Demetrius' POV
After our argument I didn't see her again that night, too stubborn to admit to her own faults and I wasn't going to ignore her own insolence.
The only thing that I could appreciate werecats for were the fact they were a matriarchal community, until Darren Falkov of course. That's when the issues began to rise again.
Madeline was right in only one aspect, Werecat women were some of the most impressive warriors I had ever heard of, their agility and discreetness on the field made them unpredictable opponents, their much smaller frame compared to Werecat men made them harder targets, they were the reason the species had survived for so long.
But when Darren stepped up to the plate and attempted to turn it into a patriarchal clan, that was when the last glimmer of respect I had left for those people left my mind.
The feline warriors had been stealing resources from other species for years now, sent out by Alpha Falkov to retrieve metals, fruits and herbs without the consent of their rightful owners, under the table trades were being made and more than a few times had I caught She-cats at my boarder, bargaining with my people. They were punished of course and it was clear to me that Darren only cared about the treaty when it didn't benefit him, but I had the one thing I could hope for to put an end to this reckless endeavour of his, I had his daughter.
Darren's role as king was proving to be a dangerous one, the strong warriors of his were abusing their power to retrieve these resources, going as far as to kidnap the people it belonged to. His prejudice against my people only made us a target and I wasn't having any of that, it was my job to protect my people and out of respect to my late father I refused to disrupt the treaty, as long as it still stood I knew I could prevent a war, but I also knew Darren was looking for a loophole, he always had been.
It was clear to me that Madeline knew none of this, the way she gloated about her people and how amazing they were irked me the wrong way. Werewolves were demonised by society as being the ones who stole and ruled with an iron fist because Darren blamed us when others got suspicious, we may have been that way centuries ago but I had changed that. I wanted to be respected, not feared, but if it meant keeping my people safe I would do anything possible, even if it meant my own image would be tarnished.
Madeline was like a beacon in the dark, the one rose in a bush of thorns, the only Werecat that I could find tolerable. Her innocence was dangerous, in more ways than one, and I had the bond to blame for it.
I was just pulling a fresh jumper over my shoulders when I heard the sound that made my blood run cold, I froze. Madeline's scream emitted through the house and I glanced at my clock on the nightstand, it was six thirty in the morning why is she awake?
I ran out of my room and down the corridor to the staircase, my mind racing over the few possibilities that could have caused her outburst. Was it a mouse? A spider? Then I remembered I had ordered my Commander to drop off some clothes.
I caught sight of her on the floor, my commander stood above her with his grip wrapped around her wrist, her arm lifted towards him in his grasp as if she had fallen to the floor as he grabbed hold of her, a threatening snarl left his lips.
"Commander!" I snarled, the danger to my mate angering me, was if she was hurt? I approached them both in the foyer and I watched as he released her arm and it fell back towards her body, she scurried backwards on her ass to create more distance. When I reached the both of them I stood between the altercation and pushed my commander harshly, he stumbled back and bowed his head in respect.
"Alpha, I didn't recognise the scent behind the door, i thought it was an intruder, I didn't expect her to be the one behind it." He admitted.
"That's because she's was supposed to be." I bit back through my clenched jaw, turning to face my mate who still sat on the floor, tears running down her face. I didn't blame my commander for his actions, despite the fury that spread through me as I took in Madeline's appearance, she looked beyond frightened and it upset me.
Only then did I notice the clothes that were scattered across my foyer floor. "Her hand came towards me and I retaliated, I'm sorry Alpha." He apologised, he look behind me. "Miss." He added, apologising to her also for his actions.
"I was just trying to help you with the clothes." She sobbed, my chest began to ache as I heard her cry, this must have been the first time she's experienced anything like this. I felt as though I was to blame, if we hadn't of been ignoring each other I could have told her he was coming and to not open the door, but how could I have known she would be up this early?
"I sincerely apologise." My commander spoke, he tried to step towards her with his hand out to help her up but I stepped in his way, I trusted him with many things, but Madeline was no longer one of them. "You're dismissed, Commander. Leave us."
He simply bowed respectfully and turn towards my front door, shutting it quietly behind him as he left, I turned my body to face the young lioness on my floor, who looked up at me pitifully.
"I didn't mean to do anything wr-"
"It's not your fault." I cut her off, bringing out my hand to help her up, with the same hand she used to wipe her tears away she grabbed onto my palm and I felt the cold wetness moisten my own hand. I hoisted her up and left go of her hand. "I didn't know you'd be awake this early."
"I overheard you two talking last night, I just thought I would take the opportunity to thank him for letting me wear his wife's clothing."
I sighed, she was too kind for this world, for my world. I found myself pulling her in for a hug of which I noticed she became tense at, but I knew if she felt the bond at all she would become calm and composed at my touch. That was how it worked for me.
"I thought I was going to die." She murmured, my arms wrapped around her tighter. "I wouldn't let that happen." I reassured, in response she placed her own arms around my waist and hugged me back, I closed my eyes as I relished in the feeling of having her close me. Her small frame was never as protected as it was when I held her and if I could, I'd never let her go.
On a whim I leant down, my arms followed suit and lifted her by her legs, placing her against my waist, she squealed and her legs instinctively wrapped around me to stop herself from falling, I wasn't sure whether her leg had been injured during the fall, and although I was certain she was okay I was going to use the possibility as an excuse to have this kind of closeness with her.
She pulled back to look as we made eye contact, I watched as her cheeks began to flush red and she squirmed a little. "I'm still upset with you." She admitted.
I hummed as I traced my eyes over her face, from her golden eyes to her small pointed nose, to her full lips which I'd never had the pleasure of touching, I bet they were soft. "I'm sure you are." I taunted, entrapped with my gaze on her mouth, I wanted to kiss her, I'd been wanting to since our moment in the kitchen, smelling her arousal from across the counter made me think of the unholiest of scenarios.
I growled lightly when I felt her hand ease it's way through my hair, messaging it as she looked away from me, embarrassed by my gaze on her.
She made me feel things I'd never felt before. I wanted to hold her, kiss in all the right places, hear her laugh, make her smile, I wanted to make her happy.
I wanted her.
"Can I kiss you?" I spoke before I gave it a second thought, it was spontaneous but I knew I should ask her than do it and be slapped in the face again by her small hand.
Her fingers stopped dancing in my hair, I knew what I'd asked for had taken her by surprise but I would be more surprised if she said she'd never thought about kissing me, I knew she felt the way I do.
A simple nod of the head was enough indication from me to lean my head in close enough to plant my lips softly against hers, I felt my entire body tremble as the warmth spread through my entirety. She kissed me back however and I smiled into the kiss. We started moving them slowly against each other, pacing ourself.
I was the first to make movement as my hand glided down from her back and resting on her ass, hoisting her up more comfortably against me, she responded with a light gasp and pushed away from me, breaking out kiss that had gone seconds longer than I'd expected.
"I don't think this is a good idea." She whispered, I kissed her cheek. "For you or for me?" I spoke lowly, kissing her jaw, then the top of her neck. There was a small whimper of pleasure that parted her lips and I froze.
"For the both of us." I kissed her neck once more and felt both her hands grab onto both my shoulders. "Can you control yourself?" She asked, this made me stop completely. Was Madeline worried about my self control? I would never force myself onto her.
I edged away from her and met her gaze, her eyes were filled with two thing; worry and anxiousness.
"I won't do anything you're not ready for." I reassured her. To my surprise she leant towards me and pecked my lips. I knew it meant a lot to her for me to say this, and my thoughts travelled to scenarios of past men not respecting this value, were there other men before me?
I shook away those thoughts, knowing it'll ruin the atmosphere if I brought it up, what she did in the past was none of my business, as my past didn't matter anymore either. Not that there was much of a past in the first place.
In that moment the front door echoed with a knock of someone standing on the other side, I groaned and dropped Madeline back onto her feet in which she took the opportunity to dust herself off. I rolled back my shoulders and walked to the door.
Opening it I found my commander on the other side, returning with a sheen on sweat against his forehead. "We have a wizard at the boarder asking for you and the She-cat." He announced, my eyebrows cocked up in anticipation, was this the news I'd been waiting to hear? I hoped I would have had longer to spend with my mate before it was time to bring her back to the Coven where her father would take her home, I didn't want her to go back home.
"Name?" I demanded.
"He kept calling himself the High Priest, Alpha."
Calla.
****
We walked up the cement front steps of the cottage that felt all too familiar to me.
Calla had travelled to my pack to bring us back to The Divine Coven, emphasising the importance of our return.
Supposedly Alpha Falkov didn't take it too kindly that I had run off this his daughter, I wanted to roll my eyes. At this point Madeline's father was the only one who was in denial about our Mate-ship, even Madeline was slowly coming to terms with it, slowly.
Madeline didn't need to pack any of the clothes my Commander had donated as all her belongings were still in her room at the coven, but she did change into a tight sundress, I disapproved immediately but she hadn't listened, talking about 'I'm my own person I can wear what I want' as if I couldn't rip it off her in seconds.
But I could tell she was excited to see her sister and father again, and deep down I was excited for her. Family is family, even if they were corrupt and backwards.
At we reached the top step I saw Madeline falter a little, she was nervous I could see it. If her father blew up at her I would be the first person to step in and defend her, it wasn't her fault she left, it was mine.
I cautiously brought out my arm next to her, enveloping her hand in mine, she looked up at me gratefully and she held by hand back in response, the sensation growing up our forearms were enough to calm her nerves.
Taking the lead I turned the door handle and pushed it open, it creaked slightly as it opened and we each walked into the building that felt a lot less inviting than it had when I arrived three days ago, where was Cressida?
"Everyone is in the kitchen, excuse any mess you see not everything has been cleaned up from the attack." Calla apologised as we followed him as he lead us to the kitchen, when it came into view and we picked up on the sound of Darren talking I noticed how Madeline squeezed my hand.
When we entered the kitchen all eyes turned to us and Madeline let go of me, I allowed her to do so, she probably wasn't comfortable with the public eye seeing us, which was fair considering we were the only known interspecies couples in our world.
"Madeline!" Her sister exclaimed as she jumped off the stool she was sitting on and rushed towards her for a hug. "I'm glad you're okay sister." Madeline responded as they embraced each other.
"So it's true, a dogs loyalty runs deep." Zaros' voice caught my attention and I felt a hand press firmly on my shoulder, I turned to face my old friend who smiled warmly at me. Zaros was the only person other than Madeline who could get away with insulting me, our friendship ran deeper than the fact we were both leaders, we'd experienced it all together.
"It's good to see you friend, how is Mavis doing?" I wondered, remembering that the fairies had almost taken her the other day, that was sure to leave a scar in her mind somewhere.
"Still kicking, after you left she came to find me and let me know you were leaving with the lioness, how did that work out for you?" He teased. My thoughts travelled back to the kiss we'd shared moments before we received the news that Calla had arrived. "It's working out." Was all I said, turning to face the She-cat as she spoke with her sister.
Then the storm came in, and by storm I meant the old feline himself, Darren Falkov. "I cannot believe you took my daughter, I'm sure you did lewd things to her while he was in unconscious you barbarian." He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me as he approached me, I straightened my posture, this old man didn't intimidate me.
"Father, he was only keeping me safe." Madeline cried, coming to join us as he reached me, placing herself between the both us at the side, really to plant herself in front of me if her father got any closer.
"Yeah in his bed I presume." Her father bit back, grimacing as he looked her up and down. "I can smell mutt all over you." He sneered. I snarled in response but Varos beat me to the punch.
"Your daughter doesn't bare any mark to indicate any indecent activities, Alpha Falkov. I can assure you if they had've mated she would have a fresh mark on her neck."
"Yes I know how mating works in their species." Darren bit back, but turned and flicked back Madeline's hair that had draped over her shoulders in a manner that made me bare my teeth threateningly, she flinched under the touch as her father examined her neck and collarbones. She didn't bare my mark, she wouldn't until she was ready, that's what I promised myself, and her.
"Alpha Falkov my partner did order him to take her away from the coven, she would have been too great of a target while unconscious if Alpha Renwick decided to stay for the fight." Calla explained in a tone that was far calmer than the situation needed, he didn't seem fazed at all. "What's important is that they've returned and everyone is here to heed what I have to say."
"Not everyone." The Elven king interjected. "They took my daughter."
"My sister was taken." The Dragon Queen added.
"They tried to take my daughter." Darren spoke up once again. This irritated me, he spoke as though he only had one daughter, while Madeline stood right next to him. "One of your daughters." I corrected.
He rolled his eyes.
"And Cressida." Varos added solemnly, this caught me by surprise. I glanced up at Calla who shared the same expression on his face, I felt my own chest heave at the news, how could The High Priestess allow herself to be taken?
"That was why I needed to gather everyone, we need to rescue them before it's too late." Calla announced.
"Cressida was the strongest one out of all of us, without her what could we possibly do?" The Elven king piped in again, the defeated nature in voice made my own heart ache, his daughter had been taken, I could never imagine what that must feel like.
"You're all leaders." I heard Madeline voice and glanced down at her in shock, she stood there with a look of irritation on her face. "What do you mean what can you do? You have entire species on your side, warriors, cartographers, doctors, some of you even have witch and wizard aiders in your clans, we have the entire coven who would stop at nothing to get their High Priestess back."
I was utterly shocked, but felt a sense of pride in me that she took the stand like this, it wasn't even her place to do so.
"Madeline makes a good point, but it comes down to you all as leaders to decide whether you are willing to put your resources and your people on the line to rescue a few from whatever plan the fairies have for them." Calla added, there was a long silence and he sighed. "I have acquired the help from Cressida's apprentice, who is more than happy to join me in this task. I hope all you who have lost someone will step up to join me also.
"I'll stop at nothing to have my daughter back, she has a family back home." The Elven king agreed.
"My sister would die without me." The dragon queen added, her partner nodding in agreement as he wound his arm around her waist.
"I can send some of my best ogres." The ogre king added. One by one every leader in the room agreed to join Calla on this mission, including Zaros and Mavis who could aid in night watches to allow everyone to rest.
Calla turned to Darren and offered him a small smile. "Can we count on you? We could use your warriors greatly."
Darren quickly shook his head and sighed. "I have no reason to put my own resources and people at risk, I'm not one who has been affected by these fairies, I'm sorry Calla but my people come first."
The disappointment was evident on Calla's face, he had expected better from the Werecat leader.
"That is so selfish of you." Madeline yelled, the whole room turned to her. "I was almost taken, if mother knew that she would have stepped up first chance she got to aid the others."
"Well your mother isn't here and I'm in charge." He argued, I wanted to knock his lights out for being so obnoxious. Was there ever a time he didn't feel like arguing?
"What if I was taken? Would you have still put the pride first?" She asked, even I was shocked by how confident she was in challenging her father, it was something I'd never seen her do. I only knew Madeline to stay in her fathers shadow and do as she's told, this was entirely knew for me.
When Darren remained silent Madeline had gotten the answer she needed, the pride was more important to him than his own daughter. And I knew this shattered her. I reached out and took her hand in mine, she squeezed it as she looked down at the floor, I knew she was trying not to cry and I forced everything inside me to remain as calm as I could.
The room remained silent until Calla cleared his throat and turned to look at me. "Do you feel the same way Alpha Renwick?"
I glanced down at my mate who still staring at the floor. If Madeline had of been taken I would have gone by myself that day to recuse her. But then I glanced at the elven king who's face pleaded with me, I thought about what I would do if I had children of my own. I would use every last resource in my pack to recuse them.
"As long as I get to squash a few bugs, I don't care." I responded, the gratefulness that flew across the king's face was noticeable, he felt hope that he was getting his daughter back. I glanced down at Madeline once again to check on her, but she was already staring up at me with glistening eyes from crying, and a smile on her face.
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