loccent | run with wolves

Entry tags:

verse: run with wolves

run with wolves | open post.

Characters

Asil, The Moor
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.

Jang Eun
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.

Jesse Hauptman
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack

Joshua Brennan
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.

PREMISE

All the stories are true. Years ago, the Fae came out because technology was making it harder and harder for them to hide, and it's been a couple of years since the werewolves did the same. The world is changing day by day. Humans and the paranormal live side by side, but it's not easy nor is it simple. While the Marrok has taken great lengths and care to preserve the werewolves' PR front, everyone - wolf, fae, vampire and other - know that it's only a matter of time before the humans start thinking that perhaps the other stories meant to warn of the dark are true.

This is an open post set in the universe of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The books are amazing and you should definitely check them out. More information via this Wiki link. The rules are simple: Drop a prompt, leave a tag, and let's play!

THREAD TRACKING

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[ She is, he thinks mournfully, upset with him. And rightly so.

He lingers outside opposite Charles, as Leah and Juste take it upon themselves to herd all the wolves back indoors. Kara takes her place at his side, ears drooping and distress a faint perfume before he nips one ear and flicks his own to prompt her to go in.

His wolf urges him to pace and if he could, he would roll his eyes at the beast. They are both old and too often given to thinking themselves omniscient only to prove spectacularly that they are not. Nothing has made it clearer to him tonight than Eun's lingering upset and avoidance.

He doesn't change, even if the others have begun their own transformations. Instead, he pads over to scoop up her belt, moving gently and carefully as not to startle her.

For the moment, even with his human half ascendant, he does not care if talk will begin anew. He understands the joke now, as he did Bran's level look from atop higher elevation while he was running alongside Eun hoping to woo back her attention to play.

He settles down fully on the ground, the leather of her belt caught between his teeth as he sets his muzzle atop his paws. Her distress and annoyance is wafting towards him in waves, and he is perfectly aware that he deserves it.

"Someone's in the dog house."

There is a subvocal growl rising in his throat - but he stops himself. The whelps do not matter. The pack learning a vulnerability, for the moment, matters even less.

His love is upset at him. Perhaps once he is changed, he will ask Bran to borrow--

My office? Better there than anywhere else, in spite of the gossip mongers. You know where I keep the keys, Asil. ]

Edited 2020-04-23 06:46 (UTC)

[It's warm enough that Eun hadn't worn that many layers. Her underwear goes on first, the bra after that. Socks, followed by jeans, and shoes after that. As she reaches for her shirt she notices that Asil is there, with her belt in his mouth. She looks away, sharp movements getting her shirt back on, and the jacket after that.

By the time she turns back to ask--no, demand that he give her her belt back, she finds him laying on the floor, looking thoroughly contrite.

In front of the entire pack.

It is a show of remorse, one that others have noticed, that gives her pause. Eun has not seen him around others of the pack much, but she's gleaned enough to know that this is not something he has likely done often, perhaps ever. It is not something that he does lightly, especially to a wolf who is not as dominant as he is. She had fully intended to walk out of there, to situate herself among the rest of the pack or slip out to give herself time and space to get over things. She knew she had a hot temper, hotter since becoming a werewolf, and it would be better for them both, perhaps, if she gave herself time to cool down. But his gesture has cooled enough of the heat that she cannot find herself being churlish in the face of it.

She holds out her hand for her belt, looking at him directly, unwavering. She does not blink, she does not avert her eyes.]

I'll wait.

[Two words given, with no inflection. She'll wait for him to change back, implying that they will talk.

But not with an audience. Surely this is enough of a show for them for one night.]

[ He folds his legs under him, eyes fixed on hers as he gently moves close to drop her belt directly into her hand. His wolf wanted to nuzzle the soft flesh, but instead, he glances over his shoulder in search of Bran who claps his hands together with a sharp: "Out. All of you. Now. Leah has prepared food, I will not have it go cold because your curiosity outweighs your common sense."

You owe me for this. And then with a single nod, the Marrok offers his arm to his wife to lead the whole pack away and offer them privacy. Good luck, old man.

When the last of them have gone and Anna secures the lock from the inside, he pads back and calls the change to him.

It hurts. It always hurts. But he has centuries of practice in front of pack members and foes alike to hide just how much it does.

It takes him longer this time, his wolf warring with his control, whispering all the reasons that they should not have abased themselves in front of the younger ones. He is done with it. And as the last bit of magic settles to turn his face back into his own, he has satisfactorily - if metaphorically - smacked his darker half into submission.

His breaths are hot over the floor. His feet are cold. But he chooses to focus on willing the hammering of his heart to return to a beat that is more acceptable. ]

Te debo una explicación, querida. [ The words are hoarse, brought on by the change. He has not looked up at her yet. He has not felt this vulnerable in a long, long time. ] I owe you an apology, Eun.

[Eun had meant to lead him out, away from the pack. It feels like more of a to-do to have Bran drag everyone out of there, to make them all leave instead of she and Asil. Sighing, she avoids their looks and waits. She promised she would, and so she does. The sounds of the change are not unfamiliar to her, but it is hard not to be sympathetic to them having changed twice in one evening herself. As she waits, she slips her belt back into place, through the loops and buckled low on her hips.

It's when he speaks that she knows he is done, and when he offers her apologies at once, Eun shakes her head.]

Yes, you do, but not yet. You don't get to pull the rug out from under my anger with an apology before I've had my say, Asil, because I'm not just mad about what happened with your wolf in the woods.

[Last time she was angry with him, she sent him back a note that had made her displeasure clear, but he has not seen or heard her angry yet and god help her, she can only hold so much of it back.]

But we can start there. My first run with a new pack. My first opportunity to meet everyone, and to learn what most of them look like in their wolf forms. My first opportunity to run with a pack freely, without having to deal with half-brained assholes who think the key to "winning" me is to wear me down with their persistence. I wanted you with us tonight. I wanted to see your other form and run with you, Asil. Hunt with you. I wanted to feel what it was like to run with a better pack. And it was incredible, and everything it should have been in California. I would have handled you surprising us midway if you had just come upon us and joined us. If you had let me catch scent of you to know who you were. Instead you stalked us and stayed downwind so that I didn't even know you were there, or who you were. Juste and Tag went on alert, reacting to you like you were a threat waiting to happen, and nothing you did disabused me of that notion. I didn't know who you were and I didn't know that you weren't going to try to hurt them or me.

[Eun reaches up, scrubbing her face with both hands and running them over her head in agitation.]

Are you with me so far? Yes or no, Asil--and just yes or no, because I'm not done.

[ He is not used to being lectured. For that matter, he has never been lectured while his skin still stings from the change, nor so quickly after he'd all but bared his throat to her in front of the pack.

But he cannot miss her distress. Or the lingering scent of her fear - fear he had instigated.

So all he does is nod, stiffly, chin bowed and eyes fixed on her. ]

[Having vented some of her anger, the worst of it, she feels a little less agitated than she was. She's said her piece so far and he hasn't interrupted, hasn't stopped her, hasn't told her to stop in any way. Perhaps she should be remembering that Juste and Tag had reacted to Asil with fear, that he is a werewolf to be intimidated of and careful around, but she is beyond remembering such things.

Mollified by his nod, Eun remains quiet a moment, holding his gaze. There is no challenge there, nothing in her that is meant to push his wolf, but she is not a pushover and will not avert her gaze at a time like this. Not until she chooses to, which she does a few moments later. His things are not far from where hers were (a fact that will catch up to her when she is not so angry) and she picks up the bag and slowly walks it over to him so he can dress.

She considers bringing up what happened in the woods after the kill, that he did not speak a word to her when she brought her deer meet over to eat at his feet, that she not only rejected the implied offer that came with it from another wolf, but showed he had her favor. But it seems a petty gripe to offer in light of the other. So she discards it, deciding that one she will swallow and get past on her own.]

I was going to talk to you about my next point later. I wasn't angry then, but I was going to pull you aside to make my feelings known because it is important to me that you understand where I am coming from. I am aware of our drastic age difference and your concerns with it, and I am not going to rehash that ground unnecessarily because I think we still understand the points we made then. But my being younger, in my twenties, does not make me a child. Not even by comparison. I am an adult woman, and have been for several years now. [Her voice drops just a little as she meets his eyes again to make her point.] I am sure that you meant it affectionately when you included me with Kara and called us children, but since I am grown enough to be half-naked in your arms and moaning your name, I am grown enough to not be called a child in any form by you.

[It was smart for her to get the worst of it out first. She feels even, in control, and in possession of her inner strength again. Taking a stand will do that, apparently. There are other layers she could add to her last point if necessary, regarding the history of men in America infantilizing women, but already she is tired of her anger and in no mood to take them too far astray from her original points.]

That's it, I've said what I wanted to.

[ He takes the bag from her, his gaze never straying once - not even when she decided to break eye contact. His wolf is behaving. If for nothing else, than because Asil has never felt more in control of his beast than this moment. It does not occur to him yet, because the relief of not fighting within himself is a heady feeling.

So he takes the bag and lets his arm drop so that it settles on the floor by his foot.

Modesty, is something he's not had to concern himself with for centuries. It is a small thing, when his attention is so thoroughly occupied with Eun and her words and being enlightened that yes, perhaps using his endearment for the entire pack - not just Kara - had raised her hackles.

It is the words since I am grown enough to be half-naked in your arms and moaning your name, I am grown enough to not be called a child in any form by you that stands out for him - so forgive him if his face softens around the eyes.

Yes. Yes, she has every right to be angry with him.

When he reaches out, it's to skim his fingers along the inside of her wrist. ]

Careful, querida. That last part skirts perilously close to a lie.

[ He steps closer, bridging the space between them, nevermind his current state of undress. It is more important that she understands that he will not take half-truths or lies of omission from her. Not if he is to tell her exactly what he has been occupied with since she started avoiding him out in the woods. ]

Tell me first, what is bothering you still.

[She can tell when her words get through to him, knows that by not holding back perhaps the more convincing point, he gets it. Even knowing that he hadn't meant it that way, she had tried to gently guide him away from the endearments that had made her uncomfortable by telling him the one she preferred. Hearing it in English had somehow been more jarring for her. But he seems to understand now how important it is to her, even if he hasn't said anything just yet.

So, when he touches the inside of her wrist feather light, perhaps testing her response, she does not flinch away. She doesn't reach for his hand to grasp it, but she does not pull away from him. Not when he steps in closer. His state of undress has no bearing on this moment, does not make her suddenly shy, though it does feel like another thing she would have liked to have enjoyed in better circumstances for the first time. Alas. Some things are not meant to be.

Her gaze slips from his when he prompts her to be careful with her words, encourages her to tell him all that is on her mind. Eun thinks back to the other point she considered bringing up, the one that feels entirely unimportant compared to the other things, and exhales heavily.]

I'm still trying to work out whether or not it's something that should have bothered me or not.

Mi alma, [ he does not know if she understands the gravity of what he calls her now. But if she does not, he will make it clear soon enough. (The beast sleeps. It is not happy with him, but it obeys. And it has made it's stance on Eun clear: if she leaves us because you insist on the trivialities of romance, hermano, you will disappoint us both.) ] Was it because you thought I ignored you when Bran was tweaking my tail?

[ Perhaps, if things were clearer and more defined between them, then she would have known that at no point was he not aware of where she was and what she was doing. ]

Firstly, I know you are not a child. I do not view you as one except in the very distant sense that your youth means that I am perpetually alert in case you need protection. [ She did not take his hand, so he lifts it to brush aside an errant strand of hair and allows his fingers to linger at the tips. ] If my endearment for the entire pack - barring those who are most definitely older than I - caused offense, I will ensure not to use that on you any longer.

On my behavior in the woods [ he takes a breath and resists the urge to cup her cheek ] I have no excuse. For that, I am sorry.

[ The regret in his voice is plain. ]

I frightened you. That was not my intention. But as they say, actions are louder than words.

Edited 2020-04-23 09:16 (UTC)

[The endearment is new to her. He calls her his something, but it isn't a word they taught in classes. Or, if they did, it is not one she remembers. Also unexpected is that not only does he know what was bothering her, but he apparently had reason not to speak. Had Bran been communicating with Asil, unbeknownst to her?

She wants to respond to him, but he continues, and after he waited so patiently through her very angry words, she can do no less but stay silent for his. So she listens, even when she wants to burst in that she knows that he knows she is not a child, but that really her objection was more at being called one. Patience is a virtue, however, because Asil saying that he will not do that in the future is her reward. Her shoulders sag somewhat, load lightened just from that much.

Better still is his complete lack of maneuvering when it comes to what happened in the woods with his wolf form. She looks up then, moved not just by his admitting that he has no excuse, but from the sound of his voice, the tone. The stark and simple truth.]

I believe you. And I forgive you, for all of it. [And next time, she won't be taken by surprise and will knock him on his ass to make up for this time.] And yes, I felt ignored earlier, especially after I had made a point of rebuffing one of the other wolves and gone directly to you. I didn't want to say it because I wondered if I had built up unfounded expectations in the moment. Like before, after we first met.

[Back when she'd been mad at him for ignoring her then, when in truth he had no obligation to reach out to her at that point. She lifes a hand to touch his as it lingers at her hair. It steadies some part of her that is still quivering inside.]

What was Bran doing? What does alma mean?

Edited 2020-04-23 09:29 (UTC)

[ Relief floods him when her hand lifts to his. Perhaps he has not ruined things after all. He takes the opportunity to take her hand, to brush a kiss across the tops of her fingers and then continues to hold on as he turns his gaze back to hers.

First, an explanation. She deserves as much. ]

When you jumped in front of Juste to protect him from the elk, he remarked a little that perhaps Mason's plea for us to take you in was not negligence but prudence.

[ He pauses, considering his next words: ] You are dominant, mi amor. And if the old ones were not so set in their ways on not permitting dominance fights to include our women, well.

[ He sighs, leaving off the rest of what he may have said because it is largely speculation bolstered somewhat by truth. ]

I suspect that the circumstances in California had cornered Mason and Aaliyah into confronting an uncomfortable truth. You likely outranked the men who had hoped to win your affections. Their behavior had not won your respect - nor your wolf's. They could not sway you. It is likely they were choosing to ignore the truth their noses would have been trying to tell them.

[ He takes a steadying breath. ]

You are more woman than they could ever hope to handle.

[ Adam's Honey Jorgenson is like that. Beauty and grace - and more suited to the top tier of the Columbia Basin's wolves. It is not unusual anymore and that is something that has been called to Bran's attention. There is a werewolf in Arizona who was giving the local Alpha a run for his money. ]

And while yes, for the most part, a great number of our kind believe it is because the fairer sex is weaker - those who keep silent and speak instead in whispers do not challenge the ruling because not all dominance fights are civil. But I am... I am going off topic.

[ His voice grows soft and his heart feels too much like it is lodged in his throat. But these are things he believes Eun must hear. ]

Bran remarked that you, like Anna and like Mercy, are likely to rearrange all of us to suit yourself. Anna is Omega and brings peace. Mercy is a coyote shifter and falls outside of the pack structure.

But you are not the first female wolf to call challenge. There is a woman in Arizona who is capable of standing toe-to-toe with her Alpha. Honey of the Columbia Basin is the unspoken fourth. And while Hauptman's pack is no longer under Bran's protection - wolves talk. Adam believes in running his people like soldiers and if they are capable, gender does not matter to him.

[ He takes a moment to catch his breath, to fuss over small things, like a stray piece of straw caught on her jacket. ]

Times are changing. The young like yourself are not content to just sit idly by and take instruction as if it were truth. There are many of us who support that quietly and discreetly.

But allowing certain privileges means that those who feel threatened will use violence to prove a point. And there are still those of us who do not have the stomach to stand by and watch a brutal display of strength.

Bran will not tolerate such displays here. Not when Aspen Creek is a sanctuary for wolves who need healing, help, or a place to die peacefully. But hypothetically, were you and I elsewhere, and if you were to assert dominance, mi vida. If you were to be hurt... it would force Bran's hand to put me down.

I cannot have that. Not when you are here now. Not when Allah has seen fit to grant me such a gift.

[ He smiles and cups her cheek, a tender brush of fingers to flesh. ] As for your second question, it means 'my soul', Eun.

I know we agreed to take things at a much slower pace, but my heart is already yours to keep.

Edited 2020-04-23 15:11 (UTC)

[There's a lot for Eun to absorb as she lets him speak. With her hand kissed once more and held in his, she finds it easier to stand there to listen to him now that she has relieved the pressure she felt with her own words bottled behind a wolf's teeth.

No doubt Asil has a fair idea of how Eun feels about the Alpha of the Carmel Valley pack, and his handling of her situation. She thought him weak and regressive in light of the way he allowed the behavior of some members to continue. It had not occurred to her, for she did not have the knowledge, that he had been at a loss of how to handle a female werewolf more dominant to those who pursued her. Especially in a hierarchy that had traditionally considered her at the bottom of the pack, lest she was mated. If it is true that he went her to Bran for her sake, rather than to rid himself or a pesky problem, it is possible she will have to revise her opinion of him. Perhaps even thank him for sending her here, where already she knows she feels so much more at home.

Eun warms somewhat as Asil further says that she is more woman than they could hope to handle. Bites back a retort that she doesn't want someone to handle her because everything he has done or said proves that he knows that. It pleases her even more to know that Bran sees her for who she is, and that they placed her at all in the same category as Anna, and Mercy (of whom many stories are still told) strokes her ego. More than that, Asil speaking of it to her in a way that does not warn her away from such behavior on Bran's behalf gives her hope that perhaps if she is very smart about it, she may be able to do her part to open werewolf culture to fairer treatment of their female members. Kara is clearly loved and cherished here, but wouldn't it be something if, should she wish to go out on her own at some point, she might have more freedom to choose a place and pack that would treat her as well there as she is here?

She does not miss that he warns her that there are older wolves who, in the face of her challenge, would do their best to put her back in her place with extreme prejudice.

She also does not miss the implications of what Asil would do in that hypothetical situation, or that his reaction might cause Bran to grant him his request from years ago. There is no part of her that thinks that Asil is telling her to sit back and accept things as they are, for his sake, but that he feels them as entangled as she gives her cause to consider her actions cautiously should a situation arise in the future.

Because he too seems to see their present, that she has come to Aspen Creek, as a gift. Her other hand moves up to cup his, to squeeze gently as he touches her cheek, eyes widening as he at last translates his earlier endearment.]

Mi amor, mi vida, mi alma...

[My love, my life, my soul.

Since the first, she has felt a connection to him, and at times she has handled it poorly simply because no one has ever gotten not just under her skin but under her ribs and touched her heart. Again and again, she's instinctively rejected the offer or desire for more than casual benefits with others because she knew they weren't right for her. She always thought that when she did find the right person for her, or at least a right person for her, she would see the potential there and give them the time to get to know her properly.

She didn't expect to find them and know so quickly. Nothing that has happened here today has changed the fact that Asil feels more her match, more right for her, than anyone ever has. As if somehow they were both waiting for this opportunity to meet. He calls her his soul and she feels it reverberate in her chest. Even for their miscommunication, the assumptions and worries of complications, she has felt more solid and sure of him than she ever thought possible, especially on such short acquaintance. Would she have been upset to be scared by him earlier, if she had not cared so deeply for him, and thus felt so betrayed by his actions? And yet for all of that her faith in him seems unwavering. Her belief...]

I've never given my heart to someone before, but I believe that it has always been meant for you, Asil.

Edited 2020-04-23 20:37 (UTC)

[ Her eyes widen and he wills himself to still. It is no small thing, his confession, and he realizes that he wasn't sure that he remembered to breathe until she finally speaks again. ]

I suppose... that leaves us with a question of... what now?

[ For the wolf, acknowledging what is, tends to be simple. It is the human halves of werewolves that beg for time, space, and caution.

Stroking her cheek with his thumb, and tries for something light: ] I am ready to follow your lead. However long it takes.

Another day or five won't hurt. After all, Bran seems intent on putting off the reason I came here indefinitely.

[Eun cracks a smile as he voices what had been going through her head. Indeed, what now?

Her eyes close for a moment, content to have her cheek stroked, and perhaps grateful it also affords her a chance to breathe slowly and center herself. This is a rather big thing for her and she almost can't believe she said the words. Not that she at all wants to take them back, not that she doubts them, but it's almost like the rest of her is trying to catch up with her heart, which ran headlong ahead.]

I'm going to have to make Bran a pie or something as thanks for that. [The words are murmured dryly, and she gives the hand holding hers a squeeze.] What do you mean by another day or five though?

Or cookies. [ He says that, utterly deadpan. ] Or fudge brownies with orange extract.

[ And then remembering that she had gone off in search of Leah. ] Or perhaps not the brownies as those are Mercedes' specialty and it might make Leah break out in hives.

[ A quick kiss to her cheek at that, and then he's ducking for the bag and his clothes. He makes quick work of changing, if largely because he ought to get her inside and cut short any gossip already rounding the pack.

He slows however, because she asks and he should answer. ]

I... I had thought... do you still wish to take things slowly?

[Cookies she could do, but she'd want them to be special, representative of her gratitude even if Bran hadn't done this for her sake.

Eun lets him free his hands after his kiss to her cheek, and she allows herself the opportunity to watch him dress. He is beautiful, her Asil, and she is pleased enough right now to not even regret that he is putting clothes on instead of leaving them off.

Unfortunately, his response does not exactly clear up her growing confusion, because Asil seems to be assuming that some next step is happening in a short period of time, in light of their recent confessions, but Eun does not feel like she is in the loop at all.]

That's not it. Asil, it would help me a lot if I knew what you anticipate being the next steps for us, because I think I'm about to stumble on either a gap in my werewolf education or lack of relationship intuition here.

[ He is fastening his own belt when her comment makes him pause. Later, he will recount the entirety of this exchange and reassess his approach with Eun. If only because it is best that, with serious things, he needs to make an effort to ensure he is not misunderstood.

Fully dressed and reassured that yes, they will be alright, he slips his hands into hers. ]

It had slipped my mind that some items on your education might have been missed given that fending off idiots would have occupied you and your alpha.

The wolf is a practical creature. If we choose each other for a... more serious commitment, then it would acknowledge you as my mate and wait for your wolf to do the same.

[ In light of him sharing his speculations, speaking about this feels woefully archaic. ]

I realize that our experiences are... disparate. I have been mated before - on these things, I will be happy to answer any of your questions. I have also had my fair share of... I believe you would call them "flings".

But I wish to move at a pace that is comfortable for you. I have no intention of rushing you headlong into a commitment that does not allow room for separation later down the line.

And if that means that my wolf and I must be patient, that we must wait a day or five or even a year or ten - then we will do that.

[She does not like to admit to ignorance, but she likes it even less to make assumptions that later make her look stupid, and foolish for not just asking for clarity. Eun stands before him, holding his hands, and feels certain at least that he would be the last person to make her feel stupid for not knowing something. Especially when it isn't her fault that she lacks the information.

He does not disappoint her in the least, giving her all of the information she's asked for, and so much more. It is a relief that she hasn't somehow stumbled into acquiring a mate a month after meeting. Eun could see them getting there, if things continue if they have, but there is so much more that she feels ought to happen before then.

It is not lost on her, that he is committed to giving them whatever time they need, and more than that, that he is serious enough to even mention that if she needs ten years, then she will have it.]

Thank you for explaining. [She leans in slowly, cheek touching his cheek as she closes her eyes, nuzzling against him. Her voice grows quiet like roughened silk, low and pleased in tone.] I don't really have a timeline in mind so I think we might end up playing it by ear. But tell me, is it foolish that I want us to return back to the pack to enjoy the rest of the evening with them...and make it clear that I've staked my claim on you?

[Eun turns her head the short distance to kiss his cheek before pulling back enough to look him in the eyes.]

I don't want to make a production of it, but I also don't want to play things so close to the chest that we can't enjoy being together if others are around. Not only that, but they're your pack and should know that I care about you.

[ If he blinks and the wolf is in his gaze at the words stake my claim on you, it is only because the idea is something he likes, very much.

Tucking her hand under his arm (this is becoming a habit, clearly) he smiles. ] Be it far from me to deny you the pleasure.

I think I will have to warn you, that it is possible that people have started talking. Do not think too poorly of them. It is not unusual for the [ cue melodramatic sigh ] teeming masses to take interest in the drama of the old one's lives.

Also, I have not forgotten your questions from earlier this evening. But let us join the pack and eat and mingle.

[Eun snorts.]

Instead of us leaving everyone behind, Bran loudly cleared the barn and Anna locked us in so we wouldn't be disturbed. Half of them don't know me but all of them know you. Of course they are talking. Probably from the moment the door shut, but maybe some of them waited for Bran to get out of earshot.

[She shakes her head, very much aware that they will be the cause of gossip for a while. As they walk toward the exit and leave the barn behind, she glances over at him struck by the surreal but pleasant reality that she is with this man and thrilled about it.]

I think that there is one thing that you have forgotten, however.

It was an attempt for privacy, but you are altogether correct.

[ Despite - or in spite of - the fact that she'd fairly dressed him down earlier, he cannot help but marvel at how easy it is to fall back into step with her. ]

And what is that?

[She stops then, using her hand on his arm to pull him into doing the same. Facing him, she takes her time admiring the face in front of her, before reaching up to cup him just below the jawline.]

It has been several days since I've last seen you, and you have forgotten the kissing part of "kiss and make up."

[Since it is clearly on her to take the lead (hadn't he said he would follow it?) Eun leans in to press her lips to his. It has been altogether too long, and while there wasn't time to steal one before, there is time now. Time and the desire. He told her that his heart is hers, and she the same. Did he think she would let them return to the pack without this?

It is possible, maybe even probable, that someone is watching them. She doesn't care. Though there is no intention to escalate things there in the open air, Eun kisses him with the depth of emotion she's realized she has for him.]

Ah, of course.

[ He smiles into the kiss, lifting a hand to cup at her nape. It's not a chaste kiss, not a casual peck on the lips, but one that prompts him to bring their bodies close for comfort, if not for warmth. ]

I suspect the pups who wanted to express interest in you won't do so after this.

I trust that is perfectly fine with you?

[ A nip on her lower lip at that; playful and full of promise. ]

I have missed you.

[There. Now everything feels back to normal. Eun welcomes the closeness of Asil, and her lives curve up once more in a smile when he mentions the others will not be pursuing her after this. The nip to her lower lip is all the more welcome, and she makes a note to return the gesture later.]

I've missed you, too, and yes, it's more than fine with me. I think that unless they're just trying to be friendly, if it seems like they still haven't caught on, you're entitled to be a little territorial.

[She hadn't forgotten that he mentioned he wouldn't want to be prematurely territorial. That time has passed, as far as she's concerned, so long as he doesn't interfere with opportunities to get to know everyone as part of his pack.]

Come over for breakfast tomorrow?

[ He won't prevent her from making friends. A healthy wolf needs pack and family. And between the two of them, Eun deserves a space where she can bask in the best experiences that can be afforded to her. ]

Come home with me tonight? [ He counters, feeling more than a little bold. His other hand has settled at her hip, fingers squeezing gently in what he hopes is a reminder of her last visit to his home.

It is forward. But since they have made their intentions clear to each other, it is a question worth venturing. ] I feel the need to make up for my earlier misstep. The woods near my house are not the Lovers, but there is room enough for us to run and play.

[ He has guest rooms and he will not push for intimacy so soon after he promised that he would willingly wait. ] But only if the idea is acceptable to you.

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