To Love a Were

NB:

I had a lot of fun reading the comments from the previous chapter and I must stress that this is not a redemption piece. Chapter 9 is deliberately chaotic to set the stage for the next two chapters. The reason for this diversion was so that I won't rush the ending by wrapping it up with yet another wedding.

And so...on behalf of Keiran and Fiona, I give my love and thanks to the readers who have stayed with them throughout the series. =)

Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

-ArtForm-

***

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Amber, lifting Eian's wrist carefully to test for his pulse.

"He's a strong wolf... he'll survive," replied Aramis with as much confidence as he could muster. "He's just unconscious. He shouldn't have resisted her."

"He's an Alpha... He doesn't walk away from problems. It's his nature to solve problems for others. And... I think it is perhaps our turn to help him with his," she replied, waving a small glass of ammonium carbonate under Eian's nose. She was hoping the smelling salts would revive him soon.

"He's too stubborn to accept anyone's help."

Amber and Aramis turned their heads towards the source of the voice.

"You!" The speed at which Aramis moved shocked Amber. She watched him grab his son by the shirt and raised him up high. "This is all your fault! I'm going to kill you!"

Amber bit her lips. She didn't really want to witness a violent family murder right now. Her eyes darted fearfully towards Draven; pleading for him to intervene.

"Father... don't waste your time on him," said Draven with a resigned sigh. Did the wolf really have to look at him with such pleading eyes? He moved his gaze from Aramis to his brother, "Why don't you go inside the room and talk to her? If she kills you then that'll save us a lot of trouble. But right now, I don't want you inside this room."

Alaron's gaze did not leave his brother's as he felt himself seethe with anger. "Why does everyone blame me for this? If anyone is to be blamed, it's him!" he scowled, pointing to Eian. "He should have asked if it was safe for her to be around so many humans. He should have made the necessary precautions and most importantly, he shouldn't have left her alone!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Alaron felt a momentary pain at his side. Glancing down, he saw that part of his abdomen was in between the jaw of a wolf.

"Never... talk about my Alpha like that," said Draven, reading out Amber's thoughts for the benefit of the rest. The wolf was growling and looked like it was about to bite off a chunk of meat from Alaron but then it stopped. Looking at Draven, it blinked a few times before letting go of Alaron.

You can read my thoughts? That's just... impossible!

"Yes, I'm surprised too. It usually works on Vampires and humans only. But this is an emergency," said Draven, waving off Amber's questions. "Now this brat needs to be tended to."

"I'll take him," sighed Aramis, carrying his son in his arms into the next room. Looking down, he whispered sadly,"Alaron, what am I going to do with you? What would your mother say if she saw how you were behaving?"

***

After they left, Draven and Amber remained quiet; both looking at Eian with concern and anticipation. Awhile later, Eian began to stir slightly before giving a moan of pain.

You shouldn't be here... I want to shift back and indecency is not a Vampire's cup of tea.

"I'll be fine," replied Draven, ignoring her. He moved closer to Eian and gently eased the man's head onto his lap. "Are you experiencing any pain anywhere?"

"No..." he croaked as a reply. "Just tired... my head... it hurts..."

Draven frowned before turning to the wolf beside him, "I don't want to move him too much, in case there's any fracture. I need you to a glass of water and some aspirin. He's starting to burn up."

Draven watched the wolf head towards the kitchen before turning to look at Eian.

"Is... she alright?" asked Eian. Draven frowned. Is this guy for real? The first thing he asks after gaining consciousness is if Fiona's alright. He should be more concerned for himself right now!

"I think she will be fine... but you should be worried about yourself now..."

Eian simply smiled and forced himself to sit up slowly. "Werewolves aren't individualistic as Vampires are, Culzean..."

Draven's eyes flicked up to look at Eian before quickly looking down humbly, "Please forgive me, Your Excellency... I didn't mean to speak out of line. I am not my brother..."

"Ah yes... the young Culzean. He's quite a handful isn't he?" said Eian with a gentle smile. "In a way, he reminds me of the newly turned werewolves and the rogues; their complete disregard for authority or rules. Relative to us, he is still a child."

"Alpha, you really shouldn't be too kind. Child or not, he needs to grow up," said Amber, walking towards the two of them; glass of water in hand. "Oh and Mister, you should cover your eyes."

Draven didn't have enough time to close his eyes for Amber was already crouching down to give Eian his water and medicine. Amber watched with amusement as Draven hastily unbuttoned his shirt in an attempt to hand it to her.

"Don't bother with that," she replied and shifted back into her wolf form. Eian watched them with interest; his lips curved slightly into a smile. He then turned slowly towards the dark haired Vampire.

"Anyway, Draven, seeing that you've kindly tended to me, I think you should call me Eian now. No need for such formalities... especially since we will be family soon," said Eian as he finished the last drops of his water. "And since you're already sniping at each other, let me formally introduce you two," he said. Both Draven and Amber pretended to give him innocent looks.

"This is my pack doctor, Amber MacFarlane." Turning to Amber, he gestured towards Draven, "And this is Lord Draven Culzean; heir to the title."

Amber, gently bent her head in acknowledgement and was a little upset to see that the Vampire had not done the same. Was he unwilling to make peace with her because she was a Werewolf or because she was a female?

She gave an annoyed growl before turning to her Alpha.

This old bat irritates me. I think I better go check on her... She might be more obliging if it's a woman.

"Possible," said Eian, nodding towards Amber to give her permission, all the while trying to conceal his amusement.

"You will find some clothes in the cupboard if you want," said Draven a moment later, much to Eian's surprise.

He can hear you?

Yes Alpha, he can hear me.

***

Fiona was sitting cross-legged on the bed, twirling her brown hair between her fingers. When the door creaked open, she didn't bother to look. Whoever it was, she was planning to force them out anyway... in a second or two.

However, when nobody said anything, she frowned and turned to look at the intruder. To her surprise, a wolf was standing at the door, perfectly still and looking in her direction.

"You smell familiar but I don't think I remember you..." she said in a tart voice.

Of course you don't... the last time you were around me, I was a bitch in heat. We smell different when we're in heat.

Fiona simply stared at the wolf. Why the hell was it just looking at her and not saying anything?

"Who are you? Did Eian send you? Please go away."

It's me... Amber... you mean you can't hear me? But... I thought you could... Draven, he could hear my thoughts!

"I said go away!" said Fiona in a much louder voice. To her surprise, the wolf remained where it was, as though oblivious to her power. Fiona frowned curiously before letting out a resigned sigh. "Do whatever you want."

The wolf cocked its head to one side and moved towards a cupboard. Using its snout, it pushed open the doors and gave a soft growl before it shifted.

A second later, Amber was browsing the selection of clothes inside the cupboard with her naked butt facing Fiona.

Fiona's frowned immediately disappeared when she recognized the blonde woman.

"Amber?"

Amber gave a muffled "Uhuh" as she slipped a black shirt over herself. "Urgh... this reeks of Vampire..." she jerked as though stopping herself, "Oh... I'm sorry Darling... I mean, this smells of that male Vampire outside. I wonder if he ever does his laundry!"

Fiona laughed and clapped her hand. Somehow, she found it equally amusing to wonder about her uncle's laundry issues.

"You smell different," said Fiona once she stopped laughing.

Amber smiled and sat at the edge of the bed. "The last time we met, I was in heat... it's kinda like having your period you know? It comes every three weeks or so, in a cycle."

"You smell different when you're in heat?"

"Yes of course... females get repulsed at the scent but not the males. It's supposed to attract them in the first place for mating."

"They have such one tracked mind," said Fiona; her fists clenched. Amber shifted closer but made no move to touch Fiona yet.

"Some... but not all. Our Alpha doesn't."

Fiona looked up at Amber and felt the tears pooling in her eyes. It meant a lot to her that Amber called Eian 'our' Alpha... like she was part of the pack too.

Upon seeing the tears, Amber dared herself to take Fiona's hand and was instead shocked when Fiona launched herself at her, hugging her close.

"Oh baby... shh..." she cooed reassuringly, caressing Fiona's back. Amber wasn't sure what to say anymore because for that moment, she saw Fiona as the bruised and battered little girl in her ward once again. "Did someone hurt you?"

Fiona shook her head. "But I started to remember them; my family," she mumbled, her face still buried on Amber's shoulder. "My mother... her name is Elsa and she calls me her Baby Kay... that's my name see? Kayla... And my dad... he sings the most terrible songs but he's a terrific basketball player. We have a mini basketball backboard inside the garage. My brother and I loved to play together." When Amber kept silent, Fiona continued, "This is what I've always wanted right? But why does it not make me feel better? And how did I suddenly regain my memory? I've been trying to for so long and now suddenly..."

Amber patted her back slowly to calm her down. "The unleashing of your powers must have removed the block on your memory somehow. Post-trauma amnesia takes time... and sometimes just the right kick to get it rolling."

"But they're dead... gaining back my memory doesn't save them and it makes me angry... and sad too..."

Amber smiled and held her tighter. "Let me tell you something... Sometimes when I'm at work, I receive patients who have been badly injured. Sometimes they get into accidents and were not rushed to the A&E fast enough so they've lost a lot of blood. And no matter how hard I try, sometimes they die... and the simple truth is, you can't save everyone."

"But I can try... and right now, the only way is to isolate myself from everyone. I don't want to end up hurting anybody by accident..."

"You can only hurt others if you choose to hurt them Darling... and right now you've hurt the one person who would never hurt you... you know who I'm talking about right?"

Fiona nodded slowly. "Is he... is he okay?"

Amber patted Fiona's back. "Yes he is... you gave him quite a nasty headache though."

"Yeah... he has a stubbornly strong mind."

"That's why he's our Alpha..."

Fiona pulled away from Amber and smiled. "Thank you Amber... I feel better now. I guess I owe you my life... again," she laughed. "If there's anything you need from me... please let me know."

Amber thought for awhile then pursed her lips. "How is it you can't read my thoughts but Draven can? That's just so... creepy."

"Oh, he can read thoughts... but his powers usually only apply to Vampires and to humans."

"Oh..."

***

It was nearly midnight when Fiona crept out of her room. She wanted it to be really dark and quiet so that she wouldn't bump into anyone in the house. She really wasn't up to answering "Are you okay?" at every turn.

Moving stealthily, she tiptoed across the living room and let herself out of the front door. With her feet still bare, she stepped on the soft grass and wriggled her toes to feel the earth underneath her feet. She took in a deep breath of air and felt thankful that she was alive despite everything.

Even in the dark, Fiona's eyes were able to see everything as clearly as it was day. She noticed that the grounds here were not as extensive as the castle grounds but they were every bit as homely. It did look cold with its gothic demeanor but it was still homely.

She continued walking, accompanied only by the sound of crickets and the sound of her own heart. She wasn't sure where she was walking to but it didn't matter for she just wanted to enjoy the moment. She was hardly ever let out of anyone's sight; her safety as a concern for everyone. Fiona knew that both her adoptive family and the pack members care and love her to the point where they decide everything for her. But she's no longer a child; she would like to make her own choices too.

Maybe that's why she was always so forgiving of Alaron. Despite his unruliness and lack of self-control, he was the only one who did not treat her like she was a baby that needed protection all the time. He was blunt and honest with her to the point of brashness and let her do whatever she wanted to do.

Fiona laughed to herself. She needed that bastard in her life even though he was a jerk all the time. Still smiling, she continued walking and finally stopped when she felt the soil give way to sand beneath her feet. She had never felt sand before! Feeling excited, she broke into a skip and then ran towards the scent of salt and was rewarded with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

It was the ocean, with its waves lapping lazily along the shore. Fiona's eyes widened in excitement as she went closer, feeling the clumpy wet sand between her toes. She had never seen the ocean before. On one hand, she was marveling at its beauty but on the other, she was absolutely clueless as to what to do. Does one swim in the water? Is the water drinkable? Just what exactly do people do with this massive span of water?

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the scent of an intruder in her midst. Turning around quickly, she caught herself staring into Eian's intense jade eyes. Even in his wolf form, she knew it was him. Apart from his eyes, his scent was just unmistakable.

However, he didn't attempt to make a move towards her and Fiona felt a sharp pain for a moment as she understood that he was frightened of her. Turning away from him, she settled herself on the sand and faced the sea. She wondered if he knew that her powers could not work on Werewolves in their wolf form. Surely Amber had told him?

Perhaps she did for she could sense him moving closer now; still on all fours, padding towards her. Then he stopped and sat on his hind legs and looked at her, as though waiting for her to say something.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." she said, leaning back on her hands and taking in a deep breath. When he made no attempt to shift, she decided to change the topic.

"How come you never take me to the beach before?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone. The wolf didn't move from its position but continued to look at her. Fiona narrowed her eyes at him. "You're doing that thing again... making me talk to myself. You know... come to think of it, you're hardly in your wolf form around me... unless you're absolutely angry... like that time I ran off and went shopping, remember? You refused to shift until we got home."

She heard Eian give a low growl and guess that she was right. "Well... of course then we came home and had the most amazing sex for the first time. Are you going to do that again? There's no one here right now and you're going to be naked once you shift back anyway," she said with a laugh and heard him growl slightly louder. "Ah... guess not then, since you're still sitting on your butt."

She saw that he was turning his snout away from her as if he was pouting.

"Okay, no sex then since I'm a bad girl; breaking rules and all," she said, lying back on the sand. "It sure is peaceful here..." she said, staring at the water. Fiona managed a peep at him and saw that he too was looking at the ocean waves.

They stayed in their position for a very long time, simply staring at the water. Eventually, Fiona cleared her throat.

"Please don't be frightened of me Eian... I promise I won't use my powers on you. So will you please shift back and keep me company? I don't like knowing you can hear me but I can't hear you." She turned her head slightly and saw that he was on all fours now, looking unsure.

"I promise..." she said reassuringly and watched as the wolf slowly shifted back into the form of a man. A smile curled on her lips as she watched his body slowly taking shape; that broad shoulder of his, down to his tight abdomen and firm, muscled legs.

Fiona gave a feigned look of shock at seeing a naked man then laughed as she leaned back to rest her head on the sand. She heard him doing the same, and together they stared into the night sky that was sprinkled with stars.

"I don't usually like to be naked in the outdoors you know," he said in an uncomfortable voice.

"Oh... you're so uptight sometimes. Besides, you shouldn't be ashamed of your nakedness. I thought wolves aren't shy about these things?"

Eian gave a laugh and reached out to touch her hand. "Strangely... I have no idea how that came about. Considering that I came up with all the rules, I do not remember explicitly saying nakedness was alright."

"I think it's alright. Disturbing... but alright," she mused, gripping his fingers a little tighter.

"Disturbing? What do you mean disturbing?"

Fiona turned to her side and looked at him; amusement clearly on her face. "Other Weres might look down," she paused and flicked her eyes to his crotch, "And conclude that I'm getting lots of hard loving... in a big way. Not that I have any complaints in

that

department."

Eian turned to face her with his eyes wide in shock and laughter. "Who are you and what have you done to my Fiona?"

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "There's only one way to find out..." she purred and pressed her lips onto his. She saw the shock register in his eyes before they softened into the kind, loving gaze he always gave her. However, Fiona wasn't going to let him go soft on her just yet for she rolled onto him, determined to pin him down. She wasn't usually the dominant one during their lovemaking, preferring to follow his lead. But right now, she was riled with such wanton needs that it surprised them both.

Her lips were hungry, seeking more of his; her hands wildly threading her fingers through his hair.

"I thought bad girls don't get sex?" he muttered against her lips. Fiona pulled away for a second to look at him with her blue eyes set in a fierce stare. "I said no sex for me... but you're getting lots of it, with me as proxy. Now

that

is different," she purred, taking off the oversized shirt she was wearing and tossed it aside.

Immediately, Eian's eyes widened when he saw that she was totally naked.

"You left the house dressed like that?"

"Are you complaining?"

"No."

"Thought so," she said and began to straddle him. Eian wasn't hard yet but Fiona liked rubbing herself on him, feeling him slowly being aroused. He was making low growling sounds in his throat and she knew that it meant that he was enjoying the sensations. Fiona bent her head down to capture his lips, feeling his lips slant impatiently over hers, demanding more. She could feel his hands grabbing her ass and squeezing them slightly as his tongue delved into her mouth to seek hers. That action alone turned her on and she began to grind her hips harder against him and was pleased to find that his cock was getting harder. She was also getting wetter and more slippery, the more she rubbed herself on his cock.