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I suck with the updates, I'm sorry. I've been so crazy busy! But my schedule is clearing up, slowly but surely. Enjoy this chapter!!
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[Unedited]
"What is your family like?" Lily asked softly. It was a little past 11, and Lily and Alaricus were both in bed. The lamp sitting atop the nightstand beside Alaricus was turned on, and Lily was laying on her side with her hands tucked beneath her chin. She was facing Alaricus who was sitting upright, his back leaning against the headboard and an old laptop on his lap. His expression was very focused as he scrolled through pages and occasionally typed things. He was wearing only boxers and, though Lily still blushed when she looked at him for too long, she was used to him sleeping this way.
It was three weeks into the war against the Rebellion and Alaricus had been notably tense. He was gone more than usual, even during some nights, and she'd met a few of his select soldiers as they'd traveled through the house. She spent much of her time with Ronnie, even though Ronnie was a soldier. She couldn't even express in words how thankful she was for Ronnie's company and battle stories during her times of loneliness. Though Ronnie acted like she visited only as a result of the Alpha's orders, Lily liked to think that maybe she came around a little more than she actually had to, if only just for Lily's cooking.
Alaricus didn't look up after hearing Lily's question, just grunted, "I had two parents and one half-sister." Lily was somewhat surprised by his answer. She couldn't imagine Alaricus having a sister. And why, she wondered, had he spoken in past tense? Could it be that they were dead? Whatever information he would offer, Lily wanted to know more about him.
"I didn't know you had a sister," Lily said. "Will you tell me about her?"
"This is not something I wish to talk about right now, Lily. Can't you see I'm busy?" He sounded agitated and still didn't look up. Lily frowned and turned away from him, curling into herself and closing her eyes, hoping she'd be able to get to sleep quickly.
Just as her thoughts had started to feel fuzzy and dreamlike, she heard the sound of something being set down and a lamp string being pulled. Even from behind closed eyelids, she watched the darkness fall. She was too close to sleep to wonder why she didn't feel her body being pulled into Alaricus's embrace the way it usually was when they slept.
"Her name was Annobel," Alaricus's deep voice suddenly penetrated through both the darkness and her sleepy mind. Lily felt awake immediately, but didn't say anything. "She lived with me for fifty-seven years and died nearly a century ago." Lily slowly turned to face him and was barely able to make out his solemn features in the darkness.
"What was she like?" Lily asked in a whisper-like voice.
"Infuriating," Alaricus answered without hesitation. "She thought of no one but herself, and that put everyone around her in danger. There were many occasions where I came close to sending her away."
"But you never did," Lily deduced after a few moments of silence.
"No. I took care of her only because she was family. She was my sister and I was all she had." Lily couldn't help but reflect on how similar her situation was—he saw to all of her needs only because he felt a responsibility to do so as her mate.
"You didn't care for her?"
"No," Alaricus said dryly. "I was, however, intrigued by the fact that my mother had carried another child. It took me years to figure out why she'd done it."
"What do you mean?"
"My mother didn't want children. She disposed of all evidence of her pregnancies. She bore me only because I was the son of Mathieu, and she bore Annobel because she believed herself to be in love." There was a tinge of bitterness in Alaricus's emotionless tone.
Lily's eyes watered inevitably at the confusing and disturbing information. His mother hadn't wanted him and she had murdered her own children. She could only imagine how horribly he was treated, but didn't want to worsen things by asking about it. All she could say in a shaky voice was, "Mathieu? As in the first Alpha King?"
"Yes. My mother was an attractive woman. She served as Mathieu's concubine for almost a decade. When she was mistakenly impregnated, she realized she could use me as a bargaining chip when I was of age to be a suitable heir."
"And what happened?"
"When I turned 16, my mother brought me to him and was able to convince him of her truthfulness. I looked like him and he was able to sense the commonalities of our genes. She was paid generously. A few months later, he died in battle and my mother sponsored my acquisition of the throne. After my position was secured, she disappeared for 9 years, her fatal mistake. When she returned, I was a grown man, easily fallen from any semblance of her control. She and her new husband were executed only a few days later."
"Alaricus..." Lily whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Annobel was conceived during those 9 years," Alaricus continued after a moment, in a controlled voice. "I, of course, knew nothing of the incident but my mother spoke of me to Annobel. It wasn't until hundreds of years later that Annobel showed up on my doorstep. My mother had fallen in love with a nobleman who knew nothing of her past, and they conceived one child together. The nobleman had a son, Annobel's half-brother, whom she rarely ever spoke of. Annobel grew up in a deceptively loving home as a child and did not question when both of her parents died accidental deaths."
"So she never knew," Lily spoke thoughtfully.
"No."
"What happened? To Annobel, I mean."
"She ran away in an angry fit and never came back. Her body was recovered near the home of an abandoned vampire coven."
"I'm so sorry, Alaricus," Lily said, instinctively reaching for his hand in the darkness. When she found it, she wrapped her small hand around his and he tensed.
"I do not want your pity or your sadness, little mate," he spoke softly, looking up at the ceiling. He did not object to her hand being wrapped around his.
"Then what do you want?" She whispered. After a moment of silence, he turned to face her. His eyes glowed with the faintest tint of red and then suddenly, she was being pulled on top of him. He swallowed her small gasp with his lips as he moved them hungrily over hers.
(Warning: This part is heavy in graphic sexual content. If you don't like this, please skip to the bottom section. Because this story had been rated mature, this will be my last in text warning about sexual content, violence, etc. From now on, read at your own risk!)
His large hands ran up and down the length of her back atop her soft t-shirt. He groaned as his hands cupped her firm bottom. One hand still there, he reached his other under her shirt and caressed the soft skin there. She felt so good in his hands, he thought as he continued to taste her with his tongue. She kissed back gently, submissively, as she let him lead her through the kiss. Her hands, which had been laying awkwardly at her sides, found his soft hair and she found she liked the feeling of it as she caressed him with her fingers.
Amidst Alaricus's gentle touches and hungry kisses, she began to feel different—good—and she instinctively tightened her legs around his hips and moved one of her hands from his soft hair to his strong, broad back. She felt his hardness pressed against her and just as she began to curiously move her hips against his, he groaned and flipped them over. Now on top, he devoured her pink mouth as he ground furiously against her, his hands in her hair and his eyes glowing red.
Lily whimpered at the roughness but continued to tentatively move her mouth against his. He moved back from her lips after a moment and then whispered, "Lily." He peered down at her for a few long seconds, his heavy gaze keeping her completely entranced. His eyes flickered to her lips and then back to her bright, trusting eyes. "Like a little flower," was all he said, in a low hushed voice.
He began planting kisses all over her face, making her smile. He rubbed his nose affectionately against hers making her giggle and then began to kiss down her neck. His hands reached for her breasts and when he had cupped a breast in each palm, Lily began to feel slightly nervous. As if sensing this, Alaricus massaged the mounds slowly and sensuously, his thumbs caressing the nipples through her shirt. Lily sighed and leaned her head back, her hands moving to his shoulders. She rubbed his shoulders deeply, hoping to make him feel good the way she was feeling. He let out a small growl and she knew that it had worked.
Suddenly, his hands left her breasts and her shirt was being pulled upwards. He lifted her slightly and before she could say anything, he was pulling the shirt from her body, his hands swift yet controlled. When the shirt was fully off, he looked down at her naked breasts with intense, red eyes. The more he touched, the more restless and wild his wolf became. He kissed her lips again and with the same tenacity, he moved her shorts and panties down her legs before throwing them across the room. As his gaze traveled up her smooth legs all the way to her succulent breasts, his eyes began to glow a deeper, darker shade of red. She'd never seen him look so primal before.
The unfamiliar nudity, along with his heavy gaze, frightened her and she moved to cover herself with her hands. But he only let out a low growl and easily moved her hands away, intertwining both their hands and holding them above her head. His gaze moved hungrily up and down her body and Lily whimpered when his grip tightened on her hands. Still in a trance, she could not speak. She merely swallowed nervously and watched him with frightened eyes. When he finally met her gaze, he was feral and he released her hands only so he could cup her face.
Despite the size and roughness of his fingers, he held her face gently as he spoke, in contrast to his words. "You are mine, Lily," his raw voice was nearly a growl. "If anything ever were to happen where you were separated from me," he continued, moving closer to her ear and letting out another small growl, "I would never stop looking for you." He nipped her earlobe and she flinched slightly. "But that isn't going to happen," he promised. "And I will never let you go."
"Alaricus?" She asked tentatively. Her fingers were playing with his hair as he planted small kisses around her neck.
"Hmm?" His low voice sounded like a mixture between a moan and a purr.
"I-I'm tired. Could I please put my clothes back on?" She was scared now, and she didn't know what he was planning on doing with her.
Alaricus raised his head from her neck and looked down at her. "You want your clothes back, little mate?" He asked heatedly. Her cheeks flushed and she nodded.
"You will do something for me first," he demanded, his red eyes flashing down at her as he lifted her from the bed. He set her down beside the bed as he sat at the edge of it, telling her to kneel in front of him. Confusedly, she kneeled in front of him and blushed when his toned chest came into full view. He was a handsome man, Lily thought. Mates were always attracted to each other but she didn't think it was merely the premature mate bond that made this man so attractive.
From where she knelt, she looked up at Alaricus for further instruction. He brushed her hair away from her face and cupped her cheek. "You're going to take me in that pretty mouth of yours," he spoke lowly.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, confused. Using one hand, he slid his boxers down and pulled out his erect member. Apart from her biology textbooks, Lily had never seen a penis before. But erect and wide against his hand the way that it was, it looked huge. Lily blushed wildly and looked down at the floor.
"Are you ready, little mate?" He asked steadily, but she could sense his near loss of control. He looked absolutely wolffish and every bit the alpha that he was. But she didn't understand what he was asking of her. Did he want her to put it into her mouth?
"Ready for what? I don't un-"
"Shh," he interrupted, calming her and guiding her face toward his groin. He eased his member inside her mouth and she hesitantly opened her lips, accepting him. "Good girl," he cooed, brushing her hair away from her face once again and holding it behind her head in a makeshift ponytail. Her hands felt to his massive thighs that were resting on top of the mattress.
"Like this," he ordered, sounding slightly crazed as he moved her head back and forth. "Use your tongue." With the help of his hands moving her head, she obliged. She used her soft tongue to lick at the hard skin as her head moved. Nonetheless, he controlled her movements. There were times as she sucked on him when she felt like she would choke. But just in time, he would allow her some leeway and she would move her head back. She realized how big he really was—she couldn't fit the whole thing in her mouth. Regardless, she found herself liking the reaction she was spurring on. His face showed more expression than she'd ever seen before and it made him look more human. He looked happy.
He didn't let her mouth leave his member until she felt a liquid enter her mouth. Instinctively, she attempted to pull back but he kept her head still and she had no choice but to swallow it. Only after she'd hesitantly swallowed every last drop, did he release her hair and grip her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"Tell me you belong to me," he rasped.
"I-I belong to you," Lily said shakily. The smallest of smiles grazing his lips, he reached for her so that he could pull her back up onto the bed. Exhausted, she allowed him to place her beside him so that he could wrap her up in his embrace. Forgetting about her lost clothes, she fell asleep in his arms, warm and undeniably naked.
~*~
It was morning and Lily was making herself pancakes over a hot skillet, listening to the heavy rainfall. In fact, the rain was so heavy that Lily could barely hear the pan sizzling in front of her. Suddenly, she heard the front door open loudly and then heavy footsteps. Lily gasped when a soaking wet Ronnie came into view carrying an equally as drenched, unconscious man over her shoulder. The man was wrapped in what looked like a thin blanket, and Lily could only assume that he had recently shifted.
"Lily!" Ronnie was frantic as she knocked over glasses and books in her path toward the couch. She laid the man down and it was only then that Lily noticed a large spot of blood on Ronnie's shirt. "He's hurt! Can you help?" Ronnie barked, not really seeking an answer. Lily remembered telling Ronnie about her medical training. Lily nodded dumbly and approached the scene after absently turning off the heat of the stove. She could feel the tension in the air and somehow, she could feel the urgency of the situation.
"We need supplies," Lily said. Ronnie nodded and left the room, presumably in search of first aid materials. Lily quickly began to assess his wounds. He had a gun shot in his side and deep, strange looking scratches up his left leg, likely requiring stitches. Though werewolves healed quicker than humans, that largely depended on age. The older a wolf got, the quicker the body was at fighting off disease and healing itself. If this man was young and his wound was caused by a silver bullet, both of which Lily assumed to be true, his condition could be critical.
By the time Lily had thoroughly looked over everything, Ronnie was back, a first aid kit in hand. "We're going to need to stitch up his left leg," Lily said, reaching for antiseptic wipes. "It looks like some sort of strange weapon was used. As for the gun shot wound, it will be important that we keep it sterilized after we remove the bullet."
No questions were asked as Lily began to work on the man alongside Ronnie. The girls' nimble fingers worked quickly at stitching and even though they lacked sophisticated supplies, they were able to close the wound adequately. Just as Lily was sterilizing the gun shot wound after the bullet had been removed, the front door opened again causing both Lily and Ronnie to look up.
Elijah was standing in the doorway, a body lying on each shoulder. Lily could just make out the outline of another man behind him. Elijah glanced at Lily and then Ronnie, his expression grave. "We need help."