Thank you so much, for the kind reviews. 3 As a special thank you present, here is an extra-long chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it.

9º - Stand down

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A few minutes later, Aimi walked into Kagome´s room and saw her mate standing in the middle of it. His muscles were tense. She couldn´t see his face; however, his energy was going crazy. It almost felt like he was preparing for a fight. But that didn´t make any sense. There was no one there, except for her.

She had been in this situation many times before. She knew what she had to do. Slowly, she started walking in her mate´s direction. She walked lower to the ground with her neck completely exposed. She also started purring. At that moment, any aggressive attitude could make her mate attack her. To make sure that didn't happen, she made sure to approach him in a completely submissive manner.

"Mate? It´s me! Aimi…" He had never attacked her before, but there was always a first time for everything, and a male ready for battle was a volcano ready to explode. The only one who could approach the male would be his mate.

When he started whining, she had all the consent she needed. She raced to her mate and hugged him from behind.

"Tell me… What happened?" Aimi knew that she needed to get her mate's mind more rational above all else. In order to achieve that, she needed him to talk and think.

"Sesshomaru was here. He was on top of the girl!" His voice was low and dangerous. Sesshomaru had been very close to ignoring an order from his pack alpha, and that could be a very serious crime. The situation was more complicated than he previously thought.

As for Aimi, she was at a loss for words. If they had engaged in any kind of sexual activity, then…

"Tell me you were able to stop him!" Aimi was scared of the consequences that such an act outside proper mating could bring to her pups.

"I was. But I had to use the Alpha in me to keep Sesshomaru away from her. That´s why I'm like this." He´s eyes were still blood red, his fangs longer and sharper than normal and this wouldn´t do.

"I love you, Inu no Taisho. With all my heart." Aimi knew what was coming next, and as pleasant as it may be, there was always the risk that she could get hurt. They both knew that, but there wasn´t any other solution.

"I love you, too, Aimi." He then brought her to his front and hugged her around her waist. He buried his nose in her neck, while his fangs caressed her mating mark, the one he had made so many years ago. "You know, maybe you could help me."

Aimi could feel his erection against her thigh. This reaction was a consequence of using his Alpha power. His possessiveness would rise, just like the need to mate. It was a way to show a demon's power in their society. Men could be so much more complicated than females sometimes. It wasn't like she was going to complain, their best sex was during this kind of situation, even if, in the end, she ended up with some bruises and bite marks. The problem was that Kagome would be unprotected for a few hours.

"Mate, I agree in helping you," she said with a playful smile, "but first, erase Kagome´s memories while I go find someone to watch over her." Aimi didn´t like the idea of erasing Kagome´s memories; however, it was too soon for her to remember what transpired between her and Sesshomaru. She wasn´t ready to understand it. When she reached her mating age, she would remember everything. For now, she needed to be in the dark.

"Very well. Also, when she wakes up, I think it´s time for her to be formally introduced as part of our pack." His voice was still off but a bit under control. "You know I need her to make an oath, and only then can I present her to the family."

"I understand, and I agree." Aimi knew that Kagome would have to swear her loyalty to the alpha of the pack before being accepted. But she wasn't sure if Kagome would do it. That was a mystery. "Let us hurry then. I do not wish to take more time than what is needed." Her hand gave a little push against Inu no Taisho´s cock. She wanted to make sure that he understood her message. Oh, he did, alright. And he couldn´t wait.

(*)

Kagome felt dizzy once again. She felt like her head was going to explode any minute. Besides that, she was very confused. "What the hell happened to me?"

She remembered her desire to go outside despise the cold. She also remembered that someone had knocked on her door. But after that, everything was like a dream. A male… A forest after a rain… "More… Please… more…"

What the hell was that? A memory? A dream? The more she thought about it, the more confused she would become. She couldn´t remember. It was like something was missing in her head. Her headache wasn´t helping either. She then decided to just leave it as it was. And, as soon as she stopped searching for answers, her headache stopped as well.

The curtains for her window were opened, giving her a full view of the outside world. "Maybe, Aimi will let me get out of this bed. I will go crazy otherwise!" Glancing out the window again, she determined that, according to the sun´s position, it was still rather early. Probably seven in the morning. The whole castle was still asleep. "I guess it's time for me to try my legs. If they still work!"

As carefully as she could manage, she shifted her legs off her bed and her feet touched the floor. It was a really cold day; winter was definitely coming. With all her courage, Kagome grabbed the sheets in her hands and rose to her feet… for five seconds before they gave out on her.

She hadn´t moved her legs for more than a week. Her muscles were sore from lack of use. Why hadn't she thought about that? Of course she wouldn't be able to stand on her own. However, she came to that conclusion too late.

With her ass still on the floor, because no way in hell would she be able to stand on her own, she saw three demons standing in her doorway. It was Aimi and two males she didn´t recognize. Yet their energy was familiar. She had felt them before.

The three demons had identical marks on their faces. A purple crescent moon on their forehead and two stripes in each cheek. They had the same hair color as Aimi, silver. One male, however, was wearing his long hair in a ponytail while the other had his completely free. His was so long that it almost touched the floor. Their similarities were so great that they could only be related by blood.

Maybe one of the two was Aimi´s mate and the other her pup? The problem with demon ages was that you never knew how old they were. You could always speculate, but you would never get it right.

Kagome still had her ass on the floor and once again her legs didn´t want to respond when she tried to stand. While she was struggling to get up, the three demons were just standing there like idiots, looking at her.

"Well? Are you guys going to help me or what?" she asked, almost sounding annoyed. Well, she was, indeed, annoyed. The floor was cold, and three healthy demons were just staring at her while she was freezing her ass off.

In a blink of an eye, Aimi was by her side with arms enveloping Kagome´s waist. Her legs were still shaking, but with Aimi´s help, she got to her feet. When she was finally stable on her own two feet, she looked at the entrance of her room, where the two males stand without moving.

The first male was facing her, and she was able to see his red eyes, right before the second male, the one with a ponytail, turned his back to her, and blocked her line of vision. However, she could hear one of them growling. The sounds could be interpreted as a warning. "Is he going to attack me?" The smell of fear filled the room as Kagome feared for her life.

On the other side of the room, Sesshomaru was having a debate with his beast. Once again, he wanted to be close to his bitch. She was weak and needed assistance. As her future mate, it was his job to make sure that she was being taken care of. The moment she asked for help, he had tried to go to her, but his father was, once again, between them. His mother was helping her and that didn´t sit well with the youkai. He started growling and almost snarled at his mother, because he wanted to do the same thing.

Watching such a display, his father stopped him by putting himself in front of his mother. Sesshomaru would never be able to pass through his father and he knew that. But he couldn´t avoid it. With his father right in front of him, Sesshomaru wasn´t able to see Kagome. And once again, that was not ok with him. He wanted to, at the very least, see his bitch.

Because of his displeasure with the current situation, Sesshomaru started growling louder. Once again Kagome's fear was filling the room. She was still thinking that he would attack her?

"Sesshomaru, stop this behavior immediately." His father´s voice was deep and powerful enough to make him stop, but not fully dispel his displeasure.

"I want bitch! Bitch is mine to take! Bitch is mine to mate!" Sesshomaru´s beast was not going down so easily. Never in his life had he come across such a sweet scent. It was driving him mad. He wanted her, and she would be his.

"Beta male! STOP! I´m the alpha and I COMMEND you to stop!" Inu no Taisho called his own beast forward. The alpha within him was powerful and a leader by nature. It would be the only thing in this world capable of facing Sesshomaru and win if they engaged in a fight.

Sesshomaru´s beast started whining when his alpha came forward. He wanted the female more than anything, but the alpha told him to stop. So he had to or they would fight. As much as he wanted to mate her, he was not interested in fighting his father.

"Bitch will be mine?" Sesshomaru's beast asked in a pleading tone.

"Yes." His son was a very powerful demon. He didn´t doubt that someday Sesshomaru would surpass him in strength and power. But that day was not today and both knew that.

"When?" Sesshomaru's beast was impatient. The longer he waited to mate this female, the bigger the risk of another male mating her.

"The moment she achieves her mating age, you will be allowed to court her. If you are deserving, of course. With that, I give you my word." It was not the answer his son wanted to hear. But it was the truth. When she reached her mating age, Sesshomaru would have to fight for the right to court her. Rules were rules, and this one was very old. "Now, stand down!"

Sesshomaru was incapable of forming coherent speech due to his current lack of control over his most primal instincts. His desire for the girl was so strong that nothing else mattered. Not his father, not his mother, not even his position as the heir of the lands. All that mattered, at that moment, was the girl.

Inu no Taisho knew how strong his son was. He could see the potential of him becoming a great ruler. However, all great rulers needed a mate. A mate with a strong personality and physically powerful, capable of protecting future pups. Kagome was still a pup, but if his son's beast choose her, than she would have to be able to fill all the requirements. She would have to be trained.

"Bitch will be mine, but I respect my pack leader. I stand down, for now." As quickly as it happened, Sesshomaru regained control of his baser instincts and returned to his usual calm self.

"I thank you, father. I understand I was out of hand." Even if his face was as composed as ever, his voice was husky. Even though Sesshomaru was not mated, the secondary effects of using his inner beast was present, and his erection was becoming painful.

However, Inu no Taisho knew what it meant when the inner beast choose a female. It was difficult to control, sometimes even impossible. And yet, Sesshomaru was doing it. Badly, of course, but doing it, nevertheless.

"Go, my son. And avoid her at all costs, at least until your primal side is under control again," Inu no Taisho commanded. Sesshomaru nodded once, looked at his future mate one last time and left the room.

Meanwhile, Kagome was being comforted in Aimi´s arms. She was shaking and her fear permeated the room. "What the hell just happened?" She couldn´t understand. Why were those males so furious? Why did one of them want to kill her?

"Kagome, it´s ok. He was not going to hurt you." Aimi´s voice helped calm Kagome out of her panic attack. She was still shaking, but the arms around her waist were comforting.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Even though she still trembled, Kagome's voice was stronger now.

"Because, dear Kagome, my mate has chosen to adopt you as our pup. And that means, from now on, you will be under our protection. You are invited to be part of the pack, part of the family." It was the man with the ponytail who spoke. He had a very deep voice, one that demanded obedience. But his eyes were full of tenderness.

"This, Kagome, is my mate, the Silver Dog Demon, lord of the Western territory, Inu no Taisho." Aimi´s eyes were focused on her mate and all Kagome could see in her eyes was love and pride for him.

"So, I guess I´m indeed inside a ruling house. And you both are the Lord and Lady of the land?" Kagome said in a hushed voice. It was hard to believe but not impossible. The marks in their faces were enough proof of what they were saying.

"It´s really nice to meet you, Kagome," the Lord said with a smile upon his face and his hand extended in Kagome´s direction. This was going to be very interesting.

(*)

*This chapter had a beta reader BelovedStranger! Thank you so much! :3