“It worked,” Steven´s sleep-gravelled voice sounded from beside her and she turned to look at him, marvelling at his soft -no hard lines, no frowns- face. She followed his gaze where it rested on her stomach and noticed that, although the skin was still discoloured, most of it was put together like new tissue had grown overnight.
“You could have told me what your plan was before letting your puppies cuddle-attack me.” She tried for a lightness she didn´t feel under the pressure of too many hours spent in too close quarters with the man she loved but whose heart remained an uncharted territory, full of dark places and old wounds. Steven couldn´t argue with that so he just leaned over her and pulled her mouth towards his in a soft, undemanding kiss. The way she felt under him had him quickly veering towards another direction though and Cora´s heartbeat ratcheted up a notch when he started making his way down her body. He sought out each one of her fresh scars before they disappeared completely, not quite believing the miracle that had occurred overnight. He felt her tugging at his hair and moved back up to look at her, a tacit question in his eyes.
“You need to stop,” Cora hiccupped. “If you are going to disappear again, you need to stop.”
Realizing she was doubting him again while all he wanted to do was comfort her, his own woes were forgotten, miniscule next to what the girl in his arms had gone through and survived. Carefully, slowly, he lowered himself down, his forearms bracketing her in as his chest rested lightly over hers. He sought her mouth out once again, this time pouring everything he had into the kiss, probing a little with his tongue and praying she would let him in; that she would let him taste her. Cora´s lips moved with his for a moment before she gasped and drew back, searching his face for any clue on what to do next. Steven was looking down at her, lips swollen, and her own lips parted before any words were prepared inside her brain. Deciding that words were overrated anyway, she drew him back in, pleasure simmering below her skin and making her toes curl.
“I need you,” Steven pleaded and he had to bring up all of what was left of his willpower not to just take her. He shifted on his knees and pulled the sheets away, uncovering the lower half of her body. She was only in her underwear. He made quick work of them and settled between her legs, not bothering with his own clothes apart from his shirt and only after he sensed her need to touch his skin too.
The moan Cora let out when he entered her was like music to his ears, a memory that had haunted him since their first time, consuming so much of his waking thoughts and guilty subconscious; so much so that he wanted to scrub himself off every time Kate touched him.
“I don´t...” Cora broke off in a sob. “I don´t need you,” she persisted wanting to make sure he believed this meant nothing to her in the long run. Steven´s body went rigid and a lump rose in his throat, trying to stop him from responding. He silenced her with another kiss and started thrusting inside her again deeper, lifting her legs over his body and helping her curl them around his waist. She could feel the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing against her and the teeth of his zipper leaving indentations on the soft skin on the inside of her thighs; surely there would be a bruise there by noon if such thing was possible.
They were both so wound up it didn´t take long until they reached the breaking point, Steven´s teeth latching on her collarbone almost drawing blood. Cora let out a loud groan that had him kissing her again to keep her quiet. He fell on his side and immediately gathered her in his arms, his body still seeking out hers as they both tried to catch their breath.
“Are you happy?” The Alpha asked eventually, brushing his hand down her back and leaving it on her left buttock possessively.
Cora thought hard for a few moments, finally admitting she wasn´t quite there yet. “At the moment... I´m content.”
“What will it take to make you more than that?”
“Something that is not yours to give.”
That wasn´t the answer Steven anticipated and it hurt to hear he wasn´t enough. “You know I have to go,” he said instead of apologising and Cora tried to move away from him, resigned. He didn´t allow her to go far though, pulling her back into a tender kiss which had her body relaxing and her scent turning from sour and disappointed to sanguine if not a little bit unsure still. He took her chin between his thumb and index finger and tilted her head towards his, patiently waiting for her to open her eyes. “I have to go and check with the others,” he clarified when her vibrant brown eyes finally turned on him. “There is a lot that needs to be done.”
“I´ll come with you.” She disentangled from him and he let her, amused. “I´m healed up now, I can help.” That was only part of her intentions though.
He put a stop to her plans when she tried to get off the bed, grabbing her by the hips and flipping her on her back. “You are exhausted, you need to rest,” he said hovering above her and quickly tried to placate her when he noticed her frown, mistaking her suspicion for disappointment. “There will be a council this afternoon though. If you feel up to it, I would really like you there.”
Cora nodded and let him go but not before stealing one last kiss, the Alpha´s lips ghosting over hers for a moment before he braved the cruel reality of the outside world.
Steven found his pack at the training field having a lazy day, sprawled on the ground and soaking up the sun.
“Look who is finally up!” Erin smirked only to receive a sharp elbow in the ribs by Danny who, despite his reaction, looked equally delighted.
“It doesn´t look like you´ve been any productive either,” Steven said and sat down besides Ian, his generally calm disposition always welcomed.
“I´ll have you know that Mark and I have been up since dawn checking the charms,” Lynn said haughtily, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder.
“And?” The Alpha asked although he already suspected the answer.
“They are stronger than ever. Which is weird, considering Cora is still quite exhausted,” Mark said. “I guess her emotions are also at play,” he thought out loud.
“Oh yeah.” Erin waggled her eyebrows, the smirk never leaving her lips. “The charms were particularly strong about an hour ago.”
“Oh my god...” Steven hid his tainted red face in his palms. “You guys are disgusting.”
The pack burst out laughing, a raucous sound that had heads turning towards them.
“Okay, everybody up. Start doing rounds. If you are all so well rested to be making jokes, you better put it to better use,” the Alpha commanded.
The Betas groaned but got up to follow the order, except for Jason who remained stretched out on the ground casually observing his friend. “You look happy.”
“Almost,” Steven nodded. “I guess things have started getting clearer in my head.”
“You think? A few days ago you would have bitten our heads off for a comment like Erin´s. You just stopped overthinking everything.” Jason sat up and leaned back on his palms, eyebrow raised, waiting for a confirmation.
“Yeah, that too.”
“So now that you finally admitted to yourself that you love her...”
“That I care about her,” Steven interjected, emphasizing his point, not wanting to admit out loud what he thought as a weakness.
“Fine!” Jason exclaimed. “Now that you finally admitted that you care about her,” he mocked, “what else is there to hold you back?”
“Where to begin,” Steven thought but outwardly remained silent, his pensive face making Jason think he had hit a nerve. In a way, he had, because the doubts about the bond still remained deep within Steven. He didn´t like taking advantage of people and, if that was what was happening with Cora, he needed to back off. Fast... But how could he ever be sure? “A few things,” the Alpha finally said. “Come on.” He nudged his friend and they both stood up, dusting themselves off and joining the rest of their pack doing laps. Steven had a lot of excess energy to burn.
22. A MESS AND A PLAN
The Anders demanded only Kate´s presence
from the Baman pack for the next council. Although less crowded than the last one, the room was on the brink of collapsing under the weight of too many headstrong Alphas and the problems they carried on their arrogant shoulders. Apart from clashing with Steven and Jen, Kate had also an inside conflict to face after losing her head Beta and finding herself in the position to choose a new one. Her whole pack was in disorder, her drifters not caring about politics and fighting among themselves about who was the strongest. At least up to then, they had restricted themselves to verbal spars so the Anders didn´t have to face friendly fire too.
Gathered around the table is how Cora found them, Jen for once not sitting on her throne but waiting for her as her equal. Jason stood up and beckoned the girl over, giving her his seat next to the head of the table where Steven sat, his sister across from him at the other end. Cora smiled gratefully at the Βeta, still feeling off balance, and Jason chose to stand behind her leaning his weight on the chair; a silent, supportive shadow. Danny pulled his own chair closer to her making sure there was at least one point of contact between them at all times, either an elbow or a thigh or even the heel of their feet. Cora breathed easier at the signs of acceptance, a fact that didn´t go unnoticed by Steven who nodded gratefully at his two friends.
Kate spied on her ex´s pack and a hard expression crossed her face. She couldn´t stomach losing a man who was supposed to be devoted to her, especially to a daydreaming, inexperienced girl. She used to believe that if she hadn´t left Steven years ago he would still be running behind her. Now though she was doubtful of his true feelings for her after witnessing every single one of his exchanges with the witch.
“The town is safe for now.” Kate tuned back in the conversation when Joe´s voice pounded around the room. “Maybe we should just wait and regroup, give our Humans more time to prepare.”
“Wait?” The blonde Alpha said astonished. “I can´t guarantee I can keep my men in line for too long. They are already restless. We are warriors... We can´t keep staying idle.”
“Maybe if you had better control over them, it could buy us a little more time,” Cora murmured making Danny, Erin and Ian laugh. Kate sent her a dark look but not even Moira could suppress her smile despite the warning look she gave her son´s mate.
“I´m afraid Kate is right on this one,” Steven said making everyone snap their heads towards him. He held a placating hand up as he tried to explain himself. “Even if we didn´t have inside problems, the provisions never made it here. We don´t have the luxury of time if we don´t want the people to starve.”
“So what do you suggest? Lift the barrier and just let them come at us?” Jen asked.
“After we give some time to Lynn and Mark to prepare their potions, yes. That´s exactly what I´m suggesting. We can´t stay under siege for long and we can´t expect help from anywhere. The rest of the Werewolves are scattered. Whatever we decide to do, we can´t wait more than a week.”
“We´ll need three days tops to gather everything.” Lynn threw a searching look at Mark who bobbed his head in agreement.
“Alright then. Does everyone here agree?” Jen looked around her and saw everyone nodding their acceptance, even Joe although reluctantly. The man´s eyes danced between Steven and Cora speculatively but his nephew was on the same wavelength.
“When the dam breaks we are gonna need you there. Will you stand with us?” The Alpha´s soft voice gave the impression that, even in a room fool of Werewolves, he was speaking only for Cora´s ears.
“I will not let anyone get hurt,” Cora said to the room at large, “but I don´t know if what I have to offer will be enough.” Her voice became timid but she didn´t clarify who ‘anyone’ was.
A chuckle rose deep within Kate´s throat, finding its way to the surface as a full blown fit of laughter. “Oh my God, you are a genius!” She said to Steven who looked at her like she had finally lost her mind completely. “Fuck the witch every time you want something. Does she get manipulated more easily?”
“You are getting out of line,” Steven warned, eyes on Cora. The girl shifted her gaze to the floor, her scent stinking of rage and resignation.
“Am I?” Kate said. “Is it a coincidence that you make googly eyes at her now that you need to use her magic?”
Cora stood up abruptly, her chair screeching against the tiled floor making the Werewolves cringe. “Excuse me,” she said letting the anger finally seep in her voice, and she made a collected exit, not giving Kate the pleasure of seeing her lose control of her emotions. Jason stepped out of the way and let her go before the Baman Alpha had the chance to cause another incident.
“The next time you talk about her that way,” Steven stood up and leaned over the table getting dangerously in Kate´s face, “you will be thrown out of here on your ass. Even if it means this town gets burned to the ground!” He looked at his sister, their eyes locking for a moment, and left the council room in a hurry, not caring how undignified it made him look to Kate.
“Cora is a strong ally,” Jen said as soon as the door slammed with a bang behind her brother.
“So am I,” Kate snapped, not liking the looks full of derision and contempt she was receiving from everyone in the room.
“True,” the Queen replied. “But between you and her, do you really want to test who stands on better grounds with us?”
“It won´t happen again,” Kate said through gritted teeth, conscious of the fact that she needed them as much as they needed her; if not more, now with the witch in the way.
“See that it doesn´t,” Jen said, earning at last Steven´s pack´s grudging approval just as Jason left to investigate.
Steven caught up with Cora at the end of the long hall just outside their wing, following the trail of annoyance she was leaving behind. Grabbing her upper arm, a strangled “Wait!” escaped from his lips making her pivot on her heel.
“What?” Cora snapped. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”
“Do you honestly think I would do something like that?” The Alpha sputtered.
“That´s the thing!” She threw a closed fist on his left pectoral in blind rage. “I don´t know you, do I? You never talk, you don´t share anything! What little I know about you I gathered from your friends trying to comfort me after every time you screwed up!”
Steven closed his eyes trying to rein his emotions in, the left side of his body suddenly feeling like a giant bruise. If platitudes were what she needed, he would never be able to bring himself to offer them. “So what? You want a love confession or something? If my actions are not enough for you...”
“What actions?” Cora interrupted him, her patience running thin. “Name one thing you have ever done for me.”
Steven struggled to think back to the moment they met and forward. The pictures coming up weren´t painting him in the best light. He remembered ordering his Betas to handcuff her. He had let his people pelt her with stones and -merely half an hour later- he had stood by and watched Jen slap her. He had left her in a dark cage that barely passed as a room, he had kissed her only to call her a liar seconds after. He had chickened out and left her alone in town with his sister who had gotten her tortured almost to death. He had watched her get lit on fire. He had fucked her and abandoned her. He hadn´t followed up a simple request to bury her people. Oh wait! He had lent her his jacket once to prevent her from getting cold.
“I got you out of the dungeons defying the Queen,” he said finally, the only good thing he could think of worth mentioning.
“To ease your own conscience... So, no... Your actions don´t mean anything to me. Especially when we both know that a wink from Kate and you´d go back to her like that.” She snapped her fingers together in front of his face making him blink. Steven noticed something change in her scent, something bitter but familiar, but he couldn´t quite put his finger on it yet.
“That´s not true.” He took her face in his hands and leaned closer, letting their foreheads touch. “I´m done with her,” he said, hi
s words a puff of air across her face.
Cora felt her resolve starting to crumble so she took a few steps back walking out of his warm space, determined to make him work for it if he really wanted her.
“I´ll help you when and where I think I must. But in the meantime, don´t touch me. Don´t you ever touch me again.” She walked away and Steven, in a desperate kind of rage, put his fist through the wall doing more damage to the concrete than his hand.
“You are a freaking mess,” Jason´s whispered words reached him from the other end of the hall.
23. FINDING THE SPARK
“This is giving me a headache,” Cora said after what seemed like the millionth time the brass pitcher clanged upon meeting the floor. She and Steven´s Betas had shut themselves away in what could pass as the lair´s living-room; a rather small, open space room full with worn sofas and mismatched cushions thrown all over the floor, making it warm and cosy despite the lack of a fireplace or any other heating system. Cora was sitting cross-legged on a lime-green pouffe while Jason across from her kept letting the pitcher fall, expecting her to stop it from hitting the ground. Her magic had yet to kick in though and, after hours of the metallic noise resonating around the room, Cora´s nerves were on edge.
“You are not concentrating!” Erin snapped and took the long-suffering object out of Jason´s hands. “Maybe you need a more pressing situation.” She threw the pitcher with all her strength at Cora who ducked out of the way at the last moment. It managed to graze her on the shoulder before hitting the opposite wall and clunking loudly to the floor once again.
“Are you crazy?” Cora exclaimed, rubbing the burning spot on her shoulder.
“It doesn´t hurt to try,” Erin shrugged.
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