Eirika let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding as Arric went out of sight. She wanted to jump down and go after him but the men thrashing on the bloodied ground, drawing their last breath held her paralyzed to the spot. It was difficult to imagine that the Arric who just left now was the same one who had been loving and attentive to her for the past few days. He was quite an enigma and Eirika was mighty glad she was not on the opposing side. Arric was brutal. Her heart had run a mile per second when the captured werewolf taunted him just like Mauro earlier did. Eirika recalled his cold, unyielding stance and silently prayed to the moon goddess for her intervention. She doubted her heart would be able to stand it if he returned to being withdrawn and unhinged with her. "Luna?" Bishop called from the ground, looking up at her. "You can come down now. Do you need assistance?" "N-no I can come down by myself, thank you," she said and carefully found her way down the tr
Eirika found her way inside the Nightstalkers Pack and to Brook's bar, glad to see the place was still open. There were a few customers still drinking in the bar, and some of them were in bandages. They gave her an acknowledging nod when they saw her. Brook was serving drinks to a group of gammas when she saw her and the other she-wolf's lips stretched in a smile. "Ah, see who has returned, and as the Maveric's mate no less," Brook jest. Eirika chuckled despite her mood. "Nice to see you too, Brook," she said. "I knew you were the type to not go down without a fight. I am happy to know I am right about you," she said. "Thank you, Brook. How are you and… business?" Erika asked, gesturing. "As you can see… still thriving, can't complain. I heard you are one of the reasons we still have a home…" "I wouldn't take credit for that." "We've faced plenty of foes over the years, my dear friend and the Maverick hadn't seen it fit to come to our aid," she said. Eirika laughed. "Fine,
"Arric…" "I don't think you understand that you are mine…" "I know we are mated, Arric, I know what it means. Do you?" "What are you saying?" "We are going to spend a long time together, Arric, I don't want to spend it with you hating me!" she cried. A frown furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't hate you," he rasped in the gentlest tone she had ever heard him use. Cupping the side of her face, he stroked her skin with his thumb. "Arric…." "Stop imagining nonsense and perish the thought that we would ever be separated," he whispered, cutting her off. Tears welled and spilled down the sides of her face. "The only thing that's going to separate me from you, is death." Raising her head from the mattress, Eirika pressed her lips to his. Arric groaned and gave her room to deepen the kiss, she probed his lips with her tongue and he parted them for her, shutting his eyes as she nibbled his lips, moaning his name. His entire frame shook at the wonderful surge of pleasure that raked throug
Arric woke up before the break of dawn, gathering Eirika into his arms, he carried her to the bathroom, waking her up with a kiss. They shared an intimate bath, making love again. Eirika offered to quickly make breakfast for him and he agreed. She told him to sit down and watch her. With a mischievous glint in his eye, Arric grinned and obliged, pulling out a chair, he sat down at the table, watching her expertly measure out coffee grounds and brewed a fresh pot. The aroma filled the air. "Can I at least get my own coffee?" he asked after a while. "You don't like being waited on, do you?" Eirika said in a laughing voice. "I'm restless…" he countered. She giggled. Arric got up to make a cup of coffee for himself and a decaffeinated one for Eirika. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he placed hers within her reach and then went back to his seat. Eirika beamed with pride as she flipped pancakes on the griddle, sizzled sausages in a pan, and cracked eggs into another before b
"Yes, Marnet Darnald is dating a human, can you believe that?" “He hasn’t found a mate?” “Not yet,” Aricel replied with a hint of irritation. "Marnet Darnald?" Eirika repeated and threw Nigel a side glance. "Do you know my son?" Aricel asked with a curious frown. Arric too directed his gaze at Eirika. "If he has taught in Fountain High in the East before, yes," Eirika said. "Then we would both know him, we attended the same school," Nigel added. Aricel nodded. "Yes, he did teach at Fountain High… Then you must know the human…" "Wendy?" "No, her name is Gwenna - an intriguing little thing," Aricel said with a lowered gaze. Arric studied him keenly. "I don't think I know …" Eirika said. "I do. And I don't think Wendy would have loved to see that happen," Nigel said in amusement. "Who are you?" Aricel asked. "Nigel Hartwell..." "He is Shadowclaw's son," Arric replied. Aricel's eyes widened in delight. "You know my dad? Of course, you know my dad," Nigel said, "ho
Arric lay on the bed, fully clothed, holding Eirika to his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, absentmindedly, replaying Aricel's reaction when he mentioned Gwenna. He couldn't tell if the other Lycan was involved in the Ironpaw Pack's activities, but he perceived he was hiding something. Deciding to find out what it was before dabbling into the Ironpaw problem, he drew back from Eirika and got out of bed. He had agreed with his team to stay the night in Aricel's pack before heading to the Ironpaw Prowlers' Pack as agreed for one reason: to gain access to the grounds. Getting out of the room as quietly as he could manage, he sniffed the air and followed Aricel's scent. The hallways to Aricel's quarters were not packed full of guards for a pack living close to a ruthless Alpha such as Alpha Jarvald Rukheim. Arric suspected another likely reason for that when he caught a whiff of the human girl's scent - Gwenna. 'Come on, now, Aricel,' he thought to himself as he got clo
Getting back inside the guest room, Arric locked the door, took off his clothes, and slipped under the covers. Laying on his side, he faced Eirika and watched her sleep for a few minutes, allowing his eyes to feed on her attractive features, and then trailed down to her chest. She wore nothing under the covers and the silky fabric outlined her full bust with the pecky pinky tips. Raising his left hand, he slowly pulled the fabric down her frame, revealing her beautiful body. His pulse raced and blood rushed to his groins at the delicious sight. Drawing a labored breath, he edged down till his face was at the same level as her chest and then placed his palm on the gentle swell of her lower tummy. Smoothening her soft, supple skin, he leaned closer until there was barely half an inch of space left between his lips and her right nipple. He knew he ought to let her sleep, the following day promised to be volatile. He replayed the scene of her adamantly telling him she couldn't leav
Arric expressed his gratitude for the renewed alliance between their packs, and Alpha Aricel nodded in agreement, expressing his appreciation. "I've known you long enough to know you don't just make rash decisions, whatever part you want my pack to play just let us know, you and I know what would happen if we allowed anarchy. I would like to sleep at night without fear of waking up with a knife to my throat, or my home on fire," Aricel said. "The unchanging doesn't deserve what it's been dished to them. Not all of us can be warriors. I wish some people can just stop living in the barbaric past," Marnet Darnald grumbled. "What we need is a strong legion of enforcers that can enforce peace and order. If everyone knows they can't just go about doing as they like without consequences, I dare say this nonsense would stop!" "That's a good point…" Jarom said in agreement. "The problem is getting all the pack alphas to agree. A lot are gaining from the chaos." "I remember Alpha Darther