaimed and everyone burst out in applause. Pearl immediately began rattling off excitedly about the wedding plans. 

"Oh god... there's the dress and the cake and the music and oh god I'm having palpitations just thinking about it!" she said excitedly. Sydney couldn't help laughing. Obviously dramatic expressions ran in the family. 

"Will you be getting married here?" asked Fiona excitedly. "Can I be your bridesmaid?" 

"Of course sweetheart! You and Pearl and my sister okay? Eian, would it be alright if I brought my family here? It's going to be quite a lot of people... would it be okay to bring them within the compound?" she asked cautiously. It just occurred to her that as Alpha his permission had not been asked. 

He gave her a warm smile, "Work out the guest list from your side first and we'll work it out. As of the moment, I think you'll find that the plot of land that I'm leasing to you is big enough and scenic enough for the wedding," he beamed as he pushed the papers in front of Dominic and Sydney. 

"Eian!" exclaimed Dominic. "You're... you're letting us build our house near the lake? I... I'm so thankful for your generosity, Alpha..."

Fiona felt Eian's hand covering over hers under the table, giving it a squeeze. She smiled and returned his gesture with a squeeze back. 

"I hope everything's settled then. Fiona and I will take our leave now. Have a good rest everyone," said Eian as he got up and headed to the door. Fiona gave the women a hug each and promised to come by over the weekend to discuss the wedding plans. 

After waving goodbye to everyone, Eian and Fiona walked down the snowy path back to their home. Sometime during their walk, his hand found hers and held it tightly. Fiona didn't pull her hand away for there was something about the way they were holding hands that made her feel calm and protected. There was no need for words now. 

***



To Love a Were Ch. 07



NB: Once again, many thanks to angin_berhembus and wildheartedangel for their great job at editing! 

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot so I hope you liked it too. =) 

***

"Are you ready for this?" asked Dominic as they stood at the edge of the water. 

"Yeah," replied Sydney holding his hand for support. 

"Call out to her, in your head. Let her come out by herself." 

Sydney was finally ready for her first transformation and Dominic had decided that they should do it near their new home, even if it was still just a plot of land. Dominic watched as she closed her eyes in full concentration but nothing seemed to be happening. He knew she was ready by the scent of her, but somehow she seemed scared to bring out her wolf. 

"Darling, what's holding you back?" he asked gently. He didn't want to push her too much. 

"I don't know Dominic... Will I... I mean... will it change me in any way?" she asked, uncertain. 

"You'll still be yourself Darling... your wolf is a part of you and always will be. Come on... I'll shift too then you won't be alone ok?" he reassured her. Taking off his clothes, he made sure that Sydney's eyes were on him as he shifted into a big shaggy grey wolf. 

Sydney saw the ease in which Dominic shifted and her worries subsided a little. 

Come on little wolf... Don't you want to come out and play with Dominic's wolf too?

Apparently that was the right thing to say for Sydney felt something moving inside her before she heard a distinct howl in her head. She thought it would hurt but it didn't. It only felt slightly ticklish as though ants were crawling on her skin. When she blinked again, she was on four feet instead of two, breathing through what looked like a beautiful grey snout. 

She felt delirious with energy; breathing in the clear spring air and padding her feet slightly on the slowly thawing ground. Then she saw him, patiently looking at her, waiting for her to come with him. 

I'll race you! Was that Dominic's voice in her head? Sydney tried to look for him but he was already gone. She was panicking inside but her wolf seemed to know what to do for she was leaping and bounding over the fallen branches and stones after him. Sydney could smell him. His scent was warm and getting closer. 

Found you! She heard herself saying. 

Good, very good. You can hear me? 

Yes. Are we really talking in our minds?

Yes we are. Humans can't understand us though. I think we sound like we're growling or barking to each other. So... how does it feel little wolf?

Deliciously free! I... I feel like I want to run some more Dominic! 

Dominic watched his fiancée dash off and felt his heart leap for joy. He couldn't believe he had found her, his equal, his mate. 

When he caught up with her awhile later, she had already shifted back to her human self and was sitting at the water's edge. He came close to her and rested his wolf head on her thighs. 

"Dominic... shall we go up North and see my parents soon? I want to tell them about our wedding. I'm sure they'll be excited," she said as she smoothed the fur on his head. 

Yes, we should. Maybe this weekend?

"Yeah, this weekend sounds good. You know... I just thought about it and realize that I'd probably outlive my parents and siblings now that I'm a werewolf. It makes me quite sad knowing that they'll grow old and die but I guess there's nothing I can do about it right?"

The wolf on her thigh began to shift and when she looked down, Dominic was staring into her eyes with concern. "I suppose so darling... You can't tell them about our existence now that you're officially adopted in the pack. I guess at a certain age when everyone around you gets old, we'll have to arrange for you to die."

"What?!" she exclaimed. 

"You'll just have to die for the world's records. It's something that we're all used to. It's the same with Fiona too."

"But she's a Vampire!" 

"Oh, you can tell? Yeah, it's the same for her too. We had to wipe out all her birth records and everything else that existed prior to her adoption into the pack."

"How can you do that Dominic? She has been searching for answers about her past all this time and no one's going to tell her? How cruel!"

"It has to be done. Besides, she has no other relatives. None at all. What good would it do for her to go hunting for memories? Her life is here now with us."

Sydney didn't want to say anything else. It was obvious that no one knew about Fiona's Vampire status. Didn't she say she wasn't a MacFarlane? She promised Fiona that it would be their secret, so she would keep it. However, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman remembering how she had craved for another woman's attention and love. Sydney decided that she would talk to Eian about it, to see if there was anything of Fiona's past that she could hold on to, to make the pain more manageable. 

***

He had kept his promise and not touched her until she was ready but as the weeks went by, Eian was finding it harder and harder not to hope that she would come to him soon. He didn't like knowing she was just down the corridor sleeping in her own room and not beside him. He had thought long and hard about what was happening between them and resigned himself to the fate awaiting him. He will accept Culzean's proposal and bind her to him legally. Perhaps that's why she was staying away from him? 

As he passed by on his way downstairs to get ready for work, he suddenly realized that it had been almost three months since she had her last feeding. Perhaps it was time to make arrangements to have her return to the castle to meet her adopted family as well. But this time, Eian was going to give specific instructions.

"Lord Culzean's office," said a cheerful female voice. 

"This is Keiran MacFarlane speaking. Please let Lord Culzean know that I want a car at my house by noon to fetch his granddaughter. Let him know also that she needs to replenish her dietary intake and tell him that I specifically do not want anything out of the ordinary for her. He will understand."

"Oh! Yes Your Grace, yes I will let him know straight away."

Eian smiled as he disconnected. He knocked gently on her door and saw that she was still asleep. Tiptoeing towards her softly, he left a note on her bedside table before kissing her forehead and leaving for work. It was still early in the morning but he wanted to be early to catch Sydney at the office before she was held up at meetings and such. He had quite a few things he needed to settle with her. 

He reached the office slightly before 8am and was pleased to see that she was already inside her office, drinking a cup of coffee and relaxing. He liked having his employees come in early to settle in before working hours actually began. 

"Good morning Sydney," he said when she gestured for him to come in. 

"Good morning, Sir. Have a seat," she said as she went to her coffee maker to make another cup for Eian. "So, what can I do for you this early in the day?"

"Always to the point, Miss Sandilands. I like that. Right, firstly, if your guest list is ready, I'll take it before I leave. Secondly, I'd like to confirm if you really did bring my ward home on the night Pearl gave birth," he said calmly as he took a sip of his coffee. Sydney gave a nervous laugh and nodded. 

"She was angry and lonely Eian... I just took her home to make sure she didn't do anything rash," she replied calmly, knowing how Eian was very protective over Fiona. 

"Thank you," he said, bringing a look of surprise on Sydney's face. She didn't say anything for awhile as she settled herself in her chair after finishing her coffee. 

"Eian... I know that I'm now technically supposed to address you as Alpha and also Sir since you're still my boss... but could I speak my mind about something just as a friend and not as your subordinate?" she asked cautiously. 

"Sydney, the reason why I decided to hire humans was because I want them to express their thoughts openly without being too concerned with pack hierarchies. I've told you before that if you support your argument strongly enough, I'll listen to it even if I don't agree to it. So what do you have to say?" he asked. 

"I'm very concerned about Fiona... and her lack of female relatives in her life. I mean Pearl and I aren't real substitutes. She... she needs a woman's guidance in this world and from what she's told me she has none," she said slowly watching Eian's expression carefully. "I know about the loss of her family and of her adopted family too. It must have been really difficult for her, being forced to grow up like that."

Eian regarded Sydney seriously before he spoke, "Get to the point Sydney..."

"She should at least get to know her mother... even if the woman's dead, her daughter will still look up to her as a role model- her dressing, her manners, her likes and dislikes... these are things that will carry on even after death. She doesn't even remember what her mother looks like Eian... how could a child not even know that?" Sydney looked at Eian sadly. 

"I can't do that Sydney... if I force her to recall her past, it might trigger some bad memory that might hurt her. There is a reason that her mind refuses to recall her past. It's traumatic for her and how could I force her to do something that is unpleasant?" replied Eian. "But... I guess it is a big possibility that she might want to go back to her home someday," he gave a long sigh. "Alright... Sydney, try and see if the property is for sale." 

"Yes Sir, it is..." she said. "Truth is... I bought the house and the land."

Eian turned his eyes slowly to look at her, giving her a cold look. 

"It's my own investment," she added quickly. 

"Turn it over to the company and let the company finance it. No Sydney, do not argue with me," he said coldly, trying to maintain his anger. "But do pray tell, why did you buy the property without my knowledge?"

"I'm very sorry Alpha... I really am. Dominic was telling me how someday I would be erased from this world; from any records of myself and appear to be dead so that my family could live on and grow old without being suspicious of me. And I thought about Fiona... how she must feel to not exist in this world apart from her family. At least I will have a choice... I get to remember my past even if it is erased but she will never get a chance to know her past if everything is wiped off and nothing is preserved until it's too late."

Eian leaned back and sighed; the corner of his lips curved slightly, "Truly, Dominic did not make a mistake in hiring you. Very well... I am persuaded. But I insist that the property be turned into the company's."

"Thank you Eian..." she said softly. 

"No Sydney... thank you," he said with a small smile before he got up. "Do you have the guest list ready?" She nodded and passed him a piece of paper which he folded and kept in his coat pocket. 

"You should have this too," she said, passing him a house key. 

After he left the office, Eian drove down to the town area where he had booked an appointment with his choice jeweler. He had called a few days earlier to let them know about his visit so he was expecting a few rings for him to make his selection. 

The man who was serving him showed him a selection of both wedding bands and engagement rings. Eian was usually not in the habit of buying jewelry for women but this was an exception. It took him longer than he expected because he was spoilt for choice but in the end he chose two identical slim platinum wedding bands and a brilliant-cut solitaire platinum ring. 

After making his purchase, Eian kept the boxes in his pocket and drove back home. He wasn't sure when he would actually pop the question but he wanted to make sure that he had the rings when he did. 

***

Fiona was happy to be back even though she wished that Eian had come along. The atmosphere around the castle still looked bleak but Spring had changed the surroundings slightly; the lake had begun to thaw and the first hints of greens were shooting out from the ground. She had pushed open the windows and was breathing in the fresh cool air when she heard someone clearing his throat behind her. 

"Grandfather," she smiled and gave a small curtsey before rushing towards him and hugging him fiercely. "I've missed you!"

"That and you're hungry too," he replied, beaming knowingly at her. She nodded and followed him into the family dining room.

She saw her uncle Draven already sitting at the table with a goblet in front of him. He gave her a kind smile and gestured for her to sit down. Fiona always found Draven somewhat like Eian in his cold yet gentle manner but where Eian preferred the company of a pack, Draven was a solitary figure. He was also more interested in his books and research than in making money or politics. 

"He'll be here soon," he said when she sat down. She didn't need to ask who he meant for she had been thinking about Alaron and wondering where he was. Fiona had gotten used to his uncanny habit of reading unguarded minds. He always said that if you were not guarding your thoughts, it meant that they were not supposed to be private. 

"Sit down and have a drink first my child. Unfortunately, it is just normal human blood from the storage banks today. Eian made it perfectly clear that nothing out of the ordinary," said Aramis when a goblet was presented in front of Fiona. 

"I don't think he'd appreciate any more changes." Fiona felt the liquid slide down her throat, warming her up slightly before energizing her. She felt slightly giddy at the strange taste of the human blood for she was used to the dark and rich flavor of Aramis's Pureblood. 

"You'll get used to it," said Draven as he emptied his goblet. "We're starting you on a plasma diet for now. It has all the essential nutrients that your body needs to fuel itself. We will only move you to whole blood diet once I've gotten your birth blood type." When she gave him a confused look, he leaned back and explained, "It's a whole complicated process really, much of which many people, including Vampires themselves do not take the time to understand. Vampires in their hunger are at times careless. They do not take the time to scent out the blood of their victims and end up dead. Taking in blood that is not compatible with your own will cause your antibodies to bind to the foreign blood and you literally die from inside. That's a much worst death than having your head severed, I must say."

"What Draven is trying to say actually is that he is very concerned for you. Don't worry too much my child. You're only missing on iron from the red blood cells. Draven will issue you some iron pills to take later," said Aramis as he laughed. "So just drink up and tell me how's everything with Keiran?"

"Ah... everything's fine, grandfather..." she said softly and blushed. Aramis couldn't help smiling to himself. He didn't really need to ask her to know for he could scent Eian all over her. She was trying very hard to guard her thoughts too, not wanting to let him know why she was blushing. 

"Do you love him, Fiona?" This time, she blushed an even redder tint but nodded quickly. 

Aramis was about to reply, when they were interrupted by an annoyed groan from Alaron.

"Please Father, stop embarrassing her," he said arrogantly before taking a gulp of from his goblet, then hooking an arm around Fiona. "I'm borrowing her for awhile," he said pulling her away from the chair, without waiting for Aramis's answer. 

When the two of them left the room, Draven turned to his father lazily and said, "You really shouldn't have let him take her."

Aramis sighed and leaned back, "She'll be able to stand her ground now. She's not a child anymore. Let them be."

Meanwhile, Alaron had taken Fiona out for a walk by the lake. Although she was still hungry, she was happy to be outside, breathing in the fresh air and talking to Alaron. She missed him the most and was pleased that they had a chance to catch up before she left. 

"So that guy still giving you problems?" he asked. 

"He was just worried, Al. You shouldn't think of him in such negative light all the time," she replied with a slight hint of warning. "Let's not talk about him if you're going to end up sarcastic and bitter. Tell me about you then. What have you been up to?"

For awhile, Alaron actually brightened up. "Well... Draven's been venturing into pharmaceuticals these past few months. It's quite a step from the usual science of blood research at the blood bank. He's trying to see if the lab can engineer a sort of pill that can be dissolved as blood; kinda like blood on the go you know?"

Fiona's eyes widened with surprise, "Wow! That would mean I could just bring home a instead of needing to come here. Not that I don't enjoy being here... but those pills sound really handy," she said reassuringly. 

"Yeah, reduces the cost of all those chillers and all that. But I don't think it's going to taste as nice. Drinking from a goblet is civilized enough for me; but piercing your fangs through the bag of blood is still the best," he said almost absent-mindedly. "Nah, not for you. You're too Miss neat and composed. Piercing the blood bag is really messy but fulfilling."

"You should try being more neat and composed too Al. It's much more appealing you know," she chided. 

"Well, I guess you're right. A bit of appeal might be useful for me, where I'm going." Fiona took the bait instantly.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to leave with Draven tomorrow because the big pharmaceutical companies are located in the city area and he suggested that we both do an internship there before we set up our own lab," he said slowly before he stopped walking. "I was hoping you could come with me... I mean us."

"Oh Al... I don't think so. I mean I'm happy for you but I cannot follow. My place is with Eian and I'm happy where I am now."

"But once I leave, I may not come back," he sighed. "I may not want to come back..." He turned to face her and took her hands in his before he got down on one knee. "Fiona... Marry me... and we'll always be together." 

Fiona pulled her hand away both in shock and disgust. "No!" she exclaimed. "We're family... we can't! And I... my heart belongs to someone else," she cried, trying to hold back the tears. "I care a lot for you Al... but you seem to have misunderstood me..."

Alaron got to his feet and stared at her coldly. He had expected this from her. Anger boiled inside of him even as he pulled her close in an embrace. "I'm sorry Fi... please forgive me for this," he whispered as he placed his face close to her neck, breathing in her scent. Fiona tried to struggle but he was holding her so tightly that she could not move. An instant later, she felt the sharp prick of his fangs piercing the flesh at her neck. Her eyes widen with shock as memories flooded her mind in frightening flashes. 

She felt herself sinking to her knees. 

Alaron was crouched over her father; her mother and brother already dead on the floor, their blood staining the carpet. She had been hiding in the cupboard because she was playing hide and seek. 

"Don't see me, don't see me," she chanted softly under her breath. 

When she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her, his eyes red. 

Fiona clutched her throat; felt breathless as she sensed him pulling out his fangs slowly and tilting her chin up to look at him. 

"I'm not sorry for what I did... for I would not have met you otherwise... and I would not have fallen in love with you," he whispered, holding her close. Fiona was shaking. She wanted to feel angry, betrayed and hurt... but all she was capable of doing at that moment was feel empty. Her body leaned forward and she supported her weight with her hands. 




To Love a Were Ch. 07



"Why... why didn't you tell me this before?" she whispered. 

"It doesn't change anything. They'll always be dead so why even bother remembering them?" he said, trying to hold back his temper. 

"Then why did you show me that memory?" she shouted, pushing him away from her. She felt him grabbing her shoulders, forcing her to look at him but she was afraid; afraid of what he was about to say. 

He held her like that for a minute before he spoke; the anger in his voice was gone and was replaced with a tone of sadness. 

"I wished I had killed you back then... so at least I wouldn't feel this stupid shit right now. If you won't love me back then I'd rather you hate me Fi... hate me so that I won't have a reason to come back here. I don't want your pity Fiona. I don't want to see them in your eyes... I want you to look at me like you look at him! But I know now that you choose him... so what's left for me here Fi? The women that I love are both gone," he said, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Just remember me as a murderer and hate me!" he said behind clenched teeth. "Hate me so I won't feel bad about leaving you... Goodbye Fiona..." 

He pressed his lips onto hers for the briefest of moments before he got up and walked away. She could hear his footsteps moving further and further from her and his scent growing fainter. Even then, Fiona did not move from her position even when she knew he was no longer within her vicinity. 

All she could do was to sit there as her tears began to fall and hit the soil. 

***

The driver drove her up to her doorstep. She thanked the human and told him to take care before she walked up the steps to the front door. When Eian greeted her, she gave a weak smile before catching a whiff of something simmering in the kitchen. 

"Macaroni and cheese?" she asked absentmindedly. 

"Yes," he replied, somewhat surprised. He had not made this dish before, not since she had come to stay. She followed the smell into the kitchen and sat down. 

"Can I have some?" she asked, surprising them both. Eian turned to look at her with concern. 

"Didn't you feed enough back at the castle Fiona?" he asked gently.

"I said I want to eat it," she said firmly. Eian decided not to argue with her anymore but scooped out two bowls; hers having a lesser portion. He set the bowl in front of her and sat across her, watching her eat. She was eating; one macaroni at a time, swallowing the food down her throat with a strange expression on her face. He could tell she was forcing herself but she was not complaining. He knew something was wrong but he didn't want to force her to tell him unless she wanted to. 

Even as he chomped down his second bowl, he kept his eyes on her. She was only halfway through the meal and looking terribly sick- her eyes were teary yet she continued to eat. Finally, Eian got up and tried to take her bowl away, trying not to notice the bruise where her hands gripped his wrist tightly. 

"That's enough, Fiona."

"No. I want to finish it."

"Sweetheart... I won't ask what's wrong because I sense you don't want to tell me but if you keep up with this nonsense then I'll have no choice," he said gently, using the other hand to bring her head close to his chest. 

Fiona gave him such a scathing look that for a moment he thought she was going to hurl the bowl at him but she simply pushed the chair back and got up. 

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll go to bed now," she said and went upstairs. Eian gave a sigh as he sat down to finish her leftovers. As he was washing the dishes, he heard her vomiting but he simply shook his head and didn't move until he was done in the kitchen. By the time he got upstairs, he saw that she was already fast asleep, or at least pretending to. 

Eian laid on his bed staring at the ceiling, not wanting to fall asleep lest she need him. That was how it was when she first came to his home. He slept lightly so that he could always hear her cries if she needed him and today he saw something in her eyes that reminded him of the haunted look she used to give him back then. 

As the hours passed, his thoughts moved towards his plans to bring her to his own Château in the North-Eastern lands. He had been meaning to bring her there soon and from the looks of it, perhaps a change of scenery would lighten her mood. He would introduce her to the other packs on his lands there if they had the chance. Those were the first wolf pack after all; the ones he had grown up with and left in the care of others. 

His thoughts were interrupted by sounds of her footsteps heading downstairs. Eian frowned. It was still shy of three in the morning. What would she need to go down for? Feeling concerned, he got up and tiptoed down the corridor. 

"Mama... I'm tired. I want to sleep some more..." Eian froze when he heard her voice. Who was she talking to? He heard her laughing and then a crash. Eian quickly ran down the stairs to see what had happened. 

She was sitting on the floor, putting on imaginary shoes. Then she got up and nodded as though someone was speaking to her. 

"I love you mommy..." she said and seemed to hold on to someone's hand. She was walking towards the door; turned the handle and walked out before she screamed. Eian quickly rushed out to cover her mouth and carried her inside even as she struggled against him. 

"Fiona!" he called her, shaking her body to wake her up. She was screaming in his arms, trapped in her own nightmare, refusing to wake up. He shook her a bit more and slapped her arms just a little but she remained asleep. 

Suddenly the screams stopped and she was crying now... 

"Fiona, sweetheart... please wake up," cried Eian, now desperate to get her back to reality. 

"Mommy wake up! Wake up!" she said as her cries became softer and softer. Eian could no longer take it. He carried her in his arms and climbed upstairs into the shower and sprayed cold water all over her, jerking her into consciousness. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Why am I here? Eian?" 

"I'm sorry sweetheart... but I had to. You were sleepwalking... and you scared me," he said as he brought her close to him. "You're okay now. I'm here..."

She buried her face on his shoulder and struggled to calm herself down. Eian took a towel from the rack and covered her to keep her warm. 

"Eian..." she whispered after awhile.

"Yes?"

"Can you show me my house?" she asked, looking up into his green eyes. Eian blinked and stared at her for a moment. 

"Why?"

"Please..." she pleaded. Eian felt himself nodding even though his head was telling him it was a bad idea. He'll bear whatever consequences later, as long as he never saw those sad, haunted eyes on hers again. She shivered slightly and Eian realized that he needed to get her into fresh dry clothes again. 

"Fiona... I'm going to get you some dry clothes. Can you stay here and change out of these?" he asked, pointing to her wet nightgown. Immediately her eyes flew wide open and she shook her head as she clutched him close. 

"No! Don't leave me." 

"Okay... I'll stay here. Take those off or you'll catch a cold." She nodded silently and proceeded to do as told when Eian turned his back away from her. He heard the material fall on the floor and the rustle of the towel wrapping around her body. "Are you decent yet?" he asked. 

"Yes," she whispered as she picked up her nightgown and hung it on one of the towel racks. Eian gave a quick glance and realized that she hadn't been wearing anything underneath her nightgown. He willed himself not to get aroused. He needed to get her back to her own bed so that he could change out of his wet clothes too. He held her hand tight as they walked back slowly to her room. He was about to leave her when she pulled his hand back.

"Are... are you going to leave me alone?" she stammered. "Please don't... Sleep with me?" she pleaded. Eian was at a loss. 

"Sweetheart... you're bed's too small for me to sleep in with you. Is it okay if I sleep on the floor?" She thought about it for a moment before she spoke,

"I'll... I'll sleep with you in your room," she whispered in an almost inaudible voice. 

"Okay," he replied and held her hand once again as they walked into his room. She didn't say anything as she crawled onto his bed, still wrapped in her towel. Eian watched her cover herself with his blanket as he took off his wet shirt and reached for a new one. She had never once came to his room on her own accord even when her nightmares had been so bad. She'd always scream for him and he would come to her side and cradle her to sleep. 

He pulled back the blanket slowly and slipped in beside her, aware that she was watching his every move. She didn't protest when he put his arms around her and instead cuddled up readily against his body. Eian had to stop himself from getting aroused but it proved to be harder than he thought for her soft breasts were pressed seductively against his chest It took a lot of effort to just hold her like that but eventually he found himself drifting off to sleep when he saw that she had already dozed off. 

Fiona was feigning sleep for she didn't want Eian to worry too much about her. She was thankful enough that he was allowing her to go back and see her house. She was remembering things; bits and pieces. Her mother's eyes- they were piercing blue just like hers. Her mother's scent... her voice, her touch... and then she was dead. Fiona tried to recall more but the deeper she tried to reach into her subconscious mind, the more she heard screams and cries. 

Not wanting to remember anymore, she turned her attention to the man sleeping beside her. He had been a gentleman and had kept to his promise, not once touching her in anything more than a gentle, caring gesture. He had held her hand and held her close but he never attempted anything more. She wondered if he had found her distasteful after their first time together. She stiffened at the thought. 

"Eian," she whispered but he did not stir awake. She gave up after awhile and snuggled close and gave a slight jolt of surprise when she felt his semi-hard cock against her thigh. She could feel herself blushing but curiosity won over her as her hands moved down slowly to feel him through his shorts. Her curious fingers rubbed at it gently, not sure what would happen. When she heard him groan slightly, she quickly took her fingers away. 

"You really shouldn't do things halfway, Fiona..." he whispered in the dark. "You've got to take responsibility for your actions," he said as his eyes opened slowly to find hers. Fiona had no idea what he was talking about but it made her slightly fearful. "Touch me," he croaked as he took her hand and put it over his slowly hardening cock. 

"I..." she stammered, wanting to apologize but her words escaped her as she felt his cock coming to life in her hands. Eian smiled as her fingers curiously moved around to grip the shaft. "What... what should I do now?" she whispered. 

"That depends. Do you want to touch it?" he asked. He could feel her blush for the sudden heat warmed his skin. "Okay then. I'll take off my shorts to make it easier for you," he said as he pushed down and kicked off the material away from him. The instant it was off, he felt her hand once again on his cock, this time jerking him up and down slowly. He knew that she had no idea what she was doing and the thought only made him harder. She was so innocent and she was all his. "Yes, that's a good girl. Move your hand up and down a bit faster," he instructed and gave a pleasured moan when she did so. 

Fiona was alarmed when he moaned suddenly against her. "Am I... doing it right?" she asked. 

"You can do it better if you pull down the blanket," he said in almost a purr. He felt her hesitating for awhile but curiosity or perhaps lust eventually won out and she pulled down the blanket and gave a gasp. 

"It's so big!" she exclaimed and immediately let it go from her hand. Eian smiled and rested both his hands under his head as he watched her contemplate his cock. 

"If you stare at it too long it's going to shrivel up and fall off you know," he said teasingly much to her shock for she covered her mouth, believing him. Then she narrowed her eyes when she heard him laughing. Wanting to punish him for teasing her, she sat up and placed both her hands around his cock, drawing a sharp breath from him. She gripped him slightly tighter and moved her hands up and down much faster than before. 

"You'd better slow down sweetheart. You've got a lot to learn tonight," he told her. 

"Then you should begin your teaching," she replied, challenging him. Eian raised his eyebrows at her sudden daring. It stirred the competitive streak inside his wolf that for a moment he almost lost control over the dormant animal. 

"Very well my student. First, you've got to pass the oral exam," he told her, watching her stiffen and shake her head. 

"You want me to take that thing and put it in my mouth?" she gasped. 

"That is not a thing Fiona. That is a rock hard cock that wants to be inside your mouth right now," he said trying his best to remain patient. Fiona blushed even as her lips went nearer to his cock. 

"Cock," she whispered softly, almost embarrassed to say it before her tongue licked his cock head gently. 

"Yes sweetheart... now slowly," he instructed again, watching as she gingerly took his cock into her sweet lips. Eian was trying his best not to cum just by having her lips on him for she was looking so unbearably sexy doing so. He could see she was struggling as she engulfed more of him into her mouth before she pulled her mouth away, gagging. But she was determined. Holding his cock in one hand, she closed her lips once more over it. Eian moved his hips slowly, pushing his cock a bit deeper into her mouth and out again. She followed his rhythm, letting him face-fuck her mouth gently. When he stopped, she continued moving her lips up and down, feeling her mouth accommodate more of his hard cock as her fingers curiously touched his balls. 

She saw Eian cover his face with a pillow and she pulled her lips out, scrambling towards him with worry. "I'm sorry! Did it hurt?" she asked. 

"Yes... it's so fucking hard it hurts trying to hold it in," he groaned into the pillow. 

"Hold it in?" she asked. Eian didn't answer her as he took the pillow away from his face. Instead, he pulled his shirt off and grabbed the towel away from her body, leaving her naked. She immediately reached for the blanket to cover herself but he pushed her hand away. 

"You've got to take responsibility for your actions remember? You've made me so hard... what are you going to do about it now?" he asked, watching her crawl closer to him. 

"Should I suck it again?" she asked cautiously. Eian didn't answer but he lifted her body over his, placing them in a sixty-nine position. 

"We'll pleasure each other... you do whatever you want to me and I'll do... whatever I want to you too." He heard her murmur a response before her lips closed over his cock once more. This time, Eian brought her pussy close to his face, breathing in the scent of her moist pussy. She must have been excited from seeing him naked for she was slightly wet. 

"You must be enjoying yourself seeing that you're so wet," he said, blowing cool air onto her pussy lips. 

"Please don't look at it," she pleaded. 

His tongue gave an experimental lick on her tender folds and it earned him a sharp gasp. Pleased that she was enjoying it, he continued licking her, drawing out more of her juices before he twirled his tongue on her clit. 

"Eian!" she gasp when his lips latched onto her clit, giving it a hard suck. He felt her first orgasm rob her breath as she squirted copious amounts of love juice down his face. "Oh my god... I'm so sorry," she said, turning around as she tried to wipe the mess off his face. But Eian simply stilled her body, pressing his hard cock at the entrance of her pussy. 

"Apology only accepted if you can make me cum too," he whispered, licking the remains of her sweet pussy juice from his lips. "Slide yourself on top of me, Fiona..." 

Fiona turned to look at the cock doubtful if it could really go in but she dared herself, feeling his cock head pierce her slowly. She lowered herself onto his cock, feeling more and more of him inside her. She was still so tight that Eian gave a groan before he thrust his hips up in one stroke, burying his whole cock deep inside her. Fiona gave a loud scream as she felt the intense sensation of being filled to the brim. She dared herself to move her hips slowly, encouraged by the Eian's moans. 

"Fiona... oh god, where did you learn to do that," he moaned when she moved her hips up and down as she clenched her pussy tight around his cock. Eian couldn't help himself but thrust his hips to meet her every move; pushing up when she came down onto him. He pulled her shoulders down slowly to meet his lips, kissing her hungrily as her hips bobbed up and down on his cock. He felt himself grabbing her hips tight as he pistoned himself in and out of her faster and faster. She screamed his name as she came once more and Eian emptied himself inside her as she milked his cock with her convulsing muscles. 

She shuddered and landed on his chest, breathing heavily but Eian was not done yet. He reversed their position, rolling her onto her back; his cock still buried inside her. She gave a lazy satiated smile as his lips met hers, kissing in a languid manner before he pulled away to look at her. "Do you think you could take another round, Fiona?" he asked, moving his hips suggestively.

She raised her gaze and gave him a lusty look, "Only if you can manage, Eian." 

Eian gave a low growl in his throat as he heard the note of challenge in her words. He moved his hips gently, allowing the tight muscles of her pussy to slowly stroke him to his full girth as his mouth latched onto her soft breasts. He sucked on a hardened nipple as his finger worked on its twin, tweaking and pulling it gently. She moaned and clenched her pussy muscles as pleasure ripped through her body. Eian found her moans extremely sexy for it turned him on, knowing how much he was pleasuring her. 

He pulled his cock out of her pussy without warning, causing her to look at him expectantly. As Eian turned his attention to her other nipple, he rubbed his cock against her pussy lips, feeling the softness of her skin rubbing against his. His cock was slowly hardening at the sight of her struggling with her orgasm due to the stimulation of her clit by his cock. He continued rubbing himself down her slit, spreading her juices over his cock head, simply waiting for her to beg for it. 

Fiona found her hips bucking up on its own accord, wanting to feel him inside her once again. He was teasing her almost painfully, playing at the entrance, not wanting to push himself in even when she could tell he was so hard. She whimpered as Eian tweaked both her nipples and began sucking them roughly one after another. 

"Eian... please..." she moaned. A smile curved on his lips but he didn't stop. She whimpered once more and cried, "Please!"

"Please what Fiona?" he growled slightly, bringing his body up over hers. 

"Please..." she blushed and looked away, "Please put your cock into my..." she whispered as she struggled to find a word to describe her private. 

"Pussy..." he whispered in her ear, biting the tender lobe before licking down her neck. "With pleasure." And he rammed his whole length into her, causing them both to scream in ecstasy. She had wrapped her legs around his waist, demanding more and more of him; Eian happily obliged, pressing his full length deep inside her with every thrust. He could hear the slight creaking of the springs in the bed as he pounded himself inside her. Seeing that this was the second round, he knew he would be able to last longer... and give her more pleasure. 




To Love a Were Ch. 07



He pulled her legs from his waist and placed them high on his shoulders, watching her eyes widen as his cock moved even deeper inside her, hitting on her pussy walls from another angle. He pressed down onto her, moving his hips rapidly, matching her moan for moan. 

"Oh Eian," she gasped as her nails gripped his shoulders painfully. "Oh god, you're so deep inside me... I can't... I can't hold it anymore!" she screamed and shuddered as she came once more, squeezing his cock deliciously. Eian didn't stop to let her recover but continued to thrust into her through her orgasm, listening to her screams as they bounced off his room walls. 

When he finally stopped moving, it was only to draw in a deep breath and let go of her legs. He panted as he watched her tussled hair and flushed face from sex. 

"Do you want more?" he asked. His wolf was dangerously close to the surface, wanting to come out and claim this woman and it took Eian a lot of self control to keep his wolf at bay. She was not ready yet. 

Fiona was panting hard too but her eyes were locked on Eian's with a fierce determination. She had never felt anything so amazing in her life before and to do something so private and special with the man she loved was something she treasured. 

"How much more can you give me?" she asked. Eian's eyes went ablaze for a moment at her lustful challenge, much to her delight. 

"You're going to make me crazy Fiona," he growled as he pulled out of her. "Turn around and get on your hands and knees," he ordered. Fiona obliged him even though she thought it was strange to be in such a position. Eian however was in heaven as he watched her soft ass wiggle slightly as she moved, bending down and showing her pussy delightfully to him. He couldn't resist but give a lick before his cock plunged itself inside her once again. Fiona felt the air rush out from her lungs as he entered her without warning. It felt so different being entered this way but so much more intense that she couldn't help screaming with every thrust. 

Eian was grabbing her breast as he fucked her hard from the rear, feeling his release coming soon. He leaned her back against his body and gave a last thrust, pumping his cum deep inside her. 

He held her in that position for awhile, just taking in their mixed scent in the air. His wolf was begging for him to shift, claim their mate but Eian simply kept still and pushed the thoughts away. 

At long last, he managed to calm both himself and his wolf and let her go before collapsing next to her in exhaustion.

***

"Are you sure about this?" he asked as they stepped out of the car. Fiona nodded but he could feel her fingers searching for his. He held onto her hand firmly as they walked towards the abandoned home. 

To anyone looking, it looked like they were potential buyers, surveying the house. When Eian turned the master key and opened the door, he couldn't help but be pleased. Sydney was truly efficient- she had some cleaners in the house possibly clearing off all traces of the crime and they had covered the furniture in canvas or white cloth to keep away the dust. At least that would create a less disturbing welcome for both of them.

Eian felt Fiona moving and he followed her, allowing her to lead him for he didn't want to interrupt any thoughts she was having. 

Fiona's first impression of the house was how different it seemed to look. From a child's view, everything had looked so high and big and yet now she saw how small and cozy the house was. She dared herself to move forward, pulling back the white cloth covering the display cupboards and walls. 

She had expected to remember; to find something within her click when she saw the house but all she felt was fear and anticipation. She recognized and remembered nothing. Still, she willed herself to move on; her fingers trailing the walls and wooden furniture as if trying to lift traces of her memory embedded in them. 

"I don't remember anything," she said finally with a resigned sigh. 

"I don't expect you to... Not straight away at least." Eian's hand on her arm was firm yet gentle. 

Fiona gave a weak smile but continued walking until she saw frames. She went closer to see pictures of herself and her parents and brother. Her eyes glazed over them one by one. She was a brunette in every one of those pictures; wearing her school uniform, playing on the swings... 

Her eyes searched for the photo of her mother and saw those eyes that she would sometimes see in her dreams. They were blue, just like hers... in fact exactly like hers. 

"Do you want to take them home?" Eian asked as he embraced her lovingly from behind. Fiona couldn't bring herself to speak so she nodded. Eian took the frames that she pointed to and held them in his arms as she continued walking down the hall. She didn't seem to recognize much of the place so she walked till the end of the hall cautiously turned to the right and climbed the stairs leading towards the rooms. As if in a dream, her legs moved on their own, walking down the corridor into the first room on the left. 

Fiona seemed to recognize the room even though everything was draped in white cloth. She began to pull it down one by one, revealing cupboards and mirrors. She moved slowly around the room, touching frames on the wall gently with her fingers. They looks like the framed children's drawings. Were they hers? She looked intently but no recollection came to her. She moved again towards a small bed and pulled back the white cloth, revealing an assortment of soft toys. She fingered them one by one before she took a big teddy bear into her arms and hugged it close. Still holding to the bear, she crouched down and saw some school books under the bed. Fiona could feel her heart racing as she grabbed one to look for her name. 

"Kayla... Reynolds," she whispered before looking at Eian slowly. "That's my name... see?" Eian crouched down beside her. "But I don't remember that name..."

"I don't blame you for not remembering anything yet sweetheart... The mind is a strange but powerful and efficient tool. It stores, compartmentalizes, recalls and blocks images and memories without us realizing it. It may be an unconscious thing that you're unwilling or unable to remember the trauma or the details of it."

"But... shouldn't I at least remember my own name?" 

For a moment, Eian did not say anything. He could tell she was fighting with herself for control over her tears and anger. He understood those emotions.

"Do you prefer me to use your real name from now on Sweetheart?" he asked gently after awhile. He could see that she had calmed down. 

"No... I don't belong here," she said, leaning against his shoulder and linking her fingers to his. "I belong with you. You've given me a new life and that's who I am now."

Eian couldn't help feeling touched. He pulled her up and kissed her lightly before he looked deep into her eyes. 

"I am not sure if this is the best place to do it, but Fiona..." he said as he knelt down, "Will you marry me, Lady Fiona Culzean?" He rummaged his coat pocket for the ring box and presented to her the solitaire ring. 

Fiona felt tears in her eyes as she looked down at him. All emotions of loss and hurt slowly melt away as she felt herself nodding. 

"Yes," she whispered as he got up and hugged her tightly. 

***

The moment they got home, their lips sought each others'; desperately pulling off their clothes on their way to his room. She was hot for him and he was hungry for her and somehow they never made it to the bed; He had sheathed himself inside her and bucked his hips with such wildness and passion right there on top of the stairs. 

It was only a while later that he carried her into his room where they made love once more in the shower. Eian couldn't believe how insatiable they were becoming; he could never grow tired of her smell, her taste, her touch and her sighs. 

When they finally got out of the shower, both were equally exhausted but satiated for the time being. They got dressed and went downstairs so Eian could cook dinner. 

"I know you're not going to eat... but let's pretend you can so I can do something romantic tonight," he told her while they were in the kitchen. He got two slabs of steak and told her to watch over them as they grilled nicely over the stove. Meanwhile, Eian had set the table, putting two candlesticks in between and set two glasses of wine for them. Fiona watched him with interest as he moved about turning the meat on the other side and getting some salad ready. She always found it amazing how he was proficient in the kitchen and had never once expected her to do any housework just because it was a female domain. Fiona really appreciated it. 

He let her do the honours of lighting the candles as they sat in the dim light, looking at each other. 

"I've made yours very rare. It might suit your taste buds better," he said as he tucked into his meal. Fiona looked at her food curiously, smelling the blood on the meat. She imitated Eian's movements; cutting a small slice of the beef and putting it into her mouth. The taste of the meat's juices and blood mingling in her mouth made her sigh with satisfaction. She chewed the meat slowly, draining as much liquid as she could away before taking it out of her mouth. 

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized when he looked at her. "It's good but I'm not swallowing that."

"It's nice to watch you actually eat something and not vomit it out for once. I guess it's also nice to have someone to eat with," he said with a smile.

Fiona found it was also nice to finally have a way to accompany him during his meals. She had recently found out that while her body rejected human food, it was partially adaptable to liquids and so she happily drained the wine from her glass. 

When they were done, he got up and offered her his hand, leading her into the living room. 

"Come, sit here," he told her, patting the seat next to him in front of the piano. Her fingers gingerly pressed a key and delighted at the sound. Eian gave her a smile and taught her the seven notes of the solfège, much to her fascination. 

"Play something!" she said excitingly, watching as his fingers danced across the keys. The moment he hit the first note, she kept quiet, listening to the soft notes of his ballad. Fiona had never heard anything quite like it and it made her sway slightly on her seat. He was singing to her, his deep husky words serenading and touching every chord in her heart. 

Eian ended his last note and looked at the beautiful Vampire beside him. The ring on her finger shone brightly in the night light. He got up and held her close, swaying softly to his humming, round and round the room. Fiona's head was rested on his shoulder, listening to him humming the same song he just played and felt herself following along, lost in the moment. 

"Fiona..." He was calling her name. Fiona looked up; they had stopped moving without her realizing. 

"Yes?" she replied, looking into his eyes. His hand lovingly stroked her cheek as he bent his head down to kiss her. 

"I love you," he whispered. Fiona pressed her head against his shoulder and whispered,

"I have always loved you... from the start, and for always..."

***

PS: By the way, If anyone's interested to listen to the original ballad, it's entitled 'Words that Hit my Heart' by Park Hyo Shin. I'm not Korean so I had to rely on the translations to understand the meaning but it's the same mood and voice that inspired me for the piano scene. It was how I imagined Eian to sound like. 



To Love a Were Ch. 08



NB: Thank you to Wildheartedangel for taking the time to edit this chapter! Chapter 9's going to take longer so be patient.

So for now, here's Chapter 8. I hope you all enjoy reading this one!

*** 

"I'm so thankful that breastfeeding and all that running around after the pups has made me lose weight!" exclaimed Pearl. 

"Wait... they're only three months old!" protested Sydney. 

"Not when you're part wolf," she explained slowly. "Wolf pups learn how to crawl within weeks and by three months, they can walk and run. It just takes them a little more time to learn how to talk in complete sentences."

"That's amazing! But if you want to fit into that size eight you're holding, it's going to take a bit more working out, girlfriend," said Sydney as she took the dress from Pearl's hands. 

"I'm already getting my nightly exercises. That's exhausting enough." The two women laughed before noticing that Fiona had turned away from them; blushing to her roots. 

"You're making her blush Pearl!" laughed Sydney, holding on to Fiona's arms. "Alright sweetie, why don't you go and put this dress on? It's much too small for Pearl but I think you can fit in it."

Fiona took the dress from Sydney and scrunched her face. She had never worn a strapless dress before. 

"Uh Sydney?" she whispered. "How do I... you know?"

"Huh?" she replied with a puzzled look before understanding settled in. "Oh! Okay you can take off the straps for now but we'll get you a proper strapless bra later. Or else... you can just go Full Monty," she said with a wink. Fiona managed to a gulp before finding solace in the changing room. She didn't really like the idea of being naked under a dress. In fact she didn't like being naked at all... even if it was with Eian. The thought made her blush again. 

As she slipped into the navy blue A-line gown, Fiona thought about what the other two women had talked about and realized that she ached for the level of confidence and maturity that they had. They ooze sexuality, and seemed to know what they were doing with their bodies. Fiona sighed before she stepped out of the changing room. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise when she saw Eian sitting down on the sofa outside the changing room. "What are you doing here?" she demanded looking around for her other two companions. 

"They're trying on their gowns," he said simply, waving off her question. Fiona rolled her eyes and went to look for Sydney but not before she heard his compliment.

"The dress looks good on you, brings out your eyes."

Fiona smiled at his comment but didn't give him the pleasure of seeing it. She was about to call for Sydney when she came out of a larger changing area wearing just her bridal lingerie. 

"Hey Sweetie... you look wonderful! Come help zip me up," she said, gesturing for Fiona to enter the changing area with her. When Fiona stepped into the door, she couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. It looked much more like a mini powder room than a changing room with a dressing table and full length mirrors on every wall. 

Fiona tried not to look at Sydney as she wiggled her way into the dress. Are wolves really this unashamed of their nakedness? Well... Sydney wasn't really naked but she was in her lingerie which was the same thing according to Fiona. 

"Uh Sydney..." she began hesitantly. "What are you wearing under that dress?" she asked meekly. Sydney looked at Fiona's reflection with her eyebrows raised. 

"You mean this bustier?" she asked pointing to the white material inside her strapless dress. "You have to wear things like this because a regular bra won't fit right." Sydney gave a smile as her eyes maintained contact with Fiona's. "Or else... you can just wear it by itself if you want to seduce someone."

At Fiona's shocked expression, Sydney gave a little chuckle. 

"Sydney! That's so... so embarrassing!" she protested, trying to hide her reddened cheeks. 

"What is? Seduction?" Sydney flung her hair casually as she examined herself in the mirror. "Sweetie, are you telling me that you've been staying under one roof with a man as gorgeous as Eian and you haven't seduced him yet?" she teased, knowing full well that Fiona was blushing to her roots. 

"Ah... let's not talk about that," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor as though there was something suddenly interesting on the carpet. 

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm just joking," she said with a kind smile. "He likes you... Nah, like is too tame a word. He adores you. Probably wants babies with you too. Well, at least that's how Dominic behaves towards me so I'm just assuming it's the same with the Alpha."

Fiona was totally lost for words at the moment. What would Sydney think if she told her that she and Eian had already... no, that would be too embarrassing. Besides, he is a Werewolf and she a Vampire- they couldn't procreate even if they wanted to, right?

"Sweetie?" called Sydney, startling her away from her thoughts. "Come, let's find Pearl."

It turned out that Pearl was already waiting for them outside the changing area and was currently in deep conversation with Eian. Sydney however wasn't surprised to see him there. 

"Hey Eian! So what do you think?" she asked, pointing to their dresses. 

"You look beautiful," he said with a warm smile. "But do you really think she should wear that?" 

"Why not?" asked Sydney. "She looks really stunning in it."

"I thought the bridesmaids aren't supposed to look stunning?" he answered with a wry smile. The glance he gave Fiona was not lost on Sydney. 

They're just so in love with each other

Who! 

Those two! Just look at him. Aww...

"Seriously ladies, I'm right here," said Eian with a straight face. 

"I'm so sorry Alpha. I just couldn't help it," laughed Sydney. 

"Well then, are we buying the dresses or not?" 

If Sydney wasn't looking at him intently, she wouldn't have noticed the amusement in his eyes. He wasn't really bothered with their observation which meant that... she was probably right!

"Uh... well, there's still my sister but we can get her dress later. I think we can put a deposit for the dresses first then after fitting and last adjustments, we can pay it full," said Sydney, her brain clicking away. "That would mean a down payment of 50% for mine and 30% each for the other three. Oh... wow, that's quite a lot of money."

"Don't worry about it. That's why I'm here. I'm responsible for all of you now so take it as a gift." Eian went up to the sales counter and made the necessary payment. 

"I'm not sure I like this..." 

"You'll get used to it. Weddings, funerals, hospitalization... basically everything that goes on in the pack is covered by Eian. We do contribute part of our earnings to the pack's upkeep so I guess you can say the pack's paying for our dresses. You can pay Eian back for your dress if you want. He doesn't care if you do or don't." Pearl patted Sydney and the women walked back to the changing room. 

"Well...I don't think so," said Fiona softly as they were changing. "He said it's a gift, so it's from him personally."

"You think so?" shouted Pearl from the next room.

"Yeah, I do."

A while later when the women were changed, they gathered outside the boutique. 

"Dominic's picking me up. We're going over to my parent's place for the weekend. They don't know about the wedding yet. We'll drop Pearl off at her place first. Do you want me to take Fiona home as well?" asked Sydney, looking out for Dominic's car. 

"No, I'll bring her home." Sydney was not surprised to hear such a terse response. 

Eian waited until Dominic arrived, making sure Pearl and Sydney were safely on their way before he turned to walk to his car, with Fiona in tow. Fiona noticed that he had chosen to take his sports car today and she wondered if they were going for a long journey. She never really liked sitting in the car but she climbed in nonetheless. 

"Would you rather follow them?" he asked once she had buckled up. 

"I just don't like this car." Eian quirked an eyebrow but didn't reply her as he shifted into gear. 

They drove for about half an hour in silence when she suddenly turned to face him. 

"This isn't the way home."

"That depends. Home is where the heart is so we are going home."

Fiona smiled as his hand reached for hers, gently putting it on his lap. She had no idea where she was being taken to but it didn't matter really for she felt safe as long as she was with him.

***

How safe, however, was still questionable for she was gripping his hand tightly as the car approached a strange house. It didn't look like a castle or the houses in the compound. Fiona couldn't help feeling an ounce of dread. 

"Are you leaving me again like you did the last time?" The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. 

"No I'm not."

Fiona narrowed her eyes at him, not believing him. However the place looked more warm and homely- unlike the cold, harsh exterior of Culzean's castle. As she looked carefully at the building, realization dawned upon her. 

"This... this is your house?" she asked, suddenly excited. 

"Yes my love. It is actually my summer house. Although the correct term for it is chateau," he replied bringing his car to a stop. "Welcome to my home." His kiss was soft on her lips and surprised her. 

She expected guards coming up to them but there were none. It was only when they walked to the front door did she see a man waiting for them.

"Ah, Rousseau... I take it everything is ready for me?" he asked as a greeting to the old man at the door. He was bald and stooped slightly, possibly from age. Fiona thought him as scary until she saw his kind face. He had eyes that were perpetually smiling due to the crow's feet at the sides. She found that rather charming. 

"Yes Master Keiran. We have maintained the house as per your instructions," said the man with a bow before he looked up and smiled. "Welcome back Your Grace."

"Don't need to be so formal Rousseau. Please, meet the future Mistress, Lady Fiona," he replied, showing his hand to Fiona. "And this Fiona is my most trusted, head domestic, Rousseau."

"Pleased to meet you Rousseau," said Fiona with a kind smile. She gave a small curtsey much to his surprise. 

"Young Mistress bows to Rousseau. It is an honour," he replied. 

"Don't get sappy Rousseau. You know I can tell what you're thinking," said Eian casually as he stepped inside. Fiona wasn't sure what he meant but followed in nonetheless. 

She was greeted by the sight of twin stairs winding up to the second level. At the end of the open space on the first floor was what looked like the drawing room or perhaps the living room, she wasn't sure. But she liked how the high windows seemed to light the house naturally as well as ventilate it with cool spring air. 

"Shall we go upstairs, my Lady?" Fiona gave Eian a questioning look. She could tell he was teasing her but somehow she did not find it odd to be addressed by such a title since they were in his ancestral home. 

"Master Keiran, would you like to have dinner at home tonight?" asked Rousseau as they were making their way up. Eian looked down from the staircase and nodded. 

"Thank you, Rousseau. I'll be down at six. Tell the kitchen staff not to overdo themselves. It is just I who will eat." Eian smiled and continued climbing up, ignoring the curious look on his domestic. 

They continued walking past some other rooms on the second floor until they reached the end of the corridor and Eian opened the door to a beautiful room. There was a fireplace already set and warming up, the drapes had been pulled aside to let in the sun and then there was the bed- it was made and looked inviting to Fiona. 

"Why don't you rest for awhile? I know the morning fitting and the long drive is tiring. I'm going to my study for a while so you just stay here for now. I'll have one of the lady attendants set the bath."

Fiona didn't argue. She was indeed tired and as her head touched the pillow, she was lulled softly to sleep. 

Meanwhile, Eian was in his study, writing a letter. He was feeling rather archaic at the moment, just from being in his home, and he wanted to do things the old way. His letter was meant to relay his intentions of accepting Culzean's proposal and for them to decide on a wedding date. Eian gave a laugh as he took his old family seal and stamped it on the melted wax to seal the letter. Aramis was going to get a kick just looking at the letter. 

Old times indeed. 

Eian got up and climbed down to pass the letter personally to Rousseau. He didn't like the idea of the old man climbing up and down the stairs at his age. Despite Eian's persuasion, the old man refused to retire, insisting that he would not rest until he served the very last MacFarlane. 

"Master Keiran! You shouldn't have troubled yourself!" he chided as Eian gave him the letter. 

"Now Rousseau, I insist that you do not deliver this letter yourself because I know you would if I don't say otherwise. Give it to the page boy and send him on his way."

"Very well Master. I will. Adele tells me that your bath was ready twenty minutes ago. Now hurry along and wash up before dinner time." Eian laughed out loud as Rousseau all but pushed him up the stairs, shooing him away. 

When he entered the room, he wasn't surprised to see that she was fast asleep on his bed. She hadn't even taken off her shoes or clothes yet. After stepping out of his own shoes and hanging his shirt by the wall hook, he went to the bed and slowly took off her shoes and eased her out of her jacket. 

"Fiona sweetheart... do you really want to sleep in that?" he asked softly as she stirred awake. 

"I don't have anything to wear..." she mumbled sleepily. "You... surprise." She was incoherent as she drifted back to sleep. Eian's mouth curved slightly. Did she think he was really going to have nothing for her to wear? 

He strode over to the bathroom and walked into the additional walk-in closet that had been installed, as per his instructions, a week ago. It wasn't a difficult task and he had put a bit of pressure on the contractors to rush with the building. As he ran a hand down the polished wood closet, he found the work to his satisfaction. 

Eian pressed one of the buttons near the wall and watched as the sliding doors of the cupboards moved sideways to reveal a fully stocked wardrobe. As he fingered the satin and cashmere materials he couldn't help but give a smile. He had good taste, he knew, but he often forgot to ask if she agreed with his taste. Even though she had a temper when it came to doing things her way, she never really put up a fuss about what was being plastered on her body... or so he thinks. She never had a knack for fashion; choosing always to dress in those baggy pants and long sleeved shirts. Designer or not, that style does not suit her. 

Eian wondered for a moment if he should secretly burn her sufferable clothes.

"She'll probably burn me to death," he concluded after awhile. Those clothes reminded her of her stay at Culzean's castle. He wouldn't take that away from her. 

He walked back to his room, intending to coax her out of her clothes and into the bathtub with him but she was already awake, staring at him intently as he moved closer. 

"I know what you're thinking," she said. 

"And how is that?"

"Well, I can't exactly see what you're thinking but I can tell by the look in your eyes that you want something from me."

"Is that so? What is it then?"

Fiona narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not saying it."

"Then your observation is invalid," he said with a laugh. "Now come on. Get out of your clothes."

"See, you did want me to do something."

"Take them off before I tear them off," he said casually with a glint in his eyes. Fiona raised an eyebrow considering the seriousness of his threat. Rolling her eyes, she got off the bed and began to slowly unbutton her blouse. 

"No peeking!" she snapped, making sure he was facing the other way as she stripped. Eian didn't need to peek to know when she was fully undressed. He had expected her naked but she was still clad in her undergarments when he turned. Eian found his body responding to the sight of her in her red bra and thong. This must be Sydney's doing- turning her into this sex kitten underneath her clothes.

"I'm still shy when you look at me you know," she said softly as she walked past him. "You've seen many naked women's bodies, so stop looking at me as though you've never seen one."

He barely heard her as she went into the bathroom but he caught the slight bite in her words. She was already in the bathtub when he entered. 

"I'm coming in," he announced but she didn't protest when he took off his pants and joined her, snuggling right behind her instead of opposite her. "Doesn't that feel so much better?" he asked, pressing his face on her hair. "Are you angry at me, my little Vampire?" 

"No I'm not... okay just a little," she admitted. "I don't like you looking at other naked women."

Eian was so taken aback by her accusation that he was speechless. "What?"

"You know... all those naked women..."

"No I don't know sweetheart. I don't think I understand. The only naked woman I've been with in the past century is you. Don't you believe me?" he asked as he nibbled her ear lightly. 

Fiona tried to ignore the slight tingle in her belly from the sensations in her ears. 

"I mean all those naked she-wolves."

"You know they can't help it..."

"But still, you can help by not looking at them."

"That's quite difficult seeing that as their Alpha I need to give them instructions, naked or not." His response earned him a sharp jab from her elbow and she rose immediately to try and get out but his hands quickly grabbed her by her hips. Pulling her back down on top of him, he hugged her close, refusing to give in to her struggles. 

"Listen to me Fiona," he ordered. "I can look all I want at those women because I do not feel anything for them. I don't feel the need to do this," he said, scooping her breasts in one move. "Or this," he whispered, nibbling her ear and pinching her nipples. "And most importantly, I don't feel this for them." His hips moved suggestively, pressing his hardening manhood against her soft butt. "Do you understand me, my love?"

He felt her struggling stop but she didn't seem to have conceded. "But I am not as confident or as sexy or as anything as them. It's just... maybe a wolf thing and I know I'm not one and that's why I'm not as passionate or as seductive as Sydney or Pearl."

Eian immediately stopped his caressing and pressed her against his back. "Do you want to be a wolf, Fiona?" he asked carefully. 

"No I don't," she replied sadly and felt him holding her tighter. 

"Then how are you going to mate with me, my love? How are you going to bear me my babies?" He could hear the slight hitch in his voice but he tried to hold it back. He wanted to hear what she had to say without being overwhelmed by his own emotions. 

"I was a human once, Eian... and Alaron took that away from me. He turned me into a Vampire and was not sorry for it. Do you know how that made me feel? And if that wasn't enough... I was awakened and turned into a Pureblood against my knowledge or my choice. Do you know how much it hurt to have that blood racing through my veins, keeping me up all night, screaming? And you ask me if I want to be a wolf? Taking in your wolf blood will change me again... and I'm so tired of change Eian. I'm tired... and scared."

Eian relaxed his grip but held her close nonetheless. "I'm sorry sweetheart... I really am. But Fiona my love... taking in my wolf bite is your choice. I don't know what will happen if you take my bite as an inter-species mating has never happened before. That is why I am not forcing you. This is your choice, not someone else's choice and I respect that." he whispered to her even as his wolf howled sadly within him. "I love you Fiona... with all my heart. You were my mate right from the very moment I saw you... I just didn't know it until now," he added before he let her go and stepped out of the bath tub, allowing them both to their own thoughts. 




To Love a Were Ch. 08



***

She stayed in the bath tub for almost an hour before she got out to dry herself. She was about to go out when she noticed that there was another door at the other side of the bathroom and it was open. Curious, she walked closer and gave a gasp of surprise to find a walk in closet that housed a feminine selection of apparels. She frowned at the thought that he had actually lied when he said there was no other woman. She didn't think there was but who would wear all these fashionable clothes anyway? Despite her annoyance, she peeked into the cupboards and wardrobes with curiosity, finding that the fabric and cuts suit her taste after all. She reached for a floral dress hanging in the closet and placed it close to her body, examining herself in the mirror. It was demure and sweet, with little frills at the shoulders and of a modest knee length. 

"I hope whoever's this is won't mind that I'm borrowing it for awhile," she said to herself as she slipped into the dress. She didn't know what the material was but it felt so soft and warm against her skin. 

She had called out to him when she entered the room but he wasn't there. He was probably having his dinner, she decided as she looked at the time on the clock. It would be best to look for him. She didn't like being alone for too long. It spooked her. 

She walked carefully down the carpeted corridor towards the staircase but her attention was caught by a picture frame hanging at the other corner of the corridor. It looked like a family portrait but she could not be sure from such a distance. 

As she came closer, she confirmed her hunch; it was a family portrait but whose? She saw that it had been hand painted; similar to the one hanging in her adopted family's drawing room. She peered closer at the only grown man in the picture. He was handsome, with blonde hair braided down his back and sharp green eyes. He looked a lot like Eian, except the hair. The woman beside him was equally blonde but her eyes were blue... or perhaps grey, she couldn't tell but she thought her eyes looked sad. In front of the couple were two children, a girl and a boy. They looked almost of the same age and height but they had different colouring. She was blonde while his hair was dark as night but their eyes held the same green intensity as their father's. Fiona gently touched the girl's face with her finger before she heard a cough behind her. 

"Oh! I'm sorry... I was just looking," she began apologetically when she turned to see Rousseau. 

"As the Mistress of the house, you do not need to apologize for touching your belongings," he replied in a flat voice but Fiona could see that his eyes held a soft kindness to them. 

"Still, I shouldn't have. But, I hope you could tell me if this is Eian... I mean Master Keiran's family?" 

"Yes my Lady, it is." 

The old man was looking at her intently and she wasn't sure what to say. Should she pry more? 

"I know that you wish to know more and I humbly regret that I can only tell you some of what I know young Mistress...for it isn't my place to tell the story." Rousseau came closer to the frame and looked up. "But the young master is all that I have left and I care so deeply about him."

"Did... something happen to his family? Were they killed?" she asked, feeling a tightening feeling in her gut. 

"That depends, my Lady... on how you define 'killed'. You see, the Great Duke, that is his father, took his own life rather than face a terrible curse that befell his only son. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," he said with a shadow of a smile. Fiona nodded slowly but did not say anything. Rousseau then touched the frame closest to the little girl's portrait. "And this, was the young Mistress Fleur. She died at the tender age of eight by accident. It broke the young Master very much because she was his twin. If was not for the Grand Duchess herself, Master Keiran would have probably died too."

Fiona couldn't stop herself from crying now even as her hands were on her mouth. Eian had never told her about such sadness in his life; he understood the loss, the pain and he took her in. 

"I think that's enough of a history lesson for now Rousseau," said a cold voice from behind them. She saw Rousseau bow slightly before leaving her but she didn't dare to turn around to look at Eian even as she felt him approaching her. 

"You shouldn't cry Fiona... all this happened centuries ago." His hand on her elbow was gentle as he pulled her slightly away from the portrait. She let him hold her that way as they walked towards the terrace, overlooking the pool. 

"I'm sorry for your loss... it must have been really difficult for you," she began slowly. "I'm... I'm thankful you took me in and gave me a family, in fact two families to live with... Thank you," she whispered, leaning her head slightly on his chest. 

"Love is a very important element for someone who has just turned," he said slowly, gripping the ledge a little tightly. "I've tried to give you as much love... and so has Culzean, in his own ways. I can only hope that's enough for you Fiona..." 

"It was enough that I have you..." she replied in barely a whisper. 

Eian stared out onto the distance for a very long time before he said anything. He was finding it hard to re-tell the whole story again, even though it had been eons ago. He didn't even know where to start... so he decided it was best to start right from the beginning.

"I was about eight I think, slightly younger than you were when you turned but I was a happy boy. At that time, surrounding us were deep forests and mountains. It was a natural fortress and it was meant to be that way. The countries were at war and my father had been at the forefront, directing troops so he wanted the three of us safe and where better than a house surrounded by treacherous natural landscape?" Eian drew in a deep breath. "You see, I wanted to follow my father into battle but I was too young. It enchanted me to wear the armour and fight the bad guys or so I thought. One night I had slipped out from my bed to practice with one of my dad's swords. It was more like a dagger really but what the hell, I wanted to be a warrior so much that holding a weapon in my hand made the illusion real. Then I heard them... the wolves."

"More than one?"

"Yeah, a whole pack of them. I didn't see them but it felt like they were everywhere around me. I was playing down here," he said pointing to the pool. "It used to be a playing ground for me and my sister. It had slight hedges but no gates or walls protecting us. And that's when they came, hungry, looking for prey."

Fiona's hands were on her mouth once again, covering the sound of her gasp. 

"They were real wolves?"

"Yes they were. I probably should have died that night but the guards heard my screams and a week later when I woke up, my mother was beside me."

"You were alright?" 

"Or so I thought. Truth is, I don't remember much of what happened in that one week but my mother told me that she thought I was dead. The guards had heard my screams but they couldn't find me even though they searched the entire castle and the surrounding forests and mountains." Eian leaned forward on the railing and took a deep breath. "The thing about memory is that it conveniently forgets what the mind refuses to believe. For example, humans who claim to have seen Werewolves or Vampires were often ridiculed or ostracized to the point that they just choose to forget the encounter or pretend it was a dream. For me, it was a dream- a really bad dream."

"You don't have to remember if you don't want to," Fiona said reassuringly. Remembering was always difficult and painful for her. 

"No, I'm not remembering anything. I'm just retelling. So anyway, a week later, I was brought back to the castle; held at the scuff of my neck by a wolf, possibly the Alpha female. I can still smell her fur sometimes when I go to sleep. She must have nursed me, thinking of me as one of her own. I don't know."

"But... but you were changed by then? I thought the wolves attacked you?"

"Yes, they did. I still had multiple bite marks and deep scars when I was returned. The doctors were puzzled as to how my wounds could heal so fast. Back then, if you re-grew your torn muscles within a week, that's considered too amazing for scientific understanding. Werewolves heal slightly longer than Vampires, but they can heal. So we all just believed it to be some miracle of God or whatever." 

"That wolf must have loved you somewhat, to have returned you home." Fiona's words were barely a whisper but Eian heard it. For a moment he wondered if she was talking about herself or about him. 

Eian gave a ghost of a smile.

"Sometimes I wished I had died. It was a much better option that what I put my family through afterwards. A few days after I came to, I began to feel strange... I knew something was wrong with me and I felt different. My sister, Fleur, she could tell that I had changed and wanted to help but what was either of us to know what had happened to me?"

He slammed his fist onto the ledge. 

"How was I to know how to control the damn transformations? How was I to know how not to fear myself? I didn't even remember killing her Fiona... I just remembered waking up and holding her dead body in my arms. I didn't even have the decency to remember... but I knew it was me. She was just eight for god's sake."

"Eian, I'm sorry my love... you don't have to continue if you don't want to," said Fiona, looking up into his eyes. She saw that the green in them had darkened. 

"It's better to let it out in the open I suppose. It doesn't change the past, Fiona..." he said with a forced smile and he brought her close to him. "After her death, I locked myself in my room, never coming out, not even for meals. Over the next few days, I'd shift, often without me realizing it but one day my mother found out. She was worried about me; worried at how withdrawn I had become. I remembered she slept in my room one night and she saw that I shifted in and out in my sleep. I thank god for that one mercy for if I had killed her too then I would probably not be here right now."

Eian gave a long sigh and turned to look at Fiona. "She was a good mother. She understood what I had done and what I had become, even when she didn't know how. Later on in life when I asked her if she blamed me for Fleur's death, she said no. Even then, I blamed myself... always. And so did my Dad. He wouldn't... no couldn't accept what I was and it loathed him to have a son like me. He wouldn't hold me, wouldn't even look at me... and one day he killed himself by drinking poison." 

"I'm sorry Eian... at least you still had your mother..." said Fiona, trying to calm him down. 

"Yes... she was the only one I had left... and the only one who truly loved me. She forced me to change her too; told me that it was the only way for us to be safe around each other and also for me to have a companion during the transformation. What the hell... I was only eight. I wanted my mommy, so I bit her. I soon realize that as an adult, you had better control of your emotions and thus the wolf born inside of you could be better controlled. My mom taught me how to control myself and eventually I did."

Eian took in a deep breath and felt himself smile a little as he thought about his mother. "The years passed and I grew up but she never looked a day older. It was then that we realized that after a certain age, our bodies' age slower. Eventually, I became old enough to inherit the title and so I did. Then one day, Rousseau came to work for us. He was already fifty at that time and my mother fell in love with him. She said she knew right at the very start when she saw him that he was 'the one'; her mate," he said with a smile. "So yeah, you could say Rousseau has the right to fuss over me. But he was adamant on being a domestic and eventually my mother moved out to live with him and they had their own children. He asked her to change him too and when my step siblings were born, we found out that they were Werewolves too and that's when we understood that it was hereditary. It was there and then that we formed the first pack with me as the head of the family. We made up the pack rules and promised to stay together as a family as the best form of protection. Over the years we let in more humans into our secret but we stayed close together until the pack became too big to handle. It was then that I gave some of my half brothers permission to start their own pack in the neighbouring lands. Some will call this wolf blood in me a curse while others call it a gift. But do you know the most valuable lesson I learnt from being in a pack?"

"Not really... tell me?" she replied softly. 

"That one should always marry for love. Political marriages like the one my parents had was not enough to get them through my crisis. They didn't love each other and because of that, my father wouldn't sacrifice anything for her or me. That's why, I guess I didn't accept Culzean's proposal at first. I didn't want to make a political marriage like my parents. " 

Fiona looked up at him and pressed her lips softly against his. "But I love you."

"I know... I love you too..." he replied, holding her tight. "Let's go back to the room, Fiona... it's getting cold."

She nodded and they held each others' hands tight as they walked back to his room. 

***

As one door closes, another one opens.

"Hey Sophia," greeted Dominic as he and Sydney stepped through the front door. He dropped a kiss on each of Sophia's cheek and gave Sydney's dad, Edward, a handshake before he found himself in the man's embrace. 

"We're family now. No need for such formality my boy," grunted Edward as the four of them walked towards the living room. 

Dominic liked Sydney's family. They were almost as much of a riot as his. He watched as Sophia led her daughter to the kitchen, rattling on about party favours, leaving him and Edward alone. 

"So, I hear you're the bloke who's stealing my only daughter away from me aye?" said Edward in what sounded like a stern tone but his eyes gave him away; full of laughter and happiness. Dominic just had to laugh. 

"Yeah, something like that," he said with a laugh. Coming closer, he made an exaggerated act of whispering to Edward, "But just between us men, she was one hell of a reluctant gem to steal."

Edward gave a loud hearty laugh, "That's my baby girl alright. If no one sweeps her off the shelf, she'll glue herself to it."

"Hey, hey! No gossiping behind the bride's back!" said a half annoyed, half amused Sydney as she walked into the living room with a tray of drinks. As she settled herself next to Dominic, no one would doubt that they were in love with each other: Dominic's casual arm over her shoulder, his hands on her knees, her gentle pat on his thigh, they way their eyes sought each other every five minutes... 

The gestures didn't go unnoticed by her parents. 

"Anyway, Mom, Dad, we have something to announce, other than the proposal of course," said Sydney as she clutched both her hands together. "We're building a house... like from scratch! I can't believe it Mom! And that's not the best part. The best part is that we're hoping to have the wedding there!" she clapped her hands as she all but squealed the last part. "Oh Mom you should see it. It faces this beautiful lake and just yonder you'd see mountains and it's so quiet and serene. It's perfect!" 

Dominic was surprised at how excited she was for she never shared all that information or emotion with him before. However, the light in her eyes seemed to extinguish at the sight of the grim faces of her parents'.

"You're not going to have the traditional wedding here?" asked her mother with a pout. "I... I was hoping you'd indulge us... seeing that you're our only daughter." Dominic could tell that Sydney was having a hard time trying to swallow her mother's response but she had her bargaining face on. 

"Well, we could still do all that at down in England, Mom. I'll have accommodations arranged for everyone, no problem. I know the traditions Mom... but traditions are mobile; they're not rooted to a place!"

"Don't raise your voice to your Mother," said Edward with a gentle warning even though he didn't seem quite disturbed by their argument. He gave a silent toast to Dominic and tried to hide his smile behind the glass. 

"But Mom... you'll get a chance to get out of here for a bit; see the sights in England... see the Queen's palace?" Dominic could tell that the last bit was bait. Sophia seemed to be considering although he knew she wasn't going to agree to anything without a fight. Why, he wondered, had Sydney inherited that from her mother? 

Edward gave an amused smile and gestured for Dominic to come with him into the kitchen, leaving the women to their disagreements. 

"She'll cave in eventually," he said with a casual wave of his hand. "Plus that girl's no pushover, as I'm sure you know." Edward gave a wink. 

"She'll kick and scream when appropriate," replied Dominic returning his wink. "But I really hope that both of you won't mind holding the wedding at our new home. I guess it's not traditional huh?"

"It's pretty mental but a man almost always gives in to his woman unless of course he'd rather sleep on the couch for a week," he replied with a laugh. "Like Sydney says... traditions can be brought to wherever man roots himself, not the other way round. So mind you lad, you're going to be in for quite a surprise."

"Eh?"

"Enough with the panic look already lad or you'd make me pee in my pants. You well versed in the tongue my boy?" he asked, holding his belly as he laughed. 

"You mean Gaelic? Hell yeah. It gets the ladies." Edward slapped a pat on Dominic and they giggled like two high school girls. 

"Aye, you'd better get your tartan ready too lad. And beware the Blackenings. Oh yeah..." 

Dominic widened his eye upon hearing Edward. Blackenings are designed to ruin any man's reputation, or so he thinks, by literally stripping the groom-to-be to his waist but he's seen some stripped to his underwear. Thank god it's spring. 

"By the time they're through slapping on soot and god knows what other stuff, I'd rather be naked!" laughed Dominic. "Ah, but all in due time..." 

At the precise moment, Sydney and Sophia walked into the kitchen, giggling and chattering about the flowers and food they were going to have. 

"Ah, good to see that we're all good friends now," said Edward in jest before he gave Dominic a 'see I told you so' look. 

"Don't need to be so snide Darling. You're spoiling the spirit," said Sophia as she smacked his arm. "Now, for the most important question," she said, turning to the couple. "How many grandchildren can I expect?"

"Mom!" Sydney's protests was drowned by everyone's laughter. 

A few hours later, with dinner in their tummies, Dominic laid back on Sydney's single bed and stretched out. 

"Between Sophia and Pearl, I'm not sure who my stomach loves more," he said with a chuckle. Sydney simply rolled her eyes and threw a cushion at him.

"I'm not that good a cook so you'd have to scoot off to your sister's place if you're dying of hunger."

"My stomach is hurt by those cruel words of yours." She threw another pillow at him. "What? That's what my stomach says but Dominic didn't say that... In fact Dominic thinks that he can survive on burnt and or bland food for eternity as long as he gets to eat this every night." Dominic had moved to where Sydney was sitting on the floor and was currently licking a tender spot on her neck. She tried to swat him away like annoying fly but it only led to a playful tussle in which she found herself lying on her back. 

"You play dirty, MacFarlane." Sydney could hear herself growl. 




To Love a Were Ch. 08



"But you love bad boy Dominic," he murmured at her ears. 

"Yes, apparently I do... that's why I'm marrying him," she laughed and pushed him away. 

"So, how many people exactly are we expecting to invade English territory a week before the wedding?" 

"Don't be so droll. About a hundred or so relatives... and a few neighbours and friends... and well, their kids and their grandkids. Sheesh. Are you getting cold feet already?" she laughed, slapping a pillow on his tummy. 

"Better now than never. Nay, I didn't mean that! Geez that hurt!" Dominic rolled around trying to avoid Sydney's pillow slam. 

"I'm telling you Dominic Ryan MacFarlane, you better not lose in the games or you're dead meat. I only accept the best."

"What... wait... what games are we talking about here?"

"The Highland games! How can you not know what I'm talking about?"

"Why are women so difficult to understand? You jump from one topic to another without any synthesis! But that's besides the point. So what's this game that I can't lose at again?"

"Haud up yer heid like a thistle and be a proud Scot!" she replied with a laugh. "But seriously, it's just a small game, unlike the big ones they have at the festivals. The men in my family had to win every round of the game to prove he was worthy of becoming the groom. And that my darling, is why you must not lose."

"Hey, do I look like I'm the losing type?"

"Yeah right. I'm pretty sure Big Mike could punch you out flat."

"What! Married men can compete too?"

"Okay, maybe not. Then there's always Alpha. Bet your ass you can't beat him!" 

Dominic's smiling face dropped immediately. 

"Wait a minute. You're not going to have to marry him if he wins do you?"

"Maybe..." Sydney laughed at Dominic's panicked expression.

"Don't be such a baby. You know I only need you around for sex," she replied before laughing hysterically trying to avoid Dominic's pillow attacks. 

***

3 weeks later...

The MacFarlane compound was impossibly crowded with people, with more streaming in by the dozen every few hours or so. Even then, Eian had graciously welcomed Sydney's guests. There were probably fifty of them so far but he was told to expect more over the next couple of days. Accommodation wasn't a problem. Immediate family would be living in Dominic and Sydney's new home while the other extended family members would be house guests in the larger houses in the compound. He had also seen to it that at least twenty temporary and mobile houses were on standby. 

Sydney had handled the rest, much to his satisfaction. Hotel bookings for other guests, food catering, transportation in and out of the compound and most importantly, according to Sydney, was preparing the site for their traditional highland games. 

Leaning by the open door, he called out to Fiona.

"Sweetheart, what time are the Sandilands coming?" 

"They'll be here soon. Do I hear a hint of fear in your voice?" teased Fiona. She was busy wrapping the gift baskets for Sydney's bridal shower. 

"Not fear... just anticipation. It's been quite a few decades since we've had a marriage to an outsider. However, the last time it was a quiet ceremony with not much excitement. But this time, it's going to be quite a ceilidh."

"Quite a what?"

"A party. Ceilidh usually just means a visit among friends but you'll see them Scottish twist this place into a fair ground."

Fiona chuckled as she got up and went to his side. 

"You make it sound like it's going to be a nightmare. I think it'll be fun. I've never really been to a fair so I guess this comes close."

Eian closed his fingers around hers as a gesture of understanding.

"Want some help with those things?"

Fiona looked over at the baskets of gifts and gave a shrug.

"You wanna curl ribbons?"

"Sure. When's the bridal shower again?" he asked as he filled up one the baskets with various bottles of soaps and trinkets. 

"A few days from now. Why?"

"Just wondering. Are you going to get drunk and naked?"

"Am I what? You know I can't drink! And what do you mean naked?" Fiona slapped a bottle of shower gel onto the floor.

"Don't you know? According to the Scotts, you've got to strip the bridesmaid naked and parade her around the village!" Eian tried to look stern as he said it but he couldn't help the slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. He held off his laughter for as long as he could before bursting out in hysterics. 

"Eian!" She slapped him playfully on his hand. "You're going to pay for that!"

"You should have looked at the expression on your face. Oh it was to die for!"

"Right. Someone's going to be dead unless he explains to me about the female clothes in the dressing cupboard back in his chateau."

The laughter died from Eian's face as he looked at her curiously. 

"What female clothes?" 

"You know what I'm talking about." She was glaring at him with narrowed eyes. Eian tried to stifle a laugh. She's even adorable when she's angry. 

"I had them bought them for you. You know you have terrible taste Sweetheart. Don't deny it. I'll bring them here for you if you would like me to," he said with an amused smile. 

"Do you enjoy dressing me up so much Eian?" she retorted. 

"As much as I enjoy taking them off." Fiona caught the glint in his eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. She was about to slap away at his hand on her skirt zipper when their doorbell rang. 

"Saved by the bell," she laughed before getting up to answer the door. When she opened it, Fiona squealed in delight at the sight of Dominic, Sydney and her parents. 

"Hey Sweetie, is Eian home? Oh there he is! Ma, this is Fiona, one of my bridesmaids and that is Eian... the uh... village chief." She darted a quick look at Eian to make sure he was alright with her way of explaining his prominence in the compound without giving away their secret. 

"Pleasure to meet you Sir, Maam. I do hope you find your accommodations to your liking. You'll need a lot of rest from the long trip here I reckon."

"Oh no we won't be getting much sleep tonight I'm afraid. We're having the dance off tonight. You'll be coming right?" asked Edward as he shook Eian's hand. 

"Ah, dance off... yes, I suppose I will have to come."

A while later as Sydney carted her parents away; Fiona gave a laugh as she watched Eian skipping around the house. It was an amusing sight to watch him in such high spirits. 

"What?" he asked guiltily. 

"That thing you're doing... are you skipping Eian?"

"It's called dancing," he said defensively. "Didn't you hear Sydney's parents talking about the dance off thing? I do not want to appear as having two left feet, so I'm practicing."

Fiona tried to contain her laughter. She had never seen dancing that involved much jumping and skipping around but if Eian believed it was dancing then she'll believe in his abilities. 

***

Dinner was held in the great communal hall so as to accommodate all their guests. The families in the compound contributed something to the table that night and Eian brought in a few of his selected wine for the occasion. 

A while later, as food was slowly being cleared off the table, Sophia, the bride's mother announced that the dance off was about to begin. 

"But first, here's my little munchikins performing our famous swords dance with her father, Edward as piper!" Sophia literally screamed into the microphone as the sound of bagpipes filled the hall as Edward marched forward to the stage with Sydney behind him. She was dressed in what looked like a tartan kilt of her family clan and also a velvet waistcoat of similar colours. In both her hands she carried a long sword which she then placed on the floor in a crossed manner before bowing to everyone present. 

The piercing sound of the bagpipes was nothing compared to Sydney's movements. She jumped and skipped to every beat of the pipes, crossing the swords in sharp yet elegant movements. 

"That looks like what you were doing earlier today," whispered Fiona to Eian. He gave a chuckle and squeezed her hand. It was a long time since he had seen any highland dancing. It made him proud that someone as urban as Sydney still had her traditions rooted within her; she was a perfect addition into the compound and a perfect partner for Dominic. 

In fact, at that moment, Sydney was dragging Dominic upstage and beginning the dance off. The goal, it seems was to outperform the other contender. Dominic was competing with his body wave dancing. It was actually good except that he was slightly tipsy and mostly goofing around, making everyone laugh and clap louder for him. Eventually, Big Mike had to pull his brother off the stage and take over as a contender. Mike weighed about 100kg but he was made up of muscles and had his wolf-like agility on his side. He almost trashed Sydney with his breakdance moves- his helicopter and windmill was well executed and earned cheers from the crowd. However, Sydney came back with a surprising rendition of a hiphop infused highland dance! 

Now the competition was getting exciting as more and more people joined the stage to dance to whatever rhythm suited them. By the end of the night, almost everyone was on their feet, dancing to the music blasting through the sound system. Fiona had never seen such excitement within the compounds before and felt herself tapping her feet away to the music. 

"Want to dance?" offered Eian as he got up. Fiona tried to resist but he had pulled her up to join the others. They had quite a laugh teasing each other as they danced. Fiona was no jitterbug but she danced fairly well. 

The final song for the night was a slow song meant for partners and lovers. The smooth serenade was a perfect end to the night as couples held on to each other.

"It seems like a ceilidh after all," whispered Fiona as she leaned on Eian's chest.

"I think we haven't seen the best yet. The party has just started..." 



To Love a Were Ch. 09



NB: Thank you to those of you who have sent me really supportive emails and feedback regarding TLAW. It has really helped me to pursue this next chapter [and maybe the next?]. Do readers like happy endings? I'm thinking of making a character die as an ending but you guys might slaughter me for that! 

Anyway, I did not send this chapter for editing as I wanted it up asap so bear with the mistakes. Once again, I'm open for suggestions for the next chapters or stories!

Cheers!

-ArtForm-

***

Sydney looked at herself in the mirror and caught Fiona's eye. 

"I'm kind of nervous," she said with a jittery laugh. Fiona smiled and placed a gentle palm on Sydney's shoulder. 

"If it makes you feel better, I think Dominic is just as nervous. Maybe worst. I saw him puking outside his house not too long ago."

"Really?" said Sydney, suddenly brightening up. 

Fiona laughed, "It made you feel better didn't it? That's all that matters right now."

Sydney was smiling as the door opened slowly and Sophia peeked in.

"All ready girls?" she asked and offered a hand to her daughter. "Your father's waiting for us outside. I think he's going to cry," she said with a wink, making Sydney burst out in giggles.

True enough, Edward was holding a handkerchief to his face; trying to blotch out the tears that had escaped his eyes. 

"I'm having a 'butterfly kisses' moment," he said with a sniffle. "Except you didn't bake me a cake or gave me any butterfly kisses at night." 

"Oh Daddy..." said Sydney, squeezing his hand tight. "It's time to give me away now. No one likes a crybaby," she teased. Edward gave a hearty laugh and patted her shoulders. 

"Yes, you're right... no one likes them... especially when they have such intense green eyes and soft strawberry blonde hair. I'm not pointing any fingers," he chuckled as he offered his arm for her.

Fiona smiled at Edward's comment but at the same time, it made her somewhat sad. Her real father would never have a chance to give her away at her wedding. For a moment, she wondered if he was just as funny as Edward or as serious as Aramis. 

To be honest, Aramis Culzean was more a father to her, even though he insisted on her calling him 'grandfather'. Whatever his title was, she loved him and was looking forward to letting him know about her plans to get married with Eian. It would make him so happy. 

At that moment, Pearl and Sydney's sister joined her and together they walked down the aisle towards the end of the hall. There was a make shift raised platform and podium where Dominic stood, dressed in his smart black tuxedo. On his left was Eian, dressed in a similar fashion with his brown hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck. His eyes flickered to Fiona's face for the briefest moment before it focused on Sydney as she entered the hall hand in hand with her father. 

Oh man... Eian! She's beautiful!

Yes she is. But Eian was looking at Fiona once again; watching the way her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to look away from his gaze. 

***

The reception was held outside Dominic and Sydney's newly built home. Tents and marquees had been put up to accommodate the few hundred guests that were present for the wedding. Food was abundant, as was the wine and music. People were making conversation, taking photos with the bride and groom and getting drunk. 

And yet, Fiona was sitting quite alone at the far end of the party, blending in with the partial darkness of the night. She watched as Dominic and Sydney opened the dance floor with the customary newly-wed first dance, followed by Sydney's parents, Pearl and Mike and then everyone else. Eian stood under the floral arch, greeting guests and showing them to their table. She knew that he was searching for her but his attention was always diverted by various guests who wanted to thank him the host, or by other ladies who wanted to have a dance with him. 

She told herself that she wasn't the jealous type but the more she sat there watching the people milling around her, the more she felt sick. She hadn't been feeling too well since the wedding ceremony in the great hall. She had initially blamed it on the lack of sleep or excitement but it had gotten worst as the day drone on. 

As the night got older, Fiona drifted away in the darkness towards the edge of the water. She was cold even though there was hardly a breeze in the spring night. 

Then she started coughing; feeling herself choking as though oxygen was knocked out of her lungs. She couldn't take it anymore. There were just too many humans around her and they smelled... different from the wolves. They enticed her and it had taken a lot of her self-control to stay as far away from everyone. 

Fiona squatted and tried to curl herself into a tight ball to quell the thirst. She clenched her fist tight as she felt herself shivering but it was useless; her nails were growing longer and she felt her canines elongating. She had only felt this way once. It felt like the attack on the man in the woods all over again. It scared her to know what she could possibly do to everyone within her vicinity; to herself or Eian, if she didn't do something right now... 

Without entertaining another thought, she jumped into the lake; letting her shouts of pain burst underwater. Even as she grappled with the intensity of the pain, she forced herself to move through the water to the other side, to try and put as much distance between her and the others. 

It felt like forever but she finally managed to gain enough strength to pull herself up the bank, almost ten miles away from the MacFarlane lands. 

The pain had stopped but she was feeling too numb to know for sure. 

"You need to feed," said a voice from behind her. Fiona's instinctive reaction was to clamp her hands around the person's throat, slamming the body up against a tree. However, the familiar face of Alaron smiling at her forced her to let him go. He was not food. 

"Here. Drink this," he said, offering his wrist. When she gave a disgusted look, he rolled his eyes and pressed it to her mouth. "It will quell that hunger for awhile. We need to get you home... or somewhere safe for you to feed." Fiona didn't reply him for she was fang deep in his flesh, drawing upon their shared blood with an astonishing hunger. 

When she finally pulled away, she felt herself slowly returning to normal; fangs and nails retracting. Somewhat shocked at herself, she collapse on the floor and begin to cry. 

"What... what's happening to me Al?"

"I can't say for sure but I think you've never been exposed to so much... prey, at one time. I've told you haven't I that the most basic need for the Vampire is to sink his teeth into moist, plump flesh... of a human."

"Shut up! Don't say that! I... I am not like that!" she shrieked. 

"Don't lie!" he shouted back, pushing her such that she rolled a few feet away from him. Fiona's eyes hardened. In a blink of an eye, she returned his assault by knocking him down with a blow to the stomach. 

"Why were you following me? And why is it I didn't sense you?"

Alaron leaned against a tree and scoffed. "Like I'd ever let you out of my sight. I made sure I kept my distance; far enough to ensure that you won't catch a whiff of me. But it's not you I'm worried about. It's that dog you're sleeping with that annoys the hell out of me."

Fiona looked up and narrowed her eyes at him. "I told you not to speak of him like that haven't I? I've got to get back now. He'll be worried," she said, trying to get on her feet. 

"To where prey is plenty? Don't be stupid Fi. You might even attack that dog you love so much and that'll be the end of it," he said casually before frowning. "Come to think of it... maybe I should just let you go back. If you manage to kill him by accident then I'll stand a chance."

In a blink of an eye, her hand was at his throat again while the other clenched into a fist, aiming for his face. However, Alaron remained calm and laughed hysterically. 

"I dare you to do it," he taunted, still laughing at her feeble attempt to attack him. Fiona glared at him angrily but released her grip around his neck and lowered her hands. 

"I'll go with you," she said after awhile before looking at the other side of the lake. She tried to get one last look at the people but she couldn't see anything much except the glow of lights.

She felt Alaron's cold hand slipping into hers and then they were moving at light speed, further and further away from home. She felt the air growing warmer and warmer and realised that they were moving down south. 

"Where are we going?" she asked but he didn't reply and kept a tighter grip on her hand. 

Finally they stopped and Fiona had to blink a few times to clear her vision. They were at some private airport for she saw only two or three personal jets in the vicinity. 

"Come," he said, pulling her along. 

"What is this place?"

"Surely you don't think that father expects his kin to travel using public facilities do you? This is the family's personal hangar. And this... is my baby."

The jet was literally called 'My Baby' and Fiona wondered who had come up with such a terrible name for the aircraft. Must have been Alaron. 

"Where are you taking me?" she asked the moment they ascended into air. 

"Across the Atlantic," he replied calmly. "Just lean back and shut up Fi." Fiona scowled at him. "Tighten your damn seat belt and switch off your phone. Otherwise it'll interfere with the signals."

"I'm calling Eian the moment we land at wherever," she said irritably as she switched it off and tucked it into her pocket. 

Alaron scoffed and kept silent until the aircraft was stable in mid air. 

"Why do you love him so much?"

Fiona looked out the window into the darkness. "Maybe because I'm his mate." 

"You fool!" he snapped. "You cannot be his mate! I will not allow it!"

Fiona felt her temper rising and flashed him a heated look. "I do not need your permission to be with him! Grandfather has given me his blessings for our marriage and he, of all people, has more right over me than you!" she spat and unbuckled her seat belt. 

"Father doesn't know any better and neither do you!"

"Oh? And you do?" she asked in annoyance. 

"As a matter of fact I do and that is why I have to take you as far away from him as possible. I can't let you mate with him Fi... you will die."

Fiona's venomous anger sizzled slightly at Alaron's last words. Shock had clearly replaced her angered expression and she leaned back in her chair slowly.

"What... what do you mean?" she asked although part of her didn't want to hear his answer. 

"You won't believe me anyway," he replied nonchalantly. "You're too in love with that dog to ever believe me. Tell me I'm wrong then."

"Don't say that... please. I don't want to be forced to choose sides right now. I just want to know the truth... or whatever it is you know. You've kept so many things from me Alaron. Can't you just grant me this one respite?" 

Alaron shrugged. He knew he was being a jerk but that was the only way he knew how to treat her without falling into the pleading, teary, desperate self that he truly wanted to be around her. 

"I was supposed to be following Draven but I've decided to take a hiatus from that and so I've been travelling... reading up legends as well as old records in the archives of the Vampire clans in the region. As you know, for centuries, our kind has lived almost antagonistically with the Werewolf packs in the country. The reason is simple. Back in the time when blood banks were not the norm, Vampires still attack humans to feed. Some Vampires, more than others don't give a damn about who they attack... especially Werewolves. Somehow Werewolves emit one of the most enticing scents; I don't know why. But can you guess why biting a Werewolf in his human form is the most dangerous thing to do?"

"Because the wolf blood is poisonous?" she answered curiously. 

"Ah... not at all. Their blood is of no threat to ours although our venom is an instant killer to them. Like I said, Vampires were meant to feed on humans, not kill them. Our venom is in place not to poison them but to help accelerate blood clotting. It helps heal the punctured wound. However, Werewolves cannot catalyze this venom and instead it interferes with their own body's natural healing capabilities and so they die."

Fiona gasped and covered her mouth. Now she understood the weight of Eian's rules. He must have known all along that her venom was fatal and yet he had never said much about it.

"It's the same thing if they bite us too... although they usually don't bite us since they don't eat cold blooded animals. But they will if threatened. That's why some unfortunate Vampires who stupidly bit them ended up dying together with their victim. Such a waste." 

Alaron shook his head then laughed. 

"Strangely, despite these deaths, both our kind still co-existed well until the 15th century when one of the Vampire lords developed a kind of... fetish perhaps for werewolf blood. Sick, I'd say but he enjoyed it. Killed a whole pack in a month. But of course he died soon after. A pureblood doesn't need that much feeding. So gluttony killed him, mostly. Anyway, after that incident, the remaining pack Alphas had an agreement with the various Vampire clans to stay as far away from each other as possible. And so the myth of our hatred for each other was coined to keep youngsters away from danger."

"But that has nothing to do with me. I have never ever tried to bite Eian," protested Fiona. 

"But he needs to bite you to mate doesn't he? Oh yes... I read all about it. And their bite is as lethal to us as our bite is to them." Alaron kept his eyes on Fiona. "And you know what else I found out? He has never mated with a single human or wolf or any other species for that matter for centuries. Ever. Why do you suppose that is?"

"I... I am not sure," she replied. Or was she?

"In the legends, the original werewolf was a descendant of wolves. I don't know how true it is but that's what it says. The Vampire archives have no actual records of the first few Werewolves so I can't ascertain the truth of it. But what it does confirm is that the original Were has never had any of its own offspring. And... do you know who's that original Werewolf, Fi?"

"Yes..."

"I thought you would. Father has an extensive collection about the noble families since the first Kingdoms were formed. You'll see for yourself that the genealogy for MacFarlane stops at Keiran MacFarlane."

"But the pack..."

"They are just adopted into the pack. You do not include such adoptions into your royal genealogy. That just screws up the whole inheritance thing once you die. I don't mean you of course. Father has included you in our records so you won't be left with nothing if he dies."

"Right... that makes it all better. But you still haven't told me why Eian... well... the original Werewolf remained unmated for so long..."

"How would I know? But my guess is that his bite or his gene is extremely lethal- even to his own kind. The toxicity probably reduces down the line. Mmm... It's like the Psilocybin mushrooms you know? The people who eat them first hand experience the most intense high then the poorer people who can't afford them, drink their urine and experience a much more mild high."

"God! That is just sick! Do you have to use that analogy?"

"But hey... you get the picture don't you?"

"I don't think his bite is lethal..." she said slowly. Hadn't he bit his mother? Then why hadn't he ever mated with anyone? Was he... waiting for her? 

"That's just wishful thinking Fi..." said Alaron as he studied her face. "Don't even think for one second that he was waiting for his soulmate or whatever. No such thing. Okay? It's just a romance crap those wolves came up with to stamp out infidelity."

"You're such a cynic Al. Just wait. Someday some woman's going to make you fall on your knees and then you'll believe in it."

Alaron rolled his eyes and began fiddling with his fingers, ignoring her. Fiona didn't mind that they weren't speaking at all at the moment. She was trying to digest everything that Alaron had told her. There were some truths to what he had said. Didn't Eian tell her that he had invented all the pack rules? So most of the 'mating' issues are just ritualistic isn't it? She'll ask him when she has the chance... but for now, she needed to be somewhere where she will not be harm to anyone. 

"Al... why didn't you just take me home to the castle? Where exactly are we going?"

He ignored her and pretended to sleep. 

"Alaron!" she snapped, pinching his arm. "Are you kidnapping me?" Alaron opened one eye and closed it again. 

"Maybe."

***

It was nearly 3am when the guests had finally cleared the clearing outside Dominic and Sydney's home and retreated to their own beds. With a sigh, Eian took a chair and sat down in exhaustion. He had been standing, dancing, walking around and entertaining for the past six hours or so. He was tired. All he wanted was to curl in bed with Fiona and sleep. 

"She must have been so tired that she went home first," he whispered to himself as he walked slowly home. With a smile, he turned the key to his front door, and then climbed upstairs to his room. It didn't bother him too much that she wasn't in her own room for he expected her to be in his. 

"Fiona? Sweetheart?" he called out softly as he entered his own room. It was cold and smelled only of his clean sheets and of the oak panels. There was no trace of her anywhere. His senses were immediately on alert as he went through every room in the house to look for her. 

Panic washed over him as he tried to recall the last time he had seen her: she was sitting quietly, watching the celebration. She had looked slightly pale but he had dismissed it for she would have told him if anything was wrong. Frowning to himself, Eian dialled her cellphone but got no response. 

"Damn it Fiona... where the hell are you?" he slammed his fist on the wall. "How many times have I told you not to run off without telling me?" Eian placed his next call to Aramis's private number. He didn't care if it was three in the morning. 

When Aramis's lazy voice replied on the other end of the receiver, Eian immediately spoke, "Is she with you?"

"Who?"

"Fiona!" 

"What? No... What's this all about Keiran?" asked Aramis, sounding more alert. 

"She's gone. We didn't quarrel or anything so I don't think she's having a tantrum. I'm worried Aramis. You know bloody well that I can't scent her if she's not within my one mile radius!"

Aramis gave a worried sigh and tried to calm Eian down but to no avail. Eian was adamant to begin searching for her even though Aramis told him to wait till morning.

"She could be dead for all I know! Damn it Aramis. She's a vulnerable youngling."

"Wait till morning Keiran... you're going to push yourself too hard if you begin the search now. I know you had a long night with the wedding and all." When Eian didn't reply him, Aramis tried to pacify him in another way, "I received your letter. It gave me one hell of a laugh. You know as well as I do that I want to see both of you married... so trust me when I say you need some sleep. I'll make some calls and see what I can find out. You'd want to be alive and alert when you go out to look for her; not dead and sleepy."

Eian didn't reply for a long time and merely grunted before he disconnected the call. Just where the hell did she go to? Surely someone must have seen her? 

***

Meanwhile, Aramis did the first thing that came to his mind- he called Alaron. To his surprise, his son picked up.

"Yes Father?" 

"Where the hell are you?"

"In New York..."

"Alone?"

"Please... I'm a single, breathing male in a strange land... chicks are crowding around me."




To Love a Were Ch. 09



Aramis ignored him completely, "Put her on the phone,"

"What? I didn't know I need your approval to do anything Father."

Aramis gave a low growl and frowned, "I will personally come and break your neck if you don't put my granddaughter on the phone right now. Put her on NOW!"

"Chill old man. God you're such an insufferable ancient artefact!" he rolled his eyes and passed his phone to Fiona. "It's for you."

Fiona took the phone gingerly and placed it at her ears, "Yes?"

"My child... where are you?" he asked with a gentle voice. 

"I... I don't really know Grandfather... but something's wrong with me... and I'm scared."

"What did that son of a bitch... I mean Alaron do to you?" he asked angrily.

"Grandfather!" she exclaimed. "He didn't do anything! In fact if it wasn't for him, I would have killed everyone at the wedding!"

"Pass the phone to him," he instructed. When Alaron's annoyed voice came on the line, he exploded, "Bring her back to me right now you fool or I'm disinheriting you. She needs to feed and you're endangering not just yourself but also her."

Alaron didn't answer his father but simply disconnected the call. Fiona looked at him with curiosity.

"What did he say?"

"He said to treat you well and make sure you get fed. Now come on," he said, grabbing her by her arm. "There's something I want to show you."

They had been inside a building that looked like a medical facility to her, only that it was much bigger and was eleven stories high. He led her through some security doors and finally pass a glass door into a lab.

"Draven and I have been working on the blood tablets that we've told you about. We had to run through many batches to perfect it but this here is the first batch that has successfully passed all the testing so far."

"Oh no..." she said, backing away towards the door. "I'm not some guinea pig!" 

"It's compacted with blood type 'O' so it's user-friendly for all blood types and it's fortified with iron, zinc and an enzyme inhibitor x."

"What is that?"

"Well, I'll only tell you after you eat it," he said with a smile. "Don't worry... you're not gonna die. I won't let you. You know I love you too much to do that to you."

She eyed him warily. Did he really think she was this naïve? She narrowed her eyes at him and glared at him with as much ferocity as she could muster. 

"Stop that!" he said suddenly. Fiona blinked in surprise when she saw him massaging his temples in annoyance. "Fine fine... I'll eat it first. If I die, it's all your fault."

She continued glaring at him and watched in amazement as he simply put down the pill that he was about to put in his mouth. Fiona blinked again and saw the flash of annoyance on his face as he picked up the pill again. Curious now, more than anything, she focused once again on him with the sole thought of wanting him to put the pill down... and he did. 

"Stop it! God damn it. That was annoying Fi. Where the hell did you learn that?"

"I... I don't know! I just did it coz I was angry at you." 

"Fine. The bloody enzyme inhibitor x is a compound that serves dual purposes. One one hand, it stimulates our natural abilities... like for example, it will make me ten times more smarter." When she gave him a dubious look he rolled his eyes at her. "Cerebral monitors proved it. I solved a thousand different mathematical problems in under an hour. Now usually I will take at least a week." 

"So for argument sake, that's true... then what's its second purpose?"

"We haven't found much proof to support the second theory yet... but it behaves in a similar way to contraceptives. Cool huh. Now you can eat it and not have weird Vampire-Wolf babies."

"I hate you."

"I know."

However, Fiona accepted the pill that Alaron offered her. She looked at it and gave a long sigh. 

"And this would make mating or whatever it is possible?"

"Maybe. It inhibits any foreign gene and I suppose venom too, from being catalyzed in your body. So it can work against the bite but so far we have not had any tests done on that yet. So I see you've volunteered to be our first test subject."

She gave him a sideward glance before swallowing down the pill. 

The sudden burst inside her head hurt; it felt like a thousand needles were pushing through her brain. When the pain calmed, she felt a sense of satisfaction; her appetite was satiated but she wanted something else... like sex. 

She lifted her eyes to stare at Alaron in shock. She could see that he was smiling. 

"I'm right here if you want me," he said, leaning back in his chair. Fiona scowled at him. She was really trying to stop herself from moving towards him. It was then that she remembered that her power of suggestion would have been enhanced so she tried it on herself.

"I can wait until I'm home with Eian. This feeling can stop. This feeling can stop. This feeling can stop." When that didn't work, she tried another suggestion. "I am sexually satiated. I am sexually satiated..." She felt herself drawing a deep breath; her eyes fixed upon Alaron with utmost contempt and distrust. 

The next moment, he was picking up a scalpel and placing it at his neck. His eyes were looking at her fearfully but she didn't stop. She saw the thin blade slowly grazing upon his skin; blood was trickling down his neck. 

Fiona blinked and tried to shake herself out of her increasing lack of self control. She heard the sound of metal hitting the floor and saw Alaron taking in deep breaths to calm himself down. Fiona could see the cut healing slowly. Turning around she knelt down and told herself to relax. This unleashing of her vampiric abilities also increased her capacity for anger. She hated it. 

"My god, Fiona..." said Alaron in a hoarse voice. 

"Shut up or I'll have you severe your own head for real," she warned, trying to steady herself on her feet before turning to look at him. "Stay away from me..."

Then she backed away towards the door and tried to find a way out of the building.

***

She wasn't sure where she was at the moment. It was still dark but she could see the first rays of sunlight at the far end of the street. She was cold and still feeling slightly dizzy but she managed to walk down a few blocks, albeit aimlessly. 

"That idiot must have been lying when he said it was a contraceptive or whatever," she scowled to herself. She didn't think he would have stooped so low to get her to sleep with him. Asshole! 

Fiona really didn't like staying angry but it was the only way, at the moment, for her to maintain the suggestion that she was satiated. She was afraid that once she relaxed and let down her guard, she might actually attack someone; a human. Shivering slightly, she continued walking until she found an alley that was relatively quiet and secluded. There were many recyclers, dumpsters and various amounts of trash littered everywhere but she couldn't care less. 

She managed to squeeze herself between two large dumpsters and slid down to the ground, curling herself tight. 

"I'll be fine..." she told herself as her fingers shakily reached for her cellphone in her pocket. She switched it on and was instantly bombarded with messages and missed calls from various people, including her grandfather, Eian and Alaron. Reading some of the messages, she knew she was in trouble. 

She dialled Eian's number and waited for the call to connect... but to her horror, there was no response, except a flat tone on the other end of the line. She tried again and still she couldn't get through. Fiona began to panic. 

"Oh my god... wait... think, think! There's a code... international code maybe?" Fiona eyed her phone curiously and wondered if her power of suggestion could hoodwink the electrical device. "Right... I'm talking to an inanimate object now. I must be desperate." 

When she failed to get through once again, Fiona decided to forget it and just get some rest. She pulled her knees closer to her body and tried to make herself as hidden as possible. With a sad sigh, she closed her eyes and fell into slumber, mumbling softly, "Eian... help me..."

***

Almost 3000 miles away, Eian was pacing his living room. It was almost noon and Aramis hadn't called. Eian was tired. He hadn't rest as advised but had scoured the woods in the compound to look for her the whole morning. Just an hour ago, he had set up a search team of his best trackers to sniff her out. 

He knew that his body was about to crash in awhile so he simply leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, feeling the fatigue creeping in. 

A sudden knock on the door jerked him awake. He rushed to the door only to find that it was Amber. 

"I just came to check on you... you need rest or I'm going to force anaesthetics into your body," she said, stepping inside to take a better look at him. "You look like shit. It was a good thing that Pearl sent me to check in on you. She's taking care of the cleaning at the moment and she hasn't told Dominic or Sydney about any of this. They're going to fly off for their honeymoon soon..."

"No, don't tell them. I don't want them to worry," he said as he sat on his sofa and leaned back in exhaustion. He wanted to think of more to say to Amber at the moment but his mind was too tired to think.

He heard her moving about in his kitchen and a while later, she placed a glass of water and a sandwich in front of him. 

"Eat. This is doctor's orders. I saw you standing the whole night without consuming a single thing and then went out with the search party early this morning on an empty stomach. So eat or I'll shove it down your throat."

Eian looked up at Amber weakly and nodded. He was too tired to argue. He took a bite out of the sandwich and heard the slight grumble of his stomach, indicating that he was hungry after all. When he drained the last drop of water in the glass, Eian felt slightly better although his head still throbbed from lack of sleep. 

As he got to his feet to head upstairs to his room, he persuaded Amber to the door. "I need some sleep, yes I get it. Meet me back here in three hours."

"You need at least six hours..."

"Three. I'll see you then," he said, cutting her off and literally pushing her out of the door. 

***

Three hours later, Eian felt slightly more alert. He took a cold shower to refresh himself before heading down to his living room. As he expected, Amber had already let herself in but she wasn't alone; Big Mike was there too. When he saw Eian coming down the stairs, he got to his feet immediately.

"Alpha, please let me come with you."

"No. You have young pups to take care of. I want you to stay here and take care of the pack in my absence. Dominic is on his way to the airport and so that leaves you as the next in charge."

"But Alpha... My tracking skills are exceptional and I would be a better candidate..." he paused, looking up and down at Amber, "... to accompany and protect you."

Eian gave a smile and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him. "I need you to protect this pack; protect our homes, our young and our family. This is not an order Mike... but a request," he said. Mike blinked a few times and nodded. Eian smiled and then turned to look at Amber. 

"Have sufficient on-site medical supplies and emergency equipment ready in an hour. I want you to anticipate the least and the worst case scenarios and then pack accordingly. We leave in an hour."

***

It had taken Alaron a very long time to shake himself off Fiona's hold on him. He couldn't sense her at all and each time he had a hint of her presence, he would get a mind-splitting headache and hear her voice telling him to stay away from her. 

Nevertheless he continued looking for her; calling her cellphone every few minutes or so. In fact, in the last hour, he had rejected almost ten calls, mostly from his father and from Eian. He didn't want to give them the chance to find Fiona before he did. 

It was close to noon when he finally found her. He understood the moment he saw her why he was no longer under her power; she was fast asleep. Alaron crinkled his nose slightly as he stepped closer to pick her up. The smell of the decomposing trash was unbearable. 

As he carried her away from the dumpsters to his car, he felt her stirring. Looking down, he saw that her eyes fluttered slightly before she looked up at him. Her lips were curving as though she was smiling but her eyes did not seem to show any happiness. She looked... sad. Even as she leaned her head on his chest, Alaron couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

"We'll go home... you need a bath," he said as he lowered her onto the passenger seat. Fiona simply nodded and gave him the same sad smile. "God, you're killing me Fi. Don't look at me like that!" 

The strangeness of the city seemed secondary to her even as she stared out the window. All she wanted was just to be alone. She wasn't sure if she was safe enough to return home but at the same time, she didn't want to be with Alaron. It was only her love for him that made her sit still in the car. 

"Fi... don't just keep quiet... please," he begged. 

"I could suggest you to crash the car," she said softly but Alaron heard it and flicked his eyes towards her for a second. "But I won't."

"I'm sorry... about everything. I... I know I'm selfish and a real jerk. Truthfully, you have every right to tell me what to do... even if it is to go kill myself."

"You don't listen to anyone but yourself... you even believe you deserve the right to end your life on your own terms. I don't think so."

Alaron was surprised at the calm yet vicious tone of her voice. He had never heard her speak to anyone like that. Alaron didn't dare to say anything. Apart from Draven, no one else in the Culzean family ever displayed such dominant abilities before. 

When he reached the gates of Draven's house, he was not surprised to see that it was already open and his brother was standing at the front door waiting for them, with a grim expression on his face. The moment the car stopped, Draven opened the passenger seat door and carried Fiona out by himself; ignoring his brother. 

He continued walking through the hallway and into a quiet little room. He didn't say a word for he could hear everything that she wanted to say to him even though she was silent. 

"I need you to take a warm bath right now and then lie down. There are some shirts and pants inside the cupboard. They might be too big for you but they'll do for now. Can you do that for me?" 

Fiona nodded then looked up at him with pleading eyes. Draven felt his heart sink.

"Yes... I will teach you how to control your powers. But for now... bathe and rest."

When he left her and walked to the sitting room, it took all of his patience not to smash his brother's face into the wall. 

"I don't want to hear it," he said, putting his hand up to silence Alaron's excuses. Alaron kept quiet. It was pointless to try and persuade his brother to reason with him for Draven had honed his skill to the point where he could select when and how much information he wanted to read from a person's mind. 

"Father doesn't know that she's here does he?"

"No."

"I thought so," sighed Draven, pacing slowly before turning to face his brother, "I do not need to explain the magnitude of your actions for clearly it is a waste of my breath. However, I will say that bringing her here to me is the only right thing that you did in the past 24hours."

Draven gave Alaron the look of absolute displeasure. "I had no idea she had so much latent power. It was best that they had remained dormant for she's still a youngling and not equipped with the experience or patience to control it. Until she learns to control these powers, she cannot be around humans... or Werewolves for that matter. Just one suggestion from her could kill an entire pack, town or worst... country."

"No! You can't keep her here like a lab rat!" 

"I didn't choose this for her. Once again, you've made her life a living hell Alaron. I'm surprised that she still has the kindness to spare your life. But her mate might not."

"They cannot mate! That's just impossible!" said Alaron defiantly.

"Yes they can... even if it means they have to die to do so. That is their choice, brother... not yours," replied Draven patiently.

"I will NOT let her die!" Alaron spat angrily. "Fuck this. Just do your thing and leave me alone to do what I want!" 

Draven looked at his brother intently for a moment then burst out laughing. 

"I'm sorry brother... but I cannot do that. You are to stay here. Who else can she practice the extent of her control if we don't have a volunteer? You are as weak as the next human being so you'll be a more accurate gauge of her control. I am far too ancient for her powers to work effectively."

Alaron stood up in shock. "What? No! That's just rubbish. You're trying to get back at me aren't you?"

Draven shrugged. "You can leave but she will make you stay- willingly or not."

Alaron turned to look at his brother; realization of the truth sinking in. He loved her too much and she needed to learn how to control her powers. He would stay out of his love for her... but if he chose to go, she would force him to stay against his will because she needed him. He didn't think she was the vindictive sort but the onset of her powers might change things. 

"Ah yes... I'm afraid she's not going to be the sweet, demure little child that we used to know. Oh and yes, it will hurt. It will hurt so bloody bad that you'd wish you were never born," said Draven nonchalantly as he walked out of the room. "Just be thankful that you're really good at healing"

***

The next day, Fiona woke up to a splitting headache and almost fell off the bed in her attempt to get up. When she finally steadied herself, Fiona opened her eyes carefully and walked to the bathroom. 

"Oh god I feel sick..." she managed to say before throwing up in the toilet bowl. Looking down she saw that it was covered in blood. "Gross," she said, wiping her mouth. That was probably the last meal... or pill rather that she took. Now, she was just ravenous. 

She went to the sink to wash her hands and then splashed water on her face before looking in the mirror.

Then she screamed. 

Both Draven and Alaron were beside her in a second; staring at her with concerned looks on their faces. 

"Just look at that!" she said pointing to the mirror. The two men looked but didn't get what they were supposed to see. "I said look!" she screamed and this time, the two men felt their eyes unwillingly forced to see what she wanted them to see.

They were staring at a reflection of her... except that it did not look like her at all. The woman in the reflection had dark brown hair and looked older and insanely beautiful as Vampires tend to be in their immortal glory. 

"I... I think you look beautiful... more beautiful than anything I've seen," said Alaron, daring himself to speak. 

Fiona turned sharply to look at him and frowned. "That... is not me. Get out... get out!" she screamed before passing out; falling to the floor. 

"I am going to need to sedate her. Alaron... please call father and tell him where the both of you are. If you play this right, you might not be blamed for anything. I'm not saying you're not to blame... but right now, it is more important that we try and help her. Go... now."

Alaron simply nodded and ran out of the room while Draven carried Fiona onto the bed. He didn't think it was possible for an awakened Vampire to be... well, awakened again but right before him was evidence that it was possible. Draven left her for a while and when he came back, he injected some sedatives into her blood stream to keep her asleep for awhile more.

As he sat beside her, he thought about how it was possible for her powers to awaken at such a young age. Throughout history, it was rare enough for Vampires to have abilities. Although it was concentrated amongst the Purebloods, it still took them almost a century to actually realise their potential and then another century or so to perfect it. 




To Love a Were Ch. 09



It was only when Alaron came into the room that he realised why. 

"Have you called father yet?"

"Yes... and you know who is also coming. Pathetic." 

"Who, you? Yes you are. Now tell me, dear brother... when you met Fiona two days ago, what condition was she in?"

"Umm, she was ravenous... I mean she had never been around so many humans in her life and all she wanted to do was suck the living hell out of them."

"So did she?"

"Of course not! That's why she tried to get away from them and bumped into me," he said. When Draven raised an eyebrow curiously, he rolled his eyes. "Fine... I went to look for her. I've been keeping an eye out for her and when I saw her in such an unstable condition, I took her here..."

"With the sole purpose of testing that pill we've been working on," said Draven matter-of-factly. "You know that thing is not 100% tested yet. Her body probably rejected the matter and went into fight or flight mode," he said, shaking his head. "Guess the little one's not so weak after all... since she chose to fight to stay alive. That probably triggered her powers. I mean, they're after all designed to aid the Vampire in capture of prey."

"Thank you brother. I feel much better now," said Alaron sarcastically. "But how do you explain the sudden ageing? It is impossible for her to awaken again is it?"

"Ah... this is just merely speculative. As you know... your mother was human and so are her parents. I guess the fight or flight mechanism also triggers the human genes in her body to fight as well. It's like getting sick you know; your antibodies fighting with the bacteria and virus. Only in this case, our gene is the virus... and her human antibodies are winning..."

"Thus displaying her real dominant traits? Yeah... she was a brunette when I met her." Alaron gave a loud sigh. "I am so sorry about this..."

"You should be. We've got company... and by the looks of it, they want you to be really sorry," said Draven with a smile. "I'll greet our guests."

***

Draven approached the front door with caution; confident that his father would block any irrational attack from his Werewolf guests. He could tell that the male Were was harbouring rather vicious, murderous thoughts. 

"Good evening father," he said with a smile before turning towards Eian and bowing. "Your Excellency... and Lady... oh, Miss Amber MacFarlane? Welcome to my humble home. Please come in."

"Where is she, Culzean?" asked Eian the moment he stepped inside. 

"Your Excellency... please sit down. Unfortunately, there is something that we need to discuss before you can see her."

Eian eyed Draven curiously but sat down nonetheless to listen to Draven's explanation. He didn't interrupt until Draven was finished. 

"So you're saying that Fiona is not just an unstable violent time bomb but she's also becoming human again?"

"Not exactly... if she's human then she can't possibly have such a powerful ability."

"My son! Are you saying that my only female descendant will eventually... die?" asked Aramis, clearly in shock. 

"We do not know anything at this point Aramis... I want to see her. Please," said Eian sadly, turning to Draven. 

Draven nodded and ushered them towards the guest room but did not open the door to let them in.

"I would like to forewarn you, Your Excellency that she might suggest you to do harm onto yourself... or worst, herself."

Eian didn't answer but placed a gentle hand on Draven's shoulder and nodded. When he entered the room, he saw that she was conscious but still in a daze; lying on her right side and staring at the window. 

"Sweetheart... it's me," he said gently but didn't make an attempt to get closer. It was not just her appearance that was different but her scent too. When she didn't say anything, Eian called her again, this time, taking a step forward. 

"Go away..." she said softly but didn't turn around. Eian heard Draven taking in a deep breath. 

"Sweetheart... I'm really sorry that I couldn't come sooner. I looked everywhere for you... please look at me..."

"I only want you in the room," she said in a soft voice. "Get everyone out... before I do."

Draven, Amber and Aramis quickly moved away from the door upon hearing her words. With as much care as possible, Eian closed the door and began to walk towards Fiona. 

"Sweetheart..." he murmured as he sat on the bed to look at her. 

"My life has been very tumultuous... I'm tired Eian..." she said, turning her head to look up at him. 

"I know," he whispered and held her close. "I'm here..."

Fiona simply moved closer towards him, pressing her face against his thigh. Slowly she felt the tears escaping her eyes but she tried as much as possible to hide her face from his sight. 

"Eian... I'm sorry," she whispered. "But you have to go... I cannot risk having you around me." She felt his muscles tense up as the words sunk in. 

"No... I can't just let you suffer on your own... Please Fiona, I want to be with you."

Fiona simply smiled, still hidden from his view, "I might hurt you... and that is the last thing that I want to do," she said. "I might have sudden bursts of anger and say things that I don't mean. I can't Eian... I just can't..."

"I won't leave you Fiona..." he replied calmly. "Unless you make me."

Fiona moved away from him and raised her eyes slowly to look at his; her icy blue against his intense green eyes. 

"Walk out of the room, Eian... and... just keep walking," her voice was almost a hiss but he heard it loud and clear. 

His legs felt like something was crawling on them and they were wobbling slightly. Even then, he didn't take his eyes off her and watched the way her irises darken to an ebony hue. He could sense her anger and scent the heat coming from her body but he refused to give in to his legs' desire to walk. 

He kept his eyes fixed on her for as long as he could... before everything turned black...



To Love a Were Ch. 10



NB: I had a lot of fun reading the comments from the previous chapter and I must stress that this is not a redemption piece. Chapter 9 is deliberately chaotic to set the stage for the next two chapters. The reason for this diversion was so that I won't rush the ending by wrapping it up with yet another wedding.

And so...on behalf of Keiran and Fiona, I give my love and thanks to the readers who have stayed with them throughout the series. =)

Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

-ArtForm-

***

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Amber, lifting Eian's wrist carefully to test for his pulse.

"He's a strong wolf... he'll survive," replied Aramis with as much confidence as he could muster. "He's just unconscious. He shouldn't have resisted her."

"He's an Alpha... He doesn't walk away from problems. It's his nature to solve problems for others. And... I think it is perhaps our turn to help him with his," she replied, waving a small glass of ammonium carbonate under Eian's nose. She was hoping the smelling salts would revive him soon.

"He's too stubborn to accept anyone's help."

Amber and Aramis turned their heads towards the source of the voice.

"You!" The speed at which Aramis moved shocked Amber. She watched him grab his son by the shirt and raised him up high. "This is all your fault! I'm going to kill you!"

Amber bit her lips. She didn't really want to witness a violent family murder right now. Her eyes darted fearfully towards Draven; pleading for him to intervene.

"Father... don't waste your time on him," said Draven with a resigned sigh. Did the wolf really have to look at him with such pleading eyes? He moved his gaze from Aramis to his brother, "Why don't you go inside the room and talk to her? If she kills you then that'll save us a lot of trouble. But right now, I don't want you inside this room."

Alaron's gaze did not leave his brother's as he felt himself seethe with anger. "Why does everyone blame me for this? If anyone is to be blamed, it's him!" he scowled, pointing to Eian. "He should have asked if it was safe for her to be around so many humans. He should have made the necessary precautions and most importantly, he shouldn't have left her alone!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Alaron felt a momentary pain at his side. Glancing down, he saw that part of his abdomen was in between the jaw of a wolf.

"Never... talk about my Alpha like that," said Draven, reading out Amber's thoughts for the benefit of the rest. The wolf was growling and looked like it was about to bite off a chunk of meat from Alaron but then it stopped. Looking at Draven, it blinked a few times before letting go of Alaron.

You can read my thoughts? That's just... impossible!

"Yes, I'm surprised too. It usually works on Vampires and humans only. But this is an emergency," said Draven, waving off Amber's questions. "Now this brat needs to be tended to."

"I'll take him," sighed Aramis, carrying his son in his arms into the next room. Looking down, he whispered sadly,"Alaron, what am I going to do with you? What would your mother say if she saw how you were behaving?"

***

After they left, Draven and Amber remained quiet; both looking at Eian with concern and anticipation. Awhile later, Eian began to stir slightly before giving a moan of pain.

You shouldn't be here... I want to shift back and indecency is not a Vampire's cup of tea.

"I'll be fine," replied Draven, ignoring her. He moved closer to Eian and gently eased the man's head onto his lap. "Are you experiencing any pain anywhere?"

"No..." he croaked as a reply. "Just tired... my head... it hurts..."

Draven frowned before turning to the wolf beside him, "I don't want to move him too much, in case there's any fracture. I need you to a glass of water and some aspirin. He's starting to burn up."

Draven watched the wolf head towards the kitchen before turning to look at Eian.

"Is... she alright?" asked Eian. Draven frowned. Is this guy for real? The first thing he asks after gaining consciousness is if Fiona's alright. He should be more concerned for himself right now!

"I think she will be fine... but you should be worried about yourself now..."

Eian simply smiled and forced himself to sit up slowly. "Werewolves aren't individualistic as Vampires are, Culzean..."

Draven's eyes flicked up to look at Eian before quickly looking down humbly, "Please forgive me, Your Excellency... I didn't mean to speak out of line. I am not my brother..."

"Ah yes... the young Culzean. He's quite a handful isn't he?" said Eian with a gentle smile. "In a way, he reminds me of the newly turned werewolves and the rogues; their complete disregard for authority or rules. Relative to us, he is still a child."

"Alpha, you really shouldn't be too kind. Child or not, he needs to grow up," said Amber, walking towards the two of them; glass of water in hand. "Oh and Mister, you should cover your eyes."

Draven didn't have enough time to close his eyes for Amber was already crouching down to give Eian his water and medicine. Amber watched with amusement as Draven hastily unbuttoned his shirt in an attempt to hand it to her.

"Don't bother with that," she replied and shifted back into her wolf form. Eian watched them with interest; his lips curved slightly into a smile. He then turned slowly towards the dark haired Vampire.

"Anyway, Draven, seeing that you've kindly tended to me, I think you should call me Eian now. No need for such formalities... especially since we will be family soon," said Eian as he finished the last drops of his water. "And since you're already sniping at each other, let me formally introduce you two," he said. Both Draven and Amber pretended to give him innocent looks.

"This is my pack doctor, Amber MacFarlane." Turning to Amber, he gestured towards Draven, "And this is Lord Draven Culzean; heir to the title."

Amber, gently bent her head in acknowledgement and was a little upset to see that the Vampire had not done the same. Was he unwilling to make peace with her because she was a Werewolf or because she was a female?

She gave an annoyed growl before turning to her Alpha.

This old bat irritates me. I think I better go check on her... She might be more obliging if it's a woman.

"Possible," said Eian, nodding towards Amber to give her permission, all the while trying to conceal his amusement.

"You will find some clothes in the cupboard if you want," said Draven a moment later, much to Eian's surprise.

He can hear you?

Yes Alpha, he can hear me.

***

Fiona was sitting cross-legged on the bed, twirling her brown hair between her fingers. When the door creaked open, she didn't bother to look. Whoever it was, she was planning to force them out anyway... in a second or two.

However, when nobody said anything, she frowned and turned to look at the intruder. To her surprise, a wolf was standing at the door, perfectly still and looking in her direction.

"You smell familiar but I don't think I remember you..." she said in a tart voice.

Of course you don't... the last time you were around me, I was a bitch in heat. We smell different when we're in heat.

Fiona simply stared at the wolf. Why the hell was it just looking at her and not saying anything?

"Who are you? Did Eian send you? Please go away."

It's me... Amber... you mean you can't hear me? But... I thought you could... Draven, he could hear my thoughts!

"I said go away!" said Fiona in a much louder voice. To her surprise, the wolf remained where it was, as though oblivious to her power. Fiona frowned curiously before letting out a resigned sigh. "Do whatever you want."

The wolf cocked its head to one side and moved towards a cupboard. Using its snout, it pushed open the doors and gave a soft growl before it shifted.

A second later, Amber was browsing the selection of clothes inside the cupboard with her naked butt facing Fiona.

Fiona's frowned immediately disappeared when she recognized the blonde woman.

"Amber?"

Amber gave a muffled "Uhuh" as she slipped a black shirt over herself. "Urgh... this reeks of Vampire..." she jerked as though stopping herself, "Oh... I'm sorry Darling... I mean, this smells of that male Vampire outside. I wonder if he ever does his laundry!"

Fiona laughed and clapped her hand. Somehow, she found it equally amusing to wonder about her uncle's laundry issues.

"You smell different," said Fiona once she stopped laughing.

Amber smiled and sat at the edge of the bed. "The last time we met, I was in heat... it's kinda like having your period you know? It comes every three weeks or so, in a cycle."

"You smell different when you're in heat?"

"Yes of course... females get repulsed at the scent but not the males. It's supposed to attract them in the first place for mating."

"They have such one tracked mind," said Fiona; her fists clenched. Amber shifted closer but made no move to touch Fiona yet.

"Some... but not all. Our Alpha doesn't."

Fiona looked up at Amber and felt the tears pooling in her eyes. It meant a lot to her that Amber called Eian 'our' Alpha... like she was part of the pack too.

Upon seeing the tears, Amber dared herself to take Fiona's hand and was instead shocked when Fiona launched herself at her, hugging her close.

"Oh baby... shh..." she cooed reassuringly, caressing Fiona's back. Amber wasn't sure what to say anymore because for that moment, she saw Fiona as the bruised and battered little girl in her ward once again. "Did someone hurt you?"

Fiona shook her head. "But I started to remember them; my family," she mumbled, her face still buried on Amber's shoulder. "My mother... her name is Elsa and she calls me her Baby Kay... that's my name see? Kayla... And my dad... he sings the most terrible songs but he's a terrific basketball player. We have a mini basketball backboard inside the garage. My brother and I loved to play together." When Amber kept silent, Fiona continued, "This is what I've always wanted right? But why does it not make me feel better? And how did I suddenly regain my memory? I've been trying to for so long and now suddenly..."

Amber patted her back slowly to calm her down. "The unleashing of your powers must have removed the block on your memory somehow. Post-trauma amnesia takes time... and sometimes just the right kick to get it rolling."

"But they're dead... gaining back my memory doesn't save them and it makes me angry... and sad too..."

Amber smiled and held her tighter. "Let me tell you something... Sometimes when I'm at work, I receive patients who have been badly injured. Sometimes they get into accidents and were not rushed to the A&E fast enough so they've lost a lot of blood. And no matter how hard I try, sometimes they die... and the simple truth is, you can't save everyone."

"But I can try... and right now, the only way is to isolate myself from everyone. I don't want to end up hurting anybody by accident..."

"You can only hurt others if you choose to hurt them Darling... and right now you've hurt the one person who would never hurt you... you know who I'm talking about right?"

Fiona nodded slowly. "Is he... is he okay?"

Amber patted Fiona's back. "Yes he is... you gave him quite a nasty headache though."

"Yeah... he has a stubbornly strong mind."

"That's why he's our Alpha..."

Fiona pulled away from Amber and smiled. "Thank you Amber... I feel better now. I guess I owe you my life... again," she laughed. "If there's anything you need from me... please let me know."

Amber thought for awhile then pursed her lips. "How is it you can't read my thoughts but Draven can? That's just so... creepy."

"Oh, he can read thoughts... but his powers usually only apply to Vampires and to humans."

"Oh..."

***

It was nearly midnight when Fiona crept out of her room. She wanted it to be really dark and quiet so that she wouldn't bump into anyone in the house. She really wasn't up to answering "Are you okay?" at every turn.

Moving stealthily, she tiptoed across the living room and let herself out of the front door. With her feet still bare, she stepped on the soft grass and wriggled her toes to feel the earth underneath her feet. She took in a deep breath of air and felt thankful that she was alive despite everything.

Even in the dark, Fiona's eyes were able to see everything as clearly as it was day. She noticed that the grounds here were not as extensive as the castle grounds but they were every bit as homely. It did look cold with its gothic demeanor but it was still homely.

She continued walking, accompanied only by the sound of crickets and the sound of her own heart. She wasn't sure where she was walking to but it didn't matter for she just wanted to enjoy the moment. She was hardly ever let out of anyone's sight; her safety as a concern for everyone. Fiona knew that both her adoptive family and the pack members care and love her to the point where they decide everything for her. But she's no longer a child; she would like to make her own choices too.

Maybe that's why she was always so forgiving of Alaron. Despite his unruliness and lack of self-control, he was the only one who did not treat her like she was a baby that needed protection all the time. He was blunt and honest with her to the point of brashness and let her do whatever she wanted to do.

Fiona laughed to herself. She needed that bastard in her life even though he was a jerk all the time. Still smiling, she continued walking and finally stopped when she felt the soil give way to sand beneath her feet. She had never felt sand before! Feeling excited, she broke into a skip and then ran towards the scent of salt and was rewarded with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

It was the ocean, with its waves lapping lazily along the shore. Fiona's eyes widened in excitement as she went closer, feeling the clumpy wet sand between her toes. She had never seen the ocean before. On one hand, she was marveling at its beauty but on the other, she was absolutely clueless as to what to do. Does one swim in the water? Is the water drinkable? Just what exactly do people do with this massive span of water?

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the scent of an intruder in her midst. Turning around quickly, she caught herself staring into Eian's intense jade eyes. Even in his wolf form, she knew it was him. Apart from his eyes, his scent was just unmistakable.

However, he didn't attempt to make a move towards her and Fiona felt a sharp pain for a moment as she understood that he was frightened of her. Turning away from him, she settled herself on the sand and faced the sea. She wondered if he knew that her powers could not work on Werewolves in their wolf form. Surely Amber had told him?

Perhaps she did for she could sense him moving closer now; still on all fours, padding towards her. Then he stopped and sat on his hind legs and looked at her, as though waiting for her to say something.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." she said, leaning back on her hands and taking in a deep breath. When he made no attempt to shift, she decided to change the topic.

"How come you never take me to the beach before?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone. The wolf didn't move from its position but continued to look at her. Fiona narrowed her eyes at him. "You're doing that thing again... making me talk to myself. You know... come to think of it, you're hardly in your wolf form around me... unless you're absolutely angry... like that time I ran off and went shopping, remember? You refused to shift until we got home."

She heard Eian give a low growl and guess that she was right. "Well... of course then we came home and had the most amazing sex for the first time. Are you going to do that again? There's no one here right now and you're going to be naked once you shift back anyway," she said with a laugh and heard him growl slightly louder. "Ah... guess not then, since you're still sitting on your butt."

She saw that he was turning his snout away from her as if he was pouting.

"Okay, no sex then since I'm a bad girl; breaking rules and all," she said, lying back on the sand. "It sure is peaceful here..." she said, staring at the water. Fiona managed a peep at him and saw that he too was looking at the ocean waves.

They stayed in their position for a very long time, simply staring at the water. Eventually, Fiona cleared her throat.

"Please don't be frightened of me Eian... I promise I won't use my powers on you. So will you please shift back and keep me company? I don't like knowing you can hear me but I can't hear you." She turned her head slightly and saw that he was on all fours now, looking unsure.

"I promise..." she said reassuringly and watched as the wolf slowly shifted back into the form of a man. A smile curled on her lips as she watched his body slowly taking shape; that broad shoulder of his, down to his tight abdomen and firm, muscled legs.

Fiona gave a feigned look of shock at seeing a naked man then laughed as she leaned back to rest her head on the sand. She heard him doing the same, and together they stared into the night sky that was sprinkled with stars.

"I don't usually like to be naked in the outdoors you know," he said in an uncomfortable voice.

"Oh... you're so uptight sometimes. Besides, you shouldn't be ashamed of your nakedness. I thought wolves aren't shy about these things?"

Eian gave a laugh and reached out to touch her hand. "Strangely... I have no idea how that came about. Considering that I came up with all the rules, I do not remember explicitly saying nakedness was alright."

"I think it's alright. Disturbing... but alright," she mused, gripping his fingers a little tighter.

"Disturbing? What do you mean disturbing?"

Fiona turned to her side and looked at him; amusement clearly on her face. "Other Weres might look down," she paused and flicked her eyes to his crotch, "And conclude that I'm getting lots of hard loving... in a big way. Not that I have any complaints in that department."

Eian turned to face her with his eyes wide in shock and laughter. "Who are you and what have you done to my Fiona?"

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "There's only one way to find out..." she purred and pressed her lips onto his. She saw the shock register in his eyes before they softened into the kind, loving gaze he always gave her. However, Fiona wasn't going to let him go soft on her just yet for she rolled onto him, determined to pin him down. She wasn't usually the dominant one during their lovemaking, preferring to follow his lead. But right now, she was riled with such wanton needs that it surprised them both.

Her lips were hungry, seeking more of his; her hands wildly threading her fingers through his hair.

"I thought bad girls don't get sex?" he muttered against her lips. Fiona pulled away for a second to look at him with her blue eyes set in a fierce stare. "I said no sex for me... but you're getting lots of it, with me as proxy. Now that is different," she purred, taking off the oversized shirt she was wearing and tossed it aside.

Immediately, Eian's eyes widened when he saw that she was totally naked.

"You left the house dressed like that?"

"Are you complaining?"

"No."

"Thought so," she said and began to straddle him. Eian wasn't hard yet but Fiona liked rubbing herself on him, feeling him slowly being aroused. He was making low growling sounds in his throat and she knew that it meant that he was enjoying the sensations. Fiona bent her head down to capture his lips, feeling his lips slant impatiently over hers, demanding more. She could feel his hands grabbing her ass and squeezing them slightly as his tongue delved into her mouth to seek hers. That action alone turned her on and she began to grind her hips harder against him and was pleased to find that his cock was getting harder. She was also getting wetter and more slippery, the more she rubbed herself on his cock.




To Love a Were Ch. 10



Fiona could hear the purr in her throat; an invitation for him to enter her. She felt him smiling against her lips before suddenly feeling her body being pushed back into a sitting position.

They finally pulled their lips apart and panted for a few seconds before she felt him getting up and carrying her with him. Her instant reaction was to wrap her legs around his waist and enjoyed the feeling of being carried into the water. She had expected the seawater to be cold but it was warm and comforting, like a blanket.

However, her enjoyment was short-lived; replaced with the delicious pleasure of his hard cock entering her without warning. Fiona couldn't help but led out a loud moan as she felt the initial tightening of her pussy around his cock. This was her favourite part about sex- the first penetration.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her hips up and down his cock to the best of her ability. The soft ocean current made her feel lighter so it was easier to bob up and down, much to Eian's pleasure. He was matching her thrust for thrust; moving his hips up each time she was on a downward stroke.

The result was an amazing orgasm for her for he was hitting all the right spots inside her pussy.

"Get... to... land," she gasped. "I want more..." She untangled herself from him and pulled his hand slowly, guiding him back to shore. However, she didn't make it much further up the shore when she felt Eian grabbing her from behind and pushing her down until she was on her hands and knees. A second later, she felt his strong cock deep inside her once again. She let out a scream as he thrust deep inside her, almost burying himself to the hilt.

If that wasn't enough, the pressure of every oncoming wave seemed to give Eian more power for he moved his hips together with the current; pulling back when it receded and pushing deep in as the waves crashed on shore. Fiona couldn't believe how erotic it was to make love in the sea like that. Apparently, Eian thought so too, for when the next wave came, so did they.

She felt him shudder against her body and recognized the searing hotness of his cum spurting inside her. They stayed glued in that position for a while as their breaths steadied before she felt him pulling away from her. They then crawled slightly away from the water and laid on the sand once more, facing each other.

"I can stay the whole night like this..." she whispered and smiled.

"We could if you want."

"What do you want?"

"To get back home and make love again." That earned him a giggle from her.

Moving her head forward, she pressed a soft kiss on his lips and another on each of his eyes, his cheek, and his nose. She continued trailing kisses down his neck, taking in his sweet scent. He smelled so particularly enticing that for a moment she contemplated sinking her teeth in just to sample a taste.

Eian must have sensed her thought for he became suddenly still.

"Fiona my love... you just have to swallow that desire and move on. Trust me. I know what it's like to want to sink my teeth into my partner," he said carefully. When he felt her body relaxing, he let out a breath of relief.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered. "Do you always smell this delicious or is it just the sea breeze?"

"Seasoning?" he mused, watching her eyes flicker with laughter.

"Do you really fight with yourself all the time about biting me?"

"Always..."

"Then why don't you?"

Eian smiled and used his thumb to caress her lips. "Because you don't want me to."

Fiona smiled back. He was right. He had asked her once back in his original home and she hadn't given him a conclusive answer.

"And that's alright with you?" she asked in a sad voice.

"Yes my love... it is." Fiona kept quiet upon hearing his reply. Sure... Eian could be overprotective at times and laid many rules for her to protect the pack but he had never forced his personal needs upon her. He made love with her permission and gave her the choice to take his bite or not. Was she selfish to not let him?

"Why is the bite so important Eian?" He pursed his lips then rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky.

"Truth is... I don't know."

That made Fiona sit up straight and stare at him. "What do you mean you don't know? You're the original wolf for godsake!"

"True... but just like nakedness, biting was not one of my rules. I've never bitten anyone apart from my mother that is and she's obviously not my mate. I don't really know if I've told you before... but somehow I never really found the need to mate with anyone until I met you that is. However, I don't know how or why biting became an unsaid rule between mated wolves... but I suppose it's just a way of marking. Animals in general are territorial creatures. Big cats sometimes mark trees by urinating on the soil or scratching at the bark to leave their scent. So I guess Werewolves just want to mark their mate to prevent others from claiming them." Eian gave a sigh and continued staring into the starry sky. "I suppose biting is more applicable for a human mate so as to change them into Werewolves. This helps especially for conception and pregnancy."

"Wait a minute... so you're saying that you don't have to bite me?"

"Ah... that's a tricky question. Like I said I want to bite you but I try not to. Biting your mate makes them smell exactly like you thus, a marker. As an Alpha, I ought to follow my pack rules and mark you... but as an Alpha, I can also break those rules and leave you with your own scent."

"You make it sound like I smell so repulsive," said Fiona with a laugh. "Maybe Vampires do smell terrible. Amber thinks so."

"Oh? She did?" Eian smiled with interest. "But I've got to say... you do smell different now. In fact you're always changing scent that it drives me crazy!" he laughed. "All the more reasons to mark you huh? Do you know how hard it is to keep track of you? I mean when I first met you, you smelled so much of blood and dirt and then you had this floral baby smell and then you carried the Culzean's bloodline smell and now you're... different. I have yet to put my finger to it."

Fiona slapped a playful hand on his stomach and heard him take in a sharp breath.

"Shall we go back now?" she asked.

"Yeah we should. It's almost dawn."

"Okay... I'll race you!"

***

As the first light of dawn touched his room window, Alaron couldn't help but wince slightly. That female wolf should have known better than to bite him. It was a good thing that her teeth did not hit any major artery or he would have died on the spot.

Thankfully of course, the drug that he and his brother had been working on was able to reverse the effects of the venom; catalyzing it into a safe compound. The only downside was that he had to listen to his father's nagging while he was administered the drug. That was his father's problem... he never listened. He wanted his sons to be molded in a certain way and Alaron didn't like that. He is not Draven or even Fiona. Those two follow the rules to heaven and back.

Alaron always felt that he never had enough attention ever since his mother died. Any attention he got was always laced with nagging words of advice from his father or nonchalant responses from his half brother. Then Fiona came along and really talked to him. She was sweet and demure and in his selfish world, he wanted to keep her for himself.

But she wasn't going to be happy with him. He always knew that. She was happy with that... animal. Alaron was trying to wean himself off saying 'dog' or else Fiona might get angry and really kill him.

"I just want her to be happy..." he said with a sigh. "I'll probably tell her that the drug is able to reverse the wolf bite venom. Although, I don't know why someone would voluntarily want to be bitten by a Werewolf."

He rolled his eyes then pressed his thumbs at his temples to suppress a headache. Getting up slowly, he pulled away at the bandage around his abdomen and saw that the wound had healed. Even then, it still made him weak. However, he didn't want to sit around in his room all day, brooding like a teenager. He needed to go back to the lab and work.

He had suddenly thought of something.

"Bloody hell. I can't believe this," he muttered to himself as he started his car engine. "I just hope to hell that this is my chance for redemption."

***

Draven heard the gentle sounds of the engine roaring to life and made sure the gates were opened by the time Alaron's car reached the entrance. Even though Alaron was a difficult child, he was still his baby brother in every sense of the word.

He initially did not approve of his father's marriage to Alaron's human mother and had thought he'd hate the half breed when it was born. To his surprise, he didn't. Furthermore, it was hard not to like his stepmother even though she was centuries younger than him. She was of pure thoughts and was a good wife to his father.

Draven had a hard time restraining his abilities around those two initial strangers and often found himself 'peeking' into their minds when they were unaware. Draven of course had no idea how to behave around his baby brother, so he always treated him with aloofness and distance while looking over his shoulder on the side. That was how his father had raised him. However, his father had been too old when Alaron was born and left all the playing time under Draven's care.

So he taught his brother everything he knew... and promised to protect him forever. Aren't those the kind of promises brothers make to each other? And so the moment Fiona was returned to the MacFarlanes, he had begun working on the counter-venom drug, in anticipation of possible fights between his brother and a Werewolf.

Draven shook his head as he thought of how much of a troublemaker his brother was. He bet that Alaron was doubly pissed that he was bitten and almost defeated by a female wolf. He couldn't help but laugh softly to himself as he walked towards the kitchen.

Truth was, the young Duke Keiran had been the only Werewolf to be in contact with the Culzeans. He was the only one whom he respected too, both out of rank and honor. Perhaps that was why he treated the female wolf with suspicion and doubt.

However, she was also a house guest and he was brought up well enough to know how to treat them nicely. Furthermore, they were non-Vampire guests and that meant they needed to be fed real food. His lips curled into a grin. The one thing good about having a human stepmother was that she was always cooking and he had learnt a thing or two by watching her. He might even impress the wolves.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he was surprised to see that someone was already cooking over the stove.

"What... in the world is the revolting smell?" he asked. Amber turned and flashed a smile at him.

"Nothing that'll interest you."

"Of course I'm interested. This is my kitchen."

Amber considered his words for a moment then shrugged. "It's rabbit's meat."

"Rabbit's what? Where did you get it? I don't remember stocking any rabbit meat in my fridge."

"Uh... correction. You didn't store anything in the fridge."

Draven narrowed his eyes at her, trying to peer into her mind but she seemed to have put some sort of block.

"I don't usually have guests. So tell me where you got it from."

"I caught it just a while ago. You've got quite good game around here. Didn't take me long to catch breakfast."

Draven was at the point of making gagging noises when Eian strolled in. Not wanting to appear rude before him, Draven immediately straightened his back and tried to put on a somber expression. He watched as Eian peeked over Amber's shoulder and gave an approving nod.

"Good catch. Lean," he said. "So, Draven... how's your brother?" Eian leaned against a countertop and looked kindly at him.

"He should be royally pissed that a woman bit him but he has recovered. He's left the house though. Probably going to work himself to death unless I drag him home."

Eian frowned. "I thought he'd want to be around Fiona more now that she's here."

"He probably doesn't want to be a guinea pig for her to test her powers on."

"I second that," commented Amber as she placed pieces of grilled meat on a plate. "But then again, Fiona must learn not to abuse her power or we'll run out of guinea pigs to test them on."

Eian smiled, "I'm sure she won't. I think she'll be ready to learn how to control them soon. She had a good teacher here doesn't she?" he said, looking at Draven, who was blushing from the compliment.

Trying to brush away his embarrassment, he turned to Amber instead. "Do you still have any raw meat left?"

"Why?"

"Coz Fiona's coming this way and she's very hungry."

"For meat?" asked Amber in surprise. "I thought you Vampires don't eat."

"No. For blood."

"Oh... yes, there is," she replied with a frown. Then she looked at Eian, who seemed to understand the problem.

"It's okay Amber... I know there won't be enough. You take this portion first. I'll let her have the raw meat first, then I'll cook it myself. Don't worry. Go ahead and eat first."

"You can have a bite of mine first if you're hungry," she said but Eian shook his head in kindly.

A moment later, Fiona came bouncing into the kitchen.

"What is that smell?"

"Rabbit," said Draven and Amber at the same time. Fiona simply clapped her hand and moved towards the sink where the raw rabbit meat laid in a bowl.

"For me?" she asked, looking first at Eian then at Amber. When she picked it up, she noticed that everyone was looking at her. "What? Don't look at me! I get self-conscious" she scowled, taking the bowl and running out of the kitchen.

"Since when was she self-conscious of anything?" asked Amber.

"It's a woman's thing," replied Eian, matter-of-factly. Amber laughed as she swallowed a piece of meat.

A while later, Fiona returned with the bowl of meat. Eian peered inside the bowl and found that the meat was no longer dark red but of a pale pink colour, indicating that she had literally drained all the blood out of it. Shrugging to himself, he began to prepare the meat for cooking.

"Fiona, how are you feeling today my dear?" asked Draven.

"I feel much better... and so I have to apologize to all of you for my misconduct yesterday."

"That's alright. If you think you're feeling better, we could start our lesson sooner."

"How about now?" she said. Fiona found herself looking at Eian for a confirmation and saw that he had on a blank face. Was he letting her decide for herself? That sounds like a good change. It made her smile and so she nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, sit down," said Draven. "First thing's first... we will run through the techniques of how to calm yourself down. The control of one's emotion is the key to the discipline of power."

Fiona nodded and thought of how Eian was almost always calm and patient... except when he's angry at her of course. But Draven was somewhat like Eian too. Maybe cold demeanors were a trend in like... the 13th century or something.

"I can read your thoughts, you know," said Draven, giving her a slanted look.

"Oops... sorry. Yes, okay. I'm ready."

"Alright... the first thing we need to do is to check on your breathing. How do you normally breathe?"

Fiona frowned at him. "Like this?"

"You're doing it all wrong. Breathe in through your stomach... not your chest. Try to feel the wind all the way down inside you. It helps if you count to ten slowly as you breathe in and out. Yes... like that. Now let's do this a few more times."

Draven watched Fiona carefully. "The purpose of this breathing exercise is to make you focus on the present; focus just on the breathing. This will keep your mind from being occupied with what's making you angry in the first place."

After awhile, Draven nodded. "Good. Now, still using this breathing technique, I want you to visualize a scene that you find most comforting and relaxing. Focus on that until I say otherwise."

Fiona closed her eyes and let herself drift into the feeling of lying on the beach and staring at the stars with the sound of waves crashing in the background. She was feeling calm and happy.

"This isn't too hard," she thought to herself. Draven raised his eyebrows upon hearing that and gestured to Amber, mouthing something to her. Fiona vaguely heard Amber and Draven hissing at each other but she blocked the sounds out and focused only on her visual image.

"Okay darling... are you feeling calm right now?" asked Draven.

"Yes," she replied.

"Okay. Open your eyes slowly..."

Fiona opened her eyes slowly and her calm face turned into a scowl. Amber was fully naked with her arms wrapped around Eian's neck.

"Get away from him," said Fiona. How dare she!

"Breathe in my dear... and visualize. Don't be distracted..." warned Draven but his advice was not heeded. Amber was being forced to her knees even as he spoke. He could see that she was trying very hard to resist. In fact, her face was full of concentration that he was not surprised to find that she had managed to shift into her wolf form with every ounce of her restraint.

The moment the connection broke, Fiona jumped back and gasped.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry Amber..."

"Fiona... you're supposed to use the calm and focus to direct your thoughts away from harming others... not to use that sense of control to magnify your abilities."

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the floor guiltily. "You did that on purpose didn't you?" She looked at him with an accusingly glare.

"You know it's not real and yet you cannot resist the distraction."

They went at it again for another half an hour. Casualties included Eian almost choking on his food and Draven trying to tear out his own hair. Amber had refused to partake in the exercise and remained in her wolf form. However, being in wolf form came in useful for she was able to snap Fiona out of her hold on the two men when she went too far.

"Enough... I'm tired," said Fiona grumpily after her twelfth attempt.

"You're tired? I think we're the ones who are most tired," Draven complained as he leaned back against a wall.

"We'll try again later." Fiona gave a sigh and mimicked his actions. With her head rested against the wall she asked him for Alaron.

"He's gone out to work. You shouldn't worry so much about him... you know what he's like."

Fiona didn't answer him but kept her thoughts to herself. She knew that Draven could hear them if he wished, but his blank face showed that he was probably too tired to try.

Her eyes then searched for Eian's and saw that he too looked exhausted. However, he was smiling kindly at her, in his usual gentle, reassuring way. Fiona's heart fluttered slightly at the sight of his face. How exactly does he find the strength to keep smiling like that?

She saw him coming closer and a moment later he was sitting beside her, curling an arm around her and letting her head rest against his chest. She could feel his warmth and smell his wonderful scent. This was what reassurance felt like, she thought as her hand reached to clasp his. They stayed silent in that position for a long time. There was no need for words at the moment.

She was safe now.

***



To Love a Were Ch. 11



NB: So finally, the story has come to an end! Once again, I thank my readers who have kept through with the characters; given me comments and suggestions. I really really appreciate it. 

Also to my editors: angin_berhembus and wildheartedangel, thank you for the great job in editing most of this series. However, in my excitement to post this chapter, I have done the editing myself so any mistakes are mine alone. 

I will be writing a sequel to this story if you're interested, so keep checking!

xoxoxo

-ArtForm-

***

The sun was setting; delicate golden rays streaking across the rust- coloured sky. Fiona watched as darkness engulfed the great white star, a second at a time until it was completely dark. Even though there was nothing to see, she stood in front of the window for awhile longer, lost in her own thoughts. 

Draven was in the kitchen again with their guests. Although she had lived in the pack for almost a year now, Fiona still found it amazing how often they needed to eat and yet stay so lean and svelte. 

"Fiona..." 

She almost knocked her head against the window in an attempt to turn around as fast as she could. The low tenor voice startled her and instantly alerted her instincts to fight. Furthermore, her eyes were still adjusting to the darkness and it was as good as being blind. 

"Who's there?" she asked. It made her sweat to discover that she couldn't use her abilities without actually seeing the human or Vampire's form. Panic rushed over her as she realized that she had to rely on pure Vampire instincts and Fiona had no clue how to do so. There had been no need to hunt for prey and thus no need to hone her skills in heat and scent detection. Even then, whoever was calling her name had neither scent nor heat radiating from his body. 

Fiona considered screaming. That would definitely retrieve help but something inside her kicked with the need to defend herself instead of always running away to Eian. 

"Right. Let's do this," she whispered to herself, feeling her talons elongate to knife-like points. She also breathed in deeply to calm herself, feeling the fear wash away and her focus piqued. As soon as she did that, she found her eyes adjusting to the darkness at a faster rate until eventually she could see as clearly as it was day. 

"Grandfather?" Fiona relaxed at the sight of the Ancient Pureblood smiling at her. It seemed that he had been leaning against the far wall in the room, observing her for some time. 

"Very good, my dear," he commented. "Although I must say that the time it takes you to adjust could have cost you your life." He moved closer towards her and saw her talons retracting. "Don't let your guard down yet! I could be a shape-shifter and at this distance, even a Vampire at ease could get attacked."

Fiona frowned at his words. Why was he talking to her as if they were going for war? 

"I'm not going to attack you Grandfather and you know that," she said, tilting her face up to look at him. She watched his lips curl into a smile before he took a few steps back. 

"Ah... but I want you to," he said in a stoic voice. He sounded neither pleased nor fearful when he said it... but emotionless. Fiona wasn't sure what to do but her guard was up. She watched as his talons elongate and knew then that he wasn't joking. 

"Grandfather?" Her voice wavered for a second. "Are... are you going to attack me?" 

"Yes," was all he said before she felt herself thrown on the ground a few metres away from where she was standing before. Fiona growled in pain and was about to attack back when she noticed that he had disappeared; no where to be found. 

Then she heard a faint sound of movement but was too slow to react and found herself flung against the wall on the opposite side of the room before landing on her butt. Now she was getting angry. Her furor was intensified by her inability to see him for he was moving too fast. She wanted to scream a command but she knew instinctively that her powers would be ineffective because her brain registers an empty room, not a threat. 

"Not a threat..." She acknowledged the fact that he wasn't even attacking her but simply pushing her around. Very slowly, she calmed down; steadying her breath and tried to focus her mind on every single movement, sound and change of temperature in the room. This time, she sensed him moving towards her and although she couldn't see him, she deliberately crashed into his path, causing both of them to fly off in opposite directions. 

"Oww..." Fiona massaged the back of her head for it had crashed into another wall, creating a crater in it. 

"Here." She saw his hand offering her assistance to get up. Finally! She could see him. How the hell does an old Vampire move with such speed? 

"You're really fast," she said, accepting his hand. "But I caught you in the end."

Aramis let out a soft laugh. "Yes, somewhat... and what did you learn from this exercise?"

Fiona raised her eyebrows in surprise. "This was a learning exercise?"

"I heard from Draven about this morning's lesson. I thought I'd give you a hand."

"That was quite a lesson I must say."

"So what did you learn?"

Fiona thought for a moment before answering. "My powers don't work when I don't see my target. And you, my target, move at such blinding speed. It's rather annoying actually."

Aramis let out a loud laugh; his handsome face breaking into lines of laughter, most prominent around his eyes. When he finally sobered down, he looked at her and felt his love for her growing in his heart. She was no longer the fearful child that came into his custody but was now a beautiful grown woman with an exceedingly strong ability, befitting of her Vampire status. 

He smiled at her and took her hand in his, "Respect," he said, patting her hand gently. "That is the second key to control."

He watched as her face contorted into a look of bewilderment. 

"The only reason why your abilities couldn't work was because you were too focused on finding my weakness. However, the moment you acknowledged my strength, it gave you some sort of control...and that; my child is the essence of respect in the battlefield. You have to respect your opponents' strength and weaknesses and work them both to your advantage. If you focus too much on their weakness then you have no control over their strengths."

Fiona stared, open mouthed at her grandfather. "Wow... I... I never saw it that way before. I only saw myself as being stronger than everyone else... and though I'm ashamed to say it, I did use my powers to do whatever I want. That's... not control at all isn't it?"

Aramis nodded and smiled at his granddaughter. So she has learnt her lesson after all. 

"So... are you ready to go at it again?"

She nodded. "Bring it on."

***

The next morning, Fiona wandered back into the drawing room where she had her lesson with Aramis the previous night. In the daylight, she could see with more certainty the damage she and her grandfather had inflicted on the walls and furniture. She stifled a laugh as she examined the room with her eyes, trying to recall exactly how each dent on the wall was created. Then she spotted Draven, sitting on an armchair near the fireplace. 

"It's not funny," he said in a voice that told her he was fighting between sounding severe and amused. 

"I didn't create the damage alone," she tried to protest and ended up laughing. "Grandfather made some serious holes on the walls too."

She watched as his lips curved up involuntarily. Taking a seat opposite him, she leaned back and relaxed into the soft cushion of the armchair. 

"You're doing really well," he said in a way of compliment. "It took me almost half a century to fully perfect my powers. And as you know mine isn't really offence-type ability so it doesn't take long to control."

Fiona raised her eyebrows and looked at him in amusement. "Not an offence-type? It is highly offensive don't you think? To have your mind peered into like that... that's just like a peeping Tom." 

His warm laugh filled the room. "Peeping Tom? I don't think so. It's a great burden actually. Imagine hearing everyone's thoughts at the same time. It can drive one insane."

Fiona thought about what he said for a moment. "How'd you get over that?"

"I did what you instinctively did too," he replied, keeping his gaze on her face. "I tried to isolate myself from everyone. But in my case, I wasn't really a danger to them."

"That must have been hard for you."

"I suppose it was, initially. And honestly my dear, isolation is not the real method of control. It just makes you trapped and alone in your own nightmare."

Fiona didn't say anything. She knew what he meant. Hadn't she looked at herself in the mirror so many times and seen the nightmares in them? But she could never rival the haunted look in Alaron's eyes. Wasn't he isolating himself too when they first met? They were probably like two kindred souls seeking solace in each other's presence due to their own personal loss. Fiona looked across her at her uncle's face. 

"Draven?" She knew he was looking at her, pretending he wasn't reading her thoughts. His guilty face proved her point. 

"Alright... I'll take you to him."

Fiona smiled and moved towards him to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you outside in ten minutes!" she said as she dashed away towards her room. 

When she got to her room, Fiona saw that Eian was still asleep. Even after she got out of the bathroom and changed into new clothes, he still hadn't stirred. She couldn't help smiling to herself. Even in a state of sleep, he was undeniable handsome; his face partly covered by the long sexy strands of his black hair. Fiona kept her eyes on him as she brushed her hair in front of the mirror. Did the man really descend from wolves or from the gods? Or maybe wolf-gods, she mused. 

She clipped her hair back neatly before tiptoeing to the side of the bed. A warm curl of lust tugged inside her but she pushed it away. That would have to wait. 

Gently pushing his hair away from his face, she pressed a soft kiss on his lips, rousing him awake. She watched as his eyes fluttered open slowly and felt his lazy smile against her lips. 

"Are we having a good morning sex?" he asked dreamily, his hands wandering under her blouse. "Why are you wearing a bra?" he murmured and was about to unclasp the hook when she pulled away and slapped his hands. 

"Later," she chided. "I'm going out for awhile. I just came to kiss you goodbye."

His eyes widened into alertness. He looked at her for a moment as though he was about to protest but bit his tongue instead. "I'll take you up on your promise for later then," he said instead. Reaching out to touch her hand, he held it firmly. "Just be careful... and be safe. I want you to come home to me."

"I will," she whispered, giving him one last kiss before leaving the room. 

***

"Are you sure he will be here?" asked Fiona as they stepped out of Draven's car. She looked up at the laboratory and frowned. 

"He is and he's working himself to death." 

Through the corner of her eyes, Fiona saw him giving out a sigh. 

"That doesn't mean I don't care for him you know. I do. Now come," he said, holding on to her wrist as he walked faster towards the electronic door. 

True enough, they found him sprawled on the floor of the lab. He wasn't unconscious or asleep but merely resting. His eyes flicked up towards their faces when they entered the room but he didn't make an attempt to move. 

"Al! What are you doing? Get up!" Fiona knelt and tried to turn him on his back. 

"I'm resting..." he replied grumpily. "What are the two of you doing here anyway?" 

"Such ingratitude. I should have just let you kill yourself," said Draven in an icy voice. He didn't seem as concerned as Fiona that Alaron was on the floor. She saw that he was showing more interest in the computers and lab equipments for he had wandered far away towards them. 

"Get up," ordered Fiona. She wasn't really going to stoop down to using her powers on him just to get him to sit. Instead she brought her wrist to her mouth and felt her sharp canines puncture the skin, drawing blood. The scent of her blood caught Alaron's attention and he sat up, much to her pleasure. "Here, drink," she said, thrusting her hand in front of his face. Alaron didn't need to be offered twice for he immediately sank his fangs into the radial and ulnar arteries on her wrist. 

True enough, he had worked himself to the point of exhaustion and hunger, she thought. Clearly Draven had thought so too for he was shaking his head in a resigned manner at the sight in front of him. To distract himself, he took a look at what Alaron was working on the computer. Fiona vaguely heard him murmuring something to himself, punctured with gasps every few minutes. 

"What's that?" she asked. Draven turned his head to answer her but Alaron beat him to it. 

"It's an analysis of my blood sample," he said, licking at the wound on her hand to heal it. "Thank you."

Fiona snapped her head to look at him. Did he just thank her? He never thanked anybody!

"Did you just... say thank you?" she asked in an uncertain tone. Alaron got up and rolled his eyes at her.

"That Werewolf bite has made me into a kind, loving and feeling living creature," he replied with a spat. "Come here. Let me show you."

Fiona was about to protest when Draven silenced her with a steely gaze. 

He was bitten? When? By Eian?

Draven shook his head at the question in her mind. Fiona frowned before letting out a gasp. 

Amber?! 

Draven nodded then pointed to the computer screen. Alaron was showing them the analysis of his blood. 

"Remember I told you the other day if you took the drug you'd be able to catalyze the wolf venom?"

Fiona nodded but also gave him a look to remind him of how annoyed she was that he lied to her about the side-effects. Alaron simply grinned before continuing. 

"I did not experience any increased sexual desire by the way," he said catching Fiona's annoyed look. "And I think the reason is this." He pointed to a pair of protein chains on his DNA and earned an excited gasp from Draven. Fiona however, simply looked blank. 

"No increase in sexual desire!" repeated Draven with his eyes sparkling in delight. 

"Uh... what?" asked Fiona, clearly bewildered. 

"Oh, sorry my dear," said Draven, apologizingly. "I think... what Alaron is trying to say is that we may have made it possible for you to mate with the Werewolf."

Alaron cleared his throat. "Excuse me... I discovered this so it is I who made it possible for her to mate with that...do... I mean animal." 

Fiona was so overwhelmed with shock that she didn't notice that Alaron almost insulted Eian. 

"Where, let me see!" 

"Here..." said Draven, pointing at the screen. "Let me bring up the original DNA strand and let you see the comparison."

Fiona couldn't believe it. Alaron's new DNA showed that he had two extra protein chains that were not present before. 

"But... what does this mean? Is... is he a Werewolf?" she asked, turning to Alaron. "Can you shift or something?"

"No way in hell am I shifting or whatever. I am not a dog!" 

Fiona ignored him and looked at Draven instead. Her uncle merely shrug. "I don't know my dear but I don't think so. It just looks to me as though the body is now compatible with a Were."

"But why doesn't he experience a need to have sex? That's so unfair! That side effect almost drove me insane!"

"Ah... Alaron my brother, why don't you explain to Fiona yourself?" said Draven. He could hardly contain his laughter. Alaron was glaring at him, baring his fangs in retaliation. 

"Al?"

Alaron retracted his fangs at the sound of Fiona's voice and meekly turned to her. 

"That stupid female bitch's bite acts in the same way as a mating bite. Urgh!" he said, covering his face with his palms. "I am contaminated by a fucking dog!"

Draven rolled his eyes and looked at Fiona. "He's just exaggerating. But to be sure, I would need blood sample from a real Were to confirm what this protein chain is actually responsible for." He lifted a hand and ruffled her hair a little. "But, I don't want you getting bitten unnecessarily, understand?"

Fiona understood what he meant. Although she was excited, she knew that she mustn't get ahead of herself. 

"Did uh... Amber bite you while you were... uh... I mean..." Fiona was finding it hard to say the word 'sex' in front of the two men. It was one thing to discuss sex with women but another to discuss with the two men who were considered father and uncle to her. 

However, Alaron caught her drift and she saw the colour drain from his face. 

"No way in fucking hell." He threw himself on the floor and sprawled over it again. "I'm doomed."

Draven shook his head at the sight of his brother's overdramatic display. "I wouldn't really know what a wolf's bite mean but it could be a very powerful sexual act that negates the side effects. I suppose that would mean you need to eat the pill after you get bitten, not before in order for you to have this DNA change." 

"But I thought it was supposed to be a blood pill?" asked Fiona.

"Yes it was but the genius on the floor decided to fortify it without consulting me. An idiotic, unethical move but brilliant nevertheless. I guess that would mean I have to spend more time here to help separate the compound he created. He's not really learned enough to do it on his own. Plus he might end up screwing things badly."

A warm smile crept up Fiona's face. She knelt down and then sprawled herself on the floor beside Alaron. When she turned to face him, she saw that he was grinning at her. 

"Do I earn redemption points now?" he asked. Fiona narrowed her eyes at him then gave a laugh.

"Okay... that leaves you at a score of minus nine hundred and ninety-nine. That's one point up from minus a thousand."

"You're a meanie but I still love you."

Fiona laughed so hard that she was clutching her stomach. "I love you too, you jerk."

Draven was shaking his head as he looked down at his brother and his niece. "Okay, come on children. It's time to go home."

***

The moment they reached Draven's home, Fiona ran out of the car to find Eian. She was excited to tell him what she had learnt that morning. However, it took her awhile to scent him out for he wasn't anywhere in the house; not in the room or in the kitchen. 

She followed his scent and found him in the basement dueling with her grandfather. Those two were serious medieval to the core, she mused. She saw them lowering their swords when they sensed her presence. 

"Fighting?" she asked, leaning against the rail of the staircase to watch them. Eian casually wiped his sweaty forehead and grinned at her. 

"Old men don't fight," he said. 

"Oh please! I'm not that old!" Aramis said in mock protest. "So, what can we do for you my child?"

Fiona pursed her lips and considered whether she should wait for them to finish their practice. As it turned out, she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. "I'm terribly sorry grandfather... but I must borrow His Highness for a minute... or maybe an hour..." She saw Aramis's raised eyebrow but did not wait to hear his reply. She had grabbed Eian and was out of the basement in a heartbeat. 

"What's this all about sweetheart," said Eian, trying to steady his breath as he found himself thrown on her bed. "When you said 'later', surely you didn't mean the moment you reach home did you?"

"Oh Eian! I have the most wonderful news!" she exclaimed and jumped onto the bed beside him. Eian listened intently as she rattled on to him about the incident in the lab earlier. For a moment, his inner wolf bleated happily against his chest at the news but his human mind reined it in knowing that it was still unsafe to bite their mate. 




To Love a Were Ch. 11



"Eian?" Fiona was looking at his eyes excitedly. "Aren't you excited too?"

Eian gave her a small smile and caressed her cheek softly. "It is still dangerous my love... A direct bite to your carotid artery would result in the instant death of a Vampire. Do not think for once that this news does not make me happy for I am thrilled. I really am. But I will not risk losing you Fiona... you know that."

Fiona looked away from him; disappointment clear in her eyes. She had thought this would make him happy. Isn't this what he wanted? Sure, he had said that he didn't mind not biting her but that was just to make her feel better. 

She felt him move to put an arm around her but she pushed him away stubbornly. 

"Sweetheart..." he called to her, knowing that she was still fuming. Eian felt at a loss. He understood that she was offering herself for his sake and still he refused. What does that make him? 

He tried to hold her again but she refused to budge. Reluctantly, he moved away from her and started to peel off his sweat-drenched clothes. Before he stepped into the bathroom, he turned to look at her back that was facing him. 

"Fiona... would you like to shower with me?" His question was phrased slowly and delivered without any hint of emotion. Deep inside him, Eian did not want her to reply. He wanted her to remain angry at him so that she won't turn her head and tell him the answer that he did not wish to hear...

But she did. Her head turned slowly to face him and she mouthed, "Yes." 

Eian felt his heart sink slowly. He knew that the moment they stepped into the bathroom, there would be no turning back... and he might lose her forever. 

He went towards the shower tap and turned it on, feeling the rush of cold water hitting his face. For a moment, Eian stood silently, letting the cold numb his senses so that he would forget the reason why he lured her inside in the first place. But there was nothing that could numb the feral nature of his lust the moment he saw her naked body entering through the door. 

Her angelic face with its striking blue eyes, down to her lush breasts, small waist and curved hips were all calling out to his primal instincts. Eian heard himself give an involuntary growl the moment her body touched his. Her skin felt warm against his chest and he recognized the first inkling of arousal in his body. 

She was purring against his body, her vivid blue eyes staring up into his face. He knew that she knew what was going to happen in a while but for the moment, Eian pretended it wasn't true. He felt her hands cradling his cheeks at either side and saw her tiptoe slightly to press her lips against his. Her kiss was soft and playful and he let himself get lost in the sensation for he was afraid it might be his last. 

"I love you Fiona... always and forever," he whispered against her lips and felt the slight tremor in her body. Was that a sign of excitement? Or fear? Eian tried to push that thought away from his mind and instead let his hands roam her delicious body as a distraction. 

His hands expertly cup her breast and felt the tender muscle being molded in his palm. She gave a soft sigh and then another shudder as his hands massaged the twins harder, teasing her nipples into hardened peaks. Eian pulled his lips away from her and moved his head down to cover one nipple lovingly between his lips. As he sucked, one hand continued its gentle massage on her other breast while the free hand trailed down past her naval to touch her womanhood. 

A soft moan escaped her lips as his finger slipped easily inside the folds of her pussy, aided somewhat by the water pouring over both of them. His finger was rubbing her ceaselessly, alternating between encircling her clit and fingering her insides. 

"Eian!" she gasped as she felt another thick finger slipping inside of her, gliding in and out of her throbbing pussy with such finesse. He smiled and switched his lips's attention to her other breast, this time teasing her nipples by delicately biting and pulling them until she was moaning and shuddering against him. 

Fiona's body was so wrecked with pleasure that she almost forgot to please him as well. Her hand snaked down to touch his cock and was pleased to find that it was becoming hard. Her nimble fingers wrapped itself around the shaft and began to move up and down. She heard his sharp intake of breath and purred her delight at finding his foreskin pulling back and stretching to accommodate his growing hardness. 

"Let me suck you," she said, pressing her fingers on his shoulders to push him back. Eian relented, leaning against the bathroom wall and watched as his beautiful mate got on her knees and engulfed his hard cock in her soft and warm mouth. Eian let out a whistle as he felt her lips tighten around him, forming a tight 'O' and it took every ounce of his restraint not to hold her head and fuck her mouth wildly. Instead, he looked up to the ceiling to try and control the pleasure bombarding his senses.

But it was futile. He dared to look down at her and was rewarded with a sight of Fiona tracing his cock with her tongue; from his balls up the length of his shaft before twirling it around his cock head, almost teasing the pre-cum out of him. 

"Baby... you're driving me insane," he growled and tried to pull her up but his efforts were in vain for she was so much stronger and just as stubborn, choosing to remain on her knees and pleasure him orally until he was sure he was going to spray his cum all over her face. 

His wolf growled its displeasure at the thought of wasting his sperm and so this time, Eian pulled her up with a bit more force and pinned her against the wall. Her hands automatically went around his neck and she pulled him closer until her breasts were pressed seductively against his chest. He felt her hook a leg around his waist and knew that it was an invitation to claim her. And so he did. 

The moment he slid inside her warmth, Eian gave a loud moan and pressed his face against her neck, taking in her sweet scent. She was unbelievably tight, squeezing her muscles around him. Eian pressed his palm on the wall and moved his hips faster, thrusting more and more of his cock inside her. She was moaning and he knew that she was trying not to shout too loud in case someone heard them. Instead, he saw her bite her lips in an attempt to stop the screams. 

Eian loved it when she moaned and even more when she was screaming in ecstasy. Not wanting her to restrain herself, he lifted her other leg and wrapped them around his waist as well. The moment he did that, he felt his whole cock plunge into her pussy fully to the hilt. Unable to hold back the pleasure, she screamed and then covered her mouth with one hand as her orgasm raced through her body. But Eian was not stopping. He pulled her away from the wall and laid her on the floor. His hips moved to thrust his cock inside her the second her back touched the tiles. Fiona tried to cover her screams again but Eian had pulled her hand away. He placed both her hands above her head and held them down with one hand. 

His roughness turned her on and she moved her hips wildly to meet each and every one of his thrusts. The sounds of their hips slapping against each other echoed in the bathroom. They were like two wild animals, fucking the living daylights out of each other, grunting and moaning in the most animalistic manner. Fiona was thrashing her head wildly from side to side and suddenly opened her eyes in shock as she felt his cock growing impossibly bigger inside of her. He was stretching her tight, pushing in deeper inside her until she was almost sure that his cock was touching the entrance of her cervix. 

"Eian?" she whispered in confusion, searching his eyes for an explanation. 

"Shh..." he said, leaning forward and holding her tight. "Move your hips. I want more of you," he said with a grunt. Fiona could not think of anything else but the sensation in her pussy but she registered his words and began to move her hips and found that the slightest movement was like a drug to her senses and she came again. Her whole body shuddered; her hips bucked upwards, squeezing his cock with the force of her climax. 

"Eian... I can't..." she panted when she felt his hips move again. Her last orgasm had left her almost breathless and she wanted to rest but Eian was not having any of it. She tried to push him away, struggling to entangle herself from him but found their sex organs locked in some sort of bond. Her eyes widened first in shock then anticipation as she looked up into his eyes. 

"Are you..." she whispered. 

"Yes my love," he whispered back. Fiona caught the slight tremor in his voice and saw him blinking away what looked like tears in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry..." she said. Her hands had somehow been freed and so she lifted one to lightly caress his cheek. "I want you to do this... I want to mate with you." 

Her smile was like an arrow to his heart. "You're going to die..." he said sadly. 

"Then I will die as your mate forever." She was smiling at him again but he refused to look at her. However, the mating bond had been started and there was no way he could get away from her even if he wanted to. This was it. 

He began to move his hips, feeling the animal in him coming to the fore for the first time during their love making. The wolf was aware of its mate conjoined to its body and brutally claimed her, releasing his seed deep inside her body.

I love you Fiona...

The wolf's snout was perilously close to her neck now; baring its teeth for her to see. There was no fear or sadness on her face as Fiona moved her neck to one side and waited for him to claim her. The moment his canines pricked her skin, Fiona braced herself. His teeth were sinking in her flesh right now and yet there was no feeling of pain but euphoria akin to the feeling of an orgasm without the tensioning of the body. 

"I love you Eian..." she whispered as her eyes began to flutter close. The euphoria was gone and all she felt now was pain coursing throughout her body... and then nothing...

The wolf slowly shifted into the body of a human and he began to cry. Eian buried his face close to her neck, watching the blood taint the water around them into pools of red. He remained in that position for a very long time, crying his heart out and feeling the warmth leave her body. 

Eian felt his penis softening inside Fiona's body and as the last few teardrops left his eyes, he fell asleep on top of her. 

***

When he stirred awake, Eian blinked a few times at the brightness around him. He was warm and comfortably lying on a bed... his own bed. Shock registered in his mind as he sat up quickly and looked around the room.

"Morning," whispered a lazy female voice beside him. Eian turned his head slightly and almost died from shock at the sight of his beloved Fiona curled beside him. 

"Am I dreaming or are you a ghost?" he asked, knowing how silly his question sounded. 

She purred slightly and scooted closer towards him. Eian could feel her warm skin against his and looked at her in confusion.

"You mean... you're still alive? But how?" 

"Questions later... sleep now," she replied, curling up against his body. However Eian didn't want to sleep. He wanted to know what happened and most importantly how the hell they ended back in his own home in the MacFarlane compound. 

He pushed back the covers and got to his feet, facing her with his hands crossed in front of his chest. 

"Talk. Now." 

Fiona opened one eye, then another and gave him a once over then smiled in appreciation of his body. 

"We took the jet home late last night. We had to drug you coz you kept shifting in and out of your wolf form in your sleep." She rolled onto her back and yawned lazily. "Kinda like Dominic when he was in hospital. Anyway we had to carry you and you were quite heavy but Vampires are so much stronger."

"Wait... what happened before that Fiona?" he asked in an annoyed voice. Fiona was amused at his impatience. He was usually so calm and collected. 

"Apparently, the drug worked whether it was before or after being bitten. However, it did take some time for my body to recover from the venom and Draven said that the incubation of the wolf gene needed to take place at a low temperature of 60 degrees F. That's way below the normal human or wolf threshold but a Vampire can withstand it. Alaron said during that time, the body shuts down and goes into hibernation or whatever. Anyway, when I woke up, you were asleep on top of me."

"I thought you were dead..." his voice trembled slightly. "I really thought of asking Aramis to do the unforgivable... to bite me and end my life too. Oh god Fiona..." Eian went back on the bed and hugged her close. 

"I thought I was going to die too," she whispered back, hugging him tight. They stayed that way for a long time until Eian pulled away from her. 

"Never... ever ask me to do something like that again or I will never forgive you." He kissed the top of her nose and then her forehead. Fiona smiled and searched for his eyes. 

"I'm just happy to be back home Eian..."

"Me too sweetheart..."

He cuddled her close and listened to the rhythm of their hearts beating against each other. 

"Eian, sweetheart, can I ask you something?"

"Yes my love, what is it?"

"I've been thinking... and I have decided that I want to go to work. I want to do something useful instead of staying home all day."

Eian thought about her request for a while. 

"Sure. Would you like to work with Amber in the medical centre or with Sydney at the real estate company?"

Fiona pouted her lips. "Neither. I want to work somewhere that is not MacFarlane related, not wolf related, Vampire related or Culzean related."

"No. It's not safe for you to be around humans just yet Fiona," said Eian sternly. 

"I know that... but I think it is alright if it's just one or a few humans. I certainly won't bite them. I promise! I mean, I was fine around Sydney before she became a Were and I was also fine with the patrons inside the bridal dress shop remember?"

Eian looked at her doubtfully. "So what do you have in mind? Or let me see... you've already made up your mind?"

She grinned at him. "Maybe a nice cozy bookstore? Just me and my boss and the occasional customer."

"Hmm..."

"Oh please Eian! It'll be alright. I'm becoming better at controlling my powers now." When he didn't reply her, she narrowed her eyes and gave him a slanted look. "Or are you the type that doesn't allow their wives to work?"

Eian's eyes flared open at the accusation. "I certainly am not! Very well then Mrs Fiona Culzean MacFarlane to be, I will allow you to work... but on a trial basis. If you behave badly, I'm going to spank you."

Fiona giggled before turning to kiss him on the cheek. 

"You're the best Eian! I love you!" she said before jumping out of the bed and running out the room. 

Eian rolled his eyes. He had no idea where she was going to but at the moment, he trusted her enough to be safe. The worst has passed...

***

Later that week, he had brought her down to the town area to accomplish two tasks. The first was to look for the best materials for her wedding dress. Aramis had insisted that his granddaughter be dressed in a made-to-measure gown and Fiona had insisted that she wanted to shop for it herself. Eventually, they settled for her finding her own materials and him paying for the seamstress. 

After going through at least a dozen shops, she was finally satisfied with the various lace, organza and chiffon materials they had procured for her dress. And now, they were on their way to complete task number two: finding her a possible place of employment. 

Eian wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have her work in a human-infested area but so far she hadn't exhibited any strange behaviors so he was putting his worries at bay. The moment she started to act strangely, he would run her to the nearest alley way and calm her down. 

"Sweetheart... you really shouldn't worry too much," she said gently, slipping her hand around his arm. Eian relaxed slightly at her words and began to smile. As the day wore on, he realized how much he enjoyed spending time with her like this; walking around, shopping, eating (at least for him) and seeing the sights around London. Fiona was an amazing life-companion and he couldn't ask for more. 

It was nearly dusk when they walked down a much quieter street in West London and found a cozy little bookstore tucked in the corner of a row of shops. The moment Fiona saw it; she squealed in excitement and dragged Eian by the hand into the shop. 

The walls of the bookstore were decked with books sitting neatly on ceiling-high bookshelves. Fiona traced her fingers along the spine of the books and noticed that there was not a speck of dust on them. Whoever owned this store kept it clean and tidy. Fiona continued to explore. She loved the fact that the floor was carpeted so sound would be absorbed and not disturb any readers reading in the corner. 

In fact, there were a few people reading at the moment and they were seated in plush sofas with a small coffee table between every pair. Looking up, Fiona gave a nod of approval at the choice of lighting. It was dim along the entrance, creating the romantic, cozy look and yet it was well lit around the reading areas and payment counters. 

"Hi, can I help you?" said a warm, friendly voice from behind them. Fiona brought her gaze down from the ceiling and came face to face with the most peculiar looking woman she had ever seen. She was strikingly beautiful with her porcelain fair skin and jet black hair but it was her eyes that caught Fiona's attention: they were perfect almond shapes, adorned with irises as black as night. Fiona must have been staring, for the woman blinked her eyes then cleared her throat.

"Is there anything I can do for you Ma'am?" The Irish in her voice was unmistakable. 

Fiona found herself absolutely taken in by the woman that she began shaking her head unconsciously until she heard Eian clearing his throat to snap her back to reality. 

"I uh... My name is Fiona and I was... well, I was wondering if you had any job vacancies in this bookstore. I really love books and I enjoy tending to them and was hoping this would be the perfect place for me."

The lady looked at Fiona doubtfully. "Not many people read these days with the internet and all. Business is slow and I don't always make enough to break even. I'm sorry... but I have to disappoint you and say no."

Fiona felt her lips twitching slightly into a pout but stopped herself. This wasn't the way to behave! She considered using her power of suggestion to try and convince this woman to hire her but decided against it. What kind of relationship would she forge if she used such unfair methods right from the start? 

Instead, Fiona just smiled. "I don't mind working for free."

The lady almost burst out laughing and covered her mouth daintily with one hand. 

"Why don't we have a seat at the back? We'll talk more." Fiona followed the woman to a room behind the counter while Eian stayed behind to wander around the store. This was between Fiona and the owner. He did not want to have anything to do with it. However he did keep his eye on her as she turned to walk away with the lady. 

Meanwhile, in the backroom...

"So it's Fiona right? My name's Erika and this is my bookstore as you can see. As much as I'd like to take up your proposal to work for free, I'm afraid that's against the labour regulations in this country."

"How about... if you pay for lunch and tea?" asked Fiona, leaning closer. 

The woman called Erika bubbled with laughter and slapped her thighs. "Nobody's that desperate Fiona. I mean you sound like a real joy to have around but I can't afford you. And besides... there are so many other bookstores around this city. Why'd you have to pick mine?" 




To Love a Were Ch. 11



Fiona didn't hesitate a bit when replying. "There's just something unique about your shop. You dressed it well and it called to me. And the moment I saw you, I knew we'd be great friends."

Erika blushed slightly even though she was trying hard to keep a professional stance. When she didn't reply, Fiona continued.

"I don't have much qualifications but I know a great selection of books when I see one. You've got all the classics and some of the latest best-sellers too. I'm still up with my offer of lunch and tea as payment for my work here. I don't mind, really. So what do you say, Erika?"

"Oh... I don't know..." she replied, fiddling with her thumbs. 

"Say yes," prompted Fiona, resisting the urge to add her own Vampiric dose to the suggestion. Erika hesitated for awhile more before finally relenting.

"Alright... let's try this out for a week or so. If I'm comfortable with our arrangement then you're welcomed on board." Erika smiled then thrust her hand out. "Hopefully things will turn out alright."

As she shook Erika's hand, Fiona had a feeling that things were going to be more than just alright. The moment she came out of the back room, her eyes searched for Eian and found that he was waiting for her in same place she left him earlier on. 

He was looking at her with his usual gentle smile, reflecting the kindness and love in his eyes. He saw the joy and excitement in her eyes and knew she had the job.Somehow the tiny white-haired girl that he had rescued was now blossoming to be more confident and matured; a woman on par with his intellect and capability. If she believed that working here was her calling, then he would relent and approve. Some would say that his love for her made him soft but he knew that she is his strength. 

Before they left, Eian plucked out a book from one of the shelves and headed to the counter to make his purchase. 

The title of the book: Baby 101. 

***