After the cleanup, Gavin gave me a kiss on the cheek in thanks. I wandered out of the kitchen and strolled down the wide hallway, looking up at the high-arching ceilings. It was truly magnificent. There wasn't any art on the walls, which I thought was a bit odd, but I didn't start to question it.

I bumped into something and almost fell, but a familiar scent enveloped me as an arm wrapped around my waist. My eyes popped open as I was lifted, and I was surprised to see Alexandre. His honey-gold eyes gleamed at me. They were filled with amusement.

"Hello, my little wolf. Where are you headed off to?" he asked, tucking my body against his side.

"Nowhere, really. I just wanted to explore a bit. Where are you going, Alexandre?"

Alexandre's eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks once I said his name. His lips curled up. "I was merely heading back to my office. Would you like to join me?" he asked, his honey-gold eyes swirling with pleasure.

"If that's not too much trouble." I responded in a soft voice. "I promise to be quiet."

"There is no need to worry. Ambrose has spoken of your silent steps, and we all know how soft-spoken and careful you are with the items in this household."

My cheeks warmed a bit. "O-okay, Alexandre."

"Hug my neck, my little wolf." he ordered in a soft voice, so I did as he wanted, but I must admit that I like hugs a lot, so it was no problem.

I snuggled in and rested my head on his shoulder. Alexandre hummed, the deep rumbly sound making me purr a bit. I was surrounded in warmth, which meant I was getting sleepy again. I nosed Alexandre's shoulder, then closed my eyes with a soft sigh. He rubbed my nape, making me squirm a bit because it felt good. He gripped it and I went limp.

"How precious, my sweet Anwyll. Just like a real little wolf." breathed Alexandre, so I snuggled closer and pressed my nose in his neck. "Yes, let us cuddle as much as you want."

I was a bit confused, but too tired to respond. I nuzzled his throat and placed a kiss there, which made his grip tighten. I felt his short beard brush against my ear as he placed a kiss to my head in return. I sleepily giggled and squeezed him.

I heard a door open, so I guess Alexandre had arrived at his office. He closed the door, then I startled a bit when he sat down. Alexandre moved my legs a bit, then he sat back with one very warm hand on my back, his fingers curled around my side. It felt good; soothing.

Alexandre started typing on his computer, then sat back again. I heard him move something, then rolled the chair closer. I clutched his pressed white shirt, nosing his stiff collar for a moment.

"Just sleep if you feel it necessary, Anwyll. You are safe here, even more so in my arms." rumbled Alexandre, and I peeled my eyelids open for a moment to watch wings appear on his back.

I gently stroked one finger against the leathery membrane, which made Alexandre hiss, but not from pain. The white dragon wings disappeared, and I closed my eyes again, wondering if I imagined it all.

"Thank you, Alexandre. Nighty-night."

He chuckled, but said nothing in reply as I drifted off.

_______________________

"Come in," rumbled Alexandre, which made me slowly come back into awareness. My fingers twitched when I heard Zaire's voice.

"What is he doing here, Sir?"

"He is our family, so of course he's allowed to be here. Zaire, your attitude has been getting worse. What is the reason?"

"Reason?" asked Zaire, then spat, "I don't need to give you a reason to my personal matters, Sir."

"Zaire, I have been very tolerant of your crude language, rudeness towards Anwyll, and the other things as of late, but this will not continue much longer if you cannot overcome your 'personal problems.' So, I have an assignment—!"

Zaire snorted. "Your assignments are always bullshit."

Alexandre growled, "Do not disrespect me. Do you want to be punished, Zaire?"

It got quiet.

Alexandre sighed aloud. "Zaire, I know you are a good boy under all that hate, but we need to deal with the source. For that, I am assigning you for buddy duty with Anwyll."

"B-buddy duty?" Zaire sounded flabbergasted. "What the hell is that?"

"You are to spend several hours with him every day for a full week. If you skip out, I will hear about it and your punishment will not be light. This is for your own good, Zaire, even if it's not apparent at this moment in time."

The door slammed. Alexandre growled, but sighed aloud. I rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders, making him shiver. I kissed his jaw and rubbed my cheek on his chest. The tension began to leak out, so Alexandre slowly relaxed.

He petted my head. "Thank you, Anwyll. I am sure you heard the rather heated discussion with Zaire."

I sat back and rested my hands on his sculpted body. Alexandre covered the one on his chest, a small smile playing on his lips. I felt my cheeks flush as I gazed up at him.

"Y-yes, I heard it. I'm sorry for eavesdropping."

He shook his head and cupped my left cheek with his right hand. "It is of no matter, Anwyll. You would have heard of it relatively shortly afterwards."

I leaned into his hand, my smile growing. I felt lips land on the bridge of my nose, then opened my eyes to see Alexandre's beautiful orbs as he pulled back a bit.

"U-um, what is this punishment thing?"

Alexandre's smile grew. "Well, my little wolf, I have full faith that you would never disobey me nor disrespect me and the others, so do not worry your pretty head over it."

My cheeks warmed again, so I turned my head and kissed his palm. "B-but what if I do? Mom said I'm such a bad child. What if I'm bad here too, and mess everything up?"

Alexandre's thumb rubbed over my cheek, so I brought my attention back to his handsome face. His eyes were filled with compassion.

"Anwyll, you were good for her—too good, in fact—so do not worry about being bad. I know you innately are a good boy with a precious heart, who cares for others beyond most people's limits." he said firmly, then tilted my head back and kissed me.

His beard scraped my skin, sending delicious tingles up and down my spine. I mewled softly and tried to kiss him back. He growled and shivered, his fingers sliding behind my head to tug my short hair. I gasped, feeling the spicy tingles in my lower half again.

Alexandre slowly eased the intensity of the kiss, but I was already gasping for breath. He chuckled and kissed my head.

"Did that feel good, little wolf?"

"Mmh," I mewed, my words still unable to form.

"Good," he said, then stood up and took me with him. "Now, let us go to Zaire."

I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck, which made his chest vibrate with a deep rumble. I nosed his bearded jaw, then kissed it and dropped my head again. Alexandre kissed my head, then made his way for the door.

As he closed it and began walking, we heard Waltz's voice call out, "Alex! Zaire's gone!"

"What?"

I felt Alexandre's aura shift and peeked behind him. His wings were out again. They were massive, but beautiful.

"Waltz, which direction did he go? Did he take anything with him?"

"The trees said he went northwest, and he was holding something. They couldn't tell what it was, but they knew it belonged to nature."

Alexandre's jaw ticked. "Have Angel prepare the usual room."

I rubbed his shoulders as I turned to look at Waltz. His face was pale, but he smiled weakly once he saw me. He dashed off and Alexandre jogged to the front door, since it was the closest exit.

"Alexandre, maybe you should put me down. I don't want to burden you."

"No, I need you to keep me calm. And Zaire will need you when we find him."

I blinked. "All right, Alexan—eek!" I squeaked, as Alexandre soared upwards.

His wings flapped hard for several moments to get us into the sky, then he glided along the air currents. I was in shock. We were flying!

"Look at the ground, my little wolf, if you can manage it. My eyesight is good in the dark, but yours is better."

"Dark?" I numbly asked, then finally realized that it was, in fact, nighttime. I turned slight to look down, and I could see really well. "Um, am I looking for movement?"

"Yes, Zaire has a little green tag."

"Tag?"

"With every new member, I tag them with a colored flame, so that I can always find them. And that is helpful when they are in danger, like Zaire in this moment."

I hummed, still watching for a green flame flickering in the foliage. I thought I saw something further ahead.

"I think he's ahead of us."

Alexandre growled and pumped his wings, shooting forward. I hid my face in his neck for a moment, then peeked below us.

"There he is!" I exclaimed softly, pointing to the green flame directly below us.

We began to dive, and Alexandre kept my body tucked to him. He snapped out his wings as we neared the ground and landed in front of Zaire. The force made the ground tremble. I cautiously watched Zaire scramble backwards with something in his hand.

Alexandre set me loose and pointed to Zaire, so I accepted the order. I loved to run, so it wasn't a bit deal to me. I shot forward and followed Zaire off to the left, then heard Alexandre's wingbeats as he took to the sky again.

I watched Zaire's green flame flicker ahead of me, and almost tripped over a log. I yelped, but kept running after the younger boy.

"Zaire!" I called out, then heard a loud crunch in front of me. "Zaire, are you okay?"

"Shut up, you stupid dog!" growled Zaire, as I caught up with him.

He was holding something to his chest with one hand, his ankle in the other. I bent down and carefully moved closer, but Zaire lashed out and his nails dug into my skin. I bit back my whimper of pain.

"I-I'm sorry, I just want to check your ankle."

Zaire hissed at me, his forked tongue flicking out as his pupils narrowed. "Get the hell away from me, you damned dog!"

He lashed out again, but I reacted and knocked his hand away. I darted forward to lightly prod his ankle, then hopped away when Zaire growled at me.

"It seems like it's not broken, but it will start swelling up soon, since you either twisted or sprained it. C'mon, Zaire, we need to go home."

Zaire just stared at me with a furious expression, then snorted and angrily turned away. "I'm not staying in that shitty place any longer."

"Why do you say that? It's the nicest place I have ever seen, let alone lived in."

His nose twitched. "Maybe so, you pitiful creature. But I lived in a much better place before those bags of crap abandoned me to Sir Alexandre."

I sat down near him, but not enough for him to hurt me again. "How did that happen?"

Zaire clammed up, so I asked a different question. "Who's that?"

He looked confused. "What?"

"The snake in your hands must be pretty important for you to bring him or her with you." I gestured to the creature in his right hand.

"Oh, this is my pet. I've had her for a few years." Zaire's eyes softened, and I could have sworn I saw him smile.

It stunned me. He was much more pretty when he was happy.

"What's her name?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?" asked Zaire, his tone serious.

"I promise it on my fluffy tail." I said with a smile, holding my tail in my lap.

Zaire snorted, but I caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes. "All right, then I have a right to cut it off if you laugh."

I gasped and hugged my tail. "Zaire!"

"I'm kidding," he smiled a bit, which made me grin. "Well, partially."

My smile faded and I squeezed my tail in a protective hold. He snickered, then petted his snake with a gentle touch.

"Her name is Beanie."

I was dead silent, then dropped my tail. "Oh, that's cute! I like her name!"

Zaire paused, then raised his eyes to mine. "R-really?"

"Yeah! I can see her wearing a mini beanie or something and I know she'd look super cute." I grinned, scooting a few inches toward him.

"Y-yeah, thanks." he mumbled. "Um, thank you for making those pancakes. I really liked them."

"You're welcome! I'm so happy I saw the almond milk in the fridge, so you could have pancakes, too."

Zaire looked a bit sorry for some reason, but the reason became obvious when he said why. "I'm sorry for calling you stupid. I'm not a big fan of new people, and I have been really upset because of personal things. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

I scooted up against his back and leaned on him. "S'okay, Zaire. I'm used to it, so you didn't hurt me. But I know you're hurting 'cause of those personal things, so I want you to know that I have these wolf ears for a reason. I'm willing to be your listener in exchange for one thing."

Zaire sniffed. "What would that be?"

I moved my right hand back. "Cuddle time, please."

I waited thirty seconds with a blush eating away at my cheeks. Finally, I felt trembling fingers brush my own. I grinned, as his hand made contact with my own. I gently grasped it and tilted my head back.

"Thank you, Zaire."

Zaire was quiet, but I could feel his heart pounding through his body into mine.

"I know you think our home isn't that great, but I have never experienced anything so wonderful. I have never felt such a thing as compassion, or niceties, or a real bed. I have never enjoyed my meager once-daily meal. I have never been allowed to live with happiness, so now joy fills my body and overflows. I have never been loved or allowed to love anything for fifteen years, so please allow me to love you." I whispered, then closed my eyes as I leaned my head back.

Zaire gripped my hand, then released a heavy sigh. "Okay," came the soft, barely audible response.

A single tear of happiness rolled down my cheek.