Chapter 54 - Peace and Quiet
Fenrir glanced at the wavy hair of his mate as she nearly stalked down the hallway in front of him. Irritation was clear in the scent that followed in her wake. He was proud of her and the way she had taken charge and handled the situation at the Order's headquarters. His adrenaline was still running high from the encounter; it had been nearly a week since he had done anything that felt remotely productive.
He stopped and cocked his head to the side slightly when Hermione stopped and turned to face him. "I'm going to see how Catia is doing," she said with a finality in her voice.
Fenrir was not inclined to argue; as much as he loved being near her, he had an inkling she may want space. The morning had not at all gone in a way she had wanted. He watched her go, taking one last whiff of her scent before it dissipated into the air. He hoped she would check in with more than just the Beta family, but it was not important enough for him to mention and risk having his head snapped off.
When she was gone, he turned in search of something a little more stimulating than the company of the week. It did not take him long for him to find Hector. Fenrir did not bother to approach casually; he was certainly at ease, but that was not the impression he wanted to give in this particular moment.
"Alpha?" The younger wolf questioned, his posture deliberately wary.
Fenrir shot him a growl and another smirk. The Alpha wanted a fight, and Hector never failed to disappoint him.
Immediately understanding, the other werewolf shed his shirt. "Kieran!" He called, excitement edging his voice.
Two against one. Fenrir smirked; the pair had not managed to best him yet. He was Alpha for a reason. It was not long before the Irish werewolf made his presence known, and the three were soon engaged in a friendly tussle.
Hermione rocked Aster as the infant slept. Catia certainly had her hands full with the twins; Hermione felt bad that she had missed over a week of helping out, and it was going to be longer before she could truly offer more than an occasional holding of either child.
The young mother looked up from her son, who was sleeping less decidedly than his sister.
"They're always hungry," Catia said fondly. Her face was tired, but she was certainly happy. "Elise is here nearly every day. I get plenty of time to nap, but it's not the same as a full night's sleep."
Hermione nodded and smiled. "They're certainly a handful. And they're grown so fast." She marveled at the youngsters, before turned once again to their mother.
"How are you, Hermione?" Catia asked her after a moment of silence.
Hermione sighed quietly and explained what had happened since they had left. Looking back the last week was a good thing; she and Fenrir had learned much more about each other than they had known before. It may have been strained for a while, but it was good. The Order was another matter, but they seemed to be trying. She confessed her worries about Remus to the other woman, who agreed with a sad smile.
"If Alpha says he needs to come home, then that's what needs to happen." Catia said plainly.
"I think he's right. I just don't know how to get him here." Hermione frowned.
Catia's smile brightened, "We'll think of something.
The women chatted for a while longer, before Hermione moved on to see Elise and some of the other families she knew well.
A decently large crowd had gathered in the hall where Fenrir and the other two werewolves were sparring. The large Alpha had driven the pair back multiple times, though he was sporting a few bruises and a rough scratch down one arm. The others were about as well off; Kieran had a red scratch on his face and Fenrir would not have been surprised if Hector had a bruised rib or two. He had kicked him fairly hard. The two were circling him again, but Fenrir merely grinned. He could smell Mensis; the younger wolf was nearby.
Just as Kieran made to attack, he let out a strangled grunt and a laugh as Mensis jumped him from behind.
"Oh, come on, Alpha. That's not fair." The large Irish werewolf said once he managed to catch his breath. "Two on two?"
Fenrir smirked, catching Mensis' grin out of the corner of his eye. It was certainly one-sided. He nodded, looking over the crowd. His eyes fell across a familiar face that had been watching curiously, but whose eyes still seemed very wary. "Why don't you teach that new whelp a thing or two."
The pair looked over at Jules, who visibly blanched at the thought.
Kieran looked overly delighted at the prospect, and grabbed the poor Frenchman before he could crowd quickly closed off any means of escape for the newest werewolf in the pack. Not that it had seemed to even enter his mind. The man was pale, but his jaw was set.
"Move fast." Hector said quietly.
"Don't let them gang up on you," Kieran advised.
Fenrir grinned widely at the newcomer, who seemed to be muttering some choice words under his breath in his native tongue. Fenrir barked out a grunt of a laugh when Hector slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him as he stumbled back. Before he had a chance to catch his breath, Hector's three year old ran up to him and snarled.
"Now who's not playing fair, Hector?" Fenrir growled good-naturedly as he gently fought the small boy's advances.
"He has to learn sometime, Alpha." Hector grinned.
"He does." Fenrir watched the cub carefully as he tried to fight past his defences. Kody was fearless, which could present itself to be a problem. Caution was always a necessary part of the hunt. "Move your feet, pup," he growled. The cub obeyed immediately. Fenrir nodded approvingly, and it was not long before father and son were fully teamed up against him. Kody may have been small, but his teeth were sharp.
The three fought for several minutes before Fenrir decided it was time to end. He shook off the small cub and lunged for Hector. In a split second, he had the other werewolf's throat in his teeth. The man stilled, whining softly in submission.
Fenrir released his gentle hold and turned to Kody with a small grin. "That is how you win," he said quietly to the boy, who was staring at him in awe. Kody nodded and darted excitedly back over to his father. Fenrir heard Hector laugh quietly as Kody began to recap the fight as though his father had not been there at all.
The Alpha chuckled softly and turned to see what had happened on the other side of the circle.
Mensis was casually dueling with the newest werewolf in the pack, easily keeping him at bay. Jules was learning with quiet instructions from the more experienced werewolves around him. Fenrir did not think him large enough to make a good guard, but he was light enough on his feet that he may very well be an excellent runner. His pack needed some more speed and perhaps a bit less raw muscle. Catia had been one of the faster runners in the pack, but she would not be up for running again for a while yet.
Fenrir smirked when Mensis beat both Jules and Kieran's advances. He may have been quiet and did not often resort to violence, but Fenrir knew better. When it came down to it, his beta was much tougher than he appeared. He knew far too many who had underestimated his beta. Mensis had only been beaten once by someone other than himself; and Fenrir was certain it was because the cub had been laughing too hard to fend off his 'attackers'. That was years ago. Mensis could not have been more than twelve. Fenrir chuckled once more; he was getting sentimental.
The fight now over, Fenrir nodded to his pack; watching the others to ensure they were not seriously injured as they caught their breath. Everything seemed well in order until the peace was disturbed by frantic footsteps. The crowd parted swiftly to make a path for the only one who would warrant such a quick response: the Alpha Female. He had not thought about the amount of noise they had been making, werewolves were not quiet.
"Fenrir! What—"
Hermione stared at the five werewolves; not really noticing how quickly the crowd had parted for her. She had heard the fighting and assumed the worst. Instead she found the males grinning at her, though all sporting injuries. Most were minor and she ignored those; they clearly were fine. And could live with their own wounds. She did frown when she noticed little Kody was wincing slightly whenever he shifted too far to one side. Shaking her head, she took out her wand and healed the small boy. She had forgotten how violent the werewolves were. She rolled her eyes slightly when she looked back at the males and their ever widening grins. Kody merely looked amazed.
"Thanks you!" he exclaimed with a grin to match his father's.
Hermione could not help but smile at the boy. She turned away only to find Fenrir's bright eyes staring at her. Despite everything that had happened, she had a feeling that he was still not tired out.
The Alpha walked up to her, a familiar wild look in his eye.
Suddenly feeling reckless, she darted toward him, tapping his muscular arm as she passed him.
"Tag!" She shouted before running out of arm's reach. "You're it!" she squealed with delight.
Fenrir's excited growl propelled her forward. She laughed as she ran, knowing that he would catch her. The other werewolves had laughed at the change of events as well, and seemed to instantly join the game. She had barely gotten to the front doors when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You're it again, Mistress," Mensis grinned and darted off.
Turning, Hermione chased after the rest of the pack, who had apparently had enough time to scatter well enough that she took a while to catch up to anyone. She managed to sneak up on an unsuspecting Jules and tag him before too long, however. Jules was immediately egged on by Fenrir. The chasing did not last long, but both moved incredibly quickly. Eventually, Jules caught up with Fenrir and tapped him. The larger werewolf laughed and turned once more toward Hermione.
She began to run, but he caught up to her swiftly. She turned as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed him, breathless from the exertion. He grinned back, but looked...almost concerned. He seemed to be searching her eyes, or perhaps her scent for something.
"Again?" she asked once she had caught her breath.
She was surprised when Fenrir shook his head and let out a gentle growl. "How about a walk instead, mate?"
Hermione nodded, but was no less confused. Something was definitely up. Fenrir not wanting to chase her? That was unusual enough to merit concern, not to mention that he had been cooped up in a house full of Weasleys for a week. She did not think of him as one to want quiet, but he seemed to want it now; now that she was involved. It had not been an issue a week ago, or any of the month before that. Had it really been a month? The witch frowned slightly as they continued to walk in a comfortable silence. She counted the days more closely, and her frown deepened when something seemed off. Counting once, and then twice more only to find the same result, Hermione's eyes widened. She looked up at her mate with wide eyes. Suddenly everything seemed to make sense.
"Fenrir!" She managed, not realizing that she had stopped walking. "I— Am I pregnant?!"
A/N: Hello again! I hope you all have been having a fantastic summer! (Mine has been excellent, barring lack of time to write.) Yet another break in the major plot for some fun wolfie times; and a smart Hermione.
Cheers,
~Rev
