A/N: There's sex in this chapter. It's a short scene and easily skipped.
Thanks for all the lovely comments and reviews :) I'm surprised I didn't get more comments on ch 10, but maybe I made it a little more obvious then I realized, eh? Regardless, all of you are 100% awesome :).
"She should be awake, soon."
Farkas looked up at the old man and frowned. "...She's been asleep so long, Kodlak," He remarked quietly.
"I know, my son. But the Change is hard, even on the strongest of us."
Farkas turned his gaze back down to his love, who he had laid beside him in front of the fire. She was sleeping so peacefully. He had covered her in furs to keep her warm and to hide her form from prying eyes. He cursed himself for not thinking to bring her her clothes, but then sighed as he realized she would just tear them off when she Changed, anyway.
The moon was blessedly waning; it had become full the day after Vilkas attacked Celeste. Farkas still got angry thinking about it, even though, in the end, it had ironically turned out for the best. He had to wonder at the strength of such a small, delicate thing as the woman he held. To be attacked by a werewolf and survive; then to survive a week's worth of torture directly afterwards? Physically, other than a lot of scars, she was fine; but how would she fare psychologically?
He didn't even want to think about it.
He pulled her into his arms again, even though he'd just put her down recently, and held her close. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her smell. Amazing that she still had the same scent, even after all this, although a few things had obviously, changed. Instead of linen, he smelled the moldy smell of old ruins; instead of perfume, he smelled blood. And instead of human...he smelled wolf.
"If she wakes up and Changes, she's going to hurt you," Kodlak reminded him.
"I don't care." Farkas grumbled.
Kodlak sighed, leaning back.
Aela and Vilkas had gone off to hunt, leaving Farkas and Kodlak with the unconscious Newborn. They returned then, carrying between them four dead deer.
Farkas kept his nose in Celeste's hair, ignoring the hunger that rose in his belly from the sight of the fresh meat. In order to eat, he would have had to put her down, something he wasn't willing to do just then. Besides, they hadn't even cleaned the kill yet; it was still whole, the meat still inside the body.
However, the Newborn...
Celeste woke, then, with a great heaving shudder and an agonized moan, as though she were in pain.
Hunger... So much hunger...the smell of fresh blood was so enticing. She was so hungry...
But there were arms, arms like metal bars, holding her. She had to get out.
Inside of her, there was a howl of rage at her containment, and she opened her eyes, revealing the black velvet of the night sky. Roaring angrily, she fought against the arms that would hold her captive. "I AM STARVING!" She screamed in rage, and bit down with all her strength on the arm attempting to keep her in place. She heard a groan of pain and tasted the metallic tang of blood. Finally, blessedly, she was released. She swallowed the blood in her mouth without a second thought.
She sprung to her feet. Everything was sharper and more vivid: she could hear the wings of a luna moth fluttering away; she could smell the iron of swords laying nearby, she could make out the details of a house far in the distance. She knew there were people around- no...not people. Wolves. But she didn't care. No one would stand in her way. Her hunger was her strength.
"Gods...she bit me." Farkas sounded wounded, though he was more distraught from the act than the actual wound itself.
"Of course she did, Ice Brain. We told you to put her down so that when she woke up that wouldn't happen. But you didn't listen."
There. The voice that spoke. The redhead. She was holding the meat- the food.
"Aela, the deer. Toss it, now." Kodlak commanded.
The redheaded woman dropped the deer she was holding, and Celeste was running, faster, freer than she ever had before. A rush of adrenaline filled her. Food...
She then grabbed one of the deer, and, with a grunt, threw it, with all her strength, to the west.
Celeste abruptly changed direction, now heading after the airborne deer. Her feet weren't fast enough. She could get there faster with paws. She felt pain rack her body, and she fell to her knees.
As the Change started to consume her, she heard the sound of footsteps, and the clanking of armor.
"No, Farkas! Stay back, she's going to Change."
"Let go of me! Let me go to her!"
"Stay put, brother!"
Pain shot along every vein as she felt her body split open and expand. Fur sprouted and grew, covering her body; her face elongated into a snout; her fingers grew and curved into claws. She got to her feet, hunched over, the pain of the recent change not hindering the wolf in its mad desire for food, meat, sustenance...
Life...
And finally she was upon the deer, effortlessly tearing through its skin with her claws. She stuck her snout in the opening she had made and began to feast openly. Nothing else mattered but how quickly she could get the meat to her weakened and ailing body.
"Leave her be when she's eating. You know how you were when you first changed. How we all were." Vilkas finally let go of his brother.
Farkas watched the great white beast tear into the corpse with so much vigor that it was sickening. "...Surely I didn't..look like that," He protested weakly. A feeling of disgust settled over him.
"You really think the Silver Hands fed her?" Aela asked crossly, and tossed another deer near to Celeste. "Of course not. We may have to bring back more for the rest of us."
"Is it necessary for all of us to be here?" Vilkas asked crossly. "Surely it won't take all four of us to contain her. She's so small, even as a wolf."
"Maybe not," Kodlak said, "But it's best to be sure we can. Let's see how she is after eating. If she seems calmer, then whoever wants to leave, can leave."
Celeste ate through almost two deer, and Farkas watched the entire time, feeling helpless. Could this really be really be his woman? Could she really be devouring those deer in such a way? Could she really have bitten him? Farkas looked down at the wound on his forearm and of course, it was gone; she had been a human when she bit him, so the damage had been minimal in the first place, but Gods it had hurt. "...Is that really...?"
Vilkas put his hand on his brother's shoulder, but wouldn't meet him in the eye or speak.
After her meal, Celeste felt much better. She licked her jaws, getting every last drop of blood, and turned to examine those who had been watching her, with curiosity. Her wolf vaguely registered that she knew these people.
"...Celestiana," Kodlak began, "Do you remember us? We are friends."
The white wolf tilted her head, and wagged her tail.
"Good, she's fine," Vilkas said, and abruptly left. The others watched him, looking a bit confused, but then shrugged off Vilkas' behavior as just being one of those things he did.
Celeste watched him go as well, curious...then cautiously approached the others. She kept her tail between her legs, her head down.
"Why does she approach us like this?" Aela asked curiously, a look of disbelief on her face
"She is setting her place in the pack," Kodlak explained, though he looked confused himself. "...Though I...am surprised. She contains no hostility towards us at all."
Celeste sheepishly looked up at Kodlak, assuming him to be the leader since he was the one answering all the questions. She didn't meet his eyes.
"It's alright," Kodlak nodded, feeling incredibly awkward. "...I am no alpha. We have no alpha in this pack."
Celeste's ears pinned back and she backed away cautiously.
"You are among friends. You don't need to submit to us. We are equals."
"Celeste.."
That voice...her ears pricked up, and she turned to look at the tall, dark man to the left.
Ours, a voice inside of her head told her firmly. As she gazed upon him, a weird realization settling in her head. Yes, she knew these people. That was her boyfriend. These others were his family.
Cautiously, Celeste approached Farkas and sniffed him.
Farkas grabbed the werewolf, ignoring the fact that she was currently a giant man-eating beast, and gave her a strong hug, the kind he'd always wanted to give her before but hadn't been able to for fear of hurting her.
The wolf yelped, but it wasn't out of pain, but surprise.
"Let's leave them," Kodlak said to Aela quietly, and then, they too, took their leave.
And they were alone.
Farkas took Celeste's muzzle in his hands, looking deep into her eyes. "...Silver," He said, and then his lips tugged into a smile. "Will you ever stop being ironic?"
The wolf wagged her tail happily.
"You look okay, but I'm still going to worry until you're back to human form and can tell me that you're okay."
Celeste licked his arm gently, trying to reassure him that she was okay. She didn't want him to worry.
"Well," Farkas asked, "Did you leave any deer for me? I'm hungry, too. Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat it as a human." He let go of her face begrudgingly.
Celeste bounded off, finding one of the deer that she hadn't touched, and grabbed, dragging it towards him to lay it at his feet.
"...I guess that's a yes. Alright. I'll get to cleaning this." He eyed her warily. "If you get hungry, there's another one to the side. I don't mind sharing with you, but in general, it's a bad idea to go after another wolf's food."
She growled softly.
"And it's impolite."
Her tail drooped.
"Hey, hey. I'm not scolding you. I'm just trying to help. You're still new to all of this. And you were hungry. No one blames you for acting that way."
She looked up at him with mournful eyes, and he patted her on the head.
"You'll get used to it. I promise. I'm here to help." Farkas took out his knife and began the process of skinning and cleaning the kill.
The wolf took a perch a little distance away, watching him intently.
That was awkward, so he said the first thing he could think of to make conversation. "Vilkas is really sorry...but you don't have to forgive him if you don't want to. I do, though, because he's my brother, and he regretted it. He was willing to let me kill him if I so pleased."
Celeste's ears perked up.
"Of course I wouldn't kill him," Farkas muttered. "He's my brother. And besides...I know what it's like to lose control like that. I lost control with you, too."
Celeste wagged her tail.
"I know you were okay. But that doesn't make me feel good about it."
Celeste whined softly.
He kept on like that for a long time. Celeste didn't try to steal his kill, or hurt him, or anything else like that. Farkas was a simple man, and this strange behavior was beyond him. Newborn wolves were generally aggressive, bloodthirsty, and angry. They didn't remember anyone or anything, and acted completely on instinct.
Though, he supposed, maybe this was her instinct.
He studied her as he roasted the venison over the open fire. White, with gray dusting and silver eyes. Maybe it was that omega thing Kodlak had mentioned that caused those colors. Whatever an omega was. If she was one.
"Are you an omega, like Kodlak suggested?"
Celeste perked up, and her eyes searched his.
Farkas felt a deep rumbling from her, some sort of weird vibration that made him sleepy all of the sudden. "...Is that a yes?"
She nodded, and the vibration stopped.
Huh, Farkas thought, maybe that's part of it?
"Okay. I'll ask you about that when you change back."
He was tired; he had been up all day already, and the battle had worn him out. After he ate his fill, he looked at the wolf. "I'm going to sleep, Celeste. Will you promise me that you'll be here when I wake up?"
Celeste looked into his eyes then, and he knew she was trying to convey a deeper truth that he couldn't understand. All he really understood was 'yes'.
Satisfied, Farkas removed his armor and crawled under his furs. He felt the wolf curl up at his feet, and he grinned in response...before sleep overtook him.
In the morning, she was human, and in his arms.
He blinked a few times, and shook his head, trying to make sure that it wasn't just a dream. It wasn't; she was human, and her warm, naked body was pressed into his. She must have crawled in next to him while he slept. He reveled in the feeling of skin against bare skin, and pulled her even closer to him, growling softly into her hair.
She whimpered in her sleep and he kissed her then; he started at her forehead and moved down her temple, down her cheek, her neck...
When he heard her breath growing ragged, he knew she was awake.
He didn't stop. He continued down to her collarbone and his mouth trailed down to her breasts. He kept one arm around her, but used his adjacent hand to cup her bare breast, squeezing lightly.
"Farkas," She breathed, sounding like she wanted to tell him something.
But now wasn't the time for words. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked, enjoying how she writhed against him and gasped out, loving that it still tasted exactly the same as it had before.
After paying careful, loving attention to her chest, he moved his hands to her hips, holding her still. He trailed kisses down her belly, heading to the area that had made her jerk away before.
And she knew where he was headed; she tried to scoot away, tried to move, but his hands held her hips firmly in place.
"No," Farkas growled, and she stilled, her face filling with color.
He took one hand and parted her legs with it. Immediately, and without hesitation, he pressed his mouth to her vagina and began to do to her what he had wanted to for ages...what he had wanted to do to her since just about the beginning.
He kept his arm curled around her thigh, keeping her steady while he pleased her. Her moans and whimpers, the way she writhed against him...it was intoxicating. He felt as though it strengthened him, as though he could do this forever. It didn't take much to cause her to orgasm, and he didn't stop after one, either. He pleased her with his mouth and hands until he decided it was enough.
And then he finally wiped his mouth, and released her, straightening himself up. He looked down at her body and saw her trembling with the aftershock of his treatment, and thought to himself that surely, he had never felt such a need for any woman before.
But, still, even though he desired her, and even though he had become painfully aroused, he pressed his body to hers and took time to kiss her passionately; to let his hands wander her body and map every inch of her. He took time, until he knew she had recovered, and was ready.
And when she was, he pressed his forehead to hers, looking deep into those innocent blue eyes, and entered.
It was different this time, he realized. Before he had caused her pain; indeed, there was even some now. But...her mouth formed a different shape, her eyes held a different emotion. He knew that it was better, this time.
"You are a wolf now," He warned, "I'm not taking it easy on you anymore."
And he didn't. He thrust hard, grinding himself into her, and increased his speed as he progressed. He pulled up her hips to meet his, gripping them tightly and allowing himself, for the first time, to be lost in the act and sensation of making love to a woman he actually loved.
Her screams were ones of pleasure, and she trembled beneath him. He anchored himself above her and bit her shoulder roughly, purely on instinct. She cried out, and normally he would have been angry at himself the moment her blood filled his mouth and he swallowed. But, in that moment, he felt himself finally, blessedly orgasm and release. The feeling took hold of his body with a firm grip and drew a low, rough growl out of his throat.
A strange knowledge came over him that, in that moment, Celeste had also orgasmed. A strange feeling of connectedness settled over both of them simultaneously, and it was almost as though they were thinking with the same mind as he collapsed, exhausted, on top of her small body. The act, before her transformation, would have harmed her, rendered her unable to breathe. Now, however, Celeste simply lay panting heavily, exhausted, as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"...What...just happened?" She asked breathlessly.
"We mated," Farkas said, and the knowledge of it, this new bond that they had created, overwhelmed him as he laid there.
"...But...we can't," Celeste said weakly. "..You don't know..."
But it had happened. She could feel the bond, too: it was as clear as the sun warming their skin.
"It's done, Celeste. It's done. And it's wonderful."
She couldn't deny that it was, indeed, wonderful, with her love at her breast and her hands in his hair. It was wonderful, but she felt wrong: as though she'd cheated him. He didn't know the truth.
Farkas felt her worry, felt it radiating through the newness of the bond like pins and needles. "Why do you worry? Do you not want to be with me?"
"Forever," She says honestly, "But you don't know who I really am."
"I doubt that," Farkas replied, "I doubt that very much."
"Farkas...I knew that you were a werewolf."
He moved his head, surprise evident on his face, and placed his chin between her breasts. He watched her. "You..you did? How? And how long did it take you to find out?"
"I figured it out while we were making love," She admitted, "I...I knew a werewolf a long time ago. His eyes turned gold just before he would kill and when he transformed."
"You knew a werewolf?"
"Yes." She frowned. She wanted to hesitate. She had wanted to keep this secret for a long time, much longer than it had been. But it was clear now, that the truth couldn't wait. He had to know who she was, and let him break this "bond," before she hurt him further. "...His name was Arnbjorn. He killed my parents."
She told him, then; she told him everything. And she couldn't help from crying during most of it. The gravity of her past, and the reality of her future, was so much for her to bear. She was a werewolf now, and worse, she was going to lose the purest, most kindhearted person she'd ever known. She was going to lose the man she'd fallen in love with. She was going to be alone with this new ailment of hers and not have anyone to guide her. She was going to have...
...To face Arnbjorn alone.
After she finished, she started bawling. She knew what came next and couldn't bear to think of how she had ruined the afterglow of what should have been a wonderful thing for him. For her. For both of them...
Farkas looked at her for a few seconds, trying to absorb what she had told him. After a moment, he sat up, drawing her into his arms, and let her cry into his chest.
"Farkas?..." She asked, confusion stopping the tears for the moment. She looked up at him, not understanding his actions.
"Yes, my love?" He kissed her on the forehead.
"...Doesn't...don't...you..."
"Hm...?"
"...Aren't you going to dump me? I...I lied to you."
He looked deep into her eyes then. "Celeste, I'm a simple man. I don't understand half of what you just said to me. You know what I do know? Someone hurt you. Someone wants you dead. I don't care who you were in the past. All that matters to me is who you are know."
"Who am I, now..." Celeste wondered softly to herself.
"My mate," Farkas said firmly, "And we, together, are going to kill this Arnbjorn person. No one like that deserves to exist."
Celeste did start crying again, but this time, out of wonder. What had she ever done to deserve such a man? She was an assassin. She killed innocent people for pay and left children as traumatized orphans. And yet, she had been granted a man that could take all of her pain away.
Seek the Companions, Hircine had told her, and she had to wonder whether somehow, Hircine had planned this all along. Though, maybe, all he had done was given her direction to her life when she had none.
Now, though, she had a clear direction and purpose. Through the gift of her wolf, and the blessing of the bond between her and Farkas, maybe she could finally do what she swore to do years ago.
Maybe she had finally found a way to destroy the Dark Brotherhood.
