Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 26

The morning following the full moon, Hermione heard birds chirping as sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees shined on her face. Moaning softly, Hermione blurrily opened her eyes, blinking them to adjust to the light clearing. Turning her head, she saw that she was lying back on the gingham blanket. She must have made her way back here some time in the middle of the night. She still couldn't believe she was a werewolf now, and yet that knowledge didn't frighten her like she thought it would have.

Turning on her side to sit up, she groaned and stilled, her muscles completely sore from her transformations and protesting any movement before dropping back to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Hermione willed herself to sit up again to at least rest on her arm, her muscles screaming from soreness as she did, and she let out a puff of air, panting as she did to will the pain away. She grabbed her head and gave a small moan before looking around at her surroundings. Feeling disoriented, she was still able to look at the clearing once more, it looking very different in the daylight than it had the night before. Looking down at herself, other than finding herself naked, she found that she was rather dirty. She was covered in mud and dirt smudges, as well as dried, coagulated blood; she had a feeling it wasn't her own.

A large, warm hand placed itself on her hip, causing her to turn to look at it. She followed the hand up a familiar, muscular arm until she was looking at her mate, Fenrir gazing at her with loving eyes. Smiling at her, he greeted, "Good morning, mate."

"Good morning," Hermione replied, her voice kind of gruff as if she had been howling the whole night.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…I'm fine. I really am, just sore all over."

"That's good." A look of relief came over Fenrir's face. It was obvious he had been worried about her with her transformations. "The first transformation is the hardest and most painful for a new werewolf, and the next few that follow are also hard, but it gets easier with time. But if you take Wolfsbane it can make the transformation even harder."

Hermione wondered if that was completely true. It wasn't that she doubted Fenrir's words, but perhaps it was a different way of thinking for him and pack werewolves. After all, Professor Lupin took it every month and was fine. But if she thought about it, he always looked so tired and haggard afterwards. She supposed more study would have to be done to confirm the validity of Fenrir's words. As that thought crossed her mind, Hermione looked back down at her filthy body, having the sudden urge to want to bathe.

Fenrir looked her over, seeing how she was looking at herself. His mate was probably wondering how she had gotten so dirty and was wanting to get clean. Standing up, he suggested that they go clean themselves up, and then they could go and rest. Helping her up to stand, Fenrir helped her walk as he led her to a nearby stream, him being as naked as she was. Approaching the stream, the sound of splashing, talking, and laughter reached their ears, and to Hermione, it was all the more loud to her. It must be because of her new instincts now that she was a werewolf; she could hear and smell things more clearly than before. Once they reached the stream, they were greeted by the rest of the pack, all of them bathing and washing up from their night prowling the woods. Hermione was embarrassed at being stark naked in the midst of people she didn't know that well, not to mention they were just as naked as she was. However, she understood that privacy within the pack was somewhat nonexistent, and that they all had seen one another naked by now. What was it to them seeing another new member naked?

Sitting her by the edge, Fenrir began to wash her off with a bar of soap one member of the pack gave him, as well as a clean washcloth. He made sure to clean her thoroughly, Hermione having to bat his hands away from her nether regions when they lingered too long; the smile on her face let him know she wasn't upset with him about it. But he also knew he'd never take his mate or touch her inappropriately in the presence of others. He didn't want the males of the pack getting any ideas about their new Alpha Female. Death would be swift for them if they did. When Hermione was completely clean, Fenrir cleaned himself off, though Hermione washed his back for him. Once clean, Fenrir and Hermione went back to the cabin clearing, bidding the pack 'goodbye' and that he would meet with them later when Hermione was feeling better.

Back at the cabin clearing, Fenrir put his jeans from the night before on, then picked up the gingham blanket from the forest floor. He wrapped it around the brunette to cover her nakedness, then picked her up in his arms, as well as their clothes. After making sure she was comfortable, he Disapparated them away from that location and back to Hermione's flat. He quickly walked inside with her to make sure no one saw them or notice that his mate was nude, closing the door and locking it behind them before taking Hermione to her bedroom. Depositing her on the bed, he said, "I'm going to make you something to eat. You rest for now, mate."

He gave her a kiss on her forehead before leaving the bedroom and heading for the kitchen, Hermione watching him go fondly. Gosh, Fenrir really was so sweet, and she was lucky to call him hers. Standing from the bed, she stretched her sore muscles as best she could before walking to her dresser to get some clean clothes. Putting on some knickers, a pair of cotton shorts, and a camisole (no bra because she had no plans to go anywhere after the night she had), Hermione went into her bathroom so she could brush her teeth. As she did this, she could smell the food that Fenrir was cooking in her kitchen, and it smelled delicious. From the smell of it, it was breakfast. After brushing her teeth, she put her curly hair up in a messy bun, knowing it was going to get tangled later, but she didn't care at the moment. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that she looked the same, though she could see the faint freckles on her face more prominently now. Her brown eyes seemed wider, and she looked tired, but still the same Hermione she'd always been. Her eyes drifted down to her neck and she finally was able to see the Mate Mark Fenrir had given her.

It still seemed so surreal that Fenrir had claimed her as his mate in true, but he had always let it be known to her that he would. Of course, that was before they had gotten to know one another and fall for each other naturally. But for it to finally happen, she couldn't help but feel giddy about it. Reaching her hand up, she touched the bite mark and felt a jolt of pleasure run through her body. She also felt a sense of pride at knowing that she had been claimed by her mate and was going to wear the Mate Bite proudly. She hoped that she could give Fenrir a Mate Bite in return on day. After all, if he could give her one, she saw no reason why she couldn't do the same.

Leaving the bathroom, Hermione went back to her bedroom and climbed into bed, settling under the covers to rest while grabbing the remote to the small television in her room. Turning the television on, she turned it to a channel playing old cartoons and watched that while waiting for Fenrir to return. A few minutes later, Fenrir walked into the bedroom with a tray of food in hand, two cups of water balanced on it as well. Setting the tray on the bed, Fenrir smiled and said, "I hope this will do."

"It's perfect," Hermione told him with a smile as she looked at the meal the man had made. Her mate had made fried eggs, a stack of toast, and a pile of bacon for them to share, the glasses of water to wash it all down. Her mouth watering in hunger, she reached for a piece of toast and said, "Let's eat."

The two of them tucked into their breakfast, Hermione complimenting Fenrir on his cooking skills. It really was delicious, and Fenrir was glad that his mate was enjoying his meal. They talked as they ate, as well as watched the cartoons playing on the small television. Soon they finished eating and Fenrir took the tray and empty plates back to the kitchen. He returned afterwards and changed out of his jeans into a pair of sweatpants he had left there, and then got into bed with the brunette, wrapping his arms around her and letting her snuggle into him.

Hermione and Fenrir laid together in a comfortable silence, both just listening to each other's breathing and heartbeats. It wasn't long before Hermione was on the verge of sleep, snuggling even closer to her mate so she could fall asleep. Before she did, she leant up and kissed Fenrir on his lips sweeting, whispering, "I love you."

No sooner had she said that, Hermione fell asleep, safe and comfortably wrapped in Fenrir's arms. Fenrir smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head before murmuring, "I love you too, and I will continue to love you, always and forever."

Fenrir held her closer to him as he too settled down to fall asleep, soon joining his mate in the world of sleep.

An annoying, consistent tapping noise woke Fenrir up from his slumber, causing him to turn to glare at the window. He noticed two things upon looking at the window. The first was the position of the sun in the sky, letting him know it was some time in the afternoon around two o' clock. The second was that there was an owl sitting on the windowsill, a letter held in its beak. Carefully dislodging himself from Hermione, he made sure not to wake her before getting out of bed. Walking to the window, he opened it and took the letter from the owl, the bird turning and flying off as soon as the werewolf took the letter.

Closing the window, Fenrir looked at the letter and saw that it was from Lupin. He was actually surprised to see that the letter was addressed to him rather than his mate. Wondering what his pup wanted, he opened the letter and read what Lupin had written.

Dear Greyback,

I am writing to check in on Hermione. I know she must be very tired so I have decided to check on her through you so as not to bother her. How was her first night as a werewolf? I imagine the transformation was hard on her, but I also trust that you took care of her last night. Is she doing alright now that the full moon is over? Does she need anything? If so, please let me know. Also, if Hermione is up to it when she is feeling better, please ask her if she would be willing to let me visit. As a fellow werewolf, I would like to be there for her should she need anything now. I also know you to be capable, but if you cannot be present for her, I will be.

Sincerely,

Remus Lupin

Fenrir smiled as he folded the letter and placed it on the nightstand. He was glad his pup was concerned for his mate and was checking up on her. He also felt good in knowing that he would have someone to look out for Hermione if need be. Of course, his precious mate could look out for herself, but if she needed someone, he knew he could trust Lupin to be there for her.

Looking over at the still sleeping brunette, he smiled at her peaceful face, chuckling when her eyebrows scrunched together in her sleep and she turned over onto her other side. Bright blue eyes drifted from her sleeping form back to the nightstand where he had placed his letter, but his eyes didn't linger on the piece of folded parchment. Instead, they looked at a picture frame that contained a picture of Hermione with her parents. Hermione had told him about her parents during the time they were reconnecting and had told him about what she had to do to them to protect them during the war. He remembered how sad she was talking about it, as well as how sad she had gotten the first time he had asked about her parents early on in their courtship. Fenrir wondered if he could do anything about that for her. It was obvious she missed them dearly.

Deciding to dwell on that later, he left the bedroom and headed back to the kitchen to prepare them a late lunch—or was it early dinner?—while letting Hermione continue to sleep. As he prepared food for them, back in the bedroom, Hermione smiled in her sleep, dreaming about Fenrir and the future children that they would one day have together.

Author's Note: There will probably be two more chapters after this, and that will be the end of this story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as well as Fenrir taking care of Hermione following the full moon. I hope you all stay tuned for more to come. Love, SehunsBae37.