Update :)

Damon's POV

Apart from the low hum of Elena's voice as she finished up her conversation on the phone, the room was silent.

We were in the study that Alaric still claimed, the male sitting at the desk near the fireplace, and I'd taken perch on the arm of the couch, my eyes scanning the room as my brain waited to process the information we'd been given until Elena was through.

Klaus was present as well, settled into the chair adjacent from Alaric with a sleeping William curled into his arms, resting against his chest.

Michael was with his mother, and Stefan and Mason had volunteered to watch the twins until we had finished.

Bonnie sat on the couch with her grandmother, both of their eyes on my mate as she finally ended the phone call and pocketed her cell.

"Jo agrees with you," she turned around and locked eyes with Sheila Bennett, "And she doesn't think there will be any lasting effects."

Sheila nodded, "As I'd thought."

But Elena shook her head, "I still don't like this. Simply knowing that their birthmark being severed caused this isn't enough. I need to know why."

"I'd of thought that much was obvious," Sheila said, her brow lifting, "Disturbing their bond upset the balance."

"The balance?" I interjected, "What balance?"

The older witch turned her gaze to me, "You didn't just assume that magic was an endless pool, did you? That it could be tapped into and taken from and recycle itself without consequence to thought or reason?"

I shrugged, not really knowing how to answer because, in truth, I hadn't much thought about what magic was...like being a werewolf, it just seemed like something that was and had always been.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, and this time it was Bonnie who answered.

"Every life has an energy. A soul, or whatever you want to call it. When we bound you and Damon during your pregnancy, we tied your life sources together; combined that energy."

"I remember," my mate assured her, "But how does that pertain to what happened with my children?"

I pushed off the arm of the couch and crossed the room to take Elena into my arms.

Her body was shaking a little and she leaned into my touch.

"Skylar and Daniel's energy...their life source...it's combined as well," Sheila said, "The spell that runs through their blood has connected them in a way that is entirely unique. Their magic is shared, and so long as that mark is intact they have a balance. Cutting it broke that balance and severed the energy source they both pull from. The pain they experienced makes sense. For the first time in their lives...their magic was completely their own."

Elena's body was stiff and I frowned, "If severing the mark ended their connection and let them have their own magic...would that not give them the chance for more normality? Why such a negative reaction?"

"Your children are very powerful, Mr. Salvatore," Sheila stared at me hard, "The blood of witches and wolves runs through their veins and such a power needs balance. And it's not as if this energy knows how to split itself when broken. Right now, your children's bond is a rope in a game of tug-of-war. Wolf and witch, both pulling, both being shared, and together your twins can shoulder the burden. Severing the mark is severing that rope. From the way it sounds the wolf end overwhelmed your son, and your daughter was ladened with more witch magic than she was equipped to handle. They need the balance the other provides."

"So how do we stop this from happening again?" Elena asked.

"We can't," Bonnie said, pulling her legs under herself as she crossed them, "Not really. Sky and Daniel's birthmark is a part of them."

"You can't do a spell to protect it?" Alaric asked, "The mark?"

Sheila sighed, "It's hard for you wolves to understand. Magic isn't something to be thrown around. Our natural, day to day abilities is one thing...but spells...magic has a price. The best thing for those children is to teach them caution and then to just let them be."

"So do nothing?" I finished, "And just hope that the next time this happens, Daniel isn't surrounded by humans? Or that Skylar doesn't burn the entire forest down?"

"It is a rare occurrence," Sheila defended, "How often are you scarred in the same place? Bruised twice in the exact same location? It took nearly nine years for this to happen once."

"But it did happen," Elena murmured.

"And it's the price you pay for a magic as great as theirs," Sheila lifted her chin, "You don't have to like it, but it's the way it is. Teach them how preciously they need to guard their wrists and teach them control as best you can. When they are older, it will be second nature. But it is something they will have to learn to live with."

Elena sighed and buried her head into my chest.

I knew this wasn't what she'd wanted to hear, and to be frank, I wished there was another answer as well.

There was no way to protect my young from a threat that was hidden within their very being.

As Sheila had pointed out, we'd just have to learn to live with it.

I felt nervous; which was a first for me, while doing a Mutt run.

And the reason for my balled up nerves was sitting in the passenger's seat of my car, staring out the window.

I'd tried to keep my eyes on the road and not on Elena's long denim clad legs, or on the red streaks of her hair that was pulled into a high ponytail.

But time after time, my eyes would drift over and stare.

Each time, I was promptly ignored.

The drive had taken a couple hours and the ride had mostly been filled with silence.

Elena had turned on the radio at one point, but the slight buzz of whatever latest hit was playing did very little to break the tension I could sense flowing from her body.

"This should be simple," I told her, hoping to strike a needed conversation, now that we were getting close to our destination, "But just in case it's not, I'm going to need you to do as I say."

Her eyes rolled, but at least she turned and looked at me, "Yeah, and what might that be?"

"To go back to the car if shit gets bad," I said forcefully and now I had her full attention.

"I thought the point of learning how to fight was so I could be useful if shit did go bad," she pointed out, sounding slightly offended.

Oh well. She could be offended all she wanted, as long as she was safe.
"I taught you to fight because Alaric wanted you to know how, and I wanted you to be able to protect yourself if the need were to arise."

"Well, what if the need arises today?" she asked stubbornly.

I sighed, "It won't if you get back to the car before any major fighting starts."

"And just leave you to fight alone?" she asked sarcastically, "Yeah, because Alaric won't grill me for that."

I smirked, despite myself, "I can handle myself in a fight, Kitten, don't you worry about me."

"I really wasn't," she informed me in a nasty tone, turning to look back out the window.

My smile faded and I forced my eyes to focus on the road ahead.

Things with Elena hadn't really changed much.

She'd relaxed some in my presence since our evening out in the woods, but she was still hurt...still angry.

I wished more than anything she would give me the chance to make things right; for both our sakes.

Before leaving, Alaric had pulled me aside and all but commanded me to tell her the truth, baffled that I hadn't done so already.

I'd done what I could to explain to him the reason why I couldn't.

Elena needed him.

She needed the Pack as her family, and she needed to feel comfortable enough to make our home her own.

Telling her the truth would ruin that chance.

It would cause her hatred and anger to shift to Alaric and the rules of the Pack.

She'd resent the Pack and she would feel alone, even if she did manage to forgive me.

I couldn't do that to her.

Alaric understood my point enough that he didn't force the issue, but he did make it clear that he disapproved.

Oh well. I was excelling at pissing everyone off lately; what was one more to that list?

It was later in the afternoon by the time we reached our destination.

A little town nestled in the side of the Smoky mountains of Tennessee where one of the Mutts on the Pack's radar had spent the past few months picking off the town folk.

Half eaten bodies had been left behind and the locals were starting to get suspicious about wolf activity.

So the Mutt had to go.

Elena of course, didn't know the bloody details, nor would she have to if she did as I told her.

Because something told me that this Mutt wasn't going down without a fight, which was fine by me.

My wolf was itching for the chance to sink it's teeth into something.

But that didn't necessarily mean Elena was ready to see it.

"GPS says this is it," she said, breaking the silence that had fallen around us, "Now what?"

"Now, we find a rental," I told her.

"A rental?" I could feel her eyes on me, and nodded.

"Why?"

"Because my car isn't going to climb mountains very well," I said, "And it's also doused with our scent. The Mutt will make us and run before we even get the chance to confront him, and I don't really feel like chasing anyone today."

Elena simply stared at me for a moment, then turned her attention to the GPS.

A second later she said, "There's a place that rents out jeeps about seven miles west of here. Take a left at the second light."

I nodded and followed her directions.

There was another benefit to getting a different vehicle that I didn't bother mentioning to Elena, and it was the fact that the Mutt would see it and assume we were humans.

Hikers or campers, maybe.

And hopefully with it being so late in the afternoon, he'd be on the hunt and he would come to us.

After all, it isn't as if too many townspeople had been taking willing trips up the mountain lately, and a wolf with a taste for human blood wouldn't be satisfied with wildlife for very long.

My point was proven by the male in the rental office as he warned yet again, "There's been quite a few disappearances lately. Folks are saying we've got some kind of wildlife gone rabid up there. You sure ya'll want to be going in that direction."

"Positive," I told him, growing a little annoyed as he gave me a reproachful look.

"Alright...I'm just saying that the wildlife committee officiated a warning against campers and-"

"We can handle ourselves," I cut him off, "So why don't you just give us the keys and tell me where I can park my car."

The male paled some, clearly reading something in my expression, but then Elena was shoving herself between us.

"I'm sorry," she told him in a sweet tone that only sounded a little forced, "It's been a really long drive for us. We've been planning this trip forever and it's been like pulling teeth trying to make it happen, but I'm sure we'll be perfectly safe. So we'll sign a waiver or whatever you need for the jeep, but we really do need to be on our way to set up before dark."

The man's posture relaxed and he nodded, "Yeah, of course. I understand."

A few minutes and a signature later, we were out the door; Elena wearing a smug look on her face.

"How'd you ever get anything done?" she asked me as we got back into the car, "Your people skills suck."

I chuckled a little and looked over at her, "Instilling fear works just as easily as cuddling up to them. I promise."

"Maybe," she allowed, "But being nice to them sometimes gets you a lot further."

"I'll keep that in mind."

We got my car parked in the covered garage, then met the guy with the keys to the jeep out in front of the building.

Ten minutes later, we were in the new vehicle and heading back onto the road.

"Elena, I meant what I said before," I glanced over to her, "If I tell you to get back to the car, do it."

Her brown eyes looked up at me, but she didn't comment.

"Do you understand me?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes, "I understand that you're bossy and completely full of yourself."

"I'm trying to keep you safe," I insisted.

Her expression hardened, "Yeah? And where was that mentality a few months ago?"

"Elena-"

"Forget it," she turned away and I sighed out my frustration.

There were more important things to worry about right now than our personal shit.

"We'll be going off road in a few miles," I warned her, taking a look at the map the guy at the rental lodge had given us, "Most of the killings seem centralized, so we should be able to park and pick up his scent from there."

She ignored me, so I drove on until we reached the turnoff where the road faded to dirt and trees.

Things got bumpy for the next half mile, but we finally reached the end of the clearing and hit the treeline.

"We get out here," I said, killing the engine.

Elena opened her door and jumped out, her calf-high boots making a thud against the ground.

"How do we even know what we're looking for?" she asked as I came around, her eyes on the trees.

I smiled a little, "Remember that supernatural sense of smell you were bragging about having a few days ago?"

She rolled her eyes, "Obviously we follow his scent, but how do we know which one is his?"

"Wolves have a very particular smell," I told her, "You'll recognize it the moment you pick it up...but we're going to hang here for a moment first."

Her brows pulled together, "Why?"

"Because," I lowered my voice before answering, "If he's hungry and on the hunt, you can bet he's on the lookout for lone hikers or campers. We're downwind of most the forest so he won't smell us right away, but he'll see us, and he's gonna assume we're a ready made meal."

Her eyes widened slightly as her mind registered what I meant, "We're bait?"

"Think of it more as a tool to drawing him out."

"Right," she said slowly, "And when we just stand here, doing nothing...you don't think he's going to get suspicious?"

"Not if you keep your voice down," I murmured, "And besides, we aren't going to be doing nothing."

I walked to the back of the jeep and raised the door.

"Come here," I instructed, which earned me yet another dirty look, but she complied.

"Get in the back," I motioned to the bare space created by the lowered seats.

"Why?" she challenged.

I exhaled, "Elena of the two of us, who has actually done this before?"

She crossed her arms, "That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to ask questions. I need to know what's going on."

"Get in and I'll tell you," I growled.

"Fine."

With all the grace of her new wolf, Elena swung her body up into the cab and with another quick breath, I followed her, pulling the door down behind us.

"There better be a reason we're back here that has nothing to do with getting naked," Elena warned me.

I smirked at her, "It's only part way about getting naked."

The sharp narrowing of her eyes let me know that she wasn't in the mood for jokes, so I consented to telling her my plan.

"I'm about eighty percent sure that the Mutt out there knows we're here and is watching us. Right now, all he's going to be able to tell is that a couple drove out to the middle of the woods for some time alone. He sees us getting into the back and he's going to assume we're fucking."

A blush colored Elena's cheeks, distracting me a little, but I finished, "I'm going to Change, then you're going to get out of the vehicle, and walk off some. Act like you're collecting firewood or something . If the Mutt's watching, he'll assume you're human and a non threat by yourself."

"Then he'll attack me," Elena pointed out, "Great plan."

"Wolves like this prefer the game," I assured her, "Judging from the bodies he's left behind, he likes to play with his food more than he likes to eat it. I'll get to you before anything happens."

She nodded, but from the look on her face, she wasn't convinced.

"Elena," I said, reaching for her hand, "Nothing will happen to you. I promise."

For a brief moment, her eyes met mine and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the knowledge that we were alone together, in an enclosed space, and her body was just a touch away.

Elena seemed to pick up on this as well because she blinked then jerked away, putting space between us.

"Okay," she said distractedly, as if gathering her thoughts, "You should...you should probably Change."

"What are we going to do, Damon?"

Elena's voice was quiet, but the fear that laced her words was still evident.

"We're going to protect them," I told her, "The best we can."

"What if we can't?" she breathed, her eyes trained on our sleeping young.

Her gaze hadn't left them since I'd found her in the doorway to their bedroom half an hour ago.

"We will," I promised, wrapping an arm around her waist, "But right now, they need to rest. Come on, Kitten."

She let me pull her, somewhat reluctantly, down the hall to our room.

The wood of the floor was still stained from Skylar's flames, but Bonnie and Elena had come up earlier to repair the rest of the damage.

Other than the marks and lingering smell of burning wood, things were as they should be.

"I was scared today," my mate admitted, "What if we couldn't have stopped it?"

"But we did," I reassured her, "You did. And the young are fine."

"For now," she pressed, "But it's not guaranteed to stay that way. What if the next time it happens, we aren't around."

"We'll just have to be careful and-"

"They have a weakness, Damon!"

Elena's voice was hard now, her eyes searching my face, as if willing me to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Someone could really hurt them, if they found out...they could be incapacitated, defenseless…"

I knew then, without knowing exactly how I knew, that she was remembering Giuseppe's attack.

The way she was forced into labor from the physical blows I'd suffered, and the pain she'd felt when our tie had been severed and she'd had to bear the full weight of her suffrage.

I reached over and took her into my arms.

"Don't," I told her, stroking her hair down as she rested into the crook of my neck, "Don't do this to yourself. Don't work yourself up with a worry you can't change."

"I can't help it," she murmured against me, "I'm so scared for them."

"I am too," I admitted, holding her tighter, "But we'll deal with this like we always do. We'll find a way to keep them safe."

"How?" she asked, and I could hear the thickness in her throat that meant tears were on their way.

"I'll give a command to the others," I told her, "No one speaks about the twins to anyone outside of our Pack. No one will mention anything that happened today or they will deal with me personally. Our children will be safe."

Elena nodded slowly, and pulled away so I could see her face.

"You sound so sure. How do you stay so calm?"

I brushed back a loose strand of hair that was teasing her cheek and smiled, "Simple. I know that anything that comes at our young will have to deal with their angry were-witch mother."

She laughed at that, and leaned into my touch, "Not to mention their Alpha father."

I nodded, "We're enough to protect them, kitten. Us, Bonnie, the Pack...even Michael's actions today proved that there isn't a person in this house that wouldn't die for our twins. If someone; anyone, were to come for them, it would be their last mistake."

She sighed deeply and I felt her shoulders relax some, but not nearly enough, "Accidents could still happen."

"And like Sheila pointed out, it took nine years for the first one to happen," I reminded her, "We'll talk to Daniel and Skylar in the morning. We'll make them understand how important it is for them to keep the mark safe. I don't think either of them will be too eager to go through today again. We'll get them through this."

"I hope you're right," she said quietly.

I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger on her skin as my eyes closed.

How badly I wanted to prove to her that we were going to make this work.

That we could keep the twins safe and still manage the happy life she'd always dreamed of.

But it was getting harder and harder to do so with each new threat that seemed to be thrown at us.

The male in me needed to be certain that I could protect my family.

I lowered my head until my forehead pressed against my mate's and I could feel her eyelashes flutter against my cheek.

"I'll make them safe," I told her, "Whatever it takes."

Brown eyes lifted to mine, and I felt relief when I read the trust in them.

"I know you will," she assured me, "You always have."

Lifting up onto her toes then, Elena kissed me.

It was the lingering kind that made me think of how fucking lucky I was to have this female in my life.

It was overwhelming to think of all she had given me, and how much we'd both suffered on our journey to this ever after.

We'd come to far for anything less than happiness.

"I love you," I told her soundly, taking her face in my palms.

Her dark eyes were as enchanting as ever and I knew I could lost in them; in her, for the rest of my life and have no regrets about it.

"You still make the world go away for me," I breathed, locking our gazes, "That's how I stay sure, kitten. That's how I stay calm. I focus on you, on how strong and amazing you are, and I remember that our children are half of you. That they are as resilient, and as stubborn as you are. They're survivors, and they will survive this too."

Elena smiled softly, her hand reaching up to close around my fingers, "Sometimes I wish I could see things the way you do. I wish I was as strong as you think I am."

"You are," I promised her, "You always have been. And our young are too."

"They are," she admitted, "I just hope it's enough."

My mind kept tabs on Elena's every step while my eyes scanned the area around her, waiting.

The Mutt was out here, I knew it, and it was only a matter of time before he made his move.

I stayed low in the jeep, coiled in readiness to spring out the back as soon as he appeared.

Elena was keeping to her part well enough, managing to look unbothered as she moved fallen sticks and twigs to a pile, lining herself up as the perfect bait.

And now just to wait for the bite…it didn't take long.

I heard him before I saw him, and apparently Elena did to.

The low, hungry growl of a predator zeroing in on its prey had her head shooting up and turning in the direction of the sound.

My jaw shifted in anticipation and I kept my own reaction in check, not wanting to give myself away too soon.

Elena had frozen, but there was only the tiniest flicker of fear on her face.

My fur stood on it's ends.

A few more seconds.

Finally, he was in my line of sight.

A fairly large wolf with streaks of gray and brown in his fur was sauntering forward, stalking Elena slowly, waiting for the moment she bolted so he could chase her down.

I didn't plan on letting him get that far.

He took another two steps in her direction and I launched myself out of the vehicle, throwing my body between the Mutt and the woman I loved.

The wolf immediately froze.

He wasn't one that I'd personally had the pleasure of dealing with in the past, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would know why I was here.

A fact that was confirmed when his ears pinned back and his lips pulled away from his teeth, followed by a low snarl.

My wolf geared up for a fight, my stance broadening to prove that I didn't plan on backing down.

This Mutt had stepped out of line for far too long and as an extension of the Alpha's will, it was my duty to rectify that mistake.

Blood for blood.

Instinct pulsed through me as I planned out my kill and for a moment I almost wished the Mutt would run for it.

However, he seemed to be an even bigger idiot than I'd originally predicted, because he too braced himself, refusing to back away from what he had decided was his meal.

Elena.

A growl bellowed out of my throat and my own teeth were showing now.

Over his dead body.

I waited until his eyes lifted, sizing up a way past me, before I attacked.

Elena screamed as the two of us met head on, teeth and claws tearing at each others flesh.

I was stronger than this male, more experienced, but he put up a hell of a fight.

My mouth found his shoulder and I bit down, causing a whimper to escape my opponent, but he wasn't giving in just yet.

His claw raked against me, forcing me back and he righted himself just in time for me to pounce back on him.

We went rolling then, but I never let slip my position between him and Elena.

Elena, who'd fallen quiet.

I chanced a quick glance over to where she was supposed to be getting into the car, but surprise, surprise, she wasn't doing as I'd told her.

Instead, she seemed to think this was the perfect time to Change into a wolf herself.

I barked in her direction, a warning, but my distraction was what the Mutt had been waiting for.

A pair of razor teeth sank into my side, pulling me backwards hard enough that I felt my skin rip from my ribs to my thigh.

Pain flooded my body and I snarled and the Mutt tightened his grip.

Fuck!

The scent of blood filled my nostrils, but before I could retaliate, Elena had joined us.

Taking the Mutt by surprise, she tackled into his body, knocking him off of me.

I forced myself to stand through the pain, not about to let her get hurt.

The Mutt had recovered from his shock of seeing his meal turn into a wolf, and was in full attack mode now.

His teeth were getting closer and closer to Elena's neck with each motion and her inexperience was obvious, though she held her own better than I'd first expected.

I threw myself into the mix, ripping the Mutt away from Elena's body and pinned him to the ground by his neck.

He fought, God did he fight, but it was useless now.

I closed my jaw until I felt the bone crunch beneath my teeth, and the Mutt fell still.

With a final shake to be sure he was dead, I dropped his body and turned to check on Elena.

She was a few feet away, her dark fur a little matted now, but she seemed to be intact.

I started to walk over to her, but stumbled, and only then did I remember my own gaping wound.

Just fucking perfect.

Drawing on what strength I still had, I threw myself into the Change and groaned once I had the ability to do so.

The Mutt's teeth had created a jagged line down my body, deep enough that it didn't seem to want to stop bleeding and I was starting to feel slightly light headed.

"Change back," I told Elena, "We need to drag his body up into the trees so the animals will pick him off before the humans find him."

She turned and ran back to the jeep, making me think she wasn't going to fight me for once, and returned a few minutes later, dressed and on two legs.

"I thought we were coming here to run him off," she said coldly, "Not kill him."

"Technically, we didn't kill him, I did," I pointed out, "And it's not exactly like he was a bible salesman. His kill count was nearing a dozen humans. He needed to be…"

I tried to say "stopped" but things were spinning again and I had to focus on keeping my balance.

Elena seemed to notice that something was off, "Are you okay?"

"His teeth got me," I explained, lifting my arms so she could see the wound, "The venom of our bite keeps it from healing as fast as it's supposed to."

"Holy shit," she muttered, stepping closer to me than she'd allowed herself to be since my return back to the Pack.

Her hand touched my side, "Damon, that's deep. Really deep."

"I'm aware," I snapped, frustrated in more ways than one, "So let's finish this."

"No," she shook her head, "I'll finish. You go sit down."

Having her command me was equal parts appealing and irritating, but she was dragging the wolf's body off before I could argue and I did still feel light headed.

"Not too far," I told her, "And come right back."

She nodded, then disappeared up the side of the hill we were next to.

I sighed and made my way over to the jeep, leaning against it in hopes of regaining some strength.

Then I counted slowly to ten, deciding that if Elena wasn't back before I hit double digits, I was going after her.

Thankfully though, she'd returned by "eight", wiping her hands of either dirt or blood.

"It's done," she said and I nodded, "Alright. Let's go."

She stopped me as I began to move and held out a hand, "Keys."

"What the fuck for?"

"I'm not letting you drive like this," she said, as unaffected by my mood as ever, "Give me the keys."

I grumbled something incoherent, but opened the passenger's side door and reached across for the keys that were laying in the console.

"Here."

"Thank you," she took them, "Now put your clothes on, and try to add pressure to that bleeding. We'll stop somewhere after we get the car and clean you up."

She didn't give me the chance to argue, and I didn't even bother to try.

This was the Elena that I'd fallen in love with.

Feisty, but caring. Concerned, but not afraid to hand me my own ass.

I'd been missing her lately and would play along for as long as it kept that anger out of her eyes.

Let me know what you think!

And for those of you who follow East of Valhalla, I'm planning on updating it tomorrow.

Have a good day/night/whatever time you're reading this :)