At dinnertime, Gavin decided to head back to his room to freshen up. We had napped together again, then talked for awhile and played with his phone.

I had fun on a game called Angel's Discord. Gavin told me of a player that managed to reach the highest level in the game within a few weeks, and his name was WarSeer. I thought that was so cool. I wondered what he's like in reality. He seemed really nice from what people said about him on the chat system.

I left my room with a few minutes to spare and spun around a few times on my way, keeping my dizziness to a minimum. I spotted Blaine and waved at him. He ignored me, because his head was down as he stalked off. I dropped my arm and stared worriedly in the direction he went. It wasn't to the dining room.

Matteo stepped out of the room Blaine emerged from a few moments later. He looked around and caught sight of me. His eyes widened, and I bit my lip. What was I supposed to say in this situation? What felt right?

"Little wolf, you seem to be settling in well." commented Matteo, gesturing to the shirt I wore. "That's Gavin's, right?"

"It was." I grinned. "It's mine now. He gave it to me."

Matteo's dark eyebrows rose. "Really? I'm surprised. It even looks clean. What happened while I was gone?"

I giggled. "I cleaned his room!"

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Gavin doesn't let anyone in his room. What in the world?"

My tail wiggled. I felt some happiness from his casual comment.

"Anwyll!" called Zaire, so I turned with a broad smile to see him jogging up.

"Zaire!" I beamed, holding my arms out to him.

He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed my body, moving us side to side. I giggled and hugged him back.

"How are you?" asked Zaire. "Your cheek looks like it's healed now."

I nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm great, Zaire. How are you?"

"Good," he smiled, nuzzling my head. "Gavin looks much more relaxed now, versus how tense he used to be. I can clearly see he's feeling better. I can't believe I never noticed."

"You had your own problems, so now that those have been removed for the most part, you can see the differences." I smiled, nosing his chest and inhaling his scent. "Oh, Zaire, do you know what's for dinner tonight?"

Zaire shook his head. "Shall we find out together?"

"Sure!" I grasped his hand with a bright smile.

We started walking, then I remembered Matteo. I glanced back and saw his dumbfounded expression. I giggled and wiggled my fingers at him.

"Coming, Matteo?"

He just stood there, making no move at all. I shrugged and kept going with Zaire. Waltz bounced over, kissing my cheek. I'm almost positive I saw a faint shimmer of his pretty wings when I returned the kiss. He giggled, then danced away. Gavin caught up and grabbed up my free hand, which made Zaire eye him with a cautious gaze.

I pecked their lips, then grinned happily when I saw them sporting equal blushes. I took a seat, silently noting that Angel and Damon were on serving duty. And that meant Dian was on dish duty.

Dian blatantly stared at me as I settled my tail across my lap. I smiled at him.

"What's wrong, Dian?"

He shivered, tilting his head back for a moment. "Hmm, I am just a bit curious." he finally spoke, his deep brown eyes boring into me.

I blinked in surprise. "All right, ask away."

Dian's right eyebrow twitched, so he glanced away from my face. "Maybe later."

Waltz settled next Dian, so the two cuddled up together. Angel kissed the top of my head as he set down Zaire's portion along with mine. I smiled up at him. Briar kissed my head as he gave Gavin his plate.

I blushed when Damon and Dian eyed me with curiosity. I glanced down the table, but Blaine was nowhere to be found. Matteo took a seat next to Alexandre, who looked very slim next to the bearlike man. A lightbulb went off, and I grinned at Matteo when he glanced over.

He looked away, then turned to Alexandre, who smiled at me. I waved at him.

"Where's Blaine?" inquired Damon.

"Probably in his room. I can take him his food later." I offered, but most people at the table protested with a very firm no. I pouted at them. "Why?"

"He'll eat you." warned Waltz. "Don't go there, Annie."

I huffed, puffing my cheeks out. "What if he doesn't eat me?"

"If you stop being so adorable, maybe he won't, but I doubt that would happen."

My cheeks burned and I hugged my tail. "I can be not cute." I grumped, but Angel snickered.

"No way, sweetheart. You will always look adorable no matter what." he commented, taking a seat.

"Damon, how about you take Blaine's meal to him? Since you asked about his absence, it only seems fair." suggested Dian, so Damon shrugged.

"Sure, 'cause we have to keep our little wolf's chastity intact."

I curled up and hid my face with a soft whine on my lips while everyone at the table laughed. I felt like a tomato-head. I could see that my cheeks were so red, and they were hot against my hands.

I slowly uncurled when Zaire and Gavin started petting me. I rested my nose on the tablecloth, eyeing my family with big violet eyes. My tail slapped against Zaire's thigh, then slithered down to thump against the chairs' legs. I straightened when Alexandre spoke a blessing of sorts over the meal, then started eating along with everyone else.

After the meal, I helped clear the dishes from the table. Dian gave me a look that clearly said we needed to talk. I brushed by him, my tail curling around his ankles as I placed the next batch of plates into the sink.

"Anwyll," started Dian, as he approached the sink while rolling his sleeves up. "What kind of magic do you possess?"

"Like Alexandre?" I asked, rinsing my fingers under the tap. Dian nodded, so I frowned. "I don't have any magic."

"Impossible," he snorted. "How the hell did you get Zaire to warm up to you? He was the spikiest out of all of us. He'd never accept a handshake, let alone hugs and kisses."

I blinked. Dian was a lot angrier than I'd realized. He was so calm around Waltz. It made me wonder if Waltz had that effect on him or if Dian was doing it for his lover's sake.

"So, tell me, what the hell did you do?"

Dian slammed his palms on the counter, pressing my body against drawers. My shoulder blades creaked against the countertop, making me wince. My ears flattened against my skull, and I stared up at him with startled expression.

"D-Dian?" I whimpered, then felt my shirt being pulled down.

"Where? Where the fuck are the hickeys? Did you ask them to be done in a place they couldn't be seen?"

Tears rose to my eyes. "D-Dian, stop..."

He growled and ripped down my shorts, turning me around. I fought back, but he held me still with one hand. He groped my crotch, then slipped one hand into my panties. I froze, then began to cry when I felt something scrape a sensitive part.

"Dian, stop!" I shouted, my voice raw with fear and pain.

Dian jerked away when the door slammed open, his eyes were wide as he stared between me and his hands. I ran off, ignoring the shouts of my family. I tried to pull up my shorts, but stumbled and fell in the hallway. I crumpled to a heap and began to sob.

Why did Dian do that to me?

"Anwyll?" asked Blaine, his voice cautious and unsure. "What's wrong?"

I lifted my messy face. "B-Blaine..."

He scooped me up in an instant, his strength surprising me. It stopped my tears for a moment, but I began to cry again when that place began to sting. I heard a door slam open, then shut, and I was placed down on a soft bed. Blaine disappeared, but came back with a washcloth. He wiped my face clean, petting my hair as my sobs eased.

He put the cloth aside and gave me a few tissues. "Anwyll, what happened?"

"D-Dian..." a choked sob slipped out, and I coughed on my saliva.

Blaine rubbed my chest in a soothing manner. "What did Dian do?"

"H-he got mad at me. He was c-convinced that I had magic and I was having s-sex with everyone."

He tensed up, but kept rubbing my body. It was easing my emotional upset with the slow, repetitive movements.

"Dian looked for something called a hickey, then pulled down my shorts."

I squeezed my eyes shut, but Blaine kept petting my head and rubbing my tummy. Honestly, I was amazed he could do those two things at the same time.

"H-he touched me down there and put his h-hand inside—!"

Blaine hushed me when my voice rose a few notes and began to twist into a strangled sob. He pressed a gentle kiss to my temple.

"I think he scratched me, 'cause it hurt a lot and now it stings." I whimpered, rolling closer to him.

Blaine seemed surprised, but didn't push me away. "Do you want me to look?"

"You'd do that for me?" I whispered, gazing up at him with an astonished expression. "You're too nice, Blaine. You've helped me, washed my face, comforted me, and now this."

He chuckled and rubbed my head, making me smile in return. "You make me want to be nice, Anwyll. To you, especially."

I blushed a bit and grasped his hand, then pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

Blaine hummed, kissing my forehead again. "Let's check you, okay?"

"Mm, thank you, Blaine." I murmured, letting him remove my shorts and panties. I watched him lay them neatly next to us.

He moved between my thighs and pushed my legs up, then had me hold my knees against my chest. He chuckled and I blushed, but I learned a moment later that he wasn't laughing at me.

"I've never been between such an adorable boy's thighs without the intent of having sex with him. You have taken my first, Anwyll."

I giggled in response. "Good!"

"Okay, I'm going to touch you a bit."

"Mhm," I responded, relaxing into the bed. It felt really nice for some reason. His fingers carefully sliding over my private area felt good, too.

"Where did it hurt?"

I frowned for a moment. "My sac, around the left side."

Blaine felt around and I tensed with a soft whine. He made a noise of understanding as he sat back. "Well, you do have a scratch. A pretty deep one. It's stopped bleeding, though."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Thank you so much for checking, Blaine." I rolled upright to hug him.

He was startled again, but he accepted the hug. I rubbed my cheek on his chest, inhaling an odd scent on his clothes. Blaine stiffened.

"You smoke." I said softly, getting up onto my knees. "Why?"

He clenched his jaw. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. You're not the kind of person who starts smoking because it, and I quote, 'looks cool.' I can tell that's not your personality type."

Blaine grunted, giving me a side-eye glare. "And what personality type am I, little wolf?"

"The silently brooding type like Rose." I smiled a bit and held out my hands to him.

He eyed me with caution, but gently took my hands in his own. "Do you have magic?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't believe I do. Alexandre would have told me, right?"

Blaine shrugged. "He doesn't tell us everything about ourselves, even if we ask. You may have magic."

"Well, that's a problem." I frowned, nibbling on my bottom lip. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

The green and brown in Blaine's eyes swirled with an emotion I was not familiar with. He hummed a bit and rubbed my hands with his thumbs.

"I don't think, if you do have magic, that it's the type that harms people. In fact, it would likely help others." he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "A magic that calms the turmoil in others' minds and helps them fight the demons inside themselves. A magic that allows one to feel safe and loved in your arms, but only if they truly desire it in their hearts."

I smiled sadly. "That would be a wonderful magic, if I had something like that. But I don't, so it's just me loving you, and everyone else, that allows them to feel more than what they already did."

Blaine opened his eyes. "You love me?" he asked in a soft tone, his eyes filled with pain. "You don't know me. How could possibly love me, someone with a horrible reputation for being a sex addict, and that has been rejected so many times, smokes, and has other problems?"

He dropped my hands, so I lifted one and placed it on his cheek. "Blaine," I crooned in a low tone, making him shiver. "Blaine, those are things that don't define who you truly are as a person. Those are the issues that need to be dealt with, but a rejected, sex-addicted smoker is not who you really are inside, is it?"

Blaine bit his bottom lip when it began to tremble, then shook his head. "That's not me! I don't want to be that guy in everyone's minds. Even Ma—!"

He snapped his mouth shut and forced the tears away. I placed my left hand on his right cheek, scooting closer to look into his face.

"Matteo doesn't accept you, and that's what hurts the most." I said in a soft voice, and he flinched.

When he was about to ask how I knew that, I shushed him with my lips. He tensed, but began to relax and kiss me back. I threaded my fingers into his black hair and tugged on his locks. Blaine groaned and wrapped his arms around my waist, drawing my body closer to him.

I broke the gentle kiss and placed a single peck on his lips before I leaned back to look at his flushed face. "Blaine, I saw you coming out of the room that he came out from less than a minute later. You looked to be in so much pain. I wanted to go to you, but I knew you needed your space."

Blaine slowly nodded. "And a couple cigarettes."

I sighed and petted his hair by carding my fingers through it. Blaine leaned into my touch and flopped onto his side next to me. I smiled and continued doing what I was to keep him calm.

"Blaine, I know there is a chance you might refuse, but I want to tell you something. But I also don't want you to think that I'm trying to replace Matteo in your life. I'm not, but I want to be here for you when no one else is. I want to be someone you can rely on for not only emotional and mental support, but physical as well. I want to hold you, kiss your skin, tell you that you mean so much to me, and all that is the truth. I want to love you, Blaine."

Blaine was completely quiet for awhile, his soft breaths turning more ragged until a single tear rolled down his cheek. I brushed it away.

"I want you to know that I have offered my love to Zaire, Gavin, Waltz, Angel, and Briar so far. I have enough for everyone, Blaine. I am not offering on a whim, nor to make people feel better (even though that is a nice bonus), but because I want this. I want to love you, love everyone here. I want to spread the joy and love I received by coming to this place back to all of you." I smiled gently, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

Blaine finally smiled, and it was so beautiful. My heart pounded, my gut twisting in awe of it.

"You don't really have actual magic," whispered Blaine, his green and brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You are the magic we all needed. You hold the love we all crave to have, but believe we can never keep."

I rubbed his head. "Mhm, so people have told me. Alexandre and Waltz called me the missing puzzle piece."

Blaine chuckled and curled around to rest his head on my thighs. I blushed, remembering the time with Gavin. I kept stroking my fingers through his hair and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I want it." uttered Blaine, as he slowly opened his eyes again. "I want your love, Anwyll. I want to feel loved, beloved by you. I want to feel and truly know that I am more than what people see. I don't want the stress from rejections time and time again, even though I love Matteo. Even though I love him, he doesn't love me and likely never will. But I want a love in which someone will love me back, and I know that will happen with you, Anwyll. And no, you will not replace Matteo in my heart, but you will make a new place there."

My eyes burned with tears, so as they fell on Blaine's cheek, I leaned down and kissed him, brushing my tears from his face.

"Then you will accept me and my love?" I asked, a heartfelt smile on my face.

Blaine rolled onto his back and threaded his fingers into my hair, easing me down for another kiss. As his lips brushed mine, his breath pushed out along with his voice.

"Yes," he breathed, making me smile as our lips met in a slow, gentle kiss.