8 comments/ 23631 views/ 22 favorites Cynthia's Moon Ch. 01 By: heatedreverie If anyone is interested in proofreading/editing chapter 2, please contact me. Thank you. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 01 I've become soft, Markus thought. It'd been so long since he protected someone aggressively, or fought at all, that his tactics and moves were undisciplined. He was disgusted by his performance, despite when the final assault was made, Markus had injured Cynthia's attacker into unconsciousness. He took his human form once more, and called the authorities to pick him up as soon as she fled the scene and he gained control of himself. Proudly, he stood above his unconscious opponent and quietly studied his face while he was without his wits. When the perfume of Cynthia lingered in the alley, he was drawn from his deep thoughts of rage and violence and urgently met the mouth of the alleyway. He looked down the sidewalk both ways in seeking her. Guiding himself casually from the dead end, his sure and steady walk moved him right past Cynthia's building, where her scent lingered the most in the thick and wet air. He knew she had made it home, and was safe for the night. The next morning he was there as always to watch her leave, and she was right on time and dressed in another pencil skirt and blouse. The lobby guard walked outside with her, standing out in front of the door to watch her walk down to the cafe to give Cynthia a sense of security while she headed to work. Markus could see the assault on her face. That vacant look in her eyes, her shoulders down, even in the way she walked with tension running through her spine, and her hair veiling her face from the public, as opposed to being secured back like it normally was. Even if her attacker had not succeeded in claiming her, she seemed less of the woman that he had seen of her for a year. The dark circles and the red veins in her eyes had told him she had cried herself to sleep last night. Only for a moment, his heart sank into his stomach before rising over once more in a fit of rage and protective instinct. Don't cry, my love. It won't happen again. I won't let it. He thought to himself, and wished that she could hear him. He wanted nothing more than to let her know that she was safe. He should have killed that motherfucker, after ripping his claws through his testicles and made him choke on his own fucking scrotum. His hands clenched at the wheel of his truck, growling deeply at the thought of Cyn being affected like this by some depraved, horny bastard. Throughout the day, Cynthia was in a haze at work. Drowning herself in the routine she had known like the back of her hand, and she tried her best to suppress her encounter. But the hollow wedge resting at the core of her emotions bled over time, making it harder and harder to endure a normal day. At lunch, she was focused away from her gloom when her girl friend Sheila approached her table in the lounge, and dropped an unfinished and thick bound report on the table that thumped loud enough to snap her out of it. "You have been out of it all day, and you look tired, Cyn. What is going on?" Sheila was french and also a werewolf, and she befriended Cyn when she first started working at the Consulate. Cyn hesitated to say anything, but eventually sighed and spoke softly to her. "I was attacked on the way home last night, Sheila." Sheila's eyes went wide. "Merde! Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" Cyn rubbed her eyes to her and shook her head. "No. Someone stopped him before he could do anything. Another of our kind." "Who was it?" Sheila asked, bordering on the edge of seeming anxious and thrilled. Cynthia shook her head and shrugged. "I didn't stick around. I just ran home." Sheila scoffed. "You should have waited." "Oh? I stick around so this other could possibly do the same as the first and try to fuck me?" Cynthia scoffed back at her and shook her head. "I'm not a fool." Sheila didn't think about it that way, slowly drifting herself away from the heroic fantasy of Cynthia's encounter and focused on the grimier facts of her nearly being raped. She placed her hand over Cyn's to comfort her. "I am sorry, Cynthia. I did not mean to insult you." Cynthia sighed and nodded to her. "It's alright, Sheila." "Do you want me to walk home with you tonight?" Cyn hesitated, and then shook her head. "No, I can't let this run my life. I'll be fine." By the time the Consulate was closing and Cynthia was putting her coat on, she wished she had taken up Sheila's offer. It was two blocks down and half a block to her building, and she held a can of pepper spray in her hand this time. But she stood at the door of the Consulate with fear radiating through her. The thought alone of walking out into the evening brought back the horror like it was happening again. Her mind spiraled into every detail like it was happening all over again. Weres had impeccable memory, and she was recalling every primal urge and action of the man, even up until the point another were had come into the alley way. Her heat scent could attract every werewolf for half a mile, and she had little doubt in her mind that the other only wished to conquer her. The breath she gently sucked in shuddered through her lungs, making her feel smaller, fragile, and uncertain of herself. Eventually, she had lingered too long, and the security guard spoke up, unaware of what she had gone through the previous evening. "You need to leave now, Cynthia. Good night." She looked over her shoulder at him and nodded, pushing the glass door open and headed down the lit sidewalk. Every small breeze under her hair made her glance around, each step was firmer than the next, as if the sound of her resolute movement would ward off any potential attacker. Though, with the clear Pacific sky overhead and a rising moon, Cynthia's senses were heightened. Every life signature noted, every dark corner searched from her usual path. Yet, she could still feel eyes upon her and it hurried her pace all that quicker. Markus was not across the street in his truck as usual, knowing that she would instinctively be searching the streets for any suspicious watchers this night. He was perched on the building next to the Consulate while waiting on her to walk home. He wore a black long coat that was left open and sheltered his chiseled frame from view. Mother Luna was being kind to him this night. He waited until she was on the move by about ten paces before he followed, walking along the edge of each building in path of her condo, where the night veiled him completely as he shadowed her from above. It's OK, my Love. I'm watching over you. Cynthia's brisk walking had been without any event, even when every heart beat of hers was thudding louder in her ears and quicker than the last amidst her anxiety. Markus would leap from edge to edge of each building in flawless silence, keeping up with Cynthia's pace with little effort involved. He searched every alleyway from above and ahead of her, making sure no life signatures were there to threaten her walk home. She saw that the lobby guard was waiting for her outside when she was close enough, and that filled her with instant relief the rest of the way home. When Markus saw her safe inside of her building, he knew it was time for her to know that she was protected. When she made it to work Friday morning, a vase of Arabian jasmine flowers had been waiting on her desk with a red apple and a small note. Finding it particularly odd to receive such a gift, she opened the note. ''I protected you two nights ago. If you would like to know me, please meet me at the cafe on Saturday morning at 10 am. Markus.'' Her throat clenched up, wondering just how this werewolf knew where she worked, or that she visited the cafe every day. For the rest of the day, her head was swimming with the possibility that this wasn't safe, and if she should go, or if he was waiting for a moment when she was vulnerable to attack her. Sheila told her to go, and that she had nothing to fear in broad daylight surrounded by many people. That was a good point. By evening, back at her condo, she placed the flowers on her living room table, and ate the apple for dinner. She gently fingered nervously at her rings, wondering whether to accept his invitation or not. She paced over it up until about ten minutes before bedtime, considering the dangers and possibilities. He didn't have to send the flowers or a note, which she saw as non-invasive. But knowing that she worked at the Consulate, that made her nervous that she was being watched, and she didn't like the idea of that. Eventually, she removed her rings and went to bed, uncertain of her decision still. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 02 It was warmer outside than it had been all week. It was a sign of hope for Markus, and for Cynthia, it was the only reason she considered meeting this mystery rescuer. Cynthia still wasn't sure of this meeting. Standing at the glass entrance of her building, wore black pants in which the fabric hugged against her toned thighs, and a dark purple short sleeve blouse that covered her chest and was held in place by an accessorized gold belt that was loosely hanging off her hips. Grooming herself took the same amount of time that it normally did for work, but she hesitated to leave. It was five minutes after ten am, and she wasn't ever late for anything. Markus was waiting patiently at the cafe already, and had checked his watch every five minutes when it had neared ten o'clock. It was now a quarter after, and both Cynthia and Markus let out a soft sigh at the same time. As Cynthia pushed the door open to her building and started down the sidewalk to the bistro, Markus was folding up the newspaper he was pretending to read and finished his coffee. Just as he was rising to leave, Cyn came around the corner. From the way their movement was halted when seeing each other, they both knew they were there for one another. Cynthia approached the table, and she swore she had smelled him before, but couldn't remember where from. It certainly wasn't her attacker from two nights ago, which eased her mind. She didn't let him wait any longer and when she was settled in, he spoke. "Good morning. I didn't think you were coming." His voice was thick and deep, and that alone made her muscles shiver as she looked him over. His age was starting to show on his face, with his long black hair secured back in a low pony tail. His skin was rigid and muscular, tanned as was expected of his Pacific island heritage. All in all, Cynthia tried not to stare so hard or think about how long it'd been since she had been with one of her own kind willingly, and the assault had alarmed many primal urges she had ignored since coming here. He wore a simple white button down shirt, and black cargo pants. Cynthia felt at ease when he talked, and even his militant appearance doused any doubt of liking him, but she still voiced her concern. "I didn't know what to think. You know where I work and where I have breakfast. You probably know where I live too." She said with a defeated tone. Markus nodded just lightly to confirm all that for her, and her nose wrinkled again to his musk. "Your scent is very familiar, but I can't place where we've met before." "When you first moved here from the mainland, I was present in the room when you met the Alphas. My name is Markus and I am the head of their security." He explained. "Oh, I don't remember seeing you." "Those who are presented before the Alphas usually don't meet me, or know that I'm even there." She softly nodded and let her mind go to that day, and faintly recalled the scent looming behind her. He found it hard to keep his composure when she looked back at him. Her animal scent was driving his inner wolf mad with aggression to mate. But his restraint won over for now, letting his blood boil while he enjoyed her company. "Were you watching me the night I was attacked?" Markus raised an eyebrow to this question. He sat forward, letting his eyes level more with hers and show his concern when he answered her. "Would that comfort you to know, or make you nervous?" "I'm already nervous." She confessed. Both of them grinned and laughed a little bit at that, breaking the tension between them. "You don't need to be." He said softly. "I happened to see you walking when I was driving home, and I was fortunate to have seen you needed help that night. As for knowing where you work and where you live, it's my job to know for the Alphas. I had known this information when you had first met them. The cafe just happened to be a guess. It's on your way to work." It would only scare her to know how much he desired her, and that he had spent close to a year's worth of mornings and evenings assuring her safety, and had gone out of his way to know these little details about her. She might have even called him obsessed. She accepted his explanation as the truth, and when the server came over to take her order, he smiled and recognized Cyn. Knowing exactly what she'd order, he went back inside to place it and Markus ordered another coffee. Nothing truly exchanged between the two of them while waiting on their orders. Markus knew she was still adjusting, and did very little to to try and make her uncomfortable. Only now, did he wish he was more of a conversationalist. He slid the paper forward, folded up. "Would you like to read while we wait?" She grinned and took up that paper, nodding just lightly. "Sure. Mahalo." Opening the centerfold, she caught her eye on a story she looked forward to reading, and did so for about three minutes before their orders arrived. Markus, at this time, took more than one opportunity to stare at Cynthia, and let his imagination wander to the most lewd places in his mind. Every expression, every soft sound or hum that she made while reading that paper tightened every muscle with trapped heat that seared through his skin at the thought of claiming her. Even with her state, he reasoned their children would be beautiful, if making her his had come to that. That was when he looked harder, wondering just what mix she was. It wasn't in her file. Cynthia lifted her gaze more than once to see him staring, and it wasn't only until he had that pensive expression that she spoke up. "You look like you have something to say." "I wouldn't ask, but, it's itching in my mind. Are you a gray?" Cynthia debated how to answer that question while the server arrived to their table. In the time it took for him to set the table with both orders, Cynthia considered her response. After taking a drink of her cafe mocha, she looked up at him with a calm and collected gaze. "I am a dire black; a pure blood." Markus paused in drinking his coffee and stared at Cynthia. It was a bold thing to admit that she was one of the few pure bloodlines on the first meeting. It had never been confirmed by any known database that any pure black packs still existed, likely as a means to protect them. As she waited the response, her hands gently rested around her cup, and she went on to explain. "My husband was a dire black as well. We consummated our marriage, but, I was not in heat. So we were never mated." Markus hadn't known she wasn't mated, but knew why they married outside of it when he read her file. Yet, he still feigned confusion on this part. "Why would you wed outside of that?" She lowered her mug from her lips. "He was called into active duty over in Iraq. He wanted to be married before he left so he had someone to come home to." Cynthia's features softened into sadness, shaking her head softly. "But he didn't return alive. He was a good man, and he would've made a great Alpha." Markus did not have to pretend to show sympathy towards Cynthia's tragedy, and reached his hand out to touch on top of hers. She felt the warmth of his blood when their hands met, and those rough fingertips from years of hard work made her thighs pulse with damp heat at the thought of feeling them exploring over her body. It had been far too long since she had been with a man. She felt her heart begin to pound, and a blush of pink warm across her cheeks, and he noticed that her body was beginning to respond to him pleasingly. He knew that he had to see her again. "Cynthia." He gently slid his hand around to open hers, and she let her hand close inside of his own, which elevated his confidence three-fold. "Yes?" "There is a Hunt happening tonight near the beach. I normally attend for reasons of security, and do not usually participate. But if you would accompany me," "Yes." She interrupted him, smiling. "I'd love to." At a loss for words, Markus returned the smile and brought her hand up to softly brush his lips across her knuckles and rose unceremoniously from the small cafe table, leaving cash and a tip for their orders. Cynthia never got to eat her croissant. She followed his lead with her hand resting in his as he walked her down the sidewalk toward her building. Even when they passed the alley that she was attacked in, she felt an unyielding sense of being protected. She used to feel the same way with her husband when he took her hand. "Who will be there at the hunt?" He turned to look at her. "Many of the werewolves from the inner city, as well as the Alphas. The Aristocrats, the businessmen, and so on. Most of them are.. eccentric." "Is that a nice way of saying they're all pricks?" He laughed, amused by her ability to see through his kind veil when speaking of the rest of the society he protected. "Yes. I am not allowed to admit directly what I think of them." "Well, I'll do my best to blend in." At the front door to her building, he stopped and turned to face her, placing his hand to sweep softly across her cheek. His thumb softly brushed over her lips when he responded. "You couldn't blend in if you tried. I wouldn't want you to, either." He made her heart throb and she drew her body near to him, letting her chest and stomach press against his front, lifting herself up on her tiptoes. He let his hand sweep through her hair and rest at the nape of her neck, then leaned himself down to let their lips touch for the first time. Their hearts began to pound fervently and respond to one another while they were kissing, and their eyes closed when his mouth fit upon her own, sweeping his tongue softly over hers for seconds that seemed to last forever. Luring herself away with a soft suction noise when their lips drew apart, Cynthia could not stop smiling while Markus held the door open for her, following her inside and to the elevator. When the doors had closed, she walked to him again, unable to draw herself away from the feel of his soft lips during the slow ascent to the penthouse. He felt more free to envelop his hands around her waist, feeling just how perfectly each cupped around the slope of her curves. The fabric of her pants was slinky, making it an irresistible feat to clench at her ass when her arms tightened around his shoulders. The heat between them rose, and he could hardly hide from her now just how she was making his body react. Feeling him stiffen against her lower belly, she brushed herself side to side to encourage that growth, and his hands roamed further up her back to pull her tight against his body. He leaned against the elevator wall, deepening the passion of his kiss against her mouth when he started to feel that primal urge rise in wanting to claim her. When the bell of the elevator rang and the doors slid open, Cynthia slowly moved backwards into the hall that led them to one of two condos at the very top, trying to keep them locked in that kiss. Luring him to the east wing of the hall, she hadn't even reached into her purse yet for her keys as Markus pressed her between him and her front door. His hands grasped at her thighs and raised her effortlessly to wrap them around his waist. She closed her limbs around him, and he could feel her molten center settle over the swell of his erection. He had never felt so hard and thick before in his life with any woman; human or werewolf. He wanted to mate her. His body was demanding it, his werewolf form was howling within him to do it. Slowly, he pulled away, leaving a soft kiss to her bottom lip before he gently spoke near her ear after nipping at her lobe. "Should I come inside?" He smiled deviously, letting her decide what he meant, as his mouth continued a wet trail down her neck, which she allowed by the softest tilt of her head resting against her condo door. Considering her answer with a soft smile, she knew he wasn't making it easy on her to say no. "Anytime you want." "Don't tease me like that." He responded under his husky breath. "The key is in my purse." From her bag, he found her key chain and picked out the key that was brass, as the other two were small, silver, and meant for her mailbox. Sliding the key in, he looked to her. "Perfect fit." She giggled as he pushed them into her condo and closed the door behind him, with one arm still strongly wrapped around Cynthia to hold her in place and pocketed her keys. The smell of sandalwood and jasmine filled his lungs, having seen two glass oil vases with scent sticks reaching out of the mouth of the bottles that were the source of the woody scent. The Jasmine flowers were on that coffee table, nearly overpowering the oils with their bloom. He carried her across the light wooden floor over to her soft black couch that was centered in the main room across from her television. Lying her down against those cushions, he followed, laying on top and resumed kissing her sweet lips. He urged his hips down against hers, grinding until he made her moan against his mouth. Rising heat was sheathed beneath their clothes which became rather troublesome barriers in letting the two of them take things further. That animal urge within Markus continued to slide himself against her, savoring every moan he could taste and hear, and moved his arms to rest on either side of her wanton body. When her own hips began to grind up into his waist, he growled gently in his throat and nails hardened at his hand, digging them into the cushion. Her little gasps of breath sent his claws raking down the fabric, cutting it open as opposed to her clothing. Her body being in heat drove him mad with desire, grinding over and over in a rhythm that she followed almost immediately, moaning toward the ceiling as his teeth and tongue were exploring her neck. He knew that technically she had just met him, and despite Markus had waited for this moment for over a year, he couldn't have her now. Cynthia had not known him as much as he knew her, and the last regret he wished to make was to mate them with little knowledge of one another. "Markus..." He knew now that had a decision to make when she was already whispering his name passionately. Removing his lips from her neck, he met her emerald stare with his dark gaze. "Not so soon, my Love." He said in a soft whisper, while letting his body crush down against her, halting both of them from stirring each other any further. She felt her heart spasm painfully with having to stop, and his face twinged lightly as though he felt it. She nodded lightly and set her hand to his smooth face. "Alright." Their heartbeats were nearly in synch with one another while he lay upon her and she smiled, softly grinding her hips up just once more to see the bliss invade his features. "I know stopping at this point is difficult." "That is putting it mildly." he grumbled. "I have never wanted to have a woman more than I want you, and that's why I am stopping it. I want to know you before I have you." Her smile brightened when he spoke with that honeyed tongue of his, and used it to taste her neck and lips once more before finally drawing himself away from her. Under such will power, he let his mind try to be removed from the beauty lying on the couch. She had one leg propped up over the top of the couch backing, while the other was dangling off the cushion, letting the ball of her foot touch the floor. God, the things he wanted to do to her that were running through his mind. It ended, thankfully, when she slid her feet together on the couch and sat up, and asked him a question. "When will you pick me up tonight?" He grinned, gaining his composure and felt his hard-on slowly softening the more he focused on tonight's event and less on bucking into her until her screams filled the condo. "Around five. It's an hour out from the city limits." He started heading for the door, and she leaned up to look over her couch and let her bright green eyes watch him walking away. "What should I wear?" "Let me worry about that." He said as he opened her door. "Wait, what do you mean?" He didn't answer her, closing the door just behind him. She pouted her soft lips and dropped back down against her couch. With her hand softly rubbing back and forth over her thigh, she took a moment to recall how soft his lips felt, and the way his strong body crushed down against hers. Her eyes closed and she turned her head just lightly, smelling his scent heavy upon her skin and blouse. If he didn't stop them when he did, it was possible he would have claimed her. She knew she was in the first few days of her heat, and it was mild enough to control, but it was enough that he could have mated himself to her. She lightly bit her middle finger knuckle between her teeth to control the urge to please herself. No, not now. He wasn't done with her, and she wouldn't let that be the last time they felt each other in such a way. Her father would disapprove, but she didn't care. Upon leaving her building, Markus' instincts tried to sharpen while he glanced down both ways of the street in walking to his car, trying to resist the urge to run right back up to Cynthia's apartment and have his way with her. There would be time for that. Her sweet taste lingered on his lips as he softly licked them, and her perfume was a faint signature on the wind that picked up from his shirt when he slid into his truck. What plagued his mind next was the werewolf he had stopped the other night. He had already made bail and vanished. It was a small island, and it wouldn't be hard to find him after checking with his sources. However, to pull the disappearing act that he did, Markus knew two things; one, he was military, and two, he was being helped. He sighed and started his truck, listening to the engine growl as he thumbed through his contacts in his phone. "I should've killed him." He said under his breath. As the number he found was selected, he rolled out of his parking spot and placed the phone to his ear. A woman was seen sitting on the bench about three hundred feet from Markus' truck. She lowered the newspaper and glanced down the street at his silver Chevy turning around the corner. She was wearing a casual coral colored shirt, and white cotton khakis. Her hair was tucked beneath a brunette wig that was secured into a ponytail. Removing it from her head once Markus was out of sight, she shook out her long blonde curls and sighed lightly. Her skin was a toasted honey color that was perfected at a salon, her nails were perfectly manicured, and her teeth were white, straight, and accented by perfect pouting lips that shimmered with soft gloss that gathered sunlight. Her breasts were cupped in lace, and were shaped by the best plastic surgeon in California into 34C cup. Her beauty was manufactured like the airbrushed models in a beauty magazine, and her allure was just as skin deep as the pages that she swore her life to. "What's the matter, peaches?" A dark voice asked her. The man sitting next to her lowered his sunglasses and glanced down at her when Markus was out of sight. He had a fresh cut that started at the corner of his eye, which was blood red from pressure, and ran down his face. There were teeth marks embedded into the back of his neck on either side that looked like horrible bruises. Those nerve points controlled consciousness in a werewolf's anatomy. When bitten into, the wolf will either go limp and surrender or black out if the bite is firm enough. This was also the way werewolves resolved fights and challenges. His hair was short and black, and the half inch length to his bangs were spiked forward over his prominent forehead. He looked to be in his late twenties, with a muscled physique and an aura about him that was uninviting to most people. "Well, the plan was for you to kill her so I could be Markus' mate. If you had just kept it in your pants, it would have happened." The woman retorted. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 02 "She's gorgeous. I couldn't help myself." He explained flippantly. A growl rolled in her throat. "Don't remind me," She snarled her words at him, "she's not that beautiful. She doesn't even have any status, what could he possibly see in her? She's not even strong enough to ward off a hyena like you." "You know, if you really want my help, you'd do well to not talk about me like that in front of me." The blonde looked over towards her annoyed hired muscle, and she moved around the bench to sit in his lap and her hand upon his shoulder in a feigned sympathetic manner. She spoke as though she was completely apologetic to her very core, but he knew better. "Oh, but what makes you think you even deserve my respect, Vincent? I had to bail you out of jail, and I'll have to pay out to change your name and make you disappear, all because some slut secretary I told you to kill got you hot. So don't give me this bullshit you deserve better treatment. When I hired you, Vincent, you told me that you were a professional." "So what is the plan, Bridget?" He spoke again, draping his arms across the back of the bench, refusing to hold the woman now possessing his lap. His teeth were gritted down and locked closed to keep his anger under control. She smiled seductively and set her hand to his thigh, rubbing it back and forth to ease his aggravation. "I'll think of something. In the meantime, perhaps I should try to get an invite to the Hunt tonight. See just how serious he is about her." Her mind browsed through the men she knew might have an invitation and no date, while Vincent was staring at her with a bewildered look upon his face. "Wait, you want to kill this she-wolf, and you're not even sure that he's serious about her?" Something wasn't adding up to Vincent. He stared at Bridget observantly, who rolled her eyes at him, annoyed with having to spell it out for him. "Okay, he's taken a little more interest in her than he has in other women that he's had as of late. Usually when he finds a girl, he'll bed her on a few occasions and then he'll dump her and move onto the next one." "So why not just let this guy have his way with her and see if it fizzles?" "Because he's not treating her like she's some piece of ass! That's why! Every bitch I know has been trying to land him for years. Any woman who ends up on his arm should feel so fortunate that he'd even notice them." Her voice became reminiscent for a moment. "Plus she's in heat right now. Do you know what that would mean if he slept with her now? "Yes. Of course. Why do you think I wanted her?" He asked her bluntly ignoring the jealous scowl on her face. "I don't like to kill women if I don't have to. If I had taken her, she would have eventually conceded to being my mate. She had never met your guy at that point, so it wouldn't have interfered with any courting that was taking place, thus negating a challenge against me on his behalf. He would have been eligible to you, and the story would have a happy ending for the both of us. 'Cept that the asshole you seem to love so much was watching her very closely that night." Bridget didn't think about that. She wasn't that smart, but smart enough to know that might have worked. Since it didn't, her mind drifted to another way to take charge of the situation. "I'll have to consider my next step in all of this. I may still need your help if plan B at the Hunt doesn't work. I had him once, I'm not going to let him out of my grasp again." "So, why did you cheat on him if you love him so much?" Her anger flared up, and she looked to him. "We're not going to talk about that! I was young and stupid, I'm much more mature and ready for a relationship now. He has to see that!" "Yea, much more mature," Sarcasm left his smirking lips, "you're hiring out a hitman to kill what might just be some piece of ass to him. That's a step up in my maturity handbook, too." Vincent grinned and enjoyed busting her balls over this. The rage now boiled in her blood. "Shut up! Shut the fuck up! We're not discussing this, and whether you like it or not," She stood up and glared down at him, "I am the one writing your God damned checks. So you'll sit when I say sit, you'll bark when I say speak, and next time I point you in a direction and say kill, you go for the jugular, or Mother Luna help me, I will ruin you. Do you understand, you half-brained mutt?!" Vincent couldn't even get mad, and he was too annoyed with her to laugh at the spectacle she was making in broad daylight on a busy street corner. He nodded softly and rose unceremoniously, kissing her cheek. "I love you too, honey." Immediately, she slapped him in frustration and stormed off towards her car. "What? She didn't mean anything to me!" The crowd now having gathered around them wrote off the scene as a lover's spat and went about their business. Tilting his head to the side, Vincent cracked his neck and looked up at the condo penthouse into Cynthia's windows. Faintly, he could see the outline of that curvacious body of hers, as she drew her curtains closed to block out the noon sun. He licked his lips subtly and placed his sunglasses back on. "Vincent!" Bridget's voice screeched out from her red car that was parked down about 100 feet, and he started leading himself down the sidewalk. "I will have you," he whispered to himself, "my raven haired goddess." Cynthia's Moon Ch. 03 "Hello?" A cool, elder male voice answered the phone. "Hi, it's Sheila." Sheila softly spoke into the phone, pacing around her kitchen nervously. "What's wrong?" The voice on the other end carried a shiver down her spine that made her grab the counter. "It's Cynthia." "What happened?" The tone firmed and Sheila sucked in a breath. "She was attacked two nights ago by a rogue wolf. I checked arrest records from that night and crossed a background check with his fingerprints. He was let out on bail by a private party and his identity was fake. Now it's like he's disappeared." "Was she... claimed?" "No, Sir," she answered softly. "She was rescued before that happened..." and she paused. A breath of relief came from his lips. "Alright. Is that all, Sheila?" She swallowed hard and hesitantly responded. "He's a good werewolf, Sir, her rescuer. Sh-she went on a date with him this morning, Sir." "I see..." The words rolled from his throat contemplatively. "what else?" "I.. I-I.." Her voice held panic, turning more girlish as she tried to make the words leave her lips. She panted for breath and turned her back to lean against the counter and catch her breath. "Sshhheila... you're no good to me if you can't remain calm. Now, I forgive you for not telling me sooner and I'll be gentle with you if you can finish your report." Sheila's panting was calming as the words of the male on the other end were hypnotic, calming her with each word that made her find her awareness return once more. "I uh, I do believe she is very taken with him. She called me this morning and told me she received an invitation to the Hunt down here tonight, and that he's taking her along. She told me more intimate details, but I can't say it over the phone. Please forgive me." "You haven't given me his name yet." "His name is-is Markus. I sent you his profile this morning." "So I see." There was silence on his end for more than a few minutes, then it was broken with a quiet chuckle. "Hmmm... A blood wolf." Sheila was stunned into silence. "Not that I expected you to know that tidbit, Sheila. It is information beyond your security level, but this does require my personal attention. Do not alert anyone that I will be coming, especially Cynthia. She didn't call me, nor would I have expected her to until it was too late for me to object to this were. I am, after all, just her father. I will deal with the Alphas and the blood wolf myself when I arrive tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Sheila, I expect everything to be perfect for my stay, including you, ma cher." "Yes, Alpha." The hope in her voice was coming back, and with a soft goodbye, she looked around her kitchen, rubbing a hand down her face. "Mother Luna, I pray you know what you're doing." Cynthia's Moon Ch. 03 "I've never been to a Hawaiian Hunt. Do you use a rabbit?" "No," he smiled to her. "We use a snake." "A snake? How is that a challenge?" "Well it wouldn't be to catch one, but that's not what we do out here." He let Cynthia's expression fill with confusion before he chuckled and furthered his explanation. "The snake is already hidden in the cane fields. There's two things to be done when you hunt the snake. Well, three. First of which is, finding it. Second thing is, when you find it, you must not show weakness when it challenges you. The snakes used for a Hunt are trained to spit their venom harmlessly at the skin of anyone who finds it that shows weakness, but the others do not know that. Finally, you must make the snake submit to your will. Enough so that it will relent to being your equal." "Wow." She started to think this Hunt was a stretch more difficult than the Hunts used with foxes and rabbits in the continental United States and Europe. Her eyes drifted forward, curious as to how that tests one's prowess as a werewolf. "Still confused?" He could tell by the tone in her voice and her ears blowing smoke as the wheels turned in her mind. She looked to him and nodded quietly. "We believe that strength of our kind doesn't rest in who is the strongest, fastest, and most agile. We believe it to be the ones who are most confident in our beastly form. A snake can sense weakness, and any werewolf who couldn't stare down a snake isn't using all of the abilities that Mother Luna has equipped us with." "You, I take it, have stared down many snakes?" She looked at him with a sarcastic grin. He grinned back at her. "I am the one who trains the snakes. So unfortunately, I cannot participate. Wouldn't be fair to the rest." Her tongue made a soft 'tsk' at the roof of her mouth and she looked back at the road. "Still, it's just a snake." "A snake it may be, but it's a Najala (na-sha-la)." Markus corrected her. Cynthia's face knitted. "A Najala?" "A breed of venomous snake that grows to enormous size. A picture of a Najala was taken from a helicopter traveling over the Borneo River, and it was named Nabau by the natives of that area. It was swimming when the picture was taken. The venom can permanently blind a Were that isn't treated immediately. The one we have is about twenty-five feet in length, has the body thickness of a basketball, and enjoys eating baby goats for breakfast. I named him Nile." "Like, after the Nile river?" "Yep." He beamed proudly. He knew she was smart. "What's the prize for charming such a beast?" She recalled that she was the prize at the first Pure Hunt she ever attended. "An exclusive, all expenses paid weekend at the private cabin of the Alphas. Something they do every year to encourage friendly competition amongst the pack, but not so much as to invoke deep seeded hatred for one another like a woman coming out into our society would." Cynthia blushed and lowered her chin in what looked like shame. Markus caught sight of this and looked over to her, not realizing that it was the case for her. "Oh, Cyn. I didn't mean to insult you." His tone softened. She lifted her chin and shook her head. "No, it's alright." "No, it isn't. I'm sorry. This is why I don't like to say a lot about the people that I protect." He felt his chest fill with regret. "You know, it doesn't offend me." She looked to him. "Do you know why I moved here?" As the cane fields were cut in half by a gravel road leading to a shoreline estate, he slowed down once the manor was coming into view as to not cut up the detail on his truck. "Why?" He was interested to know, and turned to see her while she spoke. "I wanted to start over." She confessed, "My father put me in private college after my husband's death to have me learn whatever I wanted to and to keep my mind off of mourning him. Four years flew by so quickly, I didn't even know it until I overheard my father speaking of putting me in as a prize once again for a Hunt." She sighed heavily, recalling how angry she had been at her father, treating her like a prize for advancement. "Four years like clockwork, once my official mourning period was over, he wanted to put me back out on the market. When I told him and my mother that I didn't want to be remarried or mated, my father scolded me after I renounced my birthright. My mother was more understanding, but, I told her that I was taking a job in Hawaii. I put out applications for jobs outside of the continental U.S, Canada, and Mexico. I wanted to be as far away from a tradition that I was born into without a choice. So I can relate to how stupid the traditions are from the other side." That was also why she liked Markus. She knew from the moment she set eyes on this handsome male wolf that he had been raised outside of high society. He was callous, calculating, observant, and free to do as he wished whenever he wished it. She imagined many of the women of high society would turn their noses up due to his humble beginnings, but that hardly bothered Cynthia at all. "Yeah, well, tradition is what keeps us safe, secret, and stable. Without traditions, we would have devoured the world years ago and been at arms with the Kindred." She crunched her face up at the mention of vampires. "Let's... not get into them, shall we? So how did you become head of security? Must be in real good with the Alpha." Markus nodded lightly. "Yeah, I was fostered on the island since I was a kid. Never really knew my parents, didn't really care to get to know or find them. When I went into the military, I met Karus on the first day of basic. We were placed in the same unit and I saved his life during sentry overseas." He gripped the wheel tightly and let his tension pass alongside the memory. "He was discharged and a few years later I returned. He accepted me like a brother and since I didn't really have any family to go home to, I took up the job of security when he settled down and mated Sara." She was looking out the window while he spoke to her, but listened to every word until his brief story got into how he knew the Alpha. Looking over to him, she nodded lightly and stretched her hand out to rub at his leg. "I think you're a great protector. He's fortunate. I remember my father cycling through bodyguards like undershirts." Once hearing her explanation, he felt better about himself, and the comment. More so, he knew that Cynthia was not like other nobles who felt the need to just have power and treat everyone not of equal level like servants or beneath them. The estate was approached, and Markus slowed his truck to a stop at the security block that was set up where he asked. He waved to the two guards he had trained and hired, and crawled his truck on by when they let him pass. Markus pulled up into the circle drive of the estate, where a valet was waiting. The house itself was mostly slate gray with a grand walk entrance that led people to a set of double doors in light oak and colored glass depicting a crescent moon on both doors, each of them pointing up. People walked along a line of blue and silver ribbons and a crushed velvet blue carpet that led them to the patio to the side of the house and wrapped around the back, all paved in stone. The patio itself overlooked the rocky edge of the beach that was down from the estate. Markus opened the door to his truck and closed it. Giving him the chance to be a gentleman, she waited in the truck and watched him circle around to her side and open the door for her. Taking his offered hand in stepping out, she grinned and kept close to them as the sound of a gathering was closing in as he led her up to the patio. "Are you ready?" He looked down at her. "Born ready." She smiled. He smiled back, and turned around the bend to enter the party area. "They're here." Bridget said softly to Val and nodded into the direction of Cynthia and Markus. He felt his heart sink into his stomach when he spotted Cyn, who was 'the man-stealing bitch' according to Bridget. His hand was cold and clammy in the grasp of Bridget's as she was leading them to the patio to join the rest. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 04 Song lyrics: Fall Again by Glenn Lewis. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 04 The sultry and feminine voice of the Alpha snapped awareness to both Cynthia and Valefar, and she found the strength to push herself away from him and settle the rest of her stirring heat. There wasn't a werewolf in that immediate area now that couldn't smell her heat from what Valefar had done to her. She quickly vacated as Valefar didn't have much of a choice but to please the Alpha by speaking with her, despite that it was with contempt. Cynthia didn't make it ten feet away from the dance floor, or a chance to mask her arousal before Markus approached her. Shame swelled in her eyes and showed in her body. Unable to do anything more than accept that Markus knew, she spoke. "Where did you go?" "Nowhere. Come on, we're leaving." Markus' tone was deep with anger that burned through his skin. Cynthia could feel it in his touch as he led her firmly from the patio and headed for his truck, ushering her forward. He released her and went to his side of the truck, leaving Cynthia to get in by herself. Her throat was dry, her muscles were tense, and she could hardly walk without her nerves spiking guilt over what he must have seen. As she moved to close the door, something caught it. Looking up, she saw Valefar, and Markus noticed him as well. "Get the hell away from my truck," Markus snapped at him. "I'm taking her home tonight," Val calmly spoke. "Come on, Cyn." Cynthia didn't move, feeling her heart pounding in her ears from the confrontation. Markus slammed his door and approached Valefar on the passenger side. It was apparent that Val was attempting to challenge Markus' claim over Cynthia, and the hard stare between both males started. Cyn had always been taught to stay where she was and keep her gaze away from both males when a challenge commenced. Her head was swimming with concern. She was worried for Markus, and worried even more that he might get hurt. Two valets were slowly approaching the truck, as a third went to warn the Alphas. Both were concerned that a fight would break out as they kept their distance. Security responded and allowed no others to interfere at this time. Markus and Valefar had not shifted yet, and both of them continued to hold their gaze with one another. Each second was a wish Cynthia hoped that it would end soon. "If you're gonna make a move, poodle, now's the time. The moment you reach for her, you'll lose that arm," Markus growled his words to Val, who remained calm and held his gaze with Markus. As the Alphas arrived, Sara's prominent clicking marked her approach to the two men. She had never seen a stare-down to recognize one was happening. However, she didn't get within ten feet before Karus pulled her back. Spinning around to glare at him, her thoughts came alive. "Why are you stopping me?" Her voice growled into his mind. "You need to step back. Markus is being challenged. No other Were can interfere right now, not even an Alpha," he explained to her gently. "But that's your brother! You're going to feed him to Valefar?!" "No. More like, I'm going to step in before he kills Valefar. You don't know Markus like I do, love. He's never had to show his dominance in a long time, and it would behoove you to not stand in either male's way right now." "Hmmph... fine." Sara folded her arms and sighed while watching. Between the two Weres, tension radiated from the area, and those who left the party to watch the scene stayed back several yards behind the Alphas. Markus and Valefar hummed outwardly their dominance, which held as long as their stares were across from one another. "You're not taking Cyn home as mad as you are," Val repeated once more. "The hell I'm not. I brought her here, I'll take her home as planned," Markus snarled. As the moon peeked out from a roll of clouds, the eyes of both males started to shimmer, and then fill with a lunar glow. A sunset amber yellow had filled Valefar's eyes, so deep and radiant. Markus' dark gaze started as the vibrant yellow that Cynthia recalled from the alley, staring through the windshield as she saw a sudden transition of color. A brilliant red filled his gaze, and Cynthia leaned back in her seat, gasping out her breath and pulling it in just as shallow. Valefar's resolve had lessened while watching Markus' eyes turn red, but once more leveled. It was harder to stare at those eyes burning back at him. Heat began leave his body and Markus could see the weakness beginning to show in his stare. He rolled a slow growl from his chest as he started to prowl closer to Val. "Alright. Take her home. But if I find out that you've harmed her in any way, you will pay for it." Valefar let go of the door and closed it, keeping his gaze locked with Markus. It wasn't until Val looked away first that Markus let out a sharp exhale and headed back to his side of the truck. As the tension dissipated from the area, Cynthia relaxed herself once more. Once she had fastened her seat belt, Markus got in and soon started the truck. He hardly drove anywhere below forty-five over those rough roads which jostled the both of them in the truck. His hands clenched at the wheel, grinding to the point she could hear the friction of his skin against that pulled vinyl fabric. He never looked over at her even once, even when she turned her face slightly to look at him with a growing need to explain. When nothing would leave her lips, she looked back to the road. The smell of her heat was not only arousing him, but filling him with rage the more he thought about that Were's hands having been all over Cynthia and that she did nothing to stop it. As they made it into the city limits, they were about five minutes out from her condo and she was still conjuring the will to say something to him before he would drop her off. It wasn't until he stopped in front of her condo and parked the truck that he let the engine idle and they sat there quietly. She didn't want to get out, and Markus didn't want to have to tell her to get the fuck out of his truck. Cynthia gathered her purse and stole from the seat and unbuckled her seat belt. Her hand was on the door handle and she paused, looking toward him. Her heart pounded hard and she could hear the thump of its deep rhythm in her ears, fearing that this would be the last time she saw him if she wasn't able to explain herself. He did nothing to look at her, keeping his hands tight on the wheel. She reasoned this to be ambivalence, and she swallowed hard before speaking softly. "I'm sorry, Markus." "Get out of the truck." His words were quick and quiet, mostly because he didn't know if he could hold back from just all out screaming at her. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't even..." "I don't want to hear it, Cyn." He looked to her, then snorted, shaking his head. "I thought pure bloods were supposed to be better, stronger, faster, have more will power, and all that shit. That's what makes you so much better than us, isn't it?" Cynthia was quiet while Markus let himself rant about pure bloodlines and what exactly he expected they were all about. "Not exactly. I couldn't help it." She pulled on the door handle to step out of his truck. His hand snapped out to grab her arm and pull her back in. She gasped and looked to him, fearing for her life as the grasp of his fingers started to dig into her skin. "Don't lie to me like that. I might've forgiven you in the morning, just because you're in heat. Now, I just can't respect that you'd feed into the whole bullshit that you aren't stronger than your needs. You can get out of my truck, now." He let her go and she rubbed at her arm for the mild pain that pulsed through it. But it numbed then as the venom of his words hit her all at once, and she felt the rush of heartbreak bleed from her chest to the very ends of her feet and mind, weakening her strong shell. "Markus, please let me explain it to you. I.." "GET OUT!" His voice screamed loudly at the same time that his fist balled up and swung out at the window behind her, shattering it. She yelped and cowered down, looking at him in terror before she swiftly escaped the truck. The door hadn't even closed all the way shut and the tires screamed against the road as he drove off, leaving her standing on the sidewalk outside of her condo. Around the corner he sped off, another squeal of the tires peeling against the road until he was out of view. Her entire body shook with fear and hurt, and tears welled into her eyes until they fell like rivers down her face as her breath shuddered into her quiet sobbing. Her heart sank, and so did she sink into her wish of going after him, except that she knew very little about him at all; not even his last name. After a moment of waiting with the hope that he might come back, she wiped her eyes and cheeks with a swipe of her hand on each side, sniffling and calming her composure. She turned around and walked into the building and headed up to her penthouse for the night. When she made it in with her spare key, she bolted the door behind her and drifted over towards that black couch and slumped down onto it. She could scent him on the cushions and curled herself in the fetal position, lying there, hoping that he'd return. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 05 Sunday morning arrived sooner than Markus had anticipated. The alarm clock set to 5 am went off and he slapped it tiredly, hearing it fall off of his nightstand and clatter to the floor next to an empty bottle of Jameson whiskey. He could barely remember anything from last night and wondered how he had gotten home. Where was Cynthia? His eyes opened wider remembering what he had done. Pain jolted through him as he recalled the last time he ever looked at Cynthia. He recalled the terror in her eyes as she fled from his truck. His hand rubbed at his eyes and dragged down his face with a sigh, leaning back against the pillows with remorse filling his features. He didn't notice that he wasn't alone until a young, raven haired girl rolled over from the other side of his bed, moaning tiredly and draped her arm loosely over his stomach. He could smell that she was human. She wasn't very pretty, and not usually his type of girl. Beneath her black hair, he saw an array of rainbow colored strands, her skin was pale as flour, and her lips were smeared with black lipstick. Her eyes would've been lovely, if they weren't caked with mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow all in black. She looked as though she had just turned twenty-one. Too young for his taste, he thought, but it was a little hypocritical to think that now. He recalled now that he had met her at the bar he went to shortly after he had dropped off Cynthia. Mother Luna, what did I do last night? He lifted her face up gently at the chin, and eased her over onto her side of the bed. She didn't smell like him, nor was there any trace of his sexual scent upon her. This greatly confused him. Why would he bring home a girl and not pound her deeply with all of his frustrations? Lightly, he shook her awake. She grunted and opened her eyes, not pleased to be awakened and seemed personally put off. Tiredly, she sat up. "What? Do I have to leave now? Is she coming over?" Her tired tone bit at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." The confusion was as plain as day on Markus' face. "Wow, you really must've been drunk then," she yawned and stretched her arms over her head, her naked body drifting back against her pillow before she explained further. His eyes went to her breasts, finding them well endowed for the tiny body she had. "You invited me back here to your place, and we were really getting into it there for a few moments. Your dick is the biggest I've ever felt, by the way." She smiled and stroked her hand down his chest, and he snared her wrist before she could slip it beneath the blanket draped at his lap. She pouted. "And..?" "And you kept calling out another girl's name, even when I tried to correct you. I smacked you, and you threw me off you. Then you passed out," she paused, "so is Cynthia coming over now?" He took in the facts and stared at the ceiling in silence while the human female waited expectantly for a response. He shook his head and got out of the bed, contemplating what to do about Cynthia. Obviously drinking himself into oblivion didn't help to forget about her. He wanted to see her, except that he wasn't even sure at this point that she would even answer the door if he went over there. He pulled everything out of his discarded dress pants on the floor, finding her condo keys in one of the pockets. He knew this was the only way around her refusal, but even with that, he was still pissed about what she said. I couldn't help it. The words burned in his mind and filled him with rage as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He turned on the water to fill the sink and looked in the mirror at his own reflection, staring at himself while thinking on things. He could faintly see nail marks across his chest and face, and black lipstick smeared across his mouth obviously from the girl last night. Pulling in a deep breath, he slowly focused his regenerative ability to heal the marks completely. Splashing water on his face, he woke up a little more and wiped away the remaining lipstick from his face. Yet, he still couldn't think clearly of what to do about Cynthia. Should I forgive her? The question plagued his mind as he locked the bathroom door and turned on the shower. Wet from showering, he stepped out of the bathroom as naked as the day he was born. The girl on the bed moaned pleasingly at the view, crawling lithely on the bed and out from under the sheets just as naked as he was. He noticed right away that she had a curved body much like Cynthia's and understood why he had brought her home. Sighing softly, he slipped on a pair of boxers, then jeans. Looking over his shoulder at her, he searched the floor and found what he thought to be her skirt. He tossed it on the bed in front of her. "Get dressed and I'll take you home." She didn't like hearing that, but still complied with putting on her clothes. I need more answers, he thought to himself. There was something sincere that he recalled about Cynthia's words when she tried to reason with him. What if he had listened just for a moment? Why didn't he? Why was it that with any other girl he could take the time to listen before telling them off, and with Cynthia he found himself winding out of control like some hormonal teenager? He loved her. That was the only explanation he could think of. Valefar's scent upon her and watching her almost let him take full control of her body had him considering leaving Cynthia there to do whatever she wanted, but he had spent too much time and effort in wanting to be with her to let one episode break it all apart. After grabbing a coffee once he dropped off last night's company at her place, he started heading down a beaten and bumpy road, returning to the Alpha's estate. Karus might have more answers for him. He had questions about pure bloods that he wouldn't find an answer to unless he asked a reliable source. It was about seven am when he pulled into the driveway of the Alphas. They were already awake and standing on the patio that had party debris littered all over it. The view of the sunrise was gorgeous over the morning high tides, and the clouds were breaking apart the orange horizon with vibrant pinks and purples. When Markus pulled in, Sara was the first one to see him and respond. Karus could sense the anger flooding through her body and pursued her. When she ran, so did he, and Markus watched as Karus grabbed Sara around her waist just before she could lunge herself at him. She howled and jolted her feet off the gravel, kicking and struggling to be turned loose from Karus' grasp. He wouldn't have his equal acting this way, and let his elongating fangs sink into the back of her neck. She whimpered and struggled a few more times before his bite became so firm that she calmed down. Her panting was rigid, heavy, and filled with killer instinct. She wanted to see Markus and Cynthia together, and he was fucking it all up. "Am I missing something?" Markus had never seen Sara so angry before, and started to think that he really screwed up. Karus was the first to answer after nuzzling his love to assure her that all would be well. "We heard about the little incident with Val and Bridget last night. I sent a watcher out to find you and Cynthia after you left. He reported back that she was at home and cried herself to sleep, and you were taking home some human girl for the night." The words alone made Sara's chest rumble once more in Markus' direction. Her angered scent filled the air and her golden eyes glared daggers at him. Markus felt hollow at the thought that Cynthia had cried, and that it was his fault. He sank back from the Alphas and into a patio chair, never responding once to Sara's anger. He knew it was deserved. His forehead rested against his hands which cradled to support him, as his mind was now swimming with a way to explain why he was here. "She tried talking to me last night, and all I could do was kick her out of my truck. I wanted to believe her, but I just don't buy into that bullshit that no Were can help themselves when it comes to their needs." "Well, that's where you're wrong, boy." A deep voice rang out from the corner of the patio. There, when Markus' eyes darted to the table, was an older man he had never seen before and accompanied by Cynthia's friend Sheila. Karus released Sara, who slid away to the patio. Karus followed her as she walked towards the older man and patted Markus' shoulder, indicating that he should follow him. Markus didn't question Karus and followed him over to the table where the old man had nodded lightly for Markus to join. The man had age to his face, a slender but agile form fitted into pewter pants, with a white shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing the softening of his once rigidly muscular form and a light nestling of dark hair on his chest. His hair was trimmed and black, with graying temples and deep tanned skin. When the man's green eyes looked over to Markus, he could swear he was looking into Cynthia's eyes, except that the man's gaze was much fiercer. "Mr. Arden, this is Markus Steele. Markus, this is Mr. Robert Arden," Karus paused, "the Senior Alpha of the West coast, Alaska, and Hawaii. He's also Cynthia's father." "A pleasure, Markus. Though, to keep this casual, you may call me Robert." The Alpha rolled his words pleasantly to Markus and then took a sip of his coffee. Setting the cup down with a gentle click, he let his fingers steeple and rest casually in front of his chest. Markus was mildly stunned when he had learned of Cynthia's pure bloodline, but even more now that he discovered she was the daughter of a Senior Alpha. Senior Alphas were the few appointed Werewolves that controlled and communicated with the Alphas in each state to keep pack-to-pack wars from occurring. "The honor is mine, Robert." Robert grinned, amused at how swiftly Markus accepted his seniority. "You're everything I'd expect in a blood wolf. Strong, both in body and presence, loyal, and I can only imagine your will power is eons beyond any Were you've ever encountered." Markus was offered a glass of orange juice, which he took and set the glass to rest on his knee. "It doesn't surprise me that you'd know, Sir," Markus said before downing his orange juice. This was going to be a long conversation, he thought. Karus cleared his throat lightly. "Mr. Arden, could you please enlighten me as to how a blood wolf is born?" "I figured you'd become curious as to how your older half-brother is a blood wolf and yet, you are not," Robert said casually. Markus went wide in expression and darted his gaze to Karus, who tensed up. "I... hadn't told him that we were related." "Oh, really?" Robert said with a little chuckle. "Well, no better time for him to learn, hmm?" Karus looked back to Markus, guilt filling his face. Just as he was about to speak, Markus held his hand up. "We'll discuss this later, Karus," he commented darkly then looked back to Robert. "Explain it to him, since I'd like to know now what made me so God damned special." "Blood wolves are those who are conceived by two blood-born wolf parents on a full moon. Then, sequentially, the wolf cub is born on a full moon, and his first birthday falls on a full moon. It is believed if a Were experiences this anomaly, Mother Luna marks them with her blood. Their eyes fill with red, and their fur becomes a brilliant white with downy red tones. They are chosen for one purpose: to eliminate Vampire threats. Aside from the red gaze and blood stained fur, they can blend into society quite well. They usually have a thirst for battle, and will often pursue a career in the military or law enforcement. Luna's Knights. It is why many couples will try to mate and conceive around the days of a full moon," Robert smirked and then continued to explain. "In the classified databases of the World Wildlife Foundation, blood Weres are listed separately from any other classification of Werewolves. The files are only accessible by Senior Alphas. Not even humans know they exist." The World Wildlife Foundation monitored the Werewolf population and kept their existence quiet to the human-operated branches of the government. "Marvelous," Markus said brashly and leaned back in his chair. Well, it was time to weed through some facts and fiction. Markus pulled in a breath and returned his gaze to Robert. "I want to know more about Cynthia's blood line, what exactly I'm not understanding about pure bloods that I should know." Robert nodded at how straightforward Markus presented the topic to him. "Well, you have to remember that our ancestors could not take a human form. All they had to communicate with were the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. There wasn't a hierarchy, there wasn't a society. There were packs and territories, and that's all there was to a Werewolf's life. You lived for the pack, you protected the pack, you breed within the pack, and you'd die for the pack. "When the first few Werewolves discovered that they could take a human form, they were rejected by those who could not. These first few Werewolves had conscious thought. Formed language, could blend in with humans, and were very beautiful. The first female was named by the Native Americans as Lunea. Over time, it was shortened to Luna, and our connection to the moon and transforming was formed." "And what caused that?" Karus asked as he sat down, not having heard of any origin beyond the first few werewolves. "Evolution, a miracle," Robert shrugged, "no one truly knows. But the fact is, not even Luna could help herself, being the first female capable of shifting. She had to learn her weaknesses and strengths, then master both of them. Still, there are some things that Werewolves cannot control. Mating is just one of them. We still have to follow the tradition and instinct that comes with mating. Females will seek the strongest werewolf to mate with. Males will seek a female in heat. Cynthia's actions are a result of instinct." "That's bullshit," Markus snarled. Robert paused to take a drink, admiring the stamina that Markus had for his story time. Markus gritted his teeth from responding further, concerned that he may upset both Alphas. "How was that little Gothic chick from last night, Markus? Was she a part of your emotions? Your instincts? Or was she a driven sense of revenge against Cynthia? What would be your excuse for your actions last night?" Markus grunted and turned his face away from the Alpha, pulling in a tense breath to keep his anger from breaking him apart. "Saying that I couldn't help myself is admitting that it's my weakness. Saying that I was emotional and mad at Cyn would suggest that I can't control myself." "But could you help your emotions? Your instinct? Could you have stopped yourself last night?" Robert's voice grated upon Markus' nerves. He found his rage building more and more against the Senior Alpha for his stupid questions. "I don't know," Markus sighed, defeated at the thought that his actions last night were no better than Cynthia's when Valefar was around. "A good answer for now. It's time you started thinking like a werewolf." "So I'm just supposed to accept that until Cynthia is claimed that she can't help herself? Excuse her?" "If you were going to accept that she couldn't help herself and excuse her for her actions, you would have done so last night. You didn't because you were thinking like a human, not a werewolf. That's what our evolution brought us. Struggle with our human bond. Are we better than our ancestors because we attempt to practice control? Or are we farther away from our natural selves because we try to not act like animals? But no matter what, in the end, the animal always wins. So why deny your weaknesses? You've never felt this way about yourself or another person until you met Cynthia. You're learning late in your life that werewolves have to accept their weaknesses and master them. Only then do we know who we really are." Markus had never thought about it that way. The more he thought about his weakness, the more he wanted it to go away. He wanted to overcome it, master it. Become it and rise above it. Robert took another long drink of his coffee and sighed regretfully. "Cynthia has known from her first heat that she would have a mate carefully selected for her. So, we hid her from public when she was in heat. She was never aware how her heat could undo her and it was my mistake that I never taught her that self-control. She was getting married and I didn't see any future where she wasn't going to have to control her weaknesses. Which is why when she renounced her claim, applied for a job, and looked for a place to live after her mourning period, I made sure she was still within my reach to take care of her. She really can't help the way she feels when she is in heat, and that is my fault. As her father, I failed to show her what weaknesses she has. I'm also thankful that you were another pair of eyes looking after her. Had she been raped that evening, I..." Markus placed his fingers to rest against his cheek, his elbow relaxed on the armrest of the chair, staring at Robert intently as he struggled with his last phrase. The remorse turned to anger within Robert before he banished it away, knowing that Cyn being raped had not come to be, and that the werewolf in front of him made it so. "Regardless of my lack of educating Cynthia, instinct still applies. Last night, you won the challenge. Valefar can no longer hold a claim over her. Seeing as how Cynthia's life was not privileged to learn everything she should have known about herself, you should be angry with me. Not her. That is all I would ask of you, if you still want to hold to your claim over her." Markus' intense gaze lightened and he raised his head from resting against his hand when he thought he didn't hear Robert correctly in telling him that he could have Cynthia. When Robert didn't attempt to retract his statement, Markus nodded. "Yes, I'd still like to mate her, if she'll still have me." Robert nodded, admiring that he would leave it up to Cynthia. "Now tell me, why do you want to mate her?" "I fell in love with your daughter the first day I saw her. I've spent about a year watching her." He rubbed a hand down his face to shade his embarrassment at confessing such a fact and sighed. "I have never wanted to be with anyone else more than her; not even Bridget. I turned Bridget when I thought I could be happy with her, and when I thought she loved me. Seems all she was interested in was trading up. That fact aside, I might have ruined it last night by scaring her off from my truck, which makes it seem pointless that I would accept Val's challenge if I was just telling her off, but I planned to forgive her," his eyes narrowed. "I wasn't about to let some jerk-off like that be with her." "Val and Cyn do have a past, this is true. She did love Valefar very much, and even told me that once she finished her junior year, she would mate with him. Then he had to go and throw it all away by hooking up with that other Were," Robert said with a shake of his head and a sigh. "That boy could have had a lot going for him." "Well I'm not mating with Cyn for her status or to have anything 'going for me.' I'm taken care of by the W.W.F. and the Marine Corps. I planned to just settle down and have a few pups, and retire on the south end of the island. I already bought some beach front property." Karus blinked, not aware of the fact that Markus had bought land outside of Honolulu. Not that he would forbid it, especially with Markus' salary and his obvious position. Karus almost envied everything his older brother had, but knew that Markus deserved it all. He had earned it. Cynthia's Moon Ch. 05 "If Cynthia is anything like her mother she will be waiting for you to come and make it up to her. Loyalty is...not a strong suit of mine." He turned and glanced over to Sheila with a wink, and held his gaze with her. "It is fortunate for you that Cyn isn't like me in that respect." Robert smiled and returned his attention to Markus. "So it's up to you, lad. You have my blessing. I'll deal with the matter of this rogue wolf in my territory. That is really the only reason I came out here. I have a few suspicions, but I want to be sure. Karus and I will be combing the ticks for anything on this Were. We're certain he's off the island for now." Markus turned his attention to the sun rising in red over the waves, with a blazing orange horizon dancing over the surface of the ocean. He didn't take any longer than a minute to decide his next move, and brought his hand to rub his face before rising urgently from his chair. "Well, it's time for me to go." "Where ya headed?" Karus asked. "To brush up on my begging. You and I will talk later, Karus." Cynthia's Moon Ch. 05 "Just as well; you're out of milk and damn near everything else. I'll run to the store and be back as soon as I can. Enjoy your bath, because I have a surprise in mind when I return."