After the crowd dispersed, Fenris went to work with everyone. His goal was to help clean up the festival grounds faster than expected. With someone guiding them, everyone seemed more motivated to get everything done. I followed behind him thanks to Shade carrying me the entire time. Fenris ordered the fallen of the enemy to be buried with respect, surprising many. But in his own words.

“They are the same as us. Fighting for something they believe in. They deserve respect.” Fenris addressed them.

Even though many were torn to shreds by the beasts I had unleashed. My wolf, with the help of others, collected their remains, burying them in unmarked graves. While he worked, Mia came along to chatter with me. Even though she was pregnant, she was keen on helping too. While speaking to her, I learned she was the feisty Lycan who had been Owen's on and off girlfriend.

Even though their relationship was tremulous, the pair had gotten their stuff together and had agreed to get married a week ago. However, with the turn of events, that would never occur. In an instant, they took away a father from his unborn child.

The moment I realized it, it made me feel hollow. My father did not want me, but this was not the case for this unborn child. Owen would have been a loving and caring father. Mia would have been a happy wife, but my grandmother and her plans tore away their life. In the end, there were fifty dead Lycans of the five hundred that had gathered here.

Slowly and steadily, more details of what happened here emerged. Even though I had burned most of the corpses that had attacked, one was found intact near the forest edge. When the corps members analyzed it, it showed to have the same substance in their bodies that was found in the cups.

The Lycans had ingested no parts of the corpses, but if they were a bit. Then they suffered the same fate as those who had drunk from the cups. Luckily, I had prevented them from spreading thanks to my hasty action of burning them down. The more information that came out, the more of a savior I appeared, which was not to my liking. All I wanted to do was save my light but, in the end, I ended up saving his clan.

The clan, who threw little embarrassing jabs at me for wearing Fenris's clothing out in the open. I did not believe they would say those things to me. In fact, I always thought I would be insignificant to them, but some even said we matched. It was like a dream.

Most of the comments were met by a glare coming from their alpha. That alone triggered the rowdy Lycans to go back to work. Even so, most of their comments made me lose myself in my own thoughts. They were about how I might be his side lover. It did not help that rumors were already breaking out, from what I had done behind closed doors, either.

Amara would not let me leave her sights, continuing to check on me throughout the day. Even though every hour that passed, I felt better. After they cleaned everything up, the sun was mid-way to being down. It was probably four to five p.m.

We headed out of the festival location as a unit. Most of the elders that had stayed behind enjoyed seeing their young alpha take the lead after a disaster. Promising... They called it. Though many were not happy to see me by his side the whole time.

Mia and her brother both rode in a carriage with Owen's casket. Other family members carried the rest out. The ride to town was a long one, but not an eventful one. I almost felt bad for having Shade carry me out of the forest. Fenris was leading the pack while I was right behind him. She did not mind carrying me, especially after I gave her some of her favorite treats, which were usually sweet.

Once in town, everyone took a well-deserved rest at the inn. The sun had set. The last time I was there, I had refused to take a step on it, but today I was left with no choice in the matter. If I wanted to stay with Fenris, it had to be done.

Shade's form was not a menacing one. Thankfully, she looked just like her usual self. A giant fluffy cat. This was to prevent sending the locals into a panic. But having her being huge all the time made some workers a bit nervous. Especially after seeing her in action. So, it was impractical for her to carry me around once we were in town.

By the time they organized everything for the next day, the night had set. It graced us with the moon's presence. Everyone had rented a room within the inn to stay. The first issue arose when Layla was adamant about sleeping with Fenris and me.

My wolf refused and pushed it aside like always. He enlisted the help of Liam and Melody, who would stay in a conjoining room with us. Some rumors had reached Layla's ears. She was not happy about them. Though she did not push it further. Her future fiancé was not a pushover.

Though there was something more concerning than Layla. And that was the fact that the only showers in the inn were public bathrooms. I would have to be separated from Fenris, too. Sadly, there were no unisex showers, just females and males. Cautiously, I went with Melody, who reassured me no one else would see me but her.

The moment Melody saw my new body, she could not keep her hands off me. It would be the first time that I felt someone else's skin on my body other than Fenris. She held me close to her heart and called me beautiful. When I told her she was crazy, she smirked widely. I think I saw pure evil in her eyes.

In a tease, she grabbed onto my chest with her hands, tracing my scars, that had become more like tattoos on my skin. I could not help but yelp. Shade laughed in the background, refusing to help me out of Melody's grasp. In my struggle to get away from my captor, I slipped out of the shower stall we were in and into the outside. I tumbled into Amelia, who was accompanied by Layla and Kira.

For a moment, I thought Amelia would shove me onto the ground. But she glared at me to get away from her. I did faster than I realized, apologizing for what happened. Melody popped her head from the curtains, instigating Amelia to stand up from where she was. Before storming off without berating me. She disappeared into another stall. Shade dropped a towel on me.

Layla could not believe her eyes upon seeing the fresh changes to my body, but instead of commenting on it. She bit her lip before grabbing Kira and following Amelia to the other stall. Somehow, I survived with no panic attacks.

"They really dislike us, huh?" Melody commented.

I glared at her for getting me into this situation. However, Amelia was acting strangely again. Back in the cabin, she had left before uttering a word at me when she saw Melody. What kind of blood feud did they have going on? Melody seemed clueless about it, though.

After taking a second, less eventful shower, Melody informed me it has always been like that. Ever since she started working at the shop inside the building. Whenever Amelia spotted her, it was like she saw something unpleasant. Though Melody thought it was because of the runt thing. So, she paid no mind to the elder sister. Although to me, it seemed like it was something more. There was a hint of pain in Fenris's sister's eyes whenever she saw my friend.

After the shower, we left with no further implications for the other girls. Outside of the bathroom were Liam and Fenris, who had been waiting for us, chattering with each other. It seemed that the rough handling from the morning had not affected their friendship. They had gone into the male showers when we went to our side, but thanks to the incident, I had taken longer than usual. I apologized for making them wait longer than they should have.

I was met by a scruff from Fenris who did not mind it at all. The robes the inn provided for us, covered enough to make me feel comfy wearing them. Mine was white with beautiful pink flower patterns. Melody's gown was black and had firework patterns on it. Fenris wore one that was a solid navy blue. It matched him so perfectly that I was almost left in awe upon laying eyes on him. Liam was not far behind with his solid grey one.

Most females that passed by stopped to stare at both boys, who seemed unaware of how pleasant they were in the eyes.

'Eye candy' as most of the onlookers called the pair.

However, the boys could not care less about the comments the women threw their way. They only had eyes for us. Melody, who fixed her hair, matched Liam perfectly, while I was a bit of a mismatch for Fenris. I never thought I would feel so ugly next to him.

Most of the unsuspecting people who did not know who I was. Kept calling me a servant for the Lycans, much to my annoyance. Luckily, all the rest I had while riding Shade let me gather the strength to walk by myself. Although, Fenris insisted that I hold on to him if I ever felt wobbly or weak. We were going to stay in town until they held the funerals the next day.

The moon festival was moved towards the city that was already doing its own festivities. Most of the surviving Lycans were not in the mood to continue the celebrations. However, the other races did not let them stay alone sulking in their rooms. Instead, outside of the inn, they created a minor event with stalls and activities to celebrate the life that the dead had.

Usually, this was an elven thing, but Fenris agreed that it would be a good idea for the grieving to celebrate the lives of their loved ones. To the elves, it would make the dead happier to be remembered for the lives they had than mourned. And my wolf agreed when Amara asked.

On short notice, the entire community came together to prepare everything. Even some witches and warlocks that came to take part, were allowed into the festivities to open their own stalls. Most were for predictions and tarot cards. Fake magic, but it was fun.

Ezra met us outside with Mia and her little brother, Kai. Even though I was hesitant to even go outside of the inn, Fenris did not let me stay behind. He tugged me along into the festivities, leaving me very little time to worry about anything else.

Everywhere there were officers paying attention to every detail. However, after the previous failure, I doubted Stella would try anything before planning it thoroughly. Especially after the message I left for her. Hopefully, Cora or the warlock would have reported it whenever they reached her. Our first stop was a memorial full of pictures of the deceased. Fenris pulled out three roses from a bouquet we had bought near the inn and handed them to me.

Out of all the pictures on the memorial, the only one I knew was Owen. To the others, it was not like this. They knew more of the ones we lost than I could ever imagine. Hesitantly, I placed the roses near Owen's picture, followed by the rest.

After a brief prayer, we moved on to the festivities, which made me get rather nervous. Although everyone was wearing robes with similar styles and colors to us, it was a bit uncomfortable to be around so many people. The food we ate soon drowned my worries. They were probably one of the best I had in a while. They were savory and flavorful. Some I had never tried.

The whole time I clung onto Fenris's sleeve, walking through different stalls to see what they were selling. Shade was enjoying herself by devouring anything that the boys bought. Even if it was not for her. Her gluttony behavior brought tension when Ezra had his meal invaded by her.

It was not long before an argument broke out between them about how much she was overstepping herself in their meals. It all culminated with Mia, laughing loudly when Shade shifted into her bigger form and ate Ezra's plate whole. He could do very little to stop my rampaging familiar.

In an instant, Mia's smile defeated Ezra. Instead of escalating the fight, he stood up and grabbed an extra plate for Shade, who seemed to be victorious in every aspect. The poor wolf quietly shrugged, unable to help himself from enjoying Mia’s reaction.

When everyone was distracted, Fenris tugged me along to the side. Shade was the only one not far behind. He led me towards a stall that was selling collars and necklaces. On our way there, comments erupted around us. Most were asking where his fiancée was, and how mismatched he and I were. They were coming from locals, rather than the people that were on the festival grounds.

A Lycan would be better for him than me, that much, I was sure of. But was it so strange to see a wolf with a human? All the comment accomplished was for Fenris suddenly to intertwine his hand with mine. Giving me a soft glance, he smiled at me, stopping by a stall before picking out a candy apple and handing it to me.

For a moment I gazed at Fenris, puzzled on how to even eat the sugar-coated apple. I had never seen one before. It was so red and sticky that when I tried to bite it, all it did was stick into my teeth. Fenris chuckled, glancing around to check who was watching before he licked it to show me how to do so.

"Disgusting." One bystander said, triggering me to pull Fenris into a kiss.

All their comments annoyed me. He was mine, no matter what they said. Kissing me back slightly, Fenris tugged away before coming back and licking my lip.

"Sweet," Fenris murmured, glaring at whoever commented.

They quickly minded their own business after receiving his unspoken message. It had been an elder Lycan this time. Grumpily, I ate the candy apple, making our way to the stall. He spoke to the seller once we arrived. Shade climbed up over my shoulder, asking for a bite of the apple.

My wolf never let go of my right hand that was entwined with his left.

"Which one would you like, Shade?" Fenris asked.

His question triggered her to jump from my shoulder into the stall. She glanced around, picking one out that appeared like the one he got for her all those years ago. This one, though, had a white bell on it. The moment Fenris noticed, he could not help but chuckle at Shade. Even in her rowdiness, she had a soft spot for him. In response, she pouted, asking me to place it on her.

All I could do was smile while outfitting the collar on Shade. Fenris's ears twitched upon hearing something I had not. Shade was modeling around her new collar when I gazed at my troubled wolf. Before I knew it, my wolf tugged me along once again, but this time to a more secluded area of the festival. An alley.

Memories of what happened the last time we were in one rushed into my mind. Especially when he pinned me against the wall and covered my mouth, preventing me from asking what we were doing. He glanced towards the exit to see Layla searching for him.

Once in the clear, Fenris released a sigh uncovering my mouth. That was when he noticed we were alone with Shade in the alley. For a moment, he gazed at me lovingly before picking me up by my waist, pulling me up higher than his own height. He held me up with one arm while with the other he caressed my cheek.

"You look beautiful in that flower pattern gown." Fenris simpered.

At that moment, my rationale hit the wagon. I let go of the candy apple, much to Shade's pleasure, before pulling him into a kiss. A second later, he responded with the same passion. My hands caressed the back of his head, coiling my fingers into his hair. He took a few steps back to the wall to reinforce his stance with it.

"Feeling weak on the knees?" I giggled, pulling away from the kiss.

He licked his lips before smiling at me.

"A bit." My wolf mumbled.

It caused me to attack him again. For a while, we enjoyed each other. Well, until Layla shouted for him. His name echoed throughout the festival as a growl left his lips. He was not the only one who was annoyed by the interruption. The whispers were being ravenous again.

‘Kill her.’

‘Intruder.’

"I want to tell her you are mine." I let my jealousy show.

Fenris licked my lips teasingly.

"You can, but it will not change a thing until we meet with the elders. So, I recommend you wait until the meeting." Fenris cautioned me, knowing full well that all that would do was anger her.

And we did not need another enemy just yet.

"I do not want to hide anymore. And I do not want her to touch you." I pouted.

He chuckled in response to my jealousy.

"I do not want her to touch me, either. And I am not hiding... well... kind of?" Fenris smiled playfully.

He was right. I sighed, deciding to let it go for the time being. However, I would not throw the battle. The whispers in my head would not allow me to. He was mine. And only mine.

"Then should we retire to our room? Say that I feel ill." I whispered into his ear.

It caused him to raise his eyebrows, surprised at what I was insinuating.

"I hope you know what awaits you in the room. In the inn there are sigils." Fenris informed.

My cheeks flushed pink at the tone he used. That would not stop me. No matter what we did in the room.

"I want you, Fenris." I kissed him lightly on his cheek.

He bit onto his lip before slowly letting me down.

"Okay. Your wish is my command, my lady." Fenris smirked playfully.

He turned around, asking me to ride his back once again. It would be easier to convince her of me being ill. Not that I minded. A second later, I wrapped my arms around him.

The moment we came out of the alley, we ran into Layla, who was quick to complain to him about not being with her. Instead of letting her rant off, I pretended to feel faint. It allowed my wolf to excuse himself, much to her displeasure. I felt guilty for doing that, but all was fair in love and war. And now that I was determined to have him, nothing would stop me. Even if her only crime was loving him.

Liam and Melody were by the inn entrance, waiting for us before they retired for the night. It seemed Mia and Ezra had stayed behind in the festivities, enjoying themselves. Liam and Melody, however, wanted to have the rest of the night for themselves. They wanted to find where their relationship would take them. But did not want to go into the room without seeing us off for the night. After bidding our goodnights, we each returned to our rooms.

My wolf let me go onto the bed while Shade hopped off my shoulder. He went to lock the door and turn on the sigil, making this room soundproof from the outside. Undoing his robe, Fenris exposed the upper half of his body, slowly climbing into the bed with me. My eyes studied him while he went for a rubber from the cabinet.

The inn had extra supplies for everything a couple might need within the drawers. Or maybe he had bought some when I was not looking. I grabbed his hands as he went to rip it to place it on.

"I want you with nothing else on," I mumbled.

It caused Fenris's cheeks to flush pink. I had dumbfounded him with that statement. He stared at me, not knowing what to do with me.

"Last month we got lucky... and you still smell a bit sweet." Fenris pointed out.

I felt a bit disappointed by his assessment, but I would not force him to do anything without it. After all, we were not ready to be parents just yet. However, something gnawed at me as if I had forgotten something important.

Though, Fenris would not let me think too deeply about that, pulling my robe loose before taking it off. He had left me only with my underwear, but it was not a second later when he took those off, too. Much to my surprise, he threw the rubber towards the night table before hovering over me.

"I will grant your wish. It should be okay if I do not let myself loose on you. But I will only do this once." Fenris whispered, trailing kisses down my jawline and onto my neck.

I clung to the bedsheets. His lips trailed down my shoulders and into my breast, stopping to caress them. Mewls escaped my lips as his touch and licks left me feeling tender. Anywhere he touched was left tingling and wanting more.

"Stop... Just take me already." I muttered, feeling impatient.

Enjoying this, Fenris kissed me in return before separating from me and smirking.

"No... I want to make you mine my way." Fenris announced, using the lace from the robe I had on to tie my hands to the bed.

It was to prevent me from intervening in anything he wanted to do.

"Fenris?" I asked, puzzled by the binds, glancing at him.

He was smirking playfully. The night he had in mind differed from mine. Trailing his hands over my body, all I could do was lay there as Fenris had a field day with me. Before I knew it, he was suckling on my breast.

With every suction, I felt his canines on my nob, slightly pinching it. Whines escaped me as he had enough with my breast. Slowly, he trailing down onto my groin. Before doing the same there as he did to my breast. When he lapped my most sensitive area, all I could do was whine loudly as my body responded to him fully.

"Remember when you did not allow me to touch you?" Fenris smirked, sticking two fingers into me before going back down to kiss my sensitive area.

"I am sorry," I mumbled, unable to keep up with him.

He licked me, trying to find my sweet spot with his fingers. It was almost ecstasy-inducing.

"I will make sure you are numb tomorrow." Fenris purred, finding the right spot in me.

A sharp yelp left my lips. Before I knew it, my mind went blank as I found bliss in his fingers. He did it repeatedly. By the time he pulled out his fingers, my body trembled from the slightest touch. His eyes glowed red with desire. Slowly, he positioned himself to enter me.

"If only you could see your face." Fenris chuckled, enjoying the view in front of him.

He teased my entrance with his heat, making me feel like I wanted to go insane. It was too much.

"Please... I want you!" I begged, out of breath.

My pleas caused Fenris to plunge himself into me. The bliss that filled me from finally being filled was overwhelming.

"Naughty little witch," Fenris murmured into my ear, feeling pleased by what he had caused in me.

Even though I wanted to touch him too, he never undid the binds. No, he made love to me throughout the night, while denying me touching him. The entire night Fenris made sure I felt loved in every sense of the word.

When the next morning came, I woke up groggily. Fenris was next to me in the bed. I glanced around, not remembering when I had fallen asleep. But it was not long before I recalled everything we had done the previous night.

An alarm rang from Fenris's phone as he got up to turn it off. Upon seeing me up, he pulled me back onto the bed, wanting to continue where we had left off. But was interrupted when a knock came from the door soon after.

Instinctively I went to grab the robe from the floor, but Fenris had other plans. He suddenly pulled me back onto the bed and dug himself inside of me from the back, clasping his hands on my hips.

"Fenris, there is someone at the door." I gasped at his rough handling.

Not that I minded, but the person at the door surely would.

"They can wait. You do not smell sweet anymore. And I want to fill you with me." Fenris announced, thrusting himself into me, dulling my senses.

All the times before, he had done it outside or with a rubber on. They were still around the floor next to the bed, too. A thing that had to be fixed before he even opened the door.

However, I could not help but feel happy yet worried at the same time. The sigil was still in place, making the room completely soundproof, but I still felt nervous. Sigils would block any noise, but that of a door knock.

Unlike me, all Fenris cared about was being with me. His hands that were so firmly on my hips soon traced my navel up to my breast. He pulled me up to meet his chest to my back. Caressing the back of my neck, he dragged my face to his lips to kiss. That was when he plunged himself inside of me before letting loose.

My body responded in kind, finding it released as well. For a moment, he held me close before letting me go on the bed. Fenris panted for air, desperately, but the knocking was becoming obnoxious. However, instead of backing away from me. He licked the back of my neck, tracing his hands down my back and onto my bum. A chuckle released from his lips, bending down to my ear before nibbling on it lightly.

The affection caused me to not want to stop.

"Later today when we are alone... I will make you mine repeatedly." Fenris purred into my ear, finally letting me free.

Turning to the door, he growled at it, annoyed at whoever was behind it. I scrambled to get my underwear on, only for his seeds to spill from me down my leg. Usually, it would happen on the bed while I slept, but not like this. I could not help but glare at him. In response, he chuckled, enjoying my floundering.

"Stupid... wolf..." I grumbled, getting my clothes together.

He picked up the scattered rubbers and threw them out. After that was done, he went to see who was by the door. When he opened the door, much to our surprise, it was Layla with Kira and Liam, who seemed to argue. With one glance at the room, Layla grabbed onto Fenris, dragging him out of the room. Almost tripping on myself, I made it out the door to see her holding him against the wall. The anger in her eyes was something undeniable.

"What is the meaning of this?!? Why do you smell like her?!? Why does the entire room smell like something happened between you?" Layla demanded answers from Fenris.

Melody came out of her room, unaware of what was happening. Liam tried to calm Layla down while Kira was doing similar claims to Liam. It came to the point when Fenris removed himself from her grip. His expression was colder than winter itself.

"I do not owe you anything, Layla." Fenris icily answered at Layla, who growled in return.

She suddenly turned to me. In response, he grabbed onto her shoulder and tossed her onto the floor. It all happened before she could take a step toward me. The strength he used was almost excessive, though. The sound Layla made when she hit the ground was louder than if she had just tripped. But he did not care. Layla was lucky to still have her arm.

"How dare you treat her like this! She is your fiancée." Kira screeched at Fenris for throwing Layla to the floor, who had cried because of it.

"I never said she was my fiancée. To me, she is just another Lycan from the pack who is going after someone I care about. Who happens to be my charge too." Fenris declared, not feeling a single thing for the crying wolf.

Amelia had overheard the fighting. She was never far from the two girls, it seemed.

"Fenris!" Amelia called out to him.

He had enough of being tossed around by them. It was never his intention to confront them, but invading his privacy was enough to send him over the edge.

"You all decided who I was going to marry. While I never agreed to any of it." Fenris growled at Amelia, who was not backing down to her younger brother.

"You will do as dad wanted and create cubs with a Lycan girl, not a human one." Amelia scowled at me.

Though, in her eyes, there seemed to be conflict. Did she believe her words? Or was something changing? She avoided gazing at Melody, though.

"I will knock up whoever I want, sis. That is not for you to say anymore." Fenris smirked, knowing full well that they had little power over what he did with his body anymore.

Especially on who he would stick his thing in.

"The elders will knock some sense into that head of yours later," Amelia growled, helping Layla up before slowly leaving with them.

"I look forward to it, sis." Fenris scuffed, annoyed by the entire event.

"We got your back," Liam assured Fenris.

Melody nodded in agreement. In response, Fenris sighed before calling me over as I ran into his arms. Even though he was not planning on confronting anyone yet, it seemed they took it out of his hands the moment Layla came for me again. That was unacceptable.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. Layla avoided Fenris and me like the plague. The funerals happened quickly and swiftly. All the families had agreed to lay their loved ones to rest at the same time, making it efficient. When we came back to the inn from the graveyard, a message was there for us from Ryker. It seemed the council had agreed to meet me and would convene in a month. The Lycan elders would also be there. So, it would be like getting two birds with one stone.

After that, Fenris and I retired back into the building where tensions were higher than ever. Our room had been fixed and our daily life continued. Though Amara came over a lot, claiming to run studies on me. I did not mind her, though.

I was still stuck in the room more. Well, it was even worse after what I had done. At least the media had waited until after the memorials to publish their articles. But with that, they announced my story to the world. Some called me a monster, and a victim, while others called me a savior.

The only time I was allowed out of my room was if Fenris had to go somewhere. He would not let me leave his sight. Everything was becoming more hectic. My world was slowly changing again, as time moved forward towards the fated day of the meeting.

The day that would change my life forever.