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As a group we traveled down six flights, there were 23 in total, six of which were for parking. But this floor had been completely gutted and turned into a ginormous dining hall for wolves to use whenever. Tristan informed me, a smile on his lips, that the Dining Hall also served as a great punishment for the rowdy teenage wolves. Teens hate cleaning dishes, and nobody likes cleaning up after werewolves. 

We walked in as a stoic group, Lupin leading, while I stood at his side. Lupin’s friends had paired off and were, not so discreetly, betting on who was going to win. Lupin steadily ignored them. But as his family bickered and joked, down floor after floor, I could see the silent smile in his eyes. About as well as I could feel his love and joy reverberating through my own heart. 

But as we entered the large modified room, their smiling faces straightened. Lupin and his comrades squared their shoulders and raised their heads. The wolves moved as one, each like cogs in the machine, they shifted, almost un-noticeably, to form some sort of predetermined positioning. Arrow broke off from the now robot wolves and stood behind me.

The room was concrete from floor to ceiling. Lights dangled from the ceiling in harshly bright whites. The tables stretched, long and rectangular, like highschool lunch rooms.

We made our way down the middle of the crowd. Barely half the room was filled and still there were over a hundred people in attendance.  As we walked some turned to look at us, but the noise of eating wolves did not diminish. 

We stopped dead in the center of the crowd, a sea of tables on every side. I could see Markus, my Brand glowing around him, clinging to his arua like a parasite. He sat about four tables away from me. We stopped and everyone turned to look at us, another machine, more cogs. A beat passed and the entire room was dead silent. Waiting, all of them waiting, for what their Alpha would say. And I turned to him, as they did, feeling not what he felt, but what they felt. 

Their respect and adoration, their love and their fear of him. He was their greatest power, their largest weapon, their protector and defender, as much as he was a threat. He was a werewolf and yet he was different, Other. He was their Alpha. He was their… everything. 

Lupin paused for a moment, letting them wait, letting them feel his power. And in that moment, that split second, I felt it too. It consumed me, like some void, endless and dark. And it crawled and sprawled like the forest, the overwhelming enchanted expanse of trees and dirt and grass and rocks. It washed over me, comforting and cold. He glanced over at me, in the wake of his power, his forest-born eyes blazing silver, and I couldn’t help but smile. Lupin turned quickly away from me, gazing with his power-struck eyes, at his wolves. 

“I am certain you are all aware of the recent discovery of my mate.” I forced myself to look away from his beautiful magic-coated presence. I couldn’t say whether my delight was brought about by the Bond or my own desire, but his magic was out, splayed before him, and it took an effort to breathe. My skin jumping as his magic went twisting about my shoulders and winding up my neck, it was the most delicious sensation to ever brush my skin. Arrow was close enough to feel the magic, he pulled me back when I leaned into it.  The tendrils of magic gently let me go, falling away like a soft kiss. I thought my thanks to Arrow’s shadows, and looked back up at Lupin. He was unchanged, had felt none of the magic’s charm, and continued on. 

“It was a surprise, to all of us I’m sure, that she was not born a werewolf.” I took a breath and stepped back to his side, making an effort to block out his addictive magic. The Alpha leveled his gaze at his wolves and I joined his vigil as he talked. “However, that does not change her standing as my mate.” I smiled a little at the sneering audience. “I am aware of the rumor’s that have spread, so I am here to set the record straight. My mate, Fable Walker, is a banshee.” The sneering turned to growls and my smile grew. “She has yet to accept our Bond but has asked that she be treated the same as any Alpha’s mate. If you have a grievance with her as the potential Female Alpha you are permitted to challenge her.” The growls died, the predators becoming intrigued. “She has, however, requested a change to the rules and I have agreed.” The growls started up again, but Lupin spook over them. “Any challenger is allowed to kill her.” The room went dead quiet at the words, confused and bloodthirsty. Lupin smiled small, at his people. “That is, if they get the chance.” 

A moment of absolute stillness passed. No one moved, no one spoke. And then Markus Grey stood up, four tables away from me, a smile on his face. 

“I will challenge her.” He declared for all to hear. I smiled and faltered, turning to Lupin, his magic reigned back in. Oddly enough my heart pinged in disappointment, I ignored it.

“I probably should have asked this before, but I can kill him now, right?” Lupin flashed me an amused smile. 

“You have to accept and then you can kill him.” 

“Wonderful.” I said, raising my voice and turning back to Markus. “I accept.” And as my words echoed through the room Markus leaped, clearing all four tables and lunging right at me. The wolves, and my brother, who had just been surrounding me a second ago, disappeared, giving us room. I heard them leave but didn’t turn to look, keeping my eyes on my target. A part of my soul tore and stretched as Lupin disappeared behind me, but I blocked it out. 

Markus’s leap was too big and too easy to track, I side stepped out of the way easily. I tsked, shaking my head and the man landed limberly on his feet and turned to me, feral. His body was encompassed in my Brand, radiating with my magic, it was an effort not to kill him out right. But I needed to put on a show, entertain these wolves. 

“Markus,” I chastised. “It’s bad manners to attack a lady before she's drawn her sword.” He snarled, face twisting, and bent at the knees, readying himself to pounce at me again. In a breath my sword was in my hand. He jumped and I turned into it and away, slashing my blade against his ribcage. He fell from the jump, a little less gracefully, and turned to me, his shirt falling in two pieces and soaking with blood. He roared at me, loud and ferocious, apparently upset. I pursed my lips, faking concern. 

“Did I hurt you?” He snarled and charged at me. I did the only thing you could do when a pissed off werewolf charges you, and ran like hell in the opposite direction. When he slowed, running out of momentum, I turned, twisting my sword out and kissing the tip against his bicep. The rapier pierced his flesh and he snarled in pain, turning to me and swiping at my face with talon-like claws. I dodged, barely, and switched my sword to the other hand, slicing the blade across his outstretched forearm. I retreated, out of his reach, and he roared, louder than before. His back popped and curled, his shoulders shrugged and his spine split open, his skin flipping inside out, and what was on the other side was a wolf. Dark tan and large, oh so very large, larger than any average wolf.   

The giant monstrous wolf charged at me, claws out and teeth bared snapping for my throat. I watched him quickly shorten the distance between us and decided on a risky move that would look impressive. Crossing my fingers and toes, I ran right for him, sword raised high over my head. Moments away from me the tan wolf leaped, teeth open wide to clamp down on my head. I dropped down and slid under him, driving my sword up into his stomach and across his hind leg. The enormous wolf collapsed right on top of me, all his weight trapping me under him. Bleeding out and fatality wounded, yet still the wolf dug his claws into my side and raked down my ribs, trying to dig out my heart. I bit my lips, refusing to scream, readjusted my sword angel and thrust. Over and over, readjusting just a little until I found his heart, he yelped and then he died. 

The wolf’s blood pooled out warm and sticky, I could feel it in my hair and soaking into my back. Slowly the wolf shifted back to human, his fur flipping over like a cascade of scales. Thankfully Markus was fully dressed, still draped across me, his eyes staring into nothing, dead and glass-like. I let go of my sword, leaving it stuck between our bodies, reached up and closed his eyes. I pushed his body off of me, he toppled onto his side, his limbs hitting the tiled floor with hollow thunks. I sat up and my side screamed, looking down at the white shirt that Rayen had given me, it was completely destroyed. Torn to ribbons by desperate wolf claws and soaked clean through with blood. I frowned and then looked up. 

Every wolf stared, either at me or the dead corpse of Markus Grey. I followed their gaze and watched as the Brand released his arua, like a fire going out, a single harsh breath and it was gone. I stood up, with some difficulty, using my sword as a crutch. I looked at the sea of werewolves still starring, in equal awe and fear of me. Unsure what else to do I gave them a small wave. 

“It’s been lovely meeting you all.” I smiled at them and slowly, ever so slowly clapping rippled through the room. Until the wolves were hooting and howling and singing my praises. I just stood there and stared at them, the adrenaline rush was ebbing and the pain of my side was throbbing. I felt Lupin’s warmth behind me and almost cried. The lack of his presence in battle had been startling. My instincts screaming that he was in trouble, that I had to fight or he would die. Feeling him now, unhurt and warm, I released a heavy breath I didn’t know I had been holding. I turn to him, our bodies inches away, instinct itching to grab each other and never let go.

“Where were you?” I asked softly. His face was that expressionless mask again, he was hurting and didn’t want anyone to know. 

“I had to stay away or I would have interfered.” He reached out for me and I moved back. His hand froze in the air, centimeters away from touching me. 

“I’m covered in blood.” I explained, he scoffed a bitter sound. He didn’t seem to care much, as he pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. I held him back feeling tired and sticky. 

I could feel his fear and dread, now that it was over, he let me feel it. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to watch me go through that, to let me do it. If it had been him… I didn’t think I would have let him. I sighed. No, I would have let him, but I wouldn’t have wanted to. 

“I feel like I just keep hurting you.” I whispered into his chest. “It’s not intentional.” He nodded and pulled back. 

“I know that, and this was necessary. But it still terrifies me, and that's not your fault.” I nodded, and had the sudden urge to kiss him. I had been giving into too many urges as of late, not that Lupin was much help. I looked up at the tall beautiful wolf but he was distracted. I quickly looked away, that meant that the urge was my own and not the comfort of the Bond. If it had been the magic, Lupin would have felt it too. What the heck is wrong with me? 

I shook my head and looked back up at Lupin. He watched, eyebrows narrowed and a frown on his face. I followed his dirsurbed gaze and found my brother. Arrow sat, crouched over Markus’s body, poking around in his shredded torso. 

“What the hell are you doing, weirdo?” Arrow looked up at me and frowned, the epitome of a kicked puppy. 

“You went easy on him.” Arrow replied mournfully and stuck his finger, once again, in Markus Grey’s gut-slushie. I rolled my eyes. 

“Stop acting like a buffoon and leave the poor dead man alone.” Arrow sighed, brokenhearted, and stepped away from the corpse. He stretched out his shoulders, staring down at my latest victim. He screwed up his lips and then glanced at me.

“We should head home soon, Fable. It’s getting late.” I looked around us, the werewolf spectators were shuffling out of the giant dining room, probably heading home themselves. Lupin’s friends had reappeared around us at some point. I felt Lupin tense at Arrows words. I leveled Arrow with a look and he smiled impishly. 

“Don’t be an asshole.” He flourished with his hands. 

“What else would I be?” I rolled my eyes and noticed Lupin’s inquiring face. I nodded to him, I wasn’t going anywhere. Lupin turned to one of the wolves helping to clean up the mess of Markus.

“Will you please direct Arrow to a room he can stay in?” She nodded and started off, leaving my brother behind. Arrow blew me a kiss and winked. I smiled as he left. 

“I love you too.” I called after him, he raised his hand, without turning around, and flipped me off. I sniggered and turned to Lupin. 

“Do I get a room?” He nodded. 

“Of course.” We wished goodnight to all of the his wolf friends, some chipper and some somber, telling obviously who had won their bets. I had laughed at Rayens disdain towards my wound, not for concern but because she had bet I would come out unscathed. I promised her a new shirt as compensation, at which she rolled her eyes, and then Lupin led me to my room.