Chapter 21

Mayhem woke quietly, realizing Luna was still fast asleep in his arms. They had rolled up in the covers like a cocoon, sending the extra pillows down on the floor till there was only two.

"Two peas in a pod" Mayhem thought smiling to himself. Suddenly Luna stirred in his arms and he cursed himself quietly. He didn't want to disturb her while she had been so calm but he must have somehow.

"Morning" she groaned into his chest and wrapped her arms tighter around him. Mayhem smiled wider, she was too cute when she was like this in the morning. Her hair was more wild than ever and her annoyed huff that she had to get up made him want to laugh at her.

"Morning sleepin beauty" he said into her hair and nuzzled closer.

"Do I have to get up?" she said groaning again "Can't I take a day off?"

"Nope, afraid not" he said ripping the covers off of them. Luna squealed and tried to hide herself with the pillows but failed miserably. The shutters on the windows suddenly came up revealing the night sky.

"Wow, we slept all night" she said looking out the window.

"You slept all night" Mayhem teased "I had to stay up and listen to you snore."

Luna crinkled up her nose at him "I do not snore."

"Yes you do" Mayhem said pulling on some jeans and a gray T-shirt "You sounded like Uncle Butch" he ended it with sticking his tongue out at her when a pillow came flying at him.

Mayhem dodged it quickly with a laugh and tackled Luna on the bed feeling her bare flesh beneath him. He was hard again just from feeling her but knew last night was intense for both of them and he didn't want to push his luck.

Jesus, last night...

Mayhem suddenly took off his shirt and examined the scaring on his back in the mirror. Luna watched him looking at the scaring through the mirror and worried he might have changed his mind on how he felt about it.

"Well I can't take my shirt off for a while" Mayhem said glad the scars had healed but were now permanent marks in his skin.

"I'm sorry" Luna said bending her head down.

"Don't be" Mayhem said softly coming over to her. He gently lifted her head so that her eyes met his "I would wear them proudly, but until I tell my father and the Brothers about us, I'd like to keep it to us. Just until we are mated properly."

Luna's eyes suddenly got wide with terror "What do you mean properly?"

"Well" Mayhem said blushing "You said we were mated, that must mean something between us."

Luna suddenly backed away from him and crossed her arms over her bare chest. Was she ready for something like that? She hadn't even told him her feelings for him. Now he wanted to actually mate mate her, as in like, marriage?

"I don't think that's a good idea" Luna said turning away from him. Mayhem suddenly got up and looked at her with such surprise in his eyes.

"Why not?" he said his voice strained.

"Because we barely know each other, what I did, it was in the heat of the moment, yes, but does not make you officially my mate for life. We have our own ceremony for that...What I did was animal instinct to ward other females away from you...nothing more" she said not meeting his eyes. Her heart felt as if it would burst if she met those eyes that were full of sadness.

"Oh" he said turning from her, the hurt building inside of him "I see.."

"It's not that I don't like you" Luna started "I really do-"

"No I get it" Mayhem said turning to her now, his eyes angry and hurt "You just wanted a fuck buddy. Well congrats, you definitely got one. Now try and leave me be until you find me wanting again."

Luna's face was beat red as she put on a shirt that was laying on the floor. No one spoke to her like that "Listen up prince, maybe that mark was a mistake, and maybe my feelings are not what I thought they were. But your ass is marked whether you like it or not. I'm not ready for marriage."

"Then why the fuck did you say we were mates then?" Mayhem said confused "I thought this mark meant we would be together, not a mark for your jealousy!"

"I'm not jealous!" Luna said getting tears in her eyes "I don't know what came over me when I made that mark, but right now I wish I never did!" Luna ran out the door, her hand over her eyes to shield the tears from hitting the ground.

Damn Mayhem, and damn her heart.

Mayhem watched her go out the door, feeling everything break down all at once. His body, his mind, and now...his heart.

Mary heard the tiny knock sound as she was curled up on the couch reading one of her favorite books. At first it was very quiet, but soon the tapping was a bit louder and she wondered who it could be. As she opened the door there was nobody to face her until she heard the quiet little shuffling beneath her.

Faolan stood with a piece of paper in his hands smiling up at Mary with the cutest little look. Mary smiled down at the boy, her heart leaping from joy that he had come again. For weeks now she dreamnt of the little one, and Rhage was starting to wonder where her mind led off to when she thought he wasn't looking.

"Hello Faolan" Mary said getting down to his level "Whatcha got there?"

"Pkchur" he murmered handing over the piece of paper to Mary. She took it and smiled at the little scribbles he had drawn. It was a tiny figure holding hands with a bigger figure with brown hair. A crude heart was above the figures with squibbles and dots all over the place.

"Is that you?" Mary asked pointing to the little figure.

Faolan nodded, his apricot eyes wide and staring at her. She wanted to pick him up in her arms and snuggled those worried eyes closed until they were sparkling and happy again.

"And who is this?" Mary said pointing to the bigger figure. Faolan shuffled his feet for a moment before gently pointing out his finger and poking at Mary.

"Well this is just beautiful"Mary said praising him "You worked very hard on it I can tell. You want to help me hang it up in my room?" she said holding out her hand. Faolan took it without hesitation, happy as punch to be in her presence. Mary placed the drawing right up against her bedside table and Faolan nodded his approval of where it was placed.

"Where's your pack tonight?" Mary said sitting back down on the couch as Faolan followed sitting in her lap.

Faolan let out a tiny little howl that made Mary suddenly realized he was not just some ordinary child.

"They are hunting tonight?" she said. Faolan nodded and went for the tiny silver necklace around Mary's neck.

"Oh no honey don't touch that!" she said pulling the necklace quickly away "Ouchie!" Faolan quickly snapped his hand back realizing what the necklace was and stared at it in terror.

"Here" Mary said getting up and taking the necklace away. She shut in in a drawer on the other side of the room "All gone!" she said smiling at him. Faolan seemed to relax instantly and held out his arms to her once more. Mary went to the bathroom first and washed her hands just to be sure to get any kind of silver off of her hands. Then as she went back into the room she found Faolan staring at all the movies her hellren had organized.

"You want to watch a movie sweetheart?" Mary said pointing at the movies. Faolan nodded and stared up at her for a moment. "Which one do you want to watch?" she said bending down to him.

"Dat!" Faolan said eagerly. Godzilla, boy was this kid the clone of her husband.

"Godzilla?" she said pointing to the movie he had just pointed to. Faolan clapped his hands and shook his head up and down. "RAWWRRR" he growled at her. Mary faked being scared of him when suddenly Faolan stopped and came over to her in a rush. The little one buried his head into Mary's chest.

"Oh what's wrong little man?" Mary said hugging the child back. Faolan looked up at her with such worry. Mary suddenly realized he was scared he had actually scared her. "Oh buddy don't be scared" she said "I'm not scared don't you worry." The little wolf still didn't seem satisfied with her answer as he clung on to her tighter.

"Here" she said scooping him up "Want to make some popcorn?" They watched as the tiny popcorn machine Rhage had bought for himself began popping out the popcorn in loud snaps and pops. Faolan watched happily, clapping his hands and pointing to the popcorn machine every time it spat out popcorn.

"POP!" he yelled. Mary laughed and said "Yes POP! Now for some Godzilla" They sat happily together watching the flick. They were about half way through, Faolan snuggled at Mary's side when suddenly Rhage popped in, flinging his leather jacket on the bed. He was just about to disrobe when he noticed the child sitting with his female.

"Who's this?" Rhage said pointing at the little one. Faolan stared at the Brother, his apricot eyes fixed on him, waiting to see if he would come towards Mary or not.

"Faolan" Mary said turning her face back to the TV "He's my little guest tonight."

Rhage stared at the child. If he had been two foot and had lighter eyes he would be a spitting image of this kid.

"He part of the wolf pack?" Rhage said looking to Mary again. She wrapped her arm around the little one nodding her head but still not looking at him. Rhage was not stupid, he knew what Mary was feeling at that moment.

"Baby could I speak with you for a moment" he said. Faolan grabbed on Mary's arm with such a worried look it sent Rhage's heart swelling with something he didn't quite comprehend yet. That worried look was the same he gave her all the time, worrying if she was okay or not.

"It's okay buddy" Rhage said to the child "I just need to ask her a question."

"Keep watching Rawwrr!" Mary said smiling down at him before heading into the bathroom with her husband. As soon as the door was closed Rhage looked at her with such intesity.

"What are you doing with a wolf in here?" he said wanting to really know.

"I found him a couple weeks ago, Luna said it was okay for him to be up here. And personally I like having him here, he's a little sweetheart" she said folding up her arms.

"I get that" Rhage said "I know how you've been feeling baby but that doesn't mean you can just take a child. Especially a wolf child!"

"I didn't take him" she hissed "He came to me tonight. He had a little picture for me and I invited him to watch a movie. His pack knows where he is, I didn't steal him from a hospital or anything."

"This could turn bad baby is all I'm saying" he said "The pack mother won't like it-"

"He has no pack mother" Mary said her eyes staring straight into his "He is an orphan, one of the wolfen explained it to me. Luna took him in when he was a baby, he needs me Rhage, he needs this comfort."

Rhage sighed "You are sure he is an orphan?"

"That's all Luna's youngs are" she said "There are no mothers to them. This one has chosen me, and if you would just let me I want to go back in there and be one!" Mary caught the words out of her mouth before she even thought of them. Yes, she wanted to be a mother, she wanted to be this little boy's mother if she could. Her heart suddenly felt lighter, as if a path was lit finally for her to walk down.

"Please Rhage" Mary said staring up at her hellren "He needs me, and I need him...and I need you."

Rhage sighed and gave a smile to his shellan "I'll have a talk with Luna, maybe this could work out for you" he said taking her hands in his "For us."

Mary smiled up at her husband and held him in her arms for the longest time. Then she went out the door and snuggled up next to Faolan who was engrossed in the movie but still happy to see her.

Rhage watched them for them doorway, wondering maybe, possibly this could be a new start for them, a real family.

Scribe Virgin he prayed for it to be true.