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Aislyn======
Aislyn frowned.
Maybe it was all of the overactivity coursing through her body since they met in the club, or maybe it was more than that. The whole day felt as though an alignment was at play, but no matter how often she checked the sky or mapped out the land with her studious eye, she couldnโt understand what was happening.
She felt like a fucking goddess at work, surrounded by her music and then this guy practically assaulted her with his energy. There was no way her ability to feel the world around her could have doubled unless her wolf was present. All the while, she chased it, quieting her rational
โAโฆ a connection,โ she gaped at him trying to disregard how absolutely gorgeous Derek looked this morning. Aislynโs ears began to ring while she stared at him. Even in his day old, disheveled clothes, he looked like someone she needed to explore. โAโฆ uh,โ Aislyn stumbled on her words trying to come up with literally anything louder than her stare which absolutely indicated needing him to give into his wild ways. โMusic. Um. Laptop.โ Nothing else seemed to hit her lips other than the obvious notations she guarded. He could not possibly know just how much the image of him standing tall in the doorway was doing to her. Or the thought that he freaking came to check on her after being an absolute psychopath, that resonated deep within her in a way she hadn
Slipping into the kitchen was one thing. Having a fucking clue what she was after was another. Derekโs intensity seemed to follow her throughout her tiny studio apartment, even there. It was like he knew he was working her up. How could he know that, she chided herself. It was complete nonsenseโฆ It wasโฆ well, it was everything. It set her entire being on fire, alight with anticipation that maybe there could be something there to chase. Sheโd never felt like that before; never allowed herself to. Butโฆ fuck, she whined to herself. A heads up that sheโd find him one day would have been nice and a note, maybe, that he was going to be a fucking house would have been great. At least then sheโd have someone to imagine each time she felt like this.
Asking how he destroyed the shower would have at least taken the pressure to function off of her, but oddly, Derek’s entirely too discrete movements were ruining her.She was going to die…It was all in the way he stood, carefully in her space that told her all she had to know about what he did. It certainly had nothing to do with what she did.“I’ve only got one strainer,” Aislyn supplied, finally upright. “I guess I should get another, so you have one too,” she babbled before facing him.Aislyn hoped the small talk would at least give her an idea of his status here in her apartment, where she found it more and more acceptable that he’d just stay.
Aislyn waited patiently as she recorded the new content and whatever else was chasing her around in her feelings. It had to have been hours that went by because not only her charge was flashing, ready for shut down, but even her stomach rumbled too. Aislyn groaned at the prospect of having to get up to face the hypothetical music but if she didnโt get moving now, she wouldnโt have enough time for content adjustments later. Being in the booth meant that sheโd have time to work on this, uninterrupted; without having to be caught up in her feelings about her now, very complicated, life. Leaving the apartment would be hard though, she decided while she wondered what packlife meant. Honestly, Aislyn just assumed that Derek just wanted to be with her and after being alone for so long, having something like that be offered,
Aislyn retreated back into her mind while guiding the bass through the mellow rhythm of her heart. There really was no reason to get caught up with the others on her feelings. It was just better to focus on getting it out through self expression and that was it. She explored lonely nights where she was alone after her wolf left her and crowded her mind with hushed undertones and softly spoken words that were only hers to bearโฆ unrepeatable hymns that promised she was less than alright, missing someone very dear to her. And still her lips caressed the overused fabric of her mic as she imagined speaking into his fur. It was so personal, rawโฆ damaging and all the while sheโd let it record. Track after track managed to come through, until the flash of an orange light on her board summoned her away from continuing.
It was hard enough to live it but telling them how she practically threw herself at him was relieving. โWoahโฆโ Micha replied, unable to think or give much else in response. โThat was pretty ballsy,โ Candice added. โI know. And I just feel like Iโm all over the place right nowโฆโ โBut youโre still dreaming of being surrounded by him,โ Micha said, waving over Aislynโs program. Aislyn shivered at the thought. โCovered is more like it,โ she groaned as the women exchanged their shock. โGood,โ Micha sna
The bass dropped hard as Aislyn swallowed. She did her best to look around the room, hoping Derek wasnโt there in the crowd suddenly. She didnโt want him to think that sheโd take just anyoneโs attention. It was all but a day difference between then and now and watching Micha made her heart pound harshly in her chest. Micha slid her body, her back to his front suggestively. Her left arm snaked up behind her, dragging her glitter up the side of him. Aislyn groaned at the sight of her wrapping her arm around the back of his neck then, making him curve himself against her. Unlike Derek, Michaโs choice allowed her to pull his arm around her and settle his palm widely across her soft belly. Her hips swayed suggestively from side to side until he complied. It was hard to look away from the clearly possessive way he responded to her friend, but as his other hand slid over the curve of her hip
Aislyn watched as Earl left, shouldering his way through the crowd that climbed the stairs after them. At the sound of the click she punched the button beside the wall for the deadlock to brace itself to the reinforcement there. When Candiceโs mother ran this club she pulled out all of the stops and tonight, Aislyn couldnโt have been more thankful. Potential candidates for her attention seemed to find the booth from the floor while the Alpha of the Silverbacks slipped out of view. Aislyn lowered her eyes away from them in yet another apology for even trying. Not a second more did she realize herself. The flashiness of her costume, how willingly she went along with this to hope to be Derekโs littleโฆ It was all so depressingly sad. Aislyn backed up from the window and collected her clothes from the chair beside her. Her
In the months to come, life outside became colder still. When the first snow fell, she wistfully snuggled against his soft fur, nestled comfortably in their bed which now was layered with animal skins and smelled entirely of their combined scents. Aislyn smiled at the fact. Her love truly did support her and their wishes to be alone, on their own, free from society. It was bliss. While his warmth never cooled, their life would need to shift. Plenty of animals would be on the move, looking for food or getting ready for hibernation. The thought that theyโd need to do the same and leave the home they built together for survival burned her deeply. There were other times she felt the same burn deep in her chest, but this one was different. It spread. It pricked at her entire consciousness and jolted her forward towards him. โCalm down, baby girl,โ Derek hummed against her skin. His wet nose brushed against the nape of her neck as if it was searching for something. How she wished heโd
โI donโt know,โ Derek replied, rolling back onto his back. There was so much that was wrong with being there in the first place; too many reasons that shoved him off onto his own. โThere was never really a place for me, Zane. All of the family shitโฆ I donโt know.โ He could hear the way his brother was going to let him have it. Every conversation about coming back was the same. We are one, together, and so onโฆ It really did hurt when his position was so badly mocked despite the protection he provided. โI think weโll take our chances out in the untouched spaces,โ Aislyn replied, making chills run up his back. She knew him so well. โRight,โ Zane replied. โFall is approaching fast,โ he began. โYou donโt have to worry about us,โ she promised. โWeโre all we need.โ Her eye caught Candiceโs beside her after. โExcuse me,โ Aislyn murmured and left her perch. Her warmth left with her as she went to assess her friendโs concern. Derek watched her as she approached her situation. โBeside
Aislynโs eyes met his once more and dipping down to kiss her was all he could do. There was nothing else. Just the two of them in this holy place underneath the most beautiful sky. Her lips are so soft and willing, cradling his own with the same love and desire as before all of this. Goddess, he whimpered in his mind as she accepted him only further. His love pulled back only slightly, her lips still leaning against his as she spoke. โI love you so much,โ she whispered. โFelt too much. It was terrifying.โ โIโm so sorry you did so much alone,โ he apologized. โIf I could go back and fix itโฆโ โItโs better this way,โ she promised, kissing him soundly. Her fingers loosened then, worrying him as she went, regardless of how she still hung hungrily from his lips. Noโฆ no, noโฆ He stepped forward, closing the small gap between them. His arms reached for her, landing on her waist first to steady them where they stood. Aislynโs kiss deepened as she moaned against his lips, her body follow
The forest is unusually still, even while itโs so full of life, of threatsโฆ of her. Itโs oddly terrifying to be back and unsettled in this unnatural way. The forest was a place of peace, even before he met Aislyn, but now it was nearing its end; ready to die, to erase them all. Energy whispered from all around him, calling him forward and pushing him backward as if they were there, in the bay itself makes Derek nervous. The thought that another cataclysmic event could bestow itself upon the land such as calling out the rings of limbo once more was horrifying. He wondered, idly, if anyone thought along the same lines; if anyone knew exactly who they were messing with by keeping him from her. As he neared their clearing he found Aislyn in the middle of it, sitting right in the dirt with her knees bent up to her chest, just like she always used to. โSweetheart,โ he murmured to himself. She wrapped her arms around them tightly and rested her head down on them. Derek knew that look
โRelax, wonโt you baby?โ The tall Alpha replied, rolling his sleeves as he stepped into the light. โI understand youโre here to see me.โ โWho the fโฆโ Aislyn began questioning Zane only to be cut off. โThis is Guy, the Alpha of the Silverback pack here in the city,โ Zane introduced him. Derek growls at the thought of that bastard touching his mate. โCan you tell your dog to behave?โ Guy chuckled at the attempt to warn her. โDonโt be rude to my mate,โ Aislyn replied evenly. Derek wanted to turn around and hold her against him for that. โReal cute, sweetheart,โ Guy countered, โbut you still wear my mark baby.โ Aislynโs anger cycled through her once more, deeper this time, but before she could speak up, Guy thanked Zane for her return. โYour pack wonโt be subject to our wrath,โ he said, โSo long as you stay off of my land.โ What? Derek growled. Angerier still with Zane. โYou,โ he spoke to Aislyn directly, โdidnโt think I wouldnโt raise hell for my little mateโs return,
Ailsynโs admission brought on waves of bullshit from his brother who knowingly pressed Derek through his comments to her. โHey, Aislyn?โ Zane would start nearly every conversation with. โNot right now, Zane,โ Aislyn would respond, regardless of his status over them. โYou know I out rank that response,โ Zane chuckled, expecting better. โTo your pack,โ she answered, making Derek shake his collar out. It was a warning that went silenced. Zane wasnโt having it and Derek, well, his status meant that he had to hold tight and listen anyway. Aislyn glanced at her wolf and sighed, โIโm not part of your pack, Zane. If anything, youโre intruding on ours.โ It was as if she knew. Maybe she did. Maybe she knew his real identity, but how? โYouโre hilarious,โ Zane replied, with not even a bit of mirth left in his being. โGlad youโre enjoying yourself,โ Aislyn nipped. โHow do you even know if thatโs what you two are?โ Zane pushed and Aislyn dropped her head back to rest on her shoulde
โDonโt make this about you,โ Aislyn spat which brought unease back into the apartment, tenfold. โThe Alpha of your pack. The one that has to look over everyone? Does that ring a bell?โ Zane tossed the nozzle out the window, letting the water pour down it as it went out with a clank. โDonโt attempt to know what you donโt, little girl.โ โOr what? Youโll what? Iโd love to hear it!โ Aislyn challenged and Zane snarled. โIโll bet that youโre used to getting your way; that everyone listened to you, gave you their full attention until this wolf came into your life.โ Zaneโs shoulders tensed and he rolled his neck along them. โYouโฆโ โIโll bet,โ she interrupted Zane once more, โthat you helped him become who he is. Heโs the wolf that snuck out for a chance at something better.โ Derekโs heart felt like it was only beating faster at the mention of what she thought his life truly was. โHeโs the one you couldnโt control, and thatโs why you hate me!โ Aislyn growled. โItโs not because Iโm
===== Derek ===== He wants to pull her in and tell her everything but even his ability to stave off the pain in his leg is waning. A soft pat from lifting and dropping his tail tells her to stop but it doesnโt feel like enough. Derekโs body, his wolf, theyโre absolutely drained. Not even his Beta wants to get up now and thatโs saying a lot. โKeep him steady,โ Earl managed to get out as he inserted the tip of his blade to wedge the offending metal against the soft tissue there. โCareful Ais,โ Earl hushed Derekโs love, making him wonder just what was going on back there. โG-goddess-ss help m-my loveโฆโ she whispered, trembling. โWhatโs wrong with her?โ I whine to my brother. โI think sheโs having a panic attack,โ Zane answered. โEarl is almost done.โ He canโt help the way his stomach turns in knots due to her response to him. โIs she okay?โ he questions, avoiding his own issue. โI need her to be okay,โ Derek continued to cry out. โDo you still have that bowl handy?โ Earl
Aislyn watches carefully as Earl waves Zane off, already sensing tension in the Zane’s proximity.“I thought you said you were brothers; always looking out for his best intentions,” she pushed out the moment she locked up behind the werewolf in question.“Pack life isn’t the easiest,” he assured her. “There’s always some that slip through the cracks… or run off into a human’s arms.”“I’m glad he did,” Aislyn murmured her reply.The Alpha beside her grunted, then corrected his posture. He slicked back his hair, then itched at his stubble. She could feel his eyes everywhere but on his brother and that was concerning