Anonymous

Even when Luke had told her that Caroline was alright with her staying overnight...Daphne still somehow felt like she had done something wrong when she came home the next morning.

There was a mixture of ice and water on the grounds and Luke walked her home in his wolf form.

She wondered if she was ever going to get as used to as he was.

For Luke being a werewolf was something natural, something he had been born into. Something he .

For Daphne...For Daphne, it was a supernatural thing that was weird and painful and she had no idea what she was supposed to do with it.

Luke hadn't pressured her once about what she should do about the wolf lurking beneath her skin. He had only asked her that once if she wanted to shift and had accepted her desire to wait. If Daphne ever wanted to shift now that...she had the option.

Sometimes she felt terrified about the prospect. And other times...like this, with Luke next to her, the big black wolf's ear twitching and checking out the forest around them...then Daphne wondered if she didn't want to be with him like that as well.

Sometimes Daphne wondered if she could feel the wolf lurking underneath the surface. If that was what she was feeling when the heat unfurled in her chest as it did sometimes when Luke was close to her.

She scratched Luke behind his ears when she reached the front door, smiling at him.

"You'll come over later?" She asked him softly and he nodded his agreement, stepping back and waiting until she had unlocked the door before he darted back into the forest.

She looked at him for a moment, suddenly wondering what she was going to look like if she ever shifted. Would she be a similar black colour like him? Or look something completely different? Was it hereditary?

Daphne didn't let herself end that thought, slipping off her shoes and her jacket and hanging it up in the hallway.

"Daphne?" Her aunt's voice came from the kitchen and Daphne stepped through, finding her baking, which was a rare thing.

Cecilia Schuyler was the standard baker in their near circles of friends and acquaintances, always sending Grace and Luke to school with cookies and muffins and pies. And they were always great.

"Christmas Cookies," Caroline asked the unasked question. "You can help me decorate them later if you want to.

For a moment Daphne was frozen in her spot, staring at the gingerbread men that were taking shape.

She never had...done that beforehand. .

Michelle hadn't baked and later when Daphne had maybe been old enough to do it on her own, making gingerbread cookies had been at the very bottom of things to do.

She never even had eaten one.

"Everything okay, Honey?" Caroline asked her gently and Daphne nodded.

"Yes. Everything is great," she brought out. Gingerbread Men. Why were they the thing that ended up reminding her of her mother?

Daphne took a seat at the kitchen island, Caroline pushing a bowl with the offcuts nearer to her.

"You can eat some of the ones that didn't look right," Caroline winked at her and Daphne just shook her head but picked out a misshapen gingerbread cookie, taking a bite.

It tasted good. Perfect even. The flavour burst into her mouth and Daphne wondered how many other things there were that she had never gotten to taste because they hadn't been able to afford them.

She took another cookie when she finished the first, staring at it for a moment.

Caroline had moved on to put the next batch in the oven and then washed her hands before she moved towards the counter and finally places a single yellow post it before Daphne.

A time and date were on that and Daphne's eyebrows furrowed when she had no idea what that was.

"An appointment. Monday. At an OB/Gyn," Caroline told her evenly and Daphne flushed a dull red. Oh god. Oh god.

She dared to look at her aunt, expecting anger but Caroline just smiled at her.

"I am not going to kill you, Honey," Caroline said softly. "It's okay. Nobody is angry at you. I would prefer to teach you how to swim rather than have you drown."

The drowning part probably was an unwanted pregnancy then.

"Fertility Issues are rare for our kind. And most types of hormonal birth control don't work either for us. We tend to shed that like water," Caroline explained resolutely.

"Luke and I didn't..." Daphne brought out, trying to make her aunt understand that they hadn't...they hadn't done anything but kissing.

"I know," Caroline agreed immediately. "Apart from the fact that there is no new bite mark on your neck, everybody would have been able to smell it."

"Does...sex and mating always go hand in hand?" Daphne questioned hesitantly and Caroline shook her head.

"No. Not always. But in your case? I would expect it to do. You are both in the throes of puberty. Luke has a tight grip on his wolf, but it's not...definite. Especially not as far as you are concerned. His wolf has accepted you as his mate and if the opportunity would present itself...I don't think that Luke would be able to refuse if you bared your neck to him." Something to keep in mind then. No neck baring...not when Daphne could help it.

She wondered if it was an alpha thing. She had no idea what it actually meant that Luke would one day be the alpha of the Schuyler Pack, she suddenly realised. She needed to learn that. She needed to learn that quickly if she didn't want to embarrass him and she didn't want .

"Lucille, Kiana's Mum, she found a few things that seem to work quite well for our kind," Caroline continued. "I made you an appointment with her. She'll have you squared away with some birth control shots.

"Thank you," Daphne thanked softly. And she was thankful. Very thankful in fact.

"Of course," Caroline hummed softly.

"Daphne," her aunt said, waiting until she looked up at her. "Wait until you are ready. Luke is not going to be angry at you for refusing him."

She nodded her agreement at that and Caroline smiled at her.

"Good, now that's that taken care of ...let's do some cookie decorating." She couldn't help but smile at that, but happily helped pipe faces and buttons on the gingerbread men who looked quite good, if Daphne could say so herself.

Ollie came down a few minutes later and by the time lunch rolled around both of them had eaten far too many gingerbread cookies and icing but they were laughing at Ollie's try to decorate one gingerbread man that now looked like it had sprouted tentacles.

It was far more family time than Daphne had ever gotten before. And she enjoyed every moment of it.

***

*You already gave me the talk once, DAD!!* Luke exclaimed mentally, doing his best to get far, far away from his father. His father was sadly not having any of that, and in response to that, grabbed his unruly son by the scruff at the neck like he had used to do when he had still been a wolf cub.

He was unceremoniously dragged bag towards his father and while Luke was pretty sure that he way a physical match for him, his father would probably still kick his ass.

He should probably have expected that there was an ulterior motive when his father had asked him to go on a run with him on a Sunday evening.

*You weren't in a relationship with your mate then,* his father gave back, sounding amused.

God this was uncomfortable. Yesterday he had been decisively amused by Daphne stuttering and blushing bright red when she had mentioned to him that she had a doctor's appointment courtesy of Caroline.

Luke couldn't blame her and to be honest, he was quite thankful about it. Daphne needed somebody to give her some information about matings and claiming and he wasn't sure if he was the best source on that matter.

*Sit down,* his father told him drily and Luke did as ordered but was decisively looking everywhere but his father.

*Do we need to do this?* He tried to get out of it one final time but his father just snorted.

*Yes, we do. No relationship that you had until this point will be able to compare to being with Daphne. Both sexually and platonically, but you know that,* his father said seriously. *She's your . If all goes well then she is the woman you will marry and make a life with, Lucas.*

He knew that. God, he hoped for that future. He wanted nothing more but that future, the idea to come home to Daphne and whatever family they would make one day. Their children. Their lives intertwined together.

They hadn't talked about it yet, but that didn't mean that it wasn't on Luke's mind. He thought about it sometimes, when he watched over her while she slept, when he saw both the child that she had once been and the woman that she was becoming.

*She will be your strongest weakness...and your biggest strength. A pack is only as strong as the Alpha's mate,* his father continued. *Daphne has the potential to be everything you could possibly want if you give your relationship the room to grow and nurture it.*

Didn't he know that?

*I love her.* Luke finally admitted softly, his claws burying into the soft forest ground.*I didn't expect it to happen this quickly. I didn't...* He hadn't planned on that. He hadn't expected it to be already there, the feelings for her. But it had been like a switch had been flipped for him since he had first laid eyes on Daphne. And now that he got to know her...now that he got to spend time with, got to kiss her and hold her...he couldn't imagine spending another day where he couldn't do that.

He looked up at his father, who seemed more amused by his admission than anything else.

*You aren't even surprised,* Luke said drily and his father just sighed.

*I am not,* he answered. *You always wanted a mate, Luke. It makes sense that you are all in on that relationship already. Daphne, however, is not. She needs more time.*

Luke wanted to protest that, wanted to start snapping that his father was wrong but he was silenced with a look from amber eyes.

*Luke, I know you don't like to hear it. But her complete life turned upside down a few months ago. She lost the only parent she had. And yes, her mother abused her. But that doesn't make it easier for her. It just makes it even more difficult. And while it's obvious that she is dealing with all of that to the best of her ability, she is not completely alright. She is still far from that, to be honest.*

*She adores you,* his father continued, gently looking at him. *She enjoys being with you. You make her happy. You are probably one of the few people that make her this happy. Don't pressure her to make a declaration of love. She isn't ready for that.*

Luke wanted her to be ready for that. But he took the advice to heard. He wouldn't tell her. Not yet. They weren't ready yet. He would give Daphne as much time as she needed.

*She'll need time. Give both of you time. You are still young. You'll figure it out,* his father told him softly. *On that note...New Years is coming up.*

Which meant that there annual...pack meeting if one could call it yet also came up. It happened every New Years Eve at their house and Luke's mother, as usual, was already starting to get a bit crazy.

It was a fancy party, where the adults talked and the kids were required to make small talk with the younger werewolves of other packs. It also worked as a bit of a mixer for younger werewolves to maybe find their mates. It was hit or miss but they had some success.

Some of the more traditional packs discouraged mating with a human as it was a hit or miss if the child was born a werewolf or not. These were the same packs that also encouraged procreating with a fellow werewolf if one did choose to mate with a human, something that Luke had always just found crassly inappropriate.

*I would like Daphne to attend. At your side. So you need to ask her if you haven't yet,* his father told him and Luke shook his head.

*I don't think that's a good idea, Dad,* he disagreed. *She's ill at ease with werewolves at best and terrified what she could become at most. She still hasn't shifted. And you how some of them can get.*

*You have my full permission to be as much of an asshole as you need to be to get them to back off. I won't have either of you questioned about your relationship. She is your mate and they better respect that, even without an obvious claiming bite,* his father snorted. *Do you know why she is still hesitant about shifting?*

*No. She doesn't talk about it. I didn't push her either though. She's trying to push the wolf down. But I think there will come a time where she can't do that anymore...and that is going to end badly,* Luke admitted darkly.

*I agree...I wonder if you did actually change her when you bit her,* his father considered thoughtfully and Luke's head snapped up at this.

* exactly do you mean?* he questioned harshly and his father sighed.

*If her mother took drugs throughout the pregnancy...and there was a mate bond rotting away, Daphne's wolf could have been buried deep even before she was born. Matthew posed that question because...her scars are littering her body, Luke, but there seems to be no permanent damage. The question is if a human would have survived her mother,* his father said and once more, Luke wanted to rip Michelle Emerson apart in a thousand little pieces.

*We'll never know the truth, will we?* Luke sighed. He would never know for sure if he had been the one changing her or if it had always slumbered within her and he had just been the last thing it needed to wake fully.

*No, it was just a theory. But maybe something she should think about. If she starts seeing her wolf as something that had always protected her and not as a burden,* his father told him leadenly. *If there is anything I can to do to put her mind at rest, let me know, Luke. Shifting could help her. In more ways than one. Her wolf could finally settle down completely.

*I will ask her,* Luke finally agreed. *Can I ask a question, Dad? Actually, two.*

*Of course, Son,* his father agreed immediately.

For a moment Luke wondered how he should best explain it before he settled on just saying it.

*It's...I feel like I have skin hunger,* he admitted softly. *I want to touch Daphne. A lot. It's. ..It's like I itch if I haven't held her for a few days. It's better if I get to hold her for an extended time.*

*Then you should take care that you get that opportunity,* his father told him drily. *Take the time you need. It's important Luke. It's nothing that is going to stop until you have completed a mating bond. Right now, your bond is fledging... Your bond grows through physical contact. when it has a sexual component to it,* Stephen Schuyler pointedly commented and Luke looked everywhere but his father.

*We were just kissing,* Luke mumbled embarrassed and he could feel his father's amusement bleed through their conversations.

Feelings were a bit hit or miss with the mental communications of werewolves. The closer the connection to one's conversation partner the better it seemed to work most of the time.

*That's than enough,* his father told him drily. *When she bares her neck to you, don't be startled when it happens. You are her mate, but you are also her . She will submit to you when the time comes. You wolf will it.*

Luke swallowed at that, his mouth suddenly dry. The idea of that obvious gesture of submission from Daphne.

*And the other question?* Her father interrupted him staring around in space and he went back to the question he wanted to ask.

*I don't want to hurt her. When we mate, I don't...* Luke whispered. He couldn't hurt her. Not like that. Not like...

*You won't,* his father told him, his voice certain but Luke protested.

*You don't know that.*

*You never hurt a single human girl you were with,* His father told him with a raised eyebrow. *And humans are a lot more breakable than werewolves.

*They didn't smell like her!* Luke snapped. *Their scent wasn't like freaking to me, dad. I have problems controlling myself when I am just her. I never knotted with any of these human girls either.*

*Wouldn't it be ?* his father wondered with a laugh before he grew serious again. *You are both throwing off of pheromones so I wouldn't worry that you are the only one going a bit crazy. And the knotting...you will most certainly knot with her, but it won't hurt her. She's a werewolf as well, so that...that opens things up for you a bit. She can take your strength if you are a bit rough with her,* his father advised him calmly. *Just be as gentle as you can and make it as good for her as possible.*

***

Daphne wondered if her cheeks would ever take on their normal colour ever again.

Caroline had dragged her to see the OB/GYN on Monday afternoon and after Daphne had gotten a shot that needed to be renewed every 3 months and got a lecture about werewolves and mating and claiming bites, she couldn't look at Luke without blushing beet red.

Biting. Knotting. .

This was just getting a whole lot kinkier than she anticipated.

And really, Luke was not making it any better when he had been even more tactile than usual that day.

Somehow she got through that day, even when she was pretty sure that Kiana was laughing at her all the whole time and got to go home, where homework was waiting for her.

Grace and Ollie were in his room giving her and Luke "privacy" as much as that was possible.

"Are you gonna tell me why you aren't looking at me?" He asked her drily and she could feel the blood rush into her cheeks once again.

"I got an injection that needs to be repeated every 3 months. Apparently, it's supposed to work on werewolves. Which is great, because I don't think I want to have a baby in Highschool," she started babbling. "And I got a whole talk about knotting and biting. And now I am thinking if you have made some primitive claim about breeding rights since I am smelling like you all the time. And that's apparently a huge warning sign for most other werewolves. And I should probably stop talking." Daphne continued and then snapped her jaw shut.