Finnian paced the length of his suite, his long fingers rubbing at his jaw, and running through his hair with each wave of anxiety that crashed into him.

It had been a day since they had killed Belladonna-- a day since Adeline's curse was broken...

And, finally, it was her birthday, her eighteenth birthday to be precise.

Opening the bond that had been hers since the dawn of time, binding her soul to his, and his to her's.

But before now, she would've never had felt the pull, the yearning that had plagued him the moment he had stepped into the Southern Pack Mansion.

And she wouldn't feel it, not until she truly turned eighteen-- the moment that she had been born, to the second.

When wolves turned eighteen, they hit sexual maturity, and in turn, opened the possibility of a mate-bond to form.

There were cases of late teenage males feeling the pull of the mate-bond; but until he turned eighteen, he couldn't act on the pull, especially if his female was his age, or younger.

And Finnian was six decades old, well past his pup years.

He had been waiting all his life to find his mate, had been dreaming to find her, and to think that the sacred bond would open between them in five minutes?

It was mind-blowing; filling him with emotions that, quite frankly, terrified him.

What if he wasn't good enough for her?

What if he'd be a let-down, a disappointment to her? What if she had been expecting someone else to be her mate... someone better than him?

What if-

Shaking his head violently, he pulled back his lip and snarled, flashing his canines at the Oracle perched on a leather loveseat, her red-headed mate standing guard behind her.

Sasha looked up at him from over the magazine she had been reading, her eyes utterly unimpressed.

"If you don't quit your pacing, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet." She grumbled, licking her thumb as she flipped the page with perhaps a little more force than necessary.

Finnian growled. "What time did Alexandra say that she was born?"

He knew the answer of course-- it had burned itself into his brain the moment Sasha had told him, but the reassurance that it was almost time, that the bond would open soon, calmed the feral being rampaging through his blood, clawing at his soul with claws of silver.

Desmond grunted from behind his mate, his eyes bearing into his own with a kind of intensity that would've sent lesser males running. "In three minutes."

But Finnian was no lesser male; he was a dominant, bred to withstand the harsh, never ending winter that was life, with a smile.

A winter that was plaguing that certain blue-eyed female, washing her world in a vast array of blacks and whites; a fine layer of frost inching over her soul, the coldness becoming one with the darkness that no doubt cackled in her ears, purring promises of a different world, a better world.

A world that was just above his own, the atmosphere forever warm and light, its inhabitants to never again suffering the pains of life on earth... the unfairness of it all.

And, just then, Finnian decided that the Moon had no use of any of them, especially his mate. The great goddess would have to physically descend to earth to retrieve her, and, even then, Finnian wouldn't allow her to take his mate from him. He'd slaughter an entire army of warlocks before letting anyone with ill-intent even close to Adeline.

His heart twisted in his chest.

Spinning on his heel, he stormed into his bedroom, ignoring the cold queen bed that he hadn't touched since they arrived back to the mansion; ignoring the oak dresser that housed his very minute amount of clothing; ignoring the large window that overlooked the forest, a window that he had been peering out of minutes before.

He heard Sasha sigh before the sound of bare feet padded on hardwood, coming closer and closer to him.

'Too close.' His beast growled, and the man couldn't help but to agree. The only female that he wanted near him, the only female that he had ever wanted, was downstairs in the infirmary, her thin body covered in wires and needles.

But she was stable; in fact, her health had never been as stable as it was now, ever since that horrible, first attack that had nearly claimed the life of her former best friend.

"Before you go racing down there," Sasha started, her voice going gentle. "You need to remember to keep your wolf in check. He'll want to claim Adeline, as will you, but she's not ready-- especially since her curse was just broken. She'll need time, Finnian. After nearly four years of hell, she won't heal in a single night."

Two minutes left.

Finnian nodded once, unable to form words on his tongue, let alone convey them in a way that spoke true about his intentions.

He knew that he couldn't claim her yet, had known that the moment that he had begun to suspect the bond.

She had been depressed for years, her days spent either hanging from silver chains, or hiding away in her rooms, trying to get lost in the books that she had already read time and time again.

That type of lifestyle, that type of mentality, wouldn't dissipate in a day, probably not for months... years even.

And he'd wait for her, help her heal. They all would, in one way or another.

Her parents would shelter her, reintroducing her slowly to the joys, to the reality of life. They'd protect her, teach her all of the things that nearly four years of isolation, had stripped from her.

And he, he would be patient. He'd gain her trust and respect, even if it took him years upon years to do so. Unlike many other mates that'd meet, mate, then bond-- they'd take it slow, going at her pace.

And, eventually, she'd fall in love with him.

Suddenly, a pair of dark hands were right before his eyes, the abrupt sound of snapping vibrating his eardrums. He pulled back with wide eyes, a guttural sound leaving his chest.

"Are you listening at all to what I am saying?!" Sasha hissed, her fierce face cast in a cold, cold stone.

Finnian's eyes flashed in warning, his teeth gritting under the pressure his wolf was shoving onto him, demanding to shove the unwanted female away from him, and race to the she-wolf just below his very feet.

"Sasha," Desmond drawled, wrapping an arm around the Oracle's midsection, and pulling her back. "You may want to back away from Finnian, especially when he is so close to losing control."

Sasha protested in her mate's hold, but her eyes still held Finnian's. "I'm serious, Finnian. That poor girl has already suffered enough, hurt enough."

The Western Pack Beta held the Oracle's stare, his golden eyes dimming back to their usual dark brown; but the muscle feathering in his jaw reminded them all that Finnian Vogel was moments away from shifting into his wolf, and tearing through anything, or anyone, that stood between him and Adeline.

'Good.' His wolf whispered darkly, its body rising up from the depths of his mind, pawing the line that prevented it from crossing over onto its human's territory.

Kept separately, a man and wolf were a machine of intelligence and instinct; but kept together, both sides fighting over the qualities that made both species so powerful, they were rabid, uncontrollable monsters.

And, more often than not, the world was a better, safer place when the man possessed control.

Wriggling free from her mate's arms, Sasha approached him, her eyes near blazing.

She was so much smaller than him, both in size, weight, and frame, but she had never been more intimidating.

A she-wolf trapped in a human's body.

One minute left.

Sasha's head was held high, her shoulders pulled back, and her back ramrod straight, but her face was pleading, her golden eyes open wide and peering up at him.

Something began to twist in his head, directly behind his eyes...

His wolf prowled closer, claws breaching that fragile, fragile line. Its teeth flashed, ears pulling back.

His heart fluttered.

"Promise me," she breathed. "Promise me that you'll never hurt her, and will always protect her. Promise me that you'll never use her love, your love, against her. Promise me that much."

But Finnian heard the unspoken words that she hadn't dared to form on her lips, but her pleas were enough.

Don't be like my father.

Please, please, whatever you do, please don't be like my father.

Finnian knew that she cared for him, but something in her answered to Adeline's pain, to her innocence. Perhaps it was the ancient magic flowing through her veins, or, perhaps, it was the ghosts that hid in her head, moaning of memories that she'd much rather forget.

Adeline, in the Oracle's eyes, was her mother incarnate.

All he could do, all he had the power to do, was bow his head slightly. "I promise."

I promise that I will never treat Adeline how your father treated your mother. I will never raise a hand to her, never force her to stay with me. If she ever wishes to leave, I would not be able to stop her, for she holds my heart; her wish will be my command.

If she somehow saw his answer in his eyes, she didn't show it as she turned on her heel, heading straight to the door.

She gave him one last look from over her shoulder, her eyes holding something that he had never seen in her eyes before.

Pride. Joy.

And maybe a little bit of sorrow, too.

A warmth had settled over those golden orbs, pulling up the corners of her lips in a gentle, soft smile.

"You are a man of true integrity, Vogel. Adeline will be blessed to have you." And, with that, she disappeared from his bedroom, Desmond trailing after her, muttering something that Finnian didn't care to hear.

All he heard, was the roar of his blood.

Ten seconds.

The motion behind his eyes, spread to the rest of his head, tingling and writhing with a warmth that he had never felt before.

His heart sped up, twisting his stomach and gut.

A sweat broke out along his arms, hidden under a fine layer of brown fur that had sprouted moments before.

His wolf lunged over that invisible boundary, large paws eating up the small space between its mind, and Finnian's.

'Adeline...' It panted.

"Adeline," Finnian repeated out loud, his eyes gazing at nothing, but, somehow, he saw everything.

He saw the time on the clock, its thin hands moments from moving onto that specific number, a number that had engraved itself into his brain. He saw the forest outside his window, a bird sitting just outside his window, watching him with dark eyes.

Five seconds.

Four.

Three.

Two...

A howl, as dark and mysterious as the dark side of the moon, tore through his throat, emitting from deep within his chest.

His heart thrummed in his chest, beating wildly against his ribcage as he damn near collapsed to his knees.

His whole body heaved, that tiny dark freckle that Belladonna's magic had left, pulsing with the very emotion that was ramming into him.

Finnian's back arched as pain rippled from his head, the cords of power so powerful, that they nearly drew a bellow from him, but he held it in.

His wolf surged forward trying desperately to take control, to push the man back so that he could go claim their mate, but, even though the pain was setting his insides on fire, he pushed it back with a shove, cursing at it.

She was eighteen now.

And that meant...

The pain... that horrible, soul-crushing pain that had almost received his prayer, disappeared-- withdrawing from every organ, tissue, and cell almost as fast as it had arrived.

And, taking its place, was the feeling of warmth.

It blanketed him, wrapping him in an embrace as warm as the radiation of a fireplace-- its neverending heat wrapping around anything and everything cold.

Renewing it.

Finnian slowly stood up, his body the lightest it had felt in many, many years.

Every worry, every stress that had been perched on his shoulders... gone.

Just like the head of Belladonna, gone from her body and replaced in Dillon's gaping jaws.

He had been the one to behead her, the one to make the final stand.

A deadly example.

The final example that would remind any creature alive, that the wolves were a force to be reckoned with. That, those who harm others, were going to be repaid for those actions, whether it be immediate, or down the long line of history.

Finnian straightened, his chest rising with a shaky breath.

Power hummed in his blood, surrounding his heart.

'Mate.' His wolf murmured, its rough, animalistic voice filled with awe.

'Mate.' Finnian repeated, his own voice reflecting that of his wolf's.

'Ours.' The wolf growled, pulling back slightly, accepting the fact that, should it push any harder, Finnian would never let it around Adeline.

'Yes.' The man said, a grin sweeping across his face, exposing his lengthened canines. 'Ours indeed.'

And, with that, the male turned toward the door, his long, muscular legs carrying him closer to his future... his destiny.

His mate.

????

Adeline felt him.

She felt him in her head... her heart.

He was now everywhere, filling the places in her that had been empty for so long, their crevices were coated in a fine layer of dust and cobweb.

And now, he was there, filling her pathetic body in a never-ending wave of warmth, so fierce and steady, that she was worried that she'd drown in it.

It was overwhelming... invading almost. It felt like it was invading her, seeking out all of her secrets and memories that she just wanted to scrub clean from her mind. It filled every part of her, sloshing around in her head, filling her arms and hands, oozing into her chest, pooling in her stomach, crawling into her feet and legs.

It was overwhelming, and, in no way, welcomed with open arms.

She didn't deserve that type of warmth...

She didn't deserve that bond that was chaining her, wrapping around her throat and anchoring her to him.

And, most of all, she didn't deserve him. Not in one bit.

But, like the stubborn fool that he was, she already knew that he was on his way.

Like a heat-seeking missile, she knew that he was hunting her down, his powerful nose zeroed in on her scent.

A scent that she couldn't smell herself, but to him, it was a beckon.

A call.

And, much to her horror, his scent was just as alluring.

He was a mixture of pine and snow; of warmth... of beauty.

She could smell him even now, his pine scent swirling and clouding around her, only hours old.

He had stood in this room only hours before, watching over her until her father, no doubt, chased him out.

And his scent was strong enough to tell her that he had been in this room for a while, had been in here long before she had awakened.

Adeline clutched the sheets tighter to her chest, her nostrils flaring as she fought to keep the panic from taking over.

She was empty.

Completely and utterly drained.

But now, with the death of the matron, the Beast, that terrible demon, was gone.

Leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake.

And she couldn't be more relieved.

She was wolfless; the monster that had taken her life and balled it up between its massive, silver-tipped paws, was gone.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she pulled the sheets tighter to her, desperately trying to keep the panic, the fear, from rising to a boiling point.

The Beast was gone! And yet, she still felt as if it were still there, tucked away in the back of her mind, threatening to kill everyone that she loved...

Threatening to use her as a host, as a shield to unleash its terrible fury upon the world.

She bit her lip, shaking her head.

"Y-yes?" She hated how pathetic she sounded... how weak she was.

Her nails bit into the sheet, her hands fisting against her breasts.

"Are you alright, sweety?" Her mother asked, her voice so soft, so loving.

All of the stress, all of the worry that had plagued the Luna, was gone.

Adeline had seen it in her mother immediately after she had awakened, had seen the lightness, the joy returning to her dark eyes.

A small amount of weight that had been laying on her chest, lifted at that happy, joyful tone.

Adeline's grip on the blanket loosened, her joints releasing their tension. "Yeah... I'm alright."

But something had Adeline's brow lifting.

Usually, her mother would barge into her room, saying something along the lines of, "I am your mother. This is my house. Everything that is yours, is mine first."

But the door didn't even open a crack.

Her ears strained to hear outside of the small room that she had been staying in, but due to the absence of the Beast, she couldn't hear a single thing.

It was as if she were nothing more than a human.

The warmth gliding over her bones began to heat ever so slightly, the calm heat grazing the underside of her skin.

He was getting close.

Another rap at the door, but this one was hesitant but firm...

Masculine.

Adeline's heart sped up in her chest, the warmth humming as the doorknob twisted slowly.

Giving her the chance to say no, to refuse him entry.

Light flooded the little room, fanning wide as the door opened enough to reveal a massive male and her parents standing behind him, both stoic and stone-faced.

Her father especially.

Finnian was so tall, that to look up into his glowing dark eyes, she had to tilt her head up quite a bit.

If she had been standing against him, she'd barely reach his chest. She was tiny compared to him, nothing more than a pup to his many years of life and experience.

And yet, he was staring at her with an intensity that, quite frankly, terrified her.

He continued to walk towards her, her parents leaving his side to stand in front of the doorway, their eyes watching his every move.

If he took a step too close, or breathed a centimeter out of line, they'd be on him in a heartbeat.

Finnian stopped five feet in front of her, his nostrils flaring as he took in her fresh, current scent.

His eyes seemed to swirl with emotion.

The male's own scent surrounded her, wrapping around her in arms of pine and snow, wrapping around her in a way that she knew he wanted to do.

Physical touch was extremely important to wolves-- it was vital to the health of a wolf. Even though pats on the back, high fives, and hugs made by friends were important, it was nothing compared to the importance of a mate's touch.

And she knew that he wanted to wrap her in his arms, and never let her go.

Male wolves were extremely affectionate towards their mates, constantly touching and caressing their females with gentle hands, showering them with kisses and other forms of physical love.

But the thought of someone touching her, of giving her affection when she knew she didn't deserve it, was revolting.

It caused her skin to crawl.

Finnian dropped to his knees, his eyes still trained on her own.

Gazing at her in awe, in wonder.

Adeline's body practically sunk into the bed, a warm blush working its way across her cheeks, turning her ears bright red.

But, no matter how hard she tried to revert her eyes, to focus them on anything but the handsome male kneeling before her, she found that she couldn't tear them away.

He was hers'. Created for her before she had even been born, and vice-versa.

And that made her, whether she liked it or not, his destined one.

The only female that had the right to have him.

He was her mate, and, as she stared into his dark, intelligent, thoughtful eyes, she realized that she was his, too.

"Mate." Finnian whispered, a small, loving smile working its way across his lips.

She couldn't help but to mouth the words back to him, nothing more than a breathless whisper on her lips as she became something so much more than a Blue-Eyed Beast.

...

The End

...

Started: October 7th, 2017

Completed: October 30th, 2018