"I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realised that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you." - Cassandra Clare
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Sweat beads on Valen's skin as he gently pushes himself inside of Alia, large hands moving down her waist before stopping on her lower back. She lays on her front on the bed, one leg stretched out behind her with the other bent at her waist. Her white-knuckled hands grip the bed, hair sticking to her skin.
Valen breathes deeply behind her, upper chest and shoulders flushed after hours of having her. His golden eyes trail down the curve of her spine, her trembling body and silent words making him lick his lips with a smirk.
Moving his hands to rest on either side of her, he leans down towards one of her ears, breath warm against her skin. "What is it, baby?" Alia's grip tightens, face pressed into the bedsheets. He nips at her ear, one hand gliding down her side before moving in front of her pelvis. He lifts her up against him, pushing himself deeper inside of her. "Can't take it?"
Their bedroom is dark, sunset starting the moment they left the training centre. The thought of resting left them when Valen grabbed Alia's face and kissed her the moment they entered their home.
A mixture of a whimper and a whine is muffled by the bed, and it makes Valen wrap his hand around Alia's hair before tugging her head back. Her mouth is parted, neck and cheeks flushed with strands of her hair sticking to her skin. The needy desire in her green gaze is blatant when she meets his eyes.
Valen's voice is low when he says, "Use your words, Alia."
She swallows, tongue moistening her lips. "More."
Pulling back with a deep exhale, Valen loosens his grip on her hair and moves his hands back to her lower spine. He adjusts himself behind her, still buried deep within. Leaning forward slightly with his large hands pushing her further into the bed, Valen murmurs, "Good girl."
"The lights," Alia whispers, cheek against Valen's chest as she drifts closer and closer towards slumber. His strong arm is wrapped around her bare body, holding her close to his side. One of her legs is bent over his with an arm draped across his waist.
With his eyes closed, he sleepily murmurs, "What of them?"
"They're off."
Valen hums. "They are"
Alia nestles further into him, a sigh leaving her. "I need them on."
Valen's eyes slowly open, brows furrowing. "Since when?"
"Since I discovered that you do."
Turning his body to lean on his forearm, Valen looks down at Alia whose eyes open to meet his. He brings a hand to her face, fingertips slowly trailing across her skin. He traces the outline of her eyes, her ears, her lips, and murmurs, "I don't need them on when I'm with you." He leans down and presses a soft kiss to her lips. "Your touch is all my mind needs for it to know I'm not in that cell."
Alia's hand lifts to caress his face, eyes gentle and warm. His brows furrow slightly, a deep ache filling his chest at the sight. He moves his fingers into her hair, thumb in front of her ear as he ingrains her features to his memory. All he can think about is the way she cares for him, the way she wishes to protect him and heal him from the torment of his past. He thinks about the way she makes him feel, the way her touch calms him like no other, and how possessive he has become of her. He thinks about how she'd make another bleed for upsetting him, and how she'd kill them if he asked her to.
If Valen didn't have Alia in this world, he would have returned to Velora the moment he regained his memories. He would have remained his emotionless self even in another realm, and he would have let this one burn after the blood of the Gods dripped down his hands.
But Alia makes him feel things he never thought he could, and he'll allow nothing from any realm to stop him from being with her.
"I love you," he whispers.
The next morning;
7:28 am
The cool wind gently brushes past Valen and Alia's bodies as they stand outside their home under the warm light of the rising sun. They stand beside Valen's all-black motorcycle with Alia dressed in one of Valen's black hoodies and one of her black training shorts whilst Valen wears a black form-fitting short-sleeve and grey joggers.
He holds his helmet with a resolute expression, eyes never leaving his mate. "If you keep trying to talk yourself out of this, we'll never get to GHQ."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alia dismisses, feigning innocence. She crosses her arms whilst not-so-subtly eyeing the helmet in his hands.
"Then why must you stand so far away from me?"
"Your presence distracts me."
"You didn't seem to mind it last night," he observes. "If anything, you were trying to pull me closer."
Alia's cheeks redden, eyes widening.
"I think I managed to get only four hours of sleep because of you," he continues. "And yet you tell me I distract you."
"Y-you're the one who told me you love me," she accuses, hands finding her flushed cheeks. "You brought that all on yourself."
"And I'd love you even more if you put this on and got on the bike."
"I'm not doing that."
"Alia," he lightly reprimands, "don't be difficult."
"I'm not putting on the helmet, Valen."
"I won't get on the bike if you're not wearing it."
"Then I guess we'll have to walk."
Valen's expression hardens, jaw ticking, and then he lunges for her.
The helmet is on Alia's head before she can even think to resist, large hands swiftly fastening the chin strap to keep it in place.
"Valen," she whines, hands finding the sides of the helmet in an effort to slide it off. It doesn't budge.
Valen grabs her waist and lifts her onto the bike, a satisfied expression on his stubbornly handsome face. She grumbles, fingers struggling to lift the sleek visor. He opens it for her, a deep chuckle leaving him when he notes her displeased gaze.
"I don't like taking this from you," she tells him, only her eyes visible. "You should be the one to wear it."
He shakes his head, hands gently pulling on the helmet to ensure it's secure. "You need it more than I do."
"You know it'll ruin me if harm comes to you whilst I remain uninjured," she persists. "Please just wear the helmet instead."
Valen closes the visor, silencing Alia's plea. He sits in front of Alia on the bike, hands taking hers and wrapping them around his waist. "You should know me by now," he says, the rumble of the engine blaring to life. It shakes her entire body, the sound making her press the side of Valen's helmet against his strong back. She closes her eyes, grip tight around him. "I care more about you than I do myself."
GHQ
8:07 am
Alia sits in a meeting room with six other wolves comprising two males and four females. They're the only new Warriors from Sector 3, and they'll be meeting Valen shortly. A long wooden table is situated in the centre of the room, its length able to hold twenty wolves. Rotating, black leather chairs surround the desk, seven occupied at spaced-out intervals.
An empty chair sits between each of the six other wolves, but beside Alia, there are four on each side. The unease they feel towards her presence is evident, cautious gazes flickering to her seated frame. It makes her jaw clench tighter and tighter, teeth aching under the force of her frustration.
Why must they keep staring?
Valen led her to the room twenty minutes ago, quickly telling her that he needed to speak with their Gamma before he could start the meeting. Alia nodded, thinking she'd converse with the others to kill time, but she was only met with silence.
Gods, this is so fucking awkward.
Leaning back in the chair, Alia lifts the hood of Valen's jumper over her head and crosses her arms with her legs stretched out in front of her. She closes her eyes, the warm black fabric filled entirely with her mate's scent. She relaxes into the chair, opting to nap instead of dealing with this silence.
She grabs the top of the hood and pulls it further over her face, neck warming when she remembers that she too only had four hours of sleep last night.
When Valen told her he loved her, her heart stopped. It was like her soul was wrenched from her body and absorbed into his own. It took only seconds before she started crying underneath him, her hands covering her face whilst her body shook with each sob. Those three words were words she never thought she'd hear, and when they slipped past his soft lips she realised just how much her heart ached to hear them.
Valen moved back to his side with her body pulled flush against his, one of his hands gently holding the back of her head. His fingertips slowly brushed through her hair, calming her whilst he tried to come to terms with his revelation. A small smile was on his lips when he realised her tears were not of dismay, but of relief, and he began to whisper the same three words over and over again until he was sure they were ingrained into her mind.
But when Alia wrapped an arm around his back and hooked one leg over his waist, he went quiet. She breathed in his scent, heart calming as the tears began to slow. "I love you," she whispered back to him, and it was as if he stopped breathing entirely. He froze against her, and then after a moment of silence, a small plea left his mouth, "Say it again."
And she did. Again and again whilst he moved over her and kissed her. She melted into his heated touch as if it were the same as breathing, hands grabbing his scarred, muscular back whilst she refused to let him leave her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling his hips to hers with a need so fierce it was as if anything else would lead to her demise.
The door opens and Valen enters, causing the other wolves to abruptly straighten in their seats. Alia flinches at the sound, eyes snapping open to meet white ones. The windowless, dark grey slate walls are bare, but Alia quickly averts her gaze to the one across from her when she remembers Valen's hand on her throat, his mouth at her ear and the whispered words of his love whilst he pleasured her through the night.
The heat at her neck rises to her cheeks and she sinks further into the chair.
"Stand up," he orders, eyes hard as he takes in the other six wolves. They spring out of their seats, bodies stiff under his dominating presence. He wears his titular, black uniform, the long-sleeve hugging his destructive muscles which ripple with every movement. Their eyes stay on the floor whilst Alia slowly moves to a stand, gaze curious.
"Get down on one knee." He moves towards the table and places a small pile of documents onto the shiny surface. "All of you."
They obey, and Alia has to painfully bite down on her lower lip to stop herself from thinking about what happened the last time she was on her knees.
"Place a fist on the opposite side of your chest, and keep your head lowered." He walks around the table, assessing the submissive position of each wolf. When he reaches Alia, he stops. "From this point onward, this is how you will greet all of the Generals." His fingers find the bottom of her chin, guiding her to look up at him. She does, the shyness in her gaze blatant. His eyes are glued to her reddened lips, her teeth almost making the flesh bleed.
Pressing his thumb on her chin and pulling down, Valen forces Alia to release the bruised lip from her teeth's grasp. Alia's breath wavers when he slowly glides the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip, gaze heating. For a moment, his jaw ticks, and then he pulls away to reach the head of the table.
"Get back to your seats."
Lifting the pile of documents, Valen takes the first one and hands it over to Alia. She sits down in her chair and places her forearms on the table whilst she reads. The other wolves quickly find their seats on the other sides of the table, silent as they await Valen's next words.
Valen drops the rest of the document pile next to the wolf closest to him on his left. The male looks up at him, confused.
"Do—uh, do you want me to hand these out?"
Valen's expression is blank whilst he stares down at the male, irritation flashing through his white gaze. He doesn't say a word, and the male grows more uncomfortable by the second.
"O-oh, okay, I'll—" He grabs the pile and quickly takes the top document, temples beading with sweat. He hands the pile to the female a seat away from him, and eventually, all of the other wolves have a piece of paper in front of them.
Whilst they read, Valen reaches into one of his combat trouser pockets and pulls out a plastic packet containing a dozen pens. He opens the packet and hands a pen over to Alia, who thanks him and resumes reading. He doesn't bother looking at the other wolves when he turns over the packet and lets the rest of the pens clatter onto the table.
Alia has to lift a fist to her mouth to hide her amused smile. Valen takes a seat beside her whilst the other wolves quickly take their pens, and briefly glances at the words written on the document in front of her.
Written over both sides, the document outlines all of the responsibilities a Warrior will hold. It goes into detail about what would happen if one should fail to uphold their duties, and how the punishments are chosen. One small incompetency will lead to the removal of one finger, and this will continue until there are no more fingers to remove. Larger failures of duty will result in the loss of hands or arms until they are deemed physically unfit for the rank.
Alia looks up at Valen and swallows, unease flickering in her green gaze. Quietly, she asks, "Would you—"
He shakes his head, eyes hard. 'Never.'
She continues reading, a breath of relief leaving her. The document moves on to outline the rules for interacting with Valen, specifying that he should never be touched, and if he is, to stay as still as physically possible.
Valen's voice enters her mind again, 'That doesn't apply to you either.'
The other side discusses the daily training rota and how the time changes by two hours every day. If they were to train at 2 a.m. one day, then they'd train at 4 a.m. the next. It then goes on to say that this will not necessarily apply to the upcoming 13th sector Warriors as a new system will need to be implemented in their case. There are only 24 hours in a day, and dividing that by twelve sectors is all good and well, but adding a thirteenth sector would throw the system off the rails completely.
Failure to attend training sessions will result in broken bones but no loss of fingers.
At the bottom of the page is a dotted line intended for signing, and only then does Alia realise that it's a contract. She removes the cap from her pen and signs with a pleased smile.
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He was always going to be the first to say it, and say it he did 🫠